A Call to Return to God — A.W. Tozer

The Bible Finds and Locates Us

Hand a book and it says Holy Bible on it. This book has so many virtues that no one can ever say this is the virtue. It has so many crowns on its head that no one can point to one and say this is the crown.

It has so many functions that no one can say this is the function of the scripture. You can miss that. Always say because there are so many. So I would say tonight for the subject matter that 30th chapter of Isaiah which we read that one mission of the scriptures is to find us.

It's to find us. When the bible is lost it is exquisitely accurate in what it says. We're lost. The world is lost and we don't know where we are. Once in the city of Pittsburgh at the Roosevelt Hotel and if you've ever been in the golden triangle it's a golden labyrinth to me and I couldn't find my hotel and I told them afterward about it that I wasn't lost.

The hotel was lost but somebody was lost there that day. And it's easy to get lost in the world. Not know where you are. Not know what time not know what events mean. Not know the the mood of the hour the the spiritual temperature of the hour.

Now the one mission of the word of God is to find it is to locate us and to identify us and identify our times to show us what's wrong with us and also to show us what's right with us. And I'd like to stop there and accent that that mostly in our eagerness to make things better we're inclined to overlook what and this is never good.

Always we should acknowledge and right with us that God says is right with us and where until we have attained there abide winter confidence which have great recompense of reward. There is no virtue in digging at yourself all time with a pick.

There is no virtue in always condemning yourself because the word of God shows us this as well as what is wrong with us. Now I say us meaning Christians because it is well known that there's nothing right about a sinner right about a lost man there's nothing right about a rebel.

And I think it's safe to say that there is nothing about popular religion as we know it today. But the word of God is very. I have not found so great faith. No not in Israel. And I saw his eyes shining as he pointed to that and said well look at this man.

And when the woman the woman of came to him he said there were many many lepers days of Elijah of Elisha and yet to none to none did faith come. This woman this this had faith. The Lord always approves whatever he sees that he can approve.

But a peak of the evangelist who is not led by the spirit is to go into a church assuming that everybody here to the janitor is a fair going scoundrel and then begin there with that prayer that presumption.

That's not the way the word of God does it. The word of God always finds you. The business of a good doctor is not only wrong but to slap you back and tell you when you're all right. And so the business of the word of God is not only to tell me when the business of the scripture also is to tell me when I'm right and say well done and go ahead.

You're my child. Now it locates us and it brings our time into focus so that we can or God can pronounce judgment or approval approval. And there is a unique felicity in the word of God a wonderful ability.

Moral and Spiritual Parallels Across Scripture

Parallels moral parallels and spiritual parallels. I am somewhat delighted to sound a bit and read the mail and meet and talk with people that the old ironclad rigid uh dismal put every verse in one pigeonhole another verse in another pigeonhole and said do not disturb until Christmas is passing away.

While we all believe in the dispensations of the scripture there is coming from everywhere under the deep fundamental element the evangelical element of the church of Christ a feeling that while we recognize dispensations we do not allow them to draw iron curtains around us but that the holy spirit draws parallel moral and spiritual parallels between different dispensations between peoples and situations and dangers and opportunities.

For instance the new testament. Parallel parallel so that with you read the old and then read the new you begin to find yourself and look at your own times. You'll find a parallel the old testament and the new testament so that uh godless of and going across the dispensational lines.

There are the moral and spiritual parallels principles that underlie all dispensations and all the works of God so that we can locate ourselves and know where we are brethren. I'd like to say to this little congregation tonight that you could do yourself a world of good if you would take some time out just as you take a week or two weeks out for a vacation get hold of yourself physically and get off the strain.

If you'd take a little time out and it wouldn't hurt you if you some of you are worried about calories. I ate breakfast with a man this morning a very handsome young man and he said I'll take a very breakfast please.

And we were worried the people worry about their calories and worry about their weight. And that's good heaven. There's something that's more profounder than that something profounder than our health in our relation to God where we are in God's will for where we are at this moment in all purpose of God for our lives in this day.

And I say it wouldn't hurt you at all if you were to take a day off and dinner and uh get a little lean once and uh let the things of this world kind of fade out on you and get a little feel bad and your stomach will protest but it won't kill you.

