Behold Your King

 

This message was preached by  Colin Dcruz via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  March 21st,2021. for the audio please click here.   For the worship please click here

Next Sunday is Easter. A week before the resurrection, Jesus entered Jerusalem sitting on a donkey. This account is mentioned in all four Gospels. Let's read this account from the Gospel of Matthew.

 Matthew 21:1-11

This event was prophesied by Zechariah 500 years before Jesus was born (Zechariah 9:9). Today I would like to share what I got from this prophetic word that God gave Zechariah.

 So, the scripture for today's message is: -

 Matthew 21:5 NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

 Today's message, in short, is answers to the following three questions.

1. Who was coming? Our King.

2. Where was He coming? To us.

3. How was He coming? Lowly.

 

1.     Jesus is our King.

 Matthew 21:5a NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King

 Revelation 17:14 NIV

They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of Lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

 Jesus is King. He is King of kings.

 Matthew 28:18 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

 So, Jesus is King. But is He your King?

 When we gave our life to Jesus, we became part of the kingdom of Jesus and Jesus became our King.

 Colossians 1:13 NIV

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

So, if you are born again you are part of God's kingdom and Jesus is your king.

If you are not born again yet, give your life to Jesus today and be part of His kingdom.

 When you are part of a kingdom, you obey the king of that kingdom. Are you obeying your king? Do you speak and do things that pleases Him?  Do you seek to accomplish your will, or you look for the will of Jesus in everything?

 You will obey God, if you love Him.

 John 14:23 NIV

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.

 Of course, we obey Jesus because we love Him. But we also know that He is omniscient – He knows everything. He knows what is best for us. His instructions are to bless us, and not to harm us.

 Even though you are in His kingdom it is possible that you are not regarding Jesus as your king.

 Is Jesus your King in every area of your life? Is Jesus your king in every moment of your life? Or is He your King only on Sundays or only during church meetings?

 Would you regard Jesus as your king every moment of your life?

Would you commit to living a life that pleases your King?

 

2. Jesus came to us.

Matthew 21:5 NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you,

 Daughter of Zion means people of Jerusalem. Although the 'you' in this verse is referring to the people of Jerusalem city during Jesus time in the immediate fulfilment of prophecy, God is also speaking to us the people of New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12) through this verse.

 The coming of Jesus to Jerusalem was the beginning of events that would lead to His crucifixion for our sins. So, when Jesus was coming to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, He was coming to us. To save us.

 So, Jesus came to us. We were not the first to go to Him. He came to us first.

 Hebrews 12:2b NIV

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 He was looking forward to the joy of having us when he travelled towards cross and endured the cross. His eyes were on us when He went through all the pain.

 If we generalise what Jesus did on the cross, then we fail to see how personal this great sacrifice was for each one of us. What do I mean? Each one of us should see it as the great sacrifice Jesus did for us personally. We should see it this way - ‘His eyes were on me when endured the cross. He was looking forward to joy of having me when endured the cross’.

Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

 This is how we should personalise this scripture.

 Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV

4a Surely Jesus took up my pain and bore my suffering,

5 He was pierced for my transgressions, he was crushed for my iniquities; the punishment that brought my peace was on him, and by his wounds I was healed.

 So, be thankful always that Jesus came to you and saved you.

 His eyes were upon each one of us when He came to cross. His eyes are still upon us and His eyes will always be upon us.

Where are your eyes?

 Matthew 21:5a NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you

 Many of us are distracted by our worries and pleasures of the world. We should be fixing our eyes on Jesus throwing off all distractions.

 Hebrews 12:1-2a NLT

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

 How to behold our king Jesus?

We behold Jesus by taking away our focus from distractions and focusing on Jesus our destination, by focusing on who Jesus is in the scriptures, by focusing on His great love for us, by relying on Him for everything,  by giving our attention to Him, by thinking about Him, by seeking Him, His presence & His will and by fellowshipping with His Spirit.

When we gave our life to Jesus, when we became born again, Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus took a permanent residence in us. He now dwells inside of us (1 Corinthians 3:16).

 Does this mean that we are fellowshipping with Holy Spirit? No.

