Hidden Manna and a New Stone

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. There's a sense of anticipation for the future and this is what that new white stone is about. The new white stone speaks of a new ministry, a new character. It also speaks of spiritual authority to accomplish what God has given you to do. We're glad you've joined us on a call to the nation with Carter Conlon in Revelation chapter 2 verse 17. The Bible tells us that God will give some the hidden manna and with that a white stone with a new name written on it. Only God is capable of giving this but what do you need to do to obtain it? How will this secret be revealed and when will this happen?

Let's find out now from Carter as he explains and answers these important questions. Now in Revelation chapter 2 there's a verse of scripture that Christ is speaking to some people who are gathered and most of them are at least curious or want to walk with him. Not everybody is fully committed to God but you're not fully uncommitted either. I said these words to a church it's in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 17. He said, he that has an ear let him hear what the spirit says unto the churches. To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone and in that stone a new name which no man knows except the one who receives it.

What does that mean? You know when you look at it face value until you and I have understanding of the scriptures it looks like if you walk with God you get a piece of bread and a stone like in one hand in the other and you look at it and say wow this is incredible. I got a piece of bread and the new white stone but it's much deeper than that.

He's talking about I'm going to give you a source of food that is not available to other people. It's not available to those who are just casual seekers of God or sitting on the fence as it is and just kind of more or less looking and deciding what am I going to do with my life is if this is real and I think many of the people in this particular group knew Christ was real but they weren't quite sure how far they wanted to go with it and that's the dilemma we face in much of this country today. You have no doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of God you believe that you were taught that you have no doubt that he died on the cross and that he rose from the dead but the dilemma is how how far do I go with this? How deep do I surrender? Can I can I partially surrender and make it? And many people ask these questions and now when Jesus gave the promise it involved overcoming something he said to him that overcomes I'll give to eat of this hidden manna. In other words this the source of divine food this sort this divine strength there's something that comes from God that you cannot get unless God chooses to give it to you and this new white stone with a new name written that is in a sense a secret between you and God no one else knows what it is but suddenly something is spoken into your heart maybe about your future maybe something about your character. I remember when I was a brand new Christian I had a really really bad I know how it's it's hard to believe tonight but I had a really bad temper some people say no I've seen that I know that it's not hard to believe but I remember one night at home and I used to get a little distressed about it when I was a Christian when I became a Christian people didn't bother me initially or laugh at me because I would punch them out honestly I'm not trying to be mellow dramatic here I had a bad temper and I still had a bad temper even after I got saved it didn't change overnight old things pass away but something I was like the guy in the saloon that gets shot and he falls over the railing and falls over the table falls over the chair stumbles out the saloon doors into the street and you wonder is this guy ever going to die. That's the way I felt like is this ever going to change I know what I should be and I have these promises of God but I remember my wife Teresa one night said to me says Carter you know the Lord shown me something about you and I said what is that and she said he's going to do something so profound in your life that by the end of your life you're going to be known as a man of incredible love and to me that was so far out in space it was like a new white stone with a secret that came from God the only God could give this to me only God could make it happen that he was going to so change my character that I would be a man of compassion and tenderness and love everything that I really wasn't because when I came to God I was as hard as a stone I really didn't care about anybody except myself and I wish things could change overnight yes when I came to Christ I was a new man I knew that but but things don't pass away immediately some do and some don't some things are entrenched in our character and I mean even though that there's been a death blow that the presence of God has given to them they don't change immediately so if you're a new Christian please don't get discouraged because you're still struggling if you have an honest heart you're going to make it through it may take a while but you will make it through the old things and you will pass away and all things will become new but Jesus said to him that overcomes now what did they have to overcome in verse 14 it talks about there there was still a receiving in the heart of mixture there was a false prophet called Balaam and he went to a king who wanted to curse the people of God and he basically counseled them he said if you can get these people involved in mixture if you can mix them between the things of God and the things of the world you will take away their strength and you will ultimately defeat them and so there was a mixture in these people and and that's the dilemma that many faces how far do I go do I have to leave the old ways of doing things yes the answer is yes conclusively yes if the Bible says it's wrong turn away from it trust God for the strength to turn away from it and in order to get this hidden strength in order to get this future that God was promising these people in Revelation chapter 2 they had to escape the mixture the mixture of going to church on Sunday and going out and dancing in clubs on Monday this mixture that's in many many people's lives the mixture of saying I believe the promises of God and scratching the lottery tickets on Tuesday the mixture the mixture of saying you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free and filling out your income tax forms did you make any money this year no actually I lost $100,000 mixture mixture it takes away the strength that takes away it takes away for the sake of momentary gratification or momentary pleasure momentary more or less sneaking around and doing what shouldn't be done we actually robbed ourselves of the hidden strength of God we robbed ourselves of life and power