TREASURY OF SERMONS
Are You Y2K Ready?
By Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo
(Preached at Life BPC, Watchnight Service, 31 Dec 1999)
Text: Matt 25:1-13
We have less than an hour before the clock
strikes 12. The year 2,000 will arrive in just a few minutes.
Throughout 1999 the world has been frantically preparing for the
year 2,000—for Y2K. The #1 question asked throughout was, and even
now, is "Are you Y2K ready?" Are your computers Y2K compliant? The
first world countries say they are Y2K ready, but they also caution
that they cannot be 100% sure that there will be no problems. There
is still the big question mark of uncertainty. They say, "We are Y2K
ready but …". There is always this BUT.
I want to pose the same question to you tonight:
"Are you Y2K ready?" I am not talking about your computers. I am
addressing your spiritual condition. If the Lord were to come in
Y2K, are you ready? Are you prepared to meet your God?
How to be ready or prepared for Y2K? The answer
is in v13, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the
hour wherein the Son of man cometh." The key word here is "watch."
Jesus commands us to "Watch!" The word "watch" here is a military
word. Every soldier must be so geared up that when war comes he can
be mobilised at once. Our eyes must be opened. Our minds must be
alert. Our hearts must be sensitive. Our hands and feet must be
ready for action at any moment. It is good that instead of going to
Orchard Road for the millennium swing, you are here for watchnight
service. To be watchful, we need to enter the year 2000 with a sober
spirit.
The world may be partying, but let the church be
praying. Why? Because Jesus said, "for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." In Matt 24:36-39, the Lord
says, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man. … But as the days of
Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." The world is now
eating and drinking away to welcome the new millennium. They do not
realise that God’s judgment by fire can come at any time, just like
in the days of Noah when the flood came suddenly and took them all
away. If the Lord were to return at midnight, I do not want to be
dancing away in Orchard Road. I want to be worshipping Him in
church. If the rapture were to happen tonight, I want to found in
His house. I want to get right with God before He returns. Dear
friend, are you right with God? Are you saved? Have your sins been
forgiven? Are you on your way to heaven or hell? Have you believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you still have not yet believed in
Jesus, I urge you to believe in Him tonight. Do not wait any longer.
You have waited long enough. And God will not wait forever. He is
going to judge this world. Judgment is coming. It is coming real
soon. Maybe tonight. Maybe at midnight. Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved. You can escape from the judgement
to come, if you believe in Christ. Only Jesus can save you!
Are you foolish or are you wise? I am sure all
of us want to be wise. If you are wise then you want to do all that
is necessary to prepare for Christ’s return. Let us learn a lesson
of wisdom from the parable of the 10 virgins. The picture is that of
a wedding. The bridegroom is coming for His bride. The bridegroom of
course refers to Christ, and the bride is His church. Then there are
the "virgins" or the bridesmaids. These refer to church members. The
bridesmaids are to welcome the groom when he comes. It is very
similar to our Chinese weddings where the bridesmaids must be alert
to the arrival of the groom. When he comes, they must be ready to
open the door. Only then will they get an ang pau from him. The
groom does not reveal exactly when he will come. The bridesmaids
know roughly when, but not exactly when. Although we do not know
exactly when the Lord will return, the signs of the times tell us
that He is coming back soon, at any moment now. That is why we must
be on our toes. We must not only keep watching but also make sure we
have enough oil in our lamps just in case He comes at night. He may
come at midnight—a most unexpected time.
Now there are 10 virgins in this parable. They
are divided into 2 groups. One group is wise, the other is foolish.
The wise ones made sure they had enough oil to last throughout the
night, while the foolish ones did not. So when it neared midnight,
they had already run out of oil. But when they went out to buy, the
groom came, and they were shut out. Only those who had oil in their
lamps when the groom came participated in the marriage.
This parable is a warning. It is specifically
addressed to those who call themselves Christian. There are two
types of believers when the Lord Jesus returns—the wise and the
foolish. Both profess to believe in Christ. Both are waiting for the
coming of Christ. Both look alike outwardly. The foolish virgins are
false believers. There are those who profess Christ, but do not
possess Him. They think they are saved but are not. They are
imitation Christians.
How do we know the foolish virgins are false
believers? We know this because they did not have oil in their
lamps. Oil here represents the Holy Spirit. They did not have the
Spirit. Without the Spirit, there can be no genuine faith. A false
faith will not endure until the end. Who will be saved at the end?
Jesus said in Matt 24:13, "he that shall endure unto the end the
same shall be saved." True faith is an enduring faith. One aspect of
true faith is its endurance. A genuine quality watch will last a
life-time, but a fake one will break down in no time.
We also know that these foolish virgins are not
true believers because the Lord denied knowing them. When they cried
out saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us" (v11), what did the Lord say?
"Verily I say unto you, I know you not" (v12). The Lord does not
know them. They are not part of His family. They do not belong to
Him.
The wise virgins represent true believers who
not only hear the Word of God but also obey it. They have oil in the
lamps. They are indwelt by the Spirit. They possess true faith. And
their faith is seen by their works. "Faith without works is dead."
If you have true faith, you will act upon God’s Word. The bridegroom
must have told the 10 virgins, "I cannot tell you exactly when I
will arrive, but be prepared and make sure you have oil in your
lamps." The wise virgins are like the wise man who built his house
upon the rock, but the foolish virgins are like the foolish man who
built his on sand. Jesus said, "whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built
his house upon a rock" or "the wise virgins who took oil in their
vessels with their lamps."
Let us examine ourselves tonight, and make sure
we have oil in our lamps. Let us make sure that our faith is true.
Are you a backslided or a backsliding Christian? Make sure you are
not one of the foolish virgins. If you still have yet to believe in
Christ, believe in Him tonight. Let us all sincerely confess our
sins, and believe in Christ. And with oil in our lamps, let us be
alert to the Lord’s coming. He may come at midnight. He wants us to
be prepared. We are B-Ps. B-P stands for "Bible-Presbyterians." B-P
can also stand for "Be Prepared." Every Bible-Presbyterian must be
prepared for the Lord’s return. The Lord may return when the clock
strikes 12 in the year 2000. Or He may return very early in the new
millennium. We do not know exactly when, but we know it is near. Are
you Y2K ready? Let us pray.
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