Windows

Genesis 6 and verse 16. Well, we could read from 14, says, Make thee an ark of gopher wood. Rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Verse 16 says, A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above. The door of the ark thou shalt set, and the side thereof, and so on. The next reading is in the book of Joshua chapter 2, verse 14.

And the man answered her, Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business. It shall be when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

Verse 18, Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window, which thou didst let us down by. And thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household unto thee. It shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head.

Now second Kings, please, chapter 7, verse number 2. In a Lord on whose hand the king leaned, answered the man of God and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. Verse 19 says, And that Lord answered the man of God and said, Now behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. Now another reading in the Song of Solomon, chapter 2, and verse number 8. The voice of my beloved, behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young heart. Behold, he standeth behind our wall. He looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.

Now another reading, I told you I had a few readings, but doesn't mean I'm going to take a lot of time. Daniel, chapter 6, please, and verse number 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being opened and his chamber toward Jerusalem.

He kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and give thanks before his God as he did aforetime. Now another one in the book of Malachi, chapter 3, and verse 10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat or food in mine house.

And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Now just one more in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 11. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 32.

In Damascus, the governor under Aretas, the king, kept the city of Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me. And through a window and a basket was I let down by the wall and escaped his hands. Next verse says, It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory.

I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell. God knoweth such an one caught up to the third heaven.

Verse 4 says, How that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Now we trust that God will bless the reading of his word with what we have already heard. I'm sure you've noticed that in our readings we have read about windows.

And when I thought of this, I thought, well I hope I don't end up to be a real pain. But I just want to bring a few practical truths out from these windows. Maybe it's because we're building a house at this time, I'm not sure.

Recently I've spoken about gates and about doors. Well, now we're on the windows. But this should encourage our hearts, I hope.

In Genesis chapter 6, I'm going to call out a principle. And what I mean is this, that when God saved us, and if you want to liken that into going through the door of the ark, that's okay. And when we're in the ark, well, there was only one way to look, and that was looking up.

And that's a principle that should be true of each one of us. After God has saved us, we should be looking up. Noah, when we read of Noah, I'm sure we read it if you're like me, you know the end from the beginning and you read it in that way.

But Noah didn't really know how all this was going to end. All he knew is, I'm going to build an ark, and I'm going to get into the ark. He was given the dimensions, and while he's in the ark, he didn't seem to know how long the storm was going to last, or if it was a storm.

But I know this, as we go through this world, and there are many here today that are evidences of this, it hasn't always been plain sailing. Now, I don't know what it was like for the ark. I know that some teach, and maybe they're right, about all the Grand Canyon and all this that comes through the ark.

Well, it was a big storm. Could it have been a storm where Noah was in the ark, or did the Lord keep that little part calm? I don't know. But I know this, no matter what comes into my life, since God has saved me, I need to keep looking up.

I don't need to keep looking at the difficulties that are all around me, and the problems that abound in every hand. When the children of Israel were coming into the wilderness, you remember God, He told them, you look, you're going to see my glory. And when they looked toward the wilderness, and the product of the wilderness is the thorn bush, which speaks of pain.

Instead of seeing all the pain and difficulties, and of course, we see the difficulties and things that might never ever happen. Well, what did they see? They saw the glory of the Lord. They saw one who was far greater than every difficulty.

And Noah was a man of faith, and he knew no matter what takes place, God's going to bring me safely through. So, that's a principle for those of us saved by the grace of God, to keep looking up, and know that there is a God. I tell people when I read Genesis 1, I'm not interested so much whether there's a gap or whether there's not a gap.

You ask me afterwards, I could tell you what I believe. But what I do see is the greatness of God. What God did, God said, and God made, and so on.

So, we need to get our eye on God. Now, when we come to the book of Joshua, I want to mention, and I read both verses, maybe three verses, to show that Rahab not only had a window, but she had a door. It was a very unique place that she lived.

The window was on the outside, and the door was on the inside, because it was connected with the street. And here's Rahab, and you remember how the spies came, and I'm not going to go into the details of what took place. Most of us are familiar with that.

