By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC Combined Baptismal Service, 2010-10-17

Text: Matthew 25:1-13

The theme of our church's 60th anniversary is 'Saved to Serve, Jesus is Coming!�' On this occasion I think would be most appropriate for us to focus our thoughts on preparing ourselves for the Lord's Coming. The Second Coming of our Lord is taught profusely in the Scriptures, and it is given to stir up our hearts to greater consecration and fervour in our service to God. The sad thing is that this doctrine has also been the cause of much bitter conflict and contention among Christians, particularly as believers argue for their own views regarding the exact sequence of events. Some get a little too carried away with all the details of the pretrib, midtrib, pre-wrath and posttrib views. 

And others get carried away with looking out for definite signs of Christ's return and even to the extent of trying to pinpoint the exact date of His return (The latest claim I have heard is that it will take place in December 2012). But every attempt to set a date has failed, as Jesus said, 'Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.' (Matthew 24:36) Actually all the things happening in the world only indicate that we are getting close to the return of Christ: The nation of Israel was resurrected from non-existence 62 years ago, setting the stage for the end-time events. In Matthew 24:7 Jesus mentioned that before He comes there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes. These are the 'beginning of sorrows.' Such natural disasters have increased from 120 a year in the 1980s to 500 a year in our present decade (Oxfam).

We remember the recent spate of floods in many places, particularly in Pakistan which claimed over 2,000 lives and affected 21 million people. We think of the earthquake that devastated the city of Christchurch last month. We think of the emergence of new diseases like HIV, SARS and Bird flu. The World Health Organisation estimates that since 1973, more than thirty new and highly infectious diseases have emerged, many of which have no treatment, cure or vaccine. It is also reported that common diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, dengue fever, cholera and pneumonia are developing resistance against all available antibiotics. 

Besides these, there are many other signs that the Lord Jesus will return soon, but the most telling sign of all is the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus said, 'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.' (v.14) This is already happening today. The country where the Gospel is making the greatest impact is China. It is reported that 10,000 souls are being saved every day and there may be up to 100 million Christians in China today. 

Dearly beloved, I hope we can all see that we are living in momentous times. Jesus is coming soon! Every year that goes by takes us closer and closer to 'that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). While this news ought to excite all of us, it does present a matter of concern: Are we ready for the Lord's coming? What should we be doing now if we know that Christ may come soon? 

Some of the best guidelines for living in anticipation of Christ's coming can be found in the parables that Jesus told on this subject, particularly the 4 parables that are found in Matthew 24 and 25 - the parable of the Goodman of the House, the parable of the wise and evil servants, the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents. If you had been here for our anniversary Praise night last month, you would have heard a message on the second parable. This morning we will look at the third parable, the one that is called the Parable of the ten virgins, since it begins in v.1 'Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.' This parable has an interesting setting, one which is familiar to most of us: the setting of a wedding.

I. The Unique Setting of the Parable of the Ten Virgins

The ten virgins were actually participants in the wedding. This unique setting of the parable has great significance. There are at least 3 good reasons why the second coming of the Lord Jesus should be described here in the form of a wedding. 

A. Firstly, marriage aptly portrays the close relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and His Church. God has chosen the highest and closest of all human relationships - the marriage relationship - to portray our bond with Him. Thus, Christ is the Husband or groom, and the Church is the Wife or Bride of Christ. And the love and commitment between Christ and the Church is very much like the marital love and commitment that exists between bride and groom. Revelation 19:9 tells us of the time when we who are in Christ will take part in the glorious marriage supper of the Lamb. 

How eagerly we now wait for the time when our beloved bridegroom will appear in all His majestic glory and take us up to His heavenly home! In John 14:2,3, Jesus gave this wonderful promise: '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 unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.'

B. The second reason why Christ's return is like a wedding day, is that (marriage is an event that is marked by happiness and rejoicing. This is why the Chinese word for marriage is 'double happiness'. All weddings are joyful occasions. Even in weddings we are invited to attend, we can see the happiness of the bride's and groom's families, so warmly expressed in all the smiles, hugs, handshakes, and the often lavish expenses made for the wedding reception. But of course, no happiness on the wedding day can be greater than that of the bride and groom, who are the ones joined together as man and wife, for this is the day they had been waiting and longing for!

In the same way, we too should be earnestly expecting and waiting for the happy day when our Lord Jesus Christ will come. In a real sense, the day of Christ's return will be our 'wedding day', the day when we will be forever in the presence of our beloved Redeemer and we will enter into the Joy of our Lord. If you were here yesterday for our 60th anniversary service and dinner you would have enjoyed the mealtime fellowship shared at 92 tables at Beulah house. But this is nothing compared to the joy of having great fellowship at the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven which will take place shortly after His return.

C. The third reason why Christ's return is like a wedding day for us is that it involves our making preparations for it. We are all aware of all the elaborate preparations that go into a church wedding: getting the best man, bride's maid, page boys and flower girls, preparing the guest list, printing the invitation cards and programmes, the bridal gown, the wedding car, the rings, the cake, floral decorations, photography and the wedding reception. 

