Living Waters of Grace May 25th, 2026

This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark

Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,

County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he

continues teaching through God's Word.

The Bible says that if anyone draws back, his soul doesn't

have pleasure in him. But thank God, if we're really a

child of God, we can't turn back forever, can we?

God speaks to us, he humbles us, he breaks us, and he draws us

back to himself, doesn't he? And all of us have a testimony

of that, I'm sure. And each time that we come back,

we come back with the strength and the vigor and a decisiveness

that I'm no longer interested in, in heading back.

Being a true child of God means that Jesus will never leave us.

No matter how far we've backslidden, Jesus will break us

down and draw us back to Him. There aren't enough excuses we

can make that will keep Him away.

Each time we come back, we must come back with a determination

to no longer be interested in the excuses.

Today, Pastor Clark teaches us that as believers, we have the

Holy Spirit dwelling inside us, and he convicts us where we need

correction, always pulling us back to him.

Now. Here's Pastor Clark in

Revelation chapter 20 with today's edition of Living Waters

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

of Grace. Some of us are here and we

unfortunately, if Christ tarries or some of us are taken out at

what is called the rapture, the catching away.

And those who are left behind that never committed themselves

truly and fully to Jesus Christ, because of them lingering and

missing that return of Christ and because of their love for

the present world system, they will be deceived into taking the

mark of the beast, the mark of the Antichrist.

And some of you here today will perhaps end up taking that.

That is not my prayer. It's not the Lord's Prayer.

He's not willing that any should perish, but all that come, come

to repentance. But things are going to get so

bad during that tribulation that if you're left here with,

without faith in Christ, you will be tempted and most likely

moved to say, well, this doesn't make sense not to take this

because if I don't get this identification code, I don't

have any ability to access my bank accounts.

I can't work at my job anymore. I can't buy food for my family.

I'm going to get that mark. And the mark is the ultimate

betrayal of of your soul to the devil.

And once you take that mark of the beast, you'll never be able

to withdraw from that commitment.

Hebrews tells us about the subject of what we call the

perseverance of the Saints. And if you're really gods today,

if you really belong to him, if you've really been saved and

your life has been radically transformed, you don't have to

worry about being left behind and you don't have to worry

about any kind of mark on your body that will represent your

allegiance to Antichrist. It says therefore in verse 35 of

Hebrews chapter 10. Therefore do not castaway your

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

confidence, which has great reward, for you have need of

endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you

may receive the promise for yet a little while, and he who is

coming will come and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back,

my soul shall have no pleasure in Him.

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition or hell, but

are those who believe to the saving of the soul.

So we use this term sometimes backsliding.

And we've all been there where we've been walking with the Lord

and we've been following him. And then some events, some

crisis, some temptation, some trial, some failing our life

causes us to move away from the Lord.

In other words, we we're like lot, we're lingering in an area

that we shouldn't be hanging out in.

Or perhaps some of us are, are like lot's wife that we're

falling the Lord and and the devil's whispering in our ear.

Well, you're missing out on this and you don't do this anymore

and wasn't this good and, and all of a sudden you look back

and Jesus is saying, if you're truly called to follow me in the

Kingdom, you put your hand to the plow and you just keep going

forward. You keep going forward.

You're not going to look back anymore.

And I've looked back different times in my life and I suffer

the consequences of looking back when I was in Bible college as a

young and I I'm dealing with the emotions of a young man and the

instability and the weaknesses of my own will and the

immaturity of my own walk with the Lord.

And I'm in Bible college and I'm hearing about unreached people

group people have never once heard the gospel.

And I had this compulsion in my heart that want to be involved

in going to reach people I've never heard.

But you know, when I go out on weekends to visit families from

the church we're attending nice houses, nice cars, nice careers.

I'm thinking, Lord, why can't I be like one of those people?

They love you, but they have, they sort of have the best of

both worlds. They have you and they have the

world at the same time, right. But there was this emptiness in

them as I would meet with them because they sort of wanted what

I wanted in the sense of being a missionary, but I sort of wanted

what, what they had. You know what I mean?

It was like a paradox. And I had this, this tension in

between. And so I had my hand at a plow,

but I was looking backwards and, and, and I, I caused myself to

be put on a shelf for a period of time because, you know, the

Lord can't use us if we're not totally committed, if we're,

we're looking back and we still want what the world has to offer

it. And the Lord says, well, I'll

catch up with you later and you'll see the consequences of

what that decision will be upon you.

And so the Lord gave me my desires and I was able to, you

know, achieve a certain amount of success in the world, but I

paid a terrible sacrifice for that.

I almost lost my marriage 39 years now married by the grace

and only by the grace of God. I was in Bible college and I

said, Clark, what are you doing, man?

