This sermon emphasizes the concept of being handed over to death as a means for God to work in our lives, removing hindrances and producing a manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ. It highlights the importance of surrendering to God in the midst of trials, persecution, and difficulties, trusting in His faithfulness and allowing Him to bring forth resurrection life through our experiences.

Hand it over to death. I want you to go with me, please, to Acts the second chapter, Acts two. If you go to Times Square Church, you have your Bible with you. Everybody that comes to Times Square Church brings their Bible, because we are a word church in the word. Acts the second chapter. We get into verse 22, please. You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should beholden of it. Amen. Go with me now to 2 Corinthians, if you will, please. 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter. 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter. Turn right for you new believers. Just a few books to the right. 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter, verses 10 and 11. Now, wait until you're there. All right, begin, follow me, please. Verse 10, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, speak from heaven today. Come upon me with a power, unction, anointing of the Holy Ghost. Lord, I have nothing to bring of myself, of my nature, skill, or learning, nothing. No God, unless the word that I preach this morning is anointed to the Holy Ghost, it's a dead letter. Sanctify this vessel. Lord, I know that I've been to your throne and at the throne you gave me this word. Lord, I don't know who it's for. It's for me, it's for anyone with an open ear and an open heart. Transform us by the word this morning. Let us walk out of here with a new knowledge and understanding of why we are where we're at and what is happening to us. You will give us a complete understanding by the knowledge of the Holy Ghost. Open our ears, eyes, and hearts, I pray, amen. Amen. Handed over to death. On the day of Pentecost, Peter declared these words that I read to you from Acts the second chapter. This man, speaking of Christ, Peter said, was delivered by the predetermined counsel or plan or foreknowledge of God and was crucified by the hands of wicked men. And in the Greek dictionary it reads, he was handed over to his enemies. In other words, given over to death according to the determined plan of God. Now what a strange, deliberate act of God. It is though he takes his own son in his hands and literally hands him over to death and says to death, do with him what you will. He was handed over to death by his own father. What a strange, incomprehensible thing that God the father would not only stand by while death comes to claim him, but in fact the heavenly father takes his own son in his hands and says to death, here he is, do with him as you please. He was handed over to death. Now why would God in his determined counsel give his own son over into the hands of death? The answer is very, very clear in the second chapter in the 24th verse, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. God knew there was no risk involved. God knew that he was going to go into death and swallow it up and conquer it and come forth victorious. That the only life that could change people would be that which comes out of death. So God had a predetermined plan. God was not going to leave him in the grave. And those who teach that Jesus had to go down in his own power and strength and grab the keys of life and death out of the hands of the devil understand nothing of the scripture. The Bible said God knew that it was impossible for death to hold him. He went into the grave and God's plan B started in effect. Just when the devil is gloating, I have conquered him, because you see, he was Lord of death at this time. Up to the cross, he was Lord of death. In fact, death was an enemy to be feared. The last enemy to destroy is death, the scripture says. But Jesus went into the grave. Jesus was placed in the hands of death. And just as death believed it had conquered, all hell is rejoicing, God sends his plan in action. The predetermined plan of God. He sent the Holy Ghost into the grave. The Spirit of God stirred and moved on him. And out of the grave came our blessed Savior, right through the stone, right through the rock, a resurrected Savior, victor over death. And he came out saying, I am he that liveth. I was dead, and behold, I'm alive forevermore. And I have the keys of death now in my hands. It was at Calvary that he was handed over to death, that through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. God handed over his son into the very hands of death so that he could conquer the devil's power of death, so that now the sting of death is gone. There is nothing for the Christian to fear. Death is no longer an enemy. It has been conquered. Hallelujah. Whom God raised up, having loosed him from the pains of death. Hallelujah. Now, if you believe on Jesus Christ, if you claim that you testify that he is now the Lord of your life, that same resurrection power that Jesus was endued with that brought him out of the grave, that same power is in you. Everything that is in Christ is in you if Christ abides. Now, listen to what the scripture says. Know you not yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless you're a reprobate. Now, if you've been given over a reprobate mind, if you've been given over to your sin and there's no faith in you, that's one thing. But if you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ is in you, the Bible says. There is resurrection life. There is an incredible power in you and me against all the things that the devil brings that have to do with death. There's a mighty power in you. But folks, it's one thing to have that power and be ignorant of that power or to have hindrances to that manifest power so that it cannot come forth, shine forth, and bring life to others. Paul tells us that just as Jesus was handed over to death, everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is also gonna be handed over to death. Now, listen to what I read to you in 2 Corinthians 4, 11. Again, I repeat it. For we which live, we who have the life of Christ in us, we who are believers, we who have made him Lord of our life are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. We who, we which live, we who have trusted in God, we who have made him the life, our very life, we are going to be handed over to death. God is gonna take you in his hands and just as he did with Christ, he's gonna give you over to death and said, to death, do your part, do what you will. God knowing there's no risk for you either. There is no risk in it because he knows something. God in his determinate plan, what a wonderful plan, except a grain of corn go into the dust and until it goes into the ground and dies, it can't bear fruit. This great hand of God after, in a season will not be a protective hand. And this great hand of God, we are in the palm of his hand and that great hand will reach out and take you right to death's door and put you right in the jaw of death and says, death, do your part. Because death is going to win for Christ and for you the greatest victory you've ever known. And it can only be accomplished by death. Hallelujah. Paul said, we who live. I wanna tell you something. I read a statement by a very godly man, one of the great Puritan writers. He said, most of us are not pure enough or not mature enough for God to do as much harm because we're not ready. We don't have the life of Christ in us. But those who truly are full of the life of Christ, you are going to experience this being handed over to death. And we're not talking about physical death here now. That's not what Paul's talking about in Corinthians. Paul is talking about the kind of death he died every day. And in that context, he's talking about, he said, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long. Every day, he said, I face a new death situation. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. And in the Greek, it means every day we are handed over to death. Every day, there's a crisis. He's talking about tribulation. He's talking about distress, persecution, trouble, being defamed, perils of all kinds. Paul said, I think that God has set us, the apostles, last as if we're appointed to death or handed over to death. For we're made a spectacle to the whole world and to angels and to men. Listen to what Paul says. He said, every day, God arranges for me to be placed in a death situation where unless Jesus does it, it can't be done. Unless Jesus gets me out, I can't get out. Unless he does the work through the Holy Ghost, it can't be done because I have nothing in me. I am dead. I have no life, I have no strength. He said, in all my perils and all my sufferings, these are death situations that he brings to every one of God's people. If we have life, we who live, we who have his life are gonna be handed over to death every day. Some kind of a death situation is gonna come into your life. And if you are floating through your Christian experience, so happy, no problems, no life. We who have life are handed over to death. Paul said, every day, every day, I face a death situation. If we're talking about it, we say, and I die daily. Every day, something's happening in my life. A few amens, aren't we? Yes, for thy sake, we're killed all the day long. Someone said, that's me. You know what did Paul was saying? We who live are constantly being given over to death situations, one after another. Every day, a new test, some kind of new crisis, a new distress, some kind of persecution. Somebody is thrusting something at me. Somebody's gossiping about me. Somebody's yelling at me all the time. Somebody's defaming my character all the time. Every day, there's a new problem. Here's a godly man full of the Holy Ghost, a righteous, holy man, living in revelation knowledge, walking in communion with Jesus. But he's being buffeted, he says, he's being defamed, he's being persecuted, he's being despised, he's being harassed by demon powers. He's being shipwrecked, he's being stoned. Every time you turn around, Paul's in trouble. Paul, in fact, Paul suffered so much, many of his own children that he had raised in the Lord turned against him and said, Paul, is there sin in your life? Is this why you are suffering? Because every time you met Paul, he's got his face bruised, he's got bruise marks all over where you've been. Well, I was just over here and I got stoned. Paul, why are you so heavy hearted when you see everybody in Asia's turned against me? I started in all these churches and even my leaders that I raised up are turning against me. I got problems with the churches. And Paul, where'd you get that tan? Well, you see, I was in a shipwreck and I was in the water for two weeks. The sun beating down and sharks and... But Paul, why? Where are the promises of God? You preach how God protects. You preach how God delivers. Why isn't he delivering you? In fact, it grieved Paul, it hurt Paul deeply that people thought that his suffering was a