He Was To Pass This Way
64-0321B, He Was To Pass This Way, The Supper Club, Baton Rouge, LA, 51 min
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L-1 Let us just remain standing for a few moments as we read God's Word. I was thinking of all that introduction, I would really have to live a real life to live that up, wouldn't I? That's man that love you. Over in the Book of Saint Luke, the 19th chapter, I want to read just a portion of the Scripture, the first five verses.
Let us pray. [Luke 19:1-9]
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which had... was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and he could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste,... come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it,... all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be the guest of a man which was a sinner.
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which had... was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and he could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste,... come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it,... all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be the guest of a man which was a sinner.
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Let us pray. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-2 Our Heavenly Father, we are grateful to Thee, this morning, because that You are still seeking to save the sons of Abraham, that which is lost. We pray, Heavenly Father, that You will receive our humble prayer and bless our gathering together here today. And may it not be in vain, but may the great Holy Spirit teach us the way of Life, knowing this, that we must stand in His Presence someday, to give an account of what we've done with this life. Bless us together now as we further wait on Thee. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
May be seated.
May be seated.
L-3 I am sure happy to have good friends, people who believe, and believe the efforts that you're trying to put forth. If I had any other objective, just merely to be different, why, I would be a--a real sinner. But my objective is to magnify Jesus Christ.
L-4 And something that's in a man, when you have a Message from God, you cannot stop yourself. There is something in you, pulsating. It goes on, anyhow. You can't slow it up, stop it, or start it. It stops and starts and slows up you. See? It's the One that has control.
L-5 Thanks to--to these fine brethren for their testimony of our Lord Jesus. They wasn't speaking of me, of course not. They were speaking of Him.
L-6 Like I was reading a little article, here not long ago, about Mr. Moody. Said, the Chicago was going to... newspaper was going to write an editorial on him. And they sent someone out, to find out why people gathered to hear Mr. Moody. The editorial; Mr. Moody is like myself, he didn't have enough education to read the--the editorial, so his manager had to read it. Mr. Moody was a shoe cobbler, formerly, and he was called of God for a message of the--the hour. And so the manager was reading the editorial, and it said, "Why would anybody go to hear Dwight Moody?" Said, "The first place, he's the ugliest man I ever seen." And said, "He is bald-headed, and long whiskers, and so forth." And said, "And he--he whines when he talks. His grammar is the worst I ever heard." Uh-huh. And, oh, he was just carrying on like that.
L-7 Said, "Mr. Moody just shrugged his shoulders. He said, 'Certainly not. They come to see Christ.'"
L-8 So, that's, I think that's just the answer. It's Christ that we want to see. "If I be lifted up, I'll draw all man unto Me." [John 12:32]
L-9 I was thinking, after visiting here in the--the city, and finding that the people, how nice they've been, what a nice meeting we're having here at this Denham Springs High School, or school auditorium. I was thinking, the people here are something like the coffee. They're... My! It's not quantity, but it's quality; a whole lot in one of them cups.
L-10 I remember my first time landing at the airport out here. The brothers coming to get me, sitting here. And a little French girl there; I asked for a hamburger and a cup of coffee.
L-11 I never drank it till I was about thirty-eight years old; I ought to have knowed better. But then Brother Brown, I guess he is here this morning, somewhere. He is sitting right here. He liked it so well, and he got me... I'd have a ministerial breakfast at seven o'clock, one at eight o'clock, and one at nine o'clock; you couldn't eat all that, so they would pour coffee. And I got to sipping it, and, first thing, I got to drinking.
L-12 So I asked this girl, I told her, "I want a hamburger and a cup of coffee." When they brought the little cup out, I thought, "My, my, they're sure tight on their coffee around here." First drink, first swallow I took, oh, my, I had to fight for breath. See?
L-14 So that's the way I find the people, maybe not the greatest crowds I've ever spoke to, but real genuine quality. I am grateful for that, a listening audience, somebody who sits and pays attention on what you're saying. I...
L-15 That's what I want you to do. Examine what a man says, by the Word of God. And, if It isn't right, then it isn't right. That's all. If it is the Word of God, then God has got to testify of His Word, 'cause He promised to. So that's the way we like to examine these things, to--to find out.
L-16 Now I've understood, this morning, that this was to be a businessmen's breakfast, and the Full Gospel Business Men, which I'm a member of their chapter. And I think this... They said some of them was here. Some of them didn't get out. Maybe, they're businessmen, they got their business they have to attend to. I'm going to give them excuse, anyhow, so--so that's all right. He said many of their people were here, anyhow, so that's very fine.
L-17 Now just a little joke. I've told it, but maybe... It's not a place to joke, of course, but it's just a little sense of humor. When you talk, like we've been, a while ago, well, maybe get people back on some sense of humor.
L-18 I remember one time, a friend and I were in school together. His name was Wilmer Snyder. His brother is a Baptist minister, and he--he writes in this Upper Room, a--a column in the Upper Room. We were schoolboys together. And I studied the ministry, and he--he become an insurance agent. And so he come to my house, one day, to visit me. And now there may be some insurance agents here. And I'm not saying nothing about insurance now. I hope, don't think wrong with this, but you catch the little hang of what I... way I said it. So my brother also is--has the Prudential, and he sells Prudential insurance.
