This sermon emphasizes the importance of standing for the glory of God and the souls of men, even in the face of trials and persecution. It calls believers to be willing to endure suffering and opposition for the sake of Christ, reminding them of the eternal perspective and the need to be strong in the Lord. The message challenges Christians to be prepared for the spiritual battle ahead, to stand firm in their faith, and to prioritize the work of God over personal comfort or success.

Good morning, Times Square Church. This morning I'd like to speak to you about the glory of God and the souls of men. If you turn to your New Testament to the book of 1 Peter, please, chapter 4, and as you do that, we're going to pray together. All of our visitors, welcome this morning, and I do hope you take time to attend the fellowship that's prepared for you after the service today. I think you'll be greatly blessed if you make the effort to do that. Now, Father, I thank you, God, with all my heart for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I thank you, Lord, that you've never called us to walk this Christian walk in our own strength. You've given us great promises, and by these we become partakers of the very nature of Christ within us. I ask you, God, to deepen us today. Deepen this church. Deepen our resolve to walk with you. Deepen our understanding, God, of the days that we're living in. Give us a heart to hear this Word today. Give me the strength to deliver it. I ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. The glory of God and the souls of men. 1 Peter chapter 4, beginning at verse 12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evildoer or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any suffers a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him and well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Now the Apostle Peter is writing in this epistle to believers, some of whom most likely had come to Christ under his preaching on the day of Pentecost. Now remember on the day of Pentecost there were people from all over the regions of the known world to those people at that time. They had gathered together in Jerusalem. You remember they heard the early disciples in the upper room speaking with other tongues. They saw the glory of God upon them. Over 3,000 came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ that day. Many of them, of course, returned to their own cities and towns rejoicing in the goodness of God. But there was an anti-God sentiment at the time that Peter wrote arising in many of these places. It was not yet, but would soon be sanctioned by the government under the Emperor Nero in Rome. Now Peter wrote this epistle approximately A.D. 62, 60 to 63, somewhere in that vicinity. Under Emperor Nero in A.D. 64, the Roman Empire began to collapse. And when it began to collapse, of course, they blamed the Christians. And an absolute bloodbath, a government-sanctioned bloodbath of the people of God was about to occur. Now the Holy Spirit knew it, and he wrote these words through the Apostle Peter to tell these believers, you're going to come into a fiery trial. It's going to try you, but it's not a strange thing. It's not something that has caught God unaware, and it's not something that you shouldn't be aware of can happen at moments throughout history. And of course, at the culmination, at the end of time as we know it, there's going to be an insanity breakout all over this world. There's going to be a persecution. There's going to be an anti-God madness literally breakout in the entire world as we know it. Peter was telling the people, it's not a strange thing when this fallen world rejects you. You represent the very Creator that they refuse to acknowledge and obey. And Jesus told you that these things would happen. Don't be shaken by these things. Seasons of trial will come and go. They have throughout the past. Now some people in the world, for me to be speaking these words this morning in various places throughout this world, Islamic countries for example, where believers have come to Christ and are suffering greatly for their profession of faith, this would be nothing strange to them. It would not be a futuristic message. It would be an absolute now message. They're living it at this moment. I remember several years ago when word came to me that pastors in Vietnam had their families and children taken away from them and many had been driven into the jungles where they were in hiding and they were being fed by local villagers. So under those conditions, these words would not be some strange thing. Something that they didn't anticipate. They would know that this is a reality. It has happened. It is happening to other believers in various parts of the world. And one day, I do believe, it's going to break out all over the world. There's going to be an anti-God sentiment. You're feeling it now, I think many of you, in the workplace. There's just something that's arising in people's hearts. There's something of a scorning. There's something of a stirring in the heart to ultimately blame God for the mess that this world has gotten itself into. Writer of Hebrews says in chapter 12, once more, the Lord says, I shake not the earth only but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as of the things that are made. Now that means created. There's a one final shaking coming to this world. And I'm not sure that it's not going to be in my lifetime, folks. There's a final shaking of everything that can be shaken. The world is going to spin out into distress, nation upon nation. People are going to be so afraid they're going to start heading to their home countries looking for security in familiarity and in culture and such like things. Nation will rise against nation. There'll be calamities and earthquakes and famines and pestilences break out all over the world. There'll be wars and rumors of wars as mankind finally, the rebellion of mankind against God finally reaches a culmination. All of this attempting to be as God that started in the hearts of men in the garden of Eden and will cultivate or culminate at a time when if Christ himself didn't intervene, man would eventually destroy the entire planet that you and I live on today. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. That means everything created and not destined to be eternal. Even this world itself is not an eternal creation. This planet is going to be remade by the hand of God one day. The very universe is going to be folded and refashioned. There will be according to the scriptures a new heavens and a new earth. But there is a time of shaking coming and even many believers will be shaken as it is out of a false sense of security. People have found themselves in a religion that is not true or not quite true. That is offering comfort without truth. That's offering protection and direction without the commission or mandate of God behind it. We'll be shaken out of this false security. The writer of Hebrews says that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire. If you are in Christ, if Christ is in you, you and I have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Everything around us could shake. Chile has seen that recently. Haiti has seen that just in the weeks before. And only God knows will we go into a shaking similar. Maybe not as physically shaking but it might be a spiritual shaking, a cultural shaking. We don't know what kind of a form it's going to take. But I know one thing, that I have the God of this universe living inside of my body if I'm a believer in Christ. And everything in this world can be shaken. But the Christ within me sits at the right hand of all victory and all authority. And the Christ in you and the Christ in me cannot be shaken. Our God is a consuming fire. Everything that is unlike him will be put away one day. But everything that is like him will remain. He will carry us. He will keep us. The sacrifice of our lives that we present to him, he will present that to his father as holy and unblemished and fully accepted by God not only for time but for all of eternity. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of a physical place called Babylon. Now Babylon in scripture of course was a physical city, a physical empire that had as its goal world dominance. And succeeded in great measure in the past. But it also represents a spiritual and political kingdom all the way through the scriptures. Remember in Revelation when the angel was flying through the heavens saying Babylon the great has fallen has fallen. It represents a political system, a spiritual system both politically arrogant and spiritually bankrupt. Attempting to chart its own course, attempting to take this world over. Realistically it's the fallen nature of man creating his own government, creating his own religion, trying to chart his own course, ultimately trying to be as God. Jeremiah describes the fall of Babylon. And it's a pitiful fall and it's a type of what's about to happen to this world that we're living in today. He speaks in chapter 51 verse 54 he said there's a sound of a cry. Folks there's going to be a cry, there's a cry rising up. You can literally feel it. I don't know if you're hearing what I'm hearing. I can feel this cry on the streets of New York City now. I can see the anguish on people's faces. If people did not think that other people would think they were insane they'd be yelling on the street corner right now, shouting into the heavens. There's an inner cry. Is there peace somewhere? Is there security somewhere? Is there safety somewhere? Is this world insane? Are we spinning out of control? What does it mean for my future? What about my education? What about my job? What about my family? What about my hopes that are in my heart? There's a cry and Jeremiah spoke about that cry being in the physical city of Babylon. He spoke about waves sweeping over Babylon and is it possible that he saw in the spirit just waves as in Greece today for example, as in Iran. Just waves of discontent people in the streets of the cities. Waves of people looking for somebody to blame. Waves of people running from block to block and corner to corner looking for some way to express their anger at what this world has become. Is it possible that Jeremiah saw this in the Babylon of our day? He saw weak, sin sick leaders, princes and leaders and governors that were just so drunk that there was no strength left in them anymore. Have you noticed lately? Have you noticed so many leaders just falling like a house of cards lately? So even those that have been champions as they expressed it over the years of virtue and morality and the unspeakable things that they've been doing in private the whole time that they've been standing on platforms and declaring that there's some new kind of morality, some new kind of virtue in society. Jeremiah just saw