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Corrie Ten Boom

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom (1892–1983). Born on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, to a devout Dutch Reformed family, Corrie ten Boom was a watchmaker, evangelist, and Holocaust survivor. Raised in the Beje, her family’s watch shop and home, she became the first licensed female watchmaker in the Netherlands in 1922. A committed Christian, she ran clubs for girls and taught Sunday school. During World War II, she and her family hid Jews from the Nazis, creating a secret room in their home, saving many lives as part of the Dutch underground. Arrested in 1944, Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where Betsie died, but Corrie was miraculously released due to a clerical error. After the war, she traveled globally, preaching forgiveness and God’s love, sharing her story in over 60 countries. Her book The Hiding Place (1971), co-authored with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, became a bestseller, detailing her faith and wartime experiences. Unmarried, she died on her 91st birthday, April 15, 1983, in Placentia, California, saying, “Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred.”
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Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal experience of visiting Russia and speaking to Christians there. He emphasizes the importance of sharing the gospel and the joy of speaking about the love of the Lord. The speaker then recounts a story from the time of the German occupation in Holland, where a young Christian boy named Pete learns the importance of sharing the way of salvation with others. Pete later finds himself in prison and uses his last days to share the gospel with his fellow inmates. The speaker also shares a personal story of being accused of having dangerous papers in their house, but the judge unexpectedly destroys the evidence. The sermon highlights the importance of being a light in the world and the power of the gospel to transform lives.
Sermon Transcription
I'm so glad that I can tell you a little bit of the reality of the love of Jesus Christ. The greatest of them is love. Faith, hope, and love. The greatest is love. And I am so glad that I can tell you about it. Because I know that many of you know the Lord Jesus not such a long time. Some of you just came in, were born again, so you are babes in Christ. And of course, there can come in your heart moments that you think, you know, should it really be so good as the other people tell me? And then I can tell you that I was five years old when I asked Jesus to come into my heart and He came. He didn't say, you are too little. He just came. And He never left me. And that is 75 years ago. 75 years I have walked with the Lord Jesus. Jesus walked with me. And I had a very happy life, but it was not always easy. And I will tell you something what I have learned in the most difficult time of my life. For in a difficult class of a school, you learn so much. And exactly there I have learned so much. Now I have always been a watchmaker. I was the first licensed woman watchmaker in Holland. I repaired watches the whole day. I had a jewelry store together with my dad. And I could sell good watches. When you came to me, I could tell you now when you buy this watch, that it is so good that even if it makes a difference of two minutes in a month, you come back and I can change it. But then I thought later, I hope I have not boasted too much about my watch. What must I do when it makes a difference of five minutes in a week? You know, I do not sell watches anymore, but I sell the gospel. And I am so glad that when I tell very much about the great joy and love of the Lord, then I can never boast too much. For the reality is far and far greater than I can tell you and you can tell me. And I hope that when we come in heaven and we look back at this time, we will not be ashamed that we have so lived as beggars. And we are king's children. Tremendous rich. And that's why I am so glad that I can tell you a little bit what I experienced. You all have heard of that terrible time that we have had in Holland. And then when the Germans came and the leader Adolf Hitler, and he intended to kill all the Jewish people. We started to save as many as we could. I had never planned it, but God had planned it. After some time I had a gang of 80 people, 30 teenager boys, 20 teenager girls, 20 men and 10 women. And once we heard that in a Jewish orphanage in Amsterdam, all the babies had to be killed because they were Jewish babies. When we heard that, our boys said, We will save them and we will steal them. And they went to that orphanage and they stole all the 100 babies. You will say, how is it possible? I will tell you a secret. You know, sometimes there came to us good Germans, who were soldiers, who were in the army. And they said, we don't like to work any longer for Adolf Hitler. We will not kill the Jewish people. Can you help us? And I always said, sure I will help you. Just come in. And we gave them, of course, a set of clothing and we took the uniforms. I