While Waiting For Jesus (Pt.2) (357) – July 4 2026

Matthew 25: verses 1 to 13 – This was a story about 10 virgins, 5 virgins who were wise in what they did while waiting for Jesus and, 5 virgins who were not wise, in what they did while waiting for Jesus. In this story, 5 virgins decided to be prepared for the Lord and 5 virgins decided not to prepare for the Lord. One of the main items that was needed, while waiting for the Lord was oil in the lamps of each virgin. How can we maintain and increase oil, to be prepared for Jesus?

The Bible says to choose this day whom you will serve in Joshua 24:15 – 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Commentary – To make a choice is to pick a side to stand on and then follow that choice up with the actions that support that choice. We must choose Jesus, then follow him. You can choose good or evil. Example, A person can choose the color red and not green. If every day they are wearing green, then their actions in their life support the green side. Even if they say with their mouth that they support Red. What are your actions saying about whether you serve the devil or serve the Lord? It doesn’t matter how a person appears, the words they say. It’s about what a person does in their life when no one is looking. That’s who they really are. The actions they take and live by, shows the real God they serve. In Matthew 25: verses 1 to 13 – the 10 virgins get to dedicate their time to being obedient to what Jesus requires of them in order to get into His kingdom. Commentary – How many of us are trying to follow and do what Jesus said? How many of us are looking for destiny helpers, someone else to do the work, we should be doing. If you don’t do the work to be in Christ then you won’t be submitted to Jesus or be a part of His kingdom. Your mom can’t do your work. Your pastor can’t do your work. Your good friend can’t do your work. It must be you that remain in Christ. Yourself, no one can do it for you. Even now you have time to make a choice of whom to serve daily, Jesus or the devil. Are you the wise virgins or are you the foolish virgins? What exactly is needed to have oil for the lamp that leads to Jesus. If Jesus and His Kingdom is the prize are you still pursuing the Lord as valuable?

Topics this week:

• Making sure you have oil in your lamp and not to run out
• Those choosing to neither serve Jesus or serve the devil
• Those choosing not to prepare for Jesus and serve His will
• Signs of Jesus returning so you can get prepared and be wise

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): Matthew 25:1-13, Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 31:18, Revelation 3:15-16, Matthew 6:24, 2 Timothy 3:5, 2 Timothy 3:7, Matthew 9:37, Luke 14:27, 1 John 4:17, Acts 10:38, Mark 16:15-17, Ephesians 5:27, Matthew 24:6-8, Revelation 16:12, Revelation 9:15, Revelation 9:18, Revelation 9:4, Revelation 9:20, 1 Timothy 1:4.

Pastor Catrice teaches on this topic this week.

Transcript

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)

And welcome back to yet another episode of touch of God. My name is Catrice. I’ll be delivering the message for you this week.

And for those of you who’d like to follow along, we use the amplified classic version. This week’s topic is while waiting for Jesus part two last week on while waiting for Jesus part one, we discussed the following topic. The Lord Jesus is coming for a bride without spot or wrinkle.

Those who are believers waiting in spirit and in truth must focus during these times on the Lord. It is important to see and identify people, places, and things that are causing distractions, chaos, confusion in your life. Those distractions may be people sitting next to you in church.

They could even be people living with you. You must decide if you and that person are on the same path and choose this day whom you serve. Let’s look at Ephesians 5 27 that he, Jesus might present the church to himself in a glorious splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such things that she might be holy and faultless.

For this reason, we must be focused on the kingdom of God. Many distractions can occur. Time can be consumed on the wrong thing if you’re not focused in the right direction for those easily influenced by others or what is popular.

You can lose track of why you’re at church. The topics from last week were Jesus is looking for a bride without spot or wrinkle, distractions, focus on the Lord, do not follow others, follow only Jesus, spend time with God, whatever is important to you, that is what you focus on. This week on while waiting for Jesus, part two, we’ll be discussing the following Matthew 25 verses one to 13.

This was a story about 10 virgins, five virgins who were wise in what they did while waiting for Jesus and five virgins who were not wise in what they did while waiting for Jesus. In this story, five virgins decided to be prepared for the Lord and five virgins decided not to prepare for the Lord. One of the main items that was needed while waiting for the Lord was oil in the lamp of each virgin.

How can we maintain and increase oil to be prepared for Jesus is coming? The Bible says to choose this day whom you will serve in Joshua 24, 15, and if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your forefathers served on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. To make a choice is to pick a side to stand on and then follow that choice up with actions that support that choice.

We must choose Jesus, then follow him. You can choose good or evil. For example, a person can choose the color red and not green.

If every day they are wearing green, then their actions in their life support the green side. Even if they say with their mouth that they support the red side. What are your actions saying about whether you serve the devil or serve the Lord? It doesn’t matter how a person appears, the words they say, it’s about what a person does in their life when no one is looking.

That’s who they really are. The actions they take and live by shows the real God they serve. Let’s look at Matthew 25.

