The central message emphasizes the urgent need for believers to "stay awake" and live with constant readiness for Christ's imminent return, highlighting that life is a test of faithful stewardship and that true hope lies in eternity with God, not in temporary earthly possessions or pursuits.
Mind Map
Click to expand
Click to explore the full interactive mind map • Zoom, pan, and navigate
[Music]
who I became familiar with
sometime last year in the fall and uh
who slipped into eternity this week at
the age of 54
and uh [Music]
[Music]
he is with Christ now. So,
but I I just want to remind all of you
and it is temporary. [Music]
[Music]
May the Lord help you
to come out of your foolishness.
that you would learn
to make the most of every day
and to be thankful for all you have been
and opportunities like this
And so if you are a guest
to 2018, we welcome you to this holy place.
place.
We welcome you to this holy stream.
If you are one of our digital disciples
watching live
across the nation and around the world,
you are our family. Um
Um
we welcome you to this holy gathering.
And if you are not a follower of Christ,
we fear for you.
We pray for you. And we are thankful
that you're here or that you're watching
and believing God that death will not
find you outside of the kingdom,
but that as the word is being proclaimed
or as song is being sung or invitation
is given
or in a moment alone outside of these
gatherings, you would be brought into
the kingdom of light by the power of the
Unless you wake up in eternity with the
shock of your life.
We are in
the final moments of what I think is one
of the most important series in our
journey through the book of Matthew. [Music]
[Music]
That outcast Jew who became a follower
of Christ in the first century AD who
wrote this book that bears his name.
Uh we are in the ending of a series
called entry and end times in which we
are walking through the final actions
and the final words of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And I think final words are very important
important
especially when someone is on their
deathbed. Whatever they said to you last
is very very important.
And if there are any final words we
should be paying attention to in this
life it is the final words of the one
you call Lord and Savior. These are the
words that we are studying in this text
and not just only final words but
Our text this morning is coming from
Matthew chap 24
And these titles are not sexy.
They're not meant to stimulate emotions.
They're pulled right out of the text for
our notetakers to be able to go back and
find at the top of your page titles that
Two words today for our title.
Two words that we desperately need.
Two words I'm praying for the body of
Christ. Two words that are very
important in this hour. Two words buried
at the center of this text. Title of our
message today is just stay awake. [Music]
[Music]
>> Stop sleeping.
Open your blinded eyes and unstopp your
deaf ears. Father, is this not the
prayer of my heart for these my brothers
and sisters?
Is this not the cry of your heart for
these your sons and your daughters?
Is this not your appeal to us day in and
day out, Sunday in and Sunday out to
stay awake?
To come out of our slumber and our
sleep, to be delivered from apathy and
lethargy and indifference. Is this not
the beckoning of your Holy Spirit?
Are you not summoning an alarm to the
church globally? Is this not the hour
for your children to be awakened?
Would you do that, Lord, in this room?
Would you do that across that camera?
Would you do that in our digital
disciples? Would you do that in these
final days?
Would you deliver us from our playing around
around
and our wasting time and taking for
granted, Lord, these precious moments?
Would you awaken your sons and
daughters? Would you help me
in my frailty and my weakness to
proclaim these words of yours
that are too great for anyone to
but let it some way somehow make sense
and not fall on deaf ears.
That is my plea. In all humility and
sincerity, Father, I ask in the mighty,
And the majestic,
you should look up that word.
And the matchless name of our sooncoming
king, the Lord Jesus Christ. You should
look up that word.
And all of God's children said, "Amen."
And amen and amen. And you should look
up those words. You see, they describe
no one except the Lord Jesus Christ. Mighty,
Mighty, majestic,
majestic, matchless.
matchless.
Now, my brothers and sisters,
as I laid on the floor in my prayer
closet this morning, crying out to God
for you and tears,
I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I
should remind you that there is nothing,
hear me,
there is nothing you're hearing right
now anywhere on social media on podcast
there is nothing you're hearing right
now anywhere that's more important than
the words and teachings of Christ
>> in this hour
>> there is no labor
no activity
there is nothing that you're doing right
now with your life that's more important
than those things that are directly
connected to the will of God and the
words of Christ for your life. There is
nothing that you are involved in that's
more important than all the things that
you are doing that are connected to the
will of God for your life. Absolutely
nothing. can't hear me. There is nothing
for me more tragic than to think of all
of the people who are alive right now
in cities all across America and nations
all around the world who are going to
come to the end of their life and wake
up on the other side of eternity with
the shock of their life.
