Power of the Ministry Pt 1 — Alan Redpath

No, we're just going to sing a chorus I know you all know. Sing it is a prayer spirit of the living God full of fresh on me. That's it, let's sing it together. Prayer play Fresh on me.

Just once again shall we Answer prayer.

For Jesus sake Amen, would you open your Bibles tonight, and then we'll sing a chorus at the finish. Thank you. God for sending Jesus. Ezekiel chapter 47. And while you're finding the place May I just say that I'm very sorry that I haven't been more available to speak to folk personally as So many of us for time for a word together but um After the service tonight, I'd be happy to be available.

I don't quite know where if there's to be a film here, but probably across the road somewhere. To speak with you and share with you and my wife also Would be glad to speak to any ladies who may desire to talk to her, so please Make use of that time if you'd like to.

Maybe just before we leave tomorrow. There'll be further opportunities as well. I shall never forget the joy of these couple of days with you together. Ezekiel 47 I'm reading from the King James Version tonight.

The River Flowing From the Temple

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house and behold Waters issued from out from under the threshold of the house eastward. For the forefront of the house stood toward the east. And the waters came down from under from the right side of the house at the south side of the altar.

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward had led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward and Behold there ran out waters on the right side and when the men had the line in his hand went forth eastward.

He measured a thousand cupids and He brought me through the waters. The waters were to the ankles. Again, he measured a thousand and brought me through the waters. The waters were to the knees. Again, he measured a thousand and Brought me through.

The waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand and it was a river that I could not pass over. For the waters were risen waters to swim in a river That could not be passed over. And he said to me son of man Has thou seen this?

Then he brought me and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned behold at the bank of the river Were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me These waters issue out toward the east country.

I'll go down into the desert and Go into the sea which being brought forth into the sea the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth which moveth. Whithersoever the rivers shall come shall live.

And there shall be a very great multitude of fish because these waters shall come hither. For they shall be healed And everything shall live. Whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Enneagram.

They shall be a place to spread forth nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds as the fish of the great sea exceeding many. But to marry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed.

They shall be given to salt and by the river upon the bank thereof on this side and on that side Shall grow all trees for meat. Whose leaf shall not fade neither Shall the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his months.

Because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof for medicine. This is the word of the Lord. Thank you God for sending Jesus. Thank you Jesus that you came.

Holy Spirit won't you teach me more about his lovely name. Thank you God for sending Jesus. Won't you teach? Once again Thank you God for sending Jesus. Thank you Jesus that you came.

Thank you Jesus that you came.

Holy Spirit won't you teach. Holy Spirit won't you teach. All the comfort and the beauty of these surroundings and enjoy Tremendously our fellowship. We're not here in a sort of holiness huddle. We're here to face a world and revolt and to be equipped for the task.

We think of millions of people tonight who've never heard the name of Jesus. 91 of Christian work done among 9 of the world's population. What would you have us to do about all this? Let your Holy Spirit Reveal Our risen Lord to us tonight if rash As we worship And praise him together One moment just in quiet that you may express the burden on your heart to God.

Speak Lord in the stillness while we wait on thee. Hush our hearts to listen in expectancy. Speak oh blessed master in this quiet hour May we see thy face Lord and feel thy touch in Jesus name. Amen. We have been thinking together in these sessions Of some things to do with ministry of the word Of preparation for the ministry.

The Holy Spirit and Power for Ministry

Things that we must face ourselves individually If we're to be effective for the Lord Jesus. And if you like the pattern for the ministry this morning the kind of people Jesus needs today and As a result of prayer this afternoon I feel that I should.

The Lord wants me to concentrate these last two sessions On the theme of the Holy Spirit And power for the ministry. I've been thinking such a lot today about The world in which we live And how easily we can forget it.

But I believe that we've come for this wonderful time together that we may be Equipped and prepared to face it with a new sense of authority. If you think about it the whole world is in revolt. Revolution anarchy everywhere.

And the biggest farce of all not our worst enemy. But the biggest farce in society is communism which At the opening part of this century was offering everybody freedom. All men should be equal and free.

