In this sermon, Dr. Simpson shares his experience of preaching and divine healing. He emphasizes that his sermons were not his own, but were given to him by Jesus Christ. He also discusses the importance of relying on God for healing and not relying on human plans or efforts. Dr. Simpson contrasts his approach to preaching with the common practice of trying to keep the audience entertained and highlights the need to abide in the presence of God.

I was glad for the things our sister from Canada said, because I went through that stage. I know how it is to be tortured by a prayer meeting. It's something like happened to me when I was a boy and worked in a shop. Every time we had a picnic, church picnic, I would have picnic itis the next day. I was tortured. I thought I had rheumatism. But it was nothing in the world but stretched muscles. And one day I talked to a fellow that was working with me and he said, you see how badly you need exercise. That's your whole trouble. My muscles were not accustomed to working. And when you're tortured in the presence of God in the silence, it shows how greatly you need to practice the presence of God. It is very, very, very strange to me that everybody talks about God and nobody pays attention to him. The Bible says that God is. And God says be still. Be still, be still. I'm reminded of another sister from Canada who came to our meetings and she says, goodness are these meetings dead. Our preachers are on their feet all the time. In other words, there's always something going. Well, you might as well put a jack-in-the-box on the platform. Preachers on his feet all the time. Oh, if preachers would only get out of the way and let God. I think the great victory of this work, we spoke of it last night in connection with our work in Germany. What rivers of blessing are flowing. We have over there now quite a number of assemblies that are blossoming Holy Ghost assemblies. You would be surprised if you got into those meetings and recognized the wonderful presence of God, and the wonderful things God's been doing for souls. And what has been the reason for it? Well, it's been the fact that we have tried to abide at the fountain of living waters. Before I came to Brooklyn, I worked with a minister in Chicago. And he used to say to me, let's keep the pot boiling. Let's keep the pot boiling. What he meant was let's keep ministers jumping up and down. He would have one evangelist. The whirlwind from Texas. And when the whirlwind from Texas got through entertaining the people for two or three weeks, then he got the cyclone from the sands of California. And when the cyclone got blown out by then, he got a bass drum from Alabama. Or something. And the result was that the people were paralyzed. They had nothing to do but to sit there and be tickled behind the ears. And give a collection, of course. Now, let's take a love offering. This man, you know, he's of course living by faith. But, you know, you can't run a train to California by faith. You've got to have a real ticket, so let's take a love offering. Now, come on, we'll stand while we sing Blessed Quietness. Well, excuse me. But it's funny. But when God had made us to find him, and come out of the labyrinth, and out of the thorn bushes, and out of the awful desert, experience into the sanctuary of the most high God, and we looked upon his face. We came to Brooklyn. Somebody said, what are you going to do in Brooklyn? That's a hopeless place. Absolutely hopeless. And when I came here, one of the leading brethren met me. And he said, I'm sorry you came here. There's nothing to do in here. That was the how do you do. Heavy on the how do you do. That was heavy on the how do you do, folks. That's the greeting I received. Well, I said, all I'm going to do in Brooklyn is seek the Lord. I said, I don't care whether people come or whether they don't come. Brother Miller came from the lighthouse one night. And he said, you know what I saw down at the lighthouse? All these German people. The whole row of them. And it was the Amanda. That's what he said. And so they said to me, now you go and get the bag. You go and visit them and bring the bag. I said, I'll do nothing of the sort. I'll let God bring in the people. God brought them in. But it was wonderful how he brought them in from the very beginning. Thank God there were a few souls who knew the Lord. Sister Schweiger was there. And two or three others that really knew the Lord. And when the meeting opened, God came to that place and I was satisfied. I knew that the people didn't understand what was going on. But a few. But I knew what was going on. And I knew that God had taken charge of the place. And it was very wonderful to me. It was a hard thing to teach people to worship God. Why they looked around. Sister Marieke was a good example. She came one night. And she looked at me and she said, my, what goodness. I thought they had an evangelist. Here he sits with his eyes closed. He does nothing. And then she looked to the right and somebody did nothing. They had their eyes closed. To the left, they had their eyes closed. Nothing was going on. Everybody was still. So she called for a song. Number 