Bible Study Materials

Questionnaire

THEREFORE KEEP WATCH

Matthew 25:1-13
Key Verse: 25:13

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

1. Read verse 1. To what does "at that time" refer? Who went out to meet the bridegroom? What did they take with them? To whom does the bridegroom refer? Who are the ten virgins?

2. Read verses 2-5. Why were five of them called wise and five called foolish? What were the ten virgins doing while they waited for the bridegroom? Why did the oil in their lamps run short?

3. Read verses 6-9. What was the joyful cry that woke them up at midnight? When they woke up and trimmed their lamps what request did the foolish virgins make? What was the answer of the wise virgins? Do you think the wise virgins were too selfish? Why? What do you think the oil represents?

4. Read verse 10. What happened when the foolish virgins were on their way to buy oil? What blessing did the wise virgins receive? What does it mean that "the door was shut?"

5. Read verses 11-12. What happened when the foolish virgins returned? What reason does the bridegroom give for not opening the door? What does this reveal about the foolish virgins?

6. Read verse 13. What is Jesus' concluding point? In the context of this passage what does it mean to keep watch?

Attachment:

• Matthew 25(1-13).que.docx

Message

THEREFORE KEEP WATCH

(Matthew 25:1-13)

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (v. 13)

            Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel consists of three beautiful parables: The Ten Virgins (1-13), the Bags of Gold (14-30), and the Sheep and the Goats (31-46). In all these parables, Jesus teaches us how we should live in light of his second coming. The first parable we study today portrays two groups of people – the foolish and wise. What are the definitions of the two words, foolish and wise? Foolish is “a lack of good sense or judgment”; wise is “having discernment for what is true, right, or lasting.” Jesus points out that we should live a wise life because the way we live on earth will ultimately determine our final destination, eternal life or eternal judgment. Today, let’s learn how we can be wise people who prepares for Jesus’ second coming and participate in eternal joy at the Wedding of the Lamb of God.

            Look at verse 1. “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” “At that time” refers to Jesus’ second coming. Jesus depicts his second coming with Jewish traditional wedding custom. A Jewish bridegroom and his bride had a one-year engagement. Even though they lived separately keeping their purity, the couple was considered 100% married. During this period, the bridegroom had to pay the dowry, the “bride price”, which is some money to be paid to the bride’s father. After the one-year period of engagement, the bridegroom, accompanied by his friends and relatives, would come at night to the bride’s house, where the wedding ceremony would take place. The bride, dressing up like a princess, waited for the groom with her maidens. Upon the arrival of the bridegroom and his company, the bridesmaids went out to meet them with their lamps burning. On the way to the bride’s house, they played musical instruments and danced merrily with lamps in their hands. After the wedding ceremony began, the door was shut. The feast lasted for seven days and all the people in the house enjoyed the happy and graceful feast.

            In this parable, the bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and the bridesmaids are people who call themselves Christians including true and nominal believers. Here the bride is not mentioned, but in fact, Jesus comes to take all true believers as his own brides. In his great love and mercy, Jesus shed his blood on the Cross and died for each of us as the Lamb of God. He so loved us and paid the “bride price” with his precious life and purchased us to be his brides. Jesus’ second coming will be like a joyful wedding feast. When he comes, he will transform our lowly bodies into glorious resurrection bodies like his own. (Philippians 3:21) He will hug each of us with his nail-pierced hands and wipe every tear from our eyes. He will adorn us with heavenly glory and beauty. Then he will lead us to our eternal dwelling place with him. Revelation 19:7-9 describe the glory of the heavenly wedding banquet: “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are true words of God.’”    

            But sadly, not all so-called believers can join the glorious wedding banquet. Why? Verses 2-4 teach us the reason. “Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. They had just the oil enough to make their lamps burn for the present. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. Among the ten bridesmaids, five were foolish and five were wise. Outwardly both groups of people were not different from each other. They dressed the same. They came to meet the groom and took lamps. But there was a substantial difference in their thoughts and attitude. The foolish ones did not take any oil with them while the wise took oil in jars along with their lamps. As if the foolish virgins intended to meet the bridegroom, but actually their hearts were not fully given to the bridegroom and the wedding banquet. They neither honored the groom nor appreciated their privilege to participate in the feast. Consequently, they did not prepare for the wedding feast.

            The foolish virgins represent nominal Christians who want to participate in the blessing of the kingdom of God but do not have their hearts fully committed to the Lord, Jesus. Many people pretend that they are Christians. They are all like virgins who came out to meet the bridegroom. But Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Many don’t value or appreciate Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of God. So, they put their priority on their own agenda. They are busy investing their time and money in this world rather than serving Jesus and preparing for his kingdom. They seem wise, but Jesus clearly says that they are foolish. May God help us to be truly wise in preparing for Jesus’ coming and an eternally joyful life!