weak, sin sick leadership almost at every level. He also saw weary people. Jeremiah 51-58 the scripture says trying to put out all the fires. In other words trying to restore some kind of an order. There are always a decent good-hearted people whether they're Christian people or not or trying to make a difference. They're trying to do something to bring a sense of order back into society but Jeremiah saw weariness on these people. They were so tired, they were trying and trying and trying to do some good but it seemed they were hitting obstacles at every at every turn. It was so difficult now. Everything had started to spin so out of control they didn't know how to bring about order anymore. Paul the apostle tells us in 2nd Thessalonians that there's a weariness and a shaking in this world that will reach such a point in the last days that people will consider submitting to a world leader who promises them peace and safety. That's what the world is coming to. That's what the bible says folks. This world is so going to spin out of control. It's so going to start to shake and it could happen in one hour. One hour Isaiah seems to indicate one hour. Fearfulness he says has surprised the hypocrites. Ambassadors of peace are weeping bitterly. In one hour everything starts to change as we have known it. The world gets so fearful that they start looking for a leader. Realistically they know they need God but are unwilling to submit to God so they will submit to a man who ultimately will portray himself to be God. Man will come on the scene who portrays himself as a man of peace but ultimately will exalt himself and blaspheme God. But then the scripture tells us that this day will not come except there come a falling away first. There'll be a great great falling away of the professing church of Jesus Christ folks. You go into the verses of scripture and just simply study it. Get yourself a commentary and study it for yourself and it is conclusive. There will be a great falling away. Many many were in the house of God. Many professed to be children of God, sons and daughters of God. They had the they had the language. They had the Bibles. They had the clothing. They had the right speech and but suddenly when all of this shaking begins they will be shaken and they'll be shaken right out of the house of God. Whether or not they ever fully belonged there that will be up to God to determine that. I don't really know. But I do know that Paul said there will come a falling away. Now you can't fall away from somewhere you haven't been. There'll be a turning from from at least some knowledge of God. They perhaps had a knowledge of the cross. Perhaps had an understanding of redemption. I don't I don't know but is it possible it never went very deep? Is it possible that they came to Christ under a false pretense? A wrong understanding of God? Never fully appreciating what it means to be part of the church of Jesus Christ? Never understanding why you and I are left on this earth as a testimony of the reality of the Christ who went to a cross and now sits in eternal victory. Is it possible that there are multitudes in the house of God for the wrong reason? Now let me show you why. Go to John chapter 15. I think the Lord is showing me why there's going to be this this falling away in the last days as we know them. John chapter 15 and verse 18. Now these are these are red letter words. These are the words of Jesus right out of his mouth. He's speaking to his own disciples just before the cross. John chapter 15 verse 18. If the world hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of this world the world would love his own but because you're not of the world but I've chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying they'll also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they know not him that sent me. Chapter 16 verse 1. These things have I spoken unto you that you should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea the time comes that whosoever kills you will think that he does God's service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the father nor me. But these things have I told you that when the time shall come you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said unto you at the beginning because I was with you. But now I go to my way to him that sent me and none of you asks me where are I. Now verse 6. But because I have said these things unto you sorrow has filled your heart. I think here's the here's the key to why there will be such a falling away. Sorrow has filled your heart. Can you imagine the people the disciples sitting at that table and suddenly Jesus is talking about seemingly being overcome taken to a cross. He's talking about to his own disciples that you're going to suffer. Some of you are going to be killed. Some of you are going to be put out of the professing religion of that day. Many of you are going to be hated because you are people of truth and you stand for the God of truth. These things he said are coming your way. Didn't Jesus say in the world in this world you shall have tribulation. He also said woe unto you when all men speak well of you. Now I can see if I was among these disciples sitting at the table. Now how many people were there who didn't sign up for this. I can see people sitting there well wait a minute now I thought we're going to go out and do miracles. I thought we're going to multiply bread and fish and feed people. I