have not to go into details, but you understand how my boys stole the 100 babies. Hallelujah. One of my bravest boys was Piet Hatoch. And Piet said that evening, I believe we do the most important work that exists. Just saving lives from the morning till the evening. I don't want to go back to college. This is life. I said, Piet, I am so happy when I think of the babies that we have saved. But Piet, there is a work that is more important even than saving lives, and that is saving souls and tell the people about the Lord Jesus Christ. And then Piet smiled. Piet said, I am a Christian boy. I go to church, I read my Bible and I pray. But telling people the gospel, telling them about Jesus, that is good business for my pastor. I said, Piet, every Christian is called to be the light of the world. And every Christian must be ready to tell the way of salvation to anyone who needs it. And in your time, in your life, Piet, there will come a time that you will see it the most important work for you, to win souls for Jesus Christ and to show that the way of salvation by believing in Jesus and inviting Him into your heart. Half a year later, Piet came into prison. And when he came into the cell, he heard that he had only one week to live. And the day before he was shot, he wrote us a long letter. And he wrote, all the men and the boys in this cell are sentenced to death. And I am so glad that I could tell them that when they receive Jesus as their Savior, that the Lord Jesus will make them children of God and that when they go to be killed, that they go to the house of the Father with many mansions where Jesus is preparing a mansion for everyone who believes in Him. And Piet wrote, I am seeing now that the most important work for a Christian is to win souls for eternity. Say, young people, I have a message for you from Piet Hattor. Don't wait till the last week of your life like he has done. But give your life today to the Lord and say, Lord use me. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to me. How you will say it, I don't mind. But tell the Lord that He may take you to use you as the light of the world and then I can tell you He will use you. And my, when you really will be used to win souls for Jesus Christ, once when you enter the beautiful city and the saints all around you appear, many of them will tell you, it was you that invited me here. Boy, that will be a joy. Then you will know that you have not lived in vain. Once there came a man to me and said, will you save my wife? She is arrested. She has saved Jewish people and now she is in a police station and there is one policeman who will run the risk to set her free if we pay him 600 guilders, but I have no money. I said, oh man, what does money say? Let's see, I have 200 guilders, come back after an hour. And in that hour I asked all my friends, say, have you money? Give it. It means to save the life of a good woman. When that man came back I gave him 600 guilders. That man was a quistling, a betrayer. His wife was not at all in prison. But the Gestapo, the police of the enemy had said, find out if Corrie ten Boom saves Jewish people. Well, he thought, I can do it and make some money. And he made some money. He went home with 600 guilders, but five minutes later the Gestapo surrounded our house and we were all arrested. Later, when I was in a concentration camp, there came a prisoner from my hometown. And he said, say, do you know who has betrayed you? I said, no. And then she told that it was that man. And there came hatred in my heart. The man I had given my last penny. But I know from the Bible that hatred means murder in God's eyes. But I also know from the Bible what to do with your murder. When we confess our sins, when we repent and ask forgiveness, then He is able to forgive us and the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all the sins that we tell Him and ask forgiveness for and repent. And I repented for my hatred and the Lord took that sin away. That's a great joy. The Bible tells very clearly what the Lord does when you repent. He takes such a sin and He casts it into the depths of the sea, forgiven and forgotten. That's what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't say it, but I believe He put a sign, no fishing allowed. It's true. And do you know, when I had repented of that sin, the Lord cleansed my heart with His blood. And a heart cleansed by the blood of Jesus He fills with the Holy Spirit. And the fruit of the Spirit is love. Love even for enemies. And instead that I hated that man, I loved him. And after the war that man was sentenced to death because he had caused the death of many Dutch people. And when I heard that I wrote him, Your betrayal has meant the death of my old father who was 84 years old when they brought him into prison. After 10 days he died. My sister who died after 10 months terrible suffering. My brother, he came out alive but a sick man and died through that sickness and his son never came back. I myself have suffered terribly through in three different prisons. But I have forgiven you. And that is because Jesus is in my heart. And when Jesus tells you to love your