In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that people are searching for something meaningful in their lives, but often look in the wrong places. He explains that humans were created by God and will never be fulfilled until they are connected to Him. The preacher then discusses the power of the word of God, stating that it was through His word that the heavens and the earth were created. He highlights that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's word and that through Him, people can be transformed and escape the corruption of the world. The preacher concludes by emphasizing the importance of God's promises in bringing about this transformation.

This recording is provided by Times Square Church in New York City. You're welcome to make additional copies for free distribution to friends. All other unauthorized duplication or electronic transmission is a violation of copyright and other applicable laws. This recording cannot be posted on any website. However, written permission to link to the Times Square Church homepage may be requested by emailing info at timessquarechurch.org. Other recordings are available by calling 1-800-488-0854 or by writing to Times Square Church Tape Ministry, 1657 Broadway, New York, New York, 10019. Psalm 119, if you'll go there please. This is the psalm that the Lord has given us for the time that we're going to be fasting in January. And we're going to be fasting so that God simply opened His Word to us. I've been praying, God, I want to, because the scripture tells us that, I'm going to paraphrase this because I don't remember the exact wording, but those who are His are like a householder that has in his treasury things new and things old. And I've been asking the Lord, God, let me open this book, and not just deal in the surface of it, but show me the treasure in it, which of course is Christ, because Jesus is in every line of scripture, folks. I tell you, once you see that, this book becomes just absolutely alive. Hallelujah. Psalm 119, let's pray together. Father, I pray that you just give me the words that I need tonight. Because ultimately this is your testimony about yourself. I'm about to speak on things that are so far beyond human understanding that Holy Spirit, only you can give the full picture of it. And so I'm asking you to take these few logs and fish, and I'm asking you to multiply it and speak it clearly to every heart and to every mind. Only you can do this, Holy Spirit, and I'm asking you, give me the grace to move in unison with you. I ask you to expand my mind and my heart and my inward parts. I ask you, Lord, to give me understanding in this, and don't let me speak unnecessary words. I pray that my speech might be simple, and that I might be able to communicate what you have spoken to my heart tonight, and that your church may advance in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Lord, this is my only desire, that you be honored and that your church grow in grace and in truth. And so I pray that you move everything else out of the way. I thank you for the anointing, I thank you for the quickening, that I may speak and that those who are here tonight may hear. O Jesus, you said that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. So tonight, I pray that you give me the Word clearly, and let faith come into the hearts of the hearers. May you be pleased, Jesus, at the end of this night, and I ask it in your precious name. Amen. Psalm 119, verses 89 to 91, the title of my message tonight is Everything is servant to the Word of God. Everything is servant to the Word of God. Psalm 119, verse 89. Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances, for all are thy servants. Now, the psalmist is saying, God, you have spoken in heaven, and it is established. There are no arguments against God's word in heaven. You'll only find that on earth. And then, thank God, one day this will be over, and we'll be in heaven. And there will be no arguments, because the Word of God is settled in heaven. It is truth. Nobody argues about the Word of God in heaven. Trust me on this one. God has been faithful to every generation. The things that he speaks to you, and he speaks to me, are truth. They are established. They are settled. You see, that's why the psalmist David, if I'm a heavenly-minded believer in Christ, David said, my heart, O God, is fixed. It's settled. In other words, as those are in heaven. That's why Jesus said, pray this way. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. In other words, let there be in my heart an understanding that, God, you are faithful. You don't speak for nothing, as men do. Men are infamous for their endless talking. All you have to do is listen to the news for five minutes, and I wonder how these people do this for a living. Just sit there like talking heads, and anything that just enters in there comes out of their mouths, just displacing air in front of them constantly, and half the time not making a whole lot of sense. But God speaks, and he speaks for a reason, and he is faithful to what he has spoken. Now, folks, with that truth alone, I could give an altar call on that tonight. If you get that in your heart, and you begin to read the New Testament, and say, God, this is truth. This is not just an opinion. This is not something you say you might do. You're considering it in your heart. No, you don't speak like that. God, you speak only absolute truth, and when you speak, it has the power of creation as it is in