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WEEKLY
Volume 3 Number 42
15 March 2009
Ready or Not, Jesus is Coming
(A sermon preached by Rev Dr
Jeffrey Khoo at the Watchnight Service of True Life BPC, December 31, 2008)
It is not a game of Hide and
Seek; we better be ready when Christ returns. Do not follow the world. The
world does not expect Christ to return at all. In fact they scoff at the
thought that someone who died two thousand years ago, will or can ever
return to judge this world. The Bible already predicted this:
“Knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after
their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since
the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation” (2 Pet 3:3-4).
The scoffers think that the world has already been in
existence for billions of years and will go on for billions of years more to
come. By so saying, they changed the truth (creation) into a lie
(evolution), and willingly deceive themselves (Rom 1:25).
As believers, when we kept
Christmas last week, we kept it with the return of our Lord in view. As sure
as we are of His 1st Coming, we are equally sure of His 2nd
Coming, and we believe our Lord will keep His promise. In fact, world events
are shaping up according to biblical prophecy. This is observed even by
non-Christians. For instance, Gideon Rachman in his article, “And Now for a
World Government,” published in the Financial Times, December 9,
2008, wrote, “So, it seems, everything is in place. For the first time since
homo sapiens began to doodle on cave walls, there is an argument, an
opportunity and a means to make serious steps towards a world government.”
Human beings are on the road to becoming one, and when that happens, it will
be height of human civilisation and the glory of mankind. A modern Tower of
Babel is on the rise. Jesus Christ must return to smash this idolatrous
abomination of the earth.
So, ready or not, like it or not,
Jesus is coming, and if He is coming back and coming back soon, what must we
do? The Lord Himself tells us what we must do in the parable of the 10
virgins as found in Matthew 25:1-13. Basically it tells us to make sure that
we are truly born again or truly saved. This involves self-searching and
self-checking. We must not take things for granted. Do not think that just
because you are born into a Christian family, you are saved. Do not think
that just by coming to church, you are saved. Do not think that just because
you are baptised, you are saved.
How can we tell if we are truly
saved? If we are truly born again or saved, we will have the following
characteristics:
True Believers Are Indwelt by
the Holy Spirit
True believers lead a spiritual
life that is motivated by the Holy Spirit who indwells them. We find here
that the wise virgins had oil in their lamps, and they made sure they
brought with them extra. Oil has been used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit
(e.g. 1 Sam 16:13). When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy
Spirit indwells us, and once He takes residence in our physical body which
is called the temple of the Holy Spirit, He will never leave or depart from
us. Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us that the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, something miraculous happens: “ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of his glory.” And in our
day-to-day life, we will by and by manifest the fruit of the spirit, which
is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23). The
Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ and He will cause us to become
more and more like Christ. Do we see this in our life? Without oil or
petrol, the car cannot run. Similarly, without the oil of the Spirit, our
life is dead. Do you have such a lively experience in your walk with the
Lord? If you have, then you know that you have oil in your life. You are one
of the wise virgins.
The foolish virgins are those who appear to
have the Holy Spirit but really do not. They are like the tares and the
goats. They are like imitation goods. They look like the real thing but are
actually fake, and in no time, they spoil, they wear out or they fall apart.
The genuine, good quality, pricy stuff—they last, and even appreciate in
value, and become heirlooms. So, let us make sure we are not fake Christians
but genuine Christians.
True Believers Have a Faith
That Endures
True believers have a faith that
will never say die. The light of faith will never and cannot be snuffed out.
In this parable, we find that the foolish virgins had no light in their
lamps when the bridegroom finally came. This was because they had no oil.
The light is dependent on the oil. In the same way, if there is no Holy
Spirit, there is no true, enduring faith. These foolish virgins are like
those described in Matthew 13:20-22: “But
he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the
word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but
dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of
the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the
thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
Their faith “dureth for a while” just like the foolish virgins—their
light only lasts for a while and it is no more.
In the last days, there will be
many trials and temptations, and Christians are not spared from these
hardships and difficulties in life, and their faith will surely be sorely
tested. When life is not so bright, will your faith still shine brightly? Or
will we start to blame God and even deny Him. Do we believe in Jesus only if
He gives us health and wealth, prosperity and success? When we fall sick, or
lose our jobs, or meet with failures in life, do we forsake the Lord? If we
do, then we have not truly believed on Him at all, our faith is false. That
was why Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved.” True faith is a faith that will last. It
will endure to the very end, it will always believe and trust in Christ no
matter what, in good times and in bad times. Do you have this kind of a
faith?
Take note that faith is not
transferable. When the foolish virgins asked for oil from the wise virgins,
the latter replied, “Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but
go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves” (Matt 25:9).
This is not to say that the wise virgins were selfish for this
is not the point. The point is everyone is personally responsible to make
sure he or she has true faith. I cannot believe for you, and you cannot
believe for me. I cannot give part of my faith to you to make up for what
you lack, neither can I borrow from others their surplus faith to top up
what I lack. There is simply no such thing. Your faith is between you and
your Saviour, and we are personally and individually accountable for the
decisions we make or actions we take in life whether it is for Christ or
against Christ, and God will judge us accordingly.