Nobody died for missing a meal. I am not a pastor and I am not pushing you but it it might be a good idea sometimes take a day or so and examine yourself in the light of God. No income carried too far becomes a hindrance to the very thing we're trying to do.

Everlastingly digging up the corn is growing is one way to be sure we'll have no corn. And everlastingly digging at our own spiritual life to see progress is one way of arresting all progress and bringing it to a dead stop.

So that I do not or recommend a content ourselves but I do recommend that since one mission of the holy scriptures is to us locate us take our pulse settle on our our spiritual health and pronounce and prove or condemn or or command or warn or encourage.

I recommend that between now and say the next uh 10 days or between now and the next two weeks. Take a little time out with the hasty morning devotions but take a longer time out and search the scriptures and read them and get on your knees and put worries and all all these.

What do you call them marginal notes. And get a plane and get on your knees and let the holy ghost talk to you. You know brethren it's possible even to have too many translations around. Possible. I got so many bored with them and they bother me.

Just get a good one. It doesn't make too much different. Which one. But the king james is always a good safe one with plain text. Just read the word of god and let it talk to you. And it's wonderful how it'll now.

The new testament I say parallel the old and the old and the new find a parallel in the day in israel's condition in 700 bc as sketched here in isaiah 31 to 33. And there were in now we read all this so it'll be familiar and fresh in your mind.

They were in the state of rebellion. They rebelled against god. And they're rebelling against god is like walking against a cold fierce wind always walking against a coarse wind. Going ahead against the will of god is like flying a little light one murdered plane against hardly making any headway at all barely staying up getting nowhere.

Rebelling against the will of god and god wanting you to go another. Assess yourself tonight and think this over. Is there any rebellion in your heart. Do you which you're afraid. If you sought the will of god you'd find you wouldn't let you have.

Or do you want to avoid something quick and have reason to believe god wants you to have or do. Well now that's rebellion. And rebellion is as the sin. Let's not take it lightly. Let's take it seriously.

The will of god is the health of the universe. God is the harmony of heaven. It is the peace of paradise. The will of god is salvation itself is life. The will of god is everything a moral being can want.

And bucking the will anything even on any little thing. And then trying so hard. I heard today about a man a person man has gone against the will of god tragically and shamefully. He has flouted and violated the will of god and repented of it.

No but he's living in it and has crystallized it and hardened it. So he'll never get out of it. Hey i heard only today that that man is present at the pre-sunday school bible class. He's present at the sunday school.

He's present at the present at the evening service. He's trying desperately by being present and searching the scriptures to make up for the fact that he has violated the will of god against his own life.

And the cold tempestuous wind of the will of god. My brethren the will of god is the it's your safety and we're not safe any other place. And if you are anywhere in it god on any line holding any anything against god then remember this that all and all your prayers and all your faithful attendance at church won't mean a thing.

It's simply whistling by the cemetery. It is simply talking big to hide our shameful tears. Get right with god and you can sleep another hour get right with god and you can relax. Get right with god and peace will come to you.

Rebellion, Misplaced Confidence, and Political Counsel

In that day says there were rebellious people when they were self-confident people the elves. And they were people who misplaced their confidence and put the confidence somewhere else. And they were seekers and counselors and having conferences and they had their princes and ambassadors running all around finding no help.

And god said that they were ashamed. They found no health at all. Now i don't want to enter even close to that the deep uh dismal swamp of politics. But it's not parallel with the united states of america here all of this self-confidence and rebellion against the and this seeking advisors and counselors and secretaries of state and plenipotentiaries and having some princes and ambassadors traveling about if everybody ground himself for exactly and think and get straightened out and give him he gave his soul a chance to settle and the dust a chance to settle and the burning gasoline a chance to settle.

We find the air would begin to clear and we find the will of god. But conferences will rogers used at peace conferences were the direct cause of war. And if we could stop all peace conferences they'd end war.

The tongue-in-cheek as will would. But there was more to it you know more than than there was a certain amount of of sly humor. That peace conferences people are conferring too much and there you can't flip your dial any radio but there'll be somebody on there asking somebody else question questions.

