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Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] This is the third time I've talked about the bush that burned. But I feel there's still a little bit more I want to. I want to say. I feel the Lord would have said, so if you turn to deuteronomy 30 316, and you see the phrase that we have underlined, it is, and the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. Him that dwelt in the bush, chapter 33, verse 16 of Deuteronomy. And then, if you will turn back to Exodus, chapter three.
[00:00:40] Exodus, chapter three, verse two. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush. And he looked. And behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside now and see this great sight why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, moses, Moses. And he said, here am I. And he said, draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
[00:01:27] Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon he was afraid to look upon God. Now, the first time we spoke about this little phrase, him that dwelt in the bush, and we linked it with the other. The bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. We dealt with the two factors. We dealt with the first of the two factors, which was the fire. The fire. The bush burned with fire. It was the fire that was the extraordinary thing. The bush was a very ordinary thing. You will see millions of them in the desert, and they all get dried up, and they all have lived their life, and they're all at the end. That's a quite ordinary factor. But the fire was the extraordinary factor. And in fact, it expressly says Moses, when he saw that the bush was not consumed, turned aside to see this great sight. In other words, it was so extraordinary, so significant, so in some ways peculiar, unique, that he felt he had to turn aside and investigate this site. And that is what he did. Now, we spoke about the fire, and we spoke about it as representing the work of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of Christ by the spirit, the empowering of Christ by the spirit, the fullness of Christ by the spirit, the manifestation of Christ by the spirit. This we see in the fire that burned in the bush. The bush burned with fire.
[00:03:50] And we have, I think, said quite a lot about the fire. We've also spoken, the last time I spoke, on the second factor, the bush, we spoke of it having lived its life and died. We spoke of its limitation. It was limited to the resources of a thorn bush. That was the extent of its resources. It was limited to its life, its own life. It was limited to its own own character. It was limited to its own resources. It was a thorn bush. It was no good at apologizing for being a thorn bush. It was a thorn bush. So all it could confess was the fact that it was a thorn bush, but it had lived its life and died, and it had no great ideas of itself. It knew its extent. It knew its limitations. It knew its own restrictions, if you like. Well, we talked, I think, quite a lot about that. Now, I want this morning, in the very little time that we have left to us, to just say a few last things about the bush that burned with fire. At least a few last things for this term.
[00:05:25] What I really want to emphasize this morning is the two factors together.
[00:05:33] The two factors together, because, you see, it was the bush that burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
[00:05:48] The fire remained fire and the bush remained bush. Yet the fire burned in the bush.
[00:06:01] It was everlasting fuel for everlasting fire. Now, that was the extraordinary thing, because normally the fire should have burned up the bush once it had, as it were, drawn, all the fuel it could, once it, as it were, taken up the bush, it burnt in a blaze of glory and light and power and was gone.
[00:06:29] And I have to say of myself and I know of many others, that their spiritual experiences tend to be rather like that. There is just a blaze of light, a blaze of power, a blaze of a kind of transient glory, and it's gone and it's burnt out. And the darkness that follows is often worse than what was before. They're burned to ascender, finished. But that's not what we. As what we have represented here. The bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. The fire didn't go out, and the bush was not consumed. The bush was not destroyed, and the fire did not go out. Everlasting fuel for everlasting fire.
[00:07:18] Now, that's what the Lord wants in our lives. He doesn't want us just to go, as it were, merely and only from one experience to another. But he wants it, as it were, to be a consistent, unfolding progress in himself, an unfolding exploration and exploitation of the life and character and resources of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the spirit. He wants us to possess the land little by little, taking it not, as it were, just in one separate little thing, and then another separate little thing, but as it were, extending the boundaries all the time, consistently, solidly, taking what is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely that's what God wants. He doesn't want the fire on its own.
[00:08:20] There are people who've got some strange ideas about the work and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as if somehow or other, it's all up there in the sky, as if it's all somehow. Well, you almost fear, at least I do when I hear them talking. Because one knows that there's all the danger of countervi, all the danger of something false, because they've got an idea of the fire apart from the bush.
[00:08:50] As if somehow or other, the fire's going to come down and do something in the bush that constitutionally changes the bush. My dear friend, the bush remains a thorn bush to the end of its days.
[00:09:01] It's a thorn bush to the end, but the fire is in the bush. That's the glory of the thing. The thorn bush is there, and it remains a thorn bush, and the fire is there and goes on burning with ever greater light and power and glory.
[00:09:21] Now, to me, I say, that is something tremendous. You can't have the fire on its own.
[00:09:27] Can't have the fire on its own. God here shows us in this form, as it were. He was speaking to Moses. He was saying to Moses, Moses, this is what I want you to be. You're going to be Moses to the end of your day.
