The Church That Will Stand in the Coming Storm — Brian Long

Amen. I also want to thank Brother Glenn for his words earlier. They went straight to my heart when he opened the meeting. Psalm 51, I praise God for that. Tonight we're going to turn to the Gospel of Mark and chapter 4.

You have your Bibles turned to Mark chapter 4. And tonight the message is going to be, the church that will stand in the coming storm. The church that will stand in the coming storm. Mark chapter 4 and beginning in verse 35.

And the same day when the even was come, he saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

And there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow. And they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?

And they feared exceedingly and said one to another, What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? Will you pray with me one more time? Father God, I know that you've given me this word.

As I was praying for these meetings several weeks ago, this is the first message you gave me to deliver tonight. And you called me specifically to deliver it on the last night. So, Father, I tremble at your word.

Your word says you look to this man who is broken and contrite and who trembles at your word. I pray tonight, Father, that there would be a trembling at your holy word. That we would hear from you, God, and not from man.

Anoint our ears to hear what your Spirit is saying to us, Lord, in this hour, in this generation. And, God, I pray that you would raise up a church, a people who will stand in the coming storm. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now, there's a, I believe with all of my heart, coming a storm to this nation. In the last days that will be so fierce, few will be able to withstand its fury. A storm so black and so dark and so widespread that everything that can be shaken will be shaken.

The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, in verse 25,. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven.

Whose voice then shook the earth. But now he is promised, saying,. Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And the word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made.

And those things which cannot be shaken may remain. There's coming a day, brothers and sisters, when God will shake everything that can be shaken. And only what cannot be shaken will remain. The Bible says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 1,.

This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. The NIV says,. But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. The New American Standard says,. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

Luke's Gospel, chapter 21, and verse 10. Our Lord Jesus, again speaking of the last days, said in verse 10,. Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful sights.

And great signs shall there be from heaven. The Lord gave me this message before I ever came here. Great earthquakes shall be in diverse places. And in my home state, last night and the night before, my wife called me.

She said, Brian, the whole house shook, and we woke up. And last night she said the earthquake was stronger than the previous night. All the pictures on the wall were hanging crooked, and the whole house shook.

She said it sounded like the roar of a train. We've never had earthquakes, to my knowledge, in Oklahoma. I guess years ago they had one. These are signs of the times, brothers and sisters. These are wake-up calls that the Lord Jesus has given us in His mercy.

There's coming a day when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. There's coming a storm. Who will ever stand in such a storm? Can we withstand such a storm? Now, we're all going to go through storms in our personal and individual lives, and while this message applies to those individual storms, I'm not so much talking about that tonight as I'm especially talking about a storm that will affect the entire nation.

It's a storm that is so severe that only one boat will not sink in the midst of it, and that is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's coming a day when many religious gatherings, organizations, even big mega-churches, places that call themselves churches, will shake and topple.

The rug will be pulled out from under them. Only what cannot be shaken will remain. There are many churches that are built on the foundation of man, and the ways of the world, and a gospel of prosperity that's no gospel at all.

It's a man-made gospel. All of that is going to shake. There's only one church that will not shake in the coming storm, and that is the church that Jesus Christ Himself is building. It's the church that is founded on the rock of Christ Jesus.

There's a people who are called by God to lift their heads in the midst of this coming storm because their redemption draweth nigh. There's a church that will not sink under the darkest of storm clouds and in the midst of the most violent waves.

There is a church that will stand in the fiercest of storms. And this church will be characterized by three God-given graces. They are faith, hope, and love. 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13. It says, I wanted him to put this up in a different translation here.

The King James says charity. We know charity means love. And now these three remain. Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. These three remain. In other words, these are three things that will not shake.

When everything can be shaken, is shaken, these three will remain. The church that is built upon these three graces, faith, hope, and love, will stand in the coming storm. Now back to our text in Mark chapter 4.

In the gospel of Mark chapter 4, we just read about the disciples in this furious storm. These disciples were having their faith tested. Somebody said this, faith that is not tested cannot be trusted.

All of our faith is going to go through the fire. Every single one of us. If you're a believer, God's going to refine your faith. You're going to go through the fire. Faith that's not tested can't be trusted.

They're about to have their faith tested here. It's after a long day of teaching the multitudes and of performing several miracles. Jesus steps in a boat on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and He says to His disciples, let us pass over to the other side.

And as they make their way out to sea, suddenly, without any warning, a violent storm arises on the Sea of Galilee. The sky must have been black. It was a dark night. The winds were howling. The waves were crashing against the boat.

