In this sermon, the preacher criticizes financially backed religion and questions why people are sent to other countries when there are issues in their own country. He emphasizes the importance of being genuinely born again and having a transformation in one's life. The preacher describes a scene where Jesus is in the midst of a crowd who had been focused on performances and rituals in the temple. He highlights the significance of Jesus' sacrifice and the need for personal introspection and repentance. The sermon concludes with a plea for people to have a genuine concern for the lost and to not be complacent in their faith.

I wanted to think just really about this verse 37. In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried. One version says Jesus stood and cried with a loud voice, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. I shared some thoughts last Sunday morning about this, but it's been stirring my heart ever since. You know, when we teach children about heroes in the Bible, we usually teach them about David and Goliath, or Samson, or Daniel in the lion's den. I think this chapter is incomparable for courage. It was the last day, the great day of the feast. And this feast was the last feast in the Jewish calendar. There were seven great feasts. According to Leviticus, in three of them, only men were allowed to go. But in this last feast, this is the last feast in the year, and this is the last day on the last feast, and this is the last feast that Jesus himself will attend. It says that he went up into the temple. Oh, look at verse 5. For neither did his brethren believe on him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hateth me, because I testify of it. And the Lord said unto Abraham, Go ye up to the feast, I go not up to the feast. Now, verse 14. In the midst of the feast, Jesus went up. Now, why does it say he's not going to the feast? And then right in the middle of the feast, he goes to the feast. It seems to me that this is a lesson to us in conserving our time. The three main feasts, I think, in the Jewish calendar were still celebrated, or still are celebrated, in the Christian calendar. Passover, which is the time of our Lord Jesus Christ dying for us. And then there's the Feast of Pentecost that they had, which we still celebrate, remembering the Upper Room. But this third feast we do not keep in our Christian calendar. It's not yet come. It's the time of in-gathering. Again, three of the other feasts only males were allowed to go. This final feast of the year, people came in from 70 different countries. As a matter of fact, the Jews previous to this killed 70 bullocks, one representing each country where their people were dispersed. The last day, the great day of the feast. Now, this actually followed immediately after the super day in the Jewish calendar, the Day of Atonement. Remember, the priest went and shed blood for the people, and then he took two goats and he, I don't know how he chose, he chose one goat, that he would lay the blood upon that goat and take it to the wilderness, put the sin of the nation on that goat and send it out into the wilderness so that it was lost forever. A type of God taking our sins and putting them behind his back, never to be remembered against us anymore forever. The other blood was taken in a bowl and it was taken, put onto the, into the Holy of Holies and put there on the mercy seat. The Salvation Army used to have a great chorus they sang at their altar calls. They didn't sing just as I am without one plea. They sang, come to the mercy seat, servants we kneel. Here bring your wounded heart, here tell your anguish. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Scores of thousands of people were sung into blessing through that marvelous chorus when I was a boy, which was last century by the way I feel tonight, but anyhow, it's a long way back. Earth has no sorrow heaven cannot... Okay. Now, this is the last day, the great day of the feast. It's estimated, I don't know how, but more than a million people crushed into the city for this last final feast. If you go into the Old Testament you'll discover they took branches of trees. I remember seeing a lot of these in India when I was there. Lots of people make homes like that, out of branches of trees and then plant leaves in between to protect them from the rain or the heat, whatever it was. And so there's this celebration. Now Jesus went up in the midst of the feast and verse 15 says the Jews marveled saying how knoweth this man letters? Or maybe there's a marker on that letters which in the margin says how is it this man has wisdom? He's never learned. He's never been to the school of the rabbis. Where is he from? We know who he is. He's illegitimate anyhow. He's the son of Joseph, they actually say. We know his father, we know his mother. But he went into the temple and taught. Now in the first place, I want to know how he got in the temple. He must have had his fight, his way through the crowd and the temple was always guarded by temple police. But he gets through the crowd, he gets into the temple and he goes and stands in the pulpit. That must have been pretty shocking. How can a man who isn't ordained go in the pulpit? Isn't that beyond reason? Excuse me. But people think it is today even. When fast this man wisdom never having sat at the feet of men. But if you turn to the eighth chapter, not now but when you go home, he says I was taught of my father. So then he had the greatest teacher of all. You know John that wrote this gospel has been called the Plato of the New Testament because it's the most profound chapter maybe ever written. Now you may or may not remember, I guess you do you wise scholars, was it Plato was the student of Socrates, one of the wisest men who ever lived. And so they said that this man is as wise as Plato. No, you see poor Plato only had Socrates. He may have been the greatest intelligence in the world at the time but he didn't have a holy ghost to teach him so he's still ignorant. We put men in the pulpit because they've got degrees. But you can have 32 and still be frozen. But today there's such an emphasis on scholarship isn't there? Oh we're getting a new pastor, he's got a B.A. But my chief used to say that every time I looked at him, B.A. So what's a B.A. or an M.A.? I've got a B.A., I'm born again. And I've got my M.A., I'm marvelously altered. I've got my Ph.D. sometime I'm a post hole digger but anyhow there you are. I would love to know what Jesus thought. Wouldn't you Martin? I'll