Be Prepared

When I was a boy, I joined the organization, The Boy Scouts of America, in Chattanooga, TN, which is my home town.

This whole time-frame was a learning experience for me to say the least. I was a part of a group of young men, that were not the most geared towards the standard of excellence that was part of the Boy Scouts of America.

By that I mean, I had some rough characters in my scout troop! (Elaborate some if you want to.)

The reason that I mention this, is because as a boy Scout member, you have, across the board within all scout troops in this country, a creed or motto, which is basic and simple, but relevant to life non the less.

That motto is, “Be prepared”!

"Be prepared for what?" someone once asked Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting.

"Why, for any old thing." said Baden-Powell.

But Baden-Powell wasn't thinking just of being ready for emergencies. His idea was that all Scouts should prepare themselves to become productive citizens and to give happiness to other people. He wanted each Scout to be ready in mind and body for any struggles, and to meet with a strong heart whatever challenges might lie ahead.

Be prepared for life - to live happily and without regret, knowing that you have done your best. That's what the Scout motto means.

Being prepared for life and knowing that you have done your best!

I mention this to you today, because it ties in with the passage and the precept of the message that we are looking at in tonight’s sermon.

In keeping with the Biblical time frame that I started speaking on this past Sunday (that is, the last few weeks of Jesus ministry leading up to the crucifixion) we are going to be looking tonight in Matthew’s gospel primarily, but more specifically, at one particular teaching that He covered with His disciples during that time frame.

In Matthew’s Gospel, we find what are called the discourses of Matthew. These are sets of teachings that Jesus did with His disciples, that Matthew has recorded for us within his gospel account.

The five discourses are: the Sermon on the Mount (), the Missionary Discourse (Matthew chapter 10), the Parabolic Discourse (Matthew chapter 13), the Discourse on the Church (Matthew chapter 18) and the Discourse on End Times, “The Olivet Discourse”, (Matthew chapter 24-25.)

Now, today, we are going to be looking at the last of the discourses in Matthew’s gospel, the one known as the Olivet Discourse. (Does anyone know why it is known as the Olivet Discourse?)

Right, this particular discourse was given from Jesus to His disciples while they were on the Mt. of Olives.

This takes place shortly after the Triumphant Entry in Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), which will actually be this Sunday! (Then of course in two weeks, we celebrate Resurrection Sunday! AMEN?!)

And as I mentioned just a second ago, this passage of scripture is keeping within the time frame of the last few weeks of Jesus’ earthly ministry before the crucifixion.

The Olivet Discourse comes right after the incident in , where we see Jesus giving the seven “woes” to the religious hypocrites of His day and time.

If you remember, I mentioned in Sunday’s sermon that when we see Jesus saying “WOE” to someone or a group, it carries a very staunch and negative meaning. (Pain, despair, sorrow)

It is at the close of that we see Jesus in grief over the condition of Jerusalem and also the foretelling of the destruction of it, as well as the temple in Jerusalem which takes place in A.D. 70.

Turn with me please, at this time, to .

Now this is midstream in the Olivet Discourse, as it covers chapters 24-25.

Chapter 24, the opening of this teaching of Jesus to His disciples, starts with His disciples pointing out the temple to Jesus from the beautiful view that Mount of Olives affords them.

You see, their natural minds were still on the things of majesty and power and earthly kingdom development and the beauty of the architecture of the temple itself!

So, Jesus says this to them, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

It is here, that the disciples ask Jesus to tell them of when these things that He just mentioned would take place. They ask Him, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

So, the rest of chapter 24, is Jesus telling the disciples about the things that will happen, the signs of the end of the age. (Many false teachers, antichrists, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation, famines and earthquakes, those of the kingdom being offered up for tribulation and persecution and death! The urgency of these things that they will come quickly and that they will be severe, such as the world has never seen before or never will see again! Jesus warns that if you hear people saying, “Look, the Messiah is here, or He is there”; do not believe them, because they will false prophets, able to do great signs and wonders, themselves!

This whole issue of the signs and wonders is another thing that will lead many astray; even professing Christians will be deceived and led astray from the truth, just as Jesus says in verse 24 in this chapter!

This is one reason that I truly want Christians to be locked onto and focused upon the spreading of the gospel message and not whether or not they are seeing signs and wonders! If their faith is that shallow and weak (to where they need something visible to validate the existence of the Lord in their life) and they are not firmly rooted into their walk with the Lord and someone come onto the scene (a false prophet) and begins doing these signs and wonders that they are desiring to see, then they will follow them and be led astray from a true relationship with the Lord Jesus!

