Be Ready!
Notes
Transcript
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Are you ready? You might ask, ready for what? Are you ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas? Ready for family get together’s or birthdays/anniversaries? Ready for the change in weather, the leaves changing? Ready for graduations, weddings? I mean, there are a lot of things we can get ready for, but what is the most important thing we have to get ready for?
K.L. Hughes, and American poet and author, tells a story of a young man who approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Start Monday!" Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday."
"Normally we do," answered the foreman, "but we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the boy's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your ax?" The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time."
You see, often we plan but do we always look at the reason? Do we truly understand the purpose, or do we overlook the most important things?
I am afraid many of us are like the logger, we are so busy we are forgetting to do what is most important. For us, that is not lose focus and not become complacent. We must make sure we pay attention to all the details of our Christian walk looking towards the return of Christ. As Paul writes this letter to the new believers in the faith, He encourages them to not be swayed away from the truth, but to be assured instead.
Return of Christ
Return of Christ
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Paul makes sure we know that no one knows the time or the day the Lord will return, just as Jesus told us in Matthew 24:36.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
It appears some of the new believers were spending too much time discussing or maybe even debating when the Lord would return. Paul had already taught the believers that no one knows when the Lord is returning to earth; only God knows. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to discuss “the times and the seasons.” This is strong, but a strong statement is needed with those who set dates.
While there are seasons, which bring new and different things, there is no need to speculate on things we have no knowledge of, and especially when we have been told no one knows the answer. Once a believer has studied the times and seasons of the end time, that is, the great spectacular periods of coming events and the particular happenings of the events, he knows that only God could know when He is returning.
With that in mind, we (as believers) must ALWAYS be ready for His return. This is where we cannot grow complacent in our Christian walk. The Day of the Lord spoken of here is the time of judgment of unbelievers. As a Christian, I cannot slack on telling others who I come in contact with about the saving grace of Jesus Christ and face the day when I have to give account for my negligence! Instead, we should be instant in season and out of season, to proclaim the need for salvation to anyone and everyone who will listen.
Not in Darkness
Not in Darkness
4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
There is no doubt that the return of Jesus will be an amazing event. But we must also understand that with that glorious day will also come a day of somber judgment for unbelievers. Genuine believers will be blessed and unbelievers will suffer the wrath of God. Because of this, how a believer behaves while he is on earth matters greatly to God.
We should be concerned over the eternal fate of everyone we come in contact with. While we have studied and recognize the warnings, it should put a sense of urgency in us to warn the whole world. We are to be the light that is not to be hidden, just like a lighthouse on the coastline constantly and consistently warning of the dangers that lies ahead.
If we do not sense an urgency, the tendency is to nod off. When a believer is spiritually asleep, they are not alert nor involved in the things of God. Their mind and behavior are not concerned with the things of God. A person who is spiritually asleep is not alert nor aware of what God is doing, and there are some believers have a desperate need to heed this warning. They have fallen asleep spiritually. They no longer are alert to the things of God, they are no longer alive to God, they have lost their desire to worship and fellowship, they are no longer active serving and working for God.
Church, we as individual Christians and as the church cannot afford to be spiritually asleep! We must remain awake, we must be alert, we must tell others! To be sober means to be disciplined, and live our lives with the godliness we are called to live, and to be looking for the return of the Lord, but to also be warning others of His coming because others lives depend on it!
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We Have a Duty
We Have a Duty
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
We must be sober - awake, mentally, physically, spiritually. Paul tells us to do so means we are to put on the armor of God. WE MUST BE PREPARED FOR DAILY BATTLE!!!
There is the breastplate of faith and love. The breastplate protected the heart of the soldier. The heart of the believer must be protected. His heart must be committed and focused upon Jesus Christ and His cause for world conquest. It is the breastplate of faith and love that will protect our heart and keep it focused upon Christ and His cause. Faith protects our heart: when we really believe that Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death and delivers us from the judgment of God—when we really believe in Jesus Christ—then we focus our lives upon Jesus Christ.
There is the helmet of the Christian soldier, the hope of salvation. There is only one way we can be prepared for the return of Christ and escape the judgment of God: we must keep our minds and lives focused upon Christ. How can we do this? By protecting our minds with the helmet of God’s armor, the hope of salvation. We are to focus our minds upon the hope of salvation. We are to eat, drink, and sleep salvation—the great hope God has given.
We are to stay sober, protecting ourselves because we have been appointed to salvation. We no longer have to worry about the consequence of judgment. From the beginning, judgment was not for any of us, but because of sin judgment became a reality. However, when God saved us, we received a pardon from our sin, from eternal death and separation from Him, and from the judgment to come. Therefore, there is no excuse for a believer to fall asleep and return to the world of darkness. A person who is not sober will suffer the wrath of God BECAUSE Christ died for us.
When Christ returns, whether we are still alive on the earth or departed, we shall live together with Him forever and ever. This is why He died, the very reason He went to the cross: that we might have the glorious privilege of living together with Him throughout all eternity.
Now comes the biggest question of all, are you ready? Have you accepted the salvation offered through Jesus Christ?
Closing
Closing
We may be ready, but is everyone we know ready?
11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
You see, it is our job - what God expects from us - to lift each other up, to live a life pleasing to Him, and to point others to Him. We cannot afford to sleep, but instead must remain sober, awake, alert, and watchful for both the day He returns, but also for others in need of salvation.
Church are we awake? Do we truly realize what God expects of us, and are we doing what He commands? Are we reminded that we no longer live in darkness, but in the light because of the pardon of sin offered through believing in His Son, Jesus Christ? Are we awake enough that we recognize the need of others to receive this free gift? So, let’s not sleep, but instead be awake, be sober, looking for ways to tell the story… with love, with encouragement, but most importantly with passion.