Transcript

Prepared

Matthew 24:42-25:13
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Pastor Randy Smith

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See if you can identify the subject of this poem:

In my world,
The water is cold,
The wind is hard,
And the road never ends.

In my world,
There are no losers.
Only competitors still on their way,
And spectators waiting to be inspired.

In my world,
Victory is not weighed in gold,
But in determination and courage.

In my world,
There are no boundaries,
No limits,
There is no end.

Every day is the last day of my life,
And the first.
In my world,
The word "can't" does not exist,

And nothing is impossible.

(Author Unknown)

As you could possibly tell, this composition was written by a tri-athlete - almost 2.5 miles in the water, 112 miles on the bike and a full marathon of 26 miles on foot. The Ironman Triathlon is epitome of endurance.

The words in the poem also ring very true for the Christian life. As God instructed us in the Bible, we too need to overcome difficulties, act with determination and courage and realize that with Him nothing is impossible. Like an athlete we have a course that He has set before us, a track He expects us to follow, rules of conduct He expects us to adhere to, goals He expects us to keep, a Pacesetter He expects us to follow and a finish line He expects us to finish. We compete not against each other, but rather encourage each other to succeed in the competition. We run in such a way that our performance inspires the spectators to join us in the race. We begin this race the moment we get saved, and we complete it when God one day calls us to Himself. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It is a race that calls for proper endurance.

Possibly that word "endurance" characterizes the hardest part of the Christian life. I cannot tell you how many pastors could give story after story about people who start strong and then go in the wrong direction as they fade away in their journey with Jesus. Individuals that are out whenever the doors are open, asking great questions about the Bible, serving in various ministries, telling the world about their faith and spreading enthusiasm for Jesus throughout the church. Yet within a few months, the fad is over and the excitement fades. They tragically walk away from the Lord or stay connected in a minimalist sense that satisfies their seared conscience but leaves them totally unproductive for the kingdom of God.

It is hard to endure. I believe we can all attest to the fact that after a while the novelty of the Christian life wears thin. We realize that emotions are insufficient to carry us through. Discipline is required. Accountability is necessary. Encouragement from other believers is welcomed. And dependence on the Holy Spirit is vital. By God's grace we press on like the examples of the senior saints we have in our church. We have it as our goal to finish stronger than we started.

How important is it to endure? Listen to the words of Jesus from Matthew 24:13, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." Let those words ring through your mind. Our biggest fear in the church should not be politics or cancer or color schemes in the Youth Group room. Our biggest fear should be that one of us may drift off course from finishing the race successfully. Verse 13 again, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." Don't say perseverance is not necessary. Jesus said the eternal state of our souls is on the line.

Jesus has given us clear details as to the events that will precede His return. We have studied them in depth over the past five weeks. Now for the remainder of His sermon (in Matthew 24-25), He will present the application as to how the reality of these events should grip our lives here and now.

This morning we will cover the need to be prepared. And obviously the only way we will be prepared when Jesus returns or when we die, whichever comes first, is that we are continually enduring in our relationship with Christ. If we are persevering, we will always be prepared. We will look at two parables that cover this theme of preparedness. Both a thief and a groom will illustrate the need for God's children to always be ready.

1. ILLUSTRATION FROM A THIEF

Let's first look at an illustration from a thief. The warning cannot be stated any clearer: Verse 42. "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." In other words, be prepared! Be ready! Be alert! Be watchful!

Verse 43, "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into."

Being caught by surprise - thieves and robbers work on this premise. They look for strategic opportunities to prey upon their victims. They strike when we are unprepared: On vacation, sleeping, away at work for the day. Even the police warn us that there are strategic steps to prevent home burglary: Avoid allowing the mail to pile up. Get someone to cut your grass if you are away. Trim large hedges that obscure the entrance. Lock the doors and windows. Obtain a dog. Install an alarm system. Put indoor lights on a timer. There are many proactive steps we can take to ensure our home stays safe. But the moment we begin to slack off, as if there were no impending danger, is the moment we place ourselves at risk and the moment the opportunistic thief strikes.

The same applies to the Christian life. Christ Himself is not compared to the thief; rather His return is compared to the thief, a return that will be unexpected to those who are unprepared.

This theme is used throughout the Scriptures: 2 Peter 3:10, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief." Revelation 3:3, "So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you." Revelation 16:15, "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake." 1 Thessalonians 5:2, "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night."

