Are you ready?
Are you prepared?
He's coming,
so you better watch out,
you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why.
That's right, Jesus Christ,
is coming to town.
So here we are, at that time of year,
where we are, all around the world, especially
here in America, frantically preparing for Christmas and,
as we have all the Christmas preparations of course,
we're going to hear lots of Christmas music and
we'll hear about Santa Claus coming to town.
I really do hope and pray that you and yours
have a splendid Christmas this year.
But as you make all these preparations,
don't forget about the real meaning of Christmas-
Christ.
God sent His own son to this world, Jesus, for you,
for me, to be savior of all.
And as you prepare for the celebration of Jesus' first coming,
let's not forget that Jesus is coming again.
This is where we get that special word Advent,
have you heard that word before?
Advent is not just a time where you have
a countdown calendar with little, bitty chocolates
for children to enjoy.
Advent is really an important time.
It comes from a Latin word, it means "coming."
And so during this time of Advent,
we think about how Jesus came to us once,
that's what we celebrate at Christmas,
and he comes to us now, in His word, the Bible.
But he's also going to come back one last time,
on Judgment Day.
So, Jesus is coming,
now what?
Well, that's what we're going to talk about this week.
So today, one quick point for you,
Jesus is coming, so keep watch.
One time, Jesus told a story about
a great wedding celebration.
Now keep in mind,
in those days, wedding celebrations would be
often up to an entire week long.
And the wedding party would often wait
for the groom to come.
And when he finally arrived, they would have this big,
grand, procession to the wedding feast and the banquet.
So as Jesus tells this parable,
there were ten virgins
who were waiting for the groom to come.
And five of them were very foolish, as they were waiting
they got tired, they fell asleep.
But five were very wise.
They kept watch, they were waiting, their lamps were
trimmed and burning, and the light was ready.
And sure enough, when the groom finally arrived,
the five foolish ones were left out.
They were shut out of the wedding feast.
And the five wise ones who were ready,
they were there at that great celebration.
And so here's how Jesus concluded that parable, Jesus said
"Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know
the day or the hour."
Do you feel like you are completely bogged down right now,
with Christmas preparation?
Maybe you have all kinds of to do lists, and checklists,
and decorations, and parties to plan for,
and all those kinds of things.
Let's not lose track of what we're really preparing for.
We're preparing to celebrate Jesus coming to this world,
but our mind is also on the big picture.
The grand scheme of things, that Jesus will come back for us.
Keep Christ in mind this Christmas, His first Coming,
His last Coming, and keep watch.
And then keep watching this week, because we'll talk
more about how you can prepare for that great day
when Jesus returns.
How much do you have to prepare for Christmas yet?
I know my family is notoriously bad at this.
I know my family is notoriously bad at this. Some years we are sort of ready,
Some years we are sort of ready,
and I think this year we'll be okay.
But usually, we are so busy with myself being a pastor,
my wife as a teacher,
that inevitably, we get behind on something.
Christmas cards, we are very bad at those,
or planning for presents,
we always forget somebody
or even decorations.
By the time we finally put some of them up,
it's not even worth putting them up anymore.
Is this the way you are with Christmas preparation?
Or maybe even better,
is that how you are with your spiritual preparations?
Let me have you imagine something for a moment.
Imagine that you saw all the signs.
You saw the rise in crime statistics in your area,
and let's say you saw on the news
the stories of some gang of thieves
that's kind of on the loose at the time
and then you even heard about your neighbors
talking about how their homes were broken into.
You think you might prepare a little bit?
Maybe you'd beef up the safety
and security of your home.
Maybe you'd even keep watch,
you'd have a flashlight ready to go.
Like it's not a matter if that thief would come,
but just when and whether or not you're prepared.
Well, listen to what Jesus said one time.
Here's what Jesus had to say about himself.
He said, "If the owner of the house had known
"at what time of the night the thief was coming,
"he would have kept watch
"and would not have let his house be broken into.
"So you also must be ready,
"because the Son of Man will come
"at an hour when you do not expect him."
Jesus is going to return
swiftly and suddenly.
So are you ready for that?
Is that something you are prepared for?
