Getting Through Dark Days

Jeremiah chapter 29, I'm going to begin reading at verse 4, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Now folks, it's imperative in our generation, it's imperative that everyone who belongs to the true Church of Jesus Christ learns to hear the voice of God in these days. It's not optional for you and I to be hearing other voices. Look, when I speak of the last days, I'm speaking in two contexts. I'm speaking of the last days that are spoken of in scripture. And whether or not we are actually there, we will soon know.

But there's also another last day, it was the last day that came to the people of Israel in Jeremiah's day. They had been brought into a place of incredible blessing. They were warned by the true prophets of God that to live in compromise in this place, and to live with a just standard expectancy that God is always going to be there in spite of how they were living, in spite of their relationship with Him, in spite of how they were treating their fellow man, was a fallacy, it was elusive, it wasn't essentially true. So the last days of that particular season of peace came to an end.

There are times, there are seasons where things change. In one hour, everything can change. The Bible seems to indicate very clearly in the Old Testament that there's an hour coming that everything is going to change. Now, folks, that's a particular period in time according to the scriptures, but it can happen to you today. You can leave this sanctuary today and in one hour after leaving here, everything in your life can change. A phone call, a report, a vehicle accident, something can happen. It doesn't have to be a calamitous event, everything in your life can change in just a moment of time.

How many people can even testify to that very fact here today, that you're saying, "Pastor, you're speaking right down where I've had to live. I remember the moment that a report came to me, and in just a moment of time, everything I had leaned on, everything I had trusted in, all that I had built, all that I thought was going to give me security, all that I thought would give me an expected or happy end to my life, came crashing down all around me. Some news, an event, a doctor's report, something came my way, and all of a sudden in a moment of time, it's all over."

There will be voices that rise when these moments come. Voices, Paul says, that will come from without, voices that will come from within imitating God. Some of it will be your own heart, some of it will be your own fears, and some of it will be false reasoning sent by the devil himself to destroy your standing in difficult days. Jesus said in Mathew 24:11, in the last days when everything in the world starts to spin into turmoil, many false prophets shall arise and deceive many. There will be voices because there will be a multitude of people who never learned to hear the voice of God, never understood how God speaks, so they will become prey to anyone and everyone that stands up and says, "Here's what the Lord is speaking." We're living in that in some measure today.

Now in contrast to this, Jesus said in John 10:27 and 28, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them." And the word "know" means I'm intimately acquainted with them. "They know Me and I know them. They hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me, and I give to them eternal life. They will never perish, and neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." If you love God today, if you know you love God, if you're not playing some religious game with God today, you know that you can take this to the bank. When you can't take anything else to the bank, you can know you can take this to the bank. When you can't get anything else out of the bank, you can draw this from the very heart of God. "I will speak to you." God says, "I'll give you eternal life. You will not perish, and nobody can take you out of My hand. No false prophet, no demonic voice, no fear of your own heart. I'll put in a place with such security, you will know you're in the hand of God. You will have this sense walking down the street that, 'I'm not alone, God is walking with me. I'm not having to sustain myself, God is sustaining me. I don't have to get through this storm, God's voice is calming the storm and making a way through impossible waters.'" Praise be to God.

Folks, it's quite often at the most difficult hours of time that we see the power of God like we've never seen Him before. When the children of Israel stood at the banks of an incredible and impassable sea, with an army pursuing them bent on destroying them, that's when they saw the power of God. That's when the waters unfolded before them on each side and God created a path straight through the waters for them to the other side. Bless His holy name.

Now, there's a legitimate question that arises in everyone's heart, and that simply is this, "With all these voices speaking today claiming to speak for God, how can I know which one is actually the voice of God speaking to me?" I think many in the church today, especially if you're a gospel surfer, have come to the place of saying, "With the real Jesus, please stand up?" Who's speaking for God? Because there are seasons where false voices can get away with their falseness and even appear to have something of stability behind them, but when everything begins to shake, that's when you and I need to know that we're hearing the voice of God. We need to know it's not our own heart speaking, we need to know it's not Satan himself animating some minister who appears as an angel of light leading us into something that's going to bring us into destruction.

Number one, how can I know? I'm going to try and make this as simple as I can. How can I know that it's the voice of God speaking to me? Number one, the voice of God will never promise you peace when you are living in compliance with any value system of a society that is under the judgment of God. In other words, if you are embracing the same values as the society around you, which has come under God's judgment, God will not promise you peace. Listen to what Jeremiah said in chapter 14 and verse 13. He said, "Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place."

