S3E4. The Image of God in You – 4

Speaker A 00:00:01 If you have your Bibles with you today, let's open them to the Book of Mark, chapter four. Speaker A 00:00:09 Throughout this series, we've been studying the inner image created by the word of God. Speaker A 00:00:22 Now, there are several other words for that. Speaker A 00:00:25 Inner revelation. Speaker A 00:00:27 Knowledge. Speaker A 00:00:28 Revealed knowledge. Speaker A 00:00:30 The Greek text says something like this over in the book of Colossians. Speaker A 00:00:37 You remember the Apostle Paul said, I would that you be filled with the knowledge of God and all wisdom and understanding. Speaker A 00:00:44 All right? Speaker A 00:00:44 We know that wisdom, the wisdom of God is the ability to use knowledge. Speaker A 00:00:49 Just assimilated knowledge itself is not the answer. Speaker A 00:00:53 There's a lot of people that have an assimilation of knowledge, for instance, of the Bible, but they don't know how to use it. Speaker A 00:01:00 The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that those that are of full age are the ones who are skillful in the word of righteousness. Speaker A 00:01:09 So now what we're dealing with here is the Greek text says in Colossians there, where he says that I would that you be filled with knowledge and wisdom and understanding. Speaker A 00:01:22 The Greek text literally says, I want that you be filled with exactly knowledge. Speaker A 00:01:28 Now, there's a difference between knowledge and exact knowledge. Speaker A 00:01:32 Now I'll show you the reason that we want this inner image from God in the spirit man. Speaker A 00:01:41 Now, I mentioned to you yesterday that you can have a mental image and the mental image be different from the image in your heart. Speaker A 00:01:49 There's a lot of people know that the Bible says, by his stripes ye were healed. Speaker A 00:01:53 And, and you can conjure up a mental picture of you being healed, but down in your heart, there's still an image down there. Speaker A 00:01:59 Yeah, but not old me. Speaker A 00:02:02 Not old, sorry, old unforgiven me. Speaker A 00:02:07 And, and that one. Speaker A 00:02:09 The image that is in the heart overpower the one that's in the mind. Speaker A 00:02:14 And, and you will get the one that's in your heart. Speaker A 00:02:17 That's the one you'll produce eventually. Speaker A 00:02:20 Now, exact knowledge or revealed knowledge is not hindered by multiplied or compounded mistakes of the five physical senses. Speaker A 00:02:43 Now let me show you what I mean here. Speaker A 00:02:49 Communication is a basic problem at its best. Speaker A 00:02:54 Now, if I'm sharing something with you, I have to take words that frame or form what I want to say. Speaker A 00:03:04 I have to take words that shape the picture that I want to get over to your consciousness. Speaker A 00:03:12 See, you don't think in words, you think in pictures. Speaker A 00:03:15 So words frame the pictures. Speaker A 00:03:20 So I have to take those words and then I have to share the words with you and attempt to get the same picture to form up on the inside of you. Speaker A 00:03:28 That's Inside me. Speaker A 00:03:30 Now, if you have anything wrong with your ear and I have anything wrong with my speech, my ability or my choice of words is not quite right, then we begin to compound the communication problem. Speaker A 00:03:46 Okay, you follow what I'm saying to you here. Speaker A 00:03:48 And we get to a point where this is not exact knowledge, but yet. Speaker A 00:03:51 However, this is the way most of our educational systems are built. Speaker A 00:03:56 This is the way we share knowledge. Speaker A 00:03:58 Now, let's call that kind of knowledge sense knowledge or human knowledge. Speaker A 00:04:06 An assimilation of sense knowledge is when I take things that I have seen and I have felt and I have heard and I share it with you, and then you share it with somebody else. Speaker A 00:04:17 And then that somebody else shares it with somebody else known down the line. Speaker A 00:04:20 But now when the Holy Spirit begins to share knowledge, he doesn't go through the five physical sense gates. Speaker A 00:04:29 He begins to share it directly to the heart. Speaker A 00:04:32 Now what you get through your eyes and your ears from His Word is the basic beginning. Speaker A 00:04:38 But you see, we found out in the book of Hebrews in the fourth chapter that the Word is a living thing. Speaker A 00:04:43 And it will go beyond. Speaker A 00:04:45 It will pierce and divide asunder the spirit and the soul and the joint and the morrow. Speaker A 00:04:51 It has the power to go beyond the intellect and down into the heart of a man. Speaker A 00:04:57 And when the, when the Holy Spirit is teaching you see, one of the articles of the New Covenant, the New Testament was God said, I will write my laws not only on their minds, but on their hearts. Speaker A 00:05:12 I'll go to the spirit man with it. Speaker A 00:05:14 Now then, as the Holy Spirit begins to deal with this spirit man, as he begins to take his words, frame the inner image that is in him, in you, you begin to see as God sees. Speaker A 00:05:32 And folks, that's good stuff. Speaker A 00:05:36 See, he begins to frame inside you with his words. Speaker A 00:05:40 And see, that doesn't have to go through your ears. Speaker A 00:05:43 Praise God. Speaker A 00:05:43 I don't care if you got any ears or not. Speaker A 00:05:45 If you listen to the Holy Ghost with your spiritual ears, you see, he can get it in there anyway. Speaker A 00:05:50 Deaf men can get a revelation to God if they'll to him. Speaker A 00:05:55 Blind men get an insight on what God looks like and can't see with their physical ears or eyes. Speaker A 00:06:02 You follow what I'm saying to you? Speaker A 00:06:04 And that's what the Bible is talking about when it talks about exact knowledge. Speaker A 00:06:11 Praise God. Speaker A 00:06:12 That kind of communication between a man and God is not hindered by the man's ability to see with his physical eyes or his ability to hear with his physical ears. Speaker A 00:06:23 Jesus said, he that hath ears to hear Let him hear. Speaker A 00:06:26 Well, everybody out there had these kind of ears on their head. Speaker A 00:06:30 He's talking about the ears of their heart. Speaker A 00:06:32 Allow the Holy Spirit to paint that picture in the heart. Speaker A 00:06:35 Now, you notice there was a point even in the ministry of Jesus. Speaker A 00:06:40 His being the greatest teacher that ever walked the face of this earth, ever taught, ever revealed, ever did or said anything in the presence of men. Speaker A 00:06:49 He was the best. Speaker A 00:06:51 Still is, as far as that goes, the best teacher. Speaker A 00:06:55 You know, his choice of words were perfect. Speaker A 00:06:57 You know, there was no hindrance or no problem with his choice of words or his ability to speak them. Speaker A 00:07:04 And, you know, he was anointed of God. Speaker A 00:07:07 But did you notice that there was a place when it came to a time when he could go no further with men who were not filled with the Spirit of God and who were not actually born again? Speaker A 00:07:20 Because right before Calvary, see, none of those men had been born again. Speaker A 00:07:26 Nobody got born again until after Jesus had been raised from the dead. Speaker A 00:07:30 He had to pay the price for the new birth. Speaker A 00:07:32 You see, he said, there are many things that I'd like to tell you, but you can't receive them now. Speaker A 00:07:39 But when the Spirit of truth has come, he will lead and guide you into all the truth. Speaker A 00:07:45 See, there came a time that he could go no further even in the perfection that he could teach. Speaker A 00:07:50 He could go no further with men who did not have the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Speaker A 00:07:56 Well, now, if it's true, then it's true now, isn't that right? Speaker A 00:08:00 You can only just go so far in Revelation knowledge if you have not received the Holy Spirit. Speaker A 00:08:05 And I can tell the difference when I begin to teach this way to people, to a congregation, like a congregation of Baptists, or share some of these things with people that are new in the Lord and have not received the Holy Spirit. Speaker A 00:08:18 And sometimes it just baffles them and watch the man receive the holy spirit and 30 minutes later and sit down and go over the same thing. Speaker A 00:08:25 And he'll say, well, certainly. Speaker A 00:08:26 I don't see why I didn't see that yesterday. Speaker A 00:08:30 But you see, the difference is. Speaker A 00:08:32 And what we were doing before the Spirit of God, even himself was having to go through the five physical sense gates. Speaker A 00:08:39 Even though you're born of the Spirit, the personality of the teacher himself was still working from the outside. Speaker A 00:08:46 But, brother, when he got in there, he had free reign to paint the picture. Speaker A 00:08:50 Praise the Lord. Speaker A 00:08:52 Amen. Speaker A 00:08:54 All right. Speaker A 00:08:54 Now then, there is a scripture I want you to make note of. Speaker A 00:08:58 From the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 29, verse 29. Speaker A 00:09:07 This is most outstanding in A Promise of God in dealing with what we're dealing with. Speaker A 00:09:15 And I'm believing that you're beginning to understand the relativity of what we're