If you would turn with me, please, to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25, and we're going to read from verse 1. One of the parables of the Lord. Matthew 25, verse 1, and it's commonly known as the parable of the ten virgins. Thus saith the word of the Lord. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lumps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lumps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lumps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so. Least there be not enough for us and you, "'Go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.' 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. Afterward came also the other virgin, saying, "'Lord, Lord, open to us.'" But he answered and said verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." And we trust that the Lord will bless the public reading of his word to our hearts. Whenever we were missionaries in Brazil, We had a visit on a number of occasions from a German missionary called Hinoldov, and he worked with a mission society in Portuguese. It was Shemada Meanoitch, or the Midnight Call, a link to the prophetic witness here in the UK. And he come to speak in our church principally about the second coming of the Lord, warning people to be prepared to meet their God. I remember on one occasion in particular, he delivered a sermon entitled, The Five Keys of Heaven. Boys, was it a powerful message? And it was taken there from Revelation 1 and 18. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. and have the keys of hell and of death. One of those meetings you could have heard a pin drop. One of those meetings that there was a tremendous response to the gospel appeal and call at the end with a number of souls getting saved. In our text, Jesus had been dealing with a type of a spiritual question time. And that began in Matthew 24. And in verse 3, if you want to turn the page back, you find there, as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Then Jesus broke into that dialogue in response and told them of all of those signs that would be those things that they might identify as leading up to the sign of his coming. Hear of wars and rumors of wars, but be ye not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end. is not yet. Then from the discourse and the response and many more signs that the Lord give, then we come and we remember in the original Greek text there was no division of the chapters, so this was a continuation of that dialogue. Then the Lord speaks to his disciples using this parable about the kingdom of God, illustrating it with this parable of the ten virgins. Firstly, we want to see about the ceremony. We all know whenever we hear of a wedding, we're thinking of the ceremony, the location there, the number present, those who'll be officiating, but in principle, we think of the bride. I've been the bridegroom. But you tend to think more of the bride and what she'll look like, et cetera. But in our text there, we read of the bridegroom. You see, there's symbolic significance in that that we'll go into by and by in this message. But friends, what we can see here is that all 10 received an invitation to the wedding feast. It simply says in verse 2, and five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. They all sat out that day, having received an invitation, and thinking that they were ready, that they were prepared for what would lie ahead. Friends, when we come to this text, we find that the actual ceremony, the wedding ceremony, probably already was by for the betrothed couple. They were probably lawfully married. And what we're waiting upon then is what we might term as the evening reception. But as they waited, they waited, and they waited, and waited a bit more. because the bridegroom tarried." Friends, can I say this? The Scripture refers to the Lord Jesus Christ in similar terms. In Matthew and in chapter 9 and verses 14 and 15, there was a question, an issue that arose, that the Pharisees fasted that the disciples of John the Baptist fasted, but the Lord's disciples didn't fast at this time. The Lord was asked about it to explain why that was. And he replied to the question, can they that mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Will they be mourning? Of course not. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast." So the Lord was referring to himself in the symbolic words. referred to as a bridegroom. And here, this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and his second coming. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ coming for those who are saved, coming for his church. But you see, there's something significant. The invitation was issued to all 10. Wasn't that five received and five had gave Christ the ceremony? No, all 10 were there. All 10 had received an invitation. Do you know something? Tonight, everyone here as well has received an invitation from the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus, in Matthew's gospel, in chapter 11, gives all here an invitation to what is referred to as the marriage feast of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. Come unto me, all ye, not just the good, the religious, all ye that labour under heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for a meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. So the Lord tonight, just as it was for all 10, issues an invitation, a personal one to you. Yes, you, my dear and safe friend. Bidding you to come. Bidding you to come tonight. Bidding you to respond positively to his invitation. To come and to trust him and to be prepared for his second coming. So there's not only the ceremony and what was taking place here, but what I also have referred to as a conformity, because it wasn't only the fact that all 10 had received an invitation and were there in a sense by right. But friends, as we read this story there, I have no doubt, we read here that all 10 also brought their lamps. They had that in common. Each one of them had a lump with them. I've no doubt about the fact that being ladies there and having had a wedding invitation, they all had new outfits. If they were living today, they would have had their mobile phones, they would be taking selfies and posting it on Facebook. Friends, all 10 couldn't really be distinguished They had received an invitation. They had brought their lamps. To tell you something else, they