Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Could we turn this afternoon to Ezekiel, chapter 47?
Ezekiel, chapter 47.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward, but the forest end of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under the right side of the house at the South side of the altar.
Then brought him out of the way of the gate northward, and LED me about the way without under the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters. The waters were to the ankles.
Again he measured his thousands and brought me through the waters. The waters were to the knees.
Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the water is worth of the loins. Afterward he measured 1000, and it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen waters to swim in a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
Now when I had returned, behold, at the Bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the E country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which move us whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish.
Because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed, and everything shall live, whether the river cometh.
And shall come to pass, that the Fisher shall stand upon it from engines, even unto an eglium.
They shall be a place to spread forth Nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea exceeding many. But the minor places thereof, and the marshes thereof shall not be healed. They shall be given to salt, and by the river upon the bank thereof on this side and on that side shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not trade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed, it shall bring forth.
According to his month, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary, and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the least thereof for medicine.
Well, is this turnover to Revelation chapter 22?
And he showed me a pure river, a water of life.
Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bear 12 manner of fruit, and yielded her fruit every month, And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Well, this lovely portion in the 47th chapter of Ezekiel look forward, as we can see, to a time when God will bring in wonderful blessing to this earth and when the Millennium will be seen upon this earth. The Lord Jesus will reign in righteousness and things will be set right in this poor, troubled world.
But I was thinking now that more particularly in its practical application to ourselves.
Because surely, if God is going to come in such a rich blessing to this earth, the only way that this blessing will be brought about is through the Lord Jesus. And we who know Him as our Savior are able by grace to produce something of this kind of fruit even here and now. What a wonderful place is ours to be in the enjoyment of these things beforehand.
Because when we are saved, we possess a new life, and we have a life that is able to produce fruit for God, because it says He was happy about it. In him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
So I just like to look at this chapter in this practical way.
If we were to take time to read some of the chapters before, we would see that there is a pattern given in these chapters for the temple that will be built during the Millennium. And this temple will be a surpassing grandeur that will be in the place of God's appointment, the city of the great King. And such detail is given. And as we read over these chapters before, we see something of the glory of that house that will be seen during.
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Millennial time but after giving all the descriptions and then we come to this 47th chapter and we see the source of refreshment. And the reason I mention this is because it is quite possible for us to be clear as to the truth of gathering. It is quite possible for us to be clear about a great deal of the truth of God and yet not practically to be producing that kind of fruit that is pleasing to God and that will enable.
Us to go on together as we had in our readings and the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. So it doesn't stop by merely giving us a description of this grand house that will be built for the Lord and the Millennium. Wonderful as it will be, there needed to be a source of refreshment and after giving us the whole pattern of this source of refreshment and the effects of it are set before us in this lovely chapter.
And so, brethren, we through grace.
Know what it is to enter into a great deal of the truth of God. I'm sure many of us are rejoicing in the knowledge of Christ as our Savior. We're rejoicing in the truth that God has made known to us as to Christ, His Person, His Word, our standing in Him, and what it is to be members of His body. But oh, how easily we can know these things intellectually and yet not be in the practical enjoyment of them in our lives.
Producing that kind of fruit which is acceptable to God and for the blessing of others.
Though hereafter He had shown them all this, it says in this first verse. Afterwards He brought me again under the door of the house. And behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house. Eastward. The house faced toward the east. And we noticed that the glory of the Lord appeared from me. The Lord entered by the east gate. And the Prince who will sit upon the throne in the millennial day, and He.
From the east and it says perhaps we could turn back to the.
44th chapter and we'll see this.
Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looketh toward the east, and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it, because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, and therefore it shall be shut.
And you know, I like to connect this verse with that little hymn that we sang. Take our hearts and let them be forever close to all that they Thy willing servants. Let us wear the seal of love forever there. This gate was shut. Why so? Because the Lord had entered by it. And if one can put it in this way, that there should be a place in our hearts that belongs to the Lord, that no one can steal that place. It's his, it's his, Thy right.
He has entered, we know Him because He has redeemed us with His precious blood, and we belong to Him. And so how lonely to see that there was at Eastgate and a whole space toward the east. And so the important thing about this house was not merely the grandeur of the building, but that the Lord had His rightful place. And indeed, in the last chapter you'll see that it says.
In the.
Last verse of the last chapter.
