In this sermon, the preacher speaks about the constant flow of praise and the presence of God. He describes a vision of Paradise, where believers will experience endless joy and ecstasy. The preacher emphasizes the importance of preparing our hearts for the coming glory by dedicating quality time to God and fulfilling our responsibilities. He also mentions the biblical admonition to provide for our families and warns against laziness. The sermon concludes with a reference to the apostle Paul's experience of being caught up in the Third Heaven.

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends. Getting ready for the glory. Now, Paul the Apostle spoke about being taken by the Holy Spirit into Paradise. He said, the scripture says, that Paul speaking, I was caught up in the third heaven into Paradise. And what Paul saw in Paradise was so incredible, it was so awesome, he couldn't tell anybody about it. He said, I could, in fact, he said, it was a vision and a revelation of the Lord. This thing that I saw, this great vision that I had in the third heaven, and he said, it was so incredible, God had to give to me a thorn in the flesh and so I should be exalted in that measure. And my question is, Paul, what did you see? That you had to be given a thorn in the flesh lest you be exalted because of this incredible revelation that you had of Paradise. He said, I can't tell. It's unspeakable. He said, it's absolutely unspeakable. You know, there's a saying we sit here, it's joy unspeakable and full of grief and the half has not been told. Paul couldn't even tell his half. He couldn't tell anything about it. The Lord had closed his mouth. The same thing happened to Isaiah. He saw into eternity the Lord Himself sitting on a throne high and lifted up. The seraphims were filling the heavens with praises and they were echoing and crying aloud these words, holy, holy, holy is the word of host. The whole earth was full of His glory. And that vision of Jesus in His glory devastated Isaiah. Some would say, he said, I was wiped out. He said, I couldn't compute it. I couldn't handle it. And he fell out like a dead man. He passed out. And he said before the Lord, crying, woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. It isn't about this glory of Jesus that no man can stand. John and John the Baptist said the same thing. Remember John used to lean on Jesus best. Nobody knew him more. He was the beloved disciple. And yet in the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ you hear John, in fact, he said, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. There was a voice, a great voice behind me. And the voice said, I'm Alpha and I'm Omega. I'm the beginning and I'm the end. And John said, I turned and when I saw it, I fell and his feet is dead. And then he passes out. He can't, he can't, his mind can't take it in. Now he knew who this man was. But now his eyes were on fire. His feet are burning like glass. They just came out of the furnace. And it was so awesome. There was no one left to hug him. Only his head on his bosom. He passed out. And he said, I fell like a dead man. And the only thing that rescued John was the Lord touched him and said, Go, be, okay. And the Lord began to reveal who he was. Peter, James and John. They get a glimpse of this glory of paradise. This glory of Jesus. In fact, why don't you go to Luke the 9th chapter and just take a look at this for a minute. Luke the 9th chapter. I know you brought your Bibles. I can hear the leaves rustling. Luke 9. Great chapter. I want you to begin to read with me in verse 28. Luke 9, verse 28. And it came to pass, after eight days, after these things, he took Peter and John and James and he went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his confidence was altered. Isn't it amazing? To look at this man, Jesus, and he's changed right in front of your eyes. His confidence is changing. His clothes, his raiment, was white and distant. It was shining. Suddenly, there was a glow and it got brighter and brighter. Can you imagine again when the disciples were sleeping here? But when they woke up, they were there just in time to see the full blaze of the glory. And behold, there talked with him two men which were brothers in laws, who appeared in glory and spoke of his decease, which is an accomplice of Jerusalem. And Peter and David, when they were heavy with sleep, and when they awakened, they saw his glory. And the two men that stood with him, and they, in verse 34, when he thus spoke, there came a crowd, men who shouted at them, and they feared as they entered into the crowd. And there came a voice out of the crowd, saying, This is my beloved son, Joram. And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found all alone. Look at me, please. There was something awesome happening in that moment of transfiguration. This man that they'd walked with and talked to, this man who was their master and teacher, he's not the same now. He's entering into glory. There's a shekinah on him. There's a glory on him. They don't understand. They fear as they move into the presence of this glory. And it's only the voice of the Lord again that calms them. But once again, they're not allowed to speak about it. And verse 36 says, And when the voice was passed, Jesus was not found. And they kept it to themselves, a curse, and told no man in those days, any of those days, which they had seen. Now, why is it that everyone that got a glimpse of the glory of Jesus can't talk about it? They can't tell you. You say, Paul, what is it like? He didn't change a bit. He came down. There's something about your change, something up there happened that changed you. What's it about? What did you see? Can't tell you. I'm not allowed to talk. And I know, I'm going to tell you now, I don't believe, I believe, they knew nobody would believe me. They saw something so glorious, nobody would believe it. Peter could not describe that glory, but he said, he declared very clearly that we're called to share that glory, and that we're headed for that same glory. For we receive, Peter's speaking, and for we, Christ, receive from God the Father honor and glory. And we saw and we heard that we were with him on the mountain, 2 Peter 1, 17 and 18. Then Peter goes