I want to read now in Acts chapter eight and verse one. Acts chapter eight and verse one. And Saul was consenting unto his death, that's Stephen's death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the region. or Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentations over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hailing or dragging away men and women committed them to prison. therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word then philip went down to the city of samaria and preached christ unto them and the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which philip spoke hearing and seeing the miracles which he did for unclean spirits crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed to them and many taken with palsies and that were lame were healed. There was great joy in that city, but there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that he himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying, this man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of the Lord Jesus, they were baptized both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also, When he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. but as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God that perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness. and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. They, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. There are many lessons to be learned from Stephen. You have his death, and his death was an illustration of his witness in life, radiant in life, and radiant in death. Then you have him surrendered to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. No Christian will ever be truly happy until his life... is fully and completely unreservedly surrendered to the Holy Spirit. And this is open to every Christian. To be filled with the Holy Spirit. If a jug is half full of water, then it means that you only have capacity, half capacity, to put any other liquid in that jug. But if all in that jug has been poured out, and the jug is completely empty, then you can fill it up. And if we're half filled with the world, then the Spirit of God doesn't fill the whole jug. He only takes up that vacancy that is left. And today it's a sad thing to think of how many Christians are taken up with the world, and there's so much of the world... about some of God's people, there's very little room for the Holy Spirit of God. We were telling them Wednesday night about a man who professed to get saved in a hospital last Tuesday, I think it was. His name is Sam Davidson. I don't know whether Mrs. Davidson's here this morning or not. But when he got saved on Tuesday, or was it Wednesday? Anyway, on Thursday I visited him. And he said, you know, Brother Wilson, something has happened to me. I said, do you mean since yesterday, since you trusted Christ? He said, yes. I said, what is it? Do you know he said, I've chewed from three to four plugs of tobacco a day from the time I was born? And he said, this morning, I took a bite out of a plug, and he said, that's the bitter stuff. And he said, I don't want any more of that. Well, you know, God's salvation can affect the palate. Brother MacMarshall was telling me when he was attending a funeral a few months ago, the funeral of the young boy, that this gentleman, Sam Davidson, wouldn't talk to you in the house. You had to go outside to have a conversation with him because he always had to spit. And so that, but all he did was chew tobacco. And now all of a sudden, he said, I don't understand it. Well, I said, I do. Why? He said, I don't even have a desire for it. Going to show what God's salvation can do. And the Spirit of God can only fill the Christian in the measure that the Christian's heart is empty. He'll take up only the space that you give. And the reason the lot of Christians are not in the happiness and joy of the fullness of the Holy Spirit is simply because there are too many other things in the Christian's heart today. And I trust you'll make that discovery because you'll never know real joy, real spiritual happiness until you know what it is to turn your life over to the Holy Spirit. then again he had a realization of heavenly glory during his life. I wonder if we're daily conscious of a heavenly glory, a glory that which is from heaven, not earthly glory, but heavenly glory. And also he had a consciousness of the presence of Christ during his life. And Stephen, although as we look at him, You think why is a marvelous man? And he seems to stand head and shoulders above all the others. But let me say that what was true of Stephen is available to every Christian. Every child of God can be in the happy enjoyment of what Stephen was in the enjoyment of, a consciousness of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want a strong testimony. Stephen had a very strong testimony, and the courage to face danger. He wasn't a bit afraid when he possibly knew he was going to lose his life and be stoned to death, yet his face was as the face of an angel, and the power he had in prayer. And this is something you have to cultivate. Daily waiting upon God, daily reading his word, and then you can depend on power from God in any public ministry you may give. And a readiness to die. Stephen was ready to die. The Lord of God's people are not ready. Oh, they're saved, that's true. But they don't want you to think of death. They even shudder at death. They're almost like unsaved people. When to depart is to be with Christ, which is very far better. Stephen, he was not afraid to die because he was ready to go. And then again you find that lovely Christ-like spirit in Stephen, how it comes out when he prayed as he did toward his enemies. And he had a thorough knowledge of the Bible. I believe here is the secret. And as we noticed last Sunday, how Stephen could use the Old Testament scripture? He had the scriptures at his fingertips. He was saturated with the Word of God. And my, how he could quote scriptures as he faced his enemies. Christian, are you saturated with the Word of God? Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth, speak it. And if a man is occupied entirely with business, that's just above what he'll talk about when you meet. But if a person is occupied with Christ, and he's been filling his soul in his heart with the Word of God, that's what he wants to talk about. And here again you think, God's Stephen, what does the face of an angel look like? I think the face of an angel radiates warmth It radiates light. It radiates strength. And it radiates repose. They saw his face as the face of an angel. I don't think there was anything permanent about Stephen's experience. You could see character in Stephen's face. And Christians should have a good, strong character. And here Stephen is showing us how we should be ready for death. Stephen was ready to commit his spirit and his soul into the hands of the Savior. He was willing to commit his body to the earth, and he was willing to commit his loved ones and his friends into the protection of the hands of God. And he was willing also to call for God's compassion and mercy upon his enemies. Isn't that a nice way to end your life? I was thinking on this week, on this this week, and I thought when my time comes to die, if I have a few minutes before and I know I'm going, this is what I'd love to be able to say. If anyone were around my deathbed, I would love to be able to do this very day, commending my soul, my spirit of God, and commending my body to the earth until the resurrection morning, and also to commend my loved ones and friends to God's protection, and to pray for my enemy that God in compassion and long-suffering would save me. I think that's a good way to go to heaven. Stephen did. That's exactly true of Stephen. An example for you and an example for me. But there's a solemn lesson about Stephen's death that I never noticed until this week. We look at him as an example, an illustration of Christians. But there's a solemn lesson that we see here in Stephen's martyrdom. In other words, we see in Stephen's martyrdom the end of Jerusalem's testimony, and all that Jerusalem stands for. Jerusalem now has been rejected and set aside by God. You'll notice as you open chapter eight, we come to Samaria. And in chapter one, you know how God told them to be witnesses in Jerusalem? Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth. Now they go to Samaria. There's a distinct break in the book of the Acts from chapter seven to chapter eight. Now with the stoning of Stephen, the martyrdom of Stephen, Stephen, God has set aside Jerusalem. Now the gospel goes out to Samaria and parts of Judea. and then in chapter ten to the uttermost parts of the earth. Israel on this occasion has rejected, we mentioned it last week, God the Father, Christ the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is rejected, the God of the Old Testament. The Jews claimed as their God, the true God. Then they rejected the Messiah as presented in the Gospels. And also in the opening of the Acts, they're rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit through their risen Christ. That's at God's right hand. They have rejected the Trinity. And this is the thing that struck me this week that our three parables, I've never been able to link them up and back. They didn't even think of us. There are three parables that I believe apply to the martyrdom of Stephen. The first one is in the thirteenth of Luke, where the Lord Jesus Christ comes to a fig tree, and he looks for fruit from that fig tree he found not. Only lead, an outward protest of religion. He saw those scribes and those Pharisees. how they depended upon their piety, their supposed knowledge of the scriptures, and their long prayer, and their constant attendance at the temple for worship. The Lord Jesus said it all leaves. He looked for fruit. He found none, and he was about to cut it down. He says, for three years I've come seeking fruit on this big tree. I find none. Cut it down. It's a cumber of the ground that the gardener pleads. Let it alone this year. Give it one more chance. One more year. And I shall think about it. And dung it. And if it bring forth fruit, well, if not then I shall cut it down. I believe Stephen's martyrdom comes at the end of that fourth year. That special privilege of divine neighbor. That time when God sent his Holy Spirit to witness to that people, the Jews, on the Christ that they had rejected, he's now in heaven. At the end of that fourth year, that year of special dealings by God. When he allowed that nation to see the power of the Holy Spirit in healing people, saving people, and miracles accomplished even in the