Has Your Light Gone Out

HAS YOUR LIGHT GONE OUT

Sunday AM 12\05\1999

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 “Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3 “Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,4 “but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5 “But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’7 “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’9 “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’12 “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

DURING the waiting period, the wise and foolish virgins seemed much alike, even as at this day one can hardly discern the false professor from the true.

Everything turned upon the coming of the bridegroom.

To the ten virgins, that was the chief event of the night.

If it had not been for his coming, they would not have gone forth with their lamps.

It was because they knew he would surely come that they prepared themselves to join in the marriage procession, and attend him with their songs to the place of his abode.

Yet, for a while, he did not come.

The sun had gone down, and darkness had stolen over the whole landscape, but the bridegroom did not come.

The dews of night were falling fast, yet still he did not come.

The hours were long, and slowly passed away one after the other, yet he did not come.

It was waxing toward the middle of the night; a few stars were visible, but there was no lingering light of the day remaining.

It was the time of darkness, and the eyes of the waiting virgins grew heavy with watching.

Why was the bridegroom so long in coming?

They had been bidden to look for him, they had fully expected him; yet he had not come.

There were whisperings that it was all a delusion, and that he never would come; and then there was that guilty sense of slumber which stole over them.

In the case of some of the ten, their spirit was willing, but their flesh was weak; but in the case of the others, both flesh anti spirit were perverse, so that their sleep became exceeding deep, as when a man sleepeth even unto death.

But the bridegroom did come, as.

Brethren, in our case, the Heavenly

Bridegroom will come.

However long we may have waited for him, ‘let us rest assured that he will come.

As surely as he came once, so, “unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

It seems to me that it needs less faith to believe in the second Advent of Christ than in his first Advent.

He has been here before, so he knows the way to come again.

He has been here before, and wrought a wondrous work; surely, he will come back to receive the reward of his service.

The Good Shepherd came to earth once to lay down his life for the

sheep; he will surely come again as the Chief Shepherd to recompense the under-shepherds who have faithfully kept the night watches for him.

Jesus will come again, as surely as the bridegroom came at the midnight hour.

Yes, the bridegroom did come.

Despite the waiting time, he did come; and then came the dreadful separation between those who had been waiting for his appearing. Scarcely by any act of his, the foolish and the wise were parted the one from the other.

They were awakened by the sound of his approach; the herald that preceded him cried, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh,” and the sleepers were all aroused.

Then the true adherents of the bridegroom, the wise virgins, penitent for their guilty sleep, poured the oil into their lamps, which were burning low, and soon they were blazing up clear and bright.

As the bridegroom’s procession came near, “they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”