<TITLE>15. Par 145-155</TITLE>L-145   Now, He could do that in Adam and Eve, but sin separated them, so now there had to be some way to get it back again. Oh, my! Oh, when I... This, this is rich, to me, just to even think of it. See? See what God's purpose was? Now why didn't He just keep Adam and Eve like that? Then He would never been able to express His fullness, His full attribute. Because, He could have been a Father there, that's true, but also He's a Saviour. You say, "How do you know He was?" He is, 'cause I've had the experience. See? See? He is a Saviour, and He had to express that. And how could He do it? Only through Christ. How could He be a Son? Only through Christ. How could He be a Healer? Only through Christ. See, all things are wound up in that one Person, Jesus Christ. Oh, my! When I--when I...

L-146   When I think of it, I--I just see denominations pass off the scene, and everything else just going, see, when I see God's great purpose, revealing Himself. And having, first, to reveal Hisself in Christ, "the fullness of the Godhead bodily." And, then, to bring that "fullness of Godhead bodily" into a people, that He could have the preeminences, the oversight, the leading.

L-147   Another one, the night, if you didn't get the tape, I preached here one night, on "A prisoner of Jesus Christ." Paul, a prisoner! See? When God gets you to be His prisoner, then you can't do nothing but what the Spirit says do. Paul, with all of his great intellects, he taught... he was taught by Gamaliel to be a great priest or rabbi, someday. And he had high ambitions. He was intellectually a great man, great authority, great man in the nation. But he had to sacrifice every bit of it, see, to become part of the Word, to express Jesus Christ. He knowed what it was to say...

L-148 He had a notion to go over some place, some brethren had called him, but he was forbidden by the Spirit to do his own will. Oh, if--if people half spiritual can pick that up! See? He was forbidden to do his own will. He only could do... "The Spirit forbid me." See? He was a prisoner to Christ.

L-149   Then, this little fortuneteller one day, who he knowed, Paul knowed he had power to cast that devil out, but he could only do it as God willed it. Day after day she followed him, crying out after him, but one day the Spirit give him permission. Then he rebuked her, the spirit that was in her. See? He knowed what it was to be a prisoner.

L-150   Moses, his intellectuals, he had to lose them in order to find Christ, to be a prisoner. Then when God got all the world beat out of him, and all of his mighty man that he was, and stand in the Presence of that Pillar of Fire that day, he was found just speechless. He didn't even, couldn't even talk, he said. God had a prisoner then. See? You won't try after your own searching. Then God had to endue this man, endow him with power enough that he could go down there.

L-151 And he said, "Lord, I told Pharaoh what You said, and he wouldn't do it."

L-152 He said, "Then take this, thy rod," God speaking, that's God's Word, "go out there and point it towards the East, and call for flies." And flies come into creation, because He had a prisoner that Pharaoh couldn't pay off with nothing. Nobody else could turn him no way. He was a complete prisoner in the chains of God's Word, bound up only to THUS SAITH THE LORD.

L-153   Oh, if God can get Him prisoners like that! Now, that's when He can express the preeminences, you see. He, He's got the man, or the person, so that he knows nothing but Christ. You get what I mean? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] All right. That's secondly.

L-154 First, to express Hisself completely, God in Christ.

L-155 Second, to have the preeminences, by this, in His Church, which is His Body, the Bride, till He could have the preeminence to express Himself through them. All right.


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