it. You can call something that is nothing as if it is. You're not limited by time or space or things that are or things that are not. You are almighty God. You created the universe by the words of your mouth. And so when you speak, the words you speak have the force of God behind them. And you've established the earth, and because you have, it abides. It is here now in the form that it is because, God, you have decreed that it should be. It just sits in space. We don't fully comprehend that. Where are we going? How did it get here? Now, I'm not going to try to answer all of these questions tonight, but they are deep questions that many are asking. Everything continues this day, the psalmist says, according to your ordinances. Now, the ordinance in the Hebrew means your formal decree. You made a declaration, and simply on the word of that declaration, everything that exists is in existence because you have allowed it to be. You decreed it should be, and you've allowed it to be, so therefore it is. And it also means the concept of a verdict or a judicial decree or a judgment. And so God created the worlds. He created the universe, and everything is moving forward to a day of justice, a day of judgment. And, folks, whether you like it or not, this entire universe is moving in that direction. There is a day, the Bible says, that the heavens as they exist and the earth are going to be folded up just like an old garment. And God is going to put them away. And He's going to create a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. There's going to be divine order, in other words. There's going to be no more rebellion. There's going to be no more sin. There's going to be a creation the way it should be when God is at the very center of it. Now, go with me for a moment to Psalm 33. Just go back in your Bible just a little bit. Psalm 33. And because I'm setting a base for something that I believe that God wants to do in your heart. It's talking now about the Word of God, things that God speaks. Psalm 33, beginning at verse 4. For the Word of the Lord is right, and all of His works are done in truth. He loves righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. Folks, He just simply spoke. Now, we're just beginning to examine the depth of the universe. We've created instruments of science that are able to gaze out as far as they can into the universe. And we're discovering that there are multiplicities of galaxies. There's a complexity in the universe that is really mind-boggling. And you begin to realize that God spoke this according to the Scriptures into existence by the Word of His mouth. Amazing when you begin to see it. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap, verse 7. He lays up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, verse 9, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to naught, or to nothing. He makes the devices of the people of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, and the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Now, the psalmist is just laying a foundation. He says, God created the universe. He created it by the words of His mouth. And everything exists as it exists because of the power of the words that He speaks. Then He says, let all the earth stand in fear of Him. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of our God, who has the power to create a universe with the Word. Amazing when you see it. He spoke, and He commanded, and it stood fast. He brings counsel that is contrary to His Word to nothing. And the things that come out of the hearts of men who are fallen and attempting to chart their own course without the Word of God comes to nothing. But those things, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, and the thoughts that He has in His heart to all generations. That is why you and I have to know this book. Because the thoughts of His heart to you and to me are in this book. David the psalmist says, God, You knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb. You wrote down everything about me in a book. Nothing about me was a surprise to you. You allowed my life to exist. God, You spoke my name before I was conceived in my mother's womb. You allowed me to live. Do you understand that tonight? Irrespective of how you came into this world, or the circumstances under which you were born, God allowed you to be born. He spoke your name. He loved you before you were conceived. In spite of how that happened, He loved you. He called you by name. He says, You are mine, not just for time, but for all of eternity. David says, Oh, this is all written in a book. And he says, God, the thoughts of Your heart towards me are more than the sand of the sea. They cannot be numbered. The things that you are thinking about me. The thoughts of His heart are to every generation. Not just a select few in the past, but to you, to me. It's really level ground at the cross. There are not just a few anointed ones and a few special ones. And some big people and some little people. No, no, Calvary took care of all of that. That's gone. As a matter of fact, Isaiah says it the best. He said, This is a kingdom where the lame take the prey. I love that verse of Scripture. For the self-intelligent are sitting there trying to figure out God. And while they're trying to figure out God, the lame are just going by them. Whether or not they have to crawl. And they're touching the hem of His garment. And they're becoming whole. And they're being strengthened by the