Life and the kingdom

  Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:20, 48; 7:21; 19:23-26; John 3:3; Rev. 22:1-2

  The Scriptures, from beginning to end, associate life with authority. When man is first mentioned, these two matters are both introduced. In the first chapter of Genesis the question of authority is brought up. When God created man, He said, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (v. 28). As soon as God created Adam, He bestowed on him the right to govern the entire earth. But Genesis 1 does not tell us all that transpired between God and man when man was created, so Genesis 2 supplements the record. Genesis 1 tells us that God wanted man to exercise dominion over the earth on His behalf, and it tells us also what sort of man this man must be who is to wield authority for God. He must be “in the image of God” (v. 27). The man who is to rule the earth for God must be a man according to God’s “likeness” (v. 26) — that is, like God — so that when you have seen this man who is in dominion, you have, as it were, seen God Himself. The man who is to govern the earth for God is not merely one who wields authority; he is one who wields authority as God’s representative. That is a tremendous thing. That is a transcendent thing, and it demands a transcendent life for its accomplishment. A supernatural task requires a supernatural life. It is necessary for us to grasp this point — that if man is to represent God and to exercise dominion for God on the earth, then man must possess a supernatural life. He cannot possibly bear so lofty a responsibility in the strength of his own natural life. If he is to wield divine authority and be a divine representative, he must possess the divine life.

  Therefore, as soon as Genesis 1 has presented a man in the divine likeness and in the exercise of divine authority, Genesis 2 presents the tree of life. God was indicating that He would have man partake of the tree of life so that he might possess the divine life and thereby be enabled to fulfill the responsibilities of his ministry. If only the uncreated life of God could enter a human creature, then that human creature would be able to represent the Lord of creation, and that human creature would be able to rule the earth on behalf of the Lord of creation.

  Do you see that at the very outset the Bible has linked authority and life? And at the end of the Bible these two are still linked. In the final two chapters of Revelation you see life issuing from the throne — and the throne represents authority (22:1-2). This matter of authority is entirely a matter of life. If you have the life, you have the authority. “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” and “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). If we are to have part in the kingdom, we must be born anew. We must become possessors of a life other than the life we have by nature. To use the Old Testament illustration, the Adam of Genesis 1 with his earthly life must receive the heavenly life of Genesis 2. Do not think that we must be born again because we have sinned. We must be born again because we need to possess a life that we do not possess by natural birth. Of course, sinners need to be born again, but even if man had not fallen, the new birth would still be necessary. Our Lord told Nicodemus he needed to receive the life of God so that he might become a partaker in the kingdom of God. Do you see that here again life and the kingdom are linked together?

  You may say, “Oh, it’s all very good, but it’s all beyond me. I truly want to submit to the authority of God, but I simply can’t. I’m too weak.” Yes, we are all too weak, for we are all children of Adam; we are all children of dust; we are all very earthy. And earthen things are so fragile. With just a little knock they go to pieces. That is what we are like. And we are not just feeble creatures; we are fallen creatures. We are rebels by nature. We have no strength when it comes to submitting to God, but we have lots of strength when it comes to rebelling against Him. We have to confess that our natural life is a rebellious life, and it cannot possibly submit to God. The life we have by our natural birth is totally incapable of yielding to His authority. Our natural life is incapable, totally incapable, of coming under the government of God. When the disciples heard the Lord speaking about the kingdom, they heaved a sigh and said, “Who can?” And the Lord answered, “With men this is impossible.”

  Let me use an illustration here. A dog cannot fly. To a dog, flight is a sheer impossibility. But what a dog cannot do, a bird can do with ease. It is the simplest thing for a bird to soar up into the sky. The life of a dog is a life that cannot fly; the life of a bird is a life that flies with ease. The bird has the kind of nature that flies, and it would suffer intensely if you did not let it fly. As for the dog, if you want it to crawl into a hole, it can do that, or if you want it to climb up a hill, it can do that too. But if you ask it to fly, it simply cannot. It is a matter of life. Our corrupt natural life cannot be subject to God. We need another life for that. We need the life of God. The new birth is the coming of God into man so that what before was impossible to man now becomes possible. “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Our problem with authority is no problem to God. When we have His life, it is the most natural thing to come under His authority. It is as spontaneous as for a bird to fly. If we suppress the divine life within us and do not let it submit to the divine authority, then we will suffer as a caged bird suffers. But when we submit to the divine control, we are wonderfully released. The more we submit, the more released we are until, as Isaiah puts it, we can “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isa. 40:31). Brothers and sisters, do you see that the whole question of the kingdom is a question of life?

