<TITLE>03. Par 10-13</TITLE>L-10 And this runner, young fellow, flunky from the house of this rich Pharisee, well, his errand was over, and he turned away from Jesus and started his road back down home feeling satisfied that he'd completed everything, because he'd carried out the wishes of his master. What an error. The man standing in the Presence of Eternal Life, standing before the very God of heaven, and yet, after he had done all of his religion, his church duties, walked away without even asking for pardoning of his sin.

L-11 I wish I could stand where he did. Wished I could stand in that place where he was standing. You know what I'd do? Oh, I wouldn't be interested in so much church affairs; I'd fall on my face and say, "Dear Lord Jesus, the Master of Life, give to me Your pardoning grace," if I had the opportunity to stand before Him.
I believe that's about the feeling of everybody here tonight. We'd do the same thing. I... But today it's just like it was then. We're so taken up with so many things in the church we got to do, so much the church requires us, and so much places to go, till really, we fail many times to receive the opportunity. And maybe, some night we got to go practice for song service. We got to do something else. Something, maybe, religious nature, but when the Holy Spirit is speaking at your heart, the best thing you can do is answer always, no matter what it is, what time of night, or what kind of an errand you're on, 'cause He might not speak no more for a long time, and maybe never.

L-12 But this young fellow standing that close to Eternal Life, and never even ask for It... Well, we condemn that man, but you know what, perhaps maybe you and I have been guilty of the same thing, standing at mouth or voice distance of Eternal Life, looking at It, watching It, and walk away from It just as blank as he did. That's right. We're too took up with other things.
So many people today, you have so many things you have to do. You have to do your shopping. You got to hurry, the--the, this, that. We're just hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, and getting nowhere, getting farther away from God all the time. Now, that's right. And... But he thought he'd completed just exactly what he was supposed to do and that's all.
Many times we come up to the church, and sign our name to a paper, and shake hands with the pastor, be baptized with water, and think, "We've done our religion now." And you leave off the main thing, a talk with the Lord Jesus. Many times you have the opportunity and don't do it.

L-13 I wonder what caused this young man to do this. I can see, maybe, a week beforehand, way down in another city, a great gray synagogue, and a pastor there, a... We'll call him Doctor Pharisee just for a name. And I can see him as he walking up and down his great halls, and his great rugs on the floor, and fine furniture, and a house, rubbing his little fat, chubby hands, and saying, "Well, you know, I'm a respected man of this city. I have a--a degree, a Bachelor of Art. I'm called Doctor. Everybody, when I go downtown, they regard me as Doctor Pharisee. 'Good morning, Doctor Pharisee.' Oh, I'm the head of a lot of lodges and things. And when the clubs meet, they ask me to speak. I'm a very fluential speaker too. And the city looks up to me." There is just so much, I in it: "I, I, I, I."


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