In this sermon, the preacher starts off by expressing his nervousness as a new preacher. He mentions specific individuals in the congregation and calls them out for distracting others during the sermon. He then shares a humorous anecdote about forgetting his sermon and buying a hair growth product. The preacher goes on to talk about the importance of finding joy in being a Christian and not allowing the devil to steal it. He emphasizes the need to prioritize the salvation of one's soul and the spiritual well-being of children over material possessions. The sermon concludes with a mention of baptism rates in churches and a suggestion that more effort should be made to reach out to others.

I guess if there's one word that I, that I hate more than any other word in the English language, it's self. Self. One of the sad things is that most of us live most of our lives for ourselves. If there's anything I'd like to preach about the loudest, other than the gospel, it's selfishness. If there's anything that I'd like to impress upon the hearts and minds of my people, it's to get out of the self-life. What happens to me? What's in it for me? I made mention of my Sunday school class this morning. One of the finest girls in our church. And this is not unusual, and nobody will know who she is but two of us. But it's so typical. Young folks come to my office for counseling. And I ask them, what do you plan to do with your life? Well, I plan to work. Why? Well, I want to save enough money to get married. You can get married for two dollars. And I got one ceremony that says, want them, want them, got them, that's only $1.98. And so, but that's the way most of us are built. I mean, we're just wrapped up in ourselves. What's in it for me? What do I get out of it? What do they think about me? She criticized me. I'll get him back. Well, I didn't get my way. Well, how about my rights? Most of us never, ever get out of ourselves. It's one of the saddest things. Honestly, it's the thing that if I hadn't a hair, I'd pull my hair over. I, but you got as little as I got, you don't pull any of it. When it falls out, you paste it back in. And I, but I would. To me, it's the most frustrating thing about the ministry. Is to preach and preach and preach for 13 years to people. And most of them, I mean the best of us, are more concerned about ourselves than anybody else. Just self. Just self. Planning for my future. I said to my class this morning, and I've said it to you before. Most of us say, we're saving for a rainy day. No, you don't mean that. It could rain on everybody else in the whole world besides you, and you'd keep it in the bank. You're saving it for a day when you get rained on. You're not saving it for somebody else's rainy day. Everybody else could drown as far as you're concerned. You're saving it for yourself. Self. I am offended. Selfishness. I won't speak to him anymore. Selfishness. He did me wrong. Selfishness. Most of us, oh my. I've preached about it so much, I don't know how to come at it anymore. But most of us never do get away from ourselves. Just ourselves. Now there's a reason for that. The devil is after us all the time. The devil from the time you first hear, well from the time you're born. The devil is after you. Now he's not after you just until you get saved. He's after you after you get saved too. He's always after you. Satan is bidding for your life. Brother Colston led us a while ago in reading something about the story of the Israelites. Don't you recall how they're in the land of Egypt in bondage? And the devil put them in terrible rigor and bondage and slavery. Tried to keep them in Egypt. You see, the devil didn't want the Israelites to leave the land of Egypt. He wanted them to stay in Egypt. But through the miraculous Passover lamb and the death angel coming over at night and taking all the firstborn where the blood was not applied. Pharaoh relented and let the Israelites go. No sooner had they gotten to the city limit sign of town. Until Pharaoh said, I'm sorry I did it. Now bear in mind, they're delivered from Egypt. They're saved. But Pharaoh said, I wish I hadn't have done it. Now what happened? He gathered himself up in the scripture we read a while ago. He gathered himself an army and began to pursue the Israelites. He's not through with them yet. I mean they're out of Egypt, but he's not through with them yet. They're delivered, but he's not through with them yet. And so the army is pursued down to the time they get to the Red Sea. You recall the story. Moses, the Lord said to Moses, take the rod that I gave you and smite the Red Sea. Moses took the rod and smote the waters of the Red Sea. And God parted the Red Sea and made a four lane freeway across the Red Sea. Maybe a six lane, I'm not sure. But across the Red Sea on dry ground. And then the armies of Pharaoh said, let's go after them. And they got in the middle of the Red Sea and the waters prevailed. And the armies were killed. Now then, Pharaoh is behind them. His armies are dead. They're delivered. They're on their way to the promised land. But the devil's not through with them yet. They got discouraged. And they said, we don't have anything to drink. We don't have any water. We don't have anything to eat. We wish we were back in Egypt. Why, at least we had some onions and cucumbers and garlic and leeks and young people. And we had some watermelon in Egypt. Now we don't have anything. The devil can't get your soul, he'll get your joy. And so they lost their joy. And God gave them water from the rock. He gave them manna from heaven. But don't you recall what Pharaoh had said? Pharaoh said, okay, go on, but don't take your kids with you. The devil can't get your soul. He wants the soul of your kids. Again, he said, okay, go on, but leave your cattle and leave your riches here. The devil can't get your soul. He wants your money. He wants your possessions. He wants you young people. Now everybody listen. I'm going to tell you tonight. I don't want you talking or whispering or writing notes. I want you everywhere I've got to say. I mean, fasten your eyes on this preacher. And so they crossed the wilderness. They came to Cadiz