Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000001A
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00:14 Tonight, as we open Your Word,
00:18 we ask that our hearts may be open, 00:22 pray Lord that they may be soft, 00:25 they may be tender 00:28 that we may hear the voice of Your Spirit 00:32 and that as we listen to Your Spirit 00:37 that each one of us may be willing to follow. 00:41 And give us wisdom, give us understanding, 00:46 and give us faith to walk with You, 00:50 for this we ask in Christ's name, amen. 01:01 All you have to do 01:03 is ask any child, 01:08 any school children, 01:12 what the poem 01:13 that was written by Longfellow is 01:16 and just quote a few stanzas of it 01:18 that says, "Listen my children, 01:21 and you shall hear 01:23 the midnight ride of Paul Revere" 01:26 and every child recognizes that poem. 01:30 They remember the story, 01:32 how those colonists were faced with an invasion from England. 01:36 And how they had decided 01:38 that they're in the Tower of the North Church in Boston 01:44 that if the British were coming by land, 01:47 they would hang one lantern. 01:50 If the British were coming by sea, 01:53 they would hang two. 01:55 Paul Revere took a boat and rowed across the bay 02:00 over to Charleston. 02:02 And there he waited to see if that lantern would show 02:06 in the belfry of the church tower, 02:10 and sure enough at midnight 02:13 there in that tower was hanging two lanterns 02:17 saying that the British were coming by sea 02:19 and Paul Revere began his famous ride, 02:23 riding through all the towns and the villages shouting, 02:26 "Wake up, wake up, the British are coming. 02:31 Wake up." 02:32 And those men, 02:33 as they heard the cry of Paul Revere rose up, 02:36 and put their clothes on, and took their rifles, 02:39 and went out to defend the colonies, 02:41 they were called Minutemen, 02:44 and they stood for something, 02:46 and the cry went out across the whole area, 02:48 "Wake up, the British are coming." 02:52 In the Bible, it speaks of another cry, 02:57 a cry that is given to you and to me at midnight. 03:02 I want you to listen 03:04 to what the Word of God says about it, 03:05 it's found in Mark 13 Chapter 03:08 starting with verse 35 and it says, 03:10 "Watch therefore, for you do not know 03:13 when the master of the house is coming." 03:16 He said, "Listen, watch you don't know 03:20 when the master of the house is coming". 03:23 In the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, 03:28 or in the morning. 03:29 You don't know when it's going to take place. 03:32 "Lest, coming suddenly, he find you..." 03:35 What? 03:37 "Find you sleeping." 03:38 He said, "Watch out. 03:40 Be prepared, the Master is coming back. 03:43 You don't know when it's going to be, 03:45 but He's going to come 03:46 so listen to the words of Christ Himself," 03:48 he says. 03:50 "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" 03:55 Said I'm saying that to everyone, "Watch. 03:58 Be prepared." 04:00 Now, folks, this cry, that's given 04:02 where the Lord's saying, 04:03 "You don't know when this is going to happen, 04:05 you don't know 04:07 when the Master of the house is coming back, 04:08 be prepared, watch." 04:10 He is speaking to Christians, that is the call 04:15 that is being given to Christians, "Awake! 04:18 Watch!" 04:20 To those that have accepted Jesus Christ, 04:23 he's saying, "Wake up, watch! 04:25 'Cause you don't know when I'm coming back." 04:28 Oh you say, "Oh, Brother Cox, 04:31 I'm so weary of watching. 04:35 I've been watching so long, I'm tired of watching." 04:40 Remind me of the old minister I was talking to. 04:44 He said, "Oh, when I gave my heart 04:46 to the Lord Jesus Christ, 04:47 I thought I wouldn't be able to go to school. 04:50 I thought the Lord would come 04:51 before I could go away to school." 04:54 Then he said," I went away to school 04:55 and I thought 04:57 I'll never make it through school." 04:59 And he said, 05:00 "I went all the way through school." 05:01 And then he said, "When I got out of school." 05:03 I said, "Well, I won't have long 05:05 in the ministry." 05:07 And he said, "Now, 05:08 I've spent all these years in the ministry, 05:09 and I've retired, I'm so tired, 05:12 I'm so weary of watching and waiting." 05:17 The Lord said, "Be careful. 05:19 Watch out! 05:21 Don't become indifferent. 05:24 Don't say, "Well, I'm tired. 05:27 I'm just gonna go on and forget about that. 05:30 I'm going to go about life, 05:32 it's time that I do something else." 05:35 They've said that for years. 05:37 I run onto people all the time that tell me that. 05:40 They tell, "Brother Cox, we have heard this for years. 05:44 I had just become indifferent about it." 05:48 And then I run onto some people who say, 05:51 "I've been so disappointed. 05:54 So disappointed. 05:57 I didn't believe 05:58 we would ever make it into a new millennium. 06:01 Well, I thought the Lord would have come long 06:04 before now. 06:06 So disappointed that He hasn't come back. 06:10 I don't know that the Lord is going to come back." 06:14 The scripture has some special counsel to you 06:17 and to me about that. 06:19 This is what it says, 2 Peter 3:3, 06:23 "Knowing this first: that scoffers will come..." 06:27 When? 06:28 "In the last days." 06:30 He said, now know, 06:32 that scoffers are going to come in the last days. 06:35 Okay, that's the time in which you and I are living, 06:39 we'll find that out tonight. 06:41 It's going to come in the last days. 06:42 What are they scoffing about? 06:45 "And saying, 06:47 'Where is the promise of His coming?' " 06:50 They're scoffing about that, they're saying, 06:52 "Where's the promise of His coming? 06:55 Why doesn't He come back 06:58 for all things continue as they were? 07:03 Where is the promise of His coming, 07:05 for since the Father's fell asleep 07:07 all things continue as they were 07:09 from the beginning of creation.' " 07:11 Oh, he said, "So disappointed." 