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Sermon

Be Ready to Meet Christ

Speaker
David Capoccia
Scripture
Matthew 25:1-13

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

This passage from Matthew 25:1-13, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, teaches us the urgent necessity of being ready to meet Christ. The parable reveals that some who profess to follow Jesus think they are prepared but are not, and when the moment of meeting arrives, it will be too late to fix what was neglected.

Key Lessons:

  1. Many who claim to be Christians may not truly be ready to meet Christ — self-examination through Scripture is essential.
  2. Readiness is not about external association with Jesus (church attendance, ministry roles) but about genuine repentance, faith, and ongoing obedience.
  3. Christ’s coming or our death may arrive at an unexpected time, and there will be no second chance to prepare after that moment.
  4. The promise of eternal joy with Christ in the new heavens and new earth should motivate us to stay faithful and not settle for worldly distractions.

Application: We are called to examine ourselves honestly — to ensure we have truly repented and believed the gospel, to persevere in faithful obedience even when Christ’s return seems delayed, and to cultivate glad expectation of His coming kingdom. We are also called to help one another in the church stay ready.

Discussion Questions:

  1. If Christ returned today, would you confidently say you have been waiting for Him — or would you ask for more time? What does your honest answer reveal?
  2. What specific sins, distractions, or worldly pleasures are currently hindering your spiritual readiness, and what concrete step can you take this week to address them?
  3. How can we as a church body practically help one another stay ready to meet Christ, especially when someone is struggling?

Scripture Focus: Matthew 25:1-13 (Parable of the Ten Virgins — be ready for Christ’s coming); Matthew 7:21-23 (not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom); James 2:26 (faith without works is dead); Hebrews 4:12 (God’s Word judges the heart); Revelation 21:7 (the overcomer’s inheritance).

Outline

Introduction

Just a heads up because we are in a unique season with Christmas and then New Year’s coming up. I’m still taking a break from the Gospel of John. We’re going to do a couple special sermons this week and next week related to thinking about the new year and thinking about where we are in the timeline of God’s purposes for the world. Well, allow me to pray as we look to hear from God today.

Oh Lord Jesus, please speak to us by your word today. Holy Spirit, empower me to declare it as I ought. And please work among all the listeners, those here in person and those watching online, listening online, so that your word would have its perfect effect to encourage, to instruct, to convict, to rebuke, to save, to sanctify.

Please do this, God, for your glory this morning. Amen.

The Train Story: A Lesson in Unreadiness

Well, last year my wife and I went on a trip to Great Britain with our son Benjamin.

Part of the trip involved taking a high-speed train from London to York.

A high-speed train tickets are expensive, but if you buy them in advance, and if you buy non-refundable tickets set for a certain train departure time, then they’re a little bit cheaper.

And this is what I did. I bought these non-refundable tickets departing London at 11:27 a.m.

The morning of the train trip, my wife and I figured that we had plenty of time since the train’s not leaving till about noon. So, after breakfast, we went to explore some royal gardens near the hotel.

And we had a nice time in the gardens.

But when we went to the bus stop by the gardens to return to the hotel, the scheduled buses didn’t show up.

We waited and then we walked to another bus stop.

But still, we didn’t discover any buses that were going in our direction, the direction that we needed to go. So, we eventually just decided to walk back to the hotel.

But now, time was getting short.

Quickly grabbing our luggage, we checked out and rushed to the nearby train station. We could only rush so fast though because we have a toddler with us. We were rolling heavy luggage, pushing him in the stroller.

When we got to the station, we of course couldn’t use any of the stairs, but we had to find and then wait for a series of elevators to bring us to the correct train platform.

Now, these elevators were unfortunately extremely small, and there were other people who wanted to use them, too. So, that meant more delays. Our timeline was getting tighter and tighter. With just a few minutes to go, Emma and I were basically running through the train station. We made it through the final ticket verification booth and sprinted to our platform only to discover there’s no train.

What are we early? Did we misread the schedule? Did we go to the incorrect platform?

No, it was the right train and it was the right platform, but we were one minute late and the train had departed.

So those expensive tickets I bought now worthless.

We would have to buy new tickets and adjust our schedule for the day.

As I reeled from the sting of missing our train by just one minute, we tried so hard. We were sweating. We got there, but it was one minute late. My wife says to me, ” this will make a good sermon illustration one day.” And here we are.

“”This will make a good sermon illustration one day.” And here we are.”

Are You Ready to Meet Christ?

Have you ever thought that you had enough time but then you didn’t?

Have you ever thought that you were prepared for some important task but then you weren’t?

As painful as such experiences in this life can be.

They are nothing compared to finding yourself unprepared with God.

“They are nothing compared to finding yourself unprepared with God.”

