We Shall Not Be Moved — David Wilkerson

We're a pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to world challenge p .o box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling two one four nine six three eight six two six.

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The Call to Remain Unshaken in Christ

God put us in that number Psalm 16. Well, that was powerful. Praise the Lord. And everybody can sit in their seat with that praise the Lord. Glory to Jesus. I want to read just two verses from Psalm 16 verse 7 and 8.

I'm reading from King James. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord Always before me because he is at my right hand. I Shall not be moved.

Now I think in the new American standard says I will not be shaken and you'll see in just a while that it means the Very same thing. I shall not be shaken. I shall not be moved. I've set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand.

I shall not be moved. Let's pray Holy Spirit, there is no way that the world can find its mark or change of life Without the anointing and the unction of the Holy Ghost Holy Spirit. I bow my heart before you.

I bow my heart humbly before God and I ask that you quicken the world that you placed in my heart. There's nothing can happen in this service tonight. The world will fall flat without that power and unction of the Holy Ghost Lord Jesus, you have always given that authority in this pulpit.

We thank you for the men that you've called to bring a people in the conformity of the image of the Lord Jesus. Now Holy Ghost come upon me. I yield my body as an instrument of righteousness I yield it know that you may speak take my voice and make it an oracle of God tonight and let the world Cut and let it heal and let it bless and edify.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Hallelujah, we should not be moved. Now David has just made a powerful boast in the Lord. I shall not be moved. Now the Hebrew word that he used is moat. Which means to waver slip slide shake fall Decay or get off course.

Now to read this properly David is saying I shall not waver or slip or slide or shake or quake or fall or decay or get off my Spirits, of course I'm not going to be moved. Now when I was a boy, we had a fast and camp meeting down in living waters, Pennsylvania camp meeting.

In fact, those were very poor days and The only vacation people had was can't meet in two weeks of camp meeting. Hundreds and hundreds of people gather at Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania living waters campground and one of the favorite songs I was just a kid.

It was I shall not be. I shall not be moved. Just like a tree that's planted by the water. I'm gonna sing it for you. I shall not be moved. And I it was awesome to see hundreds of people singing I'd clap their hands so they'll never get ice enough be moved.

It had created a steadfastness in that people not just the song but the intensity and they met it. Nothing will move me from my steadfastness in Jesus Christ. Now, of course that song has been Prostituted by activist groups in past years.

They have used this for the civil rights movement. They've used it for the abortion Groups and they're singing this. I shall not be moved meaning. I shall not be moved for my commitment to the cause. Has been a prostituted soul.

It's also been the song of billionaire Trump Donald Trump. I shall not be moved. It was the theme song of Iron Man heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. These men ghostly I shall not be moved. I'm on the top of the world.

Nobody can touch me. I'll never fall slip slide or waver. The Bible says the wicked has said in his heart. I shall not be moved for I shall never be in trouble. He said in his heart God's forgotten me.

He hided his face. You'll never see it. You'll never see it cheat on your wife. You'll never see it. Do what you please. You'll never see it. That's the reason they believe that they shall never be moved.

I remember years ago some of you here remember the Beatles. But you know, it's amazing how quickly the world loses its appeal. A lot of kids Don't even know who the Beatles are. They think the little beds down at Epcot Center last week when wife and I on vacation.

There's a thing there with Michael Jackson. He has a 3d movie and I saw people lining up. I don't know kids. Who's Michael Jackson. All right, who's Michael Jackson? The popularity is done. They shall never be moved into just a few years.

They moved and they fall and they go on but the Beatles boasted. I remember that very best. I remember reading it and hearing on the radio. One of the Beatles said we are more popular than Jesus Christ.

We will outlive him. One punch and the mighty Iron Man Tyson was on the canvas. One one bullet and down went John Lennon. One seductress and the billionaires and power Trump is beginning to unravel one seductress.

They these boasted I shall never be moved. I'll never be in trouble. I'll never slide. I'll never fall but God said surely you did set them in slippery places. That casteth them down into destruction and in a moment they fell in a moment they fell.

