Vhodné dary
Zlato v Biblii ... Ako presne to pasuje na Krista, pretože zlato symbolizuje Božskosť. Zlato predstavuje "Boha". Za chvíľu sa ku tomu dostaneme. Kadivo predstavuje "službu". A myrha predstavuje "smrť." Boh, Božskosť, v službe na smrť. A to je to čo On bol. Presne tie veci, ktoré oni priniesli jasne ukázali, čo si oni mysleli, že kto On je. A ja dnes toto hovorím pre nás: "Veci, ktoré Mu my prinášame jasne ukazujú, akú máme o Ňom predstavu." Rozumiete čo chcem povedať? Vidíte? Ak vy ... Ak Tomu veríte z celého svojho srdca, každému Slovu, bude sa to prejavovať tým, že budete Tomu dávať všetko čo máte. Vidíte? Ale ak veríte, že to je dobré miesto na stýkanie sa s lepšími ľuďmi, okolo zboru a takéto niečo, to je presne to čo dávate (len niekoľko hodín spoločnosti s niekým v zhromaždení, či niečo také). Ale ak tomu skutočne veríte z celého svojho srdca, potom Tomu dáte všetko, čo je vo vás. Vidíte? A to potvrdzuje, že skutočne veríte Posolstvu, že veríte, že je to Pravda.
Veľa ľudí hovorí: "Ja potadeto tomu môžem veriť. Ja to takto môžem veriť." Učeníci ... Zdá sa mi, že posledne som to tu hovoril: "Veriaci, ľudia pretvarujúci sa za veriacich a neveriaci." Či nie? Nehovoril som tu o tom? Vidíte? A každá osoba si hľadá svoju kategóriu. Vidíte? Prídu na miesto, kde môžu toľkoto z toho prijať, a to ostatné nemôžu.
No, ako pasovali tieto dary ku Kristovej ceste na zemi, ku dieťaťu, ktoré sa narodilo tu na zemi. A tieto dary, ktoré Mu priniesli títo mudrci, pasovali presne ku Jeho povereniu, ktoré mal od Boha, a ku Jeho ceste na zemi.
1Dobrý večer priatelia. Prišiel som práve pred chvíľou a myslel som, že sem môžem prísť a popriať vám všetkým veselé Vianoce.
2A tak to ... Nevedel som, že budem mať toto veľké privilégium hovoriť ku vám Slovo Pánovo. A tak brat Neville ma požiadal a ja som mal niekoľko krátkych vianočných textov, ktoré som používal, jeden vo Phoenixe a dole v Tucsone, na rôznych miestach tam na okolo, prosté vianočné posolstvo. A myslel som, že dnes večer by som tu hovoril trochu o niečom, čo mi Pán nedávno položil na myseľ, keď som bol hore v Colorado.
3A rozmýšľal som o niečom na Vianoce, a urobil som si tu okolo päť alebo šesť malých značiek, miesta Písma a podobné ... Ja ne ... Myslím, že brat Neville a všetci kazatelia si to robia. Vy ... zdá sa akoby ku vám niečo prišlo, a vy si to poznačíte. Chvíľu čakáte a potom si to zapíšete. Zapíšem si to na papier, len do bločku. Potom, keď ma niekedy zavolajú, popozerám si to tu a poviem si: "Čo toto bolo, čo tu mám?" Tak to je, keď nás náhle zavolajú, viete.
4Keď som bol mladý, bývalo tak, že som si proste mohol ... mal som takú pamäť, že som si toto hneď mohol spomenúť a nemusel som čakať. Aha: "Pred desiatymi dňami som bol tam a tam. To je ten text. Prosím, tu to je."
5Viete, od vtedy som prešiel cez niekoľko mlynských kameňov, brat Higginbotham, a cez niekoľko riek, že mi to už takto nejde, už som prešiel nejaký kus cesty. Ale ako pred chvíľou povedal brat Neville: "Približujeme sa viac a viac Domov."
6Dobre je byť znovu doma. No, keď som sem išiel, strašne sneží. A počul som na ceste o toľkých nehodách a o všetkom, a ľudia sa zabili. A predstavte si len, koľko stoviek ľudí stratí teraz svoj život, od teraz do nového roku, koľko američanov zomrie. A viete, niekto z nás môže byť práve teraz tu, dnes večer. A záleží na tom, ako teraz stojíme pred Bohom. Je to smutný národ, ako povedal brat, všade je smútok. A naša zástava visela tridsať dní na pol žrdi, a to všetko kvôli hriechu a ľuďom, ktorí neprijímajú Božiu radu. [22. 11. 1963 bol zavraždený prezident J.F. Kennedy. -- pozn.prekl.]
7Aj keď sa s niekým nemôžeme zhodnúť, ak to nedokážeme vyriešiť po bratsky, a potom ... Vidíte, ak máte v srdci Krista, potom nezáleží ako veľmi sa s tým človekom nezhodujete, stále ho milujete a beriete na neho ohľad. Ja s mnohými ľuďmi mnohokrát nesúhlasím. Ale stále, hoci som s niekým nesúhlasil, nikdy sa mi nestalo, že by som o ňom myslel niečo iné, než ho objal a nazval ho svojím bratom, a snažil sa mu pomôcť, ako som len mohol. Nesúhlasím s ním preto, že si myslím, že sa nezhodneme v tom, čo on ... Čo on verí, že ja to možno neverím tak ako on, ale ... a tak ďalej, ale teraz sa môžem pokúsiť, ukázať mu ako to ja vidím, a on zase mne, a dať do dokopy a prebrať a budeme vidieť čo máme. Ale takáto nezhodnosť. Pokiaľ sa jedná o ... nebudeme sa hnevať, alebo si chcieť ublížiť, alebo zničiť jeden druhého, ani nič také. Stále sa budeme snažiť budovať sa.
8Máme tu chladné obdobie, však? Sedemdesiat dva, keď som odchádzal z Tucsonu, a keď slnko zapadlo a zotmelo sa, stále bolo šesťdesiat deväť. Tak, potom keď sem prídem, celý sa trasiem, viete. Všetky tie zasnežené cesty, a teplota pod nulou, a ľad a všetko toto, musel som si na to všetko znovu zvyknúť. Je to také zvláštne, ako sa za taký krátky čas môžete aklimatizovať. A odvtedy ako som od vás odišiel, nemal som ani možnosť zostať tu dlhšie. Už som ... ako tu ten výkyv počasia, a ako starnem ... A ja som sa tu narodil i vyrástol. Ale viete, keď ste mladí, máte niečo, že sa zohrejete; ale keď starnete, no, začnete poznávať, že vám niečo chýba. Bývalo tak, že ste nemuseli na to pamätať. Vy ... nezohrejete sa ako vtedy keď ste boli chlapec, a podľa toho môžem vedieť, že ... to teplé podnebie, pre starého človeka, je na niečo dobré.
9Pamätám sa, keď som chodil tam v Utica Pike ako dieťa, (ako sedem, osem, desať, dvanásť, štrnásť ročný), bez topánok (v teniskách) a bolo osem alebo desať stupňov pod nulou, a v teniskách, a trčali mi z nich prsty. A teraz sa tu nechodí ako vtedy, teraz odhŕňajú sneh. Nepremávali žiadne autá, možno raz za čas nejaký voz urobil v snehu koľaj. A ráno som išiel takouto diaľnicou, v starom kabáte, bez košeli, a takto som ho mal zapnutý špendlíkom, nebol som viac oblečený, ako teraz; mokrý až po kolená, a tak som chodil a vôbec mi to nevadilo. Vidíte, vôbec mi nebola zima. Ale to bolo pred okolo štyridsiatymi rokmi. Tak už mám veľa slabostí, prešiel som veľa míľ a najazdil tachometer, viete, tak už to nie je tak ako voľakedy.
10Videl som ako brat Caps zodvihol hlavu. Ty si príliš mladý, aby si teraz takto uvažoval. Čakaj až kým prídeš tam kde je brat Neville a ja, o mnohých veciach budeš potom inak rozmýšľať, keď prídu problémy.
11Dobre, prežili sme s Pánom ohromné chvíle. Pán nás veľmi požehnal, a ja som tak vďačný. Budem tu, myslím, na budúcu nedeľu, ak Pán dá, chcem, ak brat Neville dovolí, mať zhromaždenie aspoň v nedeľu ráno a možno v nedeľu večer, zhromaždenie s modlitbami za chorých, v nedeľu večer. Na nedeľu ráno mám dôležité posolstvo, ak bude vôľa Pánova, aby som ho priniesol. Nepripravil som si ešte svoj text, žiadnu súvislosť ku tomu, pretože ... nie nejaké zjavenie od Pána, viete, ale len od seba. Chcem v nedeľu hovoriť niečo, čo dúfam, že bude určitým druhom pomoci v tom, cez čo prechádzame.
12Musím teraz ísť na misijné pole, a všade mám skoro každý deň obsadený. Zdá sa mi, že Billy mi hovoril, že pri cestovaní z miesta na miesto, že mám dva alebo tri dni, kde by som v apríli mohol prísť domov, keď odídem odtiaľto, naspäť do Tucsonu, a tak to sa potom asi ukľudní. A potom ďalej až do novembra, októbra, sa znovu dostanem na túto stranu, keď sa budem vracať spoza mora.
13No, ešte dva dni do vianoc. Či jeden? Dva. Pondelok ... utorok je štedrý večer? Utorok je štedrý večer. Či to nie je strašné, keď vidíme, že ku tomuto veľkému sviatku, ku ktorému pristupujeme, že ľudia takto ku nemu pristupujú? Je to taká hrozná vec. Také nerozvážne, keď si pomyslíme, že zajace a mýt o Santa Clausovi (Mikuláš) a všetko možné, že to odobralo od vianoc tú skutočnú hodnotu, čím oni sú.
14No my nevieme, ja vôbec neverím ... Práve keď som sem išiel, moja žena je tam vzadu, a ja ... išli sme sem, počúvali sme astronóma; že teraz, oni práve prišli na to, čo mi jeden astronóm povedal pred mnohými rokmi, keď som bol len revírnik tu v Indiáne. Keď mi oni povedali, že ... ako sa tie hviezdy prekryli, práve tak ako to povedal ten prvý astronóm a to vytvorilo, to čo oni povedali, že to je prirodzená vec, ktorá sa deje, myslím že on dnes večer povedal, každých osemsto rokov, alebo tak nejako. A to sa znovu vytvorilo, že Saturn a Jupiter, a ... zabudol som; a Mars; nie, to nie. Niektoré hviezdy, ako sa pohybujú, keď sa križujú na svojich obežných dráhach dostávajú sa do jednej línii so zemou, a tento astronóm sa snažil dnes večer povedať, že to bola len prirodzená vec. Ja s tým nesúhlasím. Ja verím, že to bola nadprirodzená vec, ktorú Boh urobil. To je Božia nadprirodzená vec. On je nadprirodzený.
15A pozrel som sa a viem, že toto teraz sa stalo v apríli. Ak mi Pán dá dovtedy dožiť, budem mať päťdesiat päť rokov. Vidíte? A viem ... Ale keď sa pozerám naspäť na svoj život a rozmýšľam kde sa to stalo. Od tých prvých malých vianoc, keď sme vešali svoje pančuchy, a mama dávala ... Dostali sme možno nejaký pomaranč a dva, alebo tri cukríky, a to boli pre nás veľké Vianoce. Ale, viete, deti čakajú, že dostanú darčeky. Vidíme, že Vianoce sú ... hlavne pre deti, oni sa teraz na to tešia. Zvrtlo sa to na deti. Ale to má byť vlastne pre dospelých; to by malo naučiť ich deti, čo skutočne Vianoce sú.
16A ja vôbec neverím, že sa Kristus mohol narodiť dvadsiateho piateho decembra, v Júdei, pretože tam je chladnejšie ako teraz tu. Ó, a ako by pastieri mohli v noci strážiť svoje stáda? A potom ten daňový systém a všetko, a Mária musela ísť tak ďaleko, do Betlehema, do Júdei, hore do Jeruzalema, či vlastne ... kvôli určeniu dani. Nedokázal by som tomu uveriť. Prišla hore, myslím, že do Nazaretu, a tak keď ... Ako by to mohlo byť. To by nemohlo byť, ale ja verím, že Kristus sa narodil na jar, pretože v každom prípade On bol Baránok. Vidíte? Všimnite si, On sa narodil v maštali, a nie v dome.
17A keď Ho oni viedli na kríž (iní), pokiaľ vieme, nikde nie je o Ňom povedané, že On viedol ich, ale oni viedli Jeho. Vedeli ste, že baránka, alebo ovcu musíte na zabitie viesť? Ona nepôjde na zabitie, musíte ju tam viesť. A väčšinou majú capa, ktorý vedie tú ovcu. V klietkach na jatkách majú capa. A ten cap vyjde týmto výbehom, až dovedie tú ovcu potade, že ona musí prechádzať tam kde ju zabijú a ten cap potom odskočí. Ale keď príde ku tomu, že idú zabiť toho capa, on kope v panike, keď tam má ísť, ale samozrejme nemôžete ho viniť. Ale takto musí byť vedená ovca, a On bol vedený na zabitie. Oni Ho viedli. On bol Baránok. A ja verím, že v tomto prípade je to všetko podľa prírody, a baránky sa rodia v marci, apríli, približne v tom čase, nie neskoršie ako v máji. A neverím, že by to bolo skorej ako v marci a neskoršie ako v máji, niekedy v tom čase.
18Ale keď sa cirkev, kresťanstvo, spojilo s Rímom, to bolo na Nicejskom koncile, keď oni prijali ... Rímsky národ prijal kresťanstvo a urobili to, čo nazvali univerzálne náboženstvo, kresťanstvo. Urobili univerzálne náboženstvo, a uctievali modly a za boha mali slnko.
19A práve teraz, od dvadsiateho prvého do dvadsiateho piateho, slnko akoby stálo na svojej ceste ako prechádza. Ako sa to nazýva? Zdalo sa mi, že to viem, ale nemôžem si spomenúť. Keď je slnko ... keď pribúda čas a keď ubúda čas, až do dvadsiateho prvého, medzi dvadsiatym prvým a dvadsiatym piatym decembrom. Ó, zabudol som ako sa to volá. Ako? [Niekto hovorí: "Zatmenie?" -- pozn.prekl.] Nie, zatmenie je keď ono prechádza, keď slnko a mesiac prechádzajú spolu. To je niečo, ó, už som to mal na jazyku, nemôžem si teraz spomenúť. No, to je keď slnko stojí, a rimania to nazývali (vtedy mávali predstavenia na aréne), nazývali to narodeniny boha slnka . Oslavovali to od dvadsiateho prvého do dvadsiateho piateho decembra.
20Tak potom, keď sa oni obrátili, Rím na ... keď svojím spôsobom prijali v Ríme kresťanstvo, potom si povedali: "Urobíme tie isté oslavy, a urobíme to narodeninami Syna Božieho." Vidíte? Narodeniny boha slnka, Jupiterove narodeniny, a potom narodeniny Božieho Syna, dvadsiaty piaty december, a to ...
21Ale aký je v tom rozdiel? Vidíte, dnes keď ... Keby to bolo aj ... Keby to robili v júli, alebo v auguste, alebo kedykoľvek, stále je to posvätná pamiatka, že Boh nám dal nádej, ktorú máme.
22No, vy si poviete: "Dobre, tí ostatní majú všetkých možných Mikulášov a pokračujú v tom čo robia; no tak, my to môžeme robiť tak isto." To nie! Nie, toto pre nás nie je pohanská oslava, toto je posvätná hodina. Keby neboli *Vianoce, nebolo by vzkriesenie. Keby neboli Vianoce, nebolo by lásky, nebolo by pokoja, nebola by pre veriaceho žiadna budúcnosť; keby neboli Vianoce. [*Vianoce - po anglicky Christmas - Kristove stelesnenie alebo Kristove telo. -- pozn.prekl.]
23A teraz, vy si poviete: "Dobre, ak ten ostatný svet, oni si proste ... " No, pozrite sa. Blesk v čierňave, na zachmúrenej oblohe, ukazuje, že v čase temnosti môže zasvietiť svetlo. Tieto svetlá to dnes dokazujú, že v čase temnosti môže svietiť svetlo. A kedy svieti svetlo najlepšie? Keď je tma. Zapáľte tieto svetlá cez deň, svieti sem slnko, ani si nevšimnete, že svietia. Ale keď je tma, stačí len nepatrné, malé svetlo a bude jasne svietiť. A práve teraz je temnosť, keď každý kresťan má vydať svedectvo o svojej nádeji, o Ježišovi Kristovi, Božom Synovi. Nie o nejakom Mikulášovi, ktorý sa voľakedy dávno narodil. Poznáte to. Nie o nejakom stromčeku, ktorý raz v noci v lese svietil, nejaké vymyslené poviedky, ktoré nemajú konca. Ale my pevne veríme v zasľúbenie Božieho Slova o príchode Mesiáša, a On sa narodil na Vianoce, skoro pred dvetisíc rokmi. Tomu veríme.
24Tak, dnes večer budeme hovoriť trochu z iného pohľadu. Váš pastor už hádam hovoril, a stredu večer bude asi znovu hovoriť, lebo viem, že si odložil nejakú tému, či niečo, aby mi dnes večer uvoľnil toto pódium. A ja chcem aby to priniesol, ja ho chcem počúvať.
Ale, prv ako začneme hovoriť, skloňme znovu na chvíľu svoje hlavy a pomodlime sa.
25Nebeský Otče, toto je dôležitý posvätný moment, keď tu rozmýšľame o rôznych veciach z Písma, kdekoľvek sa pozrieme, naspäť do Starého Zákona, všade sa hovorí o tomto dni, keď Boh pošle Svojho Syna. Ako tam vtedy títo proroci, mali svoj stanovený čas, keď prorokovali, keď prišlo ku nim Slovo Božie. A oni prorokovali vo svojich dňoch a predpovedali veci, ktoré sa mali stáť, a my vidíme, že to sa všetko vyplnilo tam v Betleheme, tej noci, keď Boh tak miloval svet, že dal svojho jednorodeného Syna. Ďakujeme Ti za to.
26A teraz, Pane, dnes večer, keď sme si tu sadli, aby sme hovorili Tvoje Slovo; a Ono je také sväté, Pane, a preto chceme prv hovoriť s Tebou. A prosíme aby si nám dal porozumieť Tvoje Slovo. Prosíme to v mene Ježiša. Amen.
27Chcem tu teraz prečítať jedno miesto Písma, len normálnu vianočnú udalosť, to miesto Písma sa nachádza v Matúšovi v 2. kapitole. A zatiaľ, kým si to hľadáte, ešte Ján 3:16.
28A nedávno večer vo Phoenixe ... Ak tu počúvate pásky, vypočujte si túto pásku, bol by som rád, keby ste si túto vypočuli: "Prečo musel Ježiš prísť do Betlehema." Prečo to On musel urobiť? A tam tie symboly, ktoré tam Dávid vykonal, ako tam táboril a čakal na vrchu, pozeral sa dole a videl filištínsku posádku. A ja som to presne porovnal s dneškom a ukázal, že Betlehem ... čo to znamená.
29Kristus je náš Betlehem, a mohli by sme dokázať, že každý človek, ktorý sa narodil z Boha, sa narodil v Betleheme, pretože Kristus je Betlehem. A to je to čo On bol, Chlieb života. A Beth, B-e-t-h znamená "dom", E-l je "Boh" a e-l-h-e-m je "Elhem" a to znamená "chlieb," a ... "Dom Božieho chleba." A Ježiš Kristus bol dom Božieho chleba. Chlieb večného života. A každý človek, ktorý sa narodil v Krista, narodil sa do Betlehema, do Domu Božieho chleba. A ako dnes tie légie týchto cirkví umiestnili posádky, ako Filištíni, aby bránili ľuďom do Toho vojsť.
30A ako tí statoční mužovia, ktorí vedeli, že Dávid bol pomazaný a jedného dňa sa stane kráľom ... vtedy bol veľmi nepopulárny, pretože musel utekať pred svojím ľudom, ale jedného dňa zostal ustanovený. On mal so sebou statočných mužov. A pamätajte, títo mužovia boli pohania, skoro každý z nich bol z pohanov, veľmi pekný obraz na dnešok. A jeden muž bol taký statočný, on sám za jeden deň zabil svojou kopijou osemsto mužov. Ďalší stál na šošovičnom poli, a prišiel tam oddiel armády. A všetci zutekali, a on tam stál a zabíjal ich až mu stŕpla ruka. A potom ďalší, ako on skočil do jamy a holými rukami zabil leva v deň snehu. A nejaký filištín ... či egypťan išiel na neho s dlhou kopijou, a on zobral palicu a vyrazil mu z ruky túto kopiju, zobral ju a zabil egypťana, zabil tristo veliteľov.
31Veľkí mužovia! Dávid zvolal: "Keby som sa ešte raz mohol napiť z tej studni!" (kde zvykol napájať svoje ovce, keď ich ráno vypúšťal z ohrady, oni chceli piť vodu). A títo mužovia vytiahli svoje meče a prebili sa pätnásť míľ cez nepriateľa a priniesli túto vodu.
32A Dávid povedal: "Nech je to preč odo mňa, aby som to mal vypiť." A vylial ju na zem, ako liatu obeť Pánovi. Aký prekrásny obraz dnes večer, toho istého tu v Jánovi 3:16.
... Boh tak miloval svet, že dal svojho jednorodeného syna,
33A čo urobil Kristus? Život, ktorý On mal aby večne žil, On ho vylial na zem zo svojich žíl, svoj prirodzený život, na zem, za nás, ako obeť za hriech. A ako tí pohania dnes, slávni mužovia, veľkí mužovia, berú meč a stoja tam a presekávajú si cestu, aby doniesli čerstvú vodu pre Krista (nášho Dávida), ktorý je dnes veľmi nepopulárny. Ale náš Dávid, o ktorom vieme, že On prichádza v moci, On takto pošliape všetky národy pod svojimi nohami, a bude vládnuť nad nimi železným prútom. A skutoční statoční mužovia, stoja so Slovom Božím a sekajú nebojácne na všetky strany, pretože vieme, že On prichádza v moci. Amen.
34Čítajme teraz, po Jánovi 3:16, čítajme o návšteve tých mudrcov z ev. Matúša z 2. kapitoly.
A keď sa narodil Ježiš v Judskom Betleheme za dní kráľa Heródesa, tu hľa, mudrci od východu slnca prišli do Jeruzalema
a hovorili: Kde je ten narodený kráľ židovský? Lebo sme videli jeho hviezdu na východe slnca a prišli sme sa mu pokloniť.
Ale keď to počul kráľ Heródes, zľakol sa i celý Jeruzalem s ním.
A zvolal všetkých najvyšších kňazov a učiteľov ľudu a vypytoval sa ich, kde sa má Kristus narodiť.
A oni mu riekli: V Judskom Betleheme, lebo tak je napísané skrze proroka:
A ty Betleheme, zem Júdova, nijako nie si najmenší medzi vojvodami Júdovými, lebo z teba mi vyjde vodca, ktorý bude pásť môj ľud, Izraela.
Vtedy Heródes povolal tajne mudrcov a dôkladne sa ich vypýtal na čas hviezdy, ktorá sa im ukazovala,
a pošlúc ich do Betlehema povedal: Iďte a dôkladne sa povypytujte o tom dieťatku, a keď nájdete, dajte mi o tom zvesť, aby som i ja prijdúc poklonil sa mu.
A oni vypočujúc kráľa odišli. A hľa, hviezda, ktorú boli videli na východe slnka, išla pred nimi až prišla a zastála nad miestom, kde bolo dieťatko.
A zazrúc hviezdu preveľmi sa zaradovali.
A keď vošli do domu, našli dieťatko s Máriou, jeho matkou, a padnúc klaňali sa mu a otvorili svoje poklady obetovali mu: zlato, kadivo a myrhu.
A napomenutí súc od Boha vo sne, aby sa nenavracovali k Heródesovi, navrátili sa inou cestou do svojej krajiny.
35Je to tu veľmi zvláštne, ako to Boh menej významným spôsobom ... Verím tomu, že Boh hovorí ku ľuďom skrze sny. Ale ako Boh v tomto prípade použil to druhoradé.
36No, sen je ... sen, ak je správne vyložený, to je to isté ako videnie; ak je to sen a je vyložený. Boh to od dávna používal v Starom Zákone a cez celé veky a zasľúbil, že v posledných dňoch to znovu použije. No, ľudia sa môžu prejesť a tak ďalej a dostať nočné mory, a to nie sú ozajstné, duchovné sny, to nevydá jasný tón, keď to hovoríte. A niektoré z nich môžu vyzerať dobré, ale jednako existujú skutočné duchovné sny. A my tu v zhromaždení vieme, že Boh dáva ľuďom sny a oni zostali vyložené, a plnia sa, a sú skutočné. Ale to je druhoradý spôsob. Vidíte?
37No, dôvod, že to vtedy tak bolo, to preto, že v tom čase nebol na zemi žiadny prorok, ktorý by sen vyložil. Vidíte? Nebolo žiadneho proroka, ktorý by vykladal sny, ako Jozef a Daniel a tí dávni proroci. Oni už štyristo rokov nemali proroka, a Boh použil sen, aby ... na úžitok svojho vlastného Dieťaťa. On to urobil.
38On povedal Jozefovi, keď on bol spravodlivý človek a nechcel jej urobiť potupu, chcel ju tajne prepustiť. Ona mu určite povedala o návšteve Gabriela a tak ďalej, a čo on povedal; ale keď on uvidel, že je tehotná, to bolo príliš neobyčajné. Viete, to proste ... to bolo niečo celkom iné. A viete, to je to čo sa deje dnes. Boh robí niečo neobyčajné, a to je také neobyčajné, že dokonca spravodliví ľudia to nedokážu vidieť.
39Jozef to nedokázal porozumieť, bolo to príliš neobyčajné. On bol dobrý človek, nebolo na ňom nič zlého. On bol dobrý človek, spravodlivý , ale to bolo príliš neobyčajné. Vidíte? Tvrdia, že Jozef mal okolo štyridsať, štyridsať päť rokov, tak nejako, keď sa s Máriou zasnúbili. Ale tu nachádzame niečo, čo sa nikdy predtým nestalo: žena oddaná tomuto mužovi a pritom bola nájdená tehotná! A to bolo také neobyčajné, že Jozef rozmýšľal o tom, že ju prepustí. Ale práve v tom rozhodujúcom momente, Boh poslal svojho anjela, a zjavil sa mu vo sne a povedal: "Neboj sa zobrať si Máriu svoju manželku, lebo to čo je v nej splodené, je zo Svätého Ducha."
40Akú znovuzrodenú vieru musel mať Jozef, keď sa zobudil! Vidíte? On nepotreboval žiadny výklad, ten sen nebol v symboloch. To bolo priamo povedané: "Neboj sa zobrať si Máriu svoju manželku, lebo to čo je v nej splodené, je zo Svätého Ducha." Nebolo žiadneho proroka, ktorý by dal výklad, tak to muselo prísť takto priamo, jasne; od Boha ku Jozefovi. No ... a Boh použil tento druhoradý spôsob.
41Čo sa hneď tu z tohoto môžeme naučiť, prv ako pristúpime k nášmu textu? Toto: že Boh môže použiť každú schopnosť našej bytosti ak je to vydané Jemu. On môže použiť našu myseľ, sny, naše podvedomie, naše prvé vedomie, náš jazyk, naše piesne, naše oči, naše ... Boh môže použiť všetko čo máme, ak je to vydané Jemu. Vidíte? Všetko čo odovzdáte Bohu. On použije každú schopnosť a každú vašu časť, On to použije. Nezáleží na tom čo to je, On to použije ak je to posvätené na Jeho účel a povolanie.
42No, dnes večer budeme hovoriť o Daroch. A chcem dať tomuto názov, ak ... Zapísal som si a poznačil niečo, keď mi brat Neville povedal ... "Božie dary sú stále naj... Božie dary stále nájdu svoje miesto." Božie dary sú stále odmietnuté, ale oni skutočne nájdu svoje miesto, keď ...
43No, pozorujte tento dar, ktorý Mu priniesli títo múdri mužovia. Dnes môžeme vidieť, že ľudia si vymieňajú dary. Každý musí dostať dar, a snaží sa uhádnuť, čo mu prinesie ten druhý, a tak mu môže dať niečo podobné. A ak to tak nie je, no, na Nový rok, on cíti, že to musí vylepšiť. A každý jeden rozmýšľa a trápi sa a chodí hore dole, milionári, ako sa tomu vyhnúť. Ľudia vynakladajú toľko na toto a tamto, keď - to všetko je nanič. To je všetko ... Vianoce ...
44Aha, je len jeden dar, ktorý môžete dať, a to ste vy sami. Dajte Bohu seba samého, pretože Boh vám už dal Svoj dar. No, to je to jediné čo dlhujete Bohu, dať Mu samého seba.
45No, a mnohokrát mená, v Biblii. Nebudeme sa tým dnes ďalej zaoberať. My ... často ste ma počuli, že opovrhujem týmto menom, deťmi, ktoré sa nazývajú ... či ľuďmi, ktorí nazývajú svoje deti Riky. No, Riky, to je strašné meno! Rozumiete? A to je ... nesmiete ich tak nazývať. Ak ste dali dieťaťu meno Riky, och, zmeňte to na niečo iné. Riky, alebo Elvis, alebo niečo takéto, ... Riky znamená "potkan." Vidíte? A tak vy ... A ako koho nazývate, to sa na neho prenáša. Raz jedna pani tam mala malého chlapca, nazvala ho Riky. A jeho meno bolo Riky, James Riky. A pretože to bolo také populárne (Riky), nazvali ho Riky. Povedal som im: "Zmeňte to meno!"
46Všimol som si, že práve teraz tu sedia niektorí ľudia, ktorí mali malého vnuka, a jeho meno je ... ten jeden malý chlapec je taký milý, príjemný; a ten druhý je Riky, a taký aj je. Len ho pozorujte, jeho povaha je presne taká. A ja som povedal jeho starým rodičom, či niekomu: "Povedzte matke, aby zmenila meno toho chlapca, nech len zmení to meno a pozorujte čo sa s tým dieťaťom stane." Vidíte? Vy ľudia nechcete tomu veriť. Myslíme si, že sme na to príliš starí.
47Ak v mene nič nie je, tak potom prečo, kým sa Jakob nazýval Jakob, čo znamená strnad (taký čo vystrnadí iného z jeho miesta), podvodník, prečo bol taký? Ale keď on celú noc zápasil s Pánom, a Pán zmenil jeho meno, a asi ... keď mal asi šesťdesiat rokov. On zmenil jeho meno z Jakoba na Izrael. Na knieža Božie. A bol ním.
Prečo bol Abram nazvaný ... musel byť nazvaný "Abraham", prv ako sa mohlo narodiť to dieťa? Prečo Sáraj bola nazvaná "Sárah", prv ako sa mohlo narodiť to dieťa?
Prečo bol Pavel ... jeho meno bolo Saul, ale keď stretol Ježiša, On ho zmenil zo Saula na Paula.
Keď Šimon bol zmenený zo Šimona na Petra, čo znamená "malý kameň." A ich mená boli zmenené, to preto, že na tom niečo je ako sa nazývate. Keď niečo hovoríte ... [prázdne miesto na páske -- pozn.prekl.] ... nechcem do toho vchádzať, pretože to bude na ďalšiu nedeľu večer, o jednotení slova. A ... ale teraz, vidíme, že toto je naozaj pravda.
48Dávajte teraz pozor, Boh ... Aká zvláštna vec je to dnes večer, vidieť, že tí mužovia, mudrci, učení mužovia, veľkí ľudia ... prichádzajú z východu, to bol Babylon, ktorým bola India. A oni neprišli za nejakú jednu noc, žeby jednej noci vyrazili a na ďalšiu tam boli, oni tam putovali okolo dva roky. Oni neprišli ku nemluvniatku v jasliach. Oni prišli ku malému dieťaťu, ku malému dieťaťu. A Heródes pozabíjal deti do veku dvoch rokov. Vidíte? Musel vedieť, že to nebol malý kojenec ležiaci v kolíske, on by pozabíjal všetkých kojencov. Ale on pozabíjal malé deti, aby si bol istý, že Ho dostane, všade od dvoch rokov dole. Ale pretože to vedel určil hornú hranicu, lebo ich nechcel pozabíjať príliš veľa, všetkých, on len ... pretože oni mu boli viac ako otroci. On chcel dostať ... Byť si istý, že Ho dostane, tak povedal: "To dieťa bude mať asi dva roky. Tak všetko od dvoch rokov dole zabite." Vidíte?
A tým sa vyplnilo to čo povedal prorok, že v Ráme bude počuť kvílenie, či nariekanie, plač; Rácheľ, oplakávajúca svoje deti lebo ich niet.
49No, všimli ste si že títo mudrci, veľkí ľudia, boli tam v Babylone a videli Jeho hviezdu, on povedal: "Videli sme Jeho hviezdu na východe a prišli sme sa Mu pokloniť." Oni prišli z východu, kde videli tú hviezdu, a išli na západ. Pretože India ... Palestína je na západ, severozápad. A oni prišli rovno, popri rieke Tigris a prešli cez tie pláne rovno tam, prišli do Betlehema, kde našli to dieťa. Pamätajte Jozef a oni z tade neodišli; oni odišli rovno do Nazaretu a priniesli to dieťa, rovno tam.
50No, vidíme tu, že oni priniesli ... Títo mužovia, oni boli astronómami a študovali hviezdy, a keď videli tieto tajomné nebeské svetlá, ktoré sa tam zjavili, vedeli že niečo sa má stať, že sa má narodiť Mesiáš, Vládca neba i zeme. A oni prišli a vedeli, že Božskosť bude vložená, že bude prebývať v ľudskej bytosti; pretože, keď vám ukážem ich svedectvo, ... Viete, váš život hovorí oveľa hlasnejšie, ako vaše slová, tak že bez ohľadu na to čo hovoríte, ľudia vedia čo ste, podľa toho čo ste.
51A pozorujte týchto ľudí, týchto *mágov, oni Mu priniesli ... Všimnite si, dary, ktoré Mu oni priniesli, jasne ukazujú, čo si oni mysleli, že kto On je. Oni Mu priniesli zlato, kadivo a myrhu. A teraz pozorujte čo tieto symboly ... o tom chcem teraz hovoriť, čo tieto symboly znamenajú. A zapísal som si tu niektoré miesta Písma, ktoré budeme za chvíľu ku tomu čítať, ak Pán dá. [*V ev. Matúša: mudrci, doslovne mágovia, starodávni astrológovia. -- pozn.prekl.]
No: zlato a kadivo a myrha.
52No, zlato v Biblii ... Ako presne to pasuje na Krista, pretože zlato symbolizuje Božskosť. Zlato predstavuje "Boha". Za chvíľu sa ku tomu dostaneme. Kadivo predstavuje "službu". A myrha predstavuje "smrť." Boh, Božskosť, v službe na smrť. A to je to čo On bol. Presne tie veci, ktoré oni priniesli jasne ukázali, čo si oni mysleli, že kto On je.
53A ja dnes toto hovorím pre nás: "Veci, ktoré Mu my prinášame jasne ukazujú, akú máme o Ňom predstavu." Rozumiete čo chcem povedať? Vidíte? Ak vy ... Ak Tomu veríte z celého svojho srdca, každému Slovu, bude sa to prejavovať tým, že budete Tomu dávať všetko čo máte. Vidíte? Ale ak veríte, že to je dobré miesto na stýkanie sa s lepšími ľuďmi, okolo zboru a takéto niečo, to je presne to čo dávate (len niekoľko hodín spoločnosti s niekým v zhromaždení, či niečo také). Ale ak tomu skutočne veríte z celého svojho srdca, potom Tomu dáte všetko, čo je vo vás. Vidíte? A to potvrdzuje, že skutočne veríte Posolstvu, že veríte, že je to Pravda.
54Veľa ľudí hovorí: "Ja potadeto tomu môžem veriť. Ja to takto môžem veriť." Učeníci ... Zdá sa mi, že minule som to tu hovoril: "Veriaci, ľudia pretvarujúci sa za veriacich a neveriaci." Či nie? Nehovoril som tu o tom? Vidíte? A každá osoba si hľadá svoju kategóriu. Vidíte? Prídu na miesto, kde môžu toľkoto z toho prijať, a to ostatné nemôžu.
55No, ako pasovali tieto dary ku Kristovej ceste na zemi, ku dieťaťu, ktoré sa narodilo tu na zemi. A tieto dary, ktoré Mu priniesli títo mudrci, pasovali presne ku Jeho povereniu, ktoré mal od Boha, a ku Jeho ceste na zemi.
56No, prvá vec: Boh. Toto bol Boh, Ježiš bol Boh vo forme človeka. To ľudia nedokážu stráviť, ešte ani dnes, že "On bol Boh." To je to, čo On bol. On nebol ničím menej ako Boh. On bol Boh zjavený v tele. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom vlastnom stvorení. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom stvorení, skrze stvorenie, pre stvorenie. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom stvorení, skrze svoje stvorenie, pre svoje stvorenie. Všetko to znovu končí v Bohu! Vidíte? Plnosť Božia! On bol Stvoriteľ v takej miere, že bol Bohom. A On bol na zemi Bytosťou (Bytosťou času), čo znamená, že On musel mať začiatok, a tak si On sám stvoril telo v ktorom prebýval. Sám Boh si stvoril pre seba telo. Vidíte? Aby skrze toto stvorenie, mohol spasiť stratené stvorenie, ktoré stvoril.
