MTBOTBOOO21B
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We're back to our discussion
on Matthew Chapters 24 and 25.
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We've just looked at the
first couple of the parables
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that Jesus tells to
help us know how to be ready.
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Yes.
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Ranko, let's
unpack a little bit more.
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So let's go one more time.
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What was the problem
with the unfaithful servant?
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He lived on the assumption that
the Second Coming is delayed.
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What about the wise servant?
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He lives on the assumption that
the master can come at any time.
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Uh huh.
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Let's keep that in mind.
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But now there is another parable
that Jesus said that actually
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functions as a supplement
to this first parable.
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We call it the
parable of the ten virgins.
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Glenn, I'd like for us to
explore this parable, so please,
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would you read us
verses 1 through 13?
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Of Chapter 25.
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Chapter 25;
moving in Chapter 25.
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And you know, Ranko, this
parable really came to life
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to me a few years ago when I
was in the country of Lebanon.
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We were camping in the
mountains, and that evening,
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in the dark, we saw a wedding
take place in one village.
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Then we saw the bridegroom
go with the bridal party.
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We saw their lights.
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We saw the lamps moving to
the brides house and so forth.
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With that in mind,
Matthew Chapter 25.
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Actually, Glenn, a few scholars
who lived in the beginning
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of the Twentieth Century, who
went there to Palestine there
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to Arabic villages, and
naturally who witnessed almost
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an identical wedding.
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What was going on as Jesus
was described in Matthew 25.
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So we don't have here
a product of imagination.
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It was really rooted in the
reality of the people who lived
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at those times.
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Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall
be compared to ten maidens;
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Ten virgins who took their lamps
and went to meet the bridegroom.
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Five of them were
foolish and five were wise.
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We should pause.
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They're all going
to meet the bridegroom.
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This is not unbelievers.
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Hey, they're the ones waiting.
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They're all Adventists in the
sense of waiting for the advent.
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Waiting for the
advent of Jesus Christ.
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Yes.
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For when the foolish;
five of them were foolish,
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and five were wise.
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For when the foolish
virgins took their lamps,
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they took no oil with them.
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But the wise took
flasks of oil with their lamps.
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As the bridegroom was delayed
they all slumbered and slept.
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But at midnight there was a
cry, Behold, the bridegroom!
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Come out to meet him!
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Then all those maidens
rose and trimmed their lamps,
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and the foolish said to the
wise, Give us some of your oil
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for our lamps are going out.
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But the wise replied, Perhaps
there will not be enough for us
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and for you.
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Go rather to the
dealers and buy for yourself.
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And when they went to
buy the bridegroom came,
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and those who were ready went in
with him to the marriage feast
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and the door was shut.
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Afterward the other
maidens came and said,
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Lord open up to us.
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But he replied, Truly I
say to you, I do not know you.
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Watch therefore, for you know
neither the day, nor the hour.
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You remember when we
talked about the parables?
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What is the purpose?
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To tell us that we
don't know when He will come.
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There are a few things
here that we have to mention.
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Let's remind them
one more time, sorry.
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The unfaithful servant lived on
the assumption that the coming
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is delayed.
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The wise servant
believes he can come at anytime.
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Now we have here a
completely opposite situation.
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What is that?
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The wise virgins, they
made provision on the assumption
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that the coming can be delayed;
like the unfaithful servant.
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A completely different
attitude toward the coming.
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You see, the unfaithful servant,
he believes that the coming
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is delayed, and what does he do?
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He treats his fellow
servants in a bad way.
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Okay?
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So it's a
completely different attitude.
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Completely different attitude.
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How did they
deal with the delay?
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How to deal with the delay.
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One abuses others, one is
unjust, the others are prepared.
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So the matter is not if
the Second Coming of Christ
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is delayed.
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Evidentially there is the delay,
but Jesus presents here two
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different attitudes toward the
delay: positive and negative.
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So in light of the fact
that the Second Coming of Christ
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is delayed, it gives
us an opportunity to make
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the preparation.
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And what is the preparation
according to the parable
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of the virgins?
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It's to have the oil,
the reserve of the oil,
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which is in reference to
the Holy Spirit, who can give us
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strength and prepare us to
be ready for the Second Coming
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of Christ.
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What about the foolish
virgins that are there?
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They believe that the
coming will be immediately;
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very similar to
the wise servant there.
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But you see what a completely
different attitude it is.
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Okay, the Second
Coming of Christ,
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it's not in that to make us
that He will come; that it will
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happen tomorrow.
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So we speculate on a certain
date, you see, the date it is.
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No, it's like the wise virgins.
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Yes, He can come at any
time; He can come very soon,
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but I have to be ready for that.
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Actually it
impacts my daily life.
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Their faith
couldn't handle the delay.
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So it's important.
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It's important, yes.
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Whether Jesus will
come tomorrow, or His coming
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is delayed, that doesn't matter.
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We are not the ones who
are deciding when He will come.
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Ours is to have the oil.
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And the question is, do we
have that reserve of the oil
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given to us, which
is the Holy Spirit?
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It's only the Holy Spirit that
will put us, and make us with
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the right attitude as we
are awaiting the Second Coming
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of Christ.
