Adrian Rogers - How to Gain and Celebrate Victory
Take God's Word and turn to Revelation, the last book in the Bible, chapter 15. And as you're finding it, look up here and let me tell you something about celebrations. The greatest celebration victory that I ever remember, in the natural realm, took place when I was a boy in my early teens. The year was 1945. We had been in a world war and; we were fighting that demon of war named Hitler, there in Europe. And Hitler had begun to lose the battle and the Allies advanced and Hitler saw the tide turning. And Hitler committed suicide. And we won the victory there in Europe. But we were still fighting the Japanese in the Pacific and in that theater of war.
And I can remember there when it was announced that we had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August the 6th, 1945. But the Japanese still fought on. And then three days later we dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. And then the Japanese declared that they would unconditionally surrender. And there in Tokyo Bay, aboard the battleship Missouri, they signed an unconditional surrender. It was September the 2nd there, September the 1st here. I was a boy, but I can remember that people began to fill the streets and to shout. And the newsboys came out with papers. And they were shouting, "Extra, extra, extra, read all about it! The war has ended". People didn't know what to do. We all went downtown to West Palm Beach, Florida, where I lived, to Clematis Street, which was the main street. It was gorged with people shouting and hugging and laughing. And all the boys were taking this as an occasion to kiss all the girls. And, I didn't get to kiss anybody, however.
Well, I guess I could have, I didn't. I wasn't in to that at that time. And, besides that, I was keeping company with a girl named Joyce, who wasn't there at that particular time. But they called it V-J Day. You remember, V-J Day. What a day that was. But friend, there's a day that's going to make that pale into insignificance. It's another day, another V-J Day: Victory in Jesus. Victory in Jesus. What a day that is going to be when our Lord and Savior comes. And we read about it here in the book of the Revelation. And we're going to learn three principles about victory today: How to gain the victory and, better yet, how to celebrate the victory.
You see, folks, it's not over yet. David Jeremiah tells about the composer, Bach. Bach, of course, was a musical genius, but sometimes he would sleep more than he ought to sleep. And his children had a way of waking him up. They would go to the piano and they would begin to play a composition. And when they would get to the last note, they'd stop; wouldn't play the last note. It would always wake him up; wanting to hear the last note played. And he would get up from his sleep, go to the piano, and play the final chord. I think all of us are waiting for that last note, aren't we? All of us are waiting for the final chord. All of us are waiting for the song of victory.
I want to give you today three principles of victory that are going to come out of two chapters. So get ready to listen quickly. Here are three principles. Principle number one is the principle of the Word of God; victory stands on the reliant Word of God. Chapter 15 verses 1 and 2, "And I saw another sign in Heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps in their hands".
Now, friend, there is a beast who is coming to the future who is going to regiment everybody and everything during The Great Tribulation. I had this clipping here that was handed to me. It says, "Big Brother is scanning you. Photo IDs may become a thing of the past, replaced by biometric identifiers, things like fingerprints and scans of the eyes. Privacy experts fear access to such personal information invites abuse by scam artists or over-zealous civil servants". Read in there the beast. "Nonetheless, the following advances are likely to gain wider use. There's no more punching the time clock at, at some companies. Instead a hand reader scans the image and logs the time. The system eliminates buddy punching, when one employee punches the card for another who's late or absent and streamlines payroll and accounting. Congress is debating switching to a national identification card system instead of driver's licenses, all linked to one data base".
Well, it's coming. These verses here speak of the antichrist, who one day is going to systematize, regiment, put us all together. As I've said before, turn the world into a vast concentration camp with all of the inmates numbered. But now these people we see here, and it's a heavenly scene, are doing something. They are praising God because they've gotten victory over the beast, over the mark, over the image. And how did they get the victory? Well the key is seen right here. Look at it, if you will, in Revelation 15 verse 2, "They stand on the sea of glass". "The sea of glass". Now it's not talking about the ocean. It's talking about a great basin, a laver that was in Solomon's Temple. It was called a sea. If you want a Scripture for that put down First Kings chapter 7 and verse 23. And it says of Solomon, "And he made a molten sea". It was a called a laver or a basin. It symbolized the Word of God. Before the priest would go into the temple or the tabernacle to worship, he would first of all wash in this laver. And it symbolizes the Word of God that cleanses from all sin.
