In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of coming to the cross and surrendering to the power of the risen Lord. He recounts the story of Jesus' crucifixion and the profound impact it had on the disciples. The preacher urges the audience to examine their own hearts and confront any areas of backsliding or spiritual complacency. He encourages them to seek a deeper union with Christ and invites them to make a commitment to surrender their lives to God's will. The sermon concludes with a call to prayer and a reminder that only through the cross can true transformation and union with Christ be achieved.

...Hebrews and the 10th chapter. Hebrews chapter 10. It's a real joy being here at Mid-South, and we're really enjoying the warmth of fellowship, and enjoying the ministering of the Word of God. We look forward to coming here, and we trust our being together will be all for God's glory, for our mutual blessing, and for the exaltation of the Lord Jesus. But verse 19. Hebrews chapter 10, verse number 19. A having therefore present, boldness to enter into the holy by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. And having an high priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the concession of the saints without wavering, for he is faithful but promised, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good work. That's the only kind of provoking person I like. Those who provoke unto good work and to love. May the numbers be multiplied during these days. Now verse 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, ever exhorting one another, encouraging one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Let alone that he's glancing to that shot, reading from his word to each of our hearts tonight. I want to talk with you for a little while this evening on three reasons why we as God's people should assemble in this conference. I know I said a moment ago there's a warmth of sweet fellowship, there is a delicious food, and quite many things is so congenial and favorable. But there are three outstanding reasons why we should assemble as we're about to gather together. I'll give them to you straight away. The first one is this. Because it will be a time of inspiration. A time of inspiration. Secondly, it will be a time of restoration. Restoration. And lastly, it will prove to be a time of salvation. Salvation. Now Paul is saying, I suggest he's a writer to the Hebrews, he's saying now in view of that day, that day when the clouds of bubbles are going to burst, and the Lord is going to descend to the air, and all who have his Spirit are going to rise to meet him, and to be forever with the Lord. And you know, it may be this very night, the listening skies now come, will hear the bridegroom's voice saying, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. And your heart says, even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. We go on now, and Paul says in view of that day, let us get together. Let us have more meetings, more rallies, more conventions, but by all means, let us assemble together. Remember in Mary Kind, just to read these remarkable words, they that fear the Lord speak often one to another, not one about another, but they speak often one to another, and the Lord hearkens. And a book of remembrance has been written, even to them that call upon his name. Now that name is so precious and of such great value that our thinking upon that name is recorded in heaven and will be rewarded in a coming day. Matthew 18, verse number 26, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. And, O beloved, that's the desire of my heart tonight, that will you recognize the Lord himself is really here, listening to the words of the late Charles Haddon's version, amidst us our beloved stands, and bids us jewel his pierced hand, poised to his wounded hidden side, blessed emblem of the crucified. Yes, the Lord is here. I'm told I got rather a roaming kind of a nature. The more I roam, it seems, the more I want to roam. I don't know if that's really true. But one place I should like to go to is the Holy Land. Well, we'll be there one day, I'm quite sure of that, by God's next of grave. But ere the Lord comes back to set up his kingdom, we should like to travel to the Holy Land. I want to give you one or two reasons why. I would like to go to a place called Bethlehem, there in the city of David. And I would like to think of that scene in Natchezer almost 2,000 years ago, when the Lord was life and glory, the great creator was contracted to a span indescribably made man. Yes, I would think of that moment when he was born there in that table, and how he lay in the lap of Mary, his mother. Utterly dependent upon Mary, yet at the very same time, worlds upon worlds were depending upon him. Paul cried, Great is the mystery of Godliness, God manifests in flesh. Value of all and precious are that places, I would not carry there, but will adore a heart adoring and overflowing with gratitude for the gift of God's