This sermon focuses on the anticipation of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for His coming. It delves into the significance of being part of the bride of Christ, ready and clothed in righteousness for the marriage feast. The message highlights the need for believers to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in daily life to develop the wedding garment of righteousness, symbolizing readiness for the Lord's return.

Will you please turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 20. He that testifies these things says, yea, I come quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Thank God for gathering us together this time. And if you were there last night, you know the theme of this conference is taken from that verse. The Lord Jesus testifies these things. And he said, yea, I come quickly. This is the response of our Lord Jesus to the cry of the Holy Spirit and the bride. Because the Holy Spirit and the bride, they say come. And this is the response also for those who hear, say come. Brothers and sisters, when we hear this word, what is our reaction? Is it from the bottom of our heart? We also say come, Lord Jesus. Just as the apostle John, he said, amen, come, Lord Jesus. Or is it that we are hoping that the Lord has delayed? Because we have lots of plans, lots of things we want to do. You know, when our Lord Jesus was speaking in Matthew 24, after he spoke of his coming, he said in chapter 24, verse 45, who then is the faithful and prudent bondman whom his Lord has set over his household to give them food in season. Blessed is that bondman whom his Lord, O coming, shall find to give thus. Verily I say unto you that he will set him over all his subjects. At the coming of the Lord, there will be those who are faithful and prudent. Faithful to what they have heard. And prudent in doing what they are told. And to such bondman, when the Lord shall come, he will set him over all his subjects. But if that bondman, the same one, if that bondman is evil in his heart, he will say, my Lord delays to come and begin to beat his fellow bondman and eat and drink with the drunkard. The same bondman, but reacts differently. And when the Lord shall come, he will come in a day that he does not expect it. Because he has many things to do. And in an hour he knows not. Now what will happen to that bondman? He shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Brothers and sisters, here you find to that evil bondman, who does not expect the Lord to come soon. What will happen to him? He will be cut in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. It is a very severe punishment. And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which speaks of repentance. He will repent of what he had done. Now of course, if he is a bondman of the Lord, he is still saved. But he will be disciplined during the Kingdom Age. So dear brothers and sisters, as we are talking of the coming of the Lord, actually it is a very serious subject. Because our reaction will result in very different treatment during the Kingdom Age. Those who are faithful to the Lord, they shall reign with Christ for a thousand years. But those who are unfaithful, they will be disciplined during the thousand years. Brothers and sisters, we have to answer this question. Each one of us has to be serious before the Lord and answer what is our attitude towards his coming. Thank God, the Lord Jesus said, Yeah, I'm coming soon. But brothers and sisters, this was said over two thousand years ago. Do you think that the Lord has delayed his coming? And what is the reason of this delay? Surely the reason is not in the Lord. The reason is with us. Because he is coming for his bride. And if his bride is not ready, how can he come? He has to wait until his bride is ready. So dear brothers and sisters, the whole problem does not lie with the Lord. Is there any bridegroom who is not anxious for his bride? So far as I know, there was only one. The great-grandfather of Hudson Taylor. He was a young man, careless, loving, amusement, dancing, and all these things. But on the day of his wedding, when he got up in the morning, he suddenly realized marriage is a serious matter. So he went out to the field to pray. As he was praying, he forgot the time. He kept on praying, confessing, trusting the Lord. So when he finished praying, he suddenly realized it was the time of his wedding. The bride was waiting. The friends were waiting. They were wondering where was the bridegroom. So he rushed to the church building and got married. Now after he got married that evening, before they went to bed, he told his bride, we have to pray. And he forced his bride to kneel down and pray. The bride was surprised because she was not expecting to marry a Methodist. But anyway, you'll find because of this beginning, generation after generation of that family served the Lord. And Hudson Taylor was one whom the Lord used to open up interior China to the gospel. We are ever thankful for that. So brothers and sisters, as we are talking about the coming of the Lord, it really is a very serious matter. The delay is not because of the Lord. He is anxious. He is ready to come. The delay is because of his church. You remember during his first coming? What is the reason for his first coming? When you come to the gospel according to John, then you know why he came the first time. You remember he came to this world for one purpose. And that purpose is seeking for his bride. But while he was here, he couldn't find his bride. As you read the gospels, you may be surprised that why is it that while he was on this earth, it seemed as if all the people that he met were either blind or deaf or crippled or dead. So he really had to come to save these people first. Towards the end of his life, in Matthew 16, he tells us why he came into this world. He told Peter, you are Peter, you are a small stone. I will build my church upon this rock, which is the confession of Peter, which is Christ himself. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Now this is the reason for his coming. He came to build his church. And on the day of Pentecost, we all know the story, how the 120 of his disciples were praying and waiting for 10 days. And then on that day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down and they were baptized into one body. That's the beginning of the church. Thank God, as you read the book of Acts, you will find the church had a glorious beginning. The Lord added to them daily how they persevered in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles. In breaking of bread and prayer, within 30 years or so, the gospel was preached to the world. Because Rome at that time was considered the end of the world. Even though there were problems, brothers and sisters, as long as we as human beings are there, there will always be problems. But problems are no problem if they could handle right. On the contrary, it can be a blessing. So here you find a glorious beginning of the church. The bride was growing in the statue. But unfortunately, we find towards the end of the first century, as our brother mentioned last night, in the book of Revelation, the seven churches in Asia Minor. Ephesus was supposed to be a church full of love. And because of that, the Lord was able to share with them the deep things of God. But towards the end of the first century, everything outwardly went on as usual. But the inner fire was gone. They have lost their first love. Our Lord can come at any time. If his church is ready, he will come during the first century. But here we are. We are in the 21st century. And we are still waiting for his return. How do you think our Lord will feel about that? Oftentimes, we are only thinking of how we feel. But think, how the Lord will feel about that. He promised his disciples, I come. I will come and receive you to myself. And yet that promise has been postponed and postponed until now. Brothers and sisters, if we know the heart of our Lord Jesus, how hurt he must be. If our Lord Jesus had to wait for his whole church to be matured before he came, I don't know if he will ever come. It seems, I mean, the church never grows up from the first century until now. If we look at ourselves, if we look around, probably we will be deeply disappointed. I remember once Brother Sparks asked Brother Knee a question. Brother Sparks said, what do you think is the most difficult promise of God to be fulfilled? And our brother's answer was Ephesians chapter 5. Until the body has fully grown to the fullness of the statue of Christ. But thank God, man may fail. And man always fails. But God never fails. So we find in God's strategy, he has an emergency measure. And this emergency measure is, we find in Revelation chapter 2 and 3, God is calling for overcomers. Now this principle was not new because in the Old Testament time, he has the same principle with another name, the remnant principle. When the children of Israel rebelled against God and the nation was destroyed, the temple was destroyed, Jerusalem lay in ruin. But then we find after 70 years of captivity, a remnant. Now we will think that if the decree, royal decree said, anyone who wants to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, they are free to do that. We will think the whole nation in exile will return, but that's not the case. Because during the exile, they will be able to build up their own house, their own trade and business. They were comfortable in captivity. They did not have God's interest in their heart. Only by the grace of God, a remnant, whose spirits were stirred by God, and they were willing to be uprooted and go back to Jerusalem, a barren place, to rebuild the temple as the testimony of God upon the earth. So this remnant principle we find in the Old Testament. But when you come to the New Testament, he uses another name, the overcomer principle. So from the first century towards the end of the century, as our Lord looked upon his church, he found that his church was mainly in ruin. But thank God there were still these few who were faithful to his testimony. So he called for overcomers. And this call has been upon the church for the last 2,000 years. The Lord said to us in Matthew 24 that he is coming. And his coming is like in the days of Noah. When people eat and drink, marry and get married, suddenly the flood came. But Noah and his family, they were rescued in the ark. So the Lord said, his coming is like that. His coming is like the days of Lot. When Lot left Sodom, then the cities around were destroyed. So our Lord Jesus said, nobody knows when he is coming, not even the angels. Only the Father knows the time. When two people are sleeping. That's in Luke 17. One is taken, one is left. When two people were grinding, one is taken, one is left. When two people were working in the field, one is taken, one is left. That is the coming of the Lord. Now what does it mean? It doesn't mean there are six people there. Actually, what the Lord is trying to say is two. Because two is the least of the plural number. And he says two because these are the Christians, such as we are, who are still living at the time of the coming of the Lord. The earth is round. So you find in some place it's night. In other place it's morning. In some other place it's noonday. But suddenly you find the Lord comes. And one is taken, one is left. Arguably, these two are not different. They are doing the same thing, same things. You know, in church history, time and again, there were people saying the Lord is coming. So what should we do? They left their home, their business. They went to the desert and waiting there for the Lord to come. But the Lord did not come. Brothers and sisters, arguably these two are no different. Do not because the