tell you what, it was so sensational that those people, those rabbis sat with their mouths open. They marveled at him. What did he do? Did he unveil the mysteries of Daniel's image? Did he tell them some of the most unheard, well only unheard of things they'd never heard. But they marveled at this man. Now it's a wonderful thing that Jesus ever got into this place. Why? Again I say because he had to push his way through a million people outside. He had to push his way past the temple guards. And he comes into the temple. Mercy on us, what's he doing here? In the second chapter he says he went in the temple, he called them a den of thieves. Well that's a way to get the wealth of Matt out isn't it? Anyhow. You say to a bunch of the most learned men in the world you're a bunch of thieves. That's what he said. Not only that, he kicked over the money changers tables. Kind of like the Irishman said everything that's for me is against me. Don't you think they squinted? That's the man that kicked over our money tables. Our money went rolling down the street there. This is the man who said we're a bunch of thieves and robbers. We hold truth from them. We're blind guys leading the black. Why don't they kill him? Look what the first verse says. After these things Jesus, after what things? After all these miracles. You know if we don't get the background of some of these stories we miss the majesty of them. You know, between Malachi and Matthew you've got 400 years of darkness without any prophetic light. And then like Haley's comic streaking over the sky at black midnight, a rugged, ragged man came. He was an awkward man. He was a Baptist. But anyhow. There's some Baptists here tonight. OK. Don't tell your pastor I said that. You see the amazing thing is the first man that ever preached the baptism of the Holy Ghost was a Baptist. Why don't they keep up with it? Huh? And why do the Pentecostals run their flag up? They're years behind. The Baptists preached it long before the Pentecostals were ever born. You see, truth is nobody's property. Isn't that great? No man has a monopoly of wisdom. I'm getting there bit by bit, but anyhow. I've been looking for it for over seven... Somebody asked me out today how long have you been prayed? I think about 65? What, 65 years? Nearly 65 years. But you know, I still feel I'm an amateur. I still feel I'm groping. I still think I'm in waters to the ankles, not to the knees or the loins or waters to swim in. You know, the word of God is like an ocean, somebody said. It's so beautiful. A lamb can splash in the water here and an elephant can swim in it up there. Some of the most intellectual men I know, I know two of them, they're the humblest of men. Oh, I love the hymn we sang tonight, O Worship the King. His wisdoms... When they sing, His robe is the light and His canopy space. Our scientists are too proud to believe in eternity. They do believe in infinity. They shot a tin can up there two or three years ago into space. It's already done 250 million miles. Isn't it silly that wise men down in Houston sit down and talk to a tin can up there and tell it turn right, turn left? If I did that, they'd say he's got religious mania. But they're scientists, they're wise, you see. But there's no wisdom beyond the wisdom of this book. I told somebody today, I do, I think, what one of our sons has done for years. Learn the new proverb every week. And you'll be smart if at the end of the year you've got 52 proverbs. The most amazing book of wisdom there may be in the world. Jesus came into the place where it said you're a den of thieves. He walked into the midst of it and it says they wanted to kill Him. Now it says in verse 19, Did not Moses give you the law and yet none of you keep the law? Isn't that a nice info? Huh? Looking right in the eye of the most learned men in religion in the world, Moses gave you the law not one of you keeps it. So he's had it, he's getting a real scorecard, isn't he? He's kicked the money tenders out of the place, he's called them a den of thieves. Again I say, right after that 400 years of stillness there came this amazing man, John the Baptist. He shocked their culture. He upset their theology. Nobody's going to church, right? They're all going to hear a man out in the wilderness. What's he doing? Raising the dead? No, he isn't. He's raising hell. Did he raise the dead? No, he didn't raise the dead. Man, he raised the dead nation. Dear Lord, we could do with a John Baptist in every city in the nation tonight. Some of you now are taking it easy and say we'll relax and be raptured now we've got Mr. Reagan in. Reagan can't do much for us. Oh, the issue of politics that we went through just now. People say it wasn't politics, it was something moral, it wasn't something moral, it was something spiritual. We could have a nation full of Nicodemuses and they'd still be lost. Did not Moses, verse 19, did not Moses give you the law and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? That was 25. Then said some of them in Jerusalem, is not this of whom they seek to kill but he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing. Now come on, this place, this marvelous temple, was no little room like this. This wouldn't even go on the platform. It held at least 6,000 people. There was a day when there was a riot. One of the priests tripped up and spilled the holy water and there was a stampede and fighting broke out and it's estimated that nearly 2,000 people were either seriously injured or killed. Now Jesus goes up into the midst of the feast with the eyes of everybody, those frowning Pharisees and those dumb, what were the others, Sadducees. Oh, the Pharisees liked him because he raised the dead and the Sadducees said, there isn't such a thing as a resurrection. That's why there were Sadducees. Thank you, I thought the penny might drop after a while. Oh, they loved to hear him because he believed in, and not only believed it, but he actually raised the dead. The trouble with our theology is all on the blackboard. Our theology is all in textbooks. It has no life, it has no breath, it has no power, it has no authority. How in the world did Jesus stand in the middle of that crowd of vexed, angry people? He'd antagonize them. He'd reveal their spiritual bankruptcy. They were just getting over the shock of John Baptist standing there in the wilderness. They couldn't fathom it. Why are people going? Read the third chapter of Luke when you go home. Even the Roman soldiers went. Macefield would call them the lesser breeds, outside