All Things That Pertain Unto Life
Let’s read over in the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation, beginning at the first verse.
Revelation 4:1-11: After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me" which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment" and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him" and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 5:1-14: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
That’s reading a couple of chapters. I love to read the Scripture, especially on Sunday morning because that’s our morning devotion and we need to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Now, it’s needless for me to say this, and I say it over and over because I am so thrilled with it, but great and mighty things are taking place in the spiritual world. In the world of God, great and mighty things are taking place, and I am privileged to be able to look in on them, and I’m so grateful that God will allow me to have just a little peek, as we say, looking in to see the wonderful things of God. I thank God so much because the Lord has counted me worthy. Not in that I have done anything of my own, but in that Jesus has been so good to me.
The Bible says to pray always that we may be accounted worthy to escape those things that are coming on the earth. Pray always that God will count us worthy, not by our own deeds, nor by our own doings, but by the blood of Jesus Christ. So then, I am glad that God has counted me worthy through the blood of His Son that He has allowed me to look in on the spiritual world and see the beauties, the wonderful beauties of God.
In this world we esteem riches, glory and honor. We esteem power. Men, in their lifetime, or in this world, they love to have power. They love to have glory. They love to have honor. They would love to be a great dignitary. They love to have their name in lights and different things around the world. Men like to do that. The Lord blesses and allows people to do that, a lot of times, for His own purpose. Like David of old. God said, “I’ve taken you, David, from among the sheepcote, and I’ve given you a name like unto the great men of the earth.” As it was said of Jesus, His fame spread throughout all the land. So then, God allows for that.
In heaven, it’s the same way. There is glory. There are riches. There is honor. There is power. The Bible tells us, speaking of Jesus, the Lamb of God is worthy to receive honor, to receive glory, to receive all of these riches, and all of this power. He is worthy to do it. So then, you and I are not worthy on our own ability, but we can be found worthy in the day of the judgment through the blood of Jesus to receive honor, riches, power and great glory from God.
I read to you here where the Bible says, John speaking as he saw the revelation, “For Jesus Christ hath made us unto our God kings and priests. He hath given us great power and great riches and made us kings and priests unto our God and we shall reign forever and forever and forever.” Isn’t that wonderful? To be a son of God and to know that we are kings and priests and the world doesn’t see us, but yet we are kings and we are priests reigning forever and forever and forever. While the world finds fault with us, while we have our problems and our ups and downs here, God is looking from heaven and surveying the earth. His eyes are throughout the earth beholding the good and the evil, wanting to show Himself strong in the behalf of them that walk upright in heart. God is looking upon us during the time of all of our problems. The Lord is watching us, and He doesn’t see one tiny little thing wrong with us. Who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect, for it is God that justifieth? It is the Lord that died for us. Thus we are without spot, without wrinkle, without blemish in the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is looking at us through the spilt blood of His Son, and every day, after we’ve stumbled, after we’ve staggered, trying to do our very best, the Lord will say to us, “Now, son, forget those things that are behind. Forget yesterday. Think about today, because My mercies are new every day. Get a new start. Get a new lease on life and go from here and do something for God.” He’s always willing to forget the past, always willing to forget those things that are behind, always willing to do away with all of our stumblings and all of our mistakes, saying, “Start all over again and do something for Me.”
Oh, that really gives you strength, doesn’t it? That gives you strength, and that gives you hope, because you know that all of those things are behind you and you can just start out and say, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry, Lord. Forgive me for my wrongs and help me now to do something, and Lord, help me to shine the light like I’ve never done before.” You’re so grateful. Surely the goodness of God leadeth us to repentance. Then we see the goodness of God and it leads us to repentance, and we think, “Lord, You’ve been so good to me. Lord, You’ve forgiven me all of my sins and all of my stumblings, all of my mistakes. I just love You so much, Lord Jesus, I want to try so hard next time to never make a mistake.”
