WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.320 The young 23 -year -old girl, a lovely person, 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:10.439 flew in the other day from New York City to be 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:14.019 in the Friday service in the First Presbyterian 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:17.920 Church here in Pittsburgh. Her family, all of 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:24.039 her relatives, live in a southern city. The family 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:29.820 is very religious. And every member of her family 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:34.759 for generations have all belonged to the same 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:41.520 church. Even before the new baby would take his 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:46.100 first cry, they all knew that when that baby 00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:49.820 was born, it would be taken to that church. And 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:51.880 when it was old enough for church membership, 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.579 it would be a member of that church. Uh -huh. 00:00:56.359 --> 00:00:59.780 And when it got old enough, it would go to Sunday 00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:03.299 school in that church. And when it got a little 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:07.000 older, it would sing in that choir, you know. 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:15.340 And then a little older, it was a man. It would 00:01:15.340 --> 00:01:19.400 become one of the deacons and would be one of 00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:21.620 the officials of the church. It had been like 00:01:21.620 --> 00:01:27.209 that for generations. But here suddenly, this 00:01:27.209 --> 00:01:32.489 23 -year -old girl, brilliant, a college girl, 00:01:32.650 --> 00:01:38.870 extremely brilliant, became rebellious. And she 00:01:38.870 --> 00:01:41.650 was the first member of the family to break away 00:01:41.650 --> 00:01:44.950 from the church. And when she came to Pittsburgh, 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:50.049 I found her to be very rebellious, but very frank 00:01:50.049 --> 00:01:56.150 with me. And she said, Miss Kuhlman, I rebel 00:01:56.150 --> 00:02:04.689 against religion. I'm sick and tired of it. And 00:02:04.689 --> 00:02:06.450 before she could go any further, I looked at 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:10.009 her. I said, isn't it strange that you and I 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:14.169 feel the same way? She looked at me. I had taken 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:18.750 her completely off guard. In fact, so much so, 00:02:18.789 --> 00:02:24.680 she just looked. She didn't say a word. Her little 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:29.819 speech wasn't finished. I said, you heard me 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:34.379 correctly. I said, you know, if I just had to 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:39.180 be a religious person, I wouldn't be doing what 00:02:39.180 --> 00:02:44.699 I'm doing. Because, you see, I'm not constituted 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:50.360 in such a way that it would be easy for me to 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:54.770 be religious. Because even when I was a kid, 00:02:55.009 --> 00:02:59.990 I was the meanest, the most mischievous kid in 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:03.509 Concordia, Missouri. Joe Kuhlman's girl was the 00:03:03.509 --> 00:03:09.069 unpredictable. And there are just some people 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:12.050 who are just born religious. They're just born 00:03:12.050 --> 00:03:16.669 good. Now, you take my older sister, Myrtle. 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:23.039 She was religious from the first time. She took 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:27.840 her first breath. She was just naturally religious. 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:33.979 It's natural for her to be good. Where I came 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:36.300 from, I don't know. How Papa and Mama ever got 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:40.060 me, I'll never know. And God knows they never 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:45.719 quite figured it out. I could not be a religious 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:51.759 person. And I said to her, I'm just sick of religion 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:57.780 too. She still didn't answer me. She was so shocked. 00:03:58.039 --> 00:04:01.360 But I said, do you want to know something? I'm 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:09.699 just crazy about Jesus. I just love him so much. 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:17.079 I love Jesus more than anything in the whole 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:21.360 world because you see, My whole life revolves 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:30.600 not around religion. My whole life revolves around 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:38.019 a person. And that person is Jesus Christ, the 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:41.439 Son of the Living God. And I might just as well 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:45.720 confess that I'm in love with Jesus. Then I went 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:50.939 on. Because by this time, She still was standing 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:56.259 there, her mouth open. No one had ever talked 00:04:56.259 --> 00:05:01.220 like that to her. I said, you see, if it was 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:06.279 just a matter of being religious, I couldn't 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:11.980 be doing the kind of thing that I'm doing. I 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:18.339 do what I do. I work as hard as I work. Because 00:05:18.339 --> 00:05:27.360 of a person. And everything that I believe revolves 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:32.920 around a person. The person of God the Father. 