Running on Empty | Pastor Jesse Jernigan | 7.26.26 (Sermon)

I'm just excited. I feel like preaching.

Anybody feel like just getting in the

word with me? Come on. I'm I'm just

excited. I I've been hanging on to this

message for about a month and a half

now. And um the Lord finally gave me the

release to go [music] ahead and preach

this. Um and as we were uh in worship a

few moments ago, I feel like the Lord

gave me a release to preach something

else next week. Um there for a minute, I

got a little scared. I thought I was

fixing have to preach something I really

wasn't prepared for this morning. But I

felt like through the things that were

said and how the Holy Spirit moved that

he gave me the message for next week as

well. But today um I feel like

delivering a message to the church. I

feel like delivering a warning call to

the church, but not a warning call as in

how dare you. A warning call as in look

up for your redemption draws nigh. Come

on. How many ready to receive the word

of God today? Can we take our Bibles and

stand to our feet all over the house?

Turn with me to Matthew chapter number

25.

Matthew 25. And I there's several

several verses that we're going to read

here. Uh but as you are turning there, I

have two beautiful Bibles that I have

the honor to dedicate today. Uh one of

these I I don't know if I saw her or

Yes, I did. There's Miss Ava right

there. I got a Bible for you, girl, that

I am dedicating from precious uh sister

Tracy Francis [music] and her man Randy

that they they dedic or give to you,

gift to you today. And then also another

Bible for brother and sister Pedan.

Amen. Uh I don't know if they even know

this or not, but their children got them

a Bible. They I think their children

said they've gotten each of you Bibles

before individually, but they wanted to

make sure you had a Bible together. And

so today, I have the honor of dedicating

both of these Bibles unto [music] the

Lord for his glory and his honor. And I

could think of no greater couple and no

greater young lady to be able to

dedicate Bibles to today cuz I believe

that God's got something for them. Amen.

How many believe that God's got

something for them today? Hallelujah.

So, let's let's dive into the word this

morning. Matthew chapter 25. When you

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

get there, say, "I got it." You guys are

really good. I gave y'all an easy one,

though. It's the first of the New

Testament. It wouldn't be hard to find

that. start getting one of them tiny

little prophets. You might be like,

"Hold up, pastor." Start reading verse

number one. The Bible says this. "Then

the kingdom of heaven shall be likened

to 10 virgins whose took their lamps and

went out to meet the bridegroom." Now,

five of them were wise and five were

foolish. Well, how about that? Jesus

just went ahead and said it. Come on,

somebody. I don't know about you, but I

want him to call me wise. I don't want

him to call me foolish. Can I get a

witness in the house? The Bible says in

verse three, "Those who were foolish

took their lamps and took no oil with

them. But the wise took oil in their

vessels with their lamps." Read that

again. The foolish took their lamps and

took no oil or no extra oil with them,

but the wise took oil in their vessels

with their lamps. Verse five. But while

the bridegroom was delayed,

they all slumbered and slept. The wise

and the foolish fell asleep. We going to

talk about that. Some people got a

misunderstanding there, but we going we

going to clarify some things. But then

he said in verse number six, "And at

midnight a CRY WAS HEARD, BEHOLD, the

bridegroom is coming." Come on,

somebody. Go out to meet him. Then all

somebody say all. All those virgins, all

the five that were wise and all the five

that were foolish, they woke up, trimmed

their lamps. Then the foolish said to

the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for

our lamps are going out." But the wise

answers said, "No." Look at your

neighbor. Say, "No."

No is a complete sentence.

They said, "No, lest there should not be

enough for us and you, but go rather to

those who sell and buy for yourselves."

And while they went to buy, the Bible

says the bridegroom came, and those who

were ready went in with him to the

wedding, and the door was shut.

Verse 11 says, "Afterward the other

virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord,

open to us." But he answered and

said,"Assuredly I say to you, I do not

know you."

And then Jesus brings it down to a

landing here in his dissertation to

those that were listening. He said,

"Watch therefore,

for you know neither the day nor the

hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Can I read that last verse one more

time? I think that's the that's the

absolute uh climax of this chapter in

this story. Watch therefore, for you

know neither the day nor the hour in

which the Son of Man is coming. I feel

like I've got a word for somebody in the

house and I believe it's going to be a

double-edged sword today. We're going to

cut going in and cut coming out, but

it's going to be for our good. But the

Holy Spirit gave me this thought and

began to speak to me. Not only

prophetically, but where I'm walking and

where some of you are walking in this

room this morning. And that is simply

this. Running on empty. Look at your

neighbor. Say, "We're not going to run

on empty." Come on. We're not going to

run on empty. Can y'all pray with me?

And let's ask for the blessings of God.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We

thank you, Lord, that this word is

forever settled in heaven and in earth.

And today, I'm thankful to dedicate this

Bible, Lord, unto you for Ava. And I'm

thankful to dedicate this Bible unto you

for two champions and generals of the

faith, brother and sister Pete. And

Lord, I pray that you would open these

words, Lord. Let it be uh strength to

them. Let it be nourishment to them.

Lord, let them gain understanding and

fresh revelation. Lord, we give you

praise. And Lord, in this room, I pray

that our hearts would be right and we

will be ready for the return of the

King. Lord, we know you're coming and we

want to be ready. Even if we're running

on empty today, I believe before we

leave this house, we're going to be

filled with the glory of God. We give

you praise and give you glory for it. In

Jesus name we pray. And everybody says,

"Amen and amen." Can you give the Lord a

hand of praise this morning? Hallelujah.

As you take your seats in the presence

of the Lord,

running on

empty. Running on empty. The fact is

that when we see Jesus begin to talk and

begin to teach, not only to his

disciples and not only to those that

would listen, but if you understand

correctly when Jesus began to speak, he

didn't just speak a miss or just try to

throw words out. He knew who his

audience was.

Jesus was not just shooting in the dark

and hoping that he hit the target. No,

he knew his disciples were listening. He

knew that those that were searching and

seeking for truth were listening. But if

I'm being honest, Jesus also knew that

the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the

religious leaders were listening. And

what he did intentionally many times,

and you'll see this around this area of

the book of Matthew, Jesus will start

his story, his parable with something

like this that we see today in this

chapter 25 verse one. Then the kingdom

of heaven shall be likened. What Jesus

was doing in this moment anytime you see

this is Jesus was intentionally creating

distance between the kingdom of heaven

and the distorted view of the kingdom of

heaven that was on this earth. Because

you see Jesus didn't come just to fit

into everybody else's mold. But Jesus

came to actually break the mold of the

religious society that was around him.

Can I get an amen? I don't know about

you, but I'm thankful that Jesus was not

afraid to step up to the plate and let

people know. I know you think it's this

way, but let me tell you what my father

says about the kingdom that is coming to

this earth and that is even here right

now. Because here's what I know. IF HE

HAD NOT CAME IN and disturbed the

religious order, then today we would

still BE SACRIFICING BULLS. We would

still be sacrificing all this mess and

have to go into a physical realm. BUT

I'M THANKFUL HE SHIFTED IT FROM A

PHYSICAL VIEW TO NOW IT is a spiritual

birth that each one of us can have

because of that. Today I have been set

free by the blood of the one and only

lamb OF GOD. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE

THANKFUL you've been set free by the

blood OF JESUS CHRIST. THE ONE WHO

WASHES AWAY YOUR SIN. THE ONE WHO TAKES

EVERY STAIN IN YOUR LIFE AND MAKES IT

BRAND NEW. THE ONE WHO TAKES EVERY SIN

AND EVERY MISTAKE AND WASHES IT AWAY. IS

THERE ANYBODY IN THE HOUSE THAT WOULD

SAY, "I'M THANKFUL. I'M WASHED BY THE

BLOOD OF A NEW KINGDOM THAT CAME THROUGH

MY SAVIOR Jesus Christ." For the fact

is, they would like for everybody, and

I'm trying to calm down. I got a long

way to go. They would like for everybody

to stay in the religious pin that they

built because it was for their selfish

gain.

But the fact is, the kingdom is not for

our selfish gain. It may be for our

gain, but it's not for us to say, "Look

at me." But the kingdom is so we can

point back to one name and let people

know he is the one that can save.

And so today we have to understand there

is a difference between someone else's

idea of the kingdom and Jesus's idea of

the kingdom. Matter of fact, let's say

it like this. Jesus came to turn it

upside down.

>> He came to turn it upside down.

Basically the people that sat on the

front row, he said, "I'm not really

interested in you. I want the people who

are begging on the side of the road.

>> Come on, somebody. Can Can we just talk

real for just a moment? The fact is many

of us, if we would really sit back and

take out valuation of our life, we were

the beggar sitting on the side of the

road. And if it had not been for a

savior that came by and said, "You know

what? Silver and gold have I none, but

such as I have, I give to you." Come on.

I'm thankful he gave me something that's

better than money.

