One Will Be Taken, the Other Left

As we read the Bible, we learned that Scripture just has so many applications in our lives. When Paul wrote to Timothy back in 2 Timothy 3, 16, and he said, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable for instruction, for correction, for proof. And one other thing that I'm forgetting now, which you know the Scripture I'm talking about, he really, really was talking about. Because you know, as we read through the Bible, we may read a Scripture one day, and it's inspiring to us. The same passage of Scripture we may read another time, and it's instructive to us. A little time we read through it, and we find that it is kind of showing us, or God is showing us, that we have some areas in our lives that we need to improve. And so Scripture is a living document. We know the Word of God as a living instrument, the Word of truth we have before us. And we read things, and we probably have our favorite Scriptures to go through when we're feeling down, or when we want to be inspired, or when we just want to learn it. Every time we read through the Bible as we all learned in the last year, we learn something new about it.

We're just two months away from Passover, and we know that this time of season, it should be something we do year-round, but certainly as we read and move toward Passover, one of the things that God wants us to do is examine ourselves. We don't go to a Passover and take it lightly. We don't start thinking about the Passover the day before or the week before, but now would be a good time to be starting to think about the Passover and preparing for that time, if you haven't already. Because with the times that we recommit to God, the times that we come before Him, that we've examined ourselves, we take of the blood, and we take of His flesh, the wine and the bread, and we tell Him our walk is with Him. We yield ourselves to Him and to follow Him, and as we do that each year, we should be growing in grace and knowledge, and we should be allowing God to punch out from us the spots and the wrinkles that we have. So today, I want to look at a familiar Passover scripture here, back in Matthew. And we've read this many times, and I think this Passover scripture just never gets old as many times as we read it, but I want to read through it with eyes on the Passover, eyes on self-examination, eyes on what God wants us to do, the type of things we should be looking at, the type of things that He called us to be doing in our lives and allowing Him to change in our lives. Let's turn back to Matthew 24. Matthew 24, of course, we have the Olivet prophecy in it, Christ's disciples. Not the masses, but Christ's disciples come to Him, and they ask, what's the sign of the sign of Your coming in the end of the age? And in the first letter of the verse, we see it begins them, all the things that they should be looking for. And there's a lot of proof that it mentions that they may have wondered about and probably understood in their own way that today we understand. When He said, this Passover will be preached when all the world is a witness to all nations. We understand what He means when He says, if it wasn't for Christ the Attorney, no flesh should be saved alive. They might have heard those words, but they didn't really get it today. We really know in a little bit of time that that could happen. But let's pick it up in verse 32 here, of Matthew 24. In verse 12, we've talked about a few time spheres that went through our prophecy spheres. And as we looked at the prophecies in Revelation and in Daniel, and then looked at the lubes that are blossoming in the world all around us, that tells us that time is going near. Matthew 24, verse 42, Christ has ruined the spirit of the infantry. When it's barren, it's already become tender, and put forth lubes, you know the summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it's near at the doors. Aferably last day near, Christ has this generation, this generation of the speeds of all diseases by no means passed away, till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words were by no means passed away. They are certain to occur, and they will occur, verse 26. But over that day and hour, no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven, but my father only.

And we'll come back to that verse in a minute. But it goes on to say that as his days with Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. As in the days before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, giving, and marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they didn't know, until the flood period had took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

As it was in the days with Noah, so will it be, in the days that Jesus Christ will be returning to earth.

Now, we know a little bit about what the world was like at the time of Noah, and Christ says to you that in those days, life was normal. They were partying, they were shopping, they were doing other things in everyday life. They had an ark being built in their midst, and yet not one of them, not one of them except Noah, really got it, that the years of the origins of the thing that living in is really going to come upon them. Now, I'm sure, during the hundred years that Noah was building that ark, and they asked him, really, didn't he, Noah? He explained to them, unless he turned back to new ways, God is going to be the Son of the Earth. All living things will be destroyed.

And they laughed, and they jeered, and they probably thought, Noah, Noah, what have you been...

Whatever.

But they just didn't pay attention. Didn't pay attention. You can imagine what they thought then when the rains came, and Noah, Noah, and his family went into the ark. God stuck the door, and the rains came. Noah knew that the rains were coming, and not even Noah knew the exact day that rains were going to come. But for a hundred years, they had a witness. For a hundred years they were being told, God's not pleased with the way things are on Earth, and we just want to learn what business has nothing going on at all. Let's go back to Genesis 6.

We'll take a picture in a couple of verses of what the world was like at that time, and I want to let God to determine to just wipe all humanity and all living things off the face of the Earth. This Christ said, as it was in the days of Noah, that's the worst going to be like in the days before his return. Genesis 6, and verse 11.

So the Earth was corrupt before God, and the Earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the Earth, and indeed it was corrupt until all flesh had corrupted their way on the Earth. The Earth was corrupt in spite of the living in back then. I'm sure we had kept through this people just as real as after yesterday. I'm sure they had to watch if someone's going to be spending a pound of such and such, whether they were really giving a pound to that, whether or not they were bargaining for, really, really well as what they were purchasing. Today, I think we would all have to agree we live in a corrupt society.

