The sermon 'Having a Form of Godliness' by Jason Dohm, explores the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25, drawing parallels with 2 Timothy 3:5 where Paul warns Timothy about religious imposters. The parable contrasts wise and foolish virgins who represent those who truly possess saving faith versus those who merely have the appearance of godliness. The wise virgins, who brought oil for their lamps, symbolize true believers with saving faith, grace, and the indwelling Holy Spirit, whereas the foolish virgins, who lack oil, represent those who are unprepared for the bridegroom's arrival, symbolizing Christ's return. The sermon emphasizes the importance of genuine readiness, illustrated by the parable's depiction of the sudden arrival of the bridegroom and the closing of the door to the wedding feast. The speaker underscores the dangers of complacency and the necessity of having a rooted faith that can withstand trials. The sermon calls for self-examination, urging believers not to rely on external markers of faith but to seek a true relationship with Christ, marked by a thirst for righteousness, watchfulness, and readiness for His coming.

Amen. Matthew 25. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise And five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them.

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 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. And all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.

But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Having a form of godliness.

Having a form of godliness. The sermon title comes out of what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 verse 5. And Paul is writing to Timothy about people that Timothy is going to encounter who are religious imposters. And Paul wants him to be on the lookout because they're in the church. They're in the church.

And they look religious, they talk religious, in many ways they live religious, but they've never had their stony heart removed and replaced with a heart of flesh. And this is right where we have left off in the flow of what Jesus has been speaking of. In the last parable, Jesus set before us two servants. One is faithful and wise, and when his master returns, his master finds him acting like the master had been looking over his shoulder the whole time. He just works and does his duty before God just like the master is standing there watching him work the whole time.

Even though the master has been far away, even though that's not true, the faithful and wise servant has acted like it was true, like his master is just sitting there watching him work. And Jesus has contrasted that servant with a wicked servant or an evil servant who said in his heart, my master is delayed. And he's comforted himself when he never should have comforted himself. And he's nurtured this thought that actually leads to the ruin of his soul. And because his master wasn't physically there looking over his shoulder at his work the whole time, he's acted like his master could never see and there would never be a reckoning of accounts.

But at the end of the parable, there's a reckoning of accounts and Jesus speaks of this evil servant being given his portion with the hypocrites, with the fakers, with the pretenders, with the religious imposters, with those who wear a mask so they appear like one thing, but in their hearts they're something entirely different. And So what Jesus is doing is He's coming at this day, this part of the discourse started when Jesus talks about the day when the heavens and the earth will pass away. And then He's just been coming back at this And he's been hitting it again and again and again from different angles. He started out by talking about how this would be like the days of Noah where people were acting like life was just normal and it would go on normal forever. And so they were marrying and giving in marriage.

And they were just doing the normal things of life. And Jesus says, it's going to be just like when the flood came and surprised everyone. Two men will be in the field just doing their normal day's work. Two women will be at the mill grinding just doing their normal day's work. And on that day, it's going to be a big surprise and there's going to be a big separation.

And then we had last week, which has these two servants contrasted, and Jesus has set before us a faithful servant and a wise servant. Now, He separates those two things in the next parable. This week, His topic is wisdom. He's coming back to the wisdom of the faithful and wise servant. And next week he's going to come back to the faithfulness of the faithful and wise servant.

And the phrase next week is going to be, well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." And so this is where we are in the flow of what Jesus has been saying. Now there's a connecting word at the beginning of today's text and it's then, it's a time marker, then. What? Then what?

What is being marked? Well, I think we can go back to verse 35, the day when the heavens and the earth will pass away, but also to this verse right at the very end of chapter 24. The day when everyone gets their portion. The wicked servant who is outside of Christ gets his portion together with the hypocrites. And then those who are accepted and the beloved, those who are inside of Christ get what God has appointed for them.

Then, then the Kingdom of Heaven is going to be like something. It's going to look like something. It's going to be similar to something. It's going to be pictured by something. So if you want to know what that day is going to be like, it's going to be like these ten virgins on the day of the wedding feast.

Now, if you've got your hand out, It's structured mostly by questions that we'll be asking and answering. The first question is, what are the ten virgins doing? What are they doing? What is the meaning of these virgins who are waiting for something. And here's what they're doing.

