In this sermon, the preacher recounts the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. He describes how the prophets of Baal tried to awaken their god through their frenzy, but failed. Then, Elijah steps forward and calls upon the Lord, and fire falls from heaven, consuming not only the sacrifice but also the water poured on it. The preacher emphasizes the power and authority of God, highlighting how Elijah, despite being elderly, outran the king's chariot. He also discusses the difficulty for rich men to enter heaven, as they often struggle to identify with the despised and poor. The preacher concludes by urging the congregation to take up their cross and follow Jesus, emphasizing the importance of preaching the truth and not trying to sleep their way into heaven.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the Sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. The subject this morning, 7,000 did not bow. 7,000 did not bow. 1 Kings, 19th chapter. 1 Kings, the 19th chapter, please. Remind again all of our visitors, in case you didn't get the announcement very well, right after the service, those that are downstairs, main auditorium and balcony, you'll come downstairs and go through exit 8 and 9 into the ancillary building, and in the annex room 204, we have a free book, free sermon tape, and some refreshments, and some New Yorkers that would like to visit you, and you'll meet people from all over the world, like Precious Faith, that's right after the service. All right, 1 Kings, 19th chapter, verse 18. We'll go through this story somewhat, but I'd like you to just focus on this one. I want you to see it and hear it from the lips of the Lord. Yet I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. 7,000 did not bow. Holy Spirit, it's time now for you to speak to us through your word. I thank you, Lord, for the anointing that is not judged by noise, that's not judged by my actions or motions, but they are judged by the power that you put behind these words. Now, Lord, sanctify me, and sanctify our ears to hear what the Lord has to say to us. Lord, we honor you. This is a church that honors your word. We have worshipped you, we have praised you, now it's time for you to speak to us. Lord, we are not going to bow down to the spirit of this age. You speak clearly to us now. Touch me, let fire come out of my mouth from heaven and from the throne. In Jesus' name, amen. I want you to go with me to the Mount Horeb, and I want you to go into a cave there. There's a lonely prophet of God, he's an elderly man now, and he's given up on his society, he's had it, he's saying to himself, this nation is too far gone, the church is backslidden beyond repair, the leaders are puppets of the devil, revival is impossible, all is lost. He has given up hope completely. Forty days prior to this moment in the cave I referred to, this godly servant begged God to strike him dead. In fact, he cried, Lord, I've had it, take away my life. You know I'm speaking of the dear prophet Elijah. Immediately after the greatest victory in his life and in his ministry, and you know the scene well, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 of the prophets of the idolatrous groves that Jezebel had erected, and they're in a life and death struggle now with this prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. And these 850 agents of Satan have gathered, and now the scene changes, they have done their thing, and they're laying prostrate on the ground, bleeding. They had gone through their frenzy trying to awaken their God, and Elijah then takes his place and fire falls from heaven, and it consumes not only the sacrifice, but the water, the 12 barrels of water that poured on the sacrifice. And folks, when that fire began to consume the stones, and then consume the dust, God's people were on their face and say, He is Lord, He is Lord. You know the story well. What exciting thoughts must have raced through Elijah's mind as he became so energized. An elderly man, some say he's in his 80s now. Now, I couldn't do this at my age. Pastor Carter couldn't do it at his age. 25 miles outrun the king's chariot. Now, you know he had the best horses in the country. He had the fastest, and Ahab outruns him. What kind of thoughts had to be racing through his mind to so energize him? And thoughts such as, Jezebel is next. This ungodly, lying, scheming, sensuous government is going to collapse. Where's the man, where's the woman, where's the politician, where's anybody going to stand in the face and try to stand against this movement of God. Fire from heaven, miracles, who's going to withstand this? And he's thinking, Jezebel is already on her chariot, heading back to the Zidonian territory, where she came from, back to her idolatrous priest father, and revival time. He thought, this is the greatest moment in the history of Israel. Everything I've preached, everything I've hoped for, revival is coming. And he raced to the capital of Jezebel, hoping and praying that they were about to listen. He could go to the temple of God that's been abandoned, and restore godly worship in the capital and all through Samaria and Israel. But before he even gets into the city, a messenger of Jezebel gets his attention and stops, and then she says through the messenger, Let my gods kill me, if I do not kill you by this time tomorrow morning. She said, you're dead, man. 24 hours later, he's in the wilderness, running from Jezebel, and he's under the Jupiter tree. Remember the story? And he's saying, there's no hope. He's given up all hope of revival, and his thinking is now, wait a minute. Fire from heaven, three and a half years of famine, rain comes because I asked God to do it, miracle after miracle, all of these wonders. If this doesn't bring revival, if signs and wonders won't bring it, then there's no hope. He had given up, he said, nothing's going to work. Jezebel's only been emboldened by what God did. He's in the cave now, and the Lord comes to him, and the Lord said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? Now, the