The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins | Pr. Matthew Chang

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We hope this message will light up your day.

I want to start out maybe by sharing maybe a

testimony either, Okay, I I always you know, I always

plan to share stories.

I'm planning one now.

So I don't know whether I share this story if

you guys before not, but share with you guys about

my dad before. No, I see some faces. No so

something years Okay, I think it happened earlier this year

maybe if I did, probably once on it because it

happened towards like maybe like first quarter this year. So

as some of you, I know that I come from Sarawak,

from Sibu Okay, any young people, which part or r

TM there?

Oh yeah, yeah, I know the area. I know the area.

I know the area near the sooner and do there Okay, yeah, yeah,

I used to play a lot of basketball there actually,

uh art and wow okay the moment you say my

memory some much nostalgia and big bat all the archive folderlady.

You know, so I come from Cebu. I grew up there,

but now my my dad, uh and my brothers have

moved to Cujing, so couching.

Yeah.

So Coojing, uh and a few short stories. I became

a Christian, like seriously, you know, gain my heart. You know,

probably in college time. My dad found out that I

became a Christian as well.

It's okay. He didn't have a problem with that.

He only had a bit of a problem when he

started realizing I go to church a lot as well.

Uh then started using the word fanatic, you know, like

he was worried that became a fanatic.

You know.

So he's like, you know, sometimes you see all the

stories you know, on the on the on the news channel,

you know, you know, all the different cults happening. So

that's the projection. You know, people tend to have a

lot of fear. But I mean I did well for

my studies, even though I feel like I didn't study much.

I did okay, by God's grace. By God's grace. My

thought my dad thought I was going to fail my college.

You know really, you know, he really thought I was

going to fail my college. But I did okay. And

my dad has always been the most excited about my faithline.

Uh and so uh then I became a pastor in

about twenty and twelve thirteen. If I'm not mistaken. Yeah, thirteen,

I did. I took over as a young other pastor

from our previous pastor, not directly immediately, but maybe a

few years after he transitioned as well. Ah, And just

to let you know, I never told my dad I

was a pastor old this one.

I never told.

Can I be honest with you, guys? Can I be

honest with you guys? I'm not perfect?

You know. I have my own fears.

I'm not some saint in the mountain, you know, you know,

hiding day and then heard me reading this Suddenly, you

know I read more.

I glow and I'm not like that. You know again,

I have I have a lot of it.

And I tell you why, and some of my challenges

as well, and I want to share. I don't know why,

but I just wanted to feel like this morning, I

want to encourage some people here. And the reason why

I didn't share because I didn't feel like he could

processed it well. Because my dad will always be very

worried about a lot of things. Mainly number one, I

was worried that he would worry about my survivability.

Let's just talk it. That has survivability.

That especially I got two kids, and I have a

spouse as well. And you know, if you hear that,

you sometimes the parents that the first thing is like,

oh no, that means I have to start feeding my

kids as well with no supporting and stuff like that.

He will have that mentality, you know. I was like,

oh that was that was a challenge. So I never

really told him, but I know I told him that

I stepped I kind of like changed industry, you know,

change industry, uh, into education industry, which is technically correct. Well,

I'm educating people and I work for VA as well.

You know, I'm a teacher as well, you know, education industry.

But my my my job was an analyst. You know,

I was a financial analyst. So that was my previous

job auditor and financial analyst. And so my dad, how

do I say, has a complicated relationship in my family.

I don't want to dishonor my dad too much as well,

but let's just say that my dad, I would say, like,

it's a very complicated relationship of guilt and things that

you know, you know that's not happy and proud about

in the family. Okay, And me and my brother, you know,

we have we have to I have to othersly being

some of the youngest. We have three other brothers, me alreasily.

My our dad is a bit what they call it,

what they call it separated, not because of us, you know,

more like him, because of the guilt and challenges that

he has as well. And so because of that, it

was very hard to connect with him, to reach out

to him. And and then a lot of things I share

with you are very personal as well. Uh, And because

of that, they don't get to see my dad, don't

really get to see my wives and my children, you know,

ragious connectors.

All my children don't really get to know my grandfather much.

One very very rare.

It's like, you know, it's like citing a polar bear,

like know, once in a while they come out the polar.

Be very very rare.

We don't get to celebrate his birthdays, Chinese union, very

very difficult.

So it's very very challenging.

And because of that as well, you know, I feel

like it was I feel the burden or also the guilt,

you know, the burden and the guilt of being unable

and helpless to sort of reach out to my dad

as a Christian and someone I'm a pastor, as well,

So you know, it's very challenging for that as well. Uh,

and it carried it for a while, enough for for

many many years. Sometimes you know, I commit to pray,

but I can tell you my prayers are I know,

the most consistent one or some of you like, ah, family,

I pray every week. I wish I did that, but

as much as I can, I did, but I would honestly,

I mean, I'm not the most consistent prayer because sometimes

I lost to be a hope and a faith I

cannot see. So sometimes my prayer will be like, oh, God,

you'll touch him. And then sometimes I will pray, God,

I pray that you were somehow saying an angel because

I really don't know how ready. I really don't know

how to touch him ready. And so this early this year,

my dad, early this year, I decided to go and

visit my dad. And the thing is, how I visit

my dad. I cannot tell him I'm coming one and

all I have to just suddenly show up, you know, Oh,

I'm here by the way, you know, in Guching, because

you know and so and so I'm visiting someone, or

I go to work, and I have to show up

in his faith. And I told my wife, I'm gonna

this year, I'm gonna do a few things by faith.

