In this sermon, the preacher highlights the lack of conviction and moral compass in society, even among those who claim to know God. He references Jeremiah 6:16, where God calls for people to return to the old paths and find rest for their souls, but they refuse. The preacher emphasizes that there is a rebellion against truth and a preference for religion and worldly pleasures over the presence of Christ. He concludes by urging the church to call out to the Lord and love His appearing. The sermon also references 2 Timothy 4, where Paul charges Timothy to be diligent in preaching the word, as there will come a time when people will reject sound doctrine and turn to false teachings.

If you turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of 2 Timothy, chapter 4. In the New Testament, I'm going to speak today on loving the appearing of Christ. Loving the appearing of Christ. Now, Father, I know you gave me this message. As surely as I stand here, you've spoken this to my heart. Lord, you are the one who has to deliver it today. Holy Spirit, I thank you for the quickening power that you will place on this entire house, on my life, and the ears of the hearers. That I may speak it, and that we all may hear it. Help us, Lord, to hear it in the inner man, and God, to love your appearing until the day you come and take us home. Lord Jesus, let that be the trademark of Times Square Church. That we are a church who loves the appearing of Jesus Christ. We thank you for this. We praise you in your mighty name. Now, this is understood to be the last chapter, the last letter of the Apostle Paul, just before he was martyred. 2 Timothy, he's writing to Timothy, a young pastor that has been raised up under Paul's ministry. And this is chapter 4, and he says, I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned into fables. But watch thou in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. And henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing. Loving the appearing of Christ. Now, Paul is speaking something specific to Timothy's. We know there is a day that Christ is going to return. He is going to come and he is going to gather both those that have died, believing and trusting in him, and those who remain on the earth. The Bible says that very clearly. There is going to be a day of his physical appearing that he is going to take his church away. But until that day, there is a constant, I am going to try to prove to you through the Scriptures, that there is a constant appearing of Christ. Christ is here today. Christ is appearing to you today as we read the words of this book. And it is quickened by the Holy Spirit. And the very life and light of Christ takes the word of God and makes it alive, and brings it into your heart and into your life. The loving of the appearing of Christ is not just a one-time event. It is something that is in the heart of every true believer in Jesus Christ. I love his appearing. I love it when I open my Bible in the morning, and the Holy Spirit quickens the word of God. And off of what would be a dead letter, in effect, without the Spirit of God, I see the appearance of Christ. He comes in his light, in his glory. And he begins to challenge my heart. Every time he appears, my heart is challenged. Issues that don't represent him become plain and obvious at the appearing of Jesus Christ. The appearing of Christ is strength. It is love. It is mercy. A reproof. And then he brings us into that life that he has provided for us on Calvary. And when he rose again from the grave, where he sits at the right hand of all power. Paul says, to all those that love is appearing, there is a crown of righteousness that awaits. And the word for love means agapeo. It means a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something. And the appearing in the original text means to appear, to shine over upon, or to give light to something. And all those, Paul is saying, that love and find their joy in the sudden appearing of his light. Both now and the light of Christ that is soon to come. The love is appearing. If you are a genuine believer in Christ, when you gather together, for example, today, and a preacher of the gospel opens the word of God, there is something in your heart that says, Jesus, come to me. Make yourself known to me in a way that I didn't know you when I got up this morning. In effect, it's not a physical appearance. We're not talking about that. But come to me. Appear to me. I find my joy in your life. Come and shine on my path. Shine on my heart. Shine into my mind. And show me your plan and purpose for my life. Show me what it is that you want to do in my life today. Lord, I love your appearing. Now, Paul in this last letter to Timothy is telling him, in essence, he says, Timothy, I've loved his appearing. From Damascus road to this Roman prison, Jesus has appeared to correct me. He has appeared to guide me in confusing times. You remember Paul on the ship, when there was confusion all about him. He was able to stand on the deck of that ship and declare the word of the Lord that had been brought to his heart and had given him clear direction in these confusing, difficult days he was encountering. Timothy has appeared to encourage me in weakness. To comfort me in sorrow. To lead me in the storm. To uphold me before my enemies and to give me a clear vision of tomorrow. Timothy, I am in a Roman prison and very soon I'm going to be offered, but I've not been conquered. I am more than a conqueror through him that loved me. Nothing can separate me from him. I have loved him. I have loved his appearing and I'm soon to appear before the one who has appeared to me. And Paul was saying, I've loved that appearing. And Timothy, you must love it too as well. Timothy, preach the word. The word in the original text for the word is logos. It means that which may be clearly understood and comes from the mind of God. Timothy, preach that which God has spoken. Let the righteousness of God be that which comes from your life. Let it be his word that comes