Apostasy and the Remnant God Will Preserve

Now I believe we're living in the days right now that Paul the Apostle Prophesied about he said that the coming of the Lord before he comes that day shall not come except there come a falling away first.

Now, you know as well as I do that all sides right now. There's an apostasy. There's a falling away and the scripture said Jesus will not come and tell this great falling away takes place. You see it right now in the ministry.

We have lived for the past two years of seeing minister after minister famous falling. We've seen it in a lesser scale among churches everywhere. We just got a notice this morning of the church. The deacons waited on the pastor to have him removed.

They asked the rest of the deacons to go to the pastor and ask him to resign because they Caught him coming out of an R-rated movie. And others had seen him at a tape place where they sell tapes. Checking out a whole bunch of R-rated tapes.

Very evident that the man was addicted to pornography and they asked do they went to the pastor. Three of them went to the pastor. Pastor blew up threw them out of the church and he continues there going on.

Well one day that'll be exposed because God's exposing all of that kind of garbage in the church. He's exposing it in the pew. He's exposing it everywhere. There is a great Falling a great idolatry a great prostitution of the gospel today.

But my message tonight is not about the falling away. My message tonight about is about God's intention to have a people in these last days who will not fall. Slip or slide or waver decay or get off course.

God is going to have that people and he's in the process of putting that body together right now now. Suffice to say he's always had that body. He had it in the New Testament Church. He's had it all through history, but I believe in this climatic day of the last day before Jesus comes.

It's the getting together of all things. This is the capstone. He's going to have a capstone remnant pure and righteous and steadfast and Every demon can be spit out of hell and they're not gonna fall.

Every kind of wickedness can be poured out of baptism of more filth and degradation and they will not be moved. They're going to be strong and steadfast as strong as any generation has ever produced by the Holy Ghost.

Here's the promise God has made to them the thousands of fall at your side. Ten thousand at your right hand, but it should not come nigh to you. Hallelujah. Now, let me talk about this matter of Not being moved in these last days.

I'm going to say it clearly God is getting ready of people who will not be moved in these last days. No matter what kind of trouble no matter what kind of destruction is coming. The scripture says even though the earth be removed and the mountains will be carried into the sea.

Psalm 46 and Steadfastness Amid Worldly Upheaval

Now I want you to go with me to Psalms 46. We're going to go a lot of places in the Psalms tonight. God's going to bless us right out of our boots in Psalms. If you don't have boots we'll take shoes. Psalms 46 Verses 1 to 5.

Beloved. God's going to send a revival of steadfastness a revival of steadfastness Upon a people who are part of this city of God that he's putting together first my verses. God is our refuge and strength.

The very person helping trouble. Therefore will not be fear though the earth be removed. Though the mountains be carried in the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

There's a river the streams whereof shall make God the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her and that right early praise God.

Now I want you to look at the condition that's going to be prevalent when God raises up these people and It's all outlined in this this very chapter. First of all the scripture talks about waters. In fact go on just a little bit.

Verse 6. The heathen waves the king is removed. He uttered his voice the earth melted now. That's happening right now. Look at me, please if you stop for just a moment think of the conditions in the world right now, you'll find them Described right here.

Now, you'll find them described. Paul over the David is pointing to a time in history a time in which we live right now. The conditions that are prevalent right now. You can go get a New York Times tonight and you'll read it justice.

David prophesied in here. It's all very clear. The Lord of hostess the hate. The heathen waves the king is removed. What kind of kingdoms are being moved right now. Russia are the Eastern Black countries?

He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hostess with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. First a come behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he is making in the earth. Makes most to cease into the end of the earth.

He breaks the bell. That means he's going to break all the armies of the world. He's going to make them powerless. In light of his glory, he's going to cut the spear and sender. He's going to burn the chariot in the fire.

Did you get a picture of the Russians high-tailing it out of Afghanistan. They couldn't wait to get out the whole Russian army moving out total defeat giving up on Afghanistan. Even now the Russian army that was once so powerful Once so mighty is now in shambles.

