This recording is provided by Times Square Church
in New York City.
You're welcome to make additional copies for free
distribution to friends.
All other unauthorized duplication or electronic transmission is
a violation of copyright and other applicable laws.
This recording cannot be posted on any website.
However, written permission to link to the Times
Square Church homepage may be requested by emailing
info at timessquarechurch.org.
Other recordings are available by calling 1-800
-488-0854 or by writing to Times Square
Church Tape Ministry, 1657 Broadway, New York, New
York, 10019.
God no longer winks at unbelief.
Is that up on the screen?
Would you say that way?
We don't do that much.
God no longer winks at unbelief.
Go to Acts, please.
Acts 17.
And I want you to start with me
at verse 28.
For in him we live and move and
have our being, as certain also of our
poets, of your own poets have said, we
are also his offspring.
For as much then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the Godhead is like unto gold or
silver or stone, graven by art and man's
device.
In the times of this ignorance, God winked
at, but now commands all men everywhere to
repent, because he's appointed a day in which
he will judge the world in righteousness by
that man whom he has ordained, that is
Christ.
Wherefore, he has given assurance unto all men
in that he has raised him from the
dead.
Lord, help me to speak your word without
fear.
Help me to speak it in love.
Speak to our hearts now on something that
is so very serious, so very serious in
your eyes.
Lord, this matter of unbelief.
Teach us and touch us.
Speak through me, I pray.
You know, Lord, who would be here.
You know what we need.
You know that I need this.
We all need to hear your word.
We love your word and we open our
hearts to receive it now in Christ's name.
Amen.
I'm suggesting to you this may be one
of the most serious messages I've ever preached.
God has been showing me the absolute seriousness,
how he takes seriously all unbelief.
You see, we have pity.
We have compassion as we should on people
who suffer.
But sometimes because people suffer so much, because
people suffer so long and so painful to
watch and to hear and listen, even to
listen, even though you don't endure it yourself.
But sometimes we offer people pity and compassion
and let it rather excuse in our hearing
and in their speaking.
And in our speaking, the unbelief, the language
of unbelief, the talk of unbelief.
And there are times that I've heard people
speak of their suffering.
It has been so tragic.
It's been so heart rending.
I say to myself, well, I suppose if
I were going through what they're going through
or what they've experienced, I would speak the
same way because I hear them say God
has abandoned me.
God has forsaken me.
God no longer hears my prayers.
And I'm saying, God, I understand that kind
of language.
And sometimes I've spoken like that in my
times of deepest suffering.
And right now, I'm going to tell you
from my heart, and I believe this to
be the truth.
I don't believe there's a Christian on the
face of the earth today that is not
suffering.
I hear everywhere.
I've suffered more this past year or the
last two years than I have in all
my lifetime.
I hear that.
We get it by email.
We get it by letters.
We get it by telephone calls.
Incredible, incredible suffering.
But today, I want to make a statement.
And it may be hard for some of
us to hear, especially if you're suffering at
this present time.
I'm saying that there is no suffering.
There is no tragedy.
There is no calamity, not even death of
a loved one that can excuse distrusting the
faithfulness of God.
There is absolutely no excuse.
There is no suffering on the face of
the earth known to mankind that justifies unbelief.
And God makes this so clear in his
word that there was a time of ignorance.
There was a time of ignorance in God.
And if you look in the Old Testament,
you'll see those times of ignorance.
When God winked, it didn't mean that he
put his stamp of approval.
No, God never winks at sin.
But you see, that was a crude generation
with only a partial revelation.
They didn't have the full revelation that we
have.
And God called it times of ignorance.
And in those times of ignorance, Moses justified
divorce.
And if it was easy, rules of divorce.
Because of what?
The hardness of the people's hearts.
That was not God's plan, but these were
times of ignorance.
It was in times of ignorance that polygamy
prevailed.
David had, if I recall, five wives.
Saul had a number of wives.
Solomon, who was in touch with God with
revelation.
This man who God spoke so clearly to
was the worst polygamist in the Bible and
in human history.
But these were times of ignorance.
In times of ignorance, even the law justified
slavery.
And there are rules and how in the
law, how to treat a slave.
Those were times of ignorance.
Paul the Apostle says, but there came a
time appointed when God sent his son, Jesus
Christ.
And this is what it says.
