Wise and Foolish Virgins - Part 3

Please turn with me here this morning to Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25. Matthew 24 and Matthew 25. Now I just want to come back and finish and deal with the wise and the foolish virgins and I do hope this morning this will be my third and my final message on this. I've got an awful lot more to say but I do want to clarify what we've already dealt with on the wise and the foolish virgins. I want to explain it. I want to apply it because many people interpret this differently. Many good men, many great preachers have actually interpreted Matthew 25 about the wise and the virgins differently and applied it differently and I believe that can affect us but I want to give a very clear understanding of what it actually means and what it cannot mean because there's many churches and there's many teachings about the oil and about the wise and foolish virgins and I believe the teaching of it does not line up with the written scriptures and so I want to warn about that and I want to show you why I believe what I believe. You can believe what you believe but I'm going to show you what the word of God says as best as I possibly can here this morning. Reading from Matthew 24 first and then we're going to turn to Matthew 25. I want to give the context of Matthew 24. Matthew 24 verse 3. And as he, that is Christ, sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, tell us when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world. Now let's turn to chapter 25. I want you to be very aware that the parable or the story of the wise and the foolish virgins, Jesus spoke it as he sat on the Mount of Olives. That's where he was. He was sitting down. Some preachers say you have to stand up when you preach. Do you? Well Christ has given us remarkable teaching here and I like to stand okay but I have sat before as I taught the word of God but this is the context. Jesus has just taught. He actually taught specifically doctrine, clear teaching, time sequence about the last days and is soon coming again. Then in chapter 25 he moves to a parable, not teaching doctrine, not giving teaching on end days but he applies a parable to give understanding. Chapter 25 verse 1. Then shall, notice the word then, then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom and five of them were wise and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept and at midnight there was a cry made behold the bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out but the wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut afterwards came also the other virgin saying lord lord open to us but he answered and said verily I say unto you I know you not watch therefore for you know not neither the day nor the hour we're in the son of man cometh let's pray together father I do pray for the spirit of truth would you teach us would you instruct us my god will you prepare us as individuals as the church we don't want to be a foolish virgin but we want to be a wise virgin as we enter into these end of the end days as we come into this era called the beginning of sorrows my god as we see all of the signs that you taught to your apostles to your church nor god as we begin to see them all come to pass lord god I pray that we would look up in this hour we would look away to Jesus Christ we would prepare ourselves and make ourselves ready nor god will you speak to every single heart in this room lord god would you even stir us to trim our lamps nor god to have our lamps filled with the oil now the holy spirit even this morning in Jesus mighty name amen amen part three wise and foolish virgins it says in Matthew 25 and verse 1 then shall the kingdom of heaven please note with me that then means there's a context a certain situation Christ has just taught on the last days he's taught about the the the climax of the entire millennia he is talking about the end of the age from he went away until he comes again we are now coming right down to the end of time Jesus says then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 10 virgins he's actually saying in the light of what I just taught you about the end days about all of the events all of the signs all the things that are going to happen politically socially religiously morally in the light of all these things rumors of wars famines pestilence of false prophets all these things happening it's in the light of this I'm giving you a parable about 10 virgins what is a parable it's different than teaching doctrine it's different than giving clear commands what is a parable all of Christ teaching was not parables but he gave parables in the midst of his teaching parables are an earthly story with a heavenly meaning the word parable which Jesus shoes it means to throw or to place something alongside something else it is a natural story set next to a spiritual truth Christ has just taught doctrine truth about what is going to happen he has made it very clear now he sets beside it a parable to explain it or to help you to understand it you see it's a natural story set next to a spiritual truth to explain it to compare it it is a story or an illustration placed alongside a biblical truth with the intention of explaining to to you something about it in the gospel of Matthew we have 20 parables in the gospel of Mark we have nine parables in Luke we have 27 parables when you put them all together some of them correspond some of them are the same in different gospels but you will find there are 39 distinct parables stories that Jesus