Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Ezekiel, chapter 47.
First one.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward to the forefront of the house, stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under the right side of the house at the South side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and LED me about the way without under the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
And when the.
Had the line in his hand and went forth eastward. He measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters. The waters were to the ankles. Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters. The waters were to the knees. Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters. Were to the loins. Afterward he measured 1000. And it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen waters to swim in a river that could not be passed.
Over and he said unto me, Son of Man, hath thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
Now when I had returned, behold, at the Bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the E country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which move us whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters.
Shall consider, for they shall be healed, and everything shall live. Whether the river cometh.
Shall come to pass, that the Fisher shall stand upon it from Engedi, even unto an eglium.
They shall be a place to spread forth Nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed. They shall be given the salt, and by the river upon the bank thereof on this side and on that side shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall a fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his.
Because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary, and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the least thereof for medicine.
Now you just turn over to Revelation chapter 22.
In verse one.
And he showed me a pure river, a water of life.
Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street of Epstein, on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bear a 12 manner of fruit, and yielded her fruit every month, And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation.
Well, it's lovely portion in the 47th chapter of Ezekiel look forward as we can see to a time when God will bring in wonderful blessing to this earth and when the Millennium will be seen upon this earth. The Lord Jesus will reign in righteousness and things will be set right in this poor troubled world.
But I was thinking of it more particularly in its practical application to ourselves. Because surely if God is going to come in such a rich blessing to this earth, the only way that this blessing will be brought about is through the Lord Jesus. And we who know Him as our Savior are able by grace to produce something of this kind of fruit even here and now. What a wonderful place is ours to be in the enjoyment of these things beforehand.
Because when we are saved, we possess a new life and we have a life that is able to produce fruit for God. Because it says he's a sappy about us. In him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked. So I just like to look at this chapter in this practical way.
If we were to take time to read some of the chapters before, we would see that there is a pattern given in these chapters for the temple that will be built during the Millennium. And this temple will be a surpassing grandeur. It will be in the place of God's appointment, the city of the great King, and such detail is given. And as we read over the chapters before, we see something of the glory of that house that will be seen during the millennial.
But after giving all the description, then we come to this 47th chapter and we see the source of refreshment. And the reason I mention this is because it is quite possible for us to be clear as to the truth of gathering. It is quite possible for us to be clear about a great deal of the truth of God, and yet not practically to be producing that kind of fruit that is pleasing to God and that will enable us to go on together as we had in.
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Readings in the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. So he doesn't stop by merely giving us a description of this grand house that will be built for the Lord in the Millennium. Wonderful as it will be, there needed to be a source of refreshment. And after giving us the whole pattern of this source of refreshment and the effects of it are set before us in this lovely chapter. And so, brethren, we through grace.
And know what it is to enter into a great deal of the truth.
God, I'm sure many of us are rejoicing in the knowledge of Christ as our Savior. We're rejoicing in the truth that God has made known to us as to Christ, His person, His work, our standing in Him, and what it is to be members of His body. But oh, how easily we can know these things intellectually and yet not be in the practical enjoyment of them in our lives, nor be producing that kind of fruit which is acceptable to God and.
The blessing of others.
So hereafter He had shown them all this, it says in this first verse. Afterwards He brought me again under the door of the house. And behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward. The house faced toward the east. And we noticed that the glory of the Lord appeared from me. The Lord entered by the Eastgate and the Prince who will sit upon the throne in the millennial day, and He entered from the east and.
Perhaps we could turn back to the.
44th chapter and we'll see that.
Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looketh toward the east, and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me, This gate shall be shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it, because the Lord, the God of Israel hath entered in by us, and therefore it shall be shut. And you know, I like to connect this verse with that little hymn that we sing. Take to our hearts, and let them be forever closed.
To all the same, thy willing servants, let us wear the seal of love forever. There. This gate was shut, boy. Well, because the Lord had entered by us. And if one can put it in this way, that there should be a place in our heart that belongs to the Lord, that no one can steal that place, It's His. It's His by right He has entered. We know him because He has redeemed us with His precious blood, and we belong to Him.
And so how lonely to see that.
There was that Eastgate and the house face toward the east. And so the important thing about this house was not merely the grandeur of the building, but that the Lord had His rightful place. And indeed, in the last chapter you'll see that it says in the last verse of the last chapter.
