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...and the door was shut.

Matthew 25:10
Edmund Buss • June, 14 2026 • Audio
11 Sermons
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EB
Edmund Buss • June, 14 2026
11 sermons
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

In the sermon titled "...and the door was shut," Edmond Buss addresses the theological topic of divine sovereignty and human responsibility as illustrated in the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25:10. Buss emphasizes that preparedness for the return of Christ is critical, arguing that only those who are spiritually vigilant will enter the eternal wedding feast. He references Matthew 25:1-13 to highlight the distinction between the wise and foolish virgins, signifying the importance of living in a state of readiness through faith and good works, as taught in Reformed theology. The practical significance of this teaching lies in the urgent call for believers to actively engage in their sanctification, underscoring that while salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, the evidence of that faith must be demonstrated in a life of obedience and holiness.

Key Quotes

“The door that is shut represents the finality of God's judgment; once the bridegroom arrives, it is too late for the unprepared.”

“Being ready for Christ’s return is not a passive state; it requires diligent pursuit of holiness and an active faith.”

“We mustn't confuse the call to faith with a license to neglect our spiritual duties; true faith produces a readiness to meet the King.”

“In a world filled with distractions, the wise will prioritize their relationship with Christ above all else.”

What does the Bible say about being prepared for judgment?

The Bible emphasizes the importance of preparation for judgment in Matthew 25:10, highlighting the need for readiness at all times.

In Matthew 25:10, the phrase 'And the door was shut' serves as a solemn reminder of the necessity of being prepared for the eventual return of the Lord. This parable illustrates that some will be ready to meet the bridegroom, while others will not; thus, as believers, we should reflect on our state of readiness. The importance of this preparation can be seen in how much effort we put into earthly matters compared to spiritual preparedness. The parable emphasizes the need for vigilance and a proactive approach to our faith, reminding us that it is critical to examine whether we are living in such a way that would keep us ready for His return.

Matthew 25:10, 2 Peter 3:14

How do we know salvation is not something we can buy?

Salvation cannot be bought as evidenced by the foolish virgins who sought oil at the last moment in Matthew 25:9.

In the parable of the ten virgins, when the foolish ones sought to buy oil from the wise, it illustrated the fundamental truth that salvation is not something that can be obtained through our own efforts or purchases. The wise virgins were not able to share their oil because salvation is a personal matter and cannot be transferred. As the parable shows, these foolish virgins realized too late that their preparation was lacking. True salvation comes solely through Christ and cannot be earned or shared, emphasizing our personal responsibility to be prepared in faith before the door is closed.

Matthew 25:9, John 6:37

Why is it important for Christians to heed warnings about Christ's return?

Heeding warnings about Christ's return encourages vigilance and preparedness, as emphasized in Matthew 24:42.

The call to 'watch therefore' as stated in Matthew 24:42 is a recurring theme in Scripture, urging believers to stay alert and ready for the return of Christ. This vigilance is crucial because we do not know the hour of His arrival. Warnings related to His second coming are not given for the purpose of inciting fear, but to guide and motivate Christians towards a faithful life marked by expectation and hope. By engaging with these warnings, believers cultivate a spirit of readiness, longing for the day of Christ, which ultimately leads to greater faith and assurance in the grace provided through Him.

Matthew 24:42, Matthew 25:13

What does it mean that the door of mercy is still open?

The open door of mercy signifies that God is still offering salvation and grace to those who seek Him.

The notion that 'the door of His mercy stands open all day' reflects God's longsuffering and His welcoming nature towards sinners. As 2 Peter 3:9 states, the Lord is 'not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.' This highlights the period of grace available to humankind, where God extends His mercy through Christ, waiting for individuals to respond. It serves as a powerful reminder that while the door is currently open, a time will come when it will be closed, emphasizing the urgency for individuals to seek salvation while it is still accessible.

2 Peter 3:9, John 6:37

How can Christians exhibit true faith and readiness?

True faith and readiness for Christ's return are demonstrated through a heartfelt relationship with Him as Savior.

Exhibiting true faith involves a deep understanding and recognition of who Christ is and what He has accomplished. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Timothy 1:12, states, 'I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.' This personal assurance is crucial; it indicates that one's faith must be rooted in a personal relationship with Christ. Readiness is not simply about avoiding sin; it is about active reliance on Christ's righteousness and grace, acknowledging that He alone can sustain us and lead us through judgment. Emphasizing this faith strengthens our readiness for His return.

