In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of the open door that God provides. He highlights the need for a remnant of believers who are willing to walk the narrow path of discipleship, rather than seeking an easy and comfortable route to heaven. The preacher warns against the dangers of a watered-down gospel that neglects the cost of following Christ and fails to address sin. He encourages believers to strive to enter through the narrow gate and promises that God will open doors that no man can shut, granting access to the hearts of unbelievers and even to heaven itself.

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends. Third chapter of Revelation. The door is open and no man can shut it. That's the message. And thirteen verses. It's very important. Please follow me. Did you turn? I didn't hear you rustling. I noticed, we tried to lighten up the auditorium. This is a theater and the lights are not very good. I see people with their little flashlights. That's not a bad idea. Right here in the front. Here, I'll show you. Here's a way to do it. This is a way to do it. Right here, you see. You get one of these and you just follow along. We need to keep some batteries back there available. Revelation third chapter, verses one to thirteen. The angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, the seven stars, I know thy works, that thou hast named it thou livest, and you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Now folks, we're not talking about something going to happen later. This is something, a prophetic word from Jesus, happening right now in Times Square Church. It's happening in America and around the world. This is very relevant to this church and to this church age. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the sins will be clothed in white raiment. I'll not blot out his name out of the book of life. I'll confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that's holy, that's true. He that hath the key of David, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth. I know your works, behold, I've set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. That's the crux of my message. For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Therefore I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, nor not that they lie. I'll make them come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I've loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the odd temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. And I'll write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray tonight for an understanding through the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray, Lord, that you give us ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is saying. The Holy Spirit is saying something to the church. Lord, we want to hear. Give us a spiritual ear to hear. He said, He that hath an ear, let him hear. Oh, God, I want to hear in the inner man. We thank you for the word this morning. Now speak again tonight. Lord, I want a fresh touch. I want your Spirit to fall upon me, that I may speak as the oracle of God, that there will be life flow out of my body tonight, out of my lips, life that will touch hearts. Change us tonight. We give you glory and honor and praise. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now, the passage I've just read to you is the Spirit of the living God speaking to every church that's willing to listen. And this is a last-day call going out by Jesus himself to those who have ears spiritually tuned to hear. We don't need a new prophet or a group of prophets coming on the scene in America to give us some astounding new message for the church or what God's going to do in the last days. We don't need some new strange doctrine or some new prophetic word. It's all here. We got it from Jesus himself. When he said, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. Now, you can run around. If you want to another church, other churches, and get your ears tickled by some prophetic word, I want to hear what the Holy Spirit says through Jesus. And it's all here. We don't need a new message. And I'll ask, do you want to hear what the Spirit's saying tonight? He said twice, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Now, there are seven churches mentioned in the first few chapters of the revelation of Jesus Christ, Revelation. And there's a lot of controversy about these seven churches. Some people who are dispensationalists believe that they represent seven church ages, seven dealings of God throughout church history since Pentecost. Now, I have a hard time with that. Not that I say that's wrong, but it's not complete enough. Because you'll find in every church the seven characteristics of all of these churches. For example, there was a church at Ephesus, and they had lost their first love. Isn't it true in this church and every church you have people who have lost their first love? In every church, you've got all of these characteristics of these types. You've got the Smyrnites, for example, who are persecuted and poverty-stricken. You've got Pergamites, who are mixed with idolatry. Thyatirites, who are seduced by Jezebel and fornication. The Laodiceans, who are lukewarm and spiritually blind. Now, this church has all seven of them. Every church has all seven types. We're talking about characteristics of God's people. And He's dealing, Jesus has come to deal with these characteristics and tell us His attitude. So, I'm not talking about dispensations, and I'm not talking about church ages, even though there were seven actual literal churches. There was a church at Ephesus, at Pharatah, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea. These were actual churches. But in speaking to those churches, He's speaking to the whole church world. He's speaking to Times Square Church tonight, to every one of us. Now, let's get into what Jesus is saying. In chapter 3, verse 1, Jesus is saying there's going to be a last-day church that is considered by most people to be very much alive, but the eyes of the Lord is very much dead. It's going to be considered alive. Now, look at it. And under the angel of the church in Sardis White, these things say that after seven spirits of God and the seven stars, I know your works, that you have a name, that you live, but you're dead. You're dead. Look at me, please. This last-day church appears outwardly to be very much alive and vibrant and growing and expanding. In fact, they go about boasting, we are the church of the living God. It must be alive because look at how it's growing. Look at all the big building programs, churches that seat 10,000, 