I’m Ready To Go . Are You?
Do you know anyone in and around your life that seems to constantly be one step behind? Or, it just seems to me that they just put off and put off until the last minute stuff that needs to be done or need to be doing. If you have kids you know exactly what I’m talking about.
I have a house full of kids and it seems like I’m constantly hearing, "Hang on! I gotta....." "Hold up, I forgot...." It seems like 9 out of 10 times we’re heading out of the house to go somewhere you can bet somebody is not gonna be completely ready. Then you hear, "So ’n so grab my...." "When you come bring my...."
You know what it’s like. Normally you allow plenty of time to get dressed and get things together. Normally around our house wherever we are and whatever we’re doing we’re gonna shut sown and be at the house to get cleaned up and dressed one hour before the time we have to leave.
An hour, 60 minutes. To the normal person that is plenty of time to bathe, groom up, get dressed, and maybe even iron the outfit to be worn.
As long as you’re focused on what you’re supposed to be doing and are busy at it, that’s an ample amount of time. We constantly have somebody running out of the house chasing the van still trying to get their belt on, tucking their shirt in, with their shoes and socks in their hand. on occasions I have looked up and seen somebody running out of the house with their shoes, socks, belt, and deodorant in hand.
Well, then we get to church or where ever it is we’re going and you get to looking at them closer. You ask one, "Why is your hair not brushed? Why you still got food smeared all over your mouth? Why you not shaved? Why you wearing wrinkled clothes? Where’s your Bible? Where’s your belt? Then you hear, "I forgot. You were rushing us so to get out of the house." And my favorite, "I didn’t have enough time to finish."
You’re constantly saying, "You had better be ready to go. You’re supposed to be dressed before you ever leave your room. If you’re not ready when it’s time to go you stay here."
We teach our children this way to teach them to focus, to concentrate, to pay attention to the matter at hand. Take care of business. To get things in order. Never mind the playing around, the lolly-gagging around. You better be ready to go.
Today I’m here to tell you, "Thus sayeth the Lord, You had better be ready to go. You better get focused and pay attention to the matter, the business at hand. Nevermind the playing around, the lolly-gagging around, the putting off until tomorrow. You better be ready to go. If you’re not ready when it’s time to go you stay here."
You know, where we are today, the world in which we live in, it’s really a fast paced world we live in. It’s really easy to get side tracked and be distracted away from what we’re supposed to be doing.
Lots of things to get our attention. Lots of things to do, lots of things to get. Lots of places to go. Lots of t.v. to watch. So much work to do. So much time to spend with the family. So much to catch up on in the hobby shop. So much here and so much there and so little time.
There’s only 24 hours in a day. 10 to 14 hours of daylight. 10 to 14 hours of darkness. We work during the day and sleep during the night. We work during the daylight because that’s when we can get the most done. When we can see the most. We sleep during the night in the darkness because that’s when it’s most effective for our bodies.. We can’t see in the darkness like we can in the daylight so we can’t do as much at night as we can in the day.
Now with those two analogies, Time- so little time. Time running out. Day/Night- The time to work and rest. I want us to build on this. To fill in the gaps. To trim away the excess. To cut the fat and realize essentially the relatively short time we have here in our lives on this earth.
Daytime is running out. The day is almost over. Have you gotten all of your work done? Are you working, taking care of business? Have you gotten your priorities in line? Are you taking care of the business that matters? Are you ready to go?
Jesus made reference to day and night. Work and not work. John chapter 9.
Jesus and His disciples ran across this blind man. His disciples were pilfering around about why this man was blind. Who’s sins caused this man to be blind, his parents or his own? Jesus quickly told them neither this man’s nor his parents sin caused him to be blind. Then He informed them that this man is blind so that the works of God should be manifest in him.
Then, as if to say, "Look guys, you’re wasting time here worrying about what’s not important. Now come on. We’ve got a lot of work to do and a short amount of time to do it in."
John 9:4
This little, yet profound statement Jesus made here is very important. Yes He said it in the right here, right now time frame with His disciples gathered around Him to teach them the urgency and importance of His work while He was here with them. But the principle, the ethics, and the priorities He was working under applies to you and me even today.
We must work the works of Him that has sent us, or commissioned us. Now this is the key words you and I need to zero in on. "While it is day: The night cometh when no man can work."