Barney, but the devil's not through yet. And so they faced the promised land, a land of victory, a land that flows with milk and honey. And the devil said, don't go in there. You see, from the time they were in Egypt, as long as they lived, the devil was trying to get them. He never lets up. That's why the apostle Paul said, I think when he died, I think he said, I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I didn't quit fighting. I didn't turn back. I finished the course. I made it. I made it. Paul said he buffeted his body every day. You know one reason why? And I say this very kindly. You know one reason why a lot of people, I think, stumble and fall? It's because they don't realize the devil's after them. There's some people who think you get sanctified, you don't sin anymore. What do they do? They let down their barrier, and boy, wham, from the rear, a big 265-pound tackle, tackles you from the rear, and you thought you were free. No, the devil's always after you. Always is. Well, you say, I'm saved. Now that does it. No, it doesn't do it. That just starts it. Well, you say, I'm baptized now. That does it. No, it doesn't do it. See, that just starts it. Well, you say, praise the Lord. I've been filled with the Holy Spirit. Okay, and if I was the devil and you were filled with the Holy Spirit, I'd fight you more than ever. The devil's after you. I want to talk to you tonight about just as practical as I can, about what the devil's doing to steal you. In the first place, he's after you to keep you from getting saved. Tonight, if you're in this room and your name is not written in heaven, if you don't know that if you died tonight, you'd go to heaven, there's only one reason you're not saved, only one, and that's because the devil has sold you a wooden nickel. You see, it says the devil, in 2 Corinthians 4, 3, it says, If our gospel be hid, it is hid from those that are lost. And that word hid there comes from the same root word of the apocrypha, the apocrypha books. It's the opposite word of apocalypse. Apocalypse is the word for revelation in the Bible, to uncover that which was hidden. Apocrypha is something that is hidden. And if our gospel be apocrypha, if it be hidden, it is hidden from those that are lost. And if you're here tonight and not saved, the devil says to you, Don't be saved. Sin is too attractive. And so he paints sin as attractively as he can. The biggest lie the devil has, the biggest deception in the world, the biggest deceiver in the world is the devil's advertising of sin. He puts it on the back of a magazine and says, If you'll drink this kind of drink, Seagram 7, you'll be a distinguished man. You'll be an idiot. That's what you'll be if you drink that kind of garbage. The devil never puts it, he never sees the folks, he never takes a picture, the folks that come to my study who've drunk the last drink of the cup of sin and who've tasted the last bitter taste of sin and who've come to the end of sin when the soul of the sinner is dying, your sin will find you out. The devil doesn't take the depleted, poor, wretched bum that stumbles into my office and says, I've got to have help. He doesn't take him for his advertisement. He takes some person that's beautiful and handsome and has the bright lights and shines the bright beam on his garbage and says, You drink Ham's beer and you'll be in the land of sky blue waters. I mean, the snow will melt all around you and your wife that's 5'4 and weighs 235 will suddenly be 5'6 and weigh 130. And your bald-headed husband that looks like he just swallowed a cantaloupe all of a sudden will be a combination of Rock Hudson. And that's the only one I can think of. I mean, all of a sudden he'll be a glamour boy. If you just drink Ham's beer in the land of sky blue waters or if you're having trouble keeping your hair in place, just one little dab will do you. That's all. Don't put two dabs on because you can't fight all of them off. I mean, they'll be pursuing you, the girls. Man, if I do that, I'd bathe in that stuff. You see, the devil says, Look at this cigarette ad. Look at this beautiful young lady with a cigar in her mouth. And nowadays the devil's getting some brazen. He just goes ahead and puts a cigar right in the mouth. And always a pretty girl. No fat girls ever smoke. Always a pretty girl. Everything is off. And no, don't get saved. Sin's too much fun. He's a liar. He's a cheat. He's a deceiver. Sin, when it is finished, bringer forth death. The devil's trying to keep you from getting saved. He puts it on the television set. He puts it in the magazines. He puts it in the newspapers. He puts it on billboards. He puts it in the movies. He puts it in all of his commercials. Don't get saved. Sin's too attractive. Or maybe he doesn't succeed that way. He says, Don't get saved, but now wait. It is said in legend that one day in hell, the devil called all the little angels, all the little devil's angels together, little imps and demons in hell. And they had a convention. And Satan said, I want to figure out some way so that all people will be lost. They'll not be saved. What can I do? And one little imp raised his hand, and he said, I've got a suggestion. I've got a suggestion. Get them all drunk. And make them all drink liquor. And nobody will get saved. The devil said, That won't work. He said, Too many of them, when they drink liquor, they have broken lives and broken hearts and broken homes and broken dreams and broken aspirations and broken air castles. He said, That won't do. They'll go to some preacher and some soul winner and get saved. One little devil said, I know. I know. He said, Cause them all to be atheists. The devil said, That won't do. That won't do. Why, he said, everybody in his heart knows there's a God. He doesn't have any peace. He knows he needs something. Finally, one little devil in hell said, Hey, I've got the idea. I've got it. And the big old Lucifer looked down and said, What is it, little imp? And that little devil said, I'll tell you what. Let's tell them all to get saved. And all the devils in hell were shocked and began to frown and thought, What? What? What? This little fellow is a traitor. He says, Tell