Leading into God's Presence
Leading Into God’s Presence It’s nice to be with you for another evening to share with you a few things: the word of God and His presence. Once more I feel like thanking you for giving us the privilege of coming down here and treating us so well. You treat us like royalty. When I think of the nice accommodations you gave us on top of the hill, you don’t know what those things mean to us, how we appreciate it.
And that lovely Cadillac to ride around in, we just felt like we’ve come up in the world, even though it’s only temporary. You know for many years I have so wished for a nice home of our own, and I said to the Lord many times, “Lord, it seems the only home I’ll ever have is airport terminals and hotel lobbies.” So when a nice place comes along like this one up the hill, it’s such an encouragement, and such a blessing to us. We do appreciate your fine treatment, and above all the lovely Spirit of worship.
You don’t know what that means to us—to be away from these mechanics and just be where folk love to worship the Lord in the Spirit. It reminds me of the earlier days of Pentecost, and we are thrilled to be with you. The Lord bless you real good. Now then, I have a little menu prepared for you that I felt the Lord impressing me with.
This is going to take us a little bit into the way of the things about which I had been talking to you—how to get there. How does the Lord lead us into these areas? We need that of course. I’m going to read to you first of all from Revelation 3:20-22.
Whenever I’ve heard this passage used for a text it had always been for salvation, but one day years ago now, I sat before the Lord one night and He drew my attention to this passage and I began to see something all together different from an evangelistic message. Not that evangelistic messages are wrong—not at all, but that there is another message on a much higher level; actually a message not for sinners, but for the people of God. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
To him who overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:20-22 This is a message for the churches, for the people of God. Now what I’m going to do is I simply meander bit by bit down through this particular passage, leisurely.
Have you ever seen a cow? What a foolish question! But you’ve seen a cow out in the meadow and see them pick up some green grass, you know. Then they stand there and look around a bit; they see something good over here; they’ll go over there, stand there; find something else up there; walk toward it, and pick that up.
That’s what we’re going to do tonight. We’re going to be cows. Oh, don’t be insulted now, but just pick up some things from God’s meadow. First of all, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.
Now we’re dealing here, as I indicated, with the way of the Lord’s approach to lead us into a real feast with Him. I stand at the door, and knock. This simply means, in one word, attention. If I come to your house, I don’t simply open the door, walk in and say, “Hi, where’s the refrigerator?” I have more upbringing than that.
First of all, you knock at the door. I know we’re in a modern country—the Lord wasn’t. I suppose if this were written today, it would say, Behold I stand at the door, and ring the bell, or push the button—or ring the bell—that would be it. Behold I stand at the door, and knock—attention.
There are times when the Lord, in His working with us, first of all seeks to attract our attention. This is quite important. We’re dealing here with the way the Lord is approaching us and leading us into a real feast, a real experience with Him—fellowship, communion, revelation—whatever He has in store. Now how does the Lord knock?
The Lord knocks in a number of different ways. I do not presume to know all of them; I only can suggest some. This again brings us into His presence. I have to share it with you through the channel of my experience—that’s my ministry.
I hope you can put up with it. It’s not that I’m talking about myself at all: it is simply the instrumentality which God has given me to make the truth plain and real to His people. I might travel somewhere, lets say I’m on a trans-Pacific flight. Now for you, that could be on the train, or you do some flying too, of course, or you’re going anyplace in the car, what have you.
Alright, say I sit on a plane crossing the Pacific. I might be reading something, or doing nothing in particular and think. Once in awhile we need to think. That’s one thing I have against these airlines; you’re hardly out of Los Angeles, had dinner, and now were having a 2 hour movie.
Everybody put down the blinds. So now you’re a captive audience, but most people like to be entertained. I want to think. These long flights are my opportunity to think—think over some problems, evaluate things, get away from my work and see things in perspective.
And it’s the opportunity for communing with the Lord—a golden opportunity. So I don’t watch those things usually; there’s nothing anyhow much to watch and I have a golden opportunity. You know I was down in Australia—well repeatedly—but I’m referring to one. The leader there asked me whether I would come back for their camp meeting and the minister’s seminar during their Christmas holiday.
It’s summer down there then. They have their camp meetings from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day. It’s very warm down there. He said, “Are you going to come?” I said, “Well, Green Lane is a long ways from Melbourne.” He said, “I know what you mean; you’re thinking of the fare.” I said, “For a distance like that, I’d sure have to.” He said, “Look here, if I’m asking you to come I’m buying your ticket.
I said, “Do you know what that cost?” “Well no,” he said, “But I have an idea. Do you know?” I said, “Yes, it will cost $1,400.” He said, “That’s alright.” “Ogh.” He said, “I’ll put you on a flight, and I’m bringing a man from Springfield.” (The headquarters of the A/G, you know.) “I’ll bring him over too for the evangelistic services.” I said, “Brother Greenwood, I have one request to make: Don’t put me on the same flight with the man from Springfield.” Nothing against Springfield, but he was the General Secretary, a big man in the Assemblies, believe you me—with a voice.
I had nothing against him, so I said to Brother Greenwood, “Do you know what I mean?” He said, “Well, from your teaching this week I think I do. You would like to spend the time with the Lord.” “That’s it exactly,” I said. You have a man along (that’s not true of all, but I think it’s true of most) there is so much talk, so much conversation. I figure if the people pay $1,400 for one week of ministry—that’s all I could do, go back Christmas time, come back after New Year’s.
When they pay $1,400 for a week for a ticket, and then put a few hundred dollars in your pocket for the trouble of coming down, they want something, at least they’re entitled to something. And to be able to give them something from the heart of God, I need time, not for hours of talking, but for hours of communion and waiting. Now then, on a flight like that, this is what I experience. I may read awhile, Reader’s Digest, or anything, just sit there; look out—you don’t see anything that high up.
