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Unholy Boldness
Carter Conlon

Carter Conlon (1953 - ). Canadian-American pastor, author, and speaker born in Noranda, Quebec. Raised in a secular home, he became a police officer after earning a bachelor’s degree in law and sociology from Carleton University. Converted in 1978 after a spiritual encounter, he left policing in 1987 to enter ministry, founding a church, Christian school, and food bank in Riceville, Canada, while operating a sheep farm. In 1994, he joined Times Square Church in New York City at David Wilkerson’s invitation, serving as senior pastor from 2001 to 2020, growing it to over 10,000 members from 100 nationalities. Conlon authored books like It’s Time to Pray (2018), with proceeds supporting the Compassion Fund. Known for his prayer initiatives, he launched the Worldwide Prayer Meeting in 2015, reaching 200 countries, and “For Pastors Only,” mentoring thousands globally. Married to Teresa, an associate pastor and Summit International School president, they have three children and nine grandchildren. His preaching, aired on 320 radio stations, emphasizes repentance and hope. Conlon remains general overseer, speaking at global conferences.
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Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes that the responsibility of preaching the word of God is not limited to high-profile ministers, but extends to every believer in their daily lives. The speaker references Daniel 10:5, where God reveals to Daniel what will happen in the latter days. The unveiling of Christ's message first comes to the church, as judgment begins there. The speaker warns that some may face discomfort and upheaval as God works in their lives, but encourages believers to yield to what Christ is revealing in their hearts. The sermon concludes with the reminder that as genuine Christians, we are blessed if we read, hear, and keep the words of prophecy written in the Bible.
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Sermon Transcription
Revelation chapter 1, and I'm going to read from verses 1 to 3, I'm speaking about unholy boldness. Now you won't grasp where this is going in the beginning, but you will eventually. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John, who bear record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand. Now the revelation of Jesus Christ is, the word revelation is probably better translated as an unveiling, a disclosing. That means Jesus Christ comes, and if he has been an ambiguous spiritual figure in the minds of some, he says, I'm going to come, and if there's any doubt as to who I am, and to what the intentions of my heart are, and what type of a God as it is that I am, I'm going to unveil Christ, and you're going to see me. And this unveiling is so that you may understand the future, now your own future, as well as the future of the world. There's a duality of futures in the book of Revelation. Jesus Christ comes first to John, he's unveiled, and of course the unveiling goes first to the church, and shows the condition of the church, and also there's a revelation of course throughout the book of the future of the church, and we know that in the book of Revelation the church, for example, goes through some very difficult times, has to go through some of the same troubling that the world must endure, but the church has a different future. I'm talking about those who are Christ's, have an absolutely different future. They go through these times of trouble and difficulty with the testimony of God's grace and glory on their lips, and a song in their heart, that nothing of this world can take away from them. Ultimately the world is judged, and those who played games with God are judged as well, and the church rises of course triumphant. We know the book, we know the end of the story. So folks, it doesn't matter so much what's ahead of us, we are going to go through, no matter what we have to go through. If you are a genuine Christian, the Bible says in verse 3 of Revelation 1, if you read and hear the words of this prophecy, and you keep those things that are written therein, you are blessed. Now we know from previous study that the word blessed in the Greek is Markarios, which means that you are indwelt by Christ and fully satisfied. And this is the promise of God. Being a Christian does not mean we won't have to go through difficult times, but it does mean if we are willing to hear, and we are willing to embrace this revelation of Christ as he unveils himself in the manner that he wants his life to be understood and lived within us, then we will be indwelt by him. It won't come to the casual seeker. The casual seeker is not going to know this. Your heart's got to be engaged with the heart of God. You have to want to hear. You have to want to move toward and do the things that God begins to speak to your heart. Not enough just to know truth. The Bible warns that there will be a people in the last days who are learning, and yes, they might even be learning correct things, but they're not applying them. They're not moving towards what they're learning. It becomes head knowledge. They might even be magnificent Bible expounders, but they're not moving into it themselves, only to find themselves in the end terrified, confused, and in many cases outside even of the kingdom of God. Now Paul says in the book of Thessalonians, I'll read it to you for time's sake, in chapter 5 of 1st Thessalonians verses 2 to 9, he said, you know yourselves perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night, and when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as travail or labor upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You're all children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Now there are times coming, folks, and I think you're aware of it, and these recent events that have happened here on our borders are just foreshadows. If they're not actually the beginning of some difficult days, they are foreshadows of what it's going to be like. And the Bible says clearly it will come suddenly. People will not, they will, their natural bravado, as it is of man's hearts, Jesus said, are going to fail them. The calamities are going to come suddenly. They're going to be repeated. It's as birth pains of a woman who's