(John) His Own Followers Believers — Willie Mullan

John’s Gospel: From Rejected Nation to Believing Followers

And we're at chapter 13. I pointed out last Tuesday that when we start the 13th chapter, we're starting the second section of John's gospel. You see, John has 21 chapters, and from chapter 1 right through to the end of chapter 12 is one complete section.

Really, it's governed by only two words. Please, too, look at John 1 again, the first chapter, down there at verse 10. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Those two words, his own, were in the first 12 chapters, which it really means his own nation. He's been preaching wonderful messages. We've gone through them in chapters 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and 10.

He's been preaching wonderful messages, and through these 12 chapters he's been performing wonderful miracles. But his own nation, at least the majority of his own nation, received him not. So, at the end of chapter 12 comes a change.

Do you remember that verse in chapter 12 last week? Verse 37? Verse 37? The miracles before them, not on him. Preaching, received him not. Turning his back upon them in their darkness, he opens a new section, and watch, it's governed by two words.

Chapter 13, verse 1. Now, before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world onto the Father, having loved his own. Oh, but that's not his own nation.

He loved his own, which were in the world, starting on the cream of the gospel, was he. In fact, the great evangelical students believe that chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 of John's gospel, with 20 and 21, are among the richest teachings in the Bible for belief.

Chapter 12, his own creation, and received them not. Chapter 13, right through to the end, his own following. Spiritual teachings, when they're shut in with the master. We're trying to get through from verse 1, right through to the end of verse 17, this evening, of John chapter 13.

Six Truths About the Lord Jesus in John 13

And, I'm underlining six great truths for you this evening. In verse 1, we read this, now, before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew. Talk to you for a moment or two tonight about the unlimited knowledge of the Lord.

Knowledge to bring out of John's gospel, without any quibbles about it this evening. The unlimited knowledge of the Lord. No wonder his gospel ends with Peter in the dust, looking into his face, saying, Lord, thou knowest all things.

He does, you know, be looking at the unlimited knowledge of the Lord. And, then, that is followed this evening with another truth in the first verse. Now, before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Which is, we not only want to look at the unlimited knowledge of the Lord, but we want to have a look at the unchanging love of the Lord. Love for his own belief. Loved with everlasting love, led by grace, that love to know, and we want to know more about it this evening.

And, in the same verse, there's still another great truth to underline. Not only the unlimited knowledge of the Lord, and the unchanging love of the Lord, but the unquestionable possession of the Lord, his own.

In this meeting, of these two words, double, they belong to Christ. To know what power would take, because if you can tell me that something can take them from him, then that something is bigger than he is.

For the years of time alone, after this evening, there is the unique humility of the Lord. Because, verse 2 says, and supper being ended. That's a little bit misleading, because the word ended is really a word that the translators put in.

It would have been better translated like this, like it is in one of the older translations. And supper being laid. I think the idea of ending is just the end of laying the table. It isn't that the supper's over.

The table that's being laid, just before we started the supper, the Lord rises from supper, decides his garments, and took a towel and dredged it himself. After that, he poured his water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet.

Christ’s Unlimited Knowledge and Unchanging Love

And we shall look at this as the unique humility of the Lord. Why, there's a real gush of going down right into the slave's place here, that we shall need to take time to see the feet. Then comes the first part of the teaching from 13 on to the end, in these wonderful chapters, this rich teaching of the tender truth of feet washing.

And that, of course, is the real depth of the portion that we're dealing with this evening. And we shall take time with the unmistakable teaching of the Lord, because that's what he wants to teach us too this evening, this tender truth of feet washing.

And then we shall close this portion by looking at the unassuming example of the Lord. He left them an example, and it's there for us too. And so that's the portion that we're going through this evening.

Let's begin at the beginning. I think it's well to remember all that we have gathered up, or at least most of it, from the other chapters about the knowledge of the Lord. We believe that John's gospel, the whole twenty-one chapters, brings forth in a remarkable way the unlimited knowledge of the Lord.

Let's go through the chapters just for a moment. We'll go back to chapter one. I'm doing this for the younger ones, and the older ones will have to bear with it. They're just gathering up a few threads.

John, chapter one, verse 43. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Judah.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, in this the life indeed in whom is no guile.

And Nathanael almost jumped out of his shoes, you know. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? By the Lord shook him, as the Lord knew a lot about him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that, Philip called me.

I was under a fig tree. I saw thee. It was too wonderful for Nathanael. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the son of God, thou art the king of Israel. The Lord knew him. Now, let's go from there to chapter two.

