You May be Ready; but Are You Prepared

2 Tim 4:1-5 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

We spend much of our lives hoping, wishing, waiting for

the next big thing

the next great thing

the next better thing

Declaring

we’re ready to have our own

we’re ready for the promotion

we’re ready for the house

we’re ready for a spouse

So much so, that we sometimes fail to see what we have, where we are and just how blessed we are.

Don’t misunderstand me, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more, wanting better, wanting different and we should.

We should always be advancing, striving, and dreaming.

But here’s the thing…so often we think and say we’re ready for something and while that is true…I’ve got something to tell you and ask you and it’s the title of today’s message, “You May be Ready, But Are You Prepared?”.

You see, it’s one thing to be ready, it’s quite another to be prepared. To have things in place.

You might say you’re ready for a promotion, but are you prepared for all the additional work and responsibility that comes with it?

At church, you may say you’re ready for a certain position, but are you prepared to lead? Are you prepared to put in the prayer and study and time it takes to perform the task, to lead the ministry? Will you serve without the title?

Leading is not always fun. It can be a gut wrenching, soul crushing, time taking task. Which is probably why in Hebrews 6:17 it says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you.”

You say you’re ready for your own house or a bigger house.

But are you prepared for

the lawn maintenance

the higher gas and electric bills

the responsibility of fixing whatever breaks

the additional cleaning?

You say you’re ready to be married, but are you prepared to be a husband or a wife?

Men are you prepared to lead her in prayer?

Are you prepared to provide for her?

Are you prepared to love her unconditionally?

Are you prepared to love her more than you love yourself?

Are you prepared to protect her

to honor her

are you prepared to forsake all others for her

are you prepared to leave mother and father and cleave only unto her?

Ladies

Are you prepared to love him with your whole heart?

Are you prepared to honor him?

Are you prepared follow him as he follows Christ?

And here’s the biggie, ladies who say they are ready to be married, are you prepared to submit to him?

You say you’re ready, but are your prepared.

In this letter Paul has written to Timothy, in the NLT translation he says, I solemnly urge you, in the KJV they translate the words, I charge thee. To charge someone is to instruct or command.

This was no ordinary charge, it was given, not only in the presence of God, it was given in the presence of God and Christ Jesus. When God and Jesus are witnesses, what happens when you fail to fulfill the charge?

Do you think they would be reliable witnesses in court?

Charles Wesley wrote a hymn, we don’t sing hymns much anymore, but the hymn says this.

1 A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify, a never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky.

2 To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill, O may it all my pow'rs engage to do my Master's will!

3 Arm me with watchful care as in Thy sight to live, and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare a strict account to give!

4 Help me to watch and pray, and still on Thee rely, O let me not my trust betray, but press to realms on high.

When you proclaim the title of disciple, and that’s the first and most important one you have in the Kingdom of God, you have a charge to keep and that charge has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Him.

When God comes to set up his Kingdom, there will be a judgement. Christ Jesus will judge the living and the dead. When that trumpet sounds, we shall not all be asleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Those who are alive will be caught up to meet him in the air.

Are you prepared?

Preachers! Uh oh! There’s a lot going on with preachers today. It has probably been going on for a long time, but with the advent of the internet, the cell phone camera, and the ability for anyone to upload, live stream and podcast, it’s much easier to bring to the light, what for years has been done in the dark.

Preachers, we are commanded to preach the Word of God.

The Word of God

That Word that never changes

The method may change

The messenger will change

But the message shall always and forever be the same.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Preachers are to preach an unadulterated Gospel, whether you like it or not. Whether the people like it or not. Whether they like you or not. We don’t preach for the praise of men, we preach so someone might receive salvation.

But to preach you must be prepared. To be prepared you must make preparations.

You must study. How can you preach what you haven’t learned?

You must meditate. You have to ponder what you will tell God’s people.

You must pray. How can you preach about someone you haven’t spoken with?

You must spend time with God. How can tell someone else to spend time with a God you haven’t spent time with?

You must live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. In public and in private. People may not see you, but God is always with you, even unto the end of the world.

Preachers; you must be prepared,

whether the time is favorable or not.

Whether there’s one or one hundred.

Whether the AC is working or not.

Whether the sound system is working or not.

Whether they say amen or not.

Whether you have a musician bumping you or not.

Whether there’s someone to carry your Bible or not.

This assignment is not about you, it’s about Him.

So preacher, what are you preaching and how are you doing it?

Well… you are to patiently. Patiently. I said patiently. The Word says patiently.

You are to patiently correct - sometimes we just learn it wrong, get it wrong, say it wrong, interpret it wrong, so there needs to be correction. That correction may be what to do as well as what not to do.

You have to patiently rebuke - sometimes there needs to be more than a correction. Sometimes what someone is doing requires a rebuke, a reprimand.