I'm gonna just go to Kuching and I'm gonna show

up by faith. If he doesn't want to meet, doesn't

want to meet, that that's fine. I'm gonna rent a

room nearby and just gonna stay there. I'm just gonna

go by faith. So I decided to go down by

go by faith. And just a few days before I

went down, I got news that my dad has got

the second cancer, second time, so and it's quite big.

He's got uh. He used to have a tumor on

his chest, but this time he had a big tumor

on his brain. He's got two tumors on his brain,

one inside deeper inside on one on the outside. The

one outside is so big you can almost see the bump,

you know, like here, and it's pressing against his brain

and it's causing him to have a loss of memory

and speech, you know, and stuff like that.

So he's a bit delirious, souh. So I didn't know.

So my brother told me, just like you know, two

days before, just two days before they're going surgery, that

he has and it said, Oh, I'm gonna be there

on the same day I see that things. You know,

I never prayed for it, but somehow it coordinated the

same time as well, so it happened.

Uh.

And when I went there, Uh, you know, my dad

was so surprised to see me. He just finished operation.

You know, he thought you was my oldest brother. But

I should like hello then, But thank God because also

he's just surgery, right, and he's he's still recovering.

He can't say anything much.

He cannot push me out also, so so.

And he fully depended on me because he can't do anything.

So I will take his pillows and waters and do everything.

Just the day, I feel very useful and I feel

like I'm contributing to my dad's life, you know. So

they push him out, and it's very powerful time also

because you know, in this moment, you know, got set up,

the timing, got set up, the venue. Sometimes you pray

by faith or without faith, and little faith also as

little as a master's say got honors as well. And

I know I was sitting there and then I put

him in and then you know, just suddenly, you know,

you know, there was something happened and I may I

can't share too much as well. But just like that's

something that had there was a breakthrough, breakthrough that that

couldn't happen unless God intervene as well. And God gave

me the wisdom to speak the right words as well.

Uh.

And then all the years, the ten fifteen years of

guilt and what they call it shame that my dad

caught a lot was just erased on that moment, that conversation,

and when that happened, I think my dad suddenly saw things.

On the new light, you know.

And I was able to sit there to buy his

favorite food and all and stuff like that, and what

there was a helper there as well, you know, say, hey,

your dad.

Normally don't eat these things.

From that, I say, I just buy it and then

put it there, like I see whether he wouldat you know.

Then I came back. You know it's the McDonald's hotcake stuff,

you know, so you know I put it there. Don't

eat he said, eaten this for like five ten years.

I went out and I came back the hawk cat

finish ready. It's like because it's it's not you eat

because you like it or not because you eat because

of the memories you know what I mean. He remembers people,

you know, he share with people, and he loved it

and then he eat it, you know, so I think

he enjoyed it.

And then it was at that moment I said, and

it's so quiet time.

I saw like a personal time with him a few

hours by six hours there.

Yeah, I just don't know why. It's just for the dad,

do you know what I actually do? He looked at me.

He can't speak much more. He look at me then,

so he knew there was something wrong already, but he

never dared to ask because I kept sort of like,

you know, he knows how hide things from him, but

he knows like this one cannot press anymore, you know,

big boy already you know, he leave his own family.

But actually I told him I'm actually a pastor. You know.

Then he hey, look at me, his eyes open, and.

You know because my dad when I was young, you know,

he said, oh, of course I used to go to

a Methodist schooler. Then he used to say when we

had lunch opposite then then my dad were you used

to say like ah, you know, hey, you know you

know that church. I know, the pastor playing my jong

with me. But every time playing my joe, give me

no money you want. I tell you, pastors all eat

you know, white rise with salted veggie and salted fish

all the time. And you know, so they depend on

other people to support them. So the title of thing,

you know, gives you the feeling that pastors kind of have,

don't know, dignity, that deadline. So that's why, you know,

when he heard that I'm a pastor, it's like no,

you know, the impression.

You know.

Then after that, you know, the first thing he will

ask you know why he asked for me when he

heard that, He asked me, is your wife working? This

is one hundred percent Asian, you know, true, one hundred

percent Asian. The first thing, you know, first thing that

is your wife working?

Yes?

Workay, both earning wealth. Okay, we know we are responsible.

We're not you know what they call it careless with

you as well. But I told him that I'm doing okay,

you know, I'm fine, don't worry about me.

So and after that.

And then yeah, this is not the main, no more,

y'r the main testimonial. And so the next day I

found out, uh, and not my youngest, my what they

call it, the youngest Antie from my dad's side, the

youngest one. My dad has twelve siblings, the youngest auntie.

Actually all of them my non Christians, except recently my

youngest auntie became a Christian. I don't know how the

whole family became Christian. I think someone reached out to

them and suddenly all became Christian. I didn't know so,

and then she thought, oh, then he said, he said

that I heard from her that she's been trying to

get my dad to go to church and stuff like that,

because my mom was is a Christian, but she passed

away with me. My two brothers are Christians, although my

eldest a big Backsleeden, I know, but he considered himself

a Christian. My second brother is in Singapore Christian as well.

