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True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church
FILIPINO WORSHIP SERVICE

On Sundays, 10.30am, at RELC Level 6, Room 601.
Please contact Bro Jose Lagapa: 81853623 anytime.


Mahal na mga Kapatid at Kaibigan,

Welcome po sa Filipino Worship Service!

I believe we have been reminded many times about the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Sadly, very few are preparing for it. Many are still not believing that Jesus will come soon. Even more are not believing anymore in Jesus’ coming again. We are not only talking about the people out in the world but among those who are attending churches. This is what we know among many professing Christians who joined the rat-race of the world rather than running with patience the race that is set before us. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13).

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

(Matthew 25:1–13)

The Lord Jesus uses the wedding cultural practices of the Jews to portray of His soon coming return. It was a practice during Jesus’ day that the Jews would be married in their early youth, and marriages were usually contracted within the narrow circle of the clan and the family. Accordingly, the fathers arranged the match for their children. Generally, marriage was not an agreement between two individuals, but between two families. The girl was consulted, but only after the conclusion of all negotiations and then everything would be mere formality. Contrary to the practice of many other cultures in which the bride’s father paid the groom’s family a dowry, the Jewish culture was that the groom’s father paid a price to the bride’s family in order to negotiate the betrothal and, in essence, “purchase” the bride. The groom would also give a gift to the bride which became a part of the property of the bride.

The marriage consisted of two ceremonies which were marked by celebrations at two separate times, with an interval between. First came the betrothal and later, the wedding feast. At the betrothal, the woman was legally married, although she still remained in her father’s house. She could not belong to another man (unless she was divorced from her betrothed). The groom would then return to his father’s house after the betrothal to prepare the bridal chamber. This process traditionally took a year or more (the length of time being dictated by the groom’s father). When the bridal place was completed, the groom would return and fetch his bride. The bride would not know the day or hour of her husband-to-be’s return, so the groom’s arrival was usually announced with a trumpet call and a shout so the bride had some forewarning.

How different are our modern-day man and woman relationships. This sinful and immoral world has greatly influenced even those who call themselves as Christians to live together even before they get married. There are many who do not even want to get married because they see it as a form of bondage that keeps them to only one single partner. Since divorce papers are so expensive these days, they will rather live together without marriage and when the so-called chemistry is gone, they can just easily separate and find another one. This is the world we are in now.

Jesus used this parable to show the necessity of being watchful about His return. The Kingdom of heaven was likened to the ten virgins. These were assigned to meet the bridegroom. The groom had to go back to the father to prepare the place for his wife. The virgins should be always ready and prepared for the groom’s coming, for he might come during the day or the night. With the possibility of arriving in the night, the virgins should bear in mind that they needed oil as fuel for their lamps.

The Lord described five of the ten virgins as wise, while the other five were foolish. Foolish because they did not take oil with them while the other 5 were called wise because they knew the groom might come at night and they needed the oil for their lamps. This was supposed to be common sense!

As they waited, all ten of them fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry made, “The bridegroom comes.” The virgins stood up to meet the groom. They trimmed their lamps to meet him. The wise virgins, having their lamps lighted, went and met the groom with joy and excitement. Their preparations were made worthy because they entered into the feast and became part of the wedding feast of the groom and the bride.

Now, the foolish ones realized they did not bring oil with them, so the lamps just went out after putting on the fire. The lamps might be lit for a while because of the cloth, but soon they died down. The foolish virgins went to the wise ones and asked them for oil for so they could have light. But the wise could not give or else all of them would not have enough.

When the five foolish virgins went to get oil, the bridegroom came. All those who were ready were taken to the wedding feast. As everyone went in, the door closed. Upon coming back, the foolish virgins called the groom that they too might enter in. But the bridegroom told them, “I know you not.” The foolish virgins were left outside.

What a tragedy for those foolish virgins! They should have known that the other five had their oil, but they did not bother to think, ask and do what was necessary. They remained unprepared while they stayed to wait, and they did not ponder upon what was essential for them when the groom would come, especially if it would be in the middle of the night. What a waste of time to go and be part of the entourage, sacrificially staying for long with the rest but never entering in.

These foolish virgins knew beforehand how the groom might come at any time. They should have thought twice about what to bring. This is also true for us today. Many churchgoers know that the time will come when the Lord will return. There are many today who are like these foolish virgins. They are in church and even serving in the church’s ministries, but they have no salvation in Jesus Christ. They work hard and even give sacrificially to the work of the Lord, yet in the end, they will not be a part of those who will be in His presence.

When the rapture comes, the word of the Lord clearly describes that only those who have died in the Lord shall be resurrected and only those who are believers of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be caught up together with Him in the air. But how many are truly born-again believers in our churches? Many of them are still so complacent to think that they are quite okay and right in the eyes of the Lord but have not truly believed in Jesus. How about you? Are you sure you will be taken with Jesus if He comes today?

The lesson of this parable is to be watchful as we know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Lord Jesus Christ will come. To be watchful means one is ready and prepared. It is not good for a man to be aware of the Lord's coming and yet do nothing for that day. Without the salvation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, it is very futile to be eagerly watching for His coming yet not equipped with what is required when He comes.

There is only one requirement for a man to enter into the Kingdom of God when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Being born-again in Christ is the sole requirement. We must repent of our sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. There must also be an ongoing transformation that happens in our lives, for Paul says, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor 5:17).

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