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Let Go and Let God
Hans R. Waldvogel

Hans Rudolf Waldvogel (1893 - 1969). Swiss-American Pentecostal pastor and evangelist born in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Emigrating to the U.S. as a child, he grew up in Chicago, working in his family’s jewelry business until a conversion experience in 1916 led him to ministry. In 1920, he left business to serve as assistant pastor at Kenosha Pentecostal Assembly in Wisconsin for three years, then pursued itinerant evangelism. In 1925, he co-founded Ridgewood Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn, New York, pastoring it for decades and growing it into a vibrant community emphasizing prayer and worship. Influenced by A.B. Simpson, Waldvogel rejected sectarianism, focusing on Christ’s centrality and the Holy Spirit’s work. He delivered thousands of sermons, many recorded, stressing spiritual rest and intimacy with God. Married with children, he lived simply, dedicating his life to preaching across the U.S. His messages, blending Swiss precision with Pentecostal fervor, remain accessible through archives
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In this sermon, the preacher discusses the discovery of atomic power and energy, which poses a threat to civilization but also promises abundance for all. He highlights the simple formula E=mc^2 as the key to this discovery. However, he introduces another simple formula, "let go, let gone," which opens the treasury of heaven to those who embrace it. The preacher uses the story of Jacob's disbelief and eventual joy upon learning that his son Joseph was alive to illustrate the importance of letting go and embracing the promises of God.
Sermon Transcription
The discovery of atomic power and energy, which threatens our civilization on one hand and on the other hand promises abundance of life for all the people that dwell on the face of the earth. It's the discovery of the treasury of creation, and it all came about through the discovery of a very, very simple formula, E equals MC squared. Now, of course, if you weren't such intelligent people I wouldn't tell you this because I see by your bright eyes that you understand exactly what I'm saying, and that's good because I don't. But anyway, I'm thinking of another very simple formula, very, very simple, so simple that many people miss it. It's like this, let go, let God. That opens all the treasury of heaven to a poor lost center, the treasury of righteousness, of holiness, of overcoming sin, of healing for the body, of eternal life. Just as simple as that. Ah, but you know, you once try to let go. You know, when the news was brought to Jacob, old Father Jacob, that his son Joseph was still alive, he didn't believe it. He just didn't. He was still running around in circles and still hunchbacked, still weeping and mourning and moping because his son Joseph was dead, and now they were facing starvation. And when these boys came back from Egypt, they had taken Simeon away, and then they had taken Benjamin away, and now they came back with a fairy tale that Joseph, whom he had mourned as dead for many years, was alive. He didn't believe it. He said, get away. Get away with your myths. But they said, come outside and see the chariots, the iron chariots and the Arabian horses and all this battalion of Egyptian infantry and artillery and cavalry. And boy, when Jacob saw that, the old man got young again. I can see him dancing at Jacob, clapping his hands and standing on his head for joy. Joseph's alive. Let me go and see him. But that wasn't so easy, because he had three or four wives. And you know how women are when they move. Everything has to come along. Here in this corner there's something, and in the other corner, and up in the attic now, Jacob, you climb up on the ladder and get down that box. There are some old family portraits, and there's an old toaster, which we have inherited from our father, Mezuzah, and everything, everything. My, what a job. And Joseph said, don't regard your stuff. Come on, I'll take care of you. Come on, I've got toasters that are made of platinum and diamond studded. You don't need anything. Don't take anything along. Come on, hurry up. And God says, you can't serve two masters. Here's your master. Glory to God. Don't call anybody father if I'm to serve. They may have been very good, very wonderful to you, but how much more shall your heavenly father, O ye of little faith. But isn't that the trouble? We hang on to our own strength and our own righteousness and our own wisdom, and our heart is occupied and is ensnared and is troubled. And as long as our heart is troubled, it means that we are idolaters. We bow to a God that cannot save. We submit to a master that has enslaved us a long time and will not let us enter into the kingdom of God. It isn't until we really let go. Oh, how simple that entering into rest. We have believed, oh, I need a sight of my Jesus. Great faith produces great abandonment. Oh, my Lord, when I got a sight of you, all my worries were over, all my trials, all my problems were solved, everything I referred to you. Why, Jesus Christ, you promised to take over. You said, I am the way. Did you lose the way? Oh, here's a blazing path. To the natural man, it's a narrow way, but to the spiritual man, it's the way of eternity that brightens as you go on. Jesus, Jesus Christ. Oh, it's one thing to let go, but to let God, really let God, will he? Why, beloved, that's why he spared not his own son, but he gave him. How many times does Jesus say, the Father sent the Son? First of all, not to call the righteous, but sinners. If you're a sinner, why, then God sent the Son for you, personally. You have a right. If you are righteous, you have no right to the Savior. But if you're a sinner, a Zacchaeus up in the tree, or a Magdalene in the mud, you are the one for whom God sent his Son. And this is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. Thank God he's here today, and the blackest sinner could be saved this very moment by receiving and believing on the Son of God, because he is here. Thank God all the universe is wired with that voltage of heaven, the power of his precious blood that takes away sin. Let go, let God, and you'll experience salvation. You'll be made a new creation in Christ Jesus. He'll do that, as many as received him. But listen, you can't serve two masters. Lots of people try to do that. They still hang on to things of earth, and to their own efforts at righteousness or their sin. But oh, to let go, forget the things that are behind. Reckon yourself dead indeed unto sin, because it's so, as thou has given him power over all flesh. One time the devil had power, and it was my very flesh that gave him power over me. And now God has given him all power. How did it happen, Jesus? Oh, by becoming man, by taking my place, by being associated with me, related to me, by being one with me, by entering into this human race, and taking the chains from them, and breaking them. Glory to God. Oh, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah shall break every chain. Now he says, I have power to give eternal life to all that come to me. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Don't start to try to make yourself worthy, but come just as you are, but come. That's the idea. Let go, and then let gone. Come out of darkness into light, out of unbelief into faith. But he also says that God sent him to his sheep that they might have life. That's you now, right now, sitting in your chair. Oh, to exercise faith now. That's prayer without ceasing. My heart keeps breathing the atmosphere of heaven. Glory to God. My disease flees. Oh, here in this hell, now I wake up. Now the Old Testament lives. Now I begin to understand the promises that God made to the fathers, which they could not understand, because there was a veil over the Old Testament. But today I see that the Jehovah of the Old Testament, who labored incessantly to deliver his people and bring them into a place of faith, where they would really let go and let God. But when they didn't see Moses, they built a golden cat. They had to see something. They had to feel something. When they didn't feel, then they blamed Moses. When they couldn't drink water for a while, then they said, you brought us into this wilderness to kill us. And they forgot the rock that followed them, which was Christ. And God purposely allowed them to suffer thirst and hunger, that he might wake them up to these eternal blessings. Glory to God. Oh, beloved, the kingdom of God is within. And God labored for 4,000 years over his humanity to get them ready for this unspeakable visitation of Jesus. This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. And oh, how we fail, because we don't let God. Maybe you did let go, but you must let God. You do that by exercising this union with the Son of God. Jesus, you are in my heart. Maybe you see corruption there. Maybe you see bondage there. And as long as you see it, you'll certainly be enslaved. God says, they looked unto him. Hallelujah. As many as looked, lived. Oh, that this morning we might get a new sight of Jesus, our Jesus, our Jesus whom God sent to us. Praise God. Not because we are worthy, but because we are unworthy. Not because there's any strength in us, but because we're weak, hopeless, helpless. Thank God. Stop moping about your helplessness and your hopelessness and your unworthiness. You'll never be different. You only aggravate the trouble, but let it go. Last does alte lecke wrack verzinken ins mir. Glory to God. Forsake the old wreck. Let it sink. Don't regard your stuff. Joseph's alive. Jesus is alive. Glory to God. And the Bible says that God sent Joseph beforehand to save much people. Hallelujah. And God sent Jesus Christ to save you and me. But I tell you, he is a savior. Let him save you. He is a king. Let him reign. I said to him, Jesus, I can't tell you how to reign over your own empire and kingdom. You've got to know how to do that. But I'll submit. Take thy great power and reign. I often think of that scripture in Isaiah, where he says, let this ruin be under your hands. My, I made a mess of it. Now, Lord, here you have my mess. Glory to God. He knows what to do with it. Oh, praise Jesus. Let go. Hang it on the wall. First time I saw that was when my brother had received the baptism, and we thought he'd gotten into fanaticism. But when he came home, he was very quiet. And while I had to go to work, he was at home washing dishes and helping around the house. And when I came home in the evening, he had put that maru on the wall. Let go. Let go. He'd cut the letters out of cardboard and strung them on a string across the wall. It impressed me very deeply. I didn't know what it meant then. And you know where that maru comes from. Another student had thought of putting the word on the wall for his own encouragement. Let go. He had done the same thing. He had strung it on a string. And when he came back to the room, that D had fallen off. And the maru said, let go. Oh, he said, that's an idea. Those two belong together. Let go. Let go. Let go. Don't worry. Let not your heart be troubled. As long as you let your heart be troubled, your heart will be enslaved. That's the trouble. Don't let your heart be troubled. Jesus says, I'm here. I'm ready. I'm ready for you. I'll take over. Glory to God. Oh, let go. Let go. Then it'll be all gone. Oh, when you let God praise the Lord.
Let Go and Let God
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Hans Rudolf Waldvogel (1893 - 1969). Swiss-American Pentecostal pastor and evangelist born in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Emigrating to the U.S. as a child, he grew up in Chicago, working in his family’s jewelry business until a conversion experience in 1916 led him to ministry. In 1920, he left business to serve as assistant pastor at Kenosha Pentecostal Assembly in Wisconsin for three years, then pursued itinerant evangelism. In 1925, he co-founded Ridgewood Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn, New York, pastoring it for decades and growing it into a vibrant community emphasizing prayer and worship. Influenced by A.B. Simpson, Waldvogel rejected sectarianism, focusing on Christ’s centrality and the Holy Spirit’s work. He delivered thousands of sermons, many recorded, stressing spiritual rest and intimacy with God. Married with children, he lived simply, dedicating his life to preaching across the U.S. His messages, blending Swiss precision with Pentecostal fervor, remain accessible through archives