Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY210004S
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00:01 As you're well aware
00:02 we're living in unprecedented times. 00:05 Join us now for today's special program. 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Mending broken people 00:23 I want to spend my life 00:29 Removing pain 00:34 Lord, let my words 00:39 Heal a heart that hurts 00:44 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 00:55 I want to spend my life 01:00 Mending broken people 01:15 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN today program. 01:18 My name is John Dinzey. 01:19 It's a privilege and an honor 01:20 to be with you during this hour. 01:22 This is going to be a 3ABN Today 01:24 where we study God's Word, 01:25 it's a Bible study 01:27 that we would like to share with you. 01:28 And we have some of the 3ABN members 01:31 or family members here 01:33 that are going to be working together 01:35 by God's grace 01:37 and through the aid of His Holy Spirit 01:38 to study this important topic 01:41 that we're going to mention in a moment. 01:42 But first, I would like to present to you 01:45 our family members that are with us. 01:46 Sister Shelley Quinn. 01:48 Oh, it's good to be here, Johnny. 01:49 Always. Amen. 01:50 Tell us a little bit about what you do at 3ABN. 01:54 Lots of things. 01:55 But official title is program development manager. 01:59 I wear many hats. 02:02 Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. 02:04 Thank you so much. 02:05 We have Joe O'Brien 02:07 member of the 3ABN pastoral ministries. 02:08 Tell us a little bit about 02:10 what the pastoral ministries department does. 02:14 Well, when you asked Shelley to share what she does, 02:18 I thought we would use up the whole hour. 02:22 But in the pastoral department, 02:23 we do have responsibilities to pre-read books, 02:27 you know, and some of the programs 02:29 are shipped in from other studios. 02:32 And we take a look at those ahead of time 02:35 to see if they're doctrinally accurate 02:38 and can't get to all of them. 02:40 And then there's emails and letters. 02:41 And of course, our phone calls, which are precious 02:45 because people are looking for help. 02:47 They're looking to God for that help 02:49 and they call us 02:50 and we share the word with them a little bit 02:52 and they find help. 02:54 Amen, amen. 02:56 Another vital part of the 3ABN Ministry 02:58 that is really touching 03:01 hundreds and thousands of lives. 03:02 So praise the Lord for that. 03:04 And we have your wife's sister Nancy O'Brien. 03:07 Now tell us a little bit about what you do at 3ABN, please. 03:10 Oh, I work in the thanksgiving trust services department, 03:15 and we work with the people that love 3ABN 03:19 and they want to remember 3ABN after they've passed away. 03:22 They want to continue to support the work 03:25 of spreading the gospel. 03:27 It's fun to talk with them 03:28 because often they're so excited about 03:30 what's going on in the world 03:31 and how close it is to Jesus coming. 03:33 And they have a heart to really get the gospel out. 03:36 Amen. Amen. Amen. 03:39 Well, we also are praising the Lord 03:43 because of the ministry of 3ABN. 03:45 Today, millions of people around the world 03:49 can watch 3ABN through different ways. 03:51 There's a 3ABN app 03:52 that you can download on your tablet or your phone 03:56 or you can go directly to the website. 03:58 You can tell your friends about these things. 03:59 That's why we're sharing it right now. 04:01 So they can watch 3ABN 04:03 because some people watch on cable. 04:05 Some people watch on dish network, 04:08 but those of your friends and family 04:11 that do not know how to get 3ABN, 04:12 we share, tell them to download the app 04:15 or go to the website 3abn.tv 04:17 and there they can watch the 3ABN channel. 04:21 When you download the app on your phone, 04:23 you get a selection of eight or nine channels, 04:26 including radio stations. 04:27 You can listen to a marvelous, marvelous 04:30 app for your phone 04:32 and just tell your friends about this. 04:33 So they can also be blessed. 04:35 In fact, you can also go to our YouTube channel 04:38 and there's a long list of different programs 04:41 you can view any time of the day. 04:44 And it's a blessing because 04:46 so many different ways to reach out to people. 04:49 You can also visit the 3ABN Facebook page. 04:52 So we encourage you to look at those things 04:54 and share with other people. 04:55 So they know more about 3ABN and so they can be blessed. 04:59 And you will become a 3ABN evangelist, 05:01 help someone know the Lord, Jesus Christ, 05:04 and prepare for the soon return of our Lord and Savior. 05:07 And talking about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 05:10 let me tell you what the topic is, 05:11 very important topic. 05:13 And it's the topic important for these times 05:15 that we are living in. 05:16 It is the parable of the ten virgins 05:19 found in Matthew 25. 05:22 We're going to be looking at that in a moment, 05:24 but we'd like to go to the Lord in prayer right now. 05:26 And I've asked sister Nancy O'Brien, 05:28 if you could please lead us. 05:31 Our Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, You are a loving God. 05:34 And You have given us Your Word that we may grow and learn, 05:38 and that we may be made ready for Your return 05:42 by reading this 05:43 and taking it into our hearts and living it. 05:45 So, Lord, we pray that Holy Spirit, 05:47 You will guide this discussion today 05:49 that you will reveal the things 05:50 that need to be revealed to our listeners 05:52 as well as to ourselves 05:54 and that this will lift You up and people will be drawn You 05:57 and want to be ready for Your return. 05:59 So we thank You, Lord. 06:01 We pray this in Jesus' name. 06:02 Amen. Amen. 06:04 Amen. 06:05 Well, let's go right to the parable 06:09 that is found in Matthew 25. 06:12 And if you follow along, I will go ahead and read that. 06:16 Before you do, can we set it up a little bit? 06:18 Oh, sure. 06:19 'Cause the interesting thing is in Matthew 24, 06:22 Jesus had just made His last appearance 06:26 at the temple. 06:27 He had called the religious leaders, 06:30 hypocrites, blind guides. 06:32 Yes. 06:33 And He said, "Your house is left to you desolate." 06:35 So now He leaves the temple for the last time. 06:39 And He and His disciples are going up 06:42 the Mount of Olives at sunset. 