Sermons in Song - Prepare to Meet Thy God

Intro:

Good evening.

We’ve got another sermon in song this evening, looking at number 538 - “Prepare to Meet Thy God”

For this one, I want to go through each verse and comment a little bit, but then as we get toward the end, I’ve got some verses we want to look at in the O.T. Minor Prophet book of Amos.

“Prepare to Meet Thy God” has to be one of my most favorite invitation songs — It’s effective! It’s makes you think if you aren’t living right!

Verse 1:

“Careless soul, why will you linger wandering from the fold of God?”

What comes to your mind when you think of a careless soul?

Maybe you think of the man who built himself bigger barns, rested on his laurels and said, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your EASE; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:18-19)? (And his soul was required of him that very night!)

Carelessness about his soul!

Or maybe you think about lukewarm Laodicea in Revelation ch. 3?! (And Jesus said he was going to spew them out of His mouth!)

Many people (even Christians) find themselves careless before God, thinking “I’ve always got more time” … until they don’t! And their soul is required!

“Hear you not the invitation? O Prepare to meet thy God!”

Matthew 22:14 says, ““Many are called (invited), but few are chosen.””

In Matthew chapter 22, we have the parable of the marriage feast, and the first people who were invited snubbed Jesus’ invitation! They made light of it, and didn’t show up!

So what happened?

Those folks were destroyed, and Jesus invited others!

We need to not ignore Jesus’ grand invitation - Matthew 11:28–30 - “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

Verse 2:

“Why so thoughtless are you standing while the fleeting years go by?”

Maybe it IS that some folks who do not respond to Jesus’ invitation simply haven’t given enough thought to the fleeting nature of their lives?

But just ask anyone who is “no longer in their prime” we might say — “Does life go fast?”

“You better believe it!”

We have to understand that our lives are fleeting!

“So each us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12!

“And your life is spent in folly? O prepare to meet thy God!”

You know who else besides Moses understood that life is fleeting, and learned it the hard way because he spent much of his life in FOLLY (foolishness)?

Solomon!

And he wrote all about it in the book of Ecclesiastes we just got through studying a couple months ago!

Verse 3:

“Hear you not the earnest pleadings of your friends who wish thee well? And perhaps before tomorrow you’ll be called to meet thy God?”

Again, the same idea as what we talked about a moment ago with the parable of the rich fool — He wasn’t ready when death came calling!

And we have to be honest when we realize that the vast majority of people who have ever lived have died in the same state - Not ready to meet their God!

We know this because “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who go in by it!”

Key in for a moment on the first part of this line in the song - “Hear you not the earnest pleadings of your friends who wish thee well” — Let’s all think of people for a moment:

People we know who are not here, but should be!

I was up here looking at the picture board in the entryway the other day, and there are some pictures and names of some people on there who are missing.

Are we pleading with them to come back?

Are we leaving the 99, and going and finding the one?

I would venture to say that if most congregations would just get their wayward members back, we might all be bursting at the seams!

(Just something to keep in mind).

Verse 4:

“If you spurn the invitation till the Spirit shall depart, then you’ll see your sad condition, unprepared to meet thy God!”

I realize that the word “Spirit” is captitalized in the song book, but I’ve always thought that the meaning of the song has to do with the departure of the human spirit.

In other words, I think that this is in reference to death - James 2:26 says that “the body without the spirit is dead.”

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:8 - “No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.” (In other words, when death comes, there’s no stopping it!)

Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Solomon writes about this moment - “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

So I think this is what verse 4 is talking about.

Chorus:

“Careless soul, o heed the warning! For your life will soon be gone.”

“O how sad to face the judgment, unprepared to meet thy God!”

Such a simple invitation song this is, but an effective one!

And the Gospel message is simple! (Sometimes I think we tend to think that complex is better — But the Gospel is not complex! In fact, it’s so simple that the Bible says that the common people heard Jesus gladly! Mark 12:37)

So sometimes simple songs are just what we need to sing, too!

2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Are we prepared to meet our God?

Conclusion:

Now, we’re not done!

I told you at the beginning I want to spend some time in the book of Amos as we conclude.

So let’s turn to Amos, and let’s talk about the reason for the prophet Amos’ message:

Amos was not your typical prophet.

He was a sheepbreeder from a little village called Tekoah.

And Amos 7:14, Amos says, “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit.”

Well, what’s his message?

Amos 1:2 - “The Lord ROARS from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.”

In other words, JUDGMENT is coming!

I love the book of Amos — It’s one of my favorites in the O.T.

Amos embarks on a sermon, over and over again saying: “For three transgressions of ___________, and for four!” (Judgment was coming upon them)

He says it regarding Damascus of Syria (v. 3), Gaza of the Philistines (v. 6), Tyre (v. 9), Edom [Esau’s descendants] (v. 11), Ammon (v. 13), and Moab (c. 2 v. 1)!

Now these were all enemies of Israel! And you can imagine perhaps the “Amens” Amos was getting from the crowd as he prophesied against these enemy nations!

But notice c. 2 v. 4 - “Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of JUDAH, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment ...”

Uh oh!

Now we’re getting a little closer to home!

Sure, Judah and Israel had their disagreements, but they were brethren! And God says it’s time for them to be punished …

But finally, c. 2 v. 6 - Amos 2:6 - “Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of ISRAEL, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals.”

And it goes on! In other words, judgment has come for Israel!

Why?

Take a look at Amos 6:1-8 (Turn and read it). (And the scenes of judgment in Amos 6 continue).

Well, one more verse we will look at in the book of Amos tonight and then the lesson will be yours - It’s the verse from which the title of our song is taken!

Amos 4:12 - ““Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel [bring punishment]; Because I will do this to you, PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD, O ISRAEL!””

Israel wasn’t prepared to meet their God in Amos’ time, and Israel did not escape punishment!

Amos prophesied in the mid-700s BC — 722 BC, Israel fell to the nation of Assyria!

The question for us tonight is — Are your prepared to meet thy God?