The Ark Of Restoration
Martin Cecil October 21, 1979 a.m.
“Out of Egypt have I called my son.” Out of the world of human darkness have I called all people. Who is the one who calls? We speak of the Voice of the Lord. This Voice is present with all human beings. It certainly can be said that many are called. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Most hear that call very, very faintly, if at all. Those who do hear something of it are inclined to interpret it in human ways. What is heard is for the most part mistranslated because of what is present in human consciousness. “Few are chosen.” This has reference not only to hearing but doing. Many are called; some hear the call; very few let that hearing be translated into doing. Those who do are the chosen.
All of us sitting here have heard, as have many others on the face of the earth. I am sure that all who are sitting here are concerned with the doing. To be concerned with the doing is a step in the right direction but it only has real meaning when it goes beyond concern to the actual fact of the doing. Then there are the chosen and the beloved on earth; for a purpose of course, not just for their own benefit. Out of Egypt, out of the world of human darkness, have been called those who have ears to hear, and above all those who have a willingness to do. On this foundation of doing we are assembled here this morning.
The world of human darkness is the experience of people everywhere because of the fact of being stimulated by externals. Which of us here present this morning could say that we are yet not stimulated by externals? To the extent that we are subject to such stimulation we remain in darkness. We are thereby governed by that over which we rightly have dominion. This has been the state of human beings as long as can be remembered—stimulation from below. This stimulation is present and it produces human addictions of various sorts so that people behave accordingly. One of the tests for intoxication is to walk a straight line. There are those who find difficulty in walking a straight line even when they are sober. If we see this straight line in spiritual terms there are indeed precious few who are able to walk a straight line. We may understand that this is so because they are addicted to the stimuli of externals, so that they are moved in this direction and then in that direction and consequently are unable to walk the line.
Subjection is a deliberate choice, the choice to be subject to external stimuli. We understand these things presumably. External stimuli do induce a high of some sort. This is always inevitably followed by a slump. This up-and-down experience is characteristic of the darkness of human nature. Some attempt to smooth out the waves, and perhaps this is a wise move but all too many imagine that this is about all that can be done about it. We know better: there is something more that can be done about it. The question is whether we do better!
We have heard in some measure the call, which is not really to better human darkness, is it, not merely to a more stable human existence, so that we are not so erratic as we were. If this does occur and things do smooth out in our experience, there is a tendency to take that to mean that something really worthwhile is being accomplished; but it is unlikely that anything much has started to happen yet. After all, there have been relatively stable people in the world over the ages. Mere stability in the sense of the smoothing out of the ups and downs of human experience does not achieve very much. It may assist in the continued existence of human beings on the face of the earth so that things do not get entirely out of hand, but it seems to become more and more difficult for people to maintain this stability, because there are more violent fluctuations going on within the range of human experience. A person braces himself to maintain equilibrium because of the apparent movement in one direction; he suddenly finds that the movement is in the opposite direction, and unless he is pretty agile he has lost his equilibrium. So all these attempts to establish equilibrium and stability in the human state are going to be found to be less than adequate, if they haven’t been found that way already.
However there are those on earth who have discovered a certain experience of stability from another standpoint
— I am always hopeful that this includes us —
Stability which comes because of centering in what really is stable and not merely an endeavor to become an expert on the high wire, so to speak, because this high wire represents something that isn’t particularly stable. We have come into an awareness that the spirit of God is stable, and therefore if the spirit of God is the quality of our expression in living then we discover a stability which is not in any way dependent upon external events. We can leap upon the mountains and skip upon the hills without losing our balance. The initial experience in this regard may involve some stumbling. Provided that we maintain an adequate centering in this stable spirit, though we stumble, though we even fall on occasion, we find ourselves restored to a state of equilibrium once more. If we look at this simply from a personal standpoint—what’s happening to me: “I’m making spiritual progress now, I am able to stand more surely and firmly”—as though that was the end and aim of everything, we miss the point. If we do gain stability, if we do experience greater vision, increased understanding, it is not in order to make us self-satisfied. It has happened because of something much greater than what we are individually.
