Title: The Wise Bride / Matthew 25:1-13
Contents
Title: The Wise Bride
Text: Matthew 25:1-13
Autumn has come. Fall is a great season. Those hot days turned cool, and the farming went well, and the five grains were ripe and harvested. “He who sows with tears reaps with joy,” he said. If spring is a season of tears, summer is a season of sweat, autumn is a season of joy.
In autumn, a beautiful landscape unfolds. The mountain is colored with autumn leaves. And when the wind blows, the leaves fall and pile up. We expressed this appearance as “fallen leaves in the autumn wind.” Stepping on the piled leaves is the beauty of autumn. Anyone who sits in an office to work is encouraged to go outside and taste the autumn.
However, looking at these natural phenomena, we believers have one more thing to think about. It is a fact that we humans will one day fall like those falling autumn leaves. At the same time, the world will come to an end someday. Personally speaking, when our lives are over, we will fall like fallen leaves. The end of this world will come at the time set by God, and then there will be a new beginning.
When I think of this ending, I get a little creepy. If you look at the prophecies of the end times in the Bible, almost all of them speak of disaster. When the apocalypse comes, the signs appear, which are articles of the apocalypse that natural disasters occur, nations of the world are plunged into war, extreme chaos takes place, and people suffer in the midst of it. So many people are afraid that the end is coming.
But we believers need not be afraid of this end. Because the end of the world is a little different from the end that the Bible says and we believe. If we think deeply about the end times mentioned in the Bible, the time we live today is the end time, and the end of the end is the second coming of Jesus. The end that the Bible speaks of is not a moment, but a long period of time. This end is the period that began with the coming of Jesus into this world and ends with the coming of Jesus again.
It is said that the return of Jesus is the end of the end times. What will happen then? There will be judgment on the world. But, why do the saints wait for the second coming of Jesus? Are you waiting to be judged? We, the saints, are waiting for the coming of Jesus because we are in the position of a bride who must get married, not in the position of being judged of sin when there is the second coming of Jesus.
The word “marriage” is not the same as “judgment,” which is bloody. In marriage there is joy, there is anticipation, there is joy. I am full of anticipation for a beautiful life in the future. So, the bride-to-be are waiting for the second coming of Jesus. Looking forward to the joy, joy and beauty of the wedding, we await the second coming of Jesus.
However, according to today's Bible, not all saints participate in the wedding ceremony. It means that there is a bride who has been selected as a bride, but cannot participate in the wedding. So, who can attend the wedding and who can't? According to the Bible, a wise bride can participate in the wedding ceremony, but a stupid bride will not be able to attend the wedding ceremony and will be crying outside. You don't know how sad it is. Then, our job is to be a wise bride.
Only when you become a wise bride will you be able to enter the kingdom of heaven and participate in the wedding feast while welcoming you as the bridegroom when Jesus returns. Not a single member of our ideological church should be left out here. How deplorable would it be if, while waiting patiently for the Second Coming of Jesus, at the end of your life, you make a mistake and become a fool and fail to enter the kingdom of heaven! So, who can be called a wise bride?
[1] A person who actively wants to marry
Times are changing these days and young virgins are hesitant to marry. They say there are no good men. So, while procrastinating for the next day, he skipped over 30. And he is faithful to his work. In other words, I will become a Career Woman and proudly compete with men. In a way, that's a bummer. In a way, this kind of person looks even more envious. However, in hindsight, you will realize that living alone is never wise.
A wise woman is a woman who gets married. The person who becomes the bride is the wise person. However, getting married requires a decision. Determination also requires willpower. Without this willpower, marriage would never happen.
The saints must confess that Jesus is my bridegroom and Jesus is my only love. Without this confession, we cannot move forward when Jesus comes. When Jesus comes to deal with us, this is what he will ask. "Do you love me?" We will ask again the same question that you asked Peter.
Folks, we need to know this. If you do not love Jesus, you cannot have Jesus as your Lord. If we do not have Jesus as our Lord, our souls will suffer eternally in Hell, and unless we have Him as our Lord, we will never be able to enter Heaven. Therefore, no matter what difficulties we face, we must endure and accept Jesus as our bridegroom and wait for His coming. There is salvation. There is hope for heaven.
[2] Bride waiting for the groom to come
According to today's text, the virgins were waiting for the bridegroom, but all ten of them slept. In my opinion, all virgins are disqualified. What time is it now? Time to wait for the groom. Are you going to sleep at this time? Even if you fall asleep, you have to decide and wake up and wait.
