(Europe 2008) Session 9 - a Closed Book — B.H. Clendennen

Hearing the Voice Behind the Scriptures

I can tell this morning, my brother Kirby, in these years of preaching, he's learned the great truth of this gospel, that last things are last in things. That's, you know, the final words of Christ was to go in all the world preaching the gospel.

When a man knows that's his last words, whether it be for the moment or for eternity, he always weighs those very heavily because those are the final things. That's what people are going to take home with them, you know, that message.

What a message this morning, truth in the house. You know, truth can be everywhere but until it gets in the house. A lot of years ago, I put together, I never preached it, I thought it's just for me. But, you know, I brought it along with me, I didn't know why, I just brought it along with me.

But when I heard the message this morning, I knew why that I brought that. He closed the book, that's the message that I want to talk to you this morning. You know, in Acts 13 .27, it says, they heard the scriptures every Sabbath.

You know, all day they read those scriptures. They heard every Sabbath, but they never heard the voice. You know, a voice implies a person. Somebody wants to talk to you. Somebody wants an audience with you.

But they heard, they heard the words, but they never heard the voice. And they condemned him when he came. See, that voice of those prophets. See, all prophetic ministry began in the book of Genesis. When it said that Jesus, you know, is the spirit of prophecy.

Everything, everything in this book leads to him. The seed of the woman shall bruise that serpent. You know, everything begun there. And everything continually moved toward him. You know, all the sacrifices of that Bible are understood in three hours on Calvary.

Think about it. Four thousand years bunched together in that short term. All of it. What a moment. But it said they never heard the voice. How many people spend their life in church, but never hear the voice?

They hear words. They hear sermons. But they never hear that voice. And it never changed. It never changed. You know, I've said in the service. The man of God held me spellbound this morning. I said last night.

We were at the table. I believe it was. Anyway, we were talking. And I said yesterday morning. As a message was being delivered, you know. If somebody were to rose up to talk in tongues. The prophets either rose up and said sit down.

You know, I mean, there's no interruption here. You know, once you tune in to the voice of what's being said. You know, not just hearing words. Not something I'm going to take home with me. You know what God said.

He required of us is a true heart. A true heart, you know. Not just a pure heart, but a true heart. A true heart is a man or woman. That goes to the house of God. To hear what God has to say. They put that in practice in their heart.

About 80 of the church go because of music. To be seen. Or because that's what I'm supposed to do. Everybody's supposed to go to church. So they go. Because that's what they're supposed to do. They believe there's four gospels.

Because that's all there is in the Bible. They don't necessarily believe in Jesus. Because to change their life. But because that's what the church said they're supposed to do. Now that's not a true heart.

You know, that heart's not true to God. But the true heart is the one that came here. To hear what he had to say. And then put that in practice in that life. Been a very wonderful privilege to be here.

To worship with you. And I do believe this is the beginning. We began a conference like this in Beaumont, Texas in 1980. We called it a pastor's conference. Well, that first conference we put all the pastors in the choir loft.

Only about 25 of them there. The last account there were over 600 of us there. And I can tell you one of the 10th wonders of this world. Is to see a thousand people in a prayer meeting at 6 o 'clock in the morning.

Amen. 600 preachers there in that altar. 6 o 'clock in the morning. Calling upon God. Carter Conlon, the pastor, wonderful friend of mine of the Times Square Church. When he come, the first time he come.

I remember when he got up. I preached the opening message. And he sat there and wept the whole time that I preached. And that night when I announced. I said we begin tomorrow at 6 o 'clock with a prayer meeting.

If you have really interest in God, you'll be in that prayer meeting. Said to me later, you give no man a choice. You closed every door. You know, you gave no man a choice. But he said, that night, when he come to preach the 10 o 'clock service.

He said, I've given up. I don't know if you can tell this. I've given up. I didn't know that there were still this many. That haven't bowed their knees. I didn't realize what that means. Well, there's more of us than you think.

We just don't get together like we ought to. But there are those out there. You know, he lied to you one time. He said, I'm the only one left. He said, I've reserved 7 ,000. They haven't healed. Without their need for that healing system.

And it's wonderful. You know, to know this. We have been in contact from Australia. You know, all the way across this globe. With people. And I just, two wonderful friends I've met here from Scotland.

A beautiful lady and her daughter. And thank you for that gracious letter. And your gift. God bless you. I've never seen such a wonderful letter. You know, but people say, you know, I just didn't know.

That he was being preached. You know, isn't that sad? You know, but my sheep do know my voice. And that's so wonderful. I've traveled this world. On that faith right there. That if I keep myself pure before God.

Separate the clean from the unclean. And preach his word. I have a guarantee from God. That his sheep will hear my voice. That's a wonderful thing. They will hear me. They will hear you. If you keep that real sheep of God.

They'll hear that voice. You know, I thought the Chinese. I've preached in both the house church. And the three-self church. You know, they told me in Shenzhen. You're the only non-Asian ever preached in this church.

But they invited me back for a week. You know, just to get the arrangements made. But, you know, I thought they were Pentecostal. I found out they were Presbyterian. I never preached Pentecost like I preached it.

In that church that morning. You know, it didn't matter what they were. I preached the truth. I know what Pentecost is. It's God the Father. Through God the Holy Ghost. Revealing God the Son. Through a vehicle called the church.

That's the message of Pentecost. Well, Brother White was on the platform that morning. 1700 people in that church. He said, you know, pastors like the sun coming up. He said, when you begin to preach.

You can see. They've never heard that before. But they knew what they were hearing was reality. Then they become a brokenness and begin to weep. While I preach. Then they become a rejoicing. When it was over.

The lady was the lady pastor. And I'm sitting there, Brother White, myself and Emily. My Chinese daughter. And that lady began to pray. There was such a passion. And such a fervency in that prayer. I said, Emily, what is she praying?

She was saying, oh God, can you ever forgive us? We didn't know that we were created to be your temple. Oh my, oh my. What a prayer. What an awesome moment. As I prayed that prayer. We did not know. That we created.

You know, you know the reason. That all of heaven. All the angels in heaven. Rejoice when my good friend, Leticia, was born again. You know the reason they rejoice? God has found another vessel. To reveal his son.

They said there's another temple now. That that son can be revealed. That's why heaven rejoiced. Because there's no reason, no purpose. But to reveal that son. That's the meaning of a son of God. God's son is seen in our life.

You know, I told you the other morning or evening sometime. You know, I'd look at that pretty girl of mine. How can she be a son of God? But the Bible said, as many as are led by the Spirit. They are the sons of God.

Well, there's only one son to be revealed. He don't become female because he's revealed through a female. Amen. That's sons of God. It's those through whom this Christ can be revealed. Hallelujah. So wonderful, my good friend, Brother Tim here.

Folks from all over Sweden and different places. Amen. Gather here. We're going to read from Luke chapter 4 and verse 20. You know, I never promised anything. I thought I probably won't be very long-winded.

I learned very early that sermonettes create Christianettes. You know, they may doze off on you. But they'll wake up, you're still talking. Amen. Somewhere along the line. If you preach long enough, you'll find everybody where they are.

You know, that's the course of it. I was down in, I won't say where. Me and my good friend here in England. They sang for an hour and 20 minutes. I got flat footed while they went through it. They sang courses.

I counted one of the courses they sang 12 times. Our, us, me, my, and them. Two times it said God. Well, when I first come in, somebody met me at the door and we were talking. They said our pastor usually preaches about 10 minutes.

Or said take me longer than that to read the text. Amen. But when they sang that long, I said they'll demand equal time. Well, I preached an hour and a half that night. And I gave the altar call. They sat there like a tree full of owls.

Nobody moved here. They just sat there. But the next night, some come. But by the end of the week, there were not enough room in the altar. See, there was a hungry people. They want. They want God. But if you never saw the, you know, if you never saw the gold in that brass shield, it looked good.

But the people saw the gold, they knew this thing well. It doesn't miss an inch of your eye. People have never known reality. Then the imitation looks well. But if you've ever tasted the good power of a world to come, nobody's going to sell you that imitation.

No, no. Nobody's going to sell you. Father, thank you for this final message here today. Will you just help us to be your voice here today? God, help us to hear this gospel. But above everything, as we leave this conference, don't let it be a place we've been.

