Why Did God Make Us Like We Are - Part 1 — Bertha Smith

Jesus’ Glory and the Road to the Cross

And Jerusalem was destroyed, and Jesus wanted to go, wanted to take them up to the mount to give all of them a perfect evidence that he was God, even though he was going to the cross. And he must have been, even at that time, burdened over becoming sin and going to the cross.

Why do we know? Well, you know, the three, James and John and Peter, went on up on the mount, and there as I said, he took back a little of his glory. But Moses and Elijah came down, and do you remember what they were talking about to Jesus?

These three heard those two talking to Jesus about his coming to see him in Jerusalem, and evidently they came back down to boost him up, to boost him up, as if he had to be encouraged. And the nearer he came to the cross, the more horrible it became.

And down toward the end, it was just more than he could endure. And we see him a few days before he went to the cross, he was standing up in the temple courtyard, teaching the people, and there were some Greeks there.

And they wouldn't have been in the temple courtyard had they not been Grecian proselytes. The Jews had scattered all over the Roman Empire, and one man, a Gentile, said, Lord, worship to the true God, and they lived to get to Jerusalem one time to offer sacrifices.

And they had a special court for the Gentiles, and they couldn't go any higher. Well they came and called one of the disciples. They wanted to be introduced to Jesus. They wanted to come on up where he was, and they didn't dare.

But they came and called one of the disciples and said, we'd like to see Jesus. And well, he didn't dare bring them up there to Jesus. He went and called another disciple. Well, I don't suppose that disciple did it.

And Jesus knew about it, and it just made him heart sick. There he was. There he'd gone to Jerusalem to die on the cross, and here his disciples, who he'd had three years, still thought he was going to set up an earthly kingdom just for them.

And wouldn't even let these Jews see him, and these Greeks. And here he'd come to be the Savior, to die for the whole world, to take the sins of the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And his own disciples just had never gotten it, so he'd been teaching them three years.

And as if it just broke his heart. And he said, Lord, what shall I say? Here he was going to the cross, the Gentiles, Greeks, Americans, and everybody. And those disciples still thought he was just going to be an earthly king for the Jews.

And he said, Lord, what shall I say? Shall I ask you to save me from this hour? Shall I ask you to save me from going to the cross? And then he changed his mind as if to say, I can't pray like that. And instead of asking the Lord to save him from going to the cross, he said, glorify thyself through me.

The Father’s Witness to the Son

And for the third time, God spoke from heaven. He spoke when he was baptized. Spoke upon the mount to those three men and said, this is my beloved son. Here he, him. Peter, and he tells you he's going to die.

Don't you rebuke him anymore. Keep your mouth shut. Here he, him. And there the third time, God spoke to his son, this time to his son and said, I have glorified my name through you and I will glorify my name through you.

The people heard him and said, oh, just some natural phenomenon. God had spoken to human beings. That's all the evidence they should have needed. All those Jews should have needed. That God spoke. And they said, oh, nothing but thunder, just some natural phenomenon.

Jesus’ Intercession for Believers

Well, the Lord just let it thunder. He didn't try to, he didn't explain anything. And then in a few more evenings, we see him going from that last supper place. We don't know how late it was in the night.

Along the eastern side, outside of the walls, there's a full moon. And there were the Solomon's vineyards over there on the hill, just outside the city walls. And there's the moon shining on them. And Jesus spoke that wonderful 15th chapter of John to those disciples.

He got up to the corner of the wall where the little brook Kebron runs from the north side along. And he stopped before he crossed over and took, and stopped there and prayed for you. And prayed for me.

Did you know that? Did you know that? How did he pray for you and pray for me? He prayed for all those who would believe on him through the word of these disciples. When he's praying for the disciples, praying for all those who would believe, and that includes you and me.

Two of those men wrote gospels. John wrote a gospel. Matthew wrote a gospel. And we believe through their word. Well, he went on out to the garden. Now, he knew that those nine who didn't go up on Mount Hermon to pray could pray with him.

