While We Wait
Notes
Transcript
Be Ready
Be Ready
There is nothing like a mom’s purse for being ready for any situation that might come our way.
My mom always seemed to have exactly what we needed when we needed it growing up, right inside her purse (more like an overnight bag).
And she has secretly made it her mission to make sure Pam’s purse is equally prepared.
At Christmas, mom bought Pam a small pair of scissors to keep in her purse.
Pam was appreciative, but didn’t really think she would need a small pair of scissors for her purse.
But just a couple of Sundays ago, she was trying to open some snacks for our hungry toddlers upstairs and realized she didn’t have any scissors, until she remembered “Jackie’s Christmas present!!”
It feels good to be ready doesn’t it?
We have been walking through Matthew 24 and 25 over that past few weeks.
Jesus is with His disciples on the Mount of Olives on the outskirts of Jerusalem, answering their questions about the end times and His return.
If we were to summarize Jesus’s message thus far it would really be “Don’t be caught off-guard, know the signs, stay faithful, and BE READY.
What He has made clear is that He is going away (we know this is His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension)
He is also made clear that He is coming back and at His coming the end of the age (the world as we know it) will come upon His return.
He has shared signs of the end and warnings and instructions about how we just understand those signs.
He has also made clear that no one knows the time of His return, besides God that Father, and so we must BE READY.
44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Here in 25, Jesus shares 2 parables (stories with a message) to help His disciples, and us, understand how we are to live in the waiting period.
“At that time...” meaning “when I come back...”
How should we wait?
How should we wait?
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; 4 but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. 5 When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’
7 “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
9 “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’
12 “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’
13 “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.
1) Waiting through EAGER PREPARATION. (1-13)
1) Waiting through EAGER PREPARATION. (1-13)
Jesus typically uses culturally recognizable images in His parables, whether it be a farming parable, one about family dynamics, or, as in the first parable here, a cultural practice like marriage.
It was common in marriages at the time of Christ for a wedding to take place at the brides house and then there would be a processional to a great banquet (reception) that would have escorts along the way to ensure everyone gets there alright. (they could go into the night, which would necessitate lamps to light the way).
There are 10 young, unmarried women (what Jesus meant by virgins) that have been tasked with the responsibility to escort the wedding party to the banquet.
The only difference pointed out between the women are 5 of them wisely brought along flasks full of oil to fill their lamps and the other 5 foolishly didn’t bring any oil.
For some reason, the groom was delayed leaving the wedding. So the young women all fell asleep.
There is a temptation here to make something of them falling asleep, as if their foolishness was in the sleeping.
But all 10 slept, none of them likely anticipated having to wait so long.
They were doing what anyone would be doing late into the night, they went to sleep.
It isn’t until they are woken up that their foolishness and wisdom is seen for what it is.
The shout in verse 6 points to the shout that will be heard around the world at the coming of Jesus.
It is a shout that wakes up all ten young women, like the shout that will wake up every person living on this world, an announcement no one will miss.
All ten rise up, trim their wicks, and then the 5 foolish women realize they have made a grave miscalculation.
They thought they would have enough.
Surely the groom won’t take too long.
They assumed...a dangerous and deadly decision.
They immediately turn to the other women and ask for them to share their extra oil.
You might be drawn to judge the wise women as selfish.
Surely they could share a bit of oil, they were only thinking about themselves.
But there preparation was just enough for them to make it to the party.
Sharing a little would have left them all with out enough.
Jesus is teaching the impossibility of borrowing faith.
When the end comes (whether the end of your life or the return of Christ) we can’t rely on the faithful lives of our parent or grandparents as a guarantee into the presence of God.
We can’t just point back to a moment or season of time where we walked an isle, said a prayer, got dunked in some water, or had a season of faithful church attendance.
The question Jesus is challenging us with here is “Are YOU ready?” personally, individually?
Being ready or being prepared isn’t about working hard to secure your standing or relationship with God.
It is keeping the joy of salvation burning in your soul.
Sure we do this through worship services, small groups, reading and studying the bible, serving those in need, sharing the gospel with lost people, and so many other things.
