<TITLE>08. Par 23-26</TITLE>L-23 Now, let's lay aside our cares just a moment now, next few minutes, and let's speak to Him. Let's bow our heads first.
Father, we thank Thee today for a happy, joyful heart that's made possible only by Jesus Christ. How can we be anything else but happy and know what we know? We're so grateful to You to be mindful of us, and to bring us into this great fellowship, and also relationship with Thee: fellowship through Christ, relationship to God, by the Son of God. We thank You.
And now, we pray that all of our cares of this life may be brushed aside right now. What we're going to do tomorrow or the next day matters not. It may not even come, but now, we're going to speak on Your Word. And I pray, God, as not knowing what to say, that You will circumcise the lips of Your servant, and will circumcise the heart of the hearer. And may the Holy Spirit take these things which are of God and place them into the heart of the believer and of the unbeliever. And may He so water it with the blessings of power, until it'll bring forth fruit for the Master.
Hear us, Lord, and may there not be any people sick left in this building this afternoon. May there not be one sinner left in the building. May the sinners be saved and the sick healed. And may the saints be full of power and glory, magnifying Jesus Christ the Son of God, Whom we ask in His Name for these blessings. Amen.

L-24 Now, for... We want to take our thought on the great principle of Jesus' ministry and what He was. And now, in our text where we're at at this time, was just at the beginning of the budding of His ministry.
Now, if you'll notice the first year of His ministry He was, oh, He was all of it. And the second year of His ministry, they beginning to find fault. Just a little later they crucified Him. That's the way with a revival, it'll grow up and blossom. And then as soon as the tinsel gets knocked off, begins to settle down. And Jesus, in this time speaking, was just in the beginning of His ministry.
And how that the people were coming from everywhere to see Him. And He was staying with some friends: Martha, Mary, which was two sisters and their brother's name was Lazarus. And I have read that where Martha and Mary for their daily bread, they made little tapestries and things for the temple--needlework. And Lazarus was training to be a scribe, that would write the letters of the law. It'd taken a--a real consecrated man to do that. They wouldn't receive nothing else, but a writer, a scribe.

L-25 And Jesus had--had left and come up to Bethany to--to live with them. And His ministry was in its best right there in Bethany.
And now, let's take back a little piece to find out about the ministry of Jesus. God always declares and warns people before He does anything. Do you believe that? And I say this with holy reverence, that I believe that the signs and wonders that you're seeing taking place today, Christian friends, is a perfect vindication of soon coming judgment. Amen. Judgment has got to strike the world; for if people won't receive mercy, there's nothing left but judgment. Mercy always foreruns judgment. Did in the antediluvian destruction. It did through John the Baptist, and so is it now, the forerunning of mercy. And if you spurn mercy, there's only one thing left--is judgment.

L-26 Like you say, "Will God stand and judge me at the day of judgment?"
No--no, your attitude towards Him now, you're judging yourself. God has already pronounced, "The day you eat thereof that day you die." That just settles it. That's... He has to stay by that; He don't have to pronounce any more judgment. Your attitude towards it is the recompence. What you think of His way of escape, if you refuse to walk in His way, then you're already judging yourself as you judge Him.


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