Let me give you another Scripture that would point that out. The Bible speaks in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 26 of how our Lord cleanses and sanctifies us, the church. And it says, "That He might sanctify it and cleanse it by the wash, by the washing of water by the Word". "That He might sanctify it and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word". And so the Word of God is the fulfillment of that symbolism in the Old Testament. It is a sea. But now notice, in that day they washed in it. But now here in the book of the Revelation they don't wash in it. It has crystallized. They stand upon it. In Revelation chapter 4 and verse 6, it is called, "The Crystal Sea". And it is before the throne. And now we have these saints who have come out of The Great Tribulation. Many of them perhaps have been martyred, beheaded by the beast. But now they are standing on the Word of God.
That's what the Crystal Sea, the sea of glass, that's what it symbolizes. That's what it stands for. Do you want victory? Would you like to live in victory today? I don't mean in the sweet by and by. I mean in the nasty now and now. Would you like to live in victory? Well, you're going to live in victory as you learn, listen my precious friend, to stand upon the solid Word of God. When Joshua was going in to Canaan, God gave him a formula for victory. It is as old as millenniums, but it is as fresh as tomorrow's newspaper. It is in Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. Put it in your margin. Here's what God told Joshua. Here's what God is telling you in the office tomorrow, kids when you go back to school. In your neighborhood, do you want to live in victory? You want to celebrate, gain and celebrate a victory?
Joshua 1:8, listen to it, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth". It's talking about the Bible now. "But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success". For good success, just write in there victory. Victory comes by the Word of God. The Word of God, according to Joshua, is to be in your mouth. The Bible says in Ephesians 4 verse 29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth". Do you want to gain the victory? Learn to quote, to speak the Word of God. Not just in your head, verbalize it. And when you verbalize it, you vitalize it. Keep the Word of God in your mouth.
John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, was converted. Do you know how he was converted? He was listening to a conversation between some women, and they were talking about the Word of God. And he was convicted and converted by somebody else's conversation. I want to ask you a question: if somebody were to eavesdrop on your conversation, would it lead them to Christ? The Word of God is to be in your mouth. But not only is the Word of God to be in your mouth, it is to be in your mind. He says, "You're to meditate on it day and night".
Do you know what meditation is? Meditation is like a song that you can't get out of your mind. It just, the theme, the music comes back and back. And you find yourself humming that tune over and over again. When you mediate on the Word of God, friend, what you're doing is thinking God's thoughts after Him. And you're going to find out that you have incredible wisdom. And when problems come, and they will come, when opposition comes, and it will come, have the Word of God in your mouth, have the Word of God in your mind. But now listen, have the Word of God in your manner of life. In Joshua chapter 1 verse 8, God said to Joshua, "That you may observe to do all that is commanded in the Word of God".
Now, reading the Word of God will bless you. Memorizing the Word of God will bless you. Meditating on the Word of God will bless you. But now draw up close and let me tell you something now. We're talking about victory. We're talking about standing on the sea of glass. It is obeying the Word of God that begins to make the Bible burst aflame. When you read the Bible and God speaks to you and God gives you a command to obey, stop right there if you're not obeying that command. Don't go any further. Make up your mind; I will obey the Word of God. And I promise you, as surely as I'm standing here, that Bible will burst aflame in your hand, in your mind, in your heart as you obey the Word of God.
Jesus Christ said in John 14:21, "He that heareth My Word, he that hath My Word and keeps it, he's the one that loves Me". You know the rest is just religious talk. You can get all these notes in your Bible. But when you hear God's Word and obey it, then Jesus said, "You love Me". Read it in John 14. And He says, "He that loves Me will be loved of My Father," now listen to this, "and I will manifest Myself to him". Reading the Bible gives you knowledge about God. Obeying the Bible gives you knowledge of God. God will become real to you. Now how do you gain and how do you celebrate the victory? By standing on the sea of glass; by planting your feet firmly on the Word of God. In this generation, we both wash in it and stand on it. In Heaven, we don't need to wash anymore; we're made perfectly whole. But forever we will stand upon the Word of God.
So the first point here today in gaining and celebrating the victory is the principle of the Word of God. Second principle, and that is the principle of the works of God. Victory sings of the redeeming works of God. Revelation 15 beginning now in verse 3 to verse 4, "And they," these saints, "and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.'"
What is victory's song? It's not saying what we have done, not singing what we have done, but it is seeing and singing the works of Almighty God. And when they sang the works of Almighty God, what are these works? They're works of redemption, the song of Moses and the Lamb. What is the song of Moses? The song of Moses is the first recorded song in the Bible. Did you know that? You find it in Exodus chapter 15 verses 1 through 19. It's the song that the children of Israel sang as they came through the Red Sea, and God parted the Red Sea. Do you remember that story, that episode in the Word of God?
