Victorious Living Part 7 Kathryn Kuhlman "Jesus Not Religion"

The young 23 -year -old girl, a lovely person, flew in the other day from New York City to be in the Friday service in the First Presbyterian Church here in Pittsburgh. Her family, all of her relatives, live in a southern city. The family is very religious. And every member of her family for generations have all belonged to the same church. Even before the new baby would take his first cry, they all knew that when that baby was born, it would be taken to that church. And when it was old enough for church membership, it would be a member of that church. Uh -huh. And when it got old enough, it would go to Sunday school in that church. And when it got a little older, it would sing in that choir, you know. And then a little older, it was a man. It would become one of the deacons and would be one of the officials of the church. It had been like that for generations. But here suddenly, this 23 -year -old girl, brilliant, a college girl, extremely brilliant, became rebellious. And she was the first member of the family to break away from the church. And when she came to Pittsburgh, I found her to be very rebellious, but very frank with me. And she said, Miss Kuhlman, I rebel against religion. I'm sick and tired of it. And before she could go any further, I looked at her. I said, isn't it strange that you and I feel the same way? She looked at me. I had taken her completely off guard. In fact, so much so, she just looked. She didn't say a word. Her little speech wasn't finished. I said, you heard me correctly. I said, you know, if I just had to be a religious person, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. Because, you see, I'm not constituted in such a way that it would be easy for me to be religious. Because even when I was a kid, I was the meanest, the most mischievous kid in Concordia, Missouri. Joe Kuhlman's girl was the unpredictable. And there are just some people who are just born religious. They're just born good. Now, you take my older sister, Myrtle. She was religious from the first time. She took her first breath. She was just naturally religious. It's natural for her to be good. Where I came from, I don't know. How Papa and Mama ever got me, I'll never know. And God knows they never quite figured it out. I could not be a religious person. And I said to her, I'm just sick of religion too. She still didn't answer me. She was so shocked. But I said, do you want to know something? I'm just crazy about Jesus. I just love him so much. I love Jesus more than anything in the whole world because you see, My whole life revolves not around religion. My whole life revolves around a person. And that person is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. And I might just as well confess that I'm in love with Jesus. Then I went on. Because by this time, She still was standing there, her mouth open. No one had ever talked like that to her. I said, you see, if it was just a matter of being religious, I couldn't be doing the kind of thing that I'm doing. I do what I do. I work as hard as I work. Because of a person. And everything that I believe revolves around a person. The person of God the Father. The person of Jesus Christ the Son. The person of the Holy Spirit. It isn't something that's cold. It isn't an institution. It isn't an organization. It isn't religion as such. It's something that's personal. It's something that's the most vital thing in my life. It's something that's alive. It's something that gives me a purpose for living, a purpose for doing, a purpose for... It gives a real meaning to life. And what I live is a life and not just mere religion. Well, before she left, she looked at me. She said, I see the whole thing. I see it all. Just pray now, Miss Kuhlman. that I'll not miss God's best for my life. You see, God's religion never yet made a man miserable. Now think that one through. Just think it through. Maybe all that you've had all these years is just religion. There are thousands of people that all on earth that they've ever had was just religion. and just enough religion to make them miserable. Because they're having a terrific time even being religious. Just an awful time. Do you want to know that every Sunday morning of your life, our churches are filled with religious people? And in many instances, Even the one who stands behind the pulpit has nothing more or less than his religion. That's all. The Bible has never become a living thing to him. Jesus Christ has never really become a living personality to him. God the Father is still something that's very mystical. A way of he knows not where. And you can tell it in his prayers. He isn't quite sure to whom he is praying or whether or not he is really praying to a person or whether or not anyone is hearing what he is praying. That's the reason he doesn't believe the answer to his prayer. And it's just like that. That's the reason the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit is never real and never gets through to a person who is merely religious. There's a mighty big difference between religion and the person of God the Father, the person of Jesus Christ the Son, and the person of the Holy Spirit. Now just sit there for a few minutes. Where are you? Are you merely a religious person? If you are, there are tens of thousands just like yourself. You're not alone. But watch. If your whole life is centered around a person, you have something more than religion. You have a purpose for living. The Bible becomes real to you. His Word becomes real to you. You'll have joy. You'll have peace of mind. And God's religion never yet made a man miserable. Nor does the Lord Jesus Christ delight in misery. It's amazing how many religious people have a theology all of their own, a doctrine all of their own, and it includes the fact that God delights in misery. He delights in making people miserable. Did not the Savior himself say, These things have I spoken unto you? That my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. That's the word of God. Just cold religion does not give joy. Now remember, there is a right way of making the most of both worlds. One way is right. One way is wrong. And if your