Two verses only, 15th chapter of Job, verse
11.
Are the consolations of God small with thee?
Is there any secret thing with thee?
I don't thine heart shudder thee away, One
part to the night's winter.
Somebody says, I wonder what he's going to
preach about, so do I.
Three hundred and twenty questions in the book
of Job, the best way to find that
out is to go home and count them.
I did that once when I asked the
doctor, will you allow me to read a
little, he said, what is a little?
Oh, that's not much.
So when I got on my way I
read the first part of Job before dinner
and the other part afterwards.
Three hundred and twenty questions.
In various parts of the Bible, particularly the
prophecy of Isaiah, you get four questions asked
in quick succession.
But this is the only place in the
Bible that I know of where you get
four questions in quick succession, the one answering
the other.
That is, the second one answering the first
one, and the fourth one answering the third
one.
You didn't notice that because you were too
big a hurry.
And for a few moments only, I'm not
going to say how long, but I do
say I won't be long.
As you will see, I'll keep my promise.
I will apply these questions to all of
us in the meeting tonight, myself included.
Are the contradictions of God small with you?
Are you as happy in your soul as
you used to be?
Do you still enjoy reading the Holy Scriptures
and speaking to the Lord in prayer?
I'm not asking you, are you doing that?
I'm taking that for granted.
But I'm asking you, are you enjoying you
doing that?
If not, you ought to be.
And it certainly isn't the Lord's fault, it
must be yours.
There may be a fly in the ointment
some place it wears a nasty smell.
Or there may be a little fox in
some place about your home.
I want to ask you kindly, as one
who would like to see it doing well
spiritually, and living for Christ in a dark,
doomed world like this.
And now is the time, and this is
the occasion, it will soon be over.
Are the contradictions of God small with you?
Are you living right at home in your
own house?
I'm not right there, I'm not right any
place.
Are you a good neighbour?
Do they know where to go when they
want advice or a little help?
Did you ever visit them?
You take it from one that knows there's
nothing that'll be a blessing to your soul
Let's try and visit sick people, cross people,
people that's angry with you.
Get in and don't go out until you
pray with them.
I did that this afternoon.
Now, are the contradictions of God small with
you?
Tell me this, are you thinking about giving
up the Sunday school class?
I said that in some place, I think
it was a tent.
And the lady come and said, who told
you Mr Knox?
Nobody told me, I don't want any of
you to tell me anything.
No.
Are you thinking about giving up the Sunday
school class?
Are you?
The Lord never put that in his head.
No.
Is there something else taking the place?
What are you reading?
Do you look to read the Bible?
Do you like to talk to Jesus?
You do so.
But I feel with many of God's people,
I'm sure of it, without going any further
than we are, what peaceful hours I once
enjoyed, how sweet the memories stay, that they
have left an aching void the world can
never fill.
No, the world never can fill an aching
void in the heart of a believer where
they've been living carelessly, carelessly, thoughtlessly.
Are you good gossip?
You're certainly not a happy man or woman,
there's no question about that.
But the danger is you can get used
to the things so that you're doing it
unconsciously, let me ask you again.
For I won't belong at the consolation of
God's small willy.
Do you really long to get along with
the blessed Lord Himself?
There is absolutely no substitution.
All the conflict in the world won't take
the place of a little talk with Jesus.
How it surely helps me onward when I'm
ashamed beneath the Lord, when the heart is
crushed with sorrow, and the eyes with tears
are dimmed, does not can help me onward
like a little talk with Him.
I often feel impatient and I'm on His
long delay.
I never can be settled while He remains
away, but He answers me so sweetly in
tones of tenderness.
Lord, I'm coming soon to take Thee from
my happy home above.
Ah, this is what I'm wanting, this blessed
face to see.
And I'm not ashamed to say it, for
I know He's wanting me.
He gave His life for ransom to make
me all His own.
And it's time for His promise to me,
this precious one.
Do you like to talk to Jesus, Mother?
Do you pray with your children, Mother?
So, then you're not a good mother.
And don't you get it into your foolish
head that a good mother is a mother
that gives her children all at once.
You're not a good mother, you're very foolish.
No.
My advice to you, and most of you
know, I'm not an old bachelor, nor a
young one either.
I want to tell you, there's nothing I'd
be more blessing to, and your family, to
go and put your hand on a little
head or on a little shoulder, and say,
God save this little boy.
God save this little girl.
And save them while they're young, and save
them from a wicked world, and save them
from hell.
Do you pray with your children?
Do you, Father?
No, you are not a good father.
The next one is a consolation of God's
memory.
