221 Closing, I want to say this little story for Christmas, so that the kiddies might catch it. And if I've offended you by staying too long… A little lady yesterday… Brother Brown preached about an hour, very wonderful sermon, that anointed man. She said, "He just simply held them too long." Paul preached all night. They set there till they got so sleepy, and probably sitting hours after hours, and one fellow fell off and killed himself. And Paul just stretched himself over him, said, "Don't worry." Just listen at the right thing.
222 There was an old shoe cobbler, and I believe it was in Germany where he—he'd make their shoes. And one day while… In his spare time he used to pick up the Bible, and he would read It. He'd read the context and the text of the Scripture, and he got real deeply sincere. He said, "You know," he said, "I—I… when this Christmas comes around, I'm not going to light up any Christmas tree." But he said, "You know what?" He said, "I'm going to get a—a big dinner, and I'm going to cook my… roast my lamb and I'm going to get my cranberries, and all my sauce and things." And he was just by himself. And he said, "I'm going to set it on the table and I'm going to invite Jesus to come sit across the table from me. I want to know God's Messiah and what I can do in respects." He said, "I—I'm going to do all this. And then I'm going to sit down at the table and I'm going to ask the blessing, and I'm going to thank God for what He's give me. And then I'm going to say, 'Lord Jesus, won't You come and sit down across here, just for Christmas dinner with me?'"
223 The simplicity, God always hears that, sincerity. And the old cobbler saved up his money to get such a dinner, you know, and would be invited to the King of kings. And he set it down, and he had it cooked, and he set it out on a table. And he cleaned himself real good, and—and groomed himself, and combed his hair. And he set down at the table, and set a chair for Jesus, and some more chairs sitting around. "It might be for the apostles," he said, "if they might come in."
224 So the old fellow bowed his head and he asked the blessing, and—and thanked God for the food. And he said, "Now, Jesus, won't You come and dine with me for this Christmas dinner?" And he started eating and watching the chair. No one come. He eat a little bit more, and he said, "Lord God, I've invited You to my home. Won't You come and be with me?" And he started to reach over and get something to eat, and someone knocked at the door.
225 And he went to the door. He was an old man, stooped in shoulders, ragged. He said, "Kind sir, I'm cold, would you let me get warm?"
226 And he said, "Step in." And he came in and he smelled that aroma of the food, his mouth kind of watered, he turned around. Said, "Will you sit down?" Said, "I'm expecting company, but would you set down and just eat with me till the company comes?"
227 He said, "Thank you. I would be glad to." And he set down, and they had dinner. The old man thanked him, got up and went.
228 And the—the cobbler turned around, he said, "Lord God, why did You disappoint me?" Said, "I made everything so ready. I did all that I knowed how to do." If you'll just do that! "I done all that I know how to do, and thought You would come in and dine with me." And he got to weeping, and run and fell across the bed. And he was laying there on the bed, weeping. "I—I—I done everything that I thought was right, Lord, and why didn't You come to dine with me?"
229 And a Voice came to him, and he remembered the Scripture, "Insomuch as you have done unto the least of these My little ones, you have done it unto Me."
62-1216 - The Falling Apart Of The World
Rev. William Marrion Branham
