2819 Church - ENTRY & END TIMES | Stay Awake | Matthew 24:36-51 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: August 11, 2025

In this urgent continuation of ENTRY & END TIMES, Philip Anthony Mitchell proclaims from Matthew 24:36–51 that nothing is more vital in this hour than holding to the words and teachings of Christ. Only what is connected to the will of God will stand.Jesus warns us to STAY AWAKE. To live watchful, ready, and faithful for His return. No one knows the day or the hour, and the call is clear to be found faithful in His return.

I could be seated. There was a man What was a man What became familiar with sometime last year in the fall who slipped into eternity this week at the age of 54 and he is with Christ now

but I just want to remind all of you that life is precious it is a gift and it is temporary may the Lord help you to come out of your foolishness that you would learn to make the most of every day and to be thankful for all you have been given above all life and breath and opportunities like this to sit in these kind of holy gatherings and so if you are a guest to 2819 we welcome you to this holy place we welcome you to this holy stream if you are one of our digital

disciples watching live across the nation and around the world you are our family we welcome you to this holy gathering and if you are not a follower of christ we fear for you we pray for you and we are thankful that you're here that you're watching and believe in god that death will not find you outside of the kingdom but that as the word is being proclaimed or as song is being sung or invitation is given or in a moment alone outside of these gatherings you would be brought into the kingdom of glight by the power of the holy spirit unless you wake up in eternity with the shock of your life

we are in the final moments of what I think is one of the most important series in our journey through the book of Matthew that outcast you who became a follower of Christ in the first century AD who wrote this book that bears his name. We are in the ending of a series called Entry and in times in which we are walking through the final actions and the final words of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I think final words are very important, especially when someone is on their deathbed, whatever they said to you last is very, very important.

And if there are any final words we should be paying attention to in this. life it is the final words of the one you call Lord and Savior these are the words that we are studying in this text and not just only final words but prophetic words our text this morning is coming from Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 through 51 And these titles are not sexy. They're not meant to stimulate emotions. They're pulled right out of the text for our note takers to be able to go back and find at the top of your page titles that correspond with the message of the text. Two words today for our title.

Two words that we desperately need. Two words I'm praying for the body of Christ. Christ, two words that are very important in this hour. Two words buried at the center of this text. Title of our message today is just stay awake. Stop sleeping. Rise from your slumber and your apathy. Wake up from your foolishness.

Open your blinded eyes and unstop your deaf ears. Father, it's this not deployed. prayer of my heart for these, my brothers and sisters. Is this not the cry of your heart for these, your sons and your daughters? Is this not your appeal to us? Day in and day out, Sunday in and Sunday out to stay awake, to come out of our slumbered our sleep, to be delivered from apathy and lethargy and indifference.

Is this not the beckoning. of your Holy Spirit. Are you not summoning an alarm to the church globally? Is this not the hour for your children to be awakened? Would you do that, Lord, in this room? Would you do that across that camera? Would you do that in our digital disciples? Would you do that in these final days?

Would you deliver us from our playing around and are wasting time and taken for granted, Lord, these precious moments, would you awaken your sons and daughters? Would you help me in my frailty and my weakness to proclaim these words of yours that are too great for anyone to properly explain. But let it some way somehow

make sense and not fall on deaf ears that is my plea and all humility and sincerity father I ask in the mighty you should look up that word and the majestic you should look up that word and the matchless name of our soon coming king the Lord Jesus Christ you should look up that word and all of God's children said amen and amen and amen you should look up those words you see they describe no one except the Lord Jesus Christ mighty majestic matchless now my brothers and sisters as I laid on the floor and my prayer closet this morning, crying out to God for you in tears. I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I should remind you that there is nothing. Hear me. There is nothing you're hearing right now anywhere

on social media or on podcast. There is nothing you're hearing right now anywhere that's more important than the words and teachings of Christ in this hour. There is no labor, no activity. There is nothing that you're doing right now with your life that's more important than those things that are directly connected to the will of God and the words of Christ for your life. There is nothing that you are involved in. that's more important than all the things that you are doing that are connected to the will of God for your life, absolutely nothing. And hear me, there is nothing for me more tragic than to think of all of the people who are alive right now in cities all across America and nations all around the world who are going to come to the end of their life and wake up on the other side of eternity with the shock of their life.

