Matthew 25

Notes for BSF
See also this related post

BE A WISE VIRGIN (Matthew 25:1-13)

The virgins were all waiting for the bridegroom -- That is, they were all Christians expecting the return of Jesus.

The wise virgins are those who are actively studying the Bible to understand the times of Jesus’ 2nd Coming, so that we will be ready for Him when He returns.

The foolish virgins are those who also follow Christ – However, they became lazy in their walk. They knew that Jesus would return one day, but they never bothered to prepare for it. They didn’t keep their lamps glowing. The light of the lamp is representative of their walk with Christ. The oil they used to light the lamp represents the Holy Spirit. So, the foolish virgins did not tend to the lamp. They didn’t trim the wick or renew the oil. That is, they did not continue to take care of their faith; they did not renew their spirit with the Holy Spirit – And this is why their lamp did not shine with light. This is why they missed the Wedding Party.

Be prepared for Jesus' 2nd coming

Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus is the only way. Truly understand that in our heart.

Matthew 7:24-27
Heed the Words spoken by Jesus.

Matthew 24:4-5, 42, 44
Don’t let anyone deceive us, especially the false prophets.

John 1:12
Receive Jesus, and we can be children of His Kingdom.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8
We are not children of dark but children of light – So let us have the knowledge and not be without understanding of Jesus’ 2nd coming.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Be ready for Jesus’ arrival by remaining sanctified through the Holy Spirit.

Oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit

John 3:5-8
We are born again in the spirit through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9
Followers of Christ have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14
When we received Jesus, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

As long as we hear Jesus’ words and follow Him – not just what we want to hear, but everything that Jesus has said – we know that we are in a solid relationship with Jesus, a relationship based on the WHOLE counsel of His Word. This is why we don’t just read some parts of the Bible and skip others. We should read the ENTIRE Bible.


BE FRUITFUL FOR GOD (Matthew 25:14-30)

Examples of being fruitful for God

Proverbs 3:13-15
Wisdom

Matthew 13:52
Discipleship

Matthew 28:19-20
Spreading the Gospel, making disciples

John 1:9-13
Receive Jesus

John 13:15
We should be an example to others.

John 21:15-17
Feed God’s sheep – Take care of God’s people. This is Jesus’ 2nd commandment: To love others as we love ourselves.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
Learn from the Scripture. The Bible teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us, and trains us in righteousness. That is, the Bible teaches us what is the Righteous Way. It tells us when we are wrong and directs us back to the Righteous Way. It continues to train us, so that we remain on the Righteous Way.

Use what God has given us to the best of our abilities

The man who had received five bags of gold put his money to work and gained five bags more. The man who had two bags of gold also put his money to work and gained two more. To both, their master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"

The man who had received one bag of gold, however, dug a hole in the ground and hid the money instead. He was lazy and did not want to work for the master, so he did nothing with the talent he was given. His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant!" Instead of working for his master, he judged him and worked against him instead.

We are each uniquely equipped to do God's work on Earth. God does not judge us based on what other people were able to do with their abilities. God judges us based on what we have done with what we're given. As believers in Christ, we will not lose our salvation. However, our works determine the rewards we will receive in Heaven, at the Mercy Seat Judgment of Christ (Matthew 25:29; Matthew 13:12; Luke 8:18). We may not lose our salvation, bu we will still be judged for the works we do.


SERVE WITH THE HEART OF CHRIST (Matthew 25:31-46)

Jesus returns not as a Lamb but as a Lion
When Jesus returns, He returns as judge. He will judge between the believers and the non-believers; He will also judge the believers for their works. After these judgement, He will then begin His thousand-year reign on Earth.

Whatever we do, we do as representatives of Christ
Any time we take care of someone else, we have taken care of Jesus. Any time we refuse to help others, we have refused to take care of Jesus.

The way we live reflects our walk with Jesus

Romans 2:7-11
Seek and continue to seek Jesus with patience.

James 2:14-17
Show our faith. It is not enough to just have faith. We need to also have the actions that exemplifies our faith.

1 John 3:16-19
Love in actions. Don’t just say it or know that it is important. God told us to Love God and love others. Everything we do revolves around "agape," God's Love. Knowing this is important, but most importantly, we need to SHOW it in ACTIONS.

Heaven and Hell are eternal

Heaven is where God resides

Matthew 25:10
The door of Heaven closes on those who do not receive Jesus.

Matthew 25:21, 23
When we come into Heaven, Jesus will give us rewards based on what we have done.

Matthew 25:34
As followers of Christ, we will share in the treasures of God’s Kingdom.

Hell is where God is not

Matthew 25:41
Hell is made for Satan and his demons.

Matthew 25:12
People who are in hell die apart from Jesus. They do not know Jesus, and Jesus does not know them.

Matthew 25:30
Hell is dark, where there is gnashing of teeth and weeping.

We were made with eternal souls. We will exist eternally, and the choice to either live eternally in God or apart from God is completely in our hands. It is not the heart of God to have any one of us perish in hell. 

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Instead, it is the heart of God to see us all return to eternal life by His side. However, if we choose to live apart from Him, He will honor our choices.


CLOSING THOUGHTS

Following Jesus is not just saying we want to follow Him and then sit back and do nothing. Following Jesus, being Jesus’ disciples, is a very active commitment. Jesus expects us to know the Bible, and from the Bible, to know of His return. The first step in following Him is to study and understand His Word. We are then to DO what we have learned. This is how we start to follow Jesus with our heart. When our heart belongs to Jesus, we are with Him in eternity.