bodies of many at that time. And so they had that time of special privilege. But they didn't take advantage of the time of special privilege. they rejected Stephen, they mockered Stephen. God says that's it. Victory has had its spark here. That's special privilege. No longer am I going to deal with this nation as a nation. They've had their chance, and they missed it. Then I want you to notice another parable, and it's over in Luke. Chapter nineteen and verse twelve, and I want you to get this. He said, therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country, and here's the Lord Jesus going back to heaven, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizen, the Jew, hated him and sent a message after him to the Lord Jesus going back to heaven. And what message did they send to the Lord Jesus? And they sent a message after him saying, We will not have this man reign over us. What was the message that went back to heaven when they stoned Stephen? even carried this message to heaven, I will not, we will not have this man reign over us. That's what they said when Jesus stood before Pilate, we will not have this man reign over us. Have they not changed after those special evidences of the Holy Spirit? When they saw these miracles performed by the Spirit in the early church, And so many people saved and witnessing to the power of arisen Christ, when they stole Stephen, that's the message they sent back to God. We will not have Jesus Christ that grew over us. And heaven got the message. We hear politicians lately using language similar to this. They got the message. Washington and other politicians got the message. He calls for the votes that I got. And here heaven gets the message. The Bible says that God is going to deal with the Jews first and then together. And here is the grace of God. Israel... said when Christ was being judged, we'll not have this man to reign over us. They demanded his death. He died. He rose again. And then went back to heaven and the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and performed these many mighty miracles. But the nation has not changed. And that nation sent a message to God in the death and martyrdom of Stephen. The martyr of Stephen, they sent that message back to heaven, we'll not have Jesus Christ reign over us. There's the solemn significance of the death of Stephen. And so from this moment on, God now abandons Judaism. Jerusalem is true. God says, from now on I turn to the Gentiles. And he did. Because the next chapter opens up with the gospel going to the Samaritans and not into Jews. That's a solemn thought. But the Lord Jesus told another parable that I really never saw the significance of. And he tells us this parable. In Matthew twenty-one and thirty-three and forty-five, he says a certain householder plants a vineyard, and he lets it out to certain men to work that vineyard, and to bring in the fruits thereof. And he sent some of his servants to get that fruit from his vineyard. But the Bible says... They stole some and they killed others. And so God sent more messengers. And they stole them and killed them. God says, I will send unto them my son. It may be they were rebels here. When they saw him coming, they said, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him. and will seize on the inheritance. And the Lord Jesus Christ said to the Jews, What will that householder do? And to those who stoned and killed his servant, and then killed his son. Do you know what the Pharisees did? In their answer, they wrote their own death watch. Then he said to Christ, He will miserably destroy those husband men and give the kingdom unto another people, bringing forth the fruit of their honor. And the Lord Jesus right there and then said, Have you ever read that text that the stone was the builders disallowed, the same as made the head of the corner? And whosoever shall fall upon this tower stone shall be broken? but upon whosoever it shall fall, it will burn into powder. And the Bible says they perceived that he spoke this parable against them. And he did exactly that. And here is God taking the vineyard away from the Jewish nation, because they produced no fruit, and he turned it over to the Gentiles. have for nineteen hundred years bringing, have been bringing fruit to God, not as much as they should. And so the Jews got the message. If heaven got the message in connection with the martyrdom of Sphena, that they rejected Christ and will not happen, the Jewish nation also got a message from God, your truth. You. have rejected your Messiah. Now I'm going to give the vineyard unto Gentiles, and they will bring forth the truth. Now all this is centered in the martyrdom of Stephen. And that's a very solemn lesson, and I've never seen in my Bible before. Christ giving us three parables, and all are relative to the martyrdom of steel. How here we have God having lost his patience with that nation that he loved. They stoned or they crucified his son. They stoned his servant. And finally God says, I'm going to take the vineyard from you. I've got nothing from you. I came seeking fruit. I find none. Now I'm going to take the vineyard from you. I'm going to give it to the Gentile nations, and they'll bring in the fruit thereof. Heaven got the message in Stephen's martyrdom, and the Jews, the head of the Jewish nation, got the message of their fruit. Friend, to