The scripture says the water was even coming up over into the boat. And the disciples were terrified. And it seems, it appears, that the Lord Jesus is not even concerned about them. Because He's in the hinder part of the ship, asleep, on a pillow.

What would you think if you were in that boat? Jesus is asleep, and the storm has come, and it's crashing against the waves, and it's a fearful sight. How many of us would have said, Boy, it sure is getting dark out here.

The winds are howling. Sure hope somebody wakes up. He's asleep on a pillow. Finally, they can't take it anymore. And they go and they wake Him up and say, Lord, don't you care? Don't you care that we're going to perish?

And Jesus Christ stands up and He rebukes the wind and the waves, and He says, Peace, be still. And the wind died. And the sea became as still as glass. And I'll guarantee you not a single drop of water dare move, and not a single gust of wind when Jesus speaks.

He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is the King of the flood. He rebukes the wind and the waves. The disciples had their faith tested, and their faith failed. What is the first one we said these three will remain?

Faith, hope, and love. The church that will stand in the coming storm is characterized by an unshakable faith. They had their faith tested, and it failed. What would have happened, first of all, I want you to see what the disciples doubted.

They doubted the presence of Jesus Christ. He was in the boat with them. What would have happened had the disciples shifted their focus from the fear of the waves and the power of the storm to the greatest truth of all, and that was that Jesus is in the boat with us.

Can the boat sink when the Son of God is in it? Can the church fall and collapse when Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church and He's the one building the church and He's in our midst and He's the head of the body?

There's only one way to drown a man, and that's to put His head under water. The Scripture says we are the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the church. No one is putting Him under water. No one's putting our head under water.

He is the head of the church. Suppose those disciples would have taken their eyes off of the wind and the waves and the storm and said, Hey, Jesus is in the boat. Let the winds howl. Let the devil scream.

Let the waters crash against the boat. Jesus is with me. Let the storm rage. It doesn't matter as long as Jesus is with me. One of my favorite poems was written by Amy Carmichael, and this is how it goes.

Thou art the Lord that slept upon a pillow. Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea. What matter beating wind or tossing billow if only we are in the boat with Thee? Hold us quiet through the age-long minute while Thou art silent and the wind is shrill.

Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, are in it? Can the heart faint that waiteth upon Thy will? I want to ask you, brothers and sisters, can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, are in it? Never. He sits king of the flood.

He is promised to be with us always even to the end of the age. Psalm 46. Let's look at this Scripture. Psalm 46. Do you doubt His presence? I'll tell you when you'll be tempted to doubt His presence, and that is when you go through the storm.

When you go through the storm and the winds are howling and the waves are crashing and you're hearing all these voices, and what you see looks very bad ahead of you. Earthquakes, famines, pestilence, wars and rumors of wars.

All of these things. And you begin to doubt the presence of Christ. You need to have a steadfast faith. Remember, Jesus Christ promised to be with us always even to the end of the age. Psalm 46. He says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled. That's tsunamis. Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad 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 ride early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice and the earth melted. The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen.

I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. They doubted His presence. And I want to tell you that you will find peace. Peace is not the absence of the storm.

Peace is the presence of God. You will go through trials. You will go through hardship. You will go through heartache. Peace is not found in the absence of trial and pain. Peace is found in the presence of God.

He is our peace. He is our Prince of Peace. But they also doubted His power. They said, Lord. They woke Him up and said, Master, don't you care we're going to drown? Don't you care we're going to perish?

And Jesus stood and rebuked the wind and the waves. And they obeyed Him. What a shock they must have got when they saw the power of Christ. But I think this is what grieves the heart the most about unbelief.

They doubted His care. They said, Lord, don't you care? Don't you care? You know, Charles Spurgeon said about this kind of unbelief. He said it's to crown the head of Jesus with thorns of the sharpest kind.

To doubt that He cares. Some of us are guilty of this same sin of unbelief. Lord, don't you care? If we only knew the grief those words bring to the loving heart of God, we would never say them again, not even think them.

The Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Does He care? Jesus went all the way to the cross and died there for us. Can you see Christ crucified on the cross and shedding His precious blood for you and say, Lord, don't you care?

He sweat drops of blood for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. Does He care? Jesus bought you with His precious blood. Will He now sell you to the storm and surrender you to the storm? A thousand times no.

He is our bridegroom who says that He hates divorce. Will He now divorce you and put you away? Never. His name is faithful and true. Will He now be unfaithful to you because there's a storm that has come?

No. Yes, your Father knows, and yes, He cares, and no, He is not sleeping. The question is where, oh where, is your faith? These three remain. These three remain. This church will stand in the coming storm.

