Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO200008S
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00:26 Welcome to the 3ABN Worship Hour.
00:28 My name is John Dinzey. 00:30 It's a pleasure for me to be with you during this hour. 00:32 And we invite you to sing along and also pray with us, 00:37 but also to study God's Word together. 00:41 Before we study God's Word, 00:44 I am delighted that my brother Tim Parton is here 00:47 and he is going to lead you in singing and prayer. 00:50 Thank you, Brother Tim. Thank you, Johnny. 00:53 I'm so grateful for the Word of God. 00:56 Promises in His Word that we can hold on to 00:59 that we can claim He is our Faithful Father. 01:03 And in 1 John 4:4 it says, 01:07 "You are of God, little children, 01:10 and have overcome them, 01:12 because He who is in you is greater than 01:15 he who is in the world." 01:19 Father, I do belong to You. 01:23 You have given me the victory over my enemies 01:25 simply because You are in me 01:29 and You are greater 01:32 than he who is in the world. 01:36 So I sing... 01:38 Victory in Jesus 01:43 My Savior forever 01:48 He sought me and He bought me 01:53 With His redeeming blood 01:58 He loved me e'er I knew Him 02:03 And all my love is due Him 02:08 He plunged me to victory 02:13 Beneath the cleansing flood 02:19 I heard about His healing 02:23 Off His cleansing power revealing 02:28 How He made the lame 02:31 To walk again 02:33 And cause the blind to see 02:38 And then I cried, dear Jesus 02:43 Come and heal my broken spirit 02:48 And somehow Jesus came 02:52 And brought to me the victory 03:01 The Psalmist said in Psalm 60:11-12, 03:05 "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. 03:11 But through God we will do valiantly, 03:14 for it is He who shall tread down our enemies." 03:18 Father, I claim that I do not go into battle alone. 03:22 I go with You, God. You go with me. 03:25 You give me victory 03:27 and You trample down my enemies. 03:31 Psalm 44:6-7 says, 03:35 "I will put no trust in my bow. 03:38 My sword does not bring me victory, 03:40 but You, God. 03:41 You give us victory over our enemies." 03:44 You put our adversaries to shame. 03:48 So you can claim that today. 03:50 I don't trust human strategies for victory. 03:53 I trust in You, God. 03:55 You are the God of victory who helped me to defeat 03:59 my enemies and my adversaries run in shame. 04:09 We know that there are so many of our viewers 04:11 who are emailing and calling us with prayer requests. 04:18 We take those requests seriously. 04:22 Father God, again, we come to You. 04:27 You are the answer to our needs. 04:29 You are our great provider. 04:32 So, Father, I just ask in Jesus' name, 04:36 Lord, that You would meet the needs of those 04:39 who are watching such varied 04:44 and wide are the range of needs, 04:47 the physical needs, God, 04:52 the spiritual needs, the mental, emotional. 04:58 Father, we need You. 04:59 We need Your healing touch, 05:01 but we know God that You can bring us victory. 05:05 We know that You are able. 05:07 You are powerful. 05:11 So I'm asking in Jesus' name, 05:13 that you would meet the needs of Your people. 05:18 We're depending on You. 05:19 You are our only hope. 05:22 Father, we rely on You to be our source of victory. 05:27 And we will be faithful to give You the praise. 05:32 I've got victory in Jesus 05:38 My savior forever 05:44 He sought me and He bought me 05:48 With His redeeming blood 05:53 He loved me e'er I knew Him 05:58 And all my love is due Him 06:03 He plunged me to victory 06:09 Beneath the cleansing flood 06:20 Amen. Praise the Lord. 06:22 Praise the Lord. 06:23 Yes, we have that victory in Jesus. 06:26 And that victory can be yours today, 06:28 can be yours right now 06:30 if you let Jesus come into your heart. 06:33 And He's calling you today to allow Him in that 06:37 He may live in you and give you the victory. 06:42 Before we begin our study, 06:43 I like to go to the Lord in prayer once again. 06:46 I like to invite you to pray for yourself 06:48 and pray for all the people that are joining us 06:51 all over the world through radio, television, 06:54 the Internet, whatever means that may be, 06:57 let's go to the Lord in prayer together 06:58 and ask Him for His blessing. 07:04 Our loving Heavenly Father, 07:06 we thank You, Lord, 07:08 that we have this time to study the Holy Scriptures, 07:11 to study Your Word. 07:13 And Heavenly Father, we come before You 07:15 in Jesus' name to ask for Your blessing. 07:19 Upon each person that is joining us, 07:22 we pray that Your Holy Spirit 07:24 will illuminate our minds, help us to understand. 07:28 And we pray that You would draw us close to You. 07:32 I place myself in Your hands, Lord. 07:35 Bless me with Your Holy Spirit. 07:37 Bless everyone with Your Holy Spirit 07:40 that we may understand Your words. 07:42 I ask of You, Lord, that every word will come 07:45 from Your throne of grace. 07:48 In Jesus' name, amen. 07:53 God is good to each and every person. 07:57 And that's we studied together. 07:59 I hope you will realize that God is not surprised 08:02 but by whatever means 08:04 whatever things take place in this world. 08:09 Our study begins in the Book of Matthew Chapter 24. 08:12 Matthew Chapter 24. 08:14 And I take you through the scenes 08:16 that when Jesus 08:17 and His disciples were in the temple 08:20 that they were so impressed with the buildings 08:24 and the stones, it was an awesome sight. 08:29 And in Matthew Chapter 24 beginning in verse 1, 08:31 we have these words. 08:33 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, 08:36 and His disciples came up 08:37 to show Him the buildings of the temple. 08:42 And Jesus said to them, 08:44 'Do you not see all these things? 08:46 Assuredly, I say to you, 08:48 not one stone shall be left here upon another, 08:52 that shall not be thrown down.'" 08:57 Now in Matthew 24:3, 09:02 something interesting happens 09:04 because the disciples wanted to know about this. 09:07 They said... 09:09 Verse 3, "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, 09:11 the disciples came to Him privately, 09:13 saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? 