Knock Out Your Eye, Cut Off Your Hand | Pastor CD Brooks

Summary

Pastor CD Brooks passionately discusses the importance of prioritizing eternal life over worldly attachments in his sermon, using powerful illustrations and biblical references. He emphasizes the seriousness of salvation, urging the audience to disentangle from anything or anyone that hinders their spiritual journey. Throughout the sermon, Pastor Brooks uses vivid imagery and personal anecdotes to highlight the urgent need for individuals to make firm decisions for their spiritual lives. His messages are grounded in scripture and aim to inspire believers to live in accordance with God's word, always ready for God's coming.

Highlights

• Pastor Brooks speaks on the urgency of salvation, reminding everyone that God's day will come unannounced like a thief in the night. 🕛
• The sermon warns against being spiritually complacent while attached to worldly possessions and traditions. 🚫
• Pastor Brooks uses engaging anecdotes to illustrate the preciousness of heaven over earthly ties. 🌌
• The message encourages breaking free from bad habits that hinder a relationship with God. 🙌
• Listeners are urged to make immediate spiritual decisions, stressing that now is the time of salvation. ⏰

Key Takeaways

• Make spiritual priorities your top habit. 🚀
• Don't let worldly things distract you from eternal joy. ✨
• God's promises are true, even if they seem delayed. ⏳
• Repentance and salvation are offered to everyone, regardless of their past. 🤲
• Remaining steadfast in faith is crucial for a fulfilling spiritual journey. 🙏

Overview

Pastor CD Brooks delivers a fervent sermon titled "Knock Out Your Eye, Cut Off Your Hand," emphasizing the drastic measures one must take to secure eternal life. He draws from biblical scriptures, notably from Second Peter, to underline that God's promises, though they may seem deferred, are unwavering. As a lively orator, he uses captivating personal stories and scripture to drive home the urgency of choosing eternal life over transient earthly satisfaction.

Throughout the sermon, Pastor Brooks stresses the futility of clinging to worldly possessions and societal traditions that could obstruct one’s path to salvation. He encourages his congregation to make immediate spiritual decisions, proposing that to waver in indecision is to decide against God. His impassioned delivery serves to remind his audience that despite life's hardships, steadfast faith and the rejection of worldly distractions are vital.

In a blend of humor, urgency, and scriptural authority, Pastor Brooks addresses the challenges of giving up worldly attachments for spiritual growth. He emphasizes the accepting nature of salvation, welcoming all despite their past, urging people to cut ties with any hindrance, be it personal relationships or bad habits. His heartfelt message challenges believers to focus on their spiritual readiness as the ultimate preparation for God’s coming day.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 10:30: Introduction and Theme: Knock Out Your Eye, Cut Off Your Hand The chapter titled 'Introduction and Theme: Knock Out Your Eye, Cut Off Your Hand' explores an intriguing and potentially unsettling theme. It references Second Peter, chapter 3 from the Bible, highlighting a specific verse. The verse discussed is from the 7th verse of this chapter, which speaks about the heavens and the earth being kept in store by the same word. This introduction sets the stage for a deeper exploration of biblical themes and teachings as they relate to personal sacrifice and discipline, symbolically represented by the phrases 'knock out your eye' and 'cut off your hand.'
• 10:30 - 21:00: Time and God's Promise The chapter titled 'Time and God's Promise' discusses the notion that the earth and everything in it are destined for destruction by fire as part of divine judgment against ungodly men. This idea is drawn from biblical prophecy, emphasizing that God's perspective on time differs from human understanding, as epitomized by the concept that one day for the Lord is like a thousand years, and vice versa. The warning serves as a reminder for believers to not be ignorant of these divine truths and the ultimate fate of the world.
• 21:00 - 34:30: Desperation of Grace and Eternal Life The chapter discusses the theme of God's patience and desire for all to come to repentance. Despite what appears as a delay from a human perspective, God is not slack concerning His promises. Rather, He is long-suffering, not wanting anyone to perish but for everyone to find repentance. The chapter reinforces that the day of the Lord will come, regardless of perceived delays.
• 34:30 - 47:00: The Difficulty in Accepting Salvation The chapter titled 'The Difficulty in Accepting Salvation' discusses God's patience in waiting for everyone to have the opportunity to hear the truth and receive salvation. It emphasizes that good people exist in various places and situations, including unexpected ones like bars, and that they will respond to God's call. The message is one of hope and inclusion, recognizing that God knows His people and waits for them to come to Him.
• 47:00 - 58:30: Tradition vs. God's Commandments The chapter discusses the contrast between human traditions and God's commandments. It emphasizes the need for preachers to actively share God's word and for church members to embody these teachings in their lives to serve as witnesses to others. The chapter references a biblical passage describing 'the day of the Lord' as arriving unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, highlighting the unexpected nature of divine intervention.
