[0:00] to die and a new place in me you will find. For whatever it takes to draw closer to you, Lord, that's what I'll be willing to do. For whatever it takes to be more like you, that's what I'll be willing to do. Take my houses and lands, change my dreams and my plans, for I've placed my whole life in your hands. And if you call me someday, do not let far away, Lord, I'll go and your will obey. For whatever it takes to draw closer to you,
[1:24] Lord, that's what I'll be willing to do. For whatever it takes, for my will to break, that's what I'll be willing to do. I'll try to shine for pain, I'll burn for pain, that's what I'll be willing to do. For whatever it takes, for my will to break, that's what I'll be willing to do. Yes, that's what I'll be willing to do.
[2:26] Amen. Amen. That's a loaded song. In fact, I even, when my wife first mentioned that she liked to sing that song, I'd say, well, let's hold off on that for a little while. That's a serious song. I mean, there's a lot in that song.
[2:58] It's a good song, though, good words. And to consider those words, and man, if you can be that willing to go through whatever the Lord has to put you through, man, that's high ground. Good song.
[3:11] Well, go ahead and open up to Genesis chapter 4. And while you're going there, I'll just give a brief overview. I know I was here just a few months ago. But again, my name is David Drake, a missionary to Papua New Guinea. We are fully supported by God's grace. We, I mean, I look back on it now, and I don't understand how we got our support during the midst of COVID and all that stuff. We had very few cancellations. The ones that were canceled, the Lord filled, I mean, almost immediately most of them.
[3:46] I think we had one or two Sundays the entire time of deputation where we had nothing to do. So it's a blessing. So we actually finished deputation back in June, the end of June. So we've been kind of gearing towards getting overseas, just a lot of paperwork, all that kind of stuff, you know, and doctor appointments and all this, all this just stuff. It's not like you can just get on a plane and go. There's a lot, a lot to it. Thank you, pastor, for allowing us to use your church property.
[4:18] We had that eyesore back in your, your property for a little bit, that U-Haul, U-Box. But that was, that helped us out a lot. I mean, that was a real blessing. And I won't go into all those things, but the Lord really helped us a lot along the way. Chad Wells, I'm sure if you all know him, but he's been a real big help to us. He volunteered to pick up our, our belongings here, take it out to Idaho and pack it up for us. Just a lot of things like that. But we are, I mean, we are geared to go. We are ready to, to get on out of here. We are flying, Lord willing, November 2nd, a week from this Tuesday, going out to Papua New Guinea. We expect to be there for at least four to five years at a time. So, you know, all that stuff, that's in the, in the future. But as of now, we are, I mean, we're, we're ready to go. Got our tickets. We got our, all the documents.
[5:16] And there was, believe me, lots and lots of documents with visas and passports and controller's office and all this stuff. So we've got all that stuff taken care of. If we could be on a plane today, but we set our date for November 2nd and we're sticking with that. So we'll be flying out very, very soon from LAX. We now, the last prelator that we sent out, I should have waited another two weeks, but who could, I couldn't have known. The last prelator I put out, I told the churches that we have to quarantine for, I think at the time was 21 days. And then within the set, between me setting out that letter and getting the final word, it went from 21 days to 14 days to seven days. And then if you're fully vaccinated to no quarantine at all. So we had to get fully vaccinated. I just, there was no way around it. I've had all kinds of people say all kinds of things about that. And the way I put it is this. I have to trust the Lord for my health no matter what.
[6:19] Trust God has not changed my call. He still called me to Papua New Guinea. I'm not going anywhere else. That's where he wants me to go. The only way to get there. I had to get fully vaccinated.
[6:29] It was not fun. The first one, I got kind of sick afterwards. The second one, I was down. I could not get out of bed for a whole day, but we're fully vaccinated. So we don't have to quarantine.
[6:40] And that's a huge blessing. I can't even tell you. I mean, just the fact of being stuck in a hotel for three weeks is just terrible itself. And then the financial part of that is just immensely, a huge blessing, a huge burden off our shoulders. So that's a pretty big deal, a big answer to prayer.
[6:58] We're thankful for that. But where one thing is a huge blessing, another thing kind of gets worse. But we have the container situation. Our container, all our stuff is in a container in Boise, Idaho.
[7:11] We split a container with Chad Wells. It was supposed to be shipped off, I think, yeah, at the end of last month. But some things have happened. The shipping company went bankrupt. They folded. And so we're left to finding a shipper. I'm not sure if you've been down to the port recently. But there are, I think, 80 ships out there just waiting to get docked. It's insane.
[7:35] The price of containers have, I think, tripled at least in the last couple of months. So we had to pay for the container. The price for shipping it has gone way, just crazy expensive. So we have secured a shipper within the last couple of days. And we got the container, obviously. So we're waiting for all the final financial stuff for that to come to head with all the customs and all that stuff. But please pray that the shipper will be reliable, get it shipped out at a decent time.
[8:14] In fact, it was supposed to be shipped out at the end of last month, and it was supposed to be getting to Papua New Guinea in December. So now who knows when it's going to be there. But we have a lot of stuff on there, some time-sensitive things. And we got clothes. We've got homeschool material.
[8:30] We've got, I mean, I'm building my own house when I get there. And I got most of my tools on that container. So just a lot of stuff. So please pray that the Lord will get that shipped out to us and at a good time and safely and without the people stealing our stuff, all that kind of stuff. But as far as immediate needs, that's probably the biggest need right now. And just get prepared. I mean, we're moving to a third world country. I'm pretty resilient to that kind of stuff. And my wife is resilient as well. But it's going to be a culture shock. There's going to be a lot to go with that.
