January 28, 2018 - Carter Conlon - The Power of A Reluctant Witness

today I want to speak to you on the topic that's called the power of a reluctant witness are you a reluctant witness for Christ there's incredible power in your reluctance you you'll see this into everybody's nervously not even laughing today they're just like God helped me to understand this The Book of Jonah please Old Testament Book of Jonah if you can find that in your Bible and we'll start father I just thank you so much today for your presence your power your word your people Lord this is indeed a perilous hour in this world and you have established a church you've said about a testimony you place something within our hands that can make a difference in our voices in our hearts oh god I'm asking for the authority of heaven to speak this message in the touch of God in each of our hearts to be able to hear it help us Lord God to reach our full potential in what you've called us to be at this time and Lord we thank you for it with everything in us in Jesus name Jonah chapter one beginning at verse 1 now the Lord the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amitai saying arise go to Nineveh that great city and cry out against it for their wickedness has come up before me but Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord he went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish so he paid the fare and went down into it and with to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord now this is a story of a man who ran from the call of God now the call that was on his life was really simple just as it is for you and I today go to a certain people and tell them that they are drawing near to the judgment of God just open your mouth warn them about their situation tell them that there is a penalty to pay the wages of sin is death rebellion leads to an eternity without God and the destruction here on this side of eternity quite frequently quite often go to them tell them warn them now he wouldn't go he was a prophet of God he was a man who knew the voice of God he was a man to whom God could speak just like perhaps you and I today men and women gathered here today and and maybe your heart is open enough that God can actually give you very very clear direction for your life and it couldn't have been any more clear told them go in this direction speak to this people in this particular city tell them that they are drawing nearer to the day of their own judgement but instead of going to what seemed to be a really simple instruction of God he got up and bought a ticket to go in the opposite direction I'm not going I'm not doing this now we ask ourselves the question why wouldn't he go and it was really quite simple Nineveh was the capital city of a nation or an empire called Assyria and he just didn't like the Assyrians the Assyrians had a history of violence and intolerance they would conquer other nations and they would assimilate them you remember it was Assyria that eventually assimilated the Northern Kingdom of Israel and drew them off from the promised land and more or less dispersed them throughout their present Empire and then brought other people and intermixed with them to make sure that they had virtually eradicated their testimony their modder was of the Assyrians was our way or the highway there were no negotiations you either bend to our way or you become one of us or we punish you there were no there was no allowance for individual identities there was no tolerance of opposing viewpoints as Syria meant assimilation the assert to the Assyrians there was just no other way and godlessness was their foundation they stood against everything that Jonah and his people stood for and God says go to them and tell them the hour of their judgment has come and so on Jonah's mind I suppose he was thinking something like this if they're under isn't that a good thing so I tell them if it's all going down to 40 days is the fire of God is going to come down if they're all gonna die and go into an eternal hell then let's just let it happen why would we want to even take a chance that what I have to say to them could change it and Jonah knew something about God in chapter 4 verse 2 he prayed to the Lord and said our Lord was not this what I said when I was still in my country therefore I fled previously to Tarsus Frye knew that you're a gracious and a merciful God you're slow to anger abundant and loving-kindness and one who relents or changes his mind from doing harm I knew this about you God and so just on the off chance that you would change your mind I'm not going you know we laugh at Jonah and we say oh what a foolish thing to do but is it possible that somebody in your life you know that God's prompting you to speak to and you'd rather not you'd rather have that person judged you'd rather see them go into hardship you you really don't want them restored to God you would rather have them come to harm you know that's in every heart and say well if they are under judgment let them be judged why should I go and run the risk I I will not speak to these people that's really what Jonah said I'm not going I'm not speaking to them I'm not running the risk that you're gonna be merciful to them I'm not doing it I'm going in the opposite direction and it's it's the type of a person it just is prompted by God to do something it just says no and remain silent I'm not going there I'm not speaking to this person I'm not telling them I'm not talkative I'm not going to this group you know the Bible says Jesus himself said in the last days because iniquity or lawlessness was so abound the love of many will grow cold and I believe that love is the similar thing to what Jonah was experiencing that there be such a lawlessness such a violinist in people such an in civility liars will