06:44 This is actually part of His last sermon, 06:50 His last teaching 06:52 because in Matthew 24, 06:54 He starts telling His disciples 06:57 what to expect when He returns and He taught in parables. 07:03 So now during this last sermon, 07:06 He's going to tell them 07:07 a beautiful parable of ten virgins. 07:11 So just a quick setup. 07:13 Thank you so much. 07:15 So in Matthew 25, 07:17 we now invite you to join us in the reading 07:21 beginning in verse one. 07:24 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins 07:28 who took their lamps 07:29 and went out to meet the bridegroom. 07:32 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 07:36 Those who were foolish 07:38 took their lamps and took no oil with them, 07:41 but the wise took oil in their vessels 07:45 with their lamps. 07:46 But while the bridegroom was delayed, " 07:50 in the King James it says tarried, 07:51 "they all slumbered and slept. 07:55 And at midnight a cry was herd. 07:57 Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 08:00 go out to meet him! 08:03 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 08:08 And the foolish said to the wise, 08:10 "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." 08:15 But the wise answered, saying, 08:17 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, 08:21 but go rather to those who sell, 08:23 and buy for yourselves.' 08:25 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, 08:29 and those who were ready 08:31 went in with him to the wedding, 08:34 and the door was shut. 08:36 Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, 08:40 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 08:42 But he answered and said, 08:44 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 08:48 Watch therefore, 08:51 for you know neither the day nor the hour 08:55 in which the Son of Man is coming." 08:59 And this is the end of the parable. 09:02 So now we would like to give you 09:05 a little background on it. 09:06 We're going to go verse by verse now 09:08 and go through it. 09:10 Shelley already mentioned a background 09:13 that this is part of what Jesus was telling, 09:15 His disciples. 09:16 And I think you're back to the beginning of Matthew 24, 09:21 the disciples were showing the temple 09:24 and the buildings of the temple and the marvelous stones. 09:27 And Jesus shocked them by saying, 09:30 "You see all these things, 09:32 there shall not be one stone left upon another." 09:35 So the disciples were curious and they wanted to know 09:38 when shall these things be 09:39 and what should be the sign of your coming? 09:41 So this is saying in the context 09:43 of the second coming of Jesus Christ 09:46 and the signs before 09:47 the second coming of Jesus Christ. 09:49 So this is the context, the remote context, 09:51 the immediate context is the second coming of Christ 09:53 and what it will be like. 09:55 So this is a parable that communicates to us 10:00 something of great importance. 10:02 We are living in the time 10:04 when we're going to see a fulfillment of this parable. 10:09 So let's go through it. 10:11 And we want to open the door for anyone to share 10:16 what the Lord has put in your heart. 10:18 And we've asked for the Holy Spirit 10:20 to direct us. 10:21 So we believe this will be a beneficial 10:25 and rewarding study, 10:26 but please do not consider that by when this program is over, 10:30 "I know all there is to know about the ten virgins. 10:33 I don't need to look at this again. 10:35 I saw it on 3ABN, I heard it on 3ABN." 10:38 No, this is something to get you started 10:40 to get you inspired. 10:42 And to also, it is our hope, our desire 10:44 that it will awaken in you 10:45 a desire to be prepared 10:48 for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 10:49 Amen. Amen. 10:50 So let's go through. 10:52 Sister Shelley, let's begin with the verse one, 10:53 tell us, read it again and give us some insight 10:57 as the Lord has led you. 10:58 Okay. 11:00 Verse one. 11:01 "Then the kingdom of heaven 11:03 shall be likened to ten virgins," 11:07 First of all notice all ten are virgins. 11:11 "And who took their lamps 11:13 and went out to meet the bridegroom." 11:16 This is based on a Jewish tradition 11:21 that was customary at the time of Jesus. 11:24 This is very symbolic. 11:26 We're going to uncover all of the symbols 11:28 in this parabolic teaching. 11:30 But in the Jewish tradition, the bride, 11:35 when they sign their marriage contract, 11:38 the groom would go up, 11:39 he built a home onto his father's house. 11:42 He prepared a place for his bride. 11:46 Just like Jesus told us in John 14, 11:49 "I'm going to prepare a place for you." 11:51 And did you know the groom didn't know 11:53 when he was going to go get his bride, 11:55 it was when the father told him he could go. 11:58 So then what would happen is 12:03 the bride is making herself ready. 12:06 She's excited. 12:08 She's doing all these preparations. 12:11 And then when the time was coming close, 12:15 they knew, 12:16 and she would have 12:17 her virgin handmaidens out there 12:20 with their lamps. 12:21 And when the bridegroom came late at night, 12:24 they would go meet and they would usher him 12:27 into the presence of the bride. 12:30 So here we know that 12:32 the church is the bride of Christ 12:36 and that's the first point to make. 12:41 The virgins were... 12:44 The church in scripture is represented as a virgin. 12:49 And we see that in Ephesians 5:23-32. 12:53 We see that Paul says that, 12:56 "Jesus is the bridegroom we're the bride." 13:01 And then he says, 13:02 "I've betrothed you to one bridegroom," 13:08 Jesus Christ. 13:09 So all throughout the church, in the old Testament in, 13:13 and we'll get more into that in a minute, 13:15 and in the new testament, 13:17 the church is referred to as a virgin. 13:20 Yes. 13:21 So that's the good church. 13:23 The bad church is the harlot, right? 13:25 So all ten were members of the church. 13:29 Amen. Amen. 13:30 Well, let's go to Joe and Nancy, 13:33 what would like to share. 13:34 The thing I like to share is the spiritual perspective. 13:39 We have the carnal perspective and the spiritual perspective. 13:42 And everyone knows the carnal perspective. 13:44 And those who don't make it in to the kingdom, 13:47 neglect the spiritual perspective. 13:49 And so I'll give you an example here 13:51 with verse one, 13:52 where it says, 13:54 they were virgins, ten virgins. 13:58 So if we go back to the Greek language 14:02 and look up the word for virgin, 14:04 it's parthenos. 14:06 And the meaning in that language was 14:10 that these virgins 14:12 are ones who abstained from all impurity 14:19 and adulterous practices. 