Is the Restrainer Removed

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Our prayer is leading us to a true relationship with God. That's what it's all about God your spirit upon me again in the new way that had never known crimes defined for this generation that's Carter, from Times Square Church in New York City were glad you're with us today on a call to the nation in second Thessalonians chapter 2 the Bible tells us for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. He who now restrains will do so only until he is taken out of the way let's join Carter Conlon now as he begins his message titled is the restrainer remove is the restrainer removed is from second Thessalonians chapter 2 beginning at verse seven. The Paul is writing about a time of lawlessness in the world is a season of lawlessness. It's always been at work, but it's going to culminate in the last days in an unspeakable lawlessness know we seen it periodically throughout history we sought in Rwanda for example in Africa one lawlessness broke out and neighbor started killing neighbor indiscriminately, and some even said to say, thought they were doing it in the name of God we seen it in World War II we seen it in various places. When the wrist when the restraint against lawlessness is removed. It is in the heart of all of humanity to do evil. Even your life in my life. The only thing that restrains us is the power of God's Holy Spirit. The truth of God's word, the redemption that we have through God's son is the only thing that restrains us from doing that which our sin nature would like to do.

Paul says in chapter 2 verse seven the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he as taken out of the way and then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with his breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. No one to read you from the full life study Bible commentary. Just a comment on this particular passage of Scripture, particularly verse seven which is this mystery of lawlessness is already at work, the mystery of iniquity or spirit of rebellion operates behind the scenes throughout the course of human history, preparing the way for the rebellion and the man of lawlessness also known as the antichrist.

It is an insidious process that in traps unbelievers and prepares many within the church to turn from true faith to accept the lies emboldened in the apostate church. It involves a spirit or movement against true biblical faith in divine law.

It seeks freedom from moral restraint and it takes pleasure in sin. Though this spirit existed already in Paul's day, it will increase on an accelerated scale and it be especially prevalent in the world, and in religion. At the end of the age not only in the world, but in a religion that is part of this fallen condition in the world at the end of the age. Paul the apostle calls it a perilous time in second Timothy chapter 3, a time when people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, bolsters proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents of Ms. they despise all authority.

They want no authority over them. They want their own.

No boundaries, no borders. They will be blasphemers against God, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despises of good traders heading, headstrong hottie lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God and on top of all this. They have a form of godliness but denying its power from such people turn away from this sort are those who creep in the households and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Just as jumpers resisted Moses. These also resist the truth men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith. But they will progress no farther, for their folly will be manifested to all as there also laws and so here we have a situation involving pulses in the last days when there would be corruption in the name of God. Corruption in the house of God there be a generation arises.

Don't esteem the word of God date they have their own thoughts they have their own ways of of of perceiving truth and that will bring this into the house of God. They with it will make a boast of their study, but their study will never bring them to the place where God would have been to Billyard to become the people, the God would have them to become it only look at this passage of Scripture that says that these things will happen on the earth.

This mystery of lawlessness will continue to work until that which holds it back will be taken out of the way. Now when you study this and you look at some of the commentaries. Some believe is one Angel.

Some believe it's for Angel. Some believe it's the rapture of the Christian church when the that the people of God are physically taken from from this earth. My personal viewpoint on this verse of Scripture is the restrainer is the presence of God's Holy Spirit within his church on the earth. It is it is you and I the God uses the hold back the darkness they would swallow our entire society. It would swallow up the goodness, it would swallow up our families.

It would swallow up civility. It would it would destroy our society and wonder when the work of God's Holy Spirit inside of the people is taken out of the way. Now how does that happen in the Christian church. How how is it possible that this restraining power of God's Holy Spirit can actually be taken out of the way, allowing even progress.

You see, it's important understand this because you and I are the only ones that have the power to stand against this lawlessness will the only ones who can push it back actually. The Bible tells us that when we pray we can command mounts to be cast into the sea and they will obey us, there are incredible promises that God gives to his people of things that he will do in unison with the house. When we walk with him in truth and righteousness, and with faith at the center core of our hearts.