• 58:30 - 73:00: Prioritizing Eternal Life Over Earthly Attachments The chapter 'Prioritizing Eternal Life Over Earthly Attachments' discusses the metaphorical interpretation of spiritual vigilance based on a biblical reference. It emphasizes the sudden and unexpected nature of the Lord's coming, comparable to a thief in the night. This comparison underscores the necessity for individuals to always be prepared, as there will be no warning or specific date to anticipate this event. The chapter conveys that the Lord is seeking purity and righteousness, symbolized by 'gold tried in the fire' and 'wheat' as opposed to impurities or unworthy elements, described as 'trash' and 'tears.' The ultimate message is a call to prioritize spiritual readiness and eternal life over mundane, earthly concerns.
• 73:00 - 82:00: Personal Stories and Testimonies The chapter 'Personal Stories and Testimonies' explores the biblical concept of the heavens, specifically discussing the prophecy that speaks of a day when the heavens will pass away with a great noise and intense heat, leading to a cataclysmic event. It describes the three heavens mentioned in the Bible: the one where the birds fly, representing the atmospheric heaven surrounding Earth composed of volatile gases. The narrative suggests that a divine disturbance of this balance will result in a catastrophic explosion, fulfilling the scriptural prophecy.
• 82:00 - 95:30: The Urgency of Decision and Commitment This chapter discusses the concept of impermanence and the ultimate destruction of all things. Using the example of Hiroshima, the chapter illustrates that what was once thought indestructible can indeed be destroyed. The message emphasizes that material possessions are temporary and should not take precedence over spiritual or eternal values. The reference to 'The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up' serves as a reminder of the transient nature of worldly matters, urging readers to focus on what truly matters in life.
• 95:30 - 105:00: Prayer and Conclusion The chapter emphasizes the importance of prioritizing one's spiritual relationship with God over material possessions or wealth. It suggests that while having money is not inherently wrong, allowing it to become more important than God is problematic. The text highlights that material possessions will ultimately perish, and the only thing that can be carried from this life is a good character. This reflects the biblical teaching that earthly possessions will be destroyed in the end, underscoring the transient nature of material wealth compared to spiritual virtues.

Knock Out Your Eye, Cut Off Your Hand | Pastor CD Brooks Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 The subject tonight is probably intriguing to some. Knock out your eye. Cut off your hand. In second Peter chapter 3, the Bible speaks and this is what it says. Second Peter the 3 chapter. And let us notice beginning with verse 7. But the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store,
• 00:30 - 01:00 reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and predition of ungodly men. This very earth that we love so much and the things that are therein are reserved unto fire. Now God's already told us this. Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years
• 01:00 - 01:30 as a day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. I'm reading verse nine, but is long-suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come. Positive. There seems to be a delay, said Peter. But God hasn't forgotten his
• 01:30 - 02:00 promise. He's just not willing that we should perish. He wanted you all to have a chance to hear the truth. That's why he waits. There are still good men and women in all communions. Indeed, there are good men and women sitting in bars right now who when they hear the voice of God are going to come out of there. And the Lord knows who they are. He said, "I know my sheep and my sheep
• 02:00 - 02:30 know me." He's waiting on preachers to preach it. He's waiting on church members to live it so that everybody has a witness. He hasn't forgotten his promise. Verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. What a figure. Anybody ever have a thief come in the night to his home? He sent you a note to tell you he was coming, didn't he? And when he came, he only dumped the trash cans,
• 02:30 - 03:00 right? Thieves come unannounced, and they only take that which is precious. Lord said, "I'm coming as a thief in the night unannounced. You can't wait for a certain date to get ready. He said, "Be ready." And he's not coming for refuge and trash. He's coming for gold tried in the fire. Coming for wheat and not tears. Would you say amen out there? The day of the Lord will come as a thief
• 03:00 - 03:30 in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the element shall melt with fervent heat. Now the Bible speaks of three heavens. The one where the birds fly in the midst of the heavens. That's the envelope of atmosphere that surrounds this earth made up of volatile gases. And when God disturbs the balance, there's going to be a cataclysmic explosion. The Bible says the heavens shall pass
• 03:30 - 04:00 away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. There was a time men said some things won't burn. But since Hiroshima, they have changed their tune. Everything will burn. The elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Now, God has no objection to you having a nice home unless that home becomes more important than
• 04:00 - 04:30 God. He has no objection to you having lots of money in the bank unless that money becomes more important than God. Would you say amen out there? And if you become married to a house or to lands or to material possessions, the Bible says the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The only thing we're going to carry off this earth is a good character. Seeing then verse 11 that all these
• 04:30 - 05:00 things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Beloved, my subject tonight comes from the lips of Christ himself and it is almost a radical appeal to our good sense. Christ shows the desperation of grace to save lost
• 05:00 - 05:30 men. It almost seems out of character that he should speak the way he speaks. But Christ is trying to impress us that these things on earth that we love so much and for which we exchange our souls are temporal transitory. They will pass away. If you're interested in that which is of eternal interest, then make up your mind
• 05:30 - 06:00 that eternal life is precious and nothing shall come between you and eternal life. Amen. Now, we got to do that. And to sit out there in confusion and indecision is to make a decision. For the Bible says, "He that is not with me is against me." Beloved, these are the words of the Lord. And I've been preaching to you every night and twice on Sabbath for
• 06:00 - 06:30 four weeks. And tonight, I've got a burden on my heart. The Lord says if anybody comes to that meeting, drunkard, harlot, drug addict, gambler, doesn't matter what he is or what he's done, Brooks, tell that sinner salvation is free and that I love him and that I'll save him. But tell him he's running out of time.
