A “dear” friend, Ruth Ward, emailed this to me today. I can’t verify the truth of it, but it is about the funniest thing I have ever read. Here goes …
“(A letter from a Texas farmer who wants to remain anonymous, who farms, writes well and actually tried this).
I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home. I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up– 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold.
The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope … and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer– no chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.
A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer’s momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn’t want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder —a little trap I had set before hand … kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.
Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head — almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts. The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.
That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.
Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp. I learned a long time ago that, when an animal – like a horse – strikes at you with their hooves and you can’t get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape. This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run.
The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all. Besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, the second I turned to run it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down. Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.”
This is where the email ended. What a hoot! I’m sure I’ll get a lot of comments that this is just an urban legend – and it may be – but it’s still hilarious. A few years ago GEICO had a series of advertisements on “We All Do Dumb Things” that were hilarious. We do all do “Dumb Things”, and it’s possible someone tried this. The Bible says:
Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
We do foolish things that hurt us. The worst thing that we do is to ignore our spiritual lives until it is too late. God loves us, and calls us to receive Him by faith. He bids us to “call upon the name of Jesus”, to trust Him, to follow Him. Don’t rope a deer. Follow Jesus. Read His Bible. Pray to Him. Listen to His call:
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 25:31-40 (KJV) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. [34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. [37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? [40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
There are days when I wake up tired, restless, and sometimes discouraged. I turn to the news and see that wickedness abounds and it seems as if no one cares. My joints hurt. My body ages. How do I get out of the doldrums? How do I rebuke the devil when he whispers? …
I’m winning
What do we do when we are in the valley?
We look upward.
We look toward the horizon.
We look toward the Son as He rises.
We remind ourselves that we labor NOW for Jesus
But we will not RECEIVE OUR REWARD until our Lord comes.
The Prosperity Preachers will tell you that God wants every believer to be a millionaire. That’s not true. Our Lord said:
Mark 14:7 (NIV) The poor you will always have with you …
The only ones who get rich on the “prosperity gospel” is the “prosperity preachers”. Like politicians with their millions dollar homes and their thousand dollar suits they fleece the sheep while leaving the ones they have stripped shivering in the cold. Beloved, we are not to look for our reward in the present, but in our FUTURE. Jesus blessed His disciples and sent them out with His power. They returned and said:
“Lord, even the devils are subject to us”
To which Jesus replied,
“Do not rejoice in this, but rejoice that
YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN!”
We will have good days and bad days on the earth, but our reward is not now. Our reward is WHEN.
Matthew 25:31 (KJV) WHEN the Son of man shall come in his glory,
There is coming a day when our Lord will reward us with a crown. There is coming a day when Jesus returns in His glory, and WHEN we shall be blessed. No one receives their reward NOW but the Pharisees and the self righteous, the goats who live not for Christ but for themselves. Jesus spoke of them when He said:
Matthew 6:2 (KJV) Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD.
They gave to the poor not because they wanted to bring glory to Christ, but because they wanted to be seen of men. THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD.
Matthew 6:5 (KJV) And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD.
They are not praying TO God but FOR MEN to see. Many a “Special” has been sung in front of a Church or a stadium for the applause of man. Many a sermon has been preached so that men will say “well done, you good and faithful servant”. But it is not done for God, but for applause, for pay, for adulation. THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD.
For those who are Christ’s will not receive their reward NOW, but WHEN. The Bible says “WHEN the Son of man shall come in His glory”. We will be rewarded at the end of the race, at the end of our mission, at the end of the course.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
There is no prize handed out to the also rans.
This is not like modern education where every child receives a prize just for participating. Such things do not build character, but embody and enable weakness and sissification. The crown of righteousness is not rewarded to those who stop in the middle of the race and sit down defeated and discouraged. The Scripture says over and over again:
Revelation 2:7 (KJV) … To him that OVERCOMETH will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:17 (KJV) … To him that OVERCOMETH will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written …
The Child of God – born again by faith in Christ – overcomes and runs because God runs with Him. Christ is with us. We “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith”. It is He who runs before us as we:
Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) …. let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US,
We who are His will be rewarded by He Who saved us.
The Victors Come And Stand With The King
You have probably watched the Olympics at some time in your life. Do you remember at the end of the race when the judges are handing out the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals? Don’t you remember that the judges call up every spectator in the stands, and the crowd stands to be honored? Don’t you remember that? Of course you don’t. It never happens. The crowd has no prize. The crowd is not honored. The judges call up the runners who won first, second, and third place. The winners who struggled and finished the race were called forward. Our King is our Judge, and He will call us forward:
Matthew 25:34 (KJV) … THEN (at the end of the race) shall the King say unto them on his right hand, COME, ye blessed of my Father,
The Law said “Go” but Grace says “Come”. Jesus became a curse for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him. “Come, you BLESSED”. You who are saved will be blessed beyond measure when the day of your reward comes. You will be called into communion with Christ forever. All suffering shall be passed.
2 Timothy 2:12 (KJV) If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him …
Jesus calls us now to His side, but we are called to suffer. The world does not love the Christian. “If they hated Me, they will hate you”. Darkness despises the light. To follow Christ now is to suffer reproach, to be thought mad, to be considered weird because we are not of the world. At this time God calls His Children and says:
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
In this present age our Lord says “Come out from among them”. Do not be like the world. At present we are tempted and tried by the world. Many have succumbed to the whispers of the serpent’s seed. But God says “As Abram came when I called, you come. You will not be Abraham until you come to Me.”
Come unto Me, I will give you rest;
Take My yoke upon you, hear Me and be blessed.
I am meek and lowly, come and trust My might.
Come, My yoke is easy, and My burden’s light.
Our Reward Will Be On His Right Hand
Now we come apart from, but in the future reward Christ will set us apart.
Matthew 25:31-40 (KJV) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And HE SHALL SET the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. [34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
There will be no darkness nor unsaved in that future reward. The bullies will be gone, cast out into outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. James and John came to Jesus and asked:
Can one of us sit on your right hand, and the other on the left?
They didn’t know what they were asking for. Their request was foolish. ALL of Christ’s Children will be on the right hand of the Savior, and ALL of those who rejected Him will be on His left hand. In this present life it seems as if the wicked prosper:
Psalm 37:35 (KJV) I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psalm 73:7 (KJV) Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
As C.H. Spurgeon once said, “The world is upside down now; the Gospel has begun to turn it the right way uppermost, but when the day of grace is over and the day of glory comes, then shall it be righted”. When Jesus returns the wicked and the unrighteous will be cast away. Those who love neither God nor their neighbor will be placed with all the other selfish and immoral people. In this life the rich man steps over Lazarus and feeds the dogs while the beggar starves. In the next life we will be in a place where:
Revelation 21:3-4 (KJV) … the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Those on the right hand of Christ will be in a right place.
Matthew 25:34 (KJV) Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Come from your graves.
Come from among the ungodly.
Come and wear a crown.
Come receive your reward.
Come and sit with Me in My throne.
Come My Beloved.
Come receive the mansion I have made for you.
John 14:2-3 (KJV) In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
The right hand of Christ is where the blessed are. We inherit the Kingdom prepared for us. We receive the mansion then, in the when of Christ’s coming. What a glorious day that will be!
