This message is one of the Times Square
Church Pulpit series.
It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times
Square Church in Manhattan, New York City.
Other tapes are available by writing WORLDCHALLENGE PO
BOX 260 LINDALE, TEXAS 75771 or calling 903
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You know, you ask some people today, how
are you doing?
And the very first thing that comes out
of their mouth sometimes is, well, under the
circumstances.
I only have a question for you.
If you are in Christ and Christ is
in you, what are you doing under the
circumstances?
He has already triumphed.
There's a song I love to sing and
one day we are going to sing it
here.
It's called, I'm Living on the Hallelujah Side.
And that's where we need to be as
God's people.
Beyond the trials and difficulties of this life,
beyond all of the tribulations that the days,
I guess, agenda can send our way, and
living where Christ has already triumphed.
And I want to encourage you to lay
hold of that triumph in our worship today.
Father, we just thank you, Jesus, that you
triumphed over the powers of hell and darkness.
That is a reality.
And that's a higher reality than anything that
we're going through.
Any struggle, any trial, any difficulty, any weapon
of hell that may have been formed against
us.
Lord, you've already triumphed over it.
You're already on the other side.
You're living in the victory side.
And we are there seated in heavenly places
with you.
Hallelujah.
Lord, by faith, we lay hold of your
accomplished work today.
By faith, Lord, we reach out and we
lay hold of the God of our salvation.
You said the joy of our salvation is
our strength.
The joy of the Lord is our strength.
God, thank you, Lord.
Thank you for the knowledge that we are
living in victory, not just for now but
for all of eternity because of what Jesus
did on Calvary.
Hallelujah.
We bless you today.
Brethren, you can remain standing.
You can be seated at any time here
at Times Square Church.
All we ask is that you keep your
focus on Jesus Christ and love Him with
all of your heart.
And if you're under the circumstances today, may
I encourage you by faith to get out.
Just by faith, get out from under those
circumstances and begin to love Him with all
your heart.
Would you turn in your Bibles, please, to
Isaiah chapter 59.
When the enemy comes in like a flood.
Isaiah chapter 59.
Let's pray together.
Jesus, I thank you for your enduring truth.
I thank you for your life, your strength.
God, the provision that you give to me
every time that I would stand and have
the privilege of representing your word before your
people.
I thank you for the quickening power of
the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I ask you now to overshadow me.
I ask you to quicken my heart, my
mind, physical body.
Grant to me great grace that I may
disappear and stand behind the cross.
Jesus, I ask that you would be the
one who would be seen, you'd be heard,
you'd be loved and longed for in this
house and especially in the hearts of your
people.
Lord God, come and speak to us and
open our hearts to the truth.
Convict me and convince me, Lord, and enable
me to be able to bring your heart
to the people in the manner that you
want it to be conveyed today.
I ask, Lord, for great grace to be
removed out of the way that you may
speak.
Jesus, be honored now.
Be honored in our hearts, be honored in
our lives.
Be honored in the response that you will
enable us to give to your word today
and in your house.
Lord God, I thank you for this.
I praise you for it in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Isaiah chapter 59, when the enemy comes in
like a flood.
Begin to read at verse 16.
And he saw, this is God, that there
was no man and wondered that there was
no intercessor.
Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and
his righteousness, it sustained him.
In other words, God was looking down on
the deplorable situation that had come in to
his people and the society of that particular
day.
There was nobody standing in the gap, and
so he took it upon himself to bring
about the victory and deliverance that he alone
has determined for his people.
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation upon his head.
And he put on the garments of vengeance
for clothing and was clad with zeal as
a cloak.
According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay.
Fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies,
to the islands, that means the distant lands,
he will repay recompense.
So shall they fear the name of the
Lord from the west and his glory from
the rising of the sun.
When the enemy shall come in like a
flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift
up a standard against him.
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion and
unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob,
saith the Lord.
As for me, this is my covenant with
them, saith the Lord.
My spirit that is upon thee and my
words which I have put in thy mouth
shall not depart out of thy mouth nor
out of the mouth of thy seed, nor
out of the mouth of thy seed, seed,
saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever.
Now in verse 19, the scripture speaks of
the enemy coming in like a flood, a
suddenness, a bursting forth, a casting away perhaps
of all that is good, as if somehow
a barrier which once restrained that which could
destroy us is breached.
The only illustration I can really think of
giving you is perhaps a dam that has
stood for years and years and years and
held back a torrent of water that had
the capability of destroying a small little village
at its base.
And yet over time a crack appeared in
that dam, nobody did anything to stop it,
everybody was preoccupied perhaps with their own building,
their own houses, their own careers, their own
social gatherings and many many things that can
preoccupy the human heart.
And people failed to notice that over time
the crack in that particular dam was widening
and widening until eventually because of the weight
of the water that was behind it, it
just burst forth and a sudden flood came
upon the people unaware.
And we have seen certainly throughout history secularly
speaking, I mean we have seen that happen
from time to time as dams have burst
and we see the swath of incredible destruction
that has brought upon the people that are
in its path.
Now the prophet Isaiah is talking about a
time when the enemy is going to come
on just like that upon the people.
Coming in suddenly, coming in as a flood.
Many many people unaware, unprepared for what's happening
all around them.
In chapter again 59 and verse 13 he
explains why and how this begins to happen.
Verse 13, he says, In transgressing and lying
against the Lord and departing away from our
God.
Now the word transgressing in the original text
is pascha.
It means to break away, to apostatize, to
be offended from a righteous authority.
Isaiah is saying there's something that got into
the hearts of the people.
They began to break away, they did not
like the constraints that God in His mercy
and love was placing upon His people.
He had built around about His people a
wall of protection, a wall of provision, a
wall that if people were desirous to walk
within those parameters, it was a place where
God's arms would draw them right very close
to His heart and He would reveal the
very character and nature of Himself to them
and in them and through them.
But they began to break away, they began
to push away from the love of God.
And verse 13 goes on to say, In
departing, in speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and
uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
The word revolt is sarai, which means it
carries the notion of defection or rebellion in
man's relationship to God.