beloved Son. We'll hurry on to Nazareth. And down in Nazareth we'll think of the time when he worked at the bench, how he shaped to his yoke, and he made the yoke, and he sanctified forever on his toil by laboring there with his own hands, working as a carpenter at the bench. And how for those 18 years of his private life he subjected them to Mary and Joseph. But I would not carry it, Nazareth, dirty Nazareth. I would hurry on the cross of the book of Hedron, right into the garment of famine. But before getting there, I could not miss the Jordan, could I? Oh no. And there I would love to walk along the banks of the Jordan and think of that time when the Lord Jesus went down into the water and was baptized of John. And how the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dog. And the dog was the only bearder of any dog. And the dog abode upon one in whom there is no guile, one in whom there is no sin, the altogether pure Holy Son of God. And then the voice of the Father is heard saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. I should love to think of that time that still now we go across to the book of Hedron into the garment of famine. But think of that time when his face is pressed into his olive bushes. He's in agony. And by the way, the only time you ever read of the word agony in the Bible is in Luke chapter 22, where the Bible says, and he being in an agony prayed the Lord earnestly. He stretched himself out to more prayer. And as the very pores opened up and the blood like sweat oozed out through these pores, Professor Simpson Edinburgh, the first doctor ever to use chloroform, declared that there were real drops of blood caused by the intense agony and anguish in his system at that moment. Oh, beloved, draw near with me. I hear again the word. Disseminate, can I forget? Are there thy conflicts, see? Thine agony and blood like sweat and not remember thee. But I will not carry there in Gethsemane hallowed and sacred for the place where he is. The great battle raged there in the garden of Gethsemane and he cried from his heart, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. I would hurry on to the Father's judgment hall. Think of that time when that trial went on. How far it fell three times over. I find no fault in this man. How heavy it cried. I find nothing worthy of death in this man. How good is my strength. Freaked out, I have sinned in that I betrayed thee, innocent blood. And please notice the death article there. It does not say I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood, but it's thee, innocent blood. The only blood that is innocent. The only blood that is pure. The only blood that is sinless that I will not carry there in the palace hall. Oh no, do I know my heart will be smitten and the tears will flood to my eyes as I think of the miscarriage of judgment there in that judgment hall. I would hurry on through the garden gate and up my train to a place called Golgotha and there upon Golgotha's summit I will think of that scene. Two friends of ours went there some time ago. One a multimillionaire, the other an evangelist. Because the millionaire took the evangelist along with him and there as he stood on the top of Golgotha the evangelist will come to dinner with him. He asked the guy to leave him. They wanted to be alone for one hour. Now those two full-blooded he-men thought again of Isaac Watt's wonderful hymn When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Lord of glory dine My richest gain I come at last And pour contempt on all my pride See for his head, his hand, his feet Sorrow and love so mingled down Did there such love and sorrow meet For a song composed so rich a crown And the tears rolled unashamedly down Most dear men's faces And they were prostrate As a scene came over their whole spirit being And it was so strange to note As they stood their feet the song from their hearts Where the whole realm of naked minds That were an offering far too small Long, long, so amazing, so divine Shall have my heart, my life, and my all At that moment the guy returned He saw those cruel men broken down He said, why, why do you weep? They told him the story of Golgotha He knew all the historical facts concerning the cross works He told them up many a time But now he heard the story From hearts broken by Calvary love And it makes all the difference in our preaching When the story is told of a heart filled with love The love is poured to the heart of the Holy Son of God And that man's heart was broken That man's heart, my friend, was yielded that day And he received the Christ of Calvary into his heart That man was killed only a few days ago, a few weeks ago During the clash between Israel and the Arabs There he received that very day the praise called Golgotha The wonder of that feast But may I pause? Although I would not carry Golgotha I would not carry there It's sacred, it's hallowed, it's precious The same Golgotha night that cross is empty We may go down to the garden And in the garden