57Človek nemôže nič úplne zničiť, neexistuje nič také. Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť. Môžete zobrať kus papiera a spáliť ho, môžete spáliť dom, môžete spáliť strom; ale úplne ste to nezničili. Tá žiara z toho, ten oheň, ktorý to ničí, to sú len chemické reakcie. To sa premieňa naspäť na to, čím to bolo na počiatku. Nie je to úplne zničené. Ak spálite kus dreva, vo svete sa povie ... Keby sme žili vo večnosti, ako Boh a tie chemikálie z toho dreva a z toho ohňa by prechádzali naspäť do svojich pôvodných počiatkov, čokoľvek to bolo, pri štiepení atómov a tak ďalej, svet hovorí, že za milióny rokov by to znovu mohlo prísť naspäť a bol by z toho ďalší strom, presne taký istý ako bol ten.
58Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť, pretože to je vypovedané Božie Slovo. Amen! Ó, to ma teraz vzrušuje. Vidíte? To čo Boh povie, to stojí naveky. Amen! Vidíte? Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť. My sme časťou tejto zeme, a nikdy nemôžeme byť úplne zničení. Nie veru. Hriech, duša, to bude zničené, to si uvedomujeme. Ale telo v ktorom žijeme, nemôže byť zničené. Vidíte?
59No, a tak, Boh si stvoril telo. On bol Stvoriteľ, a stvoril si Svoje vlastné stvorenie, aby skrze toto Stvorenie mohol spasiť tých, ktorí v Jeho stvorení boli stratení. To si ty a ja, stvorenia času.
60Jeho Slovo presne ukázalo, že ... On a Jeho skutky potvrdili, že On nebol ničím menším, než Stvoriteľ. On zobral kúsok chleba a zlomil ho, a ďalej lámal ten kúsok chleba a nakŕmil z neho päť tisíc ľudí; a nazbierali sedem košov zvyšných kúskov, a každý sa tam dosýta najedol chleba.
61On zobral rybu a lámal ju. No keď si uvedomíme, že On stvoril tú rybu na počiatku. On stvoril na počiatku ten chlieb. Ale On zobral tú rybu a zlámal ju. To bola živá ryba, ale potom ona bola varená alebo pečená, a zakaždým, keď z nej odlomil, akákoľvek ona bola (varená alebo pečená), ona znovu dorástla (v tej istej chvíli, keď z nej odlomil) ďalšia varená, alebo pečená ryba. Či to nie je ohromné? To ukázalo, že On nebol nič iné, ako Jehova. Amen. On bol Stvoriteľ, ktorý mohol zobrať svoje vlastné Stvorenie, a cez Svoje stvorenie vyjadriť kto On je. Haleluja! To dokázalo, že On bol tým, čím bol. On bol Boh. Tak, zlato bolo pre Neho vhodné, ako obeť pri Jeho narodení. On bol Boh, ktorý sa stal telom.
62Mohol by som to rozobrať ... No zdá sa mi, že nie je tu dnes večer medzi nami nikto cudzí, tak ... na tomto modlitebnom zhromaždení. Ale dovoľte mi niečo povedať. Či Ježiš, keď bol tu ...? No, toto je na zamyslenie, nie na ... nejdeme to rozoberať. Všimnite si, len na zamyslenie, Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 14:12: "Ten kto verí vo mňa, skutky, ktoré ja činím, bude aj on činiť, a ešte aj väčšie ako tie bude činiť, lebo ja idem k svojmu Otcovi." Všimli ste si to? Všimnite si teraz, to bol Syn Boží, ktorý zasľubuje veriacemu väčšie skutky, od tých ktoré On činil, že ten veriaci (v týchto posledných dňoch) bude činiť väčšie skutky, než ako On činil. Ev. Jána 14. kapitola, 12. verš. Je to tak? Veríte že Ježiš to povedal?
63Všimnite si, keď Ježiš stvoril chlieb; On zobral kúsok chleba a stvoril chlieb, ktorý už bol chlebom. Keď stvoril rybu; On zobral rybu, ktorá bola prv stvorená ako ryba, a stvoril z toho ďalšiu rybu. Je to tak? On zobral vodu, ktorá sa potenciálne stáva vínom, a spravil z nej víno. Je to tak? Ale my sme Ho videli v našom strede, v týchto posledných dňoch, stvoriť priamo určité veci, bez toho žeby tam niečo bolo! Je to tak? Videli sme Ho stvoriť veveričky, tam kde žiadnych veveričiek nebolo. Tak veru! Ó, On je stále Boh. On je dnes tak isto Boh, ako bol vtedy a stále, alebo ako stále bude. On je stále Bohom a vyzýva srdcia, aby tomu verili: "Väčšie veci ako tieto, ... bez toho žeby ste niečo držali a lámali z toho. Poviete, a stane sa to."
64Všimnite si teraz, vidíme, že jeho ... On potvrdil. Skutky, ktoré On činil, potvrdili, že On bol Boh, ukázali, že On ním bol. Lebo On povedal: "Ak nerobím skutky svojho Otca, potom mi neverte."
65A či by kresťan nemohol dnes povedať: "Ak nečiním skutky svojho Spasiteľa, potom mi neverte"? Vidíte?
67Potom kresťan dnes musí viesť život, ktorý viedol Kristus, inak môžeme povedať, že to tak nie je.
68Všimnite si teraz, jeho skutky potvrdili, že On je Stvoriteľ. Jeho skutky, ktoré On činil korunovali svedectvo Jeho života, že On bol Stvoriteľ - nijako sa to nedá poprieť. A tak, keď oni vo svojich daroch obetovali zlato, boli svojimi darmi presne v súlade s Bohom. Oni Mu dali zlato, ktoré preukazovalo, že On je Boh. Koruna stále, zlatá koruna ... zlatá hlava kráľa Nabuchodonozora. Všetko, vidíte, to ... Zlato stále reprezentovalo Božstvo.
69A teraz: kadivo. Chceme toto rýchlo prebrať. Kadivo predstavuje službu obetovanú Jahvemu, ak si chcete poznačiť tieto miesta Písma, Leviticus 2:2, a Leviticus 16:6-15. Vidíme, že to je kňažské nariadenie, prinášať Jahvemu obeť. Keď on prinášal tú obeť, ona musela byť prinesená a zmiešaná s kadivom pri obeti za hriech. Oni vzali rôzne veci a zmiešali ich. Pri obeti múky, pri obeti povznášania, tam bolo pridané kadivo. Pretože, keď to bolo pomazané kadivom, Jehova to prijal, a to znamená, že to je slúženie Jahvemu, Bohu. A teraz nachádzame že On je Božská bytosť. A to, že Mu oni priniesli kadivo, ukazovalo že On slúžil Jahvemu, že Ježiš je Jehovov sluha.
70No, v evanjeliu Matúša 12: 15-21, čítame že On bol Jehovov sluha: "Hľa môj služobník, v ktorom sa mi zaľúbilo (a On ním bol) a na Neho položím svoju moc." Tak Jeho život bol pomazaný kadivom, do služby Jahvemu. Čo za dar priniesli tí múdri mužovia! Vidíte, to bolo niečo čo ... dar, ktorý oni priniesli, to bolo niečo čo preukazovalo Ježiša ako Jehovovho služobníka.
71No keby sme len my mohli toto niesť, aby to preukazovalo náš život. Vidíte? Aby náš život ukazoval, že sme Jehovovi sluhovia. Na to tam bolo kadivo, to Ho robilo Jehovovým služobníkom.
72A teraz: myrha, m-y-r-h-a, to bolo pomazanie smrti. V evanjeliu Jána v 19. kapitole, v 39. verši vidíme, že keď Mária a tí ďalší, išli Ježiša pochovať, oni zobrali túto myrhu, aby Ho ňou pomazali; pretože On musí v službe pre Jehovu podstúpiť smrť. Vidíte? Niekto musel zomrieť. To bola služba, ktorá musela byť pre Boha vykonaná, a nikto nebol hodný, aby to vykonal, jedine sám Boh. Tak, prinesenie myrhy ukazuje, že spolu s božskosťou a so službou, že On bol tiež pomazaný myrhou; že táto božskosť musela byť daná na smrť, aby spasila to nedokonalé. Ó, to je ohromné!
73Celé stvorenie bolo stratené. Práve sme to prebrali v Siedmych Pečatiach. Vidíte? Celé stvorenie bolo stratené, všetko zahynulo. Všetko patrilo Satanovi. On to zdedil a stále to vlastní. Skutočne. Preto zápasíme a máme všetky tieto problémy. On vládne nad každým kráľovstvom - Satan. Každá vláda, každý kráľ, každé kráľovstvo je kontrolované Satanom. Satan kontroluje a riadi celý svet. Preto máme tie problémy, ktoré máme. Každý kto číta Bibliu, či ktokoľvek, vám môže povedať, že Satan ... No, sama Biblia to hovorí, že on nad ním vládne. Vidíte? Že on vládne nad svetom. A Kristus ho zdedí, lebo On je teraz naším Vykupiteľom. A On prišiel aby vykúpil celé stvorenie, a nikto to nemohol urobiť iba sám Boh.
74Preto Boh robí všetko skrze človeka. On stále pracuje skrze človeka, pretože On musel použiť človeka. To bol človek, ktorého On musel použiť, aby zjavil svoju povahu spasiteľa. On ho musel urobiť na svoj obraz, na svoju podobu, a dať mu slobodné rozhodovanie a nechať ho postupovať tak, ako chce. On si mohol vybrať. A On vedel, že keď dal človeku túto možnosť, že on upadne. A keď to tak musel urobiť, On sa otočil a urobil človeka Svojím partnerom, a nerobí nič jedine cez človeka!
75Celé dielo vykúpenia prichádza skrze človeka! Haleluja! Skrze prvého človeka prišla smrť, skrze druhého Adama prišiel život. Vidíte? Tu to máte. On nerobí nič, pretože On musel na to použiť človeka, On potom používa človeka aby to znovu vykúpil. Tak Boh sa stáva Jehovom ... či Jehova ... On je Boh, a On sa stáva dieťaťom. On sa stáva podobný hriechu, aby mohol vykúpiť hriešnika. Vidíte? To je celá vec.
76No, pozrite čo ... ako krásne tieto dary pasujú na Ježiša Krista. Vidíte? Zlato hovorí o Jeho božstve. No, oni neboli pohania. Oni boli inšpirovaní od Boha. Oni si to nevymysleli. To je hneď tu dokázané, i tí mágovia, oni videli niečo nadprirodzené. Pretože ich vlastné dary, ktoré priniesli, potvrdili a svedčia, že oni videli niečo nadprirodzené. Prečo? Prečo? Oni to dokonale vyjadrujú. Oni priniesli zlato - to je Božskosť. Kadivo - to je služba. A myrhu, tá ukazuje na Jeho smrť. Keď On bol ešte dieťa. Amen. To ukazuje, že Božskosť bude daná v tele na smrť, amen, aby to mohlo vykúpiť upadnutého človeka. Ako to, že to ľudia nevidia?
77Keď sa zamyslíte: Čo tu robíte? Odkiaľ ste prišli? Alebo načo sme tu? Nenašli sme sa tu len náhodou, sme tu za určitým účelom a musíme slúžiť tomu účelu. Ale stále sme postavení na základe slobodného rozhodnutia, kde tomu môžeme slúžiť, alebo to odmietnuť, práve tak ako Adam na začiatku.
78Dívam sa tu na tieto dievčatá, brat ... čo...? Zdá sa mi, že to je tá pani ktorá hrala na piane, a ja som počúval ako spievali. Rozprávali sme sa o nich cestou sem. To je rodina, ktorá posvätila celý svoj život a všetko Kristovi. Pozrite sa na tú rodinu aká je usporiadaná. Pozrite sa na tie dievčence. Boli tu hore, oni sú príkladom mladej ženskosti, v dospievajúcom veku. A nezáleží ...
79Pred pár týždňami som išiel do ... Neviem ako sa tam v New Yorku teraz nazýva to miesto, kde sú celé paneláky *bítnikov. Tie dievčence tam v elasťákoch a nemajú nič, len malé bikiny (ako to oni nazývajú) na vrchu. A och, proste zmiešanina ... robia čokoľvek im príde na rozum. Nezáleží na tom, čo to je, to je ... no, oni sú bítnik. Oni proste môžu robiť všetko. Ak sa im chce ležať a nevstávať, tak proste ležia a nevstávajú. Ak chcú niečo robiť, tak to robia; ak sa im nechce, nerobia. Oni proste vymýšľajú! A čo vymyslí neobrátená myseľ? Vy to nemáte právo robiť, pretože nie ste sami svoji; Boh si vás kúpil, Ježiš Kristus, Syn Boží, ktorý sa stal telom. Ale, vidíte, to je zmiešanina hriechu! [*Bítnik - "ubitá generácia" - ľudia, ktorí používali nekonvenčný spôsob života. -- pozn.prekl.]
80A vidíte mnoho takýchto mladých dievčeniec, že stoja pomimo toho. No tak, pre mňa je to, ako svetlo v čase temnosti. Ako blesk, ako Božie zablysknutie na oblohe, ktoré ukazuje, že môže existovať svetlo! Že môže existovať spravodlivosť, v strede hriechu!
81Mária, Ježišova matka, v meste Nazarete, to bolo najopovrhnutejšie mesto v celom kraji, ale z tade Boh vybral malú pani, aby porodila Jeho Syna. Inkubátor, lono, ktoré muselo ... z ktorého sa muselo narodiť dieťa. On si na to zobral takú osobu. Boh koná svoju prácu skrze ľudské bytosti, aby vykúpil ľudské bytosti. On môže zobrať teba, pracovať cez teba, aby vykúpil ľudstvo, ak Mu vydáš úplne všetko čo si.
82Ak si mladá žena, vydaj Mu svoju morálku. Si mladý muž, vydaj Mu svoju morálku, vydaj Mu svoju myseľ, vydaj Mu svoje myšlienky, vydaj Mu svoje srdce, vydaj Mu svoju dušu, vydaj Mu všetko čo si! A nech s tým narába Kristus. Čo za nádherná vec! Musíš prechádzať cez rieky, musíš prejsť cez mosty, musíš prejsť cez tŕnité miesta, musíš prejsť cez húštiny, musíš prejsť cez lesy, musíš prejsť cez tmavé miesta, musíš prejsť cez vysoké kopce, musíš prejsť strmými svahmi. A čo robíš? Jedného dňa budeš musieť zastať a pozrieť sa naspäť, odkiaľ si prišiel, a budeš súdený z toho aký kurz si si zvolil. Nasmeruj svoju myseľ a svoje myšlienky na tú severnú hviezdu (na Božie centrum) a neodkláňaj sa od toho. Stoj rovno na tom. To ťa dovedie rovno, ako to priviedlo tých mágov, rovno ku Kristovi.
83Dobre, On bol pomazaný myrhou. Nachádzame teraz, v Jánovi 12:1 a 7, že to je presne to, čo On urobil. On bol dokonalý Boží sluha, a bol pomazaný všetkými Svojimi božskými darmi. On bol pomazaný všetkými Božími darmi, pretože On bol Boh. On bol Boh. Vidíte? Oni Mu priniesli dary.
84No, my budeme ... prajem si ... Ľudia tu stále, väčšina z nich, viete, vám niečo pošle. No, zase vrátiť to, to by som nedokázal. Vidíte? To je vo svete. Proste by som to nedokázal. A ja si cením tie drobné veci a všetko čo ľudia robia, aby vyjadrili svoju vďačnosť, a tak ďalej.
85No, toto urobili títo bohatí mužovia. Títo mužovia sú mágovia, oni priniesli zlato, rýdze zlato. Priniesli kadivo, to najlepšie aké mohli zohnať a priniesli myrhu, tú najlepšiu akú mohli.
86A tu, v Jánovi 12 jasne vidíme, nachádzame tu, že táto žena ... keby sme mali čas to prečítať, ale nechcem vás tu držať príliš dlho, lebo viem, že zajtra je pondelok, a niektorí z vás musia ísť do práce. Pozrite, oni priniesli ... Táto žena priniesla túto myrhu, to pomazanie niečo stálo, to malo odstrániť smrteľný zápach. A ona rozbila tú alabastrovú nádobku a vyliala to Ježišovi na hlavu. A Judáš povedal: "Prečo, toto sa malo dať chudobným." (Tam stojí: "nie preto, že by sa bol staral o chudobných, ale preto že bol zlodej, nosil peniaze.") A povedal: "Toto sa malo predať, a nie ..."
87A Ježiš povedal: "Nechaj ju! Lebo ona toto vykonala ..." Ona Ho pomazala, ku Jeho pohrebu. Vidíte? Táto žena bola taká vďačná, že jej boli odpustené hriechy, že minula všetky svoje peniaze, ktoré mala a vzala alabastrovú nádobku a rozbila ju a vyliala ten olej a dom sa naplnil príjemnou vôňou tejto myrhy, ktorou Ho pomazala na smrť. No, vidíte, ona urobila tú službu a ani nevedela čo robí, ale ona bola Bohu taká vďačná.
88A ak ste za Vianoce takí vďační, to nie je že: "Ja dám Jonesovcom darček; a oni mi tiež dajú nejaký, ráno uvidím čo dostanem." Prečo neotvoríte svoje srdce aby ste videli čo je v ňom, aby ste zistili čo tam máte. A prijali ... ak zistíme, že je prázdne, že sú v ňom len odmietavé vyznania a starosti o tento svet, prečo nepoprosíte Krista, aby ho dnes večer naplnil? Dnes večer, aby ste mohli pochopiť skutočný význam vianoc. To je Kristus vo vás; Boh, prebývajúci v ľudskom srdci. To znamenajú skutočné Vianoce.
89Ale, vidíte, dnes sa stávame takí odmietaví. To je diabol, ktorý nás do toho vedie. Máme maľované lízatká a sobí záprah s fúzatým mužom, ktorý letí cez oblaky ako lietadlo a navštevuje celý svet a každý dom, s balíčkom hračiek na chrbte, a navštevuje každé dieťa. To je proste klamstvo! To je všetko len klamstvo. Vidíte? Vidíte to?. Ale prečo? To urobil diabol, aby mohol ľuďom prevrátiť myseľ.
90Vošiel do toho obchod a oni ... No, oni cez Vianoce zarobia toľko, že zvyšok roka môžu skoro oddychovať. Rozprával som sa raz s jedným obchodníkom, on povedal: "Dajte mi tieto dva týždne, a keby som tu nemusel držať svojich zamestnancov, čakal by som až do ďalších vianoc; mohol by som ísť na ryby, alebo robiť čokoľvek, až do ďalších vianoc." Povedal: "Ale držím tých ľudí. Držím ich tu len toľko, aby som mal otvorený obchod a takto môžem platiť a podobne." Povedal: "Ja až do vianoc nerobím nič." Vidíte, stal sa z toho veľký obchod, zatiaľ čo to má byť oddávanie chvály - chválenie Boha.
91No, Boh, tak pomazal Ježiša svojou plnosťou, že až ... On bol Božím darom pre svet. Tí múdri mužovia jasne ukázali, keď Mu priniesli svoje dary; ukázali, že vo svojich srdciach vedeli, kto On bol, a čo On pre nich urobí. Tak (nie divu), že prvé čo urobili, oni padli na kolená, presne podľa poriadku, a poklonili sa Mu. Ešte skôr ako to mohli porozumieť, oni padli na kolená a poklonili sa Mu a potom Mu odovzdali svoje dary. Takto to má byť pri skutočných vianociach; Jemu sa pokloňte, a potom Mu odovzdajte svoj dar; odovzdajte Mu svoje telo ako živú obeť, svätú a príjemnú Bohu.
92Ale viete čo bolo potom, keď títo múdri mužovia toto urobili? Kristov otec a matka ... pestún (samozrejme) a pestúnka, pretože Boh bol oboje, Jeho otcom i matkou. Ale vidíme, že oni prijali (uznali) tieto dary od týchto mudrcov. Nie divu, že oni boli nazvaní múdri. Oni boli múdri. Oni boli naozaj ... mali múdrosť. Keby dnes boli ľudia takí múdri, múdri aby ... Múdry človek ide ku Kristovi. Človek, ktorý sa od Neho odvracia, nie je múdry. Ale treba múdreho človeka, aby prišiel ku Kristovi.
93No, všimnite si! Potom, keď títo múdri mužovia ukázali kto On je, čo On bude, a vidíme v Písmach, že On presne tým bol: Božia realita v službe na smrť. Na čo? Božia realita v Božej službe na smrť. Ježiš bol Boh zjavený v tele v službe na smrť, aby vykúpil svet. Ale čo s tým urobil svet? Oni to odmietli. Oni to neprijali. Prečo? Niektorí z nich, veľká časť z nich to urobili kvôli tomuto: pretože On zomrel! Oni povedali: "On nemohol byť Boh a zomrieť." Ten muž, to telo, to nebol Boh, ale funkcia Boha bola v tom tele. Toto telo musí zahynúť. Jedine Kristus, ktorý je vo vás, to je to jediné, čo vás môže vzbudiť. To je Božia skutočnosť, Boh vo vás.
94No, všimnite si! No, to isté je teraz, oni nechcú rozpoznať Boha. Vidíte to? Oni sa bez všetkého dajú zapísať do cirkevnej knihy a hovoria: "Budem sa snažiť žiť podľa tohoto vyznania." Oni budú na toto prisahať. Ale keď príde na to uznať, že to je Boh a vyjadriť to znovu takým istým darom, ako oni ... že podľa vášho daru vás možno poznať, že dávate do toho celú svoju bytosť, aby ste preukázali, že to je Boh. Potom sa sami stotožňujete s Bohom, tým že sa celí, všetko čo ste, odovzdávate Bohu.
95No, Kristus v tomto dni, v ktorom teraz žijeme, je stále ... ukazuje nám, že On je Boh medzi ľuďmi. On je stále Bohom, pretože On je Slovo. A keď vidíme Slovo, ako sa Ono prejavuje, potom vieme, že to nedokáže robiť človek. To je Boh, Slovo ktoré sa manifestuje cez človeka. A sám Ježiš povedal: "Syn nemôže robiť nič sám od seba," povedal Ježiš: "Ale môj Otec, ktorý prebýva vo mne, On mi ukazuje všetky veci, ktoré sám činí." Amen! Tu to máte! Čo to je? Boh prejavujúci sa v človeku. No, to isté je dnes; že Boh, Slovo zasľúbené na tento deň sa môže prejaviť v tebe. Amen! Potom sa Tomu cele vydajte. Ukážte že tomu veríte. Ukážte, že To je Boh. Verte tomu, slúžte, buďte hotový zomrieť sebe samému a svojím vlastným predstavám. Ale dnes je to odmietnuté, tak ako to bolo vtedy.
96Všimnite si, Boh viedol tých mágov s ich darmi. Oni prakticky dva roky, išli za tou hviezdou. Vidíte? A to ukazuje, že To nemohla byť nejaká telesná vec, ktorá sa tam prihodila. Vidíte? Pretože keď sa tie hviezdy na svojich obežných dráh skrižovali, to ukázalo, že sa stalo niečo mimoriadne. Pretože ... len čo To títo mágovia uvideli, dávno predtým ako sa to stalo, vedeli, že oni sa museli takto križovať, (vidíte?) na svojich dráhach, ako išli. A oni sa vtedy skrižovali práve nad Betlehemom, prv to začalo tam od tade, vedeli že tieto nebeské telesá sa budú takto pohybovať.
97No, Boh viedol tých mágov, pretože oni mali tie správne dary. Boh viedol týchto múdrych mužov pretože oni mali tie správne identifikujúce dary, aby preukázali totožnosť Jeho Syna. Ó! Vidíte to? Múdri mužovia dnes, múdri v mene Pánovom, nie s niečím vymysleným, ale s darom, ktorý Boh zasľúbil na tento deň, a Boh vás bude viesť aby ukázal, že Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Tu to máte - múdri mužovia!
98Boh sprevádzal tie dary, pretože tie dary boli na to, aby preukázali Jeho totožnosť. Múdri mužovia, dnes, ktorí dokážu odvrátiť svoj zrak od cirkevníctva a od všetkých vecí tohoto sveta, na Živé Božie Slovo! A Boh preukáže totožnosť Svojho Syna pomocou Svojho Slova, pretože to je to, čo On je. "Ja a môj Otec sme jedno." A: "Na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh ... A to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." A to isté Slovo je dnes, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A múdry človek nasleduje Toto, pretože to je to, o čo sa Boh stará, aby pomocou toho preukázal Svoju totožnosť. Amen! On sa stará o Dar! O skutočný potvrdený Boží dar, Boh to takto prenáša cez všetko, aby skrze to preukázal Svoju totožnosť.
99A takto bola preukázaná Kristova totožnosť: pomocou zlata, myrhy a kadiva, skrze tých mužov, ktorí naznačovali a ukazovali v symboloch, čím má byť Jeho život. Vidíte? Boh zjavený do služby, aby zomrel, aby mohol vykúpiť národ, pretože On mal spasiť Svoj ľud od hriechu. Nie spasiť svet, spasiť svoj ľud od ich hriechov. Biblia tu hovorí: "V jeho meno budú dúfať národy." Vidíte? Národy budú dúfať v Jeho meno. Amen! Inými slovami, nevesta, vyvolaní z iných národov budú dúfať v meno Ježiša Krista: "V jeho meno budú dúfať národy." No, Boh ich viedol, lebo oni boli ... dary, ktoré oni niesli pasovali do toho času.
100Všimnite si! Ako som povedal, Boh mal ... On rozdelil Svoje Slovo na počiatku, v Genesis. Môžem zobrať Genesis a ukázať vám v Biblii každý vek, až tu do tohoto veku. Všetky tie kulty a všetko čo dnes máme. Presne vám môžem ukázať kde v Genesis oni boli. Vidíte?
101Boh dal toľkoto Svojho Slova sem, toľkoto sem, toľkoto sem, na každý vek. A potom poslal dole proroka, pomazaného, aby sa to Slovo vyplnilo, a to znázornilo toho ďalšieho, ktorý prichádzal. Vidíte? Ako Mesiáš, stále znázorňovaný. Každý prorok znázorňoval Jeho vlastný život, Jeho vlastnú bytosť, Slovo, ktoré bolo dané na ten deň. Prišiel a vyplnil to napísané Slovo a predpovedal čo bude ten ďalší. A každý z nich hovoril o Ňom (amen), pretože On bol plnosťou, On bol hlavou prorokov, On bol Slovo Božie, tí proroci to bol On. Amen! Tu Ho máte. Všimnite si! Aké ohromné, to čo On bol: každý jeden z týchto prorokov.
102Potom, keď On prišiel, On bol plnosťou všetkých tých prorokov, zamanifestovaný; pretože oni boli Slovom Pánovým, a On sám povedal: "Ak ste ich nazývali bohmi, tých ku ktorým prišlo Slovo, ako Mňa môžete odsudzovať, keď hovorím, že som Syn Boží?" Vidíte? I tí v tom veku boli ukázaní ako bohovia, sám Boh ich nazýva 'bohmi'. Čo oni boli? Oni boli manifestáciou Jeho Slova. A tu bol On, plnosť Slova, stelesnená Božia podstata, Boh zjavený v tele.
103Dávajte pozor! Lebo tieto dary, ktoré priniesli títo mužovia, oni to nemohli priniesť nejakému prorokovi. To by nebolo správne. Vidíte? Tie dary by nepasovali ku Eliášovi, nepasovali by ku Mojžišovi, oni museli pasovať ku Nemu. A pretože tieto dary boli presne určené na tento deň, a pomocou týchto darov malo byť ukázané kto On je, tak tu prichádza sám Boh a chráni to. A staral sa tam o nich dva roky, až kým oni nenašli to Dokonalé Svetlo. Ako to pasuje!
104To isté je dnes. Máme ľudí, sú to takí verní, milí ľudia, úprimní ľudia. Ale, vidíte, ešte niečo povstane, Boh to stále robil, aby ukázal aký je toto deň. Toto je ten deň, keď je povedané, že sa majú stať tieto veci. Nebude ich veľa, len veľmi, veľmi málo, ktorí budú spasení. Biblia tak hovorí. Bude ich len hŕstka.
105Sám Ježiš povedal: "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, kde osem duší bolo zachránených." Osem duší, z generácie podobnej ako táto. "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho." Čo to bolo? Veľkí, vzdelaní ľudia, veľkí robotníci, veľkí stavitelia, veľkí vo všetkom čo mali. Možno že táto civilizácia je práve ako tá, mali veľké veci. "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka." Vidíte? Boh mal Noeho, aby ukázal, čo je Jeho zasľúbené Slovo. To presne pasovalo. Archa pasovala ku Slovu Božiemu, ktoré on hovoril, že: "On zničí človeka." Ale on spasil čo mohol.
106A teraz, títo múdri mužovia, ktorí niesli svoje dary, oni ukázali. Ich dary ukázali čo To bolo, a preto Boh chránil tieto dary na každom kroku, ktorý urobili. On to chránil až kým neprišli s týmito darmi, pretože oni pasovali do toho času. Či to moja cirkev rozumie? To je to čo sa deje teraz! Dúfam, že vám to neprechádza ponad hlavu. Musím to hovoriť takmer v podobenstve, viete. Ale vidíte to? To sú tie veci, ktoré sa práve dejú a pasujú na tento deň, Laodicea. Toto je ten vhodný čas, preto To Boh chránil. Vidíte, preniesol to cez všetko, aby preukázal Svoju totožnosť. Dary, hoci to stojí život, dalo im to do cesty kameň úrazu. To je dopasovaný čas, tak veru, pasuje na tento deň. Preto to Boh tak chránil. On To bude chrániť, až kým to nesplní Jeho účel.
107Ó, čítal som nedávno príbeh, spomenul som si, niečo v tomto zmysle. Bolo veľké mesto, tu v tomto národe a ... New York. A bolo to na štedrý večer. A bola tam chudobná rodina - chudáci. Otec mal tuberkulózu a bol ... a jeho žena mala tuberkulózu. Žili pod úrovňou a on bol taký ... on bol slabý a tak nikto by ho nenajal. Nemal vzdelanie, a ľudia ho nechceli.
108On bol proste odstrčený, stal sa tulákom. Len ... viete čo je to tulák, len chodí a zbiera niečo, predáva to a niečo za to dostane, to málo čo z toho získali z toho sa snažili žiť. Len ... ako drobný predavač či niečo také, na ulici; išiel a kúpil špendlíky a ihly a náprstky, a čo len mohol. A kúpil to, možno že kúpili balíček za cent a predali to za päť centov a tak zarobili štyri centy na balíčku, a možno za celý deň. Vy poviete: "To je veľká zákazka." Ale predstavte si len, on to predával celý deň. Možno mohol zarobiť dvadsať, tridsať centov za deň, a mal rodinu.
109A jeho žena zoslabla a zomrela.
110A prichádzali Vianoce. A u jeho malého dievčatka sa prejavila ... z podvýživy, nemala poriadnu stravu a všetko; tiež dostala tuberkulózu. A ona bola maličká, okolo osem, deväť alebo desať ročná. A ona nikdy na Vianoce nemala bábiku. A to ona chcela ako darček, bábiku.
111A otec nebol schopný zabezpečiť jej lekársku starostlivosť a tak ďalej, a videl ako to malé dievčatko rýchlo odchádza, a snažil sa ako len mohol, aby našetril dosť peňazí a mohol jej na Vianoce kúpiť bábiku; či bude mať dosť peňazí, aby jej kúpil malú bábiku! A tak prichádzali Vianoce, nastalo zlé počasie a to malé dievčatko dostalo zápal pľúc, och, len niekoľko týždňov pred vianocami. A otec, so skutočne zlámaným srdcom, išiel ku svojej plechovici a vybral peniaze. A myslel o svojom dievčatku, že ona chcela bábiku, ako malé dievčatká. Vidíte? To je nastávajúca maminka.
112Vidíte ako malé dievčatko, ono sa ide hrať s bábikou, pretože ona je ... to je jej povaha, raz s nej bude matka. Jedného dňa bude z nej matka, ak bude žiť, a tak ďalej. Viete, to je v jej povahe. Preto sa malé dievčatko chce hrať s bábikou, ona sa chce o ňu starať; pretože nakoniec, ona je malou, zatiaľ neprejavenou, malou matkou.
113A ona chcela malú bábiku, ona nikdy žiadnu nemala. A otecko šetril ako len mohol, aby jej kúpil malú bábiku. Ale ona zomrela.
114A otec tak trochu strácal rozum. Jeho žena zomrela, jeho malé dievčatko, a jeho rozum sa dostával do takého stavu, že až ... stále, každý večer prichádzal ku posteli a rozprával sa s týmto malým dievčatkom, hoci ona bola už pochovaná. Ale on si myslel, že sa s ňou rozpráva a hovorí jej: "No, moja maličká, už zanedlho ti otecko na Vianoce kúpi tú bábiku. A otecko ti sľúbil bábiku, a ja ti ju kúpim."
115Nakoniec prišli Vianoce. A samozrejme, viete ako to je. Tí bohatí majú svoje zábavy; a horia sviečky, a v kostoloch sú veľké slávnostné omše, a hovoria o Ježišovi a tak ďalej (v kostoloch), a vykonávajú všetky možné ceremónie pri omši a spevy a koledy a všetko možné. Oni ani trochu nevedeli čo sa za týmto všetkým odohráva tam vzadu v aleji.
116Tento biedny človek, on sa zbláznil. On tak veľmi chcel, aby jeho dievčatko malo tú bábiku, pretože ona ju tak veľmi chcela. A tak on išiel a kúpil jej malú ošarpanú bábiku, asi za tridsať centov; kúpil také niečo malé ufúľané, dole na kraji ulici. A bola tuhá, studená noc, vial studený vietor a silne snežilo; v New Yorku, rovno na pobreží.
117A ulice sa naplnili; a ľudia vo svojich veľkých limuzínach. A večierky pri alkohole, opití ľudia, oslavovali narodenie Krista a to o čom sme dnes hovorili, a chceli si nahovoriť, že to je správne čo robia; zapíjali proste svoje žiale a všetko, a že to tak treba. Oni všetci ...
118Jedného dňa, keď som stál v obchode, nejaká žena hovorila o tom čo ... stretli sa tam dve dievčatá a chceli vedieť, čo má ktorá pre svojho otca. A jedna povedala: "No, on ..." Ona mu kúpila kartón nejakých cigariet. A tá druhá povedala, že mu kúpila pol litra pálenky a balíček kariet. No, či to má byť pamätný dar pri príležitosti narodenia sa Pána Ježiša Krista. A tak to chodí, viete, všetko je to len v peknej pozlátke. Ale nie je v tom ani trochu vianoc.
119A tak teraz vidíme, tento biedny človek, on chodil sem a tam. On vo svojom srdci vedel, že jeho dievčatko zomrelo, ale aj tak išiel a kúpil tú bábiku. Myslel si: "Ja len pôjdem a niekde ju tu nájdem. Ona bude tu pri ceste a ja ju nájdem." A pustil sa po ceste.
120On si nemohol robiť blázna, ona nebola tam v tej malej chatrči, v tej ošúchanej, ufúľanej posteli, ale ona bola pochovaná. A tak, on to vedel. On si myslel, že ju nájde na ulici. Povedal si: "Ja stále len pôjdem." A prechádzal tými alejami, zatiaľ čo ľudia spievali svoje koledy a zabávali sa. A on išiel tou alejou, niesol tú malú ufúľanú bábiku; držal ju pod kabátom, pritískal ku srdcu a myslel na svoje malé dievčatko.
121A nakoniec sa stalo, že ho uvidel policajt, a ten policajt mal sám už v sebe niekoľko kalíškov, a pobehol do tej aleji a chytil toho človeka a zvrtol ho. Opýtal sa: "Čo sa tu potuluješ?"
122A on povedal: "Pane, nesiem svojmu malému dievčatku túto bábiku."
123On sa opýtal: "Kde bývaš?" A on mu povedal kde býva. On povedal: "Ideš opačným smerom, si opitý. Vráť sa tam tou cestou."
124On povedal: "Pane, nie som opitý. Sľúbil som svojmu malému dievčatku, že jej na Vianoce dám darček." A povedal: "Vhodný darček pre malé dievčatko je bábika."
125A on povedal: "Ukáž mi ju." A tak on mu ukázal malú, ošúchanú, ufúľanú bábiku. A on ju držal na svojej ... blízko pri srdci, držal túto bábiku, keď ju ... Tak ten policajt, sám napoly opitý, mu ukázal cestu a odišiel. Ten človek išiel tou alejou, a silno snežilo.
126No, skončili sa polnočné večierky. Do rána napadlo snehu, vyšlo slnko. A tak oni museli ... všetci tí ľudia boli zo svojich veselých večierkov ... na čelách mali studený obklad, lebo veľa pili pri oslavách narodenia sa Krista. A mnohí z nich boli zachrípnutí z vystrájania a z toho všetkého.
127Ale tam dole v aleji našli toho biedneho človeka. A keď ho obrátili, na svojom srdci držal tú malú bábiku. Myslím, že jej doniesol svoj dar. Bol to vhodný dar. (Bože, buď milostivý.) Aj keď ho to stálo život. Nie je na svete inej cesty, ako by jej bol mohol dať ten dar, ona bola pochovaná. Ale toto bol jediný spôsob, ako to mohol urobiť. Tá malá bábika hádam neznamenala tak veľa, tá malá ufúľaná bábika, ale to ... čo on urobil? On vyplnil zasľúbenie, ktoré jej dal. Bez ohľadu na to čo si ľudia o tom mysleli, v jeho špinavých rukách bola malá, ufúľaná bábika, ale to vyplnilo zasľúbenie, ktoré dal svojmu malému dievčatku.
