The Christians I’m referring to do not use drugs or alcohol. They don’t gamble. They don’t indulge in pornography or sexual perversion. They aren’t numbered among the wicked and vile. In fact, you may find many of them in church on Sunday morning. And they spend most of their free time with friends and family, enjoying good things. They are family people, with family values.
good things that keep people out of heaven good
things that keep people out of heaven let’s pray
lord thank you for your manifest
presence here this morning
thank you jesus for coming holy spirit thank
you for manifesting christ into our hearts
and our minds we thank you lord this has
been a good week because of your presence
lord it’s always good when you’re with us you
said you’d never leave us you’ll never forsake us
now lord i’ve got a serious uh word to bring
forth this morning a very serious word lord
there are many people here there’s so many here
that unless they hear this will not even be saved
oh god stir us by your holy spirit spill the
living god come down now take the word that
you planted in my heart and let it find root
let it find fruit in the hearts and lives of
these who hear it father anoint me sanctify me
give me clean hands and a pure heart that i may
preach your word o god with nothing hindering let
the anointing of the holy spirit be upon me i pray
in jesus name amen good things that keep people
out of heaven now believe it or not there are
many people engrossed in doing wonderful
good things who are not going to make heaven
worse yet there are many who consider themselves
christians who are convinced they’re on the
way to heaven are not going to go to heaven even
though they’re not involved in a lot of bad things
now that seems like a paradox but you’ll see what
i mean is it unfolds in the truth of mourning i’m
referring to those who probably have never or do
not use drugs or alcohol they’re not involved or
indulging in pornography or gambling or perversion
they’re not numbered among the wicked or the vile
in fact you probably find most of these people
are referred to in church on sunday morning
anywhere in the country you’ll find them as family
people family values you’ll see them with friends
you’ll see them enjoying the good things of
life but having said that let me make a very
bold statement and some of you may be offended by
it but i want to make it here before i start and
i want you to listen very closely i see it out
of loving concern for the body of jesus christ
some of you who are convinced you’re going to
heaven are going to be shut out and you may be
in danger of losing your soul even though you sit
in this church this morning absolutely convinced
that you are on your way to heaven if you’ve ever
listened to a message in your life listen to what
the holy spirit says this morning very very vital
to your very salvation some are going to be shut
out not because of the bad things they’ve done
but because they’ve become so preoccupied with
doing good legitimate things they that push the
things of god aside so involved in doing good
legitimate things that they have literally had no
time for the deeper spiritual things of the spirit
they’re so interested in the here and now they
have pushed out of their mind the hereafter
they’re not knowingly rejecting the lord but
they’ve simply neglected it’s not adultery it’s
not fornication there’s none of these things that
we totem polis as vile grow sins they’re honest
sincere hard-working people but their focus
has been damaged their focus is completely out
of order the word says seek ye first the kingdom
of god in his righteousness and all these things
shall be added unto you now these are the
words of jesus and they’re not a suggestion
their commandment the lord means what he says you
seek first the kingdom of god i’ll take care of
your career i’ll take care of your business i’ll
take care of your home life i’ll take care of
everything if you will put me first in your focus
the bible says set your affection on things above
not on things in the earth for ye are dead
and your life is hid with christ in god
again that’s not a suggestion that’s a commandment
set your affections like iron like concrete set
your affections on the things of god and in
the greek it says it means set your focus or
your interest on the things of the lord things
above said it immovable intractable you cannot
change because you have said it in concrete now
god has never demanded anyone who follows him
to sell their houses their land their
business and become a monk and ghost
meditate and study the bible all day god
never said that he said that to one man and
he said that to one man because that was
his idol he does not say it to everybody
he’s not telling you to forsake your family
he’s not telling we have many people come
married people many wives come and say god told me
to leave my wife my hus on my husband my children
to go into the ministry and i look them
right and i said oh god didn’t tell you that
your own mind told you that or the devil god
not the business of breaking up marriages
you know god’s not asking you to to to go out and
do something like that at all but god does insist
in fact he demands in being the center of your
life around which everything else revolves
he alone has to be the center of
everything you say and everything you do
everything else has to revolve around that
interest has to be central the greatest in
dignity against the lord is for christians
