In this rock came forth the waters. He was the Rock. And He commanded this Rock and--must be smote. And He gave abundance of pure, fresh, clean water to everybody that would drink. He saved all who would drink from it, a perfect parallel with John 3:16: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,... whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but would have Everlasting Life."God smote that Rock on Calvary. Our judgment was upon Him, that from Him might come the Spirit of Life that would give you and me Eternal Life. That's a perfect parable of it there in this wilderness.
They never had to pull, dig, pump, or anything, just partake of His provided way freely. When... They didn't have to dig it out of a pond; they didn't have to pull it up with a bucket; they didn't have to have no windle to get it with; they just had to partake of it. And that's all there is now. You don't have to join nothing; you don't have to get down at the altar and work up something, pump in it; you don't have to say a word over and over and over till you get a confusion of language; the only thing you have to do is just partake of Him freely, God's provided way. No pumping, no pushing, no nothing, just take of it freely. Nothing you have to do, just partake of it; that is just believe it that's all I can say to it. You never had to do anything for it, never had to dig for it. They never had to get down and cry all night for it; they just partook of it. It was smitten and ready. That's right.
I'm looking at a man now setting in the back of the room here. I remember telling that on an old barn stall one day by a manger. And he said, "But I'm no good."I said, "I know you're not." And I said, "I'm not either." But I said, "You're looking at what you are. Quit looking at what you are, and look at what He is."
He said, "If I could just get rid of these cigarettes, Brother Branham, I--I--I'd be a Christian."
I said, "Don't get rid of them. You're trying to get good and then come to Him. He never come to save good men; He come to save bad men that knowed they were bad."
He said, "Well..."
I said, "Listen, you don't want to go to hell, do you?"
He said, "No."
I said, "Well, you don't have to. He died that you might not have to go."
He said, "What do I have to do?"
I said, "Nothing. It's just that simple."
He said, "But if I could ever..."
I said, "There you go back to that cigarette again. Quit thinking about that cigarette. Just remember; think about Him, what He did, what He is, not what you are. You're no good, and you never was and never will be, but what He is. He's the One." And I said, "Now, the only one thing you have to do, if He took your place down there, you just willingly accept what He did. Only thing you have to do is just accept it."
"Why," he said, "that's simple. I'll do that."
I said, "Here's the creek." I brought him up here and baptized him in the Name of Jesus Christ. Some of his people are setting here, and I--I know how--they felt funny at me for doing that. I knowed what I was doing. I seen in the man something that was genuine. I could see it there, and I took him and baptized him in the Name of the Lord Jesus. And when then we did that, it wasn't long after that till I was--went down to his son's house. We seen a--a vision of a tree being broke at a certain place, and the man fell, almost broke his back, took him in the hospital, and that night the Lord revealed to me that was the end of cigarettes. So the next day he wanted some cigarettes. I said, "I'll buy him a carton and take it to him. You just watch and see." His cigarette days are done. He's never smoked one since, never wanted one since.God... See, the first thing you got to do is to come to that Fountain. You've got to come to that Water, realize it's nothing that you can do; it's what He done for you. You don't have to dig; you don't have to pump out; you don't have to quit this; you don't have to quit that; the only thing you have to do is get there and drink. That's all. If you're thirsty, drink.
Now, He was the Rock. God smote Him for us, and He gave forth abundance of pure, clean water. He does yet today to everyone that will believe. This is His grace, of course, to His people, us.There's something like there like the people of today, ready to receive what they can get, but don't want to give any service in return. Israel was ready to--to drink from the rock now. But they didn't want to give God His service that was due Him.
And He's always giving us a service. You know, we can't even breathe without Him. We can't breathe without God's service. That's how dependent we are on Him. And yet, it almost breaks us in two if we try to do--have to do something for Him; He asks us to do something, go see somebody, go pray for somebody, go help somebody. It's almost breaks us up to do it. But we don't want to do anything to Him for service.
His complaint was, "They have forsaken Me, the Word, and have accepted a broken cistern instead. Accept... They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Life, the Fountain of Water of Life, and they desire and would rather drink from a stagnated cistern."Could you imagine that? Could you imagine a person now, that here's an artesian well who's putting out that fine limestone water right out of the heart of the rocks, down there in the sand beds and so forth, just as cold and good as it could be, and would rather drink out of a cistern over there that had washed off the top of the barn, the sheds, and all the out-buildings around the place, and put it right into that cistern there where the seepage of the water drains right back into from the barn, the stables, the stalls, and everything draining right back into the cistern, and then we want to--would drink out of that before going to that artesian well? There would be something mentally wrong with the person. That's right.
And when a man or a woman will take a denomination on their stand, that'll permit bobbed hair, wearing shorts, makeup, all this other kind of stuff, and some little kind of a--a program, and all this carrying on, and can go to the bowling alleys, and--and all that nonsense out there, and can put up with that, and like that better than they do the old fashion Word of God that cuts down, and hews out, and makes ladies out of women and takes them--makes them dress right and act right, takes cigarettes and tobaccos and swearing and cursing and lying and stealing away from you, and all the world away from you, and give you something that is a perfect satisfaction? Why do a man or a woman go to such a thing as that for comfort? How can you get comfort out of that? How could you get a fresh drink out of a stagnated cistern? Why would a person...
If a person goes to a stagnated cistern to get a drink when there's an artesian well open, you'd say, "There's something wrong with that man's mind." And if a woman or a man goes to such a place to find comfort, there's something spiritually wrong with that person. They don't want the Word. It shows that their nature is still a frog, or a tadpole, or something. That's right. Something of that nature likes that stagnated pool, because them kind of things won't live in a fresh water pool. They can't do it; it's fresh water. They can't do it.
