“THE CRISIS AS TO THE EARTHLY AND THE HEAVENLY”

Scripture Reading: Num.13:1-3, 17-23, 27-33; Num.14:1-3.

We are occupied with “The Fact and Nature of the Heavenly Way”.

‘The Bible’ begins with ‘the creation of the heavens’ and ‘the government of the heavens’. 

It ends with ‘the emergence from heaven’ of that which has been formed by ‘heaven’, according to ‘heavenly principles’: 
‘the Holy City’, “New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven”, fulfilling this ‘word’ which we have read in Heb.11:6 - “God has prepared for them a City”.

The Clash between the Earthly and the Heavenly:

We remind ourselves here that a characteristic of ‘the Old Testament’ at every stage is ‘the clash and contrast of two worlds’, of ‘two orders’: ‘the heavenly’ and ‘the earthly’.

All the way through ‘the Old Testament’ we have this ‘element’ - of ‘heaven’ challenging this ‘world’, and apprehending, that is, laying hold of, in this ‘world’, that which it will take out and constitute according to its own, ‘heavenly order and nature’.

It does not require a ‘very profound knowledge’ of ‘the Old Testament’ to confirm that. 

Our minds run quickly over its ‘story’ and we recognize that we are in ‘the presence of a clash’ all the time, a ‘conflict’.

It is this conflict between ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’.  

‘Heaven’ is not ‘satisfied’ with this ’world’ - very much to ‘the contrary’.  

‘Heaven’ is against what is here in this ‘world’; but ‘heaven’ is seeking to take what it can out of this ‘world’ to constitute according to its ‘own standards’: and so, while we find ‘the opposition of ‘heaven’, ‘the challenge of ‘heaven’, we at ‘the same time’ find ‘heaven’, right from ‘the beginning’, as it were, laying hold of ‘people’ - a line of ‘individuals’ and a ‘nation’ - in order to detach them from ‘the world’, even while here in it, and by a ‘deep process’ to make them a completely ‘different type’ and ‘kind of people’ from ‘everyone else’; laying hold of them, in other words, for ‘heavenly purposes’. 

‘The Old Testament men’ were Pioneers of ‘the heavenly way’.  

We have already seen a little of what that involves, but it is upon that ‘particular point’ that we want to focus all ‘our 
emphasis’ just now.  

It is not only that there is a ‘heavenly way’ which is different - we know that, we know it in ‘our hearts’ if we have been ‘born from above’, we are learning as we go on how different ‘the heavenly way’ is from ‘every other way’ -  but ‘the focal point’ at this time is this: that there is such a thing as pioneering that ‘heavenly way’, being called into a relationship with heaven in order to cleave a way, to take possession, to make it possible for ‘God’s full meaning’ to be understood, interpreted; a ‘ministry to others’ who shall follow on.

We said earlier that there is a sense in which everyone ‘born from above’ is a pioneer, because for every such one 
‘the way’ is a new way, which they alone can follow: no one can do it for them; it is a new way for everyone.  

Our present occupation is with ‘the vocational aspect’ of this.

There is no doubt about it that the majority of ‘the Lord’s Children’ know little, very little, about ‘the heavenly way’.  

You see, ‘organized Christianity’ has become very largely an ‘earthly thing’, with ‘earthly standards’ and ‘conceptions’ and ‘resources’: therefore it has become ‘spiritually’ very limited.

In comparison with ‘the heavens’, this ‘world’ is a very, very small thing.  

‘The Kingdom of the heavens’ is a vast thing, far greater than any ‘conception of men’.  

‘God’s thoughts’ are as ‘the heavens’ are high above ‘the earth’ in range, outbounding all ‘earthly conceptions’, and not until we get well away from this ‘earth’ do we realize on the one hand, how miserably small we are and on the other hand, in what a very much ‘greater realm’ it is possible to move than that in which we do move - I mean ‘spiritually’.  

The great, great need of this time is that ‘the People of God’, ‘the Church of God’, should come into its ‘true heavenly position’, with its ‘heavenly vision’ and ‘vocation’.  

Now there is a ‘great deal’ in that ‘statement’, but it all means that someone, some people, have got to pioneer ‘the way’ for ‘the Church’ back again to ‘the realm’ where it once was at the beginning, ‘the realm’ which it has lost in succumbing to that persistent tendency ‘earthward’.  

