In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of being faithful to the Lord and not turning to other loves in life. He references Hosea 2:4, which speaks about God's people turning to harlotry and not receiving mercy. The preacher also shares personal encounters with individuals who are not fully committed to the Lord, including a teenager who is still "thinking about" their relationship with God and professionals who attend church but seem distracted. The sermon concludes with a call to prayer for men to surrender their lives to Jesus and be faithful to Him.

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 Royal Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Linville, 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. A young couple came to this church a few months ago, and when I came to know him, he was unemployed, and asked us to pray that God would give him a steady job with security. Well, God answered that prayer, and God was a secure job, and he is here tonight probably. The wife still comes from quite a distance, but he dropped out. In fact, he was out here the other day, I think it was last Sunday night, waiting for his wife, who was polishing the car while we were having services. And I thought, what a slap in God's face. What a terrible thing to do to say, God, I've got my job, I don't need you anymore. In fact, someone brought that to me and said, do you know that one of the patrons out there polishing his car? I said, I don't understand, that doesn't compute with me. You know, I see husbands that come to this church with their wives, and their wives are on fire for God, their wives are adoring of the Lord, and evidently, some of the wives in this church have quite a bit of authority with their husbands, and they said, I'm going to Times Square Church, so he comes to Times Square Church. And I watch some of the husbands here, and I look past them, he's got cock-eyes. They may be looking here, but they're looking sideways, too. I see some husbands here, I know in my heart, you're just going along with their wives. Now, if she keeps dragging you here, you come early Sunday morning, because you feel somebody ought to go to church early Sunday morning. But you wish your wife wouldn't be so fanatical about it. And so she makes you come Sunday night, and maybe even Tuesday night, you miss the ball games, you miss everything, and you just go along with it. You don't want too much religion, you want enough to get saved, and stay out of hell, but you're really not on fire for God. And some of the wives are that way, their husbands are on fire for God. But I see those husbands, and the mates, this man is not really evil, he's a good man. He treats his wife right, but there's no real fire in his soul. His mind is on the ball game, his mind is on his business, he's here in his body, but his mind is somewhere else. Now, another item, I was downstairs the other day, downstairs here, in the prayer room, and I saw a teenager, and I just stopped and put a hand on his shoulder and said, Son, how are you doing with the Lord? You know, his answer was sharp, he said, Well, I'm looking into it. He said, I'm giving the Lord some thought. I kept on thinking, that boy's been coming to this church for months now, and he's sitting here in our classroom saying, I'm thinking about it, I'm giving the Lord some thought. I see great professionals, from Wall Street, and from Madison Avenue, sitting in this church, and most of the times they come this Sunday morning, I hope some of you are here tonight to get this message. You see, they consider themselves born again, and spirit-filled, and they're really lovely people, but you see, coming to Times Square Church, whenever I go to the Broadway show, you get a ticket, and you get a seat, and there's a performer, and the teachers are performing, the choirs are performers, they're performing, and they go home, and they contribute the message, and they say, well, they don't say that it's a good show, but that is moving, but I get a feeling sometimes they come here because everyone else is so bored. But you see, they don't get involved, they come Sunday morning because it's the thing to do, they don't come Tuesday night, they don't come Friday night, they don't get involved in the church, they don't get too involved in the things of God, but they do go to church. If you ask anybody that goes, I go to Times Square Church. And they're like a good commercial for Times Square Church, but they're really not involved in the ministry. They're just loving spectators, warming themselves by the fire here. We've got actors and actresses come to this church. We have a number of show people from Broadway that come to this church, and I want you to know every one of them are welcome. And I know many of them have sat for weeks and even months under the ministry here of the Lord. They hear speech about giving up the world, about separation, about first surrender to Christ. I see them clap their hands and they sing and they rejoice with us. But you see, the message we preach really does not affect them. It does not get them to do it. In fact, it gets some of them angry and they say, you pastors just don't understand that's my trade, that's what I do, that's how I make my living. And I'm not here to put anybody down as far as you that consider yourself actors or actresses. But you see, there is a message that's