Address—D. Rule
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Perhaps we could begin this hour together in the presence of the Lord by singing number 93 From the palace of His glory, from the home of joy and love, came the Lord Himself to seek us.
He would have us there above.
And in past and distant ages, in those courts, so bright and fair ere we were, was he rejoicing all he won with us to share number 93.
Sorry.
From the whole of joy and love.
Yeah.
Nevertheless.
Ask our Father our God's blessing.
There's a little statement that many in this room perhaps have heard for many years.
The statement is the Son of God.
Became the son of man, that the sons of men.
Might become the sons of God.
Like to look at that statement a little bit this afternoon, but particularly.
With the desire before the Lord that our hearts might be touched.
With the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is rich.
And became poor that we through his poverty.
Might be rich, and that too we might understand.
The relationship which we have as the children of God and the characteristics of what should be seen in our lives, we who are children. Would you turn with me first to the temptation of the Lord Jesus is given to us in Luke's Gospel, chapter 4.
Here we have something of the person of the Lord Jesus brought before us as a man.
We see a perfect man.
And so here in Ephesians chapter 4.
It says.
And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan.
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And was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being 40 days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing, and when they were in dead he afterward hungered.
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of man.
Command this stone that it be made bread the.
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word of God.
And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world.
In a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power.
Will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me.
And to whomsoever I will give it, if thou therefore will worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. And he said unto him, If thou be the Son of God.
Cast thyself down from hence, for it is written, he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot.
Against the stone. And Jesus answering, said unto him, It is said.
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
This temptation of Jesus.
Brings before our hearts, before our souls.
The perfection of the Person of the Lord Jesus.
As man.
Satan addresses him as the Son of God.
And from all eternity he was the Son of God.
And the things that Satan asks of him, he had right and claimed to as the Son of God.
But Satan tries to take this perfect person.
Jesus.
And take him out of his place as man.
And of course we know that.
It displays to us.
Who he is?
And his blessed person, there's never any question before God as to the outcome of the temptations.
The Lord Jesus is pure gold.
There's no doubts or uncertainties as to the matter, but it does bring out to our hearts the blessedness.
Of what man should be.
Before God.
He is perfect in every respect, and so the devil says to him, If thou be the Son of God, was he not the Son of God?
Was that not his place from eternity?
But here he is in manhood's place.
He has come into this world, come of a woman.
And walks here in that perfect place that is his as a man.
On this earth.
And so the devil says, command this stone, that it be made bread, the.
And the Lord gives, as a man should, a word from God.
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In answer he says in verse four, Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word of God, and I'd like to stress to your thoughts and mind, your heart and mind, two things in that.
He displays perfect dependence.
And perfect obedience.
Those are the two things that should characterize every man in this world.
The two things that are opposite that are independent and disobedience.
And sadly, those are the two things that characterize this world today.
Independence and disobedience. But here is a man before God who says that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word.
Of God.
He lives in perfect submission to the Word of God.
And in perfect dependence upon God, not even eating.
And independence.
Not even taking something absolutely necessary to life on this earth, as if he had the right and claim to it apart from God. And so he says.
Displaying His perfect person as man before our eyes this afternoon.
Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word of God.
We're not going to take it up yet this afternoon and but I trust we will later, so I'll just mention it to you.
The same things that characterize him.
In this way, as man should characterize your life.
Today.
Dependence.
And obedience.
Well, we find in the next part of the temptation verse five, the the devil takes him up and shows him all the kingdoms of this world, and he offers him two things.
In verse six, Power.
And glory.
Power and glory, to whom belong, ultimately, all rights to power and glory.
They belong to God.
They don't belong to man.
God gives man positions of power. He raises up man to places of power.
Under himself always with for himself being absolute in his power, and all power that man has is as from God and held in responsibility to God.
God raises men up to places of glory, among men at least.
But here.
Satan would seek to take this perfect man.
And take him out of his place.
That he might take unto himself, or from one who had no right to give.
That which belongs to God alone. Notice the contrast to this power and glory, he says.
In his answer the Lord Jesus, in verse eight, it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God.
And him only shalt thou serve. We have two things put in contrast to us here.
Power and glory.
And worship and the servants place.
The Lord Jesus as the Son of God.
Had right to all power.
And all glory.
But here we find him taking that blessed place.
In his manhood.
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And saying worship.
The Lord thy God.
And him only shalt thou serve.
