Primary Text: Matthew 25:1-8 Big Idea: The difference between the wise and the foolish is not how they look on the outside — it’s whether you have oil in the lamp on the inside.

Introduction

And so Paul writes to this church — no, let me start somewhere else this morning. Let me start with a wedding.

You know, weddings in Bible times were held with witnesses present. It’s kind of like today, where they have the best man, the maid of honor, and everyone else in the wedding party. At the ceremony, the parents, along with all the guests, are witnesses to the joining of hands of the two people coming together. Everybody’s watching. Everybody’s there to testify: I saw it. I was there. This happened.

And the kingdom of heaven also has witnesses. There are witnesses to the joining of hands of the bride — that’s the church — and the groom, Jesus Christ. And the question this morning is not whether you’re standing in the line. The question is whether you have oil in your lamp.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter 25. We’re going to read verses one through eight. And as you turn there, I want you to ask yourself this question: Am I ready?

Movement One: The Call to Be Witnesses

Before we get into the parable, I want to establish something. Because the parable only makes sense when you understand what these virgins were supposed to do.

They were witnesses.

In the Jewish wedding tradition, the night before the wedding, the groom would go to the bride’s house to celebrate. And the virgins — the witnesses — were to take their lamps and light a path for the groom to the house. They had a job. They had a purpose. They weren’t just standing around looking pretty. They were supposed to carry light.

And this is the calling of every believer. We are called to be witnesses.

Peter and John had healed a man at the temple gate. When the religious leaders confronted them and told them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, they made a proclamation that is found in every believer who has truly encountered the living God. Acts 4:20 says, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Hechos 4:20 (RVR1960): “Porque no podemos dejar de hablar lo que hemos visto y oído.”

You can’t hold it in. When you’ve really seen Him, when you’ve really heard Him, when you’ve really been touched by the living God — you can’t keep quiet. The art of witnessing comes via the Holy Spirit. He serves as the divine witness to Jesus Christ. The Spirit empowers us to become witnesses.

Romans 8:16 — “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

Romanos 8:16 (RVR1960): “El Espíritu mismo da testimonio a nuestro espíritu, de que somos hijos de Dios.”

And Acts 1:8 — “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Hechos 1:8 (RVR1960): “Pero recibiréis poder, cuando haya venido sobre vosotros el Espíritu Santo; y seréis testigos míos en Jerusalén, y en toda Judea y Samaria, y hasta lo último de la tierra.”

Now, the Greek word for “witnesses” here is martyres (G3144). You hear that word? That’s where we get the English word “martyr.” A witness isn’t just someone who saw something one time. A witness is someone whose life testifies — even at cost. Even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts. A witness carries the light and doesn’t put it out.

So these ten virgins — they were all called to be witnesses. They all had lamps. They all showed up. But not all of them were ready.

Movement Two: The Foolish — Looking Ready, But Empty Inside

Matthew 25:1-3 — “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.”

Mateo 25:1-3 (RVR1960): “Entonces se parecerá el reino de los cielos a diez vírgenes que tomaron sus lamparillas y salieron a recibir al novio. Cinco de ellas eran prudentes y cinco insensatas. Las insensatas tomaron sus lamparillas, pero no tomaron aceite con ellas.”

Now let’s define foolishness. Because we throw that word around, but the Bible is very specific. Foolishness is the inability or failure to act due to a lack of judgement. The Hebrew word used in the wisdom literature is ‘ivvil (H191), and it means morally deficient — someone who despises wisdom and instruction.

That’s not just being a little careless. That’s a heart posture. That’s someone who says, I don’t need to prepare. I don’t need to check. I don’t need to make sure. They refused to prepare.

Look at what happened. The foolish virgins did not bother to check the oil in their vessels. Their lamps looked like all the rest — ready. From the outside, you couldn’t tell the difference. They did not pay any interest in the status of the lamp. They lacked spiritual discernment. They stood in line waiting for the bridegroom alongside the wise, appearing to be ready.

Appearing to be ready.

Hermano, hermana — hear me. You can look the part. You can be in the building. You can lift your hands. You can sing the songs. You can stand in the line with the people of God. But if there is no oil in your lamp — if there is no sustained, living relationship with the Holy Spirit — when the time comes for you to endure, you will not.

Verse five says, “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” Everybody got tired. The wise and the foolish — they both fell asleep. That’s not the problem. The problem came in verse six and seven: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”

Mateo 25:5-7 (RVR1960): “Pero tardándose el novio, todas se durmieron y se durmieron. A la medianoche se oyó un clamor: ¡He aquí, el novio viene; salid a recibirle! Entonces todas aquellas vírgenes se levantaron y compusieron sus lamparillas.”

