Are You Ready?

 Hopefully we've learned over the past few years, you never quite know what tomorrow will bring. It's always a good idea to try and keep your pantry stocked and your freezer full. Of course there are also 'preppers' who actively work to be fully prepared for the apocalypse with stock piles of food, emergency supplies and even bullets. They don't really seem as crazy as they did a decade ago...right? I've even read of wealthy individuals buying 'off grid' farms and ranches, or massive bunkers, or even entire islands in order to be prepared for the worst.

But – let me ask, are you prepared...for the end of your life? That sounds a little dark... We will all one day die - but what if you don't die..? Meaning – what if Jesus comes back before you die? What if Jesus returns in our lifetime? Are you prepared for the return of Jesus? Now many people kind of put that out of their minds; they may even believe that that's not something that's really going to happen.

But Jesus Himself said He was coming back. This second coming of Christ - Judgment Day - may bring about all sorts of emotions in a person. For some there will be excitement and joy; for others maybe anxiety or fear; and for yet others, perhaps resignation to their fate. But if we seek to follow Jesus here and now, it is vital that we remember...

I. Jesus' return

I'd like for us to start with what is called 'The parable of the Ten Virgins'. This parable follows a lengthy discussion Jesus had with his disciples talking about the end times in the 24th chapter of Matthew. Jesus had pointed out that when He came back there would be no question in any one's mind that this was the real deal. Others might claim to be the returning messiah, but Jesus told His followers not to be fooled.

Jesus wanted His followers to prepare, even if they didn't know the exact time. It's in this context, talking about the end times, that Jesus told the following parable…

Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (2) Five of them were foolish and five were wise. (3) The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. (4) The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. (5) The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. (6) At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' (7) Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. (8) The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' (9) 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' (10) But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. (11) Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' (12) But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' (13) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

I think the two most important words of this parable are the words…

A. Keep watch

I want to look a bit at the details of this story, but I want to be careful not to pick it apart so much that we miss the larger point that Jesus was making. The bridegroom in the story represents Jesus; the 10 virgins represent those in His Church waiting for the return of Christ, and the oil in the lamps represents faith, or one's faithfulness. Five of those waiting were prepared for the long haul; the others were only prepared for a short wait for the Bridegroom's return - and they ran out of oil.

Just prior to this parable Jesus had said, again, in the context of teaching about the end times…

Matthew 24:12-14 (NIV)

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, (13) but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

When Jesus charges us to 'keep watch' - He's talking about a constant, active watch. We see five who were prepared and five who weren't. The five who weren't didn't have enough oil to keep their lamps burning, which seems to show a lack of faith in the long run. That lack of oil – faith - lead to a lack of 'light'.

We're called to let our light shine - to do 'good things' - not to show off how good we are, but to point others to God, to bring praise to God. And the world will evaluate the 'genuineness' of our faith by our actions, not just our words. Now, I always specify that our 'good deeds' do not get us to Heaven, but they certainly can be a window into our level of faith.

In the parable, the five who were locked out of the banquet, at the beginning of the evening appeared to be just like those who made it in. If Jesus returned today, into which group in the story would you currently place yourself? - The ones who were prepared, or the ones who were locked out...? That's not me judging, but asking you to 'self evaluate' where you think your level of faith is currently. And let me ask you this…

B. Can you be confident?

Jesus' return should be something to look forward to with great joy for the believer. However, many times, even among those who have been faithful for years, when asked the question, "Do you believe that you will go to Heaven when you die?" – some may respond lukewarmly with "I hope so?" Can we be certain? Let's look at 1 John 2:28-29 (NIV)...

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (29) If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

We know that God will keep His end of the bargain – and that's reassuring. But we need to persevere. When you fall, and you will fall, get back up and keep serving. You can know what your relationship with God is by your own track record. If it's been spotty lately, it's certainly not too late to dust yourself off and get back to work. I read a quote recently, "The great religious lie we sometimes believe is that holiness is the way to Jesus. The incredibly freeing truth is - Jesus is the way to holiness."

The parable isn't necessarily meant to scare those who are trying to follow Jesus, but as a challenge, an encouragement and also a wake up call. The women in this story may not have known the day of the bridegroom's return, but they all knew whether they had a limited supply of oil or if they had prepared for the 'long haul'.

1 John 4:15-18 (NIV)

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. (16) And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (17) In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (18) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We are to be motivated more by God's love and by pleasing Him than by the fear of punishment. We need to be confident in our faith when Jesus returns - because again...