God in his word commands that all people should get ready to meet Jesus Christ either in death or at his coming.

But how many people are truly ready for that?

How many people think they are ready when they are not?

Even those who call themselves Christians.

Ask yourself, are you ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ right now?

“Are you ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ right now?”

If you were to come back today, would you be able to say, “My Lord Jesus, I’ve been waiting for you.” Or would you have to say instead, “Oh Jesus, please give me a little bit more time. I’m not quite ready.” As I mentioned in my prayer earlier in the service, we’ve come to the end of 2025.

And Jesus did not come back this year. You did not meet him because you’re still alive and he has not chosen to return yet. It wasn’t in the father’s timeline.

But what about next year?

What if the Lord or rather what if you meet the Lord this next year through death or through his coming?

Are you ready for that?

Today I’d like us to look at Matthew 25 and Jesus parable of the 10 virgins.

This parable’s main message is the same as my sermon title today. And that is be ready to meet Christ. Be ready to meet Christ. If you would please open a Bible, take your Bible or take one that we’ve provided here and open to Matthew 25:es 1-13.

Matthew 25:es 1-13.

If you’re using the Bibles that we have, you can find the passage on page 987.

987.

Context: The Olivet Discourse

To orient you briefly to the context, our parable appears in Jesus Olivet discourse. What’s the ET discourse?

Well, it’s a sermon from Jesus about his second coming and it spans Matthew 24 and 25.

In the sermon, Christ first reveals what will happen to Israel during the seven-year tribulation that precedes Christ’s bodily return. In in Matthew’s accounts especially, you’ll notice that Jesus’ sermon, the oliveette discourse is very much focused on Israel’s experience, especially Israel’s future experience in the tribulation. Jesus talks about what’s going to happen to Israel during that time. And then second, Christ exhorts believers.

“It’s a sermon from Jesus about his second coming and it spans Matthew 24 and 25.”

Believers who will be alive on the earth at that time to remain faithful until he appears.

Now, the principles for how those persons, the tribulation saints, are to get ready to meet Christ, they are relevant for people outside of that time as well, even us today. And that’s what we’ll see as we examine our parable.

Let’s now read the text. Matthew 25:es 1-13.

This is Jesus speaking.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.

But at midnight there was a shout, “Behold the bridegroom. Come out to meet him.” Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the prudent answered, “No, there will not be enough for us and you, too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

Later the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open up for us. But he answered, Truly I say to you, I do not know you.

Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

This is a simple parable, but it has a profound message.

Be ready to meet Christ and enter his kingdom. Be ready to meet Christ and enter his kingdom.

“Be ready to meet Christ and enter his kingdom.”

Part 1: The Characters (vv. 1–4)

In explaining this message, the parable unfolds in three parts and we will look at each. The first part is in verses 1 to4 and it’s where we see number one the characters. Number one the characters.

Let’s reread verses 1 to4 and then look at them more closely.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

This first part of the parable is all about introducing to us the main characters.

Notice the word then that begins verse one could also be translated at that time.

Jesus is saying that there is a time coming, a future moment involving God’s kingdom that will be just like what this parable depicts.

What does this parable depict?

Preparation for a wedding celebration.

Everyone loves weddings, right?

The Jewish Wedding Process

Well, what we have depicted here is part of the traditional Jewish wedding or traditional Jewish marriage process.

In Jesus day, for two Jews to get married, there was a certain sequence to follow.

First, the fathers of the two families would make a contractual agreement.

Second, the bride and bridegroom would participate in a betroal ceremony where the two would become legally married but would not yet live together or consummate the marriage. This, by the way, was a situation of Joseph and Mary when Jesus was conceived.

Third, the bridegroom would go away to prepare a place for his bride. Preare prepare a place in his home for his bride. Fourth, the bridegroom would go in procession to get his bride.

The bridegroom would gather his closest friends, his best men if you will, and then go forth in a joyous parade.

They would travel in the evening through the streets of their local town until they reached the bride’s house where they would collect the bride and her companions. Now, these companions would be unmarried young virgins who were friends and family of the wedding couple. So, a little like our modern bridesmaids.

And these companions are the virgins of our text.

When the full wedding party was collected, the whole band would then travel through the rest of the town until the group reached the bridegroom’s house, where we reached the fifth and final phase of the Jewish marriage process, and that was the wedding itself. At the bridegroom’s house, the bride and bridegroom would be formally united in a wedding ceremony that was followed by several days of festivities.

“The whole band would then travel through the town until reaching the bridegroom’s house for the wedding.”

There be this would be a time of great joy for the Jews. It was singing and dancing and conversation and food and drink.

And during these days of festivities, the bride and bridegroom would also finally consummate their marriage.