May we never forget that it's not this

kingdom is not big I's and little U's,

>> but this kingdom is thank God that I'm

saved by the grace of God. Thank God

that he redeemed me from the clutches of

sin. THANK GOD THAT HE CAME to take

crooked paths and make them straight

because he is that kind of God. Look at

your neighbor and say, "We serve that

God."

Now, I want you to holler this statement

with me. And I want you to holler at

Pentecostal style.

Not not I don't want Presbyterian style.

I don't want I don't want, you know, God

bless all my Presbyterian brothers and

sisters, Episcopal, all that stuff. And

even Baptist, I got some great Baptist

friends. I even text our our Baptist

friend, pastor that's right here in the

in the city with us, and I say, "Bro,

preach the word today." And I'm so proud

of you. I'm so thankful for you because

I know he stands for righteousness. But

here's what I want you to do. I want you

to holler Pentecostal style. And I want

you to holler this right here. Say, "The

King is coming."

>> The king is coming.

>> That was all right. THAT WAS PRETTY

GOOD. LET'S TRY THAT one more time. Say,

"The King is coming."

>> And here's what we have to understand. A

great writer named Steven Cvy. I think a

statement that he made in one of his

books that he was writing and he it was

something that I read that I thought was

very incredible. That is something so

prophetic to this moment right now. He

wrote a statement, you must begin with

the end in mind. You you must begin with

the end in mind. And that's exactly what

we're going to do today because I think

Jesus did the same thing when he

preached this parable. We see this in

verse number 13. And we understand that

the purposes and the precious savior and

the words that he gave us was watch

therefore for you know neither the day

nor the hour in which the son of man is

coming. The truth is today that many

people would like to say, "Let's just

walk through the whole text and let's

gain understanding before we get to the

end." But you can't understand what God

is trying to say through the words of

Jesus if you don't understand the

endgame. So, we have to understand

everything we're about to talk about is

to point us to the man Jesus that he's

about to return cuz the king is coming.

How do you know? Because chapter 24,

Matthew goes in this. He spent many

points and many many scriptures pointing

people to Jesus's return. He talked

about the signs of the time. He talked

about the end of the age. He talked

about the tribulation. He talked about

the coming of the son of man. He talked

about faithfulness versus faithlessness.

He talked about being prepared and being

faithful. Because the fact is this

morning, I've got no other message for

you other than this. The king is coming.

Jesus is about to call his bride home.

He is looking for a place that has made

themsel ready. He's looking for

believers that did not come in to play

church but came IN TO SAY, "HOW CAN I be

prepared for the coming of THE LORD?"

AND I got to echo it one more time

because it is my message. The King is

COMING AND IT'S TIME FOR US TO GET

READY. HE SAID THIS. HE SAID, "LIFT up

your heads for to the hills from WHICH

COMETH YOUR HELP." BECAUSE YOUR HELP

COMES FROM the Lord. There will come a

DAY IN OUR LIFE THAT WE WILL BE GOING

ABOUT the business of the king and we

will heal hear a trumpet blast from

heaven and it will make the DEAD IN

CHRIST RISE FIRST. THE BIBLE SAYS then

we who are alive and remain will be

caught up together to MEET THEM IN THE

CLOUDS AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE with the

Lord. You can argue with me and say

pre-trip, mid-trip, post-trip. It don't

matter which one of THOSE THREE IT

HAPPENS IN. THE FACT IS AT SOME POINT

THE TRUMPET'S GOING TO BLAST AND JESUS

IS GOING TO CALL HIS CHURCH HOME. I

DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU. IS ANYBODY READY

FOR JESUS TO RETURN? HAVE YOU PREPARED

YOUR GARMENTS? ARE YOU SPOTLESS? ARE YOU

WHITE AS SNOW? HAVE YOU GOTTEN IT ALL OF

THE BLOOD? IS THERE UNFORGIVENESS IN

YOUR HEART THAT'S GOT TO GET GOD IN THE

MIDDLE OF IT AND GET IT OUT? IS THERE

ANYBODY PREPARED? IF YOU PREPARE, ONE,

TWO, THREE, GIVE THE KING A PRAISE in

the house.

Jesus is about to CALL HIS BRIDE HOME.

BUT THEN chapter 25 begins with a

conscious effort to make people take

account for their lives.

Because the fact is we cannot read the

word of God as a fairy tale or a story.

We must read it as instructions and

guidelines and and boundaries for our

heart and our life so that we can be

prepared. Every piece of this word from

the very beginning, Genesis 1, all the

way through Revelation, can I tell you,

it is breathed upon and inspired by the

Holy Spirit to transform our lives so

that we can be examples of who Christ is

and understand his his calling to us and

understand his purpose for our life and

helping us get prepared. Because you

see, the story of the wedding that

brings attention to the preparedness for

the coming of the Lord is recorded in

chapter 25. His instructions for all of

us were watched there for. But for us to

fully grasp what Jesus is trying to help

us understand, we must first gain an

understanding of first century Jewish

weddings. A Jewish wedding typically

unfolded in three major stages with the

fourth being the feast or the

celebration. The first one is the

betroal stage. Somebody say betro.

This was much more than our modern

engagement. This wasn't just people

going down to the beach with a

photographer hid in the sand dunes and

you exchange a ring and say, "Will you

marry me?" Come on. That's good and

that's beautiful and that is romantic.

Especially whenever you get pedals all

the way down to a little fire on the

beach and say, "Oh, girl, will you marry

me?" Absolutely. You know the answer is

yes before you get there. I remember

when I asked my girl to marry me. I was

so nervous, y'all. I I just I was acting

like a a cat on a hot tin roof. Can I

get a amen? I was I I knew she was going

to say yes, but there was that little

piece in the back of my mind. I was

thinking maybe she going to say no. And

then what am I going to do? That's going

to be embarrassing. We already got

concert tickets. I'm about to pay for

this really expensive meal that I've

taken one bite out of cuz I can't even

eat anything. I'm so nervous. But I

remember in that restaurant, it was one

it was a place we didn't even belong. I

don't know why we were there. I didn't

have the money. I just figured out maybe

there's a credit card that'll make me

let me make this happen. But I got up in

there. I swiped that thing. I I looked

at for prices, y'all. It was one of the

restaurants that just has like a solid

number beside. I was used to like

$19.99. Come on, somebody. But when I

got to my steak, it was like 58 dots.

Come on. I was like, "Oh my god." And

this has been a long time ago, so you

can imagine what the price is now. But I

said, "Lord, you going to have to help

me in this moment." And the uh the I say

the usher, the the waiter come by. He

ripped that thing. He ripped the table

back. And I dropped down to one knee.

And I said, "Girl, I want you to marry

me. Please don't tell me." I'm kidding.

Please don't say no. But in that moment,

she said yes. We kissed. It was

beautiful and the whole entire

restaurant went up. It was a beautiful

moment. But what I want you to

understand is that the betroal stage

that was in a first century Jewish

wedding was so much more than our modern

engagement. The groom's father would

negotiate the marriage covenant. And a

bride price was paid for that bride on

behalf of that groom. The covenant was

sealed often with a shared cup of wine.

And though the couple did not yet live

together, they were they were legally at

that moment husband and wife. Now look,

don't get no bride ideas. Any of y'all

that are engaged, you got to go all the

way through and sign on the dotted line.

Can I get a amen?

>> Oh, come on, somebody. I think it's

still a good thing if men and women are

going to live together, they need to get

married. Can I get a witness in the

house?

>> All right. Now, listen. Adjust your halo

for just a second. I think we need to

get things right. But I want you to

understand that even in that time in the

first century Jewish wedding, if they

were to break that engagement, it meant

that they would have to go through the

process of divorce because they were

already legally married. This

immediately reminds me of Christ and his

church. That is us. Jesus paid the best

price for the bride and that is you and

I by his own blood. Can I get a witness

in the house? I want you to understand

not only that, he established the new

covenant, our marriage covenant with the

cup that was in the New Testament

talking about his blood. And then the

church is presently betrothed to Christ.

We are married to the king and we are

ever more anticipating and preparing

oursel for the coming of the Lord. That

is the betroal stage. But then you have

stage number two and that is the

preparation stage. After the covenant

was struck between the bride and the

groom and the price was paid. The bride

price was paid. The groom returned to

his father's house. His responsibility

was to prepare a dwelling place for his

bride. The bride remained at her

father's house. And watch this. The

responsibility of the groom was to

prepare a place. But the responsibility

of the bride was not to predict the day

that her husband would return. Her

responsibility was to stay prepared.

Woo! Come on, somebody. Some of y'all

already know where I'm going, but we

gonna go there anyways. This explains

Jesus's words in John 14 where he said,

"I go to prepare a place for you." I

don't know about you, I'm thankful my

God's going to prepare a place for me.

Come on. Praise God. Somebody say amen

right there. Come on.

