In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding God's purpose and following His path. He references Solomon, who briefly understood God's work in the earth but later became spiritually blind when he focused on satisfying his own desires. The speaker highlights the need to defend the poor, fatherless, afflicted, and needy, as this is God's purpose. He emphasizes that the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about people and their salvation, and urges the church to prioritize what truly matters instead of becoming entangled with worldly pursuits.

Today I'd like to speak to you about the wise man's eyes. The wise man's eyes, Ecclesiastes chapter 2, in the Old Testament. If you go there, please, and that's right after the book of Psalms, Proverbs, then you'll find Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. Now, Father, I thank you, Lord God, with all my heart, for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I thank you, God, that you are the one who makes the Word come to life. You are the one, Lord, who shines this light on our path, and then you give us the power to be able to embrace what we see in what you speak. Oh, God, give us ears to hear what you are speaking to your church in this hour. I pray for the grace and the empowerment to speak this clearly and simply. Help me not to stray to the left or to the right of everything that you've given me to speak from this pulpit today. Lord, I'm abandoned to you, and I ask only that your will be fulfilled. God Almighty, speak into the hearts of your people and let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lord, we thank you for this. God, we thank you. I thank you with everything in my heart, Lord. I praise your holy name. Almighty God, Almighty God, Almighty God, Almighty God, we need you now more than we've ever needed you before. We need you, Holy Spirit. We can't walk through this world without you. Forgive us for every measure of our life where we try and where we strive and where we move without you. God, speak to us. That's all I ask, and I thank you for it in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Ecclesiastes 2, beginning at verse 14, the wise man's eyes. The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I myself perceived... Now, this is, of course, the words of Solomon. And I myself perceived that one event happened to them all and then said I in my heart, as it happened to the fool, so it happened even to me. And why then? Why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, this also is vanity or worthless. For there's no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool forever, seeing that which now is in the days to come shall be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man as the fool? Therefore, I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me, for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. Therefore, I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I took under the sun. Now, there are very few tragic figures in the Bible that compare with Solomon. Beloved, there are few ever that will ever in this side of eternity attain to the measure of wisdom that God gave to this man. But wisdom does not mean that we have a heart to walk in it. You can know truth, you can be ever learning, like the Apostle Paul says, in the last days there will be a people ever learning. But that learning does not bring them to the place where this truth leads, where truth empowers, where truth begins to change, where truly the purpose of truth in them is manifested in the earth. Solomon started out on a solid foundation of truth. He was instructed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He built a dwelling place for God where the glory of God was truly manifested. Everything started in the Spirit with this man. David, his father, was given after all of his conquests, he was given by the Spirit a pattern of a house that was to be built where the glory of God would dwell. Really a monumental task. Only God could give this instruction, and only the power of God could bring it to completion. David passed it on to his son Solomon, and Solomon, a type of one church age as it is passing on how God works to the next. He passed it on to Solomon, and Solomon, it appears to the letter, built this house according to the instructions given to his father by the Holy Spirit. And into this house the glory of God came. 2 Chronicles 5, verses 13 and 14 said, When the house was finished, the people sang with one voice, and their instruments were raised up to God, and they sang His good, His mercy endures forever. And the Scripture says, The glory of the Lord filled the house of God, so that even the priests could not stand to minister in the presence of the Lord. This glory of God, this weightiness of God, this doxa in the New Testament, the kavod in the Old Testament, this presence of God that brings God to reputation. Did you know today that you and I are now the temple of the Holy Spirit? He no longer dwells in buildings made with human hands. We became that dwelling place where God desires to manifest His glory, just as He did in the days of Solomon. In 2 Chronicles 7, verse 1, after Solomon's prayer of dedication, the Bible says, The fire of God came down on the altar of sacrifice that was prepared, and consumed the sacrifice, and the glory of God came into the house so powerfully, that this time the