For Christian couples the more important preparation for marriage is the spiritual preparation - they need premarital counseling to learn carefully the biblical principles for having a happy and God-centered marriage. And they need to spend time in prayer before they actually commit themselves to keep the marriage vows they will make to each other before the Lord. Those who do not prepare themselves adequately for marriage may find themselves running into problems soon.

II. The Useful Lessons of the Parable of the Ten Virgins

Now, the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ is just like marriage in this particular aspect - We must make good preparations for it. And this is the first and Main Lesson of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. It was told by Jesus in order to emphasise how important it is to be fully prepared for His second coming. 

A. Preparedness is essential for living in expectation of Christ's return. (vv.1-7).

In this parable, Jesus is represented by the bridegroom. Christians are represented by the ten virgins who waited for him to arrive. Our preparations are represented by the lamps and the oil that the virgins took with them. Now these ten virgins were not the ones getting married. (Polygamy is not being taught here!) They were only bridesmaids or participants in the wedding. 

In ancient Jewish weddings, the wedding celebrations took place in the bridegroom's house. And it was customary for the bridegroom to go out and fetch his bride from her father's house, and bring her to his home in a grand wedding procession. This procedure could be quite long. The climax of the whole wedding was the time when the bridegroom finally arrived with the bride at his home for the big marriage feast there. There would be a welcoming party waiting there with lamps for their arrival, and they would have the privilege of joining the couple in their joyful marriage feast inside the house. It was at such a feast that Christ performed His first miracle, of turning water into wine. 

The ten virgins in the parable formed the welcoming party for the groom and his bride. Their duty was to watch out for the groom's approach. And so they eagerly watched and waited for his arrival by the appointed time, but there was no sign at all of the procession. His coming was evidently delayed. In those days they had no handphones to send SMSes. Thus they had no way to tell why there was a delay, or when they could expect the procession to arrive. All they could do was wait. They waited longer and longer but the groom had still not come! Their alertness seem to wane as night time came, but the ten virgins still waited there for him to arrive. When they became tired with all that waiting, they fell asleep. 

Then suddenly at midnight, they were rudely awakened by the cry 'Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!' This was the moment they had all been waiting for. This was the time they were supposed to perform the duty they had been assigned to perform as the welcoming party. Five of them were adequately prepared for it and were able to do it well. They welcomed the bridegroom with their lamps burning brightly and entered his house with him and his bride for the grand feast that climaxed the whole wedding. Let us pause for a while to see how this relates to us.

The long wait in this parable clearly depicts the long time that the church has waited for our Lord to come. Almost two thousand years have passed since Christ ascended up to heaven! Generation after generation of Christians have been looking for Christ to appear in the skies, but still He has not come. His long delay has led some to believe that He is not going to return at all, or that He has already returned but secretly. 

The cult group called the Jehovah's witnesses teaches that Jesus has already returned in the year 1918 but He came invisibly and unknown by the world. But this cannot be true at all, because the Scriptures clearly say in Revelation 1:7, 'Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.'

All these negative responses to the long delay in Christ's coming today is exactly what the Bible predicts will happen. We see this in 2 Peter 3:3,4 'Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.' In 2 Thessalonians 2:2 we find that there were false teachers who were preaching that the day of Christ had already come. This caused many to be troubled and to wonder if they had 'missed the boat' so to speak. The truth of the matter is that we are still waiting for our Lord to return.

But why is it taking such a long time for the Lord to return? There is a good reason for it, and it is found in vv.8,9 of 2 Peter 3 'But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.' 

The main point here is that the Lord knows what He is doing. All things are under His full control. Two thousand years may seem like an immensely long time for us to wait for His return, but this is only because we are finite creatures. With God there are actually no delays at all. Everything is proceeding according to schedule! As Moses testified, a thousand years in the sight of God are but as yesterday when it is past (Psalm 90:4). And the only reason why Christ has not come sooner is His patience with mankind. He 'is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.' The full number of Gentiles who are to be saved through the Gospel of Christ has not been reached yet (Romans 11:25).

But the day will come, and it may be very soon, that this number will be fulfilled, and then the Lord Jesus Christ will return to Earth exactly has He has promised! This may take place at the least expected time. The world will not be prepared for this event, since Jesus Himself said that it will be just like the days of Noah - everyone will be busy with their own affairs, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, fighting and doing business right up till the very moment of the Second Coming.

But we who love the Lord Jesus Christ must be prepared for Him to come at any time. This is absolutely required of us. It is actually part and parcel of Christian living. Titus 2:11-13 tells us that besides teaching us to deny our past life of sin and live righteously, the grace of God must also teach us to look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Turning to Christ for salvation means, among other things, being committed to wait for His return. 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10 shows this 'For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,' We are saved to serve God as well as to wait for His Son to come! 2 Thessalonians 3:5 confirms that we must all be committed to wait patiently for Christ's coming: 'the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.'