So you know, my youngest Auntie always like, hey, go

to church, LA, I go to church LA. Then my

dad said, one day, some day maybe maybe La, maybe Lah.

You know, I don't know, because my dad was always

believed that. You know, you always tell these children, you know,

everyone must die one one day. I'm already eighty plus

year old. Actually I outlive all all my friends already,

you know, everybody as well.

I'm not. I'm not scared of that.

I'm ready for the Actually, I live all my life,

I'm very contented ready you know, I mean right, But

I want to let you know this is my personal

not just personally. I really think it's really bigul. I

really believe how that we are not meant for death

wannor God is a god of life. God did not

create us for death. Whan no, he didn't, edam and

if so that one day they live to eighty two,

die hona. Death is unnatural. Death is a punishment. You

know what I'm saying now, It's a consequence of sin.

It's like driving a car and say that, oh, everybody

will get into accident. You saying, do you drive a

car to get into accidents? No you can. I'm saying, no,

nobody drives a car to get into an accident. Nobody.

Nobody lives a life to guest. So everybody learned to

accept that. Oh no, no, no, no, no no. I

really don't believe that God creates us for life. So

death is a consequence of sin and it's not something

Got intended never ever. So a lot of times when

we're coming to live into this life, to accept death,

you know as the finality and ending for everything. I

don't really believe that. But death, for now, as believers,

is a transition. We know we pass through death. No,

we don't stop that death. We pass through death. You

know what I'm saying you now, it's a completely different meaning.

You know, we pass through it. It's not our final journey.

We just passed through it.

Right now.

Am I scared of dying? Of course that it's a

lot of pain, you know, and suffering. I don't like it,

you know. But am I scared about the finality of death?

No? I'm not Yemen, right, but I don't like you

ask me to go to the hospital.

I don't like to go out to the hospital like Yemen,

like all the jeb and everything. Of course, I don't

enjoy it. But the hopelessness that used to be attached

with death is normal.

I know where I'm going. You know what I'm saying.

No, that's that that that's the power you right, when

you have your love once you know you know death.

You don't like to see them suffer, but you know

you will see them again. It's a passing over of death,

and so you know, you know, and when they're talking

at all about all this.

So my dad has been very strong. You know.

Well just before he and this one time when we

went to surgery, just before he entered into surgery, he said,

it's okay. You know, I don't care whether the surgery

okay or no. Enough, I'm okay on. But the moment

did took off his shirt. And you know, when you

go into surgery, they put you on the cold stainless

steel on and know and then they get you ready.

In the moment his skin touched on the stainless steel

and lie down, I saw all the life taken from

his face. Even the strongest of men. And my dad

is a very very hard man. My dad is a

very very hard man. Okay, you have no idea he

is actually gangster by because of his family. He's not gangster.

You're not just a normal against her. He's really really

really gangster.

One. He's a car. You see.

You cannot cut man, No one can cut. If anyone

cut seem he would chase him down. My dad would

chase down anyone who cuts him, even until now he's

eighty plus, he would chase them down.

That's why I don't like to see in his cow.

And if you're in front of him, you're slow, he

will bump you, literally, not hang he.

Will hit you. Ah.

So that's why it's a different ruler. Okay, it's a

different rule. It's a different rule. You think you against

the I think you me and my dad. Okay, So

a lot of people threatening it now. But he does

it with action. He don't speak. He acts first, then

he speaks. My dad is a different, different bog and

he goes. He grew up half a rare, rare, rare

harsh life. Okay, very very very violent as well. So

thank god I didn't pick up you know all these things.

Thank goodness.

Man. I generally to basketballs kid.

Uh. Okay, guys, okay, so I have actually read this

to you, if you got it. I don't know why

I feel like sharing this, you know, I just feel

like anyway. So the moment you put it on the

plate or still, right before it goes a dream, I

can see everything taken off, tattoo, shake and quiver because

I tell you one thing that's the truth. Nobody is

prepared for death, no one, no one. I can tell you,

no one unless unless you know where you're going and

know what you're giving up. For unless you know where

you're going, and then you know what you're giving up.

What I mean that you know that Jesus is waiting

on the other side, and you know you're dying for

your loved ones. But nobody is prepared. One, to be honest,

nobody is prepared. You get mean, nothing compels you like

that one. Okay, And so he thought he was, but

I can tell you that experience changed him.

Okay.

And so coming back to you know, the hospital when

I visited my dad there, so I found out that

my auntie is uh, it's a Christian. It's been trying

to convince my dad to go. I told you before

that I pray for an angel, right. I don't know

where the angel will come from. I have no idea.

I really thought that God would appear literally saying it

angel in his dreaming.

No literally coming. I don't know.

Oh I'm here. My dad doesn't even know I'm a pastor.

How to reach my dad? So in my mind, that

is no possible way. It's like Lazarus dead and there's

a big stone, you know, in front of Lazaro's I

don't know how God is going to reach him. God

works in different ways. God works in different timing. God

works in different you know, dimensions that we don't even

understand or are prepared for as well.

And so.

And so, my my auntie has been trying to reach

out to him. So the next day after the surgery,

I was I went back to visit my dad. My

auntie called me and told me that she's going to

bring a reverend, a reverend from Modern Methodist church. Says

a lady, lady reverend to come and minister, because I

think she's the mentora you know, or like, you know,

discipler for my auntie as well.

