When The End Comes, Where Will You Be? | Carter Conlon

Father thank you God Almighty thank you thank you for your word all Lord if we didn't have your word we wouldn't know its direction to go on we wouldn't know what truth is we wouldn't understand the incredible provision of strength that you have given to us as your people today Lord I ask for the anointing of your Holy Spirit God Almighty I'm asking you that walls would come crumbling down I'm asking you my God that blinded eyes would see I'm asking you Lord that people who are halting between two opinions would make a choice father thank you this day God thank you Lord for giving me the touch of heaven this day and for giving us as a people the touch of heaven we need to be able to hear your word Lord let your word live let it live let it be edged in every heart and in every mind and father we thank you for this in Jesus name Amen Matthew chapter 24 please if you go there in the New Testament my message is entitled when the end comes where will you be when the end comes where will you be Matthew chapter 24 beginning at verse 1 then Jesus went out and departed from the temple and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple and Jesus said to them do you not see all these things shortly I say to you not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down now as he sat on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when will these things be in other words they're asking when will when will this time that you're speaking of where these stones are thrown down when will this all happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age and jesus answered and said to them take heed that no one deceives you for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many you will hear of wars and rumors of wars see that you're not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet for nation will rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and there will be famines pestilences and earthquakes in various places all these are the beginning of Sorrows actually it really means the beginnings of birth pangs as as of when a baby is fully formed in the womb and the time for delivering that child has come and suddenly the labor pains start to begin then verse 9 they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated of all nations for my name's sake and then many will be offended will betray one another and will hate one another then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many and because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come now Paul the Apostle in exhorting the early church about these days that are now coming upon us in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 let me just read it to you verses 1 to 9 he says but concerning the times and the seasons brethren you have no need I should write to you for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night now we're talking about the day of Christ's return it is it is the day of his physical return to the earth is preceded by his coming to gather his church together unto him it's called the rapture of the church it's going to happen folks as surely as we are here this morning in a moment in the twinkling of an eye the dead in Christ are going to rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be gathered together with them imagine if you are outside of the Lord today if you do not know Christ as Savior and suddenly all the rest of us do appear in the century and you are all alone imagine the lost is the feeling of that it becomes as a thief in the night for when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape but you brethren are not in darkness so that this day should overtake you as a thief you are all sons of light and sons of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness therefore let us not sleep as others do but let us watch and be sober for those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation for God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ Jesus himself said the Goodman in the house if if he would have known at what time the thief was going to come he would have made preparation and not allowed his house to be broken into you know if there was a thief in your neighborhood and the thief was striking every night wouldn't you do something to your house or your apartment wouldn't you examine the windows and the doors and make sure everything is secure and some of you would stay up all night just to make sure to protect yourself to protect your family and he himself said if the Goodman if the man the woman in charge of the house had known or was aware that there was a thief in the neighborhood they would have not allowed their house to be broken into now in the context of the last days Paul says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who was in you or in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 9 he says it more simply you are God's building in other words you are God's house you are this is only a building here this we come to the mark Hellinger theater but it's only a building it's not eternal it's not going into the heavens and when you and I leave God goes with us because this not God's house you are God's house so now understanding this which is the house that the thief is trying to break into huh you are the house you are the temple of God you are the place of God's dwelling you are the place of God's glory you are the place of God's empowerment you are the place where God chooses to dwell in this New Testament time on the earth you are the ones who are called to bring glory to God because of the light that's inside and the life that's inside of your earthen vessel so you are the house I am the house that the devil will do everything in his power to break into in this darkened hour that we are now living in when they say peace and safety this world will do everything it can to bring about peace to bring about safety third there's coming a moment I suppose where the leaders of this world feel that they've actually arrived at this euphoric moment where everybody is going to get along obviously that's not happening today let's but they're assuming that it's going to happen in the future Jesus went out from the temple in