In this sermon, the speaker tells a story about a man who waved his lamp in front of a carriage and was exonerated by a judge. The man was troubled because he was asked if he had a light in his lamp, highlighting the issue of empty professions of faith. The speaker then discusses the parable of the ten virgins, emphasizing the importance of having enough light in our lamps. The sermon concludes with a call to action, urging people to truly understand the new birth and the significance of Jesus Christ as the light of the world.

The verse, so be it Lord, thy throne shall never like earth's proud empires pass away. Thy kingdom stands and grows forever till all thy creatures own thy sway. We bless you Father for the ultimate. We've read the last chapter of the book, Lord, and it doesn't disturb us in one sense. In one sense it does to feel that we have to account for every moment we've lived, every word we've said, every thought we've ever thought, every action we've ever committed, is going to be brought out one day in the final audit before the eyes of teeming billions of people. Then shall we know as we're known. But Lord, we pray that you'll teach us to live on earth as it is in heaven, with a heavenly heart on earth. We thank you this is possible. You can put out of us all the world and all that aspires to the world and give us a heart in every thought renewed and full of love divine, perfect and right and pure and good a copy, Lord, of thine. We want, Lord, that this blessed message shall go to the ends of the earth. We pray, Lord, as we come to your word tonight we would say in the words of scripture, Lord open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of thy law and we'll give you praise in Jesus name. Thank you this evening. We've got musical chairs tonight, you know. All right, John chapter 9. And as Jesus passed by he saw a man that was blind from his birth and the disciples asked him saying master who did sin this man or his parents he was born blind. Jesus answered neither hath this man sin nor his parents that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work. Now you've got to keep that in context with the next verse the night cometh as long as I'm in the world I am the light of the world as long as I am in the world I am the light of the world. You know that phrase virtually constitutes the very last utterance that Jesus made publicly. It's true he said finally in John 17 when I finished the work which thou finished on earth the work which thou gave us me to do the next work was when he was lifted up from the earth. But here Jesus virtually but as I say what what is can be constituted the last public statement that he made. It's a very interesting simple thing isn't it. Verse 2 the disciples asked him who did sin this man or his parents that he was born blind. You know that fragrant that statement is only once stated and it's here it's not repeated in the whole word of God. What would see we say as a congenital eye problem born with the wit from the beginning of his life he had no sight and so a miracle happened. Jesus did something very beautifully spit on the ground. Wouldn't that be offensive to us we'd rather die we'd rather be blind. Look what it says you look very incredulous you must have another version. Verse 6 when he had thus spoken he spat on the ground and made clear the spittle good night. That's not very hygienic. Don't you think people would object to that? It's just about as offensive as saying you have to be washed in the blood of the lamb. They don't want the blood of the lamb. They want Christ as a teacher. Christ is a very wonderful man but they don't want anything to do with the atoning work of Jesus. And Jesus takes this simple thing he doesn't go through some sign or some particular reference. He just spat on the ground and maybe only covered his finger in it and put it on the eyes of the man. And he anointed the eyes of the blind man and he said go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Now here's a problem. This causes a lot of controversy. Skip down to verse 36. 12 pardon me I'm sorry. 12 the people asked him and said where is he he said I know not. That's concerning Jesus. And they brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. And again the Pharisees also asked him how he'd received this sight. He said unto them he put clay on my eyes I washed and do see. Now look what it says in this verse. In verse 16 some said. A bit later in the verse others said. But in verse 17 it says he said. Now who do you take notice of? Whenever there's anything that God is doing some said this others said that. What did he say? Come on now. This man had been blind from his birth. Can you imagine his eyes are open. Everybody in the village is there. His uncle comes up to him and says hey Bill I'm your uncle Jim you've never seen me before. You can see. This is your Aunt Mary and Mary says hey you can see. You have to tell a man that's been blind he can see. You have to tell a man who's saved that he is saved. You have to say to him well you just prayed that little simple prayer and said God be merciful to me a sinner and you promised to tithe and