ARE YOU A VIRGIN?

 The Parable of the Ten Virgins from the book of Matthew (25: 1-13) is a reminder to be prepared for the unexpected second coming of Jesus Christ.  In the parable there were 5 WISE virgins who were prepared and ready for Christ’s return. The other 5 virgins were FOOLISH because they did not prepare themselves for Christs' return and as a result, found themselves shut out of God’s Kingdom. NOTE: Each of these 10 virgins were anticipating the Lord’s return; none were atheists or non-believers, yet 5 were shut of the heaven. Why? Why were 50% of them rejected? My 2 questions today are: What exactly does it mean to be prepared and ready? And, if you are a believer, in which set of virgins would you place yourself? Wise or unwise? Let's look at Matthew 25: 1-13 first.

[Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.]

The ten virgins in the parable represent Christians not non-believers. Jesus is speaking to those who made the confession in their lives to follow Him! What is the spiritual reference to virgins? "Virgins" in this context pursue only Jesus, not other religions, beliefs, or doctrine. They are devoted and engaged only to Him. Virgins are not tainted.  They have not committed spiritual adultery by giving themselves to those things but have given themselves solely to Him = virgins in the spiritual sense. Note also that all 10 virgins had fallen asleep waiting for Jesus who tarried long until they heard the cry "the Bridegroom is coming." They were then AWAKENED (called) and went forth to meet Him. Five of the virgins had plenty of oil in their lamps to keep burning and shinning their light until He came after tarrying for so long. But the other five virgins lacked enough oil to keep their light shinning so their lamps went out. We distinctly have 2 sets of Christians Jesus is making reference to in this parable! Let's break it down:

1) It's obvious Jesus is represented as the Bridegroom.

2) Five wise virgins (devoted Christians) were prepared for His return. They are true and faithful to Him and sincere in their walk. They  have plenty of oil which kept their lamps burning.

3) Five unwise virgins (Christians in word only) were not prepared for His return. They did no have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. They are, in fact, hypocrites. They 'agree' in word with what the Bible teaches and even accept the Gospel as being truth, but don't practice what they preach (hypocrites). They attempt to live the Christian life but without the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep them going. They have never really put their trust in Christ and they have never nurtured the Holy Spirit which would have enabled them to walk the walk and live out their faith. They may know “about Jesus,” but they do not have a personal relationship “with Jesus.” As a result, there is no change or real evidence of Jesus Christ in their lives. They continue to live for the pleasures and treasures of this world and not for the kingdom of heaven so their faith became stagnant. There is no oil in their lamps because over time what was once there through a so-called conversion is now gone because their oil was neglected in exchange for worldly things and now they are empty. Until Jesus returns for Hs Church, they will not have the strength or endurance to withstand the trials and temptations that face those who belong to Christ because they do not have the Holy Spirit to enable them to do so.

4. Oil represents the Holy Spirit. It is the power that sanctifies, or sets apart a person from the rest of the world, or from hypocrites. It represents the essence of God being in and throughout a true Christians' life.

5. Lamps are the vessel which carry light. Our souls are vessels which produce spiritual Light that shines more and more until the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18)

6. The call at MIDNIGHT in this parable represents when things are dark as in dark and gloomy, disastrous, and uncertain. It is not referring to a literal hour because how could Jesus come at midnight when in other parts of the world it is still morning?  Midnight, therefore, infers dubious times, uncertain times, problematic times, hard times, troubled times, disastrous times, even catastrophic. We are headed that way even now. A midnight inference means dark without light. When the world has removed Jesus, the bible, religion, when you can no longer pray or worship God openly or be silenced or cut off for your belief in Jesus things will be very dark.