But anyhow, she brought in the spies. She sent them out, and people say, well, she was a woman of faith. Did God commend a woman that would tell a lie? Well, she wasn't commended for her lies.

She was commended for her faith. And I would think that before she ever received amends, she had heard the report, and she believed it. She's linked with Abraham in the book of James, and Abraham had that work of faith when he offered up his son.

But long before he had that, he had another act of faith. It was faith in God, not of works. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

And I would take it in some way, we're not told every detail, that Rahab, she had heard about the God of Israel, and she believed the report that she heard, and she received the spies. And then they said, you know, everyone that comes into your house, you bring them in from the city, you bring them into your house on the wall, and then you shut the door. And then after you shut the door, I want you to keep your occupied with the window.

And she let the men down by the window, and she would see the scarlet thread. And while she was waiting, she was looking for something to happen. Well, she was looking really for the people of God to come.

I don't know how much the spies told her about the Ark of the Covenant. Maybe that's what she was interested in. But I'll tell you this, when it comes to you and comes to me, we're waiting for a person.

We're looking out of the window, as it were. We're not going back into the city. Once God saved us out of this world that's condemned, He saved us so that we wouldn't go back into it again.

And He said, you tell them, you come through the door, and you stay here. If you go back into the city, whoever goes in is going to perish. Now, don't think that I believe that Christians or believers are going to perish.

We don't believe that for one moment. But yet, I wonder, have we really shut the door on the world? And are we looking to what's going to take place in the future? Our brother has been telling us about the reign of the Lord. That's going to be wonderful when He will have His rightful place.

And you know, the marvel of the whole thing is that you and I will be with Him in that day. So, we're at the window. Are we wondering what's happening on the other side of the door? May the Lord help us to close the door and never go back into the world.

Now, we come to 2 Kings. I link that with a provision. And you remember how the man said, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could these things be? And the people were inside the city, and they were starving.

They were eating human flesh and so on. And you remember, there were four leprous men outside the gate. And they said, well, if we sit here, we perish.

If we go back into the city, there's nothing there for us to eat. We will cast ourselves upon the enemy. And you hardly have to make the application that outside the camp, God had done a great work.

Men had nothing to do with it. But God had done a great work outside the camp, and He had given a provision for everyone. And you know, there's still a great provision today.

Where is it? Outside the camp. Sometimes I wonder if we as believers, if we're not starving, we're occupied with things that will never satisfy our heart. And we need to get to the things that really satisfy.

And it's all based on Calvary and the one that's bled and suffered and bled outside the camp. So that a great provision would be made for us. Not just a provision of salvation.

There's something more than that. That's only the beginning. And maybe most of us are satisfied just with the beginning.

May God help us to feed on the one who's outside the camp. Stay near the cross. Lord, what is it? Keep me near to thy wounded side.

O Lamb of God, still keep me near to thy wounded side. Why would we be troubling about this old world? And what's going, you know, the election's coming. Everybody's wondering who's going to get in.

And I don't know who's going to get in. I don't know if it'll make an awful big change in my life. I hope we'll still be able to preach the gospel.

But you know, this old world will never satisfy. And it doesn't matter what form of government. The only government that's going to work is the one that our brother John was telling us about.

The theocracy. When the Lord's going to reign. And until that time, all our provision is outside the camp.

It might be drawn onto him outside the camp, willing to bear his reproach. You know what Moses said about reproach? He says it's greater riches and all the treasures in Egypt. And he should have known there's something out there that's worth more than anything outside the camp.

I read in the Song of Solomon briefly there just about the, I call that the pledge. And the Lord appears at the window. And of course, instead of receiving him, there's a slumber that has taken place.

But why did the Lord appear at the window? Well, to attract her. And the Lord gives us little glimpses of himself to attract us. And he tells us, and I would take it that what we read would fit in with what our brother has said.

Rise up, my fair one, come away. The winter has passed, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth.

The time of the singing of birds has come. My revised version, it calls it the pruning of vines has come. And the voice of the turtle dove is heard in the land.

And I thought that's a pledge, what we enjoy of him now. I love that hymn, the streams on earth I've tasted more deep, I'll drink above. And I often refer to the grapes of Eschol brought out into the wilderness and the pomegranates and the figs.

