Preached the Evening at Riverview Baptist, 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN

Audio of Evening Message

Study Notes:

As Jesus prepared to go to the Cross to die for our sins He wanted His people to be prepared. The devil never goes down without a fight.

Jesus was going to defeat

DEATH, the

DEVIL, and the

DISEASE of Sin on the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus knew that He would die a terrible death to secure our freedom from Satan’s servitude. And Jesus knew that the world and the Devil that runs the world’s evil would do everything it could to muffle the message of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (KJV) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: [8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for HAD THEY KNOWN IT, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY.

God had a plan in Calvary. God had a purpose in Christ’s Cross. God has a people that He would save. If “the princes of this world” had known what God was up to the Pharisees would have took out advertisements FOR Jesus and not against Him. If Herod and Pilate had a clue as to what God was doing in Christ they would not have beaten Him and humbled Him and nailed Him to the Tree. They would have given a banquet, one which would have rivaled the Marriage Feast for Caesar himself. They would not have killed the Lord of Glory.

But God, willing to save whosoever will, would send His Son to the Cross.

Christ was not MURDERED, but MARTYRED.

2 Peter 3:8-10 (NKJV) But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 BUT the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

God tarried in judgment.

He tarried as His Son was nailed to the Cross.

He tarried as Jesus purchased our salvation.

He tarried when Jesus returned from the grave.

He tarried, and has tarried for over two thousand years now.

But there will be a time when Jesus returns. That is what Jesus’ parable is about today – that He will return. When He returns the unsaved world will be judged, but His Church will go into a Wedding Feast with Him. The Book of Revelation tells us that God will judge the false Church prior to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. We read:

Revelation 19:1-5 (NKJV) After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because HE HAS JUDGED THE GREAT HARLOT WHO CORRUPTED THE EARTH WITH HER FORNICATION; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

The false Church is judged. She was a harlot – a whore who sought to please the world and not her Bridegroom. She “corrupted the earth with her fornication”. She did not heed the call of Jesus, Who said:

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (NKJV) For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

Does it seem that I’m chasing rabbits today? Preachers do that, but I promise you I am not chasing rabbits. When Jesus spoke of the Wedding Feast in our parable today He is speaking of two Churches.

There Is A True Church And A False Church

One Church is the True Church, one the false Church. Only one of these Churches go into Heaven. Only one of these Churches has pleased the Bridegroom, for she has lived for Him. She is alive BECAUSE of Him. Of the True Church we read:

Revelation 19:6-9 (NKJV) And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Let’s read Jesus’ parable:

Matthew 25:1-13 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Jesus wanted His Church to know that He is coming again. Jesus is the “Son of Man” mentioned by the Prophet …

Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

The Son of Man is coming again. Jesus is coming again. He is coming for His Church. When is He coming? We do not know. No one knows but the Father in Heaven. Jesus told us:

Matthew 24:23-24 (KJV) Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. [24] For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Matthew 24:27 (KJV) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:35-36 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. [36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

No one knows when Jesus shall come, but He shall come. That is the point of this parable. That is it’s whole point. Jesus said:

Matthew 25:13 (KJV) Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Let’s break down the parable.

There Were Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus represents the Kingdom of Heaven various ways:

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven (Matthew 13:33)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden then found (Matthew 13:44)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet (Matthew 13:47)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like an owner of a vineyard (Matthew 20:1)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king whose son was to be married (Matthew 22:2)

Today Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be like ten virgins. Why virgins? In our sexually disturbed world today people are mocked for being virgins, chaste, willing to wait to make an intimate commitment until after Biblical marriage. Marriage is mocked today. People often have a try it before you buy it mentality. But God is clear. He created us as sexual beings, but not as animals. God created us to come together as man and wife to enjoy one another, to “be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth”. Marriage was given to us for pleasure, but mainly for procreation. God did not make us the way we are and then say “now go do as you want to do”. No, the Bible defines any sexual activity outside of the wedding bed to be sinful.

Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

The Christian above all is to avoid sexual sin. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (ESV) Flee from SEXUAL IMMORALITY. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the SEXUALLY IMMORAL PERSON SINS against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Thessalonians 4:2-8 (ESV) … this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; …

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) … do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the SEXUALLY IMMORAL, nor idolaters, nor ADULTERERS, nor men who practice HOMOSEXUALITY, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Those who practice that which God forbids will not inherit the Kingdom of God. So Jesus uses ten VIRGINS – ten souls who avoided sexual sin. They are chaste people.

Matthew 25:1 (KJV) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

The ten virgins “took their lamps”.

They all had lamps.

They were all virgins.

They all looked good.

They all “went forth to meet the bridegroom”.

All of them stepped outside of their comfort zone. They went to Church regularly. They went through the effort of getting dressed to meet the Bridegroom. But these ten were not all the same.

Matthew 25:2 (KJV) And five of them were WISE, and five were FOOLISH.

I want you to notice first of all that FIVE were one way and FIVE were another way. Numbers matter in the Bible. There is but ONE God, but He is in THREE persons. God created everything in SIX days, so SIX is the number of man. God rested on the SEVENTH day, so SEVEN is the number of God. So what is FIVE?

