Which Type of Virgin Are You – Full of Air or Full of Oil?

Thank you so much for tuning in and Welcome everyone – Hope you’re well!  I’m your host, Ben Lively, and you’re listening to “Shaken Awake” – Episode #61!  

 

I want to thank you for tuning in with us today, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing right this very moment.  It means everything to me to share the messages that God’s lays on my heart to share.  

 

And, as always, I promise you another great show – But, more than anything, my HOPE for you today, and always, is that you have an actual encounter with the Lord, not just another podcast episode.   

 

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So, without further delay, let’s get ready to invite God in with us, right here, right now and allow Him to speak directly to your heart and minds.   

 

 

So, today’s topic is on “Which Type of Virgin Are You – Full of Air or Full of Oil?”

Kind of a catchy title, huh?  It was interesting I had a listener a new listener reach out to me and made some comments about a podcast episode of mine that she had found on YouTube and wanted to give me some really nice feedback and also made a request and she requested to hear more about the parable of the 10 virgins now many of you have heard of that many of you know of that parable that Jesus spoke but some of you may not and some of you may have had a different impression about what that parable meant or like myself I had heard of it but I had long forgotten it and I certainly did not have clarity until the Holy Spirit provided that clarity to me as I read my Bible for the very first time all the way through and 2019. So my hope today is to take the request from that listener and honor that request for the benefit of the listeners and and Jesus and put out what I believe to be how the Holy Spirit convicted me through that specific parable and it actually got me thinking and I'm certain that it was more than just me thinking it was divine intervention and it was God who was speaking to me that's kind of told me to put out a series on many if not all the parables because many we've heard as a little as little children some we've never heard some we've heard but it's been a long time and we have forgotten them and some perhaps we have matured since we first heard them and so now it has fresh meaning so our lives now and and so with each parable as I read through the Bible like everything in it the Holy Spirit provides understanding and wisdom that God is breathed out onto those pages through the Holy Spirit to the man who wrote these chapters books and verses and so I will be concentrating on a series of parables that open up the meanings behind them beyond the words that are in the Bible and it's not based on my perception it's based on the understanding and the wisdom that I've received through the Holy Spirit from reading these and I'll tell you a lot of them were convicting for me because I I knew right where I fell and right where I fell into place with these parables and I would say 9 out of 10 word directly speaking to me and were eye opening and two totally shook me awake each one of them and helped me the Holy Spirit helped me to realize through these parables as as Jesus did as he spoke to these to his disciples and followers in that same manner I received the the wisdom that God intended for them to have and so they are and were and still are life changing eternity changing for me and I think it's about time that I preach on these. Once again and I'm not bashing churches it's not what I do but I'll have I have to tell you one thing I've never heard the parable spoken in church I may have heard them referenced a few times growing up obviously in kids church growing up I remember the fishes and the loaves but that was more of an animation kind of a entertainment rather than spiritual wisdom and is that not what the churches are doing still to this day?  It’s about the entertainment factor, it seems, and not the truth – truth hurts; entertainment does not.  Truth convicts; entertainment entertains.

 

Without further ado, let’s dive deep into the parable of the 10 virgins – I believe there’s something in today’s message for a number of us that the enemy wants to prevent us from knowing.  This scripture is going to change someone’s life today.

 

This parable is a continuation of a conversation Jesus started with his disciples in the previous chapter. In Matthew 24 Jesus tells them what will happen at the end of the age. He gives them the signs that will signify that his return is near. After letting them know of these signs, Jesus tells them this parable of the 10 virgins.

 

Let’s quickly read this parable found in Matthew 25: 1-13 – 

 

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 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. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

As we take a good look at the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), we must acknowledge and admit that there has been significant debate as to the meaning of these words of Jesus . At least one part of this parable can be known with absolute certainty. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and this parable describes His return. In the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:4–6; Isaiah 62:4-5; Hosea 2:19), God pictures Himself as the “husband” of Israel, and in the New Testament (John 3:27–30; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19–20), Christ is pictured as the bridegroom of the Church. The Church is described in Scripture as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–32).

The historical setting of this parable can also be known with absolute certainty. In describing a first-century Jewish wedding, D.A. Carson in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary describes the setting this way: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets – after nightfall – to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even lawbreakers. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house.” The torch was either a lamp with a small oil tank or reserve and a wick or a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it which would require occasional re-soaking to maintain the flame, okay?

The overall theme of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready – presumably, you and I. Being ready means preparing for whatever possibility or likelihood arises in our lives and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times while we eagerly await His coming. As seen in the fact that all the virgins were sleeping when the call came indicates that it doesn’t matter what we are doing when Christ returns. We may be working, eating, sleeping, or pursuing leisurely activities. Whatever it is, we must be doing it in such a way that we don’t have to “make things right” (get more oil) when He comes. This would apply to either the coming of Christ for His Church or for the Tribulation saints as they await His second coming.

