Now we’re getting down to what “born again” means. See? Still with tempers, still mean, arrogant. Somebody say something about you, you right up ready to fight. And then, born of the Spirit of God? No. God’s Spirit don’t do like that. No. God’s Spirit is humble, meek, sweet, longsuffering. That’s God, loving, kind, forgiving, that’s God’s Spirit. Oh, yes.
And then, many times, the brethren think that I’m against my brothers. God knows different from that, just as long as He knows what’s truth. See? Not against brethren, it’s the system that’s making us not to be brothers. It isn’t the Word of God keeping us from being brothers; it’s the system that we join into that keeps us from being brothers.
Here not long ago they got some issues. Each one pulled off to himself with little issues, presuming that’s what they ought to have done. That’s what they ought not have done. Stay together, all of you. Don’t take your issues out like that. Bring it in here and pray it out. You can have your issue and still love your brother, all right. But when you lose respect and fellowship with your brother, your issue’s killed you.
Prayer changes things. Prayer changes death to life. Prayer changes sickness to health, changes sinners to saints. It’s prayer. You may laugh too much. You may shout too much. You may eat too much, but you’ll never pray too much. The—the Bible said, “I would that man pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.” So you’ll never be able to pray too much.
And, friends, I am persuaded that it’s maybe a little deeper. And I think we take it a little too light than what really it is. I think that we should remember. If God is so holy till the Angels look dirty in his sight, how do we look? See? That’s right. So we want to remember. And remember, God is setting way there in Eternity, that outshines all the suns in the solar system. “Holy, holy, holy,” the Angels with wings over their faces, and over their feet, flying in His Presence, crying, “Holy.” What should we be?
If that Son of God had to go to Calvary for crucifixion, every son that comes must go to a Calvary. He must also have a Calvary. You must have that day of Calvary. I’ve got to have that day of Calvary. That settles the sin question. Not shake hands with the preacher, not be shook into the church, not come in by letter, not come in by profession, but come in by a birth.
When the people comes to a place that they’ll forget all their little differences, and the love of God will shed abroad in our heart by the real Teacher, the Holy Ghost, you’ll become salty, and the world will want to be like you. You create a creation around you. You’ve seen people you couldn’t stand to be around, yet they were nice people. They create that within themselves. You’ve seen people you love to be with, because they create that atmosphere around them. Your spirit’s your soul. You can’t hide it; you can’t make believe.
That’s the way God does: just takes the nothing to make something. And when you being—can become nothing in your own sight, you’re becoming something in God’s sight then. And always remember this, friends, the way up is down. “He that exalts himself shall be abased, but he that humbled himself shall be exalted.” So just love Him with all your heart and forget all you ever knowed about all other things but Jesus Christ. Just go ahead and love Him and work for Him; serve Him. If He wants you to be the doormat, well, you just be the doormat and that… It’s whatever He wants you to do, you do it. God bless you now.
And why does God let troubles come? God harnesses trouble, puts bits in its mouth, and makes it obey Him, and those troubles bring us into a closer fellowship with God. There had been no rainbow until the flood came. But after Noah was pressed into that condition that he was in, to float forty days and nights in a storm and the little ark pitching up and down in the water, it was after the flood was over that he saw the rainbow for its first time, the covenant of hope, the covenant of promise. After he’d went through the tribulation, then he saw the promise. That’s the way you see the promise, after you’ve gone through the tribulation.
So don’t expect to know God by education or theology; you know God by being borned again, new birth. The Holy Spirit wrote the Word of God. And He so entangled it in there; He said, “I’ve hid it from the eyes of the wise and prudent and will reveal it to babes such as will learn.” So if you want to know anything, get to be a baby. Don’t be too smart.