Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 74, 1911

Sermon/Thoughts on Acts 2

Oakland, California

July 11, 1911

Previously unpublished.

Acts 2:1-47. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 1

“Then they that gladly received His word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” [Verse 41.] Do you think we shall see anything like that? I believe we shall. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 2

Here we have the whole history, a wonderful history of conversion and the workings of the Holy Spirit of God upon hearts, and what we want today is that the light that came to them should come to us and should impress our minds strongly. Is it not time now that we should indeed come to God in the simplicity of His Word and present His Word to the Father and to the Son? Here we have the prophecy God has given, and here is the blessing that came. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 3

Now I thank God for all these opportunities. They are just the opportunities that we want. We want to see that by faith we can approach the Father and the Son, and that the grace of God can come upon us. Then I ask you, What shall we see? We shall see the fruit of all such, and that is what want to see right in this very meeting. We want to see the deep movings of the Spirit of God upon the human heart. If we will only take God at His word in the simplicity of faith, and cast our helpless souls upon Jesus Christ and believe that He hears our prayers and that He will respond to them, we shall have light in the Lord just as they had in those days. That is what we need. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 4

Here is the large city of Oakland. There is a great deal to be done here. Every soul that devotes himself fully to God will certainly see of His saving grace and realize it in his own soul, and communicate the same grace to those that are around him. We expect too little. We want to expect much. We want to take God at His word, and we want that faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and every one of us at this meeting may have the rich blessing of God. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 5

When I was stronger than I am now, I remember that time and time again we met together and in simplicity of soul laid our cases right before the Lord, asking Him to let His blessing come to us individually that we might communicate the same to those with whom we should become acquainted and in contact. It was our privilege to do this. We want the light to disseminate to those who are in darkness, and it is our privilege to have it. We know not what is before us. We have seen the strong workings of the powers of darkness. We have seen it in different places in our cities. We see and we read and we hear of the terrible things. It is nothing to take a person’s life. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 6

How shall we carry through the very work that is before us? It will only be done by that living faith that we shall cultivate day by day until it becomes a certainty to us that we have received the things we ask for. We all need more of the Holy Spirit of God to work our cities. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 7

I am glad to see as many at this camp meeting as I have seen since I have been here. We are thankful for this, and we want to make the most of it. We want to take God at His word, and if we will in humble simplicity cast our helpless souls upon Jesus Christ, we shall have light and grace and power so that we can overcome the evils in our own selves and then help others. We can communicate it to others; that is the best of it. Let every one of us make it our business to follow on to know the Lord. If we will do this our own souls will be assuredly strengthened and blessed and established in the truth, that when counter influences shall come, thinking they can bring it to bear upon us, it may be seen that we take no stock in it at all, that we are not affected by the influences of those who are not given up to the Lord. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 8

Now I want to say to men and to women, to the young men especially, there is a great deal of reading that is issued now, and it does not tell of Jesus. We should be in a position of discernment where we will not take in these things. We want to prepare for what God is preparing for us. We want the blessing of God to rest upon us in rich measure. And we should have it. There is no excuse for us that we are not further advanced in spirituality. There is no excuse for us when we are behind when we should be far ahead by the experience that it is our privilege to have. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 9

We can communicate these precious privileges to others. We can talk with them. In the past there has been very little done to try to approach our neighbors. But is it a right thing? No, it is not. We are to communicate the light of the knowledge of God, and that light that is in the face of Jesus Christ we are to express in our own countenances—the joy of the Lord. It is our privilege to have this joy, and it is our privilege to stand in freedom in a position where the frivolous things that are around us will not affect us at all. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 10

As I have tried to get out the Life of Paul, I have seen so much that God is willing to communicate to His people, and I felt so thankful I hardly knew how to contain myself—to think of the assurance that is given fathers and mothers for their children to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There is a great deal of admonition given that does not do any good but only stirs up the wickedness that is in the heart. Remember, it is the admonition of the Lord. What you want is to labor in such a way that your children will recognize that the Holy Spirit of God is working upon the human agent in his behalf. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 11

Let us understand and take in the Word of God as we read it. Do you think that you are having a hard time? Then consider that in order for Christ to make salvation perfect and assured He left the royal courts, He left His holy Father, and He came into this world to seek and to save the sinner, that he should not perish. We want to see what self-denial He practiced in our behalf, and then let not one of us feel that we are having a close and hard time because there is a strait path marked out before us, which we are to travel. Let us travel that strait path. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 12

Let us take right hold by a living faith upon the Word of God, and bring the promises into our prayers: You have said it, Lord, and we claim it. In doing this, at the time of which we have read, they were of one accord. In one accord they were pleading for the gracious influence of the Spirit of God, and it came upon them. They received it. Why should not we receive it? We are preparing for the great, grand review, and our cases will be brought up—if they are not yet—in judgment, and decision will be pronounced upon each case. We want to understand that we have something to do to rescue ourselves, and that is by a holy, living faith in Jesus Christ. We are to give an example to the world that we have that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. If we will do this, we shall see light in His light, and we shall rejoice in the truth. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 13

