We're going to see a lot of blessing around Albany, and I believe there are signs of the coming. We as Christians are going to have to repay the price. We may be wrong as you, and feel like a sleep with no due upon us. But let's get first, let this be. Through the spirit of God, then there may be blessings going to others. And although it may be the times we're tired and weary, Guess how wonderful when you can see that God has blessed our laborers and others have found the faith. There are a lot of lessons here in this incident for us. God says, Abraham, I'm going to bless you. Then I'm going to make you a blessing. That's God's of faith. He said you can't do a blessing to anyone else unless you first can bless. Jesus said, You've got to be saved yourself before you can point someone else to Christ. But oh, how wonderful. When God blesses your heart. And then you're able to be a blessing to other hearts. All the joy of seeing other things. A little of heaven on earth. We had a little taste of it this morning. So trusting Christ, heaven on earth. And you see people trust the faith. Yes, here are the lessons. Bless ourselves and others are blessed. Be empty. And if you're empty, God will use you. God can bless you. Remember that. But he can withhold. If so, if he uses you, he can't do it. God can bless me alone and not others. Be humble. God can bless others and not me. Be extra. So if you want to be a blessing to others, be empty. And if you want God to bless or withhold blessings, that he is good to him, and if he do, be thankful for whatever blessing you have received. If you once enjoyed the fullness of his presence, maybe not now, with your compassion for what he had enjoyed. Wait upon his sovereign grace to bless you again. Be thankful for the blessings you have had. Remember again he can bless me. not bless someone else. In that case, you ought to be humble. If your flesh is wet, then others are dry. Oh, be humble. For God giveth great or humble, but the powders you see at the far off. And on the other hand, if others are being blessed, and you're not, and you're just as dry as the flesh, while others are happy and chaffy in the Lord, be the exercise. He exercised before the Lord about this condition. Another condition here enclosed him, Geryon's condition. What had he done before he had the experience of the police? He had passed down the idol of his father. You noticed that last week. He destroyed his father's idol. He began at home. That was quite a bit. He passed down the idol of his father, and he established the altar of the Lord. Gibbion was a spiritual man. He was ready now for the test. And that's what we like to do. Those little idols, God said to Israel, they set up idols in their hearts. You know the little idols you can erect in your heart? Idols. Things that are replacing God. They need to come down. And establish the altar of the Lord. That was the first thing. Then his motive. What was his motive? in asking for God to bless him. Not that he himself might be great. No, but for Israel's sake. Where is Gideon? He has met the condition as to his spiritual state. But now as to his motive. Why did he want the blessing of God that others might be blessed, Lord? I want to see others saved. I want to see others brought to Christ. Why did God give Solomon so much wisdom? Because God heard Solomon pray one day. Solomon was saying, O Lord, will you give me wisdom to judge this by so great a people? I need understanding. I can't do it myself. And unless you help me, I will not be able to leave your people. God was pleased because Solomon didn't ask one thing for himself. All that he asked for was the mistake of God's people having. God said, Solomon, I'll not only give you all you've asked for, wisdom and knowledge and understanding. I'll give you things he didn't ask for. I'll give you wealth. I'll give you anything you want. And Solomon became the wisest man and the wealthiest man and the most influential man to ever live. All because his motive was right. What he asked of God was for the glory of God, not for himself. But the one who asked, blessing of God, that others might be blessed through him. will also receive in addition to what he asked for. God will give much more. Good measure, pressed down, taken together, running over, shall God keep into your business. If we're only good in our movement, and all we pray for is God bless me. Amen. That's it. God bless me, my wife, my son. That's all. Amen. Do you think about others? I was concerned about how it is. You pray about others, and you'll find that you'll be blessed. God be blessed. Live by faith and not by sight. Don't be given to unbelievers. Say, Lord, Lord, I won't do it unless you give me a sign. I won't do it unless you give me some tangible, visible evidence that I can see. God's just doing faith. Trust me. And with this I close. Remember the case? Over in John four and forty-eight. Here is a nobleman, and he comes to the Lord Jesus about his son. My son's about to die, Lord. The Lord says, Except ye see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The father says, Come down there, my son die. I don't want to see signs and wonders. I want my son to live. The father says, Go thy way, thy son living. And the man went home, and nobleman took the Lord's words to mean just what they did. and he turned and went home without seeing any sign of any wonder. And when he got home, his son was alive, he believed just the naked word of the living God. And that's the only way you're going to be saved. Lord, what evidence will you give me if I accept Christ as my Savior tonight? If I trust him for salvation, what evidence will I have that I am deceived, that I am saved, that my sins are all forgiven, that I have everlasting life? Lord, make the room with that. Shake the demons. Let me know if my sins are forgiven. No, he's not going to be there. For Lord send us real to me, or go from my heads on the heels. I collect this stuff, and then I'll know. But he's not going to be there. He says, can you believe my word? Is that enough? Oh, but I'd