Spiritual Grammar

Hallelujah. Let's all stand together, bless the Lord. How many have realized that He is a heart fixer? How many knew that before? A soul saver? And how many have gone to God in prayer and have seen Him come through? Have you seen that take place? Well, what a joy to see you guys here. What a blessing to have everybody here at 51st and Broadway. We also welcome those that are watching all over the world that are live with us. It's always our privilege to welcome you nation by nation and just to say welcome to Times Square Church. You are part. Folks, let me just tell you who's live with us today. We welcome the United Kingdom and Hungary. We say hello to the Netherlands, Lithuania, Northern Ireland. We say hello to Portugal, Romania, France, Denmark, and Poland. We welcome Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. Madagascar, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, the Navajo Nation, the Kenai Blackfoot Reservation. I don't know if you realize how important this is, that we have the opportunity of seeing God do work in the Indian reservations, both in North America. It's a real, we count it a privilege that we get a chance to do that. We say hello to Mexico, St. Martin, Panama, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Would you welcome all those that are watching? 31 countries, 31 states. We welcome all of you here. What a blessing to have every single one of you. Last service, I think there was about 11, 12 universities. We want to also welcome Grand Canyon University.

We welcome all them. They're coming and watching. I do want to just emphasize one thing. This Tuesday night will be the recording for our New Year's Eve service that we'll post on New Year's Day. I'm sorry, on New Year's Eve we'll post it, but on Tuesday, which is the 30th, we'll come together. I really want to encourage you just to be here as we join with leaders that will be praying on the screen from nations that are in crisis. They'll be praying. We'll be praying with them and for them. We will not be meeting here on New Year's Eve. If you thought, and some always ask why, because there's a million people outside our door and we can't get into the building, and so it's just too hard to navigate. So I just want to remind you on how important that is. It was C.S. Lewis who said these words. He says, we don't need to be told new ideas as much as we need to be reminded of old truths. Old truths. I had a friend who used to say this, if it's new, it's not true. And if it's true, it's not new. And so it's so important that we continue to find ourselves built on enduring truths. And no place other than has enduring truths is the word of God. And we thank God for that.

Let's pray. Father, these next few moments, let your enduring truth, let your enduring truth, God, remind us of those big pillars that are so important to the Christian faith. May we end this year on this last Sunday service. Let there be an exclamation point today. Let there be a shout in this house that we are saved. Christ is coming again. We are forgiven. Do something special here today in Jesus' name. And everybody said amen and amen. Now this is the one o'clock service, so this is what we have to do. I'm gonna have you greet three or four people that maybe you haven't greeted yet. Why don't you look at someone and say, so great to see you on the last Sunday of the year. And I'm gonna dismiss the choir. Just a few blocks from here, it was 90 years ago, a young man had something stir deep in his soul that changed his life course. I was reading the story of a young adult, his name was George, in his 20s, who had a life-altering moment by reading a poem that changed the course of his life. He was working just six months a week that changed the course of his life. He was working just six blocks from here, six blocks on Broadway at 1740 Broadway.

It was right near 57th. It was there that the Mutual Life Insurance Company had its headquarters at this time. And George had a hard decision to make. He could accept a job offer in a secular singing position here in New York City. George was known for his booming baritone voice. or as he was pondering that, this position with the mutual life gave him great salary and there could even be wide respect and he could just continue to sing in churches. George wasn't sure what to do at that point. Seven blocks down the street was their apartment, is where George worked right near there. George's mom left a poem on top of the family organ in their New York City apartment. And George went and sat down at that organ at 23 years old and what would come next would change his life. And honestly, millions and millions of people's lives would be changed of what took place there. George read this poem written by Rhea Miller and he decided to write a medley line for this poem. It was a poem that was written in 1922 but as he read the words, his heart was stirred in his own heart. In fact, it would be a hymn, a current hymn, a common, a current day hymn for us that this 23 year old composed at the organ. And this man would sing it every single time that the great evangelist Billy Graham

would step up to preach. It would be that hymn that would be sung and then Billy Graham would preach to literally tens and hundreds of millions of people and many would come to Christ. George Beverly Shea made that decision just down the street here. Made a decision that would change his life through a poem that he would minister now. It wouldn't be in the life insurance company and it wouldn't be through singing here in New York City. It would be singing for Billy Graham for over 60 years. And right before Billy Graham would step up to the podium, some of you would know these words. This is what the lyrics he would sing. I'd rather have Jesus than silver and gold. I'd rather be his than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands and I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands. How many have ever heard that song before? I'd rather have Jesus. You know, would you just stay seated for just a second and would you just sing that with me? Just close your eyes because it was a life changing moment for him and I think even today. Come on, if you know this song. I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather be his than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands

I'd rather be led by his nail. Come on, if you know this chorus, sing it with me. Than to be king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. Amen. Thank you, thank you, Judah, thank you, Willie. Let me just tell you, that poem stirred his soul. He saw something bigger than a stage in fame that would begin to do something in his heart that would reach millions. And with God's help, I'm believing for that today, that here at 51st and Broadway, another stirring can happen. Maybe in a young adult, maybe you're visiting from overseas and you've stopped into this church. Maybe you're here because someone has invited you. Maybe you're a businessman, an athlete. Maybe you work on Wall Street or you work in retail. Maybe you're a single mom. I wanna believe today that there's gonna come a stirring of the soul today. A stirring of the soul that would be so profound that you couldn't get up, you couldn't keep an eye on a watch, but you couldn't move because God would be stirring your soul today. And I wanna believe for that.

Last year when we were in Italy for a pastor's conference, we landed in Milan and right in the center of Milan in this fashion capital is this giant cathedral, the Milan Cathedral, that is this iconic building that everybody, that thousands gather around it every single day. But what many times people forget to do is to read that there are three doors into the cathedral and every one of them has chiseled on them these words, really these enduring words. If you go over to the right. hand door there is chiseled in stone these words all that pleases is but for a moment and then if you looked over to the left hand door in words in stone say all that troubles is but for a moment and then right over the center door is this simple sentence chiseled in stone seen by millions and it just simply says this nothing is important save that which is eternal that which is enduring so today i want to do my best to walk through the center door i want to walk through that central door to speak on enduring truths on something on this last sermon of 2025 this last sunday that i wasn't even expecting to speak that someone who was going to stand here was uh was stricken with sickness and so i got the call kind of late in the game and i just said okay god just help me to speak about these eternal things and so today i want to speak about something or number three things that is not really even mentioned in the pulpit today but i want to stand and us to hear what what i would call that which is eternal that which is enduring truth i want to talk to you today first about the second coming of christ we don't hear about the rapture very much today the reality of eternity and the assurance of salvation the second coming of christ the reality of eternity and the assurance of salvation how many have been coming to this church for over 20 years would you raise your hand in this place i think there's more here than there was in the first service that have been coming here for those that have been coming for some time if you go to the back where we have books and some shirts for many years that was what was the sermon table for cassette tapes that would be built up i don't know how many know what a cassette tape is i just want to make sure it is so they used to stack up all the sermons that were preached

here and people used to come in and buy cassette tapes there was no online there was no downloading there was no um find this sermon at the website it was just cassette tapes and then times square church advanced into something called vcr tapes and they would put on the whole entire service on a vcr tape how many remember vcr tapes and so it was the cassette would be only the sermon but the vcr tape you can get a little bit more on the sermon i remember sending my mom when they first came out with vcr tapes here at times square church and i remember sending my mom a number of vcr tapes with preaching with the service i wanted her to see it my dad to see it and i remember calling her to see even if she watched me preach one sunday and what i was about to forgive do was i was about to walk through that right side door that all troubles last for a moment because what she did was this i got on the phone with my 96 year old mom and she said this to me i said mom did you watch the service she said you said me and cindy six times that is incorrect grammar it should be cindy and i nothing about jesus nothing about the holy spirit nothing about what god has done i had a grammar course on the phone and she said you said it six times i don't want to hear that again you say cindy and i that's all she got out of the sermon she said every time i heard you say me and cindy i cringed i cringed inside of my my heart and thank god all troubles only last for a moment so i want to do something for you i want to give you what my mom gave to me i want to give you a grammar lesson at the end of the year don't don't groan just yet i want to give you a grammar lesson but a little bit different i want to give you a post christmas message i want to give you a spiritual grammar lesson a spiritual grasp so get your notebooks out classes in session and there will be a test so i want you to get ready for this three three points as we deal with these issues number one write this down don't put a period where god puts a comma you're already groaning i didn't even say anything yet don't put a period where god puts a comma it was it was the the scottish preacher robert murray mcshane whose bible reading plan i use you end up reading four chapters a day and you get through the bible in a year psalms twice the new testament twice every time he would come on a sunday he would ask people in his church this question do you believe that jesus is coming today and if they reply now listen here's here's what i want you to do just think of that for a moment Because if they would reply, even hesitated, with a probably not, then he would say this to them. Then you had better get ready, for he's coming at an hour

which you think not. He was just quoting Jesus in Matthew 24, 44. For this reason also, you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you, at an hour when you don't think he will. I want to talk to you about the unfinished Christmas story. Christmas is the beginning, it's not the ending. December 25th is the starting line. Let me read to you something very important on the night of Christ's birth that Gabriel the angel said. Listen to these words in Luke chapter one, verse 31. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. Now there is, if you look on the screen, there is a semi-colon there. It is God putting, in a sense, a comma because he has more to say. But many times when we get to the season, we'll put a period there. And we can't put a period where God puts a comma because he wasn't finished with what he said. Listen to the next verse. And, and he will reign over the house of Jacob, how long? And his kingdom will have what? No end. What he was saying was don't stop at the first coming when there is a second coming.

