Sermon Texts (Adding Now)
Sermon Texts Beginning With H
Hear Ye Him (57-0519A)
| Hear Ye Him (57-0519A) |
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E-1 For a word of prayer: Our blessed heavenly Father, we are grateful to Thee for the privilege of coming into Thy Presence and calling You our Father. Oh, it introduces us to that great I AM, the ever-present One, Who is always near to help in the time of trouble. And we thank Thee because that we have this privilege. Bless us this afternoon as we come to talk about Thee, to preach Thy Word, invite sinners to accept You. We pray that You will deal with us all as Your children. Correct us in our errors and encourage us in the way that we go, when we are serving Thee. We ask in Jesus' Name, Thy son, Amen. May be seated.
E-2 It's certainly wonderful to be here in Saskatoon on this most beautiful day, and in the service of the Lord Jesus. I was out to breakfast this morning, and I, with some of my friends, and I happened to meet some of my friends that I associated with before, over in another province. And I was so happy to hear that my good friend, Chris Berg, is to be--is in our meeting. I don't know he--don't know where he's at here in the meeting, but, Chris, if you are listening at me, I'm to see you in the morning at breakfast. It'll certainly be a happy time to meet Chris again. The many times that we have come together, and I...
E-3 Now, I wonder... Happiness to let us meet each other again, man that we have met on earth, what will it be when the battle is all over, and arms is stacked, and we--the smoke's all dried up in the battle, and we meet each other to never part again. Won't that be wonderful, friends?
E-4 Now, this evening we're going to have another healing service or prayer for the sick. And last evening was one of the outstanding times to me, when God can open the eyes of the blind, and make the dumb to speak, and the deaf to hear, that means God is on the job, doesn't it? Certainly does.
E-5 And since a little boy, there's one thing I... Gifts and callings are without repentance. God gives them by His sovereign grace. And I have seen visions since a little boy. The first thing I can remember is a vision. And I have never, in one time in all these years, ever--He has never said one thing in them visions, which has been thousands of them, that's ever been one time wrong. Think of it. I'm forty-eight. I have seen visions since I was about eighteen months old. That's right. Just a baby. And I have never seen it one time fail. And it won't fail. It can't fail. It's God.
E-6 Now, at nighttime when we see the things take place like you do... I thought I'd maybe--I would take just a moment to try to do my best to explain it, the best that I can. There's no way to explain it. I do not understand it a bit more than you do. It just happens, and that's all I know. I have no control of it.
E-7 It tells me, I don't tell It. He tells me. I don't tell Him what to do; He tells me what to do. Sometimes my desires are different from His will, so then, He just lets me alone. But when He wants me to do something, He does it.
E-8 Now, this little gift that the Lord has, by His grace, given to me, is not anything to glorify my... If I'd ever do that, it might leave me. Or I might have to leave the world. It's not for me. It's for you. That's the reason I can't operate it. You operate it. You're the one who does it.
E-9 Now, here's where... Now, like in the Son of God. Now, in Him, in the Son of God was the fulness of God. God, Jehovah dwelt in His son, Christ Jesus. We believe that; all of us do. I know there's a little fuss about that, and about the trinity, and so forth like that, but that's just the carnal condition of man. They both believe the same thing, and they just won't stand still long enough to listen to it; that's all.
E-10 But you'll never isolate yourself and get anything from God, 'cause we're won't--we've got to not imitate, impersonate. You've got to have it. That's exactly right. There's too much pretension of Christianity, pretending, so-called Christianity. But Christianity is not nothing you pretend; you've got to have it. You've got to have it. The devil knows whether you've got it or not. He knows all about it. No matter how much you can put on a great psychological effect on the outside, the devil knows just how deep that is, and he stand and laugh at you. Certainly. He knows he has got you whipped to begin with. But when God, in the stillness of His Spirit, has placed it in you, the devil can't stand on that ground. He can't guile that sand with his dirty hoofs. Certainly. He can't come to that place, because it's a place where God and man meets alone. See?
E-11 Now, say this little gift here would be a spoonful of water out of the whole ocean. That would be comparison with this little gift, the sight of the Son of God. But remember, one spoonful of water out of the ocean is part of the ocean. Do you get it? In quality, the same, in quantity, much smaller (See?), much smaller.
