Sermon – “The Bridegroom Cometh”

25 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids[a] 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.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[b] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[k] Only the Father knows. 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. 45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.[a] 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,[b] and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel,[c] he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

Christ he took our sins he took them he took them they were placed upon him it’s given to him they’re not ours he took them how to live you know we were talking in that Bible study there Wednesday night and we were talking about the different versions of the Bible I think we kind of Bible study it ended but in talking about the different versions and John said about the King James it’s you know these and a thousand the arts and this and that but we don’t talk that way right the title message to bridegroom cometh. We don’t talk like that do it but the bridegroom is coming back we do talk like that amen but the bridegroom cometh he is coming back some day for his bride for the church Amen amen Scripture doesn’t this morning comes from Matthew chapter twenty five verses one through thirteen hear the word of the Lord. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom now five of them were wise and five were foolish those who reform took their lamps and took no Oriel with them but the wives took oil in their vessels with their lamps but while the bridegroom was they laid they all slumbered and slept and at midnight a cry was heard behold the bridegroom is coming go out to meet him then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise Give us some of your world for our lamps are going out but the wise answered saying no less there should not be enough for us and you but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who are ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut afterward the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord open to us. But he answered and said assuredly I say to you I do not know you watch therefore for you know neither THE DAY nor THE HOUR in which the Son of Man is coming May God at His blessing so they hear in the reading of His Holy Word let us pray gracious Heavenly Father we do praise you and magnify you we thank you Father for your work we believe your word to be true inspired by your Holy Spirit given unto men father to guide and direct your church guide and direct the bride we thank you Father we thank you for this sure is that Jesus coming back some day and we thank you Lord God that all who are in Him all who believe in your son have repented of their sins will go home to be with him we give you praising glory and honor God may your truth be proclaimed today may hearts be touched may be changed for Your glory may many come into your kingdom or God through the preaching of your word not just here but everywhere that it is preached today and whatever day toward it your words preach may souls be saved may be one and delivered into your kingdom delivered from death or gotten into life and we just give you the glory any honor in Jesus’ name amen. So the virgins went out and they had their their lamps and you know some children may not understand what are they talking about what kind of lamps what that they did what did what does mean that they trimmed the wicks on their lamps and I just want to disappear just a moment Karen’s granddad when he was eleven he loved to collect antiques and he collected all lamps and they were some of the last were just beautiful you’d have the bottom they were glass the ones that he had the bottom was a glass vessel and they had a chimney that come off of them and many of them had like a frosted shade one around the cover of the chimney and it have metal warms up well and hold them on but kids the the lamp had a wick it was a tight knit cotton The thing that would go down into the oil and it would come up through a thing and you’d turn that and raise it up and down and so would soak up the oil and you’d light it and it would burn it would give you light but you had to keep the tops of these Wicks trimmed because they get crusty and harden it wouldn’t give you enough light it would be insufficient light so you’d trim them and they’d smoke so that’s what these type of lamps were now I can imagine their lamps they probably weren’t glass but they probably was a metal container but still had a wick that probably had a handle on them but they probably still had some kind of a globe in order to disperse the light but in Biblical times the Bridegroom the bridegroom would go to the home or the town of the bride to one that he intended to marry and they would make a HE WOULD NOT day he would make a covenant with the bride and his and her family a covenant agreement that he was going to marry her in their course or be a dowry but after that he made that covenant he would go back to his home in this period where he would after the covenant that he made with the bride and her family and go home was called the betrothal period. You don’t know what that is do you kids betrothal period. Again that speaking in language that we don’t understand right well as the engagement period today we have that ing gauge my period but during that betrothal period they were just as good as married they would be absolutely faithful to one another during this time often times they would not even see one another all during this time period they were separated but during this time period the bridegroom was making preparations he was preparing the home the place in which they were were going to live and often times they would build in the dish into his family home I am not going to say always but often that was the case so then maybe the grandson would come along they build another addition and maybe another addition but they would build in the dish and