The 10 virgins get to dedicate their time to being obedient to what Jesus requires of them in order to get into the kingdom. How many of us are trying to follow Jesus and do what Jesus said? How many of us are looking for destiny helpers, someone else to do the work we should be doing? If you don’t do the work to be in Christ, then you won’t be submitted to Jesus or be a part of his kingdom. Your mom can’t do the work.

Your pastor can’t do the work. Your good friend can’t do your work. It must be you that remain in Christ, yourself.

No one can do it for you. Even now you have time to make a choice of whom to serve daily, Jesus or the devil. Are you the wise virgins or are you the foolish virgins? What exactly is needed to have oil for the lamp that leads to Jesus? If Jesus and his kingdom is the prize, are you still pursuing the Lord as valuable? The topics for this week.

Making sure that you have oil in your lamp and not to run out. Those choosing neither serve Jesus or serve the devil. Those choosing not to prepare for Jesus and serve his will.

Signs of Jesus returning so you can get prepared and be wise. Let’s start with making sure you have oil in your lamp and not to run out. We’re going to take a look at Proverbs 31 verses 18.

She tastes and sees that her gain from work with and for God is good. Her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust. Wow.

So because she has this lamp, burns away continuously all of these things throughout the night. In Proverbs 31, 18, a godly woman is being explained. Why? Because her lamp never goes out.

This is what the 10 virgins were trying to do. Looking at a person who is successful at maintaining oil helps you to please the Lord and draw near to Jesus. We can also look at this as an example of what to do to remain in the Lord and keep the lamp burning.

What are the things we need to learn from Proverbs 31, 18 in order to keep our lamps burning and filled with oil? Check that our work is with God because that’s one of the things that they mentioned in Proverbs 31, 18. Another thing that they mentioned was check that our work is for God and then check that our work is good. All of these things matter and all of these things were a part of keeping the lamp burning for the Lord.

What are the benefits of keeping your lamp burning with oil? According to Proverbs 31, 18, it burns on continually through the night. Another benefit is through trouble, through privation, through sorrow, through warning away fear, through doubt, and through distrust. So when you have this lamp for the Lord, you can use this lamp to get you through these times of trouble.

Let’s talk about those choosing to neither serve Jesus or serve the devil. Let’s look at Revelations 3, 15 to 16. I know your record of works and what you are doing.

You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.

Revelations 3, 15 talks about our record of works. In Proverbs 31, 18, it says that one of the things needed in order to keep our lamp burning is check that our work is with God. Check that our work is for God.

Check that our work is good. This means we work for God, with God, and that the work that we’re doing should be good. Revelations 3, 15 to 16 says that the work must not be lukewarm.

All of this is good to know to keep your lamp burning with oil. We can see here that the Lord looks at our works and what you are doing. He checks to see if you are cold, meaning not doing anything, or hot, meaning doing what he wants you to do.

Those who are in between, who are lukewarm, the Lord will spew out of his mouth. It really is up to you what you want to do. Let’s look at Matthew 6, 24.

No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon, deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in. In this topic, the two masters would be Jesus and the devil.

It would be lukewarm to not serve one or the other. You cannot fully be committed to one and not the other. You will not benefit, not be useful to either.

For example, stealing, cheating, and going to the witch doctor. Yet, if sickness, death, and misfortune come your way, you want the Lord. You cannot live one way and still benefit from the Lord.

Jesus came to seek and save them that are lost. This means you must completely turn from all your sin and completely turn to Jesus and his way of life. Let’s look at those choosing not to prepare for Jesus and serve his will.

The foolish virgins, although they are given the same opportunity taught in the same way place as the wise virgins, they were disobedient to the teachings that led to Jesus. They were told the way, the truth and the life they must live in order to reach Jesus, no lack of opportunity, no lack of God providing the tools they needed. They, the foolish virgins chose a different path.

Their agenda in their heart was to try and do what they wanted to do. They wanted, and they thought that taking a crooked way would reach the same results. They were wrong.

How many of us still want to take the path Jesus died for? How many of us want to not take the path that Jesus died for? How many of us are making up our own rules, expecting godly favor and results? Let’s look at second Timothy three verses five, for although they hold a form of piety, true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it. Their conduct belies the genuineness of the profession. Avoid all such people turn away from them.

In the story of the 10 virgins, the foolish virgin stood next to, lived with, talked with the wise virgins. They learned everything they learned, studied everything they studied, ate what they ate, saw what they saw. Then they, the foolish virgins choose to not follow what they were taught.

Instead, they plan to take from those who were wise. How many of us go to service at church, hear the pastor preach, go to Bible study, hear the scriptures and still go out and do the opposite? How many of us might not pay attention in church? Then when problems in life happen, we go to the ones paying attention to pray or get us out of the trouble we know we shouldn’t be in. Let’s look at second Timothy three, seven.

The people in this verse are easily swayed with information from everyone. They are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the truth. Some are forever going to church and learning, but never coming to an understanding of their life and the decisions that they’ve made in it.

A life reflects your choices to serve Jesus or not serve Jesus. In the story about the 10 virgins, the wise were prepared. The foolish thought they could just borrow some of the oil from the wise because they were not paying attention to the importance of the oil.