we'll take in the church. You're saved you're saved. Forget it. I'm terribly disturbed about this business of folk getting saved. They walk up to the front and they say a prayer and in five minutes they've gone. No birth ever takes place like that. I can't believe a person with 10 years of guilt never mind 20 or 30 and a conscience that's tearing them up just goes up to the front and says something and sheds a few. Somebody said recently a lot of people came forward in church Sunday a lot of them were broken they cried. How do you know they were broken? Doesn't mean because they weep they're broken they may have hearts as hard as stone. They were emotionally disturbed. There's no birth that's easy and if people are going to be born again in the spirit of God at the time of wrestling sometimes they're broken with their unworthiness. Remember the man that wrote this fabulous thing I think it's one of the greatest that Charles Wesley wrote and he wrote over three thousand and can it be that I should gain? He's a scholar he's a man of impeccable morality he's one of the richest most powerful men in the nation in the church and yet one day he says one day my chains fell off. This guy had no criminal record he hadn't been crippled with smoking or drinking or lust. He was a model man and yet he says there came a moment along my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature's night thine eye diffused a quickening ray I walked the dungeon flame with light my chains fell off. Do you think he needed somebody to tell him that? I can see that man going out he's overcome with joy he's overcome with ecstasy. His mother I just must remember his mother who happened to be Mrs. Wesley so this is Charles Wesley and she read a book I've got a title here for you it's somebody asked me about it it's a book called the Life of God in the Soul of Man it's not a big book and I'll tell you where you can get it at Sprinkle you know some some people get baptized some get sprinkled this is Sprinkle. Sprinkle Publications Post Office Box 1094 Harrisonburg Virginia 22809 did you get that? Repeat it I'll give you this after this Sprinkle don't buy me it for Christmas I've already got a copy Sprinkle Publications you should sprinkle it when you get it it's the greatest thing ever written on the new birth and remember Mrs. Wesley read this boy you talk about the mother of the Salvation Army she was super John Wesley's wife she must have been super with 17 kids anyhow Jonathan Edwards mother had 17 I think Jonathan Edwards wife one of the most spiritual women that ever walked America had 12 children it's no sign you're spiritual because you've a brood or that you're unspiritual if none the right number is three but anyhow Sprinkle Publications P.O. Box 1094 Harrisonburg Virginia 22809 and the book is the Life of God in the Soul of Man Mrs. Wesley read it and it stirred her heart so she says to Charles you've got to read this and John you've got to read this so Charles was going in the University of Oxford I think it's called Jesus College they have those low windowsills and here's a fellow sitting there with a severe cross squint eye one eye's turned in the corner they bless him on the English stage and call him Mr. Squintum well Wesley Mrs. Wesley gave it to Charles Charles gave it to George Whitfield on the cover of the book it says John is quoting him it says I never knew what true religion was until I read this book I remember that set this man on fire his spirit had been in prison if you knew a cure for cancer supposing you had cancer lying in hospital and suddenly you woke up miraculously healed do you think you'd be embarrassed to talk about it do you think you'd stay in bed well you'd jump out in your nightshirt or whatever you were in go around saying I'm healed I'm healed I'm healed we had a man in England like that the wickedest man in the British Empire they shifted him home on a on a boat from India and then in the hospital they said don't talk to him he's mad he'd get up and blaze in the night storm and rage somebody came in one night and gave him a day a little woman came in and gave him a scripture oh no no no no he said I'm the most wicked man in the British Army I've had delirium tremens three times they've shipped me home in this home in a straitjacket from India and I'm going to be thrown out of the army I'm the biggest derelict drunkard liar I have the worst vocabulary of cursing in the whole world and she said well Jesus came for somebody like you me yeah all you have to do is and she said here's his letter and she read to him he must be born again well what do I do say from your heart tonight I renounce all sin and uncleanness and wickedness and I take you Lord Jesus as my savior and my lord so he did that and she left him a new testament he woke up in the morning and reached for it he woke up with all the joy bells of heaven had all been shifted into his heart boy he was rejoicing with joy unspeakable and he reached for the new testament he read it oh mercy what did he read that the prayer of faith shall save the sick so he said well lord I said last night save me you saved me heal me lord heal me and the