to put him in a secondary place to slap
in god’s face you say you’re not guilty
of that kind of an affront to the lord
then how do you prior prioritize your time
what takes the priority what about all the
nights you’ve missed going to church because you
put your job your business your career first no
your clients didn’t wait god waited now i’m not
talking about people nurses and day jobs were
where your job requires that you work during a
church night service no because you have no choice
i’m talking about those who have a choice those
in career and those in business and those who have
jobs where they have a choice and we’re not that
working in the hours when god’s people meet the
bible said forsake not the assuming of yourselves
together as some are doing in the last days
don’t forsake yourself the assembling of the
saints that’s the commandment of the lord
but what takes priority your business
your job your career who does the waiting
is it god who’s waiting in
the assembly to meet with you
and what the scripture is actually saying to
you if you would put my house my interest first
i’ll take care of all of that and that what
you thought had to be done now can be done
at a later date at a better time and god would
make it successful god would take care of it
now let me take you into god’s word
and show you the awful consequences
of being so preoccupied with good legitimate
things that the things of god the interests of
the lord the eternal purposes of god are
put secondary they are not the priority
of the life and let me show you the awful
consequences if i didn’t know the lord had said
so much about it in his word and when i saw it i
thought we had better listen and i’m hearing it
i hear it in my spirit and i want you to
hear this morning let’s consider first of
all what jesus said about the days of noah
and lot i want you to go to luke 17 please
now folks it’s going to get very hot here in
just a few moments i hope you love the word
luke 17
let’s begin reading verse 26.
luke 17 beginning to read verse 26
and as it was in the days of noah so shall
it be also in the days of the son of man
they did eat they drank they married wives they
were given in marriage until the day that noah
entered into the ark and the flood came and
destroyed them all likewise also it was in
the days of lot they did eat they drank they
bought they sold they planted they build it
the same day that lot went out of sodom it
rained fire and brimstone from heaven that
destroyed them all even thus shall it be in the
days when the son of man is revealed let’s stop
right there now folks i want you to look again
at this list that jesus these are red letters and
these are the words of jesus himself i want you
to look at the list of the things they were doing
both in the time of noah and in sodom and gomorrah
what were they doing we know there were these were
times of violence violence such as the world
had never seen there was gross immorality
but the lord is not talking about homosexuality
here he’s not talking about alcoholism he’s not
talking about perversion he’s not talking about
abortions what does he say that they were doing
they did eat they drank that’s not talking about
drunkenness they were just eating and drinking
liquids they married they were being espoused
or engaged they bought they sold they planted
they build it there’s not a sin on that list these
are all good things these are all things that god
considers uh a faithful righteous person would do
if they’re going to be providers for their family
all of these things are recommended in
the scripture to those who are faithful
to their families and to god those who are
legitimately people who are working individuals
paul said marriage is no sin god said marriage is
honorable in proverbs 31 it says that a virtuous
wife considers a field she buys it she plants
a vineyard she works diligently with her hands
and as far as building is concerned ever
since the time of josh when they went into the
pro promised land god moved on then to build many
many edifices and buildings for his glory there’s
nothing wrong with anything that’s mentioned
these are good things these are legitimate things
why did jesus focus on the good
legitimate things they did in that day
both in noah’s day and sodom day folks
he’s trying to say something to us
it was their total inattention to his word while
being so absorbed in their own selfish interest
there’s not a word said that noah in his 120
years of building the ark was ever abused
there’s not a word there that even he was mocked
there’s not a word there that anyone stopped him
in the construction of that ark he he worked
unabated no one bothered him the whole time
that he’s in construction of the uh he was
able to preach no one stopped his message
but you see in noah’s day everybody was so busy
marrying getting engaged going to uh eating
places and mixing with their friends and having
pleasure and so involved in life they had no time
for noah’s message that’s what the lord is saying
they were so wrapped up in good legitimate things
before you talk about pinning the american
lifestyle it’s not that i you know i can go
anywhere in the united states i can write books
and i can prophesy about the coming of lord
and coming judgments but you know the outside of a
few in the remnant who accept it and believe that
the mass is here they don’t listen they don’t care
why because they they are busy they’ve got plans