2 Timothy 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21

Sermon Transcript

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Trusting that the Lord will answer our prayers, I'd ask you to turn back to Matthew 25 and reading the last clause of verse 10. Matthew chapter 25 and the last clause of the 10th verse. And the door was shut. And the door was shut. These words came into my mind from a very simple incident that happened at home recently.

We had forgotten to fill up with petrol. We didn't actually run out but there was only just enough petrol to finish the journey before being able to get some more. And it made me think really of It's an obvious thing to do, isn't it? Before we set off on a journey, make sure we've got enough petrol or enough diesel to get there and back again, especially on the Lord's Day, where you wouldn't want to stop and buy some.

And in simple things like that, perhaps most of the time we do prepare ourselves. And then that made me think of other things that we perhaps spend time preparing for, And yet what about the most important thing that we should prepare for? And that is that time when we will see the Lord Jesus Christ and stand before him in the day of judgment, either when he comes for the second time on the earth or at our death. And so may the Lord help us this evening to just really consider that, the importance of that question in my own life as I was very briefly thinking about things that we prepare for there are events that we prepare for I was involved in a wedding recently and quite a lot of preparation went into that just from my point of view and I know much more went into preparation went into that quite rightly really on the parts of the bride and the groom and their families many little details all thought of and and then prepared so that when the day came it should all go smoothly and very pleasantly.

I was thinking as well when you start work it's not long before somebody says about a pension and the advice of course to put money into a pension and the earlier you start the better it is and how black and white it is when we speak to pensions advisors and There's going to be a long working life and then there's going to be a time of retirement and if you start at the right time and put it in the right pension pot, I suppose, then in that time of retirement you can then just enjoy yourself without having to worry about money. There's all that preparation that might be made for that, but much more time is spent, isn't it, in this world in thinking about our pensions than it is in thinking about the day of our death.

At least, I don't know if that's true for everyone. I know it's not true for everyone, perhaps generally it's true so there are many things that we prepare for but the most important thing are we prepared for that? and so may the Lord help us to consider really just a few things really about this parable that the Lord Jesus told this is just my own opinion but I do wonder if there is a danger really in some ways of overthinking this parable of trying to match up all the details as it were to that work of grace that goes on in the heart that work of preparation then that goes on in the heart and soul of the believer and the reason I say that was because sometimes we can spend a lot of time what what does the oil really mean does it matter that there were an equal number of foolish and wise virgins how is it that the foolish virgins were able to go and buy the oil when we know that the salvation cannot be bought and so on and so forth but I then thought that if we were to sit down perhaps at the front of a perhaps a group of eight year olds or seven or eight year olds I'm not very good with equating children's ages to what they're like in their development but around that sort of age if you were to sit down and to read this parable to them I'm sure that they would get the message straight away and really the message is very simple isn't it there was something that needed to be done and some people didn't do it and that's really what it was that was what the message was that the Lord Jesus said now I want to obviously expand on that and I don't want to distort the gospel by implying that we can do anything of it by ourselves or we can contribute anything towards it but that really in the way that the Lord Jesus told it that really is the message isn't it that there is a preparation that needs to be made and some make it and some don't so the of those virgins the five maidens if you like or five ladies some were wise and some were foolish I understand that there was a custom with Jewish weddings that there would come a

point when the bridegroom would come after dark to his bride on the wedding night and to celebrate that there would be the I think a minimum of 10 of these virgins or young ladies who would go to meet him and then would ceremoniously light him as he walked, went to the house of his bride and that is really what the custom that I believe this parable is referring to so it was their duty and I want to come on to this later it should have been their pleasure as well to help the bride and bridegroom celebrate their marriage.

But we see that there were some who did realise and make preparation for the future and there were some that didn't. And it would seem that all of their lights were alight at one stage. They first went out, it says. In verse one, they went forth, they took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. I think there was an expectation then that the bridegroom was coming. And then later on, they realized that the bridegroom wasn't yet coming. In verse five, he tarried.

But they all set off with their lamps alight, it would seem, in the darkness, all looking the same, all carrying out that duty, as it were, at that time. But when the bridegroom tarried, it seems that all of them then slumbered and slept. So they dropped their watch. They no longer watched. They no longer considered.

