Living Dangerously Text: Matthew 25:1-13 Series: The Parables, #8 Pastor Lyle L. Wahl August 10, 2003

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1 Living Dangerously Text: Matthew 25:1-13 Series: The Parables, #8 Pastor Lyle L. Wahl August 10, 2003 Theme: Careless Indifference To God s Grace Is Dangerous. Introduction. For some people, to live life at its best means living dangerously. Of course, some things I think are dangerous others may see as great fun, exhilarating. For example, skydiving. It amounts to jumping out of an airplane, doing some acrobatics or even group formations as you plummet toward the ground faster than you drive your car, and then pulling the cord to open the parachute, often doing that as late as possible. Or take bungie jumping. Has anyone hear tried the big rubber band? Jumping off a platform at West Edmonton Mall, or a crane, or a bridge and bouncing back up short of making a big splat? There is of course, real danger in dangerous activities. The chute on very rare occasions doesn t open, or the skydiver waited too long to pull the cord. The bungie cord on very rare occasions may not have been properly secured, or the stretch not calculated accurately. But people look at these things, calculate the risk and make their choice. For most it is an exhilarating or frightening experience. Each experience can be used to help evaluate the next. There is one area, however, where it never pays, where it is never worth the risk to live dangerously that is spiritually. We see this in the parable before us today, #8 in the 9 we have scheduled for this series. The story Jesus told is about a wedding. Most people like weddings the joy, celebration and solemn commitment. But the focus of this story is not on the positive things we think about from weddings. This is a story about ten young ladies planning to celebrate the wedding of their girlfriend, but five of them didn t make it to the wedding. What was a great party for everyone else turned into a great disaster for them.

2 The story is about God generously offering His grace. But many delay, postpone, are indifferent to both God s grace and their current spiritual condition. These people, like the five young ladies in Jesus parable, are living dangerously. The core truth Jesus wants us to see clearly and fix in our minds is that careless indifference to God s grace is dangerous. A Closer Look At The Parable s Story. We begin with taking a closer look at the story of this parable, and we start with some background on marriage celebrations at that time and place. Marriage at that time in Palestine was a bit different than today. First of all, the parents did the match making. Social and economic status and other practical matters were very important. Negotiating skills were an asset, not only on the qualities of the two and their families, but also on the dowry, the assets for the families (not the couple). The rabbis of the time set the minimum age for marriage at 12 for girls and 13 for boys. Most marriage contracts were fulfilled when the couple were in their mid-tens. So, our ten young ladies would most likely be in their mid-teens. There were definite stages in the process. Negotiations leading to a contract being signed constituted being engaged. The relationship now was as binding as marriage itself. Later, depending on the age when the contract was settle and other factors, there was the wedding. The wedding had different stages. The groom, his family and friends would walk to the bride s family home in a big procession in the evening. It was a big party, with singing, dancing, fun along the way. When they reached the bride s family home, everyone would greet each other. Then the then religious ceremony was held. After this an even larger procession would happily and slowly make its way back to the groom s family home for the rest of the celebration, which would sometimes go on for days. With this in mind, let s examine the parable s story. It opens with the ten girls waiting with the bride for the groom and procession to come to her home. There is a delay. Jesus does not give us any reason for this in the story. Remember it is a parable, not an allegory. So while we could speculate on why there was a delay, it is not important to the story and we cannot be precise. The wedding was set for the normal time, evening. Time dragged on and on while they waited. They got tired and so caught a nap. Five were wise or prudent, they had extra oil 2

3 for their lamps. The other five were foolish, they did not have extra oil. All ten had lamps. I m not sure how you picture these lamps. They were either clay dish-like or simply a torch which was wood wrapped with rags soaked in oil. Some of these even had metal reservoirs for oil so they would burn longer. In a typical village procession, with no rush, this could easily take a half hour or longer. They would need extra oil. While we don t know all the reasons, we know that custom called for the young ladies walking in the evening, at night, to carry a lamp or torch. At midnight thy heard that the groom was coming. All the young ladies woke up, checked the mirror (I m sure), touched up their hair and got ready to greet the groom and his party. But then five, noting the late hour, remembered they forgot to bring extra oil. There was panic. They had to have extra oil. If the other five shared, they all would run out of oil and none of them could get to the big party. There were no Macs, 7-11 or other convenience stores. They had only one hope of getting to the party: quickly go out, find an oil seller, wake him up and talk him into selling them some oil. While they were frantically searching, the rest happily partied their way to the groom s family home. By the time the frantic five got there, it was too late. The doors were shut and bolted. The custom directed that no one would be allowed in after the doors were secured. And so the five unprepared, foolish young ladies missed the party. The other five were in on the entire celebration. The five were living dangerously. A Closer Look At The Parable s Meaning. Our core truth, careless indifference to God s truth is dangerous, becomes apparent as we take a look at the setting and subject of Matthew chapters 24 and 25. This is important as we try to understand any part of the Bible. Here, the setting is very helpful. Chapters 24 and 25 are sometimes referred to as the Olivet Discourse. The religious leaders and nation as a whole had rejected Jesus. As Jesus left the temple area, the disciples point out the buildings. Jesus, in verse 2 of chapter 24 said, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down. They moved on to the Mt. of Olives. The disciples knew Jesus was talking about drastic judgment. They asked Him, Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age? (3). Jesus goes on to talk about the end of the age and His return. The parable we are looking at today is one of the illustrations about the end of the age. 3

