Mike Bickle emphasizes the necessity of cultivating intimacy with God, likening it to the oil needed by the ten virgins in Matthew 25. He explains that the wise virgins took oil for their lamps, representing a deep, personal relationship with the Bridegroom God, while the foolish ones neglected this vital aspect, leading to their exclusion from the wedding feast. Bickle warns that in the end times, the pressures of life and temptation will increase, making it crucial for believers to prioritize their spiritual preparation and connection with God. He encourages the audience to actively seek this intimacy, as it is essential for enduring the challenges ahead and fulfilling their calling as leaders in the church. The sermon concludes with a call to action, urging listeners to rearrange their lives to prioritize their relationship with God.

Turn to Matthew chapter 25, Matthew chapter 25, it was in the Bible school class, make sure you have your notes, and then we have the question and answer time afterwards. Father we come to you and we ask you to release the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the hearing and the speaking of your word. We know that it takes God to love God, so we ask you God the Holy Spirit come and inspire us to hear and receive and to respond in the grace of God. We thank you in Jesus name, amen. Well tonight we're on the session 4 of the Bride of Christ studies in the New Testament. And in session 3 we looked at the parable of Matthew chapter 22 where Jesus introduced the kingdom of God as a wedding feast. And that was, as I mentioned, it was his final public sermon, his final public message before he went to the cross. Then in Matthew chapter 24 and 25 he's in private giving instructions to the disciples. And here in his, he's talked on the end times, he's talked with urgency about the coming of the Lord, the second coming. Here before he's went to the cross he's given very, very important details about what would happen just prior to his second coming. Now he knew it'd be a couple thousand years, you know, later, they didn't know. The disciples thought it would probably be within their lifetime. And Jesus knew it'd be at least 2,000 years later. And so he's giving them this information which is really for us. And what he's doing here in Matthew chapter 25, he is building on the parable, on the message of the kingdom of God being like a wedding feast, a preparation for a wedding. So he's taking up the same theme but now he's with his disciples in private. And what he's really doing is he's talking to them about the subject of ministry and the subject of leadership. And I believe that's a critical part of understanding this parable, is knowing that he's talking to the 12 apostles as leaders and he's talking to them about leadership. That's a critical part to interpret this thing right. And it's not a public address, he's preparing leaders. And as he's preparing them for the troubles of their day through the revelation of the bridal paradigm, he is more effectively and even more intentionally preparing the end-time apostles and the end-time leaders before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Let's read the parable. Matthew chapter 25, verse 1. It starts off with a very important word, the word then. And the word then, of course the first thing you ask is when is then? And it's pointing back to Matthew chapter 24. In other words, in the generation of the coming of the Lord. It's in context to what he said in verse 50 and 51 of the previous chapter. I mean all of the previous chapter. Then, the generation the Lord returns. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be like unto ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now, of course it's true for all 2,000 years, but it's particularly true in a universal way. The Holy Spirit will emphasize that the kingdom of God will be like virgins meeting or encountering and experiencing God as a bridegroom. Verse 2. Now five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. Verse 3. Now those who were foolish took their lamps and here it is, they took no oil. That's the definition of being a fool. In ministry, in the generation the Lord returns. Taking your lamp, but not taking any oil. That's what a fool is. From Jesus' point of view. He's talking to leaders. Verse 4. There it is. That's what wisdom is. Wisdom is reduced to one simple reality. Cultivating oil in our relationship with the Lord. Obviously wisdom is more than that, but if we do that, all the other things will fall in line. Verse 4. The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, but while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, I love to say at the midnight of human history. At midnight. We are at the midnight of human history. We really are. Natural history. It's a better way to say it. The midnight of natural history. Because human history goes on for billions and billions and billions of years and then some. And at midnight. Oh, I love this phrase too. A cry was heard. The cry goes forth. The forerunner ministries. The cry goes forth across the land. The midnight hour of natural history. And here's the cry. It's a threefold cry. Behold the bridegroom. That's cry number one. Cry number two. He is coming. He is coming. And there's consequences. Divine intervention. Supernatural power. It's not just that he's a bridegroom. That's good. That's awesome. But he's coming. With consequences. For the whole planet. And then message number three. Rise up to go meet him. Go encounter him. It is time to encounter him in power. That's the message of the forerunners. Summarized. 