E-12 Now, we're going to speak of our blessed Lord Jesus this afternoon. Someone said to me one time, said, "Brother Branham, there's just one fault I can find to you."
E-13 Now, by the grace of God, I have chosen this afternoon to read a little Scripture out of Saint Matthew, the 17th chapter of Saint Matthew's Gospel. And I'm going to read a few verses, because I love the reading of God's Word. How many loves to read God's Word, just... Oh, my. The reason I read it, is because I'm such a poor speaker and a substitute for His servant, to... I know if I read His Words, and nothing else is done but reading His Word, some good will come from the meeting. His Words will not fail; mine will. So if I read His, that'll be enough, just reading that Word, till the people will have something that's eternal and cannot fail. So let us read now, as we look in the Bible. The 17th chapter, the 1st verse.
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was as white as the light.
And, behold, there appeared unto him Moses and Elias talking with him.
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias.
And while he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
And for a little text this afternoon, and to bypass the--some of the things that I had said about it, I wish to take this for a text: "Hear Ye Him."
E-14 Now, before we approach the other part, let us speak to Him again as we bow our heads.
E-15 There's something about the reading of the Word that's eternal. Every Christian should read the Word every day, for Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
E-16 Now, our Lord Jesus, as we are speaking of Him, I love to read after Him, because He never made one mistake. Everything He done was perfectly in harmony with God. Oh, how much time that we waste as we leisure around. But you never found Jesus at no time, ever what we call gadding around. Every move, every place He went, everything He did, ever word He spoke had a meaning to it and was exactly in harmony with God and the will of God. That's the reason that He was so pleased with Him, saying, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Everything was perfectly in harmony with Him.
E-17 So, God is just getting ready to do something here, in our text. He's fixing to declare to a world a picture that I think that the whole world ought to know. And God, before He does anything, He always bears witness of what He does, puts it down and makes a memorial, or a witness of what He is going to do.
E-18 And God was going to make witnesses. So He taken the appropriated number three: Peter, James, and John.
E-19 So, God taketh these three up into a mountain. It was such a beautiful place to be, until Peter referred to it later as the holy mount. Now, it didn't mean that the mountain was holy; It meant the holy God was on the mountain. That's in the people where we call holy people. It doesn't mean that they are any different from anyone else. It's the holy God that's on the unrighteous people. They're still human. But it's a holy God.
E-20 Some of we ministers, we should be ashamed of ourselves, as we keep our congregation way below their privileges. The whole Christian church today is living thousands of miles below their God-given privilege, because of just so half asleep, dismal like... Take the promise; believe it. God said so; that settles it forever.
E-21 And now, God in His great picture drama that we have under consideration this afternoon, He brings in earthly witnesses: Three: Peter, James, John, earthly witnesses. Then from heaven He brings three heavenly witnesses to see what He's going to do. Oh, I love to see Jehovah moving out to display His power and His grace. Oh, it's so beautiful when you see Him in His great power. Before He does it, He will set on the sideline something, some people, some believers to watch Him display His great omnipotence.
E-22 Notice, now, as He comes. And then this had another meaning to it. I know many of you my brethren, the clergymen, you apply that to the coming of Christ. That's right. It was applied there, the order of the coming of Christ. As they looked and they seen glorified Jesus, they looked again and seen Moses and Elijah, the two witnesses Revelation 11. Then they looked back and seen Jesus only. Exactly with the order the--the coming glorified Christ a preaching to the Jews, and then Jesus coming with His Bride. Exactly.
E-23 I'd write a letter to you; you might appreciate it. You'd read it and say, "Brother Branham wrote me this nice letter." But to you is the only one it would mean anything. And after awhile, that letter would become no good at all.
E-24 God, here, was going to do something that He'd asked man to do. And God will never ask you to do anything, that He would not do Himself. Did you ever think of that? Did you ever go back to the garden of Eden in the great coming forth of Adam and Eve? The Bible said that Adam was not deceived. Adam was not deceived; he knowed just exactly what he was doing. But because of the love that he had for Eve, he walked right out into death with her. Not because he had to, he knowed different. Eve was absolutely deceived. She thought she was right. But Adam knowed better. But he walked out with her and took death with her.
