Leave the Light on

Matthew 25:1–13 | Mother's Day 2026 | Chris Blue

This Mother's Day, Chris Blue brought a message from one of Jesus' most practical parables — and it hit close to home for all of us.

THE PARABLE

In Matthew 25:1–13, ten virgins are waiting to escort the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Five are wise. Five are foolish. The difference isn't belief — they all believed. The difference is preparation.

"The wise were simply prepared, and the foolish were not."

All ten waited. All ten grew drowsy. All ten fell asleep. All ten woke up when the cry rang out at midnight. But only five were ready to go.

It's Not About Being Unprepared — It's About Not Being Prepared Enough

Here's the twist Chris unpacked: the foolish virgins weren't lazy or careless. They just didn't account for the delay. They didn't have enough fuel reserves for when things took longer than expected.

Which led to the question that landed on everyone in the room:

Do YOU have a back up for when YOU begin to burn out?

THREE PARTS: THE OIL, THE DELAY, THE PREP

1. The Oil

The oil in this parable isn't just lamp fuel — it's symbolic of the Holy Spirit. What you put into the lamp of your life matters.

Chris walked us through the Hebrew word Ruach — Spirit, but also breath and wind. And Merahephet — hovering, a continuous ongoing action. From Genesis 1:2 to Acts 1:8, the Spirit of God has always been present, moving, empowering.

Zechariah 4:6 says it plainly: "Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit."

And here's the thing about oil that changes everything — God's anointing is non-transferrable. You can't borrow someone else's readiness. You can't share your preparation. Each of us has to build our own supply.

2. The Delay

The groom didn't show up on schedule. That delay didn't determine who was wise and who was foolish — that was already decided by how they had prepared beforehand.

How you prepare prior to the problem determines how you proceed post problem.

Chris used a great image here: be like a baseball catcher — already down in position before the pitch ever comes.

3. The Prep

So how do we replenish our oil? Chris gave us an acronym to remember:

O — Others Know who you are so you can tell others who He is, that they might know who they are. Identity matters.

I — Intentional Investment Read your Bible. Reckon your gaze. Hone your hearing. As Jessi Green puts it: "It is possible to live out revival and rest… to be a burning one who abides."

L — Listen & Obey Christ lingered with the less than. He languished in lovely places. He listened and obeyed the Father. A.W. Tozer reminds us: "The voice of God is a friendly voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it."

THE MONKEY BAR EFFECT

You have to let go of what you're clinging to so you can swing into what God is calling you to grab next.

That takes trust. That takes preparation. That takes oil.

THE INVITATION

We haven't missed the Bridegroom yet. Revival comes when we return.

This parable is personal and non-transferrable. It requires active faith, not passive waiting. The oil represents a relationship with the Holy Spirit that cannot be borrowed last minute. You can't determine the length of the delay — you need a stamina that sustains.

The question Chris left us with is simple: How much oil do you have?

Message notes from Sunday, May 10, 2026 — Pacific Point Church, Costa Mesa, CA
Watch the full message on our YouTube channel or listen on the PPC Podcast.