It was round about 18,000 measures and the name of the city from that day shall be the Lord is there isn't this lovely And that is his presence was what made the place. And so these waters issued out from the forefront of the house which faced toward the east. And it's been often remarked that the heart of God and the will of God are the source of all our blessings. But there also had to be a ground for the blessing. And so it says it came out.
At the South side of the altar. And I ran in Revelation 22 to show that this same river is seen in a more full way in the 22nd chapter of Revelation, and it says that the water of life was proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Now that is the heart of God is the source of it about the Lamb.
The guard's lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the ground on which God can bring blessing to us. And seeing the Lord Jesus has accomplished that work and has fully glorified God, now God can come out in all the riches of his grace.
Because the Lord Jesus said I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightened or restricted until it be accomplished and unsure at work was finished, could the heart of God could come out? So in Ezekiel it says that it flowed from the South side of the altar. But when we come to the Book of Revelation we find that the Lord Jesus has accomplished redemption. And so again this river is seen proceeding out of the throne.
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God and of the Lamb.
Well, we find then that this prophet Ezekiel was taken and was led around to see and to experience something of what this river was doing. And I'd like to just bring before our hearts this this practical point that you and I must lay hold of these things first of all for ourselves. And that is if Ezekiel was going to see that something of the good that this river would do.
He must himself be brought through the water. It's something of the same thought and what the Lord Jesus said, He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. That is, it's taken in, it's made our own, and then it flows forth. And that's always the way how God works. That is, it's not just truth learned in the intellect, but He leads us experimentally through the truth and when we have been LED through.
Truth experimentally, then it becomes something that we have proved, we have experienced, and we enjoy as something that we know in our own soul. There's a great danger, brethren, of trafficking in truth that has never really been made our own. And so we don't find here that the Prophet was even allowed to observe the good results of this wonderful water of life until he, first of all himself had been LED through the water.
Then may I suggest there?
That when we read the word of God, we don't read it for others, we read it for ourselves. Read it to get a blessing for your own soul. When you read it, speak to see Christ in US and as food to your own soul. And when it has been made a blessing to your own soul, and then you can say, as the scripture says, we speak, that we do know and testify that we have seen.
Control little incident. That to me was very interesting.
About the 23rd Psalm.
There were two people that were asked to read the 23rd Psalm. 1 was a very well educated man and he read that Psalm very, very nicely, putting the emphasis in the right place. But then there was another person who was asked to read the 23rd Psalm and he wasn't very well educated. He didn't. He stumbled over the words. He didn't read it too well.
Now, but after someone had listened to these two people reading the 23rd Psalm, this person was asked for his comment. What do you think of the way those two people read the 23rd Psalm? This was his reply. Well, he said one knew how to read, the other knew the shepherds and bravo, that's the point for us. Do you know how to read or do you know the shepherd? Do I know the truth intellectually or do I know that something that?
In my soul, it may be with stumbling, it may be with faltering lips, than it is that one speaks of Christ. But the important thing for us all is that we experience what is set before us here. That is the going through the waters.
Crown odysseys brought around to the very front of this house the source of all blessings. And now it tells us that there was a man there who had a line in his hand and he led him forth eastward. May I mention again eastward, because in the Millennium, the floor. Jesus is the son of righteousness rising with healing in his wings. And so to speak, as he moves, he's getting closer to the Lord. He's moving toward the east, He's moving toward the.
Rising towards us and worth it. One who alone can bring the blessings. And it says he measured 1000 cubits. He brought me through the water. Well, that was a long way. 1000 cubits is about 1/3 of a mile. And I'm sure that if any of us walk through water for 1/3 of a mile, we'd think why that's a long way and only to the ankle.
But how slow we are to make progress in the things of God? How slow?
We are how often, as it were, we drag our feet. And that's the feeling you get when you're going through water. You'll feel as if your feet are being dragged. And so it is any in divine things. We don't learn it in its right way according to our intellectuality, but according to our willingness to have Christ before us. Every step he made was toward the east. And if you and I are going to make progress in the things of God, we need to have the Lord Jesus before us.
And as I say, we mustn't expect to learn everything in one day. We mustn't expect that we're going to get hold of the things of God all at once. There's a verse that says if a man thinketh and he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it. In other words, if, if learning the truth of God doesn't humble us, then we're not learning it in the right way. If I were to say I know all about the Lord's coming, that would be a proof that I didn't, because when?
