In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of having an inward relationship with God and being led by the Holy Spirit. He encourages the congregation to have confidence in God, even in the face of adversity, knowing that no weapon formed against them can prevail. The preacher also criticizes the trend of churches becoming entertainment centers, where sin is not addressed and transformation is lacking. He warns that on judgment day, those who have deceived others with false teachings will be shocked and face tragic consequences. The sermon concludes with an invitation for new believers to receive Christ and join the church, as well as a reminder to encourage one another in the Lord.

It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindell, Texas 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. Now before I begin to speak this morning, I want to just share a couple of things with you that the Lord's put on my heart while we were worshiping, so that you'll understand the framework of what the Holy Spirit has given me to speak. We have experienced and been experienced saying the presence of God to a way here at Times Square Church. The Lord has blessed us. There have been many conversions to Christ. We're baptizing again this afternoon, I think another 50 or 60 people that couldn't be baptized on Tuesday nights. New believers classes are full. College students are coming in from all over New York City. We thank God for that, for what's happening. We are seeing an increase in attendance in all of our services now. God's blessing the church financially, and enabling us to go around the world with the gospel without any charge to anybody that the Lord sends us to. And it's a wonderful time that we're experiencing in the Lord. But there's a reason why this is happening. Now there are several reasons obviously, but I want to share with you one in particular that the Lord has been speaking to my heart. In this pulpit at Times Square Church, we have not shunned from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. The whole truth. Everything that's written in the Bible as it's written. As pastors we are aware, Pastor David, myself, Pastor Neil, Pastor Patrick, visiting pastors, we are aware that we do stand before God one day and give an account for you. We give an account for your life, for what you became, for what we shared with you, for how we laid hold of God's heart. And Paul shared with the church as he was leaving. And he said, wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. I have not shunned to declare to you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers to feed the church of God that he has purchased with his own blood. And Paul says, for this I know that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. And also of your own selves shall men arise and speak perverse things and draw away disciples after them. And Paul is saying it's the truth. I've declared to you all the truth and the truth has kept you. And if you have embraced the truth, you will be kept. But if there's a measure in you that is not truth, that measure of untruth in you may lead you to believe a lie. And may lead you into a lie. And it was a warning that Paul gave to the flock for he cared for the people of God. In the book of Proverbs, let me just read it to you. Please don't turn there. The scripture says in the last day, the writer of Proverbs says, in chapter of Proverbs 5 verse 11, And thou mourn at the last. Well, he starts out by saying, Hear now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. And he says, let strangers be filled with thy wealth and thy labors be in the house of a stranger. In other words, God says, unless you end up toiling in a place that is not mine, you end up living in a place that I've not destined for you. You end up becoming a person I didn't intend for you to be. And you end up working in the house of a stranger. And you mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed. In other words, God said, there's a day coming when you're going to stand before me. And you'll be judged upon truth. You'll be judged by a sole standard of truth. And there will be no escaping truth on that day. And say, here's the testimony now. He said, in the last time, how I have hated instruction and my heart despised reproof. You know, some people will not understand how much they've truly hated Christ until the day that they stand before him. And standing in that light of absolute truth where no lie can survive, begin to realize, oh God, I was in your house and I was hearing truth. And I despised it. I rejected the truth. I pushed it away from me because I had chosen to embrace something else. And another form of what I thought was truth, really which was a lie, had wrapped itself around me. And I had become content with that and confident in it. And he said, I've hated instruction and my heart despised reproof. And I've not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined my heart, my ears, to them that instructed me. I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. Can you imagine only being aware of that on the day that you stand before the throne of God? Imagine going your whole Christian experience, as it is, in the house of God and not being aware that you've been outside of his kingdom the whole time. Until the day you stand before him and say, God, I despise you. I despise your instruction. I didn't incline my ear to those who taught me. And I was in almost all ruin. What I thought was a wonderful thing that you were doing in me was ruinous because I've now seen you. I've now stood before you and I understand that I had not really embraced the truth. I had heard it and I mentally agreed with it, but I didn't embrace it. It didn't become part of me. The truth didn't come into my life, which is Christ, and begin to sit on the throne of my heart. And, beloved, there's an indisputable evidence when truth is in your life. There's a change. Morning to morning, moment to moment, day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year, there's a change. If truth is in you, you are changing from image to image and glory to glory by the Spirit of God. You are changing into the image of Christ if truth is in you. If Christ is in you, the old things in you are passing away and they will continue to pass away all the days of your life. If you are in Christ, you have come to a place where you are living in an expectancy as it is of the miraculous. The miraculous being that which only God can do. You can't do it yourself. There is no hope or power apart from God and you're fully well aware of that. But every day you rise up and you love Him. You love Him. You want to serve Him. You want to live for Him. You want your life to count for His purposes, His kingdom, His glory. You want to be part of what He is doing and into His work. You want truth to be abiding in your heart. And that's the mark of a Christian. You'll never lose your joy because your joy is not circumstance dependent whatsoever. Your joy is based on an inward relationship and a witness of the Holy Spirit whereby you have the right to cry, Abba, Father. You know He's your Father. You know He's your God. And even in the midst of adversity there's a strong confidence that God has planted in your heart that no weapon of hell that's ever formed against you can take away from you. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. I thank God for that instruction. One day we will give an account as pastors for you. And we've not shunned to declare from you the whole counsel of God. We've not stood in this pulpit to entertain you. And God helps any church that has an entertainer in their pulpit. God helps the people. I saw a video not too long ago of a very powerful, motivational, as they call it, Christian speaker. But as I listened I said, God, the poor people that are sitting there, there's no mention of sin. In an hour and a half I heard the name Jesus Christ one time and not one mention of sin ever. It's all about your destiny. It's all about how great you're going to become. But there's no mention that sin separates from a holy God. And that sin, if it's not dealt with, if it's not confessed, if it's not repented, if truth doesn't come and transform that person's life, they'll ultimately stand before the throne of God and find out that they were in all ruin in the midst of the carnival. They thought they were being built, they were in reality being torn apart by another Jesus, another gospel that doesn't lead to eternal life. Folks, I want you to go to heaven. Do you understand that? Pastor David, Pastor Neil, we want you to go to heaven. We're not preaching to you because we have no other living or nothing else we could be doing. We don't stand here and declare truth because we want your admiration. We want you to go to heaven. I want to see you in heaven. I would prefer today that you get angry at me and go out the door and there be a transformation somewhere down the line happening in your life than you walk out entertained and unchanged. And this is what much of the church has become today. There are entertainment centers where people stand and are worked into a frenzy. The crowd is working. The preacher knows just what little levers and the old bag of tricks comes out halfway through his message and knows exactly what to do to work the crowd, but there is no transformation. And one day, one day the Bible says that liars are going to stand before the throne of God. One day. And it's going to be a shocking time for some. A tragic time. The Scripture bears witness that there is going to be an incredulous sense of God, what are you talking about? I did miracles and worked and prophesied. You ate and drank in our streets. I heard your teaching. What do you mean, worker of iniquity? What do you mean? Can you imagine the shock on that day? And if those pastors happen to be there? Can you imagine the congregation? Can you imagine if you had to turn to me some day before the throne of God finding out you're about to be cast out of heaven? And you turn to me and say, Pastor! Did you know this? You stood week after week telling me how wonderful I am and what a wonderful destiny I had and how I was going to be some great one in the earth. Did you know this? Did you know that sin was going to keep me out of God's kingdom? Did you know that it wasn't optional for me to embrace truth? Did you understand that Jesus Christ had a legal right to my life? All of my life, not just part of it, but all of it? Did you know that I was purchased with his blood? You see, because there would be knowledge then. And the sinner that sat under the ministry of ministers who'd never declared to them the whole counsel of God now the minister, those that were ministered to supposedly will stand and have the knowledge because they'll be in the presence of God. Incredible. And they will turn and say, Did you know? Can you imagine the shame of ministers who knew especially those who maybe were raised in the church and understood but chose to reject it for something more positive? Chose to reject truth for something that would give them favor perhaps among men. They rejected it. And now they stand before their congregation at the throne of Christ and seeing most of their people as they preach to cast into utter darkness. Incredible. Revelation chapter 22, if you'll go there with me, the last book in the New Testament. When liars stand before God's throne. Now, Father, I'm asking you for an anointing. Lord, you have to anoint this word. You have to give me grace to speak it. You have to give grace to the hearers to hear it. You have to give us grace to be able to apply it to our lives. Mighty God, help us today. Help me today. Help me to convey your heart. Take me beyond my own understanding. Take me into the realm of your life. Let your voice be heard. Let your kingdom come. In Jesus' name. Beginning verse 10, the last book of the New Testament. And he saith unto me, Seal up the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without, that means outside of the city of God or the dwelling of God, are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh alive. I, Jesus, have sent mine angel, that means my messenger, to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to every man that hears the words of this prophecy of this book, that if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, from the things that are written in this book. He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now, it says in this particular book, I come, verse 12, to give every man according to his work. Now, the word work in the Greek text is ergon. And I've shared this with you before. It means that which is accomplished not by a single act, but by the entire performance. You see, you can go to a play perhaps sometimes and see a single act, but not get the