Christ actually teaches and I'm telling you this for a reason you've got to understand something about this if I don't give the context you see the parable draws listeners to hear have you ever seen where a preacher is preaching giving doctrine and teaching and exhorting and commanding and rebuking and then suddenly he starts telling the story suddenly everyone enters in those who are sleeping wake up those who are frowning before begin to smile and suddenly you have their ears I'm telling you from experience so parables draw listeners they draw the attention they make you think they're memorable they're very simple to remember and then you can start thinking about the truth of God listen to me the church is revealed in the parables in many different ways sometimes the church is depicted as a bride as a bride getting ready for her marriage but that isn't Matthew 24 please with me for a moment the 10 virgins do not represent the bride that's another picture with a another message to reveal unto you sometimes in parables the church are a building or a temple their servants are as in Matthew 24 they are virgins what are the virgins they are bridesmaids that's what they are 10 bridesmaids going to the wedding wanting to be a part of all this it is a marriage but she is not you see Christ gives a parable a story of 10 individual bridesmaids five of them are going to make it five of them are not going to make it in other words there is a difference you can't do that if you talk about a parable of one bride you've got to have a parable about the bridesmaids to explain they're not all the same listen to me very carefully Jesus said then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 10 virgins what are the 10 virgins what are they explaining they are explaining the kingdom of God in other words all the parables are explained in the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Christ in other words I want you to understand what the kingdom of God on the earth is like I want to explain it so you understand the kingdom of God I'm in the kingdom here and now not that which is to come in the future when Jesus comes again but the kingdom of God now so Jesus says in order to teach you about the kingdom I'm going to liken the kingdom of heaven to 10 virgins by that way understand how the kingdom of God functions now listen carefully about this kingdom the kingdom of God is not all who are saved or all who are in Christ you can be a part of the kingdom of heaven and earth but yet not be born again that might sound strange but I'm going to prove it to you each of these parables reveals a contrast between those who truly belong to the king and those who do not and yet they're talked about being in the kingdom of heaven this parable is not contrasting those in the world with those in the church none of the parables really are we think in our mind that it's showing the difference between those out there sitting in pubs and those sitting in here every Sunday morning but the parables aren't quite the opposite in fact in most of the parables he totally ignores those outside those on the high street the atheist he utterly ignores them in many but not all of the parables listen listen to the the message of some of these parables a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats in the middle east the sheep and the goats look alike but a shepherd has to separate them he has to study each one and say you're a goat you're a sheep you're a goat you're a sheep then we have a farmer harvesting his wheat at harvest time and he's going to separate between the wheat and the tares the wheat and the tares grow together in fact they're so intertwined that the angels say can we go and pull out those tares that shouldn't be in the kingdom of god and yet christ says no angel you mustn't do that let them grow together or you could pull up the real and trying to pull out the false notice it doesn't say that to a preacher don't think i'm not to instill church discipline because of that parable it's an angel that's for an angel in heaven who said please lord please lord can i do not yet there's coming a day when you will do that but it is not yet it is not the time one of the parables talks about the fishermen who fish and they pull in their net but the net is filled with good fish and bad fish so they separate the good fish from the bad fish they throw away the bad and they keep the good we have a farmer who goes out to sow seed a sower of seed on four different kinds of ground but the seed is same the sower is the same and you know what only one of those grounds is a real believer in jesus christ what about the story of the narrow and the broad way both of the ways have an entrance both of them have a direction both of them have people on them both of them are a journey through life what do they represent the broad way is the world and the narrow way is the church no absolutely not that story of the broad and the narrow way is those in the church in other words there's a type of gospel in the kingdom of god in the church of our generation that says the entrance into salvation is very broad i don't need to repent i i just think i i don't need to change i don't need to uh sort out all my false doctrine since i can show you this all the way through the two men building houses both of them are building they're involved in the same work they're involved in a task of building a house in this lifetime one is built on a rock one on sand two men owe great debts one gets it cancelled the other doesn't in fact it's