Jesus Christ is uniquely superior to all other men, like an apple tree standing out among the trees of the forest. The sermon explores his divine nature and role as heir and creator of all things, contrasting him with earthly figures and highlighting his role in God's plan. The core lesson is that Christ's unique personhood offers believers a place of rest, refuge, and satisfaction, symbolized by sitting under the apple tree's shadow. This leads to a life of great delight and rejoicing, as his provision is sweet and abundant, reflecting God's perfect love and purpose.
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Petersburg and the car in front of me, I never knew which way it was going to go. And turn left, light or go on or back up. And you have to be very, very careful. And I was thinking about the man who was driving down the ninety-five and the cop pulled him over. And he said, I'm going to give you a ticket for speeding. And the man said, sir, constable, be easy on me. I'm just a poor preacher. The policeman said, I know. I heard you last Sunday morning. Song of Solomon. I want you to turn to it, please. Chapter two. Song of Solomon, Chapter two.
The Song of Songs. And we're in verse three of chapter two. Excuse me. Verse three. Now, last night we talked about the lily among thorns. So is my love among the daughters. Now, here's her expression concerning him, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood. So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Of course, Al Smith, who wrote that lovely chorus, I love thee, Lord Jesus, with all of my heart. He wrote a hymn, of course, a peace like a river is flooding my soul. Since Christ the Savior has made my life whole, sweet peace abiding, my portion shall be. And then he brings in that chorus and so forth, I love thee, Lord Jesus, with all of my heart. He also... wrote the chorus, Jesus is the rock of my salvation. His banner over me is what? Love. And he brought me to his banqueting house and his banner over me is love.
It's interesting that, of course, they do actions that course. And they have one action. It's funny to watch the congregation do it because everybody's standing up and it's, I am divine or he is divine, we are the branches. And it goes like, he is the fine man, we are the branches. You see people trying to do those actions. His banner over me is love. Now, in this expression, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. He stands out above the rest, doesn't he? You know, it doesn't say there's an apple tree and an orchard of apple trees.
It says, the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. And that's interesting because what it's saying is that among all of the other trees in the wood, you find an apple tree, it's different. It stands up. It's unique. And I remember years ago when I first went to New Brunswick Bible Institute, that's a great hunting country up there. And they used to invite me out to go hunting. I wasn't a hunter. We got one beer one time, somebody else shot it, and we brought it home and had deer meat. But going through the woods, you find all of these birch trees and spruce trees and fir trees.
And right in the middle of the woods, if you find an apple tree, make you stop and say, now, by the way, here's one apple tree among all the other trees of the wood. Someone must have dropped a seed here sometime. or someone may have lived here sometime. It was different. You stop and look at an apple tree among the trees of the wood. Different. By the way, my beloved is different. He's different. He's absolutely unique. Examining all of the sons of men, there is no one like Jesus Christ. Wonderful, wonderful person. That's why the writer of the Hebrews, in giving us that wonderful letter, describes how unique, how wonderful, how magnificent, how outstanding is Jesus Christ.
That's why I'm excited to know him. He's the best. Right? Thank you. Are we here? Many are here. Thank you. I mean, don't be a bit afraid to talk back. I mean, I know this. This is in the morning. But if you want to talk back to me, that's fine. If you ask a question, why I don't like it, if I ask a question and nobody talks back, I'm talking to myself. And people are allowed to come in here and take me away for doing that. I want to do that. But anyway, I know that some people don't feel like doing it, and that's fine. Turn over to Hebrews chapter one.
How wonderful is the Lord Jesus Christ? As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. And of course, you find Christ examined in contrast with everyone else who was of great importance in the Jewish nation when we read the book of Hebrews. Now, verse one of Hebrews chapter one. Here's how the book begins. God doesn't begin like the other epistles. Other epistles in the New Testament start off by telling us who wrote the epistles, right? And people have argued for years. Who wrote the book of Hebrews? Right? And we have our own opinions about it, right?
And some say it was Paul, some say it was Barnabas. And actually, when all the argument is finished, the book begins with God speaking. And God speaking in his son. And so... We really don't know. Now, we secretly, I'd say most preachers are liable to think, well, Paul wrote this, right? Looks like Pauline and so on. But that's beside the point. It's interesting, a way years ago, someone wrote a volume, a book on who wrote the book of Hebrews. That meant they wrote a book on something they didn't know. And then after I read it, I didn't know either.
