Match made in heaven (2)

Matthew 25:1–9 (KJV 1900)

Matthew 25:1–9 KJV 1900

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

A Match Made In Heaven

Pray

There are some connections that when they are made bad things happen:

A spark and gunpowder

A bare foot and a lego

drinking and driving

Liver and onions

Bonnie and Clyde

The bible tells us that the day that Pilate and Herod became friends was the day that Jesus was crucified.

These are combinations that are at the last disgusting and at the worst deadly and destructive.

And then there are those connections and combinations that when they come together, the sun shines a little brighter, the birds chirp a little louder. These are the proverbial matches made in heaven…today we might call them power couples or the dynamic duo !

Peanut butter and jelly

An oreo cookie and a glass of milk

bacon and pretty much anything

chips and salsa

Batman and Robin

It was the combination of Wilbur and Orville Wright working together that brought about the invention of flight

It was the partnership of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak that gave us apple, the iphone, airpods and ipads.

Our world is a better place when peanut butter and jelly get together!

Transportion was revolutionized by the partnership of the Wright brothers

Obviously these are light hearted images and illustrations that underscore a powerful principle…There are some things that were purposed and intended to work together and in tandem one with another.

I draw our attention to the Kingdom parable of the ten virgins and in particular to the 5 that Jesus describes as being foolish.

The Bible tells us that these five virgins were foolish for one reason and one reason alone. They neglected to ensure they had a ready supply of oil.

All seems fine in the world of the five foolish virgins until the cry goes forth that the bride groom is coming, and in an instant everything changes.

lethargy gave way to urgency

Their casual posture gave way to an urgent plea

And in a moment these five vrigins, that just a moment before had blended in quite well alongside the other 5 who were wise, were transformed into a frantic and frenzied five.

What do we do? We cannot meet the bridegroom with oil!?!?

and so they do the most natural thing, they go to the five wise, who they know that they have oil.

Quickly their requisition for oil from the five who were wise was denied but the five wise virgins give them a directive…a tip of sorts…a lifeline to a solution that would lead them to oil, and prepare them to go out to the meet the bridegroom.

Sadly the parable continues on with the somber statement that “while they went to buy, the bridegroom came”.

Understanding that this is a parable, not many details are given as to the pursuit of the five virgins as they searched for those merchants of oil.

Perhaps it was after hours and their oil-selling businesses weren’t open at the hour.

Perhaps their merchanting shops were in obscure locations, not readily available and not easily found.

And while it is a parable with a specific message for the household of Israel, it is also a principle that speaks to the hour that we live in today.

We live in a world today that is looking for oil.

They may not know or understand that it is oil that they need.

They search for the relationship that will fill their vessel

for the career that will feel the empty void in their vessel

For the amount of money that will finally fill that void

And as the parable points out, until the cry at midnight, you couldn’t tell the foolish from the wise.

Until the cry would out that the bridegroom went out the foolish appeared just as wise as those around them.

But it was when the cry went out, when it became aware that the bridegroom was coming…that is when it became apparent who were the wise and who were the foolish.

I believe, not just in the church, but in society, there is a growing awareness that the coming of the Lord is drawing near.

A recent survey was conduction by the Pew Research Center and it found that 4 in 10 Americans believe that we are living in the end times. Not just 4 in 10 Christians or those that consider themselves to be religious. But 4 in 10 from across the nation.

And those that may not yet believe that we are living in the endtimes, are recognizing that we are living in unprecedented times.

Another survey, conducted by the American Psychological Association shows Americans are more stressed than they have ever been.

87% report they are dealing with significant stress over rising costs and inflation.

81% global uncertainty

84% report they are terrified by the unfolding war with Russia and Ukraine and potential for a world wide war to come from that conflict .

There is uncertainty

There is anxiety

There is an awareness that conditions are eroding in our world

And they are looking for oil!

Like the five foolish virgins the cry is being heard…and I hear the voice of the 5 wise…Go and find you merchants…Go and find those that are sellers of oil.

2. And then, if I could introduce another group into the mix and the equation.

Found, this time, not in a parable, but in an Old Testament story found in 2 Kings chapter 4.

The story of a widow that had been left in a hopeless situation by the passing of her husband.

She has debts that she can’t pay!

The creditors are coming to take her sons!

Just like the five foolish virgins…The widow is in a frantic situation.

But then the prophet stops by and he speaks a word of hope into her hopeless situation.

He says take the pot of oil that you have in your house. And start gathering vessels.

Gather vessels, gather not a few. get every empty vessel you’ve got in your house.

Borrow them from you neighbors. Borrow them from your friends. Borrow them from your enemies…you get as many vessels as you can get.

And just when it had looked beyond hope, the preacher said, start pouring the oil.

The oil is the answer to your dilemma ! The oil is the solution to your hopeless circumstance!

Im preaching to the church tonight…Aren’t you thankful that God sent a preacher into you world!

Aren’t you thankful…that when you had a debt to pay that you had no way to pay it.

The creditor was coming to collect on the debt you owed.

Paul says it this way to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 KJV 1900

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Such were some of you!

Come on River of Life…we were in quite a quandary…we were in a desperate dilemma…we owed a debt we could not pay...

But then the preacher came by....with a message that the miracle was in the oil!

There out to be a gratitude that fills our hearts every day! that saturates our lives every day! Thank God for the Oil! That God for the oil!!

But the miracle doesn’t end with vessels full of oil…the miracle doesn’t conclude with borrowed vessels that have been filled full of oil.

The prophet says to the widow…Now, GO and Sell the oil…Become a merchant of oil!

IT’s a match literally made in heaven…A world that is frantic…Realizing that their vessels are empty....and the are looking for merchants of oil!

And a church that, we can look back and recall that frantic feeling…we can recall not too long ago when we too were dealing with a debt we couldn’t pay…but we found the miracle of the oil!

and now we are sellers of oil! We are merchants of oil!

Let it not be that when the five foolish go looking for sellers of oil that they cannot be found! Let it not e that while the five foolish are out searching for merchants of oil, that the bride groom comes and the door is closed.

It really is a match made in heaven! A world that desperately needs Jesus, and a church that has been commissioned to sell the oil!

May their be merchants of oil on every street corner in this last day!

Let their be sellers of oil available to every frantic seeker that realizes the bridegroom is coming