Are You Ready?
I dedicate this sermon first of all to God for showing me this wonderful truth. And to my friend, Keith who shouted to others this truth by his actions until the day he died. I know I will see him in Heaven.
I went to Curacoa for my mission trip last March. I went because I wanted to tell others about Jesus. I went to teach but instead I was taught. What I was taught there shook me and woke me up. Being there also gave me character traits that I would have never developed if I had stayed at home. I could tell you what it looked like there or what I ate…but none of those things changed my life. If you do want to know about those things you can ask me after I’m done. Before the trip I didn’t realize how soon Jesus was coming and wasn’t excited about Him coming either. I was like some of you. I knew Jesus was coming soon. I knew he died on the cross and saved me. But I didn’t really understand fully.
Imagine that it is a cold rainy day and you decided to pull up a chair and read the newspaper. On the cover its says: Moderate earthquakes and a cold, heavy rain Wednesday added to the misery of hundreds of thousands of people in northeastern Congo, where a volcanic eruption destroyed 40% of the largest city in the region. You shake your head and see another article underneath: As the administration intensified contacts with Iraqi opposition leaders, President Bush said Friday he has no timetable for deciding on a military strike against Iraq and may not decide this year. You turn the page and continue reading: A jury recessed for the weekend Friday in trial of the man charged with killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. Prosecutors have argued that the "smoking gun" was her blood on David Westerfield’s jacket. Westerfield could face the death penalty if convicted. Depressed you set down the newspaper. You don’t even have to (continue reading to hear) read in a newspaper to know about the increase of broken homes or substance abuse in young people. In 1940 for every 1000 marriages 2 ended up divorcing. In 1990 for every 1000 marriages 4.7 ended up divorcing. In a span of 50 years the divorce rate more then doubled. Just imagine what it is now. I can go on and on about how bad this world is getting but you get the point. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 24:6,7; I’m reading from the Clear Word version. You know what? JESUS IS COMING SOON!!! If Jesus is coming soon then a good question to ask is "Am I ready? Are you ready?
Some people feel it is a sin to know positively without a doubt that you’re saved. This is a myth. In fact God wants everyone to be saved. Turn your Bible to 1 Timothy 2:4.
Why would our Father want us to worry about whether or not we are saved? Turn to Matthew 6:34; "So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries." Isn’t worrying about if we are saved, worrying about tomorrow? I think it is.
Others have a hard time because they feel that the have made too many mistakes or one big mistake. God can’t forgive them. This is also a myth. God can forgive all of your sins now matter how big they are. This is a strange yet wonderful fact. Turn to 1 John 1:9.
A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can’t go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open that other door and pick out any cross you wish." The young man was filled with relief.
"Thank you Lord," he sighed, and he did what he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many other crosses, some so large the tops weren’t even visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. "I’d like that one Lord," he whispered.
And the Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in." Let God take your burdens your life. Don’t settle for some cheap imitation.
Sadly others don’t accept the gift of salvation because they think they have to do something. Turn to Romans 10:5
I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t be the right place. After all, I couldn’t possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about. But, this just couldn’t be the right place. Quickly, I glanced down at the invitation that I clutched in my hand. I scanned past the words, "Come as you are. No jacket required." and found the location. Yes, I was at the right place. I peered through the window again and saw a room of people whose faces seemed to glow with joy. All were neatly dressed, adorned in fine garments and appeared strangely clean as they dined at this exquisite restaurant.
Ashamed, I looked down at my own tattered and torn clothing, covered in stains. I was dirty, in fact, filthy. A foul smell seemed to consume me and I couldn’t shake the grime that clung to my body. As I turned around to leave, the words from the invitation seemed to leap out at me......"Come as you are. No jacket required." I decided to give it a shot. Mustering up every bit of courage I could find, I opened the door to this restaurant and walked up to a man standing behind a podium.
"Your name, sir?" he asked me with a smile. "Jimmy D. Brown," I mumbled without looking up. I thrust my hands deep into my pockets, hoping to conceal their stains. He didn’t seem to notice the filth that I was covered in and he continued, "Very good, sir. A table is reserved in your name. Would you like to be seated?" I couldn’t believe what I heard! A grin broke out on my face and I said, "Yes, of course!" He led me to a table and, sure enough, there was a placard with my name written on it in a deep, dark red. As I browsed over a menu, I saw many delightful items listed. There were things like, "peace," "joy," "blessings," "confidence," "assurance," "hope," "love," "faith," and "mercy." I realized that this was no ordinary restaurant! I flipped the menu back to the front in order to see where I was at... .."God’s Grace," was the name of this place!
The man returned and said, "I recommend the ’Special of the Day’. With it, you are entitled to heaping portions of everything on this menu." You’ve got to be kidding! I thought to myself. You mean, I can have ALL of this! "What is the ’Special of the Day’ I asked with excitement ringing in my voice. "Salvation," was his reply.
"I’ll take it," I practically cried out.
Then, as quickly as I made that statement, the joy left my body. A sick, painful ache jerked through my stomach and tears filled my eyes. Between my sobs I said... "Mister, look at me. I’m dirty and nasty. I’m unclean and unworthy of such things. I’d love to have all of this, but, but, I just can’t afford it.
Undaunted, the man smiled again. "Sir, your check has already been taken care of by that Gentleman over there," he said point to the front of the room. "His Name is Jesus."
