Expectantly Waiting Message Introduction
Today, we begin a new short message series called “Living in Light of the End.” Last Sunday we completed the series “Understanding the End Times” in which we looked at the events the Bible prophesies will happen at the end of time. Our new message series “Living in the Light of the End” will address how we should live today, here and now, having this understanding of the end times.
Bible prophesy is never intended to just give us theoretical answers to questions we may have. Bible prophesy, in fact all of the Bible, is intended to teach us how to live for Jesus here and now in the way most honoring to God.
Today, my message is entitled “Expectantly Waiting.” What are we waiting for? We should be expectantly waiting for the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. Of this return, Jesus says in …
Matthew 24:36 (NIV) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
We don’t know when Jesus will return again and we are in good company. The angels do not know, even Jesus Himself does not know. One day, the Father will say to the Son, it’s time Jesus, and then He will return. Since we don’t know when Jesus will return, it could be anytime. That’s really at the heart of Jesus’ teaching on His return in Matthew 24-25.
If Jesus could return at any time, we have three options if we believe that Jesus is coming.
- First option is to think that Jesus’ coming is way off in the future. It’s so distant that we really don’t need to think about it or prepare for it. We will just focus on life in the here and now and let the distant future take care of itself. As we’ll see today, this is a very bad choice.
- Second option is to think that since Jesus could come today or tomorrow, we don’t really need to plan for the future. Just live day to day and don’t make any long-range plans at all. This is also a foolish choice, which will lead to disastrous results in your life.
- Third option is to believe that Jesus could come at any time, but it might not happen for a long time. So, we need to live our lives in light of the end, but also plan for a future of unknown length before He returns. This third option is the option that Jesus teaches us to have in His instruction.
So, as believers we are waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth. How should we wait? Some may wait in dread, they really don’t want Jesus to return. But the Bible teaches that we should wait expectantly, looking forward to the return of Jesus. Our waiting is not to be an idle waiting, but an active waiting. Waiting while working diligently for the Lord in everything we do.
Matthew 24:45-46 (NIV) “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
Jesus has work for us to do while we expectantly wait for His return. Today, is the last Sunday in 2014. While it is good to reflect on God’s blessings in the last year, God wants us to begin to look forward to what He has for us in 2015. God has work for us to do as we expectantly wait for His return in the New Year. Today, we’re going to look at a parable of Jesus commonly called the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25.
Expect Jesus’ coming
Matthew 25:1-2 (NIV) “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
In New Testament times, the bridegroom took his bride to her father’s house to finalize the marriage contract. Then the bridegroom brought the bride back to his own house for the marriage banquet. The ten virgins in Jesus’ story were friends of the bridegroom who were waiting for the bridegroom to return to his home in the evening.
In this story, the bridegroom represents Jesus who has gone away and the listeners to Jesus’ story are represented by the virgins. We are waiting for Jesus, the bridegroom to return and bring us to a magnificent wedding banquet, which we’ll talk about in a future message. How many kinds of virgins are there in Jesus’ story? Two kinds, the foolish and the wise. Obviously, Jesus wants us to be like to the wise virgins, not like the foolish.
Don’t let the Spirit’s fire go out
Matthew 25:3 (NIV) The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
So, all of the virgins had lamps or torches that needed oil as fuel. Extra oil could be carried along with the lamps in jars.
What do the lamps and oil represent? Jesus repeatedly refers to Himself and His followers as lights in the darkness of the world. So, the lamps and their light represents the words and actions of the believer empowered by the Holy Spirit. I would submit that the oil specifically represents the Holy Spirit, as the anointing with oil in the Bible always refers to the anointing of God’s Spirit.
The foolish virgins had their lamps with a little oil, but they took no extra oil. They were not prepared for a long wait for the bridegroom in the night. As we’ll see, the lack of foresight by the foolish virgins resulted in their lamps going out, representing the Spirit’s fire or life in their lives going out. The example of the wise virgins shows that we must be …
Be filled with the Spirit
Matthew 25:4 (NIV) The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
The wise virgins planned ahead and took extra oil in jars along with their lamps. If the bridegroom took a long time in coming, they would be prepared to refill their lamps until He came. They were prepared to be continually filled with the Spirit until the bridegroom returned.
Jesus wants our lights to shine for Him throughout out lives until He returns or until we pass away and meet Him in heaven. Unfortunately, there are many, here represented by Jesus as 50% of people who claim to be His followers, who claim to be waiting for Jesus’ return, yet are not making the proper preparations. They have let the Spirit’s fire in their lives go out. They have become enamored with the things of the world and have stopped thinking about and seeking God’s kingdom.
However, the other 50% of believers are wise. They are seeking every day to let their lights shine for Jesus. In the midst of work, family and life’s circumstances, they seek God’s kingdom first. They are expectantly waiting for Jesus’s return.
