Address—Bernie Roossinck
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So the.
This clock says relate and that one says we're on time.
So we're going with that one because they can see it.
My name is Bernie from West Michigan. Certainly happy to be with you all. This is noted as an address to young people. And as I look across your faces, I am really thankful to see so many young people here. And I'll tell you, it really wasn't very long ago that I was just a kid and somebody else.
Have more ability and.
Scriptural understanding was standing up here. I hope that what we have before us this afternoon would be profitable for the young people and for the older ones as well. I would like to start by singing #151.
Lord Jesus, when we think of thee, of all thy loved and grace.
Our spirits long and fain would see thy beauty face to face #151.
Hey, Cortana.
Cortana, you're welcome.
Well, as I said before.
Wasn't very long ago I was one of you guys.
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And I always look forward to the young people's addresses. And, you know, the Scripture has a lot to say to young people and.
And I know the challenges that are facing young people today are immense, and the attacks of the enemy against you and your Christian walk are tremendously strong.
I have a subject before me that I hope will be a benefit and help to you.
And it's something I've been thinking about off and on for a number of years.
And that is building towers and digging wells.
And I'd like to take this up in the life of Uzziah.
In Second Chronicles 26, verse 10.
We'll start with that Isaiah was a king of Judah, and he began to be king of Judah when he was 16 years old.
And he reigned over the Kingdom of Judah for 52 years, I believe it was.
Maybe we'll read a little bit more than just one verse to set things up here. Second Chronicles 26.
Verse one. Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah who was 16 years old.
And made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. And he built Eloth and restored it to Judah. After that the king slept with his fathers. 16 years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned 50 and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekyllaya of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
According to all that his father Amaziah had done, did.
And he sought God all the days of Zechariah, who had understanding and visions of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, the Lord made him to prosper.
Forsake of time, Let's read now end of verse 8. For He strengthened himself exceedingly.
Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, at the corner gate, at the valley gate and the turning of the wall.
And fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert and dig many wells.
For he had much cattle both in low country and in the plains, husbandmen also in vine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel. For he loved husbandry.
Let's go down to the end of verse 15. He was marvelously helped.
Till he was strong.
We have time, we'll come back to the end of his life, but for now I would like to spend some time.
With you, dear young people, and these two activities that he did, building towers and digging wells.
Not sure exactly which order to take them up, so we'll take them up in the order that they're given here in the scripture. So let's talk about towers for a minute.
A tower is.
Symbols, pictures to us strength in many ways.
Both in the scripture and even in today's world. I'm sure those of you that are a little bit older remember when the Twin towers fell and.
New York, right, 911 and what a.
A sad day that was.
I still find it amazing that that happened. The Lord allowed that to happen and.
An attack was made on the symbol of power and economic force in the world that day, and the Lord allowed that to happen. Towers speak to us of strength, protection. I would also suggest to you that they speak of what's fullness.
Just by way of example for you kids.
I remember I, I enjoy some of the Old Testament stories that I remember when Jihu was writing this chariot and the watchman in the tower, I think it was in the city of Samaria, was looking out over, you know, and he's hey, hey, there's somebody coming.
And the question is, well, who is it? Because he drives like Jihu? My dad used to say that to us like don't drive like Jihu. That's apparently he was noted for a certain type of driving that was somewhat wild. But anyway.
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That kind of watchfulness is happening out of these towers, right? And so I'd like to have a few applications for our Christian life about watchfulness and protection and strength 1St. And I would suggest to you young people that Amaziah here was helped by the Lord.
And he delivered his the people of Judah from their enemies. So we didn't read this specifically. I should have how that he warred against the Philistines and the Arabians and the Ammonites and so on. And the Lord gave him help. And one of the other things I like about Uzziah was he liked farming. And so do what?
Says he like husband for any head cattle and he had vineyards and so on and.
You know the enemy would like to take things like that from us in a spiritual sense as well. When there are resources that you have in your Christian life that are helping you and you enjoy the Lord and helping you in your Christian walk, the enemy sees that and he wants to take it back or destroy it if he can.
