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The Redemptive Judgements of God
David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.
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In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of the redemptive judgments of God. He references Jeremiah 32 and highlights the story of Jeremiah buying a piece of land while he was in prison. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jeremiah believed that God would bring forth a bright new day and wanted to be a part of it. The preacher emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's plans and proclaiming His message, even in the midst of judgment. The sermon concludes with a prayer for the congregation to have faith in God's prophetic word and for the Holy Spirit to bring about a transformation in their thinking.
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This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. I want to talk to you this morning about the redemptive judgments of God. The redemptive judgments of God. I want you to take your Bible and go to Jeremiah 32 and just leave that open on your lap. Don't race ahead trying to find out where I'm going. You'll never find it. Just leave it open on your lap. And in the annex, please, if you're visiting with us and you plan to come up, bring your Bibles. You'll need it here at Times Square Church and in all the overflow rooms. God bless you. The redemptive judgments of God. Heavenly Father, I know where this message came from. It came from your heart. You gave it to me, Lord, to speak it this morning to this congregation. You brought this particular people together at this time and this place. You're speaking a prophetic word to us. And Lord, what I have heard, I believe. I believe it with all of my heart. And I proclaim it with faith. Lord, sanctify this vessel that may be a clean vessel with clean hands and pure heart, the word would go forth unhindered. Holy Spirit, go with this word and let it sink deep into our hearts and let it change the way we think. Even our thinking, all of our patterns of thought change today. Lord, to take us deeper into you, let us know more of your eternal purposes and what you have planned for the future. Lord, it's not hidden. You said you don't do anything till you reveal it to your servants. And we believe, Lord, that you're speaking to us. Lord, you spoke to us long before 9-11. You warned us that something was coming. But Lord, we warn of something great that's coming this morning. We're not just warned, but we rejoice in what we see coming. In Jesus' name, Amen. In the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army has surrounded Jerusalem. They've built mounds up the wall so that they can send their troops right over the wall. The mounds are getting near the top of the wall. And all the prophecies that Jeremiah had given to Israel and Judah and Jerusalem are coming to pass. Everything that he said, everything he warned about, the judgments are falling now. There's famine in the land. There are pestilences. There is wickedness and ruin on all sides. Everything the prophet warned about, he is watching. But he's watching it from prison. The Bible says that the princes and really the government of Israel and Jerusalem had shut him up in prison. And he sees all of this happening. The armies are gathering and he's shut up in prison. And I'm sure that those princes and all of those leaders of government said among themselves, must have been boasting among themselves, we have shut the mouth of God. We've shut the mouth of doom and gloom. We have made this preacher who warns, we've made him totally ineffective. He has no place now. We will not hear any more of this kind of gospel. And folks, this is where the church of Jesus Christ is today. The body of Christ and what is called the church and what is called the religious systems in America and the world today. Now the context of this chapter and what we're going to share with, the first context has to do with Jerusalem and Israel going into captivity for 70 years. And after 70 years, God's going to have mercy. And in that judgment, there will be mercy, redemptive mercy. He will bring them back and he will restore them. That's what Jeremiah is saying and what God has revealed to him. And the church of Jesus Christ, I believe, is in a similar situation. This does not refer only to Israel, natural Israel. It speaks to spiritual Israel. And you'll find that in the 33rd chapter. I'm going to turn there. But it says in this time, this particular time, in those days, it's in the 15th verse of chapter 33, in those days and at that time will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David and he shall execute judgment of righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved. Jerusalem shall be dwelled safely. This is the name by which she should be called the Lord, our righteousness. Now that is not yet natural Israel. This is the fulfillment of the spiritual Israel. It's a dual prophecy. Keep this in mind. That's why I can preach it with confidence this morning. You see, this is think about it right now. Shut up in prison. And the message seems to have no effect now because Jeremiah represents the holy remnant and the voice of God in troubled times. Now take it to this present day. Shut up in prison. And this is exactly what it appears that the enemy has done to the body of Christ and to the church, what is called the church. Homosexuals seem to be now in charge. The Anglican church has