He did come as a baby. He did die for our sins. But don't put a period where God put a comma. You will conceive, Mary, but always remember this. That child that you will conceive, that child will have a kingdom that will have no end. Christmas may end, but his kingdom will have no end. And we have to begin to speak to this. Someone said it this way. The great preacher in England, John Stopp, he said, if the devil can't make us deny Christ, then he'll make us distort Christ. Distort Christ. Christmas is a distortion without the complete story, without the second coming. Because the best is yet to come. Get this now, get this down, students. God's story does not only have Christ's incarnation, but his coronation. That's when he's be king, crowned as king of kings and lord of lords. The incarnation without the coronation is like east without west. It's an engagement without a marriage. It's God's story is not complete unless the Christ that was born now comes to reign. He can't just be birthed on December 25th. He must reign forever. And the good news is this. He will reign forever.

What was the Gabriel telling Mary? That there was only a first coming, but a second coming. Now, that second coming is a word that is not mentioned. As soon as you say this word, everybody's getting nervous in the church. We will shout it because it's in the Bible. Let me talk to you about the rapture. The rapture. It is Jesus coming physically a second time. A second time. It's a word. While we are trying to shun away and bring new ideas to the pulpit, we need enduring truth in the pulpit. And enduring truth is Christ is coming again. Now, let me explain it for those that don't understand. The rapture has two important days to it. Get this down. I'm trying to think. How can I explain it that we would understand both the severity and the celebration of this? The rapture has two important days. It has a wedding day and a judgment day. There will be celebration and court will be in session. The wedding day is with a born again, dead and living all going to heaven for celebration. It's the final call. This is heaven. The Bible calls it a wedding day celebration. It's when when life is done, but eternity begins and we rejoice forever on that day.

Can I tell you there's good news? There is no more medication. You don't even have to worry about health care. Can I tell you about this, that you don't have to be on dialysis and you don't have to be on heart pills. You don't have to worry about cholesterol or even physicals. Here's the good news. You don't have to be on chemo and you don't need surgery. And guess what? No more crying. There is the old song says soon and very soon we are going to see the king hallelujah. That's the born again, dead and alive that will go join up for that wedding celebration. But the second day is the judgment day. What does that mean? It's God making all wrongs, right? All wrongs will be corrected. No one. Just say this, folks, listen, no one gets away with anything. Let me say that again, just just so you think you're sick. Everything you've done is no one gets away with anything. Every man will be judged for what they have done. Hitler and Hussein will be there. Putin, Zelensky, every U.S. president, everyone from the Supreme Court, everyone from Congress, and everyone that lives in New York City, we will all be there. Folks, I'm telling you, on that day, every man will stand before God. When the rapture takes place, there is either a celebration of a wedding feast or there is a judgment seat. In his book, The Rapture, Dr. Tim LaHaye vividly imagined that unexpected suddenness of the rapture. Let me read to you for just a moment how he described it. Just for a moment, try to lock in and think what happens when Christ returns, when Jesus comes, when that moment and the twinkling of an eye takes place. Listen to what he says in these words and how important they are. He describes it this way.