priests could not stand to enter. They could not stand it. They couldn't even enter into the house of God. It was such a glory that nobody would touch it. Nobody could go into this presence of God. This manifested glory of God. And if you take the time to go into Chronicles and see and read the prayer of Solomon, his dedicatory prayer, that he knew that the intended purpose of God dwelling in the earth was all about people. You look at it yourself. From the widow to the warrior to the stranger. Solomon's prayer said, If the hungry come in, satisfy them. If the oppressed come in, set them free. If the aggrieved come in, do justice for them. If the stranger comes, answer his questions. You read the dedicatory prayer. It's all about people. If we're taken captive, bring us home. It's all there. Every answer, every inquiry was to be found in God. God said, I'm going to dwell in a place. My glory will be there. And Solomon knew this. And God was in effect telling Solomon, Bring the people to me. Bring them into my presence and let them inquire. That's why Christ was so offended in the synagogue when he came in. He said, this is to be a house of prayer. That's what my father wanted it to be. It was a place where people were to inquire of God and God would answer them. And in those answers, God would be glorified. And the testimony of God's greatness would spread as it is throughout the earth. He would have a people through whom he's glorified. A people who simply believed him and esteemed him. Worthy of giving all their lives and all their hearts and their time to. And Solomon knew this. And you would think, therefore, that the purpose of Solomon's life would be dedicated to bringing people to this knowledge of God. You would think so. With this kind of an experience and this kind of knowledge. It seems so incomprehensible that Solomon would move in any other direction. But sending the people out and say, listen, go get the stranger. Go get the widow. Go get the fatherless. Go get the oppressed. Get the famished. Get the hungry. Get the diseased. Get the struggling. Bring them into this place. God said he's going to answer them. There's going to be miraculous answers. And in these answers, God is going to be glorified. And his glory is going to spread throughout the earth. You would think that's what Solomon's life would have been dedicated to. And even with wisdom unparalleled, even to this day, Solomon himself fell prey to the seductive influences of this world, folks. That's what happened to this man. Because, you know, truth doesn't necessarily mean you have a heart for truth. I find myself praying constantly, God, I would love to have the wisdom of Solomon, but I would prefer to have the heart of David. Because the wisdom of Solomon led him into the world, and the heart of David kept him where God was. I'd rather bumble and stumble in my preaching. I'd rather grasp and scratch for knowledge, and have a heart for God, than to know mysteries, and be able to move mountains, and have somehow lost touch with heaven. Lost touch with the very heart of God. Lost the moorings of what my life is supposed to be. Gone in the direction that's not prescribed to me of God. In Proverbs chapter 7, if you'll go back in your Bibles, please, to the book right before Ecclesiastes, Proverbs chapter 7, I want to show you something very, very fearful. It's how God began to speak to Solomon about his own future. Now, Solomon penned much of this with his own hand, and even if it was a scribe who penned it, he would have had some involvement in it, he would have the knowledge of it, he would have at least read this. And Solomon, God is speaking to him, and here's the point, you can have as clear revelation as heaven can give you, and I'm still not walking it. Listen, this is God speaking. When you read these words, like in chapter 7, it says, my son, keep my words. Now, yes, it can be something Solomon is remembering, that his father David spoke to him, but ultimately it's God speaking. God speaking, when he's speaking directly to this man. And he says in verse 6, now think of Solomon's life, how it ended up. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement. This is God speaking. And up beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding. Now, the word understanding in the original text means a man void of heart. The word understanding refers to the totality of a man's inner nature. I saw somebody, and this young man had no heart. And he says, passing through the street near her corner, he went away to her house. And in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night, and there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, subtle of heart. She's loud and stubborn, and her feet abide not in her house. And now she's without, now in the streets, and lies in wait at every corner. It speaks about on a multiplicity of levels. On the most surface level, it speaks about a physical prostitute. But deeper than that, it speaks about a seductive religion, a seductive spirit that is intertwined with the world, that will reach out and grasp those who don't have a heart to walk in truth. Think of the thousands in our generation who have fallen prey to this seductive religion that basically says you can enjoy everything in the world and have God too. You can have it all. Just don't be so narrow, don't be so restrictive. Everything around is made to be enjoyed. It