Maybe you haven't read the book but you've seen the movie. God parted the Red Sea. And when they got on the other side, they burst out into song, and what a song that must have been. Six hundred thousand male voices singing the chorus and the women singing the refrain. And it was the song of redemption. When they were in Egypt, they didn't sing in Egypt; they groaned in Egypt. Well, God brought them out and God redeemed them by the blood of the Lamb, and the Passover Lamb. And they come through the Red Sea and now they're singing a song of redemption. That's the song of Moses. It's the first recorded song in the Bible. The last recorded song in the Bible is the song of the Lamb. Both of these songs speak of redemption.
Friend, only the redeemed can truly sing. Did you know that? You can tell a lot about people when you listen to their songs. Do you know why we have so much rock and roll? Do you know why? They got Rock and Roll in their heart. Friend, I am telling you that only in Jesus can we sing song's like, The Greatest Song of All. Thank God for singing. Thank God for music. And the way that you celebrate the Lord Jesus is to sing of His works. And when we're having a song service here mister, don't you call yourself spiritual if you sit there like a wooden Indian. Praise the Lord. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. If you have been redeemed, we're to praise the Lord. It is praise to God that precedes and follows from every victory. If you don't praise, you're not going to have victory. If you have victory, God forbid that you should not praise.
So why should there be anybody in this service who does not praise the Lord. God have mercy upon you if you don't praise during the song service. What is wrong with you if you don't praise the Lord Jesus Christ? "Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God". We are to praise our Mighty God. They're going to praise Him in Heaven. They sing in Heaven. They stand upon the Crystal Sea and they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. When Israel was going into the Promised Land, they asked, "Which tribe will go in first"? And they said, "Judah shall go in first". Why? Because Judah means praise. It is praise that precedes every victory. It is praise that follows every victory. They sang of the works of God. And what are the works of God? Redemption, the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
John Linten said "There are as many commands in the Bible to sing as there are to pray". God forbid that we do not sing more than we sing. You say, "Well, I have problems". Well that's all the more reason you ought to sing. It's all the more reason you ought to sing. You read there in the sixteenth chapter of the book of Acts verses 22 to 26, where Paul and Silas were arrested for preaching the Gospel of Jesus. They're thrown in that Philippian jail. And verse 25 says at midnight Paul and Silas sang praises to God and the jailer heard it. You talk about jailhouse rock; there was an earthquake there. There was an earthquake there. And God set the prisoners free.
I wonder if you'd been there rather Paul and Silas, or I wonder if Paul and Silas had not been filled with the Spirit. Paul says, "Silas, you awake"? He says, "Of course I'm awake. How could anybody sleep in this filth"? "Well," he said, "you don't have to get huffy about it". He said, "Well, I've got a headache". "Well, so do I". "Well, Paul, you got us in this mess". Paul said, "Well, now wait a minute. Wait a minute. I want you to know that I could have a position teaching in the University of Tarsus you know. And I sold the Damascus Tent and Awning Company for almost nothing to get into this thing. What have you done"? "Well brother, I've been following you and, and I think you're one of the poorest leaders I've ever known".
And here they begin to bicker and so forth. That jailer would listen and say, "Just as I thought. These are a bunch of phonies. What they have is not real. It's no different than what I have". But Paul says, "Silas, you awake"? He says, "Hallelujah, brother, I'm awake. Paul, how do you feel"? "Friend, I'm having victory in Jesus". "You mean with those stripes on your back"? "Yes sir". "Ha, you mean in this prison"? "Yes sir. I feel like singing. Silas, what shall we sing"? "Why don't we sing 'What a friend we have in Jesus' all our sins and griefs to bear. Why don't we sing 'Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before'"?
And friend, when they began to sing and when they began to praise God, that's when God sent the earthquake angel. You've got problems? Pull some of the groans out of your prayers and shove in some hallelujahs. And if God gives you a victory, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him. God forbid that this church should fail to be a praising church. I'm telling you evangelism is as much caught as it is taught. People come in here and they see you praise the Lord, they're going to look around like that Philippian jailer and they're going to say, "These folks believe that stuff". Before long, they'll be believing it, too. We need to praise the Lord. It is victory that sings of the works of God. Praise precedes and follows from an all-true victory.
