In this sermon, the speaker focuses on the book of Joshua, specifically chapter 11. He emphasizes the importance of having the mind and compassion of Christ, as well as the power to meet needs. The speaker shares his personal testimony of how God worked in his heart and led him to possess the gifts and blessings that God has for each believer. He highlights the need for deliverance and holiness of life in order to truly possess one's possessions. The sermon also mentions the significance of fire as a symbol of God's power and presence.

Shall we take up our books again, beloved, and turn to the scriptures? And this afternoon I want to dwell with you a little on a rather great theme to which we'll introduce ourselves in the little book of Obadiah. Just this wonderful little prophecy of Obadiah. I want to read to you from verse 17. Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, the house of Esau a stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them. And there shall not be any remaining at the house of Esau for the Lord has spoken. And there the Sard shall possess the mount of Esau, and there the plain the Philistines, and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath. And the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Alleluia. Now I want to have a word with you this afternoon. Seeing that that great apostle Paul said that the end of the ages have come upon us, that is the end of the prophetic ages have come upon us, all the ages, seeing that we by the blessed birth of the spirit have entered into the kingdom of God, so that we experimentally in spirit can know the truth of this, and what it is for us to really possess our possessions. Now in the future God is going to work this out for his people Israel. On the earth, but blessed be that great man of God who said that the ends of the ages are come upon us. What a wonderful truth this is. The first and the last you see, it's the same great truth that we were talking about yesterday. And I want then beloved to draw your attention to this wonderful first verse that I read, the thought in it, that the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Now we belong to the house of the Lord. According to the Hebrews letter, Christ is a son over his own house, whose house are we. Amen, Hebrews chapter three. And all I want, beloved, and all God wants whilst we're together here today, is to see a little into this great and wonderful thing, illustrated for us in the Old Testament, made real in us by the spirit now. Perhaps if I asked you this question, are you really possessing your possessions? Are you possessing your possessions? If not, then of course beloved, there's no reason why you should not. And you may, by the grace of the Lord, enter into, in a far larger measure than ever you have, you may enter into this wonderful place of being in possession. Glory be to God. But what wonderful truths are here. Look at 17 again. I want you to notice three things there. Deliverance, Holiness, Possession. Deliverance, Holiness, Possession. That's the thing that he's talking about. This is why, lower down the chapter, you read about verse 20. In verse 20, the captivity of the host of the children of Israel, in captivity. Still are, of course. Ezekiel goes further than that. He says they're buried. They've lost all their hope, recognition of their parts. They've completely lost recognition of themselves. Buried throughout the world they lie, in all the graves of Christendom. In all the nations of the earth they are, being scattered. But glory be to the name of the Lord. God's going to fulfill his promises, along this line that he made to Abraham and the successive generations that came from him. But here's the truth, you see. The captivity is going to possess. The captivity of Jerusalem, look in verse 20. It's going to possess. Amen. So first of all, there has to be deliverance. And I need not remind you that when Jesus rose from the dead, he delivered, led a multitude of captives. Ephesians chapter 4. He led captivity captive and then gave gifts to men for them to be in possession of these tremendous gifts. I'm not just going to dwell on that. I only want to link the ideas. And this is what God has for each one of us, beloved. Deliverance and blessed be God. I know the uselessness of deliverance, unless people come through to a place of holiness of life. And in that holiness of life, possess their possessions. And when they possess their possessions, look at verse 18. The next one is fire. That's right. Glory be to God. And that's why there's not much fire on the earth. Those of us that were together this morning may remember that this was the way the Lord led us in our meeting. From Luke 12. That he come to send fire on the earth. And how little of it there is. Do you know many people that are really burning for God? How many do you know? You can nearly count them on one hand. Is that right? I don't know many. I know lots of people talk about being baptized in the spirit. But to be fire. As Jesus was fire. Oh no. Glory be to God. This is what he says. Fire. Devouring. There's your word. It's all there. Fire. Devouring. Amen. Possessing. Glory. This is the wonder of it. And nobody shall possess his possessions fully, who isn't a great consuming fire as God is. And this is what the Lord intends, beloved, for each one of us. Having said that and made this remark that I know the uselessness of deliverance apart from this which succeeded. We're in this era when deliverance, deliverances, deliverances is being held heard on every hand. And I know that in this time unless people come through into this place of living in holiness of life, beloved, and really getting right into their possessions, their deliverance won't be worth that much to them in a month's time. I perhaps you think I ought not say this in that I'm engaged in a series of articles along this line. But it's absolutely right, beloved. This is what I meet all over the country. You trail around where others have been talking about deliverance and you find people crying out for purity of heart. Oh yeah, they say they've been