Christ's appearances are examined, focusing on the distinction between his past appearance to put away sin and his future appearance for salvation. The sermon argues that the English word 'appear' in Hebrews 9 has different ancient meanings, often related to drama or legal proceedings, and that Christ's work is best understood as two appearances with a 'disappearing' in between. The message emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice dealt with the root of sin (SIN) and the individual acts of sin (sins), and that his current ministry in heaven is as an advocate and high priest. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to anticipate Christ's second coming with hope, recognizing the unique privilege of their generation to witness signs of its imminence.
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Western days, that old prospector came into a cow town, leaving his mule, and a young cowboy, a wise-acre sort of a fellow, you know, and he stepped up to him. He said, Dad, said, you ever learn to dance? He said, no, son, never have. He said, you're going to learn today. He pulled out two six-shooters, you know, and started tapping around the old man's feet, and he'd up and down and jumping up and emptied both barrels. He said, I told you you to learn to dance. So the old man didn't say he just walked over and reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and said, Son, have you ever kissed a mule? He said, No, but I've always wanted to.
And you know, I've been reading about this conference for years. And I've always wanted to come, but I never had an invitation until this year. I think it was Welcome Detweiler probably that kept me from coming. because he said we decided this year we'd try a minor profit. We've had major profits every year and we thought we'd like to try a minor profit. Actually the first time and the only time I came here was forty years ago. So that kind of dates me. I came here at this conference to hear William Evans who was the first graduate of Moody Bible Institute and I don't suppose most of you ever heard of William Evans but he was well he used to advertise him as the Chief Campbell Morgan of America. But it's good to be here.
And I wonder if we might open our Bible tonight to a very, very familiar portion in the Scriptures, and that is Hebrews chapter nine. And you say, well, you know, we've heard all of these preachers preach on this, and I'm sure that many of you who do preach and teach, you have some pretty famous talks and addresses using this portion. And we usually call this the three appearances of our Lord Jesus. because that English word appear is found three times in this passage, once in verse twenty-four, once in verse twenty-six, and once in verse twenty-eight. Now, I don't think I'm one who tries to enter in a debate or an argument, but I don't believe that this could rightly be called the three appearing of our Lord Jesus, but rather the two appearing.
the two appearings of the Savior, and in between the two appearings there is a disappearing. Now if you recall in John chapter ten our Lord Jesus said, I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly. Then in John chapter fourteen he said, I will come again and receive those who have received that life. And all through the New Testament you have the two appearing. And I'd like to bring two or three talks, little Bible talks, on the two appearing of our Lord Jesus. Now, I'd like to read the portion. I don't think most of us have too much difficulty with the English language.
You don't, do you? I mean, if I take the little word, R-U-N, run, you know what that word means, don't you? Run, you do. Well, if you'll go over and stay wherever I'm staying over here, there's a big unabridged dictionary, a Webster's unabridged dictionary. And if you look up the English word run in there, you'll find that there are four hundred and thirty-two different meanings to the word run. The car will not run. We can't get the, you know, we can't get him to run for office. She has a run in her hose. Four hundred and thirty-two different meanings for the little three-letter word run. And you're going to find that this word appear that is found here.
Actually, the ancients had three different words, and you can look in a Strong's Concordance or Young's Concordance, and you're going to find that there are three different words, altogether different, and the ancients had a picture behind each one of these, and I'd like to point that out as we go along in our little talk tonight. All right, verse twenty-four. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself. now to appear in the presence of God for us nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world the converging of the ages hath he appeared the second time it found I have these words underscored in my Bible to put away S-I-N.
Now please notice that, S-I-N, by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men, once to die, but after this the judgment, look up from your Bibles a moment. Have you ever noticed how different it was with the Lord Jesus? He was judged, and then he died. Now if the Lord be not come, you're going to die. you might just as well get used to the idea because you're going to go by the way of the subway if he doesn't come and take you another way and we're looking for the savior in the nineteen sixties you know we landed a man on the moon we only have a short time left in the seventies but we are looking for a man to come from outer space aren't we we're looking for the savior but if he doesn't come everyone here is going to die And after death comes judgment.