Now, here's the third principle, and it is the principle of the wrath of God. Now we wouldn't expect to see this as a principle of gaining and celebrating the victory. But in this celebratory passage they celebrate the wrath of God. They celebrate the Word of God, they celebrate the works of God, and they celebrate the wrath of God. Look in Revelation 15 verses 4 to 8, "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee;" now watch this, "for Thy judgments are made manifest. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in Heaven was opened".
The temple of the tabernacle in Heaven means the Holy of Holies in Heaven was opened. "And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials," V-I-A-L-S, if you want to just read bowls, B-O-W-L-S, "full," now watch this, "of the wrath of God". Bowls full of the wrath of God. "Who liveth forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled". And verse 4 says, God's, "judgments are made manifest". Now, how do we celebrate victory? Friend, we celebrate victory by knowing this: that it is not one scintilla of an iota of a sin that will ever go unpunished.
You say, "Where is God? I see so much sin. I see so much wickedness, rape, arson, pillage, child abuse, blasphemy, war. Where is God"? God is on His throne friend. And you can be certain that every sin will be punished. Yours will be punished. The only question is who's going to bear that punishment? Your sin will be pardoned in Christ or punished in Hell, but it will never be overlooked. Nobody's sin is ever overlooked. All sin is dealt with. And these people standing upon the sea of glass, they stand on the Word of God. They sing of the works of God. And they see the wrath of God. They understand that God will put the final period upon the final paragraph, upon the final page, upon the final chapter, upon the final book of history. Our God is a Mighty God. And these seven angels now come from the temple.
You read about it in verse 6. And they come to judge. It's a righteous judgment because they have white robes. It is a sovereign judgment because they have golden girdles and the golden girdle represents the priests and the King. It's a solemn judgment because they have bowls of wrath. It's a sure judgment because the Bible says no man could enter into the temple until God is finished. The place is filled with smoke. Smoke speaks of the judgment of God consuming the sacrifice. And the Bible says no man could approach. It's almost as if God is saying, "Stay out, I am busy, don't interrupt Me, I am going to judge this world".
Now we've already seen seven seals, and we've talked about that. And we've seen seven trumpets. And now we come to this period of time in the book of the Revelation called the seven vials or the seven bowls of wrath. And that's what we're going to be looking at right now. And we're going to go right on quickly into chapter 16. So just keep your noses right there in the book and notice here as God begins to pour out His wrath upon this world. And certain things are going to happen. I begin to read in chapter 16 verses 1 and 2, "And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go your ways, and pour out the vials of wrath of God upon the earth.' And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped the image".
Do you see the irony here? The mark turns into a cankerous, contagious sore that is horrible, and putrefying and incurable. And so the very first thing you see is contagious sores. And then as the judgment continues, you see corrupted seas. Look in Revelation 16 verse 3, "And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea". Here's a dead world lying in its own gore. The sea becomes not blood but as blood. And God could turn it to blood if He wished, but it says as blood. Down in Florida, we have something ever so often called the red tide. And there are micro organisms called dinoflagellates, that one cell organisms that by some strange alchemy turn the water blood red and poison the life there, the sea life. And cause an awful stench. And eating fish contaminated by what they call the red tide can cause violent sickness.
Is that what this is talking about? I know not. But there is going to come, friend, the contaminated seas and then corrupted streams. Look in Revelation chapter 16 verses 4 through 7, "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, 'Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets.'" See; listen, God never forgets. Now notice, "'Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shall be, because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.' And I heard another out of the altar say, 'Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.'"
The same Jesus who turned water into wine is going to turn water into blood according to this. And then next: the consuming sun. Look if you will in Revelation chapter 16 verses 8 and 9, "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him the glory". Talk about global warming, friend, it's coming. It's coming. When Jesus Christ died the sun hid its face and refused to shine. But now when Jesus Christ is being manifest in all of His glory, there will be erupting flames of fire and judgment. We may call these solar flares, whatever they are, but the heat will be intense. Will it cause men to repent? No, it won't cause them to repent; it will cause them to blaspheme God according to this passage of Scripture.
The Bible says they, "Blasphemed the name of God". You see, listen to me, precious friend. If the love of God does not bring you to repentance, then the judgment of God will not bring you to repentance. And then next, notice, not only the consuming sun but confounded sinners. Notice in Revelation chapter 16 verses 10 and 11, "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;" that is the throne of the beast, "and his kingdom was full of darkness". Their beloved beast will not be able to help them now. "And they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds". There will be a crescendo of hurt and it will culminate in a crescendo of hate, as they hate God. And the darkness here doesn't speak necessarily of physical darkness but of moral and spiritual darkness that's going to engulf the world.