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This is such an important
point because I meet many, many
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Christians who are sincere
in their desire to be ready.
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They spend so much time
looking at every current event.
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They spend so much time involved
in all kinds of speculation:
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Is it going to be
this, is it going to be this?
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And I sometimes wonder if
we spent that much time seeking
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the Holy Spirit
that we'd be ready.
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Do you remember when we read
in the book of Acts that the
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disciples asked Jesus, When?
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Are you going now?
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Jesus says, It
is not given to you.
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But there is
something that is given to you.
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What is that?
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To be My witness.
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By the way, this is what the
rest of Chapter 25 is all about.
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We have two
parables that are left.
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What is the first parable?
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The parable of the talents,
and the parable of the sheep
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and goats.
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Actually, in these two parables
Jesus is teaching us how to
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live as we are waiting for
the Second Coming of Christ.
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How we live in the light of
the fact that the Second Coming
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of Christ is delayed.
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I hope we didn't miss that
because we might have thought
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some other parts of
Matthew didn't relate too much.
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They all do, but this Chapter,
this section, how to live with
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the day; we're living
in the delay right now.
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Jesus hasn't come as quickly
as was hoped, so now what do we
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learn, Ranko?
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So, Glenn, there
are very long passages.
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Please, can you
provide a summary to us
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from Verse 14 to 30?
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What is this
parable of the talents?
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See if you can just in a
nut shell give us the content of
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this parable.
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So there's a businessman
who goes on a journey.
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He leaves certain parts of
his property to his servants.
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One receives five,
another receives two,
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another receives one.
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Obviously he's
made some decisions.
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He's observed them.
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He gives the distinctions here.
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So each one receives from
the master talents according
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to his ability.
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Yes.
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Alright, now Ranko,
the master's delayed.
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It says that after he'd
been gone for a long time
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he comes back.
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Glenn, can we
stop here for a minute?
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Alright.
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Did Jesus try to tell His
disciples that He will not come
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very soon?
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Yes!
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Since in the parable
He said that the master,
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he left for a long time, and
after a long time he came back.
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You see, the disciples could get
some insight about what Jesus
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was trying to say.
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When He comes back
there's accountability,
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and He calls each
of the individuals in.
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The one who has five
says, Look, I have five more.
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The one who has two
has also multiplied his.
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But the one who has one
only brings what he has.
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And I think it's significant
for us to hear what he says.
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Master, I knew you were a hard
man, reaping where you did not
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sow, and gathering where you
did not winnow, so I was afraid,
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and I went and hid
your talent in the ground.
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Here's what is yours.
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So what did the
master say to him?
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I gave this to you not to hide,
not to keep, but you had to
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work with that
talent that I gave to you.
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So what is the purpose of this
parable that Jesus tells us?
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Jesus has gone.
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Uh huh.
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Okay?
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Represented by the
master of this house.
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As we are waiting for His
coming, what He has entrusted
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to us, those talents, we have
to use for the spreading of the
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kingdom, for the increasing
of the property of the master.
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And you know, I think it's
significant for us to know it's
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the one who doesn't do it
right is the one who's motivated
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by fear.
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Yes, so we have
the next parable.
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Alright.
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Let's just go to that.
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Actually, the next parable
really clarifies the first one.
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Glenn, we just
have a very short time.
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Can you just provide in a
nutshell what we have here?
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Jesus says before Him will
be gathered all the nations.
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He'll separate them one from
another as a shepherd separates
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the sheep from
the goats, Verse 32.
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And He'll place the sheep
on His right side and the goats
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on his left.
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Then the king will say to those
on his right, Come blessed of my
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father; inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the
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foundation of the world.
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The He describes
what they have done.
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What have they done?
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They have done numerous things.
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I was hungry; you gave me food.
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I was thirsty;
you gave me drink.
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I was a
stranger; you welcomed me.
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I was naked; you clothed me.
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I was sick; you visited me.
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I was in prison
and you came to me.
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And they said, When?
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They were surprised!
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When did we do it?
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What did Jesus say?
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He said, essentially He
said, As you did it, Verse 40,
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to one of the least of
these, you did it to me.
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But then He said
to another group, Go!
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Part from me!
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Go to the fire that
is prepared for you.
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Why?
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Those on the left.
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And they said,
Lord, when did we see you?
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When were you in the prison?
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When were you hungry?
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And Verse 45, Then he'll
answer them, Truly I say to you,
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as you did not to one
of the least of these,
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you did it not to me.
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So as we are waiting for
the Second Coming of Christ
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we have a task to fulfill.
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The talents that Jesus
Christ has given to us;
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those God given talents.
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Those talents can be of
different kinds including money,
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maybe my speech,
maybe my love toward people,
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helping people, the task of
the spreading of the gospel.
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All of these talents are given
to Christians who are waiting
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for the Second Coming of Christ.
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Our task in this world
is not to speculate the hour
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and the time of the
Second Coming of Christ.
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According to Jesus we have
to help those who are in need,
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to care for people, to help them
and to treat them in the way
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that Jesus would treat them.
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We have to fulfill that
special service in this world
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to represent Jesus Christ
to the people as we are waiting
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for the Second Coming of Christ.
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