Leonard Ravenhill delivers a powerful message on the Apostle Peter, emphasizing the call to holiness as outlined in 1 Peter. He discusses the transformation of Peter from a flawed individual to a foundational leader of the church, highlighting the importance of purity and the necessity of being spirit-filled. Ravenhill stresses that true holiness is not just about avoiding sin but about being filled with the Spirit and living a life that reflects Christ. He encourages believers to understand their identity as saints and to embrace the trials of faith as opportunities for growth. Ultimately, he reminds the congregation that they are kept by the power of God through faith, which leads to salvation and a lively hope.

The following message was delivered by Reverend Leonard Ravenhill during a regular session at the Christ for the Nations Institute. His message is on Peter and based on 1st Peter chapter 2. I'm going to look at the first epistle of Peter, the first chapter, first line, the first word. First epistle of Peter, the first chapter, and the first verse, and amongst other things, anyhow, the first word, Peter. Let's read verses 15 and 16. Verses 15 and 16. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, which is really all manner of living, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. One of the threads of truth through this epistle is the emphasis on holiness. You'll find it again if you look just across the page. That is, if your Bible is like mine, it may be over the page, of course. The second chapter, verse 5, Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and an holy priesthood. In verse 9 of the same chapter, ye are a generation, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. And then over the page, that's more wonderful still, the third chapter, verse 5, After this manner in the old time, holy women. Isn't that wonderful? Holy women. They could do with a lot more. All right. Now the, what we want to consider this afternoon is the, is to kind of circle round and round and round this text and try and discover what is consistent and what is not consistent with a spirit-filled life. We're called unto holiness. And in verse 22 of the first chapter again, he says, Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart. Now there are no, there are no degrees of purity. If you go to buy butter and you say, is this butter pure? And they say, well about, you know, 96%, just 4% straightening. You say, fine. My mother-in-law's coming to lunch just what I need. No, you wouldn't say that. You'd, you'd say, no, I'm not taking it. It's not pure. Now, there are degrees in strength and there are degrees in wisdom, but there are no degrees in purity. And either your heart and mine is pure or it's impure. And God has demanded him, of us, that we worship him in spirit and in truth. And again, he says, blessed are the pure in heart. Not that they shall see God, but that they see God. The pure in heart see God. Those who are not pure in heart don't see God, they see the devil and demons and I don't know what. And you know, you've got to watch, I don't care how smart the boy is that stands behind this desk, but you just suspicion him. If he talks more about demons than about Jesus Christ, he's off the track. As soon as we become more demon conscious than Christ conscious, we're in trouble. And don't take any notice of preachers, they're the dumbest fellows around. Always measure what they say by the Word of God and, and whatever you say about demonology, remember you come back to the Word of God. And the scripture says, greater is he that is, what? Are you sure? You're sure it's not greater is he that is in heaven? Hmm? Oh, right, you're right, sure. Greater is he that is in you, than he, that's the prince of the power of the air, the devil. Isn't that nice that you can, you know, have him under control? Somebody said, you put a ring on a woman's finger, she'll keep you under her thumb all her life. But, but it's a bit like that with Satan, you know, really that you and I have power, now you may not have it, that's your fault. Jesus said he wanted to give us power over all, not some of it, but all the power of the enemy. And when the church rediscovers that, we'll be on the road to revival. So God desires holiness. Now what is consistent with a holy life? Or if you like a spirit-filled life, if you're a Nazarene or a wholeness person, a sanctified life, go on, I'll go along with it. Just, just, just really what is there that is consistent. Now let's start with this first word, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. That's a very interesting word, Peter. He was the problem boy that Jesus had. Do you know that Jesus not only spoke to Peter more than he spoke to any of the individual disciples, but he spoke more to Peter than he spoke to all the disciples put together. And conversely, not only did, was that true, but it was true that Peter spoke to Jesus not only more than any of the other disciples, but all the other disciples put together. Now this is rather startling here, isn't it? Peter, an apostle. Man, he really made it. You know, in the ministries that are given to men, and remember there are 17 gifts of the Spirit, don't let anybody fool you there are 9, there are 17. And remember the first ministry gift is that of an apostle. Apostles and prophets and so forth. And Peter has come from being the kind of retarded, rebellious little fellow at the back there, until way, way, way now he's come really to maturity. And he is classified here as Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now when Jesus found him, he said to him, thou art what? Simon. And thou shalt be Peter, Simon. Do you know what that word means? Well in our language it means disintegrated. You've all got a lot of loose ends. Did you ever take a grain of sand and put it under a microscope or a magnifying glass? It's very interesting. Just one grain of sand, not the whole beach, just one grain of sand. And put it there on your hand and take a magnifying glass and you'll discover that there are peaks on that grain of sand and there are cavities in it. Now you didn't need to come here to know that you can't build with sand, we know this. We used to sing in Sunday school, building a house not made with hands and not built on the sand but on the rock. But if you take that sand and put it under pressure, those peaks will fit into those cavities, they get locked in and then you get what we call sandstone. We used to live in the ancient city of Bath in England. The Romans were there in 55 BC and there was an Abbey. There still is a very beautiful Abbey in the center of the city. And the foundation of the Abbey was laid in the year 444. Now the main structure of the Abbey has been pulled down a couple of times but there's still a magnificent piece of work there. And it's laid on a foundation of sandstone. Now had it been sand, the storm would have got it over and everything else would have destroyed it but because it has a firm foundation, because under pressure, those little bits of sand were put together, knitted together, they became useful and substantial. Now Jesus says, you're Simon, you're disintegrated. You've got too many loose ends but thou shalt be Peter. We were up in the north of the United States last year, the year before. And we went out to a farm to dinner and outside of the farm they had a lot of amazing pieces of rock, way out in the wilds. And a fellow came and he gave me a, what looked like a piece of wood, he said, here and put it in my hands and I nearly collapsed. Because it wasn't wood. Oh it was wood. What do you mean it was, it wasn't? Well it was wood and it isn't wood, put it that way. It's petrified. Supposing you change the emphasis, it's petrified. Isn't it? It was a piece of wood, centuries ago, you could clip it off with your finger, it was soft but it went through processes and calcified. And now it's petrified, it's the same word, it petrified, it becomes substance and strong. And when Jesus found Peter, he was undependable, volatile, oh boy, boiling over one day, you know like you are. And then the next day just about frozen and ready to go anywhere one day and a team of horses couldn't get you here this afternoon, well some people here this afternoon. But you see, this is it. This is always a danger in my judgment of working meetings up to a place, you know, now I'm not again, I'm not saying this any wrong sense of clapping hands and getting excited, but you know there's a psychological point in a meeting. There's a big meeting not long ago where an evangelist took an offering, it wasn't what he expected, huge tent. So later he said, now you know that offering didn't really come up, oh but the Lord's blessing is, we should take another offering, we need it. And then when he got the people really ready to go and just before the healing line he said, you know and I feel the Lord so near and I feel he's telling me to take another. Now he was a liar and I'd have