on to say, God will call us to that glory. You'll find that also, 2 Peter 1, 3. Peter went on to say, I am a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. He said, I saw something too awesome to talk about, yet I'm going to share it. We are called to that glory that awaits us. Also, Peter said, the God of our grace, who hath called us to share in his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. In fact, the last prayer Jesus prayed while he was on earth was this, Father, I would that you also, whom you've given to me, that they shall be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given to them, to me. I want my people with me to see my glory. That Thursday night, while I was in prayer, a little bit late, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and the Holy Spirit was with me and I asked him a funny question. And the Lord said, just bow before me and answer. And that question hit me like a knife. And here's the question the Holy Spirit tells to me, David, are you prepared for the glory that's soon to come? That unspeakable glory that all these men beheld in just a small glimpse and couldn't talk about it, that same glory is about to break forth in all its splendor and majesty. Are you ready to look at it? Are you ready to enter that glory? Then the Holy Spirit went on to say, David, my people are not even thinking of that glory. They're not ready for that glory. They're not prepared for that glory. David, I believe it's true. Moses, when he came down from the glory of God in his presence, his face did shine and the people of Israel couldn't even look at the reflection of the glory. He had to cover his face with a veil because they said, how? They couldn't stand to look at the presence of God in the essence of glory with the reflection of the glory. It's always a reflection and they couldn't look at it. Can you imagine what it's going to be like for the Christian who prays days with God? Can you imagine when he forgets the name of Jesus? The Lord said, you forget me day after day after day? And you walk in darkness? And then suddenly you believe that you're going to be locked in and you're going to be taken into eternity? And suddenly in the presence of God you're going to shine brighter than all the suns in the universe? Do you think you're going to have eyes adjusted? Have you ever seen anybody come out of a pitch black room and stand in front of a blazing light? They're going to hide themselves. Do you know how many, many Christians whose eyes are not adjusted? They're not ready. They couldn't begin to stand the glory and believe me the day is coming that every one of us are going to lay down and we're going to breathe our last breath. Somebody's going to pull their eyelids down and try to feel a pulse and somebody's never going to say he's gone, he's with the Lord or he's dead. And brother, sister, that moment you and I if we are walking with Jesus we are going to be taken into the glory of Christ. There's been a lot of people who have out of the body experiences Christians and one Christian after another has described it as going through a passage going toward light. They move. It gets brighter and brighter and brighter. Moving toward the light. The bride of Christ consisted of people who prepared themselves for the coming burial. And I, John, saw the Holy See in Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. Prepared. Prepared. A bride prepared. A bride for her husband. As a bride, a girl for her husband. In fact, Jesus warned against people who weren't prepared for the burial. He said, and that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself neither did according to the Lord's will shall be beaten with many strikes. Now, what if you were just living how many of us are just living for the day? And how many of you spend conscious time good, quality, thinking time and leave you some state of mind if you please? You do your job you do your work but you don't bring it home with you because part of it is with your thinking time about the grace and glory of Jesus. And you leave that job behind you have to work you've got to occupy it till it comes God honors that. God helps the lazy man who says I'm going to give all my time for Jesus and I'll provide for his family. The Bible said a man who doesn't provide for his family is less than an infant girl and he's denied the faith. But giving that quality thinking time about preparing the heart to enter the glory of the Lord. Now, I see three preparations necessary to prepare for the coming glory. Now, at the end of my message I'm going to give you just a little bit of what I think that glory is going to be like in paradise. Now, the first thing that we've got to do to prepare for the glory that's coming now, by the way do you believe it, don't you that there's a glory waiting for us? Jesus is in glory. He's in the glory. It's the glory of the Father that has been bestowed upon him. Unspeakable glory. Now, the first preparation that you and I have to take to prepare for the glory that's coming is to wholly reject the glory of man. Reject the glory of this world. Now, this world does have an honor. It has a glory all of its own. But it's the glory of grass. I'll read it to you. 1 Peter 1.24 For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass the grass that rimmers and the flower that falleth away but the word of the Lord endureth forever. Now, this world has an honor that comes and goes. It's like the grass that appears one day and the hot breath of God breathes in it the next day that's burned in the fire. Now, this honor of man we have terms for we call it making it. Going for the gold. We've got other terms like well, he's got it made. He's arrived. That man has made it. That woman has made it. Well, my Bible says it's going for the grass, not the gold. Well, a lot of people are going for the grass. This striving for recognition and the glory of man is in all of us in a little bit of a measure. It's been in me. It's been in everyone in this building. There is a measure of God in all of us that has to be dealt with by the power and the knife of the Holy Ghost. You say, well, how do you know that? How do you know that's in us? How do you know? Because we're always talking about