1970-FAITH-LV The Trial of Our Faith

We could all get a hold of our understanding of faith. I think the rest of our doctrine would soon come along just real good because we'd be living so much of the word that it would surprise ourselves and everybody else. I

may have bridged what I've taught here next week. Then we'd get back later on to take time to take a whole week or better, well, about a week on what are the major facets of the gospel which we term doctrine. I don't like to call it that, and yet if the way it's a revelation of the mysteries within the Word, it certainly needs a great deal of explanation. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father, we thank you again for the opportunity, being assembled here tonight, Lord, to learn your Word. We know, my God, there is just one reason that we should learn it, and that's to do it. For it's not him that heareth the Word, but he that doeth the Word. So, Lord, we look to you tonight to help us so that every word, shall be absolutely correct for instruction, shall be just the way you say it and how you say it. May every year also, O God, hear exactly what is said and how it is said, for everything to be just right. Now, we believe, Lord, this is not only possible, but we believe it's got to be so. We're asking your Father for that which would surely fulfill the word. When you said he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness should be filled, we are certainly hungering and thirsting. We don't claim for one minute to be filled, Lord, but we're looking to be filled. So we give ourselves, Lord, in that unreservedly, my God, and be that you will take us and work in and through us for thy glory and finally perfect us and bring us unto yourself. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Tonight the message is the trial of our faith. I want to read a few portions of Scripture. We have one, first of all, in the book of 1 Peter.

And in 1 Peter, the first chapter, the seventh verse. It says that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. Though what be tried with fire? Gold? No, your faith.

I told you that mountain -moving faith looked toward a God who raised the dead, which raising of the dead meant the extremest of conditions would be met by this faith. So there you see it again. I haven't told you a lie. Everything I tell you does do. With the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold which perishes. Lord, this faith be tried with fire. Might be found under the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. That's what Peter said. Now, what did James say? The first chapter of James, 2 to 8. We've read it before. My brethren counted pure joy. Now, all join me. Pure joy. Now, the word all, that's pure, I want you to understand means there's nothing mixed in there. Pure joy means pure joy. How would you like to have pure joy? That means nothing mixed with it. Joy that's pure. No possible slippage in the gears, so to speak. No alloy. No diminishing. Pure joy. Like you say, pure pork. Pure pork sauce, it means there's no beef and then no bread crumbs. It's all pork. Well, that's what the word pure means here. Nothing but joy. It says you're to count it pure joy when you fall into diverse testing, temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith, there it is again, the trying of your faith works patiently. But let patience have her perfect work. You may be perfect in entire wanting nothing. That's enough to read from there. Just want to show you your faith gets tried. Turn to Romans 5. Therefore, having been justified by faith, verse 1, not being justified, you have been justified. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access into this grace. When we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, not only so, we glory in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation works with patience. And patience, experience, experience hope. Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. who has given to us. Now, this is the most important scripture we're going to deal from it. But before we do, I want to read it two or three times from other translations in order to give you a better understanding. Many words in the King James Version were not properly researched or they were used in a day hundreds of years ago and they have lost their meaning. So I'm going to read it from various translations which are more modern in order to give you a better understanding of the scripture. And you can research these words for yourself in a lexicon. or some dictionary, whatever you choose. The Weymouth Translation says this, and I like the word, we exult. To glory means to exult. If you glory in something, you are exulting in it. The word exult means to crow.

We exult in hope of seeing God's glory, and not only so, we exult in such afflictions as ours, knowing as we do that afflictions produce endurance. Endurance, rightness of character. And rightness of character, hope. And this hope never disappoints because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. Moffat. Through him we have access into this grace when we have our standing. And we triumph in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, we triumph even in our troubles. Knowing that the troubles produce endurance. Endurance, character. That's the second time you'll notice that's mentioned. And character produces hope. A hope which never disappoints, since God's love floods our hearts through the Holy Ghost given to us. Way, W -A -Y, an Oxford translator, Moody Bible Press publication. Yes, and notice again the same word, we are exalting. Showing you that when Greek students choose a word, many of them choose the same word, that you may rest upon that, that that is the best translation for this time. Notice again, we exalt in the hope of something higher yet, the glory of God's presence. Now remember, this is a liberal man saying this. I will further say that we actually exult in such affliction, see, trials as it are, knowing as we do that afflictions develop unflinching endurance and that endurance develop tested strength and tested strength they have of the hope. This hope is no delusive one as proved by the fact that the brimming river of God's love has already overflowed into our hearts on driven by his Holy Spirit. Now you will notice in these cases there are some words that differ, but not one is the conclusion differing. The hope which never disappoints because of God's love overflowing our hearts. Now, as we study this, I want you to notice some very special language in this portion of Scripture. And if the Holy Ghost did not show you this, you would read it many times and miss it. This is the Scripture that God brought me back to year after year, time after time, until one day He showed me what I wanted to know and could never find in the Word of God. You will notice that this part of Scripture starts with hope. It says we exult in the hope of seeing God's glory. But it not only starts in hope, but it ends with hope. For it says again that this hope never disappoints. It starts with hope and it ends with hope. And then it spirals somehow through a spiritual process to a level which is beyond hope. And that is the level of love. Now let's examine this carefully according to what we've read. Look at it briefly, however, to examine it, but it'd be a careful examination. It says we stand in grace and we hope for the glory of God. What does that mean? The word hope means earnest expectation. What does the glory of God mean? It means exactly what it meant when Jesus was here upon earth. And they came to him and said concerning the man who was 39 years old and blind. And they said, who did sin? Did his parents sin that he was born blind? Or did he sin that he became blind? And Jesus said neither. The fact is he was born blind and he was blind for the glory of God. In other words, the glory of God was involved in this man's affliction because God was going to do something which he couldn't do unless the man had the affliction. I've been teaching that all week. You can't miss it. Here is a picture in Romans 5 of a man exulting, crowing. in what he found in the good word of God applicable to him and his situation, which was a predicament. Remember, I have taught you, there can be no promise without a necessity.

There can be no promise without a problem. Face it once and for all.

There is no need of a promise without a problem. God cannot alleviate that which needs no alleviation. God can comfort no heart that needs no comfort. He can provide for no man that needs no help. He can heal no man that needs no healing. He can save no man that needs no salvation. You satisfied? Huh? Are you? Now quit bluffing. Are you satisfied? From now on, when you think of promise, you're going to think of affliction. Is that correct?

Make up your mind. Please close the meeting. Go home now. There's a bunch of backlit invaders. Just sit around. We'll find us some truth.

For too long we fooled at the word of God. This is no time to fool. It's too late.

Because some preacher, somebody sold you a bill of goods or the devil has you sold yourself. We can't fool with that.

The Bible says that this man exalts in the word of God as it's applicable to his situation. He needs God. And he finds that God has the answer. It goes on to say that he receives it with great, great joy.

But then a trial sets in.

But when the trial sets in, the Scripture says he endures it, and he comes through a better man for it. This enlargement of heart and life has an effect upon this man's earnest expectation, which is called hope, because it now becomes indestructible, for it says it never disappoints. And from this experience, he goes to the overflowing, manifested love of God in his life. You say, that's a wonderful experience. I want that. You can have it.

But you've got to go through the same process this man went through. Let's examine it word for word.