Even the foolish perhaps, perhaps we could almost say they weren't foolish to start out with the oil, perhaps they thought they had enough. But they were foolish when they knew that the bridegroom had tarried, not to then go and get some more oil. And why did they not? Because they slumbered and slept. so at the end of this parable Jesus says watch therefore and while they were slumbering and sleeping they were not watching they were not watching now may the Lord help us again to prayerfully consider that and its application to ourselves that are we watching or are we slumbering and sleeping and when there is that that contentment as it were to to continue and I'm going to just use the terms of the parable for the moment knowing that we don't have oil in our lamps knowing that we don't have enough oil in our lamps if there is that contentment to continue in that way then that is the equivalent of slumbering and sleeping It is foolish, isn't it?

Foolishness is, I think, almost defined as doing something that we know will not work out, or not right, but doing it anyway. It's not quite the same as making a mistake. We say sometimes we make a mistake innocently. But being foolish is if I were to come to a signpost, and if it said Portsmouth that way, and Southampton that way, and I wanted to go to Portsmouth, if I went the way it said Southampton, that would be foolish. It's not quite the same as ignorance.

And may the Lord help us to examine ourselves. We can be foolish in that way. We have read it together this evening. And even if you do not listen to another word that I say, then the Lord Jesus Christ has spoken, hasn't he, about being foolish and set this before us. And to be foolish is to have heard this parable, to know really what it means to know that it is speaking about really what will happen when we come before the Lord Jesus Christ before the judgment seat of God and are we ready and to be foolish to stumble and to sleep is to know or not to be sure that we're ready not to know whether we're not to be certain that we're ready but still to continue like that and to be happy to continue in this parable as I said outwardly all the virgins were the same at least to start with they all had their lamps and it does speak doesn't it of true religion being much more than outward appearance or even in a sense what we say it's is there that real life and that faith in the soul and May the Lord help us. If we do not know the Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, if we do not have any evidence of faith within, of trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, that our sins might be forgiven, then really we are like those foolish virgins. If any of us are in that condition, then may the Lord open our eyes to what it is. what it is to be like that and the seriousness of it.

So the first thing really then is that I think it is in many ways there is a simple directness to this parable. It is that there is a need to be prepared. Now I want to come back to really what that preparation is a little bit later on but the other message I believe is very strong really in This parable is those words that we have read as a text and the door was shut. The other message is that there will be a time when it is too late.

In that passage that we read in Peter's epistle, he went at some lengths, obviously the Holy Spirit showing him what to write there, but he was at some lengths, some pains, wasn't he, to speak of how the Lord's longsuffering has extended, as it were, if that's quite the right word to use, but through the Lord's longsuffering, that is why the Lord hasn't come. Already for the second time that's really I think what Peter is saying Although I've slightly distorted it by the way. I put it but do pardon me for that but Peter In the face of those who scoff and say well there the Bible says that the Lord Jesus is going to come again He hasn't come yet. It's been 2,000 years or so since he was alive on the earth 2,000 years is a long time I don't think it's very likely that he's going to come at all in the face of those who scoffed like that Then Peter is pointing out that it is the Lord's long-suffering.

The Lord shows his long-suffering. And really, to put it simply in the words of the parable, it is that the door is still open. The Lord Jesus is keeping the door open, the door of his mercy. And that's why I chose that last hymn. There's a line in there that says, the door of his mercy lies open all day to the poor of the needy who walk in the way. And it is the Lord's long-suffering. In verse 9, Peter says, he is long-suffering to usward or toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But there is a limit on it, and there will come a time when it is too late.

The foolish virgins didn't realize that. They did not realize that there would come a time when it would be too late. We don't have that excuse because we have that parable that the Lord Jesus has put before us here. But they thought there wouldn't be a time. So when they heard that the bridegroom was coming, when they woke up, the cry woke them up, and they looked at their lamps and saw that they were gone out, that was when it was too late because the bridegroom was already coming.

But they didn't realize that. They asked the wise virgins for some oil. And I think that does show that we cannot get salvation from anyone else. It's only through the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot turn to somebody else to ask them, as it were, for that grace of salvation, for that oil of salvation. But the wise gave them none. And they told them to go and get it from those who supplied oil. And that's what they did.

