Prepare to Meet Thy God

[0:00] Cows, ye kind, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, bring and let us drink.

[0:11] Well, isn't that backwards? You don't say that to your master. You bring me something to drink. But that's what God's saying of His people, of Israel, their attitude.

[0:22] Verse 2, the Lord God hath sworn by His holiness that, lo, the days shall come upon you that He will take you away with hooks and your posterity with fish hooks.

[0:33] And ye shall go out at the breeches, every cow, at that which is before her. Those are the breeches or the holes in the fence, the broken down areas that need to be repaired.

[0:44] They're just cattle just wandering out. And you're going to go out, even says, with fish hooks, like being drawn away, pulled like an animal right out. Verse 3, it says, you shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.

[0:56] Verse 4, come to Bethel. Bethel means the house of God. Come to Bethel and transgress. Now, is God really calling His people to come to the house of God and to sin?

[1:07] Is that really His heart and mind toward His people? But that's what He says in a sarcastic tone. At Gilgal, that's a high place for sacrifices. At Gilgal, multiply transgression.

[1:20] And bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years. If that's what, just let's do it that way. We'll do it your way. Verse 5, and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven.

[1:35] Well, that's forbidden under the law. God being very sarcastic to His people. And proclaim and publish the free offerings. No, you're supposed to be quiet about that. For this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

[1:50] In the South, they use that term a lot. He's like to do this, like to do that. This is that term. This liketh you. This is the way you are. This is just like you, to do these kind of things, you bunch of cows.

[2:04] In verse number 6, and I also have given you cleanness of teeth. Now He's going to remind them of His judgment upon them. The famine to begin in verse 6.

[2:14] I have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places. Notice, yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I gave you a chance. I punched you, and I gave you a chance to open your eyes, wake up, and return to me.

[2:30] You'll notice that phrase come up again. Verse 7, He mentions a drought. It was another attempt. And also I have withholden the rain from you. When there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city, and I caused it not to rain upon another city.

[2:43] One piece was rained upon. The piece were upon. It rained, not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

[2:56] I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. And when your gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer were and devoured them. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

[3:09] I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. Your young men have I slain with a sword, and have taken away your horses. And I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils. And again he says, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

[3:22] I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. And ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. We say, ye escaped by the skin of your teeth.

[3:37] Yet again God says for the fifth time, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel.

[3:48] And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.

[4:09] God's more than fed up with his people. He uses some intense language to identify himself as the Lord, the God of hosts.

[4:21] That's who's going to do this to you. Elsewhere in Isaiah he says, I'm your creator, and you're my servant. And he describes this as a better relation. Here he's talking about himself as the high and the almighty God, and I'm going to do something negative to you.

[4:35] I'm going to come upon you. And what he says is a very sobering, a very unsettling statement in verse 12. Because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

[4:50] Now, you've heard that phrase, this little one-liner from the prophet of Amos, prepare to meet thy God, prepare to meet thy God. Now, that is the case, and I want you to get the context of it all.

[5:00] Now, Israel has decided, they're determined not to obey God's word, not to obey the preachers God sends to them, but to just ignore, ignore, ignore, and to do whatever they want.

[5:13] And he even sarcastically shows, this is what you're like. Everything that I say, you're against it. You do the opposite. You do it your way, whatever feels good to you. And I've even punished you and punished you, and you still won't come back to me.

[5:26] So you know what? You know what's left? You're about to meet me. It's all done for you. Because I'll do this unto thee, prepare to meet me.

[5:38] Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. I want us to consider and understand that this is not some prayer promise from the scriptures. This is not the, what do they call that little devotional thing, your daily bread.

[5:54] This is not some little charge or challenge to make you feel good about your day and about meeting Jesus, your friend, and that kind of thing. This is a threat. This is 100% a threat.

[6:05] This is the kind of statement that when he makes it through this prophet Israel, ought to have their guts turning a little bit to realize we've exhausted the mercy of God.

