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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
III. T he A wakening (6, 7).
Imagine how a young man would feel if the girl he loved, when asked to marry him, would say, “ I will not give you my heart, but here are a few dollars I can spare.” We often treat God much this way. When He asks for our hearts, we give Him some money, and try to make ourselves think that we have done all He requires of us. Let us hear God’s Word say: “Render . . . unto God the things that are God’s” and, “My son, give me thine heart.” Isaiah said, when he heard the voice of God calling him: “Here am I ; send me.” lamps were to give light in the darkness. As long as five o f them were burning brightly, the lack of light from the other five was not easily noticed. The true church is a light-bearer. Paul, in writing to the Philippians, told them that they were to be “holding forth the word of life” because they were to “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15, 16). W e know the world is in darkness, groping its way, insensible to surrounding dangers, and blind to the joys of the Christian. The world needs light more than it needs anything else, and con cerning the Word of God it is written: “The entrance of thy words giveth light” (Psa. 119:130). 3. There must be expectancy. Expectancy is suggested in the expres sion, “went forth to meet the bridegroom.” The virgins were expecting a person who was coming. They were not looking for a series o f events, but for the bridegroom. These three marks are also the character istics of the true .church—separation, mani festation, and expectancy. II. T he F ailure (2-5). 1. There was a loss o f the separation on the part of. those who were true. There were foolish ones found among the wise. And the loss o f separation re sulting from the presence o f the counter feit has ever been the curse o f the church. Nevertheless,' we must remember another parable of our Lord in which He indicated that wherever He would sow His own, the wheat, there Satan would sow his own, the tares. 2. There ceased to be any manifestation. “ They all slumbered and slept.” The “sleeping” o f the Lord’s own was foreseen by Paul when he urged the Thessalonians not to fall asleep (1 Thess. 5:6 ). And on other occasion, he called the Roman saints to awake out o f sleep (Rom. 13:11). 3. There .was an end o f the expectancy in the insensibility o f sleep. The expectancy of the believer should be constant, a daily looking for the Bride groom to come, and a daily waiting for the cry that will summon the saint to meet Him. BLACKBOARD LESSON
“At midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom I Come ye forth to meet him” (v. 6, R .V .). This cry aroused all ten virgins. For those who wish a fuller expo sition of this passage, the writer of these notes strongly recommends Dr. A. C. Gaebelein’s Exposition o f the Gospel by Matthew. In this book will be found valu able help concerning this difficult parable, as well as excellent material for all the lessons taken from this Gospel. When the cry was heard, there was a re turn to true separation; the wise virgins were separated at last from the foolish. There was a return to the manifestation; the lamps were trimmed and once more began to send forth the light; and there was a return to the expectancy; they at last went forth to meet the bridegroom. IV. T he C ounterfeit (8-12). The five foolish virgins revealed the un belief of the false profession. They had merely a profession. They had no oil-—and oil is always a type of the Holy Spirit. They had never been born again; they had never received the new nature imparted by the Holy Spirit. Their lamps, or pro fession, were merely the outward appear ance and contained nothing of the inner reality. They looked like the wise virgins, and passed as wise until the moment came when it was necessary to show forth light. To give light, they could not. They had no o il; they never had had the oil. All they had was a mere profession—empty lamps —void o f life. It is to be feared that there are many foolish virgins posing as wise virgins in the church today. These unwise watchers also revealed their ignorance of spiritual truth by asking the wise virgins to give them of their oil. No Christian has the power to pass on the Holy Spirit to another person; He comes only to those who receive Christ as their personal Saviour; but He comes to abide with each one who thus receives Christ. The foolish virgins further revealed that ignorance by thinking they could buy the needed oil. This was the mistake that Simon made (Acts 8). Simon was said to have “believed,” but the outcome o f his life showed that his belief was counter feit. The false character of his profes sion was manifested when he suggested that the Holy Spirit could be purchased with money. • While the foolish virgins went to buy, the bridegroom came, and the door was shut. When they returned, the bridegroom had to say to them, “Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.” Such language would never have been used by the Lord concern ing any one who had ever truly believed on Him. To imagine that this could have been possible would be to contradict the almost countless passages which speak of the security o f those who are held in the hand of the Lord and kept by the power o f God. This point is plain, whether the parable is looked upon as being concerned wholly with the Jews or with the church. V. T he E xhortation (13). There must be constant watching for the Lord’s appearing. If we knew the date of His coming, we could wait for Him, but we could not watch. There is to be con tinual expectancy and the continual hope that the next step may bring us into His presence. There must be constant perseverance, because the time o f Christ’s coming is un known. There is no possible way by which we can set the date; hence, there is to be a
God can and does use money, but He wants the heart to be given first.
MAY 20, 1934 TH E FUTURE OF THE KINGDOM M atthew 24:1 to 25 :30
Lesson Text'. Matt. 25:1-13. Golden T ex t: “The kingdoms o f this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and o f his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). Outline and Exposition W hile the parables of our Lord were spoken to and of His own times, yet they have within them a predictive quality. They reveal in parabolic form the true character and the whole course of what is called Chris tendom. This is generally recognized as far as the parables o f Matthew 13 are concerned, but it is not so generally recog nized in the parables of Matthew 24 and 25. There are three parables in the portion from which our lesson is taken. The first is concerned with service in the nation, the second (our lesson) is concerned with waiting for the Lord, and the third is con cerned with service in the world. The para bles o f chapter 13 might be said to present the truth from the governmental view point, as well as the historical; those in chapters 24 and 25 present the truth from the moral viewpoint, and are concerned with the Christian profession —whether that be true or false. In the parable of the ten virgins, our Lord is teaching the difference between the true and the false, the genuine and the counterfeit. Looking at the parable from this standpoint, we find a great deal of teaching concerning both the true profes sion and the false, not only in that day, but also in our own times. I. T he T rue C haracter P ictured (1). 1. There must be separation. This is seen in the fact that “virgins” are mentioned. Their one responsibility was to the task for which they had been set apart—to wait for the bridegroom. In its application, the parable reveals that the church is to be thus separated to the Lord Jesus Christ, waiting for His return. Paul tells the Corinthians that he “espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). The true church has ever been set apart for the Lord. She has never committed spiritual adultery, but has ever been a separated company, waiting for her Lord to come. This mark o f separation is easily counterfeited as long as there is not yet a summons to go forth to meet the returning Lord, but the “ foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name o f Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). 2. There must be manifestation. This manifestation is suggested by the lamps the virgins carried with them. The
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