VOICEOFAPROPHET

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CONTENTS

Introduction:ThePrayerofaMinorProphet

1.WhoseChurchIsIt,Really?

2.TheBlightofToday’sChurch

3.God’sMessagetoHisChurch

4.WhenGodChoosesaProphet

5.HowGodPreparesHisProphet

6.GettingtheProphet’sAttention

7.TheSecretoftheProphet’sSuccess

8.TheChallengeoftheProphet

9.WhereIstheLordGodofElijah?

10.TheSovereignCallofGod

11.TheDynamicsofExperiencingGod

12.WeNeedProphets,NotPromoters

13.ThePrivilegeofBeingSentofGod

14.TheVoiceofaProphetintheWilderness

15.TheAgendaofaProphet

16.TheManWhoSawGodontheThrone

17.Jesus,theLastProphet,theLastVoice

18.TheLadderintoKingdomPower

19.PrayerofaProphet

INTRODUCTION

THEPRAYEROFAMINORPROPHET

When A. W. Tozer was just beginning his preaching ministry, he wasinterviewedforordinationbyagroupofeldersandministers.Uptothispoint,hehadbeenpreachingonstreetcorners,undergospel tentsandnowina littlestorefrontchurchinthehillsofWestVirginia.Afterinterviewinghim,thegroupofeldersmettogetherandallcametooneconclusion:Thismanwasnotreadytobeordained;hehadnever finishedhighschool;hehadneverattendedaBiblecollegeorseminary;hehadnotrainingwhatsoeverinministry.

ThemenhadalmostcometothepointofrefusingtoordainTozerwhenoneman spoke out and said, “Thisman has a real passion forministry; and eventhoughhehasnocollegeeducationorministrytraining,Ithinkweoughttogivehimatry.”

Reluctantly,theyagreedtotheordination.Granted, Tozer did not fit theministry template of his day. I am sure he

wouldnotfittoday’stemplate,either.TheprophetGodusesisuniquelycalledofGod.Henever volunteers for the job.He is called.Thinkof the livesof suchbiblical prophets asElijah, Elisha and even John theBaptist. Think ofDavid.NobodythoughtDavidtheshepherdcouldbeking,butheturnedout tobethegreatestkingIsraeleverhad.

A.W. Tozer was sort of like David. Few people thought he would everamounttoanythingintheministry,andyethebecameoneoftheleadingvoicesofhisgeneration,withamessage thatcontinueseven to thisday to thosewhohaveearstohear.

Itwasnotman’sapprovalthatmadeDr.Tozertheprophetofhisday;itwasGod’s call—His choosing of amanwhowaswilling to be used ofGod. It isimpossibletodefinethat“call.”IthinkTozerwouldagreewhenIsaythatthosewhoseemrightforthejobarenottheonesGodcalls.Godchoosesamanora

womanwho is out of syncwithhis or her generation.Goduses a person, notbecauseheorshefitsin,butusuallybecauseheorshedoesnotfitin.

After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid hands on him, TozerwithdrewtomeethisSaviorinthesecretplaceandthesilence,fartherinthanhiswell-meaningbrethrencouldtakehim.TozerwrotedowntheprayerthatwashiscovenantwithGod.Thirtyyearslater,hepublisheditinthemagazineheedited,TheAllianceWitness,andcalledit“ThePrayerofaMinorProphet.”Thisprayerhasbeenpublishedmanytimes.ItswordsrevealtheheartbeatofamanGodcanuse.

OLord,IhaveheardThyvoiceandwasafraid.Thouhastcalledmetoanawesometaskinagraveandperiloushour.Thouartabouttoshakeallnationsandtheearthandalsoheaventhatthethingsthatcannotbeshakenmayremain.OLord,myLord,ThouhaststoopedtohonormetobeThyservant.NomantakeththishonoruponhimselfsavehethatiscalledofGodaswasAaron.Thouhastordainedme,Thymessengerto them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They haverejected Thee, theMaster, and it is not to be expected that theywillreceiveme,theservant.

MyGod, I shall notwaste time deploringmyweakness normyunfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine.Thouhastsaid,“Iknewthee—Iordainedthee—Isanctifiedthee,”andThou hast also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, andwhatsoeverIcommandtheethoushaltspeak.”WhoamItoarguewithTheeortocallintoquestionThysovereignchoice?Thedecisionisnotmine,butThine.Sobeit,Lord.Thywill,notmine,bedone.

WelldoIknow,ThouGodoftheprophetsandtheapostles,thataslongasIhonorThee,Thouwillhonorme.Helpme,therefore,totakethis solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors—whetherbygainorbyloss,bylifeorbydeath—andthentokeepthatvowunbrokenwhileIlive.

Itistime,OGod,forTheetowork,fortheenemyhasenteredintoThy pastures, and the sheep are torn and scattered. False shepherdsaboundwho deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surroundThyflock.Thesheeparedeceivedbythesehirelingsandfollowthemwith touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. IbeseechThee,givemesharpeyestodetectthepresenceoftheenemy;

giveme understanding to see, and courage to faithfully reportwhat Isee.Makemy voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheepwillrecognizeitandfollowThee.

LordJesus,IcometoTheeforspiritualpreparation.LayThyhanduponme.AnointmewiththeoiloftheNewTestamentprophet.Forbidthat I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my propheticcalling.Savemefromthecursethatliesdarkacrossthemodernclergy:the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save mefrom the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or theamountofitsyearlyoffering.HelpmetorememberthatIamaprophet—notapromoter,notareligiousmanager,butaprophet.Letmeneverbecomeaslavetocrowds.Healmysoulofcarnalambitionsanddelivermefromtheitchforpublicity.

Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my daysputteringaroundthehouse.LayThyterroruponme,OGod,anddriveme to theplaceofprayerwhere Imaywrestlewithprincipalitiesandpowers and the rulers of thedarkness of thisworld.Deliverme fromovereatingand late sleeping.Teachmeself-discipline that ImaybeagoodsoldierofJesusChrist.

Iaccepthardworkandsmallrewardsinthislife.Iaskfornoeasyplace.Ishalltrytobeblindtothelittlewaysthatcouldmakelifeeasier.Ifothersseekthesmootherpath,Ishalltrytotakethehardwaywithoutjudging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take itquietlywhenitcomes.Orif,assometimesfallethouttoThyservants,IshouldhavegratefulgiftspresseduponmebyThykindlypeople,standbymethenandsavemefromtheblightthatoftenfollows.TeachmetousewhateverIreceiveinsuchmannerthatwillnotinjuremysoulnordiminish my spiritual power. And if, in Thy permissive providence,honor should come tome fromThy church, letme not forget in thathour that I amunworthyof the least ofThymercies, and that ifmenknewme as intimately as I knowmyself, they would withhold theirhonorsorbestowthemuponothersmoreworthytoreceivethem.

Andnow,OLordofheavenandearth,Iconsecratemyremainingdays to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me standbefore thegreat, orminister to thepoor and lowly; that choice is notmine, and Iwouldnot influence it if I could. I amThy servant todoThywill,andthatwillissweetertomethanpositionorrichesorfame;

andIchooseitaboveallthingsonearthorinheaven.Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy

calling,letmeneverforgetthatIambutamanofdustandashes,amanwith all thenatural faults andpassions that plague the raceofmen. IprayThee,therefore,myLordandRedeemer,savemefrommyselfandfromall the injuries Imaydomyselfwhile trying tobeablessing toothers.FillmewithThypowerbytheHolySpirit,andIwillgoinThystrength and tell ofThy righteousness, evenThineonly. Iwill spreadabroadthemessageofredeeminglovewhilemynormalpowersendure.

Then,dearLord,whenIamoldandwearyandtootiredtogoon,have aplace ready forme above, andmakeme tobenumberedwithThysaintsingloryeverlasting.Amen.AMEN.

Throughout theyears,Dr.Tozer renewed thiscovenantwithGod. It is theonedocumenthecarriedwithhimalways.

This book is based upon a variety of sermonsDr. Tozer preached on thesubjectofaprophetandhiswork.ThechurchtodayisindesperateneedofthekindofprophetDr.Tozerdescribes.UsingthelivesofsuchbiblicalprophetsasElijah, Elisha and even John the Baptist, this book underscores the utterimportanceoftheministryoftheprophetintoday’schurch.

The ministry of a prophet far exceeds his generation. The validity of aprophet is seen in his message, which transcends generations; although themessengerisphysicallygone,themessageremainsvital.MayGodraiseupmoreprophetstospeakthemessageinourgenerationandbeyond.

JamesL.Snyder

VOICEOFA

PROPHET

WHOSECHURCHISIT,REALLY?

AndthesonsoftheprophetsthatwereatBethelcameforthtoElisha,andsaiduntohim,KnowestthouthattheLORDwilltakeawaythymasterfromthyheadtoday?Andhesaid,Yea,Iknow

it;holdyeyourpeace.

2KINGS2:3

Anyonewhoisfamiliarwithmysermons,mybooksoreditorialswillattest tothefactthatthegreatpassionofmylifeisGod.Imakenobonesaboutit;IamabsolutelydevotedtopursuingGodeachdayofmylife—tomakeGodthefocusofeverythingIdo.

Thishascostmedownthroughtheyears.Manymembersofmyfamilyandmyfriendshavemisunderstoodme,andIhavehadtochoosebetweenGodandfamilyandfriends.IthinkIcansafelysaythatmyonepassionispursuingGod.Years ago, Iwas having lunchwithDr.H.M. Shuman, then president of theChristianandMissionaryAlliance.Iwasayoungpastoratthebeginningstageofmyministry.Wetalkedaboutafewthings,andthen,atanappropriatepausein the conversation, I told Dr. Shuman that I wanted to love God more thananyonelovedGodofmygeneration.

Imeanteverywordofit.Ofcourse,at thetime,Igenuinelydidnotknowwhatitallmeant.

Dr. Shuman just stared atme for a fewmoments and then very carefullysaid,“BrotherTozer,ifthatisthetruedesireofyourheart,Ihaveonewordofcaution:Prepareyourselftosuffergreatly.”

I took toheartwhathesaid,anddownthrough theyears, the truthof thatwarninghasunfoldeditselfinmanyways.Indeed,ithascostgreatlyformetoputGodfirstinmylife;butImustsay,atthispointofmylife,itcertainlyhasbeenwellworthit.

Ihavemademanystumblesandbumbles,butIhavetriedtothebestofmyabilitytokeepGodastheveryfocusofmylife.

The second great passion of my heart is the church of Jesus Christ,particularly the evangelical/fundamentalist church. I have done a great deal ofministryamongthisBodyofChrist.IthinkIcanhonestlysaythatIlovethemwithagodlylove.

BecauseI lovethemwithagodlylove,Ineedtoaddresscertainproblemsthat have been developing for several generations. I saw one church advertisethattheywere“Notyourfather’schurch.”Theypromoteditasthoughtheywereproudofthatexpression.WhatIwanttoknowis,iftheyare“Notyourfather’schurch,”whosechurcharethey?

TheChurchIncognitoIt is my humble opinion that when a person loses sight of the origins of theChurch,itnolongeristheChurch.Therefore,thequestionis,whatisit?

Have we come to a stage in this generation that the so-called church ispromoting everything and anything that will add to its numbers? The bottomline, as they say, is success; and success has everything to do with numbers.Whateverbringsthenumbersinmustbeallright.

This is far from the church fathers who gave their lives to establish thechurchofJesusChrist.

Theproblem,as I see it, is thatwehave lost thevision the fathershadofwhatwerefertoastheNewTestamentchurch.

OneofthemainfactorsoftheNewTestamentchurchistheprophets.TheywereusedofGodtoleadthechurchthroughtumultuoustimesandpreventherfromfallingintoheresies.Heresiesbeganalmostthedaythechurchwasborn.

When you read through theNewTestament and follow upwith the earlyhistoryofthechurch,youcanseethatthechurchwassuccessfulastheylistenedto the voice of the prophets. When they turned a deaf ear to that voice, thechurchquicklysankintoheresies.Someofthoseheresieslingerontothisday.

Mygreatpassionandloveforthechurchleadsmetocryoutindesperationthatwhatweneedtodayareprophets.Wherearetheprophetstoguidetoday’schurchthroughthequagmireofheresiesaroundus?

Thoseearlychurchprophetsweresuccessful to thedegree that thechurch

listenedtothem.The voice of the prophet today is seldomheard, not because there are no

prophetsspeakingforGod,butbecausethenoiseandclatterofourculturehavesoinvadedthechurchthattheyhavedrownedoutthatvoice.Becausethevoiceisnotbeingheard,thechurchisindangeroffallingintothequagmireofheresy.

Whathasbroughtthechurchtothispoint?

LikeFather,UnlikeSonIbelieveonedangerousfactortodayisthesonsoftheprophets.Thisseemstobewhereourgenerationhascome.Theprophetsareinthebackground,butthesonsareintheforefront.Eventhoughthesesonshaveaconnectionwiththefathers,theydonotseemtobeliketheirfathers.

EverygenerationseemstodriftalittlefurtherawayfromthevisionofwhatGodhasforthechurch.

Thesesonsof theprophets,whohaveavague, ifany,connectionwith thepast,arenowrunningthechurch.Todayitisquitepopulartodistanceyourselffrom the past. If someone sees in you some connection to the past, you areridiculedtothepointofturningyourbackonthepast.

Whenthechurchturnsherbackonthepast,shehasnosenseofherfuture.Sheislikeashipwithoutarudder,flounderinginavastseaofuncertainty.

Several characteristics about these sons of the prophets concern me, andbecauseofmygreatloveforthechurch,Ineedtospeakout.

PromoteMarketingoverMessagePerhapsatthetopofthelistwouldbetheawfultruththattheyarenotmessageoriented.Themessageisnotreallythatimportant.Whatisbeingtoutedtodaytorun the church is marketing, presentation of the message, and performance.Thesethreethingshaveovershadowedthemessage.

When the prophets were running things, it was the message that reallymattered.Ifyoulookattheprophets,asweshallinthisbook,youcanseetheywere all different. There is no prototype.There are no cookie-cutter prophets.Theonlythingthatwasimportantaboutthemwasthemessagetheybrought,andthatmessagehadbetterbeofGod.

The warning in the Old Testament concerning false prophets should be

alarmingtous.Iftheprophet’smessagedidnotcometopass,thatwasasignofafalseprophet.Thewholethinghadtodowiththemessage:“WhenaprophetspeakethinthenameoftheLord,ifthethingfollownot,norcometopass,thatis the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken itpresumptuously:thoushaltnotbeafraidofhim”(Deut.18:22).

Today, it is hard to see what the message is because of all of theaccoutrements around the message. It has come to the point of not beingrecognizedfromabiblicalstandpoint.

Insomeplaces,thechurchisbeingmarketedasthoughitwereabusiness.Christianityisnotacommercialcommodityorproduct.IdonotseethatintheNewTestament.

Whatbothersme is the fact that themessagegiveswayand takes secondplacetothepresentationofthemessage.Ifthemessageispresentedinacertainway, it is okay regardless if some point is missing. That is my definition ofheresy.Heresyispresentingtruthbutconvenientlyleavingoutsomeofthetruth.Thisishappeningtodaythroughthepresentationprocesswehavetoday.

Todaymany people are taking themessage for granted. Themessage haslostitsmeaningovertime.Withthesesonsoftheprophets,themessagehasnotcostthemanything,andformanytheyhavebecomeboredwiththemessageandaretryingtojazzitupsomehow.

Tobecomeboredwiththemessageisthetragedythechurchisfacingtoday.

GiveCulturalRelevancyFirstPriorityThereisapassiontodaytoberelevant.This,Ibelieve,isoneofthegodsofthemodern church.Wewill go to great lengths to prove that themessage fits innicelywiththeculturearoundus.

Thesonsoftheprophetsassumethattheirinterpretationorpresentationofthe message is the only correct one. To them it is important to interpret themessageinsuchawayastofitpresentcircumstancesandculture.Theydonotwanttodoanythingthatwouldcauseanyharmorembarrassmenttotheculturearoundthem.I thinkG.K.Chestertonwasrightwhenhesaid,“Thereforeit isthe paradox of history that each generation is converted by the saint whocontradicts itmost.”Andyet, tounderstand themessage is tounderstandhowdevastating themessage is on the culture of any generation,whether it be theNewTestamentchurchageorouragetoday.Themessagecontradictsourcultureineveryaspect.

SomeofthishascomebywayofmodernBibletranslations.Inmystudy,Ihave every Bible translation ever published. Care must be taken that thetranslationdoesnotadverselyaffect themessage.Afterall, themessage is thethingthatisreallyimportant.Havewecometothepointinthechurchwherethemostimportantthingisthemessengerandnotthemessage?Wewillacceptthemessage inanyformas longasweapproveof themessenger.Thespotlight isnowonthemessenger,andatbestthemessagehastakensecondplace.

Inallof this, theemphasis ison theperipheral elementsor aspectsof themessage. These sons of the prophets rarely get to the heart of the gospelmessage.Happyaretheytopresentaspectsofthemessagethatcanbeendorsedbyanybodyandeverybody.

HowtoDisguisetheFullMessageThree elements are present here: sensationalism, emotionalism andentertainment.Imustpointoutthatallthesearecontrarytowholesomespiritualdevelopment.

MakeItSensationalSensationalismcancapture theheadlines,so tospeak.That is justa temporarything.Whenwesensationalizethegospelmessage,weoutofnecessitymusttakeitoutofcontext.Therewasnothingsensationalaboutdyingonthecross.Totrytosensationalize this is tomiss thewhole focusof thecrucifixion.To turn thecrucifixionintoentertainmentisaboutasblasphemousasyoucanget.

MakeItEmotionalIhaveseensomeofthesesonsoftheprophetsstirupanaudienceemotionally.By playing on their emotions, they can control the audience and bring thataudiencetoanypointtheywantto.Weusedtoseethisinthecircus;nowweareseeingitinthepulpit.Cananythingbemoreblasphemousthanthat?

WhatmostpeopledounderanemotionalhighwillnevertranslateintodailydisciplinedlivingforGod.

MakeItEntertaining

The thing I cannot understandor accept is the entertainment aspect of today’ssons of the prophets. For some reason, they go to Hollywood to get theirauthority these days. If they can only package the message in an acceptablemanner that will entertain themost numbers of people, they count that to besuccessful. Even so, Iwonder how entertaining itwas for Jesus to die on thecross?

HowentertainingwasitforStephen,thefirstmartyr,todieinthepresenceofhisenemies?Howentertainingwasitforthemartyrsofthechurchtomarchinto their martyrdom? Who was applauding all of this? Who was beingentertainedbythesufferingsandsacrificesofthesaintsofthechurch?

Allofthisiscontrarytowholesomespiritualdevelopment.Thesonsoftheprophets have created a generation of pseudo-Christians that bear little or noresemblancetothoseearlyChristianswhodiedfortheirfaith.

Inallofthis,thesonsoftheprophetsarecarefultoleaveoutanyoffensiveparts.Theyareveryselectiveaboutthetruththeypresent.Whattheypresentistrue,butwhattheyleaveoutisdevastating.

Itseemsthateverydenominationhascherry-pickedthetruthofthemessagethey will focus on. To cherry-pickmeans that some truth is unaccounted for,whichmeansthemessageisincomplete.

Under thesonsof theprophets, I think themessagehas lost its sharpness.Thereseemstobenocondemnationelementinthechurchanymore.Convictionhas lost its place, and nobody is calling the church to repentance. There isnothing to repent for anymore. We are God’s happy, happy little children,dancingourwayintoheaven.Whatapatheticdescription.

Nowadays,themessengerismoreimportantthanthemessage.Themessagedependsuponcelebritiestocarryitintotheculture.Noothergenerationneededcelebrities.CoulditbethattheHolySpiritisnotasnecessarytoday?Coulditbethatweneedhelpfromcelebrities,especiallythosewhohaveneverexperienceda life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and have a lifestyle completelycontrarytobiblicalstandards?

Inordertoenlistthecelebrities,themessageneedstobewatereddownandmodifiedsothatitisnotquiteassharpandthecelebrityisthefocalpointofthemessage.

Undertheleadershipofthesonsoftheprophets,Ihavenoticedthathandshavebecomesoftwhileheartshavebecomehard.

Everybody will admit to making some “mistake.” After all, nobody’s

perfect,right?ButwhereisthatChristianwhowillstandupasthetaxcollectorofoldandbeathisbreastandsay,“Godbemercifuluntomeasinner”?

Todaywesaywehave“missed themark,”“notbeenup toourpotential,”“tried to make it the best we can.” I have heard all of these psychologicalexcuses,andtheyarecomingfromoursonsoftheprophets.

BacktotheWholeMessageWhenwillwe come to the point of repentance, throw all the excuses out thewindow and fall on our faces before God and an open Bible?Whenwill werepentofoursinandallowtheHolySpirittodowhatevertheHolySpiritwantstodo?

Wehavebredageneration that is far removed from the forefathersand isalmostindistinguishableasbeingrelatedtothem.Wehaveagenerationofsonsoftheprophetsthatismoreinterestedintheaccoutrementsofthemessagethanintheinnerrealityofthemessage.

Thisgenerationhasforgottenthatthemessagedoesnotcleanupandshinetheoutsideofaperson;rather,itboresintotheveryheartandcoreofapersonandradicallychangesthatpersonfromtheinside.

The time has come to hear once again the voice of God through Hisprophets.Aprophetisnotcultivated;aprophetiscalledandsentbyGod.Oneofmypassionsis toseeGodonceagaininthecenterofHischurch—toseeHimhonoredandglorifiedinsuchamannerthatitwillpushoutallthethingsthatarecontrarytotheholinessofGod.

O,God,Godoftheprophetsofold,falluponusinourutterweaknessandradicallytransformYourChurchtoday.InJesus’name.Amen.

THEBLIGHTOFTODAY’SCHURCH

Beloved,believenoteveryspirit,buttrythespiritswhethertheyareofGod:becausemanyfalseprophetsaregoneoutintothe

world.

1JOHN4:1

The warning against false prophets started back in the days of the NewTestament church. All of the apostles warned the church concerning thesecoming false prophets that would prey upon the church, especially upon newChristians.

WhatmakestheNewTestamentsorelevanttodayisthatthechurchtodayisfacingthesameproblemstheearlychurchfacedinthedaysofitsinfancy.Icanthink of no problem we face but what was addressed by one of the NewTestamentapostles.

Thispresentgeneration,however,believesthattheyhavenewproblems.Mycontention,however,issimplythateveryproblemhasaspiritualoriginandcanbetracedbacktotheNewTestamentwarnings.

Granted, thereneverhasbeenaclimatemorehospitable to theuprisingofthe false prophets.Andwith the increase ofmedia outlets like thosewe havetoday,theseproblemsarebroughtintothehome.

Alongtheselines,myconcernisthattheproliferationoffalseprophetshascompromised the true meaning of God to our generation. We are allowingpreachers to preach without any accountability whatsoever. Even when apreacherisproventobeascoundrel,hecontinuestoinfluencewithoutanykindofhindrancewhatsoever.Theoneswhoareaffectedbythesefalseprophetsarethosewhoarenotrootedandgroundedinscripturalteaching.

As the apostle Johnwarned, “Believe not every spirit” (1 John 4:1).Hasthereeverbeenagenerationasgullibleasthosetodaywhowillbelieveanything

theyreadorhearinthenewspaper,radioortelevision?ThechurchusedtodealwiththesefalseprophetsbyamightymoveofGod,

which some refer to as revival. What we desperately need today is anotherrevival,butIdonotseeoneonthehorizon.Iprayforitconstantly.Ihopeforitnowmorethanever.AndGodknows,wedesperatelyneedittoday.

Inreadingthehistoryofrevivals,itseemstomethatthepresentgenerationisprimedforarevival.Ithinkthatwouldclearthedeckforthenextgeneration.

SignsofaFalseProphetFalseprophets,sincethedaysoftheearlychurch,havemadeinsidiousinroadsintothechurch.Bythetimeafalseprophetisrecognizedasafalseprophet,heorshehascausedconsiderableharmtothechurch.Ineednotoutlinethatsortofthing from church history; every cult in the world today began with a falseprophetinthechurch.

Severalthingsaboutafalseprophetneedtobeunderstoodandwatchedforinthechurchtoday.

PromotesSelfPerhaps theworst thing that Icouldsayabout these falseprophets is that theymalignGod’scharacterinordertopromotethemselves.Thisisthefirstwarningweneedtotakecareof.

WhenGod’scharacterisatstake,weneedtobeverycareful.OurGodisaholyGodandwillnotstandforHischaractertobemalignedbymaliciousfalseprophetstryingtogainapersonaladvantage.

Anoldpreacheroncesaidthatifyouwanttobecomefamousandrich,getintothechurch.Ofcourse,hewasreferringtofalseprophetswhohavegorgedthemselveswiththetithesandofferingsofGod’sweaksheep.

ManyapreacherhasgoneintotheministryandsacrificedeverythingfortheworkofGod.These servantsneed tobehonoredand revered throughout theirlifetime. But many who enter into the ministry do it for gain. They have apersonalagendatheywanttopursue,andtheyfindthatthebestwaytodothatisthroughsomereligiouscontent.

TomalignGod’scharacterbeginswithnotreallyunderstandingtheGodoftheBible.Everybody is religious andeverybodyhas a religiousopinionabout

everything in the Bible. Everybody thinks they know who God is, and somehave referred to Him as the “One up there that likes me.” I hate that phrasebecauseithasnothingtodowiththeGodoftheBible.

TotakethecharacterofGodandtwistitinsuchawayastomakeGodouttobesomeoneHeisnotmustbecondemnedforwhatitis.ToredefineGodintermsthathelpsomeone’spersonalagendacanonlybecalledblasphemous.

ThefactthatGodallowsthishasalwaysbeenamysterytomeandhasbeenanincentivetofocusonwhoistheGodoftheBible.IhaveapassiontoknowGod; and when someone makes a caricature out of God, it drives me to myknees.Ioftenpray,“Icannotanswerthatman,butIknowThee.”

I want to knowGod, and I want to knowGod in such a way that I canintroduce Him to those who also long to know God. I do not want anybodymessingwiththebiblicaldescriptionofGod.IdonotwantanybodytwistingthecharacterofGodintoacaricature.

Self-promotion should be reprimanded by all concerned. Unfortunately,most of these false prophets are not accountable to anybody who is able tocurtail their activities.Hence,wehave an ongoing flowof thoughts and ideasaboutGodthatisatcompleteoddswiththebiblicaldescriptionofGod.Thesonsoftheprophetsareenablingthesefalseprophets.

Cherry-picksandDistortstheMessageWealsofindthatthesefalseprophetspickandchoosewhattheywanttobelieveaboutGod.Theywant to believe in the love ofGod, but they do notwant tobelieveinthewrathofGod.TheypickoutallofthebiblicaldescriptionsabouttheloveofGod,andcreateanuntruepictureofGod,becauseyoucannothaveapictureofGodthat is incomplete.Their ideasofGodaresofaroutofbalancethattheyleadpeopleawayfromthetrueGod.

Basedupon that, thenext levelofa falseprophet is thathedistortsGod’smessage.Thisisacriticalissue.IwanttoknowwhatGodissaying,andIwantto have it deeply rooted in biblical evidence. I do not want somebody’scommentaryonwhattheBiblesays.IwanttoknowwhattheBiblesays“otherthanbyhearsay,”asThomasCarlylestatedit.

If you get two people to describe a picture, they will come up with twodifferentdescriptions.Onemayleaveonedetailoutandtheotherwillleaveoutsomething else. To really understand that picture, you have to see the pictureyourself.IthinkthatwhenwecometotheWordofGod,weneedtoknowwhat

theWordofGodsays.WeneedtobemoreliketheBereanChristians,asPaulputit:“Thesewere

morenoble than those inThessalonica, in that they received thewordwithallreadinessofmind,andsearchedthescripturesdaily,whetherthosethingswereso” (Acts17:11).Paulwarned theChristiansnot to takeevenhisword,but tosearch theScriptures tomakesure thatwhathewassayingwas true.Weneedmoreofthistoday.

ThesefalseprophetsdistortGod’smessagebymakingthemessengermoreimportant than themessage. Here again, we are turning themessenger into acelebrity.

It’scommontosay,“Letusgohearso-and-so,”asthoughthatpreacherisbetterthananyotherpreacheraround.Itisnotthemessenger;itisthemessagethatneedstobeproclaimed.

Ifyou study theOldandNewTestaments,youwill soondiscover thatnoprophet can ever become a celebrity. The most significant thing about theprophetisthemessageheconveys,andthatmessagehadbetterberootedintheheartofGod.

I lovewhatCharlesH. Spurgeon’s grandfather,whowas also a preacher,said of his grandson: “Charles can preach the gospel better than me, but hecannotpreachabettergospel.”Wearecalledtopreachthegospel.Thevehiclethatbringsthegospel isonlyavehicleandmustbeworthyof thegospelheisbringing.

Falseprophetshaveawayof twistingthemessagejustenoughtofool theshallowChristian.If99percentofwhatafalseprophetsaysistrue,itisagiventhatheisatrueprophet.However,the1percentdisqualifiesthatmanfrombeingatrueprophetofGod.Eitheritisallthewayoritisnoway.

Itisamazingtomehowcleverfalseprophetsareintwistingthemessageinsuch away as to fool themajority ofChristians. Just enough twist tomake itsoundright.IfapersonisaBiblestudentandfolloweroftheLordJesusChrist,andopentotheworkoftheHolySpirit,thesefalseprophetswillnotfoolhim.

“Try the spirits,” said the apostle John, because he knew that there weremanyfalseprophetswhowouldhoverovertheflockofGodtotakeadvantageofthemandpreyupontheminsuchamannerastodishonorthegloryofGod.

TheendresultofthesefalseprophetsisthattheyconfuseGod’ssheep.Thisis the burden of my heart, particularly for the new Christian as well as theshallowChristian.IwishthatallChristianshadaheartforGodthatwouldpush

thembeyondtheagendasofsomeofthesefalseprophetsandintotheveryheartofGodHimself.

What these false prophets do is rob Christians of God’s best. I need toremind God’s people that God has our best interests in mind for the longestperiodoftime.GodallowscertainthingstohappeninourlivesbecausethereisabiggerpictureinmindandGodistakingusthroughthoseexperiences.

ThefalseprophetwouldtellyouthatifyouareaChristianyoushouldnotexperience any bad times. Everything should go wonderfully for you. Youshould prosper and be successful in everything you touch your hand to. Thatsoundsfine,butithasnorootintheWordofGod.WhatitdoesdoistakethefocusoffwhatGodhasforus.