• 06:30 - 07:00 Amen. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and everything that men marry themselves off to shall be burned up. Tell them that they are running out of time. Though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, tell them not to be discouraged because they
• 07:00 - 07:30 have served the devil so long. Tell them if they're 90 years old and have served the devil for 90 years. I'll take them. I'll take them. Tell them when they've messed up their lives so even their families don't want to be bothered with them. I'll take them. But tell them to hurry today. If they hear my voice, harden not their hearts. tell them now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of
• 07:30 - 08:00 salvation. But I've come to a conclusion after 27 years in the ministry. And that conclusion is that folks are hard to save. They'll listen to junk and applaud and dump their money in. I am convinced folk like to be fooled. If I were up here begging you
• 08:00 - 08:30 for your money, you'd give it to me. And I could have all those limousines you read about in Ebony. People are strange creatures. And yet when you come free of charge asking nothing and present the truth of God, show it to them in the Bible, tell them to write down the text. If it's not in the Bible, it's a lie.
• 08:30 - 09:00 When you level with people like that, beg them to check on you in the word. And they look and see it and then come squirming and wiggling and resisting and fighting. What's wrong with us, Lord? What is wrong with us? I've come to the conclusion it's hard to save people. Folk act like the Lord is going to take them to heaven and throw them on the chain
• 09:00 - 09:30 gang when all he's trying to do is keep us out of hell. He's trying to give us life for death, riches for poverty, health for suffering, light for darkness, sweetness for bitterness, Christ instead of the devil. That's all he wants to do. His passion is to save free of charge. And
• 09:30 - 10:00 yet men fight and argue and resist and resist and resist bound by tradition. Matthew 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, why do ye transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Christ was amazed.
• 10:00 - 10:30 These people were terribly upset with the disciples because they ate without washing their hands. And they came to Jesus in verse two and said, "Why do your disciples do that? Breaking the tradition of the elders." And Christ looked them in the eye and said, "Why do you transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" And then in verse 9, he said, "But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
• 10:30 - 11:00 men." Now, beloved, I speak English. Do y'all speak English? That's clear. Amen. And yet, we're still wondering about the days being mixed up. And how do we know? Oh, my friends, we are slaves to customs. And it's hard to break loose from things that we're attached to,
• 11:00 - 11:30 including some cheap, degrading habits that you'd be ashamed to bring into public. And yet, we love these things with a passion, and we just can't seem to give them up. even if it means being lost because of them. Read a story about a man one day who went on an expedition going to climb a mountain with a guide, a difficult mountain. And when he showed up, like
• 11:30 - 12:00 most tourists, he had a great big camera bag. He had a pack on his back. He had a thermos full of hot coffee. And he had a bottle over here full of water. And he had his binoculars around his neck. And he had on sun shades. And he had on a cap. and he had on everything that he shouldn't have on. And the guide said, "Are you going up that mountain with us?" Oh, yes. He said, he said, "Then you can't carry all that." Oh, he said, "Don't worry about me. I'll make it. I want to take pictures up there. I want
• 12:00 - 12:30 something to show my friends when I come back down." So, they started up the mountain. And at first, he walked along with all his pack. Finally, he began to huff and to puff. The track became narrower and more and more difficult. And as he began to try to negotiate these steep inclines, he began to realize, you can't make it to the top with all of that luggage. So he pulled off his pack and threw it down by the side of the way.
• 12:30 - 13:00 Kept on climbing, but the higher he went, the more difficult the journey became. And he realized he had to leave that coffee. So he set that thermos down by the way. And then he got tired of those binoculars waiting down his neck. And he threw them off to the side. And he went on up a little higher. And the higher he got, the more trying and the more difficult. His legs were painful. His heart was pounding. His breath was coming in short gasps. He realized he
• 13:00 - 13:30 couldn't make it with all that stuff he had. So he laid his expensive camera down, pulled out the cap on his head. Every time he stopped for a breath of air, he pulled off something else, but he made it to the top naked. The way to eternal life is straight and narrow. And the reason people resist it is they don't want to unload.
• 13:30 - 14:00 They wouldn't mind joining this church if they could keep their cigarettes. Got to take it off. wouldn't mind joining this church if they could still have their cocktails and wear their bangles and beads. Got to unload. But these things are precious. How precious? More than life. Jesus said, "If you love father or mother more
• 14:00 - 14:30 than me, you're not worthy of me." Beloved, we've come to the hour of decision. And to clean confusion and and you don't know what to do is to make a decision at least for the time being. People put everything ahead of God and people are not thinking. When this world is on fire, there's only one who can get us out of here alive and that's God. Would you say amen? There's only one who's got a heaven to take us to. There's only one shelter.