out of your lips. And Paul warns him and says, for the time is coming when they will not endure sound doctrine. Paul says, be ready for a season when men will no longer desire the appearing of Christ before them. They will no longer want his appearing. And they will invent stories about God. To create a false inner peace in perilous times. They will not endure. See, the Holy Spirit was speaking to Paul. And Paul knew this day was coming. And I believe that Paul, yes, there have been seasons and times from the life of Paul. Where various societies have absolutely fallen into the categories of truth that are represented here. But I believe in the end that Paul was seeing something quite far down the road. And quite conceivably the day that you and I are living in right now. The time will come when they will not endure. They will not stand for sound truth. They do not want the appearing of Christ. And now he's not just even talking about the unsaved society now. Paul is talking about even in the house of what is supposed to be the house of God. Even among people who are supposed to be called by the name of Christ. But they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and turn away their ears from the truth. And shall be turned to stories, fables. A word for fables in the Greek is muthos. It means a parable that has a meaning. It might even be a good meaning. They'll be turned to stories about God. But they no longer want the appearing of Christ. And there's a reason for this. John chapter 3 verse 20. Jesus said it this way. Everyone that does evil hates the light. And neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. Yes, they want stories about Christ. But they don't want Christ. They don't want his appearing. You'll see it time and again in the Old Testament. When the people began to turn away from God. They would cry out to the prophets. Take away the Holy One of Israel from before us. And prophesy to us smooth things. Give us deceits. This is in effect what the people wanted. We don't love his appearing. We don't want the Holy One of Israel before us. Because every time he comes before us it demands of us change. There has to be a change when there's an appearance of Christ. From image to image and glory to glory. It will all culminate. The Apostle Paul says when we will finally appear with him in glory we will be just as he is. But until that day there is an ever increasing change going on in the lives of those who are his. And those who belong to him know his appearing. When he appears if I'm alive on this earth he will not be a stranger to me. I know him. I'll not be a stranger to him either. I have seen him. I have walked with him. I've talked with him. I'll make his appearance. Every time I open this Bible I ask God to appear to me. Manifest your nature. Manifest your life in these scriptures. And make it known to me. And then make it known in me. And through me. And you see they didn't want change. Every man wanted his own agenda. Everyone wanted his own way. And when that begins to permeate the church. And here's the danger. Because in our generation God's people are not turned away from the things of the world. God's people are intertwined. They're bound together as it is. With unregenerate, unsaved, unsanctified men all around them. And because they are bound together. The church that has refused to separate itself from the things of this world. No longer wants the appearing of Christ. No longer wants the word of God. I can guarantee you there are certain churches in America. That if I were standing in their pulpits this morning. They would be literally infuriated at what I'm speaking. They would be infuriated. And just like God's people in the days of old. They would say take the holy one of Israel away from us. Take away his claims and his demands for holiness. Take away all of the life and light that exposes what is in our hearts. And prophesy deceits. Give us smooth things. Tell us that what we're doing is okay. Tell us there's peace when there's no peace. Say to everyone that walks after the imagination of his own heart. No evil shall befall you. Nothing shall happen to you. Tell everyone who's not in right relationship that it is well with their soul. Paul said to Timothy. But watch thou in all things and endure afflictions. And do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of thy ministry. Now here's what Paul is saying to Timothy. And here's what I believe the Holy Spirit is saying to the true church. The true Christian. Be ready to endure afflictions. For the days ahead of you are going to be difficult. Be ready. Be ready to endure. But you see, Paul's life had been an example to Timothy. And Timothy knew what Paul had endured. And Timothy knew that God had brought him through. And Timothy knew that Paul still had, even though he was in a Roman jail, he still had the word to direct the church of Jesus Christ. He was being given revelation that few, if any, were having at his particular time. And Paul says, Timothy, there's an hour coming. I believe that's even worse than what Paul was experiencing. What Paul was experiencing was an intolerance. But he says, there's a worse hour coming. They will not endure it. Society in general are going to turn against religion in all of its forms. And ultimately, the weaponry of the devil in this particular case is to have the world turn against Christ. It's all about Jesus Christ. It's not about Mohammed. It's not about any other religion, whether they're pacifists or violent. It's not about them. Everything the enemy orchestrates is about Christ. It's to create an intolerance for Christ in the world. And Paul says, Timothy, there is a day coming of affliction. And you have to be ready for it. You have to have determined in your heart not only to preach, but you have received the word of God. You have loved the appearing of Jesus Christ. You've called for Him. You've honored His presence. You've made way in your heart for His truth. You've asked Him to come and live and abide within you. And out of that