2,000 years before the forerunners were going to be called at the end of the age. Here's the message laid out. One, two, three, four. Number one. Behold the bridegroom. The Messiah is a bridegroom. Number two. He is coming. Great consequences in his coming. Things don't stay the same when he comes. And number three. Rise up and encounter him. It's not just the necessity to rise up to do it. It's the fact. It's the possibility. He can be met. He can be encountered. Okay, verse seven. And all those virgins arose. And they trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise. Give us some of your oil. Give us your oil. Because our lamps. Our ministries are going out. Give us your reality in God. Because our ministries are diminishing. And they're irrelevant. They're inadequate to meet the need of the hour. Verse nine. But the wise answered very appropriately. It seems harsh. But we'll see in a little while. It's not harsh at all. No. Lest there should not be enough for us. It seems like a selfish answer. But it's not at all. And you. There would not be enough for us and you. But go rather to those who sell. And buy it. Or another word. Another idea. I'm getting ahead of myself. Is acquire it yourself. By the means prescribed in the grace of God. The means prescribed in the word of God. Of how to get it in the grace of God. Go buy it. Do the necessary prescribed means. To get grace for this. What it says. Go get it yourself. Acquire yourself. We don't earn it. But there is human effort. That's absolutely necessary. It's the very word that Jesus would say. To the Laodicean church. He said. I advise you to buy gold refined by fire. In other words. Acquire it in the means prescribed in the word of God. Cooperating in the grace of God. Yes. God gives it as a gift. But there is a human dimension to acquiring this. Verse nine. But the wife said. No. Lest there should not be enough for us and you. But rather go. And buy it for yourself. Acquire it. In your own personal life. And while they went to go buy it. When they are in the process of acquiring this oil. This heart reality. While in the process. The bridegroom came. The manifest presence of God broke in suddenly. God broke in. Not just as God. But as a bridegroom God. As God with a burning heart. A God with desire and passion. And jealousy for his people. To respond in desire and jealousy and passion. Back to him. The bridegroom God. And those who were ready. Went in with him. This is very similar again to the Laodiceans. What he told him. He says. Go buy gold refined by fire. In Revelation 3.18. And he said. So that I can dine with you. And you with me. It's the same exact language. Jesus is. Speaking both times. And he. It's meant to be understood. Revelations 3.18 to 20. Is the parallel passage. To this spoken. By Jesus as well. And those that were ready. Went in with him. To the wedding. And the door was shut. And afterwards. The other virgins came. And said Lord. Lord open to us. But the Lord answered. And said assuredly. I. I say to you. I do not know you. I do not know you. Verse 13. Watch therefore. For you know neither the day nor the hour. In which the son of man is coming. Oh what a fantastic. Parable. As Jesus is preparing. His the disciples in his own generation. But even more particularly. Preparing us in this hour. So I believe we're. Probably as close as several decades out. From the coming of the Lord. Now as I said already. Jesus is just a couple days later. He is adding. He is adding. To the parable he gave. Matthew 22. Which we talked about in session 3. Our last session. Now these parables. About the wedding banquet. Both of them are only found in Matthew. I find that interesting. There's somehow Matthew. Really laid hold of these. This is the kind of stuff. I would expect a John. To pick up on. But. I guess by the Holy Spirit's direction. Matthew is the only one. Who did this. Now the point of this. Parable here. Is the necessity of watchfulness. And watchfulness. We could you know. What's watchfulness mean. That's verse 13. Is the point of the parable. Watch therefore. And. Verse 10. Says. Talks about watchfulness. And describes it as. Those who were ready. Or those who were prepared. And we know that. In Revelation chapter 19. Verse 8. The church. Is described as a bride. Made ready. One translation says. Revelation 19. Verse 8. Or another translation says. A bride made ready. Ready and prepared. Is the same thing. And ready and prepared. Is the same thing as watchfulness. Watchfulness. So it's a call to watchfulness. To be ready. To be prepared. Now this watchfulness. In verse 13. The point of the parable. Is talking about cultivating. A life of prayer. A life of intimacy with God. And this life of prayer. This watchfulness. This is a. Not something again. That's just kind of casual. Only. It will only be. Possible. Through encountering God. As a bridegroom. This watchfulness. Will only be sustainable. As we're energized. By intimacy with God. As our spirits are fascinated. And invigorated. By the experiences of intimacy. Now this watchfulness. Is more than. A spirit of prayer. Spirit of prayer is critical. But this watchfulness. Goes beyond. An internal encounter. That's praying. And feeling God. And all that. This watchfulness. Includes. Anointed. Observation. Is to God's activity. Around the earth. Meaning watchfulness. Actually means. Watching. And seeing. What God's doing. And that's really. Particularly important. In the generation. The Lord returns. Because. One of the great. Rebukes. Jesus gave the leadership. Of his day. Is that they. In revelation. I mean. Luke chapter 19. Verse 41 to 44. It's a famous passage. Luke chapter 19. It says it several times. Actually. He condemned them. Because they did not know. The signs. Of the times. In the hour. Of which they live. They could not. See and see. When they observe. They could not see. It's meaning. So watchfulness. Means more than. A spirit of prayer. It's a spirit of prayer. With prophetic. Understanding. Anointed observations. As to what God was doing. We see the signs. Of the times. The people with the spirit. Of prayer can see. When they look. They can see. Much of the church. And certainly the unbelieving. The unbelievers in the world. They see the exact. Same events. But they cannot see. Any divine activity. In them. And that by definition. Means they are not watchful. Doesn't mean just looking. It means the anointed observation. But this anointed observation. Is ability to perceive. That the events that are unfolding. Are actually. In the plan of God. Significant in God's plan. Goes hand in hand. With the spirit of prayer. And it goes hand in hand. With the spirit of. Radical obedience. This watchfulness is. Watchful not