like to have a feeling. Do you believe my words that are forgiven? Just my words? up you two times and one day he won't believe it miss nobleman said lord i believe ours will show a word that's all that's what he wants you to believe believe on the lord jesus christ and zionic church he said take them out of his way nothing pleases him nothing glorifies him nothing honors him more than for you the poor guilty sinner to take them out of his word and say lord you say i'm a sinner and i believe it My sins deserve death, I believe. You laid my sins on Jesus, I believe it. You punished him in my stead, Lord, I believe it. You raised him from the dead, I believe it. You said, I might hand tonight, and I believe it. You say, if I accept him as my personal Savior, that he paid my debt, Lord, I believe it. You do, you say, you believe it. You that believe it on the cross, that everlasting life. So you take this word only. They were not within days of miracles and marveling one day like we did in the Apostles' day. They didn't have to abide by that. They just got to abide in that. Those days were anomalous. That half of the Holy Spirit. God said, you accept my very word. I did. I did. Did he do? I did. Why not? I opened my heart. I said, why not? May not be his way. Did he go before the Lord about the little things in your life? And he'll give you driving. He may not be as outstanding as a police on a little case. Or as what he did, Abraham. But he'll give you credit and credit, then. For all the people that were with him rose up early and sits beside the well of Herod, so that the hosts of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Mora in the valley of in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many. Underline that. Too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands. Let Israel bant themselves against me, saying, My own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand. The Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many. You can underline that. The people are yet too many. Bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there. And it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee. And of whomsoever I say unto thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water, and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself. Likewise every one that bowed down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that laughed, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. The Lord said unto Gideon, by the three hundred men that laps will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand, and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took riddles in their hand and their compass, and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men, and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. far as we'll read tonight, we'll continue from there, Lord willing, next Sunday night. I had mentioned this morning we would make some references to some of the things indicating the approach of the midnight hour, but I've just been thinking, looking over this chapter, if I do that, I'm afraid the meeting will be too long, so we'll reserve some of those present-day signs for our future okay. We'll submit ourselves this tonight right to this one chapter. We've been taken up this book, Gideon, or rather this character, Gideon, and chapter six, We notice Gideon's preparation, a number of things relative to Gideon being prepared for the task that was before him. God always prepares his service. He never sends any of unprepared. One time Juris Version, in speaking to his students, students, was urging this, the need for a man being acquainted with the Bible, and knowing and allowing God to prepare them, to stock his heart with the Word of God, spent time preparing his message for his audience. And one young fellow hearing about this, why, he said, I don't think that's necessary. The Bible says, open your mouth wide, and I'll fill it. The person says, yes, you open your mouth wide, and you haven't studied the Bible. It'll be filled already, he says, but with wind. In other words, if there's nothing in your heart, it can't come out. And I do believe the need for filling our hearts, storing our hearts with the Word of God, making good preparation for any service we may engage in. Can you think of anyone picking up and going to Africa or some other foreign land without preparing about it, about that journey, as to language, as to customs, as to other things? There's got to be preparation. And so it is even down to the Sunday school teacher. Preparation for service. Whoever is going to take part, as far as ministry is concerned, now in prayer that's different. We don't believe in reading prayers or committing prayers to memory. That comes from the heart. Does the spirit of God lead? We know not how to pray as we ought, but the spirit make of intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. But when it comes to teaching the word of God to others, there is a need for preparation, studying the word. And so in chapter six, Gideon was being prepared. Now, in chapter seven, his followers are being prepared. That's very noticeable. It simply means that the leader is prepared, and those who follow are also to be prepared. It's not up to the preacher to do all the soul things. It's not up to the preacher to do all the work. Those who seek to gather around that minister or ministry should certainly equally be prepared. And that's what's the lesson of this chapter. The followers of Gideon are being prepared for the work of his performance. Now you have Gideon as a learner, as a worshiper, as a worker, as a seeker, as a leader, and a warrior. All these things are found in connection with Gideon. And in this chapter he is a warrior. You know life is summed up more or less in one text. And you can write one text over this chapter. Not by might. nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord. Now this is a lesson God had taught Gideon this lesson. Now he's going to teach those who follow Gideon this lesson. Gideon learned this lesson in chapter