In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of hearing and understanding the word of God. He refers to the parable of the sower in Mark 4, where Jesus teaches the multitudes through parables without explaining them. The preacher highlights the need for faith and belief in God's power, even in times of crisis. He also mentions the Queen of the South rising up in judgment with the present generation, emphasizing the need to remember and acknowledge God's past deliverances. The sermon encourages listeners to have unwavering faith in God's word and to remember His miracles.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Lindell, Texas, 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. Hallelujah. My message, a greater than Solomon is here. A greater than Solomon is here. I want you to go with me please to Matthew 12, chapter, verse 42. One verse, Matthew. Welcome to all our visitors here tonight. We ask the Holy Spirit to touch you in a very special way tonight. Chapter 12, verse 42. The Queen of the South shall rise up into judgment with this generation and shall condemn it. For she, as the Queen of the South, Queen of Sheba, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, what? A greater than Solomon is here. Join me in prayer please. Now Father, we come to you and ask that you bring forth the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that you touch me as I deliver the word, and that you open our ears to hear what the Spirit has to say. Lord Jesus, we depend on your word. It's our very life. And we acknowledge our need. We're asking you to give us hearing ears, Lord, and eyes to see that we may hear and know and be changed by the truth that truly sets men free. I give you my heart. I give you everything that I am and have and ask you, Lord, to use it for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. Now according to these words of Jesus in Matthew 12, 42, on Judgment Day, the Arabian Queen, Sheba, is going to rise up and condemn the last day's generation. The last days begin with the birth of Christ, and we are in the last of the last days now. The Bible makes it very clear that on Judgment Day, she's going to take a witness stand, and she is going to condemn this generation. Jesus said because she came from the uttermost part of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon. She's going to tell the story about what she went through, the agony and the effort to get to Solomon and find truth that would set her free. She's going to condemn this gospel-satiated generation that has heard more gospel than all generations in past society, and especially the last five or six decades. And having heard such a gospel, having heard so many appeals and had such revelation, the Bible says because we have not listened to Him who is greater than Solomon, she will rise up and condemn this generation. Now what is her story? Why is she so important? Why does the Lord say she's going to be the witness on Judgment Day? She came from, it's 1,500 miles, they estimated, from Jerusalem, and what would now, it's southern Arabia, which would now be Yemen. And a trip that would take 75 days by caravan, 150 days both ways. Now you can imagine, she's heard about this man, no doubt from the trading caravans, maybe from the ships of Tarsus that have come up through the Indian side, up the channels. She has heard from traders, she's heard from sailors, she has heard from other government leaders about a Lord, a God in Israel who has endowed a man with wisdom, with such wisdom he can answer anyone's questions. The hardest questions that you pose to him, he has an answer. He's been given wisdom by God, a wisdom beyond anyone on the face of the earth. And she's a troubled woman. She has issues of the heart. She has hard questions. Now the Arabians at that time, and even today, delve into riddles. They love to be taught by riddles. And these riddles just pose questions. They don't have answers. And they're to think upon these and try to come to an answer. And you find that Samson playing those riddles with the brothers of his wife-to-be. And they cast out these riddles. This woman was full of riddles. She's full of these confusing thoughts. She has no answers. They weren't only the riddles of the time, probably psychology, nature, how to govern and all of these things, but there's something in her heart. She would not go this distance. She would not go through a broiling desert day after day, cold nights. And she's a queen. And what a caravan that must have been. She would have not taken that effort unless she had deep heart issues. She had questions that no man can answer. Her God didn't speak. He didn't hear. So she hears of this man Solomon, and she says, whatever the cost, whatever it takes, I've got to get to this man. I have to have my heart issues settled. Someone has to tell me what's going on. I can't live like this, and I won't. And can you imagine, the Bible calls it