stood up and told him so too. Well maybe I'd just, I wouldn't have been as rough as that, I'd have just shouted out, thou shall not steal. But you know, you can work, there's a marvelous psychology. Any fellow knows when he's established rapport with a crowd, this is why so often a preacher will start with four or five jokes, to condition, it's called conditioning. And it gets very dangerous. Because you see very often you can't get motivated unless you get steam up to that level. Now you ought to do it by your will and not your emotions. It's truth in the inward parts. The thing you trust the least or should trust the least is your feelings. You'll go by feelings, you'll be in trouble. Remember a friend of mine going to kneel at an altar with a fellow who was having a rough time and he said, what's your trouble? He said, oh everything's been going wrong. He said, I've had it rough. I wish you'd pray for me. He said, well I'll pray for you. Well what really is your problem? He says, I don't feel saved. Oh well he said, I've had a rough week. I'll tell you what, I'll pray for you and then you pray for me. Do you feel married this afternoon? Some of you look at, but I mean do you feel it? Do you feel married? Do you have to feel married? Do you have to be primed up to a certain place before you can get activated for the Lord? You shouldn't do. Now Peter has gone through this whole cycle of changes. The Lord has dealt with him. He's no longer shifty. He's been through the furnace of the upper room and not only that, but he's really got a long way on. And Peter is called an apostle. You know, in Paul's letter to the Romans, he writes to the saints. Now you imagine a mailman comes to your house tomorrow morning and you happen to be at the door and instead of putting the mail in the box, he comes up and says, you know this, I've been reading this once or twice coming up the street. It's rather funny. It says that this letter is addressed to St. Mary Smith. Who would this be? Is it you? Well, no, no. I mean, I'm kind of a Christian, kind of a Christian, but I wouldn't say I'm a saint. I'm not really a saint, you know. Or one came for your husband addressed St. John Smith and you say to him, hey, take this back. He doesn't live here. My husband a saint? Well, that's what the scripture says, doesn't it? Oh, it says we're called to be saints. It doesn't say that in the Greek. It says we're called saints. You see, we've got such weird ideas. If you were in a certain religion, you'd have to be dead a hundred years and they'd have to dig you up and find some flesh on your bones and that would prove you weren't just as mortal as anybody else. And therefore they'd make a saint of you. I think of the church in Scotland that they were building and they had designed it very well and they had beautiful Gothic windows and they quarreled as to what they'd do. Well, yes, we will have stained glass windows, but what should we do with the stained glass windows? Have some pictures of, say, Bible scenes. No, no. Ah, one man said standing there, I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll put saints in the windows. And there's a little lady sweeping some debris up there and she nudged the architect. She said, wouldn't it be better to have them in the pews? And, you know, I kind of think it would, don't you? I mean, it's all right having them in the windows, but boy, we could do with a few more in the pews. That reminds me of Oliver Cromwell when he came to this very abbey that I used to stand outside of it on a Sunday night as it closed and have a street meeting. And at one side of the great towering, well, beautiful towers that seemed to go to heaven, there were angels ascending and descending. Now, I never saw angels in my life and I never saw anything like that because at one side the angels were ascending as you would go this way. But do you know what they were doing on the other ladder? Coming down head first. Now, I don't think even angels would do that, do you? But Cromwell reached out with his sword and knocked the heads off them. He couldn't stand the palaver. He said, well, people are poor and needy and you'll build these fabulous places. And I kind of agree with him on that level. But he ordered that they took everything out of the churches. The country was short of money. Take all the silver images, take all the gold images out and bring them out of here. And then they took them and they put them in a crucible and they made them, of course, into liquid and turned them into currency. And when the men who had scouted inside of the cathedral came out, they said, there's no silver crucifix here and no golden crucifix. There are some statues of the saints. So he said with a twinkle in his eye, well, wouldn't it be nice to change them from statues and put them in the fire and get them into circulation? Well, that's what I feel about it too. I'd like to get a lot of saints into circulation. But you'd have to get them in the fire first. And this is where we back off. But Peter had gone through these processes because God is showing us what He can do when He gets a man in total subjection. So you have now Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ. And not only that, he's quit from being a fisherman to writing books, which is always good. And he's writing to the elect according to the foreknowledge of God. All right. Let's get to verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There's a comma there. Let's make it a stop for a moment. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, Sir Ambrose Fleming, sometimes called the inventor or father of penicillin, said on one occasion, the best attested miracle in the world, the best attested fact in the world, is the miracle of the resurrection. I remind you again that every work of the Holy Spirit is a major work. He created the world that we're in. He created this book, that's why it's indescribable, indestructible. He created the Christ of God in the matrix of the Virgin Mary. And when Jesus is lying there dead, remember Romans 8 says, the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead. Now I think this is one of the most graphic things in the whole world. You know when I used to get under the weather sometimes or get heavy or discouraged and so forth, I would read Romans 8, 28 and so forth, I don't do that anymore, forget it. You can at your privilege. When I see this world that somehow seems it's going to go over and go under and hell is going to be let loose and everything that's threatening civilization, all I have to do is ponder the majesty and the wonder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. No, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a miracle, it's a million miracles. If He doesn't rise, I don't rise. If He rises, I rise. I was going to say do you see visions and dream dreams, you know the Bible says we should. At least young men see visions, they don't now so they take drugs and have a trip. And that's the church's fault. If you were really where we ought to be, we'd be seeing visions and we'd be dreaming dreams and seeing wonderful things of God. But look, the first countdown was not at Cape Canaveral. I think the first countdown was that resurrection morning. I think the devil thought he got it all sewn up, as you would say, it's in the bag. We've got him just where we want him. After all he said destroy my body and I'll rise and not only that I'll raise the world as well but he's done nothing about it has he? And on that fatal morning, I imagine Satan now says look look we've had him there three days. I was just in there and I touched him and he's as dead as any man that was ever around on this earth. He's really really really stone dead. Now look we've only about 10 more minutes to go. We've only five, we've only one. Now there you have Jesus lying stone, dead as a stone he's lying on. And he hasn't finished his work. He's got to do far more than die. He's got to rise and more than rise he's got to ascend. And he's lying there on the slab and Satan says we've got it where we want him. Got him where we want him. Just a minute there's one thing we've got to do now. You see we've got Jesus there dead and we've got the stone over the grave and we've got wax over the stone and we've got seals over the wax and we've got soldiers against the wax and the seal and the stone. Now one other, two other things. One is we've got to put the whole sin of the world against that stone and that'll keep him down. And to make doubly sure every demon in hell, you come on now, come on you demons and they scour hell and bring every demon from every hole he's ever been living in. Now look what Jesus has to do. He has to rise from the dead. He has to get under the sin of the whole world. He has to get out of the grip of billions of demons. He has to break the stone and the wax and the seal and the soldiers. And Satan says hold it. Just about five more seconds and if you can do it, we can fill hell and run the universe. Come on now, five, hold tight, tight, tight. Four, three, two, one. I sometimes wonder was it Wesley? I think it was Charles who wrote the hymn low in the grave he lay Jesus my Saviour. I think maybe there was a twinkle in his eye when he wrote vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Saviour. Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus. And then when he says finally, my I wish I could switch you into heaven right now and hear a thousand million angels singing death cannot keep its prey. Jesus my Saviour, he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord. Out from the grave he arose with a mighty triumph for his foes. He arose a victor over the dark domain and he lives forever. And he says because I live you shall live also. Now I don't need somebody to tell me in a prophecy or some other thing. Half of our prophecy is vanity. Do you think I'm dumb? I can't read my Bible? All some people do is store something in the Bible and stand up and say it's a prophecy. Forget it. It may be an exhortation, that's all right, but it's not a prophecy. All the prophecy I need apart from very isolated cases are here in this book. I'll tell you one prophecy. I know the doom of the Roman church and I know the doom of Catholicism because God has told me the gates of hell won't prevail against us. The ultimate triumph of the church of Jesus is guaranteed because they're going to come out of every kindred and nation and people and tongue and he's going to reign forever. Oh but there's something Jesus has to do yet. The supreme day to the Jew was the day of atonement and when the high priest left his house to go into the temple there, nobody there put a finger on him. He must not be touched by any human, they'd be impure and if that was so he'd have to turn back. And so very carefully the road is swept and it's guarded and the high priest comes out and he's going there to take blood and put it on the mercy seat but nobody must touch him. The sacrifice has been made that the blood hasn't been put there yet. Now Jesus has died, not only died he's risen from the dead, he's blasted the gates of hell off their hinges. He's led captivity captive and given gifts unto men but there's one thing he has to do yet. He has to ascend to his father and nobody must touch him before he ascends and a wonderful worshipping woman. Oh that resurrection morning was the greatest morning in his life and you know what? It was the most disappointing morning in his life. Do you know why? There wasn't a single soul that believed him. Not one of them. I would have thought Peter would have been waiting for his resurrection. No, Peter hadn't made it. I would have thought that harlot that he forgave. No, I thought that the one man out of the ten, you know, he healed ten. That's about the percentage you get out of healing meetings. If you get one in ten following the Lord of healings you've done mighty good. Oh if we had more healings, forget it, if we had more healings we'd have more Christian people who'll follow anybody for bread and butter and free surgery and and medicare. Sure they will. They followed Jesus by the thousand but when he laid the conditions of discipleship they quit. Nobody waiting for him that resurrection morning and before you throw your hymn book at them, I wonder how many mornings this week the Lord expected you to worship him and you didn't make it. Maybe this very afternoon he wanted to get to somebody, they didn't make it. Now they didn't hurt me, I don't care if there's two or two million, I don't care. I preached to thousands and thousands in ballparks and I preached to a handful of lepers way in Thailand, people with their fingers off and their legs off and their eyes hanging out and they stunk like a manure heap and nobody went near them. Will you go? Sure I went, I even shook hands with them. Do you know it was one of the happiest meetings? There were people without fingers and with their cheeks all eaten away and their ears off and the legs eaten off and you know they were singing, they're trying to do with stumpy bleeding hands with pus running down. Do you know they're trying to sing, my Jesus I love thee I know thou art mine. I tell you boy that moves you till you feel as though you're torn up to bits inside. Nobody there that resurrection morning, nobody. But one woman came a bit late and even she got it wrong, she supposed he was the gardener so she kind of figured he didn't make it, didn't she? Boy it's dangerous to suppose when you're talking about Jesus isn't it? Do you remember on the road, I'm going to talk one morning maybe about it in the few mornings I'm left before I run out of time, that one morning about a couple, the most privileged couple in the whole world, do you remember them? They were privileged to have a little boy called Jesus and you know what? They lost him. Now what do you think Mary did that night? What would you do if you lost a 12 year old boy? Cry yourself to sleep wouldn't you? I didn't find him the second day so she cried herself to sleep the second night. But how in the world did they go to a big big revival meeting like that and they got a day's journey and it was time to go to bed or have the evening meal and they what? Supposed he was in the company and he wasn't there. And this woman at the grave supposed he wasn't there and he was there. You know some people think you need a cathedral and stained glass windows and everything to have the Lord there and a choir and acolytes and all the... forget it. As I say I've had one of the greatest meetings I had with about I don't think more than 20 people right in the heart of Thailand in a leper colony. Oh if you don't watch it the devil will say you know the Lord isn't with you right now you should have done this or done that. No no no you watch him but let's not suppose too much. And yet this one woman didn't come and she wanted to seize him by the feet. What did he say? Touch me not. Touch me not. You know somewhere in the in the long last night I don't sleep too much at nights anyhow but but last night I was thinking of this you know I come to that came to this conclusion I I don't think that one precious drop of blood from the Lord Jesus Christ fell to the ground. Not one drop. I think invisible angels caught it. What is this man going to do? Why are they guarding the way? Nobody must touch him and defile him he's going to offer blood. Ah but what does Hebrews 9 where 13 somewhere there say if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify through the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit you see this priest goes and takes blood but it's corruptible blood therefore he has to go every year but the blood of Jesus Christ is incorruptible it says in this very text you're not redeemed with silver and gold but with a precious blood of Christ a lamb without spots. The priest has to go every year. He appeared once at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself to hell with the mass. Don't tell me about Pentecostal Catholics. The mass is blasphemy. It hasn't to be done over and over again. He appeared once in the end of the age. You don't need a man as a mediator. You may be the poorest little woman that scrubs a kitchen floor down I don't care. In the eyes of God you're a princess. And the woman next door to you next you to this afternoon may be a millionaire as I don't know but she has no more standing with God than you have. We don't need priests and vestments and altars and candles. As a witty friend of mine used to say we're not saved by Greece by grace. And so let's keep that in mind. Where the precious blood I believe that that precious blood was caught. And Jesus had to present his own blood to the Father. A perfect offering. He was the lamb without spots. He had finished the work that John we spoke of Friday night said behold the Lamb of God. You know I think the devil had a headache. From that very day John said behold the Lamb of God. I think the devil had nerves until the final moment when Jesus triumphantly presented his blood and Satan knew that it was no good. He had to give up. Now he tries to fool us that this isn't a perfect offering but it certainly is. All right. We have a lively hope. We're going to talk about this Friday night. So plan to be away. Thursday night I mean. Sorry, sorry, sorry. About the judgments. The resurrections. He's begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection. Now what has he begotten us to? Come on now. What's he begotten us to? Put it down in black and white. I don't have to. It's in the next verse. Do you know what it says? He's begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to what? Three things. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Shall we break it down? What does he say? Blessed be the God and Father. Right. Verse four. To an inheritance incorruptible, that's beyond the reach of death, undefiled, that's beyond the reach of sin, that fadeth not away, beyond the reach of time. Now that's what God has reserved for you. If you're redeemed. If His Spirit is indwelling you, He has redeemed you. And He's reserved in heaven for you an inheritance. If some of you are anticipating an inheritance, my, you really look forward to it for a long while, don't you? You say, my, you know, I'd like to get that inheritance. It's so much, it's so much, it's so much. And you feel the pinch of poverty and all the time, you know, there's all that wealth there. Now you and I have an inheritance reserved in heaven for you. An inheritance incorruptible, beyond the reach of death, undefiled, beyond the reach of sin, reserved in heaven for you, beyond the reach of time. It's reserved in heaven for you. Hmm? You think it is really? When I, 1952, I flew, no, no, no, I took a train into Chicago and a very famous American artist met me there and took me to his lovely home and we had dinner. And his wife said, we had a great day today. I said, good. She said, we have, well, we've been to England three times. I said, well, you've done awfully well to go to England three times in one day. Oh, we've been by TV. The Queen was crowned today. And we watched a ceremony and we enjoyed it so much. We're going to watch it tonight at 10 o'clock. We hope you'll see it. It's marvelous to see a Queen crown. I said, I guess it is. And she said, if you had been in England, would you have been at the coronation? I said, no lady, my name's Ravenhill, not Churchill. And so she said, but wouldn't it be nice to go to a coronation? Do you think you could have got in? I said, don't think I had a chance. We used to live, before we came to the States, we lived in an old house in the middle of some fields, actually a castle if you want to be romantic. It was the remains of an old castle anyhow. And it had been there for 300 years, nice old place. And across from us was a very, very fine castle, a beautiful castle, a few miles away in the fields, owned by Lord and Lady Belmore. And I went across there one day and was walking around his beautiful, beautiful library, kind of library I'd like to have about as long as this room. And it was really wonderful. But right in the middle, I walked up to two chairs there. And they were beautifully embroidered. And on the corner there was a little tag. And it said on one Lord Belmore and on the other Lady Belmore. Well, they'd been to the coronation. About a year before, they'd been to the coronation of the Queen of England. And there are 3,000 seats in the Abbey. And so they had to put seats down the aisle. And people who sat on the chairs in the aisle were able to purchase their chairs. And so they brought them home. So they could say, well, this is where the chair your uncle was at when he saw the coronation, or your father or your grandfather, you know, like the thing you kind of hand down. And there were those lovely chairs. They were very proud of them. Now, if I'd gone to Westminster Abbey that morning of the coronation, and I'm going in and the big tall lifeguard there says, where are you going? I say, see the coronation. You are? Well, I'd like to. What's your name? Ravenhill. Oh, let me see. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. There's a Lord Ravenmore and there's a Lord Ravencroft. But Ravenhill, you just aren't in the list. Thank you. I suppose you feel very unhappy about that. No, no, I'm not a bit worried. No, not worried. Oh, the kings of the earth are here. The great famous people are all here. This is going to be the greatest show on earth. And you say you're not worried. And I mean I'm not worried. Why not? Well, sir, I'm going to a coronation soon that will make this one look like the dishes in the kitchen sink. And you know what? I've got my reservation in right now. That's what it says, doesn't it? Well, why do you get under the weather? Because somebody upset you this week. What are you doing under the weather anyhow? You should be on top of it. Or you nod your heads and say hallelujah here. But boy, when you're roughing it tomorrow and something, will it be as happy then? See? Something else, isn't it? Somebody says, you mean you're a Christian? You mean you don't go to, I mean, didn't I see your car coming through Las Vegas the other week? Yeah, you did. Went through it. Lousy hole that it is. Some Christian entertainers there of course. But apart from that, what do you want me to do? Sit down and cry because you despise me? You know that that coronation only lasted a few hours. But I'm going to one that's lasting forever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords and he shall reign. And I'm going to see all the kings of the earth kneel down before him. And I'm going to shout and praise and magnify the Lord. And whoo, do you know what it says? There are 10,000 times 10,000. What's 10,000 times 10,000? Oh, you forgot your computer. All right. It's a hundred million. That's only the choir. You think Billy Graham has a choir of 3,000? Put them in a teacup. He's got a hundred million and thousands of thousands on top. I should think so. Brother, that's going to be something. See, all the saints of all the ages, all the redeemed. And do you know what it says? This inheritance is yours. It's incorruptible, undefiled. It fadeth not away. It's reserved in heaven for you, if your name is there. It's reserved in heaven for you who are kept. Ah, now here's the problem. You say, Mr. Raiden, I've often thought I'd like to make a total commitment to Jesus, but you know, I'm sure I couldn't keep it. Well, that's sensible. You can't, but I'll tell you something. He can. What, don't you sing in a song sometimes? I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. Well, that's a good one, if you really mean it. This is reserved for you who are kept. Kept by what? The power of God. You know, one of those little boys that they shot up in that tin can up to the moon. When he was going out, he looked through the window and suddenly said, what was the most surprising thing? He said, to see the earth. The earth hanging on nothing. The earth is hanging like a ball in space. Well, I don't think that would disturb me too much, because I've always realized it did. But you know, as I thought of that, I thought, you know, the thing that would surprise me was this. Here's the world hanging like a great big ball, and here's the ocean. Did you ever try to bend water? You try it when you go home. It's quite a job. And yet, here's the world, and the ocean is bent round the side of the world, and the ocean wasn't falling off. Now, how does what? You try and get water to hang on. I guess you can't do it. Your mother-in-law is clever as she is. She couldn't either. You see. You can't get water to hang like that, can you? And water underneath, and it doesn't drop off. No wonder they were flabbergasted as they went up and said, what a wonderful world. And you know, this silly stupid old book, you know, this old thing nobody bothers to read. Do you know what Job said? He must have had some lessons in science. Do you know what he said? He hangeth the world upon nothing. Isn't that smart? Somebody says, no, the world is on the back of an elephant, and the elephant stands on the back of a huge tortoise. Well, they don't know what the tortoise stands on, you see. So I'll take the scripture any time. He hangeth the world upon nothing. Now, the God who hangs the world upon nothing, you say, well, I'd like to be a Christian, but you know, tomorrow I'll be defeated. I'm sure I couldn't keep it. I mean, it's a big world, isn't it? Yeah, I think it is. I've been around here a couple of times. It's really small, though. It's like a golf ball. Every new play in the inventory, we live in a shrinking world and an expanding universe. In one sense, it's a big world. Is he able to keep me? I mean, let's do a little bit of homework here, shall we? Of course, you're lazy. You want me to do it. All right. When Satan fell out of heaven, he took how many with him? A third of the heavenly host, eh? So here you've got Satan and a third of the heavenly host. You've got Satan, a third of the heavenly host, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Hey, that's a lot. You've got to fight them all tomorrow. You better get ready for it. But wait a minute. He that is for us is what? Greater. Ah, so there's only the devil. That's one. And a third of the heavenly host, and the world and the flesh, that's all you have. Satan, the world, the flesh, and a third of the heavenly host. That's all you have against you. Now what have you got for you? You've got the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, two-thirds of the heavenly host, all the promises of God, and the fellowship of the saints. You should make it, you know. I mean, you've just got about twice as much as anybody else, haven't you? I mean, why can't you make it, you miserable... Anyhow, why can't you make it? You've got everything on your side. We'll be kept by the power of God. As I said the other day, just passing