result of his sin and he was having more trouble than anybody. And here he is, a preacher of the grace of God. Here's a preacher of the power of God. And this man is hurting everywhere he turns. Everybody's gossiping about him. Everybody's defaming his name. But he said, I know what it's all about. I'm a spectacle. I'm on display to three intelligences. And listen to me now. Every one of us who have life are handed over to death to be made a spectacle to these three intelligences. To angels, to the devil and all the hordes of hell, and to men. All these three intelligences are watching you. You see, when you're going through a trial and you're being tested, and you've got death coming in at you to deal with these things that hinder the manifestation of the life of Christ in us. You see, the life of Christ is damned up in many of you. It's backed up because you've got these hindrances. And there's no life flowing at it. Oh, you got it in you and it's building up and there's grace back there all you need and grace for your family, grace for all around you. But you've got hindrances there. So God has to bring you and I into death situations to deal with it, to remove the hindrances to the moving of God's grace. Every time you're tested, it's not some little test in some little hidden place. You're not going through it all by yourself. It's not just you or your husband or your family crouched in your little house trying to figure things out and going through the trial of your life. No, no, no. No, you've got a lot of people watching. You've got devils watching you. You've got angels watching you. You've got people watching you. How are you going to respond? How are you going to react? You say your testimony was grace. How do you react when the death situation is thrust upon you and you're put into the jaws of death? Not physical death, but the spiritual battle we're talking about here. Paul said, wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer. In other words, being accused as an evildoer, even under bonds. He said, I've got chains on my hands and I've got my friends and my own children in Christ telling me that they're sin. I'm an evildoer. There was one man on this, by the name of Onesiphorus. Paul was encouraged by this one. He said, this man's not ashamed of my chains. He knows better. He knows it's not a result of sin in my life. In fact, Paul was encouraged by, in Hebrews, don't turn to it, but in the chapter of Hebrews, there were those who, he said, they had compassion on my bonds. In other words, they're feeling what I'm feeling. And you know why they had compassion on their bonds? Because suddenly they had become companions in afflictions. The same thing that was happening to Paul happened to them. Bible makes it very clear. He said, you too were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, while ye have become companions of them that were so used. You see, I believe some of them may have accused Paul, how is it that our past has gone through such suffering? Why is it that that man, that teacher, is going through so much testing? That elder, why is that elder always suffering in his body? Why are some of these who pray and seek God, always, why can't they be healed? Why must they live in pain all their lives? And I believe some of them questioned Paul's integrity, Paul's walk with God, until suddenly the same things were happening to Paul, fell on them. And they're not about to question their own spirituality. Paul said, you became a companion in my afflictions, now you have compassion on me. Oh folks, don't dare tell somebody or think, hey, he's suffering because there's sin in his life. That accident that happened, took his boy, must be sin in his life. That cancer that took a wife, that cancer took a sister, there must be something wrong. God forbid, lest you become a companion in affliction. I know a very godly minister, one of the most godly ministers I've ever known. But this minister has been one of the most buffeted and persecuted I've ever known. Every time I talk to this minister, there's another story. There's a request for prayer of being, this person being defamed and misunderstood and trial after trial, physical suffering brought on by all of the troubles. And I asked this minister, point blank, it bothered me. I said, why are you being so harassed by the enemy? Why are you a target of so much demonic activity? I said, you get up every morning and seek God, you prayer, you're intimate with Jesus. And it's a terrible thing that I was doing. I look back now with sorrow, because deep in my heart, I was thinking, what's wrong with your walk? Why are you going through this? I don't go through that much. I get suffering, there are seasons, but I don't have it all the time. And then this pastor said, every time I talk to you, every time I meet with you, every time I hear about what you're going through, it's amazing. I don't know anybody that's suffered like you. But now I know why. We who live are handed over to death. It's symptomatic of someone who has the fullness of the life of Christ. And it's because that individual, that minister, God is trying to use in a mighty way and has given so much of this life, he will keep handing that minister over to death in every area of life until there's nothing to hinder that flow that God has given, a manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ. Paul was buffeted, defamed, persecuted, handed over to his persecutors and thieves. He's imprisoned, shipwrecked, maligned, hated, misunderstood, because Satan was trying to destroy a manifestation