to. To compromise. Watchful not to be. In agreement with Satan. Or darkness in any way. So watchfulness. Has this element. Of a spirit of prayer. There's a devotional life. There's a heart connected. That's the critical. If I had to pick out one point. I would say. That's probably the main. Of the three I'm talking about. Watchfulness though. Is critically about. The heart connect. But that heart connect. Leads us to be able. To watch. To see. Our city. Our nation. And the earth. And to with anointed observation. To see what God's doing. And I don't mean. Just mean. To watch church growth. Or to see what God's doing. In a particular meeting. You know. Our use of the Holy Spirit. In ministry time. I'm sure that's part of it. But I'm talking about. In a eschatological. Global sense. To us. To we know. What generation we're in. We can see. What is meant to be seen. By the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit means to see it. And then watchfulness means. We are careful. We're watchful. You can use the word careful. Not to step into regions. Of the shadows. The place of darkness. The place of compromise. We are watchful. Or you can use the word careful. To stay out of darkness. Because it's in the place of darkness. Where the enemy will get us. And he will cause that. That open door of darkness. To explode. And to increase dynamically. In our heart. And this watchfulness. This spirit of prayer. This anointed observation. This prophetic understanding. Of what's happening in the earth. And I don't mean. You make a symbol. Out of everything that happens. You know. You see three cars. That drive by the highway. Oh. Those three cars must mean. You know. Father. Son. And Holy Spirit. You know. I don't mean that. Some people are just. You know. Really out there. On everything means something. I'm just means. The general trends. Of what God's doing in the earth. And then. Last. But not least. No. Not least at all. It's this carefulness. To actually obey. And to persevere. Watchful. Careful. That's the point of the parable. Now. The dynamic. Part of this parable. Is the watchfulness. Of verse 13. Is tied in. To the revelation. Of the Messiah. Verse 1. As a bridegroom. In verse 6. He's the bridegroom. Who's coming. It's. It's tied in. To the Messiah. Not only as God. Yes. As God. Not only as king. Yes. He is king. But he is a. He is. Fully God. Fully man. And he's a bridegroom king. He's a God. With fiery desire. And emotion. For his people. It's not enough. Just to hear that. On a Friday night. Teaching. Or to read a book on it. That reality. Has to penetrate our spirit. And nobody. Can do this. For you. That's the point of this parable. Nobody. Can bring this reality. To you. And it's this reality. Of the bridegroom. That makes. Watchfulness. Possible. In context. To the. The escalating. Pressures. Of the end times. I'm going to say that again. Because. That's a really key point. It's the revelation. Of the bridegroom. It's the experience. Of the bridegroom. It's called. Go out. To meet him. Meeting him. In verse. One. Meeting him. In verse. Six. It means. Encountering him. Encountering the bridegroom. Is critical. The God. Who desires us. Awakening our desires. Back to him. This is a critical. Part. Of having. The ability. To be watchful. To have the spirit of prayer. To have prophetic. Anointed observations. To what's going on. What's important. To God. In the earth. I mean. Signs are happening. And I mean. The nations are lining up. And God's preparing. For. His eschatological. His end times. Scenario. To unfold. And then to have a spirit. Of radical. Obedience. Carefulness. Or watchfulness. Because. In the context. Of the end times. The pressures. Are going to escalate. So great. The pressures. Will escalate. So great. That. Kind of. The kind of. The normative. Experience. Of believers. In church history. Will not. Be sufficient. For the escalating pressures. Of the end times. I'll say that again. Just kind of. The normative. Experiences. Of what kind of. Was the normal. Experience. Of a believer. Through. The centuries. Will not. Be sufficient. To hold the heart. Steady. With the increasing. Situation. In the end times. Sin. Will become more enticing. And more powerful. Satan's. Rage. And persecution. God's. Judgment. There are. So many. Ways. To get off. The path. In the end times. So the Lord. Saves. The best wine. For last. It's only. In the final generation. That the church. Universally. Globally. Understands. Jesus. As a messiah. I mean. The messiah. As a bridegroom. As a god. Of fiery. Desire. For his people. And thus. Awakening it. In us. Making. Prayer. A reality. Prophetic observation. A reality. Or anointed observation. And the ability. To be persevering. And careful. In obedience. And I say it to. Those that are here. Uh. Uh. Coming. And listening. To a few teachings. Is not sufficient. You can. You can teach on this. Every week. And not live it. In private. The heart. Encounter. Meeting. The bridegroom. Is the only way. This works. That empowers. Watchfulness. Okay. That's what this thing. Is all about. It's watchfulness. Verse 13. Is the point. Okay. Now. There's a couple points. We're going to. Uh. Of this parable. We're going to highlight. As we go through it. Number one. Point is. God's delay. Is often. Longer. Than his servants. Expect. God's delay. Is longer. Often. Now. That. The delay of. God's break-in. Now. In terms of. Historically. Of course it is. Because. The disciples thought. It was in their lifetime. But they. Even break. Even. Uh. In a subunit. Of that. Own personal lives. We're expecting. The breakthrough. The anointing. The break. The trial. To be over. We have this. Expectation. All of us. Have an expectation. Of his. Of the break-in. Much. Sooner. Than. Normally. There's occasionally. It's opposite. But much. Sooner. Than the break-in comes. And that. Is a divine strategy. And Jesus. Is telling us. In this parable. The delay. Is longer. Usually. Not always. Usually. It's longer. Than you're expecting. It's number one. The wait. Is longer. This is in. In verse. Forty-eight. Of Matthew. Twenty-four. Verse. Forty-eight. It's the same theme. Matthew. Twenty-four. Verse. Forty-eight. Of