says in verse 15, So she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him, I have peace offerings with me, and this day I've paid my vows. See, there's a religiousness about this. I've made peace with God, God has accepted this, this is alright with God, and I've paid my vows, therefore I came forth to meet thee diligently, to seek thy face, and I've found thee. And it's almost perplexing that Solomon himself can write these words and not understand that God is speaking to him. I've decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, and carved works, and fine linen of Egypt. I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, and aloes, and cinnamon. In other words, there's a type, there's a fragrance of prayer, and worship, and sacrifice in this. But it's all intermingled with the world. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning. Let us solace ourselves with love. The world crying out to the church, Come, love me, I'll love you in return. We will give solace to each other. We'll comfort each other. For the good man is not at home. He's gone on a long journey, he's taken a bag of money with him, and he'll come home at a day appointed. With her much fair speech, she caused him to yield. With the flattering of her lips, she forced him. He goes after her straightway as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till a dart strikes through his liver, as a bird hastes to the snare and knows not that it's for his life. Hearken to me now, therefore, you children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths, for she's cast down many wounded, yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Now God speaks to Solomon about his own future. For whatever reason, whatever is in his heart, he can't hear it. Look at Ecclesiastes where we began, now in chapter 2. With all this knowledge, and all this scripture, and I believe in understanding, which he chose to reject at some point. You have to choose to reject this. There has to be something in you that says, the way of God is too narrow, the work of God is too small. Am I to spend the rest of my life just bringing people into God? To bringing people to God's presence? Is that all my life is to be about? Am I not to enjoy things in this world? Did he not create them to be enjoyed? Should I not use the giftings of God for other things? Is it really that narrow? Is it really that small? Now here's what Solomon said in his heart, in chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes. I said in my heart, Go to now, I'll prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. And behold, this also is vanity. Now he's writing at the end of his life. At the end of his life, this man is depressed. There's no doubt about it. This is a book about depression. This man has looked back and said, everything I did was empty. It amounted to nothing. And even that which appears to remain may be inherited by a fool. And actually it was. His son Rehoboam didn't have the wisdom he had. He was a weak man. And Rehoboam in his ignorance of the ways of God and casting away the counsel of those who had walked and knew God, he spoke to the people in harshness. He divided the kingdom and paved a way for the enemies of God to come in and ultimately overpower and destroy the testimony of God in that season. And the temple, the glorious temple, where the glory of God had come in, was destroyed after the invasion of the foreign armies. He said in verse 3, I sought in my heart to give myself to wine, yet acquainted my heart with wisdom. The type of a Christian, I suppose, who says, well, what's wrong with a little bit of alcohol? What's wrong with getting a little bit happy? And he said, I sought in my heart to give myself to wine, and yet at the same time, talk about mischief, seeking wisdom, coming still into the temple, standing there, he may have been half drunk on Friday night, but coming in on the Sabbath day, and one more time just giving God back in a sense out of his mouth all the wisdom, but he's not living the wisdom that God had put in his heart. And he said, I made great works. Verse 4, I built houses, I planted vineyards. Verse 5, I made gardens and orchards. Verse 6, I made pools of water. Verse 7, I got servants and maidens. I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were before me in Jerusalem. Verse 8, I gathered me silver and gold and peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I had men singers and women singers and the delights of the Son of Man as musical instruments and that of all sorts. And so I was great, verse 9, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem, and also my wisdom remained with me. I was a man totally mixed into the things of the world, totally moving in the wrong direction. Verse 10, he says, and whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy. My heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor. Verse 11, then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and the labor that I labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. Amazing. Here is this man using the wisdom that God gave him to do these things. Just like the prodigal son in the New Testament who was given this incredible inheritance of his father and went and began to live in a place that was very, very far from the work of his father and from the heart of his father, Solomon. And now at the end of his days, he says, death