In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of being crucified with Christ in order to truly follow Him. He references Acts chapter 1 and highlights how Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to His disciples and gave them commandments through the Holy Spirit. The preacher also mentions the doubts of Thomas and how Jesus appeared to him to prove His resurrection. He concludes by emphasizing the significance of knowing and following the will of God in our lives.

Be seated, thank you. Let's turn to the Acts of the Apostles, or as somebody has said, some of the Acts of some of the Apostles, because we don't know where they all went anyhow, and we don't know what they all did. I think every one of the Apostles, with the exception of one, can be traced to what? Martyrdom. Every one of the twelve that followed Jesus were eventually martyred. This is a cliche of mine, think about it when you go home. I believe our crucified Lord demands crucified followers. If you're not crucified with him, you can't follow him. Acts chapter one. The former treaties that I made, now in case you're here for the first time, I read from the King James, you know, the Living Bible. The former treaties have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up. After that he through the Holy Ghost, notice, through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he showed also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs. You know I can't draw anyhow, but let's make a pyramid, you can guess what that, that's a pyramid. Now suppose you turn it upside down. The whole of Christian philosophy, Christian teaching, depends on one thing. It says in the first book of Corinthians chapter 15, that if there is no resurrection we're yet in our sins. You know people get disgusted sometimes, they kind of shudder and nudge each other when I say, you know, we're not saved by the death of Christ. We're saved by his resurrection, that's what Paul says. We're saved by his life. You know the thing that grieves me, we believe, we get excited, I do, about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, his triumph over the grave. But you know he may as well be dead as far as four billion people in the world are tonight, they don't know a thing about him. You know the message of the New Testament wasn't so much the cross, it was the resurrection of Jesus. You think of Paul, as I've said, he was born in the ancient capital of the world, Tarsus, he finished in the military capital of the world, Rome. He went to the religious capital of the world, Jerusalem. He went to the corrupt capital of the world, Corinth. He went to the intellectual capital in the 16th, 17th chapter of Acts, and he met the poets and epicureans and stoics and philosophers, and they listened to him. They listened to him for a while, and then suddenly he says, there's a man called Jesus, and he died and rose from the dead, and said, get out, there's the door. As soon as he mentioned the resurrection from the dead, it was completely foreign to their thinking. After all, Buddha never said he'd rise from the dead. Jesus started by saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Buddha died saying, I'm searching for life, I'm searching for light, I'm searching for truth. It's a bit late. There were two Englishmen, I must tell you about the English anyhow. When I was in England, which seemed years ago, I needed a few years ago anyhow, there were two men by the same name. They were both knighted by the king. They're both called Ambrose Fleming, and they both became Sir Ambrose Fleming. Now, I don't know which one it was, but one of them said a wonderful thing. He said that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the best attested fact in history. The best attested fact in history. One of the classics, better get my friend Jacob there, think about reprinting this. There's a book written by Frank Morrison a few years ago called, Who Moved the Stone? It's a marvellous book. It's out of print, I think it should be reprinted. I'll tell you why it's a wonderful book, because he's going to demolish Christian theology. He's going to prove Jesus didn't rise from the dead. So he spent about a couple of years on the thing, and he proved Jesus didn't rise from the dead. Up to that point, then he got saved and found he did. So then he wrote his book, Who Moved the Stone? I used to have a pastor, he was supposed to be my assistant, but I was his, I think. He was a brilliant preacher. And so often he used to quote about two men, particularly in street meetings. He would talk about a man called Gilbert West. In England they'd say he was a commoner. But he struck up at the university with the Lord Littleton, who was a lord of course, a nobleman. And one day they discussed Christianity. And one of them said, I can't get hold of this thing. It's a strange thing. Well sure it's strange. Christianity began with an empty womb, it finished with an empty tomb, in between it had an empty cross. And they sat down and discussed this for a while. Well you see, the first thing is the birth of Jesus, which the theologians, like Jacob there, they call it the incarnation. And the last thing is what? The resurrection. Without the resurrection, the incarnation is incomplete. Without the incarnation, the resurrection is impossible. Anyhow, these two men decided they would go their separate ways. And I don't know how long they were away, about two years. And they agreed to meet at a certain point. And when they met, they both came with a jubilee and wrapped each other around in their arms. What happened to Gilbert? Oh, the Christ that I didn't believe was risen. He's risen. Where is he now? He's in my heart. I like that song, you know, I serve a risen Savior, it's in the world today. You ask me how I know he lives. Do you know that? I serve a risen Savior, he's in the world today. I know that he is living, whatever men may say. His hands are mercy, I hear his voice of cheer, and just the time I need him, he's always near. Stand up and sing better. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, he lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. What's the next verse? In all the world around me, do we know that? Oh, rejoice, rejoice. You sing it, Martha did. Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian. Lift up your voice and sing. Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King. The hope of all who seek him, the help of all who find him. None other is so loving, so good and kind. Sing it. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, he lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. Let's sing it for them afresh. Maybe get a smile. Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian. Lift up your voice and sing. Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King. The hope of all who seek him, the help of all who find him. None other is so loving, so good and kind. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, he lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me thy great salvation, so rich it shall be. Good, thank you. Okay, Acts chapter 1, reading from verse... Pardon me, Acts chapter 1, reading from verse 1. The former treatise on the idol Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and to teach. As you know, this man wrote the book of Luke. It was Luke that's writing. Until the day in which he was taken up after he had, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen. I'm going to put a stress here. To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proves. Being seen of them. Notice that? Being seen of them. Verse 4, being assembled together with them. Commanded them. You know, I had never realized this, but it came with a tremendous impact on my mind. There comes a time in the affairs of individuals and nations when God walks out on them. The Jews thought they could kick Jesus around, do as they like, and they say, get out of here. What did he say? He said, your house is left desolate. They've never been a nation since. They're coming back a bit now, and they'll get better further on. But isn't it amazing? It was to them. Who? To his disciples. That he revealed himself. But you know what people say, well, some of the critics used to say, well, of course, these fellows were all expecting Jesus. He never rose from the dead, of course. They were seeing, it was hallucinations. It was something psychic. Well, that's blown the bottom out of that. He was seen of them 40 days. If he'd seen them for 40 minutes, he would have been different. He was there 40 days, teaching them about the kingdom. That must have been a Bible school to go to. Wouldn't you have liked to have gone? Jacob nods his head, okay. He knows it all, so he doesn't have to. I would have gone with Jacob too. Being seen of them. I was reading in, was it, is it Luke? Well, it's such an amazing, astounding thing. The greatest miracle the world has ever had. First it was the incarnation, when Jesus came into that empty womb. Now we have an empty tomb. The greatest miracle that's ever been done. You know, in the book of Revelation, he says, I stand at the door and knock. But you remember in another case, while they were all assembled, he didn't even knock to come in. He barged right in. Came through the walls. Walls make no difference to him. You know, you can put people in, you can wall them in, in prison, but you can't roof anybody in. I don't care where you are, it can be a hell hole. As it was with John on the Isle of Patmos. But they were all there, nervous, afraid, because of what might happen. And he came in. And what did he do? Oh, about the most prosaic thing you could ever think. Here they were, these men had lost everything. They'd given up their business careers. They'd given up fortunes. They'd left their wives. They'd left their children. They'd left their associates. They'd become outcasts to the temple. And what does he do? He showed them his hands and his feet. Doesn't that sound childish? You see, one man there said, well, you can agree, if you like, with those women that were screaming up the street there. He's risen, he's risen. Yeah, you get me. Well, when he was there, just where you're standing, he was there just a few minutes ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll believe that. I'll believe it when I can put my finger in the nail print in his hand. When I can put my hand in his side. Good night. Was a man ever ashamed of what he said? Jesus turned up at the next meeting. He says, come on, Thomas. No, it's all right, Lord. It's all right. It's all right. Let's do it in private, where there's nobody to see me humiliated and embarrassed. You know, you better watch. Sometimes God answers prayers. Sometimes he's afraid to. Somebody said, if we all got our prayers, all the prayers we've answered, boy, we'd be terribly embarrassed. And maybe we won't. But it was to them in the upper room. You know, this is the greatest event. You know, this event did it. Matthew says that when, when they went to see the stone was rolled away from the door. Well, this book says, who rolled away the stone? It tells you who rolled away the stone, an angel from heaven. I wonder how they got the stone there. Every demon in hell is trembling. Every angel is ready to sing a hallelujah. The devil is shrinking and cringing. He's watched every step of Jesus. He's tried to get him not to go to the cross. If you want to know how valuable worship is, I'll tell you. The devil says, I'll give you every kingdom of this world if you just bend the knee and acknowledge. That's all. Just bend your knee. That's all. Acknowledge that you're inferior to me. And I'll give you all the kingdoms of this world. I used to think he meant real estate. He didn't mean that. He knew Jesus owns the world and all that's in it. He'd possibly been there when he and the Father put the world together. When he just threw the stars into the heavens. I read the other day there are about 500 billion stars. Isn't that something? And he was there. But he said, I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world. You don't need to go to the cross. Save yourself. Have all the kingdoms of the world. I'll give you the military kingdom of the world. That's the Roman Empire. I'll give you the intellectual kingdom of the world. That's the Greeks. I'll give you the religious empire of the world. That's the Jews. I'll give you them all. Just bow down. That's all you have to do. And it's all yours. But that wonderful word says, he set his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem. And the devil is fearing every move that Jesus makes. Because he knows he's going there, finally to the cross. And when the cross takes his life, it means death for him, it means life for millions and millions and millions of people. I love that hymn, There is a fountain filled with blood. I love to sing the dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. And the fountain is open now for whosoever will may come. But why did God do this all in a corner? Notice what it says, they saw him alive after his resurrection. Nobody saw him resurrected. Only the man on God's earth saw him resurrected. If I could use it as a private display for the father and the son and the holy ghost and the angels. It was too holy, too sacred. Nobody saw him die except the father. Doesn't it say that the clouds went black as midnight? Doesn't it say that the impact when mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other, when the stone was rolled away there was a great earthquake? I believe in that moment the very foundations of hell shook. Because Jesus is going to abolish death and lead light and immortality to life. But here we have him. You know when some people thought Jesus was a bit nervous. And one man says I'll