The Scripture says that this man exults in the hope of the glory of God. He is crowing over the fact that God has revealed to him that he is not only able to be extricated from his problem, but God is going to do something very special for him. He knows that he can earnestly expect, sincerely expect God to do what he said because God can't lie. He is not only immutable, not only omnipotent, able to do it, but he is immutable. He will do it because he swore by himself. And he stands behind his word to perform it. He exalts in it. And we've done it. It is thrilling and rejoicing to know that God has the answer for us. And that's exactly what God has because it says over here in Hebrews 6, which we have read before, at least some of the verses. And 16 to 20, it says, For men barely swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. If you've got an end of all strife, what have you got? Peace. Rest. This is the rest of faith because God said it, and he can't lie. Wherein God willing, more abundantly to show unto you. The heirs of promise, the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong comfort who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope, the earnest expectation set before us, which we hope we have as an anchor of our soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entrifts into that within the veil. Our expectation is centered in Christ himself who can't fail. And he proved he can't fail because he conquered sin and death and rose again. And is seated in the right hand of majesty on high. And it says our forerunner Christ is within the veil. And I hope our expectation is anchored in him. Why? Because he's the high priest of good things to God. Now, this man has seen that God has for him the answer. And he rejoices in it. He exults in it. He's just thrilled about it. Now, logically, the human mind, by reasoning, and we're trying to be reasonable, will say, all right, I'm set free. I've gone to God for the answer. I'm set free. We're gifted so that our needs are met. But what does the Bible say? The Bible says, no, that's not what happens. A trial sets in.

In spite of our prayer of faith, the answer does not come immediately. And instead of things getting better, they'll either remain at the status quo or they may even get worse.

That's exactly what Scripture says. Now, the next portion of the same verse reads, We exult in such trials and afflictions as ours. The Bible says it. That's what this man did. When the afflictions came, he got all shouting happy about them too.

That's the one thing I can never figure out about shouting me, Methodist, Pentecost, or God knows what they are. I can never figure that. Because in church, anybody can shout and do that. Oh, you can cut her out. Bless God that we'll do a dance hall to shame. But get out there where the trials are. There's not one shout in the camp. There's not one smile upon the... Happened

to God.

The scripture said this. man exult.

He crowed as loud in the trial as he crowed over the promise.

He shouted just as much. He danced just as hard.

He said, Whippee! Just as exhilarated as he said it before. In fact, he's a Billy Brave who was so happy he literally danced down the street. And one day his wife said, Billy, I want thee to know that the flower barrel is getting empty. Well, he said, Whitey, I want thee to know let it get empty. and I shall stick my head in the barrel and shout glory through the bunghole. And she said, Thou hast better see that thou do it when the time cometh. So one day she said, Billy, the barrel is empty. And he said, Wife, if you will stick your head in the barrel with me, we will both shout glory through the bunghole.

And they did, and God filled the barrel.

Now look, there isn't any man living who has given permission to rend the word of God. And for anybody to take away the second part of this verse is to rend the word of God. If you can shout glory over God being a healer, over God being a provider, over the promise of God, then you are duty -bound to shout glory over the fact that you're tested and tried.

Because that's exactly what the Scripture says here. Let me show you, brother, sister, I'm not giving you my own ideas. I'm giving you the Word of God. So we turn to the book of Hebrews, the 11th chapter, and in verses 17 to 19 it says, By faith Abraham, when he was Christ.

Abraham's faith was tried. I

faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac. And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. Now let me ask you this question. Don't answer, but think. When was Abraham tried by God? Before God gave him a promise or after God gave him the promise? Abraham was tried after God gave him the promise.

If you think the promise of God will keep away the trial, you've missed the book. The promise of God will bring the trial. It

says right here in the book.

Let's see what else the book says. You know what it says is written in the book. It doesn't mean it's somewhere in the Bible. According to I understand it, I've been told by scholars. It means it's just exactly like was written on the cross. It is finished. It is written is identical in meaning. That is not the meaning so much as word for word translation, but the thought. It is written. It is finished. I have spoken, said God, that's it. And it'll stand. And if the only thing that will stand, we better stand with it. So we go to the book of Psalms 105.

Psalm 105 and verse 19, it says, Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried Joseph.

Brother Vail, I'm going to use that word to promise you get results. Or you better also say, Brother Vail, I'm going to use that word and get tried.

God said to Joseph, sun, moon, stars bow down. Sheaves bow down. He came and told his people. And they said, do you really think so? He said, I'm sure it is. They said, we'll find out. You and he got through trouble for believing God's word? He got hated? That's nice feeling. I'm getting used to it. I hope. Cross the fingers.

He got thrown into slavery. He got lied about. Faulty accused. Persecuted. Put in dungeon.

Until the word that God gave him by promise personally came to pass, he was tried by that same word. See

if I can find over here something.

Hebrews 6 and 15 says concerning Abraham and Saul, after he had, after he had asked, he had patiently endured, then and only then did he receive the promise.

God's word's right.

Now, why is it that we can exult?

Why is it that we can exult in the trials of our lives and take the trials in an exultant, rejoicing manner? In the first place, we have the measure of the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for this very thing and cannot operate without it. and can move mountains and raise the dead. That ought to be careful. Also, it puts things in the past tense because God can't fail giving us the rest of faith while the trials go on. Assurance. So

there is a second thing. And that is, according to Scripture, it says we know something.

And that's what's wrong with Christians. They don't know anything hardly anymore. Now, the old -timers did. The old Puritans knew the Word of God. Your old students really knew something. But our modern people, they don't know for nothing.

The Bible says these people knew something. Now, what is it they knew? Well, that's the next step. They knew that tribulation worked patience.

That's what they knew.

They understood what we're trying to arrive at tonight. And that's an understanding of why God tries our faith, how he does it, and what the end results are. and what we are to understand about it to go through the process in order to arrive at a happy situation in the Lord Jesus Christ. They knew that the trial of their faith worked patience. They knew that the only way anybody can get patience is by being tried. No other way. So we turn to Hebrews 10, and we read 32 to 39. And it says, But call to remembrance the former days, in which... After you were illuminated, what illuminates the man? The entrance of thy word giveth light. You say, Brother Vail, the Holy Ghost gives me light. Don't be ridiculous. The Holy Ghost doesn't give you light.

Now you may think I'm telling you to build a good, but he doesn't give you light.

The Holy Ghost is a person and he brings you the word which gives you the light. Because if you have the Holy Ghost and shut yourself away from the word, you won't get light even though you got the Holy Ghost.

You say, can I do that? You're capable of shutting off the things of God.

You are.

The word brings life. The entrance of thy word bringeth life. Give it life. And it says, call to remembrance the former days in which after you were illuminated, the word of promise came to you, you endured a great flight of affliction. Partly. Whilst you were made a gazing stock, both by reproach and affliction, and partly, whilst you became companions of them that so use it. When you're a Christian, they're going to go after you for your own sake because you love God, or they're going to fight somebody else that you have conversation and you're used to living with, association with, and they'll prosecute you because of that. That's exactly what Paul taught you. Now, he said, you had compassion of me and my bonds, and you took joyfully. The spoiling of your good knowing. Now, how many of us tonight can be happy when we're despoiled? We get pretty ouchy, don't we? We get pretty miserable. I'm the best one to work. I can get about the ouchies any man living. If I want to give it to you, I'm generous. But if you want to take it,

it may be that it's not exactly that I'm stingy, but you see, I'm right -handed and I keep my money in my left -hand pocket. Not too easy to get at.

See?

Now, The Bible says that you rejoice because you know something. You take joyfully the fact you're spoiled.

Why? They knew something. What did they know? They knew that they had in heaven a better and enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence. Your confidence? Faith in the word of God. Which hath great recompense and reward, for you have need of patience. that after you have done the will of God, what's the will of God? That you suffer. After

you've done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

When do you get the promise? After you are tried and endure affliction.

Now, for years we've been taught, live deliverance, haven't we? They say, now, you don't need to sit down there and suffer. And they appeal to your greed. And they take out a check, and they say, fill this check in for $50, $100. God will give it back $100. Now, that's not exactly a lie, but it ain't the truth, honey.

The appeals are green. Oh,

I know I've been to their meetings. I get their magazines. They send out anointed pocketbooks. If that's not the same as getting a relic from the Catholic Church, I'll eat my shirt.

If that's not paganism, I don't know what paganism is. If that's not substituting God for a rabbit's foot, I don't know what it's all about.