Now, this place was a land under judgment. Jeremiah knew it, and he's trying to warn the people. This place is not going to make it. And everybody who's part of it, in a sense, everybody who's embracing these same values of this society that's come under the judgment of God, there will be voices telling those who are exactly the same, as it is, in their heart as the perishing society around them that, "In this place, you'll have peace. In this place, you'll know God. In this place, you'll have prosperity." But Jeremiah said, "What do we do? God, I see something coming. I see calamity." Jeremiah saw an army coming. He saw the temple being, in a sense destroyed. He's saw such heartache and hardship coming and he knew that Satan had put false voices right smack in the middle of the people. People whose value systems were so entrenched with a perishing society that there was really no differentiation between the church and what we would call the world. But it really means those who were living in rebellion to God. There was so little differentiation. And then there were voices rising and singing, "You're going to be fine here." Oh folks, I've been there.

I've sat in services over the years where I've cringed to see false prophets standing and telling people who are living in absolute rebellion to God, "You're you're going to have a wonderful miracle ministry. You're going to be an incredible evangelist. You're going to be a wonderful prophet." Telling these people. I remember sitting in a service one time and I saw a young couple come up to one of these false prophets. This is years and years ago, long before I ever came to New York City, and telling this couple that I knew in my heart, they're living in fornication. I knew it as soon as I saw them, the Holy Spirit spoke it to me. And here's this false prophet telling them, "You're going to have a miracle ministry. You're greatly beloved." And all of this, just absolute foolishness in the house saying to them, "You'll have peace in this place." They're living in the same value system as the perishing society around them.

Even secular observers now agree that America is suffering the judgment of the all consuming self focus and greed, which has crept unchecked into our institutions. Now, folks, I'm not the only one saying this. Brother Dave is not the only one saying this. The pastors here are not ... Just read the paper. Analysts, pundits today, newscasters are saying, It's greed. They're all using the same word, it's greed crept in unchecked, unabated. And it's bringing the whole country into a tailspin. Not only the whole country, the whole world because of greed is going into a financial tailspin that's going to affect so many people all around us. But I want you to tell me then, how does any church which embraces the same value system escape the same judgment? Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10, "The love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after they have erred," or been 'seduced from' that's what it means, "the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." If you go back to verse 5 in that chapter, Paul says to Timothy, men who are destitute of the truth have risen up and they preach that godliness is a means to acquire financial gain. You tell me if the Lord is judging a society that is failing because of greed, you tell me how the church that espouses the same value system is going to escape this judgment? They're not going to escape it. That's why in verse 11, Paul says to Timothy, "But thou, oh men of God, flee these things."

I'm not saying we don't need money to pay our bills. Don't misunderstand what God's put on my heart today. The issue is the love of money. It's the focus on money. It's using God's name to acquire money. Everything is about money. It all goes to money. It's the love of money. No, God says we're to love Him first with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Which means the resources that come into our hand are then used for the purposes of God, for the glory of God to reach and touch a society that's in such desperate need, as we see today.

Number two, the voice of God will challenge sin. Let me say it again, the voice of God will challenge sin. If you are living in sin, you better not be comfortable in this house under the preaching that comes from this pulpit or we have failed you and we have failed God. The voice of God will challenge sin. Sin is anything in this Bible that stands in opposition to obedience to a holy God. Sin is willful rebellion against God. If you are here today, men who are in this sanctuary and your lips were touching the lips of an adulterous last night, you dare not touch the communion cup in this house. You dare not touch it. If you are a thief, don't think for five seconds you're going to steal your way into heaven. It's not going to happen. The Word of God says you will dwell outside of the city. If you are covetous, the book of Corinthians says very clearly that the covetous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul says, "Don't let anybody deceive you." That means people who love money more than they love God. That's what covetous, this is by definition. You dare not sit in sin in the house of God and be in comfort. The voice of God will challenge sin.

