Derek Prince - Pressures, Tests & Challenges

now without any further introduction we're going back to where we finished last time we don't have time to do any recapitulation you must do that in your own time if it's necessary we stopped at Matthew 24 verse 34 and 35 so we're going on now at Matthew 24 verse 36 speaking about the day of his coming in glory and power Jesus says but of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven but my father only and another text which is followed by the New International Version says not even the son but to confirm that will turn to mark chapter 13 verse 32 which is the peril parable the parallel scripture mark 13:32 Jesus says but of that day and hour no one knows neither the angels in heaven nor the son but only the father that's a wonderful thought this is a secret that's only known to one person in the universe and that is God the Father it's God's secret and it says no one else knows the day or the hour I'll point out to you in a little while we may know the times and the seasons but the day and the hour is God's secret and I have to say I think it's extremely presumptuous of teachers or profits or preachers whoever they are to claim to know what only God the Father knows in my opinion that's arrogance and arrogance is one of the sins that's most hateful to God so and I also marvel at the number of Christians quote Bible believing Christians that can actually be fooled by that kind of prophetic utterance and the reason is they don't know the prophetic scriptures as they ought to do so we'll go on now in the next few verses of Matthew 24 verses 37 through 39 but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered are and did not know until the flood came and took them all away so also will the coming of the Son of Man be now there's a parallel passage in Luke chapter 17 which amplifies that a little and it repairs to turn there Luke 17 verse 26 through 30 Luke 17:26 through 30 and as it was in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the son of man they ate they drank they married wives they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the Ark and the flood came and destroyed them all and I want you to notice the repetition of their little word all in every one of these passages it occurs it's the last word likewise as it will was also in the days of lot they ate they drank they bought they sold they planted they built but on the day that lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed so Jesus there amplifies a little of what is said in Matthew 24 and not only as it was in the days of Noah but also as it was in the days of lot and we will not turn there in our Bibles but the key to understanding that is found in Genesis chapter 6 verses 1 through 12 and Genesis 9 19 verses 4 through 5 which describes the situation in the world in the time of Noah and the situation in the city of Sodom in the time of lot and I will briefly outline the main features revealed by scripture concerning that period first of all in the days of Noah the scripture reveals four major features number one there was satanic infiltration of the human race by satanic angels who came and cohabited with human women satanic infiltration is the key phrase and then in number two their whole thought life was corrupted every intent of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually number three there was sexual perversion it says all flesh had corrupted its way that's the Bible's way of saying that the sexual relationships had become abnormal and perverse and forth the earth was filled with violence I think perhaps we need to pause and meditate on those four features of the time of them not of love Noah satanic infiltration corrupted thought line and in our day I would say one of the main instruments that Satan is used to corrupt our thought life is the television I'm not preaching against television I'm just saying it is a main instrument but Satan has used to corrupt the thought life of I suppose billions of people and most of it initiated in the United States that's a that's a fact for which we as American citizens have got to accept responsibility our nation has poured forth countless hours of Filth and corruption that have really affected most of the world today then it says the sexual perversion today this is a commonplace I came to realize that there was sexual perversion in the church about 30 years ago and practiced by Christians who were church members especially the abuse of young boys and girls but nobody talked about it in those days and it was a shock to me when I discovered this this was what was going on but today it is whoo it is generally discussed it is widely declared and everybody knows it's happening not only amongst the unsaved but also in the church sexual perversion is fashionable there are many many unconverted people who boast of it there are programs in the television that actually take delight in exposing all the nasty details it's just as it was in the days of Noah and then the earth was filled with violence if there's one feature of Noah's day that is being repeated in our day it's pervasive violence I can remember I'm old enough to remember when ladies could walk safely in the streets of our main cities both in Britain and the United States even at night without fear now there are some of our major cities like New York Miami when it's not safe even to walk in the daytime we've come to Acts this is a fact but it is a fact that is comparatively recent it was not true I grew up in Britain between the two world wars there was virtually no violence at all if a thief snatched the lady's handbag it made the headlines today nobody would even turn around to comment on it we as it were in a way inured to this but we have to see it as a fact of life the earth is filled with wonders I can remember and I'm sure some of you can when you could walk on an airplane without being searched you really do believe that such days ever existed not now I don't know whether you this is not this is by the way but I don't know whether you heard the story of the man who was deeply concerned about the possibility of a bomb on the plane that he was traveling on so he took the statistics and he discovered that only once in a million times would there be a man with a bomb on a plane but for two men to be on the ball on a plane with a bomb with once in a billion times so after that he always carried a bomb I don't think that's the right solution now let's turn to the time of lot a lot lived in a city Sodom which has given its name to a particular sexual perversion which is now miss named being gay I'm sorry that the beautiful word gay has been perverted to that ugly use I don't call it gay I call it homosexuality or sodomy and the main feature of Sodom was blatant aggressive homosexuality they didn't just practice it they were aggressive in the practice of when Lord invited the two angels in it says all the men from every quarter of the city both young and old came to demand sex with these two newcomers that's all the men from every area of the city both young and old the whole city was totally pervaded with that some of God's judgments are what we call exemplary like the judgment on Sodom Gomorrah like the judgment and Ananias and