of the law. They were fascinated when they heard him. Nothing like this in Rome. Caesar has nothing like this. Here's a little strange man with a leather girdle around his loins and old camel skin around his neck, and people are swarming from everywhere. What does he say? Read the four laws. He uses that word nobody likes. Repent. Repent. Not only confess your sin, forsake your sin. Repent. Run away from it. Then Jesus comes up afterwards. I don't know what all the order is in this, but you know, I was reading today the last verses of the 20th chapter of the 21st. Somebody is estimating that if he could take all the events that are mentioned in the Gospel recorded by John and put them in a line, they would only give you 21 days out of the three and a half years that Jesus ministered. I'll go further than that. I say if he took Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and take all these historic events, like this miracle that upset the whole town. Don't you think when the next day after he turned water into wine, that everywhere they were saying did you hear what he did? He said, I'm out of wine last night. And he turned water into wine. This is the man that tosses people out to the synagogue. This is the man that kicks over the extortionists. This is the man that says to learned men, you're the enemies of God. He's merciless. You know, we are preaching an acceptable Gospel today. Make it as painless as we can. And all we do is give people a shot to put them to sleep so they'll get to hell quicker. We need some hellfire preaching on repentance. One old definition says repentance is to leave the sin I've done before and show that I in earnest grieve by doing it no more. If a man is genuinely born again, all things pass away. All old things pass away and all things become new. So here we have Jesus right in the center of the crowd. You see for six days what happened, they had a wonderful performance. What were they thinking of? Jesus stood there where the priest that stood every day for seven days and then the temple orchestra came with their instruments and the temple choir came and they went down the shoulder of the hill to the pool of Siloam and they did that golden vessel into the pool and the priest carried it on his shoulder with pomp and circumstance and he went and poured it out. To what? To remind them of what? That when they cried there in the wilderness they had no water and God told Moses to smite the rock and he smote it. Told him to speak to it the second time he still smote it he got into habit. But they were commemorating that tremendous event when that river followed them that river of life followed them wherever they went and the rock that was smitten that was Christ's the Word of God said. So for seven days they'd seen this performance everybody stood on one side and bowed when they came back oh you think what God did God that put the stars up there God that one day parted like you part your hair he parted the rivers the water and over a million people passed through this is our God they're commemorating the miracle on the last day the great day of the feast they did not go through that performance and Jesus went and stood there I if I were an artist I'd want to paint this I think around the world art galleries I've been I've seen all kinds of pictures about the Lord I've never seen a picture of Jesus standing here in all his moral majesty why in God's name don't they go punch him why doesn't somebody do what they've already put an assassin threat on him we'll kill him but people say oh why don't you kill him he's standing there he's no bodyguard there's no angels around him well actually I think he had a bodyguard of angels I think he stood there in his moral majesty and they could feel what we call vibes going out of him of the glory of God but they didn't go near him I say and I say I think this is one of the most gorgeous pictures of Jesus in the whole of the New Testament but the last day at the great day of the feast it says Jesus stood and cried Isaiah says my servant shall not cry in the streets well he's not crying in the streets he's not crying in the street at all he's crying in the temple he's crying to a particular crowd of people but he had the insult to injury I remind you again he'd already called them a den of thieves he'd already tossed the money changers out he'd stunned them with the miracles that he'd done and yet this is what he said to them these people have a monopoly of God didn't they have ancestry like Jeremiah and Isaiah and these huge enormous characters but this man comes this unleaded man this usurper this man with no backing stands in the middle of the holy of holies as far as they're concerned it's like me rushing into the Vatican and shouting hallelujah and starting to praise the Lord wouldn't go down so well I'd like the chance though and there he is in the middle of a feast and listen to what he says if any man hey hold it a minute you can't say that Jehovah is the God of the Jews the ten commandments are given to the Jews all those giants you talk about spiritually who subdued kingdoms and wrought righteousness and sucked them out of life they're all Jews why do you dare to say to this cosmopolitan crowd here if any man can I think one of the most beautiful things that even Paul said my great favorite preacher the apostle Paul remember what he said in the second of Corinthians chapter 5 is it 517 don't look now look up and find out I'm wrong but anyhow do you remember what he said if any man did he say that what did he say pardon right I'm glad you're not all sleeping that's great if any man anywhere at any time being Christ he may be the most twisted perverted carnal cruel stinking man in the whole world but if the miracle of regeneration comes in and he gets a new heart a new mind a new spirit a new in look a new out look new everything we've forgotten about the majesty of the new birth people just nod their head and say the sinner's prayer and go straight to hell down the aisle after they've leaned their head on the shoulder of the pastor you know I doubt if 5% of professing Christians in America are born again it's true of England I asked that giant of a man Buck Stane the man from India do you ever meet him out there you've got to see him this time he's getting old he's about 86 he is a man he's a man that's going over the world and he goes to the railway station without a penny and orders his ticket I believe in faith but not fanaticism I mean you know I mean what if you embarrass God but you