they’re doing things they’re all wrapped up in
their marriages and in their homes and in their
businesses and making money they have no time for
any message of the coming judgment of the lord
noah’s message got lost in a hustle of busyness
so shall it be in the days when the son of man
is revealed and the lord is saying in the last
generation is going to be same way they’re going
to be so busy so wrapped up in their family so
wrapped up in their jobs and their careers they
are going to put my message my interest aside
john 2 31 32 wherefore say my
people we will come to you no more
my people have forgotten me days without number
yet they say i am innocent behold i will plead
with thee because you say i have not sinned and
folks that’s the way it is now there are many who
think they’re on the way to heaven convinced they
are they don’t open their bible week after week
the bible lays on the shelf the only
word they get is in the house of god
they’re not seeking the face of god diligently
they’re not locked in some little room they’re not
locked in a bedroom they’re not when everybody’s
gone they don’t prioritize that prioritize their
time and say lord i’m going to give you time
they’re not seekers after god they’re good people
they’re moral people they’re family people with
family values doing good things legitimate things
but the lord is not first
the lord is not everything
he’s not the center of their life if he
were the center of their if your life
if he is the center of your life you will
find time with him you will love his word
he will be everything to you he’ll not
put him aside he’ll not take second place
the prophet sided them in this
in jeremiah forgetting about
you’ll find that jeremiah 2 3 he said
my people get about running around
doing good things busy doing legitimate works
even religious things but neglecting the word
of god not time to seek god you know you can be
so busy running around for god you can’t seek him
you can’t sit and listen because you’re
running running running getting about
there’s some churches that keep their
busy their people so preoccupied
so busy i’ve heard people in certain
churches tell me brother dave i have
no time with my family i have no
time to pray no time to seek god
we promised god we’d never do that in this
church keep you running so much that you had
no time to spend with him or your family
so shall it be when the son of man comes
he said that’s the way it’s going to be he
and why why isn’t he say when i come why
didn’t he talk about our crime rate why didn’t
he talk about abortion why didn’t he talk about
uh pushing him out of our schools why didn’t he
talk about the gross immorality of america and the
violence why didn’t he say he said it’s going to
be just like it was eating selling buying planting
busy he didn’t even name any of our sins
he named only the good legitimate things
there are a number of people
that used to attend this church
i in my mind i see their faces i know their names
this church is going to celebrate i think it’s uh
and we begin our ninth year
isn’t it in september or october
and this is probably the first three years
there was such an excitement there were people
business people a lot of career people and those
whole day jobs just ordinary loving people and
they were so excited they never missed a service
they would not only sit and listen they would buy
every tape and go home and listen to it again so
they get it they would they every time they went
out they went out loaded down with tapes and were
passing them everywhere they told us time and time
again they would put their arms around me and say
brother dave i was starving and this church has
saved my life and they were so excited about
jesus they never missed they were on fire the
church of jesus christ came first the things of
god first they were praying they were seeking god
they are not here they are gone it used to be when
i would see them on the street or i would go into
their business they would call me you should have
seen i would walk in the secretary i said i’m i’m
pastor oh go right in and i would go in they would
drop everything and hug me and say pastor sunday
was marvelous oh i went home and i could hardly
sleep the spirit of the lord was upon me all night
they would see me on the street they
would come running and hug me and even
turn around to strangers with a big beam this is
my pastor we’re from townsville you need to come
they’re wrapped up in their business
little by little i saw them backslide
they’re no longer here oh they still love lord
they they pray at times but they’re going to a
church now they get a one-hour service and a
20 little minute message with no conviction
and when i see them on the street now
they pretend they don’t see me and run
and i want you to know that hurts i feel
the rejection what do you think god feels
what do you think god feels by those who once
knew him and walked with him and cried with
him and now they’re all wrapped up they said lord
i’ll never leave you i’ll never forsake you you’ve
saved my life from uh godless hell
and the very fact that they don’t
want to talk to me anymore is proof
they’re not talking to god anymore
and he is before all things speaking
of jesus he’s the head of the body
that in all things he might have the preeminence
and that preeminence is
another word for first place
now let’s consider the man who made a great feast
whose invited guest turned him down
go to luke 14 just turn left luke 14.