So this is the traditional marriage process for the Jews in Jesus day. And our parable takes place in the fourth phase of that traditional process that is the procession of the bridegroom to go and collect his bride and her companions. Now we don’t see the bride mentioned anywhere in this parable.

That’s because she’s not the focus. We do see though the virgin’s bridesmaids or I’m sorry the virgin bridesmaids in our story who apparently have been told to meet the bridegroom at a particular place. Now these virgins were told they show up with lamps or better translated torches.

These torches would be important for lighting the way to the bridegroom’s house. The bridal procession would be moving through the town at night. They need lights to go on the way. Each bridal party member would be expected to carry his or her own torch. So each of the bridesmaids, each of the virgins would be carrying a torch.

Foolish vs. Prudent Virgins

Now verse one of our passage makes all the virgins sound the same. But verse two reveals that there’s an important difference among them. We have five virgins who are foolish and five virgins who are prudent.

The Greek word for foolish is moras from which we get the English word Moras it means exactly like we would understand from It means foolish or even stupid.

Five of these virgins they are characteristically moronic in their thinking. They lack foresight. They lack even common sense.

But the other five virgins are called prudent. The Greek word behind this term could also be translated wise or sensible.

These virgins are characterized by a practical kind of wisdom and forward thinking.

“These virgins are characterized by a practical kind of wisdom and forward thinking.”

And we can see the foolishness and the prudence of these two groups of virgins on display in verses 3 and four. The foolish virgins were told they take torches without taking any oil.

The Foolishness of No Oil

Whereas the prudent virgins do take oil with them. Now, is it a big deal not to take oil in a procession like this? Yes, it is a big deal. You see, taking a torch without taking extra oil, it would have been considered obviously foolish back then. Yes, even stupid.

Because ancient torches, they consisted of a long stick with a bundle of cloth wrapped around one end. And this bundle would be soaked in olive oil and then set a light as long as there is sufficient oil in the cloth. The torch would burn brightly.

But if the oil is used up through burning, well, the torch’s flame will diminish and then sputter out.

And this wouldn’t take very long to happen. One estimate is that an oil drenched torch, it would have burned for only about 30 minutes before more oil would need to be applied to keep that torch burning.

So to take a torch without any extra oil was definitely a stupid thing to do.

It’d be like getting on to a packed highway during rush hour when your gas’s car gauge is already sitting on E.

If you’re delayed at all, you’re going to be on the side of the road momentarily.

Or it’d be like taking flashlights with you on a long camping trip out into the middle of nowhere when the flashlight’s batteries are really old, so you have no idea how long they’ll last or if they’ll even work. And you don’t take any extras. You don’t take any extra batteries.

If you do this, you’re setting yourselves up for a very bad time. It’s moronic.

“To take a torch without any extra oil was definitely a stupid thing to do.”

These five virgins are just like these two examples. Their action is truly foolish. If the bridegroom is delayed at all at all in arriving to the meeting place, any initial oil on their torches would be quickly used up. And then what would those virgins do?

Understandably, then the other five virgins, they show their prudence by bringing the necessary oil. They make sure the car is filled up with gas before they go on the highway. They do bring extra batteries to the camping trip. They know that the bridegroom might be delayed for any number of reasons.

So, they plan accordingly.

Whether the bridegroom arrives sooner or later, these five want to make sure that they will be ready.

So then we have 10 virgins commissioned to be ready for the bridegroom’s arrival with their torches.

What the Symbols Represent

But Jesus says back in verse one that all of this represents the kingdom of heaven. This is a parable. So what’s really being depicted here in these first four verses symbolism is pretty straightforward. The coming bridegroom here is Jesus the Messiah. Jesus has already called himself a bridegroom in Matthew 9:15.

And the context is Jesus second coming in Matthew 24:25. Jesus is clearly the bridegroom.

The virgins here are people who claim to follow God and expect to enter God’s kingdom.

More specifically, according to the parable’s context, Matthew 24:25, these are professing believers in the tribulation period who know that Jesus return is quite close. They’re seeing the signs that he’s already talked about. They know that his return is close, but they don’t know exactly how close.

Nevertheless, they profess to believe in Jesus, and they expect to enter into his kingdom when it arrives.

The wedding feast is what Matthew in his gospel calls the kingdom of heaven. It’s the glorious millennial kingdom promised by Christ and to be established on the earth when Christ returns.

And the wait for the bridegroom. It is the wait for Christ’s arrival.

What do the torches represent?

There have been efforts to interpret the torches as symbols of good works or of faith. But these interpretations don’t really fit the parable, as we’ll see in just a moment. A better interpretation is that the torches are merely symbols of readiness.

They are an illustration of readiness.

These torches you see will not burn the entire time, but they will need to be lit at a required time.

Some of the virgins will be ready for this, and some of them will not.

