Jesus is Alive: What's Next
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Intro:
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Today, the title of my message is, [Jesus is Alive: What’s Next].
There are some things in life I have planned for for a long time. Then when it finally arrives, I often think, well that was anticlimactic.
I remember buying a vehicle a few years ago. I was excited and couldn’t wait to get my new Jeep. My friend and I drove all the way from Salem to Jeff City to drive it home.
When I got in the driveway, he asked, are you excited? I said, kinda, it is an odd feeling, it is kind of like, alright, I got this, what’s next.
He answered, yeah, sometimes the thrill is in the chase.
I thought about that this week as I prayed about my message for this Sunday. If we are not careful, the Sunday after Easter can become anticlimactic.
We prepare for the Resurrection of Christ, we get here with our family, we do something special to remember the day that changed history. Then comes the next Sunday, what’s next?
The resurrection of Jesus was the climax of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was the day God the father prepared for from the moment humanity sinned.
But it was anything but anticlimactic for the followers of Christ. What was next for them? What did Jesus do after He rose from the dead?
Luke wrote two letters to an esteemed individual named Theophilus.
The first letter was the book of Luke, where he recounted Jesus’ life.
The second letter was the book of Acts, where he discussed the beginning of the New Testament church.
What did Jesus do as He transitioned from earth to heaven?
He met with His disciples on the day of His resurreciton
Eight days later He showed Himself to Thomas
He ate breakfast with His disciples on the beach
He taught them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God
After forty days of showing Himself alive to over 500 people, it was time to ascend to heaven. But they disciples had one more question, what’s next for the Kingdom of God?
Remember, the followers of Christ longed for an earthly King. They now accepted Jesus as the King, so the question was simple, when will you restore the Kingdom of Israel?
Jesus’ answer was simple, do not worry about that, the Father will reveal that in His own time. If we had time to do an in depth study about Jesus’ of the disciple’s understanding of the Kingdom, we would find that this question was always in the back of their minds.
They constantly wanted to know about the coming Kingdom. Luke did not tell us exactly what things Jesus said pertaining Kingdom. However, three days before He died on the cross, the disciples asked a similar question:
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
To answer His question, He told them a story about the coming Kingdom and how it will be at the end of the age. They wanted to know what’s next, and I want to see what’s next for us.
I have two points, [A Story about What’s Next] and [The Significance of What’s Next].
Let’s begin
1. A Story about What’s Next
1. A Story about What’s Next
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
It was common for Jesus to speak in parables or stories. Jesus used this method of teaching to convey a deeper spiritual truth. Overall He taught forty parables.
In this particular parable, He compared the Kingdom of God to ten virgins who attended a wedding celebration. Of the ten virgins, we first see that five were wise and five were foolish.
Jesus gave the reason, because five took extra oil in their lamps and the other five did not take plan ahead. As they waited for the coming of the groom, they fell asleep.
These details may seem insignificant to us, but to those listening to the story for the first time, they start to piece the story together in their head.
Jewish weddings were vastly different than ours. Weddings in 2020 take place in one day: A ceremony and a reception. Often these take place in one building.
Not so in the first century. The bride would wait at her parent’s house. On the day of the wedding, the groom would go to the get his bride.
The bride and groom would then go to his parent’s house for a large celebration, that could last up to seven days. The groom did not travel alone, he had an entourage that turned into a parade.
They would take their time and go the longest route possible to get home, taking the back streets and the long way around, showing off the beauty of the bride to everyone who watched the parade.
As the ten virgins waited for the bride and groom to get the house for the party, they fell asleep. Until suddenly they were awoken with an announcement.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
It was later then they expected, and they heard the announcement, they woke up and quickly started to light their lamps.
The wise virgins were prepared with extra oil, knowing that the bride and groom could come later than expected. But the foolish virgins were worried, their lamps were out of oil.
They begged the wise to give them oil, but they refused, rightfully so. So the foolish virgins left quickly looking for oil, but it was too late.