And I get a song; I get a chorus. Listen, watch this, the Lord will often direct you through a chorus—not something you think up, but suddenly you discover something is singing in your spirit. The thing I get many times is, “When He calls me, I will answer.” Do you know that chorus? “When He calls me, I will answer.” That’s the signal.
Do you know what He’s doing? (knocks) He’s knocking. It means to me, “Beuttler, be ready. Be ready to respond when I call for you.” That’s what it means to me, that works with me.
Then I try to make sure I don’t get involved in anything—preoccupied, I should say. If I have a passenger next to me—some passengers like to talk about nothing—I don’t. If they strike up a conversation, I get quite unresponsive because I’ve had the signal and it won’t be very long when here is a presence. It turns into intercession and I just sit there, put my chair way back as far as I can, and now there may come quite a lengthy time of worship, communion, intercession that likely has a bearing on the meetings to come.
This is very important, how little it may seem. I went from New York to Dakar—that’s West Africa, of course—on a Pan Am overnight flight. When supper time came, there was a lady there at the other side. She signaled to me to have supper with her.
Well I was sitting over here by the window. There weren’t many passengers on the flight. Well, it’s a long flight over there, and I wouldn’t have minded going over there and have supper, but I thought to myself, “Wait a minute. Just awhile ago I had something, When He calls me, I will answer.” So I thought, “No.” And I just didn’t understand what she meant.
You understand what I mean? A little later she had another gentleman. They were over there, had supper together, talking all evening. That could have been me.
I was not quite finished with my supper when there was a presence that gradually turned into some form of light intercession and worship combined, and I was so glad. If I had gotten that over here, how can you say, “Excuse me lady, I have to go over there; it’s time to pray?” That would be awful. I find the Lord knocks in that way. Again, He knocks through a check or often a slight presence that steals over you.
Then you tend to get quiet. Wife would say many a time, “Why are you so quiet?” I’d say, “Oh I have something working on me.” She knows right away what I mean. I’m not a great talker anyway, but time and again, you get a little something in your spirit that lets you know its time to draw aside—at least in your own spirit—and give yourself to concentration, meditation, contemplation to the Master. He speaks through conviction; He speaks through alarm—strange.
He knocks to arrest our attention. I was going someplace one year and had planned a stop in Baghdad. I thought I’ll made Baghdad a rest stop, and while I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll take a bus down to the ancient city of Babylon and poke around. I woke up in the morning with a presence, and that presence had a—oh what shall I call it now—there was something alarming about that presence as though something was wrong somewhere.
I sat up in bed, had this alarming—alarming isn’t quite the word—uneasy something in my spirit. I said to the Lord, “Lord, what’s wrong?” And before me stood the word “Baghdad.” He never explained, but I knew at once I had to cut Baghdad out from my itinerary. I don’t know to this day why. It could be that the risks were too great or something could have happened.
Anyhow, it was one of those signals. Have you ever been with people for dinner or something, and all of a sudden you get a little something in here, and you know that the Lord wants your attention. Then you look for an opportunity where you can be excused, more or less, and draw aside. I was with some very rich people while I was teaching at a camp meeting.
They wanted the honor of Brother Beuttler’s presence, and they put on a table: Whew! The silver, the dishes, the food—the whole thing. It was super deluxe. They were so happy to have Brother Beutter.
They were elderly. We had soup, and the gentlemen cut the meat with such decorum, you know, such propriety. It was just… As he cut the meat, I got something in here from the Spirit. (laughter) You guessed it.
I knew what the signal meant (knocking sound). It was His knocking—equivalent to it. I knew what it meant. You see, you learn that, but learning these things take time.
You don’t learn overnight. If you go to a school and study to be a doctor, you don’t go there today and tomorrow you have graduation. These things take time and growth. This is a gradual schooling of the Spirit, and takes sometimes a long time to develop before you become sure of yourself when you get that signal.
I knew what it meant. It meant, “I want you upstairs in your room.” I said, “Lord, look at my predicament.” And I said to myself anyway, “Beuttler, are you going to obey or aren’t you?” And I said, “Will you friends please excuse me? The Lord has just spoken to my heart. He wants me up in my room.” They looked at me, and I knew it made no difference what they said.
Oh, you know that’s hard. Folks, this thing will kill you and cost you some friends. The obedience that God demands can turn a friend into an enemy for lack of understanding. And I had to go up.
I didn’t wait for, “Yes, Brother Beutter.” I knew I had to go irrespective, so I got up right away. I guess they consented, but I didn’t wait. And the Lord detained me, and detained me, and detained me, and later gave me something for the meetings there. By the time I was done up there and came down, the supper was finished, the table was cleared, those good people were cool, distant.
They never had me again; I don’t blame them. You don’t want a character like that. But what I am getting at is the signal. You know sometimes the Lord puts your obedience to the test.
Oh, and you say, “What will people think. I’ll be misunderstood.” Of course you will. But being misunderstood is part of the price tag, and being un-understood. I fear that more than being misunderstood.
I fear being un-understood more. People think you are a queer duck of some kind, but hey, look in the Bible, the obedience that these people had to execute. Someday when we get to heaven and you see me talk to an old man, chances are its Elijah. Well I want to talk to Moses too, but Elijah also.
I was in France ministering. At the end of a service, an old, old women (she could have been in her 90’s), bent over, with a cane, she came up. I still see her. She kept coming toward me.
She came up and pushed a French coin into my hand. She said, “Dear Brother, you have helped me so much. I want to do something for you. This is all I can do.