word says here that he lodged there in the cave, and that in Hebrew means to stop, and also it infers to stay there. He decided to stay there, I don't know how long, but the Hebrew word, the root word also infers to complain and hold a grudge. And what God's saying, what are you doing here, Elijah? In other words, what's bothering you? Why are you angry? And really, he's saying, why are you angry at me? And out of his heart poured this pent-up emotion, Lord, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts. Israel has forsaken your covenant, they've thrown down your altars, they slain the prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left. And they seek my life, they're going to kill me. I'm the only one left. Now, most of what he says is true. The scripture makes it clear that he was wholly given to the cause of the Lord, he was a praying man, and the people of God were in a sad state, wickedness abounded on all sides, the prophets were being maligned and the church altars had been abandoned, but he was not the only one carrying the burden of the Lord. He was very wrong at that point. Now, I don't believe Elijah's talking from pride. I don't believe he's trying to say, I'm the only godly, sin-hating, praying preacher left in this God-forsaken country. He's not saying that. I think he's feeling his loneliness and as if to say, well, God, if they're there, I haven't seen them, I haven't heard them. Where are they? Now, he should have remembered what Obadiah had told him just days before, that he said, have you not heard, Elijah, that I've been hiding a hundred prophets fifty at a time in a cave, giving them bread and water. He knew there were a hundred prophets. He knew of Micaiah, who had prophesied often to Ahab. Ahab was the one who said, I hate Micaiah because he never prophesied good to me, and he threw him in jail. Elijah is very aware of this. But he's feeling very, very lonely. Now, praying men are usually loners. Praying men who really have been shut in with God usually are not very good socializers. You'll never find a praying man or a praying woman around jokesters. You'll never find them. They'll not be there, they won't be around that joking crowd. In every church there's a joking crowd. There are those that just want to socialize. There's nothing wrong with that if it's done according to the mind of the Lord. But a man who really wrestles with God, a man who's alone with God as Elijah was, you're going to come out of that experience with the burden of the Lord, you're going to know his heart. And when you know his heart, you're going to see the condition of the church as it is. You're going to see the foolishness, the hype. You're going to see the entertainment. You're going to see the foolishness that's crept into the church and is going to grieve you. You're going to be one of those who grieves over the affliction of Joseph very clearly. And it's going to sober you. And it's going to get you on your knees. It's going to get you on your face. And sometimes you're going to feel very alone in that, and you're going to wonder, where are the prophets in the land? Where are those that stand up and speak against this stuff that's creeping into the house of God, the foolishness, the rock music and all this thing, and so many strange things coming into the house of God under the name of religion, under the name of the Holy Ghost. And folks, if you haven't been grieved by that, you haven't been praying. If you're a praying man, you're a praying woman, you will see and hear and know these things. You can walk into a church and pick it up just like that. You will know when the Holy Ghost is there, and you'll know when there's death. You will know it, the Holy Ghost will give you that discernment. You get your discernment on your face in the secret closet of prayer and nowhere else. You'll grieve over the nation. You'll grieve over the leadership. You will grieve over lying people in the White House will lie and cheat and connive and fornicate. Leaders who will kill babies. And now folks, the latest thing, it's in the New York Times today and all our newspapers right now, this legislation that will give a woman a right to kill her baby even if it gets through the abortion process. In other words, just leave it there, let it die or kill it, even if it's had four or five hours of life, even if it's crying, kill it. And folks, you will grieve over that, you will pray over it, and you will not put off the day of judgment because you want to prosper and you want a little more of a good life. You'll say, I know what God says in his word, he will not forgive this kind of bloodshed. You will know it and you will grieve over it. You'll read Amos 6 and you'll cry out to God, Lord, never let me be at ease in Zion. Never let me put off the evil day of judgments coming. Let me never be stretched out on an ivory couch eating and drinking, enjoying myself while all of these things are happening and bringing bondage in the house of God. And if you're really a praying person, you'll know what it is to feel alone like Elijah sometimes. I get news, I get letters from all of the United States, my wife and I read from people, godly praying people. And they write to us and say, I feel so alone. I can't find people to associate with, I can't find a church where you really sense the presence of God, where the Holy Ghost is moving and where I can go and get my heart challenged and my kids don't want to go to church because it's boring and there's death. And many, many say, we feel so alone, we feel so alone. They don't mean that they're the only people around, but they just don't have the fellowship. They don't have those that are standing up, crying out against sin and feeling the heart of God as they do. We hear that by the thousands. Still small voice comes finally to Elijah in that cave. And again, that still small voice says, what are you doing here, Elijah? What are you doing here? Then again, Elijah replies, I, only I am left. They seek my