There is a judgment for every single believer. We'll be not late for that one. We'll be on time. And anyone who dies in his sins, I hope that no one here will ever die in his sins. He will have to wait for at least a thousand years before he is ever judged. And he will be judged at least a thousand years from now. But he will be judged for his S-I-N-S. He'll be judged for his works. Now, I know that you've all heard this. All judgment in the Bible is always on the basis of works. Every single judgment is on the basis of works. You can look that up for yourself. Keep that stored away in the northwest corner of your head.
But the Lord Jesus was judged first. You're going to think about that in a special way. Come on, morning. and then when he had finished the work his father gave him to do he bowed his head and he gave up the ghost as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment so christ was once offered to bear the s-i-n-s the sins back here in verse twenty six he put away sin Here he was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him, shall he appear, here's the third time, the English word is bound, the second time, apart from any sin offering unto salvation.
Now I'd like to tell you a true story. Probably some of you have heard it, but it is a true story. Happened many, many years ago in the northeast of England. A little girl, when she had awakened in the morning, she was a bright, brave little believer. And as soon as she had opened her eyes, she started to pray. Like I dare say, I'm looking into the eyes of some, and that's the habit of your life, too. You pray before you're ever out of bed. And she was praying that prayer, Lord, lead me to some soul today, and teach me, Lord, just what to say. Friends of mine are lost in sin and do not know the way. And she got dressed. and she was going to the railroad station. I think you'd recognize her if you saw her, because she was garbed in a little uniform, dark blue, and then she had a little bonnet on, tied underneath here, with a little shield on the bonnet, and had the word Salvation Army.
And then also there was a red ribbon went across her chest, and again the word Salvation Army. Well, she arrived at the railroad station, standing there for that little train to come in, and she was constantly praying, Lord, lead me to that one today. Help me to be a good witness for you. And I'm afraid that many times I miss those opportunities. Do you ever do that? I mean, I miss them. I get to the end of the day, and I say I haven't spoken to anyone today about the Lord Jesus and about his relationship to him, their relationship to him. Well, the train came in. It wasn't like Amtrak. It wasn't like the bullet that you'll find in Japan. It was on that narrow gauge railway, and each compartment was separate. You couldn't go from one to another. And she reached up, and she took hold of the handle, and she opened the door, and she went in, and she looked around as soon as she closed the door to see if there was somebody else in there.
And sure enough, there was. And he also was dressed in a particular kind of a garb. It was a clerical garb. He had a collar, you know, one that buttons in the back, kind of turn around backwards. And then he had a purple vest that went down over his big chest, and most of the chest had slipped down a little bit. And in those days he was wearing, I don't suppose anybody here has ever seen gators, but that's what he was wearing. And she was swallowing two or three times and wondering how to get started. Do you ever have that problem knowing how to get started? it's no problem to preach really anybody can preach just get up here this is cowards castle you know and we can say you have to keep your mouth shut we can say what you want to but I'll tell you it's a different thing when you're on a plane or in a bus or downtown and trying to come out with a real starter you know and get him started well she swallowed two or three times and said lovely today today isn't he said certainly is hope you're well she said I am said I wonder if I could ask you a question he said why certainly what is your question She said, are you saved?
Now he said, before I answer that question, could I ask you two or three questions? When you asked me that question, were you referring to, and he used a big, long Greek word, that had to do with that aspect of our redemption in the past. Redemption and save from the penalty of our sin. He didn't go into all that explanation. He just used the big Greek word. Or were you referring to, and he used another big one that has to do with that wonderful aspect of our redemption, which has to do with everyday salvation as we go through this dirty, smuddy, stinking world. Or did you have in mind, and he used another big Greek word that she didn't know even existed, that has to do with the culmination of our redemption.
