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5/ Jesus separating the ‘sheep from the goats’ PART 2…

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. (2) Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. (3) For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, (4) but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. (5) As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. (6) But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ (7) Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. (8) And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ (9) But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ (10) And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. (11) Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ (12) But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ (13) Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

I am always intrigued by this parable told by Jesus, and as I gleaned more from ‘Matthew Henry’s Commentary’, I want us to look into it further so as to understand better the difference in those Jesus referred to as either ‘sheep’ or ‘goats’…

The marriage celebration described here is the way Jesus illustrated the glad moment when He is going to return for His church.

— It was a custom sometimes used among the Jews that the bridegroom would come, attended with his friends, late in the night, to the house of his bride, where she waited expectantly for him. She would be there with her bride’s-maids; who, when they heard of the bridegrooms’ approach, these bride’s-maids would go out with their lamps in their hands, to accompany him and light the way to the house with ceremony and formality. There they would together celebrate the wedding. The ten virgins represent ten witnesses that were customary to make many things official in Jewish customs.

1. The Bridegroom is our Lord Jesus Christ; This shows the love He has for his spouse, the church. Believers are now betrothed to Christ but the solemnizing of the marriage is reserved for the great day… Revelation 19:6-8 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (7) Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (8) it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
— Q1/ When do you think the church is going to be ready for Christ’s return? (HINT – Only God the Father knows, however, look to 2^nd Peter 3:8-13 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.)

So, when does this tell us that God’s church will be ready for His return?

2. The virgins are the members of the church; here represented as the bride’s companions, here described as virgins due to their beauty and purity. The bridegroom is the king, so these virgins are maids of honour.
— Q2/ Who and what makes us PURE, able to stand before God as made righteous? (HINT – 1^st John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) How are we made pure?

3. These virgins are to meet the bridegroom, which is their happy duty. They come to wait upon the bridegroom when he appears, and in the meantime, they wait for him.
— Q3/ How is YOUR PATIENCE holding up?

The chief concern of these bride’s-maids is to have lights in their hands when they meet the bridegroom, so to honour and serve Him. – Note, Christians are children of light. The gospel is light, and they who receive it must not only be enlightened by it themselves but also must shine as lights, as George pointed out in our last study, we are to be ‘beacons of light’ to all around us.
— And it would seem that the CHURCH should be the LIGHTHOUSE that sends out those ‘beams of light’.
— Q4/ Can you share some ways that your fellowship has taught you to let your light shine?

4. (MHC) ~ “There were five wise, and five foolish. Sincere Christians are the wise virgins, and hypocrites the foolish ones, as in another parable they are represented by wise and foolish builders. The wise build upon the ‘rock’ the foolish build their lives upon the sand. True religion is true wisdom; sin is folly, but especially the sin of hypocrisy, for those are the greatest fools, for they are wise in their own eyes.“ 

— Q5/ Can you put in your own words the difference between those “who build on the ‘rock'”, and “those who build on the sand”?

The foolish virgins took their lamps, but they didn’t take a supply of oil with them. They had just the oil enough to make their lamps burn for a time, perhaps for an emotional moment, after which the sacrifices of fleshly pleasures drew them back into darkness. Still, they professed their religion, this becomes hypocrisy.

1. They have no heart change within. Some even think it is enough to inherit Christianity from their forebearers. They claim the light of Christianity, but they don’t have a ‘born again heart’ which is necessary to carry their faith through the trials of life.

2. They make no provision for what is to come. (Often when things get their worst, they will finally give up even these claims to faith.)

3. It is very sad, and terribly damaging to the name of Jesus when the world only sees and remarks upon the ‘non-born-again Christians’. However, it is the norm for secular thinking to follow this great deception authored by Christ’s spiritual enemy (Satan).

The wise virgins took oil in vessels with their lamps. SEE Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

— ALSO John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

— Q6/ Can you think of a situation in which you witnessed a display of a good heart and the contrasting thinking of a ‘bad’ or ‘hard heart’? (EG: Sometimes I have been approached by someone ‘begging charity’. I follow my heart in my response, and more often than not, trying to use wisdom, I make an effort to help… Sometimes, others think my actions are not necessary and ill-advised… In my heart, I would rather be guilty of too much grace, (if that is possible), than the accusation of Jesus when He said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”)
— Using wisdom is not evil, however, a heart of compassion and forgiveness is always required by God.

God’s Spirit is the oil which we must have in this vessel; Our light must shine before men in good works… Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (16) In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

— The wise who took oil in their vessels, did it understanding that perhaps the bridegroom’s arrival might take longer than they expected.

However, they all had a common fault, during the bridegroom’s delay; They all fell asleep.

— Because the bridegroom did not come as soon as they expected.
— Q7/ Does it seem that Christ is delaying His return? Really He does not. There is good reason for the God waiting to send forth Jesus to rapture His church, and allow the world to fall into ‘TRIBULATION TIMES’.
— The elect must all be called in, God patiently waits for the last to be saved from the torment of the tribulation days.
— And perhaps even our patience needs to be tried and exercised. But though Christ may seem to wait past ‘our timing’, he will not wait past the proper time.

THE FOOLISH begin to doubt that Jesus will ever come again, and find that their lamps have gone out.

— Q8/  What do you think it means to have “your lamp go out”?

Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
— When the whole world is caught by surprise, and Jesus returns, for no one knows the day of His second coming. They will be anxious to find the anointing oil of faith that they once tasted but failed to pursue and hold on to.

(MHC) “At that time they turn to the wise virgins for a supply out of their vessels; Give us of your oil. – Note, The day is coming, when carnal hypocrites would gladly be found in the condition of true Christians. Those who now hate the strictness of a zealous faith, will, at the judgment, wish for its comfort.” 

Romans 14:10-12 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; (11) for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

— The only saving RIGHTEOUSNESS is found in Jesus. If you do not have a true ‘born again’ relationship with Him, you cannot ‘borrow it’ from your church, your parents, or any others.

5. At the coming of the bridegroom the wise virgins, went in with him to the marriage. And the door was shut.

The foolish virgins came when it was too late (in Matthew 25:11); We are told that many will seek admission into heaven when it is too late. (Can you imagine how it will be when all the world will bow the knee and acknowledge that Jesus is indeed LORD? – How would it feel to finally be forced to see the truth, and confront the fact that all your life you chose to deny it.)

See how Jesus will answer them, Matthew 25:12 But He (Jesus) answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

— Thinking that we know who Jesus WAS, a prophet, an Holy man, or a glorious martyr, will never usher us into His Kingdom.

— A knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, comes out of a relationship of living for and with God in Spirit and Truth. No other head knowledge will do, for even Satan knows who Jesus is.

So the end product that Jesus wants us to get out of this parable is found in Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

— Q9/  We need to ask ourselves, “Are we ready if Jesus would come right now to claim His bride (the church)?”
— OR EVEN “Are we ready if God would call us out of this life on this world today?”

This is the comfort the ‘born-again sheep’ of His pasture can hold fast to; Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We will close with discussion and prayer notes, and the worship song ‘Let your living water flow’.

In our time of prayer, I am going to remind all of the instructions from Ephesians 6:16-18 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (17) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (18) praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…