[6:16] And what's left is the judgment of God, and he's angry with us. He's not saying you're going to meet your best friend. He's saying you're going to meet the Lord of hosts. He says you're going to meet the Lord, the God of hosts.

[6:28] And if we could get a vision and even a glimpse of those, even just the hosts that he's God of, we'd fear and we'd tremble quickly. This is a powerful thought this morning, meeting God.

[6:42] There's some folks that are in the hospital today, and they're confronted with this very thing, that they're about to meet God. They're about to meet their maker. There's some folks that are elderly or further up in years and getting fragile in their state and can't take care of themselves, and they realize that the day is coming, and it's coming very close.

[7:02] They're about to meet God. It ought to be a sobering thought. And I want to challenge us this morning because, sadly, I believe there's a lot of Christians in this world that are going to meet God one day or another, but they're probably not prepared.

[7:19] They're probably not prepared as they should be. And the thought, the statement is, prepare to meet thy God. It's a command, prepare. How can you do that?

[7:29] How can somebody who, in this case, has exhausted God's mercies and they're about to face His judgment, how can they prepare for that? Well, I want to give us some ways that we can personalize this this morning, that you and I can prepare to meet God.

[7:46] This is a meeting that many have said you'll not miss. A meeting that you and I are not going to be late for. You're not going to get lost along the way. The Bible says that every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

[7:59] And every knee shall bow. And so whether you like it or not, or whether it seems fanatical to you, you're going to meet God. You are. And I'm not going to preach about the world out there and their sin and the way they've turned their backs on God because they're not listening.

[8:15] But you came to church here and you're seated before me. I'm going to preach to you. Prepare to meet thy God. Prepare. Get ready. I want to show you a few things here from the Scriptures and take your Bible and go back to Exodus chapter 12.

[8:34] Whether you're ready or not, and whether you're prepared or not, you're going to meet God. So let's get ready.

[8:46] As you're turning, I want to pray, and then we'll get into Exodus 12. Father, I pray, Lord, that you'll use the message this morning, that you'll use the Word of God, your words and your truth, to prick our hearts and to turn us away from the vanities of this life, the things that steal our affection and our attention.

[9:05] And God, help us to focus on meeting you and to prepare ourselves as we can. The Scripture says that we should be prepared unto every good work. Help us, God, to get ready.

[9:17] Help us to start thinking this way now. May today be a day for somebody in here that their eyes are opened, that the light turns on, that they're wasting their life, that they're doing things they shouldn't.

[9:29] Help them to get keyed up and charged up to serving you. And Lord, help us to take this thought serious and sober as it's intended. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[9:39] Exodus chapter 12. I want you to see that God is about to show up in Egypt and He's about to execute judgment. But some people are prepared for it.

[9:51] Look at chapter 12 and verse number 3. We'll skim through this passage just a little bit. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for in house.

[10:08] Now what about this lamb? Look at verses 5 through 7. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it out of the sheep from the goats, and you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

[10:25] And they shall take up the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper doorpost of the houses wherein they shall eat it. Now, I'm sure you've noticed this before.

[10:38] The placement is not random, where they're going to strike and place the blood. When God shows up executing judgment, He's looking for one thing.

[10:51] He's not looking for good people. He's not looking for somebody that said they came to church, or a good family, that just does things together and has a great attitude. He's looking for one thing when He's coming to kill.

[11:06] He's looking for blood. He's looking for blood in specific places, as you notice above the head, and on the right and on the left, making that sign of the cross even. A little bit of a prophetic thought there in reference.

[11:20] Look at chapter, or say in 12 and 13, verses 12 and 13, For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment.

[11:34] I am the Lord, and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

[11:48] What's God looking for? He's just looking for blood. If I see the blood, I'm moving on. No judgment, no punishment, no death. If I see blood, I'm going to move.

[11:59] Now look to Leviticus. I'll show you another case of this. Leviticus chapter 16. Leviticus 16, and look at verses 2 and 3.

[12:16] This is about the day of atonement, where the high priest makes a sacrifice in the holy place. Verses 2 and 3, the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not.