L-19 So one time I had a little something done by an insurance company that I'm... I guess, not knowing very much, I... they read the policy to me wrong, and it was misrepresented to me, and I just never did take it out. I...
L-20 So, one day, Wilmer came up to see me, and he said, he said, "How you getting along, Billy?"
I said, "Fine."
Said, "Hear you been out in the meetings!"
I said, "Yes, I'm out in meetings."
I said, "Fine."
Said, "Hear you been out in the meetings!"
I said, "Yes, I'm out in meetings."
L-21 I was telling him about a fellow said to me. He said, "Say, you're a preacher. What are you doing, hanging around these businessmen?"
I said, "I am a businessman."
And they said, "Ah, what business you in?"
I said, "Assurance business."
I said, "I am a businessman."
And they said, "Ah, what business you in?"
I said, "Assurance business."
L-22 And, see, he didn't get it. I never said, "Insurance." I said, "Assurance." See?
And so I said, "Assurance business."
And so I said, "Assurance business."
L-24 I said, "I sell Eternal Life assurance." And I'm still selling it. So I'd be interest-... any of you are interested, I'd like to talk the policy with you, right after the meeting, if it's all right.
L-25 And so he said, he said, "The Eternal Life?" Said, "I don't believe I ever heard of the company."
L-26 I said, "Oh, you never heard?" I said, "It's well known." And he said... I said, "It's an old establishment."
And he said, he said, "Where is the headquarters?"
I said, "In Glory."
And he said, he said, "Where is the headquarters?"
I said, "In Glory."
L-27 Wilmer said to me, he said, "Billy, I thought I'd come up, sell you some insurance." Said, "I hear that you don't have any insurance."
And I said, "Oh, yes. I--I have assurance."
And I said, "Oh, yes. I--I have assurance."
L-28 And he said, "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, "I guess, your brother, you have it with him."
I said, "No, not exactly with him."
I said, "No, not exactly with him."
L-29 My wife looked at me, as if to say, "Well, you must be a telling a story." She knowed I didn't have any insurance. But she didn't get it either. I said, "Assurance," not "insurance."
He said, "What insurance do you have, Billy?"
He said, "What insurance do you have, Billy?"
L-30 I said:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory Divine.
I'm an heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory Divine.
I'm an heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.
L-31 He said, "Billy, that's very nice. That's very nice." Said, "I nothing against That, but," said, "That won't put you up here in this graveyard when you're gone."
L-33 I'm not bothered about getting in; it's, getting out. And so--so This is the only thing I know that'll get you out. So if you're interested in getting out, let us talk to you about It.
L-34 Looking upon the audience, this morning, I won't keep you but just a little bit. And I had a text I was going to preach from, so then I thought, well, I better not do that. I was just going to have a little drama of something, a character in the Bible.
L-35 I'm thinking here on a serious matters. That, while we're sitting here as Christians, I suppose most of us, did you know this may be the last time that we'll ever eat breakfast together? Did you ever think of that?
L-36 Do you realize, what little words that I have to say here, God is going to make me answer for it up there at the Day of Judgment? See? And I have souls here, no matter if it's a small group, but yet I have. It's the words that I say, well, I'll have to answer for them up There.
L-37 So we may never eat another breakfast together, but I hope we eat a Supper together, someday. That's the last supper, up There with Him, it'll be the first one There.
L-38 And then as we sit here this morning, and I look upon these man here, some of them, great ministers who has studied. And me, here, just a--a bushman come out, no education, sitting here with man that's qualified to preach, and Doctors of Divinity. I feel very little to stand and talk before man like that. But, yet, I--I got to express what I feel. And their great gratitude and kindness to let me stand and do this. I appreciate it, brothers, cooperating in the meeting, and getting together. I'm here to help you. I'm going to do everything I can for each one of you, by the grace of God.
L-39 And then when it's all over, someday, if I don't get to eat breakfast with you again, when it's all over, we're sitting across the table from one another, that's the time I'm looking for. No doubt but little tears will run down our cheeks, and look across the table and get each other by the hand. It'll mean something then. Let's work while it's time to work, while the sun is up. It'll be down after a while; it's getting very low. Then, to think that, while we're sitting there, holding each other's hands, and weeping a little, then the great King will come out, in all of His great robes, come down along the line, wipe all tears away from our eyes, and say, "It's well done, my good and faithful servants, enter into the joys of the Lord, that's been prepared for you since the foundation of the world." While the sun is up, and it's light enough to labor, let us labor. [Matthew 25:21]
L-40 Now this little text here, it may seem kind of ridiculous, but we're going to talk on this subject: He Was To Pass This Way.
L-41 It must have been a--an awful night on the little fellow. He couldn't sleep at all, and he just rolled and tossed, all night long. It was breaking day.
L-42 And we all know what those restless nights mean, you can't sleep. You got something on your mind, or something has got your nerves all upset.
L-43 And this little fellow was a businessman, maybe in a city of Jericho, which was something like you businessmen and women here, and he--he no doubt had a growing business. He stood in good with the... all the clubs, and so forth, and was a member of the church, the Sanhedrin council, and had a fine priest, and he believed this priest. [Luke 19:1-5]
L-44 And the strange thing about this case, though, is his wife. We'll call her Rebekah. "She had strayed off on the wrong side," he thought, and so did the priest. She was following a Man that was supposed to be a prophet of Nazareth, a Man named Jesus. The people, the poorer class of people, believed Him to be a prophet, or a Messiah that was promised, but it didn't meet just the qualifications of the Sanhedrin.