Lord is coming so you dare not go to sleep. Even when you are sleeping, one can be taken. All you left your job and work, keep on working as usual. But the Lord knows our heart. He knows who is the one who is really waiting for his return. And who is not. You cannot distinguish them outwardly. But the Lord knows our heart. Now we usually say the number of the church is twelve. Twelve disciples. Twelve foundations. Twelve. You have only two here. But brothers and sisters, when you look at Matthew 25, you find the ten virgins there. And it is the same thing with the ten virgins. Five wise and five foolish. The wise, they have a torch with oil in it. It is burning. So were the foolish. They were all going out to meet the Lord. But because the Lord delayed, they fell asleep. Actually, they were dead. They were dead. So throughout the centuries, thank God, there will be people who go out to meet the Lord in their time. Because the Lord was delayed. So they went to sleep. And this sleep is dead. Then suddenly the voice said, the Lord cometh. They all awoke, awake. But those who have extra oil in the vessel, they are able to keep the light burning. But those in their vessel, instead of extra oil, they may put other treasures. And while they went away trying to buy extra oil, the bridegroom, and they entered in the marriage feast. But the foolish one came. The door was shut. They were cast into outer darkness. Brothers and sisters, so you have the ten virgins here that speaks of those who have died in Christ Jesus. And plus the two who are still living, you have the full number 12. And thank God, there will be some who are waiting. For the Lord's return. All the prophecies that we find in the scripture that precede the coming of the Lord have been fulfilled. There are still prophecies to be fulfilled. But these prophecies are referred to the time of His coming and also afterwards. So dear brothers and sisters, we are living in a very thrilling time. Why? Because we are living at a time when we can expect the Lord to return in our time. Suddenly, all over the world, you will find some people disappeared because they have been taken by the Lord. You remember our Lord Jesus said, His coming is like a thief. Now, I wonder if any thief that is coming will blow the trumpet first, saying that I'm coming. I do not think so. But strangely, in our hymns, we are always thinking of that. When the thief shall come, he will come at a time you are not expecting. Strangely, he seems to know the right time. And suddenly he came. And when you wake up, he's gone already. Will he come for your garbage? Welcome him every night. No, he knows where your treasure is. And he will come to take the treasure and leave the garbage. That is what our Lord will do at his coming. So, brothers and sisters, we are expecting our Lord Jesus to come at any moment. When Christians all over the world, suddenly some of them disappeared, you know his coming has begun. You know the word coming is parousia. Those who know Greek tells us parousia, parousia doesn't mean one time, one event. Parousia means a time with a number of events happening. Parousia means presence. Today our Lord Jesus is absent so far as his body is concerned. Although we know he is present with us in our spirit, and we thank God for that, but so far as his physical body is concerned, resurrection body is concerned, he is absent. But one day he's coming back, presence. But if you read the Bible carefully, how will he be present? When you turn to Acts chapter 1, Acts chapter 1, our Lord Jesus led his disciples to the mount and he spoke to them. And in chapter 1 verse 9, and having said these things, he was taken up. They behold him, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing into heaven, as he was going, behold, also two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, Man of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall thus come in the manner in which he has beheld him going into heaven. In other words, his returning to this earth will be in the same manner as he was leaving the earth. Now when you read the book of Acts, you find how did he leave from the earth back to heaven. You find he began to ascend from the Mount of Olives. And his disciples saw him going up. Then a cloud came and took him. They couldn't see him anymore. They were still looking up. And then two men in white appeared and said to them, why do you look up? Because he will come back in the same way. In other words, his going is in two stages. The first stage is from Mount Olive to the cloud, visible. The next stage is from the cloud to the throne, invisible. How do we know that he has arrived at the throne? It is because of Pentecost. Because on the Pentecost, he was enthroned. And then the Holy Spirit came down and baptized the 120 believers. So brothers and sisters, his going is in two stages. The first stage is visible. The second stage is invisible. And his return will be just the reverse. From the throne to the air, invisible. From the air to Mount Olive is visible. And from the throne to the air, he is coming like a thief. Invisible. But from the air to Mount Olive is like lightning. From the east to the west, and everybody will see it. So brothers and sisters, do not expect till you hear the trumpet sound and then the Lord comes. As a matter of fact, to us Christians, it is too late. We should expect him to come as a thief, not as a lightning. So when he shall come, suddenly one is taken and one is left. Brothers and sisters, isn't that thrilling? But isn't that terrible? If he should come now, hopefully we will all be taken up. But if any should be left, what a pity that should be. But brothers and sisters, the point is, we are expecting the Lord to come at any moment. He can come today. He can come tomorrow. We do not know. But how can we be prepared for his coming? I think that is the most important question. So when you turn to Revelation chapter 19. In Revelation chapter 19, verse 6, And I heard as the voice of a great cloud, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, has taken to himself kingly power. Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory. For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. Verse 8, And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure. And the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. In other words, you'll find when the bride is ready and to be married, he will be clothed, she will be clothed with an embroidered garment of fine linen. If you turn to Psalm 45, Psalm 45. In Psalm 45 you find verse 13, All glorious is the king's daughter with thee. Her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought before the king in raiment of embroidery. The virgins behind her, her companions, shall be brought in unto thee. So here you'll find the bride will be clothed with two garments. In verse 13, Her clothing is of wrought gold. Now brothers and sisters, before we believe in the Lord Jesus, we were all naked before God. After Adam and Eve sinned, they found themselves naked. They could not stand before God. And that's what we were. We were naked before God. But thank God, when we believe in the Lord Jesus, we are clothed with gold garment. You remember the medical prodigal son in coming back, what he father did to him, clothes him with the best robe. So thank God, Christ is the golden garment that has been put on upon us. He is our righteousness. And because of this, we are able to stand before God. That is the golden garment given to us. Christ, our righteousness. He gave us a standing before God. But to be married, you need another garment. It is the garment of embroidery. And you know, embroidery is a tedious work. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in each one of us, is doing this work of embroidery, stitch by stitch, in our daily experience. He is trying to build within us Christ. Christ is not only our righteousness, but with Christ building in us, he becomes the righteousness of the saints. As he is righteous, so we too must be righteous. In our daily life, we need to live right before God. And that is the work of the Holy Spirit. And that is a tedious work, daily work, stitch by stitch. He is building that wedding garment in us. And if we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and allow him to work Christ into our life, that becomes the righteousness of the saints. And the righteousness of the saints is the wedding garment. So brothers and sisters, how can we be ready for him? In our daily life, we have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. He will work in our spirit. He is like a still, small voice. He is like an ointment. He is speaking to us. He is applying the ointment upon us. And if we respond to him, then we will find we will be delivered from ourselves. And let the life of Christ grow within us until we are matured. So brothers and sisters, how important it is that throughout our life as a Christian, we are weaving by the Holy Spirit that wedding garment. And without that garment, we cannot be at the marriage feast. So thank God, he is working in each and every one of us, and nothing is lost. And finally, I wonder, and I put it before you, whether this is right interpretation or not, I don't know. But it came to me one day that probably this will have something to do with us. And that is in the Old Testament, in Hosea. Hosea chapter 6. Hosea chapter 6. Hosea is after Daniel. Chapter 6. We read the first three verses. Come and let us return unto Jehovah, for he has torn and he will heal us. He has spitted and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us. On the third day he will raise us up and we shall live before his face. And we shall know. We shall follow all to know Jehovah. His going forth is assured as the morning dawn. And he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. Now sometimes I wonder whether this can be applied to us Christians. We are waiting for the Lord. But for two thousand years he hasn't returned. This reminds us of what 2 Peter chapter 3 says. In 2 Peter chapter 3. We read from verse 8. But let not this one thing be hidden from you, beloved, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years. And a thousand years as one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some account of delay, but his long suffering towards you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Now here we find with the Lord a thousand years is as one day. Now if we can apply it to Yom Kippur, then you'll find in two days, after two days, will he revive us. On the third day he will raise us up and we shall live before his face. In two days, or two thousand years, then the third day will be in the third thousand years. And whether the Lord will come back during the third day, that is in the third thousand years. So if that interpretation can be applied to us Christians, I think we are in the third day, just the beginning of the third day. And hopefully he will come during our lifetime. So brothers and sisters, this is just a hope. It is a blessed hope. We are hoping that in our lifetime we may meet the Lord. So may the Lord bless each and every one of us. Shall we pray? Dear Lord, it is such a delight to talk about your coming. How we long that in our lifetime thou will return and take us. We do realize we are unworthy. We need thy grace to work in our lives, to stitch and make that embroidery garment the wedding garment. So when thou shall come, Lord, we are ready. Oh dear Lord, may every one of us in this hall receive thy grace and we'll be those who will be taken by thee. We feel ourselves unworthy, but Lord thou art worthy. So we give ourselves afresh to thee. Lord, work in us until Christ is fully formed. To the praise of thy glory we ask in thy name. Amen.