talking about. Speaker A 00:09:22 This inner image you see has to happen before you gain anything where God's concerned. Speaker A 00:09:28 Because you're only going to use your faith on the same level that you have an inner image of the Word of God. Speaker A 00:09:36 You're not going, you won't believe over your head, you won't believe over your knowledge of the Word of God. Speaker A 00:09:43 And you may have some head knowledge of the Word, but you won't believe on the basis of that head knowledge. Speaker A 00:09:47 You believe on the basis of your heart knowledge. Speaker A 00:09:50 There's a lot of men that have a head knowledge of the Bible but have never yet accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Speaker A 00:09:57 And there are a lot of born again spirit filled people you see that have head knowledge of the fact that God heals and have never been able to believe God for healing. Speaker A 00:10:09 Well, there's no inner image of the heart of that healing and themselves being one and the same. Speaker A 00:10:24 When that happens from the Word of God, there's no sickness nor disease that is capable of maintaining its habitat in your body. Speaker A 00:10:32 It can't do, can't stay there. Speaker A 00:10:35 It's not allowed to stay there. Speaker A 00:10:37 The price for the things already bought and paid for, See, the Bible says you already heal you. Speaker A 00:10:42 This healing is being offered. Speaker A 00:10:44 But believing for it, receiving it, walking in the light of it is another thing. Speaker A 00:10:49 Salvation is being offered. Speaker A 00:10:52 And it's any man that will receive the fact of salvation, then he's already saved. Speaker A 00:10:57 See, in other words, salvation is already paid for. Speaker A 00:10:59 But the manifestation of it will come in an individual's life when that individual has an inner image or when he receives the word of God. Speaker A 00:11:08 That's what that inner image is, is God's word painting a picture on the inside of him. Speaker A 00:11:13 And then he acts on that salvation is there being offered. Speaker A 00:11:19 See, God's not just walking around looking at somebody, he could just zap them, save them if he's going to do that. Speaker A 00:11:24 The Bible said it's his will to every man be saved, come unto the knowledge of the truth. Speaker A 00:11:28 And if he's going to do that, he'd just zap them all. Speaker A 00:11:30 We'd just go into Millennium in the morning, you know, just be done with. Speaker A 00:11:35 Isn't that true? Speaker A 00:11:36 Well, exactly the same principle. Speaker A 00:11:37 You see, if you're going to get anything God, you're going to have to get it by faith and if you're going to get anything by faith, you're going to have to get it by the Word. Speaker A 00:11:44 Now, I'm going to prove something to you today that's vital. Speaker A 00:11:49 We've had a religious idea that faith comes through trial and tribulation, and it doesn't. Speaker A 00:11:59 Faith comes by hearing, hearing with the word of God. Speaker A 00:12:04 Now that scripture in Deuteronomy 29:29 says the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. Speaker A 00:12:17 That we may do all of the word of God. Speaker A 00:12:21 Well, that's great. Speaker A 00:12:22 You know it. Speaker A 00:12:23 And then you go, you couple that with what God said in Proverbs, the first two chapters. Speaker A 00:12:28 He said that the wisdom of God is hidden for the saints of God, the people of God. Speaker A 00:12:37 And then they go ahead and find out in the book of Colossians that the Bible said, and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ. Speaker A 00:12:46 Well, we're in Christ, are we not? Speaker A 00:12:50 Well, the Bible also says Christ in us, the hope of glory. Speaker A 00:12:56 Now that was part of the mystery. Speaker A 00:12:58 That was a mysteries, mystery. Speaker A 00:13:00 How can you get Christ in us and us in Christ? Speaker A 00:13:04 How can you get two buckets in one another? Speaker A 00:13:07 You get one bucket in the other one. Speaker A 00:13:09 But how you gonna get both buckets in one another? Speaker A 00:13:12 That's a mystery. Speaker A 00:13:13 See, But God did it. Speaker A 00:13:15 He got us in Christ and Christ in us. Speaker A 00:13:18 All right. Speaker A 00:13:19 The treasures of wisdom and knowledge then are in you. Speaker A 00:13:24 In other words, the raw material to bring to pass everything God has, has already been placed inside your spirit, man. Speaker A 00:13:33 When, when you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, all of the raw material that it takes to be a success spiritually was deposited in there by the Holy Ghost. Speaker A 00:13:43 The force of faith, the force of love, the force of wisdom, the force of righteousness, joy, longsuffering, temperance, all these things were placed in that. Speaker A 00:13:52 They are the fruit of the Spirit. Speaker A 00:13:55 Your spirit will bear that kind of fruit. Speaker A 00:13:57 Praise God. Speaker A 00:13:58 It's in there. Speaker A 00:13:59 The raw material is in there. Speaker A 00:14:01 The only thing of it is that will produce only as the Word is fed in there. Speaker A 00:14:09 Now, the system is created so that it will work according to its own diagrams. Speaker A 00:14:17 Now let me show you what I mean by that. Speaker A 00:14:20 You can pile a stock room full of steel down here, but if somebody hadn't got a blueprint, that's going to be the dumbest looking automobile that anybody builds. Speaker A 00:14:28 You ever saw. Speaker A 00:14:29 Did you ever see one of them homemade rigs? Speaker A 00:14:32 I know a preacher that he's a builder and he's the Greatest guy in the world. Speaker A 00:14:40 Absolutely one of the finest men I ever knew in my life and one of the most blessed men of God I've ever known. Speaker A 00:14:48 But you ought to see some of the buildings he's built. Speaker A 00:14:51 He just builds them all out of his head. Speaker A 00:14:55 No plans, no nothing. Speaker A 00:14:56 He just starts in at the front and just, you know, goes just whichever way he happens to want to go this morning. Speaker A 00:15:03 And you also. Speaker A 00:15:04 You ought to see some of those things now. Speaker A 00:15:06 It comes out surprisingly well. Speaker A 00:15:11 I invited him one time. Speaker A 00:15:12 I said, why don't you go home with me and take off here a few days? Speaker A 00:15:15 He was building a new sanctuary at the church. Speaker A 00:15:18 Didn't have anything, but the foundation poured. Speaker A 00:15:20 He said, brother Copeland, I can't go. Speaker A 00:15:22 I said, why not? Speaker A 00:15:23 He said, these all be boys that have to quit. Speaker A 00:15:25 Said there ain't no blueprints to this place. Speaker A 00:15:27 Said I. Speaker A 00:15:28 I said, are you serious? Speaker A 00:15:30 This is a big building, man. Speaker A 00:15:32 It's five, six times big as this one here. Speaker A 00:15:35 I said, are you serious? Speaker A 00:15:36 There's no plans to this thing? Speaker A 00:15:38 No. Speaker A 00:15:40 Just strike out on it. Speaker A 00:15:43 Well, now, if it hadn't been for the spirit of God, you could imagine what that thing would look like. Speaker A 00:15:46 It looked like probably his half IG glue before he got through with it. Speaker A 00:15:53 Well, this is the way the spirit man is built to function. Speaker A 00:15:58 The spirit man within you is built to produce whatever is diagrammed in there. Speaker A 00:16:05 To produce. Speaker A 00:16:07 Now, I'll tell you frankly, it'll produce whatever is diagrammed, good or bad. Speaker A 00:16:14 You can produce the fear. Speaker A 00:16:16 And that which you have greatly feared will come upon you. Speaker A 00:16:21 Job said that J. Speaker A 00:16:22 Paul Getty proved that the last few days, few months, that old man's been scared somebody's going to steal his money so bad all his life. Speaker A 00:16:32 He got trained dogs that walk around his house all the time. Speaker A 00:16:36 And even. Speaker A 00:16:37 Even hides in his own home. Speaker A 00:16:40 Scared somebody's gonna steal his money. Speaker A 00:16:42 Well, they just stole his grandson. Speaker A 00:16:44 Whacked one of his ears off and got 3,400,000 of his money. Speaker A 00:16:50 Well, that fear on the inside of him produced, didn't it? Speaker A 00:16:55 Now, I'll absolutely prove that to you from the word of God here in a minute. Speaker A 00:16:58 Before I ever get to it. Speaker A 00:17:03 These things keep coming up, you see. Speaker A 00:17:06 That inner man will receive the doubt and the unbelief and the fear and the care and the woe just exactly the same as it will the faith and the power and the deliverance and Jesus. Speaker A 00:17:19 In fact, that inner man has the ability to serve Satan with the same devotion and the same outlandish obedience. Speaker A 00:17:28 That he does to serve Almighty God. Speaker A 00:17:32 In other words, Jesus likens the thing unto ground, and ground will grow poison just same as it will corn. Speaker A 00:17:41 It depends on what's planted in there. Speaker A 00:17:43 And Jesus said, you better be careful. Speaker A 00:17:45 Way you hear for the what you hear and the way you measure it in there is exactly what's going to come out. Speaker A 00:17:52 Now, if you got 1% word, you're going to produce 1% faith. Speaker A 00:17:58 You got 10% word, you'll have 10% results. Speaker A 00:18:01 You got 