relationship, you are now speaking what God, through the Holy Spirit, has given to you. You are speaking that which is intelligent, and it can be clearly understood by all men. Hallelujah. You'll know men and women who have been in the presence of God don't speak in mysteries. They don't speak with mutterings and peepings and things that people can't understand to try to give people the impression that they are some great spiritual one. In visions and dreams and trying to convince the masses that they live in some kind of a spiritual hyperplane that no one else can attain to. No, men and women of God who have been in His presence speak as plainly as Jesus did. As clearly. The gospel is meant for all men to understand. And to come to the knowledge that there is a living God, a living Savior who paid the price for their sins. Who will not only forgive them, but will come and live within them and empower them. Give them the ability to rise above the curse of sin and the curse of a fallen world and to begin to live the life in the life of Christ. And to begin to love the kingdom of God. I want to take us back for a moment into another time of history. Go to the book of Jeremiah, please, with me. Actually, go to 2 Chronicles first, if you will. This is another time in history. And it was 40 years before the invasion and captivity of God's people in Judah. Which included the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Everything familiar was about to be taken away. The people were spiritually complacent. Something had gotten into the nation. They were going through religious exercise. But God was far from their hearts. In 2 Chronicles chapter 34, one of Judah's last kings was a righteous king. Now, we're only roughly 40 years now from the time of destruction. And a young king, 8 years old, began to reign. 2 Chronicles 34, his name was Josiah. And Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign. And he reigned in Jerusalem for 1 and 30 years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. And walked in the ways of David, his father. And declined neither to the right hand nor to the left. For in the 8th year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after God. The God of David, his father. And in the 12th year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places. The groves and the carved images and the molten images. And they broke down the altars of Balaam. And the images that were high above them. And he cut down the groves and the carved images and the molten images. He broke in pieces and made dust of them. And strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. Now, this king rose up. The Bible does declare him to be a righteous king. He had a zeal for God. He was the secular leader of the nation. The scripture says he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars. And cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so he did in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon. Even unto Naphtali with their maddox round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves. And had beaten the graven images into powder. And cut down all the idols throughout the land of Israel. He returned to Jerusalem. Now, stop there for a moment. Josiah is reigning. He has now reigned for 12 years. He is a 20 year old king as it is. He is moving by the conviction that God has placed in his heart. And he's tearing down altars. Tearing down false worship. Tearing down as much as the Lord is enabling him to. The false concepts of God. And all these other things that had entrenched themselves in that society. And were bringing it very rapidly to judgment. And reform, obviously, had begun under the leadership of Josiah. And there is some evidence of renewed spiritual life among some of the people. And no doubt, everyone is talking about revival. Everyone now is talking about the nation turning back to God. You can hear the people singing. Those that profess to love God are coming into the temple. There are probably prayers going up that are talking about the wondrous things that are happening. The fact that judgment is now averted. Who knows what else is being said. But certainly we know that everyone is talking about this revival that has begun. Yet, beloved, whatever professes to be of God has to stand the test of and love is appearing. You see, whatever professes to be of God, God will come. Christ will come. And he will test it. You know the story in Revelation chapter 3. Turn there. Verse 1. There is a church called Sardis. And this church, really a generation from the cross. The Bible says it had a reputation of being alive. To all around them. We don't know whether that was their worship. What gave them their reputation. Or whether it was they were charitable. Reaching out into society around them. We don't know what it was. But they had a reputation. The scripture says that they were alive. Until Christ appeared. Then when Christ appeared and walked in the middle of that church. He said, I'm the one that holds the candlesticks. I walk in the midst of all the candlesticks. That means the testimonies that I have established in the earth. I come to prove them. And I hold the future. And I hold the keys to all power. And he comes and walks in the midst of the church of Sardis. He said, I know your works. That you have a reputation. That you live. But you're dead. He said, the people around you. Have a sense that you have been quickened and enlivened by my spirit. But he says, in fact. You are necros. Necros in the Greek. Means that you are separated. From the enlivening influence of the spirit of God. You have a reputation. But Jesus Christ said, I'm not in it. You know the historians. As far as I can understand. At least anyway. Tell us. I believe that the church of Sardis just simply eventually disappeared. And folks, I want to tell you something. They may have had a reputation. And I don't really know what was going on in their midst. But I know for sure. That there were many probably there who didn't love his appearing. They