abound violence will be propagated similar to the assyrians there be people that rise up and say our way of the highway there's no negotiating with you your way is inferior to our way so you've got to bend your knee to our viewpoint and if you don't there's gonna be trouble in your life and so it's a similar situation to this that Jonah was facing at this particular time in Jonah chapter one again at the beginning at verse three to get his attention God sent a storm you know I want to ask the questions there anybody in a storm today yeah I see I didn't mean for you to raise your hands but anybody here in the storm is you can't figure out why like it says what's happening to me it's like all hell is broken out all around me I'm in a storm in my mind I'm in a storm in my heart I'm in a storm in my home I'm in a storm at work I'm in a storm when I'm on the subway when I walked down the street god what is going on in my life it says Jonah arose to flee to Tarsus now he's going the opposite way to what God is calling him to do and he's actually fleeing from the presence of the Lord uh if this is what you're gonna say to me I don't want to hear your voice anymore talk to somebody else I'm not interested I'm not going there I'm not doing that and so he goes to Joppa finds his ship going in the opposite direction pays the price and he flees from the presence of the Lord the next verse it says but the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea and there was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up in other words that that journey he was on was about to come to an abrupt end because he wasn't going in the direction of God God is merciful when you and I are not going in the right direction when our thoughts are not his thoughts when our ways are not his ways when we can come to church and we sing I'll say yes Lord yes to your ability away but when we leave but God speaks we say no Lord no not that anything but that not going there and not do that I'm not gonna listen and if you want if you're gonna continue speaking this thing to me I'm just not gonna listen to you I'm gonna clap louder I'm gonna sing louder in church but I'm not going to listen to your voice because I'm not doing that not going they're not speaking to those people it's not gonna happen and so God sends a storm he sends a storm you can't get out of it he sends a storm maybe it's worse than any storm you've ever been in in your life he sends a storm that's that that's so inwardly powerful the end up streaming at God himself this is what happened to Jonah and fear around him began to grow it and says in verse 5 says the Mariners were afraid and every man cried out to his God and through the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load but Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship and had lain down it was fast asleep now his fear is growing all around him this type of society that he's now traveling with fear is growing he chooses to go down into that the quietest area as it is that he could find and he chooses to sleep and not pray and the reason he chose to sleep is that he knew if he prayed God would remind him of what he's supposed to be doing that's why a lot of people don't pray they don't want to pray they can't pray oh you don't mind taking the grocery list out of your your back pocket you know I pray from my out to pray for my own gold pray for this and pray for Frank and John and Joan and Jim and Sally and whoever and you pray but you don't really pray real prayers Lord what would you have me to do God speak to my heart what do you want me to do what do you want me to say where do you want me to go real prayer is Lord not my will but thine and a lot of people are willing to pray but not that kind of prayer and in the midst of a crisis where people are in danger now of losing their lives the prophet of God is is asleep he won't pray because God I've found out over the years something that if you're young you're going to learn God does not forget he doesn't forget you can cut you can you get ignorin for 20 years and go back to him in prayer and you'll say now where were we what were we just talking about never a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day so you can ignore him for 20 years and for him it's like a half of a second the conversation is still going on you see ultimately the captain came to him in verse six and says and said to him what do you mean sleeper arise and call on your God and perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish it was the cry of the perishing that finally woke this man up and I believe that in our generation it's the cry of the perishing that is going to wake up the Church of Jesus Christ at this moment in history because many of God's people are asleep many of God's gatherings don't pray prayer is not even a burden it's not even a thought at best in many places it's only a program and it's not a heartcry but all around him people now were afraid they were in danger of dying have you noticed in America today that we have cities now that are declared states of emergency because of opiate addiction grandmothers and grandfathers are now taking pain killers not that they have pain in their body they've got pain in their mind they've got pain in their soul young people are folks are you getting tired of the school shootings are you are we getting tired of of seeing young people going in with this this is cry of anger in their heart thinking that what however twisted it is is somehow they're going to get some measure of satisfaction at taking somebody else's life in their school system to more school shootings just this week we've got young people crying out in our streets everywhere looking for hope looking for victory looking for deliverance looking for a future looking for a reason