You know, I said, well, the Bible says if you don't have the

material to finish the tower, it's better that you don't

start. So I, I made-up all kind of

excuses why I, I didn't think it was really worth being totally

sold out to Jesus Christ. And as I said, I, I suffered the

consequences. And the Bible says that if

anyone draws back, his soul doesn't have pleasure in him.

But thank God, if we're really a child of God, we can't turn back

forever, can we? God speaks to us, he humbles us,

he breaks us and he draws us back to himself, doesn't he?

And all of us have a testimony of that, I'm sure.

And each time that we come back, we come back with a strength and

a vigor and a decisiveness that I'm no longer interested in and

heading back. And I have a compassion and an

understanding for people that have setbacks in their Christian

lives. I don't judge because I've been

there, but I want to be an example and also tell my story

so that I might be able to prevent a young man like Cameron

from going back into the world. And when we see people, our

brothers and sisters, who are going back into the world, we

need to pray for them. We need to admonish them and

exhort them and warn them of the consequences of falling, because

falling is a very, very horrible thing to do.

Falling away from the Lord. He is no fool to lose what he

cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.

So at 45 years of age, we had some crises in our lives as a

family, long given up any kind of hopes of ever being in the

ministry. That was the last thing on my

mind in my life. And my kids were going to a

church that had this this youth thing they wanted to go to.

So Cindy and I weren't going to any church at the time.

So I figured, well, I'll go down there.

And it wasn't my style church. It was just really hyper

emotional and that kind of stuff.

But there was an old time missionary that spoke and he was

in his late 70s and he was talking about what life's really

about and what's most important in life.

And as you look at your life, you know, where is it today?

And the Lord used this old missionary guy to really get to

me. It was a revival called People

Coming Back to God. And it started out, I think the

first night there was like 2829 people.

And then each night it went down and until the end, the last

night, there was only a few of us there.

And it was like God had this revival.

That's for me. And so I went forward and I

said, Lord, you know, I've just sort of wasted my years from the

day I got saved and I was 20 up until my mid 40s now, I was in

the churches for a long time. I was a Deacon and I teach a

young married class. I was going through the motions.

I was doing what was expected that I was, I was dying inside

because I was, I was living for the world and I wasn't living

for Christ. And people might have thought I

was because I looked on the outside like I was, but I knew

down deep inside that I was messed up.

So I went on my face before the altar there and I just said,

Lord, here's my life. I want to give it back to you.

I understand that I've wasted a lot of years.

And if by chance you would give me an opportunity to have things

made right with you today, I'll do whatever it is that you want

me to do in the days ahead. Oh, God began to stir my heart

again and do something in me. And I'd had no interest in being

a pastor or anything or making any kind of great promises of

God. It was like a baby step.

I had no idea other than I'm just surrendering my will to the

Lord. My daughter's telling all her

friends, I have a new dad. I wasn't like his horrible

father. I mean, I cared, you know.

But all of a sudden I'm, I'm compelled again to be the father

of my home that I need to be and the husband I need to be to lead

my family in the ways of God. I'd sort of checked out on that.

You know, I've depended on the church to do it for me, right?

The youth group to do it for me. Some of you guys know what I'm

talking about. And so one thing led to the next

The Lord put on our heart about this church plant to be a

ministry of restoration and reconciliation for ruined lives,

which Cindy and I had. That God can restore the years

that the locust has eaten, that there's not one of us here that

has fallen so far that we're away from the outstretched arms

of God calling us back to Himself and to draw us to

Himself. And I know the people that God

calls it his church are people that are broken in, contrite and

desiring His will. Now, as we see in Revelation

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4, that there will be these people that will not take

the mark of the beast, and because of that, they'll be

martyred. Now for us who are raptured out

of here, we're going to miss the real hell, the tribulation.

We're going to be taken out. God's wrath will not come upon

His church, but there will be people during that tribulation

that will be saved, that will be anointed by God to be witnesses,

and they will refuse to take the mark of the beast.

And because of that, they will be beheaded.

They will be beheaded and martyred.

Verse 5 it says, But the rest of the dead did not live again

until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection. Blessed is he who has part in

the first resurrection over such the second death has no power,

but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign

with him 1000 years. Now we think of the Old

Testament Saints. Whenever Jesus was crucified, it

says in Ephesians, he went into the lower parts of the earth to

lead captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

So Hades is split into two sections.

You have hell and you have paradise.

The Old Testament Saints were in paradise waiting for the

finished work of Christ at the cross and his resurrection.

As Christ rose from a dead, He went in there and released as

captive in the bosom of Abraham, and brought them into the

Kingdom with him. That they take part in the first

resurrection, it tells us in First Corinthians, I believe.

