Intro Moment—The Sound that Wakes the Soul
Illustration
This week, I saw a young man interviewed on the news following the deadly and destructive EF-4 tornado that hit Laurel County, Kentucky, on May 16th. His response when asked about how much time they had to get to safety before the tornado hit made me think about this week’s sermon.
The National Weather Service’s average lead time for tornado warnings—the interval between issuing a warning and the tornado’s touchdown—is about 13?minutes. However, warning infrastructure is far from universal. As of 2011, only 1,752 communities had earned a “StormReady”?designation—reflecting robust alert-and-response systems—while there are over 19,000 incorporated municipalities nationwide. Even if every StormReady community signifies one well-prepared town, that indicates more than 17,000 incorporated places lack formal severe-weather readiness programs, and countless smaller or unincorporated areas also have no dedicated sirens or coordinated broadcast alerts. Conservatively, it’s reasonable to estimate that 10,000–12,000 U.S. communities still do not have adequate tornado-warning systems in place, with most of those being rural communities where residents are spread out and do not live close to a town.
The reason this made me think about today’s sermon is that when asked, the young man said he was sleeping when his phone gave the alert, and he didn’t hear it until about a minute before the tornado tore his parents' house apart. He barely had enough time to get to a safe space in the house. He also said that they’ve had storms before and “people ignore the warnings for the most part.”
We don’t get to choose the time when Jesus will return, but we do get to choose the posture we live in while we wait for Him.
In our passage for today, Jesus isn’t telling a story; He’s sounding an alarm. This is about readiness, urgency, and devotion that burns bright.
Biblical Context and Parable Exposition (Matthew 25:1-13)—You Were Made for the Marriage.
Placement in Jesus’ teaching—part of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) that focuses on watchfulness and readiness.
Parable overview
Ten virgins await the arrival of the bridegroom.
The five wise bring extra oil; the five foolish do not.
The bridegroom is delayed for a time, and all of the virgins fall asleep.
There is a sudden midnight cry announcing that the bridegroom is on his way.
After preparing themselves for his arrival, the five foolish virgins realize they don’t have enough oil to keep their lamps burning, so they ask to borrow oil from the others.
They are told to go buy oil for themselves, and upon returning with the oil in their lamps, they are denied entry into the banquet by the bridegroom.
A parable always uses an illustration to bring a truth. The truth here is found in verse 13—you must keep watch because you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Characters and Symbols
Ten Virgins: the church and each individual person awaiting the return of Christ.
Oil in Lamps: the ongoing empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
John 15:15—Jesus makes us “friends,” sharing His purposes and enabling our obedience.
Delay of the Bridegroom: God’s patient delay of Christ’s return to claim His Church allows more time for people to respond to Him. (2 Peter 3:9)
Midnight Cry: The return of Christ will happen suddenly and without warning.
Revelation 16:15—We need to be ready for his return each moment, and we need to take the time that he doesn’t return to make ourselves even more ready.
This is about being ready for Christ’s return, yes. But more than that, it’s about intimacy.
The wise virgins brought oil because they wanted to be near the bridegroom.
They weren’t just showing up—they wanted to be prepared to shine when He arrived.
John 15:15—“I have called you friends…” Jesus is not inviting you to be a stranger at the door. He’s inviting you to be a friend at the feast.
Defining Spiritual Procrastination—Midnight Moments Reveal What We’ve Been Building.
Life is built in the ordinary, but it is revealed in the midnight cry.
What It Looks Like
James 4:13-17
“I’ll get to my prayer and Bible study later.” Delaying intimacy with God damages our preparation and readiness for His return.
“I’ll serve and evangelize when circumstances are better.” Don’t ignore God’s call to action because the enemy will never allow the circumstances of your life to be ideal for God’s work.
Why We Delay
Complacency and Comfort—Mistaking ease for security. Revelation 3:17 tells us that we say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Fear of Sacrifice—unwillingness to pay the cost.
Distractions of Life—Mark 4:19 says that the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Our obsession with the things of this life is choking off our devotion to Him.