The key to understanding this parable is not the lamp or the wick, but the oil. Five virgins had enough oil and five of them did not. Without the Holy Spirit, we may have a perfectly good lamp, but no oil to keep it burning. Some people respond to the Gospel and have the correct understanding of the Gospel, but they only have an intellectual assent to it. It has no affect on their lives, no change is evident because they haven’t committed themselves to it even though they label themselves "Christian." This is not enough to save them. Even the demons know who Jesus is, but they are not saved!  Sincere Christians are the wise virgins and the foolish ones are hypocrites who think they are saved but never sought Christ to have a personal, sincere, relationship with Him.. Hypocrites profess their love of God and show many outward signs of being faithful to Christ, but the truth is only found within. We might try to fool one another or even ourselves into thinking we’re living for Christ, but God is never fooled. And why wouldn't the wise virgins share their oil?? Because a wise virgin cannot give the Holy Spirit to another person. I cannot give the Holy Spirit to anyone, nor can they get to heaven on my coat tails. True conversion is evident. How? The love of Christ constrains them to live no longer to themselves, but to Him that died for them.

God sees if we have a bitter or hollow heart. He knows if our words and actions are for show. 

Time will run out for each of us one day. Don’t be caught off guard and unprepared. Pave your way now with a heart, mind, and soul aligned to God before your time runs out. Your eternal resting place depends on it. The virgins anticipated the groom to come earlier than he did. So it is with us and Christ. Our idea of perfect timing sometimes differs from His idea of perfect timing and we can grow weary "waiting." But we must always be prepared by walking in faith, reading His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to chastise, change, transform, and conform us. Trust that His timing is truly perfect. In His timing, we’re often called to wait. Don’t let the waiting time lull you into a false sense of having endless time. Don’t be fooled that you can wait and still be prepared when it matters, because you don’t know when that time will be. We must prepare our hearts and souls for the long haul. That includes developing a personal relationship with the Lord, discerning His will for our lives, leading where He follows, and loving one another. None of these things can happen the moment we realize our time on Earth is ending. Lead your life as if the end is today, but be prepared to wait. DON'T BE THE ONE TO HEAR, "Lord, lord, open to us!’ And then He says, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you" (Matthew 25:10-12). Think of that!! Jesus said He did not know 5 of the virgins. He didn't say "I kind of know you" OR "I used to know you" OR "At one time I knew you." No, He said I DON'T KNOW YOU" Some version say, "I NEVER knew you!" What a sad outcome for not being prepared and vigilant! Make sure you have oil in your lamps to keep burning until you hear the cry that will call you up to Him."

Until He Comes

-Pat-

Jesus WAS God In The Flesh

 

It is in Christ Jesus that God was and is manifested to all of mankind. Jesus said, "When you have seen me, you have seen the Father, for I am in the Father and the Father in me." Jesus and God are one in the same. How can that be you ask? Well, to be perfectly honest, Paul concurs regarding this great mystery ... God IN CHRIST, that GOD Himself became a man that we might know Him. He openly spoke of this as a "mystery." The mystery is God manifested in the flesh (Jesus). Paul said it in Colossians 2: 2-3. "My purpose is that they (every believer and follower in Jesus) may be encouraged in heart and unite in love, so that they may have the full riches of COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

This "mystery" had at one time been hidden but now is revealed in our time to Gods people. Jesus spoke about it. He called it the mystery of the kingdom of God in Mark 4:11 as He revealed Himself to His disciples. Did you know if I counted correctly, Paul used the word mystery about 21 times in the books he wrote? Each time, it involved a declaration of spiritual truth which of course was revealed by God through divine inspiration. But for us now, after His disciples are long gone, has been revealed by the Spirit in God's written Word! Jesus was the Word made flesh (John 1:14) so He still continues to reveal Himself through the written Word of the Bible to this day! The mystery of God is the consummation of all God's plan in bringing His Kingdom in Christ to fulfillment (Ephesians 1: 9-10, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Revelation 10:7). At the time of Christ (Biblical history) this was not clear though the "mystery" stood in bodily form before the disciples! This mystery is now disclosed to the Lord's Church (Colossians1:25-26) through the testimony the disciples'  in writing, all of which point to Christ and represent the final disclosure of God's Word to mankind. 