them all to get saved. What do you mean? And he says, But, tell them to do it tomorrow. And all the demons in hell said, That's it! That's it! And most people in this house tonight who are not saved, who will die and go to hell, intend to get saved someday. You intend to come to God. You haven't planned to go to hell. You don't have a ticket in your billfold tonight to hell. You plan to get saved. But the devil has sold you his biggest bit of reception in get saved, get saved, get saved, but not tonight. Tomorrow, son, men have arised to see a long-deluded sight. This is the time. Oh, then be wise. Be saved, oh, tonight. The devil said, I want you to be saved. So he points you to some hypocrite in the church or turns you to a liberal church instead of a fundamental church or turns you to humanism or belief in a God, but not the Bible or universalism or you have someone in the church gossip or criticize the preacher or criticize other Christians and you hide behind the hypocrites or somebody out at work doesn't live like you'll live and they're saved and so the devil says, Yeah, he's a hypocrite. You don't want to be like that. The devil's trying to keep you from getting saved. Brother, he'll get your soul and damn your soul in hell if you don't wake yourself up and realize you're not unsaved because you want to wait a while. You're not unsaved because you're just not ready. You're unsaved because the devil's got you and has blinded your eyes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so the day comes when you realize it and tonight some will. Let's suppose tonight, and I'm sure some will, some tonight will say, Okay, Brother Howells, I see it. It's the devil. I'm not going to let the devil have my life. I'm not going to let him defeat my life. I'm not going to let him wreck and ruin my future. I'm not going to let him send me to hell. And so you come down the aisle and you get saved. And the devil says, Well, I didn't want to get saved. I tried everything I could to keep you from getting saved, but I'm not through with him. And so the first thing the devil does is try to keep you out of that pool right there. Why do I make such a play about baptism? Why do I baptize the same day folks get converted? Because the Bible says it. That's what they did in the book of Acts. That's the main reason, but I make a big play about baptism because it so happens that baptism is the first command that God gives a believer. And I want Christian people when they get saved here to start off obeying Christ. And so I want you to obey Him on the first step and get in the habit of obeying Christ. You've read my little book on baptism. You've heard this story and you've heard me tell it, many of you, down in Marshall, Texas when I was 22 or 23 years of age pastoring a church, baptizing every Sunday. I had a little beginner Sunday school class one day and the faithful beginner worker asked the boys and girls, said, boys and girls, I have a question to ask you this morning. Who baptized Jesus? And everybody knew that. They all said John the Baptist. That's who baptized Jesus. She said, okay, who baptized John the Baptist? And boy, that was a stumper. Nobody knew who baptized John the Baptist. And finally, one little fellow back in the back of the room raised his hand. Remember how he used to do it in school? He said, I know, I know, I know. She said, Johnny, do you know? The teacher didn't even know, you see. And said, Johnny, do you know? He said, yeah! Brother Hiles did! Well, he thought I baptized everybody. Why? Because I baptize them on the spot when they get saved. But the devil says, okay, you're saved now. Don't you get baptized? Listen. You say, I'm not baptized yet because I'm not ready. No, you're not baptized yet because the devil kept you from it. You say, well, I'm not baptized yet because I want to wait a while and be sure I know what I'm doing. No, you're not baptized yet because the devil has kept you from getting baptized. Well, you say, I'm not baptized yet because Uncle George and Aunt Sue are my favorite uncle and aunt and I want them to come and see me. And won't you get your godfather and godmother and do it up round? And I want to wait until Uncle George and Aunt Sue come in and I want to see me get baptized. No, you don't get baptized now because the devil doesn't want you to get baptized now. No, you say, I'm going to get baptized now because I want to wait until my daddy comes to church. He may come someday and I want him to come and see me get baptized and maybe he'll come and get saved that night. Your daddy will come a lot nearer to getting saved if you don't obey Christ rather than you trying to figure out some cute little tricks to get your daddy saved. So, the fellow walks down the aisle and he says, Preacher, I'm saved. I want to get baptized. He gets baptized. He walks in the dressing room. He puts his clothes back on. He is obedient to Christ. You say, well, that does it. That does it. No, it doesn't do it either because I've got news for you. The devil is right outside the door of the dressing room. You'll see him. Bob Leo stays outside the door of the dressing room. You'll see him tonight. If you go up there, you'll see him. When you walk out of the dressing room, the first person you'll see is the devil. He's six foot four and I'm not talking about you, but the devil is out there outside that dressing room. Why? He's not through with you yet. The devil couldn't keep you from getting saved. He couldn't keep you from getting baptized, but he's not through with you yet. He's going to walk out the door with you. He's going to walk out and get in the car, sit in the car, and on the way home he's going to say, Hey, what did you do tonight? You're going to say, I got saved and got baptized. The devil is going to say, You did? You got saved? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got saved. Well, what did you feel? Did you shout? Oh, no, no, no. I didn't shout. Did you tingle? No, no, no. I didn't tingle. Well, did you feel electricity coming out your spine? Did you go, whee! No, no. I didn't do that either. Well, did you, are you sure you're saved? Well, well I, well I, I, yeah, yeah. Are you really sure you're saved? Well, no. No, not really. You see, the devil is trying to get you to lose your assurance. A fellow sat in my office last night. He said, he said, about five days after I got saved, I began to doubt it. Huh? I began to doubt it. What is it? What's it caused? What caused it? Hey, what caused it? The devil caused it. Yes, listen, listen. If you knew you were a sinner, and if you knew that sinners are condemned before God, and if you knew Jesus paid the penalty on the cross for your sins, bearing in His body your sins, and paid the penalty for sin, and if you in faith trusted Him as your sacrifice from sin, and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, you're saved. I've got a Bible that says you are. Now, if you, by the way, if you, if you, if you said, whoopee, and felt electricity, and, uh, and tingled, and shouted, but didn't know what I just said, and didn't trust Jesus, you're as lost as if you never had tingled. Now, how do I know I'm saved? John 5, 24 says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. I know it because I've got God's promise that says I'm saved. He that hath the Son hath life? I know it! I recall when I first came here to this church, I was preaching 20 sermons on Jesus, and I, um, I got over to 1 John chapter 5, and I think it's, I've forgotten the verse, verse 7, I think, and, uh, boy, I never thought I'd forget that, but anyway, where it says, um, he that hath the Son hath life, huh, 1 John 5, 12, he that hath the Son hath life, and, uh, and so I, I forgot my sermon, and I never forget it. I, I was scared. I was just a new preacher here in the church, and, and young people back in the back, your girl back there that I've called down four or five times has the diamonds on her dress sitting next to the aisle with the thing over her head and the long hair sitting beside the blonde-headed fella, you listen to what I'm preaching. It's about the fifth time I've called you down lately. By the way, the devil uses you to talk so folks behind you can't hear the sermon so somebody may die and go to hell someday. And so, ahem, the devil, uh, I was preaching along, and, and I, he that hath the Son hath life, and I'd forgotten my sermon, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life, and I'd still forgotten my sermon. So I stepped back, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life, and I'd still forgotten my sermon. And I stepped back, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life, and I still drew a dud. And I stepped back, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life, and I still couldn't think of what to say next. So I stepped back, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life, and I still couldn't think of anything else to say. So I stepped back, and I said, he that hath the Son hath life. And, uh, I got home, and Becky was only about seven at the time. And she looked up, and she said, Daddy, the record got stuck this morning, didn't it? And I said, yes, sweetheart. But I said, isn't that a wonderful place to get the record stuck on he that hath the Son hath life? He that hath the Son hath life. Listen, life is not in a church. Eternal life is not in a dogma. Eternal life is not in a priest. Eternal life is not in a doctrine. Eternal life is not in a religion. Eternal life is in a person. And if you have never realized you're a sinner, and never realized you're lost, and never realized that Jesus is the Lord, became sin as your substitute and paid your penalty, and if you've never trusted Him and what He did to save you, you're just as lost as the devil and Judas Iscariot. But, by the way, if you've done that, you say to the devil, Get behind me, Satan. I've got a whole Bible that says I'm saved. Ah, one day, the devil came to Martin Luther. He was sitting at his desk. The devil said, Martin Luther, you're not saved. Martin Luther said, I am, too. And the devil said, No, you're not. And Martin Luther turned him over to 1 John 1, 7. If we walk in the light as He is the light, we have fellowship one with another. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. It is said Martin Luther got so mad at the devil he preached out and noticed a bottle of ink on the desk. And he picked up the bottle of ink and threw it at the devil. And he kept that ink spot on the wall of his study the rest of his life. It is said, so he could realize how real the devil was to him. How are you going to get the devil? Word of God. When the devil came to our Lord, when he was out on the Mount of Temptation, the devil said, Why don't you, why don't you jump off the pinnacle of the temple and prove you're God's Son? And Jesus said, It is written. He didn't answer him with some little cute statement. He said, It's written. When the devil said, Make these stones into bread, Jesus said, It is written. When the devil said, Bow down and worship me and I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus said, It is written. If you don't have the assurance you're saved tonight, open the Bible and read John 3.36 and John 3.14-18 and John 5.12 and 1 John 5.12 and John 5.24 and John 1.11-12 and look where it says, If you will receive Christ, if you will believe with all of your heart that Jesus is the Christ, you'll have eternal life. And hang on to it and use it as the hope of your assurance. So you say, Well, okay, that does that. I know I'm saying I'm sure I'm saved. I'm baptized and I'm sure I'm saved. Now the devil threw it at me. No, he's not. No. The devil comes up and he says, Okay, you're saved and you're baptized and you have the assurance that you're saved. But he said, You having any fun? Having any fun? Well, well, I'm sure having fun. Young people? Sure, I'm having fun. Well, How many neon lights do they have down at the church house? How many flashing lights do they have? Well, none. Are you sure you're having fun? Well, I think I'm having fun. How many pictures have you got in that book you've been reading? Well, none. Are you sure you're having fun? Five. I thought it was. I thought it was. Ask your question. You're very popular now? Well, come to think of it, they laugh at