II. Jesus will return

Let's skip to another passage where Jesus was once more teaching His followers about the last days before His return. Let's look at Mark 13:31-37 (NIV)...

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (32) No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (33) Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. (34) It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. (35) Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. (36) If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. (37) What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'

There's a big word I learned back in Bible College. It's the word, "eschatology" which simply means 'a study of the last days'. When we talk about the end times, the biggest question that comes up regarding Jesus' return is…

A. When?

Years ago, a preacher named William Miller claimed that his study of the Bible showed that Jesus would return sometime between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844. Jesus didn't return and Miller revised his prediction to April 18th, 1844. Once again, Jesus didn't show up - so he revised his prediction again to Oct. 22nd, 1844. The date came and went without much fanfare.

Another preacher, Charles Russell, predicted that Jesus would return in 1874. When his prediction failed, he also revised his teachings to say that Jesus had indeed come back, but was actually invisible, He was spiritual in nature so most people missed it…?

Radio evangelists Herbert Armstrong predicted several dates from 1930 though 1975 and Harold Camping predicted a return in 1994. A man by the name of Paul Sides claimed that Christ would return on Sept. 13th, 2007. Televangelist Jack Van Impe predicted a return sometime in 2012 but then revised his prediction to a vague 'sometime very soon'….?

Personally, I don't think Jesus could have been any clearer when He said "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (NIV)...

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, (2) for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (3) While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

I think some spend too much time on the 'when' of Jesus' return and not enough time preparing for that return.

Several years back, I attended a seminar given by the late Dr. Bob Lowery from Lincoln Christian Seminary. It was a study of the book of Revelation. Many came to hear what this learned man had to say about the return of Christ. Surely a scholar such as he would have found clues in the mystery that is Revelation. Those who came seeking insight to a particular date… were disappointed.

Dr. Lowery's main purpose was not to identify the 'when' of the return – but to vigorously remind us that it doesn't really matter when, but to proclaim the fact that Jesus IS coming back. Don't worry about when; just remember that Jesus IS coming back and…

B. Be prepared

Everyone of us needs a gentle reminder every now and then - do something! Respond to the fact in an intentional way that Jesus IS coming back!

- Back to the idea of 'preppers', those survivalists ready for the 'worst case end of the world scenario'. Many of them have supplies stored up to last years. They have water purification systems, they have medicines, they have solar power backups and generators for when the grid goes down, they build 'faraday cages' to protect their electronics in case of an electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear detonation in our upper atmosphere...

I've heard a phrase repeated by many of them, when referring to their supplies, "One is none and two is one." - Meaning, if you have one flashlight, expect it won't work in an emergency, so you need a backup for that one. If you have one gun for hunting, assume something will go wrong with it and you'll need another for backup. "One is none and two is one." They try and be as prepared as possible for every potential problem that could possibly arise.

You can say that they're preparing for something that will probably never actually happen. But we know that Jesus is coming back! He made that promise! What if we took preparing for the return of Jesus as seriously as those survivalists take preparing for disasters…? How might our lives look differently...?

You may notice on our wall – "Know" "Grow" and "Go". It kinda leans heavy on the 'action' side. It doesn't say, 'Hear' 'Sit' and 'Stay'! Our purpose is to be about doing something, as a Church and in our own personal lives and in our communities! That purpose is in anticipation of the return of Jesus!

When Jesus comes back, will He find you faithful in your actions, in your response to His message? Don't put off reaching out to that friend who doesn't know Jesus. Don't put off talking to that loved one who may be on the fence. There are two truths about the end times that we do know for certain – Jesus is coming back and we are closer to that return than at any other time in history!

So What?

If Jesus wasn't coming back, it really wouldn't matter how we live our lives. In fact, if Jesus wasn't coming back, everything we do here on Sunday morning would really be a huge waste of time. If there is no return of Christ, no resurrection, and no Heaven – there is no future hope, and we should probably start living however we want.

The fact is, though, that Jesus is coming back and it could be today! Are you and your family ready? Each of us has a role to play in God's Kingdom – will you be ready when you're called upon? When Jesus returns, will He find you doing what He designed you to do, or will he find you unprepared on the sidelines?

Take the time to ask yourself if you are prepared. Have you found what God wants you to do for His Kingdom? Let's keep watch and let's get to work!