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Let's go to Revelation 3.
The capacity to be stirred.
Do you have that capacity?
That will be tested this morning.
You'll know whether or not you have capacity
to be stirred.
Revelation 3, unto the angel of the church
in Sardis write, These things saith he that
hath the seven spirits of God and the
seven stars, I know thy works that thou
hast named, that thou livest, but thou art
dead.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain
that are ready to die.
For I have not found thy works perfect
before God.
Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard,
and hold fast and repent.
Therefore, thou shalt not watch.
I will come on thee as a thief
in night, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon you.
Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis,
which have not defiled their garments, and they
shall walk with me in white, for they
are worthy.
He that overcometh seems to be clothed in
white raiment, and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life,
but I'll confess his name before my Father
and before his angels.
Now, unless you get a little concerned that
I'm going to apply this to Times Square
Church, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Jesus is talking about a church that died.
He talked about a church that had life
and a good reputation that died.
This is not Times Square Church.
This church has a reputation to be alive,
and it's a reputation that lives.
This church is on fire.
This church is not dead.
I'm not a dead pastor.
There's not a dead pastor on this place.
Pastor Carter had it right that God has
made this a burning bush, and we pray
it will be a burning bush until Jesus
comes.
But I'm stirred by what I read about
what can happen to churches.
In all my travels all over the world
in every city, I take you from Berlin,
I can take you through all of Europe,
take you through South America, take you all
of the United States to cities, and show
you churches that once were thriving, lampstand churches
full of the Holy Spirit, winning many souls
to the Lord on fire, even in this
city.
I can take you to some buildings right
now and show you that when I first
came to this city 40 years ago, the
place was packed.
People were getting saved, orchestra, choir, God moving
powerfully, and today is nothing but death.
And so God is trying to show us
what happens to families, to homes, to individuals,
to pastors and churches, and what causes spiritual
death.
This does apply to Times Square Church.
It applies to me as a pastor, to
all of us, as warning.
And I'm stirred by it, and I take
it to heart.
I want the capacity to be stirred by
what I read.
God help us when we're beyond the capacity
to be moved by the word of God.
Lord, we love your word.
We thank you for it.
And I don't know why you have put
this on my heart this particular time that
I obey you, Holy Spirit.
I've always obeyed you.
You made me a promise years ago that
if I would preach without fear, and if
I would preach with mercy and grace, but
never holding back what you speak to me,
whether it's prophetic, whether it's corrective, whether it's
blessing, whether it's encouragement, whatever it is, to
speak your heart as we receive it.
And now, Lord, I come to you needing
strength.
I need the anointing.
I need to be able to speak this
from your heart.
Sanctify me and give us ears to hear
what the Spirit is saying.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Now, the portion I read to you just
now was one of the most neglected truths
in all the Bible, seldom ever preached.
You can't find much in any commentary about
chapters two and three in the book of
Revelation.
In fact, I read a statement made years
ago by Archbishop of the Church of England,
Dr. Trench, and he said, according to the
canon of the Church of England, and I
read it clearly what he said, it is
impossible whatever for the second and third chapter
of Revelation to be heard in any of
our congregation.
Outlawed.
You don't speak according to the canon of
the church.
This is by Dr. Trench, and I can
give you the place he said it, the
time he said it.
We will not touch Revelation two and three.
Most prophecy writers who focus on the book
of Revelation skip to chapter four before they
begin.
They won't touch one to three, and especially
chapter two and three.
You won't find it.
You search your commentaries, search your books, you'll
find hardly any reference to these two chapters.
Here is the solemn word of Jesus Christ
dictated right from the throne room, and it
is ignored.
And Jesus said, blessed is he who hears
and reads it.
There's a blessing promised.
And why is it that this chapter has
been ignored?
This is one.
These two chapters are hated by Satan because
it's the one thing.
There's an antidote against the deadness and dryness
of the church and the apathy.
And the devil does not want this preached
in any church anywhere on the face of
the earth.
In Revelation one, Christ appears.
I'll walk to John on the Isle of
Patmos, and he's walking.
He looks like burning fire.
There's a two edged sword coming out of
his mouth and his eyes are burning.
His feet are on fire.
