Prepared for Jesus’ return: a Persevering Faith
Matthew 25:1-13
Intro.:
A. A couple weeks ago I taught about Jesus Keeping His Promises from Acts 1:1-11.
Jesus Promises us:
To send us the Holy Spirit – Promises kept, Acts 2
To Empower those who follow Him with the Holy Spirit. The HS is there to comfort, convict, sanctify, guide, teach, remind, intercede for us and help us to be a Witness for Christ to others. We see Jesus kept His promise as you see how the Lord has done things in your life.
Jesus also Promised us that we would return: that He would be crucified, resurrected and that He would return. In Acts 1:9-11, after Jesus taught the Disciples, He ascended right before their eyes back into heaven. Two men (angels probably) told the Disciples and us that this same Jesus would return in like way.
So we learned: Jesus will return Personally; He will return Visibly ( every eye will see Him), and He will return Suddenly (just has He suddenly was taken up before them) – Maybe Today!
So the big question for us to consider in light of this Truth that Jesus will return, is this: What should we do?
B. Matthew 24 (and some other passages of Scriptures) teach us that we need to Keep Watch (vs. 42) because we do not know when that Day is going to come.
So Keep Watch for what? The Signs of His Coming:
For a multiplication of false religions and people claiming to be the Christ.
For an increase in natural disasters (famines and earthquakes).
For nations to rise up against others nations and wars.
For Increased persecution, even death towards those who follow Jesus.
For an increase in wickedness and love that is cold.
For the Gospel to be preached to all nations.
C. But we are also called to be Prepared for Jesus’ 2nd Coming – remember: Maybe Today!
As I was studying about Jesus’ Return it occurred to me that Matthew 25 teaches us 3 specific things we need to do in order to Prepare ourselves for Jesus’ return.
Today, let us look at a key part of our being Prepared for the greatest in History – Jesus’ Coming Back. We know how from Acts 1:9-11. We know He promised to Return. We know some of the signs and that we need to keep Watch – Be Alert. But let us learn specifically what we need to do in order to be Prepared.
Here’s the Goodnews: This great event in History of Jesus’ return is not something that the Lord wants to Surprise us with. No, He wants us (and everyone) to be Prepared. So as we look at Matt. 25:1-13 we learn a specific way that Jesus tells us to Prepare ourselves: Have a Personal & Persevering Faith in Him.
D. Matthew 25:1-13 – Have a Personal & Persevering Faith in Jesus! That is the key message of this passage – this parable that Jesus teaches us.
- Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Ten Maidens don’t know for sure when He is coming. The traditions of the Culture was such that the Bridegroom made the preparation for the Wedding celebration.
- There are 10 Virgins – Maidens, each with a lamp that is burning with oil. They each were going to meet the Bridegroom.
- Finally – at Midnight (vs. 6), the cry that the Bridegroom was here went out. (Our denom. Use to have a publication called “The Midnight Cry”).
- The ten Maidens went out but only 5 of them had enough oil to keep their lamps burning to get through the night.
- The 5 foolish Maidens tried to borrow and buy the oil to keep their lamps burning. But no go.
- Finally the Bridegroom arrived and the wedding banquet began. The Door was shut, vs. 10.
- When the 5 foolish Maidens came to get in they were refused and heard – “I tell you the Truth, I don’t know you!” That would be the worst thing anyone could possibly here – that when Jesus returns He would say: “I don’t know you!”
Lessons from this Parable:
1. The wise and foolish are together.
It becomes clear in Jesus’ teaching here that even when Jesus returns that there will be those who appear to be His People and ready that really are not.
That is why you have to have a personal Faith in Christ – you can’t just hang around with those who do. You can’t just do some of the things that those who do trust in Jesus do – you have to be Personally in relationship with Christ and ready.
2. The foolish Maidens wanted to be with the Bridegroom – Jesus but had no personal relationship with Him.
The foolish Maidens wanted – desired to be with the Bridegroom but that wasn’t enough. You can be sincere but sincerely wrong.
3. There will come a time when there are no more opportunities for people to be in Relationship with Jesus – the door was shut.
Don’t be misled to think that life is guaranteed and that there will always be tomorrow. Jesus teaches us that He will return at anytime and there will come a time when if you are not right with the Lord – the door is shut – no time to make a decision now.
4. The key to the Wise Maidens was enough Oil in life and for their relationship with Jesus.
Oil in Scripture was used for many things. Those listening to Jesus teach and those who would have read this passage back then would have understood that Jesus was teaching more here than just OIL for a lamp.
Oil was used for…
a. Sealing the Lord’s Presence: Anointing for His service; for healing. Ex. 30:22-33, Is. 1:6, Luke 10:34, James 5:14-15.
b. Purifying ourselves before the Lord and to be used by the Lord, Lev. 14:17, 28
c. To prepare food as life’s sustenance.
d. Consecration for the Lord’s service.
Oil is correlated to the HS in our life. The HS seals God’s presence with us; anoints us as His; Purifies/Sanctifies – consecrates us to be used for the work of the Lord; provides understanding to the Word of God – our sustenance for Life (man does not live on bread alone but on every word of God).
Body: How do we have a Personal & Persevering Faith in Jesus Christ – the Bridegroom?
1. Seek to be Wise, not foolish.
Being Wise: In this passage we are called on to be Wise.
Scripture teaches us that:
The Fear/reverence of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom. Psalm 111:10
Prov. 3:7, Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
Prov. 11:30; He who wins souls for the Lord is Wise.
Prov. 3:13, Blessed is the man who finds wisdom
Prov. 13:10, A Wise man takes advice from others.
James 1:5 Ask the Lord for Wisdom and He will give it to you.
Being Wise means to seek the Lord with Reverence and seek His ways and the advice of others to accomplish everything He desires with you. If you lack that Wisdom – ask God for it!
In order to be Prepared we need to be Wise through Faith.
2. Seek to be Filled with the HS.
Eph. 5:18, “… be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
We need to let God’s presence in the HS fill us. Like breathing in Air – we need to Breathe in the Spirit of God. We need His guidance, comfort, conviction, intercession, empowerment, seal, and work in our lives to be Holy and Set apart for the Lord and His Work.
The Foolish Maidens didn’t have the Oil needed when the Bridegroom came. So when Jesus comes, we need to be Ready by being Filled with the HS each and every day of our lives.
ILL> Give me Oil for my lamp, my Ford, my Board
3. Know Jesus Personally and be known by Him. John 1:12-13, If anyone receives and believes in Jesus, he gives the right to become Child of God.
Rom. 10:9-10 If you believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead and confess with you mouth that He is Lord, you will be saved.
No one can do this for you. God has no Grandchildren, only children. Do you have a personal Faith – Relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord?
ILL> Just like you can borrow someone else’ parachute when sky diving, you can’t borrow someone else’ faith before the Lord. You must have your own. You must make your own confession of Faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Conclusion:
A. There are those who today who seek to study and study to discover When Jesus will Return.
I don’t know – Scripture says that no one knows for sure.
Yet, there are those who dismiss the truth that Jesus will return Suddenly – Maybe Today. They think life will just keep going on and on… It won’t – Jesus will come back – maybe Today!
B. The Only Real Question we ought to concern ourselves with today is this: What do we need to do in order to be Prepared when Jesus does Come?
Answer #1: Develop a Personal, Persevering Faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life! How?
Be Wise – not Foolish.
Be Filled with the HS in your daily lives.
Know and be Known by Jesus – the Bridegroom.
Jesus is Coming – Are you Prepared? What area of this Personal, Persevering Faith do you need today?