and strength because we simply won't make the choice to turn from the mixture remember when the people said to Peter in Acts chapter 2 what must we do to be saved the first thing out of his mouth was repent which means turn turn from the things you know are wrong turn from the things in the scripture that are clearly revealed to not be for you turn from what is debatable turn from what is taking away your strength turn from reading speaking associating watching things that you shouldn't do that are taking away your strength trust God for the strength to turn from it because it's robbing you as a young lady said mr. wonderful shows up at the door you only open it halfway and say you sir I'm not taking me to hell with you I'm not going there in verse 15 he says you also have them that hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans now one of the commentaries I read said this man was a heretic whose name was Nicholas and the people who followed him became the Nicolaitans and he essentially taught that you can live in immorality in other words you can you can live in sexual immorality you can have sexual intercourse outside of marriage you can do all these things and still go to heaven as a matter of fact Jesus said I hate this doctrine and these are the things that plague this society they plague this church age because our sin nature wants to be as God remember and the sin nature that part of us that is sin wants to be able to say this is good and this is evil no matter what God says and if you're not careful you can actually be a total complete utter fornicator and you can come to the house of God and say well this is fine God understands my situation Lord knows it's not that often and so you walk in hoping for eternal life and you walk out weak you walk out with no vision you walk out with no strength you open the Bible you get nothing out of it you have no ministry you have no heart you have no hope you have nothing divine you have nothing supernatural and for just a few moments of pleasure you are absolutely completely robbed you're like a man or woman who goes out in the darkness of night to steal and in the confusion of the moment you break into your own house and steal your own laptop he that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches to him that overcomes I'll give to eat of the hidden manna for those who make the choice to live for God the choice to do it right the choice to walk with God he says I will unlock this book to you suddenly it's not just words on a page it will not be boring but the living Word of God will begin to live when you read it it will live in your heart it will live in your mind it will live in your daytime I will live in your experience it will change your character it will give you a new mind it will give you a new heart it will give you a new future this book will become the most important book in your entire life the Word of God is hidden to us until we make the choice to live for God but it's amazing when you make the choice to live for God this book explodes in your heart it explodes in your mind it becomes part of your character changes the way you think it changes your outlook on life it changes the sense your sense of hopelessness begins to dissipate and suddenly there's a sense of anticipation for the future and this is what that new white stone is about the new white stone speaks of a new ministry a new character it also speaks of spiritual authority to accomplish what God has given you to do I heard it spoken about in these testimonies although this young lady that spoke last didn't fully understand it but she says I have a sense that God has given me something to do the gentleman who spoke before said I don't fully understand it but I know that when I quit running I stumble across something that God has already accomplished for my life this is the new white stone remember when David was sent to fight with Goliath God sent him down to a river brook and he picked up five smooth stones out of that brook I didn't need all five but he only took one out of the bag and that stone on that stone was was a name written and only he and God knew that name in this case the name was Goliath on that stone this was a stone reserved for something of darkness but I don't know what's written but you are the only one that will know it God will reveal to you something that he's going to sovereignly do through your life he'll speak it to you and the stone speaks of spiritual authority to accomplish it he'll take you from where you are and your weakness and give you a source of strength that can only come from God you begin to read the Word of God and suddenly something begins to open before you something begins to burn in your heart something of impossibility to you but possible with God starts to be revealed and as he said to one church in Philadelphia behold you only have a little strength but I'm setting before you an open door and nobody can close that door that I've opened to you and I'm giving you a spiritual authority to accomplish what I've called you to do as impossible as it seems to you and I God says no it's not about you it's about me and you but in order to have the strength in order to have the spiritual authority in order to find the full purpose for your life you've got to get out of the mixture and get away from all of these other trappings that are causing you to be weak for those that are without Christ it means you have to come to Christ as your Lord and Savior and make the choice to walk with him don't go partway with God there's no victory there you only have enough of God when you choose to do that to be uncomfortable in the world and enough of the world and you to be uncomfortable in the church there's no victory on either side Joshua said to the people how long will you halt between two opinions if God is God walk with him serve him if he's God live for him if he's God go with them if he's God open this book and believe him his God turned to him and say Lord make this an exciting life there's nothing in my Bible that tells me this should be boring this should be exciting when I get up in the morning I should be excited about what God's gonna do in my life that day I should be excited about how he's gonna use my life to touch somebody else's life I should be excited about how my life is going to change it should be in my heart morning by morning I see new mercy morning by morning yeah I'm not what I should be yet but I'm not what I was yesterday by God's grace and I will change but it requires a commitment it requires it moving forward it requires a decision it requires a leaving of mixture and a coming to the cross of Jesus Christ and saying oh God you gave your life for me Jesus you died you were beaten you were whipped you were bruised you were publicly humiliated and you did that for me my God the least I can do is live for you the least I can do is do it right