This reminds us that Jesus paid the

ultimate price, but it shifts us over

the preparation preparation stage. Her

responsibility was not to predict the

day that her husband will return, but

her responsibility responsibility rather

was to prepare. The groom, watch this,

often spent close to a year preparing

for her br for his bride. He spent

nearly a year preparing the room that he

had to be able to make sure that his

bride had a place to dwell. Because

here's what I want you to know. He was

not going to bring her back and say,

"We're going to sleep in a tent

outside."

Come on. I don't know about you, but I'm

thankful that my God said, "I'm not

going to just put you in a tent right

beside the golden streets." But he has

gone to prepare a place for you and I. A

mansion that you and I can live in

that's got my name on the front door.

Come on, somebody. I may not have a

mansion on this earth, but I promise you

this. As I serve the living GOD OF

HEAVEN, I'VE got a mansion in glory

that's waiting on me. You've got a

mansion in glory waiting on you. And I'm

thankful we serve a God who loves us

that much. But the the the more

fascinating part of the first century

Jewish wedding was simply this, that the

groom himself usually did not determine

when he could even go back and retrieve

his bride. His father had to come and

inspect the room that he prepared. And

only when the father declared it is

complete, would he release his son to go

get his bride. I want you to see what

Matthew 24:36 says. of that day, an

Matthew 24:36

hour. No one knows. But my father only

knows the day. Can you see the beautiful

picture of where we live and what we're

reading right here? Jesus don't even

know, but the father knows because he's

watching his son prepare for his bride,

but I believe that that time is coming

very, very soon. And at some point, the

father's going to look over at the SON

AND SAY, "I KNOW YOU WAITED LONG ENOUGH.

I KNOW THEY'VE ENDURED HARDSHIP long

enough. Son, GO GET YOUR BRIDE. GO MAKE

SURE THAT THEY are ready. I DON'T KNOW.

IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE HOUSE THAT'S

STILL READY for the KING TO RETURN? HE'S

GOT SOMETHING FOR US. ALL WE'RE WAITING

ON HIM TO DO IS ANNOUNCE HIS RETURN.

SO, the preparation stage, but then the

third stage before the feast would take

place was the arrival of the bridegroom.

We have to we got to change microphones.

This thing's about to drive me nuts. I'm

about to slam it somewhere. [snorts] The

arrival of the bridegroom. This is where

we find Matthew 25. And we see it take

place in this situation. The groom would

arrive unexpectedly.

Often the groom would arrive at night

with friends, with shouting, with music,

with trumpets. In other words, they came

in making a ruckus. Can I get an amen?

They didn't come in just quiet saying,

"Well, I hope nobody's really paying

attention to us. Let's just sneak

through." No, he wanted everybody to

know I showed up and I'm here. Come on.

I know you've been waiting on me for a

year. I know you've been waiting on me

for decades, but I want you to know

Jesus is not GOING TO COME BACK just as

a passive king. He is coming back as a

triumphant king. He is a lord of lords.

He's not come. Come on, somebody. And

that takes my mind back to Paul when he

was beaten wrongfully by the Roman

government. And they said, "Oh, now that

you've done been beaten, praise God for

whatever you gave me." Oh, that'll work

right there. And give me a little bit in

the monitors. It'll be great right now.

I'm sorry. I'm being demanding. I love

all y'all. Y'all are so amazing this

morning. But I want to say this. It

takes me back to Paul whenever he was

beaten by the Roman government and

things begin to happen and they said,

"You know what? We beat you. We didn't

know he was a Roman citizen, but we're

going to ask you to leave quietly." And

Paul said, "Oh, absolutely not. I will

not leave quietly, but I will make noise

going out the city and let them know who

my God is and let them know that I have

overcome. I want to tell you Jesus is

not coming back quiet. He's coming back

with a loud shout to let the devil know,

I'VE COME TO TAKE BACK EVERY TERRITORY.

I'VE come to take back EVERY COME ON.

I'VE COME TO take back EVERY SOUL, EVERY

LIFE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF

JESUS. HE'S ALREADY OVERCOME. AND I

DECLARE HE'S ABOUT TO COME WITH A SHOUT.

HE'S LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S READY

for the shout.

The cry would ring out through the

village or wherever HE SHOWED UP.

BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM is coming. And

immediately, everyone involved had to be

ready. Believe it or not, they didn't

have advanced text message warning back

then.

Believe it or not, they may have been

scrolling on Instagram and looking

through Tik Tok and they didn't get a

text message that the bridegroom is

coming. There was no schedule that they

had to keep. There was no warning. There

was nothing there. But that is the

IMPORTANT PART OF THIS story is that

preparation was everything when you're

waiting on the bridegroom.

People will look at this and say, "Wait

a second, pastor. If the king is coming,

then he'll give us warning signs." He

already did

there. There's no other signs that have

to be given before the trumpet blasts.

There's nothing else that has to go on.

That's why I have to preach this message

because I love you enough to let you

know I don't want you to miss the king

when he comes.

>> I want to make sure that we're not just

going to have Holy Ghost church in here.

We're not just going to shout ALL THOSE

THINGS ARE GOOD. BUT WHEN THE TRUMPET

ACTUALLY BLASTS, I want this room to be

empty in Jesus name.

>> Come on. If you want TO KNOW YOUR

PASTOR'S HEART, my heart is that when

the trumpet blasts, they won't be one of

US KNOCKING DOWN THAT DOOR OUT THERE

SAYING, "I NEED ANSWERS." BUT I'LL LOOK

AT YOU AND I'LL SEE YOU FLOATING IN THE

CLOUDS WITH ME AND WE'LL BE STANDING

BEFORE THE KING. COME ON. THAT'S THE

MATTER OF MY HEART TODAY. I WANT US TO

BE READY for the king. The king is

coming.

Look at your neighbor. Tell him again,

the king is coming.

So the question is, who were the 10

virgins?

I want you to know these were not random

women that just showed up.

They were a matter of fact they were not

uninvited. They were very much invited.

They had the wedding garments on. They

had the ability to let their light

shine. And we see what's going on. Most

likely these were unmarried bridesmaids

that are attendance to the bride who

possessed the responsibility to

accompany the bride to meet the

bridegroom and then also to welcome the

bridegroom into the wedding procession

and walk him into the feast leading the

way. They were the official wedding

party lighting the runway for the groom

so that they could pierce the darkness

toward the marriage feast so they would

know which direction to go. They weren't

random people that just showed up and

said, "Oh, I hope there's a guy that

comes." And start shouting.

Come on. They were quote unquote in the

party. They were already invited. They

had a seat at the table. And I want you

to see this. Why were the lamps so

important? Because we could talk about

the bride uh the the the bride's maze.

We could talk about these 10 virgins. We

could see that. But then we have to

understand why the lamp was so

important. Because each lamp, I want you

to understand, held a few key elements

such as olive oil, a flax wick, and

enough oil for a limited amount of

burning time. [snorts] These specific

lamps only produced a modest light. They

were one of those small handheld lamps

that they that were made out of clay

they would hold in their hands. It

wasn't some huge torch that they held in

their arm. It wasn't that. It was a

small little lamp that had a wick out

the end of it and oil inside and it

would burn so that it would produce

light. But I want you to understand the

lamps were important because without

oil, the flame quickly died. And a lamp

without oil becomes only a piece of

pottery.

Did you know you and I, we are flesh? We

are made out of the dust of the ground.

And without the oil of the Holy Spirit,

we are just a lump of clay. Can I get a

amen?

>> Oh, but I'm looking at a church this

morning that's more than just a lump of

clay. Come on. I'm looking at a

powerhouse of a come on a spiritual

house called Liberty Culture Church. And

I declare in the name of Jesus that we

are more than just a lump of clay, but

we are vessels in the hands of a master

potter that is standing up and saying,

"I know in whom I have believed and I'm

persuaded that my God is able."

So why if we have 10 virgins here and we

have lamps and we have oil, why if they

have oil in their lamp, why would they

carry extra oil? You see, the wise

virgins carried extra oil because they

anticipated there being a delay.

Anybody that's ever flown commercial,

you have to go into it expecting a

delay.

It is one of the most frustrating things

on the planet when you are there saying

I know I can make it back in time but

then they text you and say your flight

has been bumped back 45 minutes and you

start looking at your phone and start

casting devils out saying in the name of

Jesus

it's fine and well when it happens one

time but when it happens twice

and then it happens a third time and

then you start calculating saying well

if I land in Atlanta at this time that

is way beyond the takeoff time of my

last flight. So, there's no way I'm

going to make it home. That's when you

got to make a move and say, "I got to

prepare." Come on, somebody. That

happened to me a couple weeks ago when I

was in Ohio and I was coming back. There

were storms all around Ohio. There were

storms in Atlanta and it kept getting

bumped back and bumped back. And I'll be

honest with you, I'm kind of glad it did

cuz I don't want to fly through a storm

anyways. Can I get an amen? I'm already

ner Y'all know my story about that. When

it starts rocking, I start moving my

feet thinking I'm the one moving the

plane. Come on. I get nervous about that

kind of stuff. But, I had to make a

decision. All right, I got to shift this

thing or I almost just Hey, we're going

to try to make it through Atlanta and

try to make it back to VPS. It'll be all

right. But can I tell you, you have to

be willing to expect delay in your life.