Having torches and oil ready to be lit at the appointed time pictures the readiness of believers to meet Christ and enter into his kingdom.

“Having torches and oil ready pictures the readiness of believers to meet Christ and enter his kingdom.”

A Sobering Warning: Many Think They Are Ready

That all being said, notice what sobering truth these first verses show us about God’s people as they wait for Christ.

Some of them, even many of them think they are ready when they are not.

In this story, it’s five out of 10.

That’s a significant portion.

Now, this is not a prophecy that exactly half of all professing believers are not ready, but it does tell you it’s a significant portion.

And this, Jesus says, will be true of believers in the tribulation period when Christ’s return is very near and his people know it.

How much more true must it be today when we haven’t even entered the tribulation period yet?

Many people today think that they are ready to meet Christ when they are not.

“Many people today think they are ready to meet Christ when they are not.”

They are not ready to meet him in death and they are not ready to meet him at his return.

Some professing believers may even have misplaced excitement about seeing Jesus, like the foolish virgin surely did about seeing the bridegroom. Can’t wait to see the bridegroom. It’s going to be a great time. They don’t have any oil.

So, you need to ask yourselves before we move on.

Could that be you?

Are you ready to meet Christ?

Part 2: The Crisis (vv. 5–9)

Well, we’ve seen the first part of the parable introducing to us to the main characters, the virgins. Now, let’s look at the second part, verses 5 to9. We see number two, the crisis. The crisis.

Let’s reread those verses.

Now, while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.

But at midnight there was a shout, “Behold the bridegroom. Come out to meet him.” Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the prudent answered, “No, there will not be enough for us and you too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” So in these verses, we’re introduced to the central problem of the parable. The bridegroom is approaching, but not all are ready.

“The bridegroom is approaching, but not all are ready.”

The Bridegroom Is Delayed

Verse 5 begins by telling us that what do ? The bridegroom is delayed.

We’re not told why specifically, and it doesn’t matter in this parable. But it does mean the bridegroom is going to arrive later than everyone expected.

In fact, so much time goes by that the second half of verse 5 says that all of the virgins, both foolish and prudent, they nod off, start sleeping.

“The bridegroom is going to arrive later than everyone expected.”

And we can be sympathetic. These girls have been waiting for hours. They just can’t keep themselves awake.

Though, note this parable does not condemn the virgins for falling asleep.

The Midnight Shout

Verse 6 tells us though that the bridegroom finally is now coming. The phrase there was a shout in verse 6, it indicates continual action. A loud and continuous cry goes out in the middle of the night. Behold the bridegroom, come out to meet him. Behold the bridegroom, come out to meet him.

Though, notice when the shout goes out.

The middle of the night, about midnight.

“A loud and continuous cry goes out in the middle of the night: Behold the bridegroom!”

Now, that would be a very unexpected time to begin a wedding procession, much less a wedding feast. Even at that time, this would be like inviting a whole bunch of people over to your house on Thanksgiving, but telling them all, “Don’t come until I specifically call you, but then you don’t call people until midnight.

Hey, everyone. I know it’s late, but come on over. Everything’s ready. We’re going to have a great time.” Who would do that? Nobody. Right? If you did that, all of your guests would probably already be asleep and have long concluded that your Thanksgiving feast it was canceled. It’s not going to happen.

There’s something similarly surprising happening in this parable.

However, unlike the guests of a theoretical midnight Thanksgiving dinner, everyone back then would know that it was the Jewish bridegroom’s right to start the celebration anytime he saw fit, especially if that bridegroom were someone important.

With the virgins being awoken out of sleep by the commotion, verse 7 says that all the virgins rise and trim their lamps. That is to say, they put their torches in order. If their torches had been burning when the virgins first arrived at the meeting site, those torches would have long burned out. So now is the time to reapply the oil and get those torches burning brightly again.

The Foolish Virgins’ Desperation

And here’s where the crisis appears. The foolish realize they don’t have the oil that they need to get their torches burning.

Why this issue wouldn’t have occurred to them before, we don’t know.

But they are foolish.

Maybe they figured they would have time later to procure the necessary oil. Or perhaps they simply did not expect their bridegroom to be delayed. Now, surely he won’t delay. This is too important.

So in verse eight, the foolish virgins tell the wise, “Give us some of yours.

Our torches are going out.” They turn in desperation to the prudent virgins.

“They turn in desperation to the prudent virgins.”

But the denying response to the prudent virgins in verse 9 is very emphatic in the Greek. No, there will not be enough if we share.

That may sound mean, but the prudent virgins, they are fundamentally committed to fulfilling the bridegroom’s mission, the task given to them. So, they cannot afford to give up their oil.

Their sharing it would be like going to the beach and spending or spreading too little sunblock over too many people.

Everyone’s going to get burned in the end.

