Are You Ready For The Second Coming

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Good morning. Children, good morning. I think it would be good to pause for a word of prayer remembering Liz, Jeremy's mom. [00:00:49] Jeremy says she's doing about the same, which last I heard wasn't so good. You know, when I think of times like what she's going through, I think Virgil made the comment that she'll be better in three days or she won't be around in three days. [00:01:21] When it comes right down to life, what's important? What's important in this life? All of a sudden you're dead, to put it bluntly. Just like that. Done. And so then what matters? And it makes me think very soberly. It makes me think of the children. It makes me think of Virgil. It makes me, you know, very sorrowful. [00:01:54] But there is a better life than here, hello. If you compare the two, you can't really even, who would want to be around here, but yet we do for some reason. So we're saddened, but yet we're happy and it's just all mixed up and there's going to be a lot of sorrow and there's a lot of worries and concerns and uncertainty about her future and uncertainty in this life, [00:02:27] Not uncertainty in the life to come. Don't get me wrong, I don't think. So, why don't we pause for a word of prayer for a little bit. Lord, we thank you for who you are. We realize, Lord, that you are in control. And sometimes it's hard to accept that, Lord. Lord and I pray that you would help us to let that soak into our hearts and not only in our heads [00:03:02] because Lord we all know and we all believe that you are in control and for some reason you allow things into our lives to make us who you want us to be. Lord, we realize that you are shaping us and molding us for your kingdom. And, Lord, we think of Virgil and Liz and the family. [00:03:36] Lord, these are uncertain times, and I pray, Lord, that you would bless them with your peace And with your comfort and with your gentle loving hand, I pray that you would be with those of us who know them, be with their church, help us to put ourselves in their shoes and to care for them. We also pray, Lord, that you would be with us here today also as we look into your word and as we look at how you are trying to change us. [00:04:18] Help us to be open. Help us not only to have our ears opened as Job did, but help us to confess that we have heard with our ears, But now we see. Help us to see. In Jesus' name, Amen. Are you ready for the second coming of Christ? [00:04:55] Are you? I'm not talking to sinners this morning. I'm talking to Christians. That's Matthew 25. I believe. A verse in Acts 3. You don't have to turn now. I'll read it quick. [00:05:27] Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. And I'm praying for a time of refreshing this morning, or tomorrow, or whenever. A time of refreshing. Why? From where? Because may come from the presence of the Lord. That's the only way that a time of refreshing is going to come. and it's only going to come from repenting and being converted [00:05:58] so that our sins may be blotted out and we are clean, washed. It's kind of funny watching this guy from Chicago come to our place and try and wash the puppy before. I don't know what that has to do. I just thought about this dog being clean and he was all suds'd up and there was not a, I don't know, he may have been dirty, but it looked like he was suds'd from head to toe, tail and everything. Clean. I believe we can be cleaner than that. Silly puppy story. That's kind of a crude illustration. [00:06:33] But I'm not sure where to start. I was thinking of Paul writing to the Corinthians in chapter 12, speaking about spiritual gifts. And my mind started wandering about all these gifts that we have, God gives us these gifts and we're all a little different. And using them for what? And for some reason I got stuck on this title, Are You Ready for the Second Coming of the Lord? And it's been very challenging. [00:07:17] So, I think that we'll start in Matthew chapter 24. And, you know, we don't have to know the exact dates of when Christ is coming. Does anybody know? Dumb question. Nobody knows. Now, there's a lot of us that may know all the prophecy and all the meanings of the signs and symbols and all this stuff and how we think it's going to happen. [00:07:52] And I have to think of Terry Helmuth every time I think of that. And knowing Revelations, and I believe that there is a blessing for those who study Revelations. It says that in the first chapter. But the main thing is, is that we're ready. I think that a person can know all of that stuff and know prophecy and not be at all ready. Not at all, not one bit. But I think that a person can be ready without knowing. [00:08:30] So we don't need to know the times, but it says, Jesus said in Matthew 24, verse 42 and 44, Watch, therefore, for you do not know what hour the Lord is coming. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And I always like the story of when mom would go to town, or mom and dad would go on a vacation or whatever, or even maybe Berber goes away, and it's me and the boys at home. [00:09:01] That happened just a couple weeks ago when they went out to Delaware, and the house was a wreck. Right, boys? Maybe you didn't think about it. I thought about it. And I knew about when they were coming home. So, you know, I don't know, men, if you've ever done this, but you wait until the last minute to clean up because you want the house to look nice for your wife. You know, even smelling good. You light a candle and it smells good, you know. Why do we wait until the last minute? Wouldn't it be so much more? You know, I'd even go to bed thinking, boy, I've got to clean up tomorrow. [00:09:32] Well, then something comes up and we can't clean up. Then what? Then we're stuck with a dirty house and we're not ready. Why aren't we ready all the time? Why not pick up... Oh, the other day I saw one of the boys... I forget who it was. I think it was Cameron. There was a piece of trash on the plane. He just kicked it up and, you know... You walk past a piece of trash and you don't... Why is that? Why do we see dirt in our lives and we don't take care of it? Because maybe it's too humbling to bend down and pick up trash. [00:10:09] It takes a lot of humility. You see people walking down the road. Oh, I had to not laugh. It's terrible. I almost had to. At the parade, they had these work release from the jail. They were going behind picking up trash and scooping up manure. How humiliating. But our trash in our lives still takes humility to acknowledge them, to repent. to turn, maybe it's a little different, but why aren't we always ready? [00:10:58] So, there are some, okay, 1 John, I'll turn real quick to 1 John 3, verse 3, I think it is. I'll start with verse 2 Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is verse 3 and everyone who has this hope in Him [00:11:29] purifies himself just as He is pure so we have this hope in us that we shall be like him when he is revealed, when he comes again. So if we are not purifying ourselves, then that hope is dead. It's a dead hope. Okay, let's go on to chapter 25. [00:12:01] There's three different, two parables. I want to talk about three things in chapter 25. I'll end up reading the whole thing at one time. I think we will skip the verse 14 first. This second parable, very, very familiar. I'm still going to read it. I want us to think about how God wants us to use our talents for Him, not for ourselves. [00:12:41] The whole Sunday School lesson almost goes very well with the message this morning. So we'll read verses 14 to 30. For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and immediately he went on a journey. Now, we would all agree that we all have a talent. [00:13:16] Or maybe there may be some of us who say, you know what, I can't do nothing. Where do I fit in? I can't. Where do I fit in the church? No, we all have spiritual gifts. That's the way it is. We each have a gift given by God, from God, and we have to realize that. We have to realize that our gifts, whether they're natural, whether they're spiritual, they are from God. If we don't realize that, we're in big trouble, because then we end up living a selfish life. [00:13:47] Look at me. Look what I can do. All that kind of stuff. Verse 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord's money. After a long time, the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. [00:14:20] Look, I have gained five more talents beside them. His Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. He also, who had received two talents, came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Look, I have gained two more talents beside them. His Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. [00:14:56] Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But his Lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. [00:15:29] Therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth Okay, we realize that one got five, one got two, one got one [00:16:04] So the talents that we receive are not necessarily all equal Is one better than the other? In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul talks about these gifts and he refers to them as hands and feet and eyes and ears and all this. And if we had more time, we'd look at that. And I really like how he brings out that one's not more important than the other one. And he also brings out how each member is going to care for the other. [00:16:37] You know, what if this hand would slice up this hand all the time? If your stomach hurts, you're going to take care of it. And if my knee was hurting for a while, I'm going to take care of it. We're all different members, but we are one body. And so as we think about our talents, I want us to think about what we are using them for. [00:17:11] In verse 18, when he says, But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord's money. I would, to me, him burying that one, I think that he was investing it into the world or for himself. I think that, you know, I would, maybe I'm reading something into it, but that's how I would apply it to my life. [00:17:50] Am I using my talent, my gifts, to bring honor and glory to me? Or am I, is it honoring God what I'm doing with them? We are called, God is calling us to use our abilities, our possessions, our talents, spiritual gifts to glorify and serve God and others. So, if we don't use our talents wisely, obviously we're not ready to meet Christ. [00:18:43] If we're going to use them for ourselves, if we're going to... This guy with one talent was not ready to meet his Lord. And he was cast where? He was cast out. The last part of chapter 25, starting at verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will gather before Him and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. [00:19:21] And he will set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That's what we all want to hear. Is that