Holy Spirit is not just a power. He is God Himself – third person of the trinity. Yes, He is a person. He comforts us (John 14:16), teaches us (Luke 12:12), helps us (Romans 8:26), guides us (Romans 8:14) and talks to us (Acts 13:2). He has emotions. He is grieved when we live a sinful life (Ephesians 4:30). He loves us (Romans 15:30) and He fellowships with us (2 Corinthians 13:14). He loves to have fellowships with us. In fact, He longs for our attention and looks forward to the fellowship with us.

James 4:5 NKJV

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

 Today, would you commit to give more of our focus and attention to Jesus.

 

3. Jesus came lowly.

 Matthew 21:5 NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

 Jesus came to Jerusalem lowly like He came to earth. He chose not to take any other majestic, rich and comfortable mode of transportation to come to Jerusalem. He didn't come in the richness and majesty of a king.

 He didn't come to earth with His divine powers. He rather made himself nothing by taking the nature of a servant.

 Philippians 2:6-8 NIV

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

 Jesus gave up His equality with God for us. He gave up His divine majestic glory for us. He gave up His life for us on the cross. Would you be able to give up some things for serving Jesus and for His kingdom?

 2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

 Matthew 16:24 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

 Are you ready to forsake some of the worldly pleasures and comfort to serve Jesus?

  Jesus came to earth to save us. He was beaten by his creation and mocked by his creation. More than physical pain it was emotional pain. He took all that for each one of us. His eyes were on you when he came to cross. His eyes are upon you. He longs to have your presence, he longs to have your attention. Draw  near Him and He will draw near you. Take one step towards him and he will take hundred steps towards you. He loves you and he wants to have you, he wants to have more and more of you.

   Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Greatness

 

This message was preached by  Colin Dcruz via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  March 21st,2021. for the audio please click here.   For the worship please click here

GREATNESS     Colin. 21March 2021

How many want to be great?  We think am I being proud to think like that?

John 13: 1-17      Rom12:2

Do into conform to the pattern of this world – Do not let the world change you into its mould. Have you made Jelly before?

Everyday all day we are bombarded with 1000s of messages through social media etc and these things are trying to shape our values and beliefs.

The Bible tells us to be transformed by God’s word. We need to saturate ourselves with God’s word to think like it. We have the mind of Christ and we need to pray for the wisdom of God.

So, we feed on the Word and focus on Christ.

  So, let’s look at greatness. Bookstores are full of books about success

What is the Biblical model?

John 13:1-17 – Jesus washes the feet of the disciples.

We all know this story.

Let us look at a few things

V1- Are you aware that Jesus loves you? We know He loves us by dying on the cross. But do you know that he loves you deeply right now? Allow the Holy Spirit to show it to you.

Rom 5:8 Jesus did not wait for them to change to love us. That is how we humans thing: change first and then I will accept you.

Did Jesus Love Simon Peter.  Yes. Even though Jesus knew that he would sin and betrayed Jesus, he washed his feet.

Peter cut the servants ear off. Matt16 – Peter has the revelation of who Jesus is  - the Christ.

Jesus knew Peter’s weakness but he still loved him deeply and powerfully. It is unconditional love. The second part is that he loves us too much to leave us that way and will not leave us like that but wants to become more like him

 At the end Jesus comes back to Peter and asks him “Do you love me” three times

Know the love of Jesus in you

Gal2:20

2 Cor 5:14-15

Rom 8:35-39

No challenge can separate you from the love of God – finance, relationships, health circumstances. Nothing can separate you from God’s love

 

V2- 3- JESUS KNOW HIS IDENTITY

He was confident of who he was. He was aware of his crucifixion and resurrection. If we put our faith in Jesus all our sins will be forgiven. HE came for a purpose and was going back to the Father in glory

Acts 7:55 – Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus is in heaven full of glory and power

Col3:1

On earth, he emptied himself of his glory. Now he is full of glory.

 Remember the mount of transfiguration. Mk9:2 – His clothes became dazzling white!! There were moments on earth when his glory was revealed. One day we will see his full glory.

John was the disciple Jesus loved. But in Rev1:12 see how John responds- he fell facedown as though dead.

 Because Jesus knew who he was he could do Jn13:4 onwards. He could wash their feet.

We are transformed as we look at Jesus.

Do you know who you are? Are you confident in your identity?

 

V . 4-5

Are you one who will rush to wash dirty feet? In Jewish culture only gentile servants would wash the feet. But Jesus because he was secure in his identity he could do it. He felt no shame and humbled himself.

