August
31, 2003
Hurry up and Wait!
Mat. 25:1-13
By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville
Baptist Church
After church, where she had
been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother.”
Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?” Yes."
"Today?" "yes."
"In a few minutes?" "Yes,
dear." "Mommy, would
you comb my hair?" From
Bible Illustrator.
As a boy scout I was taught to be
prepared. We would make sure when
we went out that we had all we needed to survive any situations that may
arise. Waterproof matches, extra
clothes, heavy sleeping bags, and plenty of food were just a few of the
necessary items we took with us camping. We were prepared until that one camping trip proved us wrong.
The unexpected spring snowstorm caught us off guard.
All of the boys ended up in the same tent just trying to stay warm.
Are you prepared for whatever may come in your life?
Do you life insurance? Do
you have health insurance? Do you
have auto and home insurance? What
about spiritual insurance? Are
you ready for the time when the groom comes back?
Scripture
Text:
Matt 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten
virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of
them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but
did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along
with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all
became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: `Here's
the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7 "Then all the virgins woke up
and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of
your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "`No,' they replied, `there may not
be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some
for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the
bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. `Sir!
Sir!' they said. `Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, `I tell you
the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know the day or the hour.
1.
The Gathering of the oil.
What are we gathering or
collecting? Why should we gather?
Hurry up! Why?
The oil in the lamp was important to be able to see.
The ancients had no streetlights or auto headlights to show the way. They had to have their lamps lit and they needed enough oil
in case the groom took longer. The
groom had gone to prepare a place for the bride so the attendants of the bride
would go out to meet the groom and usher him into the bride.
You had to be ready when the groom came.
If you waited for the coming then it would be too late.
Are you sure you are ready? All
of the virgins appeared to be ready, but 5 were not because they did not have
enough oil. Are you ready for the
coming of the groom? The oil
represents the Spirit of the one true living God.
Do you have the Lord in your life?
Are you sure? How can you
be sure? Have you trusted the
Lord with your life? Will you
trust Him? Have you followed His
leading? Will you?
Gather and burn! Gather
and burn! Gather and burn!
Is your lamp lit? Faith and works go together like light and heat from the
candle that is lit. Is you candle
lit?
2.
The Waiting of the virgins or the attendants.
Hurry up and Wait.
Who are the attendants of the
wedding? We are the attendants
who are waiting the coming of the groom.
Have you become hard of hearing? Time
makes dull the spiritual senses. Now
is the time and today is the day to make ready for the coming of the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the
LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
What about the others?
Should we care? Do we
care? Then what are we doing
about it? As an individual? As a church? When
will we hear the midnight cry? No
one knows the day or the hour that He will come, so what are we to do?
We are to wait. What if we give up? Hurry
this is an urgent warning. It is
going to happen.
Can you take a short cut and
skip line? Can you get some
spirit from someone else? (Gotta
get you some) Don’t let side
distractions cause you to miss out on the oil.
Gotta get you some. You
can’t go on someone else’s spiritual life.
You must get your own.
3.
The Coming of the Groom. Have you seen the signs?
Luke
12:40
You must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least
expected.” Matt
24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
A tourist driving through West Texas stopped at a gas station and
observed a piece of rope dangling from a sign labeled "Weather
Forecaster." "How can you possibly tell the weather with a piece of
rope?" the tourist wanted to know. "It's simple, sonny," was
the droll answer. "When the
rope swings back and forth, it's windy, when it gets wet, it's raining, when
it's frozen stiff, it's snowing, and when it's gone... tornado!" -- from
Bible Illustrator.
Jesus told us his return was
imminent. Certainly all the signs
clearly point to his soon return. If
he waits to come to the earth then He will come to take you in death. Are you
ready? What now?
Wait? Why wait? What
about later on? Can I get in
after the door has been shut?
The final warning:
Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour>>>
When is it too late to
gather? When the door is shut. The
door is shut in death and in the second coming.
One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ's
second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence. In the
260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second
advent of Christ--an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27
New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy in the Bible
concerning Christ's first advent, there are 8 which look forward to His
second! From Bible Illustrator
The word
"maranatha" is a Syriac expression that means: "our Lord
comes." It was used as a greeting in the early church.
When believers gathered or parted, they didn't say "hello" or
"goodbye" but "Maranatha!" If we had the same upward look
today, it would revolutionize the church. O that God's people had a deepening
awareness of the imminent return of the Savior!
From Bible Illustrator.