THE.INVESTMENTS_  BEAUMONT.TX  SATURDAY_  64-0314
  24      May the Lord add His blessings to the Word as we endeavor to pull from this a text and context. Now thinking on the subject of being with business people, and always I think that business people is always interested in--in good investments, so that I call a text now for the next few moments: The Investments.
25    A good businessman is always looking for a--a good, sound investment. If he isn't, then he isn't a good businessman. He must look for something that's real.
26    And I'd like to talk to you on the invitation that I give to you a few moments ago, on this Eternal Life policy, as I introduced myself as a--a businessman. And I have a business, and I'd like to talk to you a few moments about it. And a few Scriptures I have written down here, and text, I'd like to use these for a few moments, these notes.
27    It's not a--a good business to gamble. Any man knows that, that gambling is not a good business, because it's taking a chance. You never, or seldom see a gambler... One day he's a rich man, and the next day he is begging. So you take too much of a chance, to--to gamble. I think a--a--a gambler is--is just simply living on the spare of the moment, and not looking forward to the future, or he wouldn't be gambling.

I do not believe in some get rich over the night investments……..

  28      And I do not believe in some of these get-rich-over-night investments, either, by some unidentified business. Now, any good businessman wouldn't take a chance like that, maybe on your--your life's savings, your earnings; and you would invest in it in some get-nigh, get-rich-right-quick. And it's unidentified. Someone run in with some kind of an idea, that, "Here we--we got a certain firm here," there is no background to it. I think a good, sound thinking man would be foolish to try to make an investment in such a--a company as that.

A friend lost all his life’s earnings……..

29    Because, I had a friend, one time, that--that tried such a thing. And, when he did, he--he lost everything he had, and he lost all of his life's earnings. About ready to retire, and he thought, "Well, I'll--I'll take this chance," because the man seemed to be he knew what he was talking about. But, come to find out, the--the company was just a make-belief company, and no stocks or nothing, so the poor fellow lost everything he had.

First check out the company……….

30    So I think, if a man wants to make a good investment, he should first check his company, or whatever he's making his investment in, and find out what he's going to do. I think any sensible-thinking person would do that.

Keep it in circulation………

  31      And then again, before I go on, I'd like to say, it's not a good idea to keep your money in your pocket. Many people say, "I'll--I'll just put it in my pocket, and I--I... and I got it." But, you know, you businessmen and women, you don't think in those terms. And it's not a good thing, because it can be stolen.
32    It's best to have it in circulation. Like the Lord said, one time, He give so many talents to so many, and such, and then he... they made an investment with it. And those who made a good, sound investment, He give them the dividends. But when the one man said, "I--I just kept it. I--I didn't want to take any chances on it. I--I--I put it in my pocket. Or, I buried it somewhere." Then He taken that what He had gave to him, and give it to the one that had drawed more dividends, that put it to a good investment. And that's our Lord's way of doing things.

Find some good reliable firm……pay good dividends,  great resource capital, …is not going broke..........

  33      Now, but if you were going to invest in something that you wanted to be sure in, you'd find some good, reliable firm that has been proven that it'll pay off right. Now, that's a good, sound investment. After you've tested the firm, you know its backgrounds, talked with somebody who has done business with this firm, and hear the testimony of everyone, "It's a hundred percent. They're always right on the dot with their dividends. And--and there is a great resource capital behind it, that the company is not going broke." And that's a good, sound investment. And now, all through life, people has been taught that.

A young Hebrew boy.. wealthy type ………  

34      Now we're speaking tonight on the Scripture, of a young Hebrew boy, that was a--a wealthy type of a lad. He might have come from a real good home, no doubt. His testimony showed that he had come from a--a good home. He was called, in the Bible, "the rich young ruler." I'm going to change it tonight, just a little bit, say, "a rich young businessman," because he had a business, and he was interested in--in business. And no doubt his father had been a great successful businessman, or he probably wouldn't have had what he had. But he was brought up to--to be a businessman.

Found another young Fellow of Galilee………

35    And he seen something in this young Fellow of Galilee, this young Prophet by the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. No doubt he had heard his priest speak about Him, and maybe against Him. But when he got his first glimpse at the Lord Jesus, there was something about Him that was different from any other man.
36    And I say this, as a Christian, it is truly hasn't changed. We have great theologians in the land, throughout the world, we've had them for thousands of years, that can introduce to us a--a creed. And they're schooled in those creeds, and a church that's--that's a well-established church. But that still isn't my--my policy tonight I'm speaking of. I'm talking about Eternal Life.

Not enough just to be a rich member…he found something……..

  37      And this young fellow, knowing that he was a member of the church, but seeing in Jesus something different. So he was given the opportunity to make an investment, when he found Jesus and seen what He was doing. And had read his Bible, and seen in Jesus that the thing that he's heard his prophets read in his church, and what they were. And he had no doubt studied that. And then when he saw in this Jesus of Nazareth, which was supposing to be among the people, the Prophet, he saw something in this Man that identified Him with the Scriptures.