It's the church that has unshakable faith in Christ and His presence. Christ in His power. Christ, and He cares for me. Come what may, He cares for me. He loves me. He loves you. But secondly, hope. Faith, hope, and love.

All are part of the ship that will never sink. The church that will stand in the coming storm. Now, hope. When the world talks about hope, it's a hope-so kind of hope. Somebody says, well, I hope I get that job, or I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.

It's a hope-so kind of hope. When the Bible talks about hope, it's a know-so kind of hope. It is an assurance. And I want you to see this in Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6 and verse 11. It says,. And we desire that every one of you do show the same gents to the full assurance of hope.

Those two words together. Assurance. Hope. The assurance of hope until the end. That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise. Now move on down to verses 18.

That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.

He's saying this hope of ours is so sure, it's like an anchor to the soul. You know why it's so sure, brothers and sisters? Because our hope rests upon a God who cannot lie. It rests upon the Word of God and the promises of God that come from the mouth of God who cannot and does not lie.

We have the hope of everlasting life. Some of you have had loved ones. Some of you have had children that have gone on to heaven. You have the hope that they are in the presence of Jesus. That is not a hope so kind of hope.

That is an assurance that they are there. And because you know Christ, you will see them again. Hope! An assurance. An anchor of the soul. God has told me in His Word He cannot lie. His Word is an anchor to my soul.

When you come to Christ, He gives you the promise of everlasting life. That's an assurance. I'm saved. He's preparing a place for us. And He says, if I prepare a place for you, I will come again to receive you so that where I am, there you may be also.

An assurance. Now what was the anchor, the hope, the Word that these disciples had? Jesus simply said, let us pass over to the other side. They had His Word. When Jesus says, we're going to the other side, we're going to the other side.

We may have to go through some storms to get there. We may have to go through some earthquakes. We may have to go through an economy that shakes to nothing. I don't know what we'll have to go through.

I know we'll have to go through a storm. But I know this, what will get us through the storm is an assurance, a steadfast hope that is rooted and grounded in the Word of God, the promises of God, the anchor to our soul.

And that church that is characterized by unwavering faith and hope that cannot shake will stand in the coming storm. But she'll only stand if she has the third one, love. Because it says these three remain, faith, hope, and love.

And the greatest of these is love. That's the greatest. These three remain, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. The church that stands in the storm, the coming storm, will shine with the love of God shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Spirit.

And this is what the disciples lacked. You say, how do you know they lacked love, Brother Brian? I want you to see this verse that may seem obscure. Look at it with me. In verse 36, just after Jesus said, let us pass over to the other side, verse 36 says,.

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship, and there were also with him other little ships. Other little ships. What are these other little ships? We read this story and oftentimes we don't think anything about those other little ships.

We're thinking about the boat with the disciples and Jesus in it in the midst of the storm. But you know who else is going through the storm? The other little ships. And the other little ships don't have Jesus in the boat.

Faith, hope, and love. And what kind of love? The kind of love that is not just concerned about yourself, but is more concerned about the other little ships out there that don't have Jesus in the boat.

They're going to go through the storm. How are they going to make it? How are they going to keep from sinking? They don't have a hope. They don't have an anchor to the soul. They don't have everlasting life.

The king who sits above the flood, he's not in their boat. What about them? What about those other little ships? The disciples cared nothing about those other little ships. They came to Jesus and they said, Lord, don't you care that we perish?

He could have just as well said, don't you care that they perish? Folks, if Jesus is in your boat, stop worrying about yourself. Get your eyes off of yourself. What about the other little boats that don't have Jesus going through the same storm?

Faith, hope, and love, do you care that they perish? I'll tell you the church that is sure to sink in the coming storm. It's the loveless church. The church that left her first love. The church that no longer has a fire burning in her heart of love and devotion to Christ and no longer therefore has a love for the lost.

The loveless church. She'll sink. She'll topple in the coming storm. And in the last days, there's going to be a whole lot of people who are only concerned about themselves. Look at these verses with me together.

He can probably flip them faster than I can, so we'll look at them up here. 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. This know also that in the last days, that's what we're talking about, perilous times shall come. Next verse.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Lovers of who? Not God. Lovers of who? Not the lost. Lovers of who in the last days?

Themselves. 2 Peter 3, verse 3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lust. Selfishness. Living for the lust of their own flesh. Matthew 24, verse 10.

And then shall many be offended. See, there'll be a lovelessness among the people of God. They'll be easily offended. Then shall many be offended. This is all in the context of Matthew 24, which is Jesus talking about the last days and what is going to come in the last days before He returns.