me out of the job. Ask your question. Are you making more money now or less money than you were making? Well, since I quit cheating, I don't make as much money as I did. Are you sure you're happy? No, I'm not sure. You're not very happy, are you? No, I'm not very happy. Before you know it, the devil gets your joy. You see, if he can't get you lost, he'll get you not to get baptized. If he can't keep you from being obedient, he'll keep you from knowing you're saved. If he can't keep you from knowing you're saved, he'll get your joy. And so, he works on your joy. And the Israelites said, I wish we were back in the land of Egypt, that we have nothing but this light bread. Bless their hearts. They knew corn bread was better than light bread. And they knew biscuits was better than wonder bread. We have nothing but this light bread. You know why? You know why? They knew that seven grain bread was best. They wanted to go back to the health food store, get some seven grain bread. That's in the Hebrew. You won't find that in the English, but you'll find it in the Hebrew. And they knew it was right. And then said, we ought to go back to onions and cucumbers and leeks and garlic of Egypt. And they complained and lost their joy. Listen, a Christian who's lost his joy will never sell the product he's trying to sell. Oh, Mr. Paradise. Mr. Paradise, are you here? Let me think. Charlie Bell. Where's Charlie? There's Charlie. That's your toupee at home, didn't you? Of course, Charlie Bell walked up tonight and he said to me, he said, Brother Hiles, you're losing your hair. I said, oh, shut up. He said, say, Brother Hiles, I've discovered something. I'm sort of a second rate scientist and I've discovered a little something. I've come upon discovery. Ten years ago, I found it. It's hair grower. You put it on top of your head and just rub it in and put a hot towel up there. I mean, I tried everything. One person in our church said, if you'll get some vodka and mix it with something and put it all over your head, it'll make your hair grow. Man, I used half of it on my head and drank the other half. It didn't help a bit. The last half, they didn't care whether I had any hair or not, but, and I don't go out and say I drink vodka. I don't. I don't. Beer, yes, but not vodka. But, I was preaching for Charlie Hand when he was pastoring in Springfield, Missouri. I've forgotten this. I was preaching with Charlie Hand. Noble Hill Baptist Church. Went down to get a haircut in Springfield. And the fellow who was cutting my hair said, your hair's getting thin on top. I said, just cut, buddy. I didn't pay you to talk. I paid you to cut. And he said, your hair's getting thin on top. And I said, I know it. He said, look. He said, I can help you. And Charlie Hand began to laugh. He was sitting over there. He began to laugh. And I wondered what he was laughing about. He pulled out a big bottle of stuff, about that tall, about that big around. He said, now this will help you. He said, it's grown hair on a lot of people. I said, man, I'll take it. And Charlie Hand was laughing. He was beating his head, hands on his knees. He was laughing. He was beside himself. And I couldn't figure out why. Well, I paid the guy, I guess, five or six dollars for that big old bottle of stuff. And we walked out. I said, Charlie, what's so funny? He said, you didn't notice. That guy didn't have a hair on his head. And I paid the guy five or six dollars for the stuff. You know, did you know that a Christian that hasn't got his joy can't make anybody want to get saved? The Bible says in the 126th Psalm, it says, when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dreamed. We couldn't believe it. We're free. We're going home. We've been in bondage for all these 70 years. Now we're going home. We're free. And then it says, then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue was singing. Why, we're free. And the next line says, then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. Then the next line says, they turned to the heathen and said, yep, the Lord hath done great things for us and that's why we're glad. That's why we're laughing. That's why we're happy. People for 13 years have criticized the First Baptist Church in Hammond, but they can't explain away the laughter and joy of our people. They won't forget. The lady called me from out in Hyatt and she said, my uncle is dying with cancer at St. Margaret's Hospital. And she said, would you go get him saved? And I said, what church do you attend? She said, the Lutheran Church. I said, have you called your pastor? She said, what? No. I said, I want my uncle saved. I said, have you ever been to our church? She said, no, I don't believe like you believe. Well, I said, why don't you call your pastor and get your uncle saved? She said, he doesn't specialize in those cases. You know why she called me? She's seen our people. She's seen our people. Listen, you can criticize our narrow-mindedness. You can criticize the fact we're against the dirty liquor traffic. You can criticize the fact we're against the dirty hippie traffic. You can criticize the fact that we're right-wing conservatives politically. You can criticize the fact we're fundamentalists who believe in a real hell and a real heaven and a real salvation. You can criticize the fact we're against the dirty Hollywood movies. We're against cigarettes and gambling and wrong. But you can't explain away the smiles on the faces of our people. You can't do it. Happiest folks in town are First Baptist Church people. Oh, we've got a few oldest friends. Signed out in Kentucky. It says, Welcome to certain, certain town with 1,200 happy people and three old gripes. And young people, boys with glasses on back there. You see, as long as folks are happy. So the devil says, Okay, I don't want you to get saved, but you got saved. I don't want you to get baptized, but you got baptized. I don't want you to have assurance, but you got assurance. Okay. Now he says, I want to take your joy. So the devil doesn't get your joy, but here's the next thing. He doesn't quit yet. He says, I'm going to stay happy in the Lord. The devil walks up and says, I want to tell you