They could not just produce oil in time for Jesus to come. They were unprepared and unable to help themselves because time had run out. Not because no one taught them, not because they did not know the importance of the oil and Jesus, because they place no value or fear in knowing or missing Jesus, how many of us try to partner with someone we think we can use to pray for us, deliver us fast for us.

It’s one thing. If we are trying to pray, it’s another, when we are not doing the work, let’s take time to just be honest with ourselves. Jesus died to make a way for allowing us to become righteousness of God in Christ, to be healed, to be saved, and to be delivered.

Let’s look at Matthew 9 37. This is Jesus speaking. Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.

So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into his harvest. Let’s look at Luke 14 27. This is Jesus speaking.

Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after, follow me, cannot be my disciple. What exactly is Jesus wanting us to do? What are the good works that he’s wanting from us? Let’s look at first John 4 17 in this union and communion with him, Jesus love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us. That we may have confidence for the day of judgment with assurance and boldness to face him because as he is, they’re talking about Jesus.

So are we in this world? So as the time is coming, just like with the 10 virgins to meet Jesus, when he comes back, we would have boldness. If we’re doing the work that Jesus himself was doing. Let’s look at what exactly Jesus was doing.

Let’s look at acts 10 verse 38, how God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy spirit and with strength and ability and power, how he went about doing good and in particular curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the power of the devil for God was with him. Amen. So in this next verse, this is Jesus in Mark 16 verses 15 to 17, this is Jesus speaking to his disciples and he said to them, go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news, the gospel to every creature of the whole human race, he who believes, who adheres to and trust in and relies on the gospel.

And him whom it sets forth and is baptized will be saved from the penalty of eternal death, but he who does not believe, who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the gospel and him whom it sets forth will be condemned verse 17 and these attesting signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they will drive out demons. They will speak in new languages.

They will pick up serpents. And even if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick and they will get well.

Amen. Let’s look at Mark 16, 16, he who believes, who adheres to and trust in and relies on the gospel and him who it sets forth and is baptized will be saved from the penalty of eternal death, but he who does not believe, who does not adhere to trust in and rely on the gospel and him whom it sets forth will be condemned. Who will be condemned? Those who are not believing in Jesus are not baptized, are not saved.

They’re not adhering to, not trusting in, not relying on the gospel. Amen. And we don’t want that same fate, just like in the 10 virgins, those who did not have their oil, they were not able to find Jesus or come with Jesus.

And so we don’t want to be in that position. So God’s trying to prepare us. Let’s look at signs of Jesus returning so you can prepare and be wise.

We must pay attention. If we do not want this to be our fate, where are we in the Bible right now? What do I mean by this? We need to be aware of how close we are to Jesus returning for a bride without spot or wrinkle. Let’s look at Ephesians 5, 27.

This is Jesus that he might present the church to himself in glorious splendor without spot or wrinkle, or any such things that she might be holy and faultless. The Bible speaks of the signs of the end times. These times signify Jesus coming for the bride.

Wars and rumors of wars. Matthew 24 verses six to eight. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

See that you are not frightened or troubled. For this must take place, but the end is not yet for the nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place.

All this is but the beginning, the early pains of the birth pangs of the intolerable anguish. So even right now, we are seeing wars and rumors of wars. We are seeing nation against nation, and we are seeing kingdom against kingdom.

These things are happening right now. Let’s talk about the Euphrates river drying up. Revelation 16, 12.

Then the sixth angel emptied his bowl on the mighty river Euphrates and its waters was dried up to make ready a road for the coming of the kings of the East from the rising sun. It has been reported that NASA satellites have confirmed the Euphrates river has lost over 140 cubits kilometers of water since 2003. So keep that in mind.

Let’s look at revelations nine verse 15. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet and from the four horns of the golden altar, which stand before God. I heard a solitary voice saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet liberate the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.

So the four angels who had been in readiness for that hour in the appointed day, month and year were liberated to destroy a third of mankind. So if you are hearing this, we know that the Euphrates river has been drying up. And this verse revelations nine 15 is saying once those angels are released, when that river completely dries up, those angels will come out and destroy one third of mankind.

If this isn’t open your eyes to be prepared for the Lord coming. I don’t know what would. Let’s look at revelations nine 18.

A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues by the fire and the smoke and the sulfur brimstone that poured from the mouths of the horses. Let’s look at revelations nine four. These are the locusts.

The locusts were told not to injure the herbage of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only to attack such human beings as do not have the seal mark of God on their foreheads. They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment distress vex them for five months and the pain caused by them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person, let’s look at revelations nine 20. And the rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues, even then did not repent of the worship of the works of their own hands so as to cease paying homage to the demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see, nor hear, nor move, and they did not repent of their murders or their practice of magic sorceries or their sexual vice or their thefts.

Let’s look at first Timothy one four, Paul speaking to Timothy on how to occupy your time wisely, nor to give importance to, or occupy themselves with the legends, fables, myths, and the endless genealogies, which foster and promote useless speculations and questionings rather than acceptance in faith of God’s administration and the divine training that is in faith in that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence. Amen. Thank you, Lord, for going before us and showing us a way and making a way to prepare us for your coming in Jesus name.