When Christ calls his living saints to be with him, millions of people will suddenly vanish from the earth. An unsaved person who happens to be in the company of a believer will know immediately that his friend has vanished. There will certainly be worldwide recognition of this fact. When more than a billion people suddenly depart from this earth, leaving their earthly belongings behind, pandemonium and confusion will certainly reign for a time. A million conversations will end mid-sentence. A million phone calls will suddenly go dead. A woman will reach for a man's hand in the dark and no one will be there. A man will turn with a laugh to slap a colleague on the back and his hand will move through the air. A basketball player in the NBA will make a length of the floor pass to a teammate streaking down the court and find there was no one there to receive it. A mother will pull back the covers in a bassinet, smelling the sweet baby smell one moment, but suddenly kissing empty space and looking into empty blankets. It's the rapture has taken place. Jesus has come, just as he promised. Folks, why is this important? Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ's first coming, we call Christmas so both Testaments, Old Testament and New Testament, are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. Listen to this. Don't miss this. 1845 references to Christ's second coming is in the Old Testament, where 17's books give prominence to it. You can see it in Ezekiel, in Daniel, it's in Zechariah. It's there. That's why this is so important. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second coming of Christ. That means one out of every 30 verses in the New Testament speaks about the second coming of Christ. 23 of the 27 books of the New Testament refer to the second coming of Christ. Folks, this is important for every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christmas, Christ's first coming. There are eight which looks to his second coming. You tell me what's important. You tell me why we're not shouting it, and it's a trumpet from our pulpits that Christ is coming again. He is coming again. Now, folks, that may frighten you, but I'm telling you, wait to the end. I can tell you there is a way that you will love the appearing of Christ. I'm telling you. That's why I want to just challenge you to join, to sign up and subscribe for chapter by chapter as we go through starting January 1, all 1,189 chapters. It's a four-year journey through every chapter of the Bible. Come on, let your New Year's resolution be more than just dieting and I'm going to work out. Let it be bigger than that. How about getting in the Word of God? How about letting the Word of God begin to work deep inside of us? When that happens, lives are changed. God begins to work.

God begins to show us that if he is saying, that's my emphasis, that there is eight to one ratio of the second coming to the first coming. I have to believe God is wanting to say something to us. God is wanting to speak to us. That's why this is so important. You cannot put a period where God has put a comma. You can't say Christmas is over. I'm saying Christmas just began, because he is coming back. He was showing that if I came as a baby… Next I'm coming differently in fact Spurgeon says it this way the first time he came he came as an infant The second time time he comes he is coming as the infinite The first time he came in humility deity and diapers the second time he comes in purple robes of royalty The first time men killed him the second time Every man will bow down before him and announce him as king of kings and lord of lords So we cannot put a period where God puts a comma number two Get this down you spiritual grammar students Don't put a comma where God puts a period now this Holiday season I had a discussion with a family member who is not a Christian but very passionate about people's health and and for all the good reasons and He is wanting people to be healthy live longer in a quality of life. I have to tell you what happened in our conversation he was asking me about my health and And I told him I said I said I have two physicals a year one of them takes seven hours to go through I said and then I got he was starting on his research and About about certain things and I just said I I got it. It's I understand Yeah, I could you don't have to tell me I've got all the numbers. I've got everything down So let's just stop right here and as soon as I and it was and everything was fine We went from there and as soon as I stopped the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said apologize to him Because you stopped him abruptly I was having I was and we're eating food and I'm having this conversation in my mind with the Holy Spirit. I said Apologize the whole family should be thanking me

That that that that that we stopped this they should build a statue to me something should be happening here and the Holy Spirit goes you apologize to him and And all all I would hear for the next 20 minutes was apologize apologize apologize Gnawing at me. I couldn't even eat the meal So so then I just did this I said, okay God and all this is in my mind I said, okay, if there is an opportunity, then I'll do it. Okay, look at me for a second I've never saw a prayer answered so fast in my life In my life how many how many no, okay. This is just me speaking I'm just saying this all the things that I want to happen fast It seems like God is God is using like like yeah, it'll happen in three years But when I when it's the hard things God goes, yep, it's gonna happen right now. I said, how come you answered this so fast? and he did and It opened up a door and I apologized. I said I am sorry I said I stopped it. I stopped you abruptly and I said I I should have had I should have been more respectful I said, please for you. It wasn't meant and and they said to me said oh, I thought nothing of it He said and then he said these words to me He said Tim. I'm just so passionate about this So I looked at him and I said this I said, let's make a deal I said here's the deal I Promise you I will I will Listen to your research which you are so passionate about because I know it's you're wanting the best for us I said, but if I listen to you, you got to listen to me What I'm passionate about which is Jesus and this is what he said. He goes deal. I said what? Amen Deal and then I then and then I just we were we were talking and he just and I and I said to him I said I said you Have this passion to keep people alive and quality of life for about five or ten more years My passion is to keep them alive forever. I said and I'm telling you what God did was he used an apology? To open up for the gospel He used a simple apology because can you imagine life without the resurrection? Can you imagine that life is over after you get 90 years after you've?

