In The Very Act Of Obedience
he was blessed.
Look at those ten New Testament lepers who came to Christ. He said
to them: "Go show yourselves to the priests."
"Well," they might have said, "what good is that going to do us?
Here we are all full of leprosy, and if we go and show ourselves to
the priests they will order us back again into exile. That is not
going to help us."
But those ten men st
Christ told them to do, and in the very act of doing it they were
blessed; their leprosy left them.
He said to that man that had the palsy, whom they brought to Him
upon a bed: "Take up thy bed and walk."
The man might have said: "Lord, I have been trying for years to take
that bed up, but I can't. I haven't got the power. I have been
shaking with the palsy for the last ten years. Do you think that if
I could have rolled up that bed that I would have been brought here
and let down through the roof? I haven't the power."
But when the Lord commanded him He gave the power. Power came with
the command, and that man stood up, rolled up his bed, and started
off home. He was blessed in the very act of obedience.
My friends, if you want God to bless you, obey Him. Do whatsoever He
calls upon you to do, and then see if He will not bless you.
Christ went to a Pharisee's house one day while He was down here
upon earth, to be entertained. They wanted to get Him to do
something to break the law of Moses, that they might condemn Him to
death, and so they put a man right opposite to Him at the table with
a withered hand, to see if He would heal upon the Sabbath day. He
said to the man:
"Stretch out thy hand."
Now, the man might have said, "Lord, that is a very strange command.
I haven't got the power. That hand has been withered for the last
twenty years. I haven't stretched it out for the last twenty years;
and you say, 'Stretch it out.'"
But when He told him to do it He gave him the power, and out went
that old withered hand, and before it came out straight, right in
the very act, it was made whole. He was blessed in the very act of
obedience.
Now, Naaman had to be taught the lesson that he had to obey; and so,
finally, he went down to the Jordan just as he was told to do. And
if you will do just what the Lord tells you the Lord will bless you
as He did Naaman.
You may ask, "What does He tell me?"
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
The word of God to Naaman was to go and wash; and the word of God to
every soul out of Christ is to believe on His Son. "Verily, verily,
I say unto you, he that heareth My word and believeth on Him that
sent Me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." If a man believes
with all his heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, God will never bring
him to judgment for sin; that is all passed--that is all gone. Take
Him at His word; believe Him; believe what He says, and you shall
enter into life eternal. "He came unto His own, and His own received
Him not." HIM--mark you--not a dogma, not a creed,
More
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Faith
The next step is faith. Talk about faith! I think this is about the most extraordinary case of faith in the Bible. Abraham was the father of the faithful; but God had him in training for twenty-five years. Moses was a man of faith; but he saw the... A Blank Check
and all he had to do was to fill it out from that time on. When he wanted to bring water out of the rock, all he had to do was to fill out the check; when he wanted bread, all he had to do was to fill out the check and the bread came; he had a rich ... A Falser Idea Of God
than that. Since I have become a father I have made this discovery: that it takes more love and self-sacrifice for the father to give up the son than it does for the son to die. Is a father on earth a true father that would not rather suffer than to... A Good Place To Leave Him
--at the feet of Jesus. We shall meet him by and by in the kingdom of God. His testimony has been ringing down through the ages these last nineteen hundred years. It has been talked about wherever the Word of God has been known. It was a wonderfu... A Heaven-sent Messenger
Had you gone into the palace in those days, you would have heard Herod talking of nobody but John the Baptist. He would say to his associates: "Have you been out into the desert to hear this strange preacher?" "No; have you?" "Yes." "What... A Long Eye And A Short Eye
and they make miserable work of their Christian life. They keep one eye on the eternal city and the other eye on the well-watered plains of Sodom. That was the way it was with Lot: he had a short eye and a long eye. It would be pretty hard work to b... A Masterpiece Of The Devil
to get men into friendly discussions. I don't know whether Nehemiah had a typewriter in those days or not; I don't know whether he had a printed form of letters, but he always sent back the same reply: "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot co... A Much Shrewder Man
than his uncle Abram, and that if he lived twenty-five years he would be the richer of the two, and that by coming into Sodom he could sell his cattle and sheep and goats and whatever else he had for large sums, and could get a good deal better mark... A Very Simple One
Now, don't you see yourselves there? How many men there are who are waiting for some great thing; waiting for some sudden feeling to come stealing over them; waiting for some shock to come upon them. That is not what the Lord wants. There is a man t... Abraham's Four Surrenders
A great many people are afraid of the will of God, and yet I believe that one of the sweetest lessons that we can learn in the school of Christ is the surrender of our wills to God, letting Him plan for us and rule our lives. If I know my own mind... Adding To The Promise