there's a tomb I would like to go into that garden tomb I can't sing But I would like with all the voice I've got To sing from my heart I serve a risen Savior He's in the world today He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today You ask me how I know he lives He lives and was in my heart Yes, Lord, in the grave you lay Jesus my Savior Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord Up from the grave he arose With a mighty triumph over all his foes Hallelujah Christ arose in your heart, faith Amen, what a wonderful realization that Christ lived And that's what we preach tonight Not what, but whom we present to you A Christ who became dead Who's alive forevermore You'll know him to come into your life He'll transform your life I will not carry this in empty tombs I thank God that you're listening to me I will hurry on to Bethany I shall love to go to Bethany And on the floor of Bethany, all of it outside Bethany I will sing of that time his hands were lifted up And the very act of blessing his own Those nails which it had Know this, his last time The world's story was when they hung him upon a cross When he was older he appeared to his own And he appeared to his own for forty days And he laid his own on the farthest of Bethany And the very act of blessing his own May I pause here Do you know that none of those hands have been let down We know none of those hands have been let down Those hands are still out stretching, pouring out blessings Upon his own Aren't you glad to be in that company Aren't you glad to march to the register among his own All the joys I'm waiting for a resurrection mom He's coming back again His words flow very plain He's coming with a serpent As the dog Is that true in your heart tonight I know it must be But you know there's a place Far above all I should love to go to You say haven't you mentioned it No I haven't mentioned it yet You know what it is I'll tell you right away It's a place called the upper room A place called the upper room And I couldn't want to go into that place, and think of the time when the Lord said to them, Now, you will tarry there in Jerusalem, and they were tarrying in the upper room. And what happened? The doors were shut, the windows were slid, and the Lord himself appeared in the midst of them and said unto them, Peace be unto you, peace be unto you. And he showed them his hand, and he showed them his sign, and they were disciples glad when they saw the Lord, they loved him. The Lord is here tonight, and the Lord is nearer to you than your neighbor, and oh, I pray that your hearts, too, are going to be made glad, not because you are listening to a message, but because you are going to see the Lord. When they saw the Lord, their hearts were made glad, their hearts were inspired and were filled with inspiration. They had seen the Lord. Oh, have you seen the Lord, my friend, tonight? Have you seen him turn your eyes upon Jesus, look whole in his wonderful face, and the things of earth which were strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace? But not only do I find Christ the bringer of peace, he said, peace be unto you, not only do I see him there as the inspirer of real joy, but I see him here, my friend, as the commissioner of his people, as my father sent me, even so send I you. And I trust the inspiration is going to be so deep and so real and so born and begotten by the spirit, you are going to hear the Lord saying to you tonight, as my father sent me, even so send I you. A man was missing that particular Lord's Day, his name was Thomas, and by the way you always miss out when you abstain yourself from the gatherings of God's beloved people. And Thomas delightedly missed out, and the disciples said to Thomas during the week, Thomas, what a wonderful time on Lord's Day, why, you really miss not being there? The Lord appeared and said, Thomas, you have told me many funny things, but I don't believe that, I just can't believe that, I don't believe it until I see the nail prints in his hand and feet, until I place my finger into that nail print, until I thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe it. Mind you, I admired Thomas, Thomas wasn't going to be put up with any imposter, oh no, oh no, a way younger than India, there was a man doing great magic, and doing great tricks, even bringing fire down from heaven. Some people went to a dear Indian Christian, a dear country lady, and said to her, you know, Christ has come back, Christ has come back, he's doing wonderful miracles, people are being healed, bringing fire down from heaven, he's just wonderful. The dear lady in all her simplicity said, has he got the mark to the nails in his hand? That's it. Has he got the mark to the nails in his hand? There's the criterion, there's the proof, my friend. And so Thomas said, I must see those nail prints. May I suggest something to you? Thomas was there, sir, next Lord's day, oh yes, and as he was assembled with all the others there upon the first day of