23-0106A_THE PATH OF LIFE

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 

"THOU WILL SHOW ME THE PATH OF LIFE."

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-31    In the 16th Psalm, just for a way of reading, the last verse:

Thou will shew me the path of life: and in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there is pleasure forevermore.

And now, you know I wouldn't try to preach. I would just like to talk to you a minute, or I say for instance, about fifteen, twenty minutes.

David here was speaking of life. "Thou will show me the path of life." Did you notice it? "Will You show me? or, Could You show me? I hope You show me; "Thou will show me."

I believe that every one that God has called will hear and will come. Now, I believe that that's what we are facing now in our meetings. We can only sow the seed. Some will fall by the wayside; some will fall one way, and some fall another. But some will fall on good ground. That is right. "Show me the path of life."

NO MATTER WHAT ANYTHING ELSE IS, LIFE IS THE GREATEST THING THAT ANYONE CAN ACHIEVE--IS LIFE.

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-32    Now, life is the greatest thing that we could achieve. There's nothing no greater than life. If I could go to glory this morning, and we could all go up there, and I could meet Abraham.

"What's the greatest thing there is Abraham?"

He'd say, "Life." There... no matter what anything else is, life is the greatest thing that anyone can achieve--is life. What would you give for life?

I've got a book at home. And I--I believe it was wrote by Brother Nugent, a chaplain from the prisons. And he gives the testimonies in this book of the great people that's died on earth and from the time of Christ down. And he gives the testimony of the wicked great, and the testimony of the spiritual great on the other side of the book. And I was reading there, I believe it was bloody Mary of England, where she said, "If I could... I'd give my kingdom for five minutes more life," the kingdom that she'd put so many to death because--and so forth, and yet, she would give that kingdom for five more minutes of life.

TESTIMONY OF PAUL RADER…

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-33    I still remember the testimony of Paul Rader right out here, when he died there in the tabernacle or where they had the tabernacle, when he said... When he was dying, he called Luke, his brother. They kinda chummed together like Billy Paul, my son, and I.

And as I understand it from the--the Moody school, that they had a quartet in there, singing. And Paul had a sense of humor. They was singing, "Nearer my God to Thee," and he said, "Say, who's dying here, me or you?" And said, "Raise up them shades, and sing me some snappy Gospel songs." And they started singing, "Down at the Cross," something like that, the quartet. And he said, "Where's Luke?"

He was in the next room. They brought him in. He took a hold of Luke's hand. He said, "Luke, think of it. In five minutes from now, I'll be standing in the Presence of Jesus Christ, clothed in His righteousness." Let me go like that.

WE WALK DOWN THE PATHS OF LIFE.

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-34    Dwight Moody, you know what his testimony was, when he raised up, and said, "This is death?" Said, "This is my coronation day." That's the way I'd like to go.

I held the hand of my precious mother just recently, going. I held the hand of my wife when she went. I've watched them when they come to the end of the road. Life is the greatest thing there is. And those who have no hope after this is over, it's a terrible thing. We walk down the paths of life.

So many people say, "What is life? Where can find it?" Why, it's just all around us. God has made it so much...

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-35    Even like in Job, we find out in the--the, in Job he asked about it. All the--all down through life we hear it, asking about it.

***YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOD IN HERE TO SEE HIM OUT THERE (SEE?), GOD ON THE INSIDE LOOKING THROUGH YOUR EYES.

Reminds me of a little boy that lived in Jeffersonville, where I live. One day, they said he was--went to his mother, and he said, "Mother? God, this God that you talk about, He's such a great person. Could anybody see Him?"

She said, "Ask the pastor."

So, went to the pastor and asked him, and he said... No, Sunday school teacher. And the Sunday school teacher said, "You'd better ask the pastor." She didn't know.

So went to the pastor. He said, "No, no, son." He said, "No man can see God and live." Said, "You don't see God." Well, it kinda disappointed the little fellow.

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-36    And there was an old fisherman. And he was up on the river, one day, with this old fisherman, fishing, and there come up a storm. As many of you, I guess, are from the east and know how the... washes off the leaves. And he was coming down the river. And the little boy was setting in the back of the boat. And the sun was setting to the west, and a rainbow come across the river like that. And the old fisherman, oaring... And the waters had quietened from the storm, and everything was fresh, and the smell of the blossoms. And as he paddled, over his gray beard big silver tears begin to flow down his beard, as he looked.

And the little boy looked around to see what he was looking at. He looked at the old fisherman. And he run up from the stern of the boat, up to the center of the boat, and he set down by the old fisherman's knees, and he said, "Sir, I want to ask you something. My mother's not able to answer me, my Sunday school teacher, nor my pastor." Said, "Is... God, being so great, could any man see Him?"

And the old fisherman pulled the oars into his lap, put the little boy's head over against his shoulder, said, "God bless your little heart, honey. All I've seen for the past forty years has been God." See? He was just... You have to have God in here to see Him out there (See?), God on the inside looking through your eyes.

***GOD IS IN LIFE. HE'S... EVERYTHING THAT'S ALIVE HAS GOD IN IT.

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-37    I'm looking across the street to a tree. I'm thinking now, when I come through the Mohave desert, or the desert coming down here, everything seemed to be so dead. And just as I got there close to the Colorado River, there was one little green bush. It was so conspicuous. I thought, "Where is it getting its life from?" See, it had life. It was a living. God is in life. He's... Everything that's alive has God in it.

Job said one day, "If a tree dies, it'll live again. But man layeth down; he giveth up the ghost, he--and where is he? His sons come to mourn and pay him honor, but he perceive it not. Oh, that Thou would hide me in the grave, and keep me in the secret place till Thy wrath be passed."

And he--he seen; he noticed God in His nature, in life: how a little flower comes up, and stands there. And after while... It's pretty, and there's some young ones in the bed of the--of the flowers, and some middle-aged, and some old ones. But when the frost comes and strikes them, it kills them all. And the little flower drops its little petals off. And out of that flower bud, there's a little black seed, little, teeny, fellow falls out.

And as strange as it seems... But yet, God has a funeral procession for that flower. Did you know that? The fall rains come, and it cries great big tears down of water. And He buries that little seed down in the ground. Along comes the winter freeze, and freeze it, bursts; the pulp runs out of it. Every natural thing that you could look at is gone.

THE.PATH.OF.LIFE_  S.GATE.CA  THURSDAY_  62-0621B

  E-38    A scientist could take a handful of that dirt, and take it down to the laboratory, and examine it back and forth. And you cannot find that germ of life. It's not there. The--the potash, and calcium, and petroleum, and moisture, everything that's in it has returned back into the dust. But somewhere hid in there is a germ of life. And just as sure as the sun rises again in the springtime, it'll live again. God has provided a way for it.

You take and put concrete down through your yard in the wintertime, lay stones. Where is your greatest grass bed? Is right around the edge of your walk. Why? It's those seeds that was covered up. And when that sun begins to shine upon that botany life, that little seed of life will wind its way around all that concrete, over every rock, down under every stick, and come around till it sticks its little head up outside, and praises the God of life. You just can't hide life. That's what we're here for, brethren, to bring life.

 

1Pe 2:17  Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 

1Pe 2:18  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 

1Pe 2:19  For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 

1Pe 2:20  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 

1Pe 2:22  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 

1Pe 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 

1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.