Does God know you?

By Pastor Peter Linnecar
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins reminds us of the need to be watchful, and to press ahead with God.
Zechariah prophesied after the exile. He had eight visions, and here we have the fifth one.
Zechariah 4:1-6 (show/hide)

1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

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Zerubbabel rebuilt the Temple when they returned from exile. Joseph and Mary separately came from the sons of Zerubbabel.
In the world's eyes, might and power equals authority. In God's kingdom, the work of His spirit is vital.

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I identified with the people who spoke of the life and death situation faced in Nigeria. There's an urgency, a vitality about being a Christian here this morning for you and me.
In the Old Testament, where oil is referred to, it speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Song of Solomon 1:3 (show/hide)

3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

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In 2 Kings, when Elisha came to the widow, she ended up having a pot of oil, and it was as she kept pouring that oil out that it kept flowing. The moment they got to the end of the vessels, it stopped.
There is something about what God is saying to us. There is a requirement – not a duty, but a requirement out of the love of God which He has given to us, for us to share that with other people, to be a channel through which God by His Holy Spirit can reach other people. There's something about that principle of being alert and awake so we're ready whenever God wants to speak through us.
Ephesians 5:14-18 (show/hide)

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

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The parable we are going to look at revolves around us being prepared so that God has free reign over our lives. It's the enemy of our souls who wants us to focus on something which will derail the main purpose of us being here.
Matthew 25:1 (show/hide)

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

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It was a Jewish custom – often weddings were held in the evening. There were ten attendants whose role was to go out and meet the bridegroom and bring him in.
Matthew 25:2-4 (show/hide)

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

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Two different types of people. The common denominator is that each had a lamp. You couldn't distinguish between them, except that five had a reserve of oil. They made a point of gathering that store.
Matthew 25:5-6 (show/hide)

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

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They were all sleeping. The bridegroom was later than expected.
Matthew 25:7-9 (show/hide)

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

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This wasn't selfish. They knew that the bridegroom was on his way and that they had a separate container of oil for just such a time. They told the foolish to go and buy some, but the foolish wanted to take from the wise. This tells us that you can't rely on another person's faith. When we reach heaven, and if a question is asked of us, I won't be asked about Carolyn's faith, about the faith of someone else, but about who I am before God and what He has done in my life by His Holy Spirit. Each one of you is responsible for our own walk with God, and He loves you.
Some people have been skirting around the idea of a relationship with God. But we need to remain watchful of our walk with God. We need to get involved with God so that He has free reign. I wonder who God is speaking to right now who has skirted around this. God has been talking to you. He keeps getting inside you and pointing things out – your life needs to be right before God.
Matthew 25:10 (show/hide)

10 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.

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"But I thought I'd postpone becoming a Christian, or getting 100% for God until that point. I have to do this or that first." But the door was shut. You don't have more and more time for you to be on fire for God and to have your sin dealt with at Calvary.
Matthew 25:11 (show/hide)

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

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"You know who it is, that I've been to church, that I was going to sort things out."
Matthew 25:12 (show/hide)

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

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It's like when Jesus said to Philip "Have I been so long time with you, yet thou hast not known me?" It's as if the Lord is saying to you this morning, "Let's say today was your last day on this earth. Let's share together the times when I have faithfully come to you and talk to you and convict you so that you would turn from the way you had been living, because you know it has been wrong. There was that time, that time, that time. And each time, you said, 'Not now – I need to do this or that first.'"
Matthew 25:13 (show/hide)

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

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Talking about the second coming.
Luke 12:35-37 (show/hide)

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

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That's the heart of God. The father was open to the prodigal and the elder son, both. He urged them to come in and rejoice.
Here's Peter's message :-
2 Peter 3:11-14 (show/hide)

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

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If we had a peace-ometer, are you at peace this morning? Or has what I've said got hold of you, and you know you've been pushing Him away?
How do you have that reserve of oil? I have the lamp, I'm sharing my faith with others, but what do I have to do to have that reserve of oil? This parable means it is vitally important that we keep that line of communication open with the living God. He's inside me, but I can spend my time ignoring the experience of God in your life, or I can spend your time enriching and building it.
How often are we reading the Bible on our own? How often do we spend time in fellowship, building each other up?
That reserve of oil is building up our store of holy faith. Are we programming ourselves into the Word, into each other? Are we giving and giving, and as we give, it is never ending. Praying, professing our faith, not being asleep?
This parable applies to us all. It doesn't matter what situation we're in. There are some who are desperate because they are out of work. I know specifically for you that God has not forgotten now.
What does it mean to be watchful, alert, awake? To live a life of faith is simply being a Christian. I know what God has planned for us to the end of this year particularly, specifically it will be for us to be open before God that He by His Holy Spirit will work through us as we share our faith with others, and others will come.
God is sorting things out I'm not dismissive of anyone here or who used to be here. What I am most specific about, though, is that we will lift up the name of Christ full time, and as we do that, He will come alongside each one of us and speak to each one of us, just as He is speaking specifically to some this morning. Don't defer. That's not God's heart for you. He has been faithful. And once again He is there right in front of you. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour." It's His love which is drawing you and is pointing out things in you."
That attitude of being watchful doesn't involve taking time out. It doesn't step back. It looks God fully in the face and say, "I thank you for what you have done in my life, for how you took my sin into yourself at Calvary. You rose from the dead and conquered sin and the power of sin has gone from my life. And going forward I want to recognise each day that work of grace in my life. And each day I want to make the choice to go your way."

Instructions for the Christian life

Dr Thorpe looks at the basic instructions for the Christian walk in Romans 8.