Upon their return to the party, the door was shut and they could not enter. When they beat on the door, the groom answered I do not know you.
Which makes sense, because all of his friends and guests were inside, because they waited for him to come. Had these foolish virgins really been close to him, they would have been ready.
What does this story mean?
2. The Significance of What’s Next
2. The Significance of What’s Next
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Jesus wanted to get the attention of His disciples. They thought they understood the plan of God. They expected God to send a Messiah to come and quickly establish a physical kingdom on earth.
While that is part of God’s total plan, it was not part of His plan during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus showed in their own wisdom, they were really foolish.
Therefore, Jesus provides many comparisons in the story.
Jesus is the groom.
The church is His Bride.
Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit
The announcement is similar to His coming.
As the bride of Christ, we must constantly stay ready for the coming of the Groom. While we wait, we must stay full of the Holy Spirit.
It is interesting the similarities between the ten virgins. From the outside in, they were almost identical:
they all attended the same wedding
they all had lamps
they all fell asleep
It was not until the cry, BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM IS COMING, was the difference obvious. When they attempted to light their lamps, five of them burned brightly, and five of them were dim or out all together.
Now the differences are even more obvious. The five wise understood the importance of being prepared for the coming of the Groom.
But notice how the five foolish virgins never took responsibility. When they begged for the wise virgins oil, they announced, our lamps are going out.
In the original language, they said, our torches are extinguishing themselves. Not once did they take personal frustrated, nor did they repent.
They were frustrated at the wise virgins, they blamed their lamps, and seemed to forget, they are the ones who chose to take just enough oil to get them by.
What is Jesus’ point?
What is the significance of this story?
Before the coming of the Lord, some will be prepared and others will not.
Why?
Because some will prioritize preparedness through their dependence on the Holy Spirit, while others will stay content looking the part.
Or as Paul said,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Jesus issued a strong warning, WATCH, for we do not know when the Son of Man will come.
Close:
Jesus wants His followers to have to components in their lives: The activity of the Holy Spirit and the Awareness of His coming.
Now let’s return to Jesus’ conversation with His followers in Acts 1. They wanted to know His plans for the restoration of the Kingdom. They longed for Him to usher in His end time plan to eradicate sin and set up His rule and reign on earth.
Jesus told them that should not be their focus, instead:
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I noticed something about this passage as I studied this week, the specific connection between the Holy Spirit and the anticipation of Christ’s return.
Though I have preached it before, it became so real to me once again. When we depend on the Holy Spirit, He puts within us a longing for Jesus to return.
The difference between the wise and foolish virgins was their preparedness, one took extra oil and the other ran out of oil. And it was not UNTIL the bridegroom came that the distinction was made.
We are living in a time where people can look the part, they can act the part, they can say the right words, the can make the right motions, and the can fool everyone into thinking they are ready.
But the fact is simple, when the announcement is made and the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, then the distinction will be obvious.
Some will go because they are ready, others will stay because they were not.
While the disciples were so focused on dates and times, Jesus just wanted them to stay ready by staying full of the Holy Spirit.
And as I think of what our world and the church faces in this hour, we are watching the calendar. We long to get back to some time of normal.
There are phases to reopening the economy and the state, and I understand all of that is necessary. But the church of Jesus Christ must look through the lens of the Holy Spirit.
No matter what the future holds, pay attention to the significance of THIS story, we have to watch, for we do not know the day when Jesus will return.
So in the meantime, what’s next?
Stay full of His Spirit and pray for His return.
And I have noticed something, when I start to pray for His return, when I start to sing about His coming, His Spirit comes and renews and revives my Spirit.
As I sing, I’ll Fly Away, or O I Want to See Him, or Everybody will be Happy Over There, especially in these dark times, it is as though the Oil from Heaven comes into my life, and I feel supernatural help from heaven.
The darkness around me is extinguished with a burning fire of God’s presence deep within me.
Jesus is alive, what’s next?
Jesus wants to baptize His church in the Holy Spirit, pouring out extra oil, keeping us ever watching and ever prepared for His return!