now this parable is very
important because jesus gave it
and more than that he’s the man who
gave the feast this is all about jesus
14 verse 16 beginning to read then he said unto
him a certain man made a great supper and paid
many he invited many and sent his servants a
separate time to say to them that were bidden
come for all things are now ready and they
all with one consent began to make excuse
the verse said unto him i have bought a
piece of ground and i must needs go and
see it i pray they have me excused another said
i’ve bought five yoke of oxen and i go to prove
them i pray they have me excused another said
i’ve married a wife therefore i cannot come
so that servant came showed his lord these things
than the master of the house being angry said to
his servant go out quickly into the streets lanes
of the city and bring in hither the poor the
mained the halt the blind the servant said lord
it’s done as thou has commanded yet there’s room
the lord said unto the servant go into the
highways and hedges and compel them to come
in that my house may be filled for i
said unto you that none of those men
which were bitten shall taste of my supper now
folks this is serious serious business that feast
is the gospel of the lord jesus christ and
that table was spread at the cross that’s the
invitation of jesus himself said come home to me
it’s an invitation to intimacy it’s an intimate
invitation for all of us it’s not just for few
he he made many he invited you to come the table
is spread you can come and find full satisfaction
in me you can find everything you need to satisfy
any hunger in your life all things having to do
with holiness and godliness all wrapped up in
christ jesus feasting on him in his presence
we suffering with him he’s something with us
that’s the invitation that’s the feast in a
supper time everything was ready and those
who were invited didn’t show up there
was nobody there the table was spread
and nobody had showed up and
nobody was coming down the road
sister how would you feel you you cooked this
wonderful meal you’ve invited guests they
said they would come it’s a seven o’clock
meal and you decided to set the table and
you have everything on the stove just
on simmer and nobody shows up and then
you send somebody out or you get on the
phone and call and say where are you
well well i’m sorry they didn’t call you didn’t
give you any notice but they just don’t come
wouldn’t you take that as total rejection would
you take that as being not interested in anything
you do not interested in your feast not interested
whatsoever i want you to look at this this is
this is the lord’s image come unto me all you
that labor and heavy laden i’ll give you rest
he said all things are now ready you understand
folks that jesus has done everything already he
doesn’t have to do anything else to give us full
satisfaction in this life he doesn’t have to add
anything it’s all there the table’s been spread
everything’s been ready according as his divine
power has given to us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness through the knowledge of
him that called us to glory and virtue they
all with one consent began to make excuse
now the first excuse excused himself because
he was preoccupied with a real estate deal
he said i have bought a piece of ground and i have
to go and see it please excuse me now he had to be
a speculator only a speculator would buy land
without seeing it it could have been swampland
and by the way that land wasn’t going
anywhere he didn’t have to go right then
he could have gone tomorrow but you see he’s
so wrapped up now he could have been a builder
a place to build some buildings i don’t it might
have been a plot of land to build a house for
his family i don’t know now there’s nothing wrong
with it the point is it’s a good legitimate thing
the excuse is not sinful if you bought land
today and jesus comes tonight you didn’t sin
he said occupy till i come that’s not the point
the point is that this man had the wrong focus
he focused on his land he focused on his
business he focused on building and buying
he put the invitation for
intimacy with the lord aside
he says i’ll take care of that later i’m going
to take care of my business first you take
care of your business first i want to tell you
something the bible says the master was angry
and he said that man is not coming
he will never enter my doors
he’s not going in i folks have serious business
just before judgment fell on judah
remember elijah bought a piece of land
from one of his relatives so i’m
telling you that’s not the sin
the second one speculated in cattle he said i have
bought five yoke of oxen and i go to prove them or
test them now i don’t know if you bought them at
an auction that’s a lot of cattle that’s that’s 10
10 ox and he buys them he probably saw them they
looked good but now he’s going to go approve them
there’s nothing wrong with that in fact job
and abraham could probably tell them a lot
about oxen they were rich in cattle that’s not
a sin folks i hope you’re getting the point
everywhere god speaks about when he comes what
it’s going to be like when he comes he’s saying
these people are doing good legitimate things
but it’s taking their mind is consuming them
and they’re putting me aside they’re excusing
themselves is it to say well i still love him
that’s okay he understands i’ve got a i’ve
got a family to feed i’ve got things to do
no god will not under any circumstances
take second place he won’t
he said i’m telling you i love
you and if you put me first
if my work comes first i’ll take care of these
things you’ll not go down you’ll not go under
isn’t it strange that some people find
it more important to go to the barn