You know, we read, and we hear on the news about corruption and corporations, corruption in the government, scandals that occur, things that are going on, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. We have no idea really what goes on behind the scenes and what goes on in corporate America and the government of America. And when we move out of America, we know that the world is ramped, or, you know, white, with corruption. All you have to do is look at some of the nations over in Africa, and see the ones that have some natural resources. It's not the people who benefit from that, but it's the people at the top of the government who benefit from it. And around the world, we just have rampant corruption, much more so if we look back at the way life was 25, 30, or 50 years ago. And what about violence? The violence, you know, back in Noah's time, was great. Now, there is a vast disparity. They just got used to the corruption. They got used to the violence. So then there was just an everyday thing, and they learned how to deal with it. They went about their lives. They chopped. They knew. They took their walks. They took their clothes. It just became commonplace to them. But society in Noah's day was far, far, far away from what God had intended. And if we move our society into violence, it's there. You know, if we settle back from America for a minute, if you're looking in Africa, if you're looking in the Middle East, if you're in Indonesia, how can you save the world from seeing things but violence? Would you want to live in any of those places? Would you want to live in Iraq? Would you want to live in Iran? Would you want to live where you don't know whether a car bomb is going to be waiting for you to step out of the parking lot or whether you're going to step on a steady bus to be blown to pieces? And it's kind of getting that way here in America, isn't it? You know, we... there's a trial going on in Jacksonville right now with a man who...

who was a little bit like that, with some teenagers who had the music just playing way too loudly for him. And for some reason, who decided he was going to get involved, and it ended up that he ended up cheating, like the teenagers were telling him.

You know, I look at that story and I think, you know, I'm doing the Captain Ribert in Orlando, too, with someone in a... in a movie theater, because someone was texting and... and that... that upset them.

Things would happen, which, despite the radio, we wouldn't even know who the city went to who we were walking along with. Their life could be over before you even realized what happened. Now, just this week, we heard about a male bomb, where someone went out, brought a package up in the house, and we exploded on them. That could happen to any of us. But, roadway agents, something that, you know, if you hear about more and more, you might not even know you're cutting off someone, but all of a sudden, you've got someone that's really angry on your tail, and all he wants is to make you pay for what you do.

We could go on and on and on, from all the students, the theater students, the... the... the two students that go on, we're moving a violent society. And it's going to get more and more violent. We've been accustomed to it. We get used to it. We kind of hold out our business and try to forget that it's even there. But we're really just aspiring to be becoming more and more, like it must have been in the days of Noah. Co-opt and violent.

There's a period of time when God looked at that society, and as he was trying to do, there was no longer going to go on. They had so-called themselves, they had gone so far, and God is very patient with humanity. He wants everyone to come to his place, he wants to give everyone eternal life, but the last society we need to come is never going to turn back into it. Start over with Noah, the only righteous man in his family, though on the face of the list at that time. And God nearly determined it, man. Mankind just went over to turn back to me and go into the race, all over. Life, often faced with the OSX up for Noah. And he told Noah he would go out and do it. The art, verse 13.

No God's but the Noah. The end of all flesh is coming to me. The earth has cured this violence to them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. You go build the song.

Now, once Noah started building that art, the end of mankind was moved to that end of mankind with bad age. They could have been told that God was as we went in, but the turning clock started. And they didn't know that the real world was going to be destroyed by flood until the day the rains started. As it rose into the days of Noah, no one could attend time, and God took a look at the rule that we lived in and said, it's enough. Mankind will not repent. Mankind will not go back. It's time for Jesus Christ to come and to provide the answers to all the things that have no solutions for mankind to come up with. Let's go back to Luke 17. In Luke 17, we have Luke's account of this very strange discourse that Christ will give you the disciples, and the disciples, and the disciples then, Jesus Christ was today.

In chapter 17 of Luke in verse 28, he has a little bit too. The comment that Matthew reported, in verse 20 verse of chapter 17, he's talking about Noah, just as we talked about. In verse 20, he says, right why he says it was so, in the days of Lot. They ate, they drank, they walked, they spilled, they tasted, they built. Life was very glorious, normal, all those things happened in the days of Lot. But on the day that Lot was in the sun, it rained fire has been thrown from heaven and destroyed them all. In one day, life was rolling along, they had no idea anything was going to happen in one day. The fire was destroyed. And Luke tells me the fire will be in the day of the storm of man and his reward. Let's go back to Genesis, again. Let's look at the end of the spidey that was the spotter. And the more of our world. Genesis 19, the finest spidey you know destroyed. It's very perverted, the spidey that he was in. Spidey below are two little space states that were there. And the plains of, I think, China was. And apparently, they were a little bit windy-crayed with the other space around them. God looked and saw what was going on. These still usually determine they need to be destroyed. Chapter 19 of Genesis 10, verse 4. Verse 4. This is where, first, the occasion when the men, the angels, come into town. They're going to stay in the spring square. The watch house will know you can't stay here. Come and stay with me. Down the middle of the spidey, beside them, they're going to come and visit the watch house. Verse 4. The further way down, the middle of the spidey, the middle of the spotter. Those old Indian women, all the people from every corner, surrounded the house. And they called two watch and said to him, There are other men who came to you tonight. Bring them out to us, though we may know them, carnally. So pretty thick speculation was gone there in Spodum. There's a pretty thick society that they were living in. Now, to them, the least commonplace. It was everyday. It was just the way life went. They were built. They were planted. They stopped. They went all the things that weren't for me yet. This was their mentality. This was how their society operated. Special promiscuity was rampant. Home of speciality. Rampant. Every deep prayer of fame was going on in Spodum and in Gamorro. And God looked down on that society and determined, enough is enough. They're not going to turn back. These people are corrupt. It's time to end this society.