Please take it.” Whew! You think, “Well, you weren’t a heel enough to take it.” Yes I was; I had to be. I had to be. And I took it, and that thing burned in my hand.
I took it, not that I wanted it; didn’t even need it. That made no difference to me; maybe 10 cents worth when you’re in travel; that doesn’t add anything. I had to take it because the Lord had taught me long ago, I will command the ravens to sustain thee. The ravens are God’s ordinary nobodies.
You wonder how that ties in with Elijah. God said to Elijah, I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee. The Lord gave me that scripture also. You’d be surprised how He worked that one out, but I can’t take the time for that.
Elijah said to that woman, “What do you have there?” “Oh,” she said, “I have a little meal, a little flour.” “And what are you going to do?” “I’m going to make a pancake for my boy and for me, and then we’re going to die. We’re going to starve to death.” And Elijah said, “Make me a cake first.” I want to ask Elijah, “How did you feel when you asked that poor widow woman and her boy to give you their last bit, and you were mean enough to take it? How do you feel?” “Mean enough” would be in the sight of people.
He had to. What obedience! But of course, God took care of the woman. And if I had refused that old woman, I would have deprived her of one of her greatest blessings from God, but it took a humiliating experience.
I had American Express Dollar checks in my pocket, a whole pack of them. Of course, in all this travel, and here—oh, what God asks you. Your obedience will kill you, and then He’ll raise you up—if you can understand my language. Behold I stand at the door and knock.
He knocks with conviction; He knocks through His word; He has been knocking while we have been here through His word drawing your attention to things. He knocks in here by His Spirit, by a drawing, by a constraint, by a sudden awareness of His presence. It alerts me often. And by a song in here and there are other things.
You may ride somewhere, sit in a restaurant, or something. Suddenly you get a presence in here and the presence feels like you just want to go alone somewhere. Well that presence is the knocking and indicating He’d like to meet with you, so you go somewhere where you two can meet. Behold I stand at the door and knock.
If any man—get this—if any man. Now that doesn’t mean men as such, but it means any person. You ladies are not excluded. I was down in Australia a couple of years ago and they were using a scripture in I Corinthians 14 where it says, The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man.
They thought that excludes the woman—only men can have the messages in tongues, interpretation and prophesying. They had that at the Bible college in Brisbane. The men did the speaking in tongues, and the ladies couldn’t because it says given to every man, so the woman is excluded. But that doesn’t mean that—it means to every person, to every one, of course, children of God.
I came along and upset the apple cart for them. And were those girls tickled. One brown-eyed Susie sat right there, and she kept sitting all week long like this. (Must have demonstrated how she looked.) I don’t think I’ll forget her for a long time.
And you know what? At the end of the week, of all things, the Lord gave her an utterance in tongues. Wife interpreted, and at the end she came up. I thought she was going to hug me.
“Brother Beuttler, I’m so happy, first time to give a message in tongues.” That poor kid, blessed kid. So we’re dealing here not with men as such, but you ladies are included too. You better be; we need you—Don’t we men? Well we do!
(laughter) If any man—hey, this is something here. In one word, this means opportunity. God gives the opportunity to anybody. If any man—the only condition being if any man hear and respond—I’ll get to that.
Basically, the opportunity for a choice visitation from the Lord, a feast with the Lord, a new light in the truth; as far as God is concerned is open to everyone. Not everyone responds, but that’s their business, as far as God is concerned, the table is spread for everybody, whether they follow and come and respond to the invitation is another matter, but as far as He is concerned, the very things of which I have spoken to you, in principal, are open to all.
Now the Lord would do things for you in a different way because you’re in a different situation. If I lead a meeting, I need certain equipment, but basically the Lord will, in some way (remember what we had?) I will manifest myself to him; I will reveal myself to him; I will make myself known to him; I will show myself to him; I will plainly show myself to him. How He does that depends on our personality (I think), depends on His purpose for our lives, depends on our capacity.
I think a number of factors enter here, but the manifestation is available for all those who love the Lord and demonstrate that love by their obedience, so the thing is wide open. It’s not restricted to an isolated few or even given because they are particularly holy, or what have you. No, you’d be surprised what God does. Do you remember Balaam’s ass?
Maybe you don’t. In Numbers 21, I think. Why Balaam’s ass was used by the Lord. The Lord spoke through Balaam’s ass.
That was the equivalent to prophecy in principle. The ass had a vision of the angel that the prophet didn’t see. The Lord spoke through the ass, yet it was only an ass, so the next time the Lord uses you in tongues and interpretation, don’t feel like you’re a great somebody. Think of Balaam’s ass.
(Laughter) That will take the wind out of us. “Well, the Lord used me, Hallelujah, the Lord used me. I must be…” an ass? So there is no room here for self-congratulations on the basis of being used.
There’s lots of room for being grateful to the Lord for condescending to use any one of us. And if you ever think that you are such a wonder because God is using you, remember the wonder is that He has anything to do with any one of us—that’s the wonder. And if you ever get proud for being used in prophesying, think of Balaam’s ass. He/she, whichever, that ass prophesied too, so there’s no room for self-congratulations.
Remember John 14:21? And there together with this, you have the fact that this thing is wide open. If any man hear. We had attention, opportunity, now we have perception.
Some people are deaf. Somebody can knock at the door (rap rap rap), and the deaf person on the inside doesn’t hear and consequently does not respond. Not everybody has an ear, that is to say, has the spiritual faculty of perception to recognize the Lord’s knocking. Now that perception, that faculty can be developed by teaching, by feeding on the Word, by fellowship with Him, by prayer.
