Fool or Full? • Ps Luke de Jong • Church Online: 11 October 2026

Matthew 25 puts a confronting question in front of every follower of Jesus: full or fool? The ten bridesmaids all had lamps, all began with oil, and all waited for the bridegroom. The dividing line came when the waiting got longer than expected. Five had brought extra oil, while five had assumed their initial supply would be enough.

The oil points to more than outward Christian activity. A lamp can look the part, just like a life can attend church, join a group, pray in a crisis, and lift hands in worship. Jesus exposes the danger of possessing some oil but not enough oil, of having a relationship with God that is real but not sustained. The foolish bridesmaids did not have zero oil. They had insufficient oil because they had not prepared for the weight of the wait.

Fresh oil is not a luxury accessory for faith. Fresh oil is survival equipment for the journey. The Holy Spirit uses prayer, Scripture, worship, fasting, and daily surrender as pipes through which fresh oil flows into ordinary lives. Fresh oil keeps people human, hopeful, and holy when life tries to make them hard, hopeless, or pulled off course.

Ephesians 5 sharpens the call: wisdom does not coast, act thoughtlessly, or complain most in evil days. Wisdom fears God, obeys God, and acts in alignment with God. Fear-based preparation tries to insulate itself and preserve itself. Faith-based preparation responds to a word from heaven, knowing that darker days make the light of Christ shine brighter.

James promises that God generously gives wisdom to those who ask. The Spirit-filled life cannot be borrowed from a spouse, leader, parent, or church community. Yesterday’s anointing cannot carry today’s calling. Fresh oil comes through ongoing communion with Jesus, not through memories of a past encounter.

Fresh oil also changes the purpose of gathering. Christians running on empty merely observe and consume, hoping Sunday will provide enough to limp through another week. Believers full of the Spirit arrive overflowing, becoming a petrol station for others. Jesus says love proves discipleship, and fresh oil enables that kind of costly, unreserved, sacrificial love. Fresh oil comes not from striving or doing more, but from dedication, surrender, and being with King Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Check the level of your oil The question is personal and cannot be handed off to a spouse, leader, or friend. A lamp may still look functional while its reserves are dangerously low. Spiritual honesty begins when a believer opens the hood and lets God reveal what is actually sustaining the life within. [10:05]
• 2. Yesterday’s oil cannot sustain tomorrow Past encounters with God are gifts, but they are not substitutes for present dependence. The foolish bridesmaids discovered too late that spiritual preparation cannot be rushed at the moment of crisis. Daily surrender keeps faith from becoming a memory instead of a living relationship. [26:23]
• 3. Wisdom prepares from faith, not fear Fear prepares to protect self, control outcomes, and insulate against trouble. Faith prepares because God has spoken, because His word is true, and because His presence is greater than the darkness. A God-fearing foundation produces obedience that does not need every answer before it acts. [21:36]
• 4. Fresh oil creates overflow for others A full life does not approach church merely needing another top-up. The Spirit fills believers so their love, service, and endurance become a place of refuge for spiritually empty people. Overflowing love becomes proof that Jesus is alive and present. [29:50]
• 5. Being with Jesus precedes doing for Jesus Fresh oil does not come from religious effort, impressive decisions, or trying harder. The Spirit renews a life that remains dedicated and surrendered to King Jesus. Calling can then be carried from overflow rather than depletion, burnout, or bitterness. [32:50]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:46] - A Year of Fresh Oil
• [02:18] - The Ten Bridesmaids
• [04:25] - Full or Fool
• [05:27] - Checking the Oil Level
• [08:29] - Lamps, Oil, and Readiness
• [10:05] - The Personal Question
• [11:05] - Spiritual Disciplines and Fresh Oil
• [14:22] - Insufficient Oil and Foolishness
• [16:19] - Fresh Oil for the Journey
• [18:52] - Preparing From Faith, Not Fear
• [21:53] - The Shape of Biblical Wisdom
• [25:23] - Ongoing Communion With Jesus
• [27:22] - Love That Proves Discipleship
• [32:20] - Fresh Oil Through Surrender

Bible Reading

Matthew 25:1-13
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” [02:18]

Ephesians 5:15-18
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” [17:09]

John 13:35
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [28:09]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 25:1–13, what do all ten bridesmaids have in common at the beginning, and what specific difference separates the wise from the foolish when the bridegroom is delayed? [09:32]
2. What happens when the foolish bridesmaids ask to share the wise bridesmaids’ oil, and what does this show about their lack of readiness?
3. According to Ephesians 5:15–18, what actions and attitudes are connected with living wisely in difficult days? [17:09]
4. What does Jesus identify in John 13:35 as the visible proof that someone is His disciple? [28:09]

Interpretation questions

1. The foolish bridesmaids had lamps and some oil, yet they were still unprepared for the delay. What might this reveal about the difference between outward Christian activity and a sustained relationship with Jesus? [15:00]
2. Why does Jesus’ warning to “keep watch” make readiness a present priority rather than something believers can postpone until a crisis or a more convenient season? [26:23]
3. Ephesians calls believers to make the most of every opportunity in evil days. What is the difference between preparation rooted in faith and preparation rooted in fear or self-protection? [18:52]
4. If love for one another proves that people are Jesus’ disciples, why might spiritual dryness make love become conditional, transactional, or absent when it matters most? [27:36]

Application questions

1. If you were to honestly “check the level of your oil” this week, what signs would suggest that you are spiritually full, low, or running on empty? [10:05]
2. Which part of your walk with Jesus is most likely to be sustained by past memories rather than present dependence—prayer, Scripture, worship, surrender, or something else? What could a simple daily step toward fresh communion with Jesus look like? [26:43]
3. Prayer, Scripture, worship, fasting, and surrender are ways the Holy Spirit brings fresh oil into ordinary life. Which of these rhythms needs to become more regular or more honest for you right now? [11:17]
4. When pressure, bad news, or uncertainty comes, do you tend to prepare by trying to control and protect yourself, or by listening for God’s direction and responding in faith? What is one current situation where faith-filled preparation could change your response? [19:25]
5. In what relationships—at home, work, school, or church—has your love become harder, more guarded, or more conditional? How could being filled with the Spirit help you offer practical, sacrificial love there this week? [30:18]
6. Do you usually arrive at church or small group mainly needing to receive, or ready to overflow into others through encouragement, service, prayer, or hospitality? What could help you become a source of strength for someone else? [31:04]
7. Fresh oil comes through dedication and surrender to King Jesus, not through striving to do more religious activity. What is one area of self-reliance, busyness, bitterness, or burnout that you need to place afresh before Jesus? [32:44]