the one with the greater debt gets his debt cancelled or what about the great supper where a man is found at the supper but he doesn't have a wedding garment on how could he dare even think he could come into the this great supper and not have the right clothes on or what about the pharisee and the publican that jesus talked about two men praying at the house of god one of them dare not enter the door one of them dare not even lift his head to heaven but the other one inside lifted up his head was very bold and yet he's cancelled out he's excluded listen to me as we come to this you can be in the kingdom without the kingdom being in you we're taught in the word of god what is the kingdom of god the kingdom of god is within you it is righteousness peace and joy and the holy ghost in other words the holy spirit in you if the holy spirit is in you then you have the kingdom within you but the kingdom being in you is different than you being in the kingdom do you understand that so there's lots of foolish virgins there are goats there are tears in the kingdom of god they really are in the kingdom of god because the kingdom of god is a mixture like this but they're not in christ they're not born again and the kingdom of god is not a name you know why there's no joy there's no peace there's no righteousness and the kingdom of god the spirit of god is not in them here this morning let me if i can though time is already running with all of its haste and all of its energy but let me very quickly try to point out about the wise and the foolish virgins in the light of this the wise and foolish virgins are a parable not not about christians per se it's not about those who do really well and meet christ and those who don't do so well let me prove to you what it is first of all point number one the oil of the spirit and the new birth the oil of the spirit and the new birth you see i believe the message of the wise and foolish virgins its first message most important message is about regeneration you say what's that it's an old preacher's word but i love it and i've used it often here to be regenerate is to be born again and in other words you have an inward change of the heart you're regenerate you're changed from the inside out this is the first and great preparation for jesus return if you see the signs if you believe we're in them days if you read matthew 24 and you go oh lord jesus you're coming i can see all the signs then the first thing make sure you're born again you see so many people teach that the foolish virgins are born again they're christians who will be saved in the end that's what they teach about this i do not believe that i believe that's utterly impossible and let me explain why both of them had lamps with oil and the oil was temporary but only the wise had vessels with oil in other words the foolish had only one vessel a lamp an outward lamp to shine outwardly so that they could see but only the wise had two vessels they had the lamp but they also had hidden was another vessel where they stored their oil and that and that oil was going to last it says in verse 4 the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps what a powerful statement they took oil in their vessels that is the hidden vessel which the foolish virgins do not have with their lamps oil and their vessels stored a reservoir this was something personal hidden from the eyes of others away from the sight of others it was a very private personal thing between christ and them it was for their personal use their future use or preparation before the end they had stored it up before the crisis before the midnight hour before the beginning of sorrows they had actually prepared for such a dark hour and the return of jesus christ you see this oil they knew was essential to meet the lord when he came they knew it's essential to meet the bridegroom they must have the inward oil of the holy spirit they need oil in their vessels you see what about the foolish they seemed eager for it they seem to they seem to prepare yet the one preparation they needed they never made they never had a vessel with oil in it they had not prepared the foolish did not have it and look at the panic of the midnight hour an empty lamp no oil reserve they don't know where to get it do you know who the five foolish virgins are they are sinners although they deny it in fact they're very bold saying i know i'm born again i know i'm saved i know i'm in the church i know i'm ready to meet the lord he is my lord i know the door i know how to pray and in fact i have the holy spirit in my lamp in my ministry what a scary and fearful thing you could never persuade these foolish virgins that they're not ready to meet the lord it's not until the final hours of time they are unconverted they think they have no inward no need of inward oil in their vessel oh yes they've looked after their lamp they shine it up they they want to make sure their lamp is in good work and order yet they don't give thought to the oil or to the vessel they came unprepared they thought oil in the vessel was unnecessary they didn't put a high regard on it that inward private life with the lord jesus christ it doesn't matter if i'm a hypocrite there it doesn't matter if i'm empty it doesn't matter if i can't live this christian life privately before the lord all that matters is that i live my life before others and that others will think i'm born again but suddenly look at the midnight hour now they're suddenly separated or revealed to be different from the wise virgin virgins they