L-45 Strange, sometimes God does things off of the color that we think It ought to be in. "This Fellow, you see, was born," to their opinion, "a illegitimate birth. His mother gave birth to Him before her and her husband was married."
L-46 Another thing, He had no schooling. They didn't have no record He ever going to school. He was not a priest, neither was He a rabbi. He just had claims, like, of His Own.
L-47 As Brother Don so greatly stated this morning, "It was a turning the corner." They didn't recognize it. It usually happens that way. It come to that corner time.
L-48 But somehow, another, his wife had been persuaded that He was that Prophet that was to come, and she had followed Him, believed Him.
L-49 And she had tried to tell her husband. But he was so carried away in his business, and with the... He belonged to church. "Isn't that good enough?"
L-50 Something like the rich young ruler, you know. He had a business, also. But he realized that he was a--a member of the church, but he didn't have Eternal Life. And he asked... He seen something in Jesus that other man didn't have. And he said, come to Him and said, "I..." He wanted to know if he... what he could do to have Eternal Life. And Jesus told him to keep the commandments. He said, "I've done this since I was a youth." See, it showed he was a--a believer, but he knew that Jesus had something that those priests and rabbis didn't have. [Luke 18:18-21]
L-51 And when a man ever comes in contact with Jesus Christ, He is different from man. You're never the same when you once see Him, if there's any spark of God about you. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-52 So Rebekah had found this Jesus. And He--He was, to her, exactly the fulfilling of the promise that the Jews had been looking for, for their day.
L-53 So the news had got around that He was going to have a breakfast, or some kind of a dinner or something, down in Jericho, so that she had got busy to praying about her businessman husband.
L-54 We need more Rebekahs, everywhere, you see. See, prayer changes things. If you lay your husband, or your unsaved one, before God, and then pray, God will make a way somewhere, 'cause He promised to.
L-55 So that's what Rebekah, being a stanch believer and a follower of the Lord Jesus, and a very fine sweet person she must have been, and she had... interested in her household.
L-56 And I think that that reflects again, that if--if a person ever meets Jesus and finds Him really in your heart, you're interested not only in your own household, but the household of God, everywhere. You're interested, that they know Him. "And to know Him is Life." "Know Him," see, not know how to read the Word, or so. But, "Know Him, is Life." [Luke 19:1-9]
L-57 So she had prayed hard. And the day drew close to when Jesus was supposed to enter the city. And no doubt but, the day before, she might have seen if his attitude had changed any. So she said, maybe, "Zacchaeus, are--are you going to that breakfast in the morning?"
L-58 "Why, certainly not. Why, that bunch of people! And you expect me... I've got the best restaurant in town, and they hold it over at Lavinski's." I hope there is not a Lavinski here. But, anyhow, "Over at the other place, you see. And, why, I got the best place in town, and they picked that place down there. Why, they oughtn't. They ought to come to my place, to hold this, you see." He wasn't going.
L-59 Then she got to praying, really desperately. So then that night, the little fellow couldn't rest at all.
L-60 You know, there is something about it, if you go to really desperately praying about something, God works on both ends of the line, see. He--He--He answers.
L-61 So the little fellow, he must have got to thinking that night, "Wonder if I should go down and--and--and hear this Man? Now, Rebekah says that He is a prophet. Now, we know we haven't had any prophets for hundreds of years. And I asked the priest about it, he said, 'Nothing but just a nonsense! If there'd be a Prophet raise up, wouldn't he come through the church? That's the way he'd have to come. He'd come to us Pharisees, or Sadducees, or our group, or he wouldn't be a Prophet.'" You know, that attitude still holds. So they think It has to come that way, or It isn't right. So they said, no doubt, but, in this great time that... She believed It, anyhow.
L-62 And he had discussed it with the priest. The priest said, "Now looky here, them days of prophets have been many, many years ago. We've got the law. We've got it all wrote out. The situation is under control, and we've got it in our hands, and we know about these things."
L-63 But then, course, Zacchaeus, not looking into It, just absolutely just presuming, taking it for granted. The word presume is "to venture without authority." Why, he--he thought that that was all right; as long as he belonged to the church, that's all he had to do.
L-64 But then as night begin to come on, there come a sudden desire in his heart. "Maybe if this person is in town, He may never be here again. I should go and investigate the--the situation, see for myself."
L-65 Now that's a good idea. Look it over yourself. Don't go to criticize. Take the Word, and examine the Word by it.
L-66 So she, Rebekah, had tried, as a woman could, to explain that what the prophets had said, and what Moses had said, this Person would be, and when He come. So she must have thought, tried to explain it to him, but yet the priest had much more influence over him than what Rebekah, his wife, did.
L-67 Then when morning begin to dawn, why, the little fellow was... Rebekah, I can imagine her, seeing her punch him, saying, "Zacchaeus, you mean to say you don't want to go down?"
"No, I don't want nothing to do with It."
"No, I don't want nothing to do with It."
L-68 You know, don't be, Reb-... Don't be disgusted, Rebekah. Sometime that's a good sign. See, just--just when he gets so discouraged, you talk about It, everything else. That's a pretty good sign, sometime.
