Jump Start # 3611
Matthew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
In Matthew 25, Jesus presents three word pictures of the coming judgment. It begins with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Our verse today ends that section with the warning to be alert. Be alert because you do not know when the Lord is coming. The foolish virgins thought they had time and they didn’t.
Immediately after that follows another parable of the three men who were given talents by their master. Accountability and a day of reckoning came. Again, one was foolish and he received the rebuke and punishment from his master.
Then follows the separating of the sheep and goats. The chapter ends with an accounting of what one has done. Not what one knows, but rather, what has your faith led you to do, is what matters.
Recently, I preached a lesson built around Will Thompson’s 1887 hymn, “There’s a great day coming.” The chorus of that song repeatedly asks, “Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day?”
Here are some thoughts from that lesson:
The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus is coming. That’s not a wish but a promise. He will come. So, what if Jesus came. What if Jesus came today? What would that look like:
· Doctor appointments, medical treatments, up coming surgeries would not take place.
· There are things that you have ordered, even paid for, that would not be delivered.
· Up coming events would not take place
– athletes who have been training so hard for the Paris Olympics would not get to participate
– weddings that some are planning that would not take place
– some are eager to start college—that would not happen
– some have worked hard in college and looking forward to getting a degree—that would not happen
– some are thinking about retiring very soon—that would not take place if Jesus came today
– If Jesus came today, the presidential election in November would not take place
– there would be no World Series, no Super Bowl, no NCAA final four if Jesus came today
· Some major projects would never be completed
· Checks would not be deposited, bills not paid, insurance claims not received if Jesus came today
· Some criminals would never see their day in court if Jesus came today
· If Jesus came today, movies in production would never been shown, books in the process of being written would never be read
· There would be some babies that were never born and some dead that never got buried
· There would be some vacations purchased that never got taken
· There would be some away from home who never make it back if Jesus came today
· There would be no Christmas this year if Jesus came today
· If Jesus came today, the 401 that you have been diligently saving would never be used
· There would be some apologizes never offered and some forgiveness never extended. There would be some prodigals who never made it home.
· If Jesus came today, everything you planned to do tomorrow, this week, this coming month—would never happen
· If Jesus came today, whether you were ready or not, your life, your world, your dreams would all change. Many of them would no longer matter. Time would cease. You would be hurled into eternity and all that matters, all that matters is your relationship with Jesus.
We live expecting that there will be a tomorrow. There has always been a tomorrow. Ever since the first day of creation, there has always been a tomorrow. For thousands and thousands of years there has been a tomorrow. One day there won’t be a tomorrow. One day, will be the last day.
Are you ready…are you ready…are you ready for the judgment day
Roger