She said, I'm afraid, sir, I don't know what you're talking about. And she didn't realize that she was talking. to Bishop Westcott, that godly Bishop of Durham, not North Carolina, but Durham and Britain, that godly Bishop, a man who literally soaked himself in the Word of God and read the scriptures in the original languages and does not a believer here tonight but what is indebted directly or indirectly to the labors of that great man. And she said, I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about. And he explained it. And that little girl found out that that word, salvation that she had written on her bonnet and across her chest, was a far, far greater salvation than she ever dreamed possible.
Now, when you come to these words, these English words appear. I'm not going to take them in their order. I said, I believe. Now, if you will still call your talk, that you give your study the three appearances, you go right on and continue to do it. But I think if you're going to study it carefully, you'll find that there are two appearances. He hath appeared in the past, and he is going to appear in the present, in the future. But let's face back, you have never, never seen him. I know you've seen him in the Word. and I know that you'd feel like one of the great translators of the scriptures when he had finished his particular version and he wrote in the foreword these holy pages will give you Christ himself talking healing dying rising the whole Christ in the word they will give him to you in an intimacy so close that he would be less visible if he stood before your eyes and I'm sure that's true you can see more of the Lord Jesus in the Bible Then you could, if you walked down that aisle and came up in this platform and stood here before you.
I know you've seen him in the world. And I know you've seen, well, the paintings of the artist have an idea that he looked like. I think they're going to have some big surprises when they do see him. But anyway, I know you've seen him that way, but you have never, never seen him. Now, if you've had a dream or a vision, welcome loves to hear about him. So you tell him to him, but please don't tell him to me. Please don't. Because I can tell you how you got that vision of dream. You had strong cheese and minced pie before you went to bed. And that's what gave that to you. But anyway, you'll find that there are two appearing and in between a disappearing. Now, we're not going to take them in order. Let's look at verse twenty-six. And I am watching.
I've got a little thing right here that will tell me when I'm through. And I was told very carefully this afternoon because, you know, when you get older, you enjoy your own preaching. And that's dangerous. And I was told that anybody like Roy Gusterson, who thinks by the inch and preaches by the yard, ought to be dealt with by the foot. And so we're going to, we'll honor that request. And that's not our request. That was an order. In the middle of earth, twenty-six. Now once in the end of the age, or the converging of the ages, hath he appeared? to put away S-I-N sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Verse twenty-eight. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins, S-I-N-S, of many. Now, how did the ancients use this word? They always used this word in connection with a drama. That's the way they used it. It's an altogether different word than you'll find in the other two times. Look it up for yourself in a Strong's or Young's Concordance. Then use it in connection with a drama. We're going to say that the chief actor is in the wings. He's waiting. He's waiting patiently for the time when he will appear on the stage to play his part. He must not appear early, and he certainly must not appear late. But it's a precise moment. He is going to move out on the stage and he will play his part.
We're going to say for thirty-three minutes. He moves here and he moves there and he says his lines and he does his thing. And when he's played his part, then he moves off the stage. Now that is the way that this word was used. Now Christ appeared to put away S-I-N and to bear the S-I-N-S of many. Now you say, Roy, we heard you say that two or three times, and we know that with age you do repeat a lot, but I did that on purpose. Now I'm going to tell you, and I know that most of you don't need anything except to have your memory jogged and to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. That S-I-N-S, sins, is not the plural of sin.
No, it's not. If we have any young people here that go to school, they'll say, yes it is, because you start in school and they tell you right off in the early grades that if you have a noun and you want to make a plural of it with the one exception of mouse, you don't do it with mouse, but you do it with other nouns, you put an S on the end of that noun and you make it plural. Boy, boys, girl, girls, plural. But sins is not the plural of sin. Sin is the root. Sin is the fruit. Sin is the thing that God saw and God sees, that great disturbing element that would drive God from His throne and would enthrone itself.
