Be Prepared

Luke 21:25-36
Length: 18:55

This is a message given on November 29, 2009 at the Bowdertown United Methodist Church.

Be Prepared

Our Scripture lesson this morning is an unusual one to start the season of Advent. Usually at this time of year we focus on the birth of Christ and the Bible does indeed give us many details about His birth.

But we must remember that Advent means the coming or arrival especially of something important. Certainly, the birth of our Lord and Savior was important, but it already happened. We don’t have to wait for it or hope that it will happen.

So instead we as Christians await the second coming of our Lord and Savior. In fact, the bible tells the story of Jesus’ second coming in just as much detail as His birth. The most clear and dramatic revelation comes from Jesus’ own mouth to His disciples.

With the return of Christ there will be signs throughout the universe. When the world sees these signs it will be in great panic. For the true believer in Jesus Christ we are to lift our heads. The things that will occur during the final days are of great expectation, joy, and triumph for us.

Why should it be a joyful time for us? Because our redemption is near. The final fullness of our redemption. This is when the redeemed, the true believers, are reunited with Christ forever. What a day that will be.

We don’t know when Jesus will return. There have been many claims about His exact return, but we really don’t know when. We do know He is coming soon. His return will be the next big thing that God does. He will return the same way He left, He will come in the clouds with great power and glory.

His return will surprise the world. It will destroy even the most intimate of relationships among people. So we had better be ready. Many people are afraid the world will be destroyed by nuclear war, disease, or climate change.

Indeed our world is unstable because we as people and governments make it that way. God’s word provides the stability that we can trust in. People spend so much time and energy focusing on worldly activities that they forget the eternal truth of God’s world.

We need to pray for the strength to keep alert. Rather than giving us the precise time of Christ’s return we are told to simply be ready.

How can we be ready? We are told to be faithful, watchful, be a good steward of the things we are given, expect His return, and be prepared for it. That is what we need to focus our lives on. That is what we need to do. There is no better time than today.

The first time Christ came to earth the wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What can we bring to Him today? The start of our Advent season is a great time to place the emphasis in our life on the things that God wants us to do.

We should not be misled or get confused by people claiming to know more than the Bible tells us or people speculating as to what will happen when.

We should be out in the world telling people about what we do know. We should be telling them about Christ, no matter what the consequences are. We must stand firm in our faith and not be surprised when we are persecuted for them.

We must live as though we believe the Bible as God’s Holy Word.

We are obviously in the middle of the largest, longest, most elaborate and most expensive celebration in the United States, Christmas. Nothing even comes close to it. In fact, you could collect all other holidays celebrated here, put them together and they wouldn’t even come close Christmas. More activity goes on, more events, more spending, more celebrating, more parties, more everything than with any other event.

The story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most well-known ancient story in the United States. It is amazing what the birth of Jesus about two thousand years ago has set in motion in terms of our society. And it seems to get bigger every year. It certainly starts earlier every year.

I gage the Christmas shopping season by Wal*Mart. October 21st is when I noticed the first Christmas wrapping paper on the store shelves. Egg Nog, which for some reason is only produced around Christmas, used to be available shortly before Thanksgiving. This year I bought the first carton on October 7th. The Christmas shopping season really does come earlier and earlier each year.

Though the main event historically is the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, that no longer is the simple reality of Christmas. The birth has been severely obscured and confused and clouded by unrelated worldly activities like shopping and partying. And mix in a few winter items and somehow you get a rather confused scenario.

But still, the reason for all of this at the heart is the birth of the Son of God. The world has literally created its biggest party around that event. Make no mistake about it there will not be a party the next time He comes.

In fact, the Bible says all enterprise business will cease when He comes. It will be the end of everything. The Bible says no more music, no more singing, no more joy, no more celebration the next time He comes.

The world is eager to embrace a baby in a manger, but not at all interested in embracing a sovereign Lord coming in power and glory out of the sky to judge the world. And yet, when our Lord was ready to leave this earth, He said, “I will come again.” Physically, literally, historically just as He came the first time. The first time He came as a baby to save sinners. The second time He comes in full deity and glory to judge sinners and to establish His Kingdom.

That is the message we need to take with us this Christmas. Be prepared.

Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You again for the wonderful truth of Your Second Coming. We can’t even think of the manger in Bethlehem and the baby without thinking about the King, the Lord of glory, the one who will come as judge, they are one and the same.

There’s no point in knowing only the beginning of the story and not the end of it, the end is everything. We thank You, Lord, that You’ve told us not only the beginning with regard to the story of Jesus, but the end as well.

Prepare us for Your return. Prepare us all to give you the gifts that You deserve when You come.

And I pray, Lord, that for those who do not know Christ, those that do not know salvation, that they might even now be rescued before this judgment comes. Save people from their indifference and from their worldly lifestyles.

Help them, Lord, to come to the only refuge, the only place where they can come and escape even to the Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again for our salvation. Bring many sinners to Christ, we pray for Your glory, Amen