We're looking this morning at
Luke chapter 12. I'm going to bring the message
from verse 35 down to verse 40 of Luke chapter 12. Notice carefully
the title for the message will be taken from verse 40. Be ye
therefore ready also. Be ye therefore ready also for
the Son of Man. This is the one who is the God-man
mediator. This is the one that was God
manifest in the flesh. The Son of Man cometh. He cometh
at an hour when you do not expect the Lord to come. That's when
He's coming. Now, there have been many people
down through the years who have made certain dates and years
and times and places. They said, the Lord's coming
on this date. The Lord's coming on this date.
The Lord's coming here. Well, you know what? They've
all been wrong. You know why? The Lord said in
the hour that you think not, That's when the Lord is coming
back. I'm taking the title for the
message from verse 40, asking this question, are you ready
to meet the Lord when He comes back? He's coming back. No mistake about that. Be you
therefore ready also. for the Lord shall soon return."
How can a guilty sinner be ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ
when He comes back? How can we be ready? We know
He's coming back. I want to be ready to meet Him.
And I want you to be ready to meet Him. Certainly not by anything
we do, give, make or bring for we know that salvation is of
the Lord. Salvation is not by our doing.
Salvation is not by our work. We know that salvation as it's
taught in the Word of God is all of grace. Salvation is of
the Lord. Therefore, the only way a sinner
can be ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ is to be one with
Him and to be justified by His grace through the redemption
that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Where do you want to
be when the Lord comes back? Where do you want to be when
the Lord comes back? I want to be found in Him when He comes
back. That's the only way we can be
ready to meet Him is to be found in Him, or that we may count
everything else lost, dung, and ruined, that we may be found
in Christ." Now one thing the Lord makes absolutely certain
and clear in His Word is that He's coming back soon, very soon. We read in Revelation 1 verse
7 where it says, Behold, He cometh. He cometh. What does that tell
us? That tells us that He's on His way. He cometh. Behold, the Lord is on His way. And then in the book of Acts,
when the Lord ascended to glory after His resurrection forty
days and ascended to the throne on high, the angel and messenger
from heaven said, This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner again." He's coming back. The Lord said in John 14, I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again. and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there you may be also." The Lord is coming
back. The scripture that we just read
a moment ago from 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, I pointed out there
that every chapter All five of those chapters end with a positive
statement, the Lord is coming back once more again. We know He came the first time,
didn't He? In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law. He came the
first time to accomplish our salvation by the sacrifice of
Himself, and that's exactly what He did. He accomplished salvation.
How did He do that? By honoring the law of God, by
putting away our sin, by the sacrifice of Himself, the messenger
from heaven said, call His name Jesus, He shall save His people
from their sin. The Lord Jesus Christ came the
first time, God Almighty manifest in the flesh, and my friend,
the Lord will come again to receive us unto Himself. Those that He
bought with His own blood, He bought them, paid for their redemption,
and He's going to take them home to glory and enjoy them forever. He said, for you are bought with
a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit,
which belong to Him. He must take us to glory, for
every believer is one with Him, and the Lord said that where
I am, there you may be also. We read in Hebrews 9.28, So Christ
was once offered to bear the sin of many, and unto them that
look for Him shall He appear the second time." He's coming
back. In the hour you think not, He's
coming back. He shall appear the second time
without sin unto salvation. Now I want you to go back to
verse 35 of Luke 12. and see what the Lord is teaching
us about His second coming, and how and why we should be ready
to meet Him when He comes. Now, I'm interested in the Lord
who is coming. I'm not so much interested in
the second coming. I'm interested in the Lord Jesus
Christ who is coming back. The Son of Man. The Son of God.
God our Savior. Now look at verse 35. Let your
loins be girded about and your lights burning. Your loins girded
about and your lights Shining. Now when I read that statement,
your loins girded about, it reminded me of what is said in Exodus
chapter 12. Remember when the Lord instituted
the Passover sacrifice and instituted the Passover lamb and they were
to observe that Passover? when the Lord passed through
that night, and He said to them, you eat that sacrifice with the
blood upon the door and your loins girded, your shoes on your
feet, your staff in your hand, you shall eat it in haste, for
it is the Lord's Passover. Gird your loins up, eat it in
haste, put your shoes on, the Lord is ready to deliver you.