that was about to come forth that you and I are still walking in the glow of. Paul's great revelation of Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be handed over to death situations? What are we dying to? Paul says we are handed over to death that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Those filled with the life of Christ are absolutely made a spectacle to the whole world, a public display. Paul makes that so very, very clear. God knows those areas in our life that are hindrances to this manifestation of Christ to the world and to angels and to devils, and he's gonna keep bringing death situations into every area that hinders the flow of life. For example, suppose the hindrance is a fear of man, a fear of man. Let's take that as an example. That fear of man hinders a full manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ because it's an area that needs to be dealt with. And so you know what the Lord will do? He'll bring a death situation to pass. He'll bring somebody into your pathway, into your life. It's gonna lord it over you. You're gonna meet, on the job, you're gonna meet somebody that's just gonna get to that. They're gonna bring fear on you, and everything they do just adds to that fear until you're paralyzed with fear. I've known people that have such a fear of man in them that somebody has come into their life, could be a boss, it could be somebody else, it could be a coworker, it could be anybody, and that individual brings fear after fear after fear. Everything is set or it's done until this person has the fear of man, feels useless, worthless, belittled, just chopped up. And I have known people literally, hyperventilate because of the fear of somebody. Absolutely almost breathless. And they say, why is God allowing? Why did God let that person come into my life? Why did God allow this? I'm a man or woman of God, I pray. Why would God allow this? Because God brought in, he's handing this individual over to death in this area. This is a death situation where God says, I can't use you in fullness. That life cannot flow with this hindrance in you. I want you to realize that the fear of man is a hindrance to manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ. It hinders the flow of life. It cannot produce life in others. It's got to go. So I've arranged this death situation. I've allowed it to dig it out. You got somebody lording it over you right now on the job? You say, oh God, get me out of this. No, let death do its work. Face it. Say, Lord, you put me in this place. You've arranged all this. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord, even if it means God bringing somebody to lord it over you to get to this fear of death, to get this fear of man out of you. What about ambition? You got ambition in you? That's going to hinder the flow. It's going to hinder the flow of the manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ in you. You know what the Lord usually does? I've seen this over and over again over the years. God will allow you. He'll allow a tremendous door in front of you. He'll let you take on the most ambitious, big thing you've ever done in your life. He'll let you step into something. Say, I have got it made. This is it. Finding my break. He'll let you step into the most ambitious, wonderful thing you've ever desired and let it fall apart on you. Fall to the ground in ruins. And there you are in your ruins. And you say, oh God, I don't understand because I prayed about this. You blessed me up to this point. I thought this was it. Why did you let it blow up in my face? And the Lord said, I'm trying to show you you've got ungodly ambition in you. And that's going to hinder the true life and what you preach. It may be ambitious, but it will not be my spirit. And it won't produce life. It'll look good on the outside, but it's not my spirit. You see, he brings a death situation to deal with it. What about those who walk in great revelation? Oh, how they glory in revelation. God's opening the word. Doctrine is being opened up to them. They're being blessed. And they're so happy. And they go, and many pastors do. They'll stand and ministers of evangelists stand. And I finally found the Bible principles to living an overcoming life and joy and victory. And they got this big smile on their face all the time. They're glorying in revelation. They're glorying in their doctrines. They're glorying in the wonderful feelings they have. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a dry spell comes. Horrible dry spell. The smile is gone. The book seems closed. Until finally, if he's honest before God or she's honest and says, oh God, I know nothing. I see nothing. I am nothing. Because you see, God will bring a death situation to that. He said, you're going to die to this. Because you're not going to glory in anybody but me. You're not going to glory in your revelations. And that's why Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he'd not be lifted up in pride because of his revelations. And if God's beginning to reveal things to you, oh folks, humble yourself before God. Don't glory in the revelation. Don't glory in the doctrines. Glory in Jesus Christ and him alone. And folks, many of you right now, you're going through a dry spell. Don't be afraid. God's doing a good work. Hallelujah. He's getting at something. Praise the Lord. Now that death process sometimes seems cruel. It's very painful. But if you allow death to do its work, resurrection life is going to be manifest in and through you. Now, when it's said we die to something, it simply