First Things First pt. 1

Mark Finley: Do you sense the spirit moving in your own personal heart to a deeper Bible study life, a deeper prayer life? The only way to get ready for the coming of Christ is to get ready today and stay ready.
Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: First Things First, Part 1. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com.
Mark Finley: This morning I had intended to preach a sermon, notice the emphasis on the word "intended," called "Crossing Jordan." But as I thought about where we are in the history of this world and as I thought about the coming of Jesus, God's spirit directed me to a different topic entitled "First Things First." Let's pray. Father in heaven, as we open your word this morning, I pray that your spirit would move among us. We've talked about outreach, we've talked about soul winning, we've talked about evangelism, we've talked about the finishing of your work in the world. But Lord, there's a work to be done in the church, a work to be done in our hearts, a work to be done deep within us. And so may this worship hour lead us to a deeper heart conversion and a deeper knowledge of you, we pray in Christ's name. Amen. The story is told of a woman who frantically called her insurance agent. And she said, "Sir, I need to increase the insurance coverage on my house." He said, "Well, madam, come down to the office this week, we can sign the appropriate documents and we'll make it happen." She said, "Sir, you don't understand, I need to increase the insurance coverage now, this is urgent." He repeated, "Madam, there are some documents that need to be signed." "But can't I do it over the phone?" "Madam, I'll come out to your house tomorrow." "Sir, you don't understand, my house is on fire! I need to increase the coverage now!" There are some things you can put off in life until tomorrow. There are other things that have to be done today or else they have catastrophic consequences. There are some things that matter little if we put off in life and other things we put off until our eternal loss. Now preparation for the second coming of Christ is one of those things. The second coming of Christ may be delayed, but our preparation for the coming of Christ should never be delayed. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus gives us the signs of his coming. In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus talks about preparation for his coming. In Matthew chapter 24, we have the events in the world. In Matthew chapter 25, we have the condition of the church. In Matthew chapter 24, we have what happens out there. In Matthew chapter 25, we have what happens in here. Now you recall after Jesus talks about wars and rumors of wars, about famines and pestilences and earthquakes, after he talks about fires and floods and natural disasters, after he discusses those more than 25 signs of his coming, you come to the end of Matthew chapter 24 and Jesus says in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 42. And if you have your Bible, I would encourage you to take it as we study the word of God. Matthew chapter 24 and we're looking there at verse 42. And Jesus there in Matthew 24 says, "Watch therefore," he's talked about the signs of his coming, the signs in the social world, the political world, the economic world, the religious world, and Jesus says, "Watch therefore, verse 42 Matthew 24, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." So Jesus encourages the church to watch. In Matthew chapter 25, you have three parables: the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats. Those parables expand what it means to watch and be prepared for Christ's coming. Whereas Matthew chapter 24 gives you those broad strokes of the signs in the world, Jesus says those things are going to happen out there, but what is significant is preparation for my return. And so Matthew chapter 25 sets forth the first parable that talks about preparation for the return of our Lord. In Matthew's gospel, there are 21 parables. 14 of those 21 are kingdom of God parables. They are parables that specifically address the nature of the spiritual condition within the church. Now the reason Matthew chapter 25 is so significant is Matthew chapter 25 describes the spiritual condition of the church awaiting the second coming of Christ. We begin with Matthew chapter 25 and looking at verse 1. But before we look at that word by word and study this parable verse by verse, I am directed to a statement in the Review and Herald August 19, 1890. She said this: "I am often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise and five foolish. This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter." So heaven thinks that the parable of the ten virgins is so important, that it is so significant, that it's so vital for the church today, that God brought it to the end-time prophet's mind again and again and again and again. This is present truth for this hour. This is a message for an end-time people. This is not something at the fringes; this is at the core, at the heart of preparation for the coming of Jesus. And I pray today that the spirit of God would come down on this ASI audience. I pray today that we would sense anew a message of present truth for this hour to prepare an end-time people for the coming of Jesus. This is no time for fooling around. This is no time for dabbling with religiosity and spirituality. God is calling us today to an end-time preparation. Matthew chapter 25, we begin there in verse 1. "Then the kingdom of heaven..." now all kingdom of heaven parables refer to the church. Every time you see a kingdom of heaven parable, Christ is addressing the church. Verse 1, Matthew 25, "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins." Why ten? Why not seven, perfection? Why not twelve, completeness? Why not four, universality? Why not three? Ten. Ten was a significant number in Judaism. Ten was the smallest number of Jewish men that could compose a synagogue and establish it. So the number ten is a church number. The ten tribes of Israel, the church is spiritual Israel. So it's another clue in the text that Jesus himself is speaking about the church. "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins." Virgins. In the Bible, a woman represents the church. A pure woman, Revelation 12, represents the true church, the bride of Christ. A harlot woman, Revelation 17, represents the fallen church. So this parable is a parable that is addressed to the true church. Ten virgins. Virgins represent the church pure, uncorrupt doctrine. Doctrine that is undefiled by the errors and apostasy and the rituals and the ceremonies and the traditions of the enemy. "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps." What's the lamp represent in the Bible? Psalm 119 verse 105: "Thy word is a what? Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." So here is God's church at end-time with the word of God in its hand, going out to light the way for the coming of the bridegroom. Here is God's church anxiously awaiting something. Last part of verse 1: "They went out to meet the bridegroom." So here is an Adventist church. They anticipate the coming of Christ. They believe Jesus is coming. The issue is not doctrinal heresy. The issue is not defiled and corrupt doctrines. This parable is relating to God's church at end-time who light the way for the coming of the bridegroom and who have pure, true, uncorrupted doctrines. But the Bible says, verse 2, "Now five of them were wise and five were foolish." Now notice something carefully. Please notice that the story does not contrast the righteous and unrighteous virgins. It does not contrast the holy and the unholy virgins. It does not contrast the good and the bad virgins. It does not contrast the obedient and disobedient virgins. It does not contrast the loyal and rebellious virgins. It does not contrast the pure and the impure virgins. It does not contrast the faithful and the unfaithful virgins. The Bible calls them what, everybody? Wise and foolish. Well, that leads us to another question. If this is a parable of the church, if this is talking about us and if the Bible talks about the wise and the foolish virgins, what makes the wise wise? What makes the foolish foolish?
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Mark Finley: Were the wise wise because they were awake? They were studying the signs of the times? They knew that we were on the verge of eternity? Why were the wise wise? Why were the foolish foolish? Were the wise wise because they were wide awake and had their eyes open and the foolish were foolish because they were sleeping? The Bible goes on in Matthew chapter 25 and the Bible says in verse 5, "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept." So the reality of the parable, the startling reality of the parable, is not that five virgins are sleeping; it is that they all are sleeping. Living on the knife edge of eternity, on the verge of the kingdom of God, the true church is pictured as spiritually drowsy and asleep to the great opportunities to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus. This is the message of the parable. It is not that five are sleeping; it is that there is a spiritual drowsiness, a spiritual stupor that has lulled us all to sleep. The secular, materialistic, godless culture around us affects us as well as the world. God's people are a people with a message, a people with a mission, a people raised up powerfully to share the light of God's truth with mankind in this world of darkness. Isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 to 3 is a prophecy of these last days of earth's history. Take your Bible, please. God's church is called to light the world with the truths of his word, to prepare a world for the coming of our Lord. Isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 to 3. Jesus gives a message to his church, a prophetic message at end-time. "Arise, shine, for your light has come! The glory of the Lord is risen upon you." There will be a revival in God's church at end-time. The church will arise, the church will shine. The light of God's truth will radiate from God's people. "Arise, shine for the light has come. The glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you and his glory will be seen upon you. And Gentiles, heathen, pagan, shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around and see, they gather together, they'll come to you." God is going to move through his church in the last days of earth's history. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, filled with the oil of his grace, God's people will illuminate the world with his glory. They will impact the world with his truth. The gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth. The mission will be accomplished, the task will be completed, the work will be finished. The way will be prepared for the bridegroom's return and Jesus will come. There is no other reason for the existence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church than to reveal the light of God's loving glory, his loving character in word and deed to the world, to prepare for the coming of the bridegroom. But the foolish virgins fail to participate in the most exciting movement in the history of the world. Why? They miss out on eternity. Why? They're all members of the true church. They're all waiting for the coming of the bridegroom. The foolish as well as the wise accept and believe the truths of scripture. These foolish virgins are not promoting some kind of doctrinal heresy. They live morally upright lives. They enjoy the fellowship of the wise virgins. What is it about these foolish virgins who come to meetings, dare I say it, dare I not say it, what is it about them? They come to meetings like this. They enjoy the fellowship. They actually participate in witnessing at times. They are doctrinally sound in their thinking. But yet heaven says that they're foolish virgins. The question becomes, what makes a wise virgin wise and what makes a foolish virgin foolish? And as I reflect on the parable and read it again and again and again, I say, "God, could I ever unknowingly, unwittingly be a foolish virgin myself?"