take your life from you. I like his answer, it's beautiful. He says no man taketh my life from me, I lay it down and I'll take it up. Boy that must have made the devil sick. In other words he's saying Lucifer you've lost already. I'm going to lay my life down at the right time. There's an appointment. Read through John's gospel and all the times he's saying it's my hour is not yet come, my hour is not yet come. And then he says for this hour I came into the world. You know some of you young guys better get that stuck down in your tummy or in your heart. The most difficult days in human history are coming up. You better get clear in your mind for this hour you came into the world. You were born at the right moment, you were saved at the right moment and there's a calendar God has for your life and God help you if you miss it. The most important thing in the world is to know the will of God. Number one in the will of God he wills not the death of one sinner. Number two is the will of God is your sanctification. After that you take it. But again why is it done like this? I mean God why didn't you display some awesome power? Why let the world go on for another two thousand years through another hundred wars and put to death a billion people or more than a billion from the time Jesus died until he comes again. Why didn't you put a spectacle on? Oh I'd like it to have been done my way. Oh as I say these people said well you know I mean they were all nervous and afraid and they'd been expecting him but that's the very opposite. Not one of them expected him. You know teachers get disgusted. I get preachers who come to my office and say you know my people don't believe me. They're not going on. Some of them have been five years and they're no further up the road. They're no more spiritual. They're still childish. They're still carnal. They're still consumed with sports. They still find most entertainment in TV. They're so childish. Well that's not what Jesus died for. He died that we might be totally divorced from this present evil world and live as though we were already in heaven with a disposition of heaven. I don't believe you're saved if you get angry. Now there is a holy anger but if you get angry because somebody upsets you or peevish or something that's childish. Forget it. So does a man up the street and he runs around with women. So does a woman down the street and she's a drunken. He died to make us examples on earth of the heavenly life. Thy kingdom come in earth in this earthly part of me. I say I would like to another spectacle. The disciples didn't believe him. I've told you this before. I'll say it again because I get a lift out of it anyhow. In the... What's the opera house in Milan called? Scala? Pardon? La Scala. La Scala. Thank you. Did you sing there, Betty? The La Scala. Verdi played his opera there the first time. Aida. And when it finished at night they unhitched the horses from his carriage and shunted them down the street and they pulled the carriage around to his hotel. At 11 o'clock at night and at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the morning they were still screaming Verdi, Verdi, Verdi, Verdi. He kept getting out of bed and looking and the mass was there. They were still there six hours after the opera finished because they'd seen something and heard something different. Now here is the greatest miracle in the history of the world and there wasn't one person there. The disciples were not waiting for him to come. They didn't believe he would come. So if you get discouraged remember Jesus had the same thing to handle. I wonder Peter wasn't... If the disciples had believed he would raise from the dead that had been standing in line and Peter would have been first. And I think he might have grabbed him and said Lord I hope you're going to have a spectacle here. You know these Jews are gloating over us the Romans are sneering at us. Everybody else is pouring contempt on us. Now wouldn't it be wonderful let's ask the Father to send a couple of thousand angels to march down Main Street, Jerusalem at midnight. And let's have Gabriel leading the band and as it says with harps and with viols in the book of Revelation. They could have shaken the world but he didn't do that. He showed them his hands and his feet. I wonder Peter didn't say well you told us you were the resurrection and the life and for a while it gripped us. You remember when Jesus went and he talked to Lazarus when Lazarus was in his grave and he stood there and he said you roll away the stone. You know we want God to do everything he says you roll the stone away I'll do the rest. You fill the water pots to the brim and I'll change it. But we want him to make the water pots and do everything and leave us darling little people alone with clean hands and sleeping in our wonderful beds. Some of you will be sorry you got some of those super beds. We're so wasting everything takes our time. Well why not have a parade? Why not go down the street? We saw you there at the tomb of Lazarus you said come forth. Is that what he said? No. What did he say? He said Lazarus come forth. If he said come forth all the cemetery would have come and it wasn't time for them to come so he said Lazarus come forth and he says don't marvel at this marvel at this not that, at this that these same lips one day are going to shout one word because remember Jesus has the keys of death and hell they're not on the belt of that old bachelor that lives in Rome. I use that when I'm in an airplane it's getting rough I say well the Lord has the keys and I can't die here unless it's my time. But at the voice of the Son of God he has the one key that fits every grave in the universe and one day he's going to say to everybody come forth and they're going to rise in billions from Adam right down to the very moment that he said that. No, there's no display put on. Again the awesome thing to me is that when he rose with all his power and all his majesty he never went back to the world again he never went back to a synagogue he never went back to I wish he had I wish he'd gone to Pontius Pilate at one o'clock in the morning and just punched him on the chest and said well I'm here. And then gone to the high priest and pulled his beard and said well Rabbi what are you going to do now? Come on wouldn't you think that when they knew he was already in the tomb and he said he'd be resurrected wouldn't you think the woman at the well would have been there? Don't you think blind Bartimaeus ought to have been there? Don't you think that every leopard that he healed ought to have been there? Well in God's name where were they? Well where were you this morning when you could have worshipped him in spirit and in truth shopping or gossiping or what in God's name were you doing? It's easy to point the finger at the other guys. We're standing this side of the cross this side of the resurrection this