Russia is on the brink of financial bankruptcy. What happened. God? suddenly spoke the word. We're living in that time right now. He said he's going to break the bell cut the spear and sender burn the chariots in the fire.

He said the heathen will rage. The kingdoms will fall. The governments will melt. At the sound of his voice. He said the mountains will shake. The waters are going to roll. Be troubled. The waters speak of people as Bob mentioned this morning.

They're going to war. There's going to be a wave. After wave coming and pounding the shore the trouble waters. Well, the psalmist is speaking of the same day that Jesus were told about. Didn't Jesus say the day is coming.

When there be such horrible things coming on the earth. That men's hearts will fail them for fear beholding those things that are coming to pass. Or brother sister. It's happening right now that hearts of men are failing them for fear all across the world.

Now would you stop with me for just a moment think of what we have witnessed in the past two years alone? Do you remember the upheaval in China the massacre in Beijing in Tiananmen Square? Hundreds and thousands of young people gathered and then the machine guns were opened on those young people.

That's been in the past two years. We've seen the fall of the Iron Curtain. Who could have ever believed when we started this year that we would look back and see in just such a short time. There the bulldozers are there right now bulldozing down that wall.

Who would ever thought that in just a few months both Germany's would come together and that Beast that was wounded that head that was wounded is being healed again. That beast is rising again. It's going to be the heart of that new revived Roman Empire.

Who could have ever believed that? Russia would rush to the peace table to sign almost every affidavit every peace proposal. Reduction of troops everything that our representative Baker laid on the table.

They signed on the dot. There's an urgency in Russia. They need our dollars. Isn't it amazing that America's going to have to bail out the communists and we're so dumb and so stupid we'll do it. Who would have ever believed that just a year ago?

In Romania a Heartless bloody dictator was shaking his fist at the world and now he's underground. Who'd ever believe that we would have the leaders of Poland and Czechoslovakia? Standing before our Congress saying the very same thing that the Prophet David and David was a prophet is saying right here.

They said our nation is in shambles. Asking America to bail them out. Who could have ever believed it. Well, we have in Russia right now. Whole states trying to secede from that Union. What would you think of Texas trying to secede from the United States?

And that's the very thing they have their states are trying to secede from that Union. Think of Panama the war that we've just concluded. Niagara's in jail. Think of South Africa and the turmoil there all over the world.

There's not a spot that not a place that is not in perplexity. The sea and the waves roaring. Trouble in Lithuania, Armenia East and West Germany Afghanistan and in America. Thousands of our SNL's have gone bankrupt.

It's going to cost they estimate now 250 to 300 billion dollars to bail out those banks and the biggest are still going down. Drexel Lambert who just recently was the biggest junk bond house. America goes down.

Federated goes down and now all the major department stores in New York Sox Bloomingdale all the other major department stores are for sale. They're on the market bargain sale prices. Nobody seems to want to buy them.

Could you imagine? You know at Christmas time if you had gone into Bloomingdale's and seen all the activity and and everything looks so Bright and now that is on the market. They're just hanging on the brink of bankruptcy.

Can you believe that? Even Macy's is in trouble. Here we are in this city all these years these many many Decades now many of these stores. They're hard to do in this city. Now. It's all tarnished. Look at Wall Street.

35 ,000 people been laid off in just two years now. New York City bonds have been downgraded once again the second time now this year or the last year. We're facing a billion-dollar shortfall this next year.

Massachusetts is about to go bankrupt. New York and New Jersey face multi-billion dollar shortages in their budgets and they're still spending like broken sailors. Or how precise God's word is. The waters will wear and be troubled.

How precise the word of God is? The brother Sister in the midst of all of this shaking in the midst of all this turmoil. David gives us a picture prophetically of a people that are sitting beside a steel screen.

While the waves are around the maroon. There's a city of God. It's a people holy and sanctified. And there's a river running right through them and they're sitting there drinking from that river and their hearts are glad.

They're unmovable. Everything is shaking around and they stand unmovable unshaken. Read it again with me verse three. Though the waters thereof wear and be troubled. Though the mountains shake with the smelling thereof.