means that that thing is no longer a power or dominion in your life. That it's dominion. It may still be there as the lingering sin of the flesh, but it no longer is an issue with you because God has brought it to death. And so, it's not a source of distraction anymore. Now, Christians react differently when God brings a death situation, or brings these daily death situations into the life. A lot of Christians immediately, when God sends these persecution trial or defamations or whatever it may be, they say, God, get me out. I've had enough. He hadn't even started and they're crying. Didn't have enough. And so it was when my dad would bring the big belt out and I knew a spanking was coming from my disobedience. And he'd say, lean over the bed. And I was screaming my head off before he touched me. And then when he put one or two, you're killing me, you're killing me. My son, little boy, he was four years old and he was disobeying. This is Gary's boy, Ashley. Mother took him in the bedroom. Boy, she gave him a spanking and he was yelling and screaming. He came out and jumped on me and said, you've got to do something about that woman. She's going to kill me. I thought of so many Christians. God, you're killing me. That's what Paul, we're killed every day, he said. When Jesus was delivered into the hands and the jaws of death, he went with peace and assurance in his heart because he had committed everything into the hands of the Father. And I'm telling you, unless you commit your life into the hands of the Father, unless you believe that the life in you, the life of Jesus Christ is so powerful that no death situation can destroy you, it can't hold you, it can't wipe you out. You're not finished. You're not going down. You're not quitting. Hallelujah. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. For Paul, he finally quit looking for relief from these death situations. Now, I'm sure Paul had a tough time when he was a younger Christian, a believer, and his walk with the Lord was being tested. I'm sure the first time he was shipwrecked, he was saying, oh, Lord, what about your promises? God, you said you'd keep me. What happened? I'm sure the first time he was thrown in prison, he's in the stockade and in chains. He was saying, well, Lord, I don't understand this. And I'm sure he prayed for deliverance. Lord, open the prison doors. Get me out of here. Even though he could sing in the middle of the night, he was singing, oh, Lord, get me out. But the second time, Paul shipwrecked, he's learned some lessons. He said, well, Lord, you must have a reason. You said all things work together for good to them. We love God and are called according to his purpose. He's learned now that he's a spectacle. And he said, sink or swim, I'm the Lord's. By the third time, he shipwrecked. You know what Paul's saying? All you angels, all you devils and demons of hell, all my brothers and all you Jews and all you Gentiles, yes, look at me. I'm a spectacle. I'm going down again. But I want you to know I got a word from God. I am not finished. It's not over. Take a look at me. Devil, I'm coming out of this with the faith that's gold. Not only am I coming out of this, I'm bringing everybody with me. Forgive me for screaming, folks. He said, I'm a spectacle. Folks, that's where faith has to bring us, finally. Where you say, oh God, I'm not looking for a time of peace. How long are we going to suffer? Till Jesus comes or till you die. And even then, it's not going to be anything but a victory for you. He said, it's disappointing, brother. No, it isn't because it's going to produce a life of Christ in you. And folks, Paul, the apostle, sums it up so beautifully. Oh, by the way, I was thinking about this last night. If you'd gone up to Paul in his mature time, his final years, and you'd say, Paul, why didn't you faint? All you've been through, why didn't you faint? You were pressed down on every side, Paul. He'd say, yeah, but I was never distressed by it. But Paul, you were so often perplexed. Yes, but I never gave myself over to despair. Paul, you were persecuted more than anybody I know. Oh yeah, but the Lord never forsook me through any of it. But Paul, you were struck down with infirmities and pain and sorrow so many times and troubles. Paul would say, yes, but none of it destroyed me. And then he would have answered, all of these are momentary light afflictions, and it's producing in me an eternal weight of glory far beyond any comparison. All that I've gone through, he said, it's producing something. And that's why I preach Paul this morning. I preach Christ through Paul and his revelation. We are still in the glow and the power of that life that was given. Paul sums it up now. He said in 2 Corinthians 4, 5, death works in us, but life in you. You know what that's saying? Every minister, every minister of the gospel, until you've allowed death to come to your pride, until you have died to ambition and lust and all the things of this world, until you can stand in the pulpit a dead man, you have to be able to say with Paul, death has worked in me to such a point that now the manifestation of life comes forth. And when I preach, Paul says, it produces life in everybody who hears it. And where there are dead congregations, there are dead preachers. In other words, worldly preachers do not allow death to be applied to their problems and their difficulties in their lives. He's saying to every minister of the gospel, every teacher, I'm taking you through trials. I'm allowing things to come into your life. You're going to have death situations