Drenched yourself in essential oils and eaten tofu. Can you imagine? That that that all of a sudden life is done. It's over at that point folks. There is good news That life is not over at that point and here's what I want to tell you that there's there is God Has more for us. I was listening to and hearing the stories of sudden deaths. I was going back in my mind I've heard this year a 53 year old woman watching a husband trying to raise children without their mother who suddenly died and I just kept Think how terrible it would be to be an atheist, to be an agnostic, to not know what's on the other side. But I'm telling you, I agree. I was reading these words and it was written in Billy Graham's book. He said, someday you'll read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. He said, don't believe a word of it. I won't be up where I'm going. I'll be more alive than ever. All I've done is changed my address. That's the good news. We've changed our address. This is where we put, we can't put a comma when God puts a period. Let me explain. Listen to it. First Thessalonians 4.13. And now, dear brothers, I want you to know what happens to a Christian when he dies, so that when it happens, you will not be full of sorrow as those who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and then came back to life again, the death and burial and resurrection, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him all the Christians who have died. Hallelujah. I can tell you this directly from the Lord, that we who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in the graves. The dead shall rise first, for the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and the soul stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him. How long? So comfort and encourage each other with this news. Hey, there's good news coming for every single one of us. Hallelujah. But don't forget this. The second coming of Jesus is a period. You can't put a comma there. What do you mean, Tim? If you don't respond now to salvation, people think you can be prayed out of purgatory or some middle road place.

After we die, there is no comma. There is no comma. When you die, future is sealed. Listen to Hebrews 9.27. And just as it is destined that man die only once, and after that comes the judgment. 2 Corinthians 5.10. We must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body. Now listen, lock in on what I'm about to tell you. Don't miss this. Don't miss it. Here it is. If you refuse Christ with your eyes open, you cannot accept him when your eyes are closed. If you refuse... Now here's what some of you are thinking. Man, this is a mean church. This is the plan. I thought I was coming to a happy... Folks, we're trying to give you the news that there is a way to live forever in heaven with Jesus. Folks, for me to sit here and not say something would be foolish. If you refuse Christ while you're hearing the gospel, you cannot accept him when life is over with. You cannot accept him. There is no purgatory. Middle ground. You can't pray someone out of purgatory or out of hell. This is your moment. Today is the day of salvation. When we pray at the end of our services, heaven is our home. Make heaven our home. Home is where we meet people. Heaven is when you come home and you see Christ. You see him. It's like coming home today. When I come home, I don't hug my furniture. I don't hug the refrigerator. Unless I'm hungry. But you hug people. You hug your son. You hung your... Hung. I love you guys. I love you guys. You hug your wife. You hug your daughters. Your son-in-law. And what's exciting, our soon-to-be daughter-in-law for next year that they're getting married. Heaven is being with Christ. He will be revealed as the Lord. Today he is mocked. But I'm telling you, there will be a day that every knee will bow before him. Cindy and I were, some years ago, shopping at a Barnes & Noble and she was picking up some books. So I was waiting for her. They put this stand right near the cash register with all these, kind of just different books, these giant books. And I picked up one that was just crazy facts. And so as Cindy was standing in line, every page had like a picture and a fact. So it would say, March 29th, 1848, the first and only time that Niagara Falls froze.

Um, zebras are really black with white stripes. Like, you needed to know that. Um, every year, TSA buckets every year make $303,000 from people who leave their change in the buckets that go through the thing. A baseball's life is six pitches. My favorite one was an unpopped kernel. When you make those popcorn in the microwave, unpopped kernels are called old maids, old maids. Um, but the one that was interesting to me was about a picture that they call priceless that sits in Paris in the Louvre. It's... They valued it as $50 million, but they said, honestly, it's priceless. And it was a portrait that wasn't supposed to be painted. It was painted because someone got distracted. Someone got busy and missed the appointment. And it was the painting called Whistler's Mother of an old woman in a rocking chair just going... And Whistler painted his mom because the model that he was supposed to paint never showed up. She got busy. She was doing a whole bunch of other stuff and misses this moment, this moment that possibly could put her in the Louvre, put her as a priceless painting, but got busy with other things. Folks, I don't want to miss that.

I don't want you to miss that. You get so busy with other things. We got to get out of here. We got to make this reservation. We got to do this. The greatest reservation you can make is your reservation in heaven. It's the greatest reservation you can make. Folks, who cares if you're going, we get to go to this steak place. We get to go to this restaurant. We get to go to this because it was... Some influencer said we should eat there. Who cares? If you miss this reservation to heaven, it's what Lewis went on to say, has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than what we leave behind. God said, we're told by the scriptures, don't put a period where God puts a comma. It's not just the first coming. It's the second coming. The first coming, the birth of Christ, December 25th, what we just celebrated Christmas, it started the story. It's not the end of the story. It began it. Because the first coming has a second coming.