I say, a ‘pioneering instrument’ is needed, and ‘the way’ is a ‘costly way’. 

Now let me repeat, ‘the Old Testament men’ were ‘pioneers’  of ‘the heavenly way’. 

That is what is explicitly stated by ‘the writer’ in this ‘letter to the Hebrews’, particularly in ‘the passage’ which we have read. (Heb.11:13-16)

‘Heaven’ has its own ‘standard’ and ‘basis’, and ‘earth’ cannot provide that.  

One of the great ‘key-words’ of ‘the Old Testament’ is ‘sanctify’, and ‘sanctify’ means to ‘separate’, make ‘holy’, ‘consecrate’, ‘set apart’, and in the main that is a ‘spiritual’ and ‘inward thing’, dividing between ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’.  

‘God’ has divided those ‘two things’, put them ‘apart’, and there is to be this ‘putting apart’ in a ‘spiritual way’, ‘inwardly’ also.  

And so we find that these ‘men’ of ‘the Old Testament’  were ‘men’ who were ‘set apart’ in this ‘sense’: something was done right at ‘the very center of their being’ which ‘separated’ them from this ‘world’ and ‘committed’ them to a course which was altogether different from and contrary to ‘the course’ of this ‘world’; and if, under pressure, under strain, by deception inadvertently, consciously or unconsciously, they touched this ‘earth’, they were at once in ‘confusion’ - they knew at once in their ‘inner being’ that they were out of ‘the way’, and ‘the only thing’ was somehow to get back. 

We see that again and again.  

‘Heaven’ witnessed against their ‘position’; they were in ‘trouble’.   

And not until they got back could they go on.  

They were being ruled by another ‘standard’, but how different was that standard, and how difficult to understand!

Consider ‘Cain’ and ‘Abel’.  

From ‘the world’s standpoint’, Cain’s was a ‘very worthy procedure’.

Looked at from ‘the standpoint of the religious man’ of this ‘world’, it is difficult to see what was wrong with ‘Cain’, or how much more right was ‘Abel’, or how absolutely right and absolutely wrong these ‘two’ were.  

Yet how utterly right ‘Abel’ was is shown by ‘the issue’. 

One got through to ‘heaven’.  

That is ‘the fact’! 

He got through to ‘God’ and he got through to ‘heaven’, and the other one had a ‘closed heaven’ and a ‘rejecting God’.  

You say, what is ‘the standard’? 

Just ‘the difference’ between ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’, that is all.  

‘Heaven’s basis’ and ‘standard’ of access is altogether different from ‘earth’s’ - even ‘religious earth’s’.  

Notice: ‘the religious man’ may have ‘the same God’, worship ‘the same God’, bring his offering to ‘the same God’, and yet get no way to ‘heaven’, no way at all on ‘the heavenly road’. 

‘Heaven’ has its own ‘basis’ and ‘standards’ and ‘provision’, and ‘earth’ can neither find nor provide that.  

It is different.  

That is ‘the fact’ that we are up against when it is a case of getting to ‘heaven’.   

I am not talking about ‘geographical location’, but about getting through to ‘God’, finding an ‘open way with heaven’.  

We can only come on ‘heaven’s own provision’, and that will entirely and utterly upset all ‘our own natural calculations’. 

We have to find something that ‘nature’ cannot provide.  

If we, like ‘Cain’, reason this thing out according to ‘religious reason’, and come on that ground, we do not get anywhere.

“By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness born to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts”. (Heb.11: 4) 

Notice: ‘Heaven’ attested, approved, accepted.  

I am not dealing with all ‘the nature’ and ‘detail’ of these things.  

I am pointing out a ‘fact’ - that ‘heaven’s standards’ and ‘judgments’ are altogether ‘different’, and they are going to throw us completely into ‘confusion’ when we try to come, even in a ‘religious way’ into ‘heaven’.  

‘Nicodemus’ may be ‘the most perfect representation’ of ‘the religious system’, but he cannot get anywhere where ‘heaven’ is concerned.  

‘Heaven’ makes its ‘own provision’ for ‘access’, and we have to have ‘heaven’s provision’.  

We may ask a ‘thousand WHY’s’.  

But there is ‘the fact’! 

Pioneers are Leaders:

Let us now turn to our reading from ‘the Book of Numbers’. 

