Sunday, January 14, 1996
Prepare to Meet Your God
(Matthew 25:1-13)
By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.
Copyright 1996 by P. G. Mathew
Evangelical Christianity today is a mixed bag. Some believe a
very popular teaching which says that if you mentally assent to
the facts of Christianity once in your life, you will be saved
forever, no matter how you live. Others say that if you believe
in the gospel, you will enjoy better health, amass great wealth,
and have great power and position in this world. Still others
teach that if you believe in the gospel, you will be filled with
the Holy Spirit in such a way that you will bark like a dog or
laugh like a drunkard, thus demonstrating that you really love
God. Then, of course, there is biblical Christianity, which we
endeavor to proclaim, that declares that God saves sinners.
Biblical Christianity says that when God saves sinners, those who
are so saved will love God with all their heart, mind, soul and
strength, and will do good works, demonstrating they are truly
Christians.
The parable of the ten virgins deals with such a mixed bag of
people. There were ten virgins who appeared to be alike, waiting
together for the bridegroom, but only five were admitted to the
wedding banquet. From this parable we want to learn how to
prepare ourselves to meet our God.
Context: The Second Coming of Christ
This parable appears only in the gospel of Matthew, and is set in
the context of Matthew 24 and Matthew 25:14-46, passages which
deal with the second coming of Christ. These scriptures speak of
our need to be ready to meet Christ when he comes. No one knows
the day or hour of his second coming, even though throughout
history false prophets have made predictions, thereby making
fools of themselves in the eyes of the world. Jesus said,
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Matt. 24:36). But
he certainly is coming again. Even as Jesus prophesied his death
and resurrection, which came to pass, he also prophesied his
return to this planet from heaven to judge his enemies and save
his people. He will come suddenly, when no one expects it, like a
thief in the night. He will come personally and visibly. All the
nations will see him, and some will mourn, while those who love
the Lord will rejoice greatly. He will come with angels and
trumpet sounds, in glory and in power.
Those who are faithful and wise will be received by him when he
comes, as we read in Matthew 24:45-47, and those who are wicked
will be judged by him (Matt. 24:48-51). Who are the faithful and
wise servants? Those who know the will of God and faithfully do
it. They are ready to meet him. Who are the wicked servants?
Those who know the will of God but who refuse to do it,
preferring to live a life of wickedness in the interim before he
comes again. So preparation for the second coming of Christ does
not consist in a passive life of watching and waiting while
sequestered away from the world. The wise, those who prepare to
meet God, are those who are busy doing the will of God in his
absence. They are the ones who will be ready, and they will enter
into the banqueting hall.
The Foolish Virgins
First, then, let us look at the ten virgins this parable speaks
about. As I interpret this parable, the ten virgins represent the
visible church. Of course, some would say that this parable has
absolutely nothing to do with the church. Many theologians say
that gospels themselves have nothing to do with the church,
because in their understanding the gospels speak to the Jewish
people of that time, and the church was an afterthought of God.
But we believe that all Scripture, the Old and New Testaments, is
"useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness." Therefore, in this parable we see that the
ten virgins refer to the professing church, which consists of
both true believers and false confessors. The term
"virgin" symbolizes purity, but only five of these who
professed that Jesus is Lord practiced the pure implication of
that confession by serving the Lord with gladness. The other five
were false professors.
Who were these foolish virgins? They are called foolish for one
reason--they "took their lamps but did not take any oil with
them." Why did that matter? In order to meet the bridegroom
at night, there was one requirement--a bright, blazing torch.
When the cry went out, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Go
out to meet him!" these virgins were to light their torches,
meet the bridegroom, and proceed with him to the place of
feasting and celebration.
This was the custom of the time. Although we do not have detailed
histories of marriage ceremonies during Jesus' time, we have a
general idea of the traditional practices. First, a man and woman
would be betrothed, and this betrothal was taken seriously. It
could not be dissolved except by a legal divorce. After a year or
so of betrothal the couple would be married. The bridegroom and
his party would go to bride's home, where certain ceremonies and
feasting would take place. Then there would be a procession,
generally at night, to the home of the bridegroom's parents.
Friends holding lighted torches would join this procession. The
customary torches were long poles with oil-drenched rags at the
top, not little lamps that would go out in the wind. These
torches required large amounts of olive oil which had to be
carried along in flasks. The torches could burn for about fifteen
minutes before the oil had to be replenished. Friends of the
bridegroom honored him by escorting his procession with these
lighted torches. If anyone joined the procession without a torch,
he was considered an enemy of the bridegroom, as one who
dishonored him.
