<TITLE>03. Par 10-15</TITLE>L-10 And now, I'm sure that in this we have found lots of impersonations. And an impersonation, friend... A person that would impersonate something is the most miserable person that I would know of. Isn't it much better just to be yourself? As Congressman Upshaw used to say, "Don't try to be nothing that you hain't." Well, that's pretty good. Don't try to be nothing that you are not. Just be yourself. And then, if you want to be a Christian, just ask Christ. He will take your old nature out, put a new nature in; then you don't have to impersonate anything; it's just your normal life that you're living.
And as long as you got malice, envy, strife, all these things of the world, then you know Christ isn't in there. The Bible said, "If you love the world, or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in you." See, 'cause the Life of God isn't in you. The Life is in there, it just produces itself; it just lives its way out.

L-11 And how happy it is that a man... Don't try to say, "I'm a Christian because I joined church." That's one way. "I'm a Christian because I sing in the choir." That's something else. "I'm a Christian because I preach the Gospel." That doesn't make you a Christian. "I'm a Christian because I spoke with tongues." That don't make you a Christian. "I'm a Christian because I danced in the Spirit." That don't make you a Christian. "I'm a Christian because I shouted." That don't make you a Christian. "I'm a Christian because that I quit smoking; I quit drinking." If you did it within yourself, there's something wrong yet. That's right. We mustn't do these things in ourself. If there's something in us that just simply takes the world out of us, then it begins to bear fruit of itself.

L-12 And now, the fruit of the Spirit is not joining church. The fruit of the Spirit is not smoking cigarettes. The fruit of the... I mean quit smoking cigarettes. The fruit of the Spirit is not to--to speak with tongues. The fruit of the Spirit is not to pray for the sick and they be healed. The fruit of the Spirit is not to prophesy or preach. But the fruit of the Spirit is found in Galatians 5:22: Love, joy, peace, goodness, longsuffering, faith, meekness, gentleness, that's the fruit of the Spirit.

L-13 Now, no matter how much you preach, you got a real ill-temper, don't do you much good to preach. See? No matter how much you join church and try to impersonate, if you're crabbing and nasty with your neighbor, you'll never win him to Christ then. See? It's the fruit of the Spirit. As my wife used to tell me, "Actions speak louder than words." That's right. Live me a sermon instead of preaching me one; that's a good thing; live me a sermon.

L-14 Now, this text that we have here tonight... And I'll try to be just briefly as possible. The text that we have under consideration, I think if we would listen closely, and if the Holy Spirit will reveal it, that it will settle the question forever, what it--the reason that we haven't got victory like we ought to have.

L-15 Now, we know that there's something wrong in the Christian church. You say, "Brother Branham, why do you keep hammering at that?" Well, I'm going to hammer at it, so it might get straightened up.
Just like an evangelist said, he preached on repentance one night. Second night he preached on repentance. Two weeks passed by and still preached on repentance. Some of them met him and said, the deacons, and said, "Pastor, or Evangelist, do you have another sermon besides on repentance?"
He said, "Oh sure. But let them all repent first, then I'll preach on something else."
So, that's the way. Let's get the--the--the wrench or the club out of the wheel so we can go to turning. And that's what we want to do is rolling on as one big truck for the Lord Jesus, all of us together.


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