As it was in today's address, Christ said, so will be in the days of the coming of the Spodum Ring.

Now, again, we look at our society today. Where we are today versus where we, as a society in America, were 20 years ago would give you a backlash. If you saw, side by side, what was going on. Can you really deny that our society is marked by sexual promiscuity? Similar. It's a big business.

Reason being, we've become the poster child for same-sex marriage. We're out there trying to convince the whole world just the way to go and to tolerate this stuff.

We'd be ignorant that if an affront to God to be taken with just what He gave to men and women in marriage, and to be promoting Him that way.

And so we see society turning its opinion.

Thinking, this is good, this is right.

This is the way we should be.

We can talk about those with, what about pornography? Here we live in a time when the Internet is a tremendous advantage to all of us. But, liquid is done to the pornography business. It has skyrocketed it. I don't even know how many hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on pornography each year. The Internet has just made it so accessible and so easy for people. That when you look at the list of addictions, alcoholism is still up there, drugs are still up there, you know what? Pornography is right up there, real close to the top, because people are addicted to it. We live in a thick society. We don't see it necessarily living in our homes and working and talking with each other. But in this society around us, it's happening. And God is looking at this people that He has richly blessed.

And He's probably shaking His head. And there will come a time, just like there's a time in the Spodum of the More, that He says, enough is enough. Enough is enough. It's time for the return of Jesus Christ to straighten out this mess and to get people back into the situation and with the mindsets and the morality that leads to happiness and everything good. But here in Spodum of the More, there was another thing that was going on here. In verse 9, we see something where Lot, who determines, you know, he rightfully defends the people that are with him and says, no, you can't have them and kind of, you know, you kind of scratch your head when he offers them his daughters, but I think Lot probably knew they weren't going to take his daughters. But in verse 9, they said, as they're speaking to Lot, and he's refusing to set forth or set loose the people that are visiting him, they said, stand back. And they said, this one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as the judge. Now we will deal worse with you, Lot, than with them. We let you in here. You're living here. You're partaking in all this stuff. You know, Lot, keep judging us.

Who are you to judge us what is right and what is wrong?

Sound familiar? Does the society say today, oh, you're against that? Who are you to judge? Who's saying you up as judge and jury? Well, the Word of God did. Maybe we don't judge each other, but we certainly can judge and determine what is right and wrong from the pages of the Bible. But look what they were telling Lot. We don't want you judging us, Lot. And if you keep judging us, if you keep telling us what we're going to do and telling us it's the wrong thing to do, it's going to be worse for you than for those guys.

See what's happening in the days of Lot? We can see the same thing happening today. We can see it happening around us. And it's only going to continue. It's only going to continue. As it was in the days of Lot, so will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.

And the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, they were just too blind. They were just living their lives. They had no idea that God was going to bring fire and brimstone down on them. Lot could have known better. Lot knew who God was. Lot understood the way of life of God. He was living in that society.

And then one day, one day he was minding his business going about, doing whatever he did every day. And then these men visited him. And then they said, God's made a determination. This city will be destroyed. Get out of here, Lot. Leave. And one day, one day his life changed. And they had to pull Lot out of that city, because he was so enamored with it, and it was so comfortable, and he just couldn't see how corrupt and how evil it had become.

But God made the decision. And once God made the decision, it happened.

Now let's go back to Matthew 24. Matthew 24. Now that we see what society was like back in those times, and we see the type of society we live in today, and we see that the people just didn't know the end was upon them. It took them by surprise. Verse 36, Of that day, Christ says, and of that hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Noah didn't know the day that the rains were going to come. He just kept building the ark.

And then the rains came when God decided they were going to come.

Lot didn't know that Sodom and Gomorrah was going to be destroyed, but one day it was. He didn't know the day and hour. Maybe he had been told somewhere in his life, that's the society where you're living. That's not going to last long.

But he didn't know the day or the hour. We won't know the day or the hour either. But God makes the decision and says, the time for the return of Jesus Christ is at hand. Set the wheels in motion. Let the prophecies begin. Get ready for him to return to earth.

You know, back in Daniel, Daniel 12, it gives us some days, and as we've talked about prophecy, some of the days that are listed here in Daniel, we've talked about. We find them, you know, the time times and a half a time of the Great Tribulation that Christ talked about. We read about the 1260 days that the Beast power will be in power over on the northern shores of the Mediterranean. And Daniel talks about those times as well. Daniel 12.