Similarly, all 10 torches might go out if the prudent virgins share their oil, and that would greatly fail and shame the bridegroom. They’d be practically going to the to the wedding feast in the dark.

So, instead of sharing the prudent virgins, they suggest that the foolish virgins go buy oil for themselves from the shopkeepers.

You say, “Well, what’s the good of that?

It’s the middle of the night. Surely the shopkeepers are closed.” Well, if they are closed, the foolish virgins could always wake them up. I mean, people, the shopkeepers, they they had their trade in their own home. So, you just find them there and you wake them up and say, “I need to buy some oil.” But more likely, all of this celebratory noise of the bridegroom’s arrival meant that the whole town was already awake.

Either way, they could go buy the oil.

But either way, doing so would take time.

So these foolish virgins are indeed in a crisis. The unexpected arrival of the bridegroom has exposed their unreiness to meet him.

And now they are desperate for a way to resolve their crisis.

Spiritual Implications of the Crisis

And we can grasp the spiritual implications of this part of the parable, can’t we?

Jesus may delay his coming as well.

He may delay his meeting with you.

You may meet him at a time you do not expect.

If you are not ready, you will similarly be thrown into crisis.

“You may meet him at a time you do not expect. If you are not ready, you will be thrown into crisis.”

But at that late hour, will there be anything you can do?

Part 3: The Consequences (vv. 10–12)

Let’s look now at the last part of our parable in verses 10 to 12. We see there number three, the consequences. The consequences.

Verse 10.

And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut.

Later the other virgins also came saying, “Lord, Lord, open up for us.” But he answered, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.” We’ll stop there.

In this last part, we see the final consequences of the choices that were made in the beginning.

“We see the final consequences of the choices that were made in the beginning.”

Verse 10 begins with the tragic revelation.

The bridegroom came while the foolish virgins were trying to fix their mistake.

The prudent virgins were ready for him though with their burning torches and they gladly go with the bridegroom on the rest of the procession through the town until the group arrives at the wedding feast.

The procession of course is just the beginning of the celebration for these prudent virgins. Now many more days of joy and feasting await them.

The Door Was Shut

But notice now the end of verse 10, it says, “And the door was shut.” The text does not say, “Who shut the door?” It’s a passive construction.

But whoever shut this door, there is a certain finality in the action.

You may be reminded of another instance in the scriptures where a door was finally and mysteriously shut, Noah’s flood.

“”The door was shut” — there is a certain finality in the action.”

“I Do Not Know You”

As we reach verses 11 to 12, we approach the greatest shock of this parable.

Not that the foolish virgins forgot the oil. That was shocking, but not as great as the shock we’re about to see. In verse 11, the other virgins, the foolish virgins, they finally reach the wedding feast and they encounter the closed door. They therefore call out to the bridegroom,”Lord, Lord, open up for us.” And they had good reason to think that the bridegroom would let them in.

They might say, “We’re good friends.

We’re relatives. We’re the bridesmaids.

Surely you will let us in, won’t you?

We’re sorry we were late. We’re sorry about the torches, but please, for the sake of family, open up for us.

At a typical Jewish wedding, the door would surely have been opened.

Your family, come on in. Where have you bridesmaids been? We’ve been looking for you. Get in here and enjoy the feast. A shame about the torches, but what? Your family, come on in.

But look at what the bridegroom says in this parable. Verse 12. Truly I say to you, this is a very emphatic phrase. Whatever is said, whatever is uttered is settled truth.

It is not flippant. It is not a joke. It is like an official declaration.

Truly I say to you, I do not know you.

“Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”

What? The bridegroom has just disavowed the bridesmaids.

He’s just rejected those who are close family and friends and forbid them from entering the wedding celebration.

Yes.

Because this bridegroom is no ordinary bridegroom and failure to be ready for his arrival is no ordinary offense.

And this is where the parable ends.

The ready virgins go into the celebration with the bridegroom while the foolish virgins who are not ready who arrived too late to the feast. They are barred entrance and totally disowned.

Do you see the implications of this final part of the parable?

When you meet Jesus, and you will, if you are not ready, there will no longer be any hope or any way of escape, any way of fixing things.

You won’t be able to say, “Hold on, please. I’ll make things right.” It will be too late.

You will be too late.

And it doesn’t matter what association you claim to Jesus while on the earth.

But Jesus, I professed to be a Christian. People People knew that.

Jesus, I went to Calvary Community Church.

I put my children in Sunday school. I led a small group. My dad was a deacon.

I was a pastor.

Won’t you let me in?

If you’re not ready in the way that Christ called you to be ready, what will his response be?

Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.

Is this not one of the most sobering realities? Brethren, imagine meeting Christ, the one that you’ve had a glad expectation about meeting, and then he says these words to you.