nurse was going past the bed and he says nurse nurse I want my trousers no no no you where are you going I'm going home why I've been healed right just now no no no no no no no you had a vision or something they brought the nurse they brought the doctor they brought half the staff of the hospital I talked with this man in fact I slept with him in a big old bed he dug me in the ribs at two in the morning he says a little lamb I said yes he said let's have a glory march I said it's two o'clock it doesn't matter I said the people next door he said doesn't matter they can come and join if they want he had a night shirt you know like these ladies wear these ruffles around the neck from there right dragging on the floor he had one of those when he was in bed in in the army I said what if they didn't bring your child he said I'd have walked home in my night shirt all through the city of Perth he said man don't you realize I was born again delivered from sin from guilt from condemnation I done enough sin to damn a hundred men and he saved me like that I had all these chronic pains and as quickly as that he healed me what can I do I love that man in meetings I wanted to show him outside I mean you're going to show in a store like uh Sears Roebuck he'd get the blessing he'd get he'd get you know baptism of joy he'd stand in the shop and say hey all you folks keep it till we get to church no no no no he said listen everybody I've got the blood red snow white sky blue experience I'm as happy as a lark and as free as an eagle and it's sunshine and smiles and strawberries and cream now never do any never get worried when people do that they have a right to point to their own heads if they want if they're a bit weak have compassion on them why why worry they point at their it's when they point at your head you're in trouble do you know what we don't have enough joy of the Lord we don't have enough ecstasy if you were carrying a hundred pound I think my dear wife read this to me today you know Bunyan Bunyan's Pilgrim said I came to a place that was somewhat ascending there was a wall on the right and a wall on the right and straight in front of me was a cross when I beheld the cross he said the burden loose from off my shoulders fell from off my back rolled into an empty sepulchre and I saw it no more and I gave three leaps for joy and he was a baptist what would the Pentecostals have done huh he'd lost his burden he lost his guilt he lost his condemnation he lost his darkness and got light he lost his bondage and got freedom he's got his anxiety and got joy it's not contagious enough there should be something about this every day of radiance the fact that we're born again of the spirit of God and I remind you again I'm going to heaven you go away you'll go to hell if you want but I'm going to heaven and I'm not going for the weekend right and if you're going to hell you're not going for the weekend the same word that talks about eternal life is the same for eternal death so this man causes a problem everybody does if you're born again yeah we say Jesus oh if Jesus came he's the prince of peace wouldn't it be when if Jesus comes he comes to bring a sword he divides people he divides children from their parents he divides people in ministries you suddenly wake up to where you are and who you are and where you're going and suddenly like that you realize that it's Jesus Christ is all he is and he's all I need there is nothing at all either he was the most disillusioned man or a liar or else he's the most fabulous message in the world and he has the most fabulous message in the world because he just said to them here in verse 4 of this chapter 9 he says I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh they didn't know how near that night was what did he say I am the light of the world hear the light of the world I am the light of the world as long as I'm in the world I am the light of the world you know there's a wonderful verse one of the first we learned in England as children was that word of the psalmist thy word is a what a what and then what and the light unto my path you know one of the amazing thing that we hardly ever caught is this oh let me go back a minute it's no good having a lamp if you're in the light in it we used to have a say so meeting in our church on a Saturday night let there be deemed of the Lord say so I'll give you a week's notice one of these times and say next week we're gonna have a say so meeting say what God has meant to you in the last week in a special way on the last month we had an old man called Kerfoot used to come he was a saint he walked very slowly he talked very slowly but his eyes always sparkled and he had a radiance and when he shook hands you know you shake hands with someone it's like a feather more like the tail of a wet fish sometimes I think a handshake denotes character I like somebody to get hold of my hand give it a grip don't try too hard Spencer because my hand's a bit weak right now but I still like somebody to grip and that dear old man kept a crossing where the train came down from the coal mine it came about three times a day and he went shut the gate or open the