09:18 And what shall be the sign of Your coming, 09:23 and of the end of the age?'" 09:25 Here the disciples wanted to know 09:28 what does all this mean? 09:31 To them, the fact that the temple stones 09:35 and the buildings will be thrown down 09:37 meant to them that 09:39 that would be the end of the world. 09:42 And Jesus mercifully blended 09:47 the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem 09:50 with the signs of the end 09:52 and of His coming in His explanation. 09:55 So as we look at some verses 09:58 here in the Book of Matthew Chapter 24, 10:01 we're not gonna focus a lot on the signs 10:03 and every detail of the signs 10:06 because there is something here 10:08 that people miss, 10:09 I believe to their detriment 10:12 because they focus in on the signs 10:13 and the signs and the signs. 10:15 And there's a message here 10:17 from Jesus that we all need to understand. 10:21 And I hope that today it is my prayer 10:24 that you will see this as we study together. 10:28 Now wouldn't you love to have the opportunity 10:31 that the disciples had to ask Jesus 10:34 the same question? 10:35 When shall these things be? 10:36 And what will be the sign of Your coming? 10:38 Lord, we're going through this now. 10:39 What was gonna happen next? 10:43 You know the invitation of Jesus 10:46 is still open for us today. 10:49 Remember, Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive." 10:53 But let's go to Matthew 11:28-30. 10:58 Actually, Matthew 11:28-30. 11:01 And we're going to see there an invitation from Jesus 11:04 that is for us today as well. 11:07 Notice, "Come to Me, 11:10 all you who labor and are heavy laden, 11:12 and I will give you rest. 11:15 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 11:17 for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 11:20 and you will find rest for your souls." 11:24 Notice this, "Take My yoke upon you 11:28 and learn from Me, for I am gentle 11:29 and lowly in heart, 11:31 and you will find rest for your souls." 11:32 And the next verse says, 11:34 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 11:39 You see in this scripture Jesus tell us that 11:43 we can come to Him and learn from Him 11:47 because He is meek and lowly of heart. 11:50 He says, "Learn from Me, 11:51 for I am gentle and lowly of heart." 11:54 So yes, we can come to Jesus and ask Him, 11:57 says, "Teach me, Jesus. 11:58 Teach me." 12:01 Another promise is found to us 12:03 in the Book of Jeremiah Chapter 33. 12:07 And in Jeremiah Chapter 33, 12:10 we have these wonderful words in verse 3, 12:13 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, 12:16 and show you great and mighty things, 12:19 which you do not know." 12:21 So the Lord gives us an open invitation 12:24 to learn from Him to call upon Him, 12:26 and He will indeed show us great and mighty things 12:29 that we do not know, 12:31 but we must come just as Jesus is humble 12:37 with a learning spirit and a learning desire, 12:41 asking the Lord to help us understand. 12:44 Let's go to the Matthew Chapter 24 again 12:47 and take up the reading there. 12:50 In Matthew Chapter 24, let's continue in verse 6. 12:54 Verse 6, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 12:58 See that you are not troubled, 13:00 for all these things must come to pass, 13:03 but the end is not yet. 13:06 For nation will rise against nation, 13:08 and kingdom against kingdom. 13:09 And there will be famines, 13:12 pestilences and earthquakes in various places." 13:18 Notice here, that the next verse says, 13:21 "All these are 13:24 the beginning of sorrows." 13:28 So, brothers and sisters, 13:29 we have a message from Jesus that wars and rumors of wars, 13:34 pestilences and all these things 13:37 are the beginning of sorrows. 13:40 And we have entered into this throughout history. 13:43 Even before the destruction of Jerusalem, 13:46 there were wars and rumors of wars. 13:48 There were famines. 13:49 There were earthquakes. 13:52 All these things that Jesus said will happen, 13:54 happened before the destruction of Jerusalem. 13:56 And Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, 14:00 but you see these same signs 14:04 are repeated in the time of the end 14:06 because Jesus combined the two 14:08 and many things like happened 14:10 before the destruction of Jerusalem 14:12 happens for us in these last days 14:15 that we're living in. 14:18 So when you consider these things, 14:22 these are the beginning of sorrows. 14:24 We have been in the time of sorrows for many years. 14:27 You may be able to look in history. 14:30 I don't know how old you are, but think back 10, 20, 30 years 14:34 and you have seen an increase in tornadoes, and hurricanes, 14:39 earthquakes, fires in different places. 14:43 We're living in the time of the end. 14:45 We don't have enough time to show you 14:47 how prophetically we are living in the last days, 14:50 but the signs that Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 14:54 nearly all are fulfilled. 14:57 And we're living in the last days. 15:01 And, of course, some right now 15:04 you may be in your home because of the Coronavirus 15:08 and this pandemic that is, 15:11 it's incredible what has taken place. 15:13 Virtually about 15:15 over 180 countries 15:20 already have infections of the Coronavirus, 15:24 180, more than 180 countries actually. 15:28 Thousands have died 15:31 and we are living in the last days, 15:33 but I like to point out to you that this Coronavirus 15:37 is but a wake-up call to help God's people 15:40 understand that we are living in the last days. 15:45 Now I want to go to one of my favorite Psalms 15:48 and read to you from Psalms 46. 15:52 In Psalms 46, we have a message 15:56 from the Lord that is very powerful 15:59 and we should understand that God has a message for us. 16:04 Notice these words, verse 1-2, 16:06 "God is our refuge and strength, 16:08 a very present help in trouble. 