Are You Watching (2)
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Good morning,
I hope everyone is doing well
That you all had a great week
Well last time I was up here I taught on John 14
We got a little deep
We discussed the concept of the rapture
for those of us that aren’t familiar
The rapture is a teaching a doctrine found in the Bible
Says right before the7 year tribulation
Right before the antichrist
Mark of the beast
etc.
All the bad stuff you find in movies basically
God will snatch his church
Take them to heaven
In a place he has prepared for us.
Basically take us up to heaven
For everyone else
They will be left behind
Not to party
but the Bible tells us its going to be
The worst time in history
Nothing to looking forward to
Nothing but death and carnage
Anyways, getting off topic here
Last time we also
We discussed the reality that Jesus is the only way
About how there is no compromise
That the only way to be saved is through faith in Jesus
For forgiveness of sins
And this week I wanted to go a bit deeper into end times teachings or what we call eschatology
But more specifically the understanding of a Galilean wedding feast
If you remember last time I discussed how God just gives you stuff sometimes
Well this is again another one of those situations
I truly feel God is leading me to teach this one today
I have to be honest,
The more I studied,
The more I focused
The more I began to see the truth of what is going here
The more I fell in love with Jesus.
But before we truly get into it
I wanted to give you a warning
Today is going to be a mix
A mix of blessings and a mix warnings
For some of you, pure joy,
For other’s, fear
For some it is going to be
Profound yet simple
Comforting yet terrifying
So today we are going to be in the Olivet Discourse
We are going to focus more specifically on the parable of the ten virgins
More appropriately, ten brides maids
We are going to talk about a wedding
And we are going to talk about the joy
The anticipation
The love
That surrounds such an event
But we are also going to talk realistically about warnings
Realistically about the potential for mishap
The potential to fall away
The potential to not be ready.
Trust me because once you understand the context
Once you fully grasp what Jesus is referring to,
You’ll understand both
The joy and the fear
The Anticipation and need to be ready.
And I want to ask you one questions
Are you watching?
Turn with me to Matthew 25:1-13
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose 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, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 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.
“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Prayer
As we open up with this unique parable
I thought it was interesting that just a few verses back
Jesus had taught on the events of the end times
Signs that we would see
Prophetic warnings
of False teachings
events that would take place
and a bunch of other stuff
that seriously we could do an entire series on
But just previous to the parable we are talking of today
Jesus teaches a parable which I am sure you are all familiar with
The wise and evil servant
The point of the parable
The decision to postpone preparation for the masters arrival
I thought this was very well displayed in
Matthew 24:46-49 where it states
If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
Matthew 24:50-51
The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
You can very easily see what happens from postponing our preparation
The warning
The negative consequences that come from such behavior
Its interesting because the application
Something you don’t really have to emphasize
The message is clear
Get your act straight
Jesus could come at any moment
You never know when the father is going to say now is the time
You have to be ready
You have one shot
Then its over
Mind you these are the words of Jesus
and I understand
These are hard things to hear
So you can imagine what His disciples are thinking
I mean if this doesn’t make you a bit uncomfortable
If this doesn't’ tie a knot in your stomach
If this doesn’t give you a sense of urgency
then I don’t know what will.
Ive shown just about all of you the rope sermon
We’ve only got one shot
Then eternity
Are you ready?
Are you watching?
But then Jesus goes into a teaching
A teaching that resembles a wedding feast
A familiar cultural custom that when understood
Makes perfect sense
Should bring an insurmountable amount of joy
After all its a wedding
A time for joy
A time for communion with friends and family
However
At the same time this parable has a staunch warning with it
A warning against inadequate preparations.
We just spoke on the decision to postpone preparations
Now we are discussing inadequate preparations
A warning that almost screams against Luke warm Christianity
A warning that requires you to watch at all times
A warning that says be ready
A warning to wake up!
A warning that says he could come back any moment
What about you?
Are you ready?
Are you watching?