than to go to the house of god that’s what
he did he went to the barn test his oxen
the last one says i have married a wife therefore
i cannot come now nothing could be more legitimate
than getting married that’s a good thing in fact
marriage is honorable the bible says honorable
he defines a good wife finds a good thing
the scripture says it’s a good thing
you see that’s not the issue the lord
says everything they do is fine in its
time in its place but not in my place
not in my place and that’s the sin
you see he should have told his wife he should
have started his marriage on the right foot he
should have said now dear i’ll tell you
something the lord has always been first
in my life nothing takes the place of my lord
i go to church i i seek the face of god and
when those doors are open honey i’m going
to be there and i want i want my values to
be your values i want you to walk with me he
should have taken her she’d had a great time
what woman doesn’t have a good time
to get dressed up and go to a feast
but you see he put family first this is
one of the great sins in the church today
i i see housewives who who find it hard
to come to church on sunday morning
let alone any other night but they have
time to get about all day for their kids
music classes dancing classes all kinds
of classes picnics sports shopping
my folks list could go on and on and on my
kids come first let me tell you something
i’m subconscious about it now put your
children first and you’re going to damn them
that’s what happened to
hezekiah you get 15 extra years
that should have been spent on his face
before god and renewing the land and he
spent his last 15 years playing with adult toys
with jewels and cattle and building buildings
and he raised his son during the time
named manasseh who watched his dad put him
and his toys first and he became one of the
most wicked kings in the history of israel
who’s first in your life
your family do you let your husband or your
wife dictate how you’re going to follow the lord
you stay away from god’s house because your wife
or your husband says stay home with me tonight
let me make another strong statement and i want
you to hear this if you don’t get anything else
out of my message here this clear you are not
truly a lover of jesus if you’re not protective
of your time spent with him it has to come the
place where everything else is considered an
intrusion into your time if you if you don’t have
a certain time given to the lord if you don’t
have that special time and you protect that time
and you will not let anybody anything in truth
folks i hope i’m at that place where
when i go into the prayer closet
i tell my family i don’t care who
calls if the president called i’m busy
a chance of his calling me
by the way i’d sooner get a call from any of you
not that i don’t pray for the
president i pray every day
but see once you put off the lord once you put
other things in it gets easier and easier to put
him off until finally you can neglect him
as the scripture said days without number
jesus said i say unto you that none of these men
which were invited so taste of my supper he said
all right so gentlemen you’re so busy you push
me aside i’m no longer first in your life you put
your family and your donkeys and your oxen and and
your lands and possessions ahead of me you don’t
want to come and sup with me get to know me then
i’m telling you you’re not going to enter my gates
they’re going to be many say we did mighty
works we cast out devils we healed the sick
mighty good these are all good things but
it damn they were still damned in the end
all these good things that they did because
i don’t know you i don’t know you finally
a large number who ought to be in the
bridal procession are going to be left
out they’re not going to be in the
bridal procession in the last day
now it’s a powerful parable given to us in matthew
25 where you turn left again to matthew 25 quickly
this is about the virgins the 10 virgins you know
this quite well i’m going to be finished here in
10 minutes but i want you to get this matthew
25 verse 1 then shall the kingdom of heaven
be likened unto ten virgins which took their
lamps went forth to meet the bridegroom five
of them were wise and five were foolish they were
foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them
but the wise took oil in their vessels with
their lamps when the bridegroom teared they
all slumbered and slipped and at midnight there
was a crime made behold the bridegroom cometh go
you ought to meet him all those virgins arose and
trimmed their lamps the fully said unto the wise
give us of your oil our lamps are gone out the
wise answered saying not so lest there be not
enough for us and you go rather to them that sell
and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy
the bridegroom came they that were ready went in
with him to the marriage and the door was shut
afterward came also the other virgins saying lord
lord open to us but he answered and said buried i
sent you i know you’re not watch therefore for
you know neither the day nor the hour when the
son of man cometh now look at me please folks this
is very powerful since the bridal party represents
the church i don’t know if bible statistics are
true could it be that half of those who think
they’re in the bridehood of christ are not going
to make it this is an awful awful picture here
and by the way folks i have no trouble with
them slumbering sleeping up to midnight
first place that’s not the heart of the story the
second place and listen closely the those who had
oil they could sleep in peace because because
they had enough to see them through to the
morning they had what it takes but folks we get so
