Sometime Difficulties Are Spiritual Preparation Kathryn Kuhlman

Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lease, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel. Neither hath he gone into captivity. Therefore his paste remained in him, and his scent is not. I shall never forget the hour when I first read this from God's word. And you'll find it in the 48th chapter of Jeremiah. It's the 11th verse. Oh, sure. I thought I knew the word. I thought I had explored all there was in Jeremiah. But I never began to tap the deep roots until I discovered this 11th verse of the 48th chapter of Jeremiah. There are five words, just five simple little words, emptied from vessel. To vessel. Now the figure that's used here by the Holy Spirit has to do with wine making. It tells one of the methods used in producing a clear, rich, well -refined wine. Somebody says wine is wine. And those who do not know will just accept anything so long as it's wine. But there's a difference. They tell me there's a vast difference in wine. And this figure of speech right here has to do with the making of the finest, the purest, the most refined, clear, rich wine. In those days, it had to be poured into a vessel and then allowed to stand for a certain length of time. under certain circumstances, perhaps, of heat, cold, light, or darkness. And then it was poured again into another vessel. And each time there was a settling of the sediment, a settling of the dregs, which remained in the vessel as the winemaker carefully poured the precious liquid. into still another vessel. And this process was repeated over and over again. It was allowed to stand for a certain length of time, and then very carefully, very cautiously, it was poured into another vessel. And as it was being poured, all the drakes, all the sediment would remain in the vessel from which it was being poured. And this continued until it yielded a freshness of scent, a fragrance very choice and very pleasing to the maker. And it continued, and each time it became pure, smooth, and rich, If this was not done, if it was allowed to remain in the same vessel that it was made, it would settle upon its leaves and it would become scented with the essence of the dregs and the losses of the fragrance would be completely gone. Just plain ordinary wine. That's the reason this scripture means so much. I repeat it to you. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lease. and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. The other day, tired in body, I had been working long hours, and there was still so much work to do. I found myself standing right in the middle of the room. And it was very spontaneous. I looked up and I said, Dear Lord, why didn't you allow all of this to come to me when I was young? Why didn't you when I was 16, when I was 17, and I had all the vitality? I could go forever without sleep. Sleep meant nothing to me. I was never weary. I didn't know what it meant to be fatigued. I was exhaustless, believe me. Dear Lord, please. I don't understand why you waited so long before you piled all this work on me. I stopped right there. You know why? Gently he whispered to my heart and said, Catherine, you could not have taken it at 16. You weren't ready for it at 17. I could not have trusted you at 20. I was just beginning my pouring at 17. I was just beginning the real pouring at 20. From vessel unto vessel, sure. When you first began in Emmett, Idaho, there you were. A young thing in your teens, no experience whatsoever. Had I entrusted you with that which I have entrusted you with this hour, you never could have taken it. Never. You didn't know what it was all about. You would have misused the glorious power of the Holy Spirit. I wasn't ready. I can go back and... Turn the pages of my life back again. And I can tell you over and over again when the wine was poor. Those long months when the wine was absolutely stale. deal in the vessel and when he felt that the dregs had settled on the side and on the bottom of the vessel very carefully and cautiously he poured the wine into another vessel and when it was poured I became a rich Better, a more understanding person. I could never in a thousand worlds preach to you on the resurrection of Jesus Christ if I had not stood one day at the casket of my own papa and laid my hand upon papa's shoulder. The shoulder of the little girl where I had shed my tears. The shoulder on which I had laid my head when my tooth would ache so badly and I found comfort on that shoulder. I cannot begin to tell you one thing that happened at Papa's funeral I don't remember. I only know that I tasted of the resurrection life. The resurrection power. I can preach on the resurrection today. I can tell you of the truth of the resurrection. Because in my own personal experience, I was poured from one vessel into another. I can only tell you the nearness of the son of the living God. I can only tell you that he is the mighty comforter, the great man of sorrow when you feel alone. Because of the vessel in the darkness, when I felt so all alone. And he had taken the light from me while the dregs and the impurities were allowed to settle at the bottom of the vessel. And the dregs fastened themselves on the side of the vessel. And then came the hour when he began to pour. Oh, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. But when it was poured into another vessel, my life was richer. I was a greater power for him. It may be a vessel of clay. The clay has no transparency, and the wine simply trusts for light to shine again. Another vessel. Perhaps ugly and gray because of some sorrow, some heartbreak. But when the lesson is learned, the maker lifts it and pours it off. Beloved, if we were never poured, the wine would get spoiled and scented with drakes. Paul knew the secret of this. My friend, I give you his words. They're recorded in 2 Corinthians, in that 11th chapter. And this is how he expressed it. Are ye ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors more abundant. In stripes above measure. In prisons more frequent. In deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I had been... In the deep. In journeyings often. In perils of water. In perils of robbers. In perils by the heathens. In perils in the city. In perils in the wilderness. In perils in the sea. In perils among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness. In watchings often. In hunger. and thirst in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak? And I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not. If I must need glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. These were the things Paul said that made me strong. These were the things that made me a spiritual giant. Oh, beloved, there isn't a cent of... God today. But who without hesitation will say, Paul was the greatest of all Christians, the greatest spiritual giant that ever lived. I do not believe that there was a human being to whom God entrusted more spiritual wealth, greater spiritual secrets, greater spiritual truths. God never entrusted to a human being more than he entrusted to Paul. If ever there was a man who had God's favor, it was Paul. But Paul understood why he was permitted to be the vessel to whom God entrusted these things. He understood. Yet. He says, of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes, save one. But never once did he question the deliques of a tender heavenly father. Yes, beloved? Do you want to be a power for God? Then, my friend. The wine will have to be poured from vessel into vessel. Someday, the last vessel will be filled and the very last pouring will be finished. From his own lips, may you and I hear his words. Well done, thou good and faithful. servant.