0:00:01.303,0:00:11.558
Matthew 25:1.
0:00:11.558,0:00:19.898
Then the kingdom of heaven[br]will be like ten virgins
0:00:19.898,0:00:25.483
who took their lamps and[br]went to meet the bridegroom.
0:00:25.483,0:00:29.710
Five of them were foolish,
0:00:29.710,0:00:33.639
and five were wise.
0:00:33.639,0:00:38.610
For when the foolish took their lamps,[br]they took no oil with them,
0:00:38.610,0:00:47.480
but the wise took flasks[br]of oil with their lamps.
0:00:47.482,0:00:53.542
As the bridegroom was delayed,[br]they all became drowsy and slept.
0:00:53.542,0:00:55.702
But at midnight there was a cry:
0:00:55.702,0:01:00.121
Here is the bridegroom![br]Come out to meet him.
0:01:00.121,0:01:08.713
Then all those virgins rose[br]and trimmed their lamps.
0:01:08.713,0:01:14.004
And the foolish said to the wise:
0:01:14.004,0:01:18.955
Give us some of your oil,[br]for our lamps are going out.
0:01:18.955,0:01:20.495
But the wise answered, saying:
0:01:20.495,0:01:23.287
Since there will not be enough[br]for us and for you,
0:01:23.287,0:01:29.254
go rather to the dealers[br]and buy for yourselves.
0:01:29.254,0:01:34.905
And while they were going to buy,[br]the bridegroom came,
0:01:34.905,0:01:43.767
and those who were ready went in[br]with him to the marriage feast,
0:01:43.767,0:01:47.486
and the door was shut.
0:01:47.487,0:01:55.129
Afterward the other virgins came also,[br]saying: Lord, Lord, open to us.
0:01:55.129,0:02:01.478
But he answered:[br]Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.
0:02:01.478,0:02:10.949
Watch therefore, for you know[br]neither the day nor the hour.
0:02:10.949,0:02:14.370
We are studying the end times.
0:02:14.379,0:02:17.529
And as I said to you from the beginning,
0:02:17.541,0:02:23.130
I don't want to go into the difficulties[br]of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel.
0:02:23.130,0:02:29.374
I wanted to look at concepts, at texts,
0:02:29.374,0:02:38.074
passages of God's Word,[br]that show us very plainly
0:02:38.074,0:02:45.194
about who the true people of God are,[br]who the true Israel is,
0:02:45.194,0:02:49.214
about what the end looks like.
0:02:49.214,0:02:54.234
Not in the difficult [br]passages of prophecy,
0:02:54.234,0:02:59.134
apocalyptic texts,
0:02:59.134,0:03:02.919
very difficult and shrouded prophecies
0:03:02.919,0:03:08.944
which historically the best[br]Bible scholars have wrestled with.
0:03:08.944,0:03:13.016
But I wanted to just take us to[br]the plain teachings of our Lord.
0:03:13.016,0:03:17.496
And I know there are some things[br]that our Lord says that are not so plain.
0:03:17.496,0:03:21.940
But I wanted to look at some[br]of the things that are plain.
0:03:21.940,0:03:27.043
Him, His apostles, what they[br]have to say, just the plain words.
0:03:27.043,0:03:35.518
Brethren, the only safe method[br]for interpreting your Bibles
0:03:35.518,0:03:42.216
is always to start with the[br]plainest teaching on a subject.
0:03:42.216,0:03:44.258
Always.
0:03:44.258,0:03:47.389
Not to run to the most difficult first,
0:03:47.389,0:03:50.839
but the most [br]straightforward teaching first.
0:03:50.839,0:03:56.350
I believe that what [br]we have in Matthew 25 -
0:03:56.350,0:04:00.461
I will not argue with you if you say:
0:04:00.461,0:04:04.981
Wait, Matthew 24 has some things[br]that are difficult to figure out.
0:04:04.981,0:04:07.933
Yes, yes. And I hope to get there.
0:04:07.933,0:04:11.154
But that's not where I want to start.
0:04:11.154,0:04:17.572
I want to bypass 24, I want to go to 25.
0:04:17.572,0:04:20.736
Because I want you to see some clear,
0:04:20.736,0:04:25.086
very clear teaching here [br]about the end times.
0:04:25.086,0:04:29.696
We have the parable of the ten virgins,[br]verses 1 through 13,
0:04:29.696,0:04:34.284
the parable of the talents,[br]verses 14 through 30,
0:04:34.284,0:04:38.915
and then we have a picture of Jesus Christ[br]
0:04:38.915,0:04:41.365
coming in the final judgment,
0:04:41.365,0:04:45.885
dividing like a shepherd divides[br]the sheep from the goats.
0:04:45.885,0:04:50.954
This chapter can be naturally[br]broken up into three sections.
0:04:50.954,0:04:53.765
I hope to deal with one today,
0:04:53.765,0:05:01.696
and, Lord willing, the next two [br]in the next two weeks.
0:05:01.696,0:05:05.326
What all three of these deal with,
0:05:05.326,0:05:09.407
all three deal with the same thing.
0:05:09.407,0:05:16.218
They are all three pictures[br]of the coming of Jesus Christ.
0:05:16.218,0:05:19.012
You say: How do you know that?
0:05:19.012,0:05:22.112
Well, just for starters,[br]I want you to see something.
0:05:22.112,0:05:26.229
Look at verse 10.
0:05:26.229,0:05:35.439
While they were going to buy,[br]the bridegroom came...
0:05:35.439,0:05:37.739
You can see that there.
0:05:37.739,0:05:41.085
Look in 19.
0:05:41.085,0:05:48.780
Now after a long time the master[br]of those servants came.
0:05:48.780,0:05:50.760
Verse 31
0:05:50.760,0:05:55.965
When the Son of Man comes in His glory,[br]
0:05:55.965,0:05:58.315
and all the angels with Him,
0:05:58.315,0:06:03.392
then he will sit on His glorious throne.
0:06:03.392,0:06:06.973
All three deal with His coming.
0:06:06.973,0:06:09.754
Now, this is a parable.
0:06:09.764,0:06:12.303
This is a parable.
0:06:12.303,0:06:13.935
What is a parable?
0:06:13.935,0:06:16.224
Let's break it up into [br]its component parts.
0:06:16.224,0:06:19.754
"Para" - Anybody know what this prefix is?
0:06:19.754,0:06:22.864
Alongside.
0:06:22.865,0:06:25.184
"-ble"
0:06:25.184,0:06:27.384
"para-ble"
0:06:27.384,0:06:31.543
I know it's a "b-l-e", [br]but it's abbreviated.
0:06:31.543,0:06:35.495
You may have heard [br]the word "παραβολή".
0:06:35.495,0:06:37.935
What is the "bal"?
0:06:37.935,0:06:41.602
What does "bal" mean?
0:06:41.602,0:06:44.156
It means to throw.
0:06:44.156,0:06:46.567
We think of bowling.
0:06:46.573,0:06:49.037
You know in cricket, [br]they don't call the guy
0:06:49.037,0:06:53.457
that launches the [br]ball a pitcher, like we do.
0:06:53.457,0:06:56.288
In cricket it is a bowler.
0:06:56.288,0:06:57.757
Bowling is to throw.
0:06:57.757,0:07:00.498
And so, what is a parable?
0:07:00.498,0:07:03.639
It means: to throw alongside.
0:07:03.639,0:07:05.900
What a parable is,
0:07:05.900,0:07:08.630
is when I'm trying to teach on something,
0:07:08.630,0:07:12.360
I take a story, an illustration,
0:07:12.360,0:07:17.140
and I throw it alongside that teaching.
0:07:17.140,0:07:22.169
Why? What's the purpose there?
0:07:22.170,0:07:23.351
What's my objective?
0:07:23.351,0:07:24.870
Well, the objective is this:
0:07:24.870,0:07:28.805
The objective is: I'm trying to teach[br]you about the second coming,
0:07:28.805,0:07:32.142
spiritual truths that you [br]are not familiar with,
0:07:32.142,0:07:33.787
and so I want to help you.
0:07:33.787,0:07:35.202
This is what Jesus does.
0:07:35.202,0:07:38.702
I want to help you and [br]so I throw alongside...
0:07:38.702,0:07:42.745
That's parable: alongside, throw.
0:07:42.745,0:07:47.152
You throw alongside that truth a story.
0:07:47.152,0:07:48.995
That's what parables are.
0:07:48.995,0:07:58.455
They are stories that are thrown[br]alongside some spiritual truth.
0:07:58.455,0:08:00.480
And what they do, is:
0:08:00.480,0:08:03.540
They are typically a story [br]of something physical,
0:08:03.540,0:08:05.040
that we are familiar with,
0:08:05.040,0:08:08.130
that is going to help us to [br]understand this spiritual truth
0:08:08.130,0:08:10.330
that we are not so familiar with.
0:08:10.330,0:08:14.404
That's what it's all about. A parable.
0:08:14.404,0:08:19.116
The very nature of a parable[br]is that it has to be interpreted.
0:08:19.116,0:08:22.999
If you don't have the interpretation,[br]it doesn't help.
0:08:22.999,0:08:25.990
Now, I think, the truth is,
0:08:25.990,0:08:27.830
with a lot of parables,
0:08:27.830,0:08:30.640
the meaning is pretty obvious.
0:08:30.640,0:08:32.609
In some of them they're not so obvious.
