September 10, 2017 - Pastor Carter Conlon - Unshakeable Last Day Worship

this morning I want to talk to you about unshakable last day worship unshakable last day worship what will that look like Isaiah chapter 24 please in your Bibles Isaiah chapter 24 we're gonna read it together and then trust that God will speak to each of our hearts today my father we just want to thank you this morning for the abiding presence of your Holy Spirit in this sanctuary and in each of our lives you never promised us that life would be easy but you did promise that we would have a song of worship and praise that cannot be taken away from us it's oh Lord I thank you for that God would you help us in a deeper way today to understand what that sounds like what does it look like for the days are dark that we're living in and we'll get darker in the not-too-distant future so Lord we ask you God strengthen us by your word today build us on that solid foundation that you yourself said the one who builds on Iraq of your sayings your truth the floods came the rain beat on that house and it stood father we want to be each of us built on that foundation where we will stand no matter what comes against any of us so help us God Almighty help our brothers and sisters in Florida this morning this afternoon would help them all God especially those who know you help them to be keep them safe and help them to be a testimony of who you are in the middle of their storm Lord we thank you for them we praise you and we bless you Lord Jesus Christ that you always leave a testimony in the middle of every storm for the sake of those who don't yet know you thank you Lord for speaking to our hearts today in a powerful way in Jesus name amen unshakable last day worship Isaiah chapter 24 is understood by virtually everybody that interpret said to be a prophetic chapter in the Book of Isaiah very similar to the books of Revelation that described the last of the last days of this world as we know it Isaiah just in the spirit fast forwards to a day that's yet to come whether or not we're touching the edges of that day I don't know but the Bible does say that we are not children of darkness that this day should overtake us as a thief and so there's something that stirs inside of us something of the spirit that says God we are living in what could be the days just before your return and of course Isaiah 24 also describes the days after his return as well but let's talk after his return for his church let's read it I'm gonna read to you beginning at verse 1 to verse 16 behold the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants and it shall be as with the people so with the priest as with the servant so with his master as with the maid so with her mistress as with the Byram so with the seller as with the lender so with the borrower as with the creditor so with the debtor in other words the difficulty that's going to come to this world in the last days of time literally will touch everybody there will be nobody escaped no matter where they live or how many houses they have on how many continents everybody will be touched by the darkness of those days the land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered for the Lord has spoken this word the earth mourns and fades away the world languages and fades away the haughty are the proud people of the earth language the earth in other words they're they're starving for something of substance or stability the earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they've transgressed the laws change the ordinance broken the everlasting covenant therefore the curse has devoured the earth and those who dwell in it are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left the new wine fails the vine languishes all the merry hearted sigh and the mirth of the tambourine ceases the noise of the jubilant ends the joy of the harp ceases they shall not drink wine with a song in other words even drunkard sitting in bars and not gonna have anything to sing about strong drink is bitter to those who drink it the city of confusion is broken down every house is shut up so that none may go in there's a cry for wine in the streets all joy is darkened the mirth of the land is gone in the city desolation is left and the gate is stricken with destruction when it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people it shall be like the shaking of an olive tree like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done they shall lift up their voice they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord they shall cry aloud from the sea therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light the name of the Lord God of Israel and the coastlands of the sea from the ends of the earth we have heard songs glory to the righteous praise be to God in spite of the darkness of the day that will be on this world some day in the not-too-distant future it may even be beginning today we don't know that for a certainty but we will know as the days unfolded before us in spite of the hopelessness the lack of joy the lack of stability there will be a people in midst of this who are going to sing a song of glory there are going to be a people who have an unshakable ability to worship in the last days and we'll talk about that in just a moment in the book of hebrews chapter 12 beginning at verse 25 the writer of hebrews says see that you do not refuse him for speaks for if they did not escape were refused him a spoke on earth how much more shall we escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven whose voice then shook the earth but now he is promised saying yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven now this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken as of things that are made in other words there's a there's a crisis moment coming to this world where everything that has been made of man even if it professes to be of God if it is not of divine origin if it does not have the truth of God in it if it is not born or carried by the Spirit of God it will be shaken false worship will be shaken Paul of religion will be shaken there will be a shaking come to the nation nations of the world like nothing this world has ever seen the shaking will be so fierce that only things which cannot be shaken will remain the only thing I know that cannot be shaken is the