It’s such a wonderful thought here. The Bible says that when John looked, he saw a door open in heaven. He saw the throne. He saw the rainbow round about the throne, and he said he saw these twenty-four elders, and different ones having crowns on their heads. Here were kings sitting in the presence of God. Now think about that: a king. A lot of people in heaven are going to be kings, did you know that? There are people in the earth today that are kings in the sight of God. There are great men, like Paul the apostle, and different ones, that out yonder in the world to come, are going to be great kings and great leaders and great rulers, and they’re going to occupy certain territories, and they’re going to rule over that. And, at a certain time, they’ll enter into that great city of New Jerusalem and cast their crowns down before the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
I’ve said this so many times, that to have a Lord of lords, you’ve got to have many lords somewhere. Isn’t that right? To have a King of kings, you’ve got to have many kings somewhere. You can’t have a King of kings if there are no more kings around. You can’t have a Lord of lords if there are no more lords around. And to think that you and I have been made kings and priests unto our God, and we have the power to rule and reign forever, to be kings in that world. That makes me lose all of my ambition for this life. I lose all of my zeal and all of my ambition for wanting to be something in this life, as far as something for the world, when I think about what I am in the other world through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now, you say, “But, Brother Pike, suppose you get there and you’re not that?” Now the Scriptures can’t be broken, and if we can’t rely on the Scriptures, we can’t rely on anything. If I can’t count on God and count on God’s Word, then I might as well quit anyway. The Bible says that Christ Jesus, through His efforts, not what I’m doing, not what I’m going to do, but Christ Jesus through His efforts has made us kings and priests unto our God. He’s already done it. I didn’t have anything to do with it. He did it at Calvary. He did it for you. He did it for me. So then, I didn’t have anything to do with it. Is that right? I’m counting on God, and counting on the Word of the Lord and that He keeps His Word at the end of the way. When I think about what I am in Christ Jesus, and what He’s done for me, then I just don’t have any ambition in this life to be anything except just what He would have me to be.
I want an ambition in my life. I want a zeal in my life. I want a drive in my life. All of my life, I want it to be filled with glory and the blessings of God. The Lord has been good to me. I feel like a fountain is bubbling from my toes to my head. I feel like I’m full of strength and could wrestle a bear. He’s blessed me in everything I go to do. He’s blessed me with health and strength and happiness. It gives me life, and sometimes I’m up late, and by all reasoning my body ought to crumble, but I don’t feel that way at all. I feel like the sun shines within my strength, because God is good to me, and God blesses me, and God gives me a burning zeal and a burning fervor in the Spirit to always want to do something for him. So then, I am full of zeal for God. I am full of the fire of God. I want to do something for Christ Jesus.
I read the Holy Scriptures, and I see what Jesus has done for me. Now this is what makes me strong. The Bible says to be strong in the power of My might. Do you understand what I’m saying? You see, it’s like a dad leading his little child along. He’s got him by the hand and the little child stumbles and can hardly walk, and the dad picks him back up and says, “That’s all right. I’ve got you, son.” And his little feet have enough strength to go because daddy’s hand is holding him up. Is that right? See, and everything the little child wants, he comes close to it, he looks at the bubble gum and the candy and the goodies, and he sees that and he thinks, “I can’t get that.” But daddy says, “That’s all right. Don’t you worry, you just show me what you want.”
That’s the way it is with Jesus. That’s what makes me so strong. I look around and I say, “Oh, God, I can’t do that.” But He says, “You can do it through Me. Just be strong in the power of My might and do whatever you want to. Wherever you put your foot, I’ll give it to you. Ask what you will in My name, just go out and take it and I’ll be with you.” I get in there in the Scriptures and I begin to read and it says that this belongs to me, and this belong to me, and behold, I’ve given you all things that pertain unto life, and I begin to bubble. And I think, “Just think! I don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to do anything. You said You gave me all things that pertain unto life!” Then I sit down in the back room and I close the door and I say, “Now, wait a minute. What are all things that pertain unto life?” Let’s see. That’s a nice automobile. Now, I don’t care for automobiles, but I love to go through with it just to see what life consists of. That’s a nice automobile. That’s a good obedient wife. The children healthy and well. And I begin to itemize and take stock. I say, that’s a good income. Have you ever done that? I think, that’s peace and that’s happiness and that’s health and that’s strength. My neighbor is going to be at peace with me now. My brothers and sisters are going love me. Everything is going to be just right. All things that pertain unto life. Oh, God! All things that pertain unto life. And I start itemizing and I start feeling better and better and better, and that’s why I’m always bubbling all the time like a little stream. I can’t help it, because I start thinking on those things. Be strong in the power of My might. I start thinking about the benefits of God and all of these things. I remember David of old, and David said, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of His benefits.” All of His benefits. There are so many great and mighty things in God that He hath given to us, and all of it belongs to you and me.