And there is nothing more tragic even than an act of the atheists of people who will sit in gatherings like this. Hear me for years with your arms folded and your heart closed and your ears deaf. And this is only a show. This is only a check off the box to ease your conscience. There is nothing. I'm telling you right now more tragic. Watch than people who will sit in rooms just like this or watch gatherings. just like this for decades, for years, thinking that they was all right with Christ.

Only to die, having been in church for years, and to wake up on the other side with the shock of their life. Hearing you cannot enter into this place. You sat in gatherings, but I never knew you. You played church, but I never knew you. You went to conferences, but I never knew you. You had devotionals, but I never knew you. There is nothing worse than the, watch, self-deceived Christian. Who have ignored the teachings of God's word,

who have ignored the warnings of God's word, who have ignored not only any warnings, but the warnings we come to this morning in our text, very serious words of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not playing with you this morning. morning. For you know how Christ has come into Jerusalem for what would be the final week of his life, leaving that city here sitting on top of the Mount of Olives.

He is surrounded by men who have no idea what's about to take place. They hear prophecy about the destruction of a beautiful complex and they ask questions, three of them. When will these things be? And what will be the signs of the end? and what will be the signs of your coming, to which the Lord ignores their first question. He prophesied about that destruction of the temple.

It happened 40 years later, confirming that he's a prophet and talk to them about the signs of the end times, the atmosphere of the earth just before his coming. He talked about those signs. He talked about his coming. He talked about the cracking of the sky. He told them that when you see these things

coming in rapid succession, you know that the end is near, he gave them the parable of the fig tree. And then on the heels of the parable of the fig tree, an analogy meant to tell people when you see these things coming, you know that the end is near. What the Lord says next is so critically important, I beg you to pay attention. says to them in Matthew chapter 24 after he said learn the lesson of the fig tree talking about

his personal second coming he says to them in verse 36 he says but concerning that day important word and watch our important word no one knows not even the angels of heaven nor the son but the father only so he says concerning the exact day and hour of my return no one knows the angels do not know not even the sun knows is what he said now pay attention to the text the lord says watch prior to this text he gave them signs of the end of the age and is coming so that we will know the season in which he would return. We will know the time frame in which he would return. We will know the atmosphere of the earth in which you will return. We will know these things that will happen just return. So we know that watch. The rapture will happen very soon. It can happen in our lifetime. There is nothing

else left to be fulfilled for the rapture to take place. First Thessalonians for the catching away of the church. Those who are dead in Christ will rise first. The dead will rise. Those who alive will be transformed to meet Christ in the air. The rapture of the church will happen next. Watch, it can happen next week, next year, next month. After the rapture of the church, the antichrist comes to power according to the scriptures. He will rule a 10 nation European confederacy. He will dominate the whole world. He will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, half right through that treaty, he will break it, but he desecrates the temple and sets up an idol for all people to worship him as God. The Lord then will execute his wrath on the world pouring out all of the bowls

and the vials and the judgments and the trumpets. We see this in the book of Revelation. And then immediately after that time, seven years, the Lord said he would return. Now, when those seven years is over, someday after those seven years, watch, the Lord will break the sky. although we know these things will happen according to the scriptures. What we don't know is the exact watch day. And what we don't know is the exact watch. Hour, but we know that he will watch. Come.

He will watch. Return. But as soon as the tribulation is over. As soon as the seven years is over. It could be a day after the seven years, a week after the seven years, 30 days after the seven years. But right after those seven years, on a day we don't know and an hour we don't know, The Lord will return.

Now, he says, of that day and hour, no man knows. So this debunks everybody who has made prophecies about the day he would return. This debunks every fool that would come after today that will make prophecies about the day he would turn. Anybody that rises up and say Jesus will return on this day, and this year at this hour is a false prophet. Don't matter their title, don't matter their platform, don't matter their age. Any man that rises up and say on this day, Tuesday, and this year, on this month, Christ will return is a false prophet.

Why? Because Christ said from his own mouth of that day and of that hour, no man knows. No angelic being knows. Angels can't whisper to anyone in a dream. and say, an angel came to me in a vision and told me that on this day, in this year, on this month, Christ will return. You have lied. You have been visited by a demon, but not by an angel because the angels don't know.

But the next part is crazy, too. He says not even the sun knows. Pause. Christ, who was God in the flesh, did not know the day that he would return? How could this be? Let's study this together. Christ, when he was on the earth, was fully God and fully human at the same time. So how could he not know?