enemies, He gives you the love that He demands from you. And I sent that man a New Testament and underlined the way of salvation. And that man wrote me that you could forgive me is such a great miracle that I have said, Jesus, when you give such a love in the heart of your followers, there is hope for me. And I have read in the Bible that you sent me that Jesus has died at the cross for the sins of the whole world. And I have brought my terrible sins to Jesus and I know that they are forgiven. Your forgiveness has shown me what it means that there is forgiveness through Jesus Christ. And that man was brought to death that same week, but he was reconciled with God and God had used me, who had hated him, to bring him to the Lord. You know, I like that little poem of John Bunyan. Run, John, run, the law commands, but gives us neither feet nor hands. Far better news the gospel brings, it bids us fly and gives us wings. Isn't that good? It says, you must love your enemies and he gives you the love that he demands from you. The greatest of all is love. In 1 Corinthians 13, I believe that Paul describes God's love. There are two kinds of love. Human love and God's love. Human love fails on the long run, but God's love never fails. And I believe that this love that is described here is the love of God, not only in the heart of the Father, but shattered, brought into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has given to us, Romans 5, 5. And when Paul uses the translation of Philips, then he says, If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more than blaring brass and crashing cymbal. If I have the gift of foretelling the future and hold in my mind not only all human knowledge, but the very secrets of God, and if I also have that absolute faith which can move mountains, but have no love, I amount to nothing at all. If I dispose of all that I possess, yet even if I give my own body to be burned, but have no love, I achieve precisely nothing. This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience. It looks for a way of being constructive. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope. It can outlast anything It is in fact the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. And in my life all else had fallen. I stood in Rollcall, in a concentration camp Ravensbruck, where 97,000 women were killed or died, also my sister. And when I stood there on Rollcall, one of the guards used her time to demonstrate her cruelties. I could hardly bear to see or to hear what had happened in front of me. But suddenly a skylark came and he started to sing in the sky. And all the prisoners looked up. And when I looked up, I looked at the sky. And then I thought that Psalm 103 was written, As high as heaven over the earth, so far is God's love and mercy over all that fear Him. And suddenly I saw it. Oh, love of God, how deep and great, far deeper than man's deepest hate. God sent that skylark three weeks daily, exactly during Rollcall time, to turn away our eyes from the cruelty of man unto the ocean of God's love. How can you and I understand God's love? At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my sins rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight. When we look unto Jesus, we understand, when we look at the cross, what an ocean of love He has for you and me. I was questioned by a man in whose hands my life was. He was my judge. It was wartime, and if that man should say I had to be shot, I should have been shot. He asked me much about my spare time, about what my certificates, and I told him all. When he asked me about my misdeeds, I did not tell him all. He has known only of eight Jews that I had saved, and I hoped that there were more than eight hundred. But when he asked me about my spare time, I told him about that work that I had with people, my children, in my little booklet, Common Sense Not Needed. You can read about it. And when I told that man, that was a nonsense. Hasn't it far more value to convert a normal person than an abnormal one? And then I said, if you should know Jesus, you should know that he has a great love and concern for everyone who is in need. It is possible that a poor, feeble-minded child has more value in his loving eyes than you and I together. Then he was angry, and he called a policeman and said, bring her back to her cell. But the next day I was again brought to him, and then he said, I could not sleep this night. I had always to think of what you told about Jesus. We have time enough for the questioning. First you must tell me what you know of Jesus. Boy, that was a chance. I said, Jesus is a light. Come into this world that everyone who believes in him does not remain in darkness. And I asked him, is there darkness in your life? That man said, darkness, there is no light at all in my life. And I brought him the old, old story of Jesus and his love. After me, Betsy, my sister, was questioned. With great joy she testified to her faith, and she told about Jesus, and then she said, it is important to speak about Jesus. It is more important to speak to him. Do you allow me that I pray with you? And he said, yes. And she