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Think of what that truth means, and what a little effect it has in my life, Why, I only have to say how little I know about it. And so when it is the moment we boast about knowing something in the things of God, God says, well, you know nothing yet as you ought to know it. The knowledge of the truth of God humbles us, but it exalts Christ. 1000 cubits 1/3 of a mile. Moving on. And it was only up to the ankles. Now I just like to suggest a few.
Thoughts about these different places where he measured up to the ankles? I'd like you to turn to the book of the Acts.
And the third chapter.
Acts 3 and verse 7. Verse 6.
Then Peter said, Silver and gold, have I none but such as I have Give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he, weeping up, stood and walked, and entered in with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the 16th verse. And his name, through faith in his name hath made this man.
Strong Tunisian now, Yeah. The faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Well, I just like to speak of this. Going through the waters to the ankles and sitting before us, our standing in Christ. Here was a man that was a cripple from his mother's womb. And isn't that the way we were born? We were born in sin. We had no standing before God. We were helpless in his presence.
Now the Lord and his wondrous grace has, as it were, picked us up our feet and our ankle bones have received strength and we have perfect soundness in his presence that we can be in his presence not only knowing that our sins are forgiven, but be able to say in Christ it is we stand. Yes, everyone in this room who is truly saved has a perfect standing before God because.
Because God sees us in Christ, as we have in John.
The person that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. Not only are your sins forgiven, but wonder of wonders, every believer is accepted in God's beloved Son.
I believe some young Christians don't see the distinction between having our sins forgiven and being accepted in Christ or being justified, but perhaps I could illustrate it like this.
I had a a great debt and I couldn't pay the debt and someone else pays the debt for me. Why this is wonderful to know that my debt is paid, but that doesn't mean that I'm brought into any favor in the eyes of my creditor, does it? It's just simply to know that my debt is forgiven and my debt is paid. But supposing that my creditor sees that debt on his book and he says to his son.
Will you pay the debt for him?
And then I'll be able to send in a receipt. So his son pays my debt, and he sends me a receipt like this, paid in full through the kindness of my son. Oh, now I've learned something of my creditor's heart. And so I go to thank him and he says, well, I want you to know something. Not only is this debt wiped off my book, but you're in the same favor and acceptance before me as my own son.
Oh, isn't that more than forgiveness?
Brethren, it's a wonderful thing to know that God is not only forgiven us, but we are accepted in the beloved. We're holy and without blame before Him in love, and there are many dear children of God who haven't got any further than the forgiveness of sin. But is this blessed if the Lord has, as it were, taken us by the hand and LED us through the waters?
Representing to us the precious Word of God and brought us to the place where we have seen.
That not only are our sins are forgiven, but God has brought us before Him in favor, in acceptance, in righteousness, and so that He Himself cannot find one single spot upon us.
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First, John chapter 1 and verse 7 it says, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. God has brought us into the light and He fitted us for the light. The holy light of His presence can never discover one spot upon us because the blood has so perfectly cleansed us and we are before Him in Christ.
Well, here he was led through the waters to the ankle, but he didn't stop there. There are some who stopped at the knives that their sins are forgiven, then their others. And when they come to this wonderful knowledge that not only are their sins forgiven, but there before God in Christ, they stop there. They don't make further progress. And so we find here.
That the man with the measuring line didn't allow him to stop there.
That wasn't enough. The Lord wants us to know all that He has for us. He wants us to enter into the fullness as we had in our chapters at the meetings in Glendale. And He wants us to grow up under Christ in all things. He wants us to come to the perfect man, to the measure of the stature, the fullness of Christ. So he took him by the hand and led him another.
1000 cubits. Well, shall I say it was a little harder walking.
Because anybody that's walked in water knows very well what I'm talking about, that it's not too bad when the water is up to your ankles. But the deeper you get, the harder it is and the slower the progress, shall I say. There's more of a tendency to drag. And isn't it true with us how slow we are in making progress in the things of God, how we find our feet dragging? But it says here he brought me. It doesn't say he led me, but he brought me through.
And, you know, the Lord has to pass us through some things to bring us to a fuller acquaintance with himself. He knows just what is needed to bring us through these things so that we would have a fuller acquaintance. Perhaps He's passed us through some things in the past years. He may have to pass us in through some more experiences. But it's because He wants to bring us through the waters to have a fuller appreciation of himself and to have a deeper knowledge of what we have.