The day of his coming, if he's God, if he's God, he is all-knowing. So how could he not know? I think the canosis of Philippians 2 solves this question. For Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, in Philippian chapter Sue, it said, when Christ came from glory, he did this word, watching Greek, he emptied himself, the canosis in Greek, of some of his divine nature, so that he can fully step into human.

to understand what it's like to be a human like you and I. Come on, man. The evidence that he emptied himself is that he needed to pray just like you. He fasted to get near God just like you. He did not perform a miracle until he returned from prayer and fasting in the power of the spirit just like you. just like you can. And so I believe in his humanity, like Lutz thought that when he was young,

Luke said he grew in wisdom and in stature with the father and with men. If he's growing, that means there's things he's learning as he's growing. And so because he was a full human, just like you, had to pray just like you, had to fast, just like you, so he could understand all the trials and temptations just like you. For this reason, the scripture says you should not be afraid to pray. Let me help some of you.

That's when the unknown right of Hebrew says, we have a high priest who understands everything that you go through. For this reason, you should stop being phony and just come to him how? Boldly, when should you come boldly? in times of need and mercy and grace. Then when your heart is hurting, come boldly. Then when your mind is heavy, come boldly. That when you're battling insecurities, come boldly. When your marriage is in trouble, come boldly.

When you have financial needs, come boldly. When you're battling lust, come boldly. When you're bound by addiction, come boldly. When you feel ashamed, come boldly. When you feel unworthy, come boldly. When you feel like you don't deserve it. Why are you hiding from him when he knows everything you're going through? When you've fallen and missed it, come boldly.

When you've sinned and made mistakes, come boldly. When you've drifted from him, come boldly. When you stop reading, come boldly. When you stop praying, come boldly. When you stop going to church, come back. Bowley. When you've been gone from the gathering for a long time, come back into fellowship, how boldly?

Man, I feel the spirit of God in here. It's the lies of the devil that keeps you out of his presence. I don't care how bad I missed it. I'm going to keep running back to the one who told me I should come to him how boldly here I am again Lord I messed up I'm here again Lord I fell down here I am again Lord I'm struggling here I am again Lord somebody shall come boldly Somebody give somebody give you high priest praise right now the one that hears everything when you come boldly Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who in Christ, it does not matter how bad you mess up.

You can return to him how. Boldly, you can pray how. Boldly, you can come into his presence, how? boldly because while while he was on the earth he was a man like you and I and I believe for that reason he did not know at the time he said this context the day or the hour I do believe now that he's seated at the right hand of the father he probably knows the day and the hour his hand on the doorknob of eternity

just waiting for the father to say go now and now and considering all of that what should be the posture of man has almost never been the posture of man and today is still not the posture of man we're not looking for him we're not expecting him that's what should be the posture of men but he tells us next what was the posture of man and what is the posture of man and what will be the posture of man. I just hope you're not that man. Verse 37, for as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the son of man. I feel the spirit of God.

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, family, pause. I want to draw your attention to three massive truths in that verse. Look right at me, especially for all of you that go to secular colleges. I want you to see first in that verse that the Lord Jesus from his own mouth confirms the historicity of Noah and a global flood. all right he did not talk about Noah

like he was a myth and he did not talk about the flood like it was a myth Jesus confirmed the existence of Noah and the existence of a global flood as read in Genesis 6 through 8 and 9

which means when we hear people mock that historical account we got to decide is that fool credible or is Christ credible one of them is a lot of It dang's sure ain't Christ. You see, atheists all the time. Here Christian fools all the time.

No, that was just mythological. There was no global flood. That was just a symbol and a prototype. Excuse me. Jesus confirms. Look at me. The historicity of Noah as a human. being and he confirms the historicity of a global flood that means they happen do you know the world

right now was scarred with the evidence of a global flood you know about the marinerish trench and all these deep water trenches where we can't how you think they got there the scripture says the fountains of the deep burke open leaving all around the planet massive cracks in the floor for water to come all the way up and rise scientists have found plankton

at the top of mountains are organism that only grows underwater when the scripture says the waters rose above the highest mountain come on man y'all playing around the scripture says that ship came to rest on the mountains of ararat in the middle east the bottom of that ship has been found in the 1940s by a pilot flying over the mountains they have found petrified wood petrified iron and an anchor stone with the names of eight people on it there is a town near that mountain that was named after noah

The Lord said that there was a firmament, a ground between the waters above and the waters beneath. That means at one point in history, there was a layer of water that wrapped the whole world that's no longer there. Where you think all that rain came from to fill the earth above the highest mountain. That water probably protected. people from aging too fast. That's why they lived for 400, 500, 600, 800, 800 years. And after the flood, you see the lifespan of man going all the way down. Dealing with that hot sun with no water.