They're waiting to perform their office. They're not just random people. They're actually special people who have a task at hand that have been appointed to do something, they've been given an office, and they're waiting for the time when they'll perform their office, where they'll discharge their duty. Now, to understand this, you have to understand Jewish weddings. And, you're a bunch of Gentiles, you don't know all the things you should know about Jewish weddings.

But, at the time of Christ and long before, Jewish weddings would work like this. The bridegroom, the groom, and his friends, the friends of the bridegroom, we would call them groomsmen. They would begin at the groom's house. And of course, this could go without saying, but this is a day of unspeakable joy. It's the day that the groom's been waiting for.

And his friends are there to share in his joy. And they would leave the groom's house and on the appointed day they would come to the home of the bride. So the bride's whole family is there at the home of the bride but not but not just them also the friends of the bride. So you've got the groom and you've got the bride, but you've also got these other players on the wedding day, on the day of the wedding feast, and it's groomsmen who are going to be coming with the groom, they're the friends of the groom, and there are the bridesmaids, or these unmarried women who are attending the bride and they're at the home of the bride. And normally these weddings would be happening at night.

Now this makes so much sense when we go back to Matthew 9 and John the Baptist's disciples come to Jesus and say, Jesus, why aren't you and your disciples fasting? We're fasting, the Pharisees are fasting, but we notice you guys aren't fasting. What does Jesus say? Jesus says, can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? In other words, when the bridegroom is around, it's a time of joy.

Fasting would be completely inappropriate for the friends of the bridegroom, so near the wedding. And so this party of the groom and the friends of the bridegroom, so the disciples have been called the friends of the bridegroom. In John 3, John the Baptist is called the Friends of the Bridegroom. In John 3, John the Baptist is called the Friends of the Bridegroom. They're going with the groom and when somebody catches sight of them, they announce that they're almost to the home of the bride.

And then these bridesmaids, these friends of the bride, these young unmarried women, it would be their job to light their lamps and to go out and to accompany this party with all the lights, with all the joy, with all the pomp and circumstance, and they're coming to the home of the bride for the wedding ceremony. And then after the ceremony, the procession goes to the home of the groom and there's a big banquet and everyone else leaves but the bride doesn't leave. The bride stays forever because they're now married. So this is a Jewish wedding and this serves as the backdrop for this. So you have ten virgins, ten young unmarried women, and they are actually officers in the wedding.

They have an office. They have a role to play. There is an expectation here that when the cry goes out that the groomsmen and the friends, that the Groom and the friends of the bridegroom have been cited that they're going to go out with their lights to come back with joy to the wedding. Now turn in your Bibles to Psalm 45. Taylor read this.

We're going to go back and read part of it. Because now that you understand this is how Jewish weddings work, we need to go back and look at Psalm 45 again, particularly verses 10 through 15. So Psalm 45 begins obviously in verse 1, my heart is overflowing with a good theme. I recite my composition concerning the capital K King. The capital K King.

So the translators have made a decision here that this is messianic and that this is God being talked about here. This is a psalm about the King. And how do the translators know? Well, the translators know Hebrews chapter 1 where Jesus is said to be anointed with the oil of gladness above his companions. It's quoting this Psalm.

Where is this? Anyway, it's one of these middle verses. Hebrews 1 is quoting Psalm 145. Jesus Christ is the one who was anointed by God with the oil of gladness above his companions. So Psalm 45 is about Jesus, no mistaking it.

So these middle verses of the Psalm, it's almost like you're reading Psalm 2, which is devoted to Jesus Christ being king and reigning with an iron scepter, reigning in the midst of his enemies. So much of the middle verses of Psalm 45 reads just like that. A king has been set on a holy hill and he's ruling. And then we come to verse 10 and it shifts from a king who's ruling to a wedding. In verse 10 we start with the wedding talk.

So let's read and I'll sprinkle some comments here. Psalm 45 verse 10, listen oh daughter, bride. The bride is introduced in verse 10, listen oh daughter consider and incline your ear. Forget your own people also and your father's house. So the bride is going to leave her father's house and be joined to the king.

And she's going to be the member of a new household. Verse 11, so the king will greatly desire your beauty. Because he is your Lord, worship him." So we're back to messianic. We're back to the Messiah. We're back to God who alone is worthy of worship.