E-25 Now, we notice lot of times in our Bible, we think there's mistranslations; there's things that sound strange. But it has the same meaning. For instance, you English people would know this better than I perhaps. Now, in the King James version on John 14, it said, "In My Father's house is many mansions." Doesn't that seem just a little strange? "In My Father's house (a little house) is many mansions?" Mansions inside of a house? Doesn't seem right, does it?
E-26 Now, here's the way it was. When King James was king over all England and its territories, its countries, he was considered the father of that house. They were all his subjects, his children. And that's the reason the translators made it, "In My Father's house..." so that the English speaking people would understand.
E-27 Now, when that son was born into that family, he become a son, because he was borned in the family. He's a son by birth. And now, to you Presbyterians and Baptists, also, listen to this. But because that you are borned again, that doesn't mean all of it. You just become a child. You become a member of the body of Christ. But that doesn't mean that you're living in your privileges yet.
E-28 Now, when this child was born... Now, any of you know, you ministers know where I am going, right straight to the placing of a son. Now, when this child was born, what did they do? They--the father did not have time with the child, because his business was so great, he put a tutor or a raiser over this child. And now, before he put any man over his child, he was sure that he had the right man.
E-29 What a beautiful type it is, that when a child is born in the Kingdom of God, God selected the best Teacher that could be found: the Holy Spirit, not some denomination. The Holy Spirit is the Tutor of the Church of the living God, not men. They only know earthly things. So He couldn't have said, "William Branham, you be tutor." I don't know enough. He couldn't have said, "Billy Graham, you be tutor." He don't know enough. Oral Roberts, we don't know enough. We are human. We've got to be raised ourselves. But God searched the heavens and got the mighty Tutor, the Holy Spirit, and set It down to raise His Church. Oh, how beautiful.
E-30 Now, what do you think today (now just draw it in your minds), how the Holy Spirit must blush when It comes before God to bring the differences, and the isms, and the condition of His children today. When we fuss, we stew, we fight, we argue, we have all kinds of isms, and mix-up; and brotherly love is gone, and all the things that God put in the church, we are riding over it. And what do you think the blessed Holy Spirit does when He comes before the Father? How He must blush to say, "Oh, a... they're not a... doing so well." And remember, the Holy Spirit is honest. He brings a true report. "They're not doing so well. Oh, they're fussing at each other; they don't get along. There's no--there's no fellowship among them; they are jealous of each other." Oh, my.
E-31 Now, what the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love must mean when He goes before the Father. How the Father must feel. If you're a Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, whatever you are, that's all right. But when that fellowship, when them lines is drawed, "Don't have nothing to do with that there. Oh, no, no, no, no." Christ died for the entire world. He's Father. And we are all one in Christ Jesus. There's no differences in us.
E-32 God stays right with His Word. Here's the instructions the Holy Spirit got to teach a child by. He will never leave that for nothing. He will never add one word or take one word away from it. He will stay exactly on that. He will never leave that Bible.
E-33 How he... A prophet blushed one time, when he went before God to pray for the sins of the people, how that they had did... What do you think the Holy Spirit does today, when it's just about the time for the coming or the child to fall to it's inheritance, and He comes and says, "They won't even get along with one another. I can send a meeting to the city, and they'll turn their back. Some of them say, 'I ain't having nothing to do with him, he did this, and that... them's a bunch of... I ain't going to associate with them at all.'" How do you ever expect to go on with God? How you expect to ever receive a blessing from God when you act like that? That's right.
E-34 Now, notice another thing. Now, what if this child is obedient? What if he's a fine boy, and how that Raiser, that Tutor must feel then, when He goes up to the Father and says, "Oh, sir. Your boy is exactly like You. Why, he's just (in the street expression) the chip off the old block. Why, he's just like You. He believes that whatever You say is the truth. He--he absolutely takes Your Word and creates things by it. He believes You."
E-35 The world's dying for love. That's the fountain that God's got open. And look. I want to ask you something. The greatest of all the gifts that's in the local body... And we put so much emphasis on speaking with tongues or interpretations, and the first is wisdom. Is that right? The next is knowledge. How are you going to operate knowledge when you haven't got wisdom to operate it with? See? If you haven't got no wisdom, you can't operate your knowledge. If you haven't got knowledge, you won't know to--how--how to have peace. You've got to put first things first, not on evidences, upon the Spirit, God.
