Message
Are You Ready?
Let’s play a game – it is called “I Wonder”.
I wonder if the student who got an “F” on their maths test would have studied more the night before if they had known that this was going to be their grade?
I wonder if the alcoholic would have picked up their first drink if they had known it was going to lead them to a life of addiction?
I wonder if that person who has lung cancer would have started to smoke if they had known how much it would affect their health?
I wonder if the divorcee would have spent so much time at work if he had known it was going to ruin his marriage?
We can wonder about all sorts of things. In fact I’m sure many people would change the decisions they made if they knew the outcome of those decisions. It is a truth which applies to life in general. It is also a truth that has spiritual connections. The spiritual question which comes up is this one.
If we knew that today was going to be the day when we would meet our Maker would there need to be a significant change in our lives?
In other words, “Are we ready to meet Jesus?” To help us answer that question let’s have a look at the Scriptures.
Reading
Matthew 25:1-13
This is a parable. A parable which is asking a very simple question ... ARE YOU READY FOR JESUS? As we ponder this question the parable confronts us with some truths that need to be pondered.
The first truth we discover through this parable is that
Spiritual preparation and growth does not happen automatically.
There are times when we have spiritual zeal. There are also times when we fall into a rut.
We become slack in our preparations.
We neglect to stand in readiness and zeal is lost.
When the time for action arrives we are found wanting.
It is hard work being a believer. And we can get to a point where we think what we have done is enough … but we haven’t. In fact, there are times when we can fool ourselves into thinking we are OK … but we are not.
You see it happening in our text.
All ten virgins are dressed up and waiting.
All ten have made themselves available.
All ten have progressed to a specific part of the journey.
They are all prepared to be bridesmaids to help with the celebrations of the bride.
But only five of them make it to the wedding feast. So what went wrong?
What went wrong was that five of the women were not prepared for the long-haul. They had made a life choice – in their case a simple life choice of not getting extra oil – and as a result they miss out on the important part of the journey.
Spiritual growth doesn’t happen automatically.
You cannot depend on a Sunday morning service to provide all your spiritual needs.
Strength in the Lord comes through routine attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines.
You make it in for the long-haul by taking time for prayer and being alone with God; reading God’s Word; acts of service to others; and loving obedience.
It’s you making sure you have enough oil – the spiritual fuel of life.
In other words
Spiritual preparation and growth is the result of intentionally building Christian habits into our lives.
It is so easy to allow the busyness of life to overtake us.
When we have the routine of going to work each day it can be difficult make time for a devotional life which will help us in our spiritual formation. Even when we are on holidays, and life slows down, you would think this would be a time of growth. Yet how often is it that our spiritual life goes on holiday as well.
By focussing on these issues I’m not saying that we will be saved because of our devotional life and spiritual formation. And it won’t be the habit of Bible reading and prayer which gets us into heaven. But what this parable is showing us is that those who are earnestly waiting for the return of the bridegroom … the bridegroom being Jesus … those who are earnestly waiting for Him will put in place certain spiritual habits which will help them be prepared no matter how long the wait happens to be. You don’t do it because you want to be saved. You do it because you know you are saved.
I recently read some excerpts from actual performance reviews for British Navy officers. One supervisor wrote, “This candidate works well under constant supervision and when cornered like a rat in a trap.” Another wrote: “This candidate has delusions of adequacy. She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.”
You would never expect the British Navy to function properly if it was full of people like this. In the same way Jesus is looking for us to step up.
He loves us as we are.
He knows we fall short.
He is aware of all our needs and He fills them.
He’s happy to accept these things – but He also gets excited when He sees us make our spiritual life a priority so that His kingdom can function properly. It is a huge responsibility. And it is not something you can do because others tell you.
Spiritual preparation and growth flows out of a transformed heart.
If you have been to a wedding recently you will remember that the groomsmen usually wear the same thing and the bridesmaids usually wear the same thing. The same thing is happening in this text. These 10 women all thought of themselves as bridesmaids and they all looked alike.
They had similar outfits.
They were all expecting the bridegroom.
When the bridegroom was delayed they all fell asleep.
They all had lamps.
All of them trimmed their lamps.
They all wanted to be a part of the wedding feast
However, only five got into the wedding banquet.
They were alike … but not all of them were prepared. That is a truth which sends out a huge warning to all of us.
Just because you look right that does not mean we are right.
The fact of the matter is that it is possible to look just like a Christian, talk like a Christian, carry a Bible and desire to go to heaven like a Christian and yet ultimately be unprepared. The reason these things happen is because we can have a Christianity which is only on the surface. There can be times when we do not allow our relationship with Jesus to penetrate who we are and change the way we live.