to live homes are falling apart marriages are being torn to the seams iniquity is abounding that which is evil is being caught good and that which is called good as being pushed to the sidelines of our society and suddenly there's a cry comes among the people people who are travelling with Jonah in this journey that's going in the opposite way of where God is we live in a society that's been traveling that way for quite some time and many of God's people have been traveling with them sound asleep on the same ship but suddenly everything is starting to fall apart around us incivility is beginning to dominate our public discussion we seem to be at a loss to navigate our way forward in our future divisions are becoming more pronounced divisions that we thought at one time at least were on the way to becoming healed are now becoming more pronounced every day and suddenly there was a cry in that society and I can hear it in my heart it's it's a silent cry you have to be sensitive to the spirit to begin to realize that the people are crying out for you and I to call it to God what are you doing sleeping call out to your God and perhaps your God will consider us that we may not perish why are you silent when we're dying why are you silent when our ship is falling apart and we're about to perish in the sea and we are afraid and we don't know what to do arise and call out to your God and then they came to Jonah and they said tell us for whose causes is trouble upon us and what is your occupation where do you come from what's your country what kind of people do you belong to in other words what are you supposed to be doing you're sleeping we know that you're on the journey with us but what is that that you are called to do this is the first moment where you see honesty coming into the the heart of this man Jonah and he tells them that he's he's fleeing from the presence of the Lord God called me to go to people who you'd least expect would ever be interested in spiritual things and tell them that their judgement is coming and tell them this is a grievous moment for them a perilous moment for them and they said to him why have you done this and because you've done this and you've remained silent we are in the midst of the storm went according to your word it's in the power of your hand to make a difference it's in the power of the Church of Jesus Christ to make a difference it's in our hand folks as the church we can make a difference we have access to the throne of God we have promises from the Word of God that we can speak to mountains and commend them to be cast into the sea incredible promises that whatever we ask for believing we shall receive it we're told that we can tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the evil one and nothing shall by any means hurt us we are given these promises we are told these things then the people of that moment on that journey start calling out to the one man that they knew in their midst that can make a difference and say why have you done this it's because you've been fleeing from the presence of God and the purpose of God that this storm is now upon us and they had to have some recognition that it was in the power of his hand to stop it and they said what shall we do to you that the sea may become for us for the sea was it was getting worse every moment it was growing more tempestuous and he said to them pick me up and throw me into the sea then the sea will be calm for you for I know that this great storm or Tempest is because of me this is the first indication that the prophet Jonah is now reconsidering his ways and he's now willing to live for the benefit of others he's willing to be given so that their storm might cease he's willing to actually give his life that their storm might cease but there's also something else very curious in here why doesn't he just say I'll climb over the side and jump into the sea noise system you have to pick me up and throw me in it's the first recognition that he needs help I know what I'm supposed to do but I need help to do it I can't find within myself the power I mean he would have no he could climb over the side of the ship and jump in it would have the same result but he I think it's a recognition I want to be given I want to do the will of God but I need you to help me we're gonna be talking about that this afternoon why do you need the church why is it important that we gather to encourage one another not to give up but to persevere in faith to live for God to speak where God calls us to speak we none of us can do this alone we need help to do this and we did the help that God gives through the church and then ultimately we need the help that only God Himself is able to give us in our situation and so they throw him into the sea and in other words Jonah's think throw me into the center of your storm I am the solution to your problem and that is true of the Church of Jesus Christ throw us through our voices our prayers the words that God will give us the testimony of who Christ has thrown us into the midst of the storm of this present moment we're living in because we are the light of the world Jesus said that we are the salt of this earth we are the ones that produce healing and taste for the things of God and the preservation of that which is true and pure and holy and a chapter to Jonah goes through a very deep night of the soul where all of his motives are examined I cried out he says in verse 2 to the Lord because of my affliction and he answered me out of the belly of hell I cried and you heard my voice you cast me into the deep into the heart of the Seas and all the floods surrounded me your billows and your waves passed over me then I said I've been cast out of your sight yet I will look again towards your holy temple you know we can get there to the point of