14:22 So their virginity, 14:24 their purity was that they didn't worship false gods. 14:29 They knew the real Christ. They knew the real church. 14:33 And they were virgins in that respect. 14:37 Thank you so much. 14:38 Sister Nancy, would you like to share something? 14:40 Well, as I say, 14:41 when we first joined the church, 14:42 we had people explain to us, 14:44 you know, what the virgins were and that you had to be born. 14:47 Seventh-day Adventist to be a virgin. 14:49 And that's not what it means at all. 14:51 Oh, someone actually said that to you? 14:53 Yeah. Oh, my goodness! 14:54 I've never heard that myself. That's heresy. 14:56 I've never heard such a thing either. 14:58 Yeah, we were told that when we first joined. 14:59 Oh, my goodness! 15:00 But all it means is that they had a pure faith. 15:02 Yes. 15:04 I'm sure maybe they had at one time been in air 15:07 with teachings from other sources, 15:09 but they had come to believe the pure faith. 15:12 They had a pure faith that they were now practicing. 15:15 And so that's what makes them virgins. 15:19 Thank you so much. 15:20 So in this verse one, 15:21 I would like to add something concerning that 15:23 and notice that Jesus says 15:25 the kingdom of heaven shall be likened. 15:28 So this is a reference 15:30 to how the kingdom of heaven is. 15:32 But when you see here, it seems that the ten virgins, 15:37 which profess a pure faith, all had some elements, 15:41 the same type of elements. 15:42 If you look at the ten virgins, they appeared to be the same. 15:46 They're all virgins. 15:48 They all have lamps. 15:49 There is a difference, 15:50 however, that we're going to discover as we move on. 15:52 We're going to talk about that in a moment. 15:54 But I would like to say something, 15:55 you know, I began to ask myself, 15:57 why is there ten? 16:00 There's really no special significance 16:02 as far as spiritually. 16:04 What I found was 16:06 that ten was the usual number of bridesmaids 16:09 that were invited to participate in the wedding. 16:11 And Jesus took something that was commonly known to say, 16:15 there were ten virgins 16:17 that went out to meet the bridegroom. 16:18 You know, it's interesting when I got married, 16:20 I'd never thought about this. 16:22 But the bridegroom today is quite different. 16:25 You know, the bridegroom is up there 16:27 waiting for the bride to come in. 16:29 And they told us, 16:31 oh, you know, just walk in from the back. 16:33 And basically, 16:35 everybody's looking the other way. 16:36 And you just walk into the front. 16:38 Nobody notices when the bridegroom walks in. 16:41 But in the parable... That's good. 16:43 The bridegroom that is coming 16:45 is a representation of Jesus Christ coming. 16:48 It's a spiritual parable here. 16:51 And it was quite different in those Jewish weddings then. 16:55 The importance was placed 16:57 on the bridegroom, not on the bride, 16:59 very interesting. 17:00 But today, in today's time, 17:02 the bride, the beauty of the bride 17:04 and the dress, 17:06 everyone wants to walk in a dress, 17:07 how's the dress. 17:08 And these virgins are dressed as pure. 17:12 Their faith appeared... 17:14 They all profess a pure faith 17:15 but a difference in the ten begins 17:18 to be manifested as we continue. 17:20 So if you'd like to... 17:22 Joe, if you'd like to read verse two 17:23 and then share with us what you would like to share. 17:25 Okay. 17:26 And one little last thing on this virgin idea 17:29 that is in the spiritual context, 17:32 there both men and women, because... 17:33 Yes. Thank you. 17:35 They don't practice adultery. 17:36 Yes. So that can be both. 17:38 Thank you so much. That's very important. 17:39 You know, you read the ten... 17:41 You're talking about ten virgins, 17:42 people think, well, they're all women. 17:44 No, but this is important to know that 17:45 this is a representation of God's people. 17:46 Sure. Yes. Thank you. 17:49 Okay. 17:50 So verse two says, 17:52 "And five of them were wise, and five of them were foolish." 17:57 That's all it says. 17:59 Simple enough. Simple enough. 18:01 Now if you look up the word wise in the Greek, 18:05 it means mindful of one's interests. 18:09 And that would be salvation and being, you know... 18:12 That's good. 18:13 Going to the wedding. 18:15 And when it came to the foolish, 18:16 if you look up foolish morals in in the Greek, 18:21 it means impious and ungodly. 18:25 Okay. 18:27 So, something is missing. Something is missing. 18:28 So now already in this verse two, 18:32 we are seeing a difference between the two. 18:34 Although they profess a pure faith, 18:36 a difference is made between the two. 18:38 Something happened. 18:39 And we're going to share a little bit more as we go on. 18:42 Sister Nancy, 18:44 how about if you read verse three and four, 18:46 let's put those two together 18:48 to see the difference between the two. 18:50 Okay. 18:51 "Those who were foolish, took their lamps 18:53 and took no oil with them, 18:55 but the wise took oil in their vessels 18:57 with their lamps." 18:59 Okay. 19:02 And it says that 19:03 God's Word is a light onto our feet 19:07 and onto our path. 19:09 So the lamps they took was the Word of God. 19:12 Yes. 19:13 And they both had the Word of God. 19:15 They both were reading their Bibles. 19:17 They both were believing in their Bibles, 19:20 believing in the Word of God. 19:22 So if you look at it in today's context, 19:24 then it's in the church, 19:26 I mean, they believe in Jesus Christ. 19:29 And we know that the Lord said that 19:31 He is coming back for a bride 19:33 who's made himself ready or made themselves ready. 19:36 A bride that has finished the work 19:39 that He's called them to do. 19:41 What did He call them to do? 19:43 Go make disciples, teach them, baptize them. 19:46 But what we see here is ten sleeping church members. 19:53 They're all church members. Yes. 19:55 But they're certainly... 19:56 He didn't say there were five virgins 19:59 and the wise virgins and five foolish maidens. 20:04 They're all virgins. They're all part of the church. 20:07 They've got this lamp of professional, 20:09 lamp to my feet, a light to my path. 20:12 They know the Word of God, but something's up. 20:15 Something is different. Yeah. They're missing. 20:17 As it says here, 20:19 "The foolish ones took no oil with them, 20:21 but the wise ones had the oil with them." 20:25 Amen. 20:26 Let's... 20:28 I see you have something you would like to share, Joe. 20:30 Yes. I'd love to. Thank you. 20:33 We know that the lamp is the Word of God. 20:35 We know that the oil is the Holy Spirit. 