Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee, Even though it be a cross that raiseth me, Welcome to the Princess Chapel Church sermon audio site. Princess Chapel Church is located in Ashland, Kentucky. Pastor, Brother Douglas Zellner, we would like to thank you today for joining us, and we hope that you receive a blessing from these sermons and messages. We would like to invite you to join us for praise and worship in our sanctuary at Ashland, Kentucky. We thank you once again for being with us today, and may God richly bless you and your family. I ain't worth coming and seeing them, but the Lord is worth coming and hearing them. And it'll take the Lord to do this. My hands and feet are bleeding. It's what I'm counting on. A certain man went down from Jerusalem. We stripped him of his arraignment, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewisely back, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pens and said to him, Take care of And whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee." And the question I'd like to ask you tonight, friend, is who's paying these hats? Whether that man intended to or not, he left out of Jerusalem just as the brother preached about the young sheep, and just as I left Father's house one day. My eyes, my body began to change, and we'll say for lack of a better word, I began to grow, and as my body began to change, my wants began to change. And just like the young sheep, I left the fold as the brother of Tom. I headed down towards Jericho. And as I went down towards Jericho, I thought everything was doing all right. And every now and then, I would hear the call of the Master to return back home. The first time was at 13. I heard the call. And I said, No, Father. No, there's some things I'd like to do. I'd like to head on down to that town for a little while and have a little fun. And he let me. And he let me. He allowed that. As I went down the way, you know what the Lord did? You say the Lord did? Yeah, I believe He did. He let me get just what I told Him I wanted to have. I fell among thieves. And they wounded me. And they left me there half dead. I was dead spiritually. And though I wanted to find God, I could not. Though I looked for Him, He was nowhere to be found. And though I feared what might be out in front of me, I couldn't find God no matter how I hear the preaching of the Lord, but it wouldn't do me no good. I hear and I cry, and I cry to speak up, but it wouldn't do me no good. Why? Because I was half-dead. The law would walk by. And they'd say, pick yourself up. And I tried for a season to pick myself up and dust this old man off, but he'd fall right back on his face. And they'd say, pray more, go to the altar. So that's what I began to do. I crowned them all throughout the country, but still it was to no avail. But then one day, by the grace of God, a good Samaritan comes down the road and he sees me laying there half dead. And I can barely call out his name and weep like a baby. And what did he do? He didn't say, pick yourself up. He didn't say, straighten yourself up. He didn't say, make me a grand prelude. He didn't say, if you'll keep my love, I'll keep you. He didn't say, if you're good, I'll get you. He didn't say, here do this and here do that. He said, lookie here, here's another one, Father, that's down weak and wounded and about to die. And He loves me down to the end. He puts me in. And He said, listen here, Holy Spirit, He's yours now. You take care of Him. I've paid for it. Amen. Amen. Amen. Oh, I thank the Lord. Here's the best part of it. The hell's been paid. The Lord's been given. And He said to deal with anything else. Every time He gets out, He falls on His face. Every time He does something, You say, are you preaching sinful? No, I'm preaching that we live in a fleshly house. And there's a battle between the inward man and the outward man. And I can't make this outward man righteous, no matter how He still gets as filthy as he ever was, but I know a man that carries my blood, and every time that I fail him, he comes along and he applies the blood again, and he pays the bill. If you say he applies it again, that's right, they have a craven river that flows from the side of Christ in that front that can wash way you'll ever see it, past, present, and future, and he's damned by God enough to make an exception for you, if you would but call on him nice, and believe with your heart. Amen. I couldn't heal myself, and I couldn't make myself walk upright. I couldn't get back the truth from the man. But now the man has come my way. You say, well, Lord, how much have you done wrong? But you was half dead. It makes no difference. All have gone out of the way. They are all together improbable. There is no one that seeks righteousness nor judgment. Amen. Amen. Bless him, Lord. Say, well, I'm young, I ain't done too much. It don't make no difference if I die. I ain't paying your tax. And you leave this world tonight, hell in your home. I was a young man, though I had no other role, I'd been a young, hungry boy. But I was disembarked for hell as they called Hitler and every rapist in my group they had a dribble with. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't one playing my plan. You say, well, I can't live if I get it. Listen to me, if you get it and you don't do right, the Lord will strangle you up. How else are you supposed to have compassion on people tonight in church, you young cringes? One ain't messed up if you don't fall on your face yourself. Who's paying her tax? Who's going to pay your tax on Judgment Day? Will you stand as the first seed and throw your shoulder back in the temple? Man, I like that scripture. He said two men went down to the temple to pray. being a Pharisee and the other Republican. He said the Pharisee stood. Well, I believe he had his shoulders rolled back and his chest out like a young rooster. And I bet he almost crowed as he prayed. And he said, I thank you God I am not another man. I am not an adulterer nor a thief. I give of all that I have. I pay tithes and I go to church on Sundays. I'm a good man and I don't do nothing wrong. Now I'll tell you who I am, I'm that poor publican who bowed his knee before God, and would not submissively lift his face unto heaven, but spoke his breath, and said, God be merciful to me, a sinner! How do I get to God, you say? Realize your need, realize that you're half-dead, that you're spiritually gone, that you have no life in your heart and no hope in this world, lest ye be in Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen. You say, well, you might fool yourself up for a preaching. That's all right. It pleases the Lord by the foolishness of preaching. It's like that. He wouldn't believe you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. I've got a man that's plain fine. He ain't big enough, but he walked in and conquered death, hell, and the grave. Took the keys of all of them off the same himself. He walked for thirty-three years in this life, perfect, without sin, no evil thoughts, even I believe in that church. Though the devil tempted him, but never had an evil thought. And he stands there on the right hand of God, if you would but reach out by the hand of faith and believe. That's it brother, don't doubt it. If you would reach out by the hand of faith and reach out to them nail-scarred hands. You say, well I'm a sinner and I don't deserve to be saved. You're the very one God gave to save. For God, this is a faithful just saying, for God came and Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief. Then like Jesse McDavid's words, that's the words of Paul, the greatest evangelist I believe besides Christ that ever walked this earth. He said, I am the chief. Let's go another one. You say, well, I ain't strong enough to get to God. Well, while we were yet without strength, as the old brother wrote, the brotherly old, in due time God died for the good. Christ died for the ungodly. For God commanded His love towards us. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Amen. He died for you tonight, friend. And it's up to you whether to accept Him or whether to cast Him aside. I don't want to hear about righteous living and holiness. Hogwash. I think if a man thinks he's got holiness, he knows nothing as he should. Amen, brother. I want to know about grace. And I want to know about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because, friend, that's what He's going to require of you. And when you stand before Him, that's all He's going to want to know. But there's only one unforgivable sin, and that's unbelief. Amen. So, get a song to that church. I tried to preach it this morning, felt like I was fighting. It'll come out easy this evening, say the Lord will. Yeah, maybe make me be preached here and not at Brooklyn. Friend, I love you tonight. You say, why do you yell at me? What do I have to lie on? I don't know. The Lord just gives me. When I was little in school, they said I learned to wait for an assault mail. Maybe one of these days when the God of Love comes around and we ain't allowed to have these places no more, and we have to gather in the fields and they come, it'll be a use. A friend of mine had his stake with God, and who pays, he paid. And the man that stands are willing to pay the bill, pretty clear. And when it comes back, if you do anything else wrong, you'll pay that too. I ain't giving you a license to sin. But I give you grace to grow, and grace to be saved, and grace to fall back, and grace for the good Lord above to pick you up, knock the dust off of you, and put you back on the right path. What can one do? nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the gold that makes me white as snow. No one around I know nothing but the blood of Jesus. Don't just dazzle around with trying to find the Lord. Don't dabble in it, for he's been taken over while looking back as unfit for the kingdom of heaven. You're welcome to do whatever he'd have you to do. You're welcome in your heart. I'm here, and I'm preaching for nothing.