Five Is The Number Of Grace

• The Fifth Book of the Bible is Deuteronomy, the second giving of the Law to Israel. It was God in Grace giving His Israel another chance at the Promised Land.
• After Jesus rose from the grave He found Peter and the Apostles on their fishing boat. Jesus asked them (John 21:5) “Children, do you have any food?”. They replied from the boat, “No”. Jesus told them “Cast your net out on the other side and you’ll catch fish”. They did so, and caught 153 fish, so many they could not draw in the net.

John 21:11 (NKJV) Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

1 there is but ONE God

5 the number of GRACE

3 God is FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT

Grace is found RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD. 1-5-3!

• The FIFTH Psalm is a Psalm of Grace. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 5:11 (KJV) But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

God loves His Children saved by Grace. But this Psalm of Grace also states:

Psalms 5:5 (KJV) The FOOLISH shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

There were FIVE WISE VIRGINS but there were also FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS.

Five is the number of Grace, but only Five received Grace.

Five LOOKED LIKE they received Grace.

Who were the WISE Virgins? They were the ones who loved the Lord, who received Him as Lord and Savior.

Psalms 19:7 (KJV) The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the TESTIMONY of the LORD is sure, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE.

The Testimony of God – the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ, “makes wise the simple”. Salvation is not complex.

Acts 16:31 (KJV) …. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Believe yourself a sinner in need of salvation. Believe that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Believe that God died for you. Believe that Jesus has finished the work of salvation in Himself, in that bloody Cross, and trust Him.

John 3:18 He that BELIEVETH ON HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED: BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 He that BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The WISE Virgins were saved, not because they were virginal, but because they had believed on Christ. The FOOLISH Virgins were those who did not know God. They were FOOLISH. The FOOL hath said in his heart “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1).

Matthew 25:3-4 (KJV) They that were FOOLISH took their lamps, and TOOK NO OIL with them: 4 But the WISE TOOK OIL IN THEIR VESSELS WITH THEIR LAMPS.

The OIL in Scripture is symbolic of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has ANOINTED Me to preach the gospel to the poor.) A person who is saved by faith in Christ doesn’t just carry the Bible, but is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The WISE Virgins had OIL in their lamps. They were prepared. The FOOLISH Virgins did NOT HAVE OIL. They looked good. They were virgins. They carried lamps. They were at a place of waiting for the Bridegroom. But they were unprepared.

Everyone Fails, But The Wise Are Prepared

Matthew 25:5 (KJV) While the bridegroom tarried, they ALL slumbered and slept.

As time passed both the true Church and the false Church slept. There are times we all fail God. We are the disciples sleeping in Gethsemane rather than praying with Jesus. We are Peter, denying the Master as the rooster crows. We sleep. We slumber. Trials come and wake us up to our failure. We all fail. But then came the midnight cry.

Matthew 25:6-9 (KJV) And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

The Midnight Cry came. All the virgins woke up. The world will awaken when Jesus returns. The false Church and the true Church will both awaken. Both will dust off their Bibles and trim their wicks. But the false Church and the false Christian will not have any oil.

Romans 8:9 (NKJV) …. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The foolish spent their time LOOKING saved but never came to the Lord for salvation. I cannot save myself, nor can I save you. Each must go to God, must call on Him, must seek His face. You must be born again of His Spirit. If a person is not born again that person cannot see Heaven. You cannot see Heaven without God’s Spirit, and Christ baptizes those who are His in the Spirit. The foolish said “give us some of your oil” but the wise said “go get your own oil”. And rather than look up and cry out to God the foolish went out to find oil.

Matthew 25:10-11 (KJV) And while they (the foolish) went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

The Lord came. Those that were ready were immediately and intimately entered into the marriage. Oh, what a glorious day that will be! “They that WERE READY went in WITH HIM”. They went together. What a glory to be with Jesus. What a joy to know Him as Lord and Savior. There is no purgatory, no waiting, no delay. When that midnight cry comes those that are ready go in with Him. WITH HIM. WITH HIM.

But then the door is shut. When the door was shut on Noah’s Ark I know that peope stood outside beating on that door, wanting entrance. They swam alongside the Ark begging and pleading. But there was only one door, and it was sealed until God opened it.

The door was shut.

“Lord, Lord, let us in”.

“Lord, Lord, You are a God of Love”.

“Don’t leave us”.

The door to Heaven is shut because the foolish rejected the Door of the Sheep, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 10:7). The door of Heaven is shut to protect the prepared from the unprepared.

If Heaven were open to the rejectors of Christ it would not be long till Heaven were Hell!

Matthew 25:12 (KJV) But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you,

I KNOW YOU NOT.

It is too late. The time for salvation came and went. People attended the false, and rejected the true. Now the Bridegroom says “I do not know you”. What a horrible thing to be unknown of Christ. What a horrible thing to be shut out of Heaven, to know that judgment is coming. Those inside at the Wedding Feast are …

Revelation 7:14-17 (KJV) …. they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [15] Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. [16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. [17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

What a glory to be in Christ! What a joy to know Him as Lord and Savior, to be blessed by His Presence, to know He is with you no matter what. But what a horror to be without Him. Do not delay. If you do not know Him, call on Him today. Give Him your life. Join with a true, Bible believing and Bible preaching Church. Do so now before the door is shut.

Do so for your sake!