Don't we see that in contrast to man today?
How far has man gotten out of his place?
He grasps after power and glory.
He wants to say I am God.
And God is within me.
And I am the center of my universe.
And I have the capacity to be all things that I wish to be.
And he makes himself the center of his existence.
And can I say in doing so seeks to rob God of the power?
And the glory that belonged to God alone.
But here the person of our Lord Jesus shines out.
And takes that place as man, and says thou shalt worship not yourself.
But the Lord thy God.
Jehovah thy God, the God with whom you are to have a personal relationship.
Is the one that is to be given your worship.
No man is ever to be worshipped. Men are to be in their proper place, honored.
And praise to but never worshiped. Worship belongs to God alone.
Him only shalt thou worship.
And what is man's place?
To take the servant's place.
Him only shalt thou serve.
But man says I'll be my own.
I won't worship somebody else. I want that place.
I'm not going to be some man servant, I'm going to have the exalted place for myself in my life.
Now, I don't believe anyone here would dare. I think perhaps every single person in this room is at least been exposed to the word of God in such a way that you might not dare to say I want to be a God.
But this is the heart that's being spoken to.
That is, it's a voice to the heart of man, but it is a wonderful presentation.
Of the blessedness.
Of this man.
The one in whom God could open heaven.
That he might look upon him.
With delight.
And then he says in The Last Temptation.
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And he answers, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And here again we find the blessed person of the Lord Jesus.
Not acting as the Son of God in that place here.
He is that eternally, and as man and for a coming eternity never is less than He is, is always what He is. He is the Son of God, but here as man, presented to us as a man.
He takes that place into which he had entered voluntarily for you, for me, for God's glory most of all, and.
He will not act out of his place.
And so he says, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Him only shall we serve.
In connection with these thoughts, turn over to Philippians Chapter 2.
And let's look at him there.
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Philippians, Chapter 2.
The end of verse five. Christ Jesus.
Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God?
But made himself of no reputation.
And took upon him the form of a servant.
And was made in the likeness of men.
I like the new translation in the beginning of the seventh verse it says.
He emptied himself.
He emptied himself.
Brethren, may it touch our hearts to think upon this blessed man.
You or I have no right, no place.
In this.
Here this blessed person.
In his place in Godhead glory.
As only a divine person could.
He empties himself.
He lowers himself.
Perhaps I shouldn't say it that way.
But he puts aside.
Those glories that are his.
That he might enter into this world.
As a man.
He empties himself.
That he might enter among us.
As a man.
He takes.
That setting aside that place.
Emptying himself.
And he comes in the likeness.
Of men.
He comes into the place of the servant.
You'll see the fruit of that in a few minutes.
But here we see the fact of it.
He takes the servant's place.
And now it says in verse 8 being found in fashion as a man.
He humbled himself.
And became obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross is that divine person in the Godhead. He empties himself. Now having become a man, he humbles himself.
He goes lower still.
He humbles himself.
It says in Galatians that he was come of a woman come under the law.
He was born.
Into a Jewish family.
So he came under the law.
And he lived as the man.
Perfectly.
According to the requirements of the law.
But what I want to point out to your heart and mind this afternoon is what he did here.
Goes immeasurably beyond the requirements.
Of a Jew under the law.
There is nothing in the law. Nothing.
That would take a man.
To do what the Lord Jesus did.
To become obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.
The requirements of the law were such that the man that did them had the right to live.
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No question of death there, he had the place to live.
On this earth.
And a place of honor.
Too, as far as that goes among men.
As he kept the words of the law.
But here is a man that humbles himself.
To go far beyond the requirements of man, even perfect man under the law.
To be obedient.
To the will of his father.
Unto death.
Even the death.
The cross.
With that in mind, let's turn over to Galatians chapter 4.
Ephesians or Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4.
But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son.
Made of a woman, made under the law.
To redeem them.
That were under the law.
That we might receive the adoption.
Of sons.
And because your sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying ABBA Father.
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.
And if a son, then an heir of God.
Through Christ.
I pray God that your heart might be touched, as my heart was in reading these and meditating on it.
It brought me to tears.
And I find when I cry, I can't speak.
But, brethren, this is tremendous.
The Son of God.
In all his Godhead glory.
Enters into this world.
Born of a woman or come of a woman, come under the law.
Taking the servants place as we had in Philippians chapter 2.