strength of God. And they're rising up and becoming all that God intended them to be. Much to the disdain of the religious. John chapter 1, please, if you go ahead with me. I've got to use some Scripture because I'm talking about the Word of God. You've got to see this. John chapter 1. Now, remember, the world came into existence, the universe, by a formal decree of God. Psalm 33. Remember, He said, By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made. By the breath of His mouth, He created the heavens, the universe. John chapter 1, verse 1, says, In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the same was in the beginning with God. And all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Now, this is incredible. Because when you look in the Greek text, it says, In the beginning was the Word. The Word is logos. But let me give it to you as simply as I can. It really means intelligent speech. It means speaking that comes from orderly thinking. That's amazing. Let me take that definition and put it into here. In the beginning was intelligent speech. And intelligent speech and orderly thinking was with God. And intelligent speech and orderly thinking was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and this life was the light of men. In Him, in other words, was a life. The word is false, P-H-O-S. And it means a light that has not been kindled and can never be extinguished. It's an eternal light that was in Him. And this light that is in God, or this life that is in God, is what every man has been looking for all of his life. It's what you're seeking. It's what a million people came to Times Square last night, and they're searching for. They don't know what they're looking for. They'll come from all over the world to see a Waterford crystal ball fall about 100 feet. And shout and scream and put on a paper hat and blow a horn and hope it's going to make some difference in their life, folks. But it makes no difference. That's not what you're looking for. They don't know it. They're actually looking for God because they were created by God, for God, in the image of God. They're given breath by God, and they'll never be fulfilled until they're back to God. Verse 14 says, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. That means the intelligent speech was made flesh. Hallelujah. The intelligent speech, the orderly thinking of God became a man and dwelt among us. And John said, And he was not only full of truth, but he was full of the ability to make that truth a reality. That's what it means. He was full of grace, which is the favor of God, to bring this truth that comes from his mouth into existence. He didn't speak something for nothing, if I can paraphrase John. Everything he said happened. We were there, John said. We saw him stand up in the boat and say to the sea, Be still. We saw that he had the power over creation. Nothing could resist him. Not even the dead could stay in the grave when he said, Come forth. The intelligent speech was made flesh. Now, Hebrews chapter 1, if you'll go there quickly, the first three verses say it this way. God, who at sundry times in diverse manners spoke in times past under the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, and by whom also he made the worlds, not just the world, but the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power. In other words, his word holds everything exactly where it is until the appointed time of God, where judgment finally comes, the redeemed are brought home forever, and a new heavens and a new earth are created. It goes on to say, When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down in the right hand of the majesty on high. God has spoken to us, the writer of Hebrews says, and as a people he spoke to us through various people, agents as it is, who knew the mind and the voice of God. But now, in these last days, it's the voice of his Son, who has been the one who has been speaking all along. He's the one who made the worlds. He's the one who was with God in the beginning. He's the one who became flesh. He is the word of God. This is the same Son who said in Matthew chapter 4 verse 4, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The word for word in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 4 is rhema, and it simply means the all-powerful command of God, or God's report. We sing a song that says, Whose report will you believe? Man shall not live by bread alone, not these things that we need, and God knows we need them. God knows we need clothing and houses and shelter and jobs and all these things, but we don't live by these things. We live by every command as it is that has come out of the mouth of God, through his Son Jesus Christ. We live by the report of God's Son. Amazing. The word of God is the same as the breath which God breathed into Adam, the first man. In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 it says, The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Now the Hebrew word that's used here is used in combination with another Hebrew word called ruach, and both of the words that are used have the connotation of air put in motion by divine breath. It's amazing when you begin to see it. Oh folks, my heart is exploding inside. I don't know, I'm exploding inside. I don't know how to contain what I feel God speaking to me, just showing to me. It's not what I would call any, it's just plain truth made simple. But God formed a man from the dust and then just spoke to him. And you know