50% word, you'll have 50% result. Speaker A 00:18:03 But now let me show you something. Speaker A 00:18:05 The vessel will never be empty. Speaker A 00:18:10 It may be empty of the word, but it won't be empty. Speaker A 00:18:14 You could have a bottle full of oil and pour some water in it. Speaker A 00:18:22 Now, the bottle will still be full, but won't be full of oil. Speaker A 00:18:26 And it won't mix. Speaker A 00:18:27 You won't have a mixture of oil and water. Speaker A 00:18:29 You'll have half water and half oil. Speaker A 00:18:32 You keep pouring the water. Speaker A 00:18:33 You finally get all the oil out of there, but you still got a full bottle. Speaker A 00:18:37 You, you go to pouring that oil back in there and the water will leave you got a full bottle. Speaker A 00:18:43 But it may be half oil and half water, but it isn't mixed. Speaker A 00:18:47 There may no use in you worrying about it. Speaker A 00:18:49 And faith and fear won't mix. Speaker A 00:18:51 You're not going to believe God this morning and not this afternoon. Speaker A 00:18:54 I mean, it just. Speaker A 00:18:55 It won't mix. Speaker A 00:18:56 You can't get half healed. Speaker A 00:18:59 Some folks say, well, you know, that person got part of their healing. Speaker A 00:19:03 Let's pray God touch them again, heal them all the way. Speaker A 00:19:05 No, God's already done all he's going to do about it. Speaker A 00:19:09 Now, if you get the Word in that old boy, you see, and go ahead and fill up that vessel with the Word and go ahead and finish off the picture in there, that thing, and it'll produce. Speaker A 00:19:17 Praise God. Speaker A 00:19:17 It'll produce it just as sure as he's standing there. Speaker A 00:19:20 And not a way in the world the devil stop it if he'll do what the Word says to do. Speaker A 00:19:26 Now go over here with me. Speaker A 00:19:29 Let's just read this entire passage here from the 14th verse of Mark's Gospel. Speaker A 00:19:37 And if you remember the inner image or the word picture, then you begin to realize that this is what Jesus is talking about. Speaker A 00:19:50 This is fundamental, basic truth of words. Speaker A 00:19:53 To start with, words don't mean anything unless they paint a picture. Speaker A 00:20:00 So when you're talking about words, you're talking about our method of communication, you see, Isn't that true? Speaker A 00:20:06 I was sitting up Here, thinking about last night, I thought, you know, here we've got this television camera here producing back there in that back room and what an advantage this is to forming an inner picture. Speaker A 00:20:20 And don't tell me that you can't go back to the time television became predominant in this country. Speaker A 00:20:27 Exactly tie the days of lawlessness to it. Speaker A 00:20:32 I guarantee you you can do it. Speaker A 00:20:34 You know why? Speaker A 00:20:34 Because inner pictures will be painted on that thing and men remember what they see. Speaker A 00:20:40 Well, I'll tell you, God's fixing to do that right now. Speaker A 00:20:44 And that's exactly the way God's going to wind up this revival. Speaker A 00:20:47 Not just with that television either, not just with that. Speaker A 00:20:51 It's going to be in every different form picture painting application of the word of God that you can imagine. Speaker A 00:20:59 Oh, I wish I was at liberty to share some of the things that I've gotten in the last five, ten days. Speaker A 00:21:04 Oh, don't tempt me because I don't have time to do it. Speaker A 00:21:11 But let me tell you, it's most outstanding. Speaker A 00:21:14 It's going to affect. Speaker A 00:21:15 Well, by the time the thing is wound up, it will begin to affect something like. Speaker A 00:21:21 Or from 30 to 50,000 people a day. Speaker A 00:21:25 Now, boy, that's something else. Speaker A 00:21:28 We're going to do it. Speaker A 00:21:29 Praise the Lord, because I got the picture in me. Speaker A 00:21:32 I saw it all put together just four or five days ago. Speaker A 00:21:35 I'd been getting pieces of it over a period of about four years, totally last three years, particularly in the last two years rather regularly. Speaker A 00:21:44 But just last week God put that thing together. Speaker A 00:21:47 I was standing out in the middle of a piece of property, north part of Fort Worth, and I saw the thing. Speaker A 00:21:53 I saw the thing like it was already built. Speaker A 00:21:55 I saw it like it was already finished. Speaker A 00:21:57 I had the whole inner image of it. Speaker A 00:21:59 Well, now you see my face a pounding and a working. Speaker A 00:22:02 And my head tells me, you know, way in the world, there ain't that much money in the whole world. Speaker A 00:22:06 My heart says, yeah, but heaven has it, see, that inner picture has overtaken my skull and has demanded that my head listen to what my heart's got to say. Speaker A 00:22:19 And so it'll come to pass, there's no question about that. Speaker A 00:22:22 The only thing that would stop it would be for Jesus to return before plan to do it. Speaker A 00:22:27 And I'm going to be busy as a beaver between now and then. Speaker A 00:22:31 Praise the Lord, it'll come to pass. Speaker A 00:22:33 Now read this with me. Speaker A 00:22:34 The 14th verse, the sower soweth the word. Speaker A 00:22:38 Now you see, that begins right there talking about the word, painting the picture the Painter sows the word, he puts the word in. Speaker A 00:22:45 Now notice in the next verse that the word has power to do job. Speaker A 00:22:50 The word did its job. Speaker A 00:22:53 These are they by the wayside where the word is sown. Speaker A 00:22:56 But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Speaker A 00:23:02 See, the word did its job. Speaker A 00:23:04 It went into the heart. Speaker A 00:23:06 Well now what Satan tries to do, he comes immediately to try to destroy the inner image before the word has an opportunity to completely produce it. Speaker A 00:23:16 And I've seen people that had a desire to be healed and you, and you preach a sermon and plant the seed and they jump up and run up there and you lay hands on them. Speaker A 00:23:24 Thirty seconds later they go to feeling around and say, well, I didn't get nothing. Speaker A 00:23:28 And just destroy every word that was preached in that service that night. Speaker A 00:23:33 But if the man will give the thing an opportunity to grow and develop and come back and come back and come back and read his Bible and pray and get before God and be quiet and turn the stupid television off and throw the newspaper down and go to the word that gives him his healing and sit there. Speaker A 00:23:50 Just depends on how bad you want it or how lazy you are. Speaker A 00:23:52 You want to lay up there in that rack and be sick, you can have 1% of that oil in there and fill the rest of it up with junk if you want to, or you can just keep cramming it in there and cramming it in there. Speaker A 00:24:02 Praise God. Speaker A 00:24:03 Until there's such a picture you are healing, it ain't anything else will stay with you. Speaker A 00:24:07 When that happens, you'll know it and you'll just jump up and I don't care what your body looks like, feels like, sounds like, or anything else, you'll just put a smile on your face and say, bless God, I'm healed, I'm healed. Speaker A 00:24:19 Somebody said, you don't look healed. Speaker A 00:24:20 I don't care what I look like. Speaker A 00:24:21 You just know. Speaker A 00:24:21 Cause you know what you know, you know. Speaker A 00:24:23 Cause you just know, you know it. Speaker A 00:24:26 And nobody on earth can take that away from you. Speaker A 00:24:30 Now Jesus said that to Martha when he was there in Martha and Mary's home. Speaker A 00:24:35 The Bible said Mary sat at his feet and heard his word. Speaker A 00:24:38 Martha cumbered with much servants. Speaker A 00:24:40 All she could see was the job she had to do. Speaker A 00:24:43 And all Mary could see was here's an opportunity to hear the Word. Speaker A 00:24:46 Jesus said, only one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part. Speaker A 00:24:51 And nobody can take it away from her. Speaker A 00:24:53 Nobody can take it away from it. Speaker A 00:24:55 Nobody well, you see, if Martha had chosen that thing, same thing Mary did, she'd had an inner image of what he was capable of doing. Speaker A 00:25:06 Like that little boy did with those loaves and fishes. Speaker A 00:25:09 Well, he'd have fed the whole bunch. Speaker A 00:25:12 He'd have fed the whole bunch. Speaker A 00:25:14 But as it was, she stayed back there in the kitchen, worked and slaved and she fed the whole bunch. Speaker A 00:25:23 That's the truth. Speaker A 00:25:25 Alright, read on here. Speaker A 00:25:26 These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness. Speaker A 00:25:34 Now they received the Word with gladness, have no root in themselves, and so endure, but for a time afterward. Speaker A 00:25:43 When affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. Speaker A 00:25:49 These are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the Word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful. Speaker A 00:25:59 These are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word, receive it, and bring forth fruit, some 30 fold, some 60, and some a hundred. Speaker A 00:26:08 And he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed and not to be set on a candlestick? Speaker A 00:26:18 In