presence of Almighty God Himself in my life and in your life it is my confidence in him it is opening my heart and letting him do his work it is in letting God instill inside of this human body in this human mind a new value system a new way of looking upon this world a new song that can't be sung if I am still attached to the things of this world and if I am still drawing my security from this perishing planet that song that is the source of my song it's going to be shaken it's going to dry up but if I'm drawing from the heart of God the strength of God I will have a confidence and a song that cannot be shaken therefore he says since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear we are receiving a kingdom now that's that's a two-fold statement number one we have a promise of eternity with God we're gonna talk about that at one o'clock today so we are receiving a kingdom but secondarily to that we are remember Jesus said to the people the kingdom of God is within you and so if you are a child of God not only is our name written down in an in that new kingdom but we are receiving the life the strength the power the stability that comes with the citizenship in that Kingdom and it is a kingdom that cannot be shaken I am receiving new strength from this kingdom every day that's why the psalmist David could say morning by morning new mercies I see the old things in my life and yours are continuously passing away and behold all things are being made new I I have opened my heart to Christ and I am receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken as a believer in Jesus Christ that's exactly what happened to you in the book of Genesis chapter one the scripture says the earth was without form in darkness and void in other words it was empty and it was purposeless that's actually what it means and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters and God spoke remember when your life was empty and void and purposeless and the Spirit of God hovered over you you suddenly started thinking thoughts about God wondering where did these thoughts come from I remember as a young police officer walking the beat one day on out of nowhere thoughts about God started coming into my mind I remember thinking why am I thinking about something that I don't even care to think about why am I wondering who God is you see I was empty purposeless dark going nowhere and suddenly the Spirit of God started hovering over my life and that at a certain point God spoke and darkness turned to light and he recreated me began that process of creation in my life actually when you study Genesis chapter one you'll see that when you come to Christ and open your heart to the Son of God God recreates you're almost the same way in the same way that he created the world in the first place he spoke and darkness turned to light do you remember when you let God speak to your heart the first time about your need of a savior you opened your heart and the light of God who is Christ Jesus came into your life and suddenly you have a change I remember that when I first came to Christ I looked in the mirror and it was like another set of eyes were looking back at me that were not my own it was the strangest feeling I knew something had happened inside of me light had come into a darkened place and that's exactly the beginning of the kingdom of God and of course the second thing he did in the creation of the world is he divided the waters that were in the world from the waters that are in the heavens he created a distinction a difference between the two and that's exactly what he did in my life and in your life he he started to show us the difference between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God the thoughts of this world that we had embraced and had shaped us informed us now he started to show us that there were thoughts above those thoughts my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts and suddenly you began to realize that there is a better way to think there's a better way to live there's there's a deeper value system than everything I've ever embraced thus far in my life the third thing God did is he created boundaries that the waters could only go so far and he brought out the dry land and many here myself included you remember before you got saved you had no boundaries in your life there was no limit to what you would do if you could get away with it but then suddenly now you have lights suddenly you know the difference between right and wrong and suddenly God is establishing boundaries and you can't go where you used to go and you can't say what you used to say and you don't want to do what you used to do because a new kingdom has come you have received in your heart a kingdom that cannot be shaken and then suddenly after all of this is beginning to be established new life this is where God began to now create life in the world all of the things that we know today and you begin to be aware that new life is being created a new heart now there's a tendency in all of us to want to draw back to the familiar to want to draw our comfort from what used to what left us in darkness in the first place we all have that tendency to be hesitant to go forward but I promise you if you make the break from everything that was old in your life that should no longer be there new life is yours a new heart he promises a new mind a new spirit a new future new giftings of God a new vocabulary new love new eyes new abilities new hands it's an amazing life when you make the break from the past and make the decision to say God I receive your kingdom into my heart and I'm going to go forward and with it comes a promise that this kingdom of God inside of my heart and my life cannot be shaken no matter what happens in this world that cannot be shaken the fifth thing that God did is he put lights in the sky for signs and for direction remember Jesus said you are the light of the world you and I are set in this world a signpost to those that are lost saying this way to safety this way to God this way to Eternity this way to forgiveness this way to power this way to provision this way to everything that you will ever need you and I as the stars are in the heavens are promised that we will stand no matter how deep the storm may be in our time we will stand and we will be signpost to those that want to escape