2819 Church - ENTRY & END TIMES | God of the Living | Matthew 22:23-33 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

In Week 9 of “ENTRY & END TIMES,” Pastor Philip reminded us that our God is not the God of the dead but the God of the living.Matthew 22:23–33 reveals the power and authority of Christ over life and eternity. There is hope in the RESURRECTION for all who believe in the power of God and the Holy Scriptures.

It could be a sinner. I know that there's some of you who, maybe moments like that may make you feel a little uncomfortable. And I was pouring into a young woman that my wife and I, we helped to lead her in deeper discipleship in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday, she and I was conversing. And I was talking to her about moments like that, where you just lean into God's presence. You just sit there for a little while. That you and I, we live such a busy life. Jobs and businesses and kids and babies and schedules.

In America, we die quick because we're so busy all the time. And in that busyness, it's almost like we crowd out, just sitting in God's presence long enough for Him to whisper something to you that can change the whole directory of your life. And I think we have to, when the Holy Spirit flexes on us like that, in moments like that Instead of just trying to push past that moment said we got to get to the sermon and I

got to get to my restaurant or whatever the case may be like You have no idea what God would do in your heart when you lean into moments like that He'll say something to you that I would never be able to say from a sermon. He'll mend something that needs to be broken, that was broken. For some of you, he'll just come and just wrap his arms around you and remind you that you are a son and a daughter before you're anything else. Before you are a mom or employee or whatever the case may be. And moments like that, you know, that's not every week but when they happen, I mean, I just want to encourage you to lean into those moments because if you don't enjoy the presence of God now, I mean, what is Christianity for you if it's not

about intimacy with the Lord? If it's just busyness, if it's just podcasts, if it's just conferences, if it's just accumulation of knowledge but it's not sitting in God's presence. Like if you're not in love with him to enjoy his presence, I mean you go on dates with people you enjoy their presence but like we don't want that. So I wanna encourage you like I did that sister yesterday. When you sense him, lean into his presence for just a moment, just sit there.

Just let him love on you just a little bit. Does that make sense to anybody? No? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You'll be amazed how much work God would do in your heart in moments like that when you just lean into his presence. Instead of being a spectator and just watching, if you just lean in, you have no idea what

God would do in your heart. It could change the whole trajectory of your life. Amen, anybody. Amen. Man, if you are a guest with us right now, man, we just thank you for joining us at 2819. If you're a digital disciple watching me live right now across the country and pockets around the world,

we welcome you to 28 19 if you're not a follower of Jesus and you're in the room but so glad that you're here we want you to know that you could belong before you believe and be a part of us before you believe And we are in a very important series, to me it is. We're kind of walking through Matthew chapter 21 through 25 together, a series called Entry and End Times. And I am not sure if there's a book you're going to read, a movie you're going to watch, a person you're going to talk to, or something you're going to download from Google or AI that's more significant than the words of Christ

himself. And that's what we're doing in this series. We're kind of looking at the final words of Christ in the last days of his life and the final actions of Christ in the final week of his life. And just kind of marveling at the things he said and the things he's done. I'm going to try to preach this message as quickly to you because I know you have resurrection son of plans to get to your restaurant. Matthew chapter 22 verses 23 to 33. Lord I thank you for this holy moment. It feels holy. We feel your presence in a real way and maybe there's someone listening to me right now. It feels awkward to them.

Would you just draw them a little bit closer to yourself? Someone is outside of grace. Would you bring them into the kingdom of light by the time this is over? Will you minister to the son and daughter, those of us who may be tired and weary in life? Would you just minister to us right now as that person is crying out to my right? Will we cry out to you in our innermost being, in our spirit. We feel the winds of adversity from all sides but Lord we thank you that you've given us an armor that you