for the benefit of His friend Abram. Let us go back a moment to Lot, and see what Lot gained by making that choice. I believe that you can find five thousand Lots to one Abram to-day. People are constantly walking by sight, lured by the temptatio... Afraid They Would Get Mad
Don't be afraid of getting them mad, if it is the truth that makes them mad. If it is our foolishness that makes them mad, then we have got reason to mourn over it. If it is the truth, God sent it, and it is a good deal better to have a man get mad ... All Sensation
"Catch me there! No, sir; I never did like sensational preaching." Just as some people speak nowadays when any special effort is made to reach the people! "Great harm will be done," they say. I wish all these croakers had died out with that g... Almost Decided
to become Christians cut down in battle without having taken the step that would have made them sure of eternal life. I confess there is something very sad about it. In one of the tenement houses in New York city, a doctor was sent for. He came, ... An Evidence Of The Truth
of what He said by performing some miracle. If He had said He was the Light of the world, He would show them in what way He was the Light of the world. If He had said He was the Life of the world, He would prove Himself to be such by quickening and ... An Open Letter
in which they said that they had heard he was going to set up a kingdom in opposition to the Persians, and that they were going to report him to the king. Treason has an ugly sound, but Nehemiah committed himself to the Lord, and went on building. ... Bid Him Do Some Great Things
Instead of that, Elisha, who was perhaps busy writing, did not even come to the door or the window. He merely sent out the message: "Tell him to dip seven times in the Jordan." And away went Naaman, saying, I thought, I thought, I thought. I ... Big Heads And Little Hearts
If a man has a shriveled-up heart and a big head he is a monster. Perhaps Moses looked down on the Hebrews. There are many people who start out with the idea that they are great and other people are small, and they are going to bring them up on the ... Broke His Heart
It flashed into this thief's soul that Jesus was the Son of God, and that moment he rebuked his companion, saying: "Dost thou not fear God?" The fear of God fell upon him. There is not much hope of a man's being saved until the fear of God come... Change The Very Countenance
of a man. I know some godly men and women, and they seem to have the stamp of heaven on them. The king noticed a strange look about this cupbearer, and he began to question him. Then the thought came to Nehemiah that he would tell the king what caus... Confessing
Next, he confessed his sins: "We indeed justly." He took his place among sinners, not trying to justify himself. A man may be very sorry for his sins, but if he doesn't confess them, he has no promise of being forgiven. Cain felt badly enough ove... Converted The Regular Way
He believed in the regular Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and that was the place for him to be converted. The employer tried every way he could to get him to attend the meetings, but he wouldn't come. After we left that town and went away up ... Cost Them Too Much
They represent those Christians who do not want to serve Christ if it is going to cost them anything; if they have to give up society, position, or worldly pleasures. They do not want to come out. This is what keeps hundreds and thousands from becom... Darkness
And now darkness falls upon the earth. The sun hides itself. Worse than all, the Father hides His face from His Son. What else is the meaning of that bitter cry: "My God! my God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?" Ah! It had been written, "Cursed is e... Drawn Nearer To God
I believe that many a time trouble and sorrow are permitted to come to us that we may see the face of God, and be shut up to trust in Him alone. But Abram went down into Egypt, and there he got into trouble by denying his wife. That is the blackest ... For Twenty-five Years
Abraham had been in the Promised Land without the promised heir. God had promised that He would bless all the nations of the earth through him, and yet He did not give him a son. Abraham's faith almost staggered a number of times. Ishmael was born, ... God Honored Her Faith
"What do you say? A prophet in Israel that can cure leprosy?" "Yes." "Why, did you ever know any one that was cured?" "No." "Well, then, what makes you think there is a prophet that can cure leprosy?" "Oh, that isn't anything to what El... He Came Half-way
and stayed there--we do not know just how long, but probably about five years. Now, I believe that there are a great many Christians who are what might be called Haran Christians. They go to Haran, and there they stay. They only half obey. They a... He Thought The Lord Had Made A Mistake
that he was not the man. He said, "Who am I?" He was very small in his own estimation. Forty years before he had started out as a good many others have started. He thought he was pretty well equipped for service. He had been in the schools of the Eg... He Would Not Give Up One Darling Sin
The longer I preach, the more I am convinced that that is what keeps men out of the kingdom of God. John knew about Herod's private life, and warned him plainly. If those compromising Christians of whom I have spoken had been near John, one of th... Herod And John The Baptist
If some one had told me a few years ago that he thought Herod at one time came near the kingdom of God, I should have been inclined to doubt it. I would have said, "I do not believe that the bloodthirsty wretch who took the life of John the Baptis... How Many Would Buy Salvation!