Hebrews chapter one, verse one, God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. You see, in chapter one of Hebrews, God is speaking. And back in the Old Testament days, the person who did the speaking was God the father. God who at sundry times and in divers manners speak in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. And in the Old Testament, the person who did the speaking was God, and the procedure by which he spoke. Was it sundry times and in diverse manners? And certainly was.
God, back in those Old Testament days, spoke in greens. God in those Old Testament days spoke in visions. God in Old Testament days spoke one way to one person, another to another, and so forth. in many parts in many ways sundry times and diverse matters and then it says in time past that was the Old Testament period he spake unto the fathers which were the fathers of the Jewish nation by the prophets that's those people who spoke for God God spokesman now it says the same God has now in these last days spoken unto us by his son.
Now you notice if you read that second verse that the same God who has spoken by his son, the word his is in italics, right? And he's simply saying this, that when God was expressing himself in the New Testament days, he did it just one way. Not in many parts in many ways or sundry times and divers and hunters. He did it by son. Jesus Christ is the very language of God to men. God expressed himself in his person. And you remember over in John chapter one where it says, no man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he has declared him. Jesus is the living what? Word. He's the expression of God to men. And God spoke by Son. He expressed himself in Son. It's the Son revelation that we have today. And so it says God the Father in these last days has spoken unto us by the Son. whom he hath appointed heir of all things. What a person. Isn't anyone else like that? He's different. He's unique. He stands out among all the sons of men as the apple tree among the trees of the wood.
Hear of all things, the inheritor of all things. What he is. You know the thing it tells me that when I examine the scriptures and I discover this, and I, for instance, the other day when we're talking about kissing, in Psalm two, where the son in that psalm speaks and he says, I will declare the decree. The Lord has said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession. There he is.
That's a wonderful thing because you see that's comforting to us because when you see what's happening in the world and when one particular authority rises up and remember the Cold War when communism battling capitalism and people wondering who's going to come out on top. Let me tell you this. It will not be capitalism or communism that will come out on top. It will be Christ. He is already appointed heir of all things. He's the inheritor of all things. I don't know whether you remember or not, but a number of years ago when the Cold War was going on, and they were, I think, looking at all of these intercontinental ballistic missiles and the stockpiling of these weapons and people saying, man, if someone someday gets wrong communication and they push the wrong button, And one of these things are unleashed or a number of them unleashed on our continent and so forth.
It'll wipe out the whole thing. All right? And people had visions of man wiping himself out and humanity being erased and all of that stuff. I want you to know that they can't do it. They cannot do it. Because it has already been given to him, Jesus Christ. And by the way, when he comes back, the earth will be here when he comes back. Is that true? His feet are going to stand on the Mount of Olives. It tells us in Zechariah chapter fourteen, and when he comes back, there will be people here. We already know that.
You see, this is what God has done, appointed his son for, and to be the inheritor of all things. And the things will be here, and there will be people here. Matthew twenty five thirty one says when the son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him then shall he stood upon the throne of his glory and gathered before him shall be all what all nations they're going to be here so you can put your head on the pillar of night and know this that Jesus Christ among all the sons of men our beloved has been appointed heir of all things And furthermore, Romans chapter eight says that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Isn't that thrilling? We're joint heirs. We are rich. Then the prospect for Christians, we say, man, how could things get worse? You don't do that. You're in your circumstances. How could things get worse? And sometimes we have tended to do that, even with Joanna's situation. And every day there's always something this morning, there's some trouble with her porticast and so on. And if that blocks, if that porticast blocks, folks, and there's nothing, we'll go through it, then I will be moving to get Joanna and her mother on a plane back to New Brunswick. Because they'll have to take it off. And so you're looking at all of this, you're saying, you know, one day you can't get medication, right?
And another day something else happens. And then another day, she says, man, And then someone comes along. And they pat you on the back. And they say. Now remember, all things work together for good to them that love God. Have you ever done that with you? And they get worse. Right? And they said that they'll work now. Remember, brother, all things work together for good. And they get worse. And then they get worse earth. That's not a good word, but it's worse. And they get worse, and then they say, well, all things work together for good, and then the person dies, right, and then they say, it's their relevance.
All things, now remember, brother, all things work together for good. You know, what we need to do, folks, is this, is to tell people why all things work together for good, isn't that right? Tell them why. Because the Bible says, and we know, there's no doubt about it, that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called, according to his what? His purpose. And his purpose is good, isn't it? His purpose is good. The prospect for me as a believer, if I take sick and I die, I'm rich. Because the Savior I have is heir of all things.
