Pray While You Still Can | Carter Conlon

if I didn't care about you I wouldn't preach this message this morning I wouldn't fight for you I would just let you come into church and I would talk about your self-image or something like that get you shouting and clapping and send you out happy and maybe on your way to hell but because I do care because I want to see every one of your faces at the throne of God one day every one of you every one of you without exception because I do care as it pastor I will open the Word of God and as Paul the Apostle once said to the early church they said I will not refrain from preaching to you the whole counsel of God the whole message it's it's an entire salvation and we need to hear the whole message and so I want you to be able to hear this this morning in the context of coming from the heart of a pastor that cares I simply care about you you're free you are free to disagree with me you are free to reject everything I say I'm still caring that won't change but one day you will never I can I had a picture in my mind this week as I was praying of people getting to the throne of God told to find out they're on the wrong side of Redemption looking across at their pastor and say you knew this and you didn't tell me about this you let me continue in my behaviors the things that I was doing and you just kept telling me that heaven was my home and that self-image was my problem and such like things youyou preached your little rhyming sermons to me and I came to the house of God you know like Solomon wrote one time in book of Proverbs I was in in almost total destruction in the company of even God's people some people are not going to see that till they get to the throne of God but I don't want you to be missing this is not about numbers it's not about packing out a house it's not about building a resume or just being able to say we have this many or that many it's about you because I stand at the throne of God one day and I answer for you I will answer for every one of you there will be there be a list of names up I fully believe that and as as as the shepherd of this congregation and those who consider themselves part of this church online I will have to answer for you I will answer for where you are for whether you are or aren't at the throne of God did did I plead for you if I was in the neighborhood if I was their neighbor and I walked by your house in the middle of the night and it was on fire and I did nothing to warn you and even worse than that I didn't I didn't do everything in my power to save you and I just let you burn I'm not really a good neighbor I'm not your friend I don't care about you I don't care about how many times I yelled hey Bob hey Joan over the fence I really don't care about you if I care about you I'll go where you are and do everything in my power to get you that's what Jesus did when he went to the cross he came to where you and I were where you and I are and he went through that veil of separation he didn't mince any words about the kingdom of God or but who he was and what he was doing and what our requirement was he went right through and right to the cross because He loves us and I thank God for that with all my heart it's hard sometimes to hear truth because in every human heart apart from the Spirit of God we are literally as human beings in some measure another we're at war with God inside and the war is basically we want we want God to see things our way we want him to accept our behaviors our lifestyles our ways of viewing eternity we're basically knocking on the door and say God you will agree with me you will agree that I'm righteous you will agree with my lifestyle my speech everything I do you will agree with it see we are in effect at war as human beings with God and now we're going to see this on an incredible scale a lawlessness is breaking out in this world today that is mind-boggling and it's going to get worse and you and I the only insurance we have against it is that we come into the light and we walk in truth and we don't try to get God to agree with us we agree with God we walk into the light of this word and say god this is true and let my own heart be a liar let everything that I have built up that would try to tell me that I'm righteous without you let it be put away from my life it's father I thank you Lord for this day I thank you God Lord I will never stand it your throne having been a Shepherd to your people with my head down in shame lord I thank you God that you've not only given me your word but you've given me your heart to fight for your people to fight for every life of every person in this sanctuary today and all those that are hearing this online your coming soon Lord your coming soon god help us help us to seek you while we still can and I thank you for this in Jesus name psalm 32 please if you'll turn there psalm 32 and my message title is pray while you still can pray while you still can beginning at verse 1 some 32 a psalm of King David blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me and my vitality was turned into the drought of summer for some that are here today and you might be wondering why have I been so heavy lately it's because the hand of God is on you the hand of God is drawing you the hand of God is trying to speak something to your heart that you might have been resistant to receive I acknowledge verse 5 my sin to you and my iniquity I've not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him in a time in other words of confusion in a time where contrary thought to biblical truth will become the normative order of the day in a time when the enemy comes in like a flood literally the Bible promises that the Spirit of God will raise up a stand the Spirit of God will give you the strength the Spirit of God will cause you to stand the Spirit of God in you will give you light in