In this sermon, the preacher reflects on the story of Jesus calming the storm and questions why the disciples were so fearful and lacking in faith. He shares a personal experience of losing his 12-year-old granddaughter to brain cancer and how he found comfort in God's presence. The preacher emphasizes the importance of hearing a clear word from the Lord, especially for the younger generation, to move beyond passivity and questions. He also highlights the need for divine order in churches and shares his disappointment in attending a disorganized service.

We sensed last night, the first night that the Holy Spirit had commanded his blessing upon us. And he's going to be with us in every service. His presence manifested already here today. I know you, dear folks, love the Word of God. You came to hear the Word of the Lord. And we love to preach the Word of the Lord. We have felt very well accepted. Very kind people, very loving people here. And we have been blessed. Four sessions today. First, at 12 o'clock today, our second session. I want to speak to you about a greater than Solomon is here. Jesus said, the Queen of the South shall rise up on the Judgment Day. And will judge and condemn this generation. She came from the furthest part of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12, 42. Jesus said, this Queen of Sheba is not going to be able to be silent during the Judgment. When she witnesses the Judgment Day, she will rise up against her generation. She will rise up against our generation. Because she came from such a distance to hear a man called Solomon. And Jesus said, a greater than Solomon is among you. Now, this Queen is the Queen of what would be today called Yemen. She had heard about King Solomon and his wisdom and his walk with God. Perhaps she heard from a caravan, a trade caravan. She heard that leaders from all over the world were going to this man and were getting answers to their problems. And the Bible said she had great questions in her mind, great problems. In fact, it suggests they had riddles, riddles that she couldn't understand. Questions, riddles. And she said, I must see this man. Now, I don't know what these problems were in her life. It could have had to do with being a good queen, government, problems with her own heart, about eternity. She heard about his Lord and his God. Her God couldn't answer her. She got no answers from her God. Those who were in religious authority could not answer her questions. So she decides to go to see King Solomon. She traveled 1,500 miles. There and back. 75 days in the desert. Now, she's a beautiful queen. Now, I know how my wife travels. I keep saying one suitcase. It's always three suitcases. One suitcase for shoes. Can you imagine how this queen traveled? The Bible said it was a great caravan. She had to have a small army to protect her. She had to have interpreters. All of her hairdressers. Commissary, food. Camels loaded with silver, gold, and spices. All those involved in protocol, government protocol. And it must have reached for miles. Spectacular. She traveled through those cold nights and those hot days. Now, it's 75 days in the wilderness. And nothing is going to stop this woman. Made such an impression on Christ himself. When he looks back and refers to this queen, he says she came from the furthest part. And the synagogue certainly told this story over and over again. When Jesus referred to the Queen of Sheba, every child understood. Told the story of the day she came to Jerusalem. What a sight it must have been. You know, when the president comes to New York City, the city almost shuts down. And people line the streets just trying to take a look to see that parade of limousines. Can you imagine the scene when the queen comes to Jerusalem? But she came to prove him with very hard questions. And when she came to Solomon, she communed with him concerning everything that's in her heart. I don't know how long she was there. Should have been maybe a week. Maybe longer. But the Bible said Solomon answered all her questions. There was not one thing hid from the king which he told her not. He told her every question. Nature. Government. Eternity. The things of God. Every question she had. It took her breath away. She saw divine order. Everything was in divine order. She saw the respect the way he went up to the house of worship. And she's viewing this. She's watching this. Everything was so in order. It took her breath away. I have always believed that when men walk in the spirit, there's going to be a divine order. Occasionally when I have a Sunday for resting. And I'm in a certain city. I'll sneak in. I'll try to go into a church to hear from the Lord. And I just try to take a back seat. And I did this this past year. And I just picked up the newspaper and found a church. It sounded like a gospel church. And I walk in and it's time to start. And everybody's sitting all through the congregation. Drinking Coca-Cola and eating rolls. Children are running all over the house. Suddenly somebody comes out and starts a service. Dressed in shorts. There's no sense of order. They sing a few songs. And a man gets up and he just talks about how to get along with your fellow people on your job. There was not a sign of any divine order anywhere. When I first went to New York City to start a church, it wasn't long before we had 100 nationalities. We have over 100 nationalities in our church. And they all had their way of doing church. And when I first went to New York, the Hispanic people told me you can expect your people to come one hour late. Don't let it bother you. I said, it does bother me. I said, we're going to have Nigerians. We have Spanish. We have people from all over the world. But we're going to have divine order. We're going to start 10 o'clock on Sunday morning. And we're going to start 7 o'clock on Sunday night. My organist was of a different view. He had come from a church that starts any time when people get together. And he was paid. He was paid an order. He kept coming in 15, 20 minutes late. Someone said, he's in a restaurant eating across the street. And he said, well, he's in a restaurant eating across the street. Would you go, I said, take a word from his pastor. Tell him he's fired. He's lost his job. So we found another man. The first few months that I was there, a wedding time. They said, we want to be married Saturday, 1 o'clock. 