loved the reputation. They loved the worship. Perhaps they loved the preaching even. In Sardis. But they didn't love his appearing. When Christ came. And walked in the midst. And when he does come. He will reprove everything around him that is unlike himself. They proved themselves to be absolutely in fact dead. And separated from their only source of spiritual life. You see the word came to them and tested them. So too in Josiah's day. The word of God came to test and to plead against. They pretended devotion and turning to God. Among the people of the land. Now go to Jeremiah. Chapter one. This is now. The book of Jeremiah. Chapter one. Tells us that. There was a sudden appearing as it is. Now. I am. I'm trying to make the point today. That whenever God sends his word. That's a sudden appearing. Whenever the word is quick and it comes alive. And the presence of Christ comes through the word. That is an appearing as it is of Jesus Christ. And thank God for that. Thank God. You see half of the charismatic church world now running around the world. Looking for visible manifestations of Jesus Christ. And really shows how far they really are from understanding God. And the things of God. Jeremiah chapter one. Says the words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah. Of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. To whom the word of the Lord came. In the days of Josiah. The son of Ammon. King of Judah. In the thirteenth year of his reign. Now remember. It was in the eighth year. He began to purge the land. It was in the twelfth year. That he's tearing down altars. And burning groves. And taking the bones as it is of the priests. Who were leading people in false worship. And scattering them. And all of this thing is happening. Supposedly cleansing all around. And everyone's talking about revival. Then the word of the Lord suddenly comes. In the thirteenth year. God says. Yes. There's talk of revival. But I've now come to prove it. I've come to prove what it is. That it's happening. And it came also in the days of Jehoiakim. The son of Josiah. King of Judah. Unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah. The son of Josiah. King of Judah. Unto the carrying away of Jerusalem. Captive in the fifth month. Now that's an incredible thing. God says. Yes. Everyone's talking about revival. But now. I'm going to come. And I'm going to send my word. And I'm going to. Now. Suddenly appear. Through a vessel that was seeking. Christ. And immediately brought in. Brought him into conflict with the false securities of his day. Beloved. That appearing came until they were carried away. Christ came until the enemy surrounded the cities. Until the wall of Jerusalem is broken down. And the temple was destroyed. And the choices to the young men were carried away. And then the second invasion. And the third. And finally the temple is completely destroyed. And Jerusalem is raised to the ground. Virtually. R.A.Z.E.D. Right to the ground. And folks. The tragedy is. Even some in this house today. The word of God. Will plead with you until you are carried away. Did you know that? God will plead with you. There are people in this house today. You've not made the break. From homosexuality. You've not made the break from immorality. You've not made the break from the seat of the scornful. In this nation. You've not made the break from religious pretending. To real live relationship. Where Christ can come and appear to you and prove your heart. You've not made the break from false dealing in your finances. And cheating and thievery. You've not made the break from immoral relationships. Many, many things in such like. And Christ will plead with you. The Holy Spirit will come. Especially those that have called themselves by the name of God. Jeremiah had a broken heart all the days of his ministry. Because Christ was in him. Proving this supposed revival. That began in Josiah's day. And of course it wasn't a real revival. It was only in the heart of the king. And the king was commanding. But it never touched the populace. And God sent Jeremiah to expose it for the falseness that it is. We live in a generation in the day when we've experienced an attack in New York City. Our commerce was attacked. And the symbols of power were attacked. And all of a sudden everyone is standing and singing God bless America. Everyone is getting together to encourage one another. Everyone is talking about revival and turning to God. Folks, there is no turning to God. Suddenly issue in your heart. If there was a turning to God, you would know it. You would hear about it. There would be an appearing of Christ. There would be lives transformed. There would be testimonies raised up. There would be righteous legislators standing in Congress. And appealing for Jesus Christ. And for the cause of Christ. There would be men and women speaking for the unborn. And those who don't have a voice to speak for themselves. Hallelujah. Jeremiah stood up and began to speak on God's behalf. And Paul said to Timothy, there's perilous days coming. Perilous times. We're going to enter into a season where it's not going to be popular to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because Christ is exclusive. And the buzz word in the coming days I personally believe is going to be inclusion. You're okay. I'm okay. Everybody's okay. We're all going to heaven. Let's just all get along. And those who don't know Christ will fall in line. And say, yes, this is wonderful. We'll have a one world religion. You believe what you believe. And I'll believe what I believe. But I won't tell you you're wrong. And you don't tell me I'm wrong. We'll all get along. And the world will live in peace. But it's not about peace. It's about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The devil is after the gospel. Because the gospel is exclusive. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me. Christ is exclusive. And the devil knows it. And there's a day coming when it's going to be unpopular to stand for the things of God. It's going to be unpopular. There will no longer be a time and a season where everybody thinks that the gospel is just a wonderful thing. And part of culture. All folks, mark the word that you're hearing today. Because there's a perilous days are coming our way. In the not too distant future. Jeremiah 1, 13. He says, the word of the Lord came to me. You'll see it all the way through Jeremiah. You begin to follow it. If you have a strong concordance, just look up the word, word, in the book of Jeremiah. And you're going to see all the times. Jeremiah says, the word came to me. The word came to me. The word came to me. Who is the word? Jesus Christ is the word of God. And the word came to me. I loved His appearing. He came to me. Not to make me popular. Not to make me God's man or woman of the hour. The word came to me. To stand as a wall and a brazen pillar against a generation that was going to hell and didn't know it. And the word came to me, says the second time, saying, what do you see? And I said, I see a seething pot. And the face thereof is toward the north. Chapter 1, verse 14. And the Lord said to me, out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north. And they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem. And against all the walls thereof round about and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness. Who have forsaken me and have burned incense unto other gods. And worship the works of their own hands. Therefore gird up your loins. And arise and speak to them all that I command thee. And be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For behold, I have made thee this day a defense city and an iron pillar. And brazen walls against the whole land. Against the kings of Judah. Against the princes thereof. Against the priests thereof. And against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee. For I am with thee, says the Lord, to deliver thee. God says you're going to come into conflict, Jeremiah, with the kings in the midst of this supposed turning to me. I am going to appear to them through the word that I'm giving you. And you're going to be in immediate conflict with kings and princes and priests and people. And you're going to find out that the supposed revival is not founded in any truth or reality. Chapter 6, verse 13. God says to Jeremiah, from the least of them, even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness. And from the prophet, even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. He says there's massive greed and dishonesty. In the leaders and also in those that are leading the house of God. Massive greed and dishonesty. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly. Say peace, peace, when there is no peace. There's a message of false peace that has no grounding in truth. God says to Jeremiah that is still being preached to my people. The message that they're receiving. Yes, the king is commanding. Now, we're at a later date now, but even in Josiah's time, the king is commanding. And everything around seems to be changing, but it's not touching the population. It's not touching the people in general. It's one man's revival who has the power to do certain things in the nation, but it's not touching the people. There's still greed in the leadership and dishonesty. The prophets and priests are still preaching a false peace and telling those who live in sin it is well when it's not well with them. Verse 15, he says, were they ashamed when they had committed an abomination? No, they're not at all ashamed and neither could they blush. Therefore, they shall fall among them that fall at the time that I visit them. They shall be cast down, saith the Lord. There's a loss of conviction over sin. There's not even the ability to blush anymore. Now, he's not necessarily talking about the unsaved. We understand that. But even among those that are professing to know God, there's no conviction anymore. People have done wrong for so long it's become right. Verse 16 says, thus saith the Lord, stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way, and walk therein and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein. And I said, watchmen over you, saying, hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not hearken. And ultimately, at the bottom of it all, there was still a deep-set rebellion against truth. They didn't want the truth of God because they didn't want the appearing of Jesus Christ. They didn't love his presence. They loved religion. They loved everything. They loved their culture. They loved the pleasures of their day, but they didn't love the appearing of Christ. And tragically, I see history repeating itself again in our generation. Apostle Paul, in the book of Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 5, says these words. He says, For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Verse 6, he says, Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not therefore partakers with them. Paul says, Don't let anyone deceive you. Those who are immoral and unclean, who are not true worshippers of Christ, have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. For you were sometimes darkness. Verse 8, But now you are light in the Lord, and walk as children of light. The word for light is, the context is, you now have within you a light that was never kindled by man and cannot be quenched by man. It's a divine light. It's the life of Christ is now in you. Paul really is what he's saying. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it's a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Here's what Paul's saying in verse 13. All things that are brought to the surface, and the word for are made manifest means divinely revealed. If you have the light of Christ in you, as Christ comes to you, everything in you, unlike Him, is divinely revealed. Things that you are holding to, believing. And if genuinely we love His appearing, we will turn quickly from these things. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. And the word for light in verse 13 is Christos, which is Christ. Jesus Christ. That within you which makes unholiness known to you is Christ. Paul's saying when Christ comes to you, when you are in the presence of Christ, when Christ is appearing to you, you become intimately aware of everything in you that is unlike Him. And Paul's essentially saying if you begin to feel this way, don't be afraid of that. You are in the presence of Christ. Christ is your light. Christ is your light. And wherefore in verse 14 he says, Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. Christ will give you light. Christ will come. Christ will give you the power over your sin. Christ will give you a new heart. Christ will give you a new mind. Christ will give you a new nature. Christ will give you stability for your times. Christ will take away the turmoil and give you confidence and strength. Christ will be your hope for today. Christ will be your pathway for tomorrow. Christ will be the words in your mouth. Christ will be the meditation in your heart. Christ will be the strength of your hand. Christ will be the light in your eye. Christ will be the one who takes you from image to image and glory to glory. Christ, if your love is appearing, if you love Him, He will come and plant His Word deep within your heart. Christ will set you on a rock high above those storms that will be all around you. Christ will give you the power to go through difficult times. Christ will cause you to stand when everything around you is falling apart. Christ will give you a sure word, a prophecy for those who are going through difficult times. Christ within you will be your absolute hope. He will be your high tower. He will be your sustaining power. Christ within you will be all and everything. He will be your all-sufficiency. It will be Christ appearing outside, inside, and all around those who are called by His name. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! When captivity finally came, it was Jeremiah who had the word of hope which eventually led the people to freedom. Jesus Himself said there's an hour coming where there's going to be an instant divide among those who have had a profession of knowing Christ. There's a midnight cry going to come. An awareness, a deep awareness that this is the time of Christ's appearing. And those who didn't know Him began to run around terrified because they've not loved His appearing. Folks, if you love His appearing today, you will love His appearing. If His physical appearing happens next week or tomorrow, you will love His appearing then if you love it now. But He said there's going to be a division. There are going to be a people who are terrified of My appearing because they've not had a living relationship with Me. They've had a verbal profession, but they didn't love My appearing. They didn't love the proving of My word. And He says only those who love His appearing will have a word for a terrified generation. We are entering into a season of storms. We're entering into a time where terror is going to be throughout. We've been speaking this for the last two, three years here or longer at Times Square Church. A warning of this time of difficulty that's coming. And now it's closer than we've ever known. A time of great difficulty that will touch the whole world. Christ Himself said it will be ethnic wars all over the world. Ethnos against ethnos. Kingdom against kingdom. And then you shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. Oh folks, it's coming faster than you and I know it. But only those who love His appearing are going to have a word for a terrified generation. A word. Ironically, Jeremiah is the one who's warning about the captivity. And when the captivity came, Jeremiah had the word now for those who are captive. Hallelujah. Because he loved the appearing of Christ. Jeremiah chapter 29. He says, verse 1, he says, Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders, which were carried away captives, and to the priests and the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. You know what I always find interesting about this, is the prophets were telling the people we're not going to be taken captive. And then when they're taken captive, the same prophets in Babylon are saying, It's not going to last very long. We'll be out of here very shortly. You'd think the people would have had the sense to think if their word was not true on this side, it's not true on this side either. And Jeremiah now has the word of God for those who have been taken captive and they're terrified. You can sense the terror in the people. They've been taken away from everything they trusted. They know the temple is destroyed. The wall is gone. But you see, God is still there. God's love is still there. God's power is still there. Nothing has changed. In verse 10, he says, Thus saith the Lord, that after 70 years be accomplished. The Lord says, yes, there's going to be a time of discipline now. I've got to get through to your hearts. I've got to get through to your minds. I have to get you to understand why you came into captivity. But after 70 years be accomplished in Babylon, I will visit you. You see the appearing of Christ. I will come and perform my good word towards you and causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. Then you shall call upon me and you shall go and pray to me. And I will hearken to you. You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord. And I will turn away your captivity and I will gather you from all nations, from all the places whither I've driven you, saith the Lord. And I will bring you again into the place once I caused you to be carried away captive. I go to Jeremiah, also chapter 32, where God showed him his heart and his purposes for those who would become his in truth. Jeremiah chapter 32, verse 36. He says, And now, therefore, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel concerning his city, whereof you say it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, the famine and the pestilence. Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I've driven them in my anger and in my fury and my great wrath. And I will bring them again to this place and will cause them to dwell safely. And they shall be my people and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and for their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good. But I will put my fear in their hearts and they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good. And I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and my whole soul. God says, Yes, yes, my people went into captivity because they didn't love my appearing. But I'm going to come to them again. And to those who begin to seek me with all their heart, to those who want me, I'm going to come and do a sovereign work. It's going to be a supernatural work. It's not a work of man. It's something that I have determined in my heart to do. I'm going to make a covenant with them. And I'm going to come down and be their strength. And I'm going to be their life. And I'm going to be their hope. And I'm going to plant them in this land with my whole heart and my whole soul. And beloved God proved that when he became a man and came down and died on Calvary and took captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. He proved it. He said, I'm going to put everything I've got into it and it's not going to fail. I'm not going to turn from those that turn to me. I'm going to carry them. I'm going to sustain them. Chapter 33. My last chapter. Verse 3. This is the word that God gave to Jeremiah for those who are beginning to be captivated. Call to me, he said, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Call to me. Call to me. He said, you've been locked out as it is. You've been locked out of my true presence. If you will call to me, he says, I'll show you things that you've before not understood. You've not seen these things. Behold, he said, I will bring in health. Verse 6. And cure and I will cure them and I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. I will come and I will show you peace and I will show you truth. You see, the two go together. You can't have peace without truth and you can't have truth without peace. Again, in verse 80, he said that I will cleanse them from their iniquity where they have sinned against me. And I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed me. And it shall be to me a name of joy and praise and honor before all nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them. And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I procure unto it. God said, I'm going to come to those who call me. I'm going to appear to them. I'm going to come to them. I'm going to open truth to them. I'm going to show them the way to peace. And I'm going to do such a work in you that the world will tremble around you. I will do a work that is sovereign. People who know you will have to stand back and acknowledge that it's the hand of God that's come upon your life. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What God says God will do. God says I will cause a trembling. I will cause a trembling just like he's going to do in natural Israel. He said, I will also do it for my church. I will cause a trembling. Hallelujah. People will look at you and say, if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. The hand of God has come upon you. You don't think the same. You don't walk the same. You don't look the same. You don't talk the same. You're not the person you used to be. Hallelujah. You're no longer looking for false peace. And you've dropped all your phony theories. You don't seem to have the same kind of Christianity you used to have. The other one was a cover-up. But this one seems to be a living relationship with a living God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Shouldn't that be the cry of the church of Jesus Christ? Shouldn't we be crying, God, do such a work in me. That every power of hell will tremble. That every principality of evil will tremble or shake. That every false ideology will come crashing down to the ground. That I may live to see thousands and thousands released from the power of hell and into the glorious light of Christ. Preach the word, Timothy. Preach the word. Hallelujah. Verse 10, he says, Thus saith the Lord, Again, there shall be heard in this place which you say shall be desolate, without man and without beast. Even in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man, without inhabited and without beast. The voice of joy and the voice of gladness and the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride and the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts. For the Lord is good, for his mercy endures forever. And of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the first said the Lord. God says, I'm going to have a people. I'm going to have a people who praise me. They're going to be glad when I come into their presence. The bride voice and the voice of the bridegroom are both going to be heard where I am and among the people that I bring back to myself. I'm going to hear their voice and they're going to hear my voice. I'm going to be glad to see them and they're going to be glad to see me. Every time I appear to them, every time I come into their midst, they're going to raise their voice and they're going to say, Praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever. Thus says the Lord, verse 12 of hosts again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast and in all the cities thereof, there shall be a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. God says, I'm going to appear to you. I'm going to give you a word. And that word's going to bring you to rest. You're going to lie down in the midst of trial and you're going to eat grass that you've never believed was possible before. And you're going to be led by rivers of still water. I'm going to cause you to lie down. I will bring you where you hear the word of God. And the word of God will strengthen you and my presence will keep you and hold you. Hallelujah. You