Reminds me of the irish of metaphysics he said it's a blind man in a dark basement looking for a black cat that isn't there. And as it's parallel in the modern effort to find peace of mind if a man can hit a home run we promptly what he thinks of the international situation and if he can sing so as to bring the teenagers to their knees with rapture while we ask him what he thinks of the atom bomb.

And we're interviewing and conferring differences. Brethren when god almighty made the heaven and the earth it wasn't didn't come out of a conference. And when it died on the cross there was no it wasn't by any action of the council.

Now i know that a certain number of conferences have to be held just the same as there have to be certain visits to the dentist and certain banquets and after dinner speakers. I know that we have to share exit.

There are certain things they have to be. I forgot but go on anyhow and say that these things are necessary. Board meetings are necessary. I know. But brethren after all if we get to god first we could cut down the length of time it takes to find that we don't know anyhow.

The committee you know is a group of people which singly can do nothing but when met as it can officially vote that they know not how to do it. That's the difference. Now brethren i believe in committees and conference.

We never fail here to have our board meeting and i go to all conferences except i miss one once in a while. But uh remember this that if the members of the conferences and board meetings and young people's uh or the best who decide on how things go would get to god first we'd have some light when we get to another but we meet with our light and cool our darkness and then go away again.

That's often the way it is. These political conferences these political conferences if secretary of state would stay at home for years into the distance into the future. But if he continues to run around he'll get his.

He's a republican too. God help him. But if he continues running around and shooting off we'll get into it some assassinate somebody and then hell will break out on the earth. God says you find no help.

You're looking for help and you're holding your political conferences and you're running about and you're asking questions of people who don't you. And you don't know. Mr palin rector that i spoke of this morning came to me over and said there's some questions i want to ask you brother two of them.

So he asked me the first one he said how do you resolve that. Well i said brother i don't know how to resolve the problem and answer the question. I don't even i haven't yet got far enough along. I don't even have the problem not let alone the answer.

Well that that was a dry well he got time. Then he asked me a second question. He was on my territory and i had to answer but not the first first one had to do with the relation of time and how christ could step out of eternity into time and the historic all that old neo-orthodox stuff.

And brethren i don't even have the problem. But there are answers and god has the answers and we'll not find them running about asking the questions. Because and so god says now here put put this in the book think of the think of the of the irony there right.

Put this in a book. Put this in a book that my people are rebellious people that they want my protection but will they want my blessing. But they don't want me to don't want to obey me. They want my heaven but they don't want my walk on earth.

Put this in a book that there are non-truthful people. That there are lying people and untruthful people. You an awful lot of liars among evangelicals. I don't know any. Now remember that i'm not accusing anybody and i can't think of any except those who say they have a thousand one hundred and eight.

But outside of that i don't know where the liars are. But there must be because i hear things about never happened in the wide world. I heard in highland park that i had done something is all right. Not.

No nothing wrong but something that i was in billy graham and i and i hadn't seen billy graham in five years. So what couldn't have happened yet. Somebody started that it hadn't told lie there brother i don't know who it was but somebody.

My people are untruthful people my people. And as well and they insist on hearing religious talk. I have a note which i want to write on sometime i heard more from myself by the grace of god than i do from anybody else.

And i when i get an idea pops into my head when i pray around it. And then later on i develop maybe it'll lie three years. And i have a little note that says this. Why is it that some christians are always at the church always at the prayer meeting always asking prayer requests during their bible always eager for orthodoxy always ready to defend the truth.

And yet it's grouchiest and meanest and nastiest and hardest to live with people in the world. Now that question yet can you help me brother thomas huh. I don't know why i asked old brother m a dean ma dean they call him m a dean.

I asked brother dean about that and brother dean said young fella now was your young brother. It's like this. He said some people are spiritually cross-eyed and he said they look two directions. They're looking one way and going another.

Now he said that's the way i've resolved it. I doubt whether that would be accepted out in fuller seminary brains there or in any other of the great seminaries where great minds are. But it seems to us simple people to be the truth people are just spiritually cross-eyed and they're they're untruthful and they're unbelieving.