The second thing I want you to know from this text is that Noah was 500 years old when the Lord told him to build that ship. Watch. And if you read the narrative, he was 600 when they entered the ark, which means he spent 100 years of his life building a ship. He died at 950. This is equivalent to you spending a decade of your life, obeying God to do one thing while people don't understand. He's building a ship on dry ground for 100 years when they're building. They never saw rain. They're probably mocking him, scoffing at him, laughing at him. What are you doing?

He had to listen to people. Not understand his obedience, but he had a word from the Lord. This is why you need to just obey God even when people don't understand. They don't know why you moved to Atlanta to be a part of 2819 church. They don't know why you walked away from that job to be a part of 2819 church.

They don't know why you started that business, started that ministry, started that podcast. They don't know why you stopped doing this fill in the blank. They don't understand why you. you're not a witch anymore. They don't know why you don't mess with crystals anymore. They don't know why you don't mess with horoscopes anymore. They don't know why you go to church faithfully or why you serve on a team or why you're in a

squad or why you give your money to the church. They don't understand that. The Lord ain't call you to be understood. He called you to be obedient. I know this personally. Got every Tom Dick and Harry trying to mock me, spend all their time making videos about me, wasting all their breath while I'm out here preparing the way

for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Go ahead. Keep making your videos. When it's all said and done, we will see what legacy you left. and one legacy I left. Too busy about my father's business. The third thing I want you to know about this text.

Hear me. Listen, that the scripture says in 2.5, don't touch that. Second Peter 2.5. that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. That means them hundred years he was building, he was preaching. Come on, man. Building, preaching. Building, preaching.

Building, preaching. Building, preaching. Preaching, being ignored. Preaching, being ignored. Preaching being ignored until the day the first drop of rain fell. The water start rising and then why, and people are everywhere banging on the door of the ark like let us in let us in the water's rising let us in let us in no you should have heard the warning before it began to rain why you wasn't listening

when you was in church. Why was you ignoring the proclamation of God's word? He said in the days of Noah, men were marrying, drinking, giving in marriage, i.e., they were doing life preoccupied, but everything outside of God, outside of his word, outside of warning, they were busy doing everything we do now, Just doing life, no Christ. Doing life, no God. I'm doing my own thing, building my own thing,

getting ambitions for your own thing. This is my life. This is busy doing everything except the will of God. And he says it'll be the same way in the end until watch men are swept away in judgment. Why? You spent your whole life doing what you wanted to do. Never did what God called us to do,

but just be faithful to His Word until you take your last breath and are swept away. in judgment busy but not fruitful but i can't get a hold of you you he i'm busy busy doing what building your own kingdom but not his verse 40 this is what's going to happen when he comes then two men will be in the field one will be taken and one will be left then two women will be grinding at the mill one will be taken and one will be left stop many of you have read this and see commentators read that and they think they're talking about the rapture but the lord can't be talking about the rapture because he's talking about when he comes back the rapture happens at the beginning of the tribulation period I can prove it to you, right? We are caught up before the tribulation period. The scripture says in Revelation 310, we shall not see that day of wrath. Right? Let me just give you some sneak. What can I say? Let me just give you some insight in the book of Revelation. Look right at me. Revelation 1, 2,

and 3, the Lord is talking to the church. Revelation 4, he tells John, come up hither. Then you see no mention of the Christian church from chapter 5 until chapter 19. No mention of the Christian church from chapter 5 to chapter 19 the only thing you see is God dealing with Israel and the outpouring of his wrath during the tribulation period then in chapter 19 you see Jesus at the marriage supper of the lamb with the church who was there for seven years and he's returning with them behind him the armies on the right horse that means the church was raptured before the tribulation period an event that can have happen at any day now.