Sins are the things that you and I see and we're concerned about. That is, when we're convicted and we know that we are sinners and we're concerned then with the things that we've done. And we compare ourselves with ourselves. I'm not nearly as bad as she is. She does a lot of things that I don't do. And we talk about sin. But the great disturbing element was S-I-N. That's why John the Baptizer said in that great message of his that he constantly preached, Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. And this is the privilege of the evangelist. And this is good news whether anyone believes it or whether they don't believe it. Remember, the gospel is not primarily an invitation.
The gospel is primarily a declaration. I declare the gospel, and it's good news whether anyone believes it or whether they don't believe it. And this is the privilege of the evangelist to roam anywhere in the world and to declare this message that God has been glorified in the death of his son. I'll never forget when I think one of my first times I ever went to Africa. I was in Senegal. And I met a handsome French missionary, French Huguenot background, very intelligent face. beautiful head of white hair, full head of white hair. Don't laugh at me. They don't put marble tops in cheap furniture. Do they?
No. I said, how long have you been here working among the Islamic people, brother? He said, for thirty-five years. I said, thirty-five years. I said, in the thirty-five years, how many have you seen make fashion of faith? Oh, he said, either six or seven. I said, of the six or seven, how many of you seen go on for the Lord? He said, oh, none. And you might sit here tonight and say, what purpose does this waste? Why not move on to some other part of Africa where so many are coming to faith? Why stay there? Let me remind you of something tonight that nothing is ever wasted if it's lavished on Christ.
And God has decreed that someday everyone in heaven, earth, and hell must learn what the Son did for the Father. That doesn't mean that hell is going to be reconciled to God. It'll be brought into subjection to God. Heaven and earth will be reconciled. But as you know, the devil will never rule hell. Jesus Christ right now has the keys of death and hell. So this is message. And I'll never forget that night on January twenty-seven, nineteen thirty-three. The first time I ever heard the gospel, I'm sure I had heard it with these ears before, but hearing it with the ears of the soul. I wasn't concerned about John Ellis. I wasn't concerned about Burke noise, or Dana Horton, or Paul Whitten. It just seemed as though I was the only sinner in all the universe of God, and I knew I was the sinner.
And I want to say I'm sure that we spring the good news on people before they've had a good dose of bad news. No one's ever a candidate for good news until they've had bad news, until they know that they are the sinner before God. And then we're able to whisper into that ear, He not only appeared to put away sin, glorifying God in the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of Himself, as that whole burnt offering all on the altar for God. But when anybody knows that he is a sinner, then he is a candidate to know that the Lord Jesus also bore the sins of many, all of them, past, present, future.
You say not future ones. Well, all of your sins are future when he died. And that's the only time God has ever dealt with your sins was at the cross, that is, in judgment. I said I came here forty years ago to hear William Evans. William Evans was the first graduate of Moody Bible Institute. I remember hearing him tell that he was in John Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia at Easter time when they have Munhachi's Christ before Pilate on display, that great painting. And Mr. Evans said that he was standing there and looking at that painting and studying it. Many of you have seen it. Pilate sitting there and his eyes riveted on the floor, probably thinking about that dream that his wife had told him about that she had had, that had nothing to do with this just man.
And the crowds on either side screaming for his blood. And then the Munhachis had Christ painted with a white robe standing there. Dr. Evans said, I became aware that someone was standing beside me. He said, I turned. There was a young sailor lad. I said, what does he mean to you, son? Young fellow said, who are you talking about? He said, I mean that one in the white in the painting right there. What does he mean to you? Young fellow looked up there and wrinkled his nose and squinted a little bit. He said, he doesn't mean anything to me. Why does he mean something to you? and william evans with his voice choked with emotion answered him with these words bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned he stood sealed my pardon with his blood hallelujah what a savior he hath appeared in the past to put away sin and to bear the sins of many but since He has appeared.