Turning, I saw a man whose very presence seemed to light the room. He was almost too much to look at. I found myself walking towards Him and in a shaking voice I whispered, "Sir, I’ll wash the dishes or sweep the floors or take out the trash. I’ll do anything I can do to repay you for all of this."
He opened His arms and said with a smile, "Son, all of this is yours if you just come unto me. Ask me to clean you up and I will. Ask me to take away the stains and it is done. Ask me to allow you to feast at my table and you will eat. Remember, the table is reserved in your name. All you must do is accept this gift that I offer you."
Some people are too scared to take the risk. In Matthew 16:25, it says that in order to gain life we must lose it. It may not be logical to totally trust God with every little part of your life but you have to in order to gain eternal life.
Do you really know what kind of pain Jesus went through for you? Let me tell some facts about crucifixion: First they would tie the criminal to a post and beat him 39 times, with a 2 1/2 foot long leather whip (show length). On the whip there were bits of bone, glass and other sharp stuff. They beat Jesus two times.
After the beating the criminal was stripped naked and forced to walk through the most populous streets. Then the soldiers would either tie or nail the criminals’ wrists and ankles to the crossbeam (show big nail). The point of crucifixion was to break their spirit by slowly torturing the criminal, not to kill him. Sometimes to speed up the process they would break the criminal’s legs. But they didn’t have to do that to Jesus because He was already dead. Do you know that Jesus gave up some of his divine power forever by coming down to this earth? He also will be the only person in Heaven that has scars.
Turn to Matthew 27: 45; “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” In amazement angels witnessed Jesus’ despairing agony. The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His back lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; and that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns. The angels in heaven could not take it and turned their faces from the fearful sight. Even the sun refused to look upon the awful scene. In the thick darkness God’s presence was hidden. Imagine the person you are closest to. Now imagine the thought that you wouldn’t ever see them again. That is what happened to Jesus. He had to be separated from his Father on the cross because he had the sins of the world on his shoulders.
That is hard to understand itself; to have the sins of the world on your shoulders. The withdrawal of God’s presence, from Jesus in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt. Satan put in Jesus’ heart the fear that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be forever. Jesus was also afraid that his sacrifice wouldn’t be enough. But it was enough!! Turn to Romans 3:23-25.
So how do you get to the point of believing that if you died right now, you would have eternal life? To know down to the tippiest part of your heart that you are saved? Well…last year I discovered the gift of Salvation. I thought I understood it all. I was so excited and elated about it. On the mission trip I discovered I knew nothing at all. I sat spell bound as Max Touracoulsin preached on Salvation. He had the people look at this verse and I will too. Turn to James 2:19. I was perplexed. I thought all you had to do was believe.
Then he told this story: Once there was this tight rope walker. Every year he would go to Niagara Falls to walk across it on a tight rope pushing a wheel barrel. One year he decided to do something different. He asked, "do you believe that I can make it across?" The crowd shouted, "yes!"
Then the athlete said, "will one of you get in the wheel barrel?" The crowd was silent. Then Mr. Touraculsin stated, "that is what we must do with God. We must give our lives to him and step in the wheel barrel. When I heard him say that I laughed to myself. It was too risky. No way!! Get in the wheel barrel. heh. What if God wasn’t strong enough to hold me up? What if he dropped me? Turn to Jeremiah 17:5-8. I didn’t realize that we have a humungous God. Just take a look at the stars or planets. God made all of them. Think about Samson the strongest man on earth…he killed 1,000 men with a donkey’s jawbone. And I thought God wasn’t strong enough to save me! Finally after a day of struggling and fighting God I stepped in the wheel barrel. I repented for not letting God drive my car. I trusted that his blood was enough to save me and that God would help me to defeat temptation and become more like Him. Do you know how wonderful it is when you let God take full control of your life? Whoooee! You don’t start really living until you give your life over to God and believe that Jesus’ sacrifice can save you. Some people sit in church week after week for years hearing this awesome truth over and over again until they become immuned to it. Wake up!! I could scream and shout for joy! Not until you feel the joy and realization of Jesus’ gift will you start living. I am saved! And you can be saved too.
Twice Ted Williams, a .400 hitter, had to quit baseball to go to war. The first time was ruing World War 2, when he served as flight instructor for the Marine Corps. He was called up again in 1952 to go to Korea as a jet bomber pilot. Hr flew 39 missions against the enemy, miraculously escaping death several times.
Once Ted’s plane was badly shot up in action. His radio was dead, his brakes wouldn’t work, and he had no way of lowering the landing gear.
“Jump!” his commanding officer signaled.
Ted Williams shook his head and prepared for a crash landing. The other planes scattered as he brought the bomber in on its belly. It skidded, served, and lurched to a stop. Only then did Ted realize smoke and flames surrounded him.
“Oh no! It’s on fire!” Ted cried. At any moment the flames would reach the fuel. He leaped out and ran faster than he’d ever run on the ball field! Seconds later his plan exploded.
“If I’d known it was on fire,” Ted later admitted, “I’d have listened to my commanding officer. I came mighty near to losing my life!”
Like Ted William’s bomber, Planter Earth is headed for destruction. Like angry flames headed for the fuel tank, the wickedness of this world spells her doom. The day is coming soon--none of us know how soon--when this plane will burn as an oven.
Jesus, our heavenly commanding officer, signals, “Jump! Come out of the world and its evil ways. Separate yourself from sin and Satan, or you will be destroyed with them.”
According to the Bible, time is running out. The only way we can escape is to take the leap of faith and give our lives over to Him. Turn to Matthew 25:13. Salvation is here, now. Don’t delay.