Sapphira who were hypocrites who claimed in giving more to the work of God than they were they perished died the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed but that isn't the way God judges everybody thus guilty of those practices that's an exemplary judgment to show once and for all what God really thinks about these things if God judged all who will be hypocritical about what they give to the Lord service our churches would have far fewer members but God doesn't do that he's just declared once and for all this is what he thinks about hypocrisy then in both cases in the case of Noah and in the case of lot Jesus speaks about another feature it's better to read it in Luke 17 he says about the days of Noah in verse 27 they ate they drank they married wives they were in marriage and then it says in verse 28 likewise as it also wands in the days of lot they ate they drank they bought they sold they planted they built now Jesus mentions eight specific activities eating drinking marrying and giving in marriage buying and selling building and planting so I want to ask you is there anything intrinsically sinful about any of those activities the answer is no what was the problem the problem was they were so immersed in those activities that they didn't recognize the days in which they were living I would sum that problem up in one word materialism they were so immersed in the material that they no longer had any understanding or alertness for the spiritual and the eternal so let's call feature number five materialism how much materialism is there in our Western civilization to gain I would say it is virtually inundated with it and believe me it is by no means excluded from the church I think there are many professing Christians who are in their hearts just as materialistic as the people of the world may be a little less demonstrative about it they don't show it in their lifestyle but they are absorbed with materialism and jesus warned us that if we are sucked in into that pit of materialism we will not be ready when he comes we will be in the same category it's the people of Noah's day and Lots day and finally there's a good sign to the day of Noah let's not forget that it says but Noah walked with God there was one man out of all those people who had an intimate personal relationship with God and God could speak to him and tell him how he viewed the situation and the judgment that he was going to bring and I'd like to read from Hebrews chapter 11 just that one verse about Noah because I believe Noah is a pattern for us as believers as we live in the world today Noah and his family were the only survivors and it seems to me clear that only those people who live like Noah and his family will survive today Hebrews 11 verse 7 by faith Noah being divinely warned of things not yet seen moved with godly fear prepared an ark for the saving of his household by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith so there was one man in that whole evil situation that walked with God he had daily communion with God God could speak to him reveal to him what was coming on the earth and show him the only way of salvation for him and for his family let me just very briefly sum up those aspects of the days of Noah and lot number one satanic infiltration number two corrupted thought line number three sexual perversion number four violence number five blatant aggressive homosexuality number six materialism and number seven the good thing one man who walked with God now let's turn back to Matthew 24 and go on from there and we get to in verse 40 we get to another then this is the ninth then in chapter 24 then at this time two two will be in the field one will be taken and the other left two women will be grinding at the mill one will be taken and the other left and elsewhere in Luke it says there will be two in one bed one will be taken the other left so here is a sudden dramatic eternal separation separating the people who are closest to one another even the two that share a bed the two women that work at the mill the two men working in the field when the rapture comes it was snatch one and leave the other which will you be snatched or left it's important that you decide that issue now let's go on their verse 43 and 44 but know this that if the master of the house had known what hour or what watch of the night the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into if he had known what was going to happen he would have stayed awake he would have been watchful and Jesus says therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him that's important if you think you know you don't know because if you expect him and coming at a certain time that's not the time he's coming in I just need to emphasize this because it has grieved me so much that I suppose millions of Christians have fallen for this revelation that Jesus was coming at a certain day or a certain time it is totally contrary to the words of Jesus and if you are a disciple of Jesus you shouldn't have believed it if you did and if God spared you didn't visit you in judgment don't ever believe it again you have to be watching that doesn't mean you have to stay wide awake without sleep but it means you have to be alert you have to be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying so that he can wake you at any time of the day day or night I learn think is the word that I would use in mark 13 this is so strongly emphasized that it's almost worth reading it mark 13 just the last three verses of mark 13 that's versus 35 36 and 37 watch therefore for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening at midnight or the crowing of the rooster or in the morning lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping and what I say to you I say to all watch stay awake viola don't be lulled into a carnal slumber by materialism by sin or by the deceptions of safety now we've reached a decisive point in this discourse because we've finished the outline that Jesus is given and now we're going to deal in this chapter and the next with four different categories of people all of whom will be impacted by the coming of the law so we look at each category in order the first category is contained in Matthew 24 verses 45 through 51 and it speaks about those whom God or the Lord has sent in his household to care for the needs of his people and specifically to give them the appropriate food at the right time what kind of person does that indicate I would turn to first Peter chapter 5 I think this is the answer first Peter chapter 5 this is 1 through 4 the elders who are among you I exhort I Who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed Shepherd the flock of God which is among you serving as overseers not by constraint but willingly not for dishonest gain but eagerly nor as being lords over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock and when the chief Shepherd appears you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away so that speaks about those whom the Lord has placed in his flock to oversee it we have both words used in and over the overseers the pastures the shepherds the elders the Apostles for Peter was an apostle and I will say all the ministries the five ministries are pointed by Jesus in the flock