I remember when we first bought our home here in Columbia. We have two tiled bathrooms, but we’ve never had tiled bathrooms. We have marble sinks where we’ve never had marble sinks. Both Sherry and I have never had fancy things like this. But God blessed us, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t touch the marble sinks and marvel at it. But as blessed as we are now, this is not our reward. Our reward is coming. We have a place prepared for us where the street of it is paved with gold. But this is not what is important. What is important is that we will be with our Savior. We will be with Him forever. We shall inherit the KINGDOM PREPARED FOR US. The Bible says:
Revelation 1:6 (KJV) He hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;
We will inherit a kingdom prepared from before the foundation of the world. There will be nothing missing from our reward.
Who Shall Enter This Reward?
Who are those who will enter Christ’s glory? Who will be placed on His right hand forever? For whom is this reward? To those who are indwelt of Christ. To those who love because God is love, and God operated through their lives.
Matthew 25:34-35 (KJV) Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Those who are “blessed of the Father” are distinguished by their hospitality and their charity.
There are some who call themselves “Christian” who are distinguished by their harshness and their willingness to judge others, to demean, to discourage. They are GOATS, chewing up anything and everything. These goats tear down rather than build up. But those who ran their race and are rewarded by their Master showed evidence that they were actually born again. Jesus said that the basis of the future reward is that..
Christ was hungry, and you fed Him.
Christ was thirsty, and you gave Him drink.
Christ was lonely, and you took Him in.
Christ was naked, and you clothed Him.
Christ was sick, and you visited Him.
Christ was in prison, and you came to Him.
The listeners asked the King:
Matthew 25:37-39 (KJV) Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
When did we do these things, Dear Jesus? And Jesus replies:
Matthew 25:40 (KJV) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
A Christian is a person who has a present relationship with God. This relationship is intimate and leads us to imitate Christ. What does the Scripture say?
Romans 8:9 (NASB) … you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the SPIRIT OF CHRIST, he does not belong to Him.
The day you were saved God’s Holy Spirit came to you. As you read God’s Word, hear His Word, speak to His Word you change more and more into the image of Christ.
1 John 4:13 (NASB) By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
God is love, and God indwells His people. If God is in you, then it is evidenced by how you live for Him. Do you love your brother or sister in Christ? Do you love the family of God? Or are you selfish, loving only YOUR way and YOUR stuff? The world is selfish, but the future Kingdom will not be. The Lord said:
inasmuch as you have done it to the least of THESE MY BRETHREN
Another translation makes it clearer:
… to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine,
even the least of them, you did it to Me. (NASB)
The faith of a Christian – if genuine – effects him from the inside out. If your faith does not touch your wallet your faith is false. There will be no discouragers in Heaven, only encouragers. Who shall be cast into outer darkness? Those who saw a brother or sister in Christ in need, but did nothing about it.
I was hungry, and you gave me good advise – but no food.
I was thirst, and you gave me a prayer – but no water.
I was naked, and you gave me good wishes – but sent me away naked.
I was sick, and you told me about your doctor – but had no time to visit me.
The family of God is a family of love. Love requires effort. Love lifts up. Love cares.
So keep loving, dear Christian. Keep giving. Keep running.
Matthew 26:1-5 (KJV) And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, [2] Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. [3] Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, [4] And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. [5] But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
If you knew the day of your death, what would you do?
Several years ago there was a movie called The Bucket List. Two men – one rich and one not – discovered that they were dying of cancer. They knew their days were numbered. Though they didn’t know exactly when they were going to die, they knew they were limited in time, so they made a “Bucket List” of things to do before they “kicked the bucket”. Interestingly enough of all the things on “The Bucket List” no one put “Get right with my Maker”. The Bible tells us:
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
We all have an appointment with death. We all will die. What if you knew the time of your appointment? What would you do differently? If you knew that your death was going to be horrible, that you were going to be betrayed by a trusted friend, that you would suffer an unimaginable agony before death’s sweet kiss, what would you do?
If you knew you were going to die in flames in a terrible car accident on such and such a day, what would you do? If it were me, I’d avoid driving and highways that day. Wouldn’t you?
If you knew you were going to drown while swimming on such and such a day, would you go to the beach that day, or head toward a desert?
If you knew an assassin would surprise you at a prayer meeting, would you go pray that day?
The truth is, if we knew the day and the manner of our deaths we would probably seek to avoid that day and that manner with everything we had at our disposal.
Jesus Knew The Day And Manner Of His Death
Jesus spent the third day before His death talking to the Pharisees and His disciples. Jesus told His listeners that He was coming again, and spent that third day explaining answering questions like ….
Matthew 24:3 (KJV) …. what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Jesus explained that a Judgment Day was coming, and that He would be the Judge. He spoke of the separation of the believer (the sheep) and the unbeliever (the goats), the believer to the right hand and the unbeliever to the left. Those who are Christ’s are to “go into eternal life” but the rejectors of the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls will “go away into everlasting punishment”.
Matthew 26:1-2 (KJV) And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, [2] Ye know that AFTER TWO DAYS IS THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER,
As Jesus finished His great teachings He said “You know that in two days is the Feast of the Passover”. The disciples knew this. This is why they gathered in Jerusalem. The Passover was a time of celebration, a commemoration of the time that God fought for Israel. Israel was in bondage to Egypt, enslaved, and cried out to God for deliverance. God told Israel to take “a lamb without spot or blemish” (Exodus 12:3-6). The lamb was to be taken on the tenth day of the month, and killed on the fourteenth day of the month. The blood of the lamb was to be placed “on the doorposts and the lintel of the house”. God said:
Exodus 12:12-13 (NKJV) For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
When I see the Blood, I will PASS OVER you.
The Judgment of God “PASSED OVER” the home where the Blood was.
After God judged Egypt, and Israel was released, they were to continue this PASS OVER yearly.
Jesus said to His disciples “In two days is the Feast of the Passover”.
You know this.
“Yes Lord, we know this.”
And then Jesus blew their minds. He said:
Matthew 26:2 (KJV) … and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
If you or I knew we would die in two days, and knew the nature of our deaths, we would probably try and avoid it at all costs. But Jesus did not. Let us admire Him! Let us adore Him!
Jesus was calm, though He knew He would be BETRAYED Nothing hurts worst than to be BETRAYED. The word translated “betrayed” is the Greek παραδίδωμι paradidōmi which is a compound PARA + DIDOMAI. The word PARAKALEO means “to call alongside”. Paradidōmi means that someone who is alongside of you – a friend – hands you over. Betrayal makes suffering greater. To walk with someone and love someone, then have that person stab you in the back, that intensifies the suffering.
Jesus knew that He would be betrayed.
John 6:70 (ESV) “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”
Judas Iscariot would betray Jesus. Jesus knew this was coming. In fact, the Messiah HAD to be betrayed by a close friend.
