WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:03.290 The lady writes and says, Dear Miss Guman, you 00:00:03.290 --> 00:00:07.150 have made the Bible come alive and proved so 00:00:07.150 --> 00:00:10.730 exciting in the life and world events today. 00:00:10.949 --> 00:00:14.070 Your heart -to -heart talks are the most precious 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:18.710 words I've ever heard. These are things, you 00:00:18.710 --> 00:00:23.750 know, that are so rewarding. And I mean exactly 00:00:23.750 --> 00:00:28.500 that. Sure. This thing of living a Christian 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:31.820 life is exciting. Oh, it's the most wonderful 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:37.140 life in the world. You have really never lived 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:42.740 until you have learned how to live the Christian 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:47.000 life. It's the normal way of living. It's the 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:52.679 natural way of life. Any other life is contrary 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:58.530 to this natural... normal way of living that 00:00:58.530 --> 00:01:03.670 God wanted it to be and planned that it should 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:05.989 be. That's the reason we have all the trouble 00:01:05.989 --> 00:01:08.629 in the world today. That's the why of all the 00:01:08.629 --> 00:01:12.209 wars. That's the why of all the hate. That's 00:01:12.209 --> 00:01:18.750 the why of all of the riots. It's because we 00:01:18.750 --> 00:01:23.569 are living contrary to the Word of God. We are 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:30.599 living contrary to the natural way that God ordained 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:36.299 that man should live. Well, sir, don't let's 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:41.099 get started in that because, oh, we'll never 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:44.140 finish it. There'll never be a place for a benediction 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:47.219 because it just goes on and on. We're going to 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.299 have a good heart -to -heart talk today about 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:52.239 something that I feel is so vitally important 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:58.340 and is, um... Something that concerns every one 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:01.400 of us. And that is this wonderful relationship 00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:08.639 between God the Father and his child. What it 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.080 really means to be a Christian and live this 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:20.419 natural life. I want to remind you that the word 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:25.030 becomes so much more personal. if you'll read 00:02:25.030 --> 00:02:30.210 from your own Bible as I read from mine. The 00:02:30.210 --> 00:02:33.349 first chapter of Ephesians. I'm going to begin 00:02:33.349 --> 00:02:39.030 with the third verse. Blessed. Oh, that word 00:02:39.030 --> 00:02:42.449 blessed. It's thrilling. It's marvelous. And 00:02:42.449 --> 00:02:45.990 Paul begins with praise and thanksgiving for 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:49.030 the great and precious and marvelous benefits 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:59.500 Joy through Christ Jesus. Blessed be the God 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:03.699 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:08.020 blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:13.300 places in Christ, according as he hath chosen 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:18.780 us in him before the foundation of the world, 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:24.199 that we should be holy. and without blame, before 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:30.879 him in love, having predestinated us unto the 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:33.259 adoption of children by Christ Jesus in himself, 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:37.259 according to the good pleasure of his will, for 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:41.300 the praise and of the glory of his grace, wherein 00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:48.319 he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:52.879 we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.960 of sins, according to the riches of his grace, 00:03:56.219 --> 00:04:00.800 wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:06.199 and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:10.340 of his will, according to his good pleasure, 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:14.680 which he hath purposed in himself, that in the 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:17.740 dispensation of the fullness of times he might 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:23.600 gather together in one. all things in Christ, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.139 both which are in heaven and which are on earth, 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:34.339 even in him in whom also we have obtained an 00:04:34.339 --> 00:04:39.259 inheritance, being predestinated according to 00:04:39.259 --> 00:04:42.980 the purpose of him who worketh all things after 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:48.680 the counsel of his own will, that we should be 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:55.899 to the Praise of His glory who first trusted 00:04:55.899 --> 00:05:02.519 in Christ. Oh, this is so thrilling. I wish I 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:07.319 had nothing to do for the next month. But bring 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.860 your heart -to -heart talks on just this portion, 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:14.519 the Word of God, because it's loaded. Oh, it's 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:19.279 just loaded with good things. And Paul begins, 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:23.699 first of all, with praise and thanksgiving unto 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:26.339 the Lord for his wonderful goodness, his wonderful 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:29.459 