So we are to be ready for the Lord when He comes back. just
as we're here in this life for a little while, just a little
while. Our life is but a shadow here.
Like Abraham, we're looking for a city which has foundation,
whose builder and maker is God. Gird your loins about and be
ready to move on. The Lord is coming back. Be ready. And then, the Apostle Paul said
this in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 14, He said, stand therefore
having your loins gird about with truth. So gird yourself
up, be ready to move out, and then gird yourself or wrap yourself
up or surround yourself with the truth of the gospel, the
doctrine of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Be all wrapped
up and girded up with the truth, for the Lord is coming back.
The second thing he says in verse 35 is, your lights burning, or your
lamps burning. We read just a moment ago, over
here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, he says, you are the children
of light. and the children of the day.
We are not of the night nor of the darkness, therefore let us
not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober." We are
children of the light. We've been translated out of
the kingdom of darkness, right? Into the kingdom of God's dear
Son. Christ is our light in this dark
world. We read in John 8, Verse 12,
where the Lord said, I'm the light of the world. I am the
light of the world. He that follows me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. You see, He's
commanded the light to shine out of darkness. He's commanded
the light to shine in our hearts that we might see the glory of
God that shines in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. So be
you ready, the Lord is coming back. Have your loins girded
about with truth, have your loin girded up, being ready to leave
this world, and your light shining brightly as Christ is in you,
who is a hope of glory." Now look at verse 36. He says, "...you
yourselves like unto men that wait for the Lord." Now here's
the second thing. waiting upon the Lord, waiting
for their Lord. Now He is Lord. He is our Lord. Peter said, This same Jesus,
whom you have crucified, God hath made Him both Lord and Christ,
waiting for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding,
that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him Immediately,
even so come, even so come, Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are waiting
for the Lord who is coming. Be in readiness, waiting for
the coming of Christ who is the bridegroom of the church. We're anticipating His coming. Turn to John chapter 3. See, the church is his bride,
his wife. He is the bridegroom who is coming,
and we're waiting for the bridegroom. Notice in John chapter 3, John said, A man can receive
nothing except it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear
witness that I said I'm not the Christ, but I'm sent before him. He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice. This, my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase I must be decreased. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
bridegroom and the church anticipates the Lord who is coming, waiting
for our head, waiting for our husband to come home and to be
with us. And when he knocks, we open unto
him and say, Come, even so come, Lord Jesus."
They welcomed Him with loving hearts and open arms, for He
is to them all together lovely. To you who believe, the Lord
Jesus Christ, He is precious. We're waiting on the Lord. That's
what the psalmist said, wait on the Lord. I say, be of good
courage. Wait, I say, on the blessed Lord
who is coming. And we do. open unto Him immediately
when He comes, because He is the Sovereign Lord. Thy people
shall be willing in the day of His power. So we're waiting for
the Lord who is coming. Look at verse 37, Blessed are
those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find not
only waiting, but watching. Watching, that is looking. Verily
I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to
sit down to meet, and will come forth to serve them." Now this
is amazing language. Notice the marginal reference
there is to John 13 verse 4. You remember when the Lord gathered
with His disciples and girded Himself and washed their feet? Remember that? Blessed are those
servants that not only wait for His coming, but are also watching
and looking for the Lord who is coming. And this second part
of this verse is a most amazing statement of the Lord's graciousness
unto us that He provide the table of grace for us to sit down. I say unto you that He shall
gird Himself and make them to sit down at meat and will come
forth and serve them." Now you know what that reminded me of?
You remember the story of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, when David
came to the throne? and said, is there any left of
the house of Jonathan or Saul that I may show mercy unto him?