prayed with him, the prisoner with her judge. Five times Betsy was questioned. Five times she prayed with that man. Betsy died in prison. But after the war I met the judge, and he said to me, I can never forget your sister's prayers. Through her and through my testimony, God touched the heart of that man, and he became a friend instead of an enemy. But he had to do his job. And suddenly he showed me papers found in my house, and to my horror I saw names, addresses and particulars that could mean my descendants, and the descendants of my family and my friends who were in prison. You will say, how was it possible that such dangerous papers were found in your house? But I must tell you that my teenagers have done a tremendous, courageous job, but they were not always careful, and so it happened that these terrible papers were found in my house. The judge said, can you explain these papers? I said, no, I can't. And I felt deep unhappy. But he knew how dangerous they were, and suddenly he turned, opened the door of the stove, and he threw all the papers into the flames. Oh my, how happy I was. I should never have believed, and you should have told me that I could be happy when I was in a prison of an enemy. But that moment when I saw the flames destroy these horrible papers, it was as if for the first time I understood Colossians 3.20, where it's written that Jesus has taken the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, has taken them out of the way and nailed them at the cross. Say, do you realize that there are dangerous papers for you? Do you realize that in heaven all our sins are written down? And we have all to come for the judgment day of God. And if we have refused Jesus Christ in this life, the judgment day will be terrible, for we will have to pay and to carry the punishment for our sins. But when we have found Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, in this life we have nothing to fear, for we will find out that Jesus has taken all our sins and nailed them at the cross. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! What a love! What a Savior! Yes, I understood that better than ever before. I had a little Bible. When I was brought into that concentration camp Ravensbruck, I had a small Bible, but a whole Bible, Old and New Testament, specially printed for what they called the underground workers. It was very small. I had it on my back. But when we entered, I saw that we all had to be searched. And I saw that they took away everything that the prisoners had hidden under their clothing. And I got scared. I said, Oh God! Oh God, these people may not see me! I said, God, send your angels and let they surround me. But then I thought, yes, but angels are spirits and you can look through a spirit. I said, God, make your angels untransparent today. You can pray very unorthodox when you are in great need. But God did it. God did it. The woman who stood in front of me was searched and then Betsy who stood behind me. And they did not see me. So I came with my Bible in the prison. Strange story? No, that's not strange. That is what is written in the Bible. Angels are ministering spirits sent to this planet for your and my help. And there are far more angels than demons. Yes, there are demons. And they can really come into your heart when you do these occult sins of what Alan told. You play with a witchy watch. You go to a spiritualist meeting. You go to a fortune teller. Then a demon comes in your heart. But praise the Lord! You can send them away in the name of Jesus. And don't forget there are only one third of the angels fallen. So there are twice as many angels as there are devils. And really still far more. For many of these devils are already sent to hell. So we can know that those who are at our side are far more and far stronger than those who are against us. And that's what I have experienced. Now when I came in that prison, we had to live with 700 prisoners in a room that was built for 200. It was terrible dirty and very soon our clothing were full of lice. Those lice have caused many sicknesses. But in some way they have helped us. For the guards would never come into our room. They were afraid to get lice from us. That was good. The Bible was a forbidden book. But twice a day we had a Bible message in Barrett 28. And God had used for that angels and lice. God can use everything. Hallelujah! God can use everything. And what a joy! Many of the people around me were killed or died. But many died with Jesus' name on their lips. And that was worthwhile. Even Betsy's death and all the suffering that I had to endure. Once Betsy said to me, Corrie, when we are free we must travel over the world. We can tell from experience that the light of Jesus Christ is stronger than the deepest darkness. A week later she died. Another week later I was set free by blunder of men and a miracle of God. For one other week later they killed all the women of my age. So I became a tramp for the Lord. Twenty-six years I have traveled over the world. And I could bring the gospel to many people also behind the iron curtain. Oh, it was a joy. It is always a joy. When we work in Russia