It is at ‘the point’ of ‘the sending over of the spies’, and ‘the focus’ of ‘the whole incident’ is upon ‘two men’: ‘Joshua’  and ‘Caleb’.  

Now Notice, all ‘the twelve heads of fathers’ houses’ - “Princes in Israel” (a significant term), typically ‘representative men’ - were called to be ‘Pioneers of the heavenly way’.  

‘The principle’ of their ‘headship’ and ‘princeliness’ was that they were to be ‘pioneers’.  

That is ‘the pioneer principle’.  

If you are a ‘true pioneer’, you are a ‘leader’, you are a ‘prince’ in character.  

But only ‘two’ of them justified their calling; only ‘two’ of them became what all ‘the rest’ were supposed to be - ‘pioneers’.  

You know, very often it just works out like that.

It is ‘the minority’, the very, very ‘clear minority’, that does ‘the work’.  

The others have ‘the name’, but they are not doing it; the others have ‘the official position’, but they are not doing it. 

‘The point’ is - where is it being done? 

Here it was ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’. 

We shall continue next Sunday, Lord willing!

As you know we are currently dealing with “The crisis as to the earthly and the heavenly”.

Our text is found in ‘the Book of Numbers’, 13:1-3, 17-23, 27- 33; and 14:1-3.

Last Sunday we were confronted with ‘the clash between ‘the earthly’ and the ‘heavenly’.

We saw that all the way through ‘the Old Testament’ we have this ‘element’ - of ‘heaven’ challenging this ‘world’, and laying hold of, in this ‘world’, that which it will take out and constitute to its own ‘heavenly order’ and ‘nature’. 

‘Heaven’ is not ‘satisfied’ with this ‘world’ - very much to ‘the contrary’.  

‘The Old Testament men’ were ‘pioneers of the heavenly way’.  

We have already seen a little of what that involves, but it is upon that ‘particular point’ that we are focusing all ‘our emphasis’ at this time. 

We said that there is this sense in which everyone ‘born from above’ is a pioneer, because for every such one ‘the way’, which they alone can follow: no one can do it for them, it is a ‘new way’ for everyone.

The great, great need of this time is that ‘the people of God’, ‘the Church of God’, should come into its ‘true heavenly position’, with its ‘heavenly vision’ and ‘vocation’.  

‘Heaven’ has its own ‘basis’ and ‘standard’ and ‘provision’, and ‘earth’ can neither find nor provide that.  

I pointed out ‘the fact’ - that ‘heaven’s standards’ and ‘judgments’ are altogether ‘different’, and they are going to throw us completely into ‘confusion’ when we try to come, even in a ‘religious way’ into ‘heaven’.  

We concluded last week by stating that ‘Pioneers are Leaders’.

If you are a ‘true pioneer’, you are a ‘leader’, you are a ‘prince’ in character.

Notice from our passage in ‘the Book of Numbers’, ‘twelve’ were called to be ‘pioneers of the heavenly way’, but only ‘two’ of them justified their calling; only ‘two’ of them became what all ‘the rest’ were supposed to be - ‘pioneers’. 

Here it was ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’, (Num.14:30).

Now, as we continue, let us spend some time in taking account of ‘the significance’ of these ‘two men’, - ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’.  

A Link with the Past:

To begin with, we will look at them as a ‘link with the past’.

‘The Intention of God’ which was taken up by them goes back to ‘His covenant with Abraham’, so that with ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’, ‘Abraham’ comes very much into ‘evidence’. 

We are at once compelled to look back and see ‘the significance of Abraham’, as taken up by these two: because, you see, the point at which ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’ came into view was a ‘critical point’, an hour of ‘very great crisis’.  

The whole question now is - is ‘God’s purpose’ going to be realized in this ‘people’, or is it not? 

That is no ‘small issue’; a ‘real crisis’ has arisen.  

And they are ‘the deciding factor’.  

There are ‘three features’ of ‘the place of Abraham’ as it comes in here. 

A Spiritual and Heavenly Seed:

First of all, there is ‘the feature’ of a ‘Spiritual and Heavenly Seed’.  

Do get that, please - ‘a Spiritual and Heavenly Seed’.  

We, today, are in a position of ‘very great advantage’.  

We have now, through ‘the Holy Spirit’, ‘the full significance of Abraham’.  

We have ‘our New Testament’ and all that ‘the New Testament’ says about ‘Abraham’.  