darkness and find a way to eternal life in God through Jesus Christ now the prophet Isaiah says something very very unique and interesting in verse 11 of where we opened up he said there's a cry for wine in the streets a cry for joy a cry for happiness now you may not realize it but that cry is already here in New York City you look in the faces of people just walk down to Penn Station and just look in people's faces and tell me that cry is not there there's a desperation now growing in the hearts of people because they don't see a future they don't see stability they realize that society is starting to unravel around them very very quickly joy is dark and how many joyful people do you meet between here and Penn Station not very many you can count them all on one hand if you're lucky that's a good day - joy is document no swords and people yelling and cursing on their cell phone no shortage of people saying get out of my way no shortage of hucksters selling stuff on the corner no shortage of immorality all around it's abounding everywhere but there is a shortage of joy the mirth of the land is gone he says in verse 11 in the city desolation is left and that the gate is stricken with destruction that means the the place of forming human strategies to secure a successful future has come to an end we're hanging by a thread people who lead us don't seem to know what they're doing anymore everyone is grasping for something of stability for the future but in verse 13 he says when it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people in other words when the land gets like this it shall be like the shaking of an olive tree like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done then there will be a people to lift up their voice they will sing for the majesty of the Lord they will cry aloud from the sea they will glorify the Lord in the dawning light in this in this moment when light is coming into society you see what's when the society gets like this this is the way I see this now there's different interpretations but I'm going to speak from what I feel God was showing my heart when I was reading this it's people are going to let go of what they've been holding on to it talks to me about a heart it's like going up to an olive tree if you shake it before the season you can shake it all you want the olives are going to cling to the branch you understand but when the right time comes you shake that tree and hundreds of olives are going to start falling out of it you stand there and if those who have heavens value system as the as the land grows darker we are going to realize if our value system is Souls if Calvary's Kingdom has been planted inside of us if we are ambassadors for the one who went to a cross and said Father forgive them they don't know what they do if that's who we are if that's why we're on the earth yes the Seas will roar yes the winds will blow yes the earth will shake yes there'll be fires throughout the world yes Mad Men will rise up and have nuclear weapons at their disposal but those of us who know God will say God thank you for planting me in this moment of time when people are going to be shaken loose from that which has captivated them that which has held them that was just made them dark and they're going to be willing to be harvested for the kingdom of God there will be a song the praise rise up among those who know God and love God with all their heart those who have Christ's heart for the loss will recognize the moment and begin to give thanks to God that though the days might be difficult they've been left on the earth as a testimony of his keeping power and his willingness to forgive may God help us to understand this may God help us may God give us the grace to understand what is a value in this world there will be no more Wall Street one day there'll be no more Times Square there'll be no more retirement plans there'll be no more vacation homes there will be no more cruise ships to be none of this stuff all that matters in eternity is people [Applause] whatever it takes to shake them loose whatever it takes and if God if God should choose to leave me in the midst of that then I'm going to learn to rejoice I'm going to learn to thank him I'm going to learn to say God thank you Lord for leaving me in this place for their sakes I want you to think with me for a moment about the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas in Acts chapter 16 verse 22 the scripture says the multitude rolls up together against them that's against Paul and Silas the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods I wonder I wonder if we're not living in a kind of a similar time trying to take off the righteousness of the church by relabeling us as bigots and haters and people whose right to exist should even be challenged beating the Church of Jesus Christ with rods lumping us in in this world with hate groups when we're everything but that and when he had laid many stripes on them they threw them into prison commanding the jailer to keep them securely and having received a charge he put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks in other words the devil with Paul and Silas and with the church today is doing everything in his power to immobilize the testimony of Christ people to immerse them in their present troubles and to stop their feet from going forward on the mission that's been left them by their master the devil is doing everything in his power to sideline the church right now because he himself knows the testimony of a people who are God breathed and had the heart of God living inside of them and yes it was a darkened time and yes Paul would have preferred I'm sure to be somewhere else and so would Silas and yes they had been beaten they'd been shamed they're laying on a cold slab of stone their feet are in the stocks they expect further judgment the next day that there's difficult moment it couldn't seemingly get any worse but at midnight but at midnight but at midnight but at the darkest part of the night but at the time of the deepest darkness Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God Paul and Silas were praying I want to suggest you they were a type of the unshakeable worship of the last days Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever the strength that he gave to Paul and to Silas is the same strength