Psalm 41:9 (ESV) Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
Jesus knew that He would be betrayed by Judas. But Jesus was not just betrayed by Judas Iscariot, but by ALL His disciples. He just finished telling His disciples that He was going to be crucified. In two days is the Feast of the Passover, and the Son of man will be betrayed to be crucified. Right after this the Bible tells us that:
Matthew 26:6-9 (KJV) Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, [7] There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. [8] But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? [9] For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
Jesus was invited to eat with Simon the leper, a Pharisee. This was two days before Jesus was to be crucified. A woman came in and took an alabaster box filled with precious ointment. We are told in Mark 14:3 “it was pure and very costly spikenard”, an amber colored oil harvested from a rare flower that grows only in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. Mark tells us that …
Mark 14:3 (NKJV) she BROKE the flask and poured it on His head …
She made a commitment to use all this oil on Jesus. She BROKE the flask. This was her way of honoring Christ, the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. Did the disciples love Jesus enough to appreciate what she did? No. We are told “they had INDIGNATION, saying TO WHAT PURPOSE is this WASTE”. Oh Beloved, anything expended on the Savior is not a waste. No effort, no cost, nothing is too much to give the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. The disciples betrayed Christ even before the Cross, and cloaked their betrayal as many a hypocrite has, saying:
We could have sold that ointment and given the money to the poor!
Oh generous hypocrite, doesn’t Jesus deserve this blessing? Jesus said:
Matthew 26:10-13 (KJV) …. Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. [11] For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. [12] For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. [13] Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Jesus would die horribly in just two days, and this woman was an angel sent from God to minister to Him, to prepare Him for burial. How did the disciples respond? The Bible tells us that after this incident:
Matthew 26:14-15 (KJV) THEN one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, [15] And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I WILL DELIVER HIM unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
An act of genuine love for the Savior became the catalyst by which Judas Iscariot would betray the Lord. Yet Jesus set His gaze forward. He did not fear, nor was He bitter. Jesus knew what was coming, and went anyway.
Jesus was focused and determined, though He knew He would be CRUCIFIED He said:
Matthew 26:2 (KJV) Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be CRUCIFIED.
The worst death imaginable is crucifixion. It is horrible because it is not designed to just kill, but it is designed to mutilate and torture. No Roman Citizen was ever executed by crucifixion.
Roman Citizens could be executed, but their deaths were by the sword, by beheading. Their deaths were swift and as much as is possible, painless. Crucifixion was not painless. It was a death reserved for criminals, for slaves, for the lowest of people.
If crucifixion were like the electric chair (which few use today) it would be like the electric chair on it’s lowest setting.
If crucifixion were like lethal injection it would be a slow dripping of acid, stripping the veins.
Crucifixion was not designed to be fast. It was designed to be a horrible warning. The crucified was first stripped naked and beaten with whips embedded with sharp bone and broken pottery. The crucified was whipped until ribs showed. Vital organs were avoided, for the executioner wanted death to be slow, painful, bloody. After inflicting as much torture as possible, the one to be crucified carried his own Cross to Golgotha. At the end of the long agonizing journey, beaten like a mule, the convicted was made to lay down upon the Cross as nails were pounded through the hands and feet.
At any point Jesus could have avoided this judgment, for crucifixion is a judgment. Yet Jesus continued to move forward. He did not hide. He did not run from Jerusalem, but continued forward. The night before His crucifixion He knelt in Gethsemane and prayed, falling on His face:
Matthew 26:39 (KJV) …. O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Jesus prayed this prayer three times. “Oh My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done”. Rising up, Jesus had His answer. He told His disciples:
Matthew 26:46 (KJV) Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Jesus would be crucified. He knew that He would be crucified. Yet He did not accuse God. He was not bitter. Look at Jesus. Look at Jesus. The Scripture declares
Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus did not weep at His coming crucifixion, but went to that Cross with joy in His heart. For Jesus knew that His sacrifice would be the means by which we who believe in Him would be saved.
Jesus Is The Passover
Matthew 26:2 (KJV) Ye know that after two days is the feast of THE Passover, and THE Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
C.H. Spurgeon wrote:
“I cannot help reading it like this – “You know that after two days is THE PASSOVER. All other Passovers have been Passovers only in name, Passovers in type, Passovers in emblem, Passovers foreshadowing THE Passover. But after two days is the real Passover, and THE Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Jesus Christ is THE Passover Who was sacrificed for us. The Scripture says:
1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) …. Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us:
The judgment of God “Passed Over” Israel when God saw the Blood, but the Blood of the animal could not permanently cover sin. The Bible says that the Law of God was “a shadow of good things to come”. Christ stood in the light of God. The sacrifices and blood of animals were but a shadow of Christ. If the blood of animals or the works of our hands could save us then once would have been enough. But the Bible says:
Hebrews 10:3-4 (NKJV) But in those sacrifices there is a REMINDER OF SINS every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
We all stand before a Holy God – a THRICE Holy God. We all stand as sinners in need of the Savior. Israel – year after year – came to Jerusalem and carried a lamb without spot or blemish into the Temple. There the priests laid the lambs on the altar, slashed it’s throat, then sprinkled the blood of that lamb on the people.
But no animal can make payment for our sins.
We read earlier:
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) And as it is appointed unto men ONCE TO DIE, but AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT: ….
But we didn’t read the next verse. What does verse 28 say?
[28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
All other passovers were but a SHADOW of the Passover of Christ.
In the shadow offerings the lamb was without spot or blemish. Jesus Christ is without spot or blemish.
By man sin entered the world, and death by sin, for all have sinned (Romans 5:12).
Sin did not enter the world because a lamb sinned. Sin did not enter the world because an animal ate the forbidden fruit. Sin entered the world because MAN sinned, and DEATH came by MAN. So what does Jesus say?
Matthew 26:2 (KJV) Ye know that after two days is the feast of THE Passover, and THE SON OF MAN is betrayed to be crucified.
God came and was born once so we can be born again.
God became man, perfect Man, to pay the penalty for our sin.
Jesus is perfect Son of Man.
The Scripture declares:
Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For {The Father} made HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus challenged the Pharisees to find sin in Him, and they could not.
John 8:46-48 (NASB) WHICH ONE OF YOU CONVICTS ME OF SIN? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.
Jesus Christ went to that Cross, the perfect Lamb of God dying for us. He gave His life on Calvary for you and I. He did so because He loves us so. We should adore Jesus. He is the Only Way unto God as Father. He did not run away from His impending, horrible, painful, shameful death. He ran toward it.
Because He wanted to bring us to God.
The Devil And The Unbeliever Could Not Stop Him
Once more I want to read our text:
Matthew 26:2 (KJV) Ye know that after two days IS THE FEAST of THE Passover, and THE SON OF MAN is betrayed TO BE CRUCIFIED.
The Devil had incited the Pharisees to kill Jesus before. I’m told that they plotted to or tried to kill Jesus 27 times prior to His crucifixion. I’m not sure of that count, but it sounds about right. Time after time they plotted to kill Jesus. In our text today we read:
Matthew 26:3-5 (KJV) … Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, [4] And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. [5] But they said, NOT ON THE FEAST DAY, lest there be an uproar among the people.
The Conspirators gathered together in the Palace and, led by Satan, planned on killing Jesus by stealth. “Let’s do it quietly. Let’s kill Him, but NOT ON THE FEAST DAY, lest there be an uproar among the people”. This was the Devil’s plan. Keep it quiet. Don’t do it on the Passover. Make it like a random murder, something that the CSI team can’t figure out. Let’s sneak about and kill Jesus, and sweep Him into the dustbin of history.
But God was in control.
God is always in control.
“Not on the Feast Day” said the Pharisees.
“On the Feast Day” said the Father.
