A Sign or A Shout

I do want to challenge you to join with us. We're going through the book of Joshua chapter by chapter, and it took me six months, but we're gonna keep a promise we made. We're gonna have our first detour this week. We're gonna be joined with our friend, Dr. O.S. Hawkins, who'll be doing Joshua chapter seven. We'll run both of those simultaneously, not simultaneously, but we'll post them at different parts of the day that you'll be able to go with us through the book of Joshua chapter by chapter. It's a four-year journey. It's a four-year commitment. Seven minutes a day, seven days a week. We welcome hearing from different parts of the country and the world, those that are joining with us. We're so excited. Joshua's a great book for you to begin to join with us. And then just as soon as we get through Joshua, wow, to get through the book of Judges. What a challenge this has been for all of us, but it's a four-year journey. Now, I want to talk to you about something very important today. The message today, I want to talk to you about a phone call of great importance that happened to me that challenged and brought soberness to me

that really started to become part of this message. And I saw why I was in certain portions of scripture this week. And it was this phone call that did something to me that I want to share with you what happened and why it played a big part. Let's pray first. Father, in these next few moments, I pray that you would speak to us, that God, you're about to do something here today. You're about to change course direction for some people, that God, this is gonna be a very important Sunday for those that are here, those that are listening around the country and around the world, and those that happened to come in here today didn't even know what God was gonna do. So I thank you that, Lord, that you are, Father, our portion, you are our center, you are our life. And, Lord, I agree with the words that it says in the book of Acts. We live and move and have our being in you. So, God, I thank you for that. Bless this time we have together, in Jesus' name. And everybody said amen. Before you sit down, I'm gonna dismiss the choir. This is the 1 p.m. I need a screen to come down, them to begin to move off the stage.

But would you at least greet about three or four people, say, I'm so happy to see you at the 1 o'clock service. Give someone a handshake and a hug. Thank you, guys. Thank you. You may be seated. The apostle Paul will speak his final recorded words from a jail cell in Rome. Those words are recorded in 2 Timothy 4, verses seven and eight. They will be written in 67 A.D. He has been preaching for Jesus for almost 30 years, and it's coming, his life is coming to an end. He'll be executed by a madman whose name is Nero. They will behead him because he is a Roman citizen and not crucify him as they do for convicted criminals. His crime was preaching the gospel. His crime was saying that there is only one Lord, which is Jesus Christ. Paul was saved in Acts chapter nine on the road to Damascus. He lived 30 years, and in those years, God used him to change the world. He would start as a terrorist, being funded by the religious to kill Christians. But hallelujah, he will finish in victory. Having written most of the New Testament, that we'll read portions of it today, that New Testament which went around the world and still goes around the world. His final words that I'm gonna read to you

are filled with peace and power. It's words of legacy, and they're so important for us today. They have a message to it. Let me read to you the Apostle Paul's final words that he would speak. The Bible says this, 2 Timothy chapter four, verse seven. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. And I have kept the faith. And then he goes on to say, in the future there is laid up for me in the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. It is not long after those words are uttered by the Apostle Paul in writing that he would send out to the churches, he was giving them the message that Roman soldiers would walk into that cell, bring him, and put his head on a block, and this man would pass into eternity, but he wouldn't begin to whimper out. He would go into eternity knowing he served God his whole life for those 30 years. In fact, I wanna read to you out of the message how this reads, because there's something here. Eugene Peterson brings it to a real personal spot

that I started to read as I was starting to read this. Listen to what he says. This is from the message, 2 Timothy 4, verse 5. He says, but you keep your eye on what you're doing. Accept the hard times along with the good and keep the message alive. Do a thorough job as God's servant. You take over. I'm about to die. My life is an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard to the finish, believed all the way, and all that's left now is the shouting. God's applause depend on it. I love that. All that's left now is the shouting. And that's how this man is going to end his life. I talked with a man that sounded like the 2 Timothy 4 Apostle Paul last night. I talked with him and prayed with him, and his words challenged me. His life began to bring a conviction to my own heart. I've known Pastor Rob for over 30 years. I knew him when he was in his early 20s, and he visited me when I was pastoring in Detroit. He's now pastoring in Washington, D.C., he's on staff there. We've not stayed in contact for some time until I received the news that somebody sent me, and I went and listened to the Instagram announcement.

Pastor Rob, this precious man that I knew as a young pastor, was just diagnosed with ALS. That's Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a horrible and violent disease that attacks the brain, and the muscles, and the movement. And one of the things that it goes and takes away first is the speech. Couldn't even think about that for a pastor. That the first thing it would take away is the ability to talk. This is someone who has preached the gospel for decades. Pastor Rob is 57 years old, and he has five children. And ranging from teenage all the way down to I think it's three or four years old. I told him when I heard his video announcement that he began to speak about his diagnosis. I said, Pastor Rob, you sounded like one of the three Hebrew children who spoke with this confidence and this anointing that said, whether God takes me or heals me, it is well with my soul. Those words can't be uttered unless the Holy Spirit helps you. When I was talking to him last night, my heart was moved when he said to me, he said, Pastor Tim, forgive me. My speech is slowing down, and it's not coming out as fast as I want it to come out. And I said, Rob, regardless of how fast it comes out, the words sound like faith.