blessing. That, my friend, is the key to all 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:36.120 things. Praise is the key that unlocks the storehouses 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:40.319 of glory. Praise gets a hearing before the Father's 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:44.779 throne. Praise and thanksgiving, you've heard 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:49.069 me say it over and over again. Five minutes to 00:05:49.069 --> 00:05:54.310 pray. Not anymore. If that's all the time that 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:58.990 you have. And you may be very desperate about 00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:06.110 something. Spend the first three minutes. In 00:06:06.110 --> 00:06:13.370 just praising the Lord. Adoring the Lord. Thanking 00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:18.709 Him for His blessings. Thanking Him. for past 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:24.050 answers to prayer. And then the last two minutes 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:28.810 in making your request known, you'll get the 00:06:28.810 --> 00:06:34.889 answer. It works. There are thousands of God's 00:06:34.889 --> 00:06:40.850 children who never stop to praise the Lord, to 00:06:40.850 --> 00:06:46.759 thank Him. It's always, give me. Give me. What 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:50.300 would you think of a child who would never put 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:53.199 his little arms around his daddy and say, Oh, 00:06:53.339 --> 00:07:00.800 daddy, I love you. Oh, and a child learns quickly. 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:04.959 Sometimes I think some of these little children 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:09.240 are smarter than God's children. I learned very 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:12.319 quickly that I could get anything in the world 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.519 out of Papa. If I would just crawl up on his 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:21.980 lap bar, stand on the top rung of the chair, 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:27.959 put my arms around his neck, and say, oh, I've 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:33.180 got the nicest papa in the whole world. Oh, I 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:36.639 meant it. Listen, I wasn't a hypocrite about 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:43.410 it. I meant it. That came easy, believe me. And 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:47.829 to this very day, I feel I did have the nicest 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:52.009 papa that any little girl ever had or that any 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:57.370 big girl ever had. So far as I am concerned, 00:07:57.589 --> 00:08:03.990 my papa could do no wrong. But I was very young 00:08:03.990 --> 00:08:07.870 when I learned if I would put my arms around 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:12.620 him and tell him how wonderful he was. And always 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:15.379 be very grateful for everything that he did for 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:19.879 me. Very thankful. And express it and tell him 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:25.319 so. Sometimes I didn't even have to ask for that 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:28.899 nickel. He'd put his hand on his pocket and the 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:32.299 nickel would come up without even being asked 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:37.600 for. How much more so with the Heavenly Father. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.809 Some of his children... are always there with 00:08:41.809 --> 00:08:47.049 give me. Give me. They never think about praying. 00:08:47.250 --> 00:08:50.110 They never think about their Heavenly Father 00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:54.570 seriously unless they are confronted with a great 00:08:54.570 --> 00:09:01.690 need, a catastrophe, a tragedy, sickness. And 00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:05.570 then they turn very quickly to Him. And it's 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:09.759 give me, Lord. Give me, Heavenly Father. And 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:14.220 you get desperate. The next time you do, pause 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:18.360 and check up on yourself. When was the last time 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:23.759 you put your arms around him and said, Thanks, 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:27.120 Heavenly Father. It isn't that I especially need 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:31.659 anything. It isn't that I'm especially desperate 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:37.480 about anything. I just want you to know I'm thankful. 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:42.860 For your blessings. I'm thankful for your protection. 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:48.779 Thanks. And you won't be praising him very long 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:53.059 before you're going to find out. His big heart 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:57.580 will start giving and giving and giving. I know. 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:03.360 I live like that. This is the practical way of 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:07.250 giving. I'm telling you the truth. I'm giving 00:10:07.250 --> 00:10:10.049 you some secret that on the surface seems so 00:10:10.049 --> 00:10:16.870 simple. And yet, they are some of the greatest 00:10:16.870 --> 00:10:22.690 truths that any human being could give to you. 00:10:23.149 --> 00:10:27.129 And it's just like that. Paul understood. Oh, 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:30.850 he began, Blessed be the God and Father of our 00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:35.450 Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with... 00:10:35.610 --> 00:10:40.009 All spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 00:10:40.009 --> 00:10:44.490 Christ. That's because everything that we receive 00:10:44.490 --> 00:10:48.590 must come through Jesus. Everything. Everything 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:50.669 that you receive. Everything that I receive. 