It was round about 18,000 measures and the name of the city from that day shall be the Lord is there isn't this lovely and that is his presence was what made the place. And so these waters issued out from the forefront of the house which face toward the east. And it's been often remarked that the heart of God and the will of God are the source of all our blessings.
But there also had to be a ground for the blessing, and so it says.
It came out at the South side of the altar, and I read in Revelation 22 to show that this same river is seen in a more full way in the 22nd chapter of Revelation. And it says that the water of life is proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now that is the heart of God is the source of it about the Lamb.
The God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the ground on which God can bring blessing to us, and seeing the Lord Jesus has accomplished that work and has fully glorified God, now God can come out in all the riches of his grace.
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Because the Lord Jesus said, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straightened or restricted until it be accomplished? And not until that work was finished could the heart of God could come out. So in Ezekiel it says that it flowed from the South side of the altar. But when we come to the Book of Revelation, we find that the Lord Jesus has accomplished redemption. And so again this river is seen.
Out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Well, we find then that this prophet Ezekiel was taken and was led around to see and to experience something of what this river was doing. And I'd like to just bring before our hearts this, this practical point that you and I must lay hold of these things, first of all for ourselves.
And that is if Ezekiel was going to see that something of the good that this river would do.
He must himself be brought through the waters. It's something of the same thought of what the Lord Jesus said, He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. That is, it's taken in, it's made our own, and then it flows forth.
And that's always the way God works. And that is, it's not just truth learned in the Anderlecht, but he leaves us experimentally through the truth. And when we have been LED through the truth experimentally, then it becomes something that we have proved, we have experienced and we enjoy as something that we know in our own souls. There's a great danger, brethren, of trafficking and truth that has never really been made our own.
And so we don't find here that the prophets.
Was even allowed to observe the good results of this wonderful water of life until he first of all himself had been led through the waters.
And may I suggest this, that when we read the word of God, we don't read it for others, we read it for ourselves. Read it to get a blessing for your own soul. When you read it, speak to see Christ in it and as food to your own soul. And when it has been made a blessing to your own soul, and then you can say as eclipse it says, we speak of that we do know and testify of that we have seen.
Walking for a little incident that to me was very interesting.
About the 23rd Psalm.
There were two people that were asked to read the 23rd Psalm. 1 was a very well educated man and he read that Psalm very, very nicely, putting the emphasis in the right place. But then there was another person who was asked to read the 23rd Psalm and she wasn't very well educated. He didn't care. He stumbled over the words.
He didn't read it too well, but after someone had listened to these two people leading the 23rd Psalm, now this person was asked for his comment. What do you think of the way those two people led the 23rd Psalm? This was his reply. Well, he said one knew how to read, the other knew the shepherd and darling, that's the point for us.
But do you know how to read? Or do you know the Shepherd? Do I know the truth intellectually, or do I know?
There's something that is experienced in my soul. It may be with stumbling, it may be with faltering lips, than it is that one speaks of Christ about. The important thing for us all is that we experience what He set before us here, and that is the going through the waters.
So notice he brought around to the very front of this house the source of all blessings. And now it tells us that there was a man there who had a line in his hand, and he led him forth eastward. May I mention again, eastward, because in the Millennium they flew. Jesus is the Son of righteousness rising with healing in his wings. And so to speak, as he moves, he's getting closer to the Lord. He's moving toward the east. He's.
Moving forward, the sun rising toward that wasn't one who alone can bring the blessing. And it says he measured 1000 cubits. He brought me through the water. Well, that was a long way. 1000 cubits was about 1/3 of a mile. And I'm sure that if any of us walk through the water for 1/3 of a mile, we'd think, oh, that's a long way.
And only to the ankle. But how slow we are to make progress in the things of God. How slow we are. How often, as it were, we drag our feet. And that's the feeling you get when you're going through water. You feel as if your feet are being dragged. And so it is in the line things we don't learn it when it's right way according to our intellectuality, but according to our willingness to have Christ before us.
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Every step he made was poured the East. And if you and I are going to make Congress in the things of God, we need to have the Lord Jesus before us. And as I say, we mustn't expect to learn everything in one day. We mustn't expect that we're going to get hold of the things of God all at once. There's a verse that says if a man thinketh and he knows anything, he knows nothing. What is the ought to knoweth, in other words?
If if learning the truth of God.
