Stubborn as a Mule

You don't know what it's like to leave out of a meeting at night at 1 or 2 in the morning and get home and wake up at 6 and sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and go, God, in just a few minutes, I want to be back over there again. Speak! Talk to me, Jesus! Anything! Talk to me, Lord! He does. We preached on everything imaginable from Genesis to Revelation in here, friend. I preached on the love of God. That's a Twinkie message, by the way. That's sweet, the love of God. We sing about it tonight. And I preached on the judgment of God. That's Brussels sprouts. I preached, friend, on every imaginable miracle in the Bible. See, we've been here a while. We have been here a while. We preached on Christ crucified. We preached on the cross. We preached on the blood. We preached on John the Baptist, Noah. I preached, friends, on Jonah, on Peter, Paul, and Mary. I preached on them all. We preached tonight. But tonight, Psalm 32. Psalm 32. This is a Psalm about forgiveness. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Amen? How blessed is a man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit or guile. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledge my sin to thee, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him. Thou art my hiding place. Thou dost preserve me from trouble. Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go. I will counsel you with mine eye upon you. By the way, right now, that was a promise for somebody. I don't know who that was for. Maybe you're in the chapel. I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. Let me give you a little clue about that, friend. Jesus said this. When you pray, pray like this. Give me this day my daily bread. Some of you are asking for light for tomorrow. That's not scriptural. He said, give me this day my daily bread. All you can handle is today, friend. If you can handle any more than today, I want to know how you're doing it. I can't handle more than today. I cannot handle more than this minute I'm in right now. Some of you are so bogged down on your tomorrows, God can't even speak to you today. You're so concerned about your tomorrow. Jesus said, pray like this. Give me this day my daily bread. The Lord will shine a light on your path today. Tomorrow is tomorrow. He'll shine a light. He's not going to put some spotlight down the road for you to see everything that's going on. Now, I believe in prophecy. I believe he can speak and give guidance. But, friend, get all the guidance you want about the future. Make all the plans and then live for today. Live for today. One day. That's how this revival has been handled from the very beginning. Every day we get in that prayer team and you know what we say? Jesus, would you do it just one more time? Would you come down just one more time? We don't pray some blanket prayer for the rest of 1996. We go, God, would it be possible that just one more time that you would touch the thousands of people in that sanctuary? Verse 9. Do not be as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check. Otherwise, they will not come near to you. You know what that means, friend? Let me tell you what it means. It means this. Do not be as a horse or as a mule, which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check. Otherwise, they will not come near to you. That's what that means. It means don't be like a donkey, man. Don't be like a mule. Stubborn as a mule. This message is so simple tonight, it scares me. Stubborn, some of you fit this to a T. When it comes to the things of God, stay with me for a few minutes because we're moving on here, friend. When it comes to the things of God, you are stubborn. You are obstinate, unyielding, bull-headed, cantankerous, hard-headed, headstrong. How many times in that baptismal pool have I heard people say, God's been trying to get a hold of me for 12 years. You know what that is? That is a stubborn, bull-headed man or woman. You're inflexible. You're insubordinate. You are pig-headed. You're rebellious. You are self-willed. You are set in your own ways. You are stiff-necked. You are unbending, unmanageable, unreasonable. Friend, you are stubborn as a mule. Now, I believe without a doubt that Jesus Christ has been trying to get a hold of many of us in this room and in the chapel and anywhere else you are on this campus because now, folks, we have folks sitting in the hallways. I've never seen anything like this. We're going to have to put speakers in the bathrooms. I'm telling the truth. I went out there one night in the chapel. All the buildings were full. There must have been 200 people in the back hallway. And, you know, they didn't have a seat. You know, the fire marshal says you've got to have a seat, so they just moved. You know, they're just... Because if you stop, you know, you're blocking traffic or something. So they're just walking around back there just... just moving. We need to put speakers everywhere. I believe without a doubt that Jesus has been trying to get a hold of many of you in this room. The Holy Spirit has been working on some of you for years. He's spoken to your heart through faithful pastors and lay leaders. He's tried to get your attention through trials and tribulations. Some of those things you're going through are sent from God. Some of you, your business has crashed. Maybe