It's incredible, it's an irony, but it's in
the human heart.
It happens continuously, generation after generation.
We see it in the Old Testament, God
would bring out His people, they would cry
to Him, He would bless them, and He
would establish parameters around about them where they
could be rejoicing, the glory of God was
in their midst.
And the purpose of that was to provoke,
perhaps, other people around, other nations, when they
began to see the glory of God that
was upon His people, that they too would
begin to turn to the Lord and begin
to understand there's only one God in heaven
and earth that can keep and carry and
sustain and bless people like that.
But time and again throughout history, time and
again throughout Christian history, even in the last
2,000 years, we see generations that have
known or at least have a history or
legacy of the faithfulness of God beginning to
break away to be offended at the authority
of God, to defect or rebel in their
relationship with Him.
In verse 15 says, the end result of
this in a society, yea, truth faileth, and
he that departs from evil makes himself a
prey.
And the Lord saw it and it displeased
Him that there was no judgment.
A time comes, and it's a tragic thing
to see that thing beginning to happen in
the United States of America and in Canada
right now.
A time comes when the defection from God's
authority had reached such proportions that a person
who sought to walk in God's truth became
open to all forms of attack from that
society.
It is a tragedy when looking back at
the history, I'm a little bit of a
history buff and I have spent some time
searching out the roots of American spiritual history.
It's a tragedy although it was not all
as squeaky clean as some would like to
think it was.
Nevertheless there was a Christian foundation that built
the very fabric of this nation that caused
the blessing of God to be upon people.
There was a wall established and one of
the early founding fathers prophesied one day and
said this nation will be at the forefront
in the future technology that's going to develop
throughout the world and he believed that it
was going to be through the United States
of America that technology was going to spread
throughout the entire known world.
As a matter of fact he said that
the prophecy that is in the book of
Daniel will be fulfilled through the United States
of America.
That prophecy that says that knowledge will increase.
And surely we've seen the hand of God's
blessing on a country in only a couple
of hundred short years and unparalleled perhaps throughout
history the blessing that God has put upon
this nation.
But then we see this tragic form of
defection against the authority of God.
Pushing the word of God out of our
schools and then throwing up our hands in
confusion when our children begin to murder and
massacre one another.
Wondering why it's happening.
Pushing him out of the court system.
Pushing him out of the fabrics of society.
The buzzword in Canada now today is tolerance.
And I shared last week it means tolerance
of everything but the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And now those who stand for truth are
open to mock and ridicule.
And I do believe, I have a trepidation
in my heart if the Lord tarries and
does not bring some form of horrific kind
of change upon the western world.
The day is coming in the not too
distant future that it could conceivably be illegal
to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Truth fails and he that departs makes himself
a prey.
Verse 14, Isaiah cries out from a broken
heart.
He says, judgment is turned away backwards and
justice stands afar off.
Truth is fallen in the street and equity
cannot enter.
Truth was daily being trampled by those who
were indifferent to even their own peril that
was right at their own doorstep.
A nation trampling upon truth.
It is an absolute tragedy.
I want to read something to you that
I was looking at earlier this week.
It's an article from the Focus on the
Family newsletter.
It's the Canadian edition of Focus on the
Family published in August 1999.
You're going to find this hard to believe
when I'm about to read to you.
The writer says, I know that many of
you reacted with the same concern as I
did last January the 30th when a British
Columbia court ruled that possession of child pornography
was a right protected under the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms, therefore legal in British
Columbia.
So great was the outcry across the country
that the federal justice minister, I won't be
naming any names in this article, and British
Columbia's attorney general launched an immediate appeal.
In order to protect Canada's children from those
who would prey upon them, Focus Canada became
involved in the appeal.
Imagine then the public dismay when on June
30th, that was this past June 30th, the
British Columbia Supreme Court upheld the earlier ruling.
I cannot fathom, the writer says, what contorted
logic led the British Columbia Supreme Court justice
to conclude that there was no connection between
the possession of child pornography and the abuse
of children used to make it.
In fact, listen to this now, during the
case, she suggested that perhaps we should support
the abuse of third world children used for
child pornography because it was one of the
few ways that they could make any money.
In her ruling, she called laws in place
to protect the interests of children tyrannical.
And in response to Focus Canada's argument that
Canada's Charter of Rights recognized the supremacy of
God and therefore that religious values should be
considered, she noted that the supremacy of God
was a dead letter.
We're living in perilous times, folks, perilous times,
when we have a justice in the Supreme
Court saying that we should support child pornography
and the exploitation of children to help them
make money.
Isaiah says in chapter 24 and verse 10,
the city of confusion is broken down.
Every house is shut up that no man
may come in.
Now, here's what it really means.
As we go more and more into the
distance from the loving arms of a wonderful
savior that wants to do nothing more than
bless and to change his children, society begins
to barricade itself.
Everyone is barricaded and fear begins to grip
the whole society.
Now, I'm not that old, I'm only 46
or 45, I'll be 46 soon, years old,
but I remember the day when we didn't
have to lock the doors in our home
at night.
And I believe that some of you are
old enough here in New York City to
remember that day too as well.
But now, today, everyone is barricaded.
Fear is beginning to grip the whole of
society.
Horrendous crimes that were never even thought of
are now an everyday occurrence.
People moving into homes and finding body parts
in barrels and buckets and freezers and buried
in their basement.
Murder upon murder happening in our society.
People disappearing.
Nobody even knows that they've disappeared sometimes for
10 or 15 years into the future.
Isaiah says in verse 11, chapter 24, there's
a crying for wine in the streets.
In other words, he's saying a search for
happiness.
There's a constant search now for happiness and
peace.
All joy is darkened.
Nothing lasts anymore.
And the mirth of the land is gone.
Isaiah is saying joy and gladness which comes
as a result of an awareness of the
favor of God.
That which once brought us stability is now
eluded us.
It is gone.
A continual search for happiness.
Y'all don't have to walk far out
the door of this church to see that
in these streets of Manhattan.
People walking to and fro, going from theater
to theater and show to show and attraction
to attraction looking for happiness.