Why? To encourage God's people. There is an inheritance that God wants us to enjoy, and he wants to whet our appetite for it. And think of a great big bunch of grapes that speaks of joy.

There's no end of joy that we can have if we can really enter into these things. And we should be able to, because the Holy Spirit is the pledge. That's what the grapes of Eschol were, the pledge of what was coming.

And fruitfulness, that's what the pomegranate speaks of. And of course the fig in the parable of the trees in Judges 9, shall I leave my sweetness? Are we really enjoying these things? They're all for us, of course, we can enjoy the inheritance and measure now. But I was thinking a little bit more about heaven and what lies ahead when all the problems, difficulties will be over.

When all will all be encouraged, reunited with those who have gone before. And to think there's no more sickness or no more death. I tell you, and there's lots of joy, the pruning of the vines.

But you know there are little foxes that spoil the vines farther down the chapter. And they get the grapes before they really get to grow. They get the blossoms and so on.

And it means there's no joy. And there's little things among us that can ruin the joy, can't it? Can't they? Just small little things. Don't like the way somebody looks at you or something.

And I've met people in my daytime and you never shake hands with me. And I say, well, why don't you come and shake hands with me? It's a two-way street, you know. But there are little things and they spoil the joy that God wants us to enjoy right now.

It's not based on circumstances. It's based on Christ who never changes. Now when we come to the book of Daniel, I refer that to the place.

I heard a man preach one time and he said, well, when Daniel heard the decree, he went home and he opened his window. I don't think he did. I think it was open.

He always had an open window to Jerusalem. Why? That's the place where God had put his name. Oh, but you say it was in ruins.

Now, I don't subscribe to the doctrine that the church is in ruins. You'd likely know that. But I'll tell you, there wasn't very much to attract Daniel.

But yet he knew there's one thing about that place. That's where God has put his name. And while there may be things in our local assemblies that we think could be better, and things that we could enjoy more yet, it's still the place.

It's a place where the Lord is. There's no place that's better in all the earth. If you find a better place, I'll go.

With all our faults, with all the problems that we might have, I just hope that I'll not be part of the fault and I won't be part of the problem. And if I want to make my local assembly in Stout there a better place, well, I think I just need to make myself a better Christian and be more helpful to others and really get into the word of God and enjoy these things. And not just to soak them up like a sponge, but to share them with others.

I remember when older brethren would come to you and say, what have you been reading lately? What have you been enjoying? It seems that we don't seem to do that anymore. And I'm at fault as well as others. We're losing out, aren't we? But this, I just want to emphasize this in passing.

What about the place? Do we really have a love for the place? The place that's nearest heaven, we often say. I knew an older sister. She'd been around for a long time.

And she said, you know, I would like to go to heaven from the breaking of bread. Well, I said, I'd rather go home and have my roast beef and potatoes and then go to heaven rather than disrupt the meeting. Imagine disrupting a meeting where we're gathered together.

I know what you meant, but you know, it is a place that's near heaven. To be with God's people, to get along together, that's important, isn't it? To have that peace with one another. Not always trying to make problems and trying to make everybody like I am.

You know, I know when the sower went forth to sow, all the seed didn't bring forth the same. I'm talking about the successful seed, the good seed. Well, it was all good, but you know what I mean? That which brought forth fruit.

Some was 30, some 60, some 100. There's an evil if we try to make everybody hundreds. Because, you know, usually I'm the one that's 100.

I don't mean my age or anything like that. A little bit to go yet. But I'm the 100 and everybody should be like me.

That doesn't work. You're not going to be happy if your own, some are 60s, some are 30s. I'm not blaming God, but there seems to be a more shallow work done in some than others.

What do we do? We just try to help them. It's the word of God that's going to help them. Not by dictating what we think they should be.

There's nothing like that. So, anyhow, there's a place. What about Malachi? There's a promise.

What's the promise? Well, he said, I could pour out a blessing upon you. Sometimes I think we make excuses, don't we? And we say, it's the times we're living in. And while there might be something to that, I think we can't change the times.

