My name is Ed. I see some new faces, so I'm one of the pastors here at Trinity Cambridge.
We're going to continue on in our Matthew series, so if you would open up your Bibles with me.
! We're in Matthew 24, starting in verse 36, and then we'll read all the way to Matthew 25, verse 13.
If you don't have a Bible and would like to use one, feel free to raise your hand. We'd be happy to grant you
or give you a Bible for you to use at this time. I'll be reading from the English Standard Version.
Again, starting from Matthew 24, verse 36.
If you would bow your heads as we come before the Lord in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
who are we
but dust
here
one day and gone tomorrow
and yet you care for us. You are mindful of us.
So much so that you give us your word.
your word that exhorts us,
addresses us,
wakes us up from our slumber.
And we pray that you would do that very thing by the power of your Holy Spirit.
The indwelling Holy Spirit would open up our eyes, unlock our ears,
so that we would hear how you are addressing us today in your word.
That we are to stay awake, to stay ready for you are coming.
You're coming soon.
So I pray that though my words are weak,
your power would manifest in cutting us to the heart
and helping us, empowering us to live transformed lives.
Lord, please do this for your glory.
Help us.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you are able,
please rise to honor the reading of God's word.
Again, starting from Matthew 24, 36.
But concerning that day and hour,
no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven,
nor the Son,
but the Father only.
For as were the days of Noah,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as in those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day when Noah entered the ark.
And they were unaware until the flood came
and swept them all away.
So will be the coming of the Son of Man.
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 do not 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, you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant
whom his master has set over his household
to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master
will find so doing when he comes.
Truly, I say to you,
he will set him over all his possessions.
But if that wicked servant says to himself,
my master is delayed
and begins to beat his fellow servants
and eats and drinks with drunkards,
the master of that servant will come on a day
when he does not expect him.
And at an hour he does not know
and will cut him in pieces
and put him with the hypocrites.
In that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
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 flasks of oil
with their lamps.
As the bridegroom was delayed,
they all became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a cry,
here is 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 be not 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
into the marriage feast.
And the door was shut.
Afterward, 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.
This is God's holy
and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Have you ever noticed
that the substance
of your nightmares
don't really change,
but only merely
the circumstances?
It's pretty much
the same nightmare,
but they're distressed
in different clothes.
I don't have them often,
but I've had this
recurring nightmare
ever since I was little.
this recurring dream
of being caught
unprepared
by unexpected circumstances.
When I was in high school,
I had the nightmare
of walking into class
only to find out
that I have a huge major final
that I wasn't prepared for,
so I get a big fat F.
When I was working
my corporate job,
it's going into a meeting
only to find out
that I'm supposed
to give a huge presentation
in front of the corporate
bigwigs, right?
The directors
and the VPs,
so it ends up
me getting fired.
And I kid you not,
my wife and I
were in the throes
of wedding planning.
I had the nightmare
of getting married to her.
Not that kind of nightmare, right?
I wanted to get married to her,
but it was a nightmare
of going to the wedding,
finding out that
I don't have anything prepared.
Like, where are the flowers?
Where's the dress?
Where's my own suit?
I woke up in a cold sweat
that night.
But can there be anything
more terrifying
than to be prepared,
unprepared,
for the end of the world?
It seems like that fear
is in our cultural DNA, right?
Endless movies and TV shows
seem to be just harping
on that one same fear.
It's in the air.
It's in our waters.
As I was prepping
for this sermon this week,
I discovered a surprisingly
large subculture
of people who are getting ready
for the apocalypse.
Right?
Readiness,
apocalypse readiness groups,
or preppers,
as they call themselves.
Right?
They have websites,
they have Reddit threads,
they have even local chapters
that meet throughout
the United States,
which you can go
and join today.
All for the purpose
of helping one another
to get ready
for the end of the world.
They think that maybe
the sun will blow up,
or there actually will be
a zombie apocalypse.
But whatever they're preparing for,
they're packing out bug-out bags,
they're prepping
their fallout bunkers,
all to get ready
for this cataclysmic event.
It might sound ridiculous,
and certainly in our culture,
they're sometimes
the butt of our jokes,
but ironically,
these preppers
get something right.
They get something right
to get ready
to the end of the world.
Something that we all
need to get ready for.
The only problem
is that they profoundly
misunderstand
how to get ready for it.
What about you?
Are you ready
for the end of the world?
Do you know how
to get ready for it?
