Last Sunday of the Church Year November 24, 2019 The Sunday of the Ten Virgins
Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:1-13
November 24, 2019
Sermon Outline
- “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?” Psalm 39:7
- Our destiny is salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:9
- False Teaching: “God will take all to heaven regardless…”
- Wise
v. Foolish / Ready vs. Not Ready
- Triune God or false gods?
- Jesus is True God and Man or He’s just a leader?
- Sober or Drunk?
- Asleep or Awake?
- Doing good or doing evil?
- Repentant or Unrepentant?
- Jesus’
Call—“Watch!”
- “make me know…the measure of my days” Ps 39:4
“What Are You Waiting For?”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Introit today is mainly verses from Psalm 39. I’ll summarize the middle part of Psalm 39 for you. Here it is: “Life is short. What am I waiting for?” That sounds like a commercial slogan for Nike or Gatorade. “Life is short. What are you waiting for?” The right shoes or the right flavor of Gatorade will help you accomplish everything you’ve been waiting for in life. Or it sounds like a commercial for some medicine they’re desperately trying to market to baby boomers. You know the medicine commercials where you get twenty seconds of legal warnings and then at the end, “If you suffer from ‘standing on your head’ syndrome then talk to your doctor about standera. Life is short. What are you waiting for?”
We have been so trained by advertisers that when we hear the phrase, “What are you waiting for?” we immediately start thinking that we have some great purpose and destiny in this life that’s unfulfilled. What am I waiting for? Kids are told if they start working now they can achieve those dreams of being the sports superstar or the pop icon or the movie celebrity. Adults hear the phrase, “What are you waiting for?”, and think they should be working harder to make tons and tons of money and make all their dreams come true. What are they waiting for? They should be driving a luxury car or working a superstar job or going into massive debt on a new house. What are you waiting for?
What do you think? Is that right? Does the Lord have some superstar life ready for every one of us, some great destiny, if we just realize life is short and work harder and buy the right stuff? Is this right? No. Listen to David in Psalm 39. “Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.”
O Christian, what are you waiting for? You’re waiting for the Lord. He is your Superstar. And you won’t be disappointed. If I’m waiting for this world to make me a superstar and give me all my hopes and dreams, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It won’t happen. But those who wait for the Lord, says Isaiah in chapter 40, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
O Christian, what are you waiting for? For Jesus! We’re always waiting for Him to come again and to bring us into the eternal paradise and feast that He has prepared. Obviously this doesn’t mean we don’t care about this life. That’s not at all what I’m saying. We have much work to do in this life. But we always know this life is short! And we’re waiting for Jesus!
Let’s hear this another way from the Epistle today. Paul talks about your destiny. What is your destiny? Again we probably start thinking of fame and power and money, right? Are you destined to become a genius doctor who saves the world from a deadly virus? Are you destined to become the greatest of all time, the GOAT, in snipe hunting? Are you destined to make all the money in the world and live in luxury?
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that you’re destined to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Your destined for greatness, no doubt! The greatness is the kingdom of God. The greatness is Jesus. You’re destined to be forgiven all your sins and given entrance into the greatest party the world has ever dreamed of—the marriage feast of the bridegroom Jesus and His bride, us, the Church. That’s your destiny. What are you waiting for? For Jesus!
Now since that’s what we’re waiting for—for Jesus—then one would think that we ought to be ready, should we not? We ought to be prepared and always waiting for Him. But many are not. Many are not ready for Him at all. In fact, many don’t believe in Him at all. And many don’t think there’s anything after this life at all. Many are far too busy waiting for this life to give them all they’ve dreamed of and not waiting for Jesus who is Life itself. Many are far too busy watching commercials for Nike or Gatorade or standera. Many are far too busy with sports and money and shopping and whatever else to even care about what happens when all of that is gone.