And so here Amaziah built these watchtowers. I can picture different, maybe little fortresses. Fortresses.
So on and and you know, I'll just use an example. Maybe Steve, you could be up in the tower and be looking out over hey, here comes Robert. This is not going to be good. Get ready. I'm sorry, Robert, I'm sure you wouldn't destroy anybody's vineyards, but I pictured these towers like that and Amaziah built these so that he could protect.
What God had given you know the Lord promised his people a land flowing with milk and honey.
The enemy of your soul wants the opposite for your Christian life. Problems, destruction, erosion and just take it away.
Before I get into the practical points I have about towers though.
We need to talk about the Lord Jesus because He is the ultimate tower started as Psalm 144 together.
Psalm 144.
And we're going to read verse one and two.
Blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war.
And my fingers to fight my goodness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and he whom I trust, who subdue with my people, under me, while dear young people, the Lord Jesus is that high tower.
That gives us that strength and protection. And I want to tell you in today's world.
More and more necessary than ever before to have a day by day close relationship with the Lord. We need this Hightower, this fortress, the strength that we can go to. You know we. The question was brought out in the last meeting about the environment that you young people are living in today and how it is so against God and against.
His counsel and his principles.
And in many ways, I know that we're heavenly people and we're not involved in the Daily Politics of things or we shouldn't be. I remember my dad used to teach us when I was a kid, The potsherds of the earth thrive with the potsherds of the earth is what he would tell us. And you know, young people.
It's frustrating, it's sad, it's scary to see what's happening in the world today.
The Lord Jesus is the high tower, the strength, the fortress, the deliverer, the shield. We need all those things. Now let's turn over to Proverbs 8.
Or 18 I mean.
I love this verse. Had the center kitchen wall for a good many years.
Proverbs 18 verse 10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe. Oh how much we need that today. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. Young people, don't be ashamed of the name of the Lord.
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Be willing to be counted as a believer, as a lover of Christ, to say to your friends and your coworkers and other students or whoever. I belong to Jesus. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and I'm not suggesting you use the name of Jesus like some kind of a.
Magnetic force or a shield or a lucky charm of any kind like that. What I'm saying to you is.
Confessing the Lord Jesus to your friends, to your coworkers, it's a it's a very, very important thing. And that strong tower, so important in their Christian lives.
Now let's turn to Psalm 61 for one more thing about the Strong Tower.
I love this passage as well.
Psalm 61.
I know that many in this room have had to deal with problems.
I was chatting with Matt at lunchtime.
Things happened. The Lord allows things that are tough.
I, I, I can't even begin to enumerate as we look up and down these rows, things that God is doing in the lives of each one of us. I enjoy this so much. So I'm 61 verse two from the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for Thou hast been a shelter for me.
And a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy Tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert of thy wings. But dear young people, that's the place of protection and safety and comfort. Is your heart overwhelmed this afternoon? I think maybe there are folks in this room that feel that way right now.
When my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me through the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
O brethren, that's where we need to be. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I is the Lord Jesus.
OK.
Now I'd like to take up with the Lord Jesus being the ultimate strong and high tower. A few things practically for you young people regarding towers in your lives. First Peter chapter 5 we'll start with.
Probably quote most of these, but.
Believe it or not, you get nervous when you're standing up here, so we're going to open the Word of God and read it together first. Peter 5, verse 8.
And I want to apply these young people.
Around being watchful.
Be sober, be vigilant for your adversary. The devil is a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Like I'll I'll tell you the story about this verse. Some of you have been to Newfoundland at the Gospel Tent.
When I was a kid, when we would go from town to town, we would go from door to door and hand out invitations to the gospel tent and my brother Benz came running up this road.
And behind him was a big German shepherd dog.
And the owner of the dog called the dog off. Everything turned out fine. But afterwards Ben's quoted this verse to us. He goes, boy, that was like the the devil, like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And he almost got a big chunk of them too, Buddy.