Now, that's the scene all around us, but look in the house of God. There is a river the streams whereof shall make God the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacles of the most high God. God is in the midst of her.

She shall not be moved and God shall help her. And that right early hallelujah would you. Follow me very closely now. God is in the midst of this people now. God himself is describing a People we're not going to be moved.

She speaking of his church this last day. Holy remnant shall not be moved. This people among whom I will draw. They will drink from the river of my presence and they will not slip. They will not slide.

They will not get off course. I'm gonna hold them. Hallelujah. Now brother sister God has given us some ironclad Promises to keep a certain people from falling in the last days. Let's go to Psalm 121.

God's Preservation of His People

Psalm 121. You love the word Psalm 121. I'm going to read the whole Chapter all eight verses. Had you scared there for just a moment? Psalm 121. You're to mark these chapters. Why if you ever get discouraged and you want to know what God's about to do.

Keep a record of these scriptures. I'm giving you tonight. I will lift up my eyes under the hills and once come with my head. My heart coming from the Lord which had made heaven and earth. He will not suffer that foot to be moved.

He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy what? The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon the right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve that going out and that coming in from this time forward even forever praise his name. The Lord is thy keeper.

Now what that means? He's your guard in it in a Hebrew. It suggests a wall of thorns. He's. I'm going to be a wall of fire around you. But as far as the enemy I'm going to be a wall of thorns outside that wall of fire.

I see two walls. I'll see first a wall of thorns if the devil wants to get near the fire first of all, he's going to get hurt. Even before he gets to the fire. He said I'm going to be your God. I'm going to be your keeper.

I Wonder how many in the balcony here the main floor hearing me tonight. I'm willing to step up by faith and really receive that God is promising us tonight. I'm going to read it again 121 verse 7 and 8 look at it.

Don't read it unless you're ready to accept it. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. You don't have to be afraid. But you're going to slip and slide and fall and waver. Now we're going to have we're going to show the qualifications for this in just a few moments.

So don't don't get too happy about it until you see if you meet the qualifications. But are you ready by faith to say this is what I want. The Lord preserved thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out. By coming in from this time forward and even forever more. I'm going to do it through time and eternity. I'm going to protect every step. I'm going to lead you every way.

He's I'm gonna even lead you right through eternity. Praise God. He's saying Lord Let me get let me give you another. Don't turn a bit Psalm 66 8 and 9 if you want to mark it and go home. And read it.

David said all bless our God ye people and make the voice. And make the voice of his praise to be heard. Who holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved? Look at me, please. David said through all my trials through all my testing through all my dry spells.

Through all the things I've been through. Lord you have my soul in life. You have my soul in life. You didn't let death come to me. You didn't let my spirit die. I may not have been red-hot. I may not have been where I should have been but there's something in me.

You said you learn and you have my soul in life. You didn't let my feet slip. You didn't let me be moved. You heard me and some of you sitting right now. You know what David's talking about. You know exactly what he's talking about because you've been tested the devil tried to tear your soul apart.

He tried to bring you down to debris. He tried to tell you you'll never make it. He tried to tell you you're gonna blow it all. But sin is gonna overwhelm you. That your harbors are gonna possess you and bring you down that you'll never be clean.

You'll never be sanctified through all the testing through all the lies of the devil. The Lord had your soul in life. He said praise the Lord that other people here through my trials and tests you hold my soul steady.

Here you sit in this church tonight yearning for Jesus more than you've ever yearned. You've made the devil matter and you've ever made him. And it was all God's doing. He held you in life. Oh Thank God.

Holiness, Pastoral Accountability, and the Qualifications for Steadfastness

I look back and I thank you for holding me in life. He didn't let death overwhelm me. Now, who are these people that are going to be immovable? Who are these what qualifications? Why is it that God is going to protect them now?

Not everybody that says Lord. Lord is going to be immovable in these last days. There'll be many of them that are lost. I think of some of these people in the headlines now and that are cheating and living in sin and doing all these crazy things and.