Again we see that happening in our text. But, in order for us to see it, we need to understand the culture.
Weddings in the Jewish culture are very different to the weddings we have been to. One of the big differences is the need to make a payment called a bride-price. On the day of the wedding the father of the bride and the bridegroom would haggle over this bride-price. If the price was too cheap it this would reflect on the value of the bride. If it was too much the bridegroom would be unable to make the payment and the wedding couldn't proceed. These discussion could be long and drawn out ... BUT ... they were also expected to happen.
In other words, on the day of the wedding, it was not the bride who was always late … it was the bridegroom.
The guests and the bridesmaids knew they would have to wait.
There is nothing out of the ordinary happening here.
No-one could complain about being caught off guard by unusual circumstances.
It was an ordinary part of life. Which brings us to another warning in this parable.
Don’t allow the normal routines of life to distract us from our relationship with Jesus.
We are all waiting for Jesus. Normal life will go on.
We work, we wait and we sleep.
Hospitals need to keep functioning.
Babies are born and need to be fed.
Cars need to be maintained.
Games will be played and the rivalries will continue.
Life will just keep rolling till one day we will see Jesus again. The important point is that we don’t get caught up in the routine of the world and forget that things are not always going to continue as they are.
We don’t often think about it in these terms but our lives are really temporary. Life as we know it is not the ultimate gaol … it is merely part of the journey.
And we will have responsibilities.
And we keep following our routines.
And we do what needs to be done.
But we have to keep it all in context. There is a new day which is coming … a day when Jesus will announce to the whole world that He is Lord.
So have a life routine ... but in the middle of it don’t forget who we serve.
Some of the bridesmaids slept the sleep of apathy and indifference, not realising that their lack of preparation had significant consequences.
Others slept the sleep of peace and security, knowing they had prepared for the bridegroom’s coming.
Somewhere along the line one group of women forgot that their ultimate responsibility was to be prepared when the bridegroom arrived. They were doing good things, but they forgot what was most important.
And that is the big issue which comes out of this text.
Spiritual preparation and growth must be more than just good intentions.
Someone once said, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”.
Not one of the bridesmaids planned to miss the banquet.
All of them thought they had made enough preparations.
There is nothing intentionally malicious or evil about any of their actions.
It was just a matter of neglect.
As a result five of them were rushing around in the middle of the night trying to wake up an oil merchant while five others joined the procession.
It wasn’t intended ... but it happened. Which goes to show that
Our best intentions mean nothing if we are not in a proper relationship with Jesus.
When you think about the return of Jesus and the fact that one day you will have to meet your Maker, what is the foundation of your assurance?
Your assurance can't be based on the fact that you think your life is good enough to please God. For there is no-one who is righteous and all fall short of the standard God requires.
Your assurance can’t be based on the way you live your Christian life. “I go to church”. “I read the Bible”. “I am a good church member”. “I am a minister”. These reasons will not help us make the grade when we stand before God because all of our achievements are considered filthy rags by God.
Our best intentions are not going to make a scrap of difference unless we first realise that we need a Saviour who can give us eternal life.
We need to have our faith firmly planted on the cross of Jesus – knowing it is only through His death that we are able to stand before God with hope.
We need our eyes fixed on the Saviour who rose from the dead and defeated sin, and Satan, so that we could be part of the family of God.
We need to trust in a Lord who is willing to call us His brothers and sisters … not because we deserve it … but because He is gracious and compassionate in every way.
We need to look at Jesus and know that He is going to return and we will need to give an account.
Which brings us back to the question we asked at the beginning of the sermon.
If we knew that today was going to be the day when we would meet our Maker would there need to be a significant change in our lives?
When it comes to faith nobody else can do it for you. When the foolish bridesmaids saw that they did not have enough oil they asked their wise friends for help … but that was not possible. God does not have grandchildren, only children.
Just because you were reared in a Christian home or you are in church with other people of faith does not necessarily mean that you have faith.
Faith does not rub off just by sitting next to someone who has a vital relationship with Christ.
You cannot “catch” faith like you catch a cold.
You cannot borrow it from your parents.
You might be looking right. And acting right. But are you right … are you right with God?
We must live expect Jesus to come at any moment.
We must be prepared if He chooses to wait.
When the Lord returns no more chances will be given and invitations to the wedding feast will be withdrawn. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
As we wait expectantly for this day and hour are we really prepared … or do we only think we are?
Prayer