Oh, my auntie is on firement.

Really like, oh God, reverence, discipler, you know, I have

no idea, you know, all this is happening behind my back.

So I was like, oh serious, she just invited by

FA was okay? Okay?

So me and my eldest brother was there and asked

my dad, and then the reverend came and talked to

my dad, and then the reverend asked my dad and

they said, oh, mister Chad, how are you okay?

So how right now? You know, how do you feel?

You know?

And then my dad said, this, it's a very powerful thing,

you know what he said, I feel very lonely. Oh no, sorry,

Oh why why do you say you feel very lonely?

Because you say, my wife is a Christian, my children

and a Christian, and I'm not. I'm the only one

who is not a Christian. And that's why I feel alone.

What a what an interesting statement. I never was preachy

gospel to my dad anything, but all these years, you know,

all the things that happened in the house are that's

how he felt, you know. And he you know, and

the enemy tried to really estrange him and then try

to cut him off against my mom my, my children

are trying so much. But God kept that string, you know.

But while he know that he's trying to pull him away, right,

he felt so alone, you know, so alone. He thought

he could start a new life, but you couldn't, you know.

And that then, my then the reverend asked, oh is

that then? What is stopping you from joining your family

and your children as well for the fantastics. You know,

entry you don't have to you know, you don't have

to be a prisoner. You know, you don't have to

remain lonely. You know, my children and your and your

and your wife and your auntie, your sister is calling you.

Why don't you join them? And then he said, this

my dad, because if I do, I feel I will

betray my father and my mother, which is my great grandfather. Yeah,

my my grandfather, Okay, my grandmother. Because they believe my dad.

That's ancestral worship. He thought that, you know, if he

believed in that, he would betray them. It was at

that moment and I that right, I felt the Holy

Spirit just put words in my mouth and said to

my dad.

You know what I said?

He said, Dad, but that's not true. And he looked

across me. Of course he was talking to that. I

had to interject, that's not true, and I said why.

I said, because we are here visiting you right now

and we have different faith. Do you feel betrayed by us?

Uh? Then he kept quiet? What does what did yesterday?

All?

You mean?

You know, we children coming down to busy despite our faith.

Have you never felt more love than anyone else before?

What is true? Love is true on her? You know

what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying. It transcends

beyond that. Right. So my dad couldn't answer that, and

he realized that that he does it doesn't really matter

what they really believed. But they showed up. You gam men, right,

you're you know your ancestral. But she doesn't show that

you love them, you know you get mean right. It's

when they show out, when they when they mean the most,

they show out when you try to push them away,

they still show up. That's real love, you know. So

and then more because I just I don't know why

I said that. And then just to try and say,

you're not betraying your parents if you choose to become

a Christian, because that's your life to decide. They choose

for themselves and you have to make your own decision.

And never carry the ungodly burden on yourself.

Never.

The enemy always tries to put an ungodly or evil

burden on you.

And a lot of people leave in that line.

One an, you're a singer and all you are you

you are a failed children and our son and daughter

your disappointment if you do this and that. But this

never came from God, and my dad carried it for

so long and all and I just spoke and that

was the perfect moment to exemplify it. Are you saying

that me and my brother we are Christians and we

care for you. Are we betray you? It's not. Then

he understood that. Then he just kept quiet, you know.

All then I think the reverend will get.

Me, so.

I don't he's gonna give some apologetics, you know, no

need to give apologetics, you know, because my dad experienced

you know, hear me, and he answered, it's not. Then

my dad just kept quiet there, just kept quiet there.

Then Reverend said, oh, so if there's a case, then

what's stopping you? He kept quiet there. Yeah, let me

let me think about it. Let me think about it.

So we didn't press anything for the LA, but we

you know, I think for me, it's like a lot

of walls had been had come down, you know, so

many walls, walls of separation, walls of guilt, you know,

walls you know, all these wars started coming down after

so many years, after the children and the wife, and

now it's him, you know, so I you know, all

this come down. And of course when I left, I

mean I know that my dad was changed, you know,

but I didn't get any news. But then after that,

about a month or two later on, when I went

down for Puching for a wedding and he told me, hey,

you know what your dad told me?

You know?

So, yeah, I don't know what happened. And my dad

told me he wants to get baptized, you know, yes.

But but the funny thing is when I went to

my dad, I say, hey, that have you been going

to church?

I said no, no, no, no no.

So when they want to get you know, become a

Christian and gabetize, don't know, you don't know yet. So

he apparently tell my aunt you don't tell me why.

I just like, it's okay, it's okay, you know. Is

something's to the same lie, you know, but I know

it's the same saying but differend, same saying bad Diffendeyah,

So what did you learn from So what did you

learn from this story? What did you learn from this story?

Your faith doesn't have to be perfect. One doesn't have

to be perfect, and a lot of times your faith

will be very imperfect, will be very small. Sometimes you

pray for your family, for your children, for your parents,

for your friends.

You know.

Sometimes you know you have a burden and you pray,

and sometimes you wish that you or better pray your faster,

be better, you know, But no, what matters is now,

doesn't matter, what's the past and today. If God asks

you to pray for someone, you pray, doesn't matter. You

pray for one hour, You just pray for one minute,

two minutes. I tell you, just pray. You know why,

because that's still faith. You know I'm saying, no, that

is still faith. And I tell you faith is the

only currency that matters in heaven. Nothing else on earth.

