Nov 7, 2021 Sunday Morning Service

We are going to be talking about in the door was shut. I bought, I want to begin by saying thank you for being here. Glad that you're with us this morning and we can worship our Lord and savior together. Think about all the blessings that we have in Christ Jesus. And the thank the father for all that he's blessed us with. It's such a joy that we can do that together. And and again we're grateful for that. And so, as we think about the door that was shut. I was also thinking about starting in 2022, in January, will begin our, our study on the lack of Pride that I'm not going to be given the scripture up here on the, on the screen, but I'm going to read it and I want you to bring your Bibles. And to open up to the scripture and read along with me. All right, I think I'm making you all too lazy. So we're going to open up our Bibles, and we're going to read together the main text. I'll put other text up there on the screen, but the main text will read together. And, and I like, for you to go through these things. You get to know your Bible. You get to know where the books are. You get to know the order of the books? And so, you don't have to turn to that to the index or to the the, the front page and find out where that book is. So I like for you to bring your Bibles. The church. The novel concept is it bring your Bible to church? Be always brought our Bibles to church, but of course, we do have two bottles, but we had ter Bibles nephew. So if you don't have a Bible you can use the church Bibles and if you don't want to use the church bottles and you want to, but I will let me know and I'll get you back. Okay? I want you to have a Bible. I want you to bring that Bible and I want you to either bring the Bible on using or used by what's in front of you and use it. We're going to do that together. Before we get into our lesson this morning. I do want to go to God In Prayer. Let's go to God In Prayer.

Father in heaven, we thank you for the opportunity to be here today and Father. We thank you for the the wonderful rest that we had last night. The father were thankful for. Even the concept of rest itself. We know father that when we are overly tired. We are weaker. and when we retired, father, were more susceptible to Send. Falling to temptation. And father, that were even more prone to become discouraged.

Father, we know that you desire.

The best from your people. It was true in the old Covenant. We had to bring the best of the Flack. To offer up the sacrifice to you. and even today, as we live under the New Covenant. You still desire the best and that is from our heart. We pray. Father that as we rest. We will gain strength in order to give us to give you our best.

Father, help us to be more Vigilant in our lives. Help us to be. Watchful alert. And always be ready. Father. We don't know when. But we know that you're coming back. Father, help us to be ready, help us to be prepared. Father, help us to be looking for you. And father, may we continue to be putting you first in our lives? By reading your word. By studying your word. And father, by doing your words. May we all live to put you. And your church first in our lives, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

And the door was shut. So we're going to be focusing upon that expression that we find here in the text. No Hayden read verses 1 through 9, but I held back having pain to the left. So now we're going to read 10 and 11 and add these two verses to what we already know. So, and while they went to buy the bridegroom and those who were ready, went in with him to the wedding. And the door was shut. Afterward, the other birds with came also saying, Lord, Lord open to us. But the door was shut. And that was it. It was complete just as Jesus said, it was finished when he was dying upon the cross. Hear the story is about the door being shut and when the door is shut, its final. It's over with no one can enter in. No one can come in. And so, as we looked at the beginning, part of the text, there are ten virgins. And they're getting ready for the one, we're getting ready for the bridegroom and they come in with their lamps, full of oil. At least. Some of them have had their lamps. Full of the other five did not end. So, they weren't prepared. They were ready. At least from what we know because the text tells us the bridegroom was delayed. So obviously there's always delays and weddings. There's always delays and just about everything in life. And so we need to be prepared, right? Just like when we were coming to church, we know what time Church begins, but we also know that there's always going to be something that might getting away. We might forget something, there might be an accident. There might be a fire. There might be something that might delay us and so we make the preparations to be here and to be here on time will the same thing with these virgins fiberwise that they were prepared and ready to go. But five were unwise and I found out quickly. That when the bridegroom closes the door, the door is shut. So we're going to take a look at this, Parable in context, and we're going to look at two things. Basically. We're going to look at the background of the text. And then, we're going to look at the application of the text only two points. Only two points for us to consider this morning. So, let's take a look at the background of the text, and it really just goes back to the previous chapter in chapter 24. In this chapter, Jesus has already said that the temple is going to be destroyed. So the disciples come to him a little bit later and I asked him for when will these things be the destruction of the temple? And when will you're coming? Be to Second Coming? It's funny that this is November and November is called the month of the blood move. And every year your televangelists and they're already doing it. You'll look at the television, watch them and his dog, talking about the blood moon. John Hagee, a television evangelist when it comes to blood moon, he goes crazy. Why is that? Because the blood moon as a sign of his coming, and he's coming back and every year he says it's about time the Lord's going to come back. He's right around the corner. He's coming back and every year it's wrong. I think I told you about this some years ago. There's a camp up in Connecticut. A Bible camp that I used to go to when I was a kid and was set up by a religious organization. And this religious group thought that Jesus was coming in 1914. So, they built this community community and so it was kind of like a, you know, what kind of think about 160, but they got together in this little Tommy and they live their lives, Waiting for the End to come. 1914, came and went so 1921 Keenan Wynn. 1937, Jesus is going to come and we're going to be ready and you know the rest of the story. Would you still be a member of that organization?