going forth in this church, and that message is separation from the world. It's separation from the world. And I'm completely amazed at people that I know are sitting under the desk and they're never convicted. And we know that they can't deny what the Lord says, but if you align yourself with the world and associate with the world, you're an enemy to God. And they hear that, and yet when it comes to the angel saying, here's the break, they take the break. And even though often it's in law, and they put Christ first on open shame. And I want you to know, saints of God, here comes the church, God put us on Broadway, not to pat Broadway on the back, but to be astounded at the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are here not to pat it on the back, but to confront the sins of the city. The Holy Glory, I've asked the Lord, where is it that we see so much lukewarmness? Why this boy who's considering thinking about the world, and the husbands who just sit and go along with the program, and their heart is leaning out, their bodies are here, but their hearts are not in it. And those who are in church business who can't seem to make the break, even though they love this church, they love to hear the message, and they even call us and say, thank God for that preaching, but it doesn't affect them. And I said, man, why this lukewarmness, man, the hypocrisy, and they're going to do just fine. And I said, man, what's the problem? And the Lord came to me this week and spoke, and broke my heart, and I heard that He spoke something in my heart, David, they really don't love Jesus. They really, and I heard the heartbreak of Christ. I literally broke when I heard the heart of Jesus. It just broke my heart. David, these that you are talking about, they don't love me. They truly don't love me. They say they do, they use the words, but they don't love me. And my Bible is open. I was sitting with my children, sleeping, and my eyes just went down. My Bible is open. First Corinthians, don't turn it. First Corinthians 16, 22. And I looked down, and it leaked right out of me, at my face. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, neanatha. Now, those two Greek words mean, cursed, at the coming of the Lord. Cursed, right at the coming of the Lord. And my heart began to weep in me, and I could feel the heartbreak of Jesus, of those who claim to love Him. But by their actions, by their deeds, they are not loving Him. And Paul the Apostle wrote these words to the Corinthians. He said, them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, those who are called to be saints. It was written to those who are waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul uses some misconductous words in the New Testament. These are misconductous words Paul has ever used. Let him be anathema, neanatha. It means, right at the coming of the Lord. Even though this letter is written for those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord. Them who are supposed to be sanctified in Jesus, called to be saints. If you ask them, yes, I've been called by the Lord to be a saint, to walk with Jesus. Yes, I'm waiting for the coming of the Lord. But Paul says, if they do not love Jesus, let them be cursed at the coming of the Lord. And you hear Paul just bashing up this man who preaches love. This man who preaches grace and loving one another. You hear him bashing this man up. Let him be cursed, if he's not going to love the Lord. Now my Bible says, very clearly, that Paul, in fact, you read Corinthians. And Paul was deserting in this church of Corinth. If there were people who had a little love in the lump yet. There was still some love in there, but love was left in them. He said, no you're not. You've got a little love in the lump if you hang on. Praise God for a little love in you, that you may be a new love. Paul was absolutely shocked at the worldly mixture in the Corinthian church. Paul loved the Corinthian church. God says, that's his favorite church. It's becoming my favorite church. Because there's people full of problems for the whole of this hospital. I mean, the people that were just bummed out in all kinds of problems. But he said, don't you mind if you've got a little love, you've got a love in your whole lump. Praise God for a little love, that you may be a new love. And Paul, though he loved his people. He was shocked at the mixture. The thing about comprehending the word that he was preaching. And Paul pleads. Listen to this. He says, what? He said, don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you? Which you have with God, and you are not your own? Fill your gut with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Paul seems to be saying to the Corinthians, wait a minute. Don't you people understand, can't you see what you're doing? You claim to love Jesus, yet you keep company with fornicators. You're in agreement with the children of Satan. You associate with drunkards and the covetous and idolaters and extortionists. Where's the line, Paul said? He said, what is this? Don't you know the first thing about love for Jesus? He said, if I minister to you then, he said, what is this? I don't understand. Paul was incredulous. He said, don't you see? Don't you know, Paul said, the day is coming that those who love Jesus are going to judge the very people you're associating with? God says you're going to judge these people. How