Will You Also Go Away — Leonard Ravenhill

We're glad our father again for this day. We thank you for the Establishing of this day that we may rest in body and in mind and in spirit that we can put on one side push out of our thinking to some degree the things that pressure us so often and perhaps get a distorted vision of the things that really matter.

We bring our tribute of praise. I Reminded the old hymn writer who said O Lord of heaven and earth and sea To thee all praise and glory be. How shall we show our love to thee who give us all? Thou didst not spare thine only son, but gave us to him for a world undone and freely with that blessed one Thou gave us all.

We lose what on ourselves we spend. We have as treasure without end whatever Lord to thee we lend who give us all. If we had a thousand times more to give it would be totally inadequate. If we'd a dozen hearts we want to love you with every one of them.

If you've had a dozen minds We want to think of you with all of them. If we have a dozen bodies, we want them to be a living sacrifice unto God and we trust totally acceptable to thee. We thank you again that the barriers are broken down and we have boldness.

We have the right of entrance into thy presence through this new and living way. The most expensive entrance of all. We thank you that Jesus your son came and revealed your glory was curtained in his flesh.

The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. His body got tired and hungry and needy. We thank you that he's identified with us. He wasn't just an angel. But even in all points he was tempted like as we are and yet without sin.

We thank you father for the gift of your word that you preserve for us down the years. We realize as we read it day by day. It's unfathomable. No man that ever lived will fathom it totally great is the mystery of godliness.

There are things that You do not unveil to us, but we thank you for what is unveiled. We thank you for the Holy Spirit. We thank you again for books that have helped us and preachers who have Stimulated our faith and we thank you for the rebukes and corrections because if you love us you do this.

We thank you. There's no sickly sentimental love with thee. You never promised to wrap us up in cotton wool or put us through a tunnel where nobody could reach us. But great is thy grace and great is thy faithfulness.

We feel we need to say every day great is thy faithfulness. Oh God our father. There is no shadow of turning with thee we're never sure of. Very much in this hour in which we live, but we're sure of your favor.

We're sure of your love. We're sure of your strength. We bless you for all who have sounded the gospel trumpet today particularly in heathen darkness. In those areas where to our shame we confess the feet of Godly men of not fraud where Satan has had dominion over millions of people for centuries.

Again we think of this solid block of China and we know so little about it except It's the devil's playground like Russia itself. We think of other areas of the world and somehow the Dynamite of the gospel has not shifted those areas to any degree and somewhere once we're told over the northern Section of Africa those fans that are buried under the sand churches that were once a place for God.

But a flame has gone out we think of the seven churches of Asia Minor. And no longer does anybody come and preach from them to us or us to them. You said they'd remove their candlestick if they were not faithful and this has been done as a worldwide testimony.

They no longer bear any power and so Lord we think of the warnings that there are in in your holy word. We ask that we may be balanced. We pray again for our own maturity that it seems so slow it seems our growth is so slow.

It seems our impediments are so many, but again, we pray the open the eyes of our understanding today. We've already sung that matchless hymn beyond the sacred page. I seek the Lord my spirit pants for thee and as good as our fellowship is together.

It is no substitute. We cannot inject into each other spirit that which God alone is able to give. We are spirit. We live in bodies. We live in tenements that will perish, but our spirits will live forever and ever.

We are eternal beings and we pray Lord that we may be not Mesmerized by the world around us not cheated in any way from our rightful inheritance in Jesus Christ. You said Lord and it's almost embarrassing to quote it that with Jesus You have freely given us all things and somehow we seem to paddle on the edge of the ocean instead of leaping in and Discovering all the great possibilities of grace.

So again, we give you thanks for your children everywhere every precious Christian in the world. We thank you for them. Everyone is a light in its darkness. Everyone is salt helping to keep the world from corrupting worse and worse.

Give we pray the comfort and strength to those precious Christians in captivity. Those who know nothing of freedom. They don't know a half day off. Maybe not an hour of rest. We pray for them as they're brutally assailed by on their minds by the devil and in their spirits and Even in their bodies give them that comfort that they need which is beyond my understanding.