Jeremiah said in chapter 23, verse 17, "They ..." meaning the false prophets, "... They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination..." that means the stubbornness "...of their own heart, 'No evil shall come upon you.'" The Lord says, "I've not sent these prophets but they've ran. I've not spoken to them, but they've gone to the people saying to them they're speaking in My name. But if they had stood in my counsel." The Lord says, "If they had truly heard from Me, if they had stood in the place where I am speaking, they would have turned to people from their wicked ways. They would have turned them from their sin." God help us to have preachers again that stand and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The economy doesn't separate from God, sin separates men from God. If you are coming to Christ, you have to repent, which means turn from your sin.

There has to be something in the heart that says, "I'm not playing this kind of a game. I'm coming to God and I'm going to turn from sin, I'm going to trust God for the power to turn from sin. What I see in this Book, I'm going to obey it. By the strength of Christ within me, I'm going to walk with God. I'm going to walk in newness of life. I'm going to be a living testimony in the midst of a darkened generation that Jesus Christ is alive. He is sitting at the right hand of all power. He does give a song, and He does give a step, He does give assurance to those who belong to Him. Praise be to God. I will come to God with my struggles, I will come to God with every battle that comes into my life. I will cry out like David did in Psalm 18. "If the assemblies of the ungodly make me afraid, even if hell seems to be on every side, I will call out to God and He will come and strengthen me." Praise be to God. To live as a Christian is to live a supernatural life not a natural life, it's to live in a completely other realm, it's to have a totally different value system, it's to be delivered from the corruptions of this world and brought into the value system of an incredible kingdom that has never an end to it. It's we leave the beggarly things of a perishing planet and we embrace the heart of God, which is for fallen men, fallen women, fallen children, that they might know that there is a Savior who loves them.

Malachi in his last chapter, when he describes the end days that we very well may be living in today, he's says, "Now we call the proud happy. We call those that work wickedness set up. And those that tempt God ..." And tempting God means you are always looking for a sign that God is alive. That's tempting God, folks, it's looking for a sign. We have multitudes, whenever a sign of any sort rises anywhere, even if it's an absurdity, they will travel there. Because realistically, they really don't believe God. They really have never found Christ, they really don't have a solid relationship with God, so they will run and they're running under the guise of pursuing Him and it's really tempting Him. It's one more time the Pharisees saying, "Show us the sign and we will believe that you're God." Jesus said, "I won't give you any other sign, but the sign of the prophet Jonah." And that's the fact that Jesus died, Jesus rose again by the power of the Holy Ghost. And those who belong to Christ have been raised from the dead by the same Spirit. It's the only sign that I need. I don't care how many people are doing what in any part of the globe, I have every sign I need right in my own heart and right in my own life. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. Once you get a taste of Christ ... I got to stop shouting, I just ... Go with me to Jeremiah chapter 5. [applause]

Some of you will start thinking I'm mad. Mad at you, I mean. Jeremiah 5:25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." In other words, their gospel is really only about themselves becoming wealthy. They have no heart for the poor. "'Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord..." verse 29 "...shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;" That means they live in the flesh, "and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?"

What will you do? That's the question Jeremiah asks. When the end of all things as they have been up to this point in your lifetime comes, what will you do? And Jeremiah is asking it rhetorically because he knows there's going to be panic. He knows there are going to be people listening to voices. The false prophets, they offer ... Here's why the devil sends them. They offer an elusive future in a place that's about to experience the judgment of God. They say, "Peace." When there is no peace. They say, "Prosperity." When there really is nothing coming that's of that nature. They offer everything and all that you could ever hope or dream for in a place that's about to be judged by God, that's what false prophets are all about. And they will rise, they always do rise just before judgment. It's one of the most ominous signs that judgment is coming when you see the rise of false prophets, especially all claiming to speak in God's name. And then after judgment has come as in Jeremiah's day, they offer a message of speedy return to that which may not be regained in our lifetime.

When judgment finally came, they said, "You're not going to be swept to Babylon, don't listen to Jeremiah. There's no hardship coming our way. The temple is still here. It's always been here. It's just peace and prosperity. That's all that awaits us." Then when Babylon came to the gates and began systematically to take the people into deportation, then the false prophets, not only were they now in Israel, they were now even in Babylon. And their message was now, "Well, it's here, but it won't be for long. We're going back shortly, folks. Don't unpack. Don't do anything here. Just live longing and looking back at the past." And that's exactly what false prophets are all about. That's the strategy of Satan, is to keep you and I in a continual state of uncertainty caught between an elusive future and a vanishing past. Satan comes and he promises a future that's not going to happen. And when it doesn't happen, he promises a past that's not coming back. And so here are the people. There's only one objective in the devil's mind.