07:15 Dear friend, let me tell you something, 07:18 hang on, 07:19 the promises of God's Word are sure, 07:23 they do not fail, never do they fail. 07:28 The promises that He gives when He says He will come back, 07:30 indeed He will come back. 07:33 Don't go through life 07:34 and become careless about your relationship 07:38 with the Jesus Christ. 07:40 Don't become careless about your belief 07:43 and what you're holding on to. 07:46 I run to people who say, "Oh, Brother Cox, 07:48 we don't know when the Lord's coming?" 07:50 Well, it could be a thousand years from now. 07:54 We don't have any idea 07:56 when the Lord's going to come back. 07:59 Well, I want you to listen to a scripture. 08:02 This is what it tells us in 1 Thessalonians. 08:05 It speaks of Jesus' coming as some people say 08:09 as a thief in the night. 08:11 Listen, 08:13 "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, 08:16 you have no need that I should write to you." 08:19 Paul saying, "Now concerning the times and seasons 08:22 I really shouldn't have to write to you," okay? 08:27 "For you yourselves know perfectly 08:29 that the day of the Lord 08:30 so comes as a thief in the night." 08:35 People say, "We'll see right there." 08:36 It says that Jesus is going to come back 08:38 as a thief in the night. 08:42 Let me tell you something tonight. 08:45 If Jesus comes back as a thief in the night to you, 08:50 you're lost. 08:55 If Jesus comes back as a thief in the night to you, 09:00 you're lost. 09:02 Let's go on. 09:05 "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' 09:07 then sudden destruction comes upon them, 09:11 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, 09:13 they shall not escape.' " 09:15 Now, listen very carefully, 09:18 "But you, brethren..." 09:20 See, this call is to Christians. 09:23 This call is to people 09:24 that have accepted Jesus Christ. 09:26 This calls to people who believe the Word of God, 09:29 "you brethren," 09:30 that's talking about people that have accepted Christ, 09:33 "but you brethren are not in darkness, 09:37 you're not in darkness so that this day 09:40 should overtake you as a thief." 09:42 He said, "No, you're not in darkness 09:44 that that day should come upon you as a thief. 09:46 You are all sons of the light 09:50 and sons of the day we're not of night. 09:53 We are not of night nor of darkness, " 09:56 said your sons of light 09:58 that day is not to come upon you unaware. 10:02 "Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, 10:04 but let us watch and be sober." 10:08 No, don't become careless. 10:12 The promises of God are sure. 10:15 He's coming back 10:16 just exactly like He said He would come back. 10:20 Jesus Himself gave a parable, 10:25 a parable that deals with this midnight cry, 10:29 and He speaks of some very definite things 10:31 concerning Christians today. 10:34 This is what He says, 10:36 talks about ten virgins. 10:40 Listen, 10:42 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins 10:47 who took their lamps went out to meet the..." 10:51 Okay, so these ten virgins, 10:53 they've gone out to meet the bridegroom. 10:58 "Now five of them were wise, 11:01 and five were foolish." 11:04 Okay. 11:07 "Those who were foolish, took their lamps 11:10 and took no oil with them." 11:12 Those were the foolish ones, okay? 11:16 "But the wise took all in their vessels 11:20 with their lamps." 11:21 So we have two groups here, they're all virgins, 11:24 they've all gone out to meet the bridegroom, 11:27 one took oil with them, 11:29 the other didn't take any oil with them. 11:32 Now while the bridegroom was delayed, 11:35 they all slumbered and slept. 11:40 All of them, church members, 11:42 they all slumbered and slept. 11:46 I'm afraid we've been doing a little bit of that. 11:50 Slumbering and sleeping, okay? 11:52 But the cry is given. 11:56 "And at midnight, 11:59 at midnight a cry was heard." 12:02 That means right down into end, midnight, 12:05 there means the darkest hour of this earth's history, 12:09 the cry is given, 12:10 "Behold, the bridegroom comes," 12:15 heard, "Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 12:18 go out to meet him." 12:21 That was the cry that was given. 12:25 "Then all those virgins rose, trimmed their lamps." 12:29 All of them rose and trimmed their lamps. 12:32 "And the foolish said to the wise, 12:34 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' " 12:38 They said, 12:39 "Give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out. 12:43 We didn't bring any oil with us." 12:48 "But the wise answered, saying, 12:49 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you.' " 12:53 They said, "If we give you oil, we won't have enough." 12:58 "But go rather to those 12:59 who sell, and buy for yourselves. 13:04 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, 13:08 and those who were ready 13:13 went in with him to the wedding, 13:15 and the door was shut." 13:20 While those five were out looking for oil, 13:23 the bridegroom came, and those five wise went in, 13:28 and the door was shut. 13:30 Now listen very carefully to what the scripture says here 13:34 because what I'm going to read to you now 13:36 is most important. 13:40 "Afterwards the other virgins came also saying, 13:43 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' " 13:46 They got the oil, they went back, 13:48 they knocked on the door, 13:49 they said, "Lord, open the door to us!" 13:55 "And he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, 13:58 I do not know you. 14:04 I do not know you.' " 14:07 Terrible. 14:09 Terrible. 14:10 They didn't make it in. 14:12 He said, "I don't know you. 14:14 I don't know who you are." 14:18 "Watch therefore 14:20 for you know neither day nor the hour 14:23 in which the Son of Man is coming." 14:26 God says, "Watch, you don't know 14:28 when the Son of Man is coming. 