Anyhow, oh God, how how spoiled we are. Our very freedom somehow can cause us to erode. Spiritually, we've no taskmasters. We've no one to put us into line unless we hear the voice of the Spirit constantly bringing a correction to us.

We're so prone if not to wonder in the flesh the fleshy nature of the heart the fleshy nature of our very physical bodies. Will draw us to one side or the other. So again, we thank you for your word make it precious and rich.

We pray and quicken us and Quicken us through it in Jesus name. I was going to tell you and I forgot brother Neville winger that was with us a few months ago had a stroke just a few weeks ago at first of July I think Prayer was made for him.

He's been going at a good pace and he has a great burden with that task of his out in the ocean on that island but he lost the Use on one side and totally lost his voice, which is very hard on him because he teaches a lot.

And yet within a month or six weeks. It's it's almost all restored. His voice is back. Anyhow, and he isn't as energetic, but there he is. He's made a Pretty good recovery and that's he's one of the great men.

I know I met him More years ago than I can remember or but he's always been precious. I want to read some verses now from the gospel as John left it for us recorded by John in the sixth chapter. This you may or may not know is the longest chapter in this gospel.

And you know, I I find it difficult to find which is the key word in John's gospel. He mentions in this one chapter the sixth chapter he mentions the disciples 12 times and I think in the in the book he mentions disciples about 48 times.

But then there's another word that Is very emphatically laid in this gospel and that is the word believe in the in the next to the last chapter. Which is what the 19th chapter if I remember right the 19th the 20th chapter and Verse 30.

He says many other signs. Truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. There is no complete record of the life of Jesus anywhere. Verse 31 these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God now that word believe is is mentioned about 51 times and Believed is mentioned 27 times.

So you see again that he is Very emphatic. The other emphatic word that he gives us in this gospel is that it's the gospel of life. Life is mentioned 43 times in this wonderful version of John's alone not in the New Testament, but 41 times he's stressing life and Altogether about a hundred times nearly believe believe believe because that is essential to true life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ Question to Disciples Who Turned Back

All right, the verse says I want to read a verse 66 down into 69. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said unto the twelve will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered as you would expect Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of Eternal life and we believe and are sure.

I Like that we believe and are sure. The suggestion is that he's established on a rock. There's nothing going to move him. We believe and are sure That thou art the Christ The Son of the Living God. All right to whom shall we go for thou hast the words of eternal life?

Spiritual Challenges Through Preaching and Family Devotions

You know sermons are strange origins. I Talked with a young man in Phoenix as we went out a couple of weeks ago and I Found him one of the most interesting young men he's only in his 30s, but he had a depth of spirituality.

That was just just beautiful. He has been in a church. He's in a church, which is very lively and It's gone through the charismatic cycle and there's been a lot of excitement. But now he's getting down to earth and he's finding that people are kicking against many things that he said.

But I mentioned something to him about Hebrews and as we came back to that city a lady said to me, you know, the pastor came in the pulpit last Sunday and She said his prayer was just just Unbelievably beautiful and then he stood there and he read through the epistle to the Hebrews from the first word to the last and then pronounced the benediction.

I'm sure a lot of people Discovered things in that book that they had never heard emphasized before the book and suddenly become alive. And he wanted to share. I Understand I've never been to a meeting in the Christian science group.

But I understand that they only read each Sunday a selection of the writings of mrs. Baker Eddie. They think she's the source of wisdom and there's no comment made. They do have lectures in other areas true enough, but normally they read a sermon by mrs. Baker Eddie and Sometime it might do us good just to Read the Word of God through like that, but the origin I don't know whether it is because I talked to him about Hebrews or what but preachers often find their inspiration in strange ways.

You know, I Believe as long as we live God will present us with challenges. He has to provoke us to good works. And I discovered on this trip that there were children who provoke me. Now children can provoke in the wrong way.

I know. But I mean a child that provokes you in the spiritual area. One of them was a Boy in the home. He's the brother of the boy. I mentioned who is the artist? He's a big upright fellow handsome young man with a beard in a university and Recently he he kind of dropped a bombshell in the house.