There is NO UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S WORD apart from a personal relationship with His son, Jesus (Matthew 12:50, John 14:23, 2 John 1:6).  CHRIST IS THE MYSTERY IN THOSE WHO BELIEVE- as is the mystery of "Christ in you the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). A key to having the "full riches of complete understanding (Colossians 2:2) is to be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10),

The Bible reveals the heart of the gospel: the mystery of true godliness, what it means, and how you arrive there. The bottom line is, YOU cannot get there by anything you do, say, perform, or wish for. We, on our own volition, cannot please God by our perceived goodness; WE MUST depend on Christ (2 Corinthians 3:5) for salvation. Jesus was/is our perfect example of what pleases God, and thus our example of how to live. And since as humans with a fallen nature, we cannot be this perfect model on our own. We need Christ as our intercessor because we will fail and do fail outside of Christ. When a person accepts and believes the sacrifice Jesus made by dying for our sins, He gives every person the power to overcome the temptation to sin as He overcame sin. "To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I  overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Jesus gives us His same power not to give into temptation. It is, therefore, possible to live a life pleasing to God through the power of Jesus Christ. It is why you need that personal relationship with Him. Yes, it is a mystery alright!

God has truly revealed His complete Word to His followers (Colossians 1:26) who have "heard and learned" the gospel (John 6:45, also refer to Romans 10:17 and John 3:16-18), because it was they who fathom "the glorious riches of this mystery" (Colossians 1:27). Simply, "the mystery of God is God's plan of salvation through Jesus. Why? Because you and I would never have been able to comprehend the way to eternal life without the coming of Jesus, His death and resurrection. 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

The Righteous Will Scarcely Be Saved

1 PETER 4: 18-19 "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" When you read this verse, do you ask yourself something like, "What? What does it mean "if" the righteous are barely saved? How can that be? I thought Jesus saves the repentant sinner, period. How can we be barely saved?" Answer: It is not that we are "not quite saved or barely saved" as the verse to some may seem to be implying, because we are certainly saved; but it is because of the great danger and difficulties we encounter and go through that we are scarcely saved. Let me expound.

We were by nature children of wrath, dead in trespasses and sins, with no power or wish to turn to God. But through grace we have been led by the Holy Spirit to see our danger and to seek Christ; a change of heart has been wrought in us by the Spirit of God; we have become a new creatures in Christ Jesus and have passed from death unto life. But difficulties are not over. Snares and temptations lie in our path; and our hearts, though renewed by grace, is by no means free from sin. We find the Christian life to be no smooth and easy course—but a race, a strife, a warfare, from first to last; and often has each of us to mourn over his own slip-up's and shortcomings. And we experience trials of another kind too—losses, sorrows, afflictions; for God does not leave His children un-chastised! The chastisements He sends are proofs of love, rather than of anger—and sometimes seem to fall heaviest on the best Christians. I have been chastised on many occasions and by it have understood, learned, and matured further in the spirit changing little by little, from glory to glory, as I become more like Him.

Therefore, it is through danger and difficulty, temptation and trial—that the Christian is saved. Many a rough place must we pass; many a battle must we fight; many a sorrow must we bear—before our course be done. We ARE saved, but "scarcely saved." See? Tried and harassed we may be—but not lost. Worn, tempted, and persecuted—but not cast away. God's love and faithfulness are engaged for our salvation. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone pluck them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and my Father are one" (John 10:27-30).

But now comes a solemn question: If the righteous is scarcely saved—then what will become of the unrighteous? I'm not asking personally, it is the Bible that puts this question about the unrighteous person. The words are these: "If the righteous one is scarcely saved—then where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:18). They are in fact the words of God, though written by the apostle Peter. They are God's words to you if you are among the ungodly and the sinners—God's solemn question to your soul. A question, but a question without an answer: The answer is left to you.

"The ungodly and the sinner." Why are there two words instead of one? On purpose, it would seem, to take in sinners of all sorts—the hardened transgressor, the man who lives in habitual sin, the bold wicked man—the weak and wavering man, the light and careless, the worldly, the empty professor of faith —all who are living without God in the world, all who are not washed in the blood of Christ and renewed by the Spirit. It is quite plain that the apostle means here all who are not righteous; he puts the righteous on one side, and the ungodly and the sinner on the other side; and on one side or the other, he means to take in everybody. It is just the same as if he had said, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall all the rest appear?"

Now, ask yourself  honestly whether you are among the righteous. The question is not whether you are better or worse than your neighbors; that has nothing to do with it—but are you righteous? Does salvation apply to you? Are you converted? Do you believe with the heart? Are you seeking daily to live to God? If not, then this question about the ungodly and the sinner is for you. Perhaps you do not like either of these words. You do not pretend to be righteous—yet you are not so bad, you think, as those who are called ungodly or sinners.

