Fall Services/Sermon in Cokato 04.10.2013

Before we read our text, I would like to bring greetings of love and God's peace from the children of God in Ishpeming. I would also like to bring greetings from the parents' camp that we held at Haske Lake last weekend. That was a very precious time that we spent together.

It is the first time that my wife and I have been here at the new Cocado Church facility. It is a very beautiful place. It is certainly a gift that God has given unto you, and we could say unto all of us, the children of God here, and especially North America.

The text that we shall read is found in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew, the first 13 verses. I noticed when I received the invitation to come to the services that the theme for the weekend had to do with watching and faith. This text came to mind, and I didn't realize that it, too, contained almost the identical words that are part of the weekend theme.

But I, too, with the brother who has prayed on our behalf, have the same prayer that God would be able to speak unto us, even through my weak gift and my corruption. It is always a mystery, I think, to those of us who serve in the office of the Word, that God is somehow able to proclaim His work through such weak and poor servants. But somehow that happens, and we are able to receive those grace crumbs of the bread of life.

With powerful hearts, and in Jesus' name, we read:

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five of them were foolish. And they that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and for you. But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. Amen.

This text is, of course, a parable, the words of Jesus. During the chapters that preceded this one, Jesus had that same kind of message for the disciples, and we can say for ourselves, that of being watchful.

If we did not understand any more of this text, and God gave no further opening of His Word, we would at least know that a time will come when the Lord Jesus shall appear suddenly. Those that are ready to meet Him will be received into the glory of heaven, and those that are not ready will not be able to receive that reward but will be shut out from that land of heaven.

It says, as we read, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins. Those that have studied this text closely have noticed that that word then starts it off, meaning that it speaks of a certain particular time in, we could say, the history of Christianity or the history of God's kingdom—a certain time.

When I read this text, I could, in my own home and reviewed it, I could not help but think of that time back in the '70s when there was the time of heresy, and I think that this text was used more often. When we had a division, two different kinds of spirits worked within the kingdom of God, and there were those that then became separated from God's kingdom because of their unwatchfulness.

But Jesus here uses this, we could say, example of His day, for it speaks of a wedding, a wedding custom that is not very familiar to us in our time. For in the time of Jesus, the weddings were often kept late at night. The custom was that the bridegroom went to the house of the bride and there took her from her father's home and brought her to the marriage, to, I believe, his father's home.

The bridegrooms were given that kind of duty that they would not only be present, but they would be awake and they would have their lamps lit so that they would be able to show the way. For, of course, we know at that time there was not the convenience of our time where there are electric lights or even gas lights, but everything was darkness when the sun descended down.

So they depended upon that light that they had in their lamps to show the way. And we, of course, know that this is speaking unto us of more than an everyday matter of a wedding custom, but it's speaking to us of that need to be ready and to be watchful in faith, to put away our sins as sin attaches.

I recall many years ago reading in one of the Finnish periodicals, I believe it was written unto the children, that the first place of watching that each of us would have is that we would put away our sins as sin attaches. Certainly it is not that kind of watching where we watch with a bright eye of our brothers and sisters in faith, but first of all, and most importantly, is that we would travel keeping faith and a good conscience, that we would be heaven acceptable, that we would be ready to depart from this life whenever that call would come.

Here the picture is given unto us that five of these virgins were wise and five were foolish, and then our text explains to us, or defines for us, that those that were foolish had their lamp, which I have seen some pictures of or we could say drawings, that kind of looked to me more like a little cup that probably was made out of clay that they carried. That was their lamp, and they filled it with oil and had a wick that floated on the surface, and they would light that wick, and the wick would get its fuel from that oil, and that was the way that they got the light and were able to travel so that they could make a journey further or longer and not trip and fall over some object.

So that is what our text speaks of when it speaks of the lamp, and they carried also with them vessels, or elsewhere called in the scriptures a cruise, or a cruise of oil, which simply meant that it was a reserve of oil, so that when their lamp became low on oil, they could add oil from that other source and keep the light burning.

But here the foolish did not bring any reserve oil, did not bring any cruises, and as we read further, when the bridegroom came and they had slumbered and slept, they awoke suddenly and found out that their lamp was either out or just about to be out.

When we compare this to the life of faith, it is possible for us to become sleepy in faith or slumber. I, for the longest time, read these two words of slumber and sleep as meaning one and the same thing, until I looked them up. Slumber means to doze and to wake up and to fall back into a light sleep, whereas, of course, sleeping means to fall into a sleep that can last for hours.

But it's kind of a picture to us of what can happen in our life of faith if we are not watchful, if we are not living by personal faith, if we are not taking the word of God into our heart as disciples and living according to that word. Then we become sleepy or slumber and then eventually sleep in faith.

