This was a weekend for our family that we won't forget. Our son, our oldest son, is graduating from high school this upcoming Sunday, so his graduation party was on Saturday. It's just fun. Some of you had parents graduate from high school and you come to these events and it's just, it's a precious thing. We go home at the end of the day and Ethan's opening up all these cards from people that care for him and us and the advice they gave to him. It's just, it was a neat time. I kind of go home glowing from that, you know? It's precious. The trouble that we have, though, And I think we can get caught up in this as believers and people that don't know Christ maybe miss this entirely, is that we start to think that those kinds of events, that's what life is all about. If you were to ask people, a lot of people, our friends and neighbors that are nice people, if you were to ask them, hey, what's the most significant thing in life? Many people would say, well, it's, it's, it's going through life with the people that we love and celebrating great things and, uh, walking with each other through difficult things. And it's, it's the, it's the process of life going through life with the people we love. That's what life is about. And that to think that way would be very wrong. That's not what life is about. It's, it's not just about the process, but it's, it's about the end. Because when we come to the end of life, there's something significant. And if we only focus on the process, we'll miss the point. And that's what Jesus is doing. It was an interesting thing for me to, as I was celebrating one of the great moments in our family's history this week, to stop and think, okay, but where are we headed and what matters for eternity? And that's what Jesus is talking about in our passage today. What matters in life is how life ends and where we're headed. Matthew 24 and 25 is where we're at. We've been going through the book of Matthew here at Lamar's Bible Church. We just start at the beginning of a book of the Bible and we take a paragraph at a time until we get to the end. And so we've been doing this study of Matthew 24 and 25. If you look at the beginning of Matthew 24, this is what started the conversation. Jesus' disciples ask him a question about end times. Look at Matthew 24, verse 3. He's sitting on the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And so in answer to that, we get Matthew 24 and 25, which is this fantastic passage because the creator of the universe, the son of God who come as a man for two chapters explains to us what's going to happen at the end of the world and what's the sign of his coming. So, if you're visiting today, you're jumping into the middle, you'll be missing some details, but generally, the first 14 verses, Jesus says, now listen, there's gonna be a big time period between my first coming and my second, and here's what you can expect. There's gonna be difficult things, nations rising and falling, and earthquakes and famines, and all that stuff doesn't mean it's the end. And then Jesus gets to verse 15, and he talks about this event, the abomination of desolation. He says, now this is a sign that the end is upon us. Verse 15, and from there then he says, okay, now here's the things that lead to the end. So five events, Jesus says, these are the things that lead to the very end, my return. There's the abomination of desolation, there's gonna be a great tribulation, a darkening of heavenly bodies, Then Jesus is second coming and a gathering of all people that are alive at the time for judgment before Jesus So what we want to do today is just continue in this Study of what Jesus said about the end two parts to our message today first We want to make sure that you know, what's coming We need to make sure that we know what's coming So that secondly we can make sure we're ready at any time. I And make sure that we're ready at any time. So first, what's coming? We're going to jump into verse 32. Make sure you know what's coming. Jesus is going to make five statements about his return. And the first one is this. Once the abomination of desolation is set up, the end will come without delay. Okay, once that happens, this first event that he points to, once that happens, the end's going to come without delay. Look at verse 32. Matthew 24, 32. Now, learn the parable from the fig tree. when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near right at the door. Okay, Jesus gives this parable and it's easy for us to understand, even more easy for them. In Palestine in the first century, it's a temperate climate, most of the trees would keep their leaves even in the winter, right? But some trees would, lose their leaves and gain them again. And the fig tree was one of those trees. And so every winter, even though it's Israel and it's temperate, the leaves would fall off. And if you lived in Palestine this time, you would know the spring is coming by watching the fig trees. I would assume it's also getting warmer. But one of the signs would be you watch the fig trees. And once the ends of the branches get to be soft, right, the sap is coming to the end and then it starts to produce figs. Okay, once The fig trees start to bloom or produce their leaves, then you know, okay, we're close. Now the summer's just right around the corner. And what's Jesus saying here? He's