37. I said, thank you, sister. We'll wait just a while while Jesus is walking through the aisles and blessing the people. We'll sing that song a little bit later. Well, she had been accustomed to that. So people still kept their eyes closed. And she thought, well, might as well close my eyes too. So she closed her eyes. And then God got a chance. She told us later how her heart began burning within her. It began burning. She'd never felt that sensation before. What was it? Well, you don't have to tell anybody what that is. People that are hungry for God, they'll quickly know why Jesus has come. Why it's the Lord. She recognized it right away. And she went down to those places and got the food. Well, I tell you, nothing satisfies but Jesus. Jesus is the way. Why do we try to find another way? Jesus is the way. Jesus, you are the way. So there's nothing for me to do. Jesus is the way. Oh, but until this heart of mine is silenced to know God. That's the great job God has with his people. He says, be still. Be still. There's a man from whose life has flowed great blessing. Dr. A.B. Simpson. He ranks with the greatest of the great in the kingdom of heaven. But he wasn't always like that. He was one time a very popular preacher. But he got so sick, had a nervous breakdown. The doctor advised him to quit preaching. He couldn't make it anymore. He was too nervous. And then someone gave him a little tract. And in this tract he was told that God was in his heart waiting to manifest himself to him personally. If he would only get still enough to hear his voice. So Dr. Simpson said, well, I'll try that. I'm a nervous wreck anyway. He went into his room, locked the door. He said he attempted to get still. But no sooner had he gotten still when a regular pandemonium of noise is pressed upon him. He didn't know they were there, you know, until he tried to get still. But when he tried to get still. Oh, there were a thousand and one thoughts that clamored for attention. Did you ever reflect where do these thoughts come from? Where do they come from when you have a lot of pesky flies around you? There must be a pile of manure someplace. Excuse the expression, but I want it to stick. Where do these thoughts come from? They don't come from the Lord. But they come from someplace. Where the carcass is, there will be vultures gather. Well, it's a fact. But Dr. Simpson recognized it and he still tried to get still. So he hung on to his chair, kneeling there. And then he says, when these thoughts kind of abated, then all kinds of needs clamored for attention. Got to pray for this and that and the other. And now you've got to get up and write a sermon for next Sunday. Oh, there was such a busy lot of things that pressed for attention. And presently the Lord said, get still, get still, get still. Strange. Isn't it strange that we insist on abiding in the outer court? Where we hear the crack of the whip of the slave driver and the mooing of the oxen and the doves and the changers of money. We've got to hear that all the time or we're tortured. Get into the holiest of all and there isn't a sound and there isn't a sight, there isn't a light there. Only God is there. Alone with Jesus. Oh, what would happen if I got alone with Jesus? But what will happen if I don't get alone with Jesus? Why, I miss him. I'm going to miss him when he comes. I tell you, I'm going to miss him when he comes. He says, to the Father, Father, I will. That they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. I in them and thou in me. That they may be made perfect in one. And that the world may know that thou hast loved me and that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me. What a mystery. I, Jesus, are you in me now? Not if I'm not alone with thee. Not if I let all kinds of idols roam around in my heart. To be alone with Jesus doesn't mean to be alone in a room. But it means to be alone with him. It means to have no attention to anybody but him. To have my heart so cleansed of every thought and every affection, every affinity, every attitude. That Christ is all and in all. We talk about it. We sing about it. But very seldom do you find a person that presses through. But Dr. Simpson did. He said he got still. And it took a long, long time. But he made up his mind that he was going to get still. And finally he says all these noises and all these voices ceased to be heard. He heard them no more. And then he said a still, small voice made itself heard in the depths of his spirit. He recognized immediately that it was the voice of the bridegroom, Jesus. It had been speaking all the time, but he never gave it a chance. He had never heard it before for the sounds of other voices. That's what's the matter with most Christians. But oh, he said the change that came over his life was phenomenal. This wonderful voice of Jesus became the word of life to him. Now he somehow entered into that sacred, sacred, holy place of the Lord. And he made the exchange. He said Jesus Christ became his all and it all. You want to read a good tract? Read the tract called Himself. He tells how that he had sought holiness. And he thought God would give him a basket full of holiness