0:08:32.609,0:08:35.190
I mean, we might wish[br]that our Lord had come along
0:08:35.190,0:08:38.250
and interpreted every [br]single parable for us,
0:08:38.250,0:08:40.060
just like He does some of them.
0:08:40.060,0:08:43.736
But I think the reason that He does[br]some of them for us and not all of them
0:08:43.736,0:08:47.966
is to show us in the ones[br]that He does interpret
0:08:47.966,0:08:51.356
how we ought to be [br]interpreting these things.
0:08:51.356,0:08:53.811
He gives us some [br]examples of interpretation.
0:08:53.811,0:08:57.172
And without the interpretation,[br]these things don't help us.
0:08:57.172,0:08:59.401
You know, the disciples, [br]you remember them?
0:08:59.401,0:09:02.953
They would hear His parables,
0:09:02.953,0:09:05.223
and then when they [br]would go home they'd say:
0:09:05.223,0:09:07.534
Lord, explain to us what that meant.
0:09:07.534,0:09:11.915
And He would say things like:[br]Well, the field is the world.
0:09:11.915,0:09:14.494
The one who casts seed is the Son of Man.
0:09:14.494,0:09:16.738
You see you have to know
0:09:16.738,0:09:21.228
what they really mean for it to help you.
0:09:21.228,0:09:24.545
You can't just let it stay[br]in the realm of allegory.
0:09:24.545,0:09:27.565
We have to pull the true meaning out.
0:09:27.565,0:09:33.428
Well, Jesus doesn't specifically[br]interpret this one for us,
0:09:33.428,0:09:37.588
so we need to decipher the meaning.
0:09:37.588,0:09:39.326
We need to look at this.
0:09:39.326,0:09:41.094
That's what I want to do.
0:09:41.094,0:09:46.288
But before we get into actually[br]trying to see what things signify here,
0:09:46.288,0:09:49.158
let's just think about [br]the parable as it is.
0:09:49.158,0:09:52.710
Let's think about the story itself,[br]the illustration.
0:09:52.710,0:09:53.897
What do you have?
0:09:53.897,0:09:57.866
I mean... this is a wedding.
0:09:57.866,0:09:59.864
Is that clear to everybody?
0:09:59.864,0:10:03.370
If it's not clear to you, you just have[br]to notice there is a bridegroom.
0:10:03.370,0:10:06.855
Anytime we talk about a groom,[br]we're talking about a wedding.
0:10:06.855,0:10:09.725
And it's not too mysterious.
0:10:09.725,0:10:12.966
You get down to verse 10,[br]you get a marriage feast.
0:10:12.966,0:10:15.394
Obviously this is a marriage ceremony.
0:10:15.394,0:10:19.876
Now, the idea with the parable is[br]to take something that is common to us
0:10:19.876,0:10:23.466
and throw it alongside a spiritual [br]truth not so common to us.
0:10:23.466,0:10:26.798
We would all have to admit this:[br]Whatever is happening here,
0:10:26.798,0:10:34.058
this is a form of ceremony[br]that we are not so familiar with.
0:10:34.058,0:10:38.338
Jesus wasn't speaking directly to us.[br]He is speaking to us,
0:10:38.338,0:10:46.429
but He was directly speaking to His[br]Jewish disciples 2000 years ago.
0:10:46.429,0:10:49.919
Now, even if we go to the Middle East,
0:10:49.919,0:10:52.759
even if we were to ask some of the folks
0:10:52.759,0:10:55.759
that have observed weddings [br]like, say, in India.
0:10:55.759,0:10:58.708
You might ask the Dees',[br]what are weddings like over there.
0:10:58.708,0:11:00.638
You know when you go to other countries,[br]
0:11:00.638,0:11:02.651
you go to other times in history,
0:11:02.651,0:11:05.127
weddings have not always been
0:11:05.127,0:11:10.337
just perfectly according to our [br]American 21st century model.
0:11:10.337,0:11:13.650
I mean, we know what a typical [br]wedding should look like.
0:11:13.650,0:11:16.040
But you get a lot of the same components.
0:11:16.040,0:11:22.142
You've got virgins there,[br]that's basically the bridesmaids.
0:11:22.142,0:11:27.501
This is not a wedding tradition[br]that we are familiar with so much,
0:11:27.501,0:11:31.623
but you know,[br]it's not a whole lot different.
0:11:31.623,0:11:33.725
Let me tell you basically what happens,
0:11:33.725,0:11:37.595
you can kind of glean this[br]from the parable itself.
0:11:37.595,0:11:40.145
What you had, and if you look at this[br]
0:11:40.145,0:11:42.195
and you just search out historically,
0:11:42.195,0:11:46.115
you can find and in fact they[br]may do this still in other countries.
0:11:46.115,0:11:50.235
But you can find that what would happen is
0:11:50.235,0:11:54.315
you would have the groom,
0:11:54.315,0:11:57.315
and he would have [br]his groomsmen with him.
0:11:57.315,0:12:00.855
And they would go to the home of the bride
0:12:00.855,0:12:02.625
and the bride is waiting there[br]
0:12:02.625,0:12:06.265
with her bridesmaids, the virgins.
0:12:06.265,0:12:08.528
And he would go there with his entourage[br]
0:12:08.528,0:12:10.728
and show up at her door.
0:12:10.728,0:12:17.639
And the bridesmaids would have lamps.
0:12:17.639,0:12:21.546
They would do this typically [br]after dark in the evening.
0:12:21.546,0:12:23.978
I mean he might take off [br]when it was still light
0:12:23.978,0:12:27.908
but the whole objective is[br]they would parade through the streets.
0:12:27.908,0:12:31.352
They go get all the ladies [br]from the bride's house
0:12:31.352,0:12:33.912
and then they would [br]parade through the streets,
0:12:33.912,0:12:36.132
all the ladies having their lamps
0:12:36.132,0:12:39.262
and they would go to [br]where the actual marriage
0:12:39.262,0:12:41.002
was going to take place,
0:12:41.002,0:12:44.182
where the vows would happen,
0:12:44.182,0:12:48.042
actually a lot of times where the[br]consummation would take place,
0:12:48.042,0:12:50.552
right at the father's house.
0:12:50.552,0:12:54.080
And then there would [br]be this marriage feast
0:12:54.080,0:12:57.080
and sometimes this feast went on for days.
0:12:57.080,0:13:00.062
That's the basic picture that you have.
0:13:00.062,0:13:02.449
You'll notice this:
0:13:02.449,0:13:06.661
There is no bride mentioned.
0:13:06.661,0:13:08.683
It's not necessary.
0:13:08.683,0:13:10.443
I'll say more about that in a second.
0:13:10.443,0:13:12.197
Another thing you want to notice is:
0:13:12.197,0:13:17.744
We have eleven individuals[br]specifically named in this parable.
0:13:17.744,0:13:21.765
We have eleven and only eleven.
0:13:21.765,0:13:27.101
And they all fit into [br]one of three categories:
0:13:27.101,0:13:30.515
You have the bridegroom,[br]he is in a class by himself.
0:13:30.515,0:13:34.145
And then you have a second category:[br]
0:13:34.145,0:13:35.815
Five wise virgins.
0:13:35.815,0:13:39.971
The third category: Five foolish.
0:13:39.971,0:13:41.641
It's just a basic overlay
0:13:41.641,0:13:44.004
of what we are dealing with[br]here in the parable.
0:13:44.004,0:13:47.946
So let's think about the interpretation.
0:13:47.948,0:13:53.728
Look, the overarching [br]theme of this parable
0:13:53.728,0:13:56.728
is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
0:13:56.728,0:14:01.668
Nobody should be in [br]doubt about that at all.
0:14:01.668,0:14:07.739
Brethren, would you please just let[br]your eyes drift back into chapter 24.
0:14:07.739,0:14:11.791
Let's just hit this rapid fire.
0:14:11.791,0:14:16.645
Matthew 24:37
0:14:16.645,0:14:21.486
As were the days of Noah,[br]so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
0:14:21.486,0:14:24.171
Any question what's [br]being dealt with there?
0:14:24.171,0:14:26.548
Not at all. The coming of the Son of Man.
0:14:26.548,0:14:28.641
Look at verses 38, 39.
0:14:28.641,0:14:31.882
For as in those days before the flood[br]they were eating and drinking,
0:14:31.882,0:14:33.492
marrying and giving in marriage,[br]
0:14:33.492,0:14:35.592
until the day when [br]Noah entered the ark, ...
0:14:35.592,0:14:38.513
You may remember we [br]dealt with these verses
0:14:38.513,0:14:41.532
from Luke's gospel last week.
0:14:41.532,0:14:45.364
... and they were unaware until the [br]flood came and swept them all away,
0:14:45.364,0:14:48.235
so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
0:14:48.235,0:14:51.030
This is about the second coming[br]of our Lord Jesus Christ.
0:14:51.030,0:14:52.613
Verse 42
0:14:52.613,0:14:54.072
Therefore, stay awake,
0:14:54.072,0:14:57.502
for you do not know on what [br]day your Lord is coming.
0:14:57.502,0:14:58.754
Any doubts there?
0:14:58.754,0:15:01.096
We're dealing about the Lord's coming.
0:15:01.096,0:15:02.075
Verse 44
0:15:02.075,0:15:04.240
Therefore you also must be ready,
0:15:04.240,0:15:08.140
for the Son of Man is coming at [br]an hour you do not expect.
0:15:08.140,0:15:10.508
It's the coming of the Son of Men.