Phil2:5

V12- Jesus finished washing and then taught them. Do you understand what I have done? HE tells them to do the same.

No servant is greater than his master. It is talking about serving one another.

Mk10:43-45

James and John come to Jesus and ask who will sit at Jesus right and left. The disciples were all thinking in a worldly way- position and power. The other disciples were also thinking about this because they also wanted to know who is the greatest.

Jesus tells us how we can become great and he shows the way. We must become the servant of all. It is not how many people serve you but how many do you serve? This is the path to greatness.

Let us see how we can apply this to our live

 Know that Jesus loves you dearly to the end

Know your identity in Christ- these are true irrespective of your behave

Jesus wants you to be great and the way become that is to serve.

We start serving in the home- the goal is to become like Jesus.

Look at ways to serve. Family, children, society. Serve with your full heart

When we do this we will be blessed. Let us pray that we will desire true greatness.

 

   Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace For A Zacchaeus

 

This message was preached by  A Jayvia zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  March 15th,2021. for the audio please click here.   For the worship please click here

Why did Jesus come into this world? – To seek and save the lost.

Today, let us look into the story of Zacchaeus - Luke 19

 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. – Luke 19:1

 Where was Jesus headed?

From Luke chapter 9, we see that Jesus and His disciples travelled and many incidents were recorded through their travel. Now, He’s on a mission, walking towards Jerusalem where he would be crucified. He’s just given sight to a blind man. People around him were waiting in anticipation of what He would do next.

  A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. – Luke 19:2

 Here, in verse 2, we see the second character – Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. In those days the tax collectors were Jews appointed by the Romans. There was no peace between the Jews and Romans. Tax collectors were dishonest. They were hated and treated as traitors. Zacchaeus was not just a Tax Collector but a Chief Tax Collector. He was at the top of the entire Tax department.

 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. – Luke 19:3

 Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. He was very curious. May be it was because he heard a lot about Jesus. He was seeking Jesus.

 

Nine years back, I was at this place. Not seeking Jesus but curious about Jesus. I had questions in my mind.  Today maybe you are at that same place.

 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. – Luke 19:4

 Here, Zacchaeus was ready to leave his dignity behind. He was almost shameless only to know and see who Jesus was.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  - Luke 19:5

Before this verse, we could imagine Jesus saying – Zacchaeus, you are an oppressor, you always cheated people, you are a traitor. But Jesus didn’t say anything of that sort. Instead, he said, “Zacchaeus, come down…”

We would think Zacchaeus was the seeker. No, it was Jesus who was seeking him.

 From the story of Zacchaeus, you may ask, “What about the effort put by Zacchaeus?”

It was God who chose Zacchaeus. God chooses us. We don’t come to him. God draws us to Himself. Zacchaeus was able to make that effort because God had already chosen him. Seeking is not worthless. We need to keep seeking.

 

 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.- Luke 19:6

 

Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus not just into his house but also into his heart.

 

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” – Luke 19:7

 

At the beginning of this story, Zacchaeus was hated but now people started muttering about Jesus. Very soon this is what was going to happen to him. Everybody was going to mutter about him, mock him, and put a crown of thorns on his head.

We are not worthy of God but God made us worthy with His unconditional love.

  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” – Luke 19:8

  

We all know the rich man story. He kept all the commands and asked Jesus what else he can do to enter God’s Kingdom. Jesus asked him to sell all his possessions.

 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matt 19:24

 It is impossible for man. But with God it is possible. And that’s how Zacchaeus decided to give away half of his possessions to the poor and also to pay back the ones he cheated four times the amount.

  Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. – Luke 19:9

 When Jesus heard what Zacchaeus said, he declared that salvation has come to his house.

 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10

 Jesus, the Son of Man came into this world on a mission. His mission was to seek and save the lost.

He is the same God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He is the same God who Isaiah prophesied about. He is the same God who John wrote about – In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. He is the same God who was crucified. He is the same God who finished the work on the cross. Now, there’s nothing that we can do to make Him love us more or less.