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:36.819 The person of Jesus Christ the Son. The person 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:41.560 of the Holy Spirit. It isn't something that's 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:47.680 cold. It isn't an institution. It isn't an organization. 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:54.579 It isn't religion as such. It's something that's 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:57.779 personal. It's something that's the most vital 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:00.500 thing in my life. It's something that's alive. 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:04.259 It's something that gives me a purpose for living, 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:09.560 a purpose for doing, a purpose for... It gives 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:16.279 a real meaning to life. And what I live is a 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:25.920 life and not just mere religion. Well, before 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:32.899 she left, she looked at me. She said, I see the 00:06:32.899 --> 00:06:40.899 whole thing. I see it all. Just pray now, Miss 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:46.920 Kuhlman. that I'll not miss God's best for my 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:54.579 life. You see, God's religion never yet made 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:58.779 a man miserable. Now think that one through. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:04.040 Just think it through. Maybe all that you've 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:06.319 had all these years is just religion. There are 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.300 thousands of people that all on earth that they've 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:15.230 ever had was just religion. and just enough religion 00:07:15.230 --> 00:07:20.209 to make them miserable. Because they're having 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:26.709 a terrific time even being religious. Just an 00:07:26.709 --> 00:07:30.990 awful time. Do you want to know that every Sunday 00:07:30.990 --> 00:07:36.170 morning of your life, our churches are filled 00:07:36.170 --> 00:07:41.430 with religious people? And in many instances, 00:07:42.089 --> 00:07:44.889 Even the one who stands behind the pulpit has 00:07:44.889 --> 00:07:48.889 nothing more or less than his religion. That's 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:54.110 all. The Bible has never become a living thing 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:57.689 to him. Jesus Christ has never really become 00:07:57.689 --> 00:08:03.610 a living personality to him. God the Father is 00:08:03.610 --> 00:08:06.810 still something that's very mystical. A way of 00:08:06.810 --> 00:08:10.589 he knows not where. And you can tell it in his 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:15.279 prayers. He isn't quite sure to whom he is praying 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.699 or whether or not he is really praying to a person 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:22.680 or whether or not anyone is hearing what he is 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:25.459 praying. That's the reason he doesn't believe 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:32.240 the answer to his prayer. And it's just like 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:38.000 that. That's the reason the Holy Spirit and the 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:43.220 power of the Holy Spirit is never real and never 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:47.259 gets through to a person who is merely religious. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:53.220 There's a mighty big difference between religion 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:57.539 and the person of God the Father, the person 00:08:57.539 --> 00:09:01.039 of Jesus Christ the Son, and the person of the 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:04.379 Holy Spirit. Now just sit there for a few minutes. 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:12.059 Where are you? Are you merely a religious person? 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:17.600 If you are, there are tens of thousands just 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:27.220 like yourself. You're not alone. But watch. If 00:09:27.220 --> 00:09:30.860 your whole life is centered around a person, 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:36.039 you have something more than religion. You have 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:39.159 a purpose for living. The Bible becomes real 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:45.519 to you. His Word becomes real to you. You'll 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:52.500 have joy. You'll have peace of mind. And God's 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:59.440 religion never yet made a man miserable. Nor 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:03.440 does the Lord Jesus Christ delight in misery. 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:09.169 It's amazing how many religious people have a 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:12.669 theology all of their own, a doctrine all of 00:10:12.669 --> 00:10:18.370 their own, and it includes the fact that God 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:25.009 delights in misery. He delights in making people 00:10:25.009 --> 00:10:31.750 miserable. Did not the Savior himself say, These 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:38.580 things have I spoken unto you? That my joy might 00:10:38.580 --> 00:10:43.840 remain in you and that your joy might be full. 