a great train. That means of camels. She goes with this. I can only imagine how many camels and how many soldiers that she took with her. Of course, there had to be government officials. There had to be interpreters. There had to be water commissary, food commissary. There had to be all of these, you know, traveling in such royalty. And she goes for 75 days in that broiling sun, 1,500 miles to see this man Solomon. What a great caravan that must have been. She heard of the famous Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. She said, there's a God in Jerusalem. There's a God in Judah. This man is able to answer the hardest questions that can be asked by any human being. She came to him with hard questions, questions that no one else could answer. She came to prove him, the Bible said, with hard questions. And when she came to Solomon, can you imagine that train arriving in Jerusalem? I'm sure that guards and those that were posted on the outskirts of Judah had come rushing in by horseback with this story of this huge caravan coming in through the desert. And can you imagine her coming through the streets of Jerusalem, being led by protocol officers from Solomon's court? Can you imagine them exchanging protocol courtesies? And she says, Solomon. It's probably the only word she knew in Hebrew, Solomon. And she doesn't want to go to the baths of Solomon and she doesn't want to refresh herself. This woman says, I've come 1,500 miles through interpreters. I've been 75 days and I haven't bathed in 75 days. I have not had all of those luxuries. And I put up with hardships because I want to see this man. I have questions. I want to see, where is Solomon? And without hesitation, I'm sure she refreshed herself. She comes loaded down with camels full of gold and silver and precious stones. She said, I don't care what it costs. I don't care if all the riches of my kingdom. I've got hard issues and I want them settled. I want to hear from somebody that knows what God thinks. I want answers to my problems. And the Bible says, when she came to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. Every question she ever had. I'm sure that there were emissaries and I'm sure that there were officials and interpreters and all that around. But this woman is communing now with Solomon. And the Scripture says, Solomon answered all her questions. There was not anything hid from the king which he told her not. Every question, he had an answer. Every heart issue, he solved. I can't explain. I'd like to imagine even what it was like for this woman, how her face lit up. And she said, so that's how it is. I didn't know that. Can you imagine joy after joy and peace after peace flooding her soul when her questions are being answered? I'm sure they had to do about government. And she looks after her questions have all been answered. She emptied her soul. Everything, everything. I don't know if she had a love interest. I'm sure she was confused about government. She's a princess, there's no doubt, even just now coming to power. And she's heard about this kingdom. She looks around and she says, such divine order everywhere she goes. She sees how he goes up to the temple, the awe and respect that he and all of his people have. She sees how they sit every day at his table and they listen to his wisdom. And he said, your people are so happy. You see, that's the judgment that I see on judgment day, how she will arise and say, this was a man who was given wisdom by an almighty God. I saw his people happy. I saw how they went up with such awe and respect to God's house. Let's see how flippant your generation is. And I see you under one greater than Solomon. You don't have the awe and respect for this holy God who is wisdom and righteousness and holiness? She said, what I heard of you and your wisdom and wealth was true. I could not have believed it. I couldn't have believed a king could solve all my doubts, but the half was not told me. She said, I heard about this, people told me, but I only got half the truth. And the Bible said she was breathless, it took her breath away. When is the last time that you've been so in love with Jesus and so enthralled with the majesty of a holy God? It took your breath? That you're shut alone with him? I've known that and I want more of it when you just get alone and you begin to think of his majesty and you allow the Holy Ghost to speak to you and answer the heart issues and you begin to just shut yourself in with him and suddenly you're overwhelmed. This is only half of what I have experienced before. I've never known it like this. Oh, master, touch me and he takes away your natural breath even. What's the last time you've come into the house of God with such awe and respect? And you say, I've come to this house not to hear a sermon. I've come to this place not to hear a man. I've come because I want to know the heart of God. I have to have answers to my problems in life. I have to