defeated the enemy on the cross you disarmed him on the cross you made a public spectacle of him on the cross we thank you. Man that we can come into spaces like this and just be in your presence for as long as we get to enjoy this, a day is coming where this will be taken away from us, but for now, let us enjoy it. And Lord, in my own weakness, I pray you would help me to proclaim the truth of this word to these, my brothers and sisters, and even to the atheist that is in the room. I ask for help in the mighty, in the majestic, in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Family, over the last year and a half, we've watched Christ perform a very beautiful thing here at 2019. We have watched with awe and marvel and wonder as Christ has added to our family. Men and women and families, teenagers, by the tens, by the fifties, by the hundreds, and now even by the thousands. And because of that, what has happened is a new phenomenon has happened in 2019 where now they are brothers and sisters who are standing outside on what we call the line in community outside in the parking lot before we open the doors for you to walk

into God's holy presence. And as while we're out there on the line, while people are waiting with these words, our anticipation to come in this room. People are standing in the parking lot and while they're out there, there are different ethnicities out there and people from different walks of life out there People with different socioeconomic status people from different backgrounds standing out there And although there are different people standing outside like some of you stood outside to get into this gathering There is one thing that everyone shares in common as we're standing outside And the one thing we share in common as we're standing outside is that we're all standing in that parking lot with an

expectation to come into this holy gathering. For there is no one standing outside who is just coming to 2819 thinking that the parking lot outside is the totality of the 2819 experience. No person drives to the 28 19 gathering and think the parking lot is everything that you're gonna get at the 29 experience no, but while we're out there having community with one another There is an expectation we have to come into this holy space to sit in God's presence to we have to come into this holy space to sit in God's presence to hear worship being sung over us, to hear the proclamation of God's Word. And we stand out there with that expectation to cross through the doors to come on the inside because we believe what's happening on the inside is far greater than the

things happening on the outside. And while we're on the line we've added some creative elements to kind of stimulate and engage some. And while we're on the line, we've added some creative elements to kind of stimulate and engage some of you while you're outside on that line. And even though you're being stimulated by some of those things, we're all standing out there waiting for that moment when we cross that threshold into this sacred place.

Family, in the same way, there are many people right now man, in life, who treat this life like it is the gathering. But this life that you and I have together, hear me, this life is not the gathering family. This life that you and I have right now, it is the parking lot. What you and I are experiencing right now

is a temporary experience. It is the parking lot. What you and I are experiencing right now is a temporary experience. It is the parking lot and there is something much greater for you and I beyond this life when we enter into the doors of glory. There is something that God has gone to prepare for you and I that's much greater than everything we're experiencing right now. Everything we experience right now is only the parking lot. And although in this life, there are some things that we enjoy to engage us

while we're here, like money, like marriages, like relationships, like businesses, cars, trinkets, and toys. All these things that God has given us to enjoy down here temporarily are all things that we have in the parking lot. But these things, hear me, they do not compare to what God has prepared for us in glory the Apostle Paul said it like this no eye has seen and no ear has heard man the

human heart hasn't even imagined what God has prepared for those of us who love him not in this life that text does not mean but in the world to come in glory that Jesus said and I think about this all the time I've gone to prepare a place for you that where I am you will be also and there's times when life gets heavy for me when I'm feeling hurt I'm dealing with heaviness and I would think about the nature of this life and I would just cry and sit still and say Lord, I'm so thankful that you went to prepare a place for me I'm so thankful that all my labor and all my suffering all my trials and my difficulties I'm so thankful that I know that this life is the parking lot and it's not the gathering

And at the center of what I'm saying to you right now, where some people in the world may not agree, is either the truth of or the lie of the nature of resurrection, the afterlife. This plagues the culture since the beginning of time. Is there afterlife? Is there not afterlife? Is there life after death? Is there not life after death? From the beginning of time,

men have wrestled with this question, what happens to us when we die? What happens to us when we wake up on the other side? Is there an other side, or is this all that God has given us in this life? In some ancient cultures, they bury people with jewelry and artifacts, so those people can have those things on the other side. In some cultures, man, they bury people with jewelry and artifacts so those people can have those things on the other side.