Let me just double check here. Yeah, First Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 15:20

15, verse 20. It says now Christ has risen

from the dead, and he became the first fruits of those who have

fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by

man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as an Adam all die, Even so in Christ all shall be made

alive, but each one in his own order.

Christ is the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ

at his coming. Then comes the end, when He

delivers the Kingdom of God to the Father, when He puts an end

to all role and all authority and power, for He must reign

till he has put all enemies under his feet.

The last enemy will be destroyed, which is death.

So when Christ rose from the dead, you remember in the

gospels where it talked about the people that came out of the

graves mystery, they were taking part as Christ is the first

fruit of the first resurrection. He's the 1st.

And then the Old Testament Saints of the bosom of Abraham,

those who were resurrected out of the graves during the time of

his resurrection in the Gospels. And then we have those of us who

will be raptured and taken into the Kingdom of heaven.

We're taking part as the first fruits of the first

resurrection. And then we have those, those

Saints in the tribulation period who were beheaded that Christ

will bring forth into life again, and they'll rule and

reign with him in that millennial Kingdom.

The first fruits taking part in the first resurrection with our

new bodies, all those who are redeemed will be raised up.

The second resurrection doesn't occur until the end of the

millennial Kingdom after the 1000 years.

And if you're here today and you're not saved, you won't take

part in the first resurrection. Unfortunately, you'll have to

deal with the second resurrection.

And the second resurrection is not a resurrection you want to

take part in because all those who are raised out of the graves

are being raised for the final judgment where the Bible says

the book will be open and the Lamb's book of life.

And whosoever's name is not found written in the Lamb's Book

of life will be cast into the lake of fire.

It's the resurrection of judgment.

And So what will this millennial Kingdom be like as we begin to

conclude here in this chapter today, chapter 20?

Well, there'll be peace. There'll be no more war.

Isaiah Chapter 11 If we flip over there for a minute, there's

Isaiah 11 · chapter mention

a few verses here. Isaiah Chapter 11 verse 6

Isaiah 11:6–9

through 9. It says the wolf shall dwell

with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with

the young cat, goat, the calf and the young lion and the fat

lean together, and the little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze.

The young one shall lie down together.

The lion shall eat straw like the ox.

A nursing child shall play by the cobras hole.

The wean shall shall put his hand in the viper's den.

They shall not hurt nor destroy at all.

My holy. A mountain for the earth shall

be full. The knowledge of the Lord as the

waters cover the sea. Imagine that, having a baby

today and letting your baby play with a snake.

No one in their right mind would do that, right?

Well, during the millennial Kingdom, the snakes will be

friends. They won't hurt anybody.

There won't be any ravenous lion.

It's going to come and attack anybody.

I mean, it's just perfect peace. There'll be incredible happiness

and Isaiah 12 three. Therefore with joy you will draw

water from the wells of salvation.

You'll have long life and health.

Isaiah chapter 33 verse 24. This is a precursor to the

Isaiah 33:24

Kingdom that'll reign forever and ever, and the inhabitant

will not say I am sick. The people who dwell in it will

be forgiven their iniquity. There will be a time of

incredible prosperity on the earth.

Not like the prosperity teachers are teaching today that self

fulfilling, self willed prosperity.

This prosperity will come from the throne of God.

It says in Isaiah 35 verse one. The wilderness and the wasteland

shall be glad for them and the desert shall rejoice and blossom

as a rose. It shall blossom abundantly and

rejoice even with joy in singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it.

The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory, the Lord, the Excellency of our God,

prosperity. And then there will be joy in

our employment. And unlike today, many of us are

working, the Bible says, with a sweat of our brow.

And there's a lot of aggravation and tension in the job markets

today. But in the days of the

millennial Kingdom, and it says they shall build houses and

inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and

eat their fruit. They shall not build and another

inhabit. They shall not plant and another

eat. For as a days of a tree, so

shall be the days of my people, and my elects shall long enjoy

the work of their hands. How glorious that will be.

And our inheritance will be an inheritance for those who are

truly born again. If you flip over to Romans

chapter 828, we know the Bible says all things work together

for good to those who love God, and are called according to His

purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He

also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He

might be the first born among many brethren.

Moreover, whom He predestined, these He called, and those He

called, those He justified, Whom He justified He also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare His own Son, referring to Jesus, but

delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also

freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against

God's elect? It is God who justifies, who is

he who condemns? It is Christ who died and

furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of

God, who also makes intercession for us.

It tells us over in first Peter, if you flip over there first

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

Peter chapter 2, as this ends in Revelation chapter 20, verse 5,

Revelation 20:5

referring to the priesthood. You know, the Catholic Church

teaches about a priesthood and the Orthodox Church, some of

these other churches teach about the priesthood.