I know EVERYBODY'S LIKE, "PASTOR, PREACH

IT SUDDENLY IS COMING." OH, I'M GOING TO

PREACH about suddenly in just a minute.

But before suddenly comes, delay has to

happen

because what what does what does the

word say? It says patience.

Come on. Some Oh, y'all don't like

patience. I done lost half the people,

babe. I don't I'll just preach to you

guys on the front row because when

people start preaching about suddenly

and breakthrough miracles, oh, we can

turn the house up, baby. We can get on

the organ and we can go crazy. But when

somebody starts talking about delay and

patience and how we have to endure like

a good soldier, man, what are we doing?

Can I tell you? He's taking those

delays. He's taking those moments of

having patience. He's taking those

moments of endurance. And he is

perfecting something in you that may not

be for this season right now. But listen

to me this morning. It's for the season

you're about to step into.

>> Oh, come on, somebody. I'm not here def

defending it and PUSHING BACK AND

SAYING, "GOD, I WISH YOU WOULD NOT

DELAY." OH, ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'M ACTUALLY

IN THE BOAT SAYING, "GOD, if you wanted

to lay me a little bit longer and work

on me, THAT'S ALL RIGHT, CUZ I KNOW that

you're working a far MORE EXCEEDING AND

ETERNAL WEIGHT of glory. IS THERE

ANYBODY ELSE IN THE HOUSE THAT WOULD

SAY, "I KNOW GOD'S WORKING IT OUT FOR MY

GOOD. AND IF I GOT TO GO THROUGH DELAY,

THEN I'LL SIT THERE AND WATCH MY WATCH.

I'LL READ THE WORD. I'LL PREPARE IN THE

MIDST OF IT BECAUSE I KNOW HE'S got

something great on the other side."

Delay

is the worst.

But they anticipated delay. How do I

know they anticipated? Because the Bible

says they brought extra oil.

They knew they were going to sit for a

while. They had no knowledge, watch

this, of when the bridegroom was coming.

AND MAYBE THIS IS WHY THE LORD CALLED

them wise.

The five wise versions. Watch this.

because they prepared for a long wait.

This was the difference Jesus was

highlighting in the story. The foolish

virgins expected convenience, but the

wise prepared for uncertainty.

Now watch this. It took faith for them

to prepare for uncertainty because when

everybody was gathering up their

supplies, five of them did the same

thing. They they both all 10 of them did

one thing the same. They all grabbed the

lamp. They all put oil in it. They all

put the wick and they all lit it. But

when the five foolish said, "I'm just

excited to get there. Let's make sure we

make it." The five wise said, "Hold up a

second. I'm going to do something that

you're not willing to do."

Come on, somebody. Can I preach to some

real folk in the house this morning? I

want to let you know that sometimes if

you want everything God has for you, you

got to be willing to do what everybody

else is not willing to do. You got to be

willing to praise when nobody Oh my God,

I feel the Holy Spirit right here. You

got to be willing to activate your faith

and give God glory when nobody else will

do it. You got to be willing to stand up

whenever everything's going wrong in

your life and saying, "I know in whom I

have believed and I'm persuaded that

he's able to keep that which I've

committed to him against that day." When

all hell IS COMING AGAINST MY LIFE, I've

got to stand flatfooted and say, "I

don't understand WHY I'M GOING THROUGH

WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, but God, I'M

GOING TO TRUST YOU IN THE MIDST OF IT.

I'M WILLING TO DO WHAT NOBODY ELSE IS

WILLING TO DO, CUZ I KNOW God's got

something for my life." Look at your

neighbor and say, "Are you willing? Are

you Are you really willing?" Because

faith is the key in this entire

scripture. The five foolish did not have

faith that they were going to endure.

The five wise said, "I'm going to

prepare like I have faith." Because

watch this. Preparation is faith.

Behaving like God's promise is already

on the way. Come on, somebody. I want TO

KNOW, HAS ANYBODY GOT FAITH THAT what

God's COMMITTED TO YOU, WHAT GOD HAS

PROMISED TO YOU, THAT YOU'RE WILLING to

stand up and give God PRAISE THIS

MORNING? I SAY THIS AGAIN, it's an

interactive message. So, I need some

folk that's got SOME FAITH RIGHT NOW

THAT THE PROMISES GOD GAVE YOU OVER YOUR

BODY, THE PROMISES GOD GAVE YOU OVER

YOUR CHILDREN, THE PROMISES GOD GAVE YOU

OVER YOUR FUTURE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO

GO OUT WITHOUT A FIGHT. BUT I'M GOING TO

STAND HERE. I'M GOING TO WORSHIP GOD

BEHAVING LIKE MY PROMISE IS ALREADY ON

THE WAY. COME ON. MY SON AND MY

DAUGHTER, THEY'RE ALREADY COMING TO AN

ALTAR. MY HEALING IS ALREADY ABOUT TO BE

PROCLAIMED FROM A DOCTOR'S MOUTH. IF YOU

GOT FAITH, 1, TWO, 3, GIVE HIM PRAISE IN

THE HOUSE.

HALLELUJAH. Somebody shout faith.

>> FAITH IN THE MIDST OF PROMISE. FAITH IN

THE MIDST OF PUSH BACK. FAITH IN THE

MIDST of delay. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT

ARE YOU BELIEVING GOD FOR TODAY? WHAT

ARE YOU ASKING GOD TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?

HOW ARE YOU ASKING GOD TO MOVE? BECAUSE

I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHEN THE OIL IS THERE

ON YOUR LIFE, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT

THE ENEMY SAYS. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT

THE ENEMY DOES. I'VE GOT ENOUGH OIL TO

ENDURE EVERY HARDSHIP. I'VE GOT ENOUGH

OIL TO ENDURE EVERY ACCUSATION. I'VE GOT

ENOUGH OIL TO ENDURE EVERY BETRAYAL.

I'VE GOT ENOUGH OIL ON MY LIFE TO LET

THE DEVIL KNOW. YOU MIGHT HAVE TRIED IT,

BUT LOOK AT ME NOW. IT DIDN'T TAKE ME

OUT. IT MADE ME STRONGER THROUGH THE

POWER OF GOD. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT

WOULD SAY, "I'VE GOT OIL ON MY LIFE, AND

I'M THANKFUL THAT I'VE GOT OIL on my

life." What am I BELIEVING GOD FOR? I'm

believing God simply for his best in my

life. [snorts] Anybody believing for his

best? All right, that's about 30%.

That's pretty great. Let's try that one

more time. How many you believe for

God's best in your life? Come on. All

right, we got it up to 50%. That was

pretty good. I'm going to ask you one

more time. How many you believe for

God's best in your life? Can you give

him a little praise in the house? Come

on. I I believe that your best the the

best that God has for your life is right

on the other side of your next decision

to praise him. You say, "Pastor, why do

I got to praise him so much? Why do I

got to give him glory so much?" You know

why? Because it tells your flesh, you

are not in control. It says that my

God's promises are in control in my

life. I don't feel like praising even

right now. But in the name of Jesus,

that's where some OF YOU ARE AT. BUT I

DECLARE if you'll just begin to praise

him right now for the promises HE GAVE

YOU. THERE'S ABOUT TO BE A BREAKTHROUGH

THAT'S ABOUT TO COME TO YOUR LIFE.

THERE'S ABOUT TO BE COME ON, IT'S GOING

TO SHATTER EVERY EXPECTATION THAT WOULD

EVER COME. THE ENEMY THOUGHT HE WAS

GOING TO TALK YOU OUT OF IT, BUT MY

PRAISE SAYS I'M CONVINCED THAT HE IS

ABLE. CAN YOU say amen?

Cuz here's the thing. When we have oil

in our life, the enemy would like to try

to steal that oil and take that oil away

from us because oil carries significant

symbolism both historically and

biblically. Historically, I'm going to

blow your mind. Oil simply filled the

lamps.

That's profound. That's deep. That's

powerful. It was a practical necess

necessity. If you wanted to have light,

you had to have oil. That's it. But

watch this. without oil, no light, no

procession, no participation, no

entrance into the feast would ever take

place. That was on the physical side.

That was on the historical side. But

biblically, oil has several different

interconnected realities. Number one,

the oil represents the Holy Spirit. The

oil represents the Holy Spirit. We go

back to the Old Testament for this one.

We can go New Testament, too, but we'll

stick in the Old Testament. Samuel

anointed David with oil. Somebody say

oil. Some people say, "Oh, come on."

Y'all say, "Oh." Some of y'all say,

"Oh." I say, "Oil." Come on. I It's the

same thing. It just One of them is from

like deep south, one of them is from

like Middle South. Can I get a witness?