You see the end of chapter two, verse twenty-four? But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and he did not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. And if you go from there to chapter four, you remember the story of the woman at the well, and in verse sixteen he said to her, Go call thy husband, and come hither.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he who learns not thy husband. Truly, my, the Lord knew, didn't he?

You see, what I'm trying to underline quickly is this, that he knew all about passion. Another one to it. Look at chapter five just for the moment. And we're at the pool of Bethesda, and there was a certain man there in verse five, which had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

When Jesus saw him, Lord, and knew that he had been now a long time in our case, he knew he had been there for thirty-eight years, and yet the Lord is only thirty-three and a half years, or thirty-three, really.

You see, he knew all about passion. And of course, go to chapter six quickly. Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great multitude come unto him. He said unto Philip, When shall we buy bread that these may?

And this he said to prove him. He himself knew he would treat thee as should the apostle. But he really knew the answer, the apostle, and he knew the answer. Now, just for a moment, passing by some wonderful things, but you can find them for yourself.

Verse fourteen, King of gods having this chief, the Lord knoweth them that are his. By every one of the theologists today, they don't know a thing about it. But he not only knoweth the number of the stars, he calleth every belief.

He knows his own sheep, doesn't he? What's this little bit that he put behind it, verse fourteen? I am the good shepherd that knoweth my sheep, and am known of mine. And the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father.

And I lay down my life for the sheep. You know, he knew all about persons and their past. He knew the apostle, and he knew the answer. And he knew the sheep, and he knew the sacrifice he would have to make for the sheep.

Oh, the modernists say that when he was in Gethsemane, he didn't know where he was. But they never read John 10. He knew the sheep, and he knew the price he would have to pay. Do you remember chapter eleven?

Here's one little word out of it. Do you remember how Lazarus was bound to death, and he abode in verse six, two days, till in the same place where he was? And then, at last, in verse fourteen, then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

And nobody told him. You see, he knew. He just waited until Lazarus was dead. Now, he says, we'll go now. A big task ahead of him. But he knows the task, and he knows the triumph that will be his. Here's what he said to Martha in verse twenty-three.

Jesus said unto her, thy brothers shall rise again. Oh, he knew. And he knew about their past, the answer to the problem. There is a soul that will place their trust in him. He knew his own sheep, and he knew the sacrifice he would have to make for them.

He knew the task here. He's going to rise a dead man from the dead. And he knew the triumph. And when we come to John thirteen, we see a lot of it now. Just try to get the picture really as it is. It's in the upper room, and it's at the Passover feast.

And here's what it says in your first verse. Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, he knew the hour had come.

You know, he came down from the glory, and took upon him the form of a servant. Every breath he took, and every step he took, and every moment he was done in effect, he was moving towards one goal, the cross of Calvary.

After climbing, he would ask to say to his disciples, and those around him, My hour hath not yet come. He goes down here, knew, but he knew his hour had come. Now, watch this. Verse three, Jesus knowing, a lovely little bit too, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands.

I wish I could paint this for you, really. I wish you could see him in the upper room, young. I wish you could see him dressed in the garments of a lowly Nazarene. You could see him standing with twelve miserable creatures.

Before the night would be over, some of them would deny him, and some of them would betray him, and all of them would forsake him. He's standing in the midst of them. Just there ahead of him lies the cross.

God has given all things into his hands. Not too sure he's got a tremendous loss in him, but he just knows he hasn't got all. But at the psychological moment, we're looking at the Master. God has given all things into his hands.

A foolish idea, really terrible. You know, putting up with it. But he knew more. Verse three, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and came from God, and went to God. And he not only knew the honor that was his, but he knew the whole history of the past and the future.

He knew he came from God. Some of the modernists that occupy Pulpitch in this country, they say that he was the son of a German soldier, through a prostitute called the Blessed Virgin. It doesn't sully with their nonsense.

He didn't know a single moment of doubt about the victory of Christ. He knew his hour. He knew the honor. He knew the whole history of the past and the future. And then down the chapter a little bit, he's talking here again.

And we'll do it just for the moment. Jesus says unto Peter, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean everywhere. And ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him, didn't he?

Oh, how much is in the chapter that you pass by, and you don't take your time to find it, do you? Innocently, in English, it's not hidden anywhere there. He knew his hour had come. He knew the honor that was his, all power belonged to him, that he came from God, and that he was going back to God.

He knew that sitting right in front of him was the what they talk about. Shall we believe he was God? There can be no limitation beyond limited knowledge of the Lord. There is more in the chapter, but we'll find it by and by.

Jesus’ Love for His Own

Then let's notice this in verse one. Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, he loved his own which were in the world unto the end.