about to deliver a child, and of course this world is about to deliver the church of Jesus Christ. This world is about to perish, and the church is about to come forth. The dead in Christ are going to rise. What a glorious day that is going to be. I'm not, my hope and trust is not in anything of this world. My hope and trust is in Christ. Jesus describes it in Luke 21 as a distress of nations, perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. The natural bravado, this naturalness that comes from the human spirit that is on its journey far away, seeking life without the life that God gives, has a measure of picking itself up as it is, but that's going to fail. Even the Old Testament prophets warned that the ambassadors of peace are going to weep bitterly. All of the plans to try to tame an untameable soul of fallen man are going to fail, and the weight of man's sin is going to touch the very place where he lives, this very planet Earth. Paul the Apostle says creation itself is groaning for the release as it is from the weight of sin that has come upon it because of the condition of fallen man. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 27 tells us that one day soon all that remains, all that will remain of the heavens and the earth is that which cannot be shaken. Everything that can be shaken is going to be shaken. The very powers of the heaven are going to be shaken. It's going to happen suddenly, it's going to be a quick work. Hebrews 12 28, the writer says, wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. We have a kingdom that cannot be moved. I have within me the very life of God, the same Holy Spirit that said let there be light lives inside of me. I have within me the one who was here before it began and the one will be here when it is all over. The kingdom is not anything of this world. The kingdom of God, Jesus said, is within you. It is Christ in you that is the hope of glory. It is Christ that gave me life. It is Christ that carries me through my day. It is Christ that makes me all that I am. It is Christ that will lay me in the grave when I die and it was Christ that will resurrect me from the dead when it is all over. Peter said in 1st Peter 4 17, the time has come, the judgment must begin at the house of God. Now it's interesting that Peter considered the time to be in his day. The judgment had begun and it had begun at the house of God. Now we've shared on this in past weeks and those who have been here, you hopefully understand this, that the judgment that begins in the house of God is not a judgment to condemn the church. It is this constant judging, it is this heart of the genuine Christian that says Jesus come into this temple where you now dwell of the Holy Ghost and all of the tables and all of the dove selling and all of the things that have found a lodging place in me that offend your nature, overturn it, judge it. That's why Paul says in Corinthians, if we judge ourselves we should not be judged with the world. We are allowing, we are inviting, this judgment is an ongoing judgment in the life of the genuine Christian. The true Christian says Jesus appear to me, come examine my heart, prove me, try me, see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of life everlasting. Let your glory be manifested in this temple. Let people who come in contact with the living Christ within these earthen vessels, let them find healing, let them find hope, let them find words of life, let them find the tender touch of God, let them find comfort and consolation, strength and direction that only can be given by God. Let them look upon our lives and have to acknowledge there is a God in heaven. He does live in the hearts of men. He does sit at the right hand of all power and glory. He does reign. He is God. There is no other name given under heaven whereby men must be saved. Let them acknowledge that Christ is alive. Let them see Christ in us, should be the cry of the church. This is not an hour for the church to be ducking and hiding and looking for its own safety. This is an hour to be standing on a hill as a burning bright light in the midst of a darkened time, saying, Jesus, let your glory, let your glory, let your glory be manifested in my life, O God. Make me a hundred times more than I am. Set me in a hundred places more than I can naturally go. Let there be an outflow of my life, of this living water that you promised that you would give to all who place their trust in you. Now, this unveiling of Christ first comes to his church because judgment always begins at the house of God. Not a judgment to condemn, although that may be in some cases the inevitable result of those who refuse in their hearts this unveiling of Christ. And it's tragic to think that people who are sitting in this house today, hearing my voice, might end up in hell. It's tragic to think so. But I tell you, folks, if Christ is unveiling himself and you harden your heart against it, there's nowhere else that you can go. And I will prove it to you in just a moment. When Jesus unveils himself first to his church, and this is what happens in the book, The Revelation, I really wish I had time to explain what I feel the Holy Spirit is speaking to me this morning. I see it all through the Old Testament. I see the people coming out of the wilderness and the justice as it is, judging that which offends his nature all the way through these trials in the wilderness in order to bring in a people into a place of promise, a people that honestly glorify his name because that's been the point and purpose of what God has been doing. That's why he leaves the people on the earth. That's why you and I are here. We're to be a testimony of the fact that he is alive and not a verbal testimony, a living testimony. There is quite a difference, folks. There are many churches that are verbal testimonies, but they're not living testimonies. Now, this unveiling, you could say it's a preliminary gathering out of his kingdom all things that offend. Now, there will come a day, Jesus said, the Father will send the angels. The angels will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend. Now, at that time, it's going to be too late. He's coming down and he's rooting out that which has offended the very work and nature of Christ. And Jesus said it. I can't say it more clear than him. He said