True Believers Are Obedient to
the Word
True believers are those who
trust and obey God’s Word. We know this from what the Lord said to
the foolish virgins in verse 12; despite them calling Him “Lord, Lord,” the
Lord denied knowing them, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not”
(Matt 25:12). These were the same words spoken by the Lord in Matthew
7:21-23, “Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.”
Please realise that the Lord is not impressed
by an outward show of religion when there is no true spirituality within.
Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain
they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”
(Matt 15:8-9). The Apostle Paul described it as “Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Tim 3:5). This is a
hypocritical faith, saying “Yes,” but actually meaning “No.” Jesus
pronounced a curse on such who wear the name of God or of Christ in vain,
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto
whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly
appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity”
(Matt 23:27-28).
So, let us examine our hearts. Do we truly
love the Lord and His forever infallible and inerrant words? David showed
what having a true heart of faith and obedience is like when he prayed, “How
precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake,
I am still with thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from
me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine
enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?
and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with
perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my
heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps 139:17-24).
Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man,
which built his house upon a
rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it”
(Matt 7:24-27). The foolish virgins like the
foolish builder here had a disobedient faith, a dead faith which is no faith
at all, for “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:20).
If we have true faith, we will take the
inspired and preserved words of God seriously, to hold fast to the forever
infallible and inerrant words of everlasting life. We will have the highest
regard for His words and will seek to study, obey and defend His words. Will
you not resolve to read through the whole Bible in the New Year? Will you
not also make it a point to study God’s Word intensively and systematically
through the FEBC night classes? Be ye doers of God’s Word and not hearers
only.
To be ready for the Lord’s return, we need to
ensure that we are truly children of God—indwelt by the Holy Spirit, having
a faith that will endure to the very end and is very obedient to the Holy
Scriptures. So let us be ever ready while the Lord tarries, for He may come
at midnight. When everyone is sleeping, let us be awake and watchful so that
we will not be caught unawares when
the Lord finally opens heaven’s doors to welcome us home.
***************
A Word of Welcome
from the Pastor of Brisbane BPC
Dear brethren and friends,
By God’s grace, love and goodness, we
have gotten to know, worship and serve the living and true God of the
Holy Scriptures, the Almighty Creator and loving heavenly Father. We
trust that by His providence (not by accident) you are visiting our
Website (www.brisbanebpc.org.au). You are very welcome to Brisbane
Bible-Presbyterian Church in Queensland, Australia!
We really thank God that Brisbane
Bible-Presbyterian Church was established in Brisbane and incorporated
under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 of Queensland, on 28 July
2006. We are a reformed church built on the foundation of the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself alone and on God’s perfectly inspired and perfectly
preserved Word, the Holy Scriptures alone, which are the texts
underlying the King James Bible—the Hebrew Masoretic Text of the Old
Testament and the Greek Received Text (Textus Receptus) of the New
Testament. Our motto is from Philippians 2:11, “Jesus Christ Is Lord”
and from John 17:17, “Thy (God’s) Word Is Truth.” That
means we submissively look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and humbly seek to
exalt Him alone, not ourselves or men (John 3:30; 2 Cor 4:5) and to
study, preach, teach and magnify God’s Word alone (2 Tim 2:15; 4:2; Ps
138:2), not human words, ideas or philosophies. By God’s grace and
strength, we fervently defend God’s Truth and maintain a Christ-centred
and Bible-centred Worship in these last days of compromise and apostasy.
Our purpose is not to draw you to
ourselves or to our group but to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone,
who truly loved you, died for your sins, rose again for your
justification and is able to save you perfectly (Rom 4:25; 8:32-39; Heb
7:25). We do pray that you may be comforted, edified, born again, and
sanctified by the Holy Spirit and by God’s Word (John 3:5; Acts 9:31;
Rom 15:4; 1 Pet 1:23), and then be constrained by Christ’s love to
worship Him, live for Him, and serve Him according to His Word, His will
and His way shown in the Holy Scriptures until our Lord Jesus comes back
again.
May the LORD our God graciously guide
you and richly bless you as you wholeheartedly seek to know Him and His
Word. May God help you find and enjoy His truth, love, peace, joy and
salvation in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is All you need.
We look forward to the blessed Worship
and fellowship with you at Brisbane BPC.
In Christ’s truth, grace and love,
Pastor Hien Nguyen
***************
Ziling’s
Testimony
I knew the Lord initially through my
father, he is a devotional Christian and he always tells the stories
about the Lord and shares with me whatever he learnt about the Lord. My
father also taught me how to pray and I tried, and I found it quite
peaceful and happy after talking with the Lord.
Moreover, thank God for giving me a
chance to know pastor Hien and other friends in our church. I also
learnt a lot from them, their loving-kindness impressed me deeply,
through their words and behaviours I have experienced the self-giving
love. Now I believe that the Lord is with me all the time and gives me
the best protection and provision to live in the world and that He is
the only true God who created the heavens and the earth and human beings
including me. I acknowledge that I am a sinner, and I truly believe in
the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who died for me and rose again for
me. I know that I have been saved by Him and He is All I need. Only He
is able to give me His true peace so that I have neither fears nor
worries any more. Therefore, I want to be baptised as soon as possible
in order to have a closer relationship with the Lord, to be His good
child, and to follow Him until the end.
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