He He He anointed David with oil. 1st

Samuel 16:13 says, "The spirit of the

Lord came upon David. As the oil touched

his head, the spirit of God rested on

David to be the king he had called him

to be, to be a man after God's heart."

In other words, he was chasing after the

heart of God every single day. Did he

always get it right? No, he didn't

always get it right. He made some

mistakes, but that's what made David

powerful is that even when he fell down,

he did not stay down. He got right back

up. He said, "I'm going after God's

heart one more time. I may not catch it,

but I'm in hot pursuit of him." You know

why? Because David was oily. David was a

oily king. He had the power of the Holy

Spirit on him. oil became associated

with the spirit's empowering presence

that was on people's life. That was Old

Testament. New testament fresh oil came

in the room on the day of Pentecost and

it anointed every person that was in the

room so that they be they began to speak

with other tongues as the spirit gave

them utterance and they stood up and

they preached an oily message to 3,000

plus people and they got saved because

Peter opened his mouth and declared the

word of God because he was oily.

Somebody shout holy spirit.

>> Come on. Then the second thing that was

an interconnected reality of the oil WAS

CONSECRATION. WE DON'T LIKE TALKING

ABOUT this much, but you see kings and

priests. And if you go back to whenever

the tabernacle was created, there was a

certain pattern that they would anoint

all the furnishings in the tabernacle.

All of these were anointed. And the oil

in that moment represented being set

apart unto God for his service. Can I

tell you that God is looking FOR PEOPLE

THAT WOULD not only want the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit, but they want to be

separated from the things of this world.

I want I don't know about you, I don't

want to be associated with the junk of

this world. I don't want to be tagged

with the ridicules of this world AND THE

DOWNTRODDEN PART AND THE SINFUL NATURE.

I WANT TO BE SEPARATE from that. That

doesn't mean I can't walk right in there

with the light of Christ and let them

know there is a redeemer and he can

break them free from whatever has them

bound. But I want to tell you in the

name of Jesus, it's time for the church

TO BE SET APART AGAIN. IT'S time for

holiness to come back to THE CHURCH.

IT'S TIME FOR SANCTIFICATION TO COME

BACK TO the church again. Is there

anybody THAT WOULD SAY, "I KNOW GOD'S

CALLED ME, BUT I'M READY TO BE SEPARATED

UNTO GOD FOR his glory."

Consecration. Somebody say, "Light."

>> This was another interconnected part.

Oil always existed to produce light.

Psalm 119:105 the writer said, "Your

Psalms 119:105

word is a lamp to my feet and a light to

my path." Can I tell you? Oil and fire

produce visible testimony.

WHY DO YOU THINK HE TALKED ABOUT OIL AND

FIRE? Because he doesn't want you to be

a secret undercover Christian.

>> Hello, somebody. Can I try this out over

here? He does not want you to be a

secret undercover Christian.

I know some of y'all just in sitting

here and trying to figure this thing out

and I'm going to be patient with you

because I love you and I want you to

understand the totality of God's call on

your life. But the fact is if we can

really boil it down when Jesus has

changed your life, it is not for us to

hide what he did. It is for us to

uncover that and let people know I once

was this way but now I met Jesus and

guess what? I'm completely different.

Come on. That's the TESTIMONY OF THE OIL

OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE AND THE LIGHT OF THE

FIRE OF GOD. I want to know is there any

I'm trying to behave myself. I want to

know is there anybody in the house today

that would say I'VE GOT A TESTIMONY THAT

WILL absolutely shame hell and LET JESUS

BE GLORIFIED. I WANT YOU TO TAKE ABOUT

15 SECONDS and give God praise that

you've been redeemed BY THE PRECIOUS

BLOOD OF JESUS. OH, COME ON. I NEED SOME

FOLK TO TESTIFY WITH YOUR PRAISE. I ONCE

WAS LOST, BUT NOW I'M FOUND. I ONCE WAS

BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE. I ONCE WAS BROKEN,

BUT HE PUT ME BACK TOGETHER. I ONCE WAS

MARRED, BUT HE MADE ME AGAIN ANOTHER

VESSEL AS IT SEEMED GOOD TO HIM TO MAKE

IT. 1 2 3. GIVE HIM PRAISE in the house.

[music]

I will let my light shine before men

that they may see my good works and

glorify my father who is in heaven.

My heart and my desire is that each one

of us would let the oil and the fire

produce visible testimony of God's

goodness. Do not hide it. Because watch

this, a life filled with oil will never

struggle to produce a visible witness.

A life you say, "Pastor,

I feel like I've been running on empty."

Oh, I'm about to get to you.

Me and you is about to have church

together here in a minute because I know

the fact is the enemy is trying to been

he's been trying to drain some of you

strength and drain some of you purpose.

I've already heard the Holy Spirit say

that somebody's about to get their

strength back today. Come on, somebody.

Somebody's about to get the oil back

today. The enemy's talked you out of it

and said lay it down. Oh, no. No. We

about to pick that oil back up and we

going to anoint our own head with fresh

oil in the name of Jesus. But watch

this. We must have fresh oil every day.

We must be prepared. We must have light.

But then the last thing that I want to

highlight about what the oil represents

is readiness. Somebody say readiness.

>> Psalm 23:5 says, "You anoint my head

Psalms 23:5

with oil." And he said this. He said,

"This is a prepared, refreshed, and

ready person." If someone has their head

o anointed with oil, they are prepared.

They are refreshed. And they are ready.

And watch this. The Holy Spirit showed

me this. When you are anointed, you will

not lack and you will not be alone. Come

on, somebody. I said, "You will not lack

and you will not be alone." Well,

pastor, I need scripture on that. Good.

I'm going to give it to you. Psalm 23

verse number five. Just after he says,

"You anoint my head with oil," he says

something significant. He said, "My cup

runs over." Come on, somebody. I feel

the Holy Spirit right there. Some of you

have been walking through a season of

lack, but I come to make an

announcement. The season of lack is over

in Jesus' name. Cuz I READ IN THE

SCRIPTURE, MY CUP'S about to RUN OVER

WITH FRESH OIL. I COME ON SOMEBODY. YOU

SAY, "PASTOR, DON'T BE A PROSPERITY

PREACHER." THAT'S ALL RIGHT. YOU STICK

WHERE YOU WANT TO STICK. BUT I DECLARE

TO YOU, MY BANK ACCOUNT'S ABOUT TO RUN

OVER SO THE KINGDOM OF GOD CAN ADVANCE.

I'M GOING TO GIVE MORE THAN I'VE EVER

GIVEN. I'M GOING TO SACRIFICE MORE THAN

I EVER SACRIFICED. MY CUP WILL RUN OVER

IN JESUS NAME.

You will not lack in Jesus name. Look at

your neighbor. Tell them. Say you are

not going to lack.

My God is not the God. He's not Elchipo.

Come on somebody.

Hello somebody.

All right. Making some people

uncomfortable right now. Might have to

replace some chairs. They chewing them

seats up right now.

I'm going to tell you in Jesus name. You

will not lack. But watch this. This is a

power. This is the part I like. You will

not be alone.

Psalm 23 verse number six says, "Surely

goodness and mercy shall follow me."

Woo. Come on, somebody. I feel I I don't

even know what time I'm just going to

stop looking cuz it's Is it all right

with y'all if I just preach this

morning? Is that I just feel this in my

spirit. I'm going to put that thing down

for a second. I'm going to let you know

that I believe goodness and mercy is

about to follow me everywhere I go. I'm

going to needakota. I need you. Jared, I

need you to just walk right behind me. I

just feel this in my spirit this morning

that there will come a time in your life

that the enemy will tell you you're not

going that you're going to lack, but you

go back to chapter 23 and verse number

five and say, "My cup will run over."

And then when he says, "Ain't going to

be nobody with you," you look the enemy

square in the eye and say, "Let me go

ahead and quote chapter number 23 and

verse number six of Psalm that surely

goodness and mercy shall follow me all

the days of my life. WHEREVER I GO,

WHATEVER I STEP INTO, I KNOW I GOT

SOMEBODY BEHIND ME. I GOT REINFORCEMENTS

RIGHT BACK THERE. I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO

LOOK. I KNOW THEY'RE WITH ME. IF I GET

IN A FIGHT, IF I GET IN A TUSSLE, GUESS

WHAT? I KNOW I GOT SOMEBODY STANDING

RIGHT BEHIND ME. IS THERE ANYBODY

THAT'LL GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR GOODNESS AND

MERCY THAT SHALL FOLLOW YOU ALL THE DAYS

OF YOUR LIFE? AND I DECLARE I WILL DWELL

IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER. COME

ON, SOMEBODY GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR

GOODNESS AND MERCY IN THE HOUSE TODAY.

HALLELUJAH.

Somebody shout.

That's right. Go ahead, shout.

>> I ain't going to tell you what to shout.

You shout.

Because here's what I know. Goodness and

mercy will be with me in the good times,

but goodness and mercy will be with me

in the hard times.