over. Occasionally, I do a little fishing. Not much. Don't have time. But I caught a beauty a few months ago. 52 inches long. I tried to make it longer. My wife wouldn't stretch it. So it was just 52, you know. It looked 94 under the water. But when I got it up, it had shrunk. And somebody says, boy, you'll enjoy that. That's a kingfish. It's good eating. And it was. We happen to live with some folk who have a cook, and she did a superb job. And I said, is this the fish I caught? Man, is it great. And somebody said, why don't you put some salt on it? It will be better. Now, isn't it rather strange, that fish, that could have taken 20 years. Some of those things you eat, you know. No wonder you're getting old. You eat crabs 150 years old. How in the world do you wonder you won't get old? But anyhow, you're eating fish that's taken 20 years to live in the ocean. And when you get it out, it's the flattest thing in the world, isn't it? Doesn't have any salt in it. Ever try to eat fish without salt? Now, you don't know the answer. And science doesn't know the answer. How does a fish live in strong salt water for 20 years? And when you eat it, it hasn't. Even if you eat it raw, it hasn't got a taste of salt in it. Well, if the Lord can keep a fish down there in the sea, without any salt getting in, don't you think He might be able to keep you covered with His precious blood without any sin getting in you? Huh? That's simple logic, but boy, it does me good anyhow. What makes you think the world, the flesh and the devil have to puncture holes in you and kick you around? We'll be kept by the power of God through faith. Now, I don't care which way Satan attacks you, and I don't care who he comes through. There's only one thing he's after. And that one thing is to destroy your faith. Faith is the only thing which is a fruit of the Spirit and a gift of the Spirit. It's also called a shield of faith. Now, if you drop your shield, you can't fight off the fiery darts of the devil. And most of this epistle, again, is to the end. He says in verse 21, about God raising him from the dead, that your faith might be in God. Hmm? And you go through the epistle and see how many times he talks about faith. We're kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. All right? So you can be a Spirit-filled believer and have the world and the flesh and the devil and a third of the heavenly host against you. Yeah, yeah. And you know what? You can win too. Now what's the next thing in this verse? Ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. Oh boy, isn't that bad? That really kills it, doesn't it, when you get to the end of that verse. I mean the first part's all right. Ye greatly rejoice. Hallelujah. Had a great time in that meeting tonight. And tomorrow have manifold temptations. And oh brother, do you get under the weather. Hmm? It doesn't say temptation. It says manifold temptation. You ever notice in the letter to the Hebrews in the 11th chapter, where it talks about some were stoned and some were torn asunder, and right in the middle of all that persecution it says we're tempted. I think the biggest temptation to a Christian is not to want temptation. Hmm? Ye greatly rejoice. This doesn't make sense. Ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season you're in heaviness. I mean, come on, how can you be rejoicing and in heaviness? And notice what it says, now for a season. Think of the dignified preacher. He just had one little old colored lady in his church and he thought he must visit her occasionally. Went in one day and he thought he'd be patronizing, you know, and he said some nice things to her. And then he said to her, do you have a favorite scripture? She says, I sure does. And he said, what is it? She said, it came to pass. Well, he knew Greek and Hebrew, but he didn't know that. What did you say your scripture? It came to pass. It came to pass. I don't understand. Well, she said, preacher, when I get in trouble and I'm heavy and everything's going wrong, I say, now, now, now, Sapphira, hold it a minute. It came to pass. Isn't that good? Hmm? I mean, you're not building a house here. You're just here, you know, you're kind of in the trouble right now and everything's heavy. It came to pass. And by the same token, when you get exalted and feel, oh, it is wonderful. Hey, hold it a minute. Tomorrow morning, you'll be at zero. It came to pass. Now, if you're living on feelings, you don't need faith. And if you're living on faith, you don't need feelings. Manifold temptation. We could spend a week here. Oh, man. Well, how many kinds of temptations are there? I wouldn't know. I know there are temptations to the flesh, to the body. There are temptations to the mind. There are temptations to the spirit. You say, you know, I don't understand. I've recently been filled with the spirit. And you know, it's never been as rough. Oh, I think you've got the real thing. I should hold on. And somebody said, it's gonna get worse. And he said, it did. It's gonna get worse. It sure is. Sure. There's no record in the Scripture. I guess it must be right. But there's no record in the Scripture about Jesus being tempted before he received the anointing of the Spirit in Jordan. And immediately the anointing was he was led of the Spirit, not led of the devil. He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness. And he came back on the edge of a nervous breakdown. What does it say? He returned what? In the power of the Spirit. He didn't come back, oh, you don't know how rough I've had it. I've been through temptation from A to Z. I mean, body, soul and spirit. I'm just about through. I need six months out. Well, if you don't, it serves you right. Because you're fighting it instead of letting God fight it. He was tempted on all points. Hebrew says, with strong crying and tears. Some people say, young people say, do you think Jesus was tempted sexually? Sure he was. He was a man. If he wasn't, he wasn't a man. Tempted to get married? Sure, I believe everything. He was tempted on all, not some points, all points. He was very God of very God. He was very man of very man. Now there are areas of temptation, aren't there? I mean, you know, temptation that works on one doesn't work on another. When I was a little boy, I used to climb on a chair and steal jelly. You know, my mother made jellies and jams. And I used to climb up on a chair when she was out and reach to the back of the shelf and take the lid off and put a spoon in and mmm. Oh boy, I can almost taste it now. Now look, be very kind to me. I used this illustration two weeks ago on the day I was leaving. A woman brought me a sack that depth of jelly. Now I don't want jelly. I should use the illustration about money maybe. But the thing was that, sure, I used to climb on a chair and steal jelly. A few days after, mother would call, Len. Very busy mother. Oh, I can wait. Well, I'm going off to play football. Do it when you come back. Well, I have to go right after supper. Be fine. Do tomorrow. Oh, brother, I knew what was coming. My dad was a Methodist. He believed on the laying on of hands. And boy, he could lay them on, I'll tell you too, when it came to it. He really gave me the works. But you know, every time I laid over his knee, I used to say, he was getting fun out of it, I'm sure, you know. And I used to say, but it's worth it. And you know what, I'll do it again. Sorry. I keep having trouble with this mic. Thank you. Oh, it was just stood up like that. But the fact was that I kind of figured out, well, this is really worth it. I get beaten up. Thank you. I get beaten up, but I'm going to steal jelly again, because it's worth getting beaten up for this enjoyment, you know. Now I did this for a while. Thank you. I did this for a while. And then eventually I got over it. We've been living in Brother Lindsay's house this week. And I want to report victory. I haven't stolen jelly once. What do you think of that? See, you think you can't get victory, but you can. Oh, well, you say victory, the jello to a little boy is something, but at your age, well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. You see, temptation that works on a boy at 17 won't work on a man maybe that's 70. Temptation to a young woman doesn't work on an older woman. Temptation on an older woman, no, no, no, no, no. We're all so different. There's so many classifications. You've got one vulnerable spot and Satan will push on that. He knows your particular weak spot, you see. Temptation. I like the hymn that says, I need thee every hour. Stay thou nearby. Temptations lose their power. We're kept by the power of God. You ever sing a hymn, Lord, for tomorrow and its need. I do not pray, but keep me, guide me, hold me, Lord, just for today. Do you know that hymn? When the two of you nod, I see. And you ever heard people say, well, you know, boy, I'm glad I live only a day at a time. Well, that's your trouble, you see. That's the whole trouble. You're trying to live a day at a