the delay. The unexpected delay. What do you do. In the mundane. Number one. What do you do. In increased pressure. That's a different. Problem. Than the mundane. And what do you do. In increased. Temptation. Mundane. Is one giant. Pressure. Is another giant. Increased. Temptation. Is a third giant. What do you do. In the delay. In the delay. Facing those three. Giants. And Jesus. Is saying. If you know me. As a bridegroom. I will fascinate. You. And you will overcome. The mundane. You will overcome. Giving in. To the pressure. Of the difficulty. The trial. And you will. Overcome. The temptation. Because the delay. Is what trips us. Because the delay. Is longer. And the mundane. Overcomes us. The pressure. Discourages us. Or the temptation. Takes us. Off the path. So that's what he's talking about. So point one. The delay. Is often longer. Than expected. Point number two. The delay. Is often. More difficult. Or challenging. Than expected. It's not just longer. It's more challenging. I find that people. Get swept away. By the mundane. As much as they do. By the increasing sin. Just the mundaneness. It's just going on. You know. Pulling weeds. Under the hot sun. You know. I mean. Adam sinned. And the Lord said. Here's the deal. Adam. From now on. You'll pull weeds. In the garden. And the sun will get hot. I call that. Pulling weeds. Under the hot sun. Just the way of life. Under the sun. The mundaneness. Gets people off path. As much as the sin does. And as much as the pressure does. The trial. Or tribulation. And see. What was happening. The foolish. Were not prepared. For it to be difficult. They were not prepared. For it to be long. Or for it to be challenging. That's what. What's part of. What made them foolish. That's interesting. The next parable. The next parable. Of the talents. Is opposite. Because this parable. The. The ten virgins. Thought it would be. Easier. Than it turned out. The next parable. They thought it would be harder. You know. The wicked. Lazy slaves. And I thought. You were a cruel. Taskmaster. I couldn't make it. The next parable. They thought. It's exact opposite. They thought it would be too hard. And therefore. They drew back. So it was the inability. To assess. Reality. It's what's going on. In these two parables. Of Matthew 25. And then the third point. Of this parable. Is that. There is a point. There is a point. When you've gone. Too far. And it's too late. To escape. All the damage. Of living a life. Of neglect. There is a point. Where we wait. And we wait. And we're going to get serious. Next year. We're going to get serious. Next month. Maybe after the next conference. And the years unfold. Little by little. And the damage. I don't mean that. This is not. A parable. Looks like it. In a casual reading. About somebody. Not being safe. No it's not. It's about people. Losing out. Losing out. In a real way. That matters. With their opportunities. In God. It's what this parable. Is about. And we love to talk. About God. There's a second chance. There's a second chance. To be loved by God. And be a lover of God. There's a second chance. To stay in the grace of God. And live forever. In eternal life. But you go on. For a while. And you lose. Opportunities. In this life. People lose. Decades. And they're not where. They could be. And that. And that damage. Is real. And it's not recoverable. Some of our experiences. In our heart. In this life. The decades go on. And they matter. And that's one of the parts. Of this. That's one of the. That's the stinging. Message. To this parable. Is that the door was shut. Not the door of salvation. Not the door of being loved by God. Not the door of loving God back. But the door. Of having the full experiences. Of what God ordained for them. There is damage. By going too long. Some guy says. Well how long can you go. Before you get yourself. In big trouble. The question itself. Has already got you in trouble. The guy that's asking the question. How far can you go. Before you get in big trouble. Is already in trouble. The entirely wrong question. The question. Of the bride. Is how far. Will you let me go. How abandoned. Will you let me be. What will you give me grace. To do in terms of my heart. Towards you. That's the right question. How far will you let me go. In my intimacy with you. Not how far. How far can I go on the edges. Without getting. Without losing out. It's completely the wrong question. Well that's the. That's the. Points of here. I've spent a little bit too long. On the introduction. But. There you have it. Now. The Hebrew. The Hebrew tradition. What's going on. In the Hebrew wedding tradition. Is the bride. The bride. And her bridesmaids. Are at the bride's house. So the bride's there. All ready to go. She's all dressed. And she's got her ten bridesmaids. Right there. Now what happens. Is the messenger comes. And says the bridegroom is coming. And the bridegroom's on the path. And the signal goes. The sound goes forth. The runner goes ahead and says. So now what happens. The ten bridesmaids. Are supposed to get. The bride. And to escort her out. To meet him. On the road. And then they're. To walk. They're to go to the father's house. To the. To the. To the parents house. Of the bridegroom. To have the wedding. And the big celebration. And the celebration. If. If they were not prohibited by finances. Would go for seven nights. The celebration would go for seven. The wedding feast. Would go on seven nights in a row. So the first night. They'd have a party. The second night. They would have a feast. The third night. They'd have the feast. The fourth night. And that was the whole wedding feast. And that's a critical point. To understanding this parable. Because what's going to happen. Is they're going to miss out. On one of the feasting occasions. To be in the bridegroom's presence. They're not losing their salvation. Nor are they. Going to hell. That's not what's going on here. He's not rebuking. These ministries. And sending them to hell. He's causing them to lose out. On part of the wedding celebration. And in our context. It's before the second coming. Meaning there's going to be waves. Of Holy Spirit power. And invitation. And