Then shall many be offended, and they shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Next verse. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Here's the temptation in the coming storm.

Because of the trials, the temptations, the storms, the tragedies, all of this, people are going to be tempted to turn on one another. And you see it already in churches. Biting and devouring one another when we're brothers and sisters in Christ.

I've said this before, I'm not talking about an ecumenical movement where you try to have unity at the expense of truth, the essentials of the faith and the Gospel. No. There has to be not peace but a sword when it comes to that.

But nitpicking and bickering over things that, listen, put all of that in light of judgment day and souls going to heaven or hell. You know where a lot of bickering and fighting and strife is done away with and unity comes to the church?

It's when the church goes through persecution. And people are dying for their faith. And they don't have time to bicker and backbite and complain and gripe and fight. People are dying for their faith.

Listen, in the coming storm, people are going to be tempted to only be concerned about me and my family. I'm saying to you, church, get your eyes off yourself onto Christ and onto those other little ships.

What do you suppose would have happened if those disciples would have said, hey, yes, it's a bad storm, but Jesus is in our boat. And He said, let's go to the other side. We're going to the other side.

My heart, my burden, is for those other little ships. And they say, hey, little ships! And they start reaching out to those other little ships. What would have happened? I don't think they would have even had to wake up Jesus.

He would have been awake. He would have been by their side. He would have said, I'll give you everything you need to reach those other little ships because we've got plenty of room in the boat. Brothers and sisters, just take this building as an illustration.

Is there still room? Look at the empty pew. There's still room in the boat. There's still room at the cross. There's still room. The question is, do we love the lost enough, those little ships, to bring them in?

To reach out to them in the coming storm? 1 Corinthians chapter 13, beginning in verse 1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Without love, I am nothing. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, love, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, it is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, underscore this, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.

Love doesn't seek its own. Love seeks for the good of the other, those outside. Now, probably most of you have heard the story of the Titanic. That big ship that went down in 1912, it hit an iceberg, it started sinking.

Do you know what one of the first things they did? When they knew that they hit an iceberg and this ship was going to sink, they went down to the bottom deck and they began to lock the doors on all the lower class passengers.

You talk about cold hearted. You talk about loveless. Locking them in because they didn't think, well, we won't have enough room for everybody to get in the lifeboats, so let's lock in all the lower class passengers.

Let them die. Loveless, cold, no compassion. They immediately began to board passengers on lifeboats and lower them down. But most of the lifeboats were only half full. One lifeboat that was meant for 65 people only had 28 on board.

Another one was meant for 40 people, but they only had 12 on board. Over 300 more passengers could have been saved who were not saved because of selfishness and empty lifeboats. 328 were later gathered up in life jackets as they floated upon the cold water.

They died. They froze to death in the freezing cold water. None had to die if only the lifeboats would have been filled to capacity. Out of all the lifeboats, only two went back to rescue the perishing.

The rest just ignored the cries of the perishing and were content to be saved themselves and content to be in their half-filled lifeboats. My dear friends, are you content to be saved in your half-filled lifeboat?

Singing our lifeboat songs, just trying to hold down the fort when the perishing are crying out, crying out, and without a Savior. There's still room at the cross. There's still room in here. And I'm telling you tonight, God wants heaven to be full.

I tell our people all the time, I want to see every one of you in heaven. Not one to be lost. Not one child. Not one grandchild. Not one of you be lost. And I would say that tonight. Oh, to see every single one of you in heaven.

And that you have the same heart to say of Ingram or whoever God's brought across your path, oh, to see every one in heaven. Fill up the lifeboats because there's still room. There's still room at the cross.

Now how do we shine with this love of God? It's got to be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And Jesus commanded us. Do you remember Jesus said this? He said, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

But He died. He rose again. He ascended into heaven. And now what does He say, church? You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. And a city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it gives light to all that are in the house. He says, therefore let your light shine that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

How do we shine? We shine by sharing the love of God. We talked about that all day today. The compassion of Christ. The love of God. That's how you shine. That's how you burn. You burn with the love of God.

This church will not sink who is characterized by those three God-given graces. Faith, hope, and love. She will stand in the coming storm. When I went to Scotland, oh what a wonderful privilege to go to Scotland and Wales and throughout the UK, but in Scotland I was so intrigued by the lighthouses.

I'd never seen those before. These big massive lighthouses that on the top they would shine with a bright light because that light would direct the ships into the harbor. But I didn't know this, that the lighthouses, they have the big light at the top to tell the ship when he's far off where he's to come into, but there are also lower lights and those lower lights have to be shining and burning in order to direct the ship into the proper channel as they come into the harbor.