But it was already too late. we can fall into that trap of thinking that I'm young or I'm in good health I haven't yet reached the life expectancy whatever it is currently and so I can put off knowing that I am prepared to meet the Lord we can fall into that trap I may have said it before forgive me if I have I can remember when I was quite young thinking like that and then there came a time when I was in my teens I think and I had to have an operation which involved a general anaesthetic and I can remember lying in the bed beforehand I think I'd had the pre-med so I was a bit woozy and thinking well Edmund now is the time to make your peace with God because you may not come round from the anaesthetic and I realised very vividly that I could not do it I couldn't do anything to make my peace with God and I've never forgotten that and maybe that thought amongst ourselves that well I can put it off until I'm older that'll be the time when I'll look into these things but we cannot we cannot because we cannot do it and when we are older of course our faculties are not what they were then even naturally speaking the foolish did not realize that it was already too late.

And there will come a time, won't there, the Lord Jesus, these are solemn things I know, but the Lord Jesus, he said, didn't he, that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. I think Peter repeats that as well.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up as a thief in the night the Lord Jesus used that parable didn't he if the good man of the house knew when the thief was coming he would have been watching prepared for him and would have been able to prevent him from entering but because he didn't because he was slumbering and sleeping not unexpected really when we're talking about a thief coming in the night but the coming was unexpected and there was not that preparation for it he would not have suffered his house to be broken up and so it will come the second coming will come unexpectedly and there will not be that time there will not be a time if we have an intimation that it is coming as soon as we know that it is coming it will be too late So that is the second message I believe of this parable that it is that there will be a time when it is too late the door is shut. But I do want to speak a little bit about just about these warnings that there are in the Gospels and in the Bible really throughout the Bible. I was looking even today as I was looking at this passage it it struck me just how much Jesus spoke in this two chapters really isn't it when he is speaking about the end of the world when he's speaking about the I think also the judgment that shall come that came upon the nation of Israel and upon Jerusalem as well I think especially in the first part of chapter 24 but there's in my Bible there's Eight columns, I think, almost eight columns of Jesus speaking about this. And even on that basis alone, if you compare it to other things where Jesus spoke at such length, then how much time do we spend considering these things, considering these warnings?

I don't know if you remember, but I can't remember exactly when it was now but there was a while back there was the government sent out a warning which sounded on mobile phones I think it was a Sunday afternoon so perhaps a good reason for turning it off if you were expecting to go to a service but it was a test and it would sound like a loud note I think on your phone And as I became aware that was going to happen, I think I was preaching in the afternoon on that Sunday, so I thought, well, how do I silence it?

And I have an iPhone, and you can go into the settings, and it really struck me when I saw it, because right down at the bottom of notifications, there's two little toggle switches, and so you can turn off severe alerts, you can turn off extreme alerts. And if you do that, you're choosing not to receive that notification when there's some time of extremity or some time of severity, a severe weather warning or something like that. You can choose not to be informed. And it struck me at the time, and I've mentioned it before at other places, but it still remained with me really, that there's something quite solemn about that, being able to turn off a warning. because the warning is there for obvious reasons and that's leaving the iPhone and the mobile for a moment and coming back to the Bible these warnings are here but if I can put it this way in your mind and in my mind is that switch turned off or is it turned on?

I know when I was younger especially when the minister used to come and preach about the the end of the world the second coming then i used to turn that switch off in my mind i used to try not to listen i used to think of other things and i used to hope that i would soon forget about it because i didn't like to receive the warnings that is foolish behavior isn't it that is foolish behavior these this parable that we have from where our text comes and the parables that the Lord Jesus told, they are warnings, aren't they?

And if you just take what the Lord said, the Lord said, watch therefore, he says, that's in Matthew chapter 24, verse 42, watch therefore. In verse 44 he says, be ye also ready. And at the end of this parable in chapter 25, he says again, watch therefore.

And why is that? It is because we do not know the hour and the day when the Son of Man is coming. And so may the Lord help us to prayerfully consider that. These warnings, I was going to say they're as relevant today as they were when Jesus spoke them. would it not be wrong would it be right to say that they are more relevant now because we must be closer to the time of the lord's second coming so how much do we think about them how much do we consider them is that switch as it were in our minds turned off to the warnings that there are in god's word and It would be right as well to consider also the possibility that we will die before the Lord comes again the second time. It is right to be, there's the warning there, isn't there? To be prepared. To be ready.