God is permitting us to have the light from heaven, that we may lay hold upon that light, and that we may communicate that light to the world, and every soul should be doing something. If you could possibly consider these subjects as they have been presented to me, the great sacrifice for our salvation, we should see you more earnest men, women, and children, anxious to do something. Many are doing something. But we want more to be at work. We are preparing for the great examination. We are trying to prepare souls for that great examination that is to take place. There must not be a spot or a wrinkle or any such thing upon our characters, because we have laid hold by faith upon the Son of the living God. He sacrificed in our behalf that we might become partakers of the divine nature. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 14

The angels work with you when you are laboring for souls. And they are working in your behalf to make your case a certain one. But you can do more in one hour by your perversity than it is possible for God to do in justice in your behalf. The Lord desires that every soul of us should understand that there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. The last moments of this earth’s history will soon be passed, and we shall stand naked before God just as we are. Has not God done enough for our salvation? Did not He give us a Saviour, a perfect example, so that we should not make any mistake? And when we come and repent before God, He will accept us, He will write our names in the book of life, and each one whose name is written there will either be welcomed into the city of God or will be cast out to receive their punishment with the wicked, and will never see the glories of heaven. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 15

We want every soul here to understand there is a heaven to win. You have no moments to lose. Now is your opportunity to lay right hold of the Son of God by a living faith and say you will never let go, but hold on until you know that you are obtaining victory after victory. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 16

Let the light of heaven come into your lives. Surely impurity and sin are not things that we should covet but overcome by the blood of the Lamb. We shall bear the word of our testimony to those that are in the world, telling them of Jesus and how He was in the world, how He hung upon the cross, and how He was derided. Pilate gave Him up when he declared he found no fault in Him. He had to declare that before those scornful accusers, and yet for his office’s sake he let that Man Christ Jesus, the Son of the living God, have the spikes driven through His hands and through His feet, and be hanged upon the cruel cross. For what? To save his office. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 17

We want to be prepared for the grand review. There is a grand review that is coming off soon and we want to be ready for it. We want to have our garments washed white and pure in the blood of the Lamb, and we want to sing the song of victory. Put away your novels. Take the Bible and books that will help you. I have been working to get out in the simplest language the light that has been given me. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 18

When the word came to me to put in print what was given me, I felt as though I could never do it. “I will be your helper,” was the assurance given. And you see how many books I have brought into circulation. Said I, “I am simple; I cannot write as the popular writers.” “I will be your helper,” was the assurance. “You shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony in the simplicity of language that all parties can understand.” And when my copyist has said, “I can put in a word there that will express the meaning in higher language,” I have said, “Do not change a word I give you.” I said, “The Lord has taken me in simplicity of my childhood, and I mean to maintain that simplicity in language, and wherever I am any one who understands the English language will understand what I mean.” That is just the direction that God has given me: “Aspire not to the higher language, but to the simple language that the people can understand.” 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 19

I have had children come to me and ask if I were going to speak at a certain time. They said they wanted me to speak because they had their friends together to come and hear me, and they had told them that they could understand every word if I spoke. The Lord took me in my childhood to bear the messages to the people, and therefore I gave myself up to the work to be wholly the Lord’s, and I have never, never tried to put into my writings any words that I did not clearly understand, and that a child could not understand. My writings are very, very simple and you may wonder that as I have put out so many books why I have not improved in language. One said, I do not think it is right that you do not improve in language. I said, “There is more rejoicing in the simplicity of the language as they read the stories from the Bible than in any that use the larger language and they cannot understand it.” 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 20

I want to say that the simplicity of true godliness is to come to the world, and the people are to feel and understand that God will take them in their simplicity and will educate them in His own line. I want to say that the Lord lives, and we are to work to be a blessing to those that are around us. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 21

Every novel that I see in my house, I tell them that if I see it again they will never see it any more. We want the truth. When you understand the truth as it is in the Lord and can practice it, then that is all God requires of you. We are to stand the grand review. You are preparing for this great review, and if you bring along your old customs and habits, you are spoiled. God cannot work with you. God cannot sanctify you. We want to be on the right side in the simplicity of true godliness. Therefore I have not tried to reach for high words. The simplicity of the language recommends it to those who are young, to those who will appreciate it; and I want to tell you there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. I want to be prepared for that grand review. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 22

When I begged of the Lord to take someone else and not me, but someone whose writings could be recommended, the light came: “I have chosen you to fulfill My will to the young and to the old, that they may understand the language without having to go to the dictionary to find out the meaning.” I have gone on from point to point till the many books that I have written go rapidly and are recommended by those who can speak in high language. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 23

Let every one of us take our position that we will have the simplicity of true godliness. Try to educate all you can, and bring all into the kingdom of heaven that you possibly can. Do not leave a wicked example for any soul to follow. You are to forsake every sin, everything that is unlike God, and put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness that you may be accepted in the kingdom of God to go no more out forever, as His people, as His overcomers. We want to be in that position to crucify our souls by obedience to the truth, and all these novels that are gotten up contain no good. We want to know the Saviour. He gave His life for us. He is coming again, and every one who will accept Him He will crown with glory, and immortal life will be their portion. 25LtMs, Ms 74, 1911, par. 24