He said dad, you know, I Just love devotions in the house. Dad you you just make us have devotions even if at times we seem to rebel. But please keep up those devotions because I've learned more in family devotions.

I think then I have going to church. And I want you to know what that means and that's why I say as children It will be infinitely more difficult if you raise your children from the time they can understand until they're teenagers.

It would be infinitely more difficult for them to wander away from God. But if they had no family altar, in fact the church in the house Is what the New Testament talked about and I think we might even go back to that so I was challenged by that boy saying That the devotions in the home and meant more to him even than preaching.

The second challenge came through a nine-year-old boy who was in the house where we stayed he's not nine. He's now 13 he's a big healthy fellow and Well, he's an average teenager. He's 13 years of age and One day as we were going to the meeting his mother said we didn't tell you about him.

Did we and I said about what I Said the he's a big healthy boy. She said yes, but you know when he was nine. He was uncoordinated. The school he goes to they play kickball, but when he lifted one foot he fell over.

His teacher was very disturbed. He's mentally retarded. He's on the verge of being mentally retarded. And this was a trouble to us at that time their only son and Here is in this mess. Good-looking blackhead boy.

But he can't keep his balance. He can't keep up with studies at school. There were two outstanding things about that boy. One was He came to his daddy one day and said daddy you keep saying that with God all things are possible.

Now the doctors and others don't help me now. Listen daddy. I'm going to talk to God. And he said well, that's great nine years. Remember I'm going to talk to God. So he said I went and talked to him you saved my heavenly father and I said to him Lord I need healing my body isn't right.

I Fall over if I get on one leg, and the other thing is I'm slow mentally. Within a few weeks. He was coordinated. The schoolteacher came to see the parents and said look I schoolteacher said I go to a certain church.

They have a TV show, but she said I I I don't understand what's happened to your boy. He says something about praying. Yes. Well, that's it we told him that since he believed God could do anything he should go to God.

So he went and the Lord touched his body and the Lord has touched. He said he keeps up with the rest of the class. He's doing great. Is that the answer to it? Oh I go to a famous church where they flash out every Sunday in a building a 17 million dollar job and another one in Florida.

But I never heard anything like that in my life. You know the thing that led to my mind was this a little child shall lead them. But that teacher with all the knowledge did not understand the other thing the boy said.

When he wanted anything he came to his daddy now that he said you know daddy spoil boys very often and So I suggest in future. Instead of asking me for something you ask the Lord I could give you it. You don't need it, but he won't so the little fellow prayed for something and it came mysteriously.

No, daddy wasn't listening behind the door. He prayed on his own. There's no communication and he prayed again and God supplied his need. And after a few months he came to his daddy, and he said you know daddy I find it easy to get things from God and get them from you.

Well, I said, I think that's great Man if that boy keeps developing faith like that for his healing physically mentally and then Believing God will supply his need. I'm not saying everybody has to go away.

Faith in God in the Midst of Captivity

I'm telling you these children challenged me the third was a story that's Remarkable a challenge that's remarkable as soon as I heard it. I went in room and fell on my knees and gave God some praise. Maybe you read about a little girl that was kidnapped in Canada 12 years of age a Man had dug a hole through the basement Tommy from from his garage.

It looked like a bomb proof shelter. They said. And one night he kidnapped the little girl only three blocks away from home, and he put that 12 year old child in the basement. Hardly any food no light no communication.

Total darkness and kept her there for over six months, and it seemed by accident. She was discovered. He raped the child he abused the child in every way. For six months no daylight. No daddy. No mommy.

No toys. No friends. That would drive most people up the wall. She's the emotions of a child she hasn't the understanding either mentally or emotionally. Twelve years of age she had a birthday in that hellhole she came out at 13 years of age by accident.

The man who usually pulled the trapdoor over hadn't put it over and his wife discovered where he'd been going. She didn't know where he went at night. When she shone the light down. She just saw a pair of feet and she called the cops and said my husband seems to have committed suicide jumping down a hole.