And he appears among seven burning candlesticks.
He has five to seven stars in his
hands.
And the scripture says the seven stars are
seven angels of the seven churches.
The seven candlesticks are seven churches.
Now, the angels are ministers in the original
Greek.
And almost all my reference sources agree with
me on this, that these were ministers.
And John was commanded by Jesus himself to
send seven letters to seven churches.
Now, there are two schools of thought about
these seven churches.
Now, there were little churches, seven churches in
Asia and beginning in Ephesus, running through Laodicea.
Two schools of thought.
Now, the dispensationalists believe, they're called dispensationalists, they
believe that this represents seven phases of the
church or seven generations beginning with the Ephesian
church.
That was the New Testament time, perhaps.
And all of these various phases of the
church ending in Laodicea.
And they believe that we're now living in
the Laodicean phase or period in the church,
the history of the church.
Others believe that these are seven individual respective
churches that had in them, they had that
which represents what would happen every church age.
That even today we have the Ephesian type
who have lost their first love.
We have the Smyrna type.
We have the Laodiceans.
And we may we may be now in
what is called Laodicean period.
But I can take you to churches and
right in our church, we have all seven
kinds of people who are blessed and corrected
by these seven letters to seven pastors.
Now, that is beside the point.
The point is that God sent seven letters
to his church.
These were mostly corrected, five churches were corrected
and lovingly rebuked.
This was not a message of wrath.
This was God's love trying to awaken his
body, to awaken his church.
These churches mostly were small congregations.
Some of them were worshiping in secret and
they were not well known.
They're just small groups, but they had been
started.
The pastors were sons, spiritual sons of the
apostle Paul and John and the other apostles.
There was an apostolic ministry.
There was healing.
There was a church that was live awake,
doing good works, charitable works, good things that
God saw.
And Jesus mentioned these good things in this
church.
But Christ addresses his under shepherds.
These letters were sent first to the angels
of the church.
And in other words, the Lord said, I'm
going to hold you responsible.
You're the guardian of the church.
And when I read what I read in
the second and third chapter, I take this
to my prayer closet.
I take this to the room and examine
my heart.
Lord, I'm one of your under shepherds.
These letters were meant for all of us.
If God didn't intend, if Christ didn't intend
to speak to me, those same words that
he's speaking to the pastors in Ephesus and
Smyrna and Pergamos and Laodicea, all these seven
churches, he would not have included in the
canon of Scripture.
It would have died with John when he
died on the Alpatmos.
This would have been ended.
The whole affair would have been gone.
But because it's recorded here, he said it's
for our understanding, for those upon whom the
ends of the world have come.
And I take this personally in church.
We cannot we cannot slough off.
We cannot put aside and we cannot ignore
that.
These messages are Christ represent Christ speaking to
his church today.
He spoke then and he speaks now.
He's speaking and he's speaking to our hearts
today and to Times Square Church.
The pastor at Ephesus was told.
Now, imagine opening these letters and it's addressed
to the pastor.
He's to take it as the guardian of
the church.
God says, in other words, the condition of
your church, I'm holding you responsible for it.
Whatever happens in the church, a dead pastor
creates dead churches.
There is there is never I have never
in my lifetime seen a Holy Ghost pastor
with a dead church who was preaching life
and power and anointing, because in time that
church will come alive and God will honor
that ministry because there's an obedience to the
word of God and the correction of the
scripture.
To the church of Ephesus, the pastor was
told, you have left your first love.
You've fallen from into apathy.
You must repent to the pastor Pergamos.
He said to the pastor, you've allowed false
doctrine.
A worldly Nicolaitan spirit is at work in
your church.
The pastor in Thyatira was told an ungodly
Jezebel spirit has overcome you.
You are not dealing with sin in your
house.
The pastor of the church at Laodicea was
told you and your people become indifferent, lukewarm,
prosperous.
You are lukewarm.
No fire, no spiritual hunger, no spiritual growth.
Repent or I'll remove your candlestick.
Now, this is this this is Christ love.
He's burning with love.
He does.
He loves his church.
He loves his pastors.
He's not angry at them, but he said,
look what's happening.
You have to wake up.
You have to deal with issues now.