what we gave up for Jesus. Even preachers. I hear it said I could have been a national TV evangelist if I'd been willing to compromise, but I wouldn't compromise because then they would have forgotten me now. You didn't know, did you, that the evangelists pay their same ego dues? Not I would have been, but I have been in that circle and I'm there now. We're always talking about what we gave up for Jesus. I've done that all my life. But the Lord rebuked me this week. I got to see Him. Jesus listened to all of our... You know, we talk about it as if you have given up something important. You know, I saw the Lord just like this. You gave up what? You gave up grass. You gave up flowers that had wilted. You didn't give up anything. Folks, we haven't given up anything for Jesus. It's all grass. I know I've talked to Brother Sam and all these others. None of these appear like to talk about the things that they gave up. First of all, just introducing to who they are and then they move on from that. But that doesn't mean anything. I don't think there's anybody on this stage here. And I think where Christians live, that doesn't mean anything to you anymore because you say, Jesus, you gave it all up. I've just turned it into the glory of His ears. Hallelujah. Let me tell you what's worse than being unknown. Let me tell you what's worse than being just an ordinary person. Because that's what I... I believe I'm one of those ordinary people. Let me tell you what's worse than that. And that's to be so pursued after the world and having a hold of the glory of this grass and not getting a hard heart in the process and having it all fade away slowly without Jesus on your side. That to me... I'd rather nobody ever hear the name... my name again as long as I live than to lose the presence of Jesus in my life. The fame, the fortune, the riches of this world, the Bible likes to refer a flower, grass that's going to wither. In fact, Isaiah said, All flesh is grass, and all the goodness thereof is as the flower, but fear the grass that is, that flower fades because the Spirit of the Lord blows on it. The Spirit of the Lord... You know something, if you love Jesus, He's never going to let you enjoy the glory of this world. If He did not, you'd get a handful under a tooth. He's going to blow on it, and you look at it, it's all gone, and then you say, Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Ah, once in a while, we want to let somebody have a measure of that glory. Just so they can go there and taste it, and come back and tell you how cheap it is. How worthless and how empty it is. Hallelujah. Whatever happened to John Wayne? John Lennon? Lucille Ball? John Kennedy? O'Mallesis, the multimillionaire? Nelson Rockefeller, who died nude here in New York City, not even in his wife's apartment? Where are all those powerful world dictators and leaders like Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini, Stalin, Roosevelt? Are these people enjoying the praises that are still being heaped on them? Do they read any of the books that are written about them? Do they come and look at their monuments? Is all the flattery and all the praises going to do any good when they stand before the judge and the whole world? What can they have? A bundle of grass. All praises as grass. All the goodness in this world is as a flower that is fading. Now let's look at the bearer of man for just a minute. This fading bearer of grass. Do you remember Khrushchev? That was that corrupt dictator who in 1956 sent his tanks in to crush the rebellion of Budapest and Hungary? He purged multitudes of communists out of his own land. He drove out the dissidents. He came to the United Nations and he took his shoe off and pounded. He said, I'll bury you! He sent me a press release saying, I'll bury you! You know what, Khrushchev ended up as victim of all this power. He wound up a troubling little forgotten man in a feeding bowl for the park bench in Moscow. Not even the kids were afraid of him. A man who shook free the nations. He winds up a puppy dog. He winds up, in the last they said, that Khrushchev was crying out for a revelation of God. Couldn't find him. The grass faded and the flower died. Darwin, the father of evolution, he said there was no God behind creation. There was no God at all, he said. He was the darling of science. He was honored world-wide for his doctrines of godlessness. This man died at 71 as a social outcast. You know, it's an amazing thing, this man who said God was not in the creation, a little tiny bug, a little parasite, a bansheeka parasite, began to eat away at his knife and he developed a little known disease called Chagas. And he died in torment. He died with constant diarrhea. He died in constant pain. This man died with fear in his life, in his heart. Suddenly it just passed away. Just the grass withered, the flower faded. Darwin went out to meet God. In pain. Now that was Khrushchev. We're talking about the glory of grass. The king of rock and roll. Multi-millionaire at 25, 30 years of age. The top of all the charts. An idol to a whole generation. The world of entertainment at his command. The envy of musicians. The heart throb of millions of young women. But hey, his last few years were nothing but the grass withering and the flower fading. He was all spin and a drunk stupor. Crying himself to sleep. Swallowing handfuls of tears. He was tormented. He floated with the occult. He dreamed of death. He longed for death. And it all ended on the floor of that bathroom. The grass withered, the flower died. Michael Bennett. He conceived and directed Parasite. The longest running play right here on Broadway. The longest running show right here on Broadway. He was loved and tasted on Broadway. He died two years ago of AIDS. And the paper yesterday in the New York Daily News said since 1980, the whole cast of this show, I quote the newspaper, we find now that they were awash with cocaine. They were stoned since 1980. Seven years on cocaine. He caused every practicing, everybody to go off on their pills. He died paranoid. A skeleton fading away with AIDS. Eugene O'Meara, America's number one prize winning playwright. His father was a famous actor and an alcoholic. He had a play called Long Day's Journey