anointings. And commissions. That we are to operate in right now. Before his coming. And there's many of God's servants. Sitting on the sidelines. Because when that wave comes. They're wholly unprepared. To cooperate with the Lord in that wave. And using this analogy. The parable never. Parables are never perfectly accurate. They're not meant to be. They're supposed to point at. Grand truths. And general ideas. But the idea. If we were to force the details. Of this parable. Which you always get yourself in trouble doing it. Because parables aren't meant to force all the details. The idea is that. The wedding is over. Or the thing is complete. After they've had the seven nights. Of the feast. And the seventh night. In this analogy. Would be the Lord appearing. And so what I'm saying. In the number seven. It's not a particular number. That I'm focusing on right now. But there will be. The analogy is that there would be. A number of waves of the Holy Spirit. Building up to the crescendo. Of the Lord's coming in the sky. And those little waves. Are going out right now in the land. There's an anointing. To move in the spirit. There's an anointing for prayer. There's anointing for wholeheartedness. Even in these early days. Some time out. Time before the coming of the Lord. And the Lord is calling people. To be able to be with the bridegroom. In the anointing. Even now. Even before the Lord appears in the sky. There's going to be a number of waves. Of the Spirit. We've seen them building. There was a wave. That came over the land in Toronto. There was a wave. That came over the land. A baby wave. But a lot bigger than any wave. I've been a part of in Toronto. Then another wave went out. From Pensacola. There's many many more waves. Going out. And the Lord wants his servants. Prepared to walk with him. In those waves. And not shut out. And so. That's what this parable. Is talking about. And then at the end of it. When the whole bride is prepared. And the feast is ready. Then the second coming. Is the end of it. That's. How I understand this parable. But let's look at it. A little bit. Okay. Roman number one. On the notes. Verse one. Then the kingdom of heaven. Shall be likened. To ten virgins. Who took their lamps. And went out to meet the bridegroom. Number one. They took their lamps. Lamps. Usually. Not a hundred percent of the time. But the vast majority of the time. Speak of public ministry. Because lamps. Are what you use. To bring light. To others in darkness. And lamps. Are mostly. They speak. When they're used symbolically. They speak of ministry. It's not just bringing. Sometimes it's an individual. But almost always it's ministry. And he's talking to leaders right now. He's talking to leaders. In this context. And if I had. You know. Five sessions on Matthew 25. I could show you that. From Matthew 24. And through the rest of it. Through the rest of Matthew 25. He's talking to leadership. Preparing leadership. For the end time. Is the highest theme. Of Matthew 24 and 25. So he says. They have lamps. Number one. All ten of them have lamps. They have public ministries. Number two. They're all virgins. They're all born again believers. They're made virgins. By the gift of God. Second Corinthians. Chapter 11. Verse 2 and 3. I have it in the notes. But for those who don't have it. Second Corinthians chapter 11. Verse 2 and 3. All believers. As a gift. Are made clean. We are virgins. In God's sight. That is a stunning reality. Remarkable. We're going to. Look at that. Before this course is over. That passage. Second Corinthians 11. It's fantastic. Number three. All ten of them. Went out. To encounter Jesus. As a bridegroom. All ten of them. Were excited. By the bridal paradigm. Okay. It's important that you see this. All ten of them. Went to. Bride of Christ conferences. Or did them. They went out. To meet the bridegroom. They were not negligent. They were not. No not. That's not the right word. They were not disinterested. Or uninformed. About the bridal paradigm. In the kingdom. They actually went out. And they met him. They had legitimate encounters. With God as a bridegroom. The fourth point I want to make. Which I already made. Is the word then. Then the kingdom. Will be likened to virgins. Meaning a bridegroom. The word then leads us back. To the chapter before. Particularly verse 50 and 51. But really the whole chapter. It's when. See. The paragraph. The last paragraph of Matthew 24. Is dealing with leadership. And he's. Now he's dealing with leadership. He's dealing with leadership. In general. In society. Believers and unbelievers. Now he's dealing with leadership. Particularly within the church. In Matthew 25. So then the kingdom of heaven. When is then? It's in the hour of the end times. That's when the kingdom of God. Will be like. The ministries. With lamps. The virgins. Individual believers. Clean. Made clean by the blood of Jesus. With lamps shining. Encountering the bridegroom. It begins. So powerful. Roman numeral two. The oil of intimacy. The oil of intimacy. Let's read verse two to four. Five of them were wise. Five of them were foolish. And here's where wisdom and folly. Is defined clearly. The foolish took lamps. And no oil. The foolish. Look at this. They took their ministry first. That was their preoccupation. They took hold of their lamps. And their oil was something. That did not concern them. Their personal life. In God. Their secret history. In God. Their heart. Encounter. With God. Was an issue. That was of no real focus. To them. Their lamps. Were their issue. And if I was to define the leadership. Of the body of Christ. In America. I would define them. As preoccupied. With their lamps. And nearly. Not entirely. But nearly. Disinterested. With oil. Well I don't mean power. Oil is not power. To heal the sick. Oil is not anointing. Out there. Oil is on the inside. Oil is the. Is the unseen dimension. Of the lamp. Everyone sees the fire. And the light. The oil is what's working. On the inside. The oil is the reality. With the Holy Spirit. It's our secret history. In God. And in this context. The oil is our reality. With Jesus. As a bridegroom God. And I have. Here in the notes. The oil. Of