Turn to Matthew chapter 25, Matthew chapter 25.
I'm just going to tell you up front that anybody who has a problem
with a preacher speaking of hell, speaking of its certainty,
speaking of the need for an individual to make a decision
because of its reality would have a hard time
with the teaching of Jesus because he's very clear.
He speaks and refers more to hell than he does to heaven
and he warns folks of it often.
He wanted folks to clearly know the need to make a personal decision
to follow him.
This morning I just want to share one story that he told
and to share with you the applicable truths that go along with that.
It's found in Matthew chapter 25.
Begins in verse 1 and it says this.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them.
But the wise took flask of oil with their lamps.
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a cry.
Here's the bridegroom.
Come out to meet him.
Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise,
Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.
But the wise answered saying,
Since there will not be enough for us and for you,
go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.
And while they were going to buy,
the bridegroom came.
And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast.
And the door was shut.
Afterwards, the other virgins came also saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered,
Truly I say to you, I do not know you.
Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Everybody loves a wedding.
Except for maybe an ex-fiancee.
Or a previous spouse.
Or a discontent child in the midst of the ceremony.
Or a paying parent.
Maybe everybody don't love it.
But at least for some,
it is a grand occasion.
Whether it's a big one,
or whether it's a small one,
the couple likes to make it right.
There's no difference in that in the ancient Jewish world.
As a matter of fact,
it was a bigger, more grand occasion in that world
than it is in ours.
There are similarities to us,
as well as differences to us.
It's important, I believe,
to understand those differences,
to understand the story.
The bride was accompanied by her bridesmaids.
Just like today.
In America.
But here they're called virgins.
Virgin is a term here that is used,
that's spoken of sexually,
as well as maritally.
Speaking of their status.
One and the same was the thought.
And I'm not going to say some couples didn't try to act married,
but it was never condoned,
and a lady was marked by it if she was caught.
These virgin bridesmaids help the bride prepare herself
and celebrate with her before the wedding.
Very similar today that when the bridal party takes all day to get dressed together,
do all those things together.
Fellows try to do that as well,
but they put their britches on about five minutes,
and they leave, and they're ready.
And so they don't know what to do with the rest of the day.
But the bridegroom would then come and receive his bride at her house.
And he would take her to his house if he had one.
If he did not, he would take her to his parents' house.
And there the celebration would take place among the invited guests.
The festivities could last a week
and be filled with dances and feasts and receptions.
And therefore, when the bride was ready and waiting,
the bridesmaids would all go out into the streets
to watch for the groom coming.
Often he took his time to build anticipation.
Seems somewhat the opposite today of sorts
because if you go to a modern wedding in a church,
you'll see that when the rest of the party is waiting,
everybody's waiting for the bride to come down the aisle.
And everybody stands to welcome her as she comes down the aisle.
Well, in that day, in that culture,
it was one where they were waiting on the groom to get there,
and he would sometimes be a little late to build that anticipation.
I'm just going to tell you, men,
I encourage you, don't try that today, okay?
Don't make them wait today.
It no longer builds anticipation.
It builds animosity, and that's not the best way to start.
When he arrived, his arrival was repeatedly announced.
The bridesmaids would have lamps,
torches made from oil-drenched rags
with catched dishes under them.
And so that they could proceed through the part of that present,
as they proceed through town, excuse me,
there would be no streetlights for the most part.
What they had were made with oil rags,
and by midnight, many of those would burn out
if they hadn't rewrapped them.
They didn't have phone lights in that day.
If they didn't have a lamp, they wasn't a part.
So extra oil was to be carried for the lamps
because once they'd lit,
they would only stay lit about 15 minutes.
So you didn't light them early.
You made sure you had enough oil
in case the procession was long
or in case the anticipation was a little longer than expected.
At the end of that procession,
the wedding party went into the courtyard
in the center of the home,
and they would shut the gate
to keep any intruders out.
And once that gate was shut,
it typically was not opened again
to keep those uninvited out.
Those that were late were left out.
Jesus told this story to speak to people
about a cultural event that they were familiar with,
to speak to them in their language
about things that they would understand.
He always spoke to people
about what they were familiar with.
And I thank God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
He still speaks to us at the level in which we need to hear it.
The Holy Spirit works that way.
Most people understand the wedding customs of their environment.
Therefore, Jesus tells a story that points,
that speaks of weddings,
but it points to the return of the Lord.
And he often spoke of his return.