almost every day of some kind or every week. There'll be one after another, but I am removing obstacles. I'm doing something in you that may bless others. Death works in you, that life works in others. That's why he comes to every parent here and he says, if you want to see life in your children, you must see spiritual life in your home, your husband, your wife. If you want life to spring up in your home, you have got to allow death to work in every area of your life until these things are dealt with. If you're a husband or wife, if you're a parent, you're trying to deal with your children, you've not allowed the Holy Ghost to deal with these things in your life and bring you to a death crisis, there's no hope that there's going to be any life in your home. The life that's going to spring up is going to come through you surrendering yourself when these troubles come and say, oh Lord, it's not because you're angry with me, it's because you're trying to get at something in me and Lord, deal with it, bring it to death and out of that death bring life. And he says to the singles that are here before I close, every single person here, all you who are single, he's saying to you, you've got three intelligences watching you, those that you fellowship with, those you go out to eat with, those you call on the telephone, those you work with, those in the choir, all your friends in the ministry everywhere, they're watching you, angels are watching you, the devil's watching you to see how you react when hard times come, when trial hits you, financial problems, difficulties, pain, defamation of character, how do you react to it? Do you go down and murmur and complain or do they see you standing firm in the Lord and say, oh God, put death to everything in my life until I have nothing but confidence in Jesus to see me through all my problems and all my trials. Lord, kill me if necessary, not physically but kill everything in me that is unlike you, Jesus, that there may be a river flow out of me. We who live are handed over to death. Will you stand? Beloved, I pray that this helps you understand, if you're a devoted believer, I hope this helps you understand why you're going through what you're going through. And most of all, look at me, don't be afraid of tomorrow. Those who truly believe in the power of Christ in them, never worry about tomorrow, never worry about tomorrow. Bible says tomorrow will take care of itself. It's right now to yield to the Lord and say, Jesus, I thank you for what you've brought into my life. I thank you for my trials. I thank you for the persecution I'm going through. Someone just sent me a notice, a television evangelist, you wouldn't know him perhaps, he's in the West Coast, but a company did him wrong. A company that dealt with his church did him wrong. He got on television and he says, I never turn the other cheek. He said, I'm going to sue the daylights out of them. I mean, right television and everything, I'm going to sue them for every penny they've got. You see, God had brought a death situation to that man's life to show him what's in his heart. And rather than let death do its work, he burst out in anger and revenge. And that's what many people do now, Christians who are in great trials and temptations and stress of all kinds, they turn against the Lord, they seek revenge, they get angry. And then what happens? All of the grace that's meant for them just seeps out of their life. They become nothing but an empty vessel. Sorrow upon sorrow with no joy. You see, you can go through anything if you know that God's doing something. If you know that God's behind it, you can endure anything. Hallelujah. There are things in my life that you would never know. There are things about your life I would never know as far as difficulties and sorrows and tribulations and troubles. But I have a peace in my heart now because I know that God's got his hand on it all. And all things are working together for good because I love him and I trust him. Hallelujah. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the truth that sets men free. Lord, you've brought the truth of your gospel to us this morning. Lord, there are some this morning that have been reacting in an un-Christlike way to what they're going through. Lord, there are some that have a member of their family facing death physical death because there's cancer, there's heart problems, there's difficulty, there's pain, there's sorrow. And Lord, there's this continual questioning of your faithfulness. God, deal with that in your love. Bring death to those doubts and fears today. And Lord, for those who are standing before me right now and can't understand why things are not working out the way they thought they should work out. And Lord, the pain in their marriage, pain caused by children that have gone astray, that hurt them, divorce. Oh God, it's so important that we yield now to you and say, live or die, I'm the Lord's. God has his hand on me. God will do what is right. But I'll not doubt him. I will come forth believing that God is going to get joy and victory. God's going to get glory out of this in my life. Because everybody's going to see that I come through with faith and confidence in my God. I'll tell the whole world, no matter what I go through, God is good. God is faithful. God will see me through. I'm going to ask, if you're in this congregation in the annex and here in the main auditorium, I'm going to ask you this. If you are going through a very deep testing right now, you're in one of those death situations I'm talking about. Say, Brother Dave, I