saying, okay, how do you know when I'm coming? Because that's what they asked him. What's the sign of your coming? And he had told them, verses 15 and following, hey, here's these events. And when you see these events, then you know, I'm right about to come. So, verse 15, he talks about this abomination of desolation. And if you're visiting with us in the end time, there's going to be a world ruler, and this ruler is going to set up in Jerusalem an image of himself. He's going to say, everybody worship me. Abomination of desolation. When that happens, Jesus says, if you see that, then you know right around the corner, it's like that's the leaves starting to sprout. My return is going to be right around the corner. So he says that. Verse 34, if you continue to look, Jesus is Words now, here's the parable of the fig tree. If you see these things, you know, I'm, I'm near right at the door. Verse 34, truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. What generation won't pass away. He's talking about the people that see the signs. So the people that see these end times events where they see the abomination of desolation, that generation is going to be the last one. They're not going to pass away until the end. There's not going to be a big delay from once the things that Jesus started talking about in verse 15 and following start happening. You're not going to see another thousand years. When that happens, you know, we're rolling right into the end. So Jesus says, make sure you know what's coming. So if you watch for these signs, right, if you see these signs, then you know that Jesus is right around the corner. Okay. Secondly, Jesus says this, Jesus' predictions about the future are more sure than anything we can see or touch. Jesus's predictions about the future are more sure than anything we can see or touch. Look at verse 35. Jesus says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. When Jesus here says heaven, he's talking about the sky and all the things in it, the planets and the stars. Jesus says, heaven and earth, the universe will pass away. It was interesting because when, In my life, when I'm thinking about what's secure, you go outside and it just feels like you're surrounded by the most secure things that there are. This morning, did anybody see the sunrise? Well, you're 1045 people, so maybe not. But it was beautiful. I was outside and you can look at the ground, right? And you just think, well, when I die, I get buried in the ground and I can go see my ancestors and they're in the ground and the earth is secure and the sky. You just can't imagine these things not being there. And so we use phrases like, as sure as the sun will rise or standing on solid ground. But Jesus says, actually, The sky and the earth, those are not the most sure things that exist. These things that you can see, they're all going to pass away. And if it's what we read other places in scripture, Isaiah 34, four says, all the hosts of heaven will wear away and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll. All their hosts also will wither away as a leaf withers from the vine. 2 Peter 3.13 says, according to his promise, we're looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So if the sky, if the universe and the earth are temporary and we can't count on them always being there, is there anything that is certain? I mean, if the ground's not certain, what's certain? Jesus says there is one more thing. There's one thing that's more certain than the ground we stand on, and it's my words. Right? Verse 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Actually, if you take the Bible literally, you go back to the beginning. What was it that made the earth? How was it that the universe came into existence? God spoke, right? It's his words that brought it into existence. And so now if the creator of the universe came to earth as a man and is giving us instructions for what can you count on it, and if he says this is what's going to happen, his words Much more secure than the things we can see even the earth and the sky in the universe God was the one who created this beautiful Cursed earth that we live on and God's the one that's going to bring it to an end right his words so Jesus says his predictions about the future are more sure than anything you can see or touch and There's a third statement that Jesus makes about his return, and oh, if the church would have listened to this, maybe we can do better than previous generations. Look here, third thing Jesus says about his return. The timing of Jesus's return is known only to God. The timing of Jesus's return is known only to God. See verse 36. Jesus said, but of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, but the father alone. Jesus is very clear. Nobody knows when he's coming back. God has that day set, but he hasn't shared the secret with anyone. He didn't tell his angels when he will return. Even Jesus, when he was on earth, didn't know the day that he would return. You say, well, how could Jesus not know? Jesus is God. Isn't the definition of being God your all-knowing? And the answer is, well, yes, of course, Jesus is all-knowing. But when he lived here on the earth, Jesus lived as a human. And so he intentionally, purposely limited himself while he was on earth and didn't take advantage of all of his divine