and over the flock let's not emphasize one preposition at the expense of the other they're not just over there also in in verse two first Peter 5 G a Peterson's Shepherd the flock of God which is among you so we are not talking about superior class of people who live on a different level from the rest of God's people we're talking about people who live amongst God's people but yet have a special responsibility over them and Peter warns his fellow elders because when apostle becomes resident in a city he has the position of an elder be careful how you handle your responsibilities because you're going to have to give an account let's go back now to the picture in at the end of Matthew 24 who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household actually that's not the best translation appointed within his household to give them food in due season notice the first requirement for such a servant is not successful but faithful I have been a missionary in two areas at different times and in each place I have recognized that there were missionaries who were there before me who labored faithfully lay down their lives and so very little obvious fruit but I say to myself god forbid that I should ever think that I'm more successful than them because if they hadn't been there first the way would not have been prepared for me so bear in mind it's not success as the world understands it that God looks for it's faithfulness who is that faithful not successful soon I don't mean that the Christian will not be successful but success is not measured by the God that world standards success is faithfully accomplishing the tasks allotted to you by the Lord and the task here is to give God's people their food in due season and that really is a pastoral task a Shepherds task I have observed over the years that a true pastor knows exactly what his particular flock need and it may be quite different from a not one another flock needs at the same time and when I do go which is rather rare now to minister to just a congregation I always like to inquire the pastors or the pastoral staff what do you think your people need particularly one of the responsibilities of a shepherd is to know where his people are and what they really need and that requires sensitivity and then Jesus tells us the reward of that kind of servant I say to you that the Lord will make him ruler all his goods faithfulness in this life leads to promotion in the next life this is a solemn thought the way we conduct ourselves in this world will determine what will be for eternity and there is no substitute for faithfulness now we come to the but the other side of the picture but if that evil servant says in his heart my master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards so this is the only only alternative and if you sometime around that we're going to look at a picture of the judgment seat of Christ which is described in Romans 14 and 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 you find there are only two categories good or evil that's nothing in between we've invented in the church a third category well I'm not good but I'm not evil in God's view that category doesn't exist if you're not good you're evil a lot of people in our churches today and when I call fence sitters they're sitting on the fence they're not really committed but they don't want to be classed as unbelievers and now my little comment on this is when the Holy Spirit comes to the church one of the first things he does is to electrify the fence and that's why some people don't welcome the Holy Spirit as I want to stay comfortably seated on the fence so what's the feature of this evil sermon well he says my master is delaying his coming in other words he's lost the vision of the imminent reality of the Lord's return that's his basic problem I've come to this conclusion that in churches where they do not proclaim the coming of the Lord Jesus as a reality the standards of holiness will never be those of the New Testament this is an essential truth to produce holiness in God's people so he said why my masters been away a long time I am anything about him I haven't really been in close touch with him I can live it up so he begins to beat his fellow servants he becomes domineering and it is very very easy for people who have occupied the position of pastors to become domineering to control people and it's evil I've made this personal assessment that God will never put his anointing on something which man seeks to control a lot of people in our churches today and when I call fence sitters they're sitting on the fence they're not really committed but they don't want to be classed as unbelievers and now my little comment on this is when the Holy Spirit comes to the church one of the first things he does is to electrify the fence and that's why some people don't welcome the Holy Spirit as I want to stay comfortably seated on the fence so what's the feature of this evil son well he says my master's delaying is coming in other words he's lost the vision of the imminent reality and the Lord's return that's his basic problem I've come to this conclusion that in churches where they do not proclaim the coming of the Lord Jesus as a reality the standards of holiness will never be those of the New Testament this is an essential truth to produce holiness in God's people so he said my masters been away a long time I haven't heard anything about him I haven't really been in close touch with him I can live it up so he begins to beat his fellow servants he becomes domineering and it is very very easy for people who help occupy the position of pastors to become domineering to control people and it's evil I've made this personal assessment that God will never put his anointing on something which man seeks to control so if man wants to keep it under his control gone saying well carry on but don't expect my anointing unless I'm allowed to be in charge you can carry on you can go through your religious procedures you can use all the words and the titles but the results will not be what come only from the anointing of the Holy Spirit so he he's domineering he beats his fellow servants he eats and drinks with the drunkards he begins to live it up now this is a very real temptation in the Western world especially in the United States somebody said to me a little while ago he said if you want to know the blessed best places to eat in any city ask the pastors and I had to say that is a pretty legitimate comment god I don't want to get involved in this but God I became seriously ill in 1990-1991 with a disease which normally kills people if you want to know the name of it it's subacute bacterial endocarditis if you're not a doctor won't mean much to you but until they invented antibiotics it was fatal and it could have killed me and as I was there in bed the very night before I was admitted to the hospital I was asking the Lord I wasn't afraid of dying but I had an intellectual problem gone I believed in healing I preached healing I've seen people healed I've been healed myself why am I not healed and the Lord gave me a little overview on the way I'd be living for years as a minister never involved in sexual immorality never involved in drunkenness never miss misappropriating funds