It's failed miserably. And everybody knows it the trouble is with society today that communism having failed. What alternative is there? The christian doesn't get too excited or too thrilled about Any suggestions because he knows that any alternative is just as bad if not worse As the previous one.

And there's only one hope apart from the coming of our lord. And it is for christian revolution revolution. Under the authority of the spirit of god revolution revolution can do a lot. But it can't change the human heart.

The holy spirit can do that. The holy spirit let loose in your life and in mine is the answer. And I believe that this may well be The last opportunity the church will have to rise to it And get out into the attack where the action is And to let people see the reality Of our wonderful lord jesus and It's that that's very much in my mind as i'm directed To the ministry of these last two days together.

The holy spirit is not an optional extra That you add to your car the holy spirit Is an indispensable necessity for every child of god. He is the substitute on earth today. For the bodily presence of christ 2 000 years ago when jesus was here Heaven opened to him more than once and the word was this is my beloved son hear him Not now The lord says now He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the holy spirit says to the churches.

You find that in every one of the seven letters in revelation and the trouble is That most of our churches Have crowded him out And substituted program. And indeed most of our christian lives are so well organized that we have no time for him.

And If this conference is going to achieve anything, it won't be just simply Through one or two messages here, but it'll be as we go back under determined That we make room for the holy spirit in our lives afresh Not to bless our plans But to show us What is his strategy for days like these?

And in his name to go out and take action. But I find so often That I meet so many christians who are discouraged And defeated And disillusioned. Some are in business And they have of course heavy responsibilities.

And the pressure of it is just too much. And the testimony has suffered. Some are in the ministry. And the burdens and strains and claims of people Have caused us to snap Under the strain and in spite of seminary training And in spite of college training.

Somehow we haven't got what is required. Others are housewives. And you who have children especially know the pressure. And sometimes we husbands don't understand. And I mean so many students at universities who are on the edge of giving up Facing only the humiliation of unemployment.

They thought that university training would meet their need. They're stuffed full of knowledge bursting with it, but spiritually it dries dust. Now if that description is at any rate accurate and certainly it is as far as britain is concerned I wouldn't know so much now about this country.

Knowledge, Spiritual Emptiness, and Ezekiel's River

There's an urgent need for us to take stock And search our hearts. Why is it that we believe so much and experience so little? Why? Why is it That our heads are so full and we're so clever but our hearts are empty.

Ezekiel 47 has the answer to those questions. I'd better be careful just to Be sure that you know him sound That i'm not unmindful of the future fulfillment of This chapter in the millennial edge. When our lord jesus will reign in glory And his kingdom will be established.

But In symbolic language. There's a picture here of resources for christian living. Like no other picture in the bible a graphic illustration Of it you see the bible is an eastern book. And um The pictures and analogies in it Have an eastern setting.

The people of the land knew the value of water and the need of it. The ground was often like iron And heaven like brass. And the picture in ezekiel 47 is that of a great river. Now it is rivers which make cities and established countries.

There will be no london without the thames. There will be no rome without the taboo. There'd be no egypt without the nile. There'd be no new york without the hudson. And no chicago without lake michigan.

The difference that a river can make is the difference between desert And garden. It is not surprising therefore that much is made in the bible to illustrate This truth of rivers. You remember phrases like these springs of water Wells of salvation Showers of blessing.

I will pour water upon him that's thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. Isaiah 35 in the wilderness shall Waters break out and streams in the desert. Psalm 46 There is a river. The streams were of shall make glad the city of god.

The first psalm and verse three the godly man Is like a tree Planted by rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in season and his leaf Never withers. And whatever he does prospers and the lord jesus.

If you go on drinking of this water said he to the woman of samaria, you'll go on being thirsty. But if you drink of the water that I shall give you that water shall spring up within you like a fountain.

Little later on at the feast of tabernacles on the last day as we were reminded earlier in john 7 Jesus stood On the steps and cried if any man thirst Let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.