Then I read about the churches they attend. And I get to thinking Lord. What are they hearing? Is the preacher afraid to stand up and teach the gospel for fear that someone that's got a lot of money? Or prestige will not come back again.

Well, I dread the thought of having to stand before the judgment day and answer for not preaching truth to people. When I prepare a word I know it's the same with all these pastors. I don't I don't even stop to think of who it might hurt.

I Wanted to hurt me first. When I had to hurt people out to confirm people to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. But to do that you've got to do a lot of cutting and pounding. If the sword of the Lord has to go right through to the poison.

Hallelujah. Who are these? Immovable ones and what qualified them to be kept. What's going to qualify this people? Once you get it back to Psalm 16 8. Back to Psalm 16 8. Now you can't say now listen closely.

You can't say I Shall not be moved. Until you can say with David. I have set the Lord always before me. Look at it in verse 8. I Have set the Lord always before me. Yeah, did you mark that? All right look this way, please.

This is one of the most important statements and out of God's Word. It's the secret of being steadfast and immovable in these troubled times. There's something David did. God didn't do it. David did it it was a discipline.

We have a lot of people just sitting around waiting for God to reveal himself. God preached about Jesus passing this way and he made it clear. He's passing that way so you reach out and touch him. He wanted to draw out of us.

He wanted to draw out of us a desire a Will and there has to be a will involved. David said I have set My the Lord always before me. This is something David did he said I'll set the Lord over before my face.

David and that word that is used there set is the only place in the Bible and it's used in this Connotation the word means adjust the only place in the Bible that that particular word set is used in the Hebrew connotation of adjustment and that David saying I've adjusted my lifestyle.

I've adjusted my whole life so that every waking hour. Well, I've disciplined myself to do this. It just didn't happen. I've disciplined my life and my spirit my eyes to have Jesus ever before my face.

You can't say I will not be moved until you can say I have set the Lord always before my face he said. What is really saying? I will not do anything. You know, we say without Christ I can do nothing. Well, it's more than that.

Because you see there are many who believe that but David goes a step further. It's not only Lord, I Can't do anything without you, but you could say that I know I can do anything with you because you've given me the strength.

But David's saying something even deeper. He's saying Lord, I'll not do anything outside of the gaze of your eyes. I Never do anything in secret. I never do anything to grieve you. I'm gonna do everything I'm gonna act and I'm gonna live and I'm gonna think in my home.

In my business in my job everything Jesus I want to do it within the reach of your arm. The reach of your eyes. I want to be so close to you. I want to set you right there before my face so that a Thousand times a day no matter where I look my eyes are fixed on you.

They always come back to you and I press Christ. I press Jesus under every activity and everything I do. I press Jesus into that picture. I'll set him before my eyes and when you do that to begin to see the foolishness of this world.

You begin to see the shortness of time you begin to see anything to give him picture. You begin to say Lord, you know, they'll just say Lord. How does this benefit me? How does it benefit just my family?

But Lord, how does this benefit you? How does this fit into your eternal purpose? How does this fit in because you see God has a plan everything is flowing toward a plan. Everything that does on earth is flowing toward that moment when he'll be glorified and he's bringing a body bringing a church into that unity into that flow.

And brother sister everything we do is to fit into that flow of the eternal purpose of God in Jesus Christ.

The end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two.

Fixing Every Calling and Activity on Jesus

It means that you no matter what your job is. It's not just for preachers who are full-time in the ministry, it's for everyone here in my voice. You ought to be so far gone in Jesus you're supposed to go so far out in Jesus you can't come back.

You're the trip out on Jesus so you can't come back so far out in him. You don't set your face on anything else. When people set their face on the ministry, they set their face on their job. They set their face on their family.

They set their face on everything, but Jesus and that's why they're disappointed. That's why they're up and down and hot and cold. They have not fixed their gaze. When I woke up this morning. First thing when I get up now David God's been pressing it first thing.

I get up. I begin to minister to him. I begin to discipline myself and say Jesus. Not just a half an hour this morning and even though David said I pray in the evening morning at noon David said I have a fixed position.