In some cultures, man, they bury people with animals so they can ride those animals on the other side. And in some cultures, they don't believe in an afterlife at all. In fact, in some cultures, even for some people, right under the sound of my voice, you go to a funeral and you think that's the end of your loved one permanently in that funeral. And if there is no afterlife, if there is nothing greater than this, if you think that what you're experiencing right now is the best thing that God has to offer, then there is no hope beyond our trials. There's no hope beyond our sorrows. There's nothing for you to hope and when you die, you go to these funerals and you shed these tears and you say that

person is permanently in a box There is no hope for the person who's wrestling with suicide There is no hope for the person that's in a difficulty where they can't see the end in sight There is no hope for people who are tired and wary in their labors if we think that this is all that God has made For us. This is the best that life has to offer It is this wrestle between these two ideologies. Is there resurrection or not? Is there life after death or not? It is the wrestle between this ideology that we find at the center of our text. I will

remind you again because this is the end of the Holy Week, that in the week that just passed we commemorate that Jesus came into Jerusalem last Sunday during the Feast of the Passover he disrupted the established order. You remember that he was confronted by the Pharisees a ruling religious sect. You remember when he backed them down with three pronouncements of judgment they send their disciples with the Herodians another group to come against him one more time. And you remember now after he backed down the Herodians, there will be another group that will rise up against the Lord.

Matthew, who was an eyewitness, tells us about this third group. He says for us in this historical account in Matthew chapter 22 and verse 23, he says, that same day, Sadducees came to him who say there is no resurrection there is no afterlife and they asked Jesus a question saying pause who are these people called Sadducees that appear now in this text socially they were very wealthy and connected in the highest upper echelons of society. They was among the ruling class, although a small group, they had great power in Jerusalem. They was on the Sanhedrin with the Pharisees. In fact, the highest

priest of the day was the people who came from the Sadducees, a man named Caiaphas who would be responsible for putting Christ to death. He was among the Sadducees. They came from the aristocratic family in society. Theologically they did not believe in anything except the first five books of the Bible. That's Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They did not believe in the Psalms as authoritative. They did not believe in the writings of the prophets as authoritative. They did not believe in the Psalms as authoritative. They did not believe in the writings of the prophets as authoritative. They did not believe in the Proverbs as authoritative. So if it wasn't in the first five books of the Bible, they did not believe it was true. They were very selective in their theology, just like many of you are very

selective in your theology. Many of us are like that, where we love parts of the Scriptures, man, that fit our preferences. But if it doesn't fit our preferences, man, we turn the page on that part of scripture. Y'all know how this go down. You love passages about blessing, but you don't like passages about sacrifice. You love passages about receiving, but you don't like passages about being generous. You love passages that make it comfortable for you to do what you want to do, but you don't like passages that confront you yeah I know how this go all the time so you'd be reading God's Word and if you see something in there

That's really attractive you claim that for yourself But let you see something in there that comes directly against something you're doing you turn the page and you say stuff like that's not for me That's for somebody else So man two men can marry regardless of what the Scripture says or two women can marry regardless of what the Scripture says. You stay stuff like God is love, but you ignore when he says marriage is for one man and one woman. Why? Because that doesn't fit your preference. It doesn't fit what you desire. And so you and I live this way. We take the parts of God's Word that we really enjoy and the parts that confront us, we throw that out the window.

It's like gospel a la carte. So we don't want Genesis to revelation. We only want the parts that make us feel right. And anything that steps on your toes makes you feel convicted, transforms you, forces you to change, forces you to go back and apologize to your wife, forces you to forgive somebody that did you wrong in a previous season. We want no parts of that part of the scripture. These are the Sadducees. And these are the men that say there's no resurrection. Watch, these are the

religious leaders that says there is no afterlife. Now family, hear me, this is a very important topic that they're having with the Lord. Why? In a few days from this incident, Christ will be crucified on a cross for your sins and mine, and three days after that, he will be resurrected from the dead. This is very important because, hear me, there is nothing that our Christianity stands on except the resurrection of Christ. In fact, Paul says, if Christ is not raised, we all have believed in vain. And so the anchor of the Christian faith is not just the Word of God or not just the gathering of the saints The anchor of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Christ that there was a man who claimed to be the Son of God