Being ready for Christ’s return ultimately involves one major thing which reveals itself in several areas of our lives. If we would be ready for Christ’s return, we must be born again through the saving faith in Jesus Christ…His death, burial and literal resurrection from the dead (John 3:16; John 14:6; Romans 10:-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10). Saving faith in Jesus Christ will be evident in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) will begin to show. A desire for greater holiness and less sin will be apparent. And a consistent watching for His coming will mark our lives. One of the best passages conveying what saving grace and faith look like in a believer’s life is Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

The five virgins who have the extra oil represent the TRULY born again who are watching with eagerness to the coming of Christ. They have saving faith and have determined that, whatever occurs, whether it is a lengthy amount of time or unfavorable circumstances, when Jesus returns, they will be watching with eagerness. The five virgins without the oil represent false believers who enjoy the benefits of the Christian society without true love for Christ. They are more concerned about the party than about longing to see the Bridegroom, Christ Himself. Their hope is that their association or connection with true believers (“give us some of your oil” of verse 8, as an example) will bring them into the kingdom at the end. This, of course, is never the case. One person’s faith in Jesus can’t save another. The “Lord, lord” and “I do not know you” of verses 11 and 12 fit extremely well with Jesus’ condemnation of the false believers of Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

May we not be found “going away to make the purchase” (in verse 10) when Christ returns. Take the time TODAY – RIGHT NOW to fill your lamp with oil and take some extra along with you. Keep waiting and watching with gladness, joy, and anticipation.

Here are some additional take-aways I received from this parable I want to quickly share and pass forward to you:

Are you focused on what the outside of the lamp looks like or do you care what’s inside the lamp? In the Bible oil represents the Holy Spirit so the question of real importance is are you full of the Holy Spirit? Consider this verse in Romans:

 

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” – Romans 8:9

 

If the Spirit of God does not dwell within you then you do not belong to God. The good news is that when God saved you, the Holy Spirit came to take up dwelling in your heart. This is the defining mark of a believer. Without the Holy Spirit or the oil as mentioned in this parable of the 10 virgins, you are just an empty lamp. 

 

It does not matter how good the lamp looks on the outside.

 

However, the next step after receiving the Holy Spirit at salvation is to constantly be filled with the Spirit. Consider this verse in Ephesians:

 

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” – Ephesians 5:18

 

One way of thinking about this verse is you need to constantly yield more and more of your life to the Holy Spirit. Doing this will allow Him to have a greater impact in your life. This requires consistent times of prayer and worship so God can renew, refill, and strengthen your heart. This will give you the oil you need to help your light shine bright in this world.

 

The second point to highlight from the parable of the 10 virgins is what it takes to be ready for his coming. As we mentioned earlier the biggest part of being ready is about being filled with the Holy Spirit. By the way this requires more than just Sunday morning. It’s what do you do the rest of the week that matters the most. Your growth in Christ will happen most outside of church. This is where you prepare your heart to be ready for Jesus’ coming. Clearly the ones who took extra oil were prepared and ready for his coming. Those who didn’t were not. So even though they looked prepared in reality they weren’t ready for the bridegroom. This is how it will be when Jesus returns. Unfortunately, many will look prepared because they have lamps, but they won’t be prepared because they have no oil.

 

In our story, notice that the virgins got tired and fell asleep. In the Bible, to fall asleep can also be a reference to dying. After they fell asleep, they were awoken by a cry that rang out. When that cry came, those who were ready went into the banquet with the bridegroom and those who were not ready got locked out. This is a picture of the rapture. Consider what Paul said in Thessalonians. You may notice some parallels.

 

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

 

Jesus was helping his disciples understand what that day will be like when he returns for us.

 

I hope you recognize from the parable of the 10 virgins that your eternal destination is determined by what you do now. Once you die or fall asleep it is too late. Your eternity is sealed. Remember those who were ready went into the banquet and the door was shut. Those who were not ready were locked out. I share this with you as a motivation to share the Gospel with others. The day of decision is now, and we want as many people as possible to enter that banquet when He comes. If you are listening to this and Jesus is not your Savior, then don’t delay. Today is the day of your salvation.

 

I think one of the most stunning statements in this entire parable is verse 12.

 

Imagine the virgins hearing these words and the shock when they were hit with this reality. This is not the first time Jesus used this phrase of I don’t know you. If you remember on the Sermon on the Mount, he said on that day there will be many people who had done things in Jesus’ name. Yet his response to them will be, “depart from me I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23). This leads me to believe the greatest question in life is not do you know Jesus? The greatest question in life is does Jesus know you? Jesus knowing you has nothing to do with your deeds or actions. Jesus knowing you has to do with you putting your trust in him as Savior and Lord. Nothing else matters. If there is any day you want to be known by Jesus it is on that day. Thankfully we don’t have to wait until then to find out. If Jesus is your Savior you are known by him today. This is the hope and confidence we have in Him.

 

The parable of the 10 virgins is a wakeup call. First to those who don’t know Jesus, but I think it goes beyond that. Remember the virgins did have lamps. I think this is a real wakeup call to those who may go to church but are not really walking with God. In other words, those who have empty lamps. More than ever before if you are not walking the way you should this is the day to get it right. Not only because Jesus could return at any moment but because life is so brief. 

 

The urgency of this story cannot be taken lightly. The parable of 10 virgins is about preparation and readiness. That preparation begins now. If you don’t do anything else in this life, make sure you are ready for His appearing – whether it is at His return, or upon your death. As you can see this is the most important appointment you have to get ready for and you don’t want to miss it.

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So, before we end today’s show, I just want to thank you all again for tuning in and I HOPE you were touched by today’s message and scripture.  If you’d like to reach out to me, please call me directly at 4074933208, email me at ben@shaken-awake.com, or check out the show at shaken-awake.com.

 

Until next time, take great care of yourself and each other, and God Bless You ALL.