End of the Age 4 - The Presence Priority - Matthew 25

I. Introduction

A. We will continue talking about the End of the Age. At the end of Matthew 24, Jesus makes this statement….

Matthew 24:46 (NIV) “46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” Whether it’s the end, end or another end of an age what should be our priority in these times? Jesus gives the answer by sharing three stories in Matthew 25. The first is of ten virgins and oil to burn.

B. Matthew 25:1-13 - This is the Presence Priority!

C. The oil is the element to keep the fire going. Any good Jew would think back to the responsibility of the priest to keep the lamps in the Holy Place full and burning to light the door to His presence. (Exodus 30:7) (Leviticus 24:4)

We are priests with a responsibility to tend the presence of God. We keep His anointing on fire inside our lives to light the way. We keep the fire going in our generation!

Matthew 5:16 (NIV) “16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

How well are you tending the presence of God individually through prayer, scripture, and solitude before God?

How well are we tending the presence of God communally through breaking bread, fellowship, prayer, praise?

D. Jesus is coming back for a kingdom of priests who prioritize the presence of God on the earth. Will He find us seeking it, embracing it, and representing it to the world?

II. Tending the Presence - Three areas in Psalms

A. Tending the oil of Joy - Psalm 45:7 (NIV) “7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

We first must love what he loves and hates what he hates. If we love what God hates, wickedness, we will never find the joy He has for us.

We have to trust God’s wisdom instead of our own of what is right and what is wrong. We have to stop going to the wrong tree for fruit in cannot produce.

Only then can he anoint us with joy when we give up our own counterfeit version of happiness.

We must then receive His anointing of joy. So what does that look like? Joy of the Lord is supernatural. It’s hard to explain but we can see the affect. First two mention’s of joy in the Bible….

Joy in worship - joy will express itself with song and music. The joyful sing. (Genesis 31:27) - Billy share worship as a teenager in youth.

Joy in fellowship - joy was the main component in the feasts of Israel. (Numbers 10) - Billy share about the prayer group and men’s group. Joy’s knowing you’re not alone.

Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV) - “10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

The people here were being re-introduced to the presence of God through the word and they were weeping in repentance and the prophet told them to stop. Why ? God was rejoicing, like the Father to the prodigal.

It’s our strength because the joy we express isn’t ours, it’s His.

B. Tending the oil of Unity - Psalm 133:1–3 (NIV) “1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

Unity is tied to the anointing of Aaron, the first high priest. Today the priesthood is the church.

The church is us! When we live together in unity our anointing is made visible to the world. It’s how we prove our authority, anointing to love the lost like Jesus because we love each other.

The church is Jesus! Crazy thought. Jesus is the New Testament High Priest according the Hebrews. Our unity is the oil the Father uses to anoint Jesus as the continuing Messiah to the world.

John 13:34–35 (NIV) - “34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

C. Tending the oil of Victory - Psalm 23:5 (NIV) “5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

If we really embrace the presence of God we won’t walk around like a defeated people! The victory has been won, our job is the bring the news to the entire world. Like at the end of the war, not everyone knows the victory is secured.

Psalm 20:5 (NIV) “5 May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.”

1 John 5:3–5 (NIV) “3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Victorious love - the victory has freed us to love people without condition. We don’t have to win a war we have to share the love that comes from the war already being won. We must stop beating people up with the truth and love them with it.

Victorious faith - our power doesn’t come from might but faith. We can step back and see the big picture of the will of God. We believe all this is headed toward his love and new heaven and earth.