Doesn't humble us, then we're not learning it in the right way. If I were to say I know all about the Lord's coming, that would be a proof that I didn't. Because when I think of what that truth means and what a little effect it has in my life, why I only have to say how little I know about it. And so the moment we boast about knowing something and the things of God, God says, well, you know nothing better. You ought to know it.
Then now to the truth of God humbles us.
But it exhausts Christ 1000 cubits 1/3 of a mile. Moving on and it was only up to the ankles. Now I just like to suggest a few thoughts about these different places where he measured up to the ankles. I'd like you to turn to the book of the Acts.
And the third chapter.
3IN verse 7. Verse 6.
And Peter said, Silver and gold have I done, but such as I have give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he, leaping up, stood and walked, and entered him with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the 16th verse and his name through faith.
In his name hath made this man strong.
When you see him now, yeah, the Faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
What I just like to speak of this going through the waters to the ankles as sitting before us, always standing in Christ. She was a man that was a cripple from his mother's womb and isn't that the way we were born We were born in sin. We had no standing before God. We were helpless in his cousin and now the Lord and his wondrous grace has as it were picked us up our feet and our ankle bones every single strength and we have.
Soundness in his presence that we can be in his presence not only knowing that our sins are forgiven, but be able to say in Christ it is we stand yes, everyone in this room who is fully saved has a perfect standing before God because God sees us in Christ as we have in John's epistle that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because.
As he is, so are we in this.
World, not only are your sins forgiven, but wonder of wonders, every believer is accepted in God's beloved Son.
I believe some young Christians don't see the distinction between having our sins forgiven and being accepted in Christ or being justified, but perhaps I could illustrate it like this.
I had a a great debt and I couldn't pay the debt and someone else pays the debt for me. Why this is wonderful to know that my debt is paid, but that doesn't mean that I'm brought into any favor in the eyes of my creditor, does it? It's just simply to know that my debt is given and my debt is paid. But supposing that my creditor sees that debt on his book and he says to his son.
Will you?
Pay the debt for him and then I'll be able to send him a receipt. So his son pays my debt and he sends me a receipt like this, paid in full through the kindness of my son. Oh, now I've learned something of my creditors heart. And so I go to thank him and he says, well I want you to know something. Not only is this debt wiped off my book, but you're in the same favor and acceptance before me as my.
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Own sons all. Isn't that more than forgiveness? Brethren, it's a wonderful thing to know that God is not only forgiven us, but we are accepted in the Beloved. We are holy and without blame before Him in love. And there are many dear children of God who haven't got any farther than the forgiveness of sins. But is it blessed if the Lord in it has, as it were, taken us by the hand, and let us through the waters?
Now representing to us the precious Word of God, and brought us to the place where we have seen that not only are our sins a forgiveness, but God has brought us before Him in favor, in acceptance, in righteousness, and so that He Himself cannot find one single spot upon us.
In first John chapter 1 and verse 7 it says if we want in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. God has brought us into the light and He said it is for the light. The holy light of His presence can never discover one spot upon us because the blood has so perfectly cleansed us and we are before Him.
Well, here he was led through the waters to the ankles, but he didn't stop there. There are some who stopped at the knowledge that their sins are forgiven, some or others. And when they come to this wonderful knowledge that not only are their sins forgiven, but there before God in Christ, they stop there. They don't make further progress. And so we find here.
That the man with the measuring line didn't allow.
To stop there. That wasn't enough. The Lord wants us to know all that He has for us. He wants us to enter into the fullness as we had in our chapter at the meetings in Glendale. And He wants us to grow up under Christ in all things. He wants us to come to the perfect man, to the measure, the stature, the fullness of Christ.
Holy took him by the hand and led him another thousand cubits.
Well, shall I say it was a little harder walking, because anybody that's walked in water knows very well what I'm talking about, that it's not too bad when the water is up to your ankles. But the deeper you get, the harder it is and the slower the progress. Somebody say there's more of a tendency to drive, and isn't it true with us?
How slow we are in making progress in the things of God. How we find our feet dragging. But it says here he brought me. It doesn't say he loves me, but he brought me through the water. And you know, the Lord has to pass us through some things to bring us to a fuller acquaintance with himself. He knows just what is needed to bring us through these things so that we would have a fuller acquaintance. Perhaps He's passed us through some things in the past.
He may have to pass something through some more experiences, but it's because He wants to bring us through the waters to have a fuller appreciation of himself and to have it even knowing of what we have in him. And as the little hymn says, blessed is the sorrow kind of storm that drives us nearer home. Well, He brought him through the waters till he came to the knees.