delivered from this, that and the other. Crying out troubled and down and nobody shall stand in the deliverance that God works on their behalf unless they pass into holiness of life. That's right. And if a man or woman won't live holy then they're an open playground for every form of bondage and demonic interference that there is. This is what I find as I move around. And then pass into complete possession as God wants us to possess. And do you possess your possessions, beloved? This is so gloriously talked about in the earlier part. Now just of the book, you just for your own satisfaction, you take a concordance sometime if you have a really good one like Strong's or Young's, you will see this. That between the references to possession in the early part of the books of Moses, for instance, and over into the book of Joshua, you will find there's very little reference in between. It was talked about, this was the ideal in the heart of God for his people. Over and over and over and over again, I believe I counted in the book of Deuteronomy or Deuteronomy, whichever pronunciation you prefer. I counted, I think there were 30 or 40 references to this great truth of possessing. Way back into numbers. Laps, lapping over into Joshua. Now you see how these books are. Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua and then an almost total absence of it. And here comes this great over dire, a prophet of God. And he's standing up in the midst of a people that were supposed to be in their promised land and possessing their possessions, and he's having to prophesy it for them in the future. It had so gone down the drain, as one might say. They were so living out of their possessions, all that God intended them to have, that it's a great prophetic hope, like a star rising in the dark night. He's only a minor prophet, as they like to speak about minority and majority. But oh, what a tremendous thing it is. God wants you and me, beloved, to be in the possession of all our possessions. All the things are actually ours. We like this for human beings, don't we? How our hearts bleed and go out to people who aren't in the possession of all the things they ought to have as a human being. You know, not in possession of all their faculties, not in possession of even a limb. Why, I met a good brother in London the other day, and my heart yearned for him, an old friend of mine. And like myself, because you see a couple of old granddads talking, he'd had a son, a grandson born to him. See? And of course all granddads compare notes. And we started to, we started to, we started to talk a bit. That's right, isn't it Bob? Yes. Yeah, that's right. And we started to talk a bit, you see? And it all came out, yes, will you pray for, will you pray for our baby? I said why, what's the matter? Oh, and out it came. And I thought of that precious bundle that I'd left behind here in Devon, and how what a fine boy he is. And then I thought of this little thing there, how old in the heart, and congenital conditions, and things that they don't even talk about. And I said to Bob when I got home, you know, one granddad to another, I said Bob I feel I'd like to go right up there and take that boy in my arms and pray for him. That's the thing. Why? Why? Why as human beings we our hearts can't bear that a person should not be in possession of all the things that they ought to be in possession of. Is that right? And how about God? And I want to tell you beloved, that if you are not in this state of possessing what God has provided for you, our fathers grieved. And it may be that in order to pass into your possession, you've got to know some form of deliverance. You've certainly got to ache and long to be holy, thrice holy, as God is thrice holy. As you know he's holy father and holy son and holy spirit. And you're to be holy spirit and holy soul and holy body, in time, in one being as he's thrice holy in one being. And it's in this state and in this alone that you can possess your possessions. And that's thrice holy. God is consuming fire and you're to be a consuming fire. It's all logical in God. It's all patterned upon himself. It isn't an idea he's dreamed up. It is a development from himself. And this is the glory of it all. And this is why it's so right. And basically beloved, why it's all so simple. I want to turn back with you then into this writing of Moses. And we'll have a look, shall we, as Moses has these children of Israel lined up now in Moab, before they cross over into the promised land. Book of Deuteronomy. And there, beloved, you will see it. On that side, Jordan, they're standing, it says, in the land of Moab, verse 5. I'm looking at chapter 1. And Moses began to declare the law unto them and so on. You go right through that first chapter and in the second chapter, this is the way we find Moses talking. Verse 24. Rise up with chapter 2. Take your journey. Pass over the river Ammon. Behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it. Amen. Begin to possess it. Contend with him. Hallelujah. Now I want to say this, beloved. The great promise of possession was made, of course, to Abraham. Amen. Right back in the beginning. This promise of possession. And time has lapsed. And it seems they've never been in there. It says that he dwelt in the land of promise as a stranger. If you read Hebrews 11, he dwelt in his promised land that God gave to him as a stranger. Dwelling in tents with the heirs of the promise, Isaac and Jacob, as a stranger in the land of promise. That's where he was. Bless the name of the Lord. Because God had a greater lesson to teach us than just possession of a land anyway. He was looking for a city that had foundations. We know that's New Jerusalem. We've got the city with foundations in Hebrews 12 and in Revelation chapter 21 and chapter 22. We've come there. Hebrews 12 says, as plain as it can be written in holy writ. He was looking for a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker was God. And he wasn't just looking for a land. He was looking for a city. Bless God. There are too many people today looking for the promised land instead of the