  The demands of the kingdom are terrific, but the provision of the divine life is equal to all its demands. A full gospel presents the kingdom with its requirements. It also presents the precious blood to cleanse from defilement and the life to supply the power that makes us partakers in the kingdom. The gospel presents these three things — the kingdom, the blood, and the life. The kingdom makes its demands, but by virtue of the cleansing that comes through the precious blood and the power that comes through the divine life, even we who by nature are fallen creatures can live the kingdom life. Praise God, the very source of life is within us — even God Himself! The God on the throne who issues His demands is the One who meets His own demands. From the throne He requires that we be subject to Him, and from within He supplies the life that can be subject to Him. This takes no toll of our strength, but it does require our cooperation. There is no need for us to do, but there is the need for us to let Him do. Otherwise, how could the demands of the kingdom ever be met? Listen to these lofty demands: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist him who is evil; rather whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And to him who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, yield to him your cloak also” (Matt. 5:38-40). In my youth, when I read those words, I thought, “Oh, I could not possibly do that. And never in all my life will I be able, so I’ll have to give up being a Christian. I can’t be a false Christian, and I can’t be a true one, so I can’t be one at all. There’s no way out.” But a voice within me said, “You can’t help being a Christian.” I wanted to draw back, but I could not draw back; I wanted to go forward, but I could not go forward. Oh, the misery of it! For a long time I was in great perplexity, but one day God showed me that what I was trying to do was an utter impossibility, and He had never meant me to try. Imagine trying to attain to this: “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48). That day light dawned, and I was able to praise God that He was my Father, and that the Father’s life in me could enable even me to be perfect. The question is not one of our ability to do but of giving our consent to His doing. He is impotent if we refuse consent. And that is where the trouble often lies — He is willing, but we are unwilling.

  Do you see? The requirements of the kingdom can never be met by man, and God never expected man to meet them. The demands He makes, He Himself meets — and that is the grace revealed in the New Testament. In the Old Testament the law made its demands on man, but in the New Testament it is the kingdom that makes its demands. The demands of the kingdom are far more exacting than the demands of the law. The demands of the law proved how utterly impotent man was; now the demands of the kingdom prove, not how unable man is, but how able God is. There is no need for the demands of the kingdom to prove man’s inability, for that has been conclusively proved by the demands of the law. Today the requirements of the kingdom serve to demonstrate the infinite ability of God. He has become our life that in us He may meet all the demands His kingdom makes upon us.

  It is important to realize that God’s life has been given for the sake of His kingdom. If we do not let Him set up His throne in our lives and assert His authority over us, His life cannot operate in us. God has put His life in us for the specific purpose of meeting the demands of His kingdom, and unless we allow Him to establish His kingdom in us, His life within us cannot function.

  Let me use one or two illustrations. A sister came to me with her troubles, and after talking for a while, she said something like this: “I have really no problem except the problem of my own bad temper. I keep losing my temper with my husband and with my children. I have prayed and prayed about it, but the more I pray for victory, the more my temper gets the better of me. Why is it? I know that the Lord is my Savior; why doesn’t He save me from my bad temper? I know the Lord hears prayer; why doesn’t He hear my prayers about my bad temper? I know His life is mighty; why can’t His mighty life overcome this little temper of mine?” All that she said was very reasonable. The Lord’s life within us is a mighty life, and the Lord is a hearer and answerer of prayer. Why then is that little temper not overcome? Please do not misunderstand me when I say that the life of the Lord has been put within you and me to meet the needs of God’s great kingdom, not to meet the need of our little temper. So I said to that sister, “Who is Lord of your life, you or the Lord? Is the authority in your hands or in His?” And when she reasoned again about her temper, I asked again, “Who is on the throne of your life, you or God?” When I pressed the point and refused her a loophole to escape, at long last the answer came: “I am in charge of my own life.” Then I said, “Sister, what need is there to say anything more? You are on the throne, and you want the Lord to help you. If He is not in the place of authority in your life, how can He do anything for you?”

  That is our whole trouble today. Why cannot God’s mighty life deal with our little temper? The question is not one of little problems or big problems; the question is this: Who is on the throne? You are always hoping that God will confine Himself to the throne in heaven while you occupy the throne in your life. Then you are bothered by your weaknesses and sins, so you call upon Him to help you. You cry out to Him, “Are You not the mighty One? Have You not promised to answer prayer? Can You bear to see Your child living a life of defeat?” Yes, He can bear to see you defeated, and He will let you go on being defeated until you realize that He has put His life within you in order to establish His kingdom within you.

  You must let Him have the throne. Let Him take control. Let Him establish His kingdom in your life. Then every foe will be overcome. There will be no need then to pray about your weaknesses, for if He has His place on the throne of your life, every foe will be vanquished. In the Old Testament days, when Jehovah had His place as King over His people, all their enemies were subject to them, but when they refused to let Him have dominion, the enemies gained the ascendancy. Then all their cries were unavailing. Their enemies took the holy city, destroyed the temple, carried off the Ark, and took God’s own people captive.

  A brother once came to me and said something like this: “Why is it that my platform ministry is so weak? I pray a great deal about it. I sometimes fast and pray, and at times I spend a night in prayer before accepting a speaking invitation. Why am I still powerless?” My answer was the same as before: “Who is in control of your life?” That is the whole question. If you try to restrict God to the throne in heaven and refuse Him the throne in your life, all your cries for help will avail nothing. The question is not one of weakness or power; the question is one of the throne.

  We read of the river of living water that “on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month” (Rev. 22:2). Wherever this river flowed, every need was met. But where did the river come from? “And he showed me a river of water of life,...proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (v. 1). Life is always associated with the throne. When we yield to God’s authority and let Him establish His kingdom in our lives, then we are maintained in victory and in fullness of life, for then we too are in authority.