In this passage this morning,
Jesus tells us
that the end of the world
is in fact coming.
Why?
Because he is coming.
And he can return
at any point,
in 10 minutes,
or in 10 millennia.
You do realize,
I might not actually
get to finish this sermon.
He is coming,
and when he does,
he will judge
each and every single person,
yes,
including you,
for your readiness.
So we need
to get ready.
So that's the main point
of my sermon today.
Expect
the unexpected return
of Christ.
And in turn,
I'll talk about
four points
that this passage
addresses.
First,
the hour
that is hidden
from us,
the return
that is certain
for us,
the readiness
that is required
of us,
and finally,
the door
that is closing
on us.
By way of reminder,
we're in the middle
of the Olivet Discourse
that started
from the disciples'
question
in chapter 24,
verse 3,
which reads,
tell us,
when will these things be,
and what will be
the sign of your coming
and of the end
of the age?
Last week,
Sean preached
about how Jesus
answers this
part one
of the question
where he addresses
the beginning
of the end,
and this week,
Jesus moves on
to now part two,
the end
of the end.
And it's signified
by a clear transition,
these two words
right in the beginning
of our passage,
but concerning,
but concerning.
Right?
Earlier in the
book of Matthew,
Jesus,
and also later,
the Apostle Paul,
they use this
exact same phrase,
these exact same words
to shift topics.
So we have a clear
paragraph break here.
Jesus is moving on
now to address
the topic of the
end of the age,
or to put it
in more biblical terms,
the day of the Lord.
About this day,
Prophet Joel
proclaims,
let all the inhabitants
of the land
tremble,
for the day
of the Lord
is coming.
It is near,
a day of darkness
and gloom.
The day of the Lord
is great
and very awesome.
Who
can endure it?
So,
if this day,
the last day
of the history
of the world
as we know it,
is fast approaching,
it's understandable
that the disciples,
they ask their
respected rabbi,
when will this
fateful day be?
Because if they know
the timing,
then,
of course,
we can get ready
for it appropriately.
And during that time
in particular,
this topic
is a hot button topic.
People are talking
about it,
wrestling with it,
giving their ideas,
when it could be,
with no one being able
to give a compelling answer.
But surely Jesus,
surely Jesus would know.
But what Jesus says
must have surely
shocked his disciples.
Concerning the timing
of the day
and the hour,
not a single soul knows.
Nor will we ever know,
though many have tried.
Take Edgar Weisant,
who was a former
NASA engineer,
who wrote a book
called 88 Reasons
Why the Raptures
Will Be in 1988.
1988.
That book did not age well.
Or Harold Camping,
who predicted
that the return of Christ
will be in 2011.
His followers
were so convinced
that this is the day
that he's going to return.
So they sell
all that they have
to put up billboards
and travel the world
and tell everybody
that he's returning.
Not the wisest
financial decision.
Even the Jehovah's Witnesses,
they've predicted
the end of the world
four times already.
Already in 1914,
1918,
1925,
and 1975.
Every generation
has had people
who think
that they've cracked
the code.
And every single person
ends up getting it wrong.
Not a single person
will know the day.
Not even the glorious angels know.
Most astonishingly,
Jesus openly declares
that he doesn't even know.
The Son doesn't even know.
But only the Father knows.
This is the first
and only time
in all the Gospels
where Jesus confesses
Jesus confesses
ignorance to a question.
Let reality sink in
this miracle-performing,
death-defying,
bread-multiplying Messiah,
who has answered
every single thorny question
from the scribes
and the Pharisees
with astonishing wisdom.
He is now confessing ignorance.
That must have
floored the disciples.
Even more so,
maybe for us today,
who have a clear
theological picture
of who Jesus is.
He's not just
the Son of Man,
but he is
the eternal Son of God.
the second person
of the Trinity
who sustains
all of creation
by the mere power
of his word.
How could he be ignorant
if he really is
the tri-omni-God,
the omnipresent,
omnipotent,
and most relevant
to our discussion,
omniscient God?
Now, this verse
has ignited major debate
throughout church history
with some
landing on
the heretical belief
that Jesus,
the Son of God,
is actually a lesser God
than God the Father.
But we need not come
to that conclusion.
The answer, I think,
simply lies in the fact
that Jesus was both
miraculously
and mysteriously
fully God
and fully human.
Not 50% God,
not 50% human,
not 90-10,
but 100% God
and 100% human.
