Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning
Text: Matt. 25:1-13
Introduction
1. Read Matthew 25:1-13
2. Illustration: Three athletes are about to be executed.
One is a short dark haired hockey player; one is a bald headed tennis player, and the third is a tall blond haired soccer player.
The guard brings the dark haired hockey player forward and the executioner asks if he has any last minute request. He replies ‘No’ so the executioner sets him up and then turns and shouts to the firing squad: “Ready! Aim…”
Suddenly the hockey player yells out: “Earthquake!” Everyone is startled and starts looking around, and in the confusion the hockey player runs away and escapes.
The guard brings the next victim along: the bald headed tennis player. The executioner asks if he has any last minute request. He answers in the negative, so the executioner gets him ready then barks his order to the firing squad: “Ready! Aim...”
Suddenly the tennis player yells loudly as he can: “Tornado!” Everyone is distracted and starts to look up at the sky, and the tennis player quickly makes his getaway.
By now the tall blond haired footballer has got it all worked out. The guard escorts him forward and executioner asks if he has any last minute request. He replies ‘No’ and the executioner turns sharply to the firing squad and shouts: “Ready! Aim...”
And the soccer player bawls out: “Fire!”
3. On the day when Jesus comes for His own there will be no escape, there will be no last requests. You will either be ready or you won’t.
Proposition: The most important thing that Jesus tells us about His second coming is to be ready.
Transition: At the second coming there will be...
I. Two Types of People (1-4).
A. Foolish
1. In verse one, Jesus says "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom."
a. The word then refers back to the Lord’s return discussed in Matthew 24.
b. He is telling His disciples what it will be like at the second coming.
c. He was saying, "Then [when the Lord returns] the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins [believers]."
d. Five are foolish and five are wise, and there is going to be a separation of the wise from the foolish.
2. The foolish bridesmaids were unprepared; they took no oil for their lamps.
a. If their lamps burned out, they would be unable to light them again.
b. The word "foolish" in Scripture often has a moral connotation to it.
c. Their sin was a lack of heart preparation for the coming of the Bride Groom.
3. They have no provision of righteousness beyond themselves. They have no supply of the Holy Spirit.
4. Mark 7:6-7 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ’This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
5. There are people today that want to talk out the Second Coming of our Lord, but they don’t want to talk about:
a. Prayer
b. Fasting
c. Righteousness
d. Holiness
e. Commitment
6. On the day that they want to talk so much about, I am afraid that they are going to be sorely disappointed.
B. Wise
1. Illustration: I read this humors account of the Wise Men (obviously written by a woman):
If it had been ‘Wise Women’ instead of ‘Wise Men’, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts from Baby’s-R-Us, including diapers, wipes, bibs and formula.
2. The second group of people are the wise.
a. The wise bridesmaids had brought along extra oil.
b. The "wise" are called such because they are prepared for the bridegroom’s delayed coming. - Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM
3. The wise virgins take oil; they do not depend upon what they have in their lamps.
a. As they go forth through life to meet the bridegroom (Christ), they lay hold of additional oil, the provision of righteousness, the supply of God’s Spirit.
b. They took care to make a proper provision beforehand, and left nothing to be done in the last moment.—Adam Clarke’s Commentary
4. The difference between the foolish and wise virgins is that the wise did what needed to be done and the foolish did not.
5. Ps. 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
6. If we want to be considered among the wise we need to constantly hunger and thirst for more of God.
Transition: There will also be...
II. Two Types of Preparation (5-9)
A. Persistent Preparation
1. In this parable Jesus said "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ’Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
2. Notice that not knowing when He was coming was not the problem. The problem was not being ready when He did arrive.
a. It will come at a surprising our: at midnight, the most surprising hour, the hour when sleep is most desired and unlikely to be disturbed.
b. It is an hour when all are asleep. Christ is coming like a thief in the night.
3. Then Jesus says "all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps."
a. Trimming a lamp simply means that the burned top of the wick, the charred top, had to be trimmed or cleaned.
b. Of course, the lamp had to be refilled with oil from the additional supply.
4. For the wise, this was no problem. They simply got up, trimmed their lamps, and added more oil.
5. Rev. 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain...
6. Those that are watchful and stengthen the things that remain, will be prepared when Jesus comes.
a. They will not be caught unprepared.
b. They will not run out of oil.