and the other communist countries. You know, we bring there, we smuggle as many Bibles as we can. I will never forget the first time that I came in Moscow. I had a big red suitcase and it was full of Russian Bibles and Christian literature. And I saw how the custom officer ransacked every suitcase. And I got scared. I thought, my, when he finds what is in my suitcase, what will he do? Perhaps he will send me to prison or send me back to Holland. Of course he will take away the Bibles. And then I started to pray. Now, I like to pray with an open Bible. I like to say, Father, you have said it. Now you must do it. And God likes it. God likes it when you say that. For God has meant all the promises of the Bible. And they are for you and me. And the bank account of the Bible is not frozen. You know, I don't know if there are people here who have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. Then I hope you will not leave this tent tonight before you have done that. And Christians pray for them. And when you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, when you ask, Jesus, come into my heart. Then He comes. And then Jesus does that miracle that you are born into the very family of God. And that very moment, all the promises of the Bible are yours. You have not to wait until you are a mature Christian, or until you have studied much in the Bible. No, that's very good. But this riches is yours. All the thousands of promises are yours. The moment that you are born into the family of God. And I know what some think. Some people think, oh yeah, that is good for that lady there, and for that boy there, for that girl, for these good people. But I can tell you a secret. The promises of the Bible are for sinners only. So when you know that you are a sinner, just come to Jesus. He died for you. And you may cash all the checks. And then you may say, Lord, you said it, now you must do it. When I stood there in Moscow, I said, Lord, you have said in Jeremiah 1, God watches over His Word to perform it. Now Lord, this Bible says in my suitcase that You Word. Now with my hand on Jeremiah 1, I pray that You watch over Your Word, my Bibles, to smuggle them. That's not what Jeremiah said. But you know, I found out that it does not matter so much if you pray with an open Bible in your prayers, that first the Lord says, no, you must have a very sound and good exegesis before I will listen. No, the Lord looks at your heart. And you know what I saw? The same moment that I prayed it, I saw around my big suitcase light beings. I saw for the first and only time in my life angels. And the moment that I saw them, they disappeared. They didn't disappear, but I couldn't see them any longer. But my fear also had disappeared. I knew those who are with me are far more and stronger than those who are against me. And at last the man came to my suitcase. He said, is that your suitcase? Yes, sir. A heavy one? Yes, sir. Oh, wait, lady, I have time. I can bring it to your car. And he brought that suitcase to my car. I had almost shouted hallelujah. I didn't do that. No, I surely did not do it. But what a joy to know that all the promises of the Bible are in Jesus, yea and amen, and say that tremendous privilege that you have, that you can love your enemies, that was for me one of the greatest lessons that I learned. I was some time ago in a cell in Africa with a man who was sentenced to death, a political prisoner. I was so sorry. I asked him, say, do you know about Jesus? He said, yes. I have a Bible at home. I know that Jesus died at the cross for the sins of the whole world, also for my sins. I was so happy that he knew it. But then I asked him, say, do you know who has caused your imprisonment and your death sentence? He said, yes. I can tell you all the names of those who have betrayed me and caused my death sentence, and I hate them. I opened my Bible and I read what Jesus says in Matthew 6. When you do not forgive those who have sinned against you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins. It was Jesus who said it must be true. But the man said, I cannot, I am not able. I am young and strong, I have wife and children, and now I must die. I said, I understand that you cannot forgive. And then I told what Jesus had done in my heart. How I could bring that man who had really by his betrayal murdered four of my beloved to the Lord. I told him a little experience some time ago that I was in Berlin and there came a man to me. And that man said to me, do you know me? Suddenly I saw that man. That was one of the most cruel guards in Ravensbruck. And that man said, I have found the Lord Jesus as my Savior. I have brought all my cruel sins to the Lord and I know from the Bible that I have forgiveness. But then I prayed, oh God, give me the privilege that I ask one of my very victims forgiveness. And now I saw that you were speaking here in Berlin and now I ask you, Fräulein von Bohm, will you forgive me my cruelties? And I must confess you, that moment there came a bitterness in my heart. And I thought who my dying sister had suffered under that man. But then suddenly I said, Lord I thank you for Romans 5.5. Thank