full sense of what's really going on until you stay and sit through the whole performance. And Jesus has said, I have sat, I'm sitting through the whole performance. I don't see you just in church on Sunday, I see you at home on Monday. I see you at work on Tuesday. I see you after hours on Wednesday. I walk with you, I'm where you are in the late night hours on Thursday. And I have stayed through the whole performance. And when I come, I'm going to bring my reward. Now, the reward, keep in mind, is a two-sided coin. The reward is eternal life for those who have walked in truth, and it's eternal punishment for those who have not. And I will give you according to the entire performance of your life. If truth has been in you, and I've already defined this, there has been a change. There's a continuous process as it is of change. If truth is in you, and there's a witness. If you are a righteous man or woman of God, nothing I preach can condemn you today. Nothing I, you know because you know in your heart. But if you are indeed in truth and righteous, you'll be glad at this message today. If you are not, my deepest desire is that you be deeply provoked in your heart to yield whatever areas of your life are unyielded to truth, to Christ. Verse 15, now some, he says, without, I mean outside the city are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers. I mean, devourers and witches and people who have run after flesh and murderers and idolaters. Now, we have no trouble understanding. It's going to be easy to judge that. You and I could stand there with Christ and judge that. That's not going to be a hard one to do. Here comes a murderer, unrepentant, unchanged, unconfessed. We're going to stand and say, you are righteous in all that you do, oh Christ. This person, rightly so, will be cast into everlasting darkness. It will be easy to judge, for the entire performance has been evil. From beginning to end, it's been evil. But others are going to be in an absolute state of shock. Go with me to, put a mark at Revelation 21 and go to Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13, verse 23. Now, the Bible says that somebody came to him and said, Lord, are there few that be saved? You see, the people were getting the impression that this was not just a great big, wide open door for everyone to come and live any way they want. And all they had to do was say, Lord, Lord. And they were going to go into the kingdom of heaven. It's important to understand that people were perceiving from what Jesus was teaching them, that it was a very narrow door. It was a doorway of truth. And only truth could get through. There was no other way to get in. Remember, He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the Father except through Me. Folks, Christ is the truth. And you cannot get to God without going through the doorway of truth. It's impossible. It's absolutely impossible. And people will stand one day before the throne of God and find out, tragically, they've not been living in truth. And it's an incredible thing. Strive, He said in verse 24, to enter in at the straight gate. For many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up and is shut to the door, and you begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And he will answer and say unto you, I know you, not once you are. In other words, I don't know who you are. There will be people standing. And then shall you begin to say. Now, Jesus is speaking to, He's actually telling the people He's talking to, what they're going to be saying. This is Christ. This is their Creator. It is absolute truth. And He's looking at them and says, this is what you're going to say to Me. Because, you see, He's speaking at this time to many who are going to reject the truth. And then you shall begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in your presence. And thou has part in our streets. Now, this is the argument they're presenting to Him. Lord, open to us. We took communion. The Bible was opened. And you taught where we live. And we heard your word. But He shall say, I tell you, I know not once you are. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, He says, workers of iniquity. Now, the word iniquity means simply that. In the Greek, it means that which is not conformable to what ought to be. Worker of iniquity. In other words, it's not a work, perhaps, that is necessarily observable with the natural eye. He's talking to people who said, yes, the word has been opened. Yes, you've eaten and drank in My presence. Yes, I've taught in your streets. But I was teaching you something. I was leading you somewhere. I was bringing you to truth that could set you free. And give you eternal life and a full life. You're on this side of eternity. But you blocked out areas of your heart and mind and life. And didn't become conformable to what ought to be. In other words, if I was in you, there has to be a change. There has to be. Folks, if you put helium in a balloon and release it, it has to go up in the air by itself. It has to float because something other than what is in the world is inside of it. There has to be a change. There has to be a new life. You cannot get to heaven because you're a Methodist or a Pentecostal or a Baptist or Presbyterian or because your mother and father go to church. There has to be a change in your life. You can't go to heaven because you go to Times Square Church and attend every prayer meeting. And even if because you give mental agreement to the Bible, there has to be a change. They were not aware that they were about to be judged unworthy of heaven. I am the way, the truth. John 8, 12, Jesus said, I am the light of the world, and he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The word for darkness in the Greek means shall not walk under the influence or consequence of his sin. He shall not be sin bound. He shall not live his life in darkness and under the dominion of darkness. But he shall have the light of life. And the word for life is zoe, which means all the best and highest which Christ is. He who walks with me will have me. That's an incredible thing. That's basically what he's saying. If you walk with me, you'll have me. You'll have me. You'll have everything I bought for you on Calvary. You'll have every gift that is available to you from heaven. You'll have the things that you ask for that will honor my name. I will do a work in you that will cause men to marvel. It