don't embarrass God but I asked him one day of all the professing Christians in India how many have saved he said about 2.5% what about the Christians in America brother Stane he said 2.5% I'm astounded bewildered confused baffled when people turn in America we've 75 million people through with the Holy Ghost and with the rottenest nation on earth come on it says here that Jesus stood and cried one version says with a loud voice it was not a shriek it was not a scream the Greek word implies that he did it with authority he did it loudly he did it emphatically he did it with emotion why? well I'll tell you what I discovered last week in this and I've preached on this 40 or 50 years never found it here he is in the temple two or three four or five thousand people around him and he stands there and he cries with a loud voice why? because time is running out for these people and the dumb and blind they don't know it they'd have the law they'd have the prophets they'd have one of the most amazing men in history previous to Jesus coming and what they did they got rid of him too chopped his head off Jesus stood and cried with a loud voice in my judgment for this reason that he knew that time was running out but God's spirit does not always strive with men there's a cut off point trying to think of a a verse here I can't remember it at the moment I believe that Jesus is running in his mind going through history God gave them a margin of deliverance for the time that John Baptist was there they still did the same thing they'd had the law they'd had the prophets they'd had the most amazing men in history they'd repeatedly got into captivity this may not be a good definition but my definition of a fool is a man that falls in the same hole twice that's exactly what Israel did they'd been in captivity for 400 years under Pharaoh wouldn't you think that they'd shown everything that would in any way defile them in the sight of God and yet they're just coming here after 400 years of captivity again let me look at a verse here Matthew that was only another reference Matthew, anyway you can put it down if you want to Matthew 13 54 when he came to his own country he taught them the verse I want is not that verse it's Luke 11 50 remember he said to them which of the prophets of your fathers not killed now look what he says here in the 11th chapter of Luke and verse 47 woe unto you for ye build a separative of the prophets and your fathers killed them they're trying to wash away guilt by making memorials to famous men there's no sign of repentance come down in the verse verse 49 therefore also said the wisdom of God who is the wisdom of God he is I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them they shall slay and persecute now here it is I believe this was eating the heart of Jesus Christ when they stood there in the temple and they were going through a dead formula that didn't mean a thing they had altars but they had no fire they had preachers but they had no anointing they had no sign of life therefore the authority and majesty of the holiest being in the world God so listen to what he says verse 50 the blood of all the prophets which were shed from the foundation of the world may be required of what? of this generation from the blood of David unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple and verily I say unto you it shall be required of this generation do you wonder he was heartbroken? what happened? his prophecy came true within a generation Titus invaded Jerusalem in one of the greatest massacres ever and blood flowed to the bridles of the horses and Jesus is standing here remember the story of the man who had business and he sent his men out into the fields to work they didn't honor him last of all I'll send my son God has sent a whole column of prophets finally he sends John the Baptist the fire brand that waken the nation and they did away with him and now they've got the son of God they're going to do the way with him and Jesus said this generation all the blood of the prophets that's ever been shed from Abel right down to this day is going to be shed in your day before very long they're going to reject him what did they do? they turned away from him but instead of them turning away from them he turned away from them your house is left to you desolate the Jews a remarkable nation that they've been desolate from that day to this they've had no power they've had no prophets they've been preserved in the mystery of God if any other nation in the world asked America for the money the Jews would have asked we'd have kicked them in the ocean but we'd give them everything they asked for billion but as soon as America turns her back on the Jews you can dig the grave for America Hitler brought the chief rabbi in my day 1939 he brought the chief rabbi into his presence he told him what he was going to do with the Jews the old rabbi sat there with his nice long beard and Hitler said you were sitting there pondering what were you doing well your excellency he said my people were almost annihilated years ago by a man called Pharaoh I know about that did you know we have a flat cake I think they call it Matsos Matsos I've eaten yards of it it's tasteless but it's better than nothing that's about it but anyhow it's a memorial to Pharaoh and then there was a day when somebody decided to liquidate the Jews and the young ladies put in the way Esther didn't she Esther and the Jews have a little cake memorial of that called a hamantash I think it is little thing full of seeds and Hitler said well your excellency I was thinking we made a flat cake to remind us of Pharaoh and we have a noble cake with seeds called a hamantash I was wondering what kind of cake we could invent to remember you would you believe Hitler showed him the door they're in for trouble don't make any mistake about it but Jesus is standing there weeping he's stammering out he cried with a loud commanding voice he had no amplification and five or six thousand if anyone said in command to me he sees her at the end of the line surely he had the word of knowledge if anybody had and he knew they were going to be massacred slaughtered if they didn't repent but they never repented I think that broke his heart in that piece you dumb blind people how long are you going to walk here and say Moses walked here or somebody else walked here or maybe before this there was a great marvelous temple that was built by Solomon and yet you go through your what does that water mean that you poured out of it not that much