And john explaining what he meant said This he spoke of the holy spirit Whom they that believe on him receive. And you remember too, don't you that the bible closes in the last chapter of all and describes what heaven is like.

It doesn't say much about heaven. I wish we knew a bit more. But of course, we'll know more one day. But I know know that in heaven, there's no moon. There's no sun. There's no sea. I'm, sorry about that actually I love the sea.

But there's no sea. But there's a river a pure river of water of life as clear as crystal Proceeding from the throne of god and of the lamb. What do you think? Is the significance of all that? Ezekiel records that god said that everything shall live.

Where the river comes put that all together. So God's promise Is linked to our longing. Everything shall live where the river of the holy spirit come my bible comes alive. My prayer life begins to be fresh.

My devotional life begins to take meaning. My witness to jesus becomes effective. Everything lives Where the holy spirit comes so that the desert? The barrenness which may well be in somebody's life here tonight, but thoroughly disguised and thoroughly covered Under your cleverness to hide it all.

And only god sees into the real man and woman that you are. Oh that the barrenness and deadness that's there. Though you wouldn't let anybody know about it. They live today. That's my concern. And not only for you my dear brothers and sisters.

But for myself. He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry with goodness not madness, but goodness. And that's what god is longing to do. The great prayer of the apostle paul for the ephesian church Was That he bent bowed his knees before the lord that we might be all filled up with all the fullness of god.

What a prospect follow me then. And uh, don't worry I shan't be too late. And what I don't say tonight the lord helping me i'll say tomorrow. I'll never get through it tonight because there's so much burning in my heart so much that's come alive in this chapter.

The Source of the River's Power

Let me ask you to look at what I would call and you can jot it down if you like bless you. The essence of the river's power e double s e n c e the essence of the river's power. You notice in verse one the source of the river.

It proceeded from the threshold of the temple. Out from the mercy seat from the very throne of god the highest place of authority on him of heaven on earth and every true blessing. Real blessing That any of us can ever know.

Can ever know all its origin to that source. What assurance it brings to our lives to know That the flow of the river of life the life of his spirit Has its origin today from a throne to which jesus has been raised Where sin has been dealt with And no promise has ever been broken.

And where he has received from his father the promise of the holy spirit. Well As I mentioned to you before the disposition to sin. The demand for man's independence. The refusal to accept a life of dependence on god where that life Was canceled out when jesus came As he lived moment by moment in complete dependence upon the lord.

And therefore god raised him from the tomb and he ascended to heaven god's perfect man. And he won the right for us to live In the power of his holy spirit. So The fact is I don't know how many are here, but you're all born again I presume.

And you all have thrown life Indwelling you now life That comes to us each one of us from the very throne of god the holy spirit himself. And you notice the course of the river. Verse one. The water came down at the south side of the altar.

The only way this Life giving stream can reach the world is by way of the cross. By way of an altar. The holy spirit was not given Till jesus was glorified. He proceeds from the throne of god and of the lamb.

He comes to my life not by chance. But because the blood has been shed Because sin has been dealt with. And therefore he is in us as a necessary outcome. It's all of grace That it might be all of faith.

But I will seek for his presence and his power in my life in vain. Until repentance and faith has brought me to calvary. The cry of so many people. Again, i'm speaking the background of britain in prayer meetings is lord.

Give us pentecost. Give us another pentecost and somehow I feel the lord jesus saying I must have calvary Before you can have pentecost. One precedes the other. We cry for one, but we're unwilling for the other.

Sin is arrogance. Salvation is submission. The source of the river and look at the force of it. In verse 5 You've got it clear. I hope That you have within you a life that comes from the throne. Absolute authority.

A life that's been to the cross. Absolute submission. That life Dwells in you and in me tonight with a resultant force. You notice in verse 5 That this river grew in power And depth Until only a mile from its source.

It was too deep to cross waters to swim in but I don't see that any tributary had been added to it. It wasn't reinforced by any other stream. It owed its growth And power to the constant springing up of water from the sanctuary.

The streams of this world could add nothing to it. God give the holy spirit without measure to a man to a woman to a church. Wherever he can find a channel ready to receive him. We can add nothing to his power.