But he did. But those of you that know Benji would smile at that. Young people, the enemy of your soul is walking about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And we're told to be sober and to be vigilant. And I would suggest to you that this is one of those towers that you should build in your Christian life of being vigilant and being sober, because we know that the enemy will do everything in his.
Power to take you out or if you can't detract, maybe you're a saved young person, you're a child of God. He knows you can't take your salvation, but he would like to take your testimony and any usefulness for the Lord that you might have. And so he's attacking constantly. So the first one I just want to encourage us, all of us, brethren, is we need to be vigilant and sober.
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That is a tower that you should build and that I should build. Be vigilant. Be sober.
All right now Habakkuk chapter 2.
And I've often said this, but the reason that we keep the books of the Bible in the Sunday school book is so you can run through the song in your mind to find a book like this. Habakkuk, chapter 2.
At least I need to use a book that I saw like that.
And verse one.
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch and see what he will say unto me.
And what I shall answer when I am reproved.
By young people, what I would like to suggest to you in this verse is.
Standing.
Watching.
Sat upon the tower and watch.
It is important.
To listen to what the word of God is saying.
I will watch and see what He will say unto me. I want to suggest this to you. I hope this is not out of its proper context. It's important in your life to cultivate a habit of sitting quietly and listening to the Word of God, or reading it for yourself and listening to the Spirit of God. Bring things out for your spiritual growth.
And for situations that you have on a day-to-day basis. And so this is the tower that's important to establish in your lives to stand.
To and be watchful to sit there and listen to what the Lord wants to say to you.
Now, I think sometimes when some of these minor prophets were bringing these things out, they didn't have good news to say to the people of Judah or Israel because they were living in big problems. But I would like to apply this to you right now and to me, the Lord wants you to just sit and listen and be in the word of God. That's a, it's a tower that's so very important for your lives, for all of our lives.
One Corinthians, chapter 16.
And I'm thinking of verse 13.
What she stand fast in the faith?
Quits she like men. Be strong now. The word quits you like men is Old English. It doesn't mean to just quit. It means stand up and act like men.
Or women.
Don't just float along through life and carried away with every wind of doctrine and this and that and the other thing and no, it says the swatchy stand fast.
Act like men and women. Maturity. Be strong. This tower, brethren, is so important in our lives.
Stand fast, you know the current of the culture today would just sweep you away.
Stand fast and watch and be strong. It's, you know, it's, it's tiring, it really is tiring to be faced full on every day with just constant pressure to compromise the counterfeiting, the messaging that's sent our way.
From the culture is so I don't know about you brethren, but I I come to a conference like this and it's so refreshing.
To be together with the Lord's people and to have encouragement and to visit with friends. To be over the word of God.
It is such a Oasis, if you will, to come apart and to stand fast. Don't quit.
You know, it takes real purpose of heart. I think of Daniel, right? He's he and his friends are carried away captive out of Judah here. They are slaves to a Pagan power. And Daniel may well have said.
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Nothing I can do about it. If you can't beat them, join them. And yes, hand me the bacon, hand me the pork chops, hand me the wine. And knowing that that was against what the word of God taught and the culture would say, what does it matter now? Just do it and be willing to stand fast and says Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
And that really means that he decided he he considered what was before him and he decided I'm not doing it.
And the Lord provided a pathway, a escape, if you will, for him to honor those exercises. You know, it speaks of him being brought into favor with the Prince of the eunuchs. That guy didn't have to give Daniel a chance, but the Lord worked in his heart and he made it happen. So this is the tower. I just suggest you young people don't.
Fold don't conform.
Purpose in your heart to stand fast and stay strong. The Lord will honor that, and He'll give you the.
What you need to do it?
Two Timothy, chapter 4.
You know, we really could spend a whole conference on Second Timothy. We're not going to do that. Timothy was a young person.
Maybe much the same as some of you. I believe he was not outspoken or outgoing, maybe a bit reserved and the apostle Paul had to say in a in a various places remind him.
Stir up the gift. Don't neglect the gift that's in you. And then he had to tell the some of the.
Assemblies. When he talks, you listen to him.
So Timothy was a bit timid.