just now elevated a priest to bishop and he stood there as he was elevated to bishop with his homosexual lover at his side. The evangelical Lutheran church has done the same. They are now honoring homosexuals and putting them in the ministry. Evangelical Lutherans. Other denominations are falling in line and we see now Islam rising in such power and in such authority. They boast when we were in England, they boasted within 10 years they will control the government in England. Islam claims that within our generation, that's within 30, 40 years in their mind, the United States will be under the control of Islam and Muhammad and Allah. And we see all of these forces, the wickedness. Could you have thought 20 years ago that America and this nation and other nations of the world would go corrupt so fast, spinning out of control the moral chaos, the moral landslide? Could you believe that 20 years ago the things that are allowed and what you hear today, legalizing homosexual marriages, ordaining in the church homosexual priests. One of them who was helped to launch a porno site and they know it. The English Anglican priest, the Anglicans claim 70 million adherents, but you go to England, the Anglican church and look at those huge, huge buildings and there are a hundred people sitting there. 70 million people, no, they've got maybe a million people who are truly adherents and yet they seem to have the power. They have the voice while praying people and those who are in true spiritual evangelical ministries and the body of Jesus Christ seems to be shut up in a prison where they don't seem to be effective, their voice is not heard. It seems as though the wicked leaders of government society have shut up. They have ruled God out of our schools, they are ruling him out of our government and now down in Alabama, one piece of granite that's been there for years with the Ten Commandments, the courts have said you have to remove it from the courthouse yard. Amazing. And there's nobody seems to be able to do anything. Everybody seems helpless. The judge there, Christian judge says I'm not going to move it and so they just bring the cranes and move it. It's supreme court. The church appears to have little or no influence over the powers of hell that are invading, defiling the church of Jesus Christ, defiling our American and not just America but all over the world. The United States of Europe now, the new constitution that's just been put in place. They decided they would not even consider the concept of God. When I was in England, Mr. Blair wanted to add just the word thank God for what had happened for their armies. He wanted to thank God and his people said no, we are not into the God thing. We are not into the God thing. Imagine it. Even the most ungodly on the earth know that there is a shaking. We are living under terror, the threat of terror around the world. Now if God judged Noah's generation for its wickedness, he judged Sodom and Gomorrah for its wickedness, how do we escape when we have sinned a hundred times worse than Noah's generation and Sodom's generation? How can God dare spare judgment? As Billy Graham said, he'd have to apologize to Sodom. And in the very throes of judgment, God speaks a word to Jeremiah. It's a rather strange word. He said, your uncle is going to come to you. He's going to ask you to buy his field in Xanathoth. And when he does, I want you to buy that field. I want you to purchase it, subscribe it. And I want you to get an earthen pot and I want you to take a copy of the deed and bury it in the ground so it can be preserved for a long period of time. You can read the whole story in the 32nd chapter here of Jeremiah. His uncle sends his son to Jeremiah's prison and he said, I'm asking you to redeem my field. I'm abandoning it, in other words. And you have the right of redemption. I want you to purchase my field. And God had told him because the Lord said, I have a reason for you doing this. And he bought the field. Now, can you imagine the turmoil Jeremiah must have been in if he hadn't had a word from God, he would not dare this because the crowd around him says, what do you mean you're buying a piece of land? You've been saying the land is going to be destroyed. The Chaldeans are going to be enrolled here and that's going to be a worthless piece of land. And why are you buying it? It's going to be absolutely worthless. All of this preaching that we are to just surrender the Chaldeans and go into captivity or we're going to be destroyed and we're in famine, the land can't produce anything. Why are you buying this piece of land? The Bible said he bought it. Now, the word anathoth is from a Hebrew root word anath that means to testify and to go on record, to witness. Now, I want you to think about that for a minute. God said, I want you to bear witness about my nature, who I am. Jeremiah, you understand something about my divine judgment. You've been preaching it for years, but I want you to preach another message. There's a fresh word coming. Everything I told you is going to happen. But I'm telling you that what I'm doing in the way of judgment is to redeem a people. God gets no pleasure out of the death of the wicked. That is not his great work. Our God is a Redeemer. Our Christ is a Savior. To the uttermost, the Bible says. What he's saying, yes, judgment is coming. Every word that I've told you, Jeremiah, is going to come to pass. But I have a purpose in it. I'm going to purge through fire and judgment. I'm going to purge the land. I'm going to defend