You get me, nothing else on earth. The only if

it's like going to another country. You know your Malasian

doesn't work one and no, but then no ten center

in US dollar it's better than ten cent in any

other currency. It still works. You know, you know what

I'm saying now. And sometimes it just gives you that

access are that you can never imagine. So sometimes I

want to encourage you, like whether you pray for your health,

for your family, for your loved one, for situation, continue

to pray by faith, doesn't matter. You haven't prayed for

two weeks, ready, three weeks thay, four weeks ready?

You continue to still pray?

Sometimes you cannot imagine, right, Oh, God, I don't know

how to pastics exampt Oh I don't know how to

reconcile with my parents or with my children. I don't

know how. I really don't know how, but I know

you can. And because of that, I will still pray.

I might be discouraged, but I will never lose hope.

He I'm saying. No, we can discourage, but don't lose.

Don't be hopeless. You can't mean. God always listens and hears,

and I can tell you I don't think I'm very

deserving for any grace of God, but God chose so

that I'm not glorified because when I share my stories,

I only want know.

I only want people to know one thing. You know,

they will serve.

A good and faithful God, great and powerful God.

You know what I'm saying. Now, He is so good

and he's so great. Amen.

Now I'm just gonna I'm just wanna quickly share a

message here. And I took out half the time, but

I want to share quickly a message here from Matthew

twenty five, reading here from verse one on one quick

parable from verse one to eleven. Okay, okay, okay, yeah sorry.

I like to play in my hands and they talk someone, Okay,

Matthew twenty five, Verse one. It's called the parable of

the ten virgins. I'm gonna just share three points very

quickly from here. Okay, now, it says, then the kingdom

of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their

lambs and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them

were foolish and five were wits. For when the foolish

took their lambs, they took not oil with them, but

the wires took flash of oil with their lambs. As

the bright room was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.

But at midnight there was a cry, here is the

bright groom. Come out to meet him. Then all those

virgins rose and trim their lambs. And the foolish said,

to the wise, give us some of your oil. Okay,

for our lambs are going out. But the wires saying,

since there will not be enough for us, and for you,

go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. And

while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and

those who already went in with him to the marriage face,

and the door was shut. Afterwards, the other virgins also came, saying,

Lord Lord, open to us. But he answered, truly, I

say to you I do not know you watch therefore,

for you know neither the day nor the hour. A man,

a man of you are familiar with this passage, A

mean of you like this passage at the times when

we read the the Parable of the time foolie virgins right.

Sometimes it's quite scary, isn't it. It's like, Oh, am I

the wise one? Am I the foolish one? How do

I know? My oil is still there? And no more already?

You know round ninety five? You know what if the

strait of Homemost never opened until you all that time?

You know and time?

No, I cannot diesel substitute with petrol, and you know,

you know I but I drive evy, you know, can

use patrie, you know.

You know.

So how but what does the oil actually mean? Okay,

let's start with what is oil? What is the oil represent?

Okay?

What is Jesus talking about as well? And why he

talked about it?

Okay?

The reason why Jesus started talking about the parable because

he is going to die ready, he is going to

leave them ready. It is that final week. He knows

during that week he's going to go to the cross,

and he's giving this series of sermons to prepare and

to warn the disciples and the people as well.

It's a bit like Moses. Then.

Moses has been seeing Pharaoh. He wants to deliver his people.

But after the ten Plaxa, the last place Moses is

telling his people You're not just here to watch, but

God is going to do one final ad and you

need to be prepared. Okay, what was the final plaque

Moses time the death of the first born, and what

was Jesus's commandment for them to get a lamb or

a go get the blood and then apply on the

door post.

But not just then? You know what was the instruction

after that?

Stay in the house and as you eat it the

canno leave any leftover, but you eat it with your

clothing on, girded with your sandals, and with your staff.

You know what I mean?

Right like you're gonna it's like as if you know

you got only a fifteen minute lunch. You know, you know,

it's like, oh lunch only fifteen minutes? You really eat,

you'd already you know that type of that type of readiness.

You know, it's not like eat and then hey, I

want to see after this, I want to order Zeus coffee.

You know, it's not that type of meal.

You know, it's the type that you gotta e fifteen minutes,

You've gotta goal ready. It's the type of readiness ready.

So God is telling them to be ready. And not

only that, he's saying that on that night, even though

you are prepared, even though you are God's chosen, even

though you have the instruction to pain the blood on

the door post, you cannot go outside. And if you

do not stay insight the covering the word is called

the covering of the blood, you will be in danger.

And if anything happens to you, it will be your responsibility.

You know what I'm saying now, It is up to

you one and no. You know what I'm saying now.

God provides everything, but it's your responsibility to listen, to heed,

and be wise and act accordingly to your wisdom. So

Christians are called to do that. So when we are safe,

we don't just do anything.

We want everything we want.

So now with all the knowledge the Israelite and Moses,

we have Jesus. But even Jesus is also even Jesus,

he is the greater Moses. He is giving instruction to

his people, to you and I what we need to

do when we get safe, when we are saved by Isablah,

when we are given the Holy Spirit. There are instructions

so that we live wisely, so that we eat with readiness,

so that we stay inside the house, so that when

Moses come, we follow Moses to the Red Sea, and

we are not missing out anything. Bem saying, now, this

is what Jesus is doing. You know, that's where Jesus are.