They may need a time out,

time to sit down and think on it.

Time to repent to the Lord.

There may be an apology owed.

There may be some forgiveness that needs to be requested.

They need to patiently encourage their people with good teaching. Garbage in—garbage out. Sound teaching in, and you produce strong, bold saints who can confidently and boldly spread the Good News of Christ.

Paul tells Timothy, “…a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.” They won’t hear sound doctrine. They won’t receive the truth of the Gospel message.

Instead, they’ll follow their own desires, they’ll change the laws to include what they want to do, to justify their sin. They’ll look for teachers and others in authority to tell them they’re right, that what they’re doing is OK.

They’ll look for and find others to tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. And don’t we see that happening today?

Church we’re here. The Bible is not a book of fiction with stories and characters. It’s a book

of history

with accounts of people’s lives,

with directions for living, thriving, and prospering

with warnings

with prophecies of things to come

with truth

But the people will reject the truth and chase after myths. They’ll look for and find people, teachers, politicians, someone in authority

that will tell them they’re OK or worse yet, that their sin right.

that will tell them their sin is normal

that will support their sin

that will tell them go ahead God won’t condemn you, he will forgive you

someone who will tell them, a loving God would never

Read the book and see what a loving God won’t do.

Preachers and Saints, keep a clear mind in every situation and know this, you will have some situations. Don’t get rattled, don’t get scared, God is with you, He’s got your back and He’s already won the battle. When you’re on God’s side, it’s not going to be a fair fight.

Your victory may not be instant, it may not be immediate, it may not be sudden; your victory may come eventually, it may come some day. But what you need to know, what you need to rest in, what you need to be confident of, is some day will come. He may not come when you want, but God is always right on time.

There may be work for you to do in the storm.

Someone may be waiting for you, in the storm.

Someone may have a need God wants you to fill, in the storm.

Someone may need you to meet them in the storm so you can lead them out.

You may have an assignment in the storm and if you come out too soon, someone may miss their help, they may miss their deliverance, they may miss their breakthrough.

There’s purpose in the storm, so don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Keep a clear head. Don’t get caught up in the glitz and the glamour, in the chants and the applause.

Don’t get caught up in the numbers, don’t get caught up in the approval of man.

Always remember and never forget, this journey we’re on, this assignment we have, this work we’re doing,

it’s not about us,

it’s about God providing a Savior for us in the personage of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son.

it’s about Jesus being born of a virgin

it’s about him walking this earth for 33 years, showing us what a life free of sin looks like

it’s about him experiencing hunger and thirst and loss and betrayal and disappointment and anger and grief

it’s about him being falsely accused

it’s about him being spit on

it’s about him being being beaten all night long

it’s about him carrying his own cross, in his weakened state for as long as he could

it’s about although he was God, he was still man and needed help

it’s about him being nailed to an old rugged cross

it’s about him having the ability to call 10,000 angels to take him off that cross he stayed there for your sins and mine

he hung until the Father could no longer bear to look upon him

he hung until the sun refused to shine

he hung until every sin was covered

and when his assignment was complete he said, it is finished and he gave up his spirit and he died.

But that was not the end of the story because just as he said he would

three days later he got up with all power in his hands

He got up with power over death, hell, and the grave

He got up with the keys of hell and of death in his hand

And when he returned, he finished preparing the disciples, then he ascended back to the right hand of the Father, where he now sits interceding on our behalf.

Jesus prayed for me, kept me on his mind, took the time to pray for me, I’m so glad he prayed, I’m so glad he prayed, I’m so glad he prayed for me.

What we do week after week, day after day, it’s not about us, it’s about Jesus.

We have been given an assignment, we have a God-given ministry to carry out. You may think you’re ready, and you very well may be ready, but are you prepared?

Church,

it’s time out for wanting things our way

it’s time out for disrespecting God and thinking he is going to continue to wink at our sin

it’s time out for trying to demand anything from the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God

it’s time to stop trying to make our sin OK by voting to do wrong

The time has come and is passed to honor God in his sovereignty.

He set the sun, moon, and stars in the sky.

He gives us air to breathe.

He protects us from dangers seen and unseen.

He’s Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end

He’s the great I Am

He’s Jehovah Jireh, my provider

He’s Jehovah Nissi, my banner

He’s Jehovah Rapha, my healer

He’s Jehovah Shalom, my peace

He’s Adonai, my Lord and my Master

Is He your Master today? It’s easy, all it takes is a prayer.

Father I confess I’m a sinner, please forgive me. Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, and that you died for my sins. I give you my heart and my life, in your name I pray. Amen

If you prayed that prayer for the first time congrats and welcome to the family.

Church, you may be ready, but are you prepared? Let’s get busy doing what we’ve been put here to do.

COMMUNION