And I'm a joint heir with Jesus Christ. And whatever happens to me will work together for God's what purpose? And wonderful purpose it is. You see, and as you get older, and you say, man, I don't know how things could get much worse, I want to tell you there's better things to come. Because our beloved, among all the sons of men, he stands out unique. He's the inheritor of all things, and I'm a joint there with him of all of this. All things will work together for good, won't they?
You know, you look forward to time. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death, right? Because we've got this wonderful person, Jesus Christ. Now, look at the chapter again, Hebrews chapter one. He's a partner of all things. by whom also he made the world. In other words, he made the ages. He created everything within the realm of time and space. Yet people from very intelligent men and universities teach evolution. Evolution is stupid. I have a poem on evolution, and I read to you tonight, and this poem is stupid.
because evolution is stupid. The Bible says, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the what? The word of God, so the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. And the Bible says in John chapter one, verse three, all things were made by who? Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. You see, Jesus was the one who started the clap-clicking. He started the ages, didn't he? Got them into existence. And they will climax when he comes. And the wonderful thing about Jesus Christ is that everything you have.
You see, everything was made by him. He made the worlds, not only the ages, but everything within that realm, all the worlds you just see in the sun, the moon, the stars. Isn't it interesting that all of the great scientists... who are in the space program of the United States. Now, to put two men on the moon, it cost the United States twenty-four billion dollars of your money. Not mine. I'm Kelly. Twenty-four billion dollars. And, you know, when they put those two men on the moon, I remember watching that. I was in Prince Edward Island.
I was having meetings in Charlottetown Bible Chapel. in July in that year. And I remember we sat around a little black and white TV beside Hillsborough River in Prince Edward Island and watched Armstrong stepping out under the moon. Now afterwards, down in Houston, where they have all the TV monitors and so on, this newspaper reporter asked one of these scientists, he said, by the way, The United States has spent twenty-four billion dollars to put two men on the moon. And at that time, later on, they sent a man, remember the loon buggy they had there for to pick up rocks?
They brought those back and had to handle them carefully. And they brought rocks back for an examiner. Why did you do that? Why do we spend all that money? Do you know what he said? He said, we are seeking to find out the origin of the moon. Now if it caught me long distance and even reversed the charges, I would have told them for nothing. Right? God spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. And the Bible makes it perfectly clear that all of these things were centered in Jesus Christ.
All things were made by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. They hold together. You see, Christ is the answer to creation and the church, right? He's our answer. He stands out unique. Wonderful, wonderful person. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sun. Out of all the brilliant men in the world, Jesus Christ stands out unique. He's the inheritor of all things. He's the creator of all things. He's the upholder of all things. I want to tell you that even though they were seeking to find the origin of the universe and up there in that capsule, if Jesus Christ had reversed one of his laws, which is the law of gravity, that had come down in a hurry, They were up there.
They plotted their way to the moon and how to get there and land there by the laws of nature, which are the laws of Christ. That's our person. We've got a wonderful Savior going. He's unique. There isn't anybody like it. And it tells us here in this next verse that he's the brightness of God's glory. He's the express image of God's person by himself. He did what thousands and millions of animal sacrifices could never do. He purged our sins. And he sits in the highest position in the universe.
He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. What a person. Among all the sons, my beloved is like the apple tree among the trees of the wood, in his person. Wonderful. And as you go down this first chapter of Hebrews, then you find what God the Father says to him. Look at verse eight. Here's what he says to him. But unto the son he saith, thy throne, that's his majesty.
O God, that's his deity, is forever and ever, that's his eternality, his throne is forever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom, that's his authority. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, that's his purity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness, above thy fellows. That's his superiority. He's above his fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands.
That's his creatability. And then it says, they shall perish, but thou remainest. and they all shall wax oldeth doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fall. That's his immutability. He never changes. There isn't anybody else like that. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sun. Folks, listen. You don't have to apologize for being a Christian or knowing Jesus Christ.
You don't need to be ashamed even in public to say it out loud. You don't need to be ashamed of that. Because he's the greatest. He's the greatest. All of these things that are said about him in Hebrews chapter one cannot be said about anyone else among all the sons of men. And it's wonderful to know him, isn't it? Can you imagine this person lives in you? He lives in you. He lives in me. He's my savior. He's my beloved. Not only because he's a great person, but he, as a great person, gives us a great provision. Now go back to Song of Solomon Vermont.