All the preparations you're making for Christmas,
are you ready for Jesus' final return?
If you're like me,
I'm sure you get caught up in worldly stuff.
So many things going on in life
and busy schedules and full calendars
and so many things that you lose track
of what's finally most important.
We need to be prepared for Jesus to come.
So how are we going to do that?
So how are we going to do that? How do we prepare?
How do we prepare?
Well, here's the good news, friends,
Jesus actually helps us to be prepared.
And how does he do that?
It's very simple.
In his word.
Did you know that in John 1,
Jesus is called "The Word,
"The Word made flesh?"
And the word of God Jesus comes
to us in the word of God, the Bible.
And he helps us to prepare,
to prepare our hearts.
It's in the Bible that he exposes
all the wrongs that we have,
those sins and our guilt.
But it's also in the Bible that
he tells us the good news of his forgiveness,
that like a flashlight in the dark,
he beams his lights of love
and forgiveness on us,
that he beefs up our safety,
our security because he tells us the good news
of the peace that we have with God.
Even more than that,
the Bible tells us
to pray continually,
to not give up meeting together
as some are in the habit of doing,
to gather together for worship.
So stay connected to each other.
And stay connected to God and prayer
and stay connected to the word.
And when you do these things,
you will be prepared for Jesus to come.
What a weirdo.
Do you think you would want to go out and see him?
It was almost like a circus sideshow
or something like that.
This man out in the middle of the wilderness
wearing camel skin clothing,
having a leather belt around his waist.
Almost like a survivor man eating locusts and wild honey,
scraggly, rough and tough.
Do you think you would want to see this man?
If so, you wouldn't be alone because
crowds of people were flocking
to see this guy called John the Baptist.
But for as rough and tough as he was in appearance and location,
it really was symbolic of a rough and tough message.
Here's the main message.
John the Baptist preached this,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
God sent John the Baptist
to prepare the way for Jesus to come.
And how were people to prepare?
Well, they were supposed to repent.
Now, that's a fancy Bible word there, repent.
Do you know what that word means?
Repent literally means to have a change of mind.
Or maybe if I could say it in a different way,
repent means to make a spiritual U-turn.
So let's say you're going down one path,
and you're not doing what's right,
you're not doing what God wants.
The Bible calls that sin.
Well, repenting is more than just saying,
"I'm sorry."
No, repenting is also changing your ways,
that you turn around
and go in the other direction.
John the Baptist came to prepare people's
hearts by repenting for Jesus to come.
And now, God wants to use him with that same
message to prepare you for Jesus to come back.
So let me ask you this question.
What sin are you stuck in right now?
Do you struggle with a foul mouth?
Or maybe with your anger,
anger at home, anger in your workplace?
Do you struggle with alcohol
or some kind of substance?
Do you have money and possessions that you
make so important like they're idols in your life?
God is calling out to you right here,
right now through the message of John the Baptist,
and he says, "Repent.
"Turn away from those things."
And when you do,
know that you will find arms of forgiveness
wide open to you from Jesus our savior.
This is why Jesus came in the first place.
He came to bring forgiveness for you at the cross.
And this is why he's coming again.
He's coming back to take you
to eternal life to be with him forever.
So don't be afraid,
don't be terrified by Judgment Day.
Instead, be confident.
Know that Jesus came here
to wear a crown of thorns
and face death so that he could
give to you a crown of victory
and that you could have life.
What is the greatest gift you have ever received?
Did you get something big or special
from your parents when you were little?
Some kind of cool toy?
Or maybe some super surprise from your spouse?
I know my parents were awesome at this
when I was a kid.
There were always those special moments,
like "Oh, there's one more present."
And then all of a sudden, a bike would be wheeled
from around the corner.
I remember that Christmas, I probably did
like 30 minutes of victory laps around my living room,
I was so happy.
Do you have a moment like that?
Just a news, a surprise that filled you with joy?
I know Mary sure did.
Here you have this meek and mild young woman,
and suddenly, the Angel Gabriel appears
with this incredible news, "You're the one.
"You are going to be the mother of the promised Messiah,
"the long-awaited savior.