And This bride is told to worship this groom who is God himself. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift. The rich among the people will seek your favor. The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace. Her clothing is woven with gold.

She shall be brought to the king in robes of many colors." So here we have a bride who has made herself ready. A bride who is ready to come in and participate in the wedding and go to the wedding banquet. Continuing in verse 14, the virgins, her companions who follow her shall be brought to capital Y you shall be brought to you. The virgins who are the companions of the bride will be brought to the groom who is Jesus Christ. Verse 15, with gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought.

They shall enter the King's palace. Jesus in Matthew 25 is preaching out of Psalm 45, which is about him taking a bride who has made herself ready. And these virgin companions, these young unmarried women, have their role to go out to him and to escort him back with joy to the wedding. So this is what is in view in Matthew 25. It is an unfolding, it is an unfolding of Psalm 45.

And this is intended to be such a great day of joy, like my wedding was, like your wedding was, and anticipation. And these young women have been given this role to play. They're to be ready for this day when the shout goes out that the groom and his friends have been spotted and they are going to go out and they are going to accompany him back to the wedding. So that's what they are doing. So there is an expectation of these ten virgins.

They're not random people. They have accepted an office to be ready when the groom and his friends are sighted to go out and to play their role in the wedding. Now, who are these virgins? If you've got your hand out, we're moving on to the next question. Who are they?

They're those who name the name of Christ. They're the attendants of the bride. They're the attendants of the bride, and they play this role in the wedding. And every single one of them has accepted this office. They've said that they're delighted to play this role in this wedding.

So they have named the name of Christ, but some of them are imposters. Some of them are going to be found to be like this wicked servant in the last parable and they're going to be appointed their place with the hypocrites also and they're going to be excluded. And so, they're not all what they appear to be. They've all accepted the office and they're all bridesmaids but they're not all what they appear to be. They've all accepted the office and they're all bridesmaids but they're not all what they appear to be.

Five are wise. They're prudent. Are wise, they're prudent. It's practical wisdom. This isn't head knowledge that's being described here.

It's the application of true knowledge, of the knowledge that's been revealed by God, and then it's been applied in a life. That's the wisdom or the prudence that is set before us here. And it's foolish, foolishness. Moros is the Greek word, and it's the derivative of our word moron. Moron.

It's the derivative of our word moron. And so this is a silly person. This is a thoughtless person, a careless person. And these things are being contrasted. And So five are wise and five are foolish and they're going to prove it.

They're going to prove it by whether they're really ready to discharge their office or whether they were never ready to discharge it. And the wise are ready. They've oiled for their lamps. So when the time comes, whenever it is, they're going to be ready with their lamps. And the flame is going to be sustained and they'll be able to do what it looks like they can do.

But the foolish don't have oil. They've got a wick. They've got a wick and they'll be able to light that wick and produce a flame for a very short period of time, but they're going to be exposed as not ready. Now what is the oil? This is a really important thing in this parable.

What is the oil? Because the wise have it and the foolish don't have it. And it's the difference between going into the wedding feast or being excluded from the wedding feast. So what is the oil? In Matthew 13, and we've been back there a hundred times since Matthew 13, but there's the parable of the soils, the different soils.

One of the soils is a stony soil, and the seed falls, And the seed falls, the Word of God, the Gospel falls on this stony soil. And man, it's all life and green. And it looks like it's going to be a fruitful plant. It has all the marks of it. And then the sun comes out.

And this plant, which was so promising, that looked like a fruitful plant, is going to be scorched and is going to be withered because there's no root. You couldn't tell above ground level, you could never tell that the sun was going to do that, but there's no root. So when the sun starts to beat down on this plant, it is scorched and withered. And it started so well and it comes to nothing. And Jesus, as he explains later in Matthew 13, as he explains this parable, he says, it's that person who just receives the gospel with joy.

So this isn't a gospel hater at all. In a way, it's a gospel lover. The words are pleasant on the ears. And it's a delight to hear it. And it's a delight to receive it, or at least seem to receive it.

And For a while, it looks like such a healthy plant, but there's no root. And so, even though nobody else around can tell, it's destined to be withered and to come to nothing. This is the foolish virgin who's no oil for her lamp. She looks just like the wise virgin. She's been appointed to this office and she's accepted it and she has her lamp.