When those lower lights are not shining and they're not burning, tragedy can happen. Listen to this story that D .L. Moody tells. He says, On a dark stormy night when the waves rolled like mountains and not a star was to be seen, a boat rocking and plunging near the Cleveland harbor.

Are you sure this is the Cleveland? asked the captain seeing only one light from the lighthouse. We're quite sure sir, replied the pilot. Well then where are the lower lights? They must have gone out sir.

Can you make the harbor? We must or we'll perish sir. And with a strong hand and a brave heart the old pilot turned the wheel, but alas in the darkness he missed the channel and with the crash upon the rocks the boat was shivered and many a life were lost in a watery grave.

Moody said, Brethren the master will take care of the great lighthouse but let us keep the lower lights burning. How do we keep them burning? Pointing them to Jesus. We shine with the love of God. We shine with the love of Jesus and this directs them into the narrow way.

The way is narrow Jesus said. It's straight and it's narrow and you direct them in the way to the cross to Christ by shining your light church. Shine with faith. Shine with hope. Shine with the love of God.

One of my favorite hymns. We were going to sing it until you had us sing here. Lord I haven't heard that one in years so we're going to sing that one instead. Get it ready. I'm going to read the words to let the lower lights be burning.

Brightly beams our Father's mercy from His lighthouse evermore but to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore. Let the lower lights be burning. Send a gleam across the wave. Some poor fainting struggling sea man you may rescue, you may save.

Dark the night of sin has settled. Loud the angry billows roar. Eager eyes are watching longing for the lights along the shore. Let the lower lights be burning. Send a gleam across the wave. Some poor fainting struggling sea man you may rescue, you may save.

Trim your feeble lamp my brother. Some poor sailor tempest tossed trying now to make the harbor in the darkness may be lost. Let the lower lights be burning. Send a gleam across the wave. Some poor fainting struggling sea man you may rescue, you may save.

Brothers and sisters I want to ask you one question. Are any of these three God given graces missing or lacking in your life? Faith. In His presence, in His power, in His care for you. Faith, unshakable faith.

Even though you're going to go through a storm. Do you have faith? Unshakable faith. Hope. Hope that is set upon the anchor of our soul, the Word of God, who comes from a God who cannot lie. Love. Are you lacking love?

Love for God. Love for one another. And love for those little ships that don't have Jesus in their boat. If any of those are lacking, I plead with you my dear friends tonight to humble yourself before God and admit that to God.

And those who come to God lacking and empty and cry out, God will be sure to fill. He will strengthen our faith. He will give us that unshakable hope and peace that surpasses all understanding. And He will fill you with His love when He fills you with His Spirit.

The love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Lord, fill me that I may shine with Your light. Let the lower lights of this church be burning. Burning with the love of God. Pointing people to the cross.

Pointing people to Christ. Amen? Let's stand to our feet. I want you to bow your heads with me as we pray. Brother, I want you to get that song ready if you would. That's my favorite song. One of my very favorites.

I've never run into a church that knew that song. You wouldn't believe this, but I grew up a Catholic boy and that's the first time I heard that song was in a Catholic church. Haven't hardly heard it since.

But the song is, Here Am I, Send Me. And I have one invitation to you, brothers and sisters. God said to Isaiah, after Isaiah had that awesome vision of God, of the Lord Jesus Christ and all of His glory, he was smitten by the light of Christ, the glory of Christ.

He says, woe is me. I am undone. I'm a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. God cleansed him of his sin. He took the live coal and touched his mouth and took away his sins.

Isaiah was forgiven. Do you remember what happens next? The Lord says, Now who shall go for us? Who will go for us? Whom shall I send? And Isaiah was so close to God by that time he overheard Him say, Whom shall I send?

Who will go for us? And He says, Here I am, send me. That's the invitation tonight. As we sing this song and you want to respond to God, the altar is open, these front pews are open, if you want to kneel to God.

And I don't want you to come unless you know the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, unless you're serious about doing business with God and you say, Lord, I'm serious. Here am I, send me. But first, strengthen my faith.

Let the hope of You, Lord Jesus Christ, be an anchor in my soul and fill me with Your love to overflowing. Here am I, send me. That's the invitation. That's the appeal. Now Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that You would help us to take seriously, Lord, Your Word.

If You are speaking to anyone here, and I believe You are, I pray, God, that You would give us the grace to respond to You, Father, to respond to Your voice calling. Who will go for us? Whom shall I send?