14:30 The call has come if you're not ready, 14:33 if you don't have the oil, 14:36 you're not going to be able to go in 14:37 and the door will be shut and He'll say, 14:39 "I don't know you." 14:41 Those wise virgins, 14:44 they went in, the foolish didn't. 14:47 Now there's some things 14:49 that you need to know about these virgins. 14:52 Let's look at what it tells us about these ten virgins. 14:59 One, they all accepted the truth of God's Word, 15:04 all of them. 15:06 I mean they're all church members. 15:09 They're all followers. 15:12 They're all believers. 15:13 They all accept the truth of God's Word. 15:16 All ten virgins, okay? 15:19 This call, I'm talking about right now, folks, 15:22 is to Christians, 15:23 it's the people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. 15:26 These all ten are followers of Jesus Christ. 15:30 Secondly, all ten of them are advocates of the truth. 15:35 If you were to ask any one of them, 15:37 they would have told you, "Yes, this is what we believe. 15:40 This is what we stand for." 15:42 They all were advocates of the truth of God's Word. 15:47 Thirdly, they all are attracted to those who believe the truth. 15:52 They all, 10 of them are there. 15:54 They're church members, they're the people, 15:57 different ones that serve in the church, 15:59 they could be ones that sing in the choir, 16:02 they're attracted each other, they like to go to church, 16:08 that's these ten virgins. 16:12 Now let's take a look at the facts. 16:15 The facts are that five of them 16:20 were wise, 16:22 they had oil and they went in. 16:26 Five were foolish, 16:29 they didn't take any oil with them. 16:31 You see, "Without the Spirit of God, 16:35 a knowledge of His truth is of no avail." 16:41 Oh, I know lots of people 16:44 who read the Word of God 16:46 and it doesn't do them any good. 16:50 You see without the Spirit of God, 16:54 a knowledge of the Word of God won't do you any good. 16:59 I know people that believe, 17:02 but they don't have any of the oil. 17:05 You see the oil represents the Holy Spirit, 17:08 and unless the Holy Spirit is there to touch your heart 17:12 and to work on your heart, it won't do you any good. 17:16 And those five foolish virgins, 17:19 they didn't take any oil with them, 17:21 they were lacking the Spirit of God. 17:24 So what happened? 17:27 Here's the terrible facts. 17:31 The five foolish, the door was shut 17:34 and He said to them what? 17:37 "I do not know you. I don't know you." 17:40 You see 50% of them didn't make it. 17:46 Fifty percent of them 17:49 didn't make it into the kingdom of God. 17:52 Is it possible? 17:53 Is it possible to know all this and be lost 17:57 to miss eternal life? 18:00 Is it possible that a person could accept the truths of God? 18:04 Could be an advocate of the truth? 18:06 Could enjoy going to church and miss heaven? 18:10 Is that possible? 18:15 Well, there's several places in scripture 18:18 that gives us a good idea. 18:21 Listen to what it says here in Matthew 7:22, 18:27 "Many will say to Me in that day, 18:30 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, 18:35 cast out demons in Your name, 18:37 and done many wonders in Your name?' " 18:40 Now these are people that have cast out demons. 18:44 They have prophesied in the name of the Lord. 18:48 There are certainly people that would advocate the truth, 18:51 would they not? 18:53 And listen to what He says to them, 18:57 "And then I will declare to them..." 19:00 What? 19:02 "I never knew you.' " 19:03 Same thing that he told those five foolish virgins, 19:07 "I don't know you." 19:12 Here these people had prophesied in His name, 19:14 cast out demons, and He says, "Sorry, I don't know you. 19:19 Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness. 19:23 I don't know who you are." 19:27 In fact, 19:29 Jesus told of an experience that He had. 19:33 He told of a young man, 19:35 a rich young ruler 19:39 that came to see Him. 19:42 If you remember that experience, 19:44 it goes like this. 19:47 "And behold, one came and said to Him, 'Good Master, 19:52 what good thing shall I do 19:54 that I may have eternal life?' " 19:58 Said, "Good Master, tell me what good thing I must do 20:02 to have eternal life?" 20:08 In Matthew 19, he goes on and he says, 20:10 "So He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? 20:15 No one is good but One, that is, God." 20:18 Jesus said, "Why are you calling Me good?" 20:21 Now, what Jesus 20:22 was trying to get out of that young man 20:24 was him to acknowledge that He was the Savior. 20:28 That's why he said, "Why do you call Me good?" 20:31 But listen to this what Jesus says to him now, 20:36 "But if you want to enter into life, 20:38 keep the commandments." 20:41 He said, "Oh, if you want to enter into life, 20:44 if you want to have eternal life, 20:46 keep the commandments." 20:50 "The young man said to Him, 20:52 'All these things I have kept from my youth. 20:57 What do I still lack?' " 21:01 I mean here is a young man 21:03 that from his youth has kept the commandments of God 21:06 and by the way I can read to you 21:07 in one of the other gospels where it says that, 21:10 "When Jesus looked upon this young man, 21:12 He loved him." 21:13 So this young man is not lying. 21:16 He's telling the truth. 21:19 And he said 21:20 all this I have done from my youth, 21:22 what do I still lack? 21:27 And Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, 21:31 go, sell what you have and give to the poor." 21:36 Say "If you want to be perfect, 21:39 go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, 21:43 and you will have treasure in heaven, 21:46 and come and follow Me." 21:51 Do you catch the significance there? 21:56 You catch the significance come and what? 21:59 Follow me. 22:00 You see there's a difference there 22:02 between I do not know you and follow me. 22:07 He's saying, 22:08 "If you want to get into eternal life, 22:10 sell what you have, give it to the poor, 22:12 come and follow Me, walk with Me, 22:15 come and be with me, get acquainted with Me, 22:18 spend time with Me, learn to know Me. 22:21 That's what He's saying to this young man. 22:26 So what about today? 