We have ‘the full revelation’ through ‘the Apostle Paul’, and we are now able to see from ‘our New Testament’ - we do not have to go back to ‘the Old Testament’ for all ‘our knowledge’ - we can see now, with ‘our New Testament’ in our hand, ‘the full significance of Abraham’; on this point we have much ‘extra light’. 

A ‘Spiritual and Heavenly Seed’.  

You see how that bears upon ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’, and how they take it up.  

But ‘this other seed of Abraham’ is not ‘spiritual’ and it is not ‘heavenly’.  

It has come down to ‘earth’.  

Notice in these ‘13th and 14th Chapters of Numbers’ from which we have read, ‘the reactions of this people’ - how ‘gross’ they are, how ‘earthly’, how lacking in ‘Spiritual vision’ and ‘life’ and ‘aspiration’! 

They are swayed entirely by ‘the earthly’ - by ‘the sight of the eyes’, by ‘things here’, their ‘difficulties’, ‘the people’, ‘the mountains’.  

For them there is no ‘way’. 

For ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’ ‘the mountains’ were a ‘way’, not a ‘hindrance’.   

There was a ‘heavenly way’. 

But these others see nothing of that, why? - because they are ‘earthly’.   

A ‘Heavenly and Spiritual Seed’ - that is ‘the thought of God’ in ‘Abraham’ made clear to us in ‘the New Testament’.  

An exclusive Seed:

But what more light have we got on this? 

We know now, that it was something ‘exclusive’.  

‘The Apostle Paul’ argues that out in ‘his letter to the Galatians’.  

“Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He says not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of   one”. (Gal. 3:16) 

It was ‘exclusive’!  

We will see later on where that led to; but notice that this, so far as ‘Abraham’ was concerned, was tied up inseparably  and exclusively with ‘Sarah’.  

It was permissible in those times for a man to have more than one wife, but ‘God’ was shutting this thing up to ‘Sarah’.  

‘Abraham’, under ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’, tried it along another ‘line’, by another ‘means’ - with ‘Hagar’; but here was one of these ‘points’ of which I was speaking a little earlier: a failure, a slip, a mistake, a blunder, under trial, under pressure, under duress; getting off ‘the heavenly line’ and regretting it - and ‘history’ has regretted it to this day. 

He had to get back to ‘Sarah’.  

‘God’ has shut this thing up, it is an ‘exclusive matter’.  

Not ‘Hagar’, and not ‘others’, but this ‘one’.  

Supernatural in Birth and Maintenance:

This ‘seed’ carries all ‘the marks of the Heavenly’.  

It is ‘supernatural in birth’, impossible along ‘the line of nature’.  

That is ‘Isaac’: and ‘Abraham’ was shut up to that, shut up to an ‘intervention of Heaven’.  

This cannot have an ‘existence’, let alone a ‘history’, unless ‘heaven’ sees to it.  

‘God’ was ‘very particular’ about that.  

Sometimes ‘God’ shows how ‘particular’ ‘He’ is about ‘the right thing’ by letting us see ‘the awfulness of the wrong thing’.  

‘God’ does not just let a ‘wrong thing’ go; ‘He’ does not just let a mistake, a slip, go as such.  

We are plagued sometimes to ‘the end of our lives’ by a ‘wrong step’. 

‘God’ will keep that, so that we may see that ‘the right way’ is an ‘important way’; it is not just an ‘option’.  

‘The heavenly’ is ‘the way’, and any alternative to that is not just allowed to pass as though it did not matter.  

We discover that it does matter; and so it was here.  

‘Heaven’ must do this, or it will never be done, because it is in ‘the heavenly way’. 

What a lot we have to ‘learn’, and are ‘learning’, about that ‘principle’! 

It explains a great deal of that which is happening in ‘our lives’.  

‘God’ has us in hand.  
The Principle of Death and Resurrection:  

Now, the second feature, is that not only was ‘Isaac’ a ‘heavenly seed’, a ‘heavenly product’ by ‘the intervention of heaven’, by a ‘miracle’, but ‘God’ is going to press that right through to ‘the ultimate’ in demanding ‘the offering of Isaac’ as a ‘sacrifice’.  

‘Isaac’ was born by a ‘miracle’, by ‘the intervention of heaven’, but something still further had to be done: he had to ‘die’ and be raised from ‘the dead’.   