16:11 Therefore we will not fear, 16:14 even though the earth be removed, 16:17 and though the mountains 16:19 be carried into the midst of the sea." 16:23 Let's go to verse 3 also, "Though its waters roar 16:26 and be troubled, 16:28 though the mountains shake with its swelling." 16:33 So, brothers and sisters, 16:35 we can take refuge in God and don't let it, 16:39 don't be carried away 16:40 with the fears of the world 16:43 because God has exceeding great and precious promises. 16:47 These are times for you and I 16:49 to get closer to the Lord 16:53 and have the assurance that what Jesus said is true. 16:58 He said, "I will be with you always 17:02 even until the end of the world." 17:05 Amen. 17:07 I like to point to you another scripture 17:11 that is of encouragement. 17:13 And that is found in Isaiah 41:10. 17:18 In Isaiah 41:10, the Bible tells us, 17:22 "Fear not, for I am with you. 17:24 Be not dismayed, for I am your God. 17:29 I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, 17:32 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 17:37 This is the God that we serve. 17:39 This is the almighty God, 17:41 and I encourage you to trust Him 17:43 with all your heart. 17:44 Matthew 24, it's a powerful book to read, 17:49 and we can learn many things there, 17:52 but I wanna show you another wonderful promise. 17:55 In Isaiah 26:3-4. 17:58 Isaiah 26:3-4. 18:01 Some people have this memorized. 18:03 Notice these wonderful words in Isaiah 26:3-4. 18:09 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 18:11 whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 18:16 Trust in the Lord forever. 18:18 For in Jehovah, the Lord, is everlasting strength." 18:23 Praise God. He is our everlasting strength. 18:28 We don't have to fear as long as we understand 18:32 and believe that Jesus is with us. 18:37 So I encourage you to believe, 18:39 get familiar with the promises of God. 18:41 This is a marvelous opportunity for you and I 18:45 to stink deep into the Word of God 18:48 and to become closer to God 18:51 and to have the assurance in our hearts that 18:54 what He said He will do. 18:58 Remember, Jesus promised to be with you 19:00 even until the end of the world, 19:02 but you and I are facing or walking through this world 19:07 and facing difficulties and problems and crisis. 19:10 We must have our eyes fixed on Jesus 19:15 if we are to survive to the end. 19:18 We continue back in the Book of Matthew Chapter 24. 19:22 And in Matthew 24, 19:24 we are going to continue now into verse 9 and 10. 19:30 "Then they shall deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, 19:34 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 19:37 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, 19:41 and will hate one another." 19:42 These things happened 19:44 during the time of the disciples, 19:45 not the disciples, 19:46 but after Jesus spoke to the disciples 19:49 these things happen. 19:52 Before the destruction of Jerusalem 19:53 which occurred in 70 AD these things happen 19:57 and these things will happen again. 19:59 Notice that it says that people will betray one another. 20:04 That's people that you know, 20:06 people that you love may betray you. 20:09 You must have your eyes fixed on Jesus. 20:13 Continuing on in Matthew 24:11, 20:17 "Then many false prophets 20:20 will arise and deceive many." 20:26 This has been going on for years 20:28 and will intensify as we get closer and closer 20:32 to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 20:35 Let's continue verse 12. 20:36 "And because lawlessness will abound, 20:39 the love of many will grow cold. 20:44 But he who endures to the end 20:50 shall be saved." 20:51 He that endures to when? Till the end. 20:54 Brothers and sisters, 20:55 it is not enough to begin our Christian life with Jesus, 20:59 and then separate ourselves from Jesus 21:02 and live a life of sin. 21:04 We must continue and endure until the end. 21:08 The end of what? 21:09 It could be the end of our life and it could be the end of time 21:13 when we see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven. 21:16 Whatever it may be for you, 21:18 I encourage you to be faithful until the end. 21:22 Endure unto the end through the power 21:24 and the grace of Jesus Christ. 21:29 Now there's a verse that is one of the... 21:32 I would say to you, one of the key scriptures 21:36 to understand that Jesus Christ is coming soon. 21:42 Matthew 24:14, 21:43 "And this gospel of the kingdom 21:45 shall be preached in all nations..." 21:48 I'm sorry. 21:49 "This gospel of the kingdom shall preached in all the world 21:51 for a witness unto all nations, and then the end shall come." 21:57 So we have here this scripture that helps us understand 22:00 a something by which you can gauge, 22:02 "Hey, it's the gospel of the kingdom 22:05 being preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, 22:08 and then the end shall come." 22:09 And so for you and I 22:11 that are facing this crisis right now, 22:14 I have good news for you. 22:16 The crisis will end. Why? 22:19 Because right now the current situation 22:23 places some limitations as to how much you can do 22:28 in preaching the gospel. 22:30 Yes, right now you can send stuff through the mail. 22:32 You can go online and do lives. 22:34 You can send video messages and text messages. 22:37 You can send photographs with text to people, 22:40 but you have very little face-to-face contact. 22:45 And you see the gospel has to go to all the world. 22:48 So God is the one that has to step in 22:51 and do that which you and I cannot do. 22:55 He has to end things and wars 22:57 and end situations that prohibit 22:59 or deter or limit the preaching of the gospel. 23:05 And this is why you can trace back 30 years, 23:09 maybe 35, 23:11 and you can see country after country opening up 23:15 for the preaching of the gospel. 