other words, why in the world would God put His Word into the earth and then not want anybody to understand it? Speaker A 00:26:23 That's the dumbest thing I believe I ever heard in my life. Speaker A 00:26:26 Somebody come along and say, well, we're not supposed to understand the Word of God. Speaker A 00:26:31 Well, then God's stupid. Speaker A 00:26:35 All he'd had to put in his word was John 3:16. Speaker A 00:26:38 If that's all he wanted us to understand. Speaker A 00:26:41 Amen. Speaker A 00:26:42 But listen, there are men have died and given their blood to get that in your lap. Speaker A 00:26:47 Why? Speaker A 00:26:48 So that you be filled with wisdom and understanding and knowledge of His Word and His will. Speaker A 00:26:53 Because the Word says, my people perish without what lack of knowledge? Speaker A 00:26:59 And another thing, a vision. Speaker A 00:27:06 They perish without an inner vision of what God's doing. Speaker A 00:27:11 And the only thing that put that in you is the Word read on. Speaker A 00:27:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Speaker A 00:27:19 He said unto them, take heed what you hear, with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you. Speaker A 00:27:25 And unto you that hear shall more be given. Speaker A 00:27:28 For he that hath to him shall be given. Speaker A 00:27:30 He that hath not from him shall be taken even that which he had. Speaker A 00:27:34 And he said, so shall the kingdom. Speaker A 00:27:36 So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day. Speaker A 00:27:42 And the seed should spring and grow up. Speaker A 00:27:44 He knows not how. Speaker A 00:27:45 See, he's still talking about this inner image. Speaker A 00:27:47 That thing is planted, and then it will grow up and come to maturity. Speaker A 00:27:52 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself. Speaker A 00:27:55 First the blade, then the ear. Speaker A 00:27:57 After that, the full corn in the ear. Speaker A 00:27:59 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. Speaker A 00:28:05 And he said, whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Speaker A 00:28:08 Or with what comparison shall we compare it? Speaker A 00:28:12 It is like a grain of mustard seed. Speaker A 00:28:14 Which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth. Speaker A 00:28:18 You see, when you sow the word of God. Speaker A 00:28:20 Say, for instance, concerning healing in a man. Speaker A 00:28:23 That his body is almost consumed with cancer. Speaker A 00:28:27 Boy, that seed looks awful small. Speaker A 00:28:30 Now, you take a little old seed, like a mustard seed. Speaker A 00:28:33 You hold it as far as I've got my hand out now. Speaker A 00:28:35 You couldn't even see it hardly with your naked eye. Speaker A 00:28:38 And compare that to the size of an eagle. Speaker A 00:28:42 Now, how in the world could an eagle sit on a mustard seed there in any way? Speaker A 00:28:47 But you plant the mustard seed and allow the thing to grow. Speaker A 00:28:50 It'll get big enough to house the eagle and all of his family. Speaker A 00:28:56 See, it'll overcome the thing. Speaker A 00:28:58 I don't care whether you give it a chance to grow. Speaker A 00:29:00 And it'll get big enough to do its job, whatever it is. Speaker A 00:29:03 There's a man in the Texas Maximum Security Unit, a lifer, that was dying of cancer. Speaker A 00:29:11 In fact, his body had already decayed so badly that they operated on him and they sewed him back up. Speaker A 00:29:18 And his flesh wouldn't hold pop away from his flesh already decayed. Speaker A 00:29:23 And he was in a dispensary there and was so bad in the hospital, his body was so decayed that they had to put a great big old exhaust fan up there over him to blow the smell of that out of there. Speaker A 00:29:34 He couldn't even stay in the room with it. Speaker A 00:29:36 And Hugh Smith was preaching a meeting there in that prison. Speaker A 00:29:40 And revival had broken out in there. Speaker A 00:29:42 And some of the inmates said, brother Smith, come go over that dispensary with some guys need praying for. Speaker A 00:29:48 So he went over there and went over and prayed for Britt. Speaker A 00:29:55 And God healed that old boy. Speaker A 00:29:58 God healed that man of that cancer. Speaker A 00:30:02 And about six weeks later, the warden and I were talking with one another. Speaker A 00:30:08 In fact, he was in a meeting that we were having in Fort Worth. Speaker A 00:30:11 And he was up there testifying to what God was doing in that penitentiary down there. Speaker A 00:30:14 That warden is spirit filled man. Speaker A 00:30:16 Well, he's not warden now. Speaker A 00:30:17 He's. Speaker A 00:30:18 He has taken a job now as director of the entire personnel program. Speaker A 00:30:24 He's in charge of every person that's hired in the Texas system of corrections. Speaker A 00:30:30 That means there's going to be some Christian boys go into that penitentiary system. Speaker A 00:30:34 I'll tell you for sure. Speaker A 00:30:37 And he said, he turned around, smiled at me right quick and he said, say Brother Britt walked off this morning. Speaker A 00:30:44 They paroled him. Speaker A 00:30:48 Saved and filled with the Holy Ghost and healed from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Speaker A 00:30:53 Now you don't think Brother Britt was a testimony in that old pen? Speaker A 00:30:57 Well now you see that little seed of the word of God as those men were standing there around him. Speaker A 00:31:03 That little seed of that word was very small compared and looked compared to the way that fellow looked laying there in that bed and his body already dead. Speaker A 00:31:14 Could nobody figure out how come his inside wasn't dead, his outside was. Speaker A 00:31:20 But that seed grew and grew and grew until it was greater. Speaker A 00:31:25 I tell you what folks, the word of God is not void of the power to do its job. Speaker A 00:31:30 I don't care. Speaker A 00:31:31 You see, that's the same God and the same force that released it, that created this universe. Speaker A 00:31:36 I'll tell you, some little old mess Satan's caused big enough to overcome it. Speaker A 00:31:41 He hadn't been able to overcome God and his word in this earth for the last 7,000 years. Speaker A 00:31:46 He's sure not going to do it now. Speaker A 00:31:54 Alright, let's, let's go on now. Speaker A 00:31:56 We need to read the rest of this right quick. Speaker A 00:31:59 Verse 32. Speaker A 00:32:00 But when it is sown it groweth up and becometh greater than all the herbs, shooteth out great branches so that the fowls of the air may lodge under it in shadow of it. Speaker A 00:32:10 And with many such parables, spake he the word unto them as they were able to hear it. Speaker A 00:32:16 But without a parable, spake he not unto them when they were alone he expounded or he explained everything fully to all his disciples. Speaker A 00:32:28 All things to his disciples the same day. Speaker A 00:32:32 Now this happened the same day. Speaker A 00:32:34 He just got through explaining all this fully. Speaker A 00:32:37 And the same day when the evening was come, he saith unto them, let us pass over to the other side. Speaker A 00:32:42 When they had sent away the multitude and took him even as he was in the ship. Speaker A 00:32:47 And there was also with him other little ships. Speaker A 00:32:49 And there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. Speaker A 00:32:57 They awake him and said unto him, master, carest thou not that we perish? Speaker A 00:33:00 He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace be still. Speaker A 00:33:03 The wind ceased and there was a great calm. Speaker A 00:33:05 He said unto them, why are you so fearful? Speaker A 00:33:07 And how is it that you have no faith? Speaker A 00:33:10 Now look, he just spent all afternoon explaining to these fellows how the word of God would grow and how it would produce and how it would operate. Speaker A 00:33:18 And it said, he explained it to them fully and then he said, let's go to the other side. Speaker A 00:33:23 The sower sowed the word. Speaker A 00:33:25 The son of the living God whom we have evidence that Peter knew exactly who he was, the Christ, the Son of God. Speaker A 00:33:32 He had revelation knowledge because Jesus said, flesh and blood's not revealed this to you. Speaker A 00:33:38 Simon bar Jonah, blessed are you, for it's been revealed to you by my Father which is in heaven. Speaker A 00:33:44 The Son of the living God said, let's go to the other side. Speaker A 00:33:47 He gave them the word, he planted the seed. Speaker A 00:33:50 Persecution and affliction arose and a great storm began to beat the boat. Speaker A 00:33:54 And they all fell down neath the storm and allowed it to choke out the word that said, let's go to the other side. Speaker A 00:34:00 Peter should have stood up and said, get out of the way. Speaker A 00:34:03 My Lord said, let's go to other side and I'm going for at the wall. Speaker A 00:34:08 And it would have obeyed him just the same as it did Jesus because he wasn't speaking in the light of his own words. Speaker A 00:34:13 He's speaking in the light of what the Son of God had already said. Speaker A 00:34:17 His word was already out. Speaker A 00:34:18 Let's go to the other side. Speaker A 00:34:19 Well there ain't no storm big enough to stop him. Speaker A 00:34:22 He proved that, but he rebuked them