“Keep it quiet” said the Pharisees.
“Parade Him Before the Governor” said God.
“Hide Him between two thieves” said the Pharisees.
“Put KING OF THE JEWS above His head” said God.
Everything the devil did, God undid.
Everything the Pharisees plotted in secret, God shouted from the rooftops.
Perhaps the devil whispers to you now. “You are as good as any. You don’t need Jesus”. The devil is half right. You are “as good as any” but that’s no good before God. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. Jesus Christ took your penalty so that you do not have to face judgment alone.
1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
Adrian Rogers tells the following illustration:
“I remember reading a story about a wealthy Roman who had a lavish estate, and he had a servant named Marcellus. When the wealthy Roman died, he wrote his will and left everything to his slave. The wealthy Roman also had a son, and for some reason he had had a disagreement with him, so in his will he said, “I have left my entire estate to my slave Marcellus. To my son, I leave him only one thing. He can choose any one thing from my estate he wants, but that’s all.” The son said, “Very well, I choose Marcellus.”
I choose Jesus. If you choose Jesus, you gain Heaven. If you choose the world, you lose it all, even Heaven. Choose Jesus.
Jesus died for you. He died for me. He died that we might – receiving Him as Lord and Savior – we might have life. Have you received Him? If not, may today be the day you choose to follow Him. May God touch your hearts by His Word.
I don’t mean “alone” as in God has abandoned me. But I do mean “alone” in the sense that it seems as if I am abandoned by those who should be my friends. I found out yesterday that a “preacher” who should know better has been running down my ministry and my Church to a lost man I’ve been witnessing to. That makes me feel alone.
What else contributes to this sense of loneliness? I strive to be a friend to all, but often see no reciprocity. I send birthday and anniversary cards to people, spending a thousand dollars yearly in postage and stationary. How many cards did I and my wife receive last year? Three. Just three. That makes me feel alone.
I grew up alone, rejected by 99% of my schoolmates. I was shy and overweight. To top it off, I wore thick glasses. I was a target of bullies, beaten up, mocked. I did have two friends that were as outcast as I was. We were a tiny, bullied group in the midst of a huge school. The popular kids shunned us. The strong kids bullied us. We were alone.
Then I met Jesus Christ, and He became my companion. I’m never alone. Jesus called me and said “come unto Me, dear David. You are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me.” So I did. I came to Jesus, grabbed my Bible and began to read and study it. I went in the military, and moved in with three Christian men who studied the Bible with me. I came home one day to find out I was no longer wanted in this “Brotherhood”. Alone.
Broken I prayed that the Lord would send me a wife. God sent me a beautiful wife in Sherry, the heartbeat of my life. She is with me. Jesus is with me. I share my heart with her, and she supports me. She is there for me.
But in ministry I still feel alone.
I know what God has called me to do, but few seem to want to help, or even care what I think. I know what steps we need to take, but few will actually join in. I don’t know what I can do by myself. In the military it took the many working together to accomplish the goal, much as Christ calls His Church to do. But very few will hear. Few will commit. For years I pastored a Church in need of a worship leader. After 7 years I left, and almost immediately a worship leader was hired. I was alone, but the replacement preacher was not.
Perhaps it’s me. I don’t know.
Encouragement would help. Someone besides my wife and Jesus standing with me would help. I have often sought out Pastors to pray with, but none have ever sought me out. I have often asked Pastors to be guest speakers, trying to encourage their ministry. I myself have never had a mentor outside of Christ, never had a Helper outside of the Holy Spirit. I know I’m not alone. But I do wish someone would pitch in and walk with me. I do wish the critics would realize how bad the jabbing hurts. I pray for this. I pray for the day that people realize we all need encouragement, we all need a helping hand. Even Moses could not do it by himself. Someone had to step up and hold up his hands if the battle would be won.
I’m not alone, but I pray for help, help I’ve rarely had. A man told me the other day “If you’re a preacher, you’ll often walk alone”. He’s right, but that doesn’t make it right.
So I’ll look up. I’ll sing. I’ll “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith”. I’ll “run with patience the race set before me”. And I’ll remember that many who profess Christ feel alone. I am not alone in feeling alone. We all hurt. We all suffer from alleged preachers who, “like Alexander the Coppersmith, who did Paul much wrong”. I will pray with the Apostle:
“Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to this deeds” (2 Timothy 4:14, ESV).
And I will look to Jesus. Jesus is faithful, and my God is good. And in the end, I will not be alone.
Preached the Evening at Riverview Baptist, 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN
Audio of Evening Message
Study Notes:
As Jesus prepared to go to the Cross to die for our sins He wanted His people to be prepared. The devil never goes down without a fight.
Jesus was going to defeat
DEATH, the
DEVIL, and the
DISEASE of Sin on the Cross of Calvary.
Jesus knew that He would die a terrible death to secure our freedom from Satan’s servitude. And Jesus knew that the world and the Devil that runs the world’s evil would do everything it could to muffle the message of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (KJV) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: [8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for HAD THEY KNOWN IT, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY.
God had a plan in Calvary. God had a purpose in Christ’s Cross. God has a people that He would save. If “the princes of this world” had known what God was up to the Pharisees would have took out advertisements FOR Jesus and not against Him. If Herod and Pilate had a clue as to what God was doing in Christ they would not have beaten Him and humbled Him and nailed Him to the Tree. They would have given a banquet, one which would have rivaled the Marriage Feast for Caesar himself. They would not have killed the Lord of Glory.
But God, willing to save whosoever will, would send His Son to the Cross.
Christ was not MURDERED, but MARTYRED.
2 Peter 3:8-10 (NKJV) But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 BUT the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
God tarried in judgment.
He tarried as His Son was nailed to the Cross.
He tarried as Jesus purchased our salvation.
He tarried when Jesus returned from the grave.
He tarried, and has tarried for over two thousand years now.
But there will be a time when Jesus returns. That is what Jesus’ parable is about today – that He will return. When He returns the unsaved world will be judged, but His Church will go into a Wedding Feast with Him. The Book of Revelation tells us that God will judge the false Church prior to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. We read:
Revelation 19:1-5 (NKJV) After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because HE HAS JUDGED THE GREAT HARLOT WHO CORRUPTED THE EARTH WITH HER FORNICATION; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
The false Church is judged. She was a harlot – a whore who sought to please the world and not her Bridegroom. She “corrupted the earth with her fornication”. She did not heed the call of Jesus, Who said:
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (NKJV) For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”
Does it seem that I’m chasing rabbits today? Preachers do that, but I promise you I am not chasing rabbits. When Jesus spoke of the Wedding Feast in our parable today He is speaking of two Churches.
There Is A True Church And A False Church
One Church is the True Church, one the false Church. Only one of these Churches go into Heaven. Only one of these Churches has pleased the Bridegroom, for she has lived for Him. She is alive BECAUSE of Him. Of the True Church we read:
Revelation 19:6-9 (NKJV) And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
Let’s read Jesus’ parable:
Matthew 25:1-13 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Jesus wanted His Church to know that He is coming again. Jesus is the “Son of Man” mentioned by the Prophet …
Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The Son of Man is coming again. Jesus is coming again. He is coming for His Church. When is He coming? We do not know. No one knows but the Father in Heaven. Jesus told us:
Matthew 24:23-24 (KJV) Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. [24] For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matthew 24:27 (KJV) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:35-36 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. [36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
No one knows when Jesus shall come, but He shall come. That is the point of this parable. That is it’s whole point. Jesus said:
Matthew 25:13 (KJV) Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Let’s break down the parable.
