You know, I think this is our tennis numbers, isn't it? It's quality denies and not quantity. I trust the Lord's trying to really make his presence felt to each one of us. I want to read a few verses in the fortieth chapter of the book of Job, please. Job chapter forty. The fortieth chapter of the book of Job, if you have your Bibles and care to turn with me, although you may have your Bible, and would much rather I just read the scripture to you. Job forty. Moreover, the Lord answered Job and said, Should he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am vile. What shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have they spoken, but I will not answer. Yea, twice. But I will proceed no further. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man. And I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me, wilt thou also dishonor my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous? Hath thou an arm like God? Or can't thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellence and array thyself with glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath, and behold every one that is proud, and abate him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low, and tread down the wicked in thy place. Hide them in the dust together, and bind their faces in secret. Then will I also confess unto thee, that thine own right hand can save thee. Now may the Lord just add his blessing to thee so familiar words from his own precious word. Thank you. There's a great day coming, a great day coming, a great day coming, boy, oh boy. There's a great day coming, a great day coming, when we shall meet him in more joy. Who will you be ready when he shall appear? Just from him today, for he's coming is dear. There's a great day coming, a great day coming, a great day coming more and more. Amen. What a wonderful day that will be. When the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. Shall we just ask God's blessing? Oh God and Father, our hearts have been thrilled again this evening as we have listened to the glorious message of the gospel in Christ. Oh, we bless thee for thee. Expression in song of the wonders of thy salvation. Remember long ago, the psalmist would say, I will bless the Lord with a song. And if we can bless him, then surely we ourselves can be blessed as well. We are saying now, as we look to the story of thy word, that we may be blessed by this as well. For Jesus' sake. Amen. Amen. I want, if I may this evening, to speak about one word. And yet that is, of course, not true. I want to talk of a number of occasions in the Word of God, five occasions when this word occurs. But I have a little difficulty. My difficulty is this. that when I open the words of God, I find that this word occurs one thousand two hundred and eighty times in holy writ. You know, that's a lot of time. Over a thousand times in holy writ, the word occurs. And so to choose five occasions, I think you will grant me it's not easy until I remembered that it was the message of the gospel I wanted to share with you and then it made it much easier for I want to talk about that little word behold I'm not certain whether you believe that the book of Job was the first book that was written of the Bible if you do then you will acknowledge that in the first book of the Bible, this word occurs, and Job cries, Behold, I am by. If you would come with me then into the New Testament, and in the glorious words of the first chapter of the Gospel of John, we hear John the Baptist as he looked upon Jesus as he walked, saying, Behold, Behold the Lamb of God, who take us away the sin of the world. But then again when we turn to the New Testament and we listen not to the words of John the Baptist and not to the words of Job, but when we listen to the words of Jesus, in the glorious expression that's found in the twenty-sixth verse of the sixth chapter of Matthew, behold, Behold, says the Lord Jesus, the fowls of the air. For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father seed of them. And when again I turn into the New Testament, I hear the great statements of the eighth verse of the third chapter of the last book of the Bible. And there is in Christ this speaking that one who ups on the grave he arose, and he says, behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. And I expect most of you here know the last verse I'm going to refer to. The last verse I want to consider with you again is in the last chapter, the last book of the Bible, and is in the last chapter. Behold, behold, I come quickly. Now when I look at these five simple verses, there are five simple truths that are brought before me concerning the message of the Christian faith. Could I suggest this to you? That behold I am vile. That takes my pride away. Behold the Lamb of God. That takes my sin away. Behold the powers of the air. That takes my cares away. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. That takes my excuses away. But behold, I come quickly. Oh, hallelujah. That takes me away. I say, behold, I am vile. Friend, whatever we may say of the cry of Job when God challenged him, We will acknowledge this, that Job was left with no pride at all. Now when you open the book of Job and you hear the almighty saying to the evil one, Has thou considered my servant Job? There is none like unto him. You gaze at a man who stands head and shoulders morally, spiritually, above anyone in his death. And yet when we come to the fortieth chapter of that same book, we see this man so supreme as far as his fellow men are concerned, standing before God. And I said the other evening, and I would like your permission to repeat, my friend, if I have learned anything in the school of experience, I've learned this, that a man is what he is before God, and nothing else. I may walk through the streets of the village in which I live, and people may look at me and say, you know, that's man four, the preacher. I may come to your town and see the lotus outside inviting people to come and hear me preach. But it is not what I am before my own villagers. It is not what I am before you. It is what I am before God. I am. And nothing more. And Joe, but he could compare himself to his sons. And he could compare himself to his friends. And he could compare himself to society. What a wonderful man Job was. Thou hast heard of the patience of Job. Now he stands before God, and bearing his head, he says, Behold, I am violent. It took any pride that he ever had right away from it. And friend, tonight, if I can do nothing more, I want to do this. I want to ask you, not will you compare yourself to me or to others that are in this fellowship, but just for a moment would you try and catch a glimpse of the Lord. You see, the more I open my Bible and read of men who have left their mark upon the religious history of the world, The more I realized that any man who did anything for God, any man that entered into a deep fellowship with the Almighty, started where Job cried, I am but. What should I say of the one that we refer to as the sweet singer of Israel? Just not the Bible say of David, he was a man after God's own heart. But one day David came in contact with the Almighty. And in the words of the fifth verse of the fifty-first Psalm, he cries, Behold, I am vile. Oh, yes. But in other words, I was born in sin and shaken iniquity. Now when you think of the men at his age, When you think even of those associated with him, his own family. Oh, what a mighty man he was. But David is not now associating himself with his own family, or associating himself with his own leaders, or associating himself with Saul, or even with Jonathan. He's associating himself with God, indeed that. I was born and saved. I was shaken at inequity. I have a habit when speaking to boys and girls of asking them a question. It's a very simple question, but we'll have a crowd of boys and girls in front of us. And I say, now listen, I want every one of you to think and think earnestly. And then... I want every boy and girl here whose mommy had to teach them how to be naughty to put your hand up. Do you know something? I've seen many a mother and father, you know, wondering whether they're... But I've never seen a youngster put their hand up, yeah? Men may say what they will, and they may come with all their fanciful ideas. But the fact that man is sinful is seen surely in that simple question. Not one of you had to teach your children how to be naughty, but every one of us had to teach them how to be good. Because somehow there's a bias. A bias shouldn't take us off that straight course. I know not whether you play field bowls over here. If you do, you know that a bowl with which they bowl has a bias to it and the scare is to throw that ball so it can direct the balance and hits the jack or gets near the jack and I found out in my life that there was a bias that pulled me out of the straight line and David knew that when he came in contact with God he saw the straight line I say when I go a step further and I think of the lovely man Ezra What a man was he? Job said, behold, I am vile, and David said, I am born in sin and shape and iniquity. There was a man who surely was after God's own heart, a man that was seeking to turn the children of God back into the worship of God. And in that sixth verse of the ninth chapter of Ezra, he cried, I blush, to lift up my face. And do you remember when he said it? He said it when he'd knelt by an altar. He said it when he'd seen something of the wonders of that that would besiege the dead Elvory. And he said, I'd blush to lift up my face. I will never reach the dizzy height that Joe reached. I'll never reach the dizzy height that David reached, or Ezra reached. Then I remember... that I'm like them when I compare myself to God. For all have sinned. If you ask me to list the names of men that have left their mark, then surely I would not only say Job and David and Ezra, but I would link with those names Isaiah, would I not? The king's courtier, the fine, upright, young, religious politicians, One day he saw a throne that was empty. And with a heart that was now broken, he heard God say, Isaiah, you're looking the wrong way. The throne's not empty. Look. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne. And he bowed his knee and said, Woe is me. For I am under. I'm the man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the Lord. When I come to the New Testament, would I not be right in saying that if there is a man that has left his mark upon holy writ, that man would be Peter? And I remember the first time I am introduced to Peter. He has loaned his boat to the master, and the master pays him. Peter falls on his face and says, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. In the fifth chapter of Luke, dares to tell us this, that what Old Testament saints said when they saw God, New Testament saints said, when they saw God, what could I say indeed of the centurion? The Lord Jesus said of him, he has seen no such faith, not even in Israel. But that centurion was the man who said, I am not worthy. I am not worthy. And in that seventh chapter of Luke and that great sixth verse, I hear again the will, I get again the understanding. I see again the fact that when a man compares himself to God, he has to say, I am God. Of course, when Timothy one, fifteen speaks of another, Saul, the persecutor, who became Paul the preacher, One day, having come in contact with God, he said, sinners of whom I am she. Now, please, friend, I'm going to spend no longer there. I do not tonight wish to stand here and remind men and women of what sin is. You know what sin is. And if you don't know what sin is, then I ask one thing of you. Would you think with me of almighty God? And if you'll come in contact with him, you'll know how far short of the glory of God we've all come. Does that take any pride I may ever have had right away from me? Because I think I'm pretty good. And then I stand before God and I cry with Job. Behold, I invite you. But if that's all I have to say, I never would have come to Greenberg. I never would have stood in this service tonight. If that's all I have to say, but praise God I have something more to say. So I want to tell you not of something that takes my pride away, but something that takes my sin away. Or rather, someone who takes my sin away. Behold! Behold the Lamb of God, who beareth away the sin of the world. Oh, here is the greatest sight that anyone has ever turned their eyes upon to see the Lord. Behold, the Lamb of God. Friend, if not only is this the greatest sight, this is the greatest Savior brought before us, the one who's called the Lamb of God. Now I do not tonight wish to sound too theological, but for the sake of you Bible lovers, may I please remind you of what you were taught in Bible class, that as we open the Word of God, we see Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, typified by Moses. We see Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, identified by John the Baptist. We see Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God crucified when we go to Calvary's cross, and we see one who was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is done, so he opened not his mouth. We see Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God glorified when we turn our eyes to heaven and we read the glorious words of the fifth chapter of the book of the Revelation. I saw a lamb pending as he was slain. Isn't that wonderful? Of course, I cannot speak with absolute certainty. I can only tell you this. that it seems to me that the first time I ever gathered with a company of Christians around the table of the Lord, and as I told you last night, I had to sit behind the board, that the first time I ever gathered with that company of Christians, one of the brethren rose to his feet and spoke on the fifth chapter of either, I'm sorry, the fifth chapter of Revelation. And I remember today what all of you know, and have heard a thousand times, and yet I remember the first time I ever heard it, and I felt I just wanted to shout out, isn't that wonderful? By the way, let me just get off the mark a moment. I remember a little while ago, in the city of Rugby in my country, I arrived for special services, and because it started with a conference day, I arrived on the Friday, for the conference would have been, the first session would have been Saturday afternoon, and I couldn't have got there from my home in that time. And I arrived and went to a prayer meeting, and I found these brethren at gathering, praying for the coming services, and amongst them was a man who just been saved the week before. Just say. A rough, gruff man. A man who's no time for God are the things of God, who knew nothing of the finer points, even of courtesy. And this man, fact, he's just been saved. And he heard these brethren, you know, when someone prayed, they say, Amen. Amen. No running commentary. But when someone prayed at the end of their prayer, they said, These men have prayed for me. Amen. Amen. Halfway through the meeting, I can see him now. This dear man, so excited, he jumped to his feet and he said, Sweet shield for Jesus! Hip hip! And I shouted, hooray. I did. I did. You know, brethren, sister, sometimes we fail to get excited, don't we? Oh, of course, if he said that now, you know, two years after, I think I'd speak to him about reverence, but not then. He just trusted the Lord. Just trusted the Lord. And that's how I felt when I heard this dear brother that Lord's Day morning, although they wouldn't let me remember the Lord with them, he opened his Bible and he read the fifth chapter of Revelation and said what you've heard said a hundred times. He said, there was the land passing as it was slain. He said, you know, I am a butcher. And my job sometimes is to kill land. I'd never seen a lamb that was slain, sandy. The moment I put the knife to it, it falls to the ground. But here's a lamb, it's slain, but it's sandy. Praise God for a Christ who rose again. You know, I couldn't understand why everyone didn't say hip-hip hooray. Really? Really? Is that it? I see that Lamb of God typified and identified and crucified and glorified. And as I think of the Lord Jesus there, the Lamb of God who beareth