For it pleased the Father that in him,
Christ, should all fullness dwell.
For in him dwells all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily.
Now, in Jesus Christ, we are no longer
in ignorance.
Christ came as a full revelation of all
the provision he made to overcome and to
have faith and to believe in God and
to endure every circumstance.
The scriptures, Paul said, the eyes of your
understanding have been enlightened.
And now you know what is the hope
of your calling and what the riches of
the glory of his inheritance is in the
saints.
No, this is not a time of ignorance.
In this day, since the cross, God will
not, cannot wink at sin.
In this day of grace, he does not
allow divorce.
He can't wink at that now.
He can't wink at polygamy.
He can't wink at slavery, nor can he
wink at the unbelief of Christians who have
been given a full revelation of the power
of Jesus Christ.
The power of God invested in him coming
as a full revelation.
We have better promises.
We have a completed Bible.
We have an indwelling Holy Spirit, none of
which the old time people knew.
None in the old covenant knew.
God moved on certain people by a spirit
in certain times.
But they didn't know what you and I
know today.
They could have never come to a church
like this together with a body and know
and believe and experience the Holy Spirit living
inside the heart.
Not just a visitation from a prophet and
not an angel coming to deliver a word,
not having to look at prophets or angels,
but to have a full revelation that you
can talk to God yourself.
You can get alone in a secret closet
and you can unburden your soul and your
heart.
You can find energy, health and strength and
the blessing of God.
And here's what Paul said.
Our second Peter, God's divine power has given
to us all things pertaining to life and
godliness through the knowledge of him that has
called us to glory and virtue.
He's given us exceeding great and precious promises.
But by these that by these you might
be partakers of his divine nature, having escaped
the corruption or the ignorance that is in
the world through their lusts.
Now, we talk about Job being as an
example of faith.
He said, God, though you slay me yet,
I'll trust you.
But Job is not a New Testament example
of faith.
Job had seasons of faith.
His faith went up and down.
The fact is that Job, a loved man,
a beloved man of God, a holy man.
No man in the Bible seems to be
any more charitable in the Old Testament than
this man.
He cared for the poor, the orphans, the
widows.
But in his hard time, in his his
affliction, he misjudged, misrepresented who God is.
He had he had such a limited revelation
of who God was and he didn't have
the preparedness.
He didn't have the blessings.
He didn't have the full revelation that you
and I have.
Listen to his language, the fear and unbelief.
Job said to God, why did you bring
me into the womb?
Terrorists have been released on me.
My welfare has drifted away like a cloud.
Days of affliction have taken hold of me.
God has cast me into the dirt.
I cry to him.
He doesn't answer me.
I stand up and cry.
God pays no attention.
He lifts me up to the wind and
then he lets me drift with the wind.
He's become cruel to me.
With his strong hand, he opposes himself against
me.
This is the righteous man speaking.
When I look for good, evil came and
I look for light and only darkness came.
I have no rest.
I can't sleep.
I mourn night and day.
I stand in the congregation and cry.
Now, you may not have spoken those words
out loud.
But have these been the thoughts that raged
through your mind in times of terror and
affliction and difficulty?
Now, our God's patient, our God's love, our
God is mercy.
He's long suffering.
He's touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
He's a loving, patient God.
But now, in these days of enlightenment, in
these days of the better promises, in these
days when he set his eyes even on
the sparrow, in these days, God says, no,
I will not listen.
I will not wink at the unbelief of
my people after I have given every revelation.
I have given all knowledge and wisdom and
promises whereby you can be partaker of my
very nature.
No, I will not listen to the language
of unbelief.
I will not hear it.
I can't work with you.
Jesus goes to his own family, his own
country.
And the Bible said he couldn't do mighty
works there.
They knew him best of all.
They knew the family.
They knew he was a carpenter.
But God's the Bible says Jesus said, I
could only lay hands on a few sick
folk.
And he said, I marveled at their unbelief.
In other words, I was I was saddened.
I was grieved by their unbelief.
And their unbelief helped hindered me from blessing
and from what I wanted to do for
this people and belief.
And I hear this language and I try
over the years to just excuse it in
my life.
Excuse it and other people.
But God has been facing me.
I was walking down the street from Columbus
Avenue down 8th Avenue this past week, thinking
about Job and reading about this language of
unbelief, this language that God is not hearing
my prayers.