And when he spoke of his return,
and when he spoke of our arrival in heaven,
he spoke of it as a wedding,
with him being the groom
and the church of Jesus Christ,
being the bride of Christ.
And that our engagement,
as it is now,
will be consummated
when he returns to receive us unto himself.
He illustrates that through this story.
And what he tells,
the message in this story is simply this.
You better be ready for it.
Now, much can be said about this story,
but I'm not going to keep you long.
I want to share three applicable truths with you today about this story.
The first one is this.
The wait does not change the reality.
Some had prepared so they could participate.
Some had intended to prepare,
and they didn't get it done.
They put it off in prep.
They got lax.
Possibly because he didn't come till midnight,
they fell off to sleep.
When the bridegroom came,
they were not ready,
and they were left.
Those without oil represent those
who never have surrendered their lives to the Lord.
It is often those that think about spiritual things,
but they put them off for a time.
They're not quite ready yet.
Or possibly there's a time in their life
when they thought about that
and it became something important to them,
but they didn't really do anything about it.
They didn't really act on it,
so they got lax about it spiritually.
Or either they just spiritually went off to sleep.
Never really dealing with it.
The prepared ones here are those who have dealt with it.
And there's a lot of symbolism here
because he talks about an oil-filled lamp
or an oil-drenched lamp.
Oil is often used in Scripture
as an illustration for the Spirit of God.
You see that in the Old Testament.
You see it here in the New Testament.
Oftentimes, it speaks of the Holy Spirit of God.
And when somebody gives his or her life
to the Lord Jesus Christ,
Scriptures tell us
that he immediately will save us,
change us,
and empower us
with the Holy Spirit of God
living within us.
So those who live for the Lord Jesus
have the Holy Spirit
and they are ready to meet the Lord.
And those who do not have the Holy Spirit
because they've not surrendered their life to the Lord
are not ready to meet the Lord.
You receive the Holy Spirit
when you surrender your life to Christ.
And if you share your faith,
people will often tell you
they're not ready yet.
That sounds good,
but I'm not ready yet.
People can be on the verge
of making a decision for Christ
in a conversation
or in a worship hour
and fail to respond.
And as they leave,
sometimes urgency leaves them as well.
They go back,
leave that worship hour,
leave that conversation,
go back to their lives
knowing that they're still incomplete.
And thank God the Holy Spirit
continues to nag somewhat at them.
But over time,
that may dissipate.
That may not be there.
Time passes,
too much time.
Opportunities come,
opportunity goes.
And then the bridegroom comes.
What does it mean
when the bridegroom comes?
It means it's too late.
I have a friend
I had the opportunity
to pastor his family.
He grew up in Pickens.
Served the Lord faithfully
as a minister
for many years.
And just this past week,
when he went to pick his wife up
at the airport on the way home,
they were in a tragic car accident.
And she went home
to be with the Lord.
Never anticipated that.
Never knew that was going to happen.
It was suddenly
that it took place.
Dear lady in my previous church
this past week,
she had some health problems,
nothing serious.
But something turned on Thursday.
Something quickly turned.
And on Friday,
those dear fellas said goodbye
to their mother
and their wife.
It was quick.
It came unexpected.
They didn't anticipate it.
That could be
what he's talking about
when he talks about
when the bridegroom comes.
He could also be talking
about the return of the Lord.
The second coming of Christ.
Who I believe
can come at any moment.
I don't believe
we're waiting on something
to happen.
No, I believe
he can come at any moment.
Whatever it is,
the wait does not change
the finality of it, folks.
I don't know about you,
but sometimes I've had to wait
so long for something
I just kind of gave up on it,
you know.
I don't want to get personal here,
but I live in a house of ladies.
And sometimes
it's just time to go back
in the house
and make a sandwich
instead of going to eat,
you know.
You just get tired of waiting.
Don't let the wait
change the reality
of the finality.
I'll make you two promises.
One is,
the Lord's going to return.
I promise you.
And number two,
it's sooner than it's ever been.
And so we need to be ready.
Whether it comes for us individually
or whether it comes in the sky,
we must be ready.
Second thing is this.
The unprepared
cannot get ready
fast enough.
The unprepared
cannot get ready
fast enough.
The procrastinator slogan is,
why do it today
when you can put it off
to tomorrow?
And if that's mowing
your grass,
that's okay.
It'll just grow a little bit
and be a little longer
the next day.