He loved them unto the end. It doesn't mean that he loved them unto the end of his earthly life. There's another old translation I read this morning, and it read like this. Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them the whole way through.

It is the idea. It isn't talking about loving them unto the end of his days on earth, not at all. It's loving them the whole way right through their earthly pilgrimage. Here's the idea. He loved his own right through his denials, and denies the Lord, don't you?

And that he loved you because the love that he has for you is unchanging, it's unending, it's undying. Many waters cannot quench this love. Oh, what a wonderful truth is this, that he has love for you.

You see, here's what the New Testament teaches in Romans chapter eight in the last two verses. Paul says, I am persuaded death, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us believers from the love of God that's in Christ.

It doesn't matter who you are tonight, or what you've done tonight, or how far away from the Lord you've got tonight. I want to tell you this, that he loved you right through the whole thing. Oh, I know you've changed, yes, yes.

But he loved you. He loved the whole way through. What a wonderful thing, the unchanging love. But I think we need to notice these two words before we go any further. His own. There is no question at all about him possessing those who really come and touch them.

They really belong to him. He bought them at the price they're not their own. That's what can be said of every believer here this evening. Ye are not your own. You are bought. Not only are you bought, but he thought what he bought.

Yes, if the Lord hadn't come and looked for you, you would still be in darkness. And he not only thought, but caught. But it was he who threw out the gospel net, brought you in. Did he buy? Not only are you bought to, caught and caught, but you're brought into the kingdom of darkness and put right into the kingdom of God, dear friend, and you belong to Christ for a week on his own.

If you're not his, you'll die twice a night. If you're not his, my, you're in the grip of the devil, and you're in the kingdom of darkness, and you're going down to destruction. Thank God for everybody here who can say, I belong to Jesus, his own.

The Slave’s Garment and the Humility of Christ

But let's rush on now. I want you to notice this bit. That too. And supper being laid, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. And I'm not touching the betrayer this evening, because next week we're going to take the time to deal with the betrayer exposed.

There are quite a lot of questions about Judas Iscariot. Why was he chosen as one of the twelve? Why did the Lord put up with them for three and a half years? Well, we'll try and answer them for you next week.

We'll deal with the betrayer exposed, so we'll pass that by. He rises from supper, laid aside his garments. Now, it doesn't mean that he laid aside all his garments and appeared naked before them. No, it just means that he laid aside the outer garments.

You remember the Bible differentiated between the garments and the vesture. Yes, they parted my garments among them, and for my vesture did they cast lots. He laid aside his garments. He's standing in a vesture, told by those who knew best, that when the outer garments were taken off, and his thin, tiny, slender vesture was on the man, he looked a real odyssey.

And he immediately lifted a towel and put it round him, tied it in a knot, and very soon, in a thin vesture with a towel round him, and he was now taking the place of one of the lowest slaves in Israel.

At that moment, he knew that all power belonged to him. We could see it. The outer garments were off by the towel, and he stood exactly just as a slave would have stood. Mind you, it was real humiliation for him to leave the ivory palaces and come down past the angels, lower than angels.

It was real humility to be made of a woman, to come through a woman, and to take upon him the form of a slave. If you want to go through the Scriptures sometimes and look at the Girdles, you'll get a lot of information.

And this is a very touching one here, deadening himself with the towel. You see, if you went to Palestine today, and you could see some of the folks in their long eastern robes, some of them with a Girdle round and tied over, the Girdle would immediately tell you their name in society or their occupation in life.

And there's a lot in the Scriptures about the Girdle. I'll start you off, and then you go on with the study yourself. Come back here to the second book of Kings, and the first chapter. Second Kings, and we're at the first chapter, and you remember the king.

The king was sick, and you remember how he sent messengers, and how they were met by the prophet. I don't want to waste the time reading it all, and how the prophet called down fire upon him. Verse 13 will do us, and he sent again a captain of the third fistry with his fistry.

And the third captain of fistry went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life and the life of these fifty thy servants be precious in my sight.

Behold, there came down fire, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fistries with their fistries. Therefore let my life now be precious in my sight. And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him, be not afraid of him.

And he arose and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub, the God of Israel, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his words?

Therefore thou shalt not come down of that bed in which thou art gone up, but thou shalt truly die. Now, before we came to that portion, down the chapter a little bit, the king had said unto them in verse 7, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you and told you these words?

And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and dirt with a girdle of leather above his loins. And the moment they said that to the king, he said, But is Elijah the fish-like? How did he know? You see, all the prophets in history, they wore a leather and girdle.