Into Night. And then the Iceman Cometh. It was a mockery of the Last Supper. The central character is a false messiah. And he was born in the Times Square Hotel on 35th Street in Broadway in 1888. And he died in Boston in 1950 in a hotel all alone. He cursed God with his last breath. With these words, born in a hotel room and died in a hotel room. Blankety, blankety, blank. Two sons of O'Meara committed suicide. The glory of grass. The glory that fades away. And if you're going to see the glory of Jesus, you must turn away from all the glory, all the glory, ire and pomp and ceremony of this world. It has to mean nothing to you. If it comes to you, stand back. Let it go. Don't touch it. Turn it over to the Lord. The second preparation. A prepared bride has got to spend a lot of time looking into the face of Jesus Christ to become more and more like Him. But we are, with open face, beholding as in a glass or a mirror, the glory of the Lord. We are changed with the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now listen, it's one thing to forsake the world. In fact, I've known people, I've given up everything to Jesus, I've laid everything down. But you see, it's not just laying something down. It's spending time looking in His face, being changed from glory to glory, so that you and I are prepared to let some sudden burst of glory. But when you go into the arms of Jesus, it's just another blink. You have been trained in the glory. You have been looking at the face of Jesus so often, He's been revealing Himself by the Holy Ghost to you. You'll see more of His splendor, more of His honor, more of His glory. The Holy Spirit is making the glory of Jesus real to you, so that the day you die or take Him into His presence, it's just another baby stepping in the glory. It's not some blinding light. You're not conscious of having been trained in the glory. You're not conscious of it all. It's a good work of the Holy Ghost. He is revealing and preparing us for that day that the curtain opens, and He makes you that person and suddenly the blinding light of the sun, Jesus Christ, hallelujah. But what makes Christians believe that they can play games and then suddenly burst into that presence as if suddenly I'm home? Because you see, death doesn't change anything. Death doesn't sanctify you. Death doesn't suddenly make you into something you were not before you died. Death doesn't change anything but your position. It's not going to make you pure. It's not going to prepare you for the glory. Death doesn't prepare you for glory. You prepare for the glory while you're alive, while you are tired. Oh, God, you're dealing with me. David, are you preparing for the glory? Are you preparing your heart for the glory? Are you ever chasing after the glory of man? I'm not talking just to serve people, not at all. I'm talking to businessmen. I'm talking to those who have ordinary jobs. I'm talking to all of us today. If anything would have very little to do with selflessness, it has to do with the whole body of Jesus Christ. Paul describes this light that he saw. He said, I saw light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me. He said, the glory I saw is brighter than the sun. Is anybody here can look into the sun? Without a shade, without glasses? Who in the world can't look into the face of the sun? Let him in this business. Can you imagine being right there in his presence and he blazes hotter than the sun? That's what Paul said. You see, Paul saw he was not ready for that light. Oh, wait a minute. He could look into the brightness of his glory. Hebrews 1.3 said, He's the brightness of his Father's glory. He's the specialness of his person. Look at what the Bible says. In fact, Jesus told us in Revelation 3.18. He said, Amaze your eyes what I saw that thou mayest see. I believe right now that God said to this preacher tonight, Come on, saints. This is what the eye says. Get it on your eyes. Get your eyes prepared. Get ready to see the glory that's coming. Moses could forsake all the places of Egypt. He's not afraid of the wrath of the king because he's got his eyes set on the glory. By faith he beset Egypt. And he didn't fear the wrath of the king. And Moses endured as seeing him who's invisible. Oh, folks, Jesus can be seen. There's a spiritual eye that begins to see glimpses of glory. And it gets sweeter and brighter and brighter. Hallelujah. I want to tell you that what I saw of Jesus this year is a million times brighter than what I saw last year. Jesus is closer. He's revealed more and more of himself to me because I've been with him, looking in his face. Not as much time as I want to spend, but as it gives to him and as I appropriate it, little by little, more and more of that glorious life that Paul talked about begins to die. Hallelujah. Paul said our conversation, or our lifestyle, is in heaven. Philippians, third chapter. Would you go to Philippians, the third chapter? Let me show you something with Philippians. If you find Ephesians, go right. One chapter, or one book. Philippians. The third chapter. Verse 18, beginning to read. Philippians 3, 18. We're going to have to look at this. This may describe some people that may be in this church today hearing me. Philippians, the third chapter. Verse 18. Verse 22. Paul says, For many walk, he's talking about the way they walk their Christian life. For many walk, of whom I've told you often, and I now tell you even weeping. Boy, this broke Paul's heart, the way some Christians are walking. That they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose body's red-bellied, and whose glory is in their shame, who minds earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven, and let's also look to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at me, please. He's saying there are some who are walking among us. They're walking among us, and they are enemies to the cross. They don't want to take up the cross. They don't want to crucify themselves. They don't want to pay this price. They want the world, and they want Jesus too. They are enemies to this process called dying to sin. They're enemies to this crucified life. They don't want it. They'll go to the church, they'll keep looking until they find a doctrine or a preacher