focused on the oil we don’t see something i want
to show you here very important we know that
their lamps went out because of a lack of oil
some people call that the holy spirit that they
have lost the anointing of the holy spirit they
have been walking carelessly all of that that may
be but once they did replenish the oil the five
wise virgins are already in the bright bridal
party is already in and the doors are closed
they go get their supply of oil and they come
back the five foolish virgins are knocking
at the door lord lord open to us what did the
bridegroom say he didn’t ask where have you been
he didn’t say you didn’t he didn’t miss
any of their sins he didn’t talk about
their being late didn’t see anything like
that what did he say he said i don’t know you
i don’t know you that’s the heart of this
story i had a last sunday i had a lady and her
daughter backstage they stood there smiling
at me shook hands and just stood to smile
they said you don’t recognize this i should know
we met you 15 years ago in
los angeles at a crusade
you prayed for us we’re on your manning
list we love your messages we pray for you
every day don’t you recognize this i said i’m
sorry i don’t i haven’t seen you in 15 years
i see the disappointment on their
face i get dead all the time
almost once or twice a month somebody come from
around the country i babysat with you when your
parents went on vacation i haven’t seen them
in years now we know god’s omniscient he knows
everything it’s not a fact that he doesn’t
know them you know what the lord is saying
you’ve never taken me serious you’ve never put
me first that’s not what my bridehood’s about
i can’t recognize that spirit i can’t recognize
your kind of walk that’s not what this is about
i’m sorry you’re not a part of this you’re
part of another world i don’t recognize that
i won’t accept that is exactly
what is i won’t accept that
folks i don’t want to stand on that
day i don’t want to stand on that day
as a stranger
do you know him in a secret closet not here in
church and worship do you know him in a secret
closet is when when you’re sitting on
the subway going to work do you set
yourself in and are you knowing
him while you’re talking to him
when the house of god is open are you here as
often as you can other than being too sick to
come and then ask god to heal you then
he’ll give you the power to come anyhow
you say are you trying to pack the church
folks this church couldn’t be any more
packed look people standing everywhere
there’s nothing to do with that it has
to do with your eternal salvation
and putting the things of god first
now folks i’m going to close in just a minute
but you know you take a walk in the streets
of new york at night and it’s a heartbreaking
experience like last night for me just to go
out to get a newspaper it’s only two blocks and on
49th street a bagged woman sitting in a door stoop
she couldn’t be more than in her mid 50s
but she looks like she’s in her 80s and 90s
and she’s got her little bag and i look at her
she her eyes met mine it was that lost look as if
to say this is all that life has offered me and
i’m thinking that was that’s somebody’s mother
that’s somebody’s mother
and your gut turns and then you go to 8th
avenue and turn right and you see a man in
his early 30s probably but he looks like he’s
in his 60s and he’s on drugs and he’s stoned
and he’s muttering some foolishness that he
doesn’t understand or anybody else understands
and you say oh god he lives in hell
he gonna die and go to a fiery hell
i said that doesn’t seem right to me that
somebody lives in hell and dies and goes to hell
and then you put it by a newspaper
and while you’re turning around
you see a young prostitute and her
eyes meet yours and you see a lostness
and you wonder in your heart has she
ever known what it’s like to be normal
you see her diseased body broken and
still trying to sell it to get another fix
and you start crying and you walk into your
apartment and close the door and go into study and
sit on your chair and just
stare in space and say oh god
didn’t you say that corazon and bethsaida
would have more mercy than sodom and gomorrah
because in sodom they didn’t hear they
didn’t have a bible they didn’t have the word
and i think of all of these people on the
streets all these derelicts and i say god
they’ve not heard the sermons of the people
here at titus square church they don’t know
how even if they heard it they don’t know
how to process it their minds are shocked
but oh god i think sometimes in my
heart you’re going to have more mercy
you’re going to have more compassion on all the
derelicts and homeless alcoholics that walk this
street without a brain left and all the saints
of god who have heard hundreds and hundreds of
sermons and turned their back god their way
backslidden in heart putting the lord off
where is he in your life i’m telling you now
if he’s not the apple of your eye
if you’re not focused on him that includes
his church his word prayer his interest
you can’t be a disciple
better to be a derelict
than a hypocrite
let me tell you why i preach like this
because i know
how soon i have to be before him just my age
and listen to me
i i’m going to answer to god not for
being one of his instruments to raise
up this church and be a testimony to
new york city i have to answer for you
everyone who calls this your
home i have to answer to god
god help me
if i didn’t deliver you the whole counsel of
god and even to prick you even to bring the
hammer down and crush your self-interest
and bring you back to where you belong
i’m going to say it again straight and clear
and i say it out of love a number of you
that are hearing this message now unless you