And everything looks so much the same, but when the day, when the moment of truth comes, this foolish virgin will prove to be like the stony soil, which could never sustain a fruitful plant. It's the same thing. And so one has saving faith. One has the grace of God. And many say that the oil is the Holy Spirit and as long as that's understood as what is given to indwell those who really have trusted in Christ that's wonderful.

I think all those things are wrapped up together, Yes, but it's the thing that differentiates those who will be in the wedding feast and those who will be eternally excluded from the wedding feast. It's saving faith and it's grace And it's the indwelling Holy Spirit that comes and abides in all those who Christ has put His hand upon to save. And they look alike, okay? You have to get this. They look so much alike, but they're fundamentally different.

So they look one way, but they could not be more different. So they're all said to be virgins. They're all said to be attendants of the bride. They all have accepted this office. And so, to you and me, we don't know which is which until that moment, until the flame starts to sputter and go out.

We'll not know. But they're fundamentally different. Listen to what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 2 verses 13 and 14. Ecclesiastes 2 verses 13 and 14. Solomon says, says, then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

They could not be more different under the surface. Something happens. Something happens. Or maybe something doesn't happen. The bridegroom doesn't come when expected.

If you're filling in blanks on your handout, the bridegroom doesn't come when expected. They thought he was coming earlier. And he doesn't come, and he doesn't come, and he doesn't come, and they're waiting, and they're waiting, and they're waiting. And the new King James says they were slumbering and sleeping. The NASB and the ESV translations say they got drowsy and began to sleep.

Their eyes just got heavy from waiting and the hour is late. The Greek actually means to nod and sleep. It's that time where you want to stay awake but you just can't stay awake. Your eyes are too heavy and you're just nodding off in sleep. That's exactly what the Greek means, to nod in sleep.

And so the NASB and ESB have done a pretty good job of giving us a sense of that. They got drowsy and they began to sleep. The heaviness of their eyelids just overwhelmed them and maybe even their spirit was willing but their flesh was weak and they dozed off. And both the wise and the foolish sleep and there's no condemnation for the sleep in the passage. So it doesn't seem like it's a complete lack of watchfulness.

It happens to people when it gets really late. They nod and they sleep and this is what happens. But at midnight a cry is heard. So the sleep is interrupted. And we should learn from this passage that the slumbering is going to be interrupted.

At some point, a cry will be heard. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him. Fulfill your office, young unmarried women.

Fulfill your office. Take those lamps and go out and play your part in the wedding. And at that moment there's a flurry of activity. There's been nothing but drowsiness and sleeping and slumbering for minutes or hours. And now there's a flurry of activity.

And there's the moment of truth that separates those who are ready to be what they claimed to be from those who aren't ready to be what they claim to be. Those who only have all the claim and none of the readiness. So Jesus has been talking about a separation. There will be two men in the field, one taken, one left. There will be two women grinding at the mill, one taken, one left.

We've come to that same moment here where the claim is going to be compared with the readiness. And some will have the claim and they'll have the readiness and they're going into the wedding banquet but some will have the claim and that's all they'll have, just a claim. And no readiness to demonstrate that they really are what they said they were. At a Jewish wedding, there's no use for a bridesmaid who doesn't have a lamp and who can't go out and play her part in the wedding. And they'll light their wick and it'll flame up and they might be comforted for a second but that wick is not going to last long at all.

The wick is terrible fuel. It's terrible fuel. It only lasts for just a very, very short time as fuel. If there's no oil down there to wick up and to be a source for that flame, it's only going to last for a very few minutes. Listen to what Matthew Henry says.

I think Matthew Henry gets to the heart of the matter here. They took lamps, now Matthew Henry is speaking of the foolish virgins, they took lamps for a present show, but not oil for after use. They took their lamps for a present show. They had the claim of what they were. They had the externals, the facade, the covering, the mask, but no oil for after use.

They had a form of godliness, but they denied the power. They were the religious imposters. Paul's writing Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3 verse 5. Matthew Henry continues, all their care is to recommend themselves to their neighbors. All their care is to recommend themselves to their neighbors whom they now converse with not to approve themselves to Christ whom they must hereafter appear before.