metropolis of it. The new spiritual Jerusalem. Too many people. He who hath his eyes enlightened by the Spirit of God isn't looking for a land of promise. Glory. But the tremendous truth of it is this beloved, that these promises for possession were made to Abraham by God. The years passed away. And finally you know that God did a very, very wonderful thing. He had first of all to do this. Look with me into chapter four. And you'll see a wonderful truth in this great fourth chapter. It says this. Verse 20. The Lord hath taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace even out of Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance as you are this day. Oh they were a ragged looking lot too I tell you. They were a roughneck looking crowd. It's right. It's absolutely true. You've only got to use your imagination. They were as unlikely a looking lot of people as ever you did see. And there they all stood and he said, you're a people of inheritance for God. God had to get a people you see. He just didn't have to make a promise. He had to make the promise in the beginning. But by that promise he got himself a people. Praise the name of the Lord. And these were the people beloved. Oh they got to go in and possess. What a tremendous thing this is. And they did these great things. And if you look in verse 31 of chapter 2 again. I'm back in chapter 2. You'll have to be nimble of finger. And in this second chapter Moses is still talking. He's saying the Lord said unto me behold I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee begin to possess. Now hallelujah. I want to say something here. God says I've begun now you begin. That's right. Amen. I've begun. Now in many of you there has been a great beginning. All right Galatians 2, 3 we'll sort this out so that it's as plain as a pike star. In many of you there's been a very great beginning. All right. Verse 3 of chapter 3. Aren't you so foolish having begun in the spirit. God had made a beginning. And they got so foolish. Just as stupid as the ancient people did. They were absolutely foolish. And Paul is raised up by God to talk to these people and bring them back. Well where we were last night. Look at verse 1 of Galatians 3. The cross. That's where he brought them. In this mighty little epistle. You know it's our great epistle of the manifestation and declaration of the cross. This little epistle. He brought them back there. My beloved brothers and sisters if you seek to divorce the work of the spirit from the work of Christ on the cross. I mean in experience. I'm not just talking now historically in succession of events. But if you seek to divorce them in your spiritual experience you'll never know what it is to possess your possessions. You can talk about the Holy Ghost till you can't talk anymore. If you seek to divorce these two. These are the tremendous things. And God made a beginning. So many people are so foolish. God begins with the Holy Ghost in them. And if you now go back to Deuteronomy. And you will know I've already reminded you that they were on the other side of Jordan. They were not in the promised land when they began to get their first possessions and victories. A big thing for every one of you to understand. They began to get victories and they began to get possessions on that side of Jordan. But it was only a beginning. If only people could see this. God open our eyes. There's so many people they get some things in possession. In the great gifts and workings of God. And the spirit of God works in their lives. And this is what causes so much confusion. Even in evangelical circles. They're always saying well you know they're arguing about the Holy Ghost and where he comes in and where he doesn't come. And all this instead of falling back upon that great little poem. One of the good ones that Wesley didn't write. And this is one of the you know. Yes that's right. Our blessed Redeemer. There he breathed his tender last farewell. A guide a comforter bequeathed with us to dwell. And it goes on in every victory one. Every thought of holiness. Everything is of the Holy Ghost. Everything since God Jesus has gone back. We're in the era of the Holy Ghost. There's nothing done for anybody in this great realm of salvation except it's done by the Holy Ghost. Or through the Holy Ghost. I use by in the sense of through. It's being done by Jesus as from not through. It's being done from Jesus through the spirit. Amen. That's the tremendous thing. Oh once this dawns on your heart. You see but but people can make beginnings. And never go through to the logical conclusion. Never go through to the ultimate thing. And this is the thing that God is concerned about in all our lives. I don't suppose there's one of us in this gathering. But that there's been a real true beginning somewhere in their lives. And yet are you in possession of all your possessions? Are you? You will know that uh this the man that followed Moses. Joshua. You know Jehovah's Savior. Jesus. The old Hebrew Jesus. That's right. Who had to bring the people into the promised land. Moses was a servant and he just had to die. Moses my servant is dead. Praise God. He wasn't allowed to go into the promised land. He saw it from Pisgah's top. There's still lots of people who see it from Pisgah's top. Worship it. Adore it. Think it's marvelous. Even can preach about it. Old Isaac Watts. Do you remember that hymn? About viewing the land from Pisgah's tops. And viewing the landscape o'er. And all about the waving fields of corn you see. I'm not saying Isaac Watts wasn't in there. I'm only saying that he's penned a lovely poem for those that want to stand on Pisgah and see it. And never enter in. That's what I'm talking about. This is the tremendous truth. And you know beloved this is the tragedy. I come up against and stand alongside men at times that preach about this thing. But when one gets to heart but through them they're not in it. That's the tragedy. There's always a function of a preacher where he's a signpost pointing and saying that's the way. Every preacher comes to that place in his life. But blessed be the preacher who says I'm