for it. Speaker A 00:34:25 Sin said, where's your faith? Speaker A 00:34:26 How come you didn't do it? Speaker A 00:34:29 You're going to just continue to get me up and disturb me. Speaker A 00:34:32 Well don't you know that the Bible said Jesus has entered into his rest at the right hand of majesty on high and has sent the Holy Spirit actually if you want to know the truth, to see to it his rest is undisturbed. Speaker A 00:34:44 Now the spirit of God is in the earth and there's a lot of squalling and bawling going on, particularly in spirit filled circles. Speaker A 00:34:51 Oh God. Speaker A 00:34:52 Oh Jesus, come get the devil off me. Speaker A 00:34:55 Oh Jesus, come lay your hand on my fevered brow. Speaker A 00:34:59 Put my hand in the hand of the man. Speaker A 00:35:01 That's a beautiful little song. Speaker A 00:35:02 But it just won't work. Speaker A 00:35:04 It won't do nothing when the spirit of the living God is already here. Speaker A 00:35:14 And if you'll get an inner concept of what Jesus has already said, in my name, you cast out the devil. Speaker A 00:35:21 And just tell the Lord said, I want you to know I thank you for your word. Speaker A 00:35:24 Praise God. Speaker A 00:35:25 You're the head and I'm the body of Satan. Speaker A 00:35:27 In the name of Jesus, get your filthy hands off of me and get out of here. Speaker A 00:35:30 I'm going to the other side. Speaker A 00:35:32 I'm going on over there, see? Speaker A 00:35:34 Now, I particularly want to share with you before closing this afternoon what Jesus has taught here in the first part of this. Speaker A 00:35:43 That there are five distinct things that will choke off that inner image and cause it not to produce. Speaker A 00:35:53 Affliction, persecution, cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things. Speaker A 00:36:04 Choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. Speaker A 00:36:09 Now, in the light of that, what does it sound like to your ear? Speaker A 00:36:16 Now, when someone said that our faith is developed by trial and tribulation and persecution, Jesus didn't say, persecution and affliction arise to develop your faith. Speaker A 00:36:27 He said, it arises for the Word's sake. Speaker A 00:36:30 Now, that's what he said right there. Speaker A 00:36:32 Read it for yourself. Speaker A 00:36:33 Don't get mad at me because I knocked a hole in your old religion. Speaker A 00:36:37 I didn't write the New Testament. Speaker A 00:36:38 I'm just a delivery boy. Speaker A 00:36:39 You can read. Speaker A 00:36:44 And while we're at this, it's not going to take me but another 30 seconds to either make it better or worse. Speaker A 00:36:49 Whichever part you're on, I've made up my mind. Speaker A 00:36:55 I'm going to do and say what the word of God says. Speaker A 00:36:57 Even if I come to a place where I think, lord, that don't look right to me. Speaker A 00:37:01 But that's what it says. Speaker A 00:37:02 So I'm stuck to it. Speaker A 00:37:03 You'll just have to reveal it to me. Speaker A 00:37:06 Did you know that James said it just as plain as anybody could write it? Speaker A 00:37:11 I mean, you can't say it any plainer. Speaker A 00:37:13 He couldn't have done it any plainer. Speaker A 00:37:15 He couldn't say it any plainer if he walked in here today in the very first chapter of James, he said, let no man say when he is tempted. Speaker A 00:37:23 The Greek word there is tested and tried. Speaker A 00:37:26 Let no man say when he is tested and tried that I am tested of God. Speaker A 00:37:30 For God cannot be tested with evil, neither tests he any man with evil. Speaker A 00:37:35 Now he said, but every man is tested when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed and when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. Speaker A 00:37:43 And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Speaker A 00:37:45 Do not err, my beloved brethren. Speaker A 00:37:49 Every good gift comes down from God. Speaker A 00:37:52 He said, don't get in error and say you're being tested of God. Speaker A 00:37:55 Now we've been doing that. Speaker A 00:37:56 I say we advisedly. Speaker A 00:37:58 I've quit it and I don't care if it does look like God. Speaker A 00:38:04 I'm not going to disobey the Word and say that it was. Speaker A 00:38:09 You'll find out there was an art of deception in there. Speaker A 00:38:13 Jesus already said openly that a house divided against itself will fall. Speaker A 00:38:20 And Satan has tried to make it look like God so we'd get divided against ourselves and fall. Speaker A 00:38:27 Why, he'd be stupid if he made it look like him. Speaker A 00:38:31 There's a lot of people right today that say, well, I just don't understand how the devil could make you sick. Speaker A 00:38:37 Oh my good Lord. Speaker A 00:38:42 That's blindness. Speaker A 00:38:43 It's deception. Speaker A 00:38:46 Now I really want to ask you something. Speaker A 00:38:47 What would God use to inflict you in the light of what we've been, what we've been talking about, what we found out from the Word of God? Speaker A 00:38:54 What would he use to inflict you? Speaker A 00:38:56 His hands. Speaker A 00:38:57 No, he laid his hands on them and it healed them. Speaker A 00:39:02 His Word. Speaker A 00:39:03 No, he said he sent his Word and it healed them. Speaker A 00:39:06 God's word doesn't paint an inner picture of disease and sickness. Speaker A 00:39:11 It paints the sickness and disease as a curse. Speaker A 00:39:13 Religion takes the word of God and distorts it and paints sickness and disease with it. Speaker A 00:39:18 But the Bible doesn't. Speaker A 00:39:20 Bible doesn't teach that. Speaker A 00:39:23 Somebody wants to say, well, he calls the devil to do it. Speaker A 00:39:26 He don't have to cause the devil to do it. Speaker A 00:39:28 The devil does it on his own accord, say, well, he allowed the devil to do it. Speaker A 00:39:35 No, you allowed the devil to do it it. Speaker A 00:39:39 And when you allowed it, God was stuck with his own word. Speaker A 00:39:42 He gave you the authority, he had to allow it. Speaker A 00:39:44 When you allowed it, he gave you authority. Speaker A 00:39:47 See, he didn't send the devil in the Garden of Eden, did he? Speaker A 00:39:52 God didn't send the devil down there and says, see what you can do with that, old boy. Speaker A 00:39:56 He didn't send him down there. Speaker A 00:39:59 God had given Adam authority. Speaker A 00:40:01 Adam was the one that let the devil in the earth. Speaker A 00:40:04 And that same principle is still working today. Speaker A 00:40:07 The Bible says the meek shall inherit the earth. Speaker A 00:40:10 And we did. Speaker A 00:40:13 We did. Speaker A 00:40:15 The meek, as far as the Word of God teaches, is the man that humbles himself and turns to God and refuses to go his own way. Speaker A 00:40:22 Any longer, but makes Jesus Christ the Lord of his life. Speaker A 00:40:25 And the Bible said, Jesus said to himself, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Speaker A 00:40:32 Lay hands on the sick and they'll recover, and in my name cast out the devil. Speaker A 00:40:36 He said, all power has been given unto me, both in heaven and in earth. Speaker A 00:40:41 Therefore you go in the earth. Speaker A 00:40:46 Who is our joint heir? Speaker A 00:40:49 Jesus. Speaker A 00:40:51 All power has been given unto me, both in heaven and in earth. Speaker A 00:40:55 Who's your joint heir? Speaker A 00:40:57 Jesus. Speaker A 00:41:01 Somebody said, well, we'll get that when we get to heaven. Speaker A 00:41:04 That's heaven, this is earth. Speaker A 00:41:11 Now what good is it going to do you to inherit the earth and you in heaven? Speaker A 00:41:22 Now see, just a little, just some thinking in the line with the word of God, just change your whole inner concept of the whole thing. Speaker A 00:41:29 And actually its own thing makes any sense. Speaker A 00:41:33 It's Bible sense. Speaker A 00:41:35 Amen. Speaker A 00:41:36 All right, now these five things here, affliction in verse 17, they have no root in themselves and so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction, persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. Speaker A 00:41:59 Now, what this literally means here is that a man that has no root in himself is a man that has no confidence in himself as a believer. Speaker A 00:42:06 He has no confidence in himself as the new birth. Speaker A 00:42:08 I recognized this one day. Speaker A 00:42:11 I was reading my Bible and actually I wasn't studying or anything. Speaker A 00:42:17 I was just reading just for fun. Speaker A 00:42:18 I like to just read along and I just kind of cadillacing along there. Speaker A 00:42:22 And I come up to second Corinthians, the seventh chapter, and started out there, you know, having therefore, dearly beloved, these precious promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the spirit and so forth and so on. Speaker A 00:42:33 Come right on down. Speaker A 00:42:34 Second verse, he said, receive us, we have wronged no man. Speaker A 00:42:40 We have defrauded no man. Speaker A 00:42:43 And boy, I stumbled and it startled me. Speaker A 00:42:49 So I was sitting in front of my desk and I just pitched my Bible upon that desk and said out loud. Speaker A 00:42:55 I sat back there in my bedroom by myself and I just said it out loud. Speaker A 00:42:59 I said, my God, I've caught this man in a lie. Speaker A 00:43:05 I know from his own