Here I’m going to take you to Solomon. I feel so sorry for Solomon. Whenever I mention him, I could get melancholy over this man. He had such great privileges.
I believe that Solomon reached a higher place, a higher level of intimate communion with God than any other man recorded in the Bible including his father David. And I gather that from the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon reveals a very high degree of intimacy between Solomon and God. And yet, when you look at his record in the Bible, we don’t know whether Solomon was eventually saved or lost.
We don’t know because the man slipped badly. In one of these cities in Italy there is a painting of Solomon. I’ve never seen it, but I would like to see it sometime. I just don’t get to Italy much anymore.
I never have much, but hardly get there at all, but the plane stops in Rome. There is a painting there, I understand, that shows Solomon coming up in the resurrection. God is on His throne; there is a group to the right, and a group to the left of God. The lost and the saved, the damned and the not damned.
They say that as Solomon comes up from the grave, there is an expression on his face that shows that Solomon did not know whether he belonged to the left or to the right of the Judge of all the earth. He was not sure of his standing. That’s precisely the way the Bible leaves it. We don’t know whether Solomon ever made eternal life.
There’s one scripture that gives us a little bit of a hope where God said to David, My mercy shall not depart from him. I’m hoping that in the light of that he did make it. But here is the man at his zenith of his fellowship with God. I Kings 3:5, In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night.
I had a similar experience, but for a different purpose. And God said, Ask what I shall give thee. Think of it! God saying to a mortal, Ask what I shall give thee.
What if God would say to you and me, Ask what I shall give thee? What would you answer? Our answer would be truly symptomatic of our true spiritual state. If you can imagine what you would say to God—that would perhaps more than anything else show you where you stand.
Now Solomon didn’t ask for a long life; he didn’t ask for riches. I know I was once at a place where I had said to God, because God had been very angry with me, and took His Spirit from me for 3 days. It’s too long a story to use tonight, although it would be very informative. And there after very severe discipline, the Lord said to me, “Ask what I shall give thee.” And I said, “Oh God, there is only one thing that I would ask, ‘Give me back Your Spirit.’” So God said to this man, Ask what I shall give thee.
Do you know what he said—in the context there? Give thou thy servant a hearing ear. Oh! Now he put it this way in the Bible, Give thou thy servant an understanding heart.
In the Hebrew the idea there is Give thou thy servant a hearing heart. You see, there are two kinds of faculties of hearing: There is the natural faculty, such as you hearing my voice, but there is also an inner spiritual faculty of hearing. God is a spirit, and Psalm 94:9 says, He that planteth the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye (or something like that) shall he not see?
God has no physical faculty of hearing; He has a spiritual faculty of hearing. We do too; we have two faculties. These things are double—there is the physical; there is a spiritual compliment. What we have here is the hearing of the inner ear.
That’s why Jesus said, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. Well they all heard what He said; they all had ears, but there’s another hearing. Here in this text we read, Let him hear what the Spirit sayeth unto the churches. That is an appeal to the inner hearing of the heart.
With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. So Solomon said, Give thou thy servant a hearing heart. I have prayed that many times, many, many times—a hearing heart. Many times before I’ve gone to bed, Give thou thy servant a hearing heart.
What I mean is: Help me to discern when You knock by night so I know it’s You. Help me to discern the meaning of that check—of that Presence. Help me to recognize You when You approach. Give me a hearing ear.
And you can well pray that many times, “Oh Father, give me a hearing ear.” When the Spirit sings in here (inside) to lead me, enable me to recognize it, or whatever approach the Lord will make. So here we have the need of hearing. If any man hear. All have the opportunity as far as God is concerned, but not all who have the opportunity hear with their heart.
They hear words but don’t comprehend them. There is not that inner spiritual perception in this matter. If any man hear my voice, which is recognition. There are many people who do not recognize the voice of the caller.
Like I told you, I think this morning, a lady said to me, “Now I know; I thought I just heard something, but now I know it was the Lord.” Often I’ve been asked, “How can I learn the recognition of the voice of the Lord?” Really, I don’t know, except I know this: That in the final analysis, as far as I’m concerned, this recognition of the voice of the Lord gets cultivated through fellowship and experience. You take Samuel: Samuel had laid himself down to sleep.
In I Samuel, the Lord came and called, “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel ran to Eli. Eli said, “I didn’t call you. What’s the matter with you. You go back to sleep kid.” He went back, and the Lord called again.
He ran to Eli, “You called?” “No I didn’t. Go back again.” He went back. That happened three times. Finally he came again to Eli and Eli said, “Oh, that’s the Lord.” Now you have this statement there: The word of the Lord was not yet revealed unto Samuel.
The Hebrew reads: And the voice of the Lord was not yet revealed unto Samuel. So there is such a thing as the revelation of the recognition of the voice of the Lord through experience—the Spirit of God working, helping us in experience to learn. But there’s another way and that is fellowship, communion. In John 10 Jesus says, as we have it in a song, My sheep know my voice.
He doesn’t put it that way, the song does, but that’s the idea. Jesus said in effect, My sheep know my voice, but a stranger they do not follow because they do not know his voice. How do the sheep learn to know the voice of the shepherd? What university do they attend that teaches the sheep the recognition of the shepherd’s voice?
Why the only good thing I can know here is that the sheep learn to know His voice because they are with the shepherd so much that they just learn to identify the voice of the shepherd, so that if they were blindfolded, they would still follow that voice because they know it, shall I say through association. The best way that I know to recognize His leading, His moving, His doing, His voice is association—waiting in His presence, waiting on the Lord.