can you be one with them when you're trying to be a judge of them? Therefore put away from among you that wicked person. Paul said, God, you allow yourself to be so deceived. Your body is a member of Christ. Shall you take a member of Christ and join it to a harlot? God forbid. He said, that's a harlot system out there. You're associating with a harlot system. How can you say you're like Jesus? Don't you know that whatever you join yourself with, you become one flesh with it? In other words, you become exactly like the very thing that you join. And then Paul says, why aren't you fleeing from these denitators instead of joining them? Why aren't you running from them? That fellowship has light with darkness. Now listen to me. All this talk about loving Jesus is absolutely of no value unless there's a knife that goes behind it. Unless your actions prove what you say. Little children, let us not love in words, neither in talk, but in deed and in truth. And Paul said, if you're not going to love him in deed, you don't love him at all. If your life doesn't back up what you testify about, you're not loving him. And he said, then let that man, let that woman be cursed. And I'll tell you what, I'm going to make a statement. It's very bold, but I believe it. And it's going to be shown in the scripture. In fact, I'd like you to just follow me very closely. He said, let him be a curse. 1 John 2.19 They went out from us. In fact, I want you to turn to 1 John. Show something back we have of Christ. 1 John. And I want you to go to 1 John, the 3rd chapter. Go to the 2nd chapter. 1 John, the 2nd chapter. I want you to start reading. Verse 18. Little children, it is the last time. How many believe that? I said, how many believe it's the last time? And as you have heard that antichrist shall come. Even now there are many antichrists. But we know that it is the last time. They went out from us. Now where did the antichrist spirit come from? Right out of the church. They went out from us. Look at verse 18. We know it's the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out. The antichrist comes out. And that which was once, listen closely, here it is. That which should have been given to Christ. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Now look this way. I want to make a very bold, strong statement that I believe God put it in my heart. If you are not going to love Jesus, not just in word but in deed. If your life does not testify to what you boast of. Then you are the mixed spirit that is of the antichrist spirit. He said there are many antichrists in the world today. There is a spirit that is in the world today and it is in the church. Who was Lucifer in the first place? Was he not an angel of light? Where does this antichrist Luciferian spirit come from? It comes out of the church system. A backslidden church system. A people of mixture. A people of mixture. What is this thing Paul said let them be anathema? Anathema is a total curse. To be anathematized according to the Catholic church is to be ostracized from the church. That is communicating. But in the kingdom of God it is what a person, an individual does to themselves. They went out from us. They were with us but they went out. They were with us with their words, with their testimony. They said they were with us. They put on the same garment of praise. They said they were with us. But they went out from among us. And you cannot, these two go together. Even now there are many antichrists. They ran out from us. Now this man could be an antichrist. No doubt. He epitomizes this in his full power. Wouldn't it be a tragedy that that very man would come first in a religious garment. Come right out of the church. I don't know who he would be but I know that the scripture says that there are many antichrists right now. And I'm telling you now that that spirit of the antichrist will come upon you. That spirit of the antichrist, that mixture. That lying spirit that says I love Jesus and Paul says you don't love him because you love him in the name of the Lord but not in deeds. Who is a liar? Verse 23, look at it. Verse 22, look at it. Who is a liar that he but denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is what? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Now look at me please. Here's the scenario that Paul describes this. Here's anathema. Here's an individual that says he but said he lives in Him. And look at verse 2, chapter 2 verse 6. He but said he abideth in Him, in Christ, of himself also so to walk. How? Even as he walked. You say you love Jesus? Then you're going to walk as Jesus walked. You're going to walk separated from this world. Yes you can be a friend of sinners but only to witness to them. You're not to partake of their deeds. You're not to be a part of their income. You're not to be a part of their world the scripture says. He but said he abideth in Him, on also so to walk. As he walked. Look at verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, that is a child, the love of the Father is not in him. You say you love me? He said if you're aligned with the world, the love of the Father is not in you. You're not loving Jesus. You do not have the love of Christ in you. Look at verse 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. It's of the world. This one who comes along in these last days, knowing that Jesus is coming. He's a Christian, refusing