And there is nothing more tragic even
than that of the atheists of people who
will sit in gatherings like this. Hear
>> and your heart closed
>> and your ears deaf and this is only a
show. This is only a check off the box
to ease your conscience.
There is nothing, I'm telling you right
now, more tragic, watch than people who
will sit in rooms just like this or
watch gatherings just like this for
decades, for years, thinking that they
only to die having been in church for
years and to wake up on the other side
with the shock of their life hearing,
"You cannot enter into this place. You
sat in gatherings, but I never knew you.
>> You played church, but I never knew you.
You went to conferences, but I never
knew you. You had devotionals, but I
never knew you. There is nothing worse
>> who have ignored the teachings of God's
word who have ignored the warnings of
God's word who have ignored not only any
warnings but the warnings we come to
this morning in our text very serious
words of the Lord Jesus Christ I am not
>> For you know how Christ has come into
Jerusalem for what would be the final
week of his life, leaving that city
here, sitting on top of the Mount of
Olives. He is surrounded by men who have
no idea what's about to take place. They
hear prophecy about the destruction of a
beautiful complex and they ask
questions, three of them, when will
these things be? And what will be the
signs of the end? and what will be the
signs of your coming? To which the Lord
ignores their first question. He
prophesied about that destruction of the
temple. It happened 40 years later,
confirming that he's a prophet and talk
to them about the signs of the end
times, the atmosphere of the earth just
before his coming. He talked about those
signs. He talked about his coming. He
talked about the cracking of the sky. He
told them that when you see these things
coming in rapid succession, you know
that the end is near. He gave them the
parable of the fig tree.
And then on the heels of the parable of
the fig tree, an analogy meant to tell
people when you see these things coming,
you know that the end is near. What the
Lord says next is so critically
He says to them in Matthew chapter 24
after he said learn the lesson of the
fig tree talking about his personal
second coming. He says to them in verse
36, he says, "But concerning that day,
important word." And watch our
important word. No one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, nor the
son, but the father only. So he says,
"Concerning the exact day and hour of my
return, no one knows. The angels do not
know. Not even the son knows is what he
said." Now pay attention to the text.
The Lord says, watch, prior to this
text, he gave them signs of the end of
the age and his coming so that we will
know the season in which he would
return. We will know the time frame in
which he would return. We will know the
atmosphere of the earth in which he will
return. We will know these things that
will happen. Just return. So we know
that watch the rapture will happen very
soon. It can happen in our lifetime.
There is nothing else left to be
fulfilled for the rapture to take place.
1 Thessalonians 4, the catching away of
the church. Those who are dead in Christ
will rise first. The dead will rise.
Those who are alive will be transformed
to meet Christ in the air. The rapture
of the church will happen next. Watch.
It can happen next week, next year, next month.
month.
>> After the rapture of the church, the
antichrist comes to power according to
the scriptures. He will rule a 10-
nation European confederacy. He will
dominate the whole world.
He will sign a seven-year peace treaty
with Israel. Halfway through that
treaty, he will break it. But he
desecrates the temple and sets up an
idol for all people to worship him as
God. The Lord then will execute his
wrath on the world, pouring out all of
the bowls and the vials and the
judgments and the trumpets. We see this
in the book of Revelation.
And then immediately after that time,
seven years, the Lord said he would
return. Now when those seven years is
over, someday after those seven years,
watch, the Lord will break the sky.
>> Although we know these things will
happen according to the scriptures, what
we don't know is the exact watch day.
>> And what we don't know is the exact
watch hour, but we know that he will
watch come. He will watch return. But as
soon as the tribulation is over, as soon
as the seven years is over, it could be
a day after the seven years, a week
after the seven years, 30 days after the
seven years, but right after those seven
years, on a day we don't know and an
hour we don't know, the Lord will
return. Now he says of that day and
hour, no man knows. So this debunks
everybody who has made prophecies about
the day he would return.
This debunks every fool that will come
after today that will make prophecies
about the day he return. Anybody that
rises up and say Jesus will return on
this day in this year at this hour is a
>> Don't matter their title, don't matter
their platform. Don't matter their age.