Remember, Jonathan had that crippled son named Mephibosheth. Remember
what David said, you go get him, fetch him and bring him. I want
him to sit at my table all the days of his life, and I'm going
to supply his every need. That's exactly what the Lord
has done for us in the way of grace. He has provided us a table
of grace. Now, hold your place there and
look at this Scripture here. Turn to Revelation chapter 7.
Revelation chapter 7. I want you to find verse 13. He shall gird himself, make them
to sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them. Now watch this, Revelation 7
verse 13, And one of the elders answers, saying unto me, What
are these which are arrayed in white robe? from whence come
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to
me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb, Therefore they are before the throne of God, and
serve Him day and night in His temple. And he that sitteth on
the throne shall dwell among them," now read on verse 16,
"...they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them
unto living fountains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes." He will provide an eternal table of grace. He
will lead us and feed us as we sit at His feet and worship Him
forever and ever. Now look at Luke 12 verse 38,
And if he shall come in a second watch, or come in the third watch and
find them so, blessed are those servants who are waiting, who
are girded, whose lamps are trimmed and burning, who are watching
and looking, they are blessed in the Lord Jesus Christ. When He shall come, and whatever
time the Lord is pleased to come, we say, even so come, Lord Jesus
Christ. You remember how the book ends
in Revelation 22, the last chapter, almost the last verse? It says,
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly,
Even so, amen, even so, and we say, come, come Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is that man who is watching
and waiting and looking for the Lord Jesus Christ. Twice the
Lord says in these verses, blessed are those servants. Verse 37,
blessed are those servants. The last part of verse 38. Blessed
are those servants. You see, the Lord's sheep, His
people, are indeed blessed of God with all spiritual blessings
in the heavenly places in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are accepted
in the Beloved, and we are blessed in Him. I want you to find Romans
chapter 4. Oh, the blessedness of being
one with Christ. Romans chapter 4. Who is the
blessed man? Look at verse 6. David talks
about the blessed man from Psalm 32. Romans 4 verse 6, Blessed
is the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without works,
saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Can you imagine that? Here is
a sinner justified by the grace of God, to which God says, I
will not charge his sin to him, because the Lord Jesus Christ
has put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Now, Luke 12 verse
39, And know this, this know, that if the good man of the house
had known what hour the thief would come, Now, if someone's
going to rob your house, they're not going to leave you a note
on the door and say, well, Friday night we're coming back to rob
you. They wouldn't do that, would they? They ought to. That way
you'd be ready with your shotgun. And this know that if the good
man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he
would have watched. and not have suffered his house
to be broken through, but we don't know. But we're ready,
we keep our doors locked, we keep our guns loaded, we set
the alarm and we're ready to meet if a thief would come. The
illustration he's giving here and the point that the Lord is
making is the sudden unexpected coming in the hour that you think
not. Now, he says this again, if you'll
turn back over to Matthew chapter 24. On another occasion, the
Lord says this, Matthew chapter 24, verse 35, "...heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away, but
the day of the Lord But of that day and hour, no man knoweth,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the
days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man
be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating
and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered into the ark, everything was going good
until it started raining. and they knew not until the flood
came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be. Then shall two be in the field,
one shall be taken in the other left. Two women shall be grinding
at the mill, one shall be taken in the other left. Watch therefore,
for you know not what hour your Lord cometh, but know this, that
if the good men of the house had known in what Watch the thief
would have come, he would have watched and would have not suffered
his house to be broken up. Verse 44, Therefore be ye also
ready, for in such an hour you think not. That's when the Lord's
coming back, in the hour that you think not. Peter writes this,
The day of the Lord will come, 2 Peter 3, 10. The day of the
Lord will come. He will come. As a thief in the
night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat, the earth also
and the works therein shall be burned up." I don't believe in
this idea that they talk about on the news all the time about
global warming. They're all concerned about global
warming. They're not concerned about global burning. I believe
in global burning. The Lord's going to burn this
place up. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burnt up. He's going to make a new
heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Now,
are you ready to meet the Lord? Now, He's coming back. No doubt
about that. Look at verse 40 again. Luke
12, verse 40. Be ye therefore ready for the
Son of Man, The God-Man Mediator. God Almighty manifests in the
flesh. The Son of Man cometh at an hour
when you think not. Are you ready to meet the Lord
when He comes back again? Or we can put it this way. Are
you ready to meet the Lord when He calls you out of this life
by way of death? Are you ready to meet the Lord? We read this, it's appointed
unto man once to die. After that, judgment. Are you
ready to meet the Lord in the air? How can we be ready to meet
the Lord, always ready and prepared to meet the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, I know this. not by any
works of self-righteousness which we have done. We can't be prepared
and ready to meet the Lord by anything that we do before God. It's not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Now, I want you to find Matthew
chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. There were
many in that day, when the Lord came back, that He talks about
here in Matthew 7, who said they had many good works. Remember?