Or could sympathize with him in what he was going through. They didn't hear Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus about his coming death in Jerusalem. They didn't see Jesus take back a little of his glory as a perfect evidence that he was God even though he was going to die.

But Jesus thought the three that went on up could pray with him. And he took them inside the garden. And, of course, Judas was gone. The eight he left outside. He knew the end was coming that night. And he went away to have this out along with his father.

Gethsemane and the Cup of Suffering

Now, Jesus had never prayed before without his prayer being answered. And he got on his knees and he told the Lord, told those three disciples that he was exceedingly sorry. He was miserable in his soul and just couldn't endure it.

And he got on his knees and prayed and pled with his Father in Heaven to let this cup pass. What cup? What cup? Friends, he went in that garden to become you and me. He went in that garden to take you and me into himself.

And sin had never touched his holy nation. And sin always separates from God the Father. And through all eternity of the past, he'd never been separated from God the Father. And he was going to have to die as a rebel against the Roman government.

But he was going to die as a proud person just like you and me. And he was going to take the place of every sin that the devil's ever thought of in his own body. And it was just more than he could stand.

And when he wept there before the cross and cried out, If it can be possible, let this cup pass from me. Well, suppose the Lord had said, Well, I see you're willing to go to the cross. You don't have to go.

Not one human being that ever descended from Adam and Eve would be able to go into heaven. And the Old Testament saints had already gone into heaven looking forward to the coming of the Savior. Just like we look back to his coming.

And Jesus had to die. God could not answer that prayer. And he was in such agony, you remember, that evidently the small blood vessels in his broke and the blood oozed out at the pores of his skin and dropped down on the ground.

Now, no human being can have any conception of what Jesus was going through. But he was becoming you and me. And he went back to the disciples and there they were just sleeping. And he went back and three times prayed the same prayer.

And he was so weak he couldn't finish his prayer. And go through that trial and go to the cross. And God the Father had to send an angel down to give him strength to go through it. And he came out victorious.

He'd become you and me. He'd become sin. And he went through that trial as if he were guilty. Never opened his mouth no matter what they accused him. Except when he asked him if he really were the Messiah and not to confess it would have been the equivalent of dying, I think.

He told them that they would see him come in the clouds from glory. And went through that trial and went on to death. And he had to be nailed to the cross. He had to come here and become sin. Because that's what the human family is.

He had to become these people down here. And even be rejected by God the Father. Even when he hung on the cross, God the Father had to turn away. And we hear the wails. My God, everybody had forsaken him.

By God, my God. He didn't say my father. When he was praying in the garden he said my father. Call God his father. He didn't say my father. He didn't count as God's son. He counted as you and me. But he cried out, my God, my God, calling upon the God of justice.

Why hast thou forsaken me? But God had to forsake him. Because holy God can never fellowship with anything that comes from the devil. And he counted as you and me. And God had to forsake him. He had to become sin.

And he crushed the life out of him. Now friends, I heard that all my life. I didn't know what Jesus' death had to do with me. I didn't hear all I've told you. But I knew Jesus came to die. And he died.

And he rose again. I knew about Easter. And I knew about Christmas. But I was a good girl. I was a good girl. I grew up in an old-time family. Of course I did. I grew up in old times. And yes was yes in those days.

And no was no. And I'd settle it. And children who obeyed home obeyed school. And I loved my teachers. And I would just study. Oh, just. My lessons came first. And I'd just study and study and study. I had to always make 100 on my exams.

And I'd pass grades and go on up to the next one. And I just thought that. And I saved my money. When other children wasted theirs to take to church. To have more to take. And I thought the Lord was exceedingly pleased with me.

Recognizing Personal Sin

And I was lacked about three months being 11 years old. And praise the Lord for the old-time annual evangelistic meetings. They called it the protracted meeting or the summer meeting when the crops were laid by.