verse 24 chapter 24 verse 1 and they were showing him the buildings of the temple in other words wow isn't this awesome here we are this this building is beautiful and look at the size of the stones and it had a a sense of permanence about it in other words the temple will always be here the glory will always be here but jesus said do you not see all these things as certainly I say to you not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down in other words there's coming a moment folks where every security of this world is going to fail everything that we've trusted and is going to fail you know you're seeing even this week for example they if your confidence was in your 403b or whatever you call it that thing might be gone by the end of next week or next month you know that every stone may fall and god help you thought your trust for the future if that's what you're basing you walk out in Manhattan and you think these buildings are always gonna be here they may not always be here it not things may not always look the way they are and if you're looking just for security in the things of this world you're going to be sadly sadly disappointed one day and he said to them they asked him now they said what will be the sign of your coming and at the end of the age in other words what can we look forward to what what will be the spiritual temperature what would be happening it was a very real question that they were asking him he starts up by saying take heed that no one deceives you for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many in other words this this last moment of time the devil will do everything he can to break into the house of God and break into the people of God false messiahs will arise claiming is now someone will claim to be Christ and sad to say some will follow them they'll claim to be the Lord tho or they'll claim to have the the words and the way to go forward in that context they'll claim to be the Messiah I'm here to deliver I'm here to tell you the way into security and into the future and how you can find the pathway to the places of safety Paul said it's it's Christ in you the hope of glory in Colossians chapter one verse 27 in other words there will be others who rise up and say you see if you're looking at my life you're looking at Christ you're looking what Christ is who Christ is what Christ does and so the false messiahs will be in pulpits all over the nation they'll be standing up and saying yes I have the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit's leading me the Holy Spirit's animating me and so if you're looking at my life here's an example of who the Messiah what the Messiah looks like what the Messiah does you understand this it's there they're saying I am a representative of Christ Jesus said they will come in my name saying I am Christ they will come and stand and say this is what Jesus looks like this is what Jesus speaks this is who Jesus is it will be an age of incredible deception false prophets and teachers will arise the scripture tells us actually Jesus himself warned us and they will deceive many now how do you discern the difference between that which is being animated by the Spirit of God and that which the devil is animating and as an imitation of God now there is an easy way to discern it I'm gonna try to make it as simple as I can now you might want to look this up when you get home but there are references in the Old Testament to Satan himself his heart his methodology his ways of thinking Asya chapter 14 verses 12 to 15 for example the prophet Isaiah says how you are fallen from heaven o Lucifer son of the morning how you are cut down to the ground you who weakened the nation's for you said in your heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will also sit on the Mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the Most High yet you shall be brought down to hell to the lowest depths of the pit you see Satan's theology focuses on self it's that simple it focuses on self as opposed to the theology of Christ focuses on others that's how you can discern it if you're listening to a preacher that's telling you for example you're not the tail you're the head and that's all his message or her messages you will be higher than the stars of God you will sit in places of prominence in society you will be always healthy and always rich and you will always prosper and trouble will never come to your door you will ascend above the heights of the clouds you will be among people everywhere you travel and you will be like the Most High that comes from Hell itself that is animated by darkness and there's no shortage of it now in our generation John 10:11 Jesus said I'm the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd gives his life for the Sheep and so Satan's theology focuses on self the theology of Christ leads us after we initially are healed I understand there's a there's a momentary focus where we have to say God I I need this or I need that or I need to be free all right you know I understand that but when we come to maturity in Christ the focus shifts to not my will but thine be done the focus shifts to saying God use my life for the sake of those who don't know you or going into a crisis eternity God use my life as an oil as the key is a healing as a voice the focus of Christ is about others as the father has sent me Jesus said now I'm sending you that's why Christ himself said if any man does not take up his cross he cannot be my disciple it really means yielding to the will of God ultimately is for the sake of others any gospel that gets you to focus solely on yourself is from Hell itself there's no other there's no easier way to say it and that's how you can discern it if it's not leading you to the mission field it's not leading it to give for the sake of those who don't have it's not leading you to be poured out or to go outside your comfort zone it's not leading you to give to those that are hungry visit those in prison then it's not from God let's keep it real let's keep it really simple now praise God so there be an increase in self focused theology remember when the devil himself came into Eden that's exactly what his gospel was you don't have to live in the narrowness of what God