It says, as the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. And it says next, I sat down. under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. That's what he provides for me. I sat down. That's a place of rest. I sat down. You know, Jesus said in Matthew chapter eleven, verse twenty eight, you know this verse. Come unto me all ye that labor. and are heavy laden, and I will give you what?
Rest. Right, rest. I'm able to sit down. I come to an end of my own efforts. I'm able to rest under his shadow with great deal of it. By the way, I would never have found rest. I would never be able to sat down unless he sat down. Never. I'm able to sit down. I'm able to rest in him. I'm able to have peace and tranquility in my soul under his shadow. Because he has the choir sung on Sunday.
You know they sung on Sunday, don't you? They sung a piece called the Phineas Work. Right? And over in the book of Hebrews again, in chapter ten, turn over to chapter ten, just for a moment. And in chapter ten of Hebrews, where in that chapter it looks back to the Old Testament, and it says in verse one, for the law, that's the Old Testament law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers they're onto perfect.
We cannot enter God's presence unless we're what? Perfect. God is perfect. And heaven's a perfect place. And so we needed perfection. He said, those animals, sacrifices, which were shadows. Now shadows can point you to a substance. But they're not the very image of the things. They cannot save you. I was... As I mentioned yesterday and the day before, I do some running. I hadn't run today, but I generally do about four days a week running. And I usually, if I'm away and meeting somewhere early in the morning, I go at about six o'clock in the morning to run.
And I was in Sydney, Nova Scotia, running along Celtic Drive, early in the morning, and the sun was shining, and when you're jogging and the sun's shining the right way, it makes me look tall. Big long shadow was running. And I saw this big long shadow. I'm jogging down. Celtic driving. Saw this big long shadow. And then all of a sudden, I said this other big shadow. Right beside or behind my shadow, the shape of a dog. And I said, now I've been jogging long enough. I do not keep running when a dog is behind me. And particularly if it's sneaking up on me. And it hasn't barked. I don't trust dogs like that.
And so I stopped and I turned around and I was standing looking at a Doberman. Now, I'm not particularly fond of any kind of thought, but all the things I had heard about Doberman I didn't like. And I'm standing there facing this Doberman and I'm saying, what am I going to do next? Now, why worry when you can pray? You know what I mean? And you're hoping at that verse in Genesis chapter nine, which says, The fear and dread of you shall be upon the beasts of the field. And I'm standing here, look at this token. It's just standing here. It was very docile, tongue hanging on. And it started to jump up on me, saying, then what it did was it jumped up and it put one big front paw on one shoulder, another paw on the other shoulder, and kissed me.
It licked my lips. And I don't like dust. Now that was it. That was it. That got me mad. I grabbed its front feet. Now this time the Doberman's up here where the feet are now the same height. And all these cars, people were going to work, see, passing me. And here's this creature with a jogging suit on. And I'm dancing around the highway with the Doberman. I'm wondering what am I going to do with this thing. And so I went over to the side of the ditch and I just threw it to me. in here and I ran over into the thing and I went on my run but you know let me tell you something I was not dancing around the highway with a shadow now it wasn't a shadow for a wise man I saw the shadow but the shadow pointed me to the real thing and it was the real thing now I was glad to get rid of it I went back and disinfected my lips but anyway it because it kissed me but you know something a shadow cannot do anything for you except point you to a substance.
Now when you read the scriptures and you read about those Old Testament offerings and so forth, they'll point you to Christ. He's the image of the thing. He brings the better things to come. He's the only one that can purge your conscience from guilt. He's the only one that can make you perfect forever. He's the only one that can put away your sin. And in that tenth chapter of Hebrews, verse four tells us that it is not possible that the blood of bulls or of goats should take away sins. Verse five, wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, for a body hast thou prepared me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasures. Then said I, lo, I come in the volume of the book, it is written of me to do thy will of God. Jesus came to do what those animal sacrifices could never do. He came to do the will of God by putting away sin, purging the conscience from guilt, and declaring us perfect forever. What a salvation. And he did it. And so what happened was those sacrifices that did not please or satisfy God were taken away. And Jesus came, and the Bible says it pleased the Lord to what?
Blues him. Isaiah fifty-three, ten, and God was perfectly satisfied with what he did. And because Jesus did the will of God, now look at verse ten. It says, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, O sinner receiver, once for all, O doubter, believe it, cling to the cross, thy burden will fall. Christ has redeemed us. What? Once for all. We're set apart from our sins once for all. Now, look at verse eleven.