23:16 Country after country opening up 23:18 for the preaching to the gospel. 23:21 And I say to that, praise be to God. 23:26 I remember one of the things that Danny Shelton 23:29 was told several years ago 23:31 before while he was going from place to place, 23:33 telling people that God 23:34 had impressed him to build a television station, 23:36 one that will reach the world 23:38 with the undiluted three angels' messages. 23:40 We're going back now from what I'm telling you 23:42 to 1984, 1985. 23:44 And I remember that 23:46 somebody told Danny in the story, 23:49 "That's great, that you wanna do that, 23:51 but how are you gonna get into Russia 23:54 where they have the Iron Curtain?" 23:57 I understand, and Danny gave the best answer he could. 24:01 He says, "I don't know. 24:02 I have no idea, but that's not my problem. 24:06 That's a problem for God." 24:09 And, brothers and sisters, 24:13 there was no nuclear war between the US and Russia 24:17 or between other countries and Russia. 24:19 Nuclear war to end communism. 24:22 Communism fell and liberty 24:25 to preach the gospel started in Russia. 24:28 Praise be to God. 24:29 Country after country has been opening up 24:31 for the preaching of the gospel. 24:33 And this gospel of the kingdom 24:34 shall be preached in all the world 24:36 for a witness unto all nations, 24:37 and then the end shall come. 24:39 So this crisis will end and we will have 24:42 the liberty once again to go door to door 24:45 and knock and study with people 24:48 and pass out literature to people in the streets. 24:50 That time will again come. 24:52 Now is a time of preparation. 24:55 Sanctify yourself. 24:56 Consecrate your life to the Lord 24:58 because He wants you to be happy. 25:02 And when you do this, 25:03 when you come to the Lord, give your heart fully to Him. 25:07 You will understand that there is no peace in the world. 25:12 There's only peace in the Lord. 25:15 Now I wanna take you through 25:17 some interesting scriptures 25:19 that are found beginning in Matthew 24:33 and onward, 25:25 but I'm gonna give a little context 25:27 by going to Matthew 24:32 25:30 because you will find 25:32 the repetition of a couple of words here. 25:35 In many of the verses that we're going to read 25:38 and this reaches all the way to Matthew 25. 25:40 And this is the main focus of 25:43 what I wanna share with you. 25:47 Matthew 24:32 notice these words, 25:50 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree. 25:52 When its branch has already become tender 25:55 and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 26:01 So you also, when you see all these things, 26:04 know that it is near at the doors!" 26:09 So Matthew 24:32-33 26:14 already we have these words 26:15 that I wanna point out to you two words, 26:18 watch and know. 26:21 You're gonna see words, 26:22 watch and pray, 26:23 watch and know or knew not. 26:28 And so you and I today, 26:31 as we study Matthew 24, 26:32 I want you to focus on these words 26:35 that Jesus is saying 26:36 because there's a certain watching 26:38 that must take place, 26:39 preparation and to be aware 26:44 of what is going on. 26:47 Not that you have to be 26:48 focusing on every little detail going on in the world, 26:51 but the signs, Jesus said, 26:54 "To learn a parable of the fig tree." 26:56 When you see these signs, 26:57 know that the coming is near, He says at the doors. 27:02 Let's look at verse 34. 27:05 "Assuredly, I say to you, 27:06 this generation by no means pass away 27:09 till all these things take place. 27:11 Heaven and earth will pass away, 27:13 but My words will by no means pass away." 27:17 Notice again as we continue the words knows, 27:22 watch 'cause you and I have to watch 27:26 and unfortunately some people as time has gone on, 27:29 they have stopped watching, praying, 27:33 staying close to the Lord. 27:34 The things of life, the hustle 27:36 and bustle of life has occupied them 27:38 with this and that. 27:39 They're playing these video games 27:41 and they stay hours and hours doing that. 27:43 They go on social media, 27:44 they spend hours and hours on that, 27:46 and when the time to go to sleep comes 27:49 or they're watching television, 27:51 some TV programs, comedies, movies, 27:53 whatever it is, 27:55 videos when the time to go to sleep. 28:00 Oh, just a quick prayer 28:02 and you're out till the next day. 28:06 And you rush again through life 28:08 and dedicate very little time 28:10 to the study of God's Word to prayer. 28:14 And you and I, to be prepared 28:17 for what's coming upon the end 28:18 have to do a lot more praying that some of us are doing now. 28:22 Some people just pray. 28:25 Some people just pray when they wake up. 28:29 Thank you, Lord, forgiving me life. 28:31 That breakfast prayer, that prayer for lunch, 28:35 that prayer for that supper if you have it or dinner, 28:38 whatever you may call it 28:39 and prayer to go to sleep again. 28:41 These little short prayers 28:43 where you begin to connect with God 28:44 and you disconnect 28:46 before you actually really connect 28:48 with the Lord, we have to go beyond that. 28:51 We have to spend time in prayer in getting close to the Lord 28:57 because so many things that God wants to show us, 29:01 teach us, help us to understand 29:03 that we may be ready not only for the end time 29:06 before the things we face from day to day. 29:09 And believe me, I'm sure you have noticed 29:13 that the devil is after you in one way or another. 29:18 He's on your track because the Bible says 29:20 he as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 29:25 Now, who is easier to devour, 29:28 those that are watching or those that are sleeping? 29:32 Those that are sleeping. 29:33 And if you're sleeping spiritually, 29:35 it's time to wake up 29:37 so that you're not destroyed by the devil. 29:40 Let's continue. 