We get it all the time. If you don't know the names, I can give you the names. I've got to write you because I've got the magazine with their name on it. It's no secret. There's not WV, it's G, isn't it? What is it, Dallas that does it? Oh, sure it can't be just Texas.

You've got them here in the Carolinas, don't worry, like I've got them in Ohio.

And they appeal to you and say, now you really don't need to go through trials, we're here to take your trials off. And

I'm not saying you can't get healed, I'm not saying God's not going to do something for you, but I'm going to tell you this, before you get the promises of God, you're going to suffer. Because God said so. There aren't any shortcuts.

Never have been, never will be. See? It says that after. You say, I need healing. God says you need patience.

I need to have some money. God says you need patience. I need to get my family in shape. God says you need patience.

I'm going to tell you one thing. I never saw God ever back up any word yet. He backs it up, but he doesn't back up from it. And I never saw a man to beat him yet either.

That's why one day a lot of folk are going to stand in judgment here. They're going to say, I prophesied a name. He said, you sure did. So did Balaam.

We heal the sick. He'll say, you sure did, but so did Judas.

He'll say, I never knew.

God's only have respect for those who preach his word. You stick to his word because that's what God says. Over here in the book of James, you've got the very same thing. In the book of James, verses 2 to 4, My brethren, count it pure joy when you fall into divers temptations, knowing that the trial of your faith work is patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. It says here you will always want all the days of your life until you get patience. When you get patience, you'll never lack another thing.

That's tough preaching. I think we're all better than you.

That's the lesson that Job learned, isn't it? We won't read about Job. We read about Job the other night. We'll read about Job later on, maybe. Let's go to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 8. Huh? Chapter 8, verse 2.

Let me get it here. Now, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God... the Lord thy God let thee. Don't blame it on to the devil.

Hey, who's your shepherd?

God. Well, then why blame the devil?

Whose hand is it? God's. Why blame the devil? I'm not telling you to blame God. I'm just trying to show you something. Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord... Notice it says way, not ways, but ways. There is one way that God leads. Way, W -A -Y, not W -A -Y -S.

And there's only one end to it. Our way will bring many ends, which have various forms of death, but God's way brings one thing. Which the Lord thy God led thee through these forty years of illness to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou would keep his commandments or no, and humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither thy fathers knew, that he might make thee to know that man doth not live by bread only. What

happened when they just wanted loaves and fishes from God? They backslid, didn't they? Couldn't take the peach and couldn't take the red. You don't live by bread alone. You don't live by just these promises here.

You've got to live by what goes with the promise.

See, that's why nobody's living good these days because they've denatured all the food. They take the potatoes now and they dehydrate them and they take everything good. They add chemicals to them. And now what do you do? You don't bother spuds anymore. You go down and get French's, fluffy potatoes and a little thing. You pour them in water and feed yourself and your kids gunk, pure, unadulterated gunk. Not fit for a sewer. let alone human body.

You know what? That's the way man always does things. He takes everything in the promise of God and he tries to put it right where he wants. You can't do it? Can't work. Look at verse 15. Who led thee through that great... Who's leading? God's leading. Where's he leading them to? Promised land. Oh, isn't it beautiful?

What do you want? You want the promise? Go today. How are you going to get it? Well, I'm going to pray the paraphrase. Hallelujah. I'm going to go flitting in. Oh, are you? I've got news here. Somebody's a shotgun. He knows how to get down those high -flying birds.

You know the Bible? It's not only in the place where it says they mount up rigs like eagles. It also says that they walk. It also says they sit. And they also stand, too.

It also says they get cast down.

Second book of Corinthians. Who, that's God, led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery scorpions. Now, I can't read it that way because I don't like it. who led me through a beautiful lush valley, so quiet, so sweet. And there were birds and butterflies and lots of water. And there was that money tree.

And, of course, there was even the cigarette tree, if you don't think that's bad for you.

And a little wine for your stomach's sake.

Is that what it says? Well, I read it that way. You see, I don't read it that way. Then don't get the connotation as though you read it that way. Or don't ignore it.

Because God doesn't change His ways. The Bible warns us in Ecclesiastes, God does not change His ways. It said, God led them in the great and terribleness wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought where there was no water and brought them forth the waters and the flinty rocks, fed them in the wilderness, and so on, in order that He might humble them and prove them in order to do them good. And you say, God's got a funny way about doing things good. That's why He said, My thoughts are not your thoughts. And my ways are not your ways. For as high as heaven above the earth, so are my ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. And we know that some of the heavens are millions of light years away, which would be trillions of miles from here. So forget your way and get a hold of God. And accept it as the natural way of Christian living. Now, this process of developing faith is not actually a strange desire for God to put us through things. Because a man with God back of him and a measure of faith can be patient. He can't lose because he has more than conquered. He's invulnerable. He's invincible if he only knew. For God to try us is not free.

Now, if God sent a boy on a man's job, that'd be different.

For us to tell somebody that is a brick mason and doesn't know the piano notes A from F and say, sit down and play, that's wrong. Because you're asking that person to do what he can't do. You're asking something strange, which is incompatible. But when God leads us this way, it's because we are equipped and are well able to go God's way. Because God is not a ruthless tyrant. He is a good God who does good things. Now, what's the next step? The next step is that this man endures and by his endurance becomes patient. And because he is patient, something else happens. And the Bible calls it maturity or rightness of character. Remember what Brother Branham said not long ago? He said the wheat is in the chaff, but it's free. And it's got to mature. And how's it going to mature? We are going to be tried as we have never been tried in our lives. So get ready for it.

I'm going to say something here. And I want you to take it the way it's said in the beyond tape. And I'm going to be criticized for it. And I mean criticized. Do you believe that Brother Branham was a real prophet, God of insight? Do you believe he wouldn't lie? He wouldn't lie to me, he wouldn't lie to you. Brother Branham did not know if the tent was real or a symbol.

Many people were convinced it was not a symbol, but it was real. He told me he did not know. He thought it was, but he didn't know. I believe that tent ministry has come and gone. They didn't even know it. Because the little tabernacle of the Bible is a wooden framed building that's made out of wood with skins with it. But when you talk about a tent of the congregation, that's not the tabernacle.

The little tabernacle contained the Holy of Holies. And in it, he said, I'll meet you there, and the others will have to go the same way you went, and they'll come out whole. In other words, it's the step to the resurrection.

Now, here's something I don't want you to misunderstand, because I don't know too much about these things. But he did tell me this one thing. He said, Lee, if there's anything to the tent, he said, I've got two men picked. And I picked you to teach the preachers in the morning, but I want you to teach faith to the people in the afternoon. I preached twice to the preachers, and no man in his ministry has ever done that except me. I'm not boasting. I'm just making you a bare -ball statement. Take it or leave it. I put no meaning on it, especially. But he said, teach the minister's doctrine. I taught two mornings on doctrine. I went back to teaching faith, and I'm teaching you faith in God. And I'm saying if you believe the prophet of God, you better believe what God's word says. Because you see, character comes by the trial of your faith. By you becoming patient. And the wheat is green. And this is the most characterless age that God has ever allowed to be produced in this world.

If you can find character today, brother, sister, you're finding the highest thing in this world. You can't find it like today. The churches don't have it. The world doesn't have it.

The kids in school said that Charles Van Doren had a right to cheat and be prompted to make all that money if he could get away with it. Just too bad he got caught.

They said the government ought to do more to help us than not help us. And we ought to have the government do things for us. We don't need to be independent.

Lying, cheating, gouging, chiseling, murdering. And the church is green. It hasn't had character. Why? Because the church has been taught you don't need to suffer.

Oh, come on. You know what I'm talking about. What a shortcut. My brother, my sister, character cannot come apart from suffering. It says in Hebrews 5, 7 and 9 concerning Jesus who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared. He wasn't heard because he cried and sobbed and fasted.