gate and he would wave a flag in the daytime and a red light at night well it wasn't him but it was somewhere else in England where a train was coming and the fellow that should wave the light was asleep and at the last moment he woke up just as a horse and carriage came down and it got in the pathway of the train and it was smashed a bit well the man desperate it was an upset of course when he got into the police car they said did you carry a lamp that night he said yes I did did you swing it in front of the carriage it and they did that actually just about five seconds minutes before this a few minutes before the train came crashing through and he said yes well the judge said you're exonerated and the man trembled and shook and he went white and going out somebody said to him Jack did you wave your lamp in front of that carriage that was coming yes he said I did well then why are you so troubled the judge asked you did you wave your lamp you answered truthfully yes but what's wrong with you he said supposing he asked me if I had a light in it you know with millions of people in America swinging a lamp of an empty profession they have the framework but they haven't the light what about the virgins there weren't five virgins and five harlots who are all virgins and five of them they said our lamps are gone out it says in the revised version in the other version it says our lamps are going out they had light but they hadn't enough light you know this this really shakes me up how many millions of people are sitting in pews in America they've come up to the front there's something got to be done about it the little church I went to if you came to the altar a man would come and sit kneel at the side of a man a woman at the side of a it took you about an hour to get through before you're ever saved they show every scripture where you were lost where you were condemned where you could be washed where you could be filled with the spirit how you could walk in the spirit you ask people going out to have been today what happened oh I don't know I felt better I really cried so what people cry at movies as well the new birth is a miracle it's coming out of darkness into light out of darkness into light we sing a hymn sometime out of my bondage sorrow and night jesus out of my sickness into thy health out of my poverty into thy wealth out of my sin and into thyself people are not saved just because they make a confession oh I believe in the virgin birth so does the devil he witnessed it I believe in the physical resurrection from the dead so did the devil he was scared of it but Jesus says here I am the light of the world you know I hear people say to me oh I'm so glad I like to meet an Englishman of course you know your forebears there weren't four bears no three bears they were just my forebears didn't come here but those Englishmen came to America because they were seeking God they did not they came to America because they found God they came to bring the light and they brought it what did they bring they brought this word what else did they bring they brought their wives and they colonized and when they set up their little colonies the Indians came creeping up to see what was happening and in one instance one of the chiefs had already learned some English from traders and when they saw these people land they were scared stiff that they'd murder the Indians but they built a kind of a log place and they'd had no windows and these Indians crept up on their tummies or however they come Spencer will tell you they creep up through the trees quietly what were they doing this Englishman was reading the word of God they saw the man with a book they hadn't seen a book what was he reading well he was reading the sermon on the mount and they listened and said this is what they teach blessed are the merciful blessed are the pure in heart this is the greatest thing ever you know what the trouble with us is what familiarity breeds contempt the word doesn't shake us and move us as it should but going back those men brought what they hazarded their lives on what the Mayflower and the Speedwell I was on the Queen Mary a number of times and the Queen Elizabeth and the United States that big boat and one night a man said to me this is about the biggest boat in the world I said is it he said it's a it's the biggest ship ever it has 1,500 passengers and 500 staff 2,000 people fancy making scrambled eggs for that crowd every morning he said isn't it wonderful but the biggest boat ever I said no it isn't he said what's the biggest boat that ever sailed I said the Mayflower he said how do you make that I said everybody in America the grandfather sailed on it grandfather on the Mayflower or the Speedwell they brought the word of God they brought a lamp it had a light some men crossed the South Atlantic they were not pilgrims they were priests what did they bring they brought the lamp without any light they brought the Bible the priests brought the Bible in a foreign language that people couldn't read and that book has been locked up there in South America until fairly recently Catholics were forbidden even to read the word of God which is the