29:41 Notice the words watch 29:44 and the words know. 29:48 Matthew 24:36, "But of that day 29:52 and hour no one knows, 29:55 not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 29:59 But as the days of Noah were, 30:02 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 30:06 What was going on there? 30:08 Notice, "For as in the days 30:09 before the flood, they were eating and drinking, 30:13 marrying and giving in marriage, 30:15 until the day that Noah entered the ark, 30:18 and did not know until the flood came 30:23 and took them away, took them all away, 30:25 so also will be 30:27 the coming of the Son of Man be." 30:30 So will the coming of the Son of Man be. 30:33 So we see here that once again 30:35 there is a watching that must be done 30:38 by the people of God 30:39 so that they will know that the coming is near. 30:43 You may not know the day nor the hour, 30:45 but your heart will thrill to understand Jesus Christ 30:49 is coming soon and it does you no harm, 30:53 but good to be close to the Lord 30:56 because in the presence 30:58 of the Lord is fullness of joy. 31:02 In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy. 31:11 Let's continue now. 31:12 In Matthew 24:40. 31:15 Notice, "Then two men will be in the field, 31:19 one will be taken and the other left." 31:20 Verse 41, "Two women will be grinding at the mill, 31:23 one will be taken and the other left." 31:25 Verse 42, "Watch therefore, 31:30 for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." 31:35 There's really nothing here about a secret rapture. 31:37 This has to do with watch to be ready 31:42 for the coming of the Lord. 31:43 Well, some will say, 31:44 "He will come as a thief in the night." 31:46 Yes, but as we continue studying, 31:48 you will see there for God's people, 31:51 we will not be taken over as a thief, 31:54 we will be ready for the Second Coming 31:56 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 31:58 And there are great signs. Trumpets sounding. 32:01 The whole sky will be illuminated with His glory. 32:06 We will see it, hear it. 32:07 It's a magnificent scene that stops everything. 32:12 We don't have time to deal too much 32:14 with this aspect of it, 32:15 but please notice that 32:18 we are to watch, pray, 32:22 and know that the coming is near. 32:28 Verse 44, once again just, "Therefore you also be ready, 32:32 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." 32:36 So we are to be ready. 32:38 Matthew 24, let's go to verse 45. 32:43 Notice, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, 32:46 whom his master 32:47 may made ruler over his household, 32:50 to give them food in due season?" 32:52 We're gonna continue to verse 51, 32:54 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, 32:57 when he comes, will find so doing. 33:00 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him 33:02 ruler over all his goods. 33:05 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 33:08 'My master is delaying his coming,' 33:10 and begins to beat his fellow servants, 33:13 and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 33:15 the master of that servant will come on a day 33:18 when he is not looking for him 33:20 and at an hour that he is not aware of." 33:24 He's not, he does not know, at an hour he does not know, 33:27 it's the same Greek word you steer than in other places 33:30 we have already read says to know, 33:35 at an hour that he's not aware 33:37 so for those that are practicing evil, 33:40 the coming of the Lord will be a surprise, 33:44 but for those that are watching, 33:47 praying, doing the Lord's will, they will be ready. 33:50 They are anticipating the coming of the Lord 33:54 and it does not take them as a thief in the night. 33:57 It is to them a relief. 33:58 Yes, here He is. Praise God. 34:03 We would be able to see "Lo, here's our God. 34:05 We waited for Him and He will save us." 34:10 So, brothers and sisters, 34:12 we are to know that the Lord is coming soon. 34:17 Now we're gonna go quickly into Matthew 25. 34:20 We can't really go through all the details 34:23 of this because again, 34:24 we're supposed to watch and be ready. 34:28 Notice what happens here. 34:29 Matthew 25:1-4. 34:31 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins 34:35 who took their lamps 34:36 and went out to meet the bridegroom. 34:39 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 34:44 Those who were foolish took their lamps 34:46 and took no oil with them, 34:48 but the wise took oil in their vessels 34:50 with their lamps. 34:51 But while the bridegroom was delayed, 34:54 they all slumbered and slept." 34:56 Now this is interesting 34:58 because all of them are virgins professing, 35:01 in other words, they're professing 35:03 a pure faith, 35:06 they all are looking for the bridegroom, 35:10 but half of them were not prepared 35:16 for the coming of the Lord because they did not do 35:19 the necessary preparation. 35:21 What was the preparation that 35:24 the wise did that help them be prepared 35:28 when the master or the husbandman came. 35:34 Notice, 35:36 continuing on in Matthew Chapter 25, 35:41 we go to verse 6-13, 35:45 "And at midnight a cry was heard, 35:46 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 35:49 go out to meet him!' 35:50 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 35:53 And the foolish said to the wise, 35:55 'Give us some of your oil, 35:56 for the lamps are out, are going out.'" 35:59 They're underway to go out. 36:01 "But the wise answered saying, 36:03 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, 36:08 but go rather to those who sell, 36:10 and buy for yourselves.' 36:11 And while they went to buy, 36:13 the bridegroom came, and those who were ready 36:18 went in with him to the wedding, 36:20 and the door was shut." 36:22 Now let's stop here for a moment 36:24 and notice what happened. 36:26 You have these virgins. They all slumbered and slept. 