RobbingGod’speopleofGod’sbestisoneofthefundamentalproblemsinthis generation.These false prophets are exchangingGod’s best forwhat theyconsider theirbest.Arewe followersofGod,or arewe followingman?Falseprophetswouldhaveusfollowthem.Alwaysrememberthatwhenyoufollowaman,hewillalwaysleadyouawayfromGod.

LeadsintheWrongDirectionThis brings me to the point that false prophets lead people the wrong way.Maybethesefalseprophetshavebeendeceivedthemselves.Maybetheybelievewhattheyaresaying.Maybetheyarebeingusedbytheenemyofman’ssoulanddonotevenknowit.IdonotknowifIcouldtellthedifference;allIknowisthattheyareleadingpeopleawayfromGod.

It ismypassionto leadpeople toGod.That iswhere theybelong.That iswhat they were created for. St. Augustine had it right when he pronounced,“Thou,OGod,hastcreatedusforThyself,andwearerestlessuntilwerest inThee.” To do less is to rob people of what God created them for in the verybeginning.

In order for these false prophets to keep the people following them, theymust feed them with spiritually toxic food. This toxic food is a little bit ofpsychology,alittlebitofinspiration,adashoftheology,atouchofBibleandawholelotofpersonality.

Eachofthesefalseprophetshashisownrecipeforthistoxicfood.Iamnotsure, but perhaps Solomon had this inmindwhen hewrote, “And further, bythese,myson,beadmonished:ofmakingmanybooksthereisnoend;andmuchstudyisawearinessoftheflesh”(Eccles.12:12).

I wonder if Solomon saw the stream of these toxic books flooding thisgeneration.ThechurchisbeingfloodedwithbooksthatareadverselyaffectingawholegenerationofChristians.

EveryfalseprophethasabookthatrisesjustaweebithigherthantheBible,andhe isverycareful inmarketing thisbookso theaverageshallowChristianwillnotnoticethis.

MajorsinMinorsOneotheraspectof thefalseprophet is thatheoverwhelmsGod’speoplewithtrivia.Neverhastherebeenmoretriviaflowingintothechurchthantoday.Muchof this trivia is coming from the world and into the church without anyonestoppingitanywhere.

I want to know, where are the gatekeepers? Where are the watchmenconcerned aboutwhat is coming into the church?Aswatchmen,we have lostgroundinthisregard.

Godwarned theOldTestamentsaints,“So thou,Osonofman, IhavesettheeawatchmanuntothehouseofIsrael;thereforethoushalthearthewordinmymouthandwarnthemfromme”(Ezek.33:7).

Wherearethesewatchmen?WherearetheseprophetswarningGod’speopleofthefalseprophetsinvadingGod’sterritory?

Ithascometothepointthatifanypreachercriticizesanymovement,heisquicklyostracizedandmadefunof.However,itisourresponsibility—ourjob—topointoutthesefalseprophets,whetherotherpeoplelistentousornot.

God’sinstructiontotheprophetwas,“Nevertheless,ifthouwarnthewickedof hisway to turn from it; if he do not turn fromhisway, he shall die in hisiniquity;butthouhastdeliveredthysoul”(Ezek.33:9).

The responsibilityof theprophet isnot tocomeupwithhisownmessagebuttofaithfullydeliverthemessage,thewarningthatiscomingfromGod.Ifthepeoplehearandturnfromtheirwickedways,thenGodwillblessthem.Iftheydonotlisten,donotturnfromtheirwickedways,itisnottheresponsibilityoftheprophet.Hehasdonehisjob,andtherestisuptoGod.

Wemustgivewarningconcerning the falseprophets thataregainingsuchgroundamongthepeopleofGod.WemustwarnthepeopleaboutthosewhoareturningthemawayfromthetrueGod.Iftheyhearus,wecanpraiseGod.Iftheydonothearus,wecanmournforthembutknowthatwehavedoneourjob.

Our heavenly Father, how grateful we are that You have given amessage,and thengivenavoice to thatmessage, to theprophetsYouhave chosen. May those prophets be sent, and may Thy people turnfromtheirwickedwaystoserveTheetoday.Amen.

GOD’SMESSAGETOHISCHURCH

Nowgo,writeitbeforetheminatable,andnoteitinabook,thatitmaybeforthetimetocomeforeverandever.

ISAIAH30:8

ThetrueprophetiscalledtobeavoiceofGodtohisgeneration.HismissionistobringGod’smessagetoGod’speople,insuchawaythattheyhearitandobeyit. Therefore, he needs to be rooted deeply in theWord of God.What is thepurposeandmissionoftheWordofGod?Tofindus,tolocateus—toidentifyusandour times—andtoreveal truth tous. Itspurpose is toshowwhat iswrongwithus,butalsotoshowwhatisrightwithus.

God’sMessageIsNotforEveryoneOne thing that is often overlooked is that the prophet has no message to theworld. The prophet brings God’s Word and message to God’s people. God’smessagethroughHisprophetshasalwaysbeendirectedtoHispeopleandtheiroverallwell-being.Thispositiveaspectofprophecyisoftenoverlooked.

Asaresultofallthedamagefalseprophetshavedoneandaredoingtothechurch ofGod, there is a tendency to concentrate on the negative. Surely,wemustpointout those things thatarewrong,and theWordofGod is faithful inshowinguswhat iswrongaboutus.Butyoucannothaveapositivewithoutanegative.Bothsidesareneeded.

I amoften accused of being negative, but that does not troubleme in theleast.Manytrytobe100percentpositive,whichisanabsoluteimpossibility.

Itdoesnotmatterhowbadapersonis—itdoesnotmatterwhathehasdonethroughouthislife;youcanalwaysdiscoversomethinggoodaboutthatperson.

Thisistruefortheothersideaswell.Thereisalwayssomethingnegativeaboutthepersonwhobelievesheisentirelypositive.

WhattheMessageAchievesNow, theworkof theprophet is toconveyGod’sWord toGod’speople in theproper balance.God never says anything negative toHis people butwhatHealsopresents thepositiveside.Weare todealwith thenegative,butweare tofocusonwhatisrightaboutourwalkwithGod.

Itdoesnotmatterifthingsareeithernegativeorpositiveintheworld.Outin theworld,peopleare lost,anduntil theycometo faith inJesusChrist,Godhasnothingreallytosayaboutthem.Theyareheadedforjudgmenttocome.

Inthechurch, it isadifferentstory.Regardlessofhowbadlyapersonhasbackslidden, God always has a way to come back prepared for him or her.NobodyhaseverdoneanythingthatwasasurprisetoGod.

IamsurethatitdidnotshockGodwhenAdamandEvedidwhattheydidin theGardenofEden.Hewasnotstanding in theheavens rubbingHishandstogether,worryingaboutwhatHewoulddonext.God’splanisalwaysbuilt ineternityandcannotbedestroyedbytime.

TheapostleJohnpointedtothistruthinthebookofRevelationwiththesewords:“Thebookof lifeof theLambslain from the foundationof theworld”(Rev.13:8).BeforeGodhadevencreatedtheheavensandtheearth,theLambofGodhadalreadyofferedthesacrificeforsinstocome.

WhattheMessageContainsPartofthemessageoftheprophetistoshowGod’speoplewhattheyaredoingrightandwhatimpactitishavingupontheworldaroundthem.

We do not often think about the fact that God takes great delight in Hispeople. I believe that God is filled with laughter as He takes delight in Hisredeemedpeople.Hedelights in theonescreated inHis imagewhohavenowbeenredeemedandbroughtbacktothatimageandaregrowinginthegraceandknowledgeoftheLordJesusChrist.TheheavensarefilledwiththelaughterofGodasHedelightsinHispeople.

I have come across someChristianswho constantly beat themselves overthe head about the least little thing. Some of these people are afraid to sayanything good about themselves for fear they are violating some aspect ofhumility, a characteristic they grossly misunderstand. They are the saddest

peopleyouwouldeverwanttosee.Beingaroundthembringsyoudownseverallayersofsadness.WhyChristiansshouldbesadisbeyondme.WeshouldbethemostjoyfulpeopleonGod’sgreenearth.

The job of a goodmedical doctor is not only to findwhat iswrongwithyour health but also to encourage youwhen you are doing okay health-wise.Likewise, thebusinessof theWordofGod is to tellyouwhenyouarewrong,butalsototellyouwhenyouareright,andsay,“Welldone,goahead,mychild.”

Thereisnovirtueinalwayscondemningyourself,becausetheWordofGodshowsuswhatisrightinusaswellaswhatiswrong.Now,letmebeclearthatthere is nothing right about a sinner; there is nothing right about a lost man;nothingrightaboutarebelagainstGod.AndIthinkitissafetosaythatthereisnothing right about the popular religion as we know it today. All of this isentirelyinsyncwiththeprophet’smessage.

But theprophet isnot alwaysbringingbadnews;healsobringswordsofencouragement that keep us in fellowship with God. Sometimes we needencouragement, and God is faithful in bringing encouragement into our livesthroughthevoiceofaprophet.

TheProphetIsOnlytheMessengerThewillofGodisthehealthoftheuniverse.Godistheharmonyofheaven.HeisthepeaceofParadise.ThewillofGodissalvationitself.ThewillofGodislight.ThewillofGodiseverythingamoralbeingcanwant.

Keepingallofthatinmind,theprophet’smessageisnot,andcannotbe,apersonaldiatribe.StudytheprophetsoftheOldTestamentandyouwillseethatthe message did not originate with them. They were not giving a messagebecausetheyhadalittlechipontheirshoulderandwantedtogiveGod’speopleapieceoftheirmind.

Themessageneveroriginateswith theprophet. It isGod’s job to connecttheprophetwiththemessageHewantstoimparttoHispeople.Itisneverleftuptotheprophet.

MartinLuthersetthestandardwhenhedeclared,“HereIstand;Icandonoother. God help me. Amen!” Luther could not and would not change themessage,regardlessofpersonalconsequences.

The message does not originate with a prophet and, therefore, cannot bemodified by the prophet. The prophet’s sole responsibility is to deliverGod’s

messagejustthewayGodgaveit.Todothis,aprophetneedstobeuniquelypreparedtodeliverthemessage.

God does not simply pluck someone out of the back hills without his beinguniquely prepared for a unique work. Not just anyone can be God’s prophet.(And nobody has ever volunteered to be God’s prophet or mouthpiece to ageneration.)

Thismessage thatGod entrusts toHis prophet is under strict orders fromGod,withoutanydeviation.Thesongoftheprophet is,“ThussaiththeLord.”AnyothersongwillneverdoforGod’smantobeGod’svoicetohisgeneration.

God’sMessageConfrontsthePresentSituationOneimportantaspectofthemessageGodgivestotheprophetisthatitalwaysexploitstheconditionofGod’speople.Itisnotageneralmessageforeverybody.ThosewhohaverebelledagainstGod—thosewhodonotownGod—receivenomessagefromGodexceptthemessageofrepentance.

God’smessage throughHis prophet is always given in the context of thepresentconditions.ItalwaysgivesatruepicturefromGod’sperspectiveofthesituation.Manytimes,wecanjustifycertainirregularitiesandmakeexcusesforit. God’s message comes without excuse as a direct word from God about aspecificsituation.

Keep in mind that the message carries with it God’s wisdom andunderstanding of the present situation. God sees what we cannot see andunderstands what we will never understand: “For my thoughts are not yourthoughts” (Isa.55:8).God’swisdomisbrought tobearuponoursituation,andthe message given to us through the prophets conveys that wisdom to oursituation.

ThemessageGodgivesalwaysconfronts thepresentcondition inorder tocontradict that situationandmovepeople towardGod.Goddoesnotcondemnjusttocondemn;Hedoessoinordertoturnthesituationaroundandbringthepeoplebacktowheretheyneedtobe—infellowshipwithGod.

God’smessagecutsthroughthesmokeandmirrorsandbringstruthtobearupon that particular situation.God is not just trying to prove thatHe is right.Godhasnothingtoprovetous.Rather,HedrawsusbacktothepositionofHisdivinepleasure.GodtakessomuchdelightinusthatHewillgotoanylengthtobringusbacktothatdelight.

God’sMessagePointstheWayBacktoGodThisbringsmetothefactthatGod’smessagealwaysincludesthepathbacktoGod. There is only one path back. It is not a variety of choices and options.There isonepathback,andGod’smessagealways stresses thatoneway. It isalwaysclearlydefined,althoughitisrarelyaneasychoiceforus.

God’s message brings to it an honest evaluation concerning the dangerconfronting us.God does not have to exaggerate the danger.He never has tounderestimatethedanger.Godalwaysbringstooursituation,throughthevoiceof the prophet, an honest evaluation of the situation and how it affects ourrelationshipwithGod.

God’sMessageCostsThe essence of themessage of the prophet is truth. Truth is always a double-edgedsword.Itcutsbothways.Thereisacostfactorfortheprophettodeliverthe message, and there is a cost factor for us to receive that message. ThisemphasizestheextremeimportanceGodputsuponthetruthHeistryingtobringourway.

Whenitcomestotruth,itmustberegardedasnotonlythewillofGodbutalso theheartofGod.Godisnot layinguponusstrictdisciplines todelight inour suffering. Sometimeswe get this idea frompeoplewho, for some reason,glorify suffering. I never delight in my suffering. That is why it is calledsuffering.

GodwillendureoursufferingbecauseheknowstheendresultwillbringusclosertoHisheart.ThewaybacktoGodisadifficultone,andnotafewstumblealongtheway.GodweepsforthosewhoarestumblingandreachesoutthroughthevoiceoftheprophettogivetheguidancenecessaryforthemtogetbackontheirfeetagainandresumethejourneybackintotheheartofGod.

ThatpathbacktoGod’sheartisadirectroute.Godisnottakingusthroughabunchofsideroadsjusttogiveusatourofthescenery.God’spathisdirect.ItstartswherewearerightnowandgoestowhereHeisandwhereHewantsustobe.Wearetheoneswhoareresponsibleforthesidetripsthathavecostustimeaswellasotherthings.

Iwillbe the first toadmit that thepath isalways radical.Myrelationshipwith JesusChrist is a radical relationship. It isneitherpassivenor convenient,butradicallyfocusedinthedirectionofGod.Whateverthecost,IgladlybearitanddrawnearertoGod.

Weacceptradicalbehaviorinmanyareasofhumanendeavor.Whycan’tweacceptradicalbehaviorinaheartthatispantingandlongingforGod?Letusgetoff the easy train ride,with all of the beautiful scenery, and get back on thatradicalpaththatleadsdirectlyintotheheartofourFather,whoartinheaven.

Requirement:RadicalFaithIalsoneedtopointoutthatthispathisnonnegotiable.“Andthineearsshallhearawordbehindthee,saying,This is theway,walkye in it,whenye turn to therighthand,andwhenyeturntotheleft”(Isa.30:21).Godhasestablishedapath,and we either accept that path or we do not end up with God. God is notinterested in negotiating in this area.We are a generation of negotiators.Wewanttogivealittlehereandgetalittlethere,thinkingwecanbringthismethodintoourrelationshipwithGod.GodisGod,andHeallowsfornonegotiations.

ThepathbacktoGodisnotdependentuponourunderstandingit.Itbeginsinfaithandcontinuesinfaith.Often,it isreferredtoasawalkoffaith.Inthiswalkoffaith,ourfocushastobeonGod,whoiscallingusbacktoHimself.Itisthefaithfulprophetwhopointsus to theway,asJohn theBaptistdidwhenhesaid,“Behold,theLambofGod”(John1:29).

Aprophetcanpointustowardtheway,andafterthatitisbetweenGodandus.TheprophetcannottakeustoGod;hecanonlygiveusthemessagethatwillguideusintherightdirection.

AwiseprophetgiveshismessagefromGodandthengetsoutof theway.Noprophethangsaroundfor theaccoladesof thepeople,becausetheyarenotcoming.Aprophet’sjobisdonewhenhehasdeliveredGod’smessage.

Perhapsthegreatestanguishaprophetcanexperienceistoseethemessagegounheeded.Itisnotwithintheprophet’spowertomakethepeopleobeyGod.Obedience is based upon their faith in God that brings them one step closeralongthepathwaytotheheartofGod.

Werejoice,OGod,inthemessageThouhastbroughttousthroughthefaithfulnessofThy select prophets.Maywehumblyobey themessageconveyed.InJesus’name.Amen.

WHENGODCHOOSESAPROPHET

And,behold,Iamwiththee,andwillkeeptheeinallplaceswhitherthougoest,andwillbringtheeagainintothisland;forIwillnotleavethee,untilIhavedonethatwhichIhavespokento

theeof.

GENESIS28:15

It is rather interesting to read the biographies of some of the great men andwomenofGod.Mostofthem,ifnotall,roseoutofobscurityandwereplacedinapositionofbeingusedbyGod.SomeofthosegreatsaintswhowerechosenofGodwouldbeoverlookedbyanychurchboardtoday.

Thankfully, God sees what we cannot see and He never asks for ourrecommendations.WhenHechoosesaprophet,Hedoessofor reasonsallHisown.

AnUnlikelyCandidateSomuchcouldbesaidof thatcolorfulman,Jacob, that itprobablydeservesabookof itsown.Youcan readhis story in thebookofGenesis, but Iwant tosearch out the one central factor of his life that is important to us now. Thatimportant aspect of Jacob’s life was that he met God in a way that utterlytransformedhim.

Every move of God in an individual heart begins with a deep sense ofdiscontent.ThiswastrueofJacob.

Tobeginwith,Jacobwasanythingbutaworthycharacter.Inthefirstplace,hishomelifewasunfortunate.Thehomethatthebrothers,JacobandEsau,grewup inwasnot ideal inanyaspect.Rebekahand Isaac, theirmotherand father,

seemingly led separate lives, though they never divorced. Rebekah favoredJacob, and Isaac favored Esau. They lived together and raised their two sonstogether.Theneighborsneverknewanythingmuchwaswrongwith them,butthefactis,theyweredividedintheirhearts.

ItwouldbelaughableifitwerenotsotragicthatIsaaclovedEsaubecauseEsaubroughthomehis favoritemeat. Isaac loved themanEsaubecauseEsauwasahunterandwouldgooutandgetvenisonforhim.Thatisapoorexcuseofarelationshipbetweenafatherandson.

Rebekah’srelationshipwithJacobwasjustastoxic.Jacob’s character showedweaknesses—moral flaws that were beyond the

normal.Mygrandmotherwouldhavesaidhewasattachedtohismother’sapronstring.Jacobstayedwithhismotherevenuntilhewasintomiddlelife.

A major flaw with Jacob was his sneaky nature, which bordered on theperilous. Everybody he encountered he tricked into doing something.Nothingseemed to be beneath him. He was such a crook. His name, Jacob, means“crooked,”sotheycertainlynamedthatboywell.

Jacob had a streak of avarice in him—a streak of larceny, if you askme.RememberthetimewhenJacobwascookingupsomepottage,andEsaucamefromthefieldwithouthavingcaughtanythingthatday,andhewashungry?Esauwassohungrythathesaidtohisbrother,“Givemeabowlofyourstew.”

Jacobtookadvantageofthesituationandsaid,“Whatwillyougiveme?”“Iamreadytodie.Whatismybirthrightworththen?”saidEsau.“GivemeyourbirthrightandI’llgiveyousomestew,”demandedJacob.Jacobcheatedhisbrotheroutofthatbirthright.Lateron,withhismother’shelp,Jacobcheatedhisfather.Itwasasneaking,

deceitful,dirty trick thatJacobpulledonhisblindfather.What isconfusing isthat Isaacdidnotknowhisownson.He livedwith thoseboys,yethedidnotrecognizetheirvoices.Hedidsay,“ItdoessoundlikeJacob’svoice,butIwilladmitthosearethehairyarmsofEsau.”

HestretchedouthisarmsandblessedJacobwiththefirstborn’sblessingandneverstoppedtoinquireofGod.Heseemedtodoitallonhisown.ThatisthekindofhomeJacobcameoutof.

Jacobhadacalculating,bargainingspirit;andevenwhenhehadthisgreatvision,hebrought thisbargaining spirit over tohis relationshipwithGod.Hisattitudewas,“God,ifYouwillblessme,Iwilltithe.”

The only thing Jacob could do morally, as far as any hope of God was

concerned,wastogobackandsitdown.Granted,hisfamilylifewastough,hisquality of characterwas bad and his parents showed favoritism and partiality,thusdividingthefamily.JacobwouldhavebeenvotedthemanleastlikelytogetrightwithGod,becausetherewasnothinginhimtorecommendit.

AnybodywhowatchedJacob’sslithery,sinuous,serpentineconductwouldhavesaid,“There’snouselookingatthatfellow;heishopeless.”ButGodsawotherwise.

ThereisadeepmysteryherethatIdonotclaimtounderstand.SomebodywhomayhaveallthecharacteristicsofagentlemanmaybeamillionmilesfromGod and remain perfectly satisfied with himself. And somebody with noqualifyingcharacteristicsmaybejusttheoneGoduses.

NobodywouldhavegivenanyhopeforJacobtobeusedofGod.ButIhavediscoveredthatGodspecializesinhopelesscases.

If itwere up tome, I neverwould have chosen Jacob.My choicewouldhave been Esau. I find him to be amuch better person than Jacob ever was.TherewasnotreallythatmuchbadaboutEsau;itwasalwaysJacobwhohadacrookedviewofeverythingaroundhim.IthinkIcouldhavegottenalongwithEsau.

I’mthankfulthatitwasnotuptome,butuptoGod.GodsawsomethinginJacobthatwasnotinEsau.GodsawinJacobthatwhichcouldbeusedforHispurposes.AlthoughEsauwasawonderfulperson,therewasnotanythinginhimthatGodcouldidentifywithatthispoint.

Whatwasthedifference?

AHolyDiscontentmentJacobhadagreatdissatisfactionanddiscontentmentwithhimselfandalongingafterGoddeepwithin.Godcannothelpanyonewhodoesnotfirsthaveadeepdiscontentment with himself. Jacob was deep in sin, but not so deep that itfollowedhim to the lifeofanotherworld.Esauwasnotsodeep insin,buthewassatisfiedwithwhathehad.TheworstthingthatcanbesaidaboutEsauwasthathewasspirituallysatisfied,andthatdamnedhim.

I am not too worried about how far a man has gone, but I am greatlyconcerned about what direction he is headed. I am concerned whether he isaimedin therightwayornotandIamconcernedaboutwhetherhe is longingafterGod.IfwedonotlongafterGod,wewillremainrightwhereweare.We

willcometoaplacewherewearespirituallystalled.Whyisitthatsomegoodpeoplearesatisfiedwiththestatusquo,especially

in theirspiritual life?Theyarenicepeople,nice to livearound,but theyneverhavethatspark.Andwhydosomeofthemostcrookedpeople,themostsinfulpeople,withabaddispositionandeviltemperamentrevealthattheyaredeeplytroubledandhavealonging,asparkleapingup,afterGod?SuchwasthecasewithJacob.

ThediscontentmentwasGodtryingtogetthroughtothemanJacob.Jacobwasself-strickenbecausehehadcheatedhisfather;hewassickbecausehehadto leavehismotherandhishome;andhewasfeelingafraidanduncertainandwas in a state of complete loneliness. It was the perfect set-up for lifetransformation.

ThePathtoLifeTransformationWeseeJacobathisworst,butwefindhimonhiswaytomeetGodandbecomethebest.JacobtheworstbecameJacobthebest,andJacobthecrookbecomeaprincewithGod and had his name changed to Israel.Whatwas the path thatbroughtthischange?

AlonewithGodJacobwas alonewithGod.Youmust haveGod all byyourself.You andGodalonehavetofigurethingsout.Ifyouhaveneverlearnedorneverexperiencedthedepthsof lonelinessbeforeGod,chancesareyouarenot in theposition tohaveGoddoverymuchforyou.AllthegreatmenhadtogotoGodalone.Godhad to let this all work out to get Jacob by himself in a state of completeloneliness.ThatwaswhenGodappearedtoJacob.

BeforeanymanwillstarttowooGod,Godmustbegintowootheman.Godmustbe there first.SoGodappeared to Jacob,and thatwas the reason forhisdiscontentandunrestinhisheartandtheaimlessactivityhewasgoingthrough.TheeternalmysteryhadbeenovershadowingthemanJacob.

AsJacobfledfromhishome,oneofthemostwonderfulthingshappenedtohim.Helaydownthatnightinthewilderness,andasheslept,hesawaladderthat reachedup into theheavens“andbehold theangelsofGodascendinganddescendingonit”(Gen.28:12).

AwakenedtoHisNeedforGodThethingI likeabout this is thatwhenJacobawokefromthatdream,hesaid,“SurelytheLordisinthisplace;andIknewitnot”(Gen.28:16).Godwasthereallthetime.HehadbeenthereallthetimeandwaspatientlywaitingforJacob.

Jacobawokeoutofhissleepandsuddenlyhadanawakeningof the innerlife.HewasawakenedtotheshiningwonderofGodandHiskingdom.“Godishereand Iknew itnot” is the themeof thosewhohavebeenawakened to therealityofGod;whohavebeenawakenedtothefactthatwebelongtoGod,andGodbelongstous;thatweareHis,Heisoursandwedonotbelongtoanybodyelse.

Weneed tobeawakened to the fact thatwemustdealwithGodwhohasbeenfollowingusallthistime.Thisisthemystery,becausehowcanitbethatGod comes, followsus and introduces this desire into our hearts? I just knowthat there is something in us akin toGod. That does notmeanwe are saved,because “except ye repent and are born again ye shall likewise perish.”SomethinginusrespondstothatMajestywecallGod.

Godistryingtogetthesignalthroughtous,buttheoneswhoaresatisfiedwithwhattheyhavehearnothing.OnlythoselikeJacob,whoarediscontentanduneasyand livingwith abadconscience, see something; theyhear something,andtheywillmeetGodafterall.

Christ is thepointwhereweexperienceGod.Christ is theOnewhois themansideofGodwherewecanrelatetoGodandcomeintofellowshipwithGod.GodispursuingusthroughtheLordJesusChrist.Hewantsustobreakthroughintoastateofspiritualawareness.

When Jacob awakened out of his sleep, it was more than waking out ofphysical somnolence; itwasa suddenawakening to the shiningwonderof theknowledge ofGod and the faith of Christ, even beforeHis incarnation in thewombof theVirginMary.Wecannever comprehend this,nor is it somethingthatcanbeexplained.

WehavetriedtomakeGodinourimage,andbecausewehavemadeHiminourimage,wethinkwecanexplaineverythingHeissupposedtodo.IfyoucanexplaineverythingaboutGod,itreallyisn’tGod.

Thosemen whomet God had spiritual experiences nobody could define,muchlessdefineitthemselves.Alltheycoulddowasstandinsilentadoration.Alltheycoulddowasrejoice.AlltheycoulddowasenjoyitandthankGodandobeyGod and come back formore and rejoice somemore and go obeyGod

somemore.

ADesiretoKnowGodAboveAllElseAs crooked as old Jacob was, he had one redeeming quality: He had a holydiscontent in the depths of his heartwhere hewanted to knowGod, andGodknewit.GodknewthatnothingcouldkeepJacoboutifhewantedtoknowGodbadenough,andJacobdid.

Ifyouarenotdiscontented,butyouaresatisfiedwithwhereyouare,thenIdonotknowanythingthatcanbedone.Idonotknowanythinganybodycando.TherewasnothinganybodycoulddoforEsau.Esauwassatisfiedwithhimselfand his life. He possessed no spiritual longing. Nowhere in the whole life ofEsauwasthereanyevidenceofmoraldiscontentorspiritualyearning.It isthemostprecioustreasureyouhave—thatspirituallonginginyourheartforGod.

Jacobwas not a prophet in the sense ofwhatwe are talk ing about here.JacobillustratesforushowGodcantakeamanwholookslikenothingandcanusehim.Godcantakesuchamanwhoisdiscontentwithhisspiritual lifeandhasalongingforGod,andGodcanmeetthatmaninthesplendorofexperienceanduse thatman forHishonorandglory. Inorder tobeavoice forGod, theprophethadtohavesuchanencounterwithGodthatliftedhimabovehisownmoralweakness.

OGodofJacob,howwe identifywith thatman,andhowwe identifywith the discontent he experienced in his own life.Maywe never besatisfiedwithourselvesandwhereweare,andmaywehavealongingforYouthatwillenableYoutobreakthroughandmeetuswhereweare.Amenandamen.

HOWGODPREPARESHISPROPHET

AndJacobwasleftalone;andtherewrestledamanwithhimuntilthebreakingoftheday.Andwhenhesawthatheprevailednotagainsthim,hetouchedthehollowofhisside;andthehollow

ofJacob’sthighwasoutofjoint,ashewrestledwithhim.

GENESIS32:24-25

In reading the story of Jacob, I find a troubling degree of deception anddishonestyandlyingandintrigueandtreachery.AllofitiswovenintoJacob’sstory. Everybody in the familywas guilty except old Isaac.And brotherEsauwasabettermanthanJacobwas.

Jacob had committed a great wrong against his brother Esau. He firstwiggledaroundtocatchEsauwhenhewashungry.JacobknewEsaulivedforhisstomach,sohewaited for the rightmomentand thenbrewedupamessofgood stew. The aroma would make any man hungry, and when Esau arrivedhungry,Jacobtooktheadvantageandsaid,“Sellmeyourbirthrightandyoucanhavethestew.”

EvenJacob’sownmother,Rebekah,ledhimdowntheroadoftreacheryanddeceptionindeceivingherhusbandtoblessJacobinplaceofEsau.

When I read this story, I do not really like Jacob verymuch. I think hisbrotherwasamuchfinerman.IthinkIcouldgetalongwithEsau,butIwouldhavehadtroublewithJacob.

Yet,JacobservesasamodelofhowGodpreparesHisprophet.HisstoryisthestoryofhowamanwhowasnotgoodbynaturewasdeliveredbyGodfromthehandofamanwhowasnotanygoodbygrace.JacobwasdeliveredfromoutofthehandofEsauinawayheneverdreamedpossible.

InorderforGod’sprophettocarryGod’smessagetoGod’speople,hemustbeuniquelypreparedandqualified,andhemustbedeliveredoutofthehandof

hisEsau.TheastonishingthingtomeisthatwhenGodchoosesHisprophets,Hedoesnotdisqualifyamanbecauseofhishistory.ThemessagehereisthatGodcantakeanymanwhowillyieldtoHimandmakehimintoamanHecanuse.ItisnotsomuchthemanasitistheGodwhomakestheman.

Dr. A. B. Simpson founded Nyack College, but Nyack College neverproducedanA.B.Simpson.D.L.Moody foundedMoodyBible Institute,butMoodyBibleInstituteneverproducedaD.L.Moody.