Now, first of all, the restrainer is taken out of the way when the word of God is no longer the guide of the thoughts and actions of God's people. This is what Paul says is going to happen the last days there be people studying this book, but they choose what to believe and choose what not to believe they make excuses. For example, not to forgive those that have wronged them. They'll make excuses not to be under proper godly authority they they will make excuses for everything. They'll pick and choose what they want to believe there always learning but the restraining power of God will not be working through them is matter fact, there will be so assimilated into their society that they will look remarkably like it, they will think like it, they will speak like it there speech does not restrain evil. Their behavior does not restrain evil that that their presence does not restrain evil not affected become actually partakers of it. According to the apostle Paul and cover it all up with Christian talk and learning and such like. Now someone 19 105. The psalmist is your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. But when I came to Christ.

I submitted my thoughts to the word of God and never he says himself. Your thoughts are not my thoughts. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. My ways are higher than your ways. Thought I submitted willfully my thoughts to the word of God. If I thought something was right, and God said it was wrong that it became wrong.

It's really that simple. That's how the restraining power of God begins to work through somebody's life is when you and I are a people of the word of God the Word of God becomes our guide board of God.

We don't try to push away certain parts of the word of God and embrace other parts that we like and persuade the hard parts or agree with the parts that make us the time the conformer worldview and push away those parts that don't know the word of God actually becomes the source of our thinking.

That's why we become new creations in Christ Jesus. The old things are passed away and all things become new.

The promise of God in the Old Testament to those who belong to God is a new heart, a new mind and a new spirit, we become brand-new in Christ Jesus and and by virtue of that we become part of this this force of God on the earth that that restrains this lawlessness that would literally destroy our societies, our cities, our homes are our marriages, our families, our children or grandchildren. We become.that voice through whom God can speak would become not life through whom God can be made manifest every where we walked every room. We go into every conversation we enter we become that restrainer as it is putting forth the thoughts of God's the presence of God. The anointing of God walks with us and goes into every room.

We become of those who can open prison doors and set captives free and help to heal those that have been bruised and hard it through our lives that those who are poor in their own resources can't understand this is a treasure of heaven available to them through Jesus Christ through his word to the power of God's indwelling Holy Spirit.

This is who we are on the earth. This is our purpose on the earth.

Remember several years ago, being in in the Nigeria jaws Nigeria in the middle of the Civil War and God sends us little accruing from Times Square church to do 39 evangelistic service, and we saw a Civil War in which 6000 people had been recently killed. We saw Civil War actually come to an end by the presence and power of God. The restrainer had come in and push back that form of darkness was causing people to kill each other and burn each other's homes and places of worship. And suddenly there was forgiveness on both sides is truly amazing the governor of Nigeria wasn't there when this particular crusade happened. He was so moved, so moved by what it happened when he came back there was peace in the war-torn area of Nigeria that he threw with an entourage to New York City, came to my office and looked in the eye and said, would you put your hands on me that I could to become a follower of Jesus Christ didn't understand was by faith, I'd explain it to its audit was imparted but whatever it was that he saw it had so restrained evil that he wanted that presence of God in his life. This is the purpose of the church. This is what ministry is all about this and what you and I are called to do someone 19 again verse 111 so Mrs. I've hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you and other was a dozens of hidden at my head.

I've hidden my heart. I made the transition from from reading it and memorizing it to embracing it to say, this is my value system. This is the course of my life. This is what I'm going to do this is where I'm going to go. This is what I'm going to be by grace.