attributes, right? And so Jesus took on limits. He limited his knowledge when he was on earth. He had to learn to walk and learn to talk and learn to do carpentry. grow and learn, right? So Jesus limited his knowledge. So on earth, Jesus can say he didn't, he didn't know when it would be. Only the father knew. And why is Jesus bringing this up that you, you can't know that no one's going to know the day or the hour. No one knows, not even the angels. I think part of the reason he brings it up and makes it such a big point out of it is that this is what we want to know, right? Like we want to know when Sometimes when I'm explaining well, here's what Jesus says about what's gonna happen. People are like, oh, yeah Yeah, what's gonna happen? I want to know when is it gonna happen and Jesus says what you're not gonna know God intentionally is keeping the win a secret and he doesn't mean to share it with anyone and till it happens So when Jesus returns, it'll be a surprise to everyone So many people have Right, they put together predictions of the end when 1988 maybe some of you remember I was 11 at the time there was a book came out and said 88 reasons why Jesus will return in 88 and He didn't Return in that year. Some of you are laughing because I'm so young some of you are laughing because you weren't born yet in 88 I get it and and so people predict they they predict the The return of Christ but Jesus has said here you're not going to know the time and You're not going to know the time. Now, when we talk about Jesus' return in scripture, there's two different events, and I don't think that they happen exactly at the same time. Jesus describes, or the Bible describes, and Jesus in John 14 talks about the rapture. There's a time coming when he's going to return, but he's just going to return to the sky and take the Christians, the believers, off of the earth. and live with him in heaven. When I go, I'll prepare a place for you and I'll take you to where I am. He said, Jesus is talking about the rapture there. There's also a return of Jesus where he comes in power and glory with his angels and he and he defeats his enemies and he sets up his kingdom on earth. And that's the second advent in Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus is always talking about this. He doesn't talk about the rapture in these chapters at all. He's talking about his coming and power. And so Jesus says, you're not going to know the time Even these people who live in these last seven year period, it seems like they won't know exactly the day that he's going to return. But for us who lived before this whole thing, we have no idea when he's going to come. The next event that's predicted in the Bible for prophecy is the rapture. Probably some of you have heard, and it's an easy way to sell lots of books, it's just to say, Prophecy is being fulfilled in our day, right? And then everyone wants to buy the book to find out what is the prophecy that's being fulfilled in our day But think about it with me. Okay, so in in the Bible, what's the next event that's going to come? What's the next thing the Bible says is going to happen if we understand the timing of all this, right? The next event is the rapture and there's no events that precede it it could happen at any moment nothing has to happen first before the rapture can happen and And so if the next prophecy is the rapture, then is prophecy being fulfilled in our day? No, because we're waiting for the next event, and it's going to happen sometime we don't. Now here's what people do, and maybe you can do this if you... Don't spend too much time on it. What people do is they look at the tribulation. And so in Revelation, other places in the Bible, there's there's a lot of detail that's given to us about things that will happen in the end times. There's going to be this mark of the beast, the people, you know, it's in the Bible that will happen. And the abomination of desolation we mentioned. one world currency and lots of things. And so what happens a lot of times is people say, well, look at some current events. And if you watch current events, you can see how it seems like we're setting ourselves up for stuff that is going to happen in the tribulation. And so they say, well, since this is happening, that must mean that Jesus is going to be here. We're setting up for the tribulation, so the rapture must be close. Well, maybe. I just urge you to exercise caution because anytime we're trying to say when Jesus is coming is, we're trying to do something that Jesus says is impossible. He told us we can't know. It's going to be a surprise when he comes, and so we shouldn't be spending too much time trying to say whether he's gonna come. Now, it could be that Jesus is gonna come like this afternoon, and awesome, right? The rapture could come at any time. If he comes for his church, praise God, but, and if that's the case, well then sure, the stuff that's happening now is setting us up for the tribulation, like let's go. But it could be that his return is a thousand years away yet, and that none of the stuff that's happening has anything to do with setting us up for the tribulation. We just, we don't know. So Jesus says, we're not going to know the time. And it would be best for us to not try to guess at what Jesus says we won't be able to guess. So make sure you know