it'll be bundled up and cast into the fire. Now, I don't know how you could ever equate that with heaven. It doesn't really sound like a very good end to me. But this unveiling of Christ is a preliminary gathering. It's a gathering that is called for, cried for. It's a gathering we ask for. It's a gathering I ask for in my prayer time. I say, God, if anything is getting a hold of my heart that is going to cause your name first. It's not all just about my safety and security. It's about the name of Christ. If it's going to cause harm to your name, if it's going to grieve your heart, if it's not you living your life through me, then gather it and take it out. Take out what offends you, Jesus. Out of my heart and out of my life. And I believe that has to be the cry of the true Christian. It has to be. If I'm a true Christian, if you're a true Christian, we're not coming here just so that we can gather and glean some new promise every week as wonderful as that may be. There has to be an end result to this. It's that Christ be absolutely glorified in our lives. Now, Revelation chapter 1, verses 5 and 6 says, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and his father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. You see, beloved, these verses tell me clearly that I am, first of all, I am loved. That God loves me. God loves you. You have to know that. His going to the cross, folks, was not just God fulfilling some legal obligation for his fallen creation. He went to the cross because he passionately loves you. There's a passion in the heart of God that caused him to become a man. He was not willing to lose you. And in so much that he was willing to become a man and pay the price for your sins. I am loved of God. I am washed from my sin in his own blood. I am called, as you are, to be a king and a priest to God. I'm called to minister before God first, obviously, but also I stand and you stand as a Christian. I'm not talking now just about in the sanctuary and in the church, but in society in general. I stand as a king and a priest to God. I stand as a, I'm called to stand as a living testimony. A man, a woman as it is, if you're here attending this morning, that we walk through this world and as the scripture says, we leave a savor of Christ. We leave a sweetness as we walk through and we are trusting God. We live our days worshiping God. We see things from an eternal perspective. We don't look at men as trees just walking, but we see them as eternally created in the image of God, passionately loved by their savior. It causes us to live and think and move and have our being in God. We move a certain way through this world and we make a difference for God's glory and for God's good. Called to be a king and a priest. Not just a ministry, not just those who stand behind pulpits, not just those who play instruments and sing in choirs, but you and I are all called to be kings and priests and you have to settle the issue because it's clearly in the scripture. Now to this church time of kings and priests, Christ comes and in the context of the revelation, in the context of things are coming on the world that is going to be very, very difficult, he unveils himself as it is. For those who want me, here I am. In other words, this is how I think. This is how I move. This is my heart. This is how I feel. And he unveils himself to his church. The assumption we make is that the church, especially, of course, this is in this is first generation. John, the beloved who leaned on his breast at the Last Supper, is still alive. This is given to John. This is barely a breath from the cross. I believe John Calvin, I was reading recently, said we make a tremendous error in thinking that the first century church was pure to the core because it wasn't pure to the core. The same elements of human corruption were in this early church as are and have been in church generations right down to our specific day. Now, you would think that this early church, the cross is so fresh, the history is right before them. The disciple, John, is still alive. You'd think that they would just literally fall on their knees and say, oh, God, thank you for the revelation of Jesus Christ. But history doesn't bear witness that this was the cry of every Christian in the time of John. Jesus revealed himself and that revelation. He came and he began to walk among the candlesticks, which is the testimony of his own church. He does this, you know, he'll walk in the candlestick of my own heart if I want him to. He'll come to me and he'll begin to speak to me if I want him to. And he'll walk in this temple. And as he walks in the temple, he will begin to very tenderly say, this is who I am. This is what you're making me. But this is who I am. This is what you're thinking. But these are my thoughts. And if you and I are genuinely concerned about the testimony of Christ, then there should be, we should be among those who say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the Holy Spirit who comes within me and reveals Christ to me and inside of me and opens my mind to who Christ is and helps me to understand that the things he shows me is because he loves me and wants his testimony to be firmly established in my life. But this wasn't the case to the seven churches at the time of the Apostle John. Some, the scripture tells us, were flirting with deadly theology and this deadly theology was drawing their hearts into union with practices which God had expressly forbidden. And I think of today of those who might be sitting here and you're wanting the unveiling of Christ and the unveiling of Christ is going to speak to you that you're flirting with deadly theology. You're picking up Christian books and you're watching Christian television. You're flirting with theology that God has expressly forbidden. He tells us that covetousness is idolatry and idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God. And the ministry now, the airways are full of absolute thievery and covetousness. That is another Christ. It's another manifestation of a wrong manifestation of Christ as it is. But many are flirting with this and you want Christ, but you want to be rich and you're curious and you're tuning in. Is it possible that if I just send this man my thousand dollars that I will have one hundred thousand dollars in return? And