that God will give to you and I in our midnight hour in our darkened time in our difficult social moment when we find ourselves vilified beaten verbally but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them I tell you nobody nobody nobody can take away the song the God plants inside of you as his child if it's a song that the world is produced if it's a song that has come from the hearts of man it can be taken away but if it has been planted there by the one whose kingdom is within us it cannot be taken away it seized the hand of God in everything now it was dark the jailer little later on calls for a light he couldn't even see anything it's dark in that place but there's a light inside of Paul and Silas and they began to sing and pray and the prisoners were listening to them I don't know what they were singing I really don't but I think it was a pre today version of through it all through it all I've learned to trust in Jesus I've learned to trust in God through it all through it all I've learned to depend upon His Word and suddenly there was a great earthquake you remember we read in Isaiah a shaking of the olive tree a shaking of the grapevine suddenly there was a shaking an earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken the foundations that were in the lives of the prisoners were shaken every foundation of hell was shaken every spiritual evil was shaken every false trust was shaken everything that had put every man in jail was shaken everything began to shake and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed blessed be I said all the doors were open and everyone's chains were loosed all the doors all the doors because God had somebody that had an unshakeable worship in the darkest days that most everybody in that prison had ever faced in their lifetime somebody was worshipping in the midst of that darkness somebody that God in His mercy had allowed to be there for the sake of the prisoners that were in that prison somebody had not lost this song because inside of them they had a song that could not be taken away because it was not given of anything of this world it was the song given by God listen to Psalm 96 let me read it to you Oh sing to the Lord a new song sing to the Lord all the earth sing to the Lord bless his name proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day declare his glory among the nations his wonders among the people for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised he is to be feared above all gods for the gods of the people are idols but the Lord made the heavens honor and Majesty are before him strength and beauty are in his sanctuary we are the sanctuary of God you understand that strength and beauty are in the sanctuary strength and beauty are in the sanctuary praise be to God the strength of God is in the sanctuary in these physical bodies the beauty of Christ the beauty of trove the beauty of his strength strength and beauty are in the sanctuary oh god help us to understand these things especially at this time we now find ourselves living in give to the Lord all families of the peoples give to the Lord glory and strength give to the Lord the glory due unto his name bring an offering and come into his courts all worship the Lord and the beauty of holiness tremble before him all the earth say among the nation's the Lord reigns give to the Lord the glory due his name in other words open your heart to the strength of God open your heart to the power of God open your heart to the ways of God open your heart to the will of God open your heart to the kingdom of God open your heart to the purpose of God for your life open your heart and give Him glory don't live your life to try to get out of where you are and try to find a comfortable place God put you where you are for a divine reason learn to worship Him where you are learn to glorify Him where you are give to the Lord the glory due to his name you are able to keep me you are able Lord to give me joy you are able to set me free you are able to sustain me you are able to give me strength when my strength has failed you are Almighty God and I will praise your holy name praise your holy name I will praise your holy day I will give you glory when there's nobody else to give you glory God I will because I have learned to trust you I've learned that I can have all things I can have nothing I've learned that there's no power of hell there's no wall there's no valley there's no angel no power no principality nothing can separate me from the love of God which is mine in Christ Jesus my Lord give the Lord glory that is due unto his name don't be found in your apartment don't be found in your neighbourhood don't be found in your office hanging your head and singing the blues with everyone else be found at that place as awful as it is singing this is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it [Applause] remember that God has put you where you are for the sake of somebody else that is the song that will be unshakable in the last days we may not have an abundance in the cover the water may be rising in our apartments as well as everybody else but we will have a song we will have a testimony we will have a confidence in God that this world cannot give bring an offering and come into his courts say to the nation's the Lord reigns bring your situation bring your trial bring your hardship bring your druthers a brother of mine used to say your druthers you know what your druthers are I'd rather be somewhere other than where I am right now you bring your druthers I say God I'm going to worship you here and I'm gonna bring the glory that's due to your name and as I learn to worship you I'm asking you to shake that tree every tree around me where people have a false trust when they see my life and they hear the song coming from my heart the song of confidence in you this song of understanding that I am here for their sakes I am placed before them as the stars are placed before this world in the heavens for direction for guidance and as a testimony to the light and the glory of God this is why I am where I am bringing offering bringing offering and come into his courts bring an offering bring an offering offer to him your hardship offer to him the places you'd rather not be offered to him everything and everywhere you want to escape from offered bring an offering and