Now, I want you then to come back to this door. The door was shut. And for a moment, I want to speak about the door being open. The door being open. I've already mentioned that hymn, the door of his mercy stands open all day, but the door is open, the door isn't shut yet, the door was open as it were and not locked to those, either wise or the foolish virgins before the bridegroom came. They were not, at that time, they were not shut out, there was not that separation between the wise and the foolish, there wasn't that salvation for five of them and damnation the other five that hadn't yet occurred the door was still open and I do want to speak about that briefly this evening it would not be right to just to speak about the door being shut without without speaking about the door being open and it is that door of the Lord's mercy I quoted this morning and we'll quote it again And those words of the Lord Jesus Christ, he that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. That is an open door.

In the book of the Revelation, we read about doors that the Lord shuts and no man can open. And we have an example of that door being shut, if you like, in the parable. But the Lord also speaks of doors that are open and no man can shut. And that door of the Lord's mercy is a door that is open and no man can shut.

And to think about that, we think about that text, that wonderful promise. He that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. There is no possible way that the Lord will not hear the prayers of those who have been drawn unto him, who are praying that they might know the Lord more, that their sins might be forgiven, or even praying that they might feel their sins more, that the Lord would give them some evidence that there is some spiritual life within. Those that are praying the Lord, there is no way There is no possibility, it is not possible that the Lord should cast them out, should not hear their prayers, should not hear their cries, should not answer their prayers, should reject them. That is what Jesus is saying. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

The beginning part of that verse, John 6.37, is also encouraging. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.

All those who are the Lord's will be drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ, will come to him, will be brought to him in prayer. And that really speaks about that work of election and that work of grace. It is really that part of it, if you like, is the words of Jesus, the equivalent of the words of Jesus being spoken to Lazarus. Lazarus, come forth. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.

So that is an open door. But there was another open door that I wanted to mention, one that has been in my mind quite a lot recently. I went to a baptism a little while ago now, and before the person was baptized, the man who was taken, the minister who was taken to baptism, gave her these words before she went into the water. From the book of the Revelation, chapter 3, and verse 8. The words of Jesus, I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it.

And what a wonderful thought that was to me as I thought about it and as he explained that the Lord had given through salvation, had given to this person a glimpse, a doorway into heaven. And that as they looked as it were, if they were to lift their eyes up, to look above the things of this world to look into heaven there is an open door there the door into heaven for them was not shut it was open and no man can shut that door and that is the promise of the Lord to each of his people that they will be brought to where he is that they will be delivered from their sins that they will have that robe of the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to cover all of their sins so they appear before him perfect, an open door that no man can shut. It is a wonderful thought, isn't it? If we have those tokens, those evidences that the Lord knows us, that is what it is.

He has set before us. He has put before us, as it were, in the distance, an open door and no man can shut it. No one else. We also can't shut it ourselves. And I say that because we are such sinners, aren't we? Sometimes we feel so ashamed of the returns that we make unto the Lord in the face of his extreme love and salvation. No man can shut it. What grace and what love there is in that thought. I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it.

In the following chapter, in the book of the revelation in chapter four there is it speaks more about that door a door was opened in heaven and john there through that revelation much that is mysterious and cannot be understood really but just speaking very simply through that doorway the john the divine saw first of all god sitting on the throne and then he saw jesus as the lion and as the lamb of Judah. In chapter 5 it speaks of his sadness that no man was found worthy to open that book of life. In other words, it seemed that there would not be salvation for anyone.

And then Jesus Christ was found worthy to open it. And it was through Jesus Christ, he was the one, through him has come that salvation. But that was a lovely thought to me really, that doorway, that door into heaven. to see god the father but also to see jesus christ and to see jesus christ as our savior the one who was worthy to open that book of life that there might be salvation just on a personal note i was a little while back i was sitting outside and in the garden and it was a lovely day and i was looking up into the into the blue sky and there was some white clouds about and I was thinking of these words came into my mind and my heart was a bit softened because we just had an answer to prayer and I thought of that one day there will be for each of the Lord's people that looking up as it were and there will be that door into heaven at the moment we cannot see it but there will come a time when we do see God and appear before him not as a sinner but as perfect with the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we will see Jesus face to face with nothing but in between.

There will come that time for each of the Lord's people. And that is that open door. It will never be shut for the Lord's people. But in the parable that Jesus said, in this he is speaking about that time of his second coming and that day of judgment.

And there will come a time, won't there, when there will be no more. Prayers will not be heard. No matter how those prayers are made, no matter what the heart is like that they come from, prayer will no longer be made. May the Lord help us then to take that warning to heart, to heart, that there will come a time when it is too late, when the door will be shut.

Again, just a very simple thought struck me. Again, as I was thinking about that last hymn, one of my favourites, speaking about the mercy of the Lord, how it breaks us down. But what would it be if we were to remember an occasion when we were sung this and realise that we sung it when the door was open and then now we think back on the door, it was too late and the door is closed. To think back on that in eternity of punishment, what an awful thought that would be. to think back that there was a time when the door was open.

We switch the warnings off. May the Lord help us then to take these things to heart. Now, I do want to come back then to what does it mean? What is it? What do we need to be ready for the second coming of the Lord? What do we need to be ready for the day of our death?

And for that, the words that came into my mind were those words of the, well, that came through the Apostle Paul, really, as he was writing to Timothy in that second epistle. I'll say come into your mind as well, but to Timothy chapter one and verse 12, he says, nevertheless, I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. I believe that that sums up, as it were, that the Apostle had, if you like, that oil, that oil, the necessary oil, that preparation for the future. It was that faith and that strong faith that the Lord Jesus Christ would be able to bring him through the day of his death, or if he came again before the day of his death, the Lord Jesus Christ would draw him to himself, and for him it would not be the fiery judgment, but instead that going to meet the Lord in the air. And it was that, it was the faith of the Apostle Paul, that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know whom I have believed. There's a lot in that, isn't there? Do you know who you have believed, and do I know whom I have believed? You think about what you read, or even what you hear on the news, or even about sometimes the attitudes that we can imbibe from what we read without realising it. Do you always check who's written them? If you do, do you know them? Do you know some of the journalists, or correspondents, or the authors, or whatever? Most of the time, I guess we don't. Or if we recognize the name, we still don't know much about them. Or even if we do, we don't know enough.

But the apostle said, I know whom I had believed and he had believed the Lord Jesus Christ. That was what he had believed and he knew that it was true. To you and I, do we believe the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we believe the warnings that he has given? Do we believe him when he said, he that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. But then he says, I am persuaded. That suggests, doesn't it, almost, that there was a time when he didn't believe that, when he struggled against it, that he had to be convinced.

There's a slight encouragement there, isn't there? The Apostle Paul is not so different from us. I am persuaded that he, Jesus Christ, is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. And you notice that the apostle is making no contribution at all. He's not making that preparation for that day in that sense. And this is really where I think we can, we must be careful about the parable. He hasn't gone out to buy the oil.

He has entrusted his salvation the time of the second coming of the Lord Jesus, the time of his death, he has entrusted all of that to the Lord Jesus. And that is an expression of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am persuaded that he, Jesus, is able to keep that which I have committed unto him. He has committed his soul. He has committed his salvation. He has committed himself. unto the Lord Jesus against the day of his death and that is if you like a definition of what faith is and trust is that is that preparation isn't it is to have that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he and he alone is the only one that is able to bring us through that sounds a bit negative but we'll leave it like that for the moment he is the only ones able to bring us through that time of the Lord's second coming or our death I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed I did wonder if we could without distorting this almost shorten that I am persuaded that he is able. I am persuaded that he is able.

That the Lord Jesus Christ is able to forgive all my sins. That the Lord Jesus Christ is able to deliver me from my sins. That the Lord Jesus Christ is able to cleanse me from my sins in such a way that they are completely gone as far as the East is from the West. That the Lord Jesus Christ, through that substitution, his obedience will become mine.

And that is an amazing thought, isn't it? 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the last verse, verse 20, I think. He was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God. And the righteousness, the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ being transferred to each of the Lord's people. It's as if, and this almost sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? It's as if we had lived that life that the Lord Jesus Christ lived, a life of absolute perfection. But nothing lower than that is acceptable to God, and that is that righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what the Apostle Paul was persuaded.

And all the doubts that may have been in his mind, there were times of doubt, weren't there? There were times, think of the time of the thorn in the flesh. There were times when he didn't understand what the Lord was doing. He went through many sufferings, didn't he? He went through much uncertainty. Think of the shipwreck, for example. But he was also persuaded that the Lord Jesus Christ would bring him through all of that.