God's the one that took the plug out. But some of you, rather than softening your heart and looking to heaven, you became even harder. Some of you, he's brought Christian witnesses your way to share firsthand how God can change your life, but you shrugged it off. He's brought you Christian programming. A Holy Ghost anointed preacher was on the tube screaming at you. But you turned him off as well. You are a master procrastinator. You feel that time is on your side. Later on, I'll get right with God. Some other day, I'll turn my heart, my life, my home over to Jesus. At a more convenient time, I'll get right with God. You are as stubborn as a mule. I read to you tonight, do not be as a horse or as a mule which have no understanding. I'm not going to even get into that part, friend. Basically, the word is saying, you are stupid, ignorant. Don't be like that. The Holy Ghost is trying to get a hold of you. He wants to lead you, guide you into all truth. He wants to train you up in the way that you should go. He wants to make you a prize stallion, but you're always bucking up against him. You're always giving an excuse for this and for that. I'm telling you tonight, preachers, this preacher is telling you, do not be as a mule. Do not be as a horse. That is so stubborn, friend, he's got to have a bit and a bridle. I'm going to get into this in just a second. I've spoken in this place on some of the excuses and I'm going to touch these quickly with you. See, the Holy Ghost comes and convicts your heart. Listen to me, everyone. The reason you feel funny in this place, you don't feel the same here as you do at Whataburger, do you? You don't feel the same here unless you've been in the Revival, then you go to Whataburger. The other day at Shoney's, God bless you all, man, but people were falling all over Shoney's. I remember I was in a, what was that, some waffle house or something, parking lot, and two brothers were out there rolling in the parking lot. And I remember the police drove by and just went... You folks are a trip, man. Do you have any idea what you look like? Do you care? Good. But some of you, you come into this place, the Lord speaks to your heart through the music, through words from John Kilpatrick. John Kilpatrick will stand up and he'll say, God's going to mightily touch you. And you feel that. You feel it in your heart. Then I get up and I'll preach a message from my heart and you're hit by the arrows of the Lord and you're convicted. You know something's wrong inside and you know you've got to get right with God. You feel it, friend. But here comes Satan and his list of excuses. Don't be, friend, like the mule, like the horse. Don't be. And I'm going to illustrate this in just a minute. I'm waiting until I understand more about this Christianity thing. You've heard me say that? I'm waiting until I understand more. Some of you that are waiting for revival, I'm waiting until I understand more about revival before I get into revival. Friend, it'll pass you by. We've been into this a year and a month and know absolutely nothing. And two or three years from now, we'll even be dumber. I promise you, friend, because just when you think you've got it figured out, he comes to a window. Just when you think you've got God figured out. You know, boy, that was a good song last night. Play that one again. And you play that song again and it's just nothing. So we quit doing that kind of stuff, you know? You know? But then you could be all in here and you could be hearing in the back someone going... something strange. Then suddenly you hear... Then people start falling all over the sanctuary and pastor and I turn to one another. I go, did you feel that? He goes, I felt that. Did you feel that? God just comes in. And you go... And just strange ways, friend. Strange ways. Sinners. We've had sinners fall from the pews as dead. First-time visitors. We've had to carry them and drop them at the altar to get saved. So just when you think... Just when you think you've got it figured out, friend. So don't come to me tonight and say, I'm waiting until I understand more about this Christianity. Mule, listen to me. Some of you want to understand before you get in. I'm telling you, get in and then you'll understand. I'm talking about the things of God. You're like a little baby that wants to be an adult. You know, you don't even want to start at childhood. My little baby Kelsey is having a blast being a kid. She's not griping and complaining about she doesn't understand adulthood. She's having a blast. How many have little bitty kids? Raise your hand. Are they a trip? They're a trip. How many clean up after them constantly? I've never seen anything like it. This girl is 14 months old. She's been in revival all her life. And my wife... My wife, bless her soul, she'll clean the house and be spick and span. And little Kelsey, you know, she's just drawer high. You know what I'm talking about? She's drawer... Everything she sees is like down there. And that's where the drawer is at. So she'll grab it, pull it open, all the socks just everywhere. Go over to the toothpaste drawer, open it, pull it out, see a tube of toothpaste, take it, all over. She ain't griping about. She wants to understand adulthood. She's having a blast. Friend, I want to tell you, get into the beginning of it. Get saved first. Get saved. Get