Listen, this ‘mighty thing of God’ must come in and ratify that; it must be confirmed by ‘heaven’. 

Notice: what ‘the Apostle Paul’ says in Romans 1:4, “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection”, could well be rendered “ratified the Son of God...by resurrection”; and that is ‘Isaac’, ratified ‘heavenly’. 

That has very much of ‘our own spiritual history’ in it.

We have not only been ‘born again’ by a ‘miracle’ and ‘heaven’s intervention’; this has been ‘ratified’, ‘confirmed’ all the way along.  

‘God’ is demanding ‘the maintenance’ of that by ‘Resurrection Life’, and ‘Resurrection Life’ has no ‘meaning’ unless we know something of ‘death’.  

‘God’ is keeping us on ‘heavenly ground’.  

That is ‘the meaning of Isaac’: not only putting us on ‘heavenly ground’, but keeping us on ‘heavenly ground’ by constant ‘expression of Resurrection’, when only ‘Resurrection’ will save ‘the situation’.  

After all, no matter what it was at the beginning of ‘our Christian life’ - that we had a wonderful ‘experience of conversion’ and put down in a notebook when it happened and where - that may be good, but it has to be ‘ratified’ continually by ‘the expression of Resurrection’.  

We have to be kept on that ‘ground’.  

And that is ‘the pioneer way’.

The way of pioneering ‘the heavenly way’ is knowing again and again ‘the meaning of death’ and its ‘awfulness’, in order to know ‘the meaning of Resurrection’ and its ‘greatness’.  

It is ‘the pioneer way’.  

‘The church’ has gone that way; many a ‘Revelation of God’ has gone that way; many a ‘child of God’ has gone that way - in order to keep ‘the heavenly way’ alive and stop this ‘dry-rot of earthliness’ which is always seeking to sap ‘the Christian life’. 

We know how ‘true’ that is, do we not? - Well, some of us do. 

‘Abraham’ came to know that ‘his real inheritance’ was ‘in heaven’.  

You know, I think it is a ‘very wonderful thing’, this ‘aspect’ of ‘Abraham’s life and experience’ under ‘the hand of God’: that no doubt when he first set out, at ‘the command of 

God’, he interpreted those ‘promises’ in a very ‘earthly’ and ‘limited way’. 

We shall pick it up from here when we continue next week, Lord willing!

“Pioneering the Heavenly Way” is what we are involved in as ‘the Lord’s people’, and ‘the question’ we took up ‘last week’ is this: “Is God’s purpose going to be realized in us who are ‘His people’, or is it not”?

That is a ‘tremendous issue’ and brings with it a ‘real crisis’.

We saw that ‘the Intention of God’ which was taken up by ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’ linked them up with ‘God’s covenant with Abraham’.

And there are ‘three features’ of ‘the place of Abraham’ as it comes in here.

‘The first one’ was that of a ‘Spiritual and Heavenly Seed’.

That is ‘the thought of God’ in ‘Abraham’ made clear to us in ‘the New Testament’.

We further stated that it was an “exclusive seed”.

It was tied up ‘inseparately’ and ‘exclusively’ with ‘Sarah’, not ‘Hagar’ and not ‘others’, but ‘Sarah’.

We also saw that this ‘seed’ was ‘supernatural in birth and in maintenance’.

It is ‘supernatural in birth’ and impossible along ‘the line of nature’.

‘God’ was ‘very particular’ about that.

‘The heavenly’ is ‘the way’, and ‘God’ will keep it that way; - no ‘alternative’ is an ‘option’. 

And then we started to consider ‘the second feature’ of ‘the place of Abraham’, namely, ‘The Principle of Death and Resurrection’. 

The way of ‘pioneering the heavenly way’ is knowing again and again ‘the meaning of death and its awfulness’, in order to know ‘the meaning of Resurrection’ and its ‘greatness’.

We now continue, and let me repeat what I stated before I concluded last Sunday.

‘Abraham’ came to know that ‘his real inheritance, was ‘in heaven’.

You know, I think it is a ‘very wonderful thing’, this ‘aspect’ of ‘Abraham’s life and experience’ under ‘the hand of God’: that no doubt when he first set out, at ‘the command of God’, he interpreted those ‘promises’ in a very ‘earthly’ and ‘limited way’.

