[0:00] Well, if we could, this evening, with the Lord's help, turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read. The Gospel according to Matthew in chapter 25.
[0:19] Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 25. If we take us our text from verse 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
[0:35] Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.
[1:00] In the early 19th century, Andrew Boner, who was a free church minister in Glasgow at the time, one evening he came down from his pulpit steps, just like here, and after preaching to his congregation, and as he came down the pulpit steps, he was met by three of his elders waiting at the bottom.
[1:21] And as everyone was leaving the church to go home after the evening service, Andrew Boner spoke with these three elders, and as he spoke with them, he asked them this one question.
[1:35] He said, Do you think the Lord will come tonight? And so he turned to the elder closest to him and repeated his question. He said, Do you think the Lord will come tonight?
[1:49] And the first elder replied and said, I think not. And so Andrew Boner turned to the second elder who was there with him and asked him the same question.
[1:59] He said, Do you think the Lord will come tonight? And the second elder replied the same as the first, I think not. And so he turned to the third elder, and once again Andrew Boner asked the same question as he had asked the other two elders.
[2:16] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? And he, like the others, said, I think not. And as Andrew Boner looked at these three elders, he said, quoting Matthew 24, verse 44, Therefore, be ye ready at an hour when you think not.
[2:38] The Son of Man cometh. My friend, do you think the Lord will come tonight? What makes you sure he won't come tonight?
[2:52] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? Therefore, be ye also ready, for in such an hour that you think not, the Son of Man cometh.
[3:07] During his life and ministry, Jesus spoke in many parables to the crowds that followed him. But let's not think that the parables of Jesus were just sermon illustrations or just a little story that he used to entertain his crowd in order to keep their attention.
[3:25] No, the purpose of Jesus' parables was to get the listener deeply involved in order to compel them to make this personal decision about God's truth. And Jesus did this by drawing all his parables from the incidents and situations in which his listeners were very, very familiar.
[3:44] But the parables of Jesus were to become the test of all his hearers. And the test was whether or not their hearts were open to the truth. And this parable, like many of the other parables in Matthew's Gospel, they all begin with Jesus' signature phrase, the kingdom of heaven is like.
[4:04] And most of Jesus' parables in Matthew begin with that signature phrase, the kingdom of heaven. Because Jesus wants to stress to all his listeners that this is not the message of a storyteller.
[4:17] This is the message of a king. And this king has one theme and one message to proclaim. And his message is that the kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus Christ and the king has arrived as Jesus Christ.
[4:33] And the king is working in his kingdom and our response as listeners to that king in his kingdom is to humble ourselves under his authority. But although this parable begins with Jesus' signature phrase, the kingdom of heaven is like, it begins with a difference.
[4:53] Because by this time, Jesus is fully aware that the end of his ministry is fast approaching and this kingdom will continue after his death. And that's why Jesus opens this parable and says, then shall the kingdom of heaven be like.
[5:10] Because in those words, Jesus is reminding us that the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is now, but it is also not yet. The kingdom of God has begun and the work of the kingdom has begun.
[5:24] The king is working in his kingdom to bring many souls into this kingdom. But there is also an element that this kingdom will come to its end in the return of Jesus Christ.
[5:36] And what Jesus wants to tell us tonight is that our opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven will come to an end. Our opportunity to close in with Christ will not be there forever.
[5:48] One day, the kingdom of heaven will reach its final consummation in the return of this king, Jesus Christ. But now Jesus comes to us and says to us in this parable, you have heard so much about the kingdom of heaven and you've heard so much about the gospel, but what have you done with this gospel offer?
[6:11] Have you entered the kingdom of God yet? Because we do not know the day or the hour when this king is coming. And in the year 2013, we live nearly 2,000 years since Jesus died on a Roman cross and rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven.
[6:31] But the promise then, it still stands today that he has promised he will come again. And at his coming, he will judge the world. He came first as a king to save a people for his kingdom.
[6:46] But he will come again as the king in his kingdom. And as king, he will be the judge of all the earth. And that's the message of the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins.
[7:00] The Lord is coming. The Lord is coming. Do you think the Lord will come tonight? And this evening, I would like us to consider this parable under three headings.
[7:17] The certainty of Christ's coming. The complacency of Christ's coming. And the consequence of Christ's coming.
[7:28] The certainty of Christ's coming. The complacency of Christ's coming. And the consequence of Christ's coming. So we look firstly at the certainty of Christ's coming.