There Were Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus represents the Kingdom of Heaven various ways:
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven (Matthew 13:33)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden then found (Matthew 13:44)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet (Matthew 13:47)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like an owner of a vineyard (Matthew 20:1)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king whose son was to be married (Matthew 22:2)
Today Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be like ten virgins. Why virgins? In our sexually disturbed world today people are mocked for being virgins, chaste, willing to wait to make an intimate commitment until after Biblical marriage. Marriage is mocked today. People often have a try it before you buy it mentality. But God is clear. He created us as sexual beings, but not as animals. God created us to come together as man and wife to enjoy one another, to “be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth”. Marriage was given to us for pleasure, but mainly for procreation. God did not make us the way we are and then say “now go do as you want to do”. No, the Bible defines any sexual activity outside of the wedding bed to be sinful.
Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
The Christian above all is to avoid sexual sin. The Apostle said:
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (ESV) Flee from SEXUAL IMMORALITY. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the SEXUALLY IMMORAL PERSON SINS against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Thessalonians 4:2-8 (ESV) … this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; …
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) … do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the SEXUALLY IMMORAL, nor idolaters, nor ADULTERERS, nor men who practice HOMOSEXUALITY, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Those who practice that which God forbids will not inherit the Kingdom of God. So Jesus uses ten VIRGINS – ten souls who avoided sexual sin. They are chaste people.
Matthew 25:1 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
The ten virgins “took their lamps”.
They all had lamps.
They were all virgins.
They all looked good.
They all “went forth to meet the bridegroom”.
All of them stepped outside of their comfort zone. They went to Church regularly. They went through the effort of getting dressed to meet the Bridegroom. But these ten were not all the same.
Matthew 25:2 (KJV) And five of them were WISE, and five were FOOLISH.
I want you to notice first of all that FIVE were one way and FIVE were another way. Numbers matter in the Bible. There is but ONE God, but He is in THREE persons. God created everything in SIX days, so SIX is the number of man. God rested on the SEVENTH day, so SEVEN is the number of God. So what is FIVE?
Five Is The Number Of Grace
The Fifth Book of the Bible is Deuteronomy, the second giving of the Law to Israel. It was God in Grace giving His Israel another chance at the Promised Land.
After Jesus rose from the grave He found Peter and the Apostles on their fishing boat. Jesus asked them (John 21:5) “Children, do you have any food?”. They replied from the boat, “No”. Jesus told them “Cast your net out on the other side and you’ll catch fish”. They did so, and caught 153 fish, so many they could not draw in the net.
John 21:11 (NKJV) Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.
1 there is but ONE God
5 the number of GRACE
3 God is FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT
Grace is found RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD. 1-5-3!
The FIFTH Psalm is a Psalm of Grace. The Psalmist said:
Psalms 5:11 (KJV) But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
God loves His Children saved by Grace. But this Psalm of Grace also states:
Psalms 5:5 (KJV) The FOOLISH shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
There were FIVE WISE VIRGINS but there were also FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS.
Five is the number of Grace, but only Five received Grace.
Five LOOKED LIKE they received Grace.
Who were the WISE Virgins? They were the ones who loved the Lord, who received Him as Lord and Savior.
Psalms 19:7 (KJV) The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the TESTIMONY of the LORD is sure, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE.
The Testimony of God – the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ, “makes wise the simple”. Salvation is not complex.
Acts 16:31 (KJV) …. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Believe yourself a sinner in need of salvation. Believe that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Believe that God died for you. Believe that Jesus has finished the work of salvation in Himself, in that bloody Cross, and trust Him.
John 3:18 He that BELIEVETH ON HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED: BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36 He that BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The WISE Virgins were saved, not because they were virginal, but because they had believed on Christ. The FOOLISH Virgins were those who did not know God. They were FOOLISH. The FOOL hath said in his heart “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1).
Matthew 25:3-4 (KJV) They that were FOOLISH took their lamps, and TOOK NO OIL with them: 4 But the WISE TOOK OIL IN THEIR VESSELS WITH THEIR LAMPS.
The OIL in Scripture is symbolic of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has ANOINTED Me to preach the gospel to the poor.) A person who is saved by faith in Christ doesn’t just carry the Bible, but is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The WISE Virgins had OIL in their lamps. They were prepared. The FOOLISH Virgins did NOT HAVE OIL. They looked good. They were virgins. They carried lamps. They were at a place of waiting for the Bridegroom. But they were unprepared.
Everyone Fails, But The Wise Are Prepared
Matthew 25:5 (KJV) While the bridegroom tarried, they ALL slumbered and slept.
As time passed both the true Church and the false Church slept. There are times we all fail God. We are the disciples sleeping in Gethsemane rather than praying with Jesus. We are Peter, denying the Master as the rooster crows. We sleep. We slumber. Trials come and wake us up to our failure. We all fail. But then came the midnight cry.
Matthew 25:6-9 (KJV) And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
The Midnight Cry came. All the virgins woke up. The world will awaken when Jesus returns. The false Church and the true Church will both awaken. Both will dust off their Bibles and trim their wicks. But the false Church and the false Christian will not have any oil.
Romans 8:9 (NKJV) …. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
The foolish spent their time LOOKING saved but never came to the Lord for salvation. I cannot save myself, nor can I save you. Each must go to God, must call on Him, must seek His face. You must be born again of His Spirit. If a person is not born again that person cannot see Heaven. You cannot see Heaven without God’s Spirit, and Christ baptizes those who are His in the Spirit. The foolish said “give us some of your oil” but the wise said “go get your own oil”. And rather than look up and cry out to God the foolish went out to find oil.
Matthew 25:10-11 (KJV) And while they (the foolish) went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
The Lord came. Those that were ready were immediately and intimately entered into the marriage. Oh, what a glorious day that will be! “They that WERE READY went in WITH HIM”. They went together. What a glory to be with Jesus. What a joy to know Him as Lord and Savior. There is no purgatory, no waiting, no delay. When that midnight cry comes those that are ready go in with Him. WITH HIM. WITH HIM.
But then the door is shut. When the door was shut on Noah’s Ark I know that peope stood outside beating on that door, wanting entrance. They swam alongside the Ark begging and pleading. But there was only one door, and it was sealed until God opened it.
The door was shut.
“Lord, Lord, let us in”.
“Lord, Lord, You are a God of Love”.
“Don’t leave us”.
The door to Heaven is shut because the foolish rejected the Door of the Sheep, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 10:7). The door of Heaven is shut to protect the prepared from the unprepared.
If Heaven were open to the rejectors of Christ it would not be long till Heaven were Hell!
Matthew 25:12 (KJV) But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you,
I KNOW YOU NOT.