saved. Some of you... Some of you want to be convinced, then converting, converted. I'm telling you, be converted, then you'll be convinced. Some of you want to feel the love of God and then you'll get in. I'm telling you, get in first and then you'll feel His love. I love this one. God gave me this. Some of you want God to speak to you in an audible voice. Then you'll be convinced of His sincerity. I'm telling you this. God is waiting for you to speak to Him in an audible voice. Then He'll be convinced of your sincerity. Do not be. Don't be as a mule. But I'm waiting for the perfect time. What's the perfect time for you, friend? Can I get serious? Is it brink of divorce? What is the perfect time for you to get saved? What's the perfect time for you to give your life over to Jesus? Talk to me. When is it? Car wreck? Is that what you got to go through? A car wreck? Death of a loved one? Is that what you got to go through? I'm waiting for the perfect time. Financial collapse? Is that when God's going to speak to your heart? Come on, talk to me. What about when my son and my daughter are on drugs? We're doing fine now. They're just children. When my son and my daughter are on drugs, then I'll come to Jesus. There's no perfect time. Now is the time, friend. It's not down the road. Today is a day of salvation. I'm waiting until I've enjoyed the world enough. Don't get me started. There's just too much to give up right now. Mule, you listen to me tonight. I'm waiting until I find a group of perfect Christians that I can be a part of. Waiting until I can find a group of perfect Christians. But you don't understand, brothers and sisters, 18 years ago I was in a church and I got hurt. They hurt me. So you backslid. Your wife backslid. Your daughter's not serving God. Your son's not serving God. Their kids aren't serving God. You want to know why? You want to know why? Because you donated $150 to the church. You donated $150 and you put down on there, for that $150, to buy a new paper towel roller for the women's bathroom. That's what you did. You put that on there. And you put that money in there for that paper towel roller. And you waited and you waited and you waited. Because you don't like those hot air blowers. It takes too much time. You want a paper towel roller. And you put that money in there and you prayed about it. You said, God, I'm giving this money to this church. And they never bought it, did they? They never bought it. So you went up to the pastor one day and you said this. I just got to talk to you just for a few minutes. We've been going to this church faithfully for nine months. And I want to tell you why I've left all the other 14 churches. For this very same reason. You listen to me, pastor. I put money in that offering plate. I gave. I worked hard, pastor. I put $150 in there. I know how much those paper towel rollers cost. I looked it up. What did you do with my money? Well, to be perfectly straight with you, sis, straight with you, sir, we got a phone call the other day from a struggling church in South Africa. And we sent your $150 to South Africa. And so you left. Pastors, am I telling the truth? I'm telling the truth, friend. Your back slid over something stupid. Somebody hurts you. Welcome to life, friend. Welcome to life. Somebody talk behind your back. Welcome to life. I'm waiting for the perfect. Quit acting like a mule. You're as stubborn as a mule. I'm waiting for all my friends and family to make a commitment. Friends, do your friends care for your soul? Remember how all the prodigal's friends hung out in the pigsty with him? Remember that? How they had a party? Built a fire with corn husks? Remember all that? Remember the story? It's not in there, is it? No, it ain't in there, friend. They all booked. They all left, friend. So I'm waiting for my friends and family to make a commitment? What a lousy excuse. Quit acting like a mule. Now I'm going to go ahead and clarify this. Charlie, help me. We're going to close charity. As a matter of fact, come on up here and sit. Chaplain Trey places with me. What is this? Thanks for unraveling that for me, Charlie. Now we're going to close. I got it. I got it, man. I'm set. I'm a cowboy. Let me tell you something, friend. I'm going to go quickly through this, and we're going to give an altar call. And believe it or not, a bunch of folks are going to get saved tonight. You want to know why? Because this message is so simple, it's scary. The Bible says don't act like a mule. I'm telling you what mules act like. I'm going to show you. This right here. Some of you may have seen one of this. Some of you that ride. But this right here, if I can untangle it. Charlie, next time you give me a bit, untangle it first. This is from a barrel racer. This right here is called the Lynn McKenzie gag and hack bit. This is probably what you would call a torture bit. This bit right here. This goes over the nose. I need a horse. Tony, come on up here, brother. Come on, I'm serious. Come here, man. I'm just doing this so they'll buy your T-shirts, Tony. I'm going to show you something. Turn right around this way. This right here goes over the horse's nose like that. This right here goes in his mouth. You don't have to open your mouth. This right here goes in his chin. See that right there? I want to illustrate. Go ahead and sit down. I'm not going to