[12:35] For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place with a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burn offering. And so Aaron's got to offer a sacrifice before he can even come in.

[12:49] Verse 6 says, Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself and make an atonement for himself and for his house. So that's the job of the high priest after he takes care of himself.

[13:03] Look at verse 13. He shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not.

[13:13] And he shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward. And before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring his blood within the veil and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat before the mercy seat.

[13:33] And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins. And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

[13:49] All right, keep going toward the end here, verse 29. And this shall be a statute forever unto you that in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month ye shall afflict your souls and do no work at all whether it be one of your own country or a stranger that sojourneth among you for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you to cleanse you that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

[14:16] Did you notice again it's blood? Look at chapter 17 verse 11 final verse in Leviticus here 17 11 he said this for the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls for it is the blood that make an atonement for your soul.

[14:38] Now come to Psalm 32 Psalm 32 and notice what we're dealing with here we're dealing with blood covering sins and when God sees blood he's satisfied Psalm 32 verse 1 blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered how is that sin covered?

[15:15] Well back here it's with those animals it's with the blood that the animals of the innocent animal and verse 2 blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile the only way the Lord doesn't impute iniquity is if it's covered if it's been atoned for verse 5 David says I acknowledge my sin unto thee my iniquity have I not hid I said unto thee I will confess my transgressions unto thee Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin we're dealing with a sinful people that has only one remedy for their sin and it's blood now I'm preaching prepare to meet thy God and the first way you can be prepared to meet your God is to have your sins under the blood to have your sins covered by blood what blood would that be thank you for asking let's find out look at Hebrews chapter 9 there's a blood that has been shed and it's good enough to cover all the sins of the world it's not the blood of an animal

[16:27] Hebrews chapter 9 and notice verses 11 and 12 but Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us chapter 10 verse 4 for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins but he goes to describe what Jesus Christ did in verse 10 by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all describes a priest that can't take away sins forever and then in verse 14 for by one offering he the Lord Jesus Christ hath perfected forever them that are sanctified it's the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that satisfies a holy God and you don't have to turn but it's close 1 Peter chapter 1

[17:41] I'm just going to go there and read this quickly verses 18 and 19 Peter tells these Jewish believers for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot under the blood you can be prepared to meet God by first of all having your sins under the blood you do not want to meet God in his holiness with your sins on you you don't want to even you don't even want to think about what that would be like the fun that men pretend they hold on to the bockeries of sinful man toward a holy God oh it's going to change real quick when they experience standing meeting God you don't want to stand there in your sins when you find out what holiness looks like when you find out what it feels like as the holiness of God just pierces your being and you feel your sin and you won't be thinking oh that was fun or I really enjoyed doing that

[19:01] I wouldn't give that up for anybody I even justify you'd be just you'd want to get rid of it get it off of me I don't want sin in his presence I don't want to be the one standing here in front of him get it off of me you'll want to be prepared when you stand before God when you meet him you're not going to want your sin you're going to want the blood you're going to want the blood of Jesus Christ the precious blood no sinner is going to stand before God with an attitude anymore Paul writes saying that that every mouth may be stopped no mouth is going to open up no smart comment is going to be thrown at God no talking back to the holy God no arrogance godless sinful men are going to wish they could flee from the presence of God they're going to wish they could get out they'd be begging for him the holiest one of all to just cast them into hell just get me out of here because they're not going to be able to handle it they're not going to be able to take it you too are going to abhor your pride you'll abhor your uncleanness you'll abhor your secret sins when you stand before a holy God but you should get prepared you should get those sins under the blood you should get those sins gone get them confessed get them repented of so that you can stand before him without that covered by the blood when Job saw himself before God in Job 42 he said