six. Now all that Paul and Gideon have got to learn this lesson, and they learn it in chapter seven. It's a very profitable lesson to learn. First of all, you have the pink hearty. Our subject tonight is faint-hearted, half-hearted, whole-hearted. Here are the faint-hearted folks. You'll notice there were thirty-two thousand people altogether. Thirty-two thousand. God says that's too many. Get in. I want you to delete that. And so it was reduced to ten thousand. Twenty-two thousand had to go home. They were faint-hot. Tain-hot. God says they're no good in the battle. They're faint-hot. Let them go home. And so there were twenty-two thousand, you might call them cowards. Over in Deuteronomy twenty in verse eight you read these words, And the officers shall speak further unto the people, What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted, let him go up and return unto his house, lest he, his brethren's heart, faint as well as his? Simply meaning, a faint-hearted man or a coward is a bad sinful. Saint-Hartes, Cowards. You'll notice here that God says to Gideon, what you've got are too many. Gideon, like you said, why, they're too few. So many, and I've got a great host that are mighty nations. Well, I didn't think I had enough soldiers. Thirty-two thousand. God says you've got too many. Or I better have a few who are faithful and have a whole mob, St. Hartes. Twenty-two thousand go back home. They're a bunch of Cowards. You're faith in the struggles. And that will disorganize the whole army and jeopardize the life of the ten thousands who are strong-hearted. How true. I wonder, friend, if it could be said of you tonight as a Christian, if you're a coward, afraid hearted, afraid to speak up, afraid to face the fact, afraid to stand for the truth of God. Do you listen to other people run down the Bible? Do you listen to others' curses? I'm swearing you take the Lord's name in vain, and you say nothing. Now you, St. Harkin, are you afraid to speak for Jesus Christ? Are you afraid to tell folks that you belong to Jesus Christ? Are you afraid to invite people to come and hear the gospel preach, sort of ask them if they're a Christian? Are you afraid? You can't say it to the Lord if you're St. Harkin. Except for this chapter, St. Harkin, God says you've got too many of them. read them out. He then says, well, I thought I had two of you. No, that river goes, it must be two thousand. You know, numbers can be dangerous in many ways. Numbers are dangerous. For instance, you take the day we're living in an age of bog by it. Squadron of policemen may hand a handful of rebels, demonstrators. But if that mob increases to a few thousand, cops don't have a chance. So in that case, A great crowd is dangerous. And there are dangers to a great crowd. And I could have brought in the ecumenical council in this business of the uniting of Catholicism and Protestantism. I thought James Gray's article yesterday was excellent. I haven't here before this. And what are they trying to do to get all Christians in one big, big body? All organized in the head, and here's the deplorable thing. The heads of these various great bodies of so-called Christians, they have to say so. The heads come together and they decide, and all of us have got to follow, doing away with the individual rights of the individual. The whole thing is to organize. God has nothing to do with this mass movement line of things. Whatever the top boys decide, and everybody else has got to obey. You either obey or you get out. Now that's what they were learning in this thing, didn't you? There are denominations I could mention. At one time they were solid and fundamental. They fixed the old-fashioned gospel today. They're so organized they got a few modernists at the top on their names on the rules and regulations, and you obey or get out. That's it. things are so organized today you have a mass movement well that's not of God I'll tell you that and those denominations are used to be fundamental these men are getting in at the top and they're going to lay down the rules and regulations and everybody has to follow that's a tragedy no longer the independence of the individual and the local church the autonomy of the local church, acting as before the Lord and the Lord only, not before a conference or an association, but before the Lord. So crowds are very dangerous as we have seen. And there are those today who are faint-hearted. They see the trend. They're not willing to take the sand. Take either the way things are going. They see the earth that's creeping in or modernism that's coming in. They're afraid to take their sand. St. Hart. Colour. In other words, all there's this in the tree. They'll stay with the old ship, even if the Lord Jesus, as a pilot, has gotten off the boat. They'll stick with it. They'll go down with the old boat. That's it. Powers. It ain't hot. We need men today who are going to take their stand. Great faith is far better than great numbers, I'll tell you that. That's plainly taught in this passage. God wants quality, not quantity. It was the mixed multitude, the great mob that went alofting in Israel that led that nation astray. And so God wants quality. God better have a few. They're faithful and have a great crowd, and they're not faithful. Now that's the teaching of God's word. Those who are fearful of an open stand for the truth of God, God says, give you the twenty-two thousand. They were reduced to ten, and they were reduced to three hundred. I was thinking of a number of scriptures in this connection. They that feared the Lord, here was a little group over in Malachar. The whole nation was different. but there was a little group that met. They that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearken and heard, and a book of remembrance was written for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name. Here's God writing down the names of a few faithfuls, a few who had the spine and the spunk and the sinew and the strength, to stand for their convictions against the tide of public opinion. God says write their name back. Jesus