We have a very, very dangerous false teaching that lurks around in the Western world. It’s believed by many people, even many Christians. It’s this false teaching that God will take every person to heaven regardless of what they’ve believed or done in this life. We act like it’s so simple. “God is love. Therefore, God would never keep anybody out of heaven.” And yet, if that’s true, then we have to throw away large chunks of God’s Word. If that’s true, then God Himself lied over and over again in the Holy Scripture. And if that’s true that everyone gets into heaven, then the parable Jesus told us today is utter nonsense. Then Jesus was just kidding when he said the five foolish virgins would show up late at the door and He would say, “I do not know you.”
We don’t help anyone by teaching that everyone gets into heaven. What we do is keep them from getting ready. What we do is keep them from true joy—which isn’t found in this world but is found in Jesus Christ our Savior.
So let’s actually teach what the Bible teaches. Let’s actually teach what Jesus teaches today. His main point is “Be ready.” So what does it mean to be ready? How can you and others be ready for Jesus since life is short and we’re waiting on Him. I will lay this out in six very quick points that are all listed on the sermon outline.
Number one, to be ready is to know and believe in the true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s a lie that all religions lead to the same place. They don’t because they all have different gods. You’re not ready if you believe in Allah or any other false god. Life truly is short and that’s why Christians ought to not wait for anything to tell others about the true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you know Him, you’re ready.
Number two, to be ready and wise and prepared is to know and believe that Jesus is both true God and true man. So many in the world today believe that Jesus was a great guy and a great leader but maybe not the Son of God. They’re not ready. Jesus didn’t just teach some nice stuff. He redeemed the world from sin, death, and hell by giving His life as a ransom on the cross. If you know that, then you’re ready.
Number three, you’re not ready if you’re drunk. Paul uses these exact words—sober and drunk (1 Th. 5:6-7)—in our reading today to talk about being ready. Now, of course, he literally means if you’re drunk you’re not ready. And we ought to keep that in mind. Drunkenness is a sin. For one thing, when you’re drunk you’re not ready for anything. Let alone ready for Jesus. So we ought not to be drunk or high.
But by being “drunk” Paul and Jesus also mean being drunk on this world. If we’re so engrossed in the pleasures and concerns of this world—be they fame, money, power, whatever—then we’re drunk and not ready for the kingdom of God. If you’re sober and sober-minded, then you’re ready.
Fourth, to be ready and prepared for Jesus is to be awake (1 Th. 5:6). In this case, we’re not talking about literally being awake and not sleeping. If Jesus comes at 2am in the morning and you’re sleeping, you’ll be just fine. But here Paul means being aware of what’s going on. Realizing that life is short and not sleeping through the big questions of life. If you’re awake in this world and not sleeping through life, then you’re ready.
Number five, to be ready and prepared for Jesus is to be doing good in the world and not doing evil. Seems pretty obvious but we should take it to heart. What business am I engaged in every day? Is it business for the good of my neighbors or is it business that brings evil to others? If I’m bringing light into the world and doing good unto others as much as I’m able, then I’m ready.
And number six, to be ready and prepared is to be sorry for your sins and trust in Jesus’ forgiveness. If you’re not sorry for your sins, you’re not ready. If you’re trapped in a sin and you know it’s wrong and yet you’re not sorry for it and not fighting against it, then you’re not ready. All of us are huge sinners, no doubt about it. But we’re sinners who are sorry and want Jesus’ forgiveness. And we’re sinners that want to do better and pray for the Spirit’s help to do better. If you’re sorry for sin and believe in Jesus, then you’re ready.
So look how both the Epistle reading and the Gospel reading end today. With a strong word of encouragement. Here’s Paul: “Encourage one another and build one another up!” And here’s Jesus: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” So Christians—watch! Life is short. Make sure you’re ready and do all you can to make others ready. Make sure your lamps are burning bright with plenty of oil. Make sure you’re here every Sunday to get more oil and fill up those lamps. Make sure the Word of God and the forgiveness of Jesus are more important than Nike or Gatorade or some medicine.
The words of David in Psalm 39 are words to live by. He says, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days.” Think literally like a tape measure being stretched out for the number of your days. O Lord, make me to know the measure. It’s short. And what am I waiting for? I’m waiting for you, O Lord. My hope is in you. I’m ready for you, Jesus, my Savior, to come and take me to the wedding feast.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.