had enjoyed fellowship they hid themselves amongst the wise but suddenly an hour comes to expose them that they're not the same suddenly they find they're in darkness suddenly they find that their lamp will not work in this particular hour it always did before remember samson that he said i'll just get up and shake myself as before nothing will disturb me i'll just shake myself and go carry off the gates again or slay a thousand philistines or break the chains just like before but he wished not that the spirit had departed from him he didn't realize he got to the end of his reserves now your eyes are going to be put out now you'll become a prisoner of the philistines now you're going to be made a slave now you're going to become a clown to the enemies of god it also says that as these foolish virgins find themselves in darkness the door was shut verse 10 and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut the door was shut in their faces they were not ready verse 11 afterward came also the other virgin saying lord lord open to us but their prayer was unanswered the door to eternal life was closed on them the door the door to a second opportunity would never be open do you know what they were not ready for the coming of the lord here is a crisis hour in which it's going to become evident who is what it says in verse 12 but he answered them look at the lord's response verse 11 afterwards came also the virgin saying lord lord open to us you're our lord we love you lord jesus we believe this is the last hour we believe you're just about to come we believe this is it we've always believed this what does he say to them in the next verse verse 12 but he amnesia does god suddenly forget people no you know what this is not about his omniscience knowing everything of course he knew them he knew them only too well he knew their attitude to the oil and he knew their attitude about the vessel and their attitude about the lamp and their attitude about things generally he knew it very well what does he mean when he says sorry i can't open the door i don't know you you see you have i have to know you for you to get in the door and you're shut out and notice here i know if you're one of those that he knows you know why you're gonna have oil and you're gonna go through that door but those who don't know him are gonna be fine master lord let me in remember me who are you i do not know you it says in john's gospel very clearly john chapter 10 i am the good shepherd and i know my sheep and i am known of mine if i don't know you you're a goat you're a goat or you're a tear or you're some other thing but i don't know you yes lord you do what a crisis when you reach that point a closed door and jesus himself says i don't know you i actually have never known you you know what i believe is left for these foolish virgins at this point is the wrath of god i believe now they suffer the bold judgments that we read about in revelation and the trumpets that are going to be blown i believe there's a period of the wrath of god going to come down upon all foolish virgins they did not have oil to make it in the catching up of the saints you see having oil in your vessel is not the baptism in the holy spirit it is the inward indwelling of the spirit of god in salvation this inward dwelling of the spirit makes the wise virgins ready and gives them the ability to go out to meet christ while the foolish virgins are left outside listen carefully before i go to the second point i want prove that the oil of the holy spirit every real christian needs the indwelling of the holy spirit it is not the lack of the baptism of the holy spirit that will leave you as a foolish virgin it is the lack of having oil in your vessel the oil in the vessel represents regeneration the born again experience not the baptism and the holy goose we need to look to the lamp for the baptism in the holy spirit but the vessel hidden away this is your reservoir this is your resource you know what it is the inward dwelling of the spirit listen carefully romans chapter 8 verse 9 now if any man have not the spirit of christ he is none of his in other words if you do not have the spirit of god in you not with you but in you you are not saved you are not of christ let me go further in john chapter 3 5 jesus teaching says verily verily i say unto you accept a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of god you cannot enter there is a thing called being born of the spirit of god not baptized not filled but born of the spirit of god after this jesus says marvel not that i say unto you ye must be born again i'm talking about the indwelling spirit 1 john 5 verse 10 he that believeth on the son of god hath the witness in himself 1 john chapter 4 13 hereby know we that we dwell in him and that he dwell in us because and this is the reason how do you know you're in christ how do you know that christ is in you how do you know that you're a wise virgin this is it it actually says there because he has given us his spirit and then over in romans 8 16 the spirit itself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of god another words the spirit testifies he corroborates he gives evidence or you have the spirit say man said amen you're a child of god amen you're born again amen i'm living within you amen i don't want you to go that way of the world you see that's the indwelling of the holy spirit 1 corinthians 2 12 it says now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of god that we might know the things that are freely given to us of god