Now, if you read your Bible and read your Bible, you know that the book of Deuteronomy tells us in chapter 18 that if someone forecast something, someone makes a prophecy and it does not come through. No, they are a false prophet. But yet, so many people still cling to that organization. I won't give you the name. You can study that on your own time. But this is the time we called. What's Cadillac cool prophecy. And you say what? That's right. The first time I read that word. I was like what that scatological. It simply means end-time prophecy. And so, in the story, Jesus is giving us two elements to end-time prophecy. What is the destruction of the Temple? And then the other is, his second coming when he's going to come, as we read this particular passage. It says he said, now, learn this Parable from the Fig Tree when it's branches, when its branches already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know, the summer is near. So you also, when you see all these, all these things, what I'm talking about when you see famines and pestilence and destruction and wars and rumors of wars and false Christ and Antichrist. And all of this stuff going on. He says, you know, the time is near. All these chicken littles in a religious world today girl, saying, you know, the sky is falling all the time every year on a point to this passage. But Jesus is talking about the pending destruction of the Temple. Notice what he says, or surely I say to you, this generation. To the people. Whom he's addressing this generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place. So he sang listen. You can see the signs coming. And I've noted them for you, and I've given you warning. That's so you can know when the destruction will happen to the temple and not only to the temple, but to Jerusalem it to the people of God. Now, in that particular text from chapter 24, verses 3 on down to verse 34. He's dealing with just the temple. An intersection. He says four times in those days in those days in those days in those days that's contrasted with in the day, some translations put back, but the word is the that's a definite article right there. So there's no reason to put that, it's never used as that. It's always done it. So, in the day, talking about what day of Jesus There's many other days. We have 6 365 days every year, right? But Jesus says, in what day the day of his return, the second coming? He's putting emphasis on that day. And he's distinguished man. Got day from all the others. So not this pivots. He's done talking about the destruction of the temple. Now, he's talking about his second coming. I'm coming to verse 36. But concerning that day and that our no one knows. Write that down. No one knows. Not even the angels of heaven. But my father, he's talking about his return, his second coming. So before that he wasn't, you know, when the destruction of the temple is going to happen. You'll see all these signs. But when I come again, you won't know. No one knows. And yeah, we have all these religious leaders talking about Jesus is coming. You'll be here today. You'll be here tomorrow. He will be here sometime in the future. So get ready now. I agree with him that we need to be ready. Always be ready, but no one knows who can forecast. The second coming of Christ, when not only the Angels, don't know, but Jesus doesn't know, look what the Book of Mark tells us 32, but concerning the day and that our no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the son. But only the father and when the father says, it's time to go to work, but until such time, not even Jesus knows when his father is going to say, okay. How's the time? Now's the Time. And then the point that we really want to get at is this there for you also be ready? Be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour. You do not expect. Now, he's talking about to Cummings there. His first coming was judgment upon his people. That Jesus is going to come and he's going to use the Roman army to destroy the temple and to destroy his people, you see, without the temple. There's no genealogy. You have no idea what tribe you would be from. Or at least you could prove you were from especially if you were a priest yet. There was no records of those things. Your whole line of genealogy has ended. And so therefore, the end of Israel and this is what's going to happen by the hand of Jesus. And that's why Jesus is behind what happens to Jerusalem. Just as God was behind all these captivities that took place in the Old Testament with his people. God punishes people by using other nations. To destroy his own people. Because they would not follow him and the same is true here in the New Covenant with Jesus. But now as he's explaining the coming of punishment upon his people, he's also talking about his coming on the day when he returns to take the remnant of Israel and all who are obedient to the sun back to heaven. We call that the second coming. He says be ready, be ready. You know, when I was younger. I remember and you probably experienced this too. I was afraid of the dark. Play the dark magic that. And I remember one time I was struggling with being, or having the fear of being in the dark. And so I would get up and I would get out of bed and I go down to Mom and Dad's room and I scared now. So, one night I got up, and I went down into the room and I noticed that the the the door was shot. You sure the door was open, but the door was shut and so I thought, well, I'll be quiet and I'll just open the door, really, really silently. And I put my hand on that door knob and try to turn it. It was locked. Dad, Dad heard that turns but he said go back to bed. And so a 21 year old can learn how to be a

No, I wasn't 21. I was 18.