But if it's your soul
and your eternity
is at stake,
you better be careful
with that.
I'm not telling you that.
Jesus told you that.
He spoke in Luke chapter 12
with the parable
of the rich fool.
He was a man
who had a field
that produced a good crop.
As a matter of fact,
he grew so much crop
and had so much intake
that his barn
wouldn't hold it anymore.
And so he invested
in the farm
and he decided to build
his barns bigger
and store it more
and so he could retire
and take it easy
once he got it all in.
He had his plan
complete on earth,
had his profile
all set up.
He was ready.
But then God said
in Luke chapter 12
verse 20 and 21,
you fool!
This very night
your life will be
demanded of you.
Then you'll get
what you have prepared
for yourself.
This is how it'll be
when anyone
who stores up things
for himself
but's not rich
toward God.
We can invest
so much of ourselves
in this life
and forget
the most valuable thing
we have
is our own soul
and it is incomplete
and hopeless
outside of Christ.
when we get
so wound up
about our life
be careful.
We'll lose
our own soul.
You must be ready
for we have no idea.
Concerning the return
of the Lord
Jesus says
no one knows
not even the angels
in heaven.
I want you to listen
to what he says
in Matthew chapter 24
verse 40
says this
then two men
will be in the field
one will be taken
and one left.
Two women
will be grinding
at the mill
one will be taken
and one left.
Therefore stay awake
for you don't know
on what day
your Lord is coming
but know this
that if the master
of the house
had known
in what part
of the night
the thief was coming
he would have
stayed awake
and would not
have let his house
be broken into.
Therefore listen
to what the Lord says
you also must be ready
for the son of man
is coming
at an hour
you don't expect.
You see
once it's too late
you can't get ready
fast enough.
In an instant
life is gone.
The unprepared
can't get ready
fast enough.
Third truth is this
I want you to hear me
clearly.
The door will never
be opened again.
It'll never be
opened again.
I believe two of the
most horrifying
pictures of heaven
for me
is one
the separation
and the second
is the finality.
And once the door
is shut
you're left out.
all the times
you could have
but now you can't.
It's final.
One of the difficulties
of doing a funeral
and visiting
with that family
just like I did
on Friday
was knowing
as I stood
before that casket
this is final.
Whatever's been said
has been said
whatever's been done
has been done
whatever decision
has been made
has been done
this is final.
whatever you say
about death
whether you're
afraid of it
or not
it is
final.
Now I'll tell you
I have no fear
of dying
itself
but I'm kind of
like Will Rogers
when he said
I want to die
like grandpa
who died peacefully
in his sleep
not screaming
like the passengers
in his car.
The transition
and the difficulty
before
can be dreadful
but death
in itself
I don't dread.
Each day
God gives me
an undeserved blessing
and what horrifies
me honestly
is the death
of others.
Some folks
are scared
to die
and someone
without the Lord
ought to be
afraid to die.
Christians
if you know
that you know
I'm not talking
about by your
church affiliation
I'm not talking
about by your
doctoral education
I'm not talking
about by your
baptism
or by your
confirmation
I'm not talking
about by your
family heritage
I'm talking
about by your
personal decision
to say
Lord
I am a
sinner
and have no
hope outside
of you
today I ask
you to forgive
me of what
I've done
wrong
and what
I'll do
wrong
and to
come into
my life
and change
me
empower
me
to rise
above the
temptation
that comes
into my
life
and save
me Lord
for all
eternity
I am thankful
that the Lord
says
everyone who
calls upon
the name
of the Lord
shall be
saved
if you've
done that
you have no
reason to
fear death
many do
even though
Christian
and I
understand that
it's common
we ain't been
there
you know
new experiences
are scary
don't feel bad
about that
it's the fear
of the unknown
whatever you say
about it
afraid or not
though it's
final
there's no
turning back
and I want to
be clear today
there's theological
discussions about
all this stuff
I want to be
clear today
what I see
in scripture
tells me that
once the door
of opportunity
is shut
it's gone
there is no
second chances
after this life
let me go a
step further
and say this
I believe the
door can be
shut spiritually
before one
dies
and this is
why
the Bible
is clear
that we
only come
to God
because the
Spirit of
God draws
us
it is God
that does
the initiation
it is God
that does
the knocking
and on some