when you speak a word, it is air that comes from your inward parts that moves your vocal cords and causes the words to come out of your mouth. And it's air put in motion by divine breath. And he looked at this dust that was, it was just dust. Can you imagine going to the beach? Try it. Go down to Jones Beach sometime and take some sand and form what looks like a man and speak to it. And see if it lives. Well, that's what God did. He took dust and he spoke to this dust. I don't know what he said. I don't know how it happened. But he breathed, the scripture says. He put air in motion. Maybe it was just air. Maybe he just called his name. Sometimes that's all it takes to come out of the grave. It's all it takes to come back from the dead. Spiritually speaking, we hear our name called by God. And wherever we are, we just get up and get out. And this pile of dust all of a sudden finds itself a man created in the image of God, which means that Adam had the attributes of God. He was able to love in measure the way God loves. He had a mind and emotions like God does. And, of course, in the beginning it was uncorrupted. And then when Adam sinned, corruption, the knowledge of evil came into the human race. And these things of God, these attributes of God now were corrupted. That's why you have so much corrupt speech. Men should be speaking. That's why the scripture says in Peter, if any man speak, let him speak the oracles of God. Let him speak the things that God is speaking. Let him find out what's in this book and ask the Holy Spirit to make it a reality in his heart that out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth once again goes back to where Adam used to be and begins to speak the things of God, begins to agree with God. His words begin to have creative power as it is in his home. He gets the mind of God, starts speaking into his children's lives, starts sharing what God is speaking to his heart. And instead of destroying his own heritage, his heritage begins to come to life by the power of God. It's amazing when you begin to see it and understand. That's why Jesus is completely justified when he says at the end, when everyone stands before the judgment seat, he says, you'll be judged by your words. I'll know you by your words because those that are mine have a new heart. They have a new spirit. They have a new mind. They're in this book. They get to know what it is that I've said and what I'm saying. And they walk in agreement with me. And what comes out of them is the same that is in my heart. That's why I'll know those that are mine. Consider the universe for a moment. I took a trip one day down to a science place not too far from here. And scientists are saying that the universe, now they're discovering this through instrumentation, that the universe had a starting point, very, very small starting point actually. And from that starting point, they say the whole universe, and this is apparently a fairly recent discovery, is continuously expanding outward, not just outward, but it's moving in this kind of a direction, if I can put it that way. Had a starting point and it's moving this way. Now, that's interesting. If you were able to graph my voice tonight, now assuming that I wasn't wearing a microphone and speaking through these speakers, now if my voice just carried straight, if I turned and spoke to Pastor Neil, unless my lips were completely in line with your ear, you would never be able to hear what it is I'm speaking. But what allows you to hear my speech is just simply a law. It's a physics law. What comes out of my mouth starts at a very small point, but it expands this way. And if I were standing here without a microphone and could speak loud enough, even though it has a very small origin, my words, I could be looking at exit two right in the back here and right at this camera, but you would hear me on both sides. Now, why is that? It's because it comes out of my mouth from a small focal point and expands outward. It goes this way and this way at the same time. Exactly what scientists say is happening to the universe. Amazing. You see, they don't realize. Now, they don't know how did this thing start. So they developed a theory that there was a big bang in space. They don't stop to even wonder who lit the firecracker. But you see, I personally believe that the big bang, as they see it, is God spoke the universe into existence. It started from the mouth of God. He breathed it. And He breathed it to a certain end. It is moving this way and this way. It is expanding, I believe, just as they see it. And it's moving, and they don't understand why. They probably have, in some measure, discovered a truth. But the truth they discovered has not led them to the ultimate truth, that this entire universe was most likely born from a word from the mouth of God. It is air put in motion by divine breath. Amazing. You see, the Scripture says in Psalm 119, We're all servants to the word of God. We're all being carried on the journey. This whole universe and the world as we know it, and the earth as we know it is on a journey. And the end of this journey for some is going to be eternity with God through Jesus Christ. Because there is a day and a time and a line that this entire universe is going to pass where God says enough. And He folds it up. And He recreates it. And gives it the divine order that can only come from God. And some are going on to this place of eternity with Christ. And others are going on to eternal judgment. How