Later,
in Philippians 2,
Paul helpfully
describes the mystery
of the incarnation
like this.
Though Jesus
was in the form
of God,
he did not account
equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself
by taking the form
of a servant
being born
in the likeness
of men.
consider again
that Jesus is
the tri-omni God.
He really is.
But while he is
the omnipresent God,
at the same time,
human Jesus
limits himself
to one place
at one time.
While he is
the omnipotent God,
he really is.
At the same time,
in his incarnation,
human Jesus
gets tired,
hungry.
I think we maybe
tend to understand
those two
a little bit more easily,
but I think this verse
adds another dimension
just to the great
condescension of Christ.
We mustn't forget
that while he is
the omniscient God,
at the same time
in his incarnation,
Jesus is still human
with human limitations.
Jesus increased
in wisdom
and in stature,
as Luke writes
in Luke 2.52,
and in this particular
instance,
he doesn't know.
He doesn't know
the timing
of the consummation
of the kingdom.
Why did he put
these things aside?
It's because
when the eternal
word of God
became flesh,
dwelt among us,
he walked among us
not as a super-powered
demigod,
but as a genuine,
weak,
ignorant man.
All so that he can
truly sympathize
with our weaknesses.
Jesus knows
what it's like
to be tempted,
what it's like
to be saddened
by tragedy and loss,
what it's like
not knowing the future.
Ignorance
is essential
to the human experience.
To be God
is to know things.
It's to know all things.
To be human
is to not know things.
If Jesus
didn't come
as fully human,
then what
meaningful sense
would Jesus
be our genuine
representative,
be the new Adam?
If his feet
never soiled the ground
or if eyelids
never grew tired
or if he never
had to say,
I don't know.
Theologian
Donald McLeod,
he put it this way,
Jesus had learned
to obey
without knowing
all the facts
and to believe
without being
in possession
of full information.
He had to forego
the comfort
which omniscience
would sometimes
have brought.
While omniscience
was a luxury
always within
the reach
of Jesus,
he chose
not to grasp
at it,
to grasp
at equality
with God
in that moment
to be
our true
mediator
between God
and sinful man.
consider then
the amazing
humility
of Jesus
that he displays
when he declares
that he doesn't
know something
that he could know.
Consider then
the amazing
arrogance
and pride
of man
who declares
he knows something
that he could
never know.
We are
an information
obsessed
culture.
A million
Google hits
mere seconds.
Now the power
of AI
at our fingertips.
We even gossip
because we want
to know
information.
We crave
information.
All so that
we can say
we know
things,
right?
We love
the power
and the security
that information
gives us.
And God
certainly has
given us
the ability
to learn
and know
many things.
but there
are some
things that
God will
keep us
forever in
the dark
and particularly
the timing
of his return.
Why?
To keep us
humble
and to keep
us faithfully
waiting for
his return.
But here's
what God
has not
kept from
us.
Even while
the hour
of the return
is hidden
from us,
we do know
with certainty
that he will
in fact
return.
How do
we know
this?
Jesus
then points
to Noah.
In our
passage this
morning,
have you
noticed that
all the
examples that
Jesus gives
are merely
figurative?
All but
one.
Noah is
the one
historic
example that
will prove
this day
will in fact
come.
If you're
unfamiliar with
the story of
Noah in
Genesis 6,
just a few
chapters after
God creates
the world
and mankind,
his heart
breaks because
he sees that
every intention
of the thoughts
of man's
heart was
only evil
continually.
Just and
holy God
decides to
wipe out
all of
humanity as
a judgment
on the
earth,
but not
before commanding
righteous Noah
to build an
enormous ark
of wood so
that he,
his family,
and the chosen
animals would
be able to
survive the
deluge.
this ark
that stretched
one and a
half football
fields and
was as tall
as a four
story building,
it was this
titanic
jumbotron,
right,
displaying for
all to see
the warnings
of the impending
judgments of
God.
But tragically,
not a single
soul heeded
this warning.
Instead,
they continued
to live their
lives as they
saw fit,
eating,
drinking,
and marrying
right until
their watery
graves.
And just as
the flood
that wiped
out humanity
is a
historical fact,
it really
did happen,
Christ too
will in fact
return.
Yet for
all of
church history,
this unbelieving
world has
jeered and
mocked us,
have they not,
for our silly
and fanatical
beliefs.
Especially in
recent years,
right,
don't believe
me?
Then just go
to the street,
just like the
team did in
London.