And I always find it interesting at the
end of the night to see them heading
towards a parking garage at 51st and 8th
with this deadpan look upon their faces.
There's no gaiety.
There's no joy.
Everything that they may have experienced, the laughter
that they may have known in some of
these places has all been temporary.
It's all elusive.
They can't hold on to it.
It's like sand in your hand.
And people are searching constantly.
They'll go home and they'll plan the next
set of tickets they buy to come again
and to look for one more night of
elusive peace and happiness.
Looking for that which only can be brought
by the presence of Jesus Christ and the
anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah chapter 59 again in verse 9.
He talks about a society which has rejected
God's truth and then tries to do right
but can't.
Ever increasing confusion leads to a deeper and
deeper darkness.
Listen to what he says in verse 9.
Therefore is judgment far from us and neither
does justice overtake us.
We wait for light but behold obscurity.
For brightness but we walk in darkness.
We look for the truth.
We try to do right but it seems
this ever increasing confusion is leading us to
an ever increasing darkness in our country.
We search for our previous borders.
In verse 10 it says we search for
the wall like the blind and we grope
as if we had no eyes.
We stumble at noonday as in the night
and we are in desolate places as dead
men.
What he's saying is that we search for
our previous borders.
We search for the ones which brought security
at another time and we can't find it.
We're walking around and we have the stories,
we have the history, we have the legacy
of God's blessing but it seems that it
has eluded us as we seek to find
it and sadly to say society seeks to
find it outside of the parameters where the
true blessing came from.
It came from the presence of God.
It came from walking in obedience to God.
It came from the loving arms of a
risen Savior.
When there were one time of people who
embraced Him and those borders were secure, they
were established, we were a lender and not
a debtor.
The scripture says, Isaiah says in chapter 59
verse 10 it says we are in desolate
places as dead men.
The original text, the word dead men means
an unnatural death which was not the will
of God.
We walk around suffering an unnatural death and
it really is speaking about a spiritual death.
Searching for the walls and unable to find
them.
All of the symposiums now, all of the
think tanks getting together and trying to figure
out why our children are now being predisposed
to such horrendous violence.
New York City now, I suppose many of
you are aware of it now, some of
the initiation rites into some of the young
youth gangs now is to take a razor
blade or any kind of a cutting object
and to find a baby in a carriage
and to slice up that baby.
That is the new ritual now.
Not even babies in their carriages are safe
anymore.
And so all of the brilliant men get
together and they form symposium and think tanks
trying to figure out why this is happening
in our midst.
Groping for the wall but unable to find
it because they are trying to find it
outside of the parameter where true life and
true freedom really is.
And the life surrendered and submission to the
laws of God to the heart of God
is revealed through his son Jesus Christ.
Verse 11 talks about again our society.
It says we all, we roar all like
bears and mourn sore like doves.
We look for judgment but there is none
for salvation but it is far off from
us.
In other words we roar like bears.
He says we give the impression that we
are powerful and in control.
Our politicians stand up and some civic leaders
and others even religious figures stand up and
roar like bears about the good days that
are ahead of us and the ever increasing
prosperity and the walls that will never fall
and all the hindrances before us that will
never take us down.
Recently some braggart in the Wall Street Stock
Exchange said we have now compartmentalized the stock
market.
It can only fall a certain amount everyday
and even though a temporary panic may set
in he said there is no chance, common
sense he said will prevail and the market
can only fall a certain portion everyday and
common sense will prevail and he said the
American economy will remain and will stand firm
and then he said some foolish words that
I'm reminded of that were spoken back in
the early 1900s and it was recorded I
believe in the New York Times he said
not even God could sink the American economy
today.
I remember when the Titanic was dedicated some
fool shouted it from over the railing not
even God he said could sink this ship
because it was compartmentalized.
There could only be a certain amount of
water that could enter in at certain intervals
at certain times and surely they said we
can make it to a safe port before
any tragedy would come upon us.
We roar like bears we give the impression
that we are absolutely powerful and in all
control but he said and we mourn sore
like doves.
In public we give this great impression that
we are in control but in private we
are inwardly afraid.
Every man in the chambers of his own
heart going home to his own house at
night is wringing his hands and wondering what
the future is really going to hold because
outside of all this false bravado there really
is no inward confidence in the heart.
Fear really has gripped the heart because the
only source of true strength and confidence comes
from the enabling power of the Holy Ghost
through Jesus Christ.
There is no other source.
We look for salvation in verse 11 but
it is far off from us.
In other words we look for inner peace.
We look for an assured future but it
cannot even be seen in the distant future.
It's so far off we can't even fathom
where it's going to come from.
Even among God's people many have been drawn
aside with the moral and spiritual landslide of
the nation.
Put a marker please in Isaiah chapter 59
and go ahead to the last book in
the Old Testament.
Malachi chapter 3.
Even God's people were drawn away with this
rebellion against what is it a rebellion against?
It's a rebellion against the revelation of God
through Jesus Christ as God himself has chosen
to reveal himself to us as a servant
as one who is despised and rejected by
a society that is bent on hell and
intend in their hearts on pushing God out
of its borders.
He revealed to his church that those who
wanted to follow him had to take up
their cross which really represents the denial of
self.
Had to seek out the will of almighty
God and as they began to walk in
that covenant relationship with Christ to yield their
bodies as a living sacrifice unto him and
say Lord here I am as Isaiah said
send me whatever you'd have me to do
wherever you'd have me to go.
Church years ago used to sing a song
it went whether in sorrow or in shame
or my life I give you reign father
glorify yourself in me.
This is what this generation has rebelled against.
A generation that is so intent on the
increasing of itself the bettering of itself the
glorification of itself the positioning of itself in
society.
That permeates now secular society all around us.
And folks it is perilously dangerous and many
people don't even understand or realize what we're
looking at in the immediate future.
What we're seeing the butchery we're seeing in
our children now beginning to arise it's not
in all of our children thank God but
the terrifying things we're beginning to see arise
in our children is just symptomatic of what
this society has become and what it's all
about.
Folks there are people now in the court
systems that are fighting for the right to
die with dignity.