Matthew 7, verse 21, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven, Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name?
In Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful
works." Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Listen to what he says, "...then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, you
that work iniquity." So any work that we would present before
God in and of ourselves is nothing but works of iniquity of which
the Lord says, depart from Me. The Lord said He wanted no part
with them. Depart from Me. They weren't
ready to meet the Lord, were they? The only way we can be
ready, fit, and meet, the only way that we can be ready and
fit to meet the Lord is to be just like Him and to be found
in Him. I want you to turn over here
to the book of Colossians chapter 1. You see, he that hath the Son
hath life. Colossians chapter 1, look at
verse 12. We give thanks unto the Father,
We give thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet." And
that word there can be rendered fit. He has made us fit to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light in Christ
who have delivered us from the power of darkness and have translated
us into the kingdom of God's dear Son. The only way we can
be ready to meet the Lord who is coming is for the Lord to
make us fit to meet Him, and that's by His grace alone. You
see, Christ is our readiness. We are made ready to meet the
Lord only by the Lord making us ready to meet Him. He's our
readiness. He's our readiness. It's all
by His will, all by His will that He makes us ready. It's
not of Him that willeth, nor of Him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. It's by His grace, it's by His
power, The Lord prayed, Father, you've given me power over all
flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given to me. We are made ready by his power,
by his will, by his grace. is God who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began. We are only ready to meet the
Lord by His love toward us, not by our love toward Him. but His
love toward us. Here in His love, not that we
love God, but that He loved us, and that He sent His Son to be
our sacrifice for sin, and we are only ready to meet the Lord
by His mercy toward us. For it is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not consumed. I want to show you something
here, over in 1 John, turn over there, 1 John chapter 4, 1 John
chapter 4 verse 17. You see, those who are made ready
to meet the Lord are so by His will, power, love, and grace. 1 John 4 verse 17, Herein is
our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment, because as He is, look at this carefully, as He
is, so are we in this world. every believer being one with
Christ, ready to meet the Lord who is coming back. You see,
the Lord Jesus Christ is all of our righteousness. Now, you
have 1 John. Turn a few more pages over to
Revelation 16. Turn over there. Revelation 16. Look what he says right here.
Now, how can it be said of a believer, as he is, so are we, being one
in Him and with Him. Revelation 16, 15. You see that? Revelation 16, 15. Behold, I
come as a thief. Now again, the Lord is coming.
Blessed is he that watcheth, looking, waiting, keeping his
garments, loins girded about, lest he walk naked, and they
see his shame. Keepeth his garments." What are
these garments? Okay, let's find another scripture.