He's not going to take us up to bring us right back down at the end. That doesn't make any sense. So this is not about the rapture. It's why you need to study the word in context. The verb here taken means taken in judgment. Which means when the Lord comes, one man will be taken in judgment. Another man will be left. One woman will be taken in judgment.

The other person will be left. When he comes, he will remove people who was a person. against them, remove people who's not saved, and those who remain will enter into the millennial kingdom he's coming to establish. The verb for taken is taken in judgment, not taken to the sky, taken towards hell. Which means when he comes, he will settle everyone's account. because he's coming look what he says next

because people will be caught off guard look what he says next because people are going to go to church their whole life and be sleeping look what he says next verse 42 therefore stay awake for you do not

No, on what day your Lord is coming. Day of four, stay awake. Live every day with expectation of the coming of the Lord. How do you stay awake? Have a prayer life. Have knowledge of the word. Be in biblical community. Have people around you who are serious about the gospel.

Come out of apathy. Come out of lethargy. Come out of sin. Come out of pride. Pursue Christ. Stay awake. stay watchful, stay alert. Check your heart.

Make sure you're really saved for real. Is it just church or is it a relationship? I'm so tired of y'all American Christians. Just in and out of church. Christmas and Resurrection Sunday. Check off the box two times a month. No relationship. I'm trying to help y'all stay awake now he strengthens his admonition to stay awake with a simple story

man I love this story because I'm from New York don't get caught slipping coming to my house I got more than bibles in my house he says verse 43 but know this that if the master of that house had known and what part of the night the thief was coming he would have stayed awake and will not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be, watch this word, ready when the Lord comes for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. He said, man, if a person had a house and knew that at three o'clock in the morning, a thief was going to be broken, man, he would be ready for that thief. I know we're in Georgia, so I know we licensed to carry. Come on, we got guns everywhere. If you knew at exactly 3 a.m.,

somebody was coming to break into your house, you'd be sitting on the steps with the shot. gun like this. Come on, we in Georgia. You got the pistol right next to you, got the AK next to you, waiting right there, just waiting, right, just like this. Wait, you're going to be, watch this word. Ready.

As soon as he broke through that back door, bullets is flying. I'm from New York. I live in Georgia now. I got guns everywhere on all the floors. First floor, second floor, basement. You better not come at my house at 2 o'clock in the morning. I'm going to be ready for you. A patty cake all you want. If you knew somebody was coming at 4.34, you would be ready.

The point is trying to make sense. I already told you I'm coming. Get ready. When? Now. Why are you waiting to get right? Why are you waiting to be obedient? Why are you waiting to be faithful? Why are you waiting to serve? Why are you waiting to give? Why are you waiting to pray? Be ready when? And because people are not ready now, watch this. The rapture will happen and people will enter into the tribulation because they're not ready. That might happen in our lifetime. I could be talking right now and five years from now. Some of y'all sitting in this room end up in the tribulation because you was not ready for the rapture.

And then seven years later, you still won't get right and will not be ready for the return of Christ. It can all happen in our lifetime. And he closes with a contrast. Verse 45, who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over all, watch, his household. Watch this. To give them their food at the proper time. Blessed is the servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. Stop. Listen, the Lord says, Because who then is the faithful and wise servant? A person who is ready is faithful and wise. And then look at the words carefully so you don't miss this. He said who is over his household. The word, his very important word, meaning he prototype every servant as a steward,

which means for no one owns anything. And he says, who will be a faithful steward when I come, i.e. who will be a faithful steward over your time, over your money? Don't want to pay your bills, don't want to come out of debt, don't want to do right with your money, your money, your time, who will be faithful with their time, their money, their relationships, their opportunities, their assignments. Do you know everything under your possession you are a steward for? That means, watch, this whole life is a test of stewardship. You get your little 70 years here, your little 80 years here, that's nothing compared to eternity. And what we have right now is a moment to show the father that everything you've put in my hand, I can faithfully stewardess.

Watch how I handle my spouse. Watch how I handle my children. Watch how I handle my check and my job. Watch how I handle my bills and my debt. Watch how I handle my opportunities. Watch how I handle my staff position at the job. Watch how I handle my time. Watch how I steward my relationship.

This is all a test your whole life. Man, some of y'all are going to be in the shock of your life when you die. This whole life is only a test of stewardship. The Lord says, because I'm coming, will I find faithful men and women when I come? Will I find you being a good steward? Watch, over everything I entrusted to you. Watch this word, temporarily. It is not yours.