to be the one of God, refusing to line up to the scripture, refusing to allow Jesus to be the Lord of all. And who is the Lord of Christ but he who will not let Jesus be Lord of us. He will not let Jesus be the Lord of his own for how long. He will not let God be God of his life. He's only Christ. It's only Christ. Did I invent that as if somebody knew about that? So they seek out humanity. They walk away from fornicators. They walk away from evil. They go out from the body of Christ. And they put Christ in their concern and they crucify him all over again. And Paul said let that person be anathema at the coming of the Lord. Let that person be cursed at the coming of the Lord. I can't get away from that. Can't soften that. Now, there are many of Christ who are with us but they went out to be exposed for what was really in their heart. And it's a spirit of deception. 1 Corinthians 10.21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the devil. You cannot be partaken of the Lord's table and the table of devils. You say, by which I'll never go out. I'll never meet Jesus. I'm not a man of Christ. But I'm telling you now. I'm saying to you it's absolutely inevitable. If you associate with the Lord. If you're not genuinely converted to Jesus. If you're not genuinely loving and backing up your love with your life. Stop. The Bible said we will go out from the monks. You will go out. You say I can't stand that faith. It's too nasty a faith I can't handle. That's not the way it's supposed to be. Now I'll tell you what. God's really been shaking up my theology lately. God's just been shaking me from head to toe. Where this last week he shook me up. Because you see I had started working on a message for tonight entitled, Christ our total resource. I got to thinking. Maybe the reason that man forgot to wash his car because he doesn't know all the resources they have in Jesus. He doesn't know Christ can be anything. So he's looking elsewhere. The young man I thought maybe he doesn't know the resources. The goodness of God. And maybe the husbands will come here and show people. And they'll say it's still mixed with the world. Maybe they're not seeing Jesus now in his glory. So I began to work on a message. On the glory of his resources. And the life that begins to flow. And I thought what maybe some of these people are falling away. They're going off on a lull and turning back to the Lord. Because they've never known how to draw on your Jesus. They've never known the power that they have available to them. They've never known how to appropriate. Oh but God blew that right away. And I want to show it to you what the Lord showed me. 1 Corinthians. Go to 1 Corinthians the 10th chapter. Where God showed me that I was dead wrong. There are resources in Jesus. But I'll tell you something. These people, they're walking out. These people have gone to the Lord. It's not a matter of not knowing who Jesus is. It's not a matter of not having drawn on the resources. They know the resources. They've drawn them and they still walked out. It's not a matter of ignorance. I want you to look at 1 Corinthians the 10th chapter. And I'm going to start reading verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, having all of our fathers were under the cloud, walked past through the sea. They were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They would all eat the same spiritual meat. They would all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them. And that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was no more pleased. For they were overfamily and wilderness. Now these things are examples to the intent. We should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. We would be idolaters as were some of them as it is written. But people sat down to eat and drink and it was up to play. We would let us commit fornication as some of them committed. And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. We would let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted. And we would scare the serpents. We would murder you as some of them murdered. We would destroy you. All these things happen under them for examples. They are working for our admonition and for our sake upon whom the ends of the world are coming. Wherefore none that thinketh he shall take you lest he fall. Now look this way please and follow me. Take a good look, Paul said, at our fathers. Our children of God. These were children of God but some of them are our fathers. Paul says they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea. That's a type of being baptized into Jesus. That's a type of being brought out of the world, out of Egypt. The cloud represents clear divine guidance. It represents the presence of the Lord Jesus. It represents detailed perfect guidance. In fact these very people that Paul is talking about, Moses once said to them that every people heard the voice of God speaking out in the midst of the fire as you have heard and lived. He said there have never been a people on earth like you that so clearly heard the voice of God and lived. You heard the actual, living, dynamic voice of Almighty God. So these people are not in darkness, know that. They were not orphans. They were not spiritual orphans just abandoned in the wilderness. Note the scripture Paul said they did all eat the same spiritual meat. They drank the same spiritual drink. They all