Ever Ready 2

to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

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Now, this is the second parable from Jesus as He responds to the disciple’s three questions—“When will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3)

After giving the disciples several general signs to look for, He launched into 3 parables about being ready...

The parable of the householder is about being ready in your FAITH.

The parable of the 10 virgins is about being ready in your WALK.

And the parable of the talents is about being ready in your WORKS.

This time we’re going to look at the second parable—the story of a wedding and what we today would describe as 10 bridesmaids.

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First, let’s explore the key players in this parable and what they represent...

-One, we have the Bridegroom who represents Jesus.

-Two, we have the ten virgins who represent the church.

-Third, the LAMPS the ten virgins hold represent their profession to be Christians.

-Fourth, the OIL for the lamps represents the Holy Spirit given to those who are truly the Lord’s.

-Fifth and finally, the appearance of the Bridegroom represents the return of Jesus Christ at which time those who ARE genuinely His will be separated from those who AREN’T.

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To really understand the parable we need to understand what a wedding was like in Jesus’s day.

When the day came for the wedding, the vows were generally made in the house of the bride’s father.

During this time, the bridesmaids, represented by the 10 virgins, would go to the grooms house to await the bride and groom’s arrival.

As they generally arrived after sunset, the bridesmaids were provided with lamps or torches.

When the bride and groom were seen approaching, the bridesmaids would light their lamps and go out to meet them with joy.

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Now, the crisis that arises in the parable is triggered when the bridegroom suddenly appears...

His appearance immediately reveals the true spiritual condition of the virgins.

Jesus says that 5 of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Five of them had oil for their lamps and five did not.

So what is the meaning of this?

First, the parable reveals...

Who was truly saved and who was not

The five foolish virgins had the appearance of salvation represented by their also having a lamp.

On the outside they looked exactly the same as the five wise virgins—you couldn’t tell them apart!

Until the return of the bridegroom the five foolish virgins thought all was well.

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If we were to use today’s religious terminology we would say that the five foolish virgins were all in church.

They sang the songs and sat in the pews.

They were there for the church dinners and maybe even taught some Bible classes.

They said they were Christians and looked like it too!

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But the truth is they did not have the one evidence they were truly His—the oil representing the Holy Spirit, Who is given to every true child of God.

These 5 foolish virgins were religious ABOUT God without having relationship WITH God...

They were pious without power, had goodness without godliness.

Paul the Apostle describes such people this way: “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.”

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These five foolish virgins represent the people who believe their own good works will save them, that if you’re a “good person,”—as the world defines good—you will make it to heaven.

They never understand the core message of Christianity, that “By His grace you are saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it” (Eph. 2:8-9).

These 5 foolish virgins having no oil for their lamps (representing the Holy Spirit) proves they had not been saved.

Paul wrote in Romans 8, “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (8:9).

The end of the parable confirms their lack of salvation by the words of Jesus who said to them, “I do not know you.”

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This parable is a cautionary tale about being sure you have the real thing before Jesus returns.

We all remember the old Wendy’s commercial where the little old lady is disappointedly staring at a tiny hamburger patty on a bun and says, “Where’s the beef?”

When Jesus returns, He’s going to be looking for the beef....Those who have His Spirit, the “oil in their lamp.”

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So, in light of the warning of this parable, let’s look at three vital signs of those who are in the “5 WISE virgins” category.

They’re all found in 1 John 5...

The first vital sign is you must be...

Born again

John mentions this miracle in verse 1 John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,” and in verse 4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.”

One time a religious teacher named Nicodemus sought Jesus out in the dark of night to converse with Him.

Twice in their conversation Jesus told him he must be born again:

“With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

And again in verse 7 “Don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again!”

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The reason we must be born again is because the Bible says that, until we’re born again, we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

ILLUS: If there were a medical device that could monitor spiritual life like we have in hospitals that monitor physical life, it would flatline on every person that has not been born again!

You know folks, you can dress up a corpse in the finest clothes but it’s still a corpse...

It the same way, you can dress up a dead soul with good deeds and religious activity, but it is still a dead soul.

What it needs is LIFE!

And that is what being born again brings—you literally receive the life of God by the entrance of the Holy Spirit into your soul!

The Bible says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5).

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Listen: A truly born again person will show it!

Their nature will change,

Their likes and dislikes will gradually be transformed,

Their lifestyles will change,

Sinful practices and habits will begin to disappear (some immediately and some over time, but always there is change),

Their motivations and desires will change.

The direction of their life will turn.

Whether it is a radical, dynamic change—as with a person who has been deep in sin that dramatically turns to Christ...

Or a gradual, more quiet change....there will always be distinct, recognizable evidences.

Paul wrote, “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17)

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So the FIRST vital sign of genuine salvation begins with being born again...

A SECOND vital sign is they will...

II. Make a clear confession of Jesus as Lord

1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God….”

That statement from John couldn’t be more clear!

The person who has truly been born again will be characterized by ongoing faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and they will confess it openly.

This is NOT the same thing as saying...

Well, I believe Jesus was a great man,

or a great teacher,

or a very inspirational person,

or one of several great religious leaders in world history...

None of those statements reflect a truly born again person.

The genuinely born again person will emphatically state from their heart, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the one and only Son of God.”

Paul the Apostle wrote, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Ro. 10:9).

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The THIRD vital sign is that a truly born again person will...

III. Keep His commandments

John writes, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (5:2,3).

Notice, for the genuinely born again person the Lord’s commandments are not a hassle, they aren’t a burden.

You will want to please Him.

Paul told the church, “Learn as you go along what pleases the Lord” (Eph. 5:10).

The one who truly knows Jesus will endeavor to keep His Word—to live by it, obey it, and walk it out.

John isn’t saying we won’t fail, or never sin...

He’s saying that the true child of God’s lifestyle will generally be in keeping with what Jesus taught!

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So the person in the “wise virgin” category will 1.) be genuinely born again, 2.) will confess Jesus as God’s only begotten Savior, and 3.) will obey the Word of God.

The end of Jesus’ parable cautions us: “Be ready, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

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