🌤 We Can’t Buy Time, But We Can Buy Oil

Main Passage: Matthew 25:1–13 (NKJV) Theme: Time is a gift we cannot reclaim, but spiritual oil—representing intimacy, anointing, and readiness—can be purchased daily through our walk with the Holy Spirit.

Introduction – The Urgency of Now

Beloved, there is a holy stirring in the atmosphere. Heaven is whispering to the hearts of God’s people, “The Bridegroom is near—make ready your lamp.” We live in a generation racing against the clock—running after promotions, possessions, and platforms—yet forgetting the one thing that cannot be borrowed or faked: the oil of intimacy with Jesus.

Time is the great equalizer. Every soul—rich or poor, known or unknown—receives the same twenty-four hours in a day. But what we do with those hours determines what burns in our lamps. You cannot buy back a single moment once it’s gone, but you can redeem the time by buying oil while there’s still light to do so.

The Holy Spirit is calling us out of shallow religion and into deep communion. He is saying, “Come, buy from Me gold refined in the fire.” (Revelation 3:18). You can’t purchase oil with money—it costs something far more valuable: your time, your attention, your surrender. Oil flows in the secret place where love meets obedience, where hearts are laid bare before the flame of His presence.

Think about it—every generation has had its distractions, but ours may be the noisiest. Notifications drown out revelation. Screens steal stillness. We scroll through the hours God intended for worship, and then wonder why our flame is faint. Yet even now, in mercy, the Bridegroom calls softly, “Return to Me. Trim your wick. Buy oil again.”

We can’t control when the cry at midnight will come. The trumpet of the Lord won’t check our schedule. But we can decide, here and now, to live ready—to keep our lamps full, our hearts tender, and our eyes on the One who loved us first.

When Jesus returns, He’s not coming for a church that merely attended services or memorized verses—He’s coming for a bride whose heart burns with oil-fed love. The question isn’t if He’s coming—it’s will we be burning when He does?

So today, let’s open the door of our hearts once more. Let the flame of first love be rekindled. Because while we can’t buy time… we can buy oil.

Point 1 — The Lamp Represents Our Witness

Scripture: Matthew 5:14–16; Philippians 2:15–16

The lamp symbolizes our testimony—our visible light to a dark world. Without oil, the lamp is lifeless. Many profess Christ, but their lamps smoke without flame because they’ve neglected their daily fellowship with the Spirit.

Illustration: A streetlight can stand tall, but without power, it’s just metal in the dark. A believer without oil is the same—a structure without substance.

Spirit-Filled Thought: Your lamp was meant to shine bright in every workplace, every home, every city. Keep your oil full so your light never goes out.

Point 2 — The Oil Represents Intimacy, Not Just Activity

Scripture: Psalm 92:10; 1 Samuel 16:13

Many serve God with busy hands but empty hearts. Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s continual presence. You can serve in ministry and still miss His intimacy. The foolish virgins were involved in waiting—but they were not involved in communion.

Illustration: A car may have a full tank but without oil in the engine, it burns out quickly. So it is with believers who serve without soaking in His presence.

Spirit-Filled Thought: You can’t buy oil in the marketplace of ministry—you must receive it in the secret place of worship.

Point 3 — Time Is the Currency of Eternity

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15–16; Psalm 90:12

Time is one thing we can’t purchase, pause, or push back. Each sunrise is heaven’s reminder that time is running short. Redeeming the time means trading temporal pursuits for eternal ones.

Illustration: A wealthy businessman once said, “I’d give all my fortune for one more hour with my dying son.” But the clock refused to stop.

Spirit-Filled Thought: What you do with your time reveals what you value most. Spend it buying oil—time in prayer, in the Word, in His presence.

Point 4 — The Cost of Oil Is Obedience

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:23

Oil comes with a price—your will. Every act of obedience presses the olives of your heart to release fresh anointing. The wise virgins paid the price early; the foolish waited for convenience.

Illustration: Olive oil doesn’t flow until the olive is crushed. Likewise, the Spirit’s flow increases when we surrender and let God press us through obedience.

Spirit-Filled Thought: Obedience is the vessel through which the oil of anointing flows.

Point 5 — Delay Reveals the Depth of Devotion

Scripture: Habakkuk 2:3; Isaiah 40:31

When the Bridegroom delayed, the wise didn’t panic—they persevered. Delay doesn’t destroy devotion; it proves it. True faith burns steady even when heaven seems silent.

Illustration: Like a soldier waiting through a long night watch, the wise believers stand ready, not because they feel Him, but because they know He is coming.

Spirit-Filled Thought: When others sleep, stay awake. The oil of endurance flows in those who wait well.

Point 6 — The Midnight Cry Is Sounding Now

Scripture: Romans 13:11–12; Revelation 3:20

The midnight cry is not just future—it’s now. The Spirit is waking the slumbering bride. Every revival begins with a cry that pierces through spiritual drowsiness. The question is not if you hear the cry—but if your lamp is ready.

Illustration: A fire alarm doesn’t start the fire—it warns you to move. The midnight cry is heaven’s alarm to the sleeping church: Get your oil!

Spirit-Filled Thought: He’s coming for a bride with burning lamps, not cold religion.

Point 7 — When the Door Closes, Oil Can’t Be Bought

Scripture: Revelation 22:11–12; Luke 13:24–25

Once the door shut, the foolish virgins were left outside. They tried to buy in haste what they ignored in grace. The time of preparation is now, not later. The tragedy wasn’t ignorance—it was procrastination.

Illustration: Noah didn’t start building the ark when it began to rain. He built it while the sun still shined.

Spirit-Filled Thought: Today is your oil moment. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Buy oil now, while mercy still flows.

Conclusion — Buy Oil, Redeem the Time

You can’t buy time—but you can buy oil. You can’t go back—but you can go deeper. Heaven is calling for a church trimmed, burning, and ready. Don’t let your lamp go out because you were too busy to refill it.

Let the cry of your heart be: “Lord, I’ll trade my distractions for devotion, my comfort for consecration, my time for Your presence.”

Closing Prayer

“Father, awaken our hearts. Teach us to buy oil in the secret place. Trim our wicks, purify our motives, and fill us afresh with Your Spirit. Let our lamps burn bright when You return. May we not be found empty but overflowing with oil and light. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Would you like me to create a cover page for this sermon (for printing or teaching), perhaps with a radiant oil lamp glowing in the darkness under the theme “Presence Encounter”?