the way. Walk in it. Just follow me. Be an imitator of me says Paul. Even as I am of Jesus Christ. That's right. We're on our word imitator follower. It's translated. Be an imitator of me. This is the tremendous thing. Don't stick there in the road pointing. Come. Glory. This is the way. Yeah. This is the this is the tremendous truth. And this man Joshua who led the children of Israel into the promised land by God's appointing this Old Testament Jesus. Now listen. I'm looking in the 13th chapter of his book. The 13th chapter of Jesus. That's right. Yeah. I'm not joking. That's what it is. Very common name Jesus. You know that don't you? You would have thought God might have given us a name about with x's and two l's in it like the like the Greeks and the what's their name? One distinct. There never been a name like it before. He gave us the commonest name that nearly he could find. Like Jones in Wales and Smiths in London and all that sort of thing. Jesus. Very common name. Very common savior. Wonderful common salvation. You read Jude. Talks about the common salvation. Amen. Not by a commoner mark you. By the king of glory. But Joseph was old and stricken in years and the Lord said unto him thou art old and stricken in years. Now listen to God. And there remaineth yet very much. I'm going to use the word land out because we're not dealing with square feet of land. We're not estate agents and property markets. There remaineth very much to be possessed and Joshua died before it was all possessed. Our Jesus died before it was all possessed. You realize that don't you? You realize that? Not because he was old and stricken in years. He was only 33. Well about. We're not quite so sure really. But we'll say it was that. It's the generally accepted position. He began to be about 30 years old. But there are those who make less than three years of the next lot. But we need examine that. And the tremendousness of it all beloved lies here. That it was like this with those disciples of old you see. They possessed so much before he died. And all that tremendousness that lay ahead. They would never have possessed it except the spirit of possession. This great animating spirit of Jesus. This great hunger in the heart of father that made him send Jesus. And he had to send him. He said neither came I of myself but my father sent me. This great hunger in the heart of God to send his son. And Jesus this great devouring thing in both their hearts beloved. Was that we should be in this place that we should possess with God. And God should beget himself a great family of possessors. Amen. And possessing everything that they could possibly possess too. Now I want to confess to you beloved. That as for me. I've lived too long now to dally about this. If the Lord comes too quickly. I wonder whether I should have possessed all I ought to possess while I'm on the earth. This is the thing that concerns me. I want to tell you this much too. There's a tremendous need in this lad of ours. You see. Suffer me to say this again. Pardon the repetition. I move around and as I go around there's a great cry all over the country. And you hear people that have got sick and fed up with the condition of things as they are today. And I say oh we're wanting God to raise us up apostles. And we're wanting God to do this. So we are. Blessed be God. Do you know what I find as I go around the country? I say to these people now what we're needing is God to raise up pastors. For I have to be doing the work that pastors should be doing. Everybody said we're wanting apostles. What we're wanting God help us is pastors. At the hours I sit with people doing what pastors should do. That's right. I'll leave that. But moreover I think we want some real evangelists on the New Testament scale too. But of course we want the lot. But but don't let's let's get our eye off the truth beloved. Joshua was an old man and there remains so much to be possessed. If you should say I'm an old man. I'm an old woman. Old lady let me put that way sounds better. And how about if you go now before you possess on this earth. Before you have these things that God wants you to have on this earth. Don't you see beloved? These possessions were earthly possessions. They were to be had down here. Surely one of the great tragedies of this day in which we're living is that we're always pushing things relegating them to the future. Putting them up there. A lot of sort of starry eyed pie talk. Instead of seeing what God wants us to have down here and moving on with great deliberateness into these things. Now beloved there was a way in for these people. Go back to that same old book of Moses where we were reading. And all sorts of things are said. And in verse in chapter six. Look what he says here. He's talking about the land in the end of verse one. Whither ye go to possess it. And as you see these great truths. Look at verse one of chapter nine. Hear O Israel thou art. Now listen. Thou art to pass over Jordan this day to go in to possess. That's right. You see it started off with a simple possess. Now we're told where their positions lay. Thou art to go over. You're to pass over this Jordan to possess. That's what they were to do. You see they had begun to possess. They'd begun to possess. You know isn't this one of the great tragedies with us. Let God but be good to us. And we'll rest in one or two things of goodness. That's what we'll do. You see. Let God just be good to us and give us a blessing here and a blessing there. And that's where we'll stick. You see. And sometimes if you begin to talk to people about things. About what God will do for them. They almost think you're insulting them. Well don't you think I have a Christian. Don't think this. Don't think that. It isn't anything to do with what people think beloved. We've got a book here of the directions and commandments of God. It's nothing to do with what you think. It's nothing to do with what I think. I sat upstairs today. In between lunch and this meeting. And I said to the Lord. What am I to say this afternoon Lord. And he said to me. You're to say so and so. And that was it. And