The Midnight Cry

Well, on the way over here I had to pass a man who got his dinner out of a trash can at the convenience store up the street. He looked pretty desperate as he was scrounging for some food. People down here are down and out and have little hope for tomorrow.

Then on the other extreme front is the Bentley and Lamborghini crowd. You see them driving around all loaded with more money than they know what to do with, but they still want more. Greed is their motivation and money is their God as they live godless lives of selfishness unto themselves.

Well, I want you to hear my message tonight, friends, because the hour is late and I believe we shall soon see Christ as he returns for his bride. There may be some of you out here tonight who believe that. In Romans we read, the night is for spent, the day is at hand.

Listen, friends, I can almost hear the trumpet blast of Christ's return. The nations have pretty much filled up their cup of iniquity by sin and all they want to and profaned all things holy as they provoke almighty God with their daily sinning and rebellion. Nobody cares anymore about eternal things because everyone is carefree and hell-bent on enjoying themselves while they trample over each other on their way to hell.

While I look around today on the street corners and today I saw some Jehovah Witnesses out here handing out their tracts and literature trying to proselytize someone and I saw two young Mormon men hitting the streets handing out their literature as well and I look around the city I see 8,000 Scientologists out here every week and they're going up and down neighborhoods putting literature in mailboxes but the Christians aren't going out after folks to talk about their salvation. I don't know why but you'd have a better chance of running into Bigfoot or seeing the Loch Ness Monster poke his head out of the water than you would find a Christian out here in the streets spreading the gospel. Well I'm out here tonight, friends, to try to make a difference, to tell you about Christ and his return and your need of him.

I want to tell you tonight, friends, why the churches are not out here telling you about Jesus because most of them are fast asleep on the twin pillows of conformity and compromise and their combined snores drown out the cries of the lost and perishing. All the bars in this town tonight are crammed with intoxicated individuals looking to find a sex partner. All the massage parlors are busy tonight as well and all the strip clubs are jam-packed as well as this city is a composite picture of the rest of the nation that is hell-bent on seeking pleasure and sinning all they can before the night is over.

There's enough sinning going on downtown tonight, friends, to damn and destroy this entire nation, this nation of God-hating America. My message tonight is entitled The Midnight Cry and my text can be found in the Gospel of Matthew. Hear me now, friends, and listen to the Word of God as I preach it to you tonight.

Some of you may be in eternity before this year is over, so give me your undivided attention. I believe Jesus Christ is packing up his chariot. I believe he's saddling his white steed as the sun is quickly setting on this godless civilization.

If he came back tonight, where would he find you? What would you be doing? Would you be on the end of a barstool? Would you be knee-deep in a mud puddle of sin? Would you be in the middle of a fight with another person, cussing them out and threatening them? Or would he find you joined to your idols and occupied in your pig pens? Where would you be if the Lord Christ returned tonight? If you claimed to be a Christian, friend, would he find you on your knees in prayer? Or would he interrupt you witnessing to a lost sinner? Would he find you on your Bible? Or would he find you sitting in front of your TV? How do you know he won't return this evening? How can you be so sure that he won't choose this night to come again? The apostle Paul says, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. And the apostle Peter says likewise, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Both of these men of God said at night he will come.

How do you know tonight is not that night? What if Jesus didn't come tonight, but instead God required your soul tonight? What if you died suddenly and quite unexpectedly by a tragic accident? These kind of things happen every day, friends, to unsuspecting people. They go to work and they're gunned down by a madman. Or they get in their car and their car becomes their coffin.

You have no guarantee of tomorrow, friend. Listen to what God says in his word about the real possibility of your sudden death. In Ecclesiastes we read, for man also knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the birds that are caught in the snare.

So are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them. Let me ask you, friend, is this an evil time? Do we live in the last days of an evil generation? I believe we do. The cup of the nations fill up with iniquity and it's a matter of time that God will bring the curtain down, bring it down on this evil generation of sin-loving rebels hell-bent on destruction.

If Jesus Christ returned tonight, where would you go? Would you go to heaven with him or would you just go on to hell without him? Where would you go, friend? Each of you are eternity bound, men and women. Listen to me, young person. You are eternity bound.

You have a soul that will exist either in heaven or in hell. Your mortal body is just a paper bag that houses your eternal soul. If Christ came back tonight, how would you face him? He wouldn't come back as Jesus, meek and mild, but as the Lord Christ of the New Testament.

In 2 Thessalonians we read, Oh, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Oh, where would you be when this Lord of glory finds you? How would you be occupied with your time and what would you say to him? Could you withstand his flame and fire and his mighty angels? Would you run and hide from such a terrifying spectacle or would you flee for cover in fear of your life, in fear of his great majesty? The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is going to come with a big noise, friends, and with great alarm, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. How would you like to be asleep in your bed, friend, and suddenly be awakened by a cataclysmic shout that would make the very mountains shake? How would you like to be awakened out of a deep sleep by a trumpet blast so loud it will hurt your ears, make your ears ring? How would you do if such a thing occurred? How would you face such a reigning king accompanied by his heavenly army? In Jude we read, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all.

Hear me now, upon all. How would you stand, friend, before such terrible majesty? Jesus spoke about his own return in the gospel of Matthew. He said, And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet.

Now listen up, I'm coming to the heart of my message tonight as I read you the story of the ten virgins found in the gospel of Matthew as related by Jesus Christ. Hear me now, because we're going to see a description of the midnight cry. Remember the title of my message this evening, friends.

It's the midnight cry. Listen to the words of Jesus. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight, hear me now, friends, at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. I will pause here, friends, to say five of these gals were prepared to meet the bridegroom, but five were not. The five who were unprepared missed their opportunity.

Their day of grace was over like a door slammed in their face. You can't keep running away from Christ, friend, and the gospel without risking your eternal ruin. Your door may soon close on you.

Listen to what happened to the five gals who were prepared. And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Well, they were happy.

Now listen, friends, here comes those five foolish gals who were unprepared. Afterward came also the other virgin, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Let me ask you two questions, friends. Do you know Jesus? Secondly, and more importantly, does Jesus know you? Will the door of heaven be slammed shut in your face? Will you miss your chance like these five gals did? Have you ever come to Christ for salvation from sin? Do you know that Jesus is the only remedy and refuge for sin? But you must come to him, friend, and believe on him. His saving power flows out to all.

Hear me now. It flows out to all who come in repentance, confessing they are sinners and own them as their Savior and Lord. You can come to him that way yourself, friend.

Listen to how Jesus ended the story of the ten virgins. The last verse says, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. Let me ask you, friend, what if you hear that midnight cry tonight? What if you hear that cry pierce the air? How would you respond if you were suddenly awakened out of your sleep and you heard that midnight cry? Would it be too late for you? I'm going to sing a hymn, and as I sing it, I want you to come to Christ for salvation from sin.

Listen, friend, his blood can wash away your stain of sin and make you clean. There's wonder, work, and power in the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus. The blood of Jesus can wash away your sins, friend.

He can take that stain away, but you must come to him and get under that fountain of blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. He hung up on a bloody cross at Calvary. Listen to me, friends, his arms are outstretched.

He beckons you as he's nailed up there. Look at that man on the cross, friends, as he calls, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.

If the Spirit of God, friend, has been dealing with your soul through this message, and if you're concerned about living in the end times and the imminent return of Christ that could come at any moment, you want to be ready. You want to be prepared. You don't want to be like those five foolish ones who missed their opportunity.

You don't want to end up in hell in a Christless eternity. You come, friend, as I sing. You come to Christ and lay your sin burden down, lay it down at his nail-pierced feet.

Look at that bloodstained Savior from sin. Look at him, friend. He is power to save you.

The midnight cry can come unannounced at any time. You come as I sing. I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it's closer now than it's ever been.

I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the call. At the midnight cry, we'll be going home when Jesus steps out on a cloud to call his children. The dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air, and then those that remain will be quickly changed at the midnight cry when Jesus comes.