[00:09:44] You're going to be just a human vessel. You're going to be an earthen vessel. But, Moses, the treasure is going to be inside of you, and it's the treasure that matters. But God doesn't scatter pearls before swine.
[00:10:03] He puts pearls in earthen vessels.
[00:10:06] He puts his treasure in an earthen jar. He puts it all inside. And the glory is the treasure here. You've got it in the bush. You see, it's not the bush on its own, and it's not the fire on its own. But it's when the bush burns with fire and the bush is not consumed that matters. Now, do you not think that you and I ought to know the indwelling of Christ by the spirit, not just in a few high points in our life, but in the daily routine of life? Should we not discover the secret of Christ's indwelling? Should we not find the key that unlocks the door that takes us into an experience of him, him within us. He living his life within us.
[00:11:10] That's what we all want, is it not? And is that not what it means to live the christian life? Is the christian life something of our own engineering, something of our own making? My dear friend, the thorn bush can only live a thorn bush life.
[00:11:27] The fire is the thing that matters. When the fire gets into the, then something starts to happen. No, it's Christ within us who lives the christian life by the spirit of God. When he comes really within. When we find the key to that life within us, we enter into a new experience. There has to be a devastating work, it is true, by which our old life, our old flesh is seen for what it is.
[00:11:57] We see its limitations. We see the extent of its resources. We see that it is the old man and a divine veto is on it. We had to see that. But it is by the spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body. Can't do it any other way. The thorn bush. Can't crucify the thorn bush.
[00:12:19] You and I, by the spirit of God, have to know what it is to be crucified with Christ.
[00:12:27] The indwelling of Christ by the spirit. I believe, and I'm sure all of us would agree, that that is the foundational thing.
[00:12:39] Practically. Practically. If you and I cannot discover, if you and I do not discover Christ in us as the life of God, as eternal life, the life of the ages, abundant life, then we are forever talking theory. We must talk theory. We're talking about a christian life. And if there is anything, it's a christian life of our own producing of our own making. It's an engineered christian life. It's a self made christian life. It's something manufactured by Adam. That's all. That's as simple as that. It's not the heavenly thing. It's not the true and genuine thing. The indwelling of Christ by the spirit, the empowering of Christ by the spirit. Is that meant to be just an experience? Now and again? I am quite sure that the anointing comes upon us sometimes for special tasks and at special seasons. But I am also assured that you and I are to know the empowering of Christ continually. Continually. We are to be clothed upon, with power, from on high. We feel we're clothed, we feel we're clad. We feel that we can go out and serve the Lord, not because we are relying on our own resources, but because we know the Lord as our armor. Put on the whole armor of God. We know what it is to be clothed in the armor of God. We know, therefore, that when we go out into this battle, we've got the right. We've got the right weapons, we've got the right clothing. Whoever would send a person out into the front line not clad for it, it's asking for trouble, isn't it? And that's what the empowering of Christ really means. Endowment with power means that you and I are clad for the service of the warfare. The warfare of the service.
[00:14:44] We're ready for the battle. We're ready for the conflict.
[00:14:50] We are actually clothed. We are rightly clothed for the right conditions.
[00:14:59] And then again, we could speak about the fullness. Oh, it's a sad thing when our christian life is one of restriction, isn't it? It's one, somehow or the other, where we always feel that we haven't got anything to spare.
[00:15:15] It's a small life, small. Its boundaries are small, it's got small horizons. Have you ever spoken with someone who's never moved out of their own village or out of their own town?
[00:15:29] And they say the most extraordinary things about the rest of the world. Their horizons are so small, their boundaries are so small, they believe the world is their village, they believe the world is their town.
[00:15:44] The west, everyone else is really pretty inferior.
[00:15:48] The world circles round their village, their farm, their town. That is the center of everything. I mean, beyond that they're heathen, and beyond that, unmentionable. I mean, it's just sort of somehow like that. No small horizons. Oh, but beloved brothers and sisters, how few of us have got great infinite horizons, how few of us have seen more? We ought to be all the time seeing more. I believe that's what it means of the fullness of Christ by the Holy Spirit. It doesn't just mean that all the time you've got wonderful feelings, although at times you may surely have those, but surely it means that you are lost in the infinity. Infinity of Christ.
[00:16:36] Lost in the infinity. He is so great, he is so boundless, he's not small. He is not someone that you can draw a circle around and say, now that's my Christ. See, I can draw a circle. I can get to the extent of him. He can only do this. We wouldn't say it in so many words, but we think it. He can only do that. He can only do that. That's as far as he can go, you see, a small Christ. Oh, for the fullness of God. Oh, to know the fullness of God in Christ, to know that infinity of depth, infinity of fullness. Somehow or other, there is no end to him.