Are living like a foolish or a wise virgin? As long as you’re alive, it’s not too late to change from foolish to wise. But don’t procrastinate, as the foolish virgins did, because …
Jesus will return unexpectedly
Matthew 25:5-6 (NIV) The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
So, rather than coming at an expected time in the evening, the bridegroom did not come. All the virgins, both wise and foolish got tired and fell asleep. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, at midnight, a loud cry rang out and woke everyone up. The bridegroom is coming, wake up to meet Him. So, the Bible tells us repeatedly, that the return of Jesus will take longer than many expect. When He does finally return, it will be unexpected …
It will be too late to prepare
Matthew 25:7-8 (NIV) “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
The oil in the lamps of the foolish virgins had been exhausted and they had no extra supply. So, the foolish virgins asked the wise to give them some of their oil, so that their lamps would not go out. But it was too late for anything to be done. The bridegroom had arrived and the lamps must be lit in order to properly welcome Him into the wedding banquet. The foolish virgins thought that the wise ones could help them, but it was too late.
Others can’t help you
Matthew 25:9 (NIV) “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
Someone else’s preparation for Jesus’ return, someone else’s relationship with God can’t help you when Jesus returns or when you pass on. Each person must get their own oil, they must pay the price in order to be filled with the Spirit and keep their lights shining.
So, the wise were not being mean or selfish, they were just stating the facts. Each person must build their own relationship with God in this life. When this life is over or Jesus returns, it will only be you standing before God. No one else can speak for you, no one else can talk to God for you, you are on your own with your relationship with God. Jesus will return unexpectedly.
What did the foolish virgins do? They procrastinated, they didn’t properly prepare, they thought they would have time, but they didn’t. And so it is, for many, many people. I’ll serve the Lord after I get my life in order, I’ll let my light shine after I get married or when I get a good job. Or maybe when I am retired or when things slow down a bit. And for many down through the centuries, death has come and they weren’t prepared.
Oh, they may have known about Jesus, maybe even made some type of commitment, but when the end came, when it was time to meet Jesus, their lamps had gone out, and they had no more oil. Death for many is unexpected and the return of Jesus one day will be even more unexpected.
So, make a decision to get ready today. What we do in this life will have eternal consequences. Make a decision to let your light blaze for Jesus in this life, living only for Him, putting Him first in every decision. That is what the wise virgins did and …
The wise will enjoy the banquet
Matthew 25:10 (NIV) “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
So, the foolish virgins ran out to Walmart to buy some more oil, but the traffic was bad and the bridegroom had returned. The wise virgins had their lamps burning and they meet Him with great joy and went in to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Underline that phrase.
It reminds us of Noah and his family going into the ark when they flood came and the door of the ark was shut. None of the people around who wanted to get in could, because the time of opportunity had passed, the door was shut. The shut door kept the wise inside safe and kept the foolish outside. Listen to how Jesus finished the story.
Jesus doesn’t know the foolish
Matthew 25:11-12 (NIV) “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
The foolish virgins finally returned to the bridegroom’s house and began banging on the door, asking Him to open it for them. Yet, the door was permanently shut, it would not be opened. Jesus told them the truth, that He didn’t know them. In other words, He had no relationship with them, for they had not valued His return enough to prepare for it. The foolish had let their lamps go out and now there was not more opportunity to repair their relationship with the bridegroom.
If you read the other parables by Jesus in this section of Scripture, it is quite clear that the foolish virgins were to spend eternity in hell apart from the bridegroom, while the wise spent eternity in heaven with the bridegroom. So, what is Jesus final admonition to us?
Be alert now in preparation
Matthew 25:13 (NIV) “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Jesus concludes by saying that you don’t know the day or hour that He is coming, it will be completely unexpected. You don’t know the day or hour when you will pass on, for many death is unexpected as well. Since we don’t know the future, we need to take action now.
What does it mean to keep watch? It means to be alert, to be vigilant, to be prepared and expecting the return of Jesus, every day of our lives. Some might say, isn’t that a lot of work? Won’t there be a cost involved? The answer is Yes, certainly. The wise virgins took their time, they took their resources to purchase extra oil and keep their lamps well supplied until the bridegroom came. Was it worth it? Resoundingly yes, as they will sure the heavenly banquet with Jesus forever, whereas the foolish will spend eternity in the torment of hell fire.
Jesus is coming again. If you’re ready for Jesus to return, you’re ready to meet Him if you pass on as well. It’s easy to get distracted from serving Jesus in this life. It’s easy to hide your light or to let it go out by being busy with other things. The time to make preparations is now.
This is the last Sunday of 2014 and 2015 begins this week. I’d encourage you to make a commitment to the Lord today to keep your lamps filled with oil this year. In other words, keep your life filled with the Holy Spirit. Keep the light of Christ in your life burning bright. As you do, you’ll light other’s lives with Jesus’ light and you’ll be ready for His return as well.
Message Audio, Outline & Study Guide
Living in Light of the End Message Series
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