Him, him as a little hand says, Blessed is the sorrow kind of storm that drives us nearer home. Well, he brought him through the waters till he came to the knees.
And hearing what would the knees suggest to us? Well, I don't it won't take time to turn to the passage in the 6th chapter of Daniel. But here we find a man, and he was a man very much like ourselves. He was a busy man. He had an occupation that made it exceedingly difficult for him to be faithful to the Lord. He was in a high office in the government in Babylon, and he could have easily said, well in my possession.
I just can't be truly out and out for the Lord. He could have said that because it was a very difficult spot that Daniel was placed in. He was the highest man in the government and you say how could he be faithful? But let me say that whatever your position is, the Lord can enable you to be faithful. And if you can't be faithful in it, why you cannot abide in it with God. But if you're in a position, the Lord can direct you and give you grace to be faithful to him.
But it may cost something. The king passed a decree that no one was to ask anything of God and man for 30 days. And now the challenge came for Daniel. What is he going to give up that time of prayer for? This is what the knees suggest. Was he going to give up that time? It was so needful that he might be sustained in the surroundings in which he found himself.
Oh, how easy it is for us to give up, to find ourselves so busy.
Find yourself so engulfed in things that we just don't have that time. And when we find it's a little bit difficult, we put it aside perhaps for a day. But not so with Daniel. And we find with Daniel that his custom was that three times in a day he went to his room and he opened his window toward Jerusalem and kneeled on his knees and prayed to his God.
Isn't that lovely? And nothing was going to interrupt that.
And all may I say to each one here, don't allow any pressure of business, don't allow anything that happens, anything in your life to keep you from that time that we so much need upon our knees. We may know truth, brethren, we may have got to the ankles, but there was something more. And that is to be brought to the knees. And that's where the truth properly brings us. And that is the knowledge of the truth brings us to our knees. In other words, we learn.
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Upon the Lord. For we cannot walk in the truth of God in human strength, and we cannot carry out the principles of the Word of God in human strength. We need power from the Lord. We can say this is what should be done, but we can't carry it out unless we get to our knees. And the devil knows how to put all kinds of obstacles in the way. And how cleverly he put the obstacles in the way for Daniel.
It might have meant his job. It might have meant his life.
It certainly meant his friend because everything was against this time being spent on his knees, but he wouldn't give it up and all. Sometimes, as I say, we find it so difficult. But here were 1000 cubits again, 1/3 of a mile again. What a long way what drying your feet and getting harder each step. But all Daniel wouldn't give up that time.
Daniel wouldn't give up that secret of his.
Strength as a man of God. He was a man of God because he knew what it was to confess his dependence upon God and his confidence in God three times in a day. Oh brethren, may we allow the Lord to bring us through the waters. And if we are going through waters of trouble, the enemy may say, oh, it's too difficult. How easy it is to get a little bit rebellious. How easy it is to say, why does this happen to me and almost.
Feel that the Lord doesn't hear our prayer when we cry to Him. We all know how the enemy suggests these things, but it takes a real effort to go on constantly without getting before Him and pouring out our hearts before Him.
And Daniel might have said, well here I have been faithful, and I have prayed 3 times in a day, and God let this come upon me fly. And then when the day came and he hoped that the king might let him off, the king tried and the king couldn't work it out either. And he's dropped down into the den of lion. Oh, he might have said, for all my praying, things just went worse. Did the devil ever wished for them in your ear? You prayed and things seemed to go worse instead.
And you thought, well, why is that, Bob? Daniel still trusted in his God? And you know, brethren, sometimes we glorify God more by taking adverse circumstances from Him than by seeing His delivering hands. I've often called attention to the 11TH chapter of Hebrews, and there are two groups there. There are those who cried to the Lord and received deliverance and says they wrought righteousness.
Promises they escaped the edge of the sword. God wrought remarkable deliverances for them. But then there's a little change. And it says others were stoned, they were sawn asunder. They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins. You say I'd like to be in the first class. I'd like to feel that my prayers were answered with glorious deliverance. But I don't like to be in the second class where you just suffer and you pray and nothing seems to happen and you just seem as.
The Lord let you go through the things and doesn't interfere. And I don't like to be in the second class, but what is the comment of the Spirit of God?
These all obtained a good report through faith. That is God gives you a report not just because you got deliverance, but because you trusted him. That's what honors him, his faith. Oh, as he's leading you or I through the waters, as it were, and bringing us to this point where we learn this greatest important lesson. It's all.