If you've ever heard me, hear me this morning. If you've ever trusted that I hear from God, trust and hear today. There's one objective, and here it is. It's to so inundate you with false promises that you will eventually come to the conclusion that God can't be trusted. That's the issue. That's why the false promises of the future, that's why the promises of a past that's not going to be regained coming back. To keep you in a place of not knowing, of not understanding, of no certainty, of always shifting, of this lack of trust in the heart so that you will eventually cast off your confidence in Christ in the hour of your greatest trial. That's what the devil's motive is in raising up the false prophet. Is that finally, when calamity comes, and the promises of going to the back to the way it used to be don't happen, the promises of future haven't materialized, then people finally say, "Well, who can we trust? I thought God was speaking to me and none of this is happening in my life. So therefore, God also can't be trusted."

Let me just read this to you in Hebrews, chapter 10. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 10 and verse 34, "You had compassion on me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which is great recompense of reward." He says, "You have need of patience after you've done the will of God that you might receive the promise. Just a little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry. Now, the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. We are not of them that draw back into perdition..." or lostness, "...but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." The Lord says in Isaiah chapter 30, in verse 15, "For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest, you shall be saved and in quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

In quietness and confidence. "Stand still," the scripture says, "... and see the salvation of the Lord." Now, we're not talking about something that's just in the future, or something you can see with your natural eye. The salvation of the Lord is in you, the salvation of the Lord is upon you. "Stand still." God says, "Stand still. You're not called to fight this battle in your own strength. Stand still and see your enemies fall at your left hand and at your right hand. Stand still and see the provision that I promised to those who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Stand still and watch the provision come to you. Stand still and I'll be able to speak to you to the deepest recesses of your heart. I'm not offering you peace in places you shouldn't be in. I'll challenge your sin." And when you turn from it, the end result of turning from sin, His joy, unspeakable joy and full of glory. David said in Psalm 23:2, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters"

God's people, what will be the difference between the people who don't know God and the people who know God in this generation? Let me tell you the one major difference, the people who know God will be led into ... Green pastures means pastures of tender grass. They'll be led into places by the tender voice of our Savior, they'll be given promises of comfort, reassurance that no matter what we have to face, God will be with us. There'll be a quietness and a confidence in the midst of all the people screaming into their cell phones in Wall Street, there will be people who are walking on God's Street and there will be a confidence and a quietness in their heart. [applause]

Listen to what Jeremiah says. What is Jeremiah's advice to the people? What does he tell a people who are about to be displaced? What does he say when calamity comes? What would you think the voice of God would speak to the people? Now here it is, again, we started there. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel to all that are carried away captive, whom I've caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon." Point number one, nothing comes our way that God hasn't allowed for a specific reason. You are not in the hands of the devil, you never were, you never will be, you're in the hands of God. He said, "Listen, I've allowed this to happen and there's a reason it's happening." Part of it is trust. Our hearts have got to learn to trust God.

Now, here's what he says. Now he's talking to God's people in Babylon. It's an amazing thing. He says, "Build houses, live in them, plant gardens, eat the fruit of them. Take wives, beget sons and daughters. Get wives for your sons, give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons. In other words, have a family. Learn to ..." Bottom line folks, bloom where you're planted. No matter where you end up, no matter what city you find yourself in, there's going to be some displacement in our generation. Some of you are going to end up in Oklahoma, you're going to end up in places that you never thought you're going to go. "What's the Word of God?" You're going to say, "God, what are you speaking? What's Your Word? What's Your Word?" A lot of false prophets have will be around saying, "New York is going to rise again. You'll be back on Wall Street before you know it. This impasse, it may never come back to you, no matter what you've enjoyed in this society, it might be gone forever." No, the Word of the Lord is, "Where I've allowed you to go, bloom there. Dig down deep there."

He goes on and he says, "Listen ..." He says, "Seek the peace of the city whither I've caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof, you shall have peace." Pray for the city. Wherever I call you, pray for that place. If you end up in Podunk Alabama, pray for that place. If you're in a town of 35 people, if it's a cultural context, it's so out of the box, you don't know how without God you're even go to survive, pray for the people of that place. Live there, live as a person of God, live as a man of God, live as a woman of God, live as a person who has confidence in God. No matter where you go, no matter what happens, live a life that brings honor and glory to God.