that's why I'm preaching to you about it. It isn't a matter of what I think. It isn't a matter of a man's ideas beloved. God's not offering you alternatives. It's not this or that where God is concerned. This isn't the language in which the book is couched. This is what I provided he says. And it's for you. And you're to have it. You know sometimes. And I want to talk to you older ones. Now I don't know what age to put old. I'd better start too low. This has been trouble. Let's go about 50 shall we. I think I might be safe there. I'm in that bracket. Not that I can guarantee you won't die before 50. You younger people. You understand. But I'm talking to you older ones. You're the people. You say. You're like old Barzillai. You see. He said. When David came to Barzillai. He said you come back with me to the kingdom. He says oh no. I said I'm old you see. I'm deaf. Let my young shim ham go. Let him go. It's for the youngsters. This new move. It's for the youngsters. You see. And you're the people I warn you. You stick. I'm a Christian. So I leave it to these youngsters. Who said you. Who said you will. Only your own wicked heart. That's all. What did old Moses say. And how old was he. 120. 120. He said Lord let me go over. I climbed up this mountain. 120. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves. You people of 60. Half his age. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves. And talk about Caleb. I won't discuss Caleb with you now. And Joshua. He was no chicken. It's right beloved. You see. You think of that that that crowd that passed over Jordan. Moses said you're to pass over this Jordan to go in. You can't go in unless you pass Jordan. I'd like another hour. Well might our brother say we won't have time. I'd like another hour to stop on this crossing of Jordan. For you know what it is don't you. We sang a hymn this afternoon. I think it was our brother at the back there did a sly grin at me. What was it. Something about crossing Jordan. I nearly always refused to sing those hymns because they always make make them mean dying. Nothing to do with physical death. But it's a picture of the cross of Christ and the burial with him by baptism into his death and the rising up on the other side into the newness of life. That's what Jordan crossing is about. And you want to go over this Jordan into your possessions. What did I say about Galatians 2 Galatians 3. You divorce the cross from your possessions. However much you talk about the spirit you don't know anything about the Holy Ghost. Save words only unless you know that the Holy Ghost comes to take you into the immeasurable depths of that crucifixion. You don't know anything about the spirit. So I've discovered. And this is the wonderful truth beloved. And he said you are to go in to possess nations. Look at that. Not just land. I said let's cut this word land out. You ought to go in to possess nations. Greater and mightier than thyself. Cities great and fenced up to heaven. A people great and tall. The children of the Anakims whom thou knowest. And of whom thou hast heard say who can stand before the children of Anak. You see that's enough to frighten you off. You see it's only the people of the spirit that can come here. God slays the flesh. Frightens them to death. He stands on the other side and says oh these great big people. He's going to. You see once before they thought they were going to storm into their promised land just as they liked. It might be as well for you to read the third chapter. But not now. When they were ready to go up they said let's go up. No you can't choose when you're ready to go. You've got to go when God's ready. There's an hour that strikes for every man and woman. I want to come into the eternal now. Praise God. You're not allowed to pick and choose. How many people said to me oh well thank you for talking to me like this Mr North. But perhaps I'm not ready yet. Perhaps I'm not ready. Did you ever hear such a talk? Did you? When God comes and presents eternal truth to a person's heart and somebody says I'm not ready. When do you think you're going to be ready? Oh when I've sorted myself out a bit. You've been doing it all your life. You've got into a more hopeless muddle. Is that right or wrong? Yeah. This is the language of the unwilling. This is the language of those that don't mean it. This is the language of those that are playing for time. Instead of moving for eternity. You see beloved what God has for them and what he intended in Jesus Christ. And you're at a Passover. Glory be to God. And you're going to possess this land. And look at chapter six where we've already been. These are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you that you might. Now listen to this. You might do them in the land whether you'd go to possess it. If you want to really possess this land when you get in there, this is what you have to do. For lots of people who seem to make a crossing and seem to get over. But they have the faintest notion how to possess. This is right. And Moses is very plain here. You are to do these things to possess. It wasn't a matter of going in and staking out your claim. And saying oh well this is mine. You know from that tree there to that rock there and down here to this stream here and over there where it borders on some so-and-so's land. That's my possession. It was this that you are to do these things to possess. The things that I command you. This is right in line with what Jesus said in John 14. Remember if you love me keep my commandments. I'll pray the father. He'll give you another comforter. Even the spirit of truth proceeds from the father. He shall lead you into all truth. He's with you. He's going to be in you. He's going to abide with you unto the age. Oh this great spirit of possession. Amen. This one that knows our blessed Jesus. And this is one of the tremendous tragedies beloved in all this great talk of possession. We lose our way when we talk too much about possessing the promised lands beloved. We possess a person. You understand that? It's him. Glory. Once you understand that our possession is a person. And