Got Oil?
Matthew 25:1-13
December 2, 2012
As you know we are currently working our way through what must be considered the most important teaching there is on the end times.
It is the most important because it came directly from the lips of Jesus.
When asked about the end, this is the answer that He gave.
And Jesus first started with an EXPLANATION of what would happen.
• There will be a time of great devastation in the world
• It will be followed by a time of great tribulation
• The catalyst for both of those will be the abomination of desolation
• And following that will be the coronation.
And that was the simple explanation of the events.
From there Jesus moved directly into His EXHORTATION.
This is the portion of the sermon where He tells you
What you should do with the information He has given you.
Now at this point I have to tell you that I messed up.
As much as I would like to blame it on the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving week, the reality is that I’m human.
You probably noticed, but we skipped a few verses last week.
I have no idea why, but I just failed to deal with verses 32-35.
Matthew 24:32-35 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Now I’m not going to go back and give you a full sermon on this passage,
Being out of order, I don’t want to mess up our flow.
If you’re a note taker, then this should have been the first point last week.
You can write it as:
The Return of the Lord will be:
SURE LIKE THE SEASONS
That is what Jesus reveals here.
Jesus is obviously speaking a parable,
But He is speaking a parable of certainties.
Now nature is full of certainties.
• The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west
• Fall follows summer and winter follows fall and so on.
Well in Jesus’ day one of those certainties was that
A fig tree put on leaves just before summer.
Anyone could tell that summer was approaching
Because a fig tree had leaves on it.
It is a fact of certainty.
Well Jesus takes that truth and applies it
To what He has just said about the events preceding His return.
• The beginning of the birth pangs are wars, earthquakes and famines
• The birth pangs then get more severe with world-wide tribulation
• And then finally the figurative birth is when Christ appears.
And Jesus wants you to know that those things are certainties.
(33) “so you too when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”
In other words, it is coming quickly.
In fact:
(34) “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
He is referring to the generation living at that time.
When those things start coming, they will not pass away until He returns.
And then comes the important statement.
(35) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
And that is His point.
There is a time coming
When everything that seemed certain is going to fall into chaos.
But one thing you can count on is My word about this.
Devastation and Tribulation are coming and then I’m coming back!
It will happen.
It is sure like the seasons.
Now from there Jesus went into the text we studied last week.
(36) “But of that day and hour no one knows”
And so Jesus says, it is coming, I just can’t give you a date.
So the event will happen, we just don’t know when
I told you it is like my dad counting to an unknown number silently.
Since it will happen, and since you don’t know when
You had better prepare yourself now.
We learned that His return will be Sudden like the Flood.
It will be Surprising like a Thief.
And it will be Severe like an Angry Master.
It is coming when you don’t expect it, so be ready for it now.
And this is a thought Jesus continues on
In our text we study this morning.
This morning we get another parable from Jesus,
But He uses it to make that same familiar point.
BE READY!
The important distinction to this parable
Is that not only does it tell us to be ready, but it also begins
To give us an understanding into exactly WHAT READINESS LOOKS LIKE.
There are 5 things I want you to see
#1 AN UNDETECTED PROBLEM
Matthew 25:1-4
Now you will immediately notice that we are dealing with a comparison
“The the kingdom of heaven will be comparable…”
He is using a parable, an illustration,
To help you and I understand the point He is trying to get across.
And here “the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”
So now we understand the backdrop to the parable.
There is a wedding going on.
You may remember from our study of Matthew 22
That there was no bigger event in this culture than a wedding.
It was long anticipated and it was largely celebrated.
• Typically two Jewish fathers would get together and arrange the marriage of their children.
• At that time the two would be formally engaged (even requiring a divorce to sever it)
• The bridegroom would then go and seek to establish a trade or a farm and seek to prepare a place for the two of them to live.
• After the appointed time they would come back together and the wedding feast would then be celebrated, culminating in the bride being given to the groom and the marriage being consummated.
The celebration itself was a big-to-do.
It could last over a week and the feast would be second to none.
Needless to say, it wasn’t just the bride and groom
Who looked forward to a wedding feast.
Well here in our parable we actually have ten virgins
They are sort of like the bridesmaids and as part of the wedding party
They would be those who carry the torches.
Verse 1 says they “took their lamps”, but the word is actually “torches”.
This would have been a stick, wrapped with cloth or rags.
And during that day they would carry a container of oil
To saturate the rags and make it burn.
Well these virgins were taking their torches and anticipating the return of the bridegroom so the wedding feast could get under way.
There would have been much anticipation.
Now that is the setting.