128Jedného času sa oni dívali na evanjelium, keď spievali a hrali, oni to nechceli, keď to Boh priniesol, ale to vyplnilo zasľúbenie, že On dá Svojho Syna. A viete čo? Oni Ho tiež nechali zomrieť, tak ako tuláka na ulici. Presne tak, oni Ho nechali zomrieť ako tuláka na ulici. A dnes s Ním zachádzajú ako s tulákom na ulici, ale On vyplnil to čo mal. On bol darom, ktorý Boh zasľúbil svetu.
129Dnes večer, nechajte ma nech Ho prijmem do svojho srdca ako svojho Spasiteľa. Nechajte ma ísť na smrť, alebo na čokoľvek také. Ja som Jemu sľúbil svoj život. Ja ho zanesiem Jemu. Nezáleží čo musím podstúpiť. či musím ísť na smrť, či musím byť zastrelený; nezáleží na tom čo sa deje, alebo či musím byť vysmiaty, nazvaný bláznom, čímkoľvek, vylúčený od všetkých kresťanských cirkví, a tak ďalej, ja ... to je dar Boží, ktorý mám vo svojom srdci. On to dal, ja to chcem priniesť Jemu.
Skloňme na chvíľu svoje hlavy:
130Hovorím o vhodných daroch, to bol vhodný dar, pretože to malé dievčatko ... ona bola malým dievčatkom, malou matkou (bola by ňou), a vhodným darom bola bábika. Vhodný dar, ktorý Boh, Stvoriteľ, mohol dať svojmu stvoreniu, bol Spasiteľ aby spasil stvorenie zo stavu v ktorom sa nachádzali. Som zvedavý, dnes večer, keď teraz pristupu- jeme ku Vianociam, a myslím, že toto je posledné posolstvo, ktoré sme počuli, od teraz do Vianoc, jedine že by sme počúvali nejaké posolstvo z rádia.
131Som zvedavý, dnes večer, či sme prijali dar, ktorý nám Boh zasľúbil: Večný život skrze vieru v Krista a prijatie Ducha Svätého. Ak ste to neprijali, chceli by ste prijať Boží opravdový, skutočný, vianočný dar, zodvihli by ste svoje ruky? Povedzte: "Brat Branham, ja neviem, voľakedy som tomu veril. Dával som pozor na to čo robím. A som tak trochu v pochybnostiach." Už viac o Tom nepochybujte, priatelia.
132Je príliš neskoro, aby ste teraz pochybovali. Buďme si toho skutočne istí. Povedzte: "Modli sa za mňa, brat Branham a ja chcem ... Božím darom pre svet je Ježiš Kristus. Chcem aby toto boli opravdové Vianoce. Prijímam do srdca Ducha Svätého. Ktorý ma bude môcť preniesť cez všetky búrky života a jedného dňa budem môcť prísť do Jeho prítomnosti s týmto darom večného života. On ma prijme na tomto základe, to je jediný spôsob ako to On urobí."
133No, máte dnes večer ten správny dar? Ten správny postoj? "Otče, budem Ťa nasledovať kdekoľvek pôjdeš. Čokoľvek povieš, aby som urobil, urobím. Čokoľvek mi povie tvoje Slovo, aby som urobil, urobím. Tak veru, nestarám sa o to, čo ktokoľvek hovorí, ja to urobím, pretože chcem Tvoj Dar; to je Život, a Kristus je Slovo."
134Ak nedokážete veriť celému Slovu, a poviete: "No, neviem, verím tomuto, verím tomu, ale s týmto proste nemôžem súhlasiť, s tamtým nemôžem súhlasiť." Si ako jeden z tých sedemdesiatych, ktorí odišli. Oni nedokázali uznať celé Slovo a prijať Krista v plnosti Jeho božstva a Jeho služby; a byť pripravený zomrieť, ako On zomrel za teba.
135Tak, zodvihli by ste svoje ruky, so svojimi sklonenými hlavami, a povedali: "Pomodlíš sa za mňa?" Nech ťa Boh žehná. I teba nech Boh žehná. Nech ťa Boh žehná. Áno, vidím vaše ruky. Pán vás požehná, skutočne. Tento malý dar, Kristov, ktorý Boh poslal svetu; a preukázal ho cez ... tí mágovia to preukázali, preukázal to Jeho vlastný život, Jeho smrť to preukázala, Jeho vzkriesenie to preukázalo, vaše prijatie to preukázalo, A On sa sám preukazuje vami, že vy ste Jeho a On je váš. Ak nie ste skutočne ... vidíte, reakcia Ducha Svätého, ktorý pôsobí vo vás, v tomto vianočnom čase, nech to teraz príde na vás.
136Nebeský Otče, zatiaľ čo sa moceme ako ten tulák po ulici, nikto ho na nič nepotreboval. Svet bežal ďalej vo svojich nezmyselných oslavách, tak je to aj dnes večer, Pane. Ale niekedy sa cítime ako ten tulák, ale my sme prijali Dar. A tak sa modlíme, Otče, aby si z nás urobil dar, svetlo pre tento zomierajúci svet. Mnohí tu zodvihli svoje ruky, že chcú Boží dar, ktorý On ... On sám musel dať Svojho jediného Syna, prišiel dole a stal sa človekom. On sa tak veľmi ponížil, že oni ani ... On prišiel v takej poníženosti a pokore, že nemal ani posteľ v ktorej by sa narodil. Krava musela ... alebo kôň, alebo niečo muselo poskytnúť svoju maštaľ, nejaké zviera sa muselo odstúpiť, ľudia tam boli v takom stave. On sa narodil v maštali, v malej stajni, v jaskyni pod brehom tam v Betleheme, kde pred mnohými rokmi syn nejakej smilnici založil malé mestečko.
137A teraz, Pane, dozvedeli sme sa, že jedného večera, jedného studeného večera, Mu povedali: "Rabbi, chceme ísť dnes večer s Tebou domov."
138A On povedal: "Dobre, no, vtáci majú svoje hniezda, a líšky majú diery, ale Ja nemám ... ani miesto, kde by som hlavu sklonil." A tak Ho nechali zomrieť, ako tuláka na ulici.
139Nebeský Otče, či sú schopní kres- ... či sú dnes ľudia schopní vidieť, že To je ten veľký dar? A mnohí tu, dnes večer, hádam viac ako tucet, zodvihli ruky, že chcú prijať Ducha Svätého. Možno to bude tak ako pri tých mudrcoch, že možno nikto ďalší zo zhromaždenia ani neuvidí čo sa deje. A táto hviezda, toto tajomné svetlo prechádzalo dva roky ponad observatóriá, z ktorých vtedy ešte i určovali čas, prv ako boli hodiny, oni určovali čas podľa hviezd. Nikto, žiadny historik to nezaznamenal. Nikto o tom nič nevedel, a predsa to tam bolo. A títo mudrci, so svojimi vhodnými darmi, boli vedení cez to všetko rovno ku tomu. Nech tu dnes večer, to isté svetlo príde do srdca každého, kto je tu prítomný. Možno to nebude žiadna emócia, možno to nebude toto, tamto, a možno nikto druhý o tom nebude vedieť, tak ako pri tých mudrcoch. Ale nech sa niečo v srdciach týchto mužov, žien, chlapcov a dievčat dnes večer tak usídli, že ten Boží dar pomaže ich život. Že od tohoto večera budú premenení. Už nebudú viac takí ako boli. Od teraz budú zmeneným stvorením. Nech sa obrátia, tak ako tí mudrci, a nejdú naspäť do módy tohoto sveta, ku Herodesovi do kráľovského palácu: "Ale súc varovaní od Boha, obrátili sa a išli inou cestou." Udeľ im toho, Pane.
140Modlím sa teraz, aby každý múdry muž, chlapec alebo dievča, každý kto tu je dnes večer ... Muž alebo žena, ktorí sú dostatočne múdri, aby sa odvrátili dnes večer od vecí tohoto sveta, nechoďte od tohoto dňa už viac naspäť. Aby po uplynutí tohoto dňa a noci nešli viac naspäť do vecí tohoto sveta, ale nech sú múdri. A tento nepatrný tajomný hlas, ktorý spôsobil, že zodvihli svoje ruky a povedali: "Áno, ja chcem Boží dar" ... Nech tá istá vec, ktorá spôsobila, že zodvihli svoje ruky, stotožní ich dnes večer s Jeho smrťou, pohrebom, a zmŕtvychvstaním, tým že im dá Ducha Svätého. Nech sa obrátia.
141Pane, nech tieto ženy tu dnes večer, ktoré mali také problémy aby nenapodobovali ten svet; nech si nechajú rásť vlasy, nech sa obliekajú ako sa patrí na dámy a odložia nabok tento make-up a všetko, toto umelé, čo ukazuje ... to je určitý druh prejavu, že nie sú zdravé, že niečo nie je s nimi v poriadku. A nech dnes večer, toto malé tajomné svetlo, Pane, ktoré spôsobilo, že zodvihli svoje ruky, nech spôsobí že povedia: "Pane, ja sa dnes večer odvraciam od vecí tohoto sveta."
142Títo mužovia, ktorí nemali to niečo skutočné, aby povedali niečo svojim ženám a odviedli ich od toho; od tých vecí, ktoré robia. Pane, nech sa všetci spolu dnes večer odvrátime od toho, Boh nás varuje týmto zvláštnym, prostým posolstvom, Božím svetlom, ktoré zasvietilo do našich sŕdc. Aby sme sa odvrátili dnes večer a žili pre Teba ten zvyšok našich dní, išli domov s Tebou, inou cestou než ako sme doteraz putovali. Udeľ nám toho, Pane. Urob nás lepších kresťanov, každého kresťana, ktorý je tu dnes večer, Otče, ktorí Ťa prijali a veria Ti. A oni sa snažili žiť kresťanským životom, ale dnes večer, nech sa obrátia, nech prijmú ten Dar.
143Ó Bože, to je cesta, ktorou ľudia pohŕdajú. Ženy budú nazývať, že sú staromódne, budú ich nazývať všetkým možným. A mužov budú nazývať fanatikmi. Ale sme pripravení, Pane.
144Duchu Svätý, obráť nás, hneď teraz. Obráť ma, Pane. Nechcem ísť žiadnou cestou, ktorá by ma odvádzala od Teba. Pane, chcem ísť presne tou cestou, po ktorej Ty chceš aby som išiel. Chcem aby dar môjho srdca bol taký dokonalý, aby presne zjavoval Teba, Pane, na zemi, že Ty nie si mŕtvy, ale že žiješ.
145Ty si Boh živých, nie Boh mŕtvych. Mŕtvy je celý pokrytý muchami, a mäsiarkami, liahnu sa na ňom vajíčka a je viac múch; ako človek, ktorý vypije svoj prvý kalištek, vyfajčí prvú cigaretu, povie prvé klamstvo, prvý krát podvedie svoju ženu; alebo žena, ktorá prvý krát podvedie svojho muža, alebo urobí niečo zlé; to je ako mäsiarka, ktorá ich napadne, oni sa nahromadia ... idú do rán a špiny, pretože to je vo vnútri na mŕtvej duši. Zlé duchy sa púšťajú do toho. Jeden nečistý duch ho navedie, že niečo urobí; a prichádza ďalší a navedie ho, že urobil niečo ďalšie, pretože oni toto robili.
146Bože, nech sa oni obrátia a prídu do života. Nech povstanú, a nech prídu anjeli Boží s darmi večného života, Pane, a nech chodia od víťazstva k víťazstvu. Udeľ toho, Otče. Obraciame sa dnes večer, od vecí tohoto sveta a od starostí tohoto sveta, varovaní od Boha, že čas je na blízku, Ježiš prichádza naspäť na zem. A nech nám dá ten veľký Duch Svätý dnes večer, ten večný život na ktorý očakávame. Udeľ nám toho, Pane. Prosíme aby si nám udelil tieto veľké požehnania, prosíme o to v mene Ježiša Krista.
So sklonenými hlavami:
147Tí mudrci dávno predtým prišli ku tomu ... nasledovali to svetlo ku ... našli dokonalé svetlo. A nech to malé svetlo, dnes večer, ktoré spôsobilo, že ste zodvihli ruku, alebo možno ste ani ... Ono vás zasiahlo, ale vy ste ani nezodvihli ruku, nech vás to svetlo vedie rovno do toho dokonalého svetla.
Povstaňme všetci ku krátkemu odovzdaniu sa.
148Urobme tu dnes večer svoje malé srdce miestom na prebývanie pre Krista. Pamätajte, dnes večer na môj divný príbeh o tom tulákovi. Dnes, skutočne, Ježiš Kristus je tým tulákom na ulici. Je to tak. On bol tulákom na ulici. Ó, áno, vy hovoríte: "My Mu slúžime." Naozaj. Všetok ten lesk a nádhera, to nie je On. To nie je On. On musel zomrieť aby vám priniesol tento Dar, nie bábiku, ale život. On musel zomrieť, aby to urobil, aby vám to priniesol, jediný spôsob ako vám to mohol priniesť. On vám to nemohol priniesť len tým, že sem prišiel a bol dokonalým človekom, akým On bol. On to tak nemohol urobiť. On, aby to urobil, musel zomrieť, aby vám priniesol ten Boží dar. Ako musel zomrieť ten tulák, aby zaniesol tú bábiku svojmu dievčatku, tak musel zomrieť Kristus, aby priviedol ku vám Boha. My to dnes večer chceme prijať. A ja verím, so svojimi sklonenými hlavami ... a zodvihnime len svoje ruky ku Bohu a nanovo Mu odovzdajme svoje životy, rovno tu, dnes večer.
149Ó milostivý Bože, my chceme Tvoj dar. Som tu, keď tento vianočný čas, Pane, keď si uvedomujem, dívam sa na zem a vidím ten lesk a nádheru tohoto dňa, môžem proste za tým vidieť, ako povedala Biblia, že v tomto Laodicejskom veku si vonku zo svojej cirkvi. Že si odmietnutý, utečencom pred svojou vlastnou cirkvou a svojím vlastným ľudom. Si odmietnutý. Utečenec, to je niekto, kto je odmietnutý. A Ty si odmietnutý vo svojej vlastnej cirkvi. Si odmietnutý medzi svojimi ľuďmi. Oni Ťa nechcú, Pane, a oni Ťa nechali na ulici, ako toho tuláka. Bože, Ty si išiel ďalej, jednako si zomrel, aby si nám mohol priniesť Boží dar. A my ho pokorne prijímame, Pane. Prosím aby si naplnil naše srdcia a naše životy. A obráť nás, od tohoto večera a ďalej, a nech sme úplne Tvoji, ako sa Ti tu odovzdávame.
150Prijmi ma, Pane. Urobil som v živote mnoho chýb. A, drahý Bože, ako tu stojím na tomto posvätenom mieste, kde sa káže evanjelium a tu kde sme Ťa videli, dokonca vo veľkom svetle, ktoré nás osvietilo. A my sme za toto tak vďační, Pane. Odovzdávam sa Ti v týchto vianociach, nie tak ako to robí svet, ani nie prevrátiť druhú stranu. Pane, ja chcem proste prijať Tvojho Syna. Chcem prijať Tvoj dar, Pane.
151Chcem prijať dar večného života skrze Krista. A ja, skutočne, Pane, prijímam Kristov dar, aby som sa snažil vydobyť ďalších pre Neho. Choď s každým jedným.
152Urob tú prostú ženu v domácnosti takou milou a pokornou, aby bola schopná priviesť ku Tebe iných. Dar, ktorý si jej dal, tú ženskosť, ako sa sluší na dámu, nech je ona taká slušná, že až si to všimnú susedia a budú chcieť byť ako ona.
153Urob aby muž, pracovník, čokoľvek on je, Pane; urob aby žil pokorný život, ako Kristus, aby to iní mohli vidieť. My nevieme, kde sa tí ľudia nachádzajú, Otče, ale nikdy nechceme opustiť tú pôdu, tú starú hradskú; ale sa budeme nakláňať dozadu, dopredu, načahovať sa všade, aby sme získali dušu. Daj to na náš dosah, Pane, prosíme. A daj, aby sme žili životom, ktorý spôsobí, že ľudia budú chcieť tak žiť, pri tom ako sa Ti dnes večer odovzdávame. V mene Ježiša Krista. Amen.
A teraz, sklonili by ste znovu hlavy, chcem vám popriať každému jednému skutočne veselé Vianoce.
154Nech tá veľká vianočná prítomnosť, toho prvého a jediného, a originálneho, a toho jediného ktorý je, Ježiša Krista, je občerstvená dnes večer vo vašich srdciach. Nech príde na vás Duch Svätý a prinesie vám dary do služby a veci od Boha, aby ste ... dar, aby ste mohli žiť lepším životom. To je to čo chcem. Radšej by som mal v sebe Kristov život, aby som žil milo a víťazne, než ako mať všetky dary uzdravovania, dary proroctiev, všetky tie ostatné dary; len mi dajte Ježiša. Nech žijem tým životom, ten život, to je to čo chcem žiť. Chcem tak žiť, aby to ostatní mohli poznať. To je moja vianočná túžba, a modlím sa, aby to bola vaša túžba. A modlím sa, aby nám Boh splnil naše túžby.
155No, dajme slovo pastorovi a nech nás rozpustí. A Boh nech vás žehná. Uvidíme sa v stredu večer.
1 Thank you, Brother Neville. [Brother Neville says, "God Bless you, brother."--Ed.] The Lord bless you, brother.
Evening, friends. I just got in, a while ago, and I thought I could come down and wish you all a "Merry Christmas."
2And so I didn't know I'd have this grand privilege to talk to you on the Word of the Lord. And so Brother Neville asked me, and I had several little Christmas texts that I been using, one of them up at--at Phoenix and down at Tucson, different places around there, a regular Christmas message. And I thought, tonight, I'd just speak on a little something here that the Lord put upon my mind recently, as I was up in Colorado.
3 And I was thinking on something at Christmas time, and I got about five or six of the little jots wrote down here, Scriptures and things. The... I don't... I guess Brother Neville and all ministers do that. You... seem like something comes to you, and you jot it down. You wait a while, and you put it down. I put it on a tablet of paper, just on a tablet of paper. Then when I called on sometime, I'll look back through here and say, "What was this now that I got a-hold of?" That's the way, when we're called real quick, you know.
4Used to be, I... when I was younger, I could just... my mind was full, I could just think this right now, I didn't have to wait, I think "Ten days ago I was a certain, certain place. That's the text. Here it is, and here it goes."
5You know, since I've passed a few milestones, Brother Higginbotham, and crossed a few rivers, that it just don't come that way no more, getting a little far up the road. But it... as Brother Neville said, a while ago, "We're getting closer, closer Home."
6 It's good to be back home. I, coming back, why, awful snowy. And there's... and heard of the accidents and things, so many of them on the road, and people being killed. And just think of how many hundreds will lose their life now, between tonight and after New Year's, how many Americans will die! And you know, some of us might be right here, tonight. And it just depends on now, that... our condition before God. It's a sad nation, this Brother said, sadness everywhere. And our flag has been hanging, thirty days, half-mast, all because of sin and people who would not accept God's way of--of--of things.
7 Even if we can disagree with a person, if we can't yet do it in a brotherly way, and then... See, if Christ is in the heart, then no matter how much you disagree with the man, you still got love for him and respect. I disagree with many men, many times. But still, I've never seen one yet I disagreed with that I ever thought of anymore that "put my arm around him and call him 'my brother,' try to help him the best I could." I disagree with him because that I think maybe that upon disagreeing that he... What he believes, that I might not believe just like him, but... and so forth, but now I might try to project my way to him as he projects his to me, and get them together and comb out and see what we got, but disagreement like that. Just far as it comes to... we should never get angry or want to hurt, or destroy or anything. We should always be trying to build up.
8 Got a cold spell going on here, haven't we? Seventy-two when I left Tucson, and when the sun went down and got dark, it was still sixty-nine. So, then come back up here, I'm just a-shivering all up, you know. I... All that snowy road, and below zero, and ice and everything, I had to get all used to it again. It's so strange how you can get so "climatized" in such a--a little way. And since I left you, I didn't have hardly a chance to get survived up. I got a... like a sinus in the--the weather in here, and as I get older... And I was born and raised in here. But when, you see, when you're young, you got something, you can throw off; but when you get older, why, you begin to find out that something isn't there. It used to be, you could just forget about it. You... there's something there that--that just won't throw off like it did when you was a kid, so I find out that way that I... that warm climate, for an old man, kind of helps a little bit.
9 I remember coming down that Utica Pike up there, as a kid (seven, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen years old), no shoes on (tennis shoes) and it eight or ten below zero, and tennis shoes, the toes out of them. And not... now that ain't walking down like the street here, but busting the snow. There's no automobiles coming down, there might be a wagon track once in a while. Come down that highway of a morning, little old coat on, no shirt, and it pinned up like this, no more than what got on right now; soaking wet to my knees, go right on in and pay no attention to it. See, hardly have a cold. But that was about forty-five years ago. So, a whole lot of weakening, gone a lot of miles and built up on the speedometer, you know, so we just don't take it like we used to.
10I seen Brother Capps raise his head up. You're too young to think them thoughts now. And so wait till you get up where Brother Neville and I are, then--then you'll--you'll think a lot of things different, kind of weakens down.
11 Well, we've had great times in the Lord. The Lord has blessed us tremendously, and I'm so thankful. And I come back. I think, next Sunday, the Lord willing, I want, if Brother Neville doesn't care, the... I got a service, at least Sunday morning and maybe Sunday night, a healing service for Sunday night. Sunday morning I got an important message, if the Lord be willing for me to deliver it. I haven't thought up my text... no more than just my text yet, no context to it, because I--I... not without--without any, you know, revelation from the Lord, but just in myself. I--I want to express something Sunday that I hope will kind of help out a little bit along these ways.
12I've got to go now into the field, and I've got just every day almost taken up everywhere. I think Billy was telling me, among the itinerary, that I got two or three days that I could come home in April after I leave here, go back to Tucson, and that about settles it then. And then on till next November, October, when I get back to this side again from overseas.
13 Now, two more days till Christmas. One more day, isn't it? That'd be two. Monday... Tuesday's Christmas Eve? Tuesday's Christmas Eve. Isn't it awful to see that this great holiday, that we're approaching, is approached in the manner that it's approached in? It's such a pitiful thing, such a--a--a rashel thing, to think that--that rabbits and a--a myth called "Kriss Kringle" (Santa Claus) and everything, has taken the real value away from what Christmas is.
14Now, we don't... we--we don't know, and I certainly do not believe... I was just coming down, my wife's back there, and I... coming down the road, was listening at an astronomer; that now, they just fell on the idea which an astronomer told me many, many years ago, when I was just a game warden here in Indiana. When they told me that... how those stars came together, just like that first astronomer did and that formed, what they said would be a natural thing that happens every, I believe he said tonight, eight hundred years, or something like that. And it reforms itself again, of: Sargas and Jupiter, and I forget; and Mart-... Mars; no, I... that's wrong. It's some of the stars how they speed when they cross their orbits in line of the earth, and this astronomer tonight was trying to tell that it actually was a natural thing. I--I don't--I don't accept that. I believe it was a supernatural thing, that God did. He, things is supernatural with God. He is Supernatural.
15 And--and I looked down and know that this is facing back now to April, I've... the Lord willing for me to live that long, I'll be fifty-five years old. See? And I--I know the... But looking back on my life, and I wonder where it happened. From them first little Christmases, when we hang up our stockings, and Mama would get... We'd probably get an orange, and two or three little pieces of striped candy, and that was a great Christmas to us. But, you know, kids they--they look forward for them gifts. We--we find out that--that Christmas is to the... is mainly children, they--they look forward to that nowadays. It it's turned off to the children. But it really should be adults; it should be teaching their children what real Christmas is.
16 And I totally do not believe that--that Christ could be born on a twenty-fifth day of December, in Judaea, because it's colder than it is right here now. See? Oh, and how could the shepherds be keeping their flocks by night? And--and then the taxation and everything, and Mary having to come that far, from way down in Bethlehem up into Judaea, up into Jerusalem, rather, at the... for the taxation. I--I--I hardly could--could--could believe that. Come up, I believe she come to Nazareth, and so when... How that--that could be done. It could not be--be done, but I believe that Christ was born in a spring, because in every way He was a Lamb. See? And notice, He was born in a barn, and not a house.
17And when they took Him to the cross (the others), as far as we know, that he never said about Him leading them, but they led Him. Did you know a lamb or a sheep has to be led to the slaughter? It--it will not go to the slaughter, you--you have to lead it there. And usually it's a goat that leads the sheep. In the--in the killing pens, they have a goat. And the goat will walk up this runway, till he gets up to get the sheep started down the runway to be killed, and then the goat will jump out. But when they come a time they going to kill the goat, he really kicks up a fuss (he has to go in) because you couldn't blame him. But--but it's a--a thing how a sheep has to be led, and He was led to the slaughter. They led Him. He was a Lamb. And I believe in that way being altogether nature, and lambs are born in March, April, and somewhere along in there, not later than May. And I don't believe it was anything before March and anything after May, sometime along in there.
18 But when the church, Christianity, was married into Romanism, was at the Nicaea Council, when they accepted... the Roman nation accepted Christianity and made what they called the universal religion, was Christianity. They made the universal religion, and they worshipped idols, and they had a sun-god.
19And right now, from the--from the twenty-first to the twenty-fifth, the sun almost stands in its same track as it's passing. What is it you call that? Been a... I thought I knew it, but I can't think of it. When the sun's--is... it--it gains so much time and loses so much time, until the twenty-first, between twenty-first and twenty-fifth of December. Oh, I forget what they call it. What? [Someone in congregation says "Eclipse?"--Ed.] No, the eclipse is when it passes, the sun and moon passes together. It's something in there, oh, I--I--I can almost say it but can't right now. However, it's that standstill of the sun which is called by the Romans (that's when the circus went on), it was called the sun-god's birthday. They celebrated it from the twenty-first to the twenty-fifth of December.
20 So then, being that this was converted, Rome into... Christianity was accepted, in their way in Rome, then they said, "We'll make the same celebration, and make Son of God's birthday." See? The sun-god, Jupiter's birthday, then Son of God's birthday, twenty-fifth of December, and that...
21But what difference does it make? See, today when we are... Even if it's a... if they was doing it in July or August, or whenever it might be, it's still the sacredness of remembering that "God gave us the hope that we have in us."
22And now, you say, "Well, the rest of them's all Santa Claus and going on like they do; why, we just might as well do it." No, sir! No, this is not a pagan celebration to us, this is a sacred hour. If there had been no Christmas, there would been no resurrection. If there been no Christmas: there'd been no love, there'd been no peace, there'd been no hereafter for the believer; if there'd been no Christmas.
23 And now, you say, "Well, if the rest of the world, they just..." Well, see, the forked lightning in the black, cloudy skies, show that there can be light in the time of darkness. These lights tonight prove that, that there can be light in the time of darkness. And when does light shine its best? In darkness. You turn these lights on in daytime, the sun is shining in, you'll hardly notice they're on. But just one little, wee light will shine real bright in a time of darkness. And right now is the darkness when every Christian should give a testimony of the hope that's in him, of Jesus Christ the Son of God; not some Kriss Kringle that was born back yonder, you know, and some kind of a tree lit up and went down through the forest one night, some fiction story that there's no bottom to it. But we believe solidly on the promised Word of God of a coming Messiah, and He was borned on Christmas day, twenty... pretty near two thousand years ago, we believe.
24 So, tonight we're going to speak a little bit on a different way. I guess your pastor's already spoken, and probably speak Wednesday night again 'cause I--I know he laid back some text or something, to give me this platform tonight. And I want him to bring it, I want to listen to him.
But, just before now we do this, let's just bow our heads again for a moment of prayer:
25Heavenly Father, this great sacred moment, when we think of the different things in the Scripture here, that everywhere we go, back in the Old Testament, speaks of that day when God shall send His Son. How those prophets back there allotted their time for prophecy of the Word of God to come to them. And they prophesied in their days and foretold the things that would come to pass, and we see it all met there in Bethlehem that night when God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. We thank Thee for this.
26And now, Lord, tonight as we settle down here to--to speak on Thy Word; and It's so sacred, Lord, that's the reason we like to speak to You first. And we ask that You'll open our understanding to Thy Word. In Jesus' Name we asked it. Amen.
27 Now I want to read some Scripture here, just a regular Christmas story, for the Scripture found in--in Matthew, the 2nd chapter. And while you're turning to that, and John 3:16.
28And the other night up at Phoenix... If you tape people here, listening to the tapes, I'd like for you to listen to that one: Why Jesus Had To Come To Bethlehem. Why did He have to do it? And those symbols there of David, laying and--and wait upon the mountain, looking down and seeing the Philistine army garrisoned. And I compared that with exactly today, and find out that Bethlehem... what it means.
29And Christ is our Bethlehem, and could prove that every man that's borned of God is borned in Bethlehem, 'cause Christ is Bethlehem. And that's what He was, the Bread of Life. And Beth, B-e-t-h means--means "house," E-l is "God," and e-l-h-e-m is Elhem which means "bread," and "House of God's Bread." And Jesus Christ was the "House of God's Bread," Bread of Eternal Life. And every man that's borned into Christ, you're borned into Bethlehem, "God's House of Bread." And how that the leagues of these churches today is garrisoned, like Philistines, to keep the people from It.
30 And how that those gallant man, knowing that David was anointed and was going to 'come king someday... very unpopular then, because he was a fugitive among his people, but one day his call come. They had gallant men with him. And remember, those men were Gentiles, most every one of them were Gentiles, a very beautiful type of today. And one man was so gallant, he killed eight hundred men with what... with his spear, hisself, in one day. Another one was standing in a field of lentil, and an army come up, a troop. And all of them run, and he stood there and slew men until his arms was tired. And then another one, how he jumped into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day, single-handed. And a Philis-... or an Egyptian run at him, with a long spear, and he took a stick and knocked this spear out of his hand, took the spear and killed the Egyptian himself, and killed three hundred captains.
31 And give great men! David crying out, "If I could drink once more, see, from that well!" (where he used to water his sheep when he went out of a morning, from the corral, they would want a drink of water) And these men pulled their swords and fought through fifteen miles of men, brought this water back.
32And David said, "Far be, that I drink it." And he poured it upon the ground as a drink-offering to the Lord. What a beautiful type of the same thing, of this John 3:16, tonight.
... God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,...
33And what did Christ do? The Life that He had to live Eternally, He poured it upon the ground from His veins, His natural life, upon the ground as a sin-offering for us. And how the Gentiles today, men of honor, men, great men, taking the sword, and standing there and cutting their way through to get a fresh drink of water for Christ (our David), which is very unpopular today. But our David, which we know He's coming in power, He's going to tramp every nation under His feet like that, and rule them with a rod of iron. And real gallant men, standing with the Word of God and chopping from side to side fearlessly, 'cause we know He's coming in power.
34 Let's read now, after John 3:16; let's read the visit of--of the Magi of Saint Matthew, the 2nd chapter.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the--from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that's born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king... heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered... the chief priests and the scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, Of Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art thou not the least among the princes of Juda:... out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
... Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they... heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and... they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts; gold,... frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not depart... they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
35 Very strange here how that God, in a lesser way,... God does speak to people through dreams. I believe it. But how that God in this case used a secondary.
36Now, a dream is... a dream, if it's interpreted rightly, it is a same as a vision; if it's a dream and being interpreted. God's used it since way back in the Old Testament and down through the ages, and promised in the last days to use it again. Now, people can over eat and--and so forth and get nightmares, and it's not--it's not real, spiritual dreams, it don't ring up when you--when you read it. And some of it might seem right, but yet there's real, spiritual dreams. And we know here at the tabernacle that God gives people dreams and they are interpreted, and they come to pass, and they're real. But it's a secondary way of doing it. See?
37 Now, the reason it was done then, it was because there was no prophet in the land at that time, to interpret the dream. See? There was no prophet to interpret the dreams, like Joseph and--and Daniel and those prophets of old. They hadn't had a prophet for four hundred years, and God used a dream to... for the welfare of His Own Child. He did.
38He told Joseph, when he was "a just man, not willingly to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily." No doubt she told him the visit of Gabriel and so forth, and what he had said; but when he saw her to be mother, it--it was too unusual. You know, it just... it was something very different. And you know, that's what's the matter today. God does things unusual, and it's so unusual till even just man can't see it.
39 Joseph couldn't understand it, it was too unusual. He was a good man, nothing wrong with him. He was a good man, a just man, but it was so unusual. See, Joseph probably forty years old or forty-five, something like that, they claim, when he and Mary was engaged. But here we find something that never had happened: a woman espoused to this man and yet be found to be mother! And it was so unusual Joseph was minded to put her away. But right at that crucial moment, God sent His Angel, and appeared to him in a dream and said, "Don't fear to take to thee Mary thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."
40What a newborn faith Joseph must have had when he rose up from there! See, he never had need of any interpretation, the dream wasn't in symbols. It was right straight out, "Don't fear to take Mary thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." There was no prophet to give the interpretation, so it had to come directly, right straight like that; to God... from God to Joseph. Now... and God taken that secondarily way.
41 What does it teach us right here, before we hit our text? Here's what it teaches us: that God can use every faculty of our being if it's committ-... surrendered to Him. He can use our mind, our dreams, our subconscience, our first conscience, our tongue, our songs, our eyes, our... Everything that we have can be used of God if it's committed to God. See? Everything that you are, commit it to God. He'll use every outlet and every part of you, He'll use it. No matter what it is, He'll use it if it's sanctified to His purpose and calling.
42 Now, tonight we're going to speak on: Gifts. And I want to title this, if... I wrote, jotted something down in there, when Brother Neville was up: God's Gifts Are Always Find... God's Gifts Always Find Their Places. God's gifts is always rejected, but it really finds its place when...
43 Now, watch the gift that these wise men bought... or brought to Him. Today we find that we're swapping gifts. Everybody has to get a gift, and try to figure out what the next fellow's going to give him, so he can give him something comparing that much. And if it isn't, well, on the New Year's, he feels he has to make it up. And each one studying and worrying and walking the floor, the millionaires, how they're going to get by. They give so much to this one and that, when it--it's altogether wrong. It--it's--it's--it's altogether... Christmas...
44Here: there's only one gift that you can give, and that is yourself. Give yourself to God because God's already give to you His Gift. Now, there's only thing you owe back to God, that's yourself to Him.
45 Now, and many times, names are in the Bible. We don't notice it no more, today. We... You've often heard me scorn this name, of children calling... or people calling their children "Ricky." Now, Ricky is a horrible name! See? And it's a... you mustn't call them that. If you got a child named Ricky, for goodness sakes, change it to something else. Ricky, or--or Elvis, or something like that,.... Ricky means "a rat." See? And so you--you go... And--and what you call a person, that impresses that. A little lady, the other day, had a little boy out there called "Ricky" and his name's Ricky, James Ricky. And because it was so popular (Ricky), they called him "Ricky." I said, "Change that name!"
46 I notice some people setting right here now that's got a little grandson, and his name is... the one--one little boy's a sweetest, pleasant little fellow; and the other one is Ricky, and that's what he is. You just watch him, his nature's just like that. And he... I said to some of his grandparents, or someone, I said, "Tell the mother change the name of that boy, just change that name over and watch what happens to the kid." See, you people don't want to believe that. We think we've lived too long for that.
47 If there isn't something in a name, then why as long as Jacob was called Jacob, which means "supplanter, deceiver," that's what he was? But when he wrestled with the Lord all night, and the Lord changed his name, and about... when he was about sixty years old. He changed his name from--from--from Jacob to Israel, "a prince before God," and that's what he was.
Why was Abram called... had to be called "Abraham" before the baby could be born? Why was Sarai called "Sarah" before the baby could be born?
Why was Paul... or call... his name was Saul, but when he met Jesus, He changed him from Saul to "Paul."
When Simon was changed from Simon to Peter, which means "little stone." And--and all their names were changed, is because what you are called is something about it. When you speak something, it identifies itself. I don't want to get in there, 'cause that's coming up next Sunday night, see, identification of a word. And, but now, we find these things so true.
48 Now watch, God... What a strange thing it is tonight, to see that those men, Magis, learned men, great men... coming down from the East, that was Babylon, which was India. And they never come in any all night, and started one night and got there the next, they were about two years getting there. They never come to a little Baby in a manger. They come to a young Child, a young Child. And Herod killed the children from two years old. See, to know that it wasn't a little infant laying in a cradle, he'd just kill all infants. But he killed the young children, so that he'd be sure to get Him, anywhere from two years old back. He set the time up because knowing he didn't want to kill too many, all of them, he just... 'cause they were more like slaves to him. He wanted to get... be sure to get Him, so he said, "The Kid will be about two years old. So, everything from two years old down, kill it." See?
And that's brought to pass what the prophet said, that "In--in Rama there'd be heard a--a screaming or crying, a weeping; that Rachel weeping for her children, and they were not."
49 Now, did you notice that these wise men, great men, was up in Babylon and they saw His Star, we said, "We have saw His Star in the east and are come to worship Him." They come from the east, where they saw the Star, going west. Because India is west, northwest of Bab-... of--of Palestine. And they come right down through by the Tigris River and crossed over the plains right on in, come down into Bethlehem where they found the--the--the Baby. And remember Joseph and them never left there; they went right down to Nazareth and brought the Child up, right there.
50Now, we see here that they presented... These men, being astronomers and studying the stars, and seeing these mysterious heavenly lights appear up there, that there was something going on; that they knowed that that's Messiah, the--the Ruler of heavens and earth, was to be born. And they come, knowing that Deity would be enclosed, in-housed in a--a human being; 'cause to show you their testimony.... You know, you know, your life speaks so much louder than your words, till no matter what you say, people know what you are by--by what you are.
