BIBILCAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING 9

 

BIBLICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING-09

TEXT:    "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."  (Matthew 25:21)

 I.   THE VALUE OF OUR BEING FAITHFUL

      A.  Many of us have experienced the let down of an unfulfilled promise, and have felt the hurt and disappointment.  We were created in the image of God and feel, in a limited measure, as He feels. 

       B.  Just as we can feel disappointment, so also our Lord can be disappointed when we are not faithful to the outworking of all that He has made available to us.

       C.  In the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12), ALL ten received lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom.  When the Lord delayed His coming ALL ten of their lights went out.  The Lord had been faithful, as He supplied them all with lamps and oil.  But the foolish did not develop a means, v3 "and took no oil with them," to resupply their lamps with oil.

        D.  The lamp represents our salvation, all ten were saved to some degree.  The oil speaks of the Lord's enabling grace and anointing, which quickens and maintains our spiritual life and strength.  When we are not faithful to maintain a personal relationship with the Lord, we use up the supply of oil that we were initially given and soon we feel dry. 

        E.  To be faithful on our part means that we take seriously our need to fellowship with the Lord and receive from Him His strength, His power, His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His life, and His LOVE.

"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."  (Matthew 25:11-12)

        F.  Notice the Lord did not say, they were bad people.  The word of God does not say what finally happens to them.  However, because they took their spiritual capacity for granted, thus they could not enter into the, v3: "marriage; and the door was shut."

     G.  Sadly, because of certain choices the five foolish virgins made, they could not enter into the purpose and fulfillment God had intended for their lives.  God could not bring His pre-ordained purpose and plan for their lives to completion.  Sadly, but also very true today, like the  foolish virgins, who could not enter in, many today will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  (Matthew 7:21)

      H.  Entering into the kingdom of heaven is not done by working for God or having God do great works through us. 

    "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:22-23)

      I.  Instead of a focus of working and doing for God we must become the work of God.  We must maintain a spiritual capacity to allow God to work in our lives.   

         "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  (Ephesians 2:10)

And out from the work God does in our lives we can feed the world the mercy He has given us, feed His forgiveness, His grace, and His joy.  We make those choices that will allow us to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ, the goal of being a Christian.  If not, then what can be give a lost and dead world? What will we share? Teach/preach about?       

    J.  The requirements for entering into "the joy of the Lord" and "the kingdom of heaven" is faithfulness, commitment, dedication, and obedience to God.  By making those needed adjustments God wants us to make in our lives, allowing us to, do the will of my Father"  will enter in. 

    K.  John tells us, Jesus Himself  said,

          "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (enter into) with him. "  (John 14:23)

    L.  We will then be able to keep such words of Jesus as,

           "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12:30-31)

II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

     A.  We will never become the overcomer who finds himself seated with the five wise virgins unless we allow God to work His nature and character into our lives. Unless we develop a life that is centered around God and His plan for our lives. 

     B.  No one can give to another their commitment to spiritual obedience.  We must spend quality time in the presence of the Lord.  There is no substitute for the time we spend before the Lord in church and most important during the time just the two of us spend together. 

     C.  Because it is during these times, when we are faithful to read His word and share our heart with Him, He will speaks to us and shares His heart with us.  We then see the value of being faithful we then enter in to the joy of the Lord.