There are people being euthanized who still have
an opportunity to receive Christ as their Lord
and Savior to be filled with the Holy
Ghost and in spite of their concept that
they don't have quality of life because they
may be in a wheelchair for the rest
of their days God can use them powerfully
for His honor and for His glory.
But there are people that are now fighting
for the right to die as they call
it with dignity.
When one feels that his life or her
life no more bears any sense of of
sensible achievement I suppose in the goals and
objectives of the world today as we know
it.
I read a story recently of a young
person who was euthanized because he was depressed
chronically depressed and felt the future held no
hope for him.
So he subsequently put to death at his
own request.
Now what a tragedy.
Now this is a voluntary thing they're pushing
for this in the courts but folks I
want to tell you something it is symptomatic
of a self-seeking people and there's going
to be a sudden twist in this a
sudden turn especially when the economy begins to
go sour.
It will become your right to die with
dignity when you're in a wheelchair or have
some kind of a physical infirmity or a
fatal disease condition or something like that or
perhaps a mental illness but it will shift
suddenly from the right to die to the
responsibility to die for the betterment of that
society.
And folks if you think I'm off the
wall just hang around a few years and
you're going to see that what I'm saying
to you today is about to happen in
this nation.
It will become the responsibility of people with
certain diseases and conditions to be put to
death or to die as they call it
with dignity for the betterment of the whole
so that others who are healthy can go
on.
See that's the end result of selfishness.
It's the pursuit of self the elevation of
self the preservation of self at the expense
of everybody else around you.
It is the anti-Christ spirit it is
completely opposite to the heart of God.
God showed us that he would expend himself
and give of himself and pour out of
himself for others for our benefit.
That is the heart of Christ.
What we see being manifested in our midst
now is the heart of the devil himself
saying everything everybody can everybody can perish as
long as I am safe and I am
secure.
Malachi talks about the roots of this.
How did it even get into God's house?
It's not as tragic as this in God's
house but we're supposed to be light and
salt in our generation.
We're supposed to be a people who are
presenting the heart of Christ to this perishing
world but yet self-seeking has gotten into
God's house to such a degree that doctrines
of self in the house of God so
mirror the philosophy of this society that there's
virtually no distinction other than the church building
itself.
Folks listen to me carefully.
Malachi chapter 3 beginning at verse 13 the
Lord says your words have been stout against
me saith the Lord and yet you say
what have we spoken so much against thee?
In verse 14 he said you have said
it is vain to serve God.
What profit is it that we have kept
His ordinance and that we have walked mournfully
before the Lord of hosts?
Now listen to me.
The word vain the original text is shaw
it means empty and disappointing.
The word serve is avad it means to
work as a slave or a bond slave.
The word ordinance is mishmareth which means a
watchman a guard a watch post a sentry
or a person in a place or position
of duty.
The word mournfully I can't even pronounce it
so I won't even try but it means
those who were in sackcloth and mourning and
it has a twofold application.
Those who were repenting of their sin and
wanting to walk right before God and those
who were beginning to share the heart of
God for a fallen generation all around them.
And God says to these people you have
said it is vain it is empty it
is disappointing there is no personal profit what
he says God and they say what profit
is it that we have done this.
It is empty and disappointing to work as
a bond slave for the Lord.
To stand as a watchman a guard a
watch post a sentry to be on duty
in the things of God to go about
repenting of our sin and to share the
heart of God for our generation.
This got into the hearts of some of
many of God's people and they said it
is of no personal profit to walk this
path.
It denotes the fact that God's own people
saw no personal profit or gain in drawing
close to God and becoming partakers of his
heart and his work in and among the
people.
Their focus was only temporal by that I
mean their focus was on themselves their focus
was on the here and now their focus
was on self and its betterment and all
forms of self and therefore the only recourse
left was to develop their own moral code
and back it up with their own redefined
theology.
And here's what they came up with and
now he says in verse 15 this is
an incredible scripture and now he says we
call the proud happy yea they that work
wickedness are set up yea they that tempt
God are even delivered.
Now that's incredible if I was to stand
here and preach a message it sounds like
many of the messages that are preached today
in some of the charismatic movement happy set
up and delivered it sounds almost spiritual doesn't
it?
But Malachi says we call the proud happy
those who have exalted their thoughts above the
thoughts of God those who have charted their
own course those who are walking their own
path those who are spitting in the face
of Jesus and says no I'll do it
this way I will walk this way and
I will have my will I will have
my betterment I will have my own personal
fulfillment and I will also have the kingdom
of God thank you very much.