7. Rev. 16:15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."
B. Panic-stricken Preparation
1. Illustration: A couple named Curt and Jerrie went on an African safari. They learned a lesson about following the instructions of the guide. One day the guide took them out to find an elephant herd. But he made them promise in advance to obey his rules before they even went out. He gave them some very specific rules. He said, “First, if I say ‘Run!’ you run! Don’t pause. Don’t stop. Don’t take a picture. Don’t think you can hide. Don’t drop to your knees. You run! That’s law number one. Number two, when you run, when I say run, you follow me, the guide, exactly. Put your feet in my footprints. Follow me step by step. Don’t try to forge your own trial. Because in a panic, you’ll, one, get lost in the jungle, or, two, you’ll step on things you wish you hadn’t stepped on. You run when I say run and you follow my steps exactly.” Sure enough they came upon an elephant herd and it stampeded. The guide said, “Run!” and some of the people froze in their tracks from fear, panic. The guide said again, “Run!” Jerrie said at that moment in spite of my fear I had to move forward, I had to go forward. If I hadn’t obeyed I would have been trampled. If I hadn’t followed exactly in the footsteps of the guide I might have stepped on something or I might have gotten lost. The point was, she said, I had to make the decision to obey before I was in the circumstance.”
2. When the foolish arose, they fell into a state of panic.
a. All of their oil was gone.
b. Their resources had run out.
c. They didn’t have what they needed.
3. In their panic, they said to the wise ’Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 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.’
a. They did not admit to their foolishness; they only said their lamps were going out.
b. There was no repentance, nor acknowledgement that the neglect was their fault.
4. All the wise scarcely have enough for themselves. Note two things.
a. The wise had prepared. They had the oil necessary to burn the lamps for the bridegroom’s coming.
b. They had only enough, and barely enough, for their own lamps. They were not able to give any of their own oil to those who had none.
5. Entrance to heaven is based on faith and faithfulness.
a. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for our sins.
b. Faithfulness to him until the end.
6. When Jesus returns to take his people to heaven, we must be ready. Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute. Our relationship with God must be our own. —Life Application Bible Notes
a. God has no Grandchildren.
b. You won’t get their because of Grandma and Grandpa’s faith.
c. We have to have our own.
Transition: There will be...
III. Two Types of Prize (10-13)
A. Those Who Are Ready
1. The Lord will return and gather the wise. Christ shared two major points.
2. "The bridegroom came": three simple but powerful words.
a. So Christ shall come. The day will come when it will be said, "The bridegroom, Christ Himself, came."
b. He will come. We don’t know when, but we know He will.
3. Only they who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the marriage.
a. This was their purpose, the reason they were ready.
b. They had looked for His coming; therefore, they were ready.
c. When the summons came, they were able to join in the processional of the Bridegroom and to enter the great marriage feast.
4. Lk. 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
5. They that are ready will receive the prize of righteousness.
a. They that have run and finished the race will receive the prize.
b. They that have watched and prepared will go in.
B. I Do Not Know You
1. Illustration: You can’t read the article that appeared in the Atlanta Journal, June 5, 1997 without some remorse and sympathy for Clarence Jackson.
"The clock struck midnight, and Clarence Jackson didn’t turn into a millionaire." Jackson, who is 24, works in a small cleaning business in Hartford, Connecticut to help support his elderly parents. He won the Connecticut Lotto jackpot in October 1995. It was worth 5.8 million dollars. He submitted the ticket three days after the one year deadline.
He had given the ticket to his ailing father and didn’t realize it was a winner until fifteen minutes before the deadline. He didn’t know he could verify the ticket at his local lotto dealer. Instead, he waited until Monday to redeem the ticket at lotto headquarters. It was too late. The Connecticut House of Representatives voted 82-63 to award Jackson the money. Senator Alvin Penn refused to allow the bill to come to the floor of the Senate, and thus the bill died. Representative Michael Lawlor said, "Give the guy the money . . . You say we can’t change the rules. That’s all we do here is change the rules! We’re the Legislature." Jackson left the Connecticut State Capitol a dejected man.
What’s it like to be too late and lose 5.8 million dollars? I don’t know - but it would be devastating. But it wouldn’t be nearly as devastating as being too late for the return of Jesus.
2. When the foolish virgin’s came back from buying oil it was too late.
3. "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ’Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ’Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ "
4. The door was shut. This was a custom in the East. When all the guests had arrived, the doors were closed.
a. They were closed in order to secure the marriage party and to exclude intruders.
b. Only the guests belonged; others were to be kept out.
c. When Christ comes, the door to heaven will be closed. Only the ready, the genuine guests will be secured in the joys of the great marriage feast.
d. The unprepared will find the door shut in order to exclude them.
5. The foolish will be rejected.
a. The reason is simple: the Bridegroom does not know them.
b. They were not ready when He arrived, nor were they in the processional; therefore, He does not recognize them.
Conclusion
1. When Jesus comes there will be:
a. Two Kinds of People
b. Two Kinds of Preparation
c. Two Kinds of Prize
2. Which one will you be?