My mind is going out. I Want my mind? That's what he's going to take in these last days. He's going to be a people who have so fixed their eyes on Jesus. That any distraction now you can still do your business and you do a better job.

But filter it all through him. He said what I want more than your power more than your strength. I Want to see that everything I do Flows into your telephone. I want to see what I'm doing through your eyes.

How does this bless you in the kingdom of God and David's cry is I've got to have him at my right hand at all Times. I've got to have him within reach. I don't want to have to get down on my knees and pray for a half an hour to touch the fire.

I don't have to make him a bunch of promises. I don't want to have to be good for a week before I merit something from him. I want him at my right hand available all the time. I want to just talk to him Jesus.

Here's what the situation is. I don't have to work myself up into his presence. I want him in my right hand and he said because he's at my right hand. I'll never fall. Because I stay within reach. David came to that place the hard way.

There's a time he'd been complacent. He got spiritually lazy and careless. How easy it is to become careless? Do you know that the greatest sin I think on earth is not drugs alcohol and all these things we talked about.

The greatest sin on earth is contentment without God. Contentment without God and that's the sin of Christians how contented they can be and not grow. How contented they can be in some past experience and how can how easy how quickly become careless before the Lord?

I've seen that that happened in my ministry. I went through five years of carelessness. Well, I almost lost the touch of God and I was lost my soul. It's under the grace of God. That's why I feel this intention in my heart in the past month or so.

There's such an intention in my heart to measure everything according to his divine purpose and will. And not how it fits into my ministry not how it blesses me or even the church and how it fits into his cause.

But David had been blessed of the Lord. David could say you made my mouth and stand Tall. He said you made my mouth stand strong. You blessed me. You favored me and he acknowledged the favor of God. In fact, if you just flip over to Psalm 30 verse 6 and in my prosperity I said I Shall never be moved.

What David. In fact the Hebrew has a very bad connotation on this. He said there was a time God blessed me and I got careless in my castle. I began to boast. I can't fall. I Know the Lord. He said in my carelessness in my prosperity and folks the danger of blessings.

The danger of blessings is this very thing? Jesuit or Jerusalem. Israel has grown fat and prosperous and has forgotten her God and the tendency with all of us. Is that when God begins to favor us and he makes our mountain to stand strong?

There's a tendency to become careless. And then we become boastful and we saw I'll never be moved. I'll never be shaken. Do you see it there? Take you description said when you think you stand best you fall, but that has to do only with a careless Christian.

Doesn't talk that doesn't mean the Christian is walking in his his power. Verse 7 Lord By thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong. But then look at David he has to confess even though he's under the favor of God his mountain stands strong.

Something's happened to him. He's boasted. I cannot fall. He's walking in the flesh now. And listen to what he says thou didst hide thy face. And I was troubled. Look at me, please listen carelessness in David brought about a spirit of adultery and Murder lying.

The judgment of God on his life. But it resulted in something I think worse than that and that was an emptiness the hiding of God's face. The sense of having lost something that he had with the Lord. The sense that his whole being was shaken and he loses that self-confidence.

I Did. Brother sister, if I don't walk close to Jesus if you don't walk close to Jesus, we'll never make it. We can't make it in their own strength. Don't dare boast. And you're a blessing in your prosperity because God has favored you that you can go on carelessly.

No. All we have so many careless Saints today God's blessed them and you I'll tell you the easiest place you can become careless is right here at Times Square Church. You can become careless about the things of God.

There was a time you couldn't wait to get a sermon tape. You would hear a message and then you get tapes out there go home and listen to it again. You took tapes to work and everything else and now You you don't do that or you give them to friends.

But you see the things just a little bit of carelessness is slipping in. I'm not talking about the tapes itself. But even coming to the house of God with that excitement of that zeal. That hunger that thirst that openness that humility that brokenness before the Lord.

David said listen to it. You hid your face. I was troubled. Well that troubling inside. But David said I cried to the Lord. When that troubling came to my heart and when I felt that God was hiding his face from me for a seat I cried to the Lord.