Daniel 12 and verse 1. At that time, speaking of the time of the end as it continues on from Chapter 11 here, at that time, Michael will stand up, the Great Prince who stands watch over the sons of your people, Daniel, and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.

That time where Christ said, if he didn't return, no flesh would be saved alive. That time that Jeremiah said it will be the time of Jacob's trouble.

The time when the Beast power is in power and is getting drunk on the blood of the saints. That time, that 42 months, that 1260 days. Verse 4. You, Daniel, shut up the words. Seal the book until the time of the end. Many will run to and fro. Knowledge shall increase. We talked about that first. We know that we're living in that time now. Verse 7. I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the water of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time, three and a half years, 42 months, 1260 days. And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things will be finished.

The time of Christ's return and 1260 days before his return. In that 1260 days, all those things that we've talked about will occur. The peace power will be extant and worshipped on earth. Two witnesses will be preaching in Jerusalem. There will be a time of Jacob's trouble. 1260 days before the day that Christ returns. At some point in time, God will make a determination and say, it's the time for Christ to return. Now it starts. And then prophecy is fulfilled. Verse 8, Daniel said, although I heard, I didn't understand. And I said, my lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, go your way, Daniel. For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many will be purified. Many will be made white. Many will be refined. But the wicked will do wickedly. And none of the wicked will understand. But the wise will understand. Those who know the word of God, those who know the truth of God, those who know to look for the leaves that are about to blossom.

Verse 11, from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days. From that time, when that occurs, 1290 days. So, we have kind of a timeline of what will occur before. And then in verse 12, he said, Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335 days. Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335 days. 45 days before the time that the daily or the daily sacrifice is taken away. Blessed is he. What happens? 1335 days before all is finished. What happens 45 days before the 1290-day period starts? Or 75 days before the 1260-day period? No one knows. It doesn't tell us anywhere in the Bible. People have speculated. Some say that may be the time that the daily sacrifices begin at the temple in Jerusalem again. Some say that may be the time when the prophesied dearth of God's Word on earth begins. But we don't know. We have no idea when that time, 1335 days that's talking about there, we have no idea when it is. Only God knows. Only God knows what that is. And He says, blessed is he who waits. And blessed is he who comes to the 1335 days. Because when that time period starts, the return of Christ is imminent. He will return at the end of it. God is very sure when He says Christ will return and these prophecies will occur and this is the time frame. It will occur exactly the way that He said. And no one knows. No one knows when that 1335 days before is. Now let's go back to Matthew 24. Of that day and hour, when God makes the decision when the return of Jesus Christ will happen, because when He makes that decision, Jesus Christ is returning and He's determined that it's time for Him to come, the people will be living as Noah. They will be living in days like a lot. And they didn't know until the flood came and took them all away, so will also the coming of the Son of Man be. And then in verse 40 there's two or three harrowing verses. When we read those, our hearts should stop a little bit. We should look at those and think, I want to be in one group. I don't want to be in the other group. Two men 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. Now, oftentimes we may say, oh, that means half of the people will be taken, half of them will be left. I guess that might be the interpretation of it. But you know what it's saying is, remember Christ is talking to His disciples. People that believe Him, people that He has called, people that have repented, people that are following Him, people who are learning about Him, but learning to become like Him. That's not the world at large. That's not who He was talking to when He gave these verses. He was talking to His disciples at that time and to us today who are His disciples. And He says, two of you will be standing at the mill. One will be taken. One will be left. You'll be together. One will be taken. One will be left.

Some of you, He says, will be understanding what's going on. Some of you will be seeing the leaves on the tree. Some of you will be ready for that time whenever it occurs because no one knows except God when that time occurs. Some of you will be ready and some of you won't. That's just the kind of sad situation of life. It teaches us also that even though we may be together, even though we may be, here it says in the same bed, even though we may be in the same church, even though we may sit by each other day, each Sabbath, even though we may work side by side with each other, it won't be the proximity to each other that saves us. It'll be the relationship with God that saves us. And He knows what that relationship is. He knows who will be ready. He knows who's following. He knows who's obeying. He knows who's really yielding to Him with all their heart, mind, and soul. Two men will be in the field. Two women will be in the field. In verse 42, He says, watch therefore, for you don't know what hour your Lord is coming. You don't know when that time will be. It will take us all by surprise. We just don't know. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the faith would come, He would have watched and not allowed His house to be broken into. Of course He would have. If someone said the faith is going to break in at 2 a.m., you don't think He'd be wide awake there with the lights wide open and ready to intercept Him? It's when it is least expected. When He's dozed off. When there's been no one paying attention at that front door or that back door or whatever the entry is going to be. Of course He would be watching. Therefore, He says, verse 44, you also be ready. For the Son of Man is coming in an hour. You don't expect. God's going to start the time clock. Since Christ's return at the time, you don't expect. It's going to look like okay times. People are going to be going about their business. Maybe the economy is strong. Maybe everything looks just fine. Except for all these spiritual elements in life that have just gone crazy and are so contrary to everything that God stands for. You just don't know. Verse 45, who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made roller over his household to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom the master, when he comes, will find so doing. Whenever that time is, at a time you may least expect, constantly doing his will. Not splacking off, not thinking that the time isn't imminent, but always ready. Here in verses 44 through 46, there's key words. You might even circle them in your Bible. He says in 44, be ready. Be ready whenever that time is. Whether it's tomorrow, whether it's a year from now, whether it's five years from now or up 100 years from now. Be ready always. Verse 45, who is a faithful servant? Building faith, growing closer to God, depending on him more, relying on him more, letting him grow his faith. And who is that wise servant?

