<TITLE>05. Par 17-21</TITLE>L-17 His birth, when Jesus was born on earth, He had a black mark to begin with. He was always received by the common people, and scorned mostly by the--the religious sect of the people in them days, and--and of the great ritzy and high minded people. And it's just about that way today too. It's the same.
Not as I'm trying to say that rich or ritzy people cannot be saved; they can, if they'll humble themselves and come like the rest of us. But we must all come in one way: that's come, knowing that we are nothing and He's all; and being willing to surrender ourselves to Him in order to receive benefits from Him.
If you ever get anything from God, you have to humble yourself and become nothing before Him, and know nothing, but one purpose; that is, you're trying to find Jesus. Then when you humble yourself down, God will exalt. But when you exalt yourself, God will see that you are brought to abase. That's right. He said so in His Word.

L-18 Now, Jesus, when He was born, He was... I believe that all gifts are foreordained, the foreknowledge of God. You believe that? I believe it. I believe there's nothing that you work yourself up to, or anything that one person could give to another. I do not believe in that. I don't say it couldn't be so. My belief wouldn't change God's program. But I can't see it in the Scriptures.
To base it in all that I preach, and believe, must have a... I must have a--something behind it, in other words, to make faith out of it. And it must come from the Word of God, which is the basic of all faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word. And therefore, I believe that all great gifts were foreordained of God to come into the world.

L-19 For instance, Jesus Himself. He was foreordained of God to come into the world. Do you believe that? He was the woman's Seed that was to bruise the serpent's head. And his head was to bruise the--the heel.
I believe that Moses was foreordained of God. Do you believe that? When he was borned, he was a proper child. And he was raised up on Pharaoh's--in Pharaoh's palace with his foot on the throne to become the heir of, even Pharaoh's son, to fall heir to the throne. But he was ordained of God. If he'd been an--an ordinary man, he'd a went ahead and took those great honors. But he was ordained of God for another purpose.
I believe that John the Baptist... I believe it was seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, he was seen by the prophet Isaiah, and said he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He was ordained of God.

L-20 Jeremiah, before he was even brought from his mother's womb, God said He knew him, sanctified him, and ordained him a prophet over the nations, before he ever come from his mother's womb. Is that right?

L-21 I believe that those things are ordained. I think where it is today, we, more or less, get worked up in a little ex--excitement, or a little enthusiasm, and sometimes brings more reproach than it does good. Don't you think so? Don't never say nothing.
Like, I seen young man come in and say, "Oh, the Lord's called me to preach. Got converted last night. The Lord called me to preach." You'd better wait, young fellow. Find out whether God's really called it. There's a plant, you know, that's planted at one time. And when the hot sun come out, it withered down. Set down and 'fore you build the house, count the cost and see if you're able first 'fore you do it. And then...
But sometimes we get enthused. And I--I'd rather have a little enthusiasm than no "asm" at all, just to have somebody get enthused about it.


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