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SERMON:
Modern
American culture doesn’t seem to think weddings are all that important anymore.
I’m not sure exactly where this attitude comes from. Maybe some are put off by
having to get a marriage license from the state. So they don’t. You know, don’t
let big brother tell you what to do. Just do what you want.
Other
people are put off by what the Bible says about marriage. That you should
actually BE married, before you start living together and ACTING like you’re
married.
Some
people are simply never taught that this is the way God intends
an intimate relationship between a man and a woman to work. Marriage first, and
then a life lived as one.
And
so people move in together, have children, raise families, and somewhere along
the way they may get married, or they may not.
And
that’s just too bad. First of all, it’s not the way God wants us to act. When
people bypass marriage a just move on to living together, they also miss out on
all the significance and joy of a wedding day.
▬
Weddings
are wonderful things. Joyful things. Times of happiness and celebration. A
wedding is a public announcement that you’re not just dating anymore. You’re
committed for life. A wedding draws important people from both the groom’s side
and the bride’s side. They come to watch and to listen as people they love
promise to be faithful to one another, to forgive each other, and to care for one
another for the rest of their lives.
Weddings
are beginnings. And the possibilities of future blessing hang out there, just
waiting to be realized. And that fills weddings with anticipation, and joy.
One
of my favorite memories from my own wedding day was that my face hurt by the
end of the day from smiling so much. So many people that we love had come to celebrate
with us on our special day.
▬
Back
in Jesus’ time, wedding customs were a little different than they are today.
The Jewish people had a different way of going about the whole marriage thing.
For
the Jews, marriage started with betrothal. When a man and a woman were
betrothed, that meant that they were legally married. But even so, they didn’t
start living together right away. The husband would go and prepare a place for
them to live. And he would make preparations for a special marriage feast too. Getting
their future home ready, and making arrangements for the feast could take up to
a year to complete.
But
then one day, the groom would gather his friends and take a special wedding
walk to the bride’s house. There she would join her husband, and they would
walk together, surrounded by friends and family, to the place where they would hold
a big celebration. A wedding feast.
After
the wedding feast everyone in town would know that they were married. That they
were dedicated to one another for life. That they could be found in the home
that the husband had prepared.
▬
Today
actually isn’t “Wedding Sunday”. It’s “Saints Triumphant Sunday.” The Sunday
when Christians look forward to Christ’s return, and our final entrance into
heaven.
We’ve
been talking about marriages and weddings because Jesus used a wedding story to
teach people about heaven. We’ll be meditating on that parable for our sermon
today.
Matthew 25:1-13 (ESV)
25 “Then the
kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom. 2 Five
of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For
when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took
flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As
the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there
was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their
lamps. 8 And the
foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going
out.’ 9 But the wise
answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather
to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And
while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready
went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other
virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not
know you.’ 13 Watch
therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
▬
The
young women in Jesus’ parable were ready for a celebration. That’s what they
were waiting for.
And
that’s what followers of Christ across this globe are doing today too. Just
like us. They’re waiting for the celebration that will begin when Jesus
returns. We’re not afraid of the Holy God, not afraid of being tried and
condemned to hell because of our sins. We
know our sins were paid for when JESUS suffered OUR punishment on the cross. We
believe what John the Baptist said in John, chapter 3,
“…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;” (John 3:36
ESV).
▬
There are 10
virgins in this parable. But none of them are the bride. This
celebration isn’t about them. But if they are ushered into the wedding feast
they’ll get to enjoy the celebration all the same.
In the same way, the celebration that will take place in
heaven isn’t about you and me. It’s about God.
He’s the one who Created the universe by simply speaking
it into being. He’s the one who redeemed sinners by the sinless sacrifice of
his precious Son. He’s the one who raised Jesus from the dead and sent the Holy
Spirit out into the world to show sinners that they have a Savior. The heavenly
celebration to come will be all about praising Yahweh for his goodness and his mercy.
But all the same, those who trust in the God of their
salvation will get to participate in the celebration. That’s what God wanted
from the very beginning. When he created Adam and Eve, he made them so that he
could love them. So that he could bring them joy, and be loved and praised by
them in perfect harmony. Dear Christians, this is what we’ll get to experience
in full when the final celebration comes.
▬
Like
I said, there are 10 virgins in this parable. And that number carries
significance. In the Scriptures, the number 10 sometimes has a symbolic
meaning. It’s a nice round number which represents completeness in various
contexts.