15,000. Look at the multiplied thousands that are going to conventions now and seminars. They're even filling up football stadiums now with 80,000 Christians who come together and celebrate Jesus. It's got to be alive because look at the growth and look at the numbers. It's got to be alive because these people are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on television programming. Millions are spent right now on religious books, tapes, records, truckloads of records, truckloads of books, truckloads of how-to books, how to do this and how to do that and how not to do this and how not to do that. If this church is not alive, this big American church, if it's not alive, how could it have become one of the biggest business enterprises in the nation? Denominational church printing presses are producing hundreds of millions of dollars for their church coffers. It's got to be alive because look at all the thousands of teenagers flocking to music concerts to hear the rock and roll cheerleading groups cheerleading for Jesus. You've never heard such clapping in all your life. Give me a J, give me an E, give me an S, yay Jesus! It's got to be alive. Look at them rocking for Jesus. It's got to be spiritual because look at all the pastors who won't pay it. This great modern church is so clever, it's so talented, it's so wicked, it doesn't need God anymore. It doesn't need God. There's no need to pray. There's no burden from the Lord because all the seats are filled anyhow. What are you going to pray for? No place to put them. Are you going to pray for more money? No, it's rich and increased with goods and has no need of nothing. There's money even in the missions account. Are you going to pray and weep for missions? No, it's already there. We don't need missionaries now because we've got tourists going everywhere carrying a Bible. And that's the missionary work. I went, they don't tell you they spent $200 or $400 or $1000 shopping, but they gave a Bible away. This church is so powerful now, it's so popular, it charts its own success. We've got a top 20 now in churches. The top 20 most popular churches in America. The 10 biggest Sunday schools. The 10 biggest missionary giving churches. The world's largest church. The world's second largest church. The fifth largest church. We've got the largest churches, the fastest growing churches, the biggest Sunday schools, the most programs, the most stations and television, the largest buildings, the biggest budgets, record breaking, everything. Everything is record breaking today. They've got charts for everything. Church growth is being charted. You know what we were told when we come here? You can't build a church unless you're in an all-white neighborhood or in an all-black neighborhood and you can't mix them. I wish they'd come here and take a look and see the failure that we have at Times Square. Here comes Jesus. Into this big pocket, the fastest growing everything. With the money pouring in. I don't know if you noticed, but if you get to New York Times, today's New York Times says that the scandals on television has not changed anything. There's more money pouring in to those who are left now and it's growing. There's a Catholic sister that's on more stations now than Jimmy Swaggart was on. And it's going on and on and on. This big enterprise, this big business church, it's as big as IBM and General Motors. And Doug doesn't care anymore about it than he does General Motors and IBM. Because it's dead. It's dead. I had a Methodist pastor stop me after the service this morning. He came to town from down south. He's got a heart, his heart's broken. I think he's here again tonight with a delegation. They kicked him out of his Methodist church for preaching the gospel. He preached holiness, he preached repentance, he preached the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And he put out of the church a deacon who was committing adultery, living in adultery with another woman. And he put someone else in that church that was fornicating adultery. And they got angry and went to the officials. The officials called Doug and said, we don't want you preaching anymore from the Bible. You don't know how to handle it. Tell stories, do anything, but you're upsetting that church, you're going to lose it. And they were commanding. I said, Brother, are you telling me to do this? He said, Brother Wilkinson, help me. I was told by my officials that I would not preach the Bible. And one of the men who was in that group didn't even believe in the resurrection or the virgin birth. That church is dead. This big business enterprise is dead. Here comes Jesus. He said, you have a reputation of being alive, and I say you're dead. In my eyes, you're a corpse. But you say, Jesus, on what measure of judgment? How can you call this thing where people are flocking to meetings and clapping and hands raised and so many, many things going on in your name. How do you base that? Jesus declares it's a dead church because there is little in it that remains of the truth and the morals of the first New Testament church. He said there is no resemblance of the message I first delivered. There is little of the morals of that church left. And he said this is not the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not what I paid my blood for. This is not what I saw. He said everything is dying, and what remains is dying, and you won't strengthen what remains. Now let me talk about that for just a minute. Why does Jesus say this modern church in America is dead? This Babylonian system, rich, increased with goods in need of nothing. The scripture makes it very clear. Look at verse 2. Chapter 3, verse 2. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Look at me, please. He's saying this church doesn't realize that its standards are dying, its morals are dying, that those things once held precious by their fathers are mocked and ridiculed. Do you know there was a time, for example, that even America, this nation, honored a Sabbath day? Now I'm not a Sabbatarian. I'm not into the legal aspects of that, but there's something that I miss. I was born and raised in a Pentecostal preacher's home, and there was a day. Our Sabbath was Sunday. Now whether you call it Saturday or Sunday, the early church took a day, and this day was set aside not for picnics and football games. It was to focus on Jesus. All afternoon, the children, we were not allowed to go out and just have our own way. There was something instilled on us. This is the Lord's day. It belongs to Him. And we came to church with our hearts prepared. People weren't sitting around watching television, coming to church Sunday night with their minds polluted. You can't even get people to church in most churches on Sunday night. I know churches of 5,000 members can't get 100 people on Sunday night. They've got to have movies, they've got to have concerts, they've got to have everything else trying to suck the people in. There's no life. But there was a time that even this nation honored a day. They called them the blue laws. They didn't sell, buy or sell on Sunday. The stores were all closed. And that's when God honored this nation. Those were the days that this nation was a lender and not a borrower. That was when God was blessing this nation. And we laughed at those old Puritans' standards. We mocked it. And now when you talk about closing on Sunday, they don't know what you're talking about. Our kids, they don't know anything about Sunday ever being a picnic day, a pleasure day, football games. You see, those things that are dying, you don't even want to strengthen them. You want to just put them all aside. You don't even want to talk about those standards. Where did those standards come from? They came from the hearts of men that were saddled with God night and day. They were born out of the womb of a revival. They were born in the wombs of men and preachers of the gospel that took the stand. Today we call it legalism. Anything we don't agree with, we raise a red flag. Legalism! Legalism! No, it's laziness. Spiritual laziness. The standard is dead. Oh, beloved, I'll tell you what, I still thank God for that fear of God that was instilled in me. I still take my Sundays alone with God. I don't like to see Christians mowing their lawns and going out to beaches and wasting their time rather than get along with God and their families. That should be a day you get your children, you seek the Lord. Yes, have family rest. A little recreation, I'm not talking about that, but I'm talking about just forgetting God on that day. Absolutely forgetting God. Except going to church a few occasions for many. What about this fear of God that we used to have in the church? That we would not pollute our eyes with anything that was evil. There was such a fear of God. Listen, I was a teenager when television first became popularized. And I know my stand against television in Christian homes is not popular. My stand against it is very, very unpopular. It's unpopular in the ministry. It's unpopular among even those who consider themselves very righteous before God. It's unpopular in this church. It's unpopular with many in this church. I've overheard people say, I think Brother Wilkerson is sincere. I think he really means it. But he doesn't have the final answer. He's speaking for himself. Brother, do you know there are certain things on television right now that 40 years ago were not even allowed to be said publicly, even by sinners. America blushed at it. You're sitting watching things right now that your grandma and grandpa would weep over. They would absolutely blush and say, how could that be said in public? And we're so demeaned by it. We're so corrupted in our minds by it. It all goes by the book. I had a call this week. There's a pastor in this city. He has left the ministry. His wife called, a friend of mine. Said he left. He's walked out. He's quit the ministry. Pastored a church in this city up to a few months ago. An 18-year-old girl called the wife and said, I've got your husband here. He won't let me go. I don't want him here. He's drinking beer right now. Come and get him. The pastor. And my friend tried to find out how it happened. And it happened through pornography on his television set. He started watching cable programs and got hooked on pornography and started drinking again. Went right back to the world. He's out of the ministry. Let me tell you something. You can mock it. You can laugh it. But God calls certain ministers to strengthen those things that remain. He calls certain ministers to take a stand, though it's totally unpopular. And I am telling you now, I've been screaming it. I've been thundering it. I don't know how, with what is coming. I don't know how, with the judgments that are about to fall on America, how you're going to be able to sit there much longer and still tell me that you love Jesus with all your heart and that you're not going to set any evil thing before your eyes. How are you going to say that? The transgression of the wicked saith within his heart that there's no fear of God before his eyes. And what that means, I can tell by the things you're transgressing with that you don't have a fear of God. I can tell by what you're doing you don't fear him anymore. You don't have a fear of God if you can sit there and watch everything out of hell. You don't have a fear of God if you can sit there and watch the mockery. How does any Christian watch things like Dallas and I don't even know if those programs are on anymore. How do you watch that filth and then come here and raise your hands to the Lord? How do you come here and say, Jesus I want to see a vision of your holiness? I want to see a picture of heaven, I want the glory of the Lord. How do you do that? How do you do that if you come to the Lord? David said, I will set no wicked thing before my eyes. It shall not get hold of me. I'll set no wicked thing before my eyes. My father used to warn in our church, he said the day is coming there'll be such filth on that thing in your home. And I'll tell you what, Pentecostal preachers all over America took a stand. Pentecostal churches all over America, the whole charismatic movement at the time, took a stand against it. Said this is the last invasion from hell. This is the devil's eye right in the hole. It's going to corrupt the whole church and put it to sleep. It's going to cause a great apostasy. And it's going to be a cause of the great falling away of the last days. And that's what I was born and raised in. And now, where is the cry? Preachers like me are laughed and mocked. Ridiculed because we're trying to do what Jesus said, be watchful and strengthen the things which remain. That are ready to die. These standards are ready to die. They're almost gone. Let's talk about marriage. And commitment. And vows, holy vows. There was a time, brothers and sisters, in the church of Jesus Christ, there was a holy fear. Those commitments were for life. Those commitments were made under the eye of an all-seeing God. And they knew that God hates divorce. They knew that Malachi is right. You can't come to my house and cover my altar with tears. And they'll grab a seat on your wife and be treacherous towards your mate. There was a time, 40 years ago, you couldn't hold public office. You couldn't