Both colleges produced a great many servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.WhatIamgettingat issimply this:OnlyGodcanprepareaprophet todo theministryofaprophet.TheschoolsoftheprophetneverproducedanElijahoranElisha.

I believe thatGod takes great delight in selecting themost inconspicuousman and turning him into a prophet He can mightily use in delivering HismessagetoHispeople.

Jacob was such a person. If I had to choose between Jacob and Esau, IwouldmakethemistakeofchoosingEsau.ThereasonisthatIdonotseethingsasGodseesand,therefore,IoverlookwhatonlyGodcansee.

PreparationtoBecomeGod’sProphetLetme use the example of Jacob as thewayGod prepares a prophet forHisministry.

HeHadtoFacethePastThefirstthingGoddidwithJacobwastobringhimtothatpointtocrossovertheriverJabboktomeethisyesterday.AsfarasJacobwasconcerned,therewasquiteabitofunfinishedbusinessinhispast.

Godwillnotuseamanuntilhehasclosedtheaccountonthepast.Whenthepastisclosed,GodbringsHisprophettothepointofgoingforward.

Aslongasthepastbeckonsusforanyreason,itisimpossibletogoforwardandquitedifficulttobeusedbyGod.Thepastcannotbeignored.Jesusdiedonthecrosstodealwithallofourpast.BeforeGodwilluseaman,Hehastobringhisaccountsuptodatebasedonwhathappenedonthatcross.

Jacob had unfinished business concerning his brother Esau. There wasnobodyJacobwanted tosee less thanEsau,but inGod’sdesign ithad to take

place.Jacobhadtowadeacrosstherivertomeethisyesterdaywhetherhelikeditornot.Jacobhadtowadeacrosstheriverknowingthattherewasaswornfoeon the other side to fight against. The same is true for us.We have to wadeacrossourriverJabbokwhetherwelikeitornot.

HeHadtoGetSpirituallyPreparedJacobwasto learnthat thewayGodconquersourenemies is toconquerus.Itdoesn’t make sense from the human standpoint. But this is the vital spiritualpreparation.IfGodcouldnothumbleJacobcompletely,thenJacobcouldneverhavepresentedthemeekandlowlyaspecthedidtohisbrotherEsau.IfhehadmetEsauwithhischinoutandhisknuckleswhite,hewouldhavebeenadeadmaninshortorder.Hehaditcoming,andallofhistorywouldhavesaid,‘I’monEsau’sside.”Esauhadwaitedyears togetevenwithJacob,andnobodycouldblamehimforthat.

Godknewit,Jacobknewit,Esauknewit.IdonotknowwhetherJacobtoldhiswivesabouthispast,but ifhedid, theywereon theirbrother-in-law’ssiderather than Jacob’s. Jacobwas in a jamhere; hewas greatly afraid and had arighttobe.

God’sprioritywas toprepareJacobspiritually ifhewasevergoing togetoutofthehandofEsau.SoGodforcedJacobtogetready.

All of your tomorrows will be of your own making. Not all of yourtomorrowswillbeyouryesterdaysprojectedforward,buttherewillbesomeofyouryesterdaysinyourtomorrows.Youmaybesureofthat;andwhenyoumeetyourtomorrows,whatevertheymaybe,youhavetobeprepared.ItisherethatGoduniquelypreparesthemanHeisabouttouse.

Many people believe that preparation is in the areas of education andeconomics.Jacobhadboth,andyethewashighlyunpreparedforwhatGodhadinstoreforhim.Secularpreparationdoesnotprepareforthespirituallydynamicministryentrustedtoaprophet.

Spiritual preparation has nothing to dowith time. Spiritual preparation isalways in the hands of God. Our responsibility is obedience.Moses spent 40yearsinthedesertbeforeGodgavehimhisassignment;andPaulspenthisshareoftimeinthedesertbeforeGodcouldusehim.

HeHadtoLeavetheBattleOutcometoGodThethirdaspectofconsiderationinGod’spreparationofHisprophetisthatthe

outcomewas decided before the event.No battle is everwon on the day it isfought.

Sun-tzu (544 B.C.), in his book The Art ofWar, made a very wonderfulobservation: “Every battle is won long before it is ever fought.” All militarystrategistshaveusedthisadvicetoprepareforthebattlestheyengagein.Historyshowsthatnobattleiseverwonthedayitisfought,andnobattleiseverlostthedayitisfought.

KingSauldiedonGilboa,buthelostatEndorwhenheconsultedthewitchtocallupSamuel,whotoldhimhewouldbedeadbeforemorning.

What you do today has great bearing upon tomorrow.Tomorrow’s battlesarewonoralsolosttoday.

HeHadtoGettotheRootoftheProblemAnotherimportantaspectofaprophet’spreparationisalsoseeninJacob.Togetout of Esau’s hands, Jacob had to learn that all life, at its root, is spiritual.Therefore,allproblemsaresolvedonlybyaspiritualsolution.Thisisadifficultlessonforustolearn.

We have been taught otherwise. We are given solutions that arepsychological, educational, intellectual and even economical. These solutionsonlydealwithsurfaceissues.Youcandealwithaman’sfinancialproblemsandyetatthecoreofthatmanisaproblemthatfinanceswillnevertouch.

InorderforJacobtogetoutofEsau’shands,hecouldnotstanduptohimnosetonose.Esauwouldhavewhippedhiminnothingflat.Jacobwasnomatch,physically,forEsau.Esauhadeverythingonhisside.

Jacobhad to learn that at thecoreofhisproblemwasa spiritualproblemthatcouldonlyberemediedbyaspiritualsolution.JacobwrestledallnightwithGodbeforehe submitted to this truth.Godhad toconquer Jacobbefore JacobcouldeverconquerEsau.ThisisalwaysGod’sway.

Thesolutiontoallofourproblemsisspiritual.Allrealdangersarespiritualdangers, and there is not any other kind. Jesus warned, “And fear not themwhichkillthebody,butarenotabletokillthesoul:butratherfearhimwhichisable to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Jesus said that ourproblemisaspiritualdanger,notaphysicaldanger,andourvisibleenemiesarerarelyourrealenemies.Themanwhocomesatyouwithagunisnotyourrealenemy,thoughhis intentionmaybetokillyou.Yourrealenemyis thatwithinyouwhichmakesyouvulnerabletohim.

EsauwasJacob’senemybecauseofwhatJacobhaddonetohim,butEsauwas not Jacob’s real enemy. Jacob was Jacob’s enemy. The crookedness inJacob’sheartwasagainstJacob,andwhenGodstraightenedthatout,Esauwasnothisenemyanymore.

Thesourceofourrealdangerisspiritual,andifwewillgetourinwardlifefixedup,ouroutwardenemieswillbehelpless.

WhenthedevilcamearoundtoJesus,Jesussaidofhim,“Fortheprinceofthisworldcometh,andhathnothinginme”(John14:30).Thedevilcanonlygetin you if he has something in there that belongs to him. If he does not haveanything in there that belongs to him, he can only go around the outside andgrowl. He cannot get in. All problems have their spiritual solution. As webecomeadjustedtothewillofGod,wewin;butifwearenotadjustedtothewillofGod,welose.Itisassimpleasthat.

HeHadtoLetGodConquerHimAnotherlessonfromJacob’slifeinthewayGodpreparesamanforministryisthatifGodconquersaman,heisunconquerable.

Jacobwasasorryfigureinthoseearlyyears;hewasscheming,calculating,bargaining, lying, fleeing, deceiving, cheating and being cheated, and the listgoesonandon.ThenGodcamealong,broke the strengthof JacobandmadehimintoIsraelbecausehehadprevailed.WhenGodconqueredJacob,helivedanddiedaprinceinIsrael.

Godconquersourfoesbyconqueringus.Thisisthehardestpreparationforustotake.ButrememberthatGodalwaysconquersyourenemybyconqueringyou.Godneverfightsonthesideofthemanwhoholdshisfistclenched.Ifyouaregoingout there toknocktheblockoff thatfellow,Godwillsimplyletyouknockitoff.Ifyoucannot,theprobabilityorevenpossibilityisthatyourblockwillsufferintheprocess.Godisnotfightingonthesideofthemanwhoisouttoknockanotherman’sblockoff.

If you come to yourself and allow God to do His work in your life, Hebrings you to the point of being conquered and, therefore, nobody else canconqueryou.

Wedonotlikeitthisway.WelikeGodtocometooursideandwepray,“OGod,comeandmakemevictorious.”God,however,doesnotanswerthisprayer,nordoesHeworkthisway.Godwillcomeandconqueryouandthentheenemyhasnopoweroveryou.

Manyyears ago,GodgavemeExodus23 in a specialway. I think it hasalmost becomemy life chapter.When He gave me that, He told me that Hewouldmakemyenemiesturntheirbacksonme.IhavebelievedfromthathouruntilthisthattheonlypartofmyenemythatIhaveanyrighttoseizeisthebackofhisneck.MyenemycannotbothermeaslongasIkeepmyselfunderthehandofGod.WhenIrenderupmysword,thenIamvictorious.AslongasIholdit,Ilose.ThatiswhenIamfightinginmyownstrength.Firecannotburntwiceoverthe same place, and neither can a conquest ofGod burn twice over the sameplace.HemovesinonyoursoulandhumblesyoubeneathHim.Afterthat,Hewillensurethatnobodyelsecandoit.

HeHadtoBecomeHumbleJacob’s storyalso illustrates the final stageof training. Jacob learnedwhenhegot out of the hand of Esau that humilitywinswhere force can neverwin. IfJacob had taken aweapon, hewould have had to rely upon that weapon.HewouldhavefacedEsauonEsau’stermsandwouldhavelostthebattle.Humilityalwayswinswhereforcecannotwin.

JacobwonbysurrenderingfirsttoGodandthentoEsau.Jacobappearsverywellinhumbledress.Heappearsbetterinhumbledressthanhedidinthebolddressofhisformerdays.Donotthinkthatitisasignofweaknesstobehumble;it isasignofstrength. It isasignofweaknesswhenwebecomearrogantandproud.Itisnotdegradingatallforustotakethelowlyplace.

AmancametoaWelshpreacherandconfessedthathewashavingtroubleathome.TheWelshpreachersummeditupprettywellandadvisedthisman,“Idon’tknowyourhomeandIdon’tknowyouandIdon’tknowyourwife.Ionlyknowonesideofyourstory,butIdoknowonething.Whenthereistroubleinthehome,almostalwayshumilitywilltakecareofit.”

Ifonesideortheotherwillhumblehimself,itwilltakecareoftheproblem.Itissomewhathardtoholdafightallbyyourself;soifonlyonesideisfighting,thefightwilldieoutforwantoffuel.

Whenwearecompelled tocrossourJabbok,someof thosecrossingswillbeofourownmaking,andwemightaswelladmit it. Ihavegoneovera fewtimesandfaceduptosomefellowsthatIdidnotliketofaceuptobuthadto.We all have to do this. And some of those crossings will not be of our ownmaking,butwewillbecarryingthecrossforChrist.Thefrighteningpartaboutitallisthatourlovedonesareindangeralongwithus.Thebestprotectionyour

family can have is a humble father. God will not allow anyone to destroy ahumble house. He will not permit an enemy to come in and destroy a housewheretheheadofthefamilyishumblebeforeGod.Godputsanumbrellaoversuchahome.

IdonotsaythatGodmightnotallowsicknesstooccur.IdonotsaythatHemightnotinHissovereignwisdomtakesomeofthemhome.Idosaytherewillbeno injurydone.There isadifferencebetweenbeinghurtandbeing injured.There is adifferencebetweenhaving realharmdone toyouandmerelybeingbruised a bit. In the good will of God, He lets His children get bruised, butnothingfinallycanhurtthem.Youcannothurtagoodman.

Ifwegodown incomplete surrender,we takea shortcut tovictory. Ifwestand up and fight for ourselves,we take a shortcut to defeat.OurGod lovesdoingsuchthingsonourpart.Helovesitwhenwehumbleourselves.

WegetoutofthehandofEsaubylearningthatspiritualpreparationisvital,andtheoutcomeisnotdecidedthedaythebattlesarefought,butbackthroughthe years in our spiritual relationshipwithGod. In addition, aGod-conqueredman cannot be conquered by anything else, and humility wins where forcecannotpossiblywin.GodtakeseriouslythemanwhotakesGodseriously.

Eternal God, take us over our Jabbok and lead us to victory byconqueringus.MayourvictorybeYourvictory.Amen.

GETTINGTHEPROPHET’SATTENTION

AndwhenAbramwasninetyyearsoldandnine,theLORDappearedtoAbram,andsaiduntohim,IamtheAlmightyGod;

walkbeforeme,andbethouperfect.

GENESIS17:1

Ihesitatetotalkaboutthis,forIfeelunworthy,becausehereisfoundthebeatingheartoflivingreligion.AbramhadnoBible,nochurch,noreligiousconviction,noBible teacher, no evangelist, no hymnal, noBible school.He only had hisempty,hungryheartandGod.Hereweseetheancientfountainofworship.Thisgoes back to the roots of true religion from which have sprung alldenominations, all churches, all formsofworship, all those thingswe take forgranted—organsandpianosandseersandpreachers.Abramhadnoneofthosethings.

AbramwasamanwhometGod.FatherAbrahamstandsforeveryman,andheisthefatherofallthosewho

believe.Hehadnoreligiousproblems;orifhedid,hetookthemstraighttoGod.He talked to God. (How many people are in hell today because they fooledthemselvesintothinkingtheyhadareligiousproblemwhenitwasasinproblem,and theyhadnodesire to be rid of it.)AbrammetGod in a living encounter.Notice that God stepped over the threshold into Abram’s experience, into hiscognitiveexperience.GodmetAbramfacetoface.

WitheverymanofGod,especiallytheprophet,itallbeginsbyconsciouslybeingawareofGod.Thisisthestartingpoint.ItbeginswithadivineencounterwhereGodstepsacrossthethresholdintoourexperience.

That’swhat happened toAbram.The living, vibrant, audibleWord of the

LordcametoAbram.

DivineEncounterIfirmlybelieveinspiritualexperiences.ThisgoesallthewaybacktotheearlyChristian church, to the apostles and even to our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.TheseallhadexperienceswithGodthatconfirmedtheWordofGod.

The troublewithus today is thatwebelievewithout confirmation.Wedonot haveGod’sWord confirmed in our hearts. God does not need to confirmanything in Himself, because God, being true, cannot lie; but we needconfirmation in ourselves. If we do not get it, we are very poor, anemic,disappointed and dissatisfied Christians. By definition, this confirmationexperiencestartswithconsciousawareness.Tobeawareofsomething. . . thatcannotbebrokendownanyfurther.Youareawareofsomethingand thenyoubecomeconsciouslyawareofit.

Looking at Abram, the question that comes to mind is, what was heconsciously aware of? We have here the fact of a conscious awareness ofsomethingbysomebody,andIpositivelydefyanytheologianorpreacherintheworld to take that away from the church of Christ. You have a right to beconsciouslyawareofmeetingGod.Youhavearighttothatconfirmation—thatinwardknowledge,thatwitnesswithinyouofGod.Thisismuchmorethanmypersonalopinion.Thechurchfathersbelievedthisdownthroughtheyears.

WhenGodsteppedoverthethresholdofAbram’sconsciousexperience,thiswasthedivineinvasionintoAbram’slifeexperience.WhenamanmeetsGod,thereisanawarenessthatliftshishearttotheelementsofrapture.

NoticehowthisencounteraffectedAbram.

FacedownontheGroundAbramfellonhisfaceandGodtalkedwithhim.IdonotthinkyouwillfindintheBibleabetterpictureoftherightplaceforAbramandtherightplaceformanandtherightplaceforGodthanthisone:GodonHisthronespeaking,Abramonhisfacelistening.Thatisalwaystheideal:Goddoingthetalkingandmandoingthelistening.

Ichargethatinthemodernevangelicalchurchwearenotconsciouslyaware

of a Presence.We are not consciously aware of God.We do not hear God’svoice;wehearonlyarecordingofHisvoice.WedonotseeGod’sface;weseeonlyapaintingofHisface.WehearnotthesoundofHisvoice;wehearbutanechoofthatsound.WearealwaysonceremovedfromGod.

WhenwestoplookingatapictureofGodandbeginlookingatGod;whenwe stop hearing the echo and hearGod’s voice itself;when instead of havingGodinhistorywehaveHiminexperience,wewillbegintoknowwhatAbramknewwhenhefellonhisfacebeforeGod.

Today the church is satisfied with the God of history, with the Christ ofhistory.WehaveGodinhistoryandChristinhistory,butwedonothaveGodinlivingpersonalexperience.ThisiswhywearesodissatisfiedandsoemptyandhavesolittlevibrantjoyinthethingsofGod.

The man Abram lay facedown in the conscious presence of that awful,overwhelmingmysterythatsomeonecalledthemysteriumtremendum.Hefelltohis face before this awful One who was present and pressing in on him andrising above him and defeating him and taking away his self-confidence andoverwhelminghim.Yet,thePresencewasalsoinvitinghimandcallinghimandpleadingwithhim,promisinghimanddrawinghimneartoGod.ThisisGodmybeloved.

Inourday,wehavereducedGodtowherewecangetholdofHim,manageHimandpushHimaround.InrealitythegreatGodandFatherofourLordJesusChristrisesaboveourconsciousnessandaboveourabilitytolayholdandrisesbeyondallofourquestionsintoHisinfinitude—themightygreatGod.

ThisistheGodwhoapproachedAbram.Ifweliveandbuyandsellandprosper,andweeatandsleepandmarryand

propagate,andgetoldanddie,andwenever,duringallthistime,meettheGodofAbraham—themysterium tremendum, the awfulMajesty that sits upon thethrone—what havewedone?Howarewebetter off than the sheepout in thepasturesifweneverseethis...ifheavenissilentandthenightunpopulated?

TaketheWorld,ButGiveMeJesusFannyCrosby(1820–1915)

Taketheworld,butgivemeJesus,Allitsjoysarebutaname;ButHisloveabidethever,Througheternalyearsthesame.

Refrain:

Oh,theheightanddepthofmercy!Oh,thelengthandbreadthoflove!Oh,thefullnessofredemption,Pledgeofendlesslifeabove!

Asforme,Ihavegrownrathersickofthisworldandallofthepleasuresitoffers.Theyare temporaryandusuallygoawayasquicklyas theycome.Theworldtriestomisdirectmefrommyultimatedestination,whichisinheaven.Wefindourselvesrunninghereandthere,gettingthetoysandcomfortsofthisworldonly to find them unsatisfying to the inner soul. I agree with the songwriter,“Taketheworld,butgivemeJesus,”forHeistheonlythingthattrulysatisfiesbothnowandeternally.

Jesusasked,“Forwhatisamanprofited,ifheshallgainthewholeworld,and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”(Matt.16:26).Thisquestionneedstobeaskedbyeveryoneandtheanswerwillrevealalotaboutthatperson.Whatareyouwillingtogiveinexchangeforyoursoul?

Abramgotholdofanidea,justonegoodidea.Itwassimplythis:OnlyGodmatters.

The divine purpose of God is to reveal Himself to man in consciousawareness.Abraham,theman,metGodinsuchamannerthatnothingelsereallymattered.OncehereveledinthepresenceofGod,nothingelsereallysatiatedhisheart.IthinkIcanhonestlysaythatAbrambecameobsessedwithGod.

Whatisdesperatelyneededinthechurchtodayaremenandwomenwhoareso obsessed with God that only God matters. I am tired of the toys and thejingle-bell-boysandalloftheentertainmentfromtheworldbeingsiphonedintothechurchtotrytoentertainthechurch.Ifwecanbeentertained,thenwehavenot truly experienced the conscious presence of God. We have not met themysteriumtremendumthatwillseparateusfromallotherappetitesandwillgiveussuchanobsessionforGodthatonlyGodmatters.

Everything has a design and a purpose, and yet it can be converted toanotherpurpose.Weseethistoooftentoday.Yourear,forexample,isbestwhenit isdoingthethingGoddesignedit todo:hear.Yourearscanalsobeusedtohangyourglasseson.That,however,isnotwhatGoddesignedthemtodo.

FacedownandListeningtotheDivineHereiswhatGodwassayingtoAbram:“Iamtryingtogetamessagethroughtoyou.Iamtryingtotellyousomething;andifyoulistentoMe,hereitis.Abram,youweremadeinMyimage;youweredesignedforonepurpose,andthatistobea retaineratmycourtandaworshiperatmy throne.Youare toglorifyMeand live in My presence and rest neither day nor night throughout eternity,crying,‘Holy,holy,holy,LordGodAlmighty,’andbehappybeyondthepowerofallmortalstounderstand.ThatiswhatIcreatedyoufor,Abram.Don’tforgetit.”IdonotthinkAbrameverdid.

Abramfinallymodeledthereasonthatwehavebeencreated.Wearefirstofalltobeworshipers—thatiswhatGodcreatedyoufor.Godputaharpinyoursoul,andHeistheonlyonewhocangetanymusicoutoftheharp.Godputthatharpthere,GodputthatimageofHimselftheresothatyoumighttakeittoHimandHemightuseitandplayonthatinstrumentandbringforthmusictofillalltheheavensabove.AbramhadtolearntoglorifyGod.Thatiswhatweneedtolearntoo.Nothingelsereallymatters.

OnlyGodmatters,atlast;andifyougeteverythingsettledwithGodandgetGod within the compass of your spiritual experience, He will untangleeverythingelse.

Allproblemsat theverycorearespiritual;andifyougetGod,everythingelsewillalignitself.Butitdoesnotmakemuchdifferencewhetherthingsalignornot, foryoudonothavea long time tostayaround.Awarenesswill lead todivine hearing. To believe in God and never hear God is what religion is allabout. It is not enough to have the passive belief that there must be a Godsomewhere.ItwasnotenoughforAbram,anditisnotenoughforustoday.GodwantstocreateadivineawarenessinussothatwecanseeandhearthevoiceofGod.

In order for that to happen, we must be detached from all outsideinterference. As it was in the case of Abram, and all the other prophetsthroughouttheScripture,soitwillbewithus.Godwillgotoanylengthtofreeusfromanyoutsideinterferences.Whateverittakestobringustothatpoint,asAbramwas brought,God iswilling to do because ofHis great desire for ourfellowship.

The Lord appeared unto Abram, and there Abram built an altar unto theLord.

SpiritofGod,DescenduponMyHeartGeorgeCroly(1780–1860)

TeachmetoloveTheeasThineangelslove,Oneholypassionfillingallmyframe;

ThekindlingoftheheavendescendedDove,Myheartanaltar,andThylovetheflame.

God had been there all the time. ButAbram had just become acquaintedwithHim,andthishasbeentrueforeveryworshiper.Allthegreatsouls,allthegreatsaintsfromthehighestborntothelowestborn,fromkingstopeasants,tellthe same thing. When they met the great God Almighty, something changedthem, somethingchanged insideof them,and thecomplexionandcolorof theuniversechangedforthem.

IAmHis,andHeIsMineGeorgeW.Robinson(1838–1877)

Heav’naboveissofterblue,Eartharoundissweetergreen!SomethinglivesineveryhueChristlesseyeshaveneverseen;Birdswithgladdersongso’erflow,flowerswithdeeperbeautiesshine,SinceIknow,asnowIknow,IamHis,andHeismine.SinceIknow,asnowIknow,IamHis,andHeismine.

Everything looksgoodwhenGod is inyourheart.Everything looksgoodwhenseenthroughtheglowofworshipandtheauraofdivineenjoyment.

ThatisthepicturewegetofAbraminGenesis17.WegetapictureofthatmysteriousPresence—thatfire,thatgreatdarkness,thatawesomethingwereadaboutthere.Herewasexperienceinmysteryandmajestyandaweandwonder.That feeling of personal nothingness came upon the man Abram before thatobjectwe callGod.Abramwas bewildered, confused, captivated, transported,ravishedandfascinated.Allthiscametotheheartoftheman.ThisiswhatmadeAbrambecomeAbraham.

AndAbrahamWorshipedWedonotbuildphysicalaltarstoday,butforusanaltarisasacredarea.Itistheplace where only God matters. It is the place where we are separated fromeverythingelse—allnoise,allchatter.Itisaplacewhereweareconsecratedforonepurpose,andthatistoworshipGod.

Only the separated man will hear with clarity the voice of God. Theseparationmustbefromallvoicesandnoiseswithout.AllothervoicesaretobeputasidesothatthevoiceofGodcanbeclearlyheardbythemanofGod.

InorderforGodtouseaman,hehastobeseparatedsothatGodcanspeaktohim in suchaway that themancanhearGod.Only themanwhocanhearGodcanspeakforGod.

Thereisadangertodayofnothearingclearly,tohearonlyapartialvoice,agarbled voice, and not get the message clear. This is the great peril we findourselvesintodayamongtheevangelicalchurch.

Thedangerliesintheareaofthinkingsomethingisrightwhenitisnot.Togothroughthemotionsdoesnotmakeitareality.TherealityonlycomeswhenGod is able to invade a person and step across the threshold of consciousawareness.The realitycomeswhen thewrittenWordbecomesaLivingWord,andweheardistinctlythevoiceofGod.

Thisisthedangerofhearingpartialtruth.Thisiswhatmakesheretics.Itisnot that they are not telling some aspect of the truth. I find that even amongevangelicalchurches there isonlypartial truthbeingexpounded.ThereasonisbecausesomeoneisonlyhearingthepartialvoiceofGod.Heishearingavoicefromadistance,anechothatcannotbeclearlydistinguished.Because,yousee,thepartyoudonothearcandestroy.

MajestyDivineFrederickW.Faber(1814–1863)

OBlessedTrinity!Inthedeepdarknessofprayer’sstillestnightWeworshipTheeblindedwith

light.HolyTrinity!BlessedEqualThree,OneGod,wepraiseThee.OBlessedTrinity!

Oh,wouldthatwecoulddieofloveforThee,IncomparableTrinity!HolyTrinity!BlessedEqualThree,OneGod,wepraiseThee.

Ourfathershadthisflame.Butwhereisthatlivingflamethathasshonesobrightlyinthedaysofold?Wedonothaveitbecausewehavenotexperiencedit.Wehavecomeinbysaying,“IacceptChrist.”Wesignedthecard;wejoinedsomething,butwehavenotreallymetGod.

O living God, break through the hard shell of our personality andinvadeus so thatwemight becomeconsciouslyawareofThyblessedpresence.ThisIpray,inJesus’name.Amen.

THESECRETOFTHEPROPHET’SSUCCESS

AndthewomansaidtoElijah,NowbythisIknowthatthouartamanofGod,andthatthewordoftheLORDinthymouthistruth.

1KINGS17:24

IdonothesitatetocallElijahasaint.Althoughhewasaman,oflikepassion,hewasstillamanafterGod’sheart.Thisman,thoughamongtheverygreatestoftheOldTestamentor,indeed,thegreatestofBibleheroes,wasamanwhohadalmostnothingtorecommendhim.

IfElijahweretoturnupsomeSundaymorning,weprobablywouldnotlethim in the church; or ifwe did,we certainlywould not let him in the pulpit.Although this man lacked so many desirable qualities and had so manyundesirable qualities, there was something about him that God honored andblessed.Themostwonderful thingofall is thatGodlethimstandasabeaconlight on top of a hill for all the ages that followed to get light andencouragement.

WhatwasthesecretofthismanElijah?Whatdidhehaveordidn’thave,orwhatpositionorattitudedidhetake?WhatwasitabouthimthatGodcoulduse?HowwasitthatElijahhadcouragetostandagainstthefalseprophets?

AfterStandinginGod’sPresenceThesecretofElijah’scouragewasthathehadbeenwithGodandstoodinHispresence.Hehaddiscoveredtheultimatereality.Veryfewpeoplecometothispointofultimatereality.TostandinGod’spresenceistoprepareamantostand

before anybody elsewithout fear.Herewas amanwho found something thatlasted.

Wemiss theultimate reality todaybecauseof sin; andyet,man is alwaysstrivingafterit.Whatisitthatstirsuppeopletodocrazythings?Itisthatwhichis of God within them fighting with that which is of sin within them, andconsequently, theydonotactnatural.ThegreathymnwriterPhilipDoddridgeput it thisway:“Nowrest,mylong-dividedheart, fixedonthisblissfulcenter,rest.”EdwardMoteunderscored thesewordswith thehymnlyrics,“IdarenottrustthesweetestframebutwhollyleanonJesus’name.”

When Elijah found the holy in the midst of the impure, he found theabsolute and ultimate reality. He found the infinite beyond the limited. Elijahfoundtheperfectinthemidstoftheimperfect.Healsofoundtheeternalwithinthetemporal.

Elijahfoundallofthis;andwhathehadfoundwasnotaphilosophy.Manyreligiouspeoplearejustreligiousphilosophers,andtheyarenotverygoodonesat that. They get wild and spend a lifetime promulgating their religiousphilosophy.Elijahdidnotfindareligiousphilosophy;ElijahfoundGod.Elijahdidnotfindareligionorkeyoflife.ElijahfoundGod,andthereisaworldofdifferencebetweenfindingthesethingsandfindingGod.

You can be baptized and take Communion, and you can yield to andformulate your life after all of theways of the church, and yet be empty andmiserable,becauseGodmadeusforHimself,andourheartsaredissatisfieduntilwe findour satisfaction inGod. It isGod thatweneed. It isGod thatwe lostwhenwesinned;itisGodthatwegetbackwhenwearesaved;anditisGodthatwemissandneed.ElijahfoundGod.

Elijahfound,ashisancestorAbramhadfound, thatonlyGodmatters.HesaidtothegreatKing,“IstandbeforeGod.”

In following Elijah’s life, we see that this man’s spiritual encounter wastested in the fireof living.There is agreatbreakdown inmodernChristianity.Wetakethingsatsecondhand,wehaveneverhadatrueencounterwithGodandwecannotrelateourreligiontoourlives.Somepeople’sreligiongoeseastwhiletheyaregoingwest.Theygoinonedirectionandtheirreligiongoesinanother,andthetwainshallnevermeet.

TestedintheFireofLiving

ThesecretoftheprophetisalsothesecretofvictoriousChristianlivingtoday.Ifwearegoingtohavethecouragetobreakthroughanddiscoverultimatereality,weneedtodiscoverGodinthemidstofourlife.

WhatdidyoudolastweekdifferentlythanyouwouldhavedoneifyouhadnotbeenaChristian?Howdoyoulivedifferentlyeveryday?

Wetalkaboutlove,buthowmuchdidyouspendonyourselfandhowmuchdidyougiveaway?Wetalkaboutsacrifice,butdidyousacrificeridinginabigcar, sleeping on a beauty rest mattress and eating three times a day? Anysacrifice? What are we doing that we would not be doing if we were notChristians? What is the difference? I would like to know that there is adifference.