It is too late. The time for salvation came and went. People attended the false, and rejected the true. Now the Bridegroom says “I do not know you”. What a horrible thing to be unknown of Christ. What a horrible thing to be shut out of Heaven, to know that judgment is coming. Those inside at the Wedding Feast are …
Revelation 7:14-17 (KJV) …. they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [15] Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. [16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. [17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
What a glory to be in Christ! What a joy to know Him as Lord and Savior, to be blessed by His Presence, to know He is with you no matter what. But what a horror to be without Him. Do not delay. If you do not know Him, call on Him today. Give Him your life. Join with a true, Bible believing and Bible preaching Church. Do so now before the door is shut.
Preached at Riverview Baptist 798 Santa Fe Pike Columbia TN
Audio of 8:30 AM Services
Audio of 11 AM Services
Study Notes:
From the beginning of mankind, we have always tried to do the impossible. When man saw fire from the sky he studied it, and learned to make fire from friction, from flint and rock. When we saw birds flying man wondered how we could fly. Over time we learned how to seemingly defeat gravity – to soar into our atmosphere and even to the moon and beyond. We developed ways of communicating so that now we can sit in an auditorium like this and call anywhere in the world. We developed the Internet to share information, both good and bad, and Social Networks to share our lives with strangers.
How were we able to do all these things.
Because God made us in His image and His likeness.
God gave us the command to take dominion over the earth.
We have power and dominion because God has granted it.
We are not animals. We are the offspring of God. God gave us the ability to invent, to conquer, to make. We have even split the atom, and created terrible weapons that can kill millions.
But God is still God.
For all of science, for all of our advances, God is still the Only God.
Though God gave us the ability to invent and design,
God NEVER relinquished His authority.
God is God. God says:
Malachi 3:6 (NLT) “I am the LORD, and I do not change.”
We have changed. We have grown in knowledge and ability. We are doing amazing things as science and medicine advances. We grow daily. But God does not change. The Psalmist says:
Psalms 90:2 (ESV) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
God is the First Cause Who is caused by none. God has no beginning nor any end. Though God has allowed us to adjust or modify His physical laws, God establishes what is right and wrong. God defines evil and God defines good. This is immutable and unchangeable:
God Judges Sin
I do not judge nor define sin.
You do not judge nor define sin.
God judges and defines sin.
Let’s read responsively the words of our Lord in …
Matthew 24:35-39 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. [36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. [37] But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, [39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
In just about every Church nursery and in many baby’s rooms across our nation there is a mural of Noah and his smiling animals. You know what I mean. There’s a cartoon Ark in multicolor, and oversized animals poking their heads up, with a smiling Noah at the helm. Underneath is the pretty blue water, and above a beautiful sky with a rainbow in it. Everyone is happy. It’s cute, and I’m sure comforting to the parents and the child. The Ark is a sign of hope. The rainbow is a promise of judgment passed. But judgment came before the smiling of the Ark.
God judges sin.
Jesus spoke of a time when He would come and judge the world, and compared His Coming to “the days of Noah”. People think that God no longer judges sin. People think that because we have imitated the birds and can fly, and because our technology has made us wise with worldwide wisdom, that the concept of sin does not exist. We believe there is no sin. We believe that the God of the Old Testament was a big old Meanie, but the God of the New Testament is nothing but Love. Since He is love, since the Scripture says:
1 John 4:8 (KJV) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
that God does not judge sin. In fact, we think there is no sin today except what WE think is sin. But God judges sin. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:37 (KJV) But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the SON OF MAN be.
The Days of Noah and the Second Coming of Christ are tied together by Jesus. He said “Just AS the days of Noah were, so SHALL the coming of the Son of Man be”. The “Son of Man” is a reference to the Messiah, to Jesus Christ. Daniel saw the Coming of Christ:
Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Jesus is coming a second time. He came the first to to be the PROPITIATION for sin, the PAYMENT for those who will believe in Him. Jesus came the first time to suffer for sin, because God judges sin. Jesus will come the second time to overthrow the sinner and to protect His Children. God judges sin.
People say “God does not judge sin like He used to judge sin”. The Old Testament God judged sin harshly, but the New Testament God does not. That’s not true. Jesus compared His Second Coming with the Old Testament truth of the Noahic Flood.
The Flood Came Because People Rejected God
Matthew 24:38 (KJV) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage …
What led to the flood that killed all but Noah and his family? The people were “eating and drinking”. These are normal things. We all eat and drink. We need this to live. The people were “marrying and giving in marriage”. Marriage is a beautiful thing. Marriage – Biblical Marriage between one man and one woman – is instituted of God. God told Adam and Eve
Genesis 1:28 (NASB) … “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it..”
This is a command of God. God commanded man and woman to come together, to be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth. Biblical marriage is a beautiful thing. It is what God designed us to do, to make children, to raise children to love Him. But here’s the key. God did not divorce Himself from mankind. We were to eat and drink – but with gratefulness to God. We were to multiply and fill the earth, but with hearts filled with love for Him Who made us and gave us every blessing. Man enjoyed the blessings of God. God gave us:
Matthew 24:45 … meat in due season …
As mankind drifted farther from God, God continued to watch and to wait. God in His Grace still provided good even to those who were evil.
Matthew 5:45 (AMPC) {God} makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].
God continued to bless, even though man continued to curse. And God watched. Then one day God had enough.
It was not that mankind was eating and drinking and marrying that caused the flood. It was that mankind was living with no thought for God – only for self. And this degraded humanity!
Genesis 6:5 (KJV) … GOD SAW that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Evil had saturated creation.
No longer did man look to God to define evil.
Humanity took a vote, a poll, and whatever seemed popular was deemed OK.
To be right was no longer defined as being right with God,
but being in one accord with the majority.
Rather than preach what was unpopular the preachers decided to be popular, to change with the times. But the majority without God is not a majority. The world divorced itself from God. So God said:
Genesis 6:7 (KJV) …. I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
God must judge sin.
Everyone Died In That Flood
Because God Judges Sin
Matthew 24:38 (KJV) … For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
The world continued eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. Day after day passed. God called Noah and told him to build an Ark, and Noah had 120 years to do. The Bible says that
NOAH FOUND GRACE in the eyes of the Lord
Noah became a recipient of Grace.
He was saved by Grace.
Now what does that mean? First of all, it means that Noah was in the world, but his PURPOSE was not to please the world. His purpose was to please GOD.
The world was under the judgment of God, but Noah was not.
Noah was given a purpose.
His purpose was NOT TO COMPROMISE with the world, but to PLEASE GOD.
God is watching. Noah knows that. Noah lives for God.
Noah talked with God Those saved by Grace talk to God. God is their Father. They are born again. They pray because they NEED to hear from Him.
Noah listened to God God comes to Noah, and tells him:
Genesis 6:13 (KJV) And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is COME BEFORE ME; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
The farther man gets away from God the horrible society becomes. God judges sin because sin causes death. The wages of sin is death. God judges sin because He loves His creation. God judges sin because sin, once it grabs hold, destroys what it touches.
Like Leprosy, Sin is contagious, infecting all it touches.
The prostitute, molested by her family, is born of sin.
Like Cancer, sin eats into the life and kills.
The killer was beaten and abused by many.
Like Alzheimer’s, sin causes us to lose our minds.
To wander aimlessly looking for happiness where there is none.
God told Noah “build an Ark”. God gives His children saved by Grace a purpose. Our purpose is not to pacify or placate those in sin, but to do His Will. God told Noah EXACTLY what to do. God designed the Ark. Those who got in the Ark were safe. Noah promoted the Ark. He built the Ark.