In moving toward this point of true stability centered in spirit, there is the need for a certain amount of discipline, so that a person may become familiar with the stimulation of spirit in his own consciousness. This doesn’t immediately mean that one has no more stimulation from the standpoint of externals. Obviously if we are not going to be pushed around by such stimulation there must be a firm hand in the picture somehow which says, “No,” without equivocation. Usually a person doesn’t immediately have that sort of internal strength, having been accustomed to the addicted state. When the addiction comes up, “Well I really can’t help it; I must be overwhelmed; next time perhaps.” But of course that next time comes and the same thing happens. There is a need for some sort of application of discipline. There is that of which human consciousness should partake, but it has very distorted appetites, appetites which destroy. So we are concerned to emerge out of the addiction and to provide what is necessary so that others may emerge out of the addiction.
We have had a ministry for many years. It has been identified under the name Emissaries of Divine Light. This offers a Voice, rightly, which some may hear and to which they may respond, so that they may associate themselves with what? We may say the intent is that they should associate themselves with the expression of Divine Light, in other words participate in the Emissary state. Do you think anyone is going to let that happen without the presence of what is needful to dispose of the already firmly entrenched addictions? Most people are hopeful that this can be done without ruffling too many feathers—but do you really think so? It’s going to take a firm hand somehow. There is the necessity for love; true enough, but a firm hand—discipline. Those who begin to show a willingness to accept such a discipline usually thereafter, when it begins to be applied, reject it. The complaint comes, “You are taking away my freedom.”
We have the freedom of choice: either to be addicted to human nature or to experience the truth—one or the other, and we can choose. But if we are to experience the truth then we have to make that choice and let go of the addiction, and not imagine that we are free anymore to indulge in the addiction. Even those who have heard a little of the voice and begun to accept orientation in that direction take a long time to decide that their exercise of freedom of choice is simply between the truth which is being offered through the Voice, or the human nature addiction which was the already experienced state. We can have one or the other; we can’t have both; and if there is persistence in the choice to sustain the addictions of human nature, then we have rejected the truth.
That addicted state of human nature may be described as wickedness. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” That is the way it is in the addicted state, not just the way it was somewhere back along the way before the flood. God saw that. Do we see it? If we really do see it then to that extent we are seeing as God sees. He sees the human state in its true colors, which most people do not. We have certainly been privileged with a certain amount of vision in this regard. With privileges, there go responsibilities. It is not only a matter of hearing, seeing, but also doing. The responsibility is the doing.
This story, which leads into the building of the ark and the coming of the flood, may be looked upon as a myth. Perhaps some of the elements of the story are not an accurate portrayal of what actually occurred but, as with any myth, it may reveal something which is valuable. The event of the flood itself may indeed be a fact. The waters prevailed upon the earth—there must have been a reason why that happened. We have some awareness of the fact that the earthly consciousness of man, who was created in the image and likeness of God, is the means by which the control of God may be exercised in the field of human responsibility. If this is so then what happens in human consciousness will be the cause for what occurs in the field of responsibility. If what happens in human consciousness is an extension of what is happening in the consciousness of God, then what occurs will be accordingly. Destruction occurs by reason of the fact that in the human field of responsibility the action is being taken on the basis of what is present in human consciousness and not what should be present in human consciousness of the consciousness of God. There is always an inevitable destruction as long as human consciousness does not include the consciousness of God. It was described in these particular terms in the Book of Genesis: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth”—we see that, I think—“and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Then it goes on to say:
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth”—well he was messing things up after all; still is, isn’t he?—“and it grieved him at his heart. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” Familiar picture? “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
This was not an arbitrary action on the part of some mysterious God somewhere but merely the result of what had been happening in the consciousness of human beings. And the result of what is happening in the consciousness of human beings is what is occurring in the world now. The instruction was given: “Make thee an Ark.” I am sure you recognize that this ark—whatever it was; a boat, they say—was designed to make survival possible. Because of what was to happen, what inevitably must happen on the face of the earth, there was a need for a means of survival unless the human race was to be wiped out. So the initial ark here mentioned relates to an Ark of Survival, and indeed evidently man survived; we’re still here. The same picture was painted at the time of the birth of Moses, you may recall. He was put in an ark too and floated upon the water. The Princess of Egypt found him there and took him into the palace, so he was raised in the palace. But that ark was an ark of survival insofar as Moses was concerned.