We might as well change ourselves and get with it. And when I read the book of Malachi, I'm not interested in the difficulties like Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. I don't find the difficulty there.

I find that's really the key verse in the book. And why is it in the key verse? Because I say, well, I'm like Jacob. I've been blessed.

Well, why then am I going to live like a descendant of Esau? Why am I going to live like Anitomite? Why, Esau wanted the best for himself. I'm so hungry. I want it right now.

He wasn't interested too much in the birthright or the blessing until it was too late. I want it right now. And you see the things that were holy, he counted as things that are common.

And he said, you're bringing sacrifices. You're bringing the lame and the blind. When we gather together to remember the Lord and our hearts swell up in worship, I just say to myself, I hope I'm not bringing the lame and the blind.

You see, those sacrifices, they were typical of the Lord Jesus, the one who walked perfectly, one who saw everything as it really was. But then I say to myself, are you bringing the best when you worship? Sometimes I think we're more occupied with ourselves than we are with the Lord and with the final outcome. Think of the work of Christ, not just for me.

We enjoy it, sure. But let's look a little farther. We've heard some of the things that are going to take place, all because of Calvary.

Think of the glory that God gets, not just our own salvation. Sure, we enjoy that. We maybe should enjoy that more before we come to the breaking of bread.

Then we should think of what God, what the Lord Jesus not only means to me. I'm not saying we'll cut that out altogether. Unto him that loveth this, and is loosed from his sins and his blood, but yet to be occupied more with Christ.

And act like those, to put it in this Malachi's language, like those that belong to him, the Joseph part, the Jacob part rather, and not be like the Esau, who count all the things that are so near and dear to God just as something that's common. Just take it lightly. Now, finishing, we read there about the Apostle Paul.

And the Apostle Paul, you remember, he's giving the credentials for his Apostleship. There were other false apostles in Corinth, and they were just living a nice life. And the Apostle Paul said, I'll tell you what marks me as an apostle.

And he wasn't wanting to brag or boast about it, but he said, think of all I've suffered, the beatings, and the shipwrecks, and so on. These people were living a life more in luxury. He said, these are the marks of my Apostleship.

And another place he says, I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Just as slaves were branded by the mark on the name of their master. He said, all that I have suffered, these are my brand marks that show that I belong to the Lord.

And then he says something that I never would have said, as proof of Apostleship, he said, I was led down through a window in a basket. That would be humiliating. But then he said, I knew a man in Christ that was caught up in the paradise.

I just want to leave you with this little thought this afternoon. The way up is down. We need to be encouraged.

But I think when we leave a conference, we need to be humble, don't we? Just go humbly and go humbly even through life. A man told me, he says, you know, your dad gave me some advice years ago. I said, what was it? He says, just get through life as quietly as you can.

It's maybe not going to work that way. But you don't have to try to be something. The Apostle Paul says, I was let down.

But then he said, I was taken up into paradise. Enjoy the things of heaven. And I know he said, he heard him words that he couldn't utter and so on or whatever.

But anyhow, I just want to make a little principle. If we just humble ourselves, you know, the Lord can show us things. He can take us up, as it were, into the third heaven, into paradise.

Whether in the body or out of the body, I know not. The Lord knoweth. That'll be some experience.

We don't know when it took place. We could conjecture, but that's not the point. So I hope that you'll think a little bit.

I know I've covered a lot of ground and there's more windows you could find, you know, if you really looked. I could find a few more, but yet we can learn from these. And especially what has been impressed upon me lately is Rahab's window and Rahab's door.

Are we dabbling in the world? Are we looking back from all that was, all that's condemned, was condemned in Jericho? Is that what we're occupied with? Or are we waiting expectantly for the one who is coming? Are we with him? Wonderful, isn't it? I remember a man asked me a question one time. He said, why did the children of Israel go around Jericho for seven days? I wasn't sure. And when you're not sure, you better not say anything, because you might be wrong.

But I'll tell you what he said, and I've enjoyed it. He said, because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. God's calendar is in perfection.

And he was giving them an opportunity to repent. So they might be able to maybe get in through the door and be saved and saved. So may the Lord encourage us to live for him and keep looking up, no matter what the difficulty is.

Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.