that will let them go past the cross of Jesus. Now don't get quiet on me. Paul said, I tell you even weeping. Now those who walk, he's talking about trying to walk with Jesus. He said, now I'm telling you the reason they don't want the cross, the reason they won't die in the world. He said, there's a God inside of it. It's the impulses. No, really, it's a belly God. It's to please themselves. There's no sacrifice involved. There's no cross. There's no denying self. It's the belly reaching out. That belly is self-will. That belly is self-use. And he said that belly is reaching out and that belly God tells him it's all right. The belly God says, look what Jesus is doing for me. I consider the television program Dallas to be incubated in hell. I don't have television and it's been years since I've seen it but the last time I saw Dallas, I thought the devil wrote the script that I saw. I mean, it's rape, it's incest, it's adultery, it's meditation, it's sinning, it's body, it's greed, it's everything that's against the cross of Jesus Christ. And yet there's a young actress who stands in a church in California asking the crowd to rejoice with her for the pardon, Dallas, that Jesus gave to her. Now, Jesus didn't give her that pardon. Her belly God gave it to her. He said, their end is going to be destruction as God has ordained it. And His glory is in the sin. The very thing that should make them ashamed, they forced that. They forced the things that they should be bowing their heads and saying, Jesus, I've disgraced your name. And they forced that Jesus he did it. He said, the glory in the sin, the glory in it, remind earthly things. Hallelujah. I don't know about you folks, but I honestly believe, I don't think the church needs a bunch of rules and regulations or anything. And by the way, if you know somebody that's struggling through these now, I tell you now, I said it this morning and I'll say it again, this church and these pastors are open. My glory is open for you to call us when you have decisions to make and when you're struggling and you need advice and help, we'll stand with you. We'll not condemn you. We'll hold the truth up loving to you. And then turn and embrace you and go home and cry for you. Until God, the image of Jesus is stamped on your personality. Until you're so wrapped up in looking at Jesus, you don't need a preacher to tell you any man in his right or wrong. You'll look in his eyes and listen. If you look in his eyes and you see he's hurt, you'll look in that mirror. You're supposed to be changing from glory to glory, becoming more and more like him and he's getting colder and colder. Your heart is drifting. And suddenly you look at Jesus. You see a dream in his eyes. You see the hurt. You better back up. Back up and say, Jesus, where did I go off? Bring me back. Oh, he's loving. Hallelujah. He's faithful. I want to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. Hallelujah. That's the second purpose. If you keep your eyes fixed on him and obey the Holy Spirit, ah, he's going to bring you to a place of richness in Christ. Finally, before I get into it, I want to see the glow of paradise. Listen closely now. Here's the third declaration. Learn to pursue the Lord instead of being the pursued one. Now, there's a parable, there's a story in the Bible about Jesus going out after the last lamb and picking up the lamb and laying it on his shoulder. That's a wonderful parable. I love it. But it's not for God's sake. It's for non-converts or sinners or backbites. But it should not be for mature church. It should not be for mature Christians who know better. No, that's not the parable. That's not the kind of gospel right now that you and I need. That's a part of the gospel that's for the sinner. I'll preach on the last lamb and Jesus going after the last lamb. You see, Jesus is pursuing that lamb. Jesus is saying, listen, don't let off on me anymore. I've chased after you and I've roamed after you and I've roamed after you. When will you stay with me and be faithful? Why don't you be part of the flock and walk with the rest of the sheep? Why do you, what is there out there that you're reaching to? You hear the Master talking to this one because he's pursuing. The Holy Ghost is the hound of heaven. Jesus sends the Holy Ghost to hound and to woo and to love you. But in these last days, the Lord is going after people who are not having to be pursued. But for the sake of the love of Jesus, they become the one who chases after the Lord. Not being pursued, but pursuing Him. Listen, when is the Holy Ghost, I'm going to ask you straight out, when does the Holy Ghost stop being the Lord's policeman to you and He starts becoming your guide to the riches of Jesus? Some of us already know the Holy Ghost is policing. The Holy Ghost coming to you for your sin and righteousness and judgment. How many of you have heard Jesus say, the Holy Ghost when He comes He will take what is mine and He will keep it to you. He will give it to you. He won't speak for Himself. He will talk about me. The Lord in these last days must have a people who are not being chased down every day of iniquity, saying, hey, don't cheat on me anymore. Come on out of my pit. Man, when is the Lord going to trust you? When is the Lord going to be able to react to your presence and look down and say, there's one who loves me. There's one who chases after my heart. I don't have to chase him anymore. I don't have to chase her anymore. I don't know where He is. I want Jesus to call me a bulldog. David's a bulldog. He won't let go of me. I'll try to hide once more from David. I'll hide behind the rows of sand. I'll hide behind the trees of Lebanon. But everywhere David's not there, so I'm waiting there. I know you're hiding, but you're there. I'm going to keep coming at you, Jesus. He's hiding. He doesn't hide. The fact of our salvation, often we hide. It's the hiding of God. He's been made by every man tested in the deep things of God. But it's only to test you to see if you keep coming. The bride in the song of Solomon, she was the pursuer. I'm glad I married a wife who pursued me. That's right. First time she saw me, she said, I'm going to marry him. Twelve years old. She chased me right after until I got to the