the Holy Spirit. It's this intimacy. It tenderizes my spirit. To where I can feel. God's love for me. And feel love back. That's the oil. Oil is what. Oils and lubricates. And softens. So my heart and desire. Is enlarged for him. That's oil. When my. Oh I love you. Oh I feel desire for you. I feel your desire back. That's oil working in my spirit. Oil. It's that operation of the spirit. Illuminating our understanding. Not just our understanding. Of more Bible verses. Although I like. Bible verses. But particularly. Oil's understanding. Of Jesus. As the bridegroom King. As the God that desires us. The beautiful God. It's the understanding. That fascinates the spirit. I believe. That the chronic disease. In the church today. Is that we are. Ministry preoccupied. And we're. Oil deficient. In the ministry. In the body of Christ. The leadership. The body of Christ. Is so negligent. And deficient. On the realm of oil. And so preoccupied. And enamored. With public ministry. We'll do anything. We'll wine and dine. We'll network to the nth degree. We'll wear our strength out. Deplete all of our internal graces. For the chance. Of getting one more opportunity. To have more influence. We'll run ourselves. Completely dry. For the chance. Of one more opportunity. One more meeting. Maybe that will be the one. That I will make me more well known. And they'll know how important. I really am. When the oil. When the oil is first. Then we have a whole different realm. Of where importance is. It's a whole different reality. I have here the oils. Strengthens our spiritual identity. When that oil is flowing. We knew. We know what we look like to God. We know what we look like before God. We know who we are. We're not mostly people. Who stand out. Whether it's a Bible study. Or a business. Or a. An evangelistic ministry. Or leading this. Or. You know. The back room ministry. Or the front room ministry. It doesn't matter. We're so preoccupied. Am I going to get. More of a leadership role. Even a little baby one. You know. If I'm over four. I want to be over eight now. I mean. Just anything. To double my increase. In my. I mean. To double my. My public influence. And the Lord's into public influence. But he doesn't ever want it. To be number one. Jesus told the parable. In Luke. In Luke chapter somewhere. About. I forgot. I thought I had it. But I lost it. And. I preached on it. Many times. Years ago. It's been a while. It's the. It's when he. He called the man a fool. And he says. You build bigger barns. And he says. You don't know your life so. For tonight. You fool. Your soul's required of you. He built bigger barns. While his heart was getting smaller. And smaller. His barns were getting bigger. And bigger. And there's more people. Their ministries are growing. So fast. But their hearts are shrinking. And their ability. To encounter. And to feel. And to move with God. In the secret place. Where no one's looking. I don't want a bigger barn. If my. If the price. Is a smaller heart. It's God's will. For many. To have a bigger barn. Whether it's business. Or influence. Or anointing. But never at the expense. Of a smaller heart. It's this oil. That empowers us. With zeal. For righteousness. This. Desire. Not. Just to get rid of sin. So we don't get in trouble. The desire. To be like God. Even. No matter who. Ever notices it. It's zeal. For righteousness. That's the oil. I'm talking about. B. I've already said it. But the foolish. Took their lamps. Their preoccupation. Was their lamps. Not their oil. But the wise. In verse four. They took their oil. First. The order is. Opposite. They took their oil. And their lamps. Came second. Beloved. That. It seems so simplistic. But the son of God. Defined. This issue. As the dividing issue. Of wisdom. And folly. At the end of the age. Right there. He goes. If you take your. Your lamp. You neglect your oil. You are a fool. Even though they will. Be saved. They had burning. Lamps. I mean. It was going strong. They. They were doing. The bride. The bride of Christ. Conferences. At this point in time. Of their ministry. They lost their oil. I was talking to. A famous. Man. Written many books. On prayer. And he. Was. It was in a. Kind of a summit. Of maybe. 20 to 30. It seems like. A large. Group of people. We spent a couple. Days together. All everyone. Who's focused on prayer ministries. And everybody in the room. Had written 10 books. I'd probably. Written one. But he. I was like. The little peewee. But all these. Well known. A ministry. Many of books. And conferences. Ministries. And I remember. Saying. I'm going to be the hero. Of my own story here. So. I qualify that. And they said. We got to do a. B. C. And D. All these things. And I said. I can't do them. I said. Why? And they said. Oh. Come on. We're. We're all in this together. Let's put together. I go. I agree with all that. But I said. Here's. Here's where I'm at. I said. I don't want. Just write books. On prayer. And preach on prayer. Actually want to pray. I said. I actually want to pray. And I wasn't trying to be cute. Or even profound. I just. I just said. I go. I can't do all those things. I got to pray. And this man. The senior man. He made such a great statement. He said. He said. Let's stop for a second. Let's think about this. He goes. Wouldn't it be something. If we actually had prayer lives. And the people in the room. I mean. There was just a. Spirit of agreement. And said. What if we really had. Prayer lives. I don't know. I mean. Just enough. To get information. Write a book. But we actually did it. Day after day. Year after year. He goes. Wouldn't it be something. Obviously. Some in the room could say. Here we are. And some of them. You know. My point was. To figure out who. Who was. And who wasn't. I have no energy for that. But the point is. I don't want to have. Bride of Christ. Conferences. And prayer conferences. I actually want to know it. In my spirit. In reality. Okay. So what's going to happen. Is that one group. Is wise. And one group. Is fools. And it's all. Because of the way they manage. The delay. The delay. It's how they manage. A little delay. The break-in of God. Now again. It's not just the second coming. Break-in