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Vance Havner told the story about how when

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he was a young man, he met an

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old man while traveling on a train.

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Havner recognized the white bearded man immediately.

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It was R.A. Torrey, who was D

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.O. Moody's colleague and friend.

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Vance Havner slowly approached R.A. Torrey and

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asked him if there was any advice he

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could give a young preacher boy like himself.

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With steely eyes and a shaky voice, Torrey

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answered, Always remember, you can have as much

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of the Holy Spirit you want so long

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as he can have as much of you

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as he wants.

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I don't think we preachers today appreciate that

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remark, at least not on a personal level.

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There is a dearth of authoritative preaching in

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the land.

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The generation of preachers who knew about the

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Spirit's anointing are long gone from our midst.

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We have an abundance of personalities in the

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pulpit and are shared professionals.

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But where, oh where, is the prophet of

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God today who has God's mantle of authority?

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In the book of 2 Kings, we read

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in chapter 2, in verses 8 and 9,

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And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it

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together, and smote the waters.

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And they were divided, hither and thither, so

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that they, too, went over on dry ground.

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And it came to pass, when they were

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gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask

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what I shall do for thee, before I

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be taken away from thee.

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And Elijah said, I pray thee, let a

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double portion of the Spirit be upon me.

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And we see, friends, over in verse 13,

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He took up also the mantle of Elijah

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that fell from him, and went back, and

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stood by the bank of Jordan.

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And he took the mantle of Elijah that

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fell from him, and smote the waters, and

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said, O where is the Lord God of

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Elijah?

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And when he also had smitten the waters,

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they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went

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over.

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We need that kind of power today, friends.

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I want to relate to you what my

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homiletical mentor, Dr. Stephen Oford, once shared with

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me.

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And if anybody ever heard Stephen Oford preach,

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you knew he was a man with the

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Spirit's anointing upon him.

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His preaching was transformational to many who heard

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him.

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He related to me one day the following

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advice.

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He said, The Word of God cannot be

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mastered until we are mastered by the God

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of the Word.

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There's a lot in that statement, friends.

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When I was writing the authorized biography of

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J.

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Siddall Baxter, I came across something he wrote

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in his personal papers.

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And I want to share with you today

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because it fits nicely into our subject.

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Dr. Baxter wrote, What I give to Him,

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He takes.

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What He takes, He cleanses.

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What He cleanses, He fills.

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And what He fills, He uses.

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I like that because it's true.

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And I agree with R.

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A.

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Torrey's advice to Vance Havner that we can

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have as much of the Holy Spirit we

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want so long as He can have as

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much of us as He wants.

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I like another remark by Siddall Baxter which

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states, How can a man full of himself

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preach to Christ who emptied himself?

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When I think of someone God used in

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an incredible way, it was David Brainerd, the

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missionary to the Indians in New York.

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Brainerd was a special man because Brainerd had

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the power of God upon him.

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Reading David Brainerd's diary is a profitable exercise

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for any Christian who wants to go deeper

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with God.

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I highly recommend it to you, friends.

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Anyway, Brainerd preached with power from on high

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because he was a man empty of self.

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He wrote in his journal, Went to the

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meeting house, ashamed to see anyone come to

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hear such an unspeakable, worthless wretch.

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However, God enabled me to speak with clearness,

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power, and pungency.

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It is my prayer that some young preacher

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boy will go get along with God and

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ask God to get a hold of him

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and fill him with His Holy Spirit so

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he can preach God's Word with God's authority

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to God's people for our day.

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Let us pray.