foolish to play games with God. How foolish to let our natural minds convince us that there is no God. How utterly foolish. How defying of reality. How can we get to the place where we're so utterly foolish and deceived that we can think for a moment there is no God. There is no beginning from the mouth of God. There is no prescribed end from the heart of God. Psalm 2 says it this way. I've just turned there very quickly for the sake of time. But I've got to show this to you. Here's what he says in Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves together. And the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed. Against Christ and against His church, in other words. And here's what they say. Let us break their bands asunder. And let us cast away their cords from us. We heard about that today at 3 o'clock. In other words, let us destroy their influence and authority. Let us put away this Word of God. Let us put it out of our school system. Let us put it out of our court system. Let's push it out of our borders. Let's get rid of this Christ. The Scripture says, he that sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. You know, when you laugh, I wish I had a graph here tonight to show this to you. But when you laugh, it sends these quick pops of air out of your mouth. When you're laughing, it's like ha, ha, ha. And it comes out of your mouth. And I wonder, with the increase in hurricanes in the world today, are we not making God laugh with our rebellion? More hurricanes in this season than ever before. Now, I don't believe that. It's not scientifically proven, obviously. You see, man in his own fallen condition is trying to live through his own intellect. And he's on a downward spiraling journey into darkness and confusion. That's where our world is today. That's where societies are today. That's where countries are today. They're on an ever-increasing downward spiral into darkness and confusion. Paul says in the book of Romans, all of creation is groaning under the weight of what I would describe as the rebellion of man against the Word of God. When we rebel against God, everything comes out of order. Our homes are out of order. Our cities are out of order. Our families are out of order. Our institutions are out of order. Our minds are out of order. Our governments are out of order. We have all wrong priorities, and we spiral downward all the time, believing that we're becoming more intelligent. Speaking of the world before light came, in Genesis 1-2, it tells us that darkness was upon the face of the deep. The world was without form and void. There was an emptiness. There was a confusion. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. The word for darkness in the Hebrew text means misery, falsehood, ignorance. It also means the grave. And the word for deep, incredibly, we heard about it today when Pastor Williams spoke, but it really means the water supply. It's the subterranean water supply, a hidden water supply. Amazing. So here it is. The world is created, but before God speaks to it and says, there is misery, falsehood, and ignorance. The grave, as it is, is dominant, and the water supply is hidden. There is this ignorance and falsehood covers the water supply. And then God said, let there be light, and there was light. It was the voice of God that dispelled this misery and dispelled this darkness and dispelled this ignorance and dispelled this lack of understanding that there is an incredible water supply that is hidden to those who have never heard the voice of God. Folks, if you haven't heard His voice, you can't possibly be aware of this water supply. Jesus Himself, on the last day of the feast, is uncovering by His very presence the water supply. He says, if any man thirsts, if the religious attendance is not good enough, if the history and the feasts are not cutting it for you, He said, let it come unto me and drink. And He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water, rivers of God, this supply that God brings into the life that He is able to speak to. That's why it is imperative for the church of Jesus Christ that we have to know what God is speaking. Our hearts have got to be opened. We've got to say, Lord, You've got to speak to me. You've got to speak into the grave that is in my life. You've got to speak into the ignorance and the darkness that is within me. Speak to it, Jesus. And God said, let there be light. And the moment He spoke, there was light. You realize what had to be created. We look at the universe and think, how long did this take? It took as long as it took God to speak it. And the sun was created. The solar system as we know it, that we are part of. The rotations of the earth and everything else was brought into existence by the spoken word of God. And light came. And the word light means brightness, illumination, enlightenment, happiness, and cheerfulness. God spoke. Darkness dispelled. The water supply became known. And brightness and illumination and enlightenment means a new mind. True happiness. You no longer have to go and see a silver ball fall and wear a paper hat on your head. And cheerfulness. There was a lot of shouting. I could hear it from my apartment last night. I was trying to sleep and say, God, people, just absolute foolishness. And true cheerfulness. Now, I saw a chair in this house tonight that I'll bet you nothing on the streets last night could rival the chair that was in this house tonight. Because God has spoken. And there have been hearts