religion revolves around one person, the person of Jesus, not just as an influence, not just as a wonderful example, but the person of Jesus as the very son of the living God, the person of Jesus, who forgives your sins, the person of Jesus, one who'll hear the cry from your heart. Isn't that challenging? Oh, let me ask you, isn't that challenging to you to know that there is a person who ever lived to make intercession for you? A great high priest, one who is interested in you as an individual. Just mere religion does not give you a heavenly father who is interested in you as an individual. Just mere religion doesn't give you that. Just mere religion doesn't give you a great high priest, a great advocate. you his name to use before he went away and said here I give you my name to use and when you come to the presence of the Holy Father present my name come before his throne he who is absolute perfection absolute holiness I leave you my name. And when you present my name before the throne of a holy father, you have a hearing. Religion doesn't do that for you. Religion is cold. Religion is something that is abstract. There's no warmth. in religion. There's no real strength in religion. You'll not stand the test when you come face to face with temptation. You'll not stand the test when you come face to face with disappointment. You'll not stand the test when you come face to face with death or the open grave or eternity. Think on these things. Do you just have religion? If you do, it'll never stand the test. Now, let's go a little deeper into something else, and yet something that is most important to all of us. Never trust your own feelings. You know, it often happens that when a believer enters upon a life of victory, or a voluntary sin, that he experiences a joy and an ecstasy and a thrill which make him feel as if he were treading on air. Oh, I'll never forget that Sunday morning when I was only a 14 -year -old girl and in that little Methodist church when I had that wonderful experience. I shall never forget the thrill of it. And I've never doubted that experience. All through these years, I have never doubted that experience. With that experience, there was an ecstasy. There was a definite feeling. So help me. When I walked out of that little Methodist church and started for home, I really felt that Mr. Peterings' house had a brand new paint job. It hadn't. That poor old house hadn't been painted for ten years. It was just as much unpainted as it was when I passed it going to that church that morning. I honestly felt the grass was greener. I mean that. When I went home after that wonderful experience, I felt as though my feet were not touching the pavement. That's right. Now, Had I expected and had leaned on the ecstasy of that one experience for the rest of my life, I'd be sunk. Because since that time, I'm frank to tell you, there've been some nights that have been mighty black. There've been some waters that have been mighty deep. And there have been days when I had to take literally the presence of Jesus by faith. Mm -hmm. Yeah. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. There hasn't always been that ecstasy. Know that. Remember something. Always remember, the... absence of the thrill, the ecstasy does not prove that Jesus has left you or that you are alone. God wants us to trust him in his word and not to rely upon feelings. There are too many people who are relying on feelings. Just If you get up in the morning and you don't feel good, so far you're concerned, God's dead. The Bible isn't true. And everything spiritual that you've ever had just completely leaks out. And you're just like a balloon with all the air out of it. And you'll mope around all day like a deflated balloon. Good for nothing. Not even to God. Why? Because everything in your life, whether you're up or down, depends on your feelings. God wants us to trust him. He wants us to trust his word. And not to rely upon feelings. He would save us from the peril of testing our victory or testing his indwelling by any preconceived notions of ours as to how his presence shall be felt or manifest. Think less of the victory, less of the blessing, and more of the blesser. I always... Like what Mr. Spurgeon said, and I think of it so very often, and it's worth repeating. And this is what he said. I looked at Jesus, and the dove of peace flew into my heart. I looked at the dove of peace, and she flew away. So look at Jesus. And when you look at Jesus, He'll give you that wonderful peace, the dove of peace. And I feel I want to say something here because this is vitally important. Don't go around constantly talking about Satan. I get so sick and tired of these people who depress me so every time I come to their presence. They're talking about... Satan did this, and Satan did the other thing. And they're just dead sure that it was Satan, the life of their husband, that caused him to do so -and -so. No one believes more in the reality of Satan than I do. He's real. His power is real. But instead of talking about Satan, talk about Jesus. If you keep talking about Satan, you're going to find that there will be a spirit of depression that will not only radiate from your own life, but in your home. And anyone coming into your home, your children coming in, your husband coming home, will sense that spirit of depression. And you are the one who has brought that spirit into the home. Because you have allowed Satan to rule your mind, rule your thinking, and rule you. On the other hand, and sometimes I think it gets to be a habit with some people constantly talking about Satan and their mind on Satan instead of on Christ. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your mind on Jesus. And at the same time, do not then be examining or... testing your victory. Just maintain a simple and constant trust in Christ. He cannot fail. He cannot. It's really better to enter into the victorious life by simple faith, unaccompanied by ecstasy or thrill. Don't trust whatever you do. For when the thrill subsides and life seems humdrum and commonplace, we may be tempted to think that the victory has vanished with the thrill. Fact first. Then faith. Then feeling. That, my friend, is the order.