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Known to most of us here at the Bible School, because he worked with us, I think it was three years ago, and so it is indeed a pleasure for us this afternoon to welcome our visitor from Birmingham, England, who will speak upon the subject, pray without ceasing. It is now our pleasure to give our attention to our brother Philip Hawkins. In our mind's eye, brothers and sisters and friends, I want us to see a man that is at his wit's end, is a man that has been so devastated by the experience that he has just had, that is sitting there for three days without food. He doesn't want to eat, he can't think of anything else but the issue which has challenged his thinking, the issue which has challenged right to the core, the very existence of his life. He's not an old man, he's a man of tremendous vitality, he's a man of tremendous potential, but he's been stuck dead in his tracks. Coupled with that, he's blind. Few days previously he was sighted, now blind. And we are introduced to this man because God through Jesus is speaking to a member of the church, Ananias, and telling him to go to this man, Saul, because he is praying. And that's the scene I want indelibly etched on our minds, that here is a man who is beginning to enter the most beautiful and dynamic prayer life that we could ever imagine. And what it took to get this man into that attitude of mind where he would enter into that exciting dimension and drama of prayer was an incident which had to stop him dead in his tracks. The confrontation with Christ on the road to Damascus reduced Saul to a man where he recognized that absolutely nothing about his life to that point was worth while preserving. The confrontation of Christ is something which, if we haven't yet experienced, is something that we should deeply desire if we wish to enter into the dynamic prayer life which the Apostle Paul, through our study this afternoon, is now going to develop and expand for us. But in that we may get the measure of Paul's realization of that stop, that finish, in all that his life had meant. Let us just recapture his words when he declared, Howbeit, what things were gained to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea, verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from the dead. The thought which comes into my mind is to ask, when Saul, Paul, was praying on those three days, what was going through his mind? I would dare to suggest there was one thing which a man like Saul would now appreciate, that he would hear thudding onto his brain cells the stones as they thumped into the body of Stephen, whose face was as the face of an angel, and those stones thumping into the body of that lovely man were now indelibly etching themselves on the brain of Paul, when he was now told, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And Saul for the first time in his life recognized that what he had done to Stephen was as if he'd taken the very stones and thumped them into the body of Christ. Saul, you're hurting me, said the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is with this realization that we human beings cannot blunder through God's world and believe that heaven is insensitive to what we are doing. I'd like to develop this thought, and I hope God willing to develop it throughout the week, that what we do in our lives can hurt Christ now or give him joy. And it's when we seek Christ in that viewpoint, it's when we recognize the beauty of Christ, it is when we recognize the fullness of Christ, it is when we accept in our lives that beautiful gospel of salvation, justified by faith, where we can walk through life as the Apostle Paul indicates, having given all up in order that we may gain the excellency of Christ, then we walk through life believing that there is written across our lives the word righteous, justified by faith, and we walk through life believing we shall see Jesus. We walk through life believing that Jesus is not some remote figure up there somewhere, but we walk believing that the place where Jesus is is in our hearts by faith, that we may gain that excellency, that we may gain that appreciation of the gospel of salvation. And if we begin at a moment, a dramatic moment for some of us perhaps, but if we begin each in our turn with that which can be described as our Damascus Road experience, where we come face to face with the reality of our own lives and the life of Christ, then I believe it is at that point that we really begin to pray. For if we are looking to this man Paul for guidance about prayer, we come to that chapter that we read, which I just quoted from Philippians, and perhaps we can start our there in Philippians chapter 4. For Paul in the third chapter having renounced all or indicating that he had renounced all in order that he may gain Christ, then exhorts us in the fourth chapter in these words. Verse 6. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. And I suppose if we were honest in our responses to that particular verse, verse 6, well does Paul mean in everything by prayer and supplication? Well surely there are those aspects of our lives which are of no particular moment in relation to Christ, nor of any particular interest to God. So we in our characteristic human way could approach this verse and declare, well Paul doesn't mean everything, surely. We can't bring the secular aspects of our life into it. Well let's be certain we are talking in the context of what the Apostle Paul's way of life is, because just drop your eye down a few verses and just pick up what the Apostle Paul's attitude to life is. Verse 11. Now that I speak, not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me, says the Apostle Paul. And which one of us would dare to He does. Monday morning, all things, everything, his whole life complete, dedicated to God. So that we begin to absorb the meaning of the Apostle Paul's language, so that when he says in everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving he means it. Unless we want to in our own lives dodge the issue, let us take the Apostle Paul's words, just flip back to the letter to the Ephesians and see what he says in chapter 6 concerning prayer. Where you remember the context he is saying put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And he develops for us that graphic picture of one who is armed with all the armor of God in order that we may walk through this life victorious. And then he takes up the point in verse 18. And incidentally I'm reading from the revised version. With all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. And then he goes on to request that on his behalf utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel. Does all mean all? Then we turn over to Colossians and look chapter 4 verse 2. Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving, with all praying for us also that God may open unto us a door for the Word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds. So continue steadfastly in prayer. And just to take one more example in the next letter, the first letter to the Thessalonians chapter 5, we have the apostle Paul expressing these words, verse 17. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you would. So whether we like it or not, so whether we are dissatisfied or satisfied with our own prayer life, there is one thing abundantly clear in the message of the apostle Paul that he desires that we pray without ceasing. In everything giving thanks, that there is no compartment of our lives where there is not that prayer attitude. And in order that we may help one another, I would like to make some of my comments, I hope, extremely practical and I hope fundamentally challenging. It's always a great pleasure for me to see in my audience a lot of young people. So young people, let us take that aspect of our lives which I'm sure every one of us will regard to be as important, the forming of relationships with the opposite sex. I always notice with pleasure the way in which the Bible school atmosphere builds up. It's lovely to see the healthy way in which young people communicate with one another and there is the build up of boy-girl relationships during the week. And I guess there are many who have started their romance at a Bible school and have continued that romance and received the blessing of the Lord. Young people, pray about your relationship with the opposite sex. If it is your desire, and it is an understandable desire, that by God's grace you marry, then it would seem that the apostle Paul is exhorting us to pray at all seasons, in everything. And if therefore our relationship with the opposite sex is fundamental and important to our spiritual development, how foolish of us to enter into that kind of relationship casually. I would love to think that on the hearts of every young person here is this kind of prayer. Lord, please lead me to someone who loves you more than they will love me. But what you are seeking, therefore, in expressing this prayer, is that you are desiring God to prepare for you somebody who will love him more than they love you. Because you recognize that your relationship with the opposite sex, if it's going to be of any value at all, is going to have that dimension which will enhance, enrich your spiritual life. And we human beings can be so stupid in our relationships where we think that we can spend all our energy and time sorting out our horizontal relationships when the apostle Paul and our Lord and the prophets of Israel are saying, if you want to sort out your horizontal relationships, then sort out your vertical relationship first. If our minds are set and stayed on his things, his ways, then our relationship with the opposite sex will be made all the more beautiful. I know it's true. And therefore young people, when the should be on your heart before you enter into any relationship seriously. And how beautiful therefore it is that hand in hand with your partner during your courtship, you are spending time together praying that God will enrich and make your relationship beautiful. So that then, by the grace of God, entering into the marriage relationship, there will be a prayer pattern already established. So that it does not become an effort of the will to decide, oh darling, it's about time we prayed, we haven't done so for about the last month or so. We haven't started the day together on our knees asking for God's blessing. We've had our family problems arise. We haven't said our prayers together. Because if we start our relationship with that kind of attitude towards praying at all times, in all seasons, then the words of the apostle Peter will become true for us. Because we in our ecclesial lives, when we see that there is the forming of a relationship between boy and girl in the community, we of course, as an ecclesia, do we not counsel them about marriage, about the ways in which we as an ecclesia can give our prayer support to their relationship? Is this, of course, an integral part of our ecclesial life? If it isn't, it seems to me that we are not praying without ceasing. For the apostle Peter, when talking about relationships, 1 Peter chapter 3, were describing that kind of attitude which should exist between husband and wife. Then in verse 7 declared, Ye husbands, in like manner dwell with your own wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life. And then the apostle Peter adds this point, to the end of that, your prayers be not