He has disappeared. You've never seen him. But I'm glad many times you do, don't you? You do thank God for the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Don't you do that often? I know you do. When you give your testimony, your prayers, you thank God so often for the finished work of our Lord Jesus. But I wonder if you ever take time to thank God for the unfinished work of our Lord Jesus. I know a lot of people have a lot of crazy ideas. What he's doing now, that he's up there with a hammer and a saw, and he's building the mansion for you up there. Most of you have had enough of houses down here, and I don't think you'd want one up there. But he's there.
Let's look, shall we? For Christ, verse twenty-four, is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Now, you can probably help me in this. I'd appreciate it if you would. We're nothing but little learners, all of us, and the more we're in the Christian faith, and we read and study the Bible. It seems, oh, the less and less we know. So if we can help one another, let's do it. To my knowledge, the only picture that we have in the Old Testament of the present work of our Lord Jesus is found in Exodus chapter twenty-eight.
On that great day of atonement, when the camp of Israel would awaken, there'd be a solemn hush over the whole camp. because on that day Aaron the great high priest was going to take off his beautiful garments and he did have a beautiful wardrobe didn't he he was one priest that didn't own a black suit he didn't own a black suit but he would take off his beautiful garments and he would wash his body with pure water and he would put on that spotless linen garment and that two times he was going into the presence of God that day once for himself as he took the blood of a bullock And he went into the holiest of all with that blood and sprinkled it on the ground, and he sprinkled it on that slab of gold as two cherubim, looked down upon it.
And we are told that they used to tie a rope around his ankle, because no one would ever dare to go in in case he died in the presence of God. And so if he did die, they would pull on that rope and pull his body out. When he came out the next time, he took the blood of a goat. And he went in and he did the same thing for the people. This was the great day of Yom Kippur, the great day of atonement. And to my knowledge, this is the only picture that we have in the Old Testament of our present ministry, the present ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has disappeared in the presence of God for us.
Now, the ancients used this word, this particular word, in another very interesting connotation. They would always use it in connection with jurisprudence, in connection with a court of law. Now, I've been in a lot of courts all over the world. Don't get any ideas, but I have been in a lot of them. And I find that they're all just about the same, really, basically. There you'll see the spectators sitting out there. Then you'll see the jury in the box. Then you'll see the prisoner over here. And you'll see two or three lawmen around there. and then in a little bit the judge will come in from his chambers and when he comes in everyone stands in respect to his position and then when he sits down everybody else sits down and the judge will go over his papers and then he will look up and say who is appearing in behalf of the prisoner and between the prisoner and the bench a man or a woman these days will stand and say, Your Honor, I am appearing in behalf of the prisoner.
Now that is the way that this word, this particular word, which is altogether different than the other one, look it up for yourself. This is the way that the ancients would use it. I say, He has disappeared. Aren't you glad tonight that the Lord Jesus is on the throne of grace? You know, He's cornered the market on grace. You can't buy it, you can't earn it, you can't get it with green stamps. He's the God of all pity, he's the God of all mercy, and he's the God of all grace. And while we're sitting here tonight, he is there on the throne of grace. And it never runs out. You have never gone to the throne of grace. You know, when you've needed it so badly, when the pressures, and we heard in the prayer tonight, those who are, well, I'm not saying those who are going through troublous waters.
And if you haven't been in any, if you're not in some right now, please be patient. Because your day is coming. Everybody's going to get it. Everybody's had it. And every believer is going to get some. You have never gone to the throne of grace and had an angel stop you as you were just going up to the throne and say, I'm sorry. There was such a rush on the grace of God that today we ran out about ten o'clock. There's no more left. but we're expecting a fresh shipment in during the night. So if you could try to be here, there'll be a, you'll have to queue up for it, but probably if you could be here, say, four, four, thirty in the morning, I can't promise you we'd give you all you need, but we'll ration it out to you.
You'll get, you've never had that, have you? Aren't you glad for the throne of grace? And you have never gone and had an angel come to you and say, of time. He's resting. He's taking his sleep. No, he slept in Peter's boat, and he slept on the Mount of Olives. To our knowledge, he visited Jerusalem seven times, but he never spent one night in the city of Jerusalem. He was never impressed with it. But he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Aren't you glad that he never slumbers nor sleeps? And he's there tonight for you. And he is there. I say this word was used in connection with the jurisprudence.