2 o'clock, nobody's there. I'm the only one there. So I made an announcement. If you are not here one hour before the wedding, there will be no pastor here. After two canceled weddings with no pastor and the doors shut, we never had a problem after that. There is a divine order. We don't serve God haphazardly. This is what took her breath away. The reverence. Do you understand in the Old Testament the kind of reverence God demanded? When they moved the Ark of the Covenant, the Levites had to back into the Holy of Holies. They had to be dressed in a certain way. They had to put three covers over the Ark of the Covenant. They had to put the poles in systematically. They were commanded never, ever look inside the Ark. If any Levite touched the Ark other than those who were charged for its keeping, he would drop dead on the spot. And you look at the divine order all through the Old Testament. I believe in reverence for the things of God. She saw this reverence and it took her breath away. And when her visit was finished the Bible said Solomon gave the queen all she desired. Whatever she asked for, he gave it to her. Now Jesus comes and he brings this warning. This same queen will rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it. What does that mean? It means exactly what it says that on judgment day when their generation stands before Christ she's going to stand up and remind them what she went through. She said, I went all through this suffering and I gave everything I had to meet a man who was given wisdom and he who was wisdom he who had all the answers to your problems he who had a word of direction for you he's greater than Solomon and you would not listen you turned to man you never got your direction from him I went all these miles I was a heathen woman and you called yourself of God's nature you said you were child of God and you had the wisdom yourself and you didn't give him an ear you didn't seek direction from him you didn't bring your hard problems to him she'll rise up against this generation she'll rise up against those that are here today Can you imagine the amazement in this woman when those of this generation stand before the Lord and says you claim to be seated with this man who is wisdom you testified to the whole world you were seated with Christ in a heavenly place that Christ was all in all I had a Solomon who was given just a measure of wisdom from him who was wisdom he answered every hard question he told me everything I wanted to know and here you stand being judged for having walked in your own way you did not trust his word you did not walk under the command of his voice you had a greater than Solomon you had the Christ himself and you walked in confusion and you walked according to your own mind I was in his house and I saw the reverence and now you come and you have the very spirit of wisdom abiding in you and so lack of reverence for his word there is a question that comes to my mind would my Savior my Lord answer every question for this heathen queen answer every problem in her life totally satisfy every question and now in the last days when we most need direction we most need to hear the word of the Lord is he going to hold back from me will he turn a deaf ear to me while Solomon just his servant gives so freely the wisdom of God will God be less generous to me if I seek him with the same diligence now think about it this queen shall rise up and rebuke because you had a greater than Solomon in the fourth chapter of Mark or Luke rather the scripture said Jesus taught them by many parables and this particular parable had to do with the sower that went forth to sow and you know the story well a sower goes forth to sow seed and some falls on stony ground some falls on the ground and the fowls come and take it away some falls on good ground and bears much fruit and Jesus said he that hath ears to hear let him hear this was a parable it made no sense the scribes and pharisees that came he's known as a great teacher and there's a multitude and they hear the parable a sower a field a fowl and after he gives the parable they go home and the sower and in their synagogues and in their homes the question is asked you went to hear the great teacher what did he say and they quoted word for word they don't change a single word it's quoted systematically they mentioned systematically the whole story and he said that there was a sower that went forth to sow seed and he told of the stony ground where there was no soil and his people were asking questions what's the seed what's the field who is the sower who are the fowls what does the parable mean well I don't know and you see this is what we hear from many pulpits today someone has been with Christ and they've heard his word and they quote it pervading it's a very precise gospel it's biblical it's scriptural but there's no revelation no revelation whatsoever there's nothing that really touches the heart it's something that has been read it's something that has been heard but there's no revelation and so Jesus closes off his parable with one statement he that hath ears to hear let him hear now what does that mean if you want to know what he's saying if you want to know what the parable means if you want revelation if you want to know the deeper things of the spirit stay with me pursue me and have quality time with me and so the bible says very clearly the multitudes left but there were some that sat there it says no I don't have a revelation I don't know who the sower is I don't know the revelation I've heard something from his lips but I don't have the explanation I don't have the revelation and the bible says and when he was alone they that were about him or stayed with him with the twelve asked the lord about the parable many just left they weren't interested in getting the deeper things of the revelation but the bible says they that were with him along with the disciples there were men there there were women there and they said