the midst of darkness clarity in the midst of this baptism of confusion that seems to be touching the whole of the known world today God will keep you God will guide you God will guard you he will place inside your heart a song of joy that this world knows absolutely nothing about it will open your eyes to see a future something way ahead of you and way beyond this world there'll be something in your heart that cannot be gotten by any amount of human effort in this world in the flood of Great Waters verse 6 that's second half they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of deliverance God speaking down the first person he says I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my eye do not be like the horse or like the mule which you have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near to you many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he would trust in the Lord mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart shout for joy it's what the Word of God says the end result of walking in truth is an inner joy that this world knows nothing about a song that cannot be written by a human hand a vision that's not given by anything but the presence of God inside your heart looking through you when all hell's breaking out in this world you're going to see something beyond all of that something that's coming and like the Apostle Paul you'll be able to say the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us God will speak to your heart but he only speaks to a clean heart he petitions a heart that's not set apart for him he Woo's and he he draws that he whispers as you're going down the street about certain attitudes and thoughts and behaviors and practices but he once the heart is captivated by truth then he begins to speak into that heart all the glory of God's voice when it speaks into your heart the voice that has the power to create a universe with his spoken word the power in the speech of God to create and recreate in His image verses 1 and 2 of psalm 32 blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit in other words blessed is the person is not trying to hide his or her failed condition from God yes though even being ashamed of it as Adam and Eve once were they are willing as they were to step into the light to step into the actual presence of God and to say God examine my heart examine my lifestyle examine my speech examine the deep and hidden things inside of me that want a masquerade as godliness remember David the King prayed that we said O God search my heart and know me try me and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the path of life everlasting he didn't have that you see if we examine ourselves we will always come out smelling like a rose we will always justify that which God does not justify and we will call something that is deficient we will call it whole will call eventually something that is evil we will call it good John 3:16 says God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved he who believes in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already because he's not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God now he goes further he said and this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil for everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed in other words in the presence of God everything inside of us becomes exactly the way it really is there's no hiding it anymore in God's presence but he that does truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God in other words in a true heart in a converted heart there is this inner cry oh God lead me guide me change me you said I would become a new creation in every area of my life so Lord don't let me hold to these old things and old ways and somehow try to squeeze them into the kingdom of God as if somehow you're willing to accept this when you're not God help me to come into the light knowing that you died to pay the price for my sin and you died to destroy its power over my life so I don't have to live there any longer I have a promise of new life I have a promise of abundant life I have a promise of eternal life Paul the Apostle said to the Galatian Church he said to them don't be deceived do you not understand that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God now these are these are believers in Christ but they're the Corinthian church brought a lot of behaviors with them into this supposed new fellowship with God through His Son Jesus Christ and they had a hard time letting go don't forget in the temple of worship in the middle of Corinth the fornication was an act of worship do you understand that it became hard for them to let go of these former practices and to come into this new place this new life this new Redemption that had been offered them by God through His Son Jesus Christ and Paul says don't be deceived in other words don't let anybody teach you otherwise don't let your own fire convince you that there's no penalty for sin any longer don't go there and then he starts listing a few things this is neither fornicators that means people who are engaged in sexual intercourse outside of the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman do not inherit the kingdom of God do folks do you understand that you can try to push it away and you can you can you can try to say well God knows and God understands that I'm not married and God understands if I have physical needs but God understands a whole lot more than you do and when you get into the Word of God Paul says don't be deceived fornicators do not inherit the kingdom of God at some point there has to be a choice that is made we either go God's Way or continue fornicating ending up at the throne of God one day but you will never look at me and say you didn't warn me never nor idolaters people who have other gods or they worship something