Now he says we call them happy and
they that work wickedness are set up I
think of the covetous for example where Paul
the apostle said clearly it's idolatry and no
idolater shall inherit the kingdom of God I
think of the thousands upon thousands in the
American church in the last 20 years that
have fallen prey to doctrines of absolute greed
and covetousness fallen under the voices of false
teachers that teach the people that godliness is
a means to acquire financial gain and we
call them now set up and they that
tempt God are even delivered now it's interesting
when you look at this in the original
text the word tempt is bachan which means
continually searching out or testing the integrity of
something in this case it's God continually questioning
the integrity of God and he says we
call them delivered the word is malach and
this is what it means escaped freed or
saved that's incredible we call them that tempt
God delivered in other words we call those
now today who continually question the integrity of
almighty God we call them saved now that's
an incredible indictment and malachi calls this whole
thing into question but then something begins to
happen and God begins to open up something
of the word that hell itself doesn't want
you to hear hell would fight with all
of its fury that that I can't hear
that you can't hear that the church can't
hear it but it slips in in this
one verse in verse sixteen in the midst
of all the upheaval and confusion malachi records
something which begins to happen a people begin
to come together then they that feared the
Lord spoke often one to another and the
Lord hearkened and heard it and a book
of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord and that thought upon
his name I'd like to just read it
to you from the living bible if I
may then those who feared and loved the
Lord spoke often of him to each other
and he had a book of remembrance drawn
up in which he recorded the names of
those who feared him and loved to think
about him they began to get together there
were a people that began to assemble I
don't know where they were I don't even
know who they were but I know what
they were they were people who were in
love with Jesus Christ notice it doesn't say
they began to speak about the church or
they began to speak about theological doctrines they
began to speak about him something began to
happen a stirring began to happen in the
hearts of a people and they began to
come together whether it be in homes whether
it be in church services no matter what
environment there was a gathering together of people
who said I've had enough of this I've
had enough of this false theology I've had
enough of this nation the philosophies that govern
it I've had enough of these things coming
into the house of God and even more
important I've had enough of it in my
own life I know this is ruined I
know there's no security in this I know
there's no life in it I know there's
nothing about eternity I am coming back to
the source of life as I have been
shown as I have been taught by almighty
God I am coming back to this place
and in their heart they began to hunger
for God I tell you when you begin
to hunger for Christ he'll begin to lead
you and all of a sudden one becomes
two becomes three becomes four becomes five and
before you know it something begins to happen
fellowship true fellowship as ordained by God begins
to come to the surface hallelujah men and
women begin to get together they start crying
out to God again they start crying out
about the state of the nation they start
pleading for the father they start pleading for
the widows they turn away from all self
gratification and say Jesus you gave me your
life God we give our lives to you
it is reasonable and the glory the glory
it may not be a fancy building you
may not have fancy preachers in your midst
but the glory of God begins to come
into your fellowship the glory is the revelation
of Jesus Christ it's his heart being revealed
it's the heart of God it's the path
of God it's the power of God it's
the place that you and I are in
Christ Jesus at the right hand of God
begins to be revealed the mercy of God
begins to come into the heart and like
Isaiah a little group of people somewhere begin
to cry out Lord God use me use
my life for your glory use my life
whatever I have is yours God take it
if you want it it's yours use my
sons use my daughters use them for your
glory let your kingdom come let your will
be done in me as it is in
heaven hallelujah a people who began to come
together who loved him who loved him and
I believe with all my heart this is
happening now in the western world in spite
of all the chaotic confusion in spite of
all the charismatic foolishness there's a people now
who are coming together and they're saying they're
not coming together they're not forming their fellowships
around criticizing you will never grow in the
grace and knowledge of Christ if the basis
of what you're doing is built on criticizing
somebody else where you will grow is if
your foundation is not on criticizing somebody else
but saying I want to be like Jesus
I want his power I want his grace
I want his glory to come into my
life and I want my life to be
used of him for his honor in my
generation hallelujah and they shall be mine Malachi
chapter 3 verse 17 now this speaks from
the Lord's perspective God says they're coming together
they're speaking about Christ and they shall be
mine saith the Lord of hosts in the
day when I make up my jewels and
I will spare them as a man spares
his own son that serves him now that's
an incredible translation this word jewels because in
the original text it has a connotation of
that which a man is able to fashion
with his own hands that's really what it
should say the translator used the word jewel
which really is appropriate but really what it
means is that which a man is able
to fashion with his own hands and God
says they're crying out to me and therefore
they're mine I'm going to respond to their
cry I'm going to respond to their hunger
and I'm going to do something with them
I'm going to set my hand in the
midst of them I'm going to set my
word in the center of their hearts and
I'm going to mold them I'm going to
put them on a wheel and I'm going
to start fashioning them and they shall be
mine and I will spare them hallelujah as
a man spares his own son he said
that serves him they shall be mine because
they're going to place their lives in the
center of my hand they're not going to
run from my word they're not going to
run when I talk about the yielding of
one's life they're not going to run from
the sharing of my heart but they're going
to run to me and I'm going to
begin to fashion them and he says and
they are going to be mine and it
gets even better he says in verse 18
he says and then shall you return and
discern between the righteous and the wicked between
him that serves God and him that serves
him not Malachi said I'm going to God
said to Malachi I'm going to bring them
back and I'm going to give them discernment
it's not they're not going I've met people
over the years that come into a meeting
and they think they have discernment they're like
a saved Sherlock Holmes I don't know if
you ever met some people like that they
come in and their eyes are like two
spiraling saucers and they're looking around for devils
and flaws and everybody all throughout the room
and that's not what he's talking about he's
saying you will love me so much you'll
be so in love with me you're not
you don't have to walk around looking for
what's not of me you'll know it right
away you'll walk right into it you're just
going to know because you love me with
all your heart your soul your mind and
your strength you will know you don't have
to speak a word you don't have to
point the finger and talk about devils and
people's hearts you just simply will know hallelujah
now you may ask me where will they
return to these people it says then you
shall return and how will they get there
I go back to Isaiah chapter 59 again
verse 19 Isaiah says so shall they fear
the name of the Lord from the west
and his glory from the rising of the
sun when the enemy shall come in like
a flood the spirit of the Lord shall
lift up a standard against him now that
can also be translated shall put him to
