28 November 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Isaiah 1.1-9; 2 Peter 3.1-10; Matthew 25.1-13

In the beginning of Isaiah’s prophecy we get a glimpse of the utter devastation of the land due to their apostasy. What is the basic complaint? There is no knowledge or recognition of the Lord and His role vis a vis the nation. God’s desire is to be known by a people who will then reveal the creator of all to the world. In Orlando, Walt Disney wanted to build a community with 20,000 which would be a model community and a test bed of policy but Orlando required him to build the Magic Kingdom first and then the initial idea was “reduced” to what we know today as Epcot – the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was to be a place that showed the world the way of the future, how best to live in the world. That is what God intended for Israel, that it would show the world how truly to live in the world He created. Their failure as a nation to recognize and reveal Him to the world receives judgment not because God wants to be loved but because their apostasy affects the entire world. We as Christians need to take a lesson as we are to be the prototype community of today.

Are we prepared for the coming of the Lord? Have we managed our oil stocks so that when he comes we are ready to go with Him? The wise virgins brought extra oil with them and the foolish did not. Preparation is key in this parable. Being prepared for God to delay by acknowledging that we do not know the hour is important. When we understand that we can study the Word exhaustively and still not be able to predict the time of His coming again, we will understand that we need to be prepared to run a marathon not a sprint. The preparation for each is very different. The foolish virgins assumed they knew when the bridegroom would come out to them and found that their assumption only failed to allow them to enter the feast. We must be prepared for the long haul and not be disappointed or surprised at delay.

Even the delay, Peter says, has the quality of mercy, God wants us to repent not perish, and He is patiently waiting for us to believe. There will, however, come a day of judgment when all that is not eternal will be exposed and burned away in the fire of God’s wrath. What is it we are building in and through our lives and will it last?

Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.