|
|
Are You Prepared? Introduction: A common question this time of the year is, "are you ready for Christmas." People tend to prepare a tree, presents, a meal, and family time. If you have ever seen the movie "Hood Winked" which is a takeoff on the children's story "Little Red Riding Hood" you will have a song about being prepared. Being prepared means being ready. Being ready for what awaits us, being ready for what we have to do, being ready for what we might have to face. Interesting to see the "Be prepared" passages in the Bible. I) Children of Israel At Mount Sinai, Exodus 19.1-15, esp. 10-11 A) God had delivered them from Egyptian bondage for a purpose 1. His power had been displayed in the 10 plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the destruction of the Egyptian army. a. God reminded them of who He was. The God that brought them out of Egypt, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. b. Now God who was about to establish His covenant with them and bless them. 2. We was now about to give His Law to Moses on top of the Holy Mountain. B) Instructions give to Israel to get ready 1. They were told to consecrate themselves. a. KJV says to "sanctify them" b. To cleanse them, to make them holy 2. How? By washing themselves and their clothes. a. Various ceremonial cleansings in the Old Testament. Cleansing of the priesthood, Exodus 30.17-20. b. More importantly there were spiritual cleansings in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 4.14 c. The Hebrew writer wrote of the "various washings" Hebrews 9.10 3. Notice this was not to take place on just one day but two days and on the 3rd day they would be ready. C) God wanted them to be ready 1. To be a kingdom of Priest and to be a holy nation. 2. Without preparation they would not be those things. D) The same applies to us today, 1 Peter 2.9-10 1. We have been consecrated by the blood of Christ, 1 Peter 1.22 2. To be God's special people, His royal priesthood, and his holy nation. 3. Israel shook with fear when God was on top of Mount Sinai; do we take seriously God's presence today? II) Preparation of Rehoboam and Joash A) Rehoboam 1. Forsook the word of God, 2 Chronicles 12.5 2. Built high places, wooden images, allowed abominations in the land, 1King 14. 3. Why? Reason given in 2 Chronicles 12.14 "He did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. B) Joash 1. The boy king, 7 years old. "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest" 2 Chronicles 24.2. 2. Look to where his heart was. 2 Chronicles 24.4. a. What did Jesus say about our heart? Where our treasure is there will be our heart also, Matthew 6.19-21 C) How about us? 1. Have we prepared our heart to do good? If not then we will do evil. 2. Parable of the sower points out the different types of soil and relates them to the different types of hearts. a. Heart that is so hard it will not listen to the Gospel. b. Heart that recognizes the word of God for what it is but allows the cares of this world to crowd it out. c. The heart that receives the word for a while but lacks the depth, the perseverance to grow. d. The heart that receives the word and grows within them. 3. Unlike the soil of the earth we can change our heart. We can prepare it to do good. Acts 2.37; 8.22 III) Israel Was Told To Prepare To Meet Their God, Amos 4.12 A) This was talking about God's judgment upon them. 1. Chapter 4 gives a list of sins committed by Israel and their refusal to repent. a. Oppressed the poor b. unacceptable worship c. their refusal to listen to accept God's earlier punishments. 2. They were about to be conquered and removed from their land, B) They were to prepare themselves to meet God's punishment 1. Those living in rebellion to God have the same fate waiting them. 2. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. 3. Hell is a prepared place for the unprepared. a. One cannot really prepare themselves for the suffering of eternity. b. Only by obedience to God can one really be ready to face God. Conclusion: One last passage on preparation. John 14.2-4 Jesus told His disciples that we would go to prepare a place for them. Have you prepared your heart to obey the Gospel of Christ? To turn from a life of sin to one of righteousness. Remember to not prepare your heart to do good is to do evil.
|