you are flirting with deadly theology. And many, many people in the day of John's revelation were told this. The churches were expressly shown that this association with these ones that were drawing them into the ways of the world. They were looking for comfort in the ways of the world. They're looking for success the way the world looks for success. They were following the theologies of Balaam and such like, which is strictly looking for materialism to bring about happiness. It really all boils down to it. And there were others that were being taught that it is as a Christian, I am free to commit any kind of moral atrocities that I want to. I can I can be an adultery. I can have premarital sex. I can live a homosexual lifestyle and everything is just fine. And people in the days of John and the churches of Revelation were believing this. But the revelation of Jesus Christ came to expose it. But not everybody was willing to bow their knee to it. Others were warned that they were near death spiritually and they were riding on former reputation. God forbid that should ever happen to you and I. God forbid that should ever come to this house. God forbid. God forbid that ever Times Square Church should ride on former reputation and lose the heart of seeking Christ and lose that cry that says Jesus be glorified in and through our lives. Others were already worldly and they had little or no awareness left of their need of God. They were the lead to see and church, for example, was rich and had goods and said I have need of nothing. They were completely worldly. They were lukewarm. There was no passion for the unveiling of Christ. They didn't love the appearing of Christ. And they were not aware that they had lost their need of God and others were working hard but losing their first love. And this is the church of Ephesus, they were a doctrinal church and they're examining and proving and studying and working and laboring, but they were losing their first love. And in the context of what I'm speaking today, I see that first love as the as Paul says, the love of his appearing. This is what they were losing, this love of the appearing of Christ, this appearance that challenged their wrong religious practices in the beginning, this appearance of Christ that came to some as Paul preached and said, you are worshiping a God of ignorance, but I come now to declare to you who he is. And in the early stages of many of these people, they loved his appearing. They clamored perhaps to hear some of these early men and women expound the word of God. And they just loved this unveiling of Jesus Christ. It didn't matter what it exposed in their heart. It didn't matter how it showed them to be deficient because they were secure in the fact that God loved them and they loved his appearing and they were losing that first love. And it was all now works and it was all just what can we do for God? The whole focus was shifting from how does Christ want to be revealed through us to what can we do for God? Beware of that, beloved. Don't let it happen. Now, church historians, early church historians tell us that Ephesus had an initial response to this unveiling of Christ through John, but then historically just faded away and disappeared. And there is no trace of the Church of Ephesus left today in that part of the world. Now, we ask ourselves the questions now, what happens to those people who will not yield to the unveiling of Christ? What happens to them? If I'm sitting here today and Christ Jesus is being unveiled before me now, unveiled by nature and character, what happens to me if I resist this unveiling? I'm going to prove something to you. If you'll go in the Old Testament to the book of Numbers, please. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, chapter 16. I'm going to be speaking now about unholy boldness. Unholy boldness is those who defy the authority of God. And this is exactly what happened in Numbers, chapter 16. The people had come out of darkness. There was an established leadership over them. God, as it is, was revealing himself through the leadership of Moses and Aaron that he had established over his people. He was unveiled in the sense that there was a historical perspective of his judgments. They knew the judgments that came upon those that resisted him in Egypt. They had seen the manifestation, as it is, of the pillar of fire, knowing that God's presence gives light to those who are walking with him and brings judgment on those that are attempting to pursue the people of God. And they had this history. They saw the glory over the tabernacle and they knew all of these things. And many of the people of that time were called out from the people and they became people of renown. That's what the scripture says. They became men of renown. I don't know what happened. They somehow pressed in, perhaps in the beginning. And when we press into God, he does give us abilities. He does give us talents. He does begin to manifest his life through us. And there were certain men who took leadership upon themselves and they gathered 250, the scripture says, men of renown, men who had a reputation, men who stood before the people like you and I do in our society. And they were representatives, as it is, of God. And all of a sudden something got a hold of these people and they gathered themselves together. Verse three, let's go to verse two in chapter 16. It says there rose up before Moses certain of the children of Israel, 250 princes of the assembly famous in the congregation, men of renown. Now, these are not novices. These are people who have known some measure of the calling, the life and the grace of God. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said, you take too much upon you. Seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, the Lord is among them. Why then do you lift up yourselves before the congregation of the Lord? Now, Moses heard it and he fell on his face. Verse four, verse five says he spake to Korah and all his company, saying, even tomorrow the Lord will show who's are his and who is holy. Now, here's how God does it and will cause him to come near to him. Even him who he has chosen, will he cause to come near to him? That's an incredible thing. There are many, many people who claim to be holy, many people who claim to be leaders, many people who claim to have some kind of spiritual insight. But God says there is a line of demarcation that I draw and no man can cross it. Those that are mine, I cause them to come near to me. And the evidence that they are near to me is that there's a change. They are constantly changing from image to image and glory to glory as by the spirit of God. They are not proud. They are not stubborn. They are not resistors of God. They're not looking for power and position. They're not trying to gain influence over men's lives for anything other than for the glory of God. There's no other reason. Their sense of accomplishment is not in the size of their ministry. It's in the fact that they have obeyed God. They have stood before God. They have a clean conscience. And one day the whole heart says, I just want to stand before him and hear him say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in a few things. Now we have this group that suddenly defies the authority of God. Now, standing in defiance of Moses, for example, is not a whole lot different than the people in Revelation who had an unveiling because it was you have to keep in mind it's through Moses that God is unveiling in the Old Testament, his character. You go to the book of Revelation and Jesus now by the Holy Spirit is being unveiled to his church. Now, these men are standing and they are resisting this unveiling. And Moses said to them in verse eight, he said, I pray you, you sons of Levi. Verse nine, does it seem that a small things to you that God, the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? And he has brought thee near to him and all thy brethren, the sons of Levi with thee. And you seek the priesthood also. In other words, is it a small thing that God has come to you and God has saved you out of darkness and God has called you? But now you are becoming your own priest. You are becoming your own standard, your own authority. You are now the judge of what is right and wrong. You are now the judge of what is holy and what is unholy. And God is no longer able to unveil himself to you. He cannot draw you to himself because you have another standard. You become your own priest. And folks, this happens through the church age. It happens to the heart of the unwary Christian, where we actually become our own standard. God cannot speak anymore because we in our own pride become the judges of what is right and what is wrong, what is holy and what is unholy, what is clean, what is pure. And we set up a whole other temple. And Moses, verse 16, said to Korah, Be thou in all thy company before the Lord, thou and they and Aaron tomorrow. Verse 19 says Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation, the glory of the Lord. This glory of Christ, this unveiling of Christ that you and I cry for, that you and I ought to want if we are genuine followers of Jesus Christ, this glory appears. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. Now, go ahead in your scriptures, verse 23. And the Lord spake to Moses, saying, Speak to the congregation, saying, Get up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abraham. In other words, get away from this place, move quickly away from this place of the hardness of heart that establishes itself as its own standard of right and wrong. And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abraham and the elders of Israel followed him and spake to the congregation, saying, I depart, I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in their sins. Now, the question I asked in the beginning is what happens to those people who don't move? What happens to the people in the book of Revelation? What happened to those Christians in those seven churches who would not hear, would not move from this unveiling of Christ? Well, the very same thing that happened to these men. Moses said in verse twenty nine, If these men die, the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open up her mouth and swallow them up, with all that pertain to them and they go down quick into the pit, then you shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord and the earth. Verse thirty two, opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their houses and all the men that appertain to Korah and all their goods and they that appertain to them went down alive into the pit and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation. Now, folks, here's exactly what happens in the New Testament church. Those who defy the authority of God in the unveiling of Jesus Christ, their judgment is a sudden opening of that which comes from the mouth of the earth into their hearts. They have defied the word of God, they defied the unveiling of Jesus Christ, so their hearts now are opened to the spirit of the world and the spirit of the world literally opens its mouth and swallows them and they disappear from the congregation. They fade away. They lose their zeal for God. They throw their hands in disgust, they walk away, they follow other ideologies, their hearts and minds open to other voices. And the very spirit that is animating this Babylon system of this world that is going to perish comes and swallows them. And I've seen it so many times now as a Christian man and as a pastor over the years, people who resist the unveiling of Christ and these other voices now begin to come and these other theologies begin to manifest. And it's really the spirit of this world that is in rebellion to God, opens wide its mouth and begins to swallow them and all that pertains to them suddenly gone. The blessing that could have been theirs, the Makarios of God, this indwelling of Christ gone, their future gone, their children gone, their heritage gone, their ministry gone. And they disappear from among the congregation. And they end up in a place of seeking comfort and solace from that which comes from them, hearts and spirits and minds of fallen men. They end up with theologies that deny the blood of Jesus Christ because they can't see the magnificence of it anymore. They deny the cross because they can't see the cross. They don't understand why. Their gospel is powerless, their hope for the future is just vague, smug, their whole perception of God is illusory and almost gone. And we're seeing in our generation multitudes and the professing church being swallowed by the spirit of this age, losing sight