It’s time for us to be busy about God’s business while we have time. The time that has been appointed to us. The day full of light to do our work. Because the night is coming when no work will be done. No work will be done when this day is done.
On God’s great clock of eternity He has set it to begin ticking away every second by second. He hung this great, bright ball in the sky and called it the sun and synchronized it with this clock to begin going down. He said, "Mankind you’ve got until this sun goes down to complete the work assigned to you. After that there’ll be no more work to be done."
Then, of course, mankind brings on the questions. The what, where, who, when , and how. Mankind ask, "What. God, what do you want me to do?" God says, "Get ready to go. Go to work. Get your work done by the end of the day and be ready to go home when I come back to get you."
Matt. 28:19, 20
"Go preach, teach, Baptize, and make disciples of. That’s what I want you to do in Jesus’ name. I want you to take the life-guide I’ve written down for you. Read it. learn it. Know it. Hide it in your heart. Live it. Listen to the direction and leadership My Holy Spirit will give to you and get your work done.
Now, you’ll have a lot of distractions to contend with, brought on by ol’ Satan and his army of demons. That’s why I’ve written down the experiences of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Isiah, Daniel, and all the prophets of old. As well as the apostles of Jesus, Paul of the New Testament. And to top it off, you’ll have My Holy Spirit for comfort, teaching, and understanding.
Remember there’s a lot of work to be done and be done today. After the day is gone then it’ll be time to go. Go rest for the night. For there’ll be no more work to be done."
O.K. God, what you want us to do is to go into all the world preaching, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples of so at the end of the day we can go.
Go? Go where? John 14:2,3. Where are we going? To Heaven. To the land that flows with milk and honey. Where the walls are made of jasper. The streets are paved with pure gold. With gates of pearl. Where your Heavenly wardrobe will be a robe of white and a crown of jewels. Where God the Father reigns and Jesus, The Word Of God is the Light.
Heaven, where we’ve laid up our treasures. Where moth not rust cannot corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. We’ll have no distractions to contend with. Nothing to get our eyes, our attention, our focus off of Jesus Christ and our worship and adoration of Him.
Where all will be peace and harmony for evermore. We’ll no longer have to contend with the frailties, imperfections, and burdens of humanity. Burdens such as sickness, illness, disease, and lack of Godliness. Resting safely and eternally in the everlasting arms of God.
Heaven. Home. That’s where we’re going at the end of the day. There to sit down, lay down, bow down, and worship at the nail-scarred feet of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
O.K. we’ve got the what we’re supposed to be doing. Our jobs. We’ve got the where we’re gonna go at the end of the day. We’re going to Heaven to be with Jesus forever and ever into eternity. But what about the "Who"? Who goes to heaven? Who are we supposed to do this preaching, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples of? This is a really big place we live this planet we call Earth. Can you narrow it down a bit for us.
God says, "Yes, All of mankind. Everyone you come in contact with. I don’t want a single person in this world to be missed. I Tim. 2:4.
There are two things that are always the will of God. 1. That all men be saved.
2. That all come to the knowledge of truth.
God created mankind to live in fellowship and harmony with Him. Then, by the acts of mankind, mankind was separated form that sweet, beautiful fellowship with him. Then, to restore this relationship God Himself set up and provide a way to where lowly, sinful, unworthy man could once again for all of eternity fellowship, communicate, and live with Him.
Yes he wants all of mankind to be there in Heaven with Him when this day is over. He wants you and me to go out into all the world and tell this to everyone around us, everyone we come in contact with. We are to explain to them that, "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God." Everyone has. There’s not one who does not fall under this category of "sinner". Everyone needs to know, "The wages of sin is death". Everyone needs to know that there is no way to be with God the Father except through this very special route that He Himself has provided. Everyone on their own deserves to be eternally separated form Him. And you will. You will die in your sins and be lost forever in a devil’s Hell. But, my friend, God goes on to say, "The gift of God is eternal life."
There is a way. There is only one way to spend eternity with God the Father. And that way is through Jesus Christ. Why? Because, "God so loved the world." God loves you and me so much. He love us with an unconditional, undeserved, never-ending, an Agape love, "That He gave His only begotten son. That whosoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God has provided a way. We don’t have to devise a way or come up with a way on our own to spend eternity with Him. And whosoever will, Whoever in this world wants to may come to Him through Jesus Christ.