Any man that rises up and say on this
day, Tuesday, in this year, on this
month, Christ will return is a false
>> prophet. Why? Because Christ said from
his own mouth of that day and of that hour,
hour,
>> no man knows.
>> No angelic being knows.
>> Angels can't whisper to anyone in a dream.
and say a a angel came to me in a vision
>> and told me that on this day
>> in this year on this month Christ will
return. You have lied. You have been
visited by a demon but not by an angel
>> But the next part is crazy too. He says
not even the son knows.
>> That's right.
That's right. >> Pause.
>> Pause. >> Christ,
>> Christ,
>> who was God in the flesh,
>> did not know the day that he would
>> Let's study this together.
>> Christ, when he was on the earth,
>> was fully God
>> and fully human
>> at the same time.
So, how could he not know
>> the day of his coming if he's God? If
he's God, he is all knowing.
>> So, how could he not know? I think the
conosis of Philippians 2 solves this
question. For Paul wrote to the church
in Philippi in Philippians chapter 2 and
said, "When Christ came from glory, he
did this word." Watch in Greek, he
emptied himself,
>> the kinosis in Greek, of some of his
divine nature so that he can fully step
into humanity
>> to understand what it's like to be a
human like you and I. Come on, man.
The evidence that he emptied himself is
>> He fasted to get near God just like you.
>> He did not perform a miracle until he
returned from prayer and fasting in the
power of the spirit
And so I believe in his humanity
>> like Luke saw that when he was young,
Luke said he grew
>> in wisdom and in stature with the father
and with men. If he's growing, that
means there's things he's learning as
And so because he was a full human just
like you had to pray just like you had
to fast just like you so he could
understand all the trials and
temptations just like you. For this
reason the scripture says you should not
be afraid to pray. Let me help some of
you. It's when the unknown writer of
Hebrews says we have a high priest who
understands everything that you go
through. For this reason you should stop
being phony and just come to him how
boldly. When should you come boldly? In
that when your heart is hurting, come
boldly. That when your mind is heavy,
come boldly that when you're battling
insecurities, come boldly. When your
marriage is in trouble, come boldly when
you have financial needs. Come boldly
when you're battling lust. Come boldly
when you're bound by addiction. Come
boldly when you feel ashamed. Come boldly
boldly
when you feel unworthy. Come boldly
>> Why are you hiding from him
>> when he knows everything you're going through
through
>> when you've fallen and missed it? Come
boldly when you've sinned and made
mistakes. Come boldly when you've
drifted from him. Come boldly when you
stop reading. Come boldly when you stop
praying. Come boldly when you stop going
to church. Come back. [Applause]
[Applause] boldly.
boldly.
>> When you've been gone from the gathering
for a long time, come back into
fellowship. How? Boldly. [Music]
[Music] [Applause]
[Applause]
>> Man, I feel the spirit of God in here.
>> It's the lies of the devil that keeps
I don't care how bad I missed it. I'm
going to keep running back to the one
who told me
>> I should come to him how >> boldly.
>> boldly.
Here I am again, Lord. I messed up. I'm
here again, Lord. I fell down. Here I am
again, Lord. I'm struggling. Here I am
Somebody shout
[Applause]
>> Somebody give your high priest praise
The one that hears everything when you
come boldly. [Music]
[Music] [Applause]
[Applause] [Music]
>> to those who are in Christ. It does not
matter how bad you mess up.
You can return to him. How boldly you
can pray. How boldly you can come into
his presence. How? Boldly. [Applause]
[Applause] [Music]
while he was on the earth,
>> he was a man
>> like you and I.
>> And I believe for that reason, he did
not know at the time he said this context
context
>> the day or the hour. I do believe now
that he's seated at the right hand of
the father, he probably knows
>> the day and the hour.
>> His hand on the door knob of eternity
And considering all of that,
>> what should be the posture of man has
almost never been the posture of man.
And today is still not the posture of
men. We're not looking for him.
We're not expecting him.
>> That's what should be the posture of
man. But he tells us next what was the
posture of man and what is the posture
of man and what will be the posture of
>> Verse 37. For as were the days of Noah,
>> so will be the coming of the son of man.
I feel the spirit of God. [Applause]
[Applause] Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
>> For as in the days before the flood,
they were eating
>> and drinking and marrying and giving in
marriage, family, pause. [Music]
[Music]
>> I want to draw your attention to three
massive truths in that verse. Come on,
>> look right at me.