thought we're going to have ministries. Didn't weren't we send out two by two to cast out devils and heal the sick and and do all these wonderful things. And this is going to do a lot of good for the world. It's going to help us with our self-image and such like. And now all of a sudden we're he's telling us that it's life is going to be hard it's going to be difficult. And he said because I've told you these things sorrow filled your heart. I wonder how many people in the church today just even hearing these words saying well hey I didn't come here for this. But if that's in your mind right now you're feeling exactly the way the disciples felt at that table when Jesus was speaking to them. I didn't come here for this. I came here because I was hungry. I came here because I needed healing. I came here because my father didn't love me. And I needed a father figure. I came here I came here for some reason but I didn't come here to be hated. I didn't come here to be killed. I didn't come here to be cast out of the synagogue. I didn't come here to be a partaker in Christ's sufferings. That's not the reason I came here. And sorrow not just the loss of Christ the lack of understanding of where he was going but sorrow began to fill their hearts. You imagine what's going to happen to the professing church when everything starts to unravel around people when people have sat in churches and the whole gospel has been about how wonderful your future is going to be and how marvelously rich you're going to be and what a destiny of power you're going to have how you're going to be at the top of your corporation and everything comes crashing down. You imagine the sorrow that starts filling people's hearts as people begin to say well I didn't sign up for this. I didn't come to church for this. I didn't come to church to lose my job. I didn't come to church to be hated. I didn't come to church to lose that promotion because I'm not cooking the books and I'm speaking truth and honesty. I didn't come for this. And there are many many people in the last days Paul says they're going to fall away. You know it's very hard to get people to join the military in peacetime and I've talked to some soldiers over the years and I found some of the stories very humorous. Peacetime recruiters you see because there's no war going on in peacetime they have to create some incentive for the people to join and some I'm not indicting the military please don't understand me but some might be inclined to paint things a little rosier than they are. I remember I was speaking to one soldier and he said in the recruitment center they told me that I was going to see the world and better myself and he said the only thing they didn't tell me is that you see the world all right 10th class with somebody screaming at you all the way and they neglected to let me know that you can get killed if a war arises and I thought like I thought I was just going to I thought I was just going to be become a man or a woman I thought I thought I thought I was going to wear a nice sharp uniform I thought my self-image was going to improve and of course I was offered four years of education after I got out and then suddenly a war breaks out. Can you imagine somebody in the army going up say knocking on the CEO's door say excuse me sir I didn't sign up for this I signed up for uniform shiny shoes a four-year degree after I get out uh my teamwork teamwork was a big thing we're going to learn to be part of a team here and uh I didn't sign up for any war to crawl through mud and to be beat up and shot at and lose friends no sir. Imagine if the military would let people okay all right we understand son go home then but that's exactly I believe the way it's going to happen in the church of Jesus Christ when things start to get really rough people say well I didn't I didn't I came here because I you know I was told I'd get a better self-image I came here because it was all about being part of a team now I joined because I was going to learn things about God and life and my destiny and nobody told me I was going to get shot at and people going to hate me and it was going to be difficult and society was going to turn against as Europe already has going to very much turn against God and the things of God uh nobody nobody told me I might not get a promotion I might not even keep my job if I'm an honest Christian in the workplace uh I didn't sign up for this remember Jesus said because I've told you these things sorrow has filled your heart but yet there's a time of war too as well and when a country's at war and it's it's a it's a just war in a sense as as much of an oxymoron as that may seem there are times even even Solomon says there's a time for peace and there's a time to fight I remember in World War II my father told me there was a madman overseas that was creating his own hell and he wanted the whole world to live in it by his rules it was really a hell he was creating on earth and it was going to take away freedom it was going to affect every family was going to affect governments and industry the entire future actually of the known western world would be in jeopardy if this man were allowed to succeed I remember my father telling me that young men were lining up young women were lining up at recruitment centers to get in many of them got in under age they wanted to fight because it was a just cause my father was stationed in England flew 26 bombing runs