L-69 So, after a while, Rebekah act like she was asleep. Only, she was praying. And she finds Zacchaeus slips out of bed, real easy, you know, and goes over and grooms hisself all up, and combs his hair just right, and puts on his best garment. And she peeped over, out of one eye, to see what he was doing. She knew right then God had answered prayer. She knew something was going to take place. So Zacchaeus tiptoes out, not letting Rebekah know where he is a going, you know. And he slips out, and gets outside and looks back.
L-70 She raises up the curtain, looks out, to see him go out. She says, "Thank You, Lord. It's all all right now." See?
L-71 Like Elijah did, when he said, "I see that, the cloud the size of a man's hand." Just the first little evidence, something is fixing to happen. [I Kings 18:44]
L-72 So he goes out, and down the streets. He said, "Now I understand He is going to enter in by the south gate, so I better go over there and stand." And said, "And I'll get me a place, and I'll stand right there. And when He comes in, I'll see how much Prophet that fellow is. And I'm going to walk right out and put my finger under His nose, and I'm going to give Him a piece of my mind, and when He comes. And I'm going to tell Him that all of His nonsense has caused my wife... and these prayer meetings and things. I'm getting sick and tired of it. I'm going to. I'm going to say something about this, see, and I'll tell Him. And then I know rabbi will certainly pat me on the back, and say, 'Zacchaeus, you're a good member of this church here. You're sure a fine fellow.'" So he said, "I'll get down there early," so he got down. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-73 When he got about a block, or two, of the gate, come to find out, the place was jammed. They was hanging on the walls and everywhere. Somehow or another, even though He was talked about, there was somebody still liked to hear Him. Somebody would listen.
L-74 So he said, "Now how am I going to ever see Him come in the gate?" You remember, the Bible said he was small of stature. And he said, "I'm too little." So he pushed around, "Here, give me a little room!" You can tell he isn't a Christian yet, you see, acting like that. Christians don't have that attitude, see. "Stand back! You know who I am? I am Zacchaeus. I own the restaurant up here. Get, stand out of my way!" See? Now, that ain't a Christian. Everybody knowed he wasn't. Maybe some of them knew that Rebekah was praying. [Luke 19:3]
"Well," they said, "well, you stand back."
"Well," they said, "well, you stand back."
L-75 And so he knowed he'd never get to see Him, in all that crowd, so he wouldn't be able to express his thoughts to Him. So he thought, "Well, now, what'll I do? Maybe I'll go back home and just forget the whole matter."
L-76 But, you know, there is something about it, that when you make up your mind that you want to see Him, there is nothing going to stop you from seeing Him. I don't care what it is, you're--you're persistent, and like the little Greek woman was persistent to get to Jesus. And there is something about it, that whenever you make up your mind that you're going to see Him, there isn't nothing going to stop you. But, remember, when you make up your mind, then the devil is going to do everything he can to stop you. He is determined that you're not going to understand It, you're not going to see It. He'll throw every black sheet across, he can, to keep you from seeing It. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-77 So there was his first barricade, right there. So then he started off, said, "Well, I guess..."
L-78 And looked over there, and there stood some of his competitors, and, they, he knew then that some of the folks from the church. So there he had made so much fun of this Jesus of Nazareth, of being a prophet, then here stood some of his members looking at him, right down there in the same group. He just couldn't be hid. He was identified.
L-79 Now, Zacchaeus, you're already identified, so just... you know, if there happened to be one here. You're already mixed up in the group now, so they already know who, we're here, so we just might as well get acquainted, know one another.
L-80 So he said, "Well, this is odd here." And he looked around, seen one standing here. "And you know, after all, they're all about like you, they--they want to find out something."
L-81 A man knows that he come from somewhere, from the beyond; and when he leaves, he goes back somewhere. And he is always trying to find something to find out where he come from and where is he going. There is only One has that answer, that's God. Every man wants to look over that curtain. And when you see anything that... that can show you what's over the curtain, where you been, and who you are, and where you're going. There is only one Book, of all the literature that's wrote, of the millions of tons, This is the Book that tells you who you are, where you come from, and where you are going. There is no other book that'll do it; that Bible! "And the Word is God," the Bible said.
L-82 Now, we find that this fellow, with all around, he was embarrassed to find out he was in the midst of a people that was screaming, and crying, and hollering, and acting like they were crazy. So, but he... There he was sitting, identified with them, so he--he just had to stay, that's all there was to it. Now he said, "Well, if I have come this far, I might as well go on till I really find Him out."
L-83 Now, Zacchaeus, that's a good idea. You done got here at the breakfast, so now let's just go on. See, we're all this far.
L-84 So now we find out, that, as they went along, he said, "Now if I stay here, I--I cannot see Him, because I'm too small. So, you know, I believe I'll get out of this crowd, and run down on the corner where I'll be standing by myself, get me a place right on the--the edge of the pavement. And when He comes by, then I'll walk right out in the street and tell Him what I think of Him. I'll give Him a piece of my mind."
L-85 So he took off, away from the crowd, and went down. He thought, "Now which a way will He go?" Well, he went down to "Hallelujah Avenue." That's usually the way He travels, you see. And went down to "Amen Corner," where it turns there, to go down to the--to the eating place.
L-86 That's where you go, you know, "Hallelujah Avenue" and "Amen Corner," and then you're ready to eat the Word. See? See?