drank the spiritual rock which was Christ. They were procreating Jesus Christ. They were India's resources. God opened the small houses in heaven and poured out a blessing on these people. Orphans in the wilderness, their clothes never wore out. That living water followed them through the wilderness. Their clothes never wore out. Their shoes seemed to go with their feet. There was never a day that they were hungry. They weren't satisfied. They were hungry. He satisfied their thirst. He led them. He guided them. The Bible says, God said to them, you lack nothing. You all saw all the great works of the Lord. But here are people that are daily drawing on their storehouse. They've got every need met. They're fully convinced that God's able to supply every need and do everything to them. And He's proven it. We've got people who say, well, I have to do this because that's the only way I can make a living. I've got to make money. There's somebody in this church that is feeling that something might be possible. He says, I have to do it. God has to send me an angel. No, that's not true. That's not true at all. There's not a person here that's been attending this church that can honestly say that God ever lets you down. God has been a perfect supplier. He said, brother, I don't want you to miss the point. He said, our fathers had the blessing of God. Our fathers in the wilderness had the resources. He said, we don't need a message about resources. You've already tasted it. You've been in this storehouse. You've had it. You've tasted and seen what the Lord is doing. Let His mercy endure us forever. You've been in the forgiving fire of His blood. You've been anointed in the Holy Ghost. You've touched the fire of heaven. I've heard the compromiser say, I'm forced to do what I have to do. I've got to pay my bills. You know, I went to the Lord this week and I said, maybe it could not be true that we've got people that are just kind of being winged away from the thing. Maybe we should be just a little more patient. Maybe we should just kind of overlook it. But God came back to me and said, no David, we have not lacked anything. They've not lacked anything. I've proven myself to them. You see, it's not such a lack of resources as much as it is a lack of fun. You see, God was great and powerful and all sufficient, but He wasn't much fun. He wasn't much fun. There wasn't much praise into it. The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to pray. There was a lust in them. And this lust in them looked past the resources of Christ. And you know what you have to do to get out from the menace? You've got to walk past the heads that He has erected. You've got to force your way through the wall of fire. And you have to walk away from the presence of Jesus, who is the glory therein. It's not easy to go to hell. You've got to fight every inch to get there. He falls like roadblock after roadblock after roadblock. You have to run hell off of that to do it. And yet these people wanted it. They said, this is too straight, this is too strict. And I know there are preachers right in this city. They'll tell you, you can live as you please, as long as you have grace from God's good giving light. Well, go ahead and go to that church, buddy, and you're in a better hell. Because that's right where you're headed if you believe that kind of gospel. And we have people who come to this church saying, it's too hard, it's too hard. Man, Jesus said, my work is easy, my burden is light. You stay inside the wall of fire. You stay inside the heads that He's built. There's nothing but glory. Hallelujah. The commandments, Jesus said, He that loveth me keepeth my commandments. Don't let any preacher tell you they're not commandments. The Bible's full of commandments. But David said, they're the joy of my heart. He said, dude, commandments are my soul. I love it when God tells me, David, you can't do that nonsense, but I'm going to give you the power not to do it. Hallelujah. Remember, a skinny, fair, female drug addict. Right now, I can't remember her name. I don't know whether it was Anita or Maria. But she was very, very skinny and fair when she came. This was years ago when she came to Charlottesville. She looked like, runned over, deaf. And her teeth were rotted. And the skin had burned from heroin addiction. She had a very heavy mainline problem. She took cocaine. Over the next three months, God blessed her. Some people gave us money to get her to shave her false teeth. The collar came back to her face, and they shaved her hair. And that prostitute, who not even drug addicts would look at. She was just like an animal. They began to nod to her in the halls, because she had high heels now. She had stockings. She had teeth. And the collar came back. And she was not a skinny girl anymore. She gained about 10, 15 pounds. And the collar came back to her face. And I was so proud of what God was doing in her heart. And she'd sit in chapel. The first three months, it was wonderful. She just nodded her head and told everybody about it. She'd get up in a few churches and tell the story. Everybody at King Charles was very proud of her. And I noticed about three, four months later, in chapel one day, she had her head down and had that bored look. Oh, I get scared when I see that bored look. I get scared. You should not be bored in the house of God. You ought to be bored in the presence