Advent is a time of busy preparation- shopping, writing cards, planning parties… you’re never really ready until it’s all over. On this Second Sunday in Advent, Pastor Jim spoke on Matthew 25:1-13, a parable Jesus spoke about getting ready for His return. As we prepare for Christmas, are we ready for Jesus?
Our scripture was from Matthew 25:1-13. The reading is not included in the recording, so open this drop down box and read the scripture before playing the recording…
Matthew 25:1-13
1 The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,
4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.
5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.
11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Click the below “Play” button to listen to the recording, then scroll down and follow along…
Opening Story… Sad but True…
In April 1988 the evening news reported on a photographer who was also a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with several other skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and opened their parachutes. As the video was being shown of each member of the crew jumping out and then pulling their ripcords so that their parachute opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute… and then the picture went berserk.
The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute. It wasn’t until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was free falling without a parachute!
Up until then, he was enjoying himself and was absorbed in what he was doing. But tragically, he was unprepared for the jump. It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what skill he had. By forgetting the parachute he made a foolish and deadly mistake. Nothing could save him, because his faith was in a parachute which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on.
This skydiver was so busy with the event and so pre-ocupied with his photography that he forgot to prepare himself for the more important task at hand: landing safely on the ground. He was so excited about the little things and when the moment came, his lack of preparation cost him dearly.
We don’t want to miss it. There’s a need to be prepared, and WE are responsible to be prepared!
The Marriage Model…
In both our time and in Jesus’ time, marriage required a lot of preparation. It’s important to understand the marriage betrothal period in Jesus’ time in order to make sense of this parable…
We (The Church) are betrothed to Jesus. As we go through this Advent season preparing for December 25, we also go through this life preparing for an unknown date when Jesus will return.
As of this moment there are about 18 shopping days until Christmas. Unless we go through the preparation of getting a gift for that someone special or family members, we will not be ready when the day arrives. Now is the time to go out and buy Uncle Eddie’s fruit cake!
If we don’t set a priority to prepare, we’ll end up like the bridesmaids who where not ready when the bridegroom returned. The wedding was off for those who weren’t ready.
What if Jesus came back 20 minutes from now?
What prepares us for Jesus’ return? Are you ready?
1: Preparation is an Individual’s Choice…
Some of the bridesmaids did what was necessary to be prepared, but some CHOSE to be unprepared. If you’re not ready for something, it’s because you didn’t set the right priorities: it’s because You Chose to focus on something else. Just like our skydiver who forgot his parachute because he was focused on his camera.
It’s not like this is sneaking up on us; we all know it’s coming. Even 20 years from now, when we turn the calendar to December, the word “Christmas” will still be printed next to December 25. We know it’s coming.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
The people were choosing to go about their normal activity, just drifting along living their lives. They didn’t set a priority to prepare. And so as the flood hit, a lot of people were left to pound on the door of the closed ark. One day, either through death or through the end times, Jesus will come back for you. And He won’t tweet you when He’s coming back.
You may not like going to malls an you may hate the taste of envelop glue, but you still need to shop and send cards BEFORE Christmas in order to be prepared.
Dennis was a man from Katy, Texas who had an emergency and needed his suit dry cleaned before he left on a trip. He remembered one store with a huge sign:
ONE HOUR DRY CLEANERS
It was on the other side of town, so he drove out of his way to drop off his suit.
After the clerk filled out the necessary information, he told her, “I have some errands to run and I’ll ber back in an hour to pick it up.”
She said, “I can’t get this back to you until Thursday.” “I thought you did dry cleaning in an hour,” he said.
“Oh no,” she replied. “That’s just the name of the store. We don’t actually do that!”
I fear that many folks today who wear a sign saying they are a Christian, but they fail to deliver the goods. It seems that if they are asked, “Are you a Christian,” they will say “yes.” But there is nothing in their life that bears witness that they are a Christian.
Just like the Dry Cleaners who chose a name and chose not to live up to it, if we have chosen to be a Christian, we must also choose to live up to the name. We must choose to grow closer to God in the grace He gives us. We must choose to be ready.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-6
2: Preparation is YOUR Job- Nobody Can Do It for You…
Imagine that it’s 10:45 on Christmas Eve, and you haven’t even started your Christmas shopping! In between sips of egg nog, would you even consider asking your wife if you can borrow a few gifts so that you’ll have something to put under the tree in the morning? Just like the bridesmaids who wanted to borrow oil, its up to us to be ready. No one can wear a parachute in your place!
Another person’s faith won’t cover you. Just because you were reared in a Christian home or you are in a church with other people of faith does not necessarily mean that YOU have faith. It will not rub off just by sitting next to someone who has a vital relationship with Christ. You can’t “Catch Faith” like you catch a cold.
The late Scottish theologian and scholar William Barclay says..
We cannot always be living on the spiritual capital which others have amassed.
There are certain things we must acquire for ourselves.
December 26 WILL Come!
There will be a time when it’s too late. The preparation must be done in advance, even as you anticipate the coming of that day.
Imagine you have an airline ticket which says you are flying from Philadelphia to Honolulu on December 19 and that the departure time is at 9:47 AM. You know you must arrive 2-3 hours before the departure time and there are certain things which must be done so that you are ready for the final boarding call.
- If you show up at 10:15 AM, there’s no chance of your being on that flight since the plane will have already departed.
- Even if you arrive at 9:05 AM for this 9:47 flight, all of the rushing around and frantic attempts to be ready will end up in frustration.
YOU MUST BE READY!
It is our choice and it is our responsibility to open ourselves up to God so that we are prepared for a bigger day when we spend Christmas with Jesus.
Are YOU Ready?
Certainties While Preparing for an Uncertain Date…
Due to time restraints, the following was not included in the spoken sermon (but was in Pastor Jim’s notes)….
Click here to learn more
There is no doubt that we need to live with some uncertainty. We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know if we’ll have the same jobs tomorrow. We don’t know what the crop in the field will yield until it’s harvested. We don’t know when Jesus will return to us or when He’ll return us to Himself.
While the world offers uncertainty, Jesus offers a hope in His certainty. Open the below box to find out more…
TODAY, we can set aside all fear and uncertainty about the end times because God has also declared victory for His people…
====================
TODAY, we have the opportunity to look to the future trusting in the certain love of God…
====================
TODAY, in the face of evil, we can look forward to Christ’s victory and join in the prayer of the early Christians by saying, “Come Lord Jesus, Come”…
====================
TODAY we can take hold of the promise of Jesus’ eternal presence (stated in Matthew 24:35, and repeated in Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33)…
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
The writer to the Hebrews repeats this in Hebrews 13:5…
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
TODAY… we don’t need to count down the days. Instead, we need to be ready as if Christ were coming this very moment and prepare others for that same possibility.
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment)…
+ + + + + + +
Click this button to view other sermons: Sermon Archive