altar. And I'll tell you, it was marvelous. Just wonderful. And I'm in a hole or something here. I'd better be careful how I get out of it. I love you, Graham. God, that the bride in the song of Solomon, she was the pursuer. She said, by night on my bed, I'll sob for him whom I say loves. I'm going to rise up now and go into the city, into the streets, and into the broadways. I'm going to seek him whom I say loveth. I'll sleep that my heart waits for him. I'll charge you on batters and tears, and if you find my beloved, tell him I'll faint with desire for him. Oh, God, give us a chance. God, give us a people who chase after him. Do you faint with desire for him? Come on now, sit there right now. Is your heart fainting with desire for Jesus? Are you fainting with the desire for him right now? Raise your hands if you are. I have a heart that's fainting with desire for Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What awaits us? Now, let's go to paradise. What's going to await us when we see the glorious light? Jesus is the light. Now, let's remember, I believe there's a prepared paradise. Now, a few moments ago, we made fun of this word paradise. We said, no such thing as paradise. But Jesus said to the thief that was hanging on the cross, today, thou shalt be with me in paradise. In Revelation 2, 7, Jesus said, he that overcomes what I did to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Now, you look up that word in confusion in the Greek. There are fires. It's the park. The paradise park. I couldn't believe it. I kept looking and looking. I've got every book I could find. It says park. The paradise of God is a park. An entire glorious park. What does that say to you, that still waters and green pastures and trees where the fruits, the leaves of the trees here in all the nations? This is the end of side 1. You may now turn the tape over to side 2. Now, Jesus tells me he's got a prepared park I'm going to believe in. So, where is this paradise park? Where the Jesus is. He said to the man who was crucified, you're going to be with me in paradise. Wherever Jesus is, that's where the park is. That's where the praise is. That's where paradise is. It's in the presence of Jesus. Let me say something. Listen closely. The truest test that Jesus has won your heart is that you chase after the light. That he is, you come to the light. You're not afraid to be exposed. You're not afraid of a message like this tonight. This is the true test. If you rebel, right now, guess what you hear? It's proof that on any side of a doubt, the darkness has captured your heart. And I'm speaking pathetically now. I speak on the morning of the Holy Spirit that if there's a rebellion coming up in your heart right now, you'd better lay hold of Jesus like you've never laid hold of him in your whole life. My Bible says for everyone that does evil, he hates the light. And he won't come to the light unless his deed would be exposed and reproved. That he that does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made clear that they're done for the glory of God. You see, the true test is that you can sit through meetings like you had this morning and Tuesday and hear these pastors in love. Listen. Why do we preach like Paul said? With weeping, I tell you. I know what Paul's talking about. I stand here. I may not sound like I'm weeping, but inside my heart is weeping. I weep. And the pastor's weeping because we know how subtle the enemy is. Now he's trying to destroy many men in this flock. And the devil will not give up especially when he sees your heart set for the Lord. But you've got to be able to say, Lord, let me keep coming to the light. And let that light shine in every hidden area. Don't have any hidden place in your heart. Let there be no place in your heart that you're afraid to turn the light on and expose everything to see whether it's glorified for the Lord or not. Do you know what the glory of paradise is? The Bible says very clearly that in that new Jerusalem there's not going to be any sun there. They don't need the sun for He is the light that lights the whole world. Now listen to me, please. Paul said I can't talk about that. See, I've not been there so I can talk about it a little bit. If I've been there, I've tasted a little bit of it. But I'm not trying to speculate. But I've just got some things I feel the Holy Spirit's just given me a little insight. Christ appointed all of our things by whom also He made the worlds. Now listen to me. I believe that when we get to glory I don't know how you're going to get there. I don't know how I'm going to get there. But one day, it won't be Times Square Church. It won't be 51st and Broadway. It'll be Paradise Park. And I tell you, I got to thinking about it last night and got so happy I couldn't sleep. I've been up all night just getting happy. Just thinking about what it's going to be like in paradise with Jesus in the presence of the world. Suddenly to come into that glorious light and the Bible said the light is the life. But everything that has life, what do you think is going to sustain eternal life? What's going to sustain that eternal life? Now you see we have to re-sustain our life by the food and the water and the fruits and everything we eat and drink that sustains our life. What's going to sustain life in eternity? The light. He is such a light that that light is going to produce life and that life is going to flow in us and we're not going to have to do anything else but abide in the light and that generates us, it energizes us and we're going to live on the light of his glory. I believe, I believe that we're going to come into the light as a creative life. I don't believe Jesus is done creating yet. I believe the whole world is going to create yet and we're going to be there to watch and speak them into place. Didn't he say there's a new heaven and a new earth coming? So we know already that there's more creation to come and this is the spirit of life. This is the glory of life. I believe, oh hallelujah, I don't believe this is the only word. I'm going to read it to you. I think this is what Paul couldn't talk about. I think he saw something of universes and worlds so far out into the galaxies he said Christ appointed all of all