you know don't you what was the cheapest possession of the children of Israel? Don't you? In the promised land. What was the cheapest possession? Do you think it was a fig tree and a vinery somewhere? And a mountain out of which they could hew iron and copper? Did you think it was that? They possessed God. And when they ceased to possess God they ceased to possess their land. God turned them out of it. That's right. They thought it was keeping their little gold mine here. Or keeping this beautiful pasture somewhere else. Do you remember those that didn't want to really go over Jordan and possess the land? They wanted to keep these lovely green pastures where they were. They didn't want to go away. You see? By God it was there. He said you're going to possess this. But this very thing is said in Leviticus. We won't turn back to it now. You check it back through your reference systems. He said you'll possess this land. You'll be the mere holy people. I'll be your God. You see? We're told about this promised land in Deuteronomy chapter 11. He said it's a land God says I've had my eye on it all the time. He said it's a land I care for. How about that? My eyes on it all the time he said. Yeah. He had his eye on that. I'm going to live there. That was where God was going to live. In the tabernacle. That's where he was going to live on the earth. That was what it was all about. And they all had to camp around God. Yeah. Right in the center. God. You work it up for yourself. See? There was a land and in it a nation. In a nation a tribe. Inside a tribe a family. That right? That's right. And inside that family because these this is the family and tribe that camped just around the walls of the tabernacle. Tabernacle. Inside the tabernacle. Holy place where God lived. Right in the center. There it is. All right? That's where he lived. They possessed God. And this is why they were there beloved. Not so. Milk, honey, grapes, figs, cow, sheep, grass, sweetness, iron, gold. All my possessions. God. There was a place in there beloved where God lived. They never heard the sound of a pick. In there they never heard the sound of a hammer. They never heard the bleeding of a sheep. Their eye wasn't fixed on the flower of the fields. Their eye wasn't fixed on one of the wonderful stars in the sky. Just God. Sky was blotted out. The fields were blotted out. The noises were blotted out. Possessions were blotted out. It was just God. I said this once or twice this weekend. Let me say it again. There are lots of people who fall over themselves to clap and jump and shout about and buy themselves dancing shoes to hop around and praise, praise, praise, praise, praise in the Bible. It's a great theme among us. But listen. The Bible distinctly says that you only enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. You don't go into the holiest of all with praise. Thank you for making the noise. You understand that? Stillness there. You see? Well you can do that out in the courts. I'd rather live in the holiest of all. Praise is too often taken up with yourself. What God's done for me. I feel so fine. I'm liberated. See? Where the spirits of just men are made perfect. Not just liberated. Made perfect. God forgive us for Pentecostalism. Thank God for every leap I've taken in joy. Thank God for every psalm of thanksgiving that's ever come out of my mind. That there came a time when God blotted it all out. Possess your possessions now. God's within your grasp. Possess your possessions. Oh I've been delivered. Get into the holiest place and see that Jesus never was except for our offenses. He's delivered for our offenses. Praised again for our justification. We haven't got a word to say. The deep speak like the deep. Yeah that's right. This is the wonder of it. Glorious Lord you're to possess your possessions. Oh praise the Lord. I'd like to dwell in this tremendous thing. But beloved some people never possess their possessions because they won't do what God wants them to do. And if I ask you this question. Are you prepared to do what God wants you to do? Are you really? Remember what I read in to you. You read it too in Deuteronomy chapter 6. That you're to do these to possess. You're not to do what you think. I'll give you one more check on that before I go on. Go back with me into Deuteronomy and chapter 12. Let's take one more check on this great truth. It is a wonderful book this book of Deuteronomy. Can't go wrong you know if you read the Bible. You can't go wrong because if you only read your favorite portions. 23rd Psalm. Something like that. You see. But if you read the Bible. Glory. And you come to see Deuteronomy chapter 12. This is what it says. See verse 1. These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall observe to do in the land which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it. All the days ye live upon the earth. See. All the days. Now he says you're to do so and so. So and so. So and so. Verse 4. You're not to do so and so. And so and so. And so and so. See. And verse 8. You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day. Every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. See. 4. And this is why you do it. You are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you. And when people aren't in their rest and their inheritance they do what's right in their own eyes. They believe the systems of doctrines they want to believe. They keep the things they want to keep. They do this. They do that. They do that which is right in their own eyes. Based upon the Bible of course. We wouldn't think of basing it on the Quran. But he said you are not to do what's right in your eyes. See. And everybody that does is a person that's not in this rest. Hallelujah. You've not come to inheritance yet. For your inheritance and rest is inseparably bound up with your obedience to God. To do what he says. To the death of yourself. Amen. Glory be to the name of the Lord. And when they got over this great Jordan. I want you to look with me now in Joshua. In chapter 11. I said you'd have to be nimble fingered. But that's what the Bible's for. And you should