SIMON- THE GREAT PRETENDER

ACTS 8:9-25 (NIV)

by: Pastor Audie Castillo

INTRODUCTION:

☞- Christ post resurrection ministry (Acts 1:3-11) Jesus remained with the apostles for 40 days and speaking to them pertaining to the Kingdom of God. He instructed the apostles not to leave Jerusalem until the promise of the Father has come.

And He said to them,” But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

☞- The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2) They began to speak with other tongues

.

☞-The Church grows (Acts 2:40-47) The word was preached and received with gladness and they were baptized. On one occasion Peter preached the word and 3000 souls got saved.

☞Stephen’s arrest and martyrdom - God worked great wonders and signs among the people through Stephen. (Acts6:8) Up to this point, the church had stayed put in Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem was growing so much, and it created controversy to the Jewish leadership and they sought to control.

We will pick up the story from verse 8

☞Saul Leads the persecution of the church: He had been the official overseer of the death of Stephen. Now he was taking that violence to Christians wherever he could find them and put them to prison. (Acts 8: 1-3)

☞Philip’s ministry in Samaria.  The gathered church in Jerusalem is now scattered.  (Acts 8:4-8) And from Jerusalem, they scattered throughout Judea and  Samaria.  Except the apostles.

Samaria receives the word. As Philip speaks the message about Jesus, people are responding.  But this is not the whole story, because it is not all good news. So… . In our study today, the bible will  exposed  the dangers of a counterfeit faith of a certain man called Simon.

●In the previous verses we saw: city wide revival w/ Philip the Evangelist. Miracles were performed, souls saved. And here’s a scriptural principle which follows: wherever God sends genuine revival, Satan attempts to send counterfeit revival. God sows some saved souls, and Satan sows his tares among that wheat.(Matt. 13:24-30)

I-     SIMON’S ARROGANCE (9-11)                                                                                               

⁹ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰ and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” ¹¹ They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.

Simon Magus.

☞  Did you know that the Bible strictly forbids having anything to do w/ sorcery and the like: such as astrology, horoscopes, fortunetelling, psychics, , palm reading, spirit-channeling, divinations, enchantments, incantations, witchcraft, wizardry, charms, spells, or anything else invented by the occult world, including today’s big names: Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons and similar video games, The Bible forbids involvement in these things! God goes so far as to call these things an abomination.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NIV)                                                                               

¹⁰ Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, ¹¹ or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

He commands respect (influence) of the people (9-11)

● He claimed to be someone great

● People claimed to have power of God.

II-            SIMON’S FAITH (12-13)

¹² But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³ Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

A)   He became a follower of Philip (12-13)

● He believed and was baptized and followed Philip

Think with me. When it says Simon believed also, does that mean he got saved? Not necessarily!  Are we saved by believing? Yes, by believing on. But look at James 2:19:

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

● He was attracted by the signs and wonders (He believed not because of the Word, but because of the miracles took place.)

In the same way…
●We have known of people that have confessed their allegiance to Christ in order to date and eventually marry a Christian, but then lay it aside after the wedding.
●We have known people who said they prayed the sinner’s prayer, and then never live for Christ.
●We have known people who said they were believers because it seemed like a good idea.

These are examples of believe that are neither genuine, nor saving.

III-   SIMON’S DESIRE ( 14-21)                                                                                                      ☞ Samaria received the Word. (14)

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.

I am sure when word got back to Jerusalem, some heads were left shaking in disbelief.
So, two apostles are sent to inspect the work, Peter and John. It is interesting that John goes, for he and his brother James were known as the sons of thunder, and it was not because they were gentle souls. No, they were movers and shakers. One time, when they were with Jesus, a Samaritan community had been inhospitable to Jesus and his band of disciples. James and John had a just solution for Jesus.

Luke 9:54 “Lord do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, Just like Elijah did?” (

☞ Samaria received the Holy Spirit. (15-17) 

¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit

                                                             
They were missing the Holy Spirit.

You see, no one is really saved without the Holy Spirit. God honors faith, but it is the Holy Spirit that makes you a Christian. We don’t know if there was any visible evidence of this lack. Luke is silent on this point. But Peter and John did have the discernment that the Samaritans were without the Holy Spirit. And when they laid their hands on them, the Holy Spirit came.

A)  Simon’s Desire for Power (v.18-19)

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

SIMONY in the Dictionary means…“the trafficking of sacred things, as well as the buying and selling of Church or ecclesiastical office.”

