<TITLE>03. Par 25-32</TITLE>L-25 Now, this great hour had approached our Lord; one of the most trying times of all of His earthly journey was just at hand: testing time. Jesus had to go through testings, just as we go through testings. And the Bible said that every son that cometh to God, must first be tested, trained, corrected.
Now, many people, it is a showdown when the testing time comes. It's a time of a proving place. And the Bible said if we cannot stand the testing, then we become illegitimate children; we are professing God to be our Father, and then He is not our Father. For if we have correctly, and with all of our heart, received the Lord Jesus as our personal Saviour, there is nothing in this earth or in all dark eternity can--can ever separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus.

L-27 I'm astounded in this day, and have always been, when people profess to be Christians, and the first little trial comes on, they fall by the wayside. It goes to show that it was an intellectual conception of Christ. That's the reason so many doesn't hold out today, is because it's an intellectual conception. Intellectually you could believe it, but it goes further than that. To accept Christ, is to accept the Person of Christ.

L-28 Many of us accept religion of Christianity upon the learning of creeds. Other accept Christianity upon doctrines of baptism. Others believe that they are Christians because of some emotion that they have exercised, such as shouting, or dancing in the Spirit, or speaking with tongues, or having some marvelous gift to present. All those things are good in their place. But to accept Christ is to accept the Person of Christ, it's then these other things just automatically fall in line.

L-29 Now, if God did not spare His Own Son from the cruel testing, then He will not spare you or I from the cruel testing. And Jesus was here confronting the greatest test that He had ever had. Gethsemane laid just before Him, where that once and final all-sufficient test must come, when the burdens of the entire world laid upon His blessed shoulders. There was no one in all heavens or earth could ever stood it but Him. And to know that all of the sins, of past sins, and present sins, and future sins, rested upon this decision. And it was one of the most greatest victories that Christ ever won or proved His great Messiahship, as when He said to God, "Not My will; Thine be done." That was the greatest victory He had ever won. All the demons of torment was around to tempt Him and try Him.
And when we get right with God, when our hearts become pure and the Holy Spirit has taken Its place in our heart, it's the most glorious thing to have testing. The Bible tells us that our testings and trials are more precious to us than silver and gold of this world. So we are--should be thankful.

L-32 I do not wish to bring my ownself into some experience. But just as it comes on my mind, I remember the great and final test that I had of my Christian experience. It was yonder in the hospital out here on Spring Hill when my wife was laying in the morgue down here, a corpse, and she had just moved out of this life to be with God. And the testings and trials was on, not just someone saying, "Billy, you're a holy-roller." That wasn't much testing. And these other little trials and so forth of criticism from the men that I work with, it wasn't much testing. But my great hour of testing come when the Doctor Adair (that I rehearsed it to him yesterday in the hospital when we set together), and when he come down the hall to meet me and took me by the hand and said, "Billy, your baby is dying, and there's not a chance for it to live. It's got tubercular meningitis." I said, "Surely not, Doctor." And its mother laying, a corpse.


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