God has abandoned me.
God's become cruel to me.
I've heard Christians say that this is cruel.
I've prayed.
I fasted.
I've done everything.
And like one lady said, I have I
feel I have a right to quit.
Because I have done everything the Bible says
to do.
And I am crushed beyond comprehension.
I can't understand how God would allow me
just when I think it's over, it comes
back rolling and now it's a flood.
It's not just one problem.
It's one after another problem after problem after
problem.
And I'm sitting back in in my human
compassion, in my pity for this language, even
in my own mouth and say, God, surely
you're not that hard.
Surely a loving God would not demand of
me a continuous language of confidence in him,
a continual language of faith.
But I'm walking down 8th Avenue and the
Holy Spirit spoke to my heart as clear
as anything I've heard in that still small
voice.
David, you can't talk or act like Job
because you have been equipped to believe you've
been equipped.
That word equip is mean all provision has
been made for your trip.
It means fully given every resource to see
you through any situation.
There's nothing lacking.
I argued with the Lord last night.
I said, Lord, I don't want to preach
this.
People think I'm preaching hard.
You know, if you think this is hard,
listen to James.
You know what James said?
First chapter.
If any man lack wisdom, let him ask
God who give generously to all men and
upbraideth not.
He will not mock you for coming and
coming and coming and asking for wisdom.
But he said you can't waver in your
faith.
Don't you waver.
For if any man wavers, don't think that
man shall receive anything from God.
So after all, I'm not a hard preacher.
What did he say to his disciples?
Word had come to Jerusalem that they had
seen.
Mary gives her testimony.
I saw him.
I talked to him.
He gave me a word.
The two disciples of the mass come back
and said he appeared.
He walked with us.
He talked with us.
He took us from Moses all the way
through the scripture.
We saw him.
We were with him.
We ate with him.
And he comes into the room.
Jesus comes into the room in his resurrected
body.
And they still were not believing, even though
they saw him.
And the Bible says that he upbraided them
for their unbelief.
And what it means, folks, it just says
one word there, but upbraided means that he
stopped everything.
He stopped everything and stopped and lectured them.
He upbraided them.
It means to be reproached.
Jesus actually reproached them.
He said, what does it take?
In other words, when will you ever believe
me?
You have touched God.
You see me in a resurrected body and
you still don't have the faith and you
still thinking unbelief.
And he upbraided them to whom much is
given, much is expected.
You see, we're judged on a different standard
now than those before the cross.
God comes to Job in a whirlwind.
And he said, Joe, in essence, and I'm
paraphrasing, listen, Joe, who have you been listening
to?
You've been getting dark counsel.
You're listening.
You're listening to words without knowledge.
And then he comes.
Now, Joe, stand up like a man.
And I demand of you that you listen
and give me an answer.
And then he says, where were you when
I created this world?
In other words, you really don't know me,
do you?
That's why you can say I don't answer
your prayer.
You don't know much about me.
And God was saying, Joe, enough of this.
Enough of this talk that I don't hear
prayer.
And folks, there's some of you now that
will not pray because you say, well, I've
tried that and it doesn't work.
You saw fast and I prayed and I
still don't see an answer.
I'm telling you, God answers every prayer in
his time and his way.
He answers prayer or he could not be
God.
God says enough of this talk, this language
of unbelief.
Listen to what God says in so many
words.
And it's wrapped up in three chapters.
But basically, this is what God said.
Job, I created everything.
I created the earth, the stars, the moon,
the sun, the planets, the heavens.
I control and govern all the seas and
everything that's in them.
I bring forth the dawn.
You wake up every morning.
Who do you think brings the dawn?
Who brings the morning light?
That's me.
That's God.
You're talking about a God who doesn't answer
prayer.
Get up in the morning, Job.
Where does the light come from?
I control that.
I have created hell, light, darkness, snow, hail,
floods, rain, lightning, thunder, ice, frost.
I govern the stars, the clouds, the storms.
I created all creatures, goats.
Look how specific God is.
Goats, deer.
Look around, Job.
The donkey, the cattle, the ostriches, the horses,
the hawks, the eagles.
God takes Job to school.
Folks, we have created such a small God.
We have created a fantasy God.
Job is dumbfounded.
And this is his answer.