He was buried in a tomb and when they went to find him on a Sunday morning He was not in that tomb but Muhammad is still in his tomb and Joseph Smith is still in his tomb and Buddha is still in his tomb and Confucius is still in his tomb, Joseph Smith is still in his tomb and Buddha is still in his tomb and Confucius is still in his tomb but there is one man one progenitor of a world religion who was not bones in that tomb. He was seen alive by over 500 eyewitnesses

who wrote down accurate accounts that we saw the man who hung on a cross and we touched his scars. He cooked fish and ate breakfast on the seashore and they wrote watch historical documents that still preserved in history that we saw this man watch this word alive and so Christ has to make a case for the resurrection he has to preach it because if Christ is not raised then you and I right now as I'm talking to watch this we are wasting our time so these

Sadducees come to him and they say to him teacher Moses said if a man dies and has no children his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother stop so they go into the five books of Moses that's where they only believe that's the only thing they think they're authoritative and they said to the Lord you remember this custom right here left-right marriage and lever it marriage in the first century oh I'm sorry in the olden days if a man had a wife and that brother died and that brother had no children his next brother would marry his wife that widow and the first son

that they have that son would be named after the brother who died so that his lineage continues so this is practice in Jerusalem for hundreds of years levered marriage people marrying people's widows to make sure that lineage is continued. They quote that and then they set up a scenario for the Lord and the purpose of the scenario as thousands of people are watching is to try to prove to the people who's listening that there is no such thing as an afterlife. They want to prove to everybody in front of Christ who taught the resurrection that the resurrection does not exist. There is no afterlife. There

is no hell. There is no rewards. There is no punishment. Nothing is happening after we die. They said, now therefore, there were seven brothers among us the first married he died Having no offspring he left his wife to his brother So to that second brother died and then a third brother died and this is not a good woman to marry and then a fourth Brother died and then a fifth brother died six and then a seventh brother died after then the woman died and after then the woman died and then they say to the Lord well since they all died in the resurrection if it really exists this is mockery therefore of the seven whose wife will she be for they all had her and now they say to the Lord we got

you trapped because if the afterlife really exists if there really is a heaven then how would this woman be resurrected and be married to seven men at the same time? So you mean to tell me the Lord, you're gonna allow polygamy and glory? And as the crowds are listening, I mean, I would imagine it's quiet. They're probably all watching. They're probably all thinking to themselves, dang it, they got Jesus trapped. This is the law that we practice, but if the afterlife is real and if heaven is real and if there's anything after death that is real, how then will this woman be in the afterlife

with seven husbands? The purpose of the scenario is to say this is ridiculous. There's no such thing as the afterlife. There's no such thing as heaven There's no such thing as hell. There's no such thing as anything after the grave and The Lord responds to them in the very next verse and he says to them in this he says Listen very important what he says to them in the next verse, but Jesus answer them you are wrong them in the next verse. But Jesus answered them, you are wrong. Straightforward. I love that part of the text. He didn't try to massage them, he didn't try to comfort them, he said to them, you are wrong. It's like the Spirit of God says to us, you are wrong. Tells us that we're wrong and it reminds me that God is so loving, he wants us to know that when

we are, watch, being deceived in our own minds minds when we believe in things that's not true there people under the sound of my voice right now believe things that are not true hold on to things that are not true have strongholds built up in our mind things we've been taught things we believe preconceived notions we have about God about life about the afterlife watch and we're actually wrong. And there are people, man, you will fight for your preconceived notion when you're actually wrong. And why are they wrong? He tells us for two reasons. You're wrong, neither do you know the scriptures or the power of God. So he says, watch, you are absent of being correct because you do not know the scriptures, i.e. the more scriptures

you know, man, the more wiser you become you won't be wrong about so many things in life man i'm telling you right now there are people right now confused about life if a loving god exists how could he allow wars how can he allow sickness and disease how could he allow death and cancer you know why a loving god can't exist because if god was loving he would never allow human beings to do that. My brother, my sister, you are wrong. You're wrong because you have not read in the scriptures that the world that God gave us was perfect and that we ruin that world with rebellion and sin. And so God who is holy is watching us in a marred world but went to prepare something better for you and me. And there are a

lot of people who are wrong about things in life because they don't know the Scriptures and a lot of people are wrong about things because they don't know the power of God as if God can't create something better than what we enjoy in this life. Watch and listen to me I'm almost done and if you're gonna be strong as a believer you need to know the scriptures and the power of God When you separate them, that is a dangerous thing to separate them watch because you have people they know the scriptures But they don't believe in no power watch so you can quote all of Ephesians 6 But you don't believe in the spirit you don't believe in healing you don't believe in miracles