but very connell living as if this world were all there is my definition of carnality is living as if there's no future world and God showed me how he hated carnality he gave me the text jacob i a blunt esau i have hated and esau is the scriptural pattern of the carnal man and that has changed my life thank God I survived I think the Lord spared me because I was willing to learn my lesson Ruth and I quoted a scripture the Lord has chastened me severely but he has not given me over to death that was true in my case and I want to say that I was living a respectable ministers life I could tell you the ministers that I was associated with their names that you would all know we were all basically living the same way I'm not I'm not judging anybody but myself but we were in many ways extremely carnal I had another experience I didn't intend to tell this but I think God wants me to I do not believe that Christians are prohibited from drinking wine that may shock you but I believe Jesus drank wine and certainly Paul had recommended Timothy to do the same now I don't get controversial with me because I'm going to say it in a way that will reset your minds at rest about September of last year Ruth and I was staying in a hotel in a lot where we've gone just to get away from the pressures of ministry in Jerusalem and I had drunk maybe two or three glasses of wine I was perfectly sober but about 2:00 a.m. I was awakened with a sense of pressure on my brain and the word came to me stroke and thank God I knew something about spiritual warfare because I said use spirit of stroke I refuse you I'm not submitted to you you have no power over me no claims against me and it lifted then I got out of bed to go to the and it took me three attempts to get out of the bed and when I began to walk to the bathroom I could not walk steadily I had to hold on to the furniture to get there next day as I meditated on that I concluded that having drunk that much wine had exposed my brain to this spirit of stroke and I made up my mind I tell people I have a new diet it's a biblical diet my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work and for me the emphasis now on finish his work because I've been in the Lord's service 50 years and I believe I'm in his will but I haven't finished his work and I made up my mind if this would ever come between me and finishing his work I'll never touch wine again and I've lived by that now no I'm please understand I'm not preaching against drinking wine because you can be just as wrong on the other side with all your legalism I mean I'm being a Pentecostal long enough to know what legalism is and in actual fact I think it was partly rebelling against legalism that tipped me over on the other side see the pathway that leads to life is a straight and narrow way and there are ditches on either side one side is legalism you can fall into that ditch then you struggle out that ditch and if you're not careful you fall in the opposite decel finn doesn't so calamity we have to walk between the two anyhow this is very real to me that this unfaithful pastor or leader became involved in drinking and not merely drinking but what is very important drinking with the wrong company drinking with the drunkards and so Jesus says the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites there will be weeping and gnashing of tooth t so when he comes then the servant is not ready for him and did you did you hear what I read the master will come and cut him in two who's the master Jesus did you understand that Jesus is capable of cutting somebody in to bear in mind is not only the Savior he's the judge and he's justice thorough and faithful in his judgment as he is in saving us and if you don't live for him as Savior you will encounter him as judge those are the only two options before any of us and then it says there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth and I've been impressed by that phrase over the years it occurs about six times or five times in the New Testament and so I made a little search but I'll share with you of the context in which Jesus says they will be weeping and of teeth my conclusion is it's only for a certain category of people those who've known all about it who've heard all the truth who've been close to it perhaps all their lives but never really committed themselves and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because they will suddenly realize I was so close all my life I got a stepped in at any moment and I never did and now I'm shut out forever and I can understand gnashing of teeth weeping let me give you a little list of the cases in which it's used in matthew 8:12 it's used of the sons of the kingdom and Jesus is speaking to his fellow Jews and saying you're rejecting me but the Gentiles will come and they'll enter the kingdom and you'll be shut out and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth people who've known it all had every opportunity but never availed themselves and then in Matthew 13 verse 42 it's used of the people who are the tears in the Wheatfield looking exactly like the weak but never producing fruit and Jesus says the angels will come and rout them up and throw them into the furnace there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because all their lives they've been close to it they've been in the middle of it but they never entered into it and then here in Matthew 22 13 no I'm sorry Matthew 22 13 the parable of the wedding feast the one guest who came in without a wedding garment you see you didn't have to buy your wedding garment the host provided it so it was sheer audacity it was presumption to walk in without and when they when they when the master the peace saw him he said how did you come in here without a wedding garment and the man was speechless and the master said bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing t see again somebody knew all about it he he'd received an invitation to the feast but he didn't bother himself to put on the appropriate garment which is the righteousness of Jesus Christ then in Matthew 25 30 we're becoming too into God wills and we live the one talent servant and I'll deal with them him in a Duke in a little while and finally in Luke 13 verse 28 the people who said to Jesus we ate and drank in your streets we heard all your teaching and Jesus said depart from me you who practice lawlessness I never knew you and outside there was weeping and gnashing of teeth you know I have a modern version of what it is to practice lawlessness because I see so much lawlessness in the church in the ministry and this is my little paraphrase to practice lawlessness is to do your own thing to be answerable to nobody to be accountable to nobody just to go your own way and do it the way you please regardless of what other people do one thing I've learned in the ministry is if I want lasting fruit from my ministry that fruit has to take root inside the church and if I were to go into an area which I don't believe I've ever done and slight the pastors and the local leaders and ignore them I could have a big meeting and I know enough how to get people for what I could call forward hundreds of people and have a photograph taken but there'd be no lasting fruit because fruit has to