right? For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [00:19:59] When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the king will answer and say to them, Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me. Then he will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you did not take me in naked, and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. [00:20:37] Then they will also answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister you? minister to you, then he will answer them, saying, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. To me, this is pretty serious. [00:21:19] And all we're talking about is serving others. Maybe even serving my brethren. Serving our community. I had to think of... I know that we do a lot of works and we do a lot of... Which is okay. We do a lot of serving. We serve people. We serve our brothers and sisters in the church. [00:21:54] My question is, what is our attitude in serving? Is it that we have to or we ought to? I think our serving or even our denying ourselves, the reasons that we deny ourselves, the reasons that we give up things, The reasons that we don't do things, but especially the reason that we serve, is because it originates in God's love, out of God's love. Because of our love for God, that's why we do what we do. [00:22:25] Not just to look good. I noticed here that even when Jesus reminded, they asked, when did we do this? Um, they didn't even remember what they had done. Um, and a lot of times I remember what I did. When I serve, when I do something good for somebody, I have to remember, hey, that makes me feel pretty good. I did this for this and that. And remember I did. They didn't remember. I don't think that their left hand knew what their right hand was doing. [00:23:08] In Luke 17, he talks about in the days of Lot when they ate and drank and they bought, they sold, planted and built all for themselves. We won't turn to that. You know, it's quite obvious that from this passage that only those who are living with a concern for others, Not a concern for ourselves, but I'm not talking about self-examination and all that, [00:23:45] but when we have a concern for others, a love for others, are we ready for His return? If we turn to Matthew 7, we'll notice a different group of people in two verses. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. [00:24:21] Okay, so these people were healing people. They were casting out demons and they were cast out. This other group in chapter 25, all they did was visit. But we all know we have to have, we have to be willing to be inconvenienced. We have to give up our time and our money. I found that, I think that even, you know, our selfishness can be so rooted and grounded in our flesh [00:25:04] that it's very, it's easy to hide, it's easy to hide it. And I think even when we cleanse ourselves from maybe sins of lust or covetousness or anger, we can still be self-centered. We can still just live for ourselves. I have to think of the Pharisees and how they were just concerned about themselves. Oh Lord, thank you so much that I'm not like this tax collector beside me. [00:25:39] That's not true holiness. We need a sanctification that gives us a concern for others. Okay, if we go back to chapter 25, the first part, the parable of the ten virgins. I'll read verses 1 to 13. [00:26:15] Then the king of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, Behold, the Bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the wise, [00:26:46] Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And he answered and said, Surely I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. [00:27:21] Notice that there's ten virgins. If we go to James chapter 4, verse 4, it talks about what a harlot is, an adulterer or an adulteress. But these were ten virgins. Who took their lamps. I think that they were right in the sight of God. They were right in the sight of man. They all had a testimony before God and man. Their lights were burning. but there were only five that were wise [00:28:04] and a long time ago I remember Dustin text me what's the oil in the lance what does that represent I don't know if we ever finished that but I think we talked about it one time I don't know what we come up with or what was said but I had to think of this oil Okay, everybody can see the light when it burns. I had to think of these wicky torches or whatever they are, you know. If you dump all the oil out and there's a little bit of oil on the wick, it's going to burn for a while. [00:28:39] But, now some of them are clear plastics, you can see inside of them, you know, but let's say you can't. You can see the flame, but you can't see what's inside. And I had to think of David in Psalms 51. I didn't look it up. But he talks about the inward parts and the hidden parts. What is your inward parts that people can't see? What is that relationship, that life of God, life from God, life in God? What is that like that nobody can see? [00:29:12] Maybe nobody even knows. What is that? Is it there? What's reality? What's the truth? It doesn't matter that you're here this morning. I mean, it does, but you know what I'm saying. You're all dressed up. We say the right things. We have the right testimony. We have the right prayer to say. We have the right clothes on. We have a covering on. We comb our hair. We fast and we do this and that. These are all aflame. That's what it is. [00:29:42] It's aflame. And that's important. I'm not downing that. But what's reality? Is there oil in your lamp? Is there a relationship with Jesus