[20:31] I abhor myself when Isaiah saw himself and saw God high and lifted up he said I am woe unto me I am undone he said I'm a man of unclean lips it's the first thing he thinks he knows how dirty he is when he sees God you don't want to show up in God's presence with sin you can get prepared by having them placed under the blood you don't want to stand in front of God a sinner look at Matthew chapter 6 Matthew chapter 6 if you've never been saved today oh don't leave here lost don't leave here with sins on you get them under the blood let the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanse you from all sin the Bible says he's the propitiation for our sins that means he the Lord Jesus Christ is the means that satisfied that anger that God has toward that unrighteousness the Bible says all unrighteousness is sin and he as a holy being can't stand it can't deal with it it's got to be removed from his presence completely but Jesus

[21:48] Christ is that propitiation that one that satisfies that wrath against it his nature is completely against sin and Christ offered himself a sacrifice to God a sweet smelling savor a sacrifice that God then is satisfied and no longer angry against all those sins that great long list of sins that we've committed against him the Lord Jesus Christ can wash you of your sins in his blood because the other sacrifices we read can never take away sins you want your sins under the blood of Jesus Christ now Matthew chapter 6 let's read a short passage here some familiar verses verses 19 and 20 Matthew says lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal you realize

[22:55] Christian that you can be prepared to meet God if you lay up some treasures in heaven when Paul says set your affections on things above Paul said to Timothy that he described men who he says they're destitute of the truth and he says they supposing that gain is godliness from such they're far from the truth they're just too in touch with the lust of their flesh and Paul says in that passage we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out so you know what Christian you want to get prepared for that meeting why don't you lay up some treasures up there why don't you stop working so hard for the stuff down here and start working toward the stuff up there

[24:06] Jesus Christ said labor not for the meat which perisheth but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life there's something you can put your efforts into let's think about this for a minute come back to Ecclesiastes 5 let's think for a minute about what you brought into this world and what you're going to take with you let's think for a minute about what your life is and all of your energy and what consumes you and drives you on a daily basis and let's just think for a minute is it worth it is it the right things Ecclesiastes 5 you want to hear it from somebody don't hear it from me because I've never done anything amazing let's hear it from a man that has had everything everything he could imagine let's hear what he had to say about it don't take my word for it

[25:12] Ecclesiastes 5 look at verse 10 through verse 16 he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with increase what's that this is also vanity when goods increase they are increased that eat them and what good is there to the owners thereof save saving the beholding of them with their eyes like what can you do with it you can just look at it you can admire it what's it going to do for you when goods increased verse 12 the sleep of a laboring man is sweet whether he eat little or much but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep they say in this world the more money the more problems in this case he's saying the more abundance the more possessions the more stress the more anxiety it consumes you out verse 13 there's a sore evil which

[26:19] I've seen under the sun namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt but those riches perish by evil travail and he begin at the sun and there's nothing in his hand as he came forth of his mother's womb naked shall he return to go as he came and shall take nothing of his labor which he may carry away in his evil that in all points as he came so shall he go and here's a question what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind what profit when a man dies hath he when he's on his deathbed what profit does he have having worked his fingers to the bone his whole life to retire to gain to grow to pick up more pick up more pick up more and lay on his bed what profit just a piece of knowing I can give it to my kids because he even calls that a sore evil or evil travail that he's giving it to his kids that they're just not working for but inheriting all of it you think that's going to make them better what does history tell you about kids that have stuff handed to them that didn't work for it what a sore evil it is actually what a problem it is what profit is it then to put your entire life into things down here to getting bigger down here look at chapter 2 ecclesiastes chapter 2 he weighs in a little more earlier in the book ecclesiastes 2 verse 15 then said

[28:03] I in my heart as it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth even to me and why was I then more wise then I said in my heart that this also is vanity for there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool forever seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten and how dieth the wise man as a fool therefore I hated life because the work that is wrought unto the sun is grievous unto me for all is vanity and vexation of spirit yea I hated all my labor which I had taken unto the sun because I should leave it unto another man that shall be after me and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool yet shall he have rule over all my labor when I have labored and where I have showed myself wise unto the sun the whole thing to Solomon is also vanity vanity vanity vanity vexation of spirit just eating away at him realizing that all of this materialism all of this possession all that he's amassed to himself is worthless to him he can't keep it he can't take it with him when he drops dead it means absolutely nothing in the afterlife he's empty all of it stays here for someone else to enjoy for someone else to squander for someone else to ruin or whatever but you can be prepared to meet

