The young 23 -year -old girl, a lovely person,
flew in the other day from New York City to be
in the Friday service in the First Presbyterian
Church here in Pittsburgh. Her family, all of
her relatives, live in a southern city. The family
is very religious. And every member of her family
for generations have all belonged to the same
church. Even before the new baby would take his
first cry, they all knew that when that baby
was born, it would be taken to that church. And
when it was old enough for church membership,
it would be a member of that church. Uh -huh.
And when it got old enough, it would go to Sunday
school in that church. And when it got a little
older, it would sing in that choir, you know.
And then a little older, it was a man. It would
become one of the deacons and would be one of
the officials of the church. It had been like
that for generations. But here suddenly, this
23 -year -old girl, brilliant, a college girl,
extremely brilliant, became rebellious. And she
was the first member of the family to break away
from the church. And when she came to Pittsburgh,
I found her to be very rebellious, but very frank
with me. And she said, Miss Kuhlman, I rebel
against religion. I'm sick and tired of it. And
before she could go any further, I looked at
her. I said, isn't it strange that you and I
feel the same way? She looked at me. I had taken
her completely off guard. In fact, so much so,
she just looked. She didn't say a word. Her little
speech wasn't finished. I said, you heard me
correctly. I said, you know, if I just had to
be a religious person, I wouldn't be doing what
I'm doing. Because, you see, I'm not constituted
in such a way that it would be easy for me to
be religious. Because even when I was a kid,
I was the meanest, the most mischievous kid in
Concordia, Missouri. Joe Kuhlman's girl was the
unpredictable. And there are just some people
who are just born religious. They're just born
good. Now, you take my older sister, Myrtle.
She was religious from the first time. She took
her first breath. She was just naturally religious.
It's natural for her to be good. Where I came
from, I don't know. How Papa and Mama ever got
me, I'll never know. And God knows they never
quite figured it out. I could not be a religious
person. And I said to her, I'm just sick of religion
too. She still didn't answer me. She was so shocked.
But I said, do you want to know something? I'm
just crazy about Jesus. I just love him so much.
I love Jesus more than anything in the whole
world because you see, My whole life revolves
not around religion. My whole life revolves around
a person. And that person is Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Living God. And I might just as well
confess that I'm in love with Jesus. Then I went
on. Because by this time, She still was standing
there, her mouth open. No one had ever talked
like that to her. I said, you see, if it was
just a matter of being religious, I couldn't
be doing the kind of thing that I'm doing. I
do what I do. I work as hard as I work. Because
of a person. And everything that I believe revolves
around a person. The person of God the Father.
The person of Jesus Christ the Son. The person
of the Holy Spirit. It isn't something that's
cold. It isn't an institution. It isn't an organization.
It isn't religion as such. It's something that's
personal. It's something that's the most vital
thing in my life. It's something that's alive.
It's something that gives me a purpose for living,
a purpose for doing, a purpose for... It gives
a real meaning to life. And what I live is a
life and not just mere religion. Well, before
she left, she looked at me. She said, I see the
whole thing. I see it all. Just pray now, Miss
Kuhlman. that I'll not miss God's best for my
life. You see, God's religion never yet made
a man miserable. Now think that one through.
Just think it through. Maybe all that you've
had all these years is just religion. There are
thousands of people that all on earth that they've
ever had was just religion. and just enough religion
to make them miserable. Because they're having
a terrific time even being religious. Just an
awful time. Do you want to know that every Sunday
morning of your life, our churches are filled
with religious people? And in many instances,
Even the one who stands behind the pulpit has
nothing more or less than his religion. That's
all. The Bible has never become a living thing
to him. Jesus Christ has never really become
a living personality to him. God the Father is
still something that's very mystical. A way of
he knows not where. And you can tell it in his
prayers. He isn't quite sure to whom he is praying
or whether or not he is really praying to a person
or whether or not anyone is hearing what he is
praying. That's the reason he doesn't believe
the answer to his prayer. And it's just like
that. That's the reason the Holy Spirit and the
power of the Holy Spirit is never real and never
gets through to a person who is merely religious.
There's a mighty big difference between religion
and the person of God the Father, the person
of Jesus Christ the Son, and the person of the
Holy Spirit. Now just sit there for a few minutes.
Where are you? Are you merely a religious person?
If you are, there are tens of thousands just
like yourself. You're not alone. But watch. If
your whole life is centered around a person,
you have something more than religion. You have
a purpose for living. The Bible becomes real
to you. His Word becomes real to you. You'll
have joy. You'll have peace of mind. And God's
religion never yet made a man miserable. Nor
does the Lord Jesus Christ delight in misery.
It's amazing how many religious people have a
theology all of their own, a doctrine all of
their own, and it includes the fact that God
delights in misery. He delights in making people
miserable. Did not the Savior himself say, These
things have I spoken unto you? That my joy might
remain in you and that your joy might be full.
