BETTER GET READY

Luke 17:26-37 and James 5:7-9

Preached at Belmont Baptist Church of Broomall on November 28, 2010

I have already heard Christmas songs as I have been in stores…and I don’t do much shopping. I even heard the song that starts out “Better watch out, better not cry…” Although it is meant to be a warning to children, it is just as much a reminder for adults to get ready. When I hear that song, I think of Advent. (Now you know I’m crazy. Right?!) Let me explain. Advent is a pattern established early in the church to help Christians get ready for a true celebration of Christmas. And so, Michael and I have planned for these four Sundays to address the heart issues that will help us be better prepared to celebrate Jesus’ coming to earth.

Part of the issue of getting ready to celebrate Christmas is that we need to be ready for the Second Coming of Christ. Luke reminds us in his gospel account of what Jesus had taught but which Christians from the beginning have distorted in at least two ways. The Second Coming of Christ is often distorted by Christians simply loosing focus—they stop believing and stop living as if Jesus is going to return. They get caught up in the world and less committed to the mission and life to which Jesus has called us. Secondly, the Second Coming of Christ gets distorted by sensationalism. (Ad in Dec 2010 issue of Reader’s Digest) Some Christians become preoccupied with the second coming to the exclusion of our essential mission. So Luke includes these sayings of Jesus that Christians needed to hear in his day—and ours.

At the center of what Luke records of Jesus’ teaching are the sayings about Noah. “As in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.” No one could have foreseen or predicted the flood in Noah’s day. Even so, no one can predict the Second Coming of Jesus. There are no concrete signs. Jesus simply told us that life would continue as usual. Everyone would be busy with their normal routine. No one would suspect anything. Jesus gives the warning which we should heed, which is—LOOK FORWARD AND BE PREPARED.

Not one of us is immune to the tendency to expect life to continue as it has in the past. We have our everyday responsibilities. We go about our usual routines. We are concerned about what is happening later today or tomorrow. We pay more attention to schedules of ball games and family events and holidays than we do to the things of our spirit. When we were in New York just over a week ago, we talked with a family in Rockefeller Center who asked us where we were from. When we told him we were from the Philadelphia area, he said “Oh, so you are probably looking forward to the big game on Sunday night (the Giants/Eagles game).” You and I both know that there were many believers who were more interested in getting stocked up for the big game than they were about their spirit’s preparation for Christmas. Jesus warns us—when the time comes, we won’t be prepared.

What are the things we can do to be prepared? Throughout the New Testament, we have instructions about preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus. Three of these are in the book of James. James 5:7 says, “Be patient then brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop.” One of the most important disciplines in preparing for Christ’s coming is patience. The word James uses means patience without complaining. I heard a story about patience without complaining. This husband and wife had very different shopping patterns. The man couldn’t shop with his wife. If they went together, he would constantly gripe about how much time she took and how she couldn’t make up her mind. So she suggested that he simply find a seat in the Mall and stay there as the designated package watcher. She would do her shopping, bring back a package and then go after the next gift. In that way, he could be patient waiting for her. That is the patience which James is talking about. Be patient—we will see the end result of our faith…just like the farmer will see the result of his labors at the harvest.

In the next verse (James 5:8), we are told that in order to be prepared, we need to stand firm. It is the act of standing firmly on God’s word. Let me speak from my own personal experience. I love photography and have taken a lot of pictures over the years. I also love trains and am always thrilled when I get the opportunity to see a model train display. I love history and travel and lots of other things. But I don’t spend much time or money on these things. And I don’t begrudge others who do. It is just that I know that I need to live according to God’s word which says that I am to seek first (primarily, above all things) the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

I tried to pass that on to my kids. As with many kids, they were interested in a lot of things and they were very talented in many ways. But when Dale wanted to play soccer and be in the band—both of which required significant time commitments, we said that he had to choose. We knew that if he would do both of these things that something else would suffer—and what would suffer would be his time with Christian kids in Sunday School and worship and youth group meetings. It was a difficult choice. But it was our way of trying to teach him that we have to stand on God’s word and do what it says: Seek first God’s Kingdom. After all, we can stake our very lives on God’s word. So, STAND FIRM!

In the very next verse (verse 9), James gives us another word to instruct us in our preparation for Jesus’ second coming. “Do not grumble against one another.” Grumbling is a type of blaming or judging. When we grumble against someone, we are saying “I judge this person or this person’s actions.” Christians do this more than we are willing to admit. When I am tempted to grumble about someone, I remember that, throughout the years, I am sure that I have given people a lot to grumble about. Beware! We are not the judge of anyone here on earth. In fact, James warns us that the Judge is at the door. When Jesus comes, He will come to judge the earth. We need to leave to Jesus what Jesus will do best. So stop grumbling against one another. When we do, we will be prepared for Jesus’ coming again.

Be patient. Stand firm. Stop grumbling. For those of us who have trusted Jesus as our Savior, these things will help us stay focused on our mission until Jesus comes again. Now there may be someone here who will go through this Christmas season, celebrate the holiday, but not have Jesus as your Savior and Lord. If you have not put your trust in Jesus, you won’t be ready even though you may have decorated your house, bought and gave wonderful gifts, supported the Salvation Army and do anything else you could think of that makes Christmas special. The essential matter to take care of is to be ready for Jesus’ coming again by receiving Jesus into your life. You had better get ready.

There was a man who lived on Long Island outside of New York City years ago. He purchased a barometer and took it home to hang it on his wall. However, when he went to hang it, he was upset. The needle that was meant to indicate atmospheric pressure was seemed to be stuck well below 29 inches in the area marked “stormy/hurricane.” He tapped the needle, shook the barometer and gave up. He sat down and wrote a letter to the store where he had purchased it. He dropped the letter in the mail box the next morning as he went to work as usual. When he returned home from work that evening, he found that the barometer was gone…as well as his entire house. The barometer had been right.

So it is for you and me. God’s word is true. Just as Jesus came and we celebrate his first coming at Christmas, so he is coming again. Better get ready!