what's coming. Jesus says the timing of Jesus' return is known only to God. Okay. The timing is known only to God. but it could be any minute. And then Jesus continues now and he gives us this warning. Here's the next thing that Jesus says. He says, when he does return, many will simply be going about their everyday lives. When Jesus does return, it's going to be a surprise and many will simply be going about their everyday lives when Jesus' return will sweep them away to destruction. Look here at verses 37 to 39. Jesus says, The coming of the son of man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the son of man be. Again, Jesus is referring to his second advent here, his second coming. He's saying it's going to be like the flood Think back to Noah's day and We believe here that the flood actually that there was a worldwide flood that destroyed all living creatures on earth and If you look around the world, there's proof of it that There's fossils all over the earth. There's fossils on tops of the highest mountains. And how did it get to be that there's fossils on the tops of mountains? Well, it's because there was a worldwide flood and the things were buried quickly so that the bones stayed and then we find them, we dig them up. And it's proof of what the Bible says happened. Genesis 7, verse 21, in the flood, all flesh that moved on the earth perished. Birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth and all mankind of all that was on the dry land all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life died Thus he blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky and They were blotted out from the earth and only Noah was left together with those that were with him in the ark Okay when this happened Jesus saw it. He's the son of man, existed before his birth, right? And so Jesus knows what it was like and he tells us here what it was like. Verse 38, in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. So the people in Noah's day, they're too busy with the stuff of everyday life to stop and think. that maybe this is all gonna come to an end, right? They're eating and drinking, so they're preparing delicious meals and enjoying them. They're marrying and giving in marriage, and marriage is one of the great things to celebrate in life, it really is. One of my favorite things to do as a pastor is to stand at the front with a groom, and here comes the bride, and see the joy on their faces. It's like, it's worth celebrating, you know? This is what was going on, though, before the ark, Before the well Noah's building the ark and We read in scripture that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. So the whole time he's building the ark He's telling everyone listen repent. I'm building this ark because God's going to send a flood in Death to everyone who's rebelling against him and but they were too busy with eating and drinking and marrying and giving a marriage and you know building their houses and working on retirement plans and the stuff that we do in life They're busy with all this stuff until the ark's door was shut and it started to rain. And that's the same situation that's going to happen again, Jesus says. It's going to be just like that when the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky. And when that happens, when all the world looks up and hears Jesus returning in power and glory, no one's going to care anymore what their favorite restaurants are. Even at that point, Boy, it won't matter where you went to school or the honors that you received or how early you retired. Boy, even at that point when Jesus is returning in the sky, it's not even going to matter much who you married or who your kids married. If you're here and you're not ready to die, then all of those things that we were so busy with, we're going to be like, oh no, that was not what mattered. That's not what was important because In Jesus' return, like when the flood came, all the people on earth who don't know him die and go into hell. And so none of that matters. Jesus says, for the coming of the son of man will be just like the days of Noah. Verse 39, they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So the coming of the son of man be. Verse 39, the people in Noah's day did not understand and the people in our day do not understand. Here's what people don't understand. Oh, we're in danger. We don't know Christ. You are in so much danger. We can't fool around with the rest of the ordinary stuff of life. That's not what matters right now until you're safe. So make sure you know what's coming. Jesus, listen, in this passage, Jesus gives us strong words, and it's just like, what? Jesus is speaking so sternly to us, but he does it because of love. We've got to get ready. We can be ready, but we won't if we don't pay attention. And everyone's just ignoring God and going through their lives. And so he speaks to us sternly, so we'll listen. Okay, so the fourth thing that Jesus says here about, or fifth thing about the end times, Jesus says at his second coming, there'll be a great separation. When he returns in power with his angels, there's going to be a great separation. And he says, many will be gathered up by his angels, put to death and sent to hell. When he returns, many will be gathered up by his angels, put to death and sent to hell, and the rest