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Speaker 1: But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,

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Speaker 1: if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells

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Speaker 1: in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit

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Speaker 1: of Christ, he is not his. Romans 8.9 Heavenly Father,

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Speaker 1: we stand with confidence and passion. We rejoice knowing that

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Speaker 1: your Spirit dwells within us, making us your own. Empower us, Lord,

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Speaker 1: to live not by the flesh but by the Spirit,

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Speaker 1: boldly embracing the life you've called us to. May your

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Speaker 1: presence within us guide our thoughts, words, and actions, aligning

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Speaker 1: them with your will. Help us to walk in the

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Speaker 1: assurance of your love and the strength of your Spirit,

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Speaker 1: overcoming the challenges of this world, with faith and perseverance.

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Speaker 1: In every circumstance, let us be a living testimony to

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Speaker 1: your transformative power and unwavering grace. In Jesus' name we pray,

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Speaker 1: with gratitude and conviction.

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Speaker 2: Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to

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Speaker 1: The Jesus Podcast. Stay tuned for this dramatic retelling of

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Speaker 1: a parable told by Jesus. If this podcast has brought

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Speaker 1: value to your faith, we'd love it if you left

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Speaker 1: a review and shared it with a friend. We want

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Speaker 1: the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world,

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Speaker 1: because when Jesus' story is told, lives are transformed. The

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Speaker 1: branches of the olive tree swayed to and fro with

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Speaker 1: the afternoon breeze. Jesus had just concluded his story about

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Speaker 1: the foolish servant, a man who lived as though his

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Speaker 1: master would never return. The disciples were left in suspense

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Speaker 1: about the idea of God coming at an unknown time.

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Speaker 1: With tender strength, Jesus said.

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Speaker 3: The master will cut that man into pieces and he

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Speaker 3: will be cast into outer darkness. The story is a warning.

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Speaker 3: For those that think they know when the Son of

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Speaker 3: Man will return, I have another story for you. A

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Speaker 3: story about ten young women who were waiting for a groom.

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Speaker 4: I can benefit greatly from your faith. I can be

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Speaker 4: blessed by the gifts of the Spirit in your life.

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Speaker 4: I can be a recipient of your kindness, your love,

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Speaker 4: and your mercy. I can benefit from your faith, but

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Speaker 4: I can't borrow it. When all is said and done,

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Speaker 4: our faith is our own. we are all responsible for

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Speaker 4: our own journey. This is the Jesus Podcast. Gospel stories

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Speaker 4: told with cinematic flair and dramatic storytelling. We've been going

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Speaker 4: through the parables, dramatizing them, and immersing ourselves in the story.

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Speaker 4: Today's story is controversial, the parable of the ten virgins.

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Speaker 4: As we take a look at the parable of the

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Speaker 4: ten virgins, as told in Matthew 25, we must acknowledge

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Speaker 4: up front that there has been a lot of debate

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Speaker 4: on the meaning of this parable. At least one aspect

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Speaker 4: of this parable can be known with absolute certainty. The

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Speaker 4: bridegroom is Jesus, and this parable describes His return. In

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Speaker 4: the Old Testament, Isaiah 54, 62, and Hosea 2, God

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Speaker 4: portrays Himself as a husband of Israel. And in the

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Speaker 4: New Testament, John 3, Matthew 9, Mark 2, Christ is

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Speaker 4: pictured as the bridegroom of the church. The church is

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Speaker 4: described in Scripture as the bride of Christ in Ephesians

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Speaker 4: and in Revelation. So let's dive into the story and

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Speaker 4: see if we can extract some meaning for our faith

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Speaker 4: and our relationship with Jesus. It impacts our faith here

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Speaker 4: and now, but this also affects our eternity.

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Speaker 3: In the quaint village of Bethel, nestled between rolling hills

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Speaker 3: and whispering woods, was the property of a certain merchant.

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Speaker 3: The entire estate was alive with joyful preparations. Servants sang

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Speaker 3: as they set tables. Women wove wedding garments with laughter

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Speaker 3: and glee. Flowers were arranged in vases, wine was prepared

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Speaker 3: in barrels, and meat was cooked in hot iron pots.

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Speaker 3: The village itself was alight with anticipation. The merchant's son

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Speaker 3: was engaged to be married, and the time had come

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Speaker 3: for the wedding celebration. The merchant's son was beloved in

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Speaker 3: the community, renowned for his kind heart and keen mind.

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Speaker 3: Everybody in Bethel would be in attendance to celebrate him

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Speaker 3: and his bride. Whispering in the halls of the groom's

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Speaker 3: home were ten young women. They had been handpicked by

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Speaker 3: the bride and groom to be lampbearers for the wedding.

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Speaker 3: Their task was to escort the groom to the ceremony

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Speaker 3: with lamps in hand. It was a great honor of

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Speaker 3: high esteem and opportunity to be seen by potential courtiers.

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Speaker 3: The ten women prepared their garments, helped each other with

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Speaker 3: their hair, and filled their lamps with oil.

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Speaker 2: Everybody ready?

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Speaker 3: Rachel asked in a hushed tone.

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Speaker 2: Groom is supposed to be ready soon and we want

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Speaker 2: to be right at his door when he comes out.

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Speaker 3: The young maidens all nodded yet some were more ready

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Speaker 3: than others five of them had prepared for anything filling

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Speaker 3: their lamps to the brim with oil just in case

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Speaker 3: the groom was late the other five more focused on

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Speaker 3: their garments and braids didn't fully fill their lamps the

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Speaker 3: star shone brilliantly against the velvet sky the air was

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Speaker 3: warm calm and welcoming It was the perfect evening for

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Speaker 3: a wedding. The maidens took their lamps and set out

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Speaker 3: to meet the bridegroom. The wise ones carried with them

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Speaker 3: in delicate jars oil enough to keep their lamps burning

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Speaker 3: bright through the night. The foolish, on the other hand,

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Speaker 3: in their haste and merriment, thought little of the oil

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Speaker 3: their lamps half filled.

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Speaker 2: We'll wait here until the groom comes out. Everybody be ready.

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Speaker 2: Are you excited?

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Speaker 3: The maidens all beamed with joyful anticipation. The groom was

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Speaker 3: supposed to be out any minute. Their lamps lit a

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Speaker 3: beautiful dance of light and shadows against the hallway. The

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Speaker 3: maidens began with childlike glee, but minutes of waiting turned

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Speaker 3: to hours, and the moment's enthusiasm was replaced with weariness.

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Speaker 3: The bridegroom was delayed for unknown reasons. In the night's

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Speaker 3: soft embrace, the ten maidens fell into a gentle slumber,

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Speaker 3: their lamps flickering like distant stars on the earth. Their

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Speaker 3: lamps continued to burn. At the stroke of midnight, when

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Speaker 3: the world was steeped in dreams and whispers, a cry

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Speaker 3: rang out, shattering the silence like a clap of thunder.

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Speaker 3: The trumpets sounded and the sound of horses grew louder.

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Speaker 3: Rachel woke up and picked up her lamp.

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Speaker 2: Wake up, she shouted. The bridegroom is coming. Awake and

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Speaker 2: greet him.

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Speaker 3: The maiden startled awake. Five of them grabbed their lamps

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Speaker 3: and stood at attention. They were prepared. Excited and ready

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Speaker 3: to receive the groom, five others held their lamps only

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Speaker 3: to see their flames dimmed. They hadn't prepared and now

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Speaker 3: wore the look of dread and desperation on their faces.

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Speaker 3: Panic creased the brows of the foolish women.

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Speaker 2: Rachel, some of our lamps have faded. Give us some

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Speaker 2: of your oil.

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Speaker 3: Rachel and the other five who prepared shook their heads.

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Speaker 2: Hours have passed. If we give you what's left of

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Speaker 2: our oil, there won't be any left to last. All

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Speaker 2: of us will run out.

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Speaker 3: Everyone looked back at the doors. They could hear the

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Speaker 3: groom approaching.

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Speaker 2: If you leave now, you may be back in time.

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Speaker 3: The foolish women hastened into the night, their hearts pounding

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Speaker 3: with urgency. The quest for more oil became a race

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Speaker 3: against time, a desperate flight through the shadowed alleys and

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Speaker 3: silent squares. Meanwhile, the bridegroom arrived, his carriage a silhouette

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Speaker 3: against the moonlit sky. The wise maidens, their lamps burning

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Speaker 3: steady and bright, joined him, their faces radiant with joy.

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Speaker 3: Together they entered the banquet hall, a realm of laughter

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Speaker 3: and light, and the doors closed behind them, sealing within

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Speaker 3: it the mirth and splendor of the celebration. When the

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Speaker 3: foolish women finally returned, their lamps now brimming with oil,

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Speaker 3: they found the door barred, the revelry a distant melody.

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Speaker 3: Beyond their reach, they called out, their voices a blend

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Speaker 3: of hope and despair.

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Speaker 2: Lord, Lord, open the door for us.

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Speaker 3: But from within came the solemn reply. Truly, I tell you,

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Speaker 3: I do not know you. The words fell upon their

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Speaker 3: hearts like a cold, unyielding rain. They had missed the moment,

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Speaker 3: their chance lost to the whims. of folly and neglect.

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Speaker 1: The wind picked up, and Jesus rose his face to

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Speaker 1: the sun. It was beginning its descent over the valley,

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Speaker 1: painting the garden in brilliant hues of amber and purple.

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Speaker 1: He looked at his disciples sternly.

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Speaker 3: Nobody knows the day or the hour. Do not be

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Speaker 3: caught off guard.

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Speaker 1: He paused and leaned back on a stone. He looked

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Speaker 1: at Matthew frantically writing every word he said. He looked

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Speaker 1: at Thomas, brow furrowed with deep thought. He looked at Peter. Ah, Peter.

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Speaker 1: Peter was looking at everyone else to make sure they

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Speaker 1: were paying attention. Each of his chosen disciples had unique personalities, quirks,

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Speaker 1: and gifts to offer the kingdom of God. He prayed

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Speaker 1: they wouldn't squander their opportunity. He desired for each of

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Speaker 1: them to invest all they had.

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Speaker 3: In the kingdom. It is time I tell you another parable,

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Speaker 3: Jesus continued, a parable of a man who went on

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Speaker 3: a journey and entrusted his servants with talents.

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Speaker 4: Back in the time of Jesus, a wedding would be

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Speaker 4: preceded by a parade. This parade would include bridesmaids who

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Speaker 4: would walk around the city carrying torches around the groom.

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Speaker 4: It was their only job. Their job was to be

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Speaker 4: ready for the groom and then to parade him through

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Speaker 4: the city and to the wedding venue. In today's parable

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Speaker 4: told by Jesus, there's two different bridesmaids. There are those

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Speaker 4: who are prepared and those who are unprepared. Some of

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Speaker 4: them were wise and they said, hey, we should be

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Speaker 4: prepared for anything. No matter what time the bridegroom comes out,

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Speaker 4: we're going to be ready for him. But the other

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Speaker 4: five bridesmaids assumed that the groom would be ready on

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Speaker 4: their own timeline. All of these bridesmaids were dressed for

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Speaker 4: the parade. They were eager to be showcased around the

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Speaker 4: city with the groom. Perhaps this wedding was an important

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Speaker 4: event for them to be seen, noticed, and feel important.

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Speaker 4: Maybe there were suitors or admirers that would see them. Now,

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Speaker 4: all of these bridesmaids were dressed for the wedding, but

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Speaker 4: not all were ultimately able to attend the wedding at

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Speaker 4: the end. They all had the same appearance, yet only

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Speaker 4: half of them were prepared. It was not the fact

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Speaker 4: that they fell asleep because both the wise and the

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Speaker 4: unwise bridesmaids fell asleep. That's just to communicate the sudden

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Speaker 4: surprise of Jesus coming back. No, what made them unprepared

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Speaker 4: was not that they were asleep. It was their lack

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Speaker 4: of oil in their lamps. What these bridesmaids lacked was

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Speaker 4: the oil. They lacked the oil, the fuel that makes

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Speaker 4: the fire burn. That oil is an important image for

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Speaker 4: you and I. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is

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Speaker 4: represented through oil. Jesus said that those who follow and

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Speaker 4: trust him are the light of the world. And we

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Speaker 4: are the light of the world because we have the

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Speaker 4: oil of God's Spirit in us. He is the fuel

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Speaker 4: that awakens our spirits to be alive. What these bridesmaids

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Speaker 4: lacked was fuel. Jesus is talking about those who might

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Speaker 4: have the appearance of those who are showing up to

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Speaker 4: the wedding, but when all is said and done, they

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Speaker 4: have not been made alive by the Holy Spirit. Their

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Speaker 4: lamps do not burn with oil. Ephesians 1.13 says that

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Speaker 4: the Holy Spirit is the seal and the guarantee of

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Speaker 4: our inheritance. He is the stamp that marks us as

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Speaker 4: saved people. They had the appearance of readiness, but they

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Speaker 4: had no oil in their lamps. This is the same

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Speaker 4: for anyone who has the appearance of being a Christian,

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Speaker 4: but doesn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and

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Speaker 4: working through them. And so the bridegroom is coming, he's

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Speaker 4: getting closer, and the foolish bridesmaids realize, oh no, we

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Speaker 4: have no oil, we should have prepared more. So what

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Speaker 4: do they do? Naturally, they do what they're supposed to do.

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Speaker 4: They ask around. They ask to borrow some oil from others.

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Speaker 4: But ultimately, that's impossible. Listen, we can benefit from one another.

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Speaker 4: I can benefit greatly from the Holy Spirit working in you,

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Speaker 4: the gifts of the Spirit that you get to exercise

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Speaker 4: on a daily basis. I can be blessed by your

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Speaker 4: kindness and your faith, the words you have to say,

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Speaker 4: your hospitality, the encouragement of exercising your gifts around me.

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Speaker 4: I can benefit from your faith. I can be blessed

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Speaker 4: by your faith, but I can't borrow your faith, nor

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Speaker 4: can you borrow mine. I need my own faith, my

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Speaker 4: own relationship with the Holy Spirit, my own oil burning

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Speaker 4: in my lamp. The bridesmaids put us in the face

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Speaker 4: of this really brutal truth that there will come a

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Speaker 4: time when it's too late. Too late to really dive deeper.

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Speaker 4: Too late to actually take it seriously. Too late to

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Speaker 4: respond to the call of God and enter into a

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Speaker 4: relationship with Him. And when that time comes, you won't

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Speaker 4: be able to rely on the faith of others. You

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Speaker 4: can't borrow oil from someone else's lamp. Are you relying

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Speaker 4: on the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of others?

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Speaker 4: Is your faith dependent on another person? Is your relationship

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Speaker 4: with God dependent on your spouse, your parents, a circumstance,

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Speaker 4: the church community? It is interesting that Jesus uses a

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Speaker 4: lack of oil as an example of being unprepared because

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Speaker 4: all throughout the Bible, oil is used as a symbol

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Speaker 4: of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1, 13-14, Paul says this,

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Speaker 4: in Him you also, when you heard the word of

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Speaker 4: truth in the gospel of your salvation and believed in Him,

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Speaker 4: were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the

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Speaker 4: guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,

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Speaker 4: to the praise of His glory. To hear the truth,

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Speaker 4: receive the gospel, and believe in Jesus results in God

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Speaker 4: giving us the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee and

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Speaker 4: the stamp of our inheritance. The original language likens it

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Speaker 4: to a stamp or a seal that denotes someone's property.