so he could walk off with it and then draw from it. But he found out that when Jesus revealed himself to him, he didn't give him anything, nothing. He said, I'm going to be your holiness now. You'll have to depend on me for every word and every step you take, and I will supply you with all the holiness you need, step by step. He says, I'm your righteousness. I'm your holiness. But I won't give you any of it except what you need for every moment. He explained it like this. He said, I have a large account in the bank of heaven, millions upon millions, but I can't draw any more than $10 a day. That's all I need. All I need for this day, I've got to go to Jesus every day and draw what I need. Oh, how it keeps me united to him. That's the secret of the inward life. Without me, you can't do nothing. Jesus finds you to himself. He is the way. And you no more think of planning or doing anything for God yourself. You know you can't. Oh, that's the secret of all wisdom. I don't know how to live. I don't have to live. Christ live it in me. Oh, the plan that God has is to fill you with all the fullness of God. And your plan is to show God how spiritual you can make yourself, how you can jump straight up and down, how you can preach service. And it's all wood, hay, and stubble before the Lord. I suggested to someone who wanted a name for his spiritual paper. I said, if you want a name that nobody ever has used for a spiritual paper, use that word, wood, hay, and stubble. It would be very different from all the religious press. But Dr. Simpson tells how that formerly, when he preached two sermons a week, he was knocked out. Now, sometimes he ought to preach 10, 20 times a week. And he didn't get knocked out. He didn't get nervous. Every sermon was given to him at the right time. It was Jesus Christ with him. Jesus that supplied him with all that he needed. He made no plans. He knew he had nothing to do in the world but to be a vessel sanctified and meet for the master's use and prepared unto every good work. And then he said the same thing held true of divine healing. He thought, now, now Jesus is my healer. Now he's going to make me strong as an ox. He said, the Lord never did that. The Lord never gave him more health than he needed at the time. He had to depend upon Jesus. Every moment for every ounce of strength. Every day he made the statement one time that he never went to sleep except by committing himself to Jesus for the night. Now there's a lesson that most people never learn because it isn't taught. But I tell you, Jesus Christ will teach you marvelous lessons when he becomes the way. When he, oh, hallelujah. Glory to God. I can understand the sister or whoever it was that said it's getting more wonderful all the time. It is. It's getting more brilliant all the time. But oh, how bright would my life be today if I had from the very beginning counted everything but refuse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. I know that I cannot teach you. I know that you cannot teach me. But I know one thing, that when I speak in the will of God, God takes these words and he makes them intelligible to somebody. That's my great joy. I had a wonderful joy the other day in Germany when a woman whom I didn't know got up in Stuttgart and she testified. She was just bubbling over with joy. She was drunk with the Holy Ghost. And I didn't know her from Adam. But she said some two years ago, brother, while Fogle was in Berlin, I had been there only a few days, only for a few meetings. And she said, I heard him talk about the indwelling life of Jesus Christ. He says, I never knew anything about that. But since that time, he's been the fountain of life for me. He's been living out his own life within me. There was somebody that got hold. Beloved people are going to get hold. Jesus said, flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And if you're here with a hungry heart, the Father who is in heaven will reveal to you his Son. And you'll find out something that you don't find out in the Christian Life magazine or any magazine. You've got to find it from the heart of Jesus. I'm not saying anything against the magazine, you know. It's a wonderful magazine. Very, very wonderful. I needed some wrapping paper the other day, and I was so glad that magazine was lying on the table. Well, it's a wonderful magazine, I'm sure. The love stories are marvelous in it. My, how they stir hearts of young people to lay themselves upon the altar or into the icebox or someplace. But oh, if you'd look into the heart of Jesus, if you get along with him, you'll find him. The words are wonderful that speak of Jesus, but they're not like himself. Himself is the way. Himself speaks to me. Himself comes to me. Himself reveals himself to me. But it cannot be until I make that exchange, until I get still, until I get alone with him, alone with him. Praise God. Oh, Jesus, I'm so glad you told me one day that I would never amount to anything in the kingdom of God until I got alone with you. It was very strange. It was a message that came right out of heaven, and he repeated it three times. Four times he said, get alone with me. I was spiritual. I was speaking in tongues. I was preaching. People were blessed by my ministry. And the Lord said, I can't do much with you until you give me a chance to reveal myself to you. He said, I haven't been able to make you see how you need to get down. My goodness, I could have told the Lord how to get down. I knew all about it. Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It's to be at peace when nobody praises me, when I'm blamed and despised. It's to have a blessed home in the Lord, or how does it go? I got to brush up on it. Well, I tell you, we're some theologians. Here comes a great big shot from Sweden, Pentecostal preacher, comes to Wheaton to get a doctor of philosophy degree. And he won't talk to another big shot in Sweden in the same city because that other man is also a Pentecostal minister and he won't get under his tutelage. So they don't talk to one another. If you go to Stockholm to the convention, don't go to the other place first because if you put your nose into his church, this big shot won't accept you anymore. He'll write about you in his paper. He'll run you to Pentecostal thing. PhD. Well, the other big shot came here one day and he said to me, I'm coming to get a doctor degree, but from another university. He said, you know Bob Jones? I said, yes, I know Bob Jones. Well, he said, I'm going to Bob Jones College to get a doctor degree. Lord, have mercy upon me. Jesus says, I am the truth. I am the way. Oh Jesus, help me to get down. Give me light in these days. You know, it would be a wonderful blessing if for two weeks we do nothing but be still. It would be torment. It would be torture. You'd say, what's your name? And he'd say, we're Legion because we're alive. But you pretty soon stop dwelling in the tombs and beating yourself with bricks over the head. You'd get still. You'd find God. God would come to you. God's waiting to come to me. Waiting to come to my heart. Waiting to reveal his son to me. And oh, to get still. I understand my sister well. It's torture. It was to me. But today it's heaven. Oh, how very wonderful is the silence. The silence. But I'd like to say another thing to our sister and all of us. This is not a new way at all. I used to think it was new. When God began to introduce it to me, I thought I was going off the track. I thought I was getting into some fanaticism. And then I suddenly discovered something. I discovered the little book by Madame Guyon which created a great religious war. A short and easy method of prayer. Oh, I said, why, she had that. And then I discovered Church taken and I found out that he had found it. St. Francis of Assisi. I found the early church lived at St. Augustine in his city of God. Why, I found out that that's the only way. It is when Jesus Christ becomes enthroned in our hearts and minds and souls. We will find, we will all find him in the secret place of the Most High God. And Pentecostal people ought to learn that lesson. We above all people on the face of the earth have a right to enter into the holiest of all by a new and living way. To enter into worship. And when we come into our meetings, we find out what heathen we are. How little we know about true worship. I find it in Germany. Sometime ago I was in a meeting. It was a tinny meeting, you know, noisy. And after the meeting, and after my sermon, there came a wonderful presence of God. It just came upon me, it held me prostrate. I said, oh hallelujah, Jesus has come. And it seems to me everybody recognized it but the preacher. He paid no attention to Jesus. He didn't know him, didn't recognize him. What a terrible, terrible state of affairs. He should have been the very first one to welcome the Lord. But we don't know God until Jesus becomes the way and the truth and the life. And let me again remind us of the first thought. Everyone that seek, find. Goja, rabyamba, palazana, mardono, bombele, palbaga, fashaga, rajado, kele, mazungardini, bolognele, vaibolo, sulambini, kele, shaibar, barbini, biapolo, bufaga, kele, sondombo, pumbuja, rabyamba, lagizandar, benebolo, bogolo. It is because my people insist on remaining natural and feeding their souls on the husks that they find round about in this earth that I have not been able to feed them with manna that are from the secret place of the Most High. But those who love me will seek me with their whole heart and will find me. And it is they whom I will introduce into the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. I have been waiting a long time for my people to come on. I've been speaking to them by my spirit. I've caused it to be written in the Word that I am the way and the truth and the life and that no man cometh unto the Father instead of taking my yoke upon themselves, instead of being bound together with me and allowing me to be their way and manifesting my life within them. They make their own plans and they've lost the way. Children of mine, I've spoken to you again in quaint ways, but I've been trying to gain your attention to this one grand truth that I am the way. And if you don't want to lose the way, you must have me. Without me, you can do nothing. And I'm offering myself to every one of you. Do you want me?