Matthew 24:39 (KJV) … And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
Everyone was “taken away”.
The unsaved sinner was “taken away” by death.
The saved Child of God was “taken away” by Ark.
The rejector of God drowned of his own fault.
He could have been saved but would not get on the Ark.
Judgment was coming, but the world didn’t know when. The world watched Noah build the Ark. Noah spoke of the flood. Learned people studied the skies. Philosophers heard what Noah said, and saw what Noah was doing. But when the flood came, it took them ALL away. God judges sin, but God offers Grace.
I am sure that Noah had his share of visitors during that 120 years of building. Some came to make fun. “Do you REALLY believe that God will destroy the world? Do you REALLY believe that only those on the Ark will be saved?” They mocked Noah just as they mock the Christian today.
Do you REALLY believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way to God?
Do you REALLY believe He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that
no one comes to God the Father but by Him? (John 14:6)
Do you REALLY believe that a person must be born again? (John 3:3)
Do you REALLY believe that a person must turn from sin
and receive Christ as Lord and Savior?
As Noah built the Ark mankind mocked him. Some were kind. “Old Noah, he’s touched in the head. He means well, but he’s so out of touch with today’s person.” But Noah kept building, he kept listening to God, and he kept preaching that Gospel.
Get on the Ark or the flood will take you.
God judges sin, and judgment is coming.
I am not your judge, but God is – REPENT. Turn to Christ.
I am sure some people toured the Ark like people tour churches today. People will come if Noah serves a buffet. People will come if Noah has a coffee shop, or a school for the kids, or a swimming pool on board. People walked through the Ark and were amazed at its size, and pointed out it’s imperfections. “Noah, if I were you I’d put more than one window in here”. People toured, and advised.
You know, more people would get on this Ark if you’d relax that sin restriction.
More people would come to Church if you’d be more tolerant.
We could build a better Ark, just whisper sweet nothings.
The Ark may look imperfect to the world, but it was as God designed, and it was perfect. The world outside the Ark all drowned, but those within, walking on it’s wooden decks, were safe. Those surrendered to God’s Word were saved, but those who rejected Him were lost.
God Will Judge Sin But None Know When
Matthew 24:39 (KJV) And knew not UNTIL the flood came,
Some may have even begun to believe – a little – that Noah wasn’t mad. Perhaps they thought about getting on the Ark, but decided to wait a while. God judges sin, and Jesus is coming again to judge sin and save His people. But we do not know when.
Matthew 24:36 (KJV) But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
An old time preacher named Henry Smith said “a door that is almost shut is open; a man who is almost honest is a thief; a man who is almost saved is damned”. The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon declared:
“Here then is the solemn truth of God – all out of Christ lost – all in Christ saved. All unbelievers perish – all believers are preserved in Him!”
We do not know when judgment will come, but the Scripture is clear:
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) And as it is APPOINTED unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:
In the days of Noah people were living their lives without God while Noah lived his life in God. They built up their bank accounts and families and possessions, but Noah built the Ark.
Genesis 6:22 (KJV) Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Noah did what God told him to do. The world followed itself, but God’s Child followed God. Then one day God said:
Genesis 7:1 (ESV) … “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I HAVE SEEN THAT YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE ME in this generation.
Noah, get in the Ark. Noah, do what God said. And Noah got in the Ark, he and his family, and God sealed up the Ark. Noah did not know when judgment would come. He rested in the Grace of God. He live in communion with the Lord Who loved him. He trusted God His Savior.
And all who were in the Ark were safe.
The rains came, and then the Ark looked good. But it was too late. Too late! The storm came and drowned both mouse and lion, both giraffe and hippo. As the flood of judgment came the Ark rose above the waters, but the people, young and old, died under judgment.
Oh my Beloved, Jesus is coming again. He is coming for His people. He is our Ark. Noah ignored the world and clung to God. He entered through the door when that door was open. Jesus said:
John 10:9 (NKJV) I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
The Ark had but one door by which you could enter. Jesus is the one Door by which you can come to God to be saved and to be sustained. He SAVES and SUSTAINS. Oh, enter by the Door! Enter the Ark while there is yet time. Judgment is coming. None of us know when. God bids you “Come into the Ark” (Genesis 7:1). Come to Jesus. In Him is the promise of salvation from God. Jesus is “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It is Jesus Christ alone that we are saved.
Romans 3:21-25 (KJV) But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: [23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
God must judge sin. Christ took the judgment for our sins on Calvary. Those in the Ark were protected from the flood because the rain and the wind hit the Ark. The Ark took the punishment, and those inside were safe. Christ took our punishment. It was Jesus Who was bruised for my sins and for your sins. All of our sins were
Colossians 2:13-14 (NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) {Jesus} Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Jesus is our Ark. He is coming again one day to receive us to Himself. Are you ready? Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? Do not delay. God will save you from the gutter-most to the uttermost. God will love you. Receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Enter His Ark. Let God take care of you!
Preached at Riverview Baptist on Wednesday, July 19 following prayer meeting. Wednesday night prayer meetings and Sunday night Church meetings are dwindling as the love of many grows cold and iniquity abounds. These things are prophesied by our Lord, and a sign that He is coming soon. Here is the audio for the service.
What follows is my study notes for the sermon. The sermon was preached without notes, Bible in hand, so the notes will not exactly follow what was preached. Let God be God!
Matthew 24:1-3 (KJV) And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. [2] And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. [3] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
The Jews were proud of the Temple. Though Herod’s Temple was not as great as Solomon’s Temple (the first Temple built) the Jews were proud of it’s structure, of it’s finery, of the solidness of it. No Jew thought the Temple would ever be destroyed. Humans think that the things we make are so grand that they will stand forever. Mark recorded that …
Mark 13:1 (NLT) … one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
God is not fascinated with the big things we make. God is impressed with us when we make much of Him and His Son, but God is not impressed by our stuff. God made the earth and all that is in it. It is better to brag on God than it is on stuff.
Psalm 146:5-9 (ESV) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Our God is not impressed by our things. The disciples and all the Jews made much of Herod’s Temple, a temple built not by the godly but by an unbeliever, an Idumean (of Edom, an Edomite). Herod had no right to sit on the Throne of David. He did not love Yahweh, but was appointed Governor of Israel not by God but by Caesar. Jesus responded to the disciples bragging by saying …
Matthew 24:2 (KJV) … See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
“SEE” (βλέπω blepō) ALL these things? All these things you have been fawning over – bragging on – shall be taken away from you. Israel shall lose the Temple that she so loves. Israel will lose the Promise Land that she was promised. Why? Will it be because God is not faithful? No, but it will be because Israel will have placed her love on the wrong thing. We must never love things more than we love God.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
John 14:23-24 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
That which Israel loved was not God, but things, buildings, religion, stuff. And God will destroy the Temple that Israel thought was indestructible. In 70 AD Rome will tire of Israel and her constant rebellion, and will march on Jerusalem and destroy the Temple. The Temple furniture will be taken, the gold and silver melted down, and not one stone will be left on another just as Jesus said.