even get a service job if you were divorced. You couldn't be elected to any office in America, let alone stay in the pulpit and preach. I've got minister acquaintances I know right now, evangelists and pastors. Who get tired of their wives. They've gotten tired of their wife. And they've got the eye on a pretty young thing. And all they do is build a case against their wife. Build the sympathy of the church against her. And get the confidence of a few deacons. And go to a few executives of their denomination. And tell stories on their wife. How blue she is and how unsanctified she is. And how wicked she is. And build a case against her. And they leave their wife, get remarried, and don't even miss a service. Don't miss a service. I've talked to an executive recently, a young evangelist who left his wife. I've talked to the wife. She said, I don't want him to go. In fact, he's a healing evangelist and he calls people out everywhere. And it's not Oral Roberts Jr. And not to be facetious, I mean that. This is another young man. And he's got what they call discernment. And people love it. They come by the thousands. And someone said, what's it like to be married to a man like that? Such a man of God. She says, I don't know. That's not the man that comes home. She said, I wish I knew that man. That's not the man I live with. He's another man at home. That man found another young woman and his executive stood with him. And I asked, have you checked with her? Have you even checked with her? Where are these standards? My goodness, the church's wife is divorced now. If you've been divorced, I can't change anything that's happened. I'm not here to put a guilt chip on you right now. You know, the Lord is merciful and gracious. And many of you had that happen before you even saved. But if you're sitting here tonight, I've got to warn you in the Holy Ghost. If you're sitting here and you're thinking of leaving your husband or your wife, you're going to have to face the consequences. God says, I hate divorce. I hate putting away. Take heed, therefore. Be not unfaithful. Be not treacherous. And so what do you do? You start building a case. You enlist your friends. You get on the telephone. And to hear you talk about it, he or she's a devil. You get along with the other and you find the other side of the story. And if you're sitting here tonight, I'm telling you, we're living in a day that God's not going to allow it. He will not allow it. There are consequences going to be paid for so dearly. All right. Let me leave that aside for just a moment. Because I've got to get into the heart of my message now. God said, I'm going to bring out of that dead church. I'm going to bring out of that dead church a holy remnant, not defiled. Not defiled. They're going to walk with me in white. I always show it to you. Look at verse 4. Thou hast, how many? A few names even inside us which have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Look at me, please. Jesus was asked a question. Master, the disciple asked him, are there few that are going to be saved? You find that in Luke 3, 13-23. And Jesus answered, strive to enter it the straight or narrow gate. For many, I say to you, will seek to enter it, shall not be able. And he said, it's because they're working iniquity. He said, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. He said, they've not laid down their sin. Now, listen, please. We've become so determined to have a great revival in America. We've written about it, preached about it, prayed about it. We're so set on winning nations and bringing in multitudes. We have refused to accept the warnings of Jesus that there are only going to be a few saved, and many, many who claim to be saved and think they're saved are going to be damned. Jesus said, straight is the gate. Narrow is the way. And few there be that find it. Oh, there's a scripture. Listen to me, please. Revelation 7, 9. I'll read it to you. There is a great multitude which no man could number of all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues, which stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. These are they that came out of great tribulation. They've washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And people say, well, look, it's a great, great multitude which no man could number. But please understand, that great multitude represents all the remnants put together, all the way from the beginning, from all these ages, all these hundreds of years. These are the remnants that have been put together. Every generation has had its remnant. And this generation is going to have a remnant. I've got to see it, and I want you to hear it clear and dispute it. What's happened, we're so interested in winning the whole world, we have not seen the cost of discipleship. And what we've done, we've taken this narrow road, this straight gate, and we've brought in our bulldozers and say, nobody, that's too straight, that's too narrow. So we've got a big bulldozer now, and the church has erected a superhighway to heaven. And all you've got to do is come one turn deep, and all you have to do is repeat these words, I believe in Jesus. I believe in Jesus. There's no cross, there's no suffering, there's no preaching against sin. Come as you are, bring your music, bring your theater, bring your rock, bring everything. Bring it all. We're on our way to heaven. It's a 24-lane superhighway. Simply believe. Jesus loves everybody. It's an easy road. And the tragedy is there are millions and millions of sedated, deceived, deluded people who believe they're on their way to heaven. They've been made to believe that they're alright, that evil has been called good and that good has not been called evil. They think they're on their way to heaven, and they're on their way to heaven. They've been made twice the devil, twice the child of hell, because of the delusion in the church. Some of you tonight believe you're on your way to heaven. You need to examine your heart tonight of what the Holy Ghost is going to say here tonight. What a shock it's going to be when the books are open and he finds there are only a few names out of Sardis, only a few names out of this dead church that came out. God is calling out of the dead church a holy, white-rubbed remnant. This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two. This last dead church is going to have a few names which have not defiled their primates. Hallelujah. Now, let me remind you why God sent us to New York City, the pastor of this church, and why we're here in the middle of Times Square, and why this revival. You look at Sunday night and you see a church filled. You see hundreds