will cause some others to tremble because they will know that what's happening in your life has to come from the throne of God. It couldn't come from anywhere else but the hand of God. I will do a work in you. You will have me. Hallelujah. You will be conformed to my likeness. Hallelujah. Thanks be to God. The best and the highest that Christ is. The day of judgment finally comes and standing before the throne of God are all these dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters. But there's another group. It's whoever loves and makes a lie. The word for love in the Greek is phileo. It means befriending or forming a common interest with something. And the word for make is phileo. And it means this. It means the producing or bringing forth of something which when produced has an independent existence of its own. Now let me try to paraphrase this. It means forming a common interest with something which exists in you independently from the truth of Christ. Independently from his truth. Whoever loves and makes a lie. That's an incredible thing. You know I don't have to apologize for that because Christ said it. I would have to apologize for not preaching it to you. If ever you're found in this position at the throne of God. You will never again. Nobody in this house today will ever be able to say I never heard this truth. I didn't know because you know today. I believe that there are some today going to be snatched out of hell itself. Snatched out of a life of lying religion. Supposed relationship that isn't based on any form of truth. You see loving and making a lie. Allows a person to form a false self image. The truth is going after so that person may have life. Go with me to John chapter 8 very quickly please if you will. John chapter 8 verse 39. Here's Jesus speaking to his own people. And he's trying to tell them something about himself. Verse 32 he said you'll know the truth. The truth will make you free. Verse 34 he says whosoever commits sin is a servant of sin. Verse 36 again he says if the son makes you free you shall be free indeed. Verse 39 the people answer him and say Abraham is our father. Abraham is our father. What are you trying to tell us? We need to be set free from sin. Folks this is the very response sometimes. That a false self image will try to present to Christ when Christ goes after it. What do you mean? I'm a church goer. I'm a tither. I'm a Baptist, a Methodist. I'm this, I'm that. I was born a Christian. I've heard people say that. That very statement speaks of such an ignorance of God. It's incredible. Born a Christian. Abraham is our father. And he said now Christ responds to this. He said if you were Abraham's children you would do the works of Abraham. Now Abraham remember followed and obeyed and believed God. And he said if you were his children you would do exactly what Abraham did. But now you seek to kill me. A man which has told you the truth which I have heard of God. And this did not Abraham. There was an anger. You see Christ was challenging their sense of righteousness. They had a wrong sense of identity. Their identity isn't something they were doing. Or some tag that somebody had put upon them. But it wasn't based in reality or a living relationship with God. And Jesus was going after it. Because they were going to be cast out of the kingdom and they weren't aware of it. And truth that is so founded in the love of God's heart for his people was going after that false self image that they had. And again he said you do the deeds of your father. Verse 41 they said to him we'd be not born of fornication. We have one father even God. Now they had not only a false self image but a false sense of righteousness. And Jesus said to them if God were your father you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came from God and neither came I of myself but he sent me. Why don't you understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning. And abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks of his own for he is a liar and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth you believe me not. But which of you convicts me of sin? In other words if you don't believe me tell me why you don't believe me. If I'm not speaking the truth then expose the lie. That's what he's saying to them. Tell me where's the falsehood in my speech then if I'm not telling you the truth. And if I say the truth then why don't you believe me? Verse 47 says he that is of God hears God's word. You therefore hear them not because you are not of God. Folks listen to me. A liar can hate and feel justified. A liar can hate. Remember what John said in 1 John 4 20. If a man says I love God and hates his brother he is a what? He is a liar. For he that loves not his brother whom he has seen how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from him that he who loves God loves his brother also. There are entire churches in America that are racist. They are racist. Their whole church is founded on racism. Do you understand this? Do you understand that they have loved and made a lie? They have embraced a lie. It's an anti-Christ part and one day entire churches are going to stand before the throne and be cast out of the kingdom of God. Jesus said you embraced a lie. I gave you a commandment that if you love me you've got to love your brother. It is not an option. It's a commandment. There is not one racist that's going into the kingdom of heaven. Do you know that? Not one. I don't care how much they speak the name Jesus. I don't care how well they preach. I don't care how much their political ideology tries to tell them it's going to change them or the people around them. They're going to hell and the people who stand with them are going as well. You've got to get those seeds out of your heart. If they're in your heart, get them out. Ask God for a hatred for it. Ask God for a genuine fear of the Lord. Say, God, I don't want to stand before your throne one day and be lumped in with murderers and whoremongers and idolaters because I embraced a lie. Liars are always justified in what they do. They're always justified in how they feel. You see, a liar can gossip and be unconvicted. Proverbs 17, verse 4 says, A liar gives ear to a naughty tongue. But it also carries with it the context that untruth inside of a liar will open his spirit to deceptive religious teaching. You see, a liar will give ear to a tongue that speaks falsehood. Matthew 