00:10:50.769 --> 00:10:53.610 Because Jesus is the one who's made all these 00:10:53.610 --> 00:10:57.909 things possible unto us. He's the one who has 00:10:57.909 --> 00:11:03.259 made it possible that we are heirs of God. He's 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:05.220 the one who has made it possible that you and 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:09.559 I can come boldly before the throne of a holy 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:17.879 God. We would have no right, no man, no woman 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:24.059 has any right to come into the presence of a 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:33.860 holy God under any circumstances. except through 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:39.799 the perfection and the righteousness of his holy 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:46.259 and perfect son. God is absolute perfection. 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:54.659 God is absolute holiness. And we are still, beloved, 00:11:54.840 --> 00:12:00.500 in the old body of flesh, far from perfect. You 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:04.080 may think you're perfect. But I'll tell you something. 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.519 I'll let you in on a little secret. You are the 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:14.360 only one who thinks you're perfect. Uh -huh. 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:18.759 Sure. Your husband doesn't really think you're 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:22.159 perfect. He sees all your faults. And God knows 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:25.639 your neighbors don't think you're perfect. Talk 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:28.600 to your youngsters. They know you're not perfect. 00:12:30.379 --> 00:12:34.240 God knows you're not perfect. I don't care what 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.039 your great spiritual experiences may have been 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:41.100 or how deeply spiritual you are at this very 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:45.679 moment. In ourselves, there is no perfection. 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:51.600 Know that. Therefore, when we come into the presence 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:58.240 of a holy God, we must come through Jesus Christ. 00:12:59.470 --> 00:13:01.990 That's the reason before Jesus went away, he 00:13:01.990 --> 00:13:06.149 left us his name to use. And he taught us how 00:13:06.149 --> 00:13:12.269 to pray. We pray in the name of Jesus because 00:13:12.269 --> 00:13:19.009 Jesus is perfect. Jesus, the very son of the 00:13:19.009 --> 00:13:23.690 living God, is holy. And God the Father, looking 00:13:23.690 --> 00:13:26.629 down through the perfection and the holiness 00:13:26.629 --> 00:13:31.700 of his... perfect Son who is our Redeemer, our 00:13:31.700 --> 00:13:38.379 Savior, gives us a hearing, knowing that we have 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:42.879 been redeemed through the blood of His perfect 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:48.000 Son. And it's just like that. That's the reason, 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:52.809 this says, we are blessed. with all spiritual 00:13:52.809 --> 00:13:57.009 blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now watch 00:13:57.009 --> 00:14:05.629 this. According as he hath chosen us in him before 00:14:05.629 --> 00:14:09.909 the foundation of the world, that we should be 00:14:09.909 --> 00:14:17.450 holy and without blame before him in love. Now 00:14:17.450 --> 00:14:19.649 we're getting into something that's ticklish. 00:14:20.800 --> 00:14:28.539 I know it. We must tread very softly. It's like 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:33.559 someone sent me a book the other day and asking 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:38.399 me if I would read it, and I read a page or two 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:44.039 of it and then discarded it because I saw that 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:47.700 in just the page or two that I read, the one 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:51.230 was expressing his own purpose. personal opinion 00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:57.269 his own personal ideas we get on dangerous ground 00:14:57.269 --> 00:15:01.610 when we do that it's all right to give our own 00:15:01.610 --> 00:15:05.250 personal opinion if we are very careful to say 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:08.129 now this is my personal opinion this is the way 00:15:08.129 --> 00:15:14.029 i feel about it but if i cannot back it up with 00:15:14.029 --> 00:15:20.409 the word of god then I'm on dangerous ground. 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:26.889 But I am never wrong, and you are never wrong, 00:15:27.070 --> 00:15:30.389 and you and I will never have to apologize for 00:15:30.389 --> 00:15:32.570 what we believe if we can back it up with the 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:40.289 Bible. Let's stay with the Word of God. There 00:15:40.289 --> 00:15:44.750 are too many who are going out on a limb by expressing 00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:48.809 their own personal ideas. That's a very dangerous 00:15:48.809 --> 00:15:54.169 thing. It's very dangerous. Sometimes I feel 00:15:54.169 --> 00:15:57.909 like I'd like to do nothing but just give you 00:15:57.909 --> 00:15:59.990 the Bible, just read the Bible and say, here 00:15:59.990 --> 00:16:02.730 it is, here it is. And you need to get back to 00:16:02.730 --> 00:16:07.350 the Bible. You're reading every new thing that 00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:11.690 comes out. You're reading books and books and 00:16:11.690 --> 00:16:18.100 books and books. Why in the world? Don't you 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:26.460 just stay with the word of God? Then you know 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:33.220 that you will not go off in error. You know that 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:38.379 his word is truth. Now we come to this thing 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:43.899 of predestination. According as he hath chosen 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:50.960 us in him, before the foundation of the world. 