Worthwhile Daniel wouldn't give it up no matter what happens. And finally, God did come in at his own appointed time and deliver Daniel.
Well, that wasn't a stopping point either. It says in the fourth verse again, he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters where the loins. Well, here we find another 1000 feet, 1000 cubits rather. And this perhaps we could say was more difficult still to be brought through as the waters, because as they got deeper it became more difficult.
The waters to the to the lines. Now that was becoming a little harder.
And thought is, brethren, as we go on the things of God, we find it takes that energy of faith to continue to look to the Lord. It costs something to walk in the truth, but all it's worthwhile when we get to glory. Won't it be worthwhile to hear his well done? And so I would just mention that I think these loins suggest that very thought to us for in the 6th chapter of Ephesians where we have.
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Brought before us, and it says Having the loins gird about with truth. Having the loins gird about with truth. I believe that the lines suggest to us our desires.
And, you know, sometimes.
Our desires hinder us from walking in the truth. Perhaps we want to take a little easier path. Perhaps we can think of some way that it would be a little easier than walking in full obedience and devotedness to the Lord. We say, oh, if I take my place at the Lord's table, it's going to cost something. Perhaps my friends will not understand the position if I seek to take a stand in obedience to Him.
In connection with some other step in my life. It's going to cost something. It may jeopardize my job, it may jeopardize something else. And so it becomes, shall I say, more costly. But the scripture says by the truth and sell it not. And so may I say, are your loins? Are my loins girt about with truth?
Now that is when the loins were good about with truth life.
They were able, that was part of the armor, to go forth and meet the enemy. And so we need to walk in the truth that we know. Some people are greatly concerned about things in the Bible that they don't know. But as one man said, what concerns me is what I do know that I might walk in it. And can we each ask ourselves, are we walking in the truth that we know?
If so, God will give more, but the important thing is to walk in the.
Truth that we know how to have our loins gird about with truth. Sometimes you'll hear a Christian say, well, I like to do that.
Well, this is a question of what we like or what the Lord likes.
Sometimes there's a choice to be made. Are we going to follow our own desires or are we going to hold in our own desires? The loins gird about with truth is as it were. We hold in our desires and we have bring them into subjection to the truth of God. And so it isn't a task that we ourselves in the flesh might choose, but it's the path of his choosing. It's the path in which he would have us to walk. The blessed Lord Jesus in his pathway down here could.
Say, I do always those things that please Him. In another place it says, The good pleasure of Thy will, O God, is my delight. Another place, says even Christ please not Himself. So hereafter being brought through another thousand cubits in the water, He comes to the place where the waters were to the loins. And so I think you can see in these three that there.
A progress, first understanding our position in Christ, which is of course so important if we would go on in the things of God, and then realizing the need of constant dependence upon the Lord and confidence in him. For prayer expresses those two things, dependence and confidence. And then that the truth that we know control our likes, control our desires.
So that we would only desire.
To do with all the things which are pleasing to the Lord.
And then it tells us he didn't stop there in the fifth verse afterward he measured 1000. And it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. In this connection, I'd like you to turn with me to Ephesians 3. I'd just like to read a few verses there.
Verse 17 of Ephesians 3.
That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto Him be glory in the Church.
By Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.
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Well, here we find in our chapter that there were waters that couldn't be passed over, but waters to swim in. And brethren, we can never, never lay hold of all the fullness that's in the heart of God. But we can come to the point where we swim in those waters where we live in the enjoyment of that which proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And he delights to lead us on to this in our souls. And I just like to mention in this.
Passage that we read.
In Ephesians, the 3rd chapter, that I believe there are two things brought before us there in the 18th verse, may be able to comprehend with All Saints, what is the breadth and length, and depth and height. I want you to notice that little preposition, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. I believe there are two things. Many times the verse 18 is read as though it were saying the breadth and length, and depth and height of the love of Christ.
Which passes knowledge. But I want you to notice that there are two things there, the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.
I believe that there's the waters to swim in.
That is the breadth and length and depth and height is the measure of the blessings, and then with those the love that goes with it. Perhaps I could use an illustration that will help to convey the thought. Supposing that there is a young man whose wealth is a very, very great and he's going to be married and he gets a beautiful home ready.
And he has it built and it's just.
The grandest tone that you could possibly think of. And then he brings his bride to be and together they walk through the house and each room is more beautiful than the one before. He takes her through each room and as she looks upon this beautiful home, why she's filled with admiration. This grand home is going to be her home.