This is why I’m fascinated when I read the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation. It’s in the fourth chapter that the church actually goes out to meet God in the rapture. Is that right? Where the door is open and John is caught up into heaven, that’s where the church goes out. And when I read this, and I realize that Christ is the resurrection, and I look back at Calvary and I realize what Jesus did for me, I get to thinking and I say, “Lord, there is a door that is open up in heaven.” Never before has there been a door open in heaven until Jesus Christ came on the scene. There was never a door between heaven and earth that would let me through, or let God through to me, until Jesus came. There had never been a door open in heaven. John, just a few short years after Calvary, looked away and caught this vision on the Isle of Patmos, and he saw this great wonderful door that was open in heaven. He saw the rent veil, and he saw the things that God had done there through the Lord Jesus Christ, and there he looked and said, “Folks, the treasure chest is open.” The veil has been rent and all of heaven and earth is coming out. Every bit of it is coming out. The treasure chest of God has been opened. Jesus Christ the fullness of His Spirit, and God has opened the treasure chest and everything that He has is yours, for shall He not freely with Christ give us all things? Shall He not do that? If God has not withheld the best from us, which is the Son of God, would He withhold anything less than the best? Don’t you like to think of it like that? That’s the way the Bible teaches it. If God before, willing to begin with, gave me His very best, will God then later hold back anything that would be less than His best? He would not do it. He gave me His Son. That’s the best He can offer me. “With Christ, shall He not freely give us all things?” the apostle Paul said.
So then, I see where God has freely given me all things that pertain unto life. All things are yours, whether life, whether death, whether things present, whether of the past, or whether things to come. All I have to do is just get out there and take it. I believe this. I don’t believe that anybody can be just a happy go lucky and succeed in life. I believe you’ve got to do something. The Bible says that whatsoever that man doeth, God will bless it. Whatever he doeth shall prosper, which means, as we say, you must do something to be blessed. You must do something to prosper. God can’t make you prosper if you’re doing nothing. Whatever he does, it shall prosper.
So then, I believe that all we have to do is get out there and do something for God and God will put His blessings on it. Whatever you want to be, it doesn’t make any difference, even the sky is not the limit. Whatever you want to do, you can do it. Whatever you want to be. If you want to be for God, you can be it, but you’ve got to make up your mind. Put your faith right in God, make up your mind and drive. Get out there and really drive. Don’t take no for an answer. Every opposition you meet, just go right on over it. Everything that comes against you, just go right on over it. It doesn’t matter what the wall of opposition is. Don’t pay any attention to it. It doesn’t matter how you feel about it.
See, you get to feeling that you can’t. Lord, I can’t do it. You get the feeling like you just can’t make it, you can’t do it. But then, go back and read the Bible. Have the Holy Spirit bring it to your remembrance. The Bible says that you can do it. That’s the way I do. I meet something and the devil will say to me, “Well, you just can’t do that.” I’ll say, “But the Bible says that through Christ that strengthens me I can do all things,” and the devil is on the run again. When he comes around, he’ll get in front of you. I’ve been walking down the street, and somebody gets in front of me, and you both move side to side and you can’t figure out which way to go. Have you ever done something like that? And then you say, “Devil, get behind me. Get behind me, devil.” You’re walking down street, the sunshine is behind you and the shadow is in front of you, but after awhile, if you keep on walking and walking and walking, the shadow ends up behind you. Isn’t that right? Satan is behind us for Calvary’s sake. When Calvary came, that put Satan behind us. All the way behind us. “I beheld him,” Jesus said, “as lightning fall from heaven.” I’ve given you power to tread on serpents, and power over all the powers of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. From Calvary, Satan is behind you. He can’t get in front of you anymore unless you let him there by unbelief. Put him behind you. Say, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” and then look out there to the beauties and the liberties of God, and all the blessings of God and look out there and don’t look at all the barbed wire strung across in front of you. When all these things are going to confront you and cause all these things to happen to you, just look out there and see all the beautiful laws of liberty, and continue in the laws of liberty, praising God and excelling all the time.
