In this sermon, the speaker shares a powerful story of a group of people who were running for their lives during a war. As they ran through the night, they saw a white cross in the sky, which brought them hope and conviction that there is a God above all. The speaker emphasizes that the gospel is not an alternative, but an ultimatum from God, drawing a line in people's lives. He urges the audience to make the right choice and receive Jesus as their savior, as this will break curses, chains of addiction, and bring the power and might of Jesus into their lives.

Welcome to From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons. Each week we bring you a different message from some of history's greatest speakers in the Christian faith, and powerful sermons from modern preachers too. This week we have Reinhard Bonnke with his message, The Blood of Jesus. I want to share with you some of the secrets of the things God practically taught me in Africa, and I believe that many of you, as a result of it, will have a head start and plan a sailing. But I tell you, Jesus is wonderful. Amen. Here this afternoon I'm going to preach the old, old story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I'm not getting tired of it. As long as there's an unsaved soul, I'm not getting tired of it. Amen. Amen. Just before the service, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said to me this. The Lord said to me, the heart keeps on pumping the same blood. It's the same blood. But that blood is just a means of transportation, to transport oxygen and all the other things that are needed for the fitness and the health of the body. And I tell you, preach the old, old story, all right, but ever with a fresh anointing, and you will see gigantic results. Are you with me? Amen. Now we are starting. I'm reading from Matthew. Matthew chapter 12, verse 38. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah's. For us, Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. So shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented of the preaching of Jonah's. And behold, a greater than Jonah's is here. Amen. You know, Jesus was often confronted by bunches of Pharisees, hypocrites, and here on this occasion again, they came and they said to him, Master, we also will believe if you give us a spectacular sign. I don't know what they had in mind. Maybe they had in mind that Jesus should just wave his hand like that, and out in the blue sky a host of angels should appear, and they should sing and say, Yes, my beloved Pharisees, you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They said, Master, we will believe if you give us a sign. Jesus shook his head, and he said strange words, words one does not understand at first when one reads them. He said, this adulterous generation is not getting such a sign, except one sign, the sign of the prophet of Jonah's. Strange, Jesus began to speak about the prophet Jonah and the story of him being in the belly of the fish, and he said, this is the sign that is going to be given. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. When Jesus gave that answer, he drew a picture of himself. He said in other words, other words, this, he said, you are not going to get a sign, except for one sign, the sign that God has sent already. Amen. There was the sign that God had sent already, Jesus himself. They were asking for signs, yet the biggest of all signs stood right in front of them, Jesus Christ. They looked at the sign that God had sent and said to him, sign, show us a sign. This is how ridiculous unbelief is. Jonas, Jesus, Jesus was greater than Jonah. Jesus is today the greatest sign that God has given. Say amen. Amen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. God had given, the sign had come, but they did not understand this sign, because they refused this sign. This sign didn't fit into their philosophy. They said, we don't want this Jesus. Jesus is too humble for us. Look at him. He hasn't even got real estate. Look at him. He's Mr. Nobody. He's just a traveling preacher. He's a so-called false messiahs. We don't want this Jesus. Away with him. This sign sent from God, we don't want. I want to take you for a minute or two. I want to take you into the courtyard of Pilate, where the Jews had met and where Jesus was now under arrest, ready to be tried and ready to be killed. Pilate investigated Jesus and he said, I find no fault with him. I find no fault with him. He has done nothing amiss. He, I find no fault with him. What shall I do with Jesus? Barabbas or Jesus? They wanted Barabbas free and Jesus crucified. This Jesus, we don't want. We reject him. He cannot be the sign from God. This Jesus, they said, we don't want. I want your full attention. I'm coming to a very, very important point in half a minute or so. And as the Jews were chanting, away with him, away with him, away with him. We don't want him to have dominion over us. Crucify him. The word crucify came out of their mouths. Pilate said, washed his hands and said, I have no part in the death of this righteous. And then listen. Then the people shouted something that has made history. Are you listening to me? They shouted something. They shouted these words. His blood come upon us and upon our children. And the blood of Jesus came upon them. It came upon them. Only in the context of this scripture did I suddenly see something that I had never seen before. The blood of Jesus that is so precious and that can cleanse us from all sins and that has the power to heal from all diseases. The very blood of Jesus that is the greatest blessing on earth is also and at the same time, the greatest curse to those who reject Jesus Christ. Amen. I've got to make the point because the gospel is just as serious as it sounds. Do you agree with me? Amen. Yes, it's the