You don't believe you can lay hands you You have loved ones who are dying of sickness You won't even have the faith to pray for them Because you don't believe in the power of God You think all of that died with the Apostles you think everything is gone so you won't even have the courage to lay hands on a sick person and Believe that heal and then you got the nerve to try to back me down in a conversation as if my wife ain't lay hands on the womb of barren women who have children right now because we believe in the power of God as if.

I ain't never lay hands on a sick man in access who at stage four cancer, who is walking right now healed and in his right mind as if. We ain't never take oil, the elders and I and lay hands on the sick and got testimonies of miraculous healing. What argument you got against that? Like your warp theology is stronger than the testimony of healed bodies? And then you got other people they love power, but they don't love the scriptures

So you run around the gathering you do backflips off the stage you swing on chandeliers you speak in tongues But you know no Bible It's just wildfire with no teaching so watch we we got power but we stupid biblically. Hear me, you need doctrine and dunamis. You need the scriptures and the spirit. You need the Word and power. You need both, man, when you're walking in this life. You need to quote Ephesians 6 and lay hands on the sick. You need to know that you got a spiritual armor and know how to pray against the devil. Man, who am I talking to? Watch.

You need to hear stuff like the doctor said. You're never going to have children, Sharon Mitchell, and you go to the word and lay hands on the word and say, Lord, according to what you did for Hannah, if you give me a son, I'll give him back to you. That's the word and the spirit. Don't that feel better than just reading your devotional and being punked out by the devil? So you're reading your little devotional while the devil is beating you in your soul, but you don't have the courage to pray against him with warfare prayers because you know the word but you don't have the courage to pray against them with warfare prayers because you know the word but you don't know no power and then you got power and you can pray down authority and principalities in heaven but you could not tell me what

the scripture says about forgiveness I'm trying to sister and so he says you're wrong because you don't know the scriptures nor the power of God means ie a lot of human beings are wrong because they don't know the scriptures or the power of God you think you're right but you're ignorant and you don't know the truth he says watch and then he corrects their doctrine and their theology I'm about to be done for in the resurrection he confirms the resurrection. Neither do they marry or are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.

So he confirms everything they don't believe in. They don't believe in angels, he confirms that. They don't believe in heaven, he confirms that. They don't believe in resurrection, he confirms that. He said, in the resurrection, you fools, this woman is not gonna be married to seven resurrection, you fools, this woman is not going to be married to seven husbands, you fools. In the resurrection, there will be no marriage because everybody up there will be like the

angels. So, watch, he corrects their stupidity. Now, you hear that and some of you feel uncomfortable. In glory, there will be no more marriage. And you hear that and I know there are single people who hear that and you think like, dad I gotta get married quick because if I don't get married soon I'm gonna die and not be able to watch this. Enjoy the bond between a man and a woman.

And there are some people under the sound of my voice I feel your marriage is dope and you love your spouse so much you don't want to be separated from your spouse so you're thinking man I don't I don't want to go to heaven and I not be married to my spouse like that's my boo that's my boo thing that's my ride and die I don't want to be in heaven and just got to do this all over again with another woman. We've been married 50 years. And then there are some couples on the side of my voice who's going through so much pain in marriage, they're looking forward to death.