[7:41] It says in verse 1, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And in the day that Jesus lived in, in the events before a wedding took place, there would be, as we have in our own culture, there would be a period of engagement or betrothal where the bride and groom would pledge to one another that they will get married on a certain day, at a certain time, and on a certain date in the year.
[8:11] But when a wedding took place in the day and generation in which Jesus lived in, and according to his own Jewish culture, a wedding had two parts. On this great occasion, a large crowd of the family and friends of the groom would pour out into the street in front of the groom's house.
[8:30] They would come from all of the houses in the village just to wait. And as this crowd was gathering outside the groom's house and the groom would come out with several of his close friends and they would leave the house and the banquet where it was to take place and they would make their way to the home of the bride, which was probably across town or in a nearby village somewhere.
[8:52] And so the groom would leave his home with his friends, say, here in Cross, and he would go to the house of his bride, say, down in Southdale, and he would go to her house and collect her and escort her back to his own family home where the large crowd waited for the feast that would be held there.
[9:12] And when the groom would reach the bride's house, she would be ready and waiting to go with her groom back to the banquet. And in the journey back to his home, the bride would ride upon the back of this animal and the groom with all his friends would form this parade that would travel from one village to the other, from Southdale back into Cross.
[9:35] And as they made their way back to the groom's house, some of the crowd would wait in the street for the arrival of this wedding party. And the picture that Jesus is trying to create is that the bridegroom has already claimed his bride and they are on their way back to his home to enjoy the banquet.
[9:52] And that there are many people who have gathered in the street to await the arrival of this wedding party. Many people have been invited and many people have come to enjoy this great feast and included in the crowd that are waiting for this wedding party are ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
[10:14] And just to make it clear, these young women were not bridesmaids. As some translations have it, they were not part of the wedding party. They were ten virgins, ten unmarried young women who went out to wait for the arrival of the bridegroom near to the bridegroom's house.
[10:33] But then Jesus tells us that there was a difference between these ten young unmarried women who were waiting for this bridegroom. And the difference was that five of them were wise and five of them were foolish.
[10:48] Because the wise young women took extra oil for their lamps, but the foolish young women did not. five of them came prepared and five did not come prepared.
[11:01] But the interesting thing about this parable is that Jesus tells us that it takes place at night. And among all the guests that are waiting for the arrival of this wedding party are these ten young women.
[11:14] And each of them have a lamp and at that point all ten lamps are lit. But carrying a lamp wasn't unusual. because in the Near Eastern culture women both young and old always carried lamps with them.
[11:29] Their reputation and sometimes their personal safety depended upon having these lamps and having them lit. Because for a young unmarried woman or for an older widow to roam around the streets at night it was unthinkable.
[11:44] It wasn't safe, it was dangerous to be out at night in the hours of darkness. But this parable tells us that all of these young women have lamps and each of their lamps at this point is burning.
[11:56] But there are differences among them. Five of them have brought extra olive oil in small flasks while the other five have not. And as we look at this passage we cannot press and spiritualise the passage more than what Jesus originally intended.
[12:13] We cannot press the idea that the oil in the lamps are some significant symbolic meaning or that the wise and the foolish women were members of the church who became lazy in their faith.
[12:24] We cannot press and spiritualise the passage or else we will miss the whole point of what Jesus is trying to say. But what we can be certain of in understanding this passage is that Jesus is the bridegroom.
[12:39] And what we can be certain of is that he will return. My friend, the point of this passage is to present to us the question are you prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ?
[12:56] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? And over the years many people have guessed. They've guessed and suggested and proposed when the Lord will come but no one knows.
[13:10] No one knows when it will be. No one knows the day and no one knows the hour. Even in recent years some have suggested the 22nd of May 2009. But that date came and went.
[13:23] Others have suggested that the 21st of May 2011. That that would be the end of the world and Christ would come in the power of his kingdom but that didn't happen either.
[13:35] And some people such as the ancient Mayan people maybe you saw it at the end of last year their calendar ended in their winter solstice at the end of 2012 because they predicted that on the 21st of December 2012 that the end of all human history would finally come.
[13:55] But all those dates and every prediction has failed because no one knows. But just in case we don't actually understand what Jesus says about his second coming he repeats himself three times in the passage that we read together.
[14:10] Because in chapter 24 at verse 36 Jesus says But of that day and hour knoweth no man know not the angels of heaven but my Father only. And then in verse 42 of the same chapter Watch therefore for you know not what hour your Lord doth come.
[14:28] And in our text this evening Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man come. And what Jesus is telling us over and over again is that it does not matter who guesses and how many guesses are made.