a real wise virgin with the vessel with oil is a picture of a real born again christian they may only be saved one day but if the spirit of god dwells then you're a wise virgin not a virgin the foolish virgin has no oil has no oil and you know what they're going to be locked out of salvation they are in darkness the christ says i do not know you that is not a christian who's done badly that is not a christian who will not get rewards that is a sinner who always called himself a christian in the church my second point here the first was the oil of the spirit in the new birth secondly the oil of the spirit and public ministry now we move not we're not looking here now at the vessel with oil in it which only the virgins had now we're looking at the lamp that had oil in it and both of them had it you may ask how how can you not have a vessel and yet have a lamp is it possible that the holy spirit is not in you but he comes upon you yes is it possible that a man could operate in a genuine gift of the holy spirit and yet the holy spirit isn't in him yes it actually is this is the importance of teaching this here this morning the oil of the spirit and public ministry the lamp notice the lamp represents our public testimony our ministry our witness for jesus christ how we operate in the ministries of christ in the church the nine gifts of the holy spirit that's what the lamp represents it's visible it is outward it is public others can see it and appreciate it that's why at times we can see a lamp and we don't realize a man or a woman does not have a vessel or a secret reservoir we go oh they're a great preacher oh look they prophesied oh look they healed someone surely the spirit of god is with them yes but in their lamp not in their vessel do you see the importance of this of understanding or you could get deceived by the outward instead of the inward life that you appreciate the outward oil the coming on of the holy spirit instead of the inward dwelling of the holy spirit that makes you love christ and makes you prepare yourself and makes you want to live holy and right before god you see the outward oil is the person and work of the holy spirit in ministry and in service in the kingdom of god verse 7 says then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps all of them had lamps all of them trimmed their lamps or at least attempted to but all of them reached for their lamps first thing when they wake up in this last hour in matthew 24 in the last generation just as jesus is about to come all of them are going to awaken all of them what's the first thing all of them do they reach for their lamp very first thing you know why when they slept that oil the flame grew down now they've got to get more oil in their lamps you see both the wise and the foolish reach for the lamp it was the natural response and reaction of both the wise were right to do that the wise when they woke up yes if you're a wise virgin born again you have the spirit of god in you you better grab your lamp and begin feeding it with oil you better pour into that lamp you know how i tell you there's christians who fall asleep and they need to wake up in a very serious way because their lamp is dysfunctional it's out of operation they're not using that lamp and you need to begin to pour oil into it thank god that you're born again and you have the indwelling spirit but when you wake up i'll see it i assure you this church will see when you wake up because you're gonna reach for that lamp and begin to trim it and prepare and say oh my god help me my god help me let's fill this lamp again let's fill my outward testimony in my service to god but the foolish in doing it were wrong they don't have an indwelling spirit yet they're reaching for the lamp you know what their immediate thought was the outward ministry calling doing something i've got to be active you know it was right for the wise to do that it was wrong for the foolish they were actually deceived doing the same thing but there's a vital difference in effect doing the right thing at the wrong time that's what it is you you could go knocking on the door of heaven it's too late you missed it oh lord i'll do anything for you i'm sorry it's too late i mean how many chances how much preaching how much knowledge did you need to know how many prayers are said for you and yet you want to come now i had a brother lost his mind still lost his mind i love him dearly i love him dearly i pray for him but i'll never forget we are raising the gospel together saturated with the truth of the gospel i'll never forget the day i sat in the car and he began to joke to one of his best mates about the conviction of the holy spirit and of the demons coming to tempt you laughing about it i sat as a young child i was five years younger and i trembled in the car i wish i was another shock that he would do this many years later i'll never forget sitting in the car driving somewhere between banbridge and uri and as we drove down he turned to me he said keith would you pray for me keith would you pray for me for years he fought god he mocked the gospel he rejected it he tore it apart he said i don't believe but an hour came where he said can anyone help me can anyone help me how terrible will that day i believe i'm gonna see many on that day we're gonna go there please open the door we're ready now it's too late it's actually too late what an hour what a thing that we're dealing with here in this room this morning doing the right thing at the wrong time it's too late it's no good do it now