Address—C.E. Lunden
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Second king in the second chapter, again, there are different portions here and we'll just consider first down to the 22nd verse. That's we'll have time to consider the rest later. You were noticing the other evening. It might help us to connect it again, but there are four distinct places that Elijah goes with Elijah too. They started Guild off.
Gilgal, you know, was up on the top of the mountains and the plains. It makes us think of the heavenly places. And from there he goes down, because God always starts from Himself, you know.
All of start from insell and get out of backup. It means the House of God where all the promises were made. Remember the 28th of Genesis to Jacob. He lay with a stone for a pillow. The law. You know we arrested. They have Jericho, the city of the Kurds. Jericho's the place.
Where there's nothing to sustain a child's thought, down here it's this world, it's character.
But then it goes on to Jordan and he crosses over Jordan with Elijah.
It's our death with Christ. But after Elijah goes on high, we find that Elijah now reverses the order and he starts back. Because it's experience. If it's go outside of things in his purpose, it starts up there.
It's our experience, it starts down here in Jordan, and so we'll start reading them on the 12Th verse.
The second chapter of Second Kings and the 12 birds. And Elijah saw it, that is, he saw him going to heaven in the whirlwind.
They cried, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more. And he took all of his own clothes and rest them in two pieces. He took applause to the mantle of Elijah's itself from him, and went back and stood by the Bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and smoked the water. He said, Where is the Lord's God of Elijah?
When he often spit in the water, they farted together and thither he liked it went over.
And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said.
Fair to Elijah does rest on Elijah. They came to medium and thousand cells to the ground before him. They sat on him. Behold, now that be with thy servants 50 strong men, let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master. Let's for adventure. The spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley, and he says you shall not stand.
And when he heard him, till he was ashamed that sin, they sent therefore 50 men, and they saw three days that found him not.
When they came again to him before he carried it. Here we go. He said unto them, Did I not say, Unless you go not? The men of the city said, under Elisha the only. I pray thee the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth, but the water is not, and the ground is barren or causes to miscarry. And he said, Bring me a new cruise, and put salt there in, and they brought it to him.
And he went forth under the spring of the waters, and cast the.
Solve in there that that's that the Lord I have healed these waters. There shall not be from them anymore death or barren land.
So the waters were healed until this day, according to the saying of Elijah, which he spaced. We have here then Elijah request of Elijah what he would do for him. He said I would like a double portion of your spirit. And so he said, well if you see me when I go up, it will be granted you. Now Israel has a portion of the spirit in that.
They're born of God. They will be, and the nations too that are safe. But it's never said of Israel or the nations that they have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. They can never say I'm a father.
No, it is true that God will be known in that coming eternity as Father to all his preachers, but in a very sense the church can address in our flock, but to the nation he will say in the millennial day.
Because there being all nations in the eternal States, you know, come, you blessed of my Father, you see.
They'll marry him as being associated with the king, and they all know the King's flock.
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So God, because of the work of Christ and redemption, will be known in that day not only as creator God, but he'll be known in that place of dearness to his creature relationship. That's the result of the word of Christ. Oh, how much richer shall we say reverently God is because of the word of Christ?
He's going to have children that he can put his arms around. You don't believe it? Look at the 15th of Luke.
Children was present. His son is going to have a bride all the nations.
The millennial day will know him in a new relationship that is the.
Their faith in Israel, what a place they'll have, but they'll never, Israel, never be able to say, have a father.
There's that that you as one of the children of God today can enter into what we have in this passage of Israel as a nation will not know. And so we have been the double portion of the Spirit in which we have.
Father, now we notice that this comes having believed. You were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise in Ephesians life. It's come through believing.
You know, it doesn't necessarily mean when a man is converted that he's safe. We use the expression lightly. Conversion means change of mind. You may not yet have come to the place where he realizes what he's doing. And so we see in that picture that we'll try to rehearse briefly that we had the other evening what was mentioned in Luke 9, the man putting his hand to the plow and turning back.
Because I believe it's most important. Well, brethren, as we speak of these things, may I say they're most solemn. Why? Because souls all around us are taking up like things with the profession of Christianity. The church steeples are rising, but where's the heart for Christ?
And you know, brethren, we too are liable to be taken up with something false. We don't have that what I think before us. That's Christ.
Read the 27th Psalm and read it over and over again. We have an object for the heart. One thing that I desire, one thing.