of the Lord. If you're bored, you're halfway to the door. Well, one day, I came into the center. One of the social team had said, Liz, Dr. O'Baggs is leaving. They called in the office and said, What's happening? I said, God's changed you. Look at you. You're not the woman that came in here. She said, Mr. Wilkerson, I can't live like this. All this hallelujah stuff, morning and night, and Bible, Bible, Bible. All you get is preaching. She said, to tell you the truth, I miss the parties. I miss the fun. Fun, she was half dead. They had to help carry her in. That's how the devil lies. You're missing the fun. What fun? I'm late for the funeral. She walked out. They brought her to Spanish Harlem. Three months later, got her a telephone call. Asked if T. Jones could spare $300 to help bury her. She was on the rooftop, eight floors up. She was prostituting. Got $5 for a trick. She was coming down the stairs. The junkie found out she had the $5. Chased her back up. Was one of the friends of the fellow on the roof. Fighting for the $5. He pushed her off the roof. She fell, cracked her skull, was killed. She had one of my cards on her. On her person. Buried her down there on the side in one room funeral parlors. And her aunt was the only one at the funeral. We had provided just a box, really, and a couple folding chairs in that place. It was a pitiful moment. In fact, the aunt that was there had 27 stitches down her face. She'd been slashed on her face. Somebody had slashed her and was killed. And she said, Pastor, she went crazy when she left the center. She just went wild. I'll never forget that funeral. As long as I live. She wanted fun. This lusting inside. Like, I'm missing something. This is too strict. This is too straight. It seems some of you are listening to me right now. You're saying there's this many dates. You're tired of the spiritual warfare. You're tired of the battle. You don't want a battle. You want a party. You want to eat and drink and be merry. Some of you don't come to teeth in Friday night because you're out eating with your friends. Since an outright rebellion against this resignation from the spiritual warfare, I feel like I'm being strangled, they say. I don't want to be under this kind of look. I want a little bit of freedom. I want laughter. I want fun. I want pleasure. I want pleasure. But it's a rose up to play. Now, this is not vacation time. This is not dad playing with his kids. This is not sports. This is a spirit of rebellion. It's based on lust. I'm a darling of simple lust. There's many ways to cause out. You can serve Jesus and still throw around a little bit. You don't have to be so moral, so bound up, so legal. Ease up. You don't want to offend. I cringe when I hear preachers screaming against legalism. Anything we don't like, we call it legalism. And I'll tell you, those who rise up to eat and drink and those who rise up to play, it all results in disaster. God was not well pleased with them. They were overthrown in the wilderness and they were destroyed by the serpent. The Bible says they tempted Christ. Now, how could you tempt Christ when He's not even born yet? Our Father has tempted Him in the wilderness. Here's how it happens. Jesus had been their meat and their drink. He had fully satisfied them. There was a time they could honestly say, I'm satisfied with Jesus. But then they worried of Him. They worried of the goodness of God. And they deliberately, with no legitimate reason whatsoever, they turned to the Lord. And here's the trick. Here's the trick. Oh, the devil is sly. They murmured. They had no reason to murmur because they had all the resources in heaven and almighty God, but they murmured because it's a cover-up. Let me tell you how it works. I had a man last Sunday meet me backstage. And when I hear a man take me aside and start whispering, I know something's coming. He said, baby, I've got to tell you about a problem in my home about my wife. And when I hear a man complaining about his wife and murmuring, I'm looking for her. He said, this wife of mine, she doesn't love me. I don't love her anymore. There's no spiritual life. And I said, you're having an affair, aren't you? And his head went down and he said, yes, sir. He said, but the woman, my wife doesn't know about it. I said, well, don't be too sure of that. Mister, don't be so sure she doesn't know. She always knows. Don't be so smart that he doesn't know he knows. Because he tells so many lies to cover it up. You always have to get away and be by yourself. You always have a little space because of this. Now then, let's say you get to the telephone. And speak to her, because she's a sweetheart. So you're cheating. I said, so you're cheating, aren't you? He said, yeah, but she does the pre-constitution. She's on fire for God. He said, that made it all right. See, Doug Watson, you don't understand. I've been married to my wife for, I think you said 25 years. And she really, she really doesn't communicate with me anymore. I don't want to lose her. I heard this man mummy about his wife and said, she doesn't love me, she doesn't like me. This other woman, she makes me feel important. She makes me feel young and on and on and on. He started murmuring. They murmured. Let me tell you the trick of the devil in that. You see, you have to have an excuse for having that afternoon. You have to have an excuse for breaking down their heads and