• 14:30 - 15:00 There's only one demon tamer and that's God. And yet we put friends ahead of God. We put money ahead of God. We put homes ahead of God. We put traditions ahead of God. We put preachers ahead of God. I want to appeal to your intelligence tonight. What is your objective in being a church member in the first place? To please a preacher, to please a friend, or to go to heaven?
• 15:00 - 15:30 Now, if you want to go to heaven, if that's your objective, then you got to do what God says. Would you say amen out there? And if you're not willing to do that, why fool with the church? Now, if I'm not planning to go to church, I'm surely not putting my offerings in. If I don't plan to go to church, you think I'm going to sit up and waste my hours when I could be watching the football game. If I don't plan to go to heaven, then what is the point of belonging?
• 15:30 - 16:00 If the supreme objective is to go to heaven, you got to realize you got to follow God's word. That is the guide. That is the thing that tells you how to go, what to do, what to wear, what to eat, what to drink. You got to do what God's word says if you want to go to heaven. Amen. Now, beloved, if this theater suddenly caught on
• 16:00 - 16:30 fire and it's raging all around and you were there in the middle, if a fireman ran up on this stage and said, "Folks, there's only one way out of here. Follow me." You'd get up and follow him if you had to climb over the stage and over that piano and over other people. Isn't that right? I can just imagine somebody saying, "My preacher said we all going the same way." I can imagine someone saying to that
• 16:30 - 17:00 fireman, "Well, there must be more than one way to be saved. I I don't think I will do it right now. Maybe later on." And yet when it comes to our souls, we say all of this. In Joshua 24 and verse 15, the prophet of the Lord says, "If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, then choose ye this day whom you will
• 17:00 - 17:30 serve." Now, I know one thing. I know that in the four weeks we've had together, we have broken the word of God together. I know that. And I know that some of the things I've told you are not popular things to tell folks. I know that some of the things I've had to tell you have been difficult for me to say, but I've said it anyhow in the interest of your soul. I know
• 17:30 - 18:00 that. Now you've got to choose. Choose ye this day whom you will say. I if it seems evil to serve the Lord, then serve whom you please. But as for me in my house, made up my mind long time ago now. I've made some mistakes. I am weak, but he is strong. I
• 18:00 - 18:30 struggle like you struggle. I'm not sitting up on a limb somewhere looking down at sinners. We in this thing together. I have to pray like you have to pray. But I've accepted the promise of God that if I'm willing, I would not perish but have everlasting life. And that whatever I like or lack, he will supply. I've accepted that. So as for me and my house, we are going to serve the Lord.
• 18:30 - 19:00 Let heathen rage. Let detractors criticize. Let scoffers mock. As for me in my house, I've never found anything better than the word of God. Jesus saw this flaw in human flesh and he spoke in strange and strong words to us.
• 19:00 - 19:30 I'm going to Mark chapter 9 and I'm beginning at verse 43. These are the words of our Lord. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where the worm dieth not
• 19:30 - 20:00 and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off. Better for thee to enter in or enter halt into life than having two feet to be cast into hell. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes be cast into hell. For everyone shall be salted with
• 20:00 - 20:30 fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Now beloved, what meanth this strange and strong word from the Lord? Why did he resort to such desperate language? Is our Lord a satist, suggesting the actual chopping off of a hand or the knocking out of an eye?
• 20:30 - 21:00 Oh, let us beg for spiritual perception tonight. What the Lord was saying is this. If there is something or someone on this earth as precious to you as your right eye, if that thing or that person is standing between you and eternal life, cut it off. That's what he's saying.
• 21:00 - 21:30 And I've heard it. You've talked to me and I've been charitable. But I've come to the time tonight where this has got to be said. You have heard the word of the Lord. And God will never regard you again the way he regarded you before you came to these meetings. The Bible says at the times of ignorance, God winks at. But when the light comes, he holds us responsible for the light we have received. And God sent this light to you. You didn't come out here by any
• 21:30 - 22:00 accident. There are thousands, yay, hundreds of thousands of people in Washington who've never set their foot in this place. But you had a rendevous with God. And the Holy Ghost brought you out here because God wanted you to hear the truth. [Applause] And for every sermon, it's on your record. You heard it. Every time the preacher read a text, it's on the record. You heard it. Every time he told
• 22:00 - 22:30 you what God said, it's on the record. You heard it. Every time you make an excuse about maybe the resurrection changing the Sabbath, it's on the record. You read it on the screen. And to whom much is given, much is required. So now the Lord appeals, don't let anything, don't let anybody hinder you. Why? Second Peter
• 22:30 - 23:00 2:21-22. Write it down, beloved. It's the word of God. Peter said, "For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it happened unto them according to a true proverb. The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the soul that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. What terrible language in the Bible? And