Really, the latter part of this parable, it proceeds exactly how Jesus already said his coming judgment would proceed with false followers who did not truly know him or keep his word.

Matthew 7:es 21-23 Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter.

Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

The Moral: Be on the Alert

Thus, we can see why Jesus ends the parable with the conclusion that he does in verse 13.

Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25:13: “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

This is the moral of the parable.

Stay alert. Keep ready. Keep watching.

Be ready for whenever you meet Christ because you do not know when that will be.

It might be sooner.

It might be later.

It might be sometime you never expected.

I’m young. Surely it will never happen to me.

Oh, I’m not as old as others. It will never happen to me. Well, I’ve lived this long. Surely I’ve got more time.

Application 1: Be Ready by Repentance and Faith

Now the great question that arises from all this surely is how does one become ready to meet Christ? Oh, I certainly see that I need to be ready. But how does one become ready?

Let’s talk about application a little bit.

Readiness to meet Christ begins first and foremost by responding to Jesus in repentance and faith.

Be ready to meet Christ. Number one, by repentance and faith.

Jesus proclaimed throughout his ministry the words of Mark 1:15. I mentioned this in the Christmas Eve service as well because it’s a nice little summary. Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” Believe in the gospel.

Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.”

Don’t automatically assume that you are a Christian and saved and safe and no problems with God. You need to make sure. How do you do that? By letting God examine you by his scriptures.

By letting him show you what’s really going on in your heart.

We perhaps know Hebrews 4:12, which says the word of God is living and active.

But understand what that verse is saying. It’s not just a thing that you use with other people, but it’s something that God uses on you. I’ll read the whole verse. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Ultimately, you don’t judge the Bible and the things that are written in it.

It judges you. God uses it to judge and show you what’s in your heart, what’s your real state with God.

So, as you open yourself up to the scriptures, even the scriptures that I’m saying sharing with you this morning, have you truly turned from your sins?

Have you given up your sin yourself and your self-righteous works to believe in Jesus to believe the gospel? There is only one gospel. Have you believed it?

Do the gospel?

Talked about it on Christmas Eve, but it’s worth our talking about it again.

The Gospel Explained

What is the gospel? The gospel is that God, the one true God, is our creator.

He’s good and he’s given us good commands to follow. But we have not followed those commands. Though God put us in an exalted place as underrulers, we humans over his world, we have turned away from God to go our own way. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and thus must pay the penalty.

What is the penalty? Death. Eternal death. Eternal conscious torment in a place that the Bible calls hell. This is our worthy judgment for sinning against for rebelling against a holy God. And there is no way that we can escape the judgment on our own. For the Bible says, even our good works, they are filthy rags before God. And that if you break one piece of the law, you will consider to have broken the whole thing. You are a law breaker because God’s standard is himself perfection.

The only way that any of us can be saved is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to the earth as fully God, fully man. He lived a perfectly righteous life that you should have lived and that I should have lived. And then he died an innocent substitutionary death on the cross for his own. He did this out of love. God sent him out of love.

He died in the place of sinners. He went into the grave, but then he rose again.

And he is alive today at his father’s right hand in heaven.

And the way that you are to respond is by repentance and faith. You turn from your sin. You turn from lordship of your own life and you turn to Jesus. You say, “Jesus, you’re the only one who can make me right with God. It’s your righteous life applied to me that can make me right with God. Make me acceptable to God. I can’t do it. I can’t add to what you did. Jesus, you have to do it all for me. And I trust that you have done it all for me. I believe and Jesus, I don’t just believe that you are the savior, but I believe that you are God. You are the Lord. And so I give my whole life over to you. Whatever you want from me for the rest of my life, that’s what I want. I want to follow you. I want to obey you. I know I’ll never do it perfectly, but because you have saved me and I believe that, I want to follow you.

Bible says, “Whoever turns to Jesus in that way, turning from sin, believing in Jesus to be their righteousness, he will be saved. He will have eternal life.” Is that the gospel that you believe?

“Whoever turns to Jesus, turning from sin, believing in Jesus to be their righteousness, will be saved.”

That is the only gospel. There is no other gospel. Any other gospel is a false gospel. Is that the gospel that you believe?

Sometimes when I’m doing evangelism, and many of you do this too, ask people, “If you were to stand at the gates of God’s heaven and he says,”Why should I let you in?” What would you say? There’s really only one appropriate answer. Though you might use different words to say it, and that is nothing but the blood of Jesus.

It is only by Jesus life, death, and resurrection that I ask you to bring me in.

Can your heart testify such to God? Is Jesus your storm from the holy wrath?

Or is Jesus your refuge from the holy storm of God’s wrath?

He’s the only one.

If not Jesus, what are you banking on?