That you and I, who could never aspire to be anything but servant.
Might by his servants place and work.
Be brought before God.
Into the place.
Of sons.
That you and I might be the sons of God.
And all that that is to God's heart, and yours and mine.
He was rich.
But he empties himself.
He humbles himself.
And there is that servant. He's obedient.
All the way to death.
Because nothing short of redemption would ever be able to set you free and bring you into the place of sonship.
Redemption requires death.
And nothing short of redemption's work.
Could set you free from the ******* of sin.
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When Christ died for you, God looks upon you as.
Paul says I am crucified with Christ.
Dead with Christ before God as to the place that I had.
That now?
Through his work of redemption. Through his death.
As it says here.
To redeem them that were under the law. That's particularly the Jew.
That we might receive the adoption of sons.
Or it's also translated might receive sonship.
That you might be made a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
But more than a child that you might be a son.
Oh brethren, it's a wonderful thing to be in the family of God.
To be born again.
To be part of a new creation.
As wonderful as that is, God has more blessing even than that for your soul.
And mine, he says. No, I want you to enter into the enjoyment of a relationship with myself.
As.
It says here of a son, verse 6. God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying ABBA father.
I notice here and in Romans chapter 8 where some of the same thoughts are brought before us. It's connected with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit that comes down to dwell in US. And I believe it's by the Spirit of God that we are conscious of our relationship as sons with God.
That we say, ABBA, Father, that we have that conscious sense in our souls.
That my God is my Father.
And we also enjoy.
Not just the little child's relationship, as good as that is that we can call God our Father.
But also God, in connection with the thought of sonship, wants us to enjoy intelligent.
Communion and affection with himself.
It says, sons, that He would bring us into the knowledge of Himself in his will.
And his purposes and his counsels.
Every father here.
That has had children grow up, recognizes, I think, something of that.
When we have a little child and we pick them up in our arms, we can love them.
And in their measure, as young as they may be, they can hold us back.
And there's a reciprocal affection between the parent and the child.
But you know a child that grows up in fellowship with his father.
Inners later into a more enjoyable and a deeper.
Sense of the relationship between one and the other, because as the child gets older, the father is able to share more his thoughts, his true depth of his feelings, and the child that grows is able to more enter into them and share them, and that gives a deeper, fuller satisfaction to the father's heart.
God our Father.
Wants and purposes that we, his children as his sons may have that enjoyed capacity.
To share together in his thoughts.
Now I'd like to turn a little bit to the side of.
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Responsibility.
We who are sons.
I'd like to say.
That two things that characterize your life and mind should be.
Absolute dependence.
And absolute obedience.
Adam, as a man, was placed on this earth to be in a dependent and obedient creature.
Man at one time was placed under law, and he was still at that time to be a dependent and obedient creature.
You are a child of God this afternoon if you belong to the Lord Jesus.
And you are to be a dependent and obedient.
Son.
And when you get home to heaven.
To the Father's house to enjoy your portion there as an heir.
With God and a joint heir with Christ, you are going to be perfectly a dependent and obedient person.
I emphasize that to you because it is easy for us.
Who are not under law, but under grace.
To minimize.
Or forget that our relationship is still.
And always has been one of obedience.
Being under grace.
Does not set aside.
Our place in obedience, the law required, and I'll use this word, judicial obedience, that is the relationship that governed man under the law was obeyed.
And live, disobey and die. We are not under that type of a relationship at all.
We are under grace. We are set free from the law.
We never were under it officially because we're not Jews. At least almost all of us are Gentiles.
But still, as under grace, we are children.
And our Father has commandments for us, things that he wants us to do and not to do.
And as his children.
Were motivated.
Not by a law of do's and don'ts.
But we are motivated by love. We manifest the nature that we have as His children.
By walking in the obedience.
Of love. Turn with me just to show that to John's Gospel chapter 15.
John, Chapter 15.
The Lord says I am the true vine, speaking to his disciples, and my father is the husbandman.
Verse 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it, abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, you're the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.
For without me ye can do nothing.
Verse 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Continue ye in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments.
And abide in His love.
This perfect man kept his father's commandments. He's not talking about the law.
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He's talking about the place he had as a man and his relationship with his father.
And his life was characterized by absolute walk to do nothing but the will of his father.
He came to display the heart of God.
And to display the heart of God as man.
God manifest in the flesh.
He presents the heart of God perfectly to us.