The Ohio Independent Baptist, September 1971

8 ,,_HUT D O A,i Aloneness With God by Dr. R. T. Ke tcham ~zckiel \\ a called upon to leave t11 pt1bl1c er\ ice and 111ini trie and l1ut hin1 elf tip alone '" itl1 God. It i behintI clo ed door of an alo,1eness l, ·ir/1 G c><I that He ca n tell the ecret .. of 1-I i~ heart for ti . Let tt look at \On1c of the ·· hut door ·· of Scripture. The l1ut door - THE PLACE OF AFETY A D EC' RITY. (Gen. 7: 16) God ht1t the door on oah anJ oah \iva confident that no one or no thing coti ld open what God had closed. The hut c.loor - THE PLACE OF SEPARATIO . (Gene i 19:10 - See al o P aln1 27: 5 - I 11 Cl1rist!) There behind clo ed door Lot wa ate anc.1 separate from the unhol)' hand ot the 111en of Sodo111. The door 'A a a secret door . Men were bl inc.led and could not find the door. T ;,e hut door - THE PLACC OF SEARCH! G. ( Leviticus 13 and 14) There arc two \,\ hole chapters ~ea rch– ing tor Jepro y. Out there e,lcJne the searching went on. o we, in the clo.,ed doors of pain, orrow an(I at– tacks of the adversary, are se:irched by the Spirit of God as He reveal to u our unlikeness to Christ. The great– e t and most lovely picture I have ever seen of my Lord were in the darkest hours of my life. The shut c.loor - THE PLACE OF SUBMISSION. 1. It wa alone lvit/1 Goel that Daniel discovered hi s uncoml1- ne s and the ravishing beauty of God's glory. ( Dani el 10: 2-8) 2. It was alone wit/1 G otl that Jacob found out hi s crookedne s and DR. R. T. KETCHAM SEPTEMBER, 1971 the patience of God. (Gene is 32:24) 3. It was alone l-vith God in the a h pile that Job vvas made con– cious of his vilene s and the majesty of God power and greatne . ( Job 40:4-6) 4. It was cilone }Vit/1 Goel on the backside of th e desert that Mo e learned the f oily of his un uc– ce~ fu ] schemes of how to de– liver Israel, and found God' way. (Exodus 2: 15 ) The back s ide of the desert i th at sacred pot where the beau– tie of na ture are hid and God alone i exalted. There alone 1-vit/1 God the enemy of your oul cannot gild the sands of that spot. There alone l-t'tt/1 Goel the din and confusion of the world do not fall upon the ear in that d1 lant place. There ezlone li it/1 Goel tlze era h in the 1noney world 1s not heard. There alone l1.'itl1 Goel the igh of amb1t 1on is not heard. There alo1ze ivit/1 Goel the world' laurels do not tempt. There czlone i,·tt/1 G ocl the thir t for gold 15 not felt. There alone u 1 1t/1 Goel the eye is never d1m1ned with lu t. There alone li·it/1 Goel the heart 15 never woJlen with pride. There alone l-v1t/1 Goel human applat1se doe not elate. There alone lvit/1 Goel hun1an cenc;, ure doe not t.fcpre . There alone lvit/1 Goel OTH- JNG i or H ARD ex- cept the TILL and LI HT of God' pre encc. Would to God that all who come forward to be leader would know more abot1t the bt1c:k siele of tl1e clesert! 5. Elijah had jus t told Ahab that it wa n't going to rain for a long tin1e. Then God told Elijah to go and sl1 L1 t /1 i111self 11 p at Cherith and drink of th e brook. Then when heri th dried up, He told him to go to the widow who h ad only an en1pty flot1r barre]! ( I King 17: 1-9) 6. Paul after he wa converted, did not go to Christian brethren at Jerti alen1. He went into Arabia to be alone ,,,,,it/1 God. (Galati an 1:15-18) Those lv /10 attende<I tl1e GA R BC' c·onferenc e at Winona Lc,ke, l ncliana last June l-Vill re111e111her tl1e blessing receivecl tl1rot1gl1 tlz e early 111orning devo– tional lz our at whic/1 Dr. R obert T. K etc·ha,n spoke. His then1e those 111orn– ings ivas "Sl1 L1 t Doors". We prevailed ttpon l1i111 to let us have an otttline of tliat 1rvhich he present– ed. A p p r o x i 111 a t e I )' I 000 people garl1ered at 7. 15 eac/1 111orning to l1 ear hirt1 speak . We are c·onfident t/1at ;,,st th e oi, t– line itself lvill be a bless– ing to ot,1r readers. We do l-vis/1, /10\ivever , tl1at ever)' reader of t/1 e 0./.B. coL1ld have li eard tl1 e'>e 111essages with tl1 eir own ears! 7. John \.\ as hut up alone 1rvitl1 Goel on Patmo and saw visions of time and eternity. (Rev. I :9) 8. I aiah aw hi own uncleanness and God· glory and cleansing. Being alone lvit/1 God was the place of SEAR HI G and OMMITTAL for I aiah. ( Isa. 6: 1-8) The shut door - THE PLACE OF PPLY. ( II King 4:2-6). Being eLlone i,·it/1 Goel proved to be the place of Lrpply for the financial needs of a poor \\. ido\.\' . he s/1,1 t t/1 e door on her elf and a hou e full of empty ve el and came out with ufficient Lo n1ect every need. The hut door - THE PLACE OF J T R IO . (Matthew 6:6) . H re \\ e are told by Chri t to henter,, to ' ' /1111 t/1e (/oor" and to "pray". The hut door - THE PLA E OF MA IF TATIO . (John 20: 18- 22). Here wa the place of a four– fold manife tation: 1. H e gave Hi peace. 2. He gave Hi joy. 3. He told them to go. 4. He be towed power for <=>rvice. The /111 I eloor i the place of SE- U l<I Y, EPARATIO SEARCH:. I G, UBMJ IO , OMMITTAL, 'U PPLY, I TER E IO and MA IF TATIO . The e perience of the HSHUT DOOR' ' 111ay mean for you what I aiah meant v., hen, peaking of Chri t' 111ini try, he aid, "To give 11nto tl1e1,1 bea,1t} 1 for asl1es, t/1e oil of jO)' for 11101,rning , t/1e gar111ent of praise for t/1e spirit of !1 eav iness, tJ1at t/1ey 111 igl1t be called trees of rig/1teoi1s- 11ess, t/1e planting of t/1e Lord, t/1at H e 111ig/11 be glorified." (Matthew J 5 : 1 3, P aIn1 1: 3 ) . THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST