Be Ready

Matt 24:44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

 

We don't hear much about this anymore in our churches. I know that in our church we center on three things Christ, the cross and His word. All solid stuff…and frankly, the things that we should be focused upon. The thing is, I have heard that some Bible based churches avoid the topic of the second coming because they are not sure about whether it is pre-trib, post-trib or mid-trib, so since they don't know they don't talk about it. That is crazy. A whole book in the Bible is centered on it. (Revelation) The book of Daniel is full of it, and Jesus spent a significant amount of time describing it in this chapter in what is known as the Olivet Discourse. Beyond that we have I Cor 15 and I Thess 4 that addresses it. And, by the way, all kinds of stuff is happening in our world right now that would point to the fact that God is at work doing something. ("For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places." (v7) Sounds like the front page of today's paper.)

 

The exhortation by Jesus is this: "Be ready." The Boy Scout motto – "Be prepared". Pay attention. Look around. This is going to happen when we don't expect it. In practical ways, what does getting ready look like? Does it mean stashing away gold and silver? Does it mean building our food pantry? Does it mean getting out of debt? It may, but I think it means a lot more. It means being busy in building the kingdom and don't let up. Don't let your guard down. Run after it. Be consistent. Don't get weary in well doing. Passionately pursue it. Be a faithful and wise servant. (v45)

 

And we need to be sure to open our mouths. When we see what is going on around us we should be in the business of reminding people that Christ is coming. Do we know when? No. But we know that in Matt 24 he gave us a ton of warning signs. Jesus did not want us to be caught by surprise so He spent a lot of time telling his guys what it was going to be like before He returned.

 

So be ready. Get ready. It may happen at any moment. When was the last time you heard that?