Friday, May 22, 2015
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Patty's true love, Tom, was coming to visit in a few days. She was excited, but not excited enough to clean her room of course. See, Tom lives in Ohio. Patty's a friend of ours who lived down the street from us in New Jersey. All week long Mom had gotten on to Patty for not cleaning her room, at least so she could find the floor.
Well, Patty put it off, and put it off until the day before Tom's scheduled arrival. Well, let me say, I mean, this was a job! She got on her grubby clothes. She decided not to shower until she was through with this ordeal. And she began tearing into her room and the phone rang. It was Tom. He said, "Hey, I just called to say I'm looking forward to seeing you soon." Cool!
Well, they exchanged some sweet nothings, and Patty hung up and got back to work. Not more than a minute later (You with me now?) there was a knock on the door of her room. The door opened and you guessed it! There stood Prince Charming! He had called from downstairs. He'd come early to surprise her, and surprise her he did. There she stood in a mountain of mess with matted hair, sweating in her grubbiest clothes. She was not ready for him!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Unprepared for God."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 25, beginning at verse 1. It's a parable Jesus told. This particular story is rooted in the Jewish wedding customs of Jesus' day, when a wedding and the celebrations attached to it actually went on for days. There were interesting customs involving the dramatic arrival of the bridegroom, often at a time when he would surprise those who were waiting for him.
It says, "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, however, took oil and 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!'"
Well, the story goes on to tell us that the lamps of the foolish women were running out of oil and they went back to get more. The groom arrived right then, and it says, "The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut." Then it says. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said, 'Open the door for us.' But he replied, 'I don't know you.'" It's an unsettling story when you realize who the characters really are and what it could mean. The bridegroom is Jesus. The banquet is eternal life – it's heaven.
All ten of those women wanted to be there just like you and I want to be there where Jesus is in heaven some day. But just like Patty on the day when her beloved arrived, some of us are going to be totally unprepared when Jesus comes. And the result: the door of heaven is shut forever. And some people who thought they would be there will be outside. That picture's throughout the New Testament.
The arrival of Jesus could be His personal return to this earth, which according to the signs accompanying His coming could happen very soon. But in a sense, it's also that moment when your heart stops beating and Jesus comes for you, in a sense, then.
Here's a question you can't risk being wrong about, "Are you ready?" John 3:36 will decide it. "Whoever believes in the Son..." What does that mean? Putting your total trust in what Jesus did on the cross to remove the death penalty for your sins. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever rejects the Son..." In other words, someone who never gets around to making Jesus their personal Savior, that person "will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Are you ready for that time when Jesus comes one way or the other? You want to be? Why don't you take care of that today? Let's get this done. Just say, "Jesus, I understand now what happened on that cross was for me, and beginning right now I am yours." There's some great information on our website to help you be sure you know this Jesus, that you're ready for Him. Just go to ANewStory.com.
The knock could come any time when you don't expect it, and it will be Jesus. Everything depends on whether or not you're ready. Right now you have time to make sure you are.