life to take it, Lord. And God answers him. Elijah, you are not alone. There is Haziel. I want you to go anoint him as king. There's Jehu. He's a prophet. I want you to go anoint him. And there's a young prophet named Elijah. Anoint him. Now, these were all here. And he's completely ignorant of their existence. He doesn't even know they exist. Then this came to Elijah. And I'm reading to you from the original Hebrew from Helen Sparrow. I have, the Lord said to him, I have remaining unto me or to myself in Israel, 7,000, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him. In other words, Elijah, there are 7,000 who have bowed down to the spirit of this age. They've not bowed down. They have not changed. They are growing in the Lord. They are my people. They are chosen. I know who they are. I have their address. I know where they live. 7,000 have not bowed. They're not a part of this system. They have not given in. But I want to focus now on these 7,000 who have not bowed. They represent the hidden holy remnant that God has in these last days. And he's had it in every generation. And now as we come closer and closer to the end of the age and as judgment fast approaches and the storm roars down upon us, God has a holy remnant that are his, unbended. Who have not kissed the image and the idols of silver and gold of this generation. Now to understand what God is saying, you have to understand the worship of Baal. You have to understand something about Baal. The religion of Baal or the doctrine of Baal originated with Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. It was the beginning of it. They had an observatory, they say, at the top of this tower they were building. An observatory to the stars and to the gods of the stars. But it was a God who represented human achievement, success, and prosperity. And the custom was that if you kissed the feet of Baal, this would guarantee you success in sensuality. In other words, your fleshly desires, it would guarantee you prosperity in your career, your job, marriage. You kissed the feet of Baal and you were guaranteed, according to the prophets of Baal, you would be successful and prosperous. 7,000, though, in this time of seduction. What a seduction it was. And in fact, the prophet Elijah put his finger on the pulse of the nation. Because they wanted a mixture. They wanted Jehovah God because there was this inbred fear of God. This fear that He would judge us. But then there is this cry for prosperity and success. And this is a seduction. 450 prophets are preaching this. 400 more are seducing them to the mountaintop groves. And people are testifying in their meetings and they're singing. They're even shouting about the success that they have now. And the people are being drawn to this. Who are all these Baal worshippers? The whole nation has turned toward Baal at the time. And on the mountaintop, before the fire fell, he put his finger right on it. He said, look, you're hauled in between two opinions. You want Jehovah God and you still want your... You will do anything to get your prosperity and to be a success. You want both and you can't have it. Choose this day when you're going to serve. You see, the theme of Baal at Nimrod's tower was let's make a name for ourselves. That was why they built it. And when God judged Judah, remember, God was judging Judah at one time. And they came to Jeremiah and they had run off to Egypt. And Jeremiah is trying to tell them it was your lust after prosperity. It was your giving yourself into the gods of gold and silver and success. That brought judgment down upon you. And now they're through the judgment of God. They've been chased. They have run off into Egypt. They're into poverty now. They're poverty stricken. They're homeless. And they have no country now. And they're discouraged. And they blatantly say to the prophet Jeremiah, we are going to burn incense. We're going to pour drink offerings out to the queen of heaven. Queen of heaven, again, is prosperity. As we did back in Jerusalem. For back then we had plenty of food. We were well off. We were successful, blessed. We saw no evil. We didn't have to suffer. But since we left off worshiping our idols, we have lacked everything. Shortages of food, hardships. We are going to serve our idols so once again we will not lack and we will be prosperous. They said, we don't care what you say. We want prosperity. We are going to serve our gods. And here in our text this morning, God's people, God's church were under this powerful seduction. You see that spirit of seduction of Baal is in our nation and in the world today. This is seduction to, everybody wants to be a millionaire. Who wants to be a millionaire? Everybody wants to be a millionaire now. Now I'm not talking about the people who don't bow. And they want it now. They want to answer 20 questions and get rich and be set for life. Spirit of Baal is rampant in the land today. Today I can take you to Wall Street right in front of the stock market and I can show you the idol. It's made out of bronze. It's a huge bull. Have you ever been down there? Did you see the idol? You know what that bull stands for? Bull market. Ever increasing prosperity. Unstoppable wealth. The bear means the other downward trend. But the bull, you ever heard the bull market? Well, Baal is sitting right in Wall Street. You can now take a picture of it. You can take a picture of Baal. Because you see the God today is gold and silver. It is this ever increasing desire to make it. Ever increasing desire to make a name. To have that 15 minutes of fame or to have enough money to just relax the rest of your life. Not having to worry about anything. Have a nest egg. Now folks, there's nothing wrong. I believe as did the founder of the Methodist movement. John Wesley said, Make all you can make. Save all you can save. And give all you can give. I believe we've got to be diligent. A man who doesn't provide for his own household, the Bible said, is worse than an infidel. He's denied the faith. There's nothing wrong with