BE PREPARED

Matthew 25:1-10

Matthew 25:1-10 NLT - “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, ⁴ but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. ⁵ When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  ⁶ “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ ⁷ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. ⁸ Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’    ⁹ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. ¹¹ Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ ¹² “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’    ¹³ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

INTRO:  I’m sure we all heard the motto:  Be prepared.  I believe it is the boy scout motto.  It is not only good for the boy scouts, I think in these days and times it should be the motto of the church as well.  We should always be prepared.

George Shultz, when Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz would test them. He would say, "You have to go over the globe and prove to me that you can identify your country." They would go over, spin the globe, and put their finger on the country to which sent--unerringly.  When Shultz's old friend and former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, even he was put to the test. This time, however, Ambassador Mansfield spun the globe and put his hand on the United States. He said: "That's my country."  On June 27, 1993, Shultz related this to Brian Lamb on C-Span's "Booknotes." Said the secretary: "I've told that story, subsequently, to all the ambassadors going out. 'Never forget you're over there in that country, but your country is the United States. You're there to represent us. Take care of our interests and never forget it, and you're representing the best country in the world.' "

We too are representatives or ambassadors.  Not of another country, but of the Kingdom of God.  We are ambassadors of light in a world of darkness.  And as ambassadors, we must not forget the kingdom we represent – the Kingdom of God.  So we must be prepared.

We must be prepared because we are living in the last days.  Why do I feel this way?  Is it because Israel became a nation in 1948 that we are living in the last days as some say?  No, that’s not why I believe we are living in the last days.  Is it because of conflict within the middle east, not I don’t believe that is the reason either.  Is it because of wars and earthquakes and famines, and false teachers claiming to be teaching in Christ’s name; Not according to Scripture.

  Matthew 24:4-8 TNIV - ⁴ Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

I believe we are living in the last days for two Scriptural reasons: (1) Because the Holy Spirit has come to dwell and empower Christians; and (2) Because the Gospel is going out into the whole world.

Acts 2:16-21 TNIV - ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ⁷ " 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. ²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Matthew 24:14 TNIV - And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Now since we are living in the last days, we shouldn’t be spending our time, playing church, neither should we be spending our times having our ears tickled.  We should be spending our time becoming prepared for his coming.

I want us to look at the 5 foolish virgins in this parable this morning.  These foolish virgins made 5 great mistakes that we can learn from.

1.  They made no provision for their lamps to continue burning.

Verse 3 NLT - The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps…

A.     These foolish virgins and the wise virgins both had one thing in common here:  They both had lamps.

B.     The difference was that the wise virgins brought extra oil for their lamp (verse 4), while the foolish virgins didn’t.

1.      It is not enough just to have the lamp.  It must be lit and maintained.  The reason for this is that the fire in the lamp has to have something to feed upon.

C.     The foolish virgins had the lamp, but they neglected the oil for the lamp.

1.      The oil can represent a few things for us.

2.      It can represent the fellowship we have with the Lord.  If you don’t have times of quite fellowship with the Lord, then your lamp doesn’t have enough oil to keep the fire going.

3.      The oil can also represent the Grace of God that is found in the ever-present presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  If you don’t recognize and honor His abiding presence in our lives, you are not going to have enough oil to keep the fire burning.

4.      The oil can also represent the Scriptures.  Do you study the Scriptures, or do you just listen to a preacher on Sunday’s, or on Television and Radio.  If you don’t have a personal time in the Scriptures, then your lamp isn’t going to have any extra oil.

5.      Fellowship with other Christians.  Scripture says, “Iron sharpen iron, so we should sharpen one another.”  If you don’t have fellowship and friendship with other believers, the oil in your lamp will soon run out.

D.     Many Christians when they first come to Christ have the fire of God burning brightly in their lives, but if they don’t maintain that relationship with what I’ve stated, then the oil that they have will soon burn out and when the oil burns out, so does the fire.

2.  The foolish virgins slept.

Verse 5 NLT - When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

A.     Before we go further let me explain that this is a Jewish wedding feast we are talking about here.

1.      Wedding’s in Israel during this time included a processional of the bridegroom to the bride’s family home.  These 10 virgins were bridesmaids that would go out and meet the bridegroom at a designated place.  When he would arrive then they would follow him to the bride’s family home.  This usually happened after dark, in villages and towns without street lights.  So the virgins had to carry these lamps.

2.      When the bridegroom was delayed, they would often sleep our rest until he showed.

3.      So it is in this parable as well.

B.     Now notice that both the foolish and wise virgins (bridesmaids) were asleep.

1.      There is two different kinds of sleep here. 

2.      The wise sleep because of a sense of security and trust.  They are totally prepared, they have brought extra oil.

3.      Whereas the foolish virgins shouldn’t have been asleep.  Why?  They weren’t fully prepared.  They only brought enough oil to keep the lamp lit for a few hours.  They should have been out buying more oil while the merchants were still open.  This type of sleep is one of apathy and laziness.  They think that everything is all right.

4.      The point I’m trying to make is there is nothing wrong with resting, as long as your resting is in the Lord.  You are taking up your cross.  You are endeavoring to live your life according to His word.  You fellowship with other believers receiving and giving instruction and encouragement.  But you shouldn’t rest if that rest isn’t in the Lord.  If you are just going through the motions, going with the flow, living and going to church for what you can get out of it.  That is a very dangerous state to be in.

3.  They thought that the wise virgins would give them some of their oil.

Verses 6-9 NLT - ⁶ “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’    ⁷ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. ⁸ Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’  ⁹ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

A.     They were expecting to keep their lamps burning with the oil of the wise virgins.

1.      But the wise virgins only had enough oil for their own lamps.

B.     There is an important principle and application here:

1.      We can’t expect to have oil given to us from our parents, Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, or friends; we must get the oil for ourselves.

2.      My walk with Christ doesn’t grow because of my parents, friends, or minister’s growth; it is because of my own growth.

3.      It must be a personal thing between me and God that I receive from spending my quite alone time with Him in prayer and in His Word.

4.  While they were out trying to get oil, the bridegroom came.

Verse 10 NLT - “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.

A.     You see, the time for them to buy this oil was during the day, not during the lateness of the night.

John 9:4 TNIV - As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

B.     The bottomline is if we don’t keep our wicks trimmed, and the oil flowing for our lamps, there is a danger of missing out when Christ Jesus does come.

1.      Inspect your life:  are you going through the flow, or are you allowing the oil of God to flow through you?

5.  The bad news, the bridegroom did not recognize the foolish virgins.

Verses 11-13 NLT - ¹¹ Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’  ¹² “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ ¹³ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

A.     The bridegroom didn’t recognize them because they weren’t there at his coming nor did they have any oil to burn in their lamps for the wedding processional

B.     Church, not matter what some prophecy teacher has told you, or book you read, or TV or radio show you may have watched and listened too, know one knows the day or the hour of Christ Jesus return.

1.      And because of this we should be ever watchful and always have oil in our lamps for burning.

CONCL:  I’m sure that this morning’s message has messed with some people’s theologies out there.  To be honest, we all need our theology messed with from time to time.  Christ didn’t save us so that we may live a life of ease, but He saved us to become members of His wedding processional.  He saved us so that we may have lamps that never go out.  This can only happen if we allow the oil of His presence to continue flowing through spending alone time with Him (prayer), spending time in His word and doing what it says, fellowshipping with other believers and not be lone-ranger Christians.  Seek the Lord’s presence while it is still time.  Because when He comes, it will be too late because the door will be shut.  But while there is still time, make new commitments to the Lord.  He longs for that relationship with you more than you could ever possibly know.