of the eternal Christ. God, help us if we don't speak about his blood. God, help us if we don't speak about his cross. God, help us if we don't confront men in their sin and rebellion against the Holy God. God, help us. I see today the earth swallowing many who are not yielding to the unveiling of Christ. Many in the church are being swallowed. David said in Psalm 36, Let not the foot of pride come against me. Let not the hand of the wicked remove me. There are the workers of iniquity fallen. They are cast down and shall not be able to rise. David, this is what made him a man after God's heart. He said, Oh, God, don't let the foot of pride come against me. Don't let me exalt myself above the ways and the knowledge of God. Keep my heart clean. You look at it all through the Psalms of David. This is what really made this man a great man. He could have it all. God could entrust to him the treasure of the earth as it is. But he knew that without God, he had nothing. He knew his heart was as wicked as any other man's heart. And he cries in verse 10, Oh, continue thy loving kindness unto them that know thee and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. David says, God, I've known you in kindness. You've made me more than I am. You've taken me out of wilderness places. You've anointed me to reign. Oh, God, continue your loving kindness and don't let the foot of pride. Don't let me become my own priest. Don't let me start setting my own standards of righteousness in my own heart. Don't let me harden my heart against the unveiling of Jesus Christ. This is a passion of God. You are hearing from the heart of God this morning. You hear many times from this pulpit. But I know standing here, I'm speaking from the heart of God. I know it like as much as I've ever known it in my entire life. You are hearing the very heart of God, not just for you, but for this church age. I know some people don't like it if I raise my voice, but folks, I can't help it. There's a passion inside. Look with me to the book of Daniel. I'd like to close there. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, then you're going to find Daniel chapter 10. Now, we finished a three day fast recently where we prayed. And our prayer was for three days, let the words in my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. At the end of that fast, I cautioned you that the next month or maybe two in some cases going to be very difficult month for some people. You're going to find that God has heard your cry and he's come into your temple, which is his temple, and he's overthrowing things. And it's very uncomfortable. I've heard testimonies of people who just can't sleep. They get up. They're so angry. They don't know why they're rolling on the living room carpet until finally they're willing to yield to what Christ is trying to reveal to their heart. Daniel chapter 10 and verse five. Now, you have to understand I'm speaking in the context of understanding the future, understanding your future, the future of the world, the future of the church, seeing things from God's perspective. Now, this scene doesn't come to everybody. But it will come to every soul who has an honest heart and says, God, deal with me and show me we're not in darkness. Remember this this day coming should not overtake you as a thief. You and I should not be found running around. Afraid, searching out, comforting theologies when we have the living Christ of all things within us, Daniel chapter 10, verse five, it says, then I this is Daniel now, he says, now I lifted up my eyes and looked. Now, here's here's here's a man very much like John in the he's exiled as it is. He's he's a seeker of God. His own people are going through very difficult times. And he, of course, is going through that with them. But he says, I lifted up my eyes and looked and behold, a certain man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with fine gold of his body also was like Beryl. His face is the appearance of lightning. His eyes, his lamps of fire, his arms and his feet in color, like polished brass and his voice, the words of his voice, like the voice of a multitude. Now, I see that in revelation. I see that as Christ. I mean, and I, Daniel, alone saw the vision for the men that were with me saw not the vision. Now, here's where the division comes. But a great quaking fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves. So here's here's the two types as it is of may I call them seekers. These people are obviously with Daniel. Daniel is perhaps speaking about things to come. A man after God's heart, Christ comes and he gets he manifests, he unveils himself. And that's what he will do to the seeking heart. But when he unveils himself, there's two types of response. You're going to see Daniel's response in a moment. But you see those who are with him fled to hide themselves. And folks, this is the choice that some have to make today. I have to make it. You have to make it. If Christ is going to reveal himself to my heart, am I going to embrace him or am I going to run and hide myself? Am I going to duck behind some pillar in the temple? Am I going to get busy with some religious work? Am I going to go back to my books and tapes? Am I going to go to my false comforts that I'm finding in wrong theology? Am I going to go back? Am I going to duck? Am I going to hide if he's calling me, if he's wanting to unveil himself? I have a responsibility to this unveiling of Christ. Daniel is a man that God can speak to about the future. And really, his his revelation is as panoramic as Isaiah's or John's of the future of his own people, the trouble, the distress and the ultimate victory and glory of the obviously the kingdom of God. He has that same view. And verse 80 says, therefore, I was left alone and saw this great vision. And you might be the only one in your house that is seeking Christ. You might be the only one in your group that is sincere. Say, God, everything, everything, everything that is unlike you, I want it out. And there remain no strength in me, for my comeliness was turned into corruption and I retained no strength. In other words, when Christ reveals himself, folks, there's not much of you and I left standing of what we thought we were. We think we're loving and we see Christ reveals himself and we find out we're not loving at