it's not enough he's trying to say something there's something very deep here something that affects me something I can use to change people I'm not leaving I'm coming back and the scripture says he then said to them unto you it's given to know the mystery of the kingdom the word is revelation unto you is the revelation given but to them that are outside those who left those who wouldn't pursue me those who are not interested in more of the truth all things shall be spoken to them in parables you can go from church to church to church and you can hear about Jesus' resurrection you can hear all kinds of good great preaching but so little revelation that sets the heart on fire let me tell you what blesses my soul more than anything else as I've said I've preached 50 years now the Lord has blessed me to start drug programs there are now about 500 over 500 drug centers around the world Team Challenge a thriving bible school in a church in New York City in 17 years there's never been one evangelistic service without people being saved most of the time when the altar call is given people are the aisles are filled all the way to the back hundreds you ask me what is the greatest joy what blesses you most and I tell you from my heart the thing that thrills me more than any ministry that God's allowed me to be a part of to be in the study with my bible there's a truth there's something leaps out of the page and I don't understand it I've seen it many times I've read it hundreds of times but this time I said Lord I'm not leaving here you're saying something open it up and I stay with it and I pray over it and I go back to it and I say God I'm not leaving pursuing that truth and suddenly it opens up and I see it it's been there all the time and only till now have I pursued that truth and suddenly the heavens open and I get up on my feet and I praise the Lord and I shout because the revelation has come and I'd rather have the revelation than preach to 50,000 people I'd rather have God show me something from his word than anything else in this whole world you can have every ministry that I have been a part of but give me a revelation let me see things I've never seen before not so that I just so I can go up and preach some new revelation some people just live for revelation that's all it is that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about the edification of my own soul and sometimes it's so simple that I know that I've heard from the Lord it's no longer a parable it's been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God I believe in these last days that there's going to be an attack on our faith the biggest struggle is not going to be pornography in the ministry it's not going to be finances it's not going to be church growth and though there are a lot of marriage problems that will not be the major problem Satan is coming after faith he's trying to rob the ministry and our people of faith I was reading just recently in the scripture in the fourth chapter of Mark there arose a great storm of wind the waves beat on the ship it was now full of water these were sailors they said we're going down now when sailors tell you they're going down you better believe it they are sailors and Jesus is in the boat sleeping I'm sure his body had to be half underwater and they say we are going down they wake him up now in my flesh I'm saying God you've got to be merciful to these men they're just human their faith is being tested but this is a little too much they wake him up now in my flesh I want Jesus to look at these dear men and he looks at the storm he looks at the water in the boat and I'm saying in my heart you've got to be gentle with these men you've got to look at their situation you've got to allow some, not some doubt but you've got to allow some questions here I want Jesus to wake up and say I'm so glad you woke me up I didn't know it was this bad my goodness I'm so sorry to put you through all of this turmoil I'm so sorry for this kind of a test why didn't you wake me up sooner that's not what Jesus said he looks at these men and the boat's about to sink the boat's about to sink and before he says anything about the water he looks at his disciples and he says why are you so fearful why is it you have no faith and you see I see men now I see pastors in such turmoil I know that turmoil I know what it was just a year and a half ago 12 year old daughter granddaughter 12 year old granddaughter 12 year old granddaughter dying of brain cancer dying of brain cancer and I know how it is to see the water come up in the boat I know what it is to go to God's presence and weep and say Lord I don't understand this and have the Lord speak to me she's going to go home there's something you don't understand I'm going to have to take her and I'm telling you in advance so that your heart is ready there's something about the future you don't know and this is an act of divine love and that's what took me through it brought her into our house and for three weeks watched her life slip away and I was the only one in the room when the Lord took her and I was there when they put her in a canvas bag and I'm left alone in that room yes there were tears but there was something in my heart that says God I know you would never hurt me you would never hurt my daughter and her husband you have a reason you're asking me to believe that and I bowed down before the Lord I said Lord I receive you told me this is an act of love you're sparing us from something way down the line that we don't know and I know what it was to hold on by faith and I think it was one of the greatest victories God ever gave me in my life I miss that girl and I still cry but there was not one single question in my mind this is the mind of God the boat was full of water and when Jesus came to me in that room he didn't say where is your faith he said I love you thank you for trusting me I felt the hand of God a woman in New York her son was being wheeled into the operating room right in the hallway before that boy was to go into the operating room he's just about an eight year old boy she screamed at God you can't have him I will not let him go you will not have him