• 23:00 - 23:30 yet the Bible says it would been better you'd never heard than having had to turn away from the truth. And the Bible says when a man who is in a lost condition in a state of ignorance is privileged to receive the light of God with all the attending grace and love that Jesus sends and the offer of free salvation, the offer of strength, the offer of victory. When a man has
• 23:30 - 24:00 received that and turns back to do what he always did, he's like a dog that throws up and eats it. He's like a saw that's been scrubbed who goes back to the mud hole and wallers in it. Those are not my words. They are the serious words of God. And so I say to you, as Christ said, if your right eye offends you, pluck it out. If your right hand offends you, cut it off. If your right foot offends you, cut it
• 24:00 - 24:30 off. What are you talking about, preacher? If friends are standing between you and salvation, those are not friends. Anybody that influences you on toward hell, not your friend. Even if it's a church member, I mean of this church who is trying to get you to back down from a position you've taken with the Lord, that person is not your friend, that is a child of the devil. The devil's best friend is one whom he can use to turn
• 24:30 - 25:00 someone else around. And so if you got a friend that's standing in your way, cut him off. Better to go to heaven by yourself than go to hell in a crowd of pals. Would you say amen out there? Not only that, the Bible says in Proverbs 8:24, "There is a friend that stickketh closer than a brother." What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear. When you walk with the Lord, you join a
• 25:00 - 25:30 fellowship. You got some new friends. I tell you what I know. I've been around the circle of the world and I've been up and down in it. And wherever people accept this message, there is a family feeling that all you got to do is let it be known what you are and arms are thrown around you. And we are not independent groups in different parts of the world. We believe the same thing. We share the same hope. We keep the same
• 25:30 - 26:00 Sabbath. We study the same Sabbath school lesson. Brothers and sisters that don't look like you, don't dress like you, don't talk like you, but there's your brothers and your sisters. So if somebody is keeping you from obeying God and you are hiding behind the fact that they are friends, cut them off. Well, what about my family? Now, that gets awful tight. It doesn't get tighter
• 26:00 - 26:30 than a leg or a hand or an eye. And Jesus said, who said, you know, sometime when I preach, I'm almost scared to just quote things. I can quote them, but I want to turn to them. Jesus said Matthew 10 and verse 33, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my father which is in heaven." Verse 34, "Think not." The understood subject is you. You think not. Don't
• 26:30 - 27:00 even think that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but assought. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Verse 36. And a man's foes. That's an enemy. A man's foes shall be they of his own household. You
• 27:00 - 27:30 decide to serve God, sometimes your husband gets mean. Not because you're running around, but because you made up your mind to walk with the Lord. I've witnessed it. So don't get all excited if it happens to you. I've seen it happen hundreds of times. Baptized a lady in Cincinnati. And after the baptism, we had a dinner for all these 125 new people. And at the dinner, everybody was enjoying themselves. And I
• 27:30 - 28:00 looked for her and couldn't find her. I went outside and she looked so trouble. a quiet, solid soul. Didn't even tell us what the problem was. Got in her car and went home. Next day, we found out what the problem was. Husband told her, "If you join the church and do God's will, I'm going to kill you." That woman didn't even tell us. Just made up her mind, "If I die, I'm going to die serving Jesus." That rascal hadn't been a good husband anyhow. Why should I hold
• 28:00 - 28:30 back and catch hell with him and hell in the end? I'm going to get something out of it. I'm going to serve the Lord. She was baptized and went home to get killed. But he didn't show up. And after 10:00 at night, he still hadn't shown up. She started calling around at the bars and things trying to find him. Couldn't find him. Midnight, she called the police. Police said, "Let us check the hospitals." When they found him, he was in a cast from his neck
• 28:30 - 29:00 down. And we went to the hospital and prayed with him. God said, "I have come to set a man of variance against his father, daughter against her mother, daughter-in-law against a mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Amen.
• 29:00 - 29:30 Sitting in an office in South Africa, a young man 16 years of age came in and sat out. He said, "Pastor Brooks, I have no home anymore." I said, "Son, what happened to you?" He said, "I decided to be a Christian and my mother died and once my mother died, my father drove me out of the house, told me never to come back again." I said, 'Well, what on earth are you doing?' He said, 'Well, I slept in
• 29:30 - 30:00 the streets. I went anywhere I could. I tried to find a job. He said, "And finally, one of the Christians in the church decided to send me back to school and pay my bills." Oh, I tell you, God might not come through when you want him to, but he'll come through on time. Let's say amen out there. David said in Psalms 37, "I was verse 25, I was once young, now I'm old, yet I've not seen
• 30:00 - 30:30 the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." God will let you go through a test. But he said, I'm with you. I'll never leave you nor forsake you. And I want to tell you tonight, yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Amen. Stop just repeating a poem and believe the word of the Lord. I said, "Young
