<TITLE>16. Par -</TITLE>L-23-6 The first song that I ever loved in--in the hymns, one of the greatest, was: "To Be Like Jesus." Well, if I'm going to be like Jesus, I've got to have virtue and a pass that it can pass forward from me to the people, because virtue went out of Him to the people: virtue. And before you can let it out, you've got to have it first. If you haven't got it, it won't come out. There's nothing for it to come out of.
What if someone tried to draw virtue out of us, the--the check would return "insufficient funds." See? No, no, none there to draw from: check bounced. Somebody looking at you as a Christian and tomorrow see you out here carrying on like a sinner, not much virtue can be drawed from that. See? That's right.
Virtue must be in us, and until we get virtue... Then when we get true virtue, we can add it to our faith. That's the next foundation wall.

L-24-3 Now, first you must have faith. Faith alone won't do it. You've got... Peter said, "Then add virtue to your faith." You must have virtue in order to add it to your faith. Now, then... It might be the reason you don't have it, because many churches of today teach you don't have to have it, or the days of it's passed. They don't have to have it. Only thing you have to do is just join church. "Yeah, days has passed." Virtue, anyone knows what the word "virtue" means (See?), and we must have it.
If virtue went from Him to heal the woman that was sick, He's expecting the same virtue in His church, because He was our Example. And if He had virtue to give to the people, He expects us to have virtue to give to the people. And what is virtue? "Virtue" is "strength, power." Some of them don't even believe in power of God. They say, "That--that--that's passed. Only thing you have to do is just put your name on the book. Be sprinkled or poured, or baptized, or whatevermore, and that's all you have to do."
But Peter said here, "Add virtue."

L-24-5 Now, Peter's talking about building a House of God (See?), the Temple of God, fixing it to a place. And after you have virtue you must have--after you have faith, you must have virtue with it. That's right. Have virtue for the whole world.
I preached a sermon about twenty years ago, I guess, on Reverend Mr. Lily, Lily, the pastor. Took it from the text to where Jesus said, "Consider the lilies how they neither toil or spin, yet I say unto you, Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed like one."
Look at the lily. It comes from way down in the muck; and every minute of the day it has to be drawing from the earth. See? And what does it do with this virtue that it draws? It gives it out. It makes a beautiful sight for the admirer. It opens up itself for honey, for the bee to come and get his part. Don't complain; it just got it to give out. What if a bee came in there, "Insufficient funds," no honey. That little bee would scratch his head and say, "What kind of a lily is that?"

L-25-1 If a man coming along trying to find salvation go to the church that believes the days of miracles is past, like Jack Coe once said: going into a restaurant and had a great big menu, begin to read it down "T-bone steaks," and things, said, "I'll take a T-bone."
"Well, that was for a day past. We don't have it." Might as well lay the menu down and get out. See? That's right. 'Cause they ain't got nothing to eat anyhow. So you might as well go where a restaurant's got something to eat.
And a spiritual man--growing, needs something to eat on. That's the Word of God. I believe every word of It.
God has the table spread
Where the saints of God are fed,
He invites His chosen people 'Come and dine';
With His manna He doth feed
He supplies our every need:
Oh, it's sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!
That's right. Yes, sir. He's got it. The church has it. The church of the living God is built up into this perfect man of the knowledge of Christ.


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