If you read the chapter before and after, he's talking

about the end times, the tribulations, it's all replicating what

is happening in Moses time.

You know what I'm saying.

No, Jesus is helping them to see what happened in

Moses during each time is happening now in the global

level to the whole entire world. I'm saying, no, no,

not just You're not just going up against Pharaoh. You're

going up against the prince of the world. The darkness,

you mean, like they used to be the templates, but

now the world is going through their own plaques. There

will be tribulations and they will hate you. There will

you know, persecute you for my name saying all these things.

So God is saying, God, he said that, yes, this

is all happening, but I'm sending you my son. He's

going to provide for everything, but he's gonna warn you

and prep you as well. And one of the way

is that Jesus preps them is by teaching. And he

just doesn't teach, he gives a parable. Why a parable,

because parables is to communicate heavenly principles to earthly minds.

Heavenly principles for earthly minds, I'm saying. So that is

why Jesus always use parables, heavenly principles for earthly minds.

You know what I'm saying.

Not you cannot see the Kingdom and heaven, but when

you hear this, you understand the principle. So you can say, God,

you will be done on earth as it is in

have a you know what I'm saying. Now it makes

sense or not heavenly principles for earthly mind for earthly leaving.

Okay, so now what you know?

So when Jesus says that, hey, these are there are parables,

you know you see that there are ten versions.

They're supposed to wait for the groom. You know.

The funny thing is is that you know, their wedding,

so called wedding starts at about at night, about seven

o'clock at night. We start in the morning at nineteen o'clock.

They start at night one about seven they come and

pick up the bride and they walk to the house

of the groom. There about nine o'clock, seven o'clock and

ninco the walk. They will receive and walk. By nine

o'clock they have a feast. But the Bible says that

the groom was delayed until midnight, so instead of seven,

the groom arrived at twelve at midnight, so it's a

five hour delay.

Five hour delay.

So I imagine at seven o'clock all the ten virgins appear.

Everybody see weddings are nice. All the ladies or the

men or suits, you know, all the address. Everybody looks smart.

At seven o'clock, you cannot tell which of the virgins

are foolish.

You cannot tell.

Everybody looks beautiful, Everybody looks ready and smart. Everybody looks

like their torch is on fire. You know what I'm

saying now, this is what Jesus saying in the very beginning.

All the people who claim to be followers or Jesus

will all look the same, look like the best Christians

on fire, you know, not fire. But it's later when

the delay comes you start to see the separation. Who

is the one that it's what they call it wise

and foolish as well. It's Jesus is not condemning people,

but he's asking watch, watch, so that you have wisdom.

I mean, it's not condemning.

Give you you must live not based on intention, not

live on based on feeling.

Leave based on wisdom. You men, wisdom.

You may not have the feeling sometimes you don't feel

like you don't want to, but wisdom makes you wake

up in the money to go to work and to

school on time. You know, I'm saying, no, you don't

go to school or to work on time based on feeling,

but based on wisdom.

Wisdom gets you there. Okay.

So so the groom was delayed, okay, And then they

found out that five of them didn't have enough and

five of them still have. They says there that all

of them slept, okay, all of them said. He didn't

say that the five fool the foolish one slaver. Everyone's slept,

you know. But there's a type of sleeping. That is

different one. You know, okay, the wise virgins they fell

asleep as well, but they slept knowing that they are prepared.

You have the peace of God on you. There's only

so much you can do. Whether God chooses what time

to count, how he arranges things, you don't know.

But you rest in peace. You know what I'm saying.

No, but there is a type that you rest and

the false piece thinking you are ready, but you are not.

It's like you think you studied, but next day you

go to school. It relates he I thought today only

covered chapter one to five, but today exactly chapter one

to ten. You didn't prepare, You didn't study it properly.

It actually happened to me before you know, do you

mean if you know what I'm talking about? All the

horror reminded no faster what you bring back?

The memory?

You know, I didn't cover this chapter, but it's not

your it's not a teachers for you didn't check the

the announcement, the information properly. Then you're like, oh, no,

I can't answer this because I didn't study. But you

you didn't. You didn't check properly. Yeah mean i' so

it's wisdom wisdom. Okay, what was I saying? Okay, so, okay,

we're talking about.

You know what I was talking about.

I didn't mind lost the parables and yes, the foolish

virgins we're talking about. Uh ah, the false piece. Yes,

thank you, thank you for helping me pick up. Okay,

so the false oh then fell asleep? Okay, So now

three lessons, Okay, three lessons Okay, now, okay, God, I

got time. The first lesson Okay, you cannot borrow the oil.

You cannot borrow the oil. Why because there's something unique

about the oil. Okay, This oil is only for you.

And what do I talk about?

This is only on for you because the oil always

represents the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is for everyone.

Now, yes, it's for everyone, but it's not just having

the Holy Spirit, you know. And the I think it's

in Matthew. I think Matthew seven. Matthew seven. He says,

here and the last, not everyone who says to me,

Lord Lord shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But he

who does the will of my Father Jesus says that

not not. They will become a day when everybody says

Lord Lord Jesus, when not recognize everyone the voice, but

he says he's not recognized by their voice. He recognized

by those who actually do the will of the Father.