And in love, he comes with these rebukes,
loving rebukes and warnings.
These three chapters have been so hidden from
the church.
Why is it?
It's because in a backslidden condition, the spirit
of apathy, that the enemy has dropped like
a cloud over hundreds of thousands of Christians.
Those who call themselves Christians.
And Jesus warned this would happen.
There'll be another gospel coming.
Another Christ.
And there's a gospel preaching being preached today
and hundreds of thousands of Christians are flocking
to it.
This is a message without a cross.
It's a message without sacrifice.
It's a message without a hell or a
devil.
It's a message without a judgment seat of
Christ or a great white throne judgment.
It's a message without the coming of the
Lord.
It's just a soothing, quiet message of prosperity
and goodness.
And hundreds of thousands are buying the books
and the tapes and flocking to these churches
because they do not are not willing to
be convicted by the word of God.
And because of this gospel taking the hearts
and the minds of hundreds of thousands of
believers around the world.
And I see it.
It's preached on television mainly.
And you listen and hear on radio or
you read the books and you hear these
messages.
There's never a mention of sin.
There's never a mention of conviction.
There's never a mention that Jesus is coming.
There's never a message that one day you're
going to stand before a great white throne
judgment and we're going to give an account
for all the deeds of our flesh.
And one day they're going to be multitude
stand before the Lord that were robbed of
truth.
And I made up my mind when I
Lord asked me to come to New York
and establish this church that never on my
watch.
And I know this is in the heart
of every pastor on this stage on our
watch.
You will not go to hell.
You're not standing for Jesus.
Having not been warned and lovingly warned with
compassion and grace.
And being convicted of sin of righteousness and
judgment through the Holy Spirit.
I said on my watch, Lord, as long
as I live, as long as I preach
in that pulpit.
I will preach your word.
I'll do it in love.
I'll do it through tears.
But we will not compromise in their regard
and we will not take away people the
capacity.
The capacity to be moved and convicted by
the Holy Spirit.
And that's what's happened.
The whole church world is being robbed of
the capacity to be moved.
And they can go now to any service.
I tell you, if this kind of message
is preached in some churches, they call mega
churches today.
And I'm not putting down all mega churches.
This is a mega church.
But if what I'm preaching to you this
morning were preached in some of these churches.
Two thirds of the congregation will walk out
before I'm finished.
And another third would sit there with their
hands folded and say, what's that about?
It would not be moved.
I could preach it through tears.
I could preach it under the greatest anointing
I've ever preached it and it would not
be moved.
Very few, just a remnant would be moved.
The apostle, Brother Isaiah the prophet said, this
is a rebellious people.
Children of falsehood.
Children who refuse to hearken to the law
of Jehovah.
And they say to the seers, see not.
They say to the prophets, prophesy not so
strictly.
Speak soothingly to us.
Prophesy illusions.
Turn aside from the appointed way and decline
from the spiritual path.
Remove from our presence the holy one of
Israel.
We don't want to hear about holiness.
We don't want to be convicted.
We don't want to be moved.
If I were living in sin, that's the
kind of church I'd want to attend.
I wouldn't want anybody touching.
That would take my heart.
This is not an indictment.
All churches.
No, not at all.
I know bigger churches to make a church
where God is truly moving in pastors that
are truly touched by the hand of God.
But this is what Isaiah said.
That's that's what is going to come to
give us a soothing message.
Don't ruffle us.
Don't convict us.
Don't move us.
Until finally there is no capacity left to
be ever be moved.
Not able to blush anymore.
Now, of all the letters written to pastors
in Revelation two and three.
The letter here to the pastor of Sardis
has shaken me.
To the pastor angel, the church of Sardis.
I know your works.
You have a name that you live, but
you're dead.
He's warning us.
He's warning me.
David, I want you.
I want you to see what happens.
And what has happened in history.
Down through the years.
Churches that have died.
That were once.
Apostolic.
Full of the glory of Christ.
Glory and a joy to the heart of
the father.
Multitude saved.
People came from miles around.
And now Jesus says they're dead.
And when he says they're dead, they are
dead.
There's no way you can get around what
he said.
They're dead.
Jesus said, I know your works.