Ready, faithful, wise. In verse 46, a person who is so doing, doing the will of God every single day. So that when that time occurs that only God knows, you're ready. You're ready. You know, Mark, Mark has recorded these words as two. Let's keep your finger there in Matthew 25. Let's turn over to Mark 13.

Mark 13 verse 32. But of that day and hour, Mark writes, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch, and pray. For you don't know when the time is. It's like a man going to a far country who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. It's kind of like when the boss goes away and says, you know what the job is? You just keep doing it, and I'll be back maybe in a week, maybe in two weeks, maybe in a month. Just keep doing what you were hired to do.

And we've all been in the situation where it's like, ah, the boss is gone. The boss is gone for a while. We can leave a little earlier. We can come in a little later. We don't have to do things exactly the way we should be doing. He says, don't behave that way. Christ doesn't come behind us, and every time I have a wrong thought or wrong attitude, I wish he would, but he doesn't tap me on his shoulder and say, that's not the way. Get it cleared up. Get yourself straightened up. It says in Isaiah 30 that that's what's going to be of the people who live then. They'll have a teacher behind them saying, no, this is the way you should go. We don't have that today. We have our conscience. We have the Bible. We have the Holy Spirit to lead us, and it convicts us when we're doing wrong. But Christ isn't there every step of the day telling you, don't do this, don't do that. Life is a lot about choice. He's opened our minds. We have the truth. We have the truth. We have the Word of God. We have the understanding of it. He's given us this Holy Spirit, but the choice is ours. We can do nothing with it, or we can do something with it. Christ says, do something with it. Just because He's not there and you're not every time you mess up, you aren't having a trial or a problem. Don't think that God isn't watching. He is. Verse 38, Mark says, or he writes, Christ's words, watch therefore. You don't know when the master of the house is coming. In the evening, at midnight, at the curling of the rooster, or in the morning. Lest coming suddenly, He finds you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to you all, watch.

Watch what's going on, but watch yourselves. You be ready when He returns. You be ready when that time comes. You be faithful. You be wise. You be so dewy. Okay, let's go back to Matthew 24.

Continuing on there, the servant who does keep doing what he's supposed to be doing, when the master returns, verse 47, it says, assuredly I say to you, he will make him ruler over all his goods. But then in verse 48, there's another servant. The good servant's going to continue to do what God says. So when Christ returns, he will let you know what your position is. Verse 48, 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. The master of that servant will come on a day when he's not looking for him and an hour that he's not aware of.

Now we read those verses and we read a word like, beat, someone that will beat his servants.

And what conjures up in my mind is the old picture of master and slave, and the master gets his whip out and he starts beating that servant.

And that's pretty harsh. But again, he's talking to his disciples. He was talking to them gathered there today. He's talking to us gathered here today. And I've never, in my time in church, seen someone come out with a whip and start beating each other. But you know, I've seen some other ways that people get beaten. We can beat each other pretty, beat each other up pretty bad with words, can't we? Words can hurt just as much as a whip in a lot of cases.

We can attack each other by the way we talk about each other. We can cast aspersions on each other. If you want to be spurched by character, you can. You can go out and you can say anything you want about me. And you know what? Someone's going to believe you. And I could do the same to you. And you could do the same to each other. It happens all the time in society. The news is full of he said, she said, beating each other. People that would, you know what, take a little vacation and think it's time off. Christ isn't coming for some time and allow themselves to get into the spirit of the world rather than the spirit of Christ. And begin beating each other up. The Pharisees did it, for instance, to Jesus Christ. He came to one of his own. He thought, or they were supposedly looking for the Messiah. But when he appeared, they didn't waste any time in accusing him, looking for him, trying to trap him, looking and taking every word and twisting it in whatever way they can. Judging others, making ourselves look more important than others. There's a number of ways that we can beat our servants and drink with the drunkards of the world who behave the same way. And if we do that, we're going to be surprised one day because when the Master returns, he's going to return on a day he's not looking for him and an hour that he's not aware of. And the Master will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. Someone pretending to be something they're not, looking like they belong, but then having a totally different spirit in the way they behave. The next sentence should send chills up your spine like it does mine. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Just think of the disciples who were following Christ, who thought they were doing his will, but allowed themselves to just kind of get lulled to sleep a little bit and allowed a little bit of oh, gossip to set in, a little bit of laxity, a little bit of complacency.