you just tell your children well that's something your father's great grandfathers for one day away in the wilderness it had lost its meaning as God is my witness I believe that thousands of people who take communion they stand in it doesn't mean that much to them they don't think of the blood of Christ they don't think he turned God's anger away they don't think he rescued them from eternal hell if they did they'd either weep from joy or weep for sorrow but they weep for nothing this unrepentant crowd they're going to turn the sun no he says you're not rejecting me I'm rejecting you there's a fantastic verse in Lamentations this is hardly a book you read for any fun or joy is it if you don't know where it is it happens to be in your Bible it comes right after Jeremiah Lamentations chapter 2 verse 1 how hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel and remembered not his footstool in his anger the Lord hath swallowed up the habitations of Jacob and he hath not pitied he hath thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah he hath brought them down to the earth he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof verse 4 he hath bent his bow like an enemy he stood with his right hand as an adversary and threw all that were pleasant in the eye of the tabernacle and of the daughter of Zion he poured out his fury like fire here is the people that said God is our God ok take him for good or ill whether he hath a smile or he smites you look what he says here in verse 5 the Lord was an enemy he hath swallowed up Israel he hath swallowed up all the palaces he hath destroyed their strongholds he hath increased the daughter of Judah with mourning and lamentation he hath violently taken away his tabernacle they suddenly realize that God is their adversary the God who delivered them over and over again he sent angels to deliver them he delivered them in a hundred different ways but now his anger is kindled against them what do they say well of course maybe God has moods he'll change no not on your life do you think of anything more devastating than coming down to verse 10 in this chapter the elders of the daughters of Zion sit upon the ground and keep silent here you have these charming women this is what they do they cast dust upon their heads they girded themselves with sackcloth the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads now here is Jeremiah he says my eyes do fail with tears he says my eyes are blinded with tears I'm choking with grief listen my bowels are troubled my liver is poured out for the destruction of the daughters of my people because the children of the sucklings are in the streets they say to their mothers where is the corn and wine you see little children here in a state of destitution when they know the anger of God is kindling destroying their priesthood and destroying every treasure they have the children say where is the corn and the wine oh you told us mummy that our grandpas and others they came out of a barren wilderness and they came into a land flowing with milk and honey but the glories departed I'm convinced that when Jesus stood in a temple that day he was thinking of the day when the glory of God filled the temple do you remember the time when Solomon stood there and the glory came down and the priest could not minister for the glory of God in God's name when are we going to see that the glory filled the temple and now the temple is a museum now the temple is just a place of historic value to us as a nation there is no sign of life our altars have no fire the glory of God doesn't fill the temple the priests have no prophecy how can we be worse you can hardly find anything more desperate than this my eyes are blinded with tears my bowels are troubled my liver is poured out for the destruction of my nation can you imagine the pastor of a nice fashionable church going in next Sunday morning with his matinee suit on feeling on top of the world and suddenly weeping and saying my bowels my bowels are troubled my liver is poured out they would think he was nuts the deacons would rush up and escort him out to the back street there is no despair how many Pentecostals do you think will be drinking their breath this Sunday and saying oh you remember the glory of God as a loser street you remember when the rivers of God flowed out there from a people who were poverty stricken in material things but rich in God where are the Nazarenes the days they had the glory when Dr. Breffy founded that organization and the pilgrim holiness people or the Methodists or the Salvationists do you know why we don't cry and weep and feel our bowels are torn and our liver because we've never seen the glory of God that's why we're content to shred the theological doctrinal treadmill until we're weary we drop into bed tired out we haven't departed one iota there isn't an angel Gabriel or Michael nobody could say we deviated from the truth that's what Baptist teaching or Pentecostal teaching or somebody else's teaching we have no passion we have no brokenness Jesus is torn he knows that the day of rejection is almost over he knows that outside of that street he's going to walk in in a few minutes before long it'll be full of blood up to his knees but those people who have no time for God will be screaming for mercy and it's too late they're going to be thwarted by the hundreds of thousands maybe a million people were destroyed in the days of Titus when he invaded that city do you remember the scripture that says oh Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets why don't we change it and put oh America America thou that killest the prophets three thousand radio stations in America today have broadcast something of the gospel my country that gave the world the Bible that gave the world Methodism that gave the world the Salvation Army the two greatest revivals since Pentecost is now as dead as the dodo we're wanting to make a short term investment aren't we and get the glory of God on one night of prayer or one evening of prayer or I've added two ten more minutes of my praying each day do you wonder that the writers of the Hebrews said we have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin every drop of blood from Abel to Zechariah when they had that row in the temple right down to the very last person is treasured by God and lifted by God and everybody who's been martyred in Russia today every drop of blood was recorded in heaven or China or whatever it was I'll go back in our own history here some enormous men some of the