told them, standing out from a bunch of collards of faint hottest, You know, in almost every church, you've got your faithful few that hear every time the door is open. You can come along. I know some can't come at times if something really necessary for them to be honest. They've got a real excuse. But at any time, they don't have a real excuse. On a weekday morning, when they've got to get up and go to work, they don't find an excuse. They go to work. But on Sunday morning, while you lay in, Easy to find excuses, then. Well, you know, people say, I don't like to hurt so-and-so's feelings. We had company. And I suggested you want to hurt the feelings we stayed home. Friend, let me say this. Whose feelings are you empty and hurting? I know I say lots of things to hurt the feelings of my friend. That neither here nor there. I'm afraid of hurting his feelings. That's who feelings I'm empty with him. I've sooner hurt the feelings of every friend I've got than hurt the feelings of my Lord. People don't regard or consider the feelings of the Lord Jesus Christ. They put everybody else first. They come up with the flambliest of excuses when his work is consistent. True Lord. Well, Lord, I'm sorry. We've got something. We've got to go and see so. And the Lord has to fix it. Don't forget that you're the loser. then there's something to be done. The Lord's not kicking out people like that, the dear. We want people who are not say-heartedly, who are not cowardly. People who have got spines. Fear not, little flock, says the Lord Jesus. You notice that? Fear not, little flock. It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Not fear not, great crowd. Not fear not great organization. Fear not, little flock. Little flock. The Lord is speaking in Matthew thirteen about the mustard seed. He says, a mustard seed, the kingdom of heaven is like this or christened them. Like the mustard seed that's planted in the soil, it becomes a great tree. And the birds lodge on the branches of it. Now a mustard seed never was intended for that. A mustard plant small. And for a mustard seed to become a great big tree so strong that branches of birds of the air can lodge upon it, that's a monstrosity. The Lord never intended his church to become one huge organization that is headed up to do in today. He intended his people to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in different cities, gathered to his name, to read about the church at Corinth, the church at Ephesus, the church at Galatia, the church at Smyrna, the church at Philippi. If they weren't under one great organization or law handed down information as to what they were to do, they were responsible to the Lord themselves. And that little church the Lord Jesus Christ refers to, today has become the great mustard tree. God only knows the butchers that are lodging in the branches of that great monstrosity. These organizations are there. I heard Mr. Sweeney, a preacher up in Winston-St. Vernon, North Carolina, that was pastor. I mean, well, you see on the radio prior to me now follow him. quite often turning on my radio, going to the studio Sunday morning, I'd listen to it. One Sunday morning, he said, folks, I invite you to come over to our church. He said, you've got a good fellowship over there. He said, we've got everything in our church from Buzzer to Biligo. And then he paused. He said, he said, you should scream, how do you take it into your church, Buzzer and Biligo? Same way they got in your church. They came in without being born again. They came in under high pressure, divided. They came in as little trots in the Sunday street. And they didn't know what it was to be born again. That's how they did. They got into being made of prominence in town and made of influence, made of money. Being born again wasn't a question. They got in. They got in. These things are solemn, aren't they? Yet they're true. Fear not, little trots. That's how the Lord refers to them. You know we have a wonderful verse in first Kings, chapter three, and verse thirty-seven. And the children of Israel were numbered and were all threatened, and went against them. That is the Syrian. And the children of Israel tipped before them like two little flocks of kids. But the Syrians killed the country. The children of Israel, the two little flocks of kids, flew one hundred thousand salient footmen in one day. Here's God's picture, two little blocks of gifts. That's how he sees it. And here are the things they still come, but God is with the little blocks. And let me tell you, friends, one with God is a majority. For instance, you've got a whole row of nothing. What do you do to make that a value? You can put one back at the back of these nothings, they won't amount to a little ten. If you take that number one and put it over here, and one of these acts, about one billion. Every added nothing adds to that one at the head. You know what a real church is? A real church is a bunch of nothing. Sinners saved by grace, where God is all in all. The Lord Jesus Christ is the same. That's all Christians are. Christians are just a bunch of sinners made by grace, that they are gathered around the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the number one. And you can add all the zeros after that your life, and the more you add the good rejections that are really born again. So if you get to the former place, should you hurt the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things have been added on for you? My concern is simply this, that the Lord Jesus Christ gets at the young man in every Christian heart, in every home, in every meeting we have. when that's the case when we all realize ourselves a bunch of nothing is that's all we are we've nothing to boast of a man saying that to be something says god when he has nothing he deceives himself nothing peter thought he was something until he learned to be nothing and then the lord we've all got to learn that love the world of christ Thank you, Mr. Wilson, for helping us to find our praise. We look forward to learning more on the next broadcast.