Matthew 25: 1-7
It is interesting that in the parable the bridesmaids all appear to be alike. They all thought of themselves as bridesmaids. They all dressed alike. They were all expecting the bridegroom. When the bridegroom was delayed they all fell asleep. They all had lamps. All of them trimmed their lamps. They all wanted to be a part of the wedding feast. But not all of them were prepared.
This is a warning from the parable: Be sure that you are truly prepared, because it is possible to look like a Christian, talk like a Christian, walk with your Bible like a Christian, think of yourself as a Christian, yet, ultimately not be a Christian. It is possible to know about Christ and not know Christ. It is possible to know the Bible and not be living for the God of the Bible. It is possible to be a nice person and know all the right doctrine, yet have no relationship with Christ. It is possible to look like everyone else on the surface, while never allowing it to penetrate who you are and change the way you live. All of the bridesmaids slept, and there is nothing wrong with that. Life goes on while we wait for the bridegroom who for us is Jesus. We work, we wait, and we sleep. The routine of life just keeps rolling on as we wait for the time when we will stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and they all drowned. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39).
We must stay focused and not get caught up in the routine of the world. The world lives for pleasure and self. You must remember that even though you are living on earth right now the Bible says to those who are saved, we are really seated in heavenly places according to Ephesians 2:6. God has called the righteous out from the world even though we are still living in the world to show those who are still worldly the way to holiness and righteousness. You may ask well if I’m seated in heavenly places with Christ why is it that I’m still on the earth enduring trials, tribulations, suffering and pain?
This earth is filled with sin so our present lifestyles reflect the results of sin. Therefore we still have to deal with Satan and his distracters. That’s all trials and tribulations are distracters of Satan. He throws us curve balls every now and then in the attempt to throw us off and to get us frustrated and confused. Remember Job. First of all, Satan can’t do anything to you unless God gives him permission. So if God allows it, there is a blessing in store for us is we remain faithful to God and preserve no matter what the situation looks like.
To be seated in heavenly places with Christ is to enter an "inner rest." Our spirit and soul can be at rest because of what Christ has done for us, and because of the good plan God has for us. The promise of God's peace is not made to those who work and struggle in their own strength but to those who sit, rest, and abide in Christ. We must get to the place when these distracters are sent our way that we lift our eyes to the hills from whence cometh our help. No matter the situation, circumstance, doctors report, no matter what comes our way, all of our help comes from the Lord. God has given us His Word that His grace is sufficient.
Through the awesomeness of God’s Word and the blessed teaching of my pastor through Bible Study I’m learning to thank God for my trials and tribulations because they build my spiritual muscles. You don’t get stronger when life is perfect and there is no chaos going on around you. You don’t get stronger rejoicing on the mountain top. But you build muscle in the valleys of life.
Muscle building requires force and resistance against the muscle. Trials, tribulations, sickness, and pain don’t make us strong or else we’d all have overwhelming strength. It’s what we do in the situation that determines strength or weakness. Think for a moment in terms of weightlifting. A weight lifter wants to develop his muscles, but he'll never reach that goal unless he lifts some weights. He certainly won't become strong if he just sits in a chair reading weight lifting books and thinking, "I'm going to be strong!" When he lies on the workout bench, the 100 pound weight lying across his chest won't help his muscles gain strength unless he lifts up the weight and starts pushing it away from himself. The same principle is true with our tests and trials. We must believe God's Word. We won't be strong in faith unless we exercise our spiritual muscles. Every time we seek out God’s Word to deal with our problems in the name of Jesus, we gain strength. Strong faith only comes by exercising the faith you have against something that's contrary to the Word of God. When you come out of the valley better and stronger that’s when we rejoice. We must become more confident in who we are in Christ Jesus.
Some of the bridesmaids slept the sleep of slothfulness — others the sleep of peace and security, knowing they had prepared for the bridegroom’s coming. It is not that the foolish bridesmaids did not know that they needed oil, or that they forgot, it was a matter of foolish negligence and laziness. They overlooked their responsibility. They ignored what they knew to be important. Don’t fail to be prepared. Don’t fail to be ready when Jesus comes. Don’t neglect to have oil in your lamp.
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