while you can the first thing that the foolish virgins thought of was their lamps not the oil not their vessels but their lamps that's all they cared about do we see this in the new testament that a unsaved person can think they're saved and have the outward work of the spirit but not the inward yes i believe peter and jude in the new testament reveal this to us very carefully in fact they're very specific talking about apostasy in their days a fallen away and also what will happen just before jesus returns in 2nd peter 3 and 3 peter writes knowing this that there shall come in the last days so what's peter speaking about the last days there will come scoffers if you read the entire chapter he's talking about false teachers false prophets in the church they have ministries of teaching and a prophecy in the church not outside the church not in the mormonism or jw's they're in the church and g and peter says about these men there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lust these are bible teachers these are preachers in the church and they'll come walking after their own lust they just don't restrict the lust to go sure i'm under grace i love god i've got oil i'll be fine i know jesus is coming but you know what they walk after their own lusts and they're also scoffers and in other words they make light of the last days jesus is coming do you know are you ready yeah yeah yeah he goes on he says saying where is the promise of his coming if you begin to fall asleep and say oh sure i'm okay i'm okay when you're not okay you do not believe jesus christ is coming if you're out playing with sin not walking uprightly do you know what you do not believe in the promise of the coming of jesus christ at best you're a sleeping wise virgin all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation and they will continue or what about over and jude speaks about the same people he speaks about those who are very like balaam in the old testament and it was a movement in the church in the first century the balaamite movement you know who they were they had dreams they had visions they had angel visitations they had miracles they gave real prophecies everything they prophesied came to pass they had real angels real angels from god come to them real miracles happening that didn't happen anyone else in around them that's who this movement is jude warns in the last days it's going to come again a balaamite movement dreams visions prophecies the holy spirit but you know what they're not saved they're not born again and yet the real holy spirit can move through them he did with balaam balaam was a false prophet he led the people of god into sin and yet everything he prophesied sometimes he trembled sometimes the spirit of god kept him back from sin we read the spirit of god came on him in a very real way since you see how you can have a lamp with oil in the kingdom of god and yet you're not ready to meet jesus christ in a very personal way listen to what jude says about them remember how the prophets of old told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts are these sinners no these be they who separate themselves these are those in the church in ministry who have their lamps who even operate for a time with oil and their lamps the holy spirit moves through their can you imagine this balamites coming with the real holy spirit prophesying with the real gifts of the spirit well here's jimmy jones in the church who has the real holy spirit in him he doesn't know how to prophesy and he goes well god's never used me to prophesy these must be great men who just prophesy and heal the sick oh no there's a warning listen to what jude says these be they who separate themselves the word separate themselves is a medical term in the greek language for disjoint a member of the body from the rest of the body you know what it's like to get a joint out i'm glad it's never happened to me but if you get your elbow joint or your knee joint or your hip socket you could have an accent where it gets pulled out and it's meant that's meant to be one of the most excruciating painful thing even a finger out of joint is a terrible thing to the entire body do you begin to see it these ones these balamites who prophesy and have dreams jude speaking about them says actually they're out of joint they're out of joint they're disjointed and they cause pain to the real body of christ he also says um about their senses these be they who separate themselves sensual they're not spiritual they're sensual what's the word sensual mean they operate by their senses their feelings their emotions i feel the spirit of god is saying no it's coming out of your own heart out of your own mind you're not spiritual you don't even believe you're meant to be part of the body of christ you drift around limerick city you've done it for 30 years or for five years i've met hundreds of them in this city i don't need to be a part of a body i i belong to all of the church really really that isn't what the bible teaches jude warns of those with dreams and vision isn't it true those who think they have the gifts of the holy spirit are better than all of us they are so spiritual they don't need to do the basic things haven't we seen in this church guys who would go and preach in the high street and they've done it well they were gifted they were able i would even dare say the holy spirit used them but there is no oil in their vessel they're not born again you say it confuses me how can it be read your bible read your bible since it's important i