But the point is to keep the joy of knowing Jesus and the hope of heaven ever burning in our souls.
The foolish women assumed they had done enough.
They had shiny lamps that looked good and seemed ready, but they were empty and USELESS vessels when the time came.
While they are gone buying last minute oil, the groom shows up, and before they can make it back, the door to the party is shut.
You might be tempted to judge the groom here, “why can’t he just open the door and let them in?”
But it was too late. And that is Jesus message here too.
Don’t wait until it is too late.
The true difference between the foolish and the wise women isn’t in the amount of oil they brought, it is in their eagerness to ensure they make it to the party.
They didn’t want anything too keep them from getting into the banquet and celebrating with the groom.
They were eager and their eagerness motivated their preparation.
Their eagerness was the reason they were ready.
So are you eager to know Jesus and to see Him face to face?
Is the joy of you salvation burning in you soul?
Are you ready?
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’
22 “The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’
24 “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned.
28 “ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
2) Waiting through FAITHFULLY INVESTING. (14-30)
2) Waiting through FAITHFULLY INVESTING. (14-30)
The master in the story is a very wealthy guy.
He is going on a journey that no one really knows how long will last, even Him.
He wants to leave his sizable wealth with 3 of his servants..
To one he gives 5 talents, a measure of money in the time of Jesus worth around $600,000. So this man receives around $3 million to take care of for his master.
The second is given 2 talents, or about $1.2 million.
And the third is given 1, or $600k
Jesus tells us how each man handles the money entrusted to him.
The first two immediately began trading and investing the money, working hard to do all they can to faithful steward their master’s investment.
The 3rd guy decides instead to bury his share in the ground to hide it until the master returns.
After a long time, the master finally returns and calls his servants to settle accounts.
We look at what he says to the first 2 in a moment, but I want to focus on the difference first because the lesson about waiting is in the difference.
When it is his turn to present his work to the master the third servant says this:
‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Notice how he describes the master he thinks he knows.
A harsh, demanding, greedy, and dishonest man.
And because of this image, he is afraid.
That short description of the master would have been considering burying my 1 talent in the ground as well.
And that is the way many people, likely some of you in this room today, view our God in heaven.
He is a harsh, vindictive, demand, ruthless, unrelenting, grump who just wants to do what He tell you or He is going to make your life miserable.
Maybe you don’t go all the way there, but most of us have misconceptions or unawareness about the true nature of the God of the Bible.
He is much more like the actual master in the story rather than the 3rd servants impression of Him.
He is a generous God who gives great gifts to His people, entrusting us with blessings that He desires us to invest in His Kingdom work.
He is a faithful God, who makes promises to His people and never fails to bring those promises to fruition.
He is a joy-filled God who desires to share His joy with His people and desires us to know His joy by knowing Him more fully.
The struggle the 3rd servant had was that He didn’t really know the master.
He was afraid to invest because he thought the risk would be more than the reward.
But what he didn’t know that the other two found out is that every investment you make into the master’s Kingdom will reap incredible rewards.
This isn’t a promise that you will be wealthy, healthy, and happy if you just give more or serve more.
It means when we invest our lives into serving our King, our rewards are sealed in Heaven.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
How are we to wait?
We are to faithfully invest ourselves in serving Him in every aspect of our lives.
In your jobs, serve Jesus!
In your family, serve Jesus!
In your schools, serve Jesus!
In your retirement, serve Jesus!
When you go on vacation, serve Jesus!
When you have been hurt or are going through a season of suffering, serve Jesus!
Regardless of the circumstances or the situations we face, serve Jesus!
Both of these parables end sadly and that is intended to be a warning to us.
We don’t know the day or time our end will come, so are we ready?
Are you earnestly longing and eagerly preparing?
Are you faithfully investing as you rest in His goodness and grace?
God simply wants us to anticipate his return by a life-time of daily decisions that glorify him.
In an age of short-term commitments, quick fixes, a constant search for comfort and ease, God’s desire for us is faithfulness driven by eager expectation that should lead to daily preparation.
Jesus is coming again…so may we be a faithful people.