Let me show you what is special.
(2) “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.”
Now a statement like that by itself would be peculiar,
for how would you know?
But Jesus here explains what He means.
(3-4) “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.”
All ten took torches,
But only five took the oil to allow them to burn their torches.
And Jesus says the five with oil were wise
And the five without oil were not wise.
Now that does pose a question that need to think on for a moment.
WHY WOULD FIVE OF THEM GO OUT WITHOUT OIL FOR THEIR LAMP?
(obviously because they were foolish)
There are only a couple of options.
1) They didn’t have any oil, because they hadn’t bothered to buy any.
2) They had oil but didn’t feel the need to bring it.
Now because later they go to buy oil we realize that
They didn’t have oil and never saw the need to get any.
They were just content to walk around with their torch,
But never seemed to worry that they had no oil to burn it.
And according to Jesus, this was a foolish decision.
So for appearance sake, they looked the part.
I’m sure they were dressed like bridesmaids,
They certainly had their torch,
But what you couldn’t see was that they were foolish without any oil.
Undetected Problem
#2 UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
Matthew 25:5-6
“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.”
Now some would see this as sinful behavior,
But Jesus doesn’t insinuate this as a mistake.
After all the wise slept here too.
Rather, the point is that the bridegroom
Did not come at an opportune time.
He came at that hour when He was unexpected.
Just like the flood
Just like the thief
Just like the master
The bridegroom came at an hour when they did not think he would.
After all, who starts a wedding feast at midnight?
So they knew He was coming,
But they certainly didn’t expect Him at midnight.
He “was delaying”
(6) “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”
All of a sudden there He was.
They hadn’t expected Him at midnight, but that is when He arrived.
And at once it was time for the virgins to light their lamps
And go out and meet Him and usher Him into the wedding feast.
Undetected Problem, Unexpected Arrival
#3 UNPREPARED VIRGINS
Matthew 25:7-9
And all of a sudden the foolishness of the five is really beginning to show.
“all the virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”
This was them trimming up the frayed edges
And even saturating their torch with oil.
They were getting ready to light the torch.
However, five of those virgins didn’t have any oil,
And it is apparent that being caught unprepared
They tried to do the next best thing.
They tried to light their torch without any oil,
But you know what was happening, it wouldn’t stay lit.
They needed oil.
(8) “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’”
They knew they were in trouble, they knew they had a problem
So in desperation they turned to the others and begged for oil.
But, that wasn’t possible.
(9) “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’”
Now it wasn’t that the prudent were stingy,
It was simply that it required a certain amount of oil to burn that torch
And they didn’t have enough for both.
The only option was for those five virgins to quickly go
And buy some oil and get their lamps to function.
So being unprepared has caught up with them.
#4 UNWELCOME KNOCK
Matthew 25:10-12
(10) “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.”
And you know what has happened here.
The five wise virgins are now in the wedding feast,
But the five foolish have been shut out.
(11-12) “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘ Lord, lord, open up for us.’ “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’”
And there is the real tragedy.
They were too late, the door was shut
And they were not allowed to enter the wedding feast.
Now that is the story, and Jesus says that that story
Is comparable to the kingdom of heaven.
So we need to apply some substance to the symbols
And see what is occurring.
• Well, the bridegroom is obvious – Jesus
• And the wedding feast is easy – heaven
• The virgins – those who profess to be with the groom (religious)
• The Lamp – outward religion
• The Oil – Holy Spirit
Which would make
• Five Prudent virgins – true believers
• Five Foolish virgins – false believers
That means all ten outwardly looked the part,
But only five were truly prepared.
Now look at the story again.
We have here a group of 10,
• ALL know that the bridegroom is coming.
• ALL know that He is on His way.
But only five of them are truly ready, they are prepared.
The others seem to think that their outward preparation is enough.
They don’t seem to worried that they really aren’t ready for Him to come.
And the longer the bridegroom delayed, the more comfortable they remained,
For so far their bluff had yet to be called.
They were so comfortable in fact that they had no problem sleeping
Right there among the wise virgins.
But something changed all that.
The bridegroom arrived!
• And all at once those who didn’t really know Christ or have the Spirit, frantically try to prepare themselves, but realize it is impossible.
• In desperation they look to the genuinely righteous and ask for help,
• But salvation isn’t theirs to give.
Remember Paul?
Romans 9:3 “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
Paul said, If I could I would, but salvation isn’t mine to give.
And the truly righteous couldn’t give it either.
So at the last second the only thing these foolish phonies can do
Is run try to get salvation.