The bride is having a difficult time sleeping because the groom is coming late. Does the bride sleep because she's asleep? To sleep when the bridegroom is coming means that his mental state is ruined. You should not sleep. When you sleep, you feel relaxed and relaxed. Still, the brides slept. Why do you sleep? Because honesty is lacking. Why do you sleep? Because the heart to love the groom is weak.
Our saints must be wise brides. A wise bride is one who is awake and waiting for the groom to come. Don't be lazy, don't be lazy, don't get into trouble, but wait for the Lord's coming with all your heart. Such a person is a wise person. Let's follow it: “Do not be lazy, be zealous and serve the Lord” I will serve you!
How can I stay awake and wait? This is possible with prayer. That is why the Bible exhorts us to “pray without ceasing”. Prayer is not rest. Prayer is said to be spiritual breathing. Breathing should continue while you sleep. Prayer should always be done with spiritual breath.
While praying, we must raise our spiritual antenna high and become a person who is waiting for the coming of the Lord to be broadcast live. Such a person is a wise person. On the other hand, those who do not believe in the coming of the end times and that the bridegroom Jesus is coming, and are lazy in serving the Lord, are stupid.
Everyone, you must be wise. I bless you that you will become saints who stay awake and pray and wait until the Lord comes.
[3] Bride preparing oil
All who became brides prepared oil. But what we need to know is that the only thing the groom asked of the bride was oil. What a joy! If the bride asked for a dowry, not many brides would come to the groom. By the way, he just told me to prepare some oil for him to use at night. From a bride's point of view, there can be no better news than this. So, the bride prepares oil, turns on the light when the groom comes, and comes out to greet him.
The same is true for our saints. What does oil mean? Faith. All God requires of us is faith. Belief in Jesus as your Savior, faith that only Jesus can save you you only need that one faith.
However, the fate of the bride is determined by whether or not she prepares this oil well. A wise bride is one who prepares enough oil. However, the foolish bride did not prepare enough oil to enter the wedding hall.
A believer must have ample faith no matter what happens. Jesus taught this question of faith to his disciples in the parable of the sower. As the sower went out and sows, some seeds fell on the hard road. Naturally, it did not sprout and disappeared. Some seeds fell into shallow soil. It sprouted immediately, but had no roots and soon withered and died. Some seeds are planted in stony places. It sprouted, but the stone did not grow too much. And it is said that the seed that fell on good soil produced 30, 60, and 100 times more fruit.
The seed is faith. There are so many difficulties in growing your faith. A little faith dies when tribulation comes. Worrying faith doesn't grow and slips sideways along the way. It is a faith that bears fruit 30-60-100 times the faith that God wants. A person who has this faith will be able to participate in the wedding ceremony while welcoming the groom.
Everyone, take a look at your beliefs. The apostle Paul said that while he was meditating before his end, he prepared the faith and kept that faith, so he would enter the kingdom of heaven and receive the prepared crown. I pray that you will become saints who enter the kingdom of heaven by preparing for faith.
[4] Bride dressing up
When a bride gets married, she does her best to adorn herself. At this critical once in a lifetime time, you need to dress up your body. The bride participating in the wedding does not enter the wedding wearing the same clothes she normally wears. I do my best to dress up my body.
Then, what should the saints adorn themselves with? What should a spiritual bride adorn herself with? 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, “In the same way, women should also adorn themselves in modest clothing, adorning themselves with modesty and modesty, not with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing, but with good works, which honors God. for those who do it.”
A bride must take good care of her body, mind and thoughts. You must be a person who takes good care of yourself by living a godly life. Do not spit out words or do anything that comes out of your mouth. The same is true of those who are waiting for the return of Jesus. You must be extremely careful with your actions and words. That's the bride's headdress. You should always try to live like a bride with the thought of “I am the bride of Jesus”.
He also told me to do good. What are good deeds? It's about doing good to your neighbors. This is how the bride adorns herself.
Dear saints, the end is coming.
It is not long before Jesus will come again.
We should have confidence as the bride of Jesus. We must live while confessing, “I am the bride of Jesus.” And we have to wait for that day to come. Waiting is not just waiting, but waiting awake, waiting with oil prepared, waiting with caution in word and deed.
And you will have to wait as you tell the unmarried people on this earth the secret of becoming a bride. In other words, you must be a person who waits for the coming of the Lord while evangelizing to others while living your life of faith.
I pray that God's grace will be with the saints who live their lives as brides.