side of the Holy Ghost being given and we're just about as impotent anyhow. I've told you many times and I'll tell you many times the Lord lets me live. I'm tired of living amongst dwarfs. I got a letter from a pretty well-known preacher last week. I want to see him Mr. Avenue. I want to come and see a great man I've never seen a great man well I'm a great man I grate on most people a great man. He's been going around the country with some of the leading preachers in America and he's never found a great man. I'm looking for men with holiness I'm looking for men with integrity I'm looking for men with character where are they? Well they're in a process of being made they're not strutting on TV you never find a prophet begging. I say again this wasn't a show in about the second I haven't checked it but it's about the second verse of John 17 Jesus says to his father I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. He had finished his ministry publicly but on the cross he said it is finished and it was finished. Well what do you think all those rabbis and teachers thought? They said look there you see that fellow there oh he's getting old and grey that's John Baptist he's the one that stood one day and hollered down the valley behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world and he said they're going to crucify there he is that's the end of the Jewish system that's the end of our sacrifice we're all out of work isn't it amazing that if there are a million sins or billions they were all laid on Jesus there? You see you get sentimental about Jesus the Catholic church has plastic Christ on a wooden cross a plastic cross and nails through his hands and imitation blood painted and the brow with the thorns and there they play on the emotions of people but that wasn't it don't you think the thieves were just as torn up emotionally and intellectually weren't they leaving their families weren't they humiliated well what are you going to give them in place of the sacrifice I'm going to give you what it says in Isaiah 53 a pen picture of Jesus painted 750 years before Jesus came to the world I don't understand this it baffles me we'll discuss it sometime there is Jesus and the father is going to watch his son crushed to death the Lord hath laid on him not the devil the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all it pleased the Lord to bruise him how do you fathom it again that lovely hymn bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned he stood seal my pardon with his blood well why in God's name when he was condemned and they put an old dirty robe on him a moth eaten robe of a king it had been thrown on one side and he wore that stinking robe that you might have a robe of righteousness how often do you think of it they put a crown of thorns on his head that you and I might have a crown of eternal life he was separated from the father that we might be brought to the father he took human nature that we might have divine nature he left eternity for thirty three years so that you and I could go to eternity for thirty three billion years as far as that goes it pleased the Lord to bruise him now where was he born he was born outside of wedlock as far as people thought before long he was put out of his own family his family turned against him then he was put out of the city and then finally they took him down to the place the scum Hebrews says he was what crucified where without the gate or outside the gate where was it it was where all the sewage of the city ran it's where they threw the carcasses of dead people it's where the lepers were allowed to be free everything that was vile and corrupt and impure and shocking and stinking everything that tasted of revolt or rebellion or wickedness or vileness was all there and they took the spotless son of God into that corruption you know we've lost the art of meditation I think we'd have a lot more tears if we discovered it and there he goes to that cesspool but wait a minute where are the disciples well one guy says listen you can't Jesus you can't depend on John he's very loving and emotional and you know the others are not very substantial but me I'd die for you three times over in three hours if I could boy hardly got them out of his mouth before he was running away in the hour when he needed them most the disciples were not there why didn't they stand on either side of the road you know they show a picture of the on TV at six o'clock tonight pilgrims going down the Via Dolorosa as they call it a place of suffering why were the disciples on either side saying Lord we're praying we'll soon be shouting lift up your heads oh ye gates be lifted up ye everlasting doors it's going to pass very quickly see it through see they'd all run away there wasn't one of them there what a bunch nobody at the tomb finally nobody to escort him or praise him or rejoicing him the lepers had forgotten they were the blind had forgotten they got their eyes they'd gone back to business they'd gone back to life as usual God help us that's what we do I'm told of a preacher in town that said the other day the other Sunday nobody's getting saved anymore sure they aren't nobody's preaching salvation that's why we're preaching blessing and help and prosperity and even amongst the so-called redeemed well you know dear the Lord won't you try and read a little bit more of your Bible and pray a few minutes and everything will be alright listen if a man is really born again of the spirit of God it's the most radical thing this side of eternity he becomes a new creature has a new heart a new mind what is Jesus going through hell for so you can come up and say to the preacher I'm sorry I'm so sorry and then go back and live the same damnable life with no victory over sin with no appetite for God you'd rather read the sports page than the sacred page you can spend your time meditating on that dumb idol you have now I'm not thinking you'll go to heaven because you get rid of your TV and you 'll go to hell because you have one either it's no more dangerous than your children reading books if they read books they may read playboys and rotten stuff a bit further up but you don't stop them doing it it's a case of having control over these things that are there round about but again you see they weren't there I'll go back a little here I've picked up a number of articles recently about the crucified life the first time I when I came to America in 1950 I went to a Christian missionary alliance conference and they sang that lovely hymn I'd never heard it oh to be like thee blessed redeem me you know that? this is my constant longing oh to be like thee oh to be like thee do we want to be like him? these people who have got 40 days of TV 40 is a number of testing the book of Matthew is the 40th book in the bible because the nation of Israel was tested with having the Christ of God in the midst Moses had 40 years