hindered. See, the apostle Peter takes so much for granted that the prayer life of husband and wife is an integral part of their life. And therefore, if we work back from that relationship, it perhaps asks us husbands to see whether or not we regard our relationship with our wives in the Lord to be one where we are joint heirs of the grace of life. And so we've spoken frankly about that fundamental issue of relationships. And if we are not committing these things to the Lord, then we will simply become another statistic in the marriage relationships. That if we are not engaged in this kind of prayer, the implication seems to be that we will be spending a lot of time and energy in our own strength, trying to restore or maintain relationships when it is abundantly clear from the apostle Paul that our vertical relationship is that which will beautify and sanctify and make holy our relationships with one another. And so what I decided, having thought about that insight into the mind of the apostle Paul, to take it from there and see the way, from just a couple of examples, the way in which the apostle Paul prayed. I know it came as a surprise to me, but I'm grateful for when it was first drawn to my attention, the number of prayers that we have written from the apostle Paul. Just let's look at one of them. It's in the letter to the church at Colossae, Paul's letter to the Colossians. Chapter one. Verse nine. For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make requests for you. What a lovely thought. The apostle Paul not ceasing to pray for the members of that church, but also we have the thoughts of his prayer listed. What does he pray when he thinks of the church at Colossae? Well, this is what he prays for. Point number one. That ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. I don't know how you respond to that kind of thought, but imagine that you received that letter from the apostle Paul and you knew at that moment he was praying for your ecclesia in those terms. It would give you that heartwarming thought. We are being supported in prayer. Well, if that's the case, why is it that we as ecclesias are not supporting one another in prayer? If your arranging brethren, if that's what you call them, the elders of your ecclesia, if they meet on the second Tuesday of every month and you know that, wouldn't it be lovely if when that was announced from the platform on the Sunday, you said to the arranging brethren, we'll be praying for you on Tuesday night? And the prayer that we will be offering will be that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding that we all may walk worthily, worthy of the Lord unto all blessing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. I believe that that arranging meeting, if they all knew that the ecclesia that night were on that is the case, then that arranging meeting would be enriched. And so we could take every compartment of our ecclesial life and we need to ask ourselves, I believe, brothers and sisters, whether or not we have the same mind that was in the apostle Paul and we are supporting the whole ecclesia in a prayer support. Or if I may bring it perhaps a bit closer to home, we in England are looking with great urgency in our hearts as to whether or not yet once more the reunion effort will either succeed or fail. How many of us are praying for the reunion committee without ceasing? Oh yes, we offer the occasional prayer. Let's search around in our minds and ask, when was the last time that in the privacy of our own homes, or in our Bible class, or in our ecclesia, when was the last time that we unitedly offered that urging, that prayer, praying steadfastly that your reunion should take place? If there's no prayer, not a volume of prayer rising up to the Father concerning this, well perhaps I'll leave you to finish the thought. And so when we begin to look at our ecclesial lives, we discover that the fellowship of prayer is something that we need to give urgent attention to. And so if I may take up just another of the prayers of the apostle Paul in the letter to the Philippians, chapter one, where we have another insight into the kind of language which the apostle Paul used for this church. It's Philippi, Philippians 1 verse 9, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all discernment, so that ye may approve the things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Oh what a wonderful prayer that is, and how heartening it must have been for the church at Philippi to recognize that is the kind of thing the apostle Paul is praying for. And so let us then look at another facet of our ecclesial life, that we could have this kind of experience, that we wake on Sunday morning with the burden of our lives, with the problems of domestic scene, say, the problem of our work, and we go to the ecclesial hall with a burden on our hearts, and when we're greeted at the door, how are you brother? Very well, thank you, and having shaken his hand, said how are you, and his response, fine, thank you. We then, having communicated to one another, we go and sit down in the ecclesial hall, where because it is the congregation and one person at the front presenting a message, then the communication could be, and I'm not in any sense caricaturing it, it could be a case of a bucket of spiritual milk is then sent in our direction, and if our spiritual mouths happen to be open then we receive it, but if they're shut we don't, and having sung our hymns and listened to prayers, we then make our way out of the ecclesial hall, lovely service, enjoyed it very much, and we go home. Spiritually fed, problems shared, receiving prayer support because somebody has listened, and we've felt in that attitude of mind where we can