That's the word of God. Just cold religion does
not give joy. Now remember, there is a right
way of making the most of both worlds. One way
is right. One way is wrong. And if your religion
revolves around one person, the person of Jesus,
not just as an influence, not just as a wonderful
example, but the person of Jesus as the very
son of the living God, the person of Jesus, who
forgives your sins, the person of Jesus, one
who'll hear the cry from your heart. Isn't that
challenging? Oh, let me ask you, isn't that challenging
to you to know that there is a person who ever
lived to make intercession for you? A great high
priest, one who is interested in you as an individual.
Just mere religion does not give you a heavenly
father who is interested in you as an individual.
Just mere religion doesn't give you that. Just
mere religion doesn't give you a great high priest,
a great advocate. you his name to use before
he went away and said here I give you my name
to use and when you come to the presence of the
Holy Father present my name come before his throne
he who is absolute perfection absolute holiness
I leave you my name. And when you present my
name before the throne of a holy father, you
have a hearing. Religion doesn't do that for
you. Religion is cold. Religion is something
that is abstract. There's no warmth. in religion.
There's no real strength in religion. You'll
not stand the test when you come face to face
with temptation. You'll not stand the test when
you come face to face with disappointment. You'll
not stand the test when you come face to face
with death or the open grave or eternity. Think
on these things. Do you just have religion? If
you do, it'll never stand the test. Now, let's
go a little deeper into something else, and yet
something that is most important to all of us.
Never trust your own feelings. You know, it often
happens that when a believer enters upon a life
of victory, or a voluntary sin, that he experiences
a joy and an ecstasy and a thrill which make
him feel as if he were treading on air. Oh, I'll
never forget that Sunday morning when I was only
a 14 -year -old girl and in that little Methodist
church when I had that wonderful experience.
I shall never forget the thrill of it. And I've
never doubted that experience. All through these
years, I have never doubted that experience.
With that experience, there was an ecstasy. There
was a definite feeling. So help me. When I walked
out of that little Methodist church and started
for home, I really felt that Mr. Peterings' house
had a brand new paint job. It hadn't. That poor
old house hadn't been painted for ten years.
It was just as much unpainted as it was when
I passed it going to that church that morning.
I honestly felt the grass was greener. I mean
that. When I went home after that wonderful experience,
I felt as though my feet were not touching the
pavement. That's right. Now, Had I expected and
had leaned on the ecstasy of that one experience
for the rest of my life, I'd be sunk. Because
since that time, I'm frank to tell you, there've
been some nights that have been mighty black.
There've been some waters that have been mighty
deep. And there have been days when I had to
take literally the presence of Jesus by faith.
Mm -hmm. Yeah. And you know exactly what I'm
talking about. There hasn't always been that
ecstasy. Know that. Remember something. Always
remember, the... absence of the thrill, the ecstasy
does not prove that Jesus has left you or that
you are alone. God wants us to trust him in his
word and not to rely upon feelings. There are
too many people who are relying on feelings.
Just If you get up in the morning and you don't
feel good, so far you're concerned, God's dead.
The Bible isn't true. And everything spiritual
that you've ever had just completely leaks out.
And you're just like a balloon with all the air
out of it. And you'll mope around all day like
a deflated balloon. Good for nothing. Not even
to God. Why? Because everything in your life,
whether you're up or down, depends on your feelings.
God wants us to trust him. He wants us to trust
his word. And not to rely upon feelings. He would
save us from the peril of testing our victory
or testing his indwelling by any preconceived
notions of ours as to how his presence shall
be felt or manifest. Think less of the victory,
less of the blessing, and more of the blesser.
I always... Like what Mr. Spurgeon said, and
I think of it so very often, and it's worth repeating.
And this is what he said. I looked at Jesus,
and the dove of peace flew into my heart. I looked
at the dove of peace, and she flew away. So look
at Jesus. And when you look at Jesus, He'll give
you that wonderful peace, the dove of peace.
And I feel I want to say something here because
this is vitally important. Don't go around constantly
talking about Satan. I get so sick and tired
of these people who depress me so every time
I come to their presence. They're talking about...
Satan did this, and Satan did the other thing.
And they're just dead sure that it was Satan,
the life of their husband, that caused him to
do so -and -so. No one believes more in the reality
of Satan than I do. He's real. His power is real.
But instead of talking about Satan, talk about
Jesus. If you keep talking about Satan, you're
going to find that there will be a spirit of
depression that will not only radiate from your
own life, but in your home. And anyone coming
into your home, your children coming in, your
husband coming home, will sense that spirit of
depression. And you are the one who has brought
that spirit into the home. Because you have allowed
Satan to rule your mind, rule your thinking,
and rule you. On the other hand, and sometimes
I think it gets to be a habit with some people
constantly talking about Satan and their mind
on Satan instead of on Christ. Instead, keep
your eyes on Jesus. Keep your mind on Jesus.
And at the same time, do not then be examining
or... testing your victory. Just maintain a simple
and constant trust in Christ. He cannot fail.
He cannot. It's really better to enter into the
victorious life by simple faith, unaccompanied
by ecstasy or thrill. Don't trust whatever you
do. For when the thrill subsides and life seems
humdrum and commonplace, we may be tempted to
think that the victory has vanished with the
thrill. Fact first. Then faith. Then feeling.
That, my friend, is the order.