Let's read verse 4 here. Verse five. Watch thou in all things since the Second Timothy 4-5. Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of the evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry.
You know, Paul was at the end of his life when he wrote this, he says later on in the chapter. I'm now ready to be offered.
I find this chapter very touching because you know, at the at the end of Pauls life, he's he's saying to Timothy, now you step into the harness.
You young people, we need you.
Here the apostle Paul was saying to Timothy, I'm almost my journey is almost done. I'm ready to be offered and I find it so beautiful that he said to Timothy, do your diligence to come quickly. I want to see you and and bring my coat, bring my the parchments and bring the books.
I find that beautiful. And then he says come before winter too. You know, it's winter, brethren, spiritually out there. It is. And here the Apostle Paul knew that.
That he was passing off of this scene and the young Timothy was going to be used of the Lord for great blessing. I want to encourage you young people, build this tower to be willing to pour yourself into the service of the Lord.
And to be willing to endure affliction, it's not easy, you know, the the easy path would be just to float along and do whatever is good for you and forget about everybody else. But the Lord wants your life. He wants your heart, He wants your service. And again, the common word here is watch in all things.
All right, Hebrews chapter 13. This one is really actually for you that are older.
Hebrews chapter 13. I want to say this to you young people. There are older ones in this room that love you, that have influenced your lives, that have taught you, that have instructed you, that have coached you, that have prayed for you, that have loved you, that you may not even know.
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And.
I want to say to you older ones.
You have, we have a responsibility to guide and to shepherd.
And to watch for the souls of the young people to bring them through hard times.
Very recently I spent some time with a young man that was really struggling immensely and he he told me I feel like I'm all by myself and I'm lost in the woods.
I didn't even realize it.
Maybe some of you were there and there are older brethren that love you that are watching for your souls. I want to say this to you young people. It says here, obey them to have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief.
Dear young people.
We want to be able to bring you along in the Christian pathway with the Lord's help, so that in a coming day when the Lord says.
Give an account of your time. Give an account of the.
Ability, the talent that I gave you to be able to say with joy that you poured your your concern, your love, your care into you, dear young people, your older brother. And I'll give you a farming example. Some of you have heard me mention this. And if you want to see a picture of it after I got it on my phone, but come and see me. It's called ear pinching.
What happens is the size of an ear corn is made.
When the corn is five leaf or about knee high and if stress is put on that plant at that very young time, the girth of the year scrambles. It always is in double S. So maybe it was going to be 22 rows around and then it will go down and by twos. So I have examples of ears that started out that 22 rows around and they went down to 12. What happened?
And the very young development.
Some stress, some unnecessary problem happened.
And that is never gained back. You can't get it back. So you older brethren, I'm talking to myself here. Beware. What are we doing that could be pinching off irreversibly?
The development for the good of the Lord and his people and the young people, now young people.
Some older brother or sister takes you aside and gives you some advice, some coaching, maybe even challenges here, the lifestyle you're living. Don't be mad. They love you and they want you to be able to guide you and bring you along so that they can give account to the Lord in a coming day. Yes, this is what happened. So this tower that I'm talking about, I got to keep moving.
Young people is this.
Cultivate a relationship with your older brethren.
You know things are different today than they were in the 50s or 40s or 30s, whatever. 80s or 90s even. Remember how old I am?
The fact is, things change. The word of God does not change, and we want to.
Help you grow and thrive in your Christian life. And so that's the Tower. And you older brethren, me included.
Easy for us to stand in our little circles and talk about the way it used to be. Get out into the corners and crevices and there are young people that want and need to know you and the story. I think of the verse there in Deuteronomy chapter 8. My dad gave me this first when I turned 40. Thou shalt remember all the way. The Lord thy God hath let thee.
These 40 years in the wilderness.
Put your own age in there.
To prove thee I can't quote it all to do thee good if I later ran this how it finishes. Oh, we need that. That's a tower. We need to have build that.
Matthew 26.
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Matthew chapter 26. Let's begin with verse 40.