He said, God, I said those things out
of ignorance.
You see, the time of ignorance Paul is
talking about when he went to Mars Hill
and he spoke to the Athenians.
He said, there's a time God would have
excused your unbelief.
There was a time that you could serve
all these gods.
You could do all these things.
And God would not judge you at the
time.
When winking means withhold judgment, doesn't mean approval.
He said, I've withheld judgment.
And he said there was a time God
would have held withheld judgment.
But now because of Christ at a point
in time, he who came.
Now I demand, I command that all men,
all men repent.
He said out of ignorance.
I didn't understand.
I did not know all these marvelous things
about you.
I abhor myself now.
I repent in dust and ashes.
You see, that's why Job is not our
New Testament example of faith.
He was in a time of ignorance.
He said, I didn't know all these wonderful
things, folks.
But you and I know these marvelous things.
We know about the marvelous love of God
that sent his son.
We know about the victory of the cross.
We know there's no other name given among
men whereby we can be saved but the
name of Christ.
We know and we have experienced the marvelous
healing power of Christ at times in our
life.
We have the testimony of Job himself and
how God brought him through.
You see, this is not about legalism.
I'm not going to preach more than five
more minutes.
This is not about God being harsh.
You see, God cries with us.
He laughs with us.
He feels with us.
He's touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
We're not talking now about that sudden terror
that grips you when somebody dies of an
accident, for example, or God takes a loved
one.
There are times of weeping.
God talked about the times of heaviness of
heart.
He talked about casting all of our cares
upon him so he knew the cares of
life.
He knew the burdens that we bear.
And he is loving and considerate in all
these things.
I'm not talking about that time when when
you suddenly cry, oh, God, why?
I'm talking about settling in an unbelief.
I'm talking about just just finally saying in
the heart.
And this is where it's not running to
the Lord now with a problem.
It's not going to Christ for comfort.
It's not believing the Holy Ghost abides to
give you wisdom, knowledge and to help you
lay hold of the great precious promises that
he's given.
No, this is someone who's known God.
This is someone who's seen his promises fulfilled
at times.
This is one who has been equipped to
believe and has all the resources available and
still goes on in the language of unbelief.
I don't have to preach a long sermon
to get this through to you.
The Holy Ghost is getting that through to
you right now.
Jesus did not stand for that unbelief among
his own disciples.
He said, why do you have no faith?
Why do you still not believe?
And that's the grief of God.
There's nobody within the sound of my voice,
if you're a believer that has any reason
or any excuse to go about day after
day on the telephone.
And all your Christian, all your friends and
all your family.
What a reproach.
To a resurrected Christ.
What a reproach.
The times that I've been.
And now the Lord says, you rise up,
saints, get up.
I'm not talking.
Don't stand up right now.
Rise up, O Zion.
You have a mighty God who is the
same yesterday, today and forever, who hears the
cry of his people.
And we know if he hears us, we
have the petition we ask of him.
And he wants only he wants only the
best for his children.
But he has to wait until you come
to this place.
Oh, God, I believe you.
You see, when he presses a rose, nothing
but sweet odor comes out of it.
And would to God that the more you
were squeezed, even when God allows that squeezing,
what's coming out?
What is the aroma?
Or is there a stench?
Unbelief.
Doubt.
Fear.
I know.
Now, I had another message almost fully prepared.
It's called was called soul sickness.
I worked all weekend.
And yesterday the Lord said, put it aside.
I want to talk to you.
And I want you to preach this.
I don't know why.
Here.
Now.
At this time.
We have visitors all over the house and
in the annex and all over the place.
And this is for the body of Christ
here at Times Square Church also.
Hear it in the spirit.
God says.
You have no right to hold on belief
in your heart against me.
You have no right.
You have no excuse.
You have no reason.
So lay it down.
Repent.
And stand up.
And speak the language of faith.
Whether you feel like it or not, I
speak who God is.
Not what I feel.
Not what I think.
But what the Bible tells me God is
and who he is.
Then he's faithful.
Now, will you stand, please?
What did the apostle Paul say?
Who now commands all men everywhere to repent.
I'm going to make an unusual invitation to
those hearing me.
You've got to be honest to answer this
call.
I'm inviting those who are stuck in a
valley of unbelief.
You've fallen into a pit of despair.