>> Especially for all of you that go to
secular colleges, I want you to see
first in that verse that the Lord Jesus
from his own mouth confirms the
historicity of Noah and a global flood.
>> All right?
>> He did not talk about Noah like he was a
myth. And he did not talk about the
flood like it was a myth. Jesus
confirmed the existence of Noah
>> and the existence of a global flood as
read in Genesis 6 through8 and 9.
>> Which means when we hear people mock
that historical account, we got to
decide is that fool credible or is
Christ credible? One of them is a liar.
You [Applause]
[Applause]
>> see atheists all the time.
>> He had Christian fools all the time.
>> No, that was just mythological. There
was no global flood. That was just a a
symbol and a prototype. Uh um excuse me. Jesus
Jesus >> confirms,
>> confirms,
look at me, the historicity of Noah as a
human being. Yes.
Yes.
>> And he confirms the historicity of a
global flood.
>> Do you know the world right now is
scarred with the evidence of a global flood?
flood?
>> You know about the Marinarish trench
>> and all these deep water trenches where
we can't. How do you think they got
there? The scripture says, "The
fountains of the deep
>> burk open,
>> leaving all around the planet massive
cracks in the floor
>> for water to come all the way up and rise.
>> Scientists have found plankton at the
top of mountains,
>> a organism that only grows underwater.
When the scripture says the waters rose
above the highest mountain. Come on,
man. Y'all playing around.
>> The scripture says that ship came to
rest on the mountains of Ararat in the
Middle East. The bottom of that ship has
been found in the 1940s by a pilot
flying over the mountains. They have
found petrified wood, petrified iron,
and a anchor stone with the names of
eight people on it.
>> There is a town near that mountain that
>> The Lord said that there was a
firmament, a ground between the waters
above and the waters beneath. That means
at one point in time in history, there
was a layer of water that wrapped the
whole world that's no longer there.
>> That's right. That's right.
>> Where do you think all that rain came
from to fill the earth above the highest mountain?
mountain?
>> That water probably protected people
from aging too fast.
>> That's why they lived for 400, 500, 600,
800 years. And after the flood, you see
the lifespan of man going all the way down
down
The second thing I want you to know from
this text is that Noah was 500 years old
when the Lord told him to build that
ship. Watch. And if you read the
narrative, he was 600 when they entered
the ark, which means he spent a 100red
years of his life building a ship. He
died at 950. This is equivalent to you
spending a decade of your life obeying
God to do one thing while people don't understand.
understand. [Applause]
[Applause]
>> He's building a ship on dry ground for
>> They're probably mocking him.
scoffing at him, laughing at him. What
are you doing? He had to listen to people.
>> but he had a word from the Lord. This is
why you need to just obey God even when
people don't understand.
They don't know why you moved to Atlanta
to be a part of 2819 church. They don't
know why you walked away from that job
to be a part of 2018 church. They don't
know why you
started that business, started that
ministry, started that podcast. They
don't know why you stopped doing this
fill in the blank.
>> They don't understand why you're not a
witch anymore. [Applause]
[Applause]
They don't know why you don't mess with
crystals anymore.
>> They don't know why you don't mess with
horoscopes anymore. [Applause]
[Applause]
>> They don't know why you go to church
faithfully or why you serve on a team or
why you're in a squad or why you give
your money to the church. They don't
understand that [Music]
[Music]
>> the Lord ain't call you to be
understood. He called you to be obedient.
obedient. [Applause]
I know this personally.
>> Got every Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to
mock me, spend all their time making
videos about me, wasting all their
breath while I'm out here preparing the
way for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ.
>> Go ahead, keep making your videos. When
it's all said and done, we will see what
The third thing I want you to know about
this text
>> me listen is that the scripture says in
second Peter 2:5, don't touch that.
Second Peter 2:5 that Noah was a
>> That means them hundred years he was
building, he was preaching.
>> Come on, man. Building, preaching,
>> building, preaching, building,
preaching, building, preaching,
preaching, being ignored, preaching,
being ignored, preaching, being ignored.
Until the day the first drop of rain fell,
fell,
>> the water start rising,
>> and then wins and people are everywhere
banging on the door of the ark like,
"Let us in. Let us in. The water's
rising. Let us in. Let us in." No, you
should have heard the warning before it
began to rain. [Applause]
[Applause]
>> Why you wasn't listening when you was in church?
church? [Applause]
>> Why was you ignoring the proclamation of
He said in the days of Noah, men were
marrying, drinking, giving in marriage.