As we gain in experience and grow in the knowledge of the Lord, more and more we recognize it is the Lord: association, fellowship. Take a little baby. Mother has a baby and wants to show it off. It can be as homely as two coats, but to her it’s the prettiest baby you’ve ever seen—and you better agree.
(Laughter) The relative comes along and says, “Let me hold this little thing.” The relative takes it and the baby goes, “Wa, waa, waa.” The relative says, “Come on, take it.” Mother says, “Let me have it,” and baby becomes content. Who on earth taught that baby about its Mother? Association. You don’t take a baby and say, “Now you, 24-hour old, here begins the first lesson, let me teach you recognition of your mom.” (laughter) It doesn’t come that way—it comes by association, fellowship.
Now look here, I’ve been with you. After this you could be blindfolded and if I were to say something, you’d say, “We know who that is. That’s him, that’s Brother Beuttler. We know him.” How do you know?
We’ve been listening to him, we know. Now prior to my coming, if anybody had explained to you the sound of my voice, you could not recognize that from an explanation. I couldn’t recognize you. Who is going to describe your voice to me, Brother Bob, so I could recognize you without ever having known you?
There is no description. You’ve got to hear it and make the association, the identification. And so my answer here is: (Somebody might be able to give you a better one and if they do, be sure and tell me.) I know nothing better than association, fellowship, communion, drawing nigh, sitting in His presence. Then He gives us some experiences, and you learn, “This is Him.” You get some teaching that helps along, and as you grow year after year, more and more you can be sure of the recognition of His voice.
That’s the best that I know on this. Now here we could go into the area of divine guidance, but that’s a different subject, and we’ll take it this way Let’s come back to where we started in Revelation. If any man hear my voice, and open the door. Ah, that’s it, open the door.
Here is where we fail—response. Behold I stand at the door and knock—attention. If any man—opportunity, hear—perception, my voice—recognition, open the door—response. In one word you have this capsule here—that’s better than one of these pills they take, pep pills, what have you.
This is a real pep pill, you know what I mean. And open the door. Here is where we fail, in the response. Years ago, long ago now, I used to be the type of person that was late to bed, late to rise.
I could go to bed 1-2 o’clock, but don’t bother me in the morning. The Lord dealt with me about that and let me know that He wanted me to switch this thing around. This is my way of putting it. I felt the Lord wanted me to be up early, and to be up early, I had to be in early.
I was the other way because the Lord let me know—and I found it in the Word. In the Word there is a premium on the early morning hour in relationship to God. You go through history of men and women who left a mark upon God’s people long after they’re dead, were men and women who knew what it was to be up early with God. The prophets of old rose early, it was said.
The Lord impressed me that He must have the early morning hour with me, and that of course, compelled a change. Oh, what a job! I couldn’t do it. I set the alarm at 6 o’clock, and I thought 6 o’clock was early.
Now 6 o’clock is late. Oh brother! You can’t start your day at 6—you don’t get anywhere. I do sometimes, but it’s not the mode of life.
So I set the alarm. Of course the thing rang at 6 o’clock. Well, you know, push the button, turn over, go back to sleep—that’s President Nixon. Tell him not this time!
(laughter) I need a little humor folks; I hope you can digest it. So, I got nowhere with the alarm clock. In fact, I ignored it so often that finally I didn’t hear it any more. So I said, “Lord, this will never do.
You have to step in on the case.” And that was a case, but He took it on. I prayed before going to bed, “Father, tomorrow morning please, You wake me up at 6. I won’t even set the alarm. It doesn’t work.” The alarm works, but I didn’t work.
(Laughter) “You wake me up at 6.” Believe it or not, I was awakened out of a deep sleep by a blue jay. Now a blue jay doesn’t sing. What does a blue jay do? He makes a racket.
Maybe you don’t even know them. Can they set up a racket, a noise! They don’t sing, they scream or something—right outside my window. I got so angry.
I walked around my room looking for something; almost was going to take a little piece of soap and throw it at it, but I thought that would never do. I couldn’t find anything. He kept yelling away out there, and I looked at my clock—6 o’clock. Oh!
(Laughter) Would you like to know what I did? I went back to bed for another snooze. That night I apologized to the Lord. I said, “Forgive me, Lord.
Wake me up again tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock. I’ll be up.” I stayed with some very old people, the quietest, nicest people that you would ever meet. Would you believe it, I was awakened by an argument between the two right outside my door. They let each other have it.
I thought, “I’m going to leave. I rented a room. That’s no way to treat people. I’m getting another room.
The big idea!” I looked at my clock—6. (Laughter) Now please, the next time you have an argument, or start one, don’t say, “Well the Lord makes me argue. He let’s me argue.” Don’t take advantage of that now. Would you like to know what I did?
I went back to sleep. (Laugh) That night I went to the Lord before going to bed, asked His forgiveness, and asked Him to wake me up at 6 o’clock the next day. I was awakened by an automobile crash. Don’t ask me how that is; I can only relate what happened.
I couldn’t see the cars; I heard the smash. It woke me up alright. I looked out and the wooden spokes of some of the wheels were lying in front of the house, the corner was right beyond the other house and I couldn’t see that, but the spokes were lying right out there, the wooden spokes. I stretched my neck, but couldn’t see.
I looked at the clock, 6 o’clock. Would you like to know what I did? I went back to bed. You say, “You…” And right you are.
That’s what God has to put up with us, some of us. I apologized that night. I said, “Lord, I’m ashamed. I’m not even going to ask You to wake me up at 6.
I’m going to ask You to make me get up and stay up.” I was awakened with such a stomach ache and I hit the bathroom. By the time I got back, I was awake alright, 6 o’clock. That did it. And from that time on, I was up at 6, but it was such a struggle.