all. And everything that we thought we were just melts into nothing. And then the ultimate realization is that it's all Jesus. It's none of us. It's all Jesus. Yet I heard the voice of his words, and when I heard the voice of his words, verse nine, then was I in a deep sleep on my face and my face toward the ground. And behold, a hand touched me and set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said to me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee and stand upright for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling. You see, this is ultimately what God will always do for you. You are a seeker of God and he will reveal himself in the revelation of Christ may leave you undone. You may find out that your temple is not as clean as you thought it was. And things are is not in divine order as you had hoped. And then God says, now stand up because he will always strengthen us. He will always come to the true Christian to cause us to stand, to cause us to understand, to give us that which only he can. Then he said to me in verse this is verse 12, then said unto me, fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou did set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard and I am come for thy words. Amazing. Amazing. I think of the Daniels that are here today, I think of the the godly men and women, the hearts that are open and and God says to you today, don't be afraid. The first day that I heard you say, Jesus, cleanse my this temple, the first day I knew that it was in earnest that you wanted this freedom and you wanted this life in spite of what's coming in the world. You wanted this life that will leave you in development, fully satisfied. He said, I heard you and I came because of the words that came out of your heart. Oh, folks, I can't tell you the comfort that this brings to my heart. I I can't really even begin to explain it. This thought that when I cry out to God, he already knows my frailty, but it doesn't despise it. He knows my weakness and he doesn't despise it. He will come and he will expose it and he will take it away and he'll overturn it and throw it out of the temple and then he'll give me the power to stand and he'll give me a voice that can speak to those who live in darkness and he'll give me power to stand in the midst of the storm and say, don't be afraid. I've heard from God. Like Paul said, I've been in the presence of God and God has given me a sure word. Oh, beloved, there has to be a church in this generation. There has to be a people. The people of God have stood confused for too long, listening to too many voices, setting up too many false standards. There has to be a voice that speaks for God. There has to be a people in this last hour of time for the sake of Christ and for the sake of those that he has created and loves with all of his heart. There has to be a voice and God has ordained that you are that voice and I am that voice. We are the church of Jesus Christ. It's not left to a few individuals. It's not left to a few high profile ministers. It is you. It is me. It is in our daily walk, our daily life. It's in our home. It's with our children. It's with our families. It's in our workplace. It's as we go down the street. It's on the subway. We are called to be the ones who have the answer to a generation that lives in darkness and without God. And in verse 14, he says, now I'm come to make the understanding, give the understanding, make you understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days. For yet the vision is for many days. The Lord says, now, Daniel, I'm going to show you what's to come. Now, it doesn't just show the tragedy. He shows the triumph. He shows the victory. Yes, we become people who can speak about storms and things as such, like in our generation. But he takes us beyond the storm to the other side of the storm, to the safe haven that is found in Christ. And we become ambassadors of hope and ambassadors of life and ambassadors of grace and ambassadors of truth to a generation that desperately needs to hear from God again. The writer of Hebrews, we spoke about a people who have an unholy boldness. This unholy boldness causes people to stand with their prayers and their censors, and they've set up their own standard and become their own priests and they can't come near to God. And the earth opens its mouth and ultimately just ultimately just swallows them. But the writer of Hebrews in chapter 10, verse 19, says, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The writer says, let us draw near. We can be bold, but we don't have to have an unholy boldness. We can have a holy boldness if our hearts are set in tune with the heart of God. If we're not resisting this unveiling of Christ, I can walk right into the presence of God by the blood of Jesus Christ with a true heart and an assurance that God is for me and not against me, that God will lift me up and not cast me down, that God will make me more than I am. He'll give me power and strength over my own infirmities and every one of my enemies, that he will cause me to stand in an evil time, not backing away, not cowering, but facing the giants of this generation. And our bodies washed with pure water, this word is described clearly as the water of God, the living water of God, my body washed, this constant flood of cleansing, this constant revelation of Jesus coming into this temple and cleansing out everything that offends his nature, that I can stand in the last day and having done all like the apostle Paul to stand when it's all over. There has to be a cry in the heart of the Christian, there has to be a cry of this church, there has to be a cry in your life if you're going to make it through the coming days. And the cry is simply this, I will not be swallowed with this world. Christ, speak to me. I will not be swallowed with this world. Christ, speak to me. Now, Father, I have. To the best of my ability. Delivered your heart. Now, Father, I pray. God almighty. For a holy ghost breathed humility in this church. That we can all bend our knee and we can confess with our tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the father. I pray that you take away from us all religious pretending, all hiding, all self-righteousness, all justification of sin, all association with false theology. Lord God, I pray, I pray