time. Can't do it. Somebody says, well, I don't live a day at a time. And they went home and wrote another hymn. I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord. Somebody says, well, that's very nice. I think I live, well, I don't live there. That would kill me. But there's another old hymn. It must be Methodist. There's another old hymn. And do you know what it says? Moment by moment, I'm kept in His love. Moment by moment, I've life from above. No, I can't live a day at a time. I need thee every hour, but I don't live an hour at a time. You know, it'd be interesting, wouldn't it? If I say, suppose we all stand up and say how much we have in the bank. I wouldn't say that because you'd tell lies. But it'd be interesting, wouldn't it? Here's a man. He's only got $50. The man up there worth $3 million. And that's somebody that says that. And you say, you see, we're not all the same. Well, I got news for you. There's nobody here anywhere else rich. The only thing anybody in the world owns, you know what it is? One beat of the heart, that's all. That cuts us all right down to the bottom. If you're Croesus, I don't care if you're Henry Ford. Who you are. The only thing you own this afternoon is one beat of your heart, that's all. I need Him every moment. Moment by moment, I'm kept in His love. Now, can the Lord keep me from sin for a second, do you think? I think He could if He holds the world up. And if He keeps me for a second, then He's only 60 of those to do and He can keep me for a minute. And if He can keep me for a minute, He can keep me for an hour. An hour, then a day, a day, then a week, a week, a month, a month. So, so, so on. See, we've got married to the idea that sin is natural. Sin is natural, sin's unnatural. Adam was a perfect personality and he had no sin. Oh, you'll find some people with marvelous logic. And they say, you know, we all need a bit of sin to keep us humble. Why not have a lot and be real humble? Hmm? I mean, after all, the most holy person that ever lived was the Lord Jesus and He had no sin. And the most arrogant person that ever lived is the devil and he's full of it, but he's no humility. You don't need sin to keep you humble. All you have to do is realize how small and short your life is and how little you do. Boy, that'll rub your nose in the dust. You don't need to be fooling around with sin in one way or another. But you see, you can be a believer, a spirit-filled believer, and you can be battered by temptation physically, mentally, psychologically, sociologically, a thousand different ways. But that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with your life. Just means God has more confidence in you that He's allowing you to be tested. Because you say, it's ten times worse than it was last year. And do you know it'll be ten times worse next year, the year to day. You just mark the date and remember it. And do you know what it is? It's God showing you how much confidence He has. Do you know why? Because He says, He won't let you be tempted above what year? Oh, oh, the Lord's promoting me. Oh, I thought, you know, you wake up in the morning, put your hand up and say, oh, it isn't there. You know, feeling for your halo on the pillow. And it isn't there. You wake up and put your coat on and say, it's a bit tight. And you feel and say, oh, I thought my wings were coming or something. You ain't going to sprout wings down here and you're not going to have a halo. The Lord isn't going to give you any reward that way down here. He's going to reward you by letting you carry a bigger burden than the other guy there. That's what He's going to do. And He's going to let you go through a furnace which is hotter than that other fellow up there because He couldn't take it. But you better watch it. You say, Lord, I want to show forth your beauty. Well, I'll tell you one way of showing it. Get in a furnace seven times hotter than anything you've been in. And you'll either crack up or else you'll reveal to Christ. Oh, so maybe the trouble you've been having lately is just the Lord answering prayer for you. You told Him that way and He came that way. I trace the rainbow through the rain and feel the promises not vain. You see, when you pray for something, did not the Lord always... He never sends it gift packaged. Gabriel's never been at our door yet. Has he been at our door, Martha? I don't remember him coming. He never comes. The Lord never sends you no... Sometimes you get a box this size, don't you, about this size and this depth with a bow at the top. In fact, to tell you the truth, the way they dress it up, it costs more than what's inside very often. Great, big, showy thing. You know what the Lord does? He disguises all His blessings. You prayed about something and you see this coming, you say, Oh, Lord, please take this away, take this away, take this away. And you know what He does? He takes it away. And then you say, Lord, you didn't answer my prayer. I can't understand why you didn't answer that prayer. And then you sit down and think, Oh, what about that? Oh, I see, I see, I see, yeah. You know that story about St. Francis of Assisi going down the road and meeting a smelly old leper. And when he came, he thought, yeah, and he was going to turn on one side. And he turned and looked at him and he put his arms around him and gave him a hug and said, God bless you. Then he got further up the road and turned back and the man hadn't moved, but he'd changed from the beggar to Christ. You see, we read scriptures and we quote them, but boy, when they work out, it's something else, isn't it? Doesn't God say that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts? You know, some of us would like to teach the Lord a thing or two, wouldn't we, if we could? Wouldn't you like to explain something? I mean, wouldn't you like to go see what He's really doing? I remember going up behind a man working very busily on a huge carpet. Never saw a sillier thing in my life. It was black and red and yellow and blue, tails hanging all, and no sense, no rhyme, no reason. But then I went around the other side and it took my breath away. What did a poet say? Can I think of it right here? Dig it up somehow. My life is but a weaving between my God and me. I may but choose the colors He worketh steadily. Full oft He weaveth sorrow and I in foolish pride forget He sees the upper and I the underside. I see all the tangled ends and say, it's chaos, it's silly, it isn't working anything. He says, you just wait a minute, I'm going to show you the other side in eternity and you'll find that. You see, God always works through a pattern. There's no happenstance. Let's switch a minute here. The trial of your faith being kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to reveal in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice. Though now for a season ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation, that the trial of your faith, do you know, you can get to a place where the devil will give up tempting you. I believe that. I believe you can beat him so many times, he'll hang his harps on the willow. He'll give up and say, I'm not going to tempt that man again. I've tried him on every level, in his mind, in his spirit, in his body, in sex, in reverses, adversity. I've tried him and he doesn't. Do you know what he'll do then? He'll quit temptation and do you know what he'll come? He'll come ten times hotter because it says here he'll come with the trial of your faith. Oh my, my, my. You're going to say I've got something worse? Oh sure. When you got through junior high what did you do? Go back to kindergarten? Hmm? Or did you expect to go up to the next step? What makes you think the Lord's going to take the pressure off? After all, you didn't get saved till you were laid. So wonder he saved you at all at your age. And now he hasn't got long to work on you to the grave, has he? Do you think he's going to stack you with a ten-decker crown when he gets through the pearly gates and diamonds and rubies and you're going to stood around like little Lord Fauntleroy or something in heaven? You don't really get what you earn. Not in salvation but in works. Not for salvation but because of salvation. Work out your salvation. He isn't going to make you fast. He isn't going to make you weep. He isn't going to make you sacrifice. Live like a king. Live it up. I don't care a hell of beans if you're a solid gold cadillac. As I say, some of my friends are beautiful yachts. Magnificent yachts with a crew. I enjoy them. Doesn't cost me a dime so why shouldn't I? But I don't envy them one thing. They've servants. They've chauffeurs. They've gardeners. They've everything. Doesn't worry me a bit. Why should it? See there's no translation from this level to this when you get to eternity. You know people say you can't take it with you. I've got news. You will take it with you. You will take it with you. Every dime you earn since you were saved is all in God's register and how much you spend