But let it be a place we've met you. And our focus was brought into life. That we saw Jesus and we never saw anybody else. Oh God, make yourself real. Let us go and make you real. In the name of Jesus.

Jesus’ Nazareth Sermon and the Closed Book

Amen. You know, after that wilderness experience, the Bible said Jesus went out of that wilderness in the power of the Spirit. That simply meant he was led by the Spirit of God. And he went to Nazareth, climbed the pulpit steps to preach.

Took his text from the book of Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Was anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, opening the eyes of the blind. And then in Luke 4 .20 it said he closed the book.

Now, Luke 4 .20 said he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down. And listen, all the eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened upon him. This day, he said, this scripture has been fulfilled.

I am what this book talked about. I am the fulfillment of Genesis to Revelation. Christ is all or all is absolutely nothing. When he sat down. Now, I read that and I've never preached this, but I read that and God dealt with me.

I put down a lot of things that I'm going to try to tell you what I put down. But God said to me, when that closing of the book. He said, no sermon is ever finished till the eyes are on Jesus. Don't close that book.

Don't sit down. Don't quit your preaching till men have saw Christ. There is nothing else to see, folks. Everything else pointed to him. The law was a schoolmaster to take us to Christ. Every lamb that died on that altar pointed to the lamb that's coming to die.

When John introduced him in John 1 .29, he said, behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He told of his crucifixion. Now, if that had been told after his crucifixion, it would have meant nothing as to what it meant there.

Three and a half years before he died, John said he's come as the lamb of God. Every lamb that died on every altar pointed to this moment in history. There is nothing beyond him. There's no more revelation.

No more new beginnings, folks. Everything now is just a learning of what's come to us. It is a learning Christ. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. All physical healing, the Bible said, they that know him, that know his name, that know his character, will trust him through thick and thin.

You learn it. You know it. Then you know he's trustworthy. It is only as we come to know the character of this Christ. Faith is not an experience of seeing miracles. The Israelites, they saw miracles as God destroyed Egypt almost equal to the creation.

But Moses hadn't gone ten days till Aaron's got him naked dancing around the golden camp. See, faith doesn't come. By witnessing miracles. Jesus used those miracles to draw people to himself. Then he separated them by the word of God.

You eat my flesh, drink my blood, or there's no part of me in you. Well, they left him. They walked away. Then he turned to his own. Will you go also? Peter, with a very discriminating word, said, where will we go?

For you alone have the words of eternal life. Now, that's very discriminating. Because those Pharisees had the word, but they were not like it. They just had words. That's all they had. The letter kills.

Our pastor made it so real this morning. The letter kills, but it's only the spirit of life in the word that makes it the word of God. You can take this Bible, make it say what you want to. The Bible says in Judas, went out and hanged himself.

There's another place somewhere that says, go and do likewise. If you separate the two, you'll have everybody hanging themselves by the same word of God. But there has to be life in that word before it ever becomes the word of God.

There has to be that life. You know, we don't worship the book. We worship who the book brought us to. This book, it must be. But here it said he closed the book. That's a very simple and obvious thing to do.

We read the text, we close the book. It's a very simple, obvious thing to do. But look again, and perhaps you and I will be able to see today beneath the obvious. We'll be able to see the wonderful in this moment of closing this book.

Something happened in the synagogue at Nazareth that day that never, never happened before. When that Christ came in that day, this is his message. After that wilderness experience, he stepped across the line from private life to public ministry.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit, that spirit now has took absolute control. And this is his first message. The Holy Spirit led him here. Now in that synagogue, something happened that had never happened before.

Now the book had been closed before, but never with such divine reasons. Such wealth of suggestion and assumption of authority as it had been closed that day. Just look at it. Why did he close the book?

Because he was greater than the book. He said, you're looking at this book now. It's not now just a page. I am everything this book is. This book was the word. This book became flesh. It walked among them.

That day when he said to them, and when he closed that book, is because every eye now in that synagogue is fixed upon him. Not that book. They worshipped that book long enough. They searched that scripture because they thought in that scripture they had life.

But he said, you'll find me in this book or this book will damn you to hell. It's nothing until you locate me in this book. This is a book that testifies of me from the opening word of Genesis to the final word of the book of Revelation.