And yet they're the some of the most pious people and they insist on hearing religious talk all the time. And yet there's no humility there. Humility is a beautiful thing. Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

Humility, Spiritual Hunger, and the Voice of God

I told brother mcafee about uh now my brother bill is here. Uh petlock he'll know about latvia. I don't know where latvia is exactly. I know middle european arrangements there that always a hinder box.

But there was a woman that highland lake maybe 35 though not told her that but she probably 35 a blondish high cheekbone the typical slav type you know square face aimed so modestly and said mr torres there is some thing i would like to ask you.

And i um she said i am a latvian refugee. I was a teacher in my own land and i fled and i'm here in the united states and i am a christian. I have been born again and i'd like to ask you a question. All right she said you talk about a spiritual life.

And the question i want to ask you. She said it. The spiritual life for plain people like me isn't the spiritual life for apostles and great and great people like that that need it she said. Do you think that a simple woman like me.

She was not a simple woman had been a teacher in her own land and spoke english except for she couldn't get the diphthong beautifully well humble and meek and so humble that she was willing to forego the poor spirit because she just sought it wasn't for her.

God looks on people like that and loves them. Don't you think. Eyes her by giving her a christmas present and giving her that which she feels she's not worthy to receive abilities. A beautiful thing wherever it is found.

And pride is just as heinous wherever it is found. And yet there's the religious talk all the time people are wanting to hear religious talk. And more religious talk and more religious talk. And yet never hear the real voice of god.

Isn't this an ironic thing here. Sometimes i get blamed for being a bit. But brother the word of god is so sarcastic. Sometimes you can shave with it. It's so sharp. Listen to this says i can find it here.

Now he says they say prophesy not unto us right things. Smooth things. Prophesy. Deceits says don't tell the truth to us. Prophesy unto us smoothly. Deceits. You know what i would do if i were a layman if i delivered milk or duck ditches or or any other profession.

And wasn't a preacher. Do you know what i'd do when i entered the church and i sensed giving me smooth things. I would get up scoop up my hat and leave the building. And as i went i see and get out of there.

I'd never want to stay in that church where men speak smooth things. I go don't want that doctor to lie to me. I want to know the rest that i can prepare for. And i don't want to be. I want to be told the truth.

Speak unto us smooth things. Men make reputation smoothies. You can ask him a question and you don't know it says about paul. Thou has known my doctrine. But there are a lot of people that that you ask them a question and you don't know when they're finished.

Well don't believe. They start in and talk all around. And when they come back you still have your question. But you don't have the answer. Say whether they're for it or against it. Paul says you've fully known my doctrine.

He delivered his soul. He wasn't afraid of people. He told everybody now what was the sentence on all this smooth deceit. This religious talk. This this relying this unbelieving business. This running to egypt and trying to get a help there and running to psychiatry here and running to somewhere else for help.

Well god says the is that you're going to go down like a wall. You're going down like a wall. And being a farmer i've seen walls and i know what it is for a great wall. And as it goes down rodents run every direction they've been hiding in it and the dust begins to rise.

But your wall is going down like a bowing wall. You're going down like a potter's vessel will be smashed on the cobblestones. What about we and our times. I wish i wish that i could tell you the truth and tell that we are in times of great revival.

I wish that i could tell you that i thought things were looking up. I wish not. Not for a moment can i. The brother who runs highland lake conference in his mighty praying reminded me in his intensity of prayer.

And as he prayed he said oh god. The evangelicals have a god that is no god no the true god much anymore. And young people have been cheated and sold down river. We must see again the glory of god. And the burden of his prayer was oh god.

This poor generation deserves to see thy glory. Show us thy glory. Now there's a remnant that according to the election of if we parallel the rebellion and the self-confidence and the misplaced confidence thinking of counselors and princes and ambassadors and dashing about looking for things and not listening to god.

Then how are sentenced. She shall go down as a bowing wall and fall as a potter's vessel. I don't think we can remember that it's not good exegesis taking all the blessings and giving all the curses to israel.

Remember that it's not good exegesis to under promises and ignore all the warnings. Remember it. And yet it's been done. A whole generation has grown up on old generation that never put a blind under the warnings.

The tenderly underlined all. You take the average fellow's bible and reprint only the underlying passages. You think that god was a soft spineless moral sancti clause who was just full of self-pity and had no justice or judgment at all.