And everybody all around the community. The churches had their meetings at different times. They staged their meetings through the summer. So congregations over here could go to this church. And congregations over here during their revival meetings.

And the church was the center of life in those days. Not as the old people had to go to. And everybody went. And when the man of God preached one night, I was sitting over there by the second window. And, oh, I saw for the first time, friends, that I was this.

And, of course, I'd always thought I was this. I was called a good girl. And just as I said, I thought the Lord was exceedingly pleased with me. And when I saw in the sight of God I was this, as the Holy Spirit revealed to my heart what the man of God was preaching, I got the shock of my life that I was a lost sinner.

I wanted to go to the altar that night. As the poor Baptist got proud and started inviting people to come down the aisle and shake hands with the preachers and fill out a card and get baptized. Confess Christ.

In those days they called sinners to repent us. And they came down and got on their knees. And all the middle tier of seats would be vacated. For the mourners, they called them. Mourners. And we went up there and wept over our sins.

And this group would just go stand in the aisle with their hymn books. And sometimes nearly all the middle tier in here would be full of lost people. And coming from the whole communities around. From other churches.

Church communities, I mean. And unsaved people went to church. That was all there was to go to. Well, I wanted so bad to go to the altar that first night when I knew I was lost. But a girl just my age had gone up the night before.

And the people after the service said, Well, she's too little. She didn't know what she was doing. That's before we began to practice infant baptism in Baptist churches like they do up in my state. Where over about 600 under six years old were baptized in churches in South Carolina.

About two or three years ago. And the editor of our Baptist state paper featured that in the paper. And he said, I call that infant baptism. Well, I surely agree. But I hope you don't do that in Georgia.

Repentance, Baptism, and Church Membership

Well, anyway. You were usually about 12 or 13 years old before people knew they were sinners. Certainly before they were baptized. You had to have a testimony and appear before the business session of the church.

The church was called to a business session for the reception of members. And the people that wanted to join came up and gave their testimony. And if the brethren thought that testimony sounded genuine.

Somebody made a move. We received this person as a candidate for baptism. After which they will be received into the full fellowship of the church. And they called backsliders forward. To come and get on their knees and confess their sins.

And come back into fellowship with holy God. And the backsliders did come. Well, I didn't dare go forward the night I saw I was there. Since I was just the age of that one that was supposed to be too little.

Well, the little town churches didn't have full-time pastors. Not enough pastors to go around. The pastor pastored four churches. I knew one pastor that pastored six every Sunday afternoon. He gave two Sundays a month in the afternoon to one church.

And two Sundays a month to another besides a different church every Sunday. Well, when he came once a month, he said the same. Had no chance to be saved. Nothing said about anybody being lost. They weren't given any chance to be prayed for.

Until the next summer. And when the meeting came next summer, I began to go to L. And I went and I went and I went. They usually have two weeks meetings. Twenty stores in town close the church from 10 to 12.

Close the stores. Why? The protracted meeting was going on up at the church. Well, when I was smaller, the saints went up and knelt around people who had gone forward and prayed with them. Well, the saints had gotten too cold to do that by that time.

And nobody did personal work but the pastor. And he spent his whole time with the grown-ups. There'd be a lot of grown people up there wanting to be saved. And I'd been going up for three years. The first word I ever got from the pastor, anybody.

He talked a long time to a grown woman next to me. And then he just poked his head over me and said, I was there bowed in prayer, and he said, Just trust the Lord and he'll save you. Well, I didn't know what trust meant, and I didn't know who the Lord was.

I didn't know the difference between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And I was praying, but from the time the year before, from the time I knew I was a lost sinner, I began to pray.

Now, here I am here. I could have dropped into hell. I could have been five minutes from hell. And if I'd have died, that's where I'd been. Though I would have been preached into hell because I could repeat too much Bible from memory.