make this personal, to heaven may get the message from you, listen. A lady said this week, I'm not going to mention her name. I don't think she's in the audience this morning. I don't see her. But she said this week, said Mr. Wilson, when I started coming to the chapel, eleven or twelve years ago, she says, just about at every meeting, I had the urge to accept Christ and come up and tell you. But she says, I don't feel that way. as he's been coming recently. She said, I don't get that female, though I want to be saved. Now whose fault is that? We're preaching the same gospel, and I reminded her husband of this text. God says, my spirit shall not always strive with that. Yes, you can hear the gospel so often, and rejected so many times until... conscience becomes pardoned, God says, My Spirit shall not always strive with man. One of these days you're going to reject the gospel for the last time when heaven's going to get the message. Just like they got the message, God got the message when they stole steam. And I will offend that this is not true of you. because if you reject Jesus Christ one of these days, finally, you'll get a message. You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your father has been so pleased. God may withdraw the power of his spirit from striving with you, and you have no further desire or wish to be saved. You cross over the line pass over that line between your opportunity to become a Christian and that opportunity being withdrawn. Asking redemption's point, like up in the Niagara River, which I was there last summer, you see the sign past redemption point. Below that, no boat has ever been rescued because the rapids get too fast and they're too rocked. votes have been rescued to a certain point, but when they reach that point, unpopular, rescue is impossible. There are men and women drifting slowly down the stream of time. Hearing the gospel, Sunday after Sunday, the pleadings of the Holy Spirit, the time in a person's life when he can pass, redemption is one. Then on. They're not interested. How sad this is. Here the vineyard is taken away from the Jews and given unto the Gentile. A refuge of lies preferred to many than an exposure of plants. People don't want the truth today. They don't want to hear the truth. Men love not without a life because their deeds are evil. That's a sad thing, friend, when a person takes refuge in the lie that I'll get saved when I'm ready. No, you won't. You get saved when God's ready. Salvation is something that you can't call the shots off. and they are yet saved at such and such a time. Salvation is of the Lord. And I don't care, friend, how repentant you may come to come, or how you may plead and pray, if God doesn't save you, you'll not be saved. You'll be saved in God's time, not your time. A lot of people don't seem to realize that. Well, the Bible just takes you, says, salvation is of the Lord. when the Spirit of God knocks at your heart, you better respond. You better respond. You may either try to compromise with the Holy Spirit's convictions or comply with his knockings and his invitation. A wise person will comply. and receive the Lord Jesus as the Spirit of God knocks their hearts open. You'll notice here how reference to Stephen, he seems to replace, or rather Philip seems to replace Stephen as you open this chapter, chapter eight. There's bitter persecution, as you notice in verses one to four, how the Apostle Paul After the death of Stephen, he begins to persecute the church. It is noticeable that the twelve apostles stayed in Jerusalem. All the rest scattered. We really admire that about the apostles, and it's always true in naval literature, and experience that the captain will stay with the same issue. supposed to be the last one to get off. And here you find the twelve apostles. While all the other Christians are scattering, they say at Jerusalem, they're willing to go down. It needs to be. But one has to admire them for so doing. And there you find God's people scattered. You know, the devil made a mistake here. He always does. his object in scattering the Christians was that he might make martyrs over them, apprehend them and put them to death, but God made missionaries out of them. The devil wanted to make martyrs out of God's people and put them to death, but God made missionaries, for it says they went everywhere preaching the word, and that's the last thing the devil wanted. They went everywhere preaching the word. You know, God's people are like and unto life. They are the light of the world. They are the salt of the earth. Also they are a seed. A seed shall serve him. And furthermore, they are a fire. Carry the fires of Christianity into all parts of the world. The light. Yes, let me say this. A light penetrates the dark time's going to come when there'll be no light in this world as far as an awkward knowledge of God is concerned for darkness is symbolic of ignorance of God when Christ comes and his people are caught away there'll be no bright and shining testimonies for you to listen to no more preaching of the gospel for the gospel is the God is light that God at this age, Satan had blinded the mind of them that believed not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine for them and day should be saved. Wouldn't it be a dark day to wake up some Sunday morning, turn on your radio, you're