Morning Star Testimony - Sermon Notes

The Fight of the Faith

by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 2 - The Nature of Sonship

Dear Saints,

This message originally posted in December 3, 2014.

My notes:

Brother Sparks, as often stated, once again makes the clear distinction between doctrine and life, between "a Christian system of doctrine" and true faith. Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. Christianity is a Person, Jesus Christ, and His life lived out in us, His body. Neither is the Christian life to be being born again and remaining in infancy. "...sonship, in the New Testament sense, is something more than being born into a family; it is growing up in that family, and carries with it the feature of spiritual maturity." Salvation is not a 'get-out-of-hell and go-to-heaven' pass as many seem to limit it to. Neither is it a 'get-saved-and-get-others-saved' calling. There's the on-high call of in Christ Jesus we press on toward as a goal not yet attained (Philippians 3:14). As we 'press on' we discover it isn't by our strength and power, but it is God at work in us (Philippians 1:6). This is faith - pressing on with the ability God provides.

"The more we go on with God, which means the more we live in the Spirit, and the more spiritual growth and maturity takes place in us, the deeper will be our consciousness of utter dependence upon God for our life, and for everything in the realm of our relationship with Him... it is not in us to be Christians, not in us to live a life in the Spirit, not in us to go on with God. It must all come right out from Himself."

Doug takes a break from the reading to explain the triunity of God, the three Persons of the Godhead, co-dependent and co-eternal... three-in-one and one-in-three.

Continuing on with the text, we see the obstacle to this life of faith and our progression into sonship is pride - wanting to live apart from being dependent on God. "Pride hates a life of dependence. Pride cannot bear to have to look outside of itself for everything. Pride must have the root of things in itself."

What is sonship? Sonship is what we see of Jesus, "kneeling down to wash the feet of His disciples." "The person who is really growing spiritually is not the person who is becoming something important spiritually. The one who is growing is the one who is growing in the servant dependent spirit more and more. The one who can get down lowest is the one who is really getting up highest.

Discussion: Several in attendance were very blessed and edified in hearing this message. Doug challenged us to not be hearers only, but to be doers of what we hear. 

Audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/12-3-14+Wednesday+Assembly.mp3

Discussion: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/12-3-14+Wednesday+Discussion.mp3

Recommended Resources:

T. Austin-Sparks: We Beheld His Glory (Vol. 1 & 2)

https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/we_beheld_his_glory_volume_1.html

https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/we_beheld_his_glory_volume_2.html

Eric Ludy: The Old Servant

https://ellerslie.com/the-old-servant/

The Fight of the Faith

by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 1 - The Faith

Dear Saints,

This message originally posted in November 2014.

My notes:

As I seek the Lord as to 'What's next?', I believe this series will help those of us (myself definitely included) who have a tendency to wear out and fall into a lazy and passive dullness as to our living out the Christian life. It helps to realize there is only One who can actually accomplish that impossible task, only Jesus Christ Himself, but sometimes we forget it isn't only Him that lives in us, but we must keep vigil and realize this is a battle we are in. Though it is true Christ already conquered the enemy, it's obvious the enemy continues to seek to take ground in us to wage war against his Opponent. Many scriptures challenge us to 'wake up' (Revelation 3:2) and 'arise from the dead' (Ephesians 5:14), 'fight the good fight of faith' (1 Timothy 6:12) and lets us know we are in a war (2 Corinthians 10:3; Ephesians 6:11-12) and the enemy is seeking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).

In this message, Brother Sparks speaks of experience - something which especially nowadays can be a major departure from the truth. It is not our experience that determines truth, but truth believed and acted upon in faith will result in experiential reality. "... while we are not going to make everything of our experience, everything of Christ has to be an experience. Everything that is true of the Lord Jesus as He stands in relation to us has to have its counterpart in us an experience." "... the Church is an experience and not a doctrine. The Body of Christ is an experience, something that goes through you and through which you go."

Brother Sparks speaks of 'sonship'. It may be good to take a step back and recognize the difference between being a child and being a son. All who receive Jesus Christ become children of God (see John 1:12-13) and are born into His family. We are not adopted into God's family - the term 'adopted' in the New Testament does not mean that we as members of the Adamic race are adopted when we receive Christ. We 'must be born again' to become children of God. Adoption speaks of 'sonship' - adult sons - coming to the place of maturity in the family when the father can bestow on us the legal rights of sons. We see that with the story of the Prodigal Father (a.k.a. 'The Prodigal Son'). When the backslidden son comes to his senses and returns, humbled in his repentance. This father receives him back, not as a child - and not as a slave, but as an adult mature son to whom he presents the robe of manhood, the sandals (which no slave was entitled to wear), and the ring with which to conduct the father's affairs. It's one thing for Satan to fight to keep us from being born again, but it's a whole new battle for him to keep us from spiritual maturity and our coming into sharing the throne with Jesus Christ. Babes in Christ are not equipped nor able to 'wage a good warfare'. But adult blood-bought sons and daughters of the Most High God trained and equipped to fight "The Fight of the Faith" are a real threat to Satan - thus his hatred and malice aimed at us to get us to give up and run from the battlefield.

"But in this sonship of Christ ... there is a tremendous challenge to Satan, and that is why Satan assailed in this way, and does assail. He would seek in some way to neutralize the spiritual reality of sonship, because it is such a challenge and threatening menace to him and his kingdom."

Doug adds a lengthy commentary expanding the reason Satan assails the body of Christ, and especially those who attain to sonship. These are they who obtain their inheritance in Christ and in whom God obtains His inheritance in them. This culminates in the revelation of the sons of God at the coming of Christ to establish His kingdom on earth. Satan is dead set against all that. "... in that sonship there is all that is included in the destiny of Satan and the destiny of Christ. Satan's destiny is a dark and terrible one: Christ's destiny and the destiny of His own is a glorious one."

Growing into sonship has a cost: "If you will not go right on to full growth, you can have a very much easier time, but if you are going right on, you may have the worst time. You are going to know more than any others what spiritual conflict is."

Discussion: you will hear Doug explain more fully the terms sonship and adoption.

Recommended Resources:

T. Austin-Sparks - Christ and Cosmic Redemption

https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/christ_and_cosmic_redemption.html

Link to today’s audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/11-30-14+Sunday+Assembly.mp3