Christ? Is it real? What you're portraying on the outside, is it real? Because these five virgins, it looked like it was real. And when there's a crisis in our lives, when there's a temptation in our life, [00:30:17] this crisis was that the bridegroom was delayed and they all slept, slumbered and slept. Well, only time, it's going to be time, over time, time told whether these virgins, all the virgins were ready. If all of them had a relationship, if all of them had oil, I hope that you know what I'm talking about. Were they all ready? No, obviously. Their lamps went out. No relationship. In a time of crisis, in a time of temptation, do we have a relationship? [00:30:56] Do we have oil that's going to get us through? Not just these outward, because if we're going to depend on just our outward stuff, What's it going to get us? Nothing. We have the lamp, and maybe there's a little flicker, and I have to think of, I was thinking if one of those, I'm sure one of those lamps would burn without oil when it's brand new, does it? Maybe it looks a little different, I'm not sure, but I wanted to say that. When you don't, it's brand new, you take it right out of the box and you light the thing. Would it burn? Maybe not as bright. [00:31:28] And I had to think of us as Christians when we become Christians and as we go from day after day, year after year after year after year, wanting to serve the Lord, wanting to, is our oil running out? Is there a hole in the bottom? Are we losing out on the relationship because we're so worried about how we look on the outside? [00:32:02] Are we so concerned? You know, we're so worried about the outside, how we look and how we appear and how we sound. And see, that's all selfish. It can be. It doesn't have to be. But if we focus on Christ and we focus on the relationship, John 15, abiding in Him, that's our oil, being prepared spiritually. [00:32:36] You know, we all start out with our lamps burning. Boy, we're on fire this week, you know, or whatever, whenever. Remember, maybe you're a young Christian, but only time will tell. Time will tell if we're real. Time will tell if we're going to grow. Time will tell if our lamps are full and we keep them full. There's a lot of people who are like the seed that sprouted right away, [00:33:11] But there was no inner life, no depth of soil. I forget where that's found. I didn't look it up. So let's be ready for Christ's coming. Having that inner life of purity. That inner life of faithfulness before God. In all of our thoughts, our actions, our motives. Our thoughts, our actions, and our motives. You know, people can't really see that so good. Just like they couldn't see the oil. But if we don't have that, if we don't have that inner life of purity, we're not ready to meet Christ. The inner life of faithfulness. [00:34:02] In closing, I want to look at a few verses. Proverbs 11.25 says, He who waters will be watered himself by God. And I had to think of that verse when I'm thinking of having our lamps full and we have these spiritual gifts, these spiritual abilities, These, whether they're natural or whether they're spiritual, no matter what they are, they're all from God. [00:34:39] They're God-given, and we're abiding in Him, and then we use them unselfishly. And if we use them unselfishly, we're going to bless others. We're going to live for others. We're not going to live for ourselves. We're going to look for ways to bless others. So he who waters will be watered himself by God. I put the by God in there. I don't think it says that. [00:35:12] And sometimes I look at this whole thing as a big, huge stepping stone. Oh my word, how can I do this? How am I going to, you know? But Zechariah 4.10 says, for who has despised the day of small things. Even in the small things, let's not despise the day of the small things. In little things, maybe somebody stops in and you're wanting to get your grass mowed. [00:35:43] I don't know, something. I don't know. God, if we're serious and we want to grow in Christ and we want to be used by Him And we, we're not going to, we're going to take one step at a time and be obedient to Him and care for others. Ezekiel 47. There's a neat illustration in there that I like. [00:36:20] Talking about the river from this temple. Then he, verse 1, Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east. The water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. It's just interesting. Read down through there sometime. And then verse 9, And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. [00:36:51] There will be a very great multitude of fish because these waters go there For they will be healed and everything will live wherever the river goes Now in between there it talks about how they went a distance And it was up to the ankles and up to the knees and up to the So the rivers just kept flowing and flowing and flowing Getting deeper and deeper and deeper But it started out with a trickle It doesn't say trickle But it started out with a trickle So in the little things Let's not despise the day of the little things. [00:37:24] In the little things, we've got to start somewhere. And then as God anoints us with His Holy Spirit, because of our earnestness and our sincerity to Him, there will be rivers of living water. I had to think of Elisha. I was going to turn to there, but it's getting late. You know how Elisha told this lady, I can't remember all the details, told this lady to go out and get all these vessels and to start pouring her oil into these