were punctual. They were there before their time. They weren't going to miss this great occasion. They waited with bated breath for the arrival of their bridegroom. They were punctual. They were seated. They were waiting. Friends, As we, if we could have been transported to that scene, and even though we have the knowledge that there were five wise and five foolish, I almost guarantee you to look upon them. Now, where's the five wise, Pastor Billy? I couldn't really have identified them. They all looked the same. You know, if a stranger come in to Bali Baptist tonight, and someone were to say to that visitor, Can you identify those that are wise and are saved tonight, and those that are spiritually foolish and have not made preparation for eternity? I guarantee you'd have a hard job. Well, pastor, they all look the same. They're all dressed. There's all ages. They're well behaved. I couldn't distinguish. You see, these were outer things that they had all in common but it was the oil that was lacking for some. You see, the oil is symbolic in Scripture of the Holy Spirit, and that indwells a believer. And it's not something that you can look from the outside and see within. I wonder tonight, in this gathering, as we think of conformity, We think of everyone here, gathered here. I hope that you've enjoyed the ministry of Revelation. I hope that you've listened to the words of their songs, the hymns that we've been singing. And perhaps here tonight, you would all say, we've enjoyed the meeting thus far. It's been really good, friendly people. I'm enjoying being here. We have that in common. But friends, As the Lord would look down upon this meeting, he can discern between those who have been wise and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their own and personal Savior, and those who spiritually are foolish, who as yet are leaving it until what you might think is the last moment. leaving it until what the world calls chance. Let me tell you, friends, there never is a last minute because we know in the book of Acts that Felix talked about a convenient time. The convenient time never comes. Chance, it doesn't exist. But friends, the scripture makes it clear. Now is the appointed time. Now is the day of salvation. Well, friends, we think off the ceremony. We think off the conformity. All look the same. But then in this text, we read off the cry. While the bridegroom tarried, they slumbered and slept, all ten. And at midnight, there was a cry made. And behold, the bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet him." Oh, friends, the wait was so long. The expectancy of these ten ladies had turned to usurpation. They just were fed up. They were, how long is he ever coming at all? And they fell into what could be determined a spiritual slumber and sleep. You see, the thought was, is he ever going to come? And as I was thinking about that slumber and sleep, I apply that same lesson to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today, talking about those that know and love the Lord. And they will say to me, but Pastor Billy, I heard preachers, those who were old enough in the 1960s, in the 1970s, in the 1980s, in the 1990s, especially around the millennium. And since then, talk about the return of the Lord. Talk about the second coming. Where is he? Where is it? He seems to be tired. Because there's no expectancy of the immediate return of the Lord Jesus Christ, many believers, friends, are slumbering and sleeping. Friends, can I remind you of what Peter said In 2 Peter 2 and 4, he was dealing with that very issue in his day in the early church. Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep or passed away, all things continue as they were. And he reminded the believers then, as we need to be reminded all here tonight, that one day is with the Lord as what? A thousand years. And a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise. He has promised he will return. as some men counts likeness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." There's your answer. Why is the Lord tarrying? Why is the second coming so delayed? Mercy and grace and love for the unsaved. That is why they give you an additional 24 hours to repent of your sins because he is willing, he desires that none should perish. But friends, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. And the thief doesn't phone you up on your mobile and say, by the way, Billy, I'll be calling around about midnight at your house to rob it. He comes at the most unexpected, inconvenient time, when you're not ready, when you're not prepared for it. And so it was As the midnight bell struck, the cry went up, the bridegroom cometh. Friends, he had been making his way down one street into another, and now he was about to turn the corner, where these ten girls, these ten virgins, were slumbering and sleeping. He was approaching and they didn't know it. They didn't realize it. He was so close. Could it be tonight in God's prophetical calendar that he is ever closer getting? And friends, you're slumbering and sleeping unaware that he's just not coming down one street, down another, but he's at the street corner and the cry is about to go up. that the bridegroom cometh. And friends, then the difference between the ten become apparent. Because they all took their lumps, and the five that had been wise trimmed them, and they had oil in them, the five who were foolish had no oil. They had no empowerment. No indwelling of the Spirit of God. Oh, they looked just like the other five girls. If you had asked anyone, you'd have said they were all saved. They were all ready. But outward appearances deceive, because inwardly there was no light. Inwardly there was just darkness. We remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world. And friends, when he comes into your life as your friend and your savior, your Lord, well then you are indwelt and empowered by a spirit. And the light of Jesus then can radiate from you. Oh, you see, friends, these five foolish girls made this mistake. They thought that they could borrow oil. Now, what do you mean by that, pastor? We read, and the foolish said in verse 8, unto the wise, give us of your oil, for our lumps are gone out. What this is telling us is, that there is no such thing as borrowed faith. What do you mean by that, Billy? Simply this. You may well say, but pastor, my parents are godly people. Saved long ago. Brought