Are You Ready?

Matthew 25:1-13

Message No. 0728 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Each time I listen to the interview of musicians, athletes, and other celebrity sports people, I am always amazed at the amount of time they spend preparing. While professional athletes typically spend about six hours daily, for about six days a week, I have listened to a bass guitarist who said he practiced at least eight hours a day, almost every day of the week. So, when we see someone winning the Olympics in running or gymnastics, or someone captivating the audience with a brilliant musical performance, no one should be naive to think that the people involved are so gifted, that they could just wake up and perform magic. The question is, if the people of the world could devote such amounts of time to practicing so they could win an earthly medal, how much time are the children of God devoting to getting ready for Christ’s second coming?

In the parable of the ten virgins, the Bible says that, with their lamps in hand, they all went out to meet the bridegroom. It happened that five of them, noted as the wise ones, went with vessels of oil, enough to weather any arrival delays, but the other five, whom the Bible calls foolish, did not go prepared. They thought that the bridegroom would arrive in time, but he didn’t. Because of this lack of diligence, they were caught unawares by the arrival of the bridal party, and they were denied entrance to the wedding. In Matthew 25:5-12, the Bible says:

But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

In this parable, note that all ten virgins were qualified to meet the bridegroom. In today’s world, we could call them Christians, all surrendered their lives to Christ and all going to church and worshiping with other believers. But how many born again Christians are earnestly waiting for the second coming of our Lord? The early disciples showed us an example of how to prepare as though he would come tomorrow morning, but as the years and decades went by and He hasn’t shown up yet, a very large percentage of believers no longer expect that He would come in their lifetimes.

Today, the world is so neck deep in sin and confusion. Our societies have become increasingly rebellious to God, and we have seen reforms that have taken people away from what they used to believe, to what the world says is right. Our Christian foundations are being destroyed, while the lies of the devil are being proclaimed, and are being instituted. Yet rather than these occurrences trigger an alert in Christian communities to the fact that the end is near, and our preparation needs to be top gear, they are dousing our resolve and entrenching the thought that our Savior might not come after all. Is this not the best way to surrender to the dangerous deception of the devil?

In 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul warns us of perilous times, when it would all seem like the world has won, and that righteousness has become irrelevant. Looking around us, it seems very well that we are at that time already. But verse 14 says that we must continue in the things which we have learned and have been assured of. This is not the time to let down our guards, but rather to intensify our readiness, living as though our Lord will appear in the sky the next minute. We cannot afford to behave like the five foolish virgins, who did not make it because they relaxed at the most important moments of their lives. Are you still fired up, expecting that we will see our Lord any minute from now?

PLEASE ACT NOW:

If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:

Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!

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