The warning is clear, but the point I wish to make is that this warning is directed to unbelievers and professing Christians that are acting like unbelievers. I hear Christians often using this expression of the Lord's return to stress the unexpected nature of it. While true, the context goes much deeper than a theological point. The recipients to whom this warning is addressed are specific - people unprepared. If our home is prepared, we do not worry about the thief. Likewise, if our lives are in the Spirit, we do not worry about our Lord's return as if we will be taken by surprise.

Listen again to Paul from 1 Thessalonians: "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they [unbelievers] are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them [unbelievers] suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you [Christians], brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober" (1 Thes. 5:2-6; cf. Rom. 13:11-13).

If we are living as Christ expects, abiding in Him, every day in obedience to the gospel, persevering, we should have no concerns. Jesus informed us of the events that will precede His return (Mt. 24:25). There is no way Christ will come unexpectedly to those who live expecting Him to come.

My daughter's birthday last week did not come as a thief in the night. Big vacation expectations for next summer, though not on the calendar, will not come as a thief in the night. The loss of a few pounds after a strict diet will not come as a thief in the night. Those living a Christ-centered life will be prepared because they are eagerly awaiting His return and contrary to the others, overjoyed when He comes back as they have been anticipating and expecting.

The warning here is to avoid what singer Keith Green called being "Asleep in the Light" - a false assurance of my salvation that induces a spiritual slumber that causes me to drift away from the disciplines of the Christian life. The flame that may have burned brightly has been all but extinguished.

That is why in 1577 Sir Francis Drake prayed "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show Your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love."

The application is again clearly drawn in verse 44: "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."

2. ILLUSTRATION FROM A GROOM

Allow me to share with you one more illustration used by our Lord. It is another parable, an earthly story used to teach a spiritual lesson. The metaphor changes from a thief to a groom, but the point is the same. Both talk about a sudden coming to those unprepared to those failing to persevere.

The story starts out in verse 1 with 10 virgins (probably something similar to bridesmaids) who took lamps (better "torches") and went out to meet the groom.

Weddings are a big deal in our culture. They were bigger in the Jewish culture during the time of Jesus Christ. According to their custom, a wedding didn't take place until a couple went through a period called the betrothal. It was during this time when a man proved himself capable to care for his bride. Did he have a job? Did he secure a home?

When this time of proving himself was complete, the groom and his close friends made a journey to the bride's home. A short ceremony took place there and then the entire wedding party engaged themselves in a night procession that terminated at the groom's house where the celebration is said to have lasted up to a week. Part of the proof that you were welcomed in this party was your possession of a torch. No torch and you were assumed to be a party crasher.

The focus in this parable is not on the bride (she isn't even mentioned in the best manuscripts), but rather the 10 virgins (Mt. 25:1) of which verse 2 says, "Five of them were foolish (moros) and five were prudent." What specifically distinguished these virgins from being either foolish or wise is stated in verses 3-4: "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps." The theme running through this sermon, the 5 virgins were foolish because they were unprepared. They were careless, shortsighted, and neglectful. The only difference between the foolish and the wise in this parable is that the foolish did not bring extra oil to keep their torches burning. They were not prepared for the long haul and therefore were unable to endure.

According to verse 5 there appears to be a delay on the part of the bridegroom (cf. 24:48). It got very late. All the virgins naturally got tired and fell asleep. Verse 6, "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'" Now the moment the virgins were waiting for had arrived. Remember lit torches were necessary to enter the party and a prepared torch also revealed the heart's desire to be involved. Verse 7, "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps." Unfortunately half of the virgins attempted to regenerate their torches, but were unable to achieve a bright flame. Knowing the necessity, they scramble at the last minute.

Verse 8, "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'" Verse 9, "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'" Nothing heartless about this response, and let's remember that the parable is not intended to teach unselfishness, but rather preparedness. The 5 foolish ones depart to buy oil. Verse 10, "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut." A slam of finality.

The prudent had entered, but the foolish returned having found themselves on the wrong side of the festivities. Verse 11, "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.'" "But he answered, [verse 12] 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'" As D.A. Carson stated, "[This] must not be construed as calloused rejection of their lifelong desire to enter the kingdom. Far from it: it is the rejection of those who, despite appearances, never made preparation for the coming of the kingdom" (Matthew, p. 514). Their lack of being prepared revealed their lack of really wanting to be with the bridegroom.