[29:32] God if you'll lay some treasures up there if you'll labor for that meat that endureth like Jesus Christ said Solomon realized in the end this stuff is pointless it might satisfy me here it might bring me some temporary pleasure here but he got a little wiser than we are and saw but what's the point what's the end game to getting all these possessions to growing richer and richer what's the end game and he saw the end that I can't take it that it's only for here this short time and it's done it you know what even the pleasure it's vanity Christian prepare prepare to meet God the Bible Christ referenced laying up treasures Paul calls them rewards Peter calls it an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you you can be prepared to meet

[30:36] God if you've got some treasures waiting for you I feel like I've told you about this man before I'm not sure if I told you all here or not about a man that was dying from that I knew as a kid growing up he was a faithful man in church all of my life and he was on his deathbed in the hospital and he had smoked cigarettes all his life and he it got him and took him to he doesn't have much time left we think he is going to die soon and so I went into the room and he was laid on the bed the bed was all disheveled he was laid crooked and curled up and I walked in and I could hear a moan coming from him and it just felt like oh this is not what I expected he is in pain or something is and just comfort him or something and as

[31:50] I told him he opened his eyes and looked at me and his eyes were just that glassed over old look to him he wasn't a very old man it was like whoa I just saw for the first time this is not the guy that I know he is about to die he's close and he looked at me and he moaned some more and I just felt like he's in pain and he surprised me he said Toby I wish I had done more and I was like I was speechless I thought I'd be coming in with a Bible to comfort him and I realized that not only was death in the room but reality was in the room for him that he's about to meet God and he realized I wasted my life I didn't serve Christ I'm about to die just regret all over his face he was completely coherent he wasn't in pain he wasn't moaning for pain he was going to face

[32:57] God he was praying he was sorry he was confessing he was doing whatever he could that was a rough one he regretted his lack of devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ and how he just allowed the lust of his flesh to rule him and 2nd Corinthians 5 I want to read this and you know this passage 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 6 Paul says therefore we are always confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord for we walk by faith not by sight we are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord wherefore we labor that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad that judgment seat of Christ as Paul says in verse 9 wherefore we labor we work for the

[34:06] Lord Jesus Christ we serve him because we're going to receive for the things we've done we're going to receive whether it was good or whether it was bad at the judgment seat of Christ and Christian you can be prepared for that meeting by laying up treasures in heaven I'm going to skip a thought here but I'll mention it to you at least back in Amos there's a famous verse in verse 3 where he says can two walk together except they be agreed and then chapter 4 we read and the chapter that follows chapter 4 in chapter 5 of Amos he says three times in verses 4 6 and 8 he calls them to seek him seek him and ye shall live seek him seek him he's calling on this people that have used up the mercies of God who's God said get ready because you're about to meet me and he's calling and oh seek him seek him seek him you can be prepared to meet

[35:06] God by walking with God today on a daily basis by walking with him by walking together in agreement with him by seeking him the Bible says in Psalm 119 blessed are the they who walk in the law of the Lord blessed are they that keep his testimonies that seek him with the whole heart and a few verses later the psalmist says with my whole heart have I sought thee oh let me not wander from thy commandments in plainer words you can be prepared to meet God by walking with God according to the word of God and what else is there you'll be prepared you'll be prepared you don't want to show up to heaven and show up in front of God and find out what I didn't I don't think I knew you at all who are you you want to know him you walk with him today you spend time in his word you fall in love with him and fellowship with him and know him oh you'll be ready to meet him you'll long to meet him you'll look forward you'll be prepared prepare to meet

[36:16] God Christian spend the right time in your day in the Bible spend the right time of your day in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ you'll be ready you'll be ready to meet him it's that easy but if you're spending your heart's time in everything else down here in this vanity well you're not going to be ready to meet him you'll be like that friend of mine that cried for the apostle Paul he said for to me to live is Christ and because of that to die is gain because he's living for Christ you can easily say that too if you're living for him all right come to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 I'm going to say one more thing about preparing to meet God and how you can be prepared 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and we're also going to go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 1 in just a moment 1