It's a book about Christ. There is no other message in this Bible but the book of Christ. And he closed the book because the attention now must be upon me. Amen. When you look in this Bible, if you're not looking for Christ, you're looking for an argument.

That's the reason the Bible said all debaters are going to hell. Truth never parties with anybody. It's proclaimed. It's thundered. It's a revelation of God. It's Christ Jesus the Lord. And no message is ever complete until that audience sees Christ.

When they see Jesus, then the message has finally come to the purpose. You have to wade through a lot of things. You have to move a lot of rubbish, as our pastor said this morning, before Christ can ever be seen.

But once that is clear and the world can look at you and take knowledge that you have been with Christ, then a revival has come to your time. That's the whole key to everything. Revival has come. Revival.

John knew what it was. See, John's a hundred years old when he wrote his gospel. Now, you know the synoptic gospels are marvelous. Now, it's only about four steps from Malachi to Matthew. But it's a universe, ladies and gentlemen, from Malachi to the gospel of John.

There John has lived. He saw fulfilled the prophecies of the apostle Paul. There'll be a form without any power. John saw that happen. He's a hundred years old. Paul has been dead for thirty years. And now John is bringing back.

He begun that gospel. There was a living word walked this earth. That God was made flesh. That word was made flesh and dwelt among it. Bringing back the revelation of that personal heavenly man. That's the whole of the gospel of John.

John knew till Christ is seen, there is no hope of revival. You can preach. You can say. You can do. But until that Christ is seen again in that body called the church. There's not going to be a revival in this world.

That is the only, only possibility. He closed the book because he's greater than the book. The book was a shadow. He was the reality. Everything that book said was according to him. And if he don't ever come, then that book is a dead book.

But he, he was the reality. He was everything that book talked about. That Bible. This book is about Christ. You have read it. There was an infidel in my time. In my town brother. When I first went there.

Heard me on the television. My message was Christ. It's always been Christ. That's the message of this Bible. From the moment I met him. The one desire of my heart is to know him. Not to know about him.

The theological Christ won't get you through. You must know first with the mind. Before you can ever touch the heart. But if you stop there, you'll never know him. Gee, the orthodox Christ is not enough.

It's the Christ of the heart. When it's a revelation of who he is. When I come to personally know that Christ. Life changed. Everything changed. Everything changed. The whole desire and purpose of life.

Took on a different meaning. But that infidel. He would quote me chapters on the Bible. But did not believe there was a God. You see, did not believe there was a God. The book was a shadow. He was the reality.

This day, this book is fulfilled in your sight. I am this book. I've been made flesh. I'm walking this earth. I'm the God that you've been wanting to see. Amen. His body become the prism. That broke up the infinite light and holiness of God.

That men can look upon God in them. That was the Christ of God. And third, the book was an echo. He was a voice. That our pastor talked about so wonderfully this morning. The book is the echo. But the echo is not what we want.

It's the voice. The living voice of God. When he come, he closed the book. The book was a forecast. He was the fulfillment. Everything said from Genesis to Revelation. That Christ was the fulfillment of that.

The law was a schoolmaster. To take us to Christ. To bring us to this Christ. To bring us the revelation of this Christ. That moment. Meeting him. We found the answer to everything. Life cures all ills.

Every ill. That is the very property of life. Physically and spiritually. Is to rule out death. You know there's a million microbe. Your body is filled with cancer cells. But that life of yours. As long as it's healthy.

As long as that immune system is right. Then there's no possibility of that thing taking a hold on you. Because it's a property of life. To rule out death. And so it is with Christ. That's the reason the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Is always first to the cross. Always. He leads you to that cross. Where everything dies if not Christ. Because everything that's not Christ is death. No matter how clever you are. How natural it is with you.

No matter whatever it is. Whatever is not Christ. Is death. It has been cursed. It has no place in this assembly. Has no place in what we worship. Has no place in our message. But finally. The book was a teaching.

But he was the teacher. This is the full film. He closed the book. Because I'm the finality of this book. Now we have the book within us now. It's greater now than it was then. Because now the book is within us.

You know. A man said to me. I just passed the million mile mark. In the continental airline. Not talking about all the sidelines I've had to fly. They said don't you get bored. What's the longest flight?