I know how you started because I gave
you that name.
In fact, when Sardis was mincing at the
time that this was written, their charity, their
charity.
Their good works were so great that the
very name fire anointing was given to the
name of Sardis.
You mentioned the church at Sardis.
Everybody is thinking charity.
Everybody is thinking the anointing and apostolic presence
of Christ.
This is a city that's very prosperous.
The city province is very prosperous.
The richest man in the world at the
time lived there.
It was a gold smeltering place where they
smelted gold.
And it was known for its fine clothing
that was exported around the world.
Prosperity, though, had crept into this apostolic church.
And you would think that a church raised
under the apostles and apostolic teaching would never
grow cold or die.
But it happened.
Jesus said, you have a reputation that you
live, but now you're dead.
He said, now tell that to the congregation.
Warn them that life is slipping away and
the spirit of death has moved in among
us.
How did it happen?
I sat in my study for hours saying,
Jesus, you coming to this church that you
love and pastors that you, the pastors and
elders that you love and you're saying there's
death.
How did it happen?
What was the cause of this death?
I want to know so I can avoid
that in my own life and that the
church can avoid it.
This church in particular can be a blazing
church till Jesus comes.
What were the causes of death in Sardis?
And Jesus still had hope for this church.
He said, thou hast a few names, even
in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments.
And to the faithful remnant, Jesus said, be
watchful.
And actually, in Greek, it means become a
watcher.
Strengthen the things which remain that are ready
to die, for I have not found your
works perfect.
And what it means in Greek is finished.
Your work has not been finished.
You have not fulfilled your calling yet before
God.
Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard
and repent.
I believe what Jesus is saying.
You've settled into a comfort zone in Sardis.
Sardis had settled into a comfort zone.
And they had rested on their achievements.
And everything is paid for now.
And everything is running good.
And God has prospered and blessed.
And now there's no fire.
There's no zeal.
And something has been lost in this church.
It's so relaxed now.
The sense of we have arrived.
Oh, God, never let that happen to this
church.
Let it not happen to the lampstand churches
around the world today that any of us
would think we have arrived.
We could just settle down now and enjoy
the presence of the Lord without the zeal,
without the excitement, without the commitment.
Jesus said there are defiled garments.
He said there are few that have not
been defiled in their garments.
Now, folks, don't think now we're talking about
adultery, fornication, worshipping idols.
Yes, those are defilements.
But the real defilement that Christ, I believe,
is referring to here is self-interest.
Removing our focus from the house of God
to our own houses.
It is becoming so wrapped up in making
our own living and doing our own thing.
It is losing that excitement we once had
of just coming to the house of God.
Until now, it becomes a weariness because of
self-interest, family, career, business, becoming the first
focus.
Where once my house, he said, was the
focus.
Now, every man runs to his own house,
the prophet Haggai said.
Every man's running to his own interest.
And I believe this is what happened in
Sardis, self-interest, self-consuming.
Time for family, which is scriptural.
Time for my business.
Time to run about doing my thing.
But coming now and giving God two hours
on a Sunday morning.
Folks, I'm not rebuking this congregation.
I'm speaking to my own heart.
I know I had a pastor write to
me this past week.
He said, I read where you stated in
one of your newsletters that you thought you
had preached too hard when you were younger.
Your messages were too hard.
He said, don't ever say that again, because
I'm a pastor and I'm bent on backsliding.
And so are other pastors and churches.
We're bent on backsliding.
And he said, it was your message that
drove me to my knees.
And he said, it's still those messages that
come from the heart of God that keep
me on my knees.
Don't change that word.
No clapping, no clapping, please.
Folks, this is what Jesus says can happen.
And I fear it may have happened to
some that have been under this teaching and
preaching.
You're in this house where it's become a
weariness now for you to get in the
car.
It's been a weariness for you to get
in the subway.
It's been a weariness to come.
And so you come on a Sunday morning
and we ask what this church was established.
We would ask you if this is your
church home.
And folks, we're not trying to fill seats.
The seats are already filled.
This has to do with putting God's house
first.
We've asked that you attend at least two
services a week.
And that's not for our sake.