Not you claim what you actually do. You can say

you have the Holy Spirit, but did you respond? So

it's doing the will. It's like I go to PhD

and I study my doctorate ready and suddenly likeness want

to pinch on my PhD. Can he pincha my PhD?

Cannot isn't it can pinjab my name? But you cannot

binjamp my work because I dig the work and not

just did the work. The testimony is mine and doing

and following God's will change me and trans for me.

I cannot take this transmension and apply to you. That

is why what I mean is this. You cannot leave

your Christian life based on what the pastor preach, based

on my testimony, based on your parents' religion, based on

your friends, based on YouTube, based on the influencer.

You cannot borrow.

You can listen, you can hear, you can be encouraged,

but day after day, when God speaks to you, when

God leads you as well, your response is your own.

Your journey is your own.

You cannot take another person's work, discipline, and obedience and

apply to you. You come saying no, it cannot and

all I said, Oh, it's like, hey, you know I

never prayed before, but I just come to church to

be prayed for. Yes, you can be prayed for, but

to be honest with just encouraging you and all. But

the true prayer and fast transformation happens on your own

when you pray, when no one is seeing your own you.

I'm saying.

Now, when you go to do all these things, you

know you cannot rely on us to build your faith,

cannot rely on parents or your children or anyone or

your spouse to encourage your fair You cannot borrow that

faith because God wants to work personally in your life,

not just my parents' life, my chan but wants to

work personally.

That's why those who do the will of the Father hearing,

but doing.

As well you, I'm saying, and not so, that's why

you cannot borrow that oil. That's the person that lesson

number one, lesson number two. Okay, that's the number two.

Is that you see the ten foolish versions started off

very bright, right, and then towards the end they have finished.

Ready, Okay, you know why or not.

Because when they dip the torture and then burner, normally

the torch lasts about half an hour. Only normally last

for about half an hour only if you didn't bring

any extra is your problem?

Ready?

So the second point is you cannot use all oil. Okay,

rad repeat again. The first one is you cannot borrow

the oil. Second one is you cannot use all oil.

What do I mean by that? What do I mean

by that? So you understand that the oil represents Holy

Spirit and they are working our lives. But it also

says that your oil is for that season. It's for

if you brought oil for seven o'clock, it's for seven o'clock.

But God's work in your life. It's not just to

work to seven o'clock. He does a lot money. Now

every day he will ask you to challenge you to

have faith, to have obedience. Sometimes you do, and you

know why, because it's like digging a whale. You know,

it's like you dig ready, but then think more. But

I don't need so much, you know, but I feel

like straight raight. But God, sometimes you cannot see you

ready because you know why, because you need the oil

to last from seven until twelve because you only see

seven one hour, you never plan for twelve, and so

when you use finish one ready, hey, I don't have enough.

What I mean by this?

You know a lot of times you go you have

a Christian testimony, yes, good by say by God, God

touched me, you know, my parents family, I went for

missions good. But then for the next one year, three years,

five years, ten, twenty thirty years, it's the same testimony

and then they and God has been asking you to serve,

to encourage you, to challenge God for missions, to read

and do all these things as well, and you never

said yes. And you realize that as you stop digging,

your faith loses, the momentum loses, the moment you and

your your well, it's that shallow. And you realize this

is a very real thing. And when you get to say,

for example, in your first year, you never follow until

you get to your fifth year and God, and suddenly

you're faced with a big challenge in your life. Maybe

it's sickness, maybe it's a life partner, maybe it's giving.

Maybe you need wisdom and you pray and you fast

twenty one days of fast and prayer, or you ask

passed to pray for you, and God speaks to you,

say you need to do this, and you know, and

you know it's the right thing.

You know it's a good thing. You know it's the

godly thing to do.

But yet when you want to do it, it requires

five but you only have one, and your response will become,

I really want to, but I don't have the courage,

I'm too busy, I'm too You can't mean right. You

no longer have that faith because the years before you

said no, and by the time you arrive you couldn't

say yes anymore. You're still using the all oil. You

couldn't get to the place that destination to say yes.

When you were young, you had only ten ring kids.

God says, give one ring git. You don't want to

give twenty ring gid. Also, next time you get to

ring you don't want to give. Next time, when you're older,

ready you have one million. You had ten million. You

think you will give. I think you would struggle to

give a hundred because you never said yes. And you

realize your weale was so shallow. You were using all oil.

You see, life is like that. You know, you don't

just keep you just dig one. You keep digging. You know,

you keep digging. You know, you keep digging, and so

when in sometimes you feel like, hey, I served so much.

You know, my family feel I'm wasting my time, wasting

my Fridays nights, you know, when I can go be

pickle bawling or not doing what other things, you know,

hanging out with my friends Sunday morning, you know, can

send my children to go swimming class or karate you no, no,

but I'm giving my time.

You know, people say, what are you doing?

Like that?

But you keep digging. Why are you doing waking up

the morning doing all this devotion? I don't know.