And the language you speak now is the
language of Job.
When he's overwhelmed.
I want you to repent.
Now, if this has become a stronghold in
you.
Think of what you've been saying.
Think of what you've been thinking.
Think about your prayer.
And how you talk to God.
As well as.
Other people.
And think about how that has wounded the
heart of our Christ.
And he's merciful.
He wants to bring you out.
And he cannot.
He cannot.
Finish his work.
Where there's unbelief.
It has to be settled.
I'm inviting you.
I'm inviting you to get out of your
seat.
And bring your unbelief.
And lay it at the foot.
Of the resurrected Christ.
This morning.
If you don't know Jesus.
You follow these that are coming.
Now, there are going to be a lot
of people coming.
We're not trying to pack up this area.
We're not.
But this is serious business.
This is life and death.
God is calling now for his people to
step out.
And say, God.
I don't want this anymore.
I'm not going to live like this anymore.
Yes, I'm going through the struggle of my
life.
But, oh, God.
I'm going to speak the language of faith.
Heavenly Father, draw those that need your healing
touch.
Draw those, oh, now, Lord Jesus.
That need this deliverance we're speaking of.
Up in the balcony, go to the stairs
on either side.
Come down any aisle.
Wherever you're at, all over this building.
If you don't know Christ.
If you drifted from Jesus.
Follow these that will be coming down now.
We have standing before us today an example
of what I'm talking about.
Two precious people that have come through indescribable
suffering and terror.
With the sweetness of Christ.
With faith.
That God can do for the nation what
he has done in their own lives.
That's an example of exactly what I'm saying.
God wants everyone in this congregation to ask
and pray that the Holy Spirit will put
a wall of fire around you.
To keep those dark sayings from the devil
penetrating and taking root in your heart.
All of those fears that are bombarding your
mind.
All of those dark counsels from the enemy.
God said to Job, who have you been
listening to?
That's been dark counsel.
Don't listen to it anymore.
Folks, don't listen to these lies.
Don't listen to this thing that the devil
is saying.
You don't have to pray because God doesn't
hear you anyhow.
Don't even talk about that anymore.
Just rest.
Don't try to figure out your faith.
Just get rid of your unbelief.
The Holy Ghost will come rushing in with
the faith.
His faith.
Would you, in your own words, and all
through the congregation and in the annex and
overflow rooms, could we just lift a hand
to the heavens, or two hands, and in
your own words say, Lord, forgive my unbelief.
That's what the man said just before his
son was healed.
God, forgive my unbelief.
This is something that may be required right
now that God says, I'm waiting, I'm waiting.
Say it right now.
Let's repent.
Lord, I repent of my unbelief.
I repent of those times, Lord, when I
have doubted you.
Lord, those times will come.
But teach me to quickly repent.
Lord, we repent before you a holy God
who has given us all that we need
to be equipped to walk through any valley
of death.
Lord Jesus, you go with us.
And if you go with us, Lord, we
can stand.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Now let's just worship him, give him thanks.
If you've drifted, ask him to draw nigh
to you.
Lord, thank you for your faithfulness, your goodness,
and your blessing.
Thank you for loving me, Jesus.
Thank you for reminding me, Lord.
Hallelujah.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
God is so good.
God is so faithful.
Thank you, Lord.
If you have drifted from Christ, if you
don't know the Lord, you don't need 10,
15 minutes of counseling.
The Bible says the moment you cry, he'll
hear you.
You ask him, Lord, cleanse me, forgive me,
and draw me, and fill me with the
Holy Spirit so that I can walk what
I'm confessing right now.
Father, do this right now.
Take a moment.
If you're here among us, we're not trying
to get your name and address.
If you really give your heart to Jesus,
we're not going to have to follow you
up.
You'll follow up.
You'll set your mind, and you'll find a
church that preaches the gospel, and you'll seek
God because there's a hunger in your heart.
Otherwise, you can't even be saved unless there's
a work of the Holy Spirit already begun
in your heart.
Lord, we thank you now for your presence
in this house.
Thank you for this day and the good
word we've heard from our friends who visit
with us.
We thank you, Lord, for what you're doing
at this altar, in the annex, in the
overflow rooms, and wherever we're at in this
building.
We thank you for your blessing and your
presence.
In Jesus' name, amen.
This is the conclusion of the message.