To the human ear, there was a slur and a slowness. But to the spiritual ear, there was a shout that I am in God's hands. I could just tell you this. I would rather speak slow and slurred in faith than be some polished communicator that is empty of the Holy Spirit. I told him, I want this church to meet you. I said, we're gonna bring in you, your family, your wife, and those five kids. I said, I want Times Square Church to pray over you and anoint you with oil and to fight with you because we believe that our God is a miracle-working God. We believe that God can begin to do that. Pastor Rob will finish. He will finish and cross the finish line like the Apostle Paul. Whether God brings him home with ALS or God chooses to give him years, Pastor Rob will go home with a shout. I'd like us to pause for a moment. And can we pray for a miracle right now for Pastor Rob? Come on, join with me. Father, you're a miracle-working God. And so, Lord, this church stands in the gap, Father, for Pastor Rob right now in D.C. And I'm praying now that, God, you would begin to send healing to that body. Thank you that in Jesus' name,

your blood has forgiven us of our sins, but those stripes is what heals our body. So we declare today, by your stripes, we are healed. And so, Father, I'm gonna pray for a miracle, a miracle, a miracle for Pastor Rob right now, and that you would get all the glory. In Jesus' name, and everybody said amen, and amen. Hallelujah. I wanna finish like the Apostle Paul. I wanna finish like Pastor Rob. I read Psalm 90 this last week, and when I started to read Psalm 90, hear the news about my friend, Pastor Rob, these words began to come to me. I wanna talk to you about, I wanted to talk to you about finishing. I wanna talk to you about finishing well. I wanna talk to you about a sigh or a shout, but you'll choose how you wanna finish. A sigh or a shout. The Apostle Paul ended with a shout. He said, all that's left now is the shout. That's all the Apostle Paul said. But the psalmist in Psalm 90 begins to bring us to something that's pretty sobering. Listen to these words in verse nine. He said, we've finished our years with a sigh. With a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain 70 years, and if you have strength, 80 years.

Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for soon it is gone and we fly away. We're no longer there. We're off the map. The psalmist talks about a sigh at the end of our life. One version calls it a groan or a moan. You can see that. That he was saying was some will finish this life with a moan, a groan, a sigh, a regret. Said you can live the years, live even with strength up to 80 years old. But he said, but there is the danger of not ending with the shout. There's the ending of finishing with a groan or a sigh. And this is God's challenge. This is the challenge from the Lord today. And I wanna talk to you just about those two things today. I wanna talk to you about the sigh, and I wanna talk to you about the shout. I wanna talk to you about what these two things mean and why this is important and why this phone call began to lead me this way. Let me first talk to you about the sigh for just a moment. That sigh is the small head shake that speaks volumes. It's when we put our head down and sometimes it goes back and forth. The head shake that goes, that wasn't worth it. What a waste of time. I don't even know why I said yes to that. It's that regret, whether it's short-term or long-term.

Listen carefully. Whatever you may be listening or sitting here, whatever you are diagnosed with, whether it's cancer, heart disease, or ALS, it's not the shock of a diagnosis that hits us, but it's the sigh of wasted time, thinking that now I'm on a time clock, thinking now that I can't get back the time when I thought I was healthy. I thought I had more that I can work with. And all of a sudden, it's taken from you. And it's usually what I have found in talking to so many people that have come out of a diagnosis, it's the thought of a wasted life, wasted years. What's amazing to me is 2 Timothy 4 was from Paul's second and final time in a Roman cell. What's interesting is that Paul has been in that cell before. The first time Paul was in a Roman jail, we got the book of Philippians out of it. Remember these words? For to me, living means opportunities for Christ. And dying, that's even better yet. What the Apostle Paul was saying, Paul is living with a shout of finishing well even seven years earlier. He said, if you would have took me out seven years ago, I would have left shouting. And if you take me out now, I'm still gonna shout.

So whether it's in 2 Timothy 4, you wanna take my life? Or you wanna take my life seven years earlier in Philippians 1? All I can say is this, I've run the race. I've fought the fight. And hallelujah, I've kept the faith. That folks, there was no regret. There was no regret upon this man. He knew it, that at any moment when God would take him, he was ready. And always remember, God is on a rescue mission to rescue our life from the sigh and turn it into a shout. But we have to see each day as a gift from God. I wrote something just a few years ago that whether in prison by a disease, or like Pastor Rob, or in prison by persecution like the Apostle Paul, every day that we're breathing, every day that you're sitting here, it's a gift from God. You sitting here today, you're a miracle today. You understand that? Don't ever, don't ever think that just because you're sitting here, you're going rolling the eyes thinking, when is this gonna be? Thank God you're here. Thank God you can lift your hands. Thank God. You can shout thank God you can praise him today. I

Wrote something a few years ago that I called it my mandate for today some moment I'm gonna preach on all of these but I I just kept right wrote this down said these words today Try to say him as often as I can I said because today is a gift get this down folks Because today is a gift one. I will be thankful. I will pray hard I will fully forgive people I will choose joy. I will share Christ I will show generosity. I will speak life I will live for his glory because I plan on finishing well folks. I'm tell go back Let's do that one more time take a picture of this don't post lattes that you're drinking post post this Here it is one be thankful pray hard fully forgive choose joy share Christ Show generosity speak life live for his glory and hallelujah Finish with a shout finish well for Jesus's sake You don't get to choose how you die or when you're gonna die you only get to choose how you're gonna live And I'm choosing to be thankful every day. I'm choosing that. I'm gonna pray as hard as I can I'm choosing that I'm not gonna live with bitterness, and and I'm gonna live with with resentment in my heart It's it that sours the soul I'm gonna choose joy today when you see me you won't see a sour face You're gonna see someone saying hallelujah. I've got joy I'm gonna share Christ as much as I can show generosity Speak life live for his glory and finish well Was Eugene Peterson the man who wrote the paraphrase of the the Bible the message he was writing about a time He was Venice visiting a monastery. I believe it was in Mexico and while he was visiting this Monastery he was walking with some of the monks to lunch And it was struck by an interesting sight at this monastery. There was a cemetery, but there was a freshly dug grave There was the dirt that was by it and a hole no coffin But just a an empty grave and as they walked by he just said which monk of the community had died and To which one of the brothers just simply said nobody the grave is for the next one Folks think of sobering that is he said every day three times a day We walk by it to eat and members of our community are Reminded to thank God we have a gift that we're still breathing

