Get your Oil BACK!

Introduction

How many of you can remember when you first gave your life to Christ? How many can remember how it felt? To me, I felt brand new. I wanted to run and tell somebody about this Jesus who I have come in relationship and fellowship with. I had a zeal, passion, and determination, I had the OIL. I wanted to do as much as I could for the Lord. I wanted to read the scripture, pray, sing, play the instruments, and preach. This was the sentiments of myself, a 6 year old, who wanted to do everything that I could do to make God happy. How many people here wants to make God happy? Well Child of God, That was in the year 2002. If I can be honest, that was a long time ago. Since then, I’ve been through some things, I’ve lost some people, made some poor decisions, and have been though burn out several times. Somewhere between those moments, I lost that same passion that I was talking about, BUT I thank God that this week I had an encounter that brought this to my mind, that you may lose your oil along the way, but you can get a refill.

Background

Our text today found in the Gospel of Jesus recorded by Matthew. Matthew is giving us an account of the moments before Jesus’ trial, death, and resurrection. He is taking a moment to teach his disciples and all that would listen.

Can I be honest? I believe we have made a crutch for the people of God. This crutch is that people loves to be preached to, but they do not like to be taught. We will take time to go everywhere and do everything, but will not take a moment to be taught. The fact of the matter is the reason why some of us can not reach our spiritual strength in God is because we do not know God. Of course, you can pray, but you are exhausted after praying 5 minutes, when there was a time when the old saints could pray for hours at a time. This came from the fact that they were taught.

Jesus took time to teach. This is why I’m moving slow because I want you taught. If I do not whoop or holler, I want you to be taught.

He began to teach his followers and he used this parable of the 10 virgins. These young ladies were invited to take part of a wedding. They were bridesmaids. If I can take a moment to paint the picture to help you understand, they have their dress on, their hair is laid, their make-up is banging, they dressed up real nice. The wedding ceremony being a Jewish wedding, first took place at the bride’s house then they would have a great procession returning to the groom’s house where a feast would take place. These bridesmaids wanted to take part in this great procession and had to have lamps with oil in them. Well we find these 10 virgins in this parable, they were expecting the bride and groom to be be back at certain time, and they didn’t come the time that they expected. Now this is where we see separation, because 5 of the virgin, which the text consider to be wise, brought oil in their lamps, and vessels with extra oil, just in case they run out. Then there were the 5 foolish, who only brought oil in their lamps.

Body

Move #1

See this is where a lot of us is right now. When we were saved we were filled, as I described earlier. We were happy. Whatever we needed to do, we were ready to do. You didn’t have to ask us twice, we were ready to do what needed to be done. We were finding something to do.

If I can put a pin right there, this mindset for a body of believers is a growth mindset if a great number of people would think this way. We are quick to put the job on someone else, but God is trying to tell us today, stop waiting on someone else to do something, put your hands to it. We ought to be some intertwined together as a church family that when we see lack, division, gaps, and other negative things that can hinder the forward motion of the church, we just fill it in. We have to stop waiting on the next person to do it. We should be ready to work together. If I can put a pin right there, this mindset for a body of believers is a growth mindset if a great number of people would think this way. We are quick to put the job on someone else, but God is trying to tell us today, stop waiting on someone else to do something, put your hands to it. We ought to be some intertwined together as a church family that when we see lack, division, gaps, and other negative things that can hinder the forward motion of the church, we just fill it in. We have to stop waiting on the next person to do it. We should be ready to work together. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

These virgins came with oil in their lamps but the bridegroom didn’t come back when they expected and they became comfortable. Pastor, how do you know that they were comfortable, well it’s right there in the scripture because the bible says in verse 5 of our text that while they bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. The reason I am sure that they were comfortable is because they went to sleep. There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable, if you are prepared. I remember my mother, would wake me up early before our daycare van would come in the summer. She would wake me up, have me put on my clothes, make sure my hygiene was taken care of and tell me, sit in the living room and you can sleep until the daycare van arrived.

See I could sleep because I was already dressed and prepared for the day. But If I was not dressed, when the daycare van arrived, I would have been left. A lot of us are comfortable, we’re okay with only coming to Sunday morning service, we’re okay with not coming to Bible Study and Sunday School, we’re okay with not coming to prayer meetings, child of God we have become comfortable.