I said from Newark to Hong Kong. 15 hours 45 minutes in the air. He said don't you get bored. I said no. I'm up there 40 ,000 feet. No matter what happens on this earth. I can do nothing about it. So why worry about it.

But I sit there and read the book. No I don't pull the bible out. I just close my eyes. And this book is in me. I can read it all day. All night. All time. Every day. Every moment. I can read this book.

You understand. I can read it. He lives in me. This book is me. He lives within me. I don't have to open the pages. I do. I read this book. Now I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying. But that which is written is in me.

I can close my eyes and meditate upon him who is this book. Amen. What a moment it is. What a moment it is to live. It's prophecies have been illuminated by history. It's bigger than it's ever been. Is that right?

It's prophecies. Listen. Instead of being a whisper of what shall be. It is also now the story of that which has been and now is. The book is much bigger now since that book walked this earth. And that book lives within us.

It's not just something wrote on a page. It's something wrote in our heart. He said I'm going to write it on the plestic tables of your heart. So that this now becomes what you are. It's not just something I've memorized.

But it is something now that I have become. And more and more I'm becoming that as I walk and am led by the spirit of the living God. We can read the meaning of long centuries of sacrifice in just three hours of anguish on Calvary.

Every lamb that ever died. Every bullet that ever died. Amen. All of the 4 ,000 long years of history can be brought together in three hours of anguish on Calvary folks. Everything of this book. I'm telling you it's greater now than it's ever been.

Because that has come to be in you and I. I imagine it's 25 years ago when God dealt with me. I've never preached it before. I've never said this to any human. But I knew it was for me. He said you need never to be without this book.

I'm in you. I'm in you. You learn more and more about me. Understand that what you learn is in you. I am what this book is. This book is about me and nothing else. It deals with those things that's not me.

Because you must read them. If men are going to see me that has to be dealt with. That's the reason it's a constant purchase. You never get beyond this. Always as we walk with God there will never be a perfection until we see him.

Now we still look through a glass darkly. We cannot see him in all and totality of his magnificence. But one day when I see him in that moment I'll be changed completely. But all along this line there he is.

The Book Must Become Life

I remember just before God called us to go to Russia. There had been an elderly couple coming to the church. They were in their seventies. They come out of the Catholic Church. Wonderfully born again.

Had two of the worst boys I ever met in my life. One of them died in prison. He was a pedophile. A drug addict and a pedophile. And I'm just sure that the prisoners killed him. They couldn't put up with him.

You know just such a low life of a human to seek so far down. The other was a drug addict. Lived with his mother and dad. Amen. And killed his father. Not with a knife. But by the torture of their lives.

Of what he wanted. I said to her on occasion. I said sister if you want us to we'll put him out of that house. You know if you don't want to get right we'll put him out. I'll send a couple of men over there.

I will tell him where to go live. But it was her son. She wouldn't do that. You know but then the father died. The mother had to go to the hospital. Once he's gone he sold every stick of furniture in that house for drugs.

When she comes out it's an empty floor. He sold every stick of furniture. Well she had to move to Louisiana with the people. He's on the street. Never heard nothing from him for a couple of months. Then one Monday night the phone rang.

And when I picked it up I knew it was him. And he told me. I said I know who you are. You know that total wrong attitude. But you know I just had enough of him. Me God had him though. See you know that's where you got to keep the difference.

Well he wanted me to pray for him. Well I mumbled some kind of a prayer to get rid of him. But every morning was a five o 'clock prayer meeting. And I was there. I moved over in my corner. And I began to pray.

And I don't know if I ever had uttered this before in a prayer. But I remember. Oh God let me see me like you see me. I heard him say I'd be very happy to. He said I see you as a man. I think you're smarter than I am.

Oh my God. I never wept so hard in my life. I don't know why he said that. I broke. There's 30 men in there with me. They come over. Oh I said please leave me alone. Just go and leave me. I never was so broke in my life.

I said I don't know what you're saying. He said I had a man to call you. And you decided you couldn't be saved. My God. I didn't know such wickedness. I didn't know. And you don't know. I said you don't know what's in that heart.

I never dreamed. Oh I said if you'll forgive me. I never repented so hard. No man ever wanted to walk with God more than me. I didn't know that. But you see. All along the line. He's dealing with us. He knows when to deal with us.