[9:07] So pray that the Lord give us the grace and that, I mean, yes, we're not going on a ship. We're not going on a boat overseas. Thank God for that. But I mean, it's, I think, 20-something hours in the air, 24, 25 hours in the air. And then we've got all the hours, the layovers, all that kind of stuff. And got three small kids. I'm not looking forward to it. I feel like buying NyQuil and just dosing my kids with NyQuil. And then I joke to my wife, I said, I'm going to get myself a first class ticket and let you guys sit in the back there. I'm not going to do that. It's a joke.
[9:40] But we're excited. I mean, we're excited. I can't wait to get over there. That's been my whole ambition, goal, desire to get to Papua New Guinea for the last couple of years.
[9:54] It's finally happening. I get kind of these waves of like the surreal feeling like it's actually going to happen, you know. And so we're down below the double-digit days. I think we got eight days left in the country. So my family was supposed to be here. Both my mom and dad came down with COVID.
[10:13] My mom got it really bad. She was in the hospital for about a week. And they were supposed to be here yesterday. But they couldn't fly up because their oxygen levels were still touch and go, whatever. So I was thinking about maybe my family flying out there to visit them. But for some reason, I don't have peace about doing it. I don't know why. I mean, the Lord had my family get sick at this particular time. I don't really understand what all the implications are. But I just don't feel at peace about leaving. We're here. I know we're supposed to be here. So my parents obviously are heartbroken about not being able to hug their grandbabies last time and see us. But pray for them, Ken and Genesis Drake. I know they're sad about not seeing us. But anyway, we're here. And I'm thankful the Lord has us to do, has something for us to do. So let's go ahead and look at a couple verses here in Genesis chapter 4. Genesis 4, starting verse 8. Genesis chapter 4, verse 8.
[11:13] The Bible says, And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. I want to call your attention to that last part of verse 10. It says, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. It's a very interesting passage. It shows you that blood has a voice. And it's crying from the ground. And it's crying out. And you know the story. Cain killed his brother Abel out of envy and all that kind of stuff. And he slew him. He murdered him. His blood was spilt. And God says, Where's your brother, Cain?
[12:06] And he says, Am I my brother's keeper? We've all heard that quote before. We've used that. And God says, His voice is crying to me from the ground. So I want to preach a message on this topic. And I'll give you the title in a minute. Let's go ahead and pray. Father, I thank you, Lord, for this day. I thank you, Lord, for an opportunity to be able to stand behind any pulpit and preach. God, I know me and I know I don't deserve the privilege, the opportunity to preach to anyone. God, to say you're reaching the bottom of the barrel, Lord, is an understatement. I'm not trying to be falsely humble. I'm not trying to put on. You know me. You know my heart. And Father, I know that I'm not worthy to stand up here in front of these people. God, I have nothing to offer them. I don't have any words of wisdom to give them.
[12:58] I don't have anything of myself. I'm not a very wise or smart person, Lord. But God, I have your words. And so, Lord, I'm going to lean upon your words and trust that your words would minister to your people.
[13:10] These are your people. They're not mine. God, I'm fully aware that these are your children, that they're saved, and they need to hear from you. So, Lord, I pray that you'd use me. I pray that you'd use me as a vessel that you want to be used, that you can get glory out of. And Father, I pray that you would speak to the hearts of your people here this morning. And I pray that they'll be pricked in their hearts, that they need to be convicted, that they need to be encouraged, to encourage them. And Father, if there's anybody here that's lost, that's just religious or whatever condition they might be in, if they're lost, they don't know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior from hell, I pray that this will be a day of change for them, a day where they receive Jesus Christ and have peace with God. So, please help us today, Father, to be mindful of you, your spirit, Lord, and please guide every aspect of the service. We sure do love you, and we ask all these things in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Now, years ago, I joined up in the United States Army. I think it was December of 2005, I joined up and went to basic training a few months after that. And I can remember going off into boot camp, and I remember very distinctly one of the training exercises they had us do. They had us out there on the parade ground. This was late, spring, early summer, and it was hot. There's no shade out there. We're on this big old open field, and they had us out there doing bayonet training. And I think about that, and we don't use bayonets anymore. I mean, we're not waiting to see the white of their eyes to, you know, fix bayonets and charge and all that kind of stuff. But bayonet training, I think they still train us, at least infantrymen, that way, just really instill that zeal, that grit, that warrior spirit, and all that kind of stuff.
[15:02] And it was effectual, man. It worked. I can remember being out there, and it was just blazing hot. And we're wearing our uniform. We got our LBE on. We got our weapon in hand. And they had all these hundreds and hundreds of dummy enemies. You know, their rubber tire with a rubber flap for a head, a rubber flap for hands. And they had us out there on the parade ground, and we're just sweating bullets. You know, they marched us out there and got us all around. We all had our own little rubber dummy. And the drill sergeant out there on a platform, and I can remember him. I mean, man, I can hear it. I can feel the air. I can smell the freshly mown grass. I can see the scenery and all the stuff going on. And the drill sergeant out there on the platform, he had a bullhorn. He pulled that bullhorn up to his mouth, and he'd get some commands. And he taught us how to strike and how to stab and butt stroke and all this kind of stuff. And he'd call a command. And with that command, we would respond with the proper strike or jab or butt stroke or whatever it might have been, the block, whatever the maneuver was, when he called it out, we performed it. And here we are, and it's hot, and we're just sweating like crazy. And, you know, and just the morale just tends to kind of dwindle after a while. And the drill sergeant would kind of watch a morale. Whenever the morale would drop, he had this one statement that he would make. And with this statement, we had a response that he instructed us to respond with. And I can remember being out there, and we're slashing and striking and butt stroke and all this kind of stuff. And after a while, we'd get tired and weary. And that drill sergeant, I can remember his voice to this day, pull up that bullhorn. With that old gruff voice, he would say, soldiers, what makes the green grass grow? And when he said that, we would all in unison just yell out, it's blood, blood, bright red blood, drill sergeant. And man, that would get my blood curling. And we would just instantly, our morale would kick back up, and we're ready to go striking and slashing and butt stroking and all that stuff. And that's the title of my message this morning is
[17:15] Blood, Blood, Bright Red Blood. There's a universal fascination with blood. There's something about that red fluid that it just grabs your attention. Seeing people faint at the sight of blood. I remember this guy, big old burly black guy. His name is Butoh. He was in my platoon. He's in my sister platoon, a good guy. I liked him a lot. But he was a big old, I mean a big guy. And I can remember one time, we go to the medic station, and we all had to give blood. We're always giving blood there in the army.