We are not ready to meet that bridegroom when he will come, whether it be in the midst of our life when we are called away or at the end of time, when he will come for that final time to receive the bride of Christ, the kingdom of God, up to himself.

Here I think of that time also when I was a university student in the time of the heresy and lived in a certain part of the country where there was a time of leniency. University. And now as a student more and more activities would become acceptable. Maybe at first they were such that we understood them to be wrong.

But as more and more of the youth of that time began to participate in activities, for instance, sports and going to the games and many things such as worldly music and so forth, it kind of became a disease, we could say. Almost like a cancerous disease that affected more and more people and more and more fell because they did not watch in faith.

Of course, there were at that time unfortunately those false teachers that taught in a way that was not wholesome, which did not resonate with the Spirit of God. We compared such ones to those that blew a bugle, but the sound was not clear and it did not warn of the dangers of sin.

So because of unwatchfulness and because of not caring for the matters of the conscience, many became sleepy in faith and when the time of separation came, they remained there in that darkness of heresy.

So these kinds of things come to my mind when I think of this text and think of the theme for the weekend. It is so important here, brothers and sisters, and it is a joy to see so many young people here today, but it is so important to put away sin as sin attaches, to take courage in the Lord, as the Old Testament believers did and stated, that they took courage and they stood in that place of the Word of God.

They did not allow the Word of God to pass by them. When they came to the services and the gatherings of God's children and heard the Word of God proclaimed, they received that Word into their heart as a true disciple and received it there for the benefit of the undying soul.

We live in a time when so many things are challenged. The written Word of God itself is challenged. The spoken Word is challenged. There have been those that have formerly believed that have left faith and speak evil and negatively against the kingdom of God in the way that we believe.

There are also those that are in this world, of course, that speak and live much differently than the Word of God teaches. It's reminiscent of that time of Lot that is spoken of in the Scriptures where we recall from Sunday school and services that Lot lived in such a dark time and such an evil time that it troubled him greatly in his spirit.

It is written of him in the New Testament time that his spirit was vexed by the filthy conversation of the wicked. And conversation in the sense of the Bible means a way of life, including speech, of course. But it troubled him, and it troubles us too.

Especially as the young, there are so many things that tempt, that appeal to the flesh and blood. So many things that would want to draw one away from the kingdom of God and into the love of this world. And that is the battle of faith that we deal with today especially, and not only for the youth, but for all of us.

But we, dear brothers and sisters, have such a blessing, such a place to dwell, the kingdom of God that is hidden from the wise and the prudent of this life but is revealed to us. A place where we can come as those that are weak, those that are poor, those even that have been wounded by sin.

We can find strength through the word of God, through the support of our brothers and sisters, through the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins, to make new promises, to continue in faith, to journey yet for another day, for another moment towards that high calling of heaven itself.

I'm sure that you have recalled maybe that song that is in our songbook, "This Precious Lot Was Given Me." When I began this journey, I was thinking of that not so long back, what is this journey of faith really like? And it is kind of exactly like that.

The pathway of a child of God goes through a wilderness. Many, I'm sure, here have walked pathways and I certainly have in my experiences in the wilderness. There are a lot of opportunities to slip and fall and to be injured or to be bitten by some sort of insects and so forth.

But really that journey is a step at a time. It's one foot up and one foot down and we make that journey. Sometimes it is very slow, sometimes it is with very doubtful footsteps that we make, very feeling our inward weakness and the possibilities that we might in some way slip or fall.

But yet through eyes of faith we see that destination of life eternal. And that gives us that strength and power to lift up those feet and make another step, travel another moment, travel another hour and day towards that high calling of the safety of heaven.

That seems to me to be what faith is from my experiences. It's believing in those great promises of God and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot going on around us that would make us want to believe. Many are the doubts that the believers have.

But when we think about that homeland shore, that one day we will be free from this life, the cares, the sorrows, the tears that have been shed here, they won't be able to reach their home. We will one day be able to lay down the staff of faith and we will receive that crown of glory that has been promised for us.

But here our text speaks that it is possible that one would not reach that destination because of that carelessness. When one does not put away sin as sin attaches, when one does not receive the word of God into their heart and believe it, then one has the danger of becoming as a foolish virgin who had a form of believing or had that lamp that they carried with them.

But that Holy Spirit was no longer the teacher or that oil that was supposed to be there in the lamp of faith. That Holy Spirit that warns us, that guides us, that calls unto remembrance to us the teachings of God's kingdom, the word of God, and the teachings of Jesus.

Just as we sang in one of the last two songs of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that home teacher that is always with us, whether we be at school or whether we be at work or we be retirees, but He's always there with us.