And she sees it all, and she sees that it's been provided.
For her to enjoy. But that isn't all. When he's done showing her through the home, through every room, and through all that's been provided, he puts his arm around her and says, And I want you to know the love that goes with it. Not just the house, but it's the love that went with all this provision in each room. It was built with love. It was built not only to show what I wanted to give to you about that. It was love that wanted you to enjoy.
With me and brethren, isn't this lovely? And that's what is brought before us. I believe in the waters to swim in. That is that we might be able to comprehend with All Saints the breadth and length and depth and height. God doesn't want us to stop short of enjoying all the jewels in the jewel box because they're all ours. He doesn't want us to be Supposing that girl when she stepped in the door and saw what a grand home it was, she said, Oh dear, I'm just satisfied to be.
In the door, I was never in such a grand home in my life. And just to be inside the doors enough for me, wouldn't He be disappointed? And may I say to each one here in this room, if we don't want to enter into the wonderful things that are in God's Word for us to know and enjoy, we've grieved His heart as well as lost something for ourselves. And then, as I say, He not only wants us to know the blessings, but He wants us to know the heart of the blessing. And that's why.
Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Now we often apply this verse to prayer and say, well, the Lord is able to do more than we can ask or think. Thank God, it is blessedly true. But the context of the verse is, would you and I ever have asked to be part of the bride of Christ? Would we ever have asked?
To the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Would we ever have asked?
Be associated with Him in reigning over this earth in righteousness. We would neither have asked it nor thought it, but he purchased it, and He's going to carry it out, and nothing short of all the blessing that His own heart can bestow will satisfy him. He wants the brethren to enter into it now by faith, that Christ might dwell in our hearts, by faith as we shall soon know it in its fullness above. And that's why it says that she might be filled with all.
Of God. That doesn't mean that we can contain the fullness of God. I could take my cup down to the Pacific Ocean and I could fill it. I could fill it out of the fullness of the Pacific Ocean. But I haven't put the ocean in my cup. And you cannot. You and I can never take the ocean into our cup. The little poem says, Thou hast begun to show me, Lord, but what shall be the ending? I touch the fringe of what thou art. And this is joy transcending. I'm only on the rippling shore, love.
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Ocean depths are all before but we can be filled with the fullness of God. And so here wasn't this worth, shall I say, Polly dragging my feet. I'm sure if we picture this to our ourselves and our minds. Just think of walking through water for over a mile, dragging your foot through water for over a mile, you'd say, well, I'm sure I'd be tired out, but all to come to these waters that swim in and brethren.
The Christian pathway may sometimes be difficult. There may be times until lay hold of the truth and walk in at cost us something. But you'll never meet a Christian whoever says, well I'm sorry I laid hold of so much of the precious things of Christ. Never. Because the more we lay hold of these things, the more precious they become waters to swim in.
Now we find a very startling thing, and that is after all this lovely experience, Command is brought back to the shore again. He has to make his way back, all the way back to the shore. What is this brought in here? Well, I just suggest this thought and that it's a blessed thing to enter into and enjoy these things. But now we have to meet the practical realities of life. We have to come back and find that this world is still a desert.
Have to come back and see that there's a need here in this world and how is that need going to be met? So this very man who had been brought all through these waters and LED down down this long distance over a mile, and it was swimming in these waters. And now he's brought back to the shore. And when he comes back to the shore.
He finds that there's a desert place there, and he finds that there is fruitfulness wherever these waters flow. And, you know, as I say, and I repeat it, we have to come back and face the realities of this wilderness world through which we pass. We can sit in the meetings and enjoy the precious things of Christ till our hearts overflow. But when the meeting is over, we have to go back, as it were, through the waters, and we have to go down and see that there's still desert places there.
Miry places, they're still marshes yes, there are places that we have to meet situations and difficulties, but all. How shall I say, how prepared this dear man was after he himself had been through the waters and so he looked around and what did he see he viewed the results wherever those waters flowed, wherever those living waters flowed, what happened although there was fruitfulness, there was blessing and there was everything to.
His heart, so it tells us, when He came back to the brink of the river in the seventh verse. Now when I had returned, behold, at the Bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said He unto me, These waters issue out toward the E country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. Perhaps we could compare those trees.
To the to the the Saints of God.