[17:52] And I remember one time I sat next to him, and I'm sitting there, I'm waiting for him to draw my blood. And he sat next to me, and I hear this, big old black guy, big old guy. And I look over there, and I started laughing at him. And he's like, he didn't even look at me one time. He's just, and he's looking at his arm. He's pumping the vein, you know. And that nurse, the medic put that needle in his arm. And he's sitting there, and as soon as that blood started flowing, here's a big old Butoh just passed out on the bed. Man, I ripped him for that. It was one of the funniest things I ever saw. Big old black. I mean, as soon as they started drawing that blood, he passed out. But there's something about that blood. There's something about that red fluid that every person on this earth just innately, instinctively knows that you got to keep it in.
[18:47] And I think that everyone knows innately, just instinctively, that the life of the flesh, Leviticus 17, 11, the life of the flesh is in the blood. And people know that. And there's something about that red fluid. It catches the eye. And you'll see people on the highway, and there's an accident, and people are rubbernecking, you know, and they're looking for that red string. And they might not even verbalize it or say it out loud, but there's just something in your conscience that's looking for that stuff. There's a fascination with being a little cut, just a little paper cut, or a gushing wound. There's something about that blood. When it starts coming out of your flesh, you know you need to keep it in as much as possible. Put a band-aid on it. Put a tourniquet on there if you have to. But you got to keep that blood in, because life is directly connected to blood. You know, in many pagan cultures, there's all kinds of belief about blood. Where I'm going to Papua New Guinea, I mean, they're primitive people. They're superstitious and all that kind of stuff.
[19:52] And they have some pretty wild beliefs about blood, especially when women on their menstruous time of the month and all that kind of stuff, they have some really wild beliefs about blood.
[20:04] There's all kinds of different ideas and beliefs about it that tie into religion and all this kind of stuff. One of the dumbest things I ever did in my entire life, one of the most foolish things I've ever done. I was a young kid in the neighborhood. We had some neighborhood friends, and, you know, played football and baseball with them and all that kind of stuff. And we used to ride bikes. I mean, we'd leave Saturday morning, come back Saturday evening, literally, just ride all around the neighborhood. There was a bike trail to go all the way down to this park. And it would mean, I can't remember how many miles. We'd just go and go and go all day long. Anyway, this one friend of ours, me and my brother had this friend, and we wanted to become as close as friends as you could.
[20:48] So we took a knife, and I cut my finger, he cut his finger, and we became blood brothers. One of the dumbest things ever. Man, you do a lot of dumb things when you're young, I guess, and when you're old like me, I guess. But anyway, talk about dumb. Tomorrow morning, we're getting up at 5 a.m. to go on a motorcycle ride in the rain. Pray for us.
[21:15] But Christian, this book that you hold in your lap is a bloody book. From Genesis to Revelation, that word blood shows up 460 times in that Bible. 460 times. And sometimes the Bible is gruesomely vivid. I think of, was it a mesa over there? Joab smote him under the fifth rib, and the blood came gushing out. And the Bible says he wallowed in the highway in his own blood. Think of Jezebel over there, and Jehu comes, and he says, who's on my side? And two eunuchs poke their head out the window. They say, me. They take Jezebel, and they throw her out the window, and they trample over her with the horse hooves, and blood was splattered on the wall, and the horses. And they go in to eat, and they come back out, all this stuff, the palm of her hand, her feet, and her skull, I think it was.
[22:10] Think about, oh, over there in 1 Kings. Yeah, 1 Kings was at 8. Solomon is dedicating the temple, and he's dedicating that temple, and he takes 142,000 oxen and 22,000 sheep. Something like that.
[22:32] Yeah, 122,000 sheep. Maybe it's backwards. Anyway, 142,000 animals are slaughtered for the dedication of that temple. That's a lot of blood. It's a whole lot of blood. Over there in Isaiah 34, talk about the mountains are melting, and the sword is bathed in blood, and on and on and on.
[22:53] And folks, blood is directly connected to life and death. I'm not trying to be, you know, gruesome or whatever, but it's just a fact of life. And as that heart, it's pumping and it's beating, whatever, you know, it's going, whatever right it's going, it's pumping and it's beating, and it's coursing blood through your veins. And that blood, as the heart beats, it's pushed through your veins, and it goes down to your fingertips and comes back, and the heart pumps it back down to your toes.
[23:25] It comes back, and the heart pumps it up to your brain, and it oxygenates the brain, and it supplies the nutrients to your brain. The brain tells the heart to pump, and it tells those lungs to contract, constrict. It tells your organs to operate. And as long as the blood is delivered to the organs of your body, you have life. But as soon as the blood stops flowing, life ceases, and that's it. Life ends.
[23:54] And our text shows you that blood has a voice. And Christian, in person, if you'll listen closely for the next few minutes this morning, you'll hear blood crying out from the ground. It's got a message for you. It's got a message for me today. And if you'll just listen, if you'll lend me your ears for a few moments this morning, you'll hear blood crying out from the ground. And it's got something to say to you today. So the first thing I want to point out, go to 1 Peter chapter 1.
