25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

[ ] The number 10 means completeness... complete order divine perfection elaborate

[ ] The virgin speaks of you and I that have kept ourselves pure and holy unto God awaiting His return

[ ] Our lamps are who we are "let our light shine so bright" we should not hide our light.
[ ] the lamp is what you see outwardly, our light shines through the lamp

[ ] we carry the oil in our vessels(container) Our vessels is the container of our, soul, will and emotion.

I want to share about our vessels Some of us have broken vessels.
You see in order to carry the oil, we need to make sure that our vessels are not broken. Our vessels have been leaking out the oil because we were not mindful to look after our vessels. Our heart condition and the posture in which we should be. We should guard our hearts for out of the heart flow the issues of life, we heal from stuff we expect things to turn around yet we deal and deal so much

ministry becomes works, we do service and acts of service out of duty. We sometimes feel stagnated the place of promise looks like a place of despair. We start to wonder where are the promises and why have we not made it to where we need to make it. We unknowingly hurt our selves by looking outwardly. We stop giving from the overflow of oil and and our vessels become empty.

Have you ever heard this saying "Empty vessels make the loudest sounds" If you want to hear an empty vessel, they are those that complain about everything,find fault in everything,empty vessels.

It is said in the end times that men will become lovers of themselves seeking out only what is good for them and not what is good for others... " Self is the final demon you and I will have to defeat" Let us reflect

We have overcome but have we overcome self? How do we feel when we are hurt by others do we refrain ourselves from them? Or do we seek to understand, do we ask ourselves what would Jesus do? Are we mindful about following after truth and righteousness or have we given do we do what the world is doing? Are we seeking what is best for community or have we become like the pharisee of this day? We come to church so we are so tho art holy? Do we love our fellow brother and sister that is struggling in the faith? Or is our heart protected so much that we have put walls so high that God Himself can't find his way in?

You see the five foolish virgins were also virgins "Holy" called set apart meaning that they were also in church born again doing ministry and so forth.The difference was that in the place of promise they started looking outwardly at the cares of this world and started wondering and started seeking self. We ought to guard ourselves in this time where self has become prevalent in the times that we live in.

Take note verse 4 says the 5 "wise"virgins carried enough oil and took oil in their vessels

They were wise

Proverbs 4:6-7
Do not forsake wisdom she will protect you.

So how exactly were the five wise because in verse 5 it says that while the bridegroom delayed they all slept, so we all slept and I believe that many have fallen asleep in this time just as the virgins all slept. The disciples slept when Jesus was in the Garden of Getsame we have all fallen into some kind of sleep

So what is the difference between the five foolish and the 5 wise The difference was that some are concerned with the cares of this world. The wise understood eternity, the wise understood that there is more given in sacrifice.

They understood Matthew 6:33 seek first the Kingdom and everything will be added.

Sometimes the very thing that we are taught is misused so the very thing stop the flow...."guarding your heart" They understood in guarding thier hearts not to build walls so high that they stopped the flow of the Holy Spirit, the very essence of who we are carriers of the glory of God,carriers of oil

You see the oil comes in the pressing forward, despite what it may feel like despite what it may sound like, despite what it may look like I have conditioned myself to move forward. Despite whether I grow or not whether my leaders see me or not I will choose to continue because everything that I do I do it unto the Lord I may be pressed on everyside but I'm not in despair. I may be crushed but I am not perplexed I may be abandoned but I am not forgotten It's in the crushing it's in the pressing that we break forth in the oil of gladness. We can put on our garments of praise because we have not allowed the cares of this world to come in and swallow us up but we have stood in faith and having done everything stood once more.

Matthew 25 6-9

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 

The trimming of the lamps as we see is the preparation getting ready to meet the bridegroom. Verse 9 the wise rather go and to those who sell and buy for yourself. Can you see the exchange when you go and buy something it comes with a price, you have to pay for it. It is personal; you cannot ride on someone else is oil go through the process of purification of holiness. It's not cheap it comes with a price, what are you willing to lose this day for the oil . stand in your faith and be prepared for when the hour comes...."the midnight hour"

Have you been in the midnight hour, have you experienced pain in the midnight hour. Oil is purchased in the midnight hour, it is just you and God alone. Your brothers and sisters are not with you in the midnight hour, God is found in the midnight hour when it is you and Him alone.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut If we shut the door in preparation the door would not be shut on us. Let me explain

II Kings 4:3-7 NKJV
Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

This is the story about the widow that was left with only oil and flour. These instructions came from the prophet Ilisha

Can we shut the door of past hurt and pain Can we shut the door of rejection and humiliation and frustration Shut the door to refuel,be obedient and shut the door to whatever we need to shut the door, social media, scandal Shut the door fill your vessels up with new oil... Go sell your oil and pay your debt? Go and give of yourself and in exchange your debt..your pain your rejection etc there is a divine exchange

Refuel and continue continually making a conscious decision to shut the door and guard our gates our hearts but becoming mindful that we don't push the things God wants us to do while we shutting and guarding.

And everytime we sell our oil in ministry do we shut the door and refill or are we walking on empty?
I Dont know what to do in this situation?
What would Jesus do?
"SACRIFICE"
A word that has lost its true meaning,
We all want to live prosperous lives, but true prosperity is not found in what I have gained. It is not found in what I am willing to give. Are we willing to walk as He has walked...."Are we truly willing to sacrifice?"
It's a sacrifice to shut the door... it's a sacrifice We are required to make a sacrifice.

The Shulamite.