he was preparing that place for which they would spend the rest of their lives together Jesus said I go to prepare a place and if I go to prepare a place I will come again. Brothers and Sisters Jesus is preparing the place he is a bridegroom he’s preparing up place for which we will do well with him when he comes again when he comes the symbolism of marriage you know Jesus uses marriage as a symbolism of him coming back for the church the church is the Bride of Christ and I think how wonderful that he uses marriage because marriage is the most. Significant or closes or most important thing in of all these words most important covenant that we have on this earth. That’s what marriage is because whenever we leave our mother and father and be joined together with our wives what does that word say a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and that union that covenant is meant to be for life until death do you part in sickness and in health and. Richer or poorer better or worse till death do us part that’s how strong of a covenant the marriage covenant is intended to be. A man shall leave his father and mother and he joined to his wife one man one woman that is what God intended marriage to be. In God’s eyes that is the true marriage one man and one woman until death do them part so no wonder Jesus uses the symbolism of Mary’s to signify how important the covenant how important the relationship is between God and man between Christ and His Church in the fusions five non-O. many men love if agents five twenty two. Wives submit to your husbands would like to have fun with that right but the command. For men is even greater than that. Husbands verse twenty five through twenty seven husbands love your wives jest as Christ also love the church and gave Himself for her. Christ loved the church Christ loved the bride so much that he gave himself for he gave his life that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that he might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should be holy and without blemish the church will be holy and blemish be holy and without blemish because of what he did it says that he might sanctify that he might cleanse her that is how we are sanctified and cleansed by Jesus Christ he did that he might present her to himself. It’s not what we did apart from receiving his wonderful gift by receiving the sacrifice that he made. Historically Let’s get back to the bride groom. The bridegroom coming. With his bride and there were those that were waiting those that were waiting to join the wedding procession he would come from his home and go to her home the bridegroom would come he’d bring many of his close friends we might. Attribute them to believe in their the bride the birth the groomsmen with the bride groom so he would come from his home and go to the bride’s home where there would be various ceremonies there but following that the procession would go through the streets of the town wherever and it would use a B. after nightfall to go to his home so these ten virgins who could possibly represent Bridesmaids but there are waiting there waiting there waiting to join us what in perception to go to the to the wedding to the great ceremony which would often last a week or who knows more. But. Everyone that was waiting because it would be after nightfall was to have their own lamp their own torch. Sometimes it would be a torch something that would just have like a rag on yen it would be soaked in the oil and burned but everybody had their own you couldn’t go to or you would be a you be bashing the wedding party or crashing a wedding party if you didn’t have your own torch it’s important. Christ will return at an unknown hour at a non unknown hour at an hour that is people are in the don’t know we don’t know what day or what hour but the most important thing is that we are ready that’s what this whole thing of the bridegroom in the bridesmaid’s is being ready being prepared prepared for whatever arises in our lives we must always be ready keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus keeping our eyes watching for the bridegroom to come. Awaiting his coming. All of the virgins were sleeping weren’t they not just they were all sleeping so this is you know it indicates when Christ comes back. Many will be sleeping. We might be eating we might be working we might be pursuing leisurely activities we might be on vacation care says yes at the beach that would be a great place would be doing various things but whatever we may be doing we must always be ready we must always be right because you don’t have time to make things right after the bridegroom has come. You don’t have time to go get more oil after the bridegroom has come. You must be ready every moment every day it’s about prepared this that’s what this whole passage is about verse six said and that midnight a cry was heard behold the bridegroom is coming go out to meet him when we least expected Matthew twenty four. Verses thirty six three fifty one it’s actually longer than my scripture e but of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven but my father only the angels that go in and out with God They do not even know what day Christ will return he says only my father knows no one else saw these predictions of crisis going to return September or he’s going to return this year or that year or whatever another year how could they possibly know. Because he says only my father knows. Only he knows not even the angels but as the days of know were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying a given in marriage until the day that no entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away so also will the coming of the Son of Man be two men will be in the field one will be taken the other left two women will be grinding at the mill one will be taken and the other left Watch therefore for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming but know this that if the master of the house had known what our the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into