[24:29] 1 Peter chapter 1. First thing I want to, first voice I want to talk about this morning is the voice of the blood of Jesus Christ. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 18.
[24:45] For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold. I'm so thankful that my soul, the most precious thing that I possess, is not redeemed by something as cheap as gold and silver. Something as vain and empty and worthless and corrupt and vile as gold and silver.
[25:13] Something more precious. A silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers. But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot.
[25:26] Folks, this is not just any blood. This is the blood of God. It's precious blood. I am thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ. We sang a few songs this morning and more than half of them spoke of the blood of Jesus Christ. You know why we sing about the blood? Because it's precious to us. We sing about the things that we love and appreciate. And I'm here to tell you, I love and appreciate the blood of Jesus Christ. It's not just any blood. It's not my blood. If I were to take a knife and cut my arm here today, my blood would pour out upon this carpet and it would mar the carpet. It would stain the carpet.
[26:08] And you would want to call out a carpet cleaner to come up here and steam it and clean it, disinfect it, clean it up. Because my blood corrupts. My blood marves a clean vessel. But hey, when the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to a dirty vessel, it makes it clean. Man, am I thankful for that. I'm so thankful that the blood of Jesus, the precious blood of Jesus Christ can make the most vile, the most dirty, the most unclean and filthy vessel, pure white. Thank God for that. And I was just down there in San Pedro. And we're having, they're having a meeting with Brother Spurgeon. You just had him here a couple, a few weeks ago. Man, that man had a pretty hard life. You know, you heard his testimony and the bike gangs and all that kind of stuff. You know what cleaned him up? It was the blood of Jesus Christ. It was a precious blood. You know, I'm not a finesse kind of guy. I'm a bull in a china shop with everything I do. I had a handyman business for the last couple of years in Omaha, and I got into some pretty dirty jobs. And it seemed like whatever I'm working on gets on me.
[27:27] If I'm painting, I come home covered in paint. If I'm working on something that's oily and greasy, I come home oily and greasy. Whatever it is, it gets on me. I don't know why it is. I just, I mean, I just go and it just gets on me. And my poor wife, you know, I'd come home and I'd take my clothes and throw them in the hamper. And she could take my clothes and she could put them in the wash machine and she could use the most super duper, you know, laundry detergent there is and soak those clothes and scrub them and clean them. And she could put them in the wash two or three times and put them in the dryer. And they come up that dryer and they might be mostly clean. She might get most of the stains out. But folks, I can tell you that my clothes, my work clothes were stained and dirty regardless of how much effort she put into it. I mean, it might get mostly clean sometimes, but the stain still remains. But folks, I don't care how deep the stain of sin goes into the fabric of your soul. I don't care how far you've gone, how dirty you've gotten yourself, no matter how dirty and sinful the stain is, when the precious blood of Jesus Christ is applied to that stain, it's gone. It's clean and not a speck of that stain remains. All because of the precious blood of
[28:49] Jesus Christ. All because of the fact that 2,000 years ago of his own free will, he got on that cross. That cold steel was pressed against his skin. It was beaded to his flesh and the blood flowed from his wounds. The crown of thorns, the whips, his beard was pulled out and the blood flowed. And that precious blood can wash away your sin. I'm thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ. When I think about all the torture and the torment, when I consider the blood that he shed on the cross, I'm reminded of how blasphemous it is for a lost sinner to think that they can be good enough to get to heaven.
[29:36] How blasphemous for a lost sinner to think that their religion can supersede the blood of Jesus Christ. When I consider the awful torment, I mean, the nails were beaten into his hand. The nails were driven. I mean, that hammer came down and whack into his feet and whack into his hands.
[29:59] A crown of thorns was placed on his head. They took their rod and they didn't just set it gingerly on his head. They beat it into his skull. The tips of the thorns broke off against his skull bone.
[30:12] The whips, I mean, they take those whips and wrap it around his body and pull with those cat and nine tails and pull until his flesh was just ripped open and his blood flowed.
[30:23] And you know what a sinner will do? Yeah, okay, I believe in Jesus, but I'm a pretty good person. I've never hurt anybody on purpose, you know. I haven't done, I'm out of the bank. I haven't murdered somebody. They always go to the big sins that they haven't committed.
[30:41] They don't focus on little sins and multiply. Well, I know I believe in Jesus and I go to church and I do this and I put money in the plate and there he hangs on the cross. He quoted that verse just a minute ago, it is finished. He finished the payment with his blood, blood, blood, bright red blood.
[31:07] It flowed from his wounds. I wonder if you really think about it, would you consider the blood of Jesus Christ? If you're here this morning, you're lost. All you need is the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from your sin. The only way to get your sins not just remitted, but completely taken away. It's through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It's a free gift. And I know that I'm preaching mostly, if not everyone here probably might be saved. So I got to bring it down home to us and as Christians, we need to be daily reminded of the blood of Jesus Christ. Just because you're saved doesn't mean that his blood is of no longer of any import to you. Just because you're saved doesn't mean that his blood no longer is of any avail to you and I. I've heard the statement, you've probably heard this quote before many times, but one preacher said, don't stray too far from the cross.
[32:14] You know, Christian, when you begin to grow and it's good, I am not discounting the doctrine and growing in the Lord and getting hold of the strong meats. You need that. I know your passion is going through Matthew and there's some really important doctrines and there's some things you need to grow and grasp, but don't get too far from the cross. That's the most basic thing in the Christian life is that cross. If you just keep going and going and you don't ever consider the cross and what Christ went through for you, the blood of Jesus Christ will become some distant theological doctrinal thing and it's no longer personal. You know, as a Christian, you still need to plead the blood of Jesus Christ.
[33:00] To cleanse you from sin, not to save you from hell, you're already saved, but practically speaking to restore that fellowship. I've gone years out of fellowship with my Savior, years out of fellowship with my Father.