And now I meet Him early; can’t always do it, but try to, am up with the Lord. It’s a case of responding. Now this brings me to the morning hour. I must admit this folks, over the years, there has been many a time when the Lord has awakened me, and I knew it, and I just said, “I’m just too tired, too sleepy,” and turned around and went back to sleep—not always by any means, not in the majority of cases, but many times.
Even in the dawn of Pentecost. Here is the danger—we fail to respond. He wakes you by night, 3 o’clock. Here’s one of these night things, 3 o’clock.
Oh me, Lord! But that’s how we miss. Say this thing is a hard life. Don’t you think it’s a picnic; I told you the spiritual life is a hard life.
It requires discipline, obedience—I mean self-discipline. Oh yes! Oh yes! I was at the camp meeting preaching.
Wife was with me that year. She’s no fool. I knew the waitress because I’ve been there several years and she knew me. I said to her, “I want some hotcakes, but I want them golden yellow.
I don’t want them burnt, but I like them nice and yellow like a sunflower, and 3 extra slices of butter.” She said, “Alright, I’ll do my best. I’ll make them myself for you.” Usually the cook makes them, but they know when they get a tip too, but even so. She made the pancakes and brought them and they looked delicimous. I shoved 6 slices of butter in.
A fool will do that you know, but it takes you a lifetime to know how to live and by then it’s too late. I don’t use 6 slices today; I don’t even use the 3 usually. So I put in the 6 slices. She said to me, “How do you like them?” I said, “Oh, with syrup.” Oh brother, I was ready to go to work with knife and fork and looked at them.
Do you know why? Just as I was going to cut in, a check. I got a check from the Lord, and I knew what it meant. No.
I argued and said, “Lord, You’re too late. (laughter) If You only had given me that signal before I placed my order, but now here they are and this waitress even made them for me herself. What will she think if I let them sit?” I was arguing like that on my inside, word for word, but the argument was a bit longer. I looked, “Shall I, shall I not?
Shall I, shall I not?” You know, I was under inner compulsion. Wife sat across and she said to me, “Say, you’re not supposed to eat this morning, are you?” I said, “No.” She said, “Well then, why do you look at those pancakes like that?” I said, “I guess I shouldn’t. I better go to the room. You pay for them and I’ll go and pray.” The Lord wanted me in fasting and prayer.
The restaurant didn’t accept payment, and I don’t know what that blue-eyed waitress thought. I say blue eyed because her eyes were so conspicuously blue. I have never seen such blue eyes. I don’t know what she thought, but whatever she thought, you have to consider what God will think if we are more interested in what people think than in what He thinks.
This thing is costly, this response. It’s not easy, and sometimes it is very, very difficult because of what people will think. Oh, people, we have to learn in this thing to press past people’s opinions. Yes we do—I did.
Go right past it when they wonder what’s the matter with you. The same happened with the prophets. God said to a prophet, “You go there and I don’t want you to eat or drink anywhere. Don’t go in anybody’s house.” And he was invited, “Oh come, have something to eat, have something to drink, refresh thyself.” “Nope.” “Oh, come on anyhow.” “Nope.” This thing is not easy.
You have to say “no” to people, “no” to their opinions, ignore their attitudes. It’s not easy. This is an expensive thing. No wonder the Lord says, If any man hear my voice, and open the door.
If we respond. Have you ever been washing dishes ladies, and there you were washing away. All of a sudden you get a signal. You know what it means—time to pray.
And what do you say? “Oh, ugh, umph, Lord, oh, I’m going to hurry up. I’ll finish them. I can’t let the water get cold, and the suds all die down.
I’ll go quick. You go quick and you wipe your hands, and you put the dishes away and you walk to the mirror and fix your hair a little bit nicely, and then you go to your room and say, “Lord, Lord, hey Lord. Where are You?” Oh He’s gone. The opportunity is missed.
You try to pray; everything is dead and you get nowhere. Why not? Waiting too long; not giving the Lord an immediate response. Look here!
If I come to your house and knock or ring the bell a few times—2 or 3 times maybe. And you’re in there dilly-dallying; you finish whatever you’re doing, and by the time you get around to open the door, I’m gone. Do you see what I mean? So it is with the Lord—there needs to be a response; there needs to be a prompt response.
Song of Solomon, chapter 5: The bride’s lover was coming, and he knocked at the door (rap, rap, rap) She had already retired, so she said, I have taken off my coat; I have washed my (tootsies) feet. They have a custom over there, and they wash their feet before they go to bed. Some people never do. (Laughter) I’m getting tired and silly.
“Beuttler, how do you know?” Well, I do. All I have to do sometimes is walk into a classroom at the school when the windows are closed, and you know right well that quite a few didn’t take their regular shower. So she said, I’ve taken off my robe, I’ve gone to bed, I’ve washed my feet. Oh, she made excuses and didn’t respond.
He knocked, but she tarried. Finally she decided to get up, and lo and behold he was gone… Gap in tape, then: …relevant to, what shall I say, lack of resoluteness, lack of interest, preference—for our convenience, what have you. We are vacillating, and the Lord has no room for vacillating people. We either are all out, or we’re not all out.
So when the Lord knocks and there is not an immediate response, very, very often the whole thing He had intended is missed. Let’s see what else we have here in this chapter in Revelation. I guess we’ll have to call it an end here. I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Now comes the communion. Behold I stand at the door and knock—attention; if any man—opportunity; hear—perception; my voice—recognition; and open the door—response; I will come in, and sup with him, and he with me—communion. This is a two-way street. He communes with us and we commune with Him.
There is a mutuality of sharing. Now notice, To him that overcometh—here is where we fail. This term overcoming involves conflict; it suggests conflict. There is something to overcome, very usually, there is something to overcome.