will be left on earth to enjoy his kingdom. Look at verse 40. Matthew 24, 40. Then there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left. Now, we tend to read this verse and think about the wrong event, and you have to be careful to keep this in context. Okay, so we're not here in verses 40 talking about the rapture. And the rapture, if you're taken, that's great, because you're taken to heaven. That's not what Jesus is talking about. This whole Matthew 24 and 25, it's about his second coming, his coming in power. And here, at this coming, when Jesus comes to set up his kingdom, you don't want to be taken. by the angels, because he's talking about being taken in judgment to remind us of what Jesus is talking about. Hold your finger here in Matthew 24 and go back to Matthew 13. Matthew 13, Jesus has already talked about this final judgment of living people and what will happen. Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the dragnet, but it's a story that has serious meaning. So we're going to Matthew 13, look at verse 47. Again, he's talking here about his return and what it will be like at that time when he returns in power and glory to earth. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. And when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous and will throw them into the furnace of fire. And in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You see it. Jesus returns. What happens? He returns to earth. The angels go throughout the earth. They take out the wicked. And what do they do with the wicked? When Jesus returned, they take them out from among the righteous and they throw them into the furnace of fire. He's, he's talking about hell. And we, we know from other places in scripture, that furnace of fire doesn't end. Right? So this Jesus is going to return and take out the wicked. And so go back to Matthew chapter 24. Jesus is talking about that taking out, right? This taking out to judgment. And so verse 40, There's two men in the field, and there's two women grinding at the mill. So the day Jesus returns, what you have happening is there's two guys working out in the field. Maybe it's spring planting time, right? And so they're out there, and they're working together, they're neighbors, and they're planting the field. And they don't look that different on the outside. You know, one's got a green tattoo and one's got a red or something, you know, but these guys, they're doing the same thing. And then, but in an instant, one is taken. And the one is taken to gather by the angels so he can be put to death and sentenced to hell. Well, the other is left to enjoy God's kingdom. Also going on at the same time, we got two ladies in the kitchen and they're working, they're making this delicious meal and one of them is ready and knows Christ and the other one doesn't. But on the outside, they don't look different. They're doing the same thing next to each other. But then when Jesus returns and the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky, then the one who doesn't know Christ, who isn't ready, is taken. and brought to Christ and sentenced to death and sentenced to hell. That's what Jesus is saying. This is what's coming. And I just, boy, I want to be earnest. Jesus is talking to us, and who do we believe, right? And so if Jesus, who loves, he loves us, he's talking to us and he says, listen, this is what's gonna happen at the end, there's gonna be this separation, and if you're not ready, you're gonna be punished forever. And the reason he tells us this is so we can get our attention, so we can be ready. And so, are you ready? All right, so on your handouts, there's a backside. Make sure you're ready at any time. Okay, that's what Jesus is gonna say. So make sure you're ready at any time. So, going to verse 42, Jesus is going to start to apply the things that he's been telling us about the end. We know what's coming now. What do we do with this knowledge? We have to be ready at any time. So why at any time? Why at any time do I have to be ready? The first thing Jesus says is, well, you have to be ready at any time because we don't know when he's coming. So if it's going to be a surprise, you just always have to be ready, right? Because I don't know when he'll be here. Verse 42, Jesus says, therefore, be on the alert. The alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming Be on the alert stay awake We can't what we want to do is just wait till it's close like okay when it's tomorrow then I'll get ready But we can't because we don't know when it's gonna be tomorrow The the rapture could come at any time and then the second coming is just around the corner from there You you could die at any time. I could right we we don't know when that's gonna happen So we just got to always be ready The only way to be safe is to get ready right now. I was reading this week about a man named Harry R. Truman, not to be confused with the President Truman. For 52 years, Harry was the owner and operator of Mount St. Helens Lodge. In 1980, Mount St. Helens started acting funny, right? And there's earthquakes and it is a dormant volcano, but it was coming to life again in 1980. Scientists were watching, it was getting worse and worse, to the point where April 30th, 1980, the governor issued an executive order. All people in a certain red zone, they