Keep Watch
Matthew 25:1-13
Introduction
Frederick Bruner wrote, “Judgment will be a day of surprises.” In our series, we have noted some of the teachings of Jesus that come in four judgment parables. The first shall be last, and the last will be first. Many are called but few are chosen. Today: Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
This long section of the teaching of Jesus began when the disciples asked him, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The background is an eastern wedding in which the bridgroom, rather than the bride, is the center of attention. In Oriental weddings it is the bridegroom who bears all the expense of the wedding …and thus has the prime spot. Weddings were always held at night and it was customary for the bridegroom to go to the house of the bride and take her to the wedding. As they walked through the streets they would be joined by guests at various places along the route. Our Lord's story of the ten maidens is the story of such a group, waiting for the bridegroom. (Stedman)
Matthew 25:1-13, NIV
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
We do not know the hour, but we do know the importance of keeping watch.
AMP be on the alert [be prepared and ready]
CEB Therefore, keep alert
LSB Therefore, stay awake
NASB Be on the alert then,
1. Keep Watch For The Bridegroom
Jesus Christ is presented as the Bridegroom, and the church as the Bride in the Bible.
Matthew 9:14-15 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
2 Corinthians 11:2-3 NLT For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
Revelation 19:7, 9a Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. … Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”
Jesus occupies the most important place in our hearts, a relationship that is eternal in nature. Both the foolish and wise virgins knew the one for whom they were waiting and watching. We are gathered here today in Jesus’ name - and we are well aware of His life, death, resurrection, and coming again!
2. Keep Watch on Being Prepared
We want to avoid the terrible position of being unprepared. “The main point of the story is that the foolish virgins are not ready when the great moment finally arrives.” (Hare). “They were not ungodly or immoral. They were not hypocrites. They were simply foolish. They did not allow for the possibility of delay; and when the Lord finally came, they were unprepared.” (Lightfoot). This is the very thing the foolish virgins failed to do. They had lamps, oil, and they waited eagerly. They did not have enough oil. It never entered their mind that the Bridegroom would be delayed. The saddest thing we can do in our lives is to enter eternity unprepared!
How can we be prepared? How do we Get Ready?
Get Ready
Romans 6:2-5 We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
We prepare by giving our life to Jesus - who died for us - put your faith in Him. We are baptized in recognition of His Lordship and we receive new life. That new life extends to the time when we will be reunited with him on resurrection day. Trusting God and demonstrating that trust are the first steps to getting ready.
Stay Ready (Acrostic)
Read your Bible!
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Engage with your Brothers and Sisters! (Fellowship, Growth, Encouragement, Restoration)
1 Thessalonians 4:18 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Admit your sin in prayer and repent!
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death.
Dedicate yourself to telling others!
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Yield to the Holy Spirit!
Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with the Spirit.
“To watch is to have some forethought for the future, to take some prior precaution, to make some preliminary preparation; and it is to continue in that preparation always.” (Lightfoot)
Don’t lose sight on getting and staying ready because we also need to ...
3. Keep Watch on the Door
This is a judgment parable … at the time of judgment those who are ready enter in with the Bridegroom, the door is shut, those left outside will never enter in. The foolish virgins were not prepared, and even had to go elsewhere to try to get ready. They lost sight of their opportunity to be ready.
What can cause us to lose sight of the return of Christ?
The fact that it’s been so long. 2 Peter 3:3-4 …In the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” But our virgins weren’t scoffers, unbelievers, they believed but got distracted.
What can keep you turned away from being watchful and ready? Life carries many burdens, demands of life.
The evil that exists in the world. Temptations of the flesh divert our attention. Preoccupation with life, even good things, but just being involved in everything except the Jesus life. Many things can lull our faith to sleep but we should always be expecting Jesus. Are You Ready?
Conclusion: Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
If we knew the day, we would feel that we could get prepared - even on the day - but we do not even know the hour.
I wonder how many people would be baptized right now if they knew Jesus was coming this afternoon? How many would be repenting of ongoing sin.
Lightfoot: “What should we concerned about? Only whether or not our lamps are trimmed and burning! The one sure way to be ready on that day is to be ready every day.”
How would we be living differently today if we knew that Jesus was coming back tonight?
The first shall be last, and the last will be first.
Many are called but few are chosen.
Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
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Resources
Hare, Douglas A. Interpretation, Matthew. John Knox Press, 1993.
Kaufman, Barry. http://barryshymns.blogspot.com/2012/08/will-jesus-find-us-watching.html
Lightfoot, Neil R. Lessons from the Parables. Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1965.
Stedman, Ray. Sermon at https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/matthew/the-wise-and-the-foolish
Tasker, R. V. G. Matthew. Tyndale N. T. Commentaries