my holy name and I am going to cleanse my church. I'm going to cleanse the body, my house. I'm going to cleanse it completely through fire. And so he buys the piece of land and this is the testimony of his purchase. That his judgments are not just outburst of his wrath. It's not just vengeance against sin. God says to Jeremiah, I want you to proclaim something that's coming. And it was so wonderful, he could scarcely believe it. Now, here's a man who's been preaching the judgment of God upon a nation and upon a people and upon a church. And God comes to him while he's in prison. And he said, I want you to testify. You buy that piece of land because you're going to be a witness. And by this, no matter what anybody says, that means that I'm going to restore. That once again, there's a time coming when houses will be purchased and land will be purchased. You're making a good investment, Jeremiah, because you're testifying to my mercy. You're testifying to my grace and that this is a redemptive judgment. So he buys the land as a testimony. It's true, God was angry at the wicked abomination. He said the city shall be set on fire. Houses will be burned. I will bring ruin because they have provoked me to anger. They provoked my anger and my fury. They've turned their back to me. They've brought abominations into my house. And I can tell you now, Almighty God is seething in righteous anger and indignation at the abominations being brought into his house, that which is called by his name because they call themselves the church and the abominations are being in. The Bible said God is angry and there will be a fury poured out. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, houses and fields and vineyards shall once again be possessed in this land. He said, I'm going to do a new thing, he told the prophet. In essence, he's saying to the people, you don't know something that I know about God. I've received a revelation about his nature. There's something that you need to know. The purpose in all of this is not to get even with the devil or try to judge people for the sins. God is not just trying to appease his anger. The prophet, it must have been very difficult for Jeremiah to receive this. Must have been very, very difficult. He's in prison. He says, I don't have a voice now. But God said there is a testimony. You buy this land. You're preaching the message they need to hear. All of Israel is going to hear about this purchase. And when they ask you, say, I bought it because it's going to be worth money someday. I bought it because a merciful God who's sending judgment is going to bring back a new thing. Something's coming that is glorious. And I want to be a part of it. He was testifying about what would happen down many years down the road. What he was saying was God will bring forth a bright new day. He goes to prayer. He's so amazed at what he heard. And he said, I prayed unto the Lord, all Lord God. That's in verse 16 and 17, chapter 32, verse 16, 17. Now, when I delivered the evidence of the purchase to Baruch, the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying, all Lord God, behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power. You're stretched out arm. There's nothing too hard for thee. You know what he's saying? Lord, this is so unbelievable what I'm seeing. But Lord, you're great. You read the rest of the prayer there in the next verses. What a great God you are. What a great counselor you are. And he builds up the power and the presence and the might of holy God. And then he says, nothing is impossible with you, O God. What he's saying, out of this judgment, out of this awful fire that's coming, you can do anything. Nothing's impossible with you. You can save the day. You can bring mercy out of judgment. Nothing is too hard for you. Then he says that. We have disobeyed, Lord, we've broken your covenant and thy judgments are now falling on us. The mounts are to the top of our walls. In other words, you told me to buy this money, not buy this filled with money. He said, Lord, I hear what you say, but it looks impossible. How can we expect God to do this great new thing that he talks about when there's judgment falling and the Chaldeans about to climb those mounts, climb over our walls and the city is going to be destroyed? And you're telling me this, but God, what I see around me, the helplessness of the church, when I see the chaos, you're telling me these great things that are going to happen, that you're going to raise up a new body, that you're going to find all the lost sheep around the nations and you're going to bring them back and you're going to build new houses and they're going to be singing in the streets and going to be rejoicing. But Lord, look at the army, look at the condition. And when you look at the condition now in the land, and I know many of you, even some of you go to church and even some of you may respect me. You're tired of hearing about judgment coming to America. You look at the conditions and you see the rise of the homosexual agenda. Scalia, one of the Supreme Court said, the only reason we have passed this law concerning legitimizing homosexuality is we have bought into the homosexual agenda. That's from the Supreme Court judge himself. We've bought into the agenda of the homosexual. And folks, it's all a part of one single design. All of this that's coming into the church, all of this trying to get rid of God, it's one satanic agenda. And that is to take away the godhood of Christ. It's to take away the glory of God, which is Jesus Christ. Accept him as a man, deny him as God. It's one agenda. That's all it is. And he says, you want me to... And the Lord interrupts his prayer. The Lord interrupts him. Verse 27, then came the word unto Jemiah, number 26, saying unto Jeremiah, behold, I am the Lord thy God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? You know what he's saying? Jeremiah, you just told me. You just prayed. Nothing is too hard for God. God interrupts his prayer because now he's wavering. In other words, I can't believe this. God, the enemy, is everywhere in control. And God comes back and says, I'm God. I'm the Lord. I'm the God of all flesh. I'm the God of all flesh. Jeremiah, I'm asking you, do you believe what you said? Is there anything too hard for me? Put it in your mind. Compute it. We have a God who's a God of all flesh. He's the God over bishops. He's the God over Supreme Court. He's the God of all nature. He's the God of all America and all the nations of the world. Is there anything too hard for my God? Glory to Jesus. God showing Jeremiah something powerful. Is there anything too hard for me, he asked. What was it that Jeremiah saw? Jeremiah, what you're saying is true. That's true. Your prophecy is coming to pass. You see it right before your eyes, even though you're shut up in prison. Verse 37, Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whether I've driven them in my anger. He's talking about God's people in my fury and great wrath. And I will bring them again into this place and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be my people and I will be their God. I will give them one heart, one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and of the children after them. And I'll make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good. I'll put my fear in their hearts. They shall not depart from me. I will rejoice over them to do them good. And I will plant them in this land and certainly with my whole heart and my whole soul. For thus saith the Lord, like as I brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I promised them. The field shall be bought in this land, even though wherever you say it is destined without man or beast is given in the hand of the Chaldeans. Yes, the prophecy is right. Yes, that's all going to happen. But God said, I'm going to do a new thing. Now, folks, this has to do, the context has to do with the return of Israel from captivity in Babylon. But as I say, it is to do one chapter 33, which is that at this time, when I do this, at this time, I'm going to bring forth the branch. That branch is Jesus Christ. And the church is under the lordship of the Lord, our righteousness. That has never been the case with the Jewish nation to this point. So this is a dual prophecy. And this was not fully fulfilled when they returned from captivity. This prophecy has never been fully fulfilled to this day. And that's why we can have every power and authority, every right to lay hold of it now, to see what God is going to do in the church of Jesus Christ before he comes. Jesus is not coming back for a desolated, defiled church. He said he's coming back for a victorious church without spot or wrinkle. He is not going to allow the devil to devastate it. Hallelujah. No matter what happens to our society, no matter where the judgments are, he's saying, I want you to get a new mindset now. You spoke in the judgments that people didn't believe. They don't care. But now they see them happening. But I want you now to preach a positive message. I want you to go on the offensive. You're not on the defensive anymore. You're on the offensive. Now, something wonderful happens. I'm going to read to you Psalm 106, 7, 8. Our fathers understood not the wonders of Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of his mercies. They provoked him at the sea, even the Red Sea. Nevertheless, he saved them for his namesake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. You see, a nation or people, a generation comes to a place where they're so provoked, God. They've so cast his truth into the mud and the mire. They're so mocked his name. They've clenched their fists and they've cursed his name. They've made the name of God, the name of Jesus Christ, to appear ineffective. Just another name. But God is jealous over his name. He's jealous over the name of his son. And the Bible says that in the last days he is going to rise up and defend his holy name. Jesus in Gethsemane prayed, Father, glorify thy name. Then came their voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and I'll glorify it again. He said, I'm glorifying my name right here now. I'm going to judge every man now on one criterion. And that is, what have you done with my son? What have you done with Jesus? I give him as your redeemer. I give him as a love offering for your sins. I will judge on one criterion. I'm not even going to judge you just for sin. And the one sin that I will judge you on is that you rejected this offer of redemption and renewal, restoration, reconciling to God through my own son. He said, yes, I have glorified my son this day because Jesus, my son, I sent you. And this is the time that I glorify my name. But I'm going to do it again. I'll do it again. And that keeps ringing in my ear. I will glorify my name again. Ezekiel gives us examples of the redemptive judgments. Once you go to Ezekiel, please, the 20th chapter, very quickly through the scripture. Folks, here at Times Square Church, we love the word of God. Ezekiel, the 20th chapter. I want to show you now, listen closely. What God is going to do has nothing to do with prayer, has nothing to do with fasting, has nothing to do with intercession. Now, folks, we've had 100 years of prayer and intercession. We've had people crying for revival. We've been hearing people cry out for God to run to heavens and come down. People have gone to cities and claim to have taken power and authority for 100 years. Nothing has changed. Nations are more wicked than they'd ever been before. God says, I'm going to do a new thing. I did it once before to bring glory to my name, and I'm going to do it again. I told my son I'd do it, and I'm going to do it. Has nothing to do with revival. Has nothing to do with restoration. It's a new thing beyond revival. God said, I'm going to do it on my own initiative. I'm going to come forth and rise up and defend my holy name. I'll prove it to you. Ezekiel 20, verse 13 to 14. Verse 13, But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They walked not in my statues, they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. Then my sabbaths were polluted, and I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness and consume them. But I wrought, I saved them. How? Why? For my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen in whose sight I brought them out. He said, I've had enough. The heathen have mocked my name. They've dragged my name into the mire. Folks, there's not a sign of repentance here. Nobody's praying. Nobody's seeking God. Nobody's fasting. In fact, they're in rebellion. But God says, I'm going to do a new thing. I will work for them and for my name's sake, that my name shall no longer be polluted among the heathen. Go to verse 17. Nevertheless, my eye, verse 16 says, they despised my judgments, walked not in my statues, polluted my sabbaths, for their heart went toward their idols. Nevertheless, my eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. God said, I didn't give them what they deserved. Verse 21. Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against me. They walked not in my statues. They didn't keep my judgment to do them. What if a man do, he shall even live in them. They polluted my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless, folks, what does it say? I withdrew my hand and I wrought, or I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen in whose sight I brought them forth. Verse 44. I will accept you with your sweet savor when I bring you out from the people and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. Now, look at me and listen, please. Here in the time of Jeremiah, there is not one word about a people on their face. Not one word about prayer. Now, thank God for this. Thank God for prayer. God answers prayer. We should be praying for our nation. But, folks, there's coming a time when God says, I want you to change the way you pray, because I want you to go out now and you buy your field at Anathoth. You make a testimony. You take my word and you buy into this that I promise. You buy into this promise. There's a testimony to the world. God says, I'm going to rise and defend my holy name. And when he does that, he says, I'm going to remove from my house all that is wicked. I'm going to deal with, folks, the day is coming. And I believe it's already here. That God is going to judge first. He said, judgment begins in his house. And he's going to drive out the money changers once again. He's going to take those who spend an hour or two raising offerings and begging money from the people. God is going to come down on those who have slipped so far away from this word, have cast this word out as a moral guide. And they've turned to the flesh. God to say, I will bankrupt those churches. There's bankruptcy coming. You watch and see. When I was in England, I'm not against the Anglican church, because Anglican young people were flooding to my meetings and many, many came, weeping, even telling me, my church has stolen my faith. My church has robbed me of all confidence in God. The week I was there, 1,200 of the churches were closed. 1,200 churches of that denomination were closed. They called it desanctifying them. Folks, the day is coming that God will pull out of those churches the righteous bishops. He will pull out of all of these groups, those who have a heart for Him, and He's going to do, oh, God's going to save many of them. God's going to save. God said, I'm going to give a new heart. And I'm going to put my fear in their hearts. The word be to God. I will purge out from among you. This is Ezekiel 20, verse 38. I will purge out from among you the rebels and the transgressors. The Lord says, they will loathe themselves for their sins. They will be ashamed of their iniquities and their transgressions. Folks, these are some wonderful promises that God has given. And He said, I'm going to give a new heart to my people. There's going to be something happening. And I don't know how He does it except Ezekiel says it's going to come through the moving of the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit is going to come in a powerful way. And He says, I'm going to cause people to turn from their wicked ways. They won't even know. They won't even understand that the Spirit of God is going to come down because God is going to take the initiative. God Himself. He's going to take the initiative and He's going to move on hearts. He says, I'm going to create a new heart. And He says, I'm going to plant my fear in their hearts and I'm going to cause them to loathe their sin and be ashamed of their iniquities. Folks, I see that happening now everywhere I go all over the world. And what God is saying, this is a time for a testimony. This is a time for God's people to stand up now and make a declaration that even at this time of judgment, no matter how black and dark things get, it's going to be the greatest hour of evangelism in the history of the church of Jesus Christ. And He's saying, I want you to buy into this. I want you to have a part in this. I want you to be a testimony. And that testimony is that you should not be afraid or ashamed to go to the most wicked sinner that you know. I don't care if they're a leader of a homosexual group. I don't care if it's a homosexual bishop. My God is able now to bring conviction. He's able to give a new heart. He's able to cleanse to the uttermost. And I want to be a part of what He's doing. I find this conviction everywhere I go now. And you'll find it also. There's a loathing for sin. My son Greg has just finished a youth movie filmed here in the streets of New York. And they set up a phone booth where young people can come off the streets and give their testimony or tell about their problems. And it's the most amazing thing. They told me about it. In fact, those who were taking it down and filming it were moved. Some of them were absolutely broken over. It was so incredible. These kids with all kinds of spiked hair and piercings all over their body and lined up. And there were questions given to them and how they were unburdened their heart about how they were so lonely and afraid and not wanting to talk about their sins, so sick of their sins. And it was amazing to hear the kids from New York, none of them Christians, all of them just unburdened their heart. Folks, that's supernatural. That's God rising up. They're not hearing it from a church yet, but God is moving. He's causing them to loathe their sins and be ashamed of their past. And God says, I'm going to give a new heart. And if God's passing out new hearts, if God said, I'm doing this, I want to be in on it. I want a part of it. And God said, I will rejoice over them. Now, if he says he's going to rejoice over this new engathering in the last days, then it means there's going to be a great engathering. He said, I'm going to rejoice over this engathering. Folks, it's time to get on the offensive. We don't have any more to defend the name of Jesus. I know that you get riled up. We all get riled up when we hear of the agendas of the wicked. Now, you say, are you calling all homosexuals wicked? I'm calling homosexuality wickedness. I'm calling homosexuality. There are people in this church who've been delivered from homosexuality. They're wonderful men and women of God. We're not talking about that. But I know you get riled up, and I know the Bible says, who will rise up from me against the evil doers? But God is saying, you don't have to defend my name. I will rise and defend my name. I'm going to rise up and defend my holy name. Oh, beloved, when that happens, you're going to see things that you could never believe possible. And you and I are not to gloat over it. We're not to say, God, get them. Oh, God, come on. Send them all to hell. No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, God, you said you're going to give new hearts. You're going to break. You're going to cause people to know their sin. God, make me a witness. Make me a testimony. Lord, I know judgment's coming. But now that judgments have begun, I'm not preaching that message right now. Yes, it's coming. Be warned. But know also that we have a God in heaven who's a redeemer. He has come to set people free from their iniquities and their sins. We ought to be reconcilers. Folks, this is a revelation that I'm still working on. But I'm going to keep preaching it until we understand that we're entering into a new day and a new time. And this is a time not to just sit in the house of God and enjoy the blessings and hear revelations. How many times do you have to take a bath before you're clean? I mean, come on, folks. How many times do you have to hear covenant preaching and not get it? Isn't there a time you wake up and say, God, my neighbors, I haven't talked to my neighbors. There are people on my job, and I know you're at work. You're convicting. You're at work. They're sick and tired of their sins now. God, give me courage. Give me power. I'm going to be a part of this. I'm going to move in. I'm going to buy the field. Oh, glory to God. Folks, if we get this, we're going to reach New York as we've never reached it. And so are other churches. God's going to rise up, and we're going to reach people in this city and everywhere you go on the street. I'll tell you right now, you've gone anywhere on these streets now, and you're going to find a whole different atmosphere. And God's telling me to get a new attitude. Get a new attitude. Do I still believe Jezebel is coming? Yes. But I believe they're redemptive. I believe that God is doing a new thing. Glory be to God. God wants to save your husband if he's backslidden, if he's not serving Christ. God wants to save every one of your children. I don't care if they're in jail. God can send somebody in jail to them and get them saved. God wants to do that. And shouldn't our prayer be, now, O God, give us a new vision for New York City? All week long, that's been my prayer, and God's hearing me. Praying, Lord, I came to this city 16 years ago again to establish this church at your command and mandate. And I'm saying, O God, you've allowed me to go to all parts of the world to preach to pastors and all kinds of conventions and huge rallies. But, O God, I want a new burden and vision for New York City. This is the greatest mission field in the world. It's one of the greatest mission fields. It's time to be a soul winner. It's time to get in on this new thing God's going to do. Folks, I am excited. I've never been more excited in all my ministry. Because I see what's coming, and I want you to see it. God, on His own initiative, simply because He will not let His glory be trampled any longer, because He's going to protect His holy name, He's not going to let this word be cast in the mire any longer. The time has come. We should start rejoicing and start pleading for souls now in New York. Folks, we need to pray that God will move down to Greenwich Village. We need to pray that He'll move in the United Nations, as He never moved before. We need to pray that every job, that every one of the Christians in this place, I don't know where you work, but I ask you to believe that God said He's rising up in your building. The Holy Spirit's going through your building, going through your very office, going through your spot where you are, and He is doing a new thing. He's opened the eyes and the minds of the people. The devil is not going to bring the church down. The church of Jesus Christ will prevail. Will you stand, please? I don't want this to sound like a pep rally to you. That's not what does it. It's when you get on your knees and say, oh God, give me a fresh burden of concern from my family, from my neighbors. I have a neighbor that I'm praying for and working on. How about the people in your building? The people you see when you go in and out of your apartment? How about just turning to the one next to you when you're standing in a subway? Ask God to give you the words. And this time when you look at Him, have faith. God said He can give you a new heart. Make you ashamed and loathe your sins, because He wants to get glory to His name. Folks, it's all about the glory of God. He will not let any agenda of anybody stop His agenda. And His agenda is one to glorify Christ, His Son, before the whole world. He will be glorified. Hallelujah. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray that you give us faith. God, give us a Holy Ghost attitude. When we see these judgments coming, we don't gloat on these things and we don't fear them for our own welfare's sake. But Lord, we say you have promised in your Word that you're going to make a covenant, a new covenant. You're going to give new hearts. Lord, you're going to do that for Israel. One day you're going to come and rise and your glory will be proclaimed all through Israel. Lord, we're going to see miracles. We're going to see these altars just filled with people coming to Christ. We're going to have people testify, I witnessed to my friend on the job, I witnessed to a neighbor, I witnessed to someone, and they give their heart to Christ. Oh God, give us a passion for souls now. God, we've been at this mountain long enough. We've been here long enough. Lord, we've heard your purging word, we've heard of the judgments, we've heard of all these things. Now Lord, give us this new Holy Ghost attitude. God is moving by His Spirit. Hallelujah. Lord Jesus, I pray for those that you're moving on right now. If what I preached this morning is true, and you're here this morning moving, you're moving on the hearts of those that came this morning who have said in so many words, and they have this mindset, that God has forgotten me, and there's a coldness, and there's an emptiness, and there's a fear. And God, I'm asking you in your love to do what you promised to do in the last days, and begin it right here and now this morning. In the annex, and in the overflow rooms, and here in this main auditorium. Holy Spirit, breathe now. Just breathe your Spirit. Those that are living in sin, and they want that sin to be broken, they want the power of sin to be broken, Lord, it's probably just one habit, one thing that still lingers, and you're saying, give it to me, and I will break the power, and I'll give you a new heart, and I'll put my fear in your heart, and I'll make a covenant with you that I won't hurt you, and I'll do only good for you if you just turn to me with all your heart. And those who have run from you, Lord, those who have backslidden and turned their heart from you, I ask you to bring them home today. You're among friends. I'm not asking for those who love Christ to come forward. I'm asking for those that I've pinpointed in prayer right now. There is this sense that God has not heard your prayer. He's not answered you. I don't know if there's anger in your heart or whatever it may be. And if you really don't know Christ, maybe you went to an altar, or maybe you confessed, say, I received Christ as Lord, but you've never really surrendered your life to Him. It's not one thing. You just don't vote for Jesus. You commit to Him right now. And that's the only criterion of judgment on the judgment day. What have you done with my Christ? Father says, what have you done about Jesus? I want you to get out of your seat, up on the balcony, go to the stairs on either side, here on the main floor, just come and meet me here, and in the annex, do the same. I want you in the annex, if you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit, say, Brother Wilkinson, I need a miracle in my life today. I want to surrender all that I am and all that I have to