The word “SIMONY” gets its start here…from SIMON!

In 1516, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany by the Roman Catholic Church to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.^]Roman Catholic theology stated that faith alone, whether fiduciary or dogmatic, cannot justify man; justification rather depends only on such faith as is active in charity and good works (fides caritate formata) can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church. (Wikipedia)

Penance, catechisms, praying for the dead were teachings that were strongly opposed by Martin Luther. He taught that we can be saved by Grace through faith.

B)   Simon’s Desire Will Lead To His destruction (v20)   

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

So Peter simply was saying here ““To hell with you and your money.””

C)   Simon’s Desire reveals his heart is not right with God. (v21)                                             ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

IV-          SIMON’S SINs (22-25)           

                                                                         

²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”   ²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”  ²⁵ After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

A) Wickedness in his heart (22a) Bitter and bound by inequity (v23)           

B) His sinfulness prevent him to pray for forgiveness.(v.24)

Simon’s response was, "Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me." And that is the last we hear of him. The sad thing is that no matter how much any of the apostles or the disciples prayed for Simon, the only one who could pray the deciding prayer is Simon himself. He had to come before the Lord in repentance. He had to surrender his life before the Lord. He had to take that step of belief. He had to receive God’s forgiveness. No one else could.

Conclusion: This passage of Scripture shows just how close a person can come to conversion or salvation in Jesus Christ and still be lost without knowledge of God.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁵ Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is in you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
Pastor Audie Castillo

God's Mercies: Our Key to Finding Hope (Lamentations 3:21-24) By: Sis. Andrea Ortega

The new year’s air is teeming with freshness – having to start all over again like a clean slate and bursting with promises for brighter days ahead.  No wonder the prevalent feelings are happiness and hope.  Yet, in the midst of the sea of happy faces or even behind those smiles, deep down inside, some are in despair because yes, the calendar may have changed…but it’s only the calendar, their situation still didn’t change a bit.  There are still no signs of a much-needed job, homes remain broken, huge debts are still looming over our heads, precious relationships are still strained, or sickness still plagues the body.  Regardless of how we feel or what our situation is, there is a message of hope found in Lamentation 3: 21-24 that we can carry in our hearts throughout the year.

²¹ This I recall to my mind,
      Therefore I have hope.
       ²² Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
      Because His compassions fail not.
       ²³ They are new every morning;
      Great is Your faithfulness.
       ²⁴ “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
      “ Therefore I hope in Him!”

     The first two chapters of Lamentations till verse 20 of chapter 

3 poured out the grief and deep anguish of the people of Judah reflecting their sense of hopelessness.  But suddenly a ray of hope broke through the dark clouds of despair, something changed starting from verse 21. 

     Tucked in this passage is the key to finding hope in the midst of difficult times.

Finding hope begins with:

The Decision to Recall God’s Mercies and Faithfulness (Lam. 3:21)

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.

     

In order to unlock the key to finding hope, we need to decide to shift our eyes and mindset from our circumstances and focus on the Lord.  We can do this by recalling, reviewing or remembering God’s mercies and faithfulness towards us.

     Recall the times and incidents how God came through miraculously and amazingly for you- rescuing and helping you in your deepest need.  Try to trace His Hand in Your life and you’ll see that through all those times, God’s love, grace and mercy has sustained you.  Dig through your memory and choose to remember and meditate on God’s faithfulness.

     We can always choose what to think about or what to meditate on. Remember that the mind is a very powerful facility.  According to an article in Scientific American Magazine, “What is the Memory Capacity of the Brain” by Professor Paul Reber of Borthwestern University:

The human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections. If each neuron could only help store a single memory, running out of space would be a problem. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive. Yet neurons combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially increasing the brain’s memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.

     So if we would take advantage of such capacity and fill our minds with the things of God, choosing to dwell and meditate on His character and His Word instead of filling our thoughts with lies and rubbish and contemplating on the hopelessness of the situation, we would certainly find hope.  All we need to do is to decide to recall or call to mind God’s faithfulness, love and mercies toward us.