He feared. And though he were a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered and being made perfect. How?

By suffering. To get patience. To get character. And only then he became the author of eternal salvation. Even Jesus Christ had to suffer to develop character.

Let's turn to Job. The fifth chapter. 17 to 27. Behold, happy. That means blessed. Fortunate. Successful. Happy is the man whom God corrected. Therefore despise thou not the chasing of the Almighty. For God make a sword and God bindeth up. God woundeth and God's hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles. Yea, in seven. There shall no evil touch thee. In famine. Famine? Yes, famine. We talked about it this morning. God shall redeem thee from death. And in war. Yes, there's going to be war. From the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue. But it's going to be there. Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field. And the beasts of the earth shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace. And thou shalt visit thy habitation and shalt not sin. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age like a shock of corn cometh in his season. When does the shock come in season? When it's mature. It's dry. It's not green. It's got character. What it's got now is the light is ready as it were for another cycle. I'm ready for planting. I might come forth in a light. In other words, you go to your grave, you're ready for the resurrection. See? Lo, this we have searched it. So it is, hear it. And know that it is for thy good. What's for your good? That God can only develop in you character by suffering. Let's turn to the book of Psalms. Psalm 84.

Psalm 84 and 47. And it says, Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. They will be still praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the ways of them who, passing through the valley of Baca, the valley of tears, the valley of sorrow. The valley of testing, the valley of trying. What does it say? Make it a well, and the rain filleth also the pool. Now, Psalm 94, 12

to 13. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teach him out of his law, that thou mayest give him rest.

How do you get rest? Through your faith in God, the rest of faith. How? By the trial of your faith. Thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity until the pit be digged for the wicked. Let's turn to 1 Peter. Sort of jumping around the book, but I just want to bring these verses up because they tell the story and every word of God is pure. Every word of God has power in it. 1 Peter, the fifth chapter, and verses 6 through 11. And it says, Humble thyself therefore under the mighty hand of God. What does it say? Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. In other words, God is going to bring you down by his own hand and then he'll lift you up. See, casting all your care upon him. for he careth for you. See what we're talking about? Now, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. How does he devour them? By the people thinking that their sorrow is too much for them, and they get swallowed up. Now, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing. that the same afflictions are being accomplished or done in every one of your brethren in the world. Not one misses it. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, make you perfect, established, strengthened, and settled.

You see, I want that without suffering so I can suffer. I'm sorry, honey, but you get it by suffering.

You don't get it in able to suffer. You suffer in order to get it. You don't get money in order to go to work. You go to work in order to get money.

Now, don't try to change God's order of Scripture.

Oh, don't try your shortcut. Brother Dale, I'm going to pray and fast and get the oil on my hand. Well, you can get a tub if you like and take a bath. I

don't care what you do. I'm going to join Youth Endeavor and do what you want.

Go ahead.

Balaam went his way and got his foot crushed. Bully for him.

I'm talking this way to stir us up, to get us to realize this is how you get what you're after. You don't tell God how to get it. You get it God's way or you don't get it. You suffer.

And if you're not willing to suffer, you're not going to get it. The thing that you're throwing aside is God's way which is best. And

it's the only way God's going to adhere to because you see, God can't change. You say, Brother Vail, I believe in dispensations and God changes. Well, you don't believe right. Because God doesn't change either in what he does or what he is because you do what you are. So therefore, if God changes in what he is doing, then he changes in what he is. Let me show you how stupid this thought of dispensation is. Huh? All right. In the Garden of Eden was what? Innocent? And God put man in Eden, woman in Adam and Eve. And he said, now, I just wonder what they'll do. And the devil gets turned loose. The devil caught him. And he said, oh, oh, oh, isn't that too bad? Look what they did. Oh,

that's the way you read your book. Some of you guys believe in dispensation. So he turned around. He said, well, I'll put them under conscience. That's what he did. And so it came up and he killed Abel. He said, oh, how shocking, how shocking. He's lost two rounds now. Human government brought on the flood. Trauma, fear, law didn't work. Race hasn't done it. A six -time loser is God, according to you people who believe in dispensation. Now listen to me. Would you bet on a horse that lost six races and bet on the seventh?

Oh, you wouldn't do that. Then why bet on a God who's a six -time leader? Because that's what he is. If you believe in dispensations, then God tries something each time different to see if it'll work. Oh, brothers, sisters, come

on.

God has never changed his way or he himself would be changed. The way of God is... suffering. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I've got to tell you.

Oh, I wish I could be like the modern preacher and say, you don't want to go to hell. Well, who does?

I told you, I don't even want to get my little finger burned, let alone my whole body cast into you. So you don't want to go to hell. You want to go to hell? Easy believism, escapism. You're not escaping anything. You never were meant for hell if you're in the bride of Christ. You're getting ready for heaven, honey.

Don't bat your eyes. Just read your Bibles. If I'm wrong, when I'm finished, you come up here and take over. We'll go word for word. I'm a thief or anybody. I don't care who you are. Let's find out. Don't twist it. Just read it the way it is.

He said, After you have suffered a while, make you perfect. When you get perfect, after you have suffered. Oh, but if I could get perfect, then I could take you. Oh, I'm sorry.

Huh?

Revelation, the third chapter.

In verse 19, as many as I love, this is said to your day and mine. In no place in the Laodicean age does it say that we love God. We don't.

The last book of the Bible, the Old Testament book of Malachi, the burden of the word of the Lord to Malachi, I have loved you, said the Lord, yet you say wherein have you loved us? God loved Israel, but they didn't love him.

We're in the same boat. God does not say we love him, but he says he loves us. And he's warning us. Why? Because he said, I'm going to have to rebuke you. And I'm going to chasten you. Be zealous and resent because you haven't seen it. And I'll get ready for it because it's going to come. We're going to be abused as we've never been abused. If we are the bride of Christ indeed, which I hope to God we are, then look at the songs of Solomon. When she heard his voice, she said, that's my lover. And she ran. But when she got there, he wasn't there. She went through the streets. The dogs chased. They ripped her clothes. They assaulted her. They tried to molest her. But she heard his voice and she ran through the night. Pleading with him through the night there as she was going and going, finally exhausted and fainting, he came and talked to her, raised her up.

You think for one minute you're not going to get persecuted, you independent people? If you don't want to get persecuted, join an organization tonight. Now forget it, just forget it. You just might as well leave now and join an organization. Go on.

But they're going to cut off every unorganized church in America. Already, and you don't even know it, this building has to have what they call a reversion clause on it. Where will this building go if this works? fall. And because you haven't got it, and you don't know it, they'll take the building away from you. Ha ha, you're stuck already. The IRS is going to cook everybody's goose. Because every check is photostatted right now. And you have not just suggested, but you have indicated you want your money to go to some person in the gospel. And you take an induction on it from your income tax. They're going to come back and tell you that the law says all you can do is suggest. You cannot actually tell where it's going to go. And they can look up your back records and they'll get the whole bunch.

Didn't know it, did you? You better know it now, honey. You're in for it. And I'm ready for the jail. I hate it. I get up at night's the odd time and I like comfort and all. You're going to get me.

I'm like the fellow that knows he's going to get hit with a baseball, but just where I don't know.

I'm not kidding myself. If you are, you join some church that they've already said in two years, the government stipulates in two years, they figure they'll have it down to six major organizations in America.

So, honey, if you're a minor and you want to escape, you better meet you right now.

If you're a child of God, you're not going to worry about it because Daniel has a band of lions in. Let's go, lion. God doesn't shut them up. What happens? Well, you just get it up there. You say, well, it'll hurt. Sure, it'll hurt, but not too long. Will you be scared? Sure, you'll be scared. I'd be scared. I'm not kidding. Yes, well, I'm not here to pretend, oh, glory, hallelujah, this is sweet. Sure it is.