says life is you can do it yourself you can be your own judge of what's good and what's evil and you'll be like God is you see you don't have to follow his way you can craft your own way and you can still get to this utopian end of eternity in heaven matthew 24:6 and says you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars see that you're not trouble for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet in other words there will be an increase of angry speech an increase of threatenings nations will start threatening other nations ideologies will start threatening other ideologies as a matter of fact we are now seeing this in our own society here in America we're seeing it in our own government we're seeing it in places where the the speech all day it's now have you noticed it's moving to violence it's moving to threats of violence now this is a sign of the last days for nation will rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and there'll be famines pestilences and earthquakes in various places in the last days the world will not to speak about violence but actually turn to violence they might be fighting out at home they might fight over resources who knows that those who have not might start fighting with those who have at cetera et cetera there'll be famines have you been reading lately about the plague of locusts is hitting Africa right now threatening to cause mass starvation throughout Africa they're calling it biblical proportions a locust invasion of biblical proportions I saw a picture of of these locusts coming over a mountain it looks like a dark storm cloud it's they're so thick they actually block out the Sun it's amazing when you begin to see and this is what our friends in Africa are going to be experiencing in the not-too-distant future there are going to be pestilences in other words new diseases coming into the world and here we are facing the coronavirus now in our own society there's a possibility we may not be able to meet in the coming days for a season I don't wish harm obviously on anybody and our prayer is that God pushed this thing away but there are going to be new diseases new pestilence is coming they're going to be earthquakes in various places and all these are the beginning of Sorrows then verse 9 they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you'll be hated of all nations for my name's sake now this is already happening in China it's already happening again in various other places throughout the world what what start there was a marginal tolerance of Christianity now turned to an intolerance and now it's turning to violence in many places throughout the world and you are experiencing the beginnings of this in this society you're experiencing it in the workplace and your community you can't have a biblical opinion anymore now you're you're being vilified or put out as a hater or a divider you shall be what hated of all nations for my name's sake another sign of the end times and then many will be offended in betray one another and will hate one another verse 10 Paul in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3 says before the return of Christ there'll be a great falling away you know following the way of people who would just they'll be saying this this is the way I see it I didn't sign up for this when I came to Christ I was told I was going to be healthy happy and rich and I was going to be the head and not the tail and and everything's going to be nice to God of a big house nice car the best wife the best husband a great family this is what I was told I didn't sign up to be hated I didn't sign up to be part of a religion the society doesn't endorse and so many many will be offended many they received this news of eternal life with joy but as the scripture says they had no root in themselves and and when persecution arises they are offended I didn't sign up for this I signed up for happiness for joy I wanted to look like brother so-and-so on television I thought was gonna be my future her sister so and so I I I didn't sign up to be hated in the workplace and vilified and and and considered the offscouring of this world and many many will be offended they will betray one another and hate one another and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many in other words so as people are are leaving the true Christ as it is there will be religious voices endorsing their journey all those those fundamentalists are just so strict they believe every word of the Bible you and I know that all all of this can't possibly be inspired this is what they will say and they will infuse other thought and take people away from the truth of God's Word as they are leaving the truth of God's life and the truth of God's presence and because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold there will be a depravity that mankind will descend into perhaps unseen in the history of the world it was sweep the world a lawlessness an immorality the breaking down of all barriers pastor Patrick just told me on the platform that they are now there's a new law it's been introduced in Canada that's going to make if it passes and there's a chance it will that's going to make assisted suicide legal for teenagers it's already been done in certain parts of Europe folks it shouldn't surprise us and taking the taking the children out of the hands of their mothers and fathers folks if ever there was a time to pray if ever there was a time to go to the throne of God it is now amazing amazing what is going to happen is going to stagger us once we cross certain boundaries and lines there's no limit to what evil will do and become in the world we're about to live and see a lawlessness that will shock us you will be scratching our heads every morning see houses possible well how does thinking ever even get into this society in the first place now here's the good news but he who endures to the end shall be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come so here's the way I read this there will be a victorious church in the last days of time as we know it there will be a people of God empowered by the Spirit of Almighty God given the ability to stand that is supernatural given courage that can only come from God given power