Then, I ask you, if neither righteous nor ungodly—what are you? Put your finger on that word in the Bible which describes you. You cannot. There is nothing in the Bible between righteous and unrighteous, godly and ungodly, reconciled and unreconciled. And if you are not righteous in God's sight, then before Him—whatever you may be in your own eyes or in the eyes of the world—before Him, you are ungodly or sinful. I urge you—weigh this well. And now to the question itself, "Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" This question must not be taken by itself; it hangs upon what has gone before about the righteous: "If the righteous one is scarcely saved—then where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

The full meaning is this. Seeing that even the righteous man is scarcely saved, that his dangers and difficulties are great; that he finds it necessary to "put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11), to "press toward the mark" (Philippians 3:14), to "strive to enter through the narrow gate" (Luke 13:24), and that, though saved to the uttermost by Jesus Christ—yet it is as one is rescued from the water or the flames—seeing all this, what will become of the wicked? Shall the righteous be scarcely saved—and you so easily? Shall he reach Heaven by so rough a road—and you by one so smooth? Shall he go in by the straight gate and the narrow way—and shall you choose the broad gate and the wide road, and yet find it leads you at last to the same happy place? Shall he take up his cross and follow Christ—and shall you follow nothing but your own will, and yet win Christ in the end? Never repenting, never turning, never believing—and yet saved? Finding without seeking; not running the race, and yet winning the prize; wearing a crown, though never having taken up your cross? Impossible! Reason says so—conscience says so, and, as plainly as words can speak, God Himself has said so. Have you never read of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:30), of the sheep and the goats, of the right hand and the left (Matthew 25:33)? 

Do you remember what the Bible says about a broad road and a narrow road, a straight gate and a wide gate and about the places to which they lead? Here are Jesus' own words: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). The righteous and the wicked are traveling different roads—and will come to different ends. It is true, they are mixed now, as plants growing in one field are mixed; but it won't always be so. A great separation day is coming, when every plant which God has not planted shall be rooted up (Matthew 25:13); and all refuges of lies shall be swept away (Isaiah 28:17), and the true sheep of Christ from every quarter shall be gathered together into one fold, into which no mere pretender shall ever come. To that great day, this question itself seems to point, "Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Appear when? Why, on that very day when the Lord Jesus shall appear in His glory, and the saints who slept shall appear with Him, and His waiting people on earth shall appear with joy to meet Him. Then, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Appear they must, somewhere. They cannot hide themselves. "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him" (Revelation 1:7).

Oh, unbeliever, where will you appear, and how will you feel then? In vain will you call upon the mountains and rocks to fall on you, and hide you "from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb!" (Revelation 6:16). You must come forth—you cannot escape from that all-seeing eye—you must meet the Judge. Where will you appear? I leave the question to your conscience. "If the righteous one is scarcely saved—then where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Look on to that great day—so sure to come and coming so swiftly! Look to it as if it has already come—imagine yourself even now before the throne; imagine that, just as you are, you are suddenly called to stand there. Where do you appear? What do you feel? Which side are you placed on? What words do you hear? How does it fare with your soul? Can you think of this—and yet continue in sin and still put off coming to Christ?  His word cannot fail. Not one true believer shall be lost. "He is also able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25)—and He will save them with an everlasting salvation.

Turn from sin and the world. 

Leave the broad road and begin to walk in the narrow way. 

It is a safe way, though narrow—the only safe way; and happy, though rough. 

However, it is not always rough; it has many green spots, many pleasant places; and even when rough, One is with us in it, to help and cheer us by His presence.

I urge the undecided, set out on the narrow road without delay! Too much time has been lost already—lose no more. No longer run the risk of appearing among the ungodly and the sinners at His coming—flee to Christ at once; be instant and urgent at the mercy seat; pray for the Holy Spirit, for light, pardon, grace, and strength; you may be reckoned among the righteous even now, and be saved in the day of the Lord! Light is growing dimmer, Time is growing shorter. Jesus is coming to gather His righteous.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-