you cannot take him from me he lived to become a drug addict alcoholic caused that mother a lifetime of terror because she wouldn't listen to a still small voice she didn't know the voice of the Lord she wasn't willing to yield to the voice of the Lord you see here's my point and here's where I'm going the greatest need of this generation especially our young generation is to hear a clear word from the Lord something that gets beyond their passivity something that gets past all of their questions and gets to the issue of the heart never have we so needed a word of God men who trust the Lord to speak to them but you see today there's been so much foolishness charismatic craziness foolishness people going around saying thus sayeth the Lord God told me one woman told us she gets up in the morning goes to the closet and she asks she asks Jesus what color dress do I wear today which pair of shoes do I wear she said I walk according to the mind of the Lord well that's utter foolishness and I've had people come to me I have a word for you I've had people prophesy over me going around now prophesying over people giving words let me tell you sir if you ever lay hands on somebody and you give somebody a word you had better have heard from God or you're sending people straight to hell you're putting burdens on people you're putting burdens on people you had better have been on your knees you better know never ever tell somebody I heard from God about you unless you know we meet shipwreck pastors we meet people who've lost their faith because somebody told them you're going to be a great man of God you're going to win thousands of people in such foolish words but you see what has happened we've seen and heard so much foolishness we've thrown the whole concept away we don't believe God speaks to us we don't believe we can hear the word of the Lord and find direction for our lives may I tell you how the church in New York started this is 17 years ago I was traveling the world as an evangelist every summer I would go back to New York City I would go back every summer and I would preach on the streets and this particular summer 17 years ago it was late at night and my wife was in the hotel I said I'm going to take a walk I walked down 42nd Street Broadway that's where all the drug pushers were it was after 12 o'clock midnight pushers were everywhere they were selling crack cocaine and that particular week a famous basketball player had died from an overdose of crack cocaine and here's how they were selling their crack cocaine hey look I got the good stuff I got the stuff that killed the basketball player every pusher every pusher drug pusher was selling was saying this stuff will kill you this stuff I have will kill you they were selling death as the ultimate trip I started weeping I said oh God this is going to bring chaos on the city thousands are going to be dying on the streets and I remember just leaning against the building I said God raise up a church right in Times Square and confront this evil raise up a church if you'll do it I'll support it I'll raise money send a young pastor with a lot of zeal I'll do everything I can to help you have to raise up a church all of this pornography all of these drug pushers this is hell raise up a church right in the middle right on Broadway the Holy Spirit said no you do it you know the city I said I'm living in Texas now 1500 miles away living in living in a nice house by a lake my headquarters about 75 workers my shipping plant everything how do I go back and tell my wife that we're going back into this city she has to leave her nice home God said I told you I spoke to you and if you're willing to obey me I'll tell you every step but you have to tell me now that what I tell you you will obey me and the Lord spoke to my heart why would I tell you anything further until you obey me step by step your first step is your wife but if you obey me and if you come to this city and you start a church I'll give you a theater that'll take your breath away and I have a great holy remnant that's praying in this city you will never have to beg for money and I will fill that church with hungry people I went back to the hotel my wife sitting on the edge of the bed she says don't tell me I know I see it in your eyes and the Lord told me we're coming back to New York City I knew it was the Lord when I went back the next night or a few nights later and I'm near that same spot a strange looking bearded man came up to me a bearded man he said I know you get out of this city you don't belong here it was the devil himself incarnating some person saying I know you I don't want you in this city and I just said praise the Lord I know I'm hearing from God we rented an old theater but from the time God said to me go to New York City till I moved was four to six months period but in that period of time I tested that voice I never just hear a voice and then run to it I tested by the word I leave it on the stove to cook and I pray over it and I kept praying seeking God and I came to this conclusion you can boil down you can explain the will of God in one sentence the will of God grows on you if it's God you can't shake it if you've heard from a greater than Solomon and he's telling you what to do and where to go it'll stand any test but you can't shake it off you can't shake it it'll always keep growing we found the worst theater on Broadway they rented it to us and I said Lord this doesn't take my breath away are you sure you sent me here but within a few months the place was filled hungry people drug addicts people from the Broadway shows transvestites homosexuals people from all walks of life hundreds were being saved we outgrew the facility I said Lord you told me you'd give me a theater take my breath away I went to the owner of these theaters he owned about 15 theaters I said I need another theater I said we've outgrown this we've outgrown this and a businessman from the Broadway show a church had asked to go with me went into this theater owner's office he treated me terribly he didn't even want to talk to me but I told him my story he said well I have an empty theater it's on Broadway on 51st street he