E-36 Now, Christian people who read the Bible, when that child become a certain age, and if he was a--if he was a bad boy... Now, he never could be denied being a son. No, sir, 'cause he was born. I'm just a little enough Calvinist to believe that, that when a man is born a son of God, he's a son of God. That's right. And God wouldn't save you here, knowing He was going to lose you down... E-37 Now, notice this father. He was so happy of his son. Then when that son became of age, that father took him out into the street, into a public place. And notice, the father put a royal robe on him. And he set that son up before the public. And he had a ceremony, and he adopted that same son that was borned in his house into his family. Did you know that? Read the Old Test... Take Ephesians 1st chapter and the 5th verse, and run your reference on that, and see if it don't go back to your adoption or placing of sons. God has predestinated us to be the sons of God by Jesus Christ, predestinated us unto the adoption, predestinated or foreknowledge, by adopting us into the sons of God.
E-38 Now, when it become a son, when he was adopted into the same family he was borned in... Now, listen, Presbyterian friend, Methodist, and Baptist, and Pentecostal, when you're born again, that only puts you in the family. It's your character, your conduct that gives God confidence in you. The reason that we haven't got the great church marching on today, is because God can't find people to put His confidence in. The Holy Spirit keeps saying, "They're tearing up; they're breaking up; they're doing this; they're off on the lines." Stay with God's Word. That's God's Truth; that's the Pattern; that's the Blueprint.
E-39 Now, I want you to notice. What a beautiful thing, when this son was adopted, and the ceremony was said, and the people stood by to witness, then that father adopting that son into his own family, to which he was borned... See now? You're born, when you are borned again in the Spirit of God, then you are adopted or placed into the body of Christ, positionally.
E-40 Now, watch. God never did anything 'less He asked man to do, but what He did Himself. His Son, when He was borned here on earth, He was an obedient Son. Every step was for the Father. Everything He done was to glorify God. And we seen God in Christ. Is that right? "No man has seen the Father at any time, but the only begotten of the Son has declared Him." The very move, the very action, everything that Christ did was God working in Him. You get it now? E-41 Notice, Peter got all excited under this vision. Many times when the glory of God is close, men get excited. No matter how good they are, they get excited. They want to run out and build a denomination. That's what started when Martin Luther got on the road in the reformation. That's what started when John Wesley in England, got started. They wanted to build a denomination. That's what started when John Smith got started, and they built the Baptists. That's what happened when--when Alexander Campbell got started, and they built the Christian. That's what happened when Pentecost got started. They built the denominations. God never did intend it. It's a man excited under the glory of God. Stay with the Word. That's it. Don't build a denomination. When you do... I ain't got nothing against the denominations, but as long as you make yourself prejudice to the other fellow... Be brothers, what Christ died for.
E-42 Now, notice as we come to a close. Peter was excited. He said, "Look. Let us build here three tabernacles. Let's build one for Moses, and one for Elijah, and one for Jesus." Let us build three tabernacles. Now, isn't that just the way man does today? They want to build a tabernacle; they want to build a denomination. "We'll just make ourself the Oneness. We'll make ourself the Trinity. We will make ourself the Methodist." Want to build three tabernacles.
E-43 Moses was gone. Elijah was gone. Prophets and so forth was over. It's now "My beloved Son." You get it? Listen closely, now, as we pull this to the end. Watch.
E-44 Notice, he said, "Well, now, we'll keep the law." The law was not a saviour after all. The law was a--the prison house. The law only made you know you was a sinner. The law pointed out your sin, but it didn't have any remedy. If the policeman comes, and arrests you, and throws you back in the jail, that's the law. That shows you you are a sinner, but how you going to get out? That's the next thing. The law was just a school master. It pointed out sin.
E-45 Elijah went up on the mountain. And here's to show he's justice. God told him to go up and set down. And when he did, the king sent up fifty men, said, "Come on down off there, Elijah, want to talk to you."
E-46 But oh, here we stand now. Look where we are at. The law has passed. No man can be saved by it. The justice of God, oh, we are all sinners, borned in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies. Now, who wants justice, when you're lost when you were born. You haven't got a chance. You can't even get started. So how could you want justice?
