<TITLE>19. Par 64-67</TITLE>L-64 He preached repentance. He preached Jesus Christ. Though in its simplicity had drawed all the regions in. The power of God has been the greatest drawing card the world has ever had. There he come preaching, how marvelous and how wonderful. What a real--what a real man of God in a manifestation he was. And he preached. Then Christ came on the scene.
Then he said, "I must decrease, and He must increase." John, I like that. He didn't claim to be nothing. He said, "I--I--I'm not him."
But Jesus said, "Yes, he is." Said, "There never was a man borned of a woman as great as that man there." That's right. Said, "Howbeit the least of the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John. But there's never been a man born of a woman as great as he." Why? All the other prophets spoke of Him, but John introduced Him to the world. "This is... Behold, the Lamb of God." He introduced Him to the world. He was the greatest among the prophets--was John.

L-65 And notice. I want you to get this now. As they went on... Now, Jesus' ministry begin to come great. And he went away from home, Lazarus' home. And when he left, sorrow came in. And let me say this to you Christians, when Jesus leaves your home, watch out. Sorrow's on its road. Sorrow's on its road when Jesus leaves your home. You watch for trouble, just as sure as He goes away. If you drive Him away with your sinful living, your reckless, careless life, sorrow's on its road to your house. Isn't that right?
Now, notice. But in this case He wasn't run away. He went away because God give Him a vision, and told Him to go away, and wait three days. He said He didn't do nothing unless the Lord showed Him in a vision. "What I see the Father doing, that's what I do. I do nothing else besides that."
So, He knew they'd went three days. And first thing you know, they sent... Lazarus got sick, so they sent for Jesus to come and to heal him. And He just ignored it and went on. Brother, I'm telling you: If you ever send for your pastor to come and pray for you when your sick, and he didn't come, you'd sure leave a Baptist or Methodist church, and go over, and join the Presbyterian. Or you Pentecost would go to the Baptist or somewhere. Yes, sir. No, you couldn't stand that.

L-66 So, they sent for Him again. He just ignored it and went on, for He knew that God's will had to be done. All things work together for good to them that love God. Isn't that right? Keep your heart right with God and everything else come all right.
Now, He went on just a little farther. And the first thing you know, Lazarus taken sick. He got sicker, sicker. The doctors come. They could do nothing with him. We're taught in mythicals, perhaps, I wouldn't say it would be correctly historical; he died with hemorrhages in his lungs. All right. When he died, anyhow, they taken him out, buried him. They embalmed his body, put him in the grave. In order then of burying him, like there is a lot in the Orients today, they dig a hole, and just lay a rock over the top of it where they bury their dead.

L-67 So they put him in the grave, and He went on... First day passed. My, how sad that little home. Then the second day passed, worse, third day, even a fourth day. All hopes was gone. Think about that poor little sad family. Death had struck the home. That was the saddest hour they'd ever seen. Death was in the home. The Man had been down there preaching and healing the sick, had turned them down when their brother was dead--dying. And they'd had faith in the Man. They believed that He was a Man of God. They'd give up the church, 'cause any man that believed on Jesus had to get out of the synagogue. He was a holy-roller. See?
And so they--they had to get out of the synagogue. As soon as they believe this here, they put them right out. And yet they knew in their heart that He was God's Son. But their theology had tied them up, so they couldn't accept it. They had their own creeds and their own apostle's creeds. Did you ever hear of such nonsense?


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