I.e. they were doing life preoccupied
with everything outside of outside of
God, outside of his word, outside of
warning. They were busy doing everything
we do now. Just doing life, no Christ.
Doing life, no God. I'm doing my own
thing. Building my own thing, getting
ambitions for your own thing. This is my
life. This is busy doing everything
except the will of God.
>> And he says it'll be the same way in the
end until watch men are swept away
>> in judgment. Why? You spent your whole
life doing what you wanted to do. Never
did what God called us to do,
>> which is just be faithful to his word
>> until you take your last breath and are
swept away in judgment.
>> Busy but not fruitful.
>> Like I can't get a hold of you. Hey, I'm
busy. Busy doing what?
>> Verse 40.
This is what's going to happen when he
comes. Then two men will be in the
field. One will be taken and one will be
left. Then two women will be grinding at
the mill. One will be taken and one will
be left. Stop. Many of you have read
this and see commentators read that and
they think they're talking about the rapture.
rapture.
>> But the Lord can't be talking about the
rapture because he's talking about when
he comes back.
>> The rapture happens at the beginning of
the tribulation period. I can prove it
to you, right? We are caught up before
the tribulation period. The scripture
says in Revelations 3:10, "We shall not
see that day of wrath." >> Hallelujah.
>> Hallelujah.
>> Right? Let me just give you some some
some sneak uh what can I say? Uh let me
just give you some insight in the book
of Revelation. Look right at me.
Revelation 1, 2, and 3, the Lord is
talking to the church. Revelation 4, he
tells John, "Come up hither." Then you
see no mention of the Christian church
from verse five, from chapter five
>> until chapter 19.
No mention of the Christian church from
chapter 5 to chapter 19. The only thing
you see is God dealing with Israel and
the outpouring of his wrath during the
tribulation period. Then in chapter 19,
you see Jesus at the marriage supper of
the lamb
>> with the church
>> who was there for seven years
>> and he's returning with them behind him,
the armies on the right horse.
That means the church was raptured
>> before the tribulation period.
>> He's not going to take us up to bring us
right back down at the end.
>> That doesn't make any sense.
>> So this is not about the rapture. It's
why you need to study the word in context.
context.
>> The verb here taken means taken in judgment.
judgment.
>> Which means when the Lord comes, one man
will be taken in judgment. Another man
will be left. One woman will be taken in
judgment. The other person will be left.
When he comes, he will remove people who
was against him. Remove people who's not
saved. And those who remain will enter
into the millennial kingdom he's coming
>> The verb for taken is taken in judgment.
>> Not taken to the sky. Taken towards hell.
hell.
>> Good stuff. Good stuff.
Which means when he comes, he will
>> Because he's coming, look what he says
next. Because people will be caught off
guard. Look what he says next. Because
people are going to go to church their
whole life and be sleeping.
>> Look what he says next. Verse 42. Therefore,
Therefore, stay
stay awake.
For you do not know on what day your
Lord is coming. Therefore, stay awake.
>> Live every day with expectation of the
coming of the Lord.
>> How do you stay awake? Have a prayer life.
life.
>> Have knowledge of the word. Be in
biblical community. Have people around
you who are serious about the gospel.
Come out of apathy. Come out of lethagy.
Come out of sin. Come out of pride.
Pursue Christ. Stay awake. Stay
>> Check your heart.
>> Make sure you're really saved for real.
>> Is it just church or is it a relationship?
>> So tired of y'all American Christians
just in and out of church.
Christmas and Resurrection Sunday. Check
off the box two times a month. No relationship.
>> Stay awake. Now, he strengthens his
admonition to stay awake with a simple
story. Man, I love this story cuz I'm
from New York. Don't catch Don't get
caught slipping coming to my house.
I got more than Bibles in my house. He
says verse 43, "But know this, that if
the master of that house had known in
what part of the night the thief was
coming, he would have stayed awake and
would not have let his house be broken
into. Therefore, you also must be, watch
this word, ready when the Lord comes,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect." He said, "Man, if a
person had a house and knew that at 3:00
in the morning a thief was going to be
broken, man, he would be ready for that
thief." I know we in Georgia, so I know
we licensed to carry. Come on. We got
guns everywhere. If you knew at exactly
3:00 a.m. somebody was coming to break
into your house. You'd be sitting on the
>> Come on. We in Georgia. You got the
pistol right next to you. Got the AK
next to you. Waiting right there. Just
waiting right just like this. Wait. You
going to be watch this word? >> Ready.