It was not by works, not by might but only by the grace of God.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

 

 

The Well-Trimmed Wick

 

This message was preached by  Navaz D via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  Feb 28th,2021. for the audio please click here.   For the worship please click here

THE WELL TRIMMED WICK – SERMON

INTRODUCTION

Over the last year God has been speaking similar things to us in different ways. The year 2020 was a year of a huge pause wherein we got to reexamine our lives and reset our priorities. God spoke to us about abiding in His presence. He said He will shake everything that can be shaken. At the start of this year, God spoke to us about being in a season of a cross over. Cross over seasons are seasons of preparation. My text today is about a preparation season.
Some of us have taken advantage of last year to realign our hearts. If you have not yet spent time in reflection I hope today’s message would encourage you to do that. It is not too late yet.

Matt 25:1-13

The Parable of the Ten Virgins 

This section is what we call eschatological teaching by Jesus. He is talking to the disciples in private as they sit with Him on the Mount of Olives. The teaching of the wise and foolish maids builds on the previous teaching of the wise and foolish servants. After this parable, Jesus gives them the parable about the talents which demonstrates how we are to be prepared and faithful. All three parables illustrate the need to live in a manner that expects the return of the Lord, even when the return is seemingly delayed. “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Wedding festivities typically lasted seven days and the processions of the bride and groom marked the beginning of the joyous event.

Delay is not uncommon at a wedding. It was customary for the wedding procession to be led by young maidens with oil lamps in their hands.

We have all been to weddings where there is some delay. We are familiar with the Indian Baraat. The procession is led by dancers and musicians who announce the groom’s arrival much before you can see him.

Let’s take a look at this parable closely and see how does this applies to our lives. Ask yourself ‘where am I in this story?’.

The challenge to us is this: Will we finish strong, will we be ready and prepared or just get in by the skin of our teeth?

Like John 15, I believe this is a now word. God is putting His finger on our vertical and horizontal relationships. Both John 15 and Matt 25 have those elements: our relationship with God, our intimacy with Him and our relationship with our fellow Christians.

Jesus is talking about the end of all things in Matt 25.

We are in a preparation season. There are 3 parables in this passage. All have a warning that if we behave like the foolish persons, we will face the same fate.

Let’s look at the parable of the Virgins.

Put yourself in the story and allow the holy spirit to examine your heart.

Who are the virgins? All are believers. The question is are we the wise or foolish ones?

We have all made a covenant with Jesus and He with us. We have been betrothed to Him and now we are in a season of preparation.

A wedding has 3 stages: the betrothal, the preparation and the wedding celebration.

BETROTHAL

Betrothal or engagement happens at our baptism if you like. Salvation is not just a free ticket to heaven.

PREPARATION

We have made a promise to be faithful to Jesus. Our life on earth is a preparation. When Jesus returns it will be the end of all the waiting and the wedding will take place.

They all had lamps – i.e., God’s Word. Ps119:5 His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Lamps are also our life and service to God. It is our life and service. We are those earthen vessels in noble service. 2 Tim 2:20-21

Light We are called the light of the world. Our function has spread the Word which dispels darkness.

They all had oil – that is the Holy Spirit. Empty lamps are useless.

Lamps are the source of power to keep the light going/our witness for Christ to shine.

For this, we need the Holy Spirit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

 They all started off well. They were all filled with the Spirit, passionate about being the light etc.

All ten were all waiting for the Bridegroom. We are all waiting for Jesus’ return.

In this parable, we are warned not to be like the foolish virgins. Don’t assume you are not.

How are you preparing yourself? Is your oil flask full? Do you have a flask? What does that look like in today’s terms?

WHAT DOES PREPARATION LOOK LIKE?

·      It involves focus and devotion. We need to find out what makes the bridegroom happen and adjusts our priorities and our life accordingly. Eg) Before getting married in courtship you take the trouble to find out what each other like.

·      It will involve your time – learning to cultivate a relationship with Jesus. Intimacy is cultivated over time and not overnight.

·      It will cost you – there will be things you have to realign, things you will have to give up.

·      Are you actively cultivating a relationship with Jesus where you are longing for His return?

The bridegroom takes his time coming. When he comes it will be a great day and a terrifying one.

At the midnight hour – midnight is significant in Biblical symbolism. It is the point of breakthrough. The Israelites were delivered at midnight. It’s the darkest hour.

The Philippian jailer was saved at midnight. Paul and Silas were set free at midnight.

So, midnight is when problems are at the greatest but it is also the point of breakthrough.