Sometimes we have to overcome our friends, our relatives. You see, there are conflicts of interests, and this response to the Lord brings us into conflict with other interests, which we also have, and now it is a case of priority. Do we give our priority to the Lord, or do we give the priority to our other interests. Our response, or failure to respond, shows where our priorities lie.
And the Lord will often test our sense, our order of priorities. Do you remember in Mark 1 when the Lord saw Peter fishing, mending their nets? No, they were fishing. He was casting a net into the sea, and the Lord came along, and as Peter cast the net into the sea, Jesus said, “Come and follow me.” What a time to ask a man to follow Him!
What did Peter say? “Now Lord, have a seat; sit down; make Yourself comfortable. I just dropped the net into the sea. I have to wait a little while for some fishes.
And then, I’ll pull them out, and as soon as I’ve fished some fishes and have counted them, I’ll go with you, so just be patient.” Oh no! The Lord would have gone on. It says, Peter straightway followed the Lord. At once, he left the demand of his profession, let the net in the sea, fish and all, and followed the Lord.
The Lord needs unquestioning, instantaneous response. If he had said, “Wait Lord, until I’m done with my fish,” the Lord would have gone on. Here, the Lord tested Peter’s priority. His obedience had to overcome his professional interests.
I used to be a patent draftsman. My father was a businessman, my grandfather was a businessman. It runs in the family on both sides, and my desire was to be a businessman. After I came to the United States at the age of 21—that was 1925.
I worked hard, had training in Germany, and got to the place where I had just opened my own drafting office in New York, the Greybar Building on the 27th floor next to Grand Central Station. I worked with all my heart, patent drawings for the patent office in Washington; I worked hard—overtime meant nothing; I did good work, conscientious work, and I had lots of work. I was there one Saturday afternoon; had my drawing, but all along—had a little office there.
All of a sudden I heard a voice, “Go down to the street and testify of Me.” I thought, “That’s the Lord, that’s the Lord.” I said, “I’m busy; I have to do this work. This is promised by a certain time.” I went on, and I hardly started when the power of God came down; shook me and literally shook the pencil out of my hand. It fell on the floor, and there I shook under the power like I was full of electricity. I’m telling you the truth.
You look astonished. Have you ever been under the power of the Spirit—any of you? No? Oogh!
We had that a lot in the early days of Pentecost. Well, the pencil lay there; the thing subsided. I picked up the pencil and went back to work. (Laughter) Amen’t I a character?
You know it’s a wonder the Lord ever put up with me. Aren’t you glad you’re not like me? “Go down to the street and testify of me.” It was the Lord and I was alone. I knew what it meant.
I said, “Really, honestly, I’m too busy. This work needs to be done.” The power came down and literally shook the pencil out of my hand. I couldn’t hold it any more, like full of electricity. Then I gave up and I went down to the street and testified to people.
Now what the Lord really wanted was to get me to obey and put my work in second place. I went down to the subway on 42nd street. I don’t know where I got the gumption. Well, I had heard.
I went into a car and stood there with the passengers and talked to the people about the Lord, my salvation, about the 2nd coming of the Lord. I went from car to car testifying of the Lord’s salvation. I came to a car toward the end of the train with a big policeman standing there. I only saw him after I had started speaking.
He was there at the end—a big fellow he was—my what a character. He looked at me so growling, and I had to go past him to the next car, and I got scarred. I said in my heart, “Lord, I have to go past him. You wanted me to do this, now You’ve got to take care of him.” And I walked through the car after I had got done speaking—walked right through.
When I passed him, I walked like this. I went on to one more car, and when I was finished I went back to the office, went on with my work. In four weeks I was in Bible school. I had to say “no” to my work, and I was fond of my work.
Folk who knew me interceded. They thought I was doing just great. As a young feller, I did alright, I suppose. But I had to say “no” to that.
Now this is the conflict. You come in conflict with your work. When it comes to absolute duty, that’s another story, but many times the Lord puts us to the test. We have conflicts in the social areas—one of our families.
Oh, I was once engaged in a week of fasting and prayer, and I heard Wife and my little girl, Norma outside the window. And Norma said, “Mommy, doesn’t Daddy love us anymore?” Wife said, “Sure he does. What makes you think so?” “Well, he’s always in there and never takes me for another walk.” I’ll tell you, I felt like jumping out of that window and taking her for a walk, but I had to stay put. These things are not easy.
I had promised the girls a fishing trip because I’m away every weekend I’m out ministering somewhere. They were small and I said, “Some day we’re going to go fishing.” The day came and I dug for worms and only found one after two hours of digging. I don’t know where they went. It was a dry spell, and I guess they went down to Purgatory or someplace, I don’t know.
(laughter) I’m getting tired and I ought to quit really—really I ought to quit. Next morning we were all ready. I said to Grandma, “Don’t buy any meat for dinner; we’ll be bringing fish.” Don’t fry the fish before you catch them. (laughter) We were all set, and those girls were so happy.
We had our pail and lunch and all of that. We were going to rent a little rowboat, you know. We were all set, and I got something in here. We were down in the yard ready to go, and I got a check.
I knew it meant, “You go up in the attic. I want to talk to you.” It’s what it meant, not words, I just understood it. I had my bed up there, a little table and study and the like, books, what have you. I said, “Girls, Jesus wants to talk to Daddy.
I’ll have to go upstairs in the attic. I’ll be right back.” I went up and said, “Lord, here I am. What is it?” Not a word. I said, “Lord, here I am, I’m available.” I had my hands up.