You know nothing can satisfy the hearts of our this heart of ours, but we were so creative, nothing else will do. And if you have a doctrine before you, whatever that doctrine may be, my friend, is not enough.
Now we find that Elijah is coming along and he sees Elijah and he's plowing the 12 yoke of oxen and he was a 12.
It's the end of a dispensation. Well, he's 12 inch to the cloud with the 12 Oxford, the last yoga.
And so he cast all the sides and followed Elijah. My, how noble that is.
How wonderful. I've been waiting tests and see how wonderful it is.
He runs. That's not an indication of faith at all.
No, no, that's the flash. And so he says to Elijah. I want to go back and kiss my father and my mother.
Elijah says go back again. What have I done to be You don't know. You're not sent to the Kingdom of God. Any man puts his hand to the plow. That's repentance. Oh, how many have repented outwardly?
They've never gotten down to the roof. Peter didn't get to the root when he denied that he ever knew the Lord Jesus. And then when the Lord looked at him, he went out and wept bitterly. He didn't get to the roof. He didn't get to the roof till the 21St of John. The Lord says to Peter, Peter, if you love me more than the rest of these, I know he got down to the roof, you see?
That was Peter's trouble. Pride. Peter was very sorry for his sin, but he hadn't kept Judge. Pride, it's one thing to be sorry for your sin.
Another thing to get down to the route, because when you get down to the route, there's no more feeders and everything is right. And you know, we've said it before, but remember.
We can't salvage anything from the flesh. It all has to go.
It has to be Christ. And so he says go back again. What have I done to leave? And he goes back. What does he do? He takes, He plays the obstacle which he plows. You can't go back now.
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About everything.
Who, you say? Isn't that when he goes through Jordan with him? Oh yes it is, but he practically has done it already.
This is different from my profession of a thing or what I do in my heart, and that's what we speak you have in the ministry of your life. I'll tell you why. It's in the book of the King.
And the Book of the Kings takes up the subject of responsibility.
It's a necessity. So it's the Kingdom character of things. It's responsibility. You know, it's a wonderful thing to say. Yes, I'm a part of the body of Christ. It's quite another thing to walk in the power of that truth. And that's what it likes His ministry sets before us.
And Elijah Brevin, isn't that what we need today?
To know more of what it is to walk in the power of the truth.
Is it in the flesh where to do it? No, indeed. And so we find them that.
Elijah slay the oxen, Then he takes all the instruments.
While the harness, the yoke, everything goes into the fire.
Nothing dressy, but now we have the new object before him. He takes the oxen and he boils the oxygen and provides meat to the people of thought. So we see the character of industry. Great. Now we find he goes and follows Elijah. Now the heart is set. He's he's, he's cut off everything in the past.
It's the cross of Christ, the circumcision. Everything is cut off now.
As you and I made such a plea to break as you lighted it, well your enjoyment of Christ will be just in that letter. Now here we have a life of dedicated to following Christ, but still he like it hasn't gone up.
And he's going to test it the same time he's going to bring before him the whole pathway that he's going to walk in.
And so as he brings it before him, you'll notice carefully that although it may seem the other way, Elijah goes with Elijah. Notice carefully that's what it says. Elijah goes with Elijah because it's Elijah experience, you see, as it were. It's that experience of first being seated in the heavenly places.
Now what we have here in order is true Christian doctrine. That's the first thing. That's not the last truth.
It's the first one because unless you and I know our true position can never walk according to it, can we? If no one seated in the heavenly. That's the truth of Ephesians, and then we find all the full measures. We were singing that little him tonight. What race was done for us? The work of Christ? What is brought in brought us into because you know, if we didn't know that we would try to do something ourselves, wouldn't we?
When we find that the work of Christ has done everything for us.
Everything.
God has never asked us to do one thing.
The work of Christ has done it all.
We can't add to it without spoiling it. So then he goes out of the showing. Jericho, the city of the church, the place where everything is ruined. There's nothing for the new man.
Jerry. And then he leads him down to Jordan. And two of them went together. Oh, beautiful. You see, they've been drawn closer and closer, and now they can't be separated. And what is it that ties it up? And I go through the river Charley.
He devounced everything here. Strides is his object and he sees him when he goes up. He says it's a hard thing, but if you see me when I go up, your request will be granted. So he goes up as we rest tonight. He likes to sees it.
And so as he goes back across Jordan to retrace this path which gives us the pictures of the Church's history here on earth.