[14:44] No one knows when Jesus Christ will return. But that doesn't mean he won't return. Even the last words in this Bible that we read from week to week tell us that he is coming.
[15:01] The last thing Jesus says to the world and to his church as the canon of Scripture is closed is behold I come quickly.
[15:13] He is coming. He is coming. My friend there is certainty in Christ's coming because there is a feast prepared for those who are in his kingdom.
[15:25] That is his promise. Is that not what he promised to his disciples? In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you.
[15:36] I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also.
[15:49] There is certainty in Christ's coming because he has promised that he will come again. He will come again. But there is also another reason as to why I am certain.
[16:03] And that you should be certain that he will come again to judge the world as king. And the reason I am certain and the reason you should be certain of his coming is that most of us if not all of us in here in our lifetime have prayed that he would come again.
[16:26] we have all prayed for Christ to return and to judge the world. Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[16:52] and whether you want him to return or not I know that from a young age you have prayed that the Lord would return and he will return.
[17:06] He is coming and he will come again as king in his kingdom. But are you ready for his coming? Are you ready for his coming?
[17:21] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? There is a certainty of Christ's coming but secondly we see the complacency of Christ's coming.
[17:36] The complacency of Christ's coming. These ten young women had all been invited to the wedding of the bride and the bridegroom and they all stood at the house of the bridegroom with all the other guests and they awaited his grand arrival.
[17:53] All ten of them had brought their lamps and at this point each of their lamps were still burning but five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. Five of the young women took extra oil for their lamps but the other five women did not.
[18:09] Five of them came prepared. Five of them did not come prepared and they all waited eagerly and anticipated his coming with all excitement and they waited and waited and waited and waited until they all fell asleep.
[18:42] And at an hour when they did not expect the bridegroom came and you can almost hear the town crier heralding his message to those who were waiting behold the bridegroom cometh go out to meet him and it was at that moment when everything was silent and all seemed normal all was safe and quiet and yet with that cry at midnight it became a time of crisis because the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins was finally revealed there was no difference before the bridegroom came.
[19:21] No one could tell who was prepared and who was not but once the bridegroom arrived the separation between them became far more apparent and the fact that they were all sleeping is not meant to be this criticism.
[19:34] The point of the parable was not to highlight whether the wise or the foolish virgins were meant to be awake. The point that Jesus is stressing is the importance of being prepared when the bridegroom comes.
[19:47] The problem was not that they were all asleep. The problem was that they were not all prepared. And the reason Jesus mentions that it was at midnight that this cry was heard was to highlight at what time a thief would strike.
[20:02] And that's what Jesus has already said in the previous chapter at verse 43 because he says that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
[20:18] Is that not what Jesus said on many occasions that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night? Is that not what Jesus said to all the churches in the book of Revelation?
[20:30] If you do not watch I will come upon you as a thief and you shall not know what hour I shall come upon you. And you know panic must have set in straight away.
[20:43] These foolish young women didn't know where they were. They all awoke in darkness to the sound of someone crying that the bridegroom is coming. And as they came to their senses the foolish young women came to this sad realization that they didn't have any oil in their lamps.
[20:59] They all arose from their sleep and trimmed their lamps but the foolish women were too late. The bridegroom is coming. Do you think the Lord will come tonight?
[21:16] But in their desperation these foolish young women turned to their wise friends and pleaded they pleaded pleaded for some oil. Give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out.
[21:29] But the wise woman said no because there will not be enough for us and for you. And the fact that the women say no has nothing to do with greed or that the women should have been kind and gracious and handed their oil to these foolish virgins or shared some of it with them there wasn't going to be a market open at night for them to quickly go and buy some oil.
[21:51] But the point that Jesus is getting at is that this is a personal matter. This is a personal matter. The foolish woman could not borrow the resources of the wise.
[22:04] The foolish woman could not borrow the preparation from the wise. They had to come prepared themselves. And my friend you cannot borrow the preparation of others.
[22:15] You cannot rely upon the preparation of others. You cannot rely upon the prayers of your parents to save you. As good and as faithful as they may have been they will not prepare you for the coming of this king.
[22:31] You cannot rely upon the membership of your wife or your husband or your mother or your father. They have come because they know that they need to be prepared. But you cannot rely upon that.
[22:43] You cannot rely upon your own good works. Good works will never save anyone. Good works will not prepare you for your eternal meeting with this king. And my friend you cannot rely upon your own good attendance in church.
[22:57] You cannot even rely upon the fact that you are here in church tonight. And yes my friend it's good that you are here. It's great to see you all and keep coming to church but Jesus wants to teach us tonight that we all must come individually on our own personally and throw ourselves at his mercy.