• 30:30 - 31:00 man, what are you going to do?" He said, "I want to be a preacher." We talked and prayed together. Young man didn't have a change of clothes, wore everything he had every day, but he had that look in his eyes, that intelligence, that perception that the Holy Ghost brings. And I tell you, you talking about flattering. He said something that made tears run down my face. He said, "When my mother was dying, she called me to her bed." And she said, "Son, I don't have anything to
• 31:00 - 31:30 leave you, but I'm going to give you this and I want you to listen to it every day." And he said, "She placed in my hands two tapes by CD Brooks from the United States of America. Woman I'd never seen in a land I'd never gone to. gave him the precious word of God through a preacher and told him to listen to it every day. Oh, beloved, even if a member of the family rejects you because you want to obey
• 31:30 - 32:00 God, cut him off. Better to go into the kingdom of God than to be lost with your relatives. Would you say amen out there? Now, that doesn't mean that you return evil for evil. When they get mad, you stay cheerful because the Lord is in your heart. When they cuss, you pray. And if it's a father, be respectful. If it's a mother, be respectful. But simply say to them, "I
• 32:00 - 32:30 cannot disobey the Lord." There are some who won't follow Jesus because they're depending on others, sitting out there waiting on somebody else to do right. God doesn't save couples. He will save a couple one at a time. Would you say amen out there? God doesn't save families. He will save a family one at a time. You got to make a personal decision. And for you to sit around waiting on somebody is the height of folly. And all you got to
• 32:30 - 33:00 do is think about it. Use your head and you'll realize that's what it is. Because you could die tonight. In the book of St. John chapter 20 21 that is Jesus told Peterf follow me and the Bible says that when Jesus said that Peter looked around listen Peter seeing him Peter looked around in verse 20 and he saw John standing there. Now Jesus said to Peter follow me. Peter looked around and saw John and in verse 20 it says Peter seeing him saith to the Lord what shall
• 33:00 - 33:30 this man do? Jesus saith unto him, "If I will that he til I come." What is that to thee? Follow thou me. Always looking at others. Lord, now I understand the truth, Lord. But what about my husband? If I will that he tar until I return, what's that got to do with you? I have given you the truth. Follow thou me. Amen. Don't let others
• 33:30 - 34:00 stand in your way. Then there are some who are caught in bad habits and they're going to give up the kingdom for marijuana which degrades and degenerates the mind and the body here makes a slave out of you destroys selfrespect causes folk to lose interest in their jobs and interest in school and drop out and become a problem to society they going to trade that for eternal life that instead of Jesus there are people sitting here
• 34:00 - 34:30 tonight who would rather have a filter king than the king of kings. Rather have a string of pearls around their necks than the pearl of great price. Rather follow a movie star than the bright and morning star. But Christ is offering deliverance to whosoever will. He's not going to force it. If that thing is standing in your way, cut it off. I got a hasten on. There are some who would serve the Lord except for money. worried about jobs and
• 34:30 - 35:00 worried about Listen, millions of people have gone through that and overcome. I've been through it myself. Was told once that if I didn't work on the Sabbath, I'd be fired. I went home and I said to myself, if I'm fired for being lazy, I ought to be ashamed of myself. If I'm fired for being disloyal or insubordinate, I ought to be ashamed of myself. But if I'm fired for serving God, let it be. Lord, went on home. Monday morning, went to work expecting to be fired. In fact,
• 35:00 - 35:30 I was waiting around to be fired. All I went for was to get my money. The man walked past me several times and I said to myself, "Why didn't he fire me?" Finally, the whistle blew and I had a a station where I worked. I said, "Well, I'm not going in there." I went on in there and he would come by my station and check like everybody else's. I said, "Well, he'll fire me at 11:00." Then I said he'll fire me at two and then maybe he'll fire me at three. And
• 35:30 - 36:00 if I didn't work, I couldn't go back to college. See, I wasn't born, you know, like our children today with everything. It was tough. Had to work. In September, not my boss, but the superintendent sent for me. I walked in there. He said, "Young man, I understand you're getting ready to go back to college." I said, "That's right, sir." He said, "Well, I want to tell you it's been a pleasure having you here, and if you want to come back next summer, come on back. Don't tell me that God won't come through. But why should we expect
• 36:00 - 36:30 him to when we are weak and jellyfished and vacasillating and blowing in the wind like a reed? When you show some backbone, then God will show himself strong in your behalf." Would you say amen out there? Oh, look at here. I'm not telling you something ahead. I'm talking about experiential knowledge of the Lord. I serve a God that comes through. I tried him. My mother had her Bible marked TN and P. And if you picked it up and ran through there, you'd see TNP's all through the Bible. And one day
• 36:30 - 37:00 I said, "Mother, what does that mean?" She said, "Son, that means I've tried it and I've proved God." Tried it and God comes through every time. The love of money is the root of all evil. And there are men selling their souls for a job. But I want to tell you, there are other jobs. And I'd rather go to heaven on soup and crackers than go to hell with caviar. If your right eye offends you, cut it off.