thinking I missed my God you you called me but I missed it I ran from it and he says the water surrounded me the deep closed around me weeds wrapped around my head the regret of what I had not done or allowed to be done around me the regret of my slumbers wanted to swallow me I went down to the moorings of the mountains the earth with its bars closed behind me forever yet you brought up my life from the pit o Lord my God when my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer went up to you into your holy temple I thank God that we are invited to the throne of grace not when we have it all together not when we've been highly successful in everything we do but it's in our time of need and in our own weakness that we are invited as sons and daughters whether we look like we've been down to the bottom of the ocean we got weeds wrapped all around our head we filled with regret for what we have or have not done yet no matter how we may have failed in our Commission we are invited to the throne of grace to find help now in our time of need he says those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy but I will sacrifice to you with the voice of Thanksgiving I will pay what I have vowed salvation is of the Lord and here here at what it means that verse 9 he comes after all of his trials and all of his difficulties all the searching of his saw all the dealings of God he comes to one conclusion that you and I must come to in our generation salvation belongs to God in other words Lord you will save whoever you choose to save it is not my business it's not my choice it is yours you are a merciful God in places that we don't expect there to be mercy in places where we would rather see judgment to a people that have caused us pain and have given the opportunity will revive again and cause us even deeper pain in the future yet but God if you choose to show yourself mercy at this time you are God we are not our thoughts are not your thoughts our ways are not your ways you are the one who went to a cross and said Father forgive them they don't know what they do salvation belongs to you this this was the moment that Jonah was brought back to his original calling this was the moment God if you have chosen to be merciful to this generation than it's your choice it's not that he fully loved his commission it's not that he was fully engaged with it not that he was overly enamored with the Assyrians you'll see that when he gets up and he goes into the city of Nineveh which was the capital city of Assyria a city three days it took three days to walk through it there was a hundred twenty thousand people in that city you'll find that there was no grace or mercy and his message he just got up and almost robotically obeyed God he was a reluctant witness forty days and you're all done forty days you're gonna burn forty days I don't know how God's gonna do it but he's going to destroy the whole lot of you forty days for the harm that you've caused forty days for the misery you've inflicted on people's as you've conquered them all over the world forty days and you're godlessness will come to an end forty days and God is going to judge you and I think there's somewhat of a measure of satisfaction in this man's heart because it's not an ounce of mercy in his message as he's walking through Nineveh he's simply pronouncing their judgement but he has no idea what's going on behind him it's amazing when you look at it he doesn't see it it's all happening behind it he's just walking straight through welcome to Nineveh and he's just looking forward to thank you for having come to Nineveh he's looking forward to just getting through these three days of almost like a miserable assignment as he might see it and of course the rest of the book proves that it wasn't overly enamored and with his his commission but behind him it's amazing what's going on the people of Nineveh believed God you know we assumed I think from the story and rightly I think it's rightly that God has already been speaking to people's hearts God is able to speak to people before we do and when he calls us to speak to them we are simply confirming what he's already been speaking who would have thought that God would be speaking to these people there realistically if you studied their history they were violent they were vile they took societies they conquered on forced marches they put rings in their noses and in their lips and they chained them together and thousands would die on these forced marches and you didn't bow to the gods of Assyria you were slain without mercy even tortured to instill fear in the other people that were with you on the journey and yet even to these people God is speaking talk about Mercy Mercy Mercy Mercy the whole the whole foundation of the kingdom of God is forgiveness do you understand that mercy triumphs over a judgment yes there's a day coming when there will be a judgment on the whole world but until that day mercy still triumphs God's heart is not always mine or yours God's ways are not always minor yours God's words are not always mine or yours God can be speaking and he just wants us to confirm what he's already saying even in our reluctance the power of God can be made known years ago when I was a police officer was that on assignment one day and I had a partner with me and it was a rainy day and I was in a real bad mood anybody here ever been in a real bad mood I know you're all saved and sanctified and you know you're running around going praise God all day well I had a bad day I wasn't a bad mood I didn't even want to talk to this guy I didn't want to talk about anything with this guy I just wanted to sit there and stew in my own misery the windshield wipers are going the rain is falling on the windshield it's just it's just a lousy day I don't feel good and out of