20:37 And we know that they both had lamps, 20:39 both groups had lamps, 20:40 and we know that they had light 20:42 coming out of those lamps at one point. 20:44 So they all had some oil. 20:47 The one thing I did discover was 20:49 when we talk about vessel 20:51 if you look that up in the Greek, 20:52 it's a pail or a reservoir or a flask 20:55 it's separate from the lamp 20:56 had actually says here in verse four, 21:01 they had vessels with their lamps. 21:04 They're separate. 21:06 So the wise virgins had a reservoir, 21:10 a little extra Holy Spirit. 21:12 Well, I think the vessel as being our heart. 21:15 Yeah. 21:16 Because in Proverbs 4:23, it says, 21:18 "Keep your heart with all diligence 21:20 for out of it issues," 21:22 you know, "come the issues of life." 21:23 In Matthew 12:35. 21:25 It says, 21:26 "A good man out of the good treasure 21:27 of his heart 21:29 brings forth good things. 21:30 The evil man out of the evil brings forth bad." 21:33 So you know when Paul said, 21:34 "Don't you know you're the temple of God?" 21:36 If indeed God is living in you. 21:39 And we find in Zachariah, there's a beautiful... 21:42 If you want to read this in Zachariah 4:1-14, 21:46 this is how we know 21:48 that the oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. 21:52 Yes. 21:53 And it's an important story to understand. 21:59 And so here, we've got 22:04 ten virgins in the church. 22:07 Five have been through not only justification, 22:13 but I think 22:15 through the process of sanctification. 22:17 They have accepted the Lord as their Savior. 22:21 But then they go all the way in grace. 22:24 They accept sanctification by grace. 22:27 They're the ones who wake up and pray, 22:29 "Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit." 22:31 Day by day, 22:33 they are led by the Holy Spirit. 22:36 But then you've got five foolish ones 22:39 who they've got their Bibles. 22:41 They're the ones out, you know, one day Jesus... 22:44 They'll say to Him, 22:46 "Lord, Lord, did we not do this in Your name?" 22:48 And He'll say, "Go away. I never knew you." 22:51 They accepted Christ as Savior. 22:54 I mean, they said, 22:56 "Yeah, I believe He's the one who died. 22:57 He died for me." 22:59 But they never went 23:01 beyond that salvation stage of justification. 23:05 That's where God pardons your past sins 23:09 changes your record. 23:10 But the stage of salvation of sanctification, 23:15 where He changes your character, 23:18 where He changes, 23:21 you know, as you're going forward, 23:23 it is what would you say, it's the work of a lifetime? 23:27 Yes. 23:28 So these people stopped, the foolish ones stopped short. 23:33 They thought it was enough. 23:35 "Yeah. I know what the word says. 23:36 I go to church." 23:37 They might've even been teaching it. 23:39 Yeah. 23:40 Oh, absolutely. 23:41 That's possibility. 23:43 So it's just something, it's a wake-up call for us. 23:48 Yes, it is. 23:49 To see if we are relying on God for salvation. 23:54 You know, this is a very powerful, 23:56 a very important study in my opinion 23:59 because it's talking to us about today. 24:02 So if we talk about today, 24:05 do we have people like this today, 24:10 the wise and the foolish? 24:12 Is there, you know, 24:13 you're describing 24:15 the experience of many Christians. 24:17 The experience of many Christians 24:18 is just that. 24:25 They go so far 24:26 and then they don't go any further. 24:28 They don't allow the transformation of God 24:32 to lead them to 24:34 what is described in Philippians 1:6. 24:37 We're going to go to a song right now. 24:38 We're going to continue. 24:40 And we're going to go to the song, 24:42 and it's a song that has a message as well. 24:46 Go light your world by brother Michael Bennett. 24:56 There is a candle 25:01 In every soul 25:04 Some brightly burning, 25:08 Some dark and cold 25:12 There is a spirit 25:16 who brings a fire 25:20 Ignites a candle 25:24 And makes his home 25:28 So carry your candle, 25:32 Run to the darkness 25:36 Seek out the hopeless, 25:40 Confused and torn 25:43 And hold out your candle 25:48 For all to see it 25:51 Take your candle, 25:55 And go light your world 26:00 Take your candle, 26:03 And go light your world 26:11 Frustrated brother, 26:15 See how he's tried to 26:19 Light his own candle 26:23 Some other way 26:26 See now your sister, 26:30 She's been robbed and lied to 26:34 She still holds a candle 26:38 Without a flame 26:42 So carry your candle, 26:46 Run to the darkness 26:50 Seek out the lonely, 26:54 The tired and worn 26:58 Hold out your candle 27:02 For all to see it 27:05 Take your candle, 27:09 And go light your world 27:13 Take your candle, 27:16 And go light your world 27:24 We are a family 27:28 Whose hearts are blazing 27:32 So let's raise our candles 27:36 And light up the sky 27:40 Praying to our father, 27:44 In the name of Jesus 27:48 Make us a beacon 27:52 In the darkest times 27:56 So carry your candle, 28:00 Run to the darkness 28:03 Seek out the helpless, 28:07 Deceived and poor 28:11 Hold out your candle 28:15 For all to see it 28:19 Take your candle, 28:22 And go light your world 28:26 Take your candle, 28:30 And go light your world 28:36 Take your candle, 28:40 And go light your world 28:48 Go light your world 28:56 Go light your world 29:07 Thank you so much. 29:08 That was Michael Bennett 29:10 and beautiful message 29:13 that really speaks to our hearts. 29:16 And if you would like to know more 29:17 about Michael Bennett, 29:19 I'm sure you can find him on Facebook 29:20 or you may contact us, 29:22 so they can participate in some church activities 29:25 or evangelistic campaigns. 29:27 Well, we are in Matthew 25, 29:30 and I'm going to read again verse three and four. 29:32 "Those who were foolish took their lamps 29:34 and took no oil with them, 29:37 but the wise took oil in their vessels 29:40 with their lamps." 29:41 You notice here that this wedding appears to come, 29:44 appears to be or the coming of the bridegroom is at night. 29:50 And there's a symbolism here as well, you know? 29:54 When you're coming to the end of the world, 29:56 there's gross darkness. 29:57 The Bible says among the people, 30:00 and the virgins are supposed to have lamps to light the way. 30:05 When the bridegroom came in this parable, 30:08 the virgins were supposed to light the way 30:10 for the bridegroom. 