Y'all laughing, but it's true. There are some people, man, they're not going to get a divorce. They're waiting for that spouse to die. This is true. They're waiting for them to die die. this is true. they're waiting for them to die so that they can get a second chance in this life. they're just hoping they die while they still got enough age in them to be able to do this one more time. like can I holler at somebody while I'm 65? watch. but why did God say there's no marriage in heaven? Pay attention. Because we have

perverted marriage in the earth. That the purpose for marriage, original purpose, was for, watch, only two. For one man and one woman to be joined together, watch, in a covenant union and for the purpose of procreation to make children to populate the earth. That God intended for children only to be born in the covenant of marriage But watch but since there is no birth in heaven and since there is no death in heaven There will be no need for marriage in heaven Because he said we will be like the angels and the angels are sexless because there's no need for procreation So there'll be no more marriage in heaven because there'll be no need to populate heaven

because heaven will be populated by all the saints who have been redeemed. and then you say but what about the bond i got with my spouse? you don't know the power of god. i believe god is going to create bonds in heaven so strong. it's going to superpass. it's going to be greater than anything we've ever felt down here with another human being. Watch. The only marriage in heaven is going to be all of us as the bride married to Christ the bad groom. That's going to be the only marriage in heaven. The church being united with Christ is gonna be the only marriage in heaven. Now let me close. So he corrects their faulty thinking. Now let me close with this. Then he corrects their

faulty doctrine. Now everybody watch, pay attention. He's talking to men, pay attention, watch, who do not believe in the resurrection. They do not believe in the afterlife. They don't believe in heaven or hell or glory why because they don't believe in anything outside of the first five books of Moses in the Psalms there's teachings about the resurrection in the prophets there's teachings about the resurrection but because they reject everything outside the first five books they said there is no teaching hear me inside the first five books about resurrection. It's not in there So because it's not in there, they don't believe in it

So watch out Jesus the master teacher corrects their faulty doctrine and I'm closing with this right here and he says to them as for The resurrection ie it exists of the dead. Have you not read? Have you not open your word the very word that you have have you not read have you not open your word the very word that you have have you not read what God has said to you look that God speaks through his word that there's some people say I can't hear God's voice but you don't hear him because you don't read you don't listen that you can hear God if you just open up his word He will talk to you about your marriage. He'll talk to you about your children. He'll talk to you about your businesses

He'll talk to you about your friends. God will talk to you hear his voice You want to take a picture get that right there What you said Lord Forgive Take a picture, get that right there. What you said, Lord? Forgive? What you said? Don't let the sun go down on my anger with my wife. I'm just quoting scriptures to you.

What you said, Lord? You want me to crucify my flesh? He'll talk to you if you... Right. Have you not read? And then watch. He he says and then he quotes them verse 32 I'm closing have you not read in the scriptures when God said I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob stop

Christ knowing that these men will not accept anything outside the first five books of the Bible the Torah the Moses of law So he goes what he goes to them. He quotes to them a passage from Exodus This is this is powerful They said there's no teaching about the resurrection in the first five books Jesus quotes to them a passage from Exodus one of the first five books. Jesus quotes to them a passage from Exodus, one of the first five books, and he quotes to them, watch this, since you only believe in Moses as authoritative, he quotes to them the passage when God had an encounter with Moses and when God met Moses at the burning bush, God rolled up in Moses and he said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham. Watch. Man, I love the scriptures. I am the God of

Isaac. Watch. I am the God of Jacob. He said, I am the God of these three patriarchs who died hundreds of years before he met Moses. Say, preacher, I don't get it. The argument of the text is the verb tense. He did not say, I was the God of Abraham. He did not say, I was the God of Isaac. He did not say, I was the God of Isaac. He did not say I was the God of Jacob because when you say I was you talk about people who are what? Dead. But God speaks to him in present tense. Right now I am the God of Abraham who died hundreds of years ago. I am the God of Isaac who died hundreds of years ago

I am the God of Jacob who died has he can't talk like that if These men are dead. So if God can talk about these men in the present tense That means when God is speaking They must be alive. And where are they? They're with the person who's speaking. They're with God. And right there in the Old Testament, Jesus proves the resurrection exists.

And then why he says to them, God is not the God of the dead He is the God of The living why because God watches is a God of what's his work covenant and he does not abandon his children at the funeral What we talking about You think God will come into a covenant with you and then abandon you at a funeral? No! The covenant relationship you have with God goes beyond the funeral. It transcends the funeral.