and decay seems to have conquered all that I set my hand to in this world, and even that which seems to survive, a fool may inherit it, so I hated life. I hated life, he said, because he had worked his whole life for things that are all going to pass away. Proverbs 14.1 says, The fool says in his heart there is no God. In other words, there is no absolute sovereign whose ways are higher than mine. He says in his heart. It doesn't necessarily say he says it with his mouth. But in his heart, he just doesn't believe that God has the absolute right to his life. He doesn't really fully believe that the way is narrow. He really doesn't fully believe that the work of God is the winning of the lost, bringing the poor, the afflicted, the oppressed, the addicted to the knowledge of Christ. He doesn't believe that this is fulfilling. He falls into the same trap that Adam and Eve fell into in the Garden of Eden when Satan came and said, Listen, there's more than this restrictive life that God has given to you to live. There's more than just fellowship with God. There's more than just hearing the word of God and walking in obedience to God. Verse 14, he says, The fool walks in darkness. He sees, he considers, and he continues to walk onward on the pathway of darkness. Proverbs 11, 12 said, He that is void of wisdom, and it actually means in the original, empty of heart, destitute of heart, despises his neighbor. He doesn't see the work of God. He doesn't see the value of a soul. That's really what it means. He despises his neighbor. He's moving in a realm that is of no profit to eternity. He's building a kingdom that is going to perish. He's gathering to himself things that are not going to last. They're not going to exist. I don't want to get to the end of my days. I don't know about you in this house this morning. I don't want to get to the end of my days and say, What have I put my hands to? What did I give my strength to? What has my life amounted to? What has it accomplished? What is eternal? I don't want to get to the end of my days and look backwards and say, It's all vanity. It's vexation of spirit. I've got all these things, and I did it with the wisdom of God. I did it with the life that God gave me, but it is not the work of God. It brings no glory to God. Can you imagine Solomon at the end with the sinking feeling as what has once been a place of God's glory has now turned to this perfunctory worship of just people coming in. It's all routine now. There's no heart anymore. He's not seeing the glory anymore. And I don't want to get to the end of my life and have the glory gone in my soul. God forbid that the glory of the Lord should ever leave this house. God forbid that having begun and having known the presence of the Lord in this house, that we should take His presence so casually. We should take His word so lightly that we just assume that He's always going to be here. Assume that nothing is ever going to change in spite of whether or not we choose to obey what He speaks to us. Proverbs chapter 12, 11 talks about the man or woman with an empty heart. And it says, He that tills his land shall be satisfied with bread. But he that follows vain persons is void of understanding. In other words, he begins to associate with spiritually empty people who are not engaged in the work of the harvest. And folks, that's a sign. If your friends are empty, that means you are empty. If your friends are focused on the world, the fact that they are your friends ought to be a mirror to you. If you are a co-worker with God in Jesus Christ, your friends should be focused on bringing people to God. There should be an inner focus. I'm not saying you don't work. I'm not saying you don't have a job. I'm not saying you don't have to get up at 9 and work till 5. But that's not what you live for and use the wisdom of God for. Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seeking first the lost man, woman, child, young person in the city who lives in darkness and without the knowledge of God. Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 18 says, A man void of understanding strikes hands and becomes shorty in the presence of his friend. And really what that means is he gets himself entangled with this world by becoming financially bound to it. He's constantly, he's the master of the deal as it is. Striking hands, striking hands, striking hands and gets himself so wired to this world he can't break free from it. It begins to occupy his thoughts. It occupies his mind. It fills his day. And then you get to the end of our lives. What will you say at the end of your journey? We're certainly seeing in our generation that all that we, that so many have thought is lasting and brings happiness is all collapsing around us. In one measure I'm thankful in my heart. I'm not thankful for the struggle of any society or person. Don't ever misquote me on that. But I'm thankful because for once it might bring the church of Jesus Christ back to our senses again. To begin to realize what is of value and what is passing away. Proverbs chapter 24. Now listen. In the light of Solomon's life. Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 30. Now, what really astounds me more than anything is that I can see, I can see a quill in Solomon's hand. The Holy Spirit inspiring these words flowing through an earthly vessel who's not partaking of what this knowledge is. Doesn't understand it. Listen. I went by, verse 30. Proverbs 24. I went by the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding. Remember, void of understanding doesn't mean doesn't have knowledge. It means has no heart to the knowledge. That's actually what the correct text of that is. Has no heart to what has been revealed to him. And lo, he said, it was all grown over with thorns and nettles had covered the face thereof. And the stone wall was broken down. And then I saw and considered it well and looked upon it and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep and so shall thy poverty come as one that travels and thy want as an armed man. He said, I passed by what this man had been given to do in this life and it was all grown over with thorns. Now, God is speaking to Solomon. But he doesn't hear it. And God's saying, I passed by. I see something, Solomon. I see something at the end of your days. I passed by the sum total of your work. Now, I want you to think now about what happened to the temple of the glory of God. I want you to think about the kingdom being split under his powerless son. About the Assyrians conquering Israel and finally Babylon coming in and conquering the other portion of Israel. Destroying the temple. Stone upon stone thrown down. The place of God's glory is gone. And God said to Solomon, I passed by this vineyard. I'm looking down the line at the end of your works and the end of your days. I'm looking at what your life is going to produce. If you can hear what the Spirit is saying today, the Lord, if you have the heart to it, the Lord will say, listen, I'll show you the end of your life if you carry on on this course that you're on. But thank God for his mercy. The Lord says, I can change it. If you have a heart to truth, I can change it. It doesn't have to be this way. He said, I passed it and it was all grown over with thorns. You remember Mark 4 in the New Testament, verses 18 and 19. He said, the word that is sown among thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things comes in and chokes it and it bears no fruit. It becomes unfruitful. I passed by and it was all grown over and the stone wall was broken down. Nehemiah 1.3 Nehemiah talks about the stone wall. It was the report that came to him. It's that separation that marks the dwelling place of God with his people. I passed by. I don't know if you can see what I'm seeing. But God says, Solomon, you're in a time of glory. But I see the whole picture. I'm way ahead of you. I live in the future, not just in the present or the past. I live in the future. I am that I am, God says. I'm everywhere. I'm omnipresent in all places. And I'm passing by the end of what you're doing. In the end of what you're doing, I see the stone wall broken down. And folks, that's the place of God's glory. That's the temple. That's the temple. I'm bringing this word from the Spirit of God to appeal to somewhere in this house that you've got years perhaps if God tarries of work left ahead of you, of direction, of things to do. But don't let God ever have to come to your life and say, I saw the end in the stone wall. The place of my glory is broken down. My glory is gone. Don't let it happen. Don't let it be the testimony of your life. And so help me God. It will never be the story as long as I live of this church. Never, never, never be the story of this house. The wise man's eyes, Ecclesiastes 2.14, the scripture says are in his head. The wise man sees. Now I want you to go to Psalm 82 and I'm going to show you what he sees and we're going to close with this. I'm going to speak to you about what the wise man, what does he see? If you are wise today, what do you see? If you and I are learning scripture, what's coming into our heart? Psalm 82, verse 1. God stands in the congregation of the mighty and he judges among the gods. Number one, the wise man sees God standing above everything in this world that professes to be of truth and lasting value. The wise man sees above towers, financial things, above skyscrapers, the works of man. He sees above everything around, everything that professes that it will satisfy his heart or her heart. He or she sees above these things and sees God standing above it all. Eternal God. God who does not change. And he is the one who has truth and lasting value. Verse 2. He hears a question. How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked? In other words, how long will you continue to walk in agreement with that which is going to perish? How long? How long will you continue down this path? How long will you walk in agreement with what is going to perish? And it's a question, I believe, that is burning in the heart of God for so much of what professes to know him or at least knows some truth. How long, he said, I stand above it all and when it's all gone, I'll still be there. How long will you... How long will you walk in agreement with that which is going to perish? How long will you give your strength to sandcastles? How long will you pursue that which is going to evaporate before you? How long? How many examples have to be in Scripture? How many times do I have to speak? How many things do we have to be shown till finally we will have a heart to truth and say, God, your work in the earth is the salvation of the lost. Verses 3 and 4, He says, Defend the poor and the fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and needy, and rid them out of