0:15:10.508,0:15:11.327
Verse 46
0:15:11.327,0:15:17.946
Blessed is that servant whom His master[br]will find so doing when He comes.
0:15:17.946,0:15:18.797
Verse 50
0:15:18.797,0:15:21.207
... the master of that [br]servant will come ...
0:15:21.207,0:15:24.324
You see this is about [br]the coming of Christ.
0:15:24.324,0:15:26.613
... come on a day when [br]he does not expect Him
0:15:26.613,0:15:28.373
and at an hour he does not know ...
0:15:28.373,0:15:31.256
And you know what: [br]There is no chapter break
0:15:31.256,0:15:34.866
between chapters 24 [br]and 25 in the original.
0:15:34.866,0:15:36.459
There is no chapter break there.
0:15:36.459,0:15:38.188
This is the same discourse.
0:15:38.188,0:15:41.277
Our Lord immediately [br]goes into this parable.
0:15:41.277,0:15:44.189
And He talks about when [br]the bridegroom comes.
0:15:44.189,0:15:46.602
And then you have the [br]parable of the talents.
0:15:46.602,0:15:49.030
And He talks about the [br]master of those servants
0:15:49.030,0:15:51.020
is going to come and settle accounts.
0:15:51.020,0:15:54.648
And then you have [br]this glorious final picture
0:15:54.648,0:15:58.228
of this last judgment there in verse 31.
0:15:58.228,0:16:01.490
When the Son of Man comes in His glory,[br]and all the angels with Him,
0:16:01.490,0:16:03.011
Brethren, there is no question,
0:16:03.011,0:16:05.791
we are dealing with the [br]second coming of Jesus Christ.
0:16:05.791,0:16:07.951
And so, here is the thing,[br]
0:16:07.951,0:16:11.171
here is what this ought[br]to make obvious to us.
0:16:11.171,0:16:13.202
Since it's crystal clear that the parable[br]
0:16:13.202,0:16:15.842
is dealing with the [br]second coming of Christ,
0:16:15.842,0:16:20.016
and since the one who [br]comes in our parable,
0:16:20.016,0:16:24.936
verse 10, is the bridegroom,
0:16:24.936,0:16:28.214
it ought to be really clear to all of us[br]
0:16:28.214,0:16:31.724
that the bridegroom is Christ.
0:16:31.724,0:16:34.345
I know this is very simple,
0:16:34.345,0:16:40.005
but this is how you want to [br]go about interpreting Scripture.
0:16:40.005,0:16:41.465
It's obvious.
0:16:41.465,0:16:42.885
Yes.
0:16:42.885,0:16:46.681
The bridegroom is Christ.
0:16:46.681,0:16:51.526
The bridegroom is the Lord.
0:16:51.526,0:16:55.026
Brethren, don't you love the imagery?
0:16:55.026,0:16:56.756
Because, here is the thing.
0:16:56.756,0:17:02.437
We get different pictures [br]of this second coming.
0:17:02.437,0:17:04.867
Remember last week, just like you saw
0:17:04.867,0:17:06.917
there at the end of chapter 24.
0:17:06.917,0:17:13.718
It's like it was in days of Noah and Lot.
0:17:13.718,0:17:15.162
It's a time of judgment.
0:17:15.162,0:17:16.571
He is going to come
0:17:16.571,0:17:18.981
and destruction is going [br]to fall upon people
0:17:18.981,0:17:20.981
when they don't expect it.
0:17:20.981,0:17:23.270
When you look at [br]the parable of the talents,
0:17:23.270,0:17:30.580
it's like a master who is entrusting [br]things to his servants.
0:17:30.580,0:17:33.579
And brethren, don't you [br]love the picture here?
0:17:33.579,0:17:37.159
It's the bridegroom.
0:17:37.159,0:17:43.789
It's the Bridegroom coming to take[br]His people in to the wedding feast.
0:17:43.789,0:17:46.331
What a picture!
0:17:46.331,0:17:49.200
I love that imagery.
0:17:49.200,0:17:52.712
In the book of Revelation, you find[br]the same sort of imagery.
0:17:52.712,0:17:55.521
Let us rejoice...[br]Revelation 19:7
0:17:55.521,0:17:59.287
“Let us rejoice and exult [br]and give Him the glory,
0:17:59.287,0:18:01.957
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,[br]
0:18:01.957,0:18:04.957
and His Bride has made herself ready;
0:18:04.957,0:18:09.293
it was granted her to clothe herself[br]with fine linen, bright and pure”
0:18:09.293,0:18:12.653
--- for the fine linen is[br]the righteous deeds of the saints.
0:18:12.653,0:18:15.053
And the angel said to me,[br]“Write this:
0:18:15.053,0:18:24.181
Blessed are those who are invited[br]to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
0:18:24.181,0:18:27.589
You know what it brings to our minds?
0:18:27.589,0:18:32.726
It brings to the minds[br]the love of a husband for a bride.
0:18:32.726,0:18:34.347
What is that?
0:18:34.347,0:18:39.295
Particular and special.
0:18:39.295,0:18:42.737
That's what it brings to our mind here.
0:18:42.737,0:18:46.306
It speaks, think of a wedding.
0:18:46.306,0:18:50.008
There is anticipation,[br]there is anticipation of the intimacy.
0:18:50.008,0:18:52.631
There is joy.
0:18:52.631,0:18:57.159
We had a wedding last weekend.
0:18:57.159,0:19:00.778
I mean, at weddings [br]there's lots of smiles,
0:19:00.778,0:19:02.928
there is lots of joy.
0:19:02.928,0:19:04.561
That's the picture here.
0:19:04.561,0:19:10.069
It's the husband bringing [br]the bride to himself,
0:19:10.069,0:19:14.719
fulfilling the intimacy.
0:19:14.719,0:19:16.401
That's the picture.
0:19:16.401,0:19:21.170
It's one of the most glorious [br]pictures of the second coming,
0:19:21.170,0:19:23.460
as it regards the church.
0:19:23.460,0:19:26.332
It speaks of that union forever.
0:19:26.332,0:19:28.572
I mean, just think:[br]It's the Bridegroom,
0:19:28.572,0:19:31.437
the perfect Lover,
0:19:31.437,0:19:33.927
the perfect Husband,
0:19:33.927,0:19:36.761
the perfect Friend.
0:19:36.761,0:19:39.823
And its a picture of:[br]
0:19:39.823,0:19:45.563
we are going to go under His arm forever.
0:19:45.563,0:19:47.304
I mean that's what we have.
0:19:47.304,0:19:48.923
Right now, we're betrothed.
0:19:48.923,0:19:50.533
Paul said to the Corinthians:
0:19:50.533,0:19:54.924
I feel a divine jealousy for you,[br]since I betrothed you to one Husband,
0:19:54.924,0:19:58.584
to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
0:19:58.584,0:20:00.583
Betrothed now.
0:20:00.583,0:20:02.215
What does it mean to be betrothed?
0:20:02.215,0:20:06.677
Well, you know, there is a [br]covenantal agreement there
0:20:06.677,0:20:09.434
that's binding.
0:20:09.436,0:20:12.732
Christ has pledged Himself to it[br]and will never break that covenant.
0:20:12.732,0:20:14.812
It is not like our engagements.
0:20:14.812,0:20:16.435
That can be broken.
0:20:16.435,0:20:17.796
It is not like that.
0:20:17.796,0:20:20.459
But you know a betrothal falls short[br]
0:20:20.459,0:20:23.229
of the full intimacy of the marriage
0:20:23.229,0:20:26.169
and that is what is going [br]to happen when He comes.
0:20:26.169,0:20:31.583
It is going to be the consummation
0:20:31.583,0:20:34.583
and the feast.
0:20:34.583,0:20:40.854
The fullness of intimacy is yet [br]reserved for us at that great day.
0:20:40.854,0:20:45.409
When the bride, the Lamb's wife[br]
0:20:45.409,0:20:48.109
is going to be presented to her Husband[br]
0:20:48.109,0:20:50.109
without spot and blemish.
0:20:50.109,0:20:52.181
Brethren, it says it:
0:20:52.181,0:20:59.041
O how blessed, blessed[br]are those who are invited
0:20:59.041,0:21:02.041
to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
0:21:02.041,0:21:06.942
Let's direct our focus to the virgins.
0:21:06.942,0:21:11.652
Some might say:[br]Hey, the parable has no bride.
0:21:11.652,0:21:14.142
And you would be exactly right.
0:21:14.142,0:21:15.992
You say, but, wait,
0:21:15.992,0:21:17.975
we see that the church is the bride.
0:21:17.975,0:21:20.384
And the church is prepared as a bride[br]
0:21:20.384,0:21:23.004
and we are betrothed to Christ.
0:21:23.004,0:21:25.744
He is a Husband,[br]He is the Bridegroom.
0:21:25.744,0:21:26.984
Where is the bride?
0:21:26.984,0:21:29.132
You have to understand this:
0:21:29.132,0:21:31.953
Our Lord is wanting to give us a parable
0:21:31.953,0:21:33.653
about some who are ready
0:21:33.653,0:21:35.653
and some who are not ready.
0:21:35.653,0:21:39.317
Can you imagine if He tried [br]to do that with a wife?
0:21:39.317,0:21:41.666
You would really have to have ten wives.
0:21:41.666,0:21:43.612
Five are ready and five are not ready.
0:21:43.612,0:21:45.415
Or at least two.