being a success. If you do it God's way. If you do it diligently and you're not taking shortcuts. And you're giving God the money that belongs to Him. And you're giving graciously out of your heart. That's another thing. But folks, not this spirit of greed and covetousness that has gripped the nation. And gripped the whole world today. And sweeping many Christians out into all kinds of difficulties they can't get out of. In my 14 years of pastoring here. I've seen a host of men and women come and go. Who once sat in this sanctuary so on fire for God. They never missed the service. They were career people. Many of them business people. Some of them wealthy. And some of them not wealthy. But people of all walks of life came here. They loved the music. They loved the worship. And I thought, if anybody is going to stand. They are going to stand. I know where they used to sit here in the congregation. They were friends. They were acquaintances. I met them. I knew them. And for 5 or 6 years they stood strong. But they are not here now. They are not here now because the warning of Jesus in Mark 4.19. Took hold of their hearts. These are they which are sewn among thorns. They hear the word. But the cares of this world. And the deceitfulness of riches. And the lust of other things entering in. It chokes the word and they become unfruitful. I am telling you anything that interferes with your walk with Jesus. Anything that takes you a time and robs you of time. Spent in the work of God. Or in the secret closet of prayer. Is finally going to overtake you. And this thing is going to choke the word out of your heart. And you are going to absolutely like those who are gone. And they are settled nice in some easy church. That doesn't mention sin. Never conviction them and they can go to church there and sit there. And be as comfortable as they are watching TV. And some of you here are in that position right now. God sent you here to get a little spanking and wake you up. You see the temple of Baal was packed. God's people were flocking to the church of success and prosperity. And it brought corruption. Incredible, unspeakable corruption. But God boasted. Well, those churches were packed. God was boasting. I have 7,000 after my heart. Reserved. That I have reserved. That I have touched. That I have moved upon. And they are mine. And they are chosen. And they are righteous. They are mine. I thank God for men like Elijah. Godly men who are mightily used in the public. They are known by most men. They are men of miracles. They are men and women who do exploits. And folks, usually when we want to get an example of success, even in Christian work, we go to these great men. We go to Elijah and we try to understand the process that he went through. And how God brought him and made him a successful man. We study David. We go to Deborah. We go to all of these great heroes of the faith. But how many of us judge success by the 7,000 unknown people? Known by nobody. A hundred of them in caves. Fifty in one and fifty in another. These limestone caves. They had thousands of them in the land and hidden by Obadiah in caves. I want to judge success in a different way because the way we judge success in the world today is so cockeyed. So out of kilter. You see, a man is successful today in Wall Street if he's made his millions and he arrives in a chauffeured limousine. And he goes out to Westchester or he goes out to Connecticut or someplace to his multimillion dollar mansion. And if he's made money, if he's made a name, he is the epitome of success. Now, he may be divorced. He may be running with harlots. He may be a criminal in walking over people to get his money. But he's still the epitome of success. He can go to his mansion. There's no woman there, no wife. And even the harlots that come and go don't satisfy him anymore. He looks at his fine art and it brings him no satisfaction. He goes to the garage and there are ten cars from Rolls Royces to all kinds of expensive exotic automobiles. And he walks away empty. He walks through his possessions and says, is this all there is to it? He comes and goes like a man that's half dead. And he's still held as the epitome of success because he has money, he has riches. What a confused, upside down view of success. And we still have people yearn for that. I thank God for the great numbers that people talk about that are going to be saved. We talk about millions being swept into the kingdom of God. But the more I read the scripture, the more I'm shut in with God, the more I realize that there are not going to be as many saved that get to heaven as most people think. Because all through the Bible it makes it very clear there have been remnants. You see, we have made it so easy that all you do now is say, Jesus, I believe. It's called easy believism. And you see, that's about all. Everybody going to heaven, ask anybody on the street with a cigar in his mouth and half drunk, are you saved? I'm saved, man. I go to such and such a church. I ask Jesus to come into my heart. He's no more saved than the dog on the street. Because he's never yielded his life. He has never let him be the Lord of his life. He's still living in his sins. Now some of you say, why did I come here this morning to hear this? I'm on vacation. You see, Jesus said there's going to be a great falling away. The scripture said, even so then, in Romans 11, 2 to 5, even so then at this present time also there is a remnant. He said there's just been a remnant. You remember what the scripture of Jesus said? Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many be that go therein. Because straight is the gate, narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there are that find it. He said, if you don't take up your cross and follow me, you can't be my disciple. And you hear that kind of preaching here. So that on our watch when we stand before God, we have to give an account for your soul and there'll be nobody ever point a finger at one of our pastors and say, you didn't tell the truth. My God will be right there to justify the servants of this pulpit because we have spared not, we have even applied the rod lovingly and done what God has commanded us to do so that you don't try to sleep your way into heaven. It's impossible. Only 7,000 were left, 100 prophets set up in a cave living on bread and water. 