Are You Ready for the Bridegroom?

 Are You Ready for the Bridegroom?

Watching, Serving, and Sharing Christ Until He Comes.

Jesus said in Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verse six:

“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’”

Jesus repeatedly taught His followers to live in expectation of His return. He did not tell us the day or hour, but He made one truth unmistakably clear:

We must be ready to meet Him.

In Matthew, chapter twenty-five, Jesus described ten virgins waiting for a bridegroom. Five were wise, and five were foolish.

All ten possessed lamps. All ten expected the bridegroom. All ten became drowsy and slept while his arrival was delayed.

However, only five had prepared for the wait.

At midnight, a cry was heard:

“Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”

The wise women had oil, and their lamps were burning. The foolish women had failed to prepare. While they went away to obtain oil, the bridegroom arrived.

Those who were ready entered the wedding celebration, and the door was shut.

Jesus concluded:

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

This parable presents every person with a personal question:

Are you ready for the Bridegroom?

Throughout Scripture, Jesus is presented as the Bridegroom, and His people are compared to a bride preparing for Him.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus comforted His disciples in John, chapter fourteen.

He said:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.”

His departure was not abandonment. Jesus promised to return and receive His people.

Our greatest hope is not merely escaping the troubles of this world. Our hope is being with Jesus.

Heaven is precious because Christ is there. The Father’s house is our destination because Jesus has promised to bring His people home.

But readiness is more than knowing that He will return.

All ten women knew that a bridegroom was expected. The difference between them was not information. It was preparation.

It is possible to study Bible prophecy, discuss the signs of the times, and know much about the Book of Revelation without having surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ.

Readiness does not come from knowing the correct prophetic timeline, belonging to a denomination, or listening to a favorite teacher.

We are made ready through a genuine relationship with Jesus.

We must recognize that we have sinned and cannot save ourselves. We must believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. We must turn to Him and place our trust in Him.

No amount of good works can purchase our salvation. Jesus alone can save us.

Therefore, the most important question is not, “Do I know when Jesus may return?”

The question is, “Do I belong to Him?”

The foolish women also teach us that preparation cannot be borrowed from someone else.

We cannot depend upon a spouse’s faith, a parent’s prayers, a pastor’s ministry, or a church’s reputation.

Other people can pray for us, teach us, and share the Gospel with us. But no one can personally trust Christ on our behalf.

Each of us must respond to Jesus.

The bridegroom did not arrive as quickly as the women expected. The waiting period revealed who had prepared wisely.

Christ’s return may sometimes appear delayed from our human perspective. Generations of believers have watched, prayed, served, and died without seeing His return during their lifetime.

Second Peter, chapter three, explains that the Lord is not careless concerning His promise. He is patient because He does not desire that anyone should perish, but that people should come to repentance.

Every additional day is an opportunity for someone to hear the Gospel and be saved.

But God’s patience must never be mistaken for the cancellation of His promise. Jesus will return at the time appointed by the Father.

The question is what we will do while we wait.

Biblical watchfulness does not mean staring at the sky while neglecting our responsibilities.

Watching for Christ means living every day with the awareness that He could return and that we will give an account to Him.

We watch by remaining close to Jesus.

We watch by guarding His words in our hearts.

We watch by resisting deception, confessing our sins, and returning quickly when we fail.

We watch by praying for people who do not know Christ.

We watch by loving others and using our time, abilities, resources, and opportunities for God’s purposes.

We watch by sharing the Gospel.

Not every Christian holds the formal office of an evangelist, but every follower of Jesus can participate in Gospel witness.

Some may speak to large audiences. Others may share Christ with one family member, neighbor, friend, coworker, or jail inmate.

One person may preach from a pulpit. Another may write a lesson, make a telephone call, record a message, or faithfully pray for someone for many years.

The size of the audience does not determine the eternal value of our service.

The Bride of Christ does not prepare for the Bridegroom by watching the sky while neglecting the people around her.

We prepare by remaining faithful to Christ and helping others become ready to meet Him.

It is also significant that Jesus placed the Parable of the Talents immediately after the account of the ten virgins.

The first parable tells us to be ready.

The second tells us to be faithful with what our Master has entrusted to us.

We prepare for Christ by investing the lives He has given us.

We do not know whether Jesus will return during our lifetime or call us home through death. Either way, His instruction remains the same:

Be ready.

Be faithful.

Use what He has placed in your hands.

Do what He has asked you to do.

And leave the results with God.

Readiness does not mean sinless perfection.

Some sincere believers become frightened because they remember their weaknesses and failures. But our confidence is not found in flawless performance. It is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Readiness means that we belong to Christ, depend upon Him, and refuse to make peace with sin.

When we stumble, we do not run away from Jesus. We confess our sin and return to Him.

A prepared heart can still be a struggling heart. The important question is the direction in which that heart is moving.

Are we trusting Christ?

Are we listening to His voice?

Are we responding when He corrects us?

Are we learning to love what He loves?

Are we longing to be with Him?

The foolish women apparently assumed they could prepare later. But the closed door reminds us that preparation cannot be postponed forever.

If you do not know Jesus, do not wait until you feel worthy. None of us is worthy through our own goodness.

Come to Him as you are.

Acknowledge your sin. Believe that Jesus Christ died in your place and rose from the dead. Ask Him to forgive you, save you, and become the Lord of your life.

Acts, chapter sixteen, verse thirty-one says:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

If you already belong to Jesus, do not allow the waiting period to make you spiritually careless.

Keep your heart near Christ.

Continue praying for your family.

Continue sharing the Gospel.

Continue forgiving.

Continue encouraging.

Continue obeying His Word.

Continue investing whatever God has entrusted to you.

You may not be able to do everything you once did, but you can remain faithful in your present season.

A prayer offered from a chair, an encouraging telephone call, a testimony shared with one person, or a lesson written from years of experience may become part of God’s work in another person’s life.

One day, the waiting will end.

The announcement will be heard:

“Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”

The Bridegroom has promised to return.

The Father’s house is waiting.

The wedding celebration is approaching.

And the Gospel invitation is still being offered.

Therefore, let us prepare our hearts, invest our lives, and help others become ready.

May we live each day watching, serving, praying, and sharing Christ until He comes.

And when the Bridegroom appears, may He find us ready.