testimony that without cause he threw people into dungeons. Speaker A 00:43:11 And he stood there and hold held Stephen's coat. Speaker A 00:43:13 And from what I'm reading the Word, he's an agitator of that deal when they stoned Stephen. Speaker A 00:43:17 And he stand there and held his coat and was glad to do it while they killed him. Speaker A 00:43:22 And then him come along here and say he's defrauded nobody, or he's wronged nobody. Speaker A 00:43:27 I know he defrauded these Christians out here because he sneaked up on those people. Speaker A 00:43:31 And from what they said, evidently he told some of them he was a believer till he got in there and then caught them all and defraud them. Speaker A 00:43:38 Threw them into prisons and jail. Speaker A 00:43:40 And evidently, from what he said to himself, some of them died in there. Speaker A 00:43:48 I said, I caught the man in a lie. Speaker A 00:43:50 He sat right there and said, I have defrauded no man. Speaker A 00:43:53 I have. Speaker A 00:43:55 I've wronged no man. Speaker A 00:43:57 Boy, I want you to know the spirit of God spoke to me. Speaker A 00:44:01 And thank God he's never had to speak to me this way since. Speaker A 00:44:05 And I'm saying it with God's my helper, he never will again. Speaker A 00:44:09 I'll tell you, I don't like to be chewed out like that by him. Speaker A 00:44:12 Boy, I'll tell you. Speaker A 00:44:12 Listen, folks, he can put it to you pretty straight. Speaker A 00:44:16 And he said in just this tone of voice right here inside me, and it was so loud, I'll tell you what, I didn't have to hear it with my ears on my head. Speaker A 00:44:23 It went out to ears on my head. Speaker A 00:44:26 Oh, it was strong. Speaker A 00:44:27 He said, you watch who you call a liar. Speaker A 00:44:30 He said, the man you're talking about died on the road to Damascus. Speaker A 00:44:39 Oh, Lord, I saw it. Speaker A 00:44:43 The man had enough confidence in the new birth to dare write up group of people and say, I have wronged no man. Speaker A 00:44:50 I've defrauded no man. Speaker A 00:44:51 And in order for men to know that it was so and how God looked at it, that all had been wiped out and remitted by the blood of the lamb. Speaker A 00:44:59 God even changed his name. Speaker A 00:45:01 And he was no longer Saul of Tarsus. Speaker A 00:45:03 He was Paul, the Apostle Paul, praise God, even changed his name. Speaker A 00:45:08 And he said, I am crucified with Christ. Speaker A 00:45:11 Yet nevertheless, I live. Speaker A 00:45:13 Not me, Christ within me, the hope of glory. Speaker A 00:45:19 Can you see how much confidence he had in the new birth that he would dare even write it down? Speaker A 00:45:23 He didn't say, now, folks, I realize I'm a bum. Speaker A 00:45:27 And I realize I'm no good. Speaker A 00:45:29 And I realize I did bad things. Speaker A 00:45:32 And you know, one time he did kind of get off on that. Speaker A 00:45:34 And he said, this is stupidest thing I ever said. Speaker A 00:45:37 But he said, you folks won't listen to anything with foolishness. Speaker A 00:45:40 I'm going to give you some of it. Speaker A 00:45:42 And he went ahead and gave them some of it. Speaker A 00:45:44 He said, you folk talk about being a Jew. Speaker A 00:45:45 I'm a Jew. Speaker A 00:45:46 You talk about being of, you know, of choice descent. Speaker A 00:45:50 I'm Choice descent. Speaker A 00:45:50 You talk about somebody going to get beat up. Speaker A 00:45:52 I've been beat up talking about somebody being a sinner. Speaker A 00:45:55 I'm a chiefest of sinners. Speaker A 00:45:57 He said, now I'm talking foolish, but that's all you folks want to hear. Speaker A 00:46:00 I'll just talk some foolishness to you. Speaker A 00:46:05 I'll tell you. Speaker A 00:46:05 This man had such confidence, had root in himself, you see. Speaker A 00:46:10 Had such confidence in the new birth and what Jesus Christ had had done for him that he refused to die. Speaker A 00:46:18 Now that's confidence in being born again. Speaker A 00:46:21 He refused to die. Speaker A 00:46:22 He said, I, I wot not. Speaker A 00:46:24 That's old English for I know not. Speaker A 00:46:27 I know not whether to go or to stay. Speaker A 00:46:30 For to die would be gain. Speaker A 00:46:33 I know not. Speaker A 00:46:34 He didn't say I might. Speaker A 00:46:36 He said, I have not made up my mind. Speaker A 00:46:40 But yet because of you and the job I've got to do with you, I believe will stay. Speaker A 00:46:45 And they tried to kill him four or five times and he wouldn't die. Speaker A 00:46:49 Isn't that right? Speaker A 00:46:51 Well, can you see the kind of confidence that was on the inside of him? Speaker A 00:46:54 He knew he was a winner. Speaker A 00:46:55 He wasn't a winner because he was an apostle. Speaker A 00:46:57 He's a winner because Jesus died and paid the price for him. Speaker A 00:47:00 He had a he. Speaker A 00:47:01 Jesus had been his substitute at Calvary and he just wasn't about to die. Speaker A 00:47:05 You couldn't talk him into it. Speaker A 00:47:07 I tell you frankly, I don't have any kind of inward witness that anybody beheaded him. Speaker A 00:47:11 If they did, they did it at his permission. Speaker A 00:47:15 That's tradition. Speaker A 00:47:16 Says he got his head cut off. Speaker A 00:47:17 I do know this, that the word of God said, the aging Paul wrote to Timothy and said, bring me my stuff. Speaker A 00:47:27 The aged Paul, old man, praise the lord. Speaker A 00:47:32 Walked over 2/3 of the known world preaching the gospel and wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. Speaker A 00:47:38 That's a good life. Speaker A 00:47:40 But now compare that to this right here. Speaker A 00:47:43 Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises, for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. Speaker A 00:47:49 Well now you see, persecution arose for the Word's sake where he was concerned. Speaker A 00:47:53 He said so. Speaker A 00:47:53 He said, there's been a thorn given to me in the flesh. Speaker A 00:47:58 A messenger of Satan sent to buffet me. Speaker A 00:48:00 Now, in our little puny stupid religious way, we took our little religious right away pencil that we write everything away with little imaginary eraser. Speaker A 00:48:15 And we wrote in there. Speaker A 00:48:17 God gave him a thorn in the flesh and one translation. Speaker A 00:48:21 And in fact on my intelligence, the living Bible, the paraphrase scriptures. Speaker A 00:48:27 I was, I was getting along in that Bible real good till I ran across this and it translates that way. Speaker A 00:48:32 Said God has given me a thorn in the flesh. Speaker A 00:48:34 And there's no reason to translate that that way. Speaker A 00:48:36 That's a religious idea. Speaker A 00:48:37 It didn't say that. Speaker A 00:48:38 He said, there has been given me a thorn in the flesh. Speaker A 00:48:40 And then he said what it was. Speaker A 00:48:42 Now don't argue with a man and try to dream up something else. Speaker A 00:48:45 He said, it was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet me. Speaker A 00:48:51 Well, now, why would that messenger of Satan come to buffet him? Speaker A 00:48:55 He said, so that I not be exalted one inch higher than I have a right to be. Speaker A 00:49:01 He said, because of the abundance of revelation that has been given me. Speaker A 00:49:05 Well, God gave him the revelation. Speaker A 00:49:07 Why would God be the one going to knock him in the head? Speaker A 00:49:10 Somebody said, well, God don't want you to be exalted. Speaker A 00:49:12 That's not so either. Speaker A 00:49:14 The Bible says, cast the whole of your care over on him. Speaker A 00:49:17 Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Speaker A 00:49:22 God don't want you exalting yourself. Speaker A 00:49:24 That's the problem. Speaker A 00:49:27 God wants to exalt you. Speaker A 00:49:28 He is the exalter. Speaker A 00:49:30 He has exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. Speaker A 00:49:34 And you're his joint heir. Speaker A 00:49:36 The Bible said, he has made us sit with him in heavenly places. Speaker A 00:49:39 By Christ Jesus, he don't want you exalting yourself. Speaker A 00:49:43 Who was it that threw that affliction and persecution in his path? Speaker A 00:49:47 Everywhere he went, the spirit of envy, if you want to know what his name was, said the crowd was filled with envy and they rose up to kill him. Speaker A 00:49:54 It was the devil. Speaker A 00:49:55 And what he didn't want him to do was to be exalted one inch above act revelation that God had given him. Speaker A 00:50:03 Now, if he acted on it, he couldn't stop it. Speaker A 00:50:05 But he wasn't going to let him get by with one quarter's worth of it without having to act on the word of God. Speaker A 00:50:11 Now what did Paul do? Speaker A 00:50:13 He got deceived right there. Speaker A 00:50:15 God had already showed him that we wrestle with not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world. Speaker A 00:50:23 Take on the whole armor of God and be strong in the power of the Lord. Speaker A 00:50:27 That you stand, that we stand against the wild of the devil, that you may stand against the wiles of the devil. Speaker A 00:50:32 Isn't that what he said in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, huh? Speaker A 00:50:36 He turns around and said, I sought God three times to get that messenger Satan off me. Speaker A 