that have been willing to receive it. God said, uncover the water supply. Hallelujah. Thank God. Here we are. You see, only he could know that. Uncover the water supply. You see, that's why we're fasting. That's what this whole fast is about in January. That's the cry of a heart, oh God. Enough of this being hidden under the ground. Enough of this word being buried in a napkin and not producing any fruit in my life. Uncover the water supply. I want to know what it is that you're speaking. And I want a heart to believe it. And that's exactly what Jesus did in John 11 when he stood at Lazarus' grave. And he said to the people, take away the stone. Verse 43. The scripture says that he cried with a loud voice. Lazarus, come forth. Now, there was a stone between this dead man and the voice of God. And that has always represented to me unbelief. And the Bible says when God comes and he begins to speak, the very first thing that happens is he takes away the heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh. That means he takes away death and gives you life. He takes away this ignorance and rigidity that keeps man on an endless cycle of going nowhere. And he gives a living heart, just as he did with Adam, that is able to believe the things that he speaks. All around was unbelief. He cried out, Lazarus, come forth. Once the stone is removed, once this heart of unbelief has been dealt with, once the mind and the will of the believers engaged with the Word of God. And he says, God, speak to me. And I don't care where I am. I don't care what part of my life it is. I want to know what it is that you're speaking to me. Now, Jesus was giving an illustration. It will not be a whisper. You'll hear it. You won't have to run around to wizards that duck and peep. You'll hear me. You'll hear me clearly. I'll speak to you clearly. You'll be in your morning devotions. You'll open your Bible. You'll be reading in Jeremiah and bang, right off the page, I'll speak to you. Right into your heart. Right into your family. Right into your situation. You will know that it is my voice that is speaking to you. Because you have a heart that longs for me. You want to engage me in the realm of truth where I live. Then I will speak to you. I'll be the voice that is not only before you, but I'll be behind you. I'll guide you. I'll order your steps in my Word. I'll govern you. I'll put a lamp for your feet and a light for your path. You will know exactly where to go. You'll know exactly who I am. You'll know exactly what I'm doing. I'll open your mind to this realm where God lives and where God is. And as the stone was rolled away, into that tomb rushed the water supply. And the water supply was simple. Lazarus, come forth. Not very complicated. You're dead where you are. No point staying there. I'm calling you into life. I'm calling you to sit with me at a banqueting table. I'm calling you to be a living witness of the fact that I am well able, the one who created the universe and by whom all things are created, I am well able to call you out of your place of death and into life and give you a testimony and set you at a table and your friends and neighbors will come and they will want to know, how did this thing happen? How did you get free from drugs? How did you get such a clear mind? How come you used to be so selfish and now such love and concern for others is flowing out of your life? You used to be so timid. People would say, boo, and you'd run down the street. Now you're standing on a box and preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God. How did this happen? Outside were contrary arguments of doubt and unbelief. And that's where a lot of people live today, all around you. Our people are saying, hey, he stinks. He's been there so long. Leave him there. And others are just like, I call it the Pentecostal parrot, Martha, who's been in school and she's gone to every class and she can rhyme off Scripture but believes none of it. Has never really engaged God. Yes, I know you're the Christ and you'll resurrect everybody on the last day. But inside is a dead man who had to decide whose report he was going to believe. The stone is rolled away. I wonder, could he hear his sister saying, he stinks. Leave him there. He's been dead for four days. Some of you are like that. You're here tonight and you've had family members say, you're hopeless. You're hopeless. There's no hope for you. You've been that way all your life. You'll always be that way. And others are quoting Scripture. They don't believe it. And you know they don't believe it. They know they don't believe it. But in the spite of all of it comes a voice. The voice that created the universe. That's why I've labored this tonight. The voice that put the entire universe in motion with the Word. The voice that breathed into dust and made a pile of dust a living soul. The voice that cares enough to become a man and be brutalized on a cross to have you and I back in fellowship with Him again. It says, roll away the stone. And simply calls you and I by name. It says, come forth. Come out of this place of death. Romans 10, 17 says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God will speak to your situation. Psalm 119, 130 says, the entrance of thy words gives light and it gives understanding to the simple. Hebrews 11, 6 says, without faith it's impossible to please Him. For he that comes to God must believe that He is and He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 2 Peter 1, 3. Peter