24, 11 and 12, Jesus said, Now, we're now living at that time. There are all kinds, there are handfuls, there are buckets full now of false prophets in America, especially America and Canada. And they're deceiving many of the people of God. Verse 12 says, Now, the waxing cold is the opposite. It's the antithesis, as the scripture says, of the breath of God is the ruach of God. It's the warm, hot breath of God that breathes into a soul and he lives. Did not our hearts burn in us? The man on the road to Oman says when he talked with us, Did not our hearts burn because the ruach of God was breathing into their lives? But Jesus said because of iniquity. That means there will be a people even who call themselves by the name of Christ in the last days, but they've not walked in truth. Iniquity abounds in them. They've embraced a lie. They're not willing to be brought into the light. They're not wanting their deeds to be called evil. They're wanting to hold on to a sense of self-righteousness. They're wanting their agenda and Jesus as well. They're wanting Christ as a tag on to their plans in life. They're wanting Jesus as somebody that can come and he's just a motivational speaker from heaven that can help them further their agenda, lift them up and make them somebody. And the Bible calls it the cold breath of darkness. That's what it means. Their hearts are going to be open to cold breath. It's another breath. It's another voice that's going to breathe into them and make them cold to the things of God because of the iniquity. A liar gives ear to a Nazi tongue. I see now a church age that is just going pell-mell, literally, into the camp of foolishness. False preachers preach another Jesus and if they do preach Christ, they only preach half of the gospel. You see these people standing there allowing themselves to be worked into a frenzy of flesh, not understanding what voice is speaking into their hearts and the true love of God will never be formed in them. It's another breath that is breathing upon them. And it's because of the iniquity, it's because of the sin that they've not been willing to deal with in their lives that this other breath has now got access to their heart. Because iniquity shall abound the love of many. Now, he's not talking about the unsaved. You have to understand. The love of the unsaved is cold from the womb. He's talking about those that are professing his name. The iniquity has opened their ear to another voice. Another Jesus is now breathing upon them. And it's making them colder and colder and colder to the real relationship that God wants to have with his people while promising them liberty. Peter says they, the preachers, are slaves of corruption. Now, listen now to me, to the ultimate deception. To those who have embraced the lie in some area of their lives, go with me to Psalm 78, please, if you will. This is the ultimate deception now. Psalm 78, verse 34, first begins to speak about the grace of God, the goodness of God. Now, please understand, I'm not angry. I think you know that. I want you to go to heaven. Every person in this house that's hearing this, I want you to go to heaven. I don't want the devil ever slapping his knee at your graveside. Do you understand? When he slew them, Psalm 78, verse 34, then they sought him. And they returned and inquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, verse 35, and the high God their Redeemer. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth and lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him. And neither were they steadfast in his covenant. Now, here's the ultimate deception. Lying with their tongues. The word for lied in the Hebrew is Kehzab. And it means this, the call upon the God of truth to testify to the truth of your life. It means coming into the house of God, raising your hand and calling the Holy Ghost to bear witness to that which does not conform to truth. This is the ultimate deception. It's the racist who raises his hand and says, I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice. It's the liar, it's the thief, it's the person in his heart who's leaving, just moving away from God in every area of his life. I don't want to be specific because then it lets other people off the hook that the Holy Spirit is speaking to. But you see, Acts chapter 5 in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ set the record straight once and for all. You see, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. The New Testament church would like to forget that, but we can't forget it because that's the living reality. Same God, we know Him with the revelation of incredible mercy now. We know Him now as the God who died for our sins and is willing to forgive us and live within us and give us the power to live a new life. We know Him as the one who's been willing to impart of Himself into us because we were unable to fulfill those requirements that He required of those who were called by His name. But Acts chapter 5 sets the record straight because it's the first record in the New Testament church of liars coming into the presence of Almighty God. And God says, just in case you think that grace has opened the doorway to sinners getting into heaven, let me set the record straight. That's what Ananias and Sapphira was all about. It was to strike fear into the hearts of those who would think that grace is now a license to sin. It's now a license to embrace lies, to not pursue the God of truth. It's now a license to say, well, God understands my weakness. God knows why I have to do this. God understands. Well, folks, He understands a whole lot more than you and I realize He understands. But He said in Acts 5, let me set the record straight. Two religious pretenders walked into the church. And the issue of Acts 5 is not about money. Ananias and Sapphira could have come in and said, here, we give you half and they could have carried on with the church. No, it was about a religious pretense in their life. They pretended to be with the agenda of God. They pretended to be going in the same direction that the church was going. And they pretended to be fully yielded to the purposes of God and raised their hands to the Holy Ghost. And Peter said, you've not lied to men, you've lied to the Holy Ghost. Let's set the record straight. Liars don't go into the kingdom of God. That's what the Holy Spirit was saying. Let's just set the record straight. I've come and given you