greatest preachers since Pentecost walked these streets or rode the horses one of the greatest men the only man that out rode Mr. Wesley Wesley rode 240,000 miles on horseback Bishop Asbury rode 200 2,400 I think exceeded Wesley anyhow it had a host of great what about Jonathan Edwards should have been reading that story this week I think the man who said stamp eternity on my eyeball non-prosperity God help us I pity those poor guys over there in Dallas at the judgment seat of the leading people down the garden path looking for wealth when the church is poorest she's richest in God the blessed apostle says I have nothing I have no home I have no protection I have no creature comfort I have no life I have nothing but I possess all things and it wasn't some auditory it wasn't some sweet saying he demonstrated he had all things he powered over demons he powered over death he powered over adversity he can rejoice in prosperity in adversity in season out of season lash him 195 times and he sings hallelujah lock him in a stinking prison in Rome he writes four of his greatest epistles to the Philippians and Colossians and Hebrews and Ephesians I think all hell are the day's holiday when Paul died but this is the man who says I travail in birth this is the man who daringly says I could wish myself a curse the literal word is damned if need be for my brothers now you might say this is way above our heads well stand up grow the trouble is we're all locked up come on I might get shot but if that's ok we all live in a little theological playpen we're scared to death to disagree with someone I'm not asking for rebellion I'm asking you to stretch your soul not your mind like Mr. Mondale said he tried it it didn't work so stretch your soul move in the area of this come on this thing troubled me last Saturday night I hardly slept a wink I tossed on my bed I cried I wept I groaned God in heaven what's my generation doing we've all the equipment we've more Bibles we've more interpretations of the Bible we've more tracts we've more books on the Holy Ghost than any generation ever but we never had less power it's all in print on bookshelves like most of our praying is I'm sure on that great day I'll discover when Jesus stood in the temple he's looking backward and remembering the marvelous deliverance of God and then he's looking forward because he had said already and I have to wind this up time's running off always does do you remember he met a woman there in the fourth chapter of John and he said give me a drink and if you knew who it was you'd ask of him and he'd put in you a well of water springing up to everlasting life now he said I'm that well of water but wait a minute go back to John 4 a minute here suddenly John 7 37th in the last day the great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink and he that believeth on me listen as the scripture said out of his belly shall flow rivers out of whose belly mine? but whose? well look at the next verse this spake he of the spirit I like John Wesley's hymn Jesus lover of my soul remember the verse section and it says thou of life the fountain art freely let me take of thee spring thou up within my heart and rise to all eternity this spake he of the spirit who was not yet given wife the holy ghost was not yet given wife told you here because Jesus was not glorified look you can pray your heart out and weep and fast and knock your head on the wall and ask for the holy ghost but if he's not glorified in your life before that you'll not get the holy ghost if there's bitterness in your life if there's strife in your life if there's anger in your life if your secret lust shout to high heaven beat your breast get out in the field and yell a head off will make a bit of difference until Jesus is glorified till he knows he has full control of your life your spirit your soul your body your mind your will he won't come and take up his abode now let's get this straight remember this these men that went to the upper room they'd already received the holy ghost read John what does John say that while they were gathered in the upper room Jesus came and he breathed on them I always think of Abram remember A-B-R-A-M Abram and God breathed on him Abraham never the same the holy ghost is not given because Jesus is not yet glorified Jesus has to go through Gethsemane the hell and agony of being separated from God he has to descend into the abyss he has to go and announce his victory in hell to demon spirits and then he ascends on high like the high priest who presented blood in the holy place he takes his own precious priceless blood and presents it to the father the holy ghost is the coronation gift of Jesus if I do not ascend he will not descend if you don't do some house cleaning curse your own habits list them tell God what they are what your failure is prayerlessness powerlessness lack of vision lack of tears lack of compassion lack of love for lost people I don't want to be facetious here but you know each time I've seen on the TV a little crooked woman there that's made a fortune out of saying three words where's the beef? what's it got to do with you brother Abram? this and if I had a church now over my pulpit I'd have this in big capital letters where's the grief? let people go to hell what do we worry? we've got a nice Sunday coming up we've got it all planned we've outlined the hymns we know when the choir will stand up and sit down and Miss Jones will stand up and sit down when she's sung and something else and we've given the pastor a little more time now he had 21 minutes today instead of 20 I could walk on my knees onto the platform some Sundays I'll tell you that quite honestly the biggest job in the world is not running the White House it's running God's house Jesus is not glorified he's not glorified with the selfishness in the life of so many Christians me first me second and me last does he have priority in everything in my life in my eating in my sleeping in my social life would I push others on one side to give him time? the greatest gift this side of the world is to be filled anointed and kept anointed with the Holy Spirit of God see the world's took with our generation I'll tell you the high way of Christian living is stooled with the wreckage of have-beens remember preaching in Australia the pastor you know what they do on the platform talk behind his back you see the man over on the right that big man with a bald head do you know that 15 years ago he was the greatest man in Australia he had an incredible anointing he was almost as though he had a torch in his hand going through dry grass everywhere he went he set cities and towns on fire he lost out he got caught up in money and something else I believe the only trust in God's earth that gives the devil any nerves is a holy ghost man I've seen God do all kinds of miracles people jump out of bath chairs blind people get the sight when we pray crippled arms I'm out of that now you think I lack compassion well you were right to think it there's something greater than that the greatest miracle that God can do is to take an unholy person out of an unholy world make that unholy person holy put them back in an unholy world and keep them holy in the midst of a crooked and perverted and perverse generation spent a little time yesterday with Dave Wilkerson and he said Len I've come to this conclusion five years from now I don't think any Christian will dare to have a TV in their home there's some new invention you can get put it on the top of the house I think he said about a hundred dollars you can get all the corruption you want from all the stations around this country imagine if it's powerful enough other countries we're saturated with worldliness the king of America there isn't one yes there is tell his name sport he has a wife what's her name entertainment think of the billions that they get think of the billions that go into the liquor business the billions going to pornography does it disturb us I'd like to see every church in the nation shut down for a week at least why should I preach to you God knows I'm adding condemnation to you tonight you can't handle the truth you've already got you've had it for five or ten years you can't handle it why should I bring you more truth why should I give you the challenge of having a spiritual life out of his inmost being when he is resident out of my inmost being will flow rivers not trickles rivers of living water what kind of rivers rivers of mercy rivers of compassion will melt my eyes to tears rivers of love that will let me go to the most perverted and wicked and crooked people that helps me to look at the TV and not see a bunch of skeletons dear lady here said the other day she was tremendously moved I was it was on last night again those million people in Ethiopia somebody says that's a contrived famine I could give you names of men who contrived it too a million people may die in Ethiopia and more than a million in Africa there's a woman with a withered breast and little things sucking, sucking getting nothing she gets some water and that kid's glands are so swollen when she pours the water it goes all over him down his body he can't even take it well I want to tell you tonight I believe the same thing happens in our churches every Sunday people are choking and they're trying to pour the water of life into them and the poor soul is so damned and lost they can't take it they've listened to the same preacher year after year says the same thing in the same way he hasn't shed a tear since he left his mother's womb he went to the seminary and got a big fat head and a shrunken soul I wonder God almighty doesn't keep his promise what's his promise he keeps his promise alright then before long I'll tell you what he's going to do he's going to spew most of the not Christianity but Christendom organised financially backed religion that can't turn this why do we send people to other countries we can't even stay in our own country little guy on TV says give me more money my message should go into Japan why? they're lost are they? do you know how many deaths how many murders they have in Japan in a year 20 we have that in a day in New York State what's the good of taking don't turn around and say go back and clean your own country up with two precious men from Poland in our house the other week Dave Wilkinson brought them they were amazed when they saw people come out of church and light up smoke oh you would never see that in Poland Poland is wedged between a rock and a hard place an inflexible Roman church and the devilish power of Communism but you know what they have no homosexuality they have no gay communities they have no pornography come on we can't even clean that lousy stinking stuff out of the nation never mind go convert Japanese I know they need to be saved and I'm not saying they won't be now I can draw a picture as black as anybody I guess I believe we're going into the darkest days that humanity has ever known so dark they'll make the dark ages look like midday doesn't it say that in joy before the final break there's going to be a day of darkness and gloominess but you know I got some help today brother Ray when I was pondering that the story of Egypt in Egypt do you remember it says there was darkness in Egypt but light in the houses of the King of Israel darkness doom is going to settle over the capitalist system and every other system communism people are going to string for light in its darkness I read a statement here let me see if I can find it Zack darkest day in history is coming but you know what I believe the most glorious day is coming too this writer says the dispensation of the law could only end in tribulation and the curse for it is administration of death but the dispensation of grace must stand in glory and victory because it is administration of life religion continues to patch up that which Christ has declared useless here is a phrase for you the veil that was rent in the temple was rent in twain we are trying to stitch it together flesh continues to rule in the place of the spirit instead of the blood of Christ there is the work of man instead of the new birth there is moral re-armament instead of the Holy Spirit there is fleshly entertainment the day of the Lord is at hand it shall be a day of glory a day of light a glorious light the day of the Lord is at hand even the end of the ages and great shall be the display of God's glory it shall be light glorious light or it shall be darkness gross darkness and it will depend upon our position before God just as all the wrath and judgments were due to the preceding generations were heaped together and laid upon the generation of Christ and laid upon pardon me laid upon the generation of Christ's day remember what he said the blood of all from Abel right down to this day will be upon you it shall therefore be great tribulation such as such as was never known from the foundation of the world but it shall also be a great glory such as was never known before from the foundation of the world one traffic shall be a day