Turn to Revelation 19. Here's how the Lord makes us
ready. And here's how it can be said, as He is, so are we
in this world. As we are one with Him and we
are righteous in Christ. Look what it says in Revelation
19. Verse 6, Revelation 19, 6, And
I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
saying, Hallelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Let
us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him, for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. Be ye ready! Read on, and to
her was granted, now grant is a gift, granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, For the fine linen
is the righteousness of the saints. And he saith unto me, Write,
Blessed are they which are called unto the merry supper of the
Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
You see, the garments that we are girded about is the Lord
who is the Lord, our righteousness. That fine linen, clean and white,
is the righteousness of the saints." Now, who is the righteousness
of the saints? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself
is our righteousness before God. We're not going about to establish
a righteousness, are we? We're resting in the Lord Jesus
Christ who is made unto us. God made Him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. Isaiah 63, 10, we had this last
week, but I'm going to read it to you again. I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, for my soul shall be joyful in my God, for
He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered
me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decors himself
with ornaments, as a bride that adorns herself with jewels. That's
the only way that we can be ready to meet the Lord is to be clothed
in that righteousness that's provided of God. Now, I want
to have you look at one other Scripture with me. When Paul
talks about dying in the Lord, find II Timothy chapter 4. When he says that he is going
to be executed for the gospel, do you know what he says? Find
it with me. Timothy chapter 4 verse 6, for
I'm now ready to be offered. Ready and prepared. Paul, how
are you ready to be offered? Ready to meet the Lord. Well,
I'm ready to be offered in the time of my departure. Now, I
like the way he talks about death as a departure. Paul, where are
you going? To be absent from his body, to be present with
the Lord. Verse 7, I fought a good fight. I finished my course. I've kept the faith. Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Now whose righteousness
is this? Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputed righteousness without works, which the Lord giveth. The righteous judge shall give
me at that day, not to me only, but to all them that love His... What is it? His appearing. The
Lord is coming back. Be ye ready. Also, for the Son
of Man cometh unto our that you think not." The Apostle Paul
said, We are confident, and I say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body than to be present with the Lord. Now, as I get
older, I think about this more often. I don't think there's
a day I don't have, and when I don't go through the day, when
I think about dying and meeting the Lord. It's a blessed day
for a believer. Blessed are those who die in
the Lord. David said, Lord, teach me to
number our days that we may apply our heart to wisdom. I mean,
we just have a few days left. It won't be long, I'll be 70
years old. Three score and ten. After that,
we have no guarantee of tomorrow, do we? I know you younger people. I remember when Brother Henry
Mahan started talking about his ministry being over and his life
being over as he was about my age or even a little bit younger.
And I thought, well, why is he always thinking about that? Why
is he always talking about that? And as he got older, and I remember
a message he preached when he was 80 years old. He talked about
dying. Dying in the Lord and being with
the Lord. We are anticipating the Lord's
coming for us. Now, when is a man ready to die
and to meet the Lord? Let me give you an example of
that. You remember, turn back to Luke
chapter 2. When is a sinner ready to meet the Lord? It's appointed
that a man wants to die. After that is judgment. When
is a man ready to meet the Lord at death? Well, here's the answer. You remember the story of Simeon?
Luke chapter 2 verse 25. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon. The same man was just and devout,
waiting, there's that waiting again, waiting for the consolation,
the comfort, the salvation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was
upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that
he should not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ. That's when a man's ready to
meet the Lord, when he's seen the Lord Christ, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple, when his parents brought in the child Jesus. For
to do after the custom of the law, to offer sacrifice upon
that forty days from the time of his circumcision, verse 28,
then he took him up in his arm and blessed God and said, Lord,
now let Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word.
Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. That's when a man is ready to
meet the Lord, when he's seen the Lord's salvation, which Thou
hast prepared before the face of all people alike to lighten
the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people is real. Now, mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation. That's when we're ready to meet
the Lord. And we know that the Lord Jesus
Christ is all of our salvation. Now, my dear friend, are you
ready to meet the Lord when He comes again in His second coming
or when He comes back to take you by the way and call you out
of this life by the way of death? The Lord Jesus Christ is coming
back. In the hour that you think not,
look back at the verse, Luke 12 verse 40, Be ye therefore
ready, ready, being found in Christ. For the Son of Man cometh
at an hour when you think not. Now, in closing, let me read
this to you. Turn over to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. Joy as we see Him, and are blessed
with saving faith to see the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 6
verse 37, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and
him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came
down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will, which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will
of him that sent me, that everyone would see it, the Son, and believers
on him may have everlasting life, and I'll raise him up at the
last day, ready to meet the Lord who is coming." And I pray that
the Lord will give all of us faith in Christ. There is salvation
in no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give us grace
to look to Him bow to His Lordship and confess that He's Lord to
the glory of God the Father.