April 4, 2016
BE PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF THE BRIDEGROOM
Matthew 25:1–13
Brittany Suits
Central Truth
For people, cities, and nations, there is a point of no turning back. We must warn others to repent while there is still time.
Key Verse | Matthew 25:11–13
"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." (Matthew 25:11-13)
Matthew 25:1–13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps 1 25:1 Or torches and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 25:1 Some manuscripts add and the bride 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 25:1–13
For most of my early life, I was “Christian by association.” I went to church because my family and my friends went to church, I did the right thing because my family and my friends did the right thing, and I did my best to succeed because my parents expected it of me. On the outside, I looked like I had it all together. In reality, though, my foundation was rocky, and my faith in Christ was not a priority in my life. I was simply a follower. As this passage explains, I went to sleep in the same room as the other virgins, but I wasn’t prepared. It was shortly thereafter that God showed me this wasn't an area in my life in which I could be content to follow and still have a firm foundation.
Through the season of planning my wedding, I often rested and thought about this parable. There are hours of preparation for your wedding day. The preparation includes meetings with a wedding coordinator, cake decorator, food vendors, and DJs. Now, what if we poured a lifetime into preparing for this eternal event in the same way we prepare for a wedding? Instead of meeting with a wedding coordinator, we met with coordinators to equip us to know and share the truth about Jesus? Instead of meeting with decorators, we met with community members to get to know them fully so that we could encourage them in their spiritual walk? Instead of seeking out food vendors and DJs, we searched for people who don’t know the Lord so we could share with them the hope we have? What if everyone spent as much time in preparing their hearts for the Lord as they did in planning their wedding?
In this parable, we are given two options: be numbered with the wise, or be with the foolish. To be with the wise, we must pour our time into eternal things that last. Otherwise, we will be like the foolish who poured their time into fleeting things. Spiritual preparation can't be bought or borrowed at the last minute. We all are individually responsible for our own spiritual condition.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the areas or events in your life that you're giving more of your life to than God?
2. How are you preparing your heart and encouraging those in community around you for the day of the Lord?
3. Looking back on the last year, do you feel like you prepared your heart more for the Lord than for temporary things? What would those who know you well say? If you don't know, ask them!