Sermon Central
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The Fate Of The Unprepared
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Sep 4, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus Christ tells us He is returning and it is our responsibility to be ready for His coming. procrastination will destroy your spiritual life and there are some things that cannot be borrowed at the last minute.
The Fate of the unprepared
Introduction-
We have for several weeks looking at the direct teachings of Jesus recorded in the book of Matthew.
We have looked at the judging of others
last week we looked being real. What does a genuine Christian look like?
Today, Jesus words about being ready for His second coming recorded in the parable of the Ten Virgins.
If you look at this passage through Western eyes, we would think of it as a made up parable because in the Western World we don’t think, act, or do what the people in the Middle East do concerning marriage.
Text- Matthew 25:1-25:13
As we look at this text, we understand the bridegroom to be Jesus Christ, the parable describes His return. Both God people Israel and the church universal in Scripture as the bride of Christ.
Taking this parable in context, we have to understand the Jewish Wedding of Jesus day.
One of the elements of the wedding in Biblical times was the arrival of the bridegroom. The bridegroom kept his arrival a secret. He would try to arrive at the wedding at an unexpected time and catch them napping and unprepared. The guest and the bridesmaids would be on the lookout for his arrival and catch him coming to the feast. He was coming and they needed to be prepared and ready for his return.
Today, Western Weddings are all about the bride. Don’t see the bride in her dress until the wedding. The bride is the center of attention. The groom is just the guy standing up front waiting for the bride to come to the festivity by grand entrance.
No matter how you read this parable, there are 2 distinct warnings that must be heeded and taken care of.
(1) Certain things cannot be obtained at the last minute
(2) Certain things cannot be obtained by borrowing.
Signs of the end times really begins in Matthew 24 and continues through parts of chapter 25.
The end times is not a one time event, it is a number of things coming to pass and it is a corrupt world that continues to move away from God (pastor)
Procrastination- is the practice of carrying out less urgent task in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting of impending tasks to a latter time. Sometimes to the last minute before a deadline. (explain)
This you must understand-
Jesus says that there is a deadline for His return, the challenge for those who procrastinate is that He does not tell us when that moment is.
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
That is direct!
We can know and recognize the seasons of His return, but clearly we see that only the Father knows the exact hour and will at that time send Jesus to go get His bride- The church of Christ.
Being ready for Jesus Return is more than saying that you will be ready.
His coming is for believers- Born again believers that have had a Born Again experience.
Believing His death, burial, and resurrection making Him Lord of our lives. (If you have never made Him Lord, then He is not Lord of your Life.)
Fruit of the Spirit of God active in your life- desiring to live a holy life. Gal. 5:22-23- Love, Joy, Peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)
Allowing the Holy Spirit to make changes in our lives and that we live not for ourselves but for Him.
Scriptures says that we are to be imitators of God, living a life of love, to God and to others.
Back to the text for a moment, the parable emphasizes the need for watchfulness in the event of a long delay in Christ coming. (Over 2000 years and the church has grown cold for His return)
Every generation has witnessed changes that lead them to believe that Jesus Christ return at any moment.
Hippolytus, an early church father was sure the return of Christ would be 500 A.D.
1500’s Martine Luther said “We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. The world will not last longer than another 100 years.
1656- Christopher Columbus “There is no doubt the world must end in 155 years.”
William Miller predicted in the 1800’s that Jesus would return 1842 or 1843 and based it upon the Jewish calendar.
Isn’t it amazing how many have tried to predict Christ return? Scripture says no man knows the day or the hour, not even Jesus Christ, but people keep predicting times of His return.
Why? Because it is easier to guess his return than live a life that was ready for His return. (repeat)