E-47 My brother, sister, today we're trying to make denominations; we're trying to build churches; we're trying to organize people, educate them. It's all in vain, until the love of God comes in. You want to speak with tongues; you want to clap your hands; you want to jump, you want to dance; you want to do certain things to make yourself a Christian. You'll never be, until the love of God takes over in your heart, that tears that middle out, that makes you feel for your brother, that'll make you act like a man, like a child of God, and put Christ in you, the Hope of glory.
Dear dying Lamb Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.
Ever since by faith I saw that stream,
Thy flowing wounds supplied,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
E-48 Not your emotions, not your denomination, not your little isms, not for your cults, not for this, not for your church, not for your building, not for your pastor, but the love, love is what the world needs. Love is what the church needs.
E-49 Now, what if she turned around to me and said, "Now, just a minute, Mr. Branham. Thou shall have no other wives but me, either." Wouldn't that be a lovely home? No. Why? That don't even come in my mind. Why, I love her. She loves me. When we get ready--I get ready go overseas, I reach over and look in her eyes and I see the tears coming, in my own too, I say, "Sweetheart. Jesus said, 'Who will not forsake His own and follow after Me is not worthy to be called Mine.'" I say, "Let's kneel and pray and get our little children around the chair." I say, "Father God, the harvest is ripe. I must go and preach the Gospel."
E-50 And we kneel there and I say, "God, take care of my little family. I love them. Help me to be Your servant and stand gallant at the battlefront against the enemy. If he should rise, give me strength to stand. And O God if I fall, give me strength to rise again. I'm only going. I commit my family into Your hands." I raise over and take my dear wife in my arms and kiss her good bye, and say, "Sweetheart, pray for me while I am gone."
E-51 If I knowed some woman walked up, some young girl, and said, "Billy, I want to go out with you and have supper tonight." And I know Meda wouldn't... When I got over there that--that she'd forgive me for it... If I tell her, I do something wrong, I--I know Meda would forgive me. I'd say, "Honey, I did certain certain things. Will you forgive me for it?"
E-52 The world is a hungry today, to see love demonstrated. They don't want to see so much action, so much clapping hands. Them things are all right, now. I'm not discrediting them. I'm just trying to put them in their place. They don't want to hear you speak with tongues to prove you've got the Holy Ghost, or interpret it to get the Holy Ghost. They want to see the love that you got to display. That's what the world is a wanting, is love.
E-53 And my brother, sister, why would you take a substitute, when the Pentecostal skies are full of the real thing for you? Why would you run off after some this, that, or other, when the real love of God is waiting for you, where God can get into you, and have confidence in you, and like you--I would my wife, or you would your wife. I don't care how many man would come up, that wouldn't bother me a bit. She don't care how many women would be around. That wouldn't bother her a bit. We got love and confidence. And the only way you can have confidence is to have love. And the only way you can believe God and take Him for your healing or whatever you are taking Him for, is because you love Him: you got confidence in Him, that He won't lie to you. He promised you He'd do it.
E-54 Just this, I want to say, and I want you to be real reverent just for a minute, and think, and look this way a minute. I was thinking of Chris Berg, setting here somewhere in the service this afternoon. I... Everyone knows that I'm a hunter. I just love to hunt. It's not so much to kill the animal; it's to be in the woods. My mother's a half Indian. And I--I just love the woods so much. There's... Even my conversion, still I get out there; that's where I first found God, was in the woods, watching nature, how flowers die. It's gone, but it lives again.
E-55 And I used to go up to the north woods, before it went to going west. I would go up in New Hampshire to hunt. And I had a good hunting partner up there. I love to ramble. Chris knows that. And I put in a good thirty-five miles a day in walking, just love to do it. Up over the mountains and around through the valleys and things, I love to roam. And Burt was a good walker, a good tracker, a good hunter. But he was the most brutal man I ever seen in my life. He would shoot those little baby fawns just to be mean.
E-56 And Burt would go out there, just because I was a minister. A little--if a deers would jump up, he'd just shoot the fawn, just to make me feel bad. And I said, "Burt, you are a brute."