in their speech given something of light in their eye given something of character that can only come from the Holy Spirit given a love that will cast out fear given the courage to stand up and declare to this whole world that Jesus Christ is Lord of all there's no other name given under heaven empowered by the Holy Spirit so let that be your prayer now it is mine Oh God give me your Holy Spirit Oh God as you did for the early church when they prayed about the threatenings that were coming in against the testimony of Christ and as they prayed you shook the place where they were you gave them your Holy Spirit you stretched out your hand and begin to heal and they were not afraid of the threatenings of the authorities of their time they stood in the strength of their God because they lived on the side of truth hallelujah to the lamb of God there are times to stand up and be counted there are times when we have to fight for our homes fight for our families fight for our children fight for the unborn fight for morality fight for marriage fight for truth there are times we have to stand up and fight and there will be a victorious Church yes there will be multitudes descending into darkness there will be multitudes of formerly professing believers that will be following them into darkness but thank God there will be a victorious church and I believe with all my heart we will live to see a harvest in this last day a glorious harvest for the glory of God God will empower us to keep loving when love is growing cold the love of many will grow called the love of many even in God's house for the work of God will grow cold but God will give us a supernatural enablement of love to even love our enemies even love those who hate us and despitefully use us God will give us that love only God can give it but if you ask for it it can be yours ask for it you have not because you ask not jesus said it clearly through the Apostle James you have not be simply because you asked not he said to his own disciples up to this point you've not asked for anything ask now that your joy might be full it's time to ask it's time to say God fill my heart with a love that will grow cold fill my heart with a love that supernatural fill my heart with a love that will cause me even to love those that will hate me in the future there'll be a victorious Church empowered by the Holy Spirit to keep on giving when selfishness is abounding when everyone is hoarding when everyone is reaching out when countries are fighting over resources then everybody's doing this trying to survive the best way they know how there's going to be a people that still have open hearts and open hands looking around them to see if there's a need that they can meet and trusting that God will be there supply hallelujah to the lamb of God there will be a victorious church empowered to live morally when the world is being baptized in filth a victorious church making the choice to say god this house is your house I'm not asking you to be a tenant I'm asking you to take it over I'm asking you to rearrange it I'm asking you God secure the windows secure the doors my god secure the heart of this home God Almighty this is your dwelling place on the earth let it be a place of glory they'll be a victorious Church empowered by the spirit to stay committed when abandonment is everywhere to stay committed to the cause of Christ committed to one another committed to fighting for those who don't have a voice to fight for themselves committed to fighting for even our enemies who are headed into an eternity that is so terrifying they have no idea where they're going we are the only ones who do know and so we're committed to still even fight for their mother's Hope committed to pointing away when everyone is pointing the finger hallelujah committed to pointing the way to eternal life committed to standing in the marketplace as they did in the early church there'll be a church empowered by the holy spirit to have lamps filled with lights to help those who are trying to escape the darkness people with a confidence in God a clear vision an eye to the simplicity of truth knowing the real gospel or not afraid to say he's the way the truth and the life and lastly a church empowered by the holy spirit to have hearts filled with praise even when the joy of the land is gone filled with praise a song of glory you see because our focus is not on the temple here our focus is not on the stones our focus is not on anything of this world for we know from the testimony of Scripture that it is going to be dissolved the Apostle Peter said seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what kinds of persons ought we to be in all godliness listen to what the prophet Isaiah says and I'm going to close with this today in Isaiah chapter 24 he's speaking of a day in this whole chapter when this world fades away the earth mourns verse 4 and fades away the world languages and fades away the haughty people of the earth languish the earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they've transgressed the laws they've changed the ordinance and broken the everlasting covenant therefore the curse has devoured the earth and those who dwell in it are dead therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left the new wine fails the vine languishes the mayor all the merry hearted sigh 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 strong drink is bitter to those who drink it the city of confusion is broken down every house is shut up so that no one 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 this is you and I now 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 God of Israel in the coastlines of the sea from the ends of the earth we have heard songs glory to the righteous the original King James says glory to the righteous one when all of these things begin to happen in this world there will be a people who rise up there will be a people who have a heavenly vision there will be a people gripped at the heart of God there will be a people filled with the love of Christ there will be a people who have oil in their lamps they have the love of God burning inside of them and they understand their mission on the earth to bring him glory and to bring the lost