Going Deeper With God: Preaching Institute

We are in the Preaching Institute on Going Deeper with God, and I want to start, friends, by sharing a story with you. This saintly F.B. Meyer was sharing a room with a young C.T. Studd as they were ministering in a conference together in America. They each had their morning devotional time together, and one facet of C.T. Studd's Bible study sparked curiosity from F.B. Meyer.

One morning, F.B. Meyer asked Charlie Studd a question concerning his daily quiet time. He asked, Oh, why don't you read other passages of Scripture? It seems like you just get stuck on one verse. You keep staring at it.

Are you hung up on it, or are you trying to memorize it? C.T. Studd cleared up the mystery by explaining, No, I choose a particular verse or passage from God's Word, and then I go to prayer, and I pray over that verse, and I ask God by His Spirit to make that part of His Word a living reality in my daily living. Now, that, friends, is a kind of Bible study that isn't just going through God's Word. It's having God's Word go through us.

One year, I longed to go deeper with God, and I was getting serious with Him after the tragedy of my wife's death, and my walk with God was deepened during this time. Our walk with God can be deepened if we want to go further with God in a closer walk with Him, and I'll give you this personal example, friends. Years ago, after my wife died tragically, I entered a season in my life where I wanted to go deeper with God in a life of faith, and He gave me what I call four days on the mountain, and I want to share that with you now.

During this time of my seeking God more earnestly, He revealed four truths out of His Word to me from Colossians 1.10, which reads, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. And I wrote in the margin of my Bible what I thought those verses meant to me, but God was not interested in my perspective of His Word. He was going to teach me His Word from His perspective, and this made all the difference in the world.

Yes, He broke that verse down into four sections of truth for me over the next four days, and that literally felt like I was walking on a mountaintop with God those four days, four days, friends, for the next four days. I met with God from 4 30 a.m. to 6 a.m. in a pursuit of going deeper with Him, what cost counts, and what counts costs. And I give you my notes from my Bible that I wrote in my margins, August 15, 2013, 4 30 a.m. to 6 a.m. The first sentence of Colossians 1.10 is, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord.

Well, God would always give me a companion verse to go along with my truth for that day from Colossians. And that truth for that day was that ye might walk worthy of the Lord. And that day's companion verse was from Philippians 3.10, that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, in the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.

And God said that my companion verse was to be from His perspective, and I was to walk worthy in the fellowship of my sufferings. Well, little did I realize at the time the trials and afflictions I would pass through over the next 10 years, and this would be the reality of the truth God wanted me to gain from my first day on the mountaintop with Him. For me to live out Colossians 1.10, to walk worthy of the Lord, I would have to experience the fellowship of His sufferings from Philippians 3.10. Well, day number two, day two on the mountain, August 16, 2013, 4.30 a.m. to 6.00 a.m., the next section of Colossians 1.10 was unto all pleasing.

And this particular morning, friends, in my quiet time with God, He gave me my companion verse from His perspective to match Colossians 1.10 unto all pleasing. And it was found in Hebrews 11.6, which reads, But without faith it is impossible to please Him. And God said the truth for me that morning regarding my faith walk was that He would develop a faith life in me that was deep and real.

And God would give me plenty of opportunities over the next years to develop this life of faith, to be more in step with Him for His glory. For Hebrews 11.6 declares, He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. God was gradually demonstrating to me that if I was going to diligently seek Him, that if we get serious with God, He will get serious with us for a deeper spiritual life.

Well, that brings me to day number three, friends, on my mountaintop with God, day three on the mountain, August 17, 2013, 4.30 a.m. to 6.00 a.m. My section of Colossians 1.10 for that particular morning was being fruitful in every good work. And the companion verse God gave me from His perspective to come alongside that was found in Zechariah 4.6, which states, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. And God's teaching for me that morning was this instruction.

My spirit must be in control at all times through your surrendered life. God wanted me to be a clear channel through which He could flow through by His power, by His spirit, as a means of blessing to others. And through my yieldedness to God, He would move through me.

He had me read and contemplate John chapter 15 over and over again about Jesus as the vine and me as the branch. And the result of abiding in the vine was fruit. It was fruit, more fruit and much fruit.

And He wanted to bring me much fruit. And His teaching to me from that regarding John 15 was that He never meant for us to be fruit producers, but fruit bearers, where what fruit He produces through our yielded life to Him will remain now and for eternity. But what we produce in the flesh will just dissipate and fall to the wayside.

But now, friends, this brings us to day four on the mountain, day four on the mountain, August 18th, 2013, 430 a.m. to 6 a.m. The last section of Colossians 110 is an increasing in the knowledge of God. In the companion verse, God gave me that day from His perspective was some Jeremiah. It was Jeremiah 33, 3, which declares, Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

And God said, you will experience more of me through the fulfilled promises I have revealed to thee. Then God gave me 18 promises from Isaiah, each beginning with verse 18 of each given passage of scripture that God would apply to me. The reason I share all this with you friends is that the church is in dire need of preachers today.

We need men full of the Holy Ghost who will take the and preach the Word of God with the anointing of the Spirit of God. And it's because we have many teachers today, but few preachers. Like my friend Richard Owen Roberts used to say, teaching informs, but preaching transforms.

And we've got too many teachers today. And many of just are like entertainers to their congregation. They feel they need to warm up their crowd like a nightclub comedian.

So they begin their message with some jokes or some amusing stories. But men of former days were much wiser than us today. Solomon Stoddard, the grandfather of Jonathan Edwards, saw four seasons of revival in his church in Northampton, Massachusetts.

And Solomon Stoddard said this, this is the advice he had to preachers. And I quote, we are not sent into the pulpit to show our wit and eloquence, but to set the consciousness of men on fire. I'll repeat that.

We are not sent into the pulpit to show our wit and eloquence, but to set the consciousness of men on fire. If you want to be a better preacher, brother, then get to know your God better. And this all starts with a desire for more of God.

Moses begged to see more of God. And we see that in Exodus 33, 18, where he boldly pleads. And he said, I beseech thee, show me that glory.

And God honored their request in a big way for reading Exodus 33, 19. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee. And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.

And we'll be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And we'll show mercy on whom I will show mercy. When we get to the place, friends, where we desire more of God and want to go deeper with him.

If we are earnest, if we are sincere, God will honor that request. I believe God gets serious with those who get serious with him. And I leave you with this last personal story.

I was sitting with my pastor, Adrian Rogers, in his study at church one day. And I asked him a question. I asked Dr. Rogers, at what point in your life do you believe God touched you with a special anointing? And he got a faraway look in his eye.

Even sadness was there. And he looked at me and he said to me, it was after my baby son had died. It was during that time of terrible grief that I began to seek more of God.

Well, how about you, friend? Are you ready to go deeper with God? Let us pray.