truth. I've got such an urge in my heart here this afternoon. You will see a little later and I believe that something fantastic is going to happen here. I preach the gospel without apology. The blood of Jesus came upon them in an awful way because they had rejected Jesus. The very blood of Jesus came upon them as a curse. I sometimes wondered why Jesus wept over Jerusalem. You know Jesus didn't weep often but the Bible explicitly said that he wept over Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit unlocked the secret to me why Jesus wept over Jerusalem. There he was on the Mount of Olives looking across Jerusalem and all of a sudden as Jesus looked across Jerusalem his eyes were touched by the prophetic anointing of the Holy Spirit and he didn't just see the Jerusalem of that day but he saw the Jerusalem of the future. He saw how many times the city of Jerusalem was being razed to the ground. Jesus must have seen things that must have horrified him. The eyes of the seer looked into the future. He saw what would happen about 40 years after the day he saw it 70 AD under the Roman under the Roman general Titus and the city was besieged and there was great starvation in the city as the historian Josephus is telling us and how they could no longer hold the city how they had to surrender and how the Roman armies entered that city and slaughtered men and women and children. Josephus said that they cut down any tree that was there and they began to crucify the Jews by the thousands and as the hammers were swinging and those poor people those poor people were crucified I think in the ears of some it must still have run his blood come upon us and upon our children. To reject Jesus has the gravest consequence for anyone who does it. Hear the word of the Lord. But the eye of Jesus didn't stop there. I believe that the eyes of Jesus scanned the horizons. He penetrated the future. He looked into our time and generation and I believe I as a German can say this because because we have every reason to be very much ashamed of ourselves. I believe that the eyes of Jesus looked across Europe in the 30s and 40s of the century. I believe that Jesus when looking across Jerusalem he must have looked into Germany and into Poland and into the Soviet Union and into France and all over. He must have seen those Nazi concentration camps. He must have seen how the children of Abraham were herded together like cattle or worse and how they were abused and how they were killed. He must have seen how they were starved to death by the millions. How they were pushed into the gas chambers. How they were their bone and skin only bone and skin and hardly were able to stand straight anymore. Jesus must have seen how they lifted their bony arms up and just said this Messiah Messiah Messiah where are you where are you come and take us. When Jesus saw that tears shot out of his eyes he opened his arms and he cried Jerusalem Jerusalem how often did I want to gather even like a hen gathering her chicks but Jerusalem you didn't want to be gathered you didn't want to be protected Jerusalem you reject the only one between heaven and earth who could have ever saved you you have rejected your savior now there is nobody to save you anymore why do I say all this because it touches the very bottom line of salvation this is the main lesson in scripture and also from history any nation or any individual who rejects Jesus Christ as his personal savior and lord comes under the curse of the blood of Jesus but the opposite is true as well and on that I want to dwell here this afternoon glory to God in the highest anyone receiving Jesus Christ as his personal savior and lord comes under the blessing of the blood of Jesus Christ glory glory glory hallelujah yes you see when Israel rejected the gospel the second wave of God's offer through the apostle Paul then God began to open the doors of the gentiles thank God the gospel arrived long ago in Birmingham it arrived in Europe Lydia opened her heart the blessing of the lord came her life was transformed and since that time anyone in the whole wide world who receives Jesus as his personal savior and lord comes under the immense and great blessings that God has provided through his son Jesus Christ hallelujah glory to God glory to God let's give a hand for Jesus amen now I'm coming to the most important and the most practical point it's one thing to talk about history it's another thing to talk about today and I have not much interest in history if it is not related to today and I tell you this message is related to now right now amen today this very hour a similar situation has arisen today that sign from heaven Jesus Christ confronts you you you in the overflow halls in the pavilion in the forum here in the arena and those that are watching me now on video or on television Jesus Christ confronts you now and it is true that the gospel the gospel is not an alternative the gospel is an ultimatum the ultimatum from God it's something like a line that God is drawing over the paths of life of people young and old it's a line it's a line Jesus is the sign we can learn from the mistakes of other people of the past if you don't believe the bible believe the newspapers because there you can read the same thing people who reject Jesus nations that rejected Jesus they're coming under the curse of the blood of Jesus but those who receive Jesus Christ are being blessed and they will prosper with the peace of God that passes all understanding glory to God hallelujah oh hallelujah you are confronted this afternoon with Jesus today you've got to make your choice these people made their choice then and they made the wrong choice today you have got to make a choice and you have got to make the right choice that is the bottom line receive Jesus as your savior and all the