It says, and every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. In other words, the Old Testament priests, they stood, they never sat down. They stood every day. Their work was never finished. They offered oftentimes the same kind of sacrifice over and over and over again because they could not take away sins. But Don't you like the buts in the Bible? See, the but changes it. And in verse twelve it says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice, four sins, a long four.
Forever. Say it together. What? Forever. sat down at the right hand of the throne of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his fruitstool for by one offering he hath perfected forever Demeter's sacrifice. Amen, that would make you almost whisper an amen, wouldn't it? Man, that would make you hard to go about that. I want you to know that's exciting. Isn't that exciting? Here I am perfect forever. Through his offering, he sat down and now resting in him, I consider, under his shoulder.
Thank God it's grace, right? I'm saved forever. I'm perfect forever. My sins are gone forever. Praise God my sins are gone. And he says in verse seventeen, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. And so now, day by day, I can sit down because he sat down. And I can sit down under his shadow, knowing that I'm safe and I'm secure, and I ought to be satisfied. We'll talk about that in a moment. So under that apple tree, among the trees of the woods, I find a place of rest.
Second thing I find in him is this. Go back to Song of Solomon. I find a place of refuge under his, what? Shadow. Under his shadow. I used to sing in a male choir years ago, and I used to sing in a quartet, and with some lovely acapella songs we sung. One of them was, In the shadow of his wings, I have peace, sweet peace, I have rest from toil and labor. And we're singing it, singing in the shadow of his wings. I find peace, I find love, I find rest under his what?
Shadow. What a refuge there is under his shadow. I'm sure you've heard this story. of a farm that burned down. And the whole barnyard was worth. And they came along going through the barnyard and they found a dead hen sitting, just burnt to a crisp. This man walking across the barnyard kicked the hen, the dead body over it over. And chickens that were still alive ran out. They were sheltering under her, what?
Wings. And the fire burned her, but it didn't touch her. Folks, let me tell you this, that as I sit under his shadow, as I rest under his shadow, I find refuge, right? Because he comes between me and the heat. Comes between me and the rock of God. It's a wonderful place to be. Right. God is my what? Refuge and strength, a very pleasant help and help. Even day by day.
He's my refuge. I can sit down under his shadow. And I know. but there's nothing can touch me without touching him. Right? That's true. I like that verse in Hebrews chapter four, where it says, but we have not an high priest, which cannot be what? Touched with the feeling of our infirmities, not only in relation to the judgment of God, but the circumstances that come your way. I want you to know. that I'm resting under his shadow.
Nothing touches me, but doesn't what? Touch him. That's what gives me refuge. And so we only find a place of rest, but also a place of refuge, and they're next. It says, with great delight, there's that business of being happy again. Isn't that something? You're sitting under his shadow saying, oh, this is a funny place of age. Yeah, I'm finding refuge. I know I'll never go to hell. No, no, no. Isn't sitting here saying, well, I suppose it's the best place to be to find safety and security. No, it's sitting there with great delight, not just delight, but great delight.
Great delight. That's a place of rejoicing. That's the way it ought to be. And the way it ought to be, the fact is I know that... among Christians and so forth and there's a lot of baloney around. You know what I mean by that? That's an Italian word. But a lot of stuff around where, you know, where people, there's some people who say things that don't know why they say them. You know what I mean by that? And sometimes they'll say, praise God at the wrong time. Because it's hard to have it. Like it's, the preacher was preaching one night and he was saying, he said, see the mighty host advancing Satan leading on the fellowship is hallelujah.
I won't tell you, I'm not going to say hallelujah for Satan leading on. But I'll tell you one thing. When I know that my Savior is the greatest and his salvation is the greatest and his life is the greatest and his forgiveness is the greatest, I can say hallelujah. Right? Why not? If you don't like hallelujahs, don't read the book of Revelation. Right? Before this thing is all over. There's a lot of hallelujahs going, right?
Revelation nineteen, man, the marriage of the lamb comes. A lot of hallelujahs there. Time of rejoicing. It's always amazing, isn't it, that in many other circumstances, Christians are so excited and so thrilled and so on. I was, last year, I was at a camp not too far from here, and we got tickets to see the Blue Jays play the Phillies. Free tickets. And I was the one that passed out the tickets. Now, I'm not particularly fond of baseball because, to me, it's like watching the weather change. as they say, sir, I'm not, it's not an exciting game to me, but I, and so I don't particularly go to baseball, but they were going because the Blue Jays that year before had won, you know, the World Series and all of that stuff.
