<TITLE>11. Par 36-39</TITLE>L-36 And it was strange. This young man that God had called, isn't it very strange that he didn't go over to the same order of religion that his father belonged to? Correctly, it was a--a custom of that day, that the people... The--the priesthood had to come from Levi, of course. So he had... The Levis were priests, and they went to their temple and learned all the orders.
But you know, John didn't do that. We're told that John went out into the wilderness. He didn't want to get mixed up in their traditions. He had an important job. And man had it all twisted up. So he--if he was going to be positive... He had to be the one to introduce the Messiah, and he had to be sure of Who it was.
So perhaps, if he'd have went to the clergy and said, "I'm Zacharias' son..."
"Come in and register and--and pay your tuition." They sold the home up there, "and we'll train you around here, and you can serve tables," and so forth. Oh, my. Went to his seminary and got all indocumated, and all educated up, and so forth like that.

L-37 They'd have said. "Now, if you're to introduce the Messiah, what about our grand high priest today? Don't you think he's a lovely man? Look how he can stand, and how he can bow. Don't you think that looks like a Messiah? Perhaps that's him."
Oh, the other priest would have said, "Oh, no, no, no. You're wrong. It wouldn't be an old man like that. It would be this young man here, this young evangelist, just setting the country afire. You know that that would've been him. Why, look. Why, he can quote all of our creeds and so forth. He knows all the traditions of the elders better than anybody else. And he's such a great man. Even the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, all of them cooperate with him. He's got the greatest ministry in the field today. That's the guy, John."

L-38 John didn't want to them get mixed up with such nonsense as that. He had an important job. What did he do? He stayed there until he heard from God. God said, "I'll tell you Who He is. You just go on out there. But Who you see the Spirit coming down on, that's the One. That'll be the sign of the Messiah. You just go ahead and preach. And you preach repentance, and baptize them unto repentance, and tell them that I'm a coming. But don't let them bring you somebody and say, 'Ordain him now and make him the chief bishop, or make him the Messiah, or whatever it is.' You wait until you see this sign. When you see this sign, then that's the One. You tell Israel, 'That's the One.' You say, 'That's Him,' when you see the sign that I tell you to see."
O God, help us today. Not "A million more in '44," and all these other kind of foolishness we get and blood, fire, smoke, and vapor, all kinds of things. Stay with the Word. All kinds of sensations, the devil can impersonate every one of them. Stay with the Word.

L-39 John waited. He'd baptize a few and he'd look all around. He'd baptize a few more. Priest would say, "Who is this you're talking about?"
He said, "There's One standing here somewhere." That's what he said. "There's One standing in your midst now. You don't know Him; neither do I. But He will be the One that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. I'm only baptizing with water."
"Who is he? Say, I tell you, our brother, he just got his Ph.D. the other day. That's him. Dress him up, put his robe on, his high priest hat, or whatever it is. Set him down there, let him show his credentials. He's got fine fellowship with everybody. Come down here. Is this him, John?"
"That's not him." Amen.
Like old Samuel, another prophet before him, getting one out of David's sons--out of Jesse's sons, pardon me. Trying to find David... Brought that little bitty, stooped-shouldered, ruddy-looking fellow in; he said, "That's him; that's him."


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