most progressive nation in the world we're not the most holy I'm sure but in America you see whatever this book goes liberty goes slavery was abolished in England before America got started going was it abolished by John Wesley Wilberforce a deformed man very enormous long arms long legs a short body and people laughed at him when he came into the houses of common but he would jump on the speaker's table and speak with such passion that even the men who had ridiculed him would weep as he described the conditions of slavery he fought slavery John Newton fought slavery Charles Wesley fought slavery there's a book called England before and after Wesley and a light unto my path you know I'm afraid what we're doing with the altar you may disagree and that's your privilege I think what we're doing is the in Protestant churches the altar has become a confessional people come forward and confess and off they go there's no miracle of the new birth no miracle of the new birth I say to the pastors that come to me now they talk about their degrees whatever they have I say look a man that doesn't have the anointing of God that's trying to preach the word of God I say to him sir thou has nothing to draw with and the well is deep Wesley could preach Charles Wesley could preach as much as his brother though he wrote more hymns nobody preached of course like George Whitfield and yet these men were all established scholars they were all graduates of Oxford University they knew the word of God a new church history but Wesley says there came a moment when I passed from death unto life in his case in John Wesley's it was about a quarter to nine his exact words of these I've memorized them I've said them hundreds of times maybe in street meetings he said it was about a quarter to nine on the 24th of May 1738 that I felt my heart strangely warmed and I believe that I even I was reconciled to God a Catholic theologian said that all that happened to him was he had a fever well I hope somebody catch fever tonight completely revolutionized his life think of the peril of a man who's blind he's walking along and there's a precipice he can fall down a hundred or five hundred feet and he moves towards it and he's no idea it's there the whole world is blind outside of Jesus Christ it's going to fall over a precipice into an eternal hell I've read about that this week and I can hardly sleep at night many of our church members they're going to mix up there all liars are going to have their part in hell a blind man walks and there's a precipice and he goes over a blind man walks and he crunches something under his feet and he thought oh that's nothing it's a piece of glass it happened to be a a robe a ring of what they call a necklace of diamonds that some dropped off some lady's neck but he treads on it is no sense of value and you know people pass this word they read any blessed thing today junk a lot of these Christian junk stories too but there's nothing will inspire us and inflame us and satisfy us and provoke us the bible is a wonderful way of provoking me and calming me it excites me and it calms me down I see the view of the world but I see it from the eternal standpoint not as men see one man said he saw men as trees walking around you know it's one thing to have this word it's another thing for the word to be quickened to us reader's digest gave us a fantastic story three or four years ago a man was somewhere in Hong Kong I think and there was a rack and there were all kinds of you know these doodles that women wear all this junk but anyhow ropes of pearls and what have you got and he saw these little green oblong beads he said to man what do you want for that oh he said I don't know I've never had one like this I give you 20 dollars for it right the man brought it home gave it to his little girl to play with and she played with it and did all kinds of things and broke it oh daddy fix it fix it I can't he took it to a jeweler's and he said could you fix this for me I bought it in Hong Kong he said yes I can have it done in two or three days so the man went back for it he said did you rethread my bead he said yes how much did he get for it he said 20 dollars would you take a thousand from him a thousand but what about five thousand are you crazy five thousand dollars and I gave 20 for it just a little green bits of stone so he said he brought a magnifying glass what was it it was a love letter from Napoleon to Josephine the only one in the world and he'd engraved on every one of those little beads a word of his love my darling Josephine so he goes on he said this is the most unique necklace in the world you bought it for 20 dollars it may bring you a million may bring you more than that then of course the man got awfully excited about it he said you know my little girl was playing with it on the floor she even stubborn it and sank it in the rug at one time and then she smashed it she broke the chain yes I'll take any money you give me and it became a museum face with all its vast traveling from one country to another handled by this person handled by that well isn't this book more precious than any Josephine necklace and yet do we