The police lowered the rope and they pulled him out. They were going to close up the hole and one of them said I thought I heard him on and he looked down. He said there's a lot and there he said I saw the little thing she had lost nearly 15 pounds.

She was as pale as the paper. She'd been abused no one knows how many times. She'd been in the darkness with very little food. Again, no friends. No toys nothing to divert her attention. Live in misery and wonder what in a world a brute was going to do.

As the man came up with a little child he saw a piece of paper and he picked it up and she'd written this on the paper. God is with me. God is with me. He'll bring me through. He moves in mysterious ways.

But I'm sure he'll bring me through. I knelt down and thanked God for parents who'd instilled into that child's minds that God moves in mysterious ways. That child's got some faith and I knelt down and thanked God either for the parents or the teachers.

And as I knelt like that I Tried to imagine my own reaction in a prison like that for six months without daylight without sufficient food without friends without Communication as some terrible monster coming at me when he wanted.

And as I knelt there this thought came to me and I grabbed a piece of paper and put it down that in every prison-like Circumstance trials testings tribulation we do to do one of two things we go to panic or we go to praise.

And the child was really praising God. He moves in mysterious ways. She wasn't griping and complaining and that drove me to this text. One hymn writer says Oh all embracing mercy thou ever open door. How should I do without thee when heart and I run o 'er?

When all things seem against us to drive us to despair. We know one ear is open one ear will hear our prayer. And this drove me to the text that I've caught it to you right now where this man of God Is facing the Lord Jesus and Jesus says to him.

The Hard Saying and the Cost of Discipleship

Or he says Jesus says to him to whom shall we go? For thou has the words of eternal life. This chapter is full of miracle from beginning to end. It's full of sensation. It's full of drama. It's full of everything that the people like Jesus in this chapter feeds the five thousand.

He walks on the water miracle follows a miracle and They're excited about it. And then suddenly again, he he turns again to his teaching. He says except to eat of my flesh and drink of my blood. You have no life in you and Listen to what they said you see when Jesus went on smoothly and he healed their sick and he gave them food and everything.

They were very thrilled but Jesus laid down conditions of discipleship and He said them in the synagogue of all places you talk about courage to preach a thing like that in The synagogue not in the open air now.

These things he taught in the synagogue verse 59 says. These things said he in the synagogue is he taught in Capernaum many therefore of his disciples when they heard this said. This is a hard saying verse 66 from that time many of disciples went back and Walked with him no more.

You see they didn't just turn away they turned back. He laid down the conditions of discipleship. That they were to eat of his flesh which to me suggests his humanity and drink of his blood the divine miracle of Redemption.

In other words, it wasn't a lip service anymore. It was entering into a unity with him it was entering into a life with him and When they heard that they were not too concerned about following him. You see there is no way at all as I said repeatedly.

There's no way for us to Escape trials and tests and tribulations. I Saw some comments somewhere about this monstrous man in Russia who can lift what nobody dreamed any man would ever lift. I think it was 500 pounds clean lifting like that down and up.

Well, how many times do you think he's practiced that? Why many a man ties a hundred and twenty or something and he keels over he gets to 200. He thinks it's wonderful and here this monstrous man gets all of this huge barbell and lives it up there.

And every time he's done it from his infancy upward he's been strengthening those muscles until eventually he can carry that load. Well, how can I prove myself to God except in testings and trials and tribulations there is no other way.

Now either I go sour in them and say God has forgotten to be gracious or on the other hand. I sing in the storm. I thought of the little girl down there deprived of so many things. Remember what Paul says a little bit later to the Corinthians.

We're troubled on every side. I Don't believe God lets many people be troubled on every side. We crack under it. We get troubled on one side. It's bad enough I thought of my own experience. You see people think you just preach.

It's a kind of a philosophy. No, no, no No, I remember being a crumpled heap of broken flesh at three o 'clock in the morning in sub zero weather in Chicago where I couldn't move anything but my fingers and Immediately said my ministry is wrecked for two or three years.

My wife and children are 4 ,000 miles away. They're going to be colossal bills. Everything flood your mind at once. Now I'll tell you what I made up my mind to do by the grace of God. I'm not going to hurt God.