It's to set the scene here, it's the night before the Lord went to the cross. They're in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Lord says he began to be sorrowful and very heavy, and he takes Peter, James and John with him. They go further into the garden and he says to them.
See here, while I go Yonder and pray, and the Lord is out there in the garden, and in agony of soul comes back, and they're sleeping.
This is the power verse 40. What could you not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Well, dear young people.
Cultivate.
A prayer life.
Be constant in prayer to the Lord, and I don't say that you need to.
Be on your hands and knees all day long. You can pray while you're driving, you can pray while you're doing just about anything, and you don't even need to use words sometimes.
Just a soul that is communing with the Lord constantly.
Lord, what shall I do? Lord help me. Lord, I don't know how to handle this situation.
Lord, I'm lonely, I'm tired, I I'm in a jam. Whatever it is, the Lord values that. And here in the Lorde, agony of soul, these three disciples are like pretty sleepy. And the Lord goes, couldn't you give me one hour?
Boy, that strikes my soul. Brethren, sit there on Lord's Day morning and remembering the Lord in his death, and you know, I have to chastise myself. My mind is here and it's there and it's all over the place. And I have a feeling that's probably true for most of us.
Oh, the Lord wants our devotedness and our couldn't you watch with me one hour? What a privilege to do that. And so I just want you young people to consider that.
Put the Lord first. It gets there in Matthew 6 where it's seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
That all these things will be added on to you. And that's not speaking about once either, that's talking about needs. So Lord, I want a new boat and a fast car. Nope, that's not what it's talking about.
Put the Lord first. We don't have time to develop that anymore.
Proverbs, chapter 4.
Proverbs, chapter 4.
Verse 23.
This is another tower that you need to have in your lives, young people.
Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Another translation says keep your heart more than anything that is guarded.
For out of it are the issues of life. Guard your hearts, young people.
And it takes constant diligence and watching to do this, but it's so important. The heart is the seed of the affections. You know the enemy wants nothing more than to capture your heart.
And take it from the Lord.
Keep your heart. Guard your heart with all diligence.
You know, and that's just in.
A couple of things in everything you know, I, I, I look across your faces to your young people and I, I, I know that you're thinking about things like careers, you're thinking about relationships, you're thinking about.
A spouse? Perhaps you're thinking about studying. Whatever it is, keep your heart with all diligence.
So.
Essential to have this tower to be on guard constantly because you know that. Going back to the picturing you know, Steve's vineyard and Robert sneaking up to steal some.
I shouldn't use your brethren as an example, I'll use myself.
Bruce, you mentioned Al Coleman earlier. Al is a lovely brother. I love him a lot. You never see a man more in love with the.
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Preaching of the gospel hardly than him.
You just listen to Brother El Priest, and you just watch the love dripping off of his hands.
Anyway, his wife Lena had a green thumb and she was good at gardening and she had a big strawberry garden. So myself and a few other young people one day took some liberty to sneak through that garden and pick strawberries, which is stealing. Don't do that. So I'm putting myself in your shoes, Robert.
Anyway, she had a defense mechanism in the garden and I didn't know about it.
1000 my hands and knees lifting up the plants looking for red strawberries, and I came face to face with a giant rubber rattlesnake.
And a realistic one, too. I was about here, about this. Far from this thing. That was the end of stealing Mrs. Coleman strawberries that were out anyway. Keep your heart with all diligence.
Now let's switch over to Wells.
Amazing how quickly time goes.
Wells in the Scripture really speak of refreshment. They speak of it to me, and the application I want to make right now is making the Word of God your own. There's probably other applications to Wells, but let's first turn to Genesis 26.
This is a passage that I have enjoyed my whole life.
And I first learned this from my dad, who I praise God for.
The scene here is.
Isaac.
Had been warned by God, don't go down into Egypt like your father did. And so he got as close to Egypt as he could get.
And he got in trouble down there. There was a lapse in his life, and he got in trouble with the bimbolect. So let's take this up in verse 17. Isaac departed thence and pitched his tent in the valley of gear and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father.
For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham.
Well, young people.