And here we What would the knees suggest to us?
I don't, I won't take time to turn to the passage in the 5th chapter of Daniel. And here we find a man, and he was a man very much like ourselves. He was a busy man. He had an occupation that made it exceedingly difficult for him to be faithful to the Lord. He was in a high office in the government in Babylon. And he could have easily said this in my position. I just can't be truly out and out for the Lord.
He could have said that because it was a very difficult spot that Daniel was placed in. He was the highest man in the government. And you say how could he be faithful? But let me say that whatever your position is, the Lord can enable you to be faithful. And if you can't be faithful in it, why you cannot abide in it with God. But if you're in a position, the Lord can direct you and give you grace to be faithful to him.
But it may cost something.
The king passed the decree that no one was to ask anything of God or man for 30 days. And now the challenge came forth. Daniel, what is he going to give up that time of prayer for? This is what the knees suggest.
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Was he going to give up that time that was so meaningful that he might be sustained in the surroundings in which he found himself? Oh, how easy it is for us to give up, to find ourselves so busy, to find ourselves so engulfed in things that we just don't have that time. And when we find it's a little bit difficult, we put it aside, perhaps for a day.
But not so with Daniel and we find with Daniel that he custom wise.
That three times in a day he went to his room and he opened his window toward Jerusalem and nailed on his knees and prayed to his God. Isn't that lovely? And nothing was going to interrupt that. And all, may I say to each one here, don't allow any culture of business. Don't allow anything that happens, anything in your life to keep you from that time that we so much need upon our knees. We may know truth rather than we.
Got to the ankles, but there was something more, and that is to be brought to the knee. And that's where the truth properly brings up, and that is the knowledge of the truth brings us to our knees. In other words, we learn dependent upon the Lord, for we cannot walk in the truth of God in human strength. We cannot carry out the principles of the Word of God in human strength. We need power from the Lord.
We can say this is what should be done, but we can't carry it out.
But unless we get to our knees, and the devil knows how to put all kinds of obstacles in the way, and so cleverly he put the obstacles in the way. For Daniel, that might have meant his job, that might have meant his life, It certainly meant his friends, because everything was against this time being spent on his knees.
But he wouldn't give it up and all. Sometimes, as I say, we find it so different.
But here were 1000 cubits again, 1/3 of a mile again. What a long way. What dragging of feet and getting harder each step at all. Daniel wouldn't give up that time. Daniel wouldn't give up that secret of his strength as a man of God. He was a man of God because he knew what it was to confess his dependence upon God and his confidence in God.
Three times.
A day, all brethren, may we allow the Lord to bring us through the waters. And if we are going through waters of trouble, the enemy may say, oh, too difficult. How easy it is to get a little bit rebellious. How easy it is to say, why does this happen to me? And almost feel that the Lord doesn't hear our prayer when we cry to him. We all know how the enemy suggests these things.
But it takes a real effort to go on constantly.
Without getting before Him and pouring out our hearts before Him.
And Daniel might have said, well here I've been faithful, and I prayed 3 times in a day, and God let this come upon me. Why? And then when the day came and he hoped that the king might let him off, the king fried, and the king couldn't work it out either, and he was dropped down into the den of lions. All he might have said, for all my praying, things just went worse. Did the devil ever wished for that new year? You prayed and things seemed.
He said a better and you thought, well, why is that Bob Daniel still trusted in his God and to know brethren, sometimes we glorify God more by taking adverse circumstances from him than by seeing his the living hand. I've often called attention to the 11TH chapter of Hebrews and there are two groups there.
There are those who cried to the Lord and received deliverance.
And Thursday rob righteousness. They obtained promises. They escaped the edge of the storm. God, not remarkable deliverances for them. But then there's a little change. And it says others were stoned. They were sun ascended. They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins. They say I'd like to be in the first class. I'd like to feel that my prayers were answered with glorious deliverance, but I don't like to be in the second class.
Where you just suffer and depray.
And nothing seems to happen and you just seem as if the Lord let you go through the things and doesn't interfere. And I don't like to be in the second class, but what is the comment of the Spirit of God?
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We all obtain the good report through faith. So that is God gives you a report not just because you got deliverance, but because you trusted Him. That's what honors him, His faith, all if He's holding you alive through the waters, as it were.