It's for your spiritual health sake to withstand
the spirit that's in the city and the
spirit of this age.
Because we love you and we want to
protect you.
We're shepherds and we're responsible for standing before
God one day and answer for the condition
of this church and everyone who calls it
home.
Be responsible having brought forth the word that
would convict you and move you and stir
your heart.
So you examine your heart like we are
examining our own hearts.
Jesus had warned this church earlier.
The words of Christ had been preached in
that church about not being choked by the
cares of this life, choked by the deceitfulness
of riches.
Prophet Haggai gave an incredibly strong message to
the church.
Children of Israel were delivered from Babylon and
sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild the house
of God.
That was their first commission.
God wanted a place where he could visibly
manifest his presence.
There was to be a visible manifestation.
People could go there and sense and feel
and know and they could see the move
of God and the evidence of his moving
in his presence and the manifestation of his
presence would be lives that would be changed
before their very eyes.
Just as we see here, Jesus manifest himself
by healing marriages and by people coming up
here that want drugs or alcohol or they've
been mixed up just like you when you
came here and gave your heart to Christ
or whatever you did.
That was a manifestation of the presence of
Christ.
And that's why he lets us obtain, purchase
and buy buildings and set up what is
called the building.
This really is a part of his church.
This is where we meet.
This is where there is a visible manifestation
of his presence.
Now, yes, there is an invisible church around
the world made up of believers, true believers,
his body.
But this is where we meet.
It's a place where we get together in
fellowship.
It's a place where we corporately pray for
the power and the glory of Christ in
this house, in our families, on the nation
and the world.
And if this is your church home, if
this is where God has set you, this
is where you have been fed.
This is his house.
This is where the charitable works flow to
the world.
This is where these good things that honor
Christ are accomplished.
And the prophet Haggai, they had started right
and they had built, but they became discouraged
over the years.
And this is the second appeal of Christ
of the heavenly father.
And God once again comes to his church.
The rubber ball is told by the prophet
Haggai and and the high priest Joshua.
This message came from God through the prophet
Haggai.
He said, you say this is not the
time to build.
And interpreted, it means you are saying we
don't have the time to build the church.
We don't have time now.
You say this is not the time to
build the house.
But is this the time for you to
hide in your nice houses and my house
be neglected?
Haggai said, has it come to this that
God delivered you and set you on a
mission to build his house?
And now you are so busy building your
house, doing what is best for you, and
you've neglected my house.
And here's the question.
Do you have the capacity to hear that
in the spirit?
Do you have the capacity in you to
say, oh, God, my heart is open.
Do I have the joy that I once
had in your house?
Do I have the excitement?
Do I have the zeal in my prayer
life?
Do I still have the hunger to know
you and to be intimate with you?
Lord, have my own interest crowded out your
concerns?
God speaks to Haggai and he says, now,
Haggai, let me show the people what happens
to those who neglect my house and run
every man to his own house.
He said, let me tell you what happens.
And, folks, I want you to listen very
closely to this.
He said, you can't get ahead now and
your money goes into a bag with holes
in it.
Folks, it's very quiet in here.
I'm not looking for an amen, but I'm
asking you again, do you have the capacity
to hear what the spirit is saying?
He said, if you neglect my house and
you start giving all your focus to your
own interest, and I'm no longer, my house
is no longer the center of your life,
and my work has been put secondary.
He said, your money is not going to
go very far.
I'm going to cut a hole in your
bag and it's going to drain out.
He said, you look for much and it
came to little.
You brought it home and I blew on
it.
He said, you had all of these dreams,
you had all these things you're going to
do, and you're going to do so many
things and it's your interest.
But he said, because you've neglected my house
and my interest, they're no longer first and
foremost in your life.
I'm just going to blow on these things
because I have a purpose for you and
I'm not going to let you go astray.
I love you too much.
And he said, I called for a drought.
He said, you end up dry and you
end up being not satisfied.
Everything you get, everything you purchase, everything you
do, it brings no satisfaction to you.
Now, folks, God is not against you and
I being blessed.
Not at all.
What they should have been doing if they
had put God's kingdom first, his work first
and got back to the building of the
house of God instead of putting their own
houses and interests first.