me up in the admonition of the Lord. I knew what was right and what was wrong from I was no height at all. I sat in the house and I watched them pray. heard them often speak about the Lord as we gathered around an open Bible. The thought being, well, because my parents are righteous, somehow, before a holy God, that will do me a great favor. Somehow, that will earn me merit, and that will help me to get to heaven. There are others who maybe think, you know, I was brought up in a church. Went to Sunday school from no height. I could cite to you and memorize verses. I know them all. But they don't know the Savior. And they gain the thought because they've went to a church, and maybe a good evangelical church. Somehow again, it gains some favor, it gains some merit. But friends, it does not make you ready for heaven. Maybe you have done many good things. helped in charitable institutions and societies and given generously. And all of that is worthy in and of itself. But friends, good works will never earn our way into heaven. And you think, friends, that you have like a borrowed faith, all these things will add up, all these things will count. I'll be able to take them, be able to use them, and they'll make me ready. The lesson is here, that those who were wise said, not so. They couldn't give of their oil to them. What had been bestowed upon them was theirs. And friends, unless you have Jesus tonight, you have nothing. Oh, you may have your mansion, you may have your wealth, you may have your health, but ultimately these things come to pass and are no more. Only what Jesus gives to us is eternal and last. Friend, the cry went up, but five were not ready. Five had no oil. If I were to go around this congregation tonight and ask, is there oil in your lung? Are you trusting in Jesus, indwelt by the Spirit of God, empowered by the Spirit of God? Would you know anything about it? They all looked the same from the outside. But the inward reality was totally different. The cry went up. The bridegroom cometh. If it went up now, would you be ready? Would you be ready to go to heaven? Would the Lord take you up in the rapture? Or would you be left? Would you perish? The ceremony, the conformity, the cry, and finally the calamity. On the 23rd of June this year, we're all going to have the opportunity to vote on the EU in-out option, otherwise called Brexit. And you'll be able to cast your vote, a yes or a no. And that vote will not only mark the future of our generation, but if the Lord does tarry, future generations. Do you know, whenever I was looking into this, because I do believe it is linked in a way with the coming of the Lord, it was interesting. as I researched the EU flag. Remember that flag? Blue background and it has 12 stars. What I found was the person who designed that way back in 1955, Arsene Hertz, he made it clear that those 12 stars had nothing at all to do with 12 member states. because when the EU started, the EEC, it began with six, it now has 28 nation states. But rather, he disclosed that the inspiration for the flag come from the Bible, come from the book of Revelation, and the woman of apocalypse Revelation 12 and verse 1, who had upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The designer himself made that clear. That was his inspiration. As well as those same twelve stars, there being one of the symbols depicted around the halo of Mary, that Catholicism uses, of which Mr. Hertz was a devout follower. We'll all have our own choices to make. But friends, whenever the cry of the Lord at midnight comes, if you have not made preparation for eternity, it'll be too late. Friends, they went away, and they thought, we'll buy more oil, and off they rushed. But there's a very solemn expression here that we find in verse 10. And the door was shut. There was a finality about that. reminds me of Noah and the ark. When the animals went in two by two, Noah and his family were in. The scripture tells us Noah didn't close the door, but God shut it. The day of opportunity had passed for that generation. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. As he built, he also preached. They had the opportunity, the door was open, wide enough to take all, but none availed. And finally it was shut. And then it was too late. And all perished because they rejected the opportunity of salvation. Can you note something here about those five? They knew of the Lord. And after came also the other virgins saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. They were pleading. They were crying. They knew the name of the Lord. They knew all about him. But friends, it was too late. They had left it too late. The boys were singing, warning us tonight about drifting over the deadline. They drifted over the deadline. what did the Lord respond? "'Verily I say unto you, I know you not.'" Oh, friends, that was a calamity, because these girls were waiting. They knew the bridegroom was coming, but they weren't ready Doesn't 1 Thessalonians 4 and 16 teach us? And the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. Friends, whenever that moment comes, if you're not ready, it will be too late. And the Lord will say, and I know you not, That is why these five are referred to as foolish. They knew the truth. They knew the way. They knew that they needed to be prepared. They knew that they needed to be ready, and yet weren't. They missed their opportunity. I would not like to refer to anyone as being foolish in the normal sense, but spiritually, It is foolishness tonight. It will be a calamity tonight. If the Spirit of the Lord's speaking to you, the invitation's issued, come unto me, Jesus says. And you say, no. Put it off another meeting. Put it off to next Sunday. Put it off to another occasion. And who knows in between? The Lord could return with a shout. and you will be left behind. Your family, those who know the Lord, will go up to be with them, and you will remain behind. I know you not. Friends, surely you will not be foolish in the light of the gospel, in the light of the claims of the Lord and his desire that none should perish. but you surely must come tonight. Don't delay, but come now and trust in Jesus. O sinner, the Savior is calling for thee, not for next Sunday, not even for a midweek meeting, but now. Respond. Prepare. Be ready. and call upon the name of the Lord to save your soul. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. Amen.