you Jesus that you have brought into my heart God's love through the Holy Spirit who is given to me. And thank you Father that your love is stronger than my bitterness and hatred. And that moment my heart was full of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, love. And I could say to that man, Brother give me your hand. And I shook hands with him and I said, I forgive you everything. And it was as if I felt God's love stream through my arm when I shook hands with that man. When I told this to that prisoner in Africa he sent his wife a message. And this message was, don't hate, love the people who have brought me here. You are not able, I am not able either, but Jesus in us is able. And I knew why I had to be in Africa. He said, can you forgive your enemies? I cannot, but Jesus in me can. Some time ago I had a difficulty that some friends, some Christian friends of mine did something very mean. And I had difficulty to forgive them. I said, now Lord you have given me that grace that I could forgive the murderers of my family now Lord it is not difficult for you to give me forgiveness and love for my Christian friends. It took some time, but I forgave them. I was glad that I had forgiven him, but do you know what happened? One night at two o'clock in the morning, so really in the midst of the night it was, I thought, now then I think what my friends have done for me. I said, oh Lord, there it is again. I thought I had forgiven, but I am angry again. Lord take it away, help me to forgive. And the Lord did. And I slept well and the whole day I was happy. But believe it or not, the next night at two o'clock I awake and I woke and I thought, when I think what I have done for my friends. I did this and this and this and now they did. I said, Lord, there it is again. Oh Lord, take it away this resentment and help me really to forgive and to forget. And the Lord did. I had a good night's rest and a good day, but the third night at two o'clock the same happened. And then I was disgusted. That day I met an old minister from Germany and you know in Germany when you ring the bell for the church on Sunday morning, you do that with your hand. Ding, dong, ding, dong. But there comes a moment that you stop. But after you have stopped there comes another ding and dong, ding, dong, ding. He said, but these ding-dongs do not belong to the rest and you don't worry about it. That stops very soon. And now your unforgiveness that were ding-dongs who did not belong to the rest. He said, you just bring it to the Lord and say, Lord, the ding-dong doesn't belong to the rest. I was free. Oh, that was a joy. You know, that book that I have written in the hiding place, I wrote together with John and Tibby Sherrill. And I had to tell really my whole life many things to them and so they had also heard of my friends. And John Sherrill once said to me, say, Corrie, these friends of yours who did that mean thing, what about them? I said, that is forgiven and forgotten and I will not speak about it anymore. He said, I know that. But I should like to know what do they think of it? I said, well, they take it easy. They simply say they have not done it. But they can say that, but I have everything black and white in the letters that they have written me. And John said, what? Say, where are your sins? You have told that when you brought your sins that God has cast them into the depths of the sea and that there is a sign no fishing allowed. That is what happened with your sins. And the sins of your friends you have black and white? Oh, God, give Corrie the grace to burn all the black and whites of sins of others as a well smelling sacrifice for you. I have done it. Say, have you black and whites of sins of others? Do you realize that you have no forgiveness? You can't forgive? No, I can't either, but Jesus can. And don't go to sleep tonight before you have burned all your black and whites. And I know that is a little bit difficult to burn papers here in America, but you can also make them just so small and throw them in the waste basket that nobody can find out what your friends have done or your enemies. And you will find out that forgiveness is a tremendous joy for it is a key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. You know, you and I have to be the light of the world. And I like to illustrate that with my flashlight. Some who have heard me some time ago have seen it already, but I don't mind it. I like to tell that to all of us. You know, this flashlight doesn't give light. It's not broken, but I have only one battery in it. I need, of course, two batteries. Now, this is like you are in my heart. That first battery, that is what happened when you said your first yes to Jesus. So that real decision, and if there are here who have never done it, I hope you will do it tonight. And do you realize that when you say yes to Jesus, so really it meant that the angels rejoice, for your soul is very, very precious in God's eyes. And the moment that you receive the Lord Jesus, I told you already, all the promises of the Bible are yours. I asked a lady, say, have you ever received the Lord Jesus as your Savior? She