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:52.419 That's the word of God. Just cold religion does 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:57.019 not give joy. Now remember, there is a right 00:10:57.019 --> 00:11:04.460 way of making the most of both worlds. One way 00:11:04.460 --> 00:11:12.539 is right. One way is wrong. And if your religion 00:11:12.539 --> 00:11:18.299 revolves around one person, the person of Jesus, 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:23.700 not just as an influence, not just as a wonderful 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:27.960 example, but the person of Jesus as the very 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:33.059 son of the living God, the person of Jesus, who 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:37.019 forgives your sins, the person of Jesus, one 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:39.399 who'll hear the cry from your heart. Isn't that 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:45.179 challenging? Oh, let me ask you, isn't that challenging 00:11:45.179 --> 00:11:51.379 to you to know that there is a person who ever 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:55.960 lived to make intercession for you? A great high 00:11:55.960 --> 00:12:00.759 priest, one who is interested in you as an individual. 00:12:02.029 --> 00:12:06.149 Just mere religion does not give you a heavenly 00:12:06.149 --> 00:12:10.190 father who is interested in you as an individual. 00:12:11.830 --> 00:12:17.190 Just mere religion doesn't give you that. Just 00:12:17.190 --> 00:12:22.389 mere religion doesn't give you a great high priest, 00:12:22.669 --> 00:12:35.190 a great advocate. you his name to use before 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:41.929 he went away and said here I give you my name 00:12:41.929 --> 00:12:47.769 to use and when you come to the presence of the 00:12:47.769 --> 00:12:54.269 Holy Father present my name come before his throne 00:12:54.269 --> 00:13:00.450 he who is absolute perfection absolute holiness 00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:07.519 I leave you my name. And when you present my 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:15.059 name before the throne of a holy father, you 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:20.440 have a hearing. Religion doesn't do that for 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:25.500 you. Religion is cold. Religion is something 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:33.240 that is abstract. There's no warmth. in religion. 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:38.379 There's no real strength in religion. You'll 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:41.399 not stand the test when you come face to face 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.299 with temptation. You'll not stand the test when 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:47.440 you come face to face with disappointment. You'll 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.820 not stand the test when you come face to face 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:59.379 with death or the open grave or eternity. Think 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:07.360 on these things. Do you just have religion? If 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:12.539 you do, it'll never stand the test. Now, let's 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:14.360 go a little deeper into something else, and yet 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:17.100 something that is most important to all of us. 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:28.340 Never trust your own feelings. You know, it often 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:31.580 happens that when a believer enters upon a life 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:36.100 of victory, or a voluntary sin, that he experiences 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:40.700 a joy and an ecstasy and a thrill which make 00:14:40.700 --> 00:14:45.539 him feel as if he were treading on air. Oh, I'll 00:14:45.539 --> 00:14:48.799 never forget that Sunday morning when I was only 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.960 a 14 -year -old girl and in that little Methodist 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:55.340 church when I had that wonderful experience. 00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:00.460 I shall never forget the thrill of it. And I've 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:04.340 never doubted that experience. All through these 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:07.539 years, I have never doubted that experience. 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:16.059 With that experience, there was an ecstasy. There 00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:21.320 was a definite feeling. So help me. When I walked 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:22.919 out of that little Methodist church and started 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:28.960 for home, I really felt that Mr. Peterings' house 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:35.309 had a brand new paint job. It hadn't. That poor 00:15:35.309 --> 00:15:37.190 old house hadn't been painted for ten years. 00:15:37.870 --> 00:15:42.190 It was just as much unpainted as it was when 00:15:42.190 --> 00:15:45.610 I passed it going to that church that morning. 00:15:45.710 --> 00:15:50.669 I honestly felt the grass was greener. I mean 00:15:50.669 --> 00:15:54.149 that. When I went home after that wonderful experience, 00:15:54.309 --> 00:15:58.429 I felt as though my feet were not touching the 00:15:58.429 --> 00:16:06.179 pavement. That's right. Now, Had I expected and 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:12.259 had leaned on the ecstasy of that one experience 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:17.320 for the rest of my life, I'd be sunk. Because 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.440 since that time, I'm frank to tell you, there've 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:23.360 been some nights that have been mighty black. 00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:31.379 There've been some waters that have been mighty 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:36.600 deep. And there have been days when I had to 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:42.059 take literally the presence of Jesus by faith. 