He said they were to have their children
under the table, happy and their wives blessed.
And he said, I'll bless you going out
and you're coming in.
I'll bless you in the field.
I'll bless you in the city.
I'll bless your store.
I'll bless your houses.
God intended a blessing.
But he said, because you have not put
my house first, he said, these things are
happening.
Now, folks, there are exceptions to that.
Sometimes when a nation is stricken with that
perfect storm, they call economic storm that rains
on the just and on the unjust.
There are other issues also.
I understand that.
But you need to maybe examine your heart
this morning in light of what the prophet
Hagia said when he's actually saying you wind
up in debt, terrible debt.
And there's misery with it.
And he said, you can't get ahead.
You strive and strive and you can't get
ahead.
You can't keep your head above the waters.
And he said, why?
In fact, this is what the prophet said.
God said, why?
You want to understand why?
He said, because my house lays neglected.
Because if you neglected my house.
No, it's not a Mother's Day message.
I'm not trying to be facetious, but I'm
telling you, I preach this.
I've asked God to give me love and
grace.
I stand behind as a helper and a
prayer warrior for some of the godliest men
on the face of the earth.
And I am so proud in Christ of
this church and the glory of God that's
here.
But this is God speaking to us.
This is what can happen.
This cannot.
Don't think we're above it.
Don't think this can't happen.
And the Lord spoke to me.
Don't think it can happen to you, David.
Just neglect the prayer closet.
Neglect my word.
Neglect your tithe.
Neglect giving what belongs to God.
How the devil would like to keep you
out of that choir loft.
How he'd like to ground you and get
you discouraged and then bring you to a
place where you just say, I've put my
time in.
How the devil would like to make you
weary of the spiritual warfare.
And the Lord says, no, rouse yourself.
He says, repent of that.
Repent of it.
And oh, God, put the zeal.
Jesus said the zeal of his house ate
him up.
God, I want the zeal of God to
eat up my soul till I die.
I want fire in my bones.
The older I get, the more I want
to burn.
And that's what God wants of this church.
The longer this church goes on, the greater
the fire and the zeal of God in
this house.
The greater the love of Jesus that spreads
abroad among us.
Now, here's the good news.
Amen.
All right.
Bible said they obeyed the voice of the
Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai,
the prophet, and the Lord, their God, that
the Lord God had sent to them.
And the people did fear before the Lord.
And then Haggai prophesied, the Lord is with
you.
I believe God is with Times Square Church.
I believe God is with those churches where
the standards are being held and the gospel
is truly being preached.
And the Lord stirred up the spirit of
Zerubbabel and the spirit of all the remnant
of the people.
God stirred them.
Thank God they had the capacity.
They were not beyond being stirred.
They say, Holy Spirit, we hear it.
We'll act on it.
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel
and the spirit of all the remnant of
the people.
And they came and did work in the
house of the Lord, their God.
From that day, they heard it and they
said, there's going to be a change.
And they left their houses for a season.
They still were going to take care of
their work.
God said, you put first the kingdom of
God and my righteousness and all these things
will be added unto you.
You take care of my house.
I'll take care of your house.
I'll take care of your children.
I'll take care of your budget.
I'll take care of that.
And if you have to go on Holy
Ghost Relief, Jesus says, I'll be your social
worker.
I'll be there.
I'll take you through.
Haggai, I'll just read it.
You don't have to turn there.
Here's here's what God said.
He said, this is when they were so
interested in their own interest.
He said, I smote you with blasting mildew
with hail in the labors of your hand.
But you didn't turn to me, said the
Lord.
But now he said, now that you've made
my house first, now that you've gotten this
new interest in what I'm doing.
Consider now from this day and onward from
the fourth and 20th day of the ninth
month.
He puts a date on it.
Even from the day that the foundation of
the Lord's temple was laid.
Consider this now.
Is the seed yet in the barn?
Is yet the vine and the fig tree
and the pomegranate and the olive tree have
not brought forth from this day?
I'll bless you.
He said, you may not see it right
away.
He said, but I have determined and I
have commanded a blessing on you.
From this day on, from the day you
make that commitment and hear the voice of
the Holy Ghost.
He said, I am committed to bless you.