We're still walking and we're still alive to praise his name The empty grave that story just sobered me because it puts life on a time limit When I was reading when I was reading this passage in Psalm 90 He tells us he says some of us will live to 70 and if you have strength you'll get strength go to 80 and And I kept thinking I'm 62 years old according to Psalm 90 I'll have 8 or 18 years left with strength. I want to live them with a shout I don't want to live them with regret and a sigh the sigh means that we're gonna look at our 30s And we're gonna look back when we're 30 and say man Why didn't I do that in my 20s and those are gonna be 40 going? Why didn't I do that when I was 30 and those who are gonna be 50 are gonna look back going like man? What why didn't I why didn't I capture this and why didn't I do this? So maybe I should just buy a convertible and look young Let me just tell you something that folks I don't want to live needing a convertible or needing to color my hair to go I'm not old. Let me just help you out if you're getting gray who cares We all know I don't know. I'm gonna stay I almost said something. I'm not even gonna Okay, just listen just Thank you. Holy Spirit. I just thank you. Holy Spirit Wow I Don't know where that came from but I Listen my friend said this Leonard Raven who's with the Lord He said I want to so live that God doesn't have to give me one minute's notice To step out of time into eternity that I can say the shout I have a shout in Philippians I have a shout in 2nd Timothy. I have a shout when I'm 40 I have a shout when I'm 50 and I have a shout when I'm 62 I don't want there to be any regret saying I wish I would have all right I'm so sad that I didn't I wasted this time the world calls it. What's your bucket list? I'm not interested in what Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson said I don't need a bucket list I want a God list. I want a list that God gives me and says do this for me. That's That's what I'm looking for. I'm not looking like, I want to see Egypt, that's, that's, no, no, no, no, what does God want me to do? That's what I want to do. It was Jim Elliot who said, when it comes time to die, make sure that's all you got to do.

Make sure that's it. Make no mistake about it, folks. God has a plan for your life, mapped out. It was mapped out long before you were even born. And He wants to accomplish through you and everyone that's listening today. He's mapped out something. But some of you are off course. Some of you, God goes, I've mapped this out for you, and you're veering off. You're veering off. Listen to what He says in Ephesians 2.10. We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. He says these have been planned. These were in God's plan. When you veer off, then you live with the sigh. You live with this groan, this shaking of the head going, I wish I would have. I wish I would have stopped. And just said, God, I'll trust you in this season of my life. I'll trust you to do this. That we just keep going. And there's going to come a moment that you're going to look back over those three, four, five years, and there'll be a groan. I want to change that today. I want the sigh to become a shout today. God wants to rescue that. It doesn't happen often, but I was reading the parts of a book and heard the sigh of a man that walked with God and then abandoned God. Just chose to believe that God doesn't exist. Went from walking with Jesus to an atheist. He was a Canadian writer named Douglas Copeland. He was the man that coined the phrase that started the words of Gen X. He was the one that would do this. He was a philosopher writer. A Canadian writer that spoke all of his life of his experiences, but you're going to hear a sigh in his writing, a groan. He abandoned God. And his last book is interesting. His last book was called Life After God. And he turned away from God and wrote about his journey. And I want you to hear his sigh. This is the last chapter he wrote. It was almost like this was his 2 Timothy chapter 4. Paul's 2 Timothy 4 ends with a shout. Ends with the applause of heaven. Not with Doug Copeland. I want you to hear his words. This is the sigh of this man that left God, that abandoned God and said God doesn't exist. Listen to these words. Copeland ends his book with these words. So I want you to hear me. I hope you're in a quiet room. I have a secret. And this is my secret. Listen to this now church. This is what he said. My secret is I really need God. I'm sick and I can't make it alone. I need God to help me. I need God to help me be kind because I'm incapable of being kind. I need God to help me love because I'm incapable of loving. I have a secret that I really need God and I've abandoned Him. Now it's a sigh in his life. Now he's coming to the end. And this is what he ends with. This is where it all comes to. That when you live for self, when you don't live as the masterpiece, as the workmanship that God has made you and has made me,

then all of a sudden we find ourselves veering off until we come down to that deathbed and you are ending like Copeland instead of the Apostle Paul. Or like Pastor Rob. Instead of ending with this shout, you're ending with a sigh. But I have news for you today. God is committed to getting us back on track today. God is committed to getting the sigh to a shout. No matter how far you've drifted, Copeland finished with a sigh. But I want to read to you George's, how his sigh goes to a shout. I didn't even know this was even taking place or that this was part of his story. George Palmer was a former gang member in Australia. He was the leader of a very vicious gang. And him and nine others of his gang were planning to assassinate Billy Graham during his Melbourne crusade. It was George that he wrote, he said, I had intense bitterness towards God after my father's death. And the only way I could take it out was by killing one of his servants. So Palmer and his nine other gang members attended the Billy Graham crusade. At the Melbourne cricket arena cricket Stadium and there they all brought ten men walked in from this gang all ten carrying guns And when they got there Palmer saw it as an opportunity for vengeance against God by killing Billy Graham And they were all planning to shoot Billy Graham at the altar call when Billy Graham would begin to make the plea To come back to God They would all walk down with their guns get as close as they can to the stage and kill shoot Billy Graham He said while they were waiting in the crowd just before the massive crowd at this cricket stadium was about to go down to the altar call and Billy Graham was gonna make the plea to be born again And then you would hear Barrow stand up and begin to sing just as I am Palmer's heard said I heard this voice Behind me that simply said what are you doing George? He said I knew it wasn't someone behind me. I knew this was a voice I never heard before it was God it was this Damascus Road He said I didn't know what to do with that. I was overwhelmed by this sudden intense conviction He said when I heard what are you doing George? I began to weep