I was such a good girl. Well, I was praying, friends, and I didn't cease to pray from that night when I saw I was lost. I didn't cease to beg the Lord to save me. And I would pray three long years, six long years up to the other God, the Father.

And I didn't know any better than to call him my Father who art in heaven. He was not my Father. He was my Creator, but he was not my Father. Don't teach your children that Lord's Prayer. That Lord's Prayer was for the Lord's disciples to save people.

Teach your little children to talk to Jesus and teach them Jesus is alive up in heaven. And it's all right for children to say, Dear Jesus, and just pray to him. And teach them he's alive and he sees what they do and when they're naughty, he's grieved.

And if you teach them that, it'll be a foundation later on for their knowing they're sinners and come to the cross of Christ. Well, I went on, praying and pleading and confessing my sins over and over and over.

It was so easy for me to talk. I just thought if the Lord could just save me and he could control my tongue, then I wouldn't talk so much. My ideal was a beautiful girl and my oldest sister's best friend who never laughed aloud.

She just smiled when something was funny. And she was so proper. And she just spoke when she was spoken to. She was my ideal. I couldn't have been like her in a million years. But anyway, I didn't like myself talking so much.

And I confessed my sins over and over and over and over. Praying directly to God the Father. And you know, he couldn't do one thing for me but heap up that conviction. But he just heaped up that conviction and made me more miserable.

The Flesh and Separation from God

Now, he was in that cloud, the psalmist said, the Lord has hid himself in a cloud. Of course he had to hide himself from me because of this devil nature I have. He can have no fellowship with these people until they are put to death, friends.

The soul that sinneth shall die, the wages of death. These people have got to be put to death before we can have any fellowship with God the Father. But I didn't know that. And I pled and I pled. Well, that pastor was a wonderful pastor now.

No, not a wonderful pastor. He wasn't any pastor at all. He was never in our house but once. And that was when our little brother died and we sure didn't want anybody else to die for the pastor to come.

But he was a wonderful Bible student. And he had to help make his own living. He didn't have time to visit. He had his own home and several acres around and he had to have all the patches. He had a big family and a very little salary.

And then he was a student and he put all he had in the books. Always a marvelous Bible preacher and a Bible teacher. He was great. After 15 years at our church, he took another church in the community and his summer meeting came.

Confessing Sin and Receiving Christ

Of course, we went. I was just miserable. I was about 15 then. I went down to the altar. And I guess he thought I was old enough to have a little attention. So he came to me and he said, Now, if you will, same thing he said three years before, if you will just trust the Lord, He'll save you.

And I didn't know any more about what trusting the Lord meant. And I still didn't know which one was the Lord. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, is all Lord to me. And then he asked a question.

It ruined everything. He said, Are you trusting the Lord? Well, I was memorizing a Bible verse every day. My habit. I was praying every day. I had my place of prayer in that walk-in closet. And I was doing everything I knew to do.

And I thought, and I said, Yes, I'm trusting the Lord. I had no idea what it meant. I guess I thought, And he said, Well, you're saved then. Now, the very idea of one human being telling another human being they're saved.

One human being telling another living Lord has invaded your personality. Now, just what about that? What about that? What gold? I started to say stupidity. I don't want to be respectful to the man. He's in the glory now.

But anyway, I appreciate it. He just didn't know how to lead people to the Lord. Just didn't know how to tell anybody to be saved. And my mother and the ones older were praying for me. But they thought you just had to pray it through.

And they didn't know how to help me. They were afraid they'd hinder me. Well, of course, no doubt my father was praying for me too. He's a businessman making a living. He didn't show it as much as my mother did.

Conversion and the Indwelling Christ

Well, anyway, there I was. And friends, I lacked about three months of being 17 years old. We'd had a pastor in between that man when he left and another one. Well, I'll have to finish out what I was saying when the man told me that if I was trusting the Lord I was saved.