Any secret thing with you?
Coming over the border once, the inspector said,
Anything in your pockets?
I said, yes, sir.
What else, sir?
Plenty of money.
Anything dutiful?
No, sir, I've nothing dutiful.
Would you like to check my pockets?
He said, no, I wouldn't like to.
You don't need to check your pockets.
I'd like a little gospel book.
You know what a kind of a man
he was, and he took it.
But thank God he took it.
Are you afraid of the overseers finding out
something about you?
Are you not getting one well in your
assembly?
Is there any secret thing with you?
Are the consolations of God small with you?
God doesn't intend it to be that.
He tends you to be a happy Christian,
enjoy God's salvation on the road to heaven,
and be attached to all the poor sinners
by the very fact that you live.
Are the consolations of God small with you?
You don't get encouragement now reading the Bible?
No.
You're not thinking about what you're reading?
No.
There's something annoying you today.
Could you put that thing right?
Could you not try to put it right?
No.
Well, couldn't you ask the blessed God to
open up the way for you to get
it put right for you're not enjoying God
and His Word in some degree?
You're not a happy Christian, and likely you
won't be a blessing to anyone.
You may be a stumbling block to somebody.
Are the consolations of God small with you?
Any secret thing with you?
Any letters in your house that somebody else
sent to you whenever they were in a
bad temper?
Torn up.
Torn up as quick as you can.
Very pleased for it.
Do you do that?
I do.
Ah, it's these little, it's these little things
that does the harm.
You know, you might have one of the
best shoes in the city of Belfast on
your foot, and there might be a little
bit of a nail in it.
That's the trouble.
My dear brethren and sisters in Christ, specifically
tell me, are you young people keeping company
with an unconverted person?
Whenever you say it's your fault, you ought
to get on all right.
I said in a conference way down County
Antrim in the tent, I said, are you
keeping company with an unsaved young man?
Or are you keeping company with an unsaved
young woman?
I said, if you are, God break your
legs for you.
And a lady came to me at the
basis, really Mr. Knox, did you mean that?
I certainly did.
What should I, little man broken legs in
hospitals and never can amend a blasted life.
And an equal youth, married and equal youth,
make a blasted life that you'll probably never
recover that may ask you again of the
consolation of God.
Small with ease.
Is there any secret thing with you?
What have you got in your pockets?
Some of you will say, it's none of
your business.
Well, believe it or not, no.
Put in an ice-breaker.
All right.
Little things you know that you wouldn't do
after God saved you.
Your conscience was clean and fresh and tender.
You wouldn't do them then.
Do you do them now?
God's Word hasn't changed and God's grace hasn't
changed.
I'm only trying to encourage you to get
down to fast tonight that you and I
may get our souls restored and be happier
believers in what we are and always ready
to run to do something for the blessed
Lord Jesus Christ by night or by day.
Brethren, time is short was written to the
epistles of Indians.
We haven't long to stay.
There'll be no sick people to visit in
heaven.
The judgment seat of Christ is not a
place for to put things right and to
make adjustments.
Now is the time and this is the
place for whenever you breathe your last, your
britches are closed on us never to be
opened again until the judgment seat of Christ
where we must all be appealed or manifested
as a better world.
Anybody here not spiritual now?
You used to.
You used to be happy in your soul
as everybody knew it.
What's the secret thing with you?
Ah, you get rid of that tonight.
You get rid of it before you sleep.
I remember speaking on this verse another place
and the next day, no, the next day
but one, I got a letter from a
young woman, never seen her, don't know her,
like they never will.
She said, dear Mother Knox, I don't know
you, but I was in the tent on
Saturday when you were speaking on Job 15
and she said, I went home immediately and
broke off all my adjustments with an ungodly
young man.
Could you do that?
Are you sure you're mentally great?
Can you keep company with an unconverted young
man or woman with the object in getting
married?
I say again, God break your leg for
you.
And you do that.
He loves you too well to go on
that way.
The other woman referred to, she didn't get
her legs broke, but she fell off her
bicycle and broke her arm.
She said, Mother Knox, the Lord wasn't as
hard on me as what you would be,
but you see, I've got my soul restored
anyway.
And she gave up an ungodly young man.
Now then, are the consolations of God small
with you?
Is there any secret thing with you?
There should be nothing secret, neither in the
home nor in the pocket of a child
of God.
I should always be ready for anybody to
come and search my pocket or search my
home.
You can do it, but I'll do yours
in return.
I don't run to the door to hide
something when I see a preacher come in.
No, no.
Now then, are the consolations of God small
with you?
Pity, pity, pity, terrible pity.