coming to these altars. What's it all about? Why did God send us here? Now, I want you to listen to the prophetic year now, please. I have not one moment since we set foot in New York City in the past two years. We're two years old this week. Not one moment have I forgot the commission the Lord burned in my heart for months, in fact, a whole year before we came here. It was confirmed to Pastor Don and Pastor Bob and to Gary and to all those who work with us. It was absolutely confirmed by the Holy Spirit that we were to come to New York City to do two things. To find a holy remnant and establish them in the truth, and to preach judgment that was coming to America, and especially to New York. I've not once, there's not been a moment of any waking hour of the day that I've been unaware of that call. And I stand here before you now more aware of that call than any time that we've been in this pulpit. And I sense it divinely as I stand before you right now. Times Square Church is one of these last day works of the Holy Spirit. We've been called to strengthen what remains, to call out our people who will awaken and wash their garments. And many of you that are here tonight are a part of this few that have come out of the dead Babylonian system. You came out. Now I want to share something with you. Now I want you to listen closely. This is on my heart. While they were singing there was a soberness of the Spirit that gripped me and God was reaffirming what I'm about to tell you. Some of you came here and you have to fight through traffic. You have to pay high tolls. Just to come in for one service some of you spend $10, $15, not even with gas. You pay $7 to park your car. You have to pay for $3 for the tunnels and bridges. And you've been hassled. Some of you have had your cars stolen. Some of you have been, there have been people who have been mugged that come to this church. And there are times the devil tried to make you question why do you go through all of that? Why do you go? Why do you keep going back to that place down in that hell hole? Why do you go to Slang Square, New York? What is it that's drawing you? Now listen to me. There's a reason. Some of you come and have been coming. The devil tried to stop you. But there's a supernatural reason. Because you were in some dead hopeless situation. Your heart was hungry. And you saw these moral standards eroding. You saw things that were slipping by and it frightened you. You said that's not the way it should be. Are you under the dominion of a man rather than Christ? There was something hungry and thirsting in you. And you didn't know it but God had chosen you as one of the few. This few that came out of this dead-hearted church. And God said, I put you there. I sanctified you. And I put a backbone in you. I put a tenacity. And I won't let go because I have a plan for you. I have put you there. Now listen. It's true that Jesus puts on us robes of righteousness. They're his robes. But we can dirty those robes. We can spot those robes. We can wrinkle those robes in sitting around and laziness. We can wrinkle the robe of righteousness. He said he's coming for a spotless bride. But you see, when you came to this church, God said, No, you're not going to stand on some excuse of imputed righteousness. In other words, God imputes all of his righteousness. That's true. It's called forensic righteousness. And that's by faith. His is the only robe. And the only way you can be clean before God is through the work of Jesus Christ and the cross and the shed blood of Jesus and no other way. But you see, that won't tell you the rest of the story. There is a personal responsibility. There's something you and I have to do before a holy God. And that's not been told to you. It was told you when you came to this church. You were told there are no commandments. You were told that there are no rules and regulations. I want you to know the commandments of Jesus are stronger than the ten commandments or the laws of Moses. They're held by a stronger power. Jesus said, The law says to you, but I say unto you what Jesus said. The law said, You don't commit adultery. He said, You don't even look on a woman with lust. He said, You obey my commandments. There are commandments. The Bible said, Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, deflecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7.1. James 4.8. Draw nigh to God. He'll draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, O you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. You're to go to the blood. You say, Jesus, I've got a spot. I've been mingled with some dirt. I've got a splatter on me. And you go to the blood. You see it. You don't excuse yourself. You say, Jesus, I want to walk in light. And I'll tell you why God put you in this church. He tried to get rid of all the spots, all the wrinkles, and let you walk in light. They shall walk with me in light, for they are worthy. Worthy through His righteousness, through His shed blood. Hallelujah. Glory to Jesus. This remnant has experienced what I call the radical cure. They didn't excuse. You see, we've got a church today asking you to taper off on your sins. Just keep coming and worship the Lord, and one of these days it will just vanish. Just come and bite the bullet and do the best you can, and the Lord will see you through. You see, these people, this holy remnant is coming out. They're going to walk in white with the Lord. This few that will not defile their garments have looked at their sin and said, I can't endure this anymore. I can't embarrass my Jesus. And they've gone like a person with cancer and laid themselves on the table and said, Jesus, you're my Savior. Put the knife to it. I want the total cure. I want a radical cure. And it's saying, I don't excuse my sin anymore. I want to sit under ministry that doesn't excuse it anymore. And brother and sister, the word we preach is the knife of the Holy Spirit. And it's a healing knife. It cuts out the cancer. It cuts out the sin that the Holy Spirit may come and heal and purify and cleanse. Hallelujah. I'll tell you what, this few, you know what the Lord said to go and do further? Look at verse 5. He that overcometh, the saints will be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I'll confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Now look at me, please. Some of you dear saints, you're not arrived yet, but you have learned in this church to hate your sins. You've learned, oh, you've learned to take the Lord's side against your sins. You say, I'm on the Lord's side. And I'll not be satisfied, Lord, until I can look the Holy Ghost in the eye. I can look