And they just kind of go through life and, you know, they come to church every single week.

They come to every social, they attend every holy day. But one day, Christ will return. God will say, enough is enough, and there's a day coming where there's no turning back. And at some time, those people will look at their life and say, what have we done? Look at the time we wasted. God gave us the greatest gift that none of us even deserved. And we squandered it. We squandered it. We stayed too close to the world. We didn't grasp the opportunity that he gave us. And we kept doing the same things. We piddled time away. We let ourselves get caught up in this and caught up in that. And then, one taken, one left. One left. And they know at that time, the robes will be washed away in the Great Tribulation.

There will be weeping, there will be weeping, a gnashing of teeth when that day occurs. None of us want that verse to describe us.

Christ went on talking in chapter 25. No break here. He didn't take a 10-minute break. And so, they come back and let's do this and start a new chapter. He just kept talking as he said these words to the disciples. And then he began to give them three examples of people where one would be taken and one would be left. Chapter 25, verse 1, Then the kingdom of heaven, he says, will be like him to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise. There's that word. And five were 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. Again, remember, these are disciples. All of them are called virgins. All of them had lamps. All of them had lamps. Now, we know from Scripture what the lamp can be.

Remember the Scripture in Psalm 119? Your word is the lamp unto my feet.

All of them had the knowledge. All of them knew what the Bible meant. God had opened their minds. They're His disciples, people whose minds He had opened. They had the opportunity to know. They knew the truth. They knew the way of life that God called them to live at this time. And they knew the way of life that was going to be in the millennium. Five of them were wise. Five of them were foolish. They all slumbered and slept. It says in verse 5, when the bridegroom was delayed because He just didn't come at the time they expected. He was a little longer in returning than what they thought He might be. And since He didn't come at the hour they thought, they all slumbered and slept. Five of them were wise. They had oil with them. Remember what oil represents in the Scripture? The Holy Spirit. You know, when God gives those lamps, He expects those lamps to provide light, doesn't He? Remember in Matthew 5, He said, you're to be lights of the world. Those lamps that He gives you, they're supposed to be lights to the world. No one takes the lamp, He says, and puts it under a bushel basket. If we have the truth, if we know the Word of God, if He's opened our minds to understand that, He expects us to be living by it. He expects us to be pointed toward the Kingdom. He expects us to do all the things of life we need to do, go to work, provide for our families the things that we do in everyday life, but He expects our focus to be on His Kingdom. And when we repent and when we're baptized and when we have hands laid on us and when we receive the Holy Spirit, that Spirit ignites that light. It gives us the power to understand more. It gives us the power to overcome ourselves. It gives us the power to apply the way of life that God has in the Bible into our lives so that we don't look like people in the world anymore, but year by year, decade by decade, we look more and more like Christ, likes to the world in the eyes of God. Because that lamp we know. Because the Holy Spirit is burning bright and guiding us and directing us and we're letting it happen. Keyword, letting it happen, because God can give us this Holy Spirit. He wants everyone to repent, but it is what we do with it. There is something we have to do. You know, I told my kids, if I could do it for you, I would. If I could live your life and get you into the kingdom, and I mean that with tongue in cheek, I would. I'd do it for you. Jesus Christ would do it for us, but He can't. Look at all He's done. He died for us so our sins could be forgiven. He was a resurrected, so we have the hope of eternal life. He gives us the Holy Spirit that will give us comfort, understanding, teaching, guidance, produce fruits in us, but He can't make those things happen. We have to make those things happen. We have to yield to Him. We have to let the Holy Spirit guide us and direct us.

He made us free moral agents. The choice is ours, what we do with it. Ten virgins. They all had the lamp. Some of them had oil. While the bridegroom was delayed, they slumbered and splucked. Verse 6, at midnight a cry was heard. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet Him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish bed of the wise. Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But you can't give that. We can't do it for someone else. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. God says, give us some of that. Help us. Give us some of what you have, but you have to do it yourself.

But the wise answer is saying, no, lest there be not enough for us. 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, those who were ready, went in with Him to the wedding, and the door was shut.

Another harrowing experience. Spent their life with the lamp.

The time came, they weren't ready, and the door was shut, and they couldn't get in. I wonder what that will feel like when they realized they didn't redeem the time. They didn't use the time they'd been given. It was just too easy to just go through the things that we do, but never really yield to God and let Him change us and mold us into what He wants us to be. Afterward, the other virgins came, saying, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, assuredly I say to you, I don't know you. I don't know who you are. Watch, therefore, for you don't know the day or the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. You don't know when God is making the decision that that's it. The earth and the society that we live in, has run its course, and it's time for Jesus Christ to return. And the wheels get set in motion for all the prophecies to be fulfilled. Ephesians 5.

Ephesians 5 and verse 8.

Ephesians 5.8. You were once darkness. Now, one time in your life you didn't have that lamp that God gave you. You didn't open, He hadn't opened your mind to understand. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Find out what is acceptable to God. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Let's drop down to verse 14. God says, Awake, you who sleep. You who slumber and sleep awake, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, don't be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And don't be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, building one another up, not tearing each other down, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Five virgins were wise. Five were foolish. One was taken, and the other left. They all had the same opportunity. They all had the same God who gave them understanding, who opened their minds, who gave them the Holy Spirit, but there was a difference between the two.