And bringing us to this point where we learn this greatest important lesson. It's all worthwhile. Daniel wouldn't give it up no matter what happened. And finally, God did come in at His own appointed time and deliver Daniel.
Well, that wasn't a stopping point either. It says in the fourth verse again, he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters where the loins. Well, here we find another 1000 feet, 1000 cubits rather. And this perhaps we could say was more difficult still to be brought through as the waters, because as they got deeper it became more difficult.
The waters to us to the lions now.
I was becoming a little harder and thought it was brethren, as we go on in the things of God, we find it takes that energy of faith to continue to look to the Lord. It counts something to walk in the truth, but all it's worthwhile when we get to glory. Won't it be worthwhile to hear His well done? And so I would just mention that I think these loins suggest that very thought to us.
For in the 6th chapter of season where we have the armor brought before us, it says having the loins good about with truth, Having the loin good about with truth. I believe that the loin suggests to us our desires.
And, you know, sometimes.
Our desires hinder us from walking in the truth. Perhaps we want to take a little easier path. Perhaps we can think of some way that it would be a little easier than walking in full obedience and of ordinance to the Lord. We say, oh, if I take my place at the Lord's table, it's going to cost something. Perhaps my friends will not understand the position if I seek to take a stand in obedience.
To him in connection with some others step in my life, it's going to cost something that may jeopardize my job. It may jeopardize something else. And so it becomes until I say more costly what the scripture says by the truth and sell it not and so may I say how your loins are my loins girt about with truth.
Now that is when the loins were heard about with truth.
Why they were able, that was part of the armor, to go forth and meet the enemy. And so we need to walk in the truth that we know. Some people are greatly concerned about things in the Bible that they don't know. But as one man said, what concerns me is what I do know, that I might walk in it. And can we each ask ourselves?
Are we walking in the truth that we know? If so, God has given more.
But the important thing is to walk in the truth that we know and to have our loins good about this truth. Sometimes you'll hear a Christian say, well, I like to do that.
Well, this is a question of what we like or what the Lord likes.
Sometimes there's a choice to be made. I was going to follow our own desires. Are we going to hold in our own desires? The loans heard about with truth is as it were. We hold in our desires and we have bring them into subjection to the truth of God. And so it isn't a task that we ourselves in the flesh might choose, but it's the path of his choosing. It's the path in which he would have us to walk the blessed Lord Jesus and his pathways.
Down here could say, I do always as all things that please Him, in another place that says the good pleasure as I will, O God, is my delight. Another place says even Christ please not Himself. So hereafter being brought through another thousand cubits in the water, he comes to the place where the waters were to the loins.
And so I think you can see in these three that there was a progress, first understanding our position in Christ, which is of course so important if we would go on in the things of God, and then realizing the need of constant dependence upon the Lord and confidence in him. For prayer expresses those two things, repentance and confidence, and then that the truth that we know.
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As you had control our life, control our desire desires.
So that we would only desire to do those things which are pleasing to the Lord.
And then it tells us he didn't stop there. And the fifth verse afterward he measured 1000. And it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
In this connection, I'd like you to turn with me to Ephesians 3. I'd just like to read a few verses there.
Verse 17 of Ephesians 3.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. That he being rooted and grounded in love.
May be able to comprehend with All Saints.
What is the breadth and length, and depth and height? And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto Him the glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Well, here we find in our chapter that there were waters that couldn't be passed over, but waters to swim in. And brethren, we can never, never lay hold of all the fullness that's in the heart of God. But we can come to the point where we swim in those waters where we live in the enjoyment of that which proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And he delights to lead us on to this in our souls. And I just like to mention in this.
Passage that we read in Ephesians, the 3rd chapter, that I believe there are two things brought before us there in the 18th verse, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height. Want you to notice that little preposition, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. I believe there are two things many times.
The verse 18 is read as though it was saying the breadth and length and death and height on the.
Christ which passes knowledge. But I want you to notice that there are two things there abroad, from length and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth night.
I believe this is the waters that swim in.
That is, the breadth and length and depth and height is familiar of the blessings, and then here goes the love that goes with it. Perhaps I could use an illustration that will help to convey the thought. Supposing that there is a young man whose wealth is a very, very great and he's going to be married and he gets a beautiful home ready.
And he has it built.
And it's just the grandest poem that you could possibly think of. And then he brings his bride to be, and together how they walk through the house.
And each room is more beautiful than the one before. He takes her through each room and as he looks upon this beautiful home, while he's filled with admiration for this grain, home is going to be her home. And she sees it.