The application to our spiritual lives is rather simple.

Number one: we cannot transfer our salvation to another. Just as each virgin needed to have her own oil, each human needs his or her own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As each virgin needed oil for her own torch, each person needs faith in the work Christ accomplished at Calvary in dying for his or her sins.

Number two: as the virgins did not know when the return of the bridegroom would be, we will not know the exact time of our Lord's return. Therefore, we must always be ready. By God's grace our lives must consistently be in union with Christ. As Jesus said in verse 13, "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." The emphasis is stressed by the repetition in this section. Verse 42, "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Verse 44, "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." Be ready! At the Second Coming or death you will meet God. Keep your torch burning brightly fueled by the oil of the Holy Spirit.

Number three: when the door is shut there will be no second chance. Last week we learned how Jesus compared His return to the days of Noah (Mt. 24:37). When God shut the door of the ark (Gen. 7:16), the people who rejected Him were left behind. Likewise, when the Bridegroom shuts the door, there are no further opportunities to repent. This parable wants to leave us with a deep feeling of tragedy for those failing to persevere.

Alfred Lord Tennyson took this parable and turned it into a song for a Queen Guinevere who had learned too late the cost of sin. Listen to what he wrote. "Late, late so late and dark the night and chill, Late, late, so late but we can enter still. Too late, too late, you cannot enter now. No light had we for that we do repent. And learning this the bridegroom will relent. Too late, too late, you cannot enter now. No light, so late and dark and chill the night, O let us in that we may find the light. Too late, too late, you cannot enter now. Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet? O let us in though late to kiss His feet. No, no, too late, you cannot enter now" (Taken from John MacArthur's sermon on this text).

And number four: God will save His own. Who are His own? As the virgins all looked the same externally so do many professing Christians in the church. But there was one distinguishing factor between these ladies. Some had oil and some did not. In the same way there is one distinguishing factor between professing Christians. Jesus said it best in John 10, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (Jn. 10:27).

Let's remember that all 10 of these virgins wanted and expected to be received by the bridegroom. In the same way, churches all over America are filled with people expecting to be received by Jesus Christ. But as the bridegroom said in verse 12, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you." Jesus Himself sounded the same warning in Matthew 7 to very religious folks: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Mt. 7:21-23).

J.C. Ryle over a hundred years ago said, "The professing Church is compared to 'ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.' All of them had lamps, but only five had oil in their vessels to feed the flame. All of them professed to have one object in view, but five only were truly wise, and the rest were foolish. The visible Church of Christ is just in the same condition. All its members are baptized in the name of Christ, but not all really hear His voice and follow Him. All are called Christians, and profess to be of the Christian religion, but not all have the grace of the Spirit in their hearts, and really are what they profess to be. Our own eyes tell us that it is so now. The Lord Jesus tells us that it will be so, when He comes again" (J.C. Ryle, Matthew 25, Commentary).

On the one hand this material should get our attention because at this present moment it is not too late for any of us in this room. If your walk with Jesus Christ has been lulled into worldliness or carnality or complacency don't make excuses. Don't crucify the messenger, but rather praise God for the "wake-up" call to allow that torch to burn brightly for Jesus.

On the other hand, for those walking with the Lord, keep persevering! Remember this is a marathon. Remember godly people are never lazy people. Remember God has given us His Spirit to empower us to finish the race strong. If your torch is burning brightly, grace is at work in your life. You can have assurance of your faith and the utmost confidence that you will be ready when you stand face-to-face with the living God.

I was reading this week about Pete Maravich. "Pistol Pete" was one of the greatest basketball players of his era. He became a Christian in his midthirties. Just before he suddenly died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of forty he penned the following words about his need for endurance: "The key to my ability is repetition. I practiced and practiced and practiced again. I gave the sport [of basketball] my total commitment. I tried everything I could to perfect my skills. It was like an obsession. It paid off for me as a player. I'm not so sure in life. If I had given that same devotion then to my faith, which is what I do now, I'd have been a better person in the long run."

We give our lives to so many things. Don't ever regret living a life devoted to Jesus Christ. Keep pressing on for your efforts will not be in vain, your reward will be great and you will be prepared to meet the living God.