That's because we choose the passages that please us. And heretic as you know is that what the word means he selects. He selects the passages that he wants. And if you go through your bible selecting the passage you up why.

You're a heretic in that measure. Not you're teaching false doctrine but you're not giving the whole word of god. It's like living all the time on upside down cake. You got to have some other things. Now i want you to notice over here though that the goodness of god came in and saved israel and pushed 100 years the good grace of god even though they deserved all this the good grace.

In verse 18 he says the lord will wait that he may be gracious unto you and he will be exalted that he on you. For the lord is a god of judgment and blessed are they that wait for him. And he says your eye you shall.

He'll be very gracious unto you with the voice of thy cry. And your teachers will not be removed into a corner anymore. And you will hear a voice saying this is the way walk in it. When you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.

God’s Gracious Restoration and Guidance

I wonder now l l this. I wonder if evangelicalism and we starting in this church can't parallel this can't really voice you notice that it doesn't say you'll hear a voice ahead of you. Why. Other times it says he before his people and who leads them.

When he put it forth his own he goes before the shepherd is ahead. Why is it. Can anybody tell me answer me back. Why does he say you shall hear behind you. Why. When you turn to the right hand or when you turn to the left.

Yes. Why. Because the lord never the path. And as long as you're behind him and he's ahead and you're following him his voice is hanging along. Come on sheep come on. But as soon as you turn away from the path and the voice is behind you no matter which way you turn up you'll hear a voice behind you saying this is the way come back here.

You're off the way this is the way come on back here. And i pray that to fundamentalism and to all of us there may come a willingness to listen. God is waiting. We deserve what have we deserved. We've deserved judgment.

We've deserved it. We've been down in a welter of dust and rubble. But god said i won't do it. Now i'll wait i'll be gracious. I'll exalt myself and show you this church has done enough. We've committed enough sins here to bring the building down on us.

And i've committed enough sins. Evangelicalism has committed enough. But god says i'll wait that i might be gracious. I'm going to judge you give you a chance. And you'll hear my voice saying this is the way walk ye in it.

Then he says these things that in these days there shall be upon every highway every high hill rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter when the towers isn't this the day of the great slaughter.

And did we not go just now through few years ago disastrous and bloody and deadly wars in history. And have we ever had an hour when the guns weren't celebrated the end of the korean war. But there's never been a moment the echo of a hasn't been heard somewhere around the world.

We're still hearing it in this terrible day when everything that is good and all that we've stood for has gone down. The purity of womanhood and the dignity of childhood and the the the desire of integrity and government and patriotism.

The patriot used to set the flag and preach god and country and the people left. But now a man doesn't flag. They call it flag raving. And patriotism has become a corny thing for young people to laugh.

And young people in i think brooklyn the other day girls mind you girls girls a group of girls for girls and beat them until they had to be taken to the hospital. And when a policeman came to rescue the girls that were being beaten up him until he was wounded.

We have produced a generation like that a fresh self-assured rebellious sarcastic general. Everything good is corny or square. My friends hope we have is that god says i'll exalt myself i lift myself up not to throw a show mercy on a poor miserable people.

And i wonder if we can't begin to listen. It's happening here. It's coming. I talk to this one and that one reformed church man episcopal man baptist people. I hear them. And they are saying pretty much the same thing they're saying.

We've been sold down river years. Christianity has become a show and we want god back again. We're sorry along with it we want god back again. And you'll hear it everywhere. And people that used to be so sure of themselves tenderly.

I remember one time hearing jada chris he said uh dr jada chris he said now i recommend so-and-so's book he said now i don't believe every degree with everything in it he said if i agreed with everything in it i'd and he said furthermore by the time i wrote the last page i might not be so sure of something i'd written on the first.

Oh i know how he meant it and everybody else did. But one young preacher present he rushed up to me and he said did you hear. That was positively. He was steaming hot. He said did you hear that. What kind of talk is that.

What kind of talking. Mr tozer. I haven't changed my mind on a thing in 10 years. He probably hasn't yet. And that's been 10 years ago. He's probably frozen. He's frozen. But i don't mean change your mind about bible doctrine.