You remember John the Baptist was the last of the prophets, and much as Gospel chapter 3 says, his meat was lucas and wild honey, and he wore a leather and girdle above his loins. You see, there was nothing spectacular in this leather and girdle, but it told those who would eyes to see that he was the prophet of the Lord.

You know, the leather spoke of hardness, and the prophet of the Lord had to endure hardness as a good soldier. So that's the leather and girdle. Now, here's another one for you. Have a look at Revelation chapter 1.

Do you remember this one? I think this is a beautiful one. John's on the Isle of Patmos, and he heard a voice behind him saying, I am Alpha and Omega, and in verse 12, I turned to see the voice that speak with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, pulled with a garment down to the foot, and jerked about the breast with a golden girdle.

That's a golden one. You know, if leather speaks of toughness, then gold is something that speaks of something that's everlasting, tangible man. He was not a very tangible priesthood, therefore he had a golden girdle about his breast.

Do you remember the one in Ephesians chapter 6? Have a look at it. Ephesians chapter 6, and the last copies, you get the rest of them. Ephesians 6, verse 13, Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, some therefore having your lines jerked about with truth.

Well, that's the girdle the believer ought to be wearing. You know, when you really buckle on the truth, it just means that you're submitting to the word of the Lord. My dear friends, this submissive death is very important in the day and hour in which we live.

But, you know, the one that we're looking at tonight really speaks of humbleness. It's the towel. I think that I would be right in saying that there are six more girdles in the book that you need to find for yourself, and they all speak of something.

But, we're just looking at the Lord Jesus Christ, stripping off his garment, standing in that inner garment that made him really look like a slave, and he's pouring water into the basin. This is a unique place of humility.

Feet Washing as a Spiritual Lesson

Now, let's go on now to find the truth that he was about to teach. That's the real heart of the story this evening. Now, watch this. Verse 5. After that, he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

You know, all the time he's doing this, he's just having a good look at it, looking at the Lord Jesus dressed like a slave, and he's going around all these disciples, there he is, kneeling down and washing John's feet, he's washing Andrew's feet, washing the feet of Matthew.

And you know, Peter's will is thinking this up, at least so he thinks. And when the Lord comes to him, here's what he says. He comes with Peter, Simon Peter, and Peter says unto him, Lord, just thou wash my feet.

Because the emphasis is on the emphatic Brunei. Lord, just thou wash my feet. And here's what the Lord said to him. Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do not know hereof. Because Peter was so stubborn, he knew, and wanted to take a stand.

He thought he was doing something, you know. We've got a statement that we need to pay attention to. You know, there are places in the streets tonight, perhaps our brother knows more about it than I do, where they actually took this teaching in John 13 literally.

They wash one another's feet. I think if they had paid attention, they would never have done it. Here he is down with the basin. And he's about to put Peter's feet into the basin, or wash his feet with the water.

And he's saying to Peter, What I do thou knowest not knoweth. Tell me that Peter didn't know that he was actually washing feet, would you? This statement will tell you. Physical, material, actual feet washing here.

The thing that you don't know, Peter, you know all about what I've been doing. It's an orgy. But Peter, there's something, I'm not wanting you to get occupied with the actual, or the physical, or the material.

There's something beyond that. There's a spiritual lesson here. Just finished the lesson and taken up the material. What a pity. Lord wasn't wanting us to wash one another's feet, you know. He was teaching a lesson.

And what a lesson it is. We mustn't miss it. Now let's get that all over again. Verse 6, Then cometh Peter, Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not knoweth.

But thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Wash my feet. I tell you, that was breaking off something, wasn't it? He just almost showed us. He said, Don't come now. Breaking off something, wasn't it?

Almost showed us. Allow the Lord to do this. And again, it's very good that he was stubborn, because it only leads us into the depths of the truth. Now, we mustn't be too hard on Peter, because although he was standing on his high horse here and almost shouting, Thou shalt never wash my feet.

Yet, in the next second, when the Lord explained something, he immediately said, Not my feet, but my hand and my head also. Rather changing. Now, some of us, you know, we would get down on Peter, because he was so stubborn.

But, you know, we're the nice kind. We say, Yes, Lord, that's the truth, yes. We'll do that tomorrow, Lord, but we never do it. Well, we're just the opposite, you know. Peter said, You'll never do it, but he did it.

You say, I'll do it, Lord, but you never do it. So, don't be too hard on him now, because you may be the worst of the two. But, look, this leads us into the truth now. Let's get it all over again. I'll be one of the young ones to miss it.

Then come with me to Simon Peter, and Peter said unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.

Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou art no part of the whole truth that we need to learn tonight. That word part is a wonderful word. You see, the word part actually means communion or fellowship.

Cleansing, Fellowship, and the Word of God

I think you'll see it clearly if you just turn from where we are at the moment, and go to 2 Corinthians, chapter 6. Just let's look there for a moment, because we want to get this really clear. 2 Corinthians, chapter 6.

Now, here's the Lord teaching his own saints through Paul in verse 14. 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 14. Thee ye not unequally yoke together with unbelievers. That was the Lord's word, you know. For what fellowship, there's a lovely word, what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

Could you tell me? Say it is none. And what communion, there's a lovely word too, because that's just the same as fellowship, isn't it? What communion hath light with darkness? It's none. And what concord, that's the same word again, you see, concord.

It's just fellowship or communion. But look, what's the same word again? It's the word we have over there. It's the word that means fellowship. It's the word that means communion. Now, let's get back to John 13, and let's get the whole thing clear.

He's down at Peter's feet, and Peter's saying all these things, and Jesus said unto him, Jesus answered him at the end of verse 8, If I wash thee not, thou hast no fellowship with me. Now, he didn't say thou hast no part in me, not at all.

You see, I want you to get the hold of this. The day that we came and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our own and personal Savior, the moment that we bowed at his feet and put our whole trust in him and his clockwork, through the efficacy of the blood of Christ, we were told, I want you to get the hold of this.

The day that you trusted the Lord Jesus, you were made righteous and strong, and you came in Christ, and in between you never touched the cross. The precious blood of Christ settled that forever. Through that one offering, he hath perfected forever.

This will be repeated, and there doesn't need to be all the groaning that I hear going on, but you know, that day that you came into in union with in Christ, you know, you started to walk with him. And you know, as you walk through this world, as opposed to, you know, you get your feet dirty.

Aye, you do. And you know, when you get your feet dirty, you get out of communion with him. You understand that now? But he understood it afterwards. There came a moment when he stood at the fire, and warmed his hands, and denied the Lord.

But there was never anything done with the union, so Christ told. And now what the Lord is teaching him is this, that if I don't wash your feet, you'll have no fellowship with me. He didn't say you have no part in me, you have no fellowship with me.

Now, Peter goes to the other extreme, just watching. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my arms and my head. So he's away again. Jesus said unto him, now watch. He that is washed, the word could be bathed.

He that is bathed, needeth not save to wash his feet, but to clean every whip. And ye are clean, but not all for any of you who should but say so. The whole nation who had put their trust in him were clean every whip.

But you know, as they walked with him along the dusty highways, their cheeks became clean, and they needed to be cleansed, not by blood, no. You need to drive it into some of your heads, for you can never see anything.

Now you just pay attention. If you sit up and cross your knees, they need their feet cleansed. By what? Spiritual truth. We know now that it wasn't the actual, literal, physical thing he was talking about, do we?

What was he trying to get over? He was trying to get this over. That if you want to keep in constant fellowship with me, as we walk together through the road of life, you'll need to have your feet cleansed continually by me, by water.

Well now, if the feet speaks of the walk, where does the water speak of? There's a child here could tell me. It speaks of the words. Now let's get that good clear. Let's go to Ephesians now, so you see.

And we're at Ephesians, and we're at chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, look at verse 25 now, watch this carefully. Husbands, love your wives, even if Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.

Didn't he give himself for it? That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, watch it, by the word. How are you going to keep in fellowship with the Lord if you're going to go on disobeying his words?

You needn't close your eyes every night and say, Lord cleanse me in the blood. When you're saying that, you're sick, disobeying the book. Cleanse your dear through the word. And you know, if you really want to have a walk in close fellowship with the Lord, you'll have to let the Lord, who has all power, apply the words to your walk.

And to me, about sanctification, when you're drinking the book, some have used saccharine blasphemy, when they teach you about believer's baptism, you go away in a rage. It happens to be that believer's baptism is the word of the Lord.

Oh, and you're talking about it, aren't you? You're very smart. You think you're clever, turning your nose up at God's book. I'll just think again, though, because I would like to know how you could be in real fellowship with the Lord when you're beating the wood of the Lord.

But when you come and place your trust in Christ, the blood of Christ will make you whiter than snow and you'll be perfectly forever. And if you're going to get near to the Lord from that day forward, you'll get near by letting the Lord apply his word to the walk.

And you'll get real fellowship with the Lord when you obey the word of the Lord. I'll tell you how it works out. I was saved 27 wonderful years ago. I was saved, as you know, I was just a tramp on the roadside.