22:29 What does the scripture say that the conditions are today? 22:33 Where do you and I stand? 22:36 As far as the scripture is concerned, 22:39 it says, "In the last days 22:43 perilous times will come." 22:47 2 Timothy Chapter 3, 22:50 "For men will be lovers of themselves. 22:56 Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 22:59 having a form of godliness 23:04 but denying its power." 23:08 Having a form of godliness, go to church. 23:11 Yes. 23:13 But don't know anything 23:15 about the power of the Holy Spirit. 23:20 You see, having a form of godliness, 23:23 but no relationship with Jesus Christ, 23:29 this is what the call is to the church, 23:32 to those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, 23:35 to those that today say, 23:37 "I'm a Christian," God is saying, 23:39 "Wake up. Wake up. 23:43 Come to know Me, get acquainted with Me, 23:47 have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, " 23:49 that is the call that He is given 23:53 in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. 23:56 That's what He's saying to you and to me, "Get ready, 23:59 I'm coming back. 24:00 Come to know Me as a personal Savior." 24:03 Jesus told 24:07 many, many parables. 24:10 Tonight, I'd like to tell you a modern-day parable 24:14 that might illustrate 24:15 what I'm trying to tell you tonight. 24:19 We'll call the parable, the night I was too busy, okay? 24:25 It was on a Saturday night. 24:28 And I had just sat down 24:31 or the man who just sat down 24:34 to watch an episode 24:37 on television. 24:40 Had sat down and he watched the first segment of it. 24:45 And when the commercial break came, 24:48 he went to the kitchen and got him a piece of cake 24:51 and a glass of milk, 24:53 and came in and watched the second episode 24:56 or the second part of it, 25:01 of Lethal Weapon. 25:03 Hey, watching the Lethal Weapon. 25:05 And then when the next commercial break came, 25:08 he decided to have another piece of cake, 25:11 went in to watch the last episode 25:14 of Lethal Weapon, 25:15 this is the most interesting part 25:18 because this is when Danny Glover 25:20 and Mel Gibson are about to capture the enemy. 25:25 And right in the very heart of that episode, 25:29 down the stairs came his little sister yelling, 25:33 "Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming." 25:36 And he said, "Be quiet. 25:39 I'm watching Lethal Weapon." 25:42 And she said, "No, Jesus is coming. 25:44 I've seen Him." 25:46 And he said, "Be quiet." 25:48 She said, "No, I need to go out and meet Him. 25:51 You need to come with me. 25:53 Jesus is coming." 25:54 And he said, "I'll go ahead and go on. 25:56 I'll be out in a minute." 26:00 Strange that Jesus would come 26:02 right at the very end of Lethal Weapon 26:06 and spoil the very hope, last part of it. 26:11 And right in the midst of that dynamic part 26:14 when everything is happening, 26:16 they decided to take a commercial break. 26:21 And he said, "Well, 26:22 while we're having a commercial break, 26:24 I'll go out and meet Jesus." 26:26 Probably can say in five minutes 26:28 everything I have to say. 26:31 And so he goes out, opens the door, 26:33 and everything's dark. 26:35 And he said, "Terrible. 26:39 Why would He come? 26:41 Why would He come 26:42 very in the last part of Lethal Weapon 26:45 and not even say hi. 26:49 He said, "Oh well, it's dark, 26:52 I'll go in, and get some root beer and popcorn, 26:55 and enjoy an evening of watching TV." 27:00 Are you understanding what I'm talking about? 27:05 You see, He said, "I don't know you. 27:10 I don't know who you are." 27:13 Concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, 27:15 it says that if you and I are going to enter into life, 27:19 this is what we must do. 27:22 "And this is eternal life, this is eternal life 27:27 that they may know you 27:29 the only true God in Jesus Christ 27:32 whom you have sent. 27:34 This is eternal life that they may know you." 27:39 If you want to enter into life, dear friends, 27:42 then you have to become acquainted with Jesus Christ. 27:46 You're not going to have eternal life if you don't. 27:49 Going to church won't get it done. 27:52 You can go to church and not know Jesus Christ. 27:56 It's even possible for you to read the Word of God 27:59 and not know Jesus Christ. 28:02 You've got to know Him. 28:03 Who is this Jesus Christ? 28:08 Who is He that I need to know. 28:12 And tonight, for this first part 28:15 I've talked to those that are Christians, 28:18 those of you who go to church. 28:20 I'd like to take a little time to talk to those of you 28:23 who may not know Jesus Christ as your Savior. 28:26 Who is He? 28:28 God up in heaven, the Father. 28:31 This is what He said about Him. 28:33 "And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, 28:36 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' " 28:42 God the Father said, 28:44 "This is my beloved Son." 28:48 That's who He is. 28:50 He is the Son of God. 28:52 There is no one else. 28:55 He is the only one that is the Son of God. 28:59 John the Baptist, 29:01 as he stood there on the banks of the Jordan River, 29:04 and Jesus come walking down the Jordan River, 29:07 John said this about Him, 29:09 and the next day John saw Jesus coming toward Him 29:12 and he said here in John 1:29, "Behold! The Lamb of God 29:17 who takes away the sins of the world!" 