     Then when we have made that decision to recall God’s faithfulness, don’t forget about it right away and toss it out of the window.  Instead hold on to it and continue to meditate more and more on God’s mercies and faithfulness- and you’ll see:

The Depth of God’s Mercies (Lam 3:22-23)

       22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.  23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Mercy as used in this text is not just how we commonly understand mercy as simply having pity on someone.  Notice that mercy here is in its plural form “mercies”, meaning God’s supply of His mercies toward us is an abundant supply.  It is overflowing, and it never runs out. In addition, there are 3 ways how the mercies of God was further described and its depth explored:

1.    God’s mercies or his steadfast love preserves and sustains.

§  Although Jerusalem was razed to the ground, there was a lot of bloodshed and the people of Judah were taken in exile to Babylon, Jeremiah saw that because of the Lord’s mercies, they are not completely consumed, destroyed or wasted.  There was still a remnant.   Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. When we are in difficult situations, realize that things are bad but they might have been worse, and therefore there is hope that they may be better. . As Paul had given encouragement in 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 “ We are hard-pressed on every side, yet are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.  

2.    God’s mercies and compassions or his steadfast love never fails or will always remain.

§  The word “steadfast” means that no matter what would happen, it would always remain.  This is the kind of mercies and compassions that God has for us.  Even if all else fails, His compassions will never fail.  His steadfast or covenant love knows no end.

3.    God’s mercies and compassions or his steadfast love are new every morning.

§  Morning always signal the start of the day.  What a great comfort to know that at the beginning of each day, God’s mercies are already there.  To top it off, these mercies are always fresh and new!  We don’t have to use yesterday’s supply for today’s needs.  We don’t have to budget His mercies for us because it will not run out, they are always in abundance and the supply is always new each day !   Do you see God’s goodness?  We don’t even have to wait for another week, month or year in order to get a fresh supply of God’s mercies.  It’s every morning!   Great is the faithfulness of God indeed!

     When we choose to focus our minds and hearts on the Lord- His faithfulness and mercies, and hold fast to it, hope springs forth.  I believe it’s not so much of our decision to remember – it’s the object or the focus of our hope that gives us hope.  It is because we know whom we are trusting and where our hope lies- it is because our hope is in God.  We can always hope and hope and hope and hope, yet if that hope is founded on shaky objects, we would only end up frustrated and disappointed. How many times have we placed our hope and trust in the promises of men, but in the end they fail to deliver, thus crushing our hopes. But the good news is that our hope is in God who will never fail.  He is who He says He is. If He said that He is our provider, healer, deliver, rescuer, comforter- He is all these things and so much.  He is not like man who lies, He is trustworthy, He never wavers and His character never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.  Thus, we can put our faith in Him and then we can boldly have: 

The Declaration of Hope (Lam 3:21 & 24)

             21 “ …Therefore I have hope…    24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,  “ Therefore I hope in Him!”

     

We can only know and boldly declare real hope if we know that where we have placed our hope will never ever fail.  And only God will never fail. We can see that sandwiched between the two declarations of hope in verse 21 and verse 24 is the Prophet Jeremiah’s understanding of the character of God – His steadfast love that knows no end, His compassions that never fail, His mercies that are always overflowing and new every morning.  Only when he has remembered who God is then hope begins to break forth.

     The importance of having hope can never be over emphasized.  Hope is like a life-jacket.  It keeps one afloat when he is in an ocean of difficulties.

       As we face another year, we don’t know what it holds for us.  There might be challenges and trials along the way, but what’s important is that we have God on our side.  Never, ever lose hope.  However, in times when you feel hope is slipping and fading way, remember that God’s mercies is the key to finding hope and our decision to recall God’s mercies and focus on Him would simply be unlocking that hope that is found in God alone. 

Christmas Greetings from Barcial Family

My family and I would like to greet one and all a very merry Christmas. 

 In the midst of the calamity that has affected our country the Philippines in the fast days, we still find hope in Christ. We still have reason to rejoice in Jesus’ birth since He is always worthy of our praise. Every year the question arises “Tuloy ba ang Pasko?” The economy is not picking up worldwide and people seem to wonder if Christmas is worth celebrating.  Definitely the people affected by the recent flooding brought about by Typhoon Sendong will find it very difficult to celebrate this year. It is not Christmas but Christ is worth celebrating regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.  The Bible commands us to rejoice, pray and give thanks in everything, even in trials and temptations:

 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 Since we are so blessed and spared from such calamities, we should be sharing our Christmas joy to our fellow countrymen.  Our WIN – Philippines National Office in cooperation with our International and Middle East Office has already communicated to us their support and appeal to all WIN churches worldwide to help out willingly.

 Today as we worship the Lord, may the Lord’s compassion for the lost that led to His birth on earth move us as well in giving beyond what is expected of us. Our second basket offering and everybody’s birthday giving will be towards the relief efforts for Southern Visayas and Northern Mindanao flood affected areas through our Philippine National office.

 May the Lord bless you mightily in your generous, prayerful support for God’s people in these endtimes.

 We wish you a prosperous New Year AHEAD!

 Thank you and God bless us all during this Yuletide Season

 

Ps Edward, Sis. Marlene, David John and Sally Joy

TRIP TO HEAVEN (BIYAHENG LANGIT): The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:1-13) by: Bro. Teody Galit

Predictions, projection, and best guesses-every one likes to state what they think the future will hold. Meteorologists forecast the daily weather, sports journalists predict the outcome of a championship series, pollsters project the probable winner of an election, news commentators declare the direction of the nation, and futurists explain what the world will be like in a few decades.

In addition, our daily conversations are sprinkled with future talk: “Who do you think will win?” “What are your retirement plans?” “What will your son do after graduation?” Often these amateur prophecies are not fulfilled exactly as stated: Partly sunny turns into a rainy day, the underdog becomes an upset winner, a technological breakthrough changes the way we live, and an unexpected event changes our plans.

With Biblical prophets, the story reads quite differently. Inspired by God, each of their predictions would come true, in exact detail.

The gospel of Matthew provides amazing examples of the power and accuracy of God’s prophets who had foretold the coming of the Messiah. From His humble birth by a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) to His crucifixion (Psalm 22:14, 16-17) with criminals (Isaiah 53:12) to His resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10) Jesus did what the prophets had predicted—He fulfilled every prophecy and fit every description of the Jewish Savior.

Have you ever experience being denied or not permitted to board in a flight in one of your trip? What did you felt about it? You had prepared for this trip for a long time and were so excited about it especially if it was your first time to travel. But at the exact date of your trip right there in front of the departure gate the man who is in charge told you that you can not join the flight because either your requirements are incomplete or the worse thing is you are not included in the list because you are not qualified. The message for today will talk about the most awaited trip that every Christians are waiting for our final trip.

Point # I: The main characters: Vv. 1

I.1: The Ten Virgins

I.2: The Bridegroom

1Then the kingdom of heaven shall be liken to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is the next important event on the calendar of God. When Jesus was here on earth He promised that at the end of time He would come again.

There are 318 different places in the New Testament dealing with the Second Coming of the Lord. The doctrine of the Second Coming is the object of ridicule to the unbelievers and even to some whom called themselves believers or Christians; and yet it is one of the most important doctrines of the Bible.

I.1: The Ten virgins:

¹Then the kingdom of heaven shall be liken to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

             Two kinds of virgin

a. Five were wise. vv. 2, 4

²Now five of them were wise….⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

b. Five were foolish. vv. 2, 3

²…and five were foolish ³Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them

I.2: The bridegroom: V. 1a

¹Then the kingdom of heaven shall be liken to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Point # II: The Two Scenarios. V.5

         II.1: The bridegroom was delayed

⁵But the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

The bridegroom was late, He did not come at the time as they expected. Many in the apostles’ times imagined that the day of the Lord was at hand, but it is not so. For us it seems that Christ return is delay, and yet it really does not.

There are good reason for the Bridegroom’s coming to be delay; there are many purposes to be accomplished; 1. The elect must all be called in, 2. God’s patience must be manifested, and 3. The saints’ patience was tried. But though Christ return is delayed in our time, He will not be delayed on His due time to come. He said He will come back and for sure He will. He promises it three times in the book of Revelation, notice that every time He said He will come every body should do something.

a.    Rev. 16:15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walks naked and they see his shame.

b.    “Rev. 22:7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

c.    Rev. 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.”

II.2: The ten virgins all slumbered and slept

⁵But the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

Being slumbered is not new to Jesus; remember what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane while He was praying?

Matt. 26:36, 40

³⁶"Then Jesus came with them to a place Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."…⁴⁰ Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour."

While He is delayed, those that waited for him, grew careless, and forgot what they were attending; they all slumbered and slept; as if they had given over looking for Him; “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth” (Luke. 18: 8).

There could be a danger of spiritual slumber within the believers today, it happened before while they were with Jesus. Considering that the basis of our endurance to wait is our faith, once our faith decrease and failed we can not wait any longer.