called it, around the mountain had to get out because this thing could blow. Well, Harry lived in that zone. He'd lived there for 50 years and he wasn't going to go anywhere. He said, I quote, I don't have any idea whether it will blow, but I don't believe it to the point that I'm going to pack up. Then, I mean, as April is getting worse, there's these earthquakes, and Harry wouldn't leave, and they're having these earthquakes at night, and it would shake him out of his bed. And so he just moved his bed to the basement, and he said he just wore spurs to bed to keep him on his mattress, right? He said, quote, this area is heavily timbered. Spirit Lake is between me and the mountain, and the mountain's a mile away. The mountain ain't gonna hurt me. May 17th, state officials made one last attempt to get Truman to leave. No, I'm not gonna go. The following morning, the volcano erupted, and they estimate that Harry was dead of heat shock in less than a second from his place a mile away. Now, I mean, That's taking a risk, and he wouldn't listen to the warning, right? And were the scientists rude for telling him he had to leave? No, because they cared about him, they told him, but he wouldn't listen. But boy, with Jesus' return, it's so much more significant, because Harry, we're just talking about the end of his life, but when Jesus returns, your life ends, and then do you go to heaven or hell? And if you're not ready, your life ends and you go to hell forever. And Jesus says, listen, you've got to be ready because I could come at any time and I want you to be ready when I come. It's Jesus' appeal. So why do you need to be ready at any time? It's because we don't know when it's going to come. Secondly, Jesus says, number two on your sheet there, if you're not ready, Jesus will come like a thief and take away everything you love forever. If you're not ready, Jesus will come like a thief and take away everything you love forever. Look at verse 43. Jesus says, 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 alerts and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will. There's this strange warning that appears over and over again in the New Testament. We read it here, we read it in other places where Jesus says he's going to return like a thief in the night. Revelation 3.3 is the same warning. Repent, Jesus says, therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. And you read this and you think, well, Jesus isn't like a thief. Thieves are evil, right? They come and they take people's stuff and they break the law and they're bad, right? And Jesus isn't evil, Jesus is righteous. So why is Jesus saying he's going to return like a thief and take away everything that these people have? Is Jesus unrighteous? No. It's us that's unrighteous. Like really, if you look at the world from the right perspective, everything that we have is God's. Everything we have is God's. Our homes that we have, our cars, our farms, our family, it's God's blessings to us. He's given it to us, but it's His. And so many people, even though God has given them all these great blessings, they ignore Him, or they shake their fist at Him, I ain't going to do it your way, Lord. I don't like it. I don't believe it. And so he's entrusted us with this stuff. And so when Jesus comes, it's not really that he's a thief taking our stuff. It's him coming and taking what is rightfully his. And if we're not ready for that, we'll lose everything we love. So to a wicked person when Jesus returns it'll feel like a thief coming in the nightness is gonna be a surprise and it's gonna be Horrible everything that you loved you you lose in an instant and Jesus says don't be don't be caught off guard now It is clear in this passage that there's a way to be ready. Jesus isn't just telling us this because he's reveling in coming and destroying us. He's telling it to us because there's a way to be ready so that when he comes, he's not going to take away everything you love. So that when he comes, it's not a frightening experience. And so how can we be ready? Verse 43, definitely Jesus is saying we can be ready, right? Because he said, verse 43, if the man knew at what time of night the thief was coming, he wouldn't allow his house to be broken into. Then verse 44, this reason, you must also be ready. So there's something we can do to be prepared so that when Jesus comes, I'm ready. Now it's not an alarm system, right? I can't, there's no alarm system that's gonna be able to keep out Jesus. There's no way we can resist Jesus' might. I mean, He's all-powerful. We read in Revelation that when Jesus does come, His sign appears in heaven. The armies of earth rally to fight Him, but they lose. Well, you can't fight against Jesus. You can't be ready by shaking your fist or making preparations. Well, how can you be ready then? Well, let's look at your sheets here. I have three things. Number one, to be ready, you must be at peace with the Lord before He comes. You can't wait until the day. To be ready, you have to be at peace with Him before He comes. And then His coming would be a good surprise. Look here, 1 Thessalonians 5.2. The Bible is just full of these verses talking about Jesus' return and you gotta be ready. Here's another one, 1 Thessalonians 5.2. It says, you yourselves know full well the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While