flight but I think it's an appropriate translation
shall lift up a standard and let me
tell you why as the children of Israel
traveled through the wilderness to the promised land
when it came time to make camp each
tribe would reassemble together by name now if
you know God's design in the Old Testament
as the children traveled there would be the
tabernacle would be right dead center in the
camp which really represented the fact that everything
we do all that we are must center
around the presence of almighty God then next
to that would be Aaron his sons the
Levitical priesthood and the closest I suppose to
that particular place then outside of that would
be all of the particular tribes the 12
tribes 11 actually that would be mentioned by
name and during the course of travel when
the Lord would decree and the people would
move everybody would pull up stakes and away
they would go they'd be heading on the
journey and as they would travel it is
conceivable that obviously people would become intermingled with
one another some from the tribe of Issachar
would head over and visit some from another
particular tribe another family and there'd be fellowship
there'd be an intermingling and then all of
a sudden the Lord would speak to the
leadership and the camp would stop they would
begin to set up camp and how do
you find your way back then you're talking
we're talking now at this time 600,000
soldiers that were numbered among them so that's
only the men those are only the fighting
men over I believe the age of 20
or 21 years old and so now we're
talking women and children we're conceivably as many
as or more at least as many as
2 to 3 million people were involved in
this particular movement so we'd say now I've
got to find my way back to the
place that I'm supposed to be now how
do I get back there now it's an
incredible thing because there would be a man
in every tribe and he would be called
a standard bearer and when the camp would
stop he would raise up a high wooden
pole a very, very high wooden pole oft
times would seek the highest part of ground
that he could find and on that pole
would be an insignia or an identifying mark
of each man or woman's tribe and every
person would have to make his way towards
it now David said in Psalm 121 I
will lift up mine eyes unto the hills
from whence cometh my help my help comes
from the Lord which made heaven and earth
he will not suffer thy foot to be
moved and he that keepeth thee will not
slumber Jesus said it even better in John
chapter 12 verses 31 and 32 he said
now is the judgment of this world now
shall the prince of this world be cast
out and I if I be lifted up
from the earth will draw all men unto
me now folks it required the lifting up
of one's head and the determination to leave
one place where perhaps they had wandered to
and get back to where they originally were
supposed to be and during our travel during
this journey through this life from time to
time we find ourselves having wandered away from
the place where we're called to be and
it requires a stopping it requires a lifting
up of one's head a calling out again
looking around where is the place where I'm
supposed to be I know where I'm supposed
to be I have a standard bearer over
my life he is the lion of the
tribe of Judah he calls to me daily
he calls my name he calls with his
voice and when I have wandered in a
way that I shouldn't go he gives me
revelation and shows me through him and him
alone how to get back to where I've
walked away from now to walk towards the
standard required obedience in Acts chapter 5 verses
29 Peter said Peter and the other apostles
answered and said we ought to obey God
rather than men the God of our fathers
raised up Jesus whom you slew and hanged
on a tree him has God exalted with
his right hand to be a prince and
a savior and to give repentance to Israel
and the forgiveness of sins in verse 32
he said and we are his witnesses of
these things and so is also the Holy
Ghost whom God has given to them that
obey him to walk back to the standard
is to walk towards it with humility an
acknowledgement in the heart to say Lord I
have I've wandered away but your thoughts are
higher than my thoughts and your ways are
higher than my ways I acknowledge you as
my God we begin to lift up our
heads and we begin to head back it
requires humility you cannot find it without humility
you cannot find your place in Christ before
becoming humbled before him to walk back towards
the standard required surrender surrender to the purposes
and direction of God as they journey to
the place that he had promised them see
God is a God of order and it's
conceivable that some people could have said well
this is just as good as over there
why can't I stay over here but no
God has placed us in the body as
he sees fit he has a purpose and
a pattern and a plan in everything that
he does and requires a surrender to him
to say Lord God I come and I
yield my life to you you know the
direction of my life you've already charted my
course you know the journey that I have
to undertake you have given me the power
and the promise to get there and Lord
so I make the choice to yield my
life and surrender to you any child of
God makes his way back to that place
of truth and hell will scream some of
you will be hearing this word today and
there's something of hell in the flesh inside
of you screaming no no no and you
wonder why is it such a battle just
to yield why is it such a battle
just to come back to Jesus Christ to
the standard that God has established for our
generation the place where every Christian is supposed
to be what is it that hell doesn't
want us to know about this why does
the devil fight so hard why does he
come and lie and say you can't get
back it's useless to get back you've wandered
too far and God's upset with you he
gave you he put a call on your
life and look what you've done you've wandered
so far away from the place where you
were called to be there's no hope of
getting back so just settle in where you
are and follow along with the crowd he'll
fight so hard because there's something in this
that he doesn't want you to know even
your own flesh fights against this because it
doesn't want you to understand you'll find that
truth in Isaiah chapter 59 in verse 20
he says and the Redeemer shall come to
Zion and unto them that turn from transgression
in Jacob saith the Lord now the best
way I can explain this to you is
found in the book of Luke chapter 15
there's no better way that I can show
you what it means to know the Redeemer
shall come to Zion and to those who
turn from transgression in Jacob you know Luke
chapter 15 is the story about a son
who had a call upon his life but
in his heart he didn't understand his father's
kingdom he didn't love his father as he
should and therefore that that lack of love
and obedience caused him to rebel against the
love and authority of his father demanded his
inheritance and took it and spent it on
foolish living and verse 17 talks about a
time that he came to himself he was
in another place the standard was somewhere else
and he came to himself and said how
many hard servants of my father's have bread
enough to spare and I perish with hunger
he said I'm in the wrong place I
remember the kindness I remember the goodness of
my father how good he was to me
how good he is to all of his
servants how good he is to all who
are under his care and look what I
have done I have walked away from his
care I have left the place where I'm
supposed to be I've walked out on my
own and I've made such a mess of
things then verse 18 he says I will
arise and go to my father and say
unto him father I've sinned against heaven and
before thee you can see the son a
tremendous battle that would be beginning to rise
and rage within him you can be sure
the devil would be there the whole step
of the way saying your father is going
to be angry with you your father is
going to condemn you your father is going
to outline all of your sins oh maybe
you'll go back but it will never be
the way it used to be he will
never accept you he will never have the
authority that you were destined to have and
he said I'm no more worthy verse 19
to be called thy son make me as
one of thy hired servants you see this
young man with humility now in his heart
what were the things that I've been sharing