else other than Jesus Christ nor adulterers people who are having affairs outside of marriage starts with a little flirtation in the office and then the next thing you know it's in a motel somewhere no kingdom of God for adulterers you understand that you're outside the kingdom of God no matter how you might say well God understands my needs and God knows this this partner of mine is not meeting my needs etc etc nor homosexuals nor sodomites so that's both lesbians and homosexuals either one nor thieves nor covetous that's we're talking about people continue in these practices I'm not talking about people who might be predisposed to be have a certain attraction in their physical makeup to somebody of the same sex don't misunderstand what I'm saying what I'm saying is that God even if that's the case God will give you the power over that sin it does not have the right to dominate your life anymore nor drunkards nor revilers people have just lived throughout the day just cursing everybody unlike themselves nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God people that just use other people for their own advantage the whole day is about using how can I use this person how can I use that purse not going to get something from this person none of these people Paul says will inherit the kingdom of God in the book of Galatians chapter 6 he says don't be deceived again whatever you saw you're going to reap you sow to the flesh you reap destruction you eat corruption you sow to the spirit you're going to reap life if you try to bring that which God says is not acceptable to me into his kingdom you will simply reap corruption there's no eternal life in it folks you you can't take what is wrong and make it right in the sight of God call it what you will march in the streets from nate'll doomsday it makes no difference God says it's wrong gut says it said it will never be right you cannot make it right Paul says and such were some of you but you're washed in other words it's not the water of this world that is formed you're thinking it's the water of God it's God's Holy Word it says water has washed youyou you're lost you're washed yeah you might be struggling but at least your thinking is right now at least you know what direction you're supposed to be going in your and you're not taking that which is wrong and trying to justify it any longer you're washed you've come to this pure water you've said God this is right and everything unlike it inside of me is wrong now you're sanctified that means set apart by God justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of god in other words you're you're given the power to go on this new pathway as Paul the Apostle once said I'm not there yet I'm not perfected yet so I don't want anybody condemned who wants to walk with God but I'm leaving behind that which needs to be left behind and I'm moving towards that which is the part of my high calling of God in Christ Jesus I'm not gonna make excuses for this any longer I'm not going to just call it another oops no more of that it's like the man who comes out his door on a winter day and he keeps slipping on his walkway and falling on his back on the way to work and his neighbor system he says well why don't you put salt on your walkway the man says well because I like a good slip every now on that and that's a lot of people are like that in the body of Christ just like a good slip and I can come back in and say well Lord thank you for forgiving me you know there's a point where you play that game with God and the Bible says you're given to a darkened mind you understand that you can't play games with the holy God he doesn't he doesn't play this game every time every time you play this game with God there's another layer of hardness that comes into the heart and eventually you start calling evil good you come in and you can't be brought under conviction anymore you can't be brought into the place where your behavior is challenged because you've completely justified it you've built your own fig leaf covering and you're coming in and singing praises to God believing somehow that this is accepted with him until you get to his throne one day and realize that's not the case you're just allowed you allowed your own heart to deceive yourself and God I pray that that's not anybody's portion that's listening to me today anybody here now I'm not suggesting that you have to be perfect but you are moving in the direction of truth and you you you can't fake that you either are or you aren't you can't be almost pregnant you understand you either are or you aren't you either are moving towards truth and don't deceive yourself into thinking you are if you aren't you're either moving towards it which means you're moving away from something which means it's losing its hold in your life it doesn't mean you won't struggle with it but it's losing its hold it's losing its right to dictate your direction and to dominate your mind and your thinking verse three of some of psalm 32 when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me and my vitality was turned into the drought of summer you know the scripture tells us that the goodness of God leads us to repentance it's the goodness of God and God says lest you become content in a wrong way of thinking a wrong way of behaving I'm going to put my hand on you and I'm gonna take away your moisture I'm gonna take away your strength and day and night I'm not gonna let you go that's why some of you can't sleep I'm not gonna let you go until you and I are finally in agreement with this because the goodness of God leads us to repentance now listen to what David says now David had had a period in his life when he had done wrong and I'm sure he tried to justify it he'd arranged for the murder of a man you understand because he had an affair with his wife he arranged for his murder and