But, time is running out. The sun is sinking low. The day is almost gone. You had better make this a top priority. You had better not put it off any longer. you had better accept this invitation, this free gift before it is no longer available. Christians we had better get busy telling everyone we can about this. Time is running out. Life’s setting sun is sinking low. It’s almost time to go. Stop worrying about keeping the pews warm and get concerned with burning up the pavement. There’s an important, there’s an urgent matter at hand here and we need to get focused about what’s really important. We’ve got work to do. We must work the works of Him who has sent us while it is day: For the night cometh when no man can work.
O.K. We got the what, where, and the who. Now what about the when. When is this day gonna be over. How much time have we got left? When is He coming to take us home? Matt.24:36-44
I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you because I don’t know. Jesus couldn’t tell us because He don’t know. The angels in Heaven don’t know. There is only one person in all of existence that knows and that is God the Father Himself. God Himself knows and He’s not telling anybody.
It amazes me when I look around at the number of people that are constantly trying to formulate and figure out when the end is coming. It’ll be here when it gets here. God said you better be ready. It’s coming. Jesus Christ is coming back, in the twinkling of an eye the Bible says, and you had be ready to go or you’ll stay here. Lost person you gottat get saved, now. Christian, you had better be about the Father’s business, now. While it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Because you may wait too long. By the time you get around to it, it may be too late.
These people trying to figure out when it’s all going down and not taking care of business, they’re crazy. They don’t know what they might wake up one morning and it be too late. All of God’s people done gone and they’re left behind.
You know it’s not the when that matters anyway. It doesn’t matter when Jesus is coming back. Because God has told us that He is coming back. God said it, and that settles it. He’s told us we’re to live and work as though every day is our last day. We’re to stay on the watch.
Folks it’s time to get yourself saved. Boys and girls, moms and dads. Don’t put it off any longer. You’re not guaranteed your next breath. You can’t afford to put eternal life off any longer. If you like to gamble that much you ought to be sitting down there around Philidelphia in the tee-pees pulling on those slot machines. They’ll take you for everything you’ve got. But you won’t loose near as much sitting down there in those tee-pees as you would if you say no to God too long. I’m talking about eternal life, and that’s forever. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. Friend there’s an urgency here. You had better get saved and you had better do it now.
Fellow believers that same urgency applies to you and me carrying the gospel around the world. Folks we’ve got to get busy. We’ve got relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates that need the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve got people right here in our own country, in neighboring countries, countries around the world that need the gospel. They need to be taught to, preached to. They need to be baptized and they need to be discipled.
It’s almost time to go. We’ve got to get with it.
O.K. The what- We believers have got to "Go". Preach, teach, baptize, and make disciples of the world. You non-believers you need to be saved and join us as we go. So everyone will be ready to "Go" at the end of the day.
The where- We’re going to Heaven. And we want all of our relatives, friends, and neighbors to go with us.
The who- Everyone. "For God so loved the "World". And it’s His will "that all men be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth."
The when- When this day is done. We don’t know the specific hour. But we know it’s near. It’s now the eleventh hour. Times is short. Time is running out.
Now, finally, the how. For us believers it’s simply a matter of listening and responding to the leadership and direction of God’s Holy Spirit. He’s called us to go. Not to sit and keep the pews warm. But to go. Today, right here right now God may be calling you to go as a teacher, a preacher, as a lay person. Whatever capacity He’s calling you to fill He’s calling you to take the message of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
To you that are not saved, He’s calling you right here right now to be saved. How do you do that? First of all you have to acknowledge that you’re a sinner. That you need a savior. That you can’t save yourself. He’s calling you to repent of your sins. That simply means to turn away from your sinful nature. He’s calling you to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He’s the one who died and paid the ultimate price for your sins and mine. Through Him and by His shed blood is the only way you’ll ever see eternal life in Heaven with God the Father. You’re not promised tomorrow, one more hour, not even one more second. don’t put it off any longer.
Saint or sinner. Whatever the case may be with you personally don’t put God off any longer. Last Sunday morning I had the very special privilege of baptizing my oldest daughter. If God can call and use a young seven year old little girl He can call and use you, too. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of my little girls, one of my boys, one of my sisters or brothers God is calling you and He will use you.