He said then I took my gun and I placed it on the ground And I said I can't do this and when Billy Graham gave the altar call I ran to the front of the stage To surrender my life to Jesus Christ Palmer Palmer's conversion wasn't alone nine of the other ten gang members all gave their heart to Jesus That laying on the ground of a cricket stadium in Melbourne were nine pistols Meant to end Billy Graham and end those nine people's lives with a sigh But God gave them a shout God changed their direction and God turned it all with one Simple voice that's what God does God is on a rescue mission for you to be what he's called you to be I didn't know this I got a text today in between services from pastor Carter who was listening and From Canada and he wrote me and he said my mom died of ALS He said when when she could not speak anymore When she could not say another word Pastor Carter said he was there. I'm going to read to you what he wrote to me He said he was there when she was coming down to her final moments couldn't talk anymore and she wrote on A Tablet her final words before she would pass into eternity and she wrote these words this ALS Woman of God not a sigh but a shout she wrote it's awesome to die Knowing Christ is in your life That's folks It may have been a pen and paper But that was a shout in the Heavenly places that shouted to hell you thought you lost me to ALS But God has kept me all the way to the end Hallelujah, he turned a sigh into a shout Now let me talk to you about the shout for just a moment. There is a prayer in Psalm 90 That helps us get to the shout the psalmist says this is what we're supposed to pray listen to the prayer Oh Teach us to live well

Teach us to live wisely and well, that's what the psalmist prays But can I just tell you this you never know what happens when somebody prays You never know the power of prayer. I have to tell you this made me laugh I was listening to a message by one of our favorite United Kingdom our UK evangelist recently Jay John who's preached from here a number of times and he and on the power of prayer He told this story about a family that just got a kitten and they wanted to have the kitten to have confidence so they brought it outside to to work with it and Frightened the kitten ran up the the family tree and they couldn't get it down It wasn't really high, but they couldn't get through all the branches to get their kitten down So their father who is a pastor seemed to have all the creative ideas and his idea was this he said kids Don't worry I'm gonna put a rope on that branch that we I can get to the end of the branch and then what we'll do is We'll bring the branch down and our little kitten will just kind of fall off into your arms So what I'm gonna do is because the branch is a little I'm going to tie the other end to my bumper of my car. So, the rope is tied from his bumper to the branch, and he's just going to move slowly and bring the branch down. Little kitten fall, everybody cheers, dad is great. But the problem was, as he was going slowly, and the children were waiting with their open arms, the rope snapped. And not just only snapped, the branch flung the kitten into the sky, and it was gone. Just gone. The kitten's gone. John goes, and that's the end of the story. Well, that's not the end of the story, he told the rest. He goes, two weeks later, the pastor was visiting a member of his congregation in the same neighborhood. He goes in, as is invited in, and in the hallway is the kitten.

The kitten is in the hallway. He said, it was unmistakable, but he didn't know what to do. So, he said, very carefully and cautiously, he said, wow, that's a lovely kitten. How long have you had her? And the woman said, pastor, you will not believe this. She said, two weeks ago, on a hot Saturday afternoon, I was in the backyard with my little son, and he kept asking for a kitten. And I said, no, no, please mommy, please mommy, please mommy, no, no, no. And I couldn't get him to stop. The only thing I could think of doing was saying to him was this, well then let's pray. If God wants you to have a kitten, then he will provide. He said, pastor, you're not going to believe what happened next. We got on our knees and prayed. And from heaven, Jesus sent us a kitten. You never know what happens when you pray. What does it mean to live well? To pray the prayer, God, I want to live well. I want to live that way. I want to live because that gets me to the shout. I started thumbing through a very interesting book because for the very first time, Cindy and I are going to be, and many of you know, we're going to be rookie first time grandparents coming up. So I'm trying to figure out what that means and what to do. And it turns out on Thursday, we're having a baby boy, grandbaby boy. So we're so excited. I told the choir and I said,

well, and I haven't told my son and daughter-in-law yet. I said, well, he only has two choices. Either he's going to go to the ministry or play for the Yankees and support me in the ministry. It's going to be one of those two things. So I started reading a book thinking like maybe this will help me be a grandparent, a granddad. So it's called 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do. I'm not a bad person. Just listen. It says 50 things you should let your children do with parental supervision. And it's just silly things. He said, let your kids lick a battery so they can feel the voltage of a 9-volt battery. Let your kids superglue their fingers together. I'm reading these 50 things. Don't do this. I'm just reading this thing. Let them smash a penny on a railroad track. Burn stuff with a magnifying glass. Now, listen, I understand these are not constructive. They're not constructive, but it's fun, especially if you're a kid. So I just kept thinking. I'm going, 50 dangerous things that a parent should let their kids do. I said, God, what about us? What dangerous, risky things are you asking of us? You want me to live well? Then I want to live dangerously. I want to do what you've asked me to do. How do we live dangerously? Because I believe there are things our father is asking his children to do with his parental supervision. I think there are risky things that God is asking us to do. I think there are things. I have a list here that I just wrote down what it means to live dangerously for God. These are simple. That if we're writing a book on 50 things for you to do for God, here's just some thoughts. Number one, take your family on a missions trip, not on a family vacation. Spend time on a regular basis with a friend who doesn't know Jesus. Don't complain about an area of your church unless you're already serving there