always have Bible classes on Sunday afternoon. Shouldn't you? This is the tradition. And in in Joshua chapter 11. The Lord is speaking. And this is the sort of thing that you'll read. Amen. Let's start to look shall we at verse 10. Joshua at that time turned back. Took Hazor. Smote the king thereof with the sword. For Hazor aforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword. Utterly destroying them. There was not any left to breathe. Look at the end of verse 14. They smote every man with the edge of a sword until they destroyed them. Neither left they any to breathe. All right. You're looking down. And as you go right down that tremendous chapter. You find we're told in verse 21. The end of that verse. Joshua destroyed them utterly. Utter destruction. Now this is a great key to possessing your possessions. Some people will never possess their possessions. Because they will not take up this phrase of utter destruction. Nothing left to breathe. What nothing? Not a little baby? No. Nothing. Nothing. Ruthlessness. If you're going to possess your possessions. You mustn't let one darling thing remain. Not a darling thing. See you've got this test in Abraham. It all burgeons forth from that great man of God. Listen. Not one darling thing Abraham. Take thine Isaac, thy son. Thine only Isaac. Whom thou lovest. God won't let you have anything survived. Didn't he slay his own son? If you're going to be in this great place of possession. The only man or woman that gets there is the person that's so utterly ruthless. Got places in your homes. Have you for the darling things. You say oh that's innocent enough. It's the same old story with the Amalekites and Agag. That caused Saul's absolute loss of everything. I'd like to be able to look into it with you. Some people won't possess their possessions because they like a thief. They try to get up some other way. Over Jordan. Is your way? That's right. Glory be to the name of the Lord. When were you by power of God brought under the death of Calvary? When were you baptized into that death? Baptized into it. Thought gradually lowering yourself in. Little by little. Inch by inch. Baptized. This is the way God does it. Amen. Bless him. Into Jordan. Into his glory. When did it happen to you? When you died to everything. Self. The world. Flesh. All your possessions. All your ambitions. Everything. Glory. Only thee Lord. That's all. Glory. I rise up in thee and in thy likeness. Lord Jesus. There's no other way of ridding from me all these things that have to go before I can be like thee. Is not this the greatest cry of my heart? That I should be like thee Lord Jesus. I can't get rid of it by mental exercise or suasion. I can't get rid of it by praying. I can't get rid of it by adapting or adopting. I can only get rid of it by thy mercy and thy grace. Baptizing me the secret way into thy Jordan. Yes. That's all. I can't get in any other way. Hallelujah. There isn't a man on this earth can teach you. There isn't a man on this earth can lead you. You say ah Joshua. No no no. Joshua stood aside. He said it. You read it in Joshua. He said when you see the ark of the Lord. Go after it. That's right. Seen the cross of Christ. Seen the death in it. Go on after it. Allah won't hear. But not to the lamppost to the cross. Robespierre's cry. This is the way of God. This is the only way and unless you're prepared to go on in there and continue in this way. Utter destruction. Glory. Glory. Glory. I remember once when God enlightened my eyes to this and I began to move in on this line. I remember a dear old soul. She was old enough to be my mother. Twice over I think probably my grandmother. And she started to talk to me about certain things and I said oh I don't want that. Don't let go. I've let go of it you see. And you know what she said to me. You be careful you don't let go too much. Warning me. Don't you be too ruthless young man. Don't you go too far young man. Jesus is way out beloved. If you want to be in your possessions. Glory. You've got to go. All those of you. You mustn't have pity on anything. There's antichrist in you. It's all got to go. You must not make allowances for it. You must not say oh that's my weakness or that's this or something else. Watch it. The very lines of what you think are your refined tastes are the lines along which he will come their enemy and possession. I know that only too well. Amen. It's him. It's a bloody cross. It's a stark staring stake. It's going right through with him. Right to the end. To the end. This is why we talk about men like Paul you see. It's one thing. That's all you're capable of doing. And the one thing you do is the thing you give your greatest energy to. Isn't that right? And if you're going to be what God wants you to be and possess your possessions. You've got to take your hands off everything else. You are incapable of doing two things. Just one. Hallelujah. I'm just doing one thing Lord. In everything I do one thing. That's all. And you know beloved, we're on a secret here. This may sound very banal and ordinary. But it's absolutely right. Only one thing. You've got to possess your possessions. You see, they were to remain completely holy unto God. They were to let everything else go. If you read through this great book of Deuteronomy you will see. Where it says, no you mustn't do that. Thou shalt not do this. That must all go. Glory, glory, glory. You know why these people didn't possess their possessions? They got stupid notions. You know this great word shibboleth that we, what we use. Don't you? Well it's over the very use of that word. They accepted people in. They lifted the curse of some. That God had said they were to be exterminated. But they didn't do it. It's always this fear of extermination. That's right. People won't have this extermination. Are you prepared to have extermination? She said, well look I shall lose this. I shall lose that. I shall lose the other. That's right. So you will. And isn't it wonderful that you can? The greatest people that I've ever known are the people who are always groaning because they they can't lose the things they