IsJesusChristsimplytheboutonniereonthehumanlapel—somethingnice,somethingpretty?IsChristianityjustadecoration,oristhererealitybackofit?

Elijahdiscoveredthereality.Hefoundit,andhisspirituallifewastestedinthefireofliving.Herelatedhisfaithtohisworks,hisbeliefstohislife.MuchofChristianityinourtimeissimplyalovelysymbol;thereisnolivingrealitybackofit.

AmanissupposedtobeaChristian,butpushhimenoughandhegoes topieces.ManyChristiansliveaChristianlife:theyarebornagain,carrytheBibletranslationdujour,attendBibleconferencesandareapartofthereligiouslifeoftheir day. But when the pressure is on, religion goes one way and they goanother.

BeliefTakesFleshElijahwasnotguiltyof that.ElijahhadseenGodandbeenwithGod,andhisreligiousnotionsdidnotvanishunderpressure.HestoodupbecausehehadbeenwithGod.“IamElijah; IstandbeforeGod.”Everythinghebelievedhadbeentestedinthefireexperience.

Elijahwasamanofcourage,anditbecameincarnatedinhim.IbelievethatGodwants to incarnate theWordagain inhumanlife.Weneed thatmore thanweneedanythingelse.WearetobecometheincarnatedWord,walkingaroundgivingfleshtothedoctrineswebelieve.Ifthiswouldhappen,wewouldhaveonourhandssuchasurgeofChristianworkandtestimonyneverknownbeforeinthisgeneration.

God gave us Elijah thatwemight see amanwhowas the incarnation of

whathebelieved.Youcouldnotseparatehimfromwhathebelieved.It iseasy toseparatesomepeoplefromtheir religion.Amancomeshome

Sundaynight,takeshisreligionoff,hangsitintheclosetanddoesnotputitonuntilthenextSundaymorning.YoucouldnotseparateElijahfromhisreligion.Youcouldseehiminanydirectionandyouwerealwaysrunningintohisfaith,becausethemanwasamanoffaithallthewaythrough.

Inmyopinion,thereasonsomepreachersdonotgetanywhereisthattheyareneverwillingtoenlargetheareaoftheirvulnerability.Theyalwaysattempttokeepthemselvesprotected;butevenamudturtlecannotgetanywhereuntilhestickshisneckout.Aslongasheholdshisneckin,hejustliesthereandlooksdumb.Butassoonashestickshisneckout,thencomethelegsandthetail,andhegetsgoing.

Elijahwas amanwhowas not afraid to stick his neck out. Iwould havelovedtomeetElijah,andIhopetosomeday.Hewillnotbeasroughthere,Iamsure.Hewillnothave thosegarments.Hewillhavedifferentgarmentson.Hewillbemoreapproachablethanhewasinthatday.

In lookingat all of theseprophets, especiallyElijah,wecan see that theywerenotoriouslyhardtolivewith.HerewasamanwholethisfaithinGodcosthim something.He did not go to church once aweek and give an occasionaldonation.Hiswasadeepandseriousdescentfromthepopularworldofhisday—theworldof Jezebel andAhab, andBaal, and the restof them.His religionwasadeep, radical, grave, treasonabledescent; itwas treasonable,becausehestoodagainstaking,albeitawickedking.HereceivedacommissionfromGodtostandagainsttheworld,andhestoodalone.“Ionly,Ionly.”

Elijah’s religious notions did not vanish under pressure. This is thelonelinessofservingGod.The restof theprophets, some7,000of them,weresilent,andnobodyknewtheywerethere.Thatwastheterriblepartofit.

WherelaythepowerofthisgreatmanofGod?HehadbeenwithGodandstood in His presence; his faith was tested in the fire of living; he had thecouragetostandagainstreligiouscorruption.ThatiswhatmadeElijahgreat,anditcostthismanpainfuldiscipline.

Todaywe have fixed upChristianity so thatwe go around telling peoplehow easy it is.We gather people together and say, “You’ve got it all wrong.Jesusisnotgoingtolayanyburdensonyou.Heisgoingtotakethemoff.Heisnot going to let you get into trouble; He is going to pull you out of trouble.Serving theLord is the easiest, smoothest, slickest thing in all theworld.You

can have a wonderful time and just be happy, happy, happy, and then go toheaven.”ManypeoplebelieveinthiscontortedpositionofbeingaChristian.

ANecessaryHumiliationIfwehadthecourageofElijah,wewouldtell them,“IfyouwillfollowJesus,youwillhaveHisenemies; ifyou followJesus,youwillhaveHis troubles; ifyoufollowJesus,youwillhaveHisrejection;ifyoufollowJesus,theywillthinkthesameofyouastheydidofHim,andwhattheythoughtofHimcanbeseenonahilloutsideJerusalem.TheytookHimoutandnailedHimonthecross.”

Elijahknewallofthis.ElijahknewGod,anditcosthimdearly.Hehadtoacceptpersonalhumiliation.

Remember,duringthetimeofthedroughtElijahhadtogodownbyalittlestreamwherethebirdsbroughthimfoodinthemorningandhedrankoutofthestream.Whatahumiliatingthingthatwasforamanwhohadbeenhisownbossall his life and had come from a great rough country from the highlands ofGilead.Nowhewas sittingbeside that stream,watching the ravensbringhimbread.

God’sprophecy,however,startedcomingtrue.Therewasnorain,andverysoontherewasnotevenastream.Atthatpoint,Elijahlookedlikeablunderandafailure,andIcanimaginethatthedevilcameandtormentedhim.

Whentherewasnostream,norains,andElijahwashungryandthirsty,theLordcametohimandsaid,“Elijah,get theeupandgointotheland;thetownZarephath and there a widow woman will feed thee” (see 1 Kings 17:8-9).Imagine thecompoundedhumiliation. Itwasbadenough tohavea raven feedyou,butnowhehadtohaveawidowwoman;andthewholethingwasgivenforthehumblingofthemanElijah.

There stands this man of God, Elijah, in history. He did not try to pushpeoplearound,buthedidstandforwhathestoodfor.Godsaid,“ThereIputhimupforyoutolookat.Lookathimandbeabetterwoman.Lookathimandbeabetterman.Lookathimandbeahumblerperson.LookathimandglorifyGod,forElijah’sGodstilllivestoday.”

The Lord heard the voice of Elijah.Why does it say the Lord heard thevoiceofElijah?ElijahwaswillingtohearthevoiceofGod.IfyouwantGodtohearyourvoice,firstyouaregoingtohavetohearGod’svoice.IfyouwillnothearGod’svoice,andyougetinajamandscreamtohighheaven,andwantGod

tohearyourvoice,God isnotgoing toputHimself inyourhands like that. IfyouaregoingtobeheardofGod,Godwillhavetobeheardofyou.GodheardElijahbecauseElijahheardGod.GoddidwhatElijahaskedbecauseElijahhaddonewhatGodasked.

Thesoulsof the righteousare in thehandsofGod,andnoevilcanbefallthem,andnotalltheworld’scharmcouldpullElijahaway.

ThisisthesecretofElijah’spower,andthisisthesecretforustodaytohavepowerovertheworldaroundus.

PuttingOnElijah’sMantleWhowill bid forElijah’smantle?Whowill bid forElijah’s power?WhowillapplyforthefaithofstandingbeforeGodasElijahdid?

Wecan ruleout thecoward;hecannothave that job.Wecan ruleout theself-lover, the sin-lover, the world-lover. They cannot have that job; only thefearlessneedapply.Only the faithfulneedapply;but throughJesusChristourLord, you can apply.All thiswas done under the shadow of the cross.Elijahlooked forward to the cross, andwe look backward to the cross; but it is thesamecross.ElijahlivedinthepowerofChristtocome,andweliveinthepowerofChristwhocame;butitisthesameChrist.

Themanwhowill hearGod is themanGodwill hear; themanwhowillallowhisspiritualexperiences tobe tested in thefireof livingis themanwhowilldareifneededtostandagainsttheworld.Godwillblessthatman.Godwillhold thatmancloseandwatchoverhimand lovehimandkeephimandblesshim—allbygrace throughmercy,butalsoby theconditionsofobedienceandfaith.

Arewesoftenedandweakenedandthemessagestatedtoaplacewherewedonotevenunderstandthesemen?AnythingGoddidforElijah,Hewilldoforyou by way of spiritual power, blessing, warmth, faithfulness, intimacy andgrace.

DearGodofElijahwho is theGodof today,maywe standboldly inThypresencesothatwecanstandagainstthewilesofthedevilandthewaysoftheworld.ThroughJesusChristourLord,amen.

THECHALLENGEOFTHEPROPHET

Andcallyeonthenameofyourgods,andIwillcallonthenameoftheLORD:andtheGodthatanswerethbyfire,lethimbeGod.

Andallthepeopleansweredandsaid,Itiswellspoken.

1KINGS18:24

TheonethingIhaveneverreallybeenabletofigureoutiswhythosewhohavea religion that is right do not believe it half the time; and those who have areligionthatisallmixedup,false,miserableanddegradingbelieveitfervently?

Elijahconfrontedsuchasituation.Israelhadthe truereligionbutbarelybelievedanyof it.Ontheotherside

wasthereligionoftheBaalites.WeseethisinAhabandJezebel.AhabwaskingofIsrael;notmuchofakingreally,buthefilledtheplacefor

thetimebeing.HewasaJewandwassupposedtobeaworshiperofJehovah,buthewasaJewinnameonly.Hiswife,Jezebel,wasaworshiperofBaal.Inthefamily,Jezebelruled.Shefanaticallybelievedherreligion.

YoucouldnotworshipBaalforverylongbeforeyouwereworsethanyouwerewhenyoustartedbecauseofthedegradingcharacteroftheworship.Ithadcruelandimmoralrituals.

Israelsufferedamoraldilemmahere.TheirroyalfamilywasAhabtheJewandhiswife,Jezebel,theBaalite.Ahabwascommitted,atleastnominally,totheworship of Jehovah, and Jezebel was committed positively to the worship ofBaal.ThisputIsraelinastateofdilemma.

Israelhadthedivinerevelation—theHolyScriptures—thatnobodyelsehad.Besides,theyhadexamplesofgoodmendownthroughtheyearsbutitdidnotseemenoughforthem.

I cannotwrite a lineofmusic, and I cannot singonpitch,but I have this

ability to enjoymusic until it hurts. I believe it is possible to appreciate goodpeople, even better people than we are. That is why I believe in reading theScriptures constantly, in order that I might fellowship with holy men andwomen. If I amnot that good, I can at least appreciate themas Iminglewiththem.ThereseepsintomyheartbyakindofspiritualosmosisalittlebitofwhattheyareandIamabettermanforhavinggonealongwiththem.

So, Israel knewwhat was right not only by the deep knowledge in theirhearts,butalsobytheinstructionfromtheScriptures,bytheexamplesofgoodmenandbythatinnervoicewhichistheHolySpirit.

Israelknewwhatwas right,knewwho toworship,knewhowtheyshouldlive, but it happened that the popular vote went the other way. All of IsraelworshipedthewayJezebelworshiped.ThepeopleweretooweakandcowardlytoobeyGod;theyfounditeasiertofollowthevogueoftheday.

TrueReligion,ortheReligionduJour?Everybody needs to decidewhether this religious business is ofGod,whetherGod is in this, whether the Bible is real, whether hell is hell and heaven isheaven,orwhetherwecansimplyfollowthevogueandbelikeeverybodyelse.Weneedtomakeupourmindsalongthisline.

Israelwasinthatstate.ThequestionbeforeIsraelwas,isitgoingtobeBaalorJehovah?ElijahchallengedIsrael,“Howlonghaltyebetweentwoopinions?IftheLordbeGod,followhim:butifBaal,thenfollowhim”(1Kings18:21).

Intheoriginal,itsays,“Howlongwillhopyoualongontwounequallegs?”OnThursday, theywereupon the long legwith Jehovah;butFriday theygotdownonthelowlegthatwasBaal,andonSaturdaytheygotuponthehighleg,whichwasJehovahagain.Theyweretryingtowalkinthemiddle,buttherewasonelegshorterthantheother.

ThiswastheBaalway.Afterall,thereligionofthedaywasthereligionofBaal.Areligionwillletyougetawaywithanythingifyoujusttalkaboutloveandtheunityofmankindandthebrotherhoodoftheworld.Ifyoujusttalkniceandsoundverypious,youcanjustaboutdoanything.Theskyisthelimit.Thereis no morality, no righteousness or godliness required. Just live any way,providedthatatlastyousay,“We’reallgoingtothesameplace;we’rejustgoingby different roads.” That sounds very spiritual, and that is the way Jezebeltalked.

Her argument was that Baal had something to be said in his favor. Ofcourse, therewere thesexorgiesand ritesof iniquity toworshiphim,but thatwasallright.Thatwasjusttheirwayoflookingatthings.

What didBaal offer?What does theworld offer, andwhat does the chiefshallowreligiousworldoffer?

Theyoffer thecustomaryfunandconformity.Conformandgoalongwiththecrowd.Jehovahcallsyoutothegood,hardwaywithitspresentcostanditseternalcompensations.

WhathasBaaltooffer?Whathastheworldtoofferwhenwesurrendertotheworld?

Theworldwould leadyou tobelieve it has a lot tooffer;buthowutterlyhelpless it is when disaster strikes. Only a Christian knows how to die.Everybodyhastodie,butonlyaChristiancandiewithdignity.OnlyaChristiancandiewithpeaceinhisheart.Theworldmakesyoubelieveithastheanswer,buttheworlddoesnothavetheanswer.Theworldisapaintedmask,andbehindthatpaintedmaskisfearuponthefacesofthemenandwomenwhomarchupanddown.Theyhavetohaveamusements,fun,liquor,dope,immoraldanceandall the rest in order to keep from crying out in fright like a child in the dark.Theycoverupthefactthattheyarescared,bymakingalotofracketandcallingitfun,andthentheypaypeopleforit.

Godcallsyoutobeasoldier,agood,hardsoldier.Inevercouldfigureoutwhyministersfeeltheyhavetopatandpawovereverybodytogetthemin,whytheyhavetodiluteandeditandmodifyandamendandtrimdownthegospel.Itdoesnotworkthisway.Atrimmed-downgospelneversavedasoul.Atrimmed-down,diluted,editedreligionisnotthereligionChristdiedtoestablish.Heavenisnotfilledwithweaklingswhohadtohavesomebodygoalongandhelpthemovertheroughspots.Itisfullofsoldiersandmartyrs,andthedreamersandtheprophets and the cleanmanwho loved hisGod and loved his generation andlivedanddiedlivingagoodlife—ahardlife.

Wehavetomakeupourminds.Arewegoingtogothewaytheworldgoes?Ofcourse,sinhasitspleasure.Butyouhavetobreakwiththat.Youhaveto

breakfromitandfollowJehovah.Theworsethecountryis,andtheworsethestateofsociety,theharderitistobreak,andthemoreitisgoingtocostyoutobreak.

Theworldhassomethingtooffer,allright.IfyoudonotwanttofollowtheLordJesusChrist,ifBaalbeGod,thenfollowhim.ButiftheLordJesusChrist

beGod, followHim.See to it that youmakeupyourmind.Donot be in themiddlebecauseyouareneitherhotnorcold.

WhattheWorldHastoOfferWhatdoestheworldreallyhavetooffer?Letmejustnameafew.

EntertainmentTheworldenticesuswithitsofferingoffun.Ifyouareabletoenjoyit,ifyouhavehealth,youcanhave fun. Ifyouare inaneconomicposition so thatyouhave time off, then you can have fun. One thing capitalism has done in thiscountry is enableus tohave timeoff for fun.The averagepersonworks for ashorttimesothathemighthavefunforawhile.Heiswillingtoworkhardataprice for the fun thathewillhave later.So theworldwillgiveyou fun ifyouwantit.

Butwhenitisallover,whatthen?IfJehovahshouldbeGod,ifthisistrue,andifJesusChristsays,“Takeup

yourcrossandfollowme,”and if there is tobea judgment,andGod is to tryeveryman’sheartaccordingtohisthoughtsandhisdeeds,thenwhataboutthatthingtheworldofferedyou?Youhadyourfun.Nowtakeyourmedicine.Everytimeyouareledastray,rememberthatthepersonwholedyouastrayleavesyouinthelurch.

MaterialGoodsTheworldalsooffersyoupossessions.Youcanpileuppossessions.HereintheWestern world, we are rich, and we have piled up possessions as high as amountain.

Did you ever stop to think that if you are not delivered from yourpossessions,theywillcurseyou?Ifyougetdeliveredfromthem,youcanhavethemandlosethemanditwillbeallright.

TemporarySuccessTheworldalsoofferspositionandfame.Mostofuswillnotmake itas farasfame isconcerned.Theonly timewegetmentioned in thenewspaper iswhen

weget into theobituary section.Theworldofferspositionand fame,which isaboutastemporaryasanythinggoingthesedays.

Successisalsosomethingtheworldoffers.Theworldisfullofsuccessfulpeople,andthereisalwaysroomforonemore.Asfarastheworldisconcerned,successhasadollarsigntoit.Themoremoneyyouhave, themoresuccessfulyouare.Ihavemetthosesuccessfulpeople,andveryrarelydoyoufindonewhoistrulyhappy.Theyareanxiousabouthangingontotheirsuccess.

Theworldcanofferyouposition,fame,fun,entertainmentandalltherest,butwhatcantheworlddoforyouatthelast?

WhatGodOffersHisFollowersYouwant forgivenessofsins,but there isnotaboxingarena in theworld thatcangiveittoyou.Notheaterintheworldcangiveittoyou.Notavernonthecontinent can give it to you. You want inward cleansing, but there is notanywhereintheworldwhereyoucangetit.

ForgivenessofSinTheworldhasitsfun,butitcannotcleanseyouontheinside.OnlythebloodoftheLordJesusChristcanprovidethatinwardcleansingthatwesodesire.

Theworldcannotofferapowertodirectyourlifeintherightway.Youwantsomeonewhocanguideyouandleadyouthrough.Baalcannotdoit.Theworldcannot do it. Baal can give you a big-time Saturday night, but come Sundaymorning,heleavesyouwithafrightfulhangover.

GuidanceThroughLifeThepoweroftruereligionisseeninthepowerithastodirectourway.

Thisisthedayofcounselors.Everybodyhastobecounseled;butIreadintheScripturesthatHisnameshallbecalledCounselor.Thereisonewhoknows,anditisnotBaal.

ElijahchallengedtheBaalprophets.Itwasthetruereligionchallengingthefalsereligion.Hestoodupagainstthatwheneverybodyelsehadfadedintothebackground. It was one man, Elijah, against the world of Baal. This is theresponsibilityoftheprophetofGod,tochallengethefalsereligion.God’smancannot back down. The sacred contest before Elijah demanded that he be

committedutterlytothetruereligionofJehovah.ElijahknewwhoGodwas,andwhenheprayed,Godanswered.TheBaal

prophets prayed all day and cut themselves, but nothing happened. Elijah,confidentinhisstandingwithGod,mockedthem,madefunofthem,whichonlyinfuriatedthemandcausedthemtoworkhardertogetBaal’sattention.

WhentheprophetsofBaalhadexhausted themselves, itwasElijah’s turn.WhenElijahprayedaprayerthatyoucouldreadinlessthan30seconds,thefirecamedown.GodconfirmedElijah’sfaithandwitnesstohisobedience.

ThatiswhatGodwantstodoforustoday.LetustakeupElijah’smantle,challenge all theBaal prophets of theworld anddemonstrate to theworld themightypowerofGod.

Oh, Christ, Emmanuel—God with us—the Word made flesh to dwellamongus,whohasrisenagainandwhoiswithusnow,makeusstrongtotakeupourcross,toturnourbacksuponBaalandallhestandsfor.HelpusinthishourtomakeupourmindsandletChristbeourGod.Amen.

WHEREISTHELORDGODOFELIJAH?

AndhetookthemantleofElijahthatfellfromhim,andsmotethewaters,andsaid,WhereistheLORDGodofElijah?andwhenhealsohadsmittenthewaters,theypartedhitherandthither:and

Elishawentover.

2KINGS2:14

Thechurchtodayisinastateofsenility.ItrulywishIdidnothavetotalklikethis.IwishIcouldtalkaboutsweetnessandlilacsandoldlace.Ineed,however,toputthetruthoftheWordofGodtothesituationathand.

AChurchinSenilityAllowmetopointoutsomeofthemarksofsenility.

InflexibleTheveryfirstsignofsenilityisstiffness.Thatabilitytostoopdownquicklyandscoopupsomethingthatfellonthefloorleavesyouwhenyouareaboutmiddleage;soyoudonotmoveasquicklyanymore.Youmoveinstraightlinesbecauseyounolongerhavethelimbernessyouusedtohave.Stiffnessalsogetsintoourthinking.We think in straight lines, and it is very hard to get us to think ofanythingnew.

Anewchurchcanthinkofnewthings,butachurchthathasbeenaroundalongwhilehas adifficult timedoinganything thatwasnotdonebefore.Theycontinue todosomethingexpensiveanduseless for25years.Nobodydares to

questionthat.Theyarestiff.Itisasignofoldage.

AllTalkandNoActionAnothersignofoldageisloquacity,whichisthetendencytotalkanawfullot.The older the church gets, the more she talks. Anything can be cured, anyproblemsolved,ifyoujusttalklongenough.Ifanythinggoeswrong,meetandhaveatalkfest;andwhenitisallover,everybodygoeshome,nothinghasbeenhelped,buttherehavebeenmanywordsthrownaround.

WeaknessandLackofMovementWeakness is anothermark of senility.We becomeweakwhenwe grow old. Iremember when my 83-year-old grandmother was so weak that she walkedaroundslowlyandusedacane.Weaknessinthechurchisanindicationthatweliveintheoldageofthechurch.Wehaveahardtimegettingaround,andwhenwedo,ittakesusalotoftimewhileleaningonsomeartificialstrength.

Inactivityisanothermark.Wedoaslittleaswecanandmakeupforitbytalk.

FocusedonthePastTheworstofallsigns is retrospection.Thefirst fourweprobablycannothelp,butthelastonewecan.Manychurchesarehinderedbythepresenceofpeoplewhosawabetterdayonce,andtheycannotgetoverit.Theylookbackandsay,“Butyoushouldhaveheardso-and-so.”Nopreacherhasbeenabletodothemanygoodsince.

Retrospection means that you are always looking back. If the Lord hadwantedyoutolookback,Hewouldhaveputeyesinthebackofyourhead.ThechurchofChristisnowinthatretrospectivestage.Wegazebackatwhatwecallthe golden age, where giants walked in the earth, and we seem like midgetscomparedwith some of those Bible heroes. There is such a contrast betweenthemandus thatweare led toquestionwhetherwe’re reallyChristiansat all.They sawGod, andwe seem to see only the reflection or the picture ofGod.Theydrankofthepurewaterthatflowedfromthehillsofheaven,andwedrinkstalebottledwater.Theyheardmusic,andwehearonlytheechoofit.However,wecannotgoback.

Letnobodysay,“Iwishwecouldgobackto...”Ifyoudothat,youshackle

yourself and put a 100-pound ball and chain on your leg. I have never beenguiltyofthinkingthatIwantedtogoback.IwouldnotgobackfiveminutesifIcanhelp it. Idonotbelieve that itwoulddomeanygoodtogoback.WhenIread the sweet storyofoldwhen Jesuswashere amongmen, I think I shouldhavelikedtobewithHimthen.Butthenagain,Iwouldnotgobackthereforalltheworld.Iwouldrather livenowthanto live in thehourwhenJesusputHishandsontheheadsofbabies.

EvenifIcould,IwouldnotwanttogobacktothedaysofJohnWesleyorCharlesFinneyorD.L.Moody.Thisisourday,ifweknowwhattodowithit.WehavetobetaughtbytheunbelievingphilosopherslikethegreatRalphWaldoEmerson,who said, “This, like all times, is a very good one, ifwe but knowwhat to do with it.” He seemed to knowwhat we Christians do not seem torecognize.Wesniffleover ayesterday, andoften thoseyesterdayswerenot asgreat as theymight have been.We just hear about the best times.You read abookandyou read thebest things thathappened in thosedays.Rarelydoyoureadanythingabouttheworstthingsthathappened.

TheChurchatHerJordanWestandtodayinanewageandyoucannotrecallanygloriesthatmighthavebeenbyanyartificialmeans.YoucannotbycallingyourchurchaBiblenamebring back the Bible glory. It was an interior glow, andGod never looked atclothes anyhow. You can have the interior power; anything God ever did foranybody,Godwilldoforanybodyelse.AnyblessingthatGodgavetoElijahorAbraham,Godwillgivetousrightnow.

We stand at our Jordan, as Elisha stood at his. Our Jordan is a differentJordan, and each generation has its own Jordan. The Jordan that is there isturbulent and swift, determined andmuddy, and it does not want to part; butElishapartedit.

WehaveourownJordantocross.Ithinkweoughttobemovingforward,andthereoughttoberevivalburstingouthereandthere.Ithinkthereoughttobemorepeopleatprayermeeting;I thinkthereoughttobelessworldlinessinthechurch;Ithinkthereoughttobemoredevotionandworship—moreofGodandmorefire.

There shines the glory for the church today. There is a Jordan rollingbetweenus,andweneedtosay,“WhereistheLordGodofElijah?”

Elisha was there at the Jordan, and in his thinking, if he could only getElijah,hecouldrollbacktheriverandgoacross.WhatElishadidnotknowwasthatElijah’sGodwasthere,andhedidnotneedElijah.Likewise,Elijahisofnousetoustoday.

GodDoestheMiraclesThe question we need to ask is not, where is the Lord God of Elijah? Thequestionwereallyneedtoaskis,whoistheLordGodofElijah?

IfyoudonotknowwhoGodisandwhatGodislike,yourfaithwillnevermountup.

ThisGodofElijah isaGodwhomanifestsHimself.Noticehere thatGodmanifested Himself to Elijah and to the people under Elijah’s direction. TheLordGodwas tapping on thewindow all the time, trying to get through andtrying to manifest Himself. He manifested Himself in fire, but He alsomanifested himself in the still, small voice of our conscience. He manifestedHimself in providence and in prayer. God is ready tomanifest Himself to usrightwhereweare.

ReligionsearchesaroundforGodas ifHewerelost. Inall theirsearchingtheyneverreallyfindGod.TherearesomanytheologicalrabbittrailsthatneverleadtothemanifestpresenceofGod.

“Manifest”meanstoshowHimself.HeisreadytotaketheveilawayfromHimselfandshinethroughuponHischurch.TheGodofElijahistheGodwhomanifestsHimself.

He is the God who works the miracles. Personally, I am not a miracle-monger,andIdonotbelieveweeveroughttoannounce,“We’regoingtohaveamiracletonight.”Godworksmiracles,butwecannottellGodwhattodo.GodwillworkmiracleswhenHeneedsto.

Amiracleisaneventdivinelycaused,aneventinnaturethatdoesnothavenatural causes. An event, while not contrary to nature, rises above naturebecausethesourceisinGod.

If Christianity is ever to survive, God had better work miracles. EveryadvancementofGodineverycountrysincetheearlychurchhasbeenamiracle.Reading those stories one cannot help but see God opening doors that couldneverbeopenedbyanynaturalmeans.

ThewholelifeofElijahwasamiracle,fromtheravensfeedinghimatthe

brookuntilitdrieduptothewidowwomanfeedinghimandtakingcareofhim,allthewayuptohisencounterwithfalseprophets.Almosteverystepofthewaywasamiracle.

GodwaswithElijah.GodtheFatherAlmightymanifestsHimselftoHispeopleeitherinwardlyor

bymiracles andwhirlwinds. Either oneway or another is necessary,which iswhyGoddoesit.

TheMantoWhomGodShowsHimselfThisiswhotheLordGodofElijahis.Thenextquestionis,whereis theLordGodofElijah?

Letme say thatHe is very near.He is here nowwaiting for us to fulfillcertain conditions. Just as Elijah met those conditions and God manifestedHimselftohim,sotooGodiswaitingonus.

LetmesaythatGodishereasHewasthenandHewastherethenandthatthereisnothingtopreventusfromseeingGoddoanythingnowthatHedidthen.TheLordGodofElijahisherewaitingforsomebodyasfearlessasElijahwas.

FearlessElijahwasafearlessmanofgreatcourage.ThereisdangertodaythatrequiresalotofcouragetohavethatMountCarmelexperience.Ittakesalotofcouragetostand out.Wheneverwe try to get alongwith each other, we never have anytroubleandwenevergetintotrouble.Italwaysweakensus.

WhenElijahwas standingagainst the falseprophets,we findhundredsofprophets of God hiding in a cave. Only one man stood up against the falsereligion,andthatwasElijah.Ifallofthoseprophetshidinginthecaveshadthespirit of Elijah, they would have shaken Israel to its foundation. They wouldhave frightened Jezebel back to Sidon where she belonged, and Ahab wouldhavecrawledinaholesomewhereandpulleditinafterhim.ThepowerofGodwouldhaveleapedoutonIsrael;buttheywerehiding.Ittakescouragetostandagainsttheenemy.

Godalwaysusedmenofcouragedownthroughtheyears.ItrequiresagreatdealofcouragetostandforGodinanhourlikethis—tobeasonofGodamongthesonsofmen;tobeacitizenofheavenamongthecitizensoftheworld;tobe

agoodmaninabadworldandhavefaithinaworldofunbelief;tobegoodinaworldthatlovestobebad.Ittakescourage,andGodiswaitingforustoriseupwithsomethingofthefearlessnessofElijah.

DedicatedGodisalsolookingforsomeonewiththeconsecrationofElijah.Thatseemstobetriteandcommonplacetoday.OurdedicationoughttobetoGod;andifGodwill findpeoplecompletelydedicated toHim,Hewillbeginworkingwondersthisgenerationneedstosee.

ObedientThentherewastheobedienceofElijah.HewentanddidaccordingtotheWordoftheLord;andeverytimeGodspoketohim,hewentanddidaccordingtotheWordoftheLord.Becauseofthis,GoddidaccordingtothewordofElijah,andthetwoworkedtogetherinharmony.Godsaid,“Elijah,dothis,”andherananddidit.Elijahsaid,“OhGod,dothis,”andGodmovedanddidit.GodandElijahworkedtogetherbecauseElijah listened to theWordof theLord,and theLordlistenedtothewordofElijah.

God is looking for obedient people. I mean positively obedient, notpassivelyobedient,butintentionalobedience.

