The Fate of the unprepared
Matthew 25:1-25:13
Introduction-
We have for several weeks looking at the direct teachings of Jesus recorded in the book of Matthew.
We have looked at the judging of others
last week we looked being real. What does a genuine Christian look like?
Today, Jesus words about being ready for His second coming recorded in the parable of the Ten Virgins.
If you look at this passage through Western eyes, we would think of it as a made up parable because in the Western World we don’t think, act, or do what the people in the Middle East do concerning marriage.
Text- Matthew 25:1-25:13
As we look at this text, we understand the bridegroom to be Jesus Christ, the parable describes His return. Both God people Israel and the church universal in Scripture as the bride of Christ.
Taking this parable in context, we have to understand the Jewish Wedding of Jesus day.
One of the elements of the wedding in Biblical times was the arrival of the bridegroom. The bridegroom kept his arrival a secret. He would try to arrive at the wedding at an unexpected time and catch them napping and unprepared. The guest and the bridesmaids would be on the lookout for his arrival and catch him coming to the feast. He was coming and they needed to be prepared and ready for his return.
Today, Western Weddings are all about the bride. Don’t see the bride in her dress until the wedding. The bride is the center of attention. The groom is just the guy standing up front waiting for the bride to come to the festivity by grand entrance.
No matter how you read this parable, there are 2 distinct warnings that must be heeded and taken care of.
(1) Certain things cannot be obtained at the last minute
(2) Certain things cannot be obtained by borrowing.
Signs of the end times really begins in Matthew 24 and continues through parts of chapter 25.
The end times is not a one time event, it is a number of things coming to pass and it is a corrupt world that continues to move away from God (pastor)
Procrastination- is the practice of carrying out less urgent task in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting of impending tasks to a latter time. Sometimes to the last minute before a deadline. (explain)
This you must understand-
Jesus says that there is a deadline for His return, the challenge for those who procrastinate is that He does not tell us when that moment is.
Matthew 24:36-
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
That is direct!
We can know and recognize the seasons of His return, but clearly we see that only the Father knows the exact hour and will at that time send Jesus to go get His bride- The church of Christ.
Being ready for Jesus Return is more than saying that you will be ready.
His coming is for believers- Born again believers that have had a Born Again experience.
Believing His death, burial, and resurrection making Him Lord of our lives. (If you have never made Him Lord, then He is not Lord of your Life.)
Fruit of the Spirit of God active in your life- desiring to live a holy life. Gal. 5:22-23- Love, Joy, Peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)
Allowing the Holy Spirit to make changes in our lives and that we live not for ourselves but for Him.
Scriptures says that we are to be imitators of God, living a life of love, to God and to others.
Back to the text for a moment, the parable emphasizes the need for watchfulness in the event of a long delay in Christ coming. (Over 2000 years and the church has grown cold for His return)
Every generation has witnessed changes that lead them to believe that Jesus Christ return at any moment.
Hippolytus, an early church father was sure the return of Christ would be 500 A.D.
1500’s Martine Luther said “We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. The world will not last longer than another 100 years.
1656- Christopher Columbus “There is no doubt the world must end in 155 years.”
William Miller predicted in the 1800’s that Jesus would return 1842 or 1843 and based it upon the Jewish calendar.
Isn’t it amazing how many have tried to predict Christ return? Scripture says no man knows the day or the hour, not even Jesus Christ, but people keep predicting times of His return.
Why? Because it is easier to guess his return than live a life that was ready for His return. (repeat)
Even today, you can go to any Christian bookstore and pick up a book where someone claims to know when He will return. I guess they could tell Jesus when He needs to be ready.
First warning- certain things cannot be obtained at last minute-
Text:
10 virgins waiting for the return of the bridegroom.
5 are wise and ready
5 are foolish and unprepared
The five wise were ones that were determined even though there is a delay of his return, they made sure that there was oil in their lamps and they are ready for his return.
Procrastination is not the action of the wise- they choose not to be waiting to the last minute for anything that involves their relationship with God.
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”
The Word teaches us to say no to ungodliness and world passions, and to live self-controlled upright lives in this present age. While they wait for the blessed hope- Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24;37
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away.”
It was not that they were not warned, Noah preached at them 100 years. He built an ark in his back yard where rain had never happened and it must have been a constant reminder of what he was saying was going to happen.
Some even took his money and helped build the ark, but never got into the ark. That sounds like some church people.
Eating, drinking, marrying- everyday life! Not listening to the warning and doing their own thing!
The word say they knew not, caught by surprise, not because they did not hear, but because they did not listen and tuned him out. They were surprised that what he said would happen, that it happened just like he had said.
Matthew 24:40-
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”
One day, they will be bad mouthing Christians, and one day in a blink of an eye, it will come to pass and catch all the procrastinators and opposers of God by surprise.
There are some things that you should not procrastinate about and it is your salvation with God.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day or hour you Lord will come.”
Understand that there will be a lot of people mad at God for not warning them that “today” is the day the Lord will come.
Feeling like God owes them to let them live their lives the way they want to live, and at the last minute allow them excess crying that it is not fair that they not be included with the believers that went to heaven.
“if the owners of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming , he would have kept watch and would not have let his home been broken into.”
There are certain words that Jesus uses throughout His ministry on earth.
Listen, Take heed, be watchful, I will.
We get desensitized to Jesus warning as well as other warnings .
Listen to some warnings that have been put on products because people don’t use common scents.
Baby stroller- Remove child before folding up.
Iron- Never iron clothes while they are being worn.
Electric router- this product not intended as a dentist drill.
Electric saw- do not attempt to stop the chain with your hands.
Sometimes you can’t fix stupid.
What warnings do we ignore? Which ones do we shrug off? Which ones apply to everyone else but us?
My favorite- toilet bowl brush- do not use orally. Really! That is just wrong on so many counts.
The first warning- Certain things cannot be obtained at last minute
Second thing- Certain things cannot be obtained by borrowing.
Every one of us will stand before God and give an account for our lives.
We will do that alone. Family, friends, pastor, will not be there. We won’t be judged in a group, as a church but individually. We will stand before God.
Can you imagine the excuses and reasoning that will be told to the Lord that day?
Why they never made things right- though the Lord tried to speak to them.
How it was everyone else’s fault that Christ and the church weren’t important.
As silly of some excuses we have heard, none will hold water when we stand before God and give account of what we did with Jesus.
5 were wise and 5 were foolish.
The foolish ones, took their lamps but did not make sure to keep oil in there lamps.
25:6
“At midnight, the cry rang out, here is the bridegroom! Come to meet him.”
Wise ones were ready to meet him!
Foolish ones were not.
Foolish ones wanted oil from everyone else, but it will not be available to them.
“Open the door for us! Jesus reply, I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”
Closing,
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Right now we are all on the same playing field. This is God’s warning to each of us. We all have here and now and an opportunity to respond. When he returns and he will, only those who are ready and respond will be ushered into the kingdom of God.
Amen.