to salvation they have been kept they have been strengthened they've been given an empowerment that could only come from God and so and everything around them is beginning to fail they're not looking to the things around them for security they're looking to a coming day the day of the Lord's return says glorify the Lord and the dawning light from the ends of the earth we've heard songs this is what the Prophet as they're heard all over the world when this world is burned languishing and failing and faltering under the weight of sin we've heard songs of glory to the righteous one we've heard them in Australia Japan Europe we've heard them in Canada the United States Israel we've heard songs of glory to the righteous one coming up before the throne of God and people empowered by the Spirit of God to be the Church of Jesus Christ in these last days by the grace of Almighty God that's who we are that's our future that's where we're going and so now I suggest you it's time to do a security evaluation of your house do you have the motion sensors working to detect prowlers you see you can't have them if you're not in the Word of God you don't know when somebody who's not representing Christ suddenly iced come to your ears whether it's on a podcast or a tape or something somebody gave you you see you you have to have this discernment of God remember the simple discernment if it's just leading you to self question the source if it's leading you beyond self and again I said there's a there's a measure of self healing and etc that's necessary but if it's not leading you beyond that to being yielded for the sake of others then begin then your motion sensors should go on you might have a prowler outside your house are your doors locked are you letting anything into this house that shouldn't be there is anybody sitting at the table that ought not to be at your table inside this house are you reading something that you shouldn't be reading is there literature in your house that shouldn't be there are the doors locked are you preparing for this journey is the blood on the posts are you eating of the lamb are you preparing for an incredible journey ahead of us are your windows secure and are the shades drawn what have you set before your eyes what are you looking at in your house David the King said I will I hate the work of those who turn aside and I will set no wicked thing before my eyes make sure my brother my sister makes sure because you can't play games with this one you can't live in the duplicity and suddenly think you're gonna have the strength to stand because we don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring we don't even know the depth of this new plague that's coming on the world we don't even know the depth of what its gonna do in our city it's gonna do something for sure we just don't know the depth of it you don't even know if you will still be alive in a month you don't know and so are you ready is your house ready have you trusted God for the strength the power the giftings of God too even for whatever time you and I have left that we live it for his glory are you able to praise Him in the midst of your darkness are you looking every day for somebody somewhere some need that God can meet through you because we're living in the last days Christ is coming I have no doubt we are living in the last days [Applause] so here's my altar call Lord prepared me Lord prepare me or get me ready give me character give me power give me everything I need of the Spirit not for myself but for the sake of your glory first and for the sake of others second put me third Lord in all of this but God pour out life through me and give me a song that this world can't take away if that's the cry of your heart because it's the cry of mine right now I'm gonna ask you to just join me at this altar here we'll wait for you if you're in the annex we'll wait for you in the campus churches you can step up between the screens where you are we're gonna stand in just a moment I'm just gonna ask you to come and we're gonna meet together and we're gonna pray and we're gonna ask God to do it only he can do father just thank you Lord for the victorious church thank you for men and women every walk of life Lord we we read it even earlier today Lord you don't choose the strong and you don't choose the wise Lord do you choose us because we recognize our need and you give us this great grace and power Lord to stand in a strength that is not our own so god help us to give up our own strength Lord so that yours can take over carry us lead us guide us Lord and plant within us that song that Isaiah heard he heard a song he heard it at the end of the age God when everything seemed to be coming down he heard a song and it was all over the world God it was being sung from every country every culture everywhere every person my god so let us be partakers of that heavenly choir Lord I pray my God to touch every heart every life Lord give us all courage myself included or give us courage God to fight this great fight of faith ahead of us Lord and to stand Lord God for the sake of those that don't have a voice to lead them to the way of everlasting life give us a great harvest my god no matter what it costs us give us a great harvest for you glory my gut I pray for a harvest that's too great to even count Lord nobody could even count the numbers of people Lord opened the floodgates of heaven and let the people come in Oh God and father we thank you Lord that you're going to do what we can't but you're going to make us partakers of it Lord and God your glory will be in every heart your glory on every house your glory God Almighty and every voice the Lord thank you for these men and women God thank you Lord for the power of your grace that is here at this altar Lord and those who have responded in their hearts online and in our homes my god and in this sanctuary God would give you the praise we give you the glory in Jesus mighty name hallelujah

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 136,267

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Keywords: Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: azdQSfGvGzA

Length: 37min 29sec (2249 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 05 2020