nowhere this guy says so what is it you believe anyway I don't want to talk to him I don't want to talk to him I don't want to share what I believe you know to be honest there's no burden in my soul for him at that moment you know we we could have something could have happened that day and we could have been both an eternity we'll be going one way and him the other and I wasn't even thinking about it and so with no passion no real conviction in my heart not really wanting to speak in about three sentences I just shared Jesus the cross and forgiveness and I just wanted to get it out there was there was no passion you have to understand I wasn't even looking at him I just looking straight out and I just said it as I finished he slaps the dash of the car and says I want that I've been and he said I've been looking for that all my life you see so God's been speaking to this man's heart and brings him through to salvation through a reluctant witness it's amazing there's power in our speech even when we're reluctant you know sometimes we think to win somebody to God we've got to be like Billy Graham we have to have that moment in the lunchroom where the the Holy Ghost comes on so you've tried this and you've tried that it's not work you know and we have to have this we have to have this and then we have to just almost like you can hear that the harps playing as we speak and then we give the invitation people fall on their knees and I've had moments like that where I've shared with somebody I've felt the Holy Spirit come on me and just just the words were flowing like a river that the the conviction of God was was was there and had the person look at me after 15 minutes of just pouring out of a mini sermon as it is and how the person look at me and say well that's okay for you but I'm not interested and yet you're in a moment where you're reluctant and fine you know we might find ourselves reluctant to speak in this generation we might find ourselves sick of the conversation the division we might find ourselves so turned off by the conversation in college or high school or in the workplace that we just we just would rather find a quiet place and sleep we don't want to speak and even though people are can be very very loud in those moments and they can be saying things they ought not to say it is still possible that God is speaking and he's only looking for a witness of what he's already been speaking to the heart even if we're reluctant even if I am not inclined to speak God still is and when we move in unison with him mercy sometimes on a scale bigger than we could ever imagine is unleashed mercy Jonah is walking through with his reluctant sermon one line death darkness despair judgment no hope you're done you're finished that's all he's doing and he's just getting through it is this going he's realizes he's been the recipient of mercy but in his mind that just means his recommission to speak his message he doesn't much hope that the Assyrians are going to find the redemption that God was about to give them forty days he says and you're gonna be overthrown and so he just keeps on walking and as he passes by behind him the people believe God they proclaimed it fast put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them can you imagine as he's there one way as he's passing through and behind them they're turning to God he's not even aware of it because the scripture says after he went through the city he went up on a hill and waited for the judgment of God to fall on the city so he's absolutely unaware of what's going on then the word came from the king of Nineveh and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes and he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying let neither men nor beast herdin or flock taste anything nobody is to eat nobody's even to drink water but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God lest everyone yes and let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands this was a violent Society and through the testimony of one reluctant witness look what God is doing his God is breaking the pattern of this nation they're about to be spared for an entire generation given an opportunity to have a relationship with the real and the Living God and the king himself says let us put away our robes let's put away food let's start crying up to God and turn from our evil way and from the violence that is in our hands that's really key then he says who can tell if God will turn in relent and turn away from his fierce anger so that we may not perish then God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God relented from the disaster that he had said he would bring upon them and he did not do it mercy is unleashed you might say that the power of God was waiting for even a reluctant witness you and I don't know who God is speaking to he might be speaking on a much larger scale than we realize you see people will put on a public face I'm sure the King had a public face the nobles here at a public face the people at a public face but all it took is one messenger to confirm what God I believe was already speaking and suddenly the whole viewpoint of a society that lives in opposition to the ways of God crumbles just like the walls of Jericho the whole thing Falls and people see the error of their way you know you and I live in the generation when we especially if you're watching the news at least you think there's no chance this generation will never turn if you believe that you don't know your Bible you don't know biblical history you don't know what God is able to do and you might not be aware that God is already speaking don't think for one second that God is not speaking to every heart convincing people that your ways are not right even though they're they vociferous ly have to hold to it because they don't