And to seize that it's been provided for her to enjoy. But that is not when he's done showing her through the home, through every room and through all it's been provided. He puts his arm around her and says, and I want you to know the love that goes with it, Not just the house, but it's the love that went with all this provision in each room that was built with love. It was built not only to show what I wanted to.
To you I bought that it was love that wanted you to enjoy it with me and brethren, isn't it lovely? And that's what is brought before us. I believe in the waters to swim in that is that we might be able to comprehend with All Saints the breadth and length and guts and heights. God doesn't want us to stop short of enjoying all the jewels in the jewel box because they're all ours. He doesn't want us to be supposing that girl when she stepped in the.
And saw what a grand home it was. He said, Oh dear, I'm just satisfied to be in the door. I was never in such a grand home in my life and just to be inside the doors and ask for me. Wouldn't he be disappointed? And now I say to each one here in this room, if we don't want to enter into a wonderful thing that are in God's word for us to know and enjoy his heart as well as lost something for ourselves.
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And then, as I say, we not only wants us to know they.
Those things that he wants us to know the heart of the blessed and that's why it says unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask for things. Now we often apply this verse to prayer and say will the Lord be able to do more than we can ask you think thank God This is blessedly true, but the context of the verse is.
Would you and I ever have asked to be part of the bride of Christ? Would we ever have asked?
To the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, would we ever have asked to be associated with Him in reigning over this earth in righteousness? We would neither have asked my father, but he purchased it and he's going to carry it up.
And nothing short of all the blessing of his own heart and the soul will satisfy him. He wants the freedom to enter into it now by faith, that Christ might dwell in our hearts, by faith as we shall soon know it in its fullness above. And that's why it says that He might be filled with all the fullness of God. That doesn't mean that we can contain the fullness of God.
I could take my cup down to the Pacific Ocean and I could fill it.
I could fill it out of the fullness of the Pacific Ocean, but I haven't put the ocean in my cup and you cannot. You and I can never take the ocean into our cups. The little pond says it all has to be done to show me, Lord. But what shall be the ending? I cut the flames of what thou art, and this is joy transcending. I'm only on the rippling shore. Loves ocean depths of all before.
But we can be filled with the fullness of God, and so here and it wasn't this worth.
Shall I say, Ollie, dragging our feet, I'm sure if we text you this too, ourselves and our minds just change our walking through water for over a mile. Dragging your foot through water for over a mile, you'd say, well, I'm sure I'd be tired out, but all to come to these waters that swim in. And brethren, the Christian pathway may sometimes be difficult.
There may be times when to lay hold of the truth and walk in at cost of something.
But you'll never need a Christian, whoever says, well, I'm sorry I laid hold of so much of the precious things of Christ. Never. Because the more we lay hold of these things, the more precious they become. Waters just women. Now we find a very startling thing. And that is after all this lovely experience, the man is brought back to the shore again. He has to make his way back all the way.
Back to the door. Now, what is this brought in here? Well, I just suggest this thought. Now that is boasted things enter into and enjoy these things. But now we have to meet the practical realities of life. We have to come back and find that this world is so desert. We have to come back and see that there's a need here in this world, and how is that need going to be met?
So this May man who had been brought all through these waters and LED.
Come down this place a long distance over a mile and have a swimming in these waters. And now he's brought back to the shore. And when he comes back to the shore.
He finds that there's a desert place there, and he finds that there is truthfulness wherever these waters flow. And you know, as I say, and I repeat it, and we have to come back and face the reality of this wilderness world through which we pass. We can sit in the meeting and enjoy the precious things of Christ till our hearts overflow. But when the meeting is over, we have to go back, as it were, through the waters, and we have to go down and see.
Desert places, they're still miry places. They're still marshes. Yes, there are places that we have to meet situations and difficulties. But oh, how shall I say how prepared this dear man was after he himself had been through the waters. And so he looked around and went to be free. He viewed as a result, wherever those waters flowed, wherever those living waters flowed, what happened? Oh, there was fruitfulness, there was blessing.
And there was everything to encourage his heart.
00:45:03
So it tells us when he came back to the brink of the river in the seventh verse. And now when I had returned, behold, at the Bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said He unto me, These waters issue out toward the E country, and go down to the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. Perhaps we could compare those trees.
To these to the the sanctions of God.