have answers. And whatever it takes, whatever it costs. Of course, she gave to Solomon of her gold and silver. Now, Solomon didn't need the gold. He had the gold of Ophir. He had the best gold in the world. And the Bible said so much they couldn't account of it. But she gave him gold and silver and these precious stones. And then the Bible said before she left, Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired. Whichever she asked, he gave out of his riches. That says something the Bible says about Christ and the riches of God in Christ Jesus. All that she asked. Amazing. Jesus warns this same queen of Sheba will rise up in the judgment with this generation, so condemn it. He's speaking to scribes and Pharisees who for years had taught this in the synagogue. They had this story. They knew every jot and tittle about the queen of Sheba. They knew about her sacrifice. They knew about Solomon, his wisdom. And they hear Jesus say, and greater than Solomon is here. The queen of Sheba came from the Edomos park, and the Lord is talking about all the sacrifice and the pursuing of the heart of Solomon because she was so desperate to get answers to her problems and questions. Said this same queen shall rise up in the judgment day because she came from the furthest parts of the earth to hear the words of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here. She'll rise on the judgment day and say to that generation, and say to all those who've heard the gospel and rejected it here in this present age, she will rise up and say, how blind could you be? How deaf could anybody be? Here you are. I had one day with this man. I had one session, and he answered all that is in my heart. He solved every problem. I couldn't stand it, but he met the need of my heart. And you had in your midst the one who gave him his wisdom. You had creator God. You had God in flesh. You had a greater than Solomon in your midst. And you wouldn't hear him. You wouldn't listen to him because you wouldn't give up the sin in your heart. You love darkness more than light. And because you love darkness more than light, he judicially shut your ears and your eyes so you couldn't see and hear, even though a greater than Solomon was in your midst. The queen is going to accuse he who was wisdom, who pleaded to you to come with him and hear his heart. He who died for you and loved you, you rejected him. You rejected a greater than Solomon. And what would she have to say to the church today? What would she have to say to us? What would she have to say to me? I'm thinking of that. I'm not even thinking of you and the church and the body of Christ. I'm thinking of me right now and how I would never want to hear this kind of rebuke. That she could point me out on the judgment and say to me, how is it possible, how could it have been possible that you could have not heard nor pursued or gone after the revelation of who he is, this greater than Solomon. How could you have ever been satisfied with a truth that's not been anointed and opened? How could you have been satisfied to live your life with questions all your life when the answers were there in your midst all the time? I was relieved of all my fears by this man. And you lived in fear most of your Christian life with doubts and fears and questions. When he was there all the time to meet every need and answer every question by his spirit imbued into you. And he didn't want your silver and your gold. All he asked of you was to bring your burdens and cares. And that sacrifice that he asked was no more than praise. And all he wanted from you all along, the king of kings, creator God, the one who gave Solomon his wisdom, all he wanted of you, all he asked of you was your confidence and trust that he could speak to you and be faithful. When I was in Solomon's, she would say, when I was in Solomon's great house, I saw his servants happy, how they listened intently to Solomon's every word of wisdom. I saw how they approached the house of God with such awe and such holy fear. And it took my breath away. And she would ask, why were you not happy? Why was there such despair so often, so frequent? What was missing? You had him in your midst. Now, there's a question we're all going to have to answer, all of us who are professed believers. If there's a greater than Solomon with us, would he not answer our questions? If there's a greater than Solomon with us, would he leave us in confusion? I'm asking it honestly. We do not allow this truth to register. We hear that God is at our right hand, that he's very present, helping the time of need. We preach it from this pulpit. But it does not register with most of us, because the next crisis we're in, we forget everything God has ever done for us before and say, oh, we're going down this time. Will he be less willing to answer every hard question? Would he be less willing to give us guidance and lead us? When she unburnt her heart and every question was answered, will God not do even better? The truth is, God does speak today. God speaks as clearly today as he did in the Old Testament. He speaks as clearly today as he spoke to all the prophets. He speaks as clearly today as he did to the apostles, as to Paul and all of the apostles, to the early church. Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, speaks just as plenty, just as detailed as he did to Paul the apostle. You cannot tell me that in these last days, when we need a word, a fresh word, a living word, a detailed, counseling word, that God in the last days, when we most needed it, would abandon us and leave us to our own devices without hearing the word of God plainly and knowing his voice. In Mark 4, Jesus is teaching a multitude by parables. He taught, mostly he's teaching the unteachable parables is what he's saying. And he's giving the parable of the sower. A man went out to sow. Do you remember the story of how some falls on hard ground and some on thorny soil and on good soil? He doesn't explain the parable. He just puts it out. It's God's word. There's a great revelation here. There's a truth that can change any man's life. But he just puts it out to the multitudes. There it is. That's the word of God. And he doesn't answer it. He doesn't open it up. He just stops and says, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And so they look at each other and say, who's the sower? What is this about fowls of the air and good soil, thorny soil? And what's the seed? They don't know. And Jesus said, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And he said, in other words, I'm going to give it to everybody, but only those who pursue me. Only those who have ears to hear are going to get the revelation. The rest of you are going to leave confused. They go home to the synagogues. They go home to their friends from that great teaching session and that conference. And everybody in the family, friends and relatives, everybody says, what did he say? What did he say? What is the revelation of God through his son? And they're going to repeat a specific godly word, word for word, from the lips of Jesus. And it'll have no impact. It has no power. It's a dead word. It's not revealed. And that's what we hear from pulpits all over the world today. Word for word from the Bible. Red letter preaching. But the man has not pursued the heart of God. He's never gone after the revelation. So he stands and gives a dead word. Nobody is moved. The Bible says, and when he was alone, you see, the multitude is dispersed. And they go home preaching a precise word, repeating every word Jesus said. And they say, what does that mean? I don't know. But the Bible says, and when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve, a holy remnant, ask of him the meaning of the parable. Ears to hear. And Jesus is saying, if you want to know, if you want the Holy Spirit to reveal this, pursue me. Give me time. Come alone with me. I'll give you your heart's desire. I'll show you the word. I'll reveal the truth that nobody else sees. This is the truth. The Holy Ghost can anoint because I will open it to you. How do you expect God to open the truth when you come and hear a sermon? We can preach word for word from this Bible, even the anointed. But you don't have ears to hear because you're sitting in front of a television, filling your mind with the filth of this world. How do you expect the revelation of the Holy Spirit to take root in your heart? And I say that lovingly, even though loudly. How does Christ respond to this pursuing of the parable? He said, unto them, unto you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But unto them that are without, all these things are done to them in parables. Riddles. Unopened riddles. Truth hidden in them. Life-changing truth. He said, those without. Who are these without? Those who are satisfied just to come and sit in His presence and see miracles and be fed. Naturally, there are human needs being met. But no desire to know the deepness of the heart of God, the glory of His nature, and the glory of the awesomeness of our holy God. And really looking to man for answers rather than to God. Not really interested in knowing the voice of God and the miracles of God. The word for mystery here means hidden secrets. Now, I believe in these last days our battle is against our faith. Can I say it against the battle? Let me put it this way. The battle of a true man of God or woman of God who really set their heart in God is not pornography. It's not Internet filth. It's not adultery, fornication. It's not these things at all. It's a battle for your faith. The devil is after your faith to get you to disbelieve the faithfulness of God and ultimately to believe the very existence of God. And in our travels in this past year especially and in our mail, hundreds of thousands on our mailing list in the mail now. There are people that are saying, I've had so many problems and so much discouragement and so many things going on, I can't believe in God anymore. And we hear the most horrifying stories even from pastors who say, Look, I'm struggling. And I'm saying, you're struggling with thinking about God not answering your prayer. Is that it? No, no, no, Pastor Dave. I'm struggling with battles in my mind like I've never known. I'm struggling with battles about the very existence of God. I get a letter this past week. My wife and I were reading letters. Here's an 81-year-old. Your sister's been on my mailing list for years and years and years. And she said, My husband's 84 and he's dying of bone cancer. His bones are just being eaten up. And she said, I am. She's really talking about dying from diabetes. She was explaining what she was going through. And her son is dying of AIDS. And my first thought in my flesh is, Lord, sure you're going to cut her some slack. You don't expect her to maintain joy. You don't expect her to have amazing faith and things like this. And then I read the last two paragraphs or so. And she said, Oh, but Pastor Dave, God has never once failed in any word he's ever promised us. We've given our son over into the hands of the Lord. And she said, No, we're just waiting to see Jesus face to face. It's faith. That's what the battle is. That's what the issue is. It's all about our faith. In Luke 8, Jesus is just fed 4,000 with seven loaves and a few fishes. I want you to go to Mark 8 and I want to show you. The Lord doesn't cut us any slack. I don't care what you're going through. I don't care if you're at death's door. I'm saying this lovely, but I'll show you something here. How real. The only thing that has power is this word. And I have to show it to you in the word. And I want to show you the 8th chapter of Mark. Mark 8, starting in verse 15. Now, of course, you know, they're going to the other side and they forgot bread. The disciples had forgotten to take bread. Verse 14. Neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. They reasoned among themselves, saying, It's because we have no bread. When Jesus knew it, he said unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Receive, perceive ye not, neither understand. Have ye your heart yet hardened, having eyes ye see not, and having ears hear ye not? And do ye not remember when I broke the 5,000 loaves? I broke the 5 loaves among 5,000. How many baskets full of fragments did ye take up? Twelve. And when the seven among 4,000, how many baskets, fragments? Seven. And he said to them, How is it that you don't understand? How is it? Look at me, folks. He said, I've told you that I'm greater than Solomon. You've confessed that I'm the Son of the living God, Christ the Son of the living God. Didn't it register? Don't you see it? Are you going now to forget all the miracles, those I've raised from the dead? Do you remember everything I've done for you in the past? And now you're in this present crisis because you have no bread. Can you imagine? They have just seen him take these little loaves and feed 5,000. They're looking at this one loaf. Surely somebody would have thought he can feed 5,000 with a few loaves. He can feed 12 of us with this. Just do your arithmetic. Now, you can think, well, how blind they are. That's how blind we are. And how it grieved the heart of God. He said, when will you ever believe? When will it dawn on you? Don't you understand I'm God and I'm with you? When will you ever understand how it grieves God that he has delivered us? What has God delivered you from in the past? How many times has he brought you out of trouble? How many times has he performed miracle after miracle? But now you're in another crisis and you forget those miracles. He says, how it grieves the heart of the Lord that you don't maintain faith in a present trial after all that he's said and done. You have eyes, don't you see? You have ears, don't you hear? He was warning about leaven. The Pharisees, it says, of Herod, but that means Sadducees. Herod was one of the Sadducees and part of the Sadducee movement. And he says, beware. He said, don't you come to me. And he sang it lovely, but don't you come to me with this kind of leaven in your heart. Don't you come to me like they did with hard questions, but their heart was not right. Don't come to me with your unbelief, this leaven of unbelief that the Pharisees had. They came with trick questions, they came with hard questions, but they didn't want answers. They didn't want to leave their sins, they didn't want to give up their power, they didn't want to give up their false authority. If you're going to come to me, come in faith. Remembering what I've done in the past. He said, beware. Don't come to me with that kind of a heart. Because I'm not going to answer that kind of prayer. I'm not going to solve those Queen of Sheba type questions. You're not going to get your answers unless you come to me in faith. Unless you pursue me as she pursued