There are a lot. I know that not all of you were raised in Christian homes. Many of you were. If you weren't, I would tell you this.
There are many, many, many people in this room that care for your spiritual refreshment and that have dugout wells out of the Word of God and made it their own in their lifetime and they want to share that with you.
And here are the Philistines had taken the wells that Abraham dug, and they filled them up with dirt, and they wanted to take away that refreshment. And so it's a beautiful thing that we find Isaac digging in the place where he knew there was water, and he knew it because his father had found water there, too. And I just want to say this to you young people about this.
It's important to dig your own wells.
You need to do that. We're going to get into that in a second, But it's also a beautiful thing to carry on in the teaching that you've been given and the and the heritage that you've been given. You know, it's a it's a beautiful thing, a marvelous thing to be able to come Sunday morning and be gathered around their precious savior and.
To remember him and his death, that's a wonderful heritage. Don't give it up.
And the enemy would like to fill up that kind of a well with dirt and say, ah, forget about that. Why don't you go someplace where they have good music? You can just roll in, sit in your seat, do nothing. Somebody will give you a motivational speech and you'll go home for lunch and piece of cake. Oh, brethren, that is walking away from the wells that our fathers have dug.
I'm not trying to pick scabs here or anything, I know that there are.
Weaknesses in her assemblies. I know that there are ones and twos. I know that there's loneliness. But young people dig these wells that your father's and mothers have dug. Dig them out for yourself. There's water there.
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And then we find growth in Isaac, and he goes and digs his own wells too. We don't have time to develop this. I'd like to hear this ministry from somebody else, though. Verse 19, Isaac's servants digged in the valley and found there a well of springing wire. Verse 20, they digged another well. Verse 22, they digged another well.
Verse 25. There Isaac's servants digged it. Well, young people, be in the word of God.
Read the ministry that we have available to us and dig out for yourself what God's principles and councils are. It's so important and valuable to have this well.
Jeremiah, chapter 2.
That's one more thing before we turn there, I just want to say this to you young people.
Remove not the ancient landmark.
Is a principle in the Word of God.
It's a dangerous thing to just try to change things, to modernize God's word is.
Pure, right, True. That's what we need. Don't throw off the ancient landmarks or remove the what your father's and your grandparents have said. Don't do it. Value the truth. All right, Jeremiah, Chapter 2.
Verse 13.
For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters.
And hewed out them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. While young people, I want you to do the opposite of this verse.
Don't forsake the fountain of living waters. The Lord Jesus loves you. His purposes are for your good and blessing. And the enemy would tell you that's not true. Just like we had this morning with with Adam and Eve in the garden, right and the enemy's messages, God is shipping you. You're getting ripped off.
He's lying to you. He's not young people. And to forsake the fountain of living waters.
And to try to find satisfaction, peace, fulfillment.
In this world, it's not going to happen.
Here they had shows. The other thing they did was they hewed out broken sister in second hold no water a sister and it's like a a tank, if you will. You know, in today's world we just go get a Poly tank of some kind and fill it up with water.
In my work we have lots of tanks.
Everywhere from 50 gallons to couple million. A cistern is a tank. And here they are trying to to.
Get satisfaction out of a broken take. Maybe we drill a hole in this water bottle.
Can't get anything to stick? Nope.
Yeah, I think of the Gospel hymn. I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, but the waters failed.
Ain't as I stooped to drink, they flat and mock me as I wailed. Now none but Christ can satisfy believe that young people. None.
But Christ can satisfy.
You don't have to be very old in this world to know about people that have met tragic ends by trying to satisfy their longing souls with the things that this world has to offer. I'm not going to get into specifics, but a family we're close with in the last couple of weeks.
Had one of their sons.
Dead from an overdose?
Crack pipe between his fingers. Did it satisfy that for a moment? Young people?
Don't forsake the fountain of living water since the Lord Himself.
Exodus chapter 12.