These torches, then, gave a bright light which greatly added to
the joyful celebration. Those holding torches would be admitted
to the feast, but those without lights would be excluded. This
requirement was known to all.
The foolish virgins took their torches but they did not take any
oil. They were like the one guest in the parable of the wedding
feast (Matt. 22) who lacked the one necessary thing, the wedding
garment. These lazy, thoughtless, careless, foolish virgins are
like those people who come to church for inspiration only. They
are those who put their minds into neutral, hearing the message
but not being interested in understanding the implications of the
gospel.
It was not easy to distinguish the foolish virgins from the wise
ones because there were many similarities between them. They were
all virgins, and they all had torches. They all slept and they
all woke up. They all trimmed their torches when they heard the
cry in the middle of the night. They all intended to be in the
procession and to feast with the bridegroom. In almost all
respects these foolish virgins looked like the wise ones. In the
same way, in the visible church there are professing Christians
who look like true believers. Such professors confess Christ,
carry Bibles, join the church, worship regularly, give money to
the church, and perform certain similar religious duties. Yet the
truth is, they are not true believers. They lack the essential
ingredient.
The Wise Virgins
Who were the wise virgins? They differed from the foolish virgins
in one respect. They alone exercised their minds. They were
thoughtful. They learned of the essential requirement of
torchlight for the procession, and they knew that without blazing
torches they would be excluded from the procession and from
feasting with the bridegroom. So they put this knowledge into
practice. They took their torches, as well as ample supplies of
olive oil in jars, with them. The wise virgins are true believers
who are led not by the enthusiasm of emotions but rather by an
understanding of the gospel. They are those who know the will of
God and do it. They understood that it was God who gave them
minds, and the first thing they needed to do with their minds was
to think about God.
The wise virgins possessed the one thing that was needful, an
understanding of the gospel. PGM When you reflect upon the
parable of the soils in Matthew 13, you also notice that only one
group of people, those characterized as the fourth soil, really
understood the gospel. So we read in Matthew 13:23, "But the
one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who
hears the word and understands it. He alone produces a crop
yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
This means that those represented by the first three soils did
not understand the gospel and therefore did not produce any
fruit. Their faith was false, dead, and unfruitful.
Faith comes by hearing and understanding the gospel, and this
gospel requires us to take up our cross and follow Christ. This
requires us to not only call Jesus "Lord" with our
lips, but to worship him with our hearts and serve him daily with
gladness. Faith in Christ means living trust in Christ. Foolish
virgins are false believers who receive Jesus Christ in order
that their lives in this world will be made more exciting and
successful. They do not really think about the life to come. They
want health, wealth, and power in this world--a trouble free
life. But wise virgins are those in whom the Holy Spirit applies
the redemption of Christ. There is an inner reality to their
confession, not just external conformity.
The Defining Difference
The crucial element the foolish virgins lacked was oil. What was
this oil? It represents the work of the Holy Spirit in the life
of a believer. In Romans 8:9 Paul says, "If anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." On
the basis of this work of the Holy Spirit, a believer
spontaneously, personally, and truly loves and obeys God with
great delight.
What does the work of the Holy Spirit include? First, it is the
effectual calling that brings about regeneration. By the power of
the Spirit of God wicked sinners are brought to life. Through
regeneration those who were dead and unresponsive toward God are
made responsive to God and brought to such conviction that they
repent of their sins. This is their inner reality. They exercise
true faith in Jesus Christ so that they entrust themselves to
him. Real faith is not simply believing certain facts of
Christianity, but it is an entrustment of oneself to Christ now
and forever. Such a person is justified by faith, meaning God
declares that person just. God puts into his or her account the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, and so he or she is just now and
forever, clothed in the irreproachable righteousness of Christ.
Such a person is adopted into the family of God and cries,
"Abba, Father." The same Holy Spirit then causes that
one to be sanctified, which means to increasingly hate sin and
increasingly love the will of God. And finally, at death such a
person will be glorified, that is, made perfect and without
fault, and will be presented with exceeding joy to God the
Father.
The wise virgins possessed this inner reality. They were being
made conformable to the image of Jesus Christ. Look at 2 Peter
1:5-11, which speaks about wise as well as foolish virgins.
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge,
self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these
qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and
blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past
sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your
calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will
never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." If you do
these things, if you are a wise virgin, you will not be excluded!