accustomed to hearing certain men, or during a weekday morning. Maybe you've been listening to Oliver Green or Brother McGee. or some other fundamental preacher, and you turn on, and you don't hear. These telecasts or these broadcasters stop. They'll never start up again. Those voices will never be heard again. When Jesus comes, there'll be no more gospel preaching. There is a time coming, and friend, I believe with all my heart that's not far distant. when the light will no longer shine, the church will be gone. And the salt of the earth no longer will it act as a preventative against corruption that is spreading every hour of every day. Salt cleanses, it purifies, but it's smart in the process. You get a little bit of salt in the cup and your finger and you lose something. I want to say that the gospel, although the gospel does have that purifying effect, that cleansing effect upon those who believe it, there's a certain amount of smarting in the process that is conviction of sin. The gospel will have a smarting effect upon a person who believes his life will take him to heaven. If he believes his self-consciousness is sufficient to save him, Unlike the color man, when asked if he would like to be saved, would he not like to be converted? Yes, sir, he says, but I touched the process. In other words, he didn't want to be convicted of his sin and shown he was a lost sinner in need of Jesus Christ. And so we must be made conscious of our sin, burdened with our sin before we're going to accept the Savior. And here's the salt. What will happen to this poor wicked world, and God knows it's bad enough now. It's rotten enough now. It's a festering sorrow, and it's only the presence of the Spirit of God in the Church that is preventing this world from coming to its ugly head to be destroyed from those judgments mentioned in the Revelation. When Christ comes, the dates will sort out, things will happen rapidly. and the iniquity. The mystery of iniquity is already at work, says the Apostle, and it will work until Christ shall come. Then shall that wicked one appear. Who is that wicked one that he's talking about at the moment? The man of sin and the iniquity, the mystery of iniquity is at work, and it's going to come personified. the coming man of sin and the day is not far distant when the salt will be removed when the church is taken to heaven and then the man of sin and what a character what a group beast he'll be what a monster of the next day that's going to be the way this world is going to end up because the world doesn't want Jesus Christ God says I'll give you a man of your own truth you want a strong character who's going to set things right, who's going to rule with an iron fist, you'll get it. The world is shaping up for that very character, if I know my Bible any, to any extent. They went everywhere preaching the word. The purpose I've already mentioned of the enemy in scattering the seed. The Christians in the... chapter or eight chapter of Acts was that he might bring to an end this movement of the Holy Spirit which was saving men and women men and women and baptizing them into one body known as the church and the devil even through the Apostle Paul was trying to bring this movement to an end but instead of that he scattered it and Christians went everywhere preaching the word. Ah, yes, they started new fires in parts of Judea and throughout Samaria. That's what God wants his people today to do. Philip went down to Samaria and he preached Christ under them. That was his message. And these Christians, early Christians, they went everywhere doing what? Looking for jobs? Did they go everywhere looking for a house, a place to live? Remember, there were over five thousand. Three thousand saved on the day of Pentecost. Then in chapter four, five thousand men. And added to that were women and children. So it was quite a crowd that were scattered under the persecution led by Paul. If I saw the passions, they went everywhere. And let's be realistic. These days you see the refugees driven from their homes because of the ravages of war. But when it says these Christians, early Christians, were scattered, and they went everywhere, they were driven from their home. And you can see them going, the father, the wife, and the children leaving Jerusalem because of the bitter persecution. It meant death to stay. you'd think of it, say something about them looking for a habitation. Now undoubtedly they did, but the first and foremost thing when they were scattered was to preach the word. To preach the word, scatter the good news of the gospel. And Christian, that's our main business in life. Our main business is not three meals a day, and a day. Our main business is men and women might accept it and be saved. So here we find them scattered and going everywhere, preaching the word. And here is Philip. He goes to Samaria. What a wonderful time he saw there. Who laid the foundation for that time of blessing under Philip? If you read about it in verses five and six. Samaria... was right for the gospel. And when Philip began to preach, my, the people got saved. He said, with one accord, they believed Philip's message. They preached Christ. Philip preached Christ. And who was it responsible for preparing the soil for that time of reaping? I believe you have the answer in the fourth of John where that woman of Samaria was