[37:17] Thessalonians 2 and take a look at verse 19 Paul's writing to these converts to this church in Thessalonica and he says in verse 19 for what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye ye my converts those who believed on Christ because I preached the gospel what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming for ye are our glory and joy now let's just sit on that thought come back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 those converts of Paul are going to be his rejoicing at his coming alright 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 and verse number 14 as also ye have acknowledged just in part that we are your rejoicing even as ye also are ours in the day of the

[38:30] Lord Jesus similar thought there that that we are your rejoicing and you are our rejoicing in that future day what is it about the soul winner and his converts and this rejoicing in that day look at 2nd Corinthians 4 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse number 14 knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus when's that well that's at the rapture the return of Christ and what and shall present us with you you converts again what is the evidence of Paul's labor and ministry in the gospel it's converts it's people it's those that have believed on Christ he's one to Christ and

[39:30] Paul gets to take them with him he gets to present them and be presented to Jesus Christ together with his converts they are his rejoicing in that future day he said for ye are our glory and joy Paul's not going to have to stand there empty handed before the Lord Jesus Christ because he's going to have some people with him those that he's won those that he can in sense present before the Lord Jesus Christ you can't take this stuff with you down here but it sounds like it seems to me like there is something you can take with you some converts talk about being prepared to meet God you don't have to go empty handed it's like taking a gift you don't want to be the one that shows up to the party without a gift do you you don't want to be the one that just kind of tries to slip in the back and hide behind others that are presenting their gifts to the

[40:34] Lord Jesus Christ it sounds like Paul's ready to go and he's got a gift to take with him I wonder if you're ready if you're prepared to meet God I wonder if you have anybody to present to the Lord how sad in that day how pathetic some will feel in that day how ashamed so many believers will be when they stand there naked and ashamed and without anyone with them just to stand there as everybody looks and says oh I know what they did with their life I know who they lived for I know who they didn't love I know who they didn't serve it'll be evident Paul anticipated this meeting of God by being prepared it could be that this day of rejoicing is when we meet God and what a day that will be and I believe he could be prepared for that day by taking somebody with you one last verse is in

[41:39] Philippians chapter one if you'll turn there quickly Philippians one and verse twenty seven you can be prepared for this day by taking others with you you say well I'm not any good at it well then maybe you should just be able to get together with some other believers and attempt to do this together there's strength in numbers don't go at it alone verse twenty seven only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of christ that whether I see whether I come and see or else be absent I may hear of your affairs that ye that's plural church ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel you can be prepared you also we can be prepared by getting together with other believers by going out by twos by doing something like this to try to reach souls for jesus christ why so that we can take somebody with us so that we can present them to jesus christ and say here's one for you you deserve it what a great opportunity we have to win souls to witness to spread the gospel of christ to this world to our family to our neighbors and friends are you prepared to meet him are you prepared have you taken do you have a soul to present to the lord jesus christ are your sins under the blood are you saved you don't need to be worried about other souls if your soul is not ready to go are your sins under the blood don't go to hell thinking that it's okay don't go to hell because you're nervous or you're scared or because you're not sure that's one thing you need to get taken care of and if you're not sure today where you sit in this place that you know that when

[43:47] I drop dead I'm going to heaven I'll be with Christ I have his righteousness if you don't know that that's not settled let's get it settled today I'd love to take know how you can get your sins forgiven and be under the blood of Jesus Christ never to be called up against you at the judgment if you don't know you're saved let's get that settled today then Christian as we close are you walking with God are you prepared to meet him is your labor for down here or for up there are your treasures down here or are they up there the together and as we bow our heads