to help create change. I'm like, I knew I shouldn't have come to church today. When people gossip with you, ask them if the person they're speaking of would be comfortable with what they're sharing, and maybe we should go and talk to him instead of you talking to me. Have a conversation with a homeless person who asks you for money. Learn their story. Okay, how about this one? Sit as close as you can to the front and get all you can from the service. No distractions. Get up as close as you can instead of showing up late saying, I'm getting the best seat in the house because I want to be in spitting distance of what God is about to do here. Commit to fasting a day, a week, or maybe even a meal a week and praying for something big. Commit to reading the whole Bible in a year. It will change you. How about this one? Tithe your gross income and give to the Vision Fund. Some of you are going like, this is the worst service I've ever been to in my life. Okay, how about this one? Register as an independent and vote your theology, not party ideology. Thank you for that golf clap. I really appreciate that. Because, I don't need, listen, that's going to get me in trouble. But listen, I'm going to die with a shout. How about caring for the widows and orphans? See, there's things that I think God will call us to live dangerously and live risky. Because I remember reading these words, everything worthwhile in life is uphill. It's uphill. It's going to be a fight. It's not flat ground. It's not even a hill that you get to get momentum. It's a fight. It's uphill. Anything that's worth anything. I think about living dangerously in New York City, of the things that God has called us to do as a church. And just going, God, I know that you're asking us

to do things that are going to call out the enemy. Think about, I was thinking about 1 Corinthians 16, 9. Listen to these words. The Apostle Paul says, there's an amazing door of opportunity standing wide open for me to minister here, even though there are many who oppose and stand against me. Always remember, the bigger the door of ministry, the bigger the enemy that will come and stand against you. The bigger the door to affect people's lives, the greater the enemy will come in with force. For New York City and Times Square Church, there's an amazing door that God is opening up. And to see that happen, we are going to face the enemy, breathing down our throat to fight and to come against us in every way, in every capacity. I told you a few weeks ago, and I found the book, and I've just been riveted by it. It's a book written about the three and a half months, the 94 days that Billy Graham came to New York City in 1957, and this awakening that took place in our city. 94 straight nights of seeing a packed house at Madison Square Garden of people coming to hear the gospel. To see 100,000 people meet at Yankee Stadium with 20,000 people outside, no LED walls, no smoke machines or light shows, just the simple gospel being preached. My dad would tell me, because he was a policeman during that time, of Billy Graham that would stand in the Bronx or in Harlem or in Midtown Manhattan, just stand up on a street corner and 5,000 people would show up there. And he'd preach with no sound system, nothing, and preach the gospel right there. Had no idea that this was gonna happen,

no idea that this was going to take place. And I'm reading the book, it's called God in the Garden, the Story of the Billy Graham New York Crusade. And I was reading this and realizing, in order for that to happen, you know that the enemy is gonna fight against it. You know there's gonna be a fight. Anything you do for God, anything you do that's gonna end with a shout, is going to have the enemy fight against it. Anything you do that will end with no regrets, there is going to be opposition. I wanna read to you, I'm gonna put it on the screen, I wanna read to you the journal entry, it's a little lengthy, but I wanna read to you the journal entry that Billy Graham wrote from North Carolina, the day he was leaving to come to New York City. I want you to hear that the Apostle Paul in him, that is speaking to the great door is opened up, but there are many that are opposed to me. I want you to listen to what Billy Graham writes, this is from his journal that was in the book. Listen to this. This is one of those beautiful, This is the first spring that I've ever spent at home. Usually our campaigns have taken us to other places at this period of the year. I've never dreamed the Blue Ridge Mountains could be so beautiful. These have been unforgettable days of preparation before the forthcoming New York Crusade. During the past few months we have faced many obstacles and problems. I guess I've been on the phone to New York an average of three or four times a day. Many problems seem to be impossible to solve. Yet, somehow, they all get resolved.

It seemed a few months ago that the opposition from the extreme liberals and the extreme fundamentalists would combine to put a hurdle in the pathway of blessing. Most of this opposition has now dissipated, I believe, in answer to prayer. My own attitude towards opposition has been one of quiet commitment to Christ. There are a few times when I would hear some of the lies, distortions of truth, and even slander. I had a bit of resentment in my heart and was tempted once or twice to lash back. But then scores of scriptures began to echo in my heart, penetrate my heart. Such as 1 Peter 2.15, For so is the will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. This somehow just really resonated with me. Today I feel more inadequate and helpless as I go to New York than at any time. I feel that way. You feel that what God is asking you to do, anything that gets as close to a shout, I think you feel inadequate and helpless because the only person you can depend upon is God himself. Listen to this, he said, I have a certain fear and dread coupled with anticipation as I board the train this afternoon from Washington to New York. New York is such a gigantic city, the opportunity and responsibility is overwhelming. The eyes of the entire Christian world will be on the New York Crusade. I am now convinced that the Holy Spirit is going to answer the prayers of millions. My desk has been flooded daily with letters from all over the world informing me of the thrilling experiences that Christians are having everywhere. Praying for New York, for the New York Crusade. Can I just tell you, for those that are watching around the country and around the world, I hear from you all the time, what can we do? What can we do to be part of the New York Crusade? I hear from you all the time, what can we do? What can we do to be part of Times Square Church? Pray for an awakening in New York City. Pray an awakening in New York City.