You will be invited and included, and the door will be opened
wide for you. But if you are a foolish virgin, you are blind and
near-sighted, meaning you see life only in this world here and
now. It means you are only interested in your own bodily aches,
pains and problems. It means you are taken up with the affairs of
this world only. As in the days of Noah and Lot, near-sighted
people are eating, drinking, planting, harvesting, buying and
selling--completely engrossed in this world.
Wise virgins are effectual and productive in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are not taken up with this world. They
live in this world, but are not of this world. They are always
thinking about the world to come. They are not blind, nor do they
not forget. They are going to be given a rich welcome.
These wise virgins, those who have this inner reality of the work
of the Holy Spirit in their lives, are called the elect of God.
Look at Matthew 24:22: "If those days had not be cut short,
no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days
will be shortened," and verse 24, "For false Christs
and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible."
The elect of God will not be deceived by magicians and false
Christs. Look at verse 31: "And he will send his angels with
a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." The elect
will meet Christ. The elect will be saved. The elect will be
given an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God.
Preparing for the Bridegroom
The wise virgins were ready for the bridegroom's coming. What
does it mean to be ready? It means active obedience, not
passivity. The wise are those who read the Scriptures to know the
will of God and his love. They are ever-engaged in knowing God
through his word. They are people who pray to God regularly and
have ongoing communion with him. This is their life! Jesus said,
"Watch and pray lest you come into temptation." While
others are eating, drinking and relaxing, the child of God is
engaged in knowing the will of God, loving it and doing it. The
wise are people who are convicted, on a regular basis, of their
sins. They are those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus
Christ alone for forgiveness. They are actively witnessing to the
world in word and in deed. As servants of the master charged with
occupying until he comes again (Luke 19:13), they are busily
engaged in performing the duties he has entrusted to them. They
are separate from the world in thought and lifestyle, not worried
about conforming to this world. They enjoy being radically
different from the world, because their hope is not in this
world. They are not engrossed in eating and drinking, buying and
selling, and planting and building as the foolish ones are. They
are engaged in the things of God.
What animates, motivates, impels and constrains these wise
virgins in every aspect of their lives? It is the second coming
of Christ. Look at Hebrews 9:28: "So Christ was sacrificed
once to take away the sins of many people and he will appear a
second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who
are waiting for him." The wise are waiting for this Savior
to come.
How does the coming of the Bridegroom affect their lives? They
know the time is unknown, so they are vigilant on a daily basis.
In Revelation 16:15 Jesus Christ says, "Behold, I come like
a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with
him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
We need vigilance on a daily basis, simply because we do not know
when he is going to come.
The wise eagerly await the coming of Christ because they will be
rewarded. Matthew 16:27 says, "For the Son of Man is going
to come in his Father's glory with his angels and then he will
reward each person according to what he has done." What we
do now has bearing in terms of his coming and rewarding us. Every
foolish word we speak, every foolish thought we think, and every
foolish deed we do has eternal implications, and so those who are
wise are careful.
The wise look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
because when he comes they will receive glorious bodies. In
Philippians 3:21 we read that Jesus Christ, "by the power
that enables him to bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious
body." I do not believe that if you are a believer, you will
always have a healthy body and no trouble in this life. That is a
lie. Believers are waiting for glorious bodies, like the body of
Jesus Christ, but until then we will have trouble as all people
do. However, as Christians, we do have the promise of God that
his grace will be sufficient for us in our troubles (2
Corinthians 12:9).
The second coming of Christ is the hope of the church. Titus 2:13
speaks of "the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ." That is our hope! You
see, regeneration caused us to look heavenward. Before
regeneration, we looked downward, trying to find out how to make
money, how to find pleasure and how to pursue happiness. These
are the basic goals of unregenerate man. In order to get elected,
what do politicians promise? More money. Why? They know what
man's goals are. They are not thinking about the kingdom of God
and the coming of our Savior. But a Christian's blessed hope is
not children, spouses, or earthly riches. The blessed hope of the
church is in the coming of Christ.
How Do We Prepare?
In view of this blessed hope, what are we to do? 1 Timothy 6:14
tells us to keep this commandment without spot or blame until the
appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The church must
be ever-vigilant in this process called sanctification, becoming
more holy and less sinful, because we are preparing ourselves to
meet the Bridegroom. Our wedding dress is the works of the saints
produced by the might and power of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 19:8).