L-87 So he went down to this corner, and stood there on the corner, said, "Now there is nobody here. And when I..." I know this sounds ridiculous, but I just... Hold on a minute. So then, first thing you know, he got down to this corner, and he said, "There is nobody here, so I'll stand here. When He comes by, I'll find out how much Prophet He is. I'll walk right out in the street, and I'll tell Him something."
L-88 So he was standing there, and he happened to get to thinking, "Now just a minute. You know, if I was too small down there, that crowd will probably go wherever He is going. And I--I don't want nobody hollering when I talk to Him. I want to tell Him so He will hear me. And them hollering 'Amen,' and 'Hallelujah,' and 'Glory to God,' 'Hosanna to the--to the Prophet that comes in the Name of the Lord.' Oh, they'll never hear me, all that noisy bunch. So there is only one thing... Then they'll crowd all around me, and then I--I--I can't even see Him at all."
L-89 So he happened to look, standing on the corner, and there was an old familiar sycamore tree. That's a good Indiana tree. So standing on the corner. He thought, "Well, if I could get up there on that limb and sit down, then I would be up there, then I could really tell Him when He comes by."
L-90 So he come, run over. And he was too small; he couldn't get up to the limb. So he said, "Well, now there is only one thing I can do," and there sit the--the city garbage cans, sitting on the corner. So he thought, "Well, now, if I go over and get that garbage can, and pick it up and bring it over here, then I can get the rest of the way up the tree from that. That'll help me."
L-91 So he goes over. And the garbage disposal hadn't come by, yet, that morning, and it was pretty heavy. So he was small and he couldn't pick it up. The only one way to do it, that's wrap his arms around it. And he had on his best garment. So, you know, there is always hindrances when you're trying to see Jesus. But that didn't make any difference, whether it was good garment or not, he wanted to see Jesus, anyhow. So he throwed his arm around the garbage can, so he could get it over there. So he scooted it over, and there he had garbage all over him. Well, didn't make any difference; he--he wanted to see Him, anyhow. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-92 So while he was pushing the can over, with his arms around it, he heard somebody laughing. And he looked around, and if it wasn't Lavinski standing there, his competitor, saying, "Well, what do you know! Zacchaeus has begun, got him a new job from his restaurant. He is working for the garbage disposal."
L-93 You know, the devil just wants to see what he can do to throw everything in your way, that he can, to keep you from seeing Jesus. He'll tell you, "They're a bunch of holy-rollers." They'll tell you, "They're a bunch of idiots." He'll say, "They're, there is nothing to them. They're just the poor trash of the city," anything he can do. But if you're determined to see Him, God will make a way for you to see Him. Just keep that in your mind. Something will take place, if that hunger begins to break into your heart, something. You'll go see Him, anyhow.
L-94 So didn't make any difference. Little old face turned red, and he was embarrassed. But he just pushed the can on over, anyhow, and got a hold of it, and shinnied up the tree. That's all right, ain't it, shinnied? You Southerners know what shinnied is, that's, climbed up the tree, got up the tree. And he got up there, and he found where two limbs come together and met in the trunk of the tree, and there he sit down.
L-95 Now, that's a good place to sit, where two ways meets; yours and God's; your idea, and His. That's a good time to sit down and think it over. Your own thoughts about Him; and what His Word says He is. What you think He is; and what the Word says He is. What the Message of the hour is, to your thinking; and what the Message of the hour is, to His Word. That's the difference. Sit there and think it over a little while.
L-96 No doubt, Satan got on one of his shoulders. He said, "You know what? You are a pretty-looking sight, sitting up here picking splinters out of your hands. And with your best garment on, and it all garbage all over it. And now your name will be published all through the city, the jokes will be all on you, because look what a rashel thing you have done, sitting here."
L-98 There he sat, in that condition! He said, "Well, Rebekah said He was a Prophet. I'll give Him a trial. I'll see if He is a Prophet." Now he said, "When He comes by here, I'll just disguise myself, and He'll never know I'm up here. First, I'll get a look at Him. And then when I see Him, then I'm going to jump out of this tree, and then I'll go down there and tell Him." Now said, "Now, if He--if He is a Prophet, though, as Rebekah said that He was, He might know I was up in this tree, if that's true. So I'll tell you, I'll fix Him up," so he pulled all the leaves around him and disguised himself, all over, so he couldn't be seen; and left one leaf, to look out, you know, to see Him as He turned the corner.
L-99 And then sitting there, thinking it all over. After a while, he heard a noise coming around the corner.
