Intro
• Are you ready?
• That is a question that we ask people quite often.
• Are you ready? – to go to church
• Are you ready? – to go to work
• Are you ready? – to go to school
• Are you ready? – For the big game
• This question is one that we ask a lot but do we ask it when it matters?
• We get ready for so many things in life but people often overlook the biggest thing that we need to get ready for.
• We spend countless numbers of hours on things we think are very important – work, school, church; life events such as weddings, parties
• While those things seem to be important right now there is something else that we need to get ready for that is of much greater importance.
• We need to get our spiritual lives ready for the return of Jesus Christ!
• Jesus Christ came to this earth in human form, He paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and then God raised Him from the dead – victorious over sin and death.
• For all those that believe in Jesus Christ He is our Savoir and Lord.
• In Acts 1, Luke tells us that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven but we are promised in verse 11 that He will return!
• When Jesus comes again, will you be ready?
• Jesus’ return will be #1 Unpredictable, #2 Unexpected and it will #3 Bring Judgment.
• Prayer
Jesus’ Return will be Unpredictable
• Matthew 24:36
• It always amazes me to see people make predictions about when the world is going to end or when Jesus will be coming back.
• What amazes me even more is when Christians buy into these doomsday prophecies or believe these predictions about Jesus’ return.
• People love to try and figure out these great mysteries.
• Every time a new prediction is proclaimed I watch as that one proclaiming the message gets all the glory.
• Is Christ’s return about our glory? No, it’s about Christ’s!
• I also always see well meaning Christians get wrapped up in all the hoopla surrounding such a prediction.
• Last year we saw Harold Camping proclaim that the rapture would take place in May 2011 – It didn’t.
• After he failed we the May date, he then predicted that the rapture would take place in October 2011 – It didn’t.
• Once again, here in 2012, we have another prediction about the end of time concerning the Mayan calendar.
• If Jesus returns in 2012 or if the world is destroyed in 2012 it will not be because of the Mayans “predicting” it … it will be because of the choosing of God Himself.
• What does scripture teach us here in Matthew 24:36?
• “No one knows the day and hour”
• No one, absolutely no one – Trying to figure out the time is a futile attempt.
• We can not be told by the Angels … they do not know.
• Believe it or not, Jesus Christ can’t even tell us because Christ Himself does not even know the time that He will come back.
• I laugh every time I see one of these doomsday predictions because they are claiming to know something that Jesus does not know!
• If the angels do not know, if Jesus does not know and scripture tells us that only God knows when Jesus will return then why do we make these wild claims and why do people believe these wild claims?
• If we read this scripture and remember what this scripture says then we will not make the mistake of falling for any prediction lie.
• We do not know when Jesus Christ will return and rapture His church nor do we know when the world will come to an end.
• His timing will be unpredictable.
• One thing is certain though, you better be ready before He comes.
Jesus’ Return will be Unexpected
• Matthew 24:37-39
• Not only will we not know when Jesus will return, but He will return when we least expect it.
• Jesus says that it will be like it was in the days of Noah.
• How does Moses describe the days of Noah?
• Genesis 6:5-6 – “5 When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
• In the days of Noah, evil ruled men’s minds.
• Wickedness was widespread and every thing that man thought of was nothing but evil.
• God had determined to send a great flood to rid the world of wickedness.
• If you remember, God had commanded Noah to make a huge boat – an ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high so that he, his family and many animals would be saved from God’s judgment.
• People had to see what Noah was building and wonder why he would be making such a huge boat.
• Can you imagine how they might have reacted when Noah told them about the coming judgment of God?
• The earth had never been fully flooded before so people probably thought Noah was crazy.
• They probably thought that surely a loving God would not bring judgment
• Matthew tells us that the people were just going about their daily routines when all of the sudden the flood came and swept them all away.
• V38 tells us that people were “eating, drinking, marrying and given in marriage”
• What probably started off as a regular routine day turned into a day of judgment and destruction.
• When Jesus Christ returns, we will not be expecting Him.
• We too will be going about our daily routines
• We will be going to work, school or checking off things on our to do list
• When we least expect it, Jesus Christ will return
• We will just be going through our daily routines when all the sudden the world will be turned upside down.
• Will you be ready?
Jesus’ Return will Bring Judgment
• Matthew 24:40-44
• Scripture paints a very vivid picture about the instantaneous rapture of the church!
• V40 – Two men will be working in the field, one taken and one left behind.
• V41 – Two women will be grinding at the mill, one taken an one left
• Can you imagine the chaos that those left behind will have to deal with?
• People will be driving when all of the sudden many cars will be without drivers.
• Many wrecks will be caused and many will die without Jesus Christ.
• Air planes will be flying their regular flights and all of the sudden pilots will be raptured as planes fall to the earth causing many to die without Jesus Christ.
• Governments will be thrown into disarray as chaos ensues for those left behind.
• Can you imagine how brutal and cold this world will be once the church is raptured and the judgments are poured out on all those who do not belong to Jesus Christ?
• How bad will it be to be left behind?
• Revelation 9:6, “In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.”
• We are not promised tomorrow and Jesus’ return will be unexpected
• Do you want to be left behind?
• If not then you need to get ready!
• V42 – We are called to be alert now since we do not know when Jesus is coming
• Jesus uses the analogy of a thief.
• I do not know of anyone who expects a thief to come to their house.
• Jesus tells us that if the homeowner was expecting a thief to break in then he would have stayed and protected his home.
• When we expect something, we can make all needed preparations before we are caught off guard.
• We must get ready because Jesus Christ is coming back at any moment and when He does He will bring judgment upon all those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
• He will bring judgment on all those who have rejected Him and denied His name!
• Many people still ask “How can a loving God bring judgment to humanity? Doesn’t He love us?”
• We must remember that God does not condemn us, but we do that ourselves when we choose to reject Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!
• How can we avoid judgment?
• How can you get ready?
• Accept Jesus Christ today!
Conclusion
• Jesus’ return will be #1 Unpredictable, #2 Unexpected and it will #3 Bring Judgment.
• When Jesus returns, you want to be ready!
• Challenge:
o Give your life to Jesus Christ today – How?
o Warn others about His return