All
10 of these young women would have entered the wedding feast if they had
remained ready. This reminds us that God wants all sinners to come to know
Jesus as their Savior from sin. In his Word, God repeatedly tells us that Jesus
died for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD, not just a select few.
But
just like in Jesus’ parable, not all will be ready when he returns on the Last Day.
▬
In
the parable, the 10 virgins all settle down to wait for the bridegroom to
arrive. They expect him, but they don’t know exactly when he’s going to get
there. One reason they don’t know when he’ll arrive is that he’s been delayed
beyond the usual time. Another reason they don’t know exactly when he’ll get
there is that it’s late. Darkness has surrounded them, and they can’t see him
coming. And thirdly, they don’t know exactly when he’ll get there because as they’ve
been waiting, they’ve fallen asleep.
All this serves the main point of the parable. We don’t
know when the Son of God will return to this earth. We know he will. We know that
everyone will know it when he does. We know he’ll descend through the sky
accompanied by the angel armies of heaven. But we don’t know when he’s coming.
And
since we don’t know when he’s coming, Jesus says we need to watch. We need to
stay alert. We need to be ready for his return. Only those who are ready
will go with him to heaven’s celebration feast.
▬
In
the parable, the virgins who are ready to greet the bridegroom are the ones who
still have light. They’ve brought extra oil for their lamps, and so they have
light.
It’s
pretty obvious what this signifies. Scripture calls the Word of God a lamp for
our feet, and the light which illuminates our path (Psalm 119:105).
Jesus calls himself the light of the world (John 8:12). The Bible says
that the message of sins forgiven through Christ’s cross is the light which
brings life and immortality to sinners (2 Timothy 1:10).
The
virgins who still held burning lamps were able to go with the bridegroom into
the wedding hall. When Jesus returns to this earth, all who hold the light of
his Gospel in their hearts will be able to go with him to heaven. It’s that
simple.
Dear
Christians, we have that light. By faith in our Savior, and all that he has
done for our redemption, we are ready to meet him. Now, we just have to STAY
READY!
▬
Do
you need some more oil to keep the light of faith burning in your heart? Then
remember what Jesus said from the cross,
“It is finished” (John 19:30 ESV).
Christ’s
work of redeeming sinners from their sins is done. It is complete.
Remember
what it says in First John,
“If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1
John 1:9 ESV).
Remember
what the Old Testament prophet Micah wrote,
“19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
[He] will cast
all our sins
into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19 ESV).
It
was the message of God’s gift of forgiveness that brought us to faith in
Christ. And it is this same Good News that will keep our faith burning bright.
When
we bring our children to be baptized in the Lord’s Name, his powerful Word
breathes the fire of faith into their hearts.
When
we stand before the altar to receive our Savior’s body and blood in Holy
Communion, the fire of faith is stoked.
It
is the Gospel in Word and Sacrament that will keep our lamps burning bright. It
is the Gospel which sustains our faith, not our piddly attempts at doing good, or
living right. It is the Gospel which keeps us ready, not our own paltry efforts.
And
that’s why we can call this Sunday “Saints Triumphant” Sunday. Without
forgiveness coming to us as a gift from God, we could never hope to be ready to
meet the Holy God. But by faith in Christ, we ARE ready—RIGHT NOW.
Right
now we ARE “Saints Triumphant” because of Christ. And on that Last Day will be
“Saints Triumphant” if we remain in him.
▬
Have
you ever had a good time at a wedding? Maybe had your eyes fill with tears of
joy taking those vows with the love of your life? Maybe you’ve had your eyes
fill with tears watching your friends take those vows? Ever had some really
good food at the party afterwards? Took a spin or two on the dance floor? Ever
enjoyed a glass or two of fine wine or champagne? Ever linger into the night
talking to friends you hadn’t seen in a long time?
Yeah,
there’s nothing quite like a wedding celebration for joy. But dear Christians,
I gotta say this—you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Our
God has saved the best for last. Whatever things we’ve enjoyed in this life
have been enjoyed through the fog of a sinful world. Heaven’s feast is gonna
make any wedding feast we’ve enjoyed seem like a day old happy meal. For in the
presence of the Almighty, all things will be made new. And we shall finally see
HIM as he is.
So
stay ready, dear Saints. Keep returning
to the cross of Christ to see your Savior and all he’s done to remove
your guilt forever. Remember your baptism and how God put his Name on you
through those waters. And come to the Lord’s Supper where your Savior comes to
you in bread and wine.
Stay
read, dear Saints, and I’ll see you at the feast.
Amen.
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