But, thank God, it is not in the market for sale. You must buy it at God's price, and that is "without money and without price." Naaman found that out. My dear friends, did you ever ask yourselves which is the worse--the leprosy of sin, or the le... How Prophetic That Answer Was
when Abraham turned and said to the son, "God will provide Himself a sacrifice?" I don't know that Abraham understood the full meaning of it, but a few hundred years after God did provide a sacrifice right there. Mount Moriah and Mount Calvary are c... I Know
There is no hesitation about it, no qualifying the expression. Naaman doesn't now say, "I think"; no, he says, "I know there is a God who has power to cleanse the leprosy." Then there is another thought. Naaman left only one thing in Samaria, and... In The Very Act Of Obedience
he was blessed. Look at those ten New Testament lepers who came to Christ. He said to them: "Go show yourselves to the priests." "Well," they might have said, "what good is that going to do us? Here we are all full of leprosy, and if we go and ... Joy Among The Saints In Heaven
Once, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people laughing and talking aloud. One of them said: "Well, there will be no difference, it will be all the same a hundred years hence." The thought flashed across my mind, "Will there be no ... Justifying Christ
The next thing, he justifies Christ: "This Man hath done nothing amiss." When men are talking against Christ, they are a great way from becoming Christians. Now he says, "He hath done nothing amiss." There was the world mocking him; but in the mi... Keep Away From Christ
because they are looking for the experience of some dear friend or relative. They should not judge of their conversion by the experiences of others. They have heard some one tell how he was converted twenty years ago, and they expect to be converted... Lifted The Curtain Of Time
for Abraham. He looked down into the future, saw God's Son coming up Calvary, bearing his sins and the sins of all posterity. God gave him that secret, and told him how His Son was to come into the world and take away his sins. Now, my friends, n... Loved His Country
I like to see a patriotic man. He began to inquire about his people and about the city that was very near to his heart, Jerusalem. He had never seen the city. He had no relations back there in Jerusalem that he knew of. Nehemiah was not a Jewish pri... Many Josephs Today
men of position, of whom it could be said they are secret disciples. Such would probably say to-day, "I do not need to take my stand on Christ's side. What more do I need? I have everything." We read that he was a rich and honorable councillor, a ju... Mayor Of Sodom
He was getting on amazingly well; wonderfully prosperous. But by and by there comes a war. If you go into Sodom, you must take Sodom's judgment when it comes, for it is bound to come. The battle turned against those five cities of the plain and th... Naaman The Syrian
I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to honor. He stood high in position; he was captain of the host of the King of Syria; but he was a leper, and that threw a... Needed Bolstering Up
But his covetous eye looked upon the well-watered plains of the valley of the Jordan that reached out towards Sodom, and he chose them. He was influenced by what he saw, He walked by sight, instead of by faith. I think that is where a great many Chr... Never Have Heard Of
either of them if they had not done this. They stooped to conquer; and when you get ready to stoop God will bless you. Plato, Socrates, and other Greek philosophers lived in the same century as Nehemiah. How few have heard of them and read their wor... No Crown Without A Cross
We must take our proper position here, as Joseph did. It cost him something to take up his cross. I have no doubt they put him out of the council and out of the synagogue. He lost his standing, and perhaps his wealth: like other faithful followers o... No Eight-hour Working Day
then; they were on duty from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. They did not take off their clothes except to wash them. Fancy, this man who came from the Persian court with all its luxury, living and sleeping in his clothes for thos... No Name In History
so well known as the name of Abram. Even Christ is not more widely known, for the Mohammedans, the Persians, and the Egyptians make a great deal of Abram. His name has been for centuries and centuries favorably known in Damascus. God promised him th... No Physician
who could help him in Syria. None of the eminent doctors in Damascus could do him any good. If he was to get rid of the leprosy, the power must come from on high. It must be some one unknown to Naaman, for he did not know God. But I will tell you... No Voice For The Son Of God
Dear friend, if He is your Savior, confess Him. Every follower of Jesus should bear testimony for Him. How many opportunities each one has in society and in business to speak a word for Jesus Christ! How many opportunities occur daily wherein every ... Not A Myth But A Person
