Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 445 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

-- Brother Thomas: Out of this crowd here tonight, no doubt there's people that don't know a thing about salvation. And you may have been raised to go to church and to Sunday School and all that with your parents or somebody. You may have made a profession of faith, but you're not saved. You're not really saved. You wouldn't want the Lord to come tonight. You'd say, Lord, don't come tonight. Give me a chance to get ready. I'm gonna give you a chance tonight. I can't save you, but I can certainly tell you about the One that can.

( congregational amens ).

You can call this the midnight cry if you wanted to. It may be your midnight cry. Now, when the Lord comes, there's no way that door can be opened. If the Lord was to come right now, I don't know how many people here would go up. I don't how many would be saved. But, I know this. Only those who had Christ in their heart would go up. The rest wouldn't. You'd remain right where you're at.

I wish I could save you, but I can't. But I can tell you about the One that can. One who said, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." He said He would in no wise cast you out. You have to do the coming. You have to make the move. You have to. You start. He'll meet you.

I'll never forget whenever I got saved. That was the most thrilling thing in the world. I'd never had that peace. Of course, I was raised in sort of a haphazard way. I had a lot of things that you know...but, whenever I threw the towel in, said, "Yes, Lord," peace come in behind that. That was Him. Where He goes-He's the Prince of Peace. He came in and He's never left and He never will leave. He doesn't take His possessions and then cast them away. He deals with it. If there's anything that He needs to deal with, He does that. But He does not ever in this lifetime or in the next, reject those that He saves. You're saved for eternity.

( congregational amens ).

Just like you're lost for eternity. If you don't get saved, you're lost for eternity. There's no place on the other side--no place. That's why this scripture right here says, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." It's not gonna come when you expect it. We just preach this and try to get people ready and some few will--not all.

How many of you would love for the Lord to come tonight? Thank you, thank you. How many don't want Him to come tonight? Anybody raise their hand? I don't see anybody. Now, you'd think by that everybody was saved here. But I doubt that seriously. It means something to be saved. The Lord has to conquer our spirit and then come in.

I never will forget whenever I got saved, I went to telling people about it. And I couldn't tell people about it without weeping. It's amazing. That's the most tremendous thing that can happen to you. That's called the new birth, being born again. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And you can't. That's why you go on in darkness. That's why you go on like you are. It's because you're blind. You're dead in trespasses and sins. You can't see the kingdom of God. If I could take you one at a time and show you the kingdom of God, there's not a person in this building that would leave here tonight because you wouldn't take a chance.

( congregation amens ).

You wouldn't take a chance. You'd say I want that. I want it forever. And the thing is, you don't have to do a thing. There's nothing you can do to earn it. You don't get good enough, cause you'll never get good enough. There's no way you can join a lodge or a church, all the churches-and I'd say most church members are lost. I'm not trying to say that they're lost because they deserve it, but I'm just saying they are. People don't know what it means to be born again. They don't know what that means.

When you're born again, you're born. Now you're born physically when you come into this world. You make your advent into this world through the physical birth. And God's kingdom it's here though the world doesn't see it. The world doesn't know a thing about what I'm talking about. But whenever you bow the knee to Jesus Christ, you see the kingdom then and you're never sorry. I have never found a person that has surrendered their life to Jesus Christ that was sorry--not one.

Like these virgins here, they're both sleeping. There could be an awakening and still not get in. This is two groups. And the foolish virgins, they woke up and they expected, I suppose to get in, but they didn't. The door was shut. You know the Bible says, "To day," not tomorrow, "If ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." What happens when people just don't listen to His voice? They choose to go on like they are. There's a process that begins to start, right here in your heart. That process increases its hold on you. You won't be the same next week as you are now if you reject Christ. You won't be the same tomorrow.

Now you can be shook up tonight and realize you need to, but still put it off. There's something about this old man here, I'm talking about this natural man, that don't like to surrender to Jesus Christ. There's something that just holds you almost as if you were chained. And when the invitation is given, excuses start pouring into your mind. The devil starts telling you, you can later on. How do you know you can? How do you know you can? How do you know you'll ever have another chance? Do you? You know more than I do. You don't know. You're presuming upon God's grace is what you're doing. You're presuming and you have no way on earth to know that you'll even be living. You may not be living tomorrow. That's why you need to hear His voice today.