So today I want to tell you I want to

zero in on something powerful that

carries tension in the scripture. And if

you'll endure with me for another 10

minutes I'll try my best to be done.

Matthew 25 verse number 5 says but while

the bridegroom was delayed

they all somebody say all slumbered and

slept.

Many people say they should have stayed

awake all night. They should have never

slept. But we have uh in that argument

we have neglected the humanity of the

situation. They were still human beings.

They needed rest. They needed

recuperation. They needed to rest their

eyes so they would have enough strength

to be able to endure everything they had

to endure, but also have enough strength

to welcome the bridegroom in. And many

people say, "Well, you just got to stay

awake ALL THE TIME. YOU GOT TO BE ON ALL

THE TIME. You got to be do YOU GOT TO BE

100% GAME ALL THE TIME." LET me tell you

something. THAT IS EXHAUSTING AND IT IS

NOT POSSIBLE.

That's why THE LORD CARVED OUT AN ENTIRE

day and said, "It is a Sabbath day and

keep it holy."

>> SABBATH WAS NOT EVEN NECESSARILY ABOUT A

DAY. IT WAS ABOUT A RHYTHM in your life

that you set aside time to refresh

yourself in the presence of God.

We're not going to get religious and

say, "Well, it's got to be this day and

it's got I've had people sit in offices

and I had to boot them right out that

they come in and tried to tell me,

"Well, you're just you're you're not

serving the Lord. You're not doing what

God's called you to do cuz Sabbath is

really on a Saturday. I said, "Look,

there's the door and you can go out at I

love you in Jesus name. See you later,

alligator."

>> You say, "You didn't do that." Oh, yes,

I did. I got timeless in that. All

they're trying to do is put doubt in my

mind and trying to put me in a spot to

think make me think God ain't doing

nothing. Can I tell you, look around

this room and look what the Lord is

doing in this house. It don't matter

whether it's on Sunday, Saturday,

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY,

FRIDAY. COME ON. I JUST WANT THE GLORY

OF THE LORD IN THE HOUSE. I WANT THE

POWER OF GOD IN THE HOUSE. I'VE ALSO GOT

TO SET UP A RHYTHM to rest in my spirit.

My rest has to be good. And that means

you got to watch what you eat,

>> y'all. Come on.

I'm going to preach about that later.

So, just hold on. Hold on tight. It's

about to get turbulent up here because I

believe God's getting a bride ready. We

can't just do it any way we want to do

it. and expect to have the energy to do

what God's called us to do.

>> You say, "Well, pastor, I'm exhausted.

Let's check some certain things. Let's

get some stuff in order that are part of

your physical makeup." We got to pay

attention to that, too. Yes, spiritual

things are important. But if you think

you going to run off of adrenaline and

run off of an experience and do what

God's called you to do, sometimes you

got to put the rubber to the road and

say, "You know what? I can't have 12

cheeseburgers in a day.

God is my witness. I ain't got nothing

to do with my notes. I ain't know where

that came from.

But the fact is this. If you going to

have physical it, believe it or not, it

takes physical strength to do the will

of God.

>> It takes it. And I'm not here to put you

on blast. I'm not here to make you feel

less than. I'm here to tell you there is

a better way to do this thing.

>> Come on, somebody. There is a better

way. And it's God's way. It's God's way.

Now, before I get in too much trouble,

let's talk about this. They all slept

and they all slumbered.

Watch this. Delay happened. It did

happen. And I want you to know the delay

that happened was the point.

Because this is where the tension is at

because most people say, "Well, just get

up. You shouldn't be sleeping." No, the

devil is a liar. I got to take a nap,

too.

So the question is, if delay was the

point,

what do you do when the answer you've

been praying for and believing for

doesn't come when you think it should?

Come on. Can you imagine all 10 of them

virgins sitting there? Five of them knew

they were wise. The other five thought

they were wise. Come on, somebody. They

thought they had it all together, but

they were all waiting on one person. And

after a while, I'm sure they got

exhausted looking and listening and

waiting. And at some point, THEY HAD TO

SAY, "WHAT IS THE POINT? WHERE is he at?

We've been waiting. LISTEN, THE BRIDE IS

PATIENTLY WAITING. We're not even the

bride, BUT WE'RE GETTING ANTSY. WE'RE

GETTING AGGRAVATED." THIS IS WHERE

PEOPLE step out of the will of God for

their life.

Because they don't understand delay is

part of the process.

They say, "WELL, IF GOD REALLY LOVED ME,

HE WOULD GIVE IT ALL TO ME RIGHT NOW. IF

God listen, the reason why God didn't

give it to you is because he does love

you.

>> Because he knew you would be crushed

under the weight of the blessing he

wants to release over your life. But

he's got to make you endure so you're

strong enough to hold the blessing that

he has in the next season.

>> Because if he gave it to you now, IT

WOULD CRUSH YOU. IT WOULD END YOU. YOU

WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT. And the

same mistakes you made in the last

season, you would make in this season

because you haven't learned a lesson

that will get you prepared for the next

season of blessing that God has for your

life.

Come on, somebody. So, you say, "WELL, I

I WISH GOD WOULD JUST GO AHEAD AND GET

OVER WITH AND GIVE IT TO ME." YES, HE

WILL. IF YOU'LL JUST PAY ATTENTION TO

THE PROCESS.

Look at your neighbor. Say, "Lean in

to the process."

Man, I feel like preaching right now.

Delay is not the problem.

Why do you say that, pastor? Because

delay is not the problem. Delay is the

test

that's getting you ready. And but let me

go ahead and get some hope right here

because I can feel somebody saying,

"Well, my God, he gonna preach about

delay and he don't give me no hope." I

got some hope for you right here. Delay

does not mean denial in Jesus name. Come

on, somebody. How many know that's true

to be be true in your life? Come on.

Just because it's delay doesn't mean

he's not going to give it to you. Say,

"Pastor, I've been praying for a

husband." Delay does not mean denial.

Lean into the process. You say, "Pastor,

I've been praying for a wife. Can I tell

you, if you'll be husband material, a

wife will find you in Jesus name. Come

on, somebody. So, lean into the process

and say, "God, whatever that looks like

for me, however, I've got to be

prepared. Whatever you got to knock off

my brain, whatever you got to get out of

my spirit, get it out. LET ME GO THROUGH

EVERY BIT OF IT CUZ I want everything

you have for MY LIFE." WATCH THIS.

EVERYBODY SLEPT. Even the wise VIRGIN

SLEPT. THE DIFFERENCE WAS NEVER

SLEEPING. THE DIFFERENCE WAS PREPARATION

before they fell asleep.

This is often the most un misunderstood

part of scripture because Jesus isn't

contrasting between busy Christians and

lazy Christians because that is shallow

theology.

He is going deeper and so are we this

morning. So everybody ready? If you're

ready, shout, bring it on.

>> JESUS IN THE STORY IS CONTRASTING

between prepared believers and

unprepared believers.

And so I'm looking at a whole house full

of believers this morning. And I'm

thankful for that. But the question is,

do you fall underneath THE PREPARED

BELIEVER SECTION OR THE UNPREPARED

believer section?

Because you say, "Well, they were all

looking for him." Yeah, they were

anticipating him. They were. But

anticipation and preparation are not the

same thing.

Anticipation is an emotional feeling

that we have when we're expecting

something to happen. It's not a bad

thing. It's not negative, but

anticipation must only flow out of a

heart that is already prepared.

preparation, watch this, is process.

And many believers want to skip this

because the truth is this morning, I'll

say this, the process of preparation is

painful.

2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light

2 Corinthians 4:17

affliction, which is but for a moment,

is working for us a far more exceeding

and eternal weight of glory. WE MUST

YIELD TO THE PROCESS OF sanctification

and not run FROM IT." THE FIERY TRIAL

YOU'RE FACING RIGHT NOW is working out

the weights and mess in your life. Why,

pastor? Because God has something on the

other side of this battle, this

wilderness that he is preparing for you,

and it's called the next season. BUT

HERE'S HOW YOU HAVE to understand it.

The weights that you have on your life

now. You cannot carry them into the next

season. It's time to let some things go

in Jesus' name. Come on. I SAID IT'S

TIME TO let some things go in Jesus

name. Somebody ought to let them go.

You got to if you want to grab what's in

the next season, you cannot BE HOLDING

ON TO WHAT HAPPENED in the last season.

If you want to grab a new relationship,

you cannot hold on to past relationships

that hurt you. CUZ YOU WILL WALK RIGHT

INTO THAT NEW RELATIONSHIP CARRYING that

same hurt. AND THE SAME THING THAT

HAPPENED LAST time will happen the next

time cuz you refused to let go of what

happened before AND YOU'RE BRINGING IT

INTO the new. BUT IN JESUS NAME, TODAY I

FEEL LIKE IT'S GOING TO LET SOME PEOPLE

SET SOME PEOPLE FREE. IT'S TIME TO LET

GO OF THE PAST AND REACH TOWARD THE

PRIZE, THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST

JESUS AND SAY, "LORD, I'M READY TO

EMBRACE THE NEXT SEASON." SOMEBODY

SHOUT, "LET HIM GO." OH, come on. Y'all

got to holler like YOU MEAN SAY, "LET

HIM GO."