Because it speaks of believers as being tree planted by the river. And so perhaps we could compare these trees to the Saints of God. And what is it will make these trees grow? What will make them produce trees? What will make their leaves green? Oh, it's a desert place. There's no water refreshment here in this world. That's a dry and thirsty lamb. But whatever these waters flowed or the trees brought forth to those the fruitfulness.
And blessings. And then he said, going down into the place where there was desert and finally flowed right down into the Dead Sea. Oh, that stagnant place, the Dead Sea, no inlet, no outlet. That was. And perhaps you say, well, I see a situation in my life just like the Dead Sea. It just seems that there's no inlet or outlet. Everything seems so dead about here.
Are the waters flowed down?
To the Dead Sea, and even the Dead Sea got healed, even the Dead Sea, all of this lovely all brother, in our situations that we have to meet in life that are too much for us, there are situations we have to meet in our assembly that are too much. And it just seems that there's nothing that can be done. But isn't it so beautiful that wherever these living waters flowed, the waters were healed and the trees began to and put forth their leaves?
And it was great Blessings.
And notice too it says in the 9th.
And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which move us.
Whatsoever the river shall come shall live, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed. Then in the 10th verse that shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from and hedai even unto and enaglium.
They shall be a place to spread forth. Next their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
So here perhaps what would suggest to us as a blessing of the gospel, and how often the blessing of the gospel is hindered because we're not walking in the enjoyment of the truth of God ourselves. How sad it is when the world has to look at a Christian and say, well, it's that man, the Christian. I wouldn't want to be 1 What a sad thing it is when the world has to cease at the testimony. It has been said by another.
Our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord. This world is gradually finding out how that material things can't satisfy. When are young people turning to drugs? Well, I'd suggest that when they're young, they have far more opportunities than young people ever did before to try everything the world has to offer. And they go out and they try this and they try that. I believe we could say that by the time a young person today is 20 years old.
He seemed more than most people did 30 years ago in a whole lifetime. We see everything and then they say, oh, there's nothing. So then they turn to drugs. And now we find people turning me into the power of Satan, wanting to get in touch with the spirit world all about him. What's the matter? All they're calling everything and they're they're finding that this world doesn't have what satisfies.
And perhaps we're the hindrance why they don't turn to Christ.
Perhaps it's 2000. Waters haven't been flowing alongside. These waters haven't been flowing in our lives, and they don't see in us that we have found a truly satisfying portion. They don't see that we have proved that the Lord is sufficient. And maybe we've read about these things that we've never been through the waters ourselves. For this man returned. He could say, Oh yes, I know about all those waters. I was through them. I was out swimming in them. They're wonderful.
They bring such blessings. I've experienced them. And rather than it's not the things that we know in our head, it's the things that we get hold of in our hearts and lay hold it, lay hold of our lives. That's what counts. Just getting it down into our our feet.
00:50:08
Someone said, oh, I'd like to get a knowledge of the Bible. I like you to adhere, eminent servant of God. And he said, oh, I'd like the truth of the Bible to get hold of me. Well, that's what we need, Brian. It's for the truth to get hold of us till it affects our lives. Are we swimming in the waters? Are we enjoying these things? When we can come back and look on this desert world, we can look at its Dead Sea, we can look at the problems that arise.
In home life, in building.
In school life and assembly life and we can as it were or bring about experience that we have had with the Lord Jesus, but not of Himself and His love into these situations. And then we'll see now that He is sufficient for every situation. There wasn't a place where these waters flowed, but there wasn't healing If it was a desert place, the desert was healing if it was the Dead Sea, by the waters of the Dead Sea were healed.
And so I threw in my national recruiting first and I believe that and we see more blessing in the gospel that we were walking more in the joy of the Lord ourselves if when people came in, they saw what we had. And a man one time was asked how he got saved. One said, I went to a gospel meeting and he said, and I don't remember a single word that was said, but he said the lady that stood up beside me to sing, he shared a book with me and she was so happy.
And there seems such reality to it that he said it spoke to my heart and I thought there must be something to it. Our brethren, the world looks on. They want to see that what we have has really filled our hearts, that we're filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, perhaps there's one that is saying that puzzled us, and not the 11TH verse, but the minor replaces thereof in the marshes. There are shall not be healed, they shall be given to solve. Why is it that there is this one exception?