Now, all of these people, when I got the tickets, I gave them out and they had row number one, front row seats. Not only did they have front row seats, but they were going to watch the Blue Jays. Now, I never saw people so excited in my life. He said, no, we got broke, Rosie. And it's exciting. Can we go where we sit? We're going to be behind the catcher. We're going to see the pitcher. We see every play there is. And one guy even has baseball gloves that catch five balls. You talk but excited. These were Christians. And then I got row thirteen. I got the last ticket from a bunch. And I didn't care because I could have sat in the parking lot and enjoyed it just as well.
And when in the game, now listen, Carter, now Carter's a progressing Christian, by the way, but Carter had a home run. And these sedate spiritual Christians jumped to their feet and shouted, Yes! And I'm so bad at this. I'm with you here. I'm a preacher. Calm down. He said, I've got a home run. I can try that trick. Let me tell you something, folks, that that night, we were not at a ball game.
We were in a meeting. And the people who were in rule number one in the ball game were in rule thirteen in the meeting. And I don't spit. In fact, you see, They got away to the back. And I tell you, I mean, I was because I was preaching. I said some very exciting things at night, far better than a home run. You know, isn't Jesus wonderful or sitting there? Yeah. Shouldn't yawn and look at their watch. Wonderfully be finished or exciting, isn't it?
By the way, Christians are funny people, aren't we? We get excited about things are not worth anything, and we're miserable by things that aren't. We must be wired up wrong. Wrong connection. It says, I sat down, rest, under his shadow refuge with great delight. Now I'm sure you went to that girl and she's sitting under a shadow and saying, she'd be excited. And by the way, when a girl is in love with a man who's her beloved and so forth and protected you, you go to a wedding.
Now, I know there are tears shared in the wedding. And so on. Mother's shared tears. Their daughters are getting married and all that stuff. But can you imagine... at a wedding and there's a wedding reception and it's totally miserable right it's not the way it is it's a time of rejoicing the time of feasting time of joy and I want to tell you we're here today do why we're here today we're here to sit under his shadow is that right And it should be with great delight. This business of saying, well, now, when you're sitting there and you're out there preaching, you look like you're enjoying it.
You'd better believe what I am. I'm sure I am. I don't apologize for rejoicing unto the shadow of my Savior, my beloved. Why would you? Why? Because there's a place of reception, refreshment. You reach up and get the fruit, you know what I mean? His fruit was sweet to my taste. What he's saying is this, the things that you get from him are not sour. They're what? Sweet to my taste. A place of refreshing, satisfaction.
God intended when we got saved that we'd be satisfied. Many of you have ever met Silas Fox, Majorana. Silas Fox. You ever met Silas Fox? Yeah, you've met Silas Fox. If you've never met Silas Fox, you've missed it because you'll meet him in heaven. He was a missionary. He was with the assemblies. He was a missionary in India for over fifty years. Silas Fox. You'd think I'm borrowed. Silas Fox was a man who bubbled. I mean, he bubbled over all the time. He used to come to our school and speak at the opening and at the students for two hours.
Or they'd sit there and add the receipt. Do you know what happened? You see, when Silas Fox was anywhere, it didn't matter where it was, He was a man who lived in the enjoyment of Christ. That's the way he lived. And didn't matter where it was. I mean, and when he prayed, I met him. Strelas Fox got off the plane in Fredericton, New Brunswick, one time when he had cataracts. And he couldn't see very well. And so they got him off the plane first, and he came along, and I saw him coming along the tarmac. There was only one door into the airport in Glenderton.
Silas, who always carried a little flight flag, in it was an orange turban that he wore an india. He used to put it on his knees, by the way. Imagine that. And here he was, and he was in his late seventies, nearly eighty, and at the last minute, I was standing in the door so that he could see me. And he saw me at the last minute because we'd been together before. And when we did in the doorway, he threw his flight. Now, he was sort of mad. He did things not the way other people did. Now, I would have put, if I was going to hug anybody and I'd have a white bag of arms, I'd put the arm was empty to run first. He'd throw the flight bag run. You know, he'd throw the flight bag on my nerves.