0:21:45.416,0:21:47.935
If what you want to manifest,[br]
0:21:47.935,0:21:50.675
if what you want to bring out, draw out,
0:21:50.675,0:21:52.675
is that you have some who are ready[br]
0:21:52.675,0:21:54.125
and some who are not ready
0:21:54.125,0:21:56.705
you don't want to do that [br]with wives. Otherwise what?
0:21:56.705,0:21:59.808
You gonna end up with some kind of parable[br]
0:21:59.808,0:22:03.978
that's going to have [br]polygamist overtones, right?
0:22:03.978,0:22:06.868
You don't want to go there.
0:22:06.878,0:22:10.408
The virgins, the bridesmaids [br]is a perfect way,
0:22:10.408,0:22:13.748
it's a perfect way to display
0:22:13.748,0:22:18.818
exactly what our Lord wants to display.
0:22:18.818,0:22:24.307
There are ten, there are ten bridesmaids[br]
0:22:24.307,0:22:28.957
who are waiting for the bridegroom.
0:22:28.957,0:22:34.268
They are waiting for the wedding feast.
0:22:34.268,0:22:37.781
So who are they supposed to represent?
0:22:37.784,0:22:40.318
You have five that are wise, [br]five that are foolish.
0:22:40.318,0:22:42.502
Look, it's not very [br]difficult to look at this
0:22:42.502,0:22:45.182
and recognize that when Jesus comes
0:22:45.182,0:22:46.612
He takes five in with Him
0:22:46.612,0:22:49.292
and five are shut out.
0:22:49.292,0:22:50.701
I think it's pretty clear.
0:22:50.701,0:22:52.881
That what you have is [br]you have the saved
0:22:52.881,0:22:54.114
and they go in with Him.
0:22:54.114,0:22:57.813
And the ones that are outside are lost.
0:22:57.813,0:23:00.294
The ones that go in with [br]Him are true Christians.
0:23:00.294,0:23:03.343
The ones that are left [br]out are not Christians.
0:23:03.343,0:23:05.545
I think that's pretty obvious.
0:23:05.545,0:23:08.475
But I think we want to define them[br]
0:23:08.475,0:23:10.855
a little more precisely than that.
0:23:10.855,0:23:14.356
I don't believe our Lord is just [br]painting a generic picture here
0:23:14.356,0:23:19.196
of saved humanity over [br]against lost humanity.
0:23:19.196,0:23:23.816
I think what He's painting a picture of
0:23:23.816,0:23:25.686
are professing Christians[br]
0:23:25.686,0:23:29.156
who are sitting in the church right now.
0:23:29.156,0:23:34.001
Some are saved, some are not.
0:23:34.001,0:23:38.710
I do not believe this is a picture[br]generically of all mankind.
0:23:38.710,0:23:40.100
You say: Why?
0:23:40.100,0:23:41.637
Why would you not think that?
0:23:41.637,0:23:46.778
Why do you think that this has to do[br]with people who profess Christ?
0:23:46.778,0:23:50.788
True Christians and false Christians[br]who are in the church right now?
0:23:50.788,0:23:52.597
Why do you think that?
0:23:52.597,0:23:54.339
Here is why I think it:
0:23:54.339,0:23:57.769
Because for one, when our Lord[br]paints the picture, He doesn't say:
0:23:57.769,0:24:01.229
Well you have these virgins over here[br]that are involved in the wedding,
0:24:01.229,0:24:03.830
and then you have the onlookers.
0:24:03.830,0:24:09.039
You now, the people that watch the[br]parade go by, who aren't even involved.
0:24:09.039,0:24:15.451
What you have is you have virgins.
0:24:15.451,0:24:18.165
They're all virgins.
0:24:18.165,0:24:22.401
They're all dressed for a wedding.
0:24:22.410,0:24:25.641
They all have lamps.
0:24:25.651,0:24:30.352
You know what? On the outside they [br]all look pretty much the same.
0:24:30.352,0:24:32.942
That's why I think that.[br]That's one reason.
0:24:32.942,0:24:35.093
The second is this:
0:24:35.093,0:24:40.968
They're all waiting for the Bridegroom.
0:24:40.968,0:24:45.852
They're not Muslims, [br]who are denying the fact
0:24:45.852,0:24:51.202
that a bridegroom is [br]even coming, who is Christ.
0:24:51.202,0:24:53.504
They're all waiting for the Bridegroom.
0:24:53.504,0:25:00.385
The third thing here is you know[br]when He says in verses 11 and 12,
0:25:00.385,0:25:08.606
when those virgins,[br]the five foolish are shut out?
0:25:08.606,0:25:10.116
Listen to what's said:
0:25:10.116,0:25:13.988
Afterward the other [br]virgins came also, saying
0:25:13.988,0:25:17.878
‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’
0:25:17.878,0:25:24.568
But He answered,[br]‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
0:25:24.568,0:25:30.087
What does that sound a whole lot like?
0:25:30.087,0:25:33.190
Sounds like Matthew chapter 7.
0:25:33.190,0:25:35.038
And you know what you have there?
0:25:35.038,0:25:37.879
You have wise and foolish as well.
0:25:37.879,0:25:42.230
You have the wise who built their[br]house on a rock, and who are they?
0:25:42.230,0:25:45.076
They hear the word of God and do it.
0:25:45.076,0:25:47.746
Over against the fools.[br]What do they do?
0:25:47.746,0:25:51.519
They hear the Word and they don't do it.
0:25:51.519,0:25:55.842
Again, they're not the Muslim[br]who doesn't hear the Word.
0:25:55.842,0:25:58.372
These are people who sit [br]there under the preaching.
0:25:58.372,0:25:59.511
They have a Bible.
0:25:59.511,0:26:03.462
They hear what Christ says,[br]and they don't do it.
0:26:03.462,0:26:07.353
These are the people, who say:[br]
0:26:07.353,0:26:12.753
"Lord, Lord, we did many mighty works."
0:26:12.753,0:26:18.392
And He said: "I never knew you."
0:26:18.392,0:26:23.484
You see, it's the same terminology.
0:26:23.484,0:26:26.172
I believe that's what we have.
0:26:26.172,0:26:27.964
You know what?
0:26:27.964,0:26:34.925
This parable has to do with us.
0:26:34.925,0:26:40.015
This isn't us and them.
0:26:40.016,0:26:43.367
This is us.
0:26:43.367,0:26:46.034
This is you and me.
0:26:46.035,0:26:53.331
There is an us and them[br]right here within these walls.
0:26:53.331,0:26:59.507
There are the wise and [br]the foolish right here.
0:26:59.507,0:27:02.124
That's the picture.
0:27:02.124,0:27:05.108
We have the wise and the foolish.
0:27:05.108,0:27:07.309
And we wait.
0:27:07.309,0:27:08.437
That's the picture.
0:27:08.437,0:27:10.917
Waiting.
0:27:10.917,0:27:12.609
Notice verse 5:
0:27:12.609,0:27:16.676
The bridegroom was delayed.
0:27:16.676,0:27:17.882
That's what we're at.
0:27:17.882,0:27:20.276
The Bridegroom is not here.
0:27:20.276,0:27:22.363
We wait.
0:27:22.363,0:27:24.711
We are these virgins.
0:27:24.711,0:27:26.246
We are waiting.
0:27:26.246,0:27:28.138
Waiting.
0:27:28.138,0:27:29.390
What are we waiting for?
0:27:29.390,0:27:31.801
We are waiting for Him to come.
0:27:31.801,0:27:34.934
It hasn't happened as soon[br]as we might have expected.
0:27:34.934,0:27:40.231
Notice, down in the [br]next parable, in verse 19:
0:27:40.231,0:27:42.700
Now after a long time[br]
0:27:42.700,0:27:45.280
the master of those servants came...
0:27:45.280,0:27:47.743
There are places in our Bibles
0:27:47.743,0:27:51.713
where we get the idea [br]He's coming quickly, right?
0:27:51.713,0:27:56.913
He says it. "I'm coming quickly."
0:27:56.913,0:27:59.348
We don't want to say [br]there is a contradiction.
0:27:59.348,0:28:02.786
Here it says after a [br]long time, and delayed.
0:28:02.786,0:28:07.006
O, a day with the Lord...
0:28:07.006,0:28:11.152
Brethren, the time frame of our Lord[br]
0:28:11.152,0:28:13.602
is not always according to our time frame.
0:28:13.602,0:28:15.434
And what is quick and what is slow?
0:28:15.434,0:28:17.633
But we do get this idea.
0:28:17.633,0:28:18.884
After a long time.
0:28:18.884,0:28:21.286
2000 years is a long time.
0:28:21.286,0:28:24.273
But that may not be as long[br]as what a long time is.
0:28:24.273,0:28:26.966
It could be 10,000 years.
0:28:26.966,0:28:30.836
I don't know. You don't know.
0:28:30.836,0:28:32.536
It seems like in every generation,
0:28:32.536,0:28:34.876
there's been those who [br]expected Him to come
0:28:34.876,0:28:38.726
and those who expected [br]Him not to come.
0:28:38.726,0:28:40.265
It's the same now.
0:28:40.265,0:28:42.319
But we're waiting.
0:28:42.319,0:28:44.360
We're waiting.
0:28:44.360,0:28:49.727
There is a delay.
0:28:49.727,0:28:51.719
Now, notice this:
0:28:51.719,0:28:54.908
They sleep.
0:28:54.908,0:28:56.158
You see that in verse 5?