This is happening right now, as we speak, in one form or another!

Jesus said for us to keep our focus on Him and His words and let Holy Spirit guide us; not men and their words and actions!

is divided into 3 teachings; two of which are parables and the third is Jesus teaching on the final judgement of all people.

The two parables are: The Ten Virgins and The Talents.

What Jesus is showing us within this set of messages, is a warning to the church. The church is to be watching and ready for His return, whenever and how unexpected it will be. (According to His own words in , it will be unexpected!)

We may see the signs and indications of the things that are associated with His return, but the actual act itself, is going to catch many by surprise!

.

Matthew 25:1–13 ESV

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Now, in and of itself, this parable is straight forward. It is a depiction that He is coming at a time that is not known and unexpected!

The opening statement here is about the Kingdom of Heaven and the ten virgins.

With this being explicit as to what it is talking about, (the Kingdom of God), it removes room for interpretation. If it is the kingdom that Jesus is talking about then those whom He has mentioned (the ten virgins) would be assumed to be? (Right, Christians!) Look at a couple of verses.

John 3:5 ESV

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Matthew 7:21 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

So these verses all give us idea of who shall and shall not enter into the kingdom.

Only those who are born again (born of water and spirit), those who do the will of God shall enter into the kingdom.

Unrighteousness shall not enter into the kingdom!

So, by this parable starting off saying that the picture you are being painted is like the kingdom of heaven, it leads us to think, that the leading characters in the story, (the ten virgins) must have done what is necessary to be a part of the kingdom, RIGHT?

OR AT LEAST, THEY HAVE PROFESSED TO BE WHO AND WHAT THEY SAYS THEY ARE! (Both of these parables and the closing teaching at the end of the chapter show how all things are disclosed and brought into the light of the truth!

You see this every Sunday and every Wednesday in churches all over country; the congregation assembled and singing praising the name of the Lord! Hands and voices raised and accolades about His greatness going up! (LOOKS GREAT, RIGHT?)

These people have expressed interest and professed a relationship with the Lord; they are in the church body and they carry the torch that represents their salvation!

The truth is, you may look good in front of others, but God is the one who searches and truly knows the condition of your heart; not the men and women standing around you!

The parable says that there were five wise (phronimos; wise, intelligent, prudent) virgins and there were five foolish (moros; foolish, godless, moron) virgins.

It says that they were all taking their lamps/torches and going to meet the bridegroom.

Five were wise, in that they took oil for their lamps

Five were foolish in that they didn’t take any oil for theirs.

It is a good idea at this point, before moving forward with the parable, to understand how the Jewish weddings took place as it makes this parable more relevant. (Also, we need to understand, that most of what Jesus said was to Jewish people, from the Jewish culture. So, having a better understanding of their way of life and the OT practices that they operated under, is helpful in many of His teachings.

An engagement was made, usually through the fathers of the couple coming together and arranging it to happen. They gave their child, in contract, to be engaged to the other’s child. The couple didn’t date and then decide to get married like our culture teaches.

The father of the groom had to negotiate a price with the father of the bride; a dowry, or what the Hebrews called a mohar. This payment was for the deemed usefulness that the young lady would have been to the father and their house , if she wasn’t getting married off. (So, the father paid for the bride for his son up front and no payment was made by the groom for the rest of his life. Nowadays, no payment is made up front for the bride and then the husband pays for it the rest of his life!)

Next, the couple would come together, in front of family and witnesses and make binding vows. This was an official ceremony and after this ceremony, they were considered married! Although there was no sexual consummation of the vows yet. This relationship was referred to as being betrothed. (Mary was betrothed to Joseph in ).

The bridegroom had then a period of time, usually around 1 year and sometimes up to 7 years, to go and either use part of his father’ s house and land, or he could work and save and buy some of his own land and build a house and sow and plant and prove that he could adequately take care of the young lady that he had been betrothed to.

Then, when everything was considered ready, the bridegroom and his friends would go to receive the bride and her party.

This could happen at any time of the year and any time of the day. The bride and her party and family had no idea of the coming time of the bridegroom and his party. It was a constant expectancy on their part, as they knew that she was betrothed and it WOULD happen, but as to when he would be coming for her, was a mystery.

Each day was to be lived as if that were the day for the coming of the bride! (Does that sound at all familiar to any of you?)

