<TITLE>06. Par 22-26</TITLE>L-22 Now, the waiting of the Messiah had been four thousand years. And in every generation they had looked for the Messiah to come, but that didn't stump Simeon. He was an old man in his eighties, but still he believed that he would see the Messiah. And he had a long white beard, I can imagine, and white hair. And he was a--a great man among the people. He had a great prestige. But he had a testimony besides that. That's what I like.
Besides all of his scholarships and all of his popularity, he had a humble heart before God, a receptive heart that God could deal with. And he had a testimony by that that he was going to see the Lord's Christ before he died. Think of it.

L-23 Great men, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, a string of prophets and righteous men had looked for the coming of the Messiah for four thousand years: great men. But yet this man, even eighty years old, approximately. He was an elderly man, believed by theologians he was in his eighties. An old man and yet went around and said, "I am not going to see death before I see the Lord's Christ."
Why, they'd say, "Simeon, why do you think that?" 
"Because the Holy Ghost revealed it to me. And I'm not going to see death until I see the Lord's Christ. And I believe what He says is the truth." Amen. Oh, my. That'll get us feeling religious right away, won't it?

L-24 You know, I feel religious once in a while. I can shout. Yes, sir. You might... That's... I know salvation don't altogether rest upon shouting, but that goes with it. That's right. And yet somebody said, "You're an awful noisy Baptist."
Well, I'm a Pentecostal Baptist now, you know. So I got the Holy Ghost. So I--I--I... When the Holy Ghost comes in, He does the carrying on. I just help Him. Amen. I just act out the way He's feeling in me: rejoicing.

L-25 Now, I think of Simeon, the Holy Spirit revealing it to him that he was not going to die now until he's seen the Christ. Although he was awfully old, but... And he had a lot of prestige. Now, what if he thought, "Oh, wait a minute, maybe that's just an expression down there. Now, I--I--I just... Maybe I'm just--I'm just a little worked up. I'd better not say this around where people can hear me, because I've got a great prestige. I belong to the big church, you know, so I'd better be careful." 
But he believed God. And he believed what the Holy Ghost said, it was the truth. And he expected to see Jesus be--or Christ before he saw death, because the Holy Ghost revealed it to him.

L-26 How many times God's working with people in the ages past... When you're expecting anything... And the only way that you can be expecting is upon some sort of a revelation or a promise.
If I told you I was coming to Downey, California, over here to this place in California on the... I... That's where it's at, Costa Mesa. If I told you that I was coming to Costa Mesa... If I could spell it, I'd write it down, but seventh grade education couldn't get that out.
Anyhow, if I told you I'm coming on June the 4th to begin there, you kinda believe that I'll be there, don't you? If I say I--I'll meet you there, well, if all possible, I'll do it. Because a man of his word will be honest and keep his promise, let alone a Christian.
Now, there may be something happen that I can't, but as far as I know, the Lord willing, I'll be there. Now, you'd believe that. And the people believe it, so they're are fixing to erect a big tent down there and fix it up. Now, that's because that we promised to be there. I promised I would come back here. And when I got here, found out other meetings was going on. Oh, my. I thought, "I'd better get back," but I promised that I was coming. So I--I had to stay here. I promised it. And so God has rewarded us for keeping our promise.


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