L-100 It's strange, wherever He is at, there is always a lot of noise. You know, noise is a sign of life. See? Remember the high priest, when he dressed and went into the Holiest of holies, on the end of his garment he had a pomegranate and a bell, and that noise in the Holiest of holies was the only way the waiters knew that he was alive or not. It made a noise. And where there ain't no noise, then, my, he might be dead. Well, I think that's what's a whole lot the matter with our churches, today, there is not enough noise about it, not enough enthusiasm, not enough something. And so, where Jesus is, there is always a noise. [Luke 19:28-40]
L-101 One time, when He come into Jerusalem, they were screaming and hollering, and, "Hosanna to the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord!" [John 12:13], [Luke 19:39-40]
L-102 And some of those priests standing there, said, "Why, make them keep still, hold their peace." [Luke 19:40]
L-103 He said, "If they hold their peace, the rocks will cry out." Something has to move when He is around. Notice. And, then, those who believed Him. [Luke 19:40]
L-104 And then he heard this noise a coming around the corner, and screaming and going on. So he thought, "Well, He must be approaching." So he pulled up his leaf, and raised up to look over. "Now I've got Him all now. We'll find out how much Prophet He is." So when he was sitting there, with his leaf up, looking; and--and up in this tree, way up above their heads, where they would pass beneath the tree. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-105 So when he noticed the first man coming around the corner, must have been the apostle, Peter, 'cause he was a big, strong, burly sort of a man. I can see him pushing the crowds back, saying, "Friends, I'm sorry. Our Master had a great service last night, much virtue has gone from Him. You all will understand. Would you just stand aside so Master can pass by? Please do that." And here come Matthew, Mark, and them, along, saying, "Now we--we don't want to be rude; we're--we're not here for that purpose. But our Master is awfully tired, and He hasn't had His breakfast, so we're--we're... We want you to stand aside, if you will."
L-107 A few days before that, at one of the meetings at a business place, a--a doctor had been there, and told this little fellow that had a little girl that was real sick of a fever, and she wasn't going to live if some... He had done all he could do for her.
L-108 And Zacchaeus, when he raised his leaf up, and looked, he seen this man, with this baby wrapped in this blanket, coming around the corner. He thought, "What a rashel thing that that father would do, trying to follow that--that so-called Prophet! Here he come around the corner with this baby, and it with a fever, and standing out in this wind." [Luke 19:1-9]
L-109 But, you know, just as Zacchaeus, when you really believe, there is nothing going to hinder you, you. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-110 And she wanted to get that baby to Him. And every time they would make a--a corner, or a change, he would be pushed back. But, he--he was persistent, he was going on. Finally, at this corner, the little mother run out with the baby in her arms, and she must have fell down, and she said, "Lord, be merciful to my child." And there stood the father of the baby, crying, too, which was a friend to Zacchaeus.
He said, "What's changed his attitude?"
He said, "What's changed his attitude?"
L-111 So he couldn't make out Who the Man was, yet, He was down in the crowd. All at once, he sees a hand stretch out and touch, over the top of this little blanket. And the little girl was unwrapped, went skipping down the street.
"Now there has got to be something to that," Zacchaeus said.
"Now there has got to be something to that," Zacchaeus said.
L-112 Finally, He come in view. And one look at Him, Zacchaeus had done changed his opinion. Just once glimpse of Him! There He was. He didn't look like man. There was something different about Him. Meek, gentle, kind; and yet, looked like, if He would speak, the world would come to an end. He was a different character from what he had thought. His attitude begin to... All of his starch begin to wash out, when he seen Him. Comes walking on down the street. He thought; over this little leaf, looking over, see what was taking place. And as He walked, He got right under to where he was. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-113 And he said, "You know, that Man could be a Prophet. Maybe Rebekah was right. She might a knowed more about the Scriptures than I did." So He walks right on down, with His head down, walking along, humble, gentle, as He always did. And the disciples keeping the people out of His way.
L-114 And as He got right under the tree, He stopped. Zacchaeus, looking over the leaf, something like that. He looked up in the tree, said, "Zacchaeus, come on down." [Luke 19:9]
L-115 Not only did He know he was--he was up in the tree, but He knowed his name was Zacchaeus. He had a lot less trouble of getting down out of the tree, than he did getting up. He knowed him; the miracle was done on him. See? [Luke 19:9]
L-116 He said, "Lord, I've been wrong. I'm ready to confess I'm wrong. If I have took anything, that was wrong, I--I'll pay it back. I'll give half my goods to the poor."
Jesus said, "Today, salvation has come to your house." [Luke 19:2-9]
Jesus said, "Today, salvation has come to your house." [Luke 19:2-9]
L-117 What changed him? What was the change, brother and sister? Think just for a moment. The change was, he had seen Something real.
L-118 He had heard all the promises had been made, the priest talking about what was, great prophet Moses, great this, that, or the other, promising a great something in the future, but ignoring what's being done now. That's the way of man.
L-119 He saw something genuine, something that he could see, himself. The miracle had happened to him. He was that Prophet. Because, He didn't know him, neither would He ever seen him up in the tree. But when He got right under the tree, He stopped and looked up, and said, "Zacchaeus, come down. Today, salvation has come to your house." [Luke 19:9]
L-120 Brethren, it's the real thing that changes man's mind, changes their attitude. Sometime it's a press, surely, to get to It. But if you'll approach Christ, this morning, with--with the--the thought in your heart, that, "I will not be critical, but I'll study the Scripture and see what He was."
L-121 If He come to the meeting, tonight; before you come, study and see what He was. Whatever He was, He has to be the same today. His... As I spoke last night, if many of you were there, see. Does God identify Himself by His characteristic? He always must remain that way, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Men's hearts are--are so... A--a real God-fearing man or woman, businessman, or whatever it is, he is always... there is something in his heart, if there is any God-fear about him, to know something about God.
L-122 Say, I never told you what happened to Zacchaeus. He become a member of the Full Gospel Business Men's chapter, at Jericho. See, I want to tell you about him, first, you see. Oh, sure, he wouldn't be nothing else but full Gospel, of course not. That's all Jesus preached. So he become a member there. And you ought to be a member of the same. Now notice. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-123 But he wanted to see something real. And when he saw something real, himself, that was Scripturally identified, then he was ready. It's the real things that mounts.