And then he says, watch, if I come and find you being a good steward, watch, your little money now, your little check, you're finding over that you don't give your little portion to the church, your little job now, your little 401 pay, your little few million dollars you have in the bank, your little opportunities, your temporary assignment to just be a good usher, Be a good preacher, be a good fill in the blame. All that, you're little temporary, all of that. If you be faith, I will set you over all of my possessions in the afterlife.

You're fighting for titles now. Instead of serving humbly and being a good steward humbly that you can beat, watch, reigning with Christ for eternity. And you will never understand that. See, I know in America, y'all don't understand that because you'll be clamoring for all this stuff. Your heart is too tethered to these temporary things. It's why you fight over your little check.

It's why you don't support the church. It's why you don't stay out. You don't care for your opportunities. It's why you're not faithful with your assignments. It's why you're not faithful with your life. Your heart is too tethered to right now. It's why you can't see it's only a test. Don't say when you arrive that you was not told.

I told you today, all of this is only a test. It's maturity that begins to release your heart from being so attached to the things of this life. There's a lot of things I can do and I don't do because I'm being a good steward. There's a lot of things I could buy and I don't buy because I'm being a good steward. It's only a test. Your heart? is too attached to now is why you can't see the greater blessing of the future i philip anthony mitchell would not be caught slipping i want to be a good steward over everything he has

watch his word entrusted to me watch this let me close with this watch you don't like that you don't want to be told you're a steward you don't want to be told that you're not an owner of anything your little check your little bank account your little 401k your little few million dollars your little couple thousand dollars your little house your little car your little girlfriend boyfriend husband wife children you don't want to be told your steward you want it's mine i'm going to do it what i want you don't want you don't want the blessings that you don't want that part all right so you want you want you want the last part that's what you want 48 to 51 but if That wicked servant says to himself, my master is delayed.

The Lord ain't coming no time soon. I got all this time to get right and begins to beat his fellow servants. You take advantage of other people and eats and drinks with the drunkards. I'm just going to live a cool life and put my foot up. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him. I'm done, Sam. you want this part and at an hour he does not know and he will cut him in pieces

and put him with the hypocrites because that's what you are when you call yourself a Christian and don't live as a steward you die and end up a hypocrite in that place he can confirms the existence of hell, there will be on that day, the shock of people's lives, weeping and gnashing of teeth. There are going to be many people who have gone to church, gone to conferences, read books who are going to die because you was a poor steward.

You was not ready. You was not watching. You was not awake. You're going to die and wake up in eternity thinking you was okay, only to hear, depart from me. so well how could that happen to a real Christian watch well it can't because every real believer will be taking his words you can't be filled with the spirit you can't be filled with the spirit hear the teachings of Christ and not care my question for you is all you really saved because if you feel no conviction through proclamation

then maybe the spirit of God is not in there and the spirit of not got in there you the you're verse 48 to 51 on Thursday on Thursday and Friday of this week on Thursday and Friday of this week my wife we celebrated 21 years of marriage And our staff gave us a gift to Chateau-E-Lan. So we went out to Chateau-E-Lan and we ate food and had a little glass of wine and we walked the grounds and we seen how they made their juices and their wines and we took tours and we walked and we went to the spa together and, you know, there was all in my toes and I didn't like that. and but but but but but when on the last day we was walking back to the hotel and seen a woman in the parking lot and when she saw me her eyes lit up bright and tears fell from her eyes and she ran up on me she said pastor is that really you is that really you pastor

she says my name is emily i'm a digital disciple i live in so-and-so state And she began to weep and cry. And she said, thank you for your ministry and thank you for 2019 and thank you for the spread of the gospel. Watch. And with tears in her eyes, she looked up at the sky and she said, Pastor, I'm waiting for the day when my Savior cracks the sky. And she cried, and I cried, and Lena cried. And she says, I'm waiting for him to come. And then she said that my heart was overwhelmed because I thought, man, this is what God wants for all of his children.

He wants you to live with an expectation of his coming. Watch. He wants you to long for him. And there are too many of you, you will never feel what Emily felt because you're doing everything other than intimacy with Christ. You cannot tell me you're intimate with him And you don't want to see him Our hope is not wrath Our hope is not the tribulation

My hope is that one day I will see the one who saved me How do you not desire that What do you have now in this life That is more precious than being with Christ Not my ministry Not 2819 Not this platform, not a million people follow me on Instagram, not the money I have in the bank.