Dearly beloved, are you committed to wait patiently for Christ to return? Are you like the five wise virgins in the parable, who made absolutely sure that they were ready to go forth and meet the bridegroom when he comes? Perhaps you would like to ask then: How can you be fully prepared to meet Christ when He comes? I would like to suggest four steps that you can take: 

1. First of all lay aside all hindrances in your life. God's Word tells us that we must 'lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,' (Hebrews 12:1) This means that we should search our lives - and ask if we are living in sin, or doing any thing that is outside the will of God. Now is the time for us to take stock of our lives and see if we need to remove any deadweight that is attached to us and hindering our pursuit of Christ.

2. The second step is to rekindle the flames of your first love for the Lord. When we comes we must be 'Aflame for Christ and committed to godliness.' Be fervent in service for the Lord. We should be occupied with serving God until Jesus comes (Luke 19:13). Dearly beloved, if you have grown slack in your service, perhaps it is time now for you to reconsecrate your life fully for God's use. Surrender yourself completely to Him now and lay aside all your personal ambitions for His sake. 

3. The third step is to exercise good stewardship of your time and talents. Make the most efficient use for the Lord of whatever resources you have. There are many things you can do for the Lord, to glorify Him. You can study His Word and apply it, pray for the Lord's work, encourage fellow brethren, and share the gospel with your friends and loved ones, or join the evangelism efforts of our church.

4. The fourth step is to maintain these things well. Many are good at starting on a course of action, but not many are able to keep themselves to it for long. You need to maintain a steady pace until you reach the end, like running a long-distance race. This can be done only in the power that God gives to you for Christian living: the power of the Holy Spirit that you need to rely on every day.

These four steps are essential for living in the light of Christ's return. Take these steps and you will be like the five wise virgins who took enough oil with them to last until the bridegroom arrived. Thus, the first and most important lesson we have learned from this parable is the need to be prepared for Christ's return. Let us go on to consider the second lesson: 

II. Do not wait until it is too late to prepare for Christ's coming. (vv.8-12)

This is the lesson that we learn from the five foolish virgins. When the bridegroom arrived, they were utterly unprepared to meet him. They were awakened from sleep by the sounds at midnight only to find that their lamps had gone out and all the oil in their lamps was used up. In their state of panic they begged the wise virgins for oil. But the wise virgins wisely refused to give them any. Now, this does not mean that the wise virgins were being mean, selfish and unfriendly toward the foolish virgins. 

It just shows that preparedness cannot be transferred from one person to another. Every person has to make his or her own preparations for Christ's coming. So the five foolish virgins rushed quickly to make their last minute preparations. And they managed to buy some oil, but by the time they returned to the house, it was just too late. The door of bridegroom's house was shut tight and they were not allowed to enter and join the marriage feast. All their calls and pleas to the bridegroom, availed nothing, as he said, 'I do not know you.' 

In the same way, there are many who profess the name of Christ who will hear these same words from the mouth of Christ one day. They think they are saved but they are mistaken. They will be utterly unprepared and undone at His return and they will not allowed to have a part in His kingdom. 

Jesus said (Matthew 7:22,23) 'Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.' What a terrible plight to be in! Now we must be careful how we interpret this passage. It is not at all teaching that Christians can lose their salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that when a person is genuinely saved through Christ, nothing can make him lose his salvation. However, genuine salvation is also bound to bear some fruits in a believer's life. And preparedness for the Lord's return is one of those fruits of salvation.

There are many who profess to be Christians today but they are not prepared at all for Christ's coming. They continue to live in their old sins and see no need to serve Christ in any way. And so they hold on to a false sense of security, thinking that all will be well with them. But when the Lord descends with clouds of heaven, they will be utterly surprised and disappointed to realise that they were never saved, to begin with. They may know much about Christ, but they do not know him personally as their Lord and Saviour.

Dearly beloved, the Bible tells us that we can have the assurance of our salvation through the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. But at the same time it also tells us to be diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Please do not be complacent and take your salvation for granted. In 2 Corinthians the apostle Paul exhorts Christians to 'Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.' And one of the ways to do this is to be prepared for Christ's Return. 

III. The Urgent Warning from the Parable of the Ten Virgins (v.13)

If you are caught unprepared when Christ returns, you will have no one but yourself to blame, because God's Word has already given you such ample warning that you really have no excuse! This urgent warning is found in the last verse of our parable: 'Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.' (v.13) Watch and keep watching! Jesus has already informed us that His coming will take place unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. Please do not let that warning go unheeded. Act upon it now.

If there is anyone here who is still outside the Lord Jesus Christ, please take this advice: Do not delay any more. Jesus wants you to come to Him today. The Lord says 'Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.' (2 Corinthians 6:2). Please do not keep putting off this important matter. That was the terrible mistake made by the foolish virgins in the parable: They kept putting off doing anything about their lamps, until it was too late for them to do anything. So please be wise and not foolish. 

And remember that Jesus Christ may come at any time soon. Do not imagine that He will definitely not come for another 5 or 10 years. The Bible says that no man knows the hour or day of our Lord's return. Will you come to Him right now while there is still time for you to do so? Come to Him before He comes!

• Prev
• Next