curses will be broken the power of evil spirits will be broken the chains of evil addictions will be broken because when Jesus comes he comes with power and he comes with might receive him as your savior because deep down in your heart you know it i heard the testimony of a friend of mine i've never forgotten it i heard it many years ago i have never forgotten it because it touched my heart absolutely i think it's a classical example of what God can do and how important it is not to overstep the line he said he was a young atheist he said at that time he believed in Hitler he said he was a soldier of the of the crack troops landing behind enemy lines they landed with parachutes in the Soviet Union and he said one day they were caught and they were herded together and they were ready to be shot he said every time we went for such a dangerous mission we sang a song we mocked God in heaven we mocked the devil in hell we called ourselves atheists because we didn't believe in either neither God nor the devil well i tell you that's a clever that's that seems to be a smart way with some people nowadays but i tell you if you if you believe it or if you don't believe it your faith change your belief changes nothing if you believe it or not if let's say you choose not to believe that the Soviet Union has got the nuclear missiles directed on our cities if you don't believe it doesn't mean that these weapons just get dissolved in the air these are facts and facts are facts and even from scripture facts are facts he said and when they were in that camp and they were ready to be shot they plotted to escape he said he knew it's either run or die run or die and if you die while you run he thought it was a better better choice of death and he said they run he said we run and run and run through the night and he said the night was pitch black he said in the night they saw on the sky a white cross right in the direction in which they were running and they were all looking at that white cross that cross of light he said they could not explain what would that cross mean there they slept in the day by night they got alive and they run there was the cross again running running in the direction of the cross that was on the sky he said the third night the cross appeared and he said oh he said all of a sudden he thought by himself what if the story of the cross is real what if there is a god in heaven he said the fourth night the cross was there again all of them saw it he said and the conviction grew in his heart that there is a god throning above all a god to whom he owes to whom he owes a kind he said after so and so many days they reached the german lines he said we were exhausted we wanted to sleep we nearly fell just just fell on the ground and slept they were absolutely exhausted they went into a farmhouse and they said we are going to sleep he said i can't sleep i must find somewhere a man of god i want i want to meet god he said his friend slept and he was looking around for someone that knew how to pray he found by the grace of god he found a man of god who knew how to lead him to jesus yeah he said he received salvation he received forgiveness of his sins he was rejoicing in the name of the lord said and then he went home to sleep to the farmhouse when he came back to the farmhouse he said he couldn't believe it the shell had hit that house and his friends were all dead but man has become a preacher of the word of god i'll tell you i'll tell you this moment is the moment of decision today if you hear his voice open your heart i challenge you you must give your heart to jesus today as a matter of fact the holy spirit told me for some year it's today or never because here are some ears that hear the call of the gospel for the last time today here is the sign jesus christ here is the line the border the border there is something like a border remember noah's ark the same hand that locked noah and his family in had locked the other people outside the same hand the same hand in jesus name don't ask for a fancy sign just to receive jesus christ as your savior and lord and it will be well with your soul amen hallelujah hallelujah oh hallelujah oh blessed be the name of the lord hallelujah blessed be the name of the lord jesus is here jesus is here right now i also want to speak to the backsliders somebody said to me yes i am had backslidden because of some christians in the church they didn't treat me well i said my god why why why did you turn your back on jesus yet jesus has never done you any wrong you have no right to backslide because of anybody because jesus is more than faithful say amen amen jesus is faithful jesus is faithful here is the line here is the line here is the sign come and receive jesus as your savior and lord and he's going to set you free and you will go home as a new creation in christ jesus amen you know we evangelists we are like that but i'm preaching the gospel for decades now and i have seen things you would be surprised if i would tell you what i have witnessed with my own eyes there is something like a too late there is something like a too late you cannot keep on postponing postponing why not because you don't know whether tomorrow belongs to you you only know that the now belongs to you that's why the bible says now is the day of salvation not tomorrow now now now in jesus name now oh hallelujah now jesus is calling now jesus is calling now jesus is calling now i'll never forget i'll never forget this when i was preaching the gospel and many people responded to salvation the power of god was flowing and moving and at the end of the service a young lady a young girl i should say 17 years of age just passed me while she passed i didn't even know who passed me holy spirit spoke to me and said speak to that person i turned around and i got her