            Look at verse 5. “The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” Jesus implied that his second coming would be delayed further than what the early Christians expected. With the delay in the bridegroom’s arrival, the virgins became drowsy and fell asleep. This refers to man’s weakness. We believers also sometimes become tired or fail in overcoming some overwhelming situations. The groom did not rebuke the virgins’ weaknesses. He saw them according to their heart and preparedness.

            After the virgins fell asleep, what happened? Look at verse 6. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” The bridegroom arrived at midnight, the very last moment of a day. Likewise, Jesus will surely come like a thief at the most unexpected and vulnerable time. He will come with a host of angels and a loud trumpet call. “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps” (7). At that time, everybody sought oil to turn on their lamps. “Where is oil?” “Where is my oil?” Oil is always a problem. When Jesus comes, everyone will realize that oil is the biggest problem. Look at verses 8-9. “The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’” Here we realize that we cannot borrow oil from others. Each person must prepare oil to keep his or her lamp burning.

            What does oil represent? It has been interpreted as genuine faith, personal relationship with Christ, or the Holy Spirit. All these are justified, for they are inter-connected and inseparable from each other. The Holy Spirit is the most wonderful gift of God. But we cannot borrow the Holy Spirit because The Holy Spirit comes from God personally through Jesus. It begins with listening to the word of God. When we sincerely study the word of God, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and helps us to find ourselves as sinners before God. What then should we do? Acts 2:38 says, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” When anyone repents of their sins and believes in Jesus as their personal Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells in them. The Holy Spirit convicts us that we are forgiven, cleansed and saved by the power of Jesus’ blood that he shed on the cross. Now by his help, we can call God “Abba, Father” and enjoy an intimate love relationship with him. We have the hope that we will inherit the eternal kingdom.

            Just as oil keeps a lamp burning and provides energy, power, and light, the Holy Spirit changes a person. He enables a Christian to grow in Jesus’ image, holiness and love. The Holy Spirit also empowers each Christian to be a witness of Jesus Christ to a sinful world and advance God’s kingdom to the ends of the earth. The work of the Holy Spirit in each individual Christian’s life is the evidence of personal relationship and genuine faith. Based on this, we have to examine ourselves to see whether we have oil or not. Dr. Grudem, one of the co-founders of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood encourages us to ask ourselves three questions. First, “Do I today have trust in Christ to forgive my sins and take me without blame into heaven forever?” Second, “Is there evidence of a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in my heart?” This means that we should examine if there is currently evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in us such as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, or a life of obedience to God’s words, or fellowship with Christ in prayer and worship. Third, “Do I see a long-term pattern of spiritual growth in my Christian life?” It means that if we have genuine faith, we will continue to grow spiritually, and we can gain greater and deeper assurance of our salvation as time goes (2 Peter 1:5-7).

            We can borrow some money, a car, or even a house. But we cannot borrow the Holy Spirit from our brothers and sisters. We cannot borrow them even from our spouses. We cannot shelter ourselves in the community of Christian fellowship thinking that we can borrow others’ faith whenever we need them. On that day, we all must stand before Christ with our own personal faith and relationship. It will not matter how many Christian meetings we attended or how many Christian activities we engaged in. All that will matter is that we have personal faith in Jesus in our hearts. Therefore, the wise virgins’ answer was right and just, “No, there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” Out of holy reverence before God, we must make individual, personal and spiritual preparation in order to welcome Jesus when he comes again. We are responsible to establish and maintain a personal relationship with Christ to the end for our own eternal life.

            Look at verses 10-12. “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’” These verses teach us that Jesus’ coming will be for final judgment. The door to salvation and the kingdom of God is no longer open once Jesus comes again. The foolish virgins realized their mistake and tried to correct it, but they had no opportunity. The bridegroom replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”

            Imagine the embarrassment and sorrow of the foolish virgins while the wise virgins were in the joyful and graceful wedding feast! Imagine the great fear and shame of people who will be rejected from entering the kingdom of God and thrown into eternal judgment on that day! Many may think they live as Christians. To their great surprise, however, the Lord will say, “I don’t know you.”  Think about the bitter cry and mourning of people who neglect their relationship with Christ and treat the invitation to the kingdom of God lightly.