36:31 And it's a sad, sad thing that if, 36:35 as you look at the churches, if you're talking about 36:37 the church today professing to love the Lord, 36:41 professing to have a pure religion, 36:44 if half, notice, that they all asleep, 36:48 they all fall asleep, 36:50 but when the announcement is made that 36:52 the bridegroom is coming, they all get up, 36:56 but only five, the wise are ready. 36:59 Now which one do you want to be among the wise 37:03 or among the foolish? 37:05 Those that were foolish were not able to enter in 37:09 because they did not make the needful preparation. 37:11 You and I have now time 37:14 to make the needful preparation to be ready 37:17 for the Lord's coming. 37:19 This oil in the lamps 37:22 is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. 37:24 So the wise virgins 37:28 made preparation by praying, 37:31 watching, and being ready. 37:35 So when the time came, 37:36 if there wasn't an apparent delay, 37:38 and you can see that in the Scripture 37:40 there's an apparent delay in the Lord's coming, 37:42 an apparent delay to us. 37:47 You know, the Lord in a way 37:51 sometimes when we want something to happen soon, 37:53 we say, I just can't wait for such and such a thing. 37:57 And I see in a sense, 37:59 the Lord with that same anticipation. 38:01 I just can't wait to go get my children, 38:05 but you and I have to do something 38:07 to help in this situation. 38:09 And that is we must preach the gospel 38:14 because when the gospel is preached 38:15 all over the world for a witness unto all nations, 38:18 then the end shall come. 38:21 So you and I need to make need for preparation. 38:25 We need to make need for preparation. 38:28 Notice, what happens when we fall asleep. 38:34 In Matthew 13, something, 38:37 another parable is told by Jesus 38:40 that tells us of what happens 38:44 when people fall asleep. 38:48 Interesting. 38:49 Matthew 13:24-30. 38:51 "Another parable He put forth to them saying, 38:54 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man 38:56 who sowed good seed in his field, 38:58 but while men slept, his enemy came 39:03 and sow tares among the wheat and went his way. 39:07 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, 39:10 then the tares also appeared. 39:12 So the servants of the owner came 39:14 and said to him, 'Sir, 39:16 did you not sow good seed in your field? 39:18 How then does it have tares?' 39:20 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' 39:24 The servant said to him, 39:25 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' 39:28 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up 39:31 the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 39:34 Let both grow together until the harvest, 39:37 and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 39:41 'First gather together the tares 39:43 and bind them in bundles to burn them, 39:46 but gather the wheat into my barn.''' 39:50 When the wheat and the tares are first growing up, 39:53 it's difficult to tell which ones are the wheat, 39:55 which ones are the tares. 39:57 Somehow, these individuals 39:59 that came to look it was planted. 40:01 They were able to tell, 40:02 "Do you want us to gather the tares?" 40:03 They thought they could do this, 40:06 but you see, if we look at this parable 40:08 and consider that even in the church, 40:11 those professing to be Christians, 40:14 there are wheat 40:16 and there are tares among the Christians. 40:21 And how is it that that can be. 40:23 You see it says an enemy has done this, 40:26 and some people come into the church 40:28 that are not 100% converted. 40:31 For some reason they come in. 40:34 They know somebody or somebody says, 40:35 "Come with me." 40:36 Or for some reason they go, 40:38 but they're not 100% giving their heart to the Lord. 40:42 Something keeps them the attraction of the world. 40:47 And so, while men sleep while you are sleeping, 40:51 the enemy has opportunity 40:53 to do terrible harm in your life. 40:56 So it is time to awake, I say, 41:00 and watch, and pray, and be ready 41:06 for what's coming upon the earth. 41:07 Be ready for what's coming up in your life. 41:11 Let's go to back to Matthew Chapter 25, 41:15 in beginning in verse 6 again, 41:18 "And at midnight the cry was heard, 41:19 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!' 41:23 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 41:25 And the foolish said to the wise, 41:27 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'" 41:30 We're reading this for a reason. 41:31 "But the wise answered, 'No, lest there should not be 41:34 enough for us and you, 41:36 go rather to those who sell, buy for yourselves.' 41:40 And while they went to buy, 41:41 the bridegroom came, and those who were ready 41:44 went in with him to the wedding, 41:46 and the door was shut." 41:48 Now I want you to look at this scene. 41:50 "Afterward, the other virgins came also, 41:53 saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!" 41:57 They appeared to know the Lord, 42:00 but notice what happens in verse 12. 42:02 But He answered and said, 42:05 "Assuredly I say to you, 42:08 I do not know you." 42:12 Verse 12. "I do not know you." 42:16 You and I are to know the Lord. 42:20 It is our privilege to know the Lord. 42:22 We have the opportunity to know the Lord. 42:26 And while you are confined to your home, 42:28 can go toward 42:30 because of this Coronavirus thing 42:31 and the crisis or for whatever reason, 42:33 you're stuck at home. 42:35 Take time to connect with the Lord. 42:38 Give your heart completely to Him 42:41 that you may have the joy of salvation 42:45 in your heart each and every moment. 42:49 Notice verse 13. 42:53 It's connected to Matthew 24. 42:56 Matthew 25 is connected to Matthew 24. 43:00 Matthew 25 and 24 are connected. 43:02 Remember, that chapter divisions were added later. 43:06 This is the same narrative. 43:08 And this is why Matthew 25:13 says, 43:12 "Watch therefore, for you know 43:16 neither the day nor the hour 43:19 in which the Son of Man is coming." 