grow inside the congregation of God's people you have to work with the leaders in the local area if you're really going to see fruit and they're not always easy to work with believe me god bless them anyhow when anybody did something really wrong against my first wife for me my first wife was we knew the Scriptures well she knew she couldn't afford to get studying the same thing bad about them she said Lord blessing you know how to bless him so now we're going on to the next now we're going into chapter 25 what's the first word in chapter 25 then it's the tenth then now we have the parable of the ten virgins what do they represent let me see what my outline says now in the Bible 10 is the representative number of a congregation in Judaism they have to have what's called a minyan that is at least 10 persons before they can pray publicly so I think the number 10 speaks to us of people in congregations and this is just my thought that these virgins basically represent church goers I'll read the story quickly and then comment on it then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom now five of them were wise and five were foolish and you notice there's nothing in between wise or foolish those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps but while the bridegroom was delayed they all slumbered and slept and at midnight a cry was heard behold the bridegroom go out to meet him then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise give us some of your oil for our lamps are going on but the wise answered saying no less then should not be enough for us and you but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut afterward the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord open to us but he answered and said assured I say to you I do not know you watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming don't be so deep asleep that you can't wake up now let me pull out some things about those ten virgins that were coming to the mall they all expected the bridegroom they all knew the bridegroom was coming they were not unbelievers they all had lamps and oil and oil is nearly always a type of the Holy Spirit they'd had the Holy Spirit in their lives and all of them slumbered but the wise and the foolish there was only one difference the amount of oil they had the wise had oil and nothing to spare the foolish didn't have a reserve of oil and Paul says in Ephesians 5:18 be not drunk with wine in which is dissipation but be filled with the spirit the holy spirit now most of us would agree that the negative command applies be not drunk with wine that's a sin why is it that so many religious people focus on the negative and never attend to the positive the Kasane come on says be filled with the holy spirit if it's a sin to be drunk with wine it's also a sin not to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the word there and this you'll find I think in other translations means be continually filled and refilled it's not just a one time infinite again I've lived with Pentecostals so long I know they say I was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1984 I spoke in tongues that's wonderful that's ten years ago what's happened in the meanwhile some people who make it a once for all experience are the least sensitive of all to the leading of the Holy Spirit because they've got it all wrapped up in one packet that they got when they spoke in tongues that's not sufficient Paul said to the Corinthians I speak in tongues more than all of you and obviously they did a lot of speaking in tongues so Paul did more than them we have to be continually filled and refilled with the Holy Spirit the ten virgins had had the initial filling but they didn't have the continual refilling so they were not ready now an interesting thing is the wise said to the foolish go and buy oil it had to be bought it wasn't a gift so there are some things some ways in which you have to pay the price for the Holy Spirit initially he's a gift but if you want to remain filled with the Holy Spirit there's a price to pay you see I think of what Jesus said to the Church of Laodicea which is in so many ways a picture of the church today in America they're to see a chapter 3 Revelation chapter 3 thank you thank you sweetheart it's really good to have you there sometimes it's a little embarrassing but it's better than being wrong and healthy now this is what Jesus said to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 verses 17 and 18 because you say I am rich and have become wealthy and I've needed nothing they have you ever heard that kind of teaching did Jesus approve of it not the least bit and do not know that you are wretched miserable poor blind and naked I marvel that people can be wretched miserable poor blind and naked and not even know it that's astonishing but I meet some people like that now Jesus gives them advice he says I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed jesus said I'm not going to give it to you you have to buy it from gold tried in the fire you know gold in the ancient world was very honest unless it had been tested by fire I believe the gold is faith there when Jesus said I want faith that stood the test of fire and you'll have to pay for it by endurance you'll have to hold on under the tests and then he said white garments not everything in the Christian life is free these are things you have to pay for I'd also like to point out to you the difference between the evaluation of Jesus and so much contemporary Christianity there was one church the Church of Smyrna was poor and persecuted and didn't have much and Jesus said but you are rich but he said to the Church of Philadelphia to seein that had it all you are poor what would he say to the American church today what would he say would he say you are rich or you are poor you must answer that for yourself I just want to point out you man's evaluation is often the opposite of God Jesus said the things which are highly esteemed amongst men are abomination in the sight of God so they had to buy oil and they left it too late when they bought the oil and arrived the door was shut and Jesus said I never knew you how do you understand that this is my understanding they were never amongst God's elect they'd come in but God knew they wouldn't pass the test now this may not be the right explanation but it's the way I see it so let me ask you have you bought your oil how do you buy or buy prayer my Bible reading by waiting on God it takes time it takes effort it doesn't just happen you have to make a decision so that's the ten virgins now we'll come on to the next group the servants with the talents it's from verse 14 through verse 30 it's quite long 17 verses for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them when Towanda gave five talents to another two and to another one to each according to his own ability and immediately he went on a journey now this is then number 12 if you're following then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he who had received two gained two more also but he who had received one went and dug it in the ground and hid his Lords money after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them so he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered to me five talents look I have gained five more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord he also who had received two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I've gained two more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord then this is then number thirteen then he would received the one talent came and said lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered see and I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground look there you have what is yours but his Lord answered and said to him you wicked and lazy said you knew that I reap what I have not sown and gathered where I have not scattered seed therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and that my coming I would receive back my own with interest therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents for to everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance but from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth let me offer some comments first of all on the servants that made profit the first and the second each gained one hundred percent the one who had five gained five the one who had to gain two and the words of commendation to them were exactly alike well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord then Lord did not commend the five talents servant more than the two some talents servant which tells me that what he's looking for is increase when the increase was proportionate in both a hundred percent he gave them exactly the same combination what he's looking for as I've already said his faithfulness rather than success each was rewarded with corresponding Authority in Christ's Kingdom in other words the way we serve in this life will determine our position in the kingdom of God throughout eternity what he's looking for as I've already said his faithfulness rather than success each was rewarded with corresponding Authority in Christ's Kingdom in other words the way we serve in this life will determine our position in the kingdom of God throughout now let's take the lessons from the third unfaithful servant first of all he acted out of fear and fear is not the right motive for serving the law love is the motive jesus said in john 14:23 if anyone loves me he will keep my word don't be motivated by fear let the love of Christ as Paul says the love of Christ constrains us that's the only fruitful motivation for service second lesson is one which is very important for all Christians laziness is wickedness you lazy and wicked sir you see we all have a kind of religious set of values which is not always realistic most churches will not tolerate drunkenness quite rightly but many churches tolerate laziness and I believe actually God's condemnation of laziness is more severe than his condemnation of drunkenness we've got people in our churches who really don't do anything for God they're too lazy to read the Bible too lazy to get up and pray too lazy to go out to a street meeting they just sit in the pew and they're nice to everybody they do nobody any harm they put some money in the collection and we don't think about them as wicked but Jesus does he says laziness is wickedness now then Jesus said you should have deposited the money with the bankers and you receive interest that to me is convincing that it's not always sinful to receive interest as Jesus said you ought to received it I think the laws against usury in the Old Testament well when you borrowed or gave or lent to a fellow Jew then it would be wicked if he was in need to require interest on that loan but if you lend to somebody who's got a business which scared to make profit you are entitled to a legitimate share of his profit that's the way I understand it because Jesus certainly expected this servant if you couldn't do anything else but the money at the bank open a savings account now what does that mean in terms for us I'll suggest this to put the money in the bank means you have to say to yourself well I don't have a really strong ministry of my own but I've got this one Talent I'll invest it in the ministry of another someone who has a ministry that's approved that's bringing forth fruit in the kingdom I'll give him my contributions or her or them I'll invest in them I'll put myself at their disposal I'll serve them if it's necessary I'll lick envelopes don't lick envelopes today but whatever I'll make myself available to that ministry and then when the Lord comes you'll get his own with interest but just to sit idle and say well I'd only have one talent there's not much I can do it's so true psychologically it's the one talent person who failed the man who had five talents was excited about it he knew he did something the man who had two talents was excited the man who had one talent just said well there's not much I can do so I'll do nothing that's a terribly dangerous attitude the next truth is not to use is to lose okay spiritual gifts God gives unconditionally he never demands them back but if you don't use them you lose them now God gave me a gift in the early 1970s some of you familiar with it faith for people whose legs are unequal and I have seen I think thousands of unequal legs made equal well some of my good friends said to me dear friends I said now listen you've got it reputation as a scholarly Bible teacher don't spoil it by going around and kneeling in front of people and lengthening their links so I thought well maybe that's good advice so I'll pray about it why would I pray that this is what the Lord said to me I've given you a gift there are two things you can do you can use it and get more or you cannot use it and lose it so I said Lord I'll choose the first that's just an example I don't I go to sell them use that gift today it's still there but it's been superseded by other things but each one of you dear brother or sister do has a you have a gift of some sort you don't use it you lose it if you use it you'll get more the choice is yours notice also that the rejection of this unfaithful servant was final he was cast into outer darkness that's neither heaven nor earth no hell it's a different place don't let's get involved with that and then where he went there was weeping and gnashing of teeth who dealt with then I will not go into that again so we go on to a paralleled parable which is found in Luke 19 which is the parable of the miners in the old King James Version it used to be called the parable of the pounds there are some differences in the parable of the miners in Luke 19 we won't turn that each of the ten were servants received one miner whereas in this parable that we've looked at each received according to his ability Jesus knew how much he could trust each one with now one at the end gained 10 - he made a tenfold increase the Lord said to him well done good servant good and faithful servant have authority over 10 cities the another one gained five - and God the Lord said to him have authority over fire cities but he didn't say well done good and faithful Simmons he wasn't on the same level as the man who gained ten and one lightly other parable had gained nothing and he was called wicked and his one minor was taken from him and then let's read the last verse of that then Luke 19 I want to read it because you wouldn't believe