00:50:46 God said, my grace sufficient for you. Speaker A 00:50:49 In other Words, you do it. Speaker A 00:50:51 I've already showed you this already, given you a revelation of my grace and what it will do and your authority over the devil, and you come in here begging me to do it. Speaker A 00:50:59 Now see, the devil threw that persecution and affliction in there to distort that inner picture. Speaker A 00:51:04 He had the Word in him, but it hadn't grown enough to act on it. Speaker A 00:51:08 And then when he finally saw what God was doing, he said, I've been delivered from all these afflictions and lived to be an old man. Speaker A 00:51:17 Now see, when you get an operative knowledge of the Word of God and how this thing functions, how you begin to see what the Scripture is really talking about, ain't nobody ever really believed that thorn in the flesh. Speaker A 00:51:28 That's the reason it's still such a point of contention. Speaker A 00:51:30 Ain't nobody wanted to believe that unbelief about it. Speaker A 00:51:35 There's been 900 different stories told on that man. Speaker A 00:51:37 It wasn't so. Speaker A 00:51:41 But when you take what Jesus said and then apply the principle to what Paul said, then you can see what actually took place. Speaker A 00:51:49 Amen. Speaker A 00:51:50 Can't you see it all right now? Speaker A 00:51:54 Persecution and affliction ariseth for the Word's sake. Speaker A 00:52:01 How do you combat persecution and affliction? Speaker A 00:52:06 By gaining root in yourself as a believer. Speaker A 00:52:11 Begin to find or have confidence in yourself as a believer. Speaker A 00:52:15 You go to the Word and find out who you are in Christ and who Christ is in you and what's been bought for you and paid for you and begin to develop. Speaker A 00:52:24 And I don't care what kind of persecution affliction arises, you won't knuckle down under it. Speaker A 00:52:28 Now, I'll go a step further with this because I believe it needs to be said. Speaker A 00:52:36 Let's go back. Speaker A 00:52:37 Let's say we go. Speaker A 00:52:38 We're back in the 1950s. Speaker A 00:52:45 Somebody stands up and prophesies there is coming a dearth on the land when the office of the president will be shaken and the vice president will be caught as a thief and cast out into outer darkness and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Speaker A 00:53:02 And, and the dollar will be worthless and all will be in a critical state. Speaker A 00:53:07 And all of this. Speaker A 00:53:09 Now you're sitting there, this is 1952, and you're sitting there listening to somebody prophesy this. Speaker A 00:53:14 And you don't have any confidence or any root in yourself as a Christian. Speaker A 00:53:17 And somebody will jump up and say, yes, bless God, let's go to Arizona and dig a hole. Speaker A 00:53:27 It came, didn't, was prophesied. Speaker A 00:53:31 Just almost what I told you. Speaker A 00:53:33 It Was prophesied hundreds of times and there's still people trying to live up off in the mountains, trying to, you know, because they don't want this terrible thing to come. Speaker A 00:53:40 Well, it's already come and almost whipped in the spirit world it is whipped, if you want to know the truth. Speaker A 00:53:50 And you know, I never lived better than anybody any time in my life. Speaker A 00:53:56 I never had as much fun all my life. Speaker A 00:53:59 Why? Speaker A 00:54:00 Because I have confidence in here as a believer. Speaker A 00:54:04 Not confidence in me as a man, but confidence in me as a reborn man. Speaker A 00:54:08 I am alive, not me, but Christ in me, the hope of glory. Speaker A 00:54:11 And I'm going on, praise God one way or the other. Speaker A 00:54:14 Now see, somebody will prophesy the dearth, but it'll turn into persecution and affliction for the Word's sake if you don't know who you are in Christ. Speaker A 00:54:23 And I'll tell you there, there's some more of that kind of stuff coming. Speaker A 00:54:27 But I'll tell you something else. Speaker A 00:54:28 There's an army of believers that's already alive in the earth. Speaker A 00:54:32 And God said he's coming after a body that's developed and without spot and a wrinkle washed by the water of the Word. Speaker A 00:54:39 He's not coming after some poor little beat down little old woman that you know that's just been run over by everything the devil wanted to do. Speaker A 00:54:47 No, praise God, he's coming after a full grown bride. Speaker A 00:54:50 An old gal is strong in the Lord, wearing armor and ready to go. Speaker A 00:54:59 Can you see that? Speaker A 00:55:03 God's spoke to me not too long ago. Speaker A 00:55:05 In fact we printed it in that newsletter in September and said, when the world has no way, I am the way. Speaker A 00:55:13 And when the world has no money, I have more than plenty. Speaker A 00:55:17 And he said, I'll keep my people that have an inner image built them them of who I am and what I am and who they are and what they are, he said. Speaker A 00:55:26 And people will point at them and say where are they getting it all? Speaker A 00:55:29 How they getting old of it? Speaker A 00:55:30 Praise God. Speaker A 00:55:31 You know what? Speaker A 00:55:32 The inflation hadn't bothered me any because I don't owe anybody anything. Speaker A 00:55:38 So what? Speaker A 00:55:39 A bread cost a dollar and a half. Speaker A 00:55:40 When you got $2, it don't bother you, isn't that right? Speaker A 00:55:45 It's when you owe a bunch of folks money and you can't keep anything you got. Speaker A 00:55:49 That's when it goes to pinching you, brother. Speaker A 00:55:51 When the interest goes up to 10%, they just glean you 10 more. Speaker A 00:55:56 But when you don't owe any man except to love him, I can see now, why God told me to do this about six, seven, eight years ago. Speaker A 00:56:03 And praise God, I tell you, it was a struggle and I didn't have much knowledge of it. Speaker A 00:56:07 But the seed was planted and it began to grow. Speaker A 00:56:10 And I couldn't see how I'd ever have a pair of shoes without borrowing for it. Speaker A 00:56:15 Now I've learned how to buy jets without borrowing for it. Speaker A 00:56:19 The things in a productive state. Speaker A 00:56:21 See, I'm beginning to harvest now. Speaker A 00:56:23 God told me to believe for a jet airplane. Speaker A 00:56:25 When he first said that, I just went, huh. Speaker A 00:56:29 You know, I had absolutely no inner image of a country guy like me flying around in a jet airplane. Speaker A 00:56:36 But you know, that first chapter, John solved that for me. Speaker A 00:56:39 I had better sense than to turn it down. Speaker A 00:56:42 When God said do it, I started believing for it and developing. Speaker A 00:56:45 I planted the seed, went to the Word and planted the seed. Speaker A 00:56:47 He said he'd delight yourself in the Lord. Speaker A 00:56:49 He'd cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth. Speaker A 00:56:51 And I figured 40,000 high enough. Speaker A 00:56:54 So I went to the Word, you know, and planted that seed. Speaker A 00:56:58 But I was reading over there in the first chapter of John where it said all things were created by him and was not one thing created. Speaker A 00:57:06 It was not by him. Speaker A 00:57:07 And for him. Speaker A 00:57:09 They didn't invent and create jet airplanes so Hugh Hefner could ride around and sell Playboy magazines in a six million dollar jet. Speaker A 00:57:17 They didn't build jet airplanes so guys could ride around in a big old rig and go somewhere and get drunk on the way over that and why they built those things they built for and by him to preach the gospel with. Speaker A 00:57:27 That's what this for. Speaker A 00:57:28 And I just decided, well, praise God, we'll just put one in service. Speaker A 00:57:35 And that settled it on the inside of me. Speaker A 00:57:37 And now the thing is so real in there, so positive, so outstanding on the inside of me, it won't affect me emotionally or any other way. Speaker A 00:57:47 Some fellow walked up and throwed me the keys in my lap. Speaker A 00:57:50 It wouldn't have any effect on me. Speaker A 00:57:51 I've only the thing now for several months. Speaker A 00:57:55 I can't hardly keep from going and getting in it. Speaker A 00:57:59 I would if I knew where it was. Speaker A 00:58:05 But you see, this is the area that I'm talking about, see? Speaker A 00:58:08 And then when it first started out, people, you know, kind of looked down their nose at me and said, our preachers are supposed to be poor. Speaker A 00:58:16 No, now wait a minute. Speaker A 00:58:18 Jesus said that this will rob you. Speaker A 00:58:20 Read on down these are they sown on thorns such as hear the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. Speaker A 00:58:27 Enter in and choke the word, choke off that inner image. Speaker A 00:58:32 It's deceitful in the area of riches. Speaker A 00:58:36 You see, there's a lot of people that riches have them deceived and they don't have a dollar. Speaker A 00:58:44 And one of the most deceiving things of riches is that only the sinful can be rich. Speaker A 00:58:49 That money don't belong to the devil. Speaker A 00:58:53 He stole it. Speaker A 00:58:54 He's a thief. Speaker A 00:58:56 Belongs to God. Speaker A 00:58:58 All the cattle on a thousand hills belong to my father. Speaker A 00:59:00 That one fella said, yeah, bless God and the taters under them. Speaker A 00:59:08 The deceitfulness