51 And watch these people, these Magi, they brought Him... Watch the gifts they brought Him, identified what they thought He was. They brought Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And now watch what these symbols, that I want to talk to you about now... is what these symbols mean. Now, I've got some Scripture wrote out here that we'll read just in a moment on it, the Lord willing.
Now: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
52Now: gold in the Bible... how fitting it fits to Christ, because gold speaks of Deity. Gold is "Deity." We'll get to it just in a moment. Frankincense speaks of "service." And myrrh is "death." God, Deity, in service to die. And that's what He was. The very thing that they brought identified what they thought He was.
53 And I say that to us today, "The things that we bring to Him identifies what our thoughts is about Him." You understand what I mean? See? If you're a... If you believe It with all your heart, every Word of that, you'll identify it by giving all that you have to It. See? But if you believe it's a good place to associate with better people, around church and things like that, that's just about what you give (just a few social hours with some of the congregation or something). But if you--if you really believe It with all your heart, then you give everything that's in you to It. See? And it identifies you, that you truly believe the Message, that you believe it to be the Truth.
54So many people say, "I can believe this much. I can believe so." The disciples... I believe the last time here, I spoke on that: Believers, Make-Believers, And Unbelievers. Wasn't that it? I... didn't I speak on that here? See? And each person, what's their category. See, it'll come to a place to where they can take so much of it, can't take the rest.
55 Now, how fitting these gifts was to Christ's journey on earth, a Baby born here on earth. And these gifts that the wise men brought Him, fitted just exactly His commission from God and His journey on earth.
56Now, the first thing: God. This was God, Jesus was God in the form of man. That's hard for people to swallow that, even today, that "He was God." And He... That's what He was. He wasn't nothing less than God. He was God manifested in flesh. He was the Creator in His Own creation. Now that... He was the Creator in His creation, by the creation, for the creation. He was the Creator in His creation, by His creation, for His creation. All winds right back in God, the whole thing. Don't you see? Fullness of God! He was the Creator insomuch that He was God. And He was a Being on earth (a Being of time), which mean that He must had a beginning, therefore He created Himself a body to live in. God, Himself, created a body for Himself. See? That by this creation, He might save the lost creation that He had created.
57 There is nothing that man can annihilate, there isn't one thing. You can't do nothing to completely destroy anything. You might take a piece of paper and burn it up, you might burn a building down, you might burn a tree down; you didn't annihilate it. You... that heat in there, that fire that breaks up, that's only chemicals bursting. They're turning back to what they was at the beginning. They're not annihilated. If you burn up a piece of wood, (and the world say... If we lived in Eternity like God, and that chemicals out of that wood and that fire went back to its original beginnings and its... in whatever it was, the breakings of the atoms and so forth, the--the world say, "we stand for millions of years") that could come right straight back again and be another tree, just exactly like it was.
58You cannot annihilate anything because it is a Spoken Word of God. Amen! Oh, and that gets me feeling religious, now. See? What God says, It forever stands. Amen! See, you cannot annihilate. We are a part of this earth, and we can never be completely annihilated. No, sir. The sin (the soul) will be annihilated, we realize that. But the--the body that we live in, cannot be annihilated. See?
59 Now, therefore, God created Himself a body. He was the Creator, and created His Own creation, that by this Creation He might save them that were lost in His creation (that's you and I, creatures of time).
60His--His Word exactly showed that... He and His works proved that He was nothing less than the Creator. He took a piece of bread and broke it, and kept breaking that one piece of bread, and fed five thousand people out of it; and took up seven basketfuls of pieces left over, and everybody there had a--a--a complete filling of bread.
61He took a fish and broke that fish off. Now if we realize that He did create that fish in the beginning. He did create that bread in the beginning. But He took that fish and broke that fish off. A live fish had been, and was then boiled or--or fried; and whenever He broke it off, whatever it was (broiled or fried), it growed back (the same minute that He broke it) another boiled or fried fish. Isn't that wonderful? That showed that He was nothing less than Jehovah. And then He was the Creator that could take His Own creation, and by His creation, express Who He was. Hallelujah! That proved He was what He was. He was Deity. So, gold was becoming to Him, in the offering at His birth. He was Deity made flesh.
62 I might drop some-... No strangers among us tonight, I suppose, so... in this prayer meeting. But let me say something. Did Jesus, when He was here,...? Now, this is for thinking, not for... probably... probing rather. Notice, just for thinking, Jesus said, in Saint John 14:12, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater than this shall he do, for I go to My Father." Did you notice that? Notice, now, that was the Son of God promising to the believer, that greater things than He did, (in these last days) that the believer would do greater things than He did. Saint John, 14th chapter, 12th verse. Is that right? Do you believe Jesus said it?
63Notice, when Jesus created bread; He took a piece of bread, and created bread that had already been bread. When He created fish; He took a fish that was first created a fish, and put another fish out of it. Is that right? He took water, which potentially would have become wine, and made wine out of it. Is that right? But we've seen Him in our midst, in this last days, create things right out, without anything standing there! Is that right? To create a squirrel where there is no squirrels. Right! Oh, He's... remains God. He's just as much Deity today as He was then and ever was, or ever will be. He's still God, and challenging hearts to believe it, "Greater things than this, you... without anything to hold and break off of. Speak it, and it'll be so."
64 Notice now, we find that His... He identified. The works that He did identified that He was Deity, showed that He was. For He said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then don't believe Me."
65And could not the Christian say today, "If I do not the works of my Saviour, believe me not"? See?
66"As the Father sent Me, so send I you." And if you did the works, creation works of the Father that sent Him, then it's a creation... The Christ (the Creator) that sends us, does the works of Christ the Creator. See? "As the Father sent Me, so send I you. And if I do not the works of My Father, believe me not."
67Then the Christian today has got to do the Life that Christ did or we have a right to say, "It's not so."
68 Notice now, His works created Him... or identified Him to be the Creator. His works that He did crowned His life's testimony, that He was the "Creator"; no way of getting away from it. Therefore, when they offered the gift of gold, they were perfectly at harmony with God with their gifts. They give Him gold, which identified Him as Deity. Always a crown, the golden crown... the golden head, of King Nebuchadnezzar. All, you see, it... always Deity is represented by gold.
69Now: frankincense. We want to get these quickly. Frankincense is the offering of service to Jehovah. Now, if you want to put these Scriptures down, Leviticus 2:2, and Leviticus 16:6 to 15. We find out that's the order of the priesthood, to make an offering to Jehovah. When he made the offering, it had to be made and mixed with frankincense for a sin-offering, they took different things and mixed it. For the meal-offering, for the wave-offering, frankincense was added. Because, it was acceptable to Jehovah if it was anointed with frankincense, which means it is a service to Jehovah, God. And, now, we find out He's Deity. And they brought Him frankincense, was a type that He was a service to Jehovah. Jesus is Jehovah's Servant.
70 Now, in Saint Matthew 12:15 to 21, we find out that He was Jehovah's Servant, "Behold my Servant, in Whom I am well pleased" (and He was) "and I put My strength upon Him." So His life was anointed with frankincense, to Jehovah's service. What a gift them wise men gave! See, it was something to... the--the gift that they give, was something to identify Jesus as Jehovah's Servant.
71Now if we could only do that, to identify our lives. See, our lives to be identified as Jehovah's servant. That's what frankincense was for, that made Him Jehovah Servant.
72Now, myrrh, m-y-r-r-h, was anointing of the death. We find in Saint John, the 19th chapter, the 39th verse, that going to the--the funeral service of Jesus, when Mary and them went, they taken this myrrh to anoint Him with; because He must be the Servant of death for Jehovah. See? Somebody had to die. That was a service that had to be done for God, and nobody was worthy to do it but God Himself. So, bringing the myrrh--myrrh, showing that with the Deity, and with the service, that He also was anointed with myrrh; that this Deity had to be put to death in order to save the imperfect one. Oh, what a great thing!
73 The whole creation was lost. We just went through it in the Seven Seals. See, the whole creation was lost, everything was gone. It all belonged to Satan. He fell heir to it and he still owns it. He certainly does. That's the reason we're fighting and having all of this trouble. He controls every kingdom; Satan does. Every government, every king, every kingdom, controlled by Satan. The whole world is controlled and run by Satan. That's the reason we have the troubles that we have. Any Bible student, or anything, can tell you that Satan... Well, the Bible Itself says he did, see, that he controls the world. But Christ will fall Heir to it, for now He is our Redeemer. And He come to redeem the whole creation, and nothing could do it but God Himself.
74 That's the reason that God does nothing outside of a man. He always works through a man because He had to use a man. A man is what He had to use to display His attribute of Saviour. He had to make him in His image, make him something like Him, and put him on free-moral agency and let him act any way he wanted to. He could take his choice. And He knew that man, by giving him this choice, would fall. So being that He had to do that, He turns back around and makes the man a partner to Him, and does nothing except He does it through a man!
75The whole work of redemption come by a man! Hallelujah! Death come by the first man, Life come by the second Adam. See? There you are, He does nothing because He had to use a man for that, then He uses a man to redeem back again. So Deity become Jehovah... or Jehovah be-... He is Deity, and He become a--a Child. He become in the form of sin, that He might redeem the sinner. See, there's the whole thing.
76 Now, look what... how beautiful those gifts fit into Jesus Christ; see, gold, speaking of His Deity. Now, they wasn't heathens. They were inspired by God. They wasn't imagining something. That proves right there, even the Magi, that they did see the Supernatural. Because their own gift, that they offered, identified and spoke well of their testimony that they did see the Supernatural. Why? Because why? It speaks perfectly. They brought gold, "Deity." They brought frankincense, "service." And they brought myrrh, for His "death." When He was a Baby, amen, showing that Deity would be put to death in the flesh, amen, that it might redeem fallen man. How can people turn that down?
77When you realize: What are we doing here? Where did we come from? Or what business we got being here? We wasn't put here just by chance, we were put here for a purpose and we must serve that purpose. But still we are back on the basis of free moral agency where we can serve It or reject It, just like Adam did in the beginning.
78 I'm looking, these little girls here, Brother... What's...? I believe it's the little lady played the piano, and I--I was hearing them as they sang. We were talking about them, on the road up here. There's a little family that's dedicated their whole life and everything to Christ. Look at that family, how orderly it is. Look at them little girls. They was standing up here, the--the example of young womanhood, of teen-age. And no matter...
79 A few weeks ago I went down in like... I don't know what the name of the place is down there, in New York now, they just got city blocks of beatniks. How, them girls down there with--with leotards on and--and nothing up over them, they wore a bikini (as they call it) over the top of that. And, oh, just the conglom-... they do anything that's in their mind. No matter what it is, that's what... why they're beatnik. They can just do anything. If they want to lay down and don't get up, they just lay down and don't get up. If they want to go do a certain thing, they do it; if they don't, they don't. Just mind just traveling! And what does the unconverted mind come to? You have no right to do that, 'cause you're not your own; you're bought by Deity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God that was made flesh. But, see, the conglomeration of sin!
80And you see a little, young girls like that stand out; why, to me, it's light in the time of darkness. It's a forked light, of the zigzag whip of God, in the skies to show there can be Light! There can be righteousness in the midst of sin!
81 Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the city of Nazareth, the meanest city there was in the land, but out of there God chose a little lady to give birth to His Son; an incubator, a womb that had to... a Baby had to be born by. He took such a person to do it. God works through human beings to redeem human beings. He can take you, work through you to redeem humanity, if you'll completely dedicate everything you are.
82If you're a young woman, dedicate your morals. You're a young man, dedicate your morals, dedicate your mind, dedicate your thinking, dedicate your heart, dedicate your soul, dedicate all you are! And let Christ work through that. What a glorious thing! Got some rivers to cross, you got the--the bridges to go over, you got the--you got the brier patches, you got the thickets, you got the woods, you got the dark places, you got the high hills, you got the high climbs. What are you doing? Someday you'll have to stand and look back, see where you come from, and you're going to be judged by the course you take. Put your--your all, your mind and your thoughts, on that North Star (the center of God) and don't move from It. Stay right with It. It'll bring you straight like It did the Magi, right straight to the Christ.
83 All right, anointed Him with myrrh. We find out now, in John 12:1 and 7, that's just exactly what He done. He was the perfect Servant of God, and had Him anointed with all of His Divine gifts. He was anointed with all of God's gifts because He was God. He was God. See, they brought Him gifts.
84Now, we'll be... I wish... The people here always, most of them, you know, sends you something. Now, when it comes back to sending back, I couldn't do it. See? It's the world over. I just couldn't do it. And I appreciate a little... little things, and things that people does to express theirself and their thankfulness and so forth.
85Now, this is what these rich men done. These men are Magi, they bought gold, pure gold. They brought frankincense, the best they could find. They brought myrrh, the best they could find.
86 We realize over here, in Saint John 12, we find out that this woman... if we had time to read it, but I don't want to keep you too long, see, 'cause I know tomorrow's Monday, and you... some of you has to work. Look, they brought... This--this woman brought this myrrh, that anointed costly something, to take the smell of death away. And she broke this alabaster box and poured it upon the head of Jesus. And Judas said, "Why, this ought to been given to the poor." (Said, "Not that he had respect for the poor, but he was a thief to begin with, he carried the money.") And said, "This ought to have been sold, instead have put it..."
87And Jesus said, "Let her alone! For she did this..." She anointed Him, unto His burial. See? This woman, so grateful that her sins were forgiven until she spent all of her money she had, and took an alabaster box and broke it and poured the oil and just odored the room with fine smell of this myrrh, that she had anointed Him for His death. Now, see, she did the service not knowing what she was doing, but she was so grateful to God.
88 And if you're so grateful for Christmas, it's not to say, "I--I give Joneses a gift; and they give me one back, I'll see what I got in the morning." Why don't you open up your heart and see what's in there, find out what's you got in here. And accept... if we find it empty, with just negative creeds and--and--and cares of the world, why not ask Christ to fill it tonight? Tonight, so that you can get the real meaning of Christmas. It--it's Christ in you; God, dwelling in the human heart. That's what the real Christmas means.
89But, you see, today we become so negative. It's the Devil getting us through there, (there's painted candy sticks, and a--and a reindeer and a--and a whiskered man, and flies through the air like an airplane, and visits the whole world and every home with a little bundle of toys on his back, and visits every child) and it--it's just a lie! It's just, right out, a lie. See? Now, see? But why? The Devil did that so he could twist the minds of the people.
90 The commercial world got into it and they... Why, they make enough through Christmas time until they can retire the rest of the year, almost. I talked to a merchant the other day, he said, "You give me these two weeks, and if I didn't have to keep my band here," said, "I'd wait till next Christmas; I could go fishing, whatever I want to do, till next Christmas." He said, "But I keep the boys going." Said, "Just keep them here just enough to keep my business open and it keeps--it keeps my hands paid off and things." Said, "I don't make nothing till--till Christmas time comes along." You see, it's become a great commercial thing when it ought to be a worship; a worship.
91 Now, God, so anointed Jesus with the fulness of Himself till the... He was God's Gift to the world. That the wise men are clearly identified, that they're offering their gift to Him; showed that in their heart they knew who He was, and what He was going to do for them. So (no wonder) the first thing they did, they fell down, perfectly in order, and worshipped Him. Before they could even understand it, they fell down and worshipped Him and then presented their gifts. That's the way to have real Christmas: worship Him, then present your gift; presenting your body as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to God.
92But you know what, after the wise men did that? The father and mother of Christ... the foster father (of course) and also mother, because God was both His father and mother. But we find out that they accepted these gifts from these wise men. No wonder they were called wise men. They were wise. They were really... had wisdom. If men today would just be that wise, just as wise! It takes a wise man to come to Christ. A man that turns away from Him is a unwise man. But it takes a wise man, to come to Christ.
93 Now notice! And after then the wise men identifying Him what He would be, and we find through the Scripture that's exactly what He was: Deity in service for death. What for? Deity in service to God for death. Jesus was Deity in service for death, to redeem the world. But what did the world do to It? They refused It. They rejected It. Why? Some of them, a big part of them, did that because this: because He did die! They said, "He couldn't be Deity and die." The Man (the body) was not Deity, but Deity was in the body. This body has to perish. The very Christ that's in you is the only thing that can raise you up. That's Deity, God in you.
94 Now, notice! Now, the same as now, they reject identified Deity. Do you get it? They will certainly put their name on a church book and say, "I'll try to live by this creed." They'll take an oath by this. But when it comes to accepting Deity, and expressing back the same kind of a gift like they did... that you are identified by your gift, that you give your entire being to It, to identified Deity. Then you identify yourself with the Deity, by giving all you are, what you are, to Deity Himself.
95Now, Christ in this day, that we now live in, is still a Dei-... identifying Himself: Deity, among the people. He's still Deity, because He is the Word. And when we see the Word living Itself, then we know that man can't do that. It's Deity, the Word being made manifest by man. And Jesus said Himself, "The Son can do nothing in Himself. I can't do nothing, I'm a Man," Jesus said. "But My Father that dwelleth in Me, He showeth Me all things that Himself doeth." Amen! There you are! What is it? Deity being identified in man. Now, the same thing is today; that Deity, the promised Word for this day, can identify Itself in you. Amen! Then can you hold to It? Show that you believe in It. Give It Deity: believe It, service, and be ready to die out to yourself and your own thoughts. But today It's rejected as It was then.
96 Notice, God guided the Magi with them gifts. For practically two years, they followed that Star. See? And that shows It couldn't be one of the natural things that happened. See? Because if the stars, crossing their orbits, would have crossed, it would showed there was something different. Because... unless those Magi saw It, long time before it happened, and knowed they had to cross that way; see, in the paths they were coming in. And they crossed just at Bethlehem at that time, started from up there, beforehand, knowing that these heavenly bodies were moving that way.
97Now, God guided the Magi because they had the right gifts. God guided these wise men because they had the right identified gift to identify His Son. Oooooh, my! Do you get it? Wise men today, wise in the Name of the Lord, not with some fictitious something, but with the gift that God promised for this day, and God will guide you to identify that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There you are: wise men!
98 God guided those gifts because they were the gifts to identify Him. Wise men, today, who can look away from church-anity and all the things of the world, to the Living Word of God! And God will identify His Son by His Word, because That's what He is. "I and My Father are one." And, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And the same Word today, He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And a wise man follows That, because That's what God takes care of to identify Himself by It. Amen! A gift! A real, identified gift of God, God brings that to the earth, a thing like that, to identify Himself by.
99And that's how Christ was identified: by gold, myrrh, and frankincense, by them men foreshadowing and showing in type what His life was to be. See? Deity manifested for service, to die that He might redeem the nation, because He was to "save His people from their sin." Not save the world, save His people from their sin. The Bible said here, "For in--in His Name will the Gentiles trust." See? The Gentiles will trust in His Name. Amen! In other words, the Bride, the called-out of the Gentiles, will be trusting in the Name of Jesus Christ, "In His Name shall the Gentiles trust." Now, God guided them, for they were... the gifts that they were giving, were fitting to the time.
100 Notice! As I've said, God has... He--He divided His Word at the beginning, in Genesis. I can take Genesis and show you every age in the Bible, down to this age here. All the cults and things we have today, I can show you exactly where they was in Genesis. See?
101God gave His Word so much here, so much here, so much here, for each age. And then He sent a prophet down, anointed to make that Word come to pass, and it supports the other one that was coming. See, like the Messiah, always supported. Every prophet in his own life, his own being, the Word that was given for that day, he come and fulfilled that written Word and foretold of what the other one was going to be. And every one of them spoke of Him (amen) 'cause He was the fullness, He was the Head of the prophets, He was the Word of God, He was the prophets. Amen! There He is. Notice! How wonderful what He was: each one of those prophets.
102 Then when He come, He was the fullness of all the prophets, manifested; 'cause they were the Word of the Lord, and He said Himself, "If you call those gods, whom the Word of God come to, how can you condemn Me when I say 'I'm the Son of God'?" See, even those in that age was identified as gods, God called them, Himself, "gods." What were they? They were manifestations of His Word. And here was He, the fullness of the Word, Deity embodied, Deity manifested in the flesh.
103 Watch! For these gifts, that these men brought, they couldn't have brought that to a prophet. It wouldn't have been right. See? Them gifts couldn't have went to Elijah, they couldn't have went to Moses, they had to come to Him. And being those gifts were strictly meant for that day, and was to identify Who He was by these gifts, then here come God along and protected Him. And kept them, two years down there, until they found the Perfect Light. How fitting!
104Same thing today. We got people that's just as loyal, nice people, genuine people. But, you see, in that, there's going to be something come forth, that God's always done, to identify this day. This is the day when these things are spoken to happen. There won't be many, just a very, very few that'll be saved. The Bible said so. There'll be just a handful.
105 Jesus said Himself, "As it was in the days of Noah, wherein eight souls were saved." Eight souls, out of a--a generation likened to this. "As it was in the days of Noah." What was it? Great, cultured people, great workers, great builders, great everything as they had. Made this civilization just like it, great things that they had. "And as it were in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man." See? And God had Noah to identify His promised Word. It was very fitting. The ark was fitting to the Word of God that he spoke, that "He will destroy man." But he saved what he could.
106 Now, these wise men, bringing their gifts, identified. Their gifts identified what It was, and that's the reason God protected those gifts through every move that they made. He protected It until they arrived with those gifts, because they were fitting for the time. Does my church understand that? That's what's going on now! I hope it ain't over your head. I have to speak it in parable, almost, you see. But do you see? It's the things that's happening is fitting for this day, Laodicea. It's the fitting time, that's the reason God has protected It. See, brought It right through to identify Himself. Gifts, though it cost a death, it put a stumbling block in their way. It's a fitting time, that's right, fitting for the day. That's the reason God has protected It, the way He has. He will protect It, until His purpose is served.
107 Oh, I read a story, come to my mind not long ago, of something on that order. There'd been a great city, here in this nation, and... New York. And it was on Christmas eve. And there was a poor family. A little daddy, he had TB, and he was... and his wife had TB. They had been underprivileged. And he--he kind of... He was weakly and so nobody would hire him. He had no education, and he--he... people didn't want him.
108He just was an outcast, become a tramp. Just... you know what a tramp is, just go by and--and pick up something, and peddle it and get what you can; what little royalty they make on it, they try to live by it. Just a... like a peddler or something, on the street; go buy some pins and needles and thimbles, and whatever they can. And--and take it, and--and maybe buy for a penny a pack, and sell them for a nickel; and make four cents on the pack, and maybe in the run of a day. You say, "That's--that's a great commission." But just think, all he'd sell in a day. Maybe he made twenty, thirty cents a day, and he had a family.
109 And the--the little wife, being weakly, she--she died.
110And it was coming Christmas time. And the little girl, she had developed... from malnutrition, not having the right food and thing; she took TB, also. And she was a little fellow, and about eight, nine years old, ten. And she had never had a doll for Christmas. And that's what she wanted for a gift, was a doll.
111And the father, not able to give her medical attention and so forth, had... he--he seen the little girl was going fast, and he tried his best to--to--to--to get enough money together to get her a doll for Christmas; if he could just get enough to buy her a little doll! And so the Christmas time was coming on, the bad weather set in, the little girl developed some kind of a pneumonia, and--and she died, just a few weeks before Christmas. And the father, of course, brokenhearted, he went to his little tin can and got the money out. And he thought of his little girl, and she wanted a--a doll like little girls. See, it's a little mother coming on.
112 You notice how a little girl, she goes to a doll, because she... that's her nature, she's a--she's a coming mother. She will be mother someday if she lives and everything. You know, her nature. That's the reason a little girl likes a little doll, she wants to take care of it; 'cause after all, she--she's a little, potentially, a--a--a little mother.
113And she wanted a little doll, and she had never had one. And Daddy had saved everything he could to--to get her a little doll. And, so, she died.
114And the father kind of had a lapse of mind. His wife had been taken, his little girl, and his mind kind of got to a place till he--he... still he'd--he'd go to bed every night and talk to this little girl, though she was... been buried. But he thought he was he was talking to her, and telling her, "Now, Honey, it won't be long, and Daddy's going to get you this dolly for Christmas. And--and Daddy's promised you the dolly, and I--I'm--I'm going to get it."
115 Finally, Christmas arrived. And, course, you know how it is. The rich had their--their big parties; and--and candles burning, and the great high masses in the churches, and talking about Jesus and--and so forth (the churches were), and going through all kind of a routines and mass, and singing, and carols and everything. Little did they know what was going on back in the alley, behind all this.
116This little fellow back there, and he got beside himself. He wanted that little girl to have that doll so bad, 'cause she had begged so for this little doll. So he went out and he bought her a little rag doll, a little--a little thing, probably about thirty cents; a little dirty something he'd bought, down on the side of the street. And it was a real cold night, the--the--the blizzard winds blowing, the snow falling hard there; and New York, right on the coast.
117 And the streets filling up; and the people in their great, big limousine cars. And drunken parties, out drinking, the celebration of the birth of Christ and of these things that we speak of tonight, trying to think that that's the right way to do it; just drink off their old sorrows and things, and that that's the way to do it. All of them...
118Stand in the store, the other day, and a woman talking about what... two girls met and they wanted to know what they got for their daddy. And one of them said, "Well, he..." She got him a carton of certain kind of cigarettes. And the other one said she got him a fifth of whiskey and a--and a--and a deck of cards. Now if that ain't giving a memorial gift for the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ! And that's the way it goes, you see, it's just a big bunch of tinsel. It hasn't got Christmas in it at all.
119 And so we find now, this little man, he wandered along. And he knowed in his heart his little girl was gone, but he went and bought the doll anyhow. And he thought, "I'll just start walking, I'll find her somewhere. She'll be along the street here and I'll find her." And he started walking.
120He--he couldn't fool himself, she wasn't back there in the little shanty and in the little, ragged, dirty bed; but, she was buried. So, he--he knew. He thought he'd find her on the street. He said, "I'll just keep walking." And he was going down through the alleys, while they were singing their carols and going on. And going down the alley, packing this little, dirty doll; holding it in his coat, up to his heart, thinking of his little girl.
121 And finally a policeman happened to see him, and the policeman had a few drinks himself, and he ran into the alley and grabbed the old man and turned him around. He said, "What are you doing hanging here?"
122He said, "I'm taking this little doll, sir, to my little girl."
123He said, "Well, where do you live?" And he told him where he lived. He said, "Well, you're going away from that place, you're drunk. Go back the other way."
124Said, "Sir, I'm--I'm not drunk. I promised my little girl I'd--I'd get her a gift for Christmas." And said, "An appropriate gift for a little girl is a little doll."
125And he said, "Let me see it." So he showed him a little, dirty like, rag doll. And he was holding it in his... next to his bosom, holding the little doll as he... So the policeman, half drunk, himself, shoved him on and started down. The old man went down the alley, and snow falling fast.
126 And, well, the midnight parties broke up. The next morning, the snow had let up, the sun had come out. And so they must... all the people from their great gaiety parties was... ice sacks on their heads, from too much drinking and celebration of the--the birth of Christ. And--and many of them were hoarse from carrying on, from all the going-on.
127But way down in the alley, they found the old man. And when they turned him over, he had the little doll next to his heart. I suppose he took his gift to her. He found her in a Land not here. He--he--he took the gift. It was an appropriate gift. (God, merciful.) Yet it cost him his death. There's no other way in the world he could have give her the gift, she was buried. But the only way he could do it, would be go like that. The little doll didn't mean too much, I guess, the little dirty-faced doll, but it... what did he do it? It fulfilled a promise he had made. No matter what the people thought about it, his dirty hands on a little, dirty doll, but it--it fulfilled a promise to his little girl.
128 Sometimes they look upon the Gospel as singing, playing, they didn't want It when God brought It, but it fulfilled a promise that He would give His Son. And you know what? They left Him to die, too, just like a tramp on the street. That's exactly right, they've left Him to die like a tramp on the street. And today they treat Him like a tramp on the street, but He fulfilled what He was supposed to do. He was the Gift that God promised to the world.
129Tonight, let me take Him as my Saviour to my heart. Let me walk in the face of my death, or whatever it is, like that. I promised my life to Him. I want to take it to Him. No matter what I have to go, if I have to go through death, if I have to be shot; no matter what takes place, I have to be laughed at, called "crazy," everything, excommunicated from the rest of the Christian churches and so forth, I... it's a gift of God that I hold in my heart. He gave it, I want to take it to Him.
Let us bow our heads just a moment.
130 Appropriate gifts I speak on, it was appropriate gift because the little girl... she was a little girl, to be, a little mother (would have been), an appropriate gift was the little doll. An appropriate gift that God, the Creator, could give to His creation, would be a Saviour to save us from the condition it was in. I wonder, tonight, as we're approaching Christmas now, and I suppose it'd be the last message we hear between now and Christmas, 'less we get the radio message of someone.
131I wonder, tonight, if we've accepted the Gift that God promised us: Eternal Life, to believing on Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. If you haven't, you'd like to accept God's real, true Christmas gift, would you raise your hand? Say, "Brother Branham, I--I don't know, I've--I've sometimes believed It. And I've watched what things I do. And I kind of, a little bit, in doubt." Don't--don't doubt It anymore, friends.
132See, it--it's too late to go doubting now. Let's be real sure of it. Say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham, and I want to... God's Gift to the world, is Jesus Christ. I--I--I want this to be a real Christmas. I accept the Holy Spirit in my heart. That could cradle me through all the storms of life, and someday I can come in His Presence with this gift of Eternal Life. He'll accept me upon those basis, that's the only way He'll do it."
133 Or, have you got the right gift tonight? The right kind of an attitude? "Father, I'll follow You wherever You go. Whatever You say 'Do,' I'll do it. Whatever Your Word says for me, 'Do,' I'll do it. Yes, Sir, I don't care what everybody else says, I'm going to do it because I want Your Gift; it's Life, and Christ is the Word."
134If you can't believe all the Word, and say, "Well, I don't know, I--I believe that... this, I believe that, but I just can't go this, I can't go that." You're like the seventy that went away. They can't accept all the Word and receive Christ in the fullness of His Deity and His service; and ready to die as He did for you.
135Then would you just put up your hand, with your head bowed, and say, "Pray for me"? God bless you. And God bless you. God bless you. God bless you, little girl. Oh, God bless you. Yes, I see your hand. The Lord bless you, sure. This little Gift, of Christ, that God sent to the world; and identified It by... the Magi identified It, His Own life identified It, His death identified It, His resurrection identified It, your accepting identified It, and He identifies Himself with you that you are His and He is yours. If you're not really... see, the reaction of the Spirit of God working in you, in this Christmas season, may it come to you now.
136 Heavenly Father, as we stagger like the tramp on the street, nobody had had any use for him. The world went right on in their foolish celebrations, so are they tonight, Lord. But sometimes we feel like that tramp, but we've accepted a Gift. So we pray, Father, that You'll make us a gift, of a life, to this dying world. Many here have raised their hands that they want the Gift of God that He had to, Himself, give His only begotten Son, came down become a Man. He stooped so low they didn't even... He come so low and so humble till He... they didn't even have a bed to be borned in. A--a--a cow had to... or a horse or something had to give its manger, step aside, (an animal) human beings had gotten so in condition there was. He--He come down in a--in a manger, a little old cave stable on the side of the hill there in Bethlehem, where a harlot's son had founded the little city many years before.
137And now, Lord, we find out that one night, a cold night, it was said to Him, "Rabbi, we want to go home with You tonight."
138And He said, "Well, now, the birds they have nests, and--and the foxes have den, but I--I--I don't have a... even a place to lay My head." And that's the way they let Him die, like the tramp on the street.
139 Heavenly Father, can the--the Christian, can the people today see that--that That is that great Gift? And many here, tonight, more than a dozen, I guess, raised their hands that they wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. May there just like the wise men, maybe none of the rest of the congregation will even see what goes on. And this Star, this mystic Light passed over the observatories, for two years, where people even kept time then by four watches, they kept time by the stars. Nobody, no historian wrote of it. No one knowed nothing about It, and yet It was there. And these wise men, with their appropriate gift, was guided right through to It. May that same Light come into every heart, here tonight, that's setting present. There may not be no emotion, there may not be this, that, and maybe no one else would know it, just like the wise men. But may something so be settled in these men, women, boys and girls' hearts tonight, that that Gift of God will anoint their life. That from this night on, they'll be changed. They won't be no more like they used to be. They'll be a--a changed creature from now on. May they, like the wise men, turn aside and not go back to the fashions of the world (and Herod, the king's palace), "But being warned of God, they turned aside." Grant it, Lord.
140 Tonight I pray that every wise man, boy, or girl, in here tonight... Man or woman that's wise enough to turn aside from the things of the world tonight, don't go back no more after this day. After this--this passing of this day and night, no more will they go back to the things of the world, but may they be wise. And this little mystic Voice that caused them to raise their hand and say, "Yes, I want God's Gift"... May that same thing that caused them to raise their hand, identify them tonight with His death, burial, and resurrection, by giving them the Holy Spirit. May they turn aside.
141May these women here tonight, Lord, that's had such a hard time to keep from coping with the world; let their hair grow, and dress ladylike, and take off this makeup and stuff, this artificial, that shows... it--it kind of identifies them that they're not healthy, they... there--there's something wrong. And may tonight, this little mystic Light, Lord, that caused them to raise their hands, may they say, "Lord, I'm turning aside from the things of the world, tonight."
142 These man that hasn't had the--the--the real something, that would talk to their wives and cause them to turn aside; and the things that they do. May we all together, Lord, just turn aside tonight, being warned of God by the strange little message of the--the Light of God that strikes upon our hearts. May we turn aside tonight and--and live for You the rest of our days, go--go home with You by another way than what we have been traveling. Grant it, Lord. Make us better Christians, every Christian here tonight, Father, that's accepted You and believes on You. And they've tried to live a Christian life, but tonight, may they turn aside, may they receive that Gift.
143O God, it's--it's a--it's a despised way. Women will be called "old fashioned," they'll be called everything. And man will be called "fanatics." But we're--we're ready, Lord.
144 Holy Spirit, turn us aside, right now. Turn me aside, Lord. I--I--I don't want to even go any way that would lead me away from You. Lord, I--I want to go just the way You'd have me to go. I want the gift of my heart to be so perfect that it'll identify You, Lord, on earth, that You're not dead, You're living.
145You're the God of the living, not the God of the dead. The dead is covered all over with flies, and blowflies, creating germs and more blowflies; like the man taking his first drink, smokes his first cigarette, tells his first lie, goes out on his wife the first time; or the wife that goes out on the husband, or does the things that's wrong; just like a blowfly struck them, and it... they--they accumulate by the... go up in the blows and filth, because it's on a dead soul on the inside. Evil spirits go off in it. And one evil spirit cause him to do something else; and another one come, cause him to do something else because they did this.
146 God, may they turn aside and come to Life. May they rise, and the Angels of God come down with the gifts of Eternal Life, Lord, and go from victory on to victory. Grant it, Father. We turn aside, tonight, from the things of the world and the cares of the world, warned of God that the time is at hand, Jesus is coming back to the earth. And may the Great Holy Spirit give us, tonight, that Eternal Life that we're looking for. Grant it, Lord. We're--we're just pray that You'll grant these blessings to us as we ask them in Jesus Christ's Name.
With our heads bowed:
147 Wise men long ago came to that... followed that Light to a... they found the Perfect Light. And may the little Light, tonight, that made you put up your hand, or maybe you didn't even... It struck you, but you never even raised your hand, may that Light guide you right on to that Perfect Light.
Let's just all stand, for a little consecration service.
148Let's make our little heart here, tonight, a dwelling place for Christ. Remember, tonight, my odd little story of the tramp. Tonight, really, Jesus Christ is that tramp on the street. That's right, He--He was a tramp on the street. Oh, yeah, we say, "We serve Him." Sure. All the tinsel and glamour, that's not Him. That's not Him. He had to die to bring you this Gift, not a doll, but Life. He had to die in order to do it, to get to you, the only way He could get to you. He couldn't just come here and be a perfect Man, like He was, and get to you. He couldn't do it that way. He had to die to do it, to get--get the Gift of God to you. Like the--the tramp had to die to get the little doll to his girl, Christ had to die to get God to you. We want to accept It tonight. And I believe, with our heads bowed,... and let's just raise our hands to God and consecrate our lives anew, right here tonight.
149 O Gracious God, we--we want Your Gift. I--I'm here, as this Christmas season, Lord, as I realize and look upon the earth and see the tinsel and the glamour of the day, I--I can just see the... out yonder, as the Bible said, this Laodicean age, You're outside Your church. You're rejected, a fugitive to Your Own church and to Your Own people. You're--You're--You're rejected. A--a fugitive being something that's refused, and You're refused in Your Own church. You're refused amongst Your people. They don't want You, Lord, and they've left You, like the tramp, on the street. God, You--You--You went on dying anyhow, that You might bring the Gift of God to us. And we humbly accept It, Lord. I pray that You'll just fill our hearts and lives. And turn us aside, from this night on, and may we be wholly Yours as we consecrate ourself to You.
150Receive me, Lord. Many are the mistakes of life that I've made. And, dear God, as--as I--as I stand here on this sacred spot where the Gospel's been preached and where we've seen You here, even in a--a great Light that shined upon them. And we're so grateful for this, Lord. I--I consecrate myself for this Christmas, not in... and as the world would do or to--or to turn new pages. Lord, I--I just want to accept Your Son. I--I want to accept Your Gift, Lord.
151I want to accept the Gift of Eternal Life through Christ. And I, truly, Lord, accept the Gift of Christ to me, to try to win others to Thee. Go with each one.
152 Make the little housewife so sweet and humble, that she'll be able to lead others to You. The Gift that You give her, that feminish little ladylike, may she be so ladylike till the neighbors will see her and--and want to be like her.