The incarnation needs a coronation. There is a rapture coming. Here's what I have to tell you. Christ is coming again. Number two, you can't put a comma where God put a period. He says, when this life is done, listen to me, it's done. It's done. This is it. What about another chance? Every time you hear the gospel, it's another chance. Every time you hear this man, you may be here today because, my mom made me come. Thank God she made you come. Thank God that you're here. Because it's about reservations. Remember, if you don't make a decision with your eyes open, you can't make one with your eyes closed. So that's why you can't put a comma and say, well, I'll have more time. This is it. You're gonna hear the gospel over and over. You've gotta respond at some point. And finally, let me finish with this as the musicians come. Don't put a question mark

where God puts an exclamation point. Don't put a question mark where God puts an exclamation point. Are you going to heaven? I hear people, I ask people this. I hope so. Are you a Christian? I'm trying. Have you been born again? I think so. These answers are so wrong because people are putting question marks where God has made salvation an exclamation point. He has made it this exclamation point that says, Christ is in me. My life has been changed from the inside out. God has changed me. God has worked inside. That I'm telling you, you cannot be a Christian and not know it. So Cindy and I did something on, I don't think we've ever done this. We did something on Christmas Eve day and then on Christmas day. It took us both days to do it. We watched a three hour 1959 movie. Three hours.

It really was an autobiography even though it was considered to be a drama. It was an autobiography. It was Lew Wallace's autobiography. Some of you are going like, it sounds boring already. Let me tell you this story. In 1876, Lew Wallace was on a train and got into a conversation with a lecturing agnostic. This agnostic was just any agnostic this this he served he knew him because they served together in the civil war but robert ingersoll was the nation's leading agnostic and what he was doing was traveling around the country speaking at university campuses and trying to begin to debunk christianity speaking to college students standing in full philosophy lecture halls and speaking from ivy league schools from the east coast going across to the west coast and trying to take young men and young women that would be different than george beverly shea that was just a few blocks down who knew he was at a point in his own life and the song that willie is playing would be the the moment that god would put an exclamation point there for two hours ingersoll hammered lew wallace hammered him how can you believe divinity of christ how can you believe in the virgin birth how can you believe that this is that this is the inspired word of god how can you believe that there would be life out of death we've all come from literally just from from nothing we've come we've been born and and then life is done with for two hours he spoke to them and took a young man that was raised in the church but had questions and what he was doing was he was adding he was he was taking the questions that this young man had and making them larger he was taking the question the question mark and making it bolder and there on that train for two hours the little questions that lewis that that lew wallace had now became a huge question mark about christianity about the word of god and one conversation with this man put the question

some of you sit here i want you to listen to me some of you are watching from university some of you are sitting here today and you've had that same thing happen you've sat in a lecture hall you've sat with somebody and they've taken questions and now i've added this huge question does even god exist does god even care if god exists and why is this happening why is this happening so so the agnostic challenge lew wallace and didn't know what he was getting into challenged him and said lou as we get to the stop you're going to go your way i'm going to go my way here's what i want you to do go ahead read the bible and you're going to come out and i'm telling you you're going to come out this way and lew wallace did exactly that took that bible and started to read through it and had no idea what was going to happen to pause right there for a second on this story i have to tell you what happened during service today ricardo and elder vicky were singing we're singing a song and it's that song i call you savior i call you healer um i i call you jesus such a powerful song and as they were as they were singing that song there's this one moment they go to they call it a bridge they go to this separate spot and then elder vicky started singing singing it in the first service and it and it would announce what's the tune of that uh oh death where is your sting and grave where you guys can come on out maybe we'll maybe we'll call on jesus again um so elder vicky would sing that oh death where is your sting does okay that part and i'm going if someone came into this place i'm not even sure they'd understand what that means that's connected to first corinthians 15 that's the end that's where where you're you're when he's talking about the power of the resurrection and the power of the resurrection begins to speak to that and said because christ is risen death where's your victory and and grave where where is your sting or or death where's your sting grave where is your victory and and here's here's the good news the resurrection of christ has defeated those things and what i wanted to do was i was going to go ricardo tell them where that's from tell them what that means tell and and the holy spirit said no you have to tell him anything let them let them sing it that's the word of god that word will get into their soul and in their spirit nothing is more powerful in the song than when there's scripture in that song because it's like a sword it's a it's a sword that pierces soul and spirit it goes through it lyrics could be powerful but i'm telling you the word of god cuts through stuff and even when you don't mention where it's found the word of god does its work well that's exactly what happened with lew wallace

