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Welcome to From the Pulpit and Classic Sermons.

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Each week we bring you a different message

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from some of history's greatest speakers in the

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Christian faith and powerful sermons for modern preachers

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too.

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This week we have Roy Heston with his

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message, Dryness.

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It's a great joy to be back in

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the United States and especially in California where

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my wife and I have so many precious

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Christian friends and I do thank God for

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the way in which this conference has been

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organized, calling together those are hungry to meet

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the Lord Jesus from right over this area.

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And already I'm sure we've been conscious of

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the Lord Jesus.

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As we've drawn near to Him this morning,

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He has drawn near to us.

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I'm on my way back to England from

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Brazil, an old hunting ground of Dr. Pearson's,

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and God has blessed us very much there.

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God is doing great things in that land

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and there's a band of men whose hearts

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God is newly touching and giving them a

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fresh vision of revival in the simple gospel

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way that we shall seek to learn together

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here in this conference.

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And so I believe God is working in

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this simple way in the hearts of His

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church all over the world just now.

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There are two wonderful brothers just now in

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Australia, two Africans who've been for years leaders

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in revival in East Africa.

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And even now they've been spending months going

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up and down Australia.

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One is a bishop through no fault of

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his own.

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He never wanted to be the bishop and

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they didn't usually appoint revival minded men as

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bishops, but he said well you know what

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I am?

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They said we don't want to be anything

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else.

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And another is a schoolteacher.

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Men on fire who are giving the same

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message as we shall be seeking to learn

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together here.

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And all over the world God is doing

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this quiet but new fresh working of His

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Spirit I believe.

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Just nothing special, no special emphasis but taking

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us back to Calvary.

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Back to learn again those first lessons from

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which the church is always in danger of

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departing.

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So I believe this conference is fitting into

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a glorious, gentle, precious working of God to

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bless and revive and refresh the church that

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through them the living water shall flow to

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others.

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Last June there was an international conference along

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these lines and Dr. Pearson was there and

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Mike Markham was there and Ben Lee Masters

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is coming in a moment, as well as

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people from 22 different countries.

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And there we had a wonderful sense of

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the Lord Jesus adequate for the needs of

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the world and beginning first with His own

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church.

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So these are great days in which to

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live and I believe God is purposing to

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do a fresh work for this great widespread

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evangelical church in America, beginning with humble people

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like ourselves.

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So we don't know where this river will

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end.

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I've been on the biggest river in the

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world, the Amazon, in the last weeks.

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At the mouth it's 200 miles across and

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the fresh water extends two miles, 200 miles

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into the Atlantic.

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And yet somewhere that mighty river was just

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a little tiny stream.

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Now who can tell from the tiny streams

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that will begin to flow in our hearts

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what the God design should come.

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So let's be full of expectancy, hungry and

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eager to learn.

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And I would like to say do come

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to as many of these meetings as possible.

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It's a very short conference and I would

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say it'll be worth laying aside every other

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thing to come if possible to the whole

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series.

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The memoirs of Field Marshal Montgomery have recently

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been published in England and they're some wonderful

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stories of the inner history of the war.

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And he tells that whenever there was an

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acute situation, when perhaps the enemy were adopting

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new tactics, he would call in his other

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generals, over whom he was chief, for special

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consultation.

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And the notice calling them in was marked

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priority.

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And no matter how many things those men

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had to do on their own sector, when

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they got that order they had to drop

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everything to give this priority.

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They might meet in the woods somewhere and

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they'd have that priority conference.

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Now I believe we could, and I believe

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it's right to call this a priority conference.

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Not because certain people have come to speak,

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we're just simply pointers to the Lord Jesus

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Christ.

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But you know really some people who say

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they're too busy in the Lord's works to

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come.

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We have to say this again and again

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in Brazil.

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But you know a whole ministry can be

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changed here.

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What everything used to be so busy with

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our ministry, which may be for all we

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know on exactly the wrong lines.

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The harder we try, the shorter we're going

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to say.

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When here Jesus has come to share with

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us some secrets that may change everything for

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us.

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That may bring a new day.

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And so I would suggest then that we

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mark this conference priority.