7,000 from every walk of life, but they were silenced. Unknown to anyone but God. You see, when Elijah called fire down out of heaven, it wasn't just his prayers that brought the fire of God. No, it was a prayer of 100 prophets who'd heard about it. And they had time. And they were seeking to face it. God saying, God, stand with the prophet Elijah, bring fire down out of heaven. End this wicked society's, end Jezebel's rule over this land. Deal with Jezebel, deal with the crime, deal with the property, deal with the homosexuality. Oh God, do something about this country's morals. He wasn't the only one who prayed down the fire. Micaiah, the prophet, whose heart was broken over the condition of the land. Jehu was there crying and praying. And out with a yoke of oxen in his father's farm was a young prophet that God was raising up. And he would stop his mouth, whatever he was doing, and fall on his face and say, Oh God, about this time Elijah's up there praying against those prophets, bring fire from heaven. No, God has always had a people, and he always will have a people. And the more wicked the age becomes, the more righteous they become. Let me tell you what I believe is God's major success. Success with God is to become totally fulfilled and satisfied in ministry to the Lord himself. To be totally satisfied and fulfilled with ministry to the Lord himself. In other words, that is giving oneself to prayer and the word. What does a brother do? These are Christians in wheelchairs here. They represent those prophets in a cave. They're not even able to come out. And do you know there's a ministry? There's a ministry. And this is what God put on my heart. I didn't know he was going to be here this morning, but all week God kept coming back to this. And I said, I don't see it, Lord. I don't see anything in this. I struggled until late last night to find the Lord began to break some of this through to my heart. There are many people that you will never be an Elijah. There are not many Elijahs. There are not many Deborahs. They come and they go and they're very few and far between. They come quickly and they're out of the scene. But you see, God has the people not trying to make it. They want to minister to the Lord. They want to know him. They're not looking for money. They're not trying to be a success. Folks, quit trying to write that big novel that's going to be a bestseller. Quit trying to be a legend in your time. You'll never be it. That's not what God is looking for. I remember when I first, I've been in New York about two years. And a pastor in the city invited me to have dinner with, well, a famous evangelist visiting his church holding a crusade. And I went. I was so, I was rather excited to meet this man. I'll never forget what he said halfway through the meal. He said, look, he turned to the other pastor. He said, I'm 45 years old. And if you don't make it by the time you're 50, you'll never make it. He said, I've got five years yet to make it. He said, I've got an idea. He said, I've got a television program. And he said, I've got it all schemed out and I believe this will help me make it. I don't know if he's talking about being another Billy Graham. I didn't know. I'm just the street preacher. I weighed 115 pounds then. And to me, making it was enough money to pay the light bill at Teen Childhood Center. Making it to me was another drug addict that would put his arms around me and say, I want Jesus. That's all I wanted. Making it. Oh, so you want to make it. I have young preachers from all over the country write to me when I meet them. They ask me, Brother Dave, God has used you. How does it happen? I want God to use me. I want to do great things for God. Everything I do fails, they said. I've tried this. I tried that. I keep trying one thing after another and it doesn't work. And you know what they tell me? You made it. You've got a reputation. And they're expecting some plan of attack, you know, secrets, how to be a success. I said, you want to be a success? No greater thing can you do than to be a man of prayer and to be a man of his word. You are doing more in the sight of God than anyone. I said, forget everybody who's bypassing you. Forget everybody that's building the big churches at your age. Forget all that. And if you'll stay on your knees and seek God with all your heart, all ministry that is of the Holy Ghost comes out of prayer. It comes out of knowing God through this book. So get on your face, folks. I tell them, look, I was I was just a young preacher. I was 26, 27 years old. I was passing a little church in a little nondescript building, car, paper roof. 115 pounds. Nobody knew me. I had no reputation. I had no desire to have a reputation. But one thing God put in me through my praying father and grandfather was to be a man of prayer. My dad said there's 24 hours in the day. You can pray as diligently as long as Elijah prayed. And God always makes a way for a praying man. But all ministry comes out of prayer. And I did just that. I took a whole year and sought the face of God. My wife will bear witness. I have an old Bible you couldn't buy for any amount of money. Marked from page to page that up in the hillside, the Lord revealed himself to me and gave me his heart. I saw his heart. And I would pray and seek the face of God. I would go out and prophesy in the woods and preach the trees. And I tell young preachers, shut yourself in with God. Get along with him. Be a success with God. Be a success at the throne of God. And forget everything else. You're a successful man. You're a successful woman if you know God. And if you're seeking the Lord, praying for others, praying for those who have the power and the ability to go out in the