in the backside of the desert Jesus had 40 days of temptation do you mean that? are you going to challenge God say I want 40 days of temptation such as I've never had before in my life in all points my sex life my social life my spiritual life my intellectual life my emotional life are you prepared to go out like that and say that's what I want? I've never heard anybody I've been going around meetings for about 75 years I've never heard anybody describe their Gethsemane experience but there are people who have them there are people who are having them and some of you will have them again in the garden where were they? they were away safely away and you see the great test in the Christian life is loneliness let me say it again the biggest challenge in your life is come down from the cross and save yourself why sacrifice? they aren't sacrificing why fast? they aren't fasting why give up some of your time they are not doing it they are living at ease they are living free they are having a marvelous time well it's just because you don't happen to be they that's why it's not profound you happen to be you it is the way the master went should not the servant tread it still so again they were not there at the tomb they left him after the cross they didn't go down with him in humiliation in his shame Jesus says no man takes my life I'll raise it up again but if you read Romans 8 you remember somewhere about verse 11 it says the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead who raised up Jesus? the Holy Ghost who raised up Jesus himself? who raised up Jesus? Peter says to that bunch that is pointing the finger at the whole hierarchy of the church and he said do you know why we are excited? do you know why we are here? because there was one who you crucified and put on a tree but him hath God raised up so God raised him up the Holy Ghost raised him up he himself with his immortal eternal power raised him you get a combination of the deities what chance has hell got against that? do you wonder that Paul with all his amazing life one of the most amazing men in history after Jesus he's done everything Jesus did except walk on the water he's raised the dead he's cast out demons he's stood before kings he's terrified kings this blessed little man and he's been in prison and he's written epistles he's been blazing the trail for men for all his life and yet when he's got well up the road when dear God he's had more miracles and ministry than a dozen other guys and all the other apostles put together and he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection what was the power of his resurrection? it was over death it was over sin it was over circumstances it was over the fear of man it was over the opposition of man and he said I want that same resident power in me the power of his resurrection so here's Jesus and he's there he's in a tomb and they roll a stone over it is that all? somewhere in your reading you'll maybe come across some books by J.H. Jowett a very fine English preacher from Carvelin Congregational Church in England and then he came to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in New York but you know preachers like to hear preachers Jacob nods and he came to hear me tonight but anyhow and Dr. Jowett said whenever I could get a weekend off I would catch the train and I would go down and hear that greatest of all preachers in London at that time and Spurgeon was preaching then and F.B. Meyer was preaching then and William Booth was preaching then and I need to ask Martha I need the sign language what was the no McLeod was in Manchester in London? the man that prayed Parker thank you Joseph Parker and he said I went into that meeting and he said Joseph Parker buried Jesus as only Parker could bury him he said he had the streets thronging with people and he had that and he had the crowd all there and he had people that wanted to get near and so forth and so on and then he said they put him in a tomb and then they rolled a stone over it and then he said they put wax on the stone to make it air tight so the air couldn't get in the tomb and then they put the king's signature on it put a big blob of wax there and stamped it my daddy used to have a signet ring he called it it was a gold ring and it had his initials in W.R. Walter A. New when he sent important letters he gets some wax and put it on the back of the letter then stamp put his signature on it people knew who sent it well the Romans put their signature on that they put the wax so the air couldn't get in and then they put seals on it but wait a minute it didn't go Parker didn't go far enough let me finish it off for you so there's a stone against the Christ so he can't get up there's wax there there's four quaternions of soldiers four soldiers on shifts four times a day isn't it amazing the unbelieving world had more faith than the disciples huh? the wicked people thought he'd rise from the dead the dumb disciples didn't so you've got the stone and the wax and the seals but wait a minute there's more than that Satan's looking down and he says you what? that man's beaten me I've tried to get the advantage of him for the last three and a half years and I've never once beaten him I've tempted him on every point but he's escaped he cannot be corroded corrupted he cannot be persuaded now just watch he's going to do something drastic yes it's prophesied he'll rise again well we'll see that he doesn't is that stone fixed? yes your majesty Satan it is not even an earthquake could move it but it did a bit later but he says there's the stone and the wax but there's something else to do what else can we do? one demon says I'll tell you what I'd like to do I wish we could gather all the sin of the world and put them against that stone good all the sin of the world is against that stone jamming it up it can't move well your excellency Lucifer I want to make another suggestion gather every demon that you have now you've got the stone and the wax and the seals and the sin of the world get every demon to put his shoulder against that stone he'll never get out and there they are holding on cringing wondering when the world is going to happen and suddenly the lord Jesus decided to get up and take a walk and the stone rolled away you see just as those men the Jews watched their ministry finish because he's the lamb of God isn't it amazing there's never had to be another lamb shed since that day that the blood will never lose its power till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more he is the sacrifice he is the altar he is the priest he is everything all in one no wonder the devil is the one who'll get free because as soon as Jesus gets free he's going to break the power of sin and the power of death in that person hanging on that tree there's blood enough virtually to cleanse everybody that will come to the end of the ages there's power to restore the mind