things by him. Also, he made the worlds. Paul, not world, but worlds. He made the worlds. He also said in Hebrews 11-3, the worlds, didn't say the world was formed by the, the worlds were formed by the word of God. Oh, I believe in, you talk about space travel. I believe that when we come into that, this light is going to fill the whole universe. It's going to be Jesus. The light is going to emanate out of him and that light is the life. I believe that we can spend the whole eternity traveling through eternal space. From one galaxy to another and see one created glory after another in all three eternity. We will not be able to exhaust this creation. We will not be able to exhaust it. Beloved, there are worlds without end. They're discovering the whole universe in the little atom there. And if there's a whole universe in an atom, can you imagine what it's going to be like when Jesus, the light and the life begins to show us the glory of all of his creation. All things were created by him and for him. He said, I want you to see my glory. He's going to take us through the universes. He's going to show us his created glory. There are creations that we know nothing about. Hallelujah. I've got to think. We're running a race, aren't we? And the Bible says we're running this race in front of a great host of crowded witnesses. In fact, Satan is a witness also. God said to the devil, to Satan one day, He said to Satan, Look, consider my servant Job. There's none like him on the earth. He's a man, a perfect man. God said, look at him. But there, I've got to think about what's happening here at Times Square Church and how God's changing lives. And I just got to thinking about it and I started writing it down and getting happiness out of it. Can I tell you about it? I see Jesus, even now, tonight, looking over the crowded witnesses, an angelic host and the four and twenty elders and the beast and the seraphims and the cherubims and all of them because, you see, they're a crowd of witnesses. I can see Jesus saying, Look, consider my sister Gwen. Look at all of you in that choir, those saved outcasts. Look how she leaps for joy. Wave and tell she's introduced in a million voice, from all nations down to heaven. Wait till she sees this pot so big and majestic and glorious. Wait till the angels begin to teach her the new songs with unlimited ranges. And then she's going to teach and her choir will teach the angels how to sing about redemption. They may not have been good, but they will want to sing it. She's going to enjoy the kind of gladness and song. She will not lose energy. She'll never have to sit down. She'll never have to rest her voice. There's no night. It's all day. There's no sleep. There's a constant flow of ecstatic life and praises. Hallelujah. The Lord says, Witnesses, consider my friend Samuel Levy, the apple seller. Wait until he gets his voice. Can I release it? There will be no limits on the highs, no limits on the lows. Every note is going to reverberate from the stars. Songs will bring joy and laughter to the heart of the master. With every song, he becomes stronger, more melodious, and richer. And the very singing of the song becomes the meat and the life. And the song continues to find new ranges, with new expectancies, with new ecstasies, and it never ends. There's no end in the ecstasy. There's no end in the ranges. Consider Diane, the actress. She laid down her life for Jesus, and she's going to be sitting there. Wait until she sees the green pasture she's got prepared. And she sits down beside the still waters, and she's called to give a command, heart-rending, of the majesty and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as she stands before the throne, and all heavens listen to her words, will produce life. Even the angels will marvel at such language that no Shakespearean actor could have ever dreamed of. And consider Kevin, my organist friend. Wait until he sees my organ in my pocket. This organ is a living instrument. It's got golden keys, and it's placed in front of a great, shiny sea that glistens. Multitudes are resting on the green pastures around the sea, and all of the trees with multi-colored leaves, the fruits that are incomparable, flowers exotic beyond comprehension. And he says, a friend plays with me, and he reaches for a key, and he touches it, and it sounds like ten thousand trombones, one key. He touches another key, and it's a million different strings. He touches another key, and the sea begins to dance in front of him, and the spray comes down and makes the color drop to color. Now both hands are on the organ, and the song that the Lord is hearing is the Lord doth reign and let all the people proclaim. The leaves begin to rustle as if they're tapping their hands. The children are skipping and dancing in the park. There's no sense of time. Jesus is walking among them, hugging and caressing his beloved. My wife, Lynn, she's giving tours. We tell her that's God. She's explaining all the meaning of the different graces and aromas of the eternal plants and trees and flowers. Brother Don and Pastor Bob are sitting next to Brother Paul, and Brother Paul is saying to these pastors, now you know why couldn't you tell it? Who would have believed there's a park like this? Are you all blessed? Hallelujah. Can you see the king is coming? The king is coming. On this day we're going to sing the king has arrived. The king is coming. Glory to God. The king is coming. Glory to God. Folks, we're heading for paradise. That's where Jesus is. Lord put this on my heart to have both hands and sing the king is coming. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Let's stand in the presence of the Lord. Is there anything? Look at me. Is there anything in this world that you'd rather give up for this? The presence of Jesus? Glory to God. We're getting ready for the glory. Here's what I want you to do. While Samuel's singing, your heart's not right. There's compromise. There's one dark place in your heart. You're not prepared. You say, I've grieved the Holy Spirit of God and I want to be free and clean. Come while he's singing. Stand up on the balcony. Go down to any end sitting here. Come while he's singing and fill up the altar. I'm going to pray for you tonight. Ask God to put a hunger in your heart to prepare for the glory, the coming glory of the Lord Jesus. Listen. Listen to me. The Lord Jesus is not mad at anybody in this house. He's not mad at you. He's loving. He's reaching out. You say, come on. I understand your battle. If you just give it all to me, I'll make a way. I'll make a way for you. Hallelujah. I'm going to believe the King is coming. While Samuel's singing, the Holy Ghost touches you. Come and join. He's going to come, right? Now just come and fill up the front here, upstairs and downstairs. Hallelujah. Get ready for the glory. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, He's coming, folks. The King is coming. Lord, come even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come. Come, Lord Jesus. Oh, up in the balcony, here on the main floor, has your heart been going out to something in this world, and you need to just back away and come closer to Jesus? I've sent so many, many more here that need to be up here drawing closer to the Lord. Drawing closer to Him right now. Even when I'm speaking, feel that tug of pull. Obey the Holy Spirit. Upstairs, downstairs, don't reject the tug of the pull of the Holy Spirit. Make sure you open your heart to Him right now. Don't miss this moment. Don't miss the power of it, the conviction of it. Because the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Tuesday, or Friday night, we had a young Buddhist come up here and give his heart to Jesus. I don't know what your battle is, but I'll tell you right now, the Lord is here to deliver and set you free and bring joy and peace to your heart. Hallelujah. I'm waiting for just a moment. Just a moment. Wherever you're at, come and join. That's right, we're waiting for these that are coming in the aisles right now. And upstairs, wherever you're at, hallelujah. Is there an expectancy in your heart for the coming of Lord Jesus? Or is it not? Are you anxious to see Him? If He came tonight, are you ready to embrace Him? Are you ready for the light of His glory? Hallelujah. All right, we'll wait for just a moment. These are still coming. God bless you, God bless you. All right. Get a little closer here, if you will, please. Just a little. That's fine, all right. Look at me, please. Some of you may have been up here before, this altar. A number of you perhaps are. But tonight, I want to see God help you make a commitment, a total commitment. Say, Jesus, I want no part doubt from me. No matter what it costs, I want you, Jesus, more than anything in the world. I tell you what, sometimes people have to cry and pray and intercede for hours. And the only reason they have to do that is because they're resisting the yielding to the Holy Spirit. You can stand here right now and yield to the Holy Ghost. You can say, Jesus, here I am, take everything right now. Would you lift your hands to the Lord? Just lift your hands. Lift them up right now. Close your eyes and think on Jesus right now. And would you tell Him what's in your heart right now? Tell Him right now with your own words, Jesus, I need you. I want you. I want no part doubt from me. Come on, speak right out to Him. Speak the word in Jesus' name. Say, Lord, cleanse me. Forgive me. Set me free. Lord, my heart is going after you. I want to pursue your heart, Jesus. I want to go after you. I don't want to be chased anymore. Here I am, Jesus. Here I am. Take me as I am. Change me. I've been everything I am, but I want you to change me. Would you pray this prayer with me? Jesus. Louder, please. Jesus. Please. I stand on your word. And I know you're faithful. You're just. And you're able to forgive and to cleanse and to fill me with the Holy Ghost. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me the power now to resist the devil and the spirit of this world. Lord, help me. I make a commitment. I surrender my life to you. Take me, Jesus. Burn in me with the fire of God. In Jesus' name. Now, will you thank Him right now? Say, thank you, Jesus, for your love. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for touching me. Thank you, Lord, for touching me. I need you, Jesus. I need you. I need you. Listen. That's not going to satisfy that heart cry that's in you. That's just the beginning. Brother Bob was talking about that aching heart to ache and reach and pursue the Lord. How many of you that are standing up here tonight have never been up here before? It's your first time to come forward in this church. Raise your hand, please. Raise your hand. Your first time. All right. We would like to pray with you down in the prayer room. You don't sound anything. We'd like you to come. Make your way right through the crowd and come this way, please, right behind the stage here. All of you that had your hand up, will you follow right in here? We'd like to pray with you and minister person to you, person to person, and believe Jesus to touch you. Hallelujah. The Lord's doing a deep and precious work. We need all of our counselors, please, in the counseling room. We need all the counselors that we can get. Thank you. The Lord bless you. I'm going to believe the Lord is here. Amen. Oh, brother, let Him touch you tonight. All of you that are going back. Gentlemen that are going through, walking through there now, God bless you. Let Jesus touch you tonight. Let Him touch and change your heart. Bless you, Jesus. Bless the name of Jesus. Bless the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Sister, go ahead and get ready. We're going to sing, and we're going to worship, and we're going to pray. Let's just let the Holy Ghost lead us. I don't know where He's going to take us. He probably won't take us to glory. Glory to God. Close your eyes and lift your hands. Just close your eyes and lift your hands. Lift your hands right now. Say, Jesus, here I am. Touch me tonight. With your glory. With your presence. Let's totally love Him now. Just give Him an act of love. Lord, we love you. Let's praise and love Him right now. Lord, we love you. We praise you. We worship you. We give you glory and honor and praise. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Jesus, we love you. We worship and adore you. Jesus, we love you. We worship and adore you. Glory, hallelujah. Jesus, we love you.