it was there but I think I didn't read it Luke 19 verse 27 you remember that the citizens of this Lord had said we don't want you we don't want you to rule over us don't come back and the Lord didn't forget that so at the end of this parable he Jesus says but bring here those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them before me I want to supervise their execution does that fit in with your picture of Jesus we all heard gentle Jesus meek and mild but that's that's true but it's not the whole truth he is God's appointed judge we'll return to that later on in this series if you've got the courage to face it so the one who gave nothing in the same peril in the day in the second time was called wicked his minor was taken away from him he was exiled forever from the presence of the Lord now let's go to this fourth category in Matthew chapter 25 which is the sheep and the goat nations and they're starting at verse 31 now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him then that's number 11 he will sit on the throne of his glory all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats and he would set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left then the king will say to those on his right hand nuts then number 14 come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me food I was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and you took me in I was naked and you clothed me I was sick and you visited me I was in prison and you came to me then number fifteen the righteous will answer him saying Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink when did he see was then when did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you or when do we see you sick or in prison and come to you and the king will answer and say to them assuredly I say to you his munch in as much as you did it in one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me then number sixteen he will also say to those on the left hand depart from me you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels some of the strongest words that Jesus ever uttered for I was hungry and you gave me no food I was thirsty you gave me no drink I was a stranger and you did not take me in naked and you did not clothe me sick and in prison and you did not visit me then number 17 they also was answer him saying Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you then he will answer them assuredly I say to you inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to me and these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life now in order to understand that it's very important to recognize that it's a it's a follow-on from Joel chapter 3 this gives us the setting Joel chapter 3 verses 1 & 2 the Lord says for behold in those days and at that time when I bring back the captives or the excellence of Judah and Jerusalem so notice this is looking forward to the days in which we are living when the Lord is bringing back the Jewish captives from all over the world from more than 100 nations Jews have returned to the Land of Israel in the last 50 or 60 years I was in a class in the Hebrew University a language class and I discovered there were people in my class that had returned from 30 different nations it's stupendous the human mind can hardly take in once involved so this is the time of the situation it refers to the regather of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel then the Lord says this verse 2 I will also gather all nations and that's the word for Gentiles go him if you know what then see how the Jews speak about Gentile I will bring them down to the valley Jehoshaphat and Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of my people my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the nations they have also divided up my land now we're talking about the judgment of the nation's but the close of this present age and God says I will judge them on the basis of how they've treated the Jews and the Land of Israel that's important to know and he says they have divided up my land remember is first and foremost God's land secondly it belongs to the Jewish people because God gave it to them by an everlasting covenant for an everlasting possession doesn't matter who's in it the ownership has not changed belongs to God and to the Jews and God is not restoring them because they deserve it let me hasten to add that he's very clear about that it's not for your sake for my holy namesake that's what God says but notice the second charge against the nation's is they've divided up my land you know what dividing up is in modern political language partition they have partitioned my land now in 1920 or thereabouts the League of Nations assigned to Britain a mandate for the land of Israel both sides of the Jordan and the terms of their mandate were to provide a national home for the Jewish people in 1922 with a stroke of his pen Winston Churchill signed away 76 percent of that land to an Arab nation then called Transjordan now called Jordan and in that territory no Jew is permitted to live so they had divided up the land 76 percent to 24 percent in 1947 the United Nations the successor to the League of Nations arranged a scheme by which they would divide up the land so out of a training 24% Israel would get maybe 10% and 14 percent would go to the Arabs what are they guilty on dividing up God's land and those nations are going to have to answer for it now I'm British by birth and I was living in the Land of Israel when partition took place and when the State of Israel was born and I'm an eyewitness of these things and I will say that short of open warfare the British administration did everything in their power to prevent the birth of the State of Israel you know what happened Israel was born and the British Empire fell apart without ever losing a major war the only one they really lost was with the colonists in America the only major war there in their empire disintegrated why because they against Israel and their land this shows you that God takes it seriously now going back to this parable in Matthew 25 Jesus sitting on his throne of judgment his throne as King on earth he's been sharing his Father's throne up til now now he has his own throne honor the throne of his glory the throne of his kingdom and on their throne he judges all the nations that are gathered before him the Gentiles he doesn't gather the Jews and explain that wine a little why in a little later a little one and there's only one basis only one basis how they've treated the Brothers of Jesus and in the line of Joel is absolutely sure that what that means is the Jewish people remember that in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 John had a vision of a scroll that had to be opened but no one was able to open it and he was weeping and one of the elders had him don't weep the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open and John looked around expecting to see Allah what did he see a slain lamb that's when the power is brothers and sisters it's in the life that's given over to God and the title of Jesus in eternity is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and Judah is the name from which we get the word Jew in Hebrew Yahoo Judah is Yehuda and Jew is Yahoo DC it's