Prepare to Meet Thy God

Preparation

Matthew 25:1-13

(Active Introduction: Go up to the pulpit then come back down like you forgot something, do this several times, showing what it is like to be unprepared)

How many times has this happened to you? We get up and we go out to face the day and we are unprepared?

Maybe we forgot something or we are unprepared for the weather, unprepared for unexpected expense, unprepared for what someone said to us. It makes for a miserable day.

So many people live everyday unprepared for what might happen. We just kinda take it as it comes.

You know it is one thing to be unprepared for an extra guest at a dinner party but it is an entirely different thing to be unprepared for Jesus’s return.

Do you know Jesus was never unprepared. Each day he got up and He prepared himself by going to the Father. Everywhere he went, he was met with difficult situations and difficult people. But every time we find that Jesus was prepared to give an answer or meet a need.

Now listen, it is important that we are prepared just like Christ. That we are ready to give an answer for our faith. But most of all brethren, that we are prepared for when Christ returns.

Now Jesus gives a parable, a story with a biblical truth behind it, here in Matthew. And we need to heed what Jesus is sharing.

(Read Scripture)

Now this is a familiar passage, but it has such a great truth behind it that we need to remind ourselves of what the Lord is saying. And there are 7 things I want you to see from this text.

1. We all have the opportunity to prepare for the Lord (vs 1)

a. The scripture shares with us that 10 virgins took their lamps to meet the Lord

b. Now the number 10 is a symbolic number, it is associated with the Ten

Commandments, the Ten Plagues, and in the Book of Genesis the phrase “God said” appears 10 times.

c. We find that the number 10 is a representation of something whole or complete

d. Now with Jesus using the number 10, likely what he is illustrating is all of humanity.

e. Every person that is born, has an opportunity to accept the Lord into their heart.

f. The Bible says that “God so loved the world” and in this we find that God through his love gives opportunity for all people to come and know Him.

g. Now God reveals himself in three ways to people, he reveals himself by the scriptures, by his creation, and through human conscience

h. Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

i. Romans 2:14-15 “14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”

j. This means all people, God doesn’t want any person to perish, so he gives us all the chance to prepare, by coming to know the Lord.

2. Not everyone is preparing like they should (vs 2-4)

a. Now what stands out about this story, is here are 10 women who should be preparing for their wedding day, but some of them is procrastinating.

b. They are not taking it serious.

c. They know that the bridegroom is coming, but they are not getting things in order, here with the oil and lamp.

d. Now the oil like the number 10 is symbolic, and oil represents the Holy Spirit.

e. 1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward…”

f. Here are those, who know about the coming of the Lord and yet, they do not have the Holy Spirit within them. Here within their lamps.

g. The sad reality is that many are living life in this same manner. That yeah, the Lord is coming, but we don’t have to get ready right now.

h. We are encouraged to be prepared, the Lord wants us to be prepared. And sadly, there are those who think that they have all the time in the world to make it right.

i. We must stress to our friends, our family, our co-worker, and all alike, that we need to be prepared today.

j. 2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

3. We must be prepared for we know not the exact time of the Lord’s coming, but we can know the time frame (vs 5-6) – Reference Matthew 24

a. Now what was Jesus talking about before he began telling this parable? He was talking about the last days.

b. How long have you heard people saying, we are living in the last days? That Jesus could come at any moment?

c. How many people actually believe it? You know many are doubting the Lord’s return. Some are looking at the Bible metaphorically instead of literally.

d. That Jesus isn’t really coming back. But what does the Bible teach?

e. 2 Peter 3:3-4 “ knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

f. Now here is where so many people get messed up, they think Jesus is coming but they don’t think it will be today.

g. Now the last verse tells us that we do not know the day or hour when the Lord will come. But friend that doesn’t mean we can’t have an idea of the time frame.

h. If you get a chance to read Matthew 24, you should because the Lord tells us what all is going to happen in the last days before his return.

i. Now as I read some of those things, I can see, that the Lord’s return is eminent. And what does that mean, it means we need to get ready.

j. Larry Norman sang a song that released in 1969 entitled I wished we all been ready. Friends we all can’t get ready, if we would get ready right now!

k. Now these women, they don’t know exactly when the Lord is going to come, but some of them prepared themselves in case he came that night, and others didn’t.

l. They all were asleep when he came, they didn’t know that would be the time, but they had an idea of when he was coming.

m. We should be living each day as if it were the day that Jesus is coming.