really share. Brothers and sisters, I believe that as the day of the Lord draws nigh, there is going to be a greater need and urgency for our ecclesial structure to be such that we are really communicating with one another, and really providing that opportunity whereby we can get together informally, whereby we can perhaps in the spirit of the first century church, in house-to-house fellowship, not separate from but as an integral part of the ecclesial life, that we there sit down with Bibles open, discover how we can make our love abound yet more and more in knowledge and in discernment, how we can make sure that we approve the things that are excellent, how we can as parents with children that have their problems in this big wide world in which we live, how we can together as brothers and sisters with our Bibles open discover the ways in which our Lord can help us in our domestic lives, and having shared our problems we then pray about them, and we know that we've got prayer support in the difficulties that we've got in our is asking us that we pray without ceasing, and we need to prayerfully, I believe, look at the kind of fellowship that we have got, so that at no time would it be possible for anybody that I've caricatured as somebody coming into our ecclesial hall and all they're receiving is a bucket of milk and going away with no consolation, and so I believe that our ecclesial life will be enhanced and enriched if we learn how to pray one with the other. The Apostle James has something to declare about prayer, and perhaps it's a territory that we just need to be more honest with one another about, James 5, for there are two aspects of what the Apostle James has indicated concerning prayer. One we can refer to is in verse 16, Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. I've already from the comments I've just made suggested the ways in which this could be true for us, but there are some of us who would say, now just a moment, confess therefore your sins one to another. Are we suggesting here, or is the Apostle James suggesting here, that what I've got to do is lay bare all my life and confess everything, because if I confess to you that I beat my wife, then I'm under the suspicion that you'll then, rather than praying for me, you'll then get onto the ecclesial grapevine and on your telephones and say, no, that Brother Phil beats his wife. We don't trust one another? Is this what we're trying to say, or have we perhaps put a construction on those words which the Apostle James never intended us? There's no need for us to go into details concerning those problems in our lives. For example, and I often quote this one to it, that if I said that I've got problems with my thought life, that I have unhelpful thoughts come into my mind in my relaxed moments, then there's no need for me to tell you what those thoughts are, because you will know from your experience you've had that kind of problem. But having shared it with you, we could in fellowship with scriptures open, see the way in which we could help one another overcome this particular problem, and pray about it. And it does work, because I had the privilege, Joe and I had the privilege to be together with a young people's group, where we were spending some time together, and we were considering this matter of prayer, and we thought, well, it's about time we tried to put what the Apostle James was declaring into practice. And so with the assembly of about 20 people, the suggestion was, with people of the same sex, if we are moved to go in twos or threes, then let us talk together about the challenges that are taking place in our lives. And so we did just that, somewhat nervously at first, but the results were absolutely beautiful. Do you know, in that company were some young people, teenagers, who had had on their hearts for ages, a particular problem, and in their experience that had no one that they felt confident enough to talk to about them. And yet, in that trusting atmosphere, having built up the attitude of mind towards prayer, then with somebody there and then, they confessed what their desperate need was, and they prayed together, and for the first time in their lives, they'd got up off their knees refreshed. And knowing what it meant, that the peace of God will fill your hearts, it does work. And there is equally in the Apostle James's section on prayer, that challenging thought about praying for those who are sick. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sin, it shall be forgiven him. The implications of this are so challenging, brothers and sisters, it seems that we almost turn away from that and say that whatever it may have meant, I don't know, and so we don't find out. There is the challenging thought to the elders of the church that if they did receive a message from somebody who is sick requesting that they did come and pray, what they would do about the anointing with oil. And if I may just make an observation, which I found helpful, that if we are trying to seek a spiritual application of this anointing with oil, then there is the possible link in the Old Testament with the Levitical rites whereby anointing with oil signified that person was prepared to commit all of their lives to God. So there is laid upon the person who is sick in calling for people to pray over them the thought, what are you asking God to do? Are you asking God just to do a patch-up job on your physical body, or are you wanting God to take all of you completely? That the most fundamental issue that you are seeking in this prayer request is that you are made spiritually whole and if as a result of that there is the bonus of the physical healing that is gratefully received. For when all is said and done, that that