They never had to pull, dig, pump, or anything, just partake of His provided way freely. When... They didn't have to dig it out of a pond; they didn't have to pull it up with a bucket; they didn't have to have no windle to get it with; they just had to partake of it. And that's all there is now. You don't have to join nothing; you don't have to get down at the altar and work up something, pump in it; you don't have to say a word over and over and over till you get a confusion of language; the only thing you have to do is just partake of Him freely, God's provided way. No pumping, no pushing, no nothing, just take of it freely. Nothing you have to do, just partake of it; that is just believe it that's all I can say to it. You never had to do anything for it, never had to dig for it. They never had to get down and cry all night for it; they just partook of it. It was smitten and ready. That's right.
I'm looking at a man now setting in the back of the room here. I remember telling that on an old barn stall one day by a manger. And he said, "But I'm no good."I said, "I know you're not." And I said, "I'm not either." But I said, "You're looking at what you are. Quit looking at what you are, and look at what He is."
He said, "If I could just get rid of these cigarettes, Brother Branham, I--I--I'd be a Christian."
I said, "Don't get rid of them. You're trying to get good and then come to Him. He never come to save good men; He come to save bad men that knowed they were bad."
He said, "Well..."
I said, "Listen, you don't want to go to hell, do you?"
He said, "No."
I said, "Well, you don't have to. He died that you might not have to go."
He said, "What do I have to do?"
I said, "Nothing. It's just that simple."
He said, "But if I could ever..."
I said, "There you go back to that cigarette again. Quit thinking about that cigarette. Just remember; think about Him, what He did, what He is, not what you are. You're no good, and you never was and never will be, but what He is. He's the One." And I said, "Now, the only one thing you have to do, if He took your place down there, you just willingly accept what He did. Only thing you have to do is just accept it."
"Why," he said, "that's simple. I'll do that."
I said, "Here's the creek." I brought him up here and baptized him in the Name of Jesus Christ. Some of his people are setting here, and I--I know how--they felt funny at me for doing that. I knowed what I was doing. I seen in the man something that was genuine. I could see it there, and I took him and baptized him in the Name of the Lord Jesus. And when then we did that, it wasn't long after that till I was--went down to his son's house. We seen a--a vision of a tree being broke at a certain place, and the man fell, almost broke his back, took him in the hospital, and that night the Lord revealed to me that was the end of cigarettes. So the next day he wanted some cigarettes. I said, "I'll buy him a carton and take it to him. You just watch and see." His cigarette days are done. He's never smoked one since, never wanted one since.God... See, the first thing you got to do is to come to that Fountain. You've got to come to that Water, realize it's nothing that you can do; it's what He done for you. You don't have to dig; you don't have to pump out; you don't have to quit this; you don't have to quit that; the only thing you have to do is get there and drink. That's all. If you're thirsty, drink.
Now, He was the Rock. God smote Him for us, and He gave forth abundance of pure, clean water. He does yet today to everyone that will believe. This is His grace, of course, to His people, us.There's something like there like the people of today, ready to receive what they can get, but don't want to give any service in return. Israel was ready to--to drink from the rock now. But they didn't want to give God His service that was due Him.
And He's always giving us a service. You know, we can't even breathe without Him. We can't breathe without God's service. That's how dependent we are on Him. And yet, it almost breaks us in two if we try to do--have to do something for Him; He asks us to do something, go see somebody, go pray for somebody, go help somebody. It's almost breaks us up to do it. But we don't want to do anything to Him for service.
His complaint was, "They have forsaken Me, the Word, and have accepted a broken cistern instead. Accept... They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Life, the Fountain of Water of Life, and they desire and would rather drink from a stagnated cistern."Could you imagine that? Could you imagine a person now, that here's an artesian well who's putting out that fine limestone water right out of the heart of the rocks, down there in the sand beds and so forth, just as cold and good as it could be, and would rather drink out of a cistern over there that had washed off the top of the barn, the sheds, and all the out-buildings around the place, and put it right into that cistern there where the seepage of the water drains right back into from the barn, the stables, the stalls, and everything draining right back into the cistern, and then we want to--would drink out of that before going to that artesian well? There would be something mentally wrong with the person. That's right.
And when a man or a woman will take a denomination on their stand, that'll permit bobbed hair, wearing shorts, makeup, all this other kind of stuff, and some little kind of a--a program, and all this carrying on, and can go to the bowling alleys, and--and all that nonsense out there, and can put up with that, and like that better than they do the old fashion Word of God that cuts down, and hews out, and makes ladies out of women and takes them--makes them dress right and act right, takes cigarettes and tobaccos and swearing and cursing and lying and stealing away from you, and all the world away from you, and give you something that is a perfect satisfaction? Why do a man or a woman go to such a thing as that for comfort? How can you get comfort out of that? How could you get a fresh drink out of a stagnated cistern? Why would a person...
If a person goes to a stagnated cistern to get a drink when there's an artesian well open, you'd say, "There's something wrong with that man's mind." And if a woman or a man goes to such a place to find comfort, there's something spiritually wrong with that person. They don't want the Word. It shows that their nature is still a frog, or a tadpole, or something. That's right. Something of that nature likes that stagnated pool, because them kind of things won't live in a fresh water pool. They can't do it; it's fresh water. They can't do it.
WMB from the message 'Broken cisterns'
64-0726E 
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