the hand of the wicked. You see, I believe the man who sees sees clearly the path that God has laid before him. He understands it, even if only for a moment, the work of God in the earth. Solomon had to understand it for a moment. He had to know it. He couldn't have prayed that kind of a prayer. He couldn't have been so in touch with heaven and be spiritually blind at that moment. The blindness came later. When he chose to take this life, this freedom, this resource of wisdom God gave him and he focused it on things to satisfy his own heart and not the heart of God. He knew that God's purpose was defending the poor and the fatherless, doing justice to the afflicted and the needy, delivering the poor and the needy, and ridding them out of the hand of the wicked. He knew that was the work of God. He knew that's what God wanted. At the end of his prayer, the Lord said, I, now my ears are open and my heart is ready for the prayers that are going to be prayed in this place. In other words, God was saying, listen now, you know I'm good and my mercy endures forever. You've seen my glory. I've accepted this sacrifice. I've received your prayer. Now bring the people to me. That's what the Lord was saying. Bring them in here. Bring them into my house and let my glory be established in the earth. Let my glory be established. And folks, I'm telling you, I just am gripped with the tragedy of this story. The man who's leading it all moves away from the simplicity of this understanding and takes everything God's given him and starts building sandcastles. And at the end of his life, he's just old and despairing, looking back and worried about who's going to get it in the future. What if he's a fool? Even that would seem to remain. He saw no profit in it anymore. In verse 5 it says to 7, They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I've said you are gods and your children are the most high, but you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Now the word gods here means judges. God said, I chose you to bring justice into the earth. I chose you to make a difference. I chose to dwell inside of you so that the poor and the oppressed might know they have a God in heaven who cares for them. That's why I chose you. That's why I came and dwelt among you. That's why I put my spirit inside this physical temple. I made you to be judges in the earth. You were to have the answer. You were to walk in strength. You were to be the ones who unlocked the gate and showed the poor the way into the provision of the life of God. You were the Josephs in this generation. You were the Samsons. You were the Gideons. You were the ones that I put my spirit on. He said, But you're going to die just like other men do. Oh, the tragedy of it. The tragedy of walking by that temple one day, of seeing a poor person perhaps come into the land of Israel and walk by this building that's all torn down and say to a friend, I wonder what used to go on there. I wonder what this was built for. I wonder why there's such large stones in the foundation. I wonder what happened here. Oh, there's not even a trace, not even a smell of God there anymore. And there are churches like that in our generation. There's not even a scent of God in it anymore. And people walk in and they say, I wonder what this is about. I wonder what is supposed to be happening here. I don't seem to get it. And they don't get it because the people in the place don't get it. He says, Arise, O God, and judge the earth. For thou shalt inherit all nations. The true man or woman of God says, O God, judge me now. Judge what is of the earth in me now. God, judge it. Judge it. Show it to me. Let me repent of it. Let me turn away from it. Let not my life be wasted on things that have no profit and no value in the earth. O God, help me not to get to the end of my days and look back and say it's all vanity and vexation of spirit. Because I realize that one day all that will remain, all that will hold any value is that which I have led to you. That's all that will remain. You'll not bring your retirement fund with you. You'll not bring your fancy car. You'll not bring your position. You'll not bring your instruments and music. You'll not even bring your clothes you're wearing. When you stand before God, the only thing you'll have is every man, woman, child, every oppressed person that you brought to God, that you brought to the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. That's all you'll have. My God, my God, my God! My God, my God, my God! I don't want to get to the end and say it's vain, it's been for nothing. Oh folks, when I get to the end of my days I want to look back and say thank you for what you did in Jamaica. Thank you God for what you did in Africa. Thank you for what you did in New York. Thank you for this man who came to God. Thank you for that woman. Thank you for what you did among the high schoolers. Thank you for the glorious visitation of God that you sent into the city. Oh God, thank you! Thank you for the person on the park bench that I was able to share with about you. Thank you for the lady on the train who cried and began to understand that God cares for her. Thank you Lord for the beggar on the street that I was able to tell that there is a God who will give him a new life. Thank you God. I'm not building a sad castle. I'm not building things that are going to pass away. Praise be to God. That's the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ died. Christ rose again. Christ will come again. Christ triumphed over sin and death. Christ sits at the right hand of all power. Christ will save whosoever will come to him in repentance with an honest heart. Christ will give new life, new power, new grace, new glory. Christ will come and live in the heart of every man, woman or child who calls out to him. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the work of the church of Jesus Christ. Praise be to God. You are all that I have as a pastor, a pastor in this church. You are all that I have that's of any value in this world. You are all I can take. And on my watch, God forbid that one of you should end up in hell. That's the way I feel in my heart. I care enough to go deep. I care enough to challenge everything in your heart. I care enough to see every stone turned over and every mountain brought down because I'm not willing to leave you behind. You are all I will take with me. Judge me. The psalmist said, God Almighty, let me not get to the end and say it's been for nothing. And even that which seems to remain doesn't seem to have any value. Oh God, oh God, oh God, help us now. Help your church, Lord. If the Holy Spirit has been speaking to you in this message and you can agree with what God has spoken to your heart and you are among those who will say, Lord, count me in and give me a heart for truth. Give me an eternal focus. Help me to see what is the work of God that I not be part of this end time ruin and much of the end time church that will also be in ruins, that I not be part of it. I want the glory of God to stay in my heart. If that's the cry of your heart, I'm going to ask you in the annex, as we stand you can step between the screens in the main sanctuary, just make your way to this altar and in the aisles and we'll worship for a season and you let God speak to your heart as we worship. Do that now. Would you stand please and make your way, just make your way here. Father, I ask you for a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit. God, you came to the temple when everything was in right order. When the people's hearts were in line with your purpose in the earth, you came to the temple. You came with such power that flesh could not rise nor even enter. I'm asking you, God, in Christ's name. Father, you have to send the Holy Spirit. For the honor and glory of Jesus Christ, you have to. Lord, you have to in this generation. You have to have a temple that's empowered by the Holy Spirit, where people can come and find the goodness of God flowing through your temple. Lord, I'm asking you in Christ's name for this baptism to come. On this house and on this church, Lord. This very moment as I pray, Lord, that you pour out from heaven, O God, on my heart and my life, on my house and my family. O God, on the orchestra, on the leaders of this church. My God, on this congregation, in the nursery, in the children's church. God Almighty, we lift our voices and our hands to you and ask you for a baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let the glory of the Lord come, O God, and rest in these temples, Lord, this body of Christ that you've gathered here in New York City. Lord, we cry out for you to come. We cry out, Lord, in agreement with your purposes, that through this temple, that your mercy would be known, your touch would be known, your truth would be known, your glory would be known, your provision would be known, your direction would be known. It would become all about people in the temple, this New Testament temple of the Holy Spirit. God Almighty, come. God Almighty, will you join me, folks, and cry out to the Lord? Join me and cry out to the Lord. God Almighty, come. Come with a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit. God, would you fill every soul, would you fill every hungry heart? Would you do what you did on the day of Pentecost? Would you fulfill in our generation the promise made through the prophet Joel? Lord, that you would pour out your Spirit on all flesh, that your sons and daughters would prophesy, your old men would dream dreams, and on your servants and handmaidens you would pour out of your Spirit. God Almighty, we need the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, we need you. We can't do this without you. We can't be what we're called to be without you. We can't even fulfill our best intentions without you. You have to come, Holy Spirit. You have to fill every heart, fill every life, fill every temple, O God. God Almighty, come and glorify your own name. Glorify your name. Glorify your name, Lord. Glorify your name in my life, O God. I'm asking you for a mighty baptism, O God, again, Lord, that you touch my heart in life and fill me, God, as you did in days of old. God Almighty, I yield to your purposes in the earth. O Jesus, O Jesus, be glorified. Be glorified, O God. Be glorified in your church, Lord. Be glorified in your temple. Be glorified, O God. Be glorified in the season we're living in, Lord. Be glorified. Father, we thank you. We praise you, God. We bless you, Lord. We bless you, Lord. We yield to you. We yield our bodies as living sacrifices to you, Lord, for your work and your purpose in the earth, which is our reasonable service. We thank you for it, God. We thank you, Lord. We thank you, God. We praise you. We give you glory. We give you glory for this.