we desire and require with all our hearts is that spiritual wholeness before our God. And so I cannot leave this question of praying without ceasing, without mentioning Jesus. Christ who is described as preeminent above all, Christ who is described as superior to the angels, Christ who is superior to the law, Christ who is superior to the sacrifices, Christ who has a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. For us to dare to enter into a prayer life without bringing Jesus into it suggests that we are missing a fundamental dimension and therefore we earn the criticism which is sometimes levelled at us because we are described as dispensationalists. Let me explain. We can be criticised because we can talk about the dispensation of Jesus when he was on earth and talk about what he did 1900 or so years ago. And we can talk about the dispensation of Jesus when he comes in his kingdom. But between the two is a great void, unfilled, empty of experience. And that should not be, for Christ ever lives to make intercession for us. The place where Jesus dwells by faith is in our Paul's life. For me to live is Christ. To suggest therefore that there is a praying without ceasing without Christ as an integral part and dynamic aspect of it seems to me to miss what the apostle Paul is leading us to. And so with Christ in our hearts having given up all to gain the excellency of knowing Jesus. In nothing, my friends, be anxious. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Transcript

and I look at the variety of the leaves we can see and enjoy and the thought which comes to my mind was that if God had done things the other way around and said well let us make man first and then give man the task of making trees Well, I can imagine what we human beings would have done with the with the challenge We'd probably form a subcommittee for This particular part of the tree in order that we may design a leaf Another subcommittee for the branches and another subcommittee for the trunk and somewhere other would be the subcommittee for the root system because then we can see the way in which we human beings tackle tasks of designing but Whenever I see such a leaf as this I Praise God Because the next leaf I pick up is there may have the general shape of that but it's different and so what we see before us is evidence of a god of infinite variety that has made the trees with leaves that are are differing one from another and You know just with that thought in mind Imagine that this assembly here was a hundred or so people all the same I'm gonna be boring that if all I had to talk to was me and 90 others like me But here the infinite variety of God is manifested not only here but also amongst us now but You know, just let's look at this leaf and look at all the implication which God as the designer put into this leaf but fundamentally we could say that one of the The functions of this leaf is in order to carry out and I have to be careful that I don't list to carry out the process of photosynthesis that That this amazing process of photosynthesis Which we can read about in our biology books, but you design it. I challenge you to get a process Whereby you're using raw material of some carbon dioxide a bit of water Pull them together and what have you got? You've got sugars starches and then put a bit of nitrogen compounds with it and what have you got proteins and it's all going on there at this very moment Why if we human beings were going to design that we would need acres and acres of land in order to get the same Process going with all the fundamental chemicals and the basic design of the the uniting of these simple straightforward chemicals Now that's going on there But how do you get it going? I'll put some green pigment there called chlorophyll And so when we begin to look at you know what God did I'm not only amazed at the chemistry of it, but I'm amazed at the absolute beauty of it. Did you realize? that this chemical chlorophyll Shows some similar properties to the pigment which is in our bloodstream called hemoglobin If you get a bruise On your body and then it's a great big Blue patch which develops and then you watch it after a few a few weeks and you notice the color change You get some yellows and oranges and then eventually the whole thing disappears Well, have you noticed and perhaps you haven't had cause to think of it in this way that what you're observing through your skin is a mini autumn Fall sorry that Whenever in these leaves it is time for the supply of Nutrients to this leaf to be shut off then chlorophyll this green pigment undergoes changes You get your yellows your oranges It's the breakdown of this chemical Why should God do that? Just by accident Well, God has done it in order that when you walk through New England you exclaim Oh what a lovely scene it is But I'm sure we are also saying and praise God for it So so easily we can walk through this life just seeing God's creation and not uttering a hymn of praise on our hearts So we could talk a lot about the way in which God has made these wonderful plants but What I particularly want us to look at is This And it's pretty obvious that some sad things are happening to it already these leaves are Showing evidence of the sad sag that in they're losing their Turgidity and The reason why is that they have broken their Connection to the main body of the plant and what they're lacking, of course is water But also what we can see is the quite clear evidence That this which was part of God's unique design for this plants life history That that is never going to change into fruit That We're not going to get the final product of this plant Design, we're not going to get the fruits of what this plant could produce And