The Glory of the Christian Dispensation

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There were failures on the part of the patriarchs and of the Nation of Israel and subsequent judgment but God in His grace will yet fulfill the promises in spite of human inability to believe cf.

It was given to teach them and by extension to the whole world, their need for a Saviour. Yet, God dealt with them graciously and revealed His glory at the beginning of the Law Ex. The Law had moral, civil and religious components which taught Israel of the glory of their God above the pagan non-gods of the nations around them.

The judgment on Israel for the rejection of their Messiah has been dispersion from the land for over years. The dispensation of grace begins in Acts 2 and carries through to Revelation The Church is the main revelation of this period and is made up of all those who are baptized by the Holy Spirit. The Church is to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth and rely on the indwelling Spirit to overcome sin. The ultimate end of the church age is apostasy Tim. The glory of God is seen primarily in His grace to undeserving sinners through the loving sacrificial death of His Son and His wisdom in devising such a plan to include everyone in his mercy Romans The final form of testing or administration is the dispensation of the Messianic Rule.

This will commence at the return of Christ through a one thousand year period and will spread over the whole earth with Christ Himself ruling and Satan bound Rev. It will be a righteous and good rule, yet it will end in rebellion with armies gathered at the direction of Satan then released to defeat Christ. The glory of God is seen world-wide in the presence of the glorified Christ in all His majesty. It is always amazing to me how God can have such patience with sinners like us. In conclusion, the dispensations reveal the glory of God primarily in His sovereignty over the earth, sovereignty that was perhaps questioned in eternity past when Satan fell.

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It seems that it has been the eternal purpose of God to show forth His glory cf. Hence, the glory of God is eternally revealed to men and angels. Edited by John F.

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The Dispensations of the Ages. Union Gospel Press, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Walvoord and Roy B. The Snake that Saves Numbers Stumbling at the Finish Numbers What Hope Do I Have? A Psalmist Calls For Help. You are here Home. Introduction The glory of God is an ocean in which many have swum, but none have ever touched bottom. The Dispensation of Freedom In the dispensation of freedom freedom seems better to me than does innocence. The Dispensation of Conscience The subsequent arrangement or order of things has been referred to as the dispensation of conscience 3: The Dispensation of Promise The next dispensation is that of promise The Dispensation of Grace The dispensation of grace begins in Acts 2 and carries through to Revelation The Holy Spirit is responsible for all subjective work in our souls from new birth onwards.

One baptism, many "fillings", and we make a great mistake if we don't give a prominent place to this Divine person. Indeed it has sometimes been said that the presence of the Holy Spirit is the creed of brethren. Well if it was so, I hope it still is. As usual, the enemy comes along and what does he say? Well, if you turn over the pages of church history, you will find that oftentimes this subject has gone overboard. Nearly always it is the reaction to a rather dead and cold and lifeless profession.

Other Christians have seized on upon this truth and the subject has got out of proportion. The Montanists in the second century, the enthusiastic anabaptists who caused trouble to Martin Luther, the "shakers" amongst the Quakers and the Irvingites who were speaking in tongues just when the brethren began to break bread in The modern pentecostal movement started in about and the neo-pentecostals in the s, and you don't need to be very much in contact with Christians to know that there are those who are saying that this is the greatest moment since Pentecost.

There are almost million pentecostals in this world and the movement still grows. What is wrong with it? The theology of pentecostalism is experience, and I only need draw upon your acquaintance with it or of those who have made a deeper study of it. They all bear testimony to the fact that it is a 'feeling'. It is not a theology that is based upon the Word. Some of us have had very precious contacts with pentecostals, and when you think of a man like Tertullian in the second century, the apologist, who was carried away by the movement, we do well to speak carefully. The great danger with pentecostalism that it engages us with ourselves and not with Christ.

How easy is it in making experience the important thing and thus we get a two-platform kind of Christian - those who have it and those who haven't. And we do well, dearly beloved brethren, to go on quietly with what we have always been taught. The Spirit makes everything of Christ and this is the line on which real progress is made. I haven't any doubt in publicly saying that pentecostalism will lead to the cramping of souls and the stunting of growth.

I'm not attributing it all to the devil. There is a good deal of pent up emotions in it all, but it is below the divine standard.

Now the third truth of the present dispensation is the formation of the church. Notice it was future at that time. Pentecost, Acts 2, is the birthday of the church. God has always had a congregation in mind.

In Exodus 12, where we get first mention of redemption, we get first mention of the congregation of the children of Israel in the Old Testament. Then we get the tabernacle, then the temple. In the wonderful teaching of these types, God deigned to vouchsafe His presence: But all the pictures that we get in Old Testament are types and all that comes to light in the company position in Israel is a pale picture of what has come into reality in the present church period.

The truth of the house of God, of course, starts way back in Genesis 28, but when you get into the New Testament and the Spirit comes down, He fills not only the believer but also the place where they dwelt see Acts 2: The House of God takes on a new character in this dispensation and it becomes the habitation of God through the Spirit. What a wonderful consideration! Ah, but there is a still more wonderful thing. In the New Testament, you are introduced to the truth of the body of Christ. In Colossians, the members are here for the exhibition of the glories of the Head.