treasure it is it true to say as a poet said this is a golden casket where gems of truth are stored it is the heaven-drawn picture of Christ the living word and yet we so lightly esteem it some of our neighbors are walking very near to the precipice Matthew says it's that light in you becomes darkness how great is that darkness how many people have gone backwards in a Christian experience gone into twilight zone as it were spiritually something has to be done we need to pray desperately about the situation there are millions of people absolutely lost without God and without hope they sing in the choir they teach Sunday school classes they have a knowledge of the word of God they have no knowledge of the living Christ of God this word isn't sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb and if you're not really born again this book is like about it refreshes the mouthful of sand but once it begins to burn and you see it's what I forget an old missionary said I don't get much mail I read love letters from Jesus every day I have a bound volume of love letters from isn't that a wonderful way of looking at the word of God that God has unveiled his heart of love toward us oh you'll cause some trouble if you're truly born again of the spirit of God I don't think there's any question about that at all what do you say then I am the light of the world let's look at revelation 21 and verse 25 for a minute here and verse 22 I saw no temple therein look what he sees in verse 22 there's no temple in verse 23 there's no need of sun there's no need of the moon I saw no temple for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are the light of it are the temple of it and then at the end of verse 23 for the glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is the light thereof isn't that fabulous step back to chapter 5 for a minute in here in revelation revelation 5 and verse 6 I beheld and lo in the midst of the throne and of the beast and in the midst of the elders to the lamb is that gorgeous in the 21st chapter he read the lamb is the light it says here in the midst of the temple and the elders are in the midst of the temple and the lamb is in the midst of the elders I'm glad it says that don't you think it isn't it rather strange the Roman Catholics don't say that in the midst of the temple of Virgin Mary's there or the Jews don't say in the midst of the temple Moses is there see the lamb the lamb the lamb if you read it carefully you'll discover at least 20 I think 29 times altogether John talks about the lamb either in his gospel as we call it or in his epistles you know some people say he wasn't very learned men this man John I think he's pretty smart after all he wrote a gospel he wrote one epistle two epistles three epistles that's four books and then for being a dull man he did pretty good writing revelation don't you think which still baffles all the wise men you know we don't explore this book as we ought to you may not like it but I'm convinced for myself I'm poor and I should be rich I'm not exploring the possibilities of grace I'm an heir of God a joint I know when I get a shuffle off this mortal coil as as as what do you call him Shakespeare says we sing sometimes the hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets before we reach the heavenly fields of all the golden well tell me come on honestly how much richer are you tonight than you were last Friday night how much have you explored of the possibilities of grace how much further deeper deep down of your roots gone in in the joy of the Lord in the power of the Lord in the revelation of the Lord the lamb is in the midst of the throne the lamb is the light why does it say he's more brilliant than the noonday sun it doesn't say that it says there's no need of sun remember on the Damascus road when the Lord appeared to Saul the man that was going to liquidate the church and Jesus stepped in his white way and he was brighter than the noonday sun have you seen the sun when it's it's splendidly here in well we do have nice skies you can't see you can't see the sun in California but now you can go out in the daytime you see the blazing sun or at night it's singing a big ball how many worlds can you put in 15,000 worlds into the sun it's so large but here's Jesus brighter than the noonday sun how did he come in that in the trance in the mount of transfiguration glistening with majesty you know I kind of wish he'd done that when he came out of the tomb I wish he'd come radiant till people fell at his feet as dead walking through the synagogue and everybody fell dead or or fell back gasping or walked down main street in Jerusalem everybody said what is this it's as though the sun is walking but it's going to be greater than that when we see him he's going to be brighter than 10,000 sunrises and the lamb is in the midst of the throne you know I I was thinking this morning again of Moses when when he looked back and saw the bodies washing up when they crossed the red sea he wrote that 15th chapter where is it Genesis or Exodus which is the song of the Moses and Genesis Exodus sorry I'm a bit late with my wheelbarrow what did it say he sang