The Second Coming Of Christ - Part 6: Are You Ready For The Rapture? Series

The Second Coming of Christ

Part 6: Are You Ready for the Rapture?

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 24:40-51, Matthew 25:1-13

(Initial reading: Matthew 24:40-44)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared March 12, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 24, and we will study three more of the Lord's parables. Remember that by now, it was only 2 or 3 days before the cross. Jesus had just finished condemning the Jewish leaders for stubbornly rejecting Him as the Messiah. The Lord also condemned them for their spiritual pride, corruption, lack of mercy, hypocrisy, and more.

*Then on the way out of the city, the disciples stopped to admire the Temple. Matthew 24:1 says, "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple." I can imagine them saying, "Lord take a look! Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you impressed?"

*Jesus was not impressed. And in vs. 2 the Lord told them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'' The disciples were shocked. The destruction of the temple was one of the last things they expected, so they began to question the Lord. Verse 3 says, "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'''

*We have studied the Lord's answer for several weeks, looking at the sure truths, the warnings, the mysteries, the Old Testament background, the rapture of the Church, and the final fulfillment of His words. But as Jesus answered the disciples' questions about His second coming, He used parables to help them understand. And these parables can also help us get ready for the rapture of God's Church. Let's get started by reading Matthew 24:40-44.

MESSAGE:

*You know, some of the shortest questions have the longest impact: "Do you love me?" "Will you marry me?" Today, we will focus on another question like that. It's a short question, but the answer will determine the eternal destiny for all people alive today: "Are you ready for the rapture?"

*With all His heart, God wants people to get ready, so in today's Scripture the Lord stressed 3 essentials related to our readiness.

1. FIRST: JESUS STRESSED THE PRIORITY FOR US TO GET READY.

*The first thing to notice today is this: Jesus spent most of His time in these Scriptures stressing the priority for us to be ready. Jesus began to answer the disciples' questions in Matthew 24:4. And here in Matthew's Gospel, the Lord's answer goes on for 94 verses. Sixty-two of those 94 verses focus on people being ready for the rapture. In other words, when the disciples asked their questions about Jesus coming back again, the Lord devoted two thirds of His answer to the priority for us to be ready.

*Jesus described the rapture in Matthew 24:40-42, and here He said, "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

*Being ready for Jesus' return is so important that the Lord told parables to help His followers understand. And the first parable today is in Matthew 24:43-44, where Jesus said, "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him."

*Someone breaking into our house is a terrible, frightening thing, especially if we are home in the middle of the night. We want to be ready for that, especially if we know when the thief is coming. If you had solid information that a thief was coming to break into your house, can you imagine not getting ready? -- No way! We would do everything we possibly could.

*Ella Edwards was ready. She was a tiny, sweet-as-sugar, senior adult lady at McClendon in West Monroe. Miss Ella was as good as gold. She was like a grandmother to our children when their own grandmothers lived hundreds of miles away.

*Before she moved to town, Miss Ella lived way out in the country by herself for many years. One day I asked her if she was ever afraid living way out there like that by herself. She laughed a little and said, "No! -- I had a shotgun by the front door, a shotgun by the back door, and I knew how to use them!"