the week, exactly eight days afterwards, again the first day of the week, for heaven, the Lord, in fact, he promised, and he appeared in the midst, and again he said, peace beyond the earth. But you know something, he had a personal word with Thomas, he always does that. He always has a personal word, and during these days of convention, he's going to have a personal word with you, and a personal word with me. He deals with the individual, and he's going to deal with us individually during these days of convention. Oh, may your ears be attuned to his sweet voice, may you indeed hear that voice and respond to the claim of the Lord Jesus Christ for heaven. And he said, Thomas, behold the nail prints. Thomas, behold the spirit inside. But Thomas could behold these from a distance, but the Lord said, come nearer, Thomas, come closer. The Lord's probably going to say to some of us during these days, come a little closer, come nearer. Thomas, you put your finger into the nail print. Thomas, you thrust your hand into my sign. It must have been an awful gasp in the sight of our adorable Lord Jesus. And we can see the great and beautiful Thomas thrust thy hand into my sign. We never read Thomas ever did so. No, no, no. He prostrated himself before the Lord that day, and it was a wonderful height. He exclaimed, my Lord and my God. Christ is here tonight as the bringer of peace. There may be hearts in trouble, hearts that are sore. There may be problems psychological and philosophical. There may be spiritual problems and mystic problems. There will be a wonderful message for you. The Prince of Peace is here tonight. He wants to bring peace and tranquility into that troubled breast. He wants to speak the word peace and rest to that heart of yours tonight. He is the bringer of peace. Furthermore, he is the inspirer of all through joy. He is the commissioner of his people. But in this last point, he is the dispeller of all your doubts. He is the dispeller of all your doubts. When Thomas saw the wounds that were cut enough for Thomas, thy wounds, thy wounds, Lord Jesus, those deep, deep wounds will tell the sacrifice that frees us from sin and death and hell. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. He was wounded for our iniquities. time came when she began whining, you don't love me, you don't love me, if you love me you will kill me. Oh, I know many another man has gone down before a whining woman, haven't you? Her own sister became a weakling before a whining woman, and what happened? He told her a little secret of his strength, and while he was asleep she called a man to come in. The man shaved off his hair. Then she began to shake him, wake up, time to wake up. The first thing that occurred to him, he hears this small woman recite a verse in the Bible, he got up and he shook himself as at other times, and he was not the power departed from him. All the tragedy. He got up and shook himself as at other times, but he did not realize the power had departed from him. Says I am you that parted gone from him? Says some of you that parted gone from him? And many a man, many a woman I know, they're going on living in a borrowed experience. Living, my friend, in past experiences. Living in borrowed physiology. And my friend is going in a parodic kind of a fashion, talking and talking, but there's no power in the lives, there's no power in the lives. The Lord is here tonight. The Lord is here. I was in Greater New York, rarely recently, some time ago, and there's rarely a young woman's song. A lady I consider to be somewhere in her late thirties, a nurse, very attractive, good looking young woman, and she sung two wonderful dedication hymns. But as she was singing, I could find no synonym between her spirit and my spirit. None whatever. She sang with great effect, the emphasis in the right place, and my friend, there was a real movement that I felt was something missing. I never measured my life. The next day there was a United ministry meeting. God was very gracious. That Saturday night rally, five people came before Jesus Christ. Sunday evening. I had my congregation on Sunday afternoon, so I noticed this young woman there. And again she said in the evening, but she would not ask a thing. I was without a thing. There was a service. I was standing at the back of the chapel with one of the elder brethren. We thought we heard somebody sobbing. And as we looked round, here was our friend, sobbing her heart out. She said, may I talk with you? And I said, yes. She said, last night, sir, when you were speaking, you were speaking a lie to me. I said, well, what happened? She said, sir, something in my life is bothering up my life. I know I've allowed it to come in. I know I ought not to. But I'm in love with a married man, an elder in one of the assemblies. I'm in love with that man. He loves me. He told me he loves me. Does his wife know about it? Oh, no, she's my best friend, and she knew it would break her heart. That woman was dealt with that night, my