Anyone can anticipate an event, but only

faith prepares for the event.

Anticipation is an emotion. Preparation

is conviction. Anticipation expects the

bridegroom. Preparation fills the lamp

before he arrives. Are you watch? Are

you listening? Watch this. Anticipation

waits for God to move. Preparation moves

because God has spoken.

Oh, come on, somebody. You say, "What?

What does that mean, pastor?" That means

that sometimes we can sit back and say,

"God, I want you to go do this for me.

Go do it." But can I tell you, when God

spoke, it's time for you to move.

It's time for you to step up. You say,

"Well, I haven't served in the church

before." Listen, there is a harvest

outside of this church that is waiting

on people to not just be chair sitters

and pew. Come on. I used to say pew

sitters. We have used to have pews up in

here. We got chairs now. He's not

looking for chair sitters. He's looking

for people that will step up and do what

God's called them to do, to reach a

generation before it is too late for

them to make it to heaven. Come on. Is

there anybody in the house who would

say, "I'm ready to move because God has

spoken over my life."

Watch this. The God of the promise,

believe it or not, is also the God of

the process.

Because we want to disconnect that and

say, "Oh, I want to serve the God of the

promise. Me too." But unfortunately, the

God of the promise is also the God of

the process. And when we submit to the

process of preparation, we will come

through the pain with anticipation on

the other side that says, "The king is

coming." Woo! One more time. Can you

shout, "The King is coming."

>> Oh, come on. Shout it one more time.

Say, "The King is coming."

>> Oh, I'm almost done. I'm going to get my

musicians up here. You stay right there.

We're going to get rowdy in just a

minute. But here's I'm going to say

Matthew 25 6-9 says, "All 10 virgins

heard the cry at midnight. All 10 of

them woke up. All 10 of them trimmed

their lamps. They went through the

ritual. They went through the process

that they knew how to be prepared. But

the preparation, the distance in that

preparation was only seen in the moment

that they began to try to light their

lamps. The five foolish realized they

did not have enough oil to be able to

light the lamp that they had in their

hand. And they said to the five wise,

"Give us some of your oil." Verse 9, the

answer came from the five wise to the

five foolish, simply saying, "No,

because there wouldn't be enough for us

and you." and they sent them away to get

their own oil, which should have been

done earlier in the process before they

even set out to welcome the bridegroom.

To some people, this sounds harsh

because they look at it from a natural

standpoint and they don't understand the

symbolism of this story. Historically,

yes, oil could be borrowed and exchanged

between people. But spiritually, Jesus

wanted us to see something deeper that

relationship cannot be borrowed.

No one can lend intimacy with God to

somebody else. Come on. I I I don't have

any way other to cut it this morning

just to say it. No one can lend

obedience that you have toward your

father to somebody else. Nobody else can

live off of your personal holiness.

>> Nobody else can live off of your

spiritfilled life. Nobody else can live

off of YOUR FAITHFUL ENDURANCE. SOMEBODY

SAYS, "WELL, I'LL JUST RIDE MY GRANDMA'S

COATTAIL TO HEAVEN." NO, SIR. NO, MA'AM.

YOU WILL NOT. IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE

TO come to grips with. JESUS WAS CALLING

IT OUT AND HE'S CALLED ME TO CALL IT OUT

TODAY. YOU CAN'T BORROW YOUR GRANDMA'S

OIL. YOU CAN'T BORROW YOUR MAMA'S OIL.

YOU CAN'T BORROW YOUR PASTOR'S OIL. YOU

GOT TO HAVE OIL FOR YOURSELF IN THIS

HOUSE. I WANT TO KNOW, IS THERE ANYBODY

THAT WOULD SAY, "I HAD OIL BEFORE. I MAY

HAVE LOST IT. I MAY BE RUNNING ON

EMPTY." BUT I SAY, GOD, GIVE ME FRESH

OIL IN THIS HOUSE TODAY. GIVE ME FRESH

OIL FOR THE JOURNEY. GIVE ME FRESH OIL

FOR WHAT'S NEXT in my life. CUZ WATCH

THIS. Parents can't give it to [music]

you. PASTORS CAN'T LOAN IT TO YOU.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE CAN'T SUBSTITUTE IT.

EVERY BELIEVER MUST POSSESS THEIR OWN

LIVING relationship with Jesus. Look at

your neighbor say, "Get some fresh oil."

Today I want you to understand fresh oil

is available to us through the through

the death, burial, and resurrection of

Jesus Christ. Jesus died so we could

have an eternal relationship with him.

And he thought that you and I were that

valuable. But then he goes on to say

something powerful in Matthew 25 number

10. Those that were ready and prepared

entered into the feast. And the Bible

says, "And the door was shut." Somebody

say, "The door was shut." Come on. I

want you to really get it in your

spirit. I want you to hear it in your

mind. Say, "The door was shut." I I

believe that in that moment, Jesus

listeners could feel the wind and hear

the thud from a door being closed. In

that moment, they could feel the

finality of his words that took place.

Cuz you see, in Jewish weddings, once

the processional had ended, the feast

then began, and they began to celebrate

the bride and the groom. The doors were

then shut. And watch this, late arrivals

were not expected and they were not

accepted beyond the moment that the

doors were shut. So every listener that

was listening to Jesus give this

dissertation knew that when he said the

door was shut, this meant the

opportunity for those five foolish

virgins to get into the kingdom had

passed by. I want you to understand

those with empty vessels were left out.

They had no evidence. They had no

relationship. They had no light and they

had no entrance into that feast.

Understand that in this moment that

there is coming a time when the door

will be shut on eternity. And if you are

not right with the Lord, then you will

miss your opportunity. You will miss

your moment. Go back and talk to Noah

when he built that ark. And when the

door was shut, Noah did not shut that

door. No man shut that door, but God

himself shut that door and said, "The

opportunity you had to serve me before

has been stopped. AND NOW I'VE got to

save those who have prepared their

yourself." THANK GOD NOAH PREPARED. But

the question is, ARE YOU AND I PREPARED

FOR THE KING to return today? Are you

AND I DO? HAVE WE MADE OURSEL READY?

HAVE WE GOT OUR HEARTS PREPARED? HAVE WE

GOT UNFORGIVENESS OUT OF OUR SPIRIT?

HAVE WE GOT EVERY SIN UNDER THE BLOOD?

HAVE WE MADE OUR MINDS SET THAT WE'RE

NOT GOING TO RUN ON EMPTY, BUT WE'RE

GOING TO GIVE EVERYTHING FOR THE LORD?

IF YOU'RE READY FOR HIM, I DARE YOU TO

GIVE HIM A LITTLE PRAISE IN THE HOUSE

this morning. [music]

Somebody shout running on empty.

I take a vulnerable chance at telling

this embarrassing story this morning.

But the truth is there was a time about

15 years ago that myself and Pastor

White were on our way somewhere to go

visit somebody in a hospital and we went

to go visit somebody in the hospital and

afterward we were kind of like Jesus

after he fasted 40 days and 40 night

afterward we were hungry. Can I get a

witness in the house? And we said we got

to go find some food. So, we drove

[clears throat] all over the place and

at some point we got to the restaurant,

we ate and when we were done eating at

the restaurant, we were on our way back

and I remember driving so plainly. I

remember being in that vehicle and all

of a sudden we lost complete power on

the vehicle. And I was like, "Hold up.

Wait a minute. Something ain't right."

And so, only thing we could do is pull

the side of the road. And we're

thinking, man, we something broke. This

thing's a piece of junk. It was a Ford

anyway, so we knew it was a piece of

junk. Can I get a witness? Come on,

somebody. I said, I have a Ford. Is all

right.

But I remember getting on the side of

the road and then we figured out after a

lot of inspection and probably kicking

things and being mad, we realized, hey,

you bunch of dummies, you ran out of

gas.

And I was like, now this is the early

years. And I said, what kind of pastor

doesn't check the gas knob or the gas

gauge before we get in this thing? And I

was like, man. So then we're sitting

there and thank God we knew a guy named

Kevin Madden.

And we said, "Kevin Madden, I know you

don't work at the church, but please

God, can you leave your work and come

rescue us?" [sighs and gasps]

And so thankfully Kevin went, left his

work, came by, or he might have been

working out. I can't remember. It all

runs together. But he came by, filled us

up with gas, and man, we had a great

day. Well,

uh, fast forward a couple months later,

same scenario, same situation,

and going down the road and all of a

sudden, same truck, loses power, almost

in the same exact spot,

and we pull side of the road and both of

us look at each other and say, "That's

on you." [laughter]

But I was like, man, shame on first

time, shame on me. But like or shame on

you, but second time, shame on me. I

knew better that point. I should have

checked the gas gauge before we got in

that thing. But sure enough, we ran out

of gas the second time. And that time,

Kevin was unavailable.