do it. That would have hurt. But I want to show you something, friend. This bit was developed for some of you. It's for stubborn, rebellious, hard-headed, difficult-to-train horses. The Bible says do not act like a mule. Do not act like a horse. The Lord is trying to speak to you. But some of you, he's got to use this thing. Let me tell you what happens when you put this on. This right here, this bridge goes over the nose. This goes in the mouth. This right here buckles under the chin. It's adjustable to go under the chin. You can adjust it tight. When you pull up on the reins like that, this pulls up on the chin and this comes down on the nose. Pull up a little bit, you break the bones of the nose. Pull up a little bit more, you cut off the oxygen supply of the horse. This right here has already shut his mouth. This is called a gag. It's like a gag. You know you gag somebody? This has already shut his mouth. It's already cutting his mouth. This right here is cutting his air supply off. The Lynn McKenzie gag and hack, they guarantee you this will train a horse. This right here, friend, is what the Lord used on Saul of Tarsus. You with me? Is anybody listening? Saul of Tarsus, if you don't know the story, was on his way down the road to persecute Christians. And the Lord looked at him and he said, hmm, he looked across his tackle room on the variety of bits, and I've got a couple here. He looked at what he had and he said, hmm, that man's serious bad. He's stubborn as a mule. I think I'll just take care of him right away. So the Lord just threw down from heaven a Lynn McKenzie gag and hack, Mick. It fit right over Paul's nose, Saul's nose, and he went whoop! Paul's mouth shut, his air supply cut off, his nose went down, he fell to the ground, and he said, what do you want? What do you want? Stubborn as a mule. Some of you here, I love you dearly, friend, but the Lord's been trying to get ahold of you. He's been trying, friend, to get ahold of you. He's put the Lynn McKenzie gag and hack, Mick. He's put spurs on. He's jabbed you in what my kids call the boohiney. He's jabbed you, and this is the sharpest ones they could sell. The rest of them are against the law. But he's jabbed you in the back, prodded you along, and you're still not moving. He's done everything for you, friend. I'm being serious right now. He's done everything he can in his power to convince you to live for him. He's trying to be kind. He's even gotten a crop. He's whipped you in the back. Whipped you. Get going. Get going. Get safe. Get your family to the altar. Get right with God. Come on. Get right with the Lord. He's tried everything. But you're as stubborn as a mule. Tell you something, friend, there is so much that can be shared, and we have no time left tonight. There is no time to share all the details. But some of you are like, this is what you need. But I want to tell you, the Lord has about had it with this. He's about had it with this with you. He's about had it with this crop. He's tired of whipping you around. He's tired of going, son, when are you going to listen to me? Some of you come up here with all your problems. I got this, and I got that, and I got this. And the first thing I say to you is, are you living for God? Well, you know, that's why you're getting your rear end whipped, friend. He's trying to get your attention. That's why everything's falling apart. That's why your nose is bleeding. He's trying to get your attention. But you're as stubborn as a mule. All he's trying to get you to do is repent, live for him. I want to tell you, I used to train a Tennessee walker. And this is one of your, some of your problems are this, and we're going to close in just a second. Had this Tennessee walker called Sonny. And I used to work him inside this ring, and I'd have a halter on, and just a rope and a leader, and I'd just lead him around that little ring, and Sonny just trotted, man, he had the most beautiful canter, and I just, I loved training Sonny. Then I'd get on him, and I'd ride away from the stable out into the pasture. And as long as I was going away from the stable, we were fine. Some of you, as long as you're going away, as long as you're in revival, everything's fine. But there's a phrase that horse trainers use, and it's called barn sour. Barn sour. Barn sour. That means you are so drawn to the oats, so drawn to the wheat, so drawn to the water, everything in the barn. And I use this for you people that keep backsliding. You are so drawn to the carnal delights of this world. You're barn sour. And as long as you're riding away, riding away, yes, Lord, we'll ride with you. You're going on, man. You're around your other Christian friends. But when you, the Bible says, he that looks back is not fit. You go ahead. You're moving forward. You're plowing along. Then you turn around. You want to know what you see? You see Egypt. You see the things like they used to be. You see the barn like the horse. Sonny used to see that barn, and I don't care what I had planned for that day. If Sonny saw the barn, we were going to the barn, and we were going fast. You're barn sour. This makes a whole lot of sense, by the way. You are as stubborn as a mule, friend. You'll run all the way back to the devil's little hell hole, and he'll feed you. He'll say, take this pornography. Take this music. Come on, eat, eat, eat, eat. Eat