Matthew 25-Parables of Jesus

SLIDE 1 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”Matthew 24:36 Last week in Matthew 24:45-51 the parable of the faithful and the slothful servants waiting for their absent Lord probably represented believers of Christ. The more I studied, the more questions I had.

SLIDE 2 Jesus’ parables were stories that were “cast alongside” a truth in order to illustrate that truth.  Jesus used parables to help the disciples to understand. They were teaching aids and can be thought of as extended analogies or inspired comparisons. A common description of a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. There are about 35 of Jesus’ parables recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. The disciples ask, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). Jesus explained that His use of parables had a two-fold purpose: to reveal the truth to those who wanted to know it and to conceal the truth from those who were indifferent. Not every detail of a parable carries a deep spiritual meaning. Some details are simply there to help the story seem more realistic. GotQuestions.org

SLIDE 3 MATTHEW 25 Parables of the Kingdom

1.     Wise or foolish virgins?

2.     Are you using your talents?

3.     Who are the Sheep and the Goats?

This parable in Matthew 25  the ten young  virgin are  attendants of a Bride. Their duty was to go forth at night with lamps, and be ready on the appearance of the Bridegroom

SLIDE 4 As I started to study about the 10 virgins, I got all caught up in the bride and the wedding ceremony. These days it is all about the Bride? The bride herself is not named in the parable.  In Jesus day the men were in charge of the wedding proceedings. After the Bridegroom had prepared a place for His Bride, he chose the time to retrieve his betrothed. Before leaving the house that had been her home, she would receive the blessing of her relatives. Can you imagine sitting at your parents home and waiting for your groom to come? Often this happened at night! No wonder those poor girls fell asleep.

SLIDE 5 The groom was dressed as much like a king as possible. If he were rich enough to afford it, he wore a gold crown. Otherwise it would be a garland of fresh flowers. His garments would be scented with frankincense and myrrh, his girdle would be a silken one brilliantly colored, his sandals would be figured and carefully laced, and all of this would give of a royal bearing. When the night arrived for the wedding festivities to begin then Bridegroom himself came for His Bride.

This preparation of the Bridegroom for the wedding has been aptly described in the prophecy of Isaiah, "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, (Isaiah 61:10)

SLIDE 6 When the wedding chamber was ready the bridegroom could collect his bride.   He could do this at any time so the bride would make special arrangements.   It was the custom for a bride to keep a lamp, her veil and her other things beside her bed.   Her bridesmaids were also waiting and had to have oil ready for their lamps.

When the groom and his friends got close to the bride's house they would give a shout and blow a shofar to let her know to be ready. "Behold the Bridegroom Cometh, Go Ye Out to Meet Him."

SLIDE 7 The procession lighted by the lamps of the brides attendants would begin at the home of bride's father to the house of the bridegroom. It began with great celebration, the bridegroom, the bride, the friend, the virgins, musicians, and many other friends and relatives would walk and dance, and cast flowers, and sing songs, with "every demonstration of joy and gladness." The bride was crowned and carried by the crowd on a royal litter through the streets. When the wedding party arrived at father's house the newlyweds went into the wedding chamber.

SLIDE 8 Can you imagine being chosen to be one of the ten virgins to be included in the wedding celebration?  It was a vital part of the ceremony to light the path of the betrothed couple. Maybe the foolish girls (and they must have been young) were so overcome with being chosen that they forgot to prepare for the chance the bridegroom would be late.

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.'

SLIDE 9 How embarrassing to the locked out of the Wedding Feast. In this painting Jesus is behind the closed door. These virgins represent believers divided into two sections; evidently they are all supposed to hold the true faith, and to be pure and undefiled followers of the Lord (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 14:4), to be waiting for his coming, and to love his appearing; but some lack perseverance.

The oil of God's grace alone enables the soul to meet the bridegroom joyfully, without dismay. ¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

SLIDE 10 In order for us to keep the faith, we need to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit. Unless there is a intentional attitude of the heart, active faith in Christ, and love to God and our brethren, some brethren will miss out on the rewards.