L-124 Just a little story before closing. How many in here is hunters, let's see your hands, my brethren in here? Oh, my! I--I knowed I wasn't alone. So I love to hunt, and I'm...
L-125 I used to go up in the north woods, up in New Hampshire. It's the home of the white-tail deer. How I love to hunt them! And I used to go up every year. And I had a partner up there, named Bert Call, one of the finest man I ever hunted with.
L-126 And my nature has always been to the woods. I was born in the woods, and I just seemed like was raised up there. And even my conversion never took it out of me. Not so much to get the game; but just to be in the woods. I think God is there; to see Him, how He moves. And the nature, how it dies and goes down, comes back again, and resurrection.
L-127 The sun comes up of a morning, a little baby borned; and then about nine o'clock, it goes to school; and about ten o'clock it's finished; at twelve o'clock it's in its strength; at two o'clock in the afternoon it's getting along about my age; and at five o'clock it's eighty years old, it's dying. It goes down. It served God's purpose. It ain't dead. It'll come back the next morning. It's God testifying there is a life, death, burial, resurrection.
L-128 Watch them trees out there. Last fall, the sap went down into the root before any frost or anything else come. What was it doing? Going down into the grave. What happens then? It comes back again in the spring. It isn't dead. It goes down and lays in the ground, comes back. If it stays up, then the winter will kill it. See? God has... No intelligence of its own sends it down there. It's God's provided way. So it just follows God's provided way. Goes down, hides through the winter, comes back again with new life next year, testifying there is a life, death, burial, resurrection. Everywhere, it's the same thing; God, in His great creation, testifying of Himself.
L-129 This hunter, he was a fine shot, a good shot. But he was the most cruelest man I ever met. He--he would make fun of me all the time. He shot fawns.
L-130 Now, not it's wrong to shoot a fawn if the law says so. But, you know, Abraham killed a calf and fed it to God, so it wasn't the--the sex, or the--the size.
L-131 It's the attitude. He would shoot them just because it made me feel bad. And he would say, "Oh, you are chicken-hearted, like the other of them priests." Said, "Billy, you would be a good hunter if it wasn't you was a preacher." And said, "But you're too chicken-hearted. That's the way with them preachers," said, "they're--they're too chicken-hearted."
And I said, "Bert, you are cruel."
And I said, "Bert, you are cruel."
L-132 He had eyes like a lizard, anyhow. And he said... He did, he... Like the women try to paint their eyes, you know, up like that. And he said... And he looked over like that, and he said, "You're just chicken-hearted." So he would shoot those little fawns. And kill one, let it lay, and go right on get another one, just to make me feel bad. And he said, "I'll get you away from that preaching, some of these days."
And I said, "Oh, no, Bert. No, no."
And I said, "Oh, no, Bert. No, no."
L-133 So one day I went up there, one fall, and it was late. And the season had been in about a week, and I was busy. I was State Game Warden of Indiana, and I--I had been busy, and right in hunting season, so I had to get my vacation. I went up a little late.
L-134 And those white-tail deer, if they're ever shot at, you talk about Houdini being an escape artist, my, he is an amateur to them. And so then they really stay hid. And it had been moonlight nights, snow on the ground about six inches, good trailing work.
L-135 And so Bert, when he come down to the cabin where I was at, he said, "Say, Billy, I got a good one this year for you."
And I said, "What?"
And I said, "What?"
L-136 Reached down in his pocket and pulled it out. He had a little whistle. He would blow it, and it sounded just like a little fawn crying for its mother. Little baby deer, you know, crying for its mother.
L-137 I said, "Bert, how cruel can you be?" I said, "Do you mean... You wouldn't do a thing like that!"
He said, "Ha-ha, you chicken-hearted preacher!"
He said, "Ha-ha, you chicken-hearted preacher!"
L-138 And we went on hunting, that day, and we went up over the Jefferson Notch. And you didn't have to worry about him, he knowed how to find his way back. So we climbed up till about noon, and then we'd separate and go one one way, and one the other. And then if we got our deer, we would hang him up, and--and then we'd get our horses and go get him.
L-140 All the deer were laying down. They'd get in the brush, and under the brush piles and things, where the tops of the trees, where the loggers had been. And they would, they was hiding, stay away, 'cause they had been shot at. They were scared.
L-141 About eleven o'clock, Bert stopped, sat down. There was a little opening about, oh, the size of this building, and the--the inside maybe twice this size, a little opening there. And he sat down, and he reached back to get, I thought, his--his thermos that he had in his coat. We usually carry a thermos and have some hot chocolate, and, 'cause it's got fuel to it, you know, and--and then have a sandwich, and then we separate. We was getting up high towards timber line, so I thought maybe that Bert was going to have his sandwich. So he sat down to pull out this thermos and to... I thought he was going to pull it out. And I just let, set my gun down against a tree, and started after mine.
L-142 But, what he was, he was getting that little old whistle out. So when he got this little whistle out, he blew it. And anyone ever heard a little old baby fawn cry, it's kind of pitiful, anyhow. And when he blew that whistle, to my surprise, right across from him, a great big mother doe stood up. Now the... A doe is the mother deer, you know. So, she stood up. There was her big brown eyes, apiece, leading, them big ears pointed right up like that. See, her baby was in trouble.