[33:17] And I'm thankful that in an instant, just like that, when I am pricked in my heart and I know I did something to wrong my Savior, I can instantly say, Lord, I've sinned. Will you please cleanse me in the blood of Jesus? And instantly, I'm back in fellowship. Instantly. It's the blood that purchased you and justifies you and sanctifies you and all those doctrinal words we have. It cleanses you. It draws you nigh. And His blood will, 1 John 1, 9, I think I quoted in Sunday school, it'll cleanse you from all unrighteousness. I don't care what it is. It's a shame that so many Christians carry this load of guilt.
[34:03] It's good to feel guilty for your sin, that repentance, that godly sorrow that leads to repentance, but repent and trust in His blood. If you have confessed it, His blood has washed it away and go on. The song says, we actually sang it this morning, His blood can make the phallus clean, His blood avails from me. Man, am I thankful for that. I can go back in my mind's eye and in an instant, I'm right back there on the parade field. I'm in full uniform. And that was back when we still had the BDUs, the green uniform. And I can remember being back there, just stifling heat, that hot, humid air. I can, I mean, in an instant, I'm right back on the parade field. I can feel the weapon in my hand. I can see that rubber tire in front of me. I can feel the sweat dripping down my face. And I can, I can feel my tongue being quenched with thirst. And I can feel my joints getting achy and getting kind of tired. I can, I can feel my morale dipping and thinking, when is this day going to end?
[35:14] And I can remember just, I mean, just like it was yesterday, that drill sergeant pulling that boar and hollering, that bull horn up with that old gruff voice saying, soldier, what makes the grass grow?
[35:27] And I can hear the voice in unison, hundreds of soldiers crying out, blood, blood, bright red blood, Joe sergeant. And in my mind, I can go off kind of in darkness because we see through a glass darkly.
[35:43] But in my mind's eye, I can go to sometime in the hopefully not too distant future where we're all in heaven. All this whole earth is wrapped up, the tribulations all over and done, and we're in eternity. And I can, in my mind's eye, picture all the saints and glory just gathered around the throne of Jesus Christ. And we've been singing his praises and glory for some, I don't know, a couple million of years. And in my mind's eye, I can see Michael, the militant archangel. I can see him step up next to the throne of Jesus Christ. And I can see him cup his lips.
[36:26] And he cries out over the vast multitudes of the blood-bought saints. And he cries out, what has washed away your sins? And you and I, if you're redeemed, if you're saved, we're going to cry out in unison, it's the blood, it's the blood, it's the bright red blood of Jesus Christ. And we're going to cast those crowds and we're going to run around in glory for the next thousand years, praising and glorifying God and thanking him for the blood that he shed.
[36:58] It's the precious blood of Jesus Christ that saves a soul. And I'm thankful for that blood. I'm so, so thankful for that blood because I'm a dirty, rotten sinner.
[37:15] I have to plead that blood daily. Are you clean? Sinner, do you want to be clean? Do you want to have that peace with God? Do you want your sin taken away? The thing is, you've got to deal with your sin.
[37:36] The question is, how are you going to deal with it? You can either pay for your sin in hell forever, or you can have the blood of Jesus Christ take it away right now, in an instant. It's not a religious thing. It's not turning, all that stuff is putting your faith in Jesus Christ in the shed blood of that cross. I wish I could urge you from the depths of my soul. I don't know how to get it across. Don't go to hell. You don't have to. The blood of Jesus Christ paid the debt. He paid the way. And all you got to do is take it. Christian, if you're living in sin, or if you've got some guilt, just put your faith in that blood and ask them to cleanse it.
[38:27] And go on. We've got Revelation chapter 17. That was the blood of Jesus Christ. Look at the blood of the saints. Revelation 17. Look at verse 5.
[38:39] And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
[38:53] And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. I don't have time to go into it, but you know the context. This is a great whore. That's that Roman Catholic church.
[39:04] Folks, that is the bloodiest religion of all religions. I'm not trying to be crass and mean and just dash anybody here. I'm just giving you the facts.
[39:15] I've read church history. I know what I'm talking about. That religion, I'm not talking about the people, but that religious setup is the bloodiest, bloodiest religion of all.
[39:27] The bloodiest organization that ever has been. And thousands and millions of your brothers and sisters in Christ, Christian, have gone on before you as martyrs at the hand of religious people.
[39:44] Their blood was spilt for Jesus Christ. They deemed His name. They deemed His salvation. They deemed Jesus Christ worthy of torment, of the anguish, of their martyrdom.
[40:01] And they were faithful unto death. The Bible says in Hebrews 11 that the world was not worthy of them. What a commendation for the Lord Himself to give someone.
[40:13] God looked down on the world and He saw His saints. And they were faithful to death. And the Lord said that the world wasn't worth the ground you stood on.
[40:27] They stood on. They were tortured and they were cut in pieces. They were sawn asunder. The lions devoured them. They were put on racks and their bodies were literally torn apart.
[40:43] All for the glory of God. And you could read Fox's Book of Martyrs and Martyr's Mirror and all these. Read about the wall of dungeons and all that stuff. And man, for the name, the cause of Jesus Christ.
[40:56] They wandered about in sheepskins. They were destitute. All that stuff. The song says, Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?
[41:11] We live in a country that doesn't know anything about what they went through. I mean, we've got it easy. They were faithful to death and they received that crown of life.
[41:24] Their faith pleased God and He gave them the grace to bear it. Christian, we live in a country, we live in a day and age where just the status quo hates Jesus Christ.
[41:38] They hate that book. And if the Lord tarries, things are going to get worse. We're not persecuted here. But the Lord tarries. Make no mistake about it.
[41:48] There are some people out there that hate what you stand for. I'm not trying to be fear-mongering and all that kind of stuff. But I'm telling you that if you'll be faithful to the Lord, if you'll have faith in Him, He'll give you the grace to bear whatever persecution, smaller grade it might be.