Is there any secret thing with you?
Get rid of it, get rid of it,
get rid of it.
Wait till I find how to carry you
away.
What do you mean to wink at?
I say, you can wink at things now.
You couldn't wink at after God saved you.
Your conscience was more tender then than it
is now.
What a pity.
Only one life it will soon be past.
Look at little lady Fluffy whose life was
full of trouble and then end up in
a mental home.
Only one life it will soon be past.
And only what's done for Christ will last.
And I've got a long to do, and
a short.
And how many of us may be in
our last conference in the city of Belfast.
We thank you for the conference.
We thank God for good meetings.
We thank God for a good report.
But, there was just one thing wrong with
the report meeting.
Do you know what it was?
They didn't leave me any room at all.
God bless them everyone.
Now, I'm going to see the Mass on
you all.
And I know my brethren will forgive me.
And I know if they don't, the Lord
will.
What is it?
I'm going to take you 10 minutes to
tell you that I was in jail 17
times during the year.
That meant that about twice two persons each
time was looking for prisoners.
And my, I tell you, you go in
there and you talk to young people.
Rare, rare in a Christian home.
You Christian parents will you in God's name
go in for the salvation of this family.
If you not, do not.
You're losing your life.
And it may be the lady of school,
their child that you adore for not been
right with them.
I was in jail 17 times.
Thankful to get in and thankful to get
out.
And whenever I get in, they're very, very
simple to me, the wardens.
And they help me every way they can.
If I'm in with a bad case, the
warden stays with me.
If it's only a mental case, they watch
me through the door.
And I always, before I get down to
pray with them, never leave without praying.
By all means.
I always offer them a little bouquet.
The wardens and the prisoners.
Now then, the reason I do that is
if the warden refuses a bouquet, then I
know he's a Catholic.
And when they get down to pray, I
pray a whole lot of things about what
St. Peter said.
And he's bound to take it in.
1 Peter 2, 24, 3, 18, 1, 18.
That's the way you get the Gospel into
him.
And he has to listen to you, whether
or not.
I was in the hospitals.
We had 17 hospitals in Belfast.
And 3,000 people waiting on the bed.
So you didn't rush it.
And I went in.
I had 66 visits to the hospitals.
Different days and different times.
That meant about over 90 patients.
Then all my work during the year, nearly
all, was speaking to believers, Bible services, prayer
meetings, and five weeks in Cumber, a week
in Lourdes.
Helping God's people and a little small assembly
that are being rejected.
And then in my spare time I visited
20,000 houses.
You all hear that?
Some of you say, how do you do
it?
How do you do anything?
You just begin.
If you don't begin, you'll not go on.
And if you don't go on, you'll not
get finished.
So you just begin and go on and
get finished.
And I want to tell you, it means
a whole lot to my health to get
walking up and down the back streets of
Belfast, the Lord said, go down the low,
give them a little bootcage.
I was at 20,000 houses.
It's real good Christian recreation because it's not
only good for your body, it's good for
your soul as well.
It makes you happy.
You'll always meet somebody that longs to be
sold, as I did today.
You'll always meet somebody that's able to help
in some little way.
Keep 20 of tax in your pocket.
And keep two or three for the Lord's
dear people.
And keep some for the children as you
go along.
And try and get something done for God
and eternity, for the Lord's coming dear.
Let us be open like a drum and
a cymbal.
Time to start the week and it'll never
be back again.
So, in my spare time, I visited 20
,000 houses.
Splendid recreation and certainly much better and more
profitable than going down a big tree with
a big stick beating a wee ball.
That's what a child would do.
Now, that's not for the child of God
on the road to heaven at all.
It's wasted time.
And if you come under the heading of
bad at the judgment feet of Christ, 2
Corinthians 5.10, though bad means nothing at
all to do with no guilt that's settled
forever.
But it means bad, rubbishy.
There was nothing in it for Christ before
His glory.
I'm going to sit down now because I
believe in keeping the promise of the consolation
of God small with ease.
Is there any secret thing with ease?
What did the eyes wink at?
Why does the heart carry the way and
conclusion of this?
God bless you.
I stepped off the bus at Cumming Square
the other day and on the wall were
sitting two big, big, duffy corner boys.
I had a good idea of where they
went on Sunday.
So I went right over and I looked
right in their face and I think, you
know, the trouble is they all take me
to be a priest now.
And they squared themselves up a little bit
and I said, I'm going to say a
thing that you never heard in your life
before.
And they looked at me and said, what
is it?
I said, God bless you.
And they went on the bus and left.
It was like that too, on the wall.