There is nothing I possess that's more valuable than the day I would say I will be united with my Savior. And the more time I spend in prayer, and the more time I spend in his word, and the closer I get to him, the more I want to be with him. How do you not desire that? You don't desire that because your heart is full of everything other than Christ. Emily is what the Lord wants for us. He wants us to long to see him, desire to see him. He wants you driving to work and staring at the clouds and saying, one day I'm going to be with you beyond those clouds.

One day, I will sit at the marriage supper of the lamb. One day, I will cast my crowd at your feet. One day, you will redeem me from myself. suffering, my labor, my tears, my issues, my problems, my sin. Listen, that is the, you think the reward is a platform? Come on, man. You think this is glory? You think this is the reward? You think getting to some place financially is the reward? You think buying your dream house is the reward? You think getting married is the reward? What is this? It's a temporary service.

I'm only a servant. My reward is that I will be able to say with Paul, I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished my race, not yours. Stop all that jealousy and covetousness. Finish your race. And now there is a crown laid up for me. and he's going to put it on me because I was faithful now while you're playing church

and I'm going to take that crowd and I'm going to lay it at his feet and I'm going to look at my robe that's been stayed in his blood and be thankful for the endless ages of eternity for what Christ has done for me saved me from my sins allowed me to be in this kingdom gave me access to his presence gave me his word gave me his spirit gave me community gave me opportunities sign my name in the book of heaven the book of life what is going to be greater than that you have nothing in this life that is greater than that

Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing You have nothing in this life That is greater than that Nothing

Nothing you're going after It's going to be greater than that Nothing Not your dream Not your visions Not your ambitions You have nothing you're pursuing That's going to be greater than that

so i long for him i do these fools don't know me i long for him i long for him i think about the day i will see him i be in my prayer closet imagining the day i will see his face i will look into his eyes and he will melt my soul because his eyes are like a blessing Amazing fire. And now with every head bowed and every eye close, there are people in this room right now, people watching me across this camera, and I don't care.

Listen carefully. You are far away from God. You've been playing church. Playing conference, playing all these things, far away. You're going to get swept away and be banging on the door of the ark and it's going to be shut. But the Lord not warning you to perish.

Sent his son, nailed them to a cross, died for your sin, dead in mind. He says if anyone would turn from their sin, put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that shall be saved, he knew this day was coming for you. I don't even know what else you need, but a full surrender. If I'm talking to you, this is the moment when you start praying right there in your heart, right there in your seat, Lord, forgive me for my sins. I surrender my life to you. No more playing around.

All of me, for all of you. Surrender. Surrender. You may not get this chance next week. Surrender. You are among his elect. He already knew this day was coming. Surrender.

Christians are praying. You're not watching? We ain't playing around. People are headed to hell. Now, nobody can't see but me. And if that's you and you just surrendered and you're saying, preacher, I want you to pray for me now. On a count of three, I just want you to throw your hands up.

I just want to see who I'm praying for. One, the Lord was calling you. Two, today is the day of salvation. Three, lift your hands in the air. Oh, my God. Oh my God, hundreds of hands everywhere, probably across this camera. Leave them up. Oh, my God.

Put your hands down. I pray for everybody now. Father, I pray first for those hands. I thank you that by the power of your Holy Spirit, you are saving them, bringing them into the kingdom. You are writing their name in the land. Lamb's Book of Life. You are washing them from their sins. You are making them sons and daughters. They belong to you. Fill them with your spirit. Lead them down the pads of righteousness. Let them run after you with their whole heart and not look back. I thank you that they are being saved and will persevere until the end.

And then, Father, I pray for everyone else who are my brothers and sisters, that you will pour out in our souls a longing for you. We would live with an expectation of your coming. We would desire you more than anything else in this life. Deliver our hearts from being overly tethered to these temporary things. I say you pour out on this, Lord, a spirit of stewardship. And from this day forward, let us be found faithful stewards when you come. Over our time, our relationships, our opportunities, our assignment, our money, our resources, everything.

Let us be faithful stewards, living with an expectation, praying, serving, giving, pushing the gospel forward in these last days because time is running out. I pray that over us in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name, Bible Lord and Savior. You know.