the whole world in the eye. You have learned to hate and despise sin, haven't you? He said, we've got a people now, there are a few who have come out of this dead thing, but he said, these people are not going to walk with defiled garments. These people, the Lord said, I'm going to dress them in white. They're going to walk with me in white. And you know what he said he's going to do then? He said, I'm going to write their name in the book of life. And I'll tell you right now, we've got a whole section from Times Square Church now. I see Jesus inscribing with his own blood names of so many of you that have come, and the Lord has cleansed you, and now he's written your name in the book of life, and he's confessing you right now before the Father and all the angels, just like he did to Job. The devil came along and he said, devil, would you look at Job? There's a man that shuns evil. There's a man that eschews evil. There's a man that hates sin. And he told the devil, look at Job. And right now, my Lord is saying, look down there at Times Square Church. Look at my few down there. They hate sin. They've taken my side against their sin. I'm going to dress them in white. I'm going to keep their names in the book of life. Hallelujah. Well, that's worth an amen. Now, I'll tell you something else. God's whole interest on earth in these last days is all wrapped up in this white robe remnant. All of his interest. I'm going to tell you, brother, sister, don't worry about the dead thing out there called the church. It's not the church. The church is made up of a live group of body of believers. Some of them don't even belong to the denomination at all. Most of them don't. There are fellowships. There are people all over the country and around the world. You know, we're related to Christians on fire for Jesus in China and out of Mongolia and into Mongolia and all over the world. We're all part of one glorious, growing body of the Lord. But forget that church. Don't let it upset you. Don't get ulcers. Don't let it give you an upset stomach thinking about all the apostles of that church because God's finished with it. He's written it off. It's off. God's interest is in this, too, this remnant. This holy white robe remnant who walked in father garments and walking in white. That's where the interest in the last days of God's work is. Hallelujah. That dead church is going to stay dead. There are no evangelists. There's no prophet. Nobody is going to raise him from the dead. Lord Jesus said, you're dead. Right there. I read it to you. That's the name that you live. But you're dead. But the eyes of the Lord are on this few, undefiled, walking in white. Now, I'll tell you what's beautiful. Look at verse 7 with me now. And to the church, the angel of the church in Philadelphia. Right. Look at me, please, for just a minute. What happens? Those who come out as sardis out of the dead church become the Philadelphians. The Lord showed that to me. That these two, I didn't want to preach on both the church of sardis and the church of Philadelphia. But the Lord said that you can't separate them because the Philadelphians are these that came out as sardis. That have cleansed their hands and their garment. And consequently, what the Lord's doing for these people, I'm going to read to you now. It's because they've cleansed themselves. It's because they've come out. It's because they've strengthened what remains. And look what God's going to do in the last days for this few, this holy few. First of all, verse 12. The Lord's going to make them pillars in the church. Him that overcometh. Verse 12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. A pillar. Now, look at me, please. You know what that means? One who stands and does not fall. A pillar is one upon which you can lean. My heart hungers to have a body in this church that are dependable and faithful. You know that if they take a vacation for three weeks a month, they're going to come back on fire for the Lord. You know that if you don't see them for two or three weeks, you don't worry that they're backslidden. You don't worry they're going to go off and sneak into some pornographic theater. You don't worry about them getting drunk. You don't worry about them at all because you know that the Lord has made them a pillar. They are pillars in the church. He said, I'll make you a pillar. You walk with me and wait. You deal with your sin. You give me all of your heart and I'm going to make you a pillar in my house. Did some of you ever think in your wildest imagination that you'd be a pillar in the church? Look how far he's brought you. There was a time nobody could depend on you, especially yourself. And now the Lord's beginning to trust you. Now people are beginning to lean on you. They see something in you of steadfastness and you're a pillar. Oh, God give us pillars in the church. Those that are going to take a stand in these last days, nothing's going to move them. You know what the Bible says? They shall no more go out. Look at verse 12. And he shall no more go out. Glory to God. As God brought you to that place, you never have to go out again. You don't have to go back to the old drinking. You don't have to go back to the drugs. There's nothing out there. You don't have to go looking for another church because the Lord's already satisfied you with himself. You're not looking for anything anymore. You found it. You're only looking for Jesus. You found it. I'll make him a pillar and he doesn't have to go anywhere anymore. He doesn't have to chase around anymore. Some of you chased long enough. Settle down. Put some roots down and grow. Oh, I'm screaming again. He shall go out no more. No more backsliding. No more lukewarmness. No more hot and cold. No more going back to the flesh because these have crossed the line. Once they were nigh unto death but the Lord's rescued them and now the Lord can depend on them. Hallelujah. I'll tell you what. Our prayer was when we came here that the Lord would give us one thousand saints that would be the pillars of this thing that God's doing in New York. And I believe we're almost there. I believe we've got at least that many right now that God can depend on. Hallelujah. The Lord can look down and says, well, he's not quite there but I've already built the base. And I've got one foot on it. I'm going to put another foot on it. And I'm going to put a backbone in him next. I'm going to set him in Holy Ghost concrete and no wind or wave of doctrine will ever shake him again. These people are going to have the character of the Lord stamped on their forehead. Hallelujah. I will write upon him the name of my God and I'll write