This is what God is going to accomplish through my life by word have I hid in my heart. You see, when we don't esteem the word of God when we don't let the word of God govern our thinking and govern our lives. We are literally taken out of the way we become religious noise in the never degenerating society. We become a powerless soldier trying to stop an army and all we have is a cardboard sword in our head. With no power, there's no anointing there's no authority there's nothing in us because we have chosen not to yield to the thought of God that is so clearly revealed for us in his word were also taken out of the way, he wouldn't when we cease to pray a prayer list church is a powerless church, a prayerless church is a church that is making a declaration we don't need the presence of God. We we don't were not yielded to you, Lord, we don't want your will. We don't want your way. We don't want your word. We want heaven and want to live life our way on the earth when God's people cease to pray the promise is a second Chronicles 714 to simply fall through their fingers and into the sand.

Remember, he said of my people are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face. In other words, since our prayer is leading us to a true relationship with God. That's what it's all about God put your spirit upon me again in the new way that have never known. Give me the courage to fight for this generation help me God.

Not to surrender the little children in our homes or societies or streets of the godless agendas in our schools and in our society that wants to swallow them in confusion. Help me Lord to stand give me the courage not God. If it cost me for the sake of others told me not to draw back you seek living for the benefit of others is more than just a slogan on the wall at the school. It is the actual pathway that leads to you and not being vessels in the hand of God the pushback. This power of hell that wants to swallow this generation is as if you seek my face and turn from their wicked ways seek the face of God and when he says something is good declared to be good and when he says it is evil declared to be evil. Don't compromise with it do with the way God says if you will seek my face to go. Humble yourself, pray, seek my face and turn from your wicked ways, turn from the things that you would want to actually put the word of God and subjection to don't let your thoughts override the thoughts of God. Submit your thoughts to the ways of God and of course in second Chronicles chapter 714, the promise of God if we will do this.

He says we will, I will hear. I'll forgive your sin and update healing into your land. You see, when were willing to do these things would become the restrainer again. The power of God begins to operate in us in the supernatural comes back to the four again. I don't know but you but I don't want to just talk about what happened and asked in the book of acts on live it. I heard it said in the same trait among the students in this Bible school that somebody prayed sometime like I just heard secondhand that you said we want to be the people the next generation talks about her writes about. That's an admirable admirable goal, but to be that people you gotta go, you gotta go for the whole thing.

You gotta go the whole way with God.

You gotta cast aside your fears and cast aside your thoughts about what your life should be embraced God's plan for your life and then you watch what God will begin to do in your life. Isaiah chapter 59 verse 19 says so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the West and his glory from the rising of the sun when the enemy comes in like a flood the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. When the enemy comes in our society and our cities like a flood the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard doesn't mean that the spirit of God's going to put up a flagpole on a hill somewhere. You are the standard you are the ones you you are the gathering place of truth.

You are that that center were God is willing to demonstrate his power.

The spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard, it is the church of Jesus Christ, that, through whom God will push back the darkness in our generation and the Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in turn from transgression, and Jacob says the Lord.

As for me, says the Lord.

This is my covenant with them, my spirit was upon you in my words which I put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendents, nor from the mouth of her descendents. Descendents says the Lord.

From this time and for evermore. What an incredible promise is this to those who will go with God and say God raise me up to make a difference in my generation to those returned from transgression to those who seek God and say God I want your ways to become my witness, I want your words to be my words, I want your thoughts to be my thoughts.

I want your pathway to be my pathway. Title I 1 ounce of my own energy.

My own thought. Not my own reasons I don't want any of this left in my life. I want you to be the consuming fire of my life. I want you to take me where I can go.

I want you to make me into what I could never hope to be in my own strength. I want you to give me what I could never possess. I want you to be glorified through my life. Oh God, even if it means the loss of my freedom at the end of my days don't care as long as your glorify and evil is pushback and freedom comes to others who are destined for an eternal hell if there is no divine intervention in the life. This is not, then he says I made it to his people Israel, but it applies to us today. My spirit was upon you, and my words that I put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendents, nor from the mouth of your descendents. Descendents says the Lord.

From this time forevermore and what it means is when you are not turned to God with all of our heart.