What else should we do? In 2 Timothy 4:8 we see Paul in prison,
about to be executed by the Roman emperor for his faith in Jesus
Christ. What did he write? "Now there is in store for me the
crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to those
who love his appearing." So we will receive a crown of
righteousness when he appears. But we need to ask honestly: Do we
love his appearing? Do we hope in his appearing? The truth is, we
do not as we should. We need to confess that even we who are
Christians would consider the appearing of Christ to be an
intrusion into our lives, a suspension of our enjoyment, plans
and programs, rather than an enhancement of our life with eternal
joy. Truthfully, many of us today do not want Christ to come. The
prayer of John the Apostle was, "Come, Lord Jesus." But
we say, "Don't do it, O God. I haven't achieved the American
dream yet. I want to pursue happiness in this world."
We need to think about this. In 1 Peter 5:4, it says that when he
comes he will give us a crown of glory. And 1 John 3 tells us
when he comes, "we shall be like him, for we will see him as
he is." These are eternal benefits. Do we love his
appearing?
The Divine Delay
"The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all
became drowsy and fell asleep." Why was there a delay? Delay
differentiates those who are wise from those who are fools. If
the bridegroom had come right away, during the day, the virgins
probably would not have needed torches. But he did not come
quickly. To the virgins this was a great delay, and they all
slept. There is no blame attached to that. But this delay was of
divine design because it showed who was wise and who was foolish.
The wise were prepared for the delay of the bridegroom, but the
foolish were not. The foolish were like those who receive the
gospel with great joy and enthusiasm, but do not understand that
there will be troubles and persecutions because of the gospel.
When difficulties come they wither away. Those who are foolish
want a gospel that prevents them from problems. They want a
gospel that will make them happy and trouble free.
But the true believer is prepared for delay and disappointments.
He rejoices in tribulations also, because in him dwells the
reality of the gospel, the Holy Spirit. With God's grace the true
believer perseveres to the very end. "He who began a good
work in [him] will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6) The true believer says,
"Nothing--neither death nor life nor angels, demons, powers,
present, future, height, depth, nor any other creation--shall be
able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord." Delay shows who the true believer is.
Too Late to Think
When the bridegroom arrived, the foolish virgins, who had lived
thoughtless lives, suddenly began to think. But it was too late!
These foolish virgins trimmed their torches and lit them, but the
torches immediately went out. This is illustrative of people who
never think about their eternal destiny until the last moment,
when thinking is useless.
We see such thoughtless behavior in our daily lives. Suppose you
want to travel overseas. You need a visa and a passport, but if
you do not think about these things in time to obtain them, you
cannot travel. Suppose you signed up for health insurance and
went through all the procedures, but neglected to pay the
premium? When you really need it, your insurance will be useless.
What if you are a student whose parents paid your tuition and
whose teachers gave you the assignments, but you never studied.
When you come to the examination, you will fail. That is
thoughtless lack of preparation. What if you want to retire, but
have lived a life of ease and irresponsibility, not saving any
money? There will be nothing to retire on.
That is thoughtlessness. The foolish virgins never gave any
forethought to the reality of oil. At their moment of need they
sought to borrow from the others, but they could not. You cannot
borrow a relationship with Christ from another on the last day.
You cannot borrow the reality of the kingdom of God from another.
It would be like trying to borrow pregnancy from a pregnant
woman. It doesn't work! Salvation is a personal thing, based on a
vital relationship with Jesus Christ. The day of Christ Jesus
will bring sobriety to thoughtless, foolish people who never
truly wanted to know what the gospel means. They may have said
they were too busy making money, or whatever, but in reality,
they never gave any thought about preparing to meet with God.
Like the arrival of the bridegroom, the day of Christ will
differentiate the wise from the foolish, the true from the false,
authentic from imitation.
Excluded or Included?
The wise trimmed their torches, drenched the rags with oil from
their flasks, and lit the torches. There was bright, blazing
light. They went out in procession to meet the bridegroom. They
were ready! They went in with the bridegroom to the banquet, the
joyful celebration in the presence of the bridegroom which never
ends.
Later the foolish ones came to the banquet. We are not told
whether they came with blazing torches or not. But read verse 12:
"The door was shut." It is a note of great pathos. It
is a tragedy. We see the same language in Genesis 7:16. Noah
preached for many years about the coming flood. God was weary of
the violence of the earth, and thus would destroy it by a flood.