dusting through that wall of fire. You have to have an excuse. So you murmured. I said, so I'll tell you something. Your wife is a good wife, isn't she? He said, yes, she really is. And she really loves you, doesn't she? Yes. And you don't want to lose her? No. But you can't leave her? No. And that's, that's where it is. Right there. In fact, I don't know if I hugged him or not. I warmed him. It's all going to come right out in the open. And I would say, we could get by now. See, his wife probably knows that I don't get up here in the middle of this anyway. Amen. If you're going to cheat on Jesus, you have to start bringing a case against him. You have to say, I prayed and he never answered me. I've got to eat and my bills are not being paid. You've got to bring a case to justify your cheating on him. Amen. Have you heard people moan it? They walk out and they say, well, I tried it and the Lord let me down. They don't say it so many times, but that's what they mean. There's been so much comfort. I just can't stand those pastors anymore. They're just yelling and hollering and thundering all the time. God let me down. He didn't stop me from doing those sinful things. He didn't answer my prayer. Things have gone so bad. He didn't take the temptation away. I've lived in too much fear and bondage. I don't have enough happiness. These are all convenient lies. My Bible says that you've been eating and drinking from the fountain. You were coming from a cloud. And you went through the sea. You came out of Egypt. You were no danger. You were blessed. But now you have to have a life. And Steve, you're cheating on him. And I tell you what, there's no mystery to what's going to happen to you. It's never found. They will destroy the serpents. They will destroy the destroyer. The Bible said, he that loves the world becomes an enemy to God. And now, you walk out of Egypt and you're cheating on him. And now the Bible says that you open yourself to a whole gang of demonic spirits. You open yourself to the destroyer. Now who am I speaking to? I'm speaking to the Christian housewife. This woman who's been listening to the seductive lie, that seductive call of the enemy, deep down inside. That says, now look, all you are is a housewife. You're missing out on life. You're not really appreciated like you ought to be. You've never really been happy. Why not reach out somewhere else? Just for once, you deserve some happiness. The devil is coming to many housewives, and some of you are sitting here right now. And you look at your life, and the years that you've spent on investment, and sometimes it looks like you're wasting time. You'd better have to come here and tell you it's not worth it. Is this how I get out of life? Sister, if you were playing on the recesses of Jesus, the conditions may not change. But he can so change you, that Jesus becomes the absolute joy of your life, night and day, every week and hour. But the devil will come to you and say, do a little cheating. Do a little cheating. Look for happiness somewhere. Somewhere. Now in these last days, and I'm not going to preach much more. I've got one more thing I've got to say. And it comes from the prophecy of Hosea. If you go to Hosea, before I make a statement, I want you to go to Hosea. This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two. Second chapter of Hosea. If you're Daniel, you're too far left. Go to the right. And if you're to Joel, turn left. Hosea, the second chapter. Could you leave your Bible up there for just a moment? Look here. As soon as you find it. Did you find it? It's there. You notice I'm not screaming at anybody around? And I still have the anointing? Oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Except make me think that I'll be in a bondage room thinking I yell too much. Hosea said, look, I want to make a statement. In His last days, the Lord Jesus is going to have Himself a people that are absolutely faithful to Him, with no other love in their life. Totally given to Him. And boy, the Lord, I said, how do I wrap up this message? And the Holy Spirit sent me to Isaiah, the second chapter here, and I want you to look at verse 4 to begin with. And I will not have mercy upon her children, for they be the children of mortals. Now, what that's saying, God's people have turned toward Him. There's a spiritual harlotry in the church. For the mother has played the harlot. She's conceived them, and she said, I will go after my lovers that give me my bread. You know bread? You ever hear kids say, I gotta go make some bread? That's payday. It's money. I get my pay. You know what that means? Let me read it again. I will go after my lovers that give me my bread. Who are your lovers? Who's giving you your bread? Where are you getting it from? And my water, my wool, and my flocks, my air, and my drink. Therefore the Lord, I will hedge up the way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her path. You know what that means? God said, I'm so determined to have a people. And He's speaking not only of the final moving of the Spirit in Israel. He's talking about His church. Now, folks, listen to me very closely. I want to say it as simply as I can, as simply as the Lord gave it to me. In these last days, the Holy Spirit is raising up the people. God said, it's not because of your righteousness, but for my own name's sake. Because I have got to have a people in these last