May the Lord give us that same faith. In that passage that we read from Peter, there is something really very similar and so just verse 14 of that 2 Peter chapter 3. Wherefore beloved seeing that you look for such things be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. Well we're not without spot and we're not without we're not blameless on the earth but our hope if our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ our trust and knowledge is that we will be without spot and blameless that you may be found of him in peace the peace of knowing of trusting the lord jesus christ oh may the lord give us more of that faith but finally i just want to come back to this parable and the thought struck me as i was thinking about it It was a wedding feast.

And I've read it and we've spoken about it as a warning and I believe it's right to do so. I believe that Jesus summarized his message at the end of it was, watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. But it isn't just a time to be dreaded, is it?

It was a wedding. It was a wedding. And I hadn't really thought about it before, but the duties that had been given to those 10 virgins, it was a duty, a pleasure really, wasn't it? I am sure that as we would look forward to going to a wedding because of our love for the two that are being married, because of our love for them, we'd be happy to be involved or to help or to attend, to help them, but I'm sure that it would have been the same for these virgins. I know it's a parable, but we'd still look at it in the same way. It was their duty, it was to welcome. It was to be a pleasant duty. Now five of them failed in that through lack of preparation.

But as I was thinking about that of a marriage, and thinking about that second coming of the Lord Jesus, and I go back to really Peter's epistle. He speaks, doesn't he, about that second coming, and he speaks about it as that time of judgment. Verse 10 especially. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. But then, he says, doesn't he, nevertheless, verse 13, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

And just wanted to think about that for a moment. How much are we, and how much am I, looking forward to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? It's been on my mind recently, there have been quite a few reminders really of this, and I feel to come very far short of this. Perhaps at the beginning of our lives, it is a thing to be dreaded, isn't it? Like it was with me when the minister preached about it, I didn't want to hear.

But if there is that work of grace in our hearts, then surely that's changed. And you think of the bride waiting for the coming of her bridegroom, the wife waiting for the coming of her husband. There wouldn't be a time of dread, would it? It'd be something to look forward to. And I find that a very challenging question.

If I were to ask myself, in my life at the moment, how much time do I think about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. If I am one of his, how much love is there in my heart that is reaching out, as it were, and longing for the Lord Jesus Christ to come again? Is it, for example, I know it's not, but should it be my first waking thought? Will it be today that the Lord Jesus comes again and I shall see him in his glory face to face?

It isn't, but perhaps it should be. And Peter said as much, didn't he? Looking for and hasting unto, in verse 12, hastening the coming. Or as we might say, I'm really looking forward to something. I can't wait. That's really the same expression, but in slightly different language. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.

The Lord knows what there is in our hearts, but may he help us to prayerfully consider this. It is a measure, isn't it, of the love, the real, genuine love that we have for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a shameful thought, as I think of the things that occupy my mind, that so often the things of this world, I'm not trivializing any of them, But so often, it is the things of time, if you like, the occupant, the problems of time, the sadnesses of time, the griefs that relate to this life. If I am one of the Lords, should I not be looking above them, lifting up my eyes and looking for, as it says here, that's what Peter says we should be, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, when there will be that marriage supper of the Lamb, We shall be delivered from our sinful bodies, from our sinful minds, when that sin will be taken away, the desire to sin, the natural desire to turn away from God, when that will be taken away. And if there is love in our hearts that the Lord has put there, overflowing out with nothing to hinder it, nothing to stop it, nothing to restrict it, overflowing out towards God. seeing the Lord Jesus Christ with nothing in between, nothing to, nothing that we can't see as it were and an eternity to look at him and to get to know him and to get to know him more and more and more to have that union with him.

May the Lord give us that sort of love, may he give us more of it and may he help us. If we do not know him, oh may he help us to take heed of these warnings and to cry unto him that he would work in our hearts, that if we do know him, if we do have those tokens and evidences that we know him, oh may there be that love and that longing to see him more. May the Lord add his blessing.

Amen. Let us sing hymn number 11, the tune Centennial 915. Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, the joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue. Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last, has won my affection and bound my soul fast. The door of thy mercy stands open all day, The poor and the needy are not by the way. No sinner shall ever be empty sent back. You come seeking mercy, for Jesus is saved. Hymn number 11, tune 915. My God is the King of my soul, and joy of my heart and love of soul. First to the Lord, that won my affections and bound my soul fast.
Broadcaster:
Salem Strict Baptist Church
Theology:
#Eschatology #Predestination #Biblical Authority
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