The Wise And The Foolish

The Wise and the Foolish

Matthew 25:1-13

I want to talk to you this morning about your relationship with Jesus Christ. I thought about spanking those that did not make it to the revival, but I don’t have time for that. There are hungry people here that need to hear a word from heaven. They are hungry! They are wise! They are anticipating the return of Jesus Christ! So I am obligated to feed them the meat of the word of God. You have two choice around here. Either get with the program and dine on the meat of the word of God, or choke on it. I know this is a hard word, but the truth is we can’t allow a bunch of babies to hold us up. Now if you just got saved, let me just say I am not talking to you. Young Christian, get in the word of God and start praying and you will follow along with us just fine. The ones that are going to get chocked are the ones that have been sitting in the pews for years doing nothing. Never reads the word, never prays, yet has plenty of criticism. Yep they criticize me, they criticize other Christians, and they criticize other churches. They alone are perfect. Phooey we don’t have time for this mess. Time is short. Let’s move on are you ready?

Illus:

There’s a true story that comes from the sinking of the Titanic. A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she

needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off. She was granted three minutes or they would leave without her. She ran access the deck that was already slanted at a dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room with all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep. She came to her stateroom and quickly pushed a side her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small oranges. She quickly found her way back to the lifeboat and got in.Now that seems incredible because thirty minutes earlier she would not have chosen a crate of oranges over the smallest diamond. But death had boarded the Titanic. One blast of its awful breath had transformed all values.

Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless. Worthless things had become priceless. And in that moment she preferred three small oranges to a

crate of diamonds. There are events in life, which have the power to transform the way we look at the world. September 11th was one of those events, the Kennedy Assassination and World War II are similar events. Jesus’ parable about the ten virgins offers one of these types of events, for the parable is about the Second Coming of Christ. But Jesus doesn’t come right out and say this. Rather, he lets the story describe it for him. The woman on the sinking Titanic understood, in the light of her current circumstances,

that she must make preparations for living on a lifeboat. Diamonds would not suffice, only the precious resources of an orange were good enough. Likewise, in this world where Christ may return at any moment, the parable warns, we must be ready.

Dr. Richard A. Todd, in a sermon entitled: "Ten Sleepy Women" gives some background to the parable…

Turn with me to Matthew 25:1-13

This is a parable of the second return of Jesus Christ. Not to be confused with the rapture of the church. For we know that according to scripture that the church is going to be taken out of this world according to 1 Thessalonians “13 But I would not have you to be ignorant , brethren, concerning them which are asleep , that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Church we must be ready! In this parable we see 10 virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. Hopefully before I finish this sermon you will be able to relate to either the wise or the foolish. We don’t have much time left. Yet there are those that are growing colder by the day. One day you were on fire for God. But today your fire has gone out. You need to realize this and reignite before it is too late.