Sermons

The Israelites were aware of God's glory and presence. This was a covering to them and was also their protection. The nation of Israel illustrated this covering many ways, one of which is their prayer shawl called a chuppah. When they prayed they came into the presence and covering of God. The Jewish people also used this chuppah in their marriage ceremony. The couple that was making a covenant with one another made this commitment under the covering of the chuppah, representing their covenant with God in every aspect of their marriage. Every decision this couple made in the future was to be only under the covering of God. Paul warns in Corinthians of breaking this covenant and joining with something outside of God's covering. When you step outside of God's covering for your marriage you are breaking the covenant that you made before God. You must actively protect the covenant you have with one another by staying under the chuppah and in the presence of God.

This message is for those who don’t speak about Jesus because those close to you see your weaknesses. Maybe you lost your temper in the work place or did something that hurt your testimony. Have you ever considered the fact that the world doesn't need a super star or someone who has it all together? What the lost need to see is an ordinary, honest person who is able to tell them all the good that God has done for them. When we make a choice to reach out to the lost and desire to see them set free from captivity God will give us all the love and authority that we need. Do not look at your frailty or insufficiency. Look to Jesus who is willing to partner with you in spite of your weakness. We all have a testimony that the world needs to hear.

In the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 5, Paul grieves over the church because they had accepted immoral sexual practices that not even the unsaved around them would tolerate. Their hearts had grown so cold that they didn't even recognize it as sin anymore. Oddly, later in these verses, Paul goes on to talk about unleavened bread. Like the leaven that gets into the bread, sin can get into our hearts and “rise” or get “puffed up.” Turning to the Old Testament to see how unleavened bread was prepared, we are given an example of how to have an “unleavened” or pure heart. We must practice quick obedience, have honest confession and accountability with others, and allow the Holy Spirit to get into the deepest parts of our heart to reveal hidden sin.

What exactly did Joshua mean when He said, "don’t be afraid of the opposition they are bread for us?” In this message we learn that opposition nourishes and sustains us. Without opposition the church gets lazy, turns inward and seeks power without purpose which is a formula for spiritual delusion. Opposition causes us to turn to God and that is where we get fed. Opposition will ignite prayer meetings again and the church will be moved to divine compassion. Our enemies are bread for us because as we turn to God we will be nourished and sustained with the power and the provision of the Cross. There will be a church in this generation that will know the power of God because of the opposition it faces.

In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson highlights the story of Samson's mother from Judges 13, an unnamed woman who, despite her barrenness, was chosen by God to bring forth a mighty deliverer for Israel. God often uses women in powerful ways, especially in times of need, to bring transformation and revival. This message encourages all women, whether mothers, wives, or single, to listen to God's voice and live out their faith, knowing God wants to use them mightily in this generation.

There are testimonies in every church about how the power of God has radically transformed our lives and yet the power of God in some cases seems to be confined behind the walls of the church. It is not the will of God that people should have to crawl to the healing waters. Jesus didn't wait for us to go to Him, He came to us. The church is a people cleansed by His blood and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We must escape the boundaries of fear and defy every lie of the enemy so we can break out into a society that needs the living water of Jesus. In these last days the Church should have a desire to break out of its borders and come into public view so the lost can be confronted with the question, “Will thou be made whole?”

The wonderful thing about the church of Jesus Christ is that it never ends — it’s always just the beginning. The question for Times Square Church is where do we go from here? The key is the power and strength of the New Covenant. We go right into the promises of God, and into the power of Jesus Christ. We are more determined than ever to carry on the legacy of Pastor David. We as a church are entering into a season where the Lord is calling us to something much greater than we've ever known. We are not to back down in unbelief, but to trust for the power of the Holy Spirit to make us all that God has called us to be so that God can be manifested through His church in these last days. God promises all the strength and courage that we need. It is time to possess our inheritance that we have in Jesus Christ.

In this life we will not understand everything that we go through. Don’t let your lack of understanding take away your confidence in God. When we don’t understand it should be enough for us to know that our Lord understands and He is in total control. Put your faith in God and don’t let anything shake you. Trust that God knows what He is doing.

When Jesus was laid in the tomb it seemed as if Satan had won. Jesus' followers were closed up in a house in fear. The women who had been his supporters were distraught from losing their Hope. All they saw was a stone rolled across the tomb of the one they had given up their lives to follow. It seemed that all hope was lost. However, they didn't know what was happening on the other side of the stone. God's plan was being accomplished. The perfect sacrifice had taken away all the sins of the world to be remembered no more. Death had been conquered. Many times in our own lives, we see the circumstances on this side of the stone. God wants us to remember what was accomplished on the other side of the stone — to have faith in the finished and complete work of the Cross.

What is Jesus trying to teach us from this statement? Is it possible that death is a necessary part of life for the Christian? All our attempts to live in our own strength will lead us to sickness sorrow and failure. We must die to every attempt of trying to be holy in our own strength and come like a dead man to God. Resurrection life is not for the living but for the dead. Did you come face to face with your inner powerlessness? When you stop doing your work God can start doing His.