there's no prize for guessing what my next thought is That the words of our Lord Jesus Christ come with tremendous power and tremendous impact In our lives John 15 is the place where I would like to focus our attention in order that we may discover together the fundamental aspects of God's creating in us You remember the occasion when our Lord was describing himself as the vine. I Am the vine he says John 15 verse 5 I Am the vine ye are the branches He does he that abideth in me and I in him The same beareth much fruit And The next part of the verse I think should hit each one of us right between the eyes In order that we may get the powerful message He says for apart from me without me ye can do nothing Now our Lord doesn't use words casually and nothing means nothing So the impact is If we may now just keep these biological implications and these spiritual challenges in mind If it is obvious to us that this plant can no longer do anything it's finished It can no longer bear fruit And all it's fit for is the scrapheap Then the recognition should be abundantly clear from what our Lord is saying what's he just said unless You abide in me You can do nothing Young people I can't resist the temptation I Always see young people as an absolute joy and challenge to be amongst Praise God for young people praise God for your idealism praise God for your vision Praise God for your individuality But please young people recognize the words of our Lord Jesus Christ He is saying to you now at the threshold of your life if you do not Come and abide in me So that you've got my sap flowing through you You've got my living water flowing through you then you will just wither and die And the crazy thing about the world in which we live is that there are too many people Walking around this earth without the lifeblood of Jesus flowing in their lives And so young people May these words of Jesus sink into your heart and may they sink into mine at this very moment That if I'm crazy enough To see that I can or think that I can go my own way Without Jesus each day Then I'm going to waste 24 hours If I haven't started this J a day with Jesus With him abiding in me and I in him. There's 24 hours wasted So let us take to heart this and invite that relationship That beautiful and wonderful relationship with Jesus each day Young people Get to know Jesus Get to know him by reading by meditating By praying In order that there may be That beautiful welding of your life into Christ Now biologically if I wanted to make a graft and I took a good healthy stock and you're all good healthy stock and Decided to graft that branch or that bud or whatever it is into a plant Then I would choose the most healthy and vigorous stock that I could find in order to graft that branch in and The most vigorous and healthy stock that we can find is the Lord Jesus Christ And so when we place that branch and bind it and protect it So that is not a subject to fungal infection Then what takes place is? That the living cells in the living stock and the living cells in the branch Begin to grow and weld and fuse and join together So that There is the linking together of that life flow between the stock and the branch Now I believe That in our own minds we have got to imagine That kind of thing taking place between ourselves and our Lord Jesus Christ Here we need to you know think of all the other places where our Lord describes the way in which we can make this possible But let's just think of one simple illustration and that of the plant and that of the grafting into Jesus In order that we may bear a little bit of fruit No, Jesus said abide in me and you will bear much fruit And so in order that we may get the full picture Let us just remember Who will make all this possible for us? Because our Lord Jesus Christ when he opened this discourse when he was talking about himself being the true vine He said this I am the true vine and My father is The husband man Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh it away and Every branch that beareth fruit He cleanses it or purges it that it may bear more fruit And so there is implied in this the work of God and Jesus That we lay our lives open to God Who is the husband man who will prune and cultivate our lives in order that we may bear more fruit? And I cannot think of anything better to share with you than those thoughts Because you live in a lovely part of God's creation New England And at this time when I've had the great pleasure with Joe of seeing the loveliness of the part of the world in which you live and we were just saying at this table a moment ago What a wonderful thing it is that here we are foreigners From across the water and you've accepted it We've been sharing a meal together Even I who am a colonial I wasn't even born in England. I was born in down under you've accepted even me So that amongst ourselves we are having this tremendous immediate fellowship So as we are Going to leave one another soon and we're going to go back across the water to lead our lives There's something precious we want to leave with you and the precious things that we want to leave with one another is that vision of our Lord Jesus Christ and The wonderful thought with all the differences that are between us the one thing which is happening is that we are growing we're grafted into Jesus and We are bearing fruit for him and soon You are going to enter into one of the most lovely seasons the fall autumn Let us not walk around through autumn with our eyes closed But let us walk through God's creation praising him for what he is doing and Seeing what we see with spiritual eyes so that we make sure that we abide in him to the praise and glory of the Father So that we in our lives may bear much fruit You