they are saying peace and safety then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child and they will not escape Right when Jesus comes for many it's going to be his arrivals. It's like a thief arriving in the night And it's destruction for them debt literal death and hell but Jesus is coming doesn't have to be a like a thief in the night. For some, he comes like a thief. For some, he will come like a savior. Look at this next verse. First Thessalonians 5, 4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day would overtake you like a thief. Skip down to the end of that same chapter in First Thessalonians. It says this for God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. How do you get from being not ready to being ready? How do you get from his coming being a horrible surprise to it being a delightful surprise? Well, you just, you have to know him so that when he comes, you're like, oh, there's my friend. There's my child. I love them. Who's not gonna hurt one that is his, right? What do you do to be ready? Now, a very important part of being ready, you have to understand this, who died for us. You can't be ready unless you've got that. Jesus died for us. Another passage of scripture that talks about Jesus' two comings says the first time he came, he came to die for us. Look at Hebrews 9, 26 about his first coming. Now he has appeared one time at the end of the ages for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. So what He's coming for, Jesus came to remove sin, because when He looks out on the world, we are all sinners. He sees all of our guilt. We can't erase it. We can't deny it. Jesus sees it. Jesus is a righteous judge. He's going to judge sinners. But He came the first time to remove sin. How is He going to remove it? By the sacrifice of Himself, and that's the cross. It's the center of our message. It's, listen, Jesus died in your place. He took your punishment, and then He rose again. So the first time He came, He came to do that, to die for us. If you keep going to Hebrews, and just as it is appointed for people to die once, and after this judgment, so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time. Not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. See, this second coming of Jesus for us, He's coming to bring salvation. For us, it's a glorious thing. If you're ready, it takes you into His glory. So, how can we be ready? I just hope you're picking up that's just so vitally important. Are you here today? And maybe you're like, I don't know if I'm ready. I'm not sure if he would view me as a friend when he comes. I'm not sure if I am at peace with him. How can you go from not being ready to being ready? Listen, Jesus hasn't made it complicated. It's just a matter of your will. Look here, Romans chapter 10, verse nine, Jesus tells us what we must do if we want to be ready. Jesus says, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Honestly, it's as simple as that. Like, for you just to say Jesus, to say it with your mouth and believe in it, to say, Jesus, you are my Lord, and for you to believe in your heart, Jesus, I believe you died and rose again and you're coming again, if you just express to God in your heart, you're my Lord, I'm trusting in you, That's all Jesus wants from you. That's the start of a relationship with Him. Has this happened for you? Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord? Have you believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If so, you have God's promise. You'll be saved. When I come, you're ready. If you haven't yet come to Him and said, Jesus, you're my Lord. I trust in you. You can do it this morning. I just would urge you, if you're not ready, if you're not sure you're ready, just from your heart, Cry out to God and say, Jesus, you're my Lord. I'm trusting in you. Keep me safe. And I'll forgive you at that moment and give you eternal life. Jesus wants us to be saved and to know him. And that's why he tells us what's coming at the end, so we can be prepared. Pray with me. Jesus, thank you that you have told us truth. And we find this almost every week when we come to your word. Your truth isn't It's not flattering, it's not easy, but it's real, and it explains the world as we see it. And the world as we see it, Lord, it's amazing in its beauty, and it's amazing in its brokenness, and your Bible explains that. You created it, and then we've sinned, and it's thrown it off. And so now, God, we each individually have to turn to you. I pray for someone that's sitting here today that isn't ready. Pray that even in their hearts right now, they might say, Jesus, you're my Lord and I want to live for you. I'm trusting in you. And I pray that you grant them that forgiveness that you promised to anyone who will receive you like that. Thank you, Lord, for me, that you received me to yourself and took me as your child way back when I trusted in you as a child. And so many of us have different stories. It's just it's about that. Have we received you? Are we ready? I pray that we might all be ready even as we go today. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks, everybody. If you'd like to talk to somebody about it, maybe grab one of the elders, pastors that were up here earlier. We'd love to talk to you about this more, but other than that, God bless you.