upon him my new name. They're going to have the character of Jesus. This is a people don't go around gossiping. This is a people, they're going to, you come up to these people and you try to gossip. They say, I don't have time. I'm on my way. I'm on my way. Go to somebody else. I'll tell you, I've had in the last two weeks people go up and say, oh bro, what's up? I confess. I've talked about you. I've talked about the church. Well, that's good. Have a major confession. Move on. Get your feet down now. Quit listening to it. Just move on. Some people from another state came in and saw my wife and I together and he was shocked. He said, you're still together? I said, what do you mean? He said, our prayer meeting has been fasting and praying. We heard your wife left. You went back to Texas. This morning, I called my wife. I said, honey, you want to hear something interesting? You just left me for Texas. Those who know us know that that's got to be the joke of the year. In case anybody asks you, I love that woman and I know she loves me. We're all happily married. Tell the whole world that. Glory be to Jesus. He said, I'm going to write my name. I'm going to give my character. Hallelujah. These people are going to be so detached from the world. In other words, they're going to be otherworldly. They're going to have a new Jerusalem state of mind. He said, I'm going to stamp Jerusalem on their mind. They're going to think of heaven. They're going to talk about heaven. You know, I wish God would so make you a pillar. Anybody around you, they'd get sick again with you. All you talk about is Jesus. You see, these people are crazy. All they talk about is how God's blessing in their church. About the word of God. About the preaching. About the praise. What God's doing in saving their families. That's the way it's supposed to be, saints. He said, I'm going to stamp you with my own name on your forehead. So that your mind is on Jesus at all times. Glory to God. Here's a good part. Behold, I'll set before these an open door that no man can shut. Hallelujah. Now, let me tell you something. The scripture answers the scripture. And the only way to find out what that open door is to let the scripture answer it. Paul is the one who said, in effect, he made it very clear. He said, a great door in effect was opened to me. And there are many adversaries. He's talking about his ministry in Ephesus. And he said, there's a great effectual door. What's he talking about? Well, I went to Acts 19 to look at his trip to Ephesus. And what it is, it starts out very good. But, you know, when he says a great effectual door. You know, I'm thinking revival, multitude saved. He goes to Ephesus, and there are 12 men. 12 men who hadn't even heard there's a Holy Ghost. And he lays hands on them. And 12 men get the baptism of the Holy Ghost and prophesy and speak with tongues. And the Bible says, then the whole city hardened to heart. And so, including Paul, there were 13. Some revival. Some open door. And I got to thinking about that. There's that few mentioned not as artists. But let me tell you, Paul had something in his heart. God told him there's an open door. God said, Paul, I'll send you to Ephesus, and no one can shut the door. I'm opening it. And he goes there, and for two years, he's got to meet in a little school. He has to separate the disciples. Because the devil raised his head and tried to stop the meeting. And I'll tell you what, God says, I've set before you an open door. Well, he means it. He means that nobody can shut it. And the devil's not about to shut that. And if you keep reading on, you'll get to shout when you read Acts 19. Because suddenly, after two years, God begins to break through. And he said, God began to do special miracles, special miracles through the hands of Paul. They started bringing aprons and handkerchiefs, and Paul would pray over them. They'd go out and lay hands on people, and they'd be healed. Lay the apron, and the handkerchief, they would be healed. Word spread. They came from miles around. And a revival began to break out in Ephesus. Because the Lord said, I've set before you, Paul, an open door. No man can shut it. So Paul won't leave. He's staying right there. There were adversaries everywhere. The devil said, I'm going to stop it. He couldn't stop it. Because the revival began to spread further and further. They began to cast out demons, and evil spirits began to flee. Seven sons of Steba tried to cast out a devil out of a man, and those devils jumped on those seven priests' sons and tore their clothes and ripped them apart. And fear fell on the whole city, the Bible says. And not only that, they got so convicted of their sins, they started coming and confessing. And what they confessed, that they had a bunch of dirty books in their homes. So Paul said, bring them, and they brought 50,000 pieces of silver worth of books and had a big bonfire right in the middle of Ephesus. And they burned those filthy books in filthy pictures. Is that an open door? The devil couldn't stop it. He hindered it for about a year, year and a half, and then the revival broke out, and the Bible says, and the word of the Lord went forth and prevailed. Now, church, listen to me. He said, if I can find a few. Beloved, we're just a few in comparison to the multitudes in this city. We're just a handful. He said, you have but a little strength. That doesn't mean that we don't have the mighty power of God. It means in light of the world and their standards, you've got just so little strength. You're such a little group. Even if we had 10,000, that represents one city block here in New York. There are housing projects here in New York. There are more. There's one housing project here that's got 50,000 people. Up in the Bronx. And I'll tell you what, it looks like there's so little. But you know what he says to this holy remnant? He said, if you'll just walk with me in white. If you'll just let me take over. If you'll just give me everything. Hallelujah. I'm going to set before you, even though the world thinks you can't do anything and you've got little strength, I'm going to set before you open doors that no man can shut. I'm going to open the door and the key to your family. All your unsaved loved ones. No demon or devil in hell. No man can stop it. I'm going to give you entrance right into their hearts. I'm going to open that door. I'll give you an open door to evangelize among the Jews. I'll give you an open door among college students. I'll give you an open door not only to this world, I'll give you an open door to heaven. When Stephen was being stoned, the Bible says, he looked up and he saw the