>> Ready.
>> As soon as he break through that back
door, bullets is flying. [Music]
I'm from New York. I live in Georgia
now. I got guns everywhere on all the
floors. First floor, second floor,
basement. You better not come at my
house at 2:00 in the morning. I'm going
>> Patty cake. All you want. If you knew
somebody was coming at 4:34, you would
be ready.
>> The point is trying to make sense. I
already told you I'm coming.
>> Get ready when? >> Now.
>> Now.
While you waiting to get right, while
you waiting to be obedient, why you
waiting to be faithful? Why you waiting
to serve? Why you waiting to give? Why
you waiting to pray? Be ready when? Now.
>> And because people are not ready now,
that, watch this, the rapture will
happen and people will enter into the
tribulation because they're not ready.
That might happen in our lifetime.
>> I could be talking right now and 5 years
from now, some of y'all sitting in this
room end up in the tribulation because
you was not ready for the rapture. And
then seven years later, you still won't
get right and will not be ready for the
return of Christ. It could all happen in
>> And he closes with a contrast. Verse 45.
Who then is the faithful and wise
serpent whom his master has set over all
watch his household. Watch this. to give
them their food at the proper time.
Blessed is the servant whom his master
will find so doing when he comes. Truly
I say to you, he will set him over all
his possessions. Stop. Listen. The Lord
says, "Who then is the faithful and wise
servant? A person who is ready is
faithful and wise." And then look at the
words carefully so you don't miss this.
He said, "Who is over his household?"
The word his very important word meaning
he prototype every servant as a steward
>> which means for no one owns anything
>> and he says who will be a faithful
steward when I come i.e. Who will be a
faithful steward over your time?
>> Over your your your money.
>> Don't want to pay your bills. Don't want
to come out of debt. Don't want to do
right with your money. Your money.
>> Your time.
>> Who will be faithful with their time,
their money, their relationships, their
opportunities, their assignments. Do you
know everything under your possession
you are a steward for? That means watch
this. whole life is a test of stewardship.
stewardship.
>> You get your little 70 years here, your
little 80 years here, that's nothing
compared to eternity. And what we have
right now is a moment to show the father
that everything you've put in my hand, I
can faithfully steward this. Watch how I
handle my spouse. Watch how I handle my
children. Watch how I handle my check
and my job. Watch how I handle my bills
and my debt. Watch how I handle my
opportunities. Watch how I handle my
staff position at the job. Watch how I
handle my time. Watch how I handle
everything. Watch how I steward my
relationships. This is all a test your
whole life.
>> Man, some of y'all going to be in the
shock of your life when you die. This
whole life is only a test of
stewardship. The Lord says because I'm
coming, will I find faithful men and
women when I come?
>> Will I find you being a good steward?
Watch over everything I entrusted to
you. Watch this word. temporarily.
>> And then he says, "Watch, if I come and
find you being a good steward, watch
your little money now, your little check
you fighting over that you don't give to
your little portion to the church, your
little job now, your little 401k, your
little few million dollars you have in
the bank, your little opportunities,
your temporary assignment to just be a
good usher, be a good preacher, be a
good fill in the blank. all that your
little temporary all of that I if you be
faith I will set you over all of my possessions
>> in the afterlife
>> you fighting for titles now
>> instead of serving humbly
>> and being a good steward humbly that you
>> and And you will never understand that.
See, I know in America y'all don't
understand that cuz you be clamoring for
all this stuff. Your heart is too tethered
tethered
>> to these temporary things. It's why you
fight over your little check.
>> It's why you don't support the church.
It's why you don't stay out. You don't
care for your opportunities. It's why
you're not faithful with your
assignments. It's why you're not
faithful with your life. Your heart is
too tethered to right now. It's why you
>> Don't say Don't say when you arrive that
you was not told. I told you today all
of this is only a test.
>> It's maturity that begins to release
your heart from being so attached to the
things of this life.
>> There's a lot of things I can do and I
don't do because I'm being a good steward.
steward.