His dear old dr. Terza Who says in his book? In pursuit of God. If the holy spirit were withdrawn from the church today 95 of what we would do what we do goes on would go on and nobody would know any different.

But if the holy spirit were withdrawn from the new testament church 95 of what they did would stop. And everybody would know the difference. That's tragic. But it's true. And it's true of each one of us, you know, or do you know?

That God doesn't expect you to live the christian life. Whether it's in business in a pastorate in christian leadership in your home. Anywhere in your own strength. You could do no more. No, you can no more do that than you can save your own soul but the fact is That the lord jesus christ has provided in the holy spirit one who is altogether adequate.

In my early years as a christian I Sat in a service where my oldest christian friend ian thomas was speaking. And of course through his message. He said What do you think god expects of you? And I sort of curled up.

Because I thought well he's probably going to say some terrific person some, you know, wonderful saint and I think and it's hopeless. And after a moment's pause he just said What does god expect of you.

Nothing but total failure? And at once I got really excited i'm a candidate right on the job a candidate lord, that's me. A total failure. Yes. But god has given you the holy spirit that you need not fail.

Not that you cannot fail. But you need not fail. And from that moment on I began to take on a new meaning to the christian life altogether. I saw that it's not by might nor by power, but by his spirit.

I saw that it was hopeless for me to try to improve myself polish up the flesh. I could do nothing about it at all. But the answer With the release of the spirit of god in me day by day I have received and you have received forgiveness by faith in a crucified lord.

And at that very moment when I received forgiveness by faith I was baptized by the spirit into the body of jesus. Baptism of the spirit is always initiation. Something that happens at the beginning. And there he sealed me.

And he indwelt me by his spirit. And he had come to meet every demand That could ever be made upon me in answer to my faith and to my obedience. Yes. My dear brother and sister the holy spirit is god's answer to your discouragement.

To your defeat to your disillusionment and his despair. He's the answer to a pastor's personal problems and personal life. He's an answer to the businessmen's pressures. His answer to the mother at home With cares for the children.

And I don't mind how thorough your study for your ministry may have been. This is something that no college can ever give you or seminary If you have the greatest academic training that any country could give you.

And you and I have never learned to tap the resources that are yours in the indwelling christ sooner or later. All your hopes all your ambitions and your dreams will lie shattered in ruins. For said jesus without me You can do nothing.

Right. The lord always reduces every one of us to a minimum In order that he might do through us his maximum. And as dr. Barnhouse used to say the way to up is down the essence Of the river's power, but now look just a verse or two on in this passage To what I would call the experience of the river's depth In obedience to the divine Leader.

From Ankle-Deep to Waters to Swim In

Ezekiel Is brought In his dream Through a progressive experience of the fullness of blessing. Do you notice that three times in these verses? We read the phrase he brought me through. Let's look at these.

And ask ourselves. How far through has he brought me. Where do I fit into this picture. I'll find myself somewhere here verse three. He brought me through and the waters were to the ankles. Now that suggests to me at once the spirit of the man Who has been enabled to claim salvation and to receive the lord.

But he's only ankle deep. Only had a very shallow experience of the river's depth. There's still a very big show of himself. That has never never been under the water. Very little evidence in this man's experience of the flow of holy spirit life.

It's really the condition of the carnal christian. Described by paul in his letter. There's a church in corinth. You remember there were three types of men the natural the carnal the spiritual. Natural man only two-thirds alive.

He's got physical life. Mental life no spiritual life. Only two-thirds alive. And he has the nerve to say a christian is not all there. He's the one who isn't all there. Bless him the natural man. The god of this world has blinded the minds of men and that man you can't argue into being a christian.

He's a missing dimension which needs a miracle to replace. And uh, there's a carnal man. Are you not yet carnal said paul in writing to the church at corinth. I speak to you as babes. Living selfishly.

Little concern for others. No evidence of growth. No ability to feed on the word only the milk. Always being spoon fed by the preaching of others. Living on a very worldly level superficial level. Light-hearted.