Pray for God to do it again. Could you do that? Philippines and South Korea, how about it, UK? How about it, Wales? Pray for an awakening in New York City, Germany. Pray for it, Italy. Pray for it, Venezuela. Pray for it, Brazil and Argentina and Uruguay. Pray Barbados and Grenada. Pray for an awakening in New York City. Pray for that. If you want to do anything for us, nothing, I think, there's nothing this city can fight against if you have millions of people praying that God would show up one day in New York City. He said people are praying many times all night that God would send a spiritual awakening in New York City. I believe that in His own way, God will answer those multiplied prayers. Almost done. This great united spiritual crusade is going to ignite the wrath of Satan. All the forces of hell will probably be turned on us. There are many of my friends who have predicted that the New York crusade would end in failure. Can you imagine that? You're fighting hell and friends. You're fighting hell that says, we're fighting you. And friends going, this won't even work out. Are you out of your mind? Finally, he says this.

I shall miss the children during the next weeks. Having no idea it will turn into months. I've come to love this mountaintop and would love nothing better than for the Lord to say that I should stay here the rest of my life. I do not naturally like to go out to the wars. It is so peaceful and restful here. But duty calls. I must put on the whole armor of God and go forth to meet the foe. Folks, listen to me for just a second. Listen to me. I encourage you. Somehow, find this used book. Just go online. Find God in the Garden. God at the Garden. About this 1957 crusade. It put faith inside of my heart. Can you imagine if he listened to the mountaintops of the Blue Ridge Mountains and stayed there and didn't come to New York? Can you imagine the sigh and the groan inside of him? Can you imagine the sigh that says, it's too hard. I didn't want to do it. It's too hard. It's going to be a fight. It was always a fight there. But it's going to be a fight to see the Garden packed

for 94 straight nights. 19,000 people hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it's always a fight. Whenever there is a big open door, there are enemies that will oppose us. In New York City, think about this. This city has probably the lowest national average of people who attend church. About 15% of the entire city go to church on Sunday. That means there's millions of people. People out there Millions, so if we're going to affect their lives Folks, we're gonna face a formidable enemy But folks i'm going out with a shout I'm, not going with a side going. Let's just stay here. Let's not let's not stick a stick You know, let's not get people riled up. Let's just stay here and talk about nice things folks Let me tell you the first let me tell you some of the things that I want you to get ready for One of the things we're going to start to do we're going to change our tuesday night services we're doing sundays on tuesdays We're going to take choir and children and youth and we're going to do sundays on tuesdays That when you come to church, we're going to come in with guns blazing on tuesday nights and just say let's Let's have while all while the modern day church is shutting down midweek. Let's ramp it up Let's do what god's called us to do and reach this city, let's do it But hey Hey, there's going to be people going like now But you I listen you should be happy. I come on sundays then you live with a sigh and a groan I want to see you know i'm going to pray i'm going to pray god do more miracles on tuesday Some of you are all offended at that good good Good Listen, why why are we doing this? Why why would you do this because we want to see god move in this city Why would you do a prayer meeting at noon?

Because I believe prayer is the way for god to begin to respond to his people Why listen this why would you do an led wall on broadway? Because I want to answer I want to answer prada dolce. Gabbana. I want to answer it every beer commercial I want to answer them all I want to begin to say something to them. Here's the good news Here's the good news and the new news The good news is this they start they start all of the the the process on the marquee Next month to get it all set, but here's the new news We may have found a way to get a really large led wall That literally is going to be I think I may and i'll give you details later Could we say maybe four five five Would that be stories? three stories Three or four stories high on the side of our building to speak to every so it may cost us more money But listen, i'm not interested in all the people behind me going You can't do that. You can't folks. I I don't care all the people behind me live with your sigh moaning and groaning We're gonna I have to read this to you someone someone I found this and it's so good listen to this It says don't worry about those who talk behind your back. They're behind you for a reason Keep moving forward You can't do that How can you you're gonna meet here at noon for a prayer meeting? You're gonna try to put an led wall out there You're gonna listen you need to have you can't do a tuesday night service You should just have somebody up there with a little guitar and sing kumbaya. Listen to me close It's going to be choir worship altar call We're believing for god to pour out his spirit in this city with power and god to do it again Why would we do? The cross on the switchblade on broadway for three days three nights a week for months next year We're gonna do it sunday night you ready for this get ready We're going monday night and you know what that means. There is no shows on broadway on monday night

Jesus which means We're the only show in times square on monday nights The only show We'll do sunday night monday night and tuesday night So that's why scan that code. We need some of you to act like a gang member But get the the people playing the things come I'm, just i'm just ready. I'm i'm going out with a shout. I'm just telling you that right? Why would you? Why would you pray why would you why would you pray and believe for a miracle for als? I don't know of anybody that's been healed of als Because I believe that god can do it. I'm not leaving this with a with a sigh I'm, not leaving this with a moan. I want I want a church that's going to pray for pastor robin believe for a miracle I want to live with a shout I'm, not living with regrets I I thought of you know I don't want people to sit there and go. Ah, well, I thought about moving to new york I thought about I thought about you know that that I was going to witness to this for I thought about giving to this folks Think nothing Those are moaners. Wow, you're mean today. Because I want you to get a shout inside of you. I want you to get a shout inside. Stop moaning. Oh my goodness. Get a shout that says, God wants to come. God wants to do something. Oh, I'm just telling, listen, I, I believe God wants to do something so powerful in this city. And here's, here's what I would tell you. I was thinking about, we were doing a pastor's conference in Strasbourg, France, about two years ago. And I ran into, I think it was the home of the man that invented the printing press, Gutenberg. And this man who created the printing press in 1455, it took him 20 years to build a printing press. 20 years so you can carry this. 20 years. When he finally got it done, the Gutenberg printing press, this is what was crazy.