I Sure don't want to hurt anybody else. But I'm not going to hurt God and this got down down down in my spirit this week. You see this man had had it the Lord Jesus had a great following in this chapter in the 28th verse it says they said Unto him what shall we do that?

We might do the works of God. Oh boy. Don't we love to do. God isn't concerned what I do is concerned what I'd be what I am. You remember the young rich young ruler said well What shall I do to inherit eternal life on God.

Jesus hit him right right where it was sore because he made an idol of Success and Jesus says you sell everything you have. There's a certain man broadcasting out of Dallas and apparently recently said on the TV.

You know people ask me why I drive a big Cadillac. He said well Jesus wrote a Cadillac in his day. It was a donkey. There's only evidence once he did that and he did it in line of prophecy and some of the youngsters picked him up and said.

Also, he identifies with Jesus because he rides a donkey. Does he identify with Jesus by saying I've nowhere to lay my head. Does he identify with Jesus to say I have a Gethsemane kids are not fools. Then said unto a day unto him what shall we do that?

We might do the works of God. Oh if we could walk on the water if we could do these miracles and feed the multitude. He could cast out devils. Well, that would suit us fine, wouldn't it? But supposing deep down in my heart.

I doubt him. And I'm convinced more and more as I've said almost facetiously that speaking generally of Christians today We're the the biggest bunch of unbelieving believers. God's ever had to deal with.

Most of us never had our backs to the wall in a true sense of the word I say Paul says I'm troubled not on one side on every side. I'll tell you I felt it when I was picked up in a mess and put in a hospital bed.

And the only thing that kept me from I never before God. I never grumbled one time. I never questioned once what he was doing and when dr Tozer came to the end of my bed at four o 'clock in the morning with his scarf around his neck as pale as a ghost.

He said land. I Said doctor, don't worry. I Got two promises one for that one as I shot through the air from that upper story of that burning building to the ground. God gave me a promise. I shall not die but live.

And as I lay here in bed, he gave me the other promise ask for God his ways are perfect. And I said those are my crutches. I'm going to get through. I'll need crutches, but these are the best crutches that there are.

You see in this other verse the next verse 29 Jesus answered and said unto him this is the work of God that ye believe on him. Whom he hath sent now, I believe the greatest thing I can do to God is swear my allegiance to him come hell or high water.

Jesus said in the 14th of John believe me and if it mystifies you believe me for the very work's sake. You see there's not a believer here or anywhere else who isn't living in a fishbowl. Everybody's got eyes for us.

They know our moods. They know when they're up. They know when we're down. They know when we're excited. We reveal it. They know when we're crushed now. I'm not saying there are not times of sorrow sure there.

But we sang that lovely hymn of Isaac Watson. Man when I get to heaven I want to talk with him for a long while. He wrote when I surveyed a wondrous cross. He wrote that lovely hymn and I a soldier of the cross.

He wrote that lovely hymn. Come ye that love the Lord and let your joys be known. The man knows the depths of sorrow and agony and he owes the Ecstasy after all this has come to me. It may not fit anybody.

I don't care. I'm telling you what God spoke to my heart. But God says in his presence there is fullness of joy and if I live in his presence I can live in fullness of joy. Not my spirits may be down.

Circumstances may be against me. I think of the psalmist David. He had it as rough as anybody sure. He plays his harp and has a great time in the 23rd psalm. But there are times when his world broke up.

He had a rebel son that tried to pull the throne from under him. He tried to steal the crown off his head. He was in peril of his own son and Yet he says on one occasion. My heart is fixed. I like that.

I Don't know anything else in the world that is fixed apart from there. Our emotions are not fixed. Our circumstances are not fixed. Our future is not fixed. But there's a thousand things that but he says my heart is fixed.

I'm not sure if it wasn't what it sounds like him who wrote to him. My heart is fixed eternal. God fixed on me and my immortal choices made Christ for me. You can fault the Apostle if you like like everybody else on certain scores.

But I'll tell you one thing you can never find a murmur in him. He says we're troubled on every side, but we're not distressed. We're persecuted, but we're not forsaken. We're cast down, but we're not destroyed.