something. Okay, so you're saved. But did you know you can't win people unless you dress like them and wear your hair like them? And you can't win people unless you look like them, unless you do what they do. There's not a thing out of hell that's any more deceptive than that kind of heresy. Not a thing. All across this country, churches are having coffee shops. And you walk in a coffee shop. I was in one out in... I'm doing this too soon. I'm getting to the illustration in a few minutes. But I was in one out in a certain state out east not long ago. And I was preaching out in New England. A fellow walked up to me and says, You got a coffee shop? I said, No, we have a carrot juice shop. He said, What are you doing to win the hippies? I said, Preaching the fire out of them. Winning the same thing we do to win everybody else. What are you doing to win long hairs? I said, Same thing we do to win the bald heads. Preach. Go in house to house. And I went into a certain little room. The church had a coffee shop. And it had these psychedelic colors. It looked like some of these... You don't have much here. Yes, you do now. You have them in the basement of some of these stores around here where they have little hippie stores, hippie departments in the stores. And so I went in. And here was one of the staff members, one of the pastors on the staff. And he was going... wearing his clothes out from the inside. And he's really getting with it. He's a pastor. I said, What's he doing? The fellow said, He's getting with it. I said, Why? He said, He's trying to reach these hippies. I said, Men, they done reached him. There's not a thing in this world tonight that's doing as much detriment to the cause of Christ as the philosophy going around that if you wear your hair like the sinful crowd wears their hair, and if you wear your miniskirts like they do, and if you use the same jargon and the same music beat with some gospel words about good old God is still on His throne, good old God, good old God. Hey, the old man's still upstairs. Yay! That's as wicked as the devil. That's as wicked as the devil. Nothing in the world but Satan saying, I couldn't keep them from getting saved. I couldn't keep them out of the water. I couldn't take their joy. But I tell you what I am going to do. I'm going to make them look like the heathen world. Be like the heathen. That's why he comes. By the way, by the way, they're not winning them. I went in a pastor study of this church. Over here was the church annual, the minutes of the association, the nomination. Churches that belong to nominations write reports out and send reports in once a year. And there were the minutes. So I just looked in the first part where it says baptisms and it said five for 1971. Five. Boy, they sure win a lot of hippies, aren't they? Man, they're going to town. Why, at that rate, in 17,642,675,142 years, we'll be in a new millennium. Of the tribulation. Five. Forty-two churches in that denomination, association. Forty-two churches. All of them baptized. 211 last year. 211. So I got up preaching. I said, we had more folks get lost in the hall and fell in the water than that. It's the devil. It's the devil. Trying to get a bunch of kids to gather on some campus somewhere or down in Dallas somewhere. A bunch of 100,000 kids to come wearing their shorts and their bikinis and their long shaggy hair and acting like a worldly crowd and talking about witnessing. I'm not against witnessing, but I don't know what I am for. I'm for putting on some clothes while you do it. When the Israelites were marching toward the Promised Land, they had to go through Moab to get there. Now listen to this. Had to go through Moab to get there. And Moses called them together in the book of Deuteronomy. And he said, look, you've got to go through Moab. Now listen. I want you to go to the king of Moab. I want you to talk with him. I want you to tell him something. Your Honor, we be God's people. And we need to come through. Now we want to come down the highway through Moab that goes toward the Promised Land. And we promise you, we'll behave ourselves. We'll not cause you any trouble. If we get some food, we'll pay for it. If we get some water, we'll pay for it. Now Moses said to the Israelites, don't you turn to the right nor to the left. Stay on the highway. You're going through another country now. Stay on the highway. Don't you get off of the highway. Now don't you act like the Moabites. And don't you behave like the Moabites. Now be courteous and be kind and pay your debts. And let no man criticize you because you're not honest. But he said, stay on the highway. The illustration there is while we're traveling through this old sin-cursed world, we're supposed to be nice. We're supposed to be courteous. We're supposed to pay our debts. We're supposed to be honest. But brother, we're supposed to stay on the highway. We're not to wander off the highway. We're not to get out and dress like the Moabites and act like the Moabites and wear your hair like the Moabites and use the jargon of the Moabites and use the music of the Moabites. Well, of course, the old statement everywhere I go, they say it, well, God looks on the inside and the outside doesn't matter. Let me ask you a question. Are you an idiot in any other area than that? Whoever told you that, whoever told you God doesn't look on the outside, whoever told you the outside doesn't matter, our Lord says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. I think I've told you this. I've preached so much I forget what I've told you in somebody else. Dr. John Risenauer out in Wichita, Kansas was preaching. In a high school auditorium, he was preaching and I was out at the book table just about to go in and hear him. I was talking to a pastor who wanted to talk to me about a problem he had. I looked down the hallway and saw a couple of hippies. And I said, I want to go witness those hippies. And by the way, I always believe in being courteous personally to everybody. No hippie in America can tell you that I've not been kind to him. And no Jesus freak in America can tell you that I've not been kind to him. In fact, I was out in Southern