L-143 And he blew it again, and she looked around. And she walked right out into that opening. Now that's unusual, any of you hunters know that, for a deer to do that. She walked out there. I could see her big eyes. She wasn't standing over twenty yards from me. And I thought, "Oh, Bert, you can't do that, and kill that poor precious mother; her looking for her baby, and you deceiving her like that." And this whistle had blowed, and she was... She walked out there.
L-144 And the hunter raised the lever on his thirty-o-six rifle, dropped it down; that cocked the gun, you know, with the safety off.
L-145 And she heard that. And she looked around, and she saw the hunter. Her ears peeked right down. Usually they had been gone. And she wouldn't have walked out there, in the first place, at that time of day. But, you see, she was a mother. There was something in her, she, something genuine, something. She wasn't putting on no show. She was a mother. She was borned a mother. And her baby was in trouble, and that was to her interest.
L-146 And he looked up at me, with those lizard-looking eyes, and grinned, I said, "Bert, don't do it. Don't do it." He just grinned; turned around with that rifle. Oh, my!
L-147 He was a dead shot. And I knowed when that scope hair come across her loyal motherly heart, he would blow it plumb through her. See? She wasn't standing twenty yards; big hundred and eighty grain--grain, hundred and eighty grain, mushroom bullet, and there he would just blowed her heart plumb through both sides.
L-148 I thought, "How can you be so cruel, as to blow that precious mother's heart out of her, and her seeking her baby? How can you do that, Bert?" I was thinking to myself. I seen his arms steady down. I couldn't look at it. I just couldn't do it. I turned my back. I--I couldn't see that.
L-149 That genuine loyal mother standing there. She wasn't a hypocrite. She wasn't just putting that on, for a side show. She was a mother. That's why she was doing it. Death didn't mean nothing to her. Her baby was in trouble. She thought more of her baby than she did of her own life. Let the hunters shoot whatever it was; her loyal heart was beating, her motherhood. The motherhood in her was calling. Her baby was crying. There was something inside of her, pulsating, was real.
L-150 And how could that cruel hunter blow that loyal heart out? I just couldn't see it. I turned my head. I thought, "Lord God, don't let him do it." I was standing like this, I couldn't hear... I didn't want to hear the gun fire. It was just too much. I waited.
L-151 The gun never fired. And I turned around and looked, and it was going like this. He couldn't do it.
L-152 He turned around and looked at me, and those big eyes had changed. Tears was running down his cheeks. He looked at me, and his lips quivering. He throwed the gun on the snow bank, and grabbed me by the trouser leg. He said, "Billy, I've had enough of it. Lead me to that Jesus you're talking about."
L-153 There on that snow drift, I led him to the Lord Jesus. Why? He saw something real. (He had been in all kinds of churches.) He seen something that wasn't put on. He seen something that was genuine.
L-154 Friends, we might have church rules and church regulations, and theologies and everything else, but there is a real genuine Jesus. Let's look to Him just now as we bow our heads in prayer.
L-155 With your heads bowed, I'd like to ask you a question; your hearts bowed, too. How many in here now, you who profess Christianity, who does not, if a profession is all you have? But how many of you would like to be as much Christian as that deer was a mother, with something so genuine in you, that seem more than your life or anything that you have? And you say, may say this, "Brother Branham, I belong to church. I'm a businessman, businesswoman, or whatmore, housewife. But, really, to be that type of a Christian, that I could lay the whole world aside, stand the criticism or anything; I--I'd like to be as much, I'd like to be in my heart a Christian, as that deer was a mother."
L-156 With your heads bowed now, and your eyes closed. Before God, I ask you, in Christ's Name, at the ending of the age, would you just put up your hand? I can't make an altar call, 'cause there is no room. But just say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham, that I will be the type of a Christian as that deer was a mother." God bless you. There is just hands everywhere. "Let me be as much Christian."
L-157 Now, Zacchaeus, when you put your hand up, that shows He has found you. Now why don't you slide right out of the tree? He'll go home with you today for dinner. He'll stay with you the rest of your days. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-158 Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the Lord Jesus, His Presence. And we're aware that there is something here that made men and women... Some of them has even professed to be Christians, for years. But there was, there is Something present that caused them; even though they be professed, even as Zacchaeus was, but once the touch from Christ, they've lifted their hand as a testimony that Something inside of them told them to do it. Let them know just now that that's Jesus. He was to pass this way, this morning, and He has. [Luke 19:1-9]
L-159 There was, I guess, some hundred and fifty hands up, Lord. I pray that You will visit each one, and give to them the reality that it is to be a real Christian. And no matter how much the world tries to discourage us, and how much that others try to discourage us, let us know that it's a fight to get There. It's an effort we have to put forth. But when connected with Something that's genuine, real, It changes us then. I pray that You will change every heart, Lord, and make every one in Divine Presence, at this time. Put the Holy Spirit in their life, to be as much Christian as the mother deer was a mother. She was borned a mother. And may they be borned of the Spirit of God, and become a real follower of Jesus Christ. May they come from their sycomore trees today. Grant it, Lord. May You go home with each one of us, and there abide with us until the time You come to take us to our Eternal Home. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen. [Luke 19:1-9]