“Are You Ready?”
Text: Amos 4:12-13
12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
(KJV)
Introduction:
When we were little we all thought our parents seemed immortal, but sooner or later we have or will find out that they are not immortal. The phone call will come the words will be said “Mom or Dad have just past away,” or “Mom or Dad have been rushed to the hospital and she or he may not make it.” These are phone calls that none of us never want to face. But when we do come face to face with death whether with someone we love dearly or ourselves we ask ourself this question, “Am I Ready to die?” The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” When we are asking ourself the question, “Am I Ready to Die?” We are really asking, “Am I Ready to be Judged?” God’s Word has clearly stated that everyone will we judge for the words they have said and deeds they have done.
In this sermon I am not trying to be morbid. I am trying to get you to think Am I ready to die? If you know you are ready for something that is up coming then you done have to keep your mind on it, because you have your mind made up. There is nothing more important for you to settle than your eternal destination. If these arrangements are avoided they carries a very high price to pay.
So, this morning I ask you this question. “Are you ready to meet your maker and judge?” Here are some questions to ask yourself to make sure that you are ready to meet you maker and judge.
I. Have I ever believed on the Lord Jesus to be
save?
Acts 16:31 says: “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
This is not just head knowledge of believing in the Lord Jesus but heart is a heart understanding that saves us. You maybe asking what do you mean by that?
A. Have you confessed your sins to the Lord?
First John 1:9 says: “If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
B. Why do I need to confess my sins?
Romans 3:23 say: “For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God.”
C. What will happed if I do not confess my
sins?
Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Say you believed on the Lord Jesus to be save before but you have given up on your belief in the Lord Jesus and have start to go your own way.
II. Are you still ready to meet your maker and judge
in that condition?
If you have gone back to sinning against God then you are not ready to meet your maker and judge. Psalms 53:3 Says: “Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” “Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.” Proverbs 13:15 If you have transgressed against God since you believed in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour then you have made it look as if you had never been saved before.
III. Is there hope for me to ever be ready after
turning my back on the Lord Jesus?
The answer to that question is a BIG YES. As long as you are still breathing and God can still speak to your heart there is still HOPE. God wants no one to parish no not one. In First Corinthians 10:13 Paul writes, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Conclusion:
In closing this morning I want to read you an illustration entitled “My Time on Earth”
After living what I felt was a "decent" life, my time on earth came to the end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor." He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn’t take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin."
The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this woman belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn’t that at least equal out part of the harm I’d done? Satan finished with a fury and said, "This woman belongs in hell, she is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise."
When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi,Dad," and then He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this woman had sinned, I won’t deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this woman deserves to be punished." Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and she has accepted Me as her Savior, so she is Mine." My Lord continued with, "Her name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch her from Me. Satan still does not understand yet. "This woman is not to be given justice, but rather mercy." As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is nothing else that needs to be done." "I’ve done it all."
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips.. "This woman is free." The penalty for her has already been paid in full. "Case dismissed." As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won’t give up, I will win the next one." I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?" Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,
~Paid In Full~