Both these arks, as I recall, were pitched within and without with pitch. That was to keep the water out presumably, providing a safe place within the substance of the consciousness of man. A seed survived, both at the time of Noah and then again in the story at the time of Moses. And we can see why it was important that Moses should survive, which he did. But later he built another ark, that was called the Ark of the Covenant, which wasn’t a boat; and it wasn’t pitched within and without with pitch, but another material was used, namely gold. Here is a distinct difference then between the previous arks, the arks of survival, and this ark which was a symbol, a representation, of something else beyond survival.
Human beings are inclined to look with some fear toward the future, wondering how the human race is going to survive. I don’t think it’s important anymore that there should merely be an ark of survival. The mere survival of human beings on earth hasn’t accomplished very much so far. So this is another kind of ark that is needful. The cycle was initiated at the time of Moses in this regard. We could call it the Ark of Restoration, not merely survival anymore but restoration, so that there may be some meaning to survival. So far there hasn’t been much meaning to survival. Human beings have always reverted again into the same old addictions. While those addictions may have taken different form—it’s not all that different actually—over the ages, they were always there. The fallen state, it’s called sometimes. It’s simply the state which human beings experience on earth, and that state, because of what is present in the consciousness of human beings, ensures disaster, makes it absolutely certain. It has happened repeatedly in the past and apparently it is about to happen again.
There are those who are attempting to make arks of survival. Some of the religious bodies do this, stash away some food, canned goods or whatever, in anticipation of the disaster that is coming. But it is not only the religious bodies that do it. There are all sorts of people who want to tell you how you may survive in the coming crash of financial disintegration, what you should do. So there is a great deal of interest still in the matter of survival; but if that is all it is I don’t think there is any reason for anyone to survive, so why bother? The true concern is with restoration, and there needs to be an ark for this. The composition of this ark is a living composition—it’s composed of people. There are those who have some conscious awareness of what it is that is needful and what should be undertaken, and there are those who are not so conscious in that way but who are all essential to the ark. Even the ark of survival, as it originally was with Noah, had a lot of forms present in it which were completely unconscious of the reason why they were in the ark. They went in two by two!
So we may see that the ark includes many more than those who have some little consciousness of it, and the mere fact of having a consciousness of it doesn’t indicate that the individual is necessarily participating in what the ark really is. There must not only be the hearing but the doing. Those who do have the opportunity of sharing in an awareness of what it is that is happening have the greater responsibility, but there are many others who are handling their responsibilities in an unconscious way, perhaps very often a lot better than those who should have been handling them consciously. Let us never put others down because they don’t share our exalted vision. What’s the use of an exalted vision if it doesn’t include an exalted doing? Certainly those who do see, who do begin to understand, have the greater responsibility because they have the greater privilege of vision. In such case there is always a sense of appreciation for all those who reveal the qualities of the spirit of God at whatever level. We may know that merely ministering to the poor is not going to allow for the restoration of man, but it is a part of the expression of the spirit of God nevertheless.
What is the quality of the expression of the spirit of God in our own experience at the level where we are supposed to understand and to do what is required by reason of that understanding? In such case we rejoice in the evidence of the spirit of God in action no matter where—nevertheless there is a focus of the spirit of God in action, and if that is allowed to be included in a body which has conscious direction, well we begin to discover that there is far vaster expression of the spirit of God, the power of that spirit, already here than we thought. We don’t have to dig all these things out and find the people. They are doing their job; we can trust them. Can they trust us? That’s the question, because all that they do is utterly futile unless there is a focus of conscious understanding and doing. When there is that then restoration is possible.
The thing that has been lacking has been that focus of conscious understanding and doing.
The focus that was represented so beautifully by the One called Jesus.
But it is not a matter of one person; it is a matter of all of us, all of those who have the privilege of sharing a vision and an understanding which heretofore has not been available adequately on earth. Are we going to make sure that it is adequately available on earth? That is what we are here present for this morning, sharing in this hour. So we stay humble. We don’t think that somehow or other if we do have some vision we are better than somebody else who doesn’t. We have been charged with the responsibility of that vision; they haven’t. They have their own responsibility and maybe they are handling that a lot better than we are handling our responsibility of vision. We need to be honest in these things. We need to be humble and appreciative, and above all encompassing, including all who are participating in the expression of the spirit of God at whatever level and in whatever way. How blessed we are in our vision, but only when it includes our doing.
© emissaries of divine light