>> There's a lot of things I could buy and
I don't buy because I'm being a good
>> Your heart
is too attached to now is why you can't
>> I Philip Anthony Mitchell would not be
caught slipping.
>> I want to be
>> a good steward over everything he has.
>> to me.
>> Watch this. Let me close with this.
Watch. You don't like that.
You don't want to be told you're a
steward. You don't want to be told that
you're not an owner of anything. Your
little check, your little bank account,
your little 401k, your little few
million dollars, your little couple
thousand dollars, your little house,
your little car, your little girlfriend,
boyfriend, husband, wife, children. You
don't want to be told your story. You
want to say, "It's mine. I'm going to do
it what I want." You don't want You
don't want You don't want the blessings
that You don't want that part. All
right. So, you want You want the last
part. That's what you want.
>> You want 48 to to 51. But if that wicked servant,
servant,
>> says to himself, "My master is delayed.
The Lord ain't coming no time soon. I
got all this time to get right." And
begins to beat his fellow servants who
take advantage of other people.
>> And eats and drinks with the drunkards.
I'm just going to live a cool life and
put my foot up. The master of that
servant will come on a day
>> when he does not expect him.
>> You want this part?
>> And at an hour
And he will cut him in pieces
and put him with the hypocrites cuz
that's what you are. When you call
yourself a Christian and don't live as a
>> In that place, he confirms the existence
of hell.
>> There will be on that day the shock of
people's lives, weeping
>> and nashing of teeth.
There going to be many people who have
gone to church, gone to conferences,
read books, who are going to die because
you was a poor steward.
>> You was not ready. You was not watching.
You was not awake. You're going to die
and wake up in eternity thinking you was
okay only to hear depart from me.
>> So, well, how could that happen to a
real Christian? Watch. Well, it can't
because every real believer will be
You can't be filled with the spirit,
>> hear the teachings of Christ, and not care.
care.
>> Say it.
>> My question for you is, are you really saved?
>> Because if you feel no conviction
through proclamation,
>> then maybe the spirit of God is not in there.
there.
>> And the spirit of not got in there, you
On Thursday and Friday of this week, my
wife, we celebrated 21 years of marriage [Applause]
and and and our staff gave us a gift to
Chateau Elon.
So, we went out to Chatau Lon and we ate
food and had a little glass of wine and
and we walked the grounds and we seen
how they made their their their juices
and their wines and we took tours and we
walked and we we went to the spa
together and you know they was all in my
toes and I didn't like that and
and and and but but but but when on the
last day we was walking back to the hotel
hotel
and seen a woman in the parking lot and
when she saw me. Her eyes lit up bright
and tears fell from her eyes. And she
ran up on me. She said, "Pastor, is that
really you?
Is that Is that really you, pastor?" She
says, "My name is Emily.
I'm a digital disciple. I live in so and
so state."
>> And she begin to weep and cry. And she
said, "Thank you for your ministry and
thank you for 2019 and thank you for the
spread of the gospel." Watch. And with
with tears in her eyes, she looked up at
the sky and she said, "Pastor, I'm
waiting for the day when my savior
And she cried and I cried and Lena cried
and she says, "I'm waiting for him to come."
come."
And as she said that, my heart was
overwhelmed because I thought, man, this
is what God wants for all of his children.
children.
>> He wants you to live with an expectation
of his coming. Watch. He wants you to
long for him. And there are too many of
you, you will never feel what Emily felt
because you're doing everything other
than intimacy with Christ. You cannot
tell me you're intimate with him and you
don't want to see him. >> God,
>> God,
>> our hope is not wrath. Our hope is not
the tribulation. My hope is that one day
I will see the one who saved me. How do
you not desire that?
>> Let me What do you have now in this life
that is more precious than being with Christ?
Christ?
Not my ministry, not 2819, not this
platform, not a million people following
me on Instagram, not the money I have in
the bank, there is nothing I possess
that's more valuable than the day I will
say I will be united [Music]
[Music]
>> with my savior. And the more time I
spend in prayer and the more time I
spend in his word and the closer I get
to him, the more I want to be with him.
How do you not desire that? You don't
desire that because your heart is full
>> Emily
is what the Lord wants for us. He wants
us to long to see him, desire to see
him. He wants you driving to work and
staring at the clouds and saying, "One
day I'm going to be with you beyond
those clouds. One day I will sit at the
marriage supper of the lamb. One day I
will cast my crown at your feet. One day
you will redeem me from my suffering, my
labor, my tears, my issues, my problems,
my sin. Listen, that is the re You think
the reward is a platform. Come on, man.