The wise virgins slumbered, and the foolish slept; we can think of that way; however, they were both become faulty. The wise virgins kept their lamps burning, but did not keep themselves awake. There are so many Christians today that  when they have been Christians for a long time, sometimes their faith grows weary and get bored in their preparations for Christ’s second coming. When Jesus returns to take us to heaven, we must be ready. Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute. Our relationship with God must be in our own. It was hard for the disciples to watched with Christ even in an hour; How much more to watch with Him in decades?

Point # III. Urgent needs of believers. Vv.6-13

III.1: Be prepared; no one will do it for us: Vv. 6-9

⁶And at midnight a cry was heard: Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him! ⁷Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps ⁸And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not enough for us and for you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

Give us of your oil! This request was requested with sensible necessity. Those who see their needs of grace and faith on the last minutes to save them, can not expect any help from others, it is too late. God would have given them oil, had they asked in time; remember that there would be no buying when the market was closed, when Jesus return to take us to heaven no body can help us once He caught us unprepared for the trip.

III.2: Be prepared; being a member of a church is not a guarantee. Vv.10-12

¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other virgin came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹²But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

As Christians, we profess, not only to believe and look for, but to love and long for the appearing of Christ. The second coming of Christ is the center in which all the lines of our faith meet.

The purpose of these virgins is to meet the bridegroom, which is as much their happiness as their duty. They come to wait upon the bridegroom when He appears, and to wait for Him until He comes.

It will be the most disappointing moment in our lives when the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ comes when He tells us that He does not know us. Just like the five foolish virgins, the moment that they waited for so long came but still their preparations fall short to the eyes of the Lord.

III.3: Be prepared; for the unexpected. V. 13

¹³’’Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming

Though Christ coming delayed longer, He will come at last; though He seems slow, He is sure that He will comeback. In His first coming, He was mentioned and expected by those that waited for the consolation of Israel; and in the fullness of time He came; His second coming, though long deferred, should not be forgotten. His first coming was not with any observation at all, remember that “He was in the world, and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10-11); but His second coming will be observed by the entire world; every eye shall see Him. There will be a cry from heaven, for He shall descend with a shout of the Angels.

Comparisons of the Ten Virgins

Every one had a lamp.

Every one dressed in the garment of a bridesmaid.

Every one claimed to have been invited.

They all acted like the others.

They all had the same purpose.

None suspected that there was anything wrong with any of the others

Only the wise virgins entered and joined the wedding party

Wise with extra oil, Foolish no extra oil

 

The ten virgins symbolize two different kinds of believer, who pretended to be both worthy to meet the bride but their true identity was revealed on the actual hour of the wedding. Today’s believers can also pretend to be true followers of Jesus, they do everything to look like one and that they are ready on the second coming of Jesus; they spend time in the ministry, doing church works, doing charity works.

Our true identity will also be revealed during His second coming to be with us in our final trip, “our trip to heaven”.

Conclusion:

 Malachi 3:1-2

 ¹"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. ²"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. (NKJV)

His first coming was without external impact or show of power, and yet in truth there were few who could not stand its testing might. Herod and all Jerusalem were stirred at the news of His wondrous birth. Those who supposed themselves to be waiting for Him, showed the fallacy of their professions by rejecting Him when He came.

His life on earth was a winnowing fan, which tried the great heap of religious profession, and few enough could abide the process. But what will His second coming be? What sinner can endure to think of it? "He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked."  In His humiliation He did but say to the soldiers, "I am He," they fell backward; what will be the terror of His enemies when He shall more fully reveal Himself as the “I am?"

His death shook the earth and darkened the heaven, what shall be the dreadful splendor of that day in which as the living Savior, He shall summon the quick and dead before Him?  Let us search ourselves tonight and make our calling and election sure, so that the coming of the Lord may cause no dark thoughts in our mind.

Let us cast away all hypocrisy, and to be found of Him sincere and without rebuke in the day of His appearing. It is only 2 days from today before Christmas; the whole world is busy preparing for the celebration of His birth, His first coming. People spend time, money and resources even though most of them don’t know the real meaning and purposed of His birth. For us Christians real meaning and purposed of His birth is sum up in the message of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The preparation that people can do is to receive Him as their Lord and savior so that they can benefit during His second coming. He will come again not as a baby but as a Powerful and Mighty King. May He find us ready when He comes again on His second coming?

The moral and practical lesson of the whole parable is there will be no second chance for all the unprepared. “Who want to go to Heaven?” “BE PREPARED”!!!

Teody Galit