Even while Noah built the ark, people saw it but treated that
gospel with contempt. At last Noah, his family, and the animals
entered the ark, and then the Lord shut the door. I am sure that
when the rain began, many others tried to enter the ark but the
door was shut--shut by God himself. When God shuts something, no
one is able to open it. The thoughtless, the foolish, the
careless, the lazy, the purely emotional, the undisciplined, the
unprepared were excluded forever from the eternal blessing of
being with the Lord. They could knock all they wanted, but the
door would not be opened. They would only hear a voice saying,
"I never knew you."
In Matthew 7 Jesus said, "Ask and it shall be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and it shall be opened to
you." We can do this now. But on that day when the Lord
shuts the door it will be too late. Then the rule will be,
"Ask but it will not be given to you; seek but you will not
find; knock but the door will not be opened to you." And the
words will come, "I never knew you."
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus taught, "Not everyone who says to
me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he
who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." That is
what readiness means. "Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
We are told in Matthew 24 and 25 that outside there is weeping
and gnashing of teeth, while inside there is feasting and joyful
celebration. This will happen to those who have form without
power. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 we read, "But mark this: There
will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love,
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers
of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying
its power. Have nothing to do with them." Form can fool
many, but the day will differentiate between the externally
religious and the internally religious. Externally religious
people are those who will prophesy, cast out demons, perform
miracles, bark like dogs, and laugh like drunkards. But they will
not go in. What will Jesus say? "I never knew you."
Does He Know Us?
In Genesis 18:19 God said of Abraham, "For I have chosen
him. . . " He knows Abraham. Concerning Moses, in Exodus
33:17, God said, "I am pleased with you and I know you by
name." In John 10:14 Jesus said, "I know my sheep and
my sheep know me." In 2 Timothy 2:19 we read, "The Lord
knows those who are his."
Does God know us? If so, when did he start knowing us? Look at
Romans 8:28-29. If we are true believers, we will not hear
"I never knew you" because the Scripture tells us that
he knew us. "And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose. For those God foreknew"--meaning
foreloved--"he also predestinated to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son that he might be firstborn among many
brothers." Ephesians 1:4-5 says, "For he chose us in
him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ. . ." God's knowledge of us is from
before the creation of the world.
Does he know us? We may pretend that we know him, but that does
not mean anything. What matters is whether he acknowledges that
he knows us. These foolish virgins were not really virgins at
all. They pretended to be authentic, and fooled many people, but
they were not truly surrendered to Jesus Christ. Jesus exposed
their inner wickedness by saying, "Depart from me, you
workers of iniquity!"
God Knows His Servants
Turn to Isaiah 65:13-14. Here we see a distinction made between
God's servants and his enemies. On the day of Jesus Christ, the
enemies of God, the pretenders, the lazy, the unreflective, the
people who respond to God with emotions only, will be excluded.
Look at the contrasts in this passage: "Therefore this is
what the Sovereign LORD says: 'My servants will eat, but you will
go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my
servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants
will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out
from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.'"
I counsel you to be ready. Think, and understand the gospel. Ask,
seek and knock now, while you can. Desire the inward work of the
Holy Spirit and surrender to Christ now. Worship and serve him in
truth, for God has made him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification
and redemption for us. Do not become a Christian only to avoid
trouble in this world, and do not wait until the Bridegroom comes
before you prepare to meet him. If you do, it will be too late.
The wise are those who know the will of God and do it now. Jesus
said, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal." (Matt. 6:20) Do not be blind or nearsighted, but
exercise forethought. He may come today, or you may die today.
Are you ready?
Ask yourself these questions: Am I a wise virgin or a foolish
one? Will I eat, drink, rejoice and sing with Jesus Christ, or
will I be hungry and thirsty? Will I weep and be put to shame on
that day when no one can repent? Or, in humility and repentance,
have I come to him who said he would not drive away any who come
to him? The door is still open. Now is the accepted time, now is
the day of salvation. Jesus says, "Come to me. . . and I
will give you rest." This is the time of great mercy and
grace.
May we be sober and understand the gospel. May we not just say,
"Lord, Lord," but may we understand the lordship of
Christ, and surrender our lives to him. He is coming again in
glory and great power, not only to judge and exclude every wicked
person, but also to admit those who love God into the eternal joy
of his presence. May we repent of our sins and put our trust in
Jesus Christ alone. Amen.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
"NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.
Return to Sermon Transcripts
Return to GVCC Homepage