If it happens on this day, sitting in
your seat now and you make a decision.
I'm coming back, Lord.
To your interest.
Whatever it cost me.
Whatever sacrifice the Lord had brought forth from
this day, will I bless you?
God did just that.
God began to bless his people.
And if you want to see what the
blessings are of the old covenant, you can
go.
And those blessings.
My God said he's the same yesterday, today
and forever.
God doesn't change.
And the moment you and I set our
heart again afresh.
To sing with Holy Ghost gusto.
Not to come dragging in God's house, tired
and weary of our own ways.
And dragging ourselves into the house of God,
becoming with expectancy, having prayed and sought God.
Oh, do you pray for this church?
Do you pray for its pastors?
Do you pray that the fire of God
will always be burning in this place?
How else can our children know and see
and experience manifestations of the presence of Christ?
Unless you and I bring down his glory
by the commitment.
I told you this was not about Times
Square Church.
Other than the warning of how it can
happen.
I don't believe it's going to happen.
Or God wouldn't bring words like this.
You've heard Pastor Carter, Pastor Neal.
In fact, you've heard all the pastors.
Bring forth these loving warnings and quickenings of
the Holy Spirit to keep us from going
astray.
And allowing apathy, lethargy or lukewarmness in our
hearts.
Will you stand?
Holy Spirit, I'm asking and pleading with you
that wherever people are hearing my voice right
now and have heard this message.
I pray, Lord, that you speak.
Speak to us as a body, as your
church.
Speak to our hearts and show us where
we need to repent.
Lord, I have repented.
I've repented.
Some things you're showing me that could lead
to apathy and spiritual sloth.
And Lord, you've laid hold of my heart.
You have laid hold of my heart to
seek you as never before.
Lord, Tuesday, this church goes to prayer and
fasting.
God, I pray that everyone in this house
that has your burden and love for this
house and for the people of God here
in this city.
That they would hear that.
Lord, as we fast and pray together, that
you will speak to us.
And Lord, those who need to repent this
morning, they can do that right now.
Holy Spirit, I am guilty.
I have put my own interest ahead of
yours.
I've run to my own things, the things
of this world that I felt so necessary.
Lord, forgive.
And let us leave this church this morning
rejoicing.
Let there be a praise breakout in this
service even this morning when we humble ourselves
before you.
Folks, does it make sense to you that
God would speak like this this morning?
If you're going to speak this, would he
not lay it upon the heart of the
founder of the church?
Wouldn't the letter come to me first?
That's not a boast.
That's a confession.
What I would like to do in my
flesh would be to somehow just move you
and get you happy and excited and everybody
jumping and praising the Lord.
But the Holy Spirit is speaking deep to
hearts.
And when I walk off the stage and
go to my apartment now, I want to
know that I've delivered my soul.
It's not easy to do.
But, folks, I feel the spirit speaking so
loudly, so clearly.
Have you become so busy?
The only thing about Times Square Church to
you now is Sunday morning for two hours.
That's all it is.
And you're not evolved.
When there's a plea for ushers, a plea
for choir, a plea for workers of all
kinds, and you want to come and just
sit and be blessed.
That's a recipe for dryness and a bag
with holes in it.
The Lord wants more for us.
And I can't do it.
I'm going to ask everyone that's in this
house that has been moved.
You've been moved.
You've been stirred by the Holy Spirit.
I want you to raise your hands and
say, Lord, forgive.
I want to say that before this whole
congregation and up in the balcony and in
the annex everywhere.
Just raise your hands.
And would you just say it right out?
Lord, thank you for speaking in my heart
and help me, Lord, not to go down
that path.
Help me, Lord Jesus, to put your interest
first and show me how to do it,
Lord Jesus.
Show me how.
Show me how, Lord.
Speak to my heart.
Quicken us.
Folks, come on.
Let's just reach out to the Lord right
now.
Let's honestly open our hearts to the Lord.
Lord Jesus, thank you for stirring my heart.
Lord, let us never get to the place
that we just listen to sermons.
God, let there be a shout in this
place because we are obedient to your word.
Thank you for the word that's come forth
all of these past years.
Thank you for all the past.