But you've been there and I've been there. It's on the door was shut. The door was shut. You have to be ready before. The door is shut.

No, you younger folks. Don't remember that, not at all. But that was lost in space. And that was the height of our technology that big old comes a robot right. Danger. Danger Will Robinson. That's what Jesus out here in the text danger danger. He's warning us be ready. You don't know when I'm coming. In fact on several occasions. Paul tells us that when Christ comes again. It'll be like a thief in the night. Right now. When you go to bed or not, you don't get a phone call from your neighborhood burglar, right? You don't get a phone call saying, I will be there probably about 2:30 in the morning to rob you blind. Right, you don't get that phone call, right? There's no, you have to be prepared. Right? You have to have cameras. You have to have alarms, or whatever the case may be. You've got to be prepared, especially in these days, right? And the same thing. When Jesus returns, it'll be like a thief in the night. He's not going to give you all sorts of warnings and signs. Like all these other religious people, all these religious people are trying to schedule Jesus in return for us. I can't be done. It'll be instant and everyone will be caught off guard. I shouldn't say everyone but most those of us who are ready. Will never be caught off guard, because we're ready. And that's the way it was for those five wise virgins, the unwise certainly were not ready. So we don't know, we need to be ready. That's what we need to know. So the application of the text, the application of the text, obviously is first be prepared, the be prepared. How do we get prepared? But what you doing now, right? Lee assembly on the first day of the week is about preparation. The preparation is becoming worship God and worship. We grow closer to God, we grow closer to one another. But in the process of learning time, like now we learn things from God's word. Do you make the application? From what we learn from the information that has been given us. Now. We also offer Bible classes. A lot of people don't take the opportunity to learn about more more about Christ and that time. I don't understand why, but we offer those Bible class was not, we can learn and grow in devotion and closeness to our Lord and savior. Because that's what the information in God's word Isabel. It's designed to draw us to him not a way. And I know that a lot of people think the opposite, they think they were something about God is going to drive but it's designed to draw you closer to him. That's what the word is about. This is a love letter, that have Commandments things. You shouldn't do things, you shouldn't say, but in the final analysis just like your mom and your dad, he's telling you what's best for you. so that you can live forever with him in glory rather than that other place.

Hey talking about that other place. But if you do read your Bibles and you do study your Bibles you learn about that other place, and it's a real place. A lot of people like to dismiss it all. That's nothing. He'll that's just maybe that's designed by by men to keep you in control.

Do you know, Jesus, talk more about hell and he talked about Grace?

He talked more about hell because it's a real place. Designed by God for the devil and his angels. But also for all those who despise him and he say was Jesus. Well, you may not be so emotionally, but by our actions we do, we can despise Jesus in his church. By the things that we do and say whether we know it or not. And so we need to be prepared or prepared by learning more about his will for us salvation personal. It's about my salvation. It's not about Mom cell Vision. Dad salvation. It's about my salvation. They will be judged for their choices. But when I read and study and Learn and Grow closer to God, I see that he makes it very personal and he says you decide today. Don't let others decide for you, but you decide today. Mom and Dad can't decide for you. Your husband or your wife cannot decide for you. You have to decide. You have to decide just how important and just how special Jesus is in your life. No one else can do that for you? And God won't step in the way to help you do that.

In the final analysis, he has stepped in way, hasn't he? He stepped in the way on a Hill Called Calvary. He's stepping away by dying on a cross. He stepped in the way by giving us his word. This is his heart. Any says, come grab my heart. You can do that. We all can do that. We just have to be willing and wanting to do that.

And so, just like those on the day of Pentecost. Brother, brother. What shall we do? We got to do something right, we have to respond in faith to Christ. What shall we do?

Atlanta make it even more personal and Acts chapter. 16. We have the story of the Philippian Jailer. And you know what he said. What shall I do? Not. What shall we do? Not shall we, my family and I Not me and my friends. But what shall I do?

Very personal. And so we have to have that thought in mind when we think about. The scriptural warnings. Write those scriptural warnings. That is the warnings of scripture are there for a reason. They're there for a purpose so that we take heed and then that Paul say he Brethren lest ye fall.