Touchy very resentful. Meet a person like that and you're much more conscious of him than you are of the lord. There's an awful lot of him still there in evidence. He's very critical of other people. Very jealous of the success of others.

Very unloving in his speech. Is that all that god has for his children? Heaven forbid. To stay only ankle deep in the river of life is to misrepresent Utterly to the world. What the fullness of god's blessing is?

And the possibilities of christian experience. It's so unattractive so repelling and so ugly. It's possible to be all this and yet to be indwelt by the spirit as paul says in romans 7. Indwelt by the spirit.

Mastered by the flesh. The carnal christian galatians 5. The spirit lusts against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit. These are contrary to one to the other. You cannot do the things that you would.

He brought me through and the waters were to the ankles. Has he brought you through that? May I be careful to say something that is not. The experience of 90 percent of christian people at their new birth.

It is often the experience of christians years after the conversion. The natural progress of a child of god is not from being the natural man to the carnal man to the spiritual man. The progress so often Is first being natural and then spiritual and then leaping back into carnality.

Do you remember the day of your conversion? Be lovely to hear about it. Perhaps you don't remember. The day doesn't matter very much as long as you know, we have one. But um, I remember the day. Because I was there at the time I was studying to be an accountant.

In the city of newcastle on time. I was about 20 years of age. And I said, what do you mean? He said red bath. He said would you like to be saved? That's uh, that's um. That's um, that's uh the initial approach of course and all methods of soul winning and um.

Would I like to be safe and I let him have it on every gun I could fire with the usual excuses. When I'd finished He said to me. Do you know anything at all about victory over sin? I was glad it was dark.

I went as red as the beetroot. I said no. Do you want to? Yes, but it's impossible. Oh, no, it isn't. And for the first time in my life I heard the story of the virgin birth of jesus. Of his spotless life atoning death.

His resurrection from the tomb the outpouring of his spirit that he could come and indwell me If I trusted him. And within 20 minutes He led me to christ for the next three weeks we were there. He took me believe it or not every night to a brethren meeting.

And for 21 nights I had the most amazing teaching of the bible. And I was thrilled. I went home. And when I got home my parents were waiting for me. And my father gave me a card and said look at this.

It was an invitation to play in a trial game for one of our counties at rugby football. I said thanks. I'm not really interested. Oh, why not? Well, I said as much fate on saturday. I think i'm going out with my friend and I want to read the bible.

And my father looked at me and looked at my mother and I could see them saying send for a psychiatrist immediately. They didn't. And he went out with my bible. And my friend Went to a country that you don't know the boundary of the roman empire actually boundary of the roman war.

And I sat there on a beautiful sunny day. And I read romans one through eight. And wept my heart out with sheer joy. Like a christian in pilgrim's progress. I could just give three leaps for joy. Was I carnal then?

No. Was I filled with god's spirit then? Yes. Up to the limit of my capacity. There wasn't a touch of carnality about me. I just rejoiced in the lord and praised him with all my heart. But I had to go to the office the next day and when I got there Six of my friends were waiting for me.

They said have you done it? I said done what? Have you knocked the religion out of him? Well, no, not exactly. And they looked at me and said are you religious? No. Come have a drink. No, thanks. Why not?

I don't want to you're religious. No, i'm not. Come and have a drink. No. Get off my neck. Come on, you're soft you're sissy. You've got religious. Oh, shut up get off my neck. I'll come. So I went and I didn't have one.

I had half a dozen two days later. A girlfriend rang me up not my wife. I didn't know her then. And this girl who wasn't doing me any good at all said to me. What about a date? That's how they did it in those days and I said Um.

No, thank you. I aren't you? Well, oh i'm very well. Well, I haven't seen you for a long long time. Come on I'd rather not if you don't mind now come along you're being silly. Come on, do i'd love to hear how it's been getting on when you've been away.

I haven't seen you for a long time to come so I came and those two decisions. Cost me seven wasted years of christian living. From which I can never recover. Seven years. Oh I never. I told this fellow i've never come to your meetings anymore.