E-57 So I noticed, one year when I went up there, he had invented himself a little call. And he could take that little call and go just exactly like a little baby deer a crying for its mammy. And he'd get out there and blow that, and that little--make it go like a little deer crying. E-58 And he took this little whistle and made a little cry that sounded just like a little fawn crying for it's--it's mother. And when he cried it a couple times, just across the way, a great big, beautiful doe (that's the mother deer) jumped up. And I seen that smile come across his mouth. And that big doe, she was so pretty, her big brown eyes, those great big graceful-looking ears, as she looked around. What was it? There was a baby in trouble. She couldn't help it. She was a mama. Mother was in her, was borned in her. She wasn't putting it on. She was a mother to begin with. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?... of it is, you can't impersonate love, it has got to be real.
E-59 And the big mother deer begin to look around, see where that baby was. And I seen Burt take the lever on that rifle, shove the shell up into the barrel. Oh, he was a dead shot. And then he raised up that .30-06 as he leveled that scope hair right across the heart of that mother. And she come walking right out into the clear. Why? She was a mother. It was dangerous. She wouldn't have got in that clearing for nothing in daytime. But there was a baby in trouble. She had mother love. She wanted to see where that baby was. She hadn't thought about danger. She was watching for the baby.
E-60 And I seen Burt level that hand down, put that scope right across her heart. And I thought, "Oh, just a touch of the trigger and he will blow her heart plumb out of her." Across that little space, and I watched him for a minute. I thought, "Oh, God, how can he do it?" And there was a silence. I thought, "Burt... Why hasn't he shot?" And I waited just a moment; he still didn't shoot. I couldn't watch the scene.
E-61 What was it? He seen genuine love displayed. He seen love in the face of death would hold strong. Brother, if a mother deer could cause a hunter to be converted by displaying a real, loyal, motherly love, what would the sinner do when he sees the love of Jesus Christ displayed in the believer's heart. Yes, brother, the world needs love. That's what the church needs today.
E-62 O blessed God, as my memories goes back to that cold chilly day yonder in northern New Hampshire, when I can see that big mother deer walking out there, and those big veins down across her face, how gallant she walked out to her death. She wasn't even thinking of anything else, but to find that little baby that was in trouble. And by that display it caused a brutal hearted man to surrender and know that that come from a real resource. It was in her heart; she was a mother. And today that man a happy Christian because love was displayed.
E-63 O God, while we're in Your Presence, knowing that that and that alone is the Holy Spirit... God is love. God so loved the world that He did something about it, just as that mother deer, it was in her. She was a mother. And when there was a need, she come to the need. She couldn't do nothing else. Her very nature called her to it. And when God seen the world dying in sin, He could do nothing else but come to the rescue. That's what He was, was love. And He so loved the world that He gave His little crying Child yonder on Calvary, that we unworthy, guilty sinners might be redeemed by His love.
E-64 O God, I don't know when I'll preach my last sermon, but I pray God that somehow, that this deep love and peace will settle on ever heart here this afternoon, and that they might become borned again in the love of God, and fellowship and love for each other and the brethren, and loyalty to God. It would revolutionize every organization; it would build up every church; it would build up communities; it would build the Kingdom of God.
E-65 Now, if God so loved you, and displayed His love at Calvary for you, sent the Holy Spirit here, and the resurrected Christ standing before you, right at your seat, speaking to your heart, will you appreciate it enough to say, "By this, Brother Branham, I raise my hand today and say, 'In God's Name, I'll take my stand for Jesus Christ this afternoon.' And that love hasn't been in my heart, like you've talked of it, Brother Branham, like the Bible has proved it. I now want that love in my heart. And God, You help me to have it."?
E-66 Be sincere now. Say, "Brother Branham, you know I've been a church member. I've went to my church for years. But really, it has sure been a up-and-down live. I never knowed where I was at nor nothing. I never did have that kinda love you are talking about. Oh, I've felt like I wanted to serve the Lord." That's intellectual. That's something that you got in your mind. But brother, sister, dear, when He comes down into your heart, it's different. It's something you can't forget. It's part of you.