[42:10] Even in this day and age, the persecution, if you want to call it that, of people making fun of you, He'll give you the grace to bear it. He'll give you the grace if you'll just trust in Him and do what you're supposed to do and be a witness and you go into your workplace or your family or whatever it might be, He'll give you the grace to take the mockery and all that stuff.
[42:35] And I know we're not being persecuted now, but if it comes to that, He'll give us the grace then. But the point I want to make is, because we're not being persecuted now, if you can't take and endure some ridicule right now while the time is easy, while you have the liberty, you have the right, so-called as an American, to stand on a street corner and preach, you have the right as an American to go knocking on doors and being a witness.
[43:05] If you can't take someone mocking and ridiculing you now while the times are easy, God might not give you the grace when it gets real, when the persecution really starts to happen.
[43:20] Can't handle being mocked and laughed at and scorned just by opening your mouth to Jesus Christ. We like to sit there and kind of daydream about ourselves, and man, if they come down to this church and they point a gun at me, I'm going to stand up for the Lord.
[43:38] I'm going to be faithful. I'm going to be a witness. You're not being a witness now? How do you expect to stand up for Jesus Christ then? You better think about that.
[43:48] I'm not trying to be mean. I'm not trying. I know what I'm talking about because I was there for years. So I'm preaching against myself. Man, when the time comes, if you want the grace of God to sustain you, you might as well start now while you have the opportunities of freedom and liberty.
[44:11] As the whips, I can hear it. I've never been there. I've never seen it with my eyes, but I've read plenty. I've heard plenty of stories.
[44:23] And as the whips come whistling through the air, and they get laid on the backs of some martyr, one of your brothers and sisters in Christ, as the jagged teeth of the saw is just riven into their bone and their bodies are dismembered, as the jagged teeth, the jaw teeth of a lion sinks into their flesh, as they're put on the racks, and they're crucified, and all these different things are happening to your brothers and sisters in Christ, their blood flowed from their wounds, the blood flowed from the saints, the martyrs of Jesus Christ, and the blood flowed out of them in the coliseums, and in all these different places, and it absorbed into the ground.
[45:10] And if you place your ear close to the ground, and you'll listen today, you'll hear their blood crying out from the ground, and it's telling you, Christian, hold on! Stay faithful!
[45:21] Don't give up! Don't quit! Don't give up on Jesus Christ! He's worth it! The blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs, it admonishes you, it encourages you, it stirs you up if you'll listen to go on for the Lord.
[45:37] Next time you're tempted to quit, won't you consider their blood? Their blood was spilt for Jesus Christ, yet this modern Christianity that we have, we barely get a paper cut, and we're ready to go home and give up.
[46:00] Look at Revelation 6. Revelation chapter 6. Look at verse 9. And when he had opened the seal, I saw on the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
[46:23] You know what I don't understand, I don't get, is a Christian that will not read their Bible. I don't understand that. I never will.
[46:34] I was that way for years, and I don't understand how I could, I don't understand how, I don't understand how I did that for so long. I don't understand how a Christian can have the pure words of God and let that thing stay closed from Sunday night to Wednesday night, Wednesday night to Sunday morning.
[46:52] I don't understand that. There are some saints, some martyrs that went on for you. They were slain for the word of God. And we have all the, most Christians have four or five or more Bibles laying around, and they're all collecting dust.
[47:14] They're there for show. They're aesthetics. They're there to prove, look at me, I'm a Christian because I got a Bible. I don't understand a Christian that will not read their Bible.
[47:27] I've been reading this Bible every day for the last 11 or 12 years now. I have fallen in love with that book. I have fallen in love with these words.
[47:39] I love to feel the pages. I love to hear it. I love to smell it. I love that the golden edges are gone and it's starting to turn a little bit brownish, yellow-brown. I love this book.
[47:52] You know why? Because after all those years of being just an ungrateful Christian and not opening this blessed, holy book, the Lord was so merciful to me and allowing me to open it back up and read it, and my Savior speaks to me for this book.
[48:08] And I know there's some martyrs that have gone on before me that died for that book. Let their blood stir you up. Look at Revelation chapter 14.
[48:19] Let's look at the blood of the damned. Blood of the damned. Revelation chapter 14, verse 19. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
[48:35] And the winepress was trod without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even of the horse bridles, by the space of 1,600 furlongs.
[48:47] Folks, that's a lot of blood. And there's some other references that could take you, but for sake of time, I'll leave it there. But the blood of the damned, and you say, preacher, why do you got to use that word?
[48:58] Because that's the most offensive word I can find. It's a biblical word. That's not just some cuss word that people use. People use that word damned to damn all these different things, and they make light of that word.
[49:10] That's not a light word. There's souls that are being damned forever. There's souls beneath our feet that have been screaming for eons.
[49:21] And it's never going to stop. They're damned forever. Those poor lost souls that are dropping off into hell at a rapid rate. I mean, two every second.
[49:33] Two. Four. Six. Eight. Ten. Twelve. Fourteen. Sixteen.
[49:45] Eighteen. Twenty. Twenty-two. Twenty-four souls. I mean, that's reality. It's dropping off in eternity as we sit here and speak.
[49:58] They're dropping off. That's 120 a minute. 7,200 an hour. 172,000 a day. 1.2 million a week.
[50:09] 4.8 million a month. And 58 million souls a year are dying. Or I should say people are dying. Most of those souls are dying and going to hell.
[50:24] No hope of getting out. No hope of escape. There's no great escape from hell. There's no party in hell. There's no relief.
[50:37] No mercy. No mercy. I wonder, Christian, have you lost your vision? The Bible says where there is no vision, the people perish. You lost your vision?