Just go to the
street and tell
them that Jesus
is going to
return at any
point,
that the world
is coming to
an end.
You'll see it
written right on
their face,
they're going to
think that we're
straight up
wacko.
Maybe you even
feel a little bit
embarrassed by
those beliefs.
They'll attack us
and say,
you guys have
been saying that
Jesus is
returning for
2,000 years.
Isn't it time,
guys, to give
it up?
But these
attacks are
nothing new.
Even the
apostle Peter
and his
churches had
to deal with
it.
We read in
2 Peter 3,
they will say,
where is the
promise of his
coming?
For ever since
the fathers fell
asleep, all
things are
continuing as
they were from
the beginning
of creation.
And how does
Peter respond?
He draws on
the same piece
of evidence
that Jesus
does.
He points
to Noah.
For they
deliberately
overlook this
fact that
the world
that then
existed was
deluged with
water and
perished.
But by the
same word,
the heavens
and the
earth that
now existed
are stored
up,
fire being
kept until
the day of
judgment and
destruction of
the ungodly.
Both Jesus
and Peter
point to the
past example
of Noah
for the
future promise,
for the
assurance that
he will in
fact come and
bring judgment.
And when he
comes, we don't
know when he
will come, but
we do know how
he will come.
It will be
universal and
it will be
sudden.
Just as the
flood came and
wiped them all
away, when that
day of judgment
comes, rest
assured that not
a single soul
will miss it.
when Jesus
personally, bodily
returns on the
heavenly clouds,
every eye will
see him, even
those who
pierced him, and
all tribes of
the earth will
wail on account
of him.
From the
greatest to
the least.
Even the
seemingly
inconsequential
nameless two
men in the
field, or the
nameless women
at the mill in
verses 40 to
41, they're
just doing
normal,
ordinary,
everyday chores.
They, too, will
be judged.
What happens to
these two pairs
is representative
of what will
happen to the
whole of
humanity.
On that day,
though the two
might look
exactly the same
on the outside,
right on paper,
they're doing the
same work,
in the same
time, in the
same place,
the inner reality
is that they
are worlds
apart.
For one is
a child of
God, and
one is a
child of
Satan.
When Christ
returns, he
will reveal the
invisible spiritual
chasm that
lies between
them by taking
the one and
leaving the
other.
And when
Jesus returns,
secondly, he
will come
suddenly.
People will be
caught in the
middle of their
work day,
working in the
field, grinding
at the mill,
still dressed in
their sweaty
clothes.
They won't have
time, we don't
have time to go
home and get
ready for Jesus.
And to hammer
home that
suddenness in
which he comes,
Jesus goes as
far as to
compare it to
a thief in the
night.
What is a
thief's greatest
asset?
It's not his
strength, maybe
it's not even
his speed, but
it is simply
the element of
surprise.
Thieves come
in at the
moment you
least expect
them.
And in
America, it's
more common
for thieves to
break in and
steal during the
day than at
night because
they know that
we're all at
work.
So Jesus
compares himself
to a thief,
obviously not to
indict himself as
a lawbreaker,
but to stress
the sudden,
surprising manner
in which he
will come.
In fact, he
even explicitly
says that the
thief will come
at an hour you
do not expect.
Therefore, the
main exhortation
is to stay
awake, stay
ready at all
times, for you
never know when
the thief will
come.
During travel,
on behalf of a
Roman century back
then, a soldier,
he would keep a
certain watch in
the middle of
the night for a
couple of
hours while all
the other
soldiers would
sleep, catch
up on rest, and
he would have to
stay awake looking
out for bad
actors.
When his watch
was over, then
the next would
come to take
his place, and
they would just
rinse and repeat.
Hear this quote
from Charles
Spurgeon,
brethren, we
have succeeded a
long line of
watchmen.
Since the days of
our Lord, when he
sent out the chosen
twelve to stand
upon the citadel and
tell how the night
waxed or waved, how
have the watchers
come and gone?
Our God has
changed the watchers,
but he has kept
the watch.
He still sets
watchmen on the
walls of Zion who
must watch for the
coming of their
master.
friends, it's our
watch now.
It is our
generation's turn to
watch for the
Lord, to stay
awake and get
ready.
So heeding this
clarion call, where
must our eyes turn
then?
Upward,
heavenward.
In no way can we
properly watch for
the Lord who will
come on the
heavenly clouds
if our eyes are
earthbound and
downcast?
This is a
contradiction in
terms.