The actual intimacy and consummation of the wedding, would take place when the ceremony went under way at the home of the bridegroom.

This is so true for us, as the day will come when we, (those who are truly His), will be taken to His father’s home and will receive our glorified bodies and thus become one with Him for all times. (ginosko - Greek word referring to intimacy, both sexual, but even more so, the knowing someone to the deepest level of a relationship!)

That level of intimacy with our bridegroom will not happen until it is consummated!

So, we have the virgins waiting for the bridegroom, half of them ready and half of them not ready for his return.

The virgins are representative of those in the kingdom (or those who profess it). There is no direct meaning to them being listed as virgins as to some hidden mystery (this was a common thing in those days that the bride’s friends were virgins themselves, who had not married and were part of her bridal procession) Although there could be the connotation that those that belong to, or who are waiting for the bridegroom, are to remain spiritually pure/righteous, just as the command is given, “You shall be holy, for I am holy”.

The main point that is stressed in this parable starts with that of verse 5 of the passage, “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.”

This is where the whole story takes the twist. The bridesmaids/virgins, were waiting and looking for the return of the groom and he was delayed in his coming and so they fell asleep.

Jesus is making this story short and sweet to stress a point. We, as His followers, do not know the exact day and time of His return, but we do have things to look for, as He instructed His disciples in of the Olivet Discourse.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The virgins know that he is coming and are looking for the return, but because it is taking longer than they anticipated, they become tired and sleep. (Their is no rebuke listed by Jesus for them sleeping, as we know that we are not to stop existence and our lives and sit in some cave awaiting Him, but rather we are to do something, or somethings, of much more importance!)

Those things of greater importance are split between two parables. This one as well as the parable of the talents in verses 14-30.

So, the importance of this parable comes in the next verses, as we see the announcement of the of the groom!

says:

Matthew 25:6 ESV

But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’

At the midnight cry, he comes and they are all caught asleep; asleep, but not all unprepared!

Therein lies the relevance of this parable. BE PREPARED!

The bride and the bridesmaids do not know the exact time, maybe the season, but not the exact time or day as to the groom’s return. Only when the groom is ready will he come for his bride!

The Bride’s Money

A couple got married and the bride brought the bulk of the financial support into the marriage. And she knew it too. She always had a way of reminding her husband that she was the source of their financial security.

One day as they were driving along she was in an especially proud mood and she said “Honey, if it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t have this nice car we’re riding in.”

They pulled into the driveway of a beautiful home and she said, “if it wasn’t for me, we would have this nice house we’re living in.”

As they went inside she pointed out the new furniture they enjoyed and reminded her husband again that if it wasn’t for her they wouldn’t have all of this new furniture.

Then she pointed out the new high definition big screen television that was hanging on the wall. The husband said, “Yeah, I know. If it wasn’t for you and all your money we wouldn’t have this TV. We’ll let me tell you something. If it wasn’t for your money, you wouldn’t have to put up with me either.”

The virgins in this parable were caught asleep. Those who are representative of the bride, were asleep and not being watchful. However, upon the announcement the 5 wise virgins were ready to go! They were PREPARED!

In , Jesus tells us this:

Mark 13:32–37 ESV

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

The five foolish virgins did not have the oil needed (which could be indicative of the true filling of Holy Spirit and thereby, true salvation. Thus, their torch could burn no longer.

They look good on the surface, with their torches out in front like the other virgins; however, without the true oil that is needed to sustain and carryover for the next step, their fire burns out and they are exposed for what they really are!

They ask the wise virgins for some of their oil and the wise tell them, no way. There will not be enough for us and you also; go and buy for yourselves.

The issue here is not of resources or monies needed to obtain salvation as directed by the wise virgins, for we know what the book of Isaiah tells us from God in :

Isaiah 55:1 ESV

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

The issuance of salvation, TRUE salvation, comes not from anything that we bring or offer, but it is a free gift to those who truly believe and repent and turn to Him.

These are the ones who have the oil of preparedness, the truth of salvation in them, that keeps their torch burning until the proper time!

The other thing that is of great importance for those of us who truly have the oil and the lit torch of salvation, is that while we are waiting, we are to be busy doing the master’s work and not being complacent.

This is covered in The parable of the Talents and is for another day and time.

The main point for today, is ARE YOU PREPARED?! Are you prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or are you going to caught asleep and out of time before the groom’s door closes and left out, just as the foolish virgins were? AMEN? AMEN!!