They've been so content to bear the marks of the office and to be accepted to all who are getting ready for the wedding and to be around it and to benefit from the trappings of it. But they were not actually ready to go and be nose to nose with the bridegroom. They weren't ready to go out and meet the bridegroom. Now the foolish virgins act to remedy the situation. They're in big trouble.

Their lamps are sputtering. The wick is good for as long as a wick can be, which is only a moment. And they know they're in trouble so they act to remedy the situation and they ask the wise for oil. Give us some of your oil. Now look at verse 9.

The no that starts the answer of the wise virgins. The no is in italics. That means the translators added it to give the full meaning. And almost all the translators do add no. But it doesn't actually escape the mouth of the wise virgins.

In other words, in the original language, they mean no. They're not about to give them any of their oil, so it's not inappropriate for the translators to have added this, but it's in italics, which means The word no isn't in the original Greek. It's been added to preserve the meaning. But they really just give the reason why they won't. It's not a flat refusal.

It's just an explanation as to why they can't part with any of their oil. So they're not hard hearted. It's not a flat refusal to share. It's just an explanation of why they can't part with any of their other oil. And the ESV translation actually reflects this, and they translate it this way, since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.

Since there's not enough for both of us, go and buy for yourselves. Go and buy for yourselves. Friends, you need every drop of grace that has been apportioned to you. Every single drop. You can't part from one with one drop of it.

It's been given by God to you. If you have oil, if you have saving faith, if you have grace, if you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it has been given to you in the exact proportion that you need and you cannot part with a drop of it. Every drop has been graciously given to you. You understand that? Your oil, if you're a bridesmaid who's really ready, then every drop of the oil that has made you ready for the day that the cry goes out, go out to meet the bridegroom, every drop has been graciously given to you.

Not one drop is native to you. Okay? It's foreign oil. It is. It's alien oil.

None of it's native to you. None of it originated with you. Every drop of it's been given to you and you can't part with a single drop of it. Now, Catholics believe in super-arrogation. Now that sounds like something you're going to do to your lawn in the spring and it's going to make the grass green, but it has nothing to do with your lawn.

Super-arrogation, And it's actually the reason I bring it up at all is it's a word in our confession. And it's a really important word. And our confession denies that there's any such thing or any possibility of such thing. Here's what it means above and beyond. Above and beyond.

That you could do anything that would give you extra in the eyes of God, super-irrigation. That you could work to a place where there's plenty to spare. With the salvation line, you're way over the line. So the difference you could just give to someone else. The Catholics, that's why they pray to saints.

Because they think the saints are so far over the line that the difference between the line and what they've achieved, they can give away to someone else. So that's why they're praying to saints. That's why they're praying to who they consider the righteous dead. It's because they have righteousness to spare. This is a damnable heresy.

If you think that, your understanding of righteousness, saving righteousness, righteousness apart from the law, is so inadequate that it's hard to believe that you could be saved because you don't even understand what it means. You don't even understand what it means. Above and beyond. Give us some of your oil. I don't have extra oil.

God has given me exactly what I need. And my condition before him is so needy that I could never part with one drop. Is that how you view it? That is how you view it. That is how you should view it.

That you can't part with one drop of the grace that God has given you because your need is so desperate that you need the last drop of what God has appointed for you. Now, next question. What about this buying in verse 9? Go buy. Do the wise verses just not know what they're talking about?

No, they're wise. They do know what they're talking about and they give good advice. Now the timing's wrong, so their advice can't be carried out, but they give good advice. Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 55. What this means is that the foolish didn't acquire what was required.

They didn't obtain what was required for them to participate in the wedding feast. So the groom came and found them without it and there was a time for them to obtain what would be necessary for them to be part of the wedding feast but they did not. That's what this means. Isaiah 55, this is one of my favorite chapters and I'll be reading one through seven. Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.

And you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me, hear, and your soul shall live.

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David. Indeed, I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel. For He has glorified you." We're back to Messianic prophecy here, speaking of Jesus. Verse 6, seek the Lord while he may be found.

Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." In truth, coming outside the parable for a minute, the bridegroom offers that you come and buy without money. That you come and buy without money what is required to participate in the wedding feast. But these foolish virgins were never thirsty.

And so they never came. They were satisfied. That's verse one, right? Oh, everyone who thirsts come to the waters. Come, buy without money.