0:28:56.158,0:29:00.517
They all became drowsy and slept.
0:29:00.517,0:29:04.041
Look, I don't think we necessarily need[br]
0:29:04.041,0:29:06.761
to read anything negative into that.
0:29:06.761,0:29:08.553
It doesn't sound good.
0:29:08.553,0:29:14.131
When you hear these exhortations[br]to stay awake, stay awake,
0:29:14.131,0:29:16.850
watch, watch!
0:29:16.850,0:29:20.730
And then you see them fall asleep.
0:29:20.730,0:29:22.798
Here is the reason that I don't think
0:29:22.798,0:29:26.478
you want to read too much [br]into their falling asleep
0:29:26.478,0:29:32.058
is because even the [br]wise virgins fell asleep
0:29:32.058,0:29:38.598
and it didn't make them [br]any less ready to enter in
0:29:38.598,0:29:40.498
when the bridegroom came.
0:29:40.498,0:29:41.854
You see that?
0:29:41.854,0:29:44.704
They both did it.
0:29:44.704,0:29:50.561
I don't think the sleeping here[br]is the point of this parable.
0:29:50.561,0:29:52.646
Because they both do it.
0:29:52.646,0:29:55.043
It seems to be more like life is going on.
0:29:55.043,0:29:57.502
Remember how it was before?[br]As in the days of Noah?
0:29:57.502,0:29:59.994
You have marriage, and giving in marriage.
0:29:59.994,0:30:02.453
In the days of Lot, they [br]are buying and selling.
0:30:02.453,0:30:04.746
I think it's the same kind of thing.
0:30:04.746,0:30:07.548
You're getting this picture [br]of the wise and the foolish,
0:30:07.548,0:30:09.168
and they're doing the same thing.
0:30:09.168,0:30:10.566
They go to sleep.
0:30:10.566,0:30:14.147
I don't know that you want to read[br]anything specifically negative into it.
0:30:14.147,0:30:17.798
If there is anything foolish [br]about falling asleep here
0:30:17.798,0:30:23.318
it's going to sleep when you're [br]not ready for Christ to come.
0:30:23.318,0:30:25.766
That's the thing [br]that's foolish about this.
0:30:25.766,0:30:31.798
The difference between the wise[br]and the foolish is not the sleep.
0:30:31.798,0:30:34.093
They both do that.
0:30:34.093,0:30:37.071
You see what the difference is.
0:30:37.071,0:30:40.198
The difference between the wise[br]and the foolish is the oil.
0:30:40.198,0:30:43.770
One has reserves of oil [br]and the other does not.
0:30:43.770,0:30:47.039
Let's think about this oil for a second.
0:30:47.039,0:30:48.351
The oil.
0:30:48.351,0:30:51.020
What's represented by this oil?
0:30:51.020,0:30:53.300
We see it here, right? In 4:
0:30:53.300,0:31:01.852
The wise took flasks of [br]oil with their lamps.
0:31:01.852,0:31:03.747
Oil.
0:31:03.747,0:31:05.943
In verse 8:[br]The foolish said to the wise,
0:31:05.943,0:31:13.073
‘Give us some of your oil,[br]for our lamps are going out.’
0:31:13.073,0:31:15.103
The oil.
0:31:15.103,0:31:18.643
What is it?
0:31:18.643,0:31:21.114
I tell you this:
0:31:21.114,0:31:27.464
Those who go in to the [br]wedding feast have it.
0:31:27.464,0:31:32.005
And those who are shut out don't.
0:31:32.005,0:31:37.046
This is what makes the difference.
0:31:37.056,0:31:42.026
Beloved,
0:31:42.026,0:31:47.537
you do not want to get shut out.
0:31:47.537,0:31:49.857
You must have oil.
0:31:49.857,0:31:52.177
So, what is it?
0:31:52.178,0:31:59.008
The oil is what makes the lamp burn.
0:31:59.018,0:32:00.457
That you can see.
0:32:00.457,0:32:02.968
That's obvious.
0:32:02.968,0:32:07.478
Oil is essential if the [br]lamp is going to do
0:32:07.478,0:32:10.478
what the lamp ought to do.
0:32:10.478,0:32:14.720
Seems like the foolish [br]virgins and the wise virgins
0:32:14.720,0:32:19.220
initially had lamps that were burning.
0:32:19.220,0:32:24.065
I mean, notice how the foolish virgins say[br]what they say in verse 8:
0:32:24.065,0:32:32.332
‘Give us some of your oil,[br]for our lamps are going out.’
0:32:32.332,0:32:36.549
Sometimes when people [br]want to interpret this,
0:32:36.549,0:32:39.859
they almost paint the picture
0:32:39.859,0:32:44.929
that the lamps of the [br]foolish were never lit.
0:32:44.929,0:32:46.942
That's not the feeling that you get.
0:32:46.942,0:32:48.913
You know, the feeling that you get here,
0:32:48.913,0:32:52.065
is that all of their [br]lamps were lit in verse 1,
0:32:52.065,0:32:53.445
when they went out.
0:32:53.445,0:32:56.583
You see they were expecting -[br]and you can imagine this.
0:32:56.583,0:32:58.743
I mean, if you just think about this.
0:32:58.743,0:33:00.765
You think about a wedding like this.
0:33:00.765,0:33:06.386
If the groom and his groomsmen[br]are going to come over
0:33:06.386,0:33:08.146
and they're going to get these ladies[br]
0:33:08.146,0:33:10.116
and they're going to [br]parade through the street
0:33:10.116,0:33:13.436
and they're going to go back and actually[br]they have a ceremony and have a feast,
0:33:13.436,0:33:16.536
you'd probably like to do [br]it early in the evening.
0:33:16.536,0:33:19.118
You don't want to come at midnight.
0:33:19.118,0:33:21.942
Because if you come at midnight[br]by the time you get them
0:33:21.942,0:33:25.054
and then you go where you have to go[br]and now and then it might be 12.30,
0:33:25.054,0:33:28.054
one o'clock, and you get [br]there, and now what?
0:33:28.054,0:33:29.974
You gonna have a wedding and then,[br]
0:33:29.974,0:33:33.644
after that, when your feast is going on
0:33:33.644,0:33:36.267
at three, four, five [br]o'clock in the morning.
0:33:36.267,0:33:38.767
That's probably not [br]the ideal time to come.
0:33:38.767,0:33:41.507
It's probably expected when [br]you have weddings like this,
0:33:41.507,0:33:43.197
they're typically in early evening.
0:33:43.197,0:33:44.789
The bridegroom comes[br]
0:33:44.789,0:33:47.229
and that would be a fairly obvious time.
0:33:47.229,0:33:52.065
The kind of picture you get here[br]is they went out to meet him.
0:33:52.065,0:33:54.051
They're prepared then.
0:33:54.051,0:33:56.673
Right at the beginning it [br]seems like they are ready.
0:33:56.673,0:33:59.575
They have their lamps, it seems like[br]all their lamps are burning.
0:33:59.575,0:34:00.929
But you know what happens?
0:34:00.929,0:34:02.850
He doesn't come when they expect.
0:34:02.850,0:34:05.924
And so, by the time He does come,[br]at midnight, what do you get?
0:34:05.924,0:34:07.722
In verse 8?
0:34:07.722,0:34:10.490
‘Our lamps are going out.’
0:34:10.490,0:34:12.972
Not that they were never lit.
0:34:12.972,0:34:15.733
‘Our lamps are going out.’
0:34:15.733,0:34:17.544
What's the difference between them?
0:34:17.544,0:34:20.005
The reservoir.
0:34:20.013,0:34:22.895
The wise ones have flasks.
0:34:22.895,0:34:24.825
It means they have a reserve.
0:34:24.825,0:34:29.432
They have something to [br]keep filling their lamp with.
0:34:29.432,0:34:36.294
That's the picture that we get here.
0:34:36.294,0:34:41.383
There is something very implicit[br]to this whole parable.
0:34:41.383,0:34:43.535
And it's this:
0:34:43.535,0:34:46.800
If you are a virgin,
0:34:46.800,0:34:51.770
it is expected that you will [br]have a lamp that stays lit.
0:34:51.770,0:34:53.203
That's obvious.
0:34:53.203,0:34:56.659
Because when those virgins find[br]that their lamps are starting to go out,
0:34:56.659,0:34:59.586
rather than just saying:[br]O, well, there will be enough light,
0:34:59.586,0:35:01.637
your five have yours, so ours don't work,
0:35:01.637,0:35:04.167
we'll just leave them here [br]and we'll go on anyway.
0:35:04.167,0:35:06.168
You can tell, this was essential.
0:35:06.168,0:35:09.550
They recognized it was essential.
0:35:09.550,0:35:14.177
So, what did they do?
0:35:14.177,0:35:19.728
They start crying out:[br]Give us some of yours!
0:35:19.731,0:35:24.970
Suddenly the cry comes.
0:35:24.970,0:35:28.888
Bridegroom!
0:35:28.888,0:35:32.420
Uh oh...
0:35:32.420,0:35:36.998
We are not ready.
0:35:36.998,0:35:38.853
That's the idea.
0:35:38.853,0:35:40.991
Bridegroom's tarried, now He's here,[br]
0:35:40.991,0:35:44.441
foolish virgins realized [br]they are not ready.
0:35:44.441,0:35:47.021
Their oil is running dry.
0:35:47.021,0:35:49.722
Their lamps are going out.