over what was then enemy territory he told me he said the B-52 he was flying in crashed twice and yet he would recover physically within a few days and be back on the next run going over again and I asked him about these things and he said you just have to do it because freedom was at stake our families the future see these young men and women knew they were at war I fear for this church age because I don't think we really know why we're on the earth that I don't think many of God's people understand what this is about there's another madman his name is Satan and he's created a hell this is not just for time it's for eternity and he's wanting the whole world to go there not just for a short season but forever and as the church of Jesus Christ you and I have been called to stand for what is right to stand for what is true we're not coming in to this church so we can have a better career and more gold in the bank and a greater destiny and shiny shoes oh folks there's been such a dearth of understanding we we we live in a church age that that's that's come under the influence of the peacetime recruiters that's all that many preachers are today they're just simply peacetime recruiters standing in pulpits and they they don't themselves don't understand the battle so they're they're creating these reasons why you should be part of the church oh do you you come if if we give you a swimming pool on the battleship will you come if we provide a bowling alley will you come and what what will it take for you to come and be part of this folks do you understand that people are going to hell for all of eternity do you know that do you know that people in New York are going to die in their sins if they don't know the gospel of Jesus Christ if you and I are not out there willing to fight in the trenches of this society to see men women and children come home to God do you know they're going to die for an eternity this is why we're on the earth this is why God left us here as a church that's what it means to be part of the church of Jesus don't think it's strange but trials have come your way don't look for a way out of these trials because some of them are not going to go away you're going to have to learn to walk through them in the glory and strength of almighty God you're going to have to trust God in the midst of your struggle if all Christian people do is live to escape every trial tell me how is God ever going to be glorified if the Hebrew boys had bent their knee when Nebuchadnezzar's stupid band played their tune before his statue could you imagine if they had bent their knee the fourth man would never have been seen in the fire decrees would never have been made the glory of God would not have come think about Daniel for a moment if Daniel had just said okay 30 days no big deal I'm being threatened on the job if I'm caught praying I'm going to be thrown into a den of lions can you imagine if Daniel had caved in to this insanity how poverty stricken we would be today how how little of an example we would have of what God will do for those who make the choice to go through the hard places and trust him think about Joseph all that he had to go through just so God could put the provision of heaven into his hand for a starving world think about David if he had come out of the mining those few sheep and had walked into the camp of Israel's seen Goliath and said well well he's a that guy's big all the best good luck to everybody I hope hope somebody has the courage to fight this giant you imagine Paul if he had chosen not to suffer if he had stayed on the shores of some comfortable place and just pulled out his pen I don't know if he's even allowed to write anything of the scriptures I dare say it would be a whole lot more shallow than what we have in the word of God today I don't think he'd have the revelation he got that revelation through suffering he got that revelation through being crawling out from under a pile of stones being taken into hostile arenas standing before kings and governors standing before Caesar himself being willing to be put in prison for the cause of Christ and because of that Paul can say to us today oh that you could see what I see that you could see the Christ of heaven sitting at the right hand of all authority and power and understand that he is the fullness the one who fills all in all he is the head we are the church we are his body that you can understand that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church of Jesus Christ we're not in this for a picnic folks we're in this for the glory of God and for the souls of men there's no other reason you and I are left on the earth and if we can't accomplish either one of those it's time to get out of here and get to heaven now but while we stay here we fight for our sons we fight for our daughters we fight for our families John the apostle was willing to endure suffering even in his old age and loneliness but yet in the midst of that suffering and loneliness not running from it not appealing to mercy because he was an old man in the midst of that suffering and loneliness and the coldness the dampness of a terrible prison Jesus Christ came to him and the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ was open to him and because of it you and I have a glimpse into heaven a glimpse into the future a glimpse into the glory of God and it was all done for you and for me all these men and women of God in the scripture