And I think you know what I'm going to say. Because not only is he in the presence of God, but someone else has access to the presence of God. And his majesty, the devil, has access to the presence of God. We read that in the book of Job, and we read of it in other portions of the New Testament, that he goes and he accuses the saints night and day, day and night. He does. You say, well, Roy, how does that work? Well, I can see him now going to the throne of God and saying, is Dick Andrews one of yours? God says, Angel, would you mind checking that computer there in the other room and see if we've got a fellow by the name of Dick Andrews here?
And the angel comes back and says, yeah, he's one of ours. We don't have him listed under that name, however. He's got a name that no one will ever know but he himself. But he's one of ours. So the devil says, he's one of yours. He's sinned today. And you know, if it only took one sin to put a man out of a garden, how many sins would it take to keep you out of heaven if they hadn't all been taken care of? He said, if he's one of yours, he is sinned today, then damn him to hell. And that's what you should get, really. But I'm glad for our lawyer, aren't you? Our advocate, our mediator, our great high priest, and he steps up and he shows those hands and we love to sing it and we love to quote it the veil is rent low jesus stands before the throne of grace and clouds of incense from his hands fill all that glorious place his precious blood has spoken there before and on the throne and his own wounds in heaven declare that the work that saves is done now that's the way that this word is used and that's what he's doing right now he appeared in the past here But he has disappeared, but he's not inactive.
I know that he's patiently waiting, waiting, waiting for precious fruit of the earth to be gathered in. But while he's there, he is active for us. And we ought to constantly thank God for the finished work of Christ, but also thank God for the unfinished work of our Lord Jesus. Now, let's look at verse twenty-eight. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time." No generation has ever had as much right to be looking for the second appearing of our Lord Jesus as our generation.
We are a very, very favored people. Do you know that? We're a very, very favored people to be living in nineteen seventy-nine. I think of the woman that led me to the Lord Jesus way back there in nineteen thirty three she told me all that I'm seeing today she never saw it except with the eye of faith and she saw it because she knew the Bible but she never saw it like I'm seeing it and we're seeing things right now that no your parents never saw it your grandparents never saw it except in the scriptures but you and I are very very favored We're looking for the Savior. Shall He appear the second time, apart from any sin offering, unto the completion of our redemption?
Now, how did the ancients use this word? Well, they used it. Well, let's see. They'd use it for the flight of a cover of birds before we moved. We had a little dog. We had him for nearly seventeen years. He weighed five pounds, his name was Samson. And that dog, I'll have to take one of my talks and just tell you about that dog. But one of my little, it wasn't a chore, it was a real play. He used to take him on his little walk every morning. And then he'd come back and we had a lot of birds around there, doves and others. And I'd just take some of the wild bird seed and throw it out there. And they'd come down and probably have a hundred, hundred and twenty-five birds down there, doves and others.
But there were two cats around there. One was a great big white cat, and my wife named him Abimelech. And that big white cat had a cold, looked like a slice out of midnight. It was a little black, and we named him Nimrod. And those cats would come up, you know. But one of those birds would see that, and gone, the whole cobbier birds would go. And that's the way that the ancients would use this word, the flight of a cobbier birds. I don't know how it is up here, but around St. Petersburg where I live. We, and don't believe this, they typed off. I'm not from Miami. I'm from St. Petersburg. But anyway, it's the electrical storm center of the world, they say.
And you see the flash of lightning. That's where they'd used that two thousand years ago. That word appear. It would be come and gone. Or you're out and you hear the screaming sort of some jets that go up. And you look over here and see them, but you're looking in the wrong way. They're already over here. That's the way they would use it. Something that instantaneous... The them that look for him, shall he appear the second time apart from a sin offering unto salvation? I'm going to ask some questions here. These are rhetorical questions. You know what a rhetorical question is, don't you? I ask the question, I give the answer, you keep your mouth shut. All right. We have some younger folk here, and I'm sure that I've seen others around the grounds.