00:16:52.679 --> 00:17:00.879 Now, what does that mean? There are those who 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:05.579 say that there are some folk who are predestined 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:09.119 to be lost, and there are other folk who are 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:17.450 predestined to be saved, to be Christians. destined 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:22.630 to go to hell and others who are predestined 00:17:22.630 --> 00:17:26.210 to go to heaven. Do you want to know something? 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:34.470 It was never in God's plan that any man or any 00:17:34.470 --> 00:17:39.309 woman, that any human being from the first Adam 00:17:39.309 --> 00:17:44.630 to the last person who will ever be born, any... 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:52.099 person in this great humanity should ever go 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:57.799 to hell. Never. It was never in God's plan. It 00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:02.140 was never in God's mind. Hell never was made 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:07.960 for men and women. Hell was made for the devil 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.039 and his angels. If you can prove to me from the 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:16.240 word of God. that hell was made for man, you 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:17.940 have found something that I have never found. 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:23.059 When you search the scriptures, there is a hell. 00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:28.380 There has got to be punishment for sin. God would 00:18:28.380 --> 00:18:35.640 not be a just God if he did not punish sin. He 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:40.200 wouldn't be a holy God if he didn't punish sin. 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:47.029 Sin has got to be punished. Know that. There 00:18:47.029 --> 00:18:51.730 is a hell. There is a time. There is a place 00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:58.190 for the punishment of sin. A time of punishment 00:18:58.190 --> 00:19:03.930 for those who have refused the Son of the Living 00:19:03.930 --> 00:19:08.250 God as their Savior and their Redeemer. What 00:19:08.250 --> 00:19:17.609 I am saying is that in the plan of God, he did 00:19:17.609 --> 00:19:24.670 not predestine that any human being should be 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:35.910 lost. I like to think that way back there and 00:19:35.910 --> 00:19:42.220 how many thousands are millions of years it was, 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.000 I do not know. Not that does anyone know. But 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:53.720 way back there when Lucifer fell. You remember 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:57.720 Lucifer was one of the most beautiful of three 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:01.579 angels that God created. All angels are created 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:09.410 beings. There was a time that Lucifer ruled and 00:20:09.410 --> 00:20:12.309 reigned over this planet that you and I call 00:20:12.309 --> 00:20:18.730 the Earth. How do I know? One little word gives 00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:26.049 the key. God told Adam and Eve to replenish the 00:20:26.049 --> 00:20:29.849 Earth. And you do not replenish something unless 00:20:29.849 --> 00:20:34.009 there has been something there before. That wonderful 00:20:34.009 --> 00:20:41.690 word, replenish. Therefore, we know there was 00:20:41.690 --> 00:20:45.890 habitation here on the earth. Our scientists 00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:53.650 prove it. There has been habitation here on this 00:20:53.650 --> 00:21:01.970 earth before God ever created man. Lucifer was 00:21:01.970 --> 00:21:05.410 the ruler over this earth. And he ruled over... 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:11.519 Thousands and thousands, legions of angels. And 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:13.220 then something happened one day when he said, 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:15.519 I will be likened to the most high God. And he 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:19.960 began to ascend into heaven. Ascend from where? 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:24.799 From the earth. He began to ascend into heaven 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:29.420 with this spirit of jealousy in his heart. And 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:31.259 the first sin that we have any account of whatsoever 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:36.569 is the sin of jealousy. And it is no secret that 00:21:36.569 --> 00:21:40.049 the sin of jealousy is still the most prevalent 00:21:40.049 --> 00:21:45.910 sin in the hearts and lives of professing Christians. 00:21:46.569 --> 00:21:50.190 It's still there. We find it in the pulpit. We 00:21:50.190 --> 00:21:57.230 find it in the pew. A very prevalent sin in what 00:21:57.230 --> 00:22:00.569 we call Christian circles. It was the very first 00:22:00.569 --> 00:22:06.170 sin we have any record of. And then you know 00:22:06.170 --> 00:22:10.009 the judgment. Oh, it's all there. You have followed 00:22:10.009 --> 00:22:14.450 me in a previous message. And God in his wrath 00:22:14.450 --> 00:22:18.269 and God in his fury literally reached down and 00:22:18.269 --> 00:22:23.470 turned the earth upside down. That's the reason 00:22:23.470 --> 00:22:26.049 that which was once on the surface of the earth 00:22:26.049 --> 00:22:29.890 is now in the bowels of the earth. Our oils, 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:34.859 our minerals. All of these things. were once 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:41.319 things on the surface. And then it was that God 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:46.759 said, I will replenish the earth with free moral 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:56.200 agency. And he created man. My goodness, I just 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:01.079 forgot. I've got to leave you. But I'll be back. 00:23:01.259 --> 00:23:04.970 And when I come back, Be sure you have your Bibles 00:23:04.970 --> 00:23:06.549 out. God bless you.