Caught Unprepared

Friday, October 7, 2005

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, Tom lived in Ohio, and Patty is a friend of ours who lived down the street from us in New Jersey. All week long Mom had been on Patty's case to attack her room, to at least locate the floor. Patty put it off and put it off, until the day before Tom's scheduled arrival, and it was a job! She got on her grubby clothes, and she decided not to shower until after this ordeal. She began tearing into her room. Well, the phone rang. It was Tom. He said, "Just called to say I'm looking forward to seeing you soon." They exchanged sweet nothings and Patty got back to work. Not more than a minute later, there was a knock on the door of her room. That door opened and you guessed it - there stood Prince Charming. He had called from downstairs! He had come early to surprise her. Oh, 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 "Caught Unprepared."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 25. It's a parable of Jesus. This particular story is rooted in the Jewish wedding customs of Jesus' day, when a wedding and the celebrations attached to it went on for days. One interesting custom involved the dramatic arrival of the bridegroom; often at a time when he would surprise all those who were waiting for him.

The story goes, "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 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!'" 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 and, "the virgins who were ready," it says, "went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 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 do. But just like Patty on the day when her beloved arrived, some of us will be totally unprepared when Jesus comes. The result: the door of heaven will be shut forever, and some people who thought they would be there will be outside. The arrival of Jesus could be His personal return to this earth, which can happen at any moment. But in a sense, it's that moment when our heart stops beating forever, and Jesus will be coming for us.

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," that means putting your total trust in what He did on the cross to remove the death penalty for your sins, that's the one who "has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son" (In other words, somehow never gets around to making Jesus their personal Savior), "will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

If you're not sure you're ready for the time when Jesus comes for you and you want to be, then I would encourage you with all my heart to tell Him right now, "Jesus, Your death on the cross is my only hope of heaven; of having my sins forgiven. Beginning right here and right now, I am Yours." If that's what you want, then I want you to have my booklet. I wrote it to help you know how to begin a relationship with Him. It's called Yours For Life, and I'll send it to you if you'll just let me know you want it.

The knock will come at a time when you don't expect it, and it will be Jesus. Everything depends on whether or not you're ready. You have time right now to make sure you are.