Prepared for Christ

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.


Kingdom of Heaven like--

Ten virgins. Pure, undefiled people of God.
Ten virgins with lamps moving towards the bridegroom- our Savior. We live our lives with the realization that Christ's second coming is what we are living for. We live with the hope of salvation found in our loving Savior. We live awaiting the day we will be joined with our Savior, the bridegroom and bride together at last.


All of these people have lamps to hold the oil which brings forth light.
All of these people have oil in their lamps to begin with and their lamps are burning as they wait.


Those waiting for their Savior prepare for His second coming.

Let's imagine--

You are invited to a wedding and the wedding is prepared so that you'll need to have a lamp with oil in it ready to meet the groom before he goes on into the wedding ceremony. You believe that you'll only need an hours worth of oil because logic tells you that the groom will be prompt. However you want to be ready to have your lamp burning longer just in case something happens to delay the groom so you bring extra oil. Half the people around you are of the same mind, but the other half just bring enough oil for the prearranged time for things to get under way. So there you all are with your burning lamps waiting, and waiting, the time comes and then passes. While waiting every one grows sleepy and eventually falls asleep. The lamps are still burning using up the oil in them. By the time the cry that the bridegroom is coming is given, waking everyone up, there is a rush to get your lamps filled and burning again. Of course those with foresight have extra oil, those who thought they had enough had none and desperately want your oil so they can go meet the bridegroom too. You can't give them your oil though or you won't have enough. You tell them to go and get more oil elsewhere.


We ALL have to be ready for Christ's second coming.
We all have to have lamps.
We all have to have oil in those lamps.
We all have to have extra oil for those lamps.


The reason for this parable is to show that some will be ready for Christ's second coming and others will not be ready. The wise and the foolish. The prepared and the unprepared. Those who think they are all prepared and find out later they are not. Those who wait till the last moment to try and get what they need to be ready, but won't be able to.


We want to be prepared and we believe if we can understand what the lamp and the oil is we will make sure we have that lamp and have extra oil for it.


Jesus is the light.


Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.


Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.


As long as Jesus was in the world… He was the light of the world.


Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.


The Holy Spirit comes to us, the Spirit of truth. The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of truth, or know HIM but we will know Him and He will dwell with us and in us.


Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:


Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.


The light of the world- JESUS.
The Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus.


Lamp and lights - enlightenment, knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His word… Jesus in the Word.


Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.


Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.


Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.


Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life


Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.


Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.


The light we need is our Savior-the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life- and ALL of this is given to us through grace, the grace of our Savior.


We have to have Jesus in our lives- real, living, guiding, saving, loving, active, alive and we have to have Him and His grace ALWAYS. We can NEVER believe we can EVER on our own-- live. We can never expect to meet our Savior by our own means, our own devising. We have to have Christ with us ALWAYS not sporadically. We have to trust in His Righteousness, we have to trust in His grace, never in our own- we HAVE NONE. We need to believe, to have faith. We live here and now on earth with the promise of Christ living in us. We live here and now with the promised Comforter, the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.


Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?


We can all have the Holy Spirit.


1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.


1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.


1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.


1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently


To meet the Bridegroom when He comes we need to be prepared through love, His love. Our faith needs to be alive, our faith needs to be active, our walk with Christ needs to be something very real to us, a reality like no other.


All sleep.
All wake.
All have lamps.


Some have enough oil for those lamps.
Some don't have enough oil for those lamps.


Some go on to meet the Bridegroom.
Some who desperately want to meet the Bridegroom will not.


Some are ready.
Some are not ready.


Some will have Christ - a living belief, brightly burning by the grace of our Savior the Word made flesh, through the gift of the Holy Spirit all by our Lord's righteousness.
Some will have a living belief but that living belief will NOT last, for them it is only temporary, they will trust in their own righteousness not Christ's, they will not trust in the Lord forever and ever through all things.


Our Savior is the only thing that matters.


People speculate on what things mean all the time, but in the end, all the matters is the Love of our Savior and us having faith in Him always for All things.


Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.


By His Love, by His Grace, through His Righteousness now and forever!


Amen.