only one syllable different so bear in mind that Jesus did not become a Jew simply for thirty three and a half years he eternally identified himself with the Jewish people that's his title the Lion of the tribe of Judah now you may dislike that but you can't change it because God didn't ask your opinion you didn't ask my Nana but I've learned it's safer to agree with God oh I tell you when you see anti-semitism remet rampant throughout the earth and not least in America we better take careful heed to our own entities because we are going to be judged it's clear to me from this picture of Jews in clothing without clothing without food without shelter in prisons sake there's going to be a tremendous worldwide upsurge of anti-semitism which you can already feel the currents of it God is going to permit it David Paulson is a friend of mine said once he said whenever the Jews aim to settle down in any Gentile nation God always permits anti-semitism to arise because that's not their home God said in his equal 37 at a certain time my people you're like dry bones scattered in the valleys but I'm going to open your graves and bring you out of your graves and bring you to your own land now I tell some Jewish believers here and I have many friends here I said it's wonderful that you've become to believe in Jesus you've got out of the grave that you haven't got out of the cemetery there's only one place that Jews are appointed to lean that's in the land of Israel we have a dear friend I won't give you his name but he was he was it like most the only adult Jewish believers I've ever met I've all come by way of the accounts I think without exception so there he wants as a Jew in the Land of Israel a hippie with his hair down to his waist and he tried to start a kibbutz for what they call farming more organic farming so the Jewish Agency said fine if you can get 10 other people start but he never could he was totally disillusioned with Israel in the land went back to the United States where he was born married a beautiful wife and got saved totally saved by faith in Jesus and God said to him one day he said you are a Jew this is not your home and from then onwards he knew he had to move back those are true words if you're a Jew this is not your home you can have a good time here and enjoy some of the so-called comforts and luxuries but I'm not sure that you'll be able to enjoy them for long I think a change is coming I don't tell anybody what to do but I think you should give careful consideration to the meaning of this parable so what happened listen to the goat what happened to the goat nations who didn't show mercy and he doesn't say actually they persecuted them they just didn't show mercy verse 41 the king will say also to those on the left hand depart from me you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels I have never read anywhere more fearful words of condemnation than those depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels and notice the lake of fire was never prepared for human beings we don't have to go there the devil and his angels have no choice we only go if we make the wrong choice and then he said to the others in verse 34 come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world so that the decisive issue was who was going to be admitted to the kingdom who was going to be excluded this is the kingdom of Jesus on earth his earthly Kingdom the nations that passed the test but were not part of the church will be admitted to that Kingdom on earth now I have just time to point out one more thing if you turn to first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 32 first Corinthians 10:32 it says to believe us give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks order the Church of God so there are three categories of the human race the Jews the Greeks that's the Gentiles the Church of God and Paul says don't offend any of them now each of those will undergo a separate judgment of God I just want to point this out to you look first of all I'll share principle with you about God's blessing and God's judgment God blesses the Jews direct he blesses the Gentiles through the Jews all of us who are Gentiles of every spiritual blessing we have to the Jews but when it comes to judgment God judges the Gentiles direct he judges the Jews through the Gentiles you can see that all the way through the Old Testament so you need to assimilate that principle of judgment God blesses the Jews direct he blesses the Gentiles through the Jews God judges the Gentiles direct he God he judges the Jews through the Gentiles now there's a separate throne of judgment for each one of those three categories the church will be judged before the judgment seat of Christ second Corinthians 5:10 Romans 14:10 the word judgment seat in Greek is Baima it means that the seat on which a Roman official judged his subjects it was the seat on which part pilots at when he judged Jesus so the church have their judgment which I'll talk about in another meeting and it's before the judgment seat of Christ the Gentiles let me say first of all the Jews will have their judgment during the Great Tribulation the Great Tribulation will be the judgment time of the Jewish people I'll give you one scripture out of many Ezekiel chapter 20 this is addressed specifically to Israel Ezekiel 22 getting at verse 32 he says to them what you have in your mind shall never be when you say we will be like the Gentiles like the families in other countries serving wooden stuff that's exactly what they're saying at the moment that is exactly the whole purpose of the present government in Israel it's to obliterate the distinction between Jews and other nations and it will never work God says it'll never be you can't do it as I live says the Lord God surely with a mighty hand with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out I will rule over you Jews I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you are to the countries where you are scattered with a mighty hand with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples and then I will plead my case with you face to face just as I pleaded my case with your father's in the wilderness in the land of Egypt so I will plead my case with you says the Lord God I will make you pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the combin passing under the rod describes the way a shepherd counted his sheep back into the fall he put his rod down before each sheep check that it was one of his then admitted it so the Lord says I'll check each one of you whether you qualify and then he says I will purge the rebels from among you and those who transgress against me I will bring them out of the country where they Sergent but they shall not enter the land of Israel then you will know that I am the long Lord says I'll let you come out but you never come in and he says I will make you pass under the rod I'll count you bank to the phone and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant remember that every permanent relationship of God with anybody is always based on a covenant

Channel: Salt Light

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Id: xzSBL7OIwKk

Length: 81min 35sec (4895 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 23 2013