In Ephesians we get the full truth of the Man and the woman, the assembly. Wonderful truth - there is in this world a company who are "bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh". We live in a most wonderful day in this world's long history. Does it really come home to our hearts?

We have been in touch with brethren, some of us, many years, men who have opened out to us these truths. How our hearts have been charmed, delighted! And those truths are with us today - the wonderful truth of the Church: This is one of the distinctive truths of the present dispensation. But again the enemy comes along. This is good, says he, what can I do to spoil it? The ecumenical movement is one such suggestion. I suppose most of us today know there is a tremendous activity amongst the orthodox, and the Anglicans, and almost every sect in protestantism in order to unite the churches.

They read the scriptures and they find in John 17 "that they may be one". They look at the Christians and they find there is a unity amongst Christians - the unity of the spirit - and there is a unity amongst Christians in the light of the Lord's near return. So the ecumenicals speak of the sin of division. It makes us feel pretty small doesn't it?

The divisions amongst true saints of God. Have you ever asked yourself, why is there such a burning desire to help forward this movement? Have you ever thought of it? You know you find all sorts of people caught up in a great desire to get the churches together. There are two reasons for this. One is found amongst real Christians.

We have to understand that many dear Christians imagine that the kingdom of Christ is going to be brought in through the preaching of the gospel. They imagine that through the proclamation of God's word, that gospel will spread. I remember when first this came home to me; in a very learned company as I thought, I heard somebody speaking about the leaven spreading as a picture of the gospel spreading and I sat in my seat and cringed. Leaven, if you study it carefully, is always spoken of in an evil sense, not a good sense. This is happening amongst very many Christians, and no doubt we can all see how division amongst the saints is a great hindrance in the proclamation of the gospel.

So if there is such a campaign, let us drop all the barriers and let's go in for it. That is one side of it. But there is another side of it, rather more sinister. Many church members, unconverted, see the church as a great world power. Involvement in social, economic and political matters they see as the right portion for the church. And if they can only band all the churches together, what a power that will be in the political world.

Dispensationalism

Let's come on, let's join up, and be they real Christians or unconverted, there is a great move today to get the churches together. I'll tell you what is wrong with it - simple, clear and plain: The necessity of new birth is neglected in the ecumenical movement. You don't find any reference to the true position of the church. Sheep among wolves - that is our real position. Persecution is our place. There is no mention in the ecumenical movement of the true position of the church in testimony in this world.

And what is our right position? To stand completely apart from it. We know that when the church is caught home to glory, then Laodicea will become Babylon and God will pour out his judgment upon it and "her smoke goes up to the ages of ages" Revelation I give you another point as I close this section.

The Glory of the Christian Dispensation (Hebrews 8 + 9)

I feel that it is entirely relevant to our own position today. Have you ever heard it cried out, "let all things be done by charity". We ought to be tolerant, so we are told. Correct; but in 1st Corinthians 16 verse 13 it says, "watch you. Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong". We don't hear that side quite so frequently. Tolerance, love - yes - but faithfulness, standing by the scriptural manifestation of Christ, cost what it might, this is the divine order. It will bring suffering, but it is the pathway that He trod and God will support us in it.

Now the fourth point, a rather precious one, is the characteristic feature of the present dispensation in that we call upon God as Father. We have the revelation of God as Father. All the secrets of the Father's bosom have been made known. I go to prepare a place for you" John We know the terminus, the home of love, and in the mean time, the Lord's words to Mary Magdalene in resurrection are, "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and your Father; and to my God and your God" John He takes us by the hand into the enjoyment of the revelation of the Father and not only so, connected with this there is life.

That life has been manifested, the life which was with the Father. It was made known to the apostles. This opens up to us eternal life as the present enjoyed portion of the soul, and what sweetness that is. In Old Testament types, we read of a land flowing with milk and honey.

What is a Dispensation According to Scripture?

In the New Testament, it is described as "life more abundant". It is what the brethren used to call 'the region of satisfied desire' - wonderful! Would to God that we enter into it a little more and bring home the atmosphere of it to one another. It is the enjoyment of heaven before we get there. Again the enemy comes along. What does he say this time? Oh, he says, how slow you are.

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Is there not only God our Father - the universal fatherhood of God ; but also - the universal brotherhood of man. Correct, of course, creatorially, but I'm afraid the people, even clergy, who speak of this just don't see the distinction. This is one attack, only one, that is made upon this critical subject, but it is widely held and taught. There is also another even more subtle attack which comes from some, and many dear Christians amongst them, who make a thrust at the very vitals of Christianity, denying that the relationship existing between Father and Son is from eternity.

Is it possible to have the love of the relationship without the relationship? What said the Lord Jesus? Had the bosom of the Father no inhabitant before time began? I don't know what scriptures have come home to you, but I hope you are very clear on this point. If you haven't got the Son from eternity , you haven't got the full revelation of the Father either, as revealed in the scripture of truth. And now, the last point, the fifth characteristic of the present dispensation. This is the wonderful truth that we stand for, that the Lord Jesus can come 'at any moment '.

We have a hope laid up in heaven Colossians 1: Our citizenship is in heaven Philippians 3: He can come at any moment. Isn't it the very language of our hearts, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" Revelation

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