I won't take the time to turn to Revelation 3. You know in Revelation 3 it talks about the churches of Philadelphia and the churches of Laodicea. In the Church of Philadelphia, God says, because you've kept my word, I'll keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole earth. I'll keep you from that trial. One is taken. But to the church of Laodicea, the people in that attitude think they have it all. They think they're okay. They think they're one of the wise virgins, actually, and they don't realize, God said, that you're miserable, weak, blind, naked. They've allowed pride and whatever else to take over, and they think, I'm one of the wise virgins. I've got it made. I do everything that God said to do.

Yet God said, I counsel you, those with Laodicea in attitude, buy of me gold refined in the fire. And the people of that attitude may well have their gold refined in the fire of the great tribulation and be part of that great multitude that we read in Revelation 5.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when we realize that we may not be who we think we are. Time to see ourselves and ask God to see ourselves as He sees us as we work toward Passover. Matthew 25, verse 14. After Christ talks about this group of people, He moves into another group of people. He says, 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. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and immediately he went on a journey. And so God calls people. God opens minds. We repent. We're baptized. We receive His Holy Spirit after the laying on of hands. And to every single one of God's disciples, He gives at least one talent. At least one gift that you have or one ability that you have that makes you part of the congregation because everyone's sitting here. God is well here for a reason. We all contribute something to the greater body. We all learn from one another. We all grow together. We all become family.

And when He does this, it says He went off on a journey. It's kind of like, He's gone. Again, Christ isn't there knocking on our doors or knocking on our heads saying, you blew it. What were you thinking when you said that? What were you thinking when you did that?

He went on a journey. For the rest of our lives, God expects us to be doing something with those five talents, those two talents, or those one talents, whatever it is that He gives us.

Because He gives us all something. You know, it's interesting that He didn't give everyone the same amount. Not everyone has five talents. Not everyone has two talents. Not everyone has just one talent. I wonder what He was trying to teach us about each other, because, you know, we could get jealous of someone with more talents.

Or we could look down on someone that we perceive has less talents or contributes less to the congregation. Neither of them would be an attitude that Christ would have. But there are differences. He does expect us to love each other, regardless of what we think each of which is worth is, because each of us to Him is worth a great deal. So He gives them various talents. And He goes away on a journey. In verse 16, He who had received five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents.

He spent the rest of his life working with those talents that God gave him. And in the course of his lifetime, talents had doubled. And likewise, He who had received two gained two more also. But He who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid His Lord's 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 and said, Lord, You delivered to me five talents. Look, I've 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. And the same thing happened with the person with two talents. He spent the rest of his life allowing God to work with Him, develop Him, grow Him. But one of the people did nothing. When he returned, he was exactly the same as the day when he left. When he left, he had one talent, and when the Master returned at the end of a long journey, the rest of his life, he still had that one talent. But he hadn't added anything to it.

He still had the same knowledge. He still knew which day was the Sabbath day. He still knew which day were the Holy Days. He knew he should be here among God's people. But all he did was sit on that talent. He never let it grow. He never developed it. He never let God progress Him to prepare Him for what God has called us to be.

And you know what that is. It says it in Revelation 1. It says it in Revelation 5. He's preparing us to be kings and priests. And if we're going to do that, something none of us have ever done in our lives before, we have to let God grow us. He didn't call any of us to be exactly the same today as when He returns.

He expects growth. And here He says to the one who had one talent, verse 24, he received the one talent and said, Lord, I know You to be a hard man, reaping where You have in stone and gathering where You have in scattered seed. And I was afraid. And I went and I hid Your talent in the ground. Look, there You have what is Yours. I kept it. I didn't lose it.

I still know the things that You gave me to do. I still come to church every Sabbath. I still keep the Holy Days. I still do the things. I just haven't progressed beyond that very first step. But as Lord answered and said to Him, You wicked and lazy servant. You knew what I reap. You knew that I reap where I haven't sown and gather where I haven't scattered seed. So You ought to have deposited my money with the bank.

And at least at my coming, I would have received my own back with interest. Take the talent from Him and give it to Him who has ten talents. God is looking for profitable servants. He's looking for people to grow. That's what He calls us to do. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Adding more and more each year. Becoming more and more like Him each year.

So that after one year, five years, one decade, two decades, three decades, you look more like Jesus Christ. You think more like Jesus Christ. You're ready for Him to add the responsibilities to you that He is preparing you for.

John 15.

In His words to His disciples, after that last Passover and before He was arrested, He talked to them about the Holy Spirit that He would send to them. The Holy Spirit that would inspire, comfort, teach, guide, lead, give them power, strength, the sound mind.

In verse 8, in the verse leading up to this, He talks about Him being divine. We have to stay attached to Him. In verse 8, He says, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.

That you bear much fruit.

Yeah, you remember when Christ was walking by the fig trees.