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And though there are other things to do,

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just as they had to drop them, I

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believe the Lord is asking us to drop

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other things for this short time.

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We might spend it together learning of the

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Lord Jesus and telling him we're not quite

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satisfied, we haven't quite got the answer.

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And I know that he's going to help

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us.

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Then a little word of testimony.

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In these last days I found a little

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shadow across my path and on my heart.

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And it was a shadow of this conscience.

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And I found myself getting just a little

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anxious.

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The devil was telling me that people were

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looking to me, which of course isn't true

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because it's a team of us going to

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work together.

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And he was telling me that I hadn't

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got anything.

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And that of course had the effect that

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it was designed to have, of getting one

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striving and trying to get something.

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I believe that's why the devil accuses you

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of what you haven't got.

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To get you to strive in your own

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strength to get it, or to be it.

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And he just knows that in that place

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we're not seeing Jesus as the one who

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is the supplier of our need.

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And so I confess to you that that's

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how it's been with me a little bit.

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And this morning I found myself getting just

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that bit tense and striving.

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And I praise the Lord for meeting me,

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showing me that.

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Because you know the trouble is with all

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these things, for a long time you don't

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see them.

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And the devil designs that you shouldn't see

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them.

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And you know the devil designs that we

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shouldn't see these things.

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It's a victory when at last you say

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Lord something's wrong, will you please show me.

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And I'm praising him, he showed me.

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And he gave me a wonderful verse this

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morning that's helped me no end.

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Isaiah 51, 12.

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I just passed it on, this isn't the

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message.

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But just to start with.

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Isaiah 51, 12.

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I even I am he that comforteth you,

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who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid.

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Now you know when you have that phrase

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who art thou in scripture, it invariably is

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a rebuke to pride.

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Who art thou?

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And I had to see again that my

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fear, and my striving was pride.

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I haven't got what it takes.

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The Lord said whoever said you had.

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I'm doing this.

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What a wonderful scripture.

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I am he that comforteth you, who art

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thou that thou shouldst be afraid.

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Sheer presumption to be afraid.

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It's really a funny subtle form of pride.

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I feel the Lord put a word on

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my heart, and it may well be that

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perhaps before we finish, someone else of our

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brethren here would like to add something.

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They're free to do so.

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Now before we come to the word, I

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would like us to turn to Ezekiel chapter

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47.

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Ezekiel 47.

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And now having read that Old Testament scripture,

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I want to turn you to the scripture

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in the New Testament, which I believe refers

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us back to that.

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Let that scripture then be in the background

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of our minds as we turn to John's

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Gospel chapter 7.

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Chapter 7.

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And here's something which I think is going

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to make us thirsty and full of desire

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on our first coming together this morning.

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John 7 37.

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In the last day, that great day of

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the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If

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any man thirst, let him come unto me

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and drink.

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He that believeth on me, as the scripture

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hath said, what scripture?

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It can only refer to one scripture.

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I've hunted through my Old Testament to find

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what scripture the Lord was referring to.

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Because nowhere do you actually get those literal

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words.

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He's referring to the whole passage which we

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have just read.

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He that believeth on me, as the scripture

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hath said, out of his belly, or if

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you would prefer it, out of his inner

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man, shall flow rivers of living water.

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This spake he of the Spirit, which they

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that believe on him should receive.

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For the Holy Ghost was not yet given,

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because Jesus was not yet glorified.

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Now I just want to read that verse

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again in a slightly different way, which I

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believe is absolutely warranted.

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In the last day, the great day of

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the feast, Jesus stood and cried, this is

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the first day actually, but it's message is

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the same.

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If any man thirst, let him come unto

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me and drink.

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And he that doth so, as the scripture

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hath said, out of his inner man, shall

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flow rivers of living water.

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For a long time I regarded those things

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as two experiences.

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That to come to the Lord Jesus and

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drink was one thing, but it was another

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experience, probably ushered in by a very great

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climactic blessing, after which rivers of living water

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would flow from me.

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I knew the first, but I didn't know

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the second, and for long I strove to

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get to that place, to fulfill whatever conditions

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were necessary that the rivers might flow from

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me to others.

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But I've come to see that I was

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wrong in thinking that.

