Sermon Series: Getting to Know God 

Divine Injection 

Matthew 25:1-13

PSBC 9-23-01 AM

In a nutshell: God injected Himself into history at creation and at Advent. The next time He injects Himself will be at the Second Coming. Are we ready? Are we prepared?

I. Introduction

A. TV on Monday

There are two TV programs that I thoroughly enjoy watching whenever I can. Law and Order, and Diagnosis Murder. Well, this past Monday night, I had no meetings and nothing special or pressing to do, so I settled in into my easy chair and watched reruns of both programs, back to back.

Now, as I typically do on Monday's, I had begun my sermon preparation and study that afternoon. The parable we're going to look at today is recorded in Matthew 25, and I'd encourage you to turn there-the parable is known as the story of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. And to be honest with you I was struggling to put into words the single thing taught about God in this parable.

Just to make sure you know what I mean, each parable and word picture that Jesus taught zeroed in on teaching one concept about God. And if you get that single idea firmly in you mind, then you have a good chance of applying the parable to many areas of your life that this single concept touches.

Well, after several hours of study, I understood the single concept in my mind, but I just couldn't put it into words succinctly enough to communicate it to anyone. And that's where the two TV programs helped me. Because they just happened to be about the same thing.

-In one program, a distraught and mentally unstable father had injected his 5 year old son with a lethal virus, in order to keep his son from a life of misery and disappointment. -In the other program, a doctor injected some patients in a hospital with a staff infection to hasten their deaths and keep the hospital from discovering faulty results from an experimental drug that was being tested.

B. Main Thing Taught About God

And I said, "That's it! This parable has to do with INJECTION!" You see, an injection is when something is forced into a situation or into a person. And that's the main thing that's taught about God, in this parable-God injects Himself into history.

Now, that's almost one of those "duh!" statements that I make once in a while. Because of course, God has already shown that He injects Himself into history. That's recorded in…

Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And then in…

Matthew 1:20-21 20 …an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

So, God has injected Himself already, so what? Well, the point of the parable is that He isn't finished doing it-He's going to do it again! So, if you have your Bibles, please follow along as I read the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins…

Matthew 25:1-13 1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

If the main thing taught about God in this parable is that God isn't done injecting Himself into history, then the main question I have for you this morning is simply this, "Are you prepared for the next time He does it?"

C. Background of the parable

The contents of Matthew 25 are really the middle of a sermon that starts at the beginning of chapter 24. Jesus is sitting on a mountainside, His followers are all around Him, and this is in the very last day of His pubic ministry before His arrest and crucifixion.

The sermon centers around events that will be taking place in the future. -In the beginning of chapter 24, Jesus talks about the events that will give advanced warning about the end of the world as we know it. -Then he changes His focus towards the end of chapter 24 and talks about the events that will immediately precede the next injection of God into history-what we call the Second Coming of the Christ.

And starting in chapter 25, Jesus tells three stories about that Second Coming. And the focus of this first story-the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins is simply this… we must to be ready at all times for this injection to take place.

As we look closely at this parable this morning, you'll see that Jesus puts the ways we are to be ready in the context of a wedding that takes place in first century Israel. And as we look closely at it, you're going to see three ways that God expects His followers to get ready for His next injection into history.

II. Three Ways to Be Ready for God's Next Injection

In weddings of Jesus day, the focus wasn't on the bride, it was on the bridegroom. It was the groom who footed the bill for the wedding, it was the groom's occasion to show off for his family and friends, and the entire wedding was done on his terms. (You know that's sounding better and better as January 12 approaches!)

But, regardless, weddings back then were held at night. Often the festivities lasted for an entire week. -And at any time during that week, the bridal party parade of the groom with his family and friends coming to claim the bride, was expected to appear. -When the groom claimed his bride they would walk together to the site of the wedding, taking the longest route possible, through the town. -There would be various groups of people waiting at the different corners with lights in their hands, waiting to join the wedding party as the parade went toward the site of the wedding. - If you had a light in your hand, that meant you had been invited to the wedding. If you didn't, you were considered a "party crasher".

So, that's the background for this story. Now, let's look at the three ways we are to prepare to be ready for God's next injection into history

A. Accepting the Invitation is Different than Preparing for the Event

The first one is this…Accepting the invitation is different than preparing for the event. Friends, you can't escape the hard details of this parable. -Ten Virgins were glad and honored to be invited to the wedding. -Ten Virgins obviously knew the groom. -Ten Virgins took the time to dress and get their lamps lit. -And ten Virgins went out to meet the wedding procession, anticipating to go to the wedding.

Yet, only five out of the ten actually ended up at the wedding celebration. 50% were shut out. Now, this isn't new information. Jesus taught something very similar to this in another parable…

Matthew 22:11-14 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

Notice, this man wasn't thrown out of the wedding feast because he wasn't invited. No one questioned his invitation. He was thrown out for not being prepared. That's one of the key points taught in this parable. There's a difference between accepting an invitation and being prepared. Jesus said it is the difference between being called and being chosen.

And if you were to look at each of the three parables taught in this chapter 25, you'd see that each one teaches that there is something more to a relationship with God than just accepting an invitation. -In the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, the point is that some of the Virgins didn't prepare. -In the parable of the Talents that starts in verse 14, the point is that a servant didn't invest his talents and work to advance the Kingdom of God. -And in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats that starts in verse 31, the point is that some people failed to love and serve whey they had a chance.