there was a season in his life where he tried to justify wrong so he's writing out of experience you have to understand this he the sweet psalmist of Israel the giant-slayer had had done something neat probably in his lifetime never thought he would ever do but God's hand came on him and finally a man of God called Nathan comes into his chamber where he was and tells him a story and David's wrath is is finally risen up against somebody that he he thought he didn't think it was himself but Nathan was building a trap for him to fall into and Nathan looks at him and says you're the man and David you're the man who did this thing and there was an immediate response in the heart of King David I've sinned against the Lord verse 5 he says I acknowledged my to you and my iniquity of not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin so if there's anybody here that things you can't be forgiven the Word of God proves you wrong the Word of God tells us shows us this man had committed adultery this man was a fornicator this man had been an accessory to murder and then on top of that he was a liar and then he tried to bring this whole thing into the kingdom of God God put his hand on him and says no this is not going to be part of my kingdom until David confessed and when David confessed he says you forgave the iniquity of my sin Oh God thank you verse 6 he says for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you at a time when you may be found you know there could come a time it's really hard to pray in the time of panic folks we saw that in 9/11 here in New York City there's this season where God can be found there's a season where victory can be won there's a there's a season where newness of life can become your portion and he says surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him the Bible tells us in the book of Revelation chapter I believe it's chapter 12 the scripture says the Satan was cast down to the earth with great wrath and he sent a flood out of his mouth after the woman which would be Israel and the church and the seed to the woman says and the dragon was enraged with the woman and went to make more with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ it says in verse 15 of Revelation 12 the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood this this flood is false doctrine this flood is wrong thinking this flood is evil masquerading itself as good this flood is a threat against the Church of Jesus Christ saying you will bend your knee to us you will comply to our attendance and if you don't it's going to get very very hot for you in the future and the serpent sent a flood after the woman but if we are a people walking in truth the scripture says in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you will not be swallowed by this you'll not be taken down by the false theologies of this last hour and the threats that are going to accompany it david says you for seven are my hiding place you will preserve me from trouble you will surround me with songs of deliverance not just in church but every day all day every morning every night there will be songs of God I will be surrounded by songs of deliverance that song that says I will never leave you I will never forsake you you have the right to condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment that song that says if you're thirsty come to me and drink and out of your inward parts will flow rivers of living water there's this song that says surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of God forever you will surround me with songs of deliverance when threatenings are abounding everywhere they're experiencing this in China today did you know that you know there's financial rewards now being offered to people who betray Christians you know that pastors are being put in wreath indoctrination camps by the thousands this is happening now in our generation in our world and I don't know how far we are from this even in our own country god help us in the future you will surround me with songs you preserve me from trouble I will instruct you God says and teach you and the way you should go I will guide you with my eye don't be like the horse or the mule which have no understanding they must be harness with bit and bridle or they will not don't be stubborn don't try to prove yourself right in God wrong many sorrows will be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall surround him merci merci be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all ye who are upright in heart praise be to God prophet Isaiah says when the fires start to break out in this world there'll be a songs of praise that will start to come up from the earth to the righteous one there will be a people in the midst of that time who have a song this world knows nothing about they have a shout in their heart that cannot be taken away by affliction or by threat or whether the whole society turns dark there's something inside the heart of this people that cannot be taken from them they have made a choice to walk in truth they made a choice to do right they made a choice that the Bible is the guide and the standard and the truth for Christian life for all life as a matter of fact they made a choice to put away that which offends God to put away that which Christ died to give them victory they made a choice to put it away and because of it they are now preserved they are surrounded by God they're instructed they're guided by the Spirit of God mercy surrounds them and there's a shout of joy in their hearts in the midst of all that's going to happen in this world hallelujah to the lamb of God glory to the name of Jesus glory glory glory glory I hope one day when you get to the throne I'm probably going to be there before some of you at least anyway when you get to the throne I'll be standing there with my list you'll be on