"He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God." That is the way you get the power. Naaman goes down to the river and takes the first dip. As he comes ... Not Able To Sleep Much
that night; he kept thinking of what he had heard. When the Holy Ghost is dealing with a man's conscience, very often sleep departs from him. Herod cannot get this wilderness preacher and his message out of his mind. The truth had reached his soul; ... Not An Orator
My friends, we have too many orators. I am tired and sick of your "silver-tongued orators." I used to mourn because I couldn't be an orator. I thought, Oh, if I could only have the gift of speech like some men! I have heard men with a smooth flow of... One Of The Sublimest Grandest Acts
that any man ever did. In that darkness and gloom, His disciples having all forsaken Him; Judas having sold Him for thirty pieces of silver; the chief apostle Peter having denied Him with a curse, swearing that he never knew Him; the chief priests h... One Text:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Day after day you could hear his voice ringing through the valley of the Jordan: "Repent! repent! repent! The King is at the door. I do not know the day or the hour, but He will be here very soon." ... Open-air Meeting
for the reading of the law of Moses in the hearing of the people. A pulpit of wood, large enough to hold Ezra the Scribe and thirteen others, was built. The people wept when they heard the words of the law, but Nehemiah said: "Mourn not, nor weep... Reviling
The first thing we read, then, of this man is that he was a reviler of Christ. You would think that he would be doing something else at such a time as that; but hanging there in the midst of torture, and certain to be dead in a few hours, instead... Ridicule
is a mighty weapon. "What do these feeble Jews?" said Sanballat. "Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" "Even that whic... Salvation Is Distinct And Separate From Works
Some people tell us we have to work to be saved. What has the man who believes that to say about the salvation of this thief? How could he work, when he was nailed to the cross? He took the Lord at His word, and believed. It is with the heart men ... Salvation Is Separate And Distinct From All Ordinances
--not but that ordinances are right in their place. Many people think it is impossible for any one to get into the kingdom of God if he is not baptized into it. I know people who were greatly exercised because little children died unbaptized. I ha... Shot Up A Prayer
to heaven right there in the king's dining hall that the Lord would help him to make his request in the right way. He first looked beyond Artaxerxes to the King of Kings. You need not make a long prayer. A man who prays much in private will make sho... Talking To Himself
in this way: "What a strange kind of man this must be! He claims to be king of the Jews, and the superscription over His cross says the same. But what sort of a throne is this! He says He is the Son of God. Why does not God send down His angels a... The Answered Prayer
Now consider the answer to his prayer. He got more than he asked, just as every one does who asks in faith. He only asked Christ to "remember" him; but Christ answered: "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise!" Immediate blessing--promise of ... The Apostle Paul's Experience
has been recorded three times. I have no doubt that he told it everywhere he went: how God had met him; how God had opened his eyes and his heart; and how God had blessed him. Depend upon it, experience has its place; the great mistake that is made ... The Biggest Fool In The World
"Why," they would say, "look at the opportunity that man had! He might have been commander of the Egyptian army, he might have been on the throne, swaying the sceptre over the whole world, if he hadn't identified himself with those poor, miserable H... The Call Of Moses
There is a great deal more room given in Scripture to the call of men to God's work than there is to their end. For instance, we don't know where Isaiah died, or how he died, but we know a great deal about the call God gave him, when he saw God on... The Converted Cupbearer
had arrived from the Persian court, and was going to build the walls of Jerusalem. There are some men who are always telling what they are going to do. Man, let the work speak for itself. You needn't blow any horns; go and do the work, and it will a... The First Man To Enter Paradise
after the veil of the Temple was rent. If we could look up yonder, and catch a glimpse of the throne, we would see the Father there, and Jesus Christ at His right hand; and hard by we would see that thief. He is there to-day. Nineteen hundred years ... The Last Act Of The Son Of God
was to save a sinner. That was a part of the glory of His death. He commenced His ministry by saving sinners, and ended it by saving this poor thief. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the Lord:... The Man Born Blind And Joseph Of Arimathea
There were two extraordinary men living in the city of Jerusalem when Christ was on earth. One of them has come down through history nameless--we do not know who he was; the name of the other is given. One was not only a beggar, but blind from his...