Therefore you also be ready for the son a man is coming at an hour you do not expect Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom the master has made rule ruler over his household to give them food in due season Blessitt is a servant whom his master when he comes will find him so doing assuredly I say to you that he will make him ruler over his goods but if that evil servant says in his heart my master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards the master of that house will come on a day when he is not looking not looking for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and he will cut him in two and appoint his portion to the hypocrites there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth you know is NO was building the ark it took him over a hundred years to built that art and he told the people about turning back to God to repent of their sins to come in to be writ be ready prepared and come into the ark with him. But they would not listen they would not listen they would not repent they would not turn back to God and only eight souls were saved when the flood came my friends the church. Proclaim that Christ is coming again to get your hearts ready it’s not going to be a flood but there is going to be a destruction of this earth coming. In God wants to save us it’s not to an ark but it’s through the cross of Jesus Christ. And that’s what we need to proclaim to the world be prepared be watchful be ready mayor of vessels be filled with oil to be ready for him when he comes those who are in Him Those who are looking for his return should not fear his return because we are his friends John three twenty nine tells us he who has the bride is the bridegroom but the friend of the bridegroom who stands hears him and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled by friends when you are in Christ you should read your word Joyce when you hear that sound when you hear that trumpet call it will be a time of rejoicing it will be a wonderful time of rejoicing and Nord he knows the time he knows their souls out there that need to be won yet but it will be in his divine time his divine appointment. Charles Spurgeon once said Depend on it my hear you never will go to heaven unless you’re prepared to war should Jesus Christ as God how ill you are if you don’t like the war said Jesus you’re not going to like heaven. I hope and pray that you love worshiping Jesus Christ here today on this earth. Five of the virgins were unprepared they did not have enough or will. We could look to those as those that are crass and eight those who do not prepare they put things off this while get things right with God tomorrow I have too many wild oats to sow today there are many out there today the profess to be Christians there waiting just like the other bridegroom brides Bridesmaids but yet they aren’t living a Christian life they are living a life that is faithful one to God. Those who had sufficient will represent those who are living for Christ they are continually ready continually keeping watch continually praying continually in his word continually living for Him Oriel in Exodus twenty verse twenty seven verse twenty it says and you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure Oriel of press alos for the light to cause the lamp to burn continually. The oil was a pure oil it was to burn continually twenty four seven in the tabernacle of meeting and was outside of the veil and Aaron and his sons were the ten that they were to trim the wick they were to keep it filled with oil they were to maintain it to have that light the light which represented God continuing continually burning always there was also an annoying Tina will which was prepared according to divine instruction and then no one thousand or all that they would anoint the head of the the believers is to symbolize the Spirit of God. As the principle of the spiritual life that proceeds from God and fills the natural being that’s what the anointed all does it’s a symbol of the spiritual life of got proceeding in filling the individual that is anointed That’s how important the oil is it’s an N A symbol of being endowed with the Spirit of God. For the duties of which God has called you to fulfill Isaiah sixty one one through three says the spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor he has sent me to heal the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound to proclaim to acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn to console those who mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of havingness that they may be called Trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. Christ will give you beauty in place of acids. He will give you joy in place of morning he will give you praise where there is a spirit of havingness he wants to take all that from us he wants us to be anointed with his spirit I’m wondering today if the church truly understands the significance of the anoint him with oil. Or has it just become a common thing just something we do a tradition that we do. Brothers and sisters it is significant it is very important we should not lose the the meaning of it the significance of it just think ought to something we do but is to be endowed with the spirit of the Living God. The all is also in a symbol of abundance so if all represents a spirit of God then those with the all should have significant abundance. A symbol of great abundance that God provides. Those without all that would be those that were lacking they were in want they were without the Spirit of God. Another important thing that we should glean from the spirit of the the message of the ten virgins. You cannot borrow. You cannot borrow will from somebody else you cannot borrow someone else’s faith many years ago when we first began a church and we had a fellowship meal with our brothers and sisters from up in Salem though and one of the dear sisters in Christ said God has no grandchildren. Think about death for a moment God has no grandchildren he has sons and daughters