[23:19] Just throw ourselves at his mercy. You cannot rely upon the resources of others. You cannot rely upon the salvation of others.
[23:31] And yet these foolish women thought that they could just borrow some oil in order to get into the wedding feast. they had become so complacent about the return of the bridegroom that they didn't prepare as they should have.
[23:44] They were unprepared. But you know Jesus doesn't describe these young women as unprepared. He doesn't say that they weren't ready or that they were unprepared or that they had made a mistake by not bringing enough oil with them.
[24:02] Jesus doesn't say that. He describes these young women in no other way apart from foolish. They were foolish.
[24:16] But this isn't the first time that Jesus has told us about foolish people who didn't prepare. What about the rich man who built bigger and better barns to store up all his wheat for the winter?
[24:28] Yes he had made preparations for this world. He had planned for the future and looked ahead and thought that everything around him would be fine. He had prepared for this life but he had not prepared for eternity.
[24:41] And what did God say to him? Thou fool tonight thy soul is required of thee. He was unprepared. Or what about the wise and the foolish builders where the wise builder built his house upon the rock but the foolish builder built his house upon the sand.
[25:01] And both these houses were fine. They were both grand structures that all could see. You couldn't tell the difference between them. That was until the water beat upon their houses and revealed the true condition of the foolish man's foundation.
[25:17] And that's what the second coming will do. It will reveal who is ready and who is not. It will reveal who is prepared and who is not.
[25:28] It will reveal who is wise and who is foolish. And what I find so hard to understand is why you are still not in the kingdom.
[25:40] You have had every opportunity and every effort made for you to come to Christ but yet you will not come. You will not prepare for the king who is coming and because you will not prepare after all that has been done for you this king calls you a fool.
[25:58] Jesus calls you a fool. These aren't my words. This is his word. Jesus calls you a fool.
[26:11] And yet my friend the wisest thing that you could ever do is to trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation. Don't be complacent.
[26:23] Don't think it will be okay. You know that you need to be saved. Don't pretend to me that you don't. Don't ignore the warning.
[26:36] Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the son of man cometh. Don't ignore the warning. Do you think the Lord will come tonight?
[26:53] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? God? We've seen the certainty of Christ's coming. Then we saw the complacency of Christ's coming.
[27:06] But thirdly and finally we see the consequence of Christ's coming. The consequence of Christ's coming. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
[27:25] Afterward came also the other virgin, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.
[27:44] It was a sad ending for these young women. Their foolishness left them outside the wedding feast. While they went to buy some precious oil, the bridegroom came.
[27:56] And all those who were waiting eagerly went into the feast and had been prepared. But when these five foolish women returned, they came back to an empty street. The place was deserted and all those who had been prepared went into the feast to enjoy the marriage supper.
[28:13] Those who were ready went in with him into the wedding. Those who were ready. My friend, you need to be prepared for the coming of this king.
[28:26] Because these foolish women came to the door and said, Lord, Lord, open to us. But the reply only showed how unprepared they really were. I do not know you.
[28:38] And the door was shut. And you know, it was the same in Noah's day. Jesus has already told us what happened in Noah's day. Chapter 24 at verse 37 he says, But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
[28:56] For as in the days that they were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
[29:12] In Noah's day, life was normal. There was nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary, apart from this old man building a large ship in the middle of the desert.
[29:23] but life, it continued as it always had. And yet there was a niggling voice of a preacher that told everyone that judgment is coming. Judgment was coming, judgment was coming, the Lord was going to flood the earth, but no one had ever seen rain and they were miles away from any ocean or sea.
[29:42] How was God going to flood the earth? And yet this preacher of righteousness preached for over a hundred years, telling people to prepare for the Lord's coming judgment, but they did not listen.
[29:56] They did not listen. And isn't that children's song so fitting? Mr. Noah built an ark. The people thought it such a lark.
[30:08] Mr. Noah pleaded so, but into the ark they would not go. They were complacent. They thought that judgment would never come.
[30:19] They thought they were safe. They didn't listen. They didn't prepare for the Lord's judgment, but the rain came. The rain came, judgment arrived, and there were many who cried to Noah to let them into the ark, banging and banging, banging and banging, just to get in, but it was the Lord who had shut Noah and his family in, and the Lord who had shut others out.
[30:43] And it will be the same when Jesus comes as king in his kingdom. There will be many who cry out to the Lord to open the door, banging, banging, banging, crying to the Lord, Lord, Lord, open to us, Lord, Lord, open to us.