preach this to you you've got to understand the differences but listen the last statement jude says about them very important having not the spirit they claim the spirit they have dreams and visions but jude says you know what they have not the spirit of god dwelling in them they don't have the real spirit they're sensual they're emotional they're sentimental you remember what jesus says in matthew 7 21 not everyone that saith unto me lord lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven it's talking about the kingdom of heaven verse 22 many will say to me in that day what's that day at the end of all of this that day when jesus comes again many will say unto me in that day lord lord what did the foolish virgin say lord lord open the door to us i don't know you i don't know you that's what he said to the foolish virgins now listen to what he says these many will come saying lord lord we have prophesied in thy name how did you prophesy oh by the holy spirit it's a ministry it's a gift i mean i i feel the words coming to me the holy spirit uses me and the gift of prophecy lord that's why i know that i belong to you that's why i know i'm not a foolish virgin hey i'm prophesying i am operating in the gift of prophecy i predicted things that were about to happen god spoke to me and showed me things that were just about to happen i've had a dream that revealed what i'm going to do tomorrow and you don't realize god speaks to me i know things i operate in the gift of prophecy don't you know that i know things that only god can know how could i be a foolish virgin yet jesus says i don't know you they said we prophesy in thy name with your authority with your blessing with your backing they're telling jesus we prophesy why should i let you in we prophesied in your name i've done this for you i ministered my lamp was burning my lamp was the ministry of prophecy god help them there are multitudes they go on and say in thy name we have cast out devils we actually and the devils left individuals we had a deliverance ministry the holy spirit had anointed us and we could discern demons and we could speak to demons and we named demons and we cast demons out and the person was free hey this is god's kingdom i mean we're in god's kingdom i know but do you have a vessel filled with oil are you a foolish virgin oh a foolish virgin can't do that yes they can a foolish virgin can cast out demons and they must leave the person who's afflicted and in thy name the many wonderful works do you know the word wonderful works there they're saying to the lord why should i let you in on that judgment day why should i let you in we've done many many wonderful works in the greek it's the word dunamis dunamis we did many duminous works we prophesied didn't sound like the dead evangelicals since we cast demons out didn't sound like the dry baptists it said we done many wonderful works holy goose works acts chapter one works doesn't sound like the cessationist who says we don't believe in the gifts of the spirit no not at all these people believed in the book of acts they believed in pentecost they believe in the nine gifts they believed in the five ministries they believed it was all for the last day the last generation and the last church and they were ready to meet the lord jesus then jesus says then will i profess unto them i never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity the word iniquity is lawlessness without law i'm not under restraint i'm under grace hey you can't convict me don't point my sins out i know i'm forgiven i know i'm under grace but you're practicing sin you're walking in sin yet you say you know jesus you you actually love your sin and say sure the blood covers it so i don't need to depart from it i don't need to change my ways i don't need to stop my lion i don't need to repent of my anger i don't need to forgive them you know what they claim many holy ghost works if you were to look at acts chapter one and eight but ye shall receive power dunamis wonderful holy ghost works when after the holy ghost come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses do you see the coming upon of the holy spirit is the lamp not salvation you can have the holy spirit come on you and yet you're not born again you could have gifts operate through you and yet you're not truly born again the holy spirit is not in you since i want both here this morning i want a vessel filled with oil and i want a lamp that is is poured into and that has the real genuine oil of the holy spirit i don't want to make a choice and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are i've got an awful lot to say but i'm gonna cut it short here and i'm gonna cut it short so important here but listen listen to what christ says in matthew 24 and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil who's saying this this is just before jesus comes just before jesus comes it's the midnight hour it's the dark hour it's when the beginning of sorrows is happening remember the wars the false prophets you remember all those 10 signs jesus gives in matthew 24 when your brothers betray you remember that was one of them betrayal you're going to be betrayed not going back to church they hurt me that's to mark the beginning of sorrows do you know what they actually say and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out what's the lamp ministry prophecy the baptism and the holy ghost speaking in tongues being witnesses for christ preaching evangelism burning in public do you know what these foolish virgins when