California preaching and a bunch of Jesus freaks started coming to hear me preach. And they took me out to eat after service at night. I had good fellowship with them. And they got together and said, we'll cut our hair and press our pants if you'll come out here and start a church. They begged me to come to Southern California and start a church. They said, we'll change our music. But anyway, I said, these hippies in this high school hallway, hey, hey fellas, I want to talk to you. They walked up and I said, hey, I want to talk to you. Do you know if you die you'll go to heaven? And one of them said, amen, hallelujah. Boy, that threw me for a loop. I said, oh. The other one said, glory to God, we're born again. Wow. I said, fellas, I praise the Lord. I'm glad about that. And I am. I'm glad about it. I rejoiced. I said, to be frank with you, I think I owe you an apology. I thought you were hippies with your long hair and your blue jeans and your something drawn up here on a t-shirt. I thought you were hippies. And one of them said, that's the trouble with all you fundamentalists. Always judging from the outside. And I said, who told you I was a fundamentalist? I haven't said anything about it. Well, he said, you've got to school for your Bible. I said, that's the trouble with all you Jesus freaks. Always judging from the outside. The truth is, everybody judges from the outside. You're supposed to judge from the outside. You see a fella, you see a fella, you see a, if you go out in the lake, you heard about throw down Louisiana, a Cajun, he's going to cross a creek, a river, a creek, and he went up to this Cajun and said, where can I cross the creek on my horse? He said, right down here. He said, just about that deep. He went down there, got his horse, rode across, horse went under, he went under, horse swam across, he swam across, both of them soaking wet. He hollered back over to the Cajun and said, yeah, I thought you said it was just about that deep. Well, he said, a while ago, a little duck went across and the water just came up to there on him. He said, now, if you see a, if you see a, something comes, paddling up here, it's got webbed feet and goes quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, and, and, it's got, it's got, what does duck have? Down, down, down like a duck, quacks like a duck, has a beak like a duck, has webbed feet like a duck. You say, man, look at that cow. Well, man, that's a duck. No, there you go, judging from the outside. Well, how do you expect, if you say that's a cow there, what is it, something spiritual, it must be a cow around here somewhere. No, If you see something coming down the road, and it's shaped like a cow, and it's got faucets on it, and you're overlooking, you're overlooking, there's some God's people, all look like God's people, sing like God's people, dress like God's people on the outside. Well, it's okay, then I'm going to look like a Christian. The devil says, I couldn't get his soul, I couldn't keep him from obeying, I couldn't get his joy, I couldn't get his assurance, and I couldn't make him act like my crowd. Well, I rid of the devil now, oh no, no, the devil comes up and says, okay, but I want your money. Don't you tithe, I want your money. Listen, there's nothing in this world, there is nothing in this world that better pictures selfishness, than not tithing, nothing, nothing, there's nothing as ungrateful as a Christian not giving God, by the way, if I were a heathen, I'd tithe, if I were unsaved, I'd tithe, why? Because I'd still want to be honest. You have no right to enjoy God's, I start to say God's sunshine, you don't, but some people do down south, not west, but you have no right to breathe God's air, take God's food, and enjoy God's blessings, and live in God's universe, and not give to God what He asks you to give Him. Nothing shows selfishness anymore, than not tithing, and you say, I can't afford it. There you go, selfishness to the nth degree. You say, why does the Lord want my money? I say, why, because the Lord knows if the devil knows he can get your money, he's got your heart. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Huh? I'm in the oil business, also I'm in the real estate business, also I'm in the steel business. I own part of the airlines too, airline business. You know why? Well, I've got a piece of the rock. Huh? You know why that fellow says that? Because he's put some of his money in that company. Hmm? Yeah. Walks into the office and says, clean this place up. I own a piece of the rock. I own all the rock. On Christ the solid rock I stand. I own all of it. And I want my heart to be in God's work. And if my heart's in God's work, my money's got to be in God's work. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, says the Bible. Devil says, okay, I don't want you to get saved, but I got saved anyhow, old buddy. Okay, don't want you to get baptized, but I've already gotten baptized. Okay, but you don't get happy, I've already gotten a joy. Okay, but don't be sure, I've already gotten assurance. Okay, but act like the world, I've already decided to act like God's people ought to act. Okay, but don't you tire. Don't you give God your money. Decides you're going to go ahead and tire. But that does it. Devil's through with me. No, he's not. No. No, he's not through yet. He says, I want your children. I'll tell you something now. Listen carefully. Last Monday I flew to Seattle, Washington. I preached Monday night at a jubilee banquet for Christian education in a big gymnasium to 500 people. I preached Tuesday morning to the faculty at 745 to the faculty of the school. I preached at 840 to the student body. I was rushed across town to a large school, high school, where I spoke in the gymnasium to a great crowd of hundreds of students. I walked in, sat down, and three of the students came out, one of them with a guitar, and they came out fiddling like that. And the boys had on blue jeans. I say they had on blue jeans. I prayed for the blue jeans, because they just barely were on. Long, hippie hair down to the shoulders. Principal sitting over here on the front row now, not even up on the platform, not in