It goes into, watch this word, eternity. And a day is coming where you're gonna be at my funeral and I'm gonna be shedding tears over a box and I'm gonna tell you right now don't stand there and cry all day go get fried chicken and cornbread because Philip Anthony Mitchell would not be dead that's only his body. I would be more alive than ever before. For I would not be dead. I would have gone into the presence of Almighty God. Why are you crying over my box? Man, I'm running the streets of gold with the... Why are you crying over my box?

I'm running the streets of gold, but the God who's the God of the living and the day's coming, he's going to say, I'm the God of Abraham. I'm the God of Isaac. I'm the God of Jacob. Pete the text. I'm the God of Philip. I'm the God of Philip. I'm the God of Cheyenne. I'm the God of Jessica.

I'm the God of Rosio. I'm the God of Milton James. I'm the God of Demetria. Is anybody thankful that a day is coming where God is going to call your name? I said He's going to call your name. I said, He's gonna call your name. I said, He's gonna call your name. I'm the God of angel. I said, He's gonna call your name.

What are we talking about? I said, is anybody thankful that God is gonna call your name? I'm the God of deeds. He's going to be, watch this, your God for how long? Watch this word. Forever. That Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life and because Christ is alive I will be alive and because Christ is alive you will be alive

He can resurrect a marriage He can resurrect a relationship He can resurrect a business he can resurrect a ministry he can resurrect hope he can resurrect vision He can resurrect peace he can resurrect comfort. There's nothing that is dead that Christ can't resurrect. And today, for the believer in the room, we celebrate the resurrection, we go to dinner and we celebrate the resurrection. We celebrate what Christ has done. We celebrate that we've got hope beyond this life.

We celebrate that we won't be standing in the parking lot forever. We celebrate that a day is coming. We're going to walk out the parking lot and burst the tape of eternity and walk through the portals of glory and stumble into the arms of the Savior who said, I went to prepare a place for you. A place that's much better than the earth. A place that's much better than what you're experiencing right now. A life with no problems.

See? You want something to shout about? Go home tonight and read Revelation 20, 21, and 22, and get a glimpse of the new earth that God is gonna create. New water, new trees, new animals, new relationships, new nations. The only thing not gonna be there, pain. The only thing not going to be there? Pain. The only thing not going to be there?

Sorrow. The only thing not going to be there? Tears. The only thing not going to be there? Sin. The only thing not going to be there? The devil. The only thing not going to be there?

Depression. The only thing that's not going to be there? Suicide. The only thing that's not going to be there? Drama. Somebody give a prayer in this house. Come on, give him praise for the resurrection. But I know not everybody can celebrate because my question is, is he going to call everybody's name?

No, there's some of you he won't call your name. Why? Because you're going to perish in your sin. But every head bow and every eye closed, don't move. Stand right there where you are. You better listen to my voice You say preacher. I don't believe in all that talk of the revelation. I don't believe in all that talk about the afterlife I don't believe in all that talk about heaven. I don't believe in all that talk about hell fine

Don't believe that just die and find out What's your theology right or was the scriptures right? The only difference is if you pass through this life without Christ You won't be prepared for what you're gonna find on the other side a wrathful judge Who's not gonna listen to you said I was moral. I was a good man. I was a good woman I did this he not gonna listen to none your thing. He's gonna look at you is that I don't see Christ on you He ain't not gonna listen to nothing. The only thing he's gonna look at you is that I don't see Christ on you Depart from me you work of iniquity. I never and the only place you're going you're gonna have a body fit for destruction

Why because if you're not in glory with God you are permanently tormented in the lake that burns with fire read Revelation 19 But God here watch the gospel gave you an exit here is the exit you are and I am a sinner and you have and I have broken God's laws and the scripture says if anyone dies in their sin You will wake up after that funeral Separated from God for all eternity. You will suffer in punishment forever. But God Not wanting you to perish sent Christ into the earth. Died a sacrificial death on the cross, exchanging your unrighteousness for his righteousness and gives you an escape. The Scripture says in Romans 10, if anyone will place their faith in Christ, they shall be saved. It ain't magic, it's divine.