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The man who comes to him is the

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one who believes on him, and therefore it's

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the same man.

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If any man thirst, let him come unto

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me and drink, and out of the inner

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man of such and one shall flow rivers

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of living water.

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As I come to him and drink, those

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living waters flow to others.

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And if they're not flowing to others, it's

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just because I'm not drinking enough.

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I'm not coming enough.

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In other words, we could call this the

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outcome of the income.

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A blessed outcome is promised for those who

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are willing for the blessed income.

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As I come to him and drink, in

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all my need and deceit and thirst, and

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see grace has got a place for me

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there, and as I get my burdens lifted

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and my heart satisfied at the feet of

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the Lord Jesus, and as I simply testify

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to that new drink I've had, those living

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waters will flow to others.

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Rivers of them, out of a new experience

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of grace myself, and others will stoop and

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drink and live too.

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Let's think for a moment or two about

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this income.

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The Lord Jesus says to us this morning,

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if you're dry, if you feel a bit

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cold, you've lost the vision a little bit,

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he says, come to me and drink.

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Now most of us feel that when we've

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got cold, and dry, and we're thirsty, and

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dissatisfied, that somewhere along the line there's a

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big stick waiting for us.

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That we've been very very wrong, which of

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course is true, and that when we're wrong

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there can be little more than some sort

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of a big stick promised from God.

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And very often when we come to a

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conference, in spite of all we may know

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with our heads, we come just a little

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penny.

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Now what's the challenge I'm going to have?

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What am I going to be told?

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What terrific, excruciating challenge am I going to

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face?

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It's all because we've got such a wrong

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conception of the Lord Jesus, and of the

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grace of God.

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Jesus says come and drink, that's all, what's

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going to happen?

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You're thirsty, come and have a real good

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ice cold drink.

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Even if our dryness is the fault, and

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it always is, of sin.

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However, whenever I'm dry, whenever I'm dissatisfied, when

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the grace of God isn't filling my heart,

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it's because something's gone wrong in my relationship

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with the Lord Jesus.

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That's all right with the Lord, doesn't make

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any difference, come to me then.

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We'll get that relationship right so quickly, and

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you'll drink, and you will be satisfied.

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And so here's this wonderful word of the

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Lord Jesus.

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When I was thinking about our conference, I

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wondered whether perhaps the word of the Lord

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might be come and done.

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But he said no it isn't, it's come

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and drink.

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Well it's all right, in California sometimes you

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need drink more than you need food, you

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get so hot.

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And so the word of the Lord Jesus

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to us as we come to spend this

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time together is, if any man says, any

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of us a little dry, not really on

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00:15:12,910 --> 00:15:16,250
top, a bit down, come to me and

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drink.

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But I'm just for such people, that's what

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I came for, that's what grace is for.

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The grace of God is like an ocean

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of water, seeking depth that it might fill

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it.

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And so that's his word to us as

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we gather.

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Anybody thirsty, any knob is not really crazy,

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anybody down, there's a Jesus, I'm here for

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00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:45,920
just such people.

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This isn't a conference for excellent people, it's

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a conference for failure.

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And deep, if we only knew it were

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all that.

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And there's a place for such people at

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the feet of the Lord Jesus.

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And so there's that lovely word, if any

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man thirst, let him come unto me and

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drink.

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Now I've been asking myself, why is it

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that we do get dry?

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Some people have been dry for years.

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00:16:15,870 --> 00:16:17,510
You can tell they're dry when they pray,

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00:16:17,930 --> 00:16:18,390
dry.

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00:16:19,090 --> 00:16:20,970
You can tell they're dry when they preach

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00:16:20,970 --> 00:16:22,390
or teach, it's all dry.

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00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,060
They haven't been melted lately.

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They're busy, but dry.

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00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:35,400
As I say, we can be in that

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00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,920
condition for years, and come to the place

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00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:40,500
where we believe, well that's the Christian life,

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00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,080
we really can't expect too much.

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00:16:42,420 --> 00:16:44,200
Oh I know the hymns say this and

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00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:46,380
that, and there's the wonderful promises, but really

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00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:48,380
that's just what, that's just preacher's talk.