But God has something in here that makes that bitter word sweet. In the book of Psalm 44 and 1, it says, Hear me when I call upon thee, O God of righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. When do you get enlarged? When does God make you a big person? When you get put in distress. You say, oh God, I want to be a big man, Lord God. I really want to amount to something. Now make me something, Lord, and I'll go out and take over. Oh, come on.

God says, I'll knock you down. I'll cramp on you. I'll make it so rough. Then you'll be a big man. You say, fool, hold it. Oh,

come on. Big men always are men of character. And you can't get character apart from suffering. Huh?

Hebrews, the 12th chapter.

I'm preaching hard in the Bible coming apart here. See, even the printed page sometimes doesn't like to be preached on that. Listen, but it's true. Listen to what it says. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which easily sets us. What's that, unbelief? And let us run with patience the race that before. How can you run a race with patience?

You never saw a patient runner in your life. What's he trying to tell us? It'll be over in a hurry. It's just like a race. It's all gone. Quieting down. Quieting down. Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter. The word finisher is like a cabinet maker who finishes the cabinet. It's perfecter. Looking unto Jesus, the starter and the perfecter, because you start rough and then he's going to smooth you off. Of your faith. who for the joy that was set before him, the promises of God, endured the cross, the afflictions and suffering, despised the shame, the things they threw at him by reproach, mocking and jeering, and is now set down. What does it mean to be set down? Established.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners. He did not endure the contradiction of the saints. No elect member of God's body will ever persecute, harm, or hurt another elect body. It's the reprobate that does it.

That's his job. God doesn't reprobate for the sake of reprobation. He reprobates because you need to reprobate to give you a trial.

Now, it

says here, he endured the contradiction sinners against himself. Lest ye be worried and faint in your own soul. You have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin. Christ did. He fought himself. until his blood broke forth before. And have you forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto children? My son, despise thou not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked, for whom the Lord loveth. This is Revelation again. He chastens and scourges every son that he receives.

Do you know that in the Greek, the proverb for education was what? Suffering.

The Greeks had a word for education. Truly, it was called suffering.

Education is to equip you for life and mature you so you can face up as a responsible person. God says, I've got to scourge you to make you responsible for creation. Now remember, he's not going to hurt you. He's not going to kill you. No. He's not going to beat you down. He's not going to just kill you. Because your faith in God and his strength is going to take you through. But you are going to have to use the things that God gave you in the way that God told you to use them. Now, it says, if you will endure chastening, God deals with you a son, for what son is he whom the Father doesn't chasten? That's to correct for his own good. But if you be without chastisement, whereof every single believer, in measure of faith, is a partaker, then, it says, your furious sons are bastards and not true sons.

And yet you've got people that tried to tell you to live like bastards instead of sons of God. You don't need to suffer. Use a gift. Use a shortcut. Do this. Do that. Now, I said, I'm not against gifts. I'm for them. I'm for healing. I'm for everything. But I'm for it the way that God says it.

That's why we don't get results, because we don't get God's way. Now, listen carefully, brother and sister. Character is a victory. It is not a gift.

Do you know that? Character is a victory.

Character is a victory. It is not a gift. What is a victory? It is a successful result of war.

The result of the battles of this life in the name of Jesus Christ ends in one thing and one thing only, character. Not money, not health, not prestige, not a million things that the world loves, but the one thing that God wants, character.

Now note that this victory of character development, notice it brings a return. To hope.

He starts with hope, and it ends with hope. See? He gets the promise, he exults in it. The trial comes in, he exults in it. Because he knows that he's being tested in order to bring out patience, which in turn will give him character. And then this hope, which was just hope, now the Bible says, it's hope which never disappoints. How many times have you started out with a hope in God, but ended up disappointed? Come on now. Ninety -nine times out of a hundred. That's about the time it goes. Isn't that right? Come on, let's be honest now.

I told you, if all we had to do was pray in Jesus' name, and every prayer was answered, we would all be princes and princesses living in palaces with a fleet of Cadillacs. Oh, yeah. You wouldn't need to read Gaylord Hauser's book or anybody else how to be strong, man. I'll be healthy. I'll be glamour girls and...

See, God's not interested in glamour girls and all those things. He wants character. And

if you've got your prayer answered every single time because of measure of faith, you wouldn't have any character. You'd be a spoiled brat. Ever hear of a parent giving his kid everything he wanted every time he squawks? No discipline. If Johnny feels like throwing his porridge, it's good. Let him throw it. Not at me. If you want it, you can have it, but not around my place. First time my boy missed his charity, missed the fact. Our son Gray is a very sweet little boy. And one day he didn't get his breakfast just exactly on time. And he went... So I went... Just like that. Down the crib and I said, stay there. There wasn't one more time the kid went... He was the best eater of all three. And you know what I taught him, Pete? I taught the top end and the bottom end.

Something like the Lord. He goes at things backwards, you think, doesn't he? But he doesn't.

Carry it.

See?

Listen. Isn't there a time in your life you have noticed that after a certain period of time whereby you hang on to God's word regardless, That you suddenly come out a better Christian and you know that you know that you know that you know your God. Is that right? This is that process. Not by accident. It's a process. See? In other words, here is the process of the exercise of faith which causes the growth of faith and our growth in the faith. God wants both. A growth in the faith and a growth of our faith. Now, let's apply what we learned to Abraham. See if it holds water because he's our test. Now, Abraham goes to God. God reveals himself. I'm sorry, Abraham doesn't go to God. God goes to Abraham. God reveals himself to Abraham and he said, I am thy shield and exceeding great reward. I am the one who supplies all your needs. And Abraham says, Oh, if you're the one who supplies my needs, what are you going to do about the fact that I don't have a son? Well, God says, I'll give you a son. Well, that's nice. Now, but does he get the son? No, sir. All he's got is promise. Is that correct? All right. Let's read now in Hebrews, the fourth chapter, and follow it through. I'm sorry, not Hebrews, it's Romans. You know better than I do on that. Just turn to Romans 4 for this. Now, let's read it. And I'll show you something really wonderful here because this will help you. 17 to 22. As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. Now, this is promise. God said it. He believed it.

As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, even God. who quickens the dead and calls those things to be not as though they were. Who, when hope was gone, this is literal translation, hoped on in faith that he might become what God said he already was. See? So should I see be. And being not weak in faith, how could he be weak in faith? He wasn't weak in faith because he had to measure God's own faith. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, and when he was a hundred years old, he needed to get the deadness to stare at his womb. And he staggered not. Notice, he staggered not. At the promise of God to me. Just a minute. What's that there for? Because instead of getting the promise of a son right away, like he thought, God kept him waiting 20 years until his body was so dead and his wife's body was so dead, it was useless. It had to be God. Now, what would you do tonight if God said to you, I want you to have a son and you were too old either one of you had a child.

Now, would you go through your triumph? till you got the rejuvenation? Or would you say, well, this can't be it. I'm supposed to have a son. Too old to have a son? So, that's all. Forget it. Unbelievable. And you lost it. Right? What is the process? I'm just... You see, look, folks. The Bible dovetails. When God lays down a principle, it holds from Genesis to Revelation without even the minutest change. And you can't find one person that hasn't been in this trail I'm talking about. Now, let's read some more about it. He staggered not at the promise of God to unbelief. And I'll tell you, God's word will stagger you unless you learn about the trial of your faith. It'll stagger you. But he didn't stagger you. He knew what was going on. And he became stronger in faith. He's growing, giving glory to God. Notice, exalting the trial. He's rejoicing. He said, Hallelujah. Oh, he said, Bless God. When this son comes forth, I'll be better able to help him because I'll be older and wiser. Sarah will be better. He'll get mellow with old age and all those things. He was happy. He said, our bodies will be young, but our minds will be mature, wonderful minds. We'll know just what to do. Oh, he was rejoicing every day, praising God. Never mind how old I am. He said, I'm still what God said I am. And he became it. Now listen. Then it says here, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he'd be able to perform. Now listen. Here's the picture again. Abraham was given a promise, but he didn't get the promise. Years later, he was still getting older and older until it was too late to believe. But he kept believing. And as he kept on believing, Abraham, by patience, became mature. And one day God came down to him with two angels and stood before him and said, Abraham, you are such a man of such character, I can tell you what's going to happen. And by the way, you're ready to have that son now because you've got the character.

