<TITLE>09. Par 40-45</TITLE>L-40 But all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. He said, "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad for so persecuted they the prophets which was before you." That's right. Don't go with a hang-down face and say, "Well, I oughtn't to have done it, I guess they--the--I--they... I just can't stand for somebody to talk about me, and say I'm old fashion, I'm this, that, or the other." Oh, you--you all should be exceedingly glad, happy because of it, because you can bear the reproach of His Name. And by keeping His commandments, it caused you to do that.

L-41 But I want to say this too (hurry up as quick as we can), God will not, in no wise, be in debt to any man. God won't be 'debted to any man. If you have did that for God, forsaken all, God will repay you a thousand fold. That's right. God will pay it back. You forsake the things of the world, and the world, and the things of the world and God will repay you so many times. How many's a witness of that here tonight? Why, we all know that God will repay.

L-42 Now, let's take just a few characters that did forsake all. Let's take first the father of faith, Abraham. Abraham forsook his own land, the property he owned, and everything else. He was called out of Chaldea, the city of Ur. And he forsook his land, his home, his people, and all, and followed God. He had to forsake everything, leave it behind. He forsook his--his land, his property down in Chaldea, in Ur. He forsaken his property, and God gave him the whole promised land. God pays back with a lot of interest. He gave him... Up there that day, when He met him, He said, "Rise up, Abraham. Look east, north, west, south. I give it all to you. It's all yours."

L-43 That's the matter with Christians tonight. God gives it to us, but we're afraid to investigate it. When you become a Christian, you're a heir to every promise in the Bible. That's right. Everything that God promised is yours. It's just like a great big arcade. And by one Spirit we're all baptized into this arcade, which is Christ. Well, if I... If somebody give me something, I'm going to look around and find out what I own.
I think that's what Christians ought to do tonight: find out what you've got. If something gets just a little high up that I can't reach it, I'll get me a stepladder, and climb up to it. And if something seems a little out of reach in the Bible that God's promised, I'll stay on my knees, and climb Jacob's ladder until I reach it, 'cause it's mine. God gave it to me.

L-44 If Divine healing's promised in the Bible, and I'm sick, I'll stay there till God gives it to me, 'cause it's a promise. God promised... I'd forsake the world, He'd give me the Holy Ghost, I'll stay right there till He gives it to me, because He promised it. If God promised to give me the desire of my heart, and the desire of my heart is the right thing, I'll stay there till God gives it, because it's a promise. And I've forsaken all the world. I want to walk after Him. And He will pay. I know that to be truth. It's exactly right.

L-45 What did he do? He forsook his land, his country. And God give him the entire province, or all, the whole continent of the--of Palestine. He forsook his little bitty piece of land down there, and maybe a acre where his house set, and his old house, to receive everything there was in Palestine. Good.
But the first thing he had to do was separate himself. He separated himself from his people, all of his loved ones, the old associates that he used to--to run around with, his boyhood friends that come down from the Babylon with him, and all of his brothers, sisters, and all of his friends that he knew, his associates. When God called him, He said, "Separate yourself from your kindred. Get away from all of it." Now, that was hard, but he separated hisself from all of his kinfolks. Why? Because they would not agree with him.


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