want to lose. The people that have got aspirations and their hearts are set and they say Lord take this thing away. Oh God rid me of this. I preached the other week. Uh where was I? I don't know. Oh I, I was in London I think. Well it doesn't matter. I'd been in a meeting and it was in between meetings and somebody dashed up. Oh I think it was here. Somebody said there's a phone call for you from from Sir Camberley, Surrey. Since I got home isn't it? That's right. I don't know. I went down. Picky. Calling something a filthy habit that many many so-called Christians. Never spare thee. Glory. Go through into everything. Amen. Possess God. Hey glory. Talk about gifts of the spirit. Oh hallelujah. You can have everything. Everything. And there's something that comes up in the heart of a man. Beloved and you may be sure if you look upon people and you see that they're in possession of these great things of the spirit. Then you may be sure my beloved brothers and sisters if my little experience is any indication of it. And I may speak from that. It's that somewhere deep down inside there rises this which will not be denied. That counts everything else but loss and sets no value upon anything. That sees with that old man that wrote in the book of old. Who says that their vanity and vexation of spirit written on everything under the sun. That's right. Isn't this a word? They don't use the word vexation. They use the word frustration today. That's all. Doesn't all of the truth. Beloved there is that in God you are to possess your possessions. Are you in possession of your possessions? Supposing I said to you this afternoon. Do you possess in your in your breast now a pure heart? A new pure heart from God. Do you possess now a spirit that's been purged in that glorious blood? Do you possess now a heart that's at real rest and is relaxed in God? Do you possess now the mind that was in Christ? We discussed this a little yesterday. It's no good you quote in the text but we have the mind of Christ. Unless it's true. He didn't say now this is a lesson you must learn. It wasn't brainwashing. He was simply telling you the truth. He got it. You see what he was writing is truth. We take up as a text and think that if we keep faith talking it'll all happen or something. God doesn't go in for this mental jugglery. He talks truth. Have you got the mind of Christ? Do you think about things as Jesus thinks about them? Have you got the compassions of the bowels of Christ? Have you got power to meet needs? These are the possessions. I testify to you that in the early days when God began to work on my heart a poor fellow. I had no training in these things whatsoever. None at all and God began to work in my heart. He showed me a man that talked about being baptized in the spirit. I won't go through all the thing that could be called one's testimony and I hadn't got what he'd got and that's a fact. Oh I'd got what he hadn't got. If I took my bible and opened it he'd sit at my feet as though the archangel Gabriel was talking to him. I thought it was wonderful. That's the way I'd been brought up. I won't tell you the background. I needn't say anything about that. Cover to cover the blessed book and so on and so on. You see but when when God got when the Germans dropped a bomb on Portsmouth and the caravan we were sharing went all say all shapes and ways little old George said Jesus and in that moment I knew he'd got what I hadn't. Oh I wasn't afraid particularly but where I started grabbing and looking all around he just said Jesus and the great bible expositor you see. What does that count? Nothing. Nothing. I knew that man was in possession of something that I hadn't got. Yeah that's right. You see and all this wonderful thing that God has for it for men and women. Oh beloved father son and holy ghost all the joyous foretaste of heaven in the heart all that abiding in the secret holy place all that beloved dwelling there with him counting all things but loss and so many are counting to be gay. Things that people taught up as their christian experience. God help us. It's him him and him alone. God brings you right there where he shuts everything else out. You don't cease to be human but you become more divine. Now then beloved here's the great promise through Obadiah for the earthly people. I know it's going to be worked out in the future and bless God for it. But how about it now? How far have you come? Have you begun to possess your possessions? Have you? Now then you ought to go right on. You are not to be held up by anything or stop for anyone. You listen to his commandments. You're not to struggle particularly to keep the ten commandments. That should be your basic nature. That's your inward moral righteousness. That's for a start but it's listening under him. Catching his voice. Moving in his spirit. Possessing more and more and more of God. And this I'll promise you that if you go this way your appetite will grow the greater the blessed spirit will illuminate your heart and mind. He'll fix your vision on Jesus so completely that you will actually become possessed of the idea and the real truth that you can be. You could have all of him as he was manifest on the earth. And that's the thing that will take possession of you. And this is the whole fixation of the spirit. Amen. This is what God does. Not that one counts for the thing to be grasped there to be equal with it. And you will find that in the Philippian letter that which is spoken of Jesus in the second chapter uniquely of Jesus the glorious son. You'll find the counterpart of it in Paul in the third chapter. Things that were gained to me those I counted loss. Threw it all away. It was all done. All things to be grasped at. You see it's the equivalent in a man's experience of what was true in God's. Get there. Possess your possessions. Amen. Go for it. You're almost too old to tarry. You've got to go. Wait for nothing. No man. I'll testify to you this. That's what I did. And that's what I intend to do. As the Lord lends me grace. It may be that in the end. He'll give me wings. The Lord wants us to be there. Now let's pray.