It's like looking
left and right at
the same time.
But our eyes are
cast earthbound
because we so
easily get
distracted by
competing loves
and desires here
on earth.
The lesser
things of earth
sparkle brighter
in our eyes,
do they not,
than the golden
streets of heaven?
There's too much
in this life that
you want to buy,
to see,
to do,
to taste.
Too much you want
to experience.
Hear Jesus' words in
Luke's parallel passage,
in Luke 17.
On that day,
let the one who is on
the housetop,
with his goods in the
house,
not come down,
to take them away.
And likewise,
let the one who is in
the field not turn
back.
friends,
what use are the
things that we amass
down here,
up there?
Let your eyes
leave the fleeting
glories of this
earth and turn
upward.
Or maybe your eyes
are earthbound,
they're not
heavenward,
because of our
endless earthly
worries and
anxieties and
distractions.
I need to
progress in my
career,
I need to
save for a
house,
I need to
get ready for
retirement.
And are my
kids progressing
in the way they
should?
We forget to
consider that
Jesus can return
today because we
are so worried
about tomorrow.
Or maybe our
distractions are
more subtle than
that.
We wake up,
go to work,
come home,
sleep,
rinse and
repeat for
40 years.
Has that
monotony
lulled you to
sleep?
Has the
bright blue
hue of your
phone and
the endless
swiping lulled
you to sleep?
Brothers and
sisters,
wake up.
Take your
place at the
watch post.
It is our
time, our
turn to watch
for the Lord
now.
brothers and
sisters, how
often do you
remember that
Christ can
literally return
at any time?
I confess I
don't reflect on
it nearly
enough.
When was the
last time that
you started your
day?
Not by worrying
about your to-do
list and what you
have to get done,
but simply
remembering that
this day could
actually be the
day.
It could be
today.
It's possibly
one of the
most important
transformative
habits that we
cultivate to
remember this
regularly as we
watch and we
wait for the
Lord to return.
But watching for
the Lord is not
a mere
idleness.
Jesus' next
parable sheds
light on what
readiness actually
looks like when
he compares and
contrasts two
kinds of
servants.
The first
servant is a
model example
of readiness
for the
master return.
Notice that he
doesn't just sit
idle, twiddling
his thumbs,
sitting around
the window waiting
for the master
to return.
He doesn't
waste his time
trying to guess
when the master
will return,
obsessing over
biblical numerology,
looking at the
stars and trying
to map out
astrology.
astrology, when
he is bestowed
with a task to
provide for the
household, he
simply gets to
work.
His waiting for
the master is
expressed in
simple, ordinary
obedience to the
commands that he
has received.
He is reliable,
consistent,
trustworthy.
So when the
master of the
house returns, he
finds a thriving
household put in
order, made
possible by the
diligent work of
the servant.
As a result, the
master then grants
the servant a
major promotion,
sets him over all
his possessions.
He who is
faithful over little
will be faithful
over much.
In direct
contrast, Jesus
paints the picture
of a wicked
servant who
arrogantly assumes
that the master
is delayed.
You see exactly
what kind of man
he is, right?
For the person
you are when
nobody is
watching is
actually the
person you
are.
The man proves
his wickedness by
then taking this
opportunity without
supervision to
indulge in sin,
beating his
fellow servants,
people who are
his peers, his
equals, and
eating and drinking
with drunkards.
to this wicked
man.
The master will
come on a day
that he does
not expect,
inflict a
terrible punishment.
Using graphic
language that's
meant to shock
the sleepy
awake, Jesus
declares that
this wicked
servant will be
cut in pieces.
And as
gruesome as
that sounds,
it's not even
the worst
part.
For this
punishment
signifies so
much more
than just a
physical death.
After he's
cut in pieces,
he's thrown
into the place
with the
hypocrites,
probably the
scribes and
the Pharisees,
as we read
this in the
context of
Matthew,
where there
is weeping
and gnashing
of teeth.
How can
someone weep
and gnash
their teeth
when they've
been cut up
in pieces?
It only
makes sense
if Jesus
is not
merely speaking
about a
physical death,
but a
greater,
more fearsome
spiritual
death.
And we've
seen this
kind of
language in
Matthew before
that the
place of
weeping
and gnashing
of teeth
signifies the
eternal,
unquenchable
fire of
hell.
So by
both of
the incentive
of reward
and the
spur of
punishment,
Jesus teaches
us how we
are to get
ready,
how we're
to get ready
for the
master's
return.