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:50.279 Mm -hmm. Yeah. And you know exactly what I'm 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:54.539 talking about. There hasn't always been that 00:16:54.539 --> 00:17:01.159 ecstasy. Know that. Remember something. Always 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:08.819 remember, the... absence of the thrill, the ecstasy 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:18.460 does not prove that Jesus has left you or that 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:23.460 you are alone. God wants us to trust him in his 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:27.940 word and not to rely upon feelings. There are 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:31.299 too many people who are relying on feelings. 00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:35.220 Just If you get up in the morning and you don't 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:43.579 feel good, so far you're concerned, God's dead. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:50.059 The Bible isn't true. And everything spiritual 00:17:50.059 --> 00:17:54.039 that you've ever had just completely leaks out. 00:17:55.559 --> 00:18:00.259 And you're just like a balloon with all the air 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:05.480 out of it. And you'll mope around all day like 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:11.960 a deflated balloon. Good for nothing. Not even 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:17.700 to God. Why? Because everything in your life, 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:21.460 whether you're up or down, depends on your feelings. 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.059 God wants us to trust him. He wants us to trust 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:31.049 his word. And not to rely upon feelings. He would 00:18:31.049 --> 00:18:34.970 save us from the peril of testing our victory 00:18:34.970 --> 00:18:40.210 or testing his indwelling by any preconceived 00:18:40.210 --> 00:18:44.109 notions of ours as to how his presence shall 00:18:44.109 --> 00:18:49.089 be felt or manifest. Think less of the victory, 00:18:49.269 --> 00:18:55.109 less of the blessing, and more of the blesser. 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:59.180 I always... Like what Mr. Spurgeon said, and 00:18:59.180 --> 00:19:01.759 I think of it so very often, and it's worth repeating. 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:05.299 And this is what he said. I looked at Jesus, 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:12.279 and the dove of peace flew into my heart. I looked 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:20.579 at the dove of peace, and she flew away. So look 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:27.440 at Jesus. And when you look at Jesus, He'll give 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:31.680 you that wonderful peace, the dove of peace. 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.559 And I feel I want to say something here because 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:41.059 this is vitally important. Don't go around constantly 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:47.839 talking about Satan. I get so sick and tired 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:51.940 of these people who depress me so every time 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:55.500 I come to their presence. They're talking about... 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:59.779 Satan did this, and Satan did the other thing. 00:20:00.900 --> 00:20:08.299 And they're just dead sure that it was Satan, 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.460 the life of their husband, that caused him to 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:13.700 do so -and -so. No one believes more in the reality 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:18.400 of Satan than I do. He's real. His power is real. 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:22.220 But instead of talking about Satan, talk about 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:25.500 Jesus. If you keep talking about Satan, you're 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:28.460 going to find that there will be a spirit of 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:31.819 depression that will not only radiate from your 00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:37.799 own life, but in your home. And anyone coming 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.640 into your home, your children coming in, your 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.259 husband coming home, will sense that spirit of 00:20:45.259 --> 00:20:51.000 depression. And you are the one who has brought 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:55.279 that spirit into the home. Because you have allowed 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:59.039 Satan to rule your mind, rule your thinking, 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.000 and rule you. On the other hand, and sometimes 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:04.740 I think it gets to be a habit with some people 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:06.839 constantly talking about Satan and their mind 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:12.180 on Satan instead of on Christ. Instead, keep 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:16.380 your eyes on Jesus. Keep your mind on Jesus. 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:22.559 And at the same time, do not then be examining 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:28.730 or... testing your victory. Just maintain a simple 00:21:28.730 --> 00:21:34.069 and constant trust in Christ. He cannot fail. 00:21:35.190 --> 00:21:38.369 He cannot. It's really better to enter into the 00:21:38.369 --> 00:21:45.529 victorious life by simple faith, unaccompanied 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:52.569 by ecstasy or thrill. Don't trust whatever you 00:21:52.569 --> 00:21:58.250 do. For when the thrill subsides and life seems 00:21:58.250 --> 00:22:02.210 humdrum and commonplace, we may be tempted to 00:22:02.210 --> 00:22:06.289 think that the victory has vanished with the 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:17.329 thrill. Fact first. Then faith. Then feeling. 00:22:17.829 --> 00:22:22.299 That, my friend, is the order.