Like I said for those of us that believe
Today is going to be a day of joy
But for those of us that aren’t sure
Today might be a bit uncomfortable
So before we get deep into the context, I must admit
I taught on this passage before,
I didn’t fully get it
I didn’t fully understand
But like I said, the details
Oh man if you get the details
Wow can this passage be powerful
So in order to fully grasp whats going on here
We need to take a journey
Back 2000 years,
To a people group that is
Centered in Galilee
And we must begin to understand their customs
What I first want you to grasp is the importance of the wedding
Now today a quick google search will show you
The average wedding cost’s around $33k
I know mind blowing
So you can see how important this one occasion is to a modern day individual
I mean look at our culture alone
We have entire occupations and stores
Solely focused on the preparation
The planning
The dress
The ring
The limo
The family
Plane tickets
Cakes
Food
And on and on and on
Its a big deal,
Well just as Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun
Well same goes with the Galileans
You have to imagine
They didn’t live a large town
So this event
This wedding
Would encompass the entire town
It would be THE party to go to
It would be the event
That moment of the year
You didn’t want to miss
What is unique about this particular event
Why is this so important.
Because it opens up so much of the Bible
Give you so much clarity
So pay close attention
Trust me I don’t want you to get lost
So in a Galilean wedding
As in any jewish wedding
We first start off with the betrothal
This is when the man asks for the woman’s hand in marriage
Understand
This is not done how we do it today
Today we try to get all romantic
Maybe take the girlfriend to a restaurant
Or maybe their favorite place
Maybe spend a few bucks
Try to impress the girl
Side note we recently had a soldier get engaged in our BN
Oddly enough
He did it in the same location I did with my wife
On a cliff on the beach in California
Either way this betrothal
In fact it was done publicly
in the presence of the elders of the town
For witnesses
A contract was signed
Better stated a covenant made
The woman would actually be legally bound to the man from this point on
Keep in mind they’re not married yet either
And yes she is legally bound
But there is a portion at the beginning
A custom that is truly significant
Now the Bridegroom or future husband
Would give the soon to be bride a cup of wine
If she agreed to the marriage
She would drink
She would then pass it back to him
He would drink
Then He would state this?
You are now consecrated to me by the laws of Moses and I will not drink of this cup again until I drink it a new with you in my fathers house.
Does that sound familiar?
We talked about the Lord’s supper last time I was here didn’t we
Turn with me to
Matthew 26:29
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Can anyone tell me what the church is called?
The Bride of Christ! Yes
Now following this custom
The Groom would actually go into a year long preparation period
New room would be added to his family’s house
Furniture would be collected
etc.
Sound familiar?
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
So now like I said it is the Grooms job to get ready
However
Lets turn our attention to the bride
She is to spend the next year getting ready
Making the dress
Getting the brides maids ready
and having oil in the lamps
This is key we will get to that in just a moment
Because the Bride had to be ready at a moments notice.
Why do I say this?
I mean shouldn’t they set a date?
Why wouldn’t she know when the wedding would happen
Remember their culture not yours
So the date was actually set by the Grooms Father
So the actual date and time of the wedding was in fact a complete surprise
Importance of preparation starting to make sense?
Importance of adequate preparation starting to make sense?
What about the importance of not delaying preparation, starting to make sense?
So at some point the Groom would ask the father for permission to go get his bride
His father would give permission at his discretion
So the father was the only one in the entire town that knew when the wedding would happen
Turn with me real quick
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Do you see how all this is adding up?
I’m going to ask again
Are you ready?
Are you watching?
No one knows the time, only the father
He could come at any moment.
Why is this so important?
Because you and I both know If you knew the exact time
You’d be sinning up until the point he came
You wouldn’t be living for Christ
You wouldn’t take it seriously
But the catch here is
If the bride wasn’t ready
She would miss her own wedding
If you aren’t ready
You are going to miss your own salvation
Did you get that?
If you aren’t ready, you’re going to miss your salvation!
Because
Your savior is in heaven
Patiently anticipating the moment that the father says GO
Are you going to be ready?
It’s going to happen in the blink of an eye
For those of us that are ready, like I said, this passage is full of joy
For those of us that are NOT, this could be nerve racking today.