[50:48] Are your eyes dried up? Psalms 126.6 says, He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing she is with him.
[51:00] Are your eyes dried? Can't weep for a lost soul that's damned forever? Souls will perish all around you as you and I refuse to open our mouths and speak up and give them the warning.
[51:17] Do you ever consider a soul's first moments in hell? Ever think about that? I think it kind of like this. You know, when you're in a traumatic experience, a car crash or whatever, and the most vivid one to me was that helicopter crash, and just things just, I mean, time just slows down, almost pauses it seems like.
[51:40] And all your five senses for a moment, they're completely just wide open, and then when everything dust settles, it's like you're numb to your five senses, you know? And it's like you're looking around and it's like you don't believe what you're seeing, and one by one those senses kind of awaken one after the other.
[51:59] I'm not sure if you've ever been there. I've been there. I can imagine that as a soul. Their first few moments in hell, their soul leaves their body, they're not saved, and they drop off into the pit of hell forever.
[52:12] And I imagine the first moments in hell for a lost soul, they go there into that flaming pit, and they wake up, and their eyes are just, I mean, just bugging out of their heads, and they're completely numb to their five senses, and that first sense that kind of awakens is that eyesight, and at first they feel like they're in a dream, in a haze, and they're looking around, and it can't be.
[52:37] I heard the preacher. I heard them saying that I'm heading there. I used that word as a cuss word all my life, and there's fire all around me. There's darkness. There's brimstone, and he sees a soul run across from him trying to shake off the fire, and he's looking all around, and that eyesight is awakened, and right before he about loses his mind, that second sense awakens, and maybe that sense of hearing, and he's looking all around him, and it's like a dull drum way off in the distance, and it gets louder and louder and louder, and that sense of hearing is becoming awakened, and he hears all the roaring flames, just roaring all around him, and he begins to hear like this roaring multitude of souls weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth, and the sound, I mean, it crescendos so loud, it almost drives him mad, and just about that time, the third sense awakens, and maybe the sense of taste, and I don't really know what it's like down there, but I'm told maybe something like a sulfuric atmosphere, and his taste buds awaken, and he begins to taste the atmosphere there in hell, and just about that time, that fourth sense awakens, and that sense of feeling, and he begins to feel the heat, and at first it's like a warm sensation all over his body, and that warmness gets hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and just about the time where the heat is unbearable, his fifth sense awakens, and I believe the worst of it all, that sense of smell, the Bible says in Revelation 14, 11, the smoke of this torment ascended forever and ever, and forever and ever, he smells the stench of his burning soul, and he breathes in that first breath, that atmosphere of hell, that superheated atmosphere, and it goes down to his throat, and it hits his lungs, and it comes down as a scream, and a weeping, and a wailing, and gnashing his teeth, and I can't believe I'm here,
[54:41] I was a good person, and they're damned forever, they're lost forever, and you and I that are saved, we're without excuse, we know where they're headed, we know the way out, if we fail to warn them, their blood is on our hands, and that's my last point, is blood on our hands, blood on your hands, blood on your hands, they're damned, they're lost forever, whether or not, you and I tell them, look at Ezekiel chapter 33, Ezekiel 33, verse 6, but if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require, at the watchman's hand, the trouble's coming, the sword is coming, death is, the Bible says, it is appointed that a man wants to die, but after this judgment, death is coming, and if they're lost, their damnation is sure, and whether or not, you and I do what we're commanded to do, being a witness unto him, whether or not, you and I are obedient soldiers, or deserters, whether or not, you and I open our mouths, or we keep our mouths shut, and just let them go on, and put steps to hell, they're still going, it's not an easy subject to talk about, that's something that any preacher, that's worth his salt, enjoys talking about, but it must be, are you a watchman Christian, are you faithfully watching, and warning them, blowing the trumpet, if you don't warn them, if you don't give them, the gospel warning, the biblical warning of hell, blood's on your hands, practically speaking, and come to the judgment seat of Christ,
[57:07] God forbid, God forbid you and I, wind up in the judgment seat of Christ, the blood of your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, standing in your hands, I got blood on my hands, one day, the Lord's going to call, Captain Daniel Witten, out of hell, come up to the great white throne judgment, he's going to judge him, he's going to cast his soul, off into a lake of fire, Captain Daniel Witten, Lieutenant Christopher Gecky, private love joy, their blood is on my hands, they've been beneath my feet, literally for the last 11 years, weeping, and wailing, and gnashing their teeth, in torment, for 11 years, you know why?