they ran the race they carried the torch they paid with blood for what we have today what insanity to think they paid all of that so I could just have a better destiny it's time to call this diabolical theology what it is it's right from hell itself now you and I have been handed the torch and I believe it's the last lap I believe with all my heart I can see the finish line folks you and I have been handed the torch and the question is what will we do with it now how will we run in this last generation will we fall away when times get tough or will we determine in our hearts now for the glory of God and for the souls of men God empower me to finish this race this cannot be finished and no amount of learning is going to get you through this no amount of church attendance is going to do this for you there's got to be something so deep done in your heart it's got to be something of God that will cause you to stand when everyone else is running that will cause you to have a song when everyone else is screaming that will cause you to be a voice for reason and a voice for sanity and a voice for God in the midst of a multitude of opinions all of which are off track except for that which represents the mind of God it's time it's time for the church to stop caving in in the workplace it's time for young people in colleges to stand up for what you believe in it's time for kids in high school there was a young lady just recently saved in this church she did an oral report in her school and she did an oral report on how sin kept me bound but Jesus Christ set me free from former lifestyles it's time to stand folks it's time to stand it's time for professionals to stand it's time to be a Christian don't think it's strange if the world doesn't love you for this don't think it's an unusual thing unless you've come to Christ under a message that's telling you you should be loved and powerful and that every desire of your heart should be fulfilled in knowing Christ as Savior if you've come under that peacetime recruitment you're in for a terrible shock folks we're at war we're in a spiritual war for the souls of men to see people brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ this is not a physical thing this is not something you fight with our hands our natural abilities we fight it in the prayer closet we fight it with a lifestyle of honesty and kindness the fruit of God being evident and born in each one of our lives Isaiah the prophet let me just read it to you for time's sake in chapter 24 saw something you saw our day I believe in chapter 24 and verse 10 the city of confusion is broken down every house is shut up that no men may come in I think Isaiah saw a time of people hiding in their homes unable to go into the streets there's a crying for wine in the streets all joy is darkened the mirth of the land is gone in the city is left desolation and the gate is smitten with destruction when thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done they shall lift up their voice they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord they shall cry aloud from the sea wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea from the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs even glory to the righteous so that actually the original translation says we have heard songs of glory to the righteous one when all the city is broken down when there's confusion everywhere what Isaiah saw was a harvest in Israel in the time of Old Testament Israel in the season of harvest they would take the olives or they would take the grapes they would put them in large vats the people that were involved in the harvest would be stomping these things literally for a better way of saying it with their feet in other words creating or bringing about the fruit of their labors the fruit of that harvest the grapes would be turned into wine the olives into olive oil and even though the city as I said is breaking down even though society is starting to cave all around us Isaiah said I heard the sound of a people who are involved in the harvest and there are songs coming from these people even though there might be difficulty on every hand on every side Isaiah said I hear a song he said sing that song even in the isles of the sea which would be you and I I heard that song being sung folks that's where strength comes from we are in the harvest we're doing the work of God we're not running to some shelter somewhere with a can of beans trying to ride out the storm do you understand we're in the harvest we're doing the work of God and yes there is going to be a cost to this yes it's going to be difficult yes I can't promise you you won't suffer harm I'd be a liar if I said that but folks Jesus himself said to his own disciples not a hair of your head would perish even though some people lost their heads he wasn't talking about your physical body no no there's some this is you are eternal now in Christ you are destined for heaven if the physical body is going to have to be put off one way or another but folks we are eternal now there's not a hair of my head's going to perish I'm telling you right now I'm going through I'll leave this old carcass behind thank God but I'm going through the person that I am is not going to perish you're the person that you are you've got to get it in your heart that you and I are called to live this life in this earth now for the glory of God and for the souls of men there is no yes we