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00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:50,580
The real thing is always dry, after the

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00:16:50,580 --> 00:16:51,120
first flush.

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00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:53,960
And we just get used to living in

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00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,160
a dry, thirsty place, until we meet somebody

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00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:57,900
who's got a testimony.

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00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,960
And you see a heart satisfied, praising, raging,

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00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:04,619
having found the answer, having found the solution.

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00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,099
And that makes us thirsty.

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00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:11,740
I praise the Lord it was that which

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00:17:11,740 --> 00:17:14,800
helped me, and my wife, back in 47

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00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,560
we were in evangelistic work, and were utterly

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00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:17,920
defeated.

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00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:21,839
My wife groaned under my ministry, and now

402
00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:22,619
I don't blame her.

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00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:28,920
It was so dry, really dry.

404
00:17:29,780 --> 00:17:31,320
It had seemed to be power, and people

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00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:32,900
thought there was the first time they came

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00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:34,220
to a meeting, it was only, but it

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00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:36,660
was a power of self-effort, and later

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00:17:36,660 --> 00:17:37,480
they realized it.

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00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,540
Hadn't always been so, but it becomes so.

410
00:17:43,330 --> 00:17:45,790
And the thing that aroused our thirst was

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00:17:45,790 --> 00:17:48,450
to meet some, who might not be very

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00:17:48,450 --> 00:17:50,210
eminent preachers, but they had a testimony.

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00:17:51,250 --> 00:17:53,410
And their hearts, their cups were full, and

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00:17:53,410 --> 00:17:54,050
running over.

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00:17:54,930 --> 00:17:57,470
And they knew Jesus as the one who

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00:17:57,470 --> 00:17:59,170
daily satisfied them.

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00:18:00,510 --> 00:18:03,010
And things began to happen in a fresh

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00:18:03,010 --> 00:18:06,430
way, as we were challenged by the testimony

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00:18:06,430 --> 00:18:09,830
and lies of those who were coming to

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00:18:09,830 --> 00:18:11,270
Jesus, they got dry too.

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00:18:12,370 --> 00:18:14,010
Oh yes, that was their testimony, they knew

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00:18:14,010 --> 00:18:14,610
what to do.

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00:18:15,230 --> 00:18:16,810
And they were all the time coming to

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00:18:16,810 --> 00:18:17,490
Jesus and drinking.

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00:18:18,950 --> 00:18:21,150
And I had to learn again, that simple

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00:18:21,150 --> 00:18:21,950
gospel secret.

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00:18:23,550 --> 00:18:28,130
Well now, why is it that we get

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00:18:28,130 --> 00:18:33,540
dry, with all that that means, of deceit

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00:18:33,540 --> 00:18:34,300
and barrenness?

430
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,960
Well now this passage of John 7, obviously

431
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,560
links up in our mind with John 4.

432
00:18:42,340 --> 00:18:45,260
John 4 is that famous passage where we

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00:18:45,260 --> 00:18:47,100
have the story of the Lord Jesus speaking

434
00:18:47,100 --> 00:18:48,640
to the woman at the well.

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00:18:52,270 --> 00:18:53,970
The difference is of course, that John 4

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00:18:53,970 --> 00:18:55,210
only speaks of the income.

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00:18:56,450 --> 00:18:58,770
John 7 goes further and talks about the

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00:18:58,770 --> 00:19:00,250
outcome of the income.

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00:19:00,890 --> 00:19:02,410
But for the moment we're thinking about the

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00:19:02,410 --> 00:19:02,690
income.

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00:19:05,190 --> 00:19:06,630
And here's a woman who was dry.

442
00:19:06,630 --> 00:19:10,750
She was thirsty, both physically and morally and

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00:19:10,750 --> 00:19:11,470
spiritually too.

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00:19:13,910 --> 00:19:17,590
And we read in verse 7, Jesus saith

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00:19:17,590 --> 00:19:19,110
unto her, give me to drink.

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00:19:19,690 --> 00:19:21,810
Verse 9, she says, How is it that

447
00:19:21,810 --> 00:19:24,470
thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me,

448
00:19:24,810 --> 00:19:26,130
which am a woman of Samaria?