sons and daughters of the Living God you can’t borrow someone else’s faith you can’t bar their goodness you can’t bar their oil used then before God each and every one individually you have to make things right with God You can’t get into heaven oh my goodness I cannot get into heaven on your goodness I can’t get in heaven when your faithfulness used in the lone stand alone we are each responsible each one is responsible for working out their own salvation with God. We can’t do it for you you can’t do it from a Amen we are each responsible that’s really what this whole purple’s about they couldn’t bar the All they weren’t ready they couldn’t they couldn’t give it to him I can’t give you faith you must receive it from Christ you must receive the forgiveness. You know there are a lot of people that one might consider casual Christians many someone is not real serious about their faith. You know if they’re just not hungry for God. They’re not thirsty for God they’re satisfied would just be an average. Many just want fire insurance. Well they too are the ones that are like the five foolish virgins. They’re doing little to prepare they’re not watching for the return of Christ Jesus speaks to such people. Through John the Revelator and Revelations three fifteen three twenty two says I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot I could wish that you were cold or hot so then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say I am rich have become wealthy and have need of nothing I do not know and do not know that you are wretched miserable poor blind and naked talk about being without I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you might be close that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and annoyed your eyes with I said that you may see as many as I love I have rebuked I rebuke and chase and therefore be zealous and repent. He wants us to be zealous zealous for him Paul was very zealous he was passionate about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ we should be passionate be zealous for him he says Behold I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and dine with him and he was me to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me all my throne as I also ever came and sat down with my father when his room he who has an ear that him hear what the Spirit says to the churches as believers we should be looking forward to the home that Jesus Christ is preparing for us we should be looking forward to it. Think about it think about the parable when a bride groom would take the bride to his home think about it he would come and get his bride and you know I don’t know if they journeyed how they journey some say that they put him on a cart and actually carried him or however they journeyed from the bride’s former home to the home that he is prepared as they make their procession. Her old home is getting farther away and farther away the closer they go and get to his home the home that he is prepared eventually gets to the place where the she doesn’t even see her old home. That’s the way it should be with us with Christ the closer we get to him the closer we draw to him. The more dim the things of this world become. The less attached to the things of this world we become because we have our eyes set on that which he has prepared we have our eyes set on him in the light of His glory and Grace what’s it say. The things of the Thor this earth will grow strangely dim. The more we love him the more we seek Him. We should become detached from the things of this earth because we can’t take him with us we wouldn’t want to take them with us because what he has prepared is going to be more glorious than we could even imagine he’s gone to prepare a place in which yes they thank you Jesus how are you he’s went to prepare a place that we will go and be with him he says I go and prepare a place and I will come again he says Behold I make all things new a new heaven and new earth revelations Revelation twenty one one through five says now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away also there was no more sea then I John saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband here we go again that marriage and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people God himself will be with them and be their God and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes there should be no more death nor sorrow nor crying there should be no more pain for the former things have passed away. They faded away. Then he who sat on the throne said Behold I make all things new and he said to me Write for these words are true and faithful how little you. You know we don’t need to know whole lot else do isn’t that enough. Isn’t that enough that there will be no more tears so we know that there’s got not going to be any one is going to hurt us nothing’s going to hurt us because there will be no more tears there will be no sorrows so we won’t have to watch. Children suffer for parents suffer or friends suffer because it won’t be. So they’ll be no more sorrows there will be no more pain. There won’t be any crutches up there. Amen there won’t be any wheelchairs. There won’t be any need of physicians. No more cancer no more heart disease. None of these sayings no more death that’s the place he’s preparing for us that’s a good US excited to look forward to it amen. That’s what he has for us we need to be prepared because remember what it said in verse twelve to those who aren’t prepared he says I say to you I do not know you I do not know you that should. Compel us to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ that should propellants to preach the gospel because we don’t want anyone to hear that depart from me I do not need that. Should stir us. May it stir all of our hearts my own included I don’t want any of my loved ones to hear the word say Depart from Me I do not know you I pray that all my friends my family my church my neighbors I pray that they would all here. Come and come in and dine with me down with you amen.