It said it took him five years to print the very first book, which was the Bible. And he printed 180 of them. And he only sold three. They weighed 14 pounds. Can you imagine coming to church with a 14 pound Bible? You'd be buff. If you come coming to church, you're going like, let's read for God over here. Fourteen, four, as he was doing this, three, three, three Bibles. And he did this in five years. And here, but here's the part I want you to get. Listen to this. When he put, when he made the printing press, 70% of the world was illiterate. He wasn't building it for the 30% that could read. He was building it for the people that can't read. He was thinking, let's get the printed word and let's believe that there's going to be a world that will begin to get this book and begin for their lives to be changed. He was printing, he was building something and printing something that never existed before. This is what God is calling us to do. Did it work? Ready for this? I read an article. I won't go through all 10. I read an article of the top 10 books of the most distributed around the world. These are the best selling books of our lifetime. I'll start with three, two, and one. Three is the Quran. 800 million copies of the Quran. I was surprised at number two. It was quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong from China on communism. 900 million. So you have the Quran with 800 million. You have Mao Zedong with the 900 million. You ready for this? Okay, first, guess what's number one? Of course it is. So you have 800 million, 900 million. You ready for this? I love this. Number one, put it up there. Five to seven billion copies of the Bible around. God wins. God wins. God wins. Talk about a shout. I can see Gutenberg going, no, nobody would buy my Bible. Nobody would buy it. And I can see God going, well, it's 14 pounds. You got to make it, you got to make it less. And all of a sudden, who would have thought that that printing press would be the very catalyst for five billion Bibles. Five billion Bibles that have gone around the world. Folks, that's why you have to understand what God is calling us to do. We may not know just yet. You don't do it when it's happening. You build, you don't, you build an ark before it rains. You prepare an altar before the fire comes down, and you get the empty vessels before the oil starts flowing. So God is calling us to do it before it even happens. We've just got to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. All right, stand with me. I'm tired. Don't forget these words. Look at the screen. A. W. Tozer said this. Put this on the screen. It takes all of the Bible to make it the Word of God. You can't just pick and choose what you want. All the Bible makes it the Word of God. And so here's the part I want you to get. The Psalm

90 challenge. If you take it, God help me to live, live well. If you want the shout, if you want the shout, and let me just tell you, if you ask for the shout, you are gonna be uncomfortable. If you want the shout, you're gonna live dangerously. You're not gonna be putting batteries on your tongue. You're gonna be living dangerously. But the man that prays, teach us to live well in Psalm 90, will get Psalm 91 for his new season. When I prayed for Pastor Rob, I started to pray these words over him on the phone. I started to pray this, because you're gonna need this. So when you say, God, I want to end with a shout. God, I want to end with a shout. God, I want to end with a shout. Whatever that means. Lord, no regrets, no moaning, no groaning, no sighing. I want to shout inside of me. You're gonna need Psalm 91 to live that way. You know what Psalm 91 says? If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, oh hallelujah, no evil will conquer you, no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands, so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You'll trample upon lions and cobras. You'll crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet. The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I'll protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them, and I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation. Hallelujah! You pray Psalm 90, you get 91. You don't pray Psalm 90. You don't need 91. I'm just telling you, you want to live for God? You're gonna need Psalm 91. You want to live in New York City? You really need Psalm 91. And then you get, and the man that gets Psalm 91 also gets to do what Psalm 92 says, morning and night. You know what it says? It's good to give thanks to the Lord. To sing your praises to your name, O Most High. What are you gonna sing? You're gonna sing this. I'm gonna declare your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. Hallelujah! Anybody with me? I want to go out with a shout. Anybody with me on that? I want to go out with a shout. I do. I want to go out with a shout.

I, this is the way I want to go out. I want to go out like, I want to go out like this kid Bobby. Edna and Ron Butterfield had this incredible ministry of ministering to children that had cognitive disabilities. And they were younger children, and they wanted to help them. They wanted to help them, and so they wanted them to see what they could do. That instead of talking about what they can't do, they would teach them how to play chess. They would teach them with their, with their, with their limitations. He would teach them how to, Ron would teach them how to play chess, restore furniture, even repair electrical appliances. And my favorite story was when I was reading this, he said, it was little Bobby that just was amazing. He said, we taught Bobby about appliance repairs. We taught him how to fix a coffee maker, how to fix a, he said, he said, one day I saw Bobby coming, coming to class, and he was carrying a broken toaster under one arm, and a loaf of bread under the other arm. Do you understand what that means? He goes, this is busted. I'm fixing this, and I'm having toast today. He goes, he, who else do we know? Everybody else can talk about, oh, this city's broken. This thing is broken. We're the people who have a loaf of bread. I want to carry a loaf of bread. I'm tired of carrying broken toasters. I want a loaf of bread. Give me the broken city. Give me the broken government. Give me the broken nation. Give me the broken stuff. Everybody can post. We need to do this. We need more of this. We should have voted for this. We should have, that's broken toaster talk. You know where the broken toasters are? They're all online. Let me help you again. You know where the broken toasters are? You're, you're on a keyboard telling everybody all the stuff that they should have done. You know where the people that are changing the world? They got a loaf of bread. They don't have time for being online, posting stuff. They're doing something for God. I know. I'm, I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today.