two hours with a Agnostic. Not just any agnostic, THE agnostic. Robert Ingersoll would look at this as just a book written by men, has no idea this book is breathed by God. That's why, can I tell you, that's why it's worth a four-year journey in chapter by— It's worth four years! Pour yourself into this! So, Lou goes through it. And as he's reading, it was the question mark, had to stand at attention and become an exclamation point. It was all hunched over the whole time. And all of a sudden, reads something, and BOOM! You know what a question mark is? It's when it comes, it's when you get a gut punch, and it bends over. But God knows how to stand up that question mark. He said, I'm gonna make you an exclamation point. New Wallace comes to the cross in Mark 15, and reads about a Roman centurion who sees Christ dying, and all of a sudden, he reads these words like a sledgehammer. It says, surely this was the Son of God. At that moment, he goes, it's true. It's real. He's alive. He is who he says he is. He is God! He's God! Why? Because the power of the Word of God, that man wrote the movie, wrote the book, the script, for that three-hour movie that Cindy and I watched for two days, called Ben-Hur, A Tale of Christ. And it's his story. It's how he, it's the story of Judah Ben-Hur. But if you watch the movie, they're both born. Judah Ben-Hur and Christ are born at the same time.

And it shows, it starts with the manger scene. It starts with the magi coming in. And it starts with them kneeling at the birth of Christ. It shows this amazing thing. Then it goes another way, and Judah Ben-Hur begins to get doubts, a question mark, because of the pain of his life. And then at the end of his life, he runs smack into the Son of God in the midst of his ministry, at the cross. He chronicalizes this amazing story. And I'm here to tell you, that's what God does. God wants to put an exclamation point. Listen to this, 2 Thessalonians 1.10. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people, praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. So we keep on praying for you, asking God, our God, to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live. You will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we call it amazing grace today. It's grace. I'm in awe of his grace. Stand with me as I just tell you if we finish here. It's amazing. He says, this is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. Doesn't say those who have given tons of money. It doesn't say those who have done all these things. It's grace. It's grace.

And how do you receive his grace? By believing. Through belief. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever, what? Believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Folks, let me close the deal for you on this grammar lesson. Oh, in Jesus' name, I pray. I don't even know how to do this. I'm going to pray that your feet are frozen to the floor and you can't move until you make a decision today. Whether the decision is no or yes for Christ, but I'm praying for that right now. That you are locked in in these next three to four minutes. This is crucial. He doesn't say those. I mean, think about it this way. Suppose God said all those who want to be saved have to run around the block ten times. Well, what do you do for the people that are in a wheelchair? Or God said all those who want to go to heaven need to read one chapter of the Bible every single day. What doesn't make sense? These are literate people that can't read. Or those who want to go to heaven have to give a thousand dollars right now. There are people that don't have it. But this is what God said. Believe. Believe. You know why? Because all of us can do it. All of us can do it. Every one of us. I was, I think I was stunned when I read this. I was reading an old sermon, I think it was done in the 50s or the 60s, by a man from Moody Bible College called Dr. Will Houghton. And I just, I read these words, and I, and I deliberated whether to put them in or not, and I, and I put it up there. And every time I look up to the screen and I see them, I'm going, God, I, they're too profound. Listen to what he said in one of his sermons to college students. He said that you can say whether or not you want to go to heaven. He says, what a fearful prerogative is that? Listen,

listen, just think about that word. Don't miss that. He says, you can say whether or not you want to go to heaven. He says, what a fearful prerogative that is. A man can say to the God that made him, I don't want you. I don't want to go to heaven. I want none of you. I want you to take your hand off me. And then he said this, and God will do this. Then he says this, if you decide you want to go to heaven, then you have to go God's way because it's God's heaven. It's God's heaven. I, I plead with you. John Calvin, the great theologian said it like this. He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. You have to RSVP. You have to make the decision today. I want God in my life. I want God. No man, Jesus said, can see the kingdom of heaven unless they're born again. That's his way to heaven. You have to be born again. How does that happen? A, admit I'm a sinner. I'm broken on the inside. I can't fix myself. But B, believe that God sent his son 2000 years ago, the first coming to fix my sinful condition. He would die a death. I was supposed to die, live a life I couldn't live and give me a reward I don't even deserve called forgiveness in heaven. And then C, confess him as Lord saying you're in charge of my life. Now, I don't want a religion. I want a relationship with God. Would you close your eyes and bow your heads? It's the most important question you'll ever be asked while you're breathing. And it's this, have you been born again? Have you been born again? Oh my, I don't want you to leave this place without responding. Even if the answer is no, and no means that you don't even do anything. But if you're here today and say, Pastor Tim, I want the assurance. I need an exclamation point. I've lived my life with question marks. But today, today with my eyes open, today with me breathing, I don't want to miss this moment. God is offering us a ticket to heaven. He's offering us forgiveness. He's offering us eternity. And today, you can have an assurance of salvation that this day is your born again date. That's what that word means, born again. Just as you had a first birth physically, today is your second birth date. This is the day you celebrate on December 28th. This is my birthday. This is the day that the question mark became an exclamation point. Anybody ask me, I could say, I am forgiven. I am born again. When life is over, I go forever to be with God. I'm going to a wedding celebration. How does that happen, Pastor Tim? I want to pray a prayer. I want to lead you in a prayer today. But you have to respond to it. And if you're here today and just say, Pastor Tim, balcony, main floor, watching online, all over the country and all over the world. If you're here today or with us and say, Pastor Tim, when you pray that prayer, I want to be born again. I want this. I want that assurance. I want