me. Mark 4, there's another occasion when Jesus and his disciples were in a boat going to the other side. And there arose a great storm of wind. The waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. They cried, we are going down. Jesus was asleep in the backside of the ship on a pillow. Bible said, they said he's asleep. Now get the picture. A great storm, howling winds, waves so high they're beating over the side of the ship, and the ship is full of water and beginning to sink. A frightening moment. And experienced fishermen say, we're going down. You're going down. In my flesh. Now they wake him up. And my flesh tells me, when in the flesh I'm thinking, now Lord, surely when you wake up, my flesh wants to hear this. My, oh my, it's a good thing you woke me up. This is serious. Good thing you got my attention. You poor brothers, I'm so sorry I let you endure such anxiety. I'm sorry I didn't act a little sooner. Forgive me for appearing to you so unconcerned. I feel so sorry. That's what my flesh wants to hear him tell me in my storm. You know what the Scripture said. Jesus rebukes them. Now get this picture. Jesus is probably sleeping on a wet pillow. His body is half underwater. They're water up to waist. And they're saying, now come on. Surely he doesn't expect us to be at peace. Surely he doesn't expect us to be just sitting here calmly saying, all is well with my soul. Surely he doesn't expect us, especially while he's asleep, to have faith. Yes, he does. Yes, he does. But what if the boat sinks? Paul's boat sank. You see, all you can lose. You see, by the way, God doesn't sleep. And this was God in the flesh. The Bible said he never slumbers, he never sleeps. So he wasn't asleep. Jesus had his eyes closed, his body was dozy. But in the Spirit of God he was wide awake. God was testing their hearts. Let's see how. Can I finally find some men who will trust me in the face of death, in the face of every power of hell, to hold on and say, I believe in God. If I go down, all we lose is the boat. All you can lose is something material. And God said, I've got a bigger, better boat. If you have to swim, I'll give you the strength to swim to shore, just like Paul the Apostle. And Paul the Apostle said, the boat's going down, but I have every promise from God that nobody dies. Everybody's going to be saved. And when they get there, God sends a revival. Oh, I might lose my job. You think that's the only job God can get you? You think that's the... Jesus said, why are you so fearful? How is it you have no faith? How is it that at this time in your Christian experience, he said, I'm about to go. Will there ever be a time you ever trust me? Why is it you have... he didn't even talk about no faith. He said, why is it you don't even have... you have no faith. That hurt me when I read that. I said, God, that's not fair. And I read letters and I said, God, please, you don't expect these people that are going through this, losing everything, losing their businesses, losing their jobs and losing their homes, because that's happening all over the world. And I've seen such poverty. Lord, surely you don't expect them. But, folks, I've met some of the greatest faith I've ever witnessed in some of the slums in these nations we go to. And you watch them go into their tin sacks and dirt floor, and you see abounding faith in the faithfulness of God. Most of them, if they maintain their faith, are brought out into greener pastures and greater blessings. But all the faith that I've seen... Now, there's going to be, according to Scripture, a great falling away from faith. Let no man deceive you, Jesus said, for that day means it's coming. It shall not come except there come a falling away first. These are the words of Paul. Now, before I close, I'm going to go to the Old Testament. And I want to show you what happens to a man who loses his faith. And it's a warning to me, it's a warning to all of you. Would you go to 2 Chronicles 14 before I close? 2 Chronicles 14. I'm sorry, it's chapter 16. This is about King Asa, a man of great faith. Now, leave that open. I'm coming into a closing right now. But chapter 16, starting at verse 7. But let me set the background, please. God has just given victory, previous to this, to a million man army. The Ethiopians came against Asa. Asa believed God, relied on the Lord, full faith, and God gave him a victory. Don't turn there, but in chapter 14, verse 11, it says, Asa cried out to the Lord his God saying, It is nothing with you to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. O Lord, we rest on you, and in your name we go against this multitude. That was the million man Ethiopian army. For you are our God. Verse 12, chapter 14. And so the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa. Look this way, please. The Bible says that the next 35 years after that great victory, verse 19 of chapter 14, there was no more war till the 35th year of Asa's reign. Look this