And then next; there are controlling spirits that come during this time. Look in Revelation chapter 16 verses 12 through 16, "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon," frogs are cold-blooded creatures that croak in the night. "Like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet". The idea that these demon spirits are in the quagmire of the Euphrates. And as I've told you before the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are the unholy trinity, when Hell is having a holiday that will be working here on the Earth in The Great Tribulation.
And then we read about these unclean spirits in Revelation 16:14 to 16, "Are the spirits of devils," read demons. There's one devil, many demons, "Working miracles," demon powers have miracle power. Don't forget that. "Which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty". He's talking here about the Battle of Armageddon. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he be naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon". These demon spirits that are already working in the world are drawing the nations to the final decisive battle of mankind. And they go out into the hearts and minds of people. Do you ever wonder when you read the newspaper and pick up the newspaper and read about suicide bombings and retaliation?
You say, "How can it stop? What will stop it? There seems to be some mastermind, some Machiavellian evil power that is just driving men and driving men and driving men to a cataclysm". Well friend, if you think it's bad now, you wait till the church is taken out. Now what happens according to this Scripture is the River Euphrates is dried up. The River Euphrates is the dividing line between the Near East and the Far East. It's a river 1,800 miles long, 3,600 feet wide and an average of 30 feet deep. And this River Euphrates actually flows past modern day Iraq, which is biblical Babylon. Special demon spirits reside there. We're going to say more about the Battle of Armageddon so, at another message, so I must leave it. But what you see now, in this period of time, is what I want to call controlling spirits. Spirits of demons that are working in the hearts and minds of the national leaders of this world, the kings of the world. And then this climaxes with what I want to call the cataclysmic shaking.
Notice how it finally ends here in Revelation chapter 16 beginning in verse 17, "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done.'" "It is finished," the words that Jesus said on the cross. Find that in John 19 verse 30. He died for sin, poured out His blood, bowed His head and said, "It is done. It is finished. It is completed; redemption is completed". Now retribution will be completed. Revelation 16 verses 17 through 19, "'It is done.' And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake". Now, friend, this is the mother of all earthquakes here. "Such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath".
Don't forget, friend, that the secret of our victory is the wrath of God. You see, apart from the wrath of God, apart from the righteous judgment of God there can be no ultimate victory. Sin must be dealt with. Revelation 16 verses 20 to 21, "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of Heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent". A talent was about all that a man could carry. You're going to have missiles of ice weighing hundreds of pounds falling upon men during this period of time, this great earthquake. And, "Every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great".
And folks this comes to the end of this chapter. But I want to just conclude the whole thing by saying that we have victory. Our victory, listen, our victory comes from three things: the Word of God, the redeeming works of God, and the ensuing wrath of God. Now listen, there are three cups. This chapter ends with talking about people drinking from the cup of God's wrath. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He drank a cup. Do you remember what it was? He took the sin of mankind upon Himself and carried it to the cross. Thank God He drank that bitter cup. There's another cup. The psalmist said in Psalm 116 verse 13, "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord". Because He drank that cup, you can drink this other cup. If you fail to drink that cup of salvation, there is another cup that you will drink as surely as I'm standing here. And it is the cup of the wrath of God. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again that God never overlooks sin. Never.
I said it earlier in the message that your sin will be pardoned in Christ or it will be punished in Hell. There is a way that you can have victory. There is a way that you can celebrate victory and stand on the reliant Word of God, sing of the redeeming works of God, and see the righteous wrath of God executed upon His enemies if you'll trust Him. If I could do it for you I would. I've prayed over the message. I've preached as best I know how. And God sent me to tell you that He loves you and He wants to save you and He will save you. He will, if you'll trust Him. Would you bow your heads in prayer? Heads are bowed and eyes are closed. Precious friend, would you call out to Him? Would you say:
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me. Thank You Jesus that You drank that bitter cup in Gethsemane that I might not have to drink the cup of wrath. Lord, I take the cup of salvation now. I trust You. Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood on the cross for my sin. I believe You did. Thank You for being raised from the dead. And I now receive You by faith this moment as my Lord and Savior. Save me Jesus.
Pray it friend. Say it and mean it. "Save me Lord Jesus". Did you ask Him? Did you? "Save me Jesus". Did you ask Him? Ask Him. "Save me Lord Jesus". Did you ask Him? Then thank Him for doing it. Say:
Thank You for saving me Jesus. I receive it by faith and that settles it. Now, Lord, give me the courage to make it public and begin now to make me the person You want me to be. In Your holy name I pray, Amen.