question marks to become exclamation points. I want him today. I want him. Would you make me part of that prayer without any hesitation? If that's you and say, Pastor Tim, put me in that prayer. I want God today. Without any hesitation, would you just raise your hand and say, put me in that prayer today? Hold it up as high as you can. I want to make sure I see it. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. You know what I want to do? I didn't even do this the first. I want you to do it now. I'm going to we're going to sing a song. We've got a song. If you raised your hand, and even if you didn't, we're a little afraid going, I don't want to be the only one. Trust me, you're not the only one. There's a lot of people getting an exclamation point today. If you made that decision, you raised your hand. Meet me right down here at this. So I want to pray with you. Just get out of your seat right now. Quickly. Who cares who's next to you? Just get down here. Get down here as fast as you can. Hurry up. We're going to sing a song. Balcony, come on down. Come on. Let's sing this while we come. And I know a name that can silence roaring waves I know a name that can empty out a grave I know a name is the only name that saves and is worthy of all praise I call you Jesus, I call you healer, risen and reigning in power Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior Worthy of glory forever Something comes out of the grave Every time I call your name I have a king with dominion over death He holds the keys in his holy now scarred hands He is the healer that has crossed the serpent's edge Our resurrected great I am I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer, risen and reigning in power Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior Worthy of glory forever Something comes out of the grave Every time I call your name Chains break, dry bones wake Every time I call your name The gates of hell shake Every time I call your name Chains break, dry bones wake Every time I call your name The gates of hell shake Every time I call your name I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer, risen and reigning in power Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior

Worthy of glory forever Something comes out of the grave Every time I call your name I'm a little overwhelmed with how many people have just, could we move over just a little bit? Come on, just a little bit. I want to make sure I see all of you. This is amazing to see all these people that are giving their heart to the Lord. How many of this is, I want you to hear this question, how many of this is your first time, that your first time here? How many is your first time? Okay, I was talking to some, someone just got out of the hospital, talked to someone who just got here from South Africa. First time, how did you get here today? From Washington, from Spokane, Washington. What a miracle to hear this, and almost everyone I've asked, this was the question, how did you get here today? And this is what they said, someone invited me, someone invited me. Folks, listen to me, invite somebody. Just invite them. What does that take? Just give them, just go, hey, just come, just come. You never know what God wants to do. But let me just tell you this, this is the beginning. We're going to believe for God to turn question marks into what? Exclamation points. Who knows, there's a Ben-Hur, there's a Judah Ben-Hur in this place that all of a sudden becomes mightily used of God. God's hand has come upon your life. We're going to pray a prayer. It's a born-again prayer. It's not magic, it's just a born-again prayer to say, God, come in and change me from the inside out. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to, we'll pray and say amen, and then we're going to get ready to close service. But this thrills my heart. Can I just tell you this? I felt so bad when my friend couldn't come because he got sick today, but now I'm not sad anymore. I'm going, This is why we're supposed to do this today, for to see all these that are getting saved today. This blesses my heart. Can we all pray this together? Come on, out loud. I want us all to pray. Say, 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 on heaven, a purpose on earth, and a relationship with your Father. Today, Lord Jesus, I turn from my sins to be born again. Okay, this is my favorite part. Say, God is my Father. Jesus is my Savior. The Holy Spirit is my Helper. And heaven is my home. In Jesus' name. And everybody said amen and amen. All right. If you're watching online, listen, you can go ahead and just type in, you can email decidedtogrowth at tsc.nyc. Here, you have two options. Some may have to go, but I'm gonna walk over to exit seven, and if you have four minutes, we'll get you a Bible and just kind of get you going on your way. And then what's a great next step?

Exit seven, and then we're working on an exit seven project for you online. But then, come back Tuesday night. Come back Tuesday night as we begin to join together. But we're gonna close today with a joyful song. We've got it. We're all ready to go. Let me tell you something. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to turn around, because these people are gonna welcome you into the family of God. Come on, turn around. Just turn around for me. All right, let's sing a song. Follow me to exit seven. Come on, let's go to exit seven.