front of you, the kids. One fellow got up and said, well, I want to read some Scripture. But he said, I lost the Scripture. And he said, I just don't know where to find it, and I don't think I'll read it. Everybody clapped. Glad he didn't read the Scripture. I got up and began to speak. Now, I have some little things I do to try to win the attention of teenagers. One of the things I try to do is, now I happen to do it this way, this place. I said, I'm delighted to see in this audience this morning all the husky, strong, broad-shouldered, masculine, talented, tremendous, athletic, barrel-chested young men. Now, but I said, I'm also delighted to see something else, beautiful, gorgeous, charming, gracious, vivacious, lovely, precious, trees that you have here in this Seattle area. Well, that's supposed to be funny, you know. Funny! Yeah! And so, thanks. And so I started speaking, and I hadn't said one thing controversial. I had not one thing in mind. I never change a sermon either way. If I can preach it. They began to heckle. They began to laugh. They began to, like that, stick their tongue out at me. I couldn't be heard. I bowed my head and prayed and asked God to let the kids be courteous. I hadn't said a word about their long hair, their blue jeans, their dirty music or anything. I was a gracious guest. I couldn't be heard. They heckled. And finally, I closed the Bible and put it on the desk over here on the table. And I said, now I'm going to tell you kids, somebody ought to teach you how to be decent. And that took about 30 minutes, and I just told them. And I said, you're just a bunch of heathens. That's all you are. I said, you mommas and daddies should have taken you when you were little kids and spanked you when you started disobeying. Made somebody, made something out of you instead of a bunch of anarchist, rebellious heathens. And I said, by the way, I reported to the principal. And I said, by the way, Mr. Principal, I said, you're going to answer to God for these kids out here letting them be like this. You ought to be up kicking kids out of school right now. And I said, all you teachers, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. I said, if our principal here, our teacher here, I said, two-third of these kids would never walk back into school again. Oh, I forgot to tell you, it's a Christian school. You know, sign in front, it says Christian school. Actors all over. One fellow up in the top, I was by myself. I mean, boy, talk about alone. One big old athlete, big broad-shouldered fellow, got up and went like this. And I said, buddy, I'll meet you right in the center court, right there where they jump, circle. After it's over, you've got enough guts to come. Guts is a Greek word, it means courage. And so I went out and stood there in front of the whole student body at the center court. I don't know if I'd get killed, lynched, or what. And boy, when it was all over, they just covered the floor. I mean, boy, they were all around me. I didn't have room to move. And they started screaming and hollering. And the fellow who brought me was a very courageous fellow. He went outside and prayed for me. Now, all of that to say this. Who are those kids? I did some checking. You know who they are? Deacons' kids. Sunday school teachers' kids. They came from the best Christian homes in Seattle, Washington. What happened? Mom and Dad fell for this philosophy that says there's a generation gap and the kids don't have to worship God like Mom and Dad do. Brother, we'll close down Baptist City. We'll burn the buildings down. We'll chase every kid out before we'll have a bunch of hoodlums like that. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If Mom's dress is proper to wear, you can wear one the same length Mom wears. If Dad can get a haircut, you can get a haircut. What happened? The devil couldn't keep those Moms and Dads from being saved. And the devil couldn't keep those Moms and Dads from getting baptized. And the devil couldn't keep those Moms and Dads from tithing and having joy. So the devil said, Sing Amazing Grace, but don't take the kids with you. And wear a decent length skirt, but don't take the kids with you. And get haircuts, but don't take the kids with you. Let the kids sing their rock music. Let the kids go half naked and look like the sinful world. One of the sad things about it, a man, some parents came to me. And by the way, you ought to thank God you live around here. A bunch of parents came over where I spoke that night to a big meeting of concerned people. Not about that, but speaking anyway. And I finished preaching. I preached on the sermon I preached here on peace, Satan's greatest weapon for destruction. And I finished preaching. A crowd of folks gathered around me and they were crying like babies. And Mom's and Dad's said, Dr. House, what can we do? What can we do? Our children go there. What can we do? What can we do? It's the best we can find. Dr. House, what can we do? And I wept with them. And thank God for Hammond Baptist High School and our great schools. Now here's what the parents said. One man took out his billfold. And he said, Brother House, I'm a poor man today. He said, I didn't choose to be poor. But he said, look at that billfold. I don't have any money. And his lips began to quiver. And he said, Reverend House, he said, when that school was built, my family sunk every dime we had in that school. That's why Dr. Billings will tell you this is true. We check every little thing at our school. Every little thing. I mean, if one little teenage thing comes up that might not be exactly what it ought to be, Brother, just like that. Just like that. Why? Because, Brother, one day they hired one teacher in that school that wasn't up to their standards. And then two. And then three. And that man said, my family gave all we had to the school. It's gone. And he got mad and he began to look fetish. And he said, they stole it. They stole it. And he said, my boy was one of those boys trying to get to you this morning. You see, the devil's got a lot of ways to get to you. If he can't get your soul, he'll get your joy. If he can't get your joy, he'll get your testimony.