have to work yes we have to go home we have to drive a car or take the subway whatever it is I understand that but the underlying value system of why we're left in the earth is oh God would you glorify your name through my life Lord would you give me victory where I need victory would you strengthen me where I'm weak would you temper me where I'm strong would you let the glory of Christ be seen in me and let people see you in me oh God that I may have some authority and power and compassion and love to speak into their lives to pull them out of the hell that Satan is preparing for them for all of eternity the glory of God and the souls of men that's the only cry left in my heart now God almighty you've got to help us now you've got to help us I'm going to give an altar call today and have ask God to glorify his name in you ask Jesus Christ to give you strength where you're weak give you freedom where you're bound to give you determination where you're waffling going to the left or to the right you're not sure what to do or where to go ask him to give you his mind and give you clear thought for tomorrow ask him to give you his heart for this world for all people all races all cultures every socio-economic status ask him to give you his heart folks that's what it's all about that's why we live that's why we're his church now this is something that you can't determine to do and do in your own strength you can move towards God but he will give you the strength Christ will give you the strength to do this praise God if you're filled with fear in the workplace ask him to replace it with his love the Bible says a perfect love casts out fear that you love people enough to speak to them no matter what the consequence might be if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you this morning can you say pastor I'm in this I'm in it for the glory of God and for the souls of men I'm going to ask you to get up out of your seat in the annex you can stand between the screens make your way to this altar and make that declaration before God you don't have to be strong you might be the weakest person in this sanctuary today but God promises he will give you his strength it's not by might nor by power but by my spirit says the Lord God will give you the strength that you need to stand let's stand together the Holy Spirit's drawing you please make your way here we're going to worship for a few moments then we're going to pray together hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you Lord Lord we we weigh deep down the cost of being a disciple of Christ and with the knowledge Lord that it can cost us reputation Lord it can cost us physically it could cost us financially it can even cost our lives in some cases Lord but in spite of all of this Lord it's worth it that your name be glorified and that the souls of men women and children find Christ as Savior pray with me please Lord Jesus I understand the cost of discipleship and with knowledge I say to you today I am in the battle for the glory of God and for the souls of men strengthen me help me guide me set me free from every struggle and every weakness in my life let the strength of Christ become my strength fill me with the Holy Spirit give me the strength I need to be all that you call me to be in my generation I thank you Lord Jesus for the knowledge today that though everything around me be shaken though mountains fall and the seas roar I shall not be moved for the Christ of the universe the Christ of the universe has lived in my heart and I am about his work and I believe that no matter how hard the future may be there will be a song in my heart that cannot be taken away by anything in this world because the world didn't give it and the world can't take it away hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh glory to God glory to God glory to God glory to God glory to God glory to God hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah thank you Lord thank you Jesus Thank you, mighty God. Now, Father, I pray for those that have come and those who have responded in heart today. God, give us the strength, Lord, to be your church in this city or wherever we come from. Give us the strength to stand for truth in a world that is bent on its own destruction. Give us the strength not to bow to the music of this world, O God, nor to yield to the threatenings of it. Give us the strength, O God. You promised that you'll never leave us nor forsake us. You told us that if we seek first the kingdom of God, everything we need would be added unto us. You'll give us provision. You'll give us courage. You'll give us the giftings of the spirit. All we say, Lord, to you today is be glorified in us. Jesus Christ, be glorified. We thank you in your mighty and holy name. Hallelujah. Give God a shout of glory in this temple. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Let the weak say, I am strong. Say it, I'm strong in my God. I have the strength of God in my life. Give God glory. Give God glory. Give him glory. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah. We've got to go singing. We've got to sing. Remember Isaiah said, I hear a song. I hear a song. I hear a song of those who are involved in the work of God. It will not be taken away from you. It will grow. The glory of that song will grow verse by verse, line by line. Until we get to the end, we'll be shouting for God's glory. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.