Come, buy and eat. Buy wine and milk without money and without price. This is the offer of pardon that the bridegroom makes. And yet, in verse 2, it talks about not being satisfied with what you can buy with money. And these virgins were never dissatisfied enough to come to the waters, to come and to buy without money.

They were satisfied in their state of unreadiness. They were never bothered enough about their unreadiness to fulfill the office that they had assumed. They were never bothered enough by their state of unreadiness to actually come and buy without money. And then in verses 6 and 7 here, we have the description of those who have been given that holy dissatisfaction with this state of unreadiness. And they just can't live in that state one more day, and so they seek the Lord while he may be found.

And so they draw near to him while he is near, and they repent. Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts." And when God has brought a person there where they're so dissatisfied that they can't wait another day to come and buy without money, then they have a root. They have a root. And when the sun comes out, the root goes down deep. They're like a tree planted by rivers of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

And they're like a lamp with the oil reservoir. And so the light is sustained, the flame is sustained, because beneath there's something that is there to sustain it. It was too late for these foolish virgins. It was too late. Entry into the wedding feast happened when they were doing what they had so many opportunities to do before midnight.

Do you understand? Entry into the wedding feast happened when they were off trying to do what they'd had 10, 000 opportunities to do before midnight. But they never did it. And they hit the point where it became too late and the door was shut. And it was shutting in people, it was shutting in these wise virgins, and it was shutting out people.

It was shutting out these foolish virgins. And for both, they were preserved for what would be on their side of the door. They were preserved forever for what would be on their side of the door and they were excluded forever from what would be on the other side of the door. So you have five foolish virgins who weren't ready, who had no root, who had no oil, and they would be preserved for what was on their side of the door, which is weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is an eternity of regret and agony. And the door would see to it that they would be that way forever and they would forever be excluded on what was on the other side of the door.

Joy, feasting, being in the presence of the groom, in the kingdom of the groom. And the opposite was true. The wise virgins would be preserved forever on that side of the door where there's nothing but joy, where there's nothing but fruitful labor, where there's nothing but being in the presence of the groom forever and ever and ever, and the tears will always be on the other side of the door, And sorrow will always be on the other side of the door, never again, for the wise virgins. Never again. No more death, no more tears, no more disappointment, no more disappointments.

The truth is, the wise virgins, the wise bridesmaids were always ready. It didn't matter when the groom came with his friends. It didn't matter when. They would have been ready at any point. And the truth is, the foolish virgins, the foolish bridesmaids would have never been ready.

They weren't ready by midnight. They wouldn't have been ready by 3 a.m. They wouldn't have been ready by the next day. They never would have been ready. The wise always were ready and the foolish were never ready.

Listen to Revelation 3 verse 7. Revelation 3 verse 7, and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, these things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. The bridegroom controls the door and when he shuts it no one can ever open it and when he opens it no one can ever shut it. Actually Isaiah 22 verse 22 is being quoted there, the key of David. The key that lets you open the door, and it stays open or shut the door, and it stays shut.

It's a thought that should be the greatest comfort to those who are wise, who have oil, who have a root, that once that door is shut, you'll always be on the other side of it from tears and sorrows. Always be preserved for entering into the joy of your master. And it should be the greatest terror. That Jesus has the keys of David and can shut a door so that it can never be open should be the greatest terror to those who are foolish, who are morons, who are morons, who live in silliness and thoughtlessness even though they've attached themselves to the bride and are acting like attendants of the bride. They're always in a state of unreadiness and they'll always be on the wrong side of the door and never, never, ever be able to open it.

Verse 11, the foolish virgin's appeal, Lord, Lord, open to us. And the bridegroom says from the other side of the door, assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you." Turn to Matthew 7. We can't possibly come here without going to Matthew 7. Jesus says so many things that are similar to this parable.

It's like a floodlight onto this parable. So many of the same terms and concepts are used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 that we should look at them and compare. Matthew 7 beginning in verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Therefore, whoever hears these words, these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. That everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall." Both of these, the one who built on the house and the one who built on the rock, both built a house.

And there they were, looking the same, living in their houses. Meanwhile, below ground, one is on rock. So when the flood comes, it's destined to stand because it's founded, it's sure, and the other below the soil is built on sand. No one can see it. Both homeowners, both probably look the same, and yet one has a life that demonstrates that there's something beneath.