David said, "He took me out of the miry clay. He put my feet upon a rock. He put a new song within my mouth. Many will see it, and they will fear and they will trust in the Lord." There's a song of praise that comes from confidence that doesn't come from anything else. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. God has to have people in this generation that say, "Though the mountains be shaken out of their place, though the seas overflow their borders, I will not be afraid. I will trust in God, my confidence is in God. God will not fail me, God will not forsake me. God will give me a testimony in the midst of my enemies." David said, "He prepares the table for me in the midst of my enemies." Even if I'm living in a society in a place where everyone seems to be living apart from God, I will live for God. I will sit down at a table of strength and sustenance day to day and I will live a life that gives Glory to God.

Then suddenly, one day, suddenly, one day I'll be building, planting. I'll be walking down the aisle with one of my children giving them away in marriage. Suddenly the trumpet of God is going to sound. Praise be to God. The dead in Christ shall rise first. I do hope with all my heart they have time to get to this church before we go with them. But the dead in Christ, those who died in Christ will rise first. Would it be awesome to see the saints of all ages, from New York City come walking in this sanctuary, giving glory to God for what He has done? Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So shall we ever be. Praise be to God. Praise be to God.

Just a little season, just a little time. Just a little bit of a valley we got to go through. But on the other side of this valley, just over the hill top ... Praise be to God. There's a land of glory. There's a place where our song of praise will never die, where we never thirst, we never hunger, we never have to shed a tear, we don't have an evil neighbors. There's nothing around us to disturb the peace of God in that place. Just around the corner, folks, just a little more, just a little more. [applause]

Don't cast away your confidence in God in this last hour of time. Don't cast away your confidence in God. Paul said in Philippians 4, "I've learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content." Whether it's New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Delaware, whatever state you find yourself in God's says like Paul, say, "I've learned to be content. No matter where I am, I've learned." He said, "I know how to be abased, I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, to abound and to suffer need." Verse 13 he says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." Praise God. "I can do it. I can do it." Paul said, "I've walked it, I've experienced it, I've known it, I've learned it. I've gone through storms, I've gone through trials, I've gone through betrayal, I've crawled out from under a pile of rocks. I've been at the mercy of hostile crowds. I've been in jail with nothing more than a piece of paper and a quill in my hand. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." [applause]

Don't let the devil tell you, you can't. If Christ is in you, you can, you will, you'll make it to the finish line. Praise be to God. I'll see you there. If I don't ever see you again on this side, I'll see you at the finish line. Praise be to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Give Him a shout of praise in this house. Give Him glory. [applause].

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

I am persuaded neither death nor life, nor angels nor powers nor principalities, nor things above, nor things below, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. I am persuaded. I can do all things. Not most things, not some things, not a few things, all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things. The end of one thing is not the end of everything, it's just the end of one thing. It's the beginning of a whole lot of new things. "Behold." God says, "I make all things new." I am a new creation in Christ. I live day to day experiencing the mercies of God. I look forward to tomorrow. I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring, but I know the God who's already in tomorrow. Praise God. [applause] Therefore, we will not fear. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Hallelujah. Let's stand. I'm not going to give an altar call right now, but I want you to give God praise with everything that is in your heart today.

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to you today. I have to warn, I have to warn every willful sinner in this house. If you don't turn from your sin, you will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. You'll never be able to stand before the throne of God and say, "I wasn't told, I wasn't warned." You were warned today. You cannot be a fornicator ... that means have sex outside of marriage, on an unrepentant basis and obtain the kingdom of heaven. You cannot love money more than God and go to heaven. You cannot hate your brother and go to heaven. You cannot slander the righteous and go to heaven. You cannot live in these constant patterns. I'm not talking about seasons and times where people fail and fall, there's mercy for that. But there's repentance before there's mercy. There's a heart that says God, "I'm going Your way. I'm sorry for sinning against You and I'm not going to live in sin anymore." And that's a choice that you have to make. How shocked people are going to be that have sat under the ministries of these positive message people, to find out they've been outside the kingdom of heaven the whole time. How shocked so many will be, how sad. What an awful day that will be. To ever come to the place of thinking, "I can live in sin and somehow go to heaven." That's the ultimate of deceptions, folks.