about required obedience it required a humility it
required the necessary desire to heal oneself to
the purposes of almighty God to get back
to that place where we've fallen from and
he rose and came to his father now
here is what hell doesn't want you to
see especially if you're a backslider today especially
if you've lost some ground in your walk
with God this is what hell doesn't want
you to know and when he was yet
a great way off his father saw him
and had compassion and ran and fell on
his neck and kissed him this is what
hell doesn't want you to know hell wants
to conceal the heart of God hell wants
to make God look like some tyrannical father
that sets up a standard and says anybody
wants to come to me then grovel your
way back and then we'll renegotiate the contract
but that's not the way he is he
got up he saw him coming even when
the sun couldn't see him and the scripture
says he had compassion and it doesn't talk
about him dignifiedly walking towards him and expecting
him to bow and grovel at his feet
you see the heart now of a father
that loves his son seeing him come home
if I had a son that I had
lost and I was on my porch and
I saw him coming before he saw me
I would run with everything in me I
would run to him you see him running
now to his son not just even jogging
he's at a full run this is the
heart of God Jesus was displaying the heart
of the father when he said this for
every man every woman every child that will
get up and just make your way back
to where you were called to be in
Jesus Christ hallelujah the father ran and the
son now began with all of his excuses
and said oh father I've sinned against heaven
and in your sight I'm no more worthy
to be called your son and the father
is now not even talking to this boy
not a word is said no fingers waved
about the past no sin is rubbed in
his face the work has been done he
now knows where truth is he knows where
life is that's all the father ever wanted
to see in him that's all he ever
wanted in the first place that's why he
had to let him go when he left
because he knew it wasn't in his heart
he knew self seeking was still the motivating
factor in his life so he had to
let him go and eat pigs food there
are many people in the church today that
are eating pigs food even in the house
of God and something is stirring in their
hearts and saying I want to go back
but how do I get back it's as
easy as get up and begin to head
in the direction when you hear the voice
of God hallelujah I see him with his
arm around the boy they're heading towards the
house the father said to his servants he
doesn't even speak to the boy he speaks
only to his servants and says bring forth
the best robe the best robe in the
house is the blood of Jesus Christ that
cleanses and covers from all sin hallelujah hallelujah
the second thing he says put on him
and put a ring on his hand the
ring in those days signified the authority of
the father's house give him the Holy Ghost
fill him with power let him represent my
house because he now knows my heart hallelujah
and put shoes on his feet son I've
got a job for you to do there
are places now you need to go because
now you know my heart my heart is
to forgive my heart is to restore my
heart is to cleanse my heart is to
empower my heart is to give life where
there's been no life and now he says
I've got a job for you to do
the son could never have done it before
because he didn't know the heart of the
father a selfish man cannot represent Jesus Christ
a selfish woman cannot preach the gospel with
any power because that is a negation really
in itself of the heart of almighty God
the father ran hallelujah and that even goes
beyond that he said bring the fatted calf
and let us eat and be merry when
I get to heaven I've often said if
there's such a thing I want to go
to the video section and see some of
these things for myself you see God you
see God beginning to dance around about his
throne you see the joy in the heart
of the angels Jesus said there's joy in
the heart of the angels in heaven over
one sinner that repents ah folks if we
could just have a little glimpse today for
every sinner that will come to Christ even
this morning we could have a little glimpse
of the angels the joy of the angels
the joy is not just those beings with
the wings that cover their face the joy
is not just they move a wing and
just sort of peek out with an eye
I think all the wings start going at
the same time I think they start rejoicing
because this is the heart of God this
is the heart of God now go back
to Isaiah 59 I'm going to close with
this God the father in verse
21 is speaking to his son because we
began this portion of scripture remember the Lord
said he was grieved because there were no
intercessors there was nobody standing in the gap
so he took it upon himself to bring
this work about that's what the new testament
covenant is all about the new testament says
it the best it says not that we
love God but God loved us and sent
his son to be the propitiation or that
means the atoning sacrifice for our sins and
here's what he says and it so ties
in with Luke chapter 15 and as for
me this is my covenant with them saith
the Lord my spirit now this is God
the father speaking through his son or to
his son my spirit that is upon thee
and my words that I put in thy
mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth
nor out of the mouth of thy seed
seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever
when the enemy shall come in like a
flood the spirit of the Lord shall lift
up a standard against him and God's saying
those that come to you those that come
to Jesus Christ everything that was promised to
Christ everything he won on Calvary every victory
every triumph every promise that God the father
ever made to him now belongs to his
seed and that's what the devil doesn't want
you to know that's why he would have
you focus on your failure that's why he'd
have you he'd lie continuously into the heart
of anyone who wants to get up here
today because the promises of God are as
real as everything I've read to you in
this book today when you get up and
you start heading towards the Lord when you've
heard his voice and saying I'm tired of
living for myself I'm tired of conforming to
this sin sick society I'm tired of half
hearted theology that leaves me always hungry and
always thirsty and always half way to where
God wants me God I thirst and I
hunger and you said whoever comes to you
would no longer thirst and whoever believes on
me would hunger no more Jesus I come
I come with everything that's in me I
come I come hallelujah for your promises are
yea and amen you will not send me
away empty Jesus said it himself if you
know how to give good gifts to your
children how much more will the heavenly father
give the holy spirit to those who ask
him how much more if a son comes
to a father he says and asks bread
you'll not give him a stone he said
if he asks for a fist you'll not
give him a serpent he said how much
more will your heavenly father give good things
to those who ask him hell
would do everything in its power to hide
you from the power of almighty God to
get you focused on yourself and away from
the one who is raised up and can
give you life eternal life abundant life a
life that has the power to lay itself
down to the holy ghost to the purposes
and plans of God a life that by
its very existence defies the self-seeking of
this church generation and this darkened society we
live in today a life that rises up
that's why God could say in Isaiah 60
arise shine for your light has come the
glory of the lord has risen upon thee
behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross
darkness the people but the lord shall arise
upon thee and his glory shall be seen
upon thee we beheld him John said we
beheld him as of the glory of the
only begotten of the father we beheld him
that's what God is saying I will put
my countenance upon you I'll put the countenance
of my son upon you I'll put every
promise I made my son upon you I'll
put the anointing of God upon you I'll
raise you up I'll strengthen you I'll speak
to you I'll give you life I'll give
you direction I'll reestablish your walls I'll fight
against every one of your enemies you say
what do I have to do get up