30:11 So they have an important work to do. 30:15 And in order for us to light the world, 30:17 we need the Word of God. 30:20 We need the Word of God. 30:22 But I would like to say something 30:24 concerning the virgins and the parable, 30:28 but also today, let's go back to today. 30:31 You know, we were talking about are people like this today? 30:34 Do we have wise Christians and foolish Christians 30:38 that are allowing the things of the world to distract them 30:42 so that they don't get the oil? 30:44 Let's talk about the oil once again. 30:46 We talked about oil being the Holy Spirit. 30:48 How do we get, 30:51 maybe we should talk about that a little later, 30:53 but it's talking about the Holy Spirit. 30:55 Question, we have the question. 30:57 They have the lamp what is the lamp again? 30:59 The Word of God. The Word of God. 31:01 So all the virgins have the Word of God. 31:04 So all have the same opportunity 31:07 to study, to learn, 31:09 and to be transformed by the study of God's Word. 31:13 All have the same opportunity. 31:14 All have the same opportunity to bring oil. 31:17 Some brought oil 31:19 and some brought oil plus extra oil. 31:24 So we all have the same opportunity. 31:27 How about today? 31:28 You know, I was thinking of what Nancy said a while ago 31:30 when we were talking that 31:32 the lamp is their profession of faith. 31:34 It is a symbolic of the Word of God. 31:37 And she said, 31:38 perhaps someone 31:39 might even be teaching the word. 31:42 I was doing a series in a Texas town. 31:47 And there was a woman that was coming. 31:50 She had her ThD, 31:53 which is like a doctorate in theology. 31:58 So anyway, she had her ThD, 32:00 she was a teacher, a professor of religion. 32:05 This woman... 32:08 We say, we're not to be... 32:12 We're not to judge people's motivations, 32:14 but we can judge... 32:16 Fruit inspectors, 32:17 know them by their fruit, right? 32:19 And I mean, she easily confessed to me. 32:24 "I know about the Lord, 32:27 but I don't know the word like you do." 32:29 'Cause she was coming every night. 32:31 And the point that I'm making is 32:33 there is head knowledge, 32:38 there's heart knowledge. 32:40 Head knowledge is 32:42 believing in Jesus Christ like the demons. 32:44 James said, 32:46 even the demons believe and tremble. 32:48 There's a mental ascent. 32:50 And there are plenty of people 32:52 who come to church because it's their culture. 32:56 That's true. 32:58 They go, and they study the Bible 33:00 in the Sabbath school, 33:01 they do this or do that 33:03 Sabbath school or Sunday school, 33:04 wherever they go to church. 33:05 But it's a cultural thing. 33:07 They grew up doing it. 33:09 They're going to repeat it, 33:10 but they never fully yield and submit to the Lord. 33:16 Either they've not been taught 33:19 or they've been taught erroneously 33:22 or they're rebellious. 33:26 Now I will say this. 33:28 I believe what we're seeing here, 33:30 all ten virgins had an experience 33:32 with God's grace, 33:34 but some of them stopped as I said, 33:37 they accepted Him as Lord. 33:39 They stopped at that stage of justification. 33:43 And we see so many people in so many denominations 33:48 that are just like that. 33:50 They don't understand this process 33:53 of daily being led by the spirit. 33:56 And, you know, it's just like when Jesus said, 34:00 "Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, 34:03 knock and keep on knocking." 34:05 And He says, 34:06 "If you ask, you'll be given, if you seek, you'll find, 34:11 and if you knock the door's, it's going to be open." 34:13 And then, this is Luke 11:9-13, 34:17 He explains in verse 13. 34:20 He said, 34:22 "If you being a parent, a good parent..." 34:24 Know how to give good gifts to your children. 34:26 How much more 34:27 will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 34:31 to those who ask? 34:32 So I would say our first lesson 34:34 is to learn from the foolish virgins 34:37 if they didn't have the Holy Spirit in their heart, 34:42 they had grieved Him, resisted Him, 34:45 quenched the Holy Spirit in their life. 34:48 Our first lesson applicable to us today 34:51 is let's not be foolish. 34:53 Let's every day realize 34:56 we need to be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. 34:58 Amen. Amen. 35:00 You said something that, 35:02 you know, caught my attention and that is 35:04 there are some people stop at justification. 35:06 In other words, 35:07 they begin their experience with the Lord. 35:10 And now when we go to 2 Corinthians 5:17, 35:13 it says that, 35:15 "If any man be in Christ, 35:16 he is a new creation, 35:19 behold, old things are passed away, 35:22 all things have become new." 35:24 What happens to people? 35:25 Why is it do you think that some people stop? 35:28 "Well, I've been baptized. I'm going to church." 35:31 And can people be coming to church? 35:34 Can people come into church, are they foolish and wise? 35:38 Are they both in the church or are the foolish out? 35:42 The foolish are also in the church, 35:44 but what happens? 35:46 Why do you think some people don't go any further? 35:50 They just stop. 35:51 I think it has to do with human nature. 35:55 Human nature is carnal. 35:56 And we measure everything by the physical. 36:02 The Bible says spiritual things 36:04 have to be spiritually discerned 36:07 and were to come into the fullness of Christ. 36:09 And that requires the Holy Spirit's help. 36:12 And to sum up what Shelley was just saying 36:15 in the book called Christ's Object Lessons, 36:18 it's put very nicely. 36:20 I'd just love to share this little piece. 36:22 Please. 36:23 It says, 36:24 "In the parable, 36:26 all the virgins went to meet the bridegroom. 36:28 All had lamps and vessels for oil. 36:32 For a time there was seen no difference between them." 36:35 This is what you're talking about, Johnny. 36:36 They're all in the church. 36:38 "So with the church that lives 36:40 just before Christ's second coming," 36:42 and that's where we need to pay attention now 36:44 'cause time does run out. 36:47 "All have knowledge of the scriptures, 36:48 all have heard the message of Christ 36:51 near approach." 36:52 That's where we're at. 36:54 "So it is now 36:57 a time of waiting intervenes and faith is tried. 37:02 What happens is that part of the group 37:06 have no oil in their vessels with their lamps, 37:11 they are destitute of the Holy Spirit 37:14 without the Spirit of God 37:16 a knowledge of His Word is of no avail." 37:20 Amen. 37:21 "Unless the spirit of God sets the truth home. 37:24 That's the Holy Spirit. 37:25 The oil sets, the Spirit of God sets the truth. 