[00:17:23] I say all that to me should be not just an experience now and again, but a consistent experience. And I believe that once you and I begin to see the fullness of God in Christ, why, we begin to see so many little things in perspective. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment. How can anyone say that if they haven't seen something of the infinity, if they haven't seen something of the greatness of Christmas, if they've not seen something of the fullness? They say our light affliction, which is back for a moment, worketh for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
[00:18:04] You've seen something when you can say that. Otherwise, it's just up here. You can sing about it. But when you're in the trouble, your light affliction is not a light affliction. You say. There's no one like me. No one like me. I'm the only one having to suffer in this way. No one understands me. No one cares for me. I'm going through it all. Oh, dear. It's not light affliction at all. Not at all light affliction. You, it would seem, have got all the troubles of job and everyone else that ever lived in the kingdom. And somehow they're all rolled into one around you. They're not light afflictions to you. It's extremely, extremely heavy.
[00:18:45] But if you've seen the fullness and you're living in the fullness, then you somehow you can look beyond it's light affliction, which is but for a moment. Well, we talked about these two factors together. The bush burned with fire. And there are one or two things I think that we can underline in this, this morning. One is this, that it's only a thorn bush, but God is revealed in it. It is only a thorn book, but God is revealed in it.
[00:19:29] Now let's look in the scripture. Exodus three two. The angel of the Lord appeared unto him. And then in verse six, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
[00:19:53] The angel of the Lord appeared unto him. Moses was afraid to look upon God. Now think for a moment, dear child of God. The thorn bush revealed the Almighty.
[00:20:07] Think. Think.
[00:20:10] Now, will that not correct some of our mistaken ideas?
[00:20:15] Where was God revealed?
[00:20:20] Outside of the thorn bush? At the side of the thorn bush. A mile away from the thorn bush. Up in the heaven above the thorn bush. No, it was him that dwelt in the bush.
[00:20:34] God Almighty revealed himself in the thorn bush.
[00:20:43] In other words Moses said he was afraid to look upon the face of God. Where was the face of God? In the thorn bush. In the bush was the face of God.
[00:20:56] Now does that not have something to say to you and me? The beauty of God. Let's put it this way. The beauty of Christ, the grace of Christ, the truth of Christ, all that Christ is in me. In you you're only a thorn bush. Only a thorn bush. But God revealed in you there is God revealed in you is God. I'm afraid that we shall probably be aware that there are thorns there to the end of our days with one another.
[00:21:31] We're aware the nearer we come to one another that it is only an old thorn bush.
[00:21:38] Have you ever been surprised? No, seriously, have you ever been surprised? You've heard of some great person and so you've trotted off to hear them. Heard they can and you say, and when you look on the platform you look down the row and where is he?
[00:21:57] Some funny little man perhaps is there. You look and you think, can that be brother so and so?
[00:22:06] You know you get such a surprise, you see it's a thorn bush.
[00:22:11] Just a common thorn bush. I know that people have been amazed at Gladys ale warrior gone trotting off to hear Gladys Edward thinking that they're going to hear some extraordinary, authoritative looking, dignified woman who's got great natural character and she hardly can look above the pulpit. Just above the pulpit she comes, a Cockney voice.
[00:22:37] Just a thornbill.
[00:22:39] It's again and again it's true, isn't it? Isn't it true?
[00:22:43] Why I remember when I sat by misses bowden the last night on earth. There's only a thorn bush, you know, just a common thorn bush. But I've never known the revelation of the face of God in a person. There that night she was laughing, she was joking. She would horrify some of you, I'm quite sure. She knocked back a little bit of ginger wine and said, I hope they don't smell my breath as I go through the gates.
[00:23:17] But you know, it was as if God was there. It was just as if God was there was an emaciated poor body, but the glory of God was there. I remember the time I was with Maria Monson before she died. Some while before she died. So weak she couldn't lift a cup. That woman who had seen God work in such power. Now she was nothing but my word, the presence of God. She was quite normal. Oh, we had a laugh. I can't tell you what it was about, but we did have a laugh about her going into the kingdom and when she was going I asked her to take a message for me to the Lord and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed. But you know, the thing was the presence of God, you see, it was the thorn book. You see, we've got strange ideas about this. We've got some idea that when God reveals himself it's going to be in some, oh, such an extraordinary way that you don't see the thorn bush. Now God does reveal himself sometimes in extraordinary ways apart from the bush. I'm only talking now about God in us. But my dear friend, at the end of the day, to the end of your days, God will reveal himself in your brothers and sisters and that's what it means to have to find Jesus Christ and him crucified amongst them.
[00:24:52] Sometimes we can take action and we can start talking against one another and about one another and the Lord gets angry.