[45:05] I want you to consider your life this moment and ask yourself not your spouse not your children you I've been saved 30 years I don't care you're not the Lord Jesus Christ you're not the Holy Spirit of God you can use some work too are you prepared to meet him are you confident where you sit that if you meet him today you're prepared does anybody here say I'm not sure that I'm saved and I want to be sure if you'd slip your hand up just say I'm not sure but I want to be sure today could you help me with that I'd love to help you with that just slip it up put it down then Christians you're saved huh is there evidence is there evidence if we analyze your treasures where your heart is because Christ said where your treasure is there will your heart be also where's your treasures this morning are they being laid up in heaven take a moment and talk it over with the

[46:11] Lord say Lord search me oh God search my heart right now where I sit see if there be any wicked way in me I want to be prepared to meet you I want to be righteous before you I want my life to reveal you to others God help us to get engaged in the work of God in the furtherance of the gospel both here and all across this land will you commit today that you want to get active in trying to win somebody to Christ will you commit today Lord I don't have any fish on the stringer I want to get some will you commit today that Lord I want to take an opportunity this week I promise I'm going to witness to somebody you bring them to me or you show me who I want to do it I'll be bold I'll take a gospel track

[47:11] I'll take my new testament with me I'll tell somebody about what Jesus Christ did for me that we're all prepared I pray you'll take this serious and sober that it's about you not about your dad and mom it's about you are you prepared if Jesus Christ is your savior are you prepared it's time to put off some of the lust of this flesh it's time to put off some of the old man it's time to put off some of the worldly things that have just crept in and we've allowed and start getting serious because you don't want to die with tears in your eyes knowing that you blew it you don't need to you can live this life for Jesus Christ you can pray get clean and say for to me to live as Christ from here on out hence forth you live your life to him that died for you and rose again father as we have a moment here of prayer lord i pray that your spirit would reveal this truth and this sobering thought to the minds and hearts of each of us god will forget soon as we leave here we'll start thinking about other things we'll forget that we're called to serve you that we're your servants that we're called to minister the gospel of

[48:30] Jesus Christ to others lord help us to take it serious i pray even that your spirit would remind us throughout this week of these things help us to stay clean help us to abstain from even the appearances of evil lord help us to fall in love with your word and to spend the correct amount of time in it and fellowship with you preparing ourselves to meet you and father i just pray that you'll get the glory for all of this that maybe somebody who's drifting would get drawn back somebody who's wavering would get corrected lord you do the work by your spirit i pray in jesus name amen let's stand together 262 in the hymnal please find 262 as we sing only trusting jesus if you think the lord wants you to come and pray then come and pray if you feel like you need to commit something to him come and commit it to him there's no shame in that let's spend some time with god here 262 simply trusting every day trusting through a stormy way even when my faith is small trusting jesus that is all trusting as the moments fly trusting as the days go by trusting him what dare be fall trusting jesus that is all brightly doth his spirit shine into this poor heart of mine while he leads i cannot fall trusting jesus that is all trusting as the moments fly trusting as the days go by trusting him jesus whatever be fall trusting jesus that is on the fourth trusting him where life shall last trusting him till earth be past

[51:38] Till within the Jasper wall Trusting Jesus that is all Trusting as the moments fly Trusting as the days go by Trusting Him whate'er befall Trusting Jesus that is all Prepare to meet thy God Are you ready?

[52:26] Are you looking forward to the day? Do you have it settled? Ready to meet Him? Are you bringing someone with Him? With you? Think about these things as we go out our week We thank You, Lord, for this time Let us pray Heavenly Father, thank You, God Thank You for the message today Thank You for those that came to hear it Took the time out of their day to be here Pray, Lord, that You'd reach down and touch their hearts If there's anyone here that doesn't know the love and the grace Who hasn't been washed by the blood I pray that the day doesn't go by That they don't think about it and get it taken care of us Taken care of us For us, Lord, that are already saved That are trusting in the blood Help us to think of these things Are we ready?

[53:16] Have we done enough? God forbid we be like that man That at the end of the days Weep and moan Because we haven't done enough for him Watch over us Bless us Guide us And we'll be Be sure to give you the praise Honor and glory Keep us safe this week In Christ's name Amen Amen You are dismissed