That's exactly what he said. He said, shall I withhold from my friend Abraham the thing I'm about to do? He was the friend of God. That's how deep his character was. He'd gotten over looking at Hagar. He'd gotten over going down Egypt. He'd gotten over all those things. He was a man of character now. Standing righteous before God. Believing God. And God said, now you can have it. But I want you to notice the scripture, my beloved brother and sister. Please look at verse 17 if you've got a Bible. What does it say? That Abraham did? Huh? In verse 17? He believed. Is that correct? Huh? All right. Now, look down at verse 21. 20 years after, he was what? Thoroughly persuaded. He was not thoroughly persuaded in verse 17, 20 years before. So the trial of his faith and holding on to God didn't only bring him character, but brought his faith to such a high level, that he knew, that he knew, that he knew, that he knew.

The faith which never disappoints is the same word as full persuasion. Suddenly

Abraham is strong and

powerful.

But it took the years.

Remember, God doesn't fail. It's we who fail. He doesn't understand. Now, we've still got plenty of time. So we're going to apply this not to Abraham now, but to you and me. Not that we haven't been doing it. We go to God. And we want to make him to make known one of his redemptive titles to us. It may be healer, provider, keeper, our peace, for so on, shepherd, our righteousness. We pray the prayer of faith. We believe him. We expect an immediate answer. We expect some improvement at least. We expect a betterment right now. We want deliverance. We want it at our own time, in our own way. Then when the answer does not come, and we are not aware of how God works, then our faith fails. And we say, well, I guess I didn't pray in faith. And the preacher says, yes, right, you didn't pray in faith. Now, you're both wrong.

Because a prayer of faith is a prayer of faith. And if you believe, you believe. The only trouble is, you didn't know God's ways, you failed. See? Now, you say, well, I just thought I prayed in faith. So, we minimize the power of the measure of faith. And we think that God's faith fails. How can God's faith fail? You just took a bet, that's all. If I put a dollar in the counter and say, give me four loaves of bread and two bits of pizza, take that. Oh, no, don't do it. Is he going to give me the bread? No. And I say, well, I think, yes, I do want the book. Take it back. Nothing wrong with a dollar bill. Nothing wrong with a man trying to give you the merchandise if the fellow takes the thing back and forth. See? That's what happens. Now, some even go so far as to say that God denies us answers in order to do something else for us. That's not true.

No, that's passing the buck. But the thing is, nothing is wrong even though we think. By logical reasoning, not knowing the word that something is wrong, everything is exactly the way God wants it. We are merely under pressure in order for God to teach us to endure, in order to develop character, to show ourselves worthy of him and his provision. God wants us to mature. He wants us to have character. Now, what's character? Character is how you act when the pressure's on.

How do you want to know what kind of a guy I am? Put me under pressure and you'll soon see. But if you give me nice money and nice clothes and everything nice and I got no pressure and everybody's sweet and my wife is sweet and my kids are sweet. Oh, I'm the sweetest buttercup. Oh, I am. Sweeter than all roses. Sweet, right? So are you. So are you. I told you. Didn't I tell you? I told somebody. We had a housekeeper years ago. When my wife and I worked, her name was Mabel and she had a little stepdaughter kind of little thing she adopted called Helen. And Helen and our kids were scrapping day and night. You talk about a bedlam. We had it. Our three kids and her one old brother. So one day, Neba blew her stack. And she said, it's your kids. It is your kids. It is your kids. I said, how come? Why? She said, when Helen's alone, she has no trouble. I said, sure. Because she loves herself. She wouldn't fight herself. Nobody does.

The only way you know what's in you is when the pressure's put on. Did you, oh, by the way, did you hear what I read in the Bible tonight about Deuteronomy? He said, I led you this way to see what was in your heart.

God put the pressure on. It wasn't that he didn't know what was in their heart. He wanted them to know what was in their heart. So he put the pressure on, and they soon found out what they were like.

See? So you see, brother, sister, it is not your action. It's your reaction that pins you whether you're a Christian. Because he said when a man comes up and hits you on this cheek, you say, hey. Take a crack at this one. It's all free.

It takes your coat. You say, well, go ahead. This one came in the same sort. And that's just the coat. You can have it too. You say, well, come and walk a mile. Make you walk a mile. You say, no, I prefer two miles. That'd be better fun still. Enjoy it. You're supposed to enjoy it. It says you're supposed to exalt in it. It says by God. And it's a manifest token of God's approbation and approval of you. You're a son. He's trying to make you strong. He's trying to give you character.

It's your reaction, my brother, my sister. No real saint of God will ever start anything. I challenge you. Show me in the Word where a saint of God ever started anything. You say, David did. No, no. This lady tripped in front of public. Any woman taking off her clothes in public is this fair bait. Now, God forbid any man should touch her. God forbid he should. But, brother, sister, listen. You read your Bible, you'll find out a woman does excite a man. I don't know anything about anything else. She was naked. He didn't really mean it. I don't believe you. But in that moment, it's too late. Christians don't start things. But when somebody else starts it, they often finish it.

Say, He hit me here, and you should have seen my right as I crossed it. Boom! Oh, I've got it.

Don't do that.

Don't do it. When He was reviled, He never reviled. When He was cursed and hanged upon the cross, He said, Forgive me.

The bride doesn't cry for vengeance. She cries for forgiveness. She understands and says, I'd be in the same shape if it weren't for the grace of God.

God has to put pressure on you to see your reaction.

Because how you react to any stimuli, and remember it's going to be rough stimuli, will prove what you are inside.

And in this day, the pressure is going to come from God as never before.

Because we're awful green, we're not mature.

Remember what I read to you over here in the book of Hebrews, the 10th chapter?

Verse 35 and 36. It says, cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. Your confidence in God is like money invested. He'll give you a measure of his goodies, which you never dreamed possible to obtain. But it says here, for you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. As I said, we say, Lord, I need healing. God says you need patience.

a lady went to a man's meeting in Canada. His name was Dr. Cliff, the famous Dr. Cliff scientist and philanthropist and what know, what do you know. He was Episcopalian who worked in the church. He claimed to be born again. I believe he was. He had gifts anointing in his life. And one day, now I don't appreciate the fact that he took an odd cigarette, took a little pull on it. He said he did it, not that he liked it, not that he's addicted, he didn't care for it, but he said it kind of embarrassed a lot of folkies around that he didn't maybe look like he was just a little bit like him and not really like him. I don't see that, but if he said so, I'm not going to fuck about it. It's part of the story. Anyway, a lady said to him one day, she got very abusive about his cigarettes. So he said, Madam, isn't it true that you're arthritic? She said, I sure am. It's getting worse. And he said, but if also true is it not that you love coffee, that you drink 12 to 18 cups? She said, yes, and I can hardly wait to get home. I sure love it. And he said, lady, let me tell you this. I am a scientist. I have been for years. He's a doctor. He's a scientist. He's got his degree in chemistry. And he said, there is more harm in your coffee than there is in my cigarettes because I barely touch them. But you drink coffee day and night. And he said, furthermore, let me tell you this. You have prayed for your arthritis, but you'll never be healed because you are a malicious God. You stand and sit at your window to see something to talk about. And she said, my God, that's true. She repented. and she was healed.