said it's one of the best theaters on Broadway he said it's a big music hall it's my best theater now it's empty right now but I'm going to go in with a new show he said I'll make you a deal I'll let you rent it for five years for one million dollars a year and you pay all the expenses and he said you don't have that kind of money and we didn't but the man that went with me I didn't know how wealthy he was he said he has the money I said I do he said yes you do he said but there's a problem I'm moving a new show ten million dollar show and it's going to open in a few months and it's going to be the longest running show on Broadway he said it's going to run for 10, 15 years as soon as the show closes you can rent it we started to pray that God would shut that show down that show was going to be one of the most wicked shows on Broadway the door was open and I walked in they were practicing this show it took my breath away most incredible theater I'd ever seen and the Lord said this is the one I promised you I said I can't believe it the Lord said you better believe it you told me you would believe it took your breath away and the Holy Spirit said pray the show shut this is the theater where Jesus Christ Superstar played it was a hit show for two years they mocked Jesus there and I guess Jesus said if you're going to mock me here I'm going to turn it into a church that show got the worst reviews in the history of Broadway and closed in one week we moved in and guess who came to dedicate the theater the young man who played Jesus in Superstar had been saved and filled with the Spirit and he came and dedicated the church for Christ what a God we serve I believe God speaks I believe I serve a greater than Solomon I believe I can take every question every problem I take it to Him and I can expect an answer and with this I'm going to close Jesus said He could do nothing He could do nothing He could say nothing except what He heard from His Father why would He expect any less from me I bring this to Jesus every day Jesus if you had to hear from your Father if you could not speak if you could do nothing without seeing and hearing from your Father I will not do I will not do anything I will not I will not live less than you did I'm not God in flesh if you needed to hear I need to hear more than you need to hear I am only flesh I must walk and hear in the Spirit every problem every financial need my marriage my children my grandchildren tell me how to deal with them how to minister where to go what to preach what to say I believe God is wanting to speak and some of you have been hearing from God some of you heard from God something He told you to do and you still not obeyed Him there are some promises God made God made you a promise and you allow that promise to die but God wants to resurrect that promise if you know in your heart that promise came to you through prayer it may not come in the way you want it to come it may come to you in a different form but you'll be able to look back and say God answered me in a far greater measure than I could have conceived and God wants to speak to you about your marriage that your home can be healed your children can be saved God can work on the elders and the deacons He can change and move hearts He can move in your church give you faith there is no excuse for not believing God for greater things I thank God for what I've seen in my life but at 73 years of age I'm just beginning to ask I'm asking greater strength and I tell you at 73 traveling around the world pastoring a church I know He gives divine strength married 52 years a marriage that was severely tested and today stronger than ever I've been through 23 operations with my wife she's had 5 cancers and you'll meet her and you will see and now we're asking greater things for our children our grandchildren for our marriage to ask the impossible because we have a greater than Solomon and he's in this building right now he's speaking to you right now believe God for what he spoke to you he's not a liar will you stand your feet please oh Holy Spirit speak to our hearts bring new faith bring new confidence that God is still the God of miracles he's no respecter of persons he loves everyone here but you're looking for faith forgive our unbelief you will meet our finances you will give us revelation you will save our homes you will do the impossible in this country oh God we believe you would you just lift your hands will you thank the Lord for what he's done for you already and just say Lord I believe I believe you lead me and guide me and speak to my heart just praise him lift your voice to God right out loud I give you praise Lord I give you thanks I will trust you Lord heal marriages answer prayer bring to life promises that you made resurrect these promises hallelujah blessed be the name of the Lord hallelujah thank you Jesus may I speak to you for just one moment in about a few minutes we're going to dismiss we'll have a break right at 12 o'clock sharp we start again you're going to hear a message that is going to stir your soul the cross-centered church you're going to hear Gary bring a word a young man who's pastored longer than I have he associated pastor in New York Times Square pioneered and started a number of churches he knows what it is to preach to multitudes but many years just developing and building churches but before we dismiss the service I feel that of the spirit to pray for just a certain few people who've had an experience like I explained there was a death somewhere in your family there was a tragedy I did this just one other time that I remember and one husband and wife pastors came forward they had lost a three year old daughter should not have died doctors problem couldn't get over the grief still bearing this burden and the Lord delivered them if there's someone here at this time it may not be a death but it's a child a son or a daughter that has lost deep in sin it's been breaking your heart come and let me pray with you no music just come now and we'll pray and we'll believe the Lord with you right now you're among friends and we will join you and believe the Lord for a miracle just come and stand with me