there's power to restore the body everything is locked up in that one person no wonder the devil raged and all demons went mad I tell you the moment Jesus said it is finished hell went into panic he broke their power doesn't it say in Ephesians 4 that he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men there are no gifts of the Holy Ghost except what are purchased by Jesus he purchased them the Holy Spirit is the executor or if you like he's the lawyer that distributes the gifts that Jesus purchased for us Jesus himself according to Ephesians I think it's 4 he led captivity captive what was captivity? death he put death to death you know I don't understand I used to be afraid of that I'm not now I've been through the valley of the shadow a few times but with surgery and accidents and burning hotels and what have you got I'm not saying I enjoyed it but I got out alright why be ashamed why be afraid the apostle Paul was in weariness in fastings in painfulness in death everyday never unnerved him at all he says I got the best of both worlds he says if I live it's to the glory of God if I die it's to the glory of God absent from the body present with the Lord boy it can't be much quicker than that you know the agony is to go to a prison and rot like they've been doing in Russia for years but to stand up against the wall and be shot boy the boy wasted his time before the bullet hit me I was in glory wouldn't that be wonderful anybody want to be shot isn't it amazing what did it say here that he showed himself alive unto them to them there are treasures that God almighty will never share with some evening who will profess his name because they're not living close enough to God because they haven't got their values straight he comes in the upper room and he talked to them he met these four here together and he talked with them with many infallible proofs what infallible proofs well sometimes we sing he walks with me and he talks with me remember those fellows with feet like lead going down that road walking all the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus seven miles and Jesus walked with them and he unfolded all the scriptures concerning Daniel's image and the fourth vial oh that's a new version that's coming up what did he do he walked for seven miles with them and talked about Moses and the prophets what they said concerning himself we get so set on other things instead of himself there's not much preaching Christ anymore there's not much preaching the blood we're preaching issues we're preaching about drugs we're preaching about immorality Jesus Christ Jesus says if I be lifted up and we've got to come back to that we're living in a perishing world and these men went out here's Peter who ran away from a girl and now he's almost poking his finger in the eye of the high priest you crucified the Lord of Glory but him hath God raised up well that guy says that's impudence in any case nobody's ever seen him only these fellows say they've seen him again there are some things that God will not reveal to others he'll reveal them to you doesn't mean you make a doctrine of them you have to meet in a certain issue he's going to talk with you about that thing as he did with these he talked with these on the Emmaus road he talked with them in a room that was shut up they walked with him many infallible proofs he showed them his hands with the nail prints a stigmata and then they had breakfast with him that must have been some breakfast do you think he went fishing I don't I think he stood at the side of the sea and said fish come in it jumped in his lap after all he told a man who had no money he said if you catch a fish there you'll find your income tax money there I wish I could get mine like that but anyhow and he did and he got the money didn't he and they were affrighted they thought he was a ghost and he came toward them and he said come on boys some of you folk over 43 maybe remember some of the old names like come and dine the master calleth you used to sing that Betty come and dine the master so Betty's over 43 she says yes come and dine the master calleth come and dine you may feast at Jesus' table all the time he who fed the multitude turned the water into wine so the hungry now he calleth come and dine Jesus hath a table spread where the saints of God are fed he invites his chosen people come and dine there they met their hearts desired bread and fish upon the fire and to all the children he calls come and dine that must have been a meal eh I guess Peter made the first grab but anyhow fish he can't have had he can't have had a ghost body like we think I believe it was the same body just minus his blood because he's not yet ascended and he eats he has a meal with him many infallible proofs they walk with him many infallible proofs they talk with him many infallible proofs what was the greatest they were filled with the Holy Ghost these men who were nervous and cowardly now that are baldest men in the whole wide world they were filled with the fullness of God and Peter no longer runs away from anybody he's the anointed man he's the man the spokesman of this new group if you want to call it by that title hell is in chaos heaven is in jubilation you know it's easy to be bold when everything's going well when we did street meetings we used to try and talk about characters characters in history one was Lord Byron one of the most handsome men they said ever that walked he had black hair and he had curls that came down the side to his shoulders and he was very brilliant he broke all records for publishing poetry in his day almost every court in Europe begged him to come he went to feasts with kings went to the Tsar of Russia went to the king of France went to the king of the Belgians went to the king of Italy everybody begged him on knee come Mr. Byron recite some of your poetry which he did and he lived his life and it was wild and wicked he ran the gauntlet he just exhausted every kind of sin and when he had more money than he could spend and more invitations than he could answer he fainted on the shore of an island in Greece and he wrote this just before he died this wealthy man this associate of kings this associate of the most famous people in the world scientists and artists but this is the end of his brilliant life my life is in the yellow leaf the flowers and fruit of love are gone the worm the canker and the grief are mine alone isn't that something here is a king in the old testament he has everything he could have and he writes his story like this he says I may have conquered people I have written some of the most popular music ever but I have earned exceedingly and paid the full that's what Saul king of Israel said Saul in the new testament says I fought a good fight I finished my course I have kept the faith which do you want to be die a super millionaire and die without any knowledge of God Byron tried it all