Being Ready, be prepared is necessary for many things in life.
Last year hardly anyone had heard of Casey Stoner. This year he is the world champion of Moto GP.
In only his second year of Moto GP he is the best motor cycle rider in the world.
On the surface it looked like it was a fast ride to the top for Casey.
However his story reveals that his adventure has been a life time in the making.
He began riding motorcycles when he was 4 years old.
And for most of his life he has been guided and prepared by his parents,
by other motorcycle riders and teams
and by coaches to be best motorcycle rider in the world.
There were times he had to wait until an opportunity arose.
And when it did he was ready to for the opportunity because he was prepared for the opportunity.
Today’s readings call us to be ready for the opportunity of Jesus coming again, an opportunity that is far superior to being the best motor cycle rider in the world.
Are you ready for this opportunity of Jesus coming again?
We have the opportunity for a lifetime with Jesus.
Eventually Casey Stoner will no longer ride motorcycles.
However we have the promise of eternal life with God.
In John 14 verses 2 and 3 Jesus says to you and me
My Father’s house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Are you looking forward to that time?
Are you ready for Jesus return?
In all three readings we heard today we are reminded to be always ready for the return of Jesus.
And we should expect Jesus to return at anytime.
Listen again to Matthew 24 verse 36 and 44
“But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone.
Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Jesus is guaranteed to return, and it could be anytime.
Jesus asks us if you new a thief was going to break into your home tomorrow.
Would you be ready for him?
Would you go out of your way to make sure he was caught?
I couldnt imagine too many of us to neglect being at home if we knew the thief was to come.
Like wise if you knew Jesus was to return tomorrow,
are you ready for him,
is there anything you would need to do?
Have you been putting off anything?
And we know Jesus’ second coming is getting closer.
Logic tells us that each day, is one day closer to Jesus returning.
And so do the scriptures.
From Romans 13 verse 11 we heard
And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers.
So are you ready for Jesus return?
Being ready is not about earning our place in heaven.
Contrary to popular belief there are not ten steps to getting your way into heaven.
It is about recognising God’s ways,
It’s about seeing God’s approach to life,
and to understand God’s ways of life.
And to do this we need to first be listening to God.
As I read again from the words of Isaiah, chapter 2 verses 3 to 5.
I encourage you to listen to what is happening.
This time I am reading from a bible translation called New International Readers Version.
People from many nations will go there.
They will say, "Come. Let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.
Let’s go to the house of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how we should live.
Then we will live the way he wants us to."
The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.
His message will go out from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations.
He’ll settle problems among many of them.
They will hammer their swords into plows.
They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not go to war against one another.
They won’t even train to fight anymore.
People of Jacob, come. Let us live the way the Lord has taught us to.
Did you pick up the rhythm?
People come and listen.
God teaches how to live.
His message doesn’t just stay in the place but goes from the place.
He judges all nations but in a way that settles problems, in ways that bring peace.
And this is only possible because rather than living their own ways they are guided by God and His ways.
Being ready involves listening to God, learning from God’s ways.
Something for each of us to reflect on.
Are we listening to God, or are we listening to people, the worldly approach to life?
From the moment we wake to when we go to bed it is easy to be swamped by the messages from everywhere but God.
So it is important that we are intentional about this.
Why because the world says stick up for yourself, spend time only on what matters to you and forgiveness is for wimps.
God says spend your time loving God, loving others and sharing God’s forgiveness.
So it is extremely important to spend time at God’s mountain.
Remember in the Old Testament the geographical place where God was found was at Mount Zion, this was the Lord’s mountain, thats where the temple was.
However when it comes to the New Testament, we learn that the temple is not a geographical place but Jesus.
Listen to John chapter 2 verse 20 and 21
20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
The place to be, to learn about God and God’s ways is from Jesus.
Everything in scripture should be seen through who and what Jesus is
Jesus is the bottom line.
God’s teaching comes directly through Jesus.
And when it comes to God’s ways it is important to note Jesus response to the teachers of the law,
when they asked what are God’s greatest commandments
Listen to Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Now think about what we just heard Jesus say in relation to our reading from Romans 13:13-14.
Being awake for Jesus coming,
being ready for Jesus means living lives decently,
not just when we think people are watching, but at all times.
And we do this to show our love for God and love for others.
Recently in Victoria there has been a police scandal,
where some high level police officials acted as if they were doing the right thing.
Unfortunately for them their phones were tapped, and the sins they thought only they knew about have been revealed to the courts and the media.
Unfortunately most of us live a life where we think we can hide sin.
We put on a front and worry how we look when we think people maybe watching, but we do what we want we people are not.
And hate it when our sins we thought were done in secret are revealled.
However Psalm 139 verses 7 to 12 reminds us there is no where we can go where God will not see every aspect of our lives
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, a you are
there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you
So we are encouraged to put on Jesus’ ways in all situations.
Or as Isaiah chapter 2 verse 5 suggests be guided by the light of Christ.
And this is not just when it suits us or we think we need to be acting Christian.
But being a Christian involves living God’s ways 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
At church, home, work, in our social scenes.
So as you live your life this advent season ask yourself are you doing this?
Now the reality is if we could do this perfectly.
If we could love God, love others as much as we love ourselves,
there would be no need for Christmas,
there would be no need for Jesus to come into our world as a baby.
But the fact is each one of us sin.
And so each one of us needs to constantly to return to God.
To listen to His ways
and receive His forgiveness.
That is why the early Christians saw this period leading up to Christmas,
as a time of fasting, where they focussed on God,
as a time of reflecting on what Jesus was saying,
as a time of repenting,
and as we do we begin to see the true gift of Christmas.
We are prepared to really appreciate and celebrate what Christmas is about.
We can say
that despite all the problems in the world,
that despite all the difficulties and issues we are facing,
that despite those things and situations that we worry about
we can say God is at work doing something wonderful.
That Jesus came into this world, to save you and me.
In doing so He is preparing us for a place,
where war, revenge and getting even are not on our minds.
But it is a place where peace and living with people of all situations and nations is the focus.
Now we are not there yet, are we.
Jesus is at work bringing this about.
So as you prepare for Christmas,
remember that Christmas is not just celebrating the Jesus who came as a baby.
But it is about God coming to our world so we can have eternal life, to save us.
And it is about the fact that Jesus will come again to give you and many others, eternal life, for no other reason than our reliance on him for forgiveness.
Central to Jesus’ approach to life is forgiveness.
That is why he came as a baby at Christmas,
a manger full of forgiveness.
And amongst all the messages of Christmas this is the most important one.
Will you put the time aside to hear it?
Will you put the time aside to share it?
Will you put the time aside to be ready for his second coming?
Let us pray