0:35:49.722,0:35:54.511
We're told the oil must be purchased.
0:35:54.511,0:35:57.553
There is simply no time to go for it now.
0:35:57.553,0:35:59.270
It's too late.
0:35:59.270,0:36:04.827
It's too late!
0:36:04.827,0:36:06.813
Can you imagine?
0:36:06.813,0:36:12.813
Look, this is dealing with people[br]who profess to be Christians.
0:36:12.813,0:36:16.884
They think it's ok.
0:36:16.884,0:36:21.363
And suddenly, it's too late.
0:36:21.363,0:36:23.846
It's too late.
0:36:23.846,0:36:27.397
There is simply no time to go and buy.
0:36:27.401,0:36:29.394
The Lord is at hand.
0:36:29.394,0:36:31.614
What is this?
0:36:31.614,0:36:38.053
Some have said the oil [br]is the presence of God.
0:36:38.053,0:36:47.190
Some have said the [br]oil is the Spirit of God.
0:36:47.190,0:36:49.155
Some have said it's true wisdom.
0:36:49.155,0:36:50.245
Some sincerity.
0:36:50.245,0:36:54.197
Some the Word of God in our [br]hearts or its understanding.
0:36:54.197,0:36:59.389
Matthew Henry says the oil is grace.
0:36:59.389,0:37:01.259
Here is the thing:
0:37:01.259,0:37:04.629
If you really take...
0:37:04.629,0:37:06.459
If you really look at the parable,
0:37:06.459,0:37:09.129
and it seems like their lamps were lit[br]
0:37:09.129,0:37:12.389
and now they're going out.
0:37:12.389,0:37:14.689
I think you run into a lot of problems[br]
0:37:14.689,0:37:17.949
if you try to dissect this too closely.
0:37:17.949,0:37:20.880
I think one of the reasons that guys
0:37:20.880,0:37:23.300
are all over the place on what this is,
0:37:23.300,0:37:26.370
is because what it is is not essential[br]
0:37:26.370,0:37:30.260
to getting the drift of this parable.
0:37:30.260,0:37:34.042
Brethren,
0:37:34.042,0:37:37.921
I don't think oil is critical[br]to the primary message here.
0:37:37.921,0:37:43.076
The primary message that the Lord[br]wants to send you and me here,
0:37:43.076,0:37:49.446
when He gets to the end, verse 13,[br]He says this:
0:37:49.446,0:37:54.166
Watch therefore, for you know [br]neither the day nor the hour.
0:37:54.166,0:37:56.194
This has been the recurring theme.
0:37:56.194,0:37:58.990
As much as the second coming has hit us[br]
0:37:58.990,0:38:01.050
again and again and again and again.
0:38:01.050,0:38:04.166
If you jump right back[br]into the end of Matthew chapter 24,
0:38:04.166,0:38:07.604
look at what He keeps saying[br]about the second coming.
0:38:07.604,0:38:10.214
Verse 36 of chapter 24:
0:38:10.214,0:38:14.275
Concerning that day and hour no one knows.
0:38:14.275,0:38:15.402
Verse 39
0:38:15.402,0:38:20.246
They were unaware until the flood came[br]and swept them all away,
0:38:20.246,0:38:22.467
so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
0:38:22.467,0:38:23.635
Verse 42
0:38:23.635,0:38:28.574
Therefore, stay awake, [br]for you do not know...
0:38:28.574,0:38:30.424
What?
0:38:30.424,0:38:32.216
When!
0:38:32.216,0:38:36.483
You don't know on what [br]day your Lord is coming.
0:38:36.483,0:38:37.498
Verse 44
0:38:37.498,0:38:39.099
Therefore you must be ready, ...
0:38:39.099,0:38:39.919
Why?
0:38:39.919,0:38:43.240
... for the Son of Man is coming[br]at an hour you do not expect.
0:38:43.240,0:38:45.342
You see the idea here is readiness.
0:38:45.342,0:38:47.590
Why? Because He is coming [br]when you don't know.
0:38:47.590,0:38:51.279
You're not gonna have time[br]to prepare when He comes.
0:38:51.279,0:38:54.620
You have to be ready now.
0:38:54.620,0:38:58.200
You do not know when [br]death is going to take you.
0:38:58.200,0:39:02.300
You do not know when [br]Christ is going to come.
0:39:02.300,0:39:03.911
You have to be ready now.
0:39:03.911,0:39:06.241
And it's possible to be [br]dressed like the virgin,
0:39:06.241,0:39:07.751
and have a lamp like a virgin,
0:39:07.751,0:39:10.288
and be waiting for the [br]Bridegroom like the virgin,
0:39:10.288,0:39:11.845
and to be where they are,
0:39:11.845,0:39:15.382
and to not be ready when that hour comes.
0:39:15.382,0:39:16.845
That is the issue.
0:39:16.845,0:39:18.520
It is being ready.
0:39:18.520,0:39:21.282
It is being ready!
0:39:21.282,0:39:22.324
Verse 50
0:39:22.324,0:39:25.574
The master of that servant [br]will come on a day[br]
0:39:25.574,0:39:27.474
when he does not expect him
0:39:27.474,0:39:30.804
and at an hour he does not know.
0:39:30.804,0:39:35.495
The primary issue about this parable[br]is not what the oil is.
0:39:35.495,0:39:37.826
It is, that whatever it is...
0:39:37.826,0:39:41.926
It is that which is essential [br]for you to be ready.
0:39:41.926,0:39:44.836
And those five foolish virgins
0:39:44.836,0:39:50.656
were not ready when the hour came.
0:39:50.656,0:39:54.856
They weren't ready.
0:39:54.856,0:39:58.086
You say, "but, I go to church."
0:39:58.086,0:40:00.426
So did they.
0:40:00.428,0:40:03.287
And they were not ready.
0:40:03.287,0:40:05.534
They weren't ready.
0:40:05.534,0:40:07.675
Why? Because they do not possess[br]
0:40:07.675,0:40:12.245
what must be possessed to be ready
0:40:12.245,0:40:15.675
when the Lord comes.
0:40:15.688,0:40:19.103
And here is the thing.
0:40:19.103,0:40:24.200
You see no evidence
0:40:24.200,0:40:28.110
that they are concerned about it
0:40:28.110,0:40:33.090
until it's too late.
0:40:33.090,0:40:43.088
That is not the right time[br]to figure out you're not ready.
0:40:43.088,0:40:49.781
Our Lord knows multitudes.
0:40:49.781,0:40:53.811
Multitudes fit this category.
0:40:53.811,0:40:56.831
This is why He warns us.
0:40:56.831,0:40:59.166
If you think:[br]
0:40:59.166,0:41:04.186
Well, it's not gonna happen to me.
0:41:04.186,0:41:08.561
What do you think it is[br]that makes a foolish virgin?
0:41:08.561,0:41:11.544
It's that kind of attitude right there.
0:41:11.544,0:41:16.174
Won't be me!
0:41:16.174,0:41:19.054
Not me!
0:41:19.054,0:41:23.875
That was why these five [br]virgins are so foolish.
0:41:23.875,0:41:24.857
What did they do?
0:41:24.857,0:41:27.695
They picked up their lamps, they rush off[br]
0:41:27.695,0:41:32.285
and they are not ready.
0:41:32.285,0:41:38.168
And then they slumber and fall asleep[br]
0:41:38.168,0:41:42.068
and they are not ready.
0:41:42.068,0:41:44.306
And when the Bridegroom comes[br]
0:41:44.306,0:41:46.136
and the cry rings forth,
0:41:46.136,0:41:47.956
suddenly they find they have no oil.
0:41:47.956,0:41:50.895
And they are not ready.
0:41:50.895,0:41:53.124
Not ready.
0:41:53.124,0:41:54.935
Not ready.
0:41:54.935,0:42:00.239
They never troubled themselves about[br]getting the oil and being ready.
0:42:00.239,0:42:04.309
You know what the trouble [br]with the foolish virgins is?
0:42:04.309,0:42:06.119
There they are.
0:42:06.119,0:42:12.599
They assume everything is ok.
0:42:12.599,0:42:14.629
Why?
0:42:14.629,0:42:18.611
Lord, Lord, ...
0:42:18.611,0:42:21.237
We did what your people do.
0:42:21.237,0:42:24.101
We did many mighty works.
0:42:24.101,0:42:26.311
We were prophesying [br]right along with them.
0:42:26.311,0:42:28.712
We were casting out demons [br]right along with them.
0:42:28.712,0:42:34.021
We heard the Word of God [br]right along with them.
0:42:34.021,0:42:36.854
He says, "I never knew you."
0:42:36.855,0:42:40.068
Why? They weren't ready.
0:42:40.068,0:42:41.643
They weren't ready.
0:42:41.643,0:42:44.145
Just taking everything for granted.
0:42:44.145,0:42:47.434
Their everlasting soul is at stake
0:42:47.434,0:42:51.554
and they're not making [br]certain they're secure.
0:42:51.554,0:42:54.043
When somebody would come along[br]in the church and say:
0:42:54.043,0:42:57.813
Brother, sister, test yourself![br]Are you sure? Are you sure?
0:42:57.813,0:43:01.155
They got aggravated.
0:43:01.155,0:43:04.073
They got upset.
0:43:04.073,0:43:07.486
They hated you holier-than-thous.
0:43:07.486,0:43:09.606
Don't press me with your strictness.
0:43:09.606,0:43:11.655
I have Christian liberty.
0:43:11.655,0:43:14.115
Don't tell me about what [br]music I do listen to,
0:43:14.115,0:43:15.795
I have Christian liberty.
0:43:15.795,0:43:18.214
Don't tell me about what [br]I'm doing with my life.
0:43:18.214,0:43:20.574
Don't tell me that you're [br]concerned that you see
0:43:20.574,0:43:22.557
I love the things of [br]the world too much.
0:43:22.557,0:43:23.756
Don't tell me that.
0:43:23.756,0:43:27.519
Don't tell me that I seem[br]too greedy or too possessed
0:43:27.519,0:43:29.959
by the things the world [br]is all obsessed with.
0:43:29.959,0:43:32.017
Don't tell me that.
0:43:32.017,0:43:34.507
You Christians are just too strict.
0:43:34.507,0:43:36.747
You people of Grace Community Church.
0:43:36.747,0:43:38.716
You people.
0:43:38.716,0:43:40.486
There's kind of a separation.
0:43:40.486,0:43:41.850
I don't like those people.
0:43:41.850,0:43:44.710
Because when they come around[br]they ask me those questions
0:43:44.710,0:43:46.413
and I don't like those questions.
0:43:46.413,0:43:48.148
Let me live my life.
0:43:48.148,0:43:49.360
I'm a Christian too.
0:43:49.360,0:43:52.289
And they get upset with that.
0:43:52.289,0:43:58.478
Their eternal soul is at stake.
0:43:58.478,0:44:00.008
They won't examine themselves.
0:44:00.008,0:44:02.514
They do not prove their own selves.
0:44:02.514,0:44:04.724
God's word says examine your own self[br]
0:44:04.724,0:44:06.142
whether you are in the faith.
0:44:06.142,0:44:07.530
But they don't want to do it.
0:44:07.530,0:44:09.630
And they hear messages [br]that cut to the heart
0:44:09.630,0:44:12.241
but they just say: No, it's [br]not me. Nope, it's not me.
0:44:12.241,0:44:15.000
Yeah, that makes me feel [br]uncomfortable, but that's not me.
0:44:15.000,0:44:16.476
Why is it not you?
0:44:16.476,0:44:20.282
Well because I made a decision and[br]I claim to be a believer in Jesus Christ.
0:44:20.282,0:44:23.692
Yeah, you're right there [br]along with the other virgins.
0:44:23.701,0:44:25.602
Whatever the oil is I'll tell you this:
0:44:25.602,0:44:29.243
It's what you have to have to enter in.
0:44:29.243,0:44:30.214
And you know what?
0:44:30.214,0:44:33.253
This book from one end to the other[br]
0:44:33.253,0:44:37.713
describes to us what God's [br]true people look like.
0:44:37.713,0:44:39.521
You know what they wouldn't do?
0:44:39.521,0:44:44.035
They wouldn't come and look [br]in the mirror of this book
0:44:44.035,0:44:47.035
and see if all is well.
0:44:47.035,0:44:48.894
They didn't want to go there.
0:44:48.894,0:44:52.805
Why? Because men [br]love to believe a lie.
0:44:52.805,0:44:55.616
What's one of the chief lies [br]they love to believe?
0:44:55.616,0:44:58.686
They have a form of godliness[br]but they deny the power thereof.
0:44:58.686,0:45:01.406
You see, they love to [br]have a form of godliness
0:45:01.406,0:45:04.176
that convinces them deceptively so
0:45:04.176,0:45:05.776
that they're going to heaven,[br]
0:45:05.776,0:45:07.196
but they have no power of it,
0:45:07.196,0:45:10.310
which means that they [br]live in the powerlessness
0:45:10.310,0:45:11.910
of the rest of the world.
0:45:11.910,0:45:13.570
They're controlled by their lust.[br]
0:45:13.570,0:45:16.054
They are slaves to sin, [br]they just go along.
0:45:16.054,0:45:18.299
But they have religion.
0:45:18.299,0:45:20.499
You see, they have [br]a religious appearance,
0:45:20.499,0:45:22.038
these five foolish virgins.
0:45:22.038,0:45:25.187
O, well, I go to church, [br]I do this, I do that...
0:45:25.187,0:45:27.680
Now, I'm not out there [br]with the carousing hordes.
0:45:27.680,0:45:29.610
I'm not a Muslim. I'm not a Hindu.
0:45:29.610,0:45:31.810
I don't do those things.
0:45:31.810,0:45:34.361
You see, that's what they [br]were saying in Matthew 7.
0:45:34.361,0:45:36.823
Lord, Lord, we did this, we did that.
0:45:36.823,0:45:41.011
And that's typically how [br]the five foolish virgins
0:45:41.011,0:45:43.311
just go on being so foolish.
0:45:43.311,0:45:46.492
That's just a checklist of some things[br]what they do or don't do.
0:45:46.492,0:45:48.571
But the reality's in the heart.
0:45:48.571,0:45:53.862
When you go look at Scripture,[br]you see fellowship.
0:45:53.862,0:45:58.212
You see Christ manifesting [br]Himself to His people.
0:45:58.212,0:46:01.198
You see that there is a [br]sweetness in the relationship.
0:46:01.198,0:46:06.485
You see people who are made[br]into praying men and women.
0:46:06.485,0:46:11.222
Men and women who become[br]controlled by the Spirit of God.
0:46:11.222,0:46:13.974
And they begin to love in ways[br]they never loved before.
0:46:13.974,0:46:15.615
From the heart.
0:46:15.615,0:46:17.805
They become these true Jews.
0:46:17.805,0:46:19.012
Something changes.
0:46:19.012,0:46:21.773
The life of God is in their soul.
0:46:21.773,0:46:24.314
Suddenly they're not like [br]those gentiles anymore.
0:46:24.314,0:46:26.734
They're new men, they're new creations.
0:46:26.734,0:46:28.416
Old things pass away.
0:46:28.416,0:46:32.164
Suddenly their eyes behold[br]the beauty in Christ, and they know it.
0:46:32.164,0:46:34.845
They can hear His voice in ways[br]they couldn't before.
0:46:34.845,0:46:35.805
And they know it.
0:46:35.805,0:46:36.715
And you know what?
0:46:36.715,0:46:40.756
The five foolish virgins get [br]around people that talk that way,
0:46:40.756,0:46:43.756
and they don't want to hear.
0:46:43.756,0:46:45.756
Holier-than-thou, that's what they are.
0:46:45.756,0:46:48.879
They're self-righteous.
0:46:48.879,0:46:51.407
I don't like people like that.
0:46:51.407,0:46:55.757
Why are they always talking [br]to me about my sin?
0:46:55.757,0:47:05.148
It seems like they look at [br]me just a certain way.
0:47:05.159,0:47:08.269
God gives us a love for the [br]brethren and I'll tell you this:
0:47:08.269,0:47:11.849
When you fall in love with Christ and[br]you haven't been in love with Christ,
0:47:11.849,0:47:15.399
and then, suddenly, you get around[br]other people that are in love with Him,
0:47:15.399,0:47:18.180
you tend to be able to pick up on that.
0:47:18.180,0:47:21.730
When you get around[br]people that are worldly...
0:47:21.730,0:47:26.524
Yeah, they're virgins,[br]they're sitting there in the church.
0:47:26.524,0:47:32.144
But you know you just...
0:47:32.144,0:47:36.653
You can sense there's no oil.
0:47:36.653,0:47:40.182
But they're heedless, they're thoughtless,[br]they don't examine themselves...
0:47:40.182,0:47:43.134
Someone might say to them:[br]Are you sure you're ready?
0:47:43.134,0:47:45.263
You're sure you have oil?[br]Examine yourself!
0:47:45.263,0:47:47.012
Be sure![br]Everything is at stake!
0:47:47.012,0:47:48.433
What happens?
0:47:48.433,0:47:51.454
Foolish virgins, they resent it.
0:47:51.463,0:47:53.023
They resent that.
0:47:53.023,0:47:55.482
They are uncomfortable.
0:47:55.482,0:47:57.863
I don't like to go where those people are.
0:47:57.863,0:48:02.324
They make me uncomfortable.
0:48:02.324,0:48:03.684
I'm afraid...
0:48:03.684,0:48:06.537
I mean, if you are in a place [br]where you are afraid
0:48:06.537,0:48:10.297
to be around the godliest people
0:48:10.297,0:48:12.435
that ought to tell you something.
0:48:12.435,0:48:15.054
And listen...
0:48:15.054,0:48:20.144
Jesus, at the end of this, says:[br]Watch!
0:48:20.144,0:48:23.676
Because you don't know when He's coming,[br]
0:48:23.676,0:48:26.046
watch therefore!
0:48:26.046,0:48:28.070
This isn't a picture.
0:48:28.070,0:48:30.451
You don't get the feeling [br]from this parable
0:48:30.451,0:48:32.751
that this is a picture of a man,[br]
0:48:32.751,0:48:35.381
who goes up on his rooftop,
0:48:35.381,0:48:38.581
and day and night stands [br]looking at the horizon
0:48:38.581,0:48:43.401
for when the sky is gonna break open.
0:48:43.401,0:48:48.468
You know what you're to watch?
0:48:48.468,0:48:55.070
The whole idea in watching[br]
0:48:55.070,0:49:00.380
is that you need to be ready.
0:49:00.380,0:49:05.658
You need to watch your walk,
0:49:05.658,0:49:10.188
watch your relationship,
0:49:10.188,0:49:13.328
watch the Scriptures.
0:49:13.328,0:49:15.118
Where are you at?
0:49:15.118,0:49:18.792
Watch that you be not deceived.
0:49:18.792,0:49:21.152
Watch!
0:49:21.152,0:49:25.850
If you show up at that wedding feast
0:49:25.850,0:49:28.180
and the door is shut,
0:49:28.180,0:49:30.604
do you recognize it is all over?
0:49:30.604,0:49:35.244
It is eternal loss.[br]You have lost everything.
0:49:35.244,0:49:39.410
My brothers and sisters,
0:49:39.410,0:49:44.070
this eschatology that's out there [br]that wants to teach you
0:49:44.070,0:49:47.950
that there is going to be a rapture first,[br]and then you can get things right,
0:49:47.950,0:49:50.463
then there is going to be [br]a seven year tribulation,
0:49:50.463,0:49:51.973
and you can get things right,
0:49:51.973,0:49:55.503
and then Jesus Christ is going to return[br]and set up His 1000 year kingdom,
0:49:55.503,0:49:59.273
and then you can get things right...[br]That is a lie.
0:49:59.273,0:50:02.616
This tells you in no uncertain terms:
0:50:02.616,0:50:06.595
When Jesus Christ comes it's over.
0:50:06.595,0:50:10.240
That door is shut and if you [br]are on the wrong side of it
0:50:10.240,0:50:14.657
there is no seven year [br]tribulation to get it right.
0:50:14.657,0:50:17.137
You're undone.
0:50:17.137,0:50:21.928
You are undone forever.
0:50:21.928,0:50:29.068
Brethren, regeneration is real.
0:50:29.068,0:50:34.199
It is real.
0:50:34.199,0:50:39.724
Listen, they had to buy the oil,[br]
0:50:39.724,0:50:50.934
and Jesus says: you buy [br]from Me without price.
0:50:50.934,0:50:58.970
There is a time in [br]every true virgin's life
0:50:58.970,0:51:04.430
where bankrupt they come to Christ.
0:51:04.430,0:51:06.873
They must do business with Him,[br]
0:51:06.873,0:51:11.563
but they have nothing in their hand.
0:51:11.563,0:51:15.382
Lord, I don't have anything but my sin.
0:51:15.382,0:51:25.843
Lord, I've botched this thing [br]from the beginning.
0:51:25.845,0:51:28.024
I can't do this.
0:51:28.024,0:51:32.308
I don't have the power.
0:51:32.308,0:51:37.208
Lord, my sin is going to sink me[br]
0:51:37.208,0:51:39.098
into the depths of hell.
0:51:39.098,0:51:41.518
I can't do a thing about it.
0:51:41.526,0:51:44.414
If I run to Sinai, it condemns me.
0:51:44.414,0:51:47.989
If I try I find my best [br]works are just filth.
0:51:47.989,0:51:52.209
I can't do it.
0:51:52.209,0:51:54.378
Lord, help me!
0:51:54.378,0:51:56.609
Lord, save me!
0:51:56.609,0:51:59.513
And you know what Scripture says?
0:51:59.513,0:52:06.111
That justifying faith [br]is always accompanied
0:52:06.111,0:52:13.841
by a change of life, new creation.
0:52:13.841,0:52:20.968
The old things pass away.
0:52:20.968,0:52:24.691
Brethren, those are the indicators[br]
0:52:24.691,0:52:28.551
that we possess that oil.
0:52:28.551,0:52:30.682
All those things that the men[br]
0:52:30.682,0:52:32.912
historically have thought it means,
0:52:32.912,0:52:35.762
all those things are real[br]
0:52:35.762,0:52:37.222
if you're a true virgin.
0:52:37.222,0:52:38.693
You have the Spirit,
0:52:38.693,0:52:41.074
you have the presence of God,
0:52:41.074,0:52:42.892
you have an anointing,
0:52:42.892,0:52:45.085
you have an understanding,
0:52:45.085,0:52:48.493
you have a wisdom,
0:52:48.493,0:52:50.802
your eyes are made open,
0:52:50.802,0:52:53.633
you have grace.
0:52:53.633,0:52:56.374
All of those things are true.
0:52:56.374,0:53:01.525
Brethren, this book [br]describes true Christianity.
0:53:01.525,0:53:05.875
If you look and there are questions,
0:53:05.875,0:53:10.025
look, there is one place to go:
0:53:10.025,0:53:15.225
Always and only: To Christ.
0:53:15.225,0:53:16.872
If there's questions,
0:53:16.872,0:53:18.969
if there's doubts,
0:53:18.969,0:53:20.726
if you need help,
0:53:20.726,0:53:23.386
if you are uncertain:
0:53:23.386,0:53:25.448
It's to Christ.
0:53:25.448,0:53:28.983
You flee to Christ.
0:53:28.990,0:53:32.998
I was just hearing yesterday Spurgeon.
0:53:32.998,0:53:35.528
You might think: Oh, I wish I could have[br]
0:53:35.528,0:53:39.008
the kind of assurance such a one as him.
0:53:39.008,0:53:40.749
In the middle of his ministry
0:53:40.749,0:53:43.749
being used tremendously [br]he got so discouraged
0:53:43.749,0:53:45.679
and began to doubt where he was,[br]
0:53:45.679,0:53:47.120
even if he was saved,
0:53:47.120,0:53:48.820
if he was called to the ministry.
0:53:48.820,0:53:50.189
He couldn't go on.
0:53:50.189,0:53:52.079
He couldn't preach.
0:53:52.079,0:53:53.210
He just left.
0:53:53.210,0:53:55.971
Somebody else had to fill the pulpit.
0:53:55.974,0:53:58.689
He left to go out to the [br]country and to the fresh air.
0:53:58.689,0:54:03.482
He went to Essex to where he was from.
0:54:03.482,0:54:06.932
He's quietly crept in, [br]little baptist church,
0:54:06.932,0:54:08.962
sat in the back row.
0:54:08.962,0:54:11.644
Nobody knew he was there.
0:54:11.652,0:54:13.531
You know what he heard?
0:54:13.531,0:54:16.994
He heard this little country preacher[br]
0:54:16.994,0:54:23.534
preach one of his sermons.
0:54:23.534,0:54:29.685
As he heard his own sermon being preached,
0:54:29.685,0:54:32.553
it was just... It was Christ.
0:54:32.553,0:54:35.943
It was Christ.
0:54:35.943,0:54:37.936
His hope was there.
0:54:37.936,0:54:41.505
He came up to that preacher afterwards.
0:54:41.505,0:54:43.832
The man saw him, you know,
0:54:43.832,0:54:47.376
he was embarrassed.
0:54:47.376,0:54:49.216
Just hung his head.
0:54:49.216,0:54:52.686
Just plagiarized his sermon.
0:54:52.696,0:54:54.906
Spurgeon didn't care.
0:54:54.906,0:54:56.855
He just rejoiced.
0:54:56.855,0:55:00.106
He rejoiced.
0:55:00.106,0:55:02.393
He said as he sat there just hearing -
0:55:02.393,0:55:04.253
I don't know if he even recognized
0:55:04.253,0:55:07.503
it was his own sermon [br]till the guy said it,
0:55:07.503,0:55:14.158
but, I'd hardly know one of [br]mine from the past.
0:55:14.158,0:55:16.228
But it was Christ.
0:55:16.228,0:55:18.109
It was all Christ.
0:55:18.109,0:55:22.334
He saw it: My only hope is there.
0:55:22.334,0:55:26.820
He saw it in the simple man's words,[br]in his own message.
0:55:26.820,0:55:32.150
Brethren, that's it!
0:55:32.150,0:55:35.010
I'll tell you, whatever the oil is:
0:55:35.010,0:55:36.822
If you're clinging to Christ
0:55:36.822,0:55:40.242
and your hope is there, you have it.
0:55:40.242,0:55:48.306
Your only hope there.
0:55:48.306,0:55:50.882
There is finality coming.
0:55:50.882,0:55:55.692
The door is going to be shut,
0:55:55.692,0:56:01.803
and if you're on the wrong side,
0:56:01.803,0:56:06.643
that's not the time to get [br]concerned you have no oil.
0:56:06.643,0:56:09.305
It's too late.
0:56:09.305,0:56:11.073
It's too late.
0:56:11.073,0:56:17.115
Today Jesus Christ says: It's free.
0:56:17.124,0:56:18.558
Come, get it.
0:56:18.558,0:56:26.035
Come to Me and you can have it.
0:56:26.035,0:56:34.179
I think regularly about sinners in hell.
0:56:34.179,0:56:42.000
They just walked everyday past that door,[br]
0:56:42.000,0:56:47.490
and it was wide open.
0:56:47.490,0:56:51.926
It is open.
0:56:51.926,0:56:55.948
Can you imagine men's and [br]women's souls are at stake
0:56:55.948,0:57:00.318
and they count that [br]door so light a matter?
0:57:00.318,0:57:04.608
But when it shuts...
0:57:04.608,0:57:09.901
So what if they give all [br]their attention to it then?
0:57:09.901,0:57:12.260
It's too late.
0:57:12.260,0:57:17.936
It's too late.
0:57:17.936,0:57:21.546
Father, I pray:
0:57:21.546,0:57:33.352
Awake, awaken the fools!
0:57:33.352,0:57:37.366
Awaken them, Lord!
0:57:37.366,0:57:43.414
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
0:57:43.414,0:57:44.664
Amen.