SLIDE 11 Talents. ¹⁴ "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Wonder what the criterion was for the extremely wealthy Master to trust his stewards which such a hefty amount of money. Our CBS commentary says this was a hugh amount of money. Not a few coins but a bag full. One commentary equates the 8 talents with over $2 million

1 talent=60 maneh=3,000 shekels $247,200 The talent was not a coin but a unit of monetary value usually silver (or gold) was the heaviest or largest biblical unit of measurement for weight, equal to about 75 pounds or 35 kilograms.

SLIDE  12 Let’s compare the talents with the spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4: ¹¹ It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.  ¹² He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.

SLIDE  13 ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

This is what I want Jesus to say to me as I meet Him.

What does God’s word say about working for theLord? Or look at it as an ability to play the piano or sing or teach.

SLIDE  14 2 Timothy 2:15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ESV

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men NIV

The last servant tried to blame the Master. It was attitude problem with the last servant. No wonder he only received 1 talent.

SLIDE 15 '²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.

The Master accepts no excuses. Neither will Jesus when he comes to judge the nations.

So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.²⁹ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

SLIDE 16 I’m not sure if this is for the church or for the unbelieving nations. Remember if you are a true child of God you cannot lose you salvation. Jesus blood has redeemed you from you sins.  We as followers of Jesus should have the characteristics of Jesus. We are expected to do good works. What will you say to Jesus when you can come before the throne to give Him an account for everything you've done or have not done. The servants were punished for their lack of doing, their sin of omission.

SLIDE 17 On my weekly trip to Denver I saw a billboard saying “Do some good today.” We have friends and neighbors who do good and are good people. But we cannot work our way to heaven, there is only one way to heaven, and there is only one God. We must believe that Jesus is the son of God come down to earth, crucified, buried, and resurrected from the grave to sit by the Father’s right hand in heaven.

SLIDE 18 We are rewarded in heaven with the things done well in this life. We must remember that although good works do not get us into heaven, our actions to others in need show our love for God and our intimacy with Jesus.

Sheep and Goats

SLIDE 19 I dug out my book Charting the Endtimes by Tim LaHaye that Hope Parks recommended when we studied Revelation. He coauthored the Left Behind series and other writings on Revelation and the End of Time. There are a few pages about the Olivet Discourse Matthew 24-25. I scanned this timeline to help you understand the stage of this judgment.

clickThe rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on clickthe earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is not described until after the resurrection of the Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit is come. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54 click My friends this the judgment of the nations. I don’t plan on being there.

SLIDE 20 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Jesus says that “all the nations will be gathered before him.” Pertaining to separating sheep and goats, in Asia and Africa sheep and goats are often similar in appearance—consistent with them belonging to the same created kind of animal. Non-shepherds find it difficult to distinguish such sheep and goats, but the shepherd knows the difference and easily separates them. For example, there are differences in behavior: sheep tend to follow; goats go their own way. At the judgment, the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) will know the difference and will separate those who followed Him (Matthew 10:38) from those who went their own way .

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of.

SLIDE 21 ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

SLIDE 22 I was a stranger and you welcomed me,³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'³⁷

Several commentators call this the “Gentile Judgement,” but the passage itself has no support for such a limitation. Bob Wilkin of the Grace Evangelical Society says in no uncertain terms that this is the Judgement of the Gentiles and that “the sheep are praised and inherit the kingdom. The goats are rebuked and cast into hell. The cause for praise or rebuke is how the Gentiles in question treated believing Jews during the Tribulation.

SLIDE 23 Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and will be repaid in full.” "Presents with a Purpose" for the women's shelter in Shelby. 

www.biblemenstudy.com

SLIDE 24

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright, And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

The scriptures present us with the choice between two kingdoms – the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The choice is ours. Which kingdom do you serve?

Slide  25  What will you be doing when Jesus returns?

CHOOSE JESUS! He is the lover of your soul. He will never leave you or forsake you.

To accept Jesus as Lord and King is to enter a kingdom that will last forever where righteousness, love, truth, and peace dwell. Is your life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus?

http://www.rc.net/wcc/parable1.htm