the lord of triumph gloriously the horse and his rider he cast into sea I love this phrase right bang in the middle of the messiah as we call it by George Handel I know the hallelujah chorus is wonderful but I'll tell you what stirs me as much the one when it's they sing his name his name is wonderful counselor mighty god everlasting father but the other one that really blows me sky-high is worthy is the lamb that was slain can you think of millions seeing that in heaven oh Wesley I'm going to look at Charles when we're singing it maybe they'll sing and can it be but I know this what they're going to sing in heaven what they're going to sing they're going to sing the song of Moses and of the lamb isn't that wonderful the song of Moses the man who murdered somebody the man who couldn't get people into the promised land though he got them out of the old land he couldn't get them into the new you know somewhere the church today is all it's fallen down somewhere between the resurrection and the upper room we haven't come into the full I don't care what the Pentecostals say I think there's some godly people amongst them I'm not condemning them but you see there's nothing actually being produced in the way that it should be in the power of the spirit let's come to this little section before we pray revelation five and chapter six no revelation five verse six I mean no let me take let's start at verse one revelation five one I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within on the back sealed with seven seals I saw a strong angel proclaiming the loud voice who is worthy to open the book and to lose the seals thereof no man in heaven or in earth or under the earth now remember that Christ is in the midst of the throne and this is to show the majesty of Jesus no man in heaven or earth you could shout Elijah come and take the book out of the hands of him and he said I didn't do that Isaiah you come I didn't do that well you had revelations of him you wrote about his birth 750 years before he was born you said he'd be born of a virgin you've given us the picture among the cross in the 35th chapter of Isaiah a 53rd chapter in 35 you've shown us the highway of holiness in another chapter you've shown us the the millennium area you're one of the greatest men that ever lived Moses Aaron Joshua Moses Isaiah take the book out of the hand of him that sits on the throne notice he's not described the one that's sitting on the throne and yet Moses didn't go no man can do it Elijah can't do it the greatest soul that ever lived can't do it the apostles can't do it there's a book written and sealed with seven scenes I sometimes wonder if this isn't maybe the most awesome moment in eternity everybody's breathless wondering what's going to happen verse three again no man in heaven or earth or under the earth was able to open the book and look there on and I wept much now that word wept is only mentioned once in the new testament apart from here and that's when Jesus wept with a broken heart over Jerusalem this man isn't weeping because he's got something itching on his finger he's weeping with a broken heart there's nobody able to take the title deeds of the universe out of the hand of him that sits on the throne they were all lost by Adam it's a lovely hymn praise to the holiest in the height it's not correct not because it was written by a Catholic but in it Cardinal Newman says this O loving wisdom of our God when all was sin and shame and second Adam to the fight there isn't a second Adam there's only a last Adam if there's a second Adam you can have a third or a fourth there was the first Adam there's a last Adam the last Adam caused us to lose the title deeds the first Adam did the last Adam he comes in and does what Moses Elijah Isaiah nobody else he says I've wept much because no man was worthy to open the book neither to look thereon one of the elders said weep not behold the lion isn't that fabulous you've got the lion you know if you go a little bit further back in the book if you with time we haven't or no further forward it will be from here but at one place it shows Jesus with a sharp twedged sword coming out of his mouth you know the problem today with men in the world is this they either accept the blood of the lamb or the wrath of the lamb before very long there's going to be an outpouring of anger beyond anything we've ever understood I understand from men who've dealt with men in Australia I talked with about raising sheep and certainly a certain breed of ram he said when it gets angry it has far more it's far more ferocious than maybe a lion more ferocious than a than a bull for the size of it it says a ram can cause more strength to come and cause more damage than any creature its size and and the bible talks about the wrath of the lamb that's soon going to be outpoured this world's in for more trouble than we ever think of it's all heading up to that we're getting where people have less and less confidence in the church and ministries and so forth and I don't blame them but on the other hand there's a godly remnant in the world today there are people that in their devotions privately or little