And that
readiness
certainly has
nothing to
do with
irreverent
silly myths,
neither is
it frantic,
fanatic acts
like so many
cults end up
taking.
On the one
hand,
it's
positively,
it's simple,
consistent
faithfulness to
the tasks that
God has called
you to.
going to
the office
day after
day,
honoring the
Lord by
putting your
best work,
raising your
kids,
exercising
patience and
love day
after day.
And on the
other hand,
negatively put,
it's fleeing
from sin and
keeping a
close watch
over your
soul,
knowing that
the heart
is desperately
sick,
and that
we are so
prone to
forget that
he is coming.
We are so
prone to
wander.
We do
well to
commit
ourselves to
prayerful,
careful,
watchfulness.
Here's a
helpful definition
of watchfulness
by Puritan
Thomas Brooks.
Watchfulness
is a
continual,
careful
observing of
our ways
in all the
passages and
turnings of
our life
that we
still keep
close to
the written
word of
God.
In other
words,
readiness for
the end of
the world,
it looks like
godliness and
holiness.
Peter says so
in that same
chapter that we've
been reading from,
from 2 Peter 3.
Since all these
are thus to be
dissolved,
what sort of
people ought
you to be in
lives of
holiness and
godliness,
waiting for
and hastening
for the
coming of
the day of
God.
So,
watching,
watching for
the Lord's
return and
watching your
own soul,
they're not a
contradiction.
They're not
competing efforts.
In fact,
we watch for
Christ by,
by watching
our own
souls.
Here is a
simple question.
What do you
want to be caught
doing when the
Lord returns?
What do you
want to be
caught doing
when the
Lord returns?
So,
do only
those things
in the right
manner that
you'd hope to
be caught
doing,
and simply
avoid all
the rest.
So,
the servant
parable,
it shows us
what happens
when the
master arrives
sooner than
expected.
Now,
in this last
parable,
Jesus shows
us something
equally sobering.
Whatever,
what happens
is when
he arrives
later,
later than
expected.
This parable
focuses on
a group of
ten virgins
during the
wedding.
It can be
hard to place
ourselves in
this parable
because first
century Palestinian
weddings,
they're radically
different from
our weddings
today.
The limited
info that we
have,
customarily after
the legal
nuptials in
the bride's
home,
the bride
group would
then walk
over to
the great
banquet at
his home,
accompanied by
a group of
young,
unmarried
women who
are these
virgins in
this parable.
I think the
closest equivalent
might be like
our weddings
today if the
wedding ceremony
and the wedding
reception were in
two separate
places and you
have to travel
in between
them.
But unlike
our weddings,
there was no
set time that
things would
end.
Our time
obsessed culture
could never
deal with
this.
And that
culture back
then to the
question,
how long will
it take?
The only right
answer would
be as long
as it takes,
as long as
it needs to.
That meant
the group of
women needed
to prepare
well.
They needed
to prepare
well for
their one
and only job
to accompany
the bridegroom
and to light
his path
home.
But out of
the ten,
only five
are wise
enough to
prepare oil
with their
lamps,
just in
case that
the bridegroom
is delayed.
The five
foolishly neglect
to prepare
any oil
at all.
And of
course,
lo and
behold,
the bridegroom
is delayed
in verse
five.
He's so
delayed that
in fact all
ten of the
virgins
fall asleep.
It's not
just the
foolish that
sleep,
but remarkably
the wise
too.
It's a
remarkable
contrast
given the
exhortations
earlier in
our passage.
And the
wise sleep
too,
which goes
to show
that watching
for the
Lord,
it doesn't
mean that
we burn
ourselves
out,
running at
a complete
sprint at
all times.
We need
sleep and
rest too.
But these
are two
very different
kinds of
sleep.
for the
wise sleep
in readiness,
in preparation
for what's
to come,
like soldiers
sleeping in
their battle
guard.
But in
contrast,
the sleep
of the
foolish,
it exposes
not only
their
unpreparedness,
but their
laziness
too.
Shouldn't
these five
girls have
sacrificed
some sleep
to get
ready to
honor the
bridegroom?
I wonder
if
procrastination
and
laziness
might be
some of
the sins
that we
tolerate
most easily.
Does
laziness
sound as
bad as
unbridled
anger
or untamed
lust?
But make
no mistake,
spiritual
procrastination
and laziness
can lead us
to hell
just the
same.