of God. It's the break-in of God. The anointing. The promise. The breakthrough. For their life. Whatever. One guy gets. Toppled by the giant. Of the mundaneness. They just can't endure. Staying steady. Pulling weeds. Under a hot sun. They just can't do. The mundaneness. Of life. And stay steady. In their prayer life. The other person. The great Goliath. In their life. Is the trial. The tribulation. They get so overwhelmed. They get out of the way. Of God. They have to quit. God. To go. Settle the issues. They. They quit their intimacy. To go. Fix. The problem. And the other person. It's. It's not the. Mundane. It's not the big trial. It's the overwhelming sin. The enticement. To the party. Is just too intense. They just. They just decide. To go for the party. And they all. There's. Those three different ways. To manage the delay. In a wrong way. And the fool. Jesus told these leaders. They're. They're. Because they're. They're ministries. He says. You're foolish. If you don't manage. The delay right. And again. They manage that. They didn't know. It's gonna be so long. And they didn't know. It'd be so hard. They just kind of assumed. Hey. Glory to God. I'm into the bridegroom thing. I made it. No. No. No. No. No. Many. Many of more noble ones. Than you and I. Have got off the path. And not because. It's impossible to do it. Because they were not. Paying attention. To it. They took it for granted. It would be easy. I'm gonna tell you. This thing is totally possible. It's within the reach. Of every believer. But it won't happen. Casually. It won't happen on the run. It won't happen. Accidentally. You will have intimacy. With God. Because you invest time. Costly time. And a thousand distractions. It won't happen. Accidentally. You won't go deep. In God. On the run. You'll go deep. In God. Not accidentally. But. You'll be intentional. You'll set your schedule. You'll turn down. Many other opportunities. You are going. To get oil. And you're gonna go deep. And that's the only way. It comes. Many more noble folks. Than you or I. Got off the path. Because they did not. Esteem. The process. As something. That would take. All the strength. Of their personhood. To stay focused on this. In the. Under the grace of God. It's like. Well. Hey. You know. I'll do it. I love God. I like that bridegroom thing. Anyway. That's cool. Hey. Let's go to Kansas City. And visit. No. Better yet. Let's go to the internship. We're into the bridegroom. That's not near enough. That won't get you there. So. Let's go to. Page two. Roman numeral three. The central need for cultivating. Oil. In the end times. Verse. Five and six. While the bridegroom delayed. They all slept. Now. This sleeping. By the way. Is not bad. Because the wise. Slept too. So. This. This sleep. Sleeping in some parables. Is a rebuke. It is. It's meant to be. And it's obvious. Sleeping in this parable. All of them. The ten. The wise. The ones honored. Slept. This is. The natural processes of life. Take their toll. See. Some guy says. Well. You know what? If I could disconnect from everything. If I didn't have to eat. If I didn't have to talk. If I didn't have to be nice to people who were mean to me. If I didn't have to fix my car. Pay my bills. Never do taxes. If I could go up to a mountain. And just never eat. And just float. Hey. I could do it. But they all slept. They all. Here's the point. They all. Encountered. The rigors. Of the natural realm. All of them then. Again. There is no penalty. There is no negative connotation. For them sleeping here. Someone says. If I escape. Everything. Then. My decision. Making. Faculties. Will be on automatic pilot. Then I'll be there. No. It's in the midst. I got to pay my bills. My tires got to get fixed. I got to. Somebody's mad at me. I got to be nice to him. And listen to him. I got. Places to go. Things to do. Ah. It's just hard to decide right. That's. The rigors. Where the force. Of real. Locked in. I'm going to go for this. And I have to say no. To so many things. That make people mad. Glad. And sad. And all kinds of strange. Combinations. Because. When I. Talk to people. Just like when you. They relate to you. Based on their agenda. For your life. People will relate to you. Based on their agenda. For your life. And if you're a sucker. For that. It's called. The fear of man. We dressed it up. And called it codependent. It's okay. To call it that. But it's just called. The fear of man. Just a man. Pleasing spirit. Most people. Are absolutely. Just. Sick. And. Toxic. With the fear of man. That they cannot. Stay on a focus. Because they keep. So many people happy. The people above them. The people below them. The people on the right. And the people on the left. We want to keep everybody happy. Because we're on a popularity contest. And we don't have the courage. Or the wisdom. To define it. About our own lives. We just say no. We're compassionate. We care. We're on a popularity contest. So we're enslaved. To everybody else's agenda. For our lives. So they stay happy with us. Because we have the fear of man. It's a popularity contest. And we can call it compassion. We can call it caring. And some of it really is. And some of it really isn't. And we end up. One year turns to five. Five turns to ten. Ten years to twenty. And all of a sudden. You have no oil in your lamp. And you have. You're no further in God. Than you were ten or twenty years ago. I find this thing of getting oil. It takes. It is the supreme preoccupation. In my life. To stare at this subject. The supreme issue of my life. I mean difficulty. Is managing. What is really compassion. And what is my messianic complex. To give the answer. So I get the praise. And I deliver. And everyone's happy. It's the supreme challenge. Is to manage this thing. To end up five years from now. Deeper than I am now in God. It is absolutely. It stakes my. I have to think on this thing. On a near daily basis. It's not something I think about. You know. Just on January first. New Year's resolution. I. It takes. Incredible attention. To study this thing. B. At midnight. A cry was heard. There it is. At the midnight of human history. Of natural history. A cry was heard. The most difficult