• 37:00 - 37:30 And then there are some, you know, who are married to church buildings. After all, my granddaddy paid for the stained glass window. I can't join the rim of church because of that. As a matter of fact, you know, nobody would understand. Well, I want to tell you something maybe you never thought about. Jesus belonged to the richest, most beautiful, most ornate temple the world had ever known. The wallpaper was solid gold. The temple at Jerusalem. One day Jesus walked out of there. He walked out because they
• 37:30 - 38:00 rejected the truth. They rejected him. The priest turned against him. He wasn't welcome to the pullpit. He had to go sit by the lake and open his mouth unto them saying Jesus preached his greatest sermon outdoors. We call it the biatitudes. Would you say amen out there? But he kept on going to church and he kept on loving those people. Kept on teaching the truth. But they began to conspire against him and figure out how they could put him to death. And when he realized they had gone too far, Jesus
• 38:00 - 38:30 said to his disciples, "You see all this? Not one stone shall be left standing upon another." And those disciples wondered, Lord, what are we going to do? That beautiful church, that's where our membership is. Lord said, I'm going to build me a church. Why are you going to build it upon this rock? I will build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It started out in the upper room. They didn't have an organ. They didn't have any stained glass. They didn't have any big choir. They didn't even have a big membership. Just 120. But they had
• 38:30 - 39:00 the Holy Ghost and they had the truth of God. And they were the church of Christ. Would you say amen out there? Now Jesus's mother and daddy belonged to that church in Jerusalem. His grandparents did. His great great grandparents did. His great great great grandparents did. His great great great great grandparents did. His great great great great grandparents did. All the way back to Solomon. They belong to that church. But when Jesus saw that church
• 39:00 - 39:30 rejecting truth, he changed his membership. And the disciples changed their membership. And on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 changed their membership. Lord, I'd rather go to heaven worshiping under an oak tree than go to hell in the richest cathedral in town. Let's say amen, beloved. If your right eye offends you, pluck it out. It is the word of the Lord.
• 39:30 - 40:00 Then there are some who want to eat what they want to eat. So they going to heaven for ham that's full of worms. Even the United States government puts out tracks telling you when you eat pork, make sure it's well done because of the trachina worm and that other thing. Oh, beloved. And then there's worldliness. I got to quit now. There's
• 40:00 - 40:30 worldliness. Oh, you know, I enjoy this disco. I got myself the Saturday night fever. And And if I go if I go to that church, that man says, "I can't dance. I don't see anything wrong with it. I I don't see anything wrong with rock and roll. I I don't see anything wrong." You can't see because you lost. 2 Corinthians 4 3 and 4 says so. When you
• 40:30 - 41:00 have spiritual perception, you can see and no preacher needs to tell you how long your dress should be. Your mirror will tell you when the Holy Ghost fills your heart and you'll lose your taste and desire for whirl and ass. Now, God left his church in the world, but he said they're not supposed to be of the world. Amen. You know, a big ship belongs in the ocean. Ain't that right? In fact, a big ship looks kind of funny up on dry land. A big ship belongs in the ocean. It looks natural out there.
• 41:00 - 41:30 It's all right out there. But when the ocean gets in the ship, it's in trouble. Isn't that right? Christ left his church in the wild. But when the world gets into church, you got yourself a mess. A bunch of unconverted hypocrites professing one thing and doing another, trying to walk the fence into the kingdom of God. And it cannot be done. Amen. The Lord is not calling those who are determined to be lost. He said, "My sheep know my voice." Those whom I have
• 41:30 - 42:00 spoken to by the Holy Ghost, they understand. David cried out in Psalms 116, 119 and verse 60. He said, "I made haste and delayed not to keep your commandments." Oh beloved, Christ is calling. Not Brooks, you don't owe me a thing. Some of you won't see me again. You certainly haven't given me your money. And I didn't come here to rob you. I come here to tell you what the word of the Lord says. And I want you to know, beloved, and I say it to myself tonight, if we go to heaven, we're going
• 42:00 - 42:30 to go through Christ by his grace. And when we are saved into his family, we're going to be obedient because he said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Now, I asked you to keep your quiz cards. I want them passed in as soon as we finish with the screen. Tomorrow we're going to have a big baptism. Men and women are making decisions to follow the Lord. And some of you have not indicated yet what your plans are. Beloved, I wouldn't force you
• 42:30 - 43:00 into the church if I had the power. You wouldn't be worth five cents in the church. But if you have seen God's will and you want grace to walk in his way, you want to be able to obey him because you love him and have been converted and you plan, you plan to enter into the church through the beautiful and sweet ceremony of baptism, the one that Jesus said you should do, then I want you to put a big B on your quiz card. Just a
• 43:00 - 43:30 big B. Your name is already on that. If you didn't get a quiz card, you get something. Write your name and address on it and put that B on there and pass it in if you plan to walk with the Lord in the fullness of truth. That's the way to eternal life. And some are doing it and are so happy. One dear saint sat out here one night. She got here about 6:30. That's awful early. That's when I arrive. She called me over, handed me her bundle. She said, "Oh, thank the
• 43:30 - 44:00 Lord for making this change." Oh, beloved, it's not a problem. It's a privilege. It's not a boore or a burden. It's a blessing. All you need is a changed heart. And like David, you'll make haste. Now, I've got three minutes to close this service. Let's cut the lights out now, please. And let's look to the screen. And I'm not going to show you all the slides I have. I just want to tell you that a loving God is pleading. He's using a man and he's using the Bible, but it is Christ and the Holy