said, I go every Sunday to the church. I said, that's good, but a mouse born in a biscuit tin is therefore not yet a biscuit. You know, to be in a church doesn't make you a child of God. She said, my father and mother are very fine children of God. I said, but God has no grandchildren. You have to make a decision because the Lord loves you, and He likes to hear that you say, yes, Lord Jesus, I thank you that you love me, and I will love you. Thank you that you died at the cross for me. Now I'm glad she did it, that lady. But now, there comes such a terrific joy in your heart, when you know that your sins are forgiven. That many people say, hallelujah, I'm saved, that's the end. Now you may say, hallelujah, but don't say it is the end, it is the beginning. That moment you must cash your checks, you must take all the promises of the Bible, and you must learn to live as limitless rich king's children. And one of the great promises of the Bible is that Jesus said, I will send you the Holy Spirit. And the Bible says, be filled with the Spirit. And that is that second battery. And that second battery, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, gives you the light of the world. But I could not get it in my flashlight, because it is full of rags. And you know, these rags are unrepentant sins. This is pride. This is jealousy, envy. This one is unclean thoughts, unclean deeds, unclean words. This is selfishness. These are occult sins. Now, I'm going to ask you something. Will you tonight pray, and will you say, search me, O God, and know my heart today, that is said in the Psalms. There is a beautiful prayer. You can also say, Lord, show me if there are rags in my flashlight. And it's just the same. And then the Lord will show you, and say, yes, you are selfish. You are dishonest. You are a liar. And whatever the Lord says, don't make an excuse, for the blood of Jesus has never cleansed an excuse. But say, yes, Lord, I am. I have lied. Will you forgive me? And then repent. And repentance means asking forgiveness, and then in the power of the Lord, turn away from your sins. And that is necessary. There was a pickpocket, who was a very good pickpocket. He stole about 50, 60 watches every week. And then he was converted. He said, now I am a Christian. I steal only 5 or 6. Now, when Jesus shows His great love for sinners, when that woman that was found in adultery was brought to Him, the Lord said, I don't throw a stone on you. And then He said, go, and sin no more. And that is what Jesus can say. For He bids us fly and gives us wings. And when you have brought your sins to the Lord, then claim the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love and peace and kindness and goodness and self-control, and then you are the life. He does not do it. I would say, life is flesh life. I think I've overlooked a little rag. You see, sometimes, when we are very decent sinners, there can be such a little decent sin in our heart. Just a little bit of self-pity. A little white lie. But you know, when we do not make clean deck with as little sins in our heart, we cannot be the light of the world. And I find one. Sure. Oh, but that's not a rag. That's paper. Oh. Twenty dollars. Oh, no, that is not a rag. That's no sin. That's only in the wrong place. The money must not be in my flashlight, but in my purse. You see, when you have too many dollars or not dollars enough, often the devil brings the dollars into your heart. But your heart must be filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Lord will do it. He will make you really the light of the world. And that is the great joy we have not to strive and to try and to try. It is not try, it is trust. It is not do, but done. Our God has planned for us great victory through His Son. And I will tell you one story, one experience of a short time ago. I was in Russia. You may not speak as a foreigner in the church, but I asked if I could say, bring the greetings from America and from Holland. And they said, yes. And my greetings took thirty minutes. And then we sang a hymn, and I asked the pastor, Pastor, may I say goodbye? He said, yes. And I said, goodbye, thirty minutes. So my sermon was a whole hour. And oh, it was a joy to speak to the Christians. I say, don't lose courage. The suffering of this time is not worthy to be compared with the common glory. God Himself will wipe away the tears from the eyes. And the best is yet to be. This world will be covered with the knowledge of God, like the waters cover the bottom of the sea. Jesus is alive, and His light is stronger than the deepest darkness. I have experienced it, that you cannot go so deep. Always deeper are the everlasting arms that carry you. Oh, it was a joy. It is always a joy to give these people comfort. But one morning I was in my hotel room, and I said, God, I like to bring the gospel to the communists. They have an eternity to lose or to gain, Lord. And You died for the sins of the whole world. But Lord, I cannot reach them. Lord, I need a miracle, that You are a God of miracles. Give me the miracle that I can reach the communists today. And the same moment I saw on the floor little