In this sermon, the speaker shares his personal journey of discovering the power and truth of God's word. Despite not having access to commentaries, he spent hours each day reading the Bible and found it to be the best commentary on itself. He also faced challenges within his family but turned to prayer for guidance. The speaker emphasizes the importance of reading and digging into the Word of God, and highlights the significance of Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation. He urges listeners to accept Christ as their Savior and consider the eternal consequences of their choices.

Thank you, brother, and friends, I'm delighted to be again with you, but after I heard what I heard, I'd like to ask can you all see me? All right, thank you. Well, I've been asked yesterday if I would say a word about how I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior. So, by your permission, I might just take one or two minutes now to tell you how I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior. That's ancient history, as far as I'm concerned, because it happened in the 1930s. I'm not going to tell you how old I was, but I want the promise from you don't add or subtract. I was just out of high school then, about 18 and a half years old. All right, however, I had not heard anything about salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, I know that there were two, only two churches, buildings in my hometown, was about 70 miles southwest of Cairo, Egypt. One of the two churches was a ritualistic church. They chanted the mass, and that was all. They did not preach salvation through Christ. The second church was a protestant church. They didn't believe, they didn't preach salvation through Christ at all, either. They preached the good sermon. So, nobody told me about Christ and the way of salvation, but I must say that for several months before, I had been under conviction. I knew what the sort of life I was leading, and I knew I lacked something, but I didn't know what I lacked. There was a void in my heart, something that I could not understand what, that I was missing. In September 1930, I can remember the place very well. I can close my eyes and picture myself in that place. I was on my own in my room. I don't remember the exact day, but I know the month and the year, September 1930. I opened a Bible, Arabic Bible, just at random. The Bible was brought into my hometown by American missionaries. I know the place very well. I didn't choose it. God did. It was Colossians chapter 2, and I started to read. I didn't understand much of what I read. It was all great to me, until I came to verse 14, and I stopped. Verse 14 tells me that Christ, when he died on the cross, took away the handwriting which was against me, and nailed it to his cross. I know now what it means. It refers to the law, because Christ was made a curse for me, that I might become the righteousness of God in him. He took away the law, the ordinances against me. But at that time, I took it literally. The Arabic word for handwriting is Saq, S-A-K or S-A-Q. Saq, which means a promise story note. If you are in debt to someone, and you sign your name to this effect, you are in debt to him. This is a promise story note. This is the word handwriting in Arabic. And I took it literally. I said I was not in debt to anybody. Was I in debt to anyone? What was that debt from which Christ freed me by his death upon the cross? To make a long story short, after some meditation, and thought, an idea flashed into my head. Could it be that the debt from which Christ freed me by his death upon the cross was my sin which I sinned against God? And Christ took away those sins, and nailed him to the cross with him. And friends, just at that very thought, I burst into tears. Christ, the only sinless one, took away my sins, and nailed him to his cross when he died upon the cross. I cried. And I asked the Lord to save my soul. And this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was made a new creation in Christ. And I cannot tell you the joy that really flooded my soul. I didn't understand much, but that was as simple as that. And I started to read the Bible, and the more I read, the more I became convinced that what took place was real salvation, new birth. I wanted to make sure, and went to the priest of the Ritualistic Church, and I asked him, told him what happened to me. He very gravely shook his head, and said, that was a heresy. The only way for you to come to a saving knowledge of God is through the church, he said. Well, I got no comfort from him. I went to the other pastor, the pastor of the Protestant Church, and told him what happened to me. Oh, he took pity on me. He said, that was apostasy. So, I was a heretic and an apostate. But, let me say something. I had not gone to college yet. College started in October in our country, and I was on vacation. I had all the time in my hand to read, and the more I read, the more I became convinced it was God's word. And I praised the Lord. I didn't have money to buy commentaries at that time, but I had the Bible, the Arabic Bible. I would spend sometimes as much as 10 hours a day, 10 hours a day, reading God's word. And let me say something to you, friends. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. The word of God. Read it. Read it. Dig into it. The word of God. I praised God. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. So, I'm not going to take any more time to tell you what happened. I didn't find things easy with my family. We are five brothers, two sisters, three sisters, and a father, a mother. It was not easy with me. So, I began to pray for them. The Lord gave me one sister. She and I were tremendous help to one to the other. And by prayer and waiting on the Lord, they all came to the Lord one by one. One by one. Praise the Lord. The rest of my brothers and sisters are very active in the Lord's word today. The last to come to the Lord was my dad. He passed away in a most marvelous way. He was singing an Arabic hymn, which is a literal translation of the English hymn, Jesus, lover of my soul. Let me to thy bosom fly, period. Period. How does that? Let me to thy bosom fly. I got the news. I was in Cairo. He was in Fayyum. I got the news. Naturally, I was sad that my father went, but I was glad he went that way. Absent from the body, present with the Lord. That he is in glory now. Friends, Jesus Christ is the only Savior. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of worthless any man should boast. Please turn with me to Mark 16. Verse 19. So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Yesterday, our thoughts were turned on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not here. He is risen. Why seek ye the dead among the the alive, the risen among the dead? He's not here. He's risen. We serve a living Savior. We have a risen Christ, a Savior that is alive forevermore, and praise the Lord for that. In the Middle East, it's our custom that when the servant has finished all his work, he sits down. He cannot sit down until he has finished all his work. Mark is the gospel of the servant, and he expresses this thought very well in verse 19. After he had spoken these things, after he had finished the work, he ascended into heaven, was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Jesus Christ sat on the right hand of God, and he did not sit on the right hand of God until he uttered that great cry, victorious cry on the cross, it is finished. It is finished. The work was finished. He laid down his life to death, even the death of the cross for you and for me. The writer of the Epistles to the Hebrews took up this thought and expressed it in a number of places, and I want you please to turn with me to the Epistles to the Hebrews, to these places, because I believe that each place of them has a message for us. Please turn with me to the first chapter of the Epistles to the Hebrews. The Hebrews, chapter one. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these days, last days, spoken unto us by his Son, whom he had appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. There we see him, the purger of our sins, sat on the right hand of the majesty on high. Praise God that Jesus Christ is the one who purged away my sins. He sat down. You will notice, please, that in the tabernacle of old there was no chair at all, no seat, no seat in the tabernacle. Why? Because the work of the priest was never finished. It was a continuous work, but here we see that Jesus Christ sat on the right hand of God on high. Why? Because he has completed the work. Praise God, I invite you today to a complete work that was done and completed on the cross of Calvary. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament, all the myriads of billions of sacrifices were offered for sinners in the Old Testament, could not do one thing, which the blood of Jesus Christ did. Turn with me, please, to Hebrews chapter nine. Hebrews chapter nine, verse 13, please. For if the blood of bulls, and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without thought to God, purge your conscience from dead work to serve the living God? The blood of all the sacrifices of the Old Testament served only as a covering, the purifying of the flesh, but the blood of Jesus Christ, my Lord, purges my conscience, purges my conscience. I have no guilty conscience as I stand before God now, because I know Christ died for me. What a vast difference between the two, the purging of the body, the purifying of the body, and the purging of the conscience. Remind me of the story that I always tell of a man who stole a watch, and was brought before the judge, but he had a smart lawyer, and the lawyer succeeded in creating doubt in the mind of the court. So, at the end, the verdict was given. The culprit was not educated at all, and he heard the verdict. The case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence. He couldn't understand that, so he turned to the judge in all simplicity and said, your honor, does this mean I have to return the watch? You see, the court pronounced him innocent, but his conscience blamed him all the time. He had a guilty conscience. The court said, innocent, not guilty, not guilty, but the conscience said, robber, thief. So, it is the great vast difference between the sacrifice of the Old Testament and the blood of Christ. You are not redeemed with silver and gold, things that perish from his own way of life, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, my Lord. See the comparison, please. Blood is a highly perishable matter, but gold is not perishable, and yet the apostle says, you are not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Praise the Lord for the precious blood of Jesus Christ. To you, my friend today, to you, my friend today, who does not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, I am offering you a complete, perfect salvation in Jesus Christ, my Lord. Where will you spend eternity? Wake up, my friend, if you have not accepted Christ as your Savior. Where will you spend eternity? I spoke to the young people last night and told them how long eternity is. Someone has said, if every grain of sand in the deserts of the world, and on the seashores of the world, if every grain of sand represented one billion years, and if every drop of water in the ocean, and the seas, and the rivers, and the lakes of the world represented one billion years, and if every green blade of grass in the world represented one billion years, if all these billions were taken away from eternity, eternity would not have lost anything. Where will you spend eternity? How long is your life here on earth? Let me say something, friend. If you are young, or not so young, after 100 years at the very most, if the Lord carry, none of us will be on this world. Right? What's 100 years compared to eternity? Christ died for you. Christ shed his blood for you, that you might have the eternal life, and now it's completed the work, and is set at the right hand of the majesty on high. This place at the right hand of God is a place of dignity. Turn with me, please, to Philippians chapter 2. A very well-known passage. Philippians chapter 2. We're going to read just a few verses there. Right hand of God, the place of dignity. Verse 5, please. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Praise God, the place of dignity. He humbled himself, he made himself of no reputation, emptied himself not of his deity for a minute, for a glance, for a second. He is God, was God, is God, will always be God. He is the God incarnate, but he humbled himself of his glory for you to become the children of God. Friends, we praise God for the place of dignity that Jesus Christ is set on now. He is set on the right hand of the majesty of God. Also, this place is a place of power. We read in Acts chapter 3 of Peter and John entering into the temple for prayer, and they see an impotent man there sitting, and they watch them asking for alms, and Peter says to him, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I unto you in the name of Jesus Christ. Arise and walk. The power in that name, and you and I have experienced this power. Immediately this man stood up, he received power, he stood up and he walked and leaped, praising God. Yes, in the place of power. All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and pray the gospel. Friends, have you experienced this power in your life? Are you living a life of victory? This is your portion in Christ. There is no excuse for any Christian who's living a defeated life. Yours is a life of victory because all power is given unto me, Jesus said. What is your trouble today? Are you weary and heavy laden, humbled with a load of fear? Precious savior, steal our refuge. Take it to the Lord in prayer, and you will experience the power of God. Oh, I'm sure you have many, many incidents where you came to the Lord in times of weakness, in times of difficulty, and you received power because he is a risen savior. He is alive today. Praise God, he is seated in the place of power. I told the people in Mid-South Conference last summer about an experience with us in the assembly in Cairo, Egypt. I will beg your pardon if I repeat it. We had many incidents, of course, but this stands very vividly in my mind. We own the assembly in Beirut, Lebanon. Belongs to the assembly, but the assembly in Cairo, Egypt is rent. The landlord is a Muslim landlord, and all his interest is to come at the beginning of the month to collect the rent. We pay the rent monthly in Cairo, Egypt, and all these years since 1930, the Lord has not failed us at all. He will never do. One month, very particularly, we didn't have the rent, and of course we started to pray. We tell nobody at all of any financial need, but we tell our Heavenly Father. We prayed. 15th of the month, nothing came. 16th, 17th, 25th, 26th, 30th, nothing came. Didn't know what to do. To be sure at nine o'clock at the first of the month, always, always, without fail, I would hear a rat-a-tat at the door, and I go to open the door, it would be the landlord. The 30th, the 31st, no money. What should I say? The first of the month, at a quarter to nine, if you please, not nine o'clock, I heard a rat-a-tat at the door. I said, bless his business. He always comes at the nine o'clock. This time he comes at a quarter to nine, and there was no money. What should I do? I went with heavy steps. Open the door. It was not the landlord. It was an official from the government, who delivered to me a green paper which read something like this. The landlord is behind with his taxes. Please don't pay him the rent, but be gracious enough to wait until we send our representatives, and I'm sure I was gracious enough to wait. All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Why do you put a long face, brother? Why are you so sad? Why are you not joyful? You know, I always devote Christians into two classes. A six o'clock Christian with a long face, and a quarter to three Christians. Happy Christians. Why? You have no reason to be sad? You have no reason to be harassed? You have no reason to give up? Ours is a living savior in the place of power. He sat at the right hand of the majesty on high. Praise God, also it's a place of affection, a place of affection. Sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, the place of love and affection. What has that to do with me? Don't forget, I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places. I am well beloved in the well beloved. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased, and if I am in Christ, I am also beloved. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is. Two of the most important words in all the Christian literature are these, in Christ. You are in Christ, you are dear to him, you are precious in his sight, and we praise the Lord. All things are possible with thee. All things work together for good to them that love God. You know, friend, what has happened to you is not an accident. There are no accidents in the life of the child of God. Never. There are incidents, but no accidents, because all things, all things, love and affection, work together for good to them that love God. Joseph, you are sold and betrayed by your brethren. You are in Egypt and a foreign land, away from your dad for no bad thing you have done, and even you are ended now in prison, and you have been there for a number of years. All this, the Lord is preparing you for the throne of Egypt. All things work together for good to them that love God. Yes, we praise God. It's a place of affection, but my enemy was not from wisdom. Let me just carry on my watch, as I said, all the rungs and wheels, and we turn please to Hebrews chapter 8. The writer of the Ephesians of Hebrews takes up another place where Christ is mentioned to have sat down on the right hand of God on high. Chapter 8 and verse 1. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum. We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heaven, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched to not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat of cross. So, we have a high priest, such a high priest that is set down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Friends, you need a high priest. Job knew it, and he cried out for a day spring, for a mediator to bring us together to place his hand on mine, the other hand on God's hand, and bring us together. Job, praise the Lord, the mediator is here, the priest is here. Jesus Christ my Lord, we need such an high priest, and we have such an high priest. Yes, we praise the Lord we have him, and we have no other high priest. We have no other priest, but Jesus Christ my Lord. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ my Lord, and we praise God that he is my priest that brings the hand of God with my hand, and makes peace. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Where? At the cross of Calvary. Friends, who can enter into the depths of the meaning of what took place in Gethsemane? It will take us all eternity. Eternity will not be sufficient for us to understand the depth of the agony of the meaning of the thing that took place in the gospel of Gethsemane, when the Son of God knelt to pray, Father, if it be thy will that this cup should pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. What cup was it? What was the cup which the Lord dreaded to drink? Certainly not the nails of the cross. These were agony indeed, but not these cups. Not the crown of thorns that crowned his holy brow. That was agony indeed also, but not these cups for which the Lord prayed. Not the spear that sighed. Not the railings and the markings of the people. No, all these were agony. Very much so, but not the cup. What was the cup? Separation from God. Separation from God. He who knew no sin, the only righteous one, holy, blameless, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens, was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And as your representative and mine, on the cross of Calvary, God, as it were, hid his face from me. Hid his face from me. That's why he cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? At this very moment, at this very moment, he paid the penalty for you and for me. At this very moment, your salvation and mine was made perfect and complete. That's why immediately afterwards he cried, it is finished. It is finished. Salvation is finished. Complete. Redemption is complete. And immediately afterwards, fellowship was restored when he did the will of God, and he cried, my Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Friends, we have such an high priest. Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ the Lord, and he is set at the right hand of God. Are you weary? Heavy laden? He makes intercessions for us. Cyrus had a terrific burden. When only though, 12 years old, at the point of death, where should he go? He must have tried medicine and doctor. To no avail. To no avail. Therefore he knew where to go, to the feet of Jesus Christ. Father, Lord, Lord, help me. Help me. I'm in need. I'm in trouble. I'm in difficulty. And we praise God. Jesus turned the morning into laughter and joy. Yes, friends, come to him now, to the feet of Jesus. He is our mediator. He is the one who is not away from us. He's just one prayer away, and he's touched with the healing of my infirmities, and he can make intercession for me. But let me hurry on to another step. Chapter 10, please. Hebrews chapter 10. Look at verse 11, please, of chapter 10. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice. Please remember the word standing. Standing. Every priest standing. You cannot sit down. The work is not finished. Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sin. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his first fool. Praise God, for by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that, he had said before, until he comes to verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts strengthened from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope. In Arabic, it is hope. In the King James verses, faith. I looked at a number of translations. It's still of hope. The confession of our hope, without wavering, for he is faithful, I promise. Praise God, the perpetuity. It is a forever sacrifice, never to be repeated. Complete, sufficient, ample sacrifice, because Jesus Christ, my Lord, is my sacrifice. He sits down at the right hand of God as a one, as the one who made the perpetual, eternal, once and for all sacrifice for sinners. Praise God, friends, that we have such an high priest as this. Shall we pray? Our loving Heavenly Father, we bow before thee now in humble adoration, in thanksgiving and praise, for Jesus Christ, our Lord, thine only begotten Son, who went to the cross of Calvary for us, and made perfect atonement. For the cry, it is finished, we pray thee, and Father, we ask thee that thou speak to each one in the quietness of this honor. If there be anyone here this morning, who does not know thee as Savior, speak to him or to her, Lord. We pray that today may indeed be the day of salvation, and the acceptable time. And for every child of thine before thee now, thou knowest the harm, the circumstances, the difficulties, and we praise thee that thou speakest peace to thy people. For Christ's sake we pray. Amen.