will be at rest. Hallelujah. Blessed be the word of God. Blessed be the presence of Christ. Jesus said to Israel, you'll not see me again until you see blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord. You'll not see me. You'll not know me. You'll not understand me until in your heart you're saying, I want you, Jesus. Let everything that I stand upon that is not like you be damned. Let it be crushed. Let it dissipate. Let it die. And let the life of Christ be my life. Let my plans and ambitions be scattered to the wind. Let all my enemies be vanquished. Let all my plans and things that would throw me away. God, blow them away. Take them away from me. I want to love your appearing. And as I love your appearing, you will give me the strength to preach the word in a very perilous time. Today, you have heard the word of God. You have known the glory of Christ. Something in your spirit is stirred. One more time. I think of the number of people that heard Jeremiah and must have known this is God. And were thrown into a terrible battle, much worse than Babylon ever was to them. But it was a spiritual battle. Do I go with the crowd? Do I just think that somebody else's zeal is enough to get me into heaven? Do I forsake it all to follow God? Do I long for his appearing for myself? See, Christ has appeared to your hearts today. Christ has appeared. He's been here in our worship. Christ, the glory of God, has been here. Christ has appeared and opened his word and made it alive. Now the choice is ours. We can join the captivity of the deceived masses around us, even in God's house, or we can step into the glorious love and liberty of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, call to me. I'll show you great and mighty things. Call to me. Say, Lord, I want your presence. Lord, I want your appearing in my life again. I speak especially to every Baxterian Christian here. Every Christian who has an area in his heart or her heart in life where you say, oh, Jesus, I love you 90%. But there's that area, I don't want you appearing in that area. And when you appear, I don't want you talking to me about that area. You see, it doesn't work that way. That's what Israel was doing. They felt that the measure of devotion they were giving to Josiah's reform was sufficient, but God sent the word in the 13th year and said, no, it isn't. I still see the enemies coming to the gate. I still see foreign thrones establishing their bulkheads as it is around about, preparing to destroy my own heritage. Today, if you're backslidden, I want you to know that you can come back to Christ. If you're cold, I want you to know that Christ will give you the power to come back to your first love again. If the Bible is just a dead book to you, it's not alive. And when you open it, Christ doesn't appear to you in this book. You see, Christ appears to me. Pastor Neil and I were sharing the other day that from Genesis to Revelation, I now see Jesus Christ in every line, every chapter of this book. And he appears to me. And when he appears to me, he challenges my heart. He challenges my motives. Challenges where I'm anchoring my steps because he loves me. Challenges me with his presence. If there's an area in your heart that you need the challenging of God to break, you need the presence of Christ to set you free. I want to encourage you today to call out to him. Call out to him. If you're finding it difficult to break loose from the things of this world, call out to him. You'll produce such a love in your heart for him that you won't want to be influenced by the theories and the religions of darkness anymore. You'll want a living relationship with God because, beloved, listen to me, your very survival depends on it now. Hear me. Your survival depends on it in the coming days. Your survival as a Christian. If you don't stand now, you won't stand then. This is an hour when we can stand, but there's coming an hour that without God, no man will be able to stand. The Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart and you need to call out to him. You need, again, a fresh revelation of Christ. He wants to show you mighty things now. He wants to give you power where you're weak and freedom where you're captive. The Lord said, call out to me, call out to me, and call out to me with all your heart and I will show you mighty things that you've not known before. I believe this is what God wants to do for us today. I'm asking one of our elders to come and lead us in prayer. And the whole church today, let's call out to God, annex, balcony, and overflow room. Let's call out to God and ask the Holy Spirit to make us a church that always loves the appearing of Christ. That Christ will always be welcomed here. That Christ can walk the aisles of our hearts and homes. That Christ can reveal himself from the pages of this book. And Christ can take us where we're weak and make us strong. That he will be loved here. We will love his appearing. That it'd be no stranger to Times Square Church when he comes to take us home in glory. That his presence will be found here. That his strength in the coming days, we will all have the strength to stand. Whatever is coming to New York City and our world, we will be able to stand. And like the Apostle Paul saying, having done all, I stand. And it's by the power of Christ I stand. And those that are needing deliverance today, you cry out to the Lord. He said, you call out to me at the altar. We can't lead you all the time in prayer. You call out. And he says, I'll show you. Now this is the word of God to you today. Take him at his word. He says, you call out and I'll show you great and mighty things. I'll open your prison doors. Heal your wounds. Give you freedom from your captivity. But you call out to me. And I'll give you the power to be everything that I've called you to be. Now let's do that together as a church. Let's call out. The whole church. Let's call out to the Lord and say, let us now, Jesus, love your appearing at Times Square Church. This is the conclusion of the message.