friend, graciously and lovingly, yet very firmly. She broke right down and sobbed right through, and cutting my long story short. She got to the point when she said, Lord, I confess my back's blotting. I've allowed this to come into my life, and I've allowed that to come in, Lord. I deal with it, and I finish with it right now. And that girl came through into restoration and fully dedicated her whole life to Jesus Christ, laid it all upon the altar. Now, not until she had first finished with this case, looking at her, I said, are you willing to go and tell your best friend about this? What a test for any girl. I said, this is real compassion, you know. Are you willing to go? Yes, I am. I'm willing to do anything for the Lord's sake. I'm so glad to get this finished with. At first, she went to this man and told him that the whole thing was over. He, too, had been spoken to that night, and broke right down, but he didn't have the backbone to come back and confess it. But, thank God, he did confess it and dealt with it and finished with it. This has happened. She went to her friend, she told her. She broke right down to say, she threw her arms around her and said, I love you more than I've ever loved in my life. Now, that's too great to do that. That's too great to do that, but she did it. She did it. I was in O'Reilly sometime later in that particular area, and I saw this girl with her father there, and I went up to him and said, how's things going? Oh, he said, you never told me half of the joy and the peace and the thrill of a whole, fully surrendered life to the authority of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I didn't realize what it meant to be fully surrendered to Him. He said, you got no full salvation, the joy of a full life in Christ, for that's existing in your life. So, how's things going with your friend? Oh, she said, we see each other, but there's no physical affinity whatever, and there's a real joy in that family circle. May I pause here? That may not be exactly what's withing us, your spiritual life, but listen, you're not the man you used to be, and you're not the woman you used to be. Is that true? Our brother Jenkins there this morning mentioned various things in his ministry. Things that you may be placing before the Lord, and their idols. And the robbing him of the rightful place as Lord in every part of your life. For me to live is the big question mark. You may be putting your wife, or your husband, your children, your home, your car, your job, your money dollar, your sweetheart, your garden, your boat, your cottage, your TV. You might be putting some of these before the Lord. Now, please don't misunderstand me. I see Jim Bogle came all the way from London to tell me, I am not to love my wife, or to love my husband, or to love my children, or to have a nice home, or a nice car, not at all. All I mention is quite legitimate for each and every believer, that all must be subservient to Christ. He must be Lord. He must be Lord over all. The Lord is touching you tonight and saying, rise up. Stand forth. Whoever is putting a finger upon the pressure in your life now, will you confess it? Not to me. If I can be of any help, others will be here to help you. We are running around the campus, my friend, we are here to be of help to you. The Bible says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Friend, backsliding does not start all of a sudden. Oh no. It says in Proverbs 14, 14, that backslider in heart is a man filled with his own ways. His own ways. Dear friend of ours in London, England, is ministering one night on backsliding. He took for his text the act 10. Now he says, they're whacking away with the act 10, and all of a sudden the act 10 dropped off and fell into the water. They emphasize, all of a sudden. Dear elder lady went up to Matt and said, Mr. Dixon, don't you think you made rather a mistake tonight when you said the act 10 suddenly dropped off? No, no, my dear sister. Going up to great Francis Dixon and telling him he made a mistake was a terrible ordeal. He says, yes, well what was it? I said, when you said the act 10 suddenly dropped off, don't you think that was a mistake? Not at all. It suddenly dropped off. He says, don't you think it was slipping down the handle a long time before it slipped off? Not that. Not that. My friend, listen, probably you've come to this convention, and you've come in a condition of backsliding, and your heart is out of tune. Oh, this may be the very night of the very commencement, my friend, of these days of convention upon these beautiful grounds, when you're going to get into living and vital union with the risen Lord. And there's only one way. You must come to the cross. And you must deal with that particular thing in your life right now. Will you do it? Will you do it? Right now? Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Hold, O my being, absolute sway. Fill with thy spirit, that all shall see Christ only, always living in thee. Shall we pray?