Today if the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, if you can hear God's voice, the Bible says, "Don't harden your heart." The Lord said through you Jeremiah, He said, "I know the plans I have for you, they're thoughts of good and not evil, to bring you to a desired end." The desired end is God's first and yours second. But God says, "I have a place I want to take you to in Me." But it requires an honesty with God.

In the annex and the main sanctuary, if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you today ... And I'm not going to grease the slide for you to get to this altar, you're going to have to step out and say, "I'm living a way I shouldn't be living, and I'm coming today to say, 'God, my life is Yours. I'm coming to give You my life.'" See, a lot of times preachers will stand and they'll give a second and third altar call. And really, it's just so the proud can slip out of their seats, and somehow shuffle in unnoticed. But today it is very definitive. And I really don't care if there's only three people here as long as it's sincere. But the reality is, "God, You've spoken to my heart, and I'm out of this society. I'm out of the value system of this society. I'm out of the way people live here. I'm out of this whole thing that's coming under the judgment of God and I'm going with Christ. I have suffered the reproach, let them laugh, if they want to laugh, I'm going with God. I would rather be standing in a desert and have the peace of God in my heart, than in the midst of a screaming multitude who don't even know who God is anymore."

I'm going to ask you with an honest heart today, if you're not saved, you are welcome to come. You've never really given your life to Christ, you're welcome to come, the Lord will receive you. If you're not living right and you know it, you're not living right and you know you're not living right. Nobody needs to convince you, you already know what the Bible says. This altar is open for you while we worship. You'll have an opportunity to walk out of here, clear and clean, forgiven, and with a hope for the future. I'm going to ask you to step out in the balcony, you can go to either exit. The main sanctuary, step out of your seat. Come as the Holy Spirit is telling you, you should. [slow piano music playing]

[applause] Now, I know that many of you at this altar today here and in the annex, when there is repentance, there's a deep sense of unworthiness comes into the heart. "I'm not worthy to be called by the name of God, I'm not worthy to be in church, I'm not worthy to sing the praises of God, because I've not lived in a manner that's glorified God." But there's a story in the New Testament that puts an end to you walking out the door, carrying that sense of unworthiness with you. This prodigal, this faraway son who knew better, but lived in a way that dishonored God and dishonored his own life and the testimony of his father, came back and all he had in his heart is, "I'm just so unworthy." Only to be met by his father who wouldn't even answer him. Didn't even respond to his testimony of unworthiness, but put a robe on him, cleansed him. If we confess our sins, the Bible says that God's faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Is it any deeper than that? No, that's as deep as it gets. But it requires an honest heart. The game player can never lay hold of this. It requires an honest heart. It's the man or woman says, "I'm coming home. To whatever that means, I'm just coming home to God." And then he puts a ring on his hand and says, "You're not a slave in my house. You're my son, you're my daughter. You have the authority of the father." And puts a ring.

And if you can let God do that today, if you can let God cover you with the righteousness of Christ, if you can let Him empower you again, because He says, "I will empower you. I'll give you authority over the things that once had authority over you." And you don't walk out of here as a servant to sin any longer, you walk out of here as son and daughter of God, you walk out of here with spiritual authority. [applause] Then he puts shoes on his child's feet. That says to me, "We're going somewhere together, we got a journey to go on. And on that journey, you're not going to have all the answers but you're going to have one thing that this world needs." God is good. My Father is good, He is merciful. I was a mess and He touched my life, I was a slave to sin and He broke the chains off of me. He's given me hope and a heart. [applause] And then he brings him into and throws a party. Now, that's not our view of God but that's who God is. Jesus Christ is talking about Himself, His Father. Talking about the very heart of God. Kills the fatted calf and then strikes up the band says, "Okay, get everything tuned up." And then when the older son came, it says there was music and dancing. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that.

You say, "What is my part in all of this?" Okay. You've got to let God put the robe of righteousness on you, you've got to open your hands and let Him put the ring on, and you got to lift up your feet and let Him put the shoes on, that's your part. Now, I'm going to ask the choir to sing a song. We sing a song, The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now. As we sing it, I'd like those at this altar to lift your hands in faith. Let God bless you. Oh, don't lift them halfway, lift them. Lift them. Lift your hands to God, let Him put the robe, let Him put the ring, let Him put the shoes on your feet. Receive the blessing of God, receive the forgiveness of God today, receive a future and a hope. Let's praise together. Let's praise God together. You too, lift your hands, let God bless you today.