and honestly and as much as you enable me I walk away from what would bring a source of weakness into my life and caused me to not be able to represent you before men to him that overcomes I'll give of this hidden manna and a new white stone a ministry a promise a future a new name a new hope new words and only you will know it and whomsoever you choose to tell it to but it will be yours and that's how precious you are to God says I'm not gonna I'm not gonna unroll a scroll in heaven and tell everybody I'm just going to tell you because that's what our relationship is all about it's about individual people to God I made the decision to go with him and he gave me the hidden manna and he gave me a new white stone with a name on it that only he and I knew and I remember when I was a young Christian it was so impossible I'd never preached a sermon I was so shy like Pastor vest says like he couldn't he was so shy couldn't lead in silent prayer I remember one day I was at the Holiday Inn we had just gone for dinner my wife and I and she'd gone off to the ladies room and I was standing in the lobby somewhere and I was just looking out the window and an airplane went overhead I was just a brand new Christian and the Lord spoke to me and said much of your life is going to be on airplanes like this and at that time I was scared of flying and he says you're going to travel many places and you're going to bear witness to what I did on Calvary and what I'm going to do in your life you're going to bear witness to it before many and I remember looking at that and in a sense that became the new white stone because I was filled with fear and I was I was not the kind of a person if I were God that I would use but it was a promise to me it was to my heart and I received it in my heart and I said well Lord if it's going to happen it's going to be you I know that's the only thing I know for sure is it's not going to be me it's going to be you but it was a promise because I made the choice I made the choice to walk away from what was weakening me and to walk towards what would give me strength and to walk a war towards the will of God for my life I didn't know what it was but I said God whatever it is I want it and I'm going to walk towards it I want you to know for those who will receive Christ as Savior he will forgive you if you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God if you believe that he died on the cross to pay the price for your sin you're wrong if you believe that God the Father raised him from the dead on the third day for you and you confess that with your mouth the Bible says you will be saved if you truly believe in your heart and you truly give your life to him and invite him in to be your Lord and your Savior you will be saved that means when you die heaven will be your home and while you live Christ will be your joy and Christ will be your strength and Christ will be your life it's it's win-win when you come to Jesus Christ give your dreams and your hopes give all of these things to Jesus Christ and you will find a source of strength you've only ever dreamed of and suddenly a whisper will come into your heart and say this is why I created you this is what you were created for this is what your life will be and this is where you will go and this is how I will choose to glorify my own name through you it's not about you the Lord will say it's about me inside of you and for those who have some knowledge of God because many people do in this generation but it's never really materialized into a full-hearted walk with him that's what you want in your heart you say I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired I'm tired of being uncomfortable out doing the things I shouldn't do and I'm tired of being uncomfortable in the church hearing about the things I should do I'm tired of standing on that fence I'm going to live for God I'm going to go all the way with God I'm going to get into New Believers class I'm going to go to church I'm going to study I'm going to get involved in ministry I'm going to walk with God I'm going to open my Bible and I'm going to trust him and I know I'll not be perfect in this and when I fall I'm going to repent and God will pick me up and give me the strength to keep going but I'm going to do it honestly and I'm going to walk with God sincerely and so I want you to think seriously about this I'd rather have five committed people at the Psalter than 500 uncommitted to Christ it's not quantity with God it's quality it's the quality of the decision it's the quality of our yielding to him it's the quality of our the sincerity of our heart in giving our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior I could pull every heartstring here can fill this altar but it's not worth it if it doesn't produce a conversion but the Bible does say if today if you can hear his voice today if God struck tugging at your heart today if you feel that pull of the Holy Spirit don't wait don't wait make the choice give the fullness of your life to Jesus Christ Oh Jesus thank you Lord thank you God Lord I ask you this would not be a moment that they could lightly put away this would be a life-changing moment when a wholehearted commitment is given to you and to your kingdom Lord give my brothers and sisters the power to turn from what is wrong and turn to what is right give them faith to believe that sovereign strength will be given them from Christ himself the Word of God will come alive and a new future will unfold thank you for your tenderness to us Lord in our frailty and in our mistakes thank you for showing us the depth of your love for us and how you're willing to carry us in our struggles and cover us in our failures and endure our weaknesses and Lord you will bring us to a desired end the end that you desire for our lives and where you want to take us and how you choose to glorify your name through us God you you will do this Lord you will do this Lord hallelujah I want you to pray the simple prayer with me please make it your own Lord Jesus I give you my life all of it I don't hold anything back from you I make the choice to turn from my sin from things that you say are wrong and I turn to what you say is right I open my heart to you and I ask you to receive me and to be my God and my Lord for the rest of my life I know Lord that you will help me and you will guide me and you will keep me and when I die you will receive me to live with you forevermore from this day forward I speak with my lips and Jesus Christ I call you the Lord of my life from this day forward I belong to you and you belong to me thank you for saving me in Jesus name thank you for joining us this week for a call to the nation with Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City for more information log on to TSC dot NYC that's TSC dot NYC you can count on a powerful message each week on a call to the nation with Carter Conlon