That just makes me feel good all over. You say, “Brother Pike, why does it make you feel so good?” Because I believe all of this. That’s what makes me talk about it. I believe it and it has got a hold of me. I believe it and it works for me. The more I believe it the more it works, and the more it works the more I believe it. It’s like making money. Like the little boy that worked for a penny a day, and he doubled the penny and doubled it again, and after awhile, you’re doing all right. So then, the more you believe it the more it works. The more you see it work, the more you believe it. After while, you’re just so happy and so thankful because you have learned about something that is so mighty.
We have a great opportunity. I know the world is crumbling around us. I know we could talk about the political problems. We could talk about all of the things that are depressing and all the things that would cast a person down. You have to be careful how you program your mind. Isn’t that right? You can program your mind the wrong way and your computer will get out of order. So the devil is out to program your mind. God is out to program your mind. We’ve got to be sure that we don’t lean to our own understanding, but that we trust in the Lord with all of our heart, and we’ve got to let God program our mind. If God doesn’t program our mind, then we’re going to crash up. We’re going to be a failure. It doesn’t matter how great we are, what we think we are, what we have ambition to be, we’re going to crash up at the end of the way because God said, “In the morning, I will despise your image.” God will love them that love Him. God will promote them that promote Him. God will magnify them that magnify God. They that do not magnify, God will not magnify them.
Why did God magnify David? Because David magnified God. David would sing around the ark of the covenant. He would dance. He would praise God. He would magnify God and say, “God is great, God is mighty. I love the Lord. The Lord helped me out. I’ve run through a troop. I’ve leaped over a wall.” And that would get a hold of God’s heart and God would magnify him the more, because in magnifying David, He magnified Himself. Why did he magnify Jesus? Because in magnifying Jesus, He magnified Himself. Is that right? See? Jesus said, “I do always the things I see my Father do.” As the glory of God came down in Jesus, the world would see God, because in the life of Jesus, God was put on exhibit. God was displayed in the life of Jesus. Everything was going well in the life of Jesus because God was seen there and God magnified Him. Always lifting Jesus up because Jesus lifted God up.
That’s why I tell you, people of Bethlehem, pay no attention to the world. Pay no attention to the other people that are around the world. Magnify God. Go with the Word and God will magnify you. Like Paul said, “Your faith is spoke of throughout the world.” The faith of the saints are spoken of throughout the world. Everywhere we go, they’re talking about us. Why? Because you’re willing to go for God. You’re willing to be what God wants you to be. You’re willing to do like God wants you to do. And, brothers and sisters, not only is it spoken of throughout the world already, not only are you praised of the people throughout the world, but I found out that it’s like a little pot boiling. It’s just about to boil over. It’s getting greater and greater and greater and greater. It’s getting in such a great way that it looks like the whole world will be praising the people of Little Bethlehem. I mean, all over the world, everywhere, because of your efforts and endeavors in God.
Paul said, “In a good thing I praise you.” So this morning, I want to praise you in a good thing. When I praise you in a good thing, in that I do it unto the least of these, I do it unto Christ Jesus because I love Jesus in your life. I honor Jesus in your life. I magnify Jesus in your life. This is the thing that we want to do. Let’s walk before God. Let’s magnify God. Let’s be like Jesus so that God might magnify Himself in us. The more that we magnify God, the greater God will magnify you. Then you can say, “Oh, Lord I feel so good. Every burden is lifted. Everything is gone, Lord, and I can talk with You and pray to You, and feel this wonderful enthusiasm, this drive for Jesus. I just feel so good. God is there and I’m there and we’re all together and everything is all right between us and Him.” Heaven and earth kisses each other. Oh, hallelujah! It makes me feel so wonderfully good. Hallelujah!