[31:03] And they will plead and plead and plead for the Lord to open the door, but he will say, I do not know you. I do not know you. And the door will shut.
[31:20] What is hell, my friend? What is hell? Hell is the truth realized too late.
[31:33] hell is the truth realized too late. The Lord will come as a thief in the night.
[31:46] He will come without warning. No one knows when and many will tell you there is plenty of time, plenty of opportunities.
[31:56] He won't come yet, not just now, tonight. And maybe you're right. Maybe you're right.
[32:08] Maybe the Lord won't come tonight. Maybe tonight isn't the night of his return. But that doesn't mean he won't come for you tonight.
[32:22] It doesn't mean that he won't call you out of this world and into eternity. It doesn't mean that he won't call you out of this world tomorrow. It doesn't mean that he won't call you out of this world this week.
[32:35] Are you prepared, my friend? Are you prepared to meet your God? Are you prepared to meet your Creator? Are you prepared to meet your King?
[32:50] I hope that no one in here will ever hear the words thou fool. Tonight thy soul is required of thee. There's a great hymn that was written many years ago that retold the story of a man who went to visit an elderly woman and the conversation that took place during their meeting.
[33:16] And the hymn begins by saying, it was in a country cottage and the sun was sinking low as I stood beside the pillow of one who soon must go. And as the sun beams lingered around the dying bed, she turned her eyes upon me and this is what she said, he is coming soon to call me, he is coming by and by, but oh, I am not ready, for his coming draweth nigh.
[33:43] Then I spoke to her of Jesus and of his power to save, and I said there still was mercy, although she neared the grave, but she did not seem to hear me, for her thoughts were all astray, and as I strained to listen, I could only hear her say, he is coming soon to call me, he is coming by and by, but oh, I am not ready, for his coming draweth nigh.
[34:10] There she told me all her story, how in strength, and health I knew she had lived for pleasure only, and her words were words of truth, but now beside the river, in fear of doubt, she stood, too weak to trust in Jesus, and once again she said, he is coming soon to call me, he is coming by and by, but oh, I am not ready, for his coming draweth nigh.
[34:38] Just a day or two she lingered, and then the summons came, and her spirit fled and parted, never to return again. O sinner, heed the warning, and seek the narrow way, eternity is coming, and you must pass that way, he is coming soon to call you, he is coming by and by, can you say today you're ready, for his coming draweth nigh, can you say today you're ready, for his coming draweth nigh.
[35:22] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? He might not come tonight, but he might come for you tonight.
[35:34] I don't know, I don't know, but what I do know is that he knows, he knows your day, he knows your hour, can you say today you're ready, for his coming draweth nigh.
[36:01] Do you think the Lord will come tonight? Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.
[36:17] May the Lord bless these thoughts to us. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, prepare us for eternity.
[36:32] For we know, Lord, thy word reminds us that our life is like a tale that is told, and only a weaver shuttle that runs. And help us, Lord, to prepare for eternity.
[36:47] Help us to be reminded of the shortness of time, but the length of eternity. Bless thy word to us, we pray thee. Keep us on mercy's ground until we find thee, and keep us, Lord, in the week that lies ahead.
[37:03] For we do not know what a day or an hour may bring for us. Lord, go before us and do us good. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.
[37:14] Amen. I shall conclude by singing in Psalm 98. Psalm 98 from verse 4 down to the end of the psalm.
[37:37] Psalm 98 from verse 4 Let all the earth unto the Lord send forth a joyful noise. Lift up your voice aloud to him, sing praises and rejoice. With harp, with harp and voice of psalms, unto Jehovah sing, with trumpets cornets gladly sound before the Lord the King.
[37:55] Let season all their fullness roar, the world and dwellers there. Let floods clap hands and let the hills together joy declare. Before the Lord because he comes, to judge the earth comes he.
[38:08] He'll judge the world with righteousness, his folk with equity. We sing these verses of Psalm 98. Let all the earth unto the Lord send forth a joyful noise to God's praise.
[38:22] Let all the earth unto the Lord send forth a joyful light lift up your voice sound.
[38:48] And to him sing graces and rejoice with heart, with heart, and voice of sound, quand j color...
[39:17] storm, to w and you know, name, right, and o'er going, the name, just Let peace and all Let fullness rule The world and well as it Let was capaz Let the heavens To gather joy declare
[40:18] Before the Lord Before the heavens To judge the earth Come see He'll judge the world With righteousness His hope with equity You Can I speak