Midnight hour - the virgins were asleep. It could refer to the regular cycle of life or that they were unaware of what was happening. Asleep the state of a lot of churches and Christians.

The there is a cry Like the Baraat announces its arrival with music and dancing – it is a prophetic cry that rings out announcing the Lord’s return announcing His return and that we should be ready. I believe that cry is going out in this season.

All the virgins wake up and trim their lamps. I feel the Holy spirit arrest my attention here. This is what we need to look at in this season of preparation.

The oil lamps have wicks that need trimming or they will give off a lot of soot /smoke that will dull the light.

The church is beginning to wake up from her slumber and realizes that the wicks are smoky and the light is dim.

Jesus talks about a time when people get offended and all kinds of wars, hardships are upon them.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matt 24:10.

The Greek word used is “skandalon” which is a trap used to trap animals.

Oil is the activity of the Holy Spirit that flows well through a surrendered heart

The wick is symbolic of your heart. Out of the heart flows the issues of life. When the heart is impure you give off smoke viz selfish ambition, pride, offence etc.

Trimming the wick speaks of sanctification and repentance. Cutting away things that are clogging our hearts. We need to be constantly saturated with the Holy Spirit. We all need to guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

What is some of the soot we are carrying in our hearts today? Unforgiveness, offence, bitterness, pride, envy, jealousy, disappointments, trauma, grief, betrayals, hate, jealousy etc.

Has the light of the Church gotten dim today? What can we do about it? Each of us needs to trim our wicks and sort those issues out.

Some hard work needs to be put into repentance and a change of heart. God is committed to transforming us and making us more like His Son Jesus. But we need to cooperate with Him.

Today there is a lot of smoke in the church and amongst Christians with the marriage, family life, relationships etc.

The difference between the wise and foolish virgins is the value they placed on the oil. The wise ones paid the price of intimacy on daily basis. The oil and wick work in unison.

This is time to reset our hearts. COVID-19 has forced us out of our big gatherings into our homes. This is a time to reset your walk with God, develop your intimacy with God. Don’t squander away this time because it is not coming back. Then it will be too late. This is the warning and we would be wise to heed this.

The foolish virgins are not evil people. They just did not value intimacy with Jesus. No one can give that to you. You have to pray the price. You have to buy it. It means you have to be willing to give up something in exchange for it. You have had to have invested time with God and forged a history with Him. It is not transferable. No one can lay hand on you and give it to you. No one can pray you into intimacy

What am I doing to get ready for the greatest marriage of all time?

What does intimacy look like? It is a close bond between 2 people that develops over time. It is progressive as time is spent in each other’s presence. It is dynamic in that you can start off well but if you do not maintain it.

V13 – Watch. Stay alert, vibrant. The opposite is sleepy, halfhearted, unaware, no prayer life.

What are you watching for?

What is happening in your heart, the influences that are affecting you.

Work – keep making sure your oil flask is full.

Pray- always goes hand in hand with watching.

Watch for His return. Do not lose sight of eternity.

In the third parable Jesus explains what this is. It is about being faithful. I’ll touch on it briefly.

Notice the reaction of the man with one talent.

He called the manager hard!!! “wicked men to lay the blame of their miscarriages upon others, oftentimes upon God himself.” (Poole)

The wicked servant was blinded by his pride. He could not see his faults. He was used to playing the blame game. He felt he was dealt an unfair hand so he did not work or even try. Jesus judged him as lazy and wicked. This is strong! Do we see laziness as sin?

THE WEDDING

What is at stake here is whether or not you get to enter the celebration. This is not about salvation. The door is shut. It will be heartbreaking to be left out. All three parables point to a grave loss suffered by the foolish and wicked.  And we are warned that it will be like this if we have the same attitude.

“Never knew you”- no intimacy developed.

The key thing is to be ready. Allow God to trim your wick- cleanse your heart and invest in an intimacy so your light will shine. We need to prepare for his coming.

CONCLUSION

 This requires a response. Maybe some of you are cultivating intimacy with God. Make sure you keep trimming your wick so it is not giving out the smoke of pride, offence etc.

Some of us have forgotten that the bridegroom will return. Repent and return to your First Love. Start cultivating that intimacy with Jesus. Wherever you are in this story there is something for you to stop doing, start doing and continue doing. Let us ask the Holy spirit to lead us into all truth. Amen.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.