streets. You may not have that. You may not be able to do that. But you're one of the 7,000. Now, folks, forget the numbers. Seven represents God's eternal purpose. All through the Bible, seven is connected with the name of God and his eternal purposes. This 7,000 today could represent 7 million, 70 million. It's not that. It's just the people who are given wholly to God. Now, let me test you before I close and see if you're among the 7,000 who will not bow to Baal. Let me give you a few marks. Number one, if you're going to survive in the days ahead with what is coming, you're going to be this 7,000 who do not bow. It's going to require an unchangeable commitment to cling to the Lord and swim against an evil tide. You're going to swim against the tide and you're going to have to make a commitment. Folks, I know this more than anything I've ever known. You see, there's 7,000 stayed true that didn't bow in spite of having no fellowship. The 7,000, those in the cave may, but the 7,000 in all walks of life, no fellowship. There were no Bibles. There were no preachers to comfort them. No counselors. A whole society gone mad with sensuality, wickedness, and out of control. But in spite of the times, in spite of the fact they saw their friends and acquaintances and families move toward this idolatrous practice, and yearning and wanting nothing but success, they were able to stand against that tide. And the stronger the tide got, the stronger they became. The stronger they became in going against that tide. And that came because somewhere along the line they made a commitment, I don't care what others do, I don't care what others say, I know who I am in God and I am not going to change. I'm not going to give in to the spirit of this age. God had put something of a single-mindedness. It was that double-mindedness on the mountain that was exposed. It's the double-mindedness wanting the crowd and wanting Jesus. And so you sit here and God has used you in some way and you have a major success like Obadiah. Obadiah told Elijah, he said, I have hidden 50 prophets in one cave and 50 in another. Don't you know that I fear God? I'm a man of God and even though I'm right under Jezebel's nose, I'm in her house. I have made a decision. I am not going with this world. I'm not going with this crowd. I'm not going with Baal. He was in Ahab's, he was the governor of his house and he said, I will not bow. Thank God for those on Wall Street. Thank God for businessmen. Thank God for the few wealthy in the nation today that are still standing for God and will not bend. Thank God for them. But you see, if you're going to try to hold on to your old lifestyle, you want to go back to your social crowd, a little bit of drinking, and just, you won't laugh at their dirty stories, but you're there when they tell them. And you tell me you're going to make it in what is coming? No way, because there has to be this commitment that I'm talking about, that you're going to swim against the tide. And the scripture makes it very, very clear. Jesus said, come out from among them, be you separate and clean, saith the Lord. Then I'll receive you. Leave the crowd. Don't touch the unclean. Don't associate with the old life and your old friends. There has to be a break. You will not be unbending. You will bend. You'll get sucked back up in the old life. And that's what happened to many that have left this church and gone back to their old crowds because they had never crossed the line. They'd never made that decision. It's all for Jesus or nothing at all. It's all for Christ. You can believe that that 7,000 endured shame and deprivation and persecution. But you see, the more vile the age became, the more dependent they became upon their heavenly Father. And that's why the Lord was so proud to boast on them to Elijah. I've got 7,000 that are mine that have not bent, not kissed the feet of Baal with their mouth. Secondly, you're going to have to have a willingness to identify with a poor, suffering class of people when the trend is to associate with the rich and successful. You see, Obadiah, though he's a man in high places and he's in the public eye, he's associated with kings and politicians in high places, yet his heart wasn't there. His heart was in a cave with a hundred poor, deprived creatures. That's where my heart is. He could operate in that realm. I'm not asking you to leave that realm. If you can avoid that social contact that touches death, God bless you. God's placed you there like Obadiah. But Obadiah's heart was with the remnant. That's where his heart was. He brought them bread, he brought them water, he associated with. Nothing more would have pleased him if he could come out in the open and he could say, this is my people. But that's where his heart is. That's where his heart was. Have you crossed this line yet? You see, let me tell you, let me identify Times Square church people. You want to know who we are? God had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the weak things of the world to confound things that are mighty, the base things of the world, things despised, that no flesh had glory in his presence. Oh, folks, he said, there are not many rich among you. There are not many rich among you. And he said, it's going to be very hard for rich men to enter heaven. You know why it's going to be hard for rich men to enter heaven? Because they can't identify with this poor class of people. And we poor people are going to get to heaven so they don't identify with it. So they're going to have to stay here. It's very hard for a rich man who refuses to identify with those who God has called, the despised of the world. There's a little lady, you see her out here on Broadway passing out tracks. I see her every day, go to the office on there. You'll see her out there this afternoon. I took a walk yesterday and was walking down 8th Avenue. There she was, way up on 8th Avenue, passing out tracks. Now, she's not surely dressed in the styles of the day and she speaks broken English. And I went up to her