An outstanding man, He attracted his attention……..

38    And I think, today, it hasn't changed too much. Bible readers and Bible lovers, when we really get a glimpse in our intellectuals, of what Jesus was and what He is, it changes our entire attitude. There is no one like Him, no matter how fine. We said we understand that He... We suppose He had no much schooling, and He talked like a common man, and dressed like a common man, and lived with common man. But yet there was something outstanding about this Man, and it attracted the attention of this young fellow. Insomuch, that, he had all the wealth of the world, perhaps, that he needed and would use in his lifetime, and he was well satisfied with that. But he seen that this Man looked into the future and told them the things that were coming, and identified Himself in the Scripture, and God identified Himself in the Man.

That's the only book………..

  39      Now there is not a man that lives, that's in his right mind, but what's always wondering where he come from, who is he, and where is he going? There has been many books written, philosophers has raised and fell. But there is only one Book that'll tell you who you are, where you come from, and where you are going, and that's the Bible. That's the only Book. Of all the fine books we have, you could trash them, every one. This is the Truth. Anything contrary to This is not right. "Heavens and earth will pass away, but My Word shall never fail. Every man's word shall be a lie; God's shall be true."
40    And when you see something so definitely before you, and the Scriptures promised for that day, what that Messiah was to be. And this young man seen that identified by God, then that made Jesus altogether different from any other man he had ever seen. So, he was given the opportunity.
41    When he found the Lord Jesus, and perhaps seen Him in His meetings and His service, he run to Him and fell down at His feet, showing his attitude of approach was correctly.
42    And he said, "Good Master, what could I do to have Eternal Life?" Now that's the thing that's in question. Not his money, or not, "Could I join Your church, Sir? Or could I belong to Your organization?" But, "What must I do to have Eternal Life?" That was the question.

An investment for LIFE ………Eternal Life……….

43    And he was given the opportunity to receive It, but he made a rash decision. He was... turned it down. He wasn't interested, when he found out what went with it. He realized, that in order to do this, he had to give up his popularity. Because, Jesus was unpopular, unbelieved among, I would rashly say, ninety percent of the people, or maybe ninety-five percent was. He was disbelieved, as some "evil-spirited person," and was called, by many, "Beelzebub," a devil.
44    And, yet, the Scriptures perfectly identifying Him. He had referred back to them, saying, "Search the Scriptures, for in Them you think you have Eternal Life. And They are They which testify of Me, or tell Who I am."

Its only sound thinking………

 45      This Hebrew lad, being raised up in a home, and knowing that the Bible had--had clearly told them, the scrolls. God Jehovah had said that, "If there raise up one among you, who is spiritual, or a prophet, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in visions. And if what he says comes to pass, then hear that prophet, for I'm with him. But if it doesn't come to pass, then do not hear it."
46    That's plain language. It's only sound thinking. If he said it, and it doesn't happen, then it's a lie; God did not say it. But if he says, and it--it does happen, that's truth; and nothing is more, more truer than truth.
47    So this young man had seen this in the Lord Jesus, and knowed that He held the keys to this Eternal Life, and he wanted this Eternal Life, but he turned down the opportunity to make his investment. He wasn't interested in such an investment. Although the...

He was perfectly identified to be……….every sign pointed to that..

48    He was well identified that He was the Son of God. Is perfectly identified. The virgin had conceived, brought forth the Son. He had done every sign that Messiah was supposed to do.
49    But in order to accept Him, he had to get away from his tradition. He had to turn away from it.
 50    We would like to contribute that only to the... this Jewish boy, but it's too bad we have to also notice it, today, the same way. It's a great price. We can contribute to the churches of today. And many times, people who call themselves believers, and are unwilling to separate themselves and to depart from the things of the world, as this young ruler was asked to do, to have the policy of Eternal Life. Yet, after, we too see It well identified by the Scripture, that the Policies are still being given to whosoever wants to receive It.
51    As I said, he saw something in Jesus, no man had, but the price was so great that he didn't want to pay the price.

Would we be unreasonable people……….

52    It's the same thing today. As I believe, tonight, I might be speaking to different denominations, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Jew, Buddha, whatevermore, that's the business people of the cities. But there is, really, when you see something with your own eyes, that the Scriptures identify to be the truth; we would be most unreasonable people, that, if we're interested in Eternal Life, to turn It down. It would be a--a rash decision like this young man made. Many times, even our clergy today makes this same rash mistake, though polished scholars in creeds, that know it A to Z. But, remember, those priests in that day knowed the scrolls, from A to Z, too, but they failed to see what this young man saw.
53    And he was interested in--in Jesus giving him Eternal Life. But when he found out what it was going to cost him, then he wasn't interested.

Come take up this investment………..an Eternal policy made in heaven for you…………there’s time and it is NOW.