days that are faithful. He's not going to have another Israel that dies in the wilderness and only two go in. No. He's going to have a body that goes in. And have a people that's faithful. But God said, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. They're so dead on wilderness. They're so dead on these things. I'm going to build walls around them. I'm going to put road blocks in front of them so they can't find their path. I'm just going to confuse that part of their life. Verse 6, Therefore, behold, I will heads up the way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her path. Glory be to God. The Lord is going to heads in a people. He's doing that here in Times Square Church. Verse 7, And she shall follow after her lovers, that she shall not overtake them. She shall seek them, but shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband. For then was it better than with me. For it may be good now. Can you hear what he's saying? The Lord's going to say, I'm going to make them so disgusted with the world. Anything they try is going to turn out wrong. You know what I'm praying for? I'll tell you what. Please pastor, I serve your heart. If you're in show business. We love you with everything in us. We're not haranguing with you. But I'll tell you what our prayer is. Since this thing is so heavy on you, you can't make the choice yet. The Lord lets you go out, but then everywhere you go there's going to be heads in front of you. There's going to be thorns everywhere you turn. They're going to prick you, eagerly, to save you. And then it's going to get so that you seek after these lovers. You can't overtake them. You can't get them. Everything's going to turn wrong. Everything's going to go wrong. You get so sick of it. You say, when I was at Times Square Church. You're sick of it. Once you've been there, you're better than this. It was better. I'm going back. I'm going back. And I'll tell you what, there'll be a people here waiting. With open arms. Not saying, I told you so. Saying, hey, this is better. This is better. Hallelujah. There are no regrets. Look at verse 13. The last part. Said, she went after her lovers. And forget me, saith the Lord. But look at verse 16. I will be troth unto me. For even yea, I will be troth unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even be troth unto me in faithfulness. And thou shalt know the Lord. Verse 23. And I will sow unto her, I will sow her unto me in the earth. I will plant a church that's given unto me in these last days. Praise the Bible if you will, please. God made me a promise this afternoon. Powerful promise. But tonight, including this morning, tonight. We'll continue Tuesday night. But especially right now. God was going to do something for this church. And here's what I've asked him to do and he's promised to do it. He's going to start establishing some of you husbands. That have been on the fence. God said, no more on the fence. Holy Ghost is going to come and nudge you. Open your grave pastors, you're going to fall right off the fence tonight. He's going to push you. Not your wife. Wife, you give up. If God can't do it, you can't do it. Husband, leave it up to the Lord. If God's just going to nudge you and say, I'm going to plant you for me now. I'm going to block every... I'm going to bring you to a place where you're going to want me. You're going to need me. And I'm going to show you that I'm the better way. Hallelujah. God's going to do something in establishing many of you tonight. In saying, I'm going to walk with Jesus no matter what the cost. I am going to do what God told me to do. I'm going to pay the price. Hallelujah. I'm going to love him with all my heart. Not just in my tongue, not in my talk, but in my walk. Will you stand please. Hallelujah. Go do something different tonight. Avoid invitation to husbands. Husbands, now if you're single, stay in your seat for a while. You know what God's looking for men? Men that can come in a church like this and sit there with their whole heart. And they become a high priest in their home. But they're the one that sets the standard. It's not your wife saying, let's go. Not that wife that's put the fire under you, that it's the Holy Spirit in you. God's looking for men. And I want to see another call here tonight of men that come up here and say, Brother Dave, pastors, this church, I declare with all my heart that I'm not going to walk halfway with Jesus. I'm going all the way. My business is going to be secondary. Sports is secondary. Everything else in my life is second. And down the line, I want Jesus to consume my soul. I'm going all the way with Jesus. I want husbands. Up in the balcony. Come in the main floor. Come on, husbands. Why don't you come and join these men up here right now. Husbands. Husbands. I'd rather have Jesus. Christ is unbound. I'd rather have a Jesus. Than the high and his ends. For my revelry bled in His nice hand Oh, I'd rather have Jesus than a man close Oh, I'd rather be faithful to Him still close And I'd rather have Jesus than a wide, wide fame Yes, I'd rather be true to His name I believe it you're saying, take that step Oh, He's fairer than the leaves of prairies bloom Oh, He's sweeter than honey from out the comb Yes, He's all that my hungering spirit needs Oh, I'd rather have Jesus than let Him lead Oh, I'd rather have Jesus than a man close This is the conclusion of the tape.