God couldn't heal until she developed the character commensurate with the gift. You need character, said God. It can only come by patience. You need character. Do you think you need healing? No. Do you think you need a new car? No. Do you need a new home? No. No. You don't need those things. Oh, you do, yes. But not like you need character. Not like you need faith. I mean, patience. You have need of patience. Now listen carefully, because this is an axiom. This is a fixed principle. And this is what we've been coming to all this week. From the time that you prayed the prayer of faith until the time the answer comes, there is a path that every Christian must walk upon. I said he must walk upon. It is the path of Christian character development. And it is on this path that you will win the answer or lose it forever. You

say, why does God want me to have this character? Isn't it enough that I am like him by means of identification? That he has become my righteousness? That he has become my sanctification? Listen to me. Turn to the book of Romans once more. And in the 18th chapter, and in verse 17, please read. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, join heirs with Jesus Christ. If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together. The need for you to suffer is to the end that you will share the throne. Why? Because power apart from character is the devil.

But power with character is gone.

You're not fit and I'm not fit to be trusted with power unless we've got character. What's the matter with Washington today? No character. Your Bobby Bakers, your rotten, filthy scum that get there because of money, skull -dullion shenanigans. There's not a statement left in the world. There's not an honorable man amongst them that I know of. I wish there were. What's wrong with the world? Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Khrushchev. Gentlemen,

read your history of the Catholic Church and just see what their pulps were like.

They filled the papal choirs with their paramours and illegitimate children.

And the mistress, one of them, Marocia, you understand who it was, did her best to kill her. She was very successful in many cases of destroying. Without

character is the devil. And he's got to be destroyed. He will, in all the words, power with character alone is fit to reign. And God wants us to reign with him. And if we're going to do it, we've got to have the character.

That's sensible. That's what he's teaching. That's what the Bible teaches. Now, listen.

Let me show you what happens according to God's Word. Turn to Psalm 106.

Psalm 106, 7 to 15, I believe, is what I want. Now, our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They didn't even know what the wonders were all about when Brother Branham came. There has never been a man since Paul with his power. There hasn't been. I've read the histories. I'm reading the histories. Never been a man like him. All the books together can't begin to see done what he saw done in a few years. But the people didn't understand.

They said, thank you, and walked off. Israel understood not the miracles of Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even the Red Sea. See, they couldn't take the training. When times got tough, they turned their backs on God. He rebuked the Red Sea also. Nevertheless, it says he saved them for his namesake. Notice his namesake. That's why God today is performing miracles still with his great name. He won't let that name down. But look what happens when you don't do it right. He rebuked the Red Sea also. Verse 9, it was dried up. He led them through the depths as through a wilderness. Verse 10, he saved them from the hand of them that hated him, redeemed them from the hand of the enemy, and the waters covered their enemies, that not one of them was left. Then they believed his words and sang his praise. Notice the revival, but they forgot it. They soon forgot his works. They waited not for his counsel.

See? They didn't care about his word. Just give me miracles. Give me the Lord. Give me things. Never mind the word. Now listen. And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. I have never seen a leaner group of people than right today in the marriage. But you talk about the miracles and the prayer lines, they've got it. You talk about the shortcuts, they've got it. But they haven't got the word.

The prophet of God had the word. And they said because he doesn't talk like us, he can't have it. But he had more than all the rest put together by way of demonstration I'm talking about now. They said, it's got to be God because we get results, don't we? Did they get results here? Huh? They sure they got results. For his great name, he did the mighty works over his name. But he said he sent leanness to their soul. Lean, no carry. There it is.

You want God to work, but you don't want to go through the way to get what God says you're to have? Go ahead. Go ahead. You'll be lean.

You want to get prayed for without knuckling down to God? Go ahead. A worse thing will come upon you. I've got to say that's true because God said it. You

say, God, I'd like this. God says, I'd like character. I want your patience.

You've got need of it.

God wants you to have both of them.

Turn to Psalm 103 and 7. Here's what it says. He made known his ways to Moses, but his acts on the children of Israel. Did you get it?

Israel never learned from the miracles. You've got to learn from the Word. Moses learned the way of God. Suffering, patience, then power. They said, power, bless God, and that's it. That's the devil.

That's not God.

Brother Bale, I get confused the way you talk about the devil. Aren't these people doing great miracles? Isn't that God's power? It sure is. Balaam had the power of God. So did Judas have the power of God. But the men operating weren't of God. I never knew you. Depart, you workers of iniquity. You took my righteous things and perverted them.

Where's character today? A man builds a big university, puts it in his magazine. You can win souls for 20 cents apiece. I'd go rob a bank if that were so. The end justifies the means. Or the means justify the end, rather. Whatever it is. The end justifies the means. It doesn't matter how I get the money. That's to win souls for 20 cents apiece. Where do you get that stuff?

That's not God. You say, Brother David, you're mean. You're critical. No, I'm not. I'm showing you God's Word.

I don't want you fooled. Now, if you leave this building and you go your way, that's your business. But God delivered my soul because I've preached the truth. God wants your patience, which gives you character, which makes you fit the rule of the throne. He made known His ways to Moses, the meekest man ever known. But all Israel got was His act. Now, do you want to get healed? Do you want to get a local bed? Do you want a better house? Do you want a better car? What do you want? Or do you want what God wants you to have?

Now you can have both. You can have both. There is not one who left father, mother, sister, brother, or father, but I'll give him a hundredfold in this life and life everlasting to come. I'll put him right in my throne. And you can leave and have it. God says you can have it. But he said, you get it God's way. You get any other way, you'll have leanness of soul. Something's going to happen.

You want a fat soul, not a lean soul. You really want God? God has suffered. I'm sorry.

Say, Brother Bill, I want to get healed. How patient are you, honey? You say, Brother Ben, you see, if I were here, I'd be patient. Oh, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're still not learned. You say, yes, but it's this pain here. That's what made me patient. No, your impatience gave you the pain, and now it's multiplied because you have got a pain. Now you've got to take yourself by the horn, so to speak. Now you've got to gear yourself down and say, God, I'll pay the price now. You get quiet before God.

Huh? You want to use bulldozing tape? Huh? You like bulldozing tape? You go ahead. I've got tears. When I was in Florida in 1952, I'd been praying and fasting in Canada. I sat at the table one day and I knew I had ulcers, the pain and all. And I looked at God and I looked at myself and I used bulldozing faith. And I said, in the name of Jesus Christ, you're not staying in this body. I command you to move. I command you to move. Not one trace of ulcer. But within what? Less than three months, it went down to the genital urinary tract. I gave up a nice mouth. I don't have prostate trouble. I don't have kidney trouble. I don't have bladder trouble. But the pain and all is there because the nerves are there. And it's acting up. And I would say, God, he had an ulcer.

I could pour milk on those. But I don't know what to do about this. I've been to a doctor. Forget it.

He can't help me. Try it. It didn't work. When am I going to get delivered? This patient cares.

That's what I need. And I know. I'm not talking about this. I don't care if I die of cancer. I mean it with all my heart. God, let me glorify your name by being the man that you were somehow in this flesh. I'd die a million deaths of cancer. If

I really knew that I could have certain things, I'd try to roll a peanut down a cob or throw it in my nose and rip my face to shreds. And I might stand before God and say, I'm tired of all these great acts so far. Oh, I'd love to see God heal me, but there's one thing that God wants out of you and me, brother and sister, that character that comes by the trial of our faith. So we just breathe tonight. Oh, how green we are. It will be made ready. He said, I love you. You don't love me. That's true. None of us really love Him tonight. We do, you see, because we follow His commandments. But the effervescence is not there. That exuberance is not there. But it will be. Because He said, I love you, and I'm not going to let you go. I'm going to chase you. I'm going to abuse you.