I don't like them. I qualified as a cpa went down to london got a good job plenty of money. I wasn't married those two facts are often connected and I had a good lots of money and I just whipped it up dances.

You can't be a christian live like that. Oh, yes, you can. How do I know it's a christian because I was miserable. I used to enjoy it, but I hated it now. I loathed it, but I went on doing it and wasted seven years.

My friend who led me to christ came down to london. It was in london I was living then took me out to lunch very nice hotel. We had lunch. He never spoke to me about the lord. And at the end of our lunch, he looked at me and said well red path.

Good to see you after these five or six years. But he said don't forget it's possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life. That hit hard. It was a friday. I was going up to the north of england to play rugger football for one of our counties by a night train.

I had a sleeper. I didn't sleep a wink. Every kick of the wheels saved soul wasted life saved soul wasted life saved soul. And then I went up to the field a tremendous match twenty thousand people there crowding up the ground yelling their heads off but every step I took saved soul wasted life saved soul wasted life.

And I went To the team dance at night in the central station hotel in newcastle. The orchestra were playing the same tune but jazzed it up saved soul wasted life. I just couldn't get it out of my mind.

And I wakened up the next morning strange to say I remember the room i've been there since I wakened up this next morning wondering where i'd been. And I said lord For seven years. I've had you but you've never had me.

Help yourself i'm through and in his mercy He came afresh spiritual Yes for three weeks. Carnal yes for seven years. And spiritual now. Who knows only god. And myself how long ago is it? Since you put your feet So to speak in the river of life.

And you are baptized by the spirit and indwelt by the spirit and sealed by the spirit and you belong to jesus. How long ago is that? Some of you perhaps would say well five years. Some may be more much more.

My question to you with all Love and concern of my heart for every one of you is this not how deep was the river five years ago but tonight In october 84. How deep is it now? Has the tide gone right out?

The lord knows He brought me through And the waters were to the ankles and therefore Verse four again. He brought me through And the waters were to the knees. Oh now He's getting lower. He's going deeper.

The tide's coming in. The spirit of prayer is suggested for when god captures a man's knees Things are beginning to happen. I Don't want to take A babble passage further than it ought to be taken. But surely here is a tremendous picture of a man who's dissatisfied empty hungry for more desperate for a touch of heavenly life and conscious That I can't go on any longer.

So He's on his knees. You remember jacob? Never left home till he was over 70. First night out Spent at Bethel. The heaven opened to him As he lay asleep. And he saw a ladder Which reached right down to where he was Going right up into heaven Going up With heaven's with with jacob's Needs coming down with heaven's supplies.

And god said to him jacob As you go on your way I'll watch over you. I'll take care of you. I'll bring you safely back Trust me. And jacob went on his way. I believe it would be new testament language to say at that moment.

He was born again converted. But oh my word like me how he blew it. He married the wrong girl to snow with. Then he got involved in partnership in business with a heathen his uncle. And for 21 years he was no different.

He found other people practicing his own deceit that he'd learned to practice at home. Practiced them on it on him. Desperate time things got really desperate with him until it had gone far enough and god stepped in and said jacob get on.

I've had enough of this. So jacob got his wives together and his cattle and everything else. He set out for home. And then news go around esau's after you 400 men family quarrels don't die easily. So jacob sent on his wives ahead of him and he went up to penny hall.

And there wrestled a man with him. Till the breaking of day and as jacob come come to god and god come to him. God said to him. Let me go for the day breaketh. And jacob in desperation. I won't let you go Except you bless me.

And this afternoon i've been praying Lord. Surely there's someone here right here tonight who's saying that very thing. I just can't go back to my church can't go back to my home as I am Lord. I will not let you go Except you bless me.

Listen faith always works best in the context of desperation. When i'm at the end of my tether I'm at the beginning of god. I'm on the verge of miracles when i'm saying I just can't go on anymore. God has his chance.

I won't let you go Except you bless me. And how did god deal with him? What's your name? Do you think he didn't know. Of course he knew. He'd followed him for 21 years and watched him. And all he'd been doing saw that marriage go wrong.