15 Sorry, Exodus 15. This was right after the Children of Israel came out of Egypt and went through the Red Sea.
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Uh, there was a lot of singing and rejoicing and then there was a bit of trial and the Lord in a very miraculous way at Mara healed the waters and by casting in a tree, Speaking of the cross of Calvary and the waters were healed. And then then there's Ernie. They come to verse 27. They came to Elam where were 12 wells of water and three score palm trees and they encamped there by the waters.
Well, brother and I would suggest this about that passage.
It's 12 months in a year.
One of the Psalms speaks of a full life being 70 years.
The Lord has in mind.
Your refreshment and your blessing your whole life. And He wants to provide that for you.
Be at this Oasis of Elam. 12 wells of water, Bobby, 12 months a year. The Lord don't take a month off. Leave us on her own, does he? 70 palm trees.
Yeah, I can't quickly find that verse in the Psalms, but it's it speaks of man's life being 70 years. Brethren, the Lord is in all the way home. Savior, don't forget that.
Every day, every day, brethren, especially you young people, be in the Word and walking with the blessed Lord, and you will find that Elam every day.
We're pretty well out of time here. I'm going to skip a couple of these.
One more in First Chronicles 11.
The scene here is.
David's mighty men are being enumerated and.
We'll read verse 17, First Chronicles 1117, And David longed and said, oh, that one would give me a drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is at the gate.
And three breakthrough the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David, But David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord.
And said my God forbid at me that I should do this thing.
So I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy and so on. Well, what I would like to say to you young people about this is.
These three mighty men.
Were so devoted to David.
That they were willing to answer his request. I don't think David commanded them a Jared, get me some water and make it quick. He didn't say that. I think he was on a hot day saying, oh, man, would it be nice to drink a glass of water out of the well of Bethlehem. And those three men, you hear that? Yeah, let's go do it. And they did it. They broke through the Garrison of the Philistines and they.
That water and they brought it back to David. David, we brought you this water from the well of Bethlehem.
What devotion to their master. Now, young people, you're willing to do that for the Lord Jesus? The Lord Jesus requests, desires mean enough to you that you want to do it. I hope they do. And here David took that water and he looked at it. So I can't drink that. And he offered it to the Lord. I believe it's like a drink offering. He's this Lord is yours and he just poured it out.
But that is a beautiful, beautiful picture of devotion to Christ.
Oh, be at this well, be willing to go draw from this well. The Lord Jesus so values your affections and.
You know, it says there in Corinthians, the love of Christ constraineth us. We have to do it, young people. It's worth it.
It's worth doing.
OK, I'm going to give you one more verse that I read this morning.
And then we're going to close with him. Isaiah 21.
00:55:06
I'll read verses 11 and 12.
The burden of Duma.
He calleth me at Abserer Watchmen.
One of the night, Watchmen. One of the night.
And the watchman said the morning cometh.
And also the night.
Stop right there.
Dear young people.
We, I believe, are living at about one minute to midnight.
It feels to me like we are extremely close to the Lord's coming. How many of you have ever been out on a pitch black night?
And seeing the Morning Star.
I remember a few years ago I was going to go fishing with a friend of mine and we were going to go down the.
Pier Marquette River in Michigan, which is a pretty good steelhead river for fly fishermen. And he said we got to be the first people down these runs and to do it. We're leaving at 3:00 AM.
So we did, where I was in this drift boat, in the front of it, holding a little flashlight.
And it was black dark as the pure Marquette River is only about for me to Mr. Stone wide there pretty narrow trees hanging down anyway.
Get to a break in the trees and lo and behold, there's the morning Star, just as bright as could be.
Boy, that was I just moved my soul. Young people, the morning is almost here and here this question says to the Watchmen, what of the night?
And he says it's almost morning.
We're almost there now. It also says the night cometh to young people. The Lord comes back today and you're yet in your sins. It's night for you forever. Think about that for the rest of us, that no one loved the Lord Jesus. Watchmen, what of the night? It's almost morning. I love that. Praise the Lord that it's almost morning. I think the clothes.
Sustained a verse or two from.
The night is far spent and the day is at hand. I think that's 168 maybe.
We'll sing the 1St and the last verse of this hymn.
#168.
Oh yeah.
I have.