want to respond right before God. But I need help. I need a touch from the Lord. Once you get out of your seat, come forward and I'll pray with you and let's believe God. Now, if you're backslidden, if you've been cold, your heart's drifted away from the Lord, come with these that are coming. If you don't know Jesus, come. In the annex, if you go to the lobby, just turn around behind you into the lobby. Ushers will direct you into the stairs that come into this building. You can come down this aisle, meet me here. I'll pray with you also. Up in the balcony, go to the stairs on either side and come down any aisle. Folks, please move in close to make room for those that are coming. Many of you are here for the first time and God sent you here to get this message because he's dealing with you. He's dealing with saying, get things right today. Don't walk out of Times Square Church until you make a new commitment to the Lord. Don't walk out the way you came in. Say, Jesus, I'm going to surrender to you completely. Please move in tight. That's fine. God bless you. Make room for these that are coming as we sing. You've got to be convinced before we go another step. Be convinced, absolutely convinced that God would not allow, if you're his child, he'd not allow anything in your life to hurt you. Anything he's allowing is for his glory and your blessing. So right now, anything that's in your life, anything you're going through, you have to stop and say right now, Lord, I love you. You're in my heart. Now, even if you have been backslidden or you're cold in heart, you don't know Jesus, you come to him right now and this becomes applicable to you immediately. Right now, he knows everything about you. He's numbered every hair on your head. And if you don't have hair, he's numbered the follicles. He's numbered everything. Do you know he knows every thought that you're thinking right now? There's nothing happened to you or in your life but what God is in control. God is in control. God has everything under control. First, I want to pray for those who are coming back to the Lord and those who are making a new commitment. Would you pray this prayer with me right now? It has to come from your heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And the only way this can be life-changing to you is if you say, Lord Jesus, I'm depending on the Holy Spirit that the word, God's word will be made true to me. God will keep his word to me. We confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all, all unrighteousness. Pray this with me right now. Lord Jesus, I come to you for cleansing. Forgive me, blot out my transgressions, every sin that I've committed, every doubt that I've had against your faithfulness. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive my doubts and my fears and my questioning of your faithfulness. Oh God, I believe with all my heart you have your hand on me. Now I want everybody to pray this. Everybody came forward. In fact, there probably ought to be most of this congregation praying this prayer with me now. You see, is there any power in just repeating a prayer? It comes from the heart. If this is a reflection, if this is a reflection of what you're feeling and what you're believing in your heart, your words have all power. What else do you have to bring him? He said we bring to him the calves of our lips, our lips. Your two lips are like calves. We offer sacrifice to the Lord. We offer this sacrifice to him right now as all power. Words have all power and great authority that come from a broken, sincere heart. Would you pray this with me? Everyone that's come forward and anyone who chooses in this auditorium. First of all, before you repeat this prayer after me, I want to pray. Lord, I want you now to come Holy Spirit and go down deep into every heart. Strike with conviction where conviction is needed. Bring hope where hope is needed. Bring strength where strength is needed. But more than anything, oh God, I'm asking the Holy Spirit to remove doubt and fear. I'm asking you Lord to allow us to come to the jaws of death now and say, Jesus, take me in it and take me through it and remove from me everything that's unlike you. Father, this time as we go to you in prayer, hear the cry of every heart, every sincere prayer that's being prayed now in this house. I say as Solomon did when the temple was built, when we turn to you Lord in this house, hear us from heaven and answer. Hear and answer prayer now as we come to your throne on this matter in Jesus' name. Now I want you to pray this from the depths of your heart. Lord Jesus, I've had fear. I've wondered and questioned the things that are happening in my life. And oh God, I don't want to question your faithfulness. I don't want to doubt you. Teach me by your Holy Spirit how to yield to this death situation and keep me in it and bring me out of it with renewed faith and confidence in the goodness of God. I acknowledge that you love me God. You care for me and you brought me to this place. I surrender and I yield to everything you brought into my life. And I proclaim you are the Lord of my life and of everything that comes to my life. I give you thanks. You will see me through. Now just lift your hands and love him and thank him right now. Lord, I give my heart. I give my thanks to you. I give you my praise because God is faithful. He will not fail. He'll bring resurrection life through these experiences in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Glory to God. Can't you just say thank you, Jesus? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.