29:19 John said, "He is the Lamb of God." 29:23 That means, dear friends, tonight, 29:25 no matter who you are, 29:26 Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for your sins. 29:31 He died for you. 29:33 He paid the price 29:34 that you rightfully owe, He paid. 29:38 He is the Lamb of God 29:39 that takes away the sins of the world, 29:42 that's what John the Baptist said about Him. 29:45 Peter, when Peter was asked who he was? 29:50 "Simon Peter answered and said, 29:52 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 29:56 They asked him, "Who is He?" 29:59 Peter said, "He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God." 30:04 Tonight, if you don't know Him, 30:10 then tonight He is the Savior, the Son of God. 30:15 When Jesus spoke about who He was, 30:19 Jesus said this, "Jesus spoke to them again, 30:23 saying, 30:25 'I am the light of the world.' " 30:29 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. 30:32 He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness 30:36 but have the light of life." 30:39 Oh, He said, "I'm the light of the world. 30:41 That person that comes to Me 30:43 will not walk in darkness." 30:47 Now, won't walk in darkness. 30:51 In the scripture, it gives you an insight 30:56 to what Jesus Christ will do for you tonight. 31:01 What is the light? 31:03 What is the light that Jesus Christ gives? 31:07 Acts 26:18, 31:10 "To open their eyes, 31:14 in order to turn them from darkness to light, 31:16 and from the power of Satan to God, 31:19 that they may receive forgiveness of sins 31:22 and the inheritance among those 31:24 who are sanctified by faith." 31:26 So it says the first thing that Christ does 31:29 is He opens your eyes. 31:32 You see, dear friend, 31:33 you can't see if your eyes are shut. 31:38 Then I run on to a lot of people 31:40 that won't open their eyes, their eyes are shut. 31:44 And the Lord Jesus Christ wants to open your eyes tonight 31:48 so you can see. 31:50 I got on the plane, sat down, and this fellow came in 31:55 and sat down beside me, he was very talkative. 31:58 And as we were flying, 32:00 he began to tell me about a book 32:02 he had just bought at the bookstore, 32:04 told me it was a best-seller, 32:06 and how it was recommended so high, 32:09 and how anxious he was to read it. 32:11 Now the book was not very big, 32:12 just kind of a thin little book. 32:14 And the name of the book was "Who Moved My Cheese?" 32:18 That was the name of the book, "Who Moved My Cheese?" 32:20 And so as we flew, he read this little book, 32:24 and when he finished it, he began to rave, 32:27 "What a marvelous book it was," and then he looked at me, 32:30 and he said, "Would you like to read it?" 32:32 And I said, "Sure, I'd like to read it." 32:34 So he handed it to me, 32:35 and so as we flew along, I read the little book. 32:38 What the book is about 32:39 is not being afraid to move out of your comfort zone. 32:43 That's what it's about. 32:45 Not being afraid to change. 32:48 Not being afraid to look at new things 32:50 and to accept changes that take place. 32:53 That's what the little book is all about. 32:55 And I enjoyed it. It was a great little book. 32:57 When I finished reading it, 32:59 I told him how much I enjoyed the little book, 33:01 how much I appreciated him letting me read it. 33:03 Then I decided in my own mind 33:06 that I'd see how much good it had done. 33:09 So I said to him, I said, "You know, 33:11 I have a little book that I just finished reading 33:15 that really is a fabulous little book it's called, 33:17 "Almost Home," and it's on Bible prophecy, 33:21 and it kind of tells us where we are today, 33:23 and I thought you might like to read it." 33:26 And I pulled it out of my briefcase, 33:29 and he took it, and he said 33:30 what did you say it was about? 33:32 And I said, "Oh, it's about Bible Prophecy." 33:36 And he handed it back to me and said, "No, thank you." 33:39 Now you see, dear friend, 33:41 it didn't get him out of his comfort zone. 33:43 You see, if your eyes are closed, you can't see. 33:48 So Jesus Christ comes to open your eyes. 33:53 And when your eyes are open, 33:56 something marvelously begins to happen 33:58 because it says, 34:00 "In order to turn them from darkness to light, 34:05 you see, you've got to open your eyes 34:07 to know that you're in darkness." 34:11 If you keep your eyes closed all the time, 34:13 you don't know 34:15 whether there's light or there's darkness. 34:16 Your eyes are shut. 34:18 But when you open your eyes, 34:19 you can tell whether you're in darkness 34:21 or whether you're in light. 34:22 And Jesus said, "Listen, I've come to open your eyes 34:25 so that you will turn from darkness to light." 34:28 That's what Jesus Christ is going to do for you. 34:31 I can tell you tonight, 34:33 if you have never known Jesus Christ 34:36 as your personal Savior, 34:38 when you accept Him, dear friends, 34:42 how He brings in the light 34:43 and how everything looks different. 34:47 I mean, He changes things. 34:49 And things that you once loved, 34:53 all of a sudden they aren't near 34:55 as attractive to you. 34:56 And some of those things that you didn't care about, 35:00 all of a sudden you enjoy. 35:02 He changes you, makes you different 35:05 so that you enjoy the light, brings that to you, 35:09 dear friend. 35:10 It can only be experienced. 35:14 Sorry, I can tell you about it, 35:19 but you can only know about it by experience. 35:23 If you're going to set back and say, "Well, I don't know, " 35:29 you never experience it. 35:31 But when you give your heart to the Lord 35:33 and you experience it, 35:35 what a change comes over your life. 35:37 And then He said, 35:39 "To turn them from darkness to light, 35:41 and from the power of Satan to God 35:47 that they may receive the forgiveness of sins 35:49 and the inheritance among those 35:51 who are sanctified by faith in Me." 35:53 It says that He turned you from darkness to light 35:58 that you might receive what? 36:01 The forgiveness of sin. 36:05 He says, "Listen, I'll take you just like you are. 36:09 I'll accept you just like you are. 36:14 Welcome you into my family. 36:16 I'll forgive you of all your sins." 36:20 Dear friend, let me tell you tonight. 