It is
my
greatest
fear
that
there
are
some
who
go to
church
week
after
week,
maybe
even
this
own
church,
and
you
hear
the
life
changing
gospel
only
to
delay
putting
your
faith
in
Jesus
Christ,
saying,
oh,
I'll
always
have
later.
I need
to finish
school
first.
I need
to get
married
first.
there's
always
later.
Maybe
these
five
thought
the
same
exact
way
until
later
became
too
late.
My
friend,
if you
have
not
put
your
faith
in
Jesus
yet,
what
is
your
delay?
We
don't
know
when
Christ
will
return.
I'm
sure
there
are
many
priorities
in
your
life.
There
are
a
lot
of
important
things,
but
your
eternal
life,
heaven
or
hell,
how
could
that
not
reach
the
top
of
your
list?
So
take
the
steps
necessary
to
get
ready.
Christian,
we too
are
guilty
of
procrastination,
are we
not?
I am
guilty
of
procrastination.
If
Christ
can
return
at
any
point,
why
have
we
delayed
in
sharing
the
gospel
with
that
co-worker,
with
that
friend,
with
that
family
member?
Is
there
someone
that's
named,
that
image
is coming
immediately
to mind,
that the
Holy
Spirit
is
putting
on
you
right
now?
Delay
not
your
obedience,
but take
steps
to share
honestly.
Don't
be arrogant,
don't be rude,
don't offend
unnecessarily,
but be bold
and share
what's on
your heart.
And when
you do,
remember
what's
actually
happening
here.
I'm so
encouraged
by,
again,
the London
team.
for some
reason,
lately,
we've been
getting a
good number
of sales
people
coming by
our
door,
right,
selling
insurance,
solar panels,
high-speed
internet.
If I
can,
I try
to talk
to them
every
single
time.
But,
you know,
every time
they come,
they always
have this
look,
I've
noticed.
It's
like this
embarrassed,
sheepish
look,
like,
hey,
I need
something
from you,
but I'm
embarrassed,
I'm sorry
to ask.
But how
often do
we treat
sharing the
gospel in
the same
way?
Like,
we're
bothering
them,
we're
nuisancing
them,
we're
taking up
their time.
When we
evangelize,
let us not
forget,
we're not
doing them
a disservice,
we're sharing
with them
the good
news of
Jesus Christ,
the best
news of
his love
for us.
We're
getting them
ready,
we're
getting them
ready,
they need
to get
ready,
so we're
getting them
ready for
the return
of the
bridegroom.
And here
he comes,
at midnight,
later than
anyone expected,
a voice
announces the
arrival of
the bridegroom.
The girls
are shocked
awake and
immediately
scrambled to
get ready
for their
one job.
They trim
the charred
ends of
their lamps
so that the
flame can
burn clean
and bright
again.
only for
the five
to realize,
oh shoot,
their stomachs
drop.
I'm not
ready.
I have no
oil.
And so
they run
to the
other five,
the wives,
hey,
give me
some of
your oil.
I need
some oil.
And the
wives realize,
we don't have
enough to share.
we don't have
enough to
share.
And oil,
a lamp
without oil,
it's like
flashlights
without
batteries.
This battery
needs two
double A's.
I only have
two.
I can't
share one.
Lest there
be no
light at
all.
Lest there
be no
light for
the bridegroom
at all,
they send
the other
five to
then go
buy some
more.
The five
go to
buy.
And during
that time,
that exact
time,
the bridegroom
returns.
He comes
and he
enters in
the marriage
feast with
all those
who are
ready for
him.
Once the
foolish five
return,
they find
out the
scariest
reality
in all
of Scripture,
that the
door has
been shut
on them,
never to
be opened
again.
There is
a finality
to this
conclusion.
once the
door is
shut,
it is
never to
be opened
again.
Then Jesus
echoes what
he said on
the Sermon on
the Mount,
chapter 7,
declaring the
same judgment,
I never
knew you.
Depart
from me.
So this
is the
million dollar
question.
Are you
ready?
Are you
ready?
Jesus makes
the point in
this parable
that the
readiness
isn't
transferable.
No one
can get
ready for
you.
No one
can transfer
the oil
of their
lamps onto
you.
Not the
faith of
your parents,
not your
friends,
not your
pastor,
not your
husband or
wife.
Will you
hear,
well done,
good and
faithful servant,
or will you
hear,
I never
knew you.
When I
was younger,
I honestly
was terrified
at the
thought of
Jesus
returning.