Lest you fall. So what is he saying? You saying be alert? Be watchful. Be ready. Be prepared. There's an expression that goes back some hundred years or so that I'm aware of. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. That's who's going to win The Habit. Heaven up, repair people. And I won't be by accident, because they put them been preparing for it. So there has to be this personal recognition, of who Jesus is, why he's coming died for you to make that personal. And also to understand that he desires you to be with him in eternity. Hence, the scriptural warnings for you. And then he's saying, yeah that's confidence. We had a whole series of lessons on the book of 1st John about being aware being assured, right? Being assured of your salvation. I know I'm saying. Well, how do you know Doug? I just know. Why do I know?

The Bible tells me, so. The Bible tells me so I don't have to have any fears. I know what Jesus has promised. You know what? Jesus has promised you've done those things and you continue to do those things that perfectly. But you continue to do those things that he desires of you. And guess what he promises that his blood will forgive you, your his what will cleanse you from all Sin from all unrighteousness and he says you can take that to the bank. That's all we do. Then we seen Standing on the Promises of God. We need those promises though. He said, and what he saying is that Grace, you just eat up that you ever have a Wendy's Burger. I mean, like the triple quadruple Decker Wendy's burger, right? And you have to eat this burger. Just like you would have McDonald's burger or any other burger for that matter because it's so greasy. It's it drips. Right? And so what you got to do is you got to stand up and eat this thing, right? You have to put that chair back, stand up from the table and grab that sucker and just keep that grease from jumping all on your clothes. That's what Jesus is saying. He says, you eat that Grace that I give you, you relishing that Grace is there for you? That's what we need to do, brother. And that's why you can do your saved, because of the grace of God. And so we can have confidence. But also this, there is also a false confidence. Who are people in the world walking around thinking they're going to heaven and you know, it's true because every time you go to a funeral, whoever is doing this.

JoJo is not only going to happen. So and so it is in heaven, right? They're having a good time when they're playing poker, playing poker in heaven.

For a lot of people believe that it's a false confidence.

You said well again, how do you know? Because the Bible says you can analyze yourself. Right, you can test yourself. You can prove yourself. 2nd Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 5 says, Hey examine yourself to see if you're in the faith. You can do that. Am I am I living in my living? Like Jesus? That's really the, the question.

Would Jesus do the things that I do?

What Jesus say? the things that I say, Ronnie doves, Eminem. I need to become more like, Jesus everyday. That's the promise I did, right? We all give up those of one kind or another. We give all those before a judge. I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing. But the truth, we give all those before. Our friends and family. When we get married. I do. I I do solemnly swear that I will take care of my spouse for good times and bad times.

And yet the divorce rate is through the roof, right? So much for promises.

Do we do promise God when we were baptized into Christ whether you know it or not, you made a promise. I will follow Jesus. I just Mary Jesus. When I came up out of the water. He's my Lord, my savior.

Where he leads me. I will follow.

And you had a lot of people just walk their own rap. They do their own thing. They say their own things. And so they think well. I can baptize. I guess that's good enough for me. Is it? So is that when he says examine yourselves present tense, what does that mean? Church continuous action. Continue examining your cells. Why? Because we do struggle and we do fall. It's always have to consider those things and I'll leave you with this thought. For this morning, and the rest of the day is yours. The Cowboys are on at 12.

Live like his first coming matters. He's coming again. But it came the first time. Is the first time good enough? It ought to be because he's done so much for us in his first coming. And then live like he's coming again today.

You do you think about that you wake up in the morning. The first thought is in your mind. Jesus might come today. How will he find me? That kind of puts your whole day in perspective. Doesn't it? When you decide to follow Jesus everyday, because every day, when he wakes up, that's a metaphor. When he wakes up. All his compassion's and Mercy's are brand new for you. And for me, in that a blessing in that, good news. Yes, it is. It's so you can be prepared starting today. Jesus says, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved. What a preparation. He says, here's what you need to do. Be baptized, you can do that and then do the best to remain. Faithful to Jesus always putting him first. Always putting him first. If there's something for me to do. And if something for Jesus to do, I need to do what Jesus wants me to do. He comes first, his kingdom comes with. What's that mean? This church. His people come first. His people come first, perhaps you've done that. Perhaps maybe you have not live, like he has come at all. Maybe you're living like he's never coming back again. What he is. And, you know that to be true. It always says come back home. Job repent. Repent this about wickedness. Everything will be. All right, if you're subject to an imitation of Jesus Christ this morning, won't you come Together As We Stand Inside?

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