grace, incredible grace. All the grace you will ever need. Heaven's doors are open to you to become all that I've called you to be. But it's not a license to embrace a lie and try to bring it into My presence and say, God of truth has to buy to the lie in my life. God of truth bear witness to the untruth that's in me. God says, I won't do it. And don't ever play that foolish game in My presence. He sets the record straight. But now I want to conclude with another record that Jesus has set straight as well. Go to John chapter 1, please with me. John chapter 1. Hallelujah. Oh, Jesus, thank you. John chapter 1. This is another record He sets straight. This is the one that gets me real excited. Verse 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him. Now, this is a type of a believer. And He said to him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Now, the word guile means crookedness, deception. Here's a man of truth. Here's a man who wants truth. Here's a man who's going to walk in truth. And I said, Here's an Israelite with no guile. And Nathanael said to him, How do you know me? And Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called thee, when he was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Now, look at the instantaneous revelation in a man without guile. Folks, this is what the gospel is about. This is what the Holy Spirit's trying to get through. Other than the fact that there are some that are going to stand before the throne of God and finally realize that you can't squeeze a lie into the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus is saying another thing. Look at this side of the gospel. Nathanael answered and said, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel. There's instantaneous revelation. We read earlier in another scripture that he's even telling people. If you go on farther in Luke, he says, They said when the Messiah comes, he will tell you all things. And they basically, well, that's actually not the way he put it. But he says, Before Abraham was, I am. I am God. He was giving them the revelation of who he was. And they were infuriated because they had an image to uphold. And they were not willing to yield that image to truth. And everyone who tries to uphold an image will be infuriated eventually at the truth of Jesus Christ. There will be something rise up and say, this is not right. But Nathanael answered and said, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus said, I want to set another record straight. There is an open heaven. There is an open heaven to those who are willing to walk in truth. And Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, Believers, thou shalt see greater things than these. In other words, Nathanael, yes, you have a revelation of who I am. But there's going to be more and it's going to get larger. It's going to be greater. It's incredible, Nathanael, where I'm going to take you. And he said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. You are going to have an open heaven, Nathanael. And you're going to understand where the life of God comes from. It's an amazing thing that I'm going to do in your life, Nathanael, Because you don't have a desire to deceive either yourself or God. Hallelujah. I'm going to give you an open heaven. Now, go with me to Psalm 15. I want to show you about some of the rewards of living in truth. Of those who make the choice. David says in Psalm 15, verses 1 and 2, Lord, he said, Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? And who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart. And God says, If you speak the truth in your heart, you will literally dwell in the presence of God. You will abide in my tabernacle. You will dwell in my holy hill. I will draw you into a place that no one else can go to. There'll be a glory there. There'll be an absolute transformation of your life there. You'll begin to see things that nobody else sees around you. No liar can see it. No game player can see it. You're a man, a woman who says, I'm pressing through the crowd. I'm pressing through the wickedness of my own heart. I'm going to go to the hill of God. I'm going into the tabernacle of Almighty God. I'm going into the dwelling place of God. God says, If you speak the truth in your heart, I'm going to take you there. And you're going to know life. And you're going to understand my kingdom. And I'm going to make you what you can't be. Take you where you can't go. Give you what you could never possess. You'll have the very life of Almighty God in you. Hallelujah. Now go quickly to Psalm 85. Psalm 85. He says, I'm going to take you somewhere else too. Verse 10. Verse 9. He says, Surely His salvation is nigh then that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together. He said, If you decide to walk in truth, I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine called Mercy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Some people are afraid to walk in truth. Afraid that God might see something in them. Folks, He already sees it. He already knows it. There's nothing to be afraid of. He said, If you choose to walk in truth, I'm going to bring you in and I'm going to introduce you to a good friend of mine called Mercy. You're going to find Him. Hallelujah. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth. You can take the earth to be a type of the soil of your heart because there is a parable about that. Burying the talent of God in the earth. And he says, Truth will spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good and our land shall yield or increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and He shall set us in the way of His steps. The Lord says, Listen, God will give strength. He will give increase. He will guide us and He will set us in the way of His steps. And when we fall, He will pick us up. Because we know when He picks us up, there will have been a change. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Truth and mercy kiss each other. Hallelujah. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God that when I decide to walk in truth, I am automatically introduced to the mercy of God. The mercy of God that passes my understanding. The mercy of God that tells us to forgive our brothers 70 times 7. How many more times will God forgive those who walk in truth? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Psalm 40 verse 11. He says it this way. Hallelujah. He says, withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me. Now God says, I will continually preserve those who walk in truth. I will preserve you. Basically, God says, I stake the honor of my name on my word. I will preserve you. If you have set your heart to walk in truth and set your mind to walk in truth, I will preserve you. I will keep you. I stake my very honor, my very name on it. Psalm 43. Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Deliver me from the deceitful and the unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength. Why dost thou cast me off and why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Verse 3 says, O send out thy light and thy truth and let them lead me. Let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles. And then will I go to the altar of God. Unto God my exceeding joy. Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God. God says, you walk in truth, I will deliver you from an ungodly time. I will deliver you from wicked men who are rising up all around you. The deceitful and the unjust. You decide to walk in truth and I will deliver you. And I will bring you, I will lead you to where I am. And you will come to my altar with exceeding joy. You'll come into my presence and you won't have to fake it. You won't have to pretend you're happy. You're going to come into my presence and there will be a joy. I speak of all that's full of glory on you. It won't matter if the band is off key and half the choir doesn't show up. Because it's not about that. You'll come into the house of God and raise your hand. And say, truth takes me by the hand. Truth is leading me to the presence of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Blessed be the name of Jesus. Blessed be the name of Jesus. Christ the Son of God. Blessed be His holy name. Psalm 45 is my last psalm. Now this is a psalm about Christ. But you understand that everything that He has inherited is now ours. So you can put yourself in this ride with Him. He says, Thou art fairer than the children of men. Psalm 45 verse 2. Grace is poured into thy lips. Therefore God has blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty, and with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth. And meekness and righteousness in thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And thy scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hateth wickedness. Therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Now here's what Christ is saying. He says, I'm going to take you. On a prosperous ride for the glory of God. I'm on a journey, Jesus said. And I'm going to take you. Those that are mine, I'm going to take you on that journey with me. And you're going to ride prosperously, it says, because of truth. There will be an evidence of my presence in your life. I will put arrows in your hand that are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies. I will give you a word in season. You'll become a soul winner to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. You'll have a singleness of the eye. And your whole body will be full of light. Hallelujah. Your voice will speak for the very throne of God. And God says, I will move when you speak. Because you and I together, we're walking together as one. You'll see the glory of God. You'll understand the permanence of your relationship. You'll see thy throne, God, is forever and ever. And the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. He says, the Lord has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. There'll be a joy in your heart that the world didn't give. We sing it and the world can't take it away. There'll be a joy in you. There'll be a joy. There'll be a steadfastness in your heart. Come hell or high water, as the expression goes, you say, I'm going with God. I'm riding with God. He's promised me this is going to be a prosperous ride for the glory of God. Hallelujah. Folks, it's time now. It's time now to make the choice. It's time to begin to walk in truth. It's time to begin to yield to Jesus Christ. It's time for men and women to say, God, lift me out of mediocrity. And bring me into resurrection life. And use me for the glory and honor of your kingdom. There are people here today who will say, God, I'm tired of watching the parade go by. I'm tired of reading biographies of men and women greatly used of God. Use me for your glory. Use my life. Hallelujah. Remember Hezekiah, when he got sick, he turned his face to the wall. And his prayer was, Lord, I have walked in truth. Remember me. And Isaiah was walking out of his presence. And immediately when he prayed, the Word of God came to Isaiah and said, go back and tell him. I've seen your prayer. I've seen your tears. I've heard your prayer. And he says, I'm going to heal you. And I'm going to add 15 years to your life. I'm telling you there will be times of special blessing for those who choose to walk in truth. The answers won't always be the same. But the provision of your need will be sure. God says, I'll give you a sure house. I'll take you to a holy hill. I'll bring you inside of a tabernacle. I'll protect you from wicked and evil men. And on the last day when you stand before my throne, you're not going to be a stranger. You're not going to be plea bargaining to get into heaven. You're going to know me, and I'm going to know you. Hallelujah. There will be a joy in your heart. You're not going to be standing there shaking and fearing. There will be a joy in your heart. Jesus! I've waited for this day. I, Jesus, Revelation 22, 16, have sent my angel to testify to you of these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and the morning star. And now here's the response to truth. Verse 17, the Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that hears say, come. And let him that is thirsty, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. This is the cry of the bride. This is the cry of those who belong to God. They hear a word like this and they say, Come, O God of truth, and make me a man or a woman of truth. Come, O God! Come and touch my heart! Touch my life! O God, don't let iniquity form in me! Don't let the devil have any part in me! Don't let me embrace a lie and receive it as truth! O God! Come! Come, Holy Spirit! Come and sit on the throne of my heart! Come and make this book like an x-ray machine that looks through me and pasts me and tries me and proves me! O God, do this for your honor