Title: Life of Preparation / Matthew 24:37-44
Contents
life to prepare
Matthew 24:37-44
The word ‘preparation’ (hetoimos) means ‘to be armed, to prepare’. If we want to live a successful life before God and ourselves, and to be useful people in society, we must have a life of preparation every day.
In today’s text, it is a warning that in Noah’s day, many people in the days of Noah were immersed in the pleasures of the world, eating, drinking, getting married, and marrying, indifferent to spiritual matters and preoccupied with carnal and secular affairs. It records the incident where people were destroyed by living without believing in God and not preparing for the time of God's judgment. Verse 44 says, “Therefore, be ready too. The Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” It shows how precious a life of preparation is.
Then, what should we prepare and live?
First, we must prepare and live to meet God.
“Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12) How can we meet God? Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “If you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul, you will find him.” He said that if you pray to God with all your heart and all your soul, he will find you. Just as the heart has to have blood and pulse in order to survive, we believe that we will be spiritually awake when we pray continually in the Holy Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it is said, “Pray without ceasing”. Please believe that those who keep praying will continue to meet God. I hope that the moment you meet God, all your troubles, unsolvable events, dangerous things, and sad, lonely and lonely things will be resolved. Also, I hope that those who are tormented and afraid in front of evil spirits will have peace of mind the moment they meet God.
And Jeremiah 29:13 says, “If you seek me with all your heart and seek me, you will find me.” Seeking God here means longing for God. Those who earnestly long for God will be able to meet God. People in this world are difficult to meet even if they have a slightly higher status. However, our God has promised that if we seek with all our heart, He will find us. If you prepare to meet God and live, all your wishes will come true.
Second, we must prepare and live to become vessels worthy of God's use.
Anyone who uses a bowl will choose to use a clean bowl, a sturdy bowl, or a bowl that is the right size. Please believe that God will use us as much as we have prepared for us. A vessel worthy of God's use
①It is a clean bowl. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will become a vessel for honor, sanctified and suitable for the master's use, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). I hope that your character will also be gentle. I hope your words are gracious. If your heart is purified by repenting of the dirty sins in your heart, it becomes a valuable vessel.
②It is a vessel of obedience. “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and hearing is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22) Abraham said when God said, “Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). I didn't know where I was going, but I obeyed God's instructions. At that time, God made him a source of blessing and the father of faith. We must obey our God unconditionally. When Jesus called Peter, he immediately left his net and obeyed. When he abandoned his net, he abandoned his profession. As a result, he became a disciple of Jesus.
③ It is a vessel to be thankful for. If you look at successful people, they are all people of gratitude. When our hearts overflow with gratitude, good things happen.
Third, we must prepare to enter the kingdom of heaven and live.
Life will come to an end someday. There must be only one destination. Heaven or Hell. We have to choose one of these two paths. The legs cannot be crossed. It is heaven for believers and hell for unbelievers. There are many things in our day-to-day life that fascinate us, but above all else we should be interested in the things of heaven. The world ends with death. But heaven is an eternal world. I hope you always live in the hope of the kingdom of heaven.
There is an English proverb that says, “It is better to go to heaven in ragged clothes than to go to hell in silk.” Shakespeare said, "Heaven is the gospel of joy."
In John 14:1-3, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe in me again. There are many dwelling places in my father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, you may be also.” He said, “Peace I leave with you, my I give you peace. What I give to you is not as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Jesus promised us eternal heaven. Be prepared to enter the kingdom of heaven by believing in Jesus as your Savior (John 1:12) and being born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).
Fourth, we must prepare and live to receive God's reward.
There are times when we are persecuted as we walk the path of faith. In Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they curse and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad. great is your reward in heaven. So they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Rather, I hope you rejoice and rejoice when you are persecuted. Because the reward in heaven is great. God will surely make you reap according to what you have done, and you will reap according to what you sow.
Dear saints, Prepare to meet God by always praying to God with all your heart and all your soul and all your heart, prepare to become vessels worthy of God’s use, namely, vessels of cleanliness, vessels of obedience, vessels of thanksgiving, receiving Jesus as Savior and receiving water and the Holy Spirit In the name of Jesus, I pray that you will become all the saints who glorify the Lord by being faithful to the Lord's work so that they may prepare to enter the kingdom of heaven by being born again and die so that they may receive God's reward.