say Lord I am willing that you should plant that song that unshakable last day song I am willing that you should plant that inside of my heart because people now need to know oh that you are God they need to know that there's a joy available that nothing of this world is able to give or will ever give them it can only come from the people of God Oh father God in Jesus name in Jesus name lift us higher than we've ever been before Phyllis fuller than we've ever known the presence of your Holy Spirit plant a song a praise so deep within us that it will flow over like David's did that we can say my cup overflows God let us be singing the songs of praise to You Lord as we go through our day as easy or hard as it may be as we walk into our home as hospitable or as hostile as it may be put a song because we you will keep us and you've left us as a sign we have received the kingdom that cannot be shaken and so you say what that kingdom comes in incredible grace father thank you so much I ask you today Lord to bless your church bless the people who can hear these words bless those who will hear them in the days ahead my God give us the strength we're going to need give us the power to worship You Lord in the midst of the fires give us the strength and the grace oh God father we thank you with all of our hearts with all of our hearts oh god we thank you now I'm gonna ask you this altar call as an offering I'm going to ask everybody who's here today and you've been looking for a way out and God's been looking for a way to keep you in bringing offering bringing offering and come into his courts the offering is Lord I'm willing to have you plant that unshakeable worship inside of me I don't yet have all the verses of this song but I know you'll reveal it to me and I know you'll give me the words and the countenance that goes with it but I bring an offering because I want to give you the glory that's due to your name I'm not gonna be found among those who just simply live to escape every hard place I want to learn to find you in the middle of it and to glorify you even in the darkness of it let it not just be Paul and Silas that were used of you to open prison doors and set prisoners free that the worship in my mouth and the confidence in my heart also shake hell in these last days that we're now living in Father I thank you let that be the cry of your heart we're going to stand in a moment and as we do I would ask you if God's been speaking to your heart just to bring your situation to God as an offering today and say lord I want to glorify you in the midst of this if you choose to deliver me in the future so be it and if you don't so be it I'm going to bring to you my heart and I'm asking you to plant your kingdom deep inside of me that in the midst of my trial glory will be brought to your name give me they worship that cannot be shaken in Jesus name let's stand we're gonna sing for a moment if that's you just come just slip out just come come now come quickly balcony go to either exit make your way here please bring it all to him bring everything to him bring your fears your frustrations your failures just come and watch what God will do for you you know for many who are here at this altar today you may not fully understand it but this is your your gets M&E this is your time just like jesus said father I would rather not he was fully God but he was fully man and the man side of him said father yeah I'd rather not do this this way if there's any other way it can be done can you consider this but nevertheless not my will but yours be done and that's where you and I are today is that the human side of us doesn't want to suffer it and there's nothing wrong with that doesn't make you deficient nobody hop skips and jumps into suffering that's of sound mind and it's not wrong to say God I I would really rather not but if this is your will for my life is this what you want for me then I I yield to it and it's in that yielding that the power of God has finally made known the greatest victories it's in that yield remember that an earthquake came into Israel and shook the ground and and as a matter of fact graves open and dead people came out of graves that was an amazing victory obviously but it came with a conscious decision not my will but thine be done and I want to thank you for responding I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on God's behalf because it's through the surrendered life that the greatest victories are won God will keep you and God will fill your basket if you give you walk this way God will fill your basket with souls one day you stand before the Lord say God I just so thank you I made the right choice because it shook people loose from their false trust all around me and because they saw you keeping me in the midst of my difficult time in my struggle they let go of what they were holding to and Lord so I I give you praise today thank you God Lord we thank you for your presence here we thank you for the confirmation of your Holy Spirit in our hearts Lord that it's not the easy choice but it's the right one nobody wants to be given for others deep down we would rather take our salvation and run home with it and go straight to the throne but God you have a pathway through human suffering and trial and difficulty because you came into this world and died so the people may live and you left us here as ambassadors of that heart I saw thank you Lord thank you you'll give us all the power to say not my will but thine be done every last one of us Lord and you'll give us the song that goes with it there's a song that goes with surrender and thank you for it with all my heart thank you for these men and women god for the deep work of your spirit that's being done in many hearts for people who will not turn back no matter how difficult the day's may get you promised the last day's worship that can't be taken away so Lord we claim that as our own today God thank you Lord that we will be able to glorify you no matter what happens in the days before us we thank you for it in Jesus name Amen [Music]

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 11,424

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Keywords: Pastor Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: X3JtFa0LH6U

Length: 40min 44sec (2444 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 20 2017