43:23 So I say to you, it's time to wake-up. 43:28 Watch, read the scriptures, 43:31 pray, and spend time with the Lord 43:35 that you may be ready for whatever comes your way. 43:38 Whatever challenge comes your way. 43:40 Now I may be speaking right now to someone 43:43 that is very, very sick 43:46 because of the Coronavirus, 43:47 it may be something else for you 43:50 the promise of the Lord is as well. 43:53 I may be speaking to somebody 43:55 that has been away from the Lord for many years, 44:00 such as this doctor. 44:02 I read that I heard this video, 44:06 this doctor working in one of these hospitals 44:10 where the Coronavirus, many, many patients 44:13 they were like overwhelmed. 44:14 And there was a pastor 44:16 that became a patient in that hospital. 44:20 And every day that he was there, 44:22 he would be singing and reading the scriptures, 44:26 and he had a smile on his face 44:28 and the nurses would come 44:30 and the doctors would come, 44:32 he will struggle breathing, 44:33 but he was saying, "Praise the Lord." 44:35 He was encouraging and the doctor would come. 44:37 And he was just amazed at this pastor's faith. 44:41 He was elderly, 44:43 but he was clinging to the Lord. 44:46 This pastor was faithful to the end, 44:50 and this doctor was able to say, 44:52 "I have separated myself from the Lord long ago, 44:55 but this pastor awakened in me a desire to have 45:01 what he had that in the face of death 45:05 he was happy in the Lord, knowing that 45:09 Jesus was with him until the end." 45:15 He said, "The pastor died, but he changed my life." 45:20 There are things going on in this world 45:22 because of the Coronavirus, 45:24 and it's amazing the things that can happen 45:27 when a crisis comes. 45:30 I wanna take you to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. 45:34 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. 45:37 "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, 45:39 you have no need that I should write to you." 45:42 There are some people that know the times 45:43 and the seasons about the coming of the Lord. 45:46 Notice verse 2, 45:47 "For you yourselves know perfectly 45:50 that the day of the Lord 45:51 so comes as a thief in the night." 45:53 Many Christians know that 45:55 the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night, 45:57 but notice verse 3, "For when they say, 46:00 'Peace and safety!' 46:01 then sudden destruction comes upon them, 46:04 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. 46:07 And they shall not escape. 46:10 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, 46:14 so that this day should overtake you as a thief." 46:18 Praise God. 46:19 We do not have to be overtaken as a thief. 46:24 Notice, "This day does not have to overtake as a thief. 46:27 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. 46:31 We are not of the night nor of darkness, 46:35 therefore let us not sleep, 46:38 as others do, but let us watch and be sober." 46:42 Praise be to God. 46:45 So I encourage you that whatever your condition is, 46:48 get closer and closer to the Lord. 46:50 If you have been worldly-minded 46:54 had not been reading your Bible, 46:56 drifting further and further away from the Lord, 46:58 it's time to come nearer to the Lord 47:01 because the Lord loves you, wants you to be happy. 47:04 And the reality is that you cannot find 47:06 true happiness in anything 47:08 or in any place in this world 47:11 if the Lord is not with you. 47:15 In Ephesians 5:8-14. 47:19 Ephesians Chapter 5. 47:21 Actually, I just wanna read Ephesians Chapter 5, 47:24 let us begin in verse 13. 47:28 Ephesians 5:13, "But all things that are exposed 47:32 are made manifest by the light, 47:35 for whatever makes manifest is light. 47:40 Therefore He says, 'Awake, you who sleep, 47:43 arise from the dead, 47:46 and Christ will give you light.'" 47:50 Praise the Lord. 47:52 So this is a call to awake out of sleep 47:56 and Christ will give you light. 48:02 Brothers and sisters, 48:05 it's time to awake out of sleep. 48:09 This Coronavirus, there are some things going on 48:13 and some people are realizing that 48:17 changes have to be made. 48:20 Changes have to be made. 48:23 I want to talk to you about some of these presidents 48:27 in some of these countries 48:30 and leaders of government that are beginning 48:33 to make expressions that are letting you know 48:37 that they're beginning to understand that 48:39 they cannot control this, 48:42 that they need help from above, from God. 48:46 The Prime Minister of Italy 48:52 with tears in his eyes said, 48:55 "We have lost the battle against the Coronavirus. 49:01 We have lost control. 49:04 Only God can help us." 49:07 This is a leader in this nation, 49:08 the Prime Minister of Italy. 49:11 In Paraguay, the President said, 49:15 "I have faith in God, in His power and His mercy." 49:19 And then he quoted, Isaiah 41:10. 49:24 Another president 49:26 and I'm not here to talk about politics. 49:28 I'm just underlining some of the things 49:31 that some of these presidents are saying. 49:33 And the US President, Donald Trump 49:35 declared on March 15th a day of prayer, and recently, 49:39 President Trump urged everyone to pray 49:42 for the families who have lost loved ones 49:45 and all the heroes fighting through the Coronavirus crisis. 49:49 He said, "We may be apart. 49:52 We can use this time to turn to reflection in prayer." 49:56 This is a president of a nation, 49:59 and he says, "With the faith of our families 50:01 and the spirit of our people and the grace of our God, 50:05 we will endure, we will overcome, 50:08 we will prevail." 50:10 Panama, the president of that country 50:13 asked the people in Panama to pray, 50:15 and then gave some instruction on how to pray. 50:20 Interesting. 50:21 In Guatemala, I heard this president say 50:25 he called upon the people of Guatemala 50:27 to pray for the people, pray for the country. 50:31 And he said, "I am asking the people 50:33 of Guatemala to spend this coming Saturday." 50:36 This is what the video said, 50:37 "To spend this coming Saturday in fasting 50:40 and prayer for our country." 