There's a root. There's a rock. There's oil. And one is demonstrating that it's not there at all. So again, like last week, is this works based righteousness?

No, may it never be. You'll never earn one ounce of favor with God. That all comes through the righteousness that is apart from the law, through faith in Christ. But that is inseparable from the fact that a life demonstrates something. It means something when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us.

It means something. It means that He begins to produce fruit so that if you never see any fruit, if you never see any obedience, you know that there's no root down there that goes deep enough to survive the scorching sun. And there's no rock down there that will cause a house to stand when the floods come and that there's no oil down there that will sustain the flame when the cry goes out at midnight, that the bridegroom's coming. Go out to meet him. The day's coming when we'll have to go out and meet him.

You'll have to go out and meet the bridegroom. Either you'll be ready for it or you won't be. And it will be too late then. People say God is a God of second chances, yes, and third chances and a thousand chances, but He's also not a God to be mocked. And He's not a God to be presumed upon.

As if He owes you one more breath, He owes you nothing. Now, if you allow yourself to come away from this text without taking a moment to end the quietness of your own thoughts, Allow yourself to experience the finality and the terror of being on the wrong side of that door. To have yourself Fast forward in time and imagine that the bridegroom from the other side of the door has said to you, assuredly I say to you, I never knew you. It's a final moment. It's a moment full of terror.

And yes, it is better to go to a funeral than to a dinner party. So that you'll consider your latter end and you'll think, what would it be like for me to hear the bridegroom say those words and to know that I will be forever separated to him and separated to regret and agony forever and ever and ever. Jesus has brought us to this text so we'll consider what it would be like in that moment to be on the wrong side of the door and hear the bridegroom who has the keys of David when he shuts the door. It can never be opened to hear him say the words, I never knew you. Does the bridegroom know you?

Not do you know facts about the bridegroom. We all passed that test. Got it. We know our Bibles at least some and we've got the facts. Okay?

The demons have the facts too and they tremble. This is not saving faith. Does the bridegroom know you? 2 Timothy 2, 19. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal.

The Lord knows those who are His. And let everyone Who names the name of Christ departs from iniquity. So here's Paul sets before us, before Timothy, and by extension us, in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 19, something that he calls the solid foundation of God. Did you get that? Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands.

So here are two things that Paul combines to call the solid foundation of God. The Lord knows those who are His. He knows. You can fool me. You can fool your spouse even who lives with you, but you'll never fool him the Lord knows.

Those who are His, you say, I'm His. Okay. Here's the other part. Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. You name the name of Christ.

Is there the evidence of it? Is there the evidence that beneath the water line, beneath ground level is a rock, is a root, is oil. Is there the evidence of that? I don't know any Christians who aren't discouraged by the speed of their sanctification and growth and holiness. I don't know anyone who's not discouraged about that and wishes it would be faster.

But if you can't see that there's an increase over time through the hands of the Lord, all this is the work of the Spirit. So I'm trying to be so careful not to preach works righteousness. There's none of that. But the point is, when the Holy Spirit indwells, He produces fruit. Can you see it?

Because if not, you better be crying out to God. You better pray that God would give you thirst so that you can come to the waters and buy without money. Finally, in verse 13, Jesus says, watch therefore, you do not know when He is coming. Now let's trace this out. Let's trace this out going back to chapter 24 verse 36.

Follow me quickly. Verse 24 verse 36. But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven but my father only verse 42 watch therefore for you do not know that our your lord is coming verse 44 therefore you also be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect verse 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of and now in our text the very last verse of it watch therefore for you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Do you see what Jesus is trying to say? Over and over and over.

If you missed it the first time, you should get it the second. If you missed it the second time, you should get it the third. If you missed it the third time, you should get it the fourth. We're on the fifth time. No one knows the day or the hour, and so you better live in constant expectation that He's coming.

The certainty of the hour is such that you can't say in your heart, say in your heart, my master is delayed. Okay, a few concluding remarks. I have four of them. Number one, Some are completely unwilling to participate in the wedding. They want nothing to do with being on the guest list.

They want nothing to do with the bridegroom. These are not the people who are in view in today's text. In Matthew 22, there's a parable that begins, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who arranged a marriage for his son. Do you remember that parable in Matthew 22? Almost the whole parable is taken up with these people who want nothing to do with being on the guest list to the point that they even abuse and murder the people who are bringing the invitations.