No doubt to begin with ‘his expectation’ was that they would be ‘fulfilled’ and ‘realized’ in this way and in that; but the longer he lived the more he became aware that it was not this way or that, it was something more than he had thought when he started, something very much more and very much other. 

He went on, and he is one of those here included in this word - “these all died in Faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar...now they desire a better country, that is, heavenly”.  
(Heb.11:13,16)

When ‘God’ said, “I will bring you to a country” (Gen.12:1), ‘Abraham’ in ‘the first place’ thought that that was ‘earthly’;  in ‘the end’ he saw it was not.

He came to see, he came to have perception: for ‘the Lord Jesus’ said, “your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad”. (John 8:56) 

“Having seen them and greeted them from afar”.  

And so, ‘the Apostle Paul’ brings us back here, in ‘his letter to the Galatians’ - “to your seed, which is Christ”.   

“He says not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to your seed, which is Christ”. (Gal.3:16) 

‘Christ’ was the answer to everything of ‘Inheritance’ for ‘Abraham’.  

But ‘Christ’, ‘the heavenly Christ’, is ‘the very embodiment’ of all that is ‘heavenly’.

We know not ‘Christ’ after the flesh. (2.Cor.5:16) 

‘Christ’ is essentially ‘heavenly’.  

You see ‘the heavenly nature’ of this ‘seed’.  

You can crowd all that into ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’.  

Who will be ‘the people’ that will ‘inherit’, go over and ‘possess’? 

Not this ‘earthbound’, ‘earth-minded crowd’. 

They will perish in their ‘earth’, their ‘earth’ will be their ‘prison’ and their ‘tomb’.  

They will be replaced by another ‘generation’ with a different ‘constitution’ - represented by ‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’, the first of ‘the new generation’ - who will ‘possess’. 

They are ‘the Pioneers of the Heavenly Way’ and ‘the heavenly fullness’.  

But how deeply they had to ‘suffer’ for it.    

“All the congregation said to stone them with stones”. (Num.14:10) 

Oh, listen, ‘pioneering’ is always a way of ‘suffering’ and ‘cost’, even amongst - not ‘the worldlings’ - but those who go by ‘the name’ of ‘the people of God’.  

Well, ‘the Pioneer of the Heavenly Way’ will always be like this: ‘heavenly as a seed’ and constantly ‘ratified’ as ‘heavenly’ by the necessity for repeated ‘interventions of heaven’ to extricate, to deliver, to keep going.  

It is true to ‘the Spiritual life’.  

Notice: we would not have gone on more than a ‘little way’, we would have ‘stopped’, it would have been again and again ‘the end’ of us, if ‘heaven’ had not ‘intervened’, if it had not been that ‘God’ had ‘ratified’ the fact that we belong to ‘heaven’.  

And ‘He’ is doing it.  

Well, all this is so clearly seen to be ‘fulfilled in Christ’, this ‘heavenly Seed’.  

‘His birth’ was by ‘heavens intervention’, a ‘miracle’.  

At ‘His baptism’ ‘heaven’ broke in again and ‘ratified’, “This is my beloved Son”.  

‘His Cross’? - that does not look very much like an ‘intervention of heaven’.  

But wait a minute: do not forget that ‘the New Testament’ never talks about ‘the Cross of Christ’ on ‘the death side’ alone.   

In ‘the New Testament’ ‘the Cross’ has ‘two sides - ‘death’ and ‘Resurrection’. 

“You by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised up”. (Acts 2:23-24) 

‘The world’ has done all that it can do, has exhausted itself upon ‘Him’.  

‘The powers of evil’ have exhausted themselves.  

What more can be done? 

Now ‘heaven’ comes in and spoils it all and raises ‘Him’: ratifies that ‘He’ belongs to ‘heaven’ and not to this ‘world’.

‘He’ is not ‘the property’, ‘the plaything’, either of this ‘world’ or of ‘the evil powers’ that govern this ‘world’.   

‘He’ belongs to ‘heaven’: and ‘heaven’ intervenes, and not only raises ‘Him’, but takes ‘Him’ up and out and sets ‘Him’ over.  

‘His Spiritual history’ is ‘the Spiritual history’ of ‘the Pioneer of the Heavenly Way’.  

‘He’ is ‘the Pioneer’!

“Within the veil; where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us”, (Heb.6:19-20) says this ‘letter to the Hebrews’. 