A person can sit disobedient and lazy and sing every Sunday morning,“Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way.” That is passivitypersonified.GodcannothaveHisownwayunlessyougetupanddowhatHetellsyoutodo.GodhavingHiswayinyourlifemeansthatwhenGodsays,“Dothis,” you do it. The church of JesusChrist is cursedwith passive obedience,whichofcourseisdisobedience.

Whilewearelookingaboutfortherose-borderedway,Elijahtookthetoughwayoffaithandobedienceandthusputhimselfonthespot.ThewayinvolvesakindoffaiththatElijahhad,ahazardousfaith.

PrayerfulAlso,GodislookingforsomeoneasprayerfulasElijah.Elijahlivedforprayer,hecommandedinprayerandheclaimedthroughprayer.

Wedonotwantthegoodolddays;wewanttheGodofthegoodolddays.Weallhaveelectricityinourhomes—aquietpowerthatwillrunallofour

appliances. You cannot see it and you cannot hear it, but it is there, and youknowitistherebecausewhenyouarepluggedintoit,thereispower.

GodAlmighty iswith us. I do not hearHim, as I do not hear electricity.Nobody has ever seen Him, but He is here. How do we know He is here?Because if Imeet the conditions thatGod has set, I get the power. There areconditionsthatneedtobemet.TheLordGodofElijahisourGodtoday;HeistheGodandFatherofJesusChrist.HeisaGodwhoworksmiraclestoday,buttheremustbeconditionsmet:theconditionsarefaithandobedience.PlugthemintothemightysourceandyouwillhavethepowerthatElijahhad.

The Lord God of Elijah is waiting for a fearless people, a consecratedpeople,anobedientpeople,a faith-filledandprayerfulpeople.WhenHe findsthem,HebeginstodoforthemwhatHedidforothersindaysgoneby.

OGod of Elijah, we long for Thee to do among us what Thou didstamong those mighty prophets of old.May we so surrender ourselvestodaythatThoucanstdoinusandthroughuswhatonlyThoucanstdo.InthenameofJesus,Ipray.Amen.

THESOVEREIGNCALLOFGOD

Anditcametopass,whentheyweregoneover,thatElijahsaiduntoElisha,AskwhatIshalldoforthee,beforeIbetakenawayfromthee.AndElishasaid,Ipraythee,letadoubleportionofthy

spiritbeuponme.

2KINGS2:9

Men become prophets not at their ownwhim but by the sovereign calling ofGod.IfGoddoesnotcalltheman,hecannotcarryGod’smessage.AtourBiblecollege we had a dean of students who firmly believed this. When someonegraduatedfromcollege,herarelyhelpedthemfindaplaceofministry.Onedaysomeoneconfrontedhimwiththisandaskedwhyhewasnotmorehelpful.

“If,”thedeanexplained,“Godhascalledthatmantotheministry,Godwillopenupthedoorsofministry.If,ontheotherhand,mamacalledhersontotheministry,letmamafindhimaplaceofministry.”

Perhapsthemanwasalittlerigidinthisarea,buthecarriedarightpoint.IfGod has called someone to ministry, nothing can keep that person from thatministry. Our problem today is that ministry has simply become a vocationalchoice. This has brought untold misery to the church. Ministry is not avocationalchoice; it isasovereigncallofGoduponaman’s life.Nobodyhasanyrighttomakeajudgmentinthisarea.

Itisalwayswrongforustojudgevaluesbysize,butweconstantlyattempttodothat.IntheWesternworld,wehavethebiggestthingsandtherichestandthelargestandthelongestandthewidest.Wehavesizes,allright,butstillitiswrongtojudgevaluesbysize.

Amancanbackupfivetonsofcoaltoyourhouse,ifyoustillusecoal,andspend the day putting it in the coal bin. Yet, your wife wears on her fingersomethingfarmorevaluablethanallthecoalittooktwomenalldaytoputinto

yourcoalbin.Sizeandweightdonotmeanvalue.TakethenationofIsrael.Israel’simportancedidnotlieinwhatshewasasa

people.ItlayinwhatGodhadmadeherthroughHiscovenants.Godtakesthatwhichisnothingandmakesitsomething.Peoplewhoalwaysknowwheretheyaregoingarenot following theLord,becauseHecannotbepredictedquite soperfectlyasthat.Israel thoughttheyweresomething;butapartfromGod,theywerenothing.

Foryears,ElijahhadbeentheprophettoIsrael.Althoughhewasnotmuchinhimself, he held themost important position in his relationship toGod andIsrael.

Elijahisabouttofinishhiswork.WhenGodcallsaprophethome,ortoanykindofwork,HecallshiminHisway.Itisourbusinesstosaygoodbyetothepastandfacethefuture,knowingthatwehavebeenpromoted.

GodIdentifiestheReplacementGodnever takes away anElijahwithout raisingup anElisha to fill his shoes.TheworkofGodwillneverstop;youcanbesureofthat.God’sservantsgototheireternalreward,buttheworkofGodcontinues.Godwasgoingtocontinueto bless Israel, evenwhenElijahwas gone. The Lordwould raise up anotherman,bythenameofElisha,tocarryonthatwork.

Letmepoint out that someofGod’spresent leaders are in theprocessofgoing.Somearewithin the last fewyears,and the temptation is tosay,“If theLord takesawayHisgiants,whatarewegoing todo?”Godnever takesawayanyElijahwithoutraisingupanElishatofillhisshoes.HenevertakesawayaMoseswithoutthenraisingupaJoshua.HenevertakesawayaSt.PaulwithoutraisingupaSt.Augustine,orsomeoneelse,totakehisplace.

WhenElijahwasabouttogo,Godwaslayinghishandonsomebodyelse.God is puttingHis hand on somebody right nowwho is going to occupy theplace of someoneyou lookup to and think is so great—thatmightypreacher,thatmightymanofGod.Oneofthesedays,Godisgoingtotakethebreathoutofhisnostrilsandhewillbealumpofclay.Thatisallheeverwasinthefirstplace.Allthatheis,thegoodGodgavehim.WhenwelookatallthesemightymenGodisgoingtotakehome,weknowHeislookingaroundforotherstotaketheirplaces.Thepeoplewhoaretakingtheirplacesmaynotlookthatimportanttousbycomparison.

GodMakesNothingintoSomethingSo,whoistheLordlookingfor?SomemightygiantwhocouldwalkouttherelikeHercules?No.WhenGodbestowshonor,He seldom turns to themighty.VeryrarelydoesGodturntothemightywhenHewantstobestowhonor.

TheapostlePaulpointedthisoutwhenhewrote,“ButGodhathchosenthefoolishthingsoftheworldtoconfoundthewise;andGodhathchosentheweakthingsoftheworldtoconfoundthethingswhicharemighty;andbasethingsofthe world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and thingswhicharenot,tobringtonoughtthingsthatare:thatnofleshshouldgloryinhispresence”(1Cor.1:27-29).

Goddoesnotchoosetheobvious,buttheonethroughwhomHewillgetthemostglory.TheScriptures,aswellaschurchhistory,arefullofthissortofthing.

Gideonwashidingaway, threshinga littlebitofgrain inacave,afraidoftheMidianites,whenGodcame tohimandsaid,“Thoumightymanofvalor”(Judg.6:12).Surely,GodmusthavesmiledwhenHesaidthosewordstoamanhidingawayfromtheMidianites.Gideondidnotbelieveit,ofcourse.Hewouldknowamightymanofvalorwhenhesawone;andyetwhenGodcallsyou,youarethat.ItispartoffaithnottoarguewithGodwhenHecallsyououtlikeHedidGideon.

Then there was David, the least likely of all his brothers. The prophetSamueltriedtoanointeveryotherbrother,buttheHolySpiritsaid,“That’snotmyman.”

Finally, when they all stood around shrugging their shoulders and sayingtherehasbeenamistakesomewhere,somebodyrememberedtheyoungestson,David. No possibility that it could be David; but when he came in, SamuelrecognizedrightawaythatthiswasGod’schoice(see1Sam.16).

Godtakesthatwhichisnothingandmakessomethingoutofit.LookatPeterthefishermen.WhowouldhavepickedPetertobeoneofthe

apostles of Jesus? If there had been a vote somewhere, he would have beenvotedtheleastlikelytobeanapostle.Godlookedathimandsaid,“Peter,Ihaveajobforyoutodo.”HepickedPeterandmadehimthegreatmanthatScripturetellsusabouttoday.

When God takes a great man, He humbles him; and when He picks anunimportantman,Heraiseshim.ThatisthewayGoddoesthings.

Themessagealwaysismoreimportantthanthemessenger.Themessenger

mustbeworthyof themessage,but themessagecontinuesafter themessengerhasgone.

TheHonorofGod’sCallAnimportantconsiderationinthisregardisthatthecallofGodalwaysbestowshonor.Godnevercallsanyonedown.Hemaycall themdownfromtheirdizzyheights,asHecalledZacchaeustocomedownfromthesycamoretree,becauseheshouldhaveneverbeenupthereinthefirstplace.Hemaycall themdown,butHe never calls aman to come beneath himself. He never calls anyone tomoveawayfromheights.Healwayscallsusuphigher.

When youmove towardGod, you aremoving up;when youmove awayfromGod,youaremovingdown.Godalwayscallsusupward.

WhenGodcallsyoutosomekindofhumbleservice—itmaybeworkinginarescuemission—Hehaspromotedyou.

GodcalledthismanElisha.Whenwemeet Elisha, he is out plowing. It was not particularly a high-

statusjob,butitmusthavebeenquiteafarm,forhehad12yokeofoxen.Fromahumanstandpoint, therewasnothing to recommend thatElishafollowin thefootstepsofElijah,thatgreatprophet.

But, as Elijah passed by, God said to him, “There’s your man.” Elijahwalkedovertothefield,tookhismantle—thesymbolofhisoffice—andflungittowardElisha.Destinywaspassingalongtheroad,andElijahwasinapositiontohearfromGod.

Today,we are too flippant.We take things too lightly; we turn from onethingtoanothertooeasily.Wedonotthinkenough;wedonotmeditateenough;wedonotdreamenough;andwedonotgiveGodachancetospeaktous.TheresultisthatwhenGodmaywanttospeak,HespeaksquietlybynothingmorethanthewindfromamantleoftheHolyGhostflunginourdirection.Wecannothearandnoticebecauseofthedramaandthecolorandthenoiseandthespeedatwhichwelive.

Elishawasamanplowinginthefieldwhendestinypassedbyinthepersonof an old prophet about to go home. Elijahwaved hismantle quietly, but theresponsehadtocomefromElisha;itcouldnotcomefromElijah.IthadtocomefromthemanElisha.WhenElijahlaidhishandonhim,ElisharecognizedthatthiswasthemanofGod.

Elijah, thatsaltyoldprophet,wasnotgoingtobesentimentalabout it.HetoldElishatogoback,saying,“WhathaveIdonetothee?”

Elisha recognized the call of God, turned his back on his old life andfollowedElijahfromthatpointon.Ifirmlybelievethatifyouarewhereyouarenowbecause of your ingenuity andmaneuvering, you are probably notwhereGodwantsyoutobe.ThecallofGodisadivinemomentthatisimpossibletoreplicate.

Elijah, himself, never knew where he was going to be. His life was aconstantreactiontothevoiceofGod.ElijahalwayswentwhereGodwantedhimgo.

God’sCallBringsSurrenderandObedienceAnotherconsiderationisthatGodisnotgoingtodoanythingthatrunscontrarytoHislaws.Godisconsistentineverything,andthereisadivineharmonyaboutallHedoes.

God is not the author of confusion (see 1 Cor. 14:33); the Bible clearlyinsinuatesthatthedevilistheauthorofconfusion.GodwillnotuseamanwhoisnotinconformitytothewillofGod.Godwillnotuseapersonjustbecauseheisabigshotintheeyesoftheworld.Godcannotusebigshots.Godcanonlyusethatman or womanwhowill finally surrender to thewill of God and say asIsaiahsaid,“HereamI,sendme”(Isa.6:8).

WhenGodcallsaman,themanknowsit.WhenGodcallsaman,hecannotdieuntilhehasdonetheworkGodhascalledhimtodo.IfGodcallsamantoawork, and theman saysyes, thatman cannot die until thatwork is done.ThemanGodcallsisimmortaluntilhisworkisdone.

Amanmayneverknowwhenhisworkisdone.MaybetheLordwillhaveamanstartaworkandthentakehimtoheaven,andsomebodyelsewillcarryitoninawaythathecouldnot.(NeverjudgeGodifsomemissionarydiesyoung,oraworkerinthechurchdiesyoung.)

Elishalefteverything—hisjob,hisfriends,hiswages,hisbigfarm—andheleftitforgood.Hedidnotattempttodotheimpossible.Hedidnotseektowalkonbothsidesofthefenceatthesametime;heturnedhisbackcompletelyonhispast.

Jesustoldaparableaboutputtingnewwineinoldbottles—oldwineskins.Hewasemphasizingthefutilityofpatchinganoldgarmentwithnewmaterial.

WhenyoubecomeaChristian,youcannotpatchyourChristianityontoyouroldlife.Youaretostartover,turnyourbackonthepastandfollowtheleadingoftheLord.

Elishasaidgoodbyeandturnedhisbackonhisformerlife.Heputhislifeonthealtarofobedienceandsurrender.Heburnedthebridgesohecouldnevergobackagain.WhenGodhascalledyou,youkilltheoxen,saygoodbyetotheoldlife,abandontheoldbusinessandgoforwardwithGod.

Aslongasyoucanhearthoseoldoxenbellowing,thereisatemptationtogobacktotheoldlife.

WhenGodcalled theprophethome,Hecalledhim inHisway.Likewise,whenwearecalled, it isourbusiness to saygoodbye to thepast and face thefuture, knowing we have been promoted. Accept God’s call as a promotion.Burntheoldbridgesandfixitsoyoucannotgoback;thenserveGodwithallyourheart.

My heart, OGod, yearns for Thee and listens for that call that onlycomesfromThee.MayIrespondinsuchawaythatIhonorTheebeforeaworldthatiswatching.Gratefully,inJesus’name,amen.

THEDYNAMICSOFEXPERIENCINGGOD

Nowitcametopassinthethirtiethyear,inthefourthmonth,inthefifthdayofthemonth,asIwasamongthecaptivesbythe

riverofChebar,thattheheavenswereopened,andIsawvisionsofGod.

EZEKIEL1:1

Today we have cheap religion passing for Christianity. This cheap religionconsistsofbitsofpoetry,afewflowers,akindlysmileandadeeddoneforyourbrother.ThatseemstobetheChristianityflavoroftheday.TheChristianitywehave today thatpasses for theChristianityand theBible, “Faithofour fatherslivingstillinspiteofdungeon,fire,andsword!”Idonotknowifitispossibletouselanguagestrongenoughforitscondemnationbecauseitisnotofthetruth.

WiththestoryofEzekiel,weseethetruthofthewayGodmeetsmen.EzekielwassittingbytheriverChebarinutterdejection;allhopewasgone.

Thelighthadgoneoutofhisheart.WhenEzekielwasatthelowestpointofhislife,andtherewasnothingmorehecoulddo,heencounteredGod.

WedonotknowhowlongEzekiel’sencounterwithGodtook;itcouldhavebeenabriefmoment,butitchangedhislifeforever.AsaresultofthatencounterandexperiencewithGod,EzekielbecameavoiceofGodtohisgeneration.

Wherearethosevoicestoday?Wherearethosemenandwomenwhohavecometo theendofselfso that theycanexperienceGod in theMajestyofHisrevelation?

Today,wedonotwantthat.Wedonotwanttheplow;wewanttheharvest.Wedonotwantthenight;wewantthemorning.Wedonotwantthecross;wewant the crown. Thomas à Kempis said, “The Lord has many lovers of His

crown,butfewloversofHiscross.”In thekingdomofGodwewant to reap theharvestandgeteverykindof

benefitinordertogetsomethingfornothing.Itjustisnotpossible.Along with this is a misconception of grace. Grace does not mean that

salvation isnotacostly thing. It simplymeans thatoutofGod’sgoodnessHegivesgracetouswhoareunworthyofit.Germanpastorandanti-NazidissidentDietrich Bonhoeffer emphasized this in his modern classic The Cost ofDiscipleship.Init,hemakesadistinctionbetweencheapgraceandcostlygrace.Hewrote,“It iscostlygracebecause itcostsuseverything,but it isfreegracebecauseitisfreelygivenbyGodtopeoplethatdonotdeserveit.”

Our fathers knew the distinction, but their poor, degenerate sons do notseemtorecognizeit.

Ezekiel,thismanofGod,wasdespondentanddown;hewasinthatplaceofdejectionandbeingstrippeddown.Everythingwastakenfromhim,andhehadnowheretogoandnowheretolean.Weareatrickycrowd,andifwecanfindanythinghumantoleanon,wewillleanonit.Ifwecanfindanybodytohelpusshort of God, we will hunt everywhere else, and God is usually the last oneasked.

God stands under the everlasting shadow of usually being the last oneconsulted. Sometimes peoplewill get up and testify, “I have done everything,andallIcandonowistrustGod.”TheOneweshouldgotofirstisusuallytheonewegotolast.Weareatrickycrowd,andthatiswhyGodsometimeshastotakeeverythingawayfromustomakeusunderstandthatHeoughttobefirst.

David said, “The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long theirfurrows” (Ps. 129:3). That was an old countrified expression meaning that ithurts tohave furrowsplowedupyourback; it hurts tohave someonewalkingaround on you with hobnailed boots. Ezekiel knew what that was all about.Whenhecouldnotfeelanyworse,itwasthenthattheheavenswereopenedandhesawvisionsofGod.

WhomGodHasStrippedLetNoManClotheMyadviceisthatifyouaredespondentaboutyourspirituallife,orevenifyouarejustabitdown,donotletthejoyboyscomeandcheeryouup.Donotletthechinchuckerscomearoundandchuckyouunderthechinandsay,“Alliswell,alliswell.”TheyhavedonethekingdomofGodmoreharmbytryingtomake

peopleclothedthatGodhasstripped.Godstripsaperson,waiting forhim to lookupand receive the light; and

then some joy-bellboycomesaroundwanting toput agarmentonhimagain.LeavethepersoninhisnakednessbeforethegreatGodAlmighty;andwhenHeclothestheperson,hewillbeclothedwithgoldengarments.

Everybodywantstheeasywayout.ThebookstoresarefloodedwithbookswrittenonhoweasyitistobeaChristian.Wepreachsermonsabouthoweasyitis tobeaChristian.All lies. It isneverasnap tocarryacross,and it isnevereasytofollowtheOnewhowasopposedandrejectedofmen;butthereisjoyinit.Paulspokeofitas“joyunspeakableandfullofglory”(1Pet.1:8).Therearetearsaplenty,butthereissunthatshinesonthetearsandmakestherainbow.AtearlessChristianityisnoChristianityatall.

Theheavens are closed for a varietyof reasons, but there is oneominousconsequence,andthatisthatmenarelefttothemselves.GodmeantustohaveHim,buttheheavensareclosed,andnowwearealone,withoutHim.Theworldis by itself, and yet men without God nurse a groundless hope, a hope thatsomehowthingswillcomeoutallright,buttheywillnot.AnythingthatisworthhavingyouwillgetfromGod.

Modern medicine and technology can help make people live longer butcannot make them live happier. Regardless of all the advancements in oursociety,theworldisprettymuchalonelycrowd.Itisnotthepresenceofothersthatcuresloneliness;itisthepresenceofGod.

Towardtheendofhislife,CharlesH.Spurgeoncommented,“Icantestifythatneverfor15minutessincemyconversionhaveIbeenwithoutasenseofthepresence of God.”When you have God with you, you are conscious of Godbeingwithyounomatterwhereyouare.Youareconsciousofitallthetime,nomatterwhatyoumaybedoing.

ThesemenofGodmetGodinsuchawaythattheyneverlostthesenseofHisconsciouspresenceintheirlife.TheirworldwasfilledwithGod.Itwasforthemarisingofthesun.

WhathappenedwhenthesemenwhoweregreatlyusedofGodexperiencedGod?TheyallhadasenseofGod,aconsciousnessofGodintheirmidst,whichcanonlybecultivatedinthestillness.

BeStillandKnowthatHeIsGod

We live in a society that has seeped into the church. It is full of all kinds ofactivityandnoise.Fromthetimeyougetupinthemorninguntilyougotobedatnight,thereisactivityandnoiseandchatter.Inallofthat,wecannotcometotheplaceofgettingtoknowGod.

Aslongaswearesatisfiedwiththestatusquo,wewillnevercometothepoint where we truly experience God as He desires to be experienced. TheexperienceisalwaysonGod’sterms,notours.

Itisnotpopular,butitispowerful.Thatis,weneedtogetstillinordertoexperienceGod.David the psalmist understood thiswhen hewrote, “Be still,andknowthatIamGod:Iwillbeexaltedamongtheheathen,Iwillbeexaltedintheearth”(Ps.46:10).ItisinthatstillnessthatwetrulyexperienceHispresence.

Elijahdiscoveredthis.“Andaftertheearthquakeafire;buttheLordwasnotin thefire:andafter thefireastillsmallvoice”(1Kings19:12).All thenoisekeptElijahfromhearingthat“stillsmallvoice”speakingtohim.Howmanyofusaremissingthatvoicebecauseofallofthecommotioninourlife?

Ifwearewilling tosurrender thatcommotionandoffer iton thealtar,wemighthaveachanceofhearingthat“stillsmallvoice”speakingtoustoday.

ThosemenwhoweremightilyusedofGod,whobecameavoiceofGodintheirgeneration,heardthatvoiceinthestillnessandquietoftheirownhearts.

HaveYouMetwithGodYet?InlookingatthesegreatmenofGod,InoticethatthedetailsoftheirencounterswithGodwerealwayssharpandcleartotheindividual.Therewasnomistakeaboutit;Godwasspeakingtotheminaclaritythatinspiredobedienceintheirhearts.Whatwedonothearclearly,wearenotwillingtoobey.

YoumustmeetGod.ItisnotsimplythatyoucanmeetGod;itisnotsimplythatyoumightmeetHim.YoumustmeetGod.Thisistheimperativeifyouaretobeavoicetoyourgeneration.YoudonothavetotraveltheworldlookingforGodortaponatreeorrocktoseeifGodisthere,orclimbupintoheaventopullGoddownintothedepths.“Butthewordisverynighuntothee,inthymouth,andinthyheart,thatthoumayestdoit”(Deut.30:14).

TotellpeoplethattheyoughttomeetGodisneverenough.TheyalsoneedtobetoldhowtomeetGod.Itisthroughthegospelthatwediscoverthis.Thegospel tellsus that there isadoor,andonlyone.JesusChrist is thatdoor,andthroughthatdoor,wemeetGod.Christ takesGodinonehandandmanin the

other and brings them together, introducing them, and man is restored in thefavorandgraceofGod.

TheLambofGodtakethawaythesinsoftheworld.HediedfortheunjustthatHemight bring us toGod. The gospel also tells us thatwe are saved byfaith,throughgrace,andthatnotofworks,lestanymanshouldboast.ItisatthecrossofJesus,attheopentombofJesus,andatthethroneofJesusthatpeoplereallymeetGod.

TheprophetsofoldclearlyhadmetGod.ThepresenceofGodappearedintheirhumanintellectandilluminatedto themthereality that is inGod.This iswhattheHolySpiritdesirestodoforustoday.IfwearetobethevoiceofGodinourgeneration,wemustbeilluminatedbytheHolySpirit,whichinvadesthehumanintellect.Wemustwalkbyfaith,notbysight.

Although this is a brief experience, it affects your life for as long as youlive.YouareneverthesameafteryouhaveencounteredthepresenceofGod.

Ithinkoneofthekeystothisisfirsttorepudiateallself-help.Thesearethedays of the books that showhowyou canhelp yourself. It is not self thatwewanttohelp;rather,selfistoberepudiatedandputonthecross.

Intheworldofmedicine,self-medicationisneveragoodidea.Nomedicaldoctorlovestohearthatyouhavebeenself-medicating.Itisneveragoodideawhenyoutrytofixyourself,anditgoesdoubleintheareaofthespiritual.Youcannotmakeyourselfholy.Allselfneedstoberepudiated.

We also need to lift up our eyes; when we do so, we will see a smilingFather looking down. The Christian life that you can have is so much morewonderfulthantheChristianlifeyounowhave.

The greatest crime in our generation is the fact that we have too manypeoplewhothinktheyknowhowtofixeverysituation.Wehavecounselorsandpsychologistswhoaretryingtokeepmantogether.ThankGodthatEzekielhadnobody who could help put him back together. All he had was God. All heneededwasGod.

Ifwearegoingtobeavoiceinourgeneration,GodwillguideusdownthepathwhereallwehaveisGod.Ezekielwassuchaman,andwhentheheavensopenedforhim,heexperiencedGodinwaysthatarebeyondhumancalculation.AssoonasyoucanfigureGodout,youhavenotmetthetrueGodandFatherofourLordJesusChrist.

DearGod,maywesurrenderandhandeverythingoveruntoThee.May

we refuse to help ourselves in order that You can lift us up into theheavens that we might experience Your presence as we could neverexperienceitbefore.ThisIprayinJesus’name,amen.

WENEEDPROPHETS,NOTPROMOTERS

AndGodsaiduntoMoses,IAMTHATIAM:andhesaid,ThusshaltthousayuntothechildrenofIsrael,IAMhathsentmeunto

you.

EXODUS3:14

What preparedMoses for his great work was what I refer to as the crisis ofencounter.Outofthiscrisiscameasenseofthesacred.PerhapsthereasonthereissuchalackofreverencetodayisbecausemostpeoplehavenevermetGodinthisway.

Forthemostpart,theaverageChristiandoesnotknowthatthereissuchathingasmeetingGod in the crisisof encounter asMosesdid.WearebroughtintothekingdomofGodbysmooth-talkingpeoplewithmarkedNewTestamentsthat tell us logically how to get converted. Everything is casual, and nothingdisruptsournormalwayofliving.

In my mind, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than Moses standingbeforetheburningbush.NomatterhowmanytimesIhavereadthispassageofScripture, Ialwayscomeawaywithasenseofwonderandastonishment.ThismanMoses becamewhatwe know him to be because of his encounter at theburningbush.

Moseswasoneof thegreat leadersof all time.He servedas aprophet, alawgiver and a great leader of his people.He received fromGod the greatestmoral code ever given to mankind—the Ten Commandments. Someone oncesaidthattheConstitutionoftheUnitedStateswasthegreatestdocumentstruckoffbythemindofman.Agreatsystemoflawliesthere,butthegreatestofallthatwasevergivenbyGodcamethroughMoses.

“ThisisthatMoses,whichsaiduntothechildrenofIsrael,AprophetshalltheLordyourGodraiseupuntoyouofyourbrethren,likeuntome;himshallyehear”(Acts7:37).

ThismanMoseswasalsoanemancipatoroftheJewishpeople,aleader,astatesman and a teacher of the ages. All this he became, and for this he wasalreadyfairlywelldeveloped.Thismanwassogreat,itwassaidofhimthathehadbeeneducated inall thewisdomof theEgyptians.He receivedeverythingthatEgyptcouldpossiblygivetoaman.

Then Moses had a postgraduate course, which I believe is more to bedesiredthanhiseducationatthefeetofthegreatteachersofEgypt.Hewenttotheschoolofsilence—tothesheepandtothestarsandtotheheavensabove.Allthroughtheevening,beforesleepovertookhim,helistenedtothesilence.

When you want pure loneliness, absolute solitude, look at the stars. Thestars make no noise; they simply burn on in their magnificence. Moses hadoccasiontolookatthestarsallduringtheeveningandallnightlong,ifhecaredto,andwheneverhewokeupinthenight.

GodtookthismanMosesoutofthenoiseandputhiminthesilencewherehecouldhearhisownheartbeat.Moseslearnedsomelessonstherethathecouldnothavelearnedanywhereelse.Helearnedtoknowhimself.

We moderns know everything but ourselves. We do not know ourselvesbecausewecannotgetquietenough.ThereasonwepaysolittleattentiontotheCityofGodthatshinesyonder,thestarryuniverse,isthatthereissomuchnoiseanddistraction.

Even in this place, therewas somethingMoseshad to learn that he couldneverhavelearnedatthecourtofPharaohorfromlookingatthestarsorfromlisteningtothesheep.OnlyonethingpreparedMosesforhisgreatwork,whichhe could not have done without preparation. That one thing was God givingMosesanencounterwithHimself.

God wanted Moses to meet Him face-to-face and learn a sense ofsacredness.

TheSacredinToday’sChurchThegreatestlossmodernmanhassufferedisnotthelossoflimborofhome,astragicand terribleas those thingsmightbe.The lossof loyaltyand the lossoflawkeepingarelossesthatspringoutofanotherloss—thelossof thesenseof

sacredness.I grievewhen I come into the average gospel church, because there is an

absenceofGodin thatfellowship.There isso littleof thesenseofGodin theaverage church today. You never bow your head with reverence unless youdeliberatelydisciplineyourselftodoit,becausethereisnosenseofsacredness.

Anythinggoes,andthisisthelossthatistooterribleevertobeappraised.TheworldhashiddenGod fromour sight, and secularismhas takenover.WehavesecularizedGod,thegospel,worshipandChrist.Iinsistthatthisisagreatandtragicloss,andnogreatmancancomeforthoutofthat.Nogreatmovementcanspringoutofthatkindofathing.Godmayhavetosweepitawayandstartsomewhereelse.

The only thing that is going to help us today is that which Mosesexperienced. It enabled him to be the prophet ofGod thatGodneeded at thattime.ThecureforourproblemtodayistomeetGodinthecrisisofencounter.

WeNeedaGodEncounterHowdidGod revealHimself toMoses?God revealedHimself as fire.God isinscrutable.HeisineffableandcannottelluswhatHeis,onlywhatHeislike.Therefore,GodtellsusthatHeislikefire.

Godisinfire,thoughtheScripturesaysourGodisaconsumingfire.ItdoesnotmeanthatGodisfirephysicallyorontologically.AlthoughthetheologianswouldsaythatGodisfire,weknowthatGodisnotfire.Firecanbringdownabuildingorcookyourstew.Godisnotthatkindofafire.ButfireisthenearestthingtobeinglikeGodthatGodcanthinkoftotellHischildrenwhatHeislike.

Therefore,God appeared here, in the twilight, in fire, andMoses knelt asGodspokeoutofthemidstofthebush.Mosessaw,feltandexperiencedGodinthat encounter, andGod commissionedMoses to deliver Israel, to receive thelawandtoorganize thegreatestnation in theworld,outofwhich theMessiahwouldcome.HewasabletodoallthisbecausehemetGodinthefire.