Where where’s your security? What are you hiding in to make you right with God, to protect you from God? Whatever it is, I tell you, it’s going to prove inadequate. You will prove unprepared for the flood of God’s fury.

So, this is the first way that you must be ready to meet Christ and enter his kingdom. It’s by repentance and faith.

Application 2: Be Ready by Persevering Obedience

But there’s more. A second way that you are to be ready is by persevering in faithful obedience to Christ. Number two, be ready by persevering obedience.

If you truly know Jesus and are in him, your salvation will work itself out by increasing obedience to God’s word. What James says? James 2:26 very famously, James writes, James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” I’m not contradicting what I just told you. Good works do not earn your salvation. Salvation is by grace. It’s the mercy of God granted through faith.

But just as faith is the root of salvation, good works ought to be the fruit of the tree of your life.

James 2:26: “Just as faith is the root of salvation, good works ought to be the fruit of the tree of your life.”

So is that the case? Is your life characterized by increasing obedience to your master as you wait for him?

As time goes on and your meeting with Christ is apparently delayed, are you finding yourself becoming more faithful to him or less faithful?

We read earlier in the service Jesus’ previous parable to Matthew 25 1-13 and that’s Matthew 24:45 to 51.

In that parable, there’s a certain slave who was called to be faithful, called to persevere and waiting for his master. But when he saw that his master was delaying, he decided he would have some fun.

Decided he would mistreat his fellow slaves. He would go get drunk. He would stop doing the work that the master called him to do. Do you remember what the outcome it was for that slave?

According to the parable says, “When the master comes, what is he going to do with that slave? He will cut him in pieces and assign him a place in the utter darkness where there is weeping and nashing of teeth.

You certainly don’t want to conform to the pattern of that slave.

For if you conform to his behavior, you will conform to his judgment.

What Is Holding You Back?

Is something holding you back from persevering in obedience to Christ?

What is unnecessarily distracting you from doing what Christ called you to do?

Fundamentally, you are to make disciples. You are to serve one another in this church. You are to be a faithful husband, a faithful wife, a faithful father, faithful mother, faithful son or daughter.

What’s holding you back from that? What cares of the world? What pleasures of the world are choking your spiritual life so that you are unfruitful or less fruitful?

This is a serious matter. You must uproot those things lest you be destroyed.

“You must uproot those things lest you be destroyed.”

What in your life right now would shame you if Christ were to meet you as you think about it?

Oh Lord Christ, I’m really sorry that I never fully dealt with this sin. Kept telling myself, “Yeah, I got to stop doing this. Yeah, I need to put this to death. Yeah, I really need to put this off.” But I never did. Jesus, oh my Lord, I know you called me to do this certain thing, this this act of obedience, this act of love to you, but I just I never made it a priority. I never got around to it.

Kept finding other things that I’d rather do.

I’m sorry, Jesus.

Giving an Account to Christ

Even if Christ, I’m speaking to myself, too. Even if Christ, remember that you still will have to give an account to him when you see him.

Every person is going to be judged according to the scriptures. Believers not for punishment, but for reward.

Still every person will be assessed.

Everyone will have to give an account.

“Every person will have to give an account.”

How did you live your life? How did you follow Jesus?

What would you like to be able to say to Jesus when you have to give an account?

Do you want to be spouting apologies?

Do you want to be shamed into silence?

Or do you want to say with trembling gratefulness, “Lord, look what you enabled me to do.

Lord, I struggled a lot, but you helped me to be faithful in these ways.

We all need to prepare to meet Christ.

Application 3: Be Ready by Glad Expectation

We get ready by repentance and faith. We also get ready by re by persevering obedience. But there is a third way, a third and final way that you must be ready to meet Christ and enter his kingdom. And that is be ready by glad expectation.

Application three. Be ready by glad expectation. I’ve been sharing a lot of sobering truth with you here, but I want to share some encouraging and uplifting truth as well. Consider this parable.

Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus compares his coming and his coming kingdom to a wedding feast?

Wedding celebrations are one of the most happy occasions on earth.

Yet, the gladness of our earthly weddings is just a small picture of the delight of the world to come for God’s people.

“The gladness of earthly weddings is just a small picture of the delight of the world to come.”

Revelation 21 and 22 says much about this world. I can’t wait till we get there. And Pastor Bobby’s preaching, but he gets to explain to us all about that.

The Joy of Our Inheritance

The new heavens and the new earth that God is creating where there’s only righteousness. There’s no death. There’s no crying. There’s no pain. But it’s just delight after delight after delight after delight considering this promised inheritance for us who belong to Jesus Christ.

Shouldn’t that motivate us to do as this parable teaches to get ready to be ready to stay ready to meet Jesus? Jesus himself says in Revelation 21:7, Revelation 21:7, “He who overcomes will inherit these things and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Consider what grace has already been given to you. God has invited you to the wedding feast of him and his people. And you’re not just a bystander. You’re an honored guest. You’re a central participant.