on yourself, how much you gave to the work of God is all up there brother and we are going to have our reward. This good old book says so. All right the trial of your faith. I come to that Thursday night. The trial of your faith so you can suffer between now and then. The trial of your faith being much more precious. You see somewhere, somewhere, somewhere. Let's get this. Somewhere you're going to have to take up your cross and follow Him. And again remember a cross. The man with a cross isn't coming back. It's a one-way ticket. And you know what? You only need to carry a cross till you're willing to die on it. As soon as you're willing to die you don't need to carry it one inch further. I don't care what your cross is. I was lying in hospital with plaster from my chin to my toes and you know it was amazing how many people came in and some of them the most famous preachers in the world. Don't understand why the Lord let you have this. I said I don't so what. But you know brother Ravenhill we all have a cross. I say hold it a minute. Think I'm a lunatic? I jumped out of a burning hotel. Had the privilege of saving a man's life. I could have walked out without a scratch but I saved his life. As a result we got trapped and as I say I had a broken back and legs and feet and everything. Do you know that guy never thanked me even for saving his life. But that's not unusual. We don't do that with the thank the same as we should do it. But you see the trial of your faith whichever way it comes. Whatever Satan's doing he's trying to get you to quit. He's trying to get you to give up. He's trying to see hypocrisy in somebody's life. He's trying to get you to see this and that and the other and say well we can't make it it's not real. Oh but it is. Again if his power is abiding in us. Now I didn't jump out of that window for fun. You jump out of a four-story. That was as nearly as high a gain as this. At three o'clock on a Sunday morning and hit the sidewalk and get all rolled up in the frost and snow and be left there shaking and can't get up. I didn't take up that. I'm not so stupid. That wasn't a cross. That was something thrust on me. A cross is something you take up by an act of your will. It was a trial of my faith but it wasn't a cross. A cross is something I take up. A cross is something I carry until I'm willing to die on it. And then when I'm willing to die do you know what happens? He gives me a bigger cross. That's all. You go a little way feeling man I got through that fine and the Lord says come on now what about that? Here's another cross. You're going to take it up? You can be spirit-filled, tempted, tried on every level, sexually, mentally, every other way. You can have fiery trial. I don't know how many people have told me in this very assembly during this last two weeks we've been here. You know in the last few months I've lost everything. Quite a lot of people here lost everything. Well that's a good way to start you know. Not nice when you're going through it. You came to a place of decision. You had to take up your cross and you know what? You've got to carry it. I was holding a street meeting one night and the fellows they're half drunk you know like these wise men usually are. I said well you know I don't stand up when I'm feeling bad. I don't sing Lord help me or something like that. I don't sing abide with me fast falls either or jeez you lover of my soul. I said you don't. He says no I'm under the weather. He says when I feel bad I just sing pack all your troubles in your old kit bag and smile smile smile. And you know the crowd roared. I used to hold a street meeting 10 o'clock Saturday night for all the drunks and prostitutes in town. We used to have some great times. I saw the heavyweight championship of the world about six times and they used to fight and they used to carry on and the cops used to come and it was real good. I enjoyed it. Some people got saved. You know the crowd we got used to some of these fellows and they laughed when he said I don't sing hymns I just sing pack all your troubles in your old kit bag and they roared. I said that's great. What do you mean it's great? Oh I said only the only there's just one weakness in it the man that wrote it committed suicide. Why did he pack his troubles in his old kit bag? Do you know why? Because the other guy was carrying his. When you've packed them nobody's going to carry it for you. You still get under it. Now by the same token let's wind it up quickly. Oh what does Paul say to Philippians? Bear ye not another's burden. Sure let's get together. Pray for this pray for that. By the way I call my we called our son in California last night. How many of you read the book God Smuggler? Wonderful book written by a good friend of mine. Do you know that little guy just a few days ago was in a plane crash. He went up in a private plane with a friend and just got nicely airborne and the thing came nose down and he's lying outside of Denver in a hospital with a broken back today. So you remember to pray for him. But you see you've got your burden it says bear one another's burdens. Let's bear one and then that right after it you know it says let every man bear his own burden. I'll help carry your burden but it won't make you a saint. And not only will it not make you a saint it won't bring you any reward either. Be careful how much stuff you shove on others because the more they carry the more reward they're going to get. Now you can be filled with the spirit and be severely tempted you can be filled with the spirit and be severely trapped. Here's a problem young people bring up very often you know they say look I'm saved and I'm walking with the Lord but you know that's one thing the devil gets me down and you know this is about a major stroke with most people. You're not filled with the spirit. Do you know why? Because a person like you would never have the dirty thoughts you have if you were really filled with the spirit. Now look at that woman there and you know some of you women you deserve trouble in the way you dress. If I were a judge and a girl had been attacked on a beach I think I'd send the girl to jail. I'm not siding with anybody but there's a lot too much promiscuous stuff and so forth in the day in which we're living. All right tell me this. What's the difference between evil thoughts and thoughts of evil? Any difference? Let's put it another way that you'll understand better than they would any. What's the difference between a negro spiritual and a spiritual negro? Any difference? Oh well one's a song and the other's a poem. All right. It's only the same way you know I met someone recently they said hello brother I haven't seen you for a long while you're looking better. Nobody ever says I'm better looking. I mean it's the same thing couldn't they turn the words around and say you're looking better? My wife would say yes all right no I don't expect anybody to say I'm better looking I'm getting old and cranky and you know kind of what I hope not cranky. What's the difference between evil thoughts and thoughts of evil? Well evil thoughts come out of an evil heart. Thoughts of evil come from Satan. Now I guess you say that's as clear as mud eh? Doesn't help me. How do you tell which is which? Oh that's dead easy. I went to visit a pastor friend and I said my your office we say in England your study looks so nice and he said yes and I said oh except the window look at that big lump of mud and he said hey there's a there's a and he gave me a duster he said and I was talking to him you know and I rubbed the window like this and I said it's on the outside he said right he said some mischievous boys out there I've just cleaned those windows. One little guy thought boy I'll make the pastor mad you know and he threw a lump of mud on the window and he said it's on the outside. I'm only responsible for what's on the inside. Now by the same token evil thoughts come from an evil heart. Thoughts of evil come from Satan. How do I know the difference? Oh all the difference in the world. Because you see Jesus said on one occasion and not only I go beyond Moses. Moses said thou shall not commit adultery but I say you're not to look on a woman to lust. Now you can get a lot of satisfaction in fact you can commit adultery without even committing it. You can get all the kicks you want even out of your impure mind and if Satan comes you just brush him off and say oh I quit that kind of stuff long ago. Oh he may press just just hold him resist the devil. Now do you know what a lot of us do? A lot of us pray about problems that the end of the day we'd never have had if we prayed at the beginning of the day. If you'd prayed at the beginning of the day I try to do this that's my day work I wake in the morning two or three o'clock now my boys are all over the earth kind of thing and and I don't know why they are just but I always think of the words of Job he said I'm going to pray for my children lest they sin and when I wake in the