Because it speaks of believers as being trees planted by the river. And so perhaps we could compare these trees to the Saints of God. But what is It'll make these trees grow. What will make them produce fruit? One will make their leaves green. Oh, it's a desert place. There's no water refreshment here in this world. It's a dry and thirsty land. But wherever these waters flowed, the trees brought forth fruit.
There was the hurtfulness and blessing.
And then he saw it going down into the place where there was desert and finally flowed right down into the Dead Sea. Oh, that stagnant place, the Dead Sea, No inlet, no outlet. There it was. And perhaps you say, well, I see a situation in my life just like the Dead Sea. It just seems that there's no inlet or outlet. Everything seems so dead.
About here, for the waters slowed down into the Dead Sea and even the Dead Sea.
Healed. Even the Dead Sea. Oh, isn't this lovely all brother, There are situations that we have to meet in life that are too much for us. There are situations we have to meet in our assemblies that are too much. And it just seems that there's nothing that can be done. But isn't it so beautiful that wherever these living waters flowed, the waters were healed and the trees began to and put forth their leaves and their fruit, and there was great blessing?
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And notice too, it says in the ninth verse, And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which move us.
Wheresoever the river shall come shall live, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed. Then in the 10th verse it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from and hedai even unto Eniglium.
They shall be a place to spread forth mess. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. So here perhaps what would suggest to us as a blessing of the gospel, and how often the blessing of the gospel is hindered because we're not walking in the enjoyment of the truth of God ourselves. How sad it is when the world has to look at a Christian and say, well, it's that man, the Christian I wouldn't want.
To be 1. What a sad thing it is when the world has to see such a testimony. It has been said by another Our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord. This world is gradually finding out now that material things can't satisfy. Why are young people turning to drugs? Well, I'd suggest that when they're young, they have far more opportunity than young people ever did before to try everything the world has to offer.
How they go out and they try this and they try that. I believe we could say that by the time a young person today is 20 years old, he's seen more than most people did 30 years ago in their whole lifetime. They see everything and then they say, oh, there's nothing. So they may turn to drugs. And now we find people turning even to the power of Satan, wanting to get in touch with the spirit world.
Oh, brethren, what's the matter? Oh, they're trying everything, and they're, they're finding.
That this world doesn't have what satisfies, and perhaps we're the hindrance why they don't turn to Christ.
Water, it's haven't been floating amongst others. These waters haven't been flowing in our lives and they don't see it in us that we have found a truly satisfying portion. They don't see that we have proved that the Lord is sufficient. And maybe we've read about these things, but we've never been through the waters ourselves. When this man returned, he could say, Oh yes, I know about all those waters. I was through them. I was out swimming in them. They're wonderful. No wonder they bring such blessings I've experienced.
And brethren, it's not the things that we know in our heads, it's the things that we get hold of in our hearts and lays hold of our lives. That's what counts. It's getting it down into our our feet.
Someone said, oh, I'd like to get a knowledge of the Bible like you to a dear eminent servant of God. And he said, oh, I'd like the truth of the Bible to get hold of me. Oh, that's what we need, brethren. It's for the truth to get hold of us till it affects our lives. Are we swimming in the waters? Are we enjoying these things? Then we can come back and look on this desert world. We can look at its Dead Sea. We can look at the problems that arise in home life, in business life.
School life in assembly life, and we can, as it were, bring that experience that we have had with the Lord Jesus, that knowledge of Himself and His love into these situations, and then we'll see that He is sufficient for every situation. There wasn't a place where these waters flowed that there wasn't healing. If it was a desert place, the desert was healed. If it was the Dead Sea, by the waters of the Dead Sea were healed. And so they threw in.
More attaching faith and I believe brethren, we'd see more blessing in the gospel if we were walking more in the joy of the Lord ourselves. If when people came in they saw what we had and then one time was asked how he got saved. Well, he said I went to a gospel meeting and he said I don't remember a single word that was said, but he said the lady that stood up beside me to sing, she shared her book with me and she was so happy as she sang. There seemed such reality to.
That he said it spoke to my heart and I thought there must be something to it. Ah brethren, the world looks on. They want to see that what we have has really filled our hearts that were filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, perhaps there's one little thing that puzzled us, and that's the 11TH verse. But the miry places thereof and the marriages thereof shall not be healed. They shall be given the salt. Why is it that there is this one exception?