• 44:00 - 44:30 Ghost that are pleading. And Jesus is watching things and he knows this world can't last much longer. And he knows what's coming. He knows that the day is going to come when men are going to wish to God they had made the decision. He is saying then today is the best time. If you plan to do right, do it now. Don't wait until the the the wrath begins to fall. Don't wait until it's too late. Don't wait until probation closes. Don't wait until men run to the rocks and
• 44:30 - 45:00 mountains, saying, "Fallen us," and hide us from the face of him that siteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. Don't hide behind shepherds who have not read to you from the word of God. Don't put it off until I can't save you while I'm still in the business of answering prayer. Today, if you hear my voice, harden not your heart. Because, ladies and gentlemen, the end of the world is coming. Christ is not slack concerning his promise as some men count
• 45:00 - 45:30 slackness, but he is long-suffering to us when not willing that any should perish. You've got those going the wrong way, my friend. God wants us to be ready when Jesus comes and Christ offers himself as the proof and means of salvation to whosoever will. And in closing, I'm glad to tell you tonight that while many will be caught in the furious wrath of the Lord, there are
• 45:30 - 46:00 some who going to be glad to see Jesus come. There are some who going to make a covenant with him. There are some who going to do his will. And instead of running in terror and screaming to rocks and mountains, they're going to look up and say, "Lo, this is our God. We've waited for him. We're going home now. Trouble over. Going to lay down my sword and shield and study war no more. Had it hard for a while, but now the saints are marching in and I'm going home with
• 46:00 - 46:30 Jesus. Oh, beloved, don't you want to be in that number? It's free tonight in the name of our savior who made it all possible. I ask you tonight to make a decision. Let's go to heaven. There's no excuse to be lost. Now pass those cards in. Please to the center aisles. Ushers, I want you to collect them quickly because I got to let my folks go now. I've got one
• 46:30 - 47:00 minute. Please pass your quiz cards. Even if you didn't put a B on it, pass it in. You know, we check our attendance by those. But I pray to God you made an eternal decision. Not for me. Oh, not for me. You can't help me into the kingdom, but for yourselves. I pray God the Holy Ghost has moved upon your hearts. As the ushers pass to and fro, make sure they get every card. Don't be ashamed to do the will of
• 47:00 - 47:30 the Lord. Christ is the best friend you'll ever have. Christ, Jesus, the son of God, gave his life for you. What are you willing to do for him? And what do you love more than you love him? Who do you love more than you love him? Somebody is making an eternal decision right now. Please pass them all
• 47:30 - 48:00 in now. Ushers, have you got them? If so, I want to close with prayer. And I want to pray for everybody that loves Jesus tonight and wants the strength to do his will. No matter what others do or what others say or what stands in the way. You want the grace to let this world go. Cut it loose. If it's as precious as your right hand, cut it off and let's go to heaven by the grace of God. If that's your determination, would you stand now and bow your heads and let's close this service by asking for
• 48:00 - 48:30 the Lord's presence. Well, don't forget in the morning at 9:15, you ought to be here in your place early because it's got to be crowded as it was last week. Oh, God be with you, my friends. You don't know how much I love you. You don't know how much I pray for you. I wake up in the middle of the night praying for you. Praying for you. I want you to pray for me, too. I want us to go to heaven together.
• 48:30 - 49:00 Wouldn't that be nice? One day we meet in heaven. No more preacher and layman. We'll be standing there eye to eye. Both of us just glad to be with Jesus. We'll shake hands and we'll say to each other, you remember that autumn 1978? Oh, thank God we got it right. Thank God we made a decision. Thank God to be in the kingdom. That's what's before us and it's real. That's a real
• 49:00 - 49:30 hope. If that isn't real, none of it is real. If Christ was lying about that, then Christ is not the son of God. It's real. It's real. Oh, blessed Lord. We must call upon thee to do what man cannot do. It takes the spirit of God to give us strength to do right in the face of confusion and error and tradition. church doctrines that have
• 49:30 - 50:00 been preached for hundreds of years. It takes the grace of God to save us. And in the name of Jesus, I pray for that grace tonight for these thy people. Lord, I've done what you told me to do. I've preached [Music]
• 50:00 - 50:30 But now there's something man can't do. I can't convert anybody. Please give us good sense. Wisdom to hear thy voice and follow thee and to put thee first in our lives for Jesus' sake. There is hope for you. Let nothing stand in your
• 50:30 - 51:00 way. There is hope for you. Make up your mind today. There is hope for you. Putting God first will pay. There's hope in Christ for you. There is hope for you. But what do you love the most? There is hope. I say, have you considered the
• 51:00 - 51:30 cost? There is hope for you. Turn to the Lord of hosts. And there is hope in him for you. And now, may the Lord bless you and keep you and take you home and keep your heart and mind through the dark watches of the night. These are Sabbath hours. If you want to listen to the radio, put it on about 92 FM and pick up the Columbia Union College station with good quality
• 51:30 - 52:00 music. Then in the morning at 8:00, be ready already and turn on channel 20 for Breath of Life. And at 9:15, Jesus and I will meet you here. Oh Lord, keep us. Tomorrow's going to be a high day. Keep us safe. Don't let the devil send headaches and problems and company and all these other things that become excuses. Bring us back under the eegis of the Holy Ghost and we will praise thee. This is our
• 52:00 - 52:30 prayer tonight in the loving name of Christ the King, the name that is above all names. And for Jesus' sake we ask it. Amen. Good night beloved. God bless you. and pray for me as I pray for you tonight. This is the hour of decision.