Not a word. After awhile, Norma called up, “Daddy, when are you coming?” “Very soon, just a moment.” I said, “Lord, would You hurry up?” Not a word. I said, “Lord, please, it’s getting late, the fish will be running only part of the morning. We need to be there at a certain time if we want to catch any.” “Daddy, hurry up.” “Lord, did You hear that?
Would You please, what is it Father, speak Lord.” Not a word. I came down and talked to Wife a bit. So I said, “Girls, I’m going up again, and just a few minutes, we’ll be going.” Not a word. Came down and talked to Wife and she said, “Maybe you’re not supposed to go.” Well, by that time I had that suspicion alright, but I didn’t want to admit it.
So she said, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll take the girls to the beach and you just stay here and attend to whatever.” Oh wait a minute, before this. I persuaded myself that maybe I was mistaken. Since the Lord didn’t speak or do anything about it, perhaps I was wrong. I rationalized myself.
And we left—we did leave. We had gone maybe 15-20 minutes, and inside I knew the Lord was pulling me back to that attic, and I drove slower and slower. Wife said, “Why do you drive so slow?” I said, “The Lord wants me back in the attic.” “So why don’t you turn around?” So I told the girls. My girl Norma looked at me with such a disillusioned look, I won’t forget it, I don’t think as long as I live.
She said nothing, but what a look when I said we’d have to turn around. I went upstairs, “Father, I’ve turned around, please speak. There still might be a chance to go.” Not a word. It was then Wife said she would take the girls.
I said, “Alright, you go.” They went and I went upstairs. I said, “Father, if You speak now, there is still time to go.” Not a word. Then I heard Wife drive out. You know the old shift?
(Makes sounds of a car changing gears.) And I could hear them go around the corner and down the road. I said, “Father, do You hear that? Now I can’t go even though I want to.” And the Lord spoke three words, “Desire spiritual gifts.” I knew what He meant. He wanted me to write an article for The Pentecostal Evangel on desiring spiritual gifts.
I sat down, had my paper there and pen, what have you—and I wrote. The thing came in such a steady stream, I wrote so fast—never mind spelling or grammar, punctuation, I could hardly keep up with those words. I had to write; it kept coming and I pushed; kept writing and writing and had the thing in one whole stream. When it was finished, it stopped.
Then I had to go over it, of course, rearrange some words, take care of spelling, punctuation, what have you, fix it up in good English. That’s what He wanted. But I had to overcome my girls. To overcome your family in response to the Lord is one of the hardest things because of your attachments.
To him that overcometh. I go overseas; I leave family behind—that’s not easy. But I have to do that, so it’s a case of overcoming any other interests, legitimate interests that bring us into conflict with the Lord’s prior demands. He has the right to priority.
When He deals with us, we must overcome all the other interests, the other pulls, the other activities saying “no” to things, and what have you, in order to say “yes” to Him. You say, “Well, but that’s costly.” That’s true, but I’ll tell you something, and I’ll be closing presently. If you think the price of following the Lord is great, you are right. This is not for the bargain basement.
What we’re talking about this week, you don’t get in the bargain store. Oh no, no, no; there is a price tag, but I’ll tell you something. The price of saying “yes” to God is great, but the price of saying “no” to God is greater still. It will cost you less to say “yes” to God, than it will ever cost you to say “no.” The price of saying “no” is greater than the price of saying “yes.” So then, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
He’s been knocking tonight through His Word, that’s knocking too—attention; if any man—opportunity; hear—perception; my voice—recognition; open the door—response; I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me—communion; he (or she) that hath an eye to hear what the Spirit saith unto this group tonight. The Lord bless you and prosper His Word in your hearts. That brings me to an incident in closing that I had. I was in a place where for several days, Friday through Sunday, I was teaching, and was not aware of any results.
I was discouraged and was at the altar long after other people had left, and told the Lord I felt that somehow I had not accomplished anything. The Lord gave me a scripture. And I use this now in closing. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how, for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, but when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
The Lord let me know, “Why should you be discouraged?” A farmer sows his seed; the seed falls into the ground—hopefully its good ground. The farmer doesn’t stand there and say, “I haven’t got any harvest. I didn’t accomplish anything; I worked so hard sowing, but where is the harvest?” He doesn’t do that. He knows better.
He knows that the seed is in the ground; that the seed will need time to sprout; that the seed will need time to grow; that the harvest doesn’t come overnight. So the Lord says here that the farmer doesn’t stand there and say, “Oh, I’ve accomplished nothing.” He goes home; he goes to sleep; he rises; he goes to sleep; he rises; he goes to sleep the next time; he knows that the seed of the word of God will take time to mature—so night and day he rises and sleeps until in due time in accordance with the laws of growth, which involves time, there will be a harvest.
So I’ve put the seed into the soil, I believe good soil; I’ve given you all I could in this time; I haven’t spared myself. Now I leave it with you in the soil of your hearts. I’ll go my way, and like the farmer, I’ll go to sleep too, and I’ll rise tomorrow— hopefully, go to sleep tomorrow night, and so on and son on, while in the meantime the seed of the word of God keeps working and growing producing its harvest. So the seed is in the soil, and therefore I’m not going to worry.
I’m just going to go to sleep. Goodnight!
This message is one of the sixty-six surviving transcripts of Walter Beuttler's teaching. To hear his voice, visit the Messages page. To read the story of his life — from the Brooklyn Bridge to the school of the Spirit — see Who Was Walter Beuttler? The True Story of the Man Who Knew God.
The Man Who Knew God
Walter Beuttler was never famous, yet he carried God's presence to more than a hundred countries. His students said that when he walked into a room, the air changed. This is the first full account of a friendship with God that was specific, sustained, and costly. Read the story of his life →