-Now, these three parables in chapter 25 don't teach salvation by works. -They don't offer some harder or more legalistic way to enter into the Kingdom of God.

The purpose of these three parables in Matthew 25 is to teach us what genuine faith looks like.

He's saying many people who claim to be Christians are fooling themselves about the faith they have. Faith according to the three parables in Matthew 25 can be summed up in three statements… -Faith that doesn't prepare isn't faith at all. -Faith that doesn't sacrifice and obey isn't faith at all. -Faith that doesn't love and reach out isn't faith.

So, each parable taught in Matthew 25 adds to the definition of what saving faith looks like when it has truly taken root in a person's life.

Folks, these three parables in Matthew 25, and especially this first one about the Wise and Foolish Virgins, teaches that if all you've done is accept an invitation, if all you've done is come to Jesus to get fire insurance from Hell, then you don't understand, and probably haven't exercised genuine, saving, life transforming faith in Jesus Christ.

So, friend, make sure you're prepared for God's next injection, and not just accepted an invitation.

B. Can't borrow preparedness

O.K., let's move to the second idea taught in this parable about being prepared for God's next injection. To understand this point, you have to understand the lamps in this story.

The lamps that this parable talks about, were nothing more than torches made up of four parts. 1. There was a stick or short pole that a person held in their hand and that supported a bowl or reservoir. 2. On top of the stick was this enclosed bowl or reservoir. 3. That bowl held the third part-the oil or fuel. 4. And sticking out of this oil was the fourth part, a wick, that burned using the oil in the bowl as it's fuel.

And since the fire on the end of the wick could burn up all the fuel after a period of time, it was wise to carry along some extra oil to fuel the wick if it went out.

While they were waiting, all the Virgins' oil reservoirs went dry. However, the 5 wise Virgins brought along enough extra fuel to re-fuel their wicks and re-light them.

Then, when the bridegroom and his parade came along, the five foolish Virgins didn't have enough oil to re-light their lamps. So, they asked to borrow some oil from the five Virgins who were wise enough to bring extra. And Jesus makes quite a point out of this…

Matthew 25:8-9 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

That almost seems cruel, doesn't it? In other parables Jesus praised the generosity and kindness of people who gave from their abundance to help others in need. In fact, in this same chapter He says…

Matthew 25:37-40 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

It's very important that we do all we can to show love and care to those we have the opportunity to help. But that's not the issue being taught here. The second point about being prepared for God's next injection into history is this, you can't borrow preparedness.

In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Jesus zeros in on people who -want a free ride to glory, -or maybe a second chance to get to heaven, -or want to achieve a relationship with God on their own terms. And He's saying, "that's not going to happen".

-When Jesus says that there is only ONE way and only ONE truth and only ONE life, He's not making any allowances for other theological thoughts or suggestions of your own making. -When He demands to be the Lord, the boss, the leader of your life, He wants you off the throne and Him in your place. That's part of the salvation process. And if that isn't happening in your life, then I'm sorry, the teaching from this parable is that you're out of luck.

When that next Divine Injection day comes, and Jesus, the bridegroom comes for His bride, the church, you can't turn back the clock. You can't turn to anyone for help. That's it! It's just you and Jesus, then. At that point, you're one on one with the King of the Universe, the God of Creation, and the Owner of Heaven.

You know, there comes a time when everyone of our lives will become a terrifyingly individual matter. It's when everyone of us must ultimately face Jesus alone, and have answer for the way we lived our life.

Revelation 20:11-15 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

At that point…, …there are no second chances. …there are no stand-ins. …there are no substitutes. In other words, you can't borrow preparedness from anyone or provide it to anyone. It is a totally individual matter between you and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, are you personally prepared for the next injection of God into history?

C. You can be too late

For the third issue regarding preparedness, look again at verses 10-13, again…

Matthew 25:10-13 10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Jesus doesn't even belabor the point that it's night time and all the shops in town that sell oil are closed. What would have been an easy task just a few hours before, now is an impossible task. And that's the final point. You can be too late.

All 5 of the foolish virgins -wanted to be ready when the wedding party arrived. -They talked excitedly about it. -They knew the procedure for being let into the wedding celebration. -But they calculated wrong.

You see, when the wedding party arrives, that's not the time to get ready. You have to be ready, already. Whatever your view is of when the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is going to take place, you have to understand, it is coming, and no one knows the day or the hour.

God is going to inject Himself into history, one more time. And if you hope to be able to wait until the last minute and sneak in under the wire of God's grace, I'm sorry. Jesus offers no hope for such plans. If you're not ready now, you won't be ready then.

Ken Grafham and I e-mailed our thoughts to each other this week concerning a prophetic passage in the Old Testament. Look at it on the front of your WIG's, and look at the similarities to what happened in our nation 12 days ago…

Zeph 1:14-18 4 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. 15 That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.

17 "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse."

18 Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. (NKJV)

The reality of God's last injection into human history just became more real to us than ever before.

III. Conclusion

God will injects Himself into history, one more time!. We don't know when and we don't know what it will look like. But it is assured! So, I'll ask you the question again, "Are you prepared for that event?" -Does your Christian life reflect God's definition of what a Christian should be, or are you living with a definition of a Christian that is of your own making? -Is your Christianity your own, or are you trying to sneak in on the coattails of someone else? Folks, I'm sensing more of an urgency now than ever before to make sure we're ready. My friend, don't risk being too late. Make today the day you solidify your entrance into the wedding feast of Jesus Christ. Invitation prayer.