153Make the man, the shopworker, whoever he is, Lord; make him a humble life, like Christ, that others might see. We don't know where those people are standing out there, Father, but we never want to leave the grand, old highway; but we'll lean backwards, lean forward, reach way out anywhere to get a soul. Put that within our reach, Lord, we pray. And give us the--the--the life that would cause people to want to live like that, as we consecrate ourselves to You, tonight. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, if you'll bow your heads again, I want to wish each one of you a very merry Christmas:
154 May the great Christmas Present, the first one and the only and the original and the only one there is, Jesus Christ, be afresh in your heart tonight. May the Holy Spirit come to you and bring you ministering gifts and things from God, that you... a gift that you might live a better life. That's what I want. I would rather have the Life of Christ in me to live sweet and victorious than I would all the gifts of healing, the gifts of prophecies, all them other gifts; just give me Jesus. Let me live the Life, the Life is what I want to live. I want to live so others will know. That's my--that's my desire at Christmas, and I pray that's your desire. And I pray that God will give us His desire.
155Now, let's have a word from the pastor, and a dismissing. And God bless you. We'll see you Wednesday night. Till that time, God bless you.
1Dobrý večer priatelia. Prišiel som práve pred chvíľou a myslel som, že sem môžem prísť a popriať vám všetkým veselé Vianoce.
2A tak to ... Nevedel som, že budem mať toto veľké privilégium hovoriť ku vám Slovo Pánovo. A tak brat Neville ma požiadal a ja som mal niekoľko krátkych vianočných textov, ktoré som používal, jeden vo Phoenixe a dole v Tucsone, na rôznych miestach tam na okolo, prosté vianočné posolstvo. A myslel som, že dnes večer by som tu hovoril trochu o niečom, čo mi Pán nedávno položil na myseľ, keď som bol hore v Colorado.
3A rozmýšľal som o niečom na Vianoce, a urobil som si tu okolo päť alebo šesť malých značiek, miesta Písma a podobné ... Ja ne ... Myslím, že brat Neville a všetci kazatelia si to robia. Vy ... zdá sa akoby ku vám niečo prišlo, a vy si to poznačíte. Chvíľu čakáte a potom si to zapíšete. Zapíšem si to na papier, len do bločku. Potom, keď ma niekedy zavolajú, popozerám si to tu a poviem si: "Čo toto bolo, čo tu mám?" Tak to je, keď nás náhle zavolajú, viete.
4Keď som bol mladý, bývalo tak, že som si proste mohol ... mal som takú pamäť, že som si toto hneď mohol spomenúť a nemusel som čakať. Aha: "Pred desiatymi dňami som bol tam a tam. To je ten text. Prosím, tu to je."
5Viete, od vtedy som prešiel cez niekoľko mlynských kameňov, brat Higginbotham, a cez niekoľko riek, že mi to už takto nejde, už som prešiel nejaký kus cesty. Ale ako pred chvíľou povedal brat Neville: "Približujeme sa viac a viac Domov."
6Dobre je byť znovu doma. No, keď som sem išiel, strašne sneží. A počul som na ceste o toľkých nehodách a o všetkom, a ľudia sa zabili. A predstavte si len, koľko stoviek ľudí stratí teraz svoj život, od teraz do nového roku, koľko američanov zomrie. A viete, niekto z nás môže byť práve teraz tu, dnes večer. A záleží na tom, ako teraz stojíme pred Bohom. Je to smutný národ, ako povedal brat, všade je smútok. A naša zástava visela tridsať dní na pol žrdi, a to všetko kvôli hriechu a ľuďom, ktorí neprijímajú Božiu radu. [22. 11. 1963 bol zavraždený prezident J.F. Kennedy. -- pozn.prekl.]
7Aj keď sa s niekým nemôžeme zhodnúť, ak to nedokážeme vyriešiť po bratsky, a potom ... Vidíte, ak máte v srdci Krista, potom nezáleží ako veľmi sa s tým človekom nezhodujete, stále ho milujete a beriete na neho ohľad. Ja s mnohými ľuďmi mnohokrát nesúhlasím. Ale stále, hoci som s niekým nesúhlasil, nikdy sa mi nestalo, že by som o ňom myslel niečo iné, než ho objal a nazval ho svojím bratom, a snažil sa mu pomôcť, ako som len mohol. Nesúhlasím s ním preto, že si myslím, že sa nezhodneme v tom, čo on ... Čo on verí, že ja to možno neverím tak ako on, ale ... a tak ďalej, ale teraz sa môžem pokúsiť, ukázať mu ako to ja vidím, a on zase mne, a dať do dokopy a prebrať a budeme vidieť čo máme. Ale takáto nezhodnosť. Pokiaľ sa jedná o ... nebudeme sa hnevať, alebo si chcieť ublížiť, alebo zničiť jeden druhého, ani nič také. Stále sa budeme snažiť budovať sa.
8Máme tu chladné obdobie, však? Sedemdesiat dva, keď som odchádzal z Tucsonu, a keď slnko zapadlo a zotmelo sa, stále bolo šesťdesiat deväť. Tak, potom keď sem prídem, celý sa trasiem, viete. Všetky tie zasnežené cesty, a teplota pod nulou, a ľad a všetko toto, musel som si na to všetko znovu zvyknúť. Je to také zvláštne, ako sa za taký krátky čas môžete aklimatizovať. A odvtedy ako som od vás odišiel, nemal som ani možnosť zostať tu dlhšie. Už som ... ako tu ten výkyv počasia, a ako starnem ... A ja som sa tu narodil i vyrástol. Ale viete, keď ste mladí, máte niečo, že sa zohrejete; ale keď starnete, no, začnete poznávať, že vám niečo chýba. Bývalo tak, že ste nemuseli na to pamätať. Vy ... nezohrejete sa ako vtedy keď ste boli chlapec, a podľa toho môžem vedieť, že ... to teplé podnebie, pre starého človeka, je na niečo dobré.
9Pamätám sa, keď som chodil tam v Utica Pike ako dieťa, (ako sedem, osem, desať, dvanásť, štrnásť ročný), bez topánok (v teniskách) a bolo osem alebo desať stupňov pod nulou, a v teniskách, a trčali mi z nich prsty. A teraz sa tu nechodí ako vtedy, teraz odhŕňajú sneh. Nepremávali žiadne autá, možno raz za čas nejaký voz urobil v snehu koľaj. A ráno som išiel takouto diaľnicou, v starom kabáte, bez košeli, a takto som ho mal zapnutý špendlíkom, nebol som viac oblečený, ako teraz; mokrý až po kolená, a tak som chodil a vôbec mi to nevadilo. Vidíte, vôbec mi nebola zima. Ale to bolo pred okolo štyridsiatymi rokmi. Tak už mám veľa slabostí, prešiel som veľa míľ a najazdil tachometer, viete, tak už to nie je tak ako voľakedy.
10Videl som ako brat Caps zodvihol hlavu. Ty si príliš mladý, aby si teraz takto uvažoval. Čakaj až kým prídeš tam kde je brat Neville a ja, o mnohých veciach budeš potom inak rozmýšľať, keď prídu problémy.
11Dobre, prežili sme s Pánom ohromné chvíle. Pán nás veľmi požehnal, a ja som tak vďačný. Budem tu, myslím, na budúcu nedeľu, ak Pán dá, chcem, ak brat Neville dovolí, mať zhromaždenie aspoň v nedeľu ráno a možno v nedeľu večer, zhromaždenie s modlitbami za chorých, v nedeľu večer. Na nedeľu ráno mám dôležité posolstvo, ak bude vôľa Pánova, aby som ho priniesol. Nepripravil som si ešte svoj text, žiadnu súvislosť ku tomu, pretože ... nie nejaké zjavenie od Pána, viete, ale len od seba. Chcem v nedeľu hovoriť niečo, čo dúfam, že bude určitým druhom pomoci v tom, cez čo prechádzame.
12Musím teraz ísť na misijné pole, a všade mám skoro každý deň obsadený. Zdá sa mi, že Billy mi hovoril, že pri cestovaní z miesta na miesto, že mám dva alebo tri dni, kde by som v apríli mohol prísť domov, keď odídem odtiaľto, naspäť do Tucsonu, a tak to sa potom asi ukľudní. A potom ďalej až do novembra, októbra, sa znovu dostanem na túto stranu, keď sa budem vracať spoza mora.
13No, ešte dva dni do vianoc. Či jeden? Dva. Pondelok ... utorok je štedrý večer? Utorok je štedrý večer. Či to nie je strašné, keď vidíme, že ku tomuto veľkému sviatku, ku ktorému pristupujeme, že ľudia takto ku nemu pristupujú? Je to taká hrozná vec. Také nerozvážne, keď si pomyslíme, že zajace a mýt o Santa Clausovi (Mikuláš) a všetko možné, že to odobralo od vianoc tú skutočnú hodnotu, čím oni sú.
14No my nevieme, ja vôbec neverím ... Práve keď som sem išiel, moja žena je tam vzadu, a ja ... išli sme sem, počúvali sme astronóma; že teraz, oni práve prišli na to, čo mi jeden astronóm povedal pred mnohými rokmi, keď som bol len revírnik tu v Indiáne. Keď mi oni povedali, že ... ako sa tie hviezdy prekryli, práve tak ako to povedal ten prvý astronóm a to vytvorilo, to čo oni povedali, že to je prirodzená vec, ktorá sa deje, myslím že on dnes večer povedal, každých osemsto rokov, alebo tak nejako. A to sa znovu vytvorilo, že Saturn a Jupiter, a ... zabudol som; a Mars; nie, to nie. Niektoré hviezdy, ako sa pohybujú, keď sa križujú na svojich obežných dráhach dostávajú sa do jednej línii so zemou, a tento astronóm sa snažil dnes večer povedať, že to bola len prirodzená vec. Ja s tým nesúhlasím. Ja verím, že to bola nadprirodzená vec, ktorú Boh urobil. To je Božia nadprirodzená vec. On je nadprirodzený.
15A pozrel som sa a viem, že toto teraz sa stalo v apríli. Ak mi Pán dá dovtedy dožiť, budem mať päťdesiat päť rokov. Vidíte? A viem ... Ale keď sa pozerám naspäť na svoj život a rozmýšľam kde sa to stalo. Od tých prvých malých vianoc, keď sme vešali svoje pančuchy, a mama dávala ... Dostali sme možno nejaký pomaranč a dva, alebo tri cukríky, a to boli pre nás veľké Vianoce. Ale, viete, deti čakajú, že dostanú darčeky. Vidíme, že Vianoce sú ... hlavne pre deti, oni sa teraz na to tešia. Zvrtlo sa to na deti. Ale to má byť vlastne pre dospelých; to by malo naučiť ich deti, čo skutočne Vianoce sú.
16A ja vôbec neverím, že sa Kristus mohol narodiť dvadsiateho piateho decembra, v Júdei, pretože tam je chladnejšie ako teraz tu. Ó, a ako by pastieri mohli v noci strážiť svoje stáda? A potom ten daňový systém a všetko, a Mária musela ísť tak ďaleko, do Betlehema, do Júdei, hore do Jeruzalema, či vlastne ... kvôli určeniu dani. Nedokázal by som tomu uveriť. Prišla hore, myslím, že do Nazaretu, a tak keď ... Ako by to mohlo byť. To by nemohlo byť, ale ja verím, že Kristus sa narodil na jar, pretože v každom prípade On bol Baránok. Vidíte? Všimnite si, On sa narodil v maštali, a nie v dome.
17A keď Ho oni viedli na kríž (iní), pokiaľ vieme, nikde nie je o Ňom povedané, že On viedol ich, ale oni viedli Jeho. Vedeli ste, že baránka, alebo ovcu musíte na zabitie viesť? Ona nepôjde na zabitie, musíte ju tam viesť. A väčšinou majú capa, ktorý vedie tú ovcu. V klietkach na jatkách majú capa. A ten cap vyjde týmto výbehom, až dovedie tú ovcu potade, že ona musí prechádzať tam kde ju zabijú a ten cap potom odskočí. Ale keď príde ku tomu, že idú zabiť toho capa, on kope v panike, keď tam má ísť, ale samozrejme nemôžete ho viniť. Ale takto musí byť vedená ovca, a On bol vedený na zabitie. Oni Ho viedli. On bol Baránok. A ja verím, že v tomto prípade je to všetko podľa prírody, a baránky sa rodia v marci, apríli, približne v tom čase, nie neskoršie ako v máji. A neverím, že by to bolo skorej ako v marci a neskoršie ako v máji, niekedy v tom čase.
18Ale keď sa cirkev, kresťanstvo, spojilo s Rímom, to bolo na Nicejskom koncile, keď oni prijali ... Rímsky národ prijal kresťanstvo a urobili to, čo nazvali univerzálne náboženstvo, kresťanstvo. Urobili univerzálne náboženstvo, a uctievali modly a za boha mali slnko.
19A práve teraz, od dvadsiateho prvého do dvadsiateho piateho, slnko akoby stálo na svojej ceste ako prechádza. Ako sa to nazýva? Zdalo sa mi, že to viem, ale nemôžem si spomenúť. Keď je slnko ... keď pribúda čas a keď ubúda čas, až do dvadsiateho prvého, medzi dvadsiatym prvým a dvadsiatym piatym decembrom. Ó, zabudol som ako sa to volá. Ako? [Niekto hovorí: "Zatmenie?" -- pozn.prekl.] Nie, zatmenie je keď ono prechádza, keď slnko a mesiac prechádzajú spolu. To je niečo, ó, už som to mal na jazyku, nemôžem si teraz spomenúť. No, to je keď slnko stojí, a rimania to nazývali (vtedy mávali predstavenia na aréne), nazývali to narodeniny boha slnka . Oslavovali to od dvadsiateho prvého do dvadsiateho piateho decembra.
20Tak potom, keď sa oni obrátili, Rím na ... keď svojím spôsobom prijali v Ríme kresťanstvo, potom si povedali: "Urobíme tie isté oslavy, a urobíme to narodeninami Syna Božieho." Vidíte? Narodeniny boha slnka, Jupiterove narodeniny, a potom narodeniny Božieho Syna, dvadsiaty piaty december, a to ...
21Ale aký je v tom rozdiel? Vidíte, dnes keď ... Keby to bolo aj ... Keby to robili v júli, alebo v auguste, alebo kedykoľvek, stále je to posvätná pamiatka, že Boh nám dal nádej, ktorú máme.
22No, vy si poviete: "Dobre, tí ostatní majú všetkých možných Mikulášov a pokračujú v tom čo robia; no tak, my to môžeme robiť tak isto." To nie! Nie, toto pre nás nie je pohanská oslava, toto je posvätná hodina. Keby neboli *Vianoce, nebolo by vzkriesenie. Keby neboli Vianoce, nebolo by lásky, nebolo by pokoja, nebola by pre veriaceho žiadna budúcnosť; keby neboli Vianoce. [*Vianoce - po anglicky Christmas - Kristove stelesnenie alebo Kristove telo. -- pozn.prekl.]
23A teraz, vy si poviete: "Dobre, ak ten ostatný svet, oni si proste ... " No, pozrite sa. Blesk v čierňave, na zachmúrenej oblohe, ukazuje, že v čase temnosti môže zasvietiť svetlo. Tieto svetlá to dnes dokazujú, že v čase temnosti môže svietiť svetlo. A kedy svieti svetlo najlepšie? Keď je tma. Zapáľte tieto svetlá cez deň, svieti sem slnko, ani si nevšimnete, že svietia. Ale keď je tma, stačí len nepatrné, malé svetlo a bude jasne svietiť. A práve teraz je temnosť, keď každý kresťan má vydať svedectvo o svojej nádeji, o Ježišovi Kristovi, Božom Synovi. Nie o nejakom Mikulášovi, ktorý sa voľakedy dávno narodil. Poznáte to. Nie o nejakom stromčeku, ktorý raz v noci v lese svietil, nejaké vymyslené poviedky, ktoré nemajú konca. Ale my pevne veríme v zasľúbenie Božieho Slova o príchode Mesiáša, a On sa narodil na Vianoce, skoro pred dvetisíc rokmi. Tomu veríme.
24Tak, dnes večer budeme hovoriť trochu z iného pohľadu. Váš pastor už hádam hovoril, a stredu večer bude asi znovu hovoriť, lebo viem, že si odložil nejakú tému, či niečo, aby mi dnes večer uvoľnil toto pódium. A ja chcem aby to priniesol, ja ho chcem počúvať.
Ale, prv ako začneme hovoriť, skloňme znovu na chvíľu svoje hlavy a pomodlime sa.
25Nebeský Otče, toto je dôležitý posvätný moment, keď tu rozmýšľame o rôznych veciach z Písma, kdekoľvek sa pozrieme, naspäť do Starého Zákona, všade sa hovorí o tomto dni, keď Boh pošle Svojho Syna. Ako tam vtedy títo proroci, mali svoj stanovený čas, keď prorokovali, keď prišlo ku nim Slovo Božie. A oni prorokovali vo svojich dňoch a predpovedali veci, ktoré sa mali stáť, a my vidíme, že to sa všetko vyplnilo tam v Betleheme, tej noci, keď Boh tak miloval svet, že dal svojho jednorodeného Syna. Ďakujeme Ti za to.
26A teraz, Pane, dnes večer, keď sme si tu sadli, aby sme hovorili Tvoje Slovo; a Ono je také sväté, Pane, a preto chceme prv hovoriť s Tebou. A prosíme aby si nám dal porozumieť Tvoje Slovo. Prosíme to v mene Ježiša. Amen.
27Chcem tu teraz prečítať jedno miesto Písma, len normálnu vianočnú udalosť, to miesto Písma sa nachádza v Matúšovi v 2. kapitole. A zatiaľ, kým si to hľadáte, ešte Ján 3:16.
28A nedávno večer vo Phoenixe ... Ak tu počúvate pásky, vypočujte si túto pásku, bol by som rád, keby ste si túto vypočuli: "Prečo musel Ježiš prísť do Betlehema." Prečo to On musel urobiť? A tam tie symboly, ktoré tam Dávid vykonal, ako tam táboril a čakal na vrchu, pozeral sa dole a videl filištínsku posádku. A ja som to presne porovnal s dneškom a ukázal, že Betlehem ... čo to znamená.
29Kristus je náš Betlehem, a mohli by sme dokázať, že každý človek, ktorý sa narodil z Boha, sa narodil v Betleheme, pretože Kristus je Betlehem. A to je to čo On bol, Chlieb života. A Beth, B-e-t-h znamená "dom", E-l je "Boh" a e-l-h-e-m je "Elhem" a to znamená "chlieb," a ... "Dom Božieho chleba." A Ježiš Kristus bol dom Božieho chleba. Chlieb večného života. A každý človek, ktorý sa narodil v Krista, narodil sa do Betlehema, do Domu Božieho chleba. A ako dnes tie légie týchto cirkví umiestnili posádky, ako Filištíni, aby bránili ľuďom do Toho vojsť.
30A ako tí statoční mužovia, ktorí vedeli, že Dávid bol pomazaný a jedného dňa sa stane kráľom ... vtedy bol veľmi nepopulárny, pretože musel utekať pred svojím ľudom, ale jedného dňa zostal ustanovený. On mal so sebou statočných mužov. A pamätajte, títo mužovia boli pohania, skoro každý z nich bol z pohanov, veľmi pekný obraz na dnešok. A jeden muž bol taký statočný, on sám za jeden deň zabil svojou kopijou osemsto mužov. Ďalší stál na šošovičnom poli, a prišiel tam oddiel armády. A všetci zutekali, a on tam stál a zabíjal ich až mu stŕpla ruka. A potom ďalší, ako on skočil do jamy a holými rukami zabil leva v deň snehu. A nejaký filištín ... či egypťan išiel na neho s dlhou kopijou, a on zobral palicu a vyrazil mu z ruky túto kopiju, zobral ju a zabil egypťana, zabil tristo veliteľov.
31Veľkí mužovia! Dávid zvolal: "Keby som sa ešte raz mohol napiť z tej studni!" (kde zvykol napájať svoje ovce, keď ich ráno vypúšťal z ohrady, oni chceli piť vodu). A títo mužovia vytiahli svoje meče a prebili sa pätnásť míľ cez nepriateľa a priniesli túto vodu.
32A Dávid povedal: "Nech je to preč odo mňa, aby som to mal vypiť." A vylial ju na zem, ako liatu obeť Pánovi. Aký prekrásny obraz dnes večer, toho istého tu v Jánovi 3:16.
... Boh tak miloval svet, že dal svojho jednorodeného syna,
33A čo urobil Kristus? Život, ktorý On mal aby večne žil, On ho vylial na zem zo svojich žíl, svoj prirodzený život, na zem, za nás, ako obeť za hriech. A ako tí pohania dnes, slávni mužovia, veľkí mužovia, berú meč a stoja tam a presekávajú si cestu, aby doniesli čerstvú vodu pre Krista (nášho Dávida), ktorý je dnes veľmi nepopulárny. Ale náš Dávid, o ktorom vieme, že On prichádza v moci, On takto pošliape všetky národy pod svojimi nohami, a bude vládnuť nad nimi železným prútom. A skutoční statoční mužovia, stoja so Slovom Božím a sekajú nebojácne na všetky strany, pretože vieme, že On prichádza v moci. Amen.
34Čítajme teraz, po Jánovi 3:16, čítajme o návšteve tých mudrcov z ev. Matúša z 2. kapitoly.
A keď sa narodil Ježiš v Judskom Betleheme za dní kráľa Heródesa, tu hľa, mudrci od východu slnca prišli do Jeruzalema
a hovorili: Kde je ten narodený kráľ židovský? Lebo sme videli jeho hviezdu na východe slnca a prišli sme sa mu pokloniť.
Ale keď to počul kráľ Heródes, zľakol sa i celý Jeruzalem s ním.
A zvolal všetkých najvyšších kňazov a učiteľov ľudu a vypytoval sa ich, kde sa má Kristus narodiť.
A oni mu riekli: V Judskom Betleheme, lebo tak je napísané skrze proroka:
A ty Betleheme, zem Júdova, nijako nie si najmenší medzi vojvodami Júdovými, lebo z teba mi vyjde vodca, ktorý bude pásť môj ľud, Izraela.
Vtedy Heródes povolal tajne mudrcov a dôkladne sa ich vypýtal na čas hviezdy, ktorá sa im ukazovala,
a pošlúc ich do Betlehema povedal: Iďte a dôkladne sa povypytujte o tom dieťatku, a keď nájdete, dajte mi o tom zvesť, aby som i ja prijdúc poklonil sa mu.
A oni vypočujúc kráľa odišli. A hľa, hviezda, ktorú boli videli na východe slnka, išla pred nimi až prišla a zastála nad miestom, kde bolo dieťatko.
A zazrúc hviezdu preveľmi sa zaradovali.
A keď vošli do domu, našli dieťatko s Máriou, jeho matkou, a padnúc klaňali sa mu a otvorili svoje poklady obetovali mu: zlato, kadivo a myrhu.
A napomenutí súc od Boha vo sne, aby sa nenavracovali k Heródesovi, navrátili sa inou cestou do svojej krajiny.
35Je to tu veľmi zvláštne, ako to Boh menej významným spôsobom ... Verím tomu, že Boh hovorí ku ľuďom skrze sny. Ale ako Boh v tomto prípade použil to druhoradé.
36No, sen je ... sen, ak je správne vyložený, to je to isté ako videnie; ak je to sen a je vyložený. Boh to od dávna používal v Starom Zákone a cez celé veky a zasľúbil, že v posledných dňoch to znovu použije. No, ľudia sa môžu prejesť a tak ďalej a dostať nočné mory, a to nie sú ozajstné, duchovné sny, to nevydá jasný tón, keď to hovoríte. A niektoré z nich môžu vyzerať dobré, ale jednako existujú skutočné duchovné sny. A my tu v zhromaždení vieme, že Boh dáva ľuďom sny a oni zostali vyložené, a plnia sa, a sú skutočné. Ale to je druhoradý spôsob. Vidíte?
37No, dôvod, že to vtedy tak bolo, to preto, že v tom čase nebol na zemi žiadny prorok, ktorý by sen vyložil. Vidíte? Nebolo žiadneho proroka, ktorý by vykladal sny, ako Jozef a Daniel a tí dávni proroci. Oni už štyristo rokov nemali proroka, a Boh použil sen, aby ... na úžitok svojho vlastného Dieťaťa. On to urobil.
38On povedal Jozefovi, keď on bol spravodlivý človek a nechcel jej urobiť potupu, chcel ju tajne prepustiť. Ona mu určite povedala o návšteve Gabriela a tak ďalej, a čo on povedal; ale keď on uvidel, že je tehotná, to bolo príliš neobyčajné. Viete, to proste ... to bolo niečo celkom iné. A viete, to je to čo sa deje dnes. Boh robí niečo neobyčajné, a to je také neobyčajné, že dokonca spravodliví ľudia to nedokážu vidieť.
39Jozef to nedokázal porozumieť, bolo to príliš neobyčajné. On bol dobrý človek, nebolo na ňom nič zlého. On bol dobrý človek, spravodlivý , ale to bolo príliš neobyčajné. Vidíte? Tvrdia, že Jozef mal okolo štyridsať, štyridsať päť rokov, tak nejako, keď sa s Máriou zasnúbili. Ale tu nachádzame niečo, čo sa nikdy predtým nestalo: žena oddaná tomuto mužovi a pritom bola nájdená tehotná! A to bolo také neobyčajné, že Jozef rozmýšľal o tom, že ju prepustí. Ale práve v tom rozhodujúcom momente, Boh poslal svojho anjela, a zjavil sa mu vo sne a povedal: "Neboj sa zobrať si Máriu svoju manželku, lebo to čo je v nej splodené, je zo Svätého Ducha."
40Akú znovuzrodenú vieru musel mať Jozef, keď sa zobudil! Vidíte? On nepotreboval žiadny výklad, ten sen nebol v symboloch. To bolo priamo povedané: "Neboj sa zobrať si Máriu svoju manželku, lebo to čo je v nej splodené, je zo Svätého Ducha." Nebolo žiadneho proroka, ktorý by dal výklad, tak to muselo prísť takto priamo, jasne; od Boha ku Jozefovi. No ... a Boh použil tento druhoradý spôsob.
41Čo sa hneď tu z tohoto môžeme naučiť, prv ako pristúpime k nášmu textu? Toto: že Boh môže použiť každú schopnosť našej bytosti ak je to vydané Jemu. On môže použiť našu myseľ, sny, naše podvedomie, naše prvé vedomie, náš jazyk, naše piesne, naše oči, naše ... Boh môže použiť všetko čo máme, ak je to vydané Jemu. Vidíte? Všetko čo odovzdáte Bohu. On použije každú schopnosť a každú vašu časť, On to použije. Nezáleží na tom čo to je, On to použije ak je to posvätené na Jeho účel a povolanie.
42No, dnes večer budeme hovoriť o Daroch. A chcem dať tomuto názov, ak ... Zapísal som si a poznačil niečo, keď mi brat Neville povedal ... "Božie dary sú stále naj... Božie dary stále nájdu svoje miesto." Božie dary sú stále odmietnuté, ale oni skutočne nájdu svoje miesto, keď ...
43No, pozorujte tento dar, ktorý Mu priniesli títo múdri mužovia. Dnes môžeme vidieť, že ľudia si vymieňajú dary. Každý musí dostať dar, a snaží sa uhádnuť, čo mu prinesie ten druhý, a tak mu môže dať niečo podobné. A ak to tak nie je, no, na Nový rok, on cíti, že to musí vylepšiť. A každý jeden rozmýšľa a trápi sa a chodí hore dole, milionári, ako sa tomu vyhnúť. Ľudia vynakladajú toľko na toto a tamto, keď - to všetko je nanič. To je všetko ... Vianoce ...
44Aha, je len jeden dar, ktorý môžete dať, a to ste vy sami. Dajte Bohu seba samého, pretože Boh vám už dal Svoj dar. No, to je to jediné čo dlhujete Bohu, dať Mu samého seba.
45No, a mnohokrát mená, v Biblii. Nebudeme sa tým dnes ďalej zaoberať. My ... často ste ma počuli, že opovrhujem týmto menom, deťmi, ktoré sa nazývajú ... či ľuďmi, ktorí nazývajú svoje deti Riky. No, Riky, to je strašné meno! Rozumiete? A to je ... nesmiete ich tak nazývať. Ak ste dali dieťaťu meno Riky, och, zmeňte to na niečo iné. Riky, alebo Elvis, alebo niečo takéto, ... Riky znamená "potkan." Vidíte? A tak vy ... A ako koho nazývate, to sa na neho prenáša. Raz jedna pani tam mala malého chlapca, nazvala ho Riky. A jeho meno bolo Riky, James Riky. A pretože to bolo také populárne (Riky), nazvali ho Riky. Povedal som im: "Zmeňte to meno!"
46Všimol som si, že práve teraz tu sedia niektorí ľudia, ktorí mali malého vnuka, a jeho meno je ... ten jeden malý chlapec je taký milý, príjemný; a ten druhý je Riky, a taký aj je. Len ho pozorujte, jeho povaha je presne taká. A ja som povedal jeho starým rodičom, či niekomu: "Povedzte matke, aby zmenila meno toho chlapca, nech len zmení to meno a pozorujte čo sa s tým dieťaťom stane." Vidíte? Vy ľudia nechcete tomu veriť. Myslíme si, že sme na to príliš starí.
47Ak v mene nič nie je, tak potom prečo, kým sa Jakob nazýval Jakob, čo znamená strnad (taký čo vystrnadí iného z jeho miesta), podvodník, prečo bol taký? Ale keď on celú noc zápasil s Pánom, a Pán zmenil jeho meno, a asi ... keď mal asi šesťdesiat rokov. On zmenil jeho meno z Jakoba na Izrael. Na knieža Božie. A bol ním.
Prečo bol Abram nazvaný ... musel byť nazvaný "Abraham", prv ako sa mohlo narodiť to dieťa? Prečo Sáraj bola nazvaná "Sárah", prv ako sa mohlo narodiť to dieťa?
Prečo bol Pavel ... jeho meno bolo Saul, ale keď stretol Ježiša, On ho zmenil zo Saula na Paula.
Keď Šimon bol zmenený zo Šimona na Petra, čo znamená "malý kameň." A ich mená boli zmenené, to preto, že na tom niečo je ako sa nazývate. Keď niečo hovoríte ... [prázdne miesto na páske -- pozn.prekl.] ... nechcem do toho vchádzať, pretože to bude na ďalšiu nedeľu večer, o jednotení slova. A ... ale teraz, vidíme, že toto je naozaj pravda.
48Dávajte teraz pozor, Boh ... Aká zvláštna vec je to dnes večer, vidieť, že tí mužovia, mudrci, učení mužovia, veľkí ľudia ... prichádzajú z východu, to bol Babylon, ktorým bola India. A oni neprišli za nejakú jednu noc, žeby jednej noci vyrazili a na ďalšiu tam boli, oni tam putovali okolo dva roky. Oni neprišli ku nemluvniatku v jasliach. Oni prišli ku malému dieťaťu, ku malému dieťaťu. A Heródes pozabíjal deti do veku dvoch rokov. Vidíte? Musel vedieť, že to nebol malý kojenec ležiaci v kolíske, on by pozabíjal všetkých kojencov. Ale on pozabíjal malé deti, aby si bol istý, že Ho dostane, všade od dvoch rokov dole. Ale pretože to vedel určil hornú hranicu, lebo ich nechcel pozabíjať príliš veľa, všetkých, on len ... pretože oni mu boli viac ako otroci. On chcel dostať ... Byť si istý, že Ho dostane, tak povedal: "To dieťa bude mať asi dva roky. Tak všetko od dvoch rokov dole zabite." Vidíte?
A tým sa vyplnilo to čo povedal prorok, že v Ráme bude počuť kvílenie, či nariekanie, plač; Rácheľ, oplakávajúca svoje deti lebo ich niet.
49No, všimli ste si že títo mudrci, veľkí ľudia, boli tam v Babylone a videli Jeho hviezdu, on povedal: "Videli sme Jeho hviezdu na východe a prišli sme sa Mu pokloniť." Oni prišli z východu, kde videli tú hviezdu, a išli na západ. Pretože India ... Palestína je na západ, severozápad. A oni prišli rovno, popri rieke Tigris a prešli cez tie pláne rovno tam, prišli do Betlehema, kde našli to dieťa. Pamätajte Jozef a oni z tade neodišli; oni odišli rovno do Nazaretu a priniesli to dieťa, rovno tam.
50No, vidíme tu, že oni priniesli ... Títo mužovia, oni boli astronómami a študovali hviezdy, a keď videli tieto tajomné nebeské svetlá, ktoré sa tam zjavili, vedeli že niečo sa má stať, že sa má narodiť Mesiáš, Vládca neba i zeme. A oni prišli a vedeli, že Božskosť bude vložená, že bude prebývať v ľudskej bytosti; pretože, keď vám ukážem ich svedectvo, ... Viete, váš život hovorí oveľa hlasnejšie, ako vaše slová, tak že bez ohľadu na to čo hovoríte, ľudia vedia čo ste, podľa toho čo ste.
51A pozorujte týchto ľudí, týchto *mágov, oni Mu priniesli ... Všimnite si, dary, ktoré Mu oni priniesli, jasne ukazujú, čo si oni mysleli, že kto On je. Oni Mu priniesli zlato, kadivo a myrhu. A teraz pozorujte čo tieto symboly ... o tom chcem teraz hovoriť, čo tieto symboly znamenajú. A zapísal som si tu niektoré miesta Písma, ktoré budeme za chvíľu ku tomu čítať, ak Pán dá. [*V ev. Matúša: mudrci, doslovne mágovia, starodávni astrológovia. -- pozn.prekl.]
No: zlato a kadivo a myrha.
52No, zlato v Biblii ... Ako presne to pasuje na Krista, pretože zlato symbolizuje Božskosť. Zlato predstavuje "Boha". Za chvíľu sa ku tomu dostaneme. Kadivo predstavuje "službu". A myrha predstavuje "smrť." Boh, Božskosť, v službe na smrť. A to je to čo On bol. Presne tie veci, ktoré oni priniesli jasne ukázali, čo si oni mysleli, že kto On je.
53A ja dnes toto hovorím pre nás: "Veci, ktoré Mu my prinášame jasne ukazujú, akú máme o Ňom predstavu." Rozumiete čo chcem povedať? Vidíte? Ak vy ... Ak Tomu veríte z celého svojho srdca, každému Slovu, bude sa to prejavovať tým, že budete Tomu dávať všetko čo máte. Vidíte? Ale ak veríte, že to je dobré miesto na stýkanie sa s lepšími ľuďmi, okolo zboru a takéto niečo, to je presne to čo dávate (len niekoľko hodín spoločnosti s niekým v zhromaždení, či niečo také). Ale ak tomu skutočne veríte z celého svojho srdca, potom Tomu dáte všetko, čo je vo vás. Vidíte? A to potvrdzuje, že skutočne veríte Posolstvu, že veríte, že je to Pravda.
54Veľa ľudí hovorí: "Ja potadeto tomu môžem veriť. Ja to takto môžem veriť." Učeníci ... Zdá sa mi, že minule som to tu hovoril: "Veriaci, ľudia pretvarujúci sa za veriacich a neveriaci." Či nie? Nehovoril som tu o tom? Vidíte? A každá osoba si hľadá svoju kategóriu. Vidíte? Prídu na miesto, kde môžu toľkoto z toho prijať, a to ostatné nemôžu.
55No, ako pasovali tieto dary ku Kristovej ceste na zemi, ku dieťaťu, ktoré sa narodilo tu na zemi. A tieto dary, ktoré Mu priniesli títo mudrci, pasovali presne ku Jeho povereniu, ktoré mal od Boha, a ku Jeho ceste na zemi.
56No, prvá vec: Boh. Toto bol Boh, Ježiš bol Boh vo forme človeka. To ľudia nedokážu stráviť, ešte ani dnes, že "On bol Boh." To je to, čo On bol. On nebol ničím menej ako Boh. On bol Boh zjavený v tele. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom vlastnom stvorení. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom stvorení, skrze stvorenie, pre stvorenie. On bol Stvoriteľ vo svojom stvorení, skrze svoje stvorenie, pre svoje stvorenie. Všetko to znovu končí v Bohu! Vidíte? Plnosť Božia! On bol Stvoriteľ v takej miere, že bol Bohom. A On bol na zemi Bytosťou (Bytosťou času), čo znamená, že On musel mať začiatok, a tak si On sám stvoril telo v ktorom prebýval. Sám Boh si stvoril pre seba telo. Vidíte? Aby skrze toto stvorenie, mohol spasiť stratené stvorenie, ktoré stvoril.
57Človek nemôže nič úplne zničiť, neexistuje nič také. Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť. Môžete zobrať kus papiera a spáliť ho, môžete spáliť dom, môžete spáliť strom; ale úplne ste to nezničili. Tá žiara z toho, ten oheň, ktorý to ničí, to sú len chemické reakcie. To sa premieňa naspäť na to, čím to bolo na počiatku. Nie je to úplne zničené. Ak spálite kus dreva, vo svete sa povie ... Keby sme žili vo večnosti, ako Boh a tie chemikálie z toho dreva a z toho ohňa by prechádzali naspäť do svojich pôvodných počiatkov, čokoľvek to bolo, pri štiepení atómov a tak ďalej, svet hovorí, že za milióny rokov by to znovu mohlo prísť naspäť a bol by z toho ďalší strom, presne taký istý ako bol ten.
58Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť, pretože to je vypovedané Božie Slovo. Amen! Ó, to ma teraz vzrušuje. Vidíte? To čo Boh povie, to stojí naveky. Amen! Vidíte? Nemôžete nič úplne zničiť. My sme časťou tejto zeme, a nikdy nemôžeme byť úplne zničení. Nie veru. Hriech, duša, to bude zničené, to si uvedomujeme. Ale telo v ktorom žijeme, nemôže byť zničené. Vidíte?