So they run to the merchants to buy it.
This is like the parable’s Jesus already taught about the kingdom.
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Those were people who saw the value of the kingdom
And willingly gave all they had to enter it.
And now you have these fraudulent Christians at the final moment
Frantically scurrying to see if they can get saved at the last second.
The problem is, while they are off trying to make things right,
The genuine believers were gone and the door was shut
And these procrastinating hypocrites were not welcome.
Didn’t Jesus say:
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
This group has fallen into that category.
And so Jesus reveals here with this parable
That on the day of His return there will be a number of people who,
Although they look the part externally,
Will show themselves to not be real and will not enter heaven.
This is a terrifying reality.
That there can be some in the church
Who think they are saved and really aren’t.
NOT EVERYONE WHO THINKS THEY ARE SAVED REALLY IS
Remember the parable of the soils?
• The hard heart
• The shallow heart (rocky)
• The divided heart (weeds)
• And only one was genuine, only one produced fruit.
THE LOST AREN’T ALWAYS DETECTABLE BY THE HUMAN EYE.
Remember the parable of the tares?
We had wheat and tares growing side by side,
But you didn’t know which was which until what?
They started to produce fruit.
Jesus has always been adamant that not everyone who associates themselves with the church is really part of His church.
This is a fact.
Imposters are real.
We also need to come to grips with the fact that
The judgment is sudden and unexpected.
Listen, there are only three ways to enter the eternal judgment.
• Death
• Rapture
• Second Coming
And you don’t know when any of those will occur.
And that is the point Jesus is making.
Some day there will be many who assumed they were ok,
Who will find out they are not and at that point it will be too late.
Undetected Problem, Unexpected Arrival, Unprepared Virgins, Unwelcome Knock
#4 UNNECESSARY COMMAND
Matthew 25:13
I call that unnecessary, because by this point,
We all ought to already be taking care of what He is commanding.
After learning that many will not be ready for the Lord’s return,
That ought to motivate us to make sure we aren’t that person.
“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
• You don’t know the time of the return of Christ.
• You don’t know the time of the rapture.
• You don’t know the time of your own death.
The very uncertainty of those events
Requires you to prepare yourself ahead of time.
Because in the day that it occurs, it will be too late.
Matthew 5:25-26 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”
John 7:32-34 “The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
And so the advice we get is to prepare ourselves now.
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
The opportunity to purchase that great pearl is now.
The opportunity to claim that treasure in the field is now.
Oh, you can go to sleep with your dry torch,
Knowing you don’t have any oil, and say to yourself,
“I’ve got time, I’ll go get some oil tomorrow”
That works well unless the bridegroom comes at midnight.
You must be alert.
That also forces us to ask ourselves what it means to be ready or alert.
• Well certainly foolishness is not readiness.
• Certainly phoniness is not readiness.
• External religion without knowing Christ is not readiness.
Perhaps you remember the other parable
Where Jesus spoke out wise people and fools.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”
In that parable they didn’t have torches, they built houses.
Those houses were their religious deeds.
And when you looked at those houses they both looked great.
The naked eye couldn’t tell the difference.
The problem was there was a storm coming,
And it was a storm that neither house could handle.
Neither man’s religious works were going to survive that storm.
But one man was wise, he tied his house
To the only thing that would survive the storm; the rock.
The other man was foolish, he assumed his house (or works)
Were strong enough on their own.
So when the storm came the foolish man realized it was too late.
Friend I have to put this to you as plain as possible.
Religion won’t get you anywhere.
Attending church is not enough
Bible reading is not enough
Going on mission trips is not enough
People can do those things and still not know Jesus (The Pharisees did)
You must have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• You must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus.
• You must repent of your sin and die to self.
• You must put your trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you.
• You must tie to the rock.
• You must purchase the oil.
So today, if you are part of the church
This parable requires that you and I examine ourselves.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
You have to examine yourself.
WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?
• Evidence of Christ of in you.
• Evidence of the Holy Spirit in you.
HOW CAN I TELL?
Galatians 5:19-23 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Look at your life and see if the Holy Spirit is evident.
Now let me tell you what not to do.
• Don’t judge yourself based on your intentions.
• Don’t judge yourself based on your involvement.
Test yourselves rightly.
WHY?
Because judgment is coming unexpectantly.
You don’t know when it will occur.
And on the day it comes, it will be too late.
• Today, confess your sin and turn from it.
• Today, submit your life to Christ as Lord.
• Today trust in Christ’s atoning work on the cross.
• So that today you can be filled with the Spirit (oil for the lamp.)
Matthew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