gatherings I keep getting calls from people we can't find anywhere to worship so 20 of us are gathered together 30 of us meet in a house every Sunday morning well hallelujah bless them of course you don't go minister to those if you do you're a maverick I don't care what I am some people think I'm ignorant and think I'm arrogant but I don't care a hell of beans about any of them I'm a son of God and that makes me happy why should I worry about some of the snooty little guy he's got the worms are going to eat him up before long he won't feel too good then but boy we've got a home eternal in the heavens why should we be anxious but what happens they took the book out of the hymn that sits on the throne verse 7 he took the book out of the hand of him that sat on the throne and when he had taken the book the four beasts and four and twenty others fell down before the lamb having every one of them vials harps and vials full of orders which are the prayers of the saint they sung a new song can you imagine that verse 11 I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders a number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand what's what's ten thousand times ten thousand come on pull your computer out of your pocket John knows come on tell us John ten thousand times ten thousand happens to be a hundred million can you imagine a choir of a hundred million but every woman can sing better than galley gurchie but every man can sing better than what they call him paparazzi or the greatest singers in the heavenly choir millions of redeemed people with bursting hearts singing with the same excitement as Wesley said my chains fell off all singing worthy is the lamb and the voice rolls down into eternity ten thousand times ten thousand saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb to receive power and riches and strength and honor and glory and wisdom and blessing now tell me just before I read the next verse and quit how does the last psalm begin finish psalm 150 says what let everything what everything that hath breath not many things everything that has breath praise the lord look at this verse every creature which is in heaven on the earth under the earth and in the sea and I heard them all can you imagine that can you imagine elephants singing praise to god sign two can you think of all the choir everything under the earth and on the earth every angelic being every seraphim every cherubim all the saints of the ages people singing a rapturous hallelujah chorus like handel never dreamed of dear god you think we were just going to heaven and live on dry bread and water the rest of our lives we're going to be in eternity with all the saints we're going to touch depth I believe eternity will be an unfolding revelation of god all through the ages everything from genesis is going to be revealed every nation and kindred and people and tribe and time I've always loved history I haven't made much but I like it how many days go by what I think of the great empires of the world the Medo-Persian empire the Indian empire the British empire the Roman empire when legions of men march through and all at the voice of the son of god one day he's going to say wake up come up and they're going to rise out of their graves I've never crossed the atlantic but what I've walked on the on the deck of a great ocean liner at night and look down seeing the white waves going past in the dark in the moonlight and I in my silly way you say you old buccaneers down there you stole millions of dollars you're going to wake one day you're going pop out of this water you're going to meet the voice you're going to meet god the voice of the son of god the most amazing voice ever we need to know that voice you know that woman that went to the grave all the women say well we were the last at the cross and the first of the grave sure for what I don't think there's any thrilling about going to embalm somebody she didn't going to see the living christ she thought it was dead she was taking a life savings in some grease she bought what happened she's supposing him to be the gardener that's three times only in the new testament I remember when mary and and and joseph lost jesus they supposed he was in the company and he wasn't people suppose because they've stained glass windows and an organ and a choir he's in the midst he's not doesn't guarantee his presence they suppose he's in the company can you go to a living christ and have a dead service come on how can you sit in church and say it's dead if the living christ is in the midst if he speaks with a voice well this woman turned she heard the trees rust and she's supposing him to be the gardener then what did he say he said her name like nobody in the world could say she couldn't see him because it wasn't daylight he said mary oh only one person in the universe can say that my husband didn't say that my relatives never it's the son of god himself does he come like that to you do you hear his voice we used to sing an old hymn in the methodist churches ago about samuel master speak thy servant hereth waiting for thy gracious word longing for thy voice that cheereth master let it now be heard