and said, praise the Lord, God bless you. And she said, I reached in my pocket and pulled out some money. No, no, no, no, no. She said, I'll pay my tithe. My tithe are coming in tomorrow. I'll be there. She said, I owe some tithe. I'll be there. She didn't want to take my money. I guess she thought it was reminding her that her tithe may be back or something. And here she is passing out tracks. All she got in her mind is, I got to get to church so I can pay my tithe. I'll tell you something. We've had visitors that visit the city, nicely dressed, nice proper Christians. And they see this lady out here and they said, what a poor testimony. Times Square Church is written on those tracks. Poorly dressed elderly woman out there that can hardly speak English. What a poor example of Times Square Church. Well, folks, you better get to know her because in heaven she's a star. She's a star. We have unknown people, people nobody knows. You may be sitting here and say, I haven't done anything for Jesus. I am so hindered. There's nothing I can do. There's so little that I can do. A home church, I may get 10 or 12. I may only get one or two. But what is that in a city of millions? You may be sitting here saying, I haven't accomplished anything. Oh, folks, God has his eye on this holy remnant who said, who by his own admission says, they have given their hearts to me. They are mine. They're focused on me. Hallelujah. Thank God. The holy remnant knows no race, no color, no styles, no bank accounts. This holy remnant represents an Obadiah, a rich man here that is fully identified with 100 poor pastors. It's black, white and yellow, rich and poor, well-dressed, poorly dressed, loving one another, proud to be one in Jesus Christ. I thank God for some wealthy people in this church. People that are well-situated and well-placed in society. And they come to this church. One man who's a CEO is in charge of the prison ministry. And he delights in going to minister to prisoners. And there are people of all walks of life. We have some of the poorest in the city. We have homeless people sitting here among us even now. But thank God. I don't know if any of my acquaintances here in this house, if any wealthy one that's been committed to the Lord, that's a part of the remnant, who doesn't take godly pride in being able to put his arms around the most poorly dressed, the poorest people in this church and say, I love you, you're my brother, you're my sister. That's what it's going to take in this last day holy remnant. It's not going to be like that acquaintance of mine. If I didn't know the love of Jesus, I might have escorted him out of the church. Who came and saw a number of Jewish people singing. And they were at the altar call. This is not another theater. And they were singing some Jewish Christian songs. Wonderful Christians. And one of them was David Davis who's pastoring in Israel. This acquaintance of mine from the deeps. I forget where he's from. Texans might get hurt. The dear friend said, you've got a lot of Jews here, don't you? I said, you bet I do. Couldn't understand. They just turned and walked out. They didn't want to be around Christian Jews. They're not in the remnant. They're not in this 7,000. I don't care how they sing and shout and talk in tongues. They're not going to the same heaven I'm going to. You can't get there with something in your heart against any race or against any people. The only thing this people had left was hope. And that's what the remnant is going to live on. There is going to be a hope. And our hope is the coming of the Lord, the Bible says. Jesus at the door. And soon, very soon, with this I close. With one trumpet blast, it's all over, folks. It's all over. One trumpet blast and it's all over. And this is the mark of this holy remnant. They live with this blessed hope. I will evangelize. I will work for God. Even unknown, I will do the smallest thing. But I'm living with this hope that one day God's going to end all of this despair. He's going to end this wickedness and immorality. And the King of Kings is coming. He's going to set up His throne. There's going to be a new world and a new heaven. Glory be to God. And I want to be a part of it. Will you stand, please? Hallelujah. Heavenly Father, You spoke to my heart when I was in preparation of this message. You spoke to my heart to encourage, through the word this morning, to encourage those who felt they were doing so little for You. Those, O Lord, who have a hunger to be used but feel so inadequate. Those, Lord Jesus, who feel so unused and unneeded and unnecessary. Those, Lord, who often feel like they're looked down upon by society and even the church. And, O my blessed Jesus, I pray by Your Spirit You encourage them today. That You know where they're at. You know who they are. You have their address. And, Lord, You rejoice in them. They are the joy of Your heart. They are the joy of Your life. Thank You, Jesus. Lord, let them rise up in faith and say, Thank You, Lord, that You've entrusted me with a heart toward You. That, Holy Ghost, You've put a yearning and a desire in my heart. And while others look at success and material things, I will look at success as a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and family living for Jesus. Lord, I will look at success the way You look at it. A heart that is one with You. A heart that's desiring and yearning to be more like You. Thank You, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Out of your seat, wherever you're at, and in the annex, you move between the screens. Move forward. Don't block the screens. Just in between the screens. And here, up in the balcony, go to the stairs on either side. Come down any aisle. And meet me here. I'd like to pray with you right now that God settle this thing. That you have a settled commitment with the Lord. I am going to go all the way. I'm not going to go 95%. I'm going 100% with the Lord. If there's been anything holding you back, come and lay it at this altar. Anything at all. A person or a thing, a