Thank you for the anointing.
Thank you for this burning bush pulpit.
And thank you for a congregation, Lord, that
has loved you and blessed you so much.
But now, oh God, keep the devil out
of this house.
Keep lethargy out of this house.
God, keep this house burning on fire.
Glory be to God.
Now let's just worship him.
Just worship him.
Lord, I worship you and I praise you.
I give you honor and I give you
glory.
Oh, God.
We love you, Jesus.
We worship you.
Folks, we need a new wave of worship.
We need a baptism of worship to come
upon our heart.
Lord, baptize us to worship you now with
a special love, renewing our love, oh God,
renewing our passion.
Renew our passion for you, Jesus.
Hallelujah.
Glory to God.
Thank you for all your blessings, Lord.
You have blessed this church.
You have blessed its pastors.
You have blessed the families.
You have been so good and we thank
you for that.
But now, oh, Lord, we hear you, Jesus.
We hear you in the midst of the
candlesticks.
We hear you walking among us and saying,
now I want to bless you.
I want you to be anointed.
Hallelujah.
If you're here this morning and you have
strayed from the Lord or you're not right
with God, we invite you to slip out
of your seat, the balcony, either side, come
down, the stairs on either side, come down.
Come here.
I'll pray with you.
If you say, Pastor David, I've been dealt
with lovingly by the Holy Spirit this morning.
I need to be awakened.
There's been a coldness that has gripped my
heart or lukewarmness.
Don't come unless the Spirit draws you in.
But if you feel the Lord speaking, it
doesn't matter to me whether there are ten
or five here.
What is important is that you respond to
the Holy Spirit when he speaks to you.
Otherwise, this quickening, this moving can just sputter
out when you get out the door.
Confirm it.
Seal it.
Say, Jesus, I want this to change me.
Wherever you're at, slip out of your seat
and I'll pray for you in just a
moment.
You know, when we obey the word of
the Lord and walk in the spirit, all
of the devil's plans are exposed.
All of his devices are exposed.
And the church builds a defense.
And God is building a wall around this
place.
He's building a wall around you and your
family.
That's what he wants to do.
Build a wall around you and that you
will never have to stand before the Lord
and see your works burn.
But to see and know that you have
obeyed the word of God and the call
of the Holy Spirit.
And you that have come forward, I don't
know what your need is.
I'm not going to preach my sermon again.
I don't know what your need is.
But for some reason you came.
Many of you came and said, I've been
moved in my heart and I need to
make a new commitment.
Those of you who have been cold in
your heart are drifting away from the Lord.
It doesn't have to be some great deep
theological prayer.
Just a simple prayer.
God's looking at the heart.
Just at the heart.
That's what defilement is.
It's a heart condition.
It's something that has our heart.
And if something has your heart.
If you're wrapped up so much in a
house, furniture, clothes, shopping, all of those things,
none of them evil themselves.
But if these things have your heart, you
can never put the things of God first.
Everything else, you will go further and further
off into this kind of defilement.
And all that becomes defiled when you neglect
the things of God.
And those things, you go after your things
at the expense of the work of God.
Will you pray this prayer with me, please,
from your heart?
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you've given
me a heart that can be stirred and
moved.
Thank you, Jesus.
Now forgive me for my self-interest replacing
your interest.
And I hear you and I respond.
Lord, awaken my soul and bring me back
to my first love.
I need your touch.
I need to be refreshed.
Cleanse me, Lord Jesus.
I come for a hungry heart.
Put hunger in my heart.
Put thirst in my heart to go deeper
in you, Jesus.
Now let me pray for you.
Father, I thank you for hungry hearts.
I thank you for people who are willing
to come and say, I have a need.
Thank you, Lord, for a church who so
quickly responds to the word of the Lord.
Jesus, speak life now.
Speak faith.
Speak hope into the hearts of this body.
Lord, to know that the hand of God,
the blessing of God is available to us
as we just come and put you first
in our lives.
Everything, Lord, focused on you, Jesus.
We'll never get away from that focus.
Lord, I want you to bring healing and
strength and peace to all those who have
responded into this whole body in the annex
and here in the main house.
In Jesus' name.
This is the conclusion of the message.