Well Mary was so filled with excitement,
so filled with joy, that she ran off
to her relative Elizabeth's house.
She was going to be the mother of John the Baptist.
And the first thing she did was erupt in song,
this wonderful, beautiful song
we sometimes call "The Magnificat."
Listen to the opening line of the song.
Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord
"and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
Is this how you prepare for Christmas?
You know, it can be so easy for us to be Grinch-like
at Christmas time.
All the checklists of things and parties and presents
and people and all the to-do items,
that we get lost in that and we lose the joy
that we have.
Jesus came
for me,
for you,
for everyone.
I mean, what could bring greater joy
than what the angels announced the night He was born.
There is now peace, peace on Earth, peace with God
because Jesus brings us forgiveness.
Well friends, as we have that joy at Christmas time,
even more so as we wait for Jesus to come again,
Judgment Day can be a very scary thought for people
and End Times thoughts, the time leading up
to Judgment Day.
But it's not for us.
It's not for Christians.
Judgment Day is a day to rejoice.
It's a day to wait for with eagerness,
like Mary waiting for the Savior to be born.
The same is true for you and me.
Because this time when Jesus comes,
it's not going to be meek and mild in a manger.
No, this time it will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The King of Glory coming with victory,
victory for you and for me.
So this Christmas, sit back, smile, and rejoice
with Mary and all believers at Jesus' birth.
But then also, sit back, smile, and rejoice
because Jesus is coming again for you.
So you wake up in the middle of the night,
and you're going to get a drink of water
and you just happen to glance out the window,
and you see your neighbor's roof is on fire.
You think you'd tell him?
You think you'd maybe wake him up
and let him know?
You're at the Grand Canyon,
and you glance over
and you see some children playing near the edge,
unattended to.
You think you might warn them a little bit?
Or you finally get engaged
to the absolute love of your life.
You think you might post a few pictures
and call a few people?
You find out for the first time
you are going to be a grandparent.
Think you might tell a few folks at your workplace?
Of course you would, right?
In all of these situations,
whether it's extreme news of danger or warning
or incredible news of joy,
these are absolutely the times
that we love to tell people what's going on,
and we love to tell them the news.
So then why don't we talk about Judgment Day more often?
Judgment is a day of extreme warning
for people who don't know Jesus yet.
And of course, a day of extreme joy for believers
who are waiting for that ultimate victory.
Why don't we talk about this more often?
When was the last time you were
out doing yard work next to your neighbor
or maybe it was Thanksgiving
and you had a family gathering,
and you struck up a conversation,
and maybe in the middle of it you said,
"You know, Jesus is coming and I'm excited!
"Are you ready?
"Are you prepared?"
Do you talk about things like that?
Or maybe for all the news that you
Or maybe for all the news that you share on your social media and all the pictures,
share on your social media and all the pictures,
do you post Bible verses to encourage other people?
Do you talk about things like death and Judgment Day
and what to expect
and what we're looking forward to?
As we wrap up this week,
I want to leave you with some words from the Apostle Paul.
He had just finished writing about death
and how we look forward to life
because we have hope in Jesus.
And he talks about the joy of Jesus returning in victory.
And here's what he has to say.
He actually says this twice.
He writes,
"Therefore encourage one another with these words."
Kind of like a little kid on Christmas,
you wait for that moment when you finally open the presents,
that big moment,
and then you're so excited to tell everyone,
"Look at what I got!"
Well the same is true for us as Christians.
That moment of Jesus' return,
that ultimate victory gift
that he gives to us by his grace,
we have news to tell other people.
So when you are stuck in a rut,
or especially you see your friends
or family are caught up in the struggles of this life,
encourage them,
encourage one another with these words,
encourage them with the good news
that Jesus came once.
He was born for us,
he lived, he died for us.
But as he rose and ascended into Heaven,
he's coming back again for us.
That he's prepared a place for you,
he's prepared a place for me,
and he's going to take us to be there with him.
Encourage one another with those words.
Friends, by God's grace through Jesus,
you are ready, you are prepared for Jesus to come back.
So keep watch,
keep preparing,
stay connected,
encourage one another.
And then get ready to rejoice like never before
because Jesus is coming.