And he went back up on the pulpit platform and asked, now has anyone trusted the Lord tonight and been saved? Will you please stand? Well, I told him I was trusting the Lord and he told me I was saved.

So I thought I had to stand. And I stood. But I went on home to the Lord way yonder than I was here. He was still in that cloud and I still had my burden of sin. No fellowship between us. Now I knew a whole lot about him from the Word of God by that time.

And by that time I could repeat more Bibles from memory, I guess, than anybody in the community. We went to day school and had worship and if they assigned us to memorize the first verse of a chapter to show off, I'd go home and memorize the whole chapter.

And I'd sit there and everybody else gave their verse and then I'd bob up and I'd start at the first verse and go to the end of the chapter. I don't know why the teacher didn't say, sit down, Bertha, when I gave her my first verse.

That's what she ought to have said but she bragged on me and I just love my teachers and I'd do anything in the world and I'd do it the next day to get them to brag on me. Well, that's my proud devil nation.

Well, anyway, I went on two more years. We'd had a pastor a short time, two years in there. And then we had a wonderful man of God come to us and he led his own meeting. And in September 1905, September the 3rd, Sunday morning at 11 o 'clock, I was down there at the altar, of course, and he was just ready to, and he'd prayed with us and he'd had everybody stand.

We were standing, those who had gone down for prayer, and they were just standing, just saying they're closing him. And he just stepped down from the platform and came down and stood about two feet from me and told us a little bit.

And he told us, mention Christ. Christ. And he was there. Christ. And I thought, this is the place where we come with our sins. And I came. I came. And then when he got through, he told us just to come and just take Jesus.

I mean, Jesus Christ. No longer praying to God the Father and begging him. I thought that the death of Jesus Christ was what brought, was what solved my sin problem. And he said, now if you can just take Christ as your Savior.

I just, and he said, give me your hand, and I just stepped two steps up there. And by the time I took two steps back, oh, heaven would open. Friends, the Lord had invaded my personality. It is no longer God where yonder.

He was here, filling my soul, filling my soul. Well, I didn't shout. No, I didn't shout. It didn't affect me that way. I went home. I went upstairs to my room. I went into that closet where I had a little trunk for my altar in the back of that closet.

I got on my knees. I just started weeping and praying for every lost person I knew. And I couldn't understand why my family could be downstairs enjoying a good South Carolina Sunday dinner and so many people lost.

All I could do was pour out my heart to the Lord and cry and beg Him to save people. Well, now, I don't have time to tell you this evening all that the Bible tells me that I found out took place later from the Word of God.

You come back tomorrow night, and we'll talk about the state of this person and how we live out this salvation after we're saved and what we mean to the Lord after we're saved. I gave out this morning our third lesson in our homework.

It was a little leaflet on what is the flesh. Now, sometimes you hear the preachers say, well, I spoke to that person in the flesh. It means that somebody was maybe they had done something pretty bad and the pastor was trying to help them and help them to see their sin and maybe he rebuked their sin.

And what he meant was, that just came from me. And the Lord didn't prompt me to say that. And he was sorry he said that or said it in that way, but I spoke in the flesh. Don't you hear pastors say that?

Well, now, what is this flesh? And that was a little leaflet written by a woman, a missionary in Peking about 60 years ago. Now, those who didn't get one this morning, please get one of these this evening.

The pastor has them here. And I'm also happy to tell you, last evening I didn't have enough of these. Not I, but Christ. The second homework lesson. I love to give everybody in the church one, though they're especially for those who have listed their sins.

And I just hope the rest of you will. But the pastor kind of had some printed down in the basement here of this church. And so I have enough to give everybody one. But I want everybody that takes it. To read it and underscore every statement in it that applies to you.

And you come back tomorrow night, and we'll learn what we do when we sin after we're saved. We'll learn how we live out of this new life. And how we let the Lord live His life in us and express Himself through us instead of living it ourselves.

You almost called what she did tonight preaching, wouldn't you?