The effect of this experiencegreatly changedMoses.The fire in thebushwasGod dwellingwithin the fire and shining out through the fire. Itwas thepresenceofGod,andMosesexperiencedGodthere.GodwasnolongermerelyanideatoMoses.

DistinguishKnowledgeVersusExperienceTotheaveragepersontoday,Godisjustanidea,nothingmore.UptothistimeinMoses’life,Godwasjustathought.MosesperceivedGodinanintellectualway.Now,heexperiencedGodpersonally.

Therearetwotypesofknowledge.FirstthereistheknowledgethatcomesfromtheScripture,andthenthereistheknowledgethatcomesfromexperience.Youcandescribeathingandhaveknowledgeofit,andyoucangiveknowledgeto others by describing it. But it is another thing to go through what youdescribe. It is one thing to describe the battle, but theman going through thebattle actually experiences it. And the strange thing is that the one who hasactuallyexperienceditsaysverylittleaboutit.

MosesexperiencedthelivingGod.GodwasnothistorytoMoses;Godwasalivingpersonality.

The tragic breakdown in fundamental circles is that we have substituteddoctrine forexperience.TheBiblewasnevergiven tobeanend in itself.TheBiblewasgiventobeapathleadingustoGod;andwhentheBiblehasledustoGod,andwehaveexperiencedGodinthecrisisofencounter,theBiblehasdoneitswork.ItisnotenoughthatyoushouldmemorizeScripture.SomeChristiansmemorizetheWordofGodbutnevermeettheGodwhowrotetheWord.TheycanquotewholechaptersbuthaveneverbeeninspiredbythesameHolySpiritthatinspiredtheWord.

TheBiblecanonlybeproperlyunderstoodthroughtheSpirit that inspiredit.FormetomemorizewholepassagesofScriptureisuselessunlessI,bymeansofthoseScriptures,meetGodinthecrisisofencounter.

DuringandAftertheBurningBushWe can know God asMoses knew the burning bush; we can know God forHimself.

LetmepointoutsomelessonsMosesreceivedfromthisfireinthebush.

HelplessinthePresenceoftheFireFirst,thefiredwellinginthebushwasatypeoftheLordshipofJesus.Paulcallsthistherichmysteryandhopeofglory,whichisChrist inyou(seeCol.1:27).

Thefiredweltinthebush.Itwasinanacaciabush,andthebushwasperfectlyhelplessinthefire.

YouwillneverknowGodasyoushouldknowHimunlessyouarehelplessinHishands,unlessyoucannotescapeHim.Aslongasyoucanrun,youarenotinGod’shands.Aslongasyoucanbackout,aslongasthereisabridgebehindyousothatyoucanretreat,youarenotinGod’shands.

WeoftenmakeGodthelastresort;butherewasabushthatcouldnotbackoutofit,couldnotgetoutofthere.Itwascaughtthere;andthehappyChristianthathasbeencaughtbytheLordandcannotescapedoesnotwanttoescape.Hehasburntallofhisbridgesfromeverydirection,andthereisnootherwaytogo.

You canwalkwith the Lord as long as things are normal, butwhen youexperienceatightspot,itisnothingtofoolwith.ThankGodthatthisbushwascaught,andthefirewasinthebush.

PurifiedinthePresenceoftheFireAnotherthingthatstrikesmehereisthatthefirepurifiedthisbush.Allthebugsandlarva,andthewind—allperishedinthefire.Turnafire looseinthatbushforfiveminutesandthereisnotalivingthinginitthatcansurvive.TherewouldnothavebeenabushifGodhadnotpreservedit.Thatfirepreservedthebushbut slew all the external matter. No one can stand before the fire of God’spresence.Godistheholinessthatweneed.

Somepeoplethinkholinessissomethingyougetandthatyoutakeoutwithyouandcarefullyguarditlestyouloseit.HolinessisnothingelsethantheholyGoddwellinginahumanbeing’sheart.TheheartwillbeholybecauseGodisthere,andGodisholy.Thebushhadnopurityofitsown;andifthefirewentoutofthebush,asitprobablydidafterGodhadgivenHisdemonstrationtoMoses,thebugssooncameback.

The purity and holinesswe desperately need are by the presence ofGod;they come from an encounterwithGod; they come by the fire ofGod in thehumanheart.CleansingandpuritycomebytheindwellingChrist.

Christ isnotoursanctifier;Heisoursanctification,whichisanotherissuealtogether.Heisourholiness.So,ifHedwellsthere,asafiredweltinthebush,wehavealivingencounterandexperience.ThemanindweltbyChristwillbeapureman,becauseChristinhimispure,livingoutthroughhim.

TransformedinthePresenceoftheFire

Thebushwasjustascrubthornbush,andIimaginethereweremillionsofthemthere.Maybetherewerehundredsofthousandsofthemscatteredoverthebroadfaceofthewilderness,andtheydidnotamounttoanything.Theflame,however,transfiguredthisparticularbushuntil itbecamethemostfamousbushinallofhistory. However, its glory was not on its own but was derived from theindwelling fire. It tookon aglow, aglory, and it hasheld that glory all downtheseyears.

Mentalkabouttheburningbush;artistspainttheburningbush;wepreachabouttheburningbush.Why?Becauseitwasagreatbush?No,becauseitwasagreatfireinthebush.

One of the byproducts ofChristianity is thatGod takes peoplewho havenever amounted to anything andneverwill, andby living in them, transformsthem,givingthemmeaningandsignificance.

Amanmaybejustanaverageperson,facelessandwithoutsignificance,butletJesusChristgetholdofthatman,letthegloryoftheLordgetintothatlife,andthemantakesonsignificanceimmediately.

ProtectedinthePresenceoftheFireAnother thing is that the fire protected this bush. No evil could come to thatbush.Nobody canhurt aChristian—nothing andnobody can get through to aChristian—unlesstheLordwantsitto.

WhenthedevilwantedtotemptJob,hecomplainedtoGodandsaid,“God,Youhaveahedgearound thatman.”Heaskedpermission toget through, andGodopenedthehedgealittle,andthedevilslippedthroughandwenttotemptJob.

NochildofGodcanbetouchedifhehasthefiredwellinginhim.Whatwasitthatprotectedthebush?Itwasthefireinthebush.Itdidnotneedanywirefenceorglassencasing,

becausenobodybotheredthebushwhilethefirewasinit.Nobodyattackedthebush,becausethebushwasperfectlysafewhilethefiredwelledinit.

ThankGod,ourprotectionisbytheindwellingfire.

MadeBeautifulinthePresenceoftheFireMany years after this burning bush experience, Moses prayed a wonderfulprayer:“AndletthebeautyoftheLordourGodbeuponus:andestablishthou

theworkofourhandsuponus;yea,theworkofourhandsestablishthouit”(Ps.90:17).WhenMosessawthatbeautifulblazeinthetwilight,hesaid,“Iwillturnasidenowandseethisgreatsight.”

Thatattractivenessisthegreatandmightyneedofreligiontoday.Morethananyotherthing,weneedthesenseofsacrednessthatbringsbeautytolight.Oneofthetragediesofthehourisunlovelyorthodoxy.

ThoseWhoAreCalledtoDoGod’sWorkToanyonegoingoutintoreligiouswork,youarecalledtobeaburningbush,notto imitate amovie actor.You are not called to be great; you are called to bebeautiful.Thebeautymaybeinthefireorinyourboldnessorinyourcourage.Yourcallcouldbeaburningbush,andIwouldseriouslyrecommendtoallwhofeel themselvescalled todoGod’swork to shun thecoarsewaysof thecheapgospelandtheamateur.Stayawayfromthem.

We are suffering today in evangelical circles from an epidemic ofamateurism.Anybodywhocantalkcangetupandtalk.Coarseness,ignorance,cheaphumor,aflashofwitattimestowakeupanaudience;Isay,shunitandstayawayfromit.

We already have enough promoters; we need prophets. We already haveenoughorganizers;weneedmenwhohavemetGodinthecrisisofencounter.

Doyouwanttobethatfireatanycost?Therankandfileofthehalf-savedwillthinkyouareafanatic.

I believe there aremany crazy people in heaven, because everybodywhotrulymeetsGodisbrandedasbeingalittlebitwacky.ThesanestmanisamanwhoknowsGodthemost;thesanestmindisthemindinwhichthefiredwellsthemostperfectly.

WhenyoustarttoseekGodinthecrisisofencounter,peoplewillsay,“He’slosthismind.”Afteryouareestablishedandgetyourfeetdown,andsomethinggoeswrongintheirhouse,thephonewillringandtheywillsay,“There’stroubleoverhere.Couldyoucome?”

TheLordiscallingHispeopletotheSpirit-filledlife;He’scallingthemtoaconsecratedlife,toalifecommittedtoapointwheretheycannotbackoutanddonotwantto.

Thequestionis,doyouwanttobeoneofthem?

OGodofthefire,burninmylifetodayasYouhaveneverburnedtherebefore.SetmylifeaflamewiththeholinessofThypresence.Ipraythis,OGod,inJesus’name.Amen.

THEPRIVILEGEOFBEINGSENTOFGOD

TherewasamansentfromGod,whosenamewasJohn.Thesamecameforawitness,tobearwitnessoftheLight,thatallmen

throughhimmightbelieve.

JOHN1:6-7

The greatness of the man John did not lie in him but in his office and hisprivilege.AbrahamsawourLord’sdayandwasglad.ButJohntheBaptistlivedinthatday,andthatmadehimgreaterthanAbraham.

DavidplayedhisharpandsangoftheComingOnewhowouldbewoundedand pierced but would rise again and sing among his brethren. But John theBaptistwasthere;hesawHimandfeltHim.

IsaiahsangofOnewhowouldcomebornofavirginandgrowupasarootoutofadryground.ButJohntheBaptisttouchedtheOneIsaiahprophesiedandbaptizedHim.Hisprivilegewasgreater.

MalachisaidHeshouldsuddenlycometoHistempleandsitasuponafire.ButJohntheBaptistactuallywalkedinthatTemple,andthoughthatparticularpassageprobablyreferstothesecondcomingofChrist,yetthatsamepurifierofsilverwas thereatHis firstcoming,andJohn theBaptistwaspresentandsawthis.JohnsawHimandtouchedHimandheardHimandactuallybaptizedHimandgaveHimHisstart.

TheprivilegeofJohnwasgreaterthanthatofanyoftherest.ItmighthavebeensaidofJohntheBaptistthathewasthegreatest,butJohn

didnotsaythat.Itmighthavebeensaidthathewasthestrongest;Idonotknowwhetherhewas.Itmighthavebeensaidthathewasthewisestorthemostgiftedorthemosteloquent,butScripturedidnotsaythat.ItsaidthatJohntheBaptist

wassent,andthatwasJohn’sunspeakablyhighhonor.ItwasahigherhonorforJohnthananythingelsetosaythathewassentof

God.Thecomingof thismansentofGodwasaninestimableblessing,andanunspeakabletreasuretotheworld.

MenWhoWereSentofGodGodsendsforthHismen.

TherewasamansentfromGodwhosenamewasNoah.Hewasajustmanwhobuilthimselfanarkandsavedhimselfandhisfamilyandsavedthehumanracefromextinction.

TherewasamansentofGodwhosenamewasAbram.HecamefromUroftheChaldees,andwasfollowingnothingbut the light inhisownheartandthedimvisionoftheGodofhisfather.

TherewasamansentofGodnamedMoses,whotookthatnationwhenitwaslost inEgypt, indarknessandbondage,andledthatnationacrosstheRedSeaandintothewilderness.Heguidedandcherishedandnursedandcaredforthatnationfor40years.

Whenhedied, therewasamansentofGodwhosenamewasJoshua,andJoshua gathered that nation as a hen gathers her chicks and took that nationacrosstheriverandestablishedtheminthelandGodhadpromisedtoAbraham,IsaacandJacob.

TherewasamansentofGodwhosenamewasDavid.Hereachedintohisownheart and toreout the strings and set those strings in thewindowsof thesynagogues for 1,000 years. The winds of persecution blew across them andmadesongfortheJewishworshipers.Whentheveilofthetemplewasrent,theHolyGhosthadthosesameheartstringstakenfromtheheartofDavidandstrungthem in thewindows of the churches. Today you cannot singwithout havingDavidsinging.TherewasamansentofGodwhosenamewasDavid;hetaughttheworldtosing,andtheworldhasbeensingingDavid’ssongseversince.

WecouldgoontomentionPeter,Paul,MartinLuther,andmenofGodallthewaydowntoourday.Youcangodownthelineandtakeanylistyouhappentobefondof.WherevermenhavedonethingsforGod,therewasamansentofGod. They were men who could work with people, but they were men whoalwaysworkedabovepeoplebecausetheyweresentofGod.

Nohigherhonorcouldevercometoanymanthan this,andhere iswhere

wedevelopourlessonsandexamplefromthismanJohn.

WhatDidGodSeeinJohn?TobeownedofGodandcommissionedofGod,tobeempoweredbyGodandsentofGodisthehighesthonorthatcouldbebestoweduponanyone.

Based on this, I want to know why God could use a man like John theBaptistthewayHedid.IfGodcoulduseJohntheBaptist,Hecanuseyouandme today. What was it that God was looking for that He found in John theBaptist?

AManofSolitudeThebasicthingGodsawinJohntheBaptistwasamanofsolitude.HewasinthedesertuntilthetimeofhisshowingforthuntoIsrael.

IamnotsurethatJohntheBaptistwouldeverhavefitintoourtime.Hedidnotwearasuit;thelanguagehespokewasnoteloquent;hecouldnotquotefromthepoets.ButhehadbeeninthedesertwithhisGod,insolitude,andhecameoutofhissolitudetobreakthesilencelikeadrumbeattothetrumpetsound.AllgatheredtohearthismanwhohadbeenwithGod.

JohntheBaptistwentintothesilenceandwenttoschoolwithGod,andwiththestars,thehowlingwindsandthesun.Thetroublewithusisthatwecannotget quiet enough towait onGod.Wehave the idea that ifwe arenot talking,something’swrong.Somebodyhastobetalkingallthetime.Someonehastobemakingarattlingnoiseofsomesort.GodcoulduseJohntheBaptistbecauseHecouldgetholdofhim.Hecouldstophim;Hecouldslowhimdownlongenoughtogetonboard.

Mostpeopleneverreallyfindthemselves.Theyarenotmeditating;theyarenotseriousminded.Theresult is that theyhavetohavecompanyaroundthemallthetime.Onephilosophersaidthatthemoreyouhaveinsideofyouthelessyouneedpeople aroundyou. If youdonot have anything inside, youhave tocompensate for your inner vacuity by surrounding yourself with a bunch ofnoisemakers. Most people live like that. They cannot afford to live bythemselves.Theycannotgetoffanywhereandbestill.

If you do not practice the art of holy solitude, you will not be worthanything in the kingdomofGod.Theremust be silence, and John theBaptist

was in thedesertuntil the timeforhisshowingforthunto Israel.Hadhebeenadjusted to all the ways of the world, he never would have met God in thesilence.

In thebookofJobweread,“Therewassilence,andIheardavoice”(Job4:16).Ibelievethattheabrasiveactionofourculturehastakenthecharacteroutofmanyaman,reducinghimtoashinydimeamongallthedimesoftheworld.Heisshinyfrommuchuseandtoomuchcontact.Hehaslostitallbecausehehasbeentoomanyplaces,seentoomanypeopleandmadetoomanycontacts.

Ifyougetaloneandletyourkneesmakecontactwiththeground,andyoustaythereawhile,itwilldomoregoodthananythingelse.

ThesecretofJohntheBaptistwas thathegotonhiskneesandhe lookedupwardandwaitedalldaylongonGodinthedesertwhilethewindandthedustblewabouthim.

AManofSimplicityAnotherreasonwhyGodcouldhonorJohntheBaptistwashissimplicity.Johnhadhisraimentofcamel’shair,andhisfoodwaslocustsandwildhoney.

There is something tobe said for simplicity. Iknow that somego too far,like someQuakers, although I have admired them inmany ways. If only wecouldbesimpleagain.

JohntheBaptisthadsimplicity.Hecamedressedplainlyanddidnotattemptto impress anybody.We live in a daywhenpeople, especially preachers, bragaboutthemselves.Aswebegintobragaboutourselves,Goddisownsthewholemessandhasnothingmore todowithus. John theBaptistneverbragged.HejustwalkedaroundsimplydoingthewillofGod.

AManofVisionAnother reason has to do with vision. John the Baptist could see what Godwantedhimtosee.

When he baptized the Lord Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit descend like adove and remain upon Jesus.Nobody else saw that, but John did.He had thevisiontoseewhatGodwasdoingatthatmoment.

What is needed today is theopeningof our eyes.Themanwith theopeneyescanseewhatthemanofnovisioncanneversee.

Goout into the countrywith ahunter andhewill see things the common

manwithdimvisioncanneversee.Thecitymanseesnothingatallexceptafewtrees,bushesandleaves.Thehunterseesbeyondthistothepreyathand.

Thewoefulthingabouthavingvisionisthatitalwaysputsyououtofgearwithyourtime.JohntheBaptistwasamanofvisioninthemidstofmenwhohadnovisionatall.Johnknewwherehewasinhistimeandwasnotgoingtobecarriedawaybythedriftofthehour.

Readafewmagazines,listentoafewprogramsonradioorTVandyouwillknowthatreligionhasitsdirection.Ithasitsvoguethatbeginswheneverylittleoldpreacherturnshisheadlikeawillowtreeboughinthatonedirection,afraidtolooktheotherwaybecauseithappenstobethatthewindofreligiousvogueinthat hour is roaring out of that direction, so everybody turns in that direction.Themagazinestakeitup,theradioprogramstakeitup,thepreacherstakeitup,the laymen take it up, andmoney gets behind it because thewind is blowingfromthatdirection.

Then,somepartlybald-headedguysees themistakeof italland turnshisface to thewind.Everyman that has any vision is looking into thewind anddoesnotgiveuptothetrendsofthetime.HestandsforGodandNewTestamentChristianityinanhourwheneverybodyisblowingintheotherdirection.

Weneedafewprophetswhowilldaretostandupandfacetheotherway,whowillseethedriftinanotherdirectionaltogether.

John theBaptist did not take his identity from theworld aroundhim, butfromhis focus onGod above him.Hewas not caught up in the vogue of histimes. Rather, he challenged the times with the ever potent, “Thus saith theLord.”

Johnwasnotquotingthelatestbest-sellingbookorthemostpopularpersoninreligiouscircles.Hewasnotaligninghimselfwiththepopularleaningofhisday.HismessagecamefromGod.

AManofCourageAnother reason why God could honor John the Baptist was because of hiscourage.He had to have couragewhen he stood up to the Jewish leaders andsaid,“Yougenerationofvipers.”Thatcertainlywasnotapolitewayofgettingthecongregationtolikeyou.

Herewasamanwhowaswilling toconfront theopposition, regardlessofwhereitcamefrom.

ManyofuswillnotbesentofGodbecausewedonothavecourage.Weare

afraid of being unique and different. Preachers are afraid of losing membersfrom their congregation. They are afraid they will lose public esteem and becriticized.Christiansareafraidoflosingfriends,afraidoflosingreputationandincome,afraidsomebodywillnotlikeit.

GodAlmightycalledHissheep;Hedidnotcallmice.Thefigurativesheepdoesnotholdwhenitcomestoprophetsandsoldiersandwarriorsinthisdayofdeclensionandsin.Godsometimesstrapsabuckleronhissheep,standshimuponhistwohindlegs,andturnshimout,andbysomemiraclechangeshimfrombeinga sheep intobeing a roaring lion.He sendshimout tobe aLutheror aFinneytoagenerationofvipers.

AManofHumilityWealsohavetolookatthehumilityofJohntheBaptist.Thiswasanotherreasonwhy God could honor him as He did. He allowed Christ to displace himcompletely,anditisimportantthatweunderstandthisaboutJohntheBaptist.HeallowedJesustodisplacehimineverything.

John’s testimony, recorded in John 1, shows us that he saidwords to theeffect, “I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. I am a voice sounding in thewilderness. I am just avoice sent crying in thewilderness, and I amnot eventalkingaboutmyself.IamtalkingaboutanotherOnewhoistocomeafterme;andwhenHecomes,HewillbeseentobesogreatbycomparisonthatIwillbehappytogetdown,andIwillnotevenfeelworthytoloosenHisshoes.”

ThatwasJohntheBaptist,andhisministrywasoverwhenJesuscame.Johnsaid, “Behold, the Lamb ofGod.”He directed all eyes away from himself toJesusandthenfadedoutofthepictureandsaid,“ImustdecreasewhileHemustincrease”(seeJohn3:30).

Thatministerwhocandoagreatworkandquietly fadeoutof thepictureand letsomeoneelse takeover is rareamongmen today.John theBaptistwasthatkindofaman.Hedidnotwantanythingforhimself.

The prophet that God honors is the onewho has stopped bragging abouthimselfandbeginstotalkabouttheLambofGodwhotakesawaythesinoftheworld. If that Lamb ofGod gets all the glory, they delight in it. They ask nogloryforthemselves,onlytobepresentandheartheBridegroom’svoice.

Thatwas John; and if youwantGod to sendyou, andyouwant the highhonorofhaving itsaid that therewasamansent fromGod, thenyoumustbehumble, for God sends only the humble. The proud send themselves, but the

humblearesentofGod.IwouldnotdesiretobeengagedinreligiousactivityifIdidnotknowIwassentofGod.UnlessIknewIwassent,Iwouldnotengageinanyoftheactivitiesofreligiontoday.

JohntheBaptistwassentofGodbecausehelovedsolitude,simplicity,hadvision, courage and humility. TheGod of John the Baptist is theGod of thishour,andnothinghaschangedforthemansentofGod.Hisqualificationshavenot been altered. God has not declared anything new from the day He madethosequalities tomarkHisman.Whatmarkedamanback thenwillmarkHismantoday.

MaywehumblybowbeforeThee,OGod,asJohnofolddid.Sendusforth,OblessedMaster,toaworldthatdesperatelyneedsTheetoday.Amen.

THEVOICEOFAPROPHETINTHEWILDERNESS

Hesaid,Iamthevoiceofonecryinginthewilderness,MakestraightthewayoftheLord,assaidtheprophetEsaias.

JOHN1:23

NoprophethadbeeninIsraelfor400years.Malachi,themessenger,wasthelastone,andthenIsraelwentintodecline.Sincethen,novoice,noinspiration,onlythe faithful passing on of the doctrines of theWord taught by teachers tellingwhatotherssaidtheyhadseenandheard.For400years,therehadnotappearedamanwho had seen anything himself.Hewas forced to tellwhat others hadseenandheard.

Thesewerethecustodiansoftheology,andtheyservedanimportantplace.They faithfully toldwhatothershad seen,declaredwhatothershadheard,buttheythemselveshadneitherseennorheard.

Then came John the Baptist, who gave a very frank and illuminatingtestimonyabouthimself:“IamnottheChrist,butIhavebeensentbeforehim”(see John3:28).Hehadbeenpreaching in thewildernessandwasattractingawidefollowingandgettingmuchattention.

Thesecustodiansoforthodoxyweredisturbedbytheappearanceofamanwhodidnotfitintotheirpattern.Theysenttoinquirewhetherhewasoneoftheexpected ones. Evidently, their prophetic expectations included three majorfigures:Christ,Elijahand“thatprophet.”Thisexhaustedthelistoftheexpectedonesbythesecustodiansofprophetictruth.

HerecomesamanwhoisnotChrist,andheisnotElijah,andheisnotthatprophet;and theywhohadfawnedover theScripturessaid,“Wearesorry,wehavenoreservationsforyou.”

TheycouldnotfigureoutwhereJohntheBaptistfitintotheirunderstandingofthepropheticschemeofthings.

John theBaptistdidnot fit into theirplans,because theywanted tobe letaloneanddidnotwantanybody tocomeanddisturb themmorally.What theywantediswhatmanypeoplewanttoday—forGodtoconformtotheirreligiouspattern.PeopleareperfectlywillingtogoalongwithGodaslongasGodwillbegoodandconformtotheirpattern.

Ittookcenturiestofigureouttheirpattern.Theyhadalongtraditionbehindthem,anditwouldnotbebecomingofGodtoupsetthatpatternordestroythattradition or do anything that was not on that agenda. They wanted God toapproveandjustifythem.Theydidnotwantaprophetvoicetocomethatwoulddisturbthem.Theywantedtobeletalone,butJohncalledthemtorighteousness:“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of theLord’”(John1:23).

The“wilderness”isthesettingofJohntheBaptist’sministry.Theword“wilderness”heredoesnothavethesamemeaningasithaswhen

he said he was in the desert until his showing unto Israel. There the word“desert”or“wilderness”wasidentifiable,apieceofterrainthatonecouldmarkonamapandknowwhereitwasfound.Here,asisoftentrueintheBible,afteraliteraluseofthewordfollowsafigurativeuseasanillustration.

John isnowthevoiceofonecrying in thewilderness,which refers to themoralconditionofIsrael.

Inthatcontext,awildernesshascertaincharacteristics.

WhatCharacterizedIsrael’sMoralWildernessThe first characteristic that comes tomind is that thewilderness is a thing ofchaos.Gotoanationalparkandyouwillfindorder;thengointoawildernessandyouwillfinddisorder.

Thenthereiswaste,fortheseweredeserts,andwholesectionshadnograss.Consequently,nothinglivedinthosesections.Withoutpurposeorsignificance,theyjustexisted.

A thread of uncertainty runs through it all. A wilderness, not like ourWesterndesertsoreven like theSahara,butburntover,beatenout, filledwithgreenbriarsofallkinds,weedsandbittergrasshereandascrubbushthere.Justaconfusedwildernesswithnoorderwhatsoever.

Anothercharacteristicofthewildernesshereisthepurposelessnessofitall.SomepartsofthewildernessseemedasifGodhaddumpedatruckloadofstuffHedidnotneedand justpiled itup there.Nopurposewhatsoever in it,and ithadnomeaning.

There is also the wild undomesticated quality of the wilderness. Nobodyobeys any arbitrary laws around there. Nobody comeswhen youwhistle, liesdownandturnsoverwhenyoutellthemto.

The wilderness is all wild. So we have confusion, disorder, waste andpurposelessness, and John had all that in mind when he used the word“wilderness.”Heknewitandknewitwell.ThatiswhatJohnsawinIsrael.ThatiswhatGodsenthimtotellIsrael.

IthinkIamseeingsomethinglikethattoday,andIhopeenoughpeoplewillseeitbeforelongwhowilldosomethingaboutit.Johnsawwhatthereligiousleaders of Israel never dreamed could be true. He saw what the faithfulcustodiansoforthodoxyneverdreamedof.TheysawthemselvesonewaywhenGod saw themanotherway. John saw them thewayGod saw them, and JohnandGodwereright.Itwasthevoiceofonecryinginthewilderness.

ItwouldnotbeworthwhileforustovexourrighteoussoulsconcerningtheconductofthePhariseesandscribesandLevites,andalltherestwhohavebeenfilling graves for many centuries. There is the present condition of thewilderness—aconditionthatparallelsIsraelwhenourLordcame,andthatismyprimaryfocushere.

TechnicalProgressDoesNotImproveMoralityNot too long ago,wewere taught, tragically so, that theworldwasbecomingbetter.Weweretoldthattheworldisgettingbetterbecausemanisabletocurerabies, for instance.He iswellonhisway tocurediabetesandotherdiseases.Furthermore,mancandosomanythingshewasn’tabletodobefore.

Becausemanhasbecomeabrillianttoymaker,webelievethatthetoysmanmakesaregood.Hecanreachupandpulldownthejaggedlightningandputitinaboxorrunitalongwiresandsendthevoicealongthewires.Thenhecansendthatjaggedlightningoutwithoutanywiresfromplacetoplace.

Solomonwascertainlyrightwhenhesaid,“Lo,thisonlyhaveIfound,thatGodhathmademanupright;buttheyhavesoughtoutmanyinventions”(Eccles.7:29).

Look at what this toymaker has been able to do throughout the years—everything from a rag doll to a radio to a telephone and then on to theautomobileandairplaneandwaybeyond.Weareabletotakeasoybeanandturnitintoasuitofclothesfromtheskinout.Wetakeglassthatusedtoshatterwhenyouhititandbenditoverandwearit.Wearetoymakersoftheworld.Wemakewonderfulgadgetsnow.Thisisthegenerationofthegadgetgurus.

ModernMan’sGreatestFailureThrough it all,we have overlookedone little thing.Alongwithman’s strangeandwonderful ability to take the forces of nature and combine them tomakemoderntoystomakelifeeasier,wehavebeenledtobelievethatalongwithourprogress in scientific subjectswe shouldalsohaveadvanced inmoralmatters.Thatnotionisourgreatestfailure.

Isitnotstrangethatthegenerationsthathavehadthemostadvancementinscienceandtechnologyhavealsobeenthemostmorallydespicablegenerations?Acaseinpointisthedegradationofwomankindalloverthecivilizedworld.Ithasbeenoverlooked,excusedandlaughedoff.

Take themanwith gangrene in his leg. If he could get enough people toglorifyitandpayhimtoexhibitit,writebooksandpoemsaboutitandsingjivesongsaboutit,wesooncouldglorifygangrene.Thegangrene,however,willkillitsvictimjustassureasthereisaGodinheaven.Unlesshecutsthegangreneout and gets rid of it all, itwill kill him.You can never negotiate termswithgangrene.

ToviolatethelawsofGodistobringpollutiontothepooroftherace.Tocontinuethisandexcuseitandjustifyit,andnotrepentofit,andbuilditintoourreasoningandwritebooksaround it is toglorifysomething thatwillkillusassureaswelive.

Thinkabouthowmanycrimesarebeingcommittedeveryminuteoftheday,andhowmanymurderersarenevercaught.

When themoralphilosophyof theworldbecomessuch thathecandohisevilandgetonthefrontpage,thenGodwillwithholdassentnolonger,andwewillrotfromwithinsothatwhenwesayit is thewildernesswehavethefactsbeforeus.Wearesurroundedbythiswilderness.

Ifthatwereall,thenIwouldsaythankGodforapurechurchinthemidstofall of this wickedness. I cannot say that and tell the truth. For the Christian

church,insteadoffloatinghighaboveitall,freeandcleanandseparatedfromit,herpooroldboathassprungaleakandthechurchandtheworldhavebecomesomixed up that you can scarcely tell one from the other. The world has soaffectedourmoralstandards.