I Knocked down, but not out. I Know there's a comment there on the radio. Was it yesterday where somebody had been fighting and he said they knocked him down in the fourth round. He got up and won the fight after about six more.

He was knocked down. He wasn't knocked out. Sure, we're going to get abused. From the moment Adam transgressed against God you and I and everybody else. We're living in enemy territory. We're living where Satan's going to do everything he can to expose us to everything he can but you know what?

The good book says doesn't it that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world you see again, the Spirit of God bears witness. I Remember being in a certain meeting where a brother laid down the law and it was just something morning after morning.

And just before I got up to speak after him about the third morning I thought to myself well. How in the world will people remember all these do's and don'ts and do's and don'ts that this man's laid down?

I couldn't have faulted them. They were fine. And then suddenly I got this thought again the Holy Spirit who is in us. He is the one that constrains us or restrains us. He is the one that says yes or no the Word of God says he will guide you into all truth.

I say I don't want to hurt anybody, but I can grieve the Holy Spirit. You know, I listened to some of that radio stuff and that TV show out there. It was sickening and putrid you see a man in a snow-white suit and and his coat is all covered with sequins.

And he moves and dazzles like Liberace or somebody in the light and he's proclaiming the whole council and he can tell you what you Have in your pocket and he can read your mind. And somebody else dancing jumping two feet in the air because they got a bit more money than somebody else.

It seemed to me God is a businessman. They talk money money money money building building building. Well, it's a sign of the end of the day. One of the signs The Word of God says before Jesus comes is as they did in the days of Noah.

They bought they sold they planted and they builded. And everybody's building even even in the Church of God. They're building bigger businesses. They're building bigger buildings. I don't find much to substantiate it here in the Word of God.

God isn't in big business. God is a spirit. He's a spirit. I'm a spirit. And as a hymn writer says spirit to spirit thou dost speak. Remember that in Ephesians it says that we're to grieve not Ephesians 4 30 grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.

You know, I I remember talking to a world-famous person and he said this he said well I did wrong, but the Lord hasn't punished me for it and In the Old Testament he used to punish people. You know the more I say I walk with God and the Spirit guides me.

I better watch every step because I'm in for more trouble than anybody else. Just this morning. I was reading about the two two of the sons of Aaron. Do you remember in they went in the tabernacle in the wilderness they picked up the right censers.

They put the right oil in there. It was the right time and they waved them and said their prayer and God smote the pair of them dead. Why? It was the right time to go in it was the right sense that it was the right oil and God smote them dead and so angry was he but he said to their father.

Look you don't mourn over them. Cast their bodies away. It was a detail. They took the wrong coals from the altar. That's all they did. They took the wrong coals from the wrong place. To make that incense burn and because of that you see God had told them again and again.

You shall not defile it by this. It's a very simple thing. As I've said more and more. But God was very patient with Moses. He never rebuked him for being a murderer. But when he lost his temper for 30 seconds and smote the rock instead of speaking to him it cost him 40 years.

He was penalized. Oh. That's the old dispensation. Well, then don't ever quote to me that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. Although God change us not. You see if I'm his if I've sworn my allegiance to him.

He demands every bit of obedience and I believe two things that hurt God. One is my disobedience and the other is my unbelief. I think again. It was Isaac Watts that wrote for him begun unbelief. My Savior is near and for my relief will surely appear.

By faith, let me wrestle and he will perform with Christ in the vessel. I smile at the storm. There is no place anywhere any time that God has promised us immunity from testing and trial. I say one of two things we go down under it.

We get bitter or better through that circumstance and yet we know this God never pulls any tricks. Either I say Lord, I'm getting more than I can bear or I look to him and say thank you Lord. You've trusted me.

Do you know why? Because he said I won't put anything on you that you're not able to bear and if I do do that and I break under It I'll tell you something. You don't get back to the place that you left.

By just saying a prayer. Just this past week. I've meditated on this fact that people so seldom are asked to repent anymore. And when they do they just say I'm sorry, but that is not it. Sorrow is not repentance.