I
always
thought I
needed more
time.
I needed
more time
to get
ready,
to fix
myself.
I wondered
if I was
good enough.
I
thought that
if Jesus
came back
when I
was in
the middle
of a
sinful
act,
then the
door would
be shut
on me.
Maybe if
I got
lucky,
if Christ
came back
when I
was in
the middle
of doing
something
holy,
like
worshiping
or praying,
then I
could be
entered
in.
I thought
it was
like Russian
roulette.
Maybe I
had a
shot.
Maybe,
just maybe,
if I
got
lucky.
That's
the only
thing I
could depend
on was
luck.
Do you
realize how
terrifying it
is to live
like that?
Do you
live like
that?
Because
who can
truly
declare
that you're
so confident
that your
lives are so
pure and
holy and
perfect that
when Christ
returns,
he would
not catch
you in
sin?
Sins of
the mind,
sins of
the body,
sins known
and sins
unknown,
sins of
omission and
sins of
commission,
sins great,
sins small.
Even when
we're not
sinning,
maybe in
that particular
moment that
he returns,
friends,
who can
possibly
declare
themselves
fully ready
for the
return of
Christ?
But
praise be
to God
that because
of his
first coming,
all those
who have
put their
faith in
Jesus Christ
are now
ready for
the second
coming.
We just
sang of
it that
praise be
to God
that our
sin,
not in
part,
but the
whole,
is laid,
nailed onto
the cross
so that we
can truly
declare from
the depths
of our
heart that
it is
well.
We are
ready.
We are
eager for
our master
to return.
Jesus
alone is
the solid
rock on
which we
stand.
Confidence,
we don't
have confidence
in ourselves.
We don't
say that we
are ready
because of
ourselves,
but because
of the
finished and
perfect work
of Christ.
Jesus gave
himself,
as we read
in the
assurance of
pardon,
to redeem
us from
all lawlessness
and to
purify for
himself a
people for
his own
possession at
the cross
of Calvary.
So now we
are those who
eagerly await,
joyfully await,
hopefully await
for his
arrival.
No longer
do we
cower in
fear of
the day of
judgment.
Why?
Because there
is no fear
in love.
There's no
fear in love,
but perfect
love casts
out fear.
So all
who confess
that Jesus
is our
Lord and
Savior,
without
fallout
bunkers,
without
MREs,
without
preparing,
like these
apocalyptic
ready groups,
we are
the ones
that are
ready for
the end
of the
world.
We're
ready to
stand before
the almighty
judge on
that faithful
day.
We're
ready.
We're
ready to
receive the
crown of
righteousness
that is
bestowed for
all those
who loved
his arrival.
What good
news.
Life is
so hard,
and staying
ready at
all time
is so
hard.
We fight
this battle
on many
fronts,
our sinful
flesh,
the temptations
of this
world,
and our
wily enemy.
How prone
we are to
wander away.
But whoever
openly declares,
if you openly
declare today,
that you just
simply say,
Lord, I need
your help.
I can't do
it on my
own.
That no
matter who
you are,
what you
have done,
no matter
how much
time you
have wasted,
he will
never reject
you.
Never,
ever reject
you.
But you
can openly
declare this
beautiful verse,
this ending
to Jude,
now to him
who is able
to keep you
from stumbling
and to present
you blameless
before the
presence of
his glory
with great
joy.
To the
only God,
our Savior,
through Jesus
Christ,
our Lord,
be glory
and dominion
and power
and authority
for all
time,
now and
forever.
So until
that day,
that glorious
day,
we labor
on in
expectancy
and in
hope,
that one
day when
our faith
shall become
sight,
so we
make it,
we make it
our greatest
longing,
the prayer
of our hearts,
simply just
to say,
Lord,
come,
Lord Jesus.
pray with
me.
Father,
we praise
you that
again,
though we
are not
ready in
and of
ourselves,
though we
have proven
ourselves
undeserving
for the
crown of
righteousness,
we praise
you,
oh God,
that because
of your
faithfulness,
your call,
your help,
the power
of your
Holy Spirit
that is
training us
to live
lives of
holiness
and godliness,
we look
to you
and we
are eager
for your
coming,
though we
are battered
and discouraged,
though we
are weak
and tired,
empower us
today,
encourage us
today,
make us
eager and
hopeful
for your
arrival.
We long
for that
one
great day,
and in
Jesus' name
we pray,
amen.
Amen.