holes in the form of a pepper box. The holes in a pepper box. And I understood, there is the secret microphone. In all the hotel rooms in communistic countries there are secret microphones. And they take every word you say on that microphone, on the tape. And I said, thank you, Lord, for that answer. What a joy! I could give a message to communists. They listen. They not only listen, they took it on a tape. And they did not keep the tape. They gave the tape to their chiefs. And we prayed for all the people who had to read these tapes. And boy, I had a joy. I said, you know, people, I have here in my hand a book. A book almost bursting by good news. In this book is among all other riches the great answer for the two paramount problems that every human being has. And that is the problem of sin and of death. For in this book you can read everything that you have to know about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died at the cross for the sins of the whole world. And when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you repent of your sins, then He will cleanse your heart from your sins. And that is the answer. He will fill you with the Holy Spirit. And the fruit of the Spirit is peace and joy and love. And Jesus gives you everlasting life. And that means life in heaven. That is the answer for your death problems. And Jesus has said, Come unto me all, and all that is also you there. What a joy! I can tell you I have brought after that every day what I call my pepper box messages in the communist countries. People pray. Pray for your fellow Christians. Especially now for the fellow Christians in China. Pray that your president will be used. That there comes an opening that Christians can come into China and help the Christians there and bring the gospel to the many who have never heard the gospel. You know, half of, the greatest half of the body of Christ is suffering persecution. And watch me, He said, When my feet were whipped my hand felt pain. And the feet are whipped of the Christians over the great part of the world. Pray for your fellow Christians in these countries. And be sure that you cash your check so that you will be strong in times when you should come in difficulties of persecution. And the great joy is when you surrender all to the Lord. He will fill your heart with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is a spirit not of fear but of love and of power and a sound mind. I have here a glove that cannot do anything. But when my hand is in the glove it can cook, it can write, it can do many things. No, I know that is the glove, that's not the glove, that's the hand in the glove. You and I are nothing but gloves. And the hand is of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit does the job that He makes you children of the light. The light in this very dark world. But you must give room to the Holy Spirit. When my hand is only in the midst of the glove, now the glove cannot do anything. No, you must surrender every finger, every corner of your life to the Lord. And He will fill you with the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Amen, we pray. Thank you Lord. That there is such an ocean of love available. That love that you have brought into our heart through the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus that you did that. And thank you Father that that love in us is sufficient and more than sufficient to overcome the problems that we have to face when we come home. When we go to our work. We praise and thank you Lord that your love still stands also when all else has fallen. And now Lord search our hearts. Show us if there are unconfessed sins, rags in our flesh light, pride, envy, selfishness. Tell it us Lord. And we praise and thank you when we repent. You forgive and cleanse us. And Lord show us if there are black and whites of sins of others in our life, in our heart. Perhaps in a little drawer at home.
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Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom (1892–1983). Born on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, to a devout Dutch Reformed family, Corrie ten Boom was a watchmaker, evangelist, and Holocaust survivor. Raised in the Beje, her family’s watch shop and home, she became the first licensed female watchmaker in the Netherlands in 1922. A committed Christian, she ran clubs for girls and taught Sunday school. During World War II, she and her family hid Jews from the Nazis, creating a secret room in their home, saving many lives as part of the Dutch underground. Arrested in 1944, Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where Betsie died, but Corrie was miraculously released due to a clerical error. After the war, she traveled globally, preaching forgiveness and God’s love, sharing her story in over 60 countries. Her book The Hiding Place (1971), co-authored with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, became a bestseller, detailing her faith and wartime experiences. Unmarried, she died on her 91st birthday, April 15, 1983, in Placentia, California, saying, “Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred.”