59No, a tak, Boh si stvoril telo. On bol Stvoriteľ, a stvoril si Svoje vlastné stvorenie, aby skrze toto Stvorenie mohol spasiť tých, ktorí v Jeho stvorení boli stratení. To si ty a ja, stvorenia času.
60Jeho Slovo presne ukázalo, že ... On a Jeho skutky potvrdili, že On nebol ničím menším, než Stvoriteľ. On zobral kúsok chleba a zlomil ho, a ďalej lámal ten kúsok chleba a nakŕmil z neho päť tisíc ľudí; a nazbierali sedem košov zvyšných kúskov, a každý sa tam dosýta najedol chleba.
61On zobral rybu a lámal ju. No keď si uvedomíme, že On stvoril tú rybu na počiatku. On stvoril na počiatku ten chlieb. Ale On zobral tú rybu a zlámal ju. To bola živá ryba, ale potom ona bola varená alebo pečená, a zakaždým, keď z nej odlomil, akákoľvek ona bola (varená alebo pečená), ona znovu dorástla (v tej istej chvíli, keď z nej odlomil) ďalšia varená, alebo pečená ryba. Či to nie je ohromné? To ukázalo, že On nebol nič iné, ako Jehova. Amen. On bol Stvoriteľ, ktorý mohol zobrať svoje vlastné Stvorenie, a cez Svoje stvorenie vyjadriť kto On je. Haleluja! To dokázalo, že On bol tým, čím bol. On bol Boh. Tak, zlato bolo pre Neho vhodné, ako obeť pri Jeho narodení. On bol Boh, ktorý sa stal telom.
62Mohol by som to rozobrať ... No zdá sa mi, že nie je tu dnes večer medzi nami nikto cudzí, tak ... na tomto modlitebnom zhromaždení. Ale dovoľte mi niečo povedať. Či Ježiš, keď bol tu ...? No, toto je na zamyslenie, nie na ... nejdeme to rozoberať. Všimnite si, len na zamyslenie, Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 14:12: "Ten kto verí vo mňa, skutky, ktoré ja činím, bude aj on činiť, a ešte aj väčšie ako tie bude činiť, lebo ja idem k svojmu Otcovi." Všimli ste si to? Všimnite si teraz, to bol Syn Boží, ktorý zasľubuje veriacemu väčšie skutky, od tých ktoré On činil, že ten veriaci (v týchto posledných dňoch) bude činiť väčšie skutky, než ako On činil. Ev. Jána 14. kapitola, 12. verš. Je to tak? Veríte že Ježiš to povedal?
63Všimnite si, keď Ježiš stvoril chlieb; On zobral kúsok chleba a stvoril chlieb, ktorý už bol chlebom. Keď stvoril rybu; On zobral rybu, ktorá bola prv stvorená ako ryba, a stvoril z toho ďalšiu rybu. Je to tak? On zobral vodu, ktorá sa potenciálne stáva vínom, a spravil z nej víno. Je to tak? Ale my sme Ho videli v našom strede, v týchto posledných dňoch, stvoriť priamo určité veci, bez toho žeby tam niečo bolo! Je to tak? Videli sme Ho stvoriť veveričky, tam kde žiadnych veveričiek nebolo. Tak veru! Ó, On je stále Boh. On je dnes tak isto Boh, ako bol vtedy a stále, alebo ako stále bude. On je stále Bohom a vyzýva srdcia, aby tomu verili: "Väčšie veci ako tieto, ... bez toho žeby ste niečo držali a lámali z toho. Poviete, a stane sa to."
64Všimnite si teraz, vidíme, že jeho ... On potvrdil. Skutky, ktoré On činil, potvrdili, že On bol Boh, ukázali, že On ním bol. Lebo On povedal: "Ak nerobím skutky svojho Otca, potom mi neverte."
65A či by kresťan nemohol dnes povedať: "Ak nečiním skutky svojho Spasiteľa, potom mi neverte"? Vidíte?
67Potom kresťan dnes musí viesť život, ktorý viedol Kristus, inak môžeme povedať, že to tak nie je.
68Všimnite si teraz, jeho skutky potvrdili, že On je Stvoriteľ. Jeho skutky, ktoré On činil korunovali svedectvo Jeho života, že On bol Stvoriteľ - nijako sa to nedá poprieť. A tak, keď oni vo svojich daroch obetovali zlato, boli svojimi darmi presne v súlade s Bohom. Oni Mu dali zlato, ktoré preukazovalo, že On je Boh. Koruna stále, zlatá koruna ... zlatá hlava kráľa Nabuchodonozora. Všetko, vidíte, to ... Zlato stále reprezentovalo Božstvo.
69A teraz: kadivo. Chceme toto rýchlo prebrať. Kadivo predstavuje službu obetovanú Jahvemu, ak si chcete poznačiť tieto miesta Písma, Leviticus 2:2, a Leviticus 16:6-15. Vidíme, že to je kňažské nariadenie, prinášať Jahvemu obeť. Keď on prinášal tú obeť, ona musela byť prinesená a zmiešaná s kadivom pri obeti za hriech. Oni vzali rôzne veci a zmiešali ich. Pri obeti múky, pri obeti povznášania, tam bolo pridané kadivo. Pretože, keď to bolo pomazané kadivom, Jehova to prijal, a to znamená, že to je slúženie Jahvemu, Bohu. A teraz nachádzame že On je Božská bytosť. A to, že Mu oni priniesli kadivo, ukazovalo že On slúžil Jahvemu, že Ježiš je Jehovov sluha.
70No, v evanjeliu Matúša 12: 15-21, čítame že On bol Jehovov sluha: "Hľa môj služobník, v ktorom sa mi zaľúbilo (a On ním bol) a na Neho položím svoju moc." Tak Jeho život bol pomazaný kadivom, do služby Jahvemu. Čo za dar priniesli tí múdri mužovia! Vidíte, to bolo niečo čo ... dar, ktorý oni priniesli, to bolo niečo čo preukazovalo Ježiša ako Jehovovho služobníka.
71No keby sme len my mohli toto niesť, aby to preukazovalo náš život. Vidíte? Aby náš život ukazoval, že sme Jehovovi sluhovia. Na to tam bolo kadivo, to Ho robilo Jehovovým služobníkom.
72A teraz: myrha, m-y-r-h-a, to bolo pomazanie smrti. V evanjeliu Jána v 19. kapitole, v 39. verši vidíme, že keď Mária a tí ďalší, išli Ježiša pochovať, oni zobrali túto myrhu, aby Ho ňou pomazali; pretože On musí v službe pre Jehovu podstúpiť smrť. Vidíte? Niekto musel zomrieť. To bola služba, ktorá musela byť pre Boha vykonaná, a nikto nebol hodný, aby to vykonal, jedine sám Boh. Tak, prinesenie myrhy ukazuje, že spolu s božskosťou a so službou, že On bol tiež pomazaný myrhou; že táto božskosť musela byť daná na smrť, aby spasila to nedokonalé. Ó, to je ohromné!
73Celé stvorenie bolo stratené. Práve sme to prebrali v Siedmych Pečatiach. Vidíte? Celé stvorenie bolo stratené, všetko zahynulo. Všetko patrilo Satanovi. On to zdedil a stále to vlastní. Skutočne. Preto zápasíme a máme všetky tieto problémy. On vládne nad každým kráľovstvom - Satan. Každá vláda, každý kráľ, každé kráľovstvo je kontrolované Satanom. Satan kontroluje a riadi celý svet. Preto máme tie problémy, ktoré máme. Každý kto číta Bibliu, či ktokoľvek, vám môže povedať, že Satan ... No, sama Biblia to hovorí, že on nad ním vládne. Vidíte? Že on vládne nad svetom. A Kristus ho zdedí, lebo On je teraz naším Vykupiteľom. A On prišiel aby vykúpil celé stvorenie, a nikto to nemohol urobiť iba sám Boh.
74Preto Boh robí všetko skrze človeka. On stále pracuje skrze človeka, pretože On musel použiť človeka. To bol človek, ktorého On musel použiť, aby zjavil svoju povahu spasiteľa. On ho musel urobiť na svoj obraz, na svoju podobu, a dať mu slobodné rozhodovanie a nechať ho postupovať tak, ako chce. On si mohol vybrať. A On vedel, že keď dal človeku túto možnosť, že on upadne. A keď to tak musel urobiť, On sa otočil a urobil človeka Svojím partnerom, a nerobí nič jedine cez človeka!
75Celé dielo vykúpenia prichádza skrze človeka! Haleluja! Skrze prvého človeka prišla smrť, skrze druhého Adama prišiel život. Vidíte? Tu to máte. On nerobí nič, pretože On musel na to použiť človeka, On potom používa človeka aby to znovu vykúpil. Tak Boh sa stáva Jehovom ... či Jehova ... On je Boh, a On sa stáva dieťaťom. On sa stáva podobný hriechu, aby mohol vykúpiť hriešnika. Vidíte? To je celá vec.
76No, pozrite čo ... ako krásne tieto dary pasujú na Ježiša Krista. Vidíte? Zlato hovorí o Jeho božstve. No, oni neboli pohania. Oni boli inšpirovaní od Boha. Oni si to nevymysleli. To je hneď tu dokázané, i tí mágovia, oni videli niečo nadprirodzené. Pretože ich vlastné dary, ktoré priniesli, potvrdili a svedčia, že oni videli niečo nadprirodzené. Prečo? Prečo? Oni to dokonale vyjadrujú. Oni priniesli zlato - to je Božskosť. Kadivo - to je služba. A myrhu, tá ukazuje na Jeho smrť. Keď On bol ešte dieťa. Amen. To ukazuje, že Božskosť bude daná v tele na smrť, amen, aby to mohlo vykúpiť upadnutého človeka. Ako to, že to ľudia nevidia?
77Keď sa zamyslíte: Čo tu robíte? Odkiaľ ste prišli? Alebo načo sme tu? Nenašli sme sa tu len náhodou, sme tu za určitým účelom a musíme slúžiť tomu účelu. Ale stále sme postavení na základe slobodného rozhodnutia, kde tomu môžeme slúžiť, alebo to odmietnuť, práve tak ako Adam na začiatku.
78Dívam sa tu na tieto dievčatá, brat ... čo...? Zdá sa mi, že to je tá pani ktorá hrala na piane, a ja som počúval ako spievali. Rozprávali sme sa o nich cestou sem. To je rodina, ktorá posvätila celý svoj život a všetko Kristovi. Pozrite sa na tú rodinu aká je usporiadaná. Pozrite sa na tie dievčence. Boli tu hore, oni sú príkladom mladej ženskosti, v dospievajúcom veku. A nezáleží ...
79Pred pár týždňami som išiel do ... Neviem ako sa tam v New Yorku teraz nazýva to miesto, kde sú celé paneláky *bítnikov. Tie dievčence tam v elasťákoch a nemajú nič, len malé bikiny (ako to oni nazývajú) na vrchu. A och, proste zmiešanina ... robia čokoľvek im príde na rozum. Nezáleží na tom, čo to je, to je ... no, oni sú bítnik. Oni proste môžu robiť všetko. Ak sa im chce ležať a nevstávať, tak proste ležia a nevstávajú. Ak chcú niečo robiť, tak to robia; ak sa im nechce, nerobia. Oni proste vymýšľajú! A čo vymyslí neobrátená myseľ? Vy to nemáte právo robiť, pretože nie ste sami svoji; Boh si vás kúpil, Ježiš Kristus, Syn Boží, ktorý sa stal telom. Ale, vidíte, to je zmiešanina hriechu! [*Bítnik - "ubitá generácia" - ľudia, ktorí používali nekonvenčný spôsob života. -- pozn.prekl.]
80A vidíte mnoho takýchto mladých dievčeniec, že stoja pomimo toho. No tak, pre mňa je to, ako svetlo v čase temnosti. Ako blesk, ako Božie zablysknutie na oblohe, ktoré ukazuje, že môže existovať svetlo! Že môže existovať spravodlivosť, v strede hriechu!
81Mária, Ježišova matka, v meste Nazarete, to bolo najopovrhnutejšie mesto v celom kraji, ale z tade Boh vybral malú pani, aby porodila Jeho Syna. Inkubátor, lono, ktoré muselo ... z ktorého sa muselo narodiť dieťa. On si na to zobral takú osobu. Boh koná svoju prácu skrze ľudské bytosti, aby vykúpil ľudské bytosti. On môže zobrať teba, pracovať cez teba, aby vykúpil ľudstvo, ak Mu vydáš úplne všetko čo si.
82Ak si mladá žena, vydaj Mu svoju morálku. Si mladý muž, vydaj Mu svoju morálku, vydaj Mu svoju myseľ, vydaj Mu svoje myšlienky, vydaj Mu svoje srdce, vydaj Mu svoju dušu, vydaj Mu všetko čo si! A nech s tým narába Kristus. Čo za nádherná vec! Musíš prechádzať cez rieky, musíš prejsť cez mosty, musíš prejsť cez tŕnité miesta, musíš prejsť cez húštiny, musíš prejsť cez lesy, musíš prejsť cez tmavé miesta, musíš prejsť cez vysoké kopce, musíš prejsť strmými svahmi. A čo robíš? Jedného dňa budeš musieť zastať a pozrieť sa naspäť, odkiaľ si prišiel, a budeš súdený z toho aký kurz si si zvolil. Nasmeruj svoju myseľ a svoje myšlienky na tú severnú hviezdu (na Božie centrum) a neodkláňaj sa od toho. Stoj rovno na tom. To ťa dovedie rovno, ako to priviedlo tých mágov, rovno ku Kristovi.
83Dobre, On bol pomazaný myrhou. Nachádzame teraz, v Jánovi 12:1 a 7, že to je presne to, čo On urobil. On bol dokonalý Boží sluha, a bol pomazaný všetkými Svojimi božskými darmi. On bol pomazaný všetkými Božími darmi, pretože On bol Boh. On bol Boh. Vidíte? Oni Mu priniesli dary.
84No, my budeme ... prajem si ... Ľudia tu stále, väčšina z nich, viete, vám niečo pošle. No, zase vrátiť to, to by som nedokázal. Vidíte? To je vo svete. Proste by som to nedokázal. A ja si cením tie drobné veci a všetko čo ľudia robia, aby vyjadrili svoju vďačnosť, a tak ďalej.
85No, toto urobili títo bohatí mužovia. Títo mužovia sú mágovia, oni priniesli zlato, rýdze zlato. Priniesli kadivo, to najlepšie aké mohli zohnať a priniesli myrhu, tú najlepšiu akú mohli.
86A tu, v Jánovi 12 jasne vidíme, nachádzame tu, že táto žena ... keby sme mali čas to prečítať, ale nechcem vás tu držať príliš dlho, lebo viem, že zajtra je pondelok, a niektorí z vás musia ísť do práce. Pozrite, oni priniesli ... Táto žena priniesla túto myrhu, to pomazanie niečo stálo, to malo odstrániť smrteľný zápach. A ona rozbila tú alabastrovú nádobku a vyliala to Ježišovi na hlavu. A Judáš povedal: "Prečo, toto sa malo dať chudobným." (Tam stojí: "nie preto, že by sa bol staral o chudobných, ale preto že bol zlodej, nosil peniaze.") A povedal: "Toto sa malo predať, a nie ..."
87A Ježiš povedal: "Nechaj ju! Lebo ona toto vykonala ..." Ona Ho pomazala, ku Jeho pohrebu. Vidíte? Táto žena bola taká vďačná, že jej boli odpustené hriechy, že minula všetky svoje peniaze, ktoré mala a vzala alabastrovú nádobku a rozbila ju a vyliala ten olej a dom sa naplnil príjemnou vôňou tejto myrhy, ktorou Ho pomazala na smrť. No, vidíte, ona urobila tú službu a ani nevedela čo robí, ale ona bola Bohu taká vďačná.
88A ak ste za Vianoce takí vďační, to nie je že: "Ja dám Jonesovcom darček; a oni mi tiež dajú nejaký, ráno uvidím čo dostanem." Prečo neotvoríte svoje srdce aby ste videli čo je v ňom, aby ste zistili čo tam máte. A prijali ... ak zistíme, že je prázdne, že sú v ňom len odmietavé vyznania a starosti o tento svet, prečo nepoprosíte Krista, aby ho dnes večer naplnil? Dnes večer, aby ste mohli pochopiť skutočný význam vianoc. To je Kristus vo vás; Boh, prebývajúci v ľudskom srdci. To znamenajú skutočné Vianoce.
89Ale, vidíte, dnes sa stávame takí odmietaví. To je diabol, ktorý nás do toho vedie. Máme maľované lízatká a sobí záprah s fúzatým mužom, ktorý letí cez oblaky ako lietadlo a navštevuje celý svet a každý dom, s balíčkom hračiek na chrbte, a navštevuje každé dieťa. To je proste klamstvo! To je všetko len klamstvo. Vidíte? Vidíte to?. Ale prečo? To urobil diabol, aby mohol ľuďom prevrátiť myseľ.
90Vošiel do toho obchod a oni ... No, oni cez Vianoce zarobia toľko, že zvyšok roka môžu skoro oddychovať. Rozprával som sa raz s jedným obchodníkom, on povedal: "Dajte mi tieto dva týždne, a keby som tu nemusel držať svojich zamestnancov, čakal by som až do ďalších vianoc; mohol by som ísť na ryby, alebo robiť čokoľvek, až do ďalších vianoc." Povedal: "Ale držím tých ľudí. Držím ich tu len toľko, aby som mal otvorený obchod a takto môžem platiť a podobne." Povedal: "Ja až do vianoc nerobím nič." Vidíte, stal sa z toho veľký obchod, zatiaľ čo to má byť oddávanie chvály - chválenie Boha.
91No, Boh, tak pomazal Ježiša svojou plnosťou, že až ... On bol Božím darom pre svet. Tí múdri mužovia jasne ukázali, keď Mu priniesli svoje dary; ukázali, že vo svojich srdciach vedeli, kto On bol, a čo On pre nich urobí. Tak (nie divu), že prvé čo urobili, oni padli na kolená, presne podľa poriadku, a poklonili sa Mu. Ešte skôr ako to mohli porozumieť, oni padli na kolená a poklonili sa Mu a potom Mu odovzdali svoje dary. Takto to má byť pri skutočných vianociach; Jemu sa pokloňte, a potom Mu odovzdajte svoj dar; odovzdajte Mu svoje telo ako živú obeť, svätú a príjemnú Bohu.
92Ale viete čo bolo potom, keď títo múdri mužovia toto urobili? Kristov otec a matka ... pestún (samozrejme) a pestúnka, pretože Boh bol oboje, Jeho otcom i matkou. Ale vidíme, že oni prijali (uznali) tieto dary od týchto mudrcov. Nie divu, že oni boli nazvaní múdri. Oni boli múdri. Oni boli naozaj ... mali múdrosť. Keby dnes boli ľudia takí múdri, múdri aby ... Múdry človek ide ku Kristovi. Človek, ktorý sa od Neho odvracia, nie je múdry. Ale treba múdreho človeka, aby prišiel ku Kristovi.
93No, všimnite si! Potom, keď títo múdri mužovia ukázali kto On je, čo On bude, a vidíme v Písmach, že On presne tým bol: Božia realita v službe na smrť. Na čo? Božia realita v Božej službe na smrť. Ježiš bol Boh zjavený v tele v službe na smrť, aby vykúpil svet. Ale čo s tým urobil svet? Oni to odmietli. Oni to neprijali. Prečo? Niektorí z nich, veľká časť z nich to urobili kvôli tomuto: pretože On zomrel! Oni povedali: "On nemohol byť Boh a zomrieť." Ten muž, to telo, to nebol Boh, ale funkcia Boha bola v tom tele. Toto telo musí zahynúť. Jedine Kristus, ktorý je vo vás, to je to jediné, čo vás môže vzbudiť. To je Božia skutočnosť, Boh vo vás.
94No, všimnite si! No, to isté je teraz, oni nechcú rozpoznať Boha. Vidíte to? Oni sa bez všetkého dajú zapísať do cirkevnej knihy a hovoria: "Budem sa snažiť žiť podľa tohoto vyznania." Oni budú na toto prisahať. Ale keď príde na to uznať, že to je Boh a vyjadriť to znovu takým istým darom, ako oni ... že podľa vášho daru vás možno poznať, že dávate do toho celú svoju bytosť, aby ste preukázali, že to je Boh. Potom sa sami stotožňujete s Bohom, tým že sa celí, všetko čo ste, odovzdávate Bohu.
95No, Kristus v tomto dni, v ktorom teraz žijeme, je stále ... ukazuje nám, že On je Boh medzi ľuďmi. On je stále Bohom, pretože On je Slovo. A keď vidíme Slovo, ako sa Ono prejavuje, potom vieme, že to nedokáže robiť človek. To je Boh, Slovo ktoré sa manifestuje cez človeka. A sám Ježiš povedal: "Syn nemôže robiť nič sám od seba," povedal Ježiš: "Ale môj Otec, ktorý prebýva vo mne, On mi ukazuje všetky veci, ktoré sám činí." Amen! Tu to máte! Čo to je? Boh prejavujúci sa v človeku. No, to isté je dnes; že Boh, Slovo zasľúbené na tento deň sa môže prejaviť v tebe. Amen! Potom sa Tomu cele vydajte. Ukážte že tomu veríte. Ukážte, že To je Boh. Verte tomu, slúžte, buďte hotový zomrieť sebe samému a svojím vlastným predstavám. Ale dnes je to odmietnuté, tak ako to bolo vtedy.
96Všimnite si, Boh viedol tých mágov s ich darmi. Oni prakticky dva roky, išli za tou hviezdou. Vidíte? A to ukazuje, že To nemohla byť nejaká telesná vec, ktorá sa tam prihodila. Vidíte? Pretože keď sa tie hviezdy na svojich obežných dráh skrižovali, to ukázalo, že sa stalo niečo mimoriadne. Pretože ... len čo To títo mágovia uvideli, dávno predtým ako sa to stalo, vedeli, že oni sa museli takto križovať, (vidíte?) na svojich dráhach, ako išli. A oni sa vtedy skrižovali práve nad Betlehemom, prv to začalo tam od tade, vedeli že tieto nebeské telesá sa budú takto pohybovať.
97No, Boh viedol tých mágov, pretože oni mali tie správne dary. Boh viedol týchto múdrych mužov pretože oni mali tie správne identifikujúce dary, aby preukázali totožnosť Jeho Syna. Ó! Vidíte to? Múdri mužovia dnes, múdri v mene Pánovom, nie s niečím vymysleným, ale s darom, ktorý Boh zasľúbil na tento deň, a Boh vás bude viesť aby ukázal, že Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Tu to máte - múdri mužovia!
98Boh sprevádzal tie dary, pretože tie dary boli na to, aby preukázali Jeho totožnosť. Múdri mužovia, dnes, ktorí dokážu odvrátiť svoj zrak od cirkevníctva a od všetkých vecí tohoto sveta, na Živé Božie Slovo! A Boh preukáže totožnosť Svojho Syna pomocou Svojho Slova, pretože to je to, čo On je. "Ja a môj Otec sme jedno." A: "Na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh ... A to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." A to isté Slovo je dnes, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A múdry človek nasleduje Toto, pretože to je to, o čo sa Boh stará, aby pomocou toho preukázal Svoju totožnosť. Amen! On sa stará o Dar! O skutočný potvrdený Boží dar, Boh to takto prenáša cez všetko, aby skrze to preukázal Svoju totožnosť.
99A takto bola preukázaná Kristova totožnosť: pomocou zlata, myrhy a kadiva, skrze tých mužov, ktorí naznačovali a ukazovali v symboloch, čím má byť Jeho život. Vidíte? Boh zjavený do služby, aby zomrel, aby mohol vykúpiť národ, pretože On mal spasiť Svoj ľud od hriechu. Nie spasiť svet, spasiť svoj ľud od ich hriechov. Biblia tu hovorí: "V jeho meno budú dúfať národy." Vidíte? Národy budú dúfať v Jeho meno. Amen! Inými slovami, nevesta, vyvolaní z iných národov budú dúfať v meno Ježiša Krista: "V jeho meno budú dúfať národy." No, Boh ich viedol, lebo oni boli ... dary, ktoré oni niesli pasovali do toho času.
100Všimnite si! Ako som povedal, Boh mal ... On rozdelil Svoje Slovo na počiatku, v Genesis. Môžem zobrať Genesis a ukázať vám v Biblii každý vek, až tu do tohoto veku. Všetky tie kulty a všetko čo dnes máme. Presne vám môžem ukázať kde v Genesis oni boli. Vidíte?
101Boh dal toľkoto Svojho Slova sem, toľkoto sem, toľkoto sem, na každý vek. A potom poslal dole proroka, pomazaného, aby sa to Slovo vyplnilo, a to znázornilo toho ďalšieho, ktorý prichádzal. Vidíte? Ako Mesiáš, stále znázorňovaný. Každý prorok znázorňoval Jeho vlastný život, Jeho vlastnú bytosť, Slovo, ktoré bolo dané na ten deň. Prišiel a vyplnil to napísané Slovo a predpovedal čo bude ten ďalší. A každý z nich hovoril o Ňom (amen), pretože On bol plnosťou, On bol hlavou prorokov, On bol Slovo Božie, tí proroci to bol On. Amen! Tu Ho máte. Všimnite si! Aké ohromné, to čo On bol: každý jeden z týchto prorokov.
102Potom, keď On prišiel, On bol plnosťou všetkých tých prorokov, zamanifestovaný; pretože oni boli Slovom Pánovým, a On sám povedal: "Ak ste ich nazývali bohmi, tých ku ktorým prišlo Slovo, ako Mňa môžete odsudzovať, keď hovorím, že som Syn Boží?" Vidíte? I tí v tom veku boli ukázaní ako bohovia, sám Boh ich nazýva 'bohmi'. Čo oni boli? Oni boli manifestáciou Jeho Slova. A tu bol On, plnosť Slova, stelesnená Božia podstata, Boh zjavený v tele.
103Dávajte pozor! Lebo tieto dary, ktoré priniesli títo mužovia, oni to nemohli priniesť nejakému prorokovi. To by nebolo správne. Vidíte? Tie dary by nepasovali ku Eliášovi, nepasovali by ku Mojžišovi, oni museli pasovať ku Nemu. A pretože tieto dary boli presne určené na tento deň, a pomocou týchto darov malo byť ukázané kto On je, tak tu prichádza sám Boh a chráni to. A staral sa tam o nich dva roky, až kým oni nenašli to Dokonalé Svetlo. Ako to pasuje!
104To isté je dnes. Máme ľudí, sú to takí verní, milí ľudia, úprimní ľudia. Ale, vidíte, ešte niečo povstane, Boh to stále robil, aby ukázal aký je toto deň. Toto je ten deň, keď je povedané, že sa majú stať tieto veci. Nebude ich veľa, len veľmi, veľmi málo, ktorí budú spasení. Biblia tak hovorí. Bude ich len hŕstka.
105Sám Ježiš povedal: "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, kde osem duší bolo zachránených." Osem duší, z generácie podobnej ako táto. "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho." Čo to bolo? Veľkí, vzdelaní ľudia, veľkí robotníci, veľkí stavitelia, veľkí vo všetkom čo mali. Možno že táto civilizácia je práve ako tá, mali veľké veci. "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka." Vidíte? Boh mal Noeho, aby ukázal, čo je Jeho zasľúbené Slovo. To presne pasovalo. Archa pasovala ku Slovu Božiemu, ktoré on hovoril, že: "On zničí človeka." Ale on spasil čo mohol.
106A teraz, títo múdri mužovia, ktorí niesli svoje dary, oni ukázali. Ich dary ukázali čo To bolo, a preto Boh chránil tieto dary na každom kroku, ktorý urobili. On to chránil až kým neprišli s týmito darmi, pretože oni pasovali do toho času. Či to moja cirkev rozumie? To je to čo sa deje teraz! Dúfam, že vám to neprechádza ponad hlavu. Musím to hovoriť takmer v podobenstve, viete. Ale vidíte to? To sú tie veci, ktoré sa práve dejú a pasujú na tento deň, Laodicea. Toto je ten vhodný čas, preto To Boh chránil. Vidíte, preniesol to cez všetko, aby preukázal Svoju totožnosť. Dary, hoci to stojí život, dalo im to do cesty kameň úrazu. To je dopasovaný čas, tak veru, pasuje na tento deň. Preto to Boh tak chránil. On To bude chrániť, až kým to nesplní Jeho účel.
107Ó, čítal som nedávno príbeh, spomenul som si, niečo v tomto zmysle. Bolo veľké mesto, tu v tomto národe a ... New York. A bolo to na štedrý večer. A bola tam chudobná rodina - chudáci. Otec mal tuberkulózu a bol ... a jeho žena mala tuberkulózu. Žili pod úrovňou a on bol taký ... on bol slabý a tak nikto by ho nenajal. Nemal vzdelanie, a ľudia ho nechceli.
108On bol proste odstrčený, stal sa tulákom. Len ... viete čo je to tulák, len chodí a zbiera niečo, predáva to a niečo za to dostane, to málo čo z toho získali z toho sa snažili žiť. Len ... ako drobný predavač či niečo také, na ulici; išiel a kúpil špendlíky a ihly a náprstky, a čo len mohol. A kúpil to, možno že kúpili balíček za cent a predali to za päť centov a tak zarobili štyri centy na balíčku, a možno za celý deň. Vy poviete: "To je veľká zákazka." Ale predstavte si len, on to predával celý deň. Možno mohol zarobiť dvadsať, tridsať centov za deň, a mal rodinu.
109A jeho žena zoslabla a zomrela.
110A prichádzali Vianoce. A u jeho malého dievčatka sa prejavila ... z podvýživy, nemala poriadnu stravu a všetko; tiež dostala tuberkulózu. A ona bola maličká, okolo osem, deväť alebo desať ročná. A ona nikdy na Vianoce nemala bábiku. A to ona chcela ako darček, bábiku.
111A otec nebol schopný zabezpečiť jej lekársku starostlivosť a tak ďalej, a videl ako to malé dievčatko rýchlo odchádza, a snažil sa ako len mohol, aby našetril dosť peňazí a mohol jej na Vianoce kúpiť bábiku; či bude mať dosť peňazí, aby jej kúpil malú bábiku! A tak prichádzali Vianoce, nastalo zlé počasie a to malé dievčatko dostalo zápal pľúc, och, len niekoľko týždňov pred vianocami. A otec, so skutočne zlámaným srdcom, išiel ku svojej plechovici a vybral peniaze. A myslel o svojom dievčatku, že ona chcela bábiku, ako malé dievčatká. Vidíte? To je nastávajúca maminka.
112Vidíte ako malé dievčatko, ono sa ide hrať s bábikou, pretože ona je ... to je jej povaha, raz s nej bude matka. Jedného dňa bude z nej matka, ak bude žiť, a tak ďalej. Viete, to je v jej povahe. Preto sa malé dievčatko chce hrať s bábikou, ona sa chce o ňu starať; pretože nakoniec, ona je malou, zatiaľ neprejavenou, malou matkou.
113A ona chcela malú bábiku, ona nikdy žiadnu nemala. A otecko šetril ako len mohol, aby jej kúpil malú bábiku. Ale ona zomrela.
114A otec tak trochu strácal rozum. Jeho žena zomrela, jeho malé dievčatko, a jeho rozum sa dostával do takého stavu, že až ... stále, každý večer prichádzal ku posteli a rozprával sa s týmto malým dievčatkom, hoci ona bola už pochovaná. Ale on si myslel, že sa s ňou rozpráva a hovorí jej: "No, moja maličká, už zanedlho ti otecko na Vianoce kúpi tú bábiku. A otecko ti sľúbil bábiku, a ja ti ju kúpim."
115Nakoniec prišli Vianoce. A samozrejme, viete ako to je. Tí bohatí majú svoje zábavy; a horia sviečky, a v kostoloch sú veľké slávnostné omše, a hovoria o Ježišovi a tak ďalej (v kostoloch), a vykonávajú všetky možné ceremónie pri omši a spevy a koledy a všetko možné. Oni ani trochu nevedeli čo sa za týmto všetkým odohráva tam vzadu v aleji.
116Tento biedny človek, on sa zbláznil. On tak veľmi chcel, aby jeho dievčatko malo tú bábiku, pretože ona ju tak veľmi chcela. A tak on išiel a kúpil jej malú ošarpanú bábiku, asi za tridsať centov; kúpil také niečo malé ufúľané, dole na kraji ulici. A bola tuhá, studená noc, vial studený vietor a silne snežilo; v New Yorku, rovno na pobreží.
117A ulice sa naplnili; a ľudia vo svojich veľkých limuzínach. A večierky pri alkohole, opití ľudia, oslavovali narodenie Krista a to o čom sme dnes hovorili, a chceli si nahovoriť, že to je správne čo robia; zapíjali proste svoje žiale a všetko, a že to tak treba. Oni všetci ...
118Jedného dňa, keď som stál v obchode, nejaká žena hovorila o tom čo ... stretli sa tam dve dievčatá a chceli vedieť, čo má ktorá pre svojho otca. A jedna povedala: "No, on ..." Ona mu kúpila kartón nejakých cigariet. A tá druhá povedala, že mu kúpila pol litra pálenky a balíček kariet. No, či to má byť pamätný dar pri príležitosti narodenia sa Pána Ježiša Krista. A tak to chodí, viete, všetko je to len v peknej pozlátke. Ale nie je v tom ani trochu vianoc.
119A tak teraz vidíme, tento biedny človek, on chodil sem a tam. On vo svojom srdci vedel, že jeho dievčatko zomrelo, ale aj tak išiel a kúpil tú bábiku. Myslel si: "Ja len pôjdem a niekde ju tu nájdem. Ona bude tu pri ceste a ja ju nájdem." A pustil sa po ceste.
120On si nemohol robiť blázna, ona nebola tam v tej malej chatrči, v tej ošúchanej, ufúľanej posteli, ale ona bola pochovaná. A tak, on to vedel. On si myslel, že ju nájde na ulici. Povedal si: "Ja stále len pôjdem." A prechádzal tými alejami, zatiaľ čo ľudia spievali svoje koledy a zabávali sa. A on išiel tou alejou, niesol tú malú ufúľanú bábiku; držal ju pod kabátom, pritískal ku srdcu a myslel na svoje malé dievčatko.
121A nakoniec sa stalo, že ho uvidel policajt, a ten policajt mal sám už v sebe niekoľko kalíškov, a pobehol do tej aleji a chytil toho človeka a zvrtol ho. Opýtal sa: "Čo sa tu potuluješ?"
122A on povedal: "Pane, nesiem svojmu malému dievčatku túto bábiku."
123On sa opýtal: "Kde bývaš?" A on mu povedal kde býva. On povedal: "Ideš opačným smerom, si opitý. Vráť sa tam tou cestou."
124On povedal: "Pane, nie som opitý. Sľúbil som svojmu malému dievčatku, že jej na Vianoce dám darček." A povedal: "Vhodný darček pre malé dievčatko je bábika."
125A on povedal: "Ukáž mi ju." A tak on mu ukázal malú, ošúchanú, ufúľanú bábiku. A on ju držal na svojej ... blízko pri srdci, držal túto bábiku, keď ju ... Tak ten policajt, sám napoly opitý, mu ukázal cestu a odišiel. Ten človek išiel tou alejou, a silno snežilo.
126No, skončili sa polnočné večierky. Do rána napadlo snehu, vyšlo slnko. A tak oni museli ... všetci tí ľudia boli zo svojich veselých večierkov ... na čelách mali studený obklad, lebo veľa pili pri oslavách narodenia sa Krista. A mnohí z nich boli zachrípnutí z vystrájania a z toho všetkého.
127Ale tam dole v aleji našli toho biedneho človeka. A keď ho obrátili, na svojom srdci držal tú malú bábiku. Myslím, že jej doniesol svoj dar. Bol to vhodný dar. (Bože, buď milostivý.) Aj keď ho to stálo život. Nie je na svete inej cesty, ako by jej bol mohol dať ten dar, ona bola pochovaná. Ale toto bol jediný spôsob, ako to mohol urobiť. Tá malá bábika hádam neznamenala tak veľa, tá malá ufúľaná bábika, ale to ... čo on urobil? On vyplnil zasľúbenie, ktoré jej dal. Bez ohľadu na to čo si ľudia o tom mysleli, v jeho špinavých rukách bola malá, ufúľaná bábika, ale to vyplnilo zasľúbenie, ktoré dal svojmu malému dievčatku.
128Jedného času sa oni dívali na evanjelium, keď spievali a hrali, oni to nechceli, keď to Boh priniesol, ale to vyplnilo zasľúbenie, že On dá Svojho Syna. A viete čo? Oni Ho tiež nechali zomrieť, tak ako tuláka na ulici. Presne tak, oni Ho nechali zomrieť ako tuláka na ulici. A dnes s Ním zachádzajú ako s tulákom na ulici, ale On vyplnil to čo mal. On bol darom, ktorý Boh zasľúbil svetu.
129Dnes večer, nechajte ma nech Ho prijmem do svojho srdca ako svojho Spasiteľa. Nechajte ma ísť na smrť, alebo na čokoľvek také. Ja som Jemu sľúbil svoj život. Ja ho zanesiem Jemu. Nezáleží čo musím podstúpiť. či musím ísť na smrť, či musím byť zastrelený; nezáleží na tom čo sa deje, alebo či musím byť vysmiaty, nazvaný bláznom, čímkoľvek, vylúčený od všetkých kresťanských cirkví, a tak ďalej, ja ... to je dar Boží, ktorý mám vo svojom srdci. On to dal, ja to chcem priniesť Jemu.