37:30 That character will not be transformed." 37:32 And that's what you were talking about, John. 37:34 Yes. 37:35 Old things pass away, all things become new. 37:37 We need to come into the fullness of Christ, 37:38 but we can't. 37:40 We need the Holy Spirit's help. 37:41 Amen. Amen. 37:43 Don't you think sometimes when people accept Jesus, 37:46 they have a wonderful experience, 37:48 maybe an emotional one. 37:49 Maybe they went to an evangelistic series 37:51 and get caught up in the emotion 37:52 of going forward, accepting Jesus. 37:55 And there's something about when a group does it 37:56 and you feel elated, you feel wonderful, 38:00 but that's where they stop. 38:02 They've had this wonderful experience 38:04 and that it's like, 38:05 "oh, that's enough for me." 38:06 Oh, word carnal. 38:08 Yeah. They respond to it. 38:09 Paul had a lot to say about carnal Christian, 38:11 carnal Christianity. 38:13 I think Satan uses that to distract us. 38:14 Oh, of course, he does. 38:17 I think that's why Paul also wrote, 38:19 "Take heed lest you think you stand, you fall." 38:22 You know, one thing that I do regularly is 38:28 I do a self-assessment regularly. 38:30 I know salvation is by grace through faith. 38:32 There is nothing that I can do to save myself, 38:37 but I also know 38:39 what God's covenant relationships 38:42 that when I'm in covenant with Him 38:44 and receiving this gift, 38:46 he asks of me a love and a loyalty. 38:51 We're supposed to love Him 38:53 with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. 38:55 And the loyalty is the obedience. 38:59 When Jesus said, 39:01 "If you love me, obey, 39:02 you know, keep my commandments..." 39:04 So it's something that 39:06 I think sometimes even in ministry, 39:09 you can get so busy doing good for the Lord 39:12 that you start letting certain things 39:15 slip in your own life. 39:16 So I think we all should do a self-evaluation. 39:18 You know, I'm glad that you said that 39:20 because we all should do that. 39:22 I'm looking at a scripture here in 2 Corinthians 13: 5. 39:26 We're going to come back in a moment to Matthew 25, 39:29 but it says, 39:30 "Examine yourselves, 39:32 whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves. 39:36 Know ye not your own selves, 39:38 Know ye not your own selves, 39:41 how that Jesus Christ is in you, 39:43 except ye be reprobates?" 39:45 So, yes, we should take moment, time to examine ourselves. 39:50 We're talking about the whole 39:52 divergence five wise, five foolish. 39:54 Ask yourself, right now, 39:56 "Am I a wise virgin or a foolish virgin?" 39:59 Examine yourself 40:01 because this is an important thing 40:03 to ask yourself. 40:04 We're living in the last days, the Lord is coming soon. 40:07 Where are you? If the Lord... 40:08 If the bridegroom came today, what will happen to you? 40:12 What would happen? Would you be ready? 40:15 And so Psalms 34 interesting, it says here in Psalms 34, 40:20 I'm looking for the verse. 40:22 It says verse eight. 40:27 "O taste and see that the Lord is good. 40:31 Blessed is the man and woman who trusts in Him." 40:35 And so, you know, 40:36 sometimes you give people a taste. 40:38 "Hey, taste this thing." "Oh, that's good." 40:41 But taste and keep on tasting 40:43 continue in your walk with the Lord, 40:46 go deeper and deeper and deeper, 40:47 closer and closer to Jesus 40:49 so that you can see that the more, 40:52 the closer you get to Jesus, the sweeter, it is. 40:55 Amen. 40:56 The sweeter it is to be near to Jesus. 40:58 So ask yourself, 40:59 "Am I a wise virgin or a foolish Virgin?" 41:01 And so this is a time that we encourage you 41:04 to examine yourself, 41:06 see whether or not you are with Jesus 41:09 or are you drifting away? 41:12 Any final comments above verse three and four, 41:15 the wise virgin and the foolish virgin. 41:16 They took oil and some did not take oil. 41:20 Okay, let's move to verse five. 41:21 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, 41:26 they all slumbered and slept." 41:28 Okay. 41:29 Once again, 41:31 we can look at all the virgins and they looked the same. 41:35 They're all sleepy. 41:36 And, you know, that's such an important point. 41:39 Even the wise virgins were sleeping. 41:42 I will tell you what, 41:44 one thing that COVID has, the pandemic has taught me, 41:49 super or hypervigilance is not naturally sustainable. 41:56 You know, we... Very interesting thought. 41:58 Well, you think about that? 41:59 My doctor, when I went to see my doctor, 42:00 I'm having... 42:02 I have some immune issues right now 42:04 and he told me, 42:05 "Hey, you got to really be careful 42:07 'cause you could succumb to this disease." 42:10 And it was like, 42:11 "All right, duly noted. I'll be careful." 42:14 And we started off really careful. 42:17 And then a couple of months later, 42:19 I realized we were becoming lax 42:23 and it was kind of a wake-up call 42:26 when some people around us started getting it. 42:30 But my point is 42:31 here you've got all these church members, 42:34 they know they've heard it all their life 42:36 Jesus is coming soon, 42:40 but they get wearied by the darkness. 42:44 They're wearied by the darkness 42:47 and they end up 42:49 if you think of them as being asleep, 42:52 that's maybe a little bit apathy comes in. 42:55 Okay. You know? 42:56 I mean, I've heard that all my life 42:58 He's coming soon. 43:00 I don't know. 43:05 Well, again, I like to separate the carnal from the spiritual. 43:10 So we know that everybody is asleep in the church, 43:12 the foolish and the wise are both napping or slumbering. 43:15 And it's interesting that the Lord said all. 43:20 But it's also interesting that He gave us two words 43:24 slumbered and slept. 43:26 So there's first a slumbering, and then there's a sleeping. 43:29 That's right. 43:30 There's a slumber and there's a sleep. 43:32 And why did He put both words in there? 43:33 He didn't really need to if it was carnal. 43:36 But it's spiritual. Okay. 43:37 Now we know there's a difference 43:39 between the two groups 43:40 and this kind of expresses that difference. 43:42 When you go back to the Greek 43:44 and you look up the word slumbered, 43:46 it means to sleep. 43:49 And if you look at slept, it means normal sleep. 43:54 That means there's a difference 43:55 just like there is in the two groups. 43:57 So if you go on a little further, 43:59 you'll find out that slumbering is neglect, spiritually, 44:03 neglect, carelessness, 44:06 to be overcome or oppressed to linger. 