Well, I believe it's because these were places where the waters flowed and stagnated. They didn't flow on, they didn't flow through. And may I say we can listen to these things, we can talk about them, we can know them. But unless the truth of God has its practical effect upon our lives, all the minister to be given, that doesn't change us at all, doesn't change us at all. It has to be flowing freshly.
That is, there has to be.
Shall I say a no hindrance to it flowing through has a stagnation up, and that is we receive it and it stops right there, but this stagnates there. But God has always given the truth so that it enters into us and it flows on it reaches out and blessing to others. We have no monopoly on the truth. Now we have it for ourselves that we have it as well that it might flow on in blessing to others and there's nothing so sad as.
Receiving truth and there not being any outline, no outletting praise, no outlet in gospel work, no flowing on as it were. It just becomes stagnated. All God wants us to be, shall I say channels have blessings to others. The important thing then is that the channel is kept cleared so that you and I would be the channel of blessings to others for whether it's worship or whether it's service.
It's the overflow of the heart and worship.
And it's the overflow of the heart and service leasing out to others.
It says in John 3A man can receive nothing except to be given him from heaven. None of us have any blessing in ourselves. It's not personality, it's not knowledge. It's something that must flow through us and it comes from above. And if you and I watch and walk in self judgment, then there's no hindrance and it just flows on and reaches out to others. So if there's anything in any one of us, the ten rings, the blessing, if there's something.
Lies of stepping up the flow of this water of life huge up before the Lord and own it before him. Sometimes our pipes get plugged and we have to get them open so the water can flow through and sometimes these things allowed in our lives and they're a hindrance to the outflow of blessings. May we have grace to judge them. But all this wonderful supply of fresh living water to think that there was still.
Monsters, places given to salt and.
What a sad thing to think that this church that we know should not be practical in our lives, or May God grant it will be so, you know, just this one more verse, the 12TH verse.
00:55:04
And by the way, upon the back thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all.
Pleased to meet. His leave shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his money, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary, and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the least thereof for medicine. Isn't this a very lovely and interesting closing to this subject?
Here this servant of God, Ezekiel good, and he looks at both signs of the river.
Both tanks crossing feather, two sides, everything. They stood on both, and they looked at both mangas. And here on both banks, he saw that there were trees that were growing for meat and at least didn't fade. And why? Well, because the waters proceeded out of the sanctuary. And so no matter what our position may be, perhaps you say, well, I'm caught in one position, I'm caught in another.
Cause as the waters proceed from the sanctuary for sufficient.
For every place that we can stand, whatever the place may be, if the water comes in the sanctuary, there will be that blessing. And I think it's nice the way it leads here. Brought forth new fruit according to his month. Now that is each new month brought some and new display of fruit. And you know that the Lord leaves us here.
Through the months of this year. Supposing he leaves us through the 12TH month of this year.
They're going to be different situations arise every month. They're going to be new situations where it's going to require the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, gentleness, goodness, faith. Against such there is no law, and that is going to require that fruit of the Spirit.
That certainly we must stand for the truth of God, and God would never have us to compromise His truth.
God let us do it in the third of Christ, let us do it in that way. And that is craving and honoring to Him. And so there's fresh sleep for each situation. And we can't live on. We can't live on something that we have enjoyed in the past. Just like the Passover, it had to be enjoyed freshly to let nothing of it remain until the morning when they gathered the Manor, they couldn't keep it to the next day. And the flute was.
Every month. And it says that the truth, the love shall be for me all. Surely the Saints of God would be fed if you and I were displaying in a practical way in our lives the precious fruit of the Spirit. Yes, the Saints of God to be spread. They would be neat to the table, and then it says the least. There are also decent medicine. The answer would be medicine. There would be curing. There would be that which would heal in every situation.
Alive, oh how blossomed has a full provision that God has made for us in his precious word. Though may the Lord grant that as we consider this lovely chapter and we're in the first month of 1972. If we were to lead in the Book of Revelation, it says it bears 12 manner of fruit and yielded their fruit every month. We're beginning a new year, brethren, I say again, if the Lord leaves us here, we don't know what the hell of us.
But we know the Lord goes before we know that He's sufficient. And may He grant that by looking to Him and cleaving to Him, He may be able to do in some little way that our messenger for Him. And as He leads us through these experiences in our own personal lives, may He also bring us back and give us to view the situation in the light of what He is, not what we are in ourselves, but in the light of what He is in all His blessed all.
For every situation through the whole year and until he comes, he is able and he is willing.