Greg Laurie - How to Wait for Christ's Return (01/03/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares how to wait for Christ's return through three parables in Matthew 25, urging us to be spiritually prepared with the Holy Spirit's presence, faithfully use our gifts and resources for God's glory, and live out real faith in caring for others—because soon the door to heaven will shut for those unprepared or merely pretending.
Stories of Being Too Late
Hey, have you ever been late for something and ended up missing it altogether? Years ago my brother was getting married. I was asked to be the best man. I