44:10 And if you look up the word linger, 44:12 it actually means in the Greek. 44:14 It's so spiritual connotation. 44:16 What it means is 44:17 to remain alive although gradually dying. 44:20 This is spiritually what's happening. 44:23 That's why God used two different words 44:24 for the sleepers. 44:26 Now when you go to the slept, those who slept, 44:29 remember one group had no oil, the other had oil, all right? 44:34 And that's where the Holy Spirit helps us 44:37 to get what we are not able to get ourselves. 44:40 Now slept means normal sleep. 44:43 And then when you see what the extension of that is 44:48 indifferent to one salvation. 44:50 So now they sound as bad as the foolish ones, 44:53 but pay attention 44:55 because when it says indifferent to one salvation. 44:58 If I was to talk to one of the people 45:00 whose normal sleeping is going on, 45:04 and I would ask them, 45:05 "How is your salvation? 45:07 Are you ready to meet the Lord, blah, blah, blah?" 45:09 The answer would be unresponsive. 45:13 It would be neutral, 45:14 not good or bad because they're asleep. 45:17 Yes. Normal sleep. 45:18 So you see the difference there. 45:20 So anyway, on the one, 45:21 they're lingering and remaining alive, 45:24 although gradually dying and with the other group, 45:27 they're unresponsive because it's normal sleep. 45:31 Yes. Wow. 45:32 Thank you so much. 45:34 Sister Nancy, anything you would like to add to that? 45:37 Well, I think to the slumbering and slept 45:40 as he was mentioning with the spiritual meaning 45:43 is that we can become caught up 45:48 into the teachings of whatever. 45:50 And you can become... 45:52 If you don't have the Holy Spirit, 45:54 you can be easily deceived, you know, and fall under the... 45:58 'Cause Satan is always trying 46:00 to pull you away from the truth 46:03 and slumbering and sleeping are the slumbering, 46:05 if it's just sleep, 46:10 means that you're not really paying attention 46:12 to what the truth is. 46:13 And you're starting to fall under the deception 46:16 because we know that 46:17 the deception in the last days is going to be great. 46:21 And so it could be involving 46:22 just slightly starting 46:24 to slip into some deceptive thoughts or believes. 46:27 Okay. Thank you very much. 46:29 Okay, time is escaping from us. 46:32 So we're going to have to be brief 46:34 on some of the comments. 46:36 But let's look, go ahead and look at... 46:39 We're going to read verse six, seven, and eight, and nine. 46:44 Sister Shelley, could you read those? 46:46 Absolutely. Share with us. 46:47 "And at midnight a cry was heard, 46:51 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 46:54 go out to meet him!' " 46:56 So here we've got ten sleeping virgins 46:59 and they're all startled by the midnight cry. 47:05 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 47:09 And the foolish said to the wise, 47:11 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' " 47:14 Their lamps of flickering and going out. 47:17 "But the wise answered, saying, 47:19 'No, I don't think so 47:22 lest there should not be enough for us and you, 47:26 but go rather to those 47:28 who sell, and buy for yourselves.' " 47:30 I used to think... 47:31 When I was a little girl, 47:33 I read the New Testament very often, 47:35 but I can remember getting there and thinking, 47:38 "How selfish of them 47:40 that they wouldn't share their oil?" 47:43 But the point is they couldn't share their oil. 47:45 I cannot give you the Holy Spirit. 47:49 I can tell you about my experience with Him, 47:53 but you have to ask the Lord and receive of your own. 47:58 So here's people who they awake 48:02 and thankfully 48:04 the wise ones in their hearts, they had the Holy Spirit. 48:07 Now they can trim their lamps 48:09 and they can go out to meet the bridegroom, 48:12 but the foolish ones were unprepared. 48:15 Wow. Impacting. Okay. 48:17 So this is a serious, serious situation. 48:22 Anything you'd like to share about that? 48:24 The Christ Object Lessons puts it so nicely. 48:27 Thank you for what you shared, Shelley, 48:28 because it's pure truth and needful. 48:31 And in Christ Object Lessons, 48:33 it says the same thing in this manner. 48:36 "In spiritual things 48:37 no man can make up another's deficiency." 48:40 That's I can't give my oil to you. 48:44 "Character is not transferable. 48:47 No man can believe for another. 48:50 No man can receive the spirit for another. 48:53 No man can impart to another, the character, 48:56 which is the fruit of the Spirit's working." 48:59 See, it comes from the spirit, not from your neighbor. 49:02 Amen. 49:03 And that's one thing we failed to say a while ago, 49:05 the oil represents the Holy Spirit, 49:08 but by inference, 49:10 it represents His work in your life 49:14 and the character that you've obtained 49:17 through His influence. 49:18 Cooperation, the cooperation with the Holy Spirit. 49:21 Sister Nancy, anything you'd like to add quickly? 49:23 I'm just going to say, 49:24 just like we can't give the Holy Spirit to someone. 49:26 You can't give me your character either. 49:28 That's right. 49:29 That's something that 49:30 we have to let the Holy Spirit develop in us. 49:32 And that's why we need the oil. 49:34 Yes. 49:35 Now this is a description of today. 49:40 Imagine that Jesus Christ is coming. 49:45 There's apparently a moment a time of preparation 49:49 before His coming. 49:50 But the foolish virgins, 49:54 they have a work to 49:56 do that cannot be done during that time. 49:59 They are told, go out to buy something. 50:01 In other words, go get it like we got it, 50:04 but it's too late for them. 50:06 So there's a time coming when it will be too late. 50:09 Because before our bridegroom comes, 50:11 what does he do? 50:13 He stands up and he says, 50:14 "Let him who is righteous, be right to still and let him, 50:19 who's wicked be wicked still." 50:21 It's over at that moment. 50:24 That is close of probation. 50:26 He comes to get his bride. 50:27 And he comes unexpectedly. 50:29 Right. Unexpectedly. 50:31 So that we need to be ready all the time. 50:33 Now it's interesting that when the call is made, 50:36 they all awake. 50:37 You know, we right now can all awake. 50:41 Praise God. Amen. 50:42 And so I like to read the scripture 50:44 that is found in... 50:46 It's found in 2 Corinthian, no Ephesians 5. 50:51 I'm just going to read verse 14 because of time. 50:54 "Therefore he says, 50:55 'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, 50:59 and Christ will give you light.' " 51:02 So today we can wake up from the slumbering, 51:05 the sleeping 51:07 and Christ will give us light. 