If I were to get a group of, say, in their teens or early twenties, And I would say, listen, if I could prove to you that the Lord Jesus is coming in twenty-four hours, twenty-eight minutes past eight o'clock tomorrow night, he is going to come. Would you be glad? Now, I want you to give me an honest answer. Would you be glad? Well, they say that you want an honest answer. I'm going to give you an honest answer. I do love the Lord. I am saved, and I sure want him. But you've lived your life, and there are experiences you'll have in this world you'll never have in the next one.
And I've got my eye on that little girl, because we can see her about fifteen years from now. He probably would change his mind, but anyway, he said, I've got my eye on her, and I would like to finish my education, and I'd like to go into business, and I'd like to serve the Lord down here. I want him to come, but it would please me if he'd just let me live here for a while. And if that, if a young person talked that way, I wouldn't blame him, one Iota, would you? It would be perfectly normal and perfectly natural to desire the things, because we'll never have these days again. But if I look into the eyes of some of you who are my vintage, and I would say, if I could prove to you that the Lord Jesus will be here in twenty-four hours, would you be glad?
Would I be glad? Why does it put us along? Why can't he come tonight? I'd be happy if he'd never get out of this tabernacle. I'd be thrilled if he could come tonight. I'm going to say something. I was in Salisbury, Rhodesia, and when I finished my little talk, Old boy came down the aisle leaning heavily on a stick, both hands on that stick. His body was riddled with arthritis. I said to him, enjoy it while you've got it, brother. He said, what? I said, that arthritis. I said, you'll never have that when you're skipping the hills of glory. So if you've got it now, enjoy it. Make the very most of it. He said, that's very little comfort.
Have you ever had arthritis? I said, not yet. He said, that's very little comfort for a fellow that does have it. And I thought he was going to slug me over the head with that stick. But I said you'll never have a headache and you'll never have a toothache and you'll never have a backache or a stomachache. Not when you're there. So if you've got anything tonight, any pains or anything, make the most of it and enjoy it. But you know, I want you to study this out and think this out. You have some real Bible students here. I know that. You'll notice in the New Testament that this blessed hope of our Lord's return is never given as a means of escaping out of something, of a bad situation or a better one.
It's given as a great hope of entering into something far greater than we've ever known before. I know what I'm going to be doing a thousand years from tonight. I do. And I know what I'm going to be doing a million years from now. I know what I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be leaving things behind. It's not going to be easy, but take a look at me. Take a good look at me. Do you know it actually wasn't too long ago? Doesn't seem like it to me anyway. Life goes so fast. But there was a time in my life when I sat on a linoleum. Nobody here has ever heard of a linoleum. But I sat on a linoleum in front of a wooden stove up there in Massachusetts.
And I had a rattle in my hand. And my whole life was wrapped up in that rattle. Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle. Don't laugh at me. You did the same thing. That was my whole life. But one day I discovered I had legs. And who wants a rattle when you've got legs to get yourself around with? And that's the day when you have to move everything in the top shelf, except for my little grandson in Raleigh. And he's just got his legs, fifteen months old, going around. And the word that he is all day long is, no, no, no. And then after a while, the other kids had a bike. And who wants to walk when you can ride a bike? And I want to tell you, I thought the kingdom had come.
I thought this was it. Now, most of the young people today would never ride on a bike like I had. They never would do it. I mean, the front wheel was this way, and the back one was this way, and no mud guards on it, and had to squirt kerosene on the coastal brake to make it hold. But I lived my whole life on that bike. Remember those days? Oh, it was terrific. I'd ride all around with Bert and Dana. And then I discovered there was such a thing as girls. And, boy, show off of that bike. You know, hit that brake and skid around. Then Bert would come and do something more dangerous and all that. Then I got one of those and I still have the same one. Believe it or not, that's kind of a rare thing these days, but I still have the same one right now.