And right now, before we walk out this room, I'm starting to stop some of you from going to hell. If you feel like I'm talking to you, you feel something welling up on the inside, you're saying something to yourself like, I believe in the afterlife, I want Christ, I want to be saved. You already feel God tugging on you to you look I see you already know who you are God is tugging you right now. I just want to pray for you my brother my sister you say man I'm gonna do this next year really you could get clipped in a car accident on the way home You can get clipped in a plane crash on the way home tomorrow a promise to you

You can't get right next week today is the day of salvation Tomorrow ain't promised to you. You can't get right next week. Today is the day of salvation. You don't got tomorrow. You got this moment right here. If that's you, you feel God wooing you, he said, preacher, just pray for me. Seal the deal for me, preacher. I'm going to ask you to lift your hands on the count of three.

I just want to see who I'm praying for. One, God is calling you. Two, this is the moment that's going to change your life. Three, put your hands in the air. Lift them high. Don't be ashamed. Lift them high. Man, hundreds and hundreds, hundreds of hands lifted high. Now, Father, in the name of the Holy One, I pray for everyone who you are sovereignly saving apart from me. I thank you that you're making them right now sons and daughters. I thank you right now They're passing from death to life just like you did for me November 2003 in the bathroom

I thank you that you're filling them right now and sealing them with your Holy Spirit according to the book of Ephesians I thank you Lord that you're wiping away God every tear from their eye. You're making a brand new creatures. I Pray God right now in this moment. They would feel an assurance and a peace that something has happened. They have passed over I Pray God in the name of Jesus you would draw them to yourself Reveal yourself to them teach them dear ways lead them in the past that lead to righteousness and now Father you said your ways, lead them in the paths that lead to righteousness. And now, Father, you said, when one sinner repents, all of heaven rejoices. So Father, right now we rejoice.

Come on. We rejoice. We rejoice. We rejoice right now. We rejoice. We celebrate. Somebody celebrate. Somebody celebrate.

Somebody celebrate. Somebody celebrate. Somebody celebrate. Somebody celebrate. Somebody celebrate somebody celebrate somebody celebrate somebody celebrate somebody celebrate celebrate somebody celebrate hallelujah All right, listen. Everybody who had your hand raised, listen to me. Watch. I want you to know what family sounds like.

Look, watch this. Welcome to the family of God. Now listen to me, after today you're going to make mistakes but just ask God for forgiveness keep moving forward. The Bible says about you, the scriptures, that all your sins have been forgiven past, present and future and that you are a brand new creation. The scripture says about you that God is your father. The scripture says about you that God is your father. The scripture says about you that you are a son. The scripture says about you that you are a daughter. The scripture says about you you are a brand new man and a brand new woman. The scripture says about you your

name has been recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. The scripture says about you that when you die you will enter into glory with the Lord Jesus Christ who has gone to prepare a place for you When you leave today, there's a black tent outside of the building we want you to stop at that black tent There is a bag there for you a gift Inside that bag is a copy of God's Word and there is material in there to teach you your next steps in your walk with The Lord Jesus if you don't want it don't get it But it is there for you for free. If you flew here from another city,

drove here from another city, when you get back to your home city, find a church where the Scriptures is being taught and plug into that church. And if you live in Atlanta, you don't have to look far. You could just make this your family. We don't do membership here, we just do discipleship here. So just keep coming back every Sunday. Just watch. just hang out with us for six months If God has not transformed your life in six months, we pray you end up where you need to be Amen somebody Man, I know what spiritual warfare feels like and I know what it is for the devil to punch you in your soul.

I know what that feels like, especially this week. But you know what else? I know what it feels like to take a shot back at the devil. That it's a good feeling to preach this glorious gospel and to watch the Spirit of God open up cages and watch people run out of prison and to watch men and women run into the arms of a loving Savior. You take shots at me and at me I'm gonna take shots back at you. That's how you fight back when the devil give you hell give him back hell. Pray more, read more, win somebody to Jesus for the weapons of our warfare. They're not colonel but they're mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds.

Mighty! Mighty! Mighty! Woo! Come on, guys. Right behind you. Father bless these people. A favor fall upon them. In Christ's name I pray. Alright, do me a favor.

Don't move, but give God a thunderous round of applause for what He has done.