career, whatever it may be. Anything that's holding you back from the fullness of Jesus, I want you to come here now, surrender, and let you leave this church absolutely transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we sing, follow these that are coming now. And even in the annex, we have a brother, the pastor, will be there with you in just a few moments. Step out of your seat and come. Because if the Spirit's drawing you, don't say no to the Holy Ghost. Obey. It's a prompting. It's a moving inside of you. That's the Spirit saying, today is your day. All the way with Jesus. Come. Annex, please, I want you to hear me as I speak to these also and speak to you in the annex. Folks, miracles have happened around these altars. People come, just as you have come. And they go either their places in this city or around the country or overseas, wherever it is. And their lives are changed. We get letters. We get information from everywhere. People whose lives were changed in an experience just like you're having right now. Where the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and you respond. Now, it's not necessary that you beg God to do anything. He said He's more willing to give than you are to receive. It's not necessary that you have tears. If you have tears, that's a blessed thing. But it's more important how you feel and what you do after the tears stop flowing. That you come to Him with an open mind. And you come to Him not with just your emotion, but you come to Him having thought this out and saying, I want to go all the way with the Lord. I want to cross that line. I want no compromise. I'm not going to halt between two opinions anymore. I'm going to choose today. I'm choosing today to step away from the crowd, to step away from friends that are ungodly. To minister to them, yes. To call them on the phone, yes. To have a private time with them, yes, but not on their terms, but on yours. I'm going to pray for you first, and then I'm going to ask you to pray with me also. Father, I pray now, Holy Spirit, that you do the work that you said you would do. I have complete, absolute confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the lives of those who walk down this aisle. God, I believe you. And for those in the annex, Lord, I believe right now, Holy Spirit, that you are convicting, you are wooing, you are challenging and changing hearts, even while I speak. Oh, Holy Spirit, I believe that. I believe in your work. I can't do it, no man can do it, but we receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit to our hearts right now. God, do the work. Now, I want you to pray this prayer. And the only way this prayer is going to have any impact or have any meaning whatsoever or affect your life is that you pray it. Don't say it, but pray it from what we call the gut, the inside, deep in your soul. Pray this prayer with me. Jesus, I need you. And I come to your throne of grace and mercy to receive it for myself. Oh, Jesus, I come now to yield my body and all that I am and all that I have to yield to you. Cleanse me, Jesus. Sanctify me. Deliver me from the power of Satan and the lust of my flesh through the power of your Spirit. You've convicted me, Lord, and you've loved me. And I respond to that. I stand here now before you and this people to acknowledge you as my Lord and my Savior. Unashamedly, help me now, Father, to take the steps necessary to follow you. Show me the way, and I'll follow you. I love you, Jesus. And I thank you for dealing with me this morning because that's your love. Now, just lift up your hands. Tell Jesus you love him right now and thank him for his grace. Thank him for his mercy, Lord. I thank you. Folks, everybody, let's just thank him. We thank you, Lord, for the word of the Lord that brings conviction and hope. We pray now, Lord Jesus, that we stand in your presence in the annex and hear in this main auditorium that you will finish the work that you have started now. Let the word of God sink in. Help us to add faith to the word of the Lord, Lord, that we may receive it and receive strength and power from it, that the word become life to us, that we will not let it slip by, that we will take it to heart now through the power of the Holy Ghost. In the name of the Lord Jesus. And everybody says, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. We give you thanks. We give you praise. I want to pray for those who did not step out and are in the auditorium and in the annex right now that are going through a struggle in your life. I want to pray right now that God give you wisdom and that something you heard said or something you sensed by the Holy Ghost in this meeting will be a key to unlock some confusion in your life. Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, I pray for those that have come from far and near and those who are part of this church, this local church. I pray, Heavenly Father, that you let faith be released. You said, let no man believe he receive anything if he doesn't believe. If there's unbelief, don't let that man or that woman think they receive anything from God. But, Lord, release faith. We will trust you right now. We will trust you right now with our families. We will trust you to lead us and guide us and protect us. We will believe you, Lord, to not allow the enemy to harass us. We believe you now to keep us by your power from falling and give wisdom and knowledge in the way to walk before you in righteousness. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Glory be to God. Glory be to Jesus. Again, I want to remind you, those in the auditorium, go through exit 8 and 9, the second floor at the ancillary building and room 204 in the annex. Now, let's have a time of fellowship. I want you to shake hands with as many as you possibly can. Don't stop. Reach everybody you possibly can with a God bless you, a spirit of love from your heart. Meet somebody from some other part of the world if you can. Let them know that they are most welcome. This is the conclusion of the message.