of riches is what we're lucky out for, not the riches themselves. Speaker A 00:59:12 The Bible don't say that money is the root of all evil. Speaker A 00:59:15 It says the love of it is the root of all evil. Speaker A 00:59:17 The deceitfulness of riches is that all you need to succeed is wealth. Speaker A 00:59:22 And that's a lie. Speaker A 00:59:23 Ask a man that's got cancer and find out if it's not a lie. Speaker A 00:59:26 I don't care if he's worth a million dollars. Speaker A 00:59:28 That thing will eat his insides out and he ain't got money enough to stop it. Speaker A 00:59:34 Let me tell you something. Speaker A 00:59:36 You want me to tell you how to stop the deceitfulness of riches? Speaker A 00:59:39 Start giving. Speaker A 00:59:41 Give it in faith. Speaker A 00:59:43 Believe in God. Speaker A 00:59:44 You get to a point where you know good and well every dollar you have God and put it in your pocket. Speaker A 00:59:49 I'm not talking about in your head. Speaker A 00:59:50 I'm talking about in your heart. Speaker A 00:59:52 You get to a point where you know that every dollar in your pocket and every dollar you ever will have and you know you will have more than enough. Speaker A 01:00:02 Then brother riches won't deceive you. Speaker A 01:00:06 I wish I had time to teach on that. Speaker A 01:00:08 My goodness. Speaker A 01:00:09 I'm going to out in California starting the 3rd of January. Speaker A 01:00:12 Any of you won't come, we're going to have another seminar out there on the west coast on the laws of prosperity. Speaker A 01:00:19 And I've learned some things since I delivered it here the last time. Speaker A 01:00:22 Y'all just might as well get your ticket. Speaker A 01:00:24 Come on. Speaker A 01:00:25 Praise the Lord. Speaker A 01:00:26 Now let's go down this list again. Speaker A 01:00:29 Persecution and affliction is combated. Speaker A 01:00:32 Finding out who you are in Christ and having confidence in yourself as a believer, then the cares of this world. Speaker A 01:00:43 First Peter 5, 6, 7. Speaker A 01:00:45 Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, casting your care over on him. Speaker A 01:00:54 And then walk in a care free life. Speaker A 01:01:01 The deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things. Speaker A 01:01:06 Now this is not just an enticement to sin. Speaker A 01:01:12 We've kind of categorized lust and not entirely wrongly so, but we've categorized it as a dirty, sinful, nasty thing. Speaker A 01:01:21 And that's not necessarily so. Speaker A 01:01:23 You can get over into an area of sin eating food as well as you can drinking bourbon. Speaker A 01:01:29 Do you know that? Speaker A 01:01:31 See, you get over into an area where the lust or the pressure. Speaker A 01:01:36 James describes lust as pressure, enticement, drawing, but the main point of lust. Speaker A 01:01:47 Do you know what the most serious lust is as far as God's concerned? Speaker A 01:01:51 In the fourth chapter of James, starting with the first verse, you'll find it, he says that lust is strife, warring factions between one another. Speaker A 01:02:07 That's a lust that most Christians yield to without any resistance whatsoever. Speaker A 01:02:13 Talking bad about one another, fussing with one another, having a picture on the inside of another person that they don't have any right to have in there because of what that person did to you. Speaker A 01:02:23 You ought to develop a picture on the inside of that person in the light of what Jesus did for them, not what that person did to you or for you. Speaker A 01:02:33 And the Word teaches this even. Speaker A 01:02:35 You know, if a fella's been real nice to you, I'm not supposed to like you just cause you're nice to me. Speaker A 01:02:40 I'm certainly not supposed to like you because you're not nice to me. Speaker A 01:02:44 I'm supposed to deal with you on the level of the spirit world. Speaker A 01:02:47 As my brother in Christ, you're part of me. Speaker A 01:02:53 I wish I had time to get further into that one. Speaker A 01:02:55 But you can begin to see what that's all about. Speaker A 01:02:58 And that will choke off the inner image of your healing, your salvation, everything else. Speaker A 01:03:02 Jesus said, if you don't forgive your brother every trespass, neither can your heavenly Father in heaven forgive you yours. Speaker A 01:03:10 And what Jesus just got through saying when he preached on that give us this day our daily bread and forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. Speaker A 01:03:21 See, there's daily bread and forgiveness tied right in together. Speaker A 01:03:24 Daily bread and forgiveness. Speaker A 01:03:27 All right, these are they that are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word and receive it. Speaker A 01:03:38 You hear the Word and receive it. Speaker A 01:03:41 Now tonight I'm going to deal with that one a little bit. Speaker A 01:03:46 Well, not a little bit. Speaker A 01:03:47 I'm going to deal with it a bunch. Speaker A 01:03:49 The receiving it comes over in the area of acting on it. Speaker A 01:03:52 And the way you receive the Word of God is with a decision, a quality decision that whatever God says, I'm going to act on it. Speaker A 01:04:03 Well, it may be just a seed first and there's not enough in there to act on. Speaker A 01:04:07 But you Got a decision made that praise God, when that picture's finished, that's the way it's going to be. Speaker A 01:04:14 And James says, when you do that, the man that looks into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein is a wise man. Speaker A 01:04:26 Now look what he called it. Speaker A 01:04:27 The perfect law of liberty. Speaker A 01:04:31 It becomes. Speaker A 01:04:32 When you made a decision to act on the word of God, it becomes a perfect law of liberty. Speaker A 01:04:38 Ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. Speaker A 01:04:42 It is a perfect law of liberty. Speaker A 01:04:46 In other words, it will work and it will cause the liberty that it was designed to bring. Speaker A 01:04:51 Amen. Speaker A 01:04:52 Glory to God. Speaker A 01:04:54 Now that we have this subject introduced tonight, we'll begin to preach upon it. Speaker A 01:05:00 Praise the Lord. Speaker A 01:05:01 Oh, glory to God. Speaker A 01:05:03 I don't know how long. Speaker A 01:05:04 I don't know how long you can preach on this. Speaker A 01:05:07 Hallelujah. Speaker A 01:05:09 I don't know how you'd ever run out to the end of it. Speaker A 01:05:11 It's so relative to everything in the world. Speaker A 01:05:13 Actually it is the basic principle, you see, because Jesus said, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Speaker A 01:05:18 He didn't say, as a man thinketh, so is he. Speaker A 01:05:21 Psychologists have used that. Speaker A 01:05:22 And positive think peddlers have used that. Speaker A 01:05:25 A different thing. Speaker A 01:05:26 Now don't misunderstand. Speaker A 01:05:27 I'm not even talking about Vincent Peale. Speaker A 01:05:29 You know what he said? Speaker A 01:05:30 The original title of his book, the Power of Positive. Speaker A 01:05:33 Original title. Speaker A 01:05:34 That book was the Power of Positive Faith. Speaker A 01:05:36 And he said if I'd have titled it that, he said nobody in the religious world would have read it. Speaker A 01:05:41 So he titled it the Power of Positive Thinking and made all the religious folks mad. Speaker A 01:05:46 And they all got the book and read. Speaker A 01:05:53 Wasn't a bad move, was it? Speaker A 01:05:54 Praise the Lord. Speaker A 01:05:56 Amen. Speaker A 01:05:58 As a man thinketh, Jesus said, his heart. Speaker A 01:06:03 What causes the thought and the intent of the heart? Speaker A 01:06:05 The Bible said the word of God is sharper than a two edged sword. Speaker A 01:06:08 It's a living thing, piercing, dividing, asunder the soul, the spirit, the joints and the marrow. Speaker A 01:06:13 And is a discerner of the thought and the intention of the heart. Speaker A 01:06:21 That's what creates the inner image that's in God. Speaker A 01:06:24 What we're after is the inner image that is in him. Speaker A 01:06:28 Be in us, all of us. Speaker A 01:06:31 So that we're in one with one another and one with God. Speaker A 01:06:34 Now that's what Jesus prayed. Speaker A 01:06:36 That they be one with us as we're one with one another and one together. Speaker A 01:06:41 One with us. Speaker A 01:06:43 All right. Speaker A 01:06:43 Jesus said, I do nothing except what, what, what? Speaker A 01:06:49 I see the Father. Speaker A 01:06:54 And then he said, satan's coming, and he's found nothing in me. Speaker A 01:06:58 See, he had an inner image there of what God wanted, and he just did whatever he saw. Speaker A 01:07:02 And you don't ever see Jesus getting all shook, hoping he's got enough faith to raise Lazarus from the dead. Speaker A 01:07:08 He just went up there and poured it on them, you know. Speaker A 01:07:15 Praise the Lord. Speaker A 01:07:16 Amen. Speaker A 01:07:18 Well, let's stand on our feet. Speaker A 01:07:20 Father, we bless you and we thank you for your word. Speaker A 01:07:23 As far as I'm concerned, you've answered the prayer that we prayed in the beginning. Speaker A 01:07:26 Your wisdom has flown in this place today, and we thank you for it. Speaker A 01:07:30 It's flowed with power and freedom, the righteousness of God, and we thank you for it. Speaker A 01:07:36 In Jesus name, amen.