>> You think this is glory?
>> You think this is the reward? You think
getting to some place financially is the reward.
reward.
>> You think buying your dream house is the
reward. You think getting married is the reward?
reward?
>> What is this?
>> It's a temporary service. I'm only a
servant. My reward is that I will be
able to say with Paul, I fought the good fight.
fight.
>> I kept the faith.
>> I finished my race, not yours. Stop all
that jealousy and covetousness. Finish
your race. Come on.
>> and he's going to put it on me because I
was faithful now while y'all playing churches
churches
>> and I'm going to lay it at his feet
and I'm going to look at my robe that's
been stained in his blood.
and be thankful for the endless ages of
eternity for what Christ has done for
me. Saved me from my sins. Allowed me to
be in his kingdom. Gave me access to his
presence. Gave me his word. Gave me his
spirit. Gave me community. Gave me opportunities.
opportunities.
Sign my name in the book of heaven.
>> The book of life.
>> What is going to be greater than that?
You have nothing in this life that is
greater than that. Nothing.
Nothing.
>> You have nothing in this life that is
greater than that. Nothing.
Nothing you going after is going to be
greater than that. Nothing.
>> Not your dream, not your visions, not
your ambitions. You have nothing you're
pursuing that's going to be greater than that.
that.
>> So I long for him.
>> I do.
>> These fools don't know me. I long for him.
him.
>> I think about the day I will see him.
I'll be in my prayer closet imagining
the day I will see his face.
I will look into his eyes
>> and he will melt my soul
>> because his eyes are like a blazing >> fire.
>> fire. [Music]
And now with every head bowed and every
eye closed,
there are people in this room right now,
people watching me across this camera
and I don't care. Listen carefully.
You are far away from God.
You've been playing church,
playing conference, playing all these
things far away. You're going to get
swept away and be banging on the door of
the ark and it's going to be shut.
But the Lord not wanting you to perish,
sent his son, nailed him to a cross,
died for your sin, dead in mine. He says
if anyone would turn from their sin, put
their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
shall be saved. He knew this day was
coming for you. I don't even know what
else you need but a full surrender. If
I'm talking to you, this is the moment
when you start praying right there in
your heart, right there in your seat.
Lord, forgive me for my sins. I
surrender my life to you. No more
playing around. All of me for all of
Surrender.
You may not get this chance next week. Surrender.
You are among his elect. He already knew
this day was coming. Surrender. [Music]
[Music]
>> Christians are praying. You're not
watching. We ain't playing around.
Now, nobody can't see but me. And if
that's you and you just surrendered and
you're saying, "Preacher, I want you to
pray for me now." On the count of three,
I just want you to throw your hands up.
I just want to see who I'm praying for.
One, the Lord was calling you. Two,
today is the day of salvation. Three,
lift your hands in the air. Oh my God.
Oh my God. Hundreds of hands everywhere.
Probably across this camera. Leave them
Put your hands down. I pray for
everybody now. Father, I pray first for
those hands.
I thank you that by the power of your
Holy Spirit, you are saving them,
bringing them into the kingdom.
You are writing their name in the Lamb's
book of life. You are washing them from
their sins. You are making them sons and
daughters. They belong to you.
Lead them down the paths of righteousness.
righteousness.
Let them run after you with their whole
heart and not look back.
I thank you that they are being saved
and will persevere until the end.
And then, Father, I pray for everyone
else who are my brothers and sisters
that you would pour out in our souls a
longing for you.
We would live with an expectation of
your coming.
We would desire you more than anything
else in this life.
deliver our hearts from being overly
tethered to these temporary things. I
say you pour out on us, Lord, a spirit
of stewardship. [Music]
[Music]
And from this day forward, let us be
found faithful stewards
over our time, our relationships, our
opportunities, our assignment, our
money, our resources, everything. Let us
be faithful stewards
living with an expectation, praying,
serving, giving, pushing the gospel
forward in these last days because time
is running out. I pray that over us in
the mighty
and the majestic
and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior.
Click on any text or timestamp to jump to that moment in the video
Share:
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
One-Click Copy125+ LanguagesSearch ContentJump to Timestamps
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.