At midnight. Not in the morning when it’s easy. Not when everything is comfortable. At midnight — in the darkest hour — the cry came. And when they trimmed their lamps, the foolish said unto the wise, “Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.”

Their lamps were gone out. The little bit they had — it ran out. And you cannot borrow someone else’s relationship with the Holy Spirit. You cannot borrow someone else’s prayer life. You cannot borrow someone else’s oil.

Movement Three: The Wise — Oil in Reserve

Now look at the wise. Verse four — “But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.”

Mateo 25:4 (RVR1960): “Mas las prudentes tomaron aceite en sus vasijas junto con sus lamparillas.”

They took oil in their vessels. They had reserves. They had more than what was showing on the outside.

The oil in the Bible points to the Holy Spirit. Psalm 45:7 says, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

Salmo 45:7 (RVR1960): “Amas la justicia, y aborreces la maldad; por eso te ungió Dios, el Dios tuyo, con aceite de gozo más que a tus compañeros.”

The wise virgin’s reserve represents an ongoing, sustained relationship with the Holy Spirit — not just a one-time encounter. Not just “I got saved twenty years ago and I’m good.” No. This is daily. This is hourly. This is moment by moment.

Worship and praise — they’re done in the good times and in the bad times, when there is ample oil in the reserves. Hay poder en la alabanza. There is power in praise. And the wise understood that you don’t wait until the crisis to fill your lamp. You fill it before the midnight hour.

Ephesians 5:18 — “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

Efesios 5:18 (RVR1960): “Y no os embriaguéis con vino, en lo cual hay disolución; sino sed llenos del Espíritu.”

The Greek for “be filled” is plērousthe (G4137). It means to be completely saturated — to the point of overflow. Not half-full. Not barely enough. Overflowing. Saturated. Full to the brim and then some.

Jesus said it like this in John 7:38 — “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Juan 7:38 (RVR1960): “El que cree en mí, como dice la Escritura, de su interior correrán ríos de agua viva.”

Rivers. Not a trickle. Not a drip. Rivers of living water flowing out of you. That’s what it means to be filled with the Spirit. That’s what it means to have oil in your vessel.

Conclusion: Check Your Lamp

So we ask the question this morning: Do you have oil in your lamp?

Not — do you look like you have oil. Not — are you standing in the right line. Not — do you know the right people, go to the right church, sing the right songs. But is there oil? Is the Holy Spirit filling you — saturating you — overflowing from you?

The foolish virgins looked ready. But when midnight came, they were empty. And nobody could give them what they didn’t have.

You gotta have a faith that is unmovable. And that faith — that oil — it comes from a sustained, daily, moment-by-moment walk with the Holy Spirit. It comes from prayer when you don’t feel like it. It comes from worship when the situation is hard. It comes from reading the Word when the world is loud. It comes from saying, “Ven, Espíritu Santo” — Come, Holy Spirit — not just on Sunday morning, but on Monday, on Tuesday, on the hard Wednesday, on the midnight hour.

The bridegroom is coming. The cry will be made. And on that day, nobody is going to be able to transfer their relationship with God to you. Your mother can’t give you her oil. Your pastor can’t give you his oil. Your spouse can’t give you their oil. You need your own.

So this morning, if you’re here and you feel like your lamp is running low — if you’ve been going through the motions but the fire is fading — I want to encourage you. The altar is open. The Holy Spirit is not looking for perfect people. He’s looking for willing people. He’s looking for someone who will say, “Señor, aquí está mi vida. Fill me again. Saturate me. Overflow in me.”

Maybe you’re watching online and you can’t make it to the church. But you know what you do? You put it in that little chat. You say, “Pray for me. My lamp is running low.” We’ll be praying for you.

We need people with firm faith. We need people with oil in their lamps. Because the midnight hour is coming. And when that cry goes out — “Behold, the bridegroom cometh!” — I want you to be ready. I want you to rise. I want you to trim your lamp and have it burning bright.

Let’s pray.

Señor, we come before you this morning. We want to be the wise. We don’t want to be the foolish. We don’t want to just look the part. We want to have oil — real oil, the oil of your Holy Spirit — in our lamps, in our vessels, overflowing. Derrama tu gloria, Lord. Pour out your glory. Fill us again. Saturate us to the point of overflow. For those who are struggling this morning, for those whose lamps are running low — revive them, Lord. Rekindle the fire. Let there be oil in the house. In Jesus’ name. Amén.

We’ll be praying for you. If you’re joining us, if you’re watching — I encourage you: don’t let another day go by with an empty lamp. Fill it. Fill it with prayer. Fill it with worship. Fill it with the Word. Fill it with the Holy Spirit. Un aplauso al Señor. Aleluya.