of these carnal delights. Fill your flesh. Come on, get fat. I'm fattening you up, friend. I've used this illustration. The devil is fattening you up like a farmer would fatten up a pig. He's separated you, and he's got you there feeding you all the best little delights because one day he's going to slaughter you. He's going to slaughter you. Barn sour. You're a barn sour backslider. I love you dearly, friend. Some of you also, and I'm going to close with this, and we're going to give an altar call. Some of you there are going... I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm coming on all fours. Some of you are so stubborn. There's another phrase. There's another phrase. I want to tell you, I've heard a lot of funny things, but I have never heard, that was so funny what you said about the termite and the yo-yo. That was funny. I missed everything else you said after that. But there's a phrase also about, this is the little saying that cattle farmers, we're like a calf at a new gate. That means you're stubborn. Why? A calf at a new gate? It's an unfamiliar gate. It ain't going to go through. And the Lord tries to do something new in your life. The Lord tries to change you, and you walk up to that new gate. It ain't the old gate. It's a new gate you ain't going to go through. You're as stubborn as a calf at a new gate. And if you're a calf farmer out here, if you're a cattle rancher, you know exactly what we're talking about. They won't go in. Why? They don't recognize it. Well, a lot of things God does you won't recognize, friend, because He's doing a new thing. He's doing a new thing. Don't be like that, friend. Here's what we're going to do tonight. We're going to close. Help me. This is what you need to be. Your goal should be this right here, friend. You know what this is? This is the softest halter you can put on a horse. This right here, slip this behind his ears. Slip that behind his ears. Slip that over his nose. This goes under his chin. He doesn't even feel that. Doesn't he feel it? Here's the rope. You can neck rein that horse. You can trot all over town. Just tap him on the left, tap him on the right. He goes where you want him to go. This is the kind of people God's looking for tonight. Don't be stubborn as a mule, friend. This is what He's looking for. He's looking for people that will go where He wants them to go. I want to tell you what He's looking for. I want to tell you what He's looking for. Roy Roger type of horses, you know? Trigger! That's what He's looking for, you know? Just... Here you come. Stubborn as a mule. I'm going to give this halter call in just a minute, friend. And many of you, you know, this has had some humor. I've spoken in this place, friends, at times. As a matter of fact, last night, somebody came up to me and said, I said, brother, you pulled out a sword. Because it was hard last night. I spoke on examination time and examining yourself. And I spoke hard to you. Because I love you, man. And it's time to examine your own life. It's do you really know Jesus Christ? The Lord has tried to get a hold of many of you and some of you are so stubborn. You know good and well what I'm talking about. This is a silly illustration, but it's biblical. This is biblical. Don't be stubborn as a mule. Don't make the Lord use that on you. I want to tell you something else. He's pretty sick and tired of some of you. You know what he's going to do? He's going to put this away. He's going to put the crop away. He's going to put the spurs away and send you out to pasture. You're good for nothing, man. Think about it. He'll let you go. How many people have I met on the streets that don't feel the presence of God no more? Why? Trainer left, man. Trainer left. He's had it. He's had it. He ain't got that kind of time, friend, to mess with you like that. You remember the scripture I preached on one night about cut it down, the fig tree, the tree that wasn't bearing forth fruit? The owner of the vineyard said, cut it down, man. Cut it down. It's using up soil. It's using up soil. It's using up precious area in my vineyard. I'd rather plant a tree that's going to produce. God will put you out to pasture, friend. The Bible says His Spirit will not always contend with you. His Spirit will not always speak to you. His Spirit will not always deal with you. Right now you feel it. You feel God speaking to you, and you're not going to make Him use that Len McKenzie gagging hack bit. You're going to let the Lord put a halter around you tonight, and you're going to come down to these altars, and you're going to say, Jesus, I'm tired of fighting. I'm yielding to you tonight, Jesus. I'm turning myself over to you tonight. I want everyone to stand. Charity, come on. In the cafeteria, in the choir room, in the chapel, I want you to stand. Every one of you would, those of you who have the chairs, please move them quietly off to the side. Please don't look around. I want everyone looking at me. I want you to listen for the next couple of minutes. This altar call is for everyone in this room that's away from Jesus. Look this way, friend, and everyone in the other overflow rooms and those of you at home. If you're away from God, He is saying to you tonight, quit being like a horse. Quit being like an animal. Be the creation I created you. You know my voice. You are hearing my voice. Come