Now, I've got one passage of Scripture there. It's Psalm 66, and it's 8 to drive. 66, 8 to drive. Oh,

bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard. which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved. Notice what he promises you. Did you get it? He holds you. You won't be moved. You say, hold it. What's going to come against me so I won't be moved? I can't even begin to think. What's he saying? For thou, O God, hast proved us. Thou hast tried us as silver is. How does silver get tried? In the furnace. Thou brought us in. And to the net. Oh, I thought the devil did it. Said God did it. Thou layest affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride overhead. And this is what we really hate. Oh, no.

We don't even want the preacher to have any authority. Well, I've got the Holy Ghost. If you really had the Holy Ghost, you wouldn't talk that way. But I know a lot of folk who think they've got the Holy Ghost. Well, I've got the Holy Ghost. I know what he does. Oh, I don't know what Holy Ghost you've got, but not the one that wrote the book. Not the one that spoke through Paul. Not the one that spoke through David. You've got your own Holy Ghost and he's not too holy. Because he goes against the Holy Word, which is holy. Huh? He caused men to lie all the time. He sent his prophet. And they said, tell me.

Tell me tonight. I think you can do it. You've been a good people through these meetings. All of you aren't here tonight. Some of you came every night. Good for you. Some didn't. We've got more or less an average setup. Tell me. Are you a people who can open your mind and listen without questioning? Because if you're not, you haven't got the Holy Ghost. Because when you've got the Holy Ghost, you can listen and not question. Because while you're questioning, you'll miss it. Because you're questioning. You can just listen. But you've got such faith because you've got the Holy Ghost, you can't be deceived.

And by the time you walk down the road half a block, it'll be all sorted out by the Holy Ghost. And you'll know which way you're going. But the average person who is a Christian by denomination only, While you're talking, he's popping a million questions and not hearing one thing you say. Because when the Holy Spirit comes, he will lead you, he will guide you, he will keep you protected. The open mind is the secret of receiving the things of God. It says Israel's mind was closed shut. Their minds were darkened and blind. And they can't get to God because of the closed mind. I

hope your minds have been opened. It says that God made men to ride over our heads. We went through the fire and through water. But thou broughtest it into the wealthy place. The wealth of God is only poured upon the meek, for they shall inherit the earth and nobody else.

Noah was meek, and he owned the whole world with his three sons and the four women. There it

is. Now, God has given you faith, a measure of his own faith. It's called the faith of the Son of God. It's called the faith of God. It's called the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's called the faith of Jesus. It is your assurance, your guarantee, your ability to receive every promise in the book. It'll give you victory. Make no mistake about it. But remember that your faith will be tried. Not that God is withholding anything from you. No, sir. But that God in his love and goodness is also preparing you to reign with him. At the same time, he is giving you your answers. Now,

let's... Just check this out for a second before we close and go home. I ask you, Chris, do you think that God could trust you tonight with a million dollars?

You've often thought he won the million dollars. Let's be honest now.

Will anybody tell me tonight he's ready to handle a million dollars? I'd like to meet you. Because I never met one who could outside of William Brannan. He turned it down flat.

Dr. Buckman, although I know he didn't believe like we believe, I don't even know he's born again. He's more of a moral reconstruction agent rather than a born -again believer. To my knowledge, I don't know. just understand that's the way it is. He turned down a million dollars because he knew he couldn't handle it.

Frankly, I couldn't handle a million dollars.

I couldn't even handle 50 ,000 because that gives me ideas.

And I don't think they're God because I'd like to do something for some people and it might not be what God wants me to do. Now, let's go a step further. Tonight, could any of you handle a gift of healing?

Now, listen, that's a good prestige getter. Now, if you want to get recognized, that's a pretty fine gift to have. And it'll do a lot of good. It'll get rid of insanity. And if it's used with real authority, it'll cure any disease. No cancer, no cripple, no nothing will stand before it. Now, that's a nice gift, but could you handle it?

I'll be honest.

We can be so invested. Help me now to get steady. When the blows come, I'll take them in your name and say, Thank you, Jesus. If you just ask for character straight, it won't work. Don't ask for patience straight. God cannot give you patience. It is afflictions that bring patience. Persecution. Work with patience. Nothing else will do it. Remember the lady came to her past and said, Pastor, I've called you here today because I've just got to help. He said, What can I do, sister dear? She said, You must now pray for patience for me because I've had it. He got down to her and said, God, give this lady persecution. She said, Stop it!

Don't you understand that's my trouble? I want patience. But he said, Sister dear, tribulation works with patience. Character

is a victory.

When you go home, write that on your mirror. Character is a victory, not a gift.

Remember that. fruit bearing and answered prayer go hand in hand. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, then you can ask what you will and it shall be done.

But I ask you all sincerely tonight, what do you want from God? What is it you lack today in life?

What do you need? I'm just talking now about things that you need. Maybe you need a new house. Maybe you haven't got a home. Maybe your kids need help for school. Maybe you need something in your home, in your personal relationship as you walk this earth. You've got needs, physical needs, because you're all human. What is it you need? Ask for it. Ask for it. Then say, now God's trying. And every day you're trying, it looks like you're not going to say, hallelujah, get in closer. Say, go! Breathe it! Mean it! And something will begin to happen to you.

And say, God, we got your good today. Now make it a rougher tomorrow.

Let me tell you how this works in a nutshell. I don't mean to explain it this way, but listen to what happened. This is kind of silly, but it's kind of cute. When I was in Florida, one night, for days, I got a pain in my back. And you know like when you get a blood clot, you know, they tell me how excruciating it is? Well, I got this pain. It wasn't a blood clot. When I lay a certain weight, it was like a toothache. If I laid another certain weight, it wasn't bad. So I said, look, we're going to get the cure and we're going to get the easy way, but it's going to be the hard way because it's going to be a shortcut. And I'd lay in a position where that really hurt. And I'd say, I challenge you in the name of Jesus. And I'd lay there and it hurt. And God would say, oh, you got me. And I'd bend over. And I'd wait a while, get my wrist, and I'd go back. I'd lay in the same position where it hurt. And I'd say, I've come against you now again in the name of Jesus Christ. I'm going to lift you. And I'd do it a little longer this time. I couldn't take it. He got me. About the fifth time, it never came back.

Now, that's a silly little illustration, but it's what we do in our life. But keep on God. God, the answer's mine. Now, it's been rough today, and I've taken it. It'll be rougher tomorrow. It's okay. That's all right. But I'm going to get it. You see, because I'm following Abraham, and he said what God said he was, and through a process, he became what God said he was, because he developed patience and thereby character, and suddenly, this faith sprung into reality. And he got it. Now, let me show you something here. I'm going to let you go. Faith, hope, love. One, two, three. Faith is one. Hope is two. Love is three. Love is the highest. Therefore, faith is lower than hope. God gave you the measure of faith. If you bulldoze your faith, you can bypass hope. You can go clean by it. And this love, too.

When Brother Branham came, he came with faith. Every spirit got under control, not one miss. I saw 2 ,000 with no missing one night here. That was faith. Then he brought the word hope, and they said, fully on hope, we'll go back to faith. And like Israel, the Pentecostals died in the wilderness because

they were the ones who said we wanted him, and they didn't want him after all. But those who take the hope, the word, live by the word, with their faith will go where? To a hope which never fails. Is that right? Thus saith the Lord, found in the bride. Is that right? And who comes? Love. God comes. Love. Found in the pyramid. We're raptured. Oh,

how you're going to love just before he comes. I think we're just going to go around screaming. I want to do that. I don't want to be terrified of screaming. I love him. I love him. I love him in me. I want to get re -emotional. I want to jump so high, I'll jump 50 feet. And when I come down, I'll walk straight. Not jump 50 feet and come down and walk quicker. But I want to walk straight when I come down. You see what I'm talking about tonight? Huh? You get the message? Huh? Well, I think you do. You're lovely people. So, time to go home. You're a good song leader. You sound pretty good. Let's sing tonight like Brother Branham sang. I love you. Huh? Let's rise, shall we?