Are You Prepared—or Do You Just Think You Are?

The Warning of the Foolish Virgins and the Unprofitable Servant

I'm Well Done | Preparing for Eternity | Matthew 25:1–30

There is a question every person who professes to know Jesus Christ should seriously consider:

Am I truly prepared to meet Jesus, or have I simply convinced myself that I am?

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus told two remarkable parables. One concerns ten virgins waiting for a bridegroom. The other concerns three servants entrusted with their master's possessions.

Together, they teach us that we must be prepared for Christ's return and faithful with what He has entrusted to us.

But there is another responsibility we must not overlook: helping others come to know Jesus while we still have the opportunity.

The Foolish Virgins: They Thought They Were Ready

In Matthew 25:1–13, Jesus describes ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

Five were wise, and five were foolish.

All ten expected the bridegroom. All carried lamps. All became drowsy and slept while waiting.

But only the wise virgins brought extra oil.

At midnight, the announcement came that the bridegroom was approaching.

The foolish virgins discovered they were unprepared. While they went to purchase more oil, the bridegroom arrived.

Those who were ready entered the wedding celebration.

And the door was shut.

When the others returned, they pleaded to be admitted. But the bridegroom answered:

“Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

— Matthew 25:12 (KJV)

What a sobering statement!

These women expected to participate in the wedding, yet they were not ready when the moment arrived.

The lesson is not that Christians must accumulate enough good works to earn salvation. Rather, it warns us against assuming that outward religious association is the same as genuine spiritual readiness.

Jesus concluded:

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

— Matthew 25:13 (KJV)

We must never confuse knowing about Jesus with truly knowing Him.

The Unprofitable Servant: He Buried What He Received

Immediately afterward, Jesus tells another parable in Matthew 25:14–30.

A master entrusted his possessions to three servants before leaving on a journey.

One received five talents, another two, and the third one. Each received according to his ability.

The first two servants invested what they received and produced an increase.

But the third servant dug a hole and buried his master's money.

When the master returned, the first two servants presented what they had gained.

Both heard these wonderful words:

“Well done, thou 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 (KJV)

But the third servant returned only what he had originally received.

He explained that he had been afraid.

The master called him wicked and slothful.

Consider this carefully.

The servant did not lose what his master entrusted to him. He simply failed to use it.

Fear prevented him from fulfilling his responsibility.

And this raises an important question for every Christian.

Are We Burying the Gospel?

Think about the greatest treasure we have received.

It is not money, property, or earthly possessions.

It is the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the salvation made possible through His death and resurrection.

We have received the Good News that sinners can be forgiven and reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

But what are we doing with that knowledge?

Are we sharing it?

Are we helping others understand it?

Or have we become so comfortable with our own salvation that we rarely consider those who still need to hear the Gospel?

Jesus commanded:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...”

— Matthew 28:19 (KJV)

Not everyone is called to preach publicly. But every believer can participate in making Christ known.

Some share the Gospel through conversations. Others teach, write, encourage, support missionaries, serve their neighbors, or use technology to reach people they may never meet.

We should not assume that every quiet or fearful Christian is identical to the condemned servant in the parable. Jesus' warning concerns a broader failure of faithfulness.

Nevertheless, the application is serious.

If God has entrusted us with opportunities to make Christ known, why would we continually bury those opportunities?

Paul wrote:

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

— 1 Corinthians 9:16 (KJV)

Paul understood that sharing the Gospel was a sacred responsibility.

We should approach our opportunities with that same sense of purpose.

Why the Urgency?

We do not know how much time remains before Jesus returns.

Nor do we know how many days remain in our individual lives.

Jesus promised to return, and Paul described believers being caught up to meet the Lord in the air in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17.

Christians differ about the timing of these events, but one truth remains certain:

Our opportunities to serve God in this present life are limited.

Peter wrote:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

— 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

God's patience should never be mistaken for indifference.

Every additional day provides opportunities for repentance, reconciliation, and faithful service.

We cannot force someone to believe. We cannot save another person's soul.

Only Jesus Christ saves.

But we can faithfully share the message He has entrusted to us.

Paul explained:

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

— 1 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV)

Our responsibility is faithfulness. The results belong to God.

What If We Have Waited Too Long?

Perhaps you are thinking:

"I have been a Christian for years, but I have never seriously considered these responsibilities."

Maybe you regret missed opportunities. Perhaps fear of rejection or not knowing what to say has kept you silent.

Or perhaps you are only now beginning to understand what preparing for eternity really means.

Here is something important to remember:

You cannot change yesterday, but you can faithfully invest today.

God's grace is greater than our past failures.

Peter denied Jesus three times. Yet Jesus restored him and gave him meaningful work to do.

Our past mistakes do not have to determine how we respond to Christ today.

Remember also that the first two servants did not produce identical results.

One gained five additional talents. The other gained two.

Yet both received the same words of approval:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

The emphasis was on faithfulness with what each had received.

A conversation with a neighbor, a Scripture shared with a friend, or an act of kindness done in Jesus' name may have an impact we never see.

We are not responsible for producing impressive numbers.

We are responsible for faithfully using what God has entrusted to us.

Salvation Is by Grace, but Faithfulness Matters

Before concluding, we must understand an essential distinction.

We are not saved because we share the Gospel, perform good works, or earn heavenly rewards.

Paul wrote:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

But he immediately continued:

“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 (KJV)

Salvation is God's gift.

Good works are the fruit of a life transformed by His grace.

Scripture also teaches that believers' works will be examined at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:12–15).

We should not confuse the final judgment portrayed in Matthew 25 with Paul's teaching about the testing of believers' works. Nevertheless, both passages remind us that our response to God matters.

We are called to live faithfully, not to earn salvation, but because we have received it.

Are You Prepared?

As we bring these teachings together, three questions deserve our prayerful consideration.

First: Do I truly know Jesus Christ as my Savior?

Have I placed my faith in Him for forgiveness and eternal life?

Second: Am I faithfully using what God has entrusted to me?

My time, abilities, resources, opportunities, and knowledge of His Word?

Third: Am I helping others prepare for eternity?

Or am I keeping the greatest message ever given to humanity largely to myself?

The foolish virgins remind us that spiritual readiness cannot be postponed indefinitely.

The unprofitable servant reminds us that entrusted opportunities should not be buried.

And the Great Commission reminds us that the Gospel is meant to be shared.

We may not know when our earthly journey will end.

But we know what Jesus has called His followers to do while we are here.

Perhaps there is someone who needs your encouragement, someone who needs to hear the Gospel, or someone who needs to know that forgiveness and eternal life are available through Jesus Christ.

Don't wait until you stand before the Master to consider what you should have done with what He entrusted to you.

Begin today.

Because the greatest reward we could ever hope to hear is not the applause of this world, but those precious words from our Lord:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”