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Well, I believe it's because these were places where the waters flowed and stagnated. They didn't flow on, they didn't flow through. And may I say we can listen to these things, we can talk about them, we can know them. But unless the truth of God has its practical effect upon our lives, all the ministry that could be given, that doesn't change us at all, doesn't change us at all. It has to be flowing freshly, and that is.
Has to be, shall I say, and no hindrance to it flowing through. If it stagnates in US now, that is, we receive it and it stops right there. It just stagnates there. But God has always given the truth so that it enters into us and it flows on. It reaches out in blessing to others. We have no monopoly on the truth, or we have it for ourselves, but we have it and so that it might flow on in blessing to others. And there's nothing so sad.
As a receiving truth and there not being any outlet, no outlet in praise, no outlet in gospel work, no flowing on as it were. We just become stagnated. Oh, God wants us to be, shall I say, channels of blessing to others. The important thing then is that the channel is kept cleared so that you and I would be the channel of blessing to others. For whether it's worship or whether it's service, it's the overflow of the heart in worship.
And it's the overflow of the hardened service reaching out to others.
Says in John 3A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. None of us have any blessing in ourselves. It's not personality, it's not knowledge. It's something that must flow through us and it comes from above. And if you and I watch and walk until judgment, then there's no hindrance and it just flows on and reaches out to others. So if there's anything in any one of us that's hindering the blessing, if there's something in our lives that's stopping.
The flow of this water of life, may we get before the Lord and own it before Him. Sometimes our pipes get plugged and we have to get them open so the water can flow through. And sometimes these things allowed in our lives and they're a hindrance to the outflow of blessings. May we have grace to judge them with all this wonderful supply of fresh living water. To think that there were still marshes, places given to salt, and what a sad thing to think.
That this truth that we know should not be practical in our lives. Who May God grant it, will be so. Now just this one more verse, the 12TH verse.
And by the river upon the back thereof on this side, and on that side shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his month, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary. And the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. Isn't this a very lovely and interesting clothing to this subject?
Here this servant.
God, Ezekiel stood and he looked at both banks of the river. Both banks. So I consider two sides to everything. He's still on both. And he looked at both banks. And here on both banks, he saw that there were trees that were growing for meat and their leaf didn't fade. And why? Oh, because the waters proceeded out of the sanctuary. And so no matter what our position may be.
Perhaps you say, well, I'm caught in one position or I'm caught in another.
Proceed from the sanctuary. They're sufficient for every place that we can stand, whatever the place may be. If the waters come from the sanctuary, there will be that blessing. And I think it's nice the way it reads here. Brought forth new fruit according to his month. Now that is, each new month brought some a new display of fruit.
And you know, if the Lord leaves us here through the months of this year.
Supposing he leaves us through the 12 months of this year, they're going to be different situations arise every month. They're going to be new situations where it's going to require the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, gentleness, goodness, faith. Against such there is no law. Is this going to require?
That that fruit of the Spirit, that certainly we must stand for the truth of God.
And God would never have us to compromise His truth, but let us do it in the spirit of Christ. Let us do it in that way now that is pleasing and honoring to Him. And so there is fresh fruit for each situation. And we can't live on. We can't live on something that we have enjoyed in the past. Just like the Passover, it had to be enjoyed freshly.
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You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. When they gathered the manna, they couldn't keep it till the next day.
And the fruit was fresh every month. And it says that the fruit thereof shall be for meat. Oh, surely the Saints of God would be fed, if you and I were displaying in a practical way in our lives the precious fruit of the Spirit. Yes, the Saints of God to be Fred. There would be meat for the table, and then it says the least thereof shall be for medicine. Yes, there would be medicine. There would be curing. There would be that which would heal in every.
Situation that might arise. Oh how blessed has a full provision that God has made for us in his precious word Well may the Lord grant that as we consider this lovely chapter and we're in the first month of 1972. If we were to read in the Book of Revelation. It says that bear 12 man earth fruit and yield to their fruit every month we're beginning a new year brethren, I say again, if the Lord leaves us here. We don't know what's ahead of us but.
We know the Lord goes before we know that He's sufficient, and may He grant that by looking to Him and cleaving to Him, we may be able to be in some little way a messenger for Him. And as He leads us through these experiences in our own personal lives, may He also bring us back and give us to view the situation in the light of what He is, not what we are in ourselves, but in the light of what He is in all. His blessed, all sufficiency for every.
Situation through the whole year and until he comes, he is able and he is willing.