hour. Beloved. I. I said it already. Sin. Is going to be more enticing. And more powerful. There's going to be more. Uh. Inflamed. Temptation. On the planet. Satan's rage. To kill. To destroy. To wreak. Havoc. To inflict. With sickness. And death. And martyrdom. Satan's rage. And then. God's judgments. On the other side. Shaking everything. Again. Shaking. It is the midnight. Of natural history. Not a question. About it. Christ. Of course. The great. Glorious. Uh. Revival. Is coming. In our three fold messages. Number one. The bridegroom. Is come. The bridegroom. Behold. The bridegroom. The God. Who we are. Who saved us. With his blood. Is passionate about us. He's. He's lovesick for us. And we can feel it. And the desire. Can be imparted to us. And we can live. With a fascinated. Exhilarated spirit. Oh my goodness. What a great hour. To be alive. In history. Like no time. In history. The holy spirit. Is pouring this thing out. In a measure. He's never poured out. In history before. The bridegroom. Behold. The Messiah. As a bridegroom. Wow. He's always a bridegroom. He's a bridegroom. Back then. But there's an anointing. To encounter him now. Certain second. No time in history. It's the only time in history. Where the church worldwide. The spirit of the bride. Will cry come. The church will have a universal. Understanding. As a bride. Before a bridegroom. No time in history. Has the holy spirit. Emphasized this doctrine. This reality. Number two message. First. He's a bridegroom. Number two. He's coming. There's power. There's revival. There's consequences. He's going to shake everything up. To those that love him. That's good news. To those who don't like him. It's bad news. And to those that are named. By his name. But aren't really walking with him. They're going to be right. In the middle of the tear. Love him too much. To enjoy sin. Dabbling in sin. Too much. To enjoy him. What a rotten place to be. We love him too much. The party's no fun anymore. But we go enough to the party. We can't feel love for him. What an absolute. Horrible place to be. What happened to the day where I could go to the party and be happy? You didn't have your conscience. It wasn't alive. Oh my goodness. I mean like it is now. Of course our conscience was there. But we got the Holy Spirit living in us. We're at the party. Whatever the party means. We're out there doing it. And it's screaming inside. No! You go. It's not working no more. I'm screaming inside. I'm smiling and high-fiving everybody. But it's not working anymore. I'm on the fast track to fame and honor. It's just not working anymore. Midnight of human history. He says go out and do it. Get up. Get out of bed. Because they're asleep. I call this the fasted lifestyle. Exert energy. Go out. Make pains. Rearrange your life. Downsize. Get the clutter off. You don't need. We don't need. Most of us in this room don't need half of what we have that takes all of our time and energy to keep paying for it. The other time we got to take time and energy to pay the insurance for it or to go fix it. And then if we actually pay for it. Keep paying for it and fix it. Then we play with it for hours and hours and hours. And our lives decades go by and we're cluttered. We have no oil. But we got stuff. But we don't have oil. Our barns are bigger. But our hearts are smaller. Jesus said go out. Make the necessary efforts. And encounter him. Go out and encounter him. Well you know what I think I'm going to do. I think I'm going to end here. And for those in the class we're just going to do session five. We're going to do. Because there's just too much. That's too important for leadership in the next five verses. And so this is just the introduction of it. But the next five verses is critical part of leadership. And I just don't want to speed past it because I got a little long winded. And so we're going to come back and do this next week. Lord willing. So let's stand. Let's just end with that. So we're going to pick up at verse six. At midnight a cry was heard. At midnight a cry was heard. Beloved I want to be one of those crying at midnight. You know where it says a cry was heard. Circle that word. A cry was heard. And write forerunner ministry. And put your initials there. Me. I'm one that's going to give the cry. You don't have to have a public platform. You don't have to be a singer or musician or a preacher on the platform. You don't have to have a writing ministry. You may have a one-on-one ministry. But the cry can be heard. You may have a one-on-three ministry. The cry can be heard. You may have a street ministry. The cry can be heard. We have to give the cry to the church and to the world. The bridegroom. He is real and he's coming. And he is giving the invitation for us to meet him. We have to give that threefold cry. That's what forerunners. We're doing it now. Before this thing is over, it's going to dominate the whole landscape of the body of Christ. This cry will dominate the whole kingdom of God. But right now, it's just the beginning of the cry. It's where the forerunners come in. It's an unnamed, nameless, faceless voice in the wilderness crying out, He is a bridegroom. He is a God that loves you, that you can feel, that can awaken you. He is coming. He is coming. Get up. Downsize if you have to, and most people need to. Really, most people need to. That means a dozen things to different people. We need to downsize the way we play too much. We got too much stuff. We're whining and dining out there, networking too much. In whatever arena of life, just trying to make, establish ourselves too much. We just got to downsize so our heart can increase. We really, really do. We just can't stay at the same pace and keep our hearts alive. It just doesn't work that way. He is coming. Go out and meet him. Rearrange your life. Go meet him. Amen. I'm going to invite those of you to come forward that are saying, you know what, I need to get into a new place of resolve before God to go after this in a new way. And if you're in a place where the Lord is speaking to you tonight or this season of your life, maybe before tonight, you're just saying, I'm in a season where I got to get serious.