And he started a prayer. We're standing in the doorway and everybody's lined up from there back to the plane. And he said, Lord, Here we are in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Thank you for a good story. Brother Daly's right here, and he's going to take me back to this school, and I want to be a blessing. Lord, I was born, New Brunswick. You know I served you in India. And I'm standing there in the arm lot, and I'm wondering what the people are doing all the way back to the plane. Now, I find out when I open my eyes, And he's still praying. And they're cursing.
They're muttering. They're so mad. They're spitting teeth. You know, they were so mad. And he kept on praying. One hand up in the earth. This is why it's probably my mind. And he knew they were pushing him. And he raised his feet. And when he finished, he said, Amen. And he looked at the food and he said, walk away. And you should have heard the remark that those people coming through the airport door. So I said, well, brother, Fox, you better get your luggage. He said, yeah. He said, now I can't see very well, so you'll have to watch for it.
And so he got down to the luggage thing was coming in. And he got away down almost in his hands and knees to look for it. His eyes were on there watching. Now this suitcase came out and it had eternity on it. In large letters, E-G-E-R-N-I-T-Y, right across the whole suitcase, big suitcase. And he says, you could all excite me. He says, brother, there it is with eternity on it. This lady beside her who said, where is eternity? She said, brother, stand there.
Boy, did she get a message. And everybody in the airport got a message. And here he was bubbling over Sandmar in eternity. Eternity. He said, listen, we're herald for eternity. And he gave him a gospel message. We picked up a suitcase. Will we stand there? And that wasn't the end of it. When he finished, he said, I've got to call my brown-eyed girl, Van Gogh. That was his wife. And I ran to the phone with him. And what happened was he went to the first phone. He couldn't see very well. And there was someone on the phone.
He leaned right over the minute. Oh, you're on it. And then the second verse, he looked at somebody else's face. You're there, too. And the third one, there was a lady who had a fur collar on, a very sedative lady, standing in front of the phone, not using it. And he came up, and he looked at her and smiled. He said, I'm a servant of God. He said, madam, is that a telephone behind you? She says, yes, it is. He said, thank you. Gee, what a warm woman. He get on the phone. He had a, he had a card, a credit card. Now, any normal person would have said, well, you give the operator the card because he couldn't read it. But he didn't.
He said, he said to the operator, he said, operator, I'm calling my brown-eyed girl in Vancouver. Now, his wife's about eighty. And he said, I just arrived in Bridges, and the operator could have carried less. And he's telling us this whole thing. And he said to me, and he said, Brother Dowie's with me. He's telling me up there. Brother Dowie's with me here. He said, when he's reading, Mark, that is correct to me. Now, at least listen, dear, because here it is. So here's the way we went. Everybody's time around here. And he said, I said, I'll make up a number, I said. Four. He said, four. Two. Two. three, three, and through that whole number. And I can imagine that operator says, what in a war this happened?
And he told her about the fact that my friend, our girl, I love her. We were in India three years ago. Told her the whole thing. He was almost bubbling. And I went into a room one night where he signed the guest book. And he'd been there the week before, and I was preaching the next week. And he'd signed the guest book this way. Silas Fox. And his address was Canada, India, heaven. And underneath that he put these words. Listen to it now. He put still springing up, not dried up.
John four, fourteen. If you were within any length of time, By the way, he was real. He wasn't putting on an earth. That's the way he lived. That's the way he lived. I stood beside the bed of his dear wife, who later on had eight strokes, and only her eyes would blink. There wasn't one muscle that could move, except you blink. Silas and my wife, Ari, and myself, stood beside her bed. and Silas rejoiced with her and laughed with her and she couldn't even say one word and she stood there with the two of us and sung hymns to her introduced us she didn't know us you know what he was doing he was sitting under his shadow every day with great in life.
And I'm able to rejoice and say his fruit was sweet to my what taste? That's the kind of life we need, isn't it? Jesus said, the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a whale of water springing up into everlasting life. Well, here we are today and saying, Lord, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I start down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit will sweep through my taste.
And it's like a banquet and on the boundary it says, what love? Love. Love. Let's bow in the word of prayer. Now, Lord, we thank you today for these dear folks who have come in. Thank you for our beloved who stands right among the sons of men. Thank you for that time when we sat down and under his shadow. Lord, we find their refuge from the storms of life. and from the judgment of God. We thank you, Lord, that we're there with great rejoicing because we rejoiced in him.
And we can honestly say his fruit is sweet to our taste. We're in a barricading house, and the banner says,