away the sin of the world. Oh, friend, if there's anyone who can take my sin away, then that's the one. But behold, I am vile, takes my pride away. And behold, the Lamb of God takes my sin away, for he took my sin and my sorrow. He made it his very own. He bore my burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone. But there's something more, isn't there? Because Jesus said, Have a look at the whole, the fowls of the air. For they show not, neither do they reach. Oh, they don't even gather into barns. They're not like squirrels. But they're heavenly Father Peter. How many men and women there are who say, Oh, I would trust Christ. I would be a Christian. I would ask him to take my sin away. I would yield my life to him. I would say in the words that the choir sang to us, Oh, Jesus, Lord, and I give myself to thee, for thou in thine atonement did not give myself to me. I would do it. But there were so many problems. There was the problem of my home, of my business, of my school. There were the problems of my friendship, of my clubs. There were the problems of all over. I don't think I could live for Jesus Christ. Listen, friends. Behold, iron vile takes my pride away, and behold, the Lamb of God takes my sin away. But behold, the powers of the air take my cares away, for if God can care for the sparrow and feed it. Do you not think we've got a God who can meet you on his nighting? Oh, blessed be his name, he can. Oh, praise God, he can. There's nothing too hard for the Lord. For we have been reminding ourselves this evening in the very hymns and choruses that we've sung, that the Christ who died is the Christ who rose from the dead and lived. He ever lived up. And he's there to be our helper and our friend. He's there to be our counselor and our guide. there to minister to what I need day by day. And I want to bear public witness to this. But I've never known him fair. That doesn't mean there haven't been times of trial. That doesn't mean there haven't been times of difficulty. That doesn't mean there haven't been times when we wondered just how we were going to meet the bill. But what it does mean is this. That he said us. Well, I mean, I get to go on a diet so you can see. He's said me pretty well. He said me pretty well. Oh, listen, friend. He's a wonderful baby. He's a glorious Lord. To know Jesus Christ is to know the one who takes our hell. To be able to cast it at his feet. And in the words of the little chorus, we sang the first evening, and I don't think we've sung since. Oh, let go. And let God have his wonderful word. Let go and let God have his way. Your burdens will vanish your night and time today if you'll let go and let God have his way. I know not what's going to happen tomorrow. I have a faintest idea, but I know this, that I've got a Savior over there. And if there's someone here tonight in your passing through great trial, And you wonder how ever, oh, you wonder how ever you can get over beyond that trial. May I please remind you that if you'll start where we started and acknowledge that you're vile, if you'll continue and acknowledge that he's the Savior who died to deliver you from sin, and if you'll acknowledge that this is the one who cares, you'll find that he's sick enough for anybody. But I said, behold, I am vile, takes my pride away, and behold, the Lamb of God, takes my sin away, and behold, the birds of the air, take my tears away. But behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. And take my excuses away. Take my excuses away. My friend, whatever excuse men and women may give for not coming to Christ, in the light of their birth, there is no excuse that God will accept. I set before you, says the risen Christ. Not the preacher, not the church. The risen Christ set before you. An open door and no man can shut it. If you want to come to Christ, don't listen, friends. If you want to come to Christ, there's not a power in heaven or earth or hell that can stop you coming. For my Bible says, and him that cometh, I shall in no way start that. He's set before me an open door and no man can shut it. The whole point is this, is it not that if the door be opened, then you and I must step into it. You know, it's the lovely story of Abner. I think the last time I was with you those years ago, I spoke on Abner. Maybe I don't, didn't. I don't keep a record of what I say and where I say it. But you know, it's a lovely story, the story of Abner. If I did preach about Abner and I think I might have, I would have said three things. I spared. I spared. I would have said something like this. Abner, how serious was your danger? You remember he had slain Asahel on the hill. And Joab, Asahel's older brother, was catching him down. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And he was going to slain him. How serious is your danger? I would have said, Abner. How stupid is your delay? For God had set up six cities, hadn't he? You remember girls, you hear about them in Sunday school class. Cities of refuge. Three on either side, the river Jordan. Thirty miles apart. And God had said that a man who had slain another unaware, and that's what Abner had done, for he never smoked alcohol with the pointed ear at the end of the spear, but with the shaft of the spear. He only intended to wind him, not kill him. It was mine's water. God said a man that killed another unaware if he would go into one of these cities, then they could never catch him. If he saved theirs from the death of the high priest, there was complete hasty for him. And Abner came to the threshold of the city, didn't he? Do you remember the story? And may I please, are you watching that? Are you watching? Do you remember all Abner had to do with this? Are you watching that? This is all Abner had to do to be in complete safety. God, do it again. He stood in the threshold of the city. In the city there was safety. And John was there waiting to slay him. And all Abner had to do was this. How serious was his danger? How stupid was he to use it, wouldn't he, to laugh? How sudden was his death? Joab came and said, Abner, word on your ear, sir, word. And he took him aside to speak quietly with him. He smote him under the cliff rib and he died. There's a little verse. I quoted it the other evening. Thou... Thou art my hiding place. I have someone who's better than all the cities of refuge. And he's set before me an open door. He's willing to receive me. How serious is our danger? But behold, I am bro. How stupid is our delay? But behold, the Lamb of God. He's there available for it. Oh, friend, take the stand. Don't do what Abner did. Don't do what Abner did. Don't put it off. Behold, behold, I come quickly. Oh, I'm so glad that if there's one behold that takes my pride away, and one behold that takes my sin away, and one behold that takes my cares away, and one behold that takes my excuses forever away, There's one behold that takes me away. Behold, I come quickly. He's coming. He's coming. I know not when he's coming, but he's coming. Maybe tonight, and he's coming for his own. He's coming for his own. He's coming for those that are in the body of Christ. You will not forget with you that the word of God referring to the church speaks of three things. It speaks of the church as a body. It speaks of the church as a bride. It speaks of the church as a building. And one day, blessed be his name, he's coming. He's coming to take it away. Friendly, are you ready? If Jesus Christ was to come back to nothing, Dan, would you be ready, Jesus came? Behold. Behold. Behold. Behold. Behold. In none may I please. But all my heart may I ask. With that door that's open before thee and a Christ willing to receive thee. Would you take that step and come to Christ? I think there's only one hymn we could sing, don't you? It's not the hymn I'd chosen. I'd chosen two hundred and thirty-three, but there's another hymn. Only a step to Jesus. Then why not take it now? Come, and thy sin confessing to him the Savior thou. Only a step. Come, he waits for thee. It's two hundred and thirty-six. Two hundred and thirty-six, please. Only a step to Jesus. Oh, friends, would you take that step tonight? Only a step toward Jesus, then why not make it now? Come on my sin, confessing to him the Savior though. Only a step, only a step, come he waits for this. Come, and my sin confessing. Thou shalt receive a blessing. Do not reject the mercy. He freely offers him. Only a step toward Jesus, believe and love shall live. Lovingly now he's waiting and ready to forgive. Only a man, only a man, come he waits for thee. Come on my sin, confessing, some shall receive a blessing. Do not reject the mercy he freely offers thee. Oh, friend, as we sing the lapper, May I ask, will you take that step and come to Christ tonight? Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. He's willing to receive you tonight if he'll come to him. Will you come? Oh, God grant by faith someone will take that step and come to Christ. Let's sing the last one. Only a step to Jesus, though why not come and say, Gladly to bear my Savior, I give myself away. Only a step, only a step, come he waits for thee. Come a nighting, confessing, thou shalt receive a blessing. Do not reject the mercy. We shall receive a mercy. Maybe if we just bow our heads in prayer at this moment, there's someone who's saying, I'm going to take that. Oh, friend, will you do it now? We could just ask the Lord Jesus to forgive your sin and receive you just as you are. Ask him to come into your life. He's willing to. Oh God and Father, sometimes as we come to thy word and ponder its page, we realize there's water to swim in. That we're not unmindful. That there's water at this evening in which all of us can walk. Truths we can all understand. We pray that thou wilt give us to gaze upon that one who makes us feel that we are but by all. Grant, we pray thee, that we may gaze upon that one who as the Lamb of God died for our sin. We may gaze upon that one who day by day cares and has promised a minister to our needs, that we may gaze upon that one who has done all that's necessary for our salvation, has opened every door to remove every excuse. And grant that we may look forward to that day when we shall gaze upon him and be with him. I'd like him for Jesus' sake. Amen. Well, friend, you will not forget with you that if tonight there are some of you here who maybe have asked the Lord in the course of the meeting or meeting to trust the Savior, there are some of you here who are willing to trust him now. I'm not going to the door and shake hands with you as you leave. I'd love to do that. But I'll be standing here. And in my hand a few copies of that lovely little booklet, God's Way of Science. Would you remember this, please? I trust I say it courteously and kindly. But may I please say that if you mean business with God, God means