In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of having faith in God and trusting in His power. He highlights how our vision can be clouded by worldly influences and encourages listeners to turn to the Bible to clear their vision and see Christ for who He truly is. The preacher reminds the audience that God sent His Son to destroy the works of the devil, not just to tickle them a little bit. He also emphasizes the need to grow in faith and knowledge of God, and not to become complacent or dependent on worldly things. The sermon concludes with the reminder that God is looking for men and women who will stand their ground and be fully persuaded in times of trial and testing.

We all feel the need of more faith, but we really need to know him and the power of his resurrection. Because he, not only was delivered for us, but was raised for us. He lives for us. He has all power in heaven and in earth for us. The exceeding greatness of the power that God gave him was intended to be manifested toward us, to deliver, to deliver. It's good for you that I go away, he says, it's good. They thought it was good for him to be there. But Jesus says, you'll be better off when I send the Holy Ghost upon you. The power of my resurrection. The Bible says that God raised him from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. And we still hesitate. I'll tell you why. We have been vaccinated with unbelief from birth. We don't realize that, but all that we've read and all that we've heard and all that we've talked about has just darkened our vision. And the Bible would clear that vision and make us see Christ for us. And I believe God is calling us all to go forward, to forget the things that are behind, and to press toward the mark. That mark is there. I used an illustration last night, which was rather quaint, but sometimes that sort of scratches the right spot. And I was talking about how God sent his son. Why, this is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. What did he send him for? Well, we know, to destroy the works of the devil. To destroy them. Not to tickle them a little bit, but to destroy them. And when that woman came to the synagogue who had been sick 18 years, and the keeper of the synagogue said, you come around next week, this is Sabbath. Jesus looked around with anger. He said, what's the matter with you? What's the matter with you? Ought not this woman to be delivered today? That's what God sent him for. And the illustration I used was this, how one time we called for a plumber when our plumbing needed repairing. Plumber came, or he sent his helper to fix our plumbing. And he came and looked it over, and he said, well, I haven't got my tools with me. I've got to go and get them. Well, that, of course, is a trick of the plumbing trade. That gets them more money, because they charge you for the minutes. But when Jesus Christ came to that man at Bethesda, and that man said, I have nobody, nobody at all bothers about me. They don't care about me. Jesus said, will you be made whole? My father sent me for that purpose, to heal you. And I got all my tools with me. I don't have to go back to heaven. I've got them with me. I've got all the power in heaven and in earth. You want to be made whole? Oh, that simplicity of faith, not in divine healing, but in Jesus. In Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. It's our privilege to possess him. When he says, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't relegate you to a nursing home or a hospital. That's not his will. He says, faithfully see that all of you who also will do it. And there he lays down the principle upon which I believe God, and I expect him who promised to do it. Oh, the Bible is full of such exceeding great and precious promises. And we contend ourselves with quoting them and singing about them. We shouldn't. We ought to live the Bible. We ought to be a living epistle of Christ, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God. And we have that great army of heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Abraham not only believed God, but he was tested. He was. That's what made him a friend of God, because when he was tested, the Bible says he didn't wax weak. He didn't stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. He didn't say, well, this thing has gone on so long, I better reconsider. The Bible says he waxed strong in faith. That's the characteristic of true faith. It gets stronger. Why? Because you're drinking at the fountain of living water, which is Christ himself. He was fully persuaded. How was he fully persuaded? Like the way God wants you to be persuaded. And how are we persuaded? Not by uncles and aunts. I told last night when, as a young fellow, I seemed to have galloping consumption, they came around to persuade me. One of them said, you better get x-rays to show how many holes you got in your lungs. It was very helpful. Then someone else came around and told me about this, and then the other fellow that died of consumption. And you really look just like my grandmother looked two days before the Lord took her to heaven. You better see to it. Well, that was so helpful that I really got sick. If I hadn't been sick, I'd have been sick by those emissaries of the devil. But I went to the Bible. I said, I want to find out what God said. I started with the first page and went all through the Bible. And when I was through, my fear was gone. I was fully persuaded. Not only that God was willing and able, but that he had finished it. And you know, something wonderful happened to me at that time. I was then in the Baptist church, but my life seemed to be renewed. I was like a new person. There came to my soul not only faith, but hope and health. Everything, the whole world seemed new. Up to that time when I was sick, I used to go. Mother would send me outside and go get a little fresh air. And I said, I wonder if I'll ever feel like living. And now everything lived. All the leaves on the trees seemed to shout hallelujah at me. I tell you, Jesus is very wonderful. And if you don't know it, get to the Bible and find out what he has done. And not only what he has done. And when the Jews came and said, you ain't supposed to carry your bed today. Well, who are you? Well, scribes and Pharisees, doctors of the law. We have studied in theology. We know exegesis and we know psychology. And you need a psychiatrist treatment. You need some shock treatments and so on. He said, well, this healed me. And he told me to carry my bed. Praise the Lord. What does Jesus say? That ought to persuade me. And that's why the Bible says the righteous is like a tree. He's not like a withered branch somewhere, but he's like a tree. Brings forth his fruit in his season. Why? Because he's fully persuaded. He meditates there in day and night. And this word persuaded Abraham. He was fully persuaded. No matter what anybody said. No matter what Sarah said, that darling wife of his. She knew how to nag. You know, they know how to nag. They know how to make you feel sick. But he was fully persuaded. Because he had respect unto the promise. And now the Bible says it was not for him alone, but for us also. If we walk in the footsteps of our father Abraham. And if we become fully persuaded. But please, please pardon me for talking so long. I really believe that the day of March is coming. Lay down, oh King Eternal. The day of March has come. And we can stay behind if we want to. But I tell you that Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ. And he is all the Bible says he is. But the wonderful thing is, he is that for me. Who is going to glorify himself in, if not in me or in you? Oh, my Lord. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. To show himself mighty. And they rested upon Asa. And Asa was in a great trial. And Asa had experienced God before. But this time it seemed different. He had gotten flabby somehow. Prosperity kills the fools. And he had become prosperous. And now he began to depend upon men. He was in a real trial. And he sought help from men. And God said, you're foolish. You're foolish. Why God would have glorified himself mightily. And he would have received the glory. And Asa did foolishly. And God says, the eyes of the Lord are still looking for men and women. Who in the hour of testing and trial. Will stand their ground and be fully persuaded. Now every one of us has an opportunity. To seek that persuasion. And we need to. Listen. All things work together for good. All things. You've got a job on your hands. Every job comes your way. Is an opportunity for God. To show the greatness of his power toward us who believe. And that's how we grow in grace. And in the knowledge of the Son of God. And we grow in faith. And God wants us to grow. And I'm glad for the school we're in today. I'm glad that we're not all dropouts. I told you when you pray you should say our Father. Which aren't in heaven. And I promise to be a father unto you. And to walk among you. And to answer your prayers. And above all. To fill you with the Holy Ghost. And to communicate to you. The very victory I purchased on the cross. For you. Children of mine. Do hallow my name by believing. Simply. And in childlike faith. And marching out on the promises of God. For every promise I have made is yea and amen. In Jesus Christ my son. Shabbat shalom.