I was asked to give a talk on Sunday about how we can be ready when the Saviour comes - having oil in our lamps. I just thought I would share it. If nothing more to save it somewhere in case I want to refer to it again sometime!!! Hope you enjoy it.
“As Jesus Christ ascended into heaven at the completion of His mortal ministry, two angels declared to His Apostles, ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). Since that time, believers have looked forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.” (www.lds.org - Second Coming of Jesus Christ)
When is the Second Coming?
Though no one knows the exact date of Christ’s return, we have been given many scriptures of when that exciting day will be:
- 2 Peter 3:10 - The Lord will come as a thief in the night
- Revelations 3:11 - I come quickly
- D&C 34:7 - the time is soon at hand that I shall come
- D&C 36:8 - I will suddenly come to my temple
- D&C 64:23 - It is called today until the coming of the Son of Man
So, taking into account that last scripture - Today is Sunday, tomorrow is Monday, Monday is not today so therefore the Saviour will come on Monday!!! Knowing this bit of information, are you prepared to greet the Saviour tomorrow?
When Jesus was still on the earth his disciples asked him about the signs of the Second Coming. After telling them about many of the signs, He also gave them advice about how they could prepare for it. During his explanation he told the parable of the 10 virgins: Matthew 25:1–13
1 aThen shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten bvirgins, which took their clamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all aslumbered and bslept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the abridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their alamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps aare gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were aready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was bshut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I aknow you not.
13 aWatch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
What does this tell us about being ready for the Saviour’s return? Well, all 10 virgins were invited to the wedding. They accepted the invitation and were physically gathered for the coming of the bridegroom. They all had their lamps trimmed, lit and ready to greet him on his arrival. But his arrival took longer than anticipated. In fact it said that they fell asleep prior to his arrival!
Who here has ever been to a wedding that started late? (Has anyone ever been to one that started on time?!!!). Have you ever been to one that was so late in starting that you fell asleep prior to one member of the wedding party arriving? My brother in law was 2 hours late for his wedding and I thought that was bad! Anyway I’m veering off topic.
So, the virgins fell asleep waiting for the bridegroom to come and when they heard him coming they woke up and trimmed their lamps. Those who were prepared put their spare oil in their lamps and were ready for the bridegroom and those who didn’t have the necessary supply of oil had to go out and buy it and therefore missed the wonderful event as they were not let into the house after they had filled their lamps.
What does this parable have to do with us? Let me point out that this isn’t about believers and non-believers or members of the church and non-members. All 10 virgins were invited to the wedding and accepted the invitation – they had all heard the gospel and were baptized. They all did much of what they were asked to do. They all had lamps that were full of oil. There were 5 of them however, who were labeled ‘wise’. They had not only lamps full of oil, but vessels as well. They had a reserve. These were the people who not only accepted a calling, but magnified it. These were people who sustained their Bishops in not only the policies they agreed with, but the policies they found hard to accept. These were the people who accepted callings and assignments even though they didn’t quite feel capable of them.
In the Joseph Smith Translation of the parable, after the foolish virgins returned from buying oil and knocked on the bridegroom’s door, instead of saying ‘I know you not’ it is translated as “Ye know me not”. This places the responsibility for being prepared in our own shoes. If we are not doing all we can, serving our fellow neighbours, magnifying our callings, keeping all the commandments, then how are we going to know the Saviour when he comes? If we don’t know Him, how can we say we will be ready for His coming?
We need to be as those wise virgins and have our own lamps and vessels full of ‘oil’ so we can be ready when the Saviour comes again.
Why we need our own oil
President Spencer W. Kimball said, “The ten virgins belonged to the kingdom and had every right to the blessings—except that five were not valiant and were not ready when the great day came. They were unprepared through not living all the commandments. They were bitterly disappointed at being shut out from the marriage—as likewise their modern counterparts [members today who are not prepared] will be.” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p8)
We each have a responsibility for filling our own lamps and vessels. “The oil of spiritual preparedness cannot be shared.”
Elder Marvin J Ashton said it well when he said, “How can one share the blessings that come through visiting the sick? How can one share in the blessings that come from assisting the widow or the fatherless? How can one share a personal testimony? How can one share the blessings of conference attendance? How can one share the lesson of obedience learned in living the principle of tithing? Certainly each much accumulate this kind of oil for himself.” (A Time of Urgency, Ensign May 1974)
What is the oil that we need?
Rose has just told you about some different types of things that you can do to earn your spiritual oil and fill your lamps and vessels.
(If not some examples are: Keeping the commandments, reading the scriptures, praying, going to church, going to the temple, fasting, family prayer, obedience, paying tithing, keeping pure thoughts, doing your church callings, magnifying your church callings, sharing your testimony, attending all church meetings)
By doing all the things she mentioned you can be ready for the Second Coming.
It is not enough for us to fill our lamps one time. We cannot say, “I did X amount of work in such-a-such calling and now my lamp is full and I do not have to accept a calling I do not want.” Or “I faithfully did my home or visiting teaching for X years and now I am done.” There is no retirement in the church!!!
How many of us have made a 72 hour pack and then left it for a few years thinking it would still be there and ready when an emergency occurred. Did you then go back to it and find that the clothes you put in it don’t fit anymore? The food was out of date? Whether we like it or not we are constantly changing...unfortunately sometimes we grow physically rather than spiritually!
So how can we keep oil in our lamps?
Each of us is always using the spiritual oil in our lamps whether we realise it or not. Trials and challenges attack us on a daily basis and so our oil is depleting constantly. If we are not consistently filling it up again as well as creating a reserve for ourselves, then when a spiritual emergency comes along - or better yet when the Saviour comes again - we will find we just don’t have enough of what it takes.
President Kimball taught, “In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, … control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps.” (Faith Precedes the Miracle p256)
In order to procure the spiritual oil necessary to prepare us for eternity, we need to set our lives in order. “This means a searching of our souls, an admittance of wrongdoing, and repentance where needed. It means keeping all of God’s commandments. It means loving our neighbor. It means living an exemplary life. It means being good husbands and wives. It means teaching and training our children in the ways of righteousness. It means being honest in all our doings, in business and at home. It means spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the world.” (To Make a People Prepared for the Second Coming, Elder Delbert L Stapley, Ensign Nov. 1975)
Referring again to the scriptures I read at the start of my talk, D&C 36:8 states that the Lord “will suddenly come to (His) temple.” This states exactly where the Saviour will come (when he comes tomorrow!). We need to do our best to be there as often as we can so that when he does arrive, we can know that we are ready and worthy to be there with him.
For those who have temple recommends, you know we are asked the worthiness questions every 2 years when we renew our recommend. Would we take more thought to our worthiness or spiritual preparedness if we, like the youth, are asked those thought provoking questions every time we went to the temple?
Elder Lynn G Robbins of the seventy said, “In Biblical times constant effort was needed to ensure that an adequate amount of oil was maintained in lamps. In our day we must exert constant effort to remain temple worthy. In the parable the virgins were not able to enter the door without oil. In our day neither can we enter the door of the temple without a recommend.” (Oil in Our Lamps, Elder Lynn G Robbins, Ensign June 2007)
Keeping all this in mind, how can we be ready when the Saviour comes? D&C 33:17-18 says it perfectly - - “Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom - For behold verily, verily I say until you, that I come quickly. Even so. Amen.”
I testify to you that if you do these things, you will be ready for the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour. And I say these things in His name. Amen.
The Footnotes didn't transfer over so hopefully I gave recognition to all the quotes I used!!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment