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.
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