36:23 I don't care how dark your sins may be. 36:27 The Bible says that 36:28 He will forgive all manner of sin. 36:33 Listen, 36:36 1 John 1:9, 36:38 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to..." 36:41 What? 36:43 "Forgive us our sins and to cleanse us 36:45 from all unrighteousness." 36:48 What does that mean? 36:50 It says that if you and I come to Him 36:52 and we confess our sins, He is faithful 36:58 and just to forgive us of our sins, He's faithful. 37:01 That means that heaven is open for business 37:05 24 hours a day. 37:09 It means that you can come to Him any time 37:13 and if you confess your sins, He'll forgive you. 37:16 And it says that He is faithful and just, that means that 37:19 He won't treat me one way and you another way. 37:22 If He'll forgive me of my sins, He'll forgive you of your sins. 37:28 That's what it means that our sins can be forgiven. 37:33 He will do that 37:35 for you and for me. 37:39 Ephesians 1:7, 37:41 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, 37:44 the forgiveness of sins, 37:46 according to the riches of His grace." 37:50 It says that the blood of Jesus Christ 37:53 cleanses us from all sin. 37:59 The blood of Jesus Christ 38:00 cleanses us from all sin. 38:05 So tonight, 38:08 it doesn't make any difference, 38:11 how dark your past may have been, 38:15 it doesn't make any difference, dear friend, 38:17 how terrible your sins may have been, 38:21 the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. 38:27 There is no sin that He won't cleanse. 38:32 You see, I have at home, 38:34 in my laundry room some spot remover, 38:39 some of it says, "Super spot remover." 38:43 But none of it ever seems to do a very good job. 38:48 But let me tell you, the blood of Jesus Christ 38:51 cleanses all sin. 38:55 Not any sin that it won't cleanse. 38:57 And then it says, 38:59 "The forgiveness of sins 39:01 according to the riches of His grace." 39:06 Marvelous. 39:08 The riches of His grace. 39:11 This fellow had a dream. 39:15 He dreamed he went to heaven. 39:19 When he got to heaven, 39:20 he was met by Peter at Peter's gate, 39:25 and Peter welcomed him to heaven, 39:29 and they had a nice talk, 39:30 and then Peter as they were talking 39:32 said to him said, "Well, 39:34 if you want to come on inside, 39:35 you have to have a hundred points." 39:39 And the fellow said, "Well, 39:42 how do I go about getting a hundred points?" 39:45 And Peter said, "Well, what have you done?" 39:49 Oh, he said, "I've lived a good life." 39:52 He said, "I have a family. 39:54 I've tried to be a good husband. 39:57 I've tried to be a good father. 39:58 I've tried to do good things in the community. 40:01 I've lived a good life. 40:02 I've gone to church. 40:03 I've been very supportive in the community. 40:06 I've done a lot of good things." 40:09 And Peter said, "Well, okay. 40:11 That's worth a point." 40:13 He said, "Worth what?" 40:16 He said, "Oh, that's worth the point." 40:17 He said, "You mean my whole life, 40:20 everything that I did is only worth one point? 40:24 That's all?" 40:25 And Peter said, "Don't you have anything else?" 40:30 He said, "Well, yeah, when I died, 40:34 he said I left 40:36 a large amount of money to the church." 40:39 He said, "All the things that I have saved, 40:41 I left to the church to forward the gospel 40:44 and to help the poor." 40:45 He said, "I gave all that to the church." 40:49 Peter said, "Well, yeah." 40:50 He said, "That's worth another point." 40:53 He said, "You mean all that I've done all my life, 40:58 and all the things that I saved, 41:01 and everything that I gave to the church, 41:02 that's only worth two points?" 41:07 Peter said, "That's right." 41:10 He said, "There's no way on earth 41:13 I'll get in there except by the grace of God." 41:16 Peter said, "That's worth a hundred points." 41:19 Now, dear friend, that's the way it works. 41:22 It's by the grace of God. 41:25 You see, it's not because you're worth it, 41:29 it's not because you did something 41:31 that makes you worth it, 41:33 it's not because you're intelligent, 41:36 it's not because you are good looking, 41:39 it's not because of what you've done, 41:41 it's because of Jesus Christ, 41:45 because of Him that He died for you, 41:48 and by His grace 41:51 He takes His blood 41:53 and He cleanses you from all sin. 41:55 That is because of what 41:57 Jesus Christ did for you and for me 42:00 and, dear friend, that is why it is so absolutely vital 42:04 that you know Him. 42:07 And see, if you don't know Him, 42:08 He can't do anything for you. 42:11 You can go to church, but, dear friends, 42:13 if you don't know Him, 42:15 if you don't have a relationship with Him, 42:18 when that time comes, He'll have to say, "Sorry, 42:22 I don't know you. I don't know." 42:26 Very important to open the eyes of the blind 42:32 to turn them from darkness to light, 42:36 from the power of Satan to God, 42:40 "That they may receive the forgiveness of sins 42:42 and inheritance among those 42:43 who are sanctified by faith in Me." 42:47 Sanctified by what? 42:51 Sanctified means change in your life. 42:54 That means what the Lord Jesus Christ does for you. 42:57 How are we sanctified? 43:00 By faith. Get it clear, folks. 43:03 You're sanctified by faith. 43:05 1 John 5:4. 43:08 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. 43:12 And this is the victory that overcomes the world, 43:15 our faith." 43:18 Ever read the story of Abraham of old? 43:22 Came out one evening, looked up in the sky, 43:26 and God said, 43:27 "Abraham, you ought to tidy the place up here 43:30 because there couldn't be a baby born." 43:33 Abraham said, "Good Lord, who's going to have a baby, 43:36 Lot's wife or one of the servants?" 43:39 God said, "No, Abraham, 43:40 your wife Sarah is going to have a baby." 43:43 In fact, Abraham, I'm going to give you a son, 43:46 and your offspring will be like the stars of the heaven, 43:49 and like the sands of the sea. 43:50 And Abraham said, "Oh, Lord, that's wonderful, wonderful, 43:55 that You're going to give us a baby. 43:56 I've always wanted a son." 43:58 And he went running home and he said, 44:00 "Sarah, Sarah, guess what? 44:02 We're going to have a baby." 44:04 She said, "We are?" 44:07 She said, "Abraham, you've forgotten something. 