know anything else until somebody comes along even reluctantly and says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord did you know that did you know there's a better way did you know you could have a full and abundant life do you know there's a compassion available for our society that is God birth and God breathed can't be legislated can't be programmed does you see humankind is selfish to the course or can never be achieved through human effort but by the Spirit of God by the Spirit of God we can have a new day tomorrow you don't know whom God is speaking to there's a reluctance I suppose in all of us sometimes a large reluctance because of the day we're living in sometimes just a reluctance throughout our day to speak I'll finish with a story that I've shared with you once before I'll share it again it was in a restaurant after a service here one night and sitting in the restaurant was a group of people whose conversation was so vile that it was inappropriate for to be spoken in an inappropriate place that's how bad it was the owner of the restaurant was embarrassed he came over to me knowing I was a pastor he said I'm so sorry you have to listen to this he said would you i'll get another table for you in the back and as he as he shared that i had a steering us and i'll just wait a minute and i had two other a pastor and a musician with me and i got up from my table i walked over to this table as there's four or five guys there and one girl who I think was a call girl and I said hey I'm the pastor of Time Square Church just around the corner and I said you look like a group of people could use a little bit of church time so I said I'd like to I'd like to invite you to come to church and this was a Sunday night I said we have a service Tuesday night said be great if you if you'd consider coming and that the guy with the most vile mouth of all sitting at the head of the table I mean is his conversation was just vile and he said the guy sitting in front of you is a huge sinner he really needs prayer so I said okay let's pray for him I put my hands on his shoulders without any hesitation I began to pray Jesus show him show him who you are show him what you did on the cross show him what his future can be give him an understanding that his sin can be forgiven and that he can have a new life in you and the the fellows that were with me said when you began to pray the entire restaurant dropped the utensils and bowed their head and so now the guy at the end of the table really went off on me like he just exploded he started cursing at me in the restaurant who do you think you are I'm you know I'm saying it in a nice way he wasn't saying it in a nice way what gives you the right to come over here go back to your own table and keep your mouth shut and everything else you know and I wasn't the slouch either there were five of them that was me pastor Claude hood is still pretty good and there was another guy and I thought well you know if this thing goes south we at least have a shot that I knew the owner of the restaurant be on my side so you know you yeah anyways so I he said what gives you the right to come here and do this and I stood there and I said because I'm a Christian God speaks to me and he told me that there's somebody at the table was desperate to know who God is and the guy who was cursing me out starts to cry takes up a napkin starts to wipe his face he says it's me it's me says I'm desperate I got a no I just gotta know who God is I it's a thought that never leaves my heart now who would ever think that God is speaking to this man who in the natural would ever think that a guy with a vile mouth like that who's preparing a night of immorality and the boasting of it openly is interested in the things of God then he pulls up a charity says please pastor sit down tell us tell us about how do you find your way to God you know the guy had laid hands on his shoulders he said this is weird man I'm going back to hotel so he got up and he left and but I had a chance to sit there with him he cried so hard through our conversation he was wetting the the restaurant now he cried so hard he was so hungry for the things of God and I said will you bow now will you bend now will you give your life to Christ now he said pastor I I want he was it turns out he was from the UK and he said I I want to call my wife I want to go back to town I want to do this but I don't want to do it alone I want her to pray with me and he says but I promise you I promise you whether she chooses to go with me or not I'm giving my life to Jesus Christ [Applause] there's great power if we will just speak if the Holy Spirit can move on us and lead us to people and places that we wouldn't think God is speaking but God knows you see you and I have the spirit of the Living God inside us and he knows what the people in your office are thinking he knows what that person walking down the street towards you is thinking he knows their thoughts and if if we can learn to walk in unison with him if we can become a people of Prayer not engaging what we're willing to do and not willing to do what we should do what we shouldn't do if we can learn to walk in the spirit if we can go to prayer and say God would you help me to acknowledge your presence in my life every day would you guide me would you guard me would you speak to my heart and if you're speaking to somebody and all I am is just a confirmation of what you're speaking would you give me the courage would you help me not to walk by the decided by eyes would you help me to walk by the spirit because Lord even if I'm a reluctant witness is incredible power when I walk in unison with you because you are the one speaking to somebody's heart not me and help me just to speak what I need to not more not less sometimes it's just meeting