the other side you say you told me and I listened you told me and I went in the way of true you told me and I kicked that lazy bum of a boyfriend out of my apartment you told me and I obeyed hallelujah to the lamb of God I did what was right I started giving instead of stealing I started being kind instead of taking I started speaking truth my voice was seasoned with salt instead of criticizing everyone around me by the grace of God I stand at the throne of God hallelujah glory to God I'm shouting at you now so you can shout that this is how people will pray in a time when God may be found don't put the day away don't say tomorrow I'll deal with this you don't know if you have a tomorrow we don't know what the future of this city is going to be we don't know which country has us in its target in its sights we don't know you don't know all I can tell you is today if you could hear his voice don't harden your heart because the reward is great if you can hear please please meet me at the throne please be there don't make a wrong choice in your life self-image doesn't separate from God and sin does deal with it my father I thank you with all my heart Lord that I have delivered your heart today you gave me this word and I gave it to your people as you once said to the prophet Ezekiel their blood is not on my hands but I pray instead that your blood would be applied to every one of their lives that you would break every chain you would destroy every stronghold you'd bring people out of false reasonings and into life and light that can only be found in Jesus Christ and God I thank you I thank you with all my heart that people who respond today will be found that you're thrown on the right side of heaven god I thank you with everything in my heart today let this be a great day for your kingdom sake and I thank you for it in Jesus name we're gonna I want to give an ultra call this morning and it's real simple I want to get right with God you know what that means you know where it will lead you and I'm gonna pray for you that God give you the strength you know what you need to do I don't think there's anybody here that doesn't understand where they need to begin you start at the beginning some of the things that we're involved in our a little more pronounced than others but you start where you need to start say God today today I'm gonna deal with this before the Sun Goes Down I'm gonna deal with this today I'm gonna deal with it at this altar and God your promise is that you will surround me you will protect me you will guide me you will plant your song inside my heart that no matter what comes into this world I will stand with a shout of joy and it will be an eternal shout and so today I'm going to deal with this I'm going to start moving in the direction of where God wants me to go thank you lord 31 years ago David Wilkerson was led to the Lord to found this church and when he did so the Lord told him there's two reasons warned the city of impending judgment warned that a day of judgment coming to this city and secondly gather a remnant and others gather out of the city as many people as can still hear the Word of God a remnant I remember he defined it as as something that looks like the original cloth the original charge the original group of 120 failures that said God by your grace and by your spirit I'm going to be a witness for you I'm going to live for you I'm gonna my life's gonna go out into the marketplace and I'm gonna be a voice for you I'm not gonna be a mixed message it's gonna be all you and Lord you'll help me you'll help me when I fail you'll help me when I fall you'll pick me up again and I will always be changing image to image and glory to glory day by day I'll be changing that's who you are that's you are the remnant the 31 years ago God saw you and sent a man to the city to gather you and that's what's happening today you are the church you are the remnant you in your frailty and your weakness and your struggles your trials and your confusion by the Spirit of God and by the word of God you're going to become a person that will bring glory to God everywhere you go in and I can see at the altar today we have at least three people that are deaf who can hear the word of God they've come forward [Applause] that's what that Jesus said whoever has ears to hear let him hear and it's an inner it's an inner ability to hear truth god bless you'll never be the same again you'll never be the same again walk with God walk with God walk with God you'll never regret walking with God give him your all going cool and ask you this to pray a simple prayer with me and for the rest that are here would you stretch your hands out towards these people who are here at the front Lord Jesus Christ just say these words with me Lord Jesus Christ thank you for loving me and for dying for me to break the power of sin and the penalty of sin in my life thank you for the promise of forgiveness the promise of a new life the promise of the power of your spirit that I may live for you an honest example in my generation of who you are and so today I confess my flaws to you I'm not going to try to make wrong right I'm trusting you Lord to forgive me to cleanse me and to give me the power that I need now to walk in newness of life from this day forward I belong to you and I believe that you will instruct me protect me guard me guide me lead me and you will give me a shout of joy in my heart all the way along in my journey and when I get to the throne of God I will be on the right side of Redemption in Jesus name hallelujah [Music] thank you lord thank you lord thank you

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 177,584

Rating: 4.9118237 out of 5

Keywords: Pastor Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: grwm-HOeDf0

Length: 35min 31sec (2131 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 04 2019