vessels. [00:38:06] And y'all are shaking your head, you guys know the story better than I do. But what happened? Cam, do you know? Well, she started pouring, and I don't know how many vessels, it probably says in there, I don't know, but I just say tons of vessels. She started pouring, and it just kept coming, and kept coming, and kept coming. And she finally said, go get me another one. I said, we got them all. You know, they went out to the community, I think it says, and brought in all these vessels. And then, because, remember, the landlord was going to come take their house and take their sons, [00:38:39] I don't know about house, but was going to take their sons as slaves. And so this lady went to Elisha and said, what do I do? And so Elisha said to do this. And then he said, go sell the oil. So as God, as she was obedient in the little things, there was this little jar, she starts pouring. Imagine. I don't know, I'm thinking of these big cylinder things, you know, that are like this tall and you just keep pouring and pouring and pouring. As God flows through us and we pour into other people, one little bit at a time, we pour into other people, God can just keep right on flowing right through us. [00:39:20] We can be a blessing and be a blessing and be a blessing. I had to think of... I lost my train of thought. Anyways, I wanted to have the story that it kind of in a way it blessed the whole community, but she sold it to these people, but it would have been nice for the story's sake if she would have gave it, but you know what, but I still, you know, it was a blessing to everybody else, even though I had to pay a little money, maybe it wasn't a little, I don't know, but so we can do that exactly. [00:40:01] That same thing can happen with us. We've got community. We've got neighbors. I'm saying we do got neighbors like you wouldn't believe. I don't know how your neighbors are, but ours are a little. I love my neighbors. Well, yeah, I do love my neighbors. There's a lot of needy, needy people out there. And sometimes we are so focused, even maybe as a church, we're going to be dead in no time flat because nothing's flowing out. I think there are. Don't get me wrong. [00:40:33] I know that there are things flowing out. But I'm saying let's be careful. Because you know all about the Dead Sea. Nothing's flowing out. We're so wrapped up and we're so self-focused and we're looking at each other. There's a danger in that. Now don't get me wrong, I think we can keep it on each other and keep each other accountable and I'm not saying that we shouldn't do that. But as God gives us talents and abilities and money and possessions and a horse, [00:41:07] let people use them. Let's bless other people with them. Okay, three more passages of Scripture that were very cool when I noticed this. We're going to start in Galatians chapter 3. And maybe it's no big deal, you guys maybe know this already, but I like it. Okay, Galatians chapter 3, Paul says in verse 13 and 14, Christ has redeemed us. By the way, if you all noticed this verse was in our bulletins this morning. [00:41:38] Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Having become a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. So I'm thinking, okay, what's this blessing of Abraham? Anybody know? What is this blessing of Abraham? It must be pretty important. that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus [00:42:12] that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Okay, so then let's go to Genesis chapter 12. And this is the blessing of Abraham. Verse 1, Now the Lord said to Abraham, Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. Excuse me. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. [00:42:45] I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. I think that it is our duty to bless every family. And so I had to think of this blessing. What's he talking about being blessed? In you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Now let's go to Acts chapter 3, 25 and 26. [00:43:24] You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed. To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from your iniquities. He's talking about the blessing of salvation. So, as sons of prophets, as children of God, as Christians, [00:43:58] We all say we're a Christian. We all say we want to follow Christ. We all say we want to walk as he walked. As Christians, how can we be a blessing? How can we lead others to Christ? Do we even have a burden for that? Do we even have a desire? It's really hard to give up of ourselves. Hello, it's my time. I can do with it what I want. Yeah, no kidding. Do we see the wickedness around us? Do we even see the wickedness that's in us? [00:44:29] Is there any? Are we ready for the coming of the Lord? In every area. Are we pure? Are we faithful in our thoughts, in our motives, in our actions? Sometimes we can do things, make ourselves do things so that we look good. I know I've done that many times. And how are we using our abilities and our talents? [00:44:59] So, I pray that we can examine ourselves. We can see how we can be a blessing. We can see how God wants to bless us with salvation. And come back to Him. Be honest and open. Look at how we're serving ourselves. Look at how we're looking out after number one. And I hope y'all know that I'm not saying that y'all don't ever do anything. [00:45:36] That's not what I'm trying to say. So, God bless you as you serve Him, as you seek Him day after day, and as you strive to walk with Him.