somebody on the street who's crying on their cellphone saying I want you to know that God loves you and if you'll trust him he'll help you and just keep going just keep going you don't have you know all you're doing is you're sowing seed everywhere you go but there has to be a willingness there has to be and so I want to give an altar call today for every reluctant witness everybody here just say pastor you just you just you just nailed it there's certain people I I just I'd rather die than speak to them I'd rather sleep then pray for them maybe it's this whole generation as lawlessness is beginning to abound you say something's happening to me my the the witness of my voice is being driven down into the bottom of the ship I'm hardly ever speaking to anybody about Jesus Christ and my song seems to be relegated to when I come to church but I can't sing the same song outside I'm a really reluctant witness but you remember Jonah said you're gonna have to throw pee in like I'm recognizing like Jonah did that I need help III know I can't do this without the body of Christ to encourage me and I can't do it without the Spirit of God giving me the power to do it but God if you will help me I will do it if you will help me I will open my mouth if ever there was a time in the history of this nation to not be quiet it's now people are hungry did you see at Christmastime when we just preached the simple gospel I remember on the that first Christmas morning service when we preached the gospel Christmas Eve rather their people responded to receive Christ right into the lobby there's that that resistance that has typically been part of our society to the things of God the resistance and Families it seems to be crumbling and I'm hearing more and more stories from people coming in and saying it's amazing it seems like everybody I start talking to is open now to the things of God many people who were closed for forever I'm now starting to be open at least willing to consider the things that I have to say is it possible is it possible that God is speaking to America again and waiting for the church to move with him I want you really to think about that I'm gonna say it again is it possible that God is speaking to America again and waiting for the church waiting for you and I to agree with him even if it's reluctantly waiting for us to open our mouths and simply confirm what he's already speaking to people's hearts if you'd like the courage to really be a witness for Christ the courage the courage to actually pray and say Lord what is your will for my life guide me every day the courage to not just sing a song but actually live it yes Lord yes to your will unto your way if that's your heart I know it's mine I'm gonna ask you just to in a moment get out of your seat and just join me here at the front of this auditorium and we'll just pray together that's all we can do we just pray say god help us it help us to help one another and make us make us light and make us salt give us a voice in our generation Lord Jesus we thank you today for a word that finds us where we are and I thank you Lord that you have shown us even in a reluctant witness where Lord we have been so unavailable to you that you will throw us overboard you will put us into the deep parts of your Will O God and you will help us I thank you Lord for your spirit of mercy that you are pouring over this nation I thank you for places and people that don't look like they can be touched but you've been saying you've been speaking and you are speaking because you are so merciful and you are that great so I thank you Lord that no matter how reluctant or weak we are you are finding us today you're stirring us and we take the next step Oh God with our hand in yours we take the next step Lord not looking to our faithfulness but looking or God to what is in your heart and what you will do in US and through us so Lord Jesus I just pray that this word we could lay to heart that this is an hour of mercy that there is no one beyond your mercy including reluctant witnesses and I thank you O God that as we rise O God and just take this not lay this word down but understand the hour we're living in and the incredible things you will do Oh God I just pray that we would we would say help us and you will we would say Lord I want to open my mouth and we will Lord I want to go to places that my flesh doesn't want to go but I will by the power of your spirit I will do things Lord that have been so hard for me but because it's an hour of Mercy there will be mercy for me there will be mercy for who we speak to there will be mercy Oh God I thank you this is a day you are truly pushing back the darkness that you oh god it is your hour for mercy you are breaking up the depths you are pushing back the darkness I pray oh god I thank you that we will not miss this hour as your church and I thank you Lord that you are about to do something and I thank you O God that in your great kindness O God you are making us willing you said that you will make your people willing in the day of your power this is the day of your power there is a willingness even in reluctant witnesses I thank you we'd step from this place o God with our eyes firmly fixed on you because we know who we are but you Lord you're going to make a difference in us we're gonna make a difference I thank you O God for this promise in this hope we believe it oh god we receive this and we thank you for the mercy of God to change today and Lord we will do that because you love us and you love those we will speak to in Jesus name we pray

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 12,085

Rating: 4.8838172 out of 5

Keywords: Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: RfO7tJsCDmc

Length: 46min 27sec (2787 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 31 2018