and for your glory, do it! Come, O God, and take this deception or take any and all deception out of my life! Take it out of me! Take it away from me, O God! I can't sneak a lie into your kingdom! I can't squeak it past the throne of God's glory! I can't get past all-consuming truth! O God, come and take it out of me! Take it out of me, lest I open my ear to evil! Lest another voice begin to speak into my heart! Lest another gospel begin to mold itself around me! O God, come and take me out of deception in my heart! And lastly, others will say, O come, God, and meet my need, as I choose to open my heart and my life to what you've been trying to speak to me. The human heart is deceptive, folks. Wicked. Mine is as wicked as yours is. The human heart is wicked. But God is faithful. And all you and I are required to have is that cry. That cry, Search me, O God. Yes, David murdered. And David committed adultery. And David was deceptive. But he said, search me. He had that thing in his heart. Search me. O God, and know my heart. Try me. And see if there'd be any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way of life, everlasting. O my God, lead me. Jesus himself, when he taught us how to pray the Lord's Prayer, had a line in there that I used to always wonder about. And he said, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. When I began to research that, it really means, God, don't release us into the wickedness of our own hearts. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Everything that I need is found in you. Everything I want is found in you. This bride says, come, O God. Come, O God. Today, the Holy Spirit is speaking to many. Speaking to men and women who are not living in truth. Speaking to some who don't know Christ as their Savior. Speaking to others who have a need, but said, O God, if you have afflicted me because there's an area of untruth in me, come and show me now where it is. Show me what it is that you're trying to get through that I won't hear. Come, O God. And reveal your truth to me that I may be restored. God will answer that cry. God will answer it. He will change you. It is a wonderful life to live for Christ. It's an incredible life. If I had a choice between 50 years ahead and all that the world has, or five minutes with Jesus, without even questioning, without a moment's hesitation, I'd choose five seconds in the presence of the living Christ than 50 years in this dead world. But there has to be that cry. God said, I will do everything that I promised if you will come in truth. Now, we're going to stand in a moment. And when we do, everyone here that the Holy Spirit has spoken to, I'd like you to get out of your seat and come to this altar. You have an invitation. I don't have to be definitive. I don't have to tell you every sin that's in your heart. The Holy Spirit, He's here speaking to you. And you already know. He's already been speaking. If you want life, He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. Come to me. If you are a genuine Christian, you have to have that cry in your heart. In the education annex, you can stand between the two screens, or the four screens that are there. We'll pray for you. As we stand now, I'm going to ask if the Holy Spirit's drawing you, please come to this altar. And we're going to pray. And I'm going to believe God with you for an absolute miracle in your life. One of the greatest gifts that you could ever have is a genuine fear of God in your heart. The fear of God is not walking around trembling every day. The fear of God will ultimately lead you to very strong confidence in Him. But the fear of God is the understanding that He will not be mocked. You cannot mock God. Grace is not a license to mock God. And it's a wonderful thing that you have had in your heart to come to this altar today. These prayers are going to be different. It's very difficult to lead you in a prayer because the needs are so different here. But I guess there's one prayer in my heart above all else. It's, oh God, make me a man or woman of truth. Truth, truth, truth, truth. Let truth be established in my inward parts. Keep before your mind that one day you and I, we will all stand before the throne of Christ and we'll be judged in truth. Truth is the only judge. Be a man of truth. Be a woman of truth. You have nothing to be afraid of. Hallelujah. Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, forgive me. For the deception that I have allowed into my heart and into my life. I ask you now to expose it to my understanding clearly. And give me a heart to repent, to turn away from everything in me that is a lie and doesn't conform to your presence and your truth in my life. Make me into a person that truly honors and glorifies Jesus Christ. I've heard your promises today. I agree and I believe that you will take me into the dwelling place of God. You will protect me. Be merciful to me. Give me new life, new strength, new hope and new joy every day. I believe this with all of my heart. Let a desire for truth be in me all the days that I live on this earth. I thank you, Jesus, that you have shown me this today. I see and I understand the greatness of your mercy, your justice and your truth. Help me to be a Christian whose life brings glory to your name. And I know that you will keep me all the days of my life and you will receive me one day into everlasting glory. I believe it, I receive it in Jesus' name. Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. It is so wonderful to walk in truth. It is so wonderful to walk out of this house with a clean conscience before God. It's an incredible feeling if you've never known this before. And if you truly mean this today, you will know it today. If you are among those who are receiving Christ for the first time, see anybody with a white suit jacket on, they will have a Bible for you, they'll have some information for you, they can lead you in a prayer, they can help explain to you what it means to be a Christian. We have new believers classes every Friday night at 7 o'clock. There's always over 100 or so people in them, so make sure you get there. God bless you. We meet again 3 o'clock today, 6 o'clock this evening. It is going to be a wonderful day, all day in the house of God. Please encourage one another as you have been encouraged in the Lord. Let's go, let's sing a victory song on the way out today. God bless you. This is the conclusion of the message.