I’m so thankful that we can have a little bit of heaven here in our heart, and I’m so glad that the door John saw open means that you and I can go in and out into the green pastures and sit together in heavenly places and feel the beautiful presence of the Almighty God and have His strength and love. Folks, this is what we are going to have to have. Did you know that? Men are crumbling around us everywhere. Men are falling. We sing that song, “Hold the fort, for I am coming, Jesus signals still. I’ll wave the answer back to heaven, by His grace I will.” The song says, “Mighty men around you are falling.” Mighty men. Mighty men around you are falling. Everywhere, mighty men are falling. But, oh, hallelujah! if you just let Him have His way. The Bible says if you do these things you shall never fall. Never fall.
You’re enemy will look at you and say, “Some day, his is coming. I’ll be so glad.” But, I tell you what. It will never be like that. Hallelujah! When you trust God, it will never be like that. The Bible says that he that trusteth in God shall never fall if he doeth these things. Trust Him. Believe in Him. Trust Him. Don’t lean on your own strength and your own understanding, but trust in God with all of your heart and let God do it. Let God do it and you just go along with God and everything will be all right. Your enemies will be at peace with you. Hallelujah! If your ways please God, He maketh even thine enemies to be at peace with you.
There are just so many things I’d like to say, but it seems like I never get them said. You just have to talk to the saints of God, reprove them, correct them, encourage them, and let them know that the battle belongs to the Lord. Like the song they were singing, I remember another song that was similar to it, where it’s not promised to the one that can shout the loudest, nor to the one that can say the words the best, but it’s promised to the true and the faithful. He that overcomes and stands the test. The only way that we can overcome and stand the test is to keep our faith anchored in Jesus all the time. When you feel the pressures coming down upon you, just stand still, resist Satan steadfast in the faith. Don’t give. Don’t budge. Just stand there and all the mud will clear away, and after awhile you’ll feel something come down from heaven and it will run down through your soul and through your heart and you’ll feel it. Everything will break up and you’ll say, “Oh, God! Oh, God! I thought You were gone. I thought You were gone, but You’re still there. Lord, You didn’t throw me down. You didn’t depart from me. Lord, You’re still there. Oh, God, I’ll never do it again.” Never do it again, and God is still there with you. It’s so wonderful.
Jim, you know what I’m talking about. Every Christian experiences those pressures and those hard places where it looks like God is thousands of miles away, and then you find out that He is there. I’m so thankful to God because I’ve been down a lot of bumpy roads. A lot of mountains I had to climb. A lot of deep valleys I had to go through, and I have learned that He will never leave you, nor forsake you. He said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you, but, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” He won’t ever leave you.
The devil will try to convince you that He left you and that you are all alone, but He will never leave you. Let that register, the Word says, “I will never leave you.” You say, “Oh, but, Lord, I made a mistake. I stumbled. I’ve done so many things.” But He said, “I will never leave you.” You might have stumbled. You might have erred. You might have done the thing you ought not to have done. David did. It caused him a lot of heartaches, but when he turned his faith in the direction of home, it was like the prodigal. The prodigal had squandered all of his living. Everything was gone. He was about ready to get down in the hog pen. You can get so far that you get out there with the swine, and he had just about gone that far. All of a sudden, the prodigal came to his senses, and he looked up and he turned his faith in the direction of home. When he turned his faith in the direction of home, there was that drawing. That’s all it takes. Turn your faith in the direction of home and then you’ll begin to feel that wooing. You’ll begin to feel that drawing, and you can hear that voice way off saying, “Son, son.” And the prodigal said, “In my father’s house.” Oh, there are many mansions. In my Father’s house there is peace and rest and hope. In my father’s house there is plenty, even for the servants and I perish with hunger. You know, you get out there and you’ll just be starving to death spiritually. Just can’t get even a little sip. But he said, “In my father’s house — I’m perishing with hunger, but yet in my father’s house,” he said, “there is food a plenty.” And the Bible says when the prodigal came close, though he really expected the father to frown on him, and he came as one that would be a beggar, willing to get down on his face and say, “Father, I know that I’ve done wrong, but if you’ll just make me a hired servant. I’m about to starve to death. Just give me a job, that’s all I’m looking for.”