But don’t you know that when you become comfortable with missing these you start to set yourself up? It’s in these setting Bible Study, Sunday School, Prayer Meetings, that we make preparation.

1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

In other words, while you are sleeping, while you are comfortable, the devil is prowling about, he’s finding someone who he can consume. The devil don’t care if you come to church on Sundays. The fact of the matter is this new generation of church do not know how to fight in the spirit because we don’t take time to come be taught. When the devil comes in like a flood we don’t know what to do. This is why we react in the manner in which we do because we are too comfortable.

Move #2

They were comfortable, then all of a sudden, they get word that the bridegroom is on the way and then those foolish virgins realized, I don’t have no oil. See this is dangerous because we have people in the church operating with out oil.

When David was anointed with oil, the scriptures says the Holy Spirit empowered him. Oil represents this presence and power of the Spirit of God. Jesus was often referred to as the Anointed One, using oil as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit being present and acting in Christ.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor …”

In Acts 10:38 the first Christians recounted,“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power …”

When anointing is referred to in the Bible, it talks about the Spirit coming upon or influencing the individual, even Jesus. It signifies either the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit or is a plea for action by Him to empower or strengthen the anointed. The anointing with oil symbolizes that the individual is filled with the Spirit of God.

The issue that we have in church now is that folk are operating without oil. We have Elder, Deacons, and Mothers, who don’t have oil. We’re trying to make decisions without oil. Can I submit to you that if you are trying to make a decision without oil, God is not in the midst. You can’t make a decision without God. Oh, you all think I’m just talking about the church, but let me come down your row real quick. You can’t run a Godly house without God. It’s time to get some oil.

See it’s important to recognize in the text that the foolish virgins, were not foolish because they didn’t have any, because remember they came without extra. They had oil but they lost it. I don’t know about you but I can empathize with those virgins because I can remember when I felt when I asked the question, what is the point? What is the point of coming to Bible Study? I have worked all day long and I have all these things going on in my life, what is the point? What is the point of coming to Sunday school? I have worked all week long getting up before the crack of dawn, now it’s Sunday and I want to go to church. What is the point, when I’m going to hear a preacher preach to me? what is the point. The point is when you come to bible study and sunday school you get oil. When you come to prayer, you get oil! I do not know who I’m preaching to right now, but it is time to get your oil back. You have lost your oil. But it’s time to get it back. The oil keeps you prepared, so that when the enemy comes in like a flood, you know not to quit not to throw in the towel because you got your oil. When you feel like you ready to go off and blow someone out, you don’t because you have to oil.

Conclusion

I have to close but it’s time to get the oil back

I refuse to operate without the oil. I won’t preach without the oil, I won’t serve without oil. I can’t sing without oil. I need the oil of God. I need it for myself. I can’t live on my pastor’s oil, I can’t live off my mother or father’s oil. I need oil for myself. I had it, but I lost it. But I’m so glad that I made I made it this Sunday Morning, As a matter of fact the Devil made a mistake letting me make it to church, he should have killed me, before I got here, but now I’m here and I am determined to get my oil back.

I know for a fact that devil is going to come, the enemy is going to try to destroy, but I got the oil back.

Now I can declare that no weapon formed against me can prosper, because I got the oil.

I can declare that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning because I got my oil back.

I can declare in the face of the devil, and we KNOW that all things work together for the good of them that love God, because I got my oil back.

I don’t have to cuss because I got my oil, I don’t have to fight, because I got my oil.

As a matter of a fact, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but their might though God, for the pulling down of strongholds.

I don’t know who needs this but get your oil back, don’t wait too late, don’t wait till the last minute, no man know the day or the hour, that the son of man shall appear.

He’s coming back child of God, and you need to have your oil!!! Get your oil back.

I can’t do anything without my oil. If you’re not too proud and you don’t mind being honest, if you need oil I need you to run to this altar, with your hands lifted, now if you pompus or pious, if you feel like you got it all together, this is not for you, but if you know you need oil, you need to come now. Whether you’ve had it before and ran out, or if you never had it, you need to make your way here now!!!

GET YOUR OIL BACK!!!