In the fig tree, one of them looked very nice. It had nice leaves on it, but it had no fruit on it. Remember, He cursed that fig tree. He's looking for us to produce fruit. Multiply what He's given us. It's not us that does it, because without Him we can do absolutely nothing. But as by the choices we make and how we yield to Him, He says, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit. So you will be my disciples. So you will be my disciples. If you bear much fruit, if you grow, and if you progress beyond the basics. Again, I won't turn to Matthew 19.

You remember the young rich man. When he came to Christ and he said, What do I need to do to have eternal life? The first thing Christ told him is, Keep the commandments. Gotta live that way of life. Always have to do that. Without that, there's no sense even being here. Gotta live that way of life. That's the bare minimum. The young man said, I've done it all my life. And then he said, Go sell what you have and give it to the poor.

Young man wasn't ready to do that. There was more expected to him. He had to do that, but there was more that was expected. I won't turn to Luke 17. Mark it down in your notes, and you can go home and read verses 1-10. But in Luke 17, it talks about the unprofitable servant. And in verse 10 of that chapter, it says that when you have done just what you've been commanded to do, you are still an unprofitable servant. If you do just what God tells you to do, if you just keep the commandments, if you just do those things, that's great. God is doing it. But God is looking for people to bear fruit. And so here in Matthew 24, as he's talking to his disciples, he says, Look at yourselves. Throughout the rest of your lives, do something with what God has given you. Allow his Holy Spirit to direct you and guide you and lead you. Let's go back to chapter 25 of Matthew. Verse 29, wrapping up this section, he says, 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 the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When they realized they didn't redeem the time, they didn't take the opportunity God had given them, but they slumbered and slept. And then he gives the third example of people. When the Son of Man comes, verse 31, in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the peoples, or all the nations, will be gathered before him. He will separate them one from another, as the shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left. And the king will say to those on his right hand, 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 thick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. And they say, When did we do that? We don't remember doing that to you. And he says, Well, when you did it to the least of one of those. When you visited the person sitting in church that was in the hospital, it was like you were doing it to me. I was looking to see what was in your heart. Were you concerned with them? When you saw a need, did you meet it? Or did you just kind of walk by and say, Not necessary? When someone was in prison, did you visit them when you had the opportunity? When they needed clothes, did you give it to them? Were you looking out for your brother? Did you become like God?

What does it say God is in 1 John 4, verse 8? It says, God is love. God is love. He loves people, and He wants us to become like Him. And keeping His commandments, living His way of life, absolutely. But more and more becoming like Him, showing that agape love, feeling it, doing the things without even thinking about it, because it has become us, just like it was Jesus Christ. Over the course of the rest of our lifetimes, to become like Him. And the people on the right hand did that. One was taken, but the people on the left never got it. They just walked on by, and it didn't even dawn on them they should help. Even in dawn on them, they should send the car. It didn't even dawn on them that they might inquire about someone or something. And the other was left.

Christ was pretty explicit in what He wanted us to do. And as we head toward Passover, we can use these to examine ourselves. Are we more honestly looking at ourselves through God's eyes, through the eyes of His truth? Are we more like the wise virgins or more like the foolish virgins?

Are we more like the people with talents? Are we more like the one that had one talent and we judge ourselves and determine, wow, we may be more like the man with one talent who just hid it?

And do we find ourselves growing in love, that we love each other as we love ourselves? Because true disciples, Christ says, you'll be able to tell them because they have love, one for another. They watch out for one another. They pat each other on the back. They encourage each other. They watch out for each other's needs, their family, and I see what's in their heart. 1 Corinthians 11. 2. 2 months until Passover. As we prepare for it, it's too late if we start thinking about it that Sunday morning. It's too late if we start thinking about it the Sabbath before Passover. We need to start doing the preparation for Passover now. If we want to keep it in a worthy manner, understanding the importance of the ceremony and understanding the importance of what God has called us to. Verse 27, whoever eats the bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner didn't take the time to prepare. Just showed up and life was too busy. I had too many things to do. Whoever takes the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. Let's get verse 30. You can read that. Verse 31, if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. Look at ourselves, honestly. Ask God to help you look at you the way He looks at you. Ask Him where the spots and wrinkles are. Ask Him for the strength to overcome that. Ask Him for the desire to follow Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. Ask Him to develop you and to help you make the choice every day of your life to follow Him and let Him make you and mold you into what He wants you to be.

If we really understand what God has called us to, if we really understand that none of us are going to know when that day and hour is, not only of Christ's return, but the time when He makes the determination that now is the time. Now is the time mankind isn't going to turn back, set the wheels in motion. And at some point, He looks at us. And for some, the door will be opened and some, the door will be shut. Some will be taken and some will be left. None of us want to be left. So we use the time now, never letting down our efforts. 2 Peter 3. In closing, 2 Peter 3 verse 10.

But the day of the Lord will come as the thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. That's the ultimate end of this physical planet that God has put us on. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person's ought you to be? And holy conduct and godliness, looking for and chastening the coming of the day of God. Verse 14. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Verse 17. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware, lest you fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.