Skloňme na chvíľu svoje hlavy:
130Hovorím o vhodných daroch, to bol vhodný dar, pretože to malé dievčatko ... ona bola malým dievčatkom, malou matkou (bola by ňou), a vhodným darom bola bábika. Vhodný dar, ktorý Boh, Stvoriteľ, mohol dať svojmu stvoreniu, bol Spasiteľ aby spasil stvorenie zo stavu v ktorom sa nachádzali. Som zvedavý, dnes večer, keď teraz pristupu- jeme ku Vianociam, a myslím, že toto je posledné posolstvo, ktoré sme počuli, od teraz do Vianoc, jedine že by sme počúvali nejaké posolstvo z rádia.
131Som zvedavý, dnes večer, či sme prijali dar, ktorý nám Boh zasľúbil: Večný život skrze vieru v Krista a prijatie Ducha Svätého. Ak ste to neprijali, chceli by ste prijať Boží opravdový, skutočný, vianočný dar, zodvihli by ste svoje ruky? Povedzte: "Brat Branham, ja neviem, voľakedy som tomu veril. Dával som pozor na to čo robím. A som tak trochu v pochybnostiach." Už viac o Tom nepochybujte, priatelia.
132Je príliš neskoro, aby ste teraz pochybovali. Buďme si toho skutočne istí. Povedzte: "Modli sa za mňa, brat Branham a ja chcem ... Božím darom pre svet je Ježiš Kristus. Chcem aby toto boli opravdové Vianoce. Prijímam do srdca Ducha Svätého. Ktorý ma bude môcť preniesť cez všetky búrky života a jedného dňa budem môcť prísť do Jeho prítomnosti s týmto darom večného života. On ma prijme na tomto základe, to je jediný spôsob ako to On urobí."
133No, máte dnes večer ten správny dar? Ten správny postoj? "Otče, budem Ťa nasledovať kdekoľvek pôjdeš. Čokoľvek povieš, aby som urobil, urobím. Čokoľvek mi povie tvoje Slovo, aby som urobil, urobím. Tak veru, nestarám sa o to, čo ktokoľvek hovorí, ja to urobím, pretože chcem Tvoj Dar; to je Život, a Kristus je Slovo."
134Ak nedokážete veriť celému Slovu, a poviete: "No, neviem, verím tomuto, verím tomu, ale s týmto proste nemôžem súhlasiť, s tamtým nemôžem súhlasiť." Si ako jeden z tých sedemdesiatych, ktorí odišli. Oni nedokázali uznať celé Slovo a prijať Krista v plnosti Jeho božstva a Jeho služby; a byť pripravený zomrieť, ako On zomrel za teba.
135Tak, zodvihli by ste svoje ruky, so svojimi sklonenými hlavami, a povedali: "Pomodlíš sa za mňa?" Nech ťa Boh žehná. I teba nech Boh žehná. Nech ťa Boh žehná. Áno, vidím vaše ruky. Pán vás požehná, skutočne. Tento malý dar, Kristov, ktorý Boh poslal svetu; a preukázal ho cez ... tí mágovia to preukázali, preukázal to Jeho vlastný život, Jeho smrť to preukázala, Jeho vzkriesenie to preukázalo, vaše prijatie to preukázalo, A On sa sám preukazuje vami, že vy ste Jeho a On je váš. Ak nie ste skutočne ... vidíte, reakcia Ducha Svätého, ktorý pôsobí vo vás, v tomto vianočnom čase, nech to teraz príde na vás.
136Nebeský Otče, zatiaľ čo sa moceme ako ten tulák po ulici, nikto ho na nič nepotreboval. Svet bežal ďalej vo svojich nezmyselných oslavách, tak je to aj dnes večer, Pane. Ale niekedy sa cítime ako ten tulák, ale my sme prijali Dar. A tak sa modlíme, Otče, aby si z nás urobil dar, svetlo pre tento zomierajúci svet. Mnohí tu zodvihli svoje ruky, že chcú Boží dar, ktorý On ... On sám musel dať Svojho jediného Syna, prišiel dole a stal sa človekom. On sa tak veľmi ponížil, že oni ani ... On prišiel v takej poníženosti a pokore, že nemal ani posteľ v ktorej by sa narodil. Krava musela ... alebo kôň, alebo niečo muselo poskytnúť svoju maštaľ, nejaké zviera sa muselo odstúpiť, ľudia tam boli v takom stave. On sa narodil v maštali, v malej stajni, v jaskyni pod brehom tam v Betleheme, kde pred mnohými rokmi syn nejakej smilnici založil malé mestečko.
137A teraz, Pane, dozvedeli sme sa, že jedného večera, jedného studeného večera, Mu povedali: "Rabbi, chceme ísť dnes večer s Tebou domov."
138A On povedal: "Dobre, no, vtáci majú svoje hniezda, a líšky majú diery, ale Ja nemám ... ani miesto, kde by som hlavu sklonil." A tak Ho nechali zomrieť, ako tuláka na ulici.
139Nebeský Otče, či sú schopní kres- ... či sú dnes ľudia schopní vidieť, že To je ten veľký dar? A mnohí tu, dnes večer, hádam viac ako tucet, zodvihli ruky, že chcú prijať Ducha Svätého. Možno to bude tak ako pri tých mudrcoch, že možno nikto ďalší zo zhromaždenia ani neuvidí čo sa deje. A táto hviezda, toto tajomné svetlo prechádzalo dva roky ponad observatóriá, z ktorých vtedy ešte i určovali čas, prv ako boli hodiny, oni určovali čas podľa hviezd. Nikto, žiadny historik to nezaznamenal. Nikto o tom nič nevedel, a predsa to tam bolo. A títo mudrci, so svojimi vhodnými darmi, boli vedení cez to všetko rovno ku tomu. Nech tu dnes večer, to isté svetlo príde do srdca každého, kto je tu prítomný. Možno to nebude žiadna emócia, možno to nebude toto, tamto, a možno nikto druhý o tom nebude vedieť, tak ako pri tých mudrcoch. Ale nech sa niečo v srdciach týchto mužov, žien, chlapcov a dievčat dnes večer tak usídli, že ten Boží dar pomaže ich život. Že od tohoto večera budú premenení. Už nebudú viac takí ako boli. Od teraz budú zmeneným stvorením. Nech sa obrátia, tak ako tí mudrci, a nejdú naspäť do módy tohoto sveta, ku Herodesovi do kráľovského palácu: "Ale súc varovaní od Boha, obrátili sa a išli inou cestou." Udeľ im toho, Pane.
140Modlím sa teraz, aby každý múdry muž, chlapec alebo dievča, každý kto tu je dnes večer ... Muž alebo žena, ktorí sú dostatočne múdri, aby sa odvrátili dnes večer od vecí tohoto sveta, nechoďte od tohoto dňa už viac naspäť. Aby po uplynutí tohoto dňa a noci nešli viac naspäť do vecí tohoto sveta, ale nech sú múdri. A tento nepatrný tajomný hlas, ktorý spôsobil, že zodvihli svoje ruky a povedali: "Áno, ja chcem Boží dar" ... Nech tá istá vec, ktorá spôsobila, že zodvihli svoje ruky, stotožní ich dnes večer s Jeho smrťou, pohrebom, a zmŕtvychvstaním, tým že im dá Ducha Svätého. Nech sa obrátia.
141Pane, nech tieto ženy tu dnes večer, ktoré mali také problémy aby nenapodobovali ten svet; nech si nechajú rásť vlasy, nech sa obliekajú ako sa patrí na dámy a odložia nabok tento make-up a všetko, toto umelé, čo ukazuje ... to je určitý druh prejavu, že nie sú zdravé, že niečo nie je s nimi v poriadku. A nech dnes večer, toto malé tajomné svetlo, Pane, ktoré spôsobilo, že zodvihli svoje ruky, nech spôsobí že povedia: "Pane, ja sa dnes večer odvraciam od vecí tohoto sveta."
142Títo mužovia, ktorí nemali to niečo skutočné, aby povedali niečo svojim ženám a odviedli ich od toho; od tých vecí, ktoré robia. Pane, nech sa všetci spolu dnes večer odvrátime od toho, Boh nás varuje týmto zvláštnym, prostým posolstvom, Božím svetlom, ktoré zasvietilo do našich sŕdc. Aby sme sa odvrátili dnes večer a žili pre Teba ten zvyšok našich dní, išli domov s Tebou, inou cestou než ako sme doteraz putovali. Udeľ nám toho, Pane. Urob nás lepších kresťanov, každého kresťana, ktorý je tu dnes večer, Otče, ktorí Ťa prijali a veria Ti. A oni sa snažili žiť kresťanským životom, ale dnes večer, nech sa obrátia, nech prijmú ten Dar.
143Ó Bože, to je cesta, ktorou ľudia pohŕdajú. Ženy budú nazývať, že sú staromódne, budú ich nazývať všetkým možným. A mužov budú nazývať fanatikmi. Ale sme pripravení, Pane.
144Duchu Svätý, obráť nás, hneď teraz. Obráť ma, Pane. Nechcem ísť žiadnou cestou, ktorá by ma odvádzala od Teba. Pane, chcem ísť presne tou cestou, po ktorej Ty chceš aby som išiel. Chcem aby dar môjho srdca bol taký dokonalý, aby presne zjavoval Teba, Pane, na zemi, že Ty nie si mŕtvy, ale že žiješ.
145Ty si Boh živých, nie Boh mŕtvych. Mŕtvy je celý pokrytý muchami, a mäsiarkami, liahnu sa na ňom vajíčka a je viac múch; ako človek, ktorý vypije svoj prvý kalištek, vyfajčí prvú cigaretu, povie prvé klamstvo, prvý krát podvedie svoju ženu; alebo žena, ktorá prvý krát podvedie svojho muža, alebo urobí niečo zlé; to je ako mäsiarka, ktorá ich napadne, oni sa nahromadia ... idú do rán a špiny, pretože to je vo vnútri na mŕtvej duši. Zlé duchy sa púšťajú do toho. Jeden nečistý duch ho navedie, že niečo urobí; a prichádza ďalší a navedie ho, že urobil niečo ďalšie, pretože oni toto robili.
146Bože, nech sa oni obrátia a prídu do života. Nech povstanú, a nech prídu anjeli Boží s darmi večného života, Pane, a nech chodia od víťazstva k víťazstvu. Udeľ toho, Otče. Obraciame sa dnes večer, od vecí tohoto sveta a od starostí tohoto sveta, varovaní od Boha, že čas je na blízku, Ježiš prichádza naspäť na zem. A nech nám dá ten veľký Duch Svätý dnes večer, ten večný život na ktorý očakávame. Udeľ nám toho, Pane. Prosíme aby si nám udelil tieto veľké požehnania, prosíme o to v mene Ježiša Krista.
So sklonenými hlavami:
147Tí mudrci dávno predtým prišli ku tomu ... nasledovali to svetlo ku ... našli dokonalé svetlo. A nech to malé svetlo, dnes večer, ktoré spôsobilo, že ste zodvihli ruku, alebo možno ste ani ... Ono vás zasiahlo, ale vy ste ani nezodvihli ruku, nech vás to svetlo vedie rovno do toho dokonalého svetla.
Povstaňme všetci ku krátkemu odovzdaniu sa.
148Urobme tu dnes večer svoje malé srdce miestom na prebývanie pre Krista. Pamätajte, dnes večer na môj divný príbeh o tom tulákovi. Dnes, skutočne, Ježiš Kristus je tým tulákom na ulici. Je to tak. On bol tulákom na ulici. Ó, áno, vy hovoríte: "My Mu slúžime." Naozaj. Všetok ten lesk a nádhera, to nie je On. To nie je On. On musel zomrieť aby vám priniesol tento Dar, nie bábiku, ale život. On musel zomrieť, aby to urobil, aby vám to priniesol, jediný spôsob ako vám to mohol priniesť. On vám to nemohol priniesť len tým, že sem prišiel a bol dokonalým človekom, akým On bol. On to tak nemohol urobiť. On, aby to urobil, musel zomrieť, aby vám priniesol ten Boží dar. Ako musel zomrieť ten tulák, aby zaniesol tú bábiku svojmu dievčatku, tak musel zomrieť Kristus, aby priviedol ku vám Boha. My to dnes večer chceme prijať. A ja verím, so svojimi sklonenými hlavami ... a zodvihnime len svoje ruky ku Bohu a nanovo Mu odovzdajme svoje životy, rovno tu, dnes večer.
149Ó milostivý Bože, my chceme Tvoj dar. Som tu, keď tento vianočný čas, Pane, keď si uvedomujem, dívam sa na zem a vidím ten lesk a nádheru tohoto dňa, môžem proste za tým vidieť, ako povedala Biblia, že v tomto Laodicejskom veku si vonku zo svojej cirkvi. Že si odmietnutý, utečencom pred svojou vlastnou cirkvou a svojím vlastným ľudom. Si odmietnutý. Utečenec, to je niekto, kto je odmietnutý. A Ty si odmietnutý vo svojej vlastnej cirkvi. Si odmietnutý medzi svojimi ľuďmi. Oni Ťa nechcú, Pane, a oni Ťa nechali na ulici, ako toho tuláka. Bože, Ty si išiel ďalej, jednako si zomrel, aby si nám mohol priniesť Boží dar. A my ho pokorne prijímame, Pane. Prosím aby si naplnil naše srdcia a naše životy. A obráť nás, od tohoto večera a ďalej, a nech sme úplne Tvoji, ako sa Ti tu odovzdávame.
150Prijmi ma, Pane. Urobil som v živote mnoho chýb. A, drahý Bože, ako tu stojím na tomto posvätenom mieste, kde sa káže evanjelium a tu kde sme Ťa videli, dokonca vo veľkom svetle, ktoré nás osvietilo. A my sme za toto tak vďační, Pane. Odovzdávam sa Ti v týchto vianociach, nie tak ako to robí svet, ani nie prevrátiť druhú stranu. Pane, ja chcem proste prijať Tvojho Syna. Chcem prijať Tvoj dar, Pane.
151Chcem prijať dar večného života skrze Krista. A ja, skutočne, Pane, prijímam Kristov dar, aby som sa snažil vydobyť ďalších pre Neho. Choď s každým jedným.
152Urob tú prostú ženu v domácnosti takou milou a pokornou, aby bola schopná priviesť ku Tebe iných. Dar, ktorý si jej dal, tú ženskosť, ako sa sluší na dámu, nech je ona taká slušná, že až si to všimnú susedia a budú chcieť byť ako ona.
153Urob aby muž, pracovník, čokoľvek on je, Pane; urob aby žil pokorný život, ako Kristus, aby to iní mohli vidieť. My nevieme, kde sa tí ľudia nachádzajú, Otče, ale nikdy nechceme opustiť tú pôdu, tú starú hradskú; ale sa budeme nakláňať dozadu, dopredu, načahovať sa všade, aby sme získali dušu. Daj to na náš dosah, Pane, prosíme. A daj, aby sme žili životom, ktorý spôsobí, že ľudia budú chcieť tak žiť, pri tom ako sa Ti dnes večer odovzdávame. V mene Ježiša Krista. Amen.
A teraz, sklonili by ste znovu hlavy, chcem vám popriať každému jednému skutočne veselé Vianoce.
154Nech tá veľká vianočná prítomnosť, toho prvého a jediného, a originálneho, a toho jediného ktorý je, Ježiša Krista, je občerstvená dnes večer vo vašich srdciach. Nech príde na vás Duch Svätý a prinesie vám dary do služby a veci od Boha, aby ste ... dar, aby ste mohli žiť lepším životom. To je to čo chcem. Radšej by som mal v sebe Kristov život, aby som žil milo a víťazne, než ako mať všetky dary uzdravovania, dary proroctiev, všetky tie ostatné dary; len mi dajte Ježiša. Nech žijem tým životom, ten život, to je to čo chcem žiť. Chcem tak žiť, aby to ostatní mohli poznať. To je moja vianočná túžba, a modlím sa, aby to bola vaša túžba. A modlím sa, aby nám Boh splnil naše túžby.
155No, dajme slovo pastorovi a nech nás rozpustí. A Boh nech vás žehná. Uvidíme sa v stredu večer.
1 Thank you, Brother Neville. [Brother Neville says, "God Bless you, brother."--Ed.] The Lord bless you, brother.
Evening, friends. I just got in, a while ago, and I thought I could come down and wish you all a "Merry Christmas."
2And so I didn't know I'd have this grand privilege to talk to you on the Word of the Lord. And so Brother Neville asked me, and I had several little Christmas texts that I been using, one of them up at--at Phoenix and down at Tucson, different places around there, a regular Christmas message. And I thought, tonight, I'd just speak on a little something here that the Lord put upon my mind recently, as I was up in Colorado.
3 And I was thinking on something at Christmas time, and I got about five or six of the little jots wrote down here, Scriptures and things. The... I don't... I guess Brother Neville and all ministers do that. You... seem like something comes to you, and you jot it down. You wait a while, and you put it down. I put it on a tablet of paper, just on a tablet of paper. Then when I called on sometime, I'll look back through here and say, "What was this now that I got a-hold of?" That's the way, when we're called real quick, you know.
4Used to be, I... when I was younger, I could just... my mind was full, I could just think this right now, I didn't have to wait, I think "Ten days ago I was a certain, certain place. That's the text. Here it is, and here it goes."
5You know, since I've passed a few milestones, Brother Higginbotham, and crossed a few rivers, that it just don't come that way no more, getting a little far up the road. But it... as Brother Neville said, a while ago, "We're getting closer, closer Home."
6 It's good to be back home. I, coming back, why, awful snowy. And there's... and heard of the accidents and things, so many of them on the road, and people being killed. And just think of how many hundreds will lose their life now, between tonight and after New Year's, how many Americans will die! And you know, some of us might be right here, tonight. And it just depends on now, that... our condition before God. It's a sad nation, this Brother said, sadness everywhere. And our flag has been hanging, thirty days, half-mast, all because of sin and people who would not accept God's way of--of--of things.
7 Even if we can disagree with a person, if we can't yet do it in a brotherly way, and then... See, if Christ is in the heart, then no matter how much you disagree with the man, you still got love for him and respect. I disagree with many men, many times. But still, I've never seen one yet I disagreed with that I ever thought of anymore that "put my arm around him and call him 'my brother,' try to help him the best I could." I disagree with him because that I think maybe that upon disagreeing that he... What he believes, that I might not believe just like him, but... and so forth, but now I might try to project my way to him as he projects his to me, and get them together and comb out and see what we got, but disagreement like that. Just far as it comes to... we should never get angry or want to hurt, or destroy or anything. We should always be trying to build up.
8 Got a cold spell going on here, haven't we? Seventy-two when I left Tucson, and when the sun went down and got dark, it was still sixty-nine. So, then come back up here, I'm just a-shivering all up, you know. I... All that snowy road, and below zero, and ice and everything, I had to get all used to it again. It's so strange how you can get so "climatized" in such a--a little way. And since I left you, I didn't have hardly a chance to get survived up. I got a... like a sinus in the--the weather in here, and as I get older... And I was born and raised in here. But when, you see, when you're young, you got something, you can throw off; but when you get older, why, you begin to find out that something isn't there. It used to be, you could just forget about it. You... there's something there that--that just won't throw off like it did when you was a kid, so I find out that way that I... that warm climate, for an old man, kind of helps a little bit.
9 I remember coming down that Utica Pike up there, as a kid (seven, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen years old), no shoes on (tennis shoes) and it eight or ten below zero, and tennis shoes, the toes out of them. And not... now that ain't walking down like the street here, but busting the snow. There's no automobiles coming down, there might be a wagon track once in a while. Come down that highway of a morning, little old coat on, no shirt, and it pinned up like this, no more than what got on right now; soaking wet to my knees, go right on in and pay no attention to it. See, hardly have a cold. But that was about forty-five years ago. So, a whole lot of weakening, gone a lot of miles and built up on the speedometer, you know, so we just don't take it like we used to.
10I seen Brother Capps raise his head up. You're too young to think them thoughts now. And so wait till you get up where Brother Neville and I are, then--then you'll--you'll think a lot of things different, kind of weakens down.
11 Well, we've had great times in the Lord. The Lord has blessed us tremendously, and I'm so thankful. And I come back. I think, next Sunday, the Lord willing, I want, if Brother Neville doesn't care, the... I got a service, at least Sunday morning and maybe Sunday night, a healing service for Sunday night. Sunday morning I got an important message, if the Lord be willing for me to deliver it. I haven't thought up my text... no more than just my text yet, no context to it, because I--I... not without--without any, you know, revelation from the Lord, but just in myself. I--I want to express something Sunday that I hope will kind of help out a little bit along these ways.
12I've got to go now into the field, and I've got just every day almost taken up everywhere. I think Billy was telling me, among the itinerary, that I got two or three days that I could come home in April after I leave here, go back to Tucson, and that about settles it then. And then on till next November, October, when I get back to this side again from overseas.
13 Now, two more days till Christmas. One more day, isn't it? That'd be two. Monday... Tuesday's Christmas Eve? Tuesday's Christmas Eve. Isn't it awful to see that this great holiday, that we're approaching, is approached in the manner that it's approached in? It's such a pitiful thing, such a--a--a rashel thing, to think that--that rabbits and a--a myth called "Kriss Kringle" (Santa Claus) and everything, has taken the real value away from what Christmas is.
14Now, we don't... we--we don't know, and I certainly do not believe... I was just coming down, my wife's back there, and I... coming down the road, was listening at an astronomer; that now, they just fell on the idea which an astronomer told me many, many years ago, when I was just a game warden here in Indiana. When they told me that... how those stars came together, just like that first astronomer did and that formed, what they said would be a natural thing that happens every, I believe he said tonight, eight hundred years, or something like that. And it reforms itself again, of: Sargas and Jupiter, and I forget; and Mart-... Mars; no, I... that's wrong. It's some of the stars how they speed when they cross their orbits in line of the earth, and this astronomer tonight was trying to tell that it actually was a natural thing. I--I don't--I don't accept that. I believe it was a supernatural thing, that God did. He, things is supernatural with God. He is Supernatural.
15 And--and I looked down and know that this is facing back now to April, I've... the Lord willing for me to live that long, I'll be fifty-five years old. See? And I--I know the... But looking back on my life, and I wonder where it happened. From them first little Christmases, when we hang up our stockings, and Mama would get... We'd probably get an orange, and two or three little pieces of striped candy, and that was a great Christmas to us. But, you know, kids they--they look forward for them gifts. We--we find out that--that Christmas is to the... is mainly children, they--they look forward to that nowadays. It it's turned off to the children. But it really should be adults; it should be teaching their children what real Christmas is.
16 And I totally do not believe that--that Christ could be born on a twenty-fifth day of December, in Judaea, because it's colder than it is right here now. See? Oh, and how could the shepherds be keeping their flocks by night? And--and then the taxation and everything, and Mary having to come that far, from way down in Bethlehem up into Judaea, up into Jerusalem, rather, at the... for the taxation. I--I--I hardly could--could--could believe that. Come up, I believe she come to Nazareth, and so when... How that--that could be done. It could not be--be done, but I believe that Christ was born in a spring, because in every way He was a Lamb. See? And notice, He was born in a barn, and not a house.
17And when they took Him to the cross (the others), as far as we know, that he never said about Him leading them, but they led Him. Did you know a lamb or a sheep has to be led to the slaughter? It--it will not go to the slaughter, you--you have to lead it there. And usually it's a goat that leads the sheep. In the--in the killing pens, they have a goat. And the goat will walk up this runway, till he gets up to get the sheep started down the runway to be killed, and then the goat will jump out. But when they come a time they going to kill the goat, he really kicks up a fuss (he has to go in) because you couldn't blame him. But--but it's a--a thing how a sheep has to be led, and He was led to the slaughter. They led Him. He was a Lamb. And I believe in that way being altogether nature, and lambs are born in March, April, and somewhere along in there, not later than May. And I don't believe it was anything before March and anything after May, sometime along in there.
18 But when the church, Christianity, was married into Romanism, was at the Nicaea Council, when they accepted... the Roman nation accepted Christianity and made what they called the universal religion, was Christianity. They made the universal religion, and they worshipped idols, and they had a sun-god.
19And right now, from the--from the twenty-first to the twenty-fifth, the sun almost stands in its same track as it's passing. What is it you call that? Been a... I thought I knew it, but I can't think of it. When the sun's--is... it--it gains so much time and loses so much time, until the twenty-first, between twenty-first and twenty-fifth of December. Oh, I forget what they call it. What? [Someone in congregation says "Eclipse?"--Ed.] No, the eclipse is when it passes, the sun and moon passes together. It's something in there, oh, I--I--I can almost say it but can't right now. However, it's that standstill of the sun which is called by the Romans (that's when the circus went on), it was called the sun-god's birthday. They celebrated it from the twenty-first to the twenty-fifth of December.
20 So then, being that this was converted, Rome into... Christianity was accepted, in their way in Rome, then they said, "We'll make the same celebration, and make Son of God's birthday." See? The sun-god, Jupiter's birthday, then Son of God's birthday, twenty-fifth of December, and that...
21But what difference does it make? See, today when we are... Even if it's a... if they was doing it in July or August, or whenever it might be, it's still the sacredness of remembering that "God gave us the hope that we have in us."
22And now, you say, "Well, the rest of them's all Santa Claus and going on like they do; why, we just might as well do it." No, sir! No, this is not a pagan celebration to us, this is a sacred hour. If there had been no Christmas, there would been no resurrection. If there been no Christmas: there'd been no love, there'd been no peace, there'd been no hereafter for the believer; if there'd been no Christmas.
23 And now, you say, "Well, if the rest of the world, they just..." Well, see, the forked lightning in the black, cloudy skies, show that there can be light in the time of darkness. These lights tonight prove that, that there can be light in the time of darkness. And when does light shine its best? In darkness. You turn these lights on in daytime, the sun is shining in, you'll hardly notice they're on. But just one little, wee light will shine real bright in a time of darkness. And right now is the darkness when every Christian should give a testimony of the hope that's in him, of Jesus Christ the Son of God; not some Kriss Kringle that was born back yonder, you know, and some kind of a tree lit up and went down through the forest one night, some fiction story that there's no bottom to it. But we believe solidly on the promised Word of God of a coming Messiah, and He was borned on Christmas day, twenty... pretty near two thousand years ago, we believe.
24 So, tonight we're going to speak a little bit on a different way. I guess your pastor's already spoken, and probably speak Wednesday night again 'cause I--I know he laid back some text or something, to give me this platform tonight. And I want him to bring it, I want to listen to him.
But, just before now we do this, let's just bow our heads again for a moment of prayer:
25Heavenly Father, this great sacred moment, when we think of the different things in the Scripture here, that everywhere we go, back in the Old Testament, speaks of that day when God shall send His Son. How those prophets back there allotted their time for prophecy of the Word of God to come to them. And they prophesied in their days and foretold the things that would come to pass, and we see it all met there in Bethlehem that night when God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. We thank Thee for this.
26And now, Lord, tonight as we settle down here to--to speak on Thy Word; and It's so sacred, Lord, that's the reason we like to speak to You first. And we ask that You'll open our understanding to Thy Word. In Jesus' Name we asked it. Amen.
27 Now I want to read some Scripture here, just a regular Christmas story, for the Scripture found in--in Matthew, the 2nd chapter. And while you're turning to that, and John 3:16.
28And the other night up at Phoenix... If you tape people here, listening to the tapes, I'd like for you to listen to that one: Why Jesus Had To Come To Bethlehem. Why did He have to do it? And those symbols there of David, laying and--and wait upon the mountain, looking down and seeing the Philistine army garrisoned. And I compared that with exactly today, and find out that Bethlehem... what it means.
29And Christ is our Bethlehem, and could prove that every man that's borned of God is borned in Bethlehem, 'cause Christ is Bethlehem. And that's what He was, the Bread of Life. And Beth, B-e-t-h means--means "house," E-l is "God," and e-l-h-e-m is Elhem which means "bread," and "House of God's Bread." And Jesus Christ was the "House of God's Bread," Bread of Eternal Life. And every man that's borned into Christ, you're borned into Bethlehem, "God's House of Bread." And how that the leagues of these churches today is garrisoned, like Philistines, to keep the people from It.
30 And how that those gallant man, knowing that David was anointed and was going to 'come king someday... very unpopular then, because he was a fugitive among his people, but one day his call come. They had gallant men with him. And remember, those men were Gentiles, most every one of them were Gentiles, a very beautiful type of today. And one man was so gallant, he killed eight hundred men with what... with his spear, hisself, in one day. Another one was standing in a field of lentil, and an army come up, a troop. And all of them run, and he stood there and slew men until his arms was tired. And then another one, how he jumped into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day, single-handed. And a Philis-... or an Egyptian run at him, with a long spear, and he took a stick and knocked this spear out of his hand, took the spear and killed the Egyptian himself, and killed three hundred captains.
31 And give great men! David crying out, "If I could drink once more, see, from that well!" (where he used to water his sheep when he went out of a morning, from the corral, they would want a drink of water) And these men pulled their swords and fought through fifteen miles of men, brought this water back.
32And David said, "Far be, that I drink it." And he poured it upon the ground as a drink-offering to the Lord. What a beautiful type of the same thing, of this John 3:16, tonight.
... God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,...
33And what did Christ do? The Life that He had to live Eternally, He poured it upon the ground from His veins, His natural life, upon the ground as a sin-offering for us. And how the Gentiles today, men of honor, men, great men, taking the sword, and standing there and cutting their way through to get a fresh drink of water for Christ (our David), which is very unpopular today. But our David, which we know He's coming in power, He's going to tramp every nation under His feet like that, and rule them with a rod of iron. And real gallant men, standing with the Word of God and chopping from side to side fearlessly, 'cause we know He's coming in power.
34 Let's read now, after John 3:16; let's read the visit of--of the Magi of Saint Matthew, the 2nd chapter.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the--from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that's born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king... heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered... the chief priests and the scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, Of Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art thou not the least among the princes of Juda:... out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
... Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they... heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and... they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts; gold,... frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not depart... they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
35 Very strange here how that God, in a lesser way,... God does speak to people through dreams. I believe it. But how that God in this case used a secondary.
36Now, a dream is... a dream, if it's interpreted rightly, it is a same as a vision; if it's a dream and being interpreted. God's used it since way back in the Old Testament and down through the ages, and promised in the last days to use it again. Now, people can over eat and--and so forth and get nightmares, and it's not--it's not real, spiritual dreams, it don't ring up when you--when you read it. And some of it might seem right, but yet there's real, spiritual dreams. And we know here at the tabernacle that God gives people dreams and they are interpreted, and they come to pass, and they're real. But it's a secondary way of doing it. See?
37 Now, the reason it was done then, it was because there was no prophet in the land at that time, to interpret the dream. See? There was no prophet to interpret the dreams, like Joseph and--and Daniel and those prophets of old. They hadn't had a prophet for four hundred years, and God used a dream to... for the welfare of His Own Child. He did.
38He told Joseph, when he was "a just man, not willingly to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily." No doubt she told him the visit of Gabriel and so forth, and what he had said; but when he saw her to be mother, it--it was too unusual. You know, it just... it was something very different. And you know, that's what's the matter today. God does things unusual, and it's so unusual till even just man can't see it.
39 Joseph couldn't understand it, it was too unusual. He was a good man, nothing wrong with him. He was a good man, a just man, but it was so unusual. See, Joseph probably forty years old or forty-five, something like that, they claim, when he and Mary was engaged. But here we find something that never had happened: a woman espoused to this man and yet be found to be mother! And it was so unusual Joseph was minded to put her away. But right at that crucial moment, God sent His Angel, and appeared to him in a dream and said, "Don't fear to take to thee Mary thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."
40What a newborn faith Joseph must have had when he rose up from there! See, he never had need of any interpretation, the dream wasn't in symbols. It was right straight out, "Don't fear to take Mary thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." There was no prophet to give the interpretation, so it had to come directly, right straight like that; to God... from God to Joseph. Now... and God taken that secondarily way.
41 What does it teach us right here, before we hit our text? Here's what it teaches us: that God can use every faculty of our being if it's committ-... surrendered to Him. He can use our mind, our dreams, our subconscience, our first conscience, our tongue, our songs, our eyes, our... Everything that we have can be used of God if it's committed to God. See? Everything that you are, commit it to God. He'll use every outlet and every part of you, He'll use it. No matter what it is, He'll use it if it's sanctified to His purpose and calling.
42 Now, tonight we're going to speak on: Gifts. And I want to title this, if... I wrote, jotted something down in there, when Brother Neville was up: God's Gifts Are Always Find... God's Gifts Always Find Their Places. God's gifts is always rejected, but it really finds its place when...
43 Now, watch the gift that these wise men bought... or brought to Him. Today we find that we're swapping gifts. Everybody has to get a gift, and try to figure out what the next fellow's going to give him, so he can give him something comparing that much. And if it isn't, well, on the New Year's, he feels he has to make it up. And each one studying and worrying and walking the floor, the millionaires, how they're going to get by. They give so much to this one and that, when it--it's altogether wrong. It--it's--it's--it's altogether... Christmas...
44Here: there's only one gift that you can give, and that is yourself. Give yourself to God because God's already give to you His Gift. Now, there's only thing you owe back to God, that's yourself to Him.
45 Now, and many times, names are in the Bible. We don't notice it no more, today. We... You've often heard me scorn this name, of children calling... or people calling their children "Ricky." Now, Ricky is a horrible name! See? And it's a... you mustn't call them that. If you got a child named Ricky, for goodness sakes, change it to something else. Ricky, or--or Elvis, or something like that,.... Ricky means "a rat." See? And so you--you go... And--and what you call a person, that impresses that. A little lady, the other day, had a little boy out there called "Ricky" and his name's Ricky, James Ricky. And because it was so popular (Ricky), they called him "Ricky." I said, "Change that name!"
46 I notice some people setting right here now that's got a little grandson, and his name is... the one--one little boy's a sweetest, pleasant little fellow; and the other one is Ricky, and that's what he is. You just watch him, his nature's just like that. And he... I said to some of his grandparents, or someone, I said, "Tell the mother change the name of that boy, just change that name over and watch what happens to the kid." See, you people don't want to believe that. We think we've lived too long for that.
47 If there isn't something in a name, then why as long as Jacob was called Jacob, which means "supplanter, deceiver," that's what he was? But when he wrestled with the Lord all night, and the Lord changed his name, and about... when he was about sixty years old. He changed his name from--from--from Jacob to Israel, "a prince before God," and that's what he was.
Why was Abram called... had to be called "Abraham" before the baby could be born? Why was Sarai called "Sarah" before the baby could be born?
Why was Paul... or call... his name was Saul, but when he met Jesus, He changed him from Saul to "Paul."
When Simon was changed from Simon to Peter, which means "little stone." And--and all their names were changed, is because what you are called is something about it. When you speak something, it identifies itself. I don't want to get in there, 'cause that's coming up next Sunday night, see, identification of a word. And, but now, we find these things so true.
48 Now watch, God... What a strange thing it is tonight, to see that those men, Magis, learned men, great men... coming down from the East, that was Babylon, which was India. And they never come in any all night, and started one night and got there the next, they were about two years getting there. They never come to a little Baby in a manger. They come to a young Child, a young Child. And Herod killed the children from two years old. See, to know that it wasn't a little infant laying in a cradle, he'd just kill all infants. But he killed the young children, so that he'd be sure to get Him, anywhere from two years old back. He set the time up because knowing he didn't want to kill too many, all of them, he just... 'cause they were more like slaves to him. He wanted to get... be sure to get Him, so he said, "The Kid will be about two years old. So, everything from two years old down, kill it." See?
And that's brought to pass what the prophet said, that "In--in Rama there'd be heard a--a screaming or crying, a weeping; that Rachel weeping for her children, and they were not."
49 Now, did you notice that these wise men, great men, was up in Babylon and they saw His Star, we said, "We have saw His Star in the east and are come to worship Him." They come from the east, where they saw the Star, going west. Because India is west, northwest of Bab-... of--of Palestine. And they come right down through by the Tigris River and crossed over the plains right on in, come down into Bethlehem where they found the--the--the Baby. And remember Joseph and them never left there; they went right down to Nazareth and brought the Child up, right there.
50Now, we see here that they presented... These men, being astronomers and studying the stars, and seeing these mysterious heavenly lights appear up there, that there was something going on; that they knowed that that's Messiah, the--the Ruler of heavens and earth, was to be born. And they come, knowing that Deity would be enclosed, in-housed in a--a human being; 'cause to show you their testimony.... You know, you know, your life speaks so much louder than your words, till no matter what you say, people know what you are by--by what you are.
51 And watch these people, these Magi, they brought Him... Watch the gifts they brought Him, identified what they thought He was. They brought Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And now watch what these symbols, that I want to talk to you about now... is what these symbols mean. Now, I've got some Scripture wrote out here that we'll read just in a moment on it, the Lord willing.
Now: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
52Now: gold in the Bible... how fitting it fits to Christ, because gold speaks of Deity. Gold is "Deity." We'll get to it just in a moment. Frankincense speaks of "service." And myrrh is "death." God, Deity, in service to die. And that's what He was. The very thing that they brought identified what they thought He was.
53 And I say that to us today, "The things that we bring to Him identifies what our thoughts is about Him." You understand what I mean? See? If you're a... If you believe It with all your heart, every Word of that, you'll identify it by giving all that you have to It. See? But if you believe it's a good place to associate with better people, around church and things like that, that's just about what you give (just a few social hours with some of the congregation or something). But if you--if you really believe It with all your heart, then you give everything that's in you to It. See? And it identifies you, that you truly believe the Message, that you believe it to be the Truth.