and he drank of every cup that was offered to him of lust and life so called but he says my life is in the yellow leaf the flowers and fruit of love they have faded away the worm the canker and the grief are mine alone I have quoted before about this man David Hume who was a deist and he didn't believe in any inspiration and revelation or in the son of God or the bible but about five o'clock one morning he was going down the street in London he came round the corner he went straight into the almost into the arms of another man who said hey David are you David Hume yes up at this early hour David where are you going at five in the morning oh he said I'm going to hear George Whitefield preach he said you don't believe a word Whitefield believes preach it he said no but he does he and the deist knew the man wasn't talking theology I'll tell you how to preach if you don't know how to preach a hymn of Charles Wesley he had a few you know three thousand but one of them he says my heart is full of Christ and longs this glorious message we're preaching theology we're preaching doctrine we're not preaching Christ Christ dead Christ ascended Christ at the right hand of the father how do I know that he's doing as he says here showing himself alive I'll tell you why because ten million prayers have been offered in his name and he's heard every one of them today he's there at the right hand of the father living to make intercession for us the devil's a bad taskmaster well David Hume called himself the prince of skeptics but there's another famous man by the name of Voltaire a Frenchman he called himself the prince of scoffers he lived contemporary with Wesley he was a man in France that was writing one day in a little house and he wrote this amazing prophecy he said a hundred years from the day that I'm writing there'll be no bibles in the world except in museums he missed it by two or three didn't he it so happened in the second world war a bomb that didn't have any respect blew the house up you know for hundreds of years men have been digging the grave of the bible but it stands at the grave side of all its persecutors it outlives them all well there's a man in this country a hundred years ago by the name of what was his name Robert Robert Robert Ingersoll called himself a free thinker one of the most brilliant minds America ever had and his brother died a brother he loved very very dearly and at the grave side with the tears pouring down his face he said life is but a barren veil between the ice clad peaks of two eternities we strive in vain to look beyond the lights we lift up our trembling voices in the silence of the night only to be answered by the echo of our own voices this is a man who denies revelation denies the reality of Christ denies the power of salvation and life is just a barren veil between two ice clad peaks of two eternities we strive to see beyond the most despairing thing in the world as somebody said it must be very difficult when you're an atheist you've nobody to thank but all godliness is profitable for the life that now is and for that which is to come and to realize this not only did Jesus die he must do more than die he must rise again and he rose and he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men but not only that he said we can be seated with him not when we die we haven't moved into this yet most of us Paul says if ye be risen with him seek those things which are above your appetite is completely changed the things are allured you're fascinated they're dead the more I live the more I'm seeing the world around me as a dung hill what does he have to fascinate me with everything he has is death everything he has is against god every system and what god is wanting is for men again that will die with him not just die for him if they get into a tight spot but die with him because romans 6 says that when he died we died with him knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin and if a man is really born again sin has no dominion over him it shouldn't have according to the word of god anyhow let me look for a moment here as I finish on this list that paul gives us in 1 corinthians chapter 15 1 corinthians 15 verse 1 moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand which by which also ye are saved if you keep in memory that which I preached unto you unless you believed in vain for I delivered unto you that first of all which also I received now that christ died for our sins according to the scripture he died next verse he was buried and then he rose again on the third day according to the scripture and that's why he proved himself many infallible proofs everything he prophesied by himself or about others came to pass without amiss then he says verse 5 he was seen of kephas and then of the twelve after that he was seen of over 500 brethren at once you know I've never read this there's a little strange thinking in my mind I guess I have an idea that every one of those 500 brethren that saw him were all invited to the upper room and only 120 made it 380 went round for business and did other things well that's a pretty good proportion compared with the folk we have today how many people really want to go to that upper room they go to the supper room alright no problem there what about the upper room verse 7 after that he was seen of james and of all the apostles and last of all he was seen of me also you know I'm glad Paul didn't meet a preacher I'm glad he didn't meet somebody with a pocket full of tracts four laws or 44 laws or whatever they are and say take these home and read them I don't believe a man can be the same once he's had a confrontation with Jesus Christ if all you have is an argument with a preacher while he's preaching and you see a handsome preacher forget it if you meet the Jesus Christ the risen Christ isn't it wonderful that this man has a document in his pocket which says he can go anywhere and liquidate the church of Jesus Christ he said I have authority from the chief priest to put to death any that were in his name and yet he's the most wonderful man he dies everyday for Christ a little while after that he didn't just nod and say I've got some dirty sins and I haven't been a good boy and I should pray more and I'll start tithing what did he say he said I'm the chief of sinners I'm the most profound theologian in the world they expect me to become greater than Gamaliel but here he crumbles up at the feet of Jesus Jesus leaves glory and comes and stops a man on his tracks and that man is going to turn the world upside down write all these epistles being so close to God he says would to God every preacher in the nation could say this what things you have seen and heard in me do and I'll be responsible for it in the day when I get up there we've lost all sense of that majesty that we can have in him we're all waiting to get to the other side but God wants to indwell us now