[58:10] Because I was a coward, I was 82nd Airborne Infantry, all that stuff, just like Brother Spurgeon, 82nd Airborne Infantry, jumping out of airplanes, I was a team leader, leading men in and out, kicking doors, all that stuff, and I was a coward, I was the worst kind of coward, that ever walked this earth, I knew where they were headed, I had conversations with them, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing the Lord, directed me, at one point, I better witness to this guy, and I refused to, because I didn't want to be looked down, at some weirdo, I didn't want to be made, I wanted to be the cool guy, I wanted to be Sergeant Z, that everybody liked, and all this stuff, I wanted, I was, I deemed their respect, and their admiration, more precious than their soul, and they've been beneath my feet, for 11 years, weeping, and wailing, and no doubt, cussing my name, and I deserve every bit of it, and I got blood on my hands, you're going to come in contact,
[59:23] Christian, with some people today, they're going to be, your waiter at the restaurant, they're going to be, checking you out, at the cashier's desk, whatever, they're going to be, passing you at the park, wherever you're going to be, don't let their blood, be on your hands, don't let the blood, of your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, don't let their blood, stay in your hand, most awful thing, to consider, is that right there, what you got to do, you got to put aside, your things, you got to put aside, those things, that captivate your mind, and your thoughts, we're so busy, we're so glued, to the phone, and to our schedules, and all that stuff, that souls are just perishing, all around us, Christian, we're in the last days, very few more opportunities, to find some soul, and give them the gospel, and lastly, I'm not going to go there, for the sake of time, Leviticus chapter 8, you can look it up later, Leviticus 8, 14 and 15, 28 and 30 also, there's some sacrifices, and there's the blood, that needs to be shed, to consecrate the altar, and to sanctify, all this kind of stuff, and I know, there's no sacrifice,
[60:35] I'm making a spiritual application, there's no sacrifice, in the New Testament, for us to be saved, or be sanctified, all that kind of stuff, I understand that, but there should be, some blood on the altar, blood on the altar, over in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, go there real quick, you know the verse, I want you to see it, Romans chapter 12, verse 1, very very popular verse, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, folks, it's reasonable for you and I, to place our ambitions, our fleshly desires, on that altar, and sacrifice it, I heard a great message, by Brother Spurgeon, last night, on the unholy trinity, me, myself, and I, I thought it was a great message, and he was talking about, putting that flesh on the altar, folks, you need to put that flesh, on the altar, now more than ever, we need Christians, that are willing, to place themselves, on the altar, of God's service, yeah, there's no physical blood, to be shed, but in practicality, your spirit, your body, your being, is a, ought to be a living sacrifice, and it's a reasonable thing, but we, as Christians, in this modern day, we look at God, we look at his will, and we think it's unreasonable, to do something for him, and missionaries, are not being called, because they're not doing anything, souls are dying, in Silmar, because Christians, refuse to, offer themselves, a living sacrifice,
[62:12] I'm not saying you personally, but if the shoe fits, I'm not trying to be harsh, I'm not, God knows my heart, how will you respond, that Bible tells you, to mortify, reckon it to be dead, that flesh, that's the greatest enemy, you have is your flesh, your flesh, wants what it wants, it'll never, your flesh will never, want to read the Bible, your flesh will never, want to, pray, I have a hard time, I can read my Bible, pretty easily, but when I get down, my knees and pray, I gotta make, I gotta, it's like I, it's like I'm pulling, a bull, you know, by its horn, and come on, we're gonna pray today, I don't know why it is, but I get down, my knees, and my mind wants to go here, and there, and there, that flesh will never, want to go to church, that flesh will never, want to be a witness, and their souls, by the millions, that are perishing, pastor asked me to give, kind of a message, mind, mission minded message, and I don't have a sermon, that's solely on missions, but, if I could urge you,
[63:23] Christian, if I could only reach, into your heart, and squeeze that heart, of yours, and, if I could just impart to you, some burden for souls, whether it be a mission field, or here in California, or across, you know, to the east coast, where, I don't care where it is, to be honest, will you go out, and find a lost soul, will you find, what God wants you to do, and offer yours, present, present your body, a living sacrifice, and let God do something with you, my desire is, to have God do something, with everyone in this church, here today, now the altar hurts, there's cutting on the altar, you got to place yourself, on there, and set the fire, and all that stuff, I can tell you, Christian, I've lived on both sides, of the fence, it's a blessing, serving God, I've had the greatest joys, of my life, serving the Lord,
[64:24] I chased that green beret, that's all I wanted to be, and I was training for that, all this kind of stuff, I had all these ambitions, and desires, and that was fun, and all that kind of stuff, but it pales in comparison, to serving the Lord, there's joy with that, I wonder if there's something, that God's putting his finger on, in your heart today, Christian, that he, I've got to close this thing, that he wants you, to give up for him, maybe there's something, that he wants you, to place on the altar, something, the Bible says, putting, laying aside every, weight, and sin, me personally, I see that verse as, the weights are not necessarily a sin, but it's a thing, that just weighs you down, it's that thing, that captivates, all your thoughts, and your ambitions, and all that, not necessarily a sin, in of itself, but it's just a weight, maybe God's putting his finger, on your heart, and saying, that thing that right now, that's crossed your mind, that's probably the thing, that he wants you to, let go, and the sin, that does so easily, beset us, there is nothing, greater on earth, there is nothing better, than serving Jesus Christ, am I right preacher, there is nothing better, than serving the Lord, blood cries from the ground, and it's got a voice, can you hear it today, as it pours around, the feet of the cross, from the wounds, that Christ bore, it cries out, come unto me, all you that labor, it cries out, though your sins, be as scarlet, they shall be as wool, it cries out, confess your sins, can you hear it, the blood of the saints, that flowed, in the streets, in the coliseums, and it's crying out, from the ground, he's worthy, stay the course, don't quit, now is not, now is not the time, to leave, now is not the time, to quit, now is not the time, to dismember, it's the time, to do something, to go on, and be faithful, can you hear it, can you hear the blood, blood of the damned, cries out from the ground,
[66:32] I'm lost forever, hell is real, I'm not getting out, it admonishes you, that are lost today, to get saved, don't play around, the blood of the damned, in your hands, cries out, you never warned me, you never told me, you never gave me, a verbal witness, and you're to blame, can you hear it, blood has a voice, if you'll just listen to it, this morning, you'll get some admonishment, from it, I'm sorry for going long, but if you'll listen, if you'll put your ear, to the ground, you'll hear, that blood has a voice, I'm honestly, I am not just trying, to be gruesome, or whatever, I'm pouring my heart out to you, I want to see every Christian, I pray sometimes, and I'm praying for my own self, and I say, Lord just help the body of Christ, to do something for you today, to give you glory, Christian you have an opportunity, this life, while your blood's still flowing, while you still have life, to find a soul, and give them the gospel, warn them about hell, to find out what God wants you to do, and do it, to thank him for his blood, all these different things, about blood from the Bible, blood cries from the ground, we're going to dismiss, in a few minutes, and I won't keep you much longer, there by one, while.