50:42 The president of Guatemala. 50:45 El Salvador, he has asked 50:48 all the believers in his country 50:52 to pray for his country, 50:53 to pray for the country and the world. 50:56 Then the president of El Salvador 50:58 bowed his head in silent prayer, 51:03 and I saw this president 51:06 in prayer silently for a while. 51:09 Then another camera view was showed 51:12 and he was actually in a room, 51:15 there was a long table and people seated, 51:18 and they were spaced apart by some distance, 51:21 there were at least 30 people in the room, 51:24 and this president of this country 51:28 spent that time in prayer, 51:31 and then finally said, "Amen." 51:34 So what is going on? 51:36 What is going on? 51:39 Presidents, leaders of countries 51:41 are beginning to realize 51:43 this is not something we can handle. 51:45 We need help from God. 51:47 Interestingly enough, Cuba. 51:51 Recently, the Cuban Government 51:53 said that they are allowing 51:56 several Christian pastors 51:58 to present a 15-minute message 52:01 during the week of April 5 52:04 through the 12th, and they also allow 52:07 the Catholic Church to present a mass. 52:10 Now what I am saying to you is that they are allowed them 52:13 15-minute message 52:15 during the week of April 5 to 12 52:17 this year 2020, 52:21 so that the people will be encouraged. 52:23 See, the church people in Cuba also cannot go to churches. 52:27 They cannot meet together. 52:28 They have limited Internet service 52:30 and they cannot have these, 52:32 as we are having in many places 52:35 churches connecting with each other 52:38 through some type of 52:39 live streaming service, in Cuba they cannot do that. 52:43 So the country allowed the pastors 52:47 from different denominations to present a 15-minute message 52:50 on the national TV channel of Cuba 52:54 owned by the government. 52:55 Praise the Lord. 52:57 So, brothers and sisters, what does this mean? 53:02 Now I hope that all of these people, 53:04 this will be a seed in their lives that will, 53:07 in their heart that will sprout to everlasting life. 53:12 This is my hope. 53:14 It may be that after all this is over, 53:17 some of these leaders will be like the pharaoh. 53:19 When the crisis is over, when the plagues are gone, 53:22 they go back to being rebellious, 53:24 they go back to doing wickedly. 53:26 But for now, something is going on 53:29 and we should be praying for the leaders 53:32 of these countries for all the leaders 53:34 of the countries 53:36 to give their hearts to the Lord. 53:39 In Daniel 12:10 we have this message, 53:43 "Many shall be purified, and made white, 53:47 and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly, 53:51 and none of the wicked shall understand, 53:53 but the wise shall understand." 53:55 Brothers and sisters, 53:57 it is high time for people to awake out of sleep. 54:01 It is time to listen to the words of Jesus 54:04 because this crisis will be over. 54:08 And we must be prepared to take advantage of the hearts 54:11 that have been made sensitive to God and to the gospel. 54:15 When doors are allowed to open 54:17 and people go back to their usual things, 54:22 some will go back to whatever they were doing, 54:24 but some heart seeds have been planted, 54:28 hearts have been made tender, 54:30 and it is time for God's people to be prepared 54:33 so that the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 54:37 will once again be alive in your heart. 54:40 Jesus said. 54:42 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 54:44 'All authority has been given to Me 54:47 in heaven and on earth. 54:49 Go therefore 54:51 and make disciples of all nations, 54:53 baptizing them in the name of the Father 54:56 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 54:58 teaching them to observe all things 55:01 that we have commanded you, 55:03 and lo, I am with you always even to the end 55:08 of the world, to the end of the age.'" 55:10 Brothers and sisters, 55:12 the Coronavirus is but a wake-up call 55:15 to give your heart to the Lord. 55:17 I encourage you to give your heart completely to Him. 55:20 Watch and know the time that we're living in. 55:24 In the book Testimonies to Ministers, Page 444, 55:29 I like to read these words to you. 55:31 "We hear now of earthquakes in diverse places, 55:36 of fires, of tempests, of disasters by sea and land, 55:41 of pestilence, of famine. 55:44 What weight do these signs have upon you? 55:48 This is only the beginning of what shall be. 55:52 The description of the day of God 55:54 is given through John by the Revelator. 55:57 The cry off the terror-stricken myriads 56:00 has fallen upon the ear of John. 56:02 The great day of His wrath is come, 56:04 and who shall be able to stand? 56:07 The apostle himself was awed and overwhelmed." 56:10 I encourage you to give heed, 56:13 get up, watch and pray. 56:17 In Testimonies, volume 5, page 717. 56:21 "Study your Bible as you have never studied before. 56:24 Unless you arise to a higher, 56:26 holier state in your religious life, 56:29 you will not be ready for the appearing of our Lord. 56:32 As great light has been given, God expects corresponding zeal, 56:37 faithfulness, and devotion on the part of His people. 56:41 There must be spirituality, a deeper consecration unto God, 56:46 and a zeal in His work 56:48 that has never yet been reached. 56:50 Much time should be spent in prayer, 56:53 that our garments of character may be washed 56:55 and made white in the blood of the Lamb." 56:59 Brothers and sisters, praise God. 57:02 You see in Revelation 7:1-2, 57:05 that there are four angels holding the four wings 57:09 until God's people are sealed. 57:12 We are living in the sealing time. 57:15 I encourage you to give your heart 57:17 completely to the Lord. 57:19 He is waiting for you knocking at the door of your heart. 57:23 Opened the door to Him and He will come in 57:26 and began peace and happiness in your life. 57:30 God bless you. |
Revised 2020-05-21