I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today. I'm, I'm ready. Come on. I'm ready for all of you today because we're there are people there are people here that are crazy enough to go we want to shout we want to change the world we want to change to see what God wants to do I'm not living in New York City can I just tell you I'm not living in New York City to go to church oh my goodness I want to live in this city to see a city change I want an awakening in this city I want anybody with me that says I want to shout in my life I want to shout can I can I just ask this for just a second I we don't have time to call you to an altar or anything like that um but I want to ask this if you're here today and just say Pastor Tim I need my side turned to a shout I'm tired of carrying a broken toaster I'm today I'm going to be a loaf of bread man I'm carrying a loaf of bread if you're here today and say I want my side to a shout today lift those hands up right now come on lift those hands up and say I need that side to a shout today would you ask him say God teach me to live well teach me to live let me do whatever you got come on ask him right now to say God whatever you've asked me to do I'm there I'm there I'm going to do it Lord God I'm going to do it Lord God so Father with our hands that are up with our hands that are up that God we're choosing we're choosing to live for the kingdom we're choosing to live for us we're choosing that when life is over whatever you call us whether you call us seven years earlier in Philippians or you call us in second Timothy 4 we choose today to leave with a shout no regrets no moaning no groaning no sighs but a shout that says God we're ready we're ready we're going out strong we're going out strong today hallelujah but I have to tell you this I have to tell you this in Luke 15 and 16 there's a groan and a shout groan and shout don't miss this part online don't miss this there's a groan and a shout you know what the groan was it's Luke 16 Luke 16 is about a man in hell that the way you start a life living for God is you need God in your life and the man in Luke 16 it's a man that was groaning in hell it was a life of regrets

you hear a man crying out in hell going please someone tell my brothers someone tell my brothers it's a groan in hell but you know what the shout was the chapter before is when Jesus talks about the parable of the lost coin and the lost sheep and says when they come home it's like a soul coming home and all of heaven rejoices and the angels shout that a sinner has come home folks I'm telling you the first step on this life is get God in your life get God in your life you can't you can't do it any other way you need God in your life would you just bow your head and close your eyes for just a second it's the most important decision you can make it's called being born again it's getting God in your life it's Jesus's words Jesus says in John chapter 3 he says no man can see the kingdom of heaven unless they're born again so Jesus said which means that if anybody knows the way to heaven it's Jesus he knows the directions not you and not me he gave the directions well you have to be a good person you have to get baptized you have to you have to do communion you have to do your first communion you have to be a catholic you have to be a muslim you have to be a Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witness say there's only a certain number that go to heaven I'm telling you this I don't believe any of them I believe Jesus Jesus simply says this Jesus says you must be born again that's what Jesus said so folks if you're sitting here today going like well I've done this I've hurt somebody I've lied I've cheated I've I've I've I've not been a good person here's the good news today is that Jesus simply said you must be born again that's what he says he can change you from the inside out your life can be changed today if you're here today I'm here to tell you you don't have to live with a groan you can live with a shout today can happen today you don't get good and come to Jesus you come to Jesus and he makes you good that's where it starts so how does that happen it's simple as a b c a it's admitting I'm a sinner that I am I'm broken on the inside I have a condition it's called sin I can't fix it with a prescription I can't fix it with a program I can't fix it with a priest a pastor even that way even with promises I promise I'll never do it again I can't so then what's my answer b believe believe that God sent the son 2 000 years ago to begin to die for become my substitute for sin he would live the life I couldn't live die the death I was supposed to die and give me a reward I don't deserve to be born again means you that that just as you had a first birth called you called called called your first birth your birth date you need a second birth date you're spiritual birthdate. That's the believe part. That's what happens.

And finally, C, confessing Him as Lord. That's the hard part. That means God is in charge of not just Sundays. God did not die on that cross, send His Son to die on that cross, and to go through that pain to get you to church on Sunday. He did that to get you to heaven forever. That's what He's come to do. So if you think being a Christian is just coming to church on Sunday, that God's come to ruin your weekend, I'm telling you, God's come to fulfill your future. That's what He's come to do. You are God's masterpiece. And you know what becoming a Christian is? Is you get to do the things He's planned for you to do from the very beginning. You are God's masterpiece. And you get to do the good things He's planned from you long time ago. But you don't live selfishly. You live for God. With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you're here today and say, Pastor Tim, I want that. I want that born again. I want Jesus to come in and change me. Today, I want to start with that shout. That's living well, getting God in my life. If that's you, without any hesitation, if you're saying, Pastor Tim, when you pray that born again prayer, include me. Include me. I want God in my life. If that's you, hold your hand up high, as high as you can. Let me see those hands that are up. Hold them up high. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. All of them back there, all those hands. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Let me see balcony. Oh my goodness. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All the way in the back. Got you over there. That's so exciting. Thank God for what He's going to do. Listen. Let's all pray this together. Come on. Say this with me. Dear Lord Jesus, I believe You're the Son of God. I believe that on the cross, You took my sin,

my shame, and my guilt, and You died for it. You faced hell for me, so I wouldn't have to go. You rose from the dead to give me a place in heaven, a purpose on earth, and a relationship with Your Father. Today, Lord Jesus, I turn from my sin to be born again. God is my Father. Jesus is my Savior. The Holy Spirit is my helper, and heaven is my home. Come on. Give a shout to the Lord today. If you pray that, text DECIDED to 51,000. Email DECIDED2GROWTH.