<TITLE>05. Par 16-18</TITLE>L-16 Now, let's read tonight from Matthew the 11th chapter a few verses, down about the 15th. I like to read His Word, because His Word is true, and It's eternal. Now, the reason I like to read His Word, because my words will fail. I'm a man. But His Words can never fail. And to you precious people that's here tonight, I know of no more than reading this Word, you'll get something. You'll go home. For this is the food that Brother Graham was speaking of. May He quicken It to us as we read.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made a end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence and to teach and to preach in their cities.
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again these things which you do hear and see:
The blind receive their sight... the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor has the gospel preached unto them.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
And as they departed, Jesus begin to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with wind?
But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that are wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
But what went you out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he... whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are borned of woman there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
And from that day--days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent taketh it by force:
For all the prophets and law prophesied until John.
And if you will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
He that has an ear to hear, let him hear.
If I should try to take a little text for a talk to--for a context of this subject, I would take this: "What Went Ye Out To See?"

L-17 John, in his day, by the world, was considered a wild man. He was half naked, piece of sheepskin wrapped around him, and woolly beard over his face, and his hair probably stood out from the side. And to the--just the world, the people out in the world, he was a wild man. We'd call him crazy, just an old hermit that lived out into the wilderness.
To the church, being that he preached, he was a fanatic. The church thought, "That man absolutely, is a strictly a religious crank."
If he'd have been today, he would've been no less thought of today than he was then, because the world doesn't change. The people comes along, and new generations rise up, but the spirit that governs the world is just as it was then. And it will be un--as long as there is a world.

L-18 But those who knew John, those who believed him, they went out to see something that was real. There divides today, as it was then, in three different classes: the world, the church, and the real true believer. That's the way the world stands today: the world, the unbeliever; the church, the lukewarm member; and then the real true believer.
Some people go out into churches to find fault with that church. And some people go out to be a social standing, or what they would think a better class, or a get-together. Others go out to find peace, go to find God and something real. That's the one that gets the benefit of the meeting.
I've always said that the Gospel produces three types of people: the unbeliever, the make-believer, and a believer. And it's always been that way. It just depends on what you go for, the attitude that you have.


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