Now these virgins had already heard the gospel. Because five of them were wise, they'd heard it and received it. And five were foolish, they'd heard it but they didn't receive it. What are you going to be tonight? A foolish virgin or are you going to receive it? I'll bet you that they're people in this building tonight that's heard the gospel time and again, no telling how many times you've heard it, and you're still where you were. Well, I'm going to give you another chance tonight. We're here to pray with you. We're here to back you up. We're here to receive you as our brother, as our sister in Christ.

( congregational amens ).

I want us to be praying. Let's stand, please. While this quartet or whoever it is that does the singing around here, while they sing, I'm giving you and you, you and you, I'm giving you an invitation to turn your back on this world, on the devil and turn your face toward God.

( congregational amens ).

He won't turn you down. Now, I imagine these five foolish virgins, do you think they'd have done anything if they'd knowed what was going to happen when that cry went out, behold the bridegroom cometh? Why certainly they would. I wish they could speak tonight. I guarantee they'd tell you, don't put it off. That's the devil's way of making you go on and harden your heart. Don't put it off.

Now while they sing, I'm giving you-young people, you know the devil has many things he'll say to you. He'll say, "Well, you're young. You don't need to do this. You've got your life to live." How do you know you have? There's lot of young people that's left this world thinking the same thing--that's been told the same lie. I've preached young people's funerals. I've preached babies' funerals. I've preached old men's funerals, old ladies. But I'm going to tell you something, anybody who puts it off has no assurance of tomorrow. You have no assurance that you'll be saved. The only thing that you can rest in is that you're getting a chance tonight. While we sing, I invite you to come down.

( congregational amens ).

Come down that aisle. Come down these aisles on each side. All right, fellows.

The day dawned like any other day.
The sun shone down as little children played.
Daddy went to work and Mommy to the store.
They didn't know it was the day God shut the door.

The bells rang that bright and sunny day.
The bride and groom went forth upon life's way.
They planned with eager joy for all life held in store.
They didn't know it was the day God shut the door.

The banker and the businessman shook hands.
They would build a great resort upon the sands.
They made the deal secure, of profits they were sure.
They didn't know it was the day God shut the door.

Are you ready to meet Him should that day be today?
Is there oil in your vessel, does your lamp light the way?
Don't put off your soul's salvation lest they say when time is o'er,
He stood outside on the day God shut the door.

-- Brother Thomas: Every excuse the devil gives you, every thought that would hold you where you're at is a lie of Satan. He "is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Christ did everything we need. Praise God!

( congregational amens ).

And now is your opportunity. Keep singing, fellas. This is your opportunity, now.

The church committee met when day was done.
Rejoicing in the plans they had begun.
The program, a success, they looked ahead for more.
They didn't know it was the day God shut the door.

A little band was praying on that day.
Their hearts leaped at the words they heard God say.
Enter in my child, soon time will be no more.
They were inside that fateful day God shut the door.

There were those who heard the midnight cry,
Who thought they could get ready by and by.
But their lamps in that dark hour, without oil could not endure.
They knocked and cried that awful day God shut the door.

Are you ready to meet Him should that day be today?
Is there oil in your vessel, does your lamp light the way?
Don't put off your soul's salvation lest they say when time is o'er.
He stood outside on the day God shut the door.

( congregational praise ).

How many of you believe the door is going to be shut? Let's see you.

-- Congregation: Yes!

-- Brother Thomas: It's got to. There's got to come an end. This harvest is about over. And God today is calling you. Might be your last call, I don't know. I wouldn't try to frighten you into it. But, I'm just saying there's going to be a last time. And there's going to be a day that God shuts the door. Let's sing a couple more verses, men. If you're out there--now, God's been dealing with all these people, see. He's dealing with their hearts and they were back here. And He's dealing with some of you back there. There and over here, there's some of you that feel your need of Christ right now. We're giving you an invitation.

Men are grasping for anything they think will satisfy.
They are selling their souls for earthly gain.
But I've found the greatest Treasure,
A Pearl of beauty rare.
It's worth everything to know His love within.

It's worth everything to be born again.
It's worth everything to know my soul's been cleansed from sin.
It's worth everything to know I'll live eternally.
It's worth everything to know Christ lives within.

See the world all around us, like a raging, stormy sea.
Men are striving for inward rest in vain.
But I've found the Rose of Sharon,
The lovely Prince of Peace.
It's worth everything to have His peace within.

It's worth everything to be born again.

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