DON’T WAIT TOO LATE
MATT 25 VS 1-13
Matthew 25:1-13 (NKJV)
1 "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.
**IT IS SO EASY TO LOOSE FOCUS ON WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT IN THIS LIFE ISN’T IT?? WE OFTEN TIMES GET FOCUSED ON THE TEMPORAL AND THE DAY TO DAY GRIND THAT WE TEND TO FORGET OR LOSE SIGWDON’T WAIT TOO LATE TO BE SAVED- HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE MINDSET THAT THEY WILL BE SAVED ANY TIME THAT THEY FEEL LIKE IT, PERHAPS ON THEIR DEATH BED EVEN, BUT DEATH ARRIVES WHEN THEY LEAST EXPECT IT AND CATCHES THEM NOT READY. EVEN IF WE COULD WAIT TILL THEN TO MAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE THAT ANY OF US WILL EVER MAKE, WHY WOULD WE?? AS I HAVE SAID AND MANY OF YOU HAVE SAID ALSO, THE ONLY REGRET THAT I HAVE CONCERNING MY SALVATION IS THAT I WAITED SO LONG BEFORE I RECEIVED CHRIST, I LOST MANY YEARS THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY LIVING INSTEAD OF SIMPLY EXISTING.
** I KNOW THAT WE DON’T REALLY LIKE THINKING ABOUT IT, BUT I WANT TO REMIND EACH OF US THAT NOT EVERYONE WILL RECEIVE JESUS, IN THIS STORY 5 OF THE 10 WERE NOT READY, THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE “OIL” WHICH REPRESENTS THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEIR LIVES. LISTEN TO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
A. Genesis 6:3 (NKJV)
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
B. Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV)
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
C. Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
D. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV)
2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
E. Matthew 25:10-13 (NKJV)
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.
F. DON’T BE LIKE FELIX:
Acts 24:25 (NKJV)
25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered,
1. DON’T WAIT TOO LATE TO SERVE THE LORD- MATT 25 VS 14-30:
Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 (NKJV)
1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":
2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low;
5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
2. DON’T WAIT TOO LATE TO SERVE EACH OTHER MATT 25 VS 31-46
Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)
31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
**WHEN JESUS WAS ASKED WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE HE RESPONDED:
Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
**PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TO DO WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT, THE THINGS THAT WILL GO WITH YOU THROUGH ETERNITY**