says, according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us. Hallelujah. To glory and virtue. Peter says, there is power that He's given to us. That where He calls us to, we may go by this power of God that He is willing to release within us. And He's called us to glory and to virtue. And those two words simply mean this. It means to a place where He's brought to reputation in us. I think of Lazarus. The scripture says that he was sitting down at the table with Jesus. And many, many people came, not just to see Jesus, but also Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. And folks, I'll tell you something. When you finally hear His Word and this recreative power of God begins to work in you, people will come and sit at your table just to see you. Now, ultimately, you will introduce them to Jesus, but they will be so dumbfounded at the change in your life. How? I had an old hockey coach one time that came to hear me preach in Ontario. I was known for fighting. I'll just be honest. I was known for fighting. I wasn't much of a hockey player. I wasn't much of a fighter either. But it was kind of the lesser of two evils, I guess. And my old hockey coach, who coached me for years, saw my name in the paper and came. And at the end of the service, he said, If I hadn't have seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. He got a tape of a message that I preached. And he made everybody for years who came into his house sit down and listen to this. I used to coach this guy, tell him in hockey, listen to this. Listen to him. Listen to what he's saying. He simply couldn't get over it. According as his divine power is given to us, all things, all things. Say that with me. All things. All things that pertain to the life that you have in God and the godliness that he's called you to. And he's called you to a place where he will be brought to reputation through you. Amazing. God says, I want to do something in you spectacular. I want to raise you from the dead. I want to take areas of your life where you aren't and make something that you are. I want to take the areas in your life where you are so utterly deficient that people shake their heads at you. And I'm going to so change you that I will be brought to reputation through you. People will know that you couldn't have changed. Nobody can change that drastically. Nobody has that power to change. I will be brought to reputation. And the word virtue means morally excellent or pleasing to God or God's own excellence revealed in the work of his salvation. God says, I want to I want to bring you to a place where I'll be brought to reputation through you, where your life will become morally excellent. You will be pleasing to me. And the excellence of my salvation, God says, will be revealed through you. That this is a complete salvation, not a partial salvation, not just a pile of a powerless people standing by the road, speaking the name of Jesus. But a people who are changed by an inward working of the living Christ, who have heard the word of God. And just like the world, they had been senseless and empty and the water supply was hidden. But now they've heard his voice and light has come. And then lastly, Peter says, this is how it's done. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Promises. That's how it happens. Promises. Now, there's a lot more I could say tonight. By the word, I know the character of God. By the word, I know the fear of God. By the word, I know the plan of God. By the word, I get to know how God works. There's many, many, many other things. But here's where it begins. God, who spoke the universe into existence, who called Lazarus out of the grave, who became a man, has given promises. You see, these promises are in this book. And by these promises, I become a partaker of his divine nature. And I escape the corruption that is in me and would guide me without God. I become a new person, a new creation in Christ Jesus. I get into this gold mine. I can't help but realize that so many of God's people, you've been living on five cents a day and you have a million dollars in the bank. Living the Christian life, scraping, plodding, trying, failing. And you have this incredible resource of God's promises. This should be the most exciting book in the entire world. This should be something that you're not reading this thing for ten minutes in the morning to fulfill some devotional obligation to God. But sure, I say, God, I got to go to work. Oh, Lord, I can hardly wait to see what you're going to do in my life. Of course, it is important to read in different places at the same time. Otherwise, you get stuck in the book of Job. You can get pretty depressed after a while. Promises. Promises. And I guess it's time for many of us to say, I don't care what people say. I'm out of here. That's, I think, what Lazarus finally said. I don't care what people say. I'm out of here. I'm out of here. And I guess that's where it is for many who are here tonight. It doesn't matter who's given a report over your life. And you've had reports. Some people have told you you're stupid, and others have told you you're hopeless. And others have told you you're selfish. Well, maybe you are, but you don't have to be any longer. And there's been all these pronouncements made over your life. You'll never amount to anything. You'll never be anything. You'll always be this way. And they're outside of where you are, and they're making these reports about you. You imagine, I mean, Lazarus, on one hand, he's got Jesus calling him. On the other hand, his sister's saying he stinks. And that's, I think, where many people live. Ah, you'll never change. You're hopeless. And Lazarus said, well, I really don't care. I hear a voice. And I don't care if I've got to hop out of this place. Because he did. Because in reality, they sent people and said, unwind him, really. He was wound up. He must have been able to take only a step at a time, just kind of like this, getting out. But he came out. That's it. I'm out of here. I'm not staying here. And that's how it starts. It's a step of faith. You get up. It doesn't mean you walk in leaps and bounds overnight. But you get up and say, I've lived long enough like this. I'm not staying like this. God has a promise for me. I'm out of here. I'm out of here. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Would you stand? My other call is simple. If the Holy Spirit has spoken to you tonight and you say, Pastor, I'm out of here. Now, I'm not talking about hit the exits. But you're in a place that you need to get out of. Would you meet me? Would you come? Balcony. You can go to either exit. Main sanctuary. Slip out. Annex. We'll wait for you. There's maybe 100 people there, I guess. We'll wait for you if you want to make your way here. Just come. And we're going to pray together. And we're going to believe God. You're selfish and you want to be kind. You're fearful and you want to have faith. Whatever it is, you say, God, I'm tired of this. I'm tired of living like this. I'm tired of being like this. I'm out of here. I hear you calling me. I don't fully understand it all, but I'm out of here. And I'm going to be brought to a place where you have a reputation through my life. It's as simple as that. I'm not living in mediocrity any longer. I'm coming. I hear your voice and I'm coming. Hallelujah. And folks, this is not just a rote thing. There's absolutely something spiritual that happens at these altars. God is doing something here. People step out in faith and God takes you right where you are and makes the impossible possible. And I want to tell you something. The first victories you begin to have, it gives you an appetite for a whole lot more. That first acre of ground that you take, all hell begins to shake when that first acre is taken. I wish I had time to open the scripture and show you that. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God. Lord, with all our hearts, we just thank you, Lord. You are parting the veil one more time. Lord, there's a people here that are going to hear your voice. Oh, God, thank you for your mercy. In the midst of such a crooked generation, you still have this abundance of mercy that you are more than willing to pour on everyone who will turn to you in spirit. And in truth. Jesus, thank you. God, thank you. From the depths of our heart, Lord, we thank you tonight. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You know, at the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus said, the spirit and the bride say, come. See, this is the way it works. The Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of Christ, says, come. Just like he did to Lazarus. Come to me. And the bride says, come. Come to me. And it's amazing. It's like a betrothed man, perhaps, who hasn't seen his bride. And the bride who hasn't seen her espoused husband. Maybe they've been apart for a year and they see each other at a great distance. And they start shouting to each other, come to me. And they start running towards each other. And that's really the way it is. The Lord says, come to me. And the bride says, oh, you come to me. Until one day we're locked in embrace. Hallelujah. For all of eternity. God, come. Holy Spirit, come. We hear your voice, Lord. We hear you calling us. And, Lord, we call out to you now. As we hear you calling to us and we say, come, Holy Spirit. Come and bring the life of Christ, Jesus, our Savior, into the darkest and neediest areas of our hearts. Give us the power that we need through your promises to be your bride. A bride that will honor you. A bride that will bring you to reputation in New York City. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, we invite you. Pray with me. We invite you. Come to us and bring your name to reputation in my life. I open my heart. I open my mind. I open my Bible. And I ask you, Jesus. Speak to me. And give me a heart to run after you. and I will run after you. God, thank you. I feel tonight like I'm coming out of death and I'm coming into your life. Oh Jesus, I thank you. This is going to be an incredible year in my life and I give you thanks and I give you praise. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, mighty God! I give you praise! I give you glory! I give you honor! Oh, God, thank you! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Lord! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, God! Thank you, Jesus! Now, Lord, I ask you to bless us. Let your countenance shine on us, oh, God, as we go from this house. Let the glory of our Christ go with us. Walk with us, Jesus! Talk to us, oh, God! Mold us! Form us! Let there be a shout of glory in our hearts every day, oh, God! Bring yourself to honor in us, oh, God! We thank you for it! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Use your church to bring your name to reputation in this city! My God, bring your name to reputation! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! This is the conclusion of the message.