morning if it's dark or raining or snowing or what in the world or what I'm in a plane or somewhere as soon as I wake I pray I say thank you Lord for this day now bless my boys and keep them protected with the blood. You know it's no good praying and asking God to do something that you can do. Do you want a meek and a quiet spirit? What does Paul talk about the gentleness and meekness of Christ? Well there's one way don't be argumentative. You're far better to lose an argument and win a man than win the argument and lose the man. Don't be contentious. Here's a fellow goes into a monastery and an old monk comes and says well how are things in the world? He says it's very wicked very wicked very bad. Wars, tribulation, distress, fighting always. What were you saying there? People argue and fight? What what what what do you mean argue? I don't know what you mean by argue. Well he said you see like you see this rock well I put it down there and I say that's my rock and you say it's my rock and I say it's my rock and I say it's my rock and you say it's my rock and you see the more we contend the more angry we get. So the monk smiled. Young monk said shall we try? So he says all right. So he put the rock down he says all right brother monk there see that rock that's my rock. Oh well if it's yours you better take it he said. That's one way to get over it very easily isn't it? Are you a good loser? Have you got a meek and a quiet spirit? Oh you know we can help ourselves so much. Really all you have to do is to take this book. All right let's take, can I take two more things? What about our faults? Go a little further down in the book and it says you may be buffeted for your faults. Now you don't have any but your husband has so many you don't need them. I mean all the faults you have isn't it terrible what faults you have? Now there are some faults you can get and you can straighten them out you know you can put them right if you really try some of our faults. You know ladies sometimes have a habit of getting under the weather more than men maybe the more sensitive and they cry about things sometimes don't they? Don't you get under the weather and cry you know Mrs so-and-so said so. Now look here don't let the devil laugh at you because every time you cry he laughs. Now look you did something and you didn't mean it so what? Well they don't understand and they hold it against me well maybe they do but I'll tell you something God doesn't because your motive was pure. What was your motive in doing it? Ever heard people say it's easy to judge? That's the most difficult thing in the world. The easiest thing in the world is to misjudge. I mean you can trust your eyes can't you? Oh no no you can't trust your eyes. That's what you can't trust. Here's one of our most famous preachers in England coming down the street at two o'clock in the morning turns around the corner just going past a girl there she is her skirt's above her knees and boy she's real got it all laid on and as he goes past she groaned and he thought yeah that's a trick I'm going on and scripture came to his mind he passed by on the other side no it was dirty windy rainy morning and he went back and saw this girl known as one of the most expensive but famous prostitutes in London and he said could I help you oh maybe you could she said I got such a pain I was trying to get home where do you live I live halfway down the next block say let me help you you you stand up now you put your left hand in my hand give me that bag a minute and he slipped the bag on his arm and took her fur and put that on his arm and he said put your left hand in my hand and she did and he said and let me hold him he put his arm around her waist and he said now very slowly do you think we can make it yes but I'll try and you know he took her inch by inch by inch down the street halfway down the block he just had to cross the road and go about three houses down and he got it made and when he got to the break in the road it wouldn't have been bad if he'd met the devil but he met a deacon and the deacon looked at him my pastor with her and he buttoned his coat up and he stood under somebody's doorway and he watched and the pastor he went there how sure he he held the girl and he fiddled around and he took the keys out of her bag and and he got in the door and he went upstairs it was a high-rise apartment there and he went up about three floors and oh the light went on and he took his watch out and said I'm going to watch how long and he was still shivering there an hour and a half after and the pastor was warm in bed fast asleep and not with the girl either oh when he got up there he knocked on the door of the lady who managed that section and he said I've just taken a girl and laid her on her bed in the room and she needs a doctor well sir would you get the doctor well where is he well um don't go out to the front door go out to the back door and go down the back street and turn left go three steps and turn right and turn left again and turn right again and on the left and and sir um you could get the subway from there there's an all night subway there through London and he thanked the lady he wasn't in the house five minutes he hadn't got an evil desire or any wrong thought he wanted to help a poor broken girl and he laid her there on the bed and he went for the doctor and he was home in bed and the old deacon there and he said the old devil that time but the old deacon he was figuring it all out and you know what he did the next morning uh uh Jack I want to tell you this this is terrible oh I couldn't sleep all night well the pastor slept all night and he told him and he called another deacon and when the preacher went Wednesday night to the midweek prayer meeting he says well must have a revival we haven't had all the deacons here for years all here on a Wednesday night how wonderful to see you all something wrong tell him tell him what well you you tell him no you're the senior deacon but you saw him I don't understand then just told the story nothing in it you know about the only exercise that some Christians take is jumping to conclusions oh you can have faults and you can be misunderstood and still be in the center of God's will you can have your faith tested and business go wrong and still be in the dead center of God's will who told you prosper anyhow somebody at a business meeting why don't you read what Paul says he says to the people in Corinth you're living like kings I wish it was genuine because if it was we'd be kings too but you know he says we're the offscouring of the earth a greatest man alive the offscouring of the earth didn't own a house or an automobile or a single thing he had nothing of his own we're gonna have faults some of them we can straighten some we can't we'll be misunderstood but let's just say this and quit do you know what Jesus is going to do one day he's going to present us what faultless before his father's throne my principal used to tell about a fellow coming home from the office his extra pair of shoes were down being repaired and he'd come home in the rain and he was drenched when he came in he took his shoes off and shook the water out and we have little open fires in England down there and he put his shoes by the fireplace went upstairs and said to his wife well darling I've got to be at church and please have my supper ready when I come down I'm just going to shave and bathe and I'll be down and he came down about 15 minutes later and his shoes were not there and he said to his wife Mary you move my shoes no dear never been out of the kitchen well I left them by the fire and they're not here oh then his little Mary jr came in hi daddy hello have you seen my shoes she said yes he left them by the fire they wouldn't dry that by the fire what do you do with them I just pop them in the oven and you know what they were dry there's only a case of who they'd fit the toes were going that way the heels were going that way and unless you were crippled you couldn't have gotten in them anyhow now what did he do tip it up and beat the daylights out of her no why she wasn't faultless but she was blameless a motive was pure you do the same thing and you know they misunderstood so what do you want to worry about read Romans chapter 8 what does it say there it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth forget them all the world the flesh and the devil and say well father I'm still on the winning side I got the father the son the Holy Ghost all the promises of God my Bible and the fellowship of the saints and you know you'll make it hallelujah father we thank you for such a wonderful redemption and for such a wonderful provision you have made for us grant oh lord that day by day we shall prove this that we can be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation and the fullness of all the revelation that's still to come upon us dismiss us with thy blessing in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit amen thanks