And wouldn't you know, we had some of

our blessed congregation members, I

ain't going to call no names, drive by

honk at us and wave while we're standing

on the side of the road in the rain.

HEY, [screaming]

HOPE Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Hope y'all have a great day. I ain't

saying no names. Amanda, but I ain't

saying no names. I ain't say no names

but Amanda Tilberg. I ain't saying no

names, but it's fine. It's fine. It's

all right. I'm not salty at all about

that.

I remember that moment plainly. AND FROM

THERE ON OUT, my truck and his truck

never got below a half a tank of gas.

I would check it every morning. Y'all

say, "That's crazy." Yeah, I did. I

checked every morning. And I said,

"Look, especially if I'm going with you,

now if you're going by yourself, that's

on you. But if I'm riding in the car, we

are not going to sit on the side of the

road and sit in the rain and wave at

everybody as they go by. Say, "Oh, that

that Well, look at them. They probably

praying for the for the driveway. Oh,

man. THEY'RE SO NO, WE WAS STUCK.

We was OUT. WE WERE OUT OF GAS." I DON'T

KNOW WHO RESCUED US THE SECOND TIME, BUT

I WAS just so mad at that point. I was

like, you know, I don't even care. I

don't care, man. I don't even care who

gives us gas. I just want somebody to

give us gas. I'm ready to go home. I

remember that moment.

And it brought me to this point this

morning that I want to talk to some

people in the room that you are running

on fumes today.

I want to talk to some believers in the

room. Can I Can I be real with you? I I

want to I want to preach to some

believers in the room that you have been

doing all the right things. You've been

reading the word. You've been praying.

Come on. You've been fasting. You've

been seeking God. You've been even

serving. You've been making a difference

in your life. But you come this morning

and you said, "Pastor, I barely made it

in the house because I'm running on

empty.

I I'm running on in. I don't know WHAT

TO DO, PASTOR. I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I

CAN DO. I'VE DONE ALL THAT I KNOW TO DO

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S going on."

BECAUSE HERE'S THE TRUTH THIS MORNING.

THE KING IS COMING. WHETHER WE HAVE FUEL

OR OIL IN OUR TANK OR WHETHER WE DO NOT,

HE'S STILL COMING.

AND IT'S MY JOB AND MY ASSIGNMENT THIS

MORNING TO LET US KNOW, DON'T BE LIKE ME

AND PASTOR WHITE AND RUN OUT OF GAS ON

THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TODAY. YOU CAN

LEAVE HERE BEING FILLED WITH THE POWER

AND THE PRESENCE AND THE MIGHT OF GOD

SAYING, "I MAY HAVE CAME IN EMPTY, BUT

THERE'S SOMETHING DEEP ON THE INSIDE OF

ME. THERE'S A OIL IN MY SPIRIT THAT HE

GAVE TO ME TODAY."

So today, I want you to look at your

neighbor and say, "Are you running on

empty?

Are you running on empty?" Come on, son.

Close me out. Cuz I want to tell you

something today. And that is simply

this. Psalm 92:10 says it like this. If

Psalms 92:10

we could throw that scripture up there.

But my horn you have exalted like a wild

ox.

Can I tell you that that little section

is often overlooked

and we skip by that. But can I tell you

what were ox used for back in the day?

They were the strength of the job. And

can I tell you that God is about to

exalt your strength further than you

ever thought it was going to go. You

came in here weak. You came in here

weary. You came in here not knowing what

to do. You came in here not knowing if

you're going to be able to put one foot

in front of the other. But I hear the

Holy Spirit say just like this

scripture, God is about to exalt you

like a wild ox. And you're going to walk

out of here not in your own strength AND

YOUR OWN POWER, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO WALK

OUT HERE SAY, "GOD HAS RENEWED my

strength. THEY THAT WAIT ON THE LORD

SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH. THEY SHALL

MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES. [music]

THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY. THEY

SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT. I CHOOSE TO

wait on the Lord today."

>> [music]

>> But then he said, "I have been anointed

with what?"

Somebody shout, "Fresh oil." My God,

somebody is about to be anointed with

fresh oil this morning.

I feel the G. Can we just raise our

hands to heaven? I feel something

shifting in the room right now. I feel

the glory of the Lord shifting in the

room right now. And I've come to let you

know, you don't have to live on

yesterday's oil. Fresh oil and fresh

strength are being poured out today.

Where weariness has settled, God is

releasing fresh oil. Where strength is

failed, he is breathing new life today.

I've come TO LET YOU KNOW, heaven has

not run out of oil today. HEAVEN HAS

ORDERED IT UP JUST FOR YOU AND JUST FOR

ME TO WALK IN FRESH OIL TODAY.

Just leave those hands up right now. If

you need fresh oil, I feel like the Lord

is doing it right now. Oh, I feel like

the Lord is doing it right now.

Matter of fact, why won't you stand to

your feet and just raise those hands to

heaven? I feel like fresh oil's coming.

I've been running on empty, pastor. I

I've been I've been trying to figure it

all out. I've been trying to make sense

[music] of where I'm at. I've been I've

been trying to make sense of the season.

I've been trying to make sense of the

chaos. I've been trying to make sense of

the turmoil. I've been trying to make

sense of what's being said and what's

not BEING SAID. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE

[music] SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

AND WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. CAN I TELL

YOU THAT HE BROUGHT YOU IN THIS MOMENT

TO LET YOU KNOW THERE IS FRESH OIL IN

THE HOUSE. THERE'S FRESH ANOINTING FOR

YOU. THERE'S STRENGTH TO ENDURE THE

HARDSHIPS LIKE A GOOD SOLDIER.

LORD, every mama, every daddy, every

grandma, every grandpa, Lord, every

young person IN THE HOUSE, I PRAY YOU

WOULD ANOINT THEM WITH FRESH OIL. I PRAY

YOU'D ANOINT THEM WITH FRESH OIL. I PRAY

YOU'D ANOINT THEM WITH FRESH OIL. GOD,

LET IT BE THAT it is a cup that's

running over and surely goodness AND

MERCY WILL FOLLOW THEM ALL THE DAYS OF

THEIR LIFE. SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY

SHALL FOLLOW THEM ALL THE DAYS OF THEIR

LIFE. OH GOD, we will dwell in the house

OF THE LORD FOREVER AND FOREVER and

forever.

God, we love you.

My God, my I feel strength rising in

somebody right now. You say, "Pastor,

I'm just reaching for I don't even know

what I'm reaching for." You're reaching

for renewed strength. You're reaching

for peace. You're reaching [music] for

joy. You're reaching for breakthrough.

You're reaching FOR YOUR NEXT SEASON.

YOU'RE CALL OH, I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST.

The next season is about to break

through where you are.

Heaven has not run out of oil.

Can I tell you what I saw the Lord show

me? Because if I'm honest, this earth

works in rhythms.

This earth. And thank you for enduring

my heart this morning. I didn't mean to

be so long, but I had to get this out

cuz I feel like somebody's about to be

prepared for the coming of the king.

The earth works in cycles. Our bodies

work in cycles.

But here's what's so interesting about

the scripture when it says it like this

and I want to give you encouragement

this morning. What the Lord showed me.

Galatians chapter 6 verse number N says

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

it like this. And let us not grow weary

while doing good. For [music] in due

season, somebody say due season.

Man, I'm tired, but I do feel like

preaching again. For in due season we

shall reap if we do not lose heart. Oh,

let me say it again. For in due season,

we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Can I tell you that this earth works in

cycles, it goes summer, fall, winter,

and spring. Can I tell you? [music] Say,

pastor, I've been in every one of those

seasons, and it feels like that

spiritually, and I don't know where my

breakthrough's coming. Can I tell you

that the earth can only handle four

seasons, but in the kingdom, there's a

fifth season, and that is due season. It

may be summer right now, BUT GUESS WHAT?

Your due season IS COMING. I KNOW THE

ENEMY THINKS HE'S GOT YOU DONE AND

LOCKED IN, BUT I WANT TO GIVE YOU

ENCOURAGEMENT. YOUR DUE SEASON IS HERE.

YOUR BREAKTHROUGH IS HERE. YOUR PROMISE

IS HERE. YOUR ANOINTING is here. Your

due season is today in Jesus name. If

you believe it, I dare YOU TO THROW YOUR

HANDS UP AND PRAISE HIM LIKE YOUR DUE

SEASON IS HERE. MY CHILDREN WILL BE

SAVED. MY BODY WILL BE HEALED. IT'S MY

DUE SEASON. MY FINANCES WILL TURN

AROUND. IT'S [music] MY DUE SEASON. I

MAY HAVE RUN ON EMPTY GETTING IN HERE,

BUT I WILL BE FILLED WITH THE power of

God.

Jesus's sermon on the mount said,

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

after righteousness,

for they shall be