saved. And she went back home and she told all she met about this Savior she had found. She had planted the seed. And when Philip went there a few months or years later, why he found the people hungry, wanting to know more about this Savior that this woman had found. In that very passage in John four, yes, the woman sowed until a priest. And the Lord Jesus says, Both shall rejoice together. Here you have the strong witness of the world. Saved by sovereignty. Now comes Philip, and in the power of the Spirit, he begins to preach, and he preaches Christ unto them. Oh, that today Jesus Christ in all his fullness was preached from every pulpit in the land. I'll tell you that would be the greatest blessing that could be for all this nation. You've been reading the papers the last week or two of what some things that are being discussed by these big denominations as for church policy, policy, it's obnoxious, it's disgusting. That's what the preachers are of comedy and preachers I find in my Bible and in the Acts especially they preached the word. They preached Christ. That's what God wants all his people to preach. And you'll notice there was great joy in that city. Great joy in mercy. Joy always follows the preaching of Christ. What was the ground of... This joy, great joy, it says in this city. Well, I know that sometimes there's a lot of joy when a young couple are going to get married. You had a couple get married here yesterday. And it was quite evident they were very happy about it. Yes, that was the basis of their joy. They're going to become man and wife. Or a young couple, and they're going to have their first child. Oh, what joy. And the birth of that little baby means joy. That's the cause of their rejoicing. Their first child. And others, it could be, they've been left a lot of money. And that makes them happy and joyful. And others, why? Every day is because some of their loved ones have been spared, or many times have been known when the doctor has said she'll make it. She's at the point of death, or he was at the point of death. And the doctor says, the worst is past. She's going to live. He's going to live. What joy. Or what joy when, if ever it happens, and I trust it will, these prisoners will be released from North Vietnam. Think of the joy that will come to many hearts and homes when that takes place. These are things that are the basis of much joy in the world. But what was the basis, the ground of the joy that they had in verse eight? There was great joy in Samaria. Do you know the basis of that joy? Well, I'll tell you what it was. The basis of that joy was that Jesus had died. Christ had raised again from the dead. They believed the message and they had everlasting life. They knew they would never perish. They knew their sins had been forgiven. They had peace with God and that Jesus Christ was coming again. That was the grounds and the basis of the great joy in Samaria. And friend, that's the basis. The only true basis. for ground, for solid joy in this world. And nothing else. Nothing else. If you know the joy, the great joy that comes when you're saved, I remember talking to a very educated man years ago up in Augusta, and I said to him, if you knew that you were saved, but it says in John five, twenty four, and that's the verse I asked him to read. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that set me past everlasting life shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death and life. I said, would you, how would you feel if you knew you had passed from death and life? How would you feel if you knew that you were not going to come into judgment? You were not going to meet God in your sins. It would be impossible to do so. And that now, you were a Christian, and you passed some death in the life. You had peace, knowledge of sins forgiven, you had everlasting life as a present possession. I said, how would you feel? Oh, man, he said, I'd be happy. I certainly would be happy if I knew all that. Well, I said, you know you can. Feel that, and enjoy all that, and be happy right now. And he wanted to know how. I said, well, let's read the first part of that verse. Verily, verily, truly, truly I say of you, He that heareth my word. You've heard it word. And believeeth on him that sin. God said to the Lord Jesus. And if you believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and suffered and bled and died for you, paid your death, suffered for your sins, absorbed the judgment of God, your sins deserved, if you believe that with your heart and confess it with your mouth, The Bible says, you shall have everlasting life. You shall have peace with God. You shall never have. And before we were through with that discipline, that man was rejoicing with tears running down his cheeks. Oh, he said, I see it now. And then that's the only way. And the Bible tells you that thing. The only way you can have real God. solid joy, lasting joy, is to know that you have everlasting life and you'll never perish and you'll never come into judgment. If someone were to put a million dollar check into your hand, oh yes, you'd be happy. It's only going to be temporary, though. But when you receive Jesus Christ, the riches of God in Christ, you've got riches that are eternal. You can't lose. They return. Oh, you'll have a everlasting life. You'll have peace with God. And you can have this.