to me when I call to you. Quit being so stubborn. He is speaking to you, and if you're away from God tonight, this altar call is for you. If you need forgiveness tonight, there's sin in your life, this altar call is for you. If you're here tonight and you've never known the Lord, you feel His presence. I know you do. This altar call is for you. Well, why do I have to come forward? There you go again, friend. There you go again. How come I have to go down there? I'm asking you this, why not? Pride. Oh, the horse just wants his own way again. I don't want to go do that. I want to go to the barn. Friend, you're as stubborn as a mule. The Lord is speaking to you tonight. The reason you come down to this altar, and over 30,000 have come to this altar, friend, is this, Jesus Christ died on the cross 2,000 years ago for you. He shed His blood on Calvary for you. He bled. The only thing He left on the face of this earth was blood. He shed His blood for you. He hung nude on Calvary's cross for you. Innocent, but He did it for you. And He saw everyone at this church. Today's the 20th of July, am I correct? The 20th of July, He saw everyone on this campus. He saw every one of us. And He said, Father, forgive Sally, for she knows not what she does. Forgive Jim, for he knows not what he does. Forgive Judy, for she knows not what she does. He named out everyone in this revival, friend. He knew you 2,000 years ago. He knew you before you were born, friend. He hung on the cross naked for you. And you're standing there like this. You can't walk 75 feet. Stand before God on judgment day and give Him an excuse. Are you listening? Stand before God and tell Him why you couldn't come forward. You won't open your mouth, friend. Listen to me, you won't open your mouth. If there's sin in your life right now and you don't come forward on judgment day, you will be mute. You will be dumb. You will stand there, friend, and you will not be able to say a word. When the Lord looks at you, you're not going to say, but God, my friends were with me on that night. You won't even utter that. You won't even think it. You'll fall on your face and you'll go, my Lord and my God. And for some of us in this room, He'll say, depart from me. You were ashamed of me, I'm ashamed of you. You confessed me, I'll confess you. But on July the 20th, 1996 at Brownsville Assembly of God, you didn't have the guts to walk down 30 feet or 30 stairs and give your heart to me. Yet I hung 2,000 years ago on the cross nude for you. Friend, tonight, you need forgiveness. Put this on right here. And when charity begins to sing, run to the mercy seat, you let the Lord slip this halter over you and you just walk. Just come on down here, man. If you want to, you can run. Just come down here and say, Jesus, I surrender it all. It's over. I'm obedient from this point on. I'm yours from this point on, Jesus. You ain't going to catch those stubborn men out of me no more. I'm giving my life to you 100%. Come on, man. God bless you. God's speaking already. God is speaking. As soon as charity begins to sing, those of you that need forgiveness, you need Jesus Christ to wash your sins away. I want you to come as quickly as you can. Do not hesitate. Do not be as stubborn as a mule. And religious person, religious person, you listen. You can go to hell with baptismal waters on your face. You can go to hell, friend. You can go to hell with a certificate of ordination on your wall. You can go to hell with a certificate saying that you completed every Sunday school class over the last five years. You can go to hell, friend. Tonight, when charity begins to sing, those of you that need Jesus Christ to wash your sins away, I want you to come as quickly as you can. Come on right now. Charity's singing. Come on right now in the chapel, in the choir room, in the cafeteria. Come on right now. I need Jesus. I need Jesus. Hooray. Hooray. I need the Lord. I need the Lord. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. In the chapel, let's go. In the balcony. Come on. Come on. God bless you. Yes. Come on. God's trying to speak to you, friend. Let's go. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. In the cafeteria, let's go. In the chapel, let's go. What are you waiting on? I just got finished preaching on Stubborn as a Mule, and you're standing there going, well, I don't know. I don't know. You're acting like a donkey, friend. Act like a human being and step out from your seat and give your life to Jesus tonight. Give your life to the Lord tonight. Step out right now. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. In the balcony. Let's go. Come on. Come on. Young people. Young people, listen to me. If you're living in sin, if there's sin in your life, step out from your seat right now. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Right now. Let's go. Let's go. Come on. Come on. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. God bless you, young man. Let's go. I want to tell you what I feel, friend. About 200 or 300 more of you are fixing to come. You might as well come right now. Let's go. Step out. I need Jesus. I need Jesus. Come on. Come on. I need the Lord. Let's go. Come on. Come on. I need Jesus. I need the Lord. Let's go. Come on. I need the Lord. Let's go. In the choir room. Come on. Come on. In the chapel. Let's go. Come on. Come on. Is Lyndall anywhere around? Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Boy, I feel this. Boy, I feel this. Come on. They're praying for you. Step out now, friend. Step out now. If you need forgiveness, step out right now. Come on. Come on. Come on. Yes, ma'am. God bless you. Be honest. Step out right now. Do you know the Lord? Do you know the Lord? Do you know Jesus? In the chapel, God's speaking to you, sir. Step out. Come on. Come on. Come on. Listen to what's happening to your heart, friend. That's the Holy Ghost. That's the Holy Ghost. That's conviction. That's conviction. Let's go. Let's go. Thank God you can feel it. Thank God you can feel it. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. God's dealing with a group of people right up in here. Better step out. Better step out. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. God's dealing with your heart. Religious person. Religion is hanging around the cross. Christianity is getting on the cross. There's a big difference. There's a big difference. Come tonight and get on the cross. Get on the cross tonight. Come on. I know he is. I want to tell you a passage. Get that microphone. Get that passage. I want to tell you some of the most stubborn people in this room are men. Men. You know, a lot of women are led around with this right here. You men. The gag and hack, men, is what takes some of you men. I want to tell you what the Lord, he's about had it with this, friend. He's about had it with this. You know what I'm talking about. He will set you out to pasture. I've preached on the silence of God in this place. And one of the reasons God is silent in a lot of your lives, the Bible says in the book of Psalms that he is lining up your sins against you. He's silent because he's taken notes. He's taken notes. He's quit using this. He's turned from you, friend. I want to tell you, you can turn it around right now. You can turn it around right now by coming down here and giving your life to God. Come on, right now. Come on, right now, sir. Step out right now. Step out right now. What's God saying to you, pastor? I sense that the Holy Spirit is saying to some men here that you're weighing, as he's been preaching, you're weighing in a balance, what he's saying against some things that you've been enjoying. And you put what he's been saying in one side of the balance, and you put what you've been enjoying in the other side of the balance, and you're letting that outweigh what he's saying. The Holy Spirit says if you don't turn from those things that had you bound, things that you've been habitually addicted to and you're not willing to give up, like he was talking about a while ago, the barn, there's such an attraction of that barn to you and some of the appetites, the carnal desires, that the devil has stuck his clutches in you. If you don't get rid of that and give it to Jesus tonight, that very thing is going to destroy you. Tell you what we're going to do. We're going to help you, horse. We're going to help you. I love you dearly, but I want to tell you, there was a time in my life, the Lord tried to get a hold of me. I remember the day when he slipped this over my neck. The day I yielded to Jesus, I remember the day, October 28th, 1975, at 11 a.m., it was a Tuesday morning. I'll never forget it. And since that time, where he leads me, I will follow. No more this. No more tight reins, you know. Everyone in this room and in the choir room, in the chapel, everyone listening at home, we're going to turn to one another right now in this place. We're going to turn to one another and you're going to ask the person next to you, God bless you sir, God's dealing. Man, you come when God's dealing with you. What are you hesitating for? You're joining over 30,000 other people that have come to the Lord in these meetings, friends. Many of them for the first time, a backslider. This is for you, friend, if you're away from God. We're going to turn to one another in this place. I want everyone in the place to stand. Everyone to stand. Those of you at the altar, stay where you're at. Don't get up. Don't get up. You're going to turn to the person next to you and you're going to ask them if they need forgiveness. Don't do it yet. In the chapel, I want you to do this. You're going to turn to the person next to you and ask them if they need forgiveness. When you do this, I want you to look them straight in the eye. And when someone looks into your eye and says this, do not lie to them. Are you listening? Do not lie. Don't give them some flippant answer. I want to tell you what we've found at these altars. We've had people come down here, friend, during this time right now that have never been saved because somebody turned to them and asked them if they needed forgiveness. For the very first time in their life, they've given their life to God. Want to know what else we've found? An 18-year-old boy. Someone turned to him. The kid looked like a fine Christian. But he said, yeah, I need forgiveness. He came down here with that person and he came to me later and confessed. And I can share with you what it was because he's not, no one knows who he is. He told me that he had been ed alive by pornography for seven years. Ed alive, totally. And he'd been in the church this whole time. He doesn't know God. He said, the lust that's in my life. He said, I