he wants to control us now he wants his love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost he wants us to get us to the place where we'd rather feast than fast we'd rather be unknown than be known without being considered strange in the eyes of so many who profess his name but he said at last he was seen of me also he narrows it down so often he was seen of me also as I quoted earlier he said he loved me and gave himself for me can you think of the purest being this world ever had taking my corruption I don't know how he became man how is God contracted to a span and made incomprehensibly made I don't know that but I know something more wonderful than that which is more mysterious he not only became man he became sin for us he took the whole curse upon him cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree it says in the epistle to the Galatians and yet he never sought any favor he takes the despised way he's crucified between two thieves I think he was baptized maybe between a harlot and a thief a murderer he sought no elevation he sought no appreciation he's prepared to be identified with our humanity with its frailties not with our sin but with our frailties they know that we might take his life that we may have his life that we may have his power but he speaks to them to them not to the world not to the high priest as I say I wish he'd gone to the high priest room I wish he'd gone into the room of care first I wish he'd gone into the room of the Roman emperor at that time but he didn't you know what scares me and I mean that in the true sense of the word you see they badly handled Jesus and they thought they'd get rid of him and he turned round and he says listen your house is left unto you desolate and that she kind and glory of God has never been in the temple or synagogue from that day to this and my fear is that God almighty will do the same with America he did it with Russia in 1917 we're playing church we're all playing church we want to go and be spoon fed and sing nice little choruses and put a stamping in your feet I'll tell you what you don't your feet don't start itching and stamping when you sing there is a fountain filled with blood or when you sing about them oh sacred head once wounded it changes the whole thing we've got to get back to discovering again the majesty of God and when you say the majesty of God you see the sinfulness of sin and I said last week now Satan quit why do I want to die while other people are living why do I want to live while other people are dying I see people all over the place they have lovely cars they have lovely homes and they're walking around dead and don't know it because she that liveth in pleasure the scripture says is dead while she liveth it's not enough for Jesus to die he must rise again not only rise ascend at the right hand of the father where he liveth to make intercession I ask him every day to make perfect my imperfect prayers I ask him to put what I don't have a passion a zeal something I can't buy something nobody can give me something of another world I'm sick to death of the so-called Christianity of our day what's supernatural about it what's supernatural about it when do people go out of the sanctuary or they then speak for an hour because God has been in his glory there dear God as soon as they get out they're talking football or sports or something or there's going to be a big sale down in town at Dillard's or somewhere we're not caught up into eternity I'm looking for a few people I'd like to see a few people get together just to do that be like the old Quakers come and sit in the sanctuary for half an hour nobody speak till the spirit moves that man or this man or that man one has a psalm another has a hymn another has a spiritual song we need to be together I'm going to do it by his grace we're going to talk about it the power of his resurrection he's brought the dominion of sin he's brought the dominion of evil he's brought the dominion of demons and all we do now in churches I'm telling churches in town where people get a bit mentally sick they send them to some Christian psychiatrists well as dear old Swaggart said the other week there he said there are Christians and there are psychiatrists but there are no Christian psychiatrists don't believe in that junk it's a cop out I want to see a fellowship where your burdens become mine your grief over your children become my grief where we really bear each other's burdens where we love each other and let the world come and see that we are followers of the meek and lowly Jesus who didn't care what he wore or where he slept or what he did he cared only to do the will of the Father we don't need some new organization we need to learn how to organize not organize maybe God will get us in a storefront somewhere that would be great I would be happy about that I like to preach to a crowd I sure do but I can talk to two or three anyhow but I want to see that resurrection powered the thing that hurts me is that since Jesus died and rose again how many billions of people have died without God and without hope that at least four billion of the world's five billion tonight that don't have that much knowledge of God two or three times lately somebody said if somebody if I let somebody to Christ in the street what church would I send them to it's like taking a baby a newborn baby put it in a refrigerator I want a place that vibrates with God vibrates with eternity where the man if he sweeps the street but he has knowledge of God he has wisdom from God he's not educated in the school he's educated by an influx of the divine life he's in he has wisdom because Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption all we want is a Christ who saves us from hell that's a fringe benefit he wants to get total control of my personality my thinking my sleeping my eating until I'm God dominated until I'm as I did all the dick praise pray tonight I hope it has to make me eternity conscious stamp eternity on my eyeballs we're so time conscious money conscious position conscious we're so personality conscious power conscious but when in God's name are we on our faces groaning that we don't have power that we don't have anointing we don't have passion we just get up go to bed eat drink and be merry and and tomorrow they die he's spoken to them I believe if we get a fellowship of people like that he'll come and speak to us as he's not speaking to anybody else he'll take the veil off the word as we've never dreamed of it he'll invade us with holy power that we've never ever dreamed could be possible this side of eternity he's going to do it I'm sure of that well now said my peace what we do we go to prayer now for at least an hour which means you can leave if you wish to leave as we sing a chorus sing a verse I know some of you a lot of you can't stay but let's go let's kneel and as we kneel let's sing there is a fountain