it reaches the beginning of sorrows when it's approaching the midnight hour just before christ comes there is a crisis about to come saints listen to me as i close i believe we're on the edge of things coming in that most of the church never expected i can remember a day 20 years ago when good holy ghost i mean consecrated believers in america told me that the things that are happening today god would never allow to happen in america the rapture would come before it would ever happen you know what they told me they said i heard them say not one not two many say god will never allow suffering to come to the church in america god will never allow persecution on the american church i said why because we finance missions all over the world we are the ones who pray for everyone god will never we are the most blessed nation on the entire planet and they still often say it and i i i love patriotism i love it if you're irish i hope ireland's the best country in the world if you're american i hope america is the best country praise god praise god but you know to say that god would never allow us to go through those things he'll never allow a man uh uh like who was the last president obama they would do you know as soon as obama got in i'm watching facebook god is dead our god has just died that's it over no missions no fire no ministry they're not there saying get my land filled with the oil i want to go preach there's got to be another revival let's go and see you know you know what they said that's it that's it i'm talking about the real the best christians i know listen to what happens in this final hour and jesus warns us about it the foolish come to the wise look who they're coming to the foolish who are operating suddenly the oil's gone they've just woken up they've just woken up and they say to the wise here give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out do you know what this is and it's all across the church today the same ones who are prophesying and having dreams and casting out demons do you know what they believe one of their most major doctrines is called the doctrine of importation candace has watched this all through the years so have i it's that you can impart the spirit to another person if i lay hands on you and here let me caution you i believe in laying on of hands according to hebrews chapter six there's a doctrine of laying on of hands for the baptism and the holy ghost we look at acts chapter eight we we look at other scriptures that show often when you pray for people they get baptized in the holy spirit are filled again it happens but listen to me the doctrine of importation that you can impart the spirit of god to a foolish virgin the wise virgins what how did they respond they said not so we cannot give you of the holy spirit and us we don't have that power remember elijah when elijah came i want a double spirit of what you've got the holy spirit how is upon you i want a double portion elijah one of the greatest prophets says i cannot do that i can't lay hands on you and transfer my spirit or give you the gifts of the spirit or impart the holy spirit of god the importation the doctrine of importation of the spirit is a false doctrine i would challenge it's not here and yet the foolish virgins believe in it we prophesied we've had oil in our lamps we've been in the in the people of god we're in the kingdom of god but they come to a point where they go i don't have oil to face this crisis i didn't think it would come to this hour in our world or our nation or the church we're not meant to be persecuted we're not meant to be hated jesus said you'd be hated of all men before the tribulation before the tribulation you are going to be betrayed before the tribulation you are or can die per sudanese you can die for the faith but we don't need to per chinese you can go through generations of persecution but god would never let me or you suffer he won't let the real holy spirit would never allow that what a wake-up call in this hour i believe these foolish virgins never expected to see matthew 24 they never expected to have to live through it they never expected to be hated of all nations and all men and yet here they are saying our lamps have gone out we don't have the right oil you see the wise cannot impart the spirit to the foolish you cannot do that for the wise to impart to them freely this is what they wanted they wanted the wise to impart to them without any cost immediately with no waiting completely without any personal repentance they wanted an anointing of outward ministry gifts of the holy spirit the baptism in the holy spirit signs following them give me of your oil you wise virgins lay your hands on me imparted because i want to operate on the guests how deceived you are how utterly deceived that you don't know this is about the oil of the spirit living in me the person of the holy ghost to make me holy to make me ready for jesus and to prepare me inwardly it's about my private life with jesus christ not about outward ministry since you know i believe in the five ministries in ephesians chapter 4 you know i believe in the nine gifts of one corinthians chapter 12 you know i believe in the baptism of the holy ghost as a separate distinct experience from conversion i believe all that i teach all that i believe in preaching on the high street and let's go reach the lost with the gospel i believe all that but the essential thing is do you this morning have a vessel where the holy spirit dwells within you let's stand here together jesus thank you my god