4 Matthew 24 and 25 deal with prophecy in which Jesus tells some things about the end of the age in which we are living. The interest in prophecy ebbs and flows, in both short and long term cycles. At times it seemed that all you could hear in some churches was something about prophecy, while at other times, such as now, we hear little to nothing about prophecy in many churches. There are different views on the Bible s teaching, prophecy about the end of the age. The correct interpretation is important but it is not essential to true faith/ salvation. That is, you can believe the church will go through the Tribulation, not go through the Tribulation, go through part of the Tribulation or that there is no literal 7-year Tribulation period and still be a child of God. With this as background, let me list some of the points from prophecy about the end of the age from an overall view of Scripture as I, along with many others, see them. We can start with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. That fulfilled the first part of what Jesus stated here. The rest is yet to come. Next will be the return of Christ for the church, to take the church the heaven and to receive their rewards. There will be a 7-year Tribulation period on earth. Christ then returns, defeats anti-christ, judges the nations and people living during that 7-year period. Satan is bound and Christ then reigns on earth for 1,000 years. After that Satan is then released and leads a final rebellion against Christ which results in his final defeat and judgment, along with the judgment of sin and death. What does this background tell us? These words are first directed to Israel, the Jews, especially in the Tribulation period. Many at that time will be looking and hoping for Messiah. Some will truly be prepared for His coming, others not; some will be believers, others not. This is the first, prime picture of the parable. There is also a direct message here for us today. There are different tenses of prophecy, and the applications of the truth here for us are sharp and clear. They have the same core truth that careless indifference to God s grace is dangerous. Let s zero in on the principle lessons. Some who many expect to be believers, to be in God s kingdom, are not. This is pictured in the parable by the five foolish young ladies. They were not evil or wicked. They were friends and part of the group with the other five. From outward appearances you would be hard-pressed to note any differences. They wanted to be at the marriage celebration They had been invited, they planned on being there. They made a frantic effort at the end, but 4

5 it was too late. They were careless even with the reminder of their five friends, they ignored what they had to do. The spiritual reality is that there are some people who expect to be in the kingdom, but are not, will not be, who are expected by others to be in the kingdom, but are not, will not be, who are good people, respectable with little if any outward differences to those who truly are children of God and in His kingdom. A second principle lesson is that, as it has been said many times and in many ways, you cannot come to God on anyone else s coat tails, that is, not in the grace or faith of any other person. The five wise/prudent friends could not share their oil with the five foolish ones. Here is one point where we need to be careful not to treat this story as an allegory where every element pictures a specific truth, but as a parable. What is clear is that each of the ten needed her own supply of extra oil. No one can become a child of God, enter His kingdom on the coat tails of someone else, on the basis of that other person s faith. No one becomes a child of God through the faith of their parents or grandparents. Being born into a Christian family has great value and blessings, but it does not make one a Christian. No one becomes a child of God through the practice and life of the church. Each person is individually responsible. The test for everyone is the same: personal faith in Jesus Christ. The principle lessons for us show us that there will be some surprises when all is revealed as to who is and is not in heaven and that everyone who is a child of God becomes one the same way, by responding to God s grace in Jesus, and accepting Him by faith. Now we turn to some basic applications. In the direct and future tense, when Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation period there will be many Jews in Israel in those terrible days who are seeking deliverance, who will have read the prophecies and who are waiting in true faith for Jesus the Messiah to return. But some of them will have lived carelessly, will have been living dangerously, who are not prepared, who have not come to true faith in God. Only the prepared, those of true faith, will enter the Kingdom which Christ will rule. In the present tense, to everyone today, careless indifference to God s grace is dangerous. There are so many reasons for not giving careful attention right now. I m young. I have plenty of time. I m busy getting my work, career on track, building a family. I m part of the group. I m not a bad person, and I certainly am not an atheist! As in the parable, there comes a time when it will be too late. What time? In a word: Death. There is no guarantee 5

6 that I will be alive tomorrow, nor is there a guarantee that you will be alive tomorrow. However long or short our lives, death comes to all and there is no guarantee that there will be either the time or thought at that point to make a spiritual decision. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, for He [God] says, At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation (2). There is one more present tense application, this one to believers. It is to all of us who know we have received Jesus Christ as Savior, have been forgiven of our sins, have been given life forever with God. We too can be living dangerously. Be clear: this is not dealing with our salvation. Be clear: our response to the grace, blessings, opportunities and responsibilities God gives us day by day. Whether or days are busy, hectic, or hum-drum, exhilarating or discouraging, God is showering us with His grace. I m reminded of the prophet Jeremiah s great declaration: The LORD S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions they never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). This great declaration and testimony came out of circumstances that were so horrible, that we don t like listening to the specifics. The general situation was that he and those around him were terribly afflicted, he felt as though there was no direction, he was just wandering, he felt that he was drenched in sorrow and bitterness, and that he crushed. Yet he knew, this truth, The LORD S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions they never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). He opened himself to, respond to, lived by God s grace even in those times. What about us? There is no time, good or bad, in which we can afford to live dangerously, to be so controlled and consumed by the easy or difficult, the wonderful or even horrible things, that we become indifferent to God s grace. 6

7 Conclusion Do you like living dangerously? Skydiving, bungie jumping are OK most of the time. Living dangerously spiritually is not OK at any time. As you reflect on these truths with God, thank Him for His grace to you, His grace that brought you to faith, to your sins being forgiven, to having life with Him now and forever. Thank Him for His grace that He pours out to you every day, in every situation. Examine how your are responding to Him and His grace. Are you living dangerously by being indifferent to His grace, taking it for granted, not even noticing it? Commit to being a wise child of God, sensitive to and living responsively to His grace Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 7