of darkness and gloominess to the other as the morning spread among the mountains then he says this focal point in history is coming the glory of Moses' day is for us the glory of David's kingdom is for us the glory of Solomon's kingdom is for us the glory of the restored temple in Ezra's day is for us and the glory of Elijah's day come on the devil's going to do his worst but God's going to do his best as I've used a phrase for you there's going to be a Pentecost that will out Pentecost Pentecost I believe the glory of the original Pentecost was greater than the glory in Solomon's temple I don't know how many were in that temple at that time I know a bunch of unlearned uneducated men and women were in that upper room and they went out no financial backing they didn't go out to do miracles tell me a miracle they did after Pentecost they didn't do a miracle before Pentecost then they run back to Jesus and say even devils are subject to us we've done many mighty works but that's not the greatest thing the greatest thing is that you that were lost without God without hope your names are written in the book of life do you know what I'm sick of I'm sick of seeing so called revivals of blessing where men get the glory I believe there's going to be a visitation of God where no man will get the glory men won't dare to open their mouths and try and put a crown on somebody's head because he has a super anointing that this world has never known I'm getting older and I'm getting tired tonight physically but I'll tell you what I'm not tired in my spirit I have to wear glasses but my inward vision is alright somebody wrote the other day he said brother Amy you've been praying more than 50 years for revival I believe you're going to live to see it so do I otherwise I'd say Lord take me home tonight of course I haven't got a great plot yet but anyhow what are we going to do hang our harps on the willows you see when the glory departed and the people lost the majesty of God what did they do they were taken captive in Babylon and they said sing us the Lord's song in the strange land they said we can't we can we can marry Christian words to rock music they were carried away to Babylon but Babylon's good to us you can give some of your money to Babylon you get a tax credit for it Babylon's very kind to us these days it doesn't put us in prison there are some things to pray urgently for we had a young man here last year who had a revival in Caracas Venezuela by faith he went and took a great big bull ring that held I don't know what he got he got twenty thousand a night I think twenty five thousand at the weekends I had a letter from him today another brother had a letter from him this week you know Logos has a who does it belong to Logos boat come on Operation Mobilization that Logos boat went to China and they had no trouble they let them dock and let them take out their Bibles they went to Venezuela a few weeks ago and the police got hold of them made them lock up the ship and then the police bombarded the ship broke windows took everybody out of the ship and put them in jail for a while they let them go you see the Pope is going to Venezuela so now for the time being let's hope it doesn't change it you cannot get a visa to go into Venezuela as a missionary they don't want any evangelical activity they don't want anybody's eyes to be open they want to bring the false priest there who is anti-Christ not the anti-Christ but he is anti-Christ anyhow Paul says I tell you even weeping they are enemies of the cross of Christ because it says Mary is equal redemptive in redemptive power you can pray to Mary or to Jesus it's optional not so Jehovah's Witnesses talk about Christ but they are anti-Christ they are enemies of every denomination Mormonism Latter Day Saints my foot why? because they reject the blood of Christ the Mormons reject the blood of Christ Jehovah's Witnesses reject the blood of Christ all the modern so called religions reject the blood of Christ we are not too worried about it are we? I tell you I told God I don't care if I never go out of my house or out of this area again I don't care if I have to weep and groan and fast and travel I don't care a hill of beans about that what the church has had in the last 25 years hasn't moved America to nearer heaven with all the millions of dollars we spent so God has to do a new thing and he's going to do a new thing and that's why I love to come to Last Day and talk to you folk and you others that come in from other places you're the hope we greyheads had our day what are you going to do? just talk about the history oh Finny Finny and get down to the word and read through the apostles and read through the prophets and tread with these men of sorrow here is a man of sorrow standing in the midst of hostility standing firmly in the midst of because this feast was a feast of joy and they were happy and laughing and clapping their hands and going to hell at the same time they were squeezed in they were slaves I think Jesus was weeping for that the whole nation was in slavery to the Roman empire and they were in slavery to godless religion you know we have the biggest task on our hands of any generation there are more lost people tonight than ever there have been in history and we sleep not just physically we sleep spiritually there's an old old hymn I hope it's in here I'm going to ask you to sing it let me ask you this tonight here how many of us here have lost children or lost parents raise your hand let me see isn't that enough to drive us to our knees drive us to tears tell god we don't care but if people think we're insane so what I'll tell you what we won't be embarrassed at the judgment seat that we farted and prayed and wept and got out of step with some denominational bunch of pranks the holy ghost wants to come in me in his fullness and you and pour out rivers not trickles not when you just feel like praying but taking hold of you like a river that you see sometimes on tv and the rivers in full flood and it sweeps houses away it sweeps away cars it sweeps away big trees there's nothing can stand there is no hope this generation will fill hell quicker than any other generation unless god in mercy fills us unless you say lord there's nothing I want I don't want some new watch for christmas I want a new anointing I want a new revelation I want a new quickening see if I can find it now I want you to sing it just not emotionally but spiritually it's a tremendous hymn 207 let's stand and sing it let's try and see these lost millions