Then, of course, I didn't want a bike. I wanted an automobile. And I bought a Forty-two Plymouth. Forty-two. I waxed it three times a week. I had that so smooth that if a fly lit on it, it would slip and break his ankle. And I had a rag in the glove compartment. Any kids coming in, I'd wipe that feet off, you know. I didn't want to get dirty up the Forty-two Plymouth. But I'm, you know, the first two-thirds of your life, you collect stuff. You ever notice that? And the last third, you're trying to get rid of it. And I'm in that stage right now, trying to get rid of it. My car, it's a little one here, seven years old. And I hope I'll never buy another one.
I don't even know, there was a day when I'd go down when the new models came out and looked them over and smell of them, you know, and kicked the tires and look them all over. And no, I don't do that anymore. in the shopping mall where they had them on display. The only one I looked at was the forty-eight thousand dollar Rolls-Royce and I only spent about thirty seconds with that one. I don't care. Really I don't. Life is leaving things behind and I have no reason but not believing that that's the way it's going to be when we leave this scene. We're going to be constantly leaving things behind and going on and on and on. To them that look for him, shall he appear? The Apostle Paul speaks about those who love his appearing.
everybody here remembers Harold Wildish and I go down to see Harold he's seventy six now his legs are given out on his pretty much his legs are like rubber down in Jamaica but still that great Harold and he was telling that when he was in Britain of course he said I had the sweetest and the one most wonderful mother that any boy ever had he said I loved my mother said came home from school one day and my mother said now Harold his just a little read something and I have to leave. She was always there. I said, I have to go down and see Mrs. So-and-so. You get right into your books. So Harold said that his mother went out the door, and he looked out, and sure enough, she was going down the road, and he went into what they call there, a larder.
I've never heard of a larder, but he said, a larder, kind of a pantry, where his mother had some big jars of strawberry jam. Boy, you mouthwatered just thinking of it, and he got a big soup spoon. and he brought that jar of strawberry jam out and he was sitting right beside the fire and he was he said ladling that jam down the red lane you know boy could anything be greater and he was really enjoying it until he heard the click on the door and his mother walked in because a friend wasn't home he said now don't you dare tell me that i didn't love my mother i did but he said i sure didn't love her appearing You know what I hope you'll do tonight before you, because it's early, let's take this passage tonight before we go.
And in fact, I'd say when we have our little studies this week, after we've heard the talks here, let's get some time during the day in our room and read it for ourselves. Then we'll nail it down, we'll make it our very own, and pass it on to somebody else. And then you'll have it. And it won't be just a nice five or six days spent together and enjoying one another, enjoying the Bible. We'll have ammunition to take home to help other people. Your neighbors are hungry. I've never known at time. Maybe I'll get a chance to talk to you about some of the experience I've had recently in the Southeast Asia. The hunger of people all over the world, all over the world, and they're just not getting it.
The truth of the scriptures. And I know that you are, but your neighbors aren't. So if you can just scoop up some of that manna, like they did in the desert in those days, and take it back to the tent and share it with others. So we sing before we go. We sing in closing number two hundred and fifty-four. But before we sing, could we take our little core sheet and put in the front of the book so they won't blow away. We appreciate that. Then we'll have them at the next service. Number two hundred and fifty-four. My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed. I trust the ever-living one. His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other arguments. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
The first and the fourth stanza, shall we stand? My faith has found a resting place that is devised or free. I trust the ever-living one. His wounds for me shall bleed. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
By great position, till the sick, the lusty came to save, For me his precious blood he shed. For me is life he gave. I need no other I command. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
That's Brother Augustus in the closing prayer. Our Heavenly Father, again we thank thee for any favorable thought that is passed through our hearts and minds tonight concerning the one who is everything to thee. And we pray that as we go for our times of fellowship, these times which are so important, time of refreshment and then time of rest, we pray that thou prepareth for tomorrow, the Lord's day, and we