way, please. For 35 years, this man trusted God. He lives in the favor of God. They came from nations around. They came from everywhere, especially from Israel and flooded in because they said, God's with this man. God is with Judah. And they came from where there was a great moving of God, the favor and the blessing of God. Faith just opened the doors. This man relied on the Lord. The 36th year. The 36th year begins in chapters 16, verse 7. At that time, you see, at this time now, the Syrians had come down. They'd taken Ramah, and they'd cut off the trade routes that were coming to Judah and Jerusalem. So there was no trade. And they were going to try to starve Judah, this great trade. A lot of this came from the Orient. And they blocked off. Instead of relying on the Lord, Asa strips the temple of all of its gold and silver and all of the precious stones that he could find and goes to Ben-Hadad, the Syria, and buys himself an army. And that army came and rescued and delivered them. And he goes to Ramah and takes down the stones and breaks it. And a prophet comes to him and gives him this warning. And it's in verse 7, chapter 16. At that time, Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore has the host of the king of Syria escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you did rely on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the half of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly. Therefore, from henceforth thou shall have wars. Look at me, please. We'll stop right there. God said through this prophet Hanani, Tell him that he's had peace for 35 years because he simply trusted me and my word. I gave him direction. I gave him counsel. I gave him favor and I gave him blessing. But now in his panic, after all those years of miracles and blessing, now in a present crisis, and this wraps up and ties in everything I'm saying. Now, because he didn't trust God, and he goes to man, and he does it in his own energy and his own strength. Because, God says, because you didn't trust me and you relied on man, you're going to have war the rest of your life. And he goes into eternity, he dies. In an inner and outer, there were wars around and there was war in his soul. He trusted, the Bible says, highly in doctors and not in the Lord even for his health. His trust, nothing wrong with doctors, but putting trust in it rather than in God, that's the issue. Why are so many Christians who walk with God for years, suddenly in such inner turmoil, despair, fightings within and without, trouble everywhere you look. I listen to the way some Christians talk and I said, is there no God in their life at all now? Where is their confidence? You see them pick up the phone and call everybody. I mean, they call everywhere. They go to meetings to get a word from some prophet. They're running everywhere, trouble, trouble, trouble. Why? He said, you're going to have war because you didn't rely on me. You don't trust me. You don't believe I can speak to you. Folks, I don't want to preach anymore if I can't stand up here and know that what I gave you, or wherever I go to pastor anything else, I want to know that what I'm giving is not a parable, it's not a riddle, it's something God has opened my heart because I pursued Him, and because I trusted He'd speak to me. And that's not just for preachers, that's for every one of us. There has to be a pursuit of God's heart. And you're not going to get it in just a half hour a day and then say, well, I've meditated. No. You get something in here and it sticks. You don't understand it. There's a parable it doesn't open to you. Stay with it. Stay on your knees. Keep asking God. I can't get it from the past. I want to go to church knowing that you revealed it to me. He wants to reveal it. If you'll stay in this book and get past the parables and get into the epistle, what does it mean to me? And go to Him with all your questions. After you've given Him quality time, you come and pursue His heart and faith, and I guarantee you God will answer every question you have. You will not live in confusion or doubt. There'll be no wars. They'll all be settled. My Bible said He's a God who causes every war to cease. Stand, please. Hallelujah. Could you, that God is so good, God is so good. Could you do that for us, Greg, while I meditate a moment? Would you sing that with us? God is so good. Please don't leave yet. God's not finished. You might miss something very special from the Holy Spirit. Just stay put for a moment. Catch the next subway or bus. God will bless you and He'll get you home with a blessing. Sing it. He's so good to me. He's so good to me. God answers prayer. Sing it. He's so good to me. One more time. He's so good. God is so good. Hallelujah. God is so good. Oh, God is so good. He's so good to me. You're here tonight, balcony, here in the annex. I'm going to give a bold invitation because it's so important. It's so... You see, you're not going to