ChristianssaytheybelieveinChristbutdonotchangetheirmoralstandardscarcelyatall.TheseleadersliketopreachtotheLevites.YouknowtheLevitesdefended themselves.Theywanted tobe letaloneandapproved.Theydidnotwant tobedisturbed.Theywanted togo tochurchbecause itwas sopeacefulthere, and they could feel so good.All around them, however, thewildernessconditionswereprevailing.

Inourday,wepreachthegospelandmakeconverts,butwemakeconvertstothewilderness.

IfGodshould raiseupa John theBaptist today,oneof the first thingshewouldsetbeforeusistobedeeplydisturbed.Perhapsevenangered.

BasichonestycompelsmetosaythatIbelievethis,andifIamwrong,Godwill have to showme.Compared towhat you ought to be, howmuch of thisdisorderisinyourlife?Howmuchwasteisthereinyourlife?HowmuchwasteofthevitalgiftsofGod?Wasteofabilitiesandlifeandtime?ThewildernessischaracterizedbywastespacesthatarenogoodtoGodorman.

Barrenness is part of the wilderness; nothing matures in the wilderness.Nothingmuchgrowsthereexceptweeds.Ifthereisanyfruitit isscrubby,anygrainisinferiorgrain.

Ibelieve itwouldbebetter tohaveneverbeenborn than tobebornonceandonlyonce.Morethanthat,howtragictobeborntwiceandyethavenofruittoshowforyourChristianfaith!Howtragictogoourwayneverhavingreallyaccomplishedanything.NobodyintheearthwillthankGodthatyoulived.

YouskinnedthroughbythegraceofGod,butnobodywillbesadwhenyougo except your immediate circle of loved ones, and that is only emotionalattachment.

Thinkofthewildplantsgrowingtodayinthedesert,andthinkofthewildplants that grow inmany churches today.Plants of the flesh andof theworldgrow there.We are supposed to be a garden of God, but we are of formlesswilderness insomeinstances,and thosewildplantswillonlybecutdownandthrownintothefire.

Thedrowsinessisuponus;wearenotawaketoseethis.Wearelikeamanwhohasbeenasleeponlya short timeand isdesperately tired, and thecryof

“fire,fire”partiallyawakenshimbutnotenoughforhimtoknowwhatisgoingon.Manyamanisinperilbecausehecouldnotshakethedrowsinessfromhiseyes in themomentofperil.Manyof thesenever repented.Somedid; agoodmanydidsowhenourLordJesuswasfinallyrevealed.ButthemassesdidnotsupportthepurposeofGodandneverrepented.

I wonder how it will be today. I wonder whether we can shake off thisdrowsiness. What is it going to take to open our eyes to the church’s moralcondition?Wearesobusywithour jobsandraisingourchildrenandgoing toschoolandkeepingupwithprogramsandreadingasmuchaswethinkweoughtto and going to so many places without little social engagement. We havebecome so busy that we forget that there is a wilderness. The spirit of thewildernessissettleduponthechurchesofChristaswellasuponthegreatworldaroundus.

There is a voice calling. God’s voice speaks whatever He can, throughwhomeverHecan.Godistryingtosaytousa“voicecryinginthewilderness.”Nowwhatarewegoingtodo?Arewegoingtodefendourselves,orsurrender?Arewegoingtoobeyandrepent?

Adrowsinessliesoverchurchestoday.Doyouthinkthisisacondemnationof churches? No, absolutely not. I believe in every little bit of good I seeeverywhereintheworld,andIloveit.Iamthefirstonetocometoitsdefense.Istill thinkthat ifGoddoesnotcreatesomemanwhocanbeavoice todisturbwithinthenextfewyears,thatwhichwecallfundamentalismwillbeliberalism,andmodernismwillbecalledatheist.

Wearealreadyonourwaydown.Decompositionasksnoquestionsonceitgetsstarted.Cellsbreakdown,gasesgetreleasedandthesmellrises.Itasksnoquestions, plays no favorites and has no partiality toward anyone. Whenputrefaction sets in it goes right on until the job is finished unless the GreatPhysician, who now is near, the sympathizing Jesus, is permitted to take Hissharpknifeandcutitout.

Iwouldratherneverpreachagainthantomerelybeanechoofanecho,areflectionofalifelonggone.Iwanttofindoutwhatiswrongandthengoafterthat.Iwanttoidentifythedrowsinessuponthenation,thedrowsinessuponthechurches.Thisdrowsinessisacharacteristicofthewildernessaroundus.

Let uspray thatGodwillmake a reformationwithinHis church thatwillpurify His people—make them a separated people, a holy and Spirit-filledpeople,abiblicalpeople,nomatterwhattheycallthemselves.ApeopleGodcanuse.

DearGod,maytherebeamightymoveuponmyhearttoseparatemefromtheencroachingwildernessseparatingmefromThee.SpeaksotomyheartthatImightbeavoicetothisgeneration.Amen.

THEAGENDAOFAPROPHET

ThenextdayJohnseethJesuscominguntohim,andsaith,BeholdtheLambofGod,whichtakethawaythesinoftheworld.

JOHN1:29

JohntheBaptistwascalledtheforerunnersimplybecauseheranbefore.Whenkings traveled in those days, they sent a man before them to announce theircoming.JohntheBaptistwastheheraldof thecomingKing, theforerunnerofKingJesus.HeranbeforetoalertthepopulaceandsaythatHewascoming.

John,however,isnottobeunderstoodsimplyasaheraldorareligiousPaulRevere.Hedidmuchmore than that.Hewasalsoapreacherof truth,and thenature of his preaching was to alert the people to the coming of Christ. Hispreachingisstillofage-longanduniversalsignificance.

Oncesomethingsaresaid,thatisallthereistoit.Youcanputitdownashistory,andithasnomeaningforanybodyfollowing.ThepreachingofJohntheBaptistwasofage-longsignificance,becauseuntilChristcomesback,and thegloryoftheLordisrevealedinallplaces,andthemillenniumissetup,John’spreachinghasbindingmoralapplicationtousall.

John’smessagewasthatthekingdomoftheLordwascomingandthattheKingHimselfwascoming.HewascomingtofulfilltheancientpropheciesmadebyMoses and all of the other holy prophets since the world began. John, inannouncingtheKing’scomingjustbehindhim,reachedoutandgatheredupalltheancientpropheciesaboutChristasbeingeverythingthehumanraceandthehumanheartcouldwant.

HepresentedChristasthesunshiningtolightthetraveler’sway,towarmtheearthandbrightenthelandscape.Hewastocomeasthestarofthemorning,andHewouldbethestarthatwouldriseandmeetHispeopleintheirway.Hewascomingas theShepherd to leadHissheep in thedesert toagreenpasture

wherethestillwaterswerestillandsweet.Hewascomingasaphysiciantohealtheheartsofmen.Hecameasapriesttoforgive,tograntcompletefreedomandtopersonallyofferthesacrifice.Hewasallthatandsomuchmore.

TakeyourBible,andoneverypage,ineveryverse,youwillencountersomebitofgold.YouwillnoticesomenewwonderfulthingthatourLordJesusisandthatHewastocomeridinguponHischariot.

ButtheLordwouldnotcometoawildernessunlesstherewasasatisfactorywayprepared,andGodwillnotpreparethatway.ThatwasJohn’smessage.

He said there is One coming afterme, andHewill not come unless youprepare theway.Hewillnotcome into thewildernessofyour life.HewillberidingHisshiningchariotdispensinglightlikethesun,healinglikeaphysicianandguidinglikeaShepherd.Hewillbeallthis,andHewilldispenseitfromHisshiningchariot,butHewillnotdriveHischariotintothetangledwildernessofyourimmorallives.

Hewillnotcomeandbuildtheroad.ThatisthebusinessofthepeoplewhoinviteHimin.

ItwouldbemorallyandpsychologicallyimpossibleforGodtopreparethewayoftheLord.WearetopreparethewayoftheLord.“Iamcoming;getreadyforme.Iamdrivingmychariotthrough;youbuildthehighway.”ThatwastheburdenofJohn’smessage:“thevoiceofonecryingin thewilderness,‘PrepareyethewayoftheLord.’”

If God Himself got out of His chariot and built the way, it would be toviolateHisownnatureandthenatureofman.ManhimselfmustpreparethewayforthecomingoftheLord.

WhatweretheresultsinIsraelofJohn’smessage?Theresultswereplaintosee.Someprepared theway, and to themHecamebringingHis light andHishealthandHishealing,saying,“Son,thysinsareforgiventhee,”and“Daughter,goandsinnomore.”Heturnedthewater intowine,stilledthewaves,forgavesins, gave hope and encouragement. He did all that to them who believed,becausetheyhadpreparedthewayoftheLord.

Others rejected the exhortation of John, remained blind and hard andrefused to receive Christ. They opposed Christ, blasphemed Him and finallycrucifiedHim,fortheydidnotallreceiveJesuswhenHecame.

TheydidnotallobeythevoiceofJohn.Inoneplaceitiswrittenthatcertainoneshad rejected thepreachingof John and so theyhad frustrated thewill ofGodforthem(seeLuke7:24-30).Thatiswhathappenedtothosewhowouldnot

preparetheway.IsupposetheywantedGodtodoeverything.We are living in a timewhenGod is supposed to do everything.What a

peculiarandconfusedtheologybuzzes inandoutof theheadsofpeople todaywhen God has been reduced to a good-sized man! We become offensivelypersonalandintimateinourdealingswithGod;wejokeaboutHimandcallHimourbusinesspartner,ourcopilot,andwhathaveyou.WemakelightofthehighKingandPrinceofglorywhenwemakesomeoneelsemoresacredlyworthy.

Atthesametime,wefullyexpectthatHewillpreparetheway.Hewilldoour repenting for us; He will straighten out our lives; He will undo our evildeeds;Hewillgetrightwithourneighborsforus;Hewillpayourdebtsforusanddoeverything.Johndidnotteachthat.JohnsaidHeismovingin,butHeismoving in on a prepared way, and He is not preparing the way. Therefore,“PrepareyethewayoftheLordtomakeHispathsstraight.”

ThatistheteachingoftheBibleandhasbeencarrieddowntheyearstothechurches.IftheLordisreadytomoveintothelivesofeverylastoneofusandbeasthesunandthestarandtherainandthedew;tobetheShepherdandthepriestandthelightandthehealing,Heisreadytomoveinandbeallthattous.Butourlivesarewilderness.

That is why, as believers, we are not gettingwhat we ought.We are notprogressinginourspirituallivesasweshould,andwearenotlivingthekindofliveswe shouldbe living.Wehaveallowedour lives tobecomeawilderness.EvenwhentheLordmovedinthedaywefirstbelievedonHim,somehavelefttheirfirstloveandneedtorepentagain.

ThewayoftheLordisnotsmooth,andGodcannotmoveinasHewantstomovein.IfwearetoseethegloryoftheLordrevealed,wearegoingtohavetoprepareawayfortheLord.

TheWildernessofYourHeartFourthingsarewrongwiththewilderness,andtherearefourthingswehavetodobeforethechariotofGodwillridein.

Itlieswithyouandmewhetherwearegoingtodothisornot.WecansingaboutChristmasuntilwegetcallusesonourvocalcords,andwecancelebrateChristmasjustaslongandloudaswewill;butwhenitisallover,wemaybeasbarrenaswhenwestarted.Thewildernessandthegreenbriarsmaygrowoveryour soul, and God may be unable to get to where you are, and He may

terminateHisvictoriousprogress towardyour inner life somewhereout in theborders,becauseHecomestothecrookedwaysthataregrownoverandthereisnosmoothway.

StraightenthePathsThe first thing thatneeds tobedone is tomakeHispaths straight.God isnotgoingtorunaroundspiralsorcorkscrews.MakeHispathsstraight.Allcrookedwaysshallbecorrectedandmadestraight.

Everybody knows what that means, and you do not need a Philadelphialawyertohelpyou.IfyouwantGodtoblessyou,straightenupyourlife.Ifyouwant to have the joy of the Lord, straighten up your life. You knowwhat iswrongwithyou.Lo,thechariotoftheLordshinesasitmovesforwardtowardyour heart’s door and finds there only wilderness. John simply said that thecrookedshallbemadestraight.StraightenitupandGodwillmovein.

Youknowwhatitmeansinyourownlife.Iknowwhatitmeansinmylife.And before the judgment ofGodwewill knowwhat itmeans. If the Lord isgoing to move in on us with blessings and revival power, there must be astraighteningupofourlives.

FilltheValleysThenweare to fillupeveryvalley.Thereare somanyvalleys inour life thattakeusdown.Thevalleysneedtobefilledupso thatapathcanbemade.Noruts and hollows in theway of the chariot,whichmeans the sins of omissionmustbefilledup.Whatdoesthismean?Itmeansthethingsthatwedonotdo.No prayers, no Bible study, no giving, no witnessing, no Communion, noseekingGod,nopursuingGod—thingswedonotdo.Tofillupthehollows,weneed to start doing them.The chariot ofGod cannotmove inwhere there arehollowsandrocks.

Iknowmanypeoplewhoselivesareallwilderness,andtheyaskwhatbookI would recommend. Books cannot prepare a highway for you. I do notrecommendanybookexcepttheBookofGod.Westillhavethefeloniousideainourmindsthatwhenwearebackslidden,cold,dryandbarren,allweneedtodoisbuyabook.

Others,whentheyfindthemselvesbarrenandcold,andGodseemstobeamillionmilesaway,takeacourseofstudy.PeoplecomeandaskwhatcourseIwouldrecommendforthem.

Weneedtostopthethingswearedoingthatarewrongandbegindoingthethingsweareneglectingtodo.

Ifyouweretogotoadoctorandhediagnosedyouwithmalnutrition,youwouldnottakeaclass;youwouldaskyourdoctortogiveyouadietsothatyoucouldeatbetterfromnowon.

How foolish it will be in the day of Christ when the eyes of Jesus, likeburningflames,gointoourmotivesanddiscoverus.Howfrighteningtobelievethatwehaveallowedourselves tobecomeoverrunby thewildernessand thensay, “I will wait for an evangelist,” or “I got to hear this wonderful prayingman.” People are disappointed when a great saint of God moves into aneighborhood.Theyexpecthimtohavesomepillorcapsulefilledwithamazingpower.“Takethis,sister.”Thesistertakesitbutitdoeshernogood.ThethingsofGodarenotreceivedthatway.GoddoesnotgiveHisblessingsintrickpills.

Whatisneededistoundosomethings,dothethingsyouarenotdoingandstraightenoutyourcrookedlife.

DestroytheHighPlacesThenwe are to cut down thehighplaces.Themountains andhills need tobebrought down. In making a railroad, instead of going up over the bump anddownintothehollow,theyjustknockoffthebumpandfillupthehollow.Somehighplaces in our lives need to be removed tomake sure the path is straight.HighplacesofprominenceandfameandfortunehinderGodcomingintoyourlifeinvictory.

SmooththeRoughPlacesWealsoneedtomaketheroughwayssmooththroughhumilityandobedience,andthenweshallseethesalvationofGod.Theytakeawaytheroughthingsandsmoothouttheroadsothatthechariotscanrunoverit.

IdonotknowquitewhetherIbelieveitispossibleorwithinthewillofGodtohaveauniversalrevivalaroundtheworld.Idoknowitisentirelypossibletohave a personal revival. I know that you can have that; and if people havepersonalrevivalsitcoulddevelopintoauniversalrevival.

Letmeaskyousomequestions.Areyousatisfiedwith thewayyou livedlastweek?Areyoureallysatisfiedwiththat?Areyousatisfiedwiththedegreeof light and power and fellowship and purity of your life? Are you trulysatisfied?

Youcanhaveapersonalrevivalby justdoingfour little things:Straightenup; begin to do the things you are not doing and should be doing; stop doingthings thatpopuphereandteardownthere; taketherocksoutandsmoothupthehighway.ThentheshiningchariotofGodcanmoveintoyourlife.

Anybodycanhaveapersonalrevival.Tostart,Irecommendgettingonyourknees somewherewith a pad of paper and pencil.Write down the things thathavegrievedGod,andforsakethemforever.PromiseHimtodothethingsyouhavebeenneglectingtodo.Straightenupthatcrookedthinginyourlifeandbyhumility smooth thehighway forGod, andyou shall see the salvationofGodbeforethemorningsunrises.

OGod,IbeseechTheetograntmethevisiontosee,thecouragetotakeadvantage of it and the faith to act on it. I will smooth the way byrepentanceandhumilityandmeeknessofspirit.God,helpmetoday,Ipray,inJesus’name,amen.

THEMANWHOSAWGODONTHETHRONE

IntheyearthatKingUzziahdiedIsawalsotheLordsittinguponathrone,highandliftedup,andhistrainfilledthetemple.

ISAIAH6:1

This passage from Isaiah is charged with a sense of the holy, of somethingwholesome, healing andmysteriously profound. It cannot be understood, onlyfelt;onlyexperienced.

Theonewhocannotfeelit—abasesoulchainedtotheearth—isdescribedthisway:“Andhesaid,Go,andtellthispeople,Hearyeindeed,butunderstandnot;andseeindeed,butperceivenot.Maketheheartofthispeoplefat,andmaketheirearsheavy,andshuttheireyes;lesttheyseewiththeireyes,andhearwiththeirears,andunderstandwiththeirheart,andconvert,andbehealed”(Isa.6:9-10).

The thing that made Isaiah the voice of God in his generation, and forgenerationstocome,forthatmatter,wasthefactthathesawGod.HereIsaiahistryingtoexpressthatwhichwemustadmitisinexpressible.Heistryingtoutterthatwhichcannotbeuttered,whichissaidbythetheologianstobetheineffable.

Intryingtoexpresswhathesees,Isaiahislimitedbyatleastthreefactors.Whathesawwaswhollyotherthanandaltogetherdifferentfromanything

hehadeverseenbefore.Itbelongedinacategorywhollybeyondwhathehadeverexperienced,sohehadno“thoughtstuff”tousetotrytounderstandit.

Likewise, it is impossible for anybody to conceive God. In our singing,praying,worshiping,preachingand thinking,weoughtalways todrawasharplinebetweenthatwhichisGodandallthatisnotGod.Isaiahhadbeenfamiliarwith thatwhichwas notGod—all thatGod had created andmade.Up to this

time, he had never been introduced into the presence of the Uncreated. Theviolent contrast between that which is God and that which is not God—thecontrast between the Uncreated and the created—was such that languagestaggeredunderIsaiah’sefforttoexpressit.

Ifwe could graspGodwith our intellect,wewould be equal toGod.Weneverwillbe,nevercanbe,equaltoGod.Therefore,wecannevercomprehendGodwithourminds.Yet, Isaiahwas trying todo it.Hewas tryinghard tosetforthwhathesaw,andthewordswereclumsyandinadequate.Wordsareclumsyandinadequateevenwhenweexpressthatwithwhichwearefamiliar;sohowmuchlesscantheyexpressthatwhichisdivine.

GodwasrevealingHimselftoIsaiahthroughloftyimages.Yousee,thereisa difference between God revealing Himself and man discovering God. MancannotborethroughtoGodwithhisintellect.Notalltheassembledbrainsoftheworldcoulddoit.Godcan,inonesecondoftime,revealHimselftothespiritofthe man. And so the man knows God, but he knows God experientially, notintellectually.

EverythingwrittenherebyIsaiahwastrue,istrue,butitisasmuchgreaterthanwhatiswrittenasGodisgreaterthanthehumanmind.

Isaiahsaid,“Isawalso theLordsittingupona throne”(Isa.6:1). IwishIcouldmakethisvisiontobeatleastdimlyseentoallthepeoplesoftheworld.Godsitsuponthethrone.Wehavegottenawayfromthatnow.Weareafraiditisan evidence of anthropomorphism. (I’ve never been afraid of bigwords.) Letthemcallitwhattheywill,IstillbelievethatGodsitsuponthethroneinvestedwith self-bestowed sovereignty, and thatGod sits upon the thronedeterminingallissues.ThatiswhyIcansleepatnight.

Isaiahwas encountering theholinessofGod.There is a senseof theholybehindall religion,and it is thedrivebehindevery religion in theworld.Manhasanincurableurgetoprayandtoworship.

Asaresultofblindnessfromsin,thisholinessaspecthastakenmanyformsinreligionthataregrotesque,crude,fantastic,extravagantandvile.Theresultofthisisalackoftruthandpurity,andtheworshipofidolsandsaintsandsoforth.It is the response of the human spirit to the mystery, but it is injurious andineffectualbecauseitisdistortedandmisdirectedbysin.

Mancravesthatwhichisholyandtriestomanufactureittosatiatehisthirst.TotrulyunderstandtheholinessofGod,wemustseehimasIsaiahsawhim:

“sittinguponathrone.”

Man’sResponsetoGod’sHolinessAroundthe thronewas thecry,“Holy,holy,holy.”Fromhereon, Iwant todosomethingthatnomanoughttoattempttodo,soIshalldoapoorjobofit,Iamsure.Iwanttodealwiththeword“holy.”

Holy,Holy,HolyWhatdoestheword“holy”mean?ItisattributedtotheLordofHostshere,andit is more than an adjective that says God is a holy God. It is an ecstaticdescriptionofglorytothetriuneGod.IamnotsureIknowwhatallthismeans.However,IwillofferseveralwordsthatIbelievemaycomeclosetothem.

Always remember,youcan feelyourway through toGodwithyourheartlong after your mind has given up and quit, because God lies infinitely outyonder,infinitelytranscendentaboveallHiscreatures.TheoldGermansusedtosay, “Theheart is always the best theologian.”You canknowmorewith yourheartthanyoucanwithyourhead.

Wemayknowatleastthismuch:“Holy”meantmoralpurity.Itisgoodtoknowthereissomethinglefttothinkaboutthatisabsolutelypure.Youhavetodiscount everything in theworld. A goodman is always a goodman, but! Agood woman is always a good woman, except! Even the saints had theirweaknesses and flaws. James—old, severe James—said, “Elijahwas amanoflikepassionsasweare”(Jas.5:17).Itisacomfortingthingtoknowthathewasa goodman, ownedbyGod and, in the sense inwhichwedescribed, used ofGod;andyethewasnotaperfectman.

OnlyOne is absolutely good; onlyOne is absolutely holy and absolutelymorally pure. OnlyOne is righteous, clean, impeccable, faultless and perfect.That One is God. It gives us the feeling of absolute proof to say this in thepresenceofGod.

RepentanceforWhatWeAreOnethingwrongwithustodayisthatwedonotrepentenough.Thereasonwedonothavemorerepentanceisthatwerepentforwhatwedoinsteadofforwhatwe are. The repentance forwhat you domay go deep, but the repentance forwhatyouaregoesdeeper.ItwasthesharpcontrastbetweenwhatGodwasandwhat Isaiahwas—the absolute holiness of the deity, and the spotted, speckledimpurities of Isaiah’s nature—that brought this feeling of being absolutely

profanetothismanofGod.

TheHeartSensesWhattheMindCannotThen it all gives way tomystery that baffles the understanding and stuns themind, andwe come beforeGod in speechless humility in the presence of themysteryinexpressible.IbelieveweshouldalwaysleaveroomformysteryinourChristian faith.When we do not, we become evangelical rationalists and canexplaineverything.Idonotbelievewecanexplaineverything.I thinkthere ismystery that runs throughout all the kingdomofGod, just as there ismysteryrunningthroughoutallofthekingdomofnature.

The wisest and the most honest scientist will tell you that he knowspracticallynothing.TheChristianwhohasmetGodorseenHimonHisthronewiththeeyesofhisheartwillstopbeinganoracle.Hewillnotpretendtoknoweverything,andhewillnotwanttocondemnanothermanwhomighttakealittledifferentpositionfromhis.

Wemustmake room formystery—thatmystery that isGod.Themysterythatcannotbesofluent.WhenIhearamanpraytoofluently,Iknowheisnotseeing anything. His ability to express himself in prayer, unless a suddenoutpouringoftheHolyGhostcomesuponhim,wouldbeabletoprayonlyjustaverage;whenweareprayingtoofluentlywearenotseeingmuch.

RealizationofaTerrifyingMajestyWhen we have seen God on the throne, we also experience a sense offearfulness.Somethingportentousanddreadfulandterrifyingisthere.Thereisapassage in the book of Isaiah written by the same man where he asked thequestion,“Whoamongusshalldwellwitheverlastingburnings?”(Isa.33:14).

I have heard preachers use this passage to preach on hell and ask thecongregationwhoisgoingtohell.Youcouldnotmissitanyfurtherifyoutried.Thefactis,thisisnottalkingabouthell,foritanswersitsownquestion.Itsays,“Hethatwalkethrighteously,andspeakethuprightly;hethatdespiseththegainofoppressions, thatshakethhishandsfromholdingofbribes, thatstoppethhisearsfromhearingofblood,andshuttethhiseyesfromseeingevil”(Isa.33:15).

In the bookofEzekiel, the first chapter,Ezekiel sat by theRiverChebar,despondent anddejected.Godopened the heavens, andEzekiel sawGod; andthencomingoutofthefire,hesawfourcreatures.WeChristiansshouldbemenandwomenoutofthefire.

Weshouldbeperfectlynormal and sound.We should cultivate a senseofhumor.We should be perfectly down to earth and as practical as James.Thenagain,weshouldhavethetopsideofoursoulsopentomystery.Weshouldhaveawindowaboveopen to themystery that isGod.EveryChristianshouldbeawalkingmiracleandneverbethekindofpersonwhocanbeexplained.

Godisholy;andbecauseHeisholy,Heisactivelyhostile towardsin.Hemust be.God can only burn on and burn on and burn on against sin forever.NeverletanyspiritualexperienceoranyinterpretationofScripturelessenyourhatredforsin.Itwassinthatbroughttheruinoftherace;itwassinthatbroughttheSaviortodieonthecross;itissinthathasfilledeveryjailandhospitalandinsaneasylum.Itissinthathasmadeeverymurderandeverydivorceandeverycrime that has been committed since theworld began. In the presence of thisawful,holyGod,sincanneverbeanythingbutadeviousdeformity.

“Undone”BeforetheThroneIsaiah was not having a vision; Isaiah was seeing something that was there.There is a difference between imagining something to be there and actuallyseeingwhatisthere.Ifwehadoureyesopen,we,too,wouldseeGod,becauseGodiseverywhere.

InNoStrangeLandFrancisThompson(1859–1907)

ThekingdomofGodiswithinyouTheangelskeeptheirancientplaces—Turnbutastoneandstartawing!’Tisye,’tisyourestrangedfaces,Thatmissthemany-splendoredthing.

It is our faces that have turned from God, missing the many-splendoredthing.IsaiahsawthisGod—theGodofAbraham,IsaacandJacob,andhecried,“I am undone.”Here is what someone called self-depreciation to the form oftotaldevaluation.

I am afraid that we are going to try to go out and convert the world bytechniquesandmethods.Iamafraidthat,unconsciously,wearegoingtogoout

andsay,“Icandoit.”No, my brother, you cannot do it. There are not enough institutions of

learningintheworld,ifyoucouldgothroughthemallandlearneverythingthatcan be learned, and read every book that has ever been written; there is notenoughknowledgeintheworldthatwillenableyoutodothejobtheHolyGhostissendingyououttodo.

He will use your skills and gifts. I believe that all right. He will workthrough them.Butnever canyoudo it byyourself.Youhave tobe“undone.”ThemanwhomGoduses is themanwho is undone.Themanwho seesGodsittinguponthethroneis“undone.”

Isaiahwasawestruck, andhiswholeworld suddenlydissolved into avasteternalwhiteness.Hesaid,“MineeyeshaveseentheKing.”

WhatkindofamanwasIsaiah,anyhow?Washeacriminal,amurderer,adrunkard or a liar?No.Hewas not anyof those things.Hewas a fine youngculturedfellow,cousintotheking,apoetinhisownright.Hewasagoodman,andIwishbynaturethatIwashalfasgood.

In the end, what is the purest morality over against the holiness of theunspeakablyholyGod?ThatiswhatwaswrongwithIsaiah.Whenhecriedout,“I am undone,” he meant that he was experiencing the “undoneness” of thecreaturesetoveragainsttheholinessoftheCreator.

I do not like the kind of evangelism that gets people in by cards. I thinkthereoughttobeacryofpain.Thereoughttobeabirthfromwithin.Ifeelthereshouldbetheterrorofseeingourselvesinviolentcontrasttotheholy,holy,holyGod.And if itdoesnotgo thatdeep, Idonotknowhowdeepour repentancewillevergo.Andifourrepentancedoesnotgodeep,ourChristianexperiencewillnotgodeep.

Herewasamancryingoutinpain,notforwhathehaddone,forhedidnotmention a single sin. Itwas forwhat hewas himself.Hewas a fallen humanbeing;hewassuchthatheknewhecouldneverventureintothepresenceofthisawesomeGod.Sohecriedout,“Iamundone.”

AwarenessofOurDepravityThequestionisnotwhetherwehaveIsaiah’suncleannessornot.Thequestioniswhether we have his awareness. Hewas unclean, and thankGod, he becameaware of it. The world today is unclean but unaware of it. Uncleanness with

unawarenesshasterribleconsequences,andthatiswhatiswrongwiththeworld.That is what is wrong with the church today. That is what is wrong withProtestantism.Weareuncleanwithoutbeingaware.

Uncleannesswithoutanyawarenessmakesusboldandself-assured.Itgivesus amistaken conception of our own holiness. It creates false confidence andkeepsthedoorwaytohopeshut.WhenweseeGodonthethroneintheeyesofourheart,andweareblessedbyfaithandinwardilluminationtobeholdalittleofhowholyGodreallyis,thereneverwillbeanyquestionaboutdepravity.

WhenIsaiahcriedout,“Iamundone,”GodsaidtotheSeraphim,“Go.”TheSeraphimleaptdownandpressedthecoaltoIsaiah’slips.

Thismanwas purified.His lips, symbolic of his nature,were purified byfire. “Now,” saidGod, “thine iniquity is taken away.”This iswhat is called asenseof restoredmoral innocence. Isaiahknewhewasbad,butnowhehadasenseofmoralinnocencerestored.

Oh, thewonderof thegraceofGod!Wecanknowhowbadweareat thesametimethatwehavegonethroughthisterrifyingandhumiliatingexperience—afterwehavegonethroughit,andthecoaloffirehastouchedourlives,andwehaveconfessedourdeepiniquityandacknowledgedhowbadweare,notoursinscommittedbutoursinuncommitted.ThefireofGod’sgracetouchesus,andwehavethatsenseofrestoredmoralinnocence.

TheforgivingloveofGodcanrestoreittous,andthenwecanserveHim.Godsaid,“WhomshallIsend,andwhowillgoforus?”

ThenIsaiahsaid,“Sendme.”TherewasthemanGodwasgoingtouseasavoicetohisgeneration.Therewasthemanwhoseiniquitywastakenaway.