By Dr Sam Thorpe

The Bible gives us instructions so we can know which are the good ways and which are not.

Have any of you ever done anything wrong? Have you ever felt that someone has done something wrong to you? Often we feel guilty not only for what we’ve done wrong, but because someone has done something to us which perhaps we feel we deserved. Well. Look at this ...

Romans 8:1

We are not condemned. That last phrase is not conditional. I want to talk about flesh and spirit. Hebrew writers had a habit of making parallels and contrasts. And Paul is a Hebrew. The way it actually reads is “The ones walking not according to flesh, but spiritually.” The contrast is between fleshly and spiritually. We are not condemned because we are in Christ – since those who do not walk fleshly walk spiritually. We’re there already. It’s not something to which we have to attain. It’s not a separate realm to which we have to get. Walking spiritually doesn’t mean that.

Romans 8:2

The actual wording here is “freed me”. You know how the law of sin and death operates. It’s a downward, destructive thing. People bound by the law of sin and death are bound. They have no choice. It’s a living death. But now we’re freed from that. We’re completely free from that destructive pattern of existence.

Romans 8:3

What’s the purpose of law? Several things. It reveals some aspects of the nature of God – things He likes, things He doesn’t like; things which are good for us and things which are not. Sin is an evil thing. We don’t tend to think of it that way until the law shows us – and then that should generate in us a tremendous amount of gratitude, because we have been freed from the law.

Romans 8:4

“Fulfilled” means to come true. The righteousness of the law comes true in all of our lives as we walk spiritually.

Romans 8:5

On the underground you hear “Mind the gap.” I’ve seen places where there is a sign saying, “Mind your head.” “Mind” here is like that – “pay close attention to; note; keep in your thoughts the things which are spiritual.”

The spiritual things are not in some other realm. The spiritual things are just the things God is interested in – His directions. So we’re not necessarily trying to have some kind of dramatic feeling about things. We’re just supposed to pay attention to the things of God.

Romans 8:6

So as we notice the ways of God, the things He wants, we should have a peaceful life. Holding the hand of God, we are peaceful. It’s recognising the life He has given us and living that way.

If you don’t pay attention to God and His ways, what will you pay attention to?

Romans 8:7

Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Faith is not wish or hope. It’s not unknown, but what is known. Faith is assurance of the things we hope for, certainty of the things we don’t see. It’s not a leap in the dark. It’s assurance that everything God said will happen, certainty that all we know about God is true even thought we don’t see Him. Faith isn’t a lack of knowledge – it’s a kind of knowledge. “I know you are trustworthy and that you are there.”

God wants that kind of faith relationship of us.

Romans 8:9

Don’t determine to go out to become more spiritual. We’re just supposed to be minding the things of God. We are already spiritual. You are not fleshly. For us to think in a fleshly way is to think contrary to the way we are. We are spiritual, because the spirit of God dwells in us. If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives in you – fact.

Romans 8:12-13

“Mortify” ... “make of no power, of no effect.” Make of no effect the fleshly practices. The naturally responses we might have to temptations – make them of no effect. Sometimes being a Christian requires mental discipline – here comes a temptation, but we’re not going there. “I’m going the way God wants.”

Young people – you realise why you have parents, beside the fact you can’t cook? We have parents to discipline us. Every human being needs discipline. If a person is not disciplined by parents, then even as Christians they will have difficulties. Without discipline from parents, schools, institutions, younger people are running chaotically.

Do any of you have a strategy for temptations? Has anyone been in the military? Anyone seen a military movie? Once people are inducted and headed off to boot camp, they give them uniforms, they call them soldiers. But they don’t know anything about soldiering, so they send them to learn discipline and how to take orders. You have to learn ahead of time because you don’t have time to look for the manual when you’re under fire. You have to know how to respond – it needs to be a reflex. I had a friend during the Vietnam War who had a friend in the Navy Seals. He had been released from his service, and the two of them were in a restaurant. A waiter came by and dropped some glasses. In those three seconds, the friend had pulled out a weapon and was on the waiter. He didn’t think about it.

What do we do when a temptation comes? Do we have a strategy? When’s the best time to get up – when the alarm goes off? So many of us don’t know what to do when a temptation comes. We need mental discipline – I’m not going in that direction.

When fears come up, what do you do? What should we do? What does God like? He’s freed us from those things, so don’t go there – go here. I’m not going to the fear but to the faith, the assurance, the certainty. The same with worries or with general temptations to do the wrong things. That’s why we need to keep these things in our minds, so that it allows us to do what’s right, to recall that He takes care of us and takes charge of everything. I’m not going to follow the fear, submit to the temptations.

Romans 8:15

We are literally sons and daughters of God. “Abba” means Father – “Abba” is Hebrew, “Pater” Greek. Hold the hand of Father, jump in the lap of Father. It sounds uncomplicated, but that’s what it is.

Romans 8:17

Romans 8:26

We are never alone. We’re not set in a world to have to take care of ourselves. We’re not objects of affliction, not waiting for the devil to attack. He’s always there.

Romans 8:27-28

And we know that to the ones loving God, God makes all things work together for good, according to His purpose. He makes all things work together – you don’t have to try and do it.

Romans 8:29

He called us. He justified us – because of the sacrifice of Christ, He looks at us as though we never sinned ever.

Romans 8:31

“Sin” isn’t much used in the world any more. It’s always bad choices or stupidity. Because sin implies offence against the person of God. But if He is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:32-35

No one can separate you from Him.

Romans 8:38-39

Any objections? See how grateful we should be, for all He has done to keep us connected and give us this freedom.