            There are some things in which we may procrastinate like homework or preparing for exams. But there are also things we should never delay. They are to build a personal relationship with Christ and prepare for eternal life. We don’t know what will happen to us even tomorrow. On September 11, 2001, around 3,000 people attended their offices in the morning as usual. Nobody, including themselves and their families, thought they would not come back home in the evening. But in sadness, they couldn’t. They never returned. Our lives are not under our control. We don’t know tomorrow. Therefore, we should not say, “I will repent tomorrow. I will serve God tomorrow.” We should not procrastinate. The opportunity is now. 2 Corinthians 6:2b says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

            Read verse 13. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Jesus concludes with a warning and commandment, “Therefore keep watch.” In light of today’s passage, what does it mean to “keep watch”? It is to be spiritually alive and to build a personal love relationship with Christ. It is also to be filled with the Holy Spirit. How can we keep watch?

            Yesterday, I attended the UBF forum, “The harvest is plentiful.” One of the panelists was Missionary Maria Meyer from Dresden, Germany. She shared four points about God's work in Dresden.  I learned from her life of faith and ministry in Dresden how we can keep watch. First, the word of God. She said that she held onto the Word of God as a matter of life and death. She confessed that she brought all her concerns to God and could find all the solutions in the word of God. In 2016, She began daily bread at 8 a.m. every day with two members. Soon, many people were blessed through daily bread ministry. Even during the pandemic, they continually met in the morning, heard God's voice, and lived by the word of God. The word of God they receive in the morning became their lifeline and north star. She confessed that God protected, convicted, and helped her make decisions through the guidance of the word of God.

            Obedience to God’s words is one of the clear evidences that we have a personal relationship with Christ. Jesus says in John 8:31b-32. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Those who love Jesus obey his words. The Holy Spirit fills those who wholeheartedly obey the word of God. The word of God has life in it. It frees us from all falsehood and sins. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” When we meditate and obey God’s word, we experience God’s power and taste the sweetness of his love. Not only that, we can be filled with strength and God’s vision to serve people in a dark time.

            Second, prayer. They fought the spiritual battle against their unbelief and impossible situations through nightly prayer. When they depended on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer, God demonstrated his mighty power by answering all their prayers. God solved visa problems, security problems, and family problems. Most of all, God led them to repentance and a new birth and helped each one of them to accept God's calling personally.

            Prayer reflects our faith and our personal relationship with God. Through prayers, we can keep spiritual vigilance and keep away from sin and temptation. Furthermore, we can experience the living God, his power and sweet fellowship.  

            Third, praise. Most members majored in voice, musical instrument, painting, or ballet. As artists, they enjoyed receiving praise from others. Miraculously, God changed their hearts to use their talents for the glory of God. They put coming to God through daily bread more important than their opera performances, auditions, and school exams. They put the duty to serve food or clean the sanctuary for Sunday service before their performance. They considered the stage an altar to worship God and a place to encounter God. They prepared their stage performance, looking forward to meeting Jesus on the stage. One student was criticized and persecuted by her professor. But God blessed her faith to put God first. Later, she was recognized by her professor and received a scholarship and an award in a competition. Her example became a living testimony to God. When they were invited to serve praise for the ISBC, they prayed and practiced for two months. They confessed that through ISBC, they saw God's glory.

            1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 say, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” By praising and giving thanks in all circumstances, we can glorify the living God, acknowledge his love, grace and presence, and enjoy fellowship with him.

           
            Fourth, self-denial. Through the word of God, God challenged her to deny herself and submit to God alone. God helped her to repent of her stubbornness, thinking, and her way and obey God. Instead of fighting against people around her or trying to change her situation, God guided her to fight against her sins. In this way, individual members of the Dresden ministry are keeping watchful and fruitful.   

            Self-denial while following Jesus is another evidence that we are Christians. While following Christ, we can learn from him and imitate his lifestyle. We can participate in his mission and grow in his image. We can be united with Christ. But Jesus’ way is the way of crosses and suffering. It requires self-denial, and we follow him by taking up our own crosses. (Mark 8:34b) So, the way is not popular to many, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14) Yet, the way of Jesus is the way of victory and glory. To grow in our personal relationship with Christ, we take up the cross of mission and follow Christ’s footsteps of the cross. Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37) He wants us to be shepherds of God’s flock of sheep. Serving Jesus and faithful life of mission keeps us watchful.

            Today we learned what kind of lifestyle is truly wise and allows us to prepare for Jesus’ second coming and enter into eternal joy and glory. It is an oil-preparing and oil-maintaining life. It is to build a personal relationship with Christ in meditating on and obeying the word of God, praying, giving thanks to God and serving Jesus and his flock of sheep by denying ourselves and following in his footsteps. Such a style blesses us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let’s remember that our heavenly Father has prepared a heavenly wedding banquet for us. The Lord Jesus will come to glorify us as his brides and bring us to his eternal kingdom. Let’s remember that our current lives are an opportunity to know Jesus and prepare for his coming. Out of holy reverence before God, let’s continue to run our race of faith to the end.

Attachment:

• Matthew 25(1-13).mg.2023.docx