E-67 Now, be real honest. What if this was your last opportunity? Wouldn't you like to walk before Christ, knowing that you display His love? What do you do around the city? Is your life so in your country where you live, that everyone knows that you're a Christian, and they love you, and believe you to be a real servant of God? Or do they know that you got to high temper, and--and you get angry with your neighbors, and you fly off the handle, and you're up one day and down the next, and--and you half-way believe and... Is that the kind... But you go to church. God can't display His love in that. You've got to sell it all out and lay it on the altar, and then really come and be borned again. I mean let the seed come down into the heart and make you a new creature.
E-68 Remember, this day we'll have to answer for it. God bless you, young lady over here to my left. This day we'll have to answer. This message will be on recording at the judgment bar. This message will linger with you as long as you live. God bless you, lady, you here with the red coat. The little boy, God bless the little boy. This will linger with you as long, and it'll be on recording, because we spoke the Word. God wants to call you right out now.
E-69 I want you to give me a little chord, sister, while they're praying. Christians pray. "Almost Persuaded," if you will, give me a chord on it. All right.
"Almost persuaded," now to believe;
"Almost persuaded," Christ to receive;
Seem now some soul to say,
"Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I'll call."
You love Him? You really wanting to meet Him? I'll tell you, friends; just take it from your brother today. There's got to be something happen within you, a birth that changes all your disposition. Just a mental, dry-eyed conception won't work.
E-70 I remember the time standing at my latest temptation, my hardest. My wife was laying in the morgue, a corpse. My little baby was laying dying. Healthy little child a few hours before, but it tookin' meningitis. And I went to the hospital. They had it in an isolated ward, and the flies was all over it's little eyes. I was just a young minister, about twenty-five years old, mother dead, the baby laying dying. I went in reverently, got down on my knees, and I said, "Lord God, what have I done? Has there been anything that I've done to transgress You? Are You doing this... Or, why You tearing my heart apart? Don't take my little baby." I said, "Lord, I love that little thing so much." She was just big enough that when I come around the corner and blow the horn, she'd raise her little hands out and go, "Goo, goo, goo." And I just love little children.
E-71 And Satan come to me. He said, "Now, will you serve Him? Now, what do you think about Him? Your daddy died about a--two weeks ago in your arms. A doctor killed him with a dose of medicine." Said, "Your brother, less than a month ago, was killed up there on a--on the road, and you picked him up and his blood running out of his body, where a drunk run over him." Said, "There lays your wife down here in the morgue. And now, He's taking your baby out of your arms." Said, "You still love Him?"
E-72 The Angels come and took her little soul away. Packed her down and put her on the arms of her mother. I went out there and you heard the undertaker say, "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, and earth to earth." And as the old yellow clay clods dropped upon the little casket, the breeze come down through the trees seemed to say,
There's a land beyond the river,
They call the sweet forever.
We only reach that shore by faith degree.
One by one we gain the portal,
There to dwell with the immortal.
Someday they will ring those golden bells for you and me.
And old turtledove flew up there in the tree and begin cooing. I thought it might be the soul of my baby. Then it left me. I know it wouldn't leave me.
E-73 How I remember taking little Billy, here. We went to put a flower on the grave the next easter. Just about the break of day. He had the little flower hugged up in his arms. And as he walked along, I took off my hat as I walked to the grave. He reached over, took off his little hat (he was about four years old). He set the flower down on his mother's grave and put his little hands up, begin to cry.
E-74 I saw a vision of her after I couldn't get over it for awhile. I had a vision one night when I knelt by the side of an old dirty cot where I was sleeping. I couldn't give them up. I was trying to work, and I was--couldn't satisfy myself. I remember coming in that night and kneeling down. I al--tried to commit suicide, nearly, that day. I was getting frantic. I couldn't stand it no longer. I knelt down by the side of that old cot. And I said, "O God, why'd You take my baby?" I said, "I just can't understand it, God."
E-75 I remember going into the house and looking at her there, seeing her. She said, "You're home."
E-76 And just then I come to in the room. It was dark. I felt her arm around me, patting me. I heard her voice. I thought, "Oh, it can't be. It can't be. The vision's over." And I shook my head; I looked. Her arm was still around me. She was patting me.