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Speaker 4: That's the Holy Spirit in our lives. He seals us

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Speaker 4: and continually brings us into the presence of God to

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Speaker 4: experience relationship with Him. If you have rejected the gospel

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Speaker 4: or have not allowed it to have its full effect

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Speaker 4: in your soul, that means that the Holy Spirit doesn't

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Speaker 4: dwell in you. There's no oil in your lamp. It

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Speaker 4: doesn't matter how often you darken the doors of a church.

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Speaker 4: It doesn't matter how often you read the Bible. If

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Speaker 4: you have not given your life to Jesus and received

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Speaker 4: the gift of the Holy Spirit, there's no oil in

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Speaker 4: your lamp. Now, am I saying you got to roll

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Speaker 4: around and speak in tongues? Am I saying that you

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Speaker 4: have to do some sort of dance or pray some

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Speaker 4: special murmuring prayer in order to receive the Holy Spirit?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely not. The Holy Spirit works subtly in some people's

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Speaker 4: lives and overtly in others. The Holy Spirit works personally

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Speaker 4: in the lives of those who have given their lives

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Speaker 4: to Jesus. Ask yourself if you just look like you're

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Speaker 4: attending the wedding. You have your bridesmaid's gown. You have

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Speaker 4: your torch, but there's no oil in your lamp. You

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Speaker 4: don't have the Holy Spirit. You may have your Bible.

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Speaker 4: You may have your church clothes on. You may know

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Speaker 4: what to say about Jesus and the right answers to

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Speaker 4: all the Sunday school questions, but is your lamp empty?

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Speaker 4: When you are surrounded by Christian culture, it is profoundly

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Speaker 4: easy to have the words you say about Jesus be

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Speaker 4: billions of miles away from the actual effect Jesus is

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Speaker 4: having in your life personally. A lack in a relationship

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Speaker 4: with God will result in being shut out from the wedding.

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Speaker 4: What these bridesmaids ultimately lacked was a relationship with the groom.

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Speaker 4: Their unpreparedness with not having oil in their lamps made

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Speaker 4: them unavailable for the procession, therefore making them unavailable to

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Speaker 4: develop a relationship and friendship with the bridegroom. You see,

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Speaker 4: it's not just about knowing the gospel. It's not just

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Speaker 4: about hearing the gospel. What you do with the gospel matters.

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Speaker 4: How it affects your heart matters. How you interact with

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Speaker 4: Jesus on a daily basis through the Holy Spirit matters.

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Speaker 4: But there's good news, my friends. The Holy Spirit is

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Speaker 4: available to anyone who would declare faith and reliance on

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Speaker 4: Jesus Christ. For anyone who would look to Him for

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Speaker 4: salvation and ask for Him not just to be their Savior,

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Speaker 4: but the Lord of their lives, will be given the

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Speaker 4: Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Counselor, the Seal of Approval.

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Speaker 4: And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and as

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Speaker 4: we learn more about the character and mission of God,

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Speaker 4: we will start to act upon His power in our lives.

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Speaker 4: There are signs of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

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Speaker 4: In Galatians, it says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness,

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Speaker 4: and self-control. There are gifts of the Spirit to be

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Speaker 4: exercised in our lives. The Holy Spirit will work through

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Speaker 4: those who honestly and earnestly and humbly give their lives

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Speaker 4: to Jesus. Thanks for joining me again on another episode

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Speaker 4: of The Jesus Podcast. We have more to go, a

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Speaker 4: few more parables left before entering into a new series

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Speaker 4: about Jesus' miracles. I can't wait to be with you

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Speaker 4: through it all. God bless.