by her arm i said to a young lady are you already a child of god tears gushed out of her eyes she said no but i know i need jesus i want jesus but i can't receive him i said why on earth can't you receive him she said because of my boyfriend she said my boyfriend hates jesus i said young lady if you have a boyfriend that hates jesus you've got the wrong boyfriend all together all together because the bible says how can light have fellowship with darkness and i want to say that to all young girls here today stick to the word of god and you will save yourself immense headaches and i say the same to the young man you cannot violate the principles of the word of god and think it will all be well we need the rock of the word of god under our feet she said my boyfriend hates jesus my boyfriend hates jesus i say you've got the wrong boyfriend but she said i love him so much i love him so much i can't leave him i love him so much i said young lady i don't know i didn't know you but the holy spirit told me that i should tell you privately and personally that you must receive jesus as your savior now she pulled herself loose crying she left early next morning somebody came running to me and said have you heard i said what that girl was run over by a car this morning she's dead i tell you i fell on my knees and i cried to god that's why i've got such a urge in my heart you have waited long enough now jesus is waiting for you you've got to respond yes to jesus means life everlasting no to jesus is eternal damnation you can't get away from it and i know i'm standing here today as a messenger of god in the name of jesus amen amen i want to argue with you the precious people of israel the seed of abraham they are special to god until today and until forever make no mistake if god could not spare his chosen people do you think he's going to spare you if you make the same mistake namely rejecting jesus god is a god of love but he is also a righteous god and god made all the provisions for your salvation but you must come and you must come now in jesus name say amen remember fire conference ray remember two years ago we had the fire conference in zimbabwe ray was preaching that evening people came forward for salvation he's coming the first one i'll tell you the power of god is going to set that young man free give me your hand oh bless you he's the first one he's the first one he's the first one oh hallelujah oh hallelujah young people jesus is calling you i hope you are sick and tired of being a backslider if i would know that jesus is my savior i wouldn't want to go to bed tonight until i had settled that case i wouldn't want i would rather want to die than to be without jesus because he's the fountain of everlasting life oh hallelujah power of god is here i can feel the presence and the anointing of the holy spirit oh i'll tell you the holy spirit is going to shake you here tonight shaking you shaking you shaking you shaking you god bless you sir god bless you sir is that terrific that is terrific let my people go saith the lord that they may serve me you will come out of egypt's bondage and you will come into the freedom of the son of the living god god bless you madam god bless you too power of god is here holy spirit is speaking to me he says here's someone to whom the lord has already spoken three times before and three times you answered with an excuse the lord says today you hear my call for the fourth time which is the last time come now i will deliver you from the darkness that has hung upon you i will break the chains that have bound you and today saith the lord i will set you free in one moment if you respond to the call of my love don't leave this hall don't overstep the line in the name of jesus i charge you for your own salvation sake come forward i would like to shake your hand if i've had an opportunity but i know one thing light will burst over you here and you're going to see the glory of god and you will walk you will walk to heaven in jesus name amen let's sing once more come unto jesus wherever you are just come forward even if you are a non-christian you belong to another religion jesus loves you come on he's going to save you and he will demonstrate the glory of the gospel of jesus come forward come forward don't miss the last call in jesus name come come quickly let it okay come a bit closer come a bit closer many more come jesus i tell you god is in this place people of god i want you to pray in the holy ghost god is in this place me oh my god how many of you can sense the mercy of god just flooding this place like water can you sense it as well isn't that terrific isn't that terrific and the blood of jesus the power of the blood of jesus and the blessing of the blood of jesus is going to swing into action right now right now right now jesus is also delivering muslims say amen hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah i love the muslim people because when the muslim becomes washed in the blood of jesus becomes a first-class christian amen there are many more people that need to come and respond i want to start praying and i want you to respond come now because i'm starting now in jesus name in jesus name you buck sliders come slide back to jesus amen come quickly slide back to jesus in jesus name young people especially young people that have ungodly and unholy relationships i call you to repentance now in jesus name i call you to repentance now if you want to be set free from anything the devil binds you with whether it's cigarettes or whether it's drugs or whether it's any other rotten thing of the devil throw it up here on the platform just throw it on the platform because after now you will no more need it you will no more need it i'll put my foot on it in the name of jesus and the power of god is going to set you free