E-77 The state senator of Indiana comes to my church. He met me going up the road a few days after that. I was walking along crying. He said, "Billy, I want to ask you something." He jumped out of his car, put his arm around me. He said, "I've heard you down here on the street corner." I was just a young Baptist preacher. He said, "I've heard you on the street corner, preaching. I've heard you over yonder at the Baptist church preaching, in the Tabernacle and so forth." Said, "What does Christ mean to you now. Do you still love Him?"
E-78 Now, you that wants to have that real love this afternoon, just this mental intellectual part taken away, and you want a real love of God, would you stand to your feet right now. You who wants it, you who raised your hands. God bless you, my brother. God bless you, my sister. Just keep standing, just a moment. God bless you, lady. God bless you, sister. God bless you. God bless you.
E-79 Now, look. I don't know your heart. God does. But you're willing. Jesus said, "He that will confess Me before men, him I'll confess before the Father and the holy Angels." When this great canvas is spread across the sky, and this sermon begins to record up yonder, and this day has to be brought in, your picture will be standing there on God's big television screen. You stood for Christ.
E-80 Quietly now. This is a moment, and if you believe me to be a servant of Christ, Angels of God are taking their positions. He Who gives eyes to see visions is present. Angels of God, the recording Angels are taking their position to record the names in the Lamb's Book of Life, which can never be taken out. He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent Me has Everlasting Life, and shall never come to the judgment, but has passed from death unto Life. Little girls, young women, old, middle age, they're standing to their feet, men and women.
E-81 And how, what a great privilege it is to know, that Jehovah God stands here today, taking this bunch of people, standing on their feet and giving them over to Jesus as a love gift. By the preaching of the Word, God has give these to His Son, Christ Jesus, for a love gift. They're Jesus' love gift. He's embracing them into His heart now. The Angels are recording their names.
E-82 No doubt there's many a self-style church member who ought to have stood and would not do it. Oh, what will it be that day, when You say, "I was--you was ashamed of Me that day in that meeting in the arena. I'm ashamed of your character." The Holy Spirit has to bring that to the Father: ashamed of Him. But O God, bless those who are standing. And we pray that You'll write their names in the indelible Blood of the Lord Jesus on the Book of Life. May they have Eternal Life from henceforth. Give them peace and love. May the love that only You can put in their heart, that I been speaking of: a love and a peace that passing understanding, a love that constrains them to God. May it come to every heart this afternoon.
E-83 May be seated. And you that's--when they set down, every Christian near the person that stood, reach over and shake their hand, will you? Say, "God bless you, brother. God bless you. We're glad to have you, sister." Shake hands with each one that stood up. Somebody make it their business to shake hands with those people and welcome them into the fellowship of the Lord Jesus.
E-84 How many Christians in here feel that real love in your heart that I been talking about, raise your hands now? Just--that you feel in your heart... Isn't that wonderful?
There's a land that is fairer than day,And by faith we can see it afar;For the Father waits over the way,To prepare us a dwelling place there.
(Everybody now. Right out.)In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
E-85 How many likes them old fashion songs, raise your hands? I'd rather have it then all your fast boogly-woogly. I'll... I don't like to see that in church. Church songs belongs in church, don't you think so? Absolutely. I love the inspired pen of those old writers.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore, (That's right. Turn right around now and shake it.)...melodious songs of the blest,And our spirit shall sorrow no more,Not a sigh for the blessings of rest.
In the sweet (everybody now) sweet (lets raise your hands) and by,We shall meet on that beautiful shore;In the sweet by and by,We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
E-86 Doesn't that just make you feel all scoured out inside? How many feels that way? just all scoured out? the love of God just sweeping through and taking all the old malice and laying it aside? It's much better than anything else I know of. Don't you think so? Just something does something to you.
E-87 All right, now tonight the prayer cards will be give out at the fast time, seven o'clock. It's right now quarter after four by fast time, quarter after three by God's time. But now, the fast time, man's time, it's a quarter after four, and at seven o'clock my boys will be over here to give out the prayer cards for healing service tonight.
At the name of Jesus bowing,
Falling prostrate at His feet,
King of kings in heaven we will crown Him,
When our journey is complete.
Precious name. O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven;
Precious name. O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
E-88 Now, to you local people here in the city that's got churches that's not dismissing for the service tonight, you attend your own church. That's your post of duty. We don't want to call you from your church when you got service. |
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