How Are You Preparing?

Matthew 24:36-44

Message No. 0580 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Some of us are notorious for not preparing for our trips. Heads up, I am very guilty of this. In fact, my wife calls me ‘LastMinute.com.’ In spite of my frequent travel records and the acquisition of adequate travel experience over the years, I still find it difficult to prepare for trips ahead of time. It’s on the travel day that I start looking for the luggage I will use for the trip and the clothing and everything else. As you can imagine, under the pressure, I sometimes forget vital items like belt, toothbrush/toothpaste, phone or laptop chargers, and others. It’s amazing that I have never forgotten my passport at home – it can only be God.

Yet, despite the lack of preparation, the travel date is known ahead of time, because the ticket is purchased at least two weeks ahead, to take advantage of lower costs. Sometimes travel dates could be months in the future, but the date is known. Unfortunately, there is a trip for which the travel date is unknown, and this is the most important trip of all. Other trips are optional, and everyone heads to different directions at different times, but this trip is mandatory, and everyone heads to one of two destinations. The destination each person heads to is directly dependent on the preparation. The question is, are you prepared for this trip?

In Matthew 24:4, the Bible says:

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

The length of the answer that Jesus gave to His disciples indicates that this was a big question. He provided details of what would gradually lead to the end of the age, a.k.a., the last days. However, Jesus never hid from them the fact that no one knows the exact date or day. In verses 36-41, He told His disciples:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Jesus provided details, with examples, so no one is left in doubt as to the nature of His second coming. Well, one may ask, how do you prepare for an event for which you do not know the date of occurrence? The answer: you follow the signs and be ready to take off. It’s the same way we prepare for the weather. When the weatherman says there’ll be rain, we go out with our umbrellas. When we hear snow will fall, we go out with our snow boots and winter coats. We may not know the exact time the rain will start, or the snow will start, but we are ready. But we have been told many times that the end was here and still the end has not come, why should we believe anymore? It’s the same way you believed when the weatherman said there would be rain, and rain did not fall, or there’ll be sunshine, but the entire day remained cloudy. This does not stop us from believing the next weather prediction.

The second coming of our Lord is more than a weather prediction, it is certain! In verse 44, Jesus said:

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

To be ready is to give your life to Christ and live by His Words. To be ready is to take seriously the evident end-time signs that we see daily. This is the reason Paul wrote to the Hebrews in chapter 12 verse 1:

Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

To be ready is to not ignore the fact that no one knows the day he or she will die. This is the reason the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that it is given unto men (and women) to die only once and after this is the judgement. Are you ready? If you cannot say yes, then I implore you to please surrender your life today. All we know are the minutes we live by; we do not even know the whole of today. Tomorrow may, indeed, be too late. There will never be a more important decision that you will make than giving your life to Christ. Please do this today so you can be counted among the ready. God bless you as you take this step.

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 PLEASE ACT NOW:
 If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!