He knows that which is not of himself. Oh I repented. I never realized. You know I just. All I could see is the outward. Here some of the greatest friends I had. 70 something years old. And come to be born again.

And I don't know. As a pastor. You know the older ladies in the church. You become their father. You know it becomes that with them. And now these boys that destroyed them. I didn't want to talk to them.

God said. I demand to call you. You decide. It couldn't be saved. That's the wickedness of that heart. And you don't know the depth of it. That's the reason the leadership of Calvary. Must always be to that cross.

Where it deals with that which is not Christ. You know we can read the set of history. In three hours. We can catch the hidden meaning of prophecy. As we read the story of Jesus of Nazareth. He's what the prophecy.

Every prophecy of this Bible. Was about him. And with that Jesus walked this earth. Every prophecy. We can find every meaning of it. Amen according to John. There in the book of Revelation. It's a greater and a holier book now.

But he's still greater than the book. I said he's still greater than the book. We're continually coming to the point. Where the book cannot teach us anymore. Now you stay with me here. Where it's continually coming.

It has for the time being. Said it's last word. See there's no more new beginnings for. That Christ came. And that book can't teach you anything. Unless you're going to it. Is to learn him. Going to it is to learn him.

Not to learn who the antichrist is. All of those things. Prophecy isn't something folks. God's trying to make happen. Just stay with God. And it'll all work as that. He will reign. Until everything is in the right place.

All of it. We're coming. You can pull over the book. Ponder it. Analyze it. But you never by so doing. Get any further with it. I said you never get any further with it. At that point the secret of understanding.

Is to close it. Amen. Come to know him. Amen. Come to know it. To know what this is saying. To wait to know. This has one message to you. And that is this man. That closed the book and said. This day.

This has been fulfilled. In your sight. Jesus knew that. For his coming had made it so. He closed the book. It was not a final act. It's a beginning. Now you're going to really know this book. Because I am this book.

I am this book. You're going to know it now. What you couldn't know. What you knew with your mind. With your head. I know people can quote it backward. But it's never changed their lives. It's never made a difference in who they are.

Because they've never read this book. They've read the echo. But they've never come to know. The person of this wonderful book. People think of that few minutes. At the beginning of the day. And again at the end of the day.

And they say. I wish I had more time to read my bible. You know. I know. You can't read this too much. I'm not saying that. But if all you're doing is reading. And learning facts about something. That never becomes a reality.

Then you've wasted your time. Because this book will be the thing that judges you. More than anything else. In the final analysis. Of when it's all come and said. If we rightly understand. The meaning of the day.

And again at the end of the day. We say. I wish that I read my bible. But if we rightly understand. The meaning of the closed book. We know that we have all day long. To read our book. Amen. Just all day.

On that job. Meditate upon this Christ. Just let your mind. When the bible said. Pray without ceasing. I can be all day. I can't stay in one place. But I can always breathe a sigh. Toward heaven. I can always look up.

I breathe constantly. I can pray constantly. It can be you. You can read the book. Every minute of every day. You can't sit down and open his pages. But that book is in me. A living thing. This is what God is saying.

To read this book. Is more than just reading the letters. People read it all their lives. I pastored one church 35 years. I have people in that Sunday school for 30 years. Still mean as a junkyard dog.

Nothing changed about their lives. Little analytical bible studies. Don't change anything. No, no. It's when this revelation comes. That this book is in me. This is not something I read. This is what I am.

This is truth in the house. As our pastor said this morning. Amen. It's precious to me. To spend time reading the promise. Oh yes. I love to read this book. Amen. When I first got saved. I went to work every morning at 7 o 'clock.

I memorized the chapter of this bible. Every morning before I ever went. My memory was much better. But I memorized. I remember. I memorized the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. All day long. As I looked up those oil wells.

I quoted that. I must have quoted 50 times. At one point. I thought. Me and that little tractor. I was riding bulls. It was on me ranching. It becomes certain to me. I must have quoted 50 times. Amen.

But I love to read. Listen. I love to read. It's promises. Amen. But if you can only find it. On the printed page. What value are they to you? Amen. What good are they to you? I've heard preachers preach healing.