So the priests are here and all of us are down here, right?

And we have to go to the priest to get absolution for our sins

or go to the priest to be our mediator between God and man.

That's not biblical. The Bible tells us there's one

mediator between God and man. Who's that?

The man Christ Jesus. I'm sorry, but man can't help

you. You don't have faith and

dependence on the legs of a man. You have faith in the Lord.

Godly men will point you to Jesus Christ as your intercess.

We can pray for one another and God answers the prayers of His

righteous faithful servants, but Christ is the one who mediates.

I was here with Cameron and Cameron was being convicted by

the Lord to come to Christ. I sat on my knees here before

the Lord. Lord, you alone are the mediator

between the Father and between Cameron.

You're the one who has to save him.

You're the one who has to reach into his life and show him his

lostness, his sin. I can tell him, but unless the

Spirit shows him, he won't know why he needs to be saved.

And if you're here today, only God can show you you're lost.

All of us have to come to a point in our life to know that

we're lost and we need a Savior. And once you know you're lost,

then you know you need to be found.

The one who can save you is Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

It tells us in first Peter 9 that you're a chosen generation.

This is referring to us here today who are part of God's

family, the Christian, the born again, a royal priesthood, a

holy nation, His own special people that you may proclaim the

praises of Him who's called you out of darkness into his

marvelous light, who once were not a people.

Meaning one time we weren't part of this family, we weren't part

of his Kingdom, but are now the people of God who had not

obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

As we study the Book of Revelation, we study it for two

reasons, to learn what it's what's going to happen in the

last days or we're not living in fear and we have confidence in

God's promises. But we also teach this book

because we know there are people here who are lost in any given

church and there are people here today that need to come to

Christ to see him as their only hope of forgiveness and

salvation. It tells us in First Timothy 2,

as it says, there is only one mediator between God and man,

the man Christ Jesus. He desires all men, all people

to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There's not one of you here today that God does not love and

doesn't want you to get saved. When I was beside Cameron here,

I said, Cameron, you have to come to the Lord yourself.

I can't do it for you. So I just encourage you to pray

to him from your own heart, what best you know to say.

And when I heard him opening his heart to God and speaking to

God, I knew that God was taking him from death to life, from

darkness into the beautiful glory of his Kingdom.

And he just shared very simply, Lord, I know I'm a Sinner.

You know, Lord, I've been around the block a few times, as we all

have, and as only a Sinner could cry to a merciful God, he did,

and God radically saved him and changed his life for all

eternity. If you're here today and you

have not experienced the saving grace and love and work of the

gospel of Jesus Christ, I encourage you to come forward

today. If you're here with someone you

know wants to come, come with them, take their hand and come

with them and pray because God wants to save you.

You don't want to be left here in this time of impending

tribulation that will soon come upon the world where you'll be

so propelled and so compelled to take that mark of the beast that

you'll be lost for all eternity. If you're here today and you

know that you're lingering and the world, and the world has

part of you and the Lord has part of you and you're wrestling

and you're tired of walking in two places.

You want to walk and the ways of God.

You've had it with the world. You don't want it to influence

you anymore. You don't want it to direct you.

You don't want it to oppress you or control you.

You want to be set free from the influences of that world.

I encourage you to make a prayerful commitment that you

surrender your life anew and afresh to God so that He can you

for the purpose of why He created you.

This has been Living Waters of Grace with Pastor Clark.

We're going through the challenging and also intriguing

Book of Revelation. Whether you're a fan of reading

ahead in books of fiction, there's such a benefit to

reading ahead in the Bible to read about how it all ends.

But in an interesting turn of events, the Book of Revelation

is not really the end, but rather the beginning.

It's the end of life as we know it here on earth, but there's so

much to look forward to. But what comes after all?

The judgement of the earth and those who reject God?

There's a lot to work through, and it can be heartbreaking to

read through the intense judgements and wrath that will

come on those who hate God with all their might.

The thing is, God has given chance upon chance to these

people and they don't want it. So the outcome is that there are

judgments and consequences for those who've rejected the good

news and the gift of salvation that's offered through Jesus's

death and resurrection. Are you one who has heard about

these things but doesn't really want it because you want to live

life on your terms? Trust me, living for Jesus is so

much better. That doesn't mean it will be

easy. As you listen and read through

Revelation with us, you'll come to a stark realization that you

don't want to be on Earth when the apocalypse happens.

So check out Calvary Chapel online.com to learn how to come

to a saving grace through faith that will allow you to be with

Jesus for eternity. We'd also love to meet you in

person at Calvary Chapel Westmoreland and join us at 400

E Pittsburgh St. Ste. 6B in Greensburg, PA 15601.

This has been living Waters of Grace.