449
00:19:26,570 --> 00:19:28,370
For the Jews have no dealings with the

450
00:19:28,370 --> 00:19:28,950
Samaritans.

451
00:19:29,910 --> 00:19:32,230
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou

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00:19:32,230 --> 00:19:34,990
knewest the gifts of God, and who it

453
00:19:34,990 --> 00:19:36,390
is that saith to thee, give me to

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00:19:36,390 --> 00:19:39,170
drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and

455
00:19:39,170 --> 00:19:41,450
he would have given thee living water.

456
00:19:42,170 --> 00:19:44,030
The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast

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00:19:44,030 --> 00:19:45,990
nothing to draw with, and the well is

458
00:19:45,990 --> 00:19:46,450
deep.

459
00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:48,990
From whence then hast thou that living water?

460
00:19:49,730 --> 00:19:51,810
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which

461
00:19:51,810 --> 00:19:54,150
gave us the well, and drank thereof himself,

462
00:19:54,310 --> 00:19:55,430
and his children, his cattle?

463
00:19:56,270 --> 00:19:58,850
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whoso drinketh

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00:19:58,850 --> 00:20:01,790
of this water shall thirst again.

465
00:20:02,790 --> 00:20:05,030
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I

466
00:20:05,030 --> 00:20:07,390
shall give him shall never thirst, but the

467
00:20:07,390 --> 00:20:09,050
water that I shall give him shall be

468
00:20:09,050 --> 00:20:12,830
in him a well, rather a spring leaping

469
00:20:12,830 --> 00:20:14,430
up into everlasting life.

470
00:20:15,530 --> 00:20:17,830
Now that woman was thirsty because she was

471
00:20:17,830 --> 00:20:18,970
drawing from the wrong well.

472
00:20:20,550 --> 00:20:22,450
She was drawing from Jacob's well.

473
00:20:23,290 --> 00:20:24,370
And she knew it was a very deep

474
00:20:24,370 --> 00:20:24,630
well.

475
00:20:25,090 --> 00:20:26,210
She had a very long rope.

476
00:20:27,070 --> 00:20:29,530
And after perhaps sometimes she toiled away on

477
00:20:29,530 --> 00:20:31,870
the handle of pulling the water up, it

478
00:20:31,870 --> 00:20:33,610
was only to find that she hadn't got

479
00:20:33,610 --> 00:20:34,570
to the bottom of the well.

480
00:20:35,050 --> 00:20:36,010
So she would try again.

481
00:20:36,230 --> 00:20:38,210
She knew the toil of it, and she

482
00:20:38,210 --> 00:20:39,910
couldn't understand what Jesus was speaking.

483
00:20:40,450 --> 00:20:42,590
And on many occasions she'd try again, and

484
00:20:42,590 --> 00:20:43,850
she really thought she'd got to the bottom

485
00:20:43,850 --> 00:20:44,990
of the well, and she was sure there

486
00:20:44,990 --> 00:20:46,050
was some water in the pail.

487
00:20:46,730 --> 00:20:48,050
But on the way up it hit against

488
00:20:48,050 --> 00:20:50,130
the side, and by the time it got

489
00:20:50,130 --> 00:20:51,110
to the top it was empty.

490
00:20:51,750 --> 00:20:53,690
And there were many, many occasions I like

491
00:20:53,690 --> 00:20:55,630
to imagine when she worked so hard on

492
00:20:55,630 --> 00:20:59,010
that well, and so often got so little,

493
00:20:59,270 --> 00:21:00,910
sometimes nothing at all.

494
00:21:03,710 --> 00:21:05,270
You've been listening to the From the Pulpit

495
00:21:05,270 --> 00:21:06,510
in Classic Sermons series.

496
00:21:07,330 --> 00:21:09,350
This week you heard Roy Heston with his

497
00:21:09,350 --> 00:21:10,510
message, Dryness.

498
00:21:11,230 --> 00:21:12,630
Tune in next week to hear Ben Crandall

499
00:21:12,630 --> 00:21:15,490
speak about garments of praise on From the

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00:21:15,490 --> 00:21:17,130
Pulpit in Classic Sermons.