have your prayers answered. That war is never going to cease until you come to Him with faith. You come to Him and say, I want this doubt to be plucked out of my heart. If you're here tonight and you're battling with unbelief, you've not been able to truly trust the Lord in your present situation. I don't care what it may be. Up in the balcony. And if you've been backstabbing, if you don't know Christ, you can come with these. But I'm just asking boldly for you to come here publicly. Before the Lord privately confess, Lord, I have not trusted you. I have actually believed that I'm going down and I've just been discouraged about it. But, Lord, I want to believe you. I want to trust you. I want you to come while we're singing again in the annex. I'll actually just go to the lobby to show you how to get into this building and down the aisle here. God's good and He wants to meet your heart. He wants to instill His faith in your heart, the faith of Christ Himself. He's not mad at you, but He will not catch you slack. He'll say to you, why don't you have faith? Come now. Confess it before the Lord and say, Lord, I'm not leaving this house tonight with unbelief in my heart. I want to go out here saying, God, I'm going to trust you. I'm going to trust you no matter what happens. Sing it again. He's so good to me. God is so good. God is so good. Oh, God is so good. He's so good to me. He's so good to me. I hope that when you go home you remember this. Nothing in my heart. The devil can't touch anything in my heart. He may be able to affect my job. He may be able to affect material things in my life, but he cannot. It's all he can take. God said he's a restorer. He can restore to you everything the devil tries to eat and consume. All the canker worms he can restore. He did it for Job. If he did it for Job, he can do it for any righteous man. He can restore. So, what the Lord's honest in saying, you don't have anything to fear. If you've got fear of sin, I didn't give it to you. He said, I've given you a spirit of love and power and a sound mind. I've given that to you by faith. Now, I know most of you up here, your issue is not lust or anything like that. Your issue is this one all-consuming thing in the eyes of God. All important to him is you come to him, child, and trust him that he can speak to you. I know you expect the pastors to hear from God. But every one of you, everyone in this house that loves the Lord, you're to hear his voice. You're to hear it. And I'll tell you what he'll do. The safeguard is every time, if you give him enough time, and if you're into this book, pursuing the heart of God, he will always bring a scripture to either conflict with that voice, so you know it's flesh, or he'll just give you peace. And you open the Bible, and you're studying it. Just don't go like this saying, God, do it. No, no, no, no. You study his word. You hide it in your heart. That hidden word in your heart, he will always confirm, or he will always put up a red flag, and you'll know. He said, my sheep know my voice. He'll not deceive you. He answers. You say, but does he answer all your questions? Yes. Too often with a no. To my satisfaction, but I know that that's of God. He's faithful. And he has so enthralled my heart since I have set out to believe that with all my heart that he is near me. I have quoted and re-quoted to you Psalm 34. It says it all. The Lord is nigh. He's near to those that trust him. And the Lord knoweth them that trust him. Say this with me, Lord Jesus. Forgive my unbelief. I want to trust you. I know you're greater than Solomon. You're God. Be God to me. Let me trust you as God. I lay all my burdens and all my cares upon you now. Lord Jesus, give me ears to hear and eyes to see. And that means a heart to come after you, to seek you. Now let me pray for you. Father, I feel your great love for this people tonight. And I sense your great love for me as one of your servants. Lord, you're not mad at your people how you rejoice over us. But Lord, even the disciples, how strong, how clear you made it. No, you can't come that way. Let not that man who wavers think he'll receive anything from God. Not anything. But come in faith and pray to the Father. And the Father will give you what you ask in my name. Lord, we ask for a heart that's softened. We ask for ears that are open and eyes that can see. We love you, Jesus. Are you thrilled with Jesus? If we were really thrilled, your heart would just be open to him right now before you leave here. Greg, do you have an appropriate song of Holy Spirit to lay on your heart at this time? We should leave here tonight with such all respect more than that, though. But to be so thrilled with Christ that he just so desires to speak to you. He so desires one to just say, you don't have to carry this anymore. I have what you need. And this time, do it. This time, believe me, I'm going to see you through. Hallelujah. This is the conclusion of the message.