God promises the spirit that I put upon you and the words that I put into your mouth will be in the mass of your children will be in the mouths of your grandchildren. There will be an inheritance because you chose to rise up and become the restrainer in your home you let the spirit of God come upon you and God began to push back through the evil that wants to devour your children and your grandchildren. You see, you're called to be more than just depressed. Your call to be more than just a drug addict or an alcoholic or maybe somebody has got a sickness or sword in your body.

Whatever your situation is whatever you're asking for. You see, you're called to be more than that. You're called to be the restrainer in your home. The restrainer and quite often, it's as we saw in in in in our offering video. It was the town drunk. This become the restrainer in this in this town when when the Holy Spirit got a hold of them and he went back even the secular mayor recognize the presence of God and entrusted the mayoralty to him for one month knowing that this man had the wisdom of God the power of God and in the ability of God to keep everything in order. While he recovered from his illness. The restrainer, the restrainer restrainer Senior called to be more than what you think you are, it's you that God is calling to stand up and make a difference.

The enemy is coming to your home like a flood but you are the standard that God is going to raise against it. You are the standard is going to push back the darkness in the minds of your children in the minds of your grandchildren in the minds of all of your extended family you you are the restrainer that is going to pushback or or hold back and push back the evil that would destroy your family and once you begin to know the power of God that you start looking outside the confines of even just your own home, and you begin to realize that God what you did in my home you can do for my street then went after you moved down your street to begin to realize what you did a must-read. You can do in my community then you begin to realize what you did not community. You can do in my state, and you begin to realize what you did in my state. You can do in my country God again is looking for the restrainer and so the question comes back in the beginning, have you been taken out of the way of you lost your purpose. Have you forgotten who you are. If you never really considered who you are, never considered the mercy of God is as pastor Ryan said today.

Nobody out there is done a thing worse than killing the son of God.

So you have the right done with the devil tell you don't have the right you have the right to call out to God, you have the right to receive the salvation that he stretched his arms out on the cross. 2000 years ago to freely give you just admit you're a sinner believe that Jesus Christ took your place on the cross to pay the debt for your sin that you have committed and confessed sin, confess with your mouth Scripture tells us with the the heart.

You believe in with the mouth confession is made in your salvation in Christ is secured, the Holy Spirit comes and takes up his residence, his dwelling place inside your physical body guides you into the word of God, you're given a new mind a new heart, a new life and new purpose. A new direction and it's all about other people because that's what the cross is all about. It's not about you and me being happy it's it's good if we are. Thank God. But you know our value system changes is not about just being disease-free and debt-free, and all the rest of that. It's really about the freedom of others, you know, if we live our lives for ourselves. We end up learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth posted in the last days. The very first sign of this apostate church is that there lovers of themselves, then you go right down to the bottom of the description says they're always studying the Bible. Basically a never coming anywhere near where that knowledge should've taken to be yielded for the sake of others for the sake of Christ's to be used by God to pushback evil.

See, there is no other hope for America. But the church of Jesus Christ. We can elect people in the public office, and they can then measure hold back some of the darkness, but this is a spiritual battle is not a political one that never once it's a spiritual struggle. America is in for its very soul. The only restrainer is the church of Jesus Christ. Let it begin in your home stand up for heaven's sake, stand up for your children, sake, stand up for your marriage is sake free community sake, for your sake, for God sake, stand up, stand up and just had enough of living in mediocrity and not for just being beaten up every day and every week and every month and every year, and focusing on my own self. Enough of this. I am getting up and I'm going to start going with God, and you become the restrainer don't be taken out of the way and let the devil ransack your house Jesus said if the goodman had known what hour the thief was going to come, he would've what a security would've prepared his house or her house sir. I don't care if you're drunk I don't care. You have an invitation to come to Christ you have an invitation to stand up and be a new man name of your drug addicted. I don't care if your drug addicted you have an invitation to be free of it invitation to stand up and take charge in your house and push the devil out of your house. The restrainer had become the restrainer had come there are in the name of Jesus. There is no longer working power in the name of Jesus hallelujah Holly you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ. Log onto TSC.NYC the.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Hunter,