The Stakes of Spiritual Procrastination
Empty Lamps = Unfulfilled Lives
Lamps without oil symbolize hearts empty of the Holy Spirit. (Revelation 3:1-3)
Some people appear to have it all together on the outside (good job, good marriage, good kids), yet they may lead an empty spiritual life and ignore the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
This is a wake-up call to your soul. We can’t live half-hearted, half-lit lives and expect to shine when He returns.
What you do with the delay determines what is revealed in the moment.
Are you building a life that’s ready to shine when the sky breaks open?
Are you burning bright or burning out?
The Finality of the Closed Door—You Can’t Borrow Oil
Your faith has to be yours. You can’t ride someone else’s flame to eternity.
The five foolish virgins begged for more oil, but spiritual urgency is non-transferable.
A personal walk with Jesus can’t be loaned out or outsourced.
“I don’t know you” of verse 12 parallels Matthew 7:21-23.
Some will claim with their mouths to be Christian, but their hearts prove that they have no relationship with Christ. These people have minds that are self-deceived by the prompting of the enemy and will ultimately be rejected by Christ.
Verse 12 tells us that once the bridegroom arrives, there is no second chance to prepare for His coming. Once the door is shut, it is shut for eternity. You can’t fake a life that’s been anchored in Him. Either you’ve walked with Him, or you haven’t. Either you’ve cultivated a flame, or you’re fumbling in the dark.
Divine Provision and Community
Friendship with Christ—John 15:15—Jesus calls us friends, revealing His will for our lives and providing us with what we need to obey without hesitation.
Mutual Encouragement--Hebrews 10:23-25--Accountability partners and small group ministries help guard against spiritual drift and procrastination.
Pathways to Readiness—Live Like He’s Coming Today
Cultivate Daily Devotion—Psalm 119:105 tells us that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Since God’s Word is so important for us to find direction in this life, it stands to reason that we should make it a regular part of our daily activities.
Immediate Obedience—James 1:22 says that we need to stop merely listening to the word and so deceive ourselves. Do what it says. When the Spirit prompts you to action, do not delay; act on it immediately. Your delay is a form of disobedience and is, therefore, sin. When you postpone listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, you risk creating a stumbling block in your life, as this makes it easier to continue ignoring what God is asking you to do.
Anticipate Delay as Growth—Romans 5:3-5--Instead of asking God why something is happening or has happened, ask Him what you are supposed to learn from it. View seasons of waiting as part of the process of sanctification, where we grow continuously closer to Him.
Live in community, with urgency, and with eternity in view.
Jesus is coming. Not in fear, but in glory. Not in wrath, but as the Bridegroom King coming for His radiant Bride.
What are you doing today that echoes in eternity?
That the promise of His return shape your playlist, your priorities, your relationships, your worship, and your obedience.
Application and Invitation
Self-Assessment—Where are you sleeping? Inventory your “oil reserves”:
What does your prayer life look like?
How often do you read your Bible? How seriously do you take Bible study?
Are you serving God by ministering? Do you have an active role in the spiritual development of another Christian or even a non-believer?
Commitment Step
Pray and ask God to reveal areas in your life where you are procrastinating spiritually.
Write down one area of spiritual procrastination you identify in your life (prayer life, Bible reading, evangelism, service, giving, forgiveness).
Take a concrete first step this week—schedule an appointment with God, connect with another Christian for accountability, and act on what God has been repeatedly urging you to do.
Corporate Watchfulness
Engage with other Christians to discover the areas in their lives where they need assistance or prayer.
Attend Bible study to dig deep into God’s Word with other Christians who desire to grow.
Find an accountability partner and set up a schedule for regular check-ins.
Closing Moment—The Door is Still Open
One day the door will close, but TODAY it is still open.
Don’t waste the oil in your lamp on the wrong things. Don’t snooze on the Savior.
Come back to intimacy. Allow the Holy Spirit to produce more oil in your life. Come back to Jesus.