Go ahead. But you know that spirit that spirit of surefire governmentism is pretty few. And i find and i don't say it because this brother's a baptist. I would have said this and did say it in highland lake.

And i've said i find probably the hungriest people now in the north american continent are about their eager tender people. I find them every all sorts of baptists too and they're eager. They've got that solid fundamental doctrine.

Please don't all even go to the baptist. I maybe i don't mean to lose my church here. I am saying that i find that that happened to be a baptist pastor that told me that i haven't changed my mind in anything in 10 years.

But his kind is sort of fading away. And people find that their doctrine isn't enough. But there's got their doctrines got to leave. And if it doesn't lead you to god it might have just as well be a muhammadanism.

If if you're if the doctrines you hold doesn't rub then there are no no doctrine to you. And i find the tenderness coming on people. I find bible church brethren calling me me asking if i'd seen such and such an old book eager hungry people all over and together.

Dr maxwell calls it the order of the burning heart. You know that i thought you and i invented that we called it the felon. And we don't carry your denomination but the fellowship of the burning heart.

Those who love the lord speak other. And god says that in that terrible day when algin the great world the towers are fallen. It's the day of slaughter though. There shall be half on every high mountain and hill rivers and streams.

Rivers on high mountains. They don't belong up there. They belong in the valley. Well god said if they muddy the streams and my people pray and hear my voice i'll put rivers up on the mountains for them.

And i'll put streams up on high hills. I'll do a miracle for my people and my dear friends it is to be known what god will do with us here and us in our society and with evangelicalism if we'll only. And he says in verse 26 moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun seven in the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days in the day that the lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth of their wounds.

In that day god will make our life brighter than it ever was before. We have been this society this missionary society fifth largest now i think in the world the three million dollars and over for missions going in where nobody else goes and all of that.

And we've criticized each other a lot. I wonder brother if we listen for the voice we won't yet hear a voice saying but this is the way. And i'm waiting. And i'll give you rivers and high places and i'll give you streams on a high hill didn't know.

And i'll make you brighter in the world of religion seven times brighter than you were. And i'll make seven times as bright. And i will multiply seven days on one. I'm hearing i'm waiting wondering if we've got and i wonder for our own church not more than about a month ago i came back from the in fact i even talked seriously about a home in mount vernon new york and thought maybe that it might be in the will of god that i should leave here and be the pastor can go to writing and editing.

And how did you show me over the next weeks a sign a fleece a light a bit of light in the church. I'll take it that that isn't the will for me yet. And we've never had better meetings and we warmer warmer meetings and and better times even in this hot summer of of uh.

Hope for the Church and a Renewed Ministry

And i wonder if god isn't saying to this church all right church dog. Dear brother jones here this evening or not. But he wrote me or on vacation. He wrote me a letter and marked it personal. I'm almost done marked it personal.

You were talking about the ministry of this church and i just sat down and went over the records and he said i wrote here it was. He said now here are the old people that have gone and he mentioned them many of them brothers used to know the uh the gremlins and the uh the moors and all he named again he said they'd gone by reason of age.

And then he said there are others. And then he named a whole list because they'd moved. And he said about 40 families have left this church in the last few years. I think he's low on count about 40 families all parts of the country east and west and west and south and north.

And a great many have gone out as preachers and gone to the fire missionaries from here. And preachers from here probably running up to 50. All told 29 missionaries were better. Uh a few weeks back i wondered maybe if the old wasn't moving.

But i've heard the lord say the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun. Sun shall be seven times as the light of seven days in the day when the lord bindeth up the bull and healeth the stroke of their wounds.

Now there's only this question. Two of them i want to ask briefly one of whose side are we in this day. Are we on the side of take it easy or are we on the side of those who have been found and located prophetically situated.

So we know where we are. We found ourselves. And we'll look on the the poor dead churches and poor dead entertainment isn't way. And expecting that we shall see this church shall see rivers where they hadn't been and streams where they hadn't been before.

And the lightning times. I don't know for you my friends but i'm not dead yet. And for myself uh to multiply me seven times to his church not only to this church alliance but to his church throughout the whole earth seven times.