44:10 You've forgotten 44:13 that I am 65 years old. 44:18 You're 75 years old. 44:21 I'm past the time of life to have a child. 44:23 I can't have a child." 44:27 And Abraham said, 44:28 "Sarah, I wasn't hearing things." 44:32 And, you know, every time 44:35 they got around that's all Abraham could talk about 44:38 was having another baby, having a baby, having a baby. 44:42 So Sarah got tired of talking about it. 44:45 Year after year passed, no baby. 44:48 And finally, Sarah said, 44:51 "Abraham, why don't you take my handmaiden Hagar 44:53 and have a son by her." 44:55 And so Abraham took Hagar, and had a son by her. 44:57 And God said, 44:59 "Abraham, I didn't say a word about Hagar. 45:02 I said Sarah was going to have a son." 45:06 Now, 45:09 25 years passed, folks. 45:13 Twenty five years passed 45:16 and here Christ comes talking to Abraham, 45:21 told him he's going to have a son 45:24 and it says, "Abraham's now 100 years old. 45:27 Sarah, she's 90." 45:30 And when He said, 45:31 "Abraham, you're going to have a son." 45:32 Abraham just fell on the ground and started laughing 45:36 said, "You've waited too long." 45:38 Sarah, she was listening at it in the tent 45:40 and she started laughing. 45:42 You'd laugh too, if some sister here 45:45 stood up 90 years old and told us she was pregnant. 45:48 You'd all say, "Oh, she's senile." 45:50 That's what you do. 45:53 But, folks, have you ever considered 45:55 how embarrassing that was, huh? 45:58 Because Abraham and Sarah, they traveled, 46:02 they were kind of nomads. 46:05 And when God told him, He's going to give him son, 46:07 He changed their names, 46:08 He changed Abram's name to Abraham, 46:10 from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. 46:13 Do you know what those names meant? 46:16 Abraham means father of nations, 46:20 Sarah means mother of nations. 46:23 And so here they come walking up to this village 46:25 and as they did back in here, 46:27 then all the elders are setting out 46:29 in the front of the village, and they say, 46:31 "Welcome to our village." And Abraham said, "Thank you." 46:33 And they said, "What's your name?" 46:35 He said, "Oh, my name is father of nations." 46:38 They said, "Your wife?" 46:40 "Oh, this is my wife, mother of nations." 46:41 "Well, how many children do you have?" 46:43 "We don't have any." 46:45 Terrible. 46:48 "Why? 46:49 Why would God wait 25 years?" 46:57 So waiting so that Abraham would get so old 47:01 that he couldn't reproduce, 47:05 said Abraham since you wouldn't listen, 47:08 "I'll just wait you out and when you're so old 47:10 you can't reproduce, then I'll give you a son." 47:13 Listen, that's what it says in Romans. 47:15 Romans Chapter 4. 47:16 "Not being weak in faith, 47:18 he did not consider his own body, 47:20 already..." 47:22 What? 47:23 "Dead." 47:25 That meant he couldn't reproduce. 47:26 Since he was about a 100 years old 47:28 and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 47:32 "He did not waver at the promise of God 47:34 through unbelief, 47:35 but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 47:39 And being fully convinced of what He had promised 47:41 He was also able to perform." 47:43 Listen, folks, "Therefore, it was accounted to him for..." 47:47 What? 47:48 "Righteousness." 47:50 By faith Abraham hung on that was counted to him 47:53 as righteousness. 47:55 It is our faith that overcomes the world. 47:59 Hang on, Jesus Christ 48:03 will do wonderful things for you. 48:06 How can I find direction from our life? 48:10 Let me tell you quickly, 48:11 how you can find direction for your life? 48:15 You see, there's some people that make decisions, 48:20 they think they're the right decisions, 48:24 but they're the wrong ones and they lead to death. 48:30 Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, 48:35 but its end is the way of death." 48:38 You see, I can't trust my own ability. 48:44 I can't do that, dear friend. 48:45 And if tonight, 48:47 you're trusting your own ability, 48:48 you're on dangerous ground. 48:52 Proverbs 3:5, 48:54 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 48:58 and lean not to your own understanding." 49:03 Don't put your trust in your ability, 49:05 put your trust in the Word of God, 49:08 don't lean on your own ability. 49:10 "In all your ways acknowledge Him, 49:13 and He will direct your paths." 49:17 So if you want to know what's the right way, 49:20 then, dear friend, get out that Bible, read it, 49:23 commit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, 49:26 and read it 49:27 to have a personal relationship with Him, 49:30 read it to understand and listen to His voice 49:33 as He speaks to you, 49:34 it will change your life and make you different. 49:38 Jesus Christ is saying 49:40 that He is the way. 49:44 "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. 49:48 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 49:53 If you want eternal life, Jesus Christ is the way. 49:58 Now, where are we 50:02 in the stream of time? 50:05 Where do we stand? 50:07 It says, "That the cry is given at midnight." 50:11 That's what it says. 50:14 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 50:16 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 50:19 go out to meet him!' " 50:22 The Bible gives you two indicators of helping 50:25 you know where you are in the stream of time. 50:28 Those two indicators are these. 50:31 One, it's the prophetic timeline. 50:36 That's what prophecy is for. 50:38 Prophecy is given to help you and I know 50:41 where we are in the stream of time. 50:43 That's why God gives prophecy. 50:46 The other is signs of Christ's return. 50:50 For instance, in Matthew the 24th chapter, 50:53 Jesus Christ Himself gave 17 signs of His coming. 