51:08 It's a decision that we have to make. 51:11 Boy, we really need to finish. Yeah. 51:13 We really need to finish this up. 51:14 Let's go ahead and read. 51:16 I'll read verse 10, 11, 12, and 13. 51:20 And then we'll just ask for your final comments. 51:22 How about that? 51:23 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, 51:26 and those who were ready 51:29 went in with him to the wedding, 51:31 and the door was shut. 51:33 Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, 51:36 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 51:38 But he answered and said, 51:39 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 51:43 Watch therefore, 51:44 for you know neither the day nor the hour 51:47 in which the Son of Man is coming." 51:49 Okay. 51:51 Now we come to the part that we have to summarize. 51:54 Sister Shelley, summarize and summarize 51:57 and then we'll end. 51:58 So here he returns, the door's shut. 52:00 Probation is over. 52:01 There's no more time to try to be saved. 52:05 But in the parable, 52:07 they're going out 52:09 and they're trying to find that. 52:10 And then they come, he has ushered his bride 52:12 to the wedding, marriage, supper of the lamb. 52:15 And in the parable, they're saying, 52:17 "Lord, Lord let us in, let us in." 52:19 And I want to read... 52:21 I mean, can you imagine having God 52:22 you've been in the church all your life 52:24 and having Him say to you, 52:26 "Assuredly, I don't know you. 52:28 Go away the door's shut. It's locked." 52:31 When you look at Matthew 7, 52:34 I just want to read this very quickly. 52:37 Matthew 7: 21. 52:39 This is Jesus words. 52:42 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord, ' 52:44 shall enter the kingdom of heaven. 52:46 But he who does 52:48 the will of My Father in heaven. 52:51 Many will say to me in that day, 52:52 'Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, 52:55 cast out demons in your name, 52:56 done many wonders in your name?" 52:59 And then I will declare to them, 53:01 'I never knew you depart from me. 53:05 You who practice lawlessness.' " 53:09 So I wanted just to say one thing, 53:12 lawlessness is breaking God's commandments. 53:15 And let me tell you something. 53:16 Even obedience is by grace. 53:19 It is God's gift to us as He works in us 53:23 to willing to do His good pleasure. 53:25 And He says He will complete the good work 53:28 He's begun in us 53:29 as long as we are yielding to His leading. 53:32 Amen. Amen. 53:34 And on that note also, when he says, 53:37 "No, I know you not." 53:39 The Greek word for no is defined as, 53:43 perceive a difference between right and wrong. 53:47 There you said keeping the commandments 53:49 because we love Him. 53:50 Somebody here was not filled with the Holy Spirit 53:53 which gives him the power to keep those commandments. 53:56 The love to keep those commandments. 53:58 And so in the last verse, when it says, 54:00 "Watch, therefore, 54:01 you don't know the day or the hour." 54:05 And when it says, watch, 54:06 we currently will be watching for Jesus to come in the clouds 54:10 and all this carnal physical activity. 54:14 But again, what's happening spiritually? 54:16 Spiritually, the word watch, 54:20 which is unpronounceable in Greek to me, 54:24 it says, give strict attention 54:28 to lest you come into the calamity 54:33 and it overtakes you. 54:34 So when it says, watch, I'm saying, 54:39 we need to see the spiritual watching 54:42 because it's saying watch yourself, 54:47 make sure you have the Holy Spirit, 54:50 make sure you've the oil in your lamp. 54:52 Make sure that your character will shine out 54:56 and show the glory of God. 54:57 Amen. Wow. 54:59 Good. Thank you very much. 55:01 Sister Nancy, final words. 55:02 Well, we know that the oil is the Holy Spirit, 55:05 and we see the importance of having this oil, 55:08 this Holy Spirit. 55:10 And how do we get the Holy Spirit? 55:12 One thing we can do is ask. 55:14 We can ask and we should ask every day for the Holy Spirit. 55:17 It's not like you get him once and that's it. 55:19 Ask every day for the Holy Spirit. 55:21 That's the only way we can be really sure 55:23 that we have the oil we need. 55:25 Amen. Thank you so much. 55:27 Thank you. Wow. 55:28 Time just escaped us. 55:29 I know there was more to share. 55:31 I would like to take you once again 55:32 to the Matthew 25:13, 55:36 notice that it says, 55:38 "Watch therefore, 55:40 for you know neither the day nor the hour 55:43 in which the Son of Man is coming." 55:45 There is a definite message for us 55:50 as Christians to watch to be a... 55:55 Hypervigilant. Hypervigilant. 55:56 Thank you so much. 55:58 This is also told to us 55:59 in other places of the scriptures. 56:00 Watch, there is this maintaining 56:04 our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. 56:07 The Lord is coming soon, 56:08 and this is the message that is presented here. 56:11 So all slumbered and slept but not all were shut out. 56:17 Some were able to go in, 56:19 and I hope you're among those that is ready to go in. 56:22 But if you are not, 56:23 there's the message for us in Revelation 3:20, 56:27 today we can answer that call 56:30 and the call that Jesus is making 56:31 is presented in these words. 56:33 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 56:38 If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 56:41 I will come into him and dine with him, 56:44 and he with me." 56:46 You know, Jesus is standing right now at the door. 56:50 The time will come when He will walk away 56:53 because He's done enough knocking. 56:55 He has done enough calling because, 56:57 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 56:59 If any man hears my voice." 57:00 So there's this knocking 57:02 in different ways that He knocks 57:05 through people, 57:06 through messages, through songs, 57:08 through the reading of the scriptures. 57:09 The Lord is knocking through events 57:11 that you see fulfilling all over the place. 57:13 The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart 57:15 to let you know 57:17 it's time for you to open the door 57:19 and let Him in. 57:20 And when you let Him in, wonderful things happen. 57:23 So I encourage you to open the door to Jesus 57:26 and let Him come in. 57:27 I want to thank Sister Shelley Quinn 57:29 for being with us. 57:30 Joe O'Brien and Nancy O'Brien, 57:32 and we thank you for being with us. 57:33 God bless you. We'll see you next time. |
Revised 2021-03-29