don't know God. I don't know him, but everybody thinks I do because I'm in the church. And that kid came forward because someone turned to him and said, do you need forgiveness? Now, when someone turns to you and asks you, do you need forgiveness, don't you lie. Don't lie to them. Do not lie. You tell the truth. If there's a wall between you and God, if the heavens are brass, then you say, yes, I need forgiveness. And then both of you come down here together. I want you to do this with Richard and the chaplain. And in the other rooms, I want you to do this. Everyone right now, turn to the person next to you right now. Ask if they need forgiveness. And both of you come on down together. Come on, yeah, now. Come on, right now. Come on, right now. Let's go. Let's go. In the back of you, let's go. In the back of you, let's go. Come on. Come on, yes. God bless you. What are you waiting on? What are you still waiting on? Yes, sir. Come on. Come on. Come on. to me. There are others of you who still haven't responded. I'll tell you what I want to do. If you know you're supposed to be down here, you know you're supposed to be down here, I want to give you 60 seconds. I'm speaking prophetically tonight. I rarely do this, but some of you, if you don't come right now, the Lord's going to put you out of the pasture. You have never known a spooky feeling until you've not felt the presence of God. If you don't come in this 60 second period right now, friend, listen to me. Some of you, you're not going to hear his voice anymore. You're hardening your heart. You're hardening your heart. It's crusty and it's hard. You're going to go outside and I'm telling you, the voices of the world, you are so barn sour, you're going to run to the barn. The voices of the world, the carnival lights of this world are going to consume you. You won't hear the voice of the trainer anymore. He's had it with you. I never do this. Those of you that come to this revival, I've never spoken like this, but I believe this is prophetic for some of you. You just sit there like, well, maybe next year. Who do you think you are? You've got 60 seconds to respond to Jesus right now, starting now. You know you're supposed to be down here. Come on right now. Come on. Don't let the devil have a Saturday night heyday with your life. Step out. You just blew 10 seconds. Come on. God's dealing with your heart. Let's go in the balcony. Let's go. God bless you. Yes. Get down here. You got 45 seconds. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Get down here in the chapel. Richard, call him out. Call him out, Richard. Come on, let's go. Come on down. Come on down. God's dealing with you. 32 seconds. Come on. 32 seconds. 25, 25 seconds. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on, girl. Come on. Come on. You have 10 seconds. God bless you, sir. God bless you. 5, 4, 3. Yes, yes, yes. Time's up. You're still coming. You can still come because you stepped out, but you still had time. I can't believe you're doing that, Brother Steve. How can you do that to people? Friend, let me tell you a shock of the century. Let me tell you the shock of the century. It's called the rapture. If this bothers you, the rapture is going to drive you nuts. It's going to be just like that. It's not going to be no 60-second warning. It's going to be just like that. On the day, if you don't make it, you're going to go, Dear God, I wish Steve had timed that down. I wish I had 60 seconds before Jesus came back. You'd long for this 60 seconds. You'd long for 60 seconds. Those of you that responded just then, don't ever do that again. Don't ever wait like that, friend. Is anybody listening? Don't ever wait like that. You will damn your soul waiting around like that. That's time enough. That idle time is time enough for the devil to rip you apart, and you know it. Those of you that get into temptations, you fall into sin, you know there's a period right there. There's a time right there. There's a little time frame right there where you can fall into sin so easily. And that's when you need to immediately, when you see that sin, turn from it, walk away. But some of you procrastinate. You wait, and you look again at the sin, and you look a little bit longer at the sin, and you think about it a little bit longer, and you fantasize about it, and the more you do that, the deeper you get into it, and finally, you're mincemeat. The devil just drags you right in there. Don't ever wait like that when the Lord speaks to you, and your heart does this. Put on the halter. Come to Jesus. Everyone bow your heads at the altar. Everyone bow your head. Bow your heads with me right now. In the chapel, in the overflow rooms, bow your head and pray with me right now. Out loud, pray right now. Dear Jesus. No, let's pray, friend. Pray out loud. Dear Jesus, thank you for speaking to my heart. Thank you for not leaving me alone. Thank you for your presence in this place. Lord Jesus, I don't want to be stubborn anymore. I want to confess that I have sinned, I have hurt you, and I've hurt others. I repent tonight. I ask your forgiveness. Wash my sins away. Thank you, Lord, for what you did on Calvary 2,000 years ago. I receive your forgiveness tonight. I ask you to be my Savior, my Lord, and my very best friend. From this moment on, I am yours, and you are mine. In Jesus' name, amen. Hallelujah.