I keep digging, digging and digging, digging, and sometimes you know,

and you come to a stage in your life wha challenging,

you know, but yet it's like, oh, I look at

the well. It's so dark, so dark, and there's such

a challenging timeline. But you lower this pail, go down,

go down, lord. I don't know I've done this so

long I did. I don't know I got anything in

me or not. And you rower your pail. You can't

see when you felt something. It's like hey, this water,

it's it dirty water, or it's just send and you

hook it up, hook it up, and you realize it's

clean water. What fresh water? And you realize one as

you dig and you go deep in nava, you hit

the underground spring water. Because you kept digging, You kept digging,

and you kept digging. You kept digging the seasons when

it's rain, it continues to even you don't can't see it.

You kept rain, and it allows you to go the distance.

And when you arrive here when things are so challenging,

you don't know, you don't you're your strength, know that,

But Lord, at your world, I will still do it.

This is all the same with Abraham. With most you

think they suddenly appear on no where at five hor

because they kept digging and digging and digging. Said Lord,

I don't know how. I'm just gonna say yes, because

I'm only responsible for the day. But tomorrow you will

give me new, new manner, new obedience, new faith. You kept,

you kept, you kept, you kept, you kept, you kept.

You get what I'm saying. You know and so and

then you become like you're wise. Not because suddenly at

that moment you are the smartest person. You were wise

because from day one you kept that wisdom of obedience.

You kept that wisdom of studying. Chapter one, chapter ten.

You didn't do that. You didn't.

You didn't you did at shortcut. You all you get man.

You kept the faith and you were wise. You seem foolish,

but you were wise, because that's my wife's faithful server.

You are wise. You are wise so well. I know

sometimes you forgot to pray, but you kept that leader

as well. You pray. You are wise. You I'm saying,

you know, we just started.

Looks different one and all, but you were wise, and

at the end your wisdom separates from the rest yemen.

It won't show you the beginning.

And some of you like, oh, you know, I got

friends and who don't have to study, but they suddenly

score everything one you know, you know those like oh

you said, but you just kept digging. And it's again

you say, you know how I score. But if I

study hard, if I do well, i'm everything. I know.

It's beyond my school and my work. I carry the

same principle. I work hard as well. And at the end,

towards there who will become wise? You become wise because

you never shot cut. Ye mean, it's towards the end

you suddenly separate and they cannot They cannot replace that

because if they had to do, they have to go

back ten twenty to fifteen years back. You know, they

cannot copy that. You were wise around all the years,

and you have all the oil. So first one, you

cannot borrow the oil. Second one, you cannot use all oil.

So I want to encourage it. Now you can begin

for being gone. Start now, start giving starts something, start

going sans. Don't say until I earned my one million.

Don't say when I got time, so that when I

know my children all grown up ready and now you

can I'm not asking you to give your whole work,

but just with that little bit, just little faith. Sometimes

I pray for my dad, I just say for one minute.

I also pray when I'm not driving.

Oh, I forgot. I haven't prayed for my dad for

one month. Ready, God, can you touch it?

Even then, it's still good, you know, I'm saying, Okay,

now the last one.

What's the last one? Let me just see it. Last one.

Oh, this last one is a very good one. She

connected the second one. Okay, so you see the last one?

You say, is that after that they realized that normal

oil what did they do they went to buy now

at that time?

What time was it? Twelve o'clock? Who looks foolish?

You knowing that you have no oil and looking around

in the whole entire town when everything is rose, looking

for oil, you look foolish. No, you don't look foolish

because you were running around in the dark. No, the

foolishness is not dead. The foolishness is this is that

during the daytime, you could have bought it because oil

was not expensive, you know, and you couldn't get it anywhere.

Everybody has oil, house oil, and every every plenty of ware.

You could have gotten it everywhere. But now because you

didn't buy it. When the sun is up, when it's bright,

when you can go out. You know that Bible says

that there's a time when it's bright, when the sun

of men will walk getting center and nobody will threaten.

But when the sun comes down, Ah, there is where

you need to be in the house. You know what

I'm saying. No, there's a there's a teaching on that one.

So why it means that when the sun is up,

don't be afraid you gotta step out. You shouldn't be

staying the house. You should be going out working in

the field, buying everything for your household, getting set and

then and not you rests and you feed off what

is what you produce. So the foolishness is this, okay,

it is you need to buy the oil at the

right time. You I'm saying, no, you don't just use

the all oil. You cannot borrow the oil. But you

need to buy the oil when it's daytime, not at

a nighttime. So my question is do you discern the time?

You know, I'm saying now, do you discern the time?

It doesn't matter your intention. Do you discern the time?

Is it daytime or is it nighttime? She said, saying, uh,

this is daytime and all you need to buy the oil.

A lot of people think it's nighttime or no, not

a lot of people think it's their time. Got twelve

hours in the tamer. I can wait until you know,

five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock. It's like study that

not examp again. You know the study now study until

last part. I can just ask it. I to summarize

for me and I study enough.

You know. No, there is a time to buy and

it's not expensive it's available anywhere, but what are you

doing at home?

And so a lot of us are caught foolish because

during the daytime we were foolish. Ah, you look foolish

at night because you were foolish during the daytime.

Makes sense or not? Makes sense or not?

If I cannot cook, I supposed to cook dinner at night,

and all the shops carts are why didn't buy it

in the morning. I'm the one who looks foolish, isn't

it I couldn't I know, but I didn't do it.

So all these three things can you repeat? The first one,

don't borrow, it cannot borrow, second one, it cannot use

all oil.

And the third one buy the oil during the daytime.

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God bless