50:59 Of those 17 signs, 16 have been fulfilled. 51:04 Can I trust these two indicators 51:09 to tell me where I am in the stream of time? 51:11 Listen, this is what the Bible tells you. 51:14 2 Peter 1:19, "We have the..." 51:17 What? 51:18 "We have the prophetic word confirmed, 51:21 which you do well to heed 51:22 as a light that shines in a dark place, 51:26 until the day dawns 51:27 and the morning star rises in your heart." 51:30 So he said, "If anything is sure, 51:32 it's the prophetic word." 51:35 You can trust it. 51:37 So starting tomorrow night, 51:39 we're going to begin to take the prophecies, 51:41 and take them step by step, 51:43 and we'll bring them right on down to the time 51:46 in which you and I are living. 51:49 Concerning the signs, 51:52 Jesus said, "So you also when you see all these things, 51:55 you see all these things, all these signs, 51:58 know that it is near at the door." 52:03 So those are indicators that help you and I know 52:06 where we are today. 52:07 What is the danger today? 52:10 What's the danger for you and for me, today? 52:14 This is the danger. 52:18 "But take heed to yourselves, 52:20 lest your heart be weighed down with carousing, 52:23 and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, 52:28 that that day come upon you unexpectedly." 52:32 That's the danger. 52:34 The danger that we have today 52:36 is that the coming of Jesus Christ 52:38 will come upon you unexpectedly. 52:42 Being so involved with the things of this life, 52:45 so concerned with making a living, 52:48 so concerned with taking care of the things of this life 52:51 that I miss eternal life. 52:56 Jesus made a comparison to it 53:00 and He said, "But as the days of Noah were, 53:04 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 53:07 He said in essence, like the days of Noah. 53:10 So will the days of the Son of Man be? 53:13 Let's see what the days of Noah were like? 53:17 "For as the days before the flood, 53:18 they were eating and drinking, 53:20 marrying and giving in marriage." 53:22 That meant they were going on about life as usual, 53:25 they were eating drinking, 53:26 marrying and giving in marriage. 53:28 Not really very concerned about really what was taking place, 53:32 "until the day that Noah entered the ark." 53:36 Okay. 53:38 So they were just going on about life as usual. 53:40 Now listen, I want you to listen very carefully 53:43 to the next words. 53:47 "And did not know..." 53:51 Terrible words. 53:53 "And did not know until the flood came 53:55 and took them all away. 53:57 So also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 54:01 Didn't know till the flood came, 54:06 took them all away. 54:08 So will the coming of the Son of Man be? 54:15 Sometimes in our schedule, 54:21 it's regular hectic, 54:23 sometimes we have to go for months, 54:27 even years without vacations. 54:30 And for the last couple years it's been that way, 54:33 just constantly from one meeting to another. 54:37 And here about a year ago now, 54:41 we received an invitation 54:42 to speak at a convention in Sacramento. 54:46 And so since we hadn't had a break, 54:49 Gordon and Donna Klein that work with me. 54:52 And I decided that we would catch a plane 54:55 and fly up to Seattle. 54:58 And there in Seattle, we would take the clipper ship 55:02 from Seattle over to Victoria, 55:05 and we would spend a couple days 55:07 just sightseeing and relaxing in Victoria, 55:10 go out to the Butchart Gardens, 55:12 and just enjoy the scenery and relax a little bit, 55:17 and then we would come back, 55:19 take the clipper back to Seattle, 55:22 spend the night there, 55:23 spend the day in Seattle sightseeing, 55:27 and then catch the Amtrak train that night, 55:31 get us a berth and sleep overnight, 55:35 and get up and be in Sacramento the next morning, 55:38 that was our plan. 55:40 So we did, we flew up to Seattle, 55:42 caught the clipper, went to Victoria, 55:44 enjoyed two wonderful days in Victoria 55:47 just looking at the scenery and enjoying the area. 55:50 I caught the clipper back to Seattle and spent the night. 55:53 The next morning I got up, we weren't rushed. 55:57 I had a very leisure breakfast, enjoyed it very much. 56:02 And then went up to the room 56:04 and spent some time just reading and praying 56:07 with no schedule or anything, 56:10 just enjoying, spending time with the Lord. 56:13 And then when I had finished my devotions, 56:16 I said to Gordon and Donna, 56:18 I said, "Well, let's go 56:20 look at some things here in Seattle." 56:22 But I said, "You know, 56:23 I don't want 56:25 to lug this suitcase around all day." 56:28 And I had this big suitcase. 56:30 And I said, 56:31 "I just don't want to lug it around all that day." 56:33 You reckon I could call Amtrak 56:35 and see if they'd let me check it in early. 56:38 So I called up Amtrak and I told them I said, 56:40 "I have a train to catch with you this evening 56:44 and I'm here in Seattle, 56:46 I don't want to lug this all day. 56:49 I'm wondering if you'd let me check it in early?" 56:51 They said, "Sure Mr. Cox, you can check it in early." 56:54 They said, "What's the number of your train?" 56:56 And I said the number of the train 56:58 I'm catching is this number and it leaves tonight at 9:45. 57:02 And there was silence on the other end. 57:05 And the man spoke up and said, 57:06 "Mr. Cox, 57:08 your train leaves at 9:45 this morning." 57:12 That was 9:40, folks. 57:16 Only by the grace of God, did we make that train. 57:21 But I hope you're getting my point, 57:23 did not know, 57:26 did not know 57:28 until all of a sudden there it was. 57:31 So the scripture says, 57:33 "Will the coming of the Son of Man be?" 57:36 Tonight, I want to ask you, 57:40 "Are you ready for Jesus to come? 57:43 Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?" 57:46 Can you look into His face and say, 57:49 "This is my God." |
Revised 2019-01-14