Revelation 21:7: “He who overcomes will inherit these things and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Considering that you have received such from God, does that not make you want to be ready to stay ready for when you meet him?

To believe, to obey like the prudent bridesmaids of our parable.

The prospect of your great reward in Christ Christ. It should spur you to overcome the sins, the distractions.

We have a wonderful feast to look forward to.

There will be endless joy with God, far surpassing any kind of joy that you or I could experience on this earth.

Even the good things we experience, they’re just pictures, just pictures of the greater joy that we have in Christ and that we will experience when we are with him.

Do you believe that?

Do you look forward to your inheritance in Christ that is coming to you to the point where you say, “I don’t have to settle for the things of earth.

I accept the good things, the the little gifts of God in this world, but I don’t cling to them. I don’t serve them as idols or gods.

If God wants me to give them up, I do.

If they distract me, I give them up because I know I’ve got something so much better coming. You do. All of you do. If you believe in Jesus and if you are willing to persevere in obedience, be ready by glad expectation.

There Is Still Time

Brethren, let us realize that there is still time right now to get ready to meet Christ.

You can obtain extra oil for your torch.

You can turn to Christ in repentance and faith. You can persevere in obedience.

And you can embrace a glad expectation of his coming. But that time will not last forever.

The time will run out.

Jesus will come. You will meet him.

So don’t wait to get ready until it’s too late. Stay ready.

“That time will not last forever. Jesus will come. You will meet him. So don’t wait — stay ready.”

To go back to my introductory story, don’t miss the Jesus train.

Even if you’re one minute late, consider the unfathomable tragedy that would be.

All the inheritance of Jesus new heavens and new earth gone.

You left with worthless tickets and instead embracing the portion that is left to you in hell.

A Call to the Church

Let us learn from the prudent and foolish virgins from our parable. Be ready to meet Christ. And I don’t just say that to you as individuals. I say that to you as a church. We are to be ready to meet Christ. We are to help one another be ready to meet Christ. And if you are looking at your life based on this sermon and you say, “I really am struggling in this certain area. If Jesus were to come back, I’d be so ashamed. I’m not ready to meet Christ, but I can’t seem to get ready.” Do what you need to do?

You need to talk to one of your mature brothers or sisters in this church. You need to say, “I need help. I’m struggling in this area. Can you help me be ready?

Can you help me be ready to meet Christ?” And when someone says that to you, what should you respond? Yes, I will. Say, “But I can’t do it. I’m like a nobody. I I don’t even know what to do.” Jesus has equipped you with his word and he’s given you his spirit. We can help one another to be ready to meet Christ. That is actually our calling as a church. So let us embrace that.

“Jesus has equipped you with his word and given you his Spirit. We can help one another be ready.”

God’s good design is that each one of us help each other one of us to be ready to meet Christ. And may God enable us to do that. And he’s already promised that he will. Let me pray more about that to God as we end the sermon.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, what a beautiful truth that you are coming back for your people. What a beautiful truth that your new heavens and new earth, they are described as a consummation, as an amazing, finally brought about wedding feast.

Jesus, you the bridegroom.

We, your church, and all of God’s people, the bride.

Jesus, we want to be ready for that beautiful wedding feast, but we need your help to do so. God, we thank you for how you’ve already begun to make us ready, and you will continue to do so. The good work you have begun in your people, you will bring it to completion. But we know that we have an active participating role in that. We aren’t just to sit back and say, “Jesus, do everything. I’m not going to apply myself at all in any effort to this.” No, Jesus, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Lord, we confess we are not as ready as we ought to be.

Yet you have made us more ready and you will continue to do so.

So Jesus, show us where blemishes yet remain in the the bride’s attire, where imperfections yet remain in us as individuals and us as a church. Sins, idols, distractions.

God, give us the courage and the faith to put these things off and to help one another do so. We have such a greater reward in you and in your coming kingdom than anything we have here. So protect us from the deceitfulness of sin, the deceitfulness of worldly wealth, the deceitfulness of any treasure in the world. How often we have sought these things like the people of the world do, gobbling them up, searching for experience and pleasure and delight in this world after delight in this world and then saying that wasn’t enough. That wasn’t fulfilling.

Oh Lord, when will we learn?

Lord, be pleased to do a great work among your people today so that everyone here, everyone listening to this message could get ready in each of the ways that I believe you’ve caused me to speak to them today by repentance and faith, by persevering obedience, and by glad expectation of your coming.

Lord, you are a gracious saving God.

Would you please accomplish this work?

And as you are, Lord, we will give you thanks. We will give you praise.

Thank you for your salvation in Jesus.

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