Christ. I want to give Him my life. And if you've been backslidden, you say, I want to come home, and I want to sense His love in my life again, you go to this turnaround to the back hall, where you came in, and usher, will you please show them how to get into this building, and we'll wait for you to come down, and meet me right here, and we'll pray for you, and we'll believe God for a miracle. Just come and step forward here, if you will please, follow these that are coming, all over the building, and upstairs, in the balcony, wherever you may be, step out, and let's believe God for a great miracle here today. The very thing that I'm preaching about, He wants to do. We're not interested anymore, and we never have been, but especially now, in packing this altar, we're here in finding everyone that God's Spirit is dealing with. And He's dealing with you in power, and grace, and love. You hear that call. He said, they entered in with the heathen, they profaned my holy name, again, He says, they've gone away from me, but I had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the heathen, whether they went. Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, I do this, not for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the heathen, and I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the midst of them, and the heathens shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. He said, when the world sees you rise up in holiness, and you take the offense, and you put on the armor of God, and you're not ashamed of this holy name, and when God begins to move, He said, then I'll sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, and all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart will I give you. A new spirit will I put within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them. I will save you from all your uncleanness. Glory to God. Then you'll remember your evil ways and your doings that were not good. You'll loathe yourself and your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. But not for your sakes am I going to do this, saith the Lord God. Be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways. No, God says, I'm going to do this because I'm going to defend my own name. Glory be to God. A supernatural work is coming. A supernatural work. Now, you that are here at the altar, look at me please. Look this way if you will, those that came forward. God says, I want to sprinkle clean water on you. That's the word of God. He's doing that right now. The word of God is sprinkling it, and He's telling you. And by the way, do you know what He's doing now here by changing your heart? Giving you a new heart? He says, it's not because you were praying somewhere. It doesn't mean that you've done some good or you've made me some promises. He says, I'm doing this for my sake. Because I love you. I'm doing this for my sake because I love you. There's not one good thing in any of you. There's not one good thing in me. Nothing that deserves this. We have not done it. I don't care if every American was on their face. Unless the whole nation, everyone, all the government, everyone turns to the Lord. Nothing would happen. It would have to be a total repentance as it was in Nineveh. But God says, no, I'm not waiting on my people anymore. I'm not fasting, I'm not waiting on prayer. You continue to do that, but pray now for the in-gathering. Turn your prayers now to God glorifying His name. We sang that glorify your name. All through the service you were being led to sing on glorify His precious name. We're going to glorify the name of the Lord and thank Him for this promise I'm going to give new hearts. I'm going to cause shame for sin. Only God can do that. There's been nothing but pride. It's called gay pride, for example. It's all called pride. God says, oh no, no, no, it's going to be different. The time, I'm telling you now, two things. I prophesied in Brazil just a few weeks ago. The Spirit of the Lord came on me and there were thousands of young people there. The Holy Spirit moved on me and the Holy Spirit said clearly that He was raising up over one million young people to go to nations around the world to proclaim a new thing that God was going to do on the earth. Over a million young people. You see, a revival is just the resurrection of something that threatens to become a corpse. Something that's dying is resurrected. No, no, no, folks, this is beyond that. This is God saying, I'm going to do a new thing. Something you've never seen or heard before because I'm going to do it supernaturally. It's all going to be supernatural. He's doing it in your heart supernaturally right now. There's a moving, there's something going on inside you. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. Will you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear Jesus, I thank You for moving on me. I don't deserve this. This is not because I prayed for it. There's no good thing in me. But You love me and You promised to sprinkle clean water on me, cleanse me, forgive me, give me a new heart. Take the hardness out of me and give me a soft heart, a clean heart, because I surrender my life, all that I am and all that I have to Jesus Christ. Lord, I proclaim You as God and my Savior. Now raise your hands and thank Him in your own words. I give you praise. Lord be the God. This is the conclusion of the message.
The Redemptive Judgements of God
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David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.