Victorious Living Part 8 Kathryn Kuhlman "Emotions and Salvation" Jimmie McDonald Song

Some time ago, I was a good church member, and boy, I sang on the choir. And I thought this was enough to get me to heaven. Until one day, a college lad talked to me about Jesus Christ. And he said, Jimmy, in all the good that you do, account for naught, except you know Jesus Christ. And so it was on August 23rd, 1954, at 10 .30 a .m., I bowed my head and asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and to save me. And I prayed from that day on that my singing, my life, would be for him. You see, I know that it's real. I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away. When the spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth receive. I endeavor to be happy and to make myself believe. But it's real, it's real. living such a life of fear and doubt for I wanted God to give me something that I would know about so the truth would make me happy and the light would clearly shine and the spirit gave assurance that I'm his and he is mine but it's really I touched him and I sparred from smitten steel. Jimmy McDonald. And I want you to know it is real. And there are literally thousands upon thousands who have had that wonderful experience of being born again. Salvation is as real as God himself. Salvation is as real as the person of Jesus Christ. Salvation is the most real thing that can happen to any individual. Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you know what Jimmy's been singing about? And remember something. Salvation is not based on feeling. Salvation is based on facts. I'm going to pause for just a few minutes and explain something to you because sometimes I... think that there are those who do not realize that one's feelings, the ecstasy, the thrill of a wonderful experience with the Lord Jesus Christ has nothing to do with the facts. You and I are saved on facts, on the Word of God. on what Jesus did for us on the cross. We accept the pardon. We accept what Jesus did for us by faith and faith alone. The fact is that you and I were born in sin. But Jesus came and died on the cross. He paid the price in full by his... death. And we reach out and accept that for ourselves personally, what Jesus did for us. He bought and paid for the whole thing. All we have to do is to reach out and personally accept what has already been bought and paid for, for us. There may not always be feelings. Not always. In many instances, yes. Oh, I've seen folk over and time again. Whenever there's an altar call, respond to that altar call. And how often I have said to that one, Didn't you come before? Why do you come again? Well... We didn't feel we were saved. We didn't feel that our sins were forgiven. Feeling has nothing to do with it whatsoever. You are saved on facts. And the moment, by faith, you accept what Jesus did for you, you accept the pardon, it's done. If we confess our sins, he is able and just to forgive us our sins. The very minute that you confess, that moment it's done. Whether there are any feelings involved or not. But the feelings will come. The ecstasy, the joy will come. When you realize that you passed from death unto life. When you realize that... God is your Heavenly Father now. When you realize that your sins are forgiven and that you do not have to stand in judgment before God and give an account of those sins that after that moment of your new birth experience were all forgiven. If that doesn't make you happy, if that doesn't bring you real joy and ecstasy, nothing will. But you're saved on facts and not... Of course, there's some people who had their entire life governed by feelings. If when they awaken in the morning, they don't feel good, then it's a hectic world. Oh, I tell you, they make life miserable for their family, for their neighbors, for everything with whom they come in contact with. If they awaken and they feel good, it's a wonderful world. Everything hinges on how they feel. They have victory if they feel good. If they have hit the bottom of depression, God's forsaken them. Everything. Everything depends on whether they've had a good night's sleep. Well, now, God doesn't change. whether or not you've stepped well the night before. You know, it's kind of like that. And it often happens that when a believer enters upon a life of victory over voluntary sin, that he experiences a joy and an ecstasy and a thrill which make him feel as if he were treading on air. But this is not always the case. And we must not suppose that an absence of thrills is a proof that Christ has not come into his fullness. God wants us to trust him. He wants us to trust his word and not to rely upon feelings. I beg of you today, do not rely upon feelings. Rely upon facts. Folks, I beg of you. Think less of feelings. Think less of the victory. Less of the blessing. And more of the blesser. More of the person of Jesus. More of the person of God the Father. More of the person of the Holy Spirit. And less of your own feelings. It's just like that. Do not then be examining or testing your victory or testing your faith. Faith isn't something that you can just reach down your pocket and take it out and look at it and examine it and then put it back in your pocket again. You know, it's kind of like that. Your salvation isn't something that you just open a little bag and take it out and look at it and then... Put it back in again. No. It's a life. Literally, definitely a life. Salvation is a life. Victory over sin is a life. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is something more than just one definite experience for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes. It's... a life. Therefore, do not examine or test your victory, but just simply maintain a simple and constant trust in God. A day by day, an hour by hour, a moment by moment, living in Him, knowing that He cannot He will not fail. Sometimes I think it's really better to enter into the victorious life by simple faith, unaccompanied by ecstasy or by thrill. Sometimes I know we hear people talk about that wonderful experience. Mine was like that. I had feeling with my experience when I was born again. But there are thousands who are born again without any feeling. Feeling has nothing to do with it. And sometimes I think it's better to have the experience without feeling and let the feeling come later. Then you will not live so much by feeling, you know. Whether you have any feeling or not. It doesn't change the fact that if you've been born again, God is your heavenly father and he's right there. Jesus Christ does not change feeling or no feeling. He's still your great high priest. He's still right there to pray you through. The Holy Spirit is still the wonderful power of the... Whether you feel his presence or you don't feel his presence, he's still there. For when the thrill and the feeling subsides and life seems humdrum and commonplace, we may be tempted to think that the victory has vanished with the thrill. Again I read... Repeat what I say so often. Remember. Fact comes first. Faith is second. And feeling is third. And that should always remain the order. Now continue with me a little further. Do not be surprised if... Others failed to see our victory. I can always remember what Julia, our precious Jewish lady, said when she gave her testimony. My, she said, when I found Christ as my Savior in Carnegie Auditorium in Pittsburgh. It was such a glorious experience. I thought that when I would go home, my husband, my whole family, when I told them about it, they would all do the same thing and have the same experience that I had. But she said they just looked at me. They thought that I was just a little nuts. Well, then I was just sure, knowing my family, and families are kind of funny, that my friends, when I would tell them about it, They would, oh, surely they were intelligent. They had confidence in me. I was sure that they would understand. And they'd all rush down to Carnet Auditorium the next time there was a service and get the same thing that I had. But she said, lo and behold, they weren't moved at all. And then, of course, I... was almost critical. Regarding my family, my husband, my friends, I almost felt they were stupid, you know. Remember something. Only one man ever lived a sinless life, a really victorious life all through, and that's the man Christ Jesus. But the leaders of religion his days on earth were so blinded that they failed to see the victorious life in him. And so they called him a wine -bibber. That's right. They had no understanding whatsoever of the perfection in the life of Jesus Christ. They were so blinded, they did not even recognize that he was the very son of the living God. And they called his perfection. They called that sinless life for the son of God. They called him a wine -bibber. And they may call you something worse than that. Just smile. Never fight back. This is what they said of Jesus. We know that this man is a sinner. Think of it. We know this man is a sinner, they said of Christ. And so we must not be surprised if men fail to recognize the victorious life in us. Continue to be humble. I tell you that's the most convincing thing in the world of... A life that is victorious in Christ Jesus. There's nothing greater. Humility is the greatest of all Christian graces. Humility. The greatest of all Christian graces. There's nothing more convincing to an unbeliever than humility in the life of one who's following Jesus. We must be humble. And when... Others oppress us when they deny our sincerity or they say we're not orthodox. No spirit of unlove, no root of bitterness must come in. Whatever you do, do not show a spirit of bitterness. Whatever you do. Do not show a holier -than -thou feeling. Do not entertain the feeling I've got for one minute or our victory is broken and your influence will be lost. There's nothing in the world that is more disgusting than one who professes to be a Christian and manifests a spirit of holier -than -thou. It's disgusting. It's nauseating. And I'm going to go a little further while we're discussing this. And that is regarding those who've been filled with the Holy Spirit, who have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I would doubt your experience filled with the spirit, that you manifest a spirit of spiritual bigotry. And you're smug in your attitude. And you display a holier -than -thou attitude. that has nothing to do whatsoever with the Holy Spirit. That is not a part of his personality. But humility is. If Jesus, the very Son of the Living God, could become a servant, he who did gird himself with a towel, And wash the feet, the dusty feet of his disciples. Setting an example for you and for me. As a servant. Then surely those of us who have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Must live to serve. And we will manifest. the humility of our Lord and our Savior, and the one, the Holy Spirit, who equips us with power for service.