Preparing for His Kingdom
Sermon prepared by the Holy Spirit and Pastor Andrew T. Okai
23rd Sunday after Pentecost
November 12, 2017
Sermon text: Matthew 25:1–13
Sermon Theme: Preparing for His Kingdom
Introduction
Grace, mercy, and peace...
Today, we will talk about how we ought to be prepared for the coming of Jesus... a very essential element of our pilgrim journey. The kingdom of heaven should be a very serious subject for all Christians because it is a serious matter to God.
God wants us to be aware that there are other established kingdoms out there—the kingdoms of this world, the kingdom of darkness, and the kingdom of heaven. The first two kingdoms are in imminent danger of total destruction...
- Regarding this world
- Regarding the kingdom of darkness
- Regarding the kingdom of heaven
In our gospel text, Jesus in a parable explains the importance of being prepared for entrance into his heavenly kingdom. In this parable, he divides the entire church into two groups: one he calls the wise and the other the foolish.
The main object in this parable
Matthew 25:1—At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
The main object in this parable is the lamps, and what this represents is the souls of mankind. And meeting the bridegroom is all of us waiting to meet Jesus.
Proverbs 20:27—The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being. The redemptive plan of God is all about redeeming the soul, because our souls bear the image of God.
The main concern in the parable
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil. The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps—the main concern in this story is oil for the lamps. This represents the Holy Spirit. This was used a lot in the Old Testament where God anointed men with oil.
What this parable suggests is that eternal life is the complete doing of the Holy Spirit.
- He keep our souls.
- He teaches &reminds us.
- He walks with us.
The main lesson in this parable
Matthew 25:4—The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps.
The main point is that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 25:5—The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
We need to be patient and strong in waiting for Jesus.