But to his surprise, that isn’t the way God thinks of it. He said, “I know My thoughts toward you" they’re not evil. They’re not bad, but they’re good.” Peace on earth and good will toward man through the blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that while he was yet a long ways off, his father ran. Just think about that. His father ran to that prodigal, threw his arms around him and grabbed him and said, “My son, my son, my son!” He said, “Kill the fatted calf. Prepare a feast, put the ring on his finger. Get the very best robe.” Everything. Just make it the very best. He said, “My son, my son, my son!” Just think about that now. He’d been in the hog pens. He’d been everywhere, been cast down, squandered away everything, but it hadn’t changed one bit. If you are a son, you are a son. Isn’t that right? If you are a son of God, you are a son of God. I can’t help what you’ve done, how much you’ve stumbled. You’re still God’s son. If you are God’s son, you are God’s son. You might have to be cleaned up a little bit and might have to go through the purifying, and you may get a little chastisement, which we deserve, but that sweet loving voice of God still says, “My son, My son, My son.” That’s the way that you would feel. If you’ve got a son, it wouldn’t make any difference how far he’d wandered off. When he came back, you’d say, “Oh, my son is back home. My son is back home.” That’s the way God feels.
In heaven, there are riches, there is strength and there is power. There’s glory. There’s the preacher, there is the priest, there is the king, there are the singers. In heaven all are there. All have labored together and they sang a new song. Whatever yesterday holds, forget those things that are behind. His mercies are new every day. Just say, “Father, I need Your help. I’ve got to have Your help. Lord, I want to do something for You now. I once was blind but now I see. Let me do something for You, Jesus.” Father, Lord of heaven, in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Lord, we love You and we praise You. Hallelujah! Holy One, we praise You and love You. And this morning, Jesus, I beseech Thee, merciful Father, that You would look down from out of heaven, O Lord, and bless the children of God. Bless the children of God, for they’re the apple of Your eye, Father. They’re so dear to Your heart. You’ve purchased them with Your own blood, and they are so precious to You, Jesus. Reach down and gather them together in the wonderful arms of Your glory and mercy, for out of that world, out of that place, O Holy Father, comes the abundance of Your love and Your glory, Father, to bless, and to save, and to heal and forgive. O sweet loving Father, forgive us every wrong, every thought and keep us in Your mercy, Jesus. Speak to us in the love of God this morning. Enrich us in faith to accomplish our purpose in life, for every man hath a desire, every man hath a goal, every man hath a purpose. Lord, You said that if we’d delight our self in the Lord God, He would give us the desires of our heart, and we do delight our self in You, Lord. When we stumble, Father, when err, forgive us our stumblings and our errors, for Father, we still delight our self in You, and we still love You, and we know that You’ll give us the desires of our heart. May this be the prayer of every person, Father, not only here at Bethlehem, but throughout the world. I’m so thankful that You are able to keep us holy and clean and pure all by Your virtue and grace and purity. Bless us this morning. Sanctify us anew for Your purpose and give us strength and blessings. Dear God, give us a brotherhood and a union throughout the entire world. Help us for Your own cause, sweet Jesus. Lord, bless us for the sake of Jesus. For the sake of Jesus.” Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise God, hallelujah!
When you can just yield everything to God and say, “Lord, here am I. I surrender all. All to Thee, Lord, I surrender, I surrender all,” our hearts and our lives so that God can use us, and God can mold us, and God can make us. The world is waiting for you. The world is waiting for us to tell them the glad tidings of great joy, that unto us a Savior is born. The government is upon His shoulders, and all the corruption of the world and the government we don’t have to worry about anymore. There is a new government and the government is upon His shoulders, and He is going to set up His kingdom and rule and reign in justice and righteousness forever and forever and forever. Glad tidings of great joy to a troubled world. Hallelujah! To the increase of His kingdom there shall be no end, and His government shall last throughout eternity, and man won’t have to worry anymore. How wonderful! How wonderful! Don’t you love Him? We sing this song, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found. I was blind but now I see.” When we sing that, I always think about myself, because that was my condition. But through the grace of God I found life. I found the blessings of God. He, through His worthiness, called me into the ministry, counted me worth, through His grace, called me to the ministry to tell the glad tidings of great joy that a king is born. Unto you a Savior is given. Peace on earth and good will toward man.
By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.
Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.
Holiness Unto The Lord