get up and get back hallelujah I challenge
you to kick hell in the teeth this
morning if the devil's been lying to you
get up and get back to God get
back to God glory
to your name glory to your name if
the Holy Spirit has spoken to you if
God's speaking to your heart no drugs can
hold you no fear can hold you no
sexual bondage can hold you nothing can hold
you nothing believe him with all your heart
in the education annex make your way to
the screen right now in this main sanctuary
as we stand if the Holy Spirit has
spoken to your heart would you slip out
go to either exit of the main sanctuary
and get down to this altar get back
to God if you're vexed then get back
to God if you're unsaved surrender your life
to Jesus Christ if you're going through a
struggle and the lies of the devil are
trying to pound you into the ground get
up and just say no you're not lying
to me anymore you're not dominating me anymore
I'm coming back to the source of my
strength hallelujah let's stand together hallelujah mine eyes
have seen the glory of the coming of
the Lord he is trampling out the vintage
where the grapes of wrath are stored he
has loosed the faithful lightning of his terrible
swift sword his truth his marching heart hallelujah
hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory
hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his
truth his marching heart I
hope with all my heart for those that
have responded this morning that you have sensed
almighty God running in your direction you have
sensed the heart of God you know the
heart of God that once and for all
that condemner would be put under foot all
of his arguments all of the false reasoning
that they would be trampled under foot and
brought in subjection to Jesus Christ hallelujah I
want to ask you a very quick question
before I pray with those that have come
for those that are here they say pastor
I'm a sinner I'm lost in my sin
I sin as easily as breathing and today
I'm tired of that I'm tired of charting
my own course and living my own life
I'm like the Titanic I'm heading for an
iceberg and I know it and all of
my self-made things and all the ways
that I prop myself up are going down
and I know that there's no future for
me apart from God today I want to
surrender my life to Christ you know folks
there's a pen in heaven waiting to write
your name in a book called the Lamb's
Book of Life and there are angels assigned
to rejoice perhaps just over you whoever you
are today this is the greatest decision you'll
ever make in your life you'll never make
a greater one there's nothing you can do
from today that will ever top this decision
to give your life to Jesus to accept
his offer of forgiveness to trust him for
the power to live a new life that
brings honor and glory to him and to
him alone to walk in his ways if
that's you today I'm going to ask you
to join me and just raise up your
hand unashamedly just raise it up nice and
high everywhere balcony you may not be at
this altar just raise it up and don't
be ashamed keep your hand up now God
sees that and I'm trusting that this is
a sincere prayer that's coming from your heart
today after we pray this prayer I'm going
to ask you to leave this altar and
make your way to room 206 in the
education annex we have some people waiting to
pray with you they'll give you a brand
new gospel of John and help you to
get started in your walk with God take
the time if this is real I shouldn't
have to be forcing you to do anything
if it's in your heart from this moment
you're going to walk out this door and
you're going to follow Jesus there'll be people
at the back with a yellow sign and
a green jacket and they'll help you get
right to 206 there are counselors waiting for
you right now I'm going to pray a
simple prayer this is not a formula but
it's to help you in your own heart
you'll never regret it never never never what
you're doing today never regret it hallelujah let's
pray together Lord Jesus I am a sinner
I'm sorry for my sin you've planted in
my heart today a godly sorrow which means
that I want to be clean and I
want to turn from sinning you've promised to
forgive me and to give me the power
to live a new life with you I
ask now Lord Jesus I receive your offer
of forgiveness I open my heart to you
and I ask you to come into my
life to be my Lord and Savior I
yield my life to you I have only
one cry in my heart today thank you
for forgiving my sins for giving me great
promises and by these promises you will give
me the power to be a child of
God I thank you for saving me I
believe in my heart you died for my
sins and rose again from the dead for
my justification and I speak it with my
lips from this moment forward precious Jesus you
are my Savior thank you for saving me
Amen Hallelujah can we make just
a little aisle for those who prayed that
prayer for the first time can I ask
you to make your way to room 206
right now in the sanctuary, those who prayed
it, go ahead there will be 50 others
there you are not going to be alone
make your way down to room 206 the
council is going to pray with you give
you some wonderful literature you don't have to
sign anything we don't ever ask anybody to
join anything this is just for your benefit
to help you just make your way down
all those that have received Christ this morning
Hallelujah we have babies today?
let's bring out the babies and while we
do that I'm going to pray for you
just for a moment Jesus I want to
thank you for those that you brought to
this altar today pray with me right now
Lord Jesus thank you for once again showing
me who you are how much you love
me and what you want to do with
my life I yield my life to you
and I thank you that your promises to
me are going to become the most precious
things that I will ever own thank you
Lord for forgiving me and loving me and
the promise that you will never fail me
I love you Jesus I love you I'm
going to get together with other people that
love you and we're going to talk about
you we're going to let you mold our
lives and make us into the people that
you want us to be I yield my
life that your purposes and your glory may
be revealed in me and through me in
Jesus name Amen thank you Pastor
Carter for that marvelous word of the Lord
we don't baptize babies we hold still be
patient for a few moments not to disturb
this wonderful moment we dedicate them to the
Lord Jesus said allow the little children to
come unto me for such is the kingdom
of God he took them in his hands
and he blessed them we blessed them through
prayer and the anointing of oil Pastor Carter
is going to be you want to start
on that end and I'll start on this
end and this is who?
Joshua Joshua God bless you Joshua this is
all family alright and this is?
Samara how old is Samara?
two months old Samara hold up so everybody
can see and this is?
Joy Ling how old?
15 months these perilous times that we've heard
about this morning we're so glad that you
promised to build a wall around us and
our children and our families and that we
can rejoice that you will keep us safe
you will keep us from the spirit of
the age I'm asking for wisdom and guidance
for every one of these parents that they'll
be reminded to pray for them everyday and
to teach them and nourish them in the
word of the Lord oh heavenly father we
can't put a book in their hand we
can't teach them this is something that has
to come from their heart as they seek
you Lord and they hold up their children
in prayer Lord I've done that all my
life I've prayed daily for my children and
now my grandchildren and the prayer that we
pray is keep them from the wicked one
let our sons be as oaks planted by
the living waters of Christ and let our
daughters be as polished stones in the palace
of our heavenly father God let not one
of these children be lost to the spirit
of this age not one of them to
ever go to the habits of this world
Lord Jesus keep them anoint them with your
spirit as we've anointed them with oil it's
a type of the Holy Spirit coming upon
them and keeping them keep every one of
these children Lord by your grace we pray
and all the children represented by the parents
and grandparents in this place listening to me
now give us faith to believe that God
will keep by his power and not let
the devil have one of them in Jesus
name Amen God bless all of you Amen
God bless you