OhGod, showa visionofThyself thatwill devalueus to thepoint oftotaldevaluationandfromthereraiseusupandsendus forthso thatwecangoandtellthispeople.Amenandamen.

JESUS,THELASTPROPHET,THELASTVOICE

God,whoatsundrytimesandindiversmannersspakeintimepastuntothefathersbytheprophets,hathintheselastdaysspokenuntousbyhisson,whomhehasappointedheirofall

things,bywhomalsohemadetheworlds.

HEBREWS1:1-2

Down through historyGod’s prophets have beenHis voice toHis people.Nopropheteveroriginatedhisownmessageorevencalledhimselftotheworkofaprophet.TheseprophetsweremenuniquelycalledofGod,notbecauseofwhothey were but because they were willing to be used of God and meet Hisconditions.

GodwilluseanymanwhoiswillingtobeusedofGodinGod’sway.Todaywehavetoomanywhovolunteertheirtalentstobeemployedinthe

causeofGod’swork.Goddoesnotworkinthatway.Godcannotuseourtalentsinandofthemselves.Thetalentswehave,whichhavebeengivenbyGod,aresimplyplatformsfromwhichGodcanact.Thetalentisnotanendinitself.

All the prophets have been different from each other. Even Elijah andElisha,althoughsimilarinsomeregards,werealtogetherdifferentmenandwereusedbyGodaccordingtoGod’spurposes.

Two things brought these prophets together. Theywere different inmanyways,andcomingfromavastassortmentofbackgrounds,twothingswerequitesignificantintheirministryasaprophet.

Theywereavoicetotheirgenerationandtheunitingfactorwasthesourceofthatvoice.Itwasnot theirvoicesprojectingintotheirculture;rather, itwasthevoiceofGodcomingthroughthemanwhohadyieldedhimselfcompletely

toGodforthisworkofaprophet.Downthroughtheyears,thepersonalitieschangedfromprophettoprophet,

but the voice was always the same. It was the voice of a prophet deliveringGod’smessagetoGod’speople.

Ifwewouldanalyzethelivesoftheseprophetsandtheworktheydidandtheproblemstheyaddressed,wewouldseethatwhattheyfacedonthesurfaceseemsquitediverse.Thecircumstancesweredifferentforeachsetting.Butthisisonlythesurface.Whenyougetdownintotheworkofeveryprophet,youwillfindacommonthread.

They had a common voice,which came fromGod, and theywere facingcommonproblems amongGod’s people.Regardless ofwhich situation itwas,the prophet’s voice was directed toward those things; and many times, thosethingswereidolsthatseparatedIsraelfromJehovah.

Thefocusoftheseprophetswasalwaysupward.Themessagecamefromupabove,andthepurposewastodrawtheattentionofthepeopletotheOnewhosits above themountains. Their focuswas on theGod ofAbraham, Isaac andJacob.Although the fathersweregone, theGodof the fatherswas stillon thethrone.

TheproblemeachgenerationfacedwasthatsomethinghadcomebetweenIsraelandGod.

ItstartedwiththedeclarationofLucifer:“Iwillascendabovetheheightsofthe clouds; I will be like themost High” (Isa. 14:14). This is the epitome ofrebellionagainstGod.Thisdeclarationhasechoedfromthattimeuntilthistime.

TherebellionwasintroducedintohumanityattheGardenofEden,creatingthe fallofman: “Now the serpentwasmore subtle thananybeastof the fieldwhichtheLordGodhadmade.Andhesaiduntothewoman,Yea,hathGodsaid,Yeshallnoteatofevery treeof thegarden?” (Gen.3:1).Thisbegan thegreatrebellionagainstGodandHisWord.

ItwasbroughteventothetemptationofJesusinthewilderness:“Andthedevil saiduntohim, If thoube theSonofGod,command this stone that itbemadebread”(Luke4:3).

TowhichourSaviorresponded,“Itiswritten.”This is the greatest challenge of our generation. The enemy desires to

squelchthevoiceofGod,andweneedmenandwomenofGodtostandagainstthisandbeavoicetoourgenerationandshout,“Itiswritten!”

TheCompleteFulfillmentofAllProphecyWhenwecometoJesusChrist,intheNewTestament,wecometoGod’sfinalvoice toHispeople.God“hath in these lastdaysspokenuntousbyHisSon.”Hisisthelastword.

The thing we need to focus on is the fact that every voice from everyprophet was directed forward to Jesus Christ and His fulfillment. EveryprophecyhaditsfulfillmentintheLordJesusChrist.Ifwearetounderstandthevoiceoftheprophets,weneedtounderstandwhat,ormaybeIshouldsay,Whotheyweretalkingabout.

I am not entirely sure that all of the prophets understoodwhere thiswasgoing.IthinkDanieldid,andIamquitesurethatIsaiahunderstooditmorethanthe rest of them. But the voice of the prophets was a matter of obedience.Althoughthecircumstancesweredifferentineachcase,theirobediencewasthewayoflifethatledthemtoChrist,whowasthefulfillmentofalltheirprophecy.

Godcoordinatedthemanyvoicesintoonevoice,andthatlastvoice,whichwasJesusChrist,wastheculminationofallvoices.

TheVoicethatBroughtMankindandGodTogether

Jesus testified of Himself, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and theending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, theAlmighty” (Rev. 1:8). This was not just some poetic, religious jargon. JesusChrist was claiming to be the beginning and the ending of all things, and ofeverythinginbetween.ThatwhichtheprophetsspokeofbackintheearlydaysoftimefoundfulfillmentintheChristtocome.

PaulsaysaboutthisChrist:

Forbyhimwereall thingscreated, thatare inheaven,and thatare inearth,visibleand invisible,whether theybe thrones, or dominions, orprincipalities,orpowers:all thingswerecreatedbyhim,and forhim:Andheisbeforeallthings,andbyhimallthingsconsist.Andheistheheadofthebody,thechurch:whois thebeginning, thefirstbornfromthe dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it

pleasedtheFatherthatinhimshouldallfullnessdwell(Col.1:16-19).

EveryprophecyhaditsfulfillmentinJesusChrist,andnonecouldbefullyunderstood apart fromHim.None of the propheciesmolded the character andexpectationofChrist;He is theonewhomolded theprophecies fromtheverybeginning.InRevelationweread,“TheLambslainfromthefoundationof theworld” (Rev. 13:8). The voice of the prophets is authenticated in JesusChristwho truly holds the lastword.As the fulfillment of all prophecy, JesusChriststandsunchallengedbeforeaworldofrebelliousmenandwomenundauntedbytheirrebellion.

TheprophetHoseaexplainsthis,“AndbyaprophettheLordbroughtIsraeloutofEgypt,andbyaprophetwashepreserved”(Hos.12:13).Thoseprophetswere the foreshadowing of JesusChrist. He is theOne the prophet iswritingabout.HeistheOnewhobroughtIsraeloutofEgyptandpreservedIsraelevenuntothisday.AlloftheprophetswerecarryingthevoiceofGodtothepeopleofGod.

Johnbeginshisgospelwith,“InthebeginningwastheWord,andtheWordwaswithGod,andtheWordwasGod”(John1:1).

In his first epistle, John expounds on this even further: “That whichwasfrom thebeginning,whichwehaveheard,whichwehave seenwithoureyes,whichwehavelookedupon,andourhandshavehandled,ofthewordoflife”(1John1:1).

What will all the Scriptures tell us about Christ as the fulfillment of allprophecy?

TheProphetsSpokeaConsistentThemeI think itwouldhave tobe theconsistencyof the themeof theprophetsdownthrough the years. In order to understand what they were saying and theoverarchingaspectofthemessage,youneedtoseeandfocusinonJesusChrist.Nomatterwhere theywereorwhat theywere talkingabout, thefocusof theirvoicewasChrist.

Nootherthemereverberatesmorethanthisone.Ihonestlybelievethatthisthemewill be reverberating throughout eternity. I believeChrist begins beforetime,andtimeisonlyafraction,a temporaryaspect.IfwewanttounderstandwhothisChristis,wemustlookatHiminthefirstchapterofRevelation.

ItisthethemeofChristwhoisthesupremeruleroverallthings.Heisthe

Creator, theRedeemerand theSustainerofall life.Everyprophet’svoicewasfocusedinthisdirection,thatJesusChristwassimplytheanswer.

We, of course, have the advantage of looking back. Hindsight is always20/20, as they say.Wecan seehow thepuzzle fits togetherafter thepuzzle iscompleted. But these men of God who became the voice of God in theirgenerationswalkedbyfaithandnotbysight.Theywerenotputtingtogetherapuzzle. They were surrendering themselves in absolute obedience to God.Therefore,theremarkableaspectofthevoiceoftheprophetistheconsistencyoftheirfocus.

Theclashoftheprophetswasbetweentheidealandtheactual.Thepeopletowhomtheybrought themessagebelieved theywereokay.Theybought intotheideathatiftheyhadpleasantthoughtseverythingwouldbeallright.Indeed,such is the case today. If you keep positive thoughts in yourmind, sowe aretold,youwillhaveapositiveoutcomeinyourlife.Nobodywantsaprophettocomeandbringrealityintohisorherlife.

The authenticity of this voice of God was in the reality of the message.WhenJesusChristspeaksasthelastprophet,Hebringsintothesituationasenseofrealitythatcountersallthesuperficialideologywepossesstoday.

TheProphetsWereAttackedandMisunderstoodIthinkitissafetosaythatalloftheseprophets,includingtheLordJesusChrist,weremisunderstoodandattacked.Allofthemhadcritics,hindrances,gossipers.I do not believe anybody had aworse opponent than Jesus Christ with JudasIscariot.

Thevoiceofaprophetisalwaysaimedatthefalsereligionamongthetruereligion. Every prophet bristled with denunciation and judgment. Theyconstantlydrewacontrastbetweenthefalseandthetrue.

LookatElijahonthatmountainwithalloftheBaalprophets.Elijahstoodalone against the false. It takes a man of courage to do this and it is notsomething you can muster up on your own. There was something in theseprophets, like Elijah, that made themmen of their generation.Many of themwerenotaccepted;mostofthemweremartyrstotheirmessage.

Every prophet martyred was a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ on thecross.AlloftheirrejectionwasfulfilledinJesusChrist.

EveryprophetintheOldTestamentlookedforwardtoJesusChrist,whereastoday we look back to that cross where He died.We are not serving a dead

Christ,butonewho is alive forevermore.The fact thatHecouldnotbekilledgivesustheauthenticityofHismessage.TheresurrectionofJesusChristprovedthatwhatHesaidandwhatHetaughtwasabsolutelytrue.

TheFinalPropheticVoiceStillSpeaksWe can go forward now in the power and demonstration of the Holy SpiritbecauseJesusChrist,thefinalvoiceofGod,isaliveforevermore.WedonotfindChrist in the dusty annals of history. We find Christ in the hearts of everyredeemed man, woman and child. He is alive forevermore, and His voiceresonateswithintheheartofeverybeliever.

WhenJesusdiedonthecross,theenemiesofGodthoughttheyhadsilencedforeverthevoiceofGod.Iamsothankfultheywerewrong.Theyhadthreedaystorejoiceintheirvictory,butonthethirddayitcametoanend.JesusChristrosevictoriousoverallenemies,call themwhatyouwill,and isalive forevermore.Hismessagegoesonandonandonforever.

BelieversContinuetheMessageOne of the last things Jesus said to His disciples before His ascension intoheavenwas,“Goyetherefore,andteachallnations,baptizingtheminthenameoftheFather,andoftheSon,andoftheHolyGhost:teachingthemtoobserveall thingswhatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I amwith you always,evenuntotheendoftheworld.Amen”(Matt.28:19-20).

OurmessagetotheworldwasgiventousbyChrist.Themessagegoeson;Christisalivetoday.BecauseChristlives,themessagelivesoninthepowerofHisresurrection.

Allof theprophets’messagescometogether in theLordJesusChrist;andthemessageofChristisfilteredthroughbelievers.Wenowhavethefinalvoicethatwecarry toaworld thatdesperatelyneeds tohear,“Thussaith theLord.”ThatistheonlymessagethatcarrieswithittheunctionoftheHolySpirit.

Ifeveryprophetwasavoiceinhisgeneration,andifChrististheultimate,final voice, we now carry that voice to our generation in the power anddemonstrationoftheHolySpirit.

Oh,LordJesusChrist,Thyvoicesoresonatesinourheartstodaythatwe cannot help but go into all the world and be a channel of Thygospel.ThiswedoinThypreciousname,amen.

THELADDERINTOKINGDOMPOWER

Bethouexalted,OGod,abovetheheavens:letthyglorybeabovealltheearth.

PSALM57:11

David,thankGod,wasintroublemostofthetime;andthewayhegotoutisthewaywecangetouttoday.YoucanlearnmorefromamanwhofailsthanfromamanwhosucceedsifthefailurebringshimtosurrendertoGod.

Davidhad justescapedfromAchish thekingofGathandhadfled to thatfamouscaveofAdullam.Themenwhofollowedhimaredescribedas“everyonethat was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that wasdiscontented”(1Sam.22:2).Theseareallthemenwhodidnotfitinanywhere,andtheygatheredaroundDavid.

Davidwasintrouble,andbeingthepoetthathewas,heputeverythingintovividfigures:“MysoulisamongLions:andIliveevenamongthemthatareseton fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and theirtongueasharpsword”(Ps.57:4).ThisishowDaviddescribeshisdilemma.Hisenemieshaddugpitsandbooby-trapseverywhereforDavid,andhewasinrealdifficulty.

The color of aman is seenwhen he is in deep distress and everything isagainst him.What a person does in that situation really says what kind of apersonheis.

David,beingaGod-taughtman,amanafterGod’sownheart,didnotmakethemistakethatmanypeopledo.Hedidnotpray,“OGod,exaltme.God,showthepeople that IamThyservant.Liftmeupabovemyenemies.”WhowouldhaveblamedDavidforprayingsuchaprayer?Yet,Davidunderstoodthereality

ofhissituationandprayedacompletelydifferentprayer.“Bethouexalted,OGod,abovetheheavens:letthyglorybeaboveallthe

earth.”Davidknewthattheworstthingthatcouldhappentohimwasforhimtobe

exalted.Heunderstoodthatwouldbeatreacherousshortcuttovictory.HeknewthatifheputGodbetweenhimandhistroubles,histroubleswoulddissolveandhewouldgetoutallrightwithoutanyharm.Therefore,hebegantopraytoGodthatGodmightexaltHimselfabovetheheavens.

In this,Davidwas theologicallysound.WhenGodcreated theheavenandtheearth,Hemadeittobelikethis.He,God,wastobefirst.Hewastobefirstinsequentialorder,asHecertainlyis—thefirstcauseandaboveallinrankandstation,exaltedindignityandhonor.Hewastohavefirstplaceintheheartsofallmoralcreatures.ThisisthewayGodcreatedtheheavensandtheearth.

ItwasnotanarbitrarythingonGod’spart.Hedidnotsay,“Iamgoingtocreatemeaworldtopraiseme.”GodbeingwhoHeisandwhatHeishadtobefirst.Increatingmoralbeingsandanenvironmentforthemtolivein,ithadtobeaccordingtothenatureofGod.Hisglorymustbeabovealltheheavens.

God’sGlorySupremeTheoneessentialthingweneedtorememberisthatthegloryofGodisourchiefobjective in life,not thewinningofsouls.ThewinningofsoulsalwayscomessecondtothegloryofGod.ButGod,beingwhoHeisandthekindandlovingGodthatHeis,hassoarrangeditthatthemoreHeisglorified,themorepeoplearesaved.So,itworksbettertoglorifyGodfirst.

Thefirstprayerwas,“HallowedbeThyname.”ForGodtobeexalted,forustoputGodupfirst,wemustletGodhavefirstplaceinourthinking;wemustletHimhavefirstplaceinourgiving,andfirstplaceinourlives,ourhomes,ourbusiness, our profession. God must be first in your life. The triune God issupremeinallthings.Thissupremacyrestoresthehealthoftheuniverse,forthetroublewith the fallenworld is that it is inverted.God ismade to takesecondplace. He never actually takes second place, but He ismade to take it in themindsoffallenmen,andtheyareexaltingthemselvesallthetime.IftheygiveadollartotheRedCross,theyweararedfeathershowingthattheyhavegivenadollar.Wearealwaysexaltingourselves.TheresultisthatGodisalwaysgivensecondplace,andthisisalwaysunhealthy.Itbringsdiseasetoallthepartsofthe

worldthatittouches.The purpose ofGod in redemption is to restore that right order, bringing

healthtotheentireuniverse.Godsitsonthethronealone,andeverybody’sheartis toknowthat there is the throne.EitherGodsitson itormansitson it.Thetroublewiththeworldisthateverymansitsonhisownthrone.

Isaiahdefinedforustheessenceofsin:“Allwelikesheephavegoneastray;we have turned every one to his ownway; and the Lord has laid on him theiniquityofusall”(Isa.53:6).Thekeyphraseisthat“wehaveturnedeveryoneto his ownway.” The turning to my own way instead of God’s way is theessence of sin. It is rebellion, unbelief, selfishness and self-will all rolled intoone.

Thatiswhatiswrongwiththeworldtoday,thatiswhatiswrongwiththeUnitedNations,andthatiswhatiswrongwiththeWest.Godgetsnoplace,orifHedoes,itissecond,thirdorfourthplace.

David,findinghimselfinajam,knewthatthewaytogetoutwastobegintoputGodwhereHebelongs.David’sgivingGodfirstplaceinhisheartandinhismindcametoDavid’sdefense.

Thisiswhereweneedtostart.WhatplacedoesGodhaveamongus?ThosewhocallthemselvesbythenameofChristandpraytoHimacertain

amount are content in their position; but the true place in the heart is alwaysfound,notbywhatwesay,butbywhatwedo.

Letmeputforthafewpenetratingquestions.Usuallywhenwegetup feelinggrouchy,wepreachagainst the liberals. I

thinkitwasOliverWendellHolmeswhosaid,“Feelingbadthismorning;livertroublingme.Decidedtostayinbedandwriteathesisontotaldepravity.”Thatisagrouchytheology,soIamnotfocusingmyremarksontheliberals.

Letme focus on those of uswho call ourselves evangelicals, those of uswho believe in the historicChristianity and theBible as the inspiredWord ofGod.

ConsiderYourPersonalFinancesWhenitcomestoachoicebetweenGodandmoney,wheredoesGodratearule?Most people tithe because they have learned it is economically profitable totithe. Peoplewill say that they go further on their 9/10 than they did on their10/10.Anybusinessmanwouldgive a tithe immediately if heknewhewouldcomeoutbetter.

ConsiderYourPersonalAmbitionsWhataboutourambitionandourfleshlyenjoyment?HowdowerationalizeourambitionandappeaseourselvesandgiveGodsecondplace?

WhenitcomestoachoicebetweenGodandmarriage,whowins?God,ortheyounglady?God,ortheyoungman?

When it comes to a choice between God and our friends, and especiallywhenitcomestoachoicebetweenGodandself,whowins?

Ibelievethisiswhyevangelicalchurchesarestaggeringon,becausewewillnot give God the place that is His by right of who He is and who we are.Whenever humanwill enters in, thismonstrous inversion is found.Out in theworldofnature,upamongthestars,everythingisallrightbecausetheyhavenowill.AssoonaswegetwhereGodwantsus,wehavetrouble.

There’snotroubleamongtheangels,becausetheyarenotfallen;butamongfallen men and devils and many other creatures who have moral perception,thereisalwaysthismonstrousinversion.Godalwaysgetssecondplaceorthirdplaceortenthplace,whileotherthingsareputaboveHim.Andyet,atthesametime,thesepersons,whoputGodbelowthem,maybeextremelyreligious.

There will be no inward peace until God is exalted over us and we areabased.Wecanreadall thebooks in theworldandwecanreadtheScripturesthroughonceayearandsingourwaythroughthehymnal,butwhenitisallover,wewillneverfindpeaceorvictoryuntilGodisgiventheplaceinourheartsthatHehasintheuniverse.

This truth runs throughall the teachingsof JesusChristourLord.“If anyman would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me” (Matt.16:24). Unfortunately, we havemade taking up the cross to be a very poeticthing.Takingupthecrossmeantthatwewouldstopmakingplans.ThemanwhotookupthecrossintheoldRomandaysdidnothaveanyplans.Someoneelsemadehisplansforhim.

SomeonecametoanoldmanofGodandasked,“Youteachthedeeperlife,thelifelostinGod.Tellme,whatdoesitmeantobecrucifiedwithChrist?”

Theoldmanscratchedhisheadalittle,gatheredhisthoughtsandthensaid,“The crucifiedman only faces one direction.He is not facing all around, butonly facing one direction. The second thing about a crucifiedman, he has noplansofhisown;somebodyelseismakingallhisplansforhim.”

These are the days of projects and enterprises and ambitions from littlefellowswhohavenotstayedinJerusalemlongenoughtobeenduedwithpower.

Theygoout in thepowerofeducated fleshandputonaproject,and thenaskGod tobless their project.Theyevenwill pray all right.Theywill sendout amailinglisttoenlistpeopletopraysuchandsuchanhourfortheirproject.Itistheirprojectnevertheless.Theyhavenotdiedyet!Theyaremakingtheirplans.

My brother, when you go to a cross, you do not make your own plans.Somebodyelseismakingthoseplansforyou.SowhenGodmakesyourplans,andyouforsakeall,evenhouseandlandandfamily,youhavetoforgoallofthisandputGodfirst.

TheClimbTowardDeepSpiritualSatisfactionWhat is theHolySpirit trying to tellushere?Letmeofferyoua ladderuponwhichyoucanclimbintothekingdomofpower.Iwanttoofferyouthesecretthatwillbringyou richesand inwardexperiences suchasyouhaveneverhadbefore.Thisisthesecretthatwillbringyoutodeepspiritualsatisfactionforyourtotalnature,usefulness,fruitfulnessandgrowthsuchasyouhaveneverknownbefore. In addition, itwill bringyou the ravishingknowledgeof the only trueGod.

Tobeginwith, I believe inpersonal communionwithGod to thepoint ofincandescence.IbelievethatweshouldfellowshipwithGoduntil, likeMoses,someoftheglowofGodisuponourfaces.

Davidunderstood the secret,which is to exaltGodoverourselves, at anycosttous,andalwaysputGodfirst.WearetoputGodwhereHebelongs.Godalways keeps safe everything you give to Him, and you always jeopardizeeverythingyouholdonto.

YouneedtoexaltGodaboveyourfriendships.Giveupyourfriendthatyoumighthave theFriend;butwehangon toourfriendsandweknowtheFriendonlyverypoorlyandinadequately.

“Bethouexalted,OGod,”overmycomfortsandovermypleasures.Somepeoplespendsomuchtimetakingvacationsthattheycallitrecreation.Theysaythey are taking a vacation, and I say, a vacation from what? Mostly it is avacationfromnothingmorestrenuousthanloafing,butit issupposedtobere-creatingsomethingorother.WeputourpleasuresandourcomfortsfirstandthenGodtakeswhat’sleft.

Bethouexaltedabovemyambitions.IliketoseeambitiousChristians,butIwanttoknowwhoseambitionisinterestingthem.

I appreciate theoldGermanpreacher, themedieval theologianandmysticMeister Eckhart. While others may find him shocking, I like him. He oncepreachedasermononJesusandthemoneychangers.AttherootofhissermonwasthethoughtthatthesemenwereservingGodforaprofit,whichiswhatgottheangerofJesusagainstthem,andHedrovethemfromtheplace.Theyweredoing religiouswork that shouldhavebeendone,but theyweredoing it for aprofit.TherearethosewhowouldnotopenthedoorinthehouseofGodexceptfor profit. I count anymanwho servesGod for profit to be a huckster and amoneychanger.IfullyconcurwiththeoldGermanpreacher.

TheprofitIamtalkingabouthereisnotnecessarilyfinancialprofit.Mostofusdonothavemuchtoworryaboutinthatregard,butthereisanotherkindofprofitweliketoget.WeserveGodoncommission.Itisaverylowcommission,and themorespiritualweare the lower thecommissionwearewilling to takefor theworkwe do.Wewant to serveGod, butwewant a commission. “OhGod,wewillgiveThee95percentoftheglory,butcouldwehave5percent?”Thenwegetblessedatsomerevivalmeeting,andsaytoGod,“OhLord,letitbe3percent.”ButGodsays,“IamJehovah.ThatisMyname,andMyglorywillInotgivetoanother.”GodwillnotgiveHisglorytoanybody.AdaywillcomewhenHewill allowus to share all ofHisglorywithHim,but that day is notnow.

Nowwearetobearcrosses,todowithout,toloseourgoods,tobefrownedupon.Nowwearecalledtobeaminoritygroup,adespisedminoritygroup.ThisideathatyoucanmakethecrossofChristsociablyacceptableisaheresyofourgeneration.Manyevangelicalgroupsaretryingtoprovetotheworldthatwearenot sodumbafterall.Weamount to something.Wearesomebodynow inourownright,andwebelieveinJesus,too.

Youmightaswellquit.Assoonasthedisgraceofthecrossisoutofyourlife,thepowergoesoutofyourlife.Justassoonasyouarenolongeradespisedminoritygroup,youarenotapowerfulpeople.

Welike tokeepourreputationelevated,andIalwayshaveto try todie tomyreputation.Itisodd,thatwhichyoudonothaveiswhatyouhavetodieto.IhavetogotoGodconstantlyanddietomyreputation.IlikewhatVanceHavnersaid:“Don’timagineyou’reabigwheeljustbecauseyouhaveashinyhubcap.”Wearealways findingsomefellowwithashinyhubcapandwepushhimup.EvenweProtestantshavetohaveoursaintstovenerate.

John theBaptist had it rightwhen he said, “Hemust increase and Imustdecrease”(John3:30).GodcanalwaysuseamanifHeknowsHisgloryissafe

inthatman’shands.When doing research for my biography of A. B. Simpson, I talked to

WilliamT.MacArthur,whowasapersonal friendandcoworkerwithhim.HetoldmemanythingsaboutDr.SimpsonthatIhadnotknownbefore.Finally,IaskedMacArthur,“Ifthismanwassoimperfect,whydidGodblesshimasHedid?”

MacArthurstraightenedup,strokedhisbeardandsaid,“GodknewthatHisglorywassafeinthehandsofAlbertSimpson.”

GodwillblessanymanwhenHeknowsHisgloryissafeinhishands;butHewillholdbackHisblessingandgiveitonlyinmeasurewhenHehasreasontobelievethatthatmanwantsapercentageoftheglory.WhenthatmanhasnotsettledthatGodisaboveall,helimitswhatGodcandoforhim.

It is hard to comprehend this since we are living in the age of religiousAdam.Youcanseehimeverywhere;justscratchhimandhegetsmad.Aslongasyoudonotopposehim,he canbe as religious asyoucan imagine.Wearelivinginaverybreezy,self-containedChristianity.

Look at the roster of the spiritually successful. I do not need to list themhere;youknowwho theyare.Thiswas theirsecret:“Be thouexalted,OGod,overme.Havefirstplaceinmylifeandletmetakewhatisleft.BeThouaboveme,OGod.ExaltThyselfatmyexpense;atanycostbeThouexalted,OGod.”

Somebodysaid it thisway:“‘Mykingdomgo’ isanecessarycorrelatorof‘Thykingdomcome.’”Untilyourkingdomgoes,Hiskingdomcannotcome.Wewillneverbewhereweoughttobeuntilthishappens.TheKinghastobefirst;andtheassistantkingsandjuniorkingsandlittlekingsreigningdown,buttherecanonlybeoneKinginanyonekingdom.IfthekingdominyourheartcanhaveonlyoneKing, it iseitheryouorJesusChrist.HasHebeen theKing,orhaveyoubeenthekingoverthepastday?

Somepeoplewillobjectandsay,“Oh,IpraydailythatGodwillhelpme.”Yes,helpyoutobeagoodking.Buthaveyoueverstoppedtothinkthatyou

needtogetdownoffthatthroneandaskGodAlmightytoforgiveyouforeversittingonit?Haveyoueverthoughtaboutjustchangingyourprayerandsaying,“Takeit,Lord.ExaltThyself.Takethythroneandreign.”

LordJesus,Thouartexaltedaboveall.HelpusatanycosttoourselvestoputthecrownonThyforeheadandgiveTheethescepter.IaskthisinJesusChristourLord,amen.

PRAYEROFAPROPHET

OLORD,Ihaveheardthyspeech,andwasafraid:OLORD,revivethyworkinthemidstoftheyears,inthemidstoftheyearsmakeknown;inwrathremembermercy.

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran.Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of hispraise.Andhisbrightnesswasasthelight;hehadhornscomingoutofhishand:and therewas thehidingofhispower.Beforehimwent thepestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood, andmeasuredtheearth:hebeheld,anddroveasunderthenations;andtheeverlastingmountainswere scattered, theperpetualhillsdidbow:hisways are everlasting. I saw the tents ofCushan in affliction: and thecurtainsofthelandofMidiandidtremble.

Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine angeragainst therivers?was thywrathagainst thesea, that thoudidstrideupon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bowwasmadequitenaked,accordingtotheoathsofthetribes,eventhyword.Selah.Thoudidst cleave the earthwith rivers.Themountains saw thee,andtheytrembled:theoverflowingofthewaterpassedby:thedeeputteredhisvoice,andlifteduphishandsonhigh.Thesunandmoonstoodstillin their habitation: at the light of thine arrows theywent, and at theshining of thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land inindignation,thoudidstthreshtheheatheninanger.Thouwentestforthforthesalvationofthypeople,evenforsalvationwiththineanointed;thouwoundedsttheheadoutofthehouseofthewicked,bydiscoveringthefoundationuntotheneck.Selah.Thoudidststrikethroughwithhisstavestheheadofhisvillages:theycameoutasawhirlwindtoscatterme:theirrejoicingwasastodevourthepoorsecretly.Thoudidstwalkthrough the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice:rottennessenteredintomybones,andItrembledinmyself,thatImightrestinthedayoftrouble:whenhecomethupuntothepeople,hewillinvadethemwithhistroops.

Althoughthefigtreeshallnotblossom,neithershallfruitbeinthevines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield nomeat;theflockshallbecutofffromthefold,andthereshallbenoherdinthestalls:YetIwillrejoiceintheLORD,IwilljoyintheGodofmysalvation.TheLORDGodismystrength,andhewillmakemyfeetlikehinds’feet,andhewillmakemetowalkuponminehighplaces.

Tothechiefsingeronmystringedinstruments.–Habakkuk3:2-19