heavens open and the Son of God, Jesus, standing at the right hand of the Father. The Lord says, if you'll walk with me in white, you just surrender all to me. You walk with me, this holy remnant. He said, I'm going to show you a new revelation of who I am. I'll give you that open heaven. I'll give you a vision of who I am in glory. I'll open doors that no man can shut. Or the devil may come as the adversary. Paul said, he's given me an open door, effectual, and there are many adversaries. But he will not be able to stop it. John's testimony from Mom bears it out. There may be a delay, but the time will come that you'll see that answer burst forth in all of its glory. Hallelujah. Now the best part of all, and I'm going to give you this free. No charge. Do you know what he's going to do for this holy remnant? Hallelujah. And beloved, I know, God's speaking to some of you, he's made you know that he's called you into this. He's called you to never again go back to what you were. He's called you to pay a price no matter what it costs you. He's called you out and you say, I'm not going, there's nothing back for you. You've crossed the line. You're not going back. You're not going back to anything that's dead or corrupt. You're not going back to your old ways and your own selfish ways. You say, Lord, I'm going on. I don't care what it costs. You get your name written in the book of life. You get his white robes. You get the privilege of strengthening what remains that's alive. Bringing your message of life to the body of Jesus Christ. You get to be made a pillar in the house of God. You get an open door that no man can shut. And then when everything is collapsing all around you and the final judgments come on the earth, God says, I'm going to keep you from that hour. And I'll read it to you. Verse 10. Verse 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience. In other words, you've become an endurer, an overcomer. I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to drive them to dwell upon the earth. Beloved, I'm going to close in just a minute. But listen close. Give me your good ear. Give me your right eye. Do you know why you're going through the tough thing that you've been through lately? Do you know why God's put you under such a strong word? To hone you and to cut and probe. Do you know why you have come under such a strong moving and dealing in your life? Has there ever been a time in your history with Jesus that he's dealt with you so powerfully and so severely and so straight as he has lately? Do you know why? He wants you to be as David was when he stood against the giant. He stood up there with a history with the Lord. He said, a bear came out and I pulled his jaw apart. A lion came against me and I pulled him apart. What's this giant, uncircumcised giant? And what the Lord is saying, I'm putting you in the fire now. I'm taking you to the test right now by my word. My word's been trying you and testing you. And if you'll stand true, if you'll come through trusting me, when all begins to shake and fall around you, I'll keep you. You've been in the fire. You've got a history with me. What is coming, folks, what is coming now is the giant. The giant of a tribulation. The giant of a shaking. We've been prophesying it. All the prophets of God have been prophesying it. The church is about to be shaken. The nation and the world is about to be shaken. He said, I'll keep you in that hour. I'll keep you. Listen to me prophetically before I close. I believe this church, when there's mass unemployment in this city, when nobody, they're all sellers and no buyers, when entire industries are shutting down and there are people jumping from windows and taking overdoses to kill themselves because of the fear, and the Bible says men's hearts are going to fail them for fear and those things coming upon the earth. There are going to be people come to this church that were warned. And even now, Lord's preparing you. He's asking you the question, have you crossed the line so much so that if the Lord took everything right now, it wouldn't cost you your place with Jesus. You would hold your faith fast in the Lord. If he took your job, if it cost you your home, if it cost you everything you had, would you still be standing there saying, Lord I love you, I trust you, you can have it all. Now, you may not have that courage right now, but if you're heading that direction, he's going to give you that kind of, I'm going to keep you, you're going to stand, and people will come to this church to get the comfort from people saying, I've been through this, I've been tested and tried, and the Lord was faithful to me then, he's going to keep us now. And the support won't just come from the pulpit, it's going to come from the pillars in the church that are seated all over here. Pillars, stand up! Before a holy God, be able to prove the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus that we heard about this morning. Hallelujah. I'll keep you! I'll keep you! Unto him who is able to keep you from falling and presents you faultless before the throne of God with exceeding great joy. Stand to the Lord. Unto him who is able to keep you from falling, presents you faultless, before his throne with exceeding great joy. Hallelujah. Do you want to be a part of this white robed remnant? Raise your hand if you do. Lord, I want to be a part of this white robed remnant. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Ask him about it. Say, Lord, I want to be a part of that last day remnant. I want to walk with you in white. I want to be sanctified before you, holy God. Glory to Jesus. Glory to God. I know, it shows I know my Lord. I know that I'm looking out tonight over literally hundreds who have a heart for the Lord. Oh, you're not an angel yet, you've not arrived. Oh, but your heart burns for him. You've got a hunger that's consuming you. You've got no desire to go back to anything. Isn't there something in your heart saying, even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly? Aren't you ever longing to be with him? Is there anything in this world that you want more than him? No. That's how you can tell. Am I in that number? I'm in that number when I take his place against my sins and say, Jesus, I want the radical cure. You're in that number when your heart hungers and thirsts for his righteousness. You're in that number when nothing in this world attracts you anymore. Your heart is set only on him. If that's true, rejoice. Rejoice. Say, thank you, Lord, for what you've done and what you're doing in my heart. Thank you, Lord, for what you've done and what you're doing in my heart. Glory to Jesus.