Are You Ready?
The Bible talks a lot about being ready. We want to look at these Scriptures to see if we are truly ready to do what God is asking us to do.
Matthew 3:3, “For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”
So how do we make ready the way of the Lord? By making the church ready? Or by making ourselves ready?
First, we need to know, ready by when? Then we need to know how to get ourselves ready.
Matthew 24:43-44, “ But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
Matthew 25:1-13 says, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
We begin to see that Yeshua is telling us that we need to be prepared at any time because like the thief he could come and break into our homes if we do not perceive that he might or he could. The virgins were waiting a long time for the bridegroom , they even fell asleep, but five of them had prepared for his coming , while five of them put it off. Paul tells Timothy in, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, “I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Messiah Yeshua, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Paul is also speaking to us, that we need to be ready, we need to be preaching and teaching the Word of God. Yeshua tells us again about a wedding feast in Matthew 22:4-10, “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Once again we see what will happen if we do not prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. Yes! We need to have oil in our lamps but we also need to be dressed for the occasion. So how do we do that? So what helps us to be dressed?
Acts 21:12-13 tells us this, “ When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Yeshua.”
Paul was ready to die for Yeshua. Paul had laid his life on the altar as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and he had picked up his cross to follow Yeshua (Matthew 16:24-26). He was ready, for he knew that if he had all the worlds good, without Yeshua, his life would be lost.
We see Peter coming to the same conclusion as Paul in 1 Peter 3:14-15 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, but sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Messiah will be put to shame.”
So the question is, “Are you ready to come to the wedding feast?”
Let’s check. You’ve got your oil …the Holy Spirit.
You’ve got your proper clothing…Holiness and godliness.
You have been working for the kingdom….preaching and teaching and doing good in season and out of season.
You have been persecuted for doing righteousness without fear and intimidation.
You are alert and ready and working and waiting. I think you are ready.
Revelation 19:7, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”
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