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Mark Finley: Matthew 25 verse 3. Matthew 25 verse 3. I want to look at the characteristics of the foolish virgins and then the characteristics of the wise virgins and contrast them and lead us into a deep, heartfelt sense that heaven's oil is flowing into our hearts today. And that if somebody came in here today a foolish virgin, you can walk out a wise virgin. Somebody walked in today locked in Laodicean spiritual complacency, God's going to touch your heart today. God's going to work in this meeting today. The spirit is moving in this meeting today. God's going to touch hearts today. There are going to be miracles of God's grace that happen right here today in this place, in this hour, right now. Matthew the 25th chapter. What makes the foolish foolish and what makes the wise wise? Matthew 25 verse 3, we look at it. "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them." Now that's a very interesting passage. When you look at the ancient world, often in ancient weddings, the bride and her bridesmaids would be in a home. And this parable is actually a slice of life out of Palestine. Jesus was sitting there on the Mount of Olives and he saw a wedding like this taking place, and he used it as an illustration of preparation for his return. The bridegroom would come to the bride's home unexpectedly at night and the word would go out, the cry would go out, "Behold the bridegroom comes!" and the bridesmaids would light the way before the bride to the bridegroom's home. The wedding feast may last a week, and if you didn't enter in when the feast started, the door would be shut and you couldn't enter in. Now when you look at Matthew chapter 25 verse 3, it says, "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them." It does not say they didn't have oil in their lamps. In the ancient world, oil was placed in the lamp. But a flask of oil was taken along with the lamp, so when the oil in the lamp ran out, the flask of oil would be used to replenish the oil that ran out in the lamp. Now the fact that the foolish virgins had some oil is significant, and you see that if you let your eyes drop down further in the Bible passage. Matthew chapter 25, follow as I read verses 5 and onward. "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, behold the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." So the wise and the foolish, verse 7, trimmed their lamps. What does that mean? They lit their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out." So what does that indicate? The foolish virgins had some oil but they did not have a sufficient supply of oil because the delay was so long that the small amount of oil that they had was not sufficient to take them on the journey from the bride's home to the bridegroom's home and their lamps were going out. Now they lacked this indispensable oil. In the Bible, what is oil a symbol of? But wait, you say it's a symbol of the Holy Spirit. But aren't there many symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible? Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Why didn't they have a candle of fire? Wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Why does God take the symbolism of oil and use this as the illustration of what the foolish virgins did not have? Here's why. If you look throughout the Old Testament, oil is associated with three things. Number one, the sanctuary. When the sanctuary was inaugurated, the priests were anointed with oil. When the sanctuary was inaugurated, the sacred vessels were anointed with oil. Oil represents consecration, the setting apart. Oil represents total commitment to the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit impresses the heart and mind through the oil of God's grace that flows from the sanctuary to lead men and women to make an unreserved, total, absolute commitment to the kingdom. So oil is always consecration. Secondly, throughout the Bible, oil is always healing. You remember in the New Testament, the Good Samaritan found the bruised, broken, bloody traveler and he anointed that traveler with what? Oil. Oil symbolizes healing. God will have an end-time people whose minds and eyes and ears and hearts and inner beings are totally, absolutely consecrated to him. They seek first the kingdom of God. They want Jesus, they put Jesus first. Seek you first the kingdom of God. That is the priority and passion of their lives. And the oil of the spirit that leads them to this deepening consecration heals their hearts of anger, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, rivalry between ministries, lust, gossip. So there is an end-time preparation of the spirit, that the Holy Spirit comes upon God's praying, seeking church and men and women are set aside so they long for the kingdom of God, they hunger for eternity and they are cleansed within or healed within through the ministry of the Holy Spirit regarding those attitudes that keep the latter rain of God's power from falling. Are you willing to say today, "Lord, I want to surrender any habit, any attitude, that's a barrier between me and anybody else? Lord, I want you to do a work in me so I can hold the torch of truth high. Lord, I long for the oil of your grace to flow into my heart and life."