54So many people say, "I can believe this much. I can believe so." The disciples... I believe the last time here, I spoke on that: Believers, Make-Believers, And Unbelievers. Wasn't that it? I... didn't I speak on that here? See? And each person, what's their category. See, it'll come to a place to where they can take so much of it, can't take the rest.
55 Now, how fitting these gifts was to Christ's journey on earth, a Baby born here on earth. And these gifts that the wise men brought Him, fitted just exactly His commission from God and His journey on earth.
56Now, the first thing: God. This was God, Jesus was God in the form of man. That's hard for people to swallow that, even today, that "He was God." And He... That's what He was. He wasn't nothing less than God. He was God manifested in flesh. He was the Creator in His Own creation. Now that... He was the Creator in His creation, by the creation, for the creation. He was the Creator in His creation, by His creation, for His creation. All winds right back in God, the whole thing. Don't you see? Fullness of God! He was the Creator insomuch that He was God. And He was a Being on earth (a Being of time), which mean that He must had a beginning, therefore He created Himself a body to live in. God, Himself, created a body for Himself. See? That by this creation, He might save the lost creation that He had created.
57 There is nothing that man can annihilate, there isn't one thing. You can't do nothing to completely destroy anything. You might take a piece of paper and burn it up, you might burn a building down, you might burn a tree down; you didn't annihilate it. You... that heat in there, that fire that breaks up, that's only chemicals bursting. They're turning back to what they was at the beginning. They're not annihilated. If you burn up a piece of wood, (and the world say... If we lived in Eternity like God, and that chemicals out of that wood and that fire went back to its original beginnings and its... in whatever it was, the breakings of the atoms and so forth, the--the world say, "we stand for millions of years") that could come right straight back again and be another tree, just exactly like it was.
58You cannot annihilate anything because it is a Spoken Word of God. Amen! Oh, and that gets me feeling religious, now. See? What God says, It forever stands. Amen! See, you cannot annihilate. We are a part of this earth, and we can never be completely annihilated. No, sir. The sin (the soul) will be annihilated, we realize that. But the--the body that we live in, cannot be annihilated. See?
59 Now, therefore, God created Himself a body. He was the Creator, and created His Own creation, that by this Creation He might save them that were lost in His creation (that's you and I, creatures of time).
60His--His Word exactly showed that... He and His works proved that He was nothing less than the Creator. He took a piece of bread and broke it, and kept breaking that one piece of bread, and fed five thousand people out of it; and took up seven basketfuls of pieces left over, and everybody there had a--a--a complete filling of bread.
61He took a fish and broke that fish off. Now if we realize that He did create that fish in the beginning. He did create that bread in the beginning. But He took that fish and broke that fish off. A live fish had been, and was then boiled or--or fried; and whenever He broke it off, whatever it was (broiled or fried), it growed back (the same minute that He broke it) another boiled or fried fish. Isn't that wonderful? That showed that He was nothing less than Jehovah. And then He was the Creator that could take His Own creation, and by His creation, express Who He was. Hallelujah! That proved He was what He was. He was Deity. So, gold was becoming to Him, in the offering at His birth. He was Deity made flesh.
62 I might drop some-... No strangers among us tonight, I suppose, so... in this prayer meeting. But let me say something. Did Jesus, when He was here,...? Now, this is for thinking, not for... probably... probing rather. Notice, just for thinking, Jesus said, in Saint John 14:12, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater than this shall he do, for I go to My Father." Did you notice that? Notice, now, that was the Son of God promising to the believer, that greater things than He did, (in these last days) that the believer would do greater things than He did. Saint John, 14th chapter, 12th verse. Is that right? Do you believe Jesus said it?
63Notice, when Jesus created bread; He took a piece of bread, and created bread that had already been bread. When He created fish; He took a fish that was first created a fish, and put another fish out of it. Is that right? He took water, which potentially would have become wine, and made wine out of it. Is that right? But we've seen Him in our midst, in this last days, create things right out, without anything standing there! Is that right? To create a squirrel where there is no squirrels. Right! Oh, He's... remains God. He's just as much Deity today as He was then and ever was, or ever will be. He's still God, and challenging hearts to believe it, "Greater things than this, you... without anything to hold and break off of. Speak it, and it'll be so."
64 Notice now, we find that His... He identified. The works that He did identified that He was Deity, showed that He was. For He said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then don't believe Me."
65And could not the Christian say today, "If I do not the works of my Saviour, believe me not"? See?
66"As the Father sent Me, so send I you." And if you did the works, creation works of the Father that sent Him, then it's a creation... The Christ (the Creator) that sends us, does the works of Christ the Creator. See? "As the Father sent Me, so send I you. And if I do not the works of My Father, believe me not."
67Then the Christian today has got to do the Life that Christ did or we have a right to say, "It's not so."
68 Notice now, His works created Him... or identified Him to be the Creator. His works that He did crowned His life's testimony, that He was the "Creator"; no way of getting away from it. Therefore, when they offered the gift of gold, they were perfectly at harmony with God with their gifts. They give Him gold, which identified Him as Deity. Always a crown, the golden crown... the golden head, of King Nebuchadnezzar. All, you see, it... always Deity is represented by gold.
69Now: frankincense. We want to get these quickly. Frankincense is the offering of service to Jehovah. Now, if you want to put these Scriptures down, Leviticus 2:2, and Leviticus 16:6 to 15. We find out that's the order of the priesthood, to make an offering to Jehovah. When he made the offering, it had to be made and mixed with frankincense for a sin-offering, they took different things and mixed it. For the meal-offering, for the wave-offering, frankincense was added. Because, it was acceptable to Jehovah if it was anointed with frankincense, which means it is a service to Jehovah, God. And, now, we find out He's Deity. And they brought Him frankincense, was a type that He was a service to Jehovah. Jesus is Jehovah's Servant.
70 Now, in Saint Matthew 12:15 to 21, we find out that He was Jehovah's Servant, "Behold my Servant, in Whom I am well pleased" (and He was) "and I put My strength upon Him." So His life was anointed with frankincense, to Jehovah's service. What a gift them wise men gave! See, it was something to... the--the gift that they give, was something to identify Jesus as Jehovah's Servant.
71Now if we could only do that, to identify our lives. See, our lives to be identified as Jehovah's servant. That's what frankincense was for, that made Him Jehovah Servant.
72Now, myrrh, m-y-r-r-h, was anointing of the death. We find in Saint John, the 19th chapter, the 39th verse, that going to the--the funeral service of Jesus, when Mary and them went, they taken this myrrh to anoint Him with; because He must be the Servant of death for Jehovah. See? Somebody had to die. That was a service that had to be done for God, and nobody was worthy to do it but God Himself. So, bringing the myrrh--myrrh, showing that with the Deity, and with the service, that He also was anointed with myrrh; that this Deity had to be put to death in order to save the imperfect one. Oh, what a great thing!
73 The whole creation was lost. We just went through it in the Seven Seals. See, the whole creation was lost, everything was gone. It all belonged to Satan. He fell heir to it and he still owns it. He certainly does. That's the reason we're fighting and having all of this trouble. He controls every kingdom; Satan does. Every government, every king, every kingdom, controlled by Satan. The whole world is controlled and run by Satan. That's the reason we have the troubles that we have. Any Bible student, or anything, can tell you that Satan... Well, the Bible Itself says he did, see, that he controls the world. But Christ will fall Heir to it, for now He is our Redeemer. And He come to redeem the whole creation, and nothing could do it but God Himself.
74 That's the reason that God does nothing outside of a man. He always works through a man because He had to use a man. A man is what He had to use to display His attribute of Saviour. He had to make him in His image, make him something like Him, and put him on free-moral agency and let him act any way he wanted to. He could take his choice. And He knew that man, by giving him this choice, would fall. So being that He had to do that, He turns back around and makes the man a partner to Him, and does nothing except He does it through a man!
75The whole work of redemption come by a man! Hallelujah! Death come by the first man, Life come by the second Adam. See? There you are, He does nothing because He had to use a man for that, then He uses a man to redeem back again. So Deity become Jehovah... or Jehovah be-... He is Deity, and He become a--a Child. He become in the form of sin, that He might redeem the sinner. See, there's the whole thing.
76 Now, look what... how beautiful those gifts fit into Jesus Christ; see, gold, speaking of His Deity. Now, they wasn't heathens. They were inspired by God. They wasn't imagining something. That proves right there, even the Magi, that they did see the Supernatural. Because their own gift, that they offered, identified and spoke well of their testimony that they did see the Supernatural. Why? Because why? It speaks perfectly. They brought gold, "Deity." They brought frankincense, "service." And they brought myrrh, for His "death." When He was a Baby, amen, showing that Deity would be put to death in the flesh, amen, that it might redeem fallen man. How can people turn that down?
77When you realize: What are we doing here? Where did we come from? Or what business we got being here? We wasn't put here just by chance, we were put here for a purpose and we must serve that purpose. But still we are back on the basis of free moral agency where we can serve It or reject It, just like Adam did in the beginning.
78 I'm looking, these little girls here, Brother... What's...? I believe it's the little lady played the piano, and I--I was hearing them as they sang. We were talking about them, on the road up here. There's a little family that's dedicated their whole life and everything to Christ. Look at that family, how orderly it is. Look at them little girls. They was standing up here, the--the example of young womanhood, of teen-age. And no matter...
79 A few weeks ago I went down in like... I don't know what the name of the place is down there, in New York now, they just got city blocks of beatniks. How, them girls down there with--with leotards on and--and nothing up over them, they wore a bikini (as they call it) over the top of that. And, oh, just the conglom-... they do anything that's in their mind. No matter what it is, that's what... why they're beatnik. They can just do anything. If they want to lay down and don't get up, they just lay down and don't get up. If they want to go do a certain thing, they do it; if they don't, they don't. Just mind just traveling! And what does the unconverted mind come to? You have no right to do that, 'cause you're not your own; you're bought by Deity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God that was made flesh. But, see, the conglomeration of sin!
80And you see a little, young girls like that stand out; why, to me, it's light in the time of darkness. It's a forked light, of the zigzag whip of God, in the skies to show there can be Light! There can be righteousness in the midst of sin!
81 Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the city of Nazareth, the meanest city there was in the land, but out of there God chose a little lady to give birth to His Son; an incubator, a womb that had to... a Baby had to be born by. He took such a person to do it. God works through human beings to redeem human beings. He can take you, work through you to redeem humanity, if you'll completely dedicate everything you are.
82If you're a young woman, dedicate your morals. You're a young man, dedicate your morals, dedicate your mind, dedicate your thinking, dedicate your heart, dedicate your soul, dedicate all you are! And let Christ work through that. What a glorious thing! Got some rivers to cross, you got the--the bridges to go over, you got the--you got the brier patches, you got the thickets, you got the woods, you got the dark places, you got the high hills, you got the high climbs. What are you doing? Someday you'll have to stand and look back, see where you come from, and you're going to be judged by the course you take. Put your--your all, your mind and your thoughts, on that North Star (the center of God) and don't move from It. Stay right with It. It'll bring you straight like It did the Magi, right straight to the Christ.
83 All right, anointed Him with myrrh. We find out now, in John 12:1 and 7, that's just exactly what He done. He was the perfect Servant of God, and had Him anointed with all of His Divine gifts. He was anointed with all of God's gifts because He was God. He was God. See, they brought Him gifts.
84Now, we'll be... I wish... The people here always, most of them, you know, sends you something. Now, when it comes back to sending back, I couldn't do it. See? It's the world over. I just couldn't do it. And I appreciate a little... little things, and things that people does to express theirself and their thankfulness and so forth.
85Now, this is what these rich men done. These men are Magi, they bought gold, pure gold. They brought frankincense, the best they could find. They brought myrrh, the best they could find.
86 We realize over here, in Saint John 12, we find out that this woman... if we had time to read it, but I don't want to keep you too long, see, 'cause I know tomorrow's Monday, and you... some of you has to work. Look, they brought... This--this woman brought this myrrh, that anointed costly something, to take the smell of death away. And she broke this alabaster box and poured it upon the head of Jesus. And Judas said, "Why, this ought to been given to the poor." (Said, "Not that he had respect for the poor, but he was a thief to begin with, he carried the money.") And said, "This ought to have been sold, instead have put it..."
87And Jesus said, "Let her alone! For she did this..." She anointed Him, unto His burial. See? This woman, so grateful that her sins were forgiven until she spent all of her money she had, and took an alabaster box and broke it and poured the oil and just odored the room with fine smell of this myrrh, that she had anointed Him for His death. Now, see, she did the service not knowing what she was doing, but she was so grateful to God.
88 And if you're so grateful for Christmas, it's not to say, "I--I give Joneses a gift; and they give me one back, I'll see what I got in the morning." Why don't you open up your heart and see what's in there, find out what's you got in here. And accept... if we find it empty, with just negative creeds and--and--and cares of the world, why not ask Christ to fill it tonight? Tonight, so that you can get the real meaning of Christmas. It--it's Christ in you; God, dwelling in the human heart. That's what the real Christmas means.
89But, you see, today we become so negative. It's the Devil getting us through there, (there's painted candy sticks, and a--and a reindeer and a--and a whiskered man, and flies through the air like an airplane, and visits the whole world and every home with a little bundle of toys on his back, and visits every child) and it--it's just a lie! It's just, right out, a lie. See? Now, see? But why? The Devil did that so he could twist the minds of the people.
90 The commercial world got into it and they... Why, they make enough through Christmas time until they can retire the rest of the year, almost. I talked to a merchant the other day, he said, "You give me these two weeks, and if I didn't have to keep my band here," said, "I'd wait till next Christmas; I could go fishing, whatever I want to do, till next Christmas." He said, "But I keep the boys going." Said, "Just keep them here just enough to keep my business open and it keeps--it keeps my hands paid off and things." Said, "I don't make nothing till--till Christmas time comes along." You see, it's become a great commercial thing when it ought to be a worship; a worship.
91 Now, God, so anointed Jesus with the fulness of Himself till the... He was God's Gift to the world. That the wise men are clearly identified, that they're offering their gift to Him; showed that in their heart they knew who He was, and what He was going to do for them. So (no wonder) the first thing they did, they fell down, perfectly in order, and worshipped Him. Before they could even understand it, they fell down and worshipped Him and then presented their gifts. That's the way to have real Christmas: worship Him, then present your gift; presenting your body as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to God.
92But you know what, after the wise men did that? The father and mother of Christ... the foster father (of course) and also mother, because God was both His father and mother. But we find out that they accepted these gifts from these wise men. No wonder they were called wise men. They were wise. They were really... had wisdom. If men today would just be that wise, just as wise! It takes a wise man to come to Christ. A man that turns away from Him is a unwise man. But it takes a wise man, to come to Christ.
93 Now notice! And after then the wise men identifying Him what He would be, and we find through the Scripture that's exactly what He was: Deity in service for death. What for? Deity in service to God for death. Jesus was Deity in service for death, to redeem the world. But what did the world do to It? They refused It. They rejected It. Why? Some of them, a big part of them, did that because this: because He did die! They said, "He couldn't be Deity and die." The Man (the body) was not Deity, but Deity was in the body. This body has to perish. The very Christ that's in you is the only thing that can raise you up. That's Deity, God in you.
94 Now, notice! Now, the same as now, they reject identified Deity. Do you get it? They will certainly put their name on a church book and say, "I'll try to live by this creed." They'll take an oath by this. But when it comes to accepting Deity, and expressing back the same kind of a gift like they did... that you are identified by your gift, that you give your entire being to It, to identified Deity. Then you identify yourself with the Deity, by giving all you are, what you are, to Deity Himself.
95Now, Christ in this day, that we now live in, is still a Dei-... identifying Himself: Deity, among the people. He's still Deity, because He is the Word. And when we see the Word living Itself, then we know that man can't do that. It's Deity, the Word being made manifest by man. And Jesus said Himself, "The Son can do nothing in Himself. I can't do nothing, I'm a Man," Jesus said. "But My Father that dwelleth in Me, He showeth Me all things that Himself doeth." Amen! There you are! What is it? Deity being identified in man. Now, the same thing is today; that Deity, the promised Word for this day, can identify Itself in you. Amen! Then can you hold to It? Show that you believe in It. Give It Deity: believe It, service, and be ready to die out to yourself and your own thoughts. But today It's rejected as It was then.
96 Notice, God guided the Magi with them gifts. For practically two years, they followed that Star. See? And that shows It couldn't be one of the natural things that happened. See? Because if the stars, crossing their orbits, would have crossed, it would showed there was something different. Because... unless those Magi saw It, long time before it happened, and knowed they had to cross that way; see, in the paths they were coming in. And they crossed just at Bethlehem at that time, started from up there, beforehand, knowing that these heavenly bodies were moving that way.
97Now, God guided the Magi because they had the right gifts. God guided these wise men because they had the right identified gift to identify His Son. Oooooh, my! Do you get it? Wise men today, wise in the Name of the Lord, not with some fictitious something, but with the gift that God promised for this day, and God will guide you to identify that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There you are: wise men!
98 God guided those gifts because they were the gifts to identify Him. Wise men, today, who can look away from church-anity and all the things of the world, to the Living Word of God! And God will identify His Son by His Word, because That's what He is. "I and My Father are one." And, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And the same Word today, He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And a wise man follows That, because That's what God takes care of to identify Himself by It. Amen! A gift! A real, identified gift of God, God brings that to the earth, a thing like that, to identify Himself by.
99And that's how Christ was identified: by gold, myrrh, and frankincense, by them men foreshadowing and showing in type what His life was to be. See? Deity manifested for service, to die that He might redeem the nation, because He was to "save His people from their sin." Not save the world, save His people from their sin. The Bible said here, "For in--in His Name will the Gentiles trust." See? The Gentiles will trust in His Name. Amen! In other words, the Bride, the called-out of the Gentiles, will be trusting in the Name of Jesus Christ, "In His Name shall the Gentiles trust." Now, God guided them, for they were... the gifts that they were giving, were fitting to the time.
100 Notice! As I've said, God has... He--He divided His Word at the beginning, in Genesis. I can take Genesis and show you every age in the Bible, down to this age here. All the cults and things we have today, I can show you exactly where they was in Genesis. See?
101God gave His Word so much here, so much here, so much here, for each age. And then He sent a prophet down, anointed to make that Word come to pass, and it supports the other one that was coming. See, like the Messiah, always supported. Every prophet in his own life, his own being, the Word that was given for that day, he come and fulfilled that written Word and foretold of what the other one was going to be. And every one of them spoke of Him (amen) 'cause He was the fullness, He was the Head of the prophets, He was the Word of God, He was the prophets. Amen! There He is. Notice! How wonderful what He was: each one of those prophets.
102 Then when He come, He was the fullness of all the prophets, manifested; 'cause they were the Word of the Lord, and He said Himself, "If you call those gods, whom the Word of God come to, how can you condemn Me when I say 'I'm the Son of God'?" See, even those in that age was identified as gods, God called them, Himself, "gods." What were they? They were manifestations of His Word. And here was He, the fullness of the Word, Deity embodied, Deity manifested in the flesh.
103 Watch! For these gifts, that these men brought, they couldn't have brought that to a prophet. It wouldn't have been right. See? Them gifts couldn't have went to Elijah, they couldn't have went to Moses, they had to come to Him. And being those gifts were strictly meant for that day, and was to identify Who He was by these gifts, then here come God along and protected Him. And kept them, two years down there, until they found the Perfect Light. How fitting!
104Same thing today. We got people that's just as loyal, nice people, genuine people. But, you see, in that, there's going to be something come forth, that God's always done, to identify this day. This is the day when these things are spoken to happen. There won't be many, just a very, very few that'll be saved. The Bible said so. There'll be just a handful.
105 Jesus said Himself, "As it was in the days of Noah, wherein eight souls were saved." Eight souls, out of a--a generation likened to this. "As it was in the days of Noah." What was it? Great, cultured people, great workers, great builders, great everything as they had. Made this civilization just like it, great things that they had. "And as it were in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man." See? And God had Noah to identify His promised Word. It was very fitting. The ark was fitting to the Word of God that he spoke, that "He will destroy man." But he saved what he could.
106 Now, these wise men, bringing their gifts, identified. Their gifts identified what It was, and that's the reason God protected those gifts through every move that they made. He protected It until they arrived with those gifts, because they were fitting for the time. Does my church understand that? That's what's going on now! I hope it ain't over your head. I have to speak it in parable, almost, you see. But do you see? It's the things that's happening is fitting for this day, Laodicea. It's the fitting time, that's the reason God has protected It. See, brought It right through to identify Himself. Gifts, though it cost a death, it put a stumbling block in their way. It's a fitting time, that's right, fitting for the day. That's the reason God has protected It, the way He has. He will protect It, until His purpose is served.
107 Oh, I read a story, come to my mind not long ago, of something on that order. There'd been a great city, here in this nation, and... New York. And it was on Christmas eve. And there was a poor family. A little daddy, he had TB, and he was... and his wife had TB. They had been underprivileged. And he--he kind of... He was weakly and so nobody would hire him. He had no education, and he--he... people didn't want him.
108He just was an outcast, become a tramp. Just... you know what a tramp is, just go by and--and pick up something, and peddle it and get what you can; what little royalty they make on it, they try to live by it. Just a... like a peddler or something, on the street; go buy some pins and needles and thimbles, and whatever they can. And--and take it, and--and maybe buy for a penny a pack, and sell them for a nickel; and make four cents on the pack, and maybe in the run of a day. You say, "That's--that's a great commission." But just think, all he'd sell in a day. Maybe he made twenty, thirty cents a day, and he had a family.
109 And the--the little wife, being weakly, she--she died.
110And it was coming Christmas time. And the little girl, she had developed... from malnutrition, not having the right food and thing; she took TB, also. And she was a little fellow, and about eight, nine years old, ten. And she had never had a doll for Christmas. And that's what she wanted for a gift, was a doll.
111And the father, not able to give her medical attention and so forth, had... he--he seen the little girl was going fast, and he tried his best to--to--to--to get enough money together to get her a doll for Christmas; if he could just get enough to buy her a little doll! And so the Christmas time was coming on, the bad weather set in, the little girl developed some kind of a pneumonia, and--and she died, just a few weeks before Christmas. And the father, of course, brokenhearted, he went to his little tin can and got the money out. And he thought of his little girl, and she wanted a--a doll like little girls. See, it's a little mother coming on.
112 You notice how a little girl, she goes to a doll, because she... that's her nature, she's a--she's a coming mother. She will be mother someday if she lives and everything. You know, her nature. That's the reason a little girl likes a little doll, she wants to take care of it; 'cause after all, she--she's a little, potentially, a--a--a little mother.
113And she wanted a little doll, and she had never had one. And Daddy had saved everything he could to--to get her a little doll. And, so, she died.
114And the father kind of had a lapse of mind. His wife had been taken, his little girl, and his mind kind of got to a place till he--he... still he'd--he'd go to bed every night and talk to this little girl, though she was... been buried. But he thought he was he was talking to her, and telling her, "Now, Honey, it won't be long, and Daddy's going to get you this dolly for Christmas. And--and Daddy's promised you the dolly, and I--I'm--I'm going to get it."
115 Finally, Christmas arrived. And, course, you know how it is. The rich had their--their big parties; and--and candles burning, and the great high masses in the churches, and talking about Jesus and--and so forth (the churches were), and going through all kind of a routines and mass, and singing, and carols and everything. Little did they know what was going on back in the alley, behind all this.
116This little fellow back there, and he got beside himself. He wanted that little girl to have that doll so bad, 'cause she had begged so for this little doll. So he went out and he bought her a little rag doll, a little--a little thing, probably about thirty cents; a little dirty something he'd bought, down on the side of the street. And it was a real cold night, the--the--the blizzard winds blowing, the snow falling hard there; and New York, right on the coast.
117 And the streets filling up; and the people in their great, big limousine cars. And drunken parties, out drinking, the celebration of the birth of Christ and of these things that we speak of tonight, trying to think that that's the right way to do it; just drink off their old sorrows and things, and that that's the way to do it. All of them...
118Stand in the store, the other day, and a woman talking about what... two girls met and they wanted to know what they got for their daddy. And one of them said, "Well, he..." She got him a carton of certain kind of cigarettes. And the other one said she got him a fifth of whiskey and a--and a--and a deck of cards. Now if that ain't giving a memorial gift for the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ! And that's the way it goes, you see, it's just a big bunch of tinsel. It hasn't got Christmas in it at all.
119 And so we find now, this little man, he wandered along. And he knowed in his heart his little girl was gone, but he went and bought the doll anyhow. And he thought, "I'll just start walking, I'll find her somewhere. She'll be along the street here and I'll find her." And he started walking.
120He--he couldn't fool himself, she wasn't back there in the little shanty and in the little, ragged, dirty bed; but, she was buried. So, he--he knew. He thought he'd find her on the street. He said, "I'll just keep walking." And he was going down through the alleys, while they were singing their carols and going on. And going down the alley, packing this little, dirty doll; holding it in his coat, up to his heart, thinking of his little girl.
121 And finally a policeman happened to see him, and the policeman had a few drinks himself, and he ran into the alley and grabbed the old man and turned him around. He said, "What are you doing hanging here?"
122He said, "I'm taking this little doll, sir, to my little girl."
123He said, "Well, where do you live?" And he told him where he lived. He said, "Well, you're going away from that place, you're drunk. Go back the other way."
124Said, "Sir, I'm--I'm not drunk. I promised my little girl I'd--I'd get her a gift for Christmas." And said, "An appropriate gift for a little girl is a little doll."
125And he said, "Let me see it." So he showed him a little, dirty like, rag doll. And he was holding it in his... next to his bosom, holding the little doll as he... So the policeman, half drunk, himself, shoved him on and started down. The old man went down the alley, and snow falling fast.
126 And, well, the midnight parties broke up. The next morning, the snow had let up, the sun had come out. And so they must... all the people from their great gaiety parties was... ice sacks on their heads, from too much drinking and celebration of the--the birth of Christ. And--and many of them were hoarse from carrying on, from all the going-on.
127But way down in the alley, they found the old man. And when they turned him over, he had the little doll next to his heart. I suppose he took his gift to her. He found her in a Land not here. He--he--he took the gift. It was an appropriate gift. (God, merciful.) Yet it cost him his death. There's no other way in the world he could have give her the gift, she was buried. But the only way he could do it, would be go like that. The little doll didn't mean too much, I guess, the little dirty-faced doll, but it... what did he do it? It fulfilled a promise he had made. No matter what the people thought about it, his dirty hands on a little, dirty doll, but it--it fulfilled a promise to his little girl.
128 Sometimes they look upon the Gospel as singing, playing, they didn't want It when God brought It, but it fulfilled a promise that He would give His Son. And you know what? They left Him to die, too, just like a tramp on the street. That's exactly right, they've left Him to die like a tramp on the street. And today they treat Him like a tramp on the street, but He fulfilled what He was supposed to do. He was the Gift that God promised to the world.
129Tonight, let me take Him as my Saviour to my heart. Let me walk in the face of my death, or whatever it is, like that. I promised my life to Him. I want to take it to Him. No matter what I have to go, if I have to go through death, if I have to be shot; no matter what takes place, I have to be laughed at, called "crazy," everything, excommunicated from the rest of the Christian churches and so forth, I... it's a gift of God that I hold in my heart. He gave it, I want to take it to Him.
Let us bow our heads just a moment.
130 Appropriate gifts I speak on, it was appropriate gift because the little girl... she was a little girl, to be, a little mother (would have been), an appropriate gift was the little doll. An appropriate gift that God, the Creator, could give to His creation, would be a Saviour to save us from the condition it was in. I wonder, tonight, as we're approaching Christmas now, and I suppose it'd be the last message we hear between now and Christmas, 'less we get the radio message of someone.
131I wonder, tonight, if we've accepted the Gift that God promised us: Eternal Life, to believing on Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. If you haven't, you'd like to accept God's real, true Christmas gift, would you raise your hand? Say, "Brother Branham, I--I don't know, I've--I've sometimes believed It. And I've watched what things I do. And I kind of, a little bit, in doubt." Don't--don't doubt It anymore, friends.
132See, it--it's too late to go doubting now. Let's be real sure of it. Say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham, and I want to... God's Gift to the world, is Jesus Christ. I--I--I want this to be a real Christmas. I accept the Holy Spirit in my heart. That could cradle me through all the storms of life, and someday I can come in His Presence with this gift of Eternal Life. He'll accept me upon those basis, that's the only way He'll do it."
133 Or, have you got the right gift tonight? The right kind of an attitude? "Father, I'll follow You wherever You go. Whatever You say 'Do,' I'll do it. Whatever Your Word says for me, 'Do,' I'll do it. Yes, Sir, I don't care what everybody else says, I'm going to do it because I want Your Gift; it's Life, and Christ is the Word."
134If you can't believe all the Word, and say, "Well, I don't know, I--I believe that... this, I believe that, but I just can't go this, I can't go that." You're like the seventy that went away. They can't accept all the Word and receive Christ in the fullness of His Deity and His service; and ready to die as He did for you.
135Then would you just put up your hand, with your head bowed, and say, "Pray for me"? God bless you. And God bless you. God bless you. God bless you, little girl. Oh, God bless you. Yes, I see your hand. The Lord bless you, sure. This little Gift, of Christ, that God sent to the world; and identified It by... the Magi identified It, His Own life identified It, His death identified It, His resurrection identified It, your accepting identified It, and He identifies Himself with you that you are His and He is yours. If you're not really... see, the reaction of the Spirit of God working in you, in this Christmas season, may it come to you now.
136 Heavenly Father, as we stagger like the tramp on the street, nobody had had any use for him. The world went right on in their foolish celebrations, so are they tonight, Lord. But sometimes we feel like that tramp, but we've accepted a Gift. So we pray, Father, that You'll make us a gift, of a life, to this dying world. Many here have raised their hands that they want the Gift of God that He had to, Himself, give His only begotten Son, came down become a Man. He stooped so low they didn't even... He come so low and so humble till He... they didn't even have a bed to be borned in. A--a--a cow had to... or a horse or something had to give its manger, step aside, (an animal) human beings had gotten so in condition there was. He--He come down in a--in a manger, a little old cave stable on the side of the hill there in Bethlehem, where a harlot's son had founded the little city many years before.
137And now, Lord, we find out that one night, a cold night, it was said to Him, "Rabbi, we want to go home with You tonight."
138And He said, "Well, now, the birds they have nests, and--and the foxes have den, but I--I--I don't have a... even a place to lay My head." And that's the way they let Him die, like the tramp on the street.
139 Heavenly Father, can the--the Christian, can the people today see that--that That is that great Gift? And many here, tonight, more than a dozen, I guess, raised their hands that they wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. May there just like the wise men, maybe none of the rest of the congregation will even see what goes on. And this Star, this mystic Light passed over the observatories, for two years, where people even kept time then by four watches, they kept time by the stars. Nobody, no historian wrote of it. No one knowed nothing about It, and yet It was there. And these wise men, with their appropriate gift, was guided right through to It. May that same Light come into every heart, here tonight, that's setting present. There may not be no emotion, there may not be this, that, and maybe no one else would know it, just like the wise men. But may something so be settled in these men, women, boys and girls' hearts tonight, that that Gift of God will anoint their life. That from this night on, they'll be changed. They won't be no more like they used to be. They'll be a--a changed creature from now on. May they, like the wise men, turn aside and not go back to the fashions of the world (and Herod, the king's palace), "But being warned of God, they turned aside." Grant it, Lord.
140 Tonight I pray that every wise man, boy, or girl, in here tonight... Man or woman that's wise enough to turn aside from the things of the world tonight, don't go back no more after this day. After this--this passing of this day and night, no more will they go back to the things of the world, but may they be wise. And this little mystic Voice that caused them to raise their hand and say, "Yes, I want God's Gift"... May that same thing that caused them to raise their hand, identify them tonight with His death, burial, and resurrection, by giving them the Holy Spirit. May they turn aside.
141May these women here tonight, Lord, that's had such a hard time to keep from coping with the world; let their hair grow, and dress ladylike, and take off this makeup and stuff, this artificial, that shows... it--it kind of identifies them that they're not healthy, they... there--there's something wrong. And may tonight, this little mystic Light, Lord, that caused them to raise their hands, may they say, "Lord, I'm turning aside from the things of the world, tonight."
142 These man that hasn't had the--the--the real something, that would talk to their wives and cause them to turn aside; and the things that they do. May we all together, Lord, just turn aside tonight, being warned of God by the strange little message of the--the Light of God that strikes upon our hearts. May we turn aside tonight and--and live for You the rest of our days, go--go home with You by another way than what we have been traveling. Grant it, Lord. Make us better Christians, every Christian here tonight, Father, that's accepted You and believes on You. And they've tried to live a Christian life, but tonight, may they turn aside, may they receive that Gift.
143O God, it's--it's a--it's a despised way. Women will be called "old fashioned," they'll be called everything. And man will be called "fanatics." But we're--we're ready, Lord.
144 Holy Spirit, turn us aside, right now. Turn me aside, Lord. I--I--I don't want to even go any way that would lead me away from You. Lord, I--I want to go just the way You'd have me to go. I want the gift of my heart to be so perfect that it'll identify You, Lord, on earth, that You're not dead, You're living.
145You're the God of the living, not the God of the dead. The dead is covered all over with flies, and blowflies, creating germs and more blowflies; like the man taking his first drink, smokes his first cigarette, tells his first lie, goes out on his wife the first time; or the wife that goes out on the husband, or does the things that's wrong; just like a blowfly struck them, and it... they--they accumulate by the... go up in the blows and filth, because it's on a dead soul on the inside. Evil spirits go off in it. And one evil spirit cause him to do something else; and another one come, cause him to do something else because they did this.
146 God, may they turn aside and come to Life. May they rise, and the Angels of God come down with the gifts of Eternal Life, Lord, and go from victory on to victory. Grant it, Father. We turn aside, tonight, from the things of the world and the cares of the world, warned of God that the time is at hand, Jesus is coming back to the earth. And may the Great Holy Spirit give us, tonight, that Eternal Life that we're looking for. Grant it, Lord. We're--we're just pray that You'll grant these blessings to us as we ask them in Jesus Christ's Name.
With our heads bowed:
147 Wise men long ago came to that... followed that Light to a... they found the Perfect Light. And may the little Light, tonight, that made you put up your hand, or maybe you didn't even... It struck you, but you never even raised your hand, may that Light guide you right on to that Perfect Light.
Let's just all stand, for a little consecration service.
148Let's make our little heart here, tonight, a dwelling place for Christ. Remember, tonight, my odd little story of the tramp. Tonight, really, Jesus Christ is that tramp on the street. That's right, He--He was a tramp on the street. Oh, yeah, we say, "We serve Him." Sure. All the tinsel and glamour, that's not Him. That's not Him. He had to die to bring you this Gift, not a doll, but Life. He had to die in order to do it, to get to you, the only way He could get to you. He couldn't just come here and be a perfect Man, like He was, and get to you. He couldn't do it that way. He had to die to do it, to get--get the Gift of God to you. Like the--the tramp had to die to get the little doll to his girl, Christ had to die to get God to you. We want to accept It tonight. And I believe, with our heads bowed,... and let's just raise our hands to God and consecrate our lives anew, right here tonight.
149 O Gracious God, we--we want Your Gift. I--I'm here, as this Christmas season, Lord, as I realize and look upon the earth and see the tinsel and the glamour of the day, I--I can just see the... out yonder, as the Bible said, this Laodicean age, You're outside Your church. You're rejected, a fugitive to Your Own church and to Your Own people. You're--You're--You're rejected. A--a fugitive being something that's refused, and You're refused in Your Own church. You're refused amongst Your people. They don't want You, Lord, and they've left You, like the tramp, on the street. God, You--You--You went on dying anyhow, that You might bring the Gift of God to us. And we humbly accept It, Lord. I pray that You'll just fill our hearts and lives. And turn us aside, from this night on, and may we be wholly Yours as we consecrate ourself to You.
150Receive me, Lord. Many are the mistakes of life that I've made. And, dear God, as--as I--as I stand here on this sacred spot where the Gospel's been preached and where we've seen You here, even in a--a great Light that shined upon them. And we're so grateful for this, Lord. I--I consecrate myself for this Christmas, not in... and as the world would do or to--or to turn new pages. Lord, I--I just want to accept Your Son. I--I want to accept Your Gift, Lord.
151I want to accept the Gift of Eternal Life through Christ. And I, truly, Lord, accept the Gift of Christ to me, to try to win others to Thee. Go with each one.
152 Make the little housewife so sweet and humble, that she'll be able to lead others to You. The Gift that You give her, that feminish little ladylike, may she be so ladylike till the neighbors will see her and--and want to be like her.
153Make the man, the shopworker, whoever he is, Lord; make him a humble life, like Christ, that others might see. We don't know where those people are standing out there, Father, but we never want to leave the grand, old highway; but we'll lean backwards, lean forward, reach way out anywhere to get a soul. Put that within our reach, Lord, we pray. And give us the--the--the life that would cause people to want to live like that, as we consecrate ourselves to You, tonight. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, if you'll bow your heads again, I want to wish each one of you a very merry Christmas:
154 May the great Christmas Present, the first one and the only and the original and the only one there is, Jesus Christ, be afresh in your heart tonight. May the Holy Spirit come to you and bring you ministering gifts and things from God, that you... a gift that you might live a better life. That's what I want. I would rather have the Life of Christ in me to live sweet and victorious than I would all the gifts of healing, the gifts of prophecies, all them other gifts; just give me Jesus. Let me live the Life, the Life is what I want to live. I want to live so others will know. That's my--that's my desire at Christmas, and I pray that's your desire. And I pray that God will give us His desire.
155Now, let's have a word from the pastor, and a dismissing. And God bless you. We'll see you Wednesday night. Till that time, God bless you.