A Link between Failure and Realization: 

One other feature before we close this ‘present phase’ as to ‘the backward aspect’ of ‘Joshua and ‘Caleb’ to ‘Abraham’. 

They, like ‘Abraham’ and all ‘the pioneers’, were a link between ‘failure’ and ‘realization’.  

You look at ‘the world’ at the time when “The God of Glory appeard unto our father Abraham” (Acts7:2) in ‘Ur of the Chaldees’.  

You look at ‘the world’ and you look for that which is of ‘heaven’, and where will you find it? 

Please, tell me, where is all ‘God’s thought’ for something ‘heavenly’? 

It seems once more it has ‘disappeared’.  

There seems to be no ‘testimony’ at all to this ‘heavenly thought of God’, this ‘heavenly intention of God’ - a ‘heavenly people’, a ‘heavenly testimony’, something that represents and expresses ‘heaven’s thought’.  

Where is it ? - 

“the God of Glory appeard unto our father Abraham”, and he became ‘the link’ between ‘the failure’ and ‘the realization of God’s thought and intention’.  

‘Joshua’ and ‘Caleb’ took that up.

Here is ‘the story of the failure in the wilderness’.  

Except for them, where is ‘the heavenliness’? 

Except for them, where is ‘God’s thought’? 

Yet ‘God’ has not given it up.  

It may seem to have well-nigh disappeared; it has been like that again and again.  

But ‘heaven’ intervenes, and secures a ‘link’ between ‘the failure’ and ‘heaven’s triumph’. 

Listen, that ‘link’ is ‘the Pioneer’.  

‘The Lord’ must have an ‘instrument’ like that to set over against ‘the failure’ and to open ‘the heavenly way’ again to ‘realization’.  

Perhaps you are wondering, ‘what has this to do with me’? 

You are saying, ‘yes’, these are all wonderful ideas: it is quite true, it is quite clear that it is true in ‘the Bible’: but how does it effect ‘us’? 

Well, it just does. 

And ‘the great need of Christians’ today is to be recovered for ‘the full heavenly thought of God’.  

They have settled down to something less.  

They have become involved in something less and largely other.  

It has always been like that.  

You know, ‘the New Testament’ was written almost entirely because of it. - (90 % of it to be sure.) 

‘The Lord’s people’ are always at least in ‘danger’ of doing that - at least in ‘danger’.  

They do gravitate ‘spiritually’ toward this ‘world’ and lose their ‘heavenly testimony’ in one way or another.    

The pressure is always there to bring down, and ‘the Lord’ needs ‘lives’ that have seen - that have become like those of whom we were thinking in ‘our last meditation’, for whom ‘the center of gravity of life’ has been transferred from this ‘world’ to ‘heaven’, within whom there is this ‘sense’ - whether they can interpret it or not, whether they can put it into a ‘system of Truth’, Doctrine, Bible teaching, or not - there is this ‘sense’ that they are in the line of some “great destiny” which is beyond what this ‘world’ can provide, that they have been gripped by something that they can only say, is ‘the Heavenly Calling’, which has held them.  

I am going to say more about that later on; but ‘the Lord’ needs a ‘people’ like that, who just cannot be ‘satisfied’ with ‘things’ as they are: it is not just a matter of ‘the mind’, of ‘the reason’, at all. 

It is inside of them; they know that ‘God’ has done something.  

Because ‘God’ has done something, they are committed to something ‘far greater’ than ‘the poor limits’ of this ‘life’ and this ‘world’.  

They have been inwardly ‘linked up’ with something ‘tremendous’. 

I say again, they may not be able to preach it, but they know it.  

To be sure, we shall never be ‘useful’ to ‘God’ beyond ‘our vision’, ‘our true God-inwrought vision’, beyond ‘our own reach of heart’. 

‘Our measure of vision’ will determine ‘the measure’ of ‘our usefulness’.  

Oh, for ‘the immeasurable measure of heaven’ in ‘the heart of a people’!  

That is ‘the need’ today. 

Let me close by saying again that, while that is ‘the Heavenly Calling’ of which ‘the Apostle Paul’ speaks so much, it is ‘the most difficult way’ - it is full of ‘every kind of difficulty’; - but it is ‘the real’, it is ‘the true’, and it is ‘the ultimate’, for ‘heaven’ is a ‘nature’, a ‘power’, a ‘life’, and ‘order’, which is destined to fill this ‘world’ and this ‘universe’.