make a commitment now lord from this morning on
i commit to you and you are going to be the center
and everything else is going to take second place
your church your interest your word my
family everything second place you’re
everything jesus from this day on and if not
if not everything else is in vain will you
stand
heavenly father only you know the hearts
of those i minister to today the balcony
the main floor those are standing those
low rotunda and those backstage all around
wherever they may be in this house lord jesus
i’ve delivered my soul and now lord it’s up to
you holy spirit it’s up to you holy spirit to
make this word life oh god don’t let anybody
that calls themselves your friend your child ever
to reject you and put you pigeonholed somewhere
secondary god bring us back bring us to this place
i’m placing you first now here’s my invitation
first of all for those in this
building you have to admit pastor david
i tell you the truth i’ve been so busy i’ve
grown cold i’ve really grown cold in my spirit
i want you to come first maybe you don’t even
know jesus come with these that are coming
you may not even know him come now from
the balcony go to the stairs on either end
neither side and come down any aisle now
be honest before the lord pastor david
folks this is serious business before the
holy ghost i’ve been so busy i’ve been so
rapt i’ve not taken the time to seek god i’ve not
taken time with his word i’ve been convicted by
the holy spirit this morning the holy ghost is
convicted you come this is the first invitation
that’s it second invitation is not for the for
those who are going to get into an hour come
down there’s no room but when you’re right where
you stand in your seat if you’ve been convicted by
the holy spirit and there’s been that sharp knife
that’s god speaking that’s god’s saying this is
for you apply it now change make the ch either
come forward look at me please i want to tell
you something is just as strong as he is in his
warnings so loving is he when you receive it he’s
not gonna he doesn’t go and say uh rebuke and say
no uh why did you do it and where did you go and
why did you get so cold toward me and why did you
drift no questions he’s saying the tables spread
and i’ll come come back where you left come to
the point of departure and renew now this is
a time for renewal right now listen to me please
it’s not that god wants a river of tears from you
he doesn’t want any promises from you
what he wants is you’d promise yourself
you’ve got to make a commitment for yourself
you’ve got to give him a mind now and say
i am going to commit right now god help me
by your holy spirit to keep this commitment
because you can’t do it in yourself we all
have a tendency to slip back into our lazy ways
that’s why even as a minister of the gospel i
have to stay close to him and in this word in
this word but folks you that are standing
here now god wants to do something very
special for you he wants to nail this
thing down he wants to nail it down
you wouldn’t have come forward unless the
spirit of god was on you you wouldn’t have
come forward unless something in your heart
says this is what i want i want the lord jesus
from now till i die until jesus comes
to be the center of my life in my home
how many want that raise your hand please
keep it raised there for just a moment
and pray with me this prayer right now
jesus forgive me for being self-centered
i’m sorry i don’t want it that way i want you
to be everything i make a commitment to you lord
by your grace and mercy and by the help
of the holy spirit from this day on
to keep you first in my life
help my focus lord keep it on you
in jesus name amen now will you thank
him in your own words lord i thank you
for dealing with me this morning for
calling me back hallelujah hallelujah
listen look at me what a wonderful thing when
you just come with a willing open heart and say
lord that’s me i’m that’s me i’m sorry the lord
sees that at all he’ll move quickly you know what
happened then the holy spirit will bring this
word back to your mind and replay it and he’ll
keep loving you and keep convicting you that’s the
work of the holy spirit he convicts us of sin but
you’ve got to make up your mind right now see you
you’ve got to stay in this book to have the time
have a place let me tell you if you have a quiet
time with the lord every day even when you get up
before you go to bed sometime in the day you’ve
got to have a half hour at least there where it’s
just you and the lord alone and you’re talking
heart to heart with him and then into his word
go through the psalms have that i’m going to
you’re not going to you’re not gonna put him
aside you will not put him away he will he will be
there that’s why it’s good to start today that way
and say when you get up in the morning first thing
you say lord i’m focused on you you’re my lord
and help me today to put you first in everything
hallelujah hallelujah first lord and everything
now lord i thank you for what you’re doing
by your spirit in this congregation all
through this house lord you’ve convicted me in my
preaching i hope you’ve convicted every one of us
lord that we would we would never ever have time
for everything but not time for you god it doesn’t
mean we’re going to put aside these good things
these are good things legitimate things we need to
continue providing for our families and building
and planting and selling those are good things
lord jesus but lord help us to put them in their
place nothing before you from this day on nothing
before you in jesus name amen hallelujah
hallelujah thank you jesus thank you jesus
these five people say god is good god is
good he is he’s good god is good god is good