with all my heart. That you raise this church up a testimony. In this city and throughout the world of the life of Christ. Now, God, this is impossible to man, but it's possible with you. You said all things are possible with you. Oh, Jesus, I'm asking for a grace to touch us today for those who are living in fornication, those of God who are listening to wrong voices, those who are playing games to have the courage to drop this unholy boldness, this unholy censure before God and to yield to bend their knee before you, Jesus. God, let it begin in my heart. I pray, father, that you do something supernatural in this church that only you can do. I pray for victory and freedom for those that are captivated by besetting sin. I pray God for prison doors to open to those who are tormented by the lies of the devil. I pray God for courage to come into the hearts of those who are afraid of tomorrow. I pray that you do what only you can do. You raise up a people who are set on a hill, who have a voice. Oh, God, who have a confidence that cannot be taken away by wind and fire and flood. I pray, father, do it today. Do it powerfully. Do it sovereignly. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. I cry out to you with everything in my heart to come and be God to us, be God to this assembly. Do what only you can do, Jesus. We long for your appearing. Lord Jesus, we want the unveiling of who you are. We want to know your heart. We're not looking to hide. We're not looking to run. We want to glorify you in this last hour of time. Jesus, come, Jesus, come, Jesus, come, Jesus, come, Jesus, come. If the Holy Spirit is moving on your heart and if the Holy Spirit is drawing you, he's already spoken to you about what you must do. He's already come to that area of your heart. You don't have to duck. You don't have to hide. But if you're willing to bend your knee, we're going to open an altar. And I believe there is going to be freedom like you've never experienced in your entire life. There's going to be a shout of God and glory come into your soul this day. In the annex, you go stand between the screens in the main sanctuary. You slip out and meet me at this altar. And we're going to pray and we're going to believe God for absolute victory, absolute victory over besetting sin, absolute victory over all double mindedness, all false standard. We're going to see victory in the house of God. Would you please stand balcony, go to either exit main sanctuary, slip out, make your way here. We're going to pray together. We're going to believe God for an incredible shout of God's glory and God's victory. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. We love your appearing, Jesus. We love your appearing. We love your appearing. We welcome you to a walk among the candlesticks. We bend our knee, O God. Oh, Jesus, it's not just words. It's real. It's from the heart. We bend our knee. I bend my knee, O God. I confess with my tongue that you are my Lord, O God. Your thoughts are right, O God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God. Thank you, Father. If you're lost in your sin, would you get out of your seat and make your way to this altar or the education annex? Christ will forgive you and give you everlasting life. Don't die and go to hell. Give your life to Jesus Christ. He passionately loves you. Hallelujah. The Lord spoke to Daniel and he said, I'm come now to give you understanding of the future. Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit comes, he will take what is mine and he will show it to you. This is an understanding of the future. We will understand the future of the world, but the revelation of Christ is much deeper than that. He said, I'll show you things to come in your own life. I'll show you what I'm going to do through you. I'll show you who I'm going to be to you. I'll show you how I'm going to sustain you. I'm going to carry you. I'm going to gift you. I'm going to let my grace will abound in you. And all he requires of us is that we receive this unveiling of who he is and bend our knee before God. It's an amazing thing. We will not be swallowed by this world. And I have that hope in my heart and that trust for many who are here at this altar today. Pray with me, Lord Jesus. Thank you for speaking to my heart. I choose to bend my knee and acknowledge that your ways are right. And what you say is the truth. You hold the keys to eternity and to my life. I trust that as I yield to you and lay down that which you show me, which offends you, that is in my heart that you will give me an understanding of the future, the future of this world, the future of your church and the future of my life. You will give me the power to speak to this generation, to be able to tell them who you are, what you have done, what you will do to every heart that will embrace you as Savior and Lord. God Almighty, I'm asking you that you make my life a light set upon a hill that all men may see that Jesus Christ, you are Lord, you are God, you're a conquering king, you are soon and coming Savior. I rejoice and I thank you with all of my heart in Jesus' mighty name. Hallelujah.
Unholy Boldness
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Carter Conlon (1953 - ). Canadian-American pastor, author, and speaker born in Noranda, Quebec. Raised in a secular home, he became a police officer after earning a bachelor’s degree in law and sociology from Carleton University. Converted in 1978 after a spiritual encounter, he left policing in 1987 to enter ministry, founding a church, Christian school, and food bank in Riceville, Canada, while operating a sheep farm. In 1994, he joined Times Square Church in New York City at David Wilkerson’s invitation, serving as senior pastor from 2001 to 2020, growing it to over 10,000 members from 100 nationalities. Conlon authored books like It’s Time to Pray (2018), with proceeds supporting the Compassion Fund. Known for his prayer initiatives, he launched the Worldwide Prayer Meeting in 2015, reaching 200 countries, and “For Pastors Only,” mentoring thousands globally. Married to Teresa, an associate pastor and Summit International School president, they have three children and nine grandchildren. His preaching, aired on 320 radio stations, emphasizes repentance and hope. Conlon remains general overseer, speaking at global conferences.