After Jesus tells His Jewish Disciples that the Temple is going to be destroyed we read:
Matthew 24:3 (KJV) And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
They ask Jesus to give them a sign of Thy Coming, and of the end of the world. The Jews believed that the Messiah would come and overthrow all things. They looked for the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel, who wrote:
Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The Messiah was given the title “Son of Man” by Daniel, and Jesus had referred to Himself 98 times as “The Son of Man”. The Disciples believed that Jesus was the Messiah who was to come and conquer. They didn’t really understand Jesus when He said He had to GO …
To GO to the Cross
To GO as the Lamb of God
To GO and shed His Blood for us
To GO to the grave
They didn’t understand that Christ the Messiah must first ATONE for the sins of His people. Even after He died and rose again and prepared to ascend into Heaven the Disciples didn’t understand why He was going. They asked:
Acts 1:6 (KJV) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
God cannot restore the Kingdom to an unredeemed people. The Disciples were excited to learn of the Coming of Christ, the time He Comes in power to conquer this world. Jesus is coming again, and He will overthrow all dominions and power. He will rule and reign.
But before Israel can be blessed, Israel must repent.
No people will be blessed by God who do not follow God.
So WHEN will Jesus come again?
The Signs Of Christ’s Coming
I believe we are living in the latter days. But do not fear, because all these things are under the watchful eye of our Creator. Jesus told His Disciples:
There shall be DECEPTION. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:4-5 (KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man DECEIVE you. [5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall DECEIVE many.
Mormonism – founded by Joseph Smith – claims that Jesus began His existence as Michael the Archangel. The Mormons believe that Jesus was the first one created, and then He was used by Jehovah to create everyone else. When Jesus came to earth He was just a perfect human being. Mormon theologian Bruce McConkie states, “The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the worlds was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer, son of the morning. Haughty, ambitious, and covetous of power and glory, this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the savior of mankind.” Among the Mormons salvation is not all of Christ, but part Christ and part man. The Mormon book The Gospel Principles states Jesus “became our savior and He did His part to help us return to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is “a god” and not God the Son, and mistranslate every Scripture related to Jesus to make Him no more than a mere man. When Jesus died on the Cross He made salvation possible, but only if you prove yourself worthy of salvation. They write
“Jesus, no more and no less than a perfect human, became a ransom that compensated exactly for what Adam lost … Thus, when God sent Jesus to earth as the ransom, he made Jesus to be what would satisfy justice, not an incarnation, not a god-man, but a perfect man, ‘lower than the angels.’ ”
There are thousands of cults the present themselves as the Christ. There are also many mainline denominational and non-denominational Churches that twist Christ. But Christ is not a mere man. He is God Incarnate. John wrote:
John 1:1-3 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And the Apostle Paul wrote:
Hebrews 1:8-9 (KJV) But unto the Son {the Father} saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. [9] Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Colossians 1:14-17 (KJV) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: [15] Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: [16] For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
There Shall Be DISTRACTION. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:6-8 (KJV) And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. [7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. [8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.
If the Devil cannot deceive, He will distract. There will be secular distractions. Wars, rumors of wars. Riots all across America and protests are in every news account. People openly plot to murder the President. The imbalanced shoot people while at a charity event. Nation rises against nation. What will North Korea do? Do they have a viable ICBM? Then there will be famines, pestilences, earthquakes.
These are what Jesus said “the beginning of sorrows”. The word “sorrows” is the Greek ὠδίν ōdin which means “pain of childbirth, birth pangs”. When a mother is in birth pain or in labor it is not unto death, but to bring forth new life. Though the mother cries now, there will come a time when a beautiful reward in the person of a child will be given to her. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that these bad things happening in the secular world were not toward death, but a precursor to life. Just like labor pains these things are temporary, but what comes after is much better.
When Jesus comes things will be much better!
God’s People Shall Be DELIVERED UP AsCivilization DECREASES. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:9-10 (KJV) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. [10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Those who stand in the light of Christ can be expected to be attacked by the darkness. The darkness hates the light. Jesus said:
John 15:18-19 (KJV) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. [19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
That part is understandable, but Jesus went further. He said that the sign of the end is when “many shall be offended, and shall betray one another”. Hatred and evil would increase not just toward the light, but even the darkness would battle. We live in a day filled with discourtesy and discord. Common manners are gone. People have no seeming basic decency. In my day we held doors open for people, but today people slam doors in other people’s faces.
We are less civilized today than we have ever been. As people drift from God, they drift from decency. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. Always. Rather than preachers address the problem false prophets rise up.
Matthew 24:11-12 (KJV) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. [12] And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
When false prophets RISE civilizations FALL.
When the pulpits are filled with MAN’S WORD,
GOD’S WORD ceases to be.
And as Iniquity or Evil ABOUNDS
LOVE DIES.
Love has died in many Churches – Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Anglican. Why? Because where sin abounds it destroys Grace. God’s Grace was given to make us more like Christ, not more like the world. What has God said to His Children:
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
God’s people are meant to be IN the world but not OF the world. As iniquity or evil abounds it destroys unity with God. God is love. The closer we are to God, the greater our love will be. But the farther from God the farther from love. The more sin abounds, the farther from God we are. People say:
“What does it matter? Let’s be inclusive. Let’s be tolerant”
If you rub against poison ivy you will get a rash. If you rub against someone who handled poison ivy you will get a rash.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? [7] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: [8] Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Jesus was sacrificed for us, but many do not process what this means. He died because sin is horrid. He died because God loves us, and wanted to redeem us. But the sign of the times is that iniquity has grown, and love has decreased. C.H. Spurgeon said:
“Oh friends, if the frost of sin rules in a Church, every tender flower is injured and nothing flourishes! Love is a sensitive plant and if it is touched by the finger of sin, it will show it. The lilies of love’s paradise cannot bloom amid the smoke and dust of unholiness.”
Israel and it’s Temple was destroyed by Rome because Israel and it’s Temple loved sin and loved God less. They rejected the Son. He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him. He spoke and they would not listen.
Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
As iniquity grows there is but one stay against it, and it is the love that God’s people have for God and His Word. As God’s people compromise His Word we cease being effective in stopping evil. Jesus warned His Church:
Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. [14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
God’s people are to love God first. We are to put Him first. We are to stand strong no matter what may come. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:13 (KJV) But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved.
Those born again of God will endure to the end. We will endure because God is in us, and God is with us. Though the world will fail, and Churches cease, those who are Christ’s will continue on. As the world spins down and the end comes I can say with the Apostle:
Philippians 1:6 (KJV) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Those who are His will stand even when everything else falls. Why hasn’t Jesus come back yet? Jesus said that there is one crucial thing that must occur before He returns:
Matthew 24:14 (KJV) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and THEN shall the end come.
The whole world must hear the Gospel, THEN the end shall come. We must share the Gospel of love. We must tell others of His Cross. We must help missionaries do what they need to do in spreading the Gospel of His Kingdom. THEN Jesus will come.
She could not see with her natural eyes, but she could see with her heart. She could not explain what a human face looked like, but she knew the face of God. Blind from six weeks old because of a surgical mishap, her life was different than most, but it was not worse than most.
Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) supported herself as a teacher at a blind school, she had dear and close friends around the world, and she wrote and published thousands of beautiful hymns, many that are still sung today. Regarding her plight in life she wrote the following words:
“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me…
“(A letter from a Texas farmer who wants to remain anonymous, who farms, writes well and actually tried this).
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