We finally have the same power as His master, and we find although the sons of the prophets know all about these things, and they can tell him exactly all that was going to take place, yet they in their hearts do not believe it, because they want to go and search and see. Possibly the Spirit of God is cast Elijah in some valley, all the rested hearts of the religious land.
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Appropriate doctrine outwardly, but knowing nothing of Christ, never having gone through Jordan.
Only man take it on the profession. They may have sat at the feet of Elijah, and I'm sure they did, although Scripture doesn't say so. But the evidence is proved that they knew all these truths, that he liked it in the sons of the prophets. We see them all around us, perhaps brought up in Christian homes. They know they offered truth, but they know nothing of Christ is enough until we see them.
As he crosses Jordan and there's a positive witness power of his master is a funny he has the same power.
Oh, it may not be in the measure of his master is true.
But the Lord Jesus could say is he left the scene, greater works than these shall be, because I go to my Father. The Spirit of God is down in the scene now. And even though man may not see it, there are works being done by the Spirit of God which He's using for creatures like man, which will be manifested at the resurrection of the justice. And so, brother, let's go on.
Not really in well doing.
And as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord shall all be manifested nothing. Well, he comes to Jericho, Terry there Now the difficulty is Jericho is as we find himself in Jericho. This is the difficulty. What we have is is likened to this. That is as we're there. The city is plastic.
What we have is pleasant, but the question is the power now.
Connection with the evil that causes the difficulty. The waters of the place, the source of all refreshments, are contaminated. And so we were noticing in Luke's gospel the other day as we were reading it together, that.
The Lord Jesus when he came Luke let his Spirit shows us how the Lord Jesus opens all the hidden springs of man cars.
Wickedness is there.
There's no gospel like loose to give us all the openings. It opens heaven for us and in the 16th chapter it opens hell, but it also opens his heart, he said within himself and said in the 12Th chapter, the rich man said.
So not much could have played it for many years. Take nine days, eat, drink and be merry, God said. Now this was not a congressman.
This was what he was said in his spirit. You'll find it scattered all into Luke's gospel.
7th chapter, the 18th chapter, the 12Th chapter, and so on. That's what man's heart says, and it's opened in the heart. And wine are just insane under the same circumstances. And so we see the hidden springs opened up, and we find as we go through Jericho that although we have all these promises of Bethel all over, seated in the heavenly places in the situation indeed is pleasant.
Dear President, we find that wretched heart.
With all its spring now opened up. Why? Because when?
The one who's going on in his sins, not conscious of what God is, the unbeliever. He hasn't had the springs opened up, obviously, because you never can get in the presence of God.
Without your conscience being active as possible because of what God is. But there was you and I have been called to the fellowship of Jesus Christ.
Because the Father, who is the Son, you know, it becomes his presence. Oh, did we say this was a solemn subject? Indeed it is. Because unless this is maintained, you and I will have no fellowship with the Father of his Son Jesus Christ down here and this Jericho through which we're passing.
Will be a dry scene indeed for us, Holiness becomes a thine house. Oh, God. And unless you and I know something of that and our experience down here, we won't enjoy our Christianity as we go through this world. We might be saying, I'm not Speaking of that. We're thinking about Jericho and the water spoiling the place. But now there are new springs. You know, there are new springs.
And so in order to see.
The connection with the New Testament. Shall we turn to mark 9:00 tonight?
9 Mark nine, Yes, Mark Luke nine last time the 49th 1St. I'd like to read more but we haven't signed to take up what precedes, which applies more to the unbelievers, but down to 49 spurs. For everyone shall be solid with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good.
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But if the salt has lost his saltless wherewith.
When you season it, I'm solving yourselves and have peace one with another. Now there's applies primarily to the one who is made the perfection of Christ in previous versions. Tell us what happens to those who refuse to cut off that refugee that is, they refuse repentance.
But here we find that everyone shall be salted with fire. Now we know the illustrations that are used in connection with Israel, how they're going to be brought and through the refiners fire, that is, they'll be tested as to what God's character is because of the people of God. And they'll feel it in the coming days. They'll go through the very fire. But you know.
Fire is that which consumes the draw for the believers. It takes away everything that that interferes with the silver manifesting the face. Otherwise it's smelling it.
He had to see his face in it, but then it all the dross has to go. But with the unbeliever when the fireplace falls, he consumed it was in a punishable fire due to breakage in the microphone wire. We are unable to record the balance of this meeting.