<TITLE>05. Par 18-24</TITLE>L-18 In Exodus 19:19 when the chosen people of God since way back in the days of Abraham, from Abraham come Isaac, Isaac come Jacob, out of Jacob come the patriarchs, and years after years had developed holy men, great men, a chosen people, a chosen race, a sanctified, holy people, and had served God their life. And one day God said, "Gather Israel out here, I'm going to speak to them."
But when God came down on top of Mount Sinai, and the whole mountain caught afire, and the smoke was flying from it like a furnace, and the Voice of God roared out. Israel fell on their face and said, "Let Moses speak, and not God, lest we die." Men, in the Presence of God realizes he's a sinner. Yet they were, every one, circumcised according to the law. They'd carried the commandments and everything, but when God spoke and they moved up into His Presence, they realized that they were out; they were--they were not right. There was something that was lacking, because they were in the Presence of God. Yes. And they said, "Let Moses speak, and not God, for if God speaks we'll all die. Let Moses speak to us."

L-20 It was in Luke 5, 8, that when Peter... Oh, when he was a great stubborn man, and a man of great influence, great power that we understand. He was like a bully, a noted fisherman. But when he saw the miracle of God performed by an ordinary Man, looked like, which he recognized at that time that that taken more than a man to throw all them fish in a net where he, with all of his education, his knowledge of fishing, had fished all night and not even taken a thing. But he heard Someone say, "Cast your net in."
And when he begin to pull, he had a great multitude of fishes, and he realized that he was a sinful man. And he said, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man." Who said that? Saint Peter in the Presence of God, asked for God to depart out of his presence, because he recognized himself a sinner.
Abraham recognized himself wrong. Adam recognized himself wrong, which was the son of God, recognized himself wrong. Moses recognized himself wrong. Israel, as a church and nation, recognized themselves wrong. Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." He didn't try to say, "Now, I'm holy and worthy to receive this." He said, "I am a sinful man."

L-23 One time a self-styled religionist, with all the theology that he could learn under a great teacher called Gamaliel, his name was Saul of Tarsus, which we know as Paul: religious to the dot. He knowed all the ins and out of their religion. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisee, and a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was a noted man, a scholar, smart, shrewd, educated, claimed he knowed God from baby up. But one day on his road down to Damascus, that Pillar of Fire shined over him and he fell on his--off of his feet to the ground in the dust, and said, "Lord, what would You have me to do?" All of his great training, all of his great theological training, all of his education didn't mean a thing when he stood in the Presence of God.

L-24 I'd like to stop here a minute and say that's the same thing. You might have got a D.D., Ph.D., whatever you might be; you might have went to church since you was a child; you might've done all the religious acts there is, but once in the Presence of God you'll feel so little and no-account.
Paul realized that he was wrong, and he fell to the ground under the influence and power. When he looked up and seen the very God that he'd been preaching, and--against, and thought he knowed, and seen that he was wrong, he fell from his feet to the ground, because he was in the Presence of God. He seen that Pillar of Fire.


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