But then, but then at the end of that parable there is one character, one character who is found inside the wedding hall but he doesn't have a wedding garment. He was willing. He wanted to be on the wedding list. He was happy to be associated with the wedding but he had no readiness. He didn't have a garment of righteousness that would bring you into the wedding feast.

And so he was cast out where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. I wonder how many times the foolish virgins wagged their fingers at those who were unwilling to participate in the wedding when they themselves were never ready. This is our danger. The world has its own dangers. Those outside of their own church have their own dangers.

Sometimes it would be better to switch dangers with them. Because at least there's something in their heart that says, I want nothing to do with all this. And so, they know they're on the outside and they want to be on the outside and they're not pretending. I want to submit to you that I think it's a worse danger to think you're on the inside and to pretend to be something that you're not. To have a willingness to be on the guest list and to comfort yourself with thoughts that you'll be participating in that wedding, but with no readiness.

And to be surprised and to say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do this or that or the other on the day that Jesus is speaking of? It's having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Now listen, five of ten. Five of ten. Not one of ten, or two of ten, or three of 10.

Five of 10. Now, I don't know how precise Jesus is intending to be with this parable. I just know he picked a really big number. Friends, be warned. Be warned by the mouth of Jesus Christ that so many on that day will have accepted the office and have a willingness to be part of the wedding feast, but were never ready.

Never had a rock beneath that they were building on. Never had a route that went down to the river of living waters, never had oil that would sustain the flame. Number two, no one can give you their oil. No one can give you their oil. Oil is not hereditary And it's not dispensed by church attendance.

Now I'm glad that we have Christian parents who are exhausting themselves, I pray, to bring up their children in the training and the admonition of the Lord. It means nothing. It means nothing. No one will ever be saved by having Christian parents. Not one single person will ever be saved by having Christian parents.

You must repent and believe in the gospel for yourself. They have no leftover oil. There's no above and beyond for your parents that they can bequeath to you, that they can give to you, that they can pass down to you. It doesn't exist. God doesn't have grandchildren.

He only has children. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Don't say in your heart, I'll do it tomorrow. The fool says in his heart, I'll do it tomorrow.

Number three. We have to say this for you who have trusted in Christ. Think of the joy that is in store. This is a text about joy, about a bridegroom finally getting there after waiting and waiting and heavy eyelids and not being able to stay awake. Finally the cry goes out at midnight.

Go out to meet the bridegroom. And there is a wedding feast. Listen to Revelation 19 verses 6 through 9. Revelation 19 verses 6 through 9. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude As the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings sang, Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. These are the true sayings of God. These are the true sayings of God. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

What delights await them? Eye has not seen, ear has not heard. What God has prepared for those who love him." Finally, watch therefore, that's the way Jesus ends the parable, watch therefore Because the Kingdom of Heaven on that day is going to be like this, these five wise virgins and these five foolish virgins. Watch therefore that we should be keeping guard over our soul with such diligence. And we should be looking for such a softness of heart and such a warmness of heart towards God.

And whenever we detect coldness and hardness of heart, we should flee, flee to the cross. We should be on our faces before God, begging him that he would return to our hearts warmth and softness towards him. May it be that none of us are found having a form of godliness but denying its power. Do not be comforted by anything external in your life. Don't be comforted by your homeschooling, by your dress, by your church, by your friends, by your parents.

None of these are saving. Do not be comforted by any of those things. Be comforted if you've been given an insatiable thirst for water, so that you just can't wait to get to the waters, living waters, so that he or she who drinks of them will never thirst again. Come and buy without money is what Jesus says. Let's pray.

Oh Father, I thank you for the offer of pardon. And we know that not even that is enough. If you just offer pardon to Adam's race that none of us would ever take it. None of us would ever take it but that. There are those who you've decided to make the objects of your mercy who you'll make thirsty, and they'll never be satisfied until they've come and had living waters, until they've come and bought without money.

God, I pray that you would bestow salvation on this congregation, that you would use the means of grace that we're partaking of every week, prayer and family worship and singing and preaching and the Lord's Supper, that all these things would join together to be effective means of grace in the hands of your Holy Spirit who would come and make us thirsty for living waters. May it be so in Jesus' name, Amen.