hearts doors
it may only
be once
and in other
people's lives
it may be
multiple
times
but there
comes a time
either in
your death
or possibly
before your
death
when God
no longer
initiates
that
and without
his initiation
we're not
awake enough
spiritually
to follow
his lead
God has a
deadline
you don't know
what that is
I don't know
what that is
I had a man
tell me one
time
he said
I don't think
I can be
saved
I think
I passed
God's
deadline
I said
that's
blasphemy
you don't
have a clue
how God
works in
your life
and what
he'll do
in you
there comes
a time
when the
Spirit's
conviction
does not
come
hardness
sets in
there comes
a time
when the
message
is not
heard
the
knock
does
not
come
and so
if God
is speaking
to your
heart
today
respond
the
door
may never
be opened
again
I don't
understand
all that
I'm not
saying that
definitively
for your
life
I'm just
telling you
that if you
slip out
of this
life
or he
interrupts
our life
by his
return
you will
miss
the
opportunity
and I
want you
to hear
me today
Jesus
is clear
the door
will not
be opened
again
I'm not
sure how
to stress
the urgency
and I
know when
I do
that somebody
will say
it sounds
manipulative
and you know
what I'll tell
them to do
I'll tell
them to go
back and read
Matthew 25
because what
Jesus says
is you need
the oil of the
Holy Spirit of
God in your
life before
it's too
late
and I
thank God
today
that today
is the day
of salvation
he provides
us that
opportunity
when God
calls
come
when he
leads
go
and every
time you
deny him
understand
your heart
grows
harder
toward his
truth
now that
speaks to
us in
several ways
today
for one
if there's
any uncertainty
in your
life about
your salvation
and a lot
of people
teach different
things
I truly
believe that
scripture says
that unless
we confess
with our
mouth that
Jesus is
Lord and
believe in
our heart
that God
raised him
from there
we won't
be saved
I mean
that's the
only way
we can
be saved
is to
acknowledge
that
you can
learn all
the theology
you want
to
you can
go through
all the
steps of
any church
affiliation
you want
to
but if
you've
never
surrendered
your life
to the
Lord
if he's
not Lord
of your
life
you're
not ready
for his
return
you're
not ready
to leave
this life
and I
don't want
anybody
who has
the responsibility
of hearing
that message
because you've
heard it
to be
left with
the guilt
of it
by not
responding
if your
house was
on fire
at 2 a.m.
in the
morning
I'm not
going to
sit in your
driveway
and wonder
should I
knock on
the door
should I
tell them
I sure
don't want
to wake
them
I'm not
going to
do it
I'm going
to knock
on your
door I'm
going to bust
out a window
I'm going
to do
whatever
I can
to make
sure
that you
hear the
message
that it's
almost too
late
that may
not be
for you
I don't
know
and if
you know
you're a
Christian
today
and you
can rest
in that
fact
you're
certain
of it
thank God
you have
a story
to tell
and the
Christian
church
in America
has went
to sleep
and that
is why
our world
is in the
mess that
it's in
you say
well what
can I
do
it ain't
about what
you can
do
it's
about what
God
can do
in you
and through
you
when you're
willing to
do something
for him
he took
a ragtag
bunch
of 11
men
added a
12th
one
when the
one
wasn't
good
and they
changed
the world
and if it
wasn't for
them we
wouldn't have
this gospel
today
we have a
job to do
folks
and I don't
know how much
time we have
to do it
but I know
we don't have
a day to
waste
if you don't
know the
Lord today
let's talk
about it
let's pray
about it
together
Lord Jesus
I love
you
I thank
you Lord
for your
word
I thank
you Lord
for your
message
I thank
you Lord
that you
loved us
enough to
give us
an adequate
warning
and Lord
I
I've
tried
today
to be
true
to what
you've
shared
to not
overdo
to not
underdo
to not
play off
of it
but to
be real
God I
ask that
your Holy
Spirit
is working
and moving
in hearts
and lives
today
and giving
folks the
boldness
to step
up and
step out
to do
what it
takes
to honor
you with
their lives
thank you
Lord
that I
can share
a gospel
message with
anybody and
let them
know the
Lord will
save them
he's willing
and able
to if
they'll
respond to
him
lead us
right now
oh God
I pray
whether it
be a public
decision
about a
previous private
decision
whether it be
one who's
felt led to
be a part of
this congregation
whether it
be one who
needs to
get saved
today
or one who
needs to let
their salvation
shine through
their lives
God
whatever it
may be
lead us
Lord today
and help us
to be obedient
as you speak
in Jesus
precious name
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