just throw it up here in jesus mighty name just throw it just throw it in jesus name glory to god glory to god in jesus name in jesus name in jesus name in jesus name in jesus name in jesus name hallelujah hallelujah holy spirit speaks to my heart please bear with me but i don't want to be accused one day when i sat before the throne of god that i didn't do what god told me to do here's a young man the holy spirit tells me he has heard the word of god today he just came to please his girlfriend here and he has never been in such a meeting and he never dreamt of giving his heart to jesus and the lord says today my holy spirit has cornered you you are to receive my mercy and my forgiveness i will break the power of satan in your life and you shall be turned from a soul to paul because i have a plan for your life his name his name is andrew come forward andrew in jesus name and i want his girlfriend to come forward with him where are you i want to shake your hand and pray with you throw it god bless you my goodness you know how to throw it's gone forever honey it's gone forever amen in jesus name in jesus name pass it on pass it on pass it on yes in jesus name i want to speak to you and i want to speak to the people in the overflow halls i've asked the lord today for a thousand souls to be saved and i believe there are almost a thousand now because there are hundreds also in the pavilion that have gathered there i understand and hundreds in the forum isn't that terrific jesus also delivers from tobacco i thought this was something for the sore throat oh amen we are now going to call on the name of jesus say amen i wonder where andrew is andrew i want to shake your hand where is andrew where's that andrew put your hands down andrew stretch forth your hands james father i thank you that you are doing a mighty miracle in his life and that he will turn from a soul to a power in jesus name and that all the chains of the devil are cut now and that his name will be written today in the lamb's book of life in jesus name god bless you god bless you go and stand there as well you can go down and stand there in jesus name hallelujah are you happy amen now the most holy moment has come look to me please see many of you have cried tears you have done well i also cried my tears i also cried my tears and i came to jesus don't be ashamed of them because these tears are counted in heaven one by one they're not tears of self-pity they're tears of repentance and tears of repentance are precious you people in the other halls your tears of repentance are precious in the eyes of god they are worth more than diamonds say amen hallelujah what must we do to be saved the word of god says he that calls on the name of the lord shall be saved when god says shall be then you will be young people i'm rejoicing with you you're not just going to be washed from sin but you're going to be filled with the holy spirit amen and you will go home and your parents will say what has happened to you and you will say i am born again through the spirit of god hallelujah amen and that's only the beginning of the blessings because the blessing of the blood of jesus is unending unending unending in jesus name we are casting out devils here even you know when the holy spirit comes i tell you i explain that to you when the holy spirit moves if someone has got an evil spirit that evil spirit senses the presence of the holy spirit and feels feels as if he gets choked and that's when they manifest but when they start manifesting it's already a sure sign that they are on their way out out hallelujah so don't be afraid when that happens don't be afraid when that happens because satan is conquered in jesus name he's under our feet the word of god says and you are going to be victorious you're going to rule and dominate over sin say amen now we will call upon the name of the lord and we will call on the name of the lord the blood of jesus will fall into you amen it will wash you that's one thing at the same time the holy spirit will just blow over you breathe the breath of god will breathe over and into you and this moment is the moment of salvation amen you now receive jesus christ as your personal savior amen i would like everybody now to lift his or her hands please and i want everybody to repeat this prayer after me in support of those who pray it now here in say amen hallelujah i want us all to pray now close your eyes lift your hands and repeat after me now but when you repeat it i want you to just mean it with all your heart say dear lord jesus christ dear lord jesus christ i am coming to you i am coming to you in response to your call of love i repent of my sin i repent of my sins wash me now with your precious blood break the chains of satan in my mind in my heart in my body in my home in my family in the name of jesus i renounce the sin of the world in the name of jesus i call upon you jesus christ son of god save my soul i now put my faith in you now i believe with my heart what i confess with my mouth jesus christ is now my savior i have received eternal life i am a child of god i am a child of god i believe it i receive it and i thank you for it in the name of jesus in the name of jesus in the name of jesus and now we will all open our mouths and praise the lord if you know how to praise him in the spirit do it because the spirit of god is breathing over these people here in front you're now going to receive the witness of the holy spirit that you are indeed a son a daughter of the most high god open your spirit for the spirit of god you've been listening to the from the pulpit and classic sermon series this week you heard reinhard bonnke with his message the blood of jesus tune in next week to hear oral roberts talk about what you should know about your faith on from the pulpit and classic sermons