But lets keep going.
Now the point of this preparation
The wedding feast actually lasted 7 days
The Father of the Bride had to feed these people for 7 days
Lots of appropriate and diligent preparation goes into this.
Did you catch that?
Diligent and appropriate preparation
Let me stop here for just a second
We have a view of Jesus
Like he’s a cuddly bear
A toy we can play with
Something that gives me comfort no matter where I stand in my relationship to him
This is a message preached in pulpits everywhere now days
These two parables are telling us something entirely different
You must be ready
You must be prepared
Or you will be left behind
God will not be mocked
God is not stupid
You can’t play games with Him
These parables were never meant to be taken lightly
Like I said these are the very words of Jesus Christ Himself
Not mine
Not some theologians
Not some doctor
Not some expert
No these are the words of Jesus
And we have to take this seriously
Let me show you why
Lets jump back into the context
The Bible tells us in
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
And also in
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
And as we look into this custom
We begin to understand exactly what this means
Why we must be ready at all times
The entirety of this parable begins to come together
Now according to custom the Bride
Would be actually sleeping in her wedding dress
The lamps would be filled with oil
The wicks would be trimmed and they would be ready
For the moment the wedding would begin
Remember she is waiting in joyful anticipation
Not fear
Not worry
Not concern
But of joyful anticipation
for the moment her soon to be husband would come to get her
But why sleep in the wedding dress
So the custom is the father would actually
At a moments notice
In the middle of the night
Middle of the night
Wake up and decide it’s time
He would wake up his son and tell him
Go get your bride!
The groom would then wake up
In joy
In pure happiness
And run to go get his bride.
Now here the catch and heres the connection to the brides mades
You see the groom
As he is running to get his bride
He would take a shofar horn
Blast it
Anyone that was ready
Anyone that was watching
Would wake up
Remember they are already prepared
And join the bride and groom for the wedding feast
When everyone that woke up entered the feast
The door would be shut and locked
Anyone that did not make it
Anyone that was not prepared
Anyone that was caught asleep
Was left out of the 7 day joyful feast
What does it tell us in our parable
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose 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, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 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.
“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Are you drawing the connection?
Are you ready?
Are you watching?
Ladies and Gentlemen the world is a sleep
They could care less
They aren’t prepared
But those of us that are anticipating the return of our king
We joyfully anticipate the return of our savior
We will walk into the wedding feast
I want you to picture this,
What joy that should come from this?
A wedding
A joyful occasion that has been
Anticipated and longed for
The Father wakes up joyfully
With a smile on his face
Tells the son, go get your bride!
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Jesus immediately wakes up, and with a blast of his horn
Those that are awake are caught up with Him in the clouds
to be with him
in the place that He has prepared
Folks is this not the most beautiful and comforting thing you’ve heard in a while!
Jesus is coming back for His bride
Thats you!
Thats me!
Thats His church!
But are you ready?
Are you watching?
Are you sleeping in your wedding dress?
Have you prepared for the day when our Bridegroom comes?
Or are you going to be looking for oil at that moment?
Are you going to be locked out?
Like I said at the beginning
To some this passage of Scripture
When understood
Is beautiful
Its comforting
Its brings in hope
It brings in promise
And it fills us with joy because
Our wedding day is coming
That moment in which you have been waiting
You know I look at my 9 year old and she is already practicing her wedding
She is already waiting for that day
Makes me sick
but there is a huge illustration here
Are you anticipating that day?
Are you ready for that day
Because it ought to be on the forefront of you mind!
The one that loves you unconditionally is about to come
Take you to be with him forever
Almost brings a tear to my eye
I can’t wait
But for those that aren't ready,
For those that aren’t sure
This passage is a massive warning
And I am urging you today
If you’re concerned
If you’re worried
If you’re aren’t prepared
Then get there
There are no second invites
There is no way get in once the door is locked
Make that choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
before its too late
For those of us that are sure
For those of us that are waiting
Don’t you keep this a secret
Tell the world
As it says in
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Lets pray!
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’