But we know the Holy Spirit becomes grieved over sin and will flee from that person that does not live by faith and put sin away. And so it happened with the foolish virgins who found out that the lamp, that there was no longer any oil.

And the bridegroom came as we read and it was simply too late. The day of grace was over. The time of visitation had gone by and it was not possible even for the wise to give up their own oil. But they were instructed to go and buy.

And the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut.

So it is both a pleasant picture, we could say, and an unpleasant picture for those who were living by faith and keeping a good conscience. They were heaven acceptable. That's all that was required of them. That's all that's required of the children of God of any time—that we keep faith and a good conscience.

It is, as we say many times, that it is not the amount of faith that we have. None of us are asked that you have a great amount of faith. Have you come here to the services this evening, brothers and sisters, feeling that you have a lot of faith? I don't think so.

I think you have come, even as we who serve you, we have come with searching for that faith but finding that we are of little faith. But that correct faith is that faith that shall carry us safely to the destination, salvation.

And that is all that is required of myself and yourself, dear brothers and sisters, that we are putting our trust in that grace work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that victory that he has won when he went unto the cross and defeated the threefold enemy and then rose victorious on the third day with the power over death and hell and rose then later into heaven and went to prepare a place for us each and every one of us.

Each individual here has a place there in heaven. Each one has been called separately and by name to be a child of God. So we need to only walk in the old paths, as it is sometimes said in the Old Testament passage, that we would continue to believe and walk as we have in this journey of faith.

We don't need a new path or a new way of believing. But the old way is the right way and is sufficient for us and will carry even the weakest and the poorest child of God onto the destination.

We read that it was not possible for those foolish virgins to again enter in sin. So therefore we know that this text speaks of the end of time.

Certainly there are times when some have left from the kingdom of God and have wanted to return and have been blessed back again into this faith and to hope through the forgiveness of sins. But in the sense of our text, it was not possible that they could again enter in because it was that final marriage or that marriage of the bridegroom, the kingdom of God, and the bride, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he no longer knew those that knocked on the door from without.

We remember a very similar situation. You boys and girls especially from Sunday school remember that time of Noah when the door to the ark was closed and there were only eight people that were there on the inside.

The Bible does not relate in any specific sense or give any details, but we know that there were those that lived close by and watched the building of the ark and were mockers of that building. But we can also understand that many of them would have wanted to enter into the ark as the waters arose and they realized that the preaching of Noah was correct, that it was God preaching through him.

But it was not possible to open that door to the ark anymore.

We, dear brothers and sisters, in our time often times, I would say, feel that the end of time is not so far away. Jesus has said that we don't know the time, we don't know the hour or the day, and we probably would not want to know it that close, but we can sense from what is taking place in our nation and in our time that something has changed, that there is a great falling away that has taken place in this world, a falling away from God and His Word.

Even our very homeland has begun to fall further and further away from those teachings that once made it a strong nation. And it is that way across the earth where the Word of God is more and more despised and the way that we believe is more and more despised.

But yet, we have been given the gift of faith. Our eyes are able to see through faith the kingdom of God, and that we are here living members of God's kingdom, and we have the hope of eternal life, and this sustains us, this gives us courage, it gives courage to the mothers to continue to, and fathers to receive children into their homes, it gives courage, and to the students in school to keep faith and a good conscience when there are many temptations that come.

Because the reward is very great. The reward is life eternal, and a time of joy that we cannot even imagine, but our promise will be so great.

So, it's up to us, dear brothers and sisters, to continue in faith. Even though you may personally struggle, you may have great doubts even at this moment, you may have perhaps named sins upon your conscience, and you struggle to know who you can find to go and speak of what has happened in the battle.

But yet, here in this kingdom, this is our home, dwelling place. We would not want to go anywhere else. This is where we belong, and this is where even the weak and the poor can find strength through the power of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

That's why we time and time again gather together at services and Bible class and so forth, because we want to hear that. We want to hear that. We still have permission to believe our sins forgiven.

Dear brothers and sisters, I want to assure each one of you personally that this is still true. You will hear it many times through the weekend that we spend together, and it won't grow old or stale, but you will still want to hear it into your own heart.

You can believe all sin forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood. You can believe unto peace and unto freedom and unto joy that your sins are forgiven. Jesus has paid for them, and he has made you and I have been acceptable by his grace work.

Here in our last verse we read, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh.

So our place of watching is still before us. We are still in this life if we put away sin as sin attaches. That's the first place of watching, and believe the gospel for our own heart.

We are in a very blessed place here. The throne of grace is in our midst and the living word of God is ever with us.

Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to hear this gospel for my own part and would ask that can you yet bless and forgive such a weak servant. I promise to believe.

In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.