Bridge to “The Oil of Readiness”:

The oil of the Spirit keeps us burning while we wait for the return of the King. The water speaks of initial filling — salvation. Oil speaks of continual fueling — sanctification.

You may have been washed once, but if your lamp runs dry, you’ll miss the moment. Our story this morning is about remaining filled with oil; the ongoing presence of the Spirit keeps the light of salvation alive.

The Oil of readiness is often, out of necessity, the oil of waiting. Jesus tells the story about ten virgins, ten bridesmaids waiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom.

• Five were wise. Five were foolish.

• They all had lamps. They all had light.

• But not all had oil — when it mattered the most.

The parable is simple yet piercing: Some started well — but not all stayed ready. The difference wasn’t talent, status, or opportunity. The difference was oil.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 25:1-13

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Today — is about the woman at the well experiencing His living waters…

Summary of the scripture…

Most of you would be familiar with this story, so I won’t read the entire chapter, I’ll summarize it.

In John 4, Jesus sits by Jacob’s well, tired, thirsty, and waiting. A Samaritan woman approaches, carrying an empty jar and not just to draw water; because symbolically she’s not just carrying an empty jar, she’s carrying empty life.

Jesus turns that ordinary moment of thirst into a divine encounter. In their conversation, He exposes her emptiness not to condemn her, but to awaken her to her true need, living water that only He can give.

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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

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The Holy Spirit is the flow of Spirit and Life — both the water that refreshes and the oil that ignites. The Spirit’s fullness in power is oil and in presence, water. We need both to stay alive in Christ. This is the foundation for this series.

Series Introduction:

They say oil and water don’t mix. Science says they separate. Culture says they clash. But the Kingdom of God operates on a higher chemistry; Heaven knows how to blend what the world says can’t go together.

Throughout Scripture, both oil and water are used as symbols of the Holy Spirit and the life of Jesus Christ.

• Oil represents anointing, empowerment, and consecration.

• Water represents cleansing, refreshing, and renewal.

And yet, in the purposes of God, these two elements are never in competition. They’re companions. They work together; one filling, the other fueling.

• One washing you clean, the other setting you apart.

• One bringing life to the soul, the other lighting the spirit on fire.

This series is about what happens when the oil of the Spirit and the living water of Jesus begin to move together in your life. When the flow and the refreshing of the living waters meet the oil and flame, the power of the Holy Spirit. This is when the presence of God meets the purpose for your life.

Over these next four weeks, we’re going to explore how the Spirit and the Son of God work in perfect harmony, to cleanse us, fill us, and ignite us, until we overflow with the life of God.

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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

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In this final episode, we lift our eyes from our own stories of healing to the far-reaching story of redemption — where every prodigal finds their way home, and every broken thing is made new.

The heart of the Father is calling, “Come home.” And one day, when Jesus returns, that call will echo through creation itself as He restores all things to Himself.

Introduction: Coming Home

Every great story ends where it began, with home. Home isn’t just a location; it’s the place where things are right again. Where broken relationships are healed. Where distance gives way to embrace.

From the beginning of time, God’s story has been a story of homecoming; a Father calling His lost children back.

The story of The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 and The New Creation in Revelation 21 are not two stories: they’re two ends of the same story — the beginning and the finale of redemption.

This final episode lifts our eyes from our individual journey of restoration to the grand restoration story — that God is writing across eternity.

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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

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Introduction: Spring After Winter

There’s a moment every year when winter finally breaks. The snow melts, the ground softens, and suddenly what looked like dead earth suddenly bursts into life. Dormant trees bud, little green shoots begin to poke through the soil, flowers bloom, and birds sing. What seemed lifeless just weeks before bursts into color, fragrance, and beauty.

But then, after the first burst of color, the rains come, soaking the ground, refreshing what was newly alive.

That’s the picture of restoration: God revives what was dead and refreshes what is weary.

• Spring is God’s reminder that He specializes in bringing life where death once reigned.

Bridge…

But here’s the problem: even when new life comes, we sometimes still live in an exhausted state. We’re alive but not refreshed. We’ve been raised, but we’re not resting in Him.

And Jesus doesn’t just want to revive you with new life; He wants to refresh you with His rest.

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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

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What happens when repair isn’t enough…

Have you ever tried to fix something that simply couldn’t be fixed? You tinker with it, polish it, patch it up — but deep down you know it needs to be replaced, not repaired.

Something so broken that no amount of duct tape, glue, or patchwork could bring it back. Maybe an old phone that just refused to hold a charge, no matter how many times you tried a new charger. Or maybe a car with a critical part that tanked — and no mechanic could repair it; it simply had to be replaced.

That’s exactly how the Bible describes the human heart apart from God. It’s not wounded but hardened, not sick but dead. It’s not just damaged. It’s not just weak. It’s stone. Cold, unresponsive, lifeless.

And here’s the truth: God doesn’t patch stone. He doesn’t weld it back together. He doesn’t apply a bandage. He replaces it with something living, something tender, pliable and new.

Music info and license:

The Seraphim Project - The Knowledge of Good and Evil

https://www.worshipstart.com/royaltyfreemusic

“This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.”

We do live in a broken world. People are hurting. And we need Jesus and a genuine understanding that He loves us deeply. We really are who God says we are. And even if you are struggling to believe it, He loves you. We belong to Him. He died for us. And His will is that no one should perish. He desires to establish His identity in you. You are part of His plan, no matter where you came from or what you’ve done. He desires you to be included in the New Testament story of the church of Jesus Christ! And that is why He has called us to restoration — because the heart of Jesus is not to discard what is torn. His heart is to restore.

This is more than a sermon series. It’s an invitation. An invitation to let God mend what is broken, heal what has been hurt, and restore what has been lost. Join us for the next 4 weeks in ‘A Call to Restoration.’

And that starts with a Net with a Hole in it. That’s where the word for restoration appears in the Word of God. Picture with me if you will, James and John on the shore in Matthew 4:21. The text says they were mending their nets. The word “mend” is the Greek word katartízō [kah-tar-TID-zo] — the very same word Paul uses in Galatians 6:1 when he says, “Restore that person gently.”

Def. ‘Katartízō’:

• To repair what is broken.

• To set right what is out of joint.

• To make useful again that which was torn apart.

We do live in a broken world. People are hurting. And we need Jesus and a genuine understanding that He loves us deeply. We really are who God says we are. And even if you are struggling to believe it, He loves you. We belong to Him. He died for us. And His will is that no one should perish. He desires to establish His identity in you. You are part of His plan, no matter where you came from or what you’ve done. He desires you to be included in the New Testament story of the church of Jesus Christ! And that is why He has called us to restoration — because the heart of Jesus is not to discard what is torn. His heart is to restore.

This is more than a sermon series. It’s an invitation. An invitation to let God mend what is broken, heal what has been hurt, and restore what has been lost. Join us for the next 4 weeks in ‘A Call to Restoration.’

And that starts with a Net with a Hole in it. That’s where the word for restoration appears in the Word of God. Picture with me if you will, James and John on the shore in Matthew 4:21. The text says they were mending their nets.

The word “mend” is the Greek word katartízō [kah-tar-TID-zo] — the very same word Paul uses in Galatians 6:1 when he says, “Restore that person gently.”

Def. ‘Katartízō’:

• To repair what is broken.

• To set right what is out of joint.

• To make useful again that which was torn apart.

_______________________________________________________

For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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