4. When the Lord comes, everyone is going to know it. (vs 7)

a. Now notice the next thing we find with this passage, when the bridegroom was coming they all heard the cry of his return.

b. Hollywood has really distorted what the rapture is going to be like. They make it out like a mystery of the Lord’s return.

c. That people will not really be aware when the Lord calls for us to go with him. But that is not the case at all.

d. The Lord’s return, while it will be unexpected in the world, will be seen by the world.

e. Those who are prepared and those who aren’t will hear the cry that the bridegroom comes.

f. Now what is sad, is that some might hear the cry, but will not be ready to go, because they have not prepare themselves for it.

g. Revelation 1:7 “Behold he cometh with clouds’ and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him” and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

h. All of these women knew the Lord was coming, they all got up to meet him. But here is where the problem arises.

5. Others cannot prepare you, you must prepare yourself for Jesus (vs 8-9)

a. ½ of the women are not prepared to meet the Lord. They have neglected the oil in their lamps.

b. Now think about this, they had the lamp but they didn’t have the oil. The lamp has been a reference to the word of God.

c. Think about what Psalm 119:105 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, ad a light unto my path.”

d. They all had the lamp, in like manner, we all have the word of God, but here is the thing about it. You need oil to go along with it.

e. What is the oil? Remember, it is the Holy Spirit. To make the Word of God shine in our life, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us.

f. John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

g. Now these verse help us understand, that you will not be able to meet the master through another person.

h. You cannot depend on the salvation of a parent, spouse, or friend to get you into heaven. What must happen is preparation in your own heart.

i. While the prayers of others can affect us physically and spiritually, they cannot grant us salvation. Only a person who prepares themselves by pleading unto the Lord will find the path of redemption.

j. These women who were unprepared wanted those who were prepared to give to them what they had brought. But here is the problem, there is not enough for two.

k. While there may be the desire to help, the reality is, only a person can make the decision to prepare themselves for the Lord’s return.

6. If we wait to the last minute to try and prepare, you will miss your opportunity (10-12)

a. Now what do the unprepared women do? Well they are encouraged to go and get some oil.

b. They go looking for oil at the midnight cry. But what happens? They miss the Lord’s return.

c. You know, when the rapture takes place, the most packed places in the land will be the churches.

d. There will be rows full of people, trying to get their oil. But they have missed their chance.

e. It is a dangerous thing to put off salvation until the Lord’s coming. Yet, there are those who have this mindset.

f. That I will accept the Lord before I die, that I will give him my heart when he comes again. But it will be too late!

g. How many have gone into eternity, thinking that they would have the opportunity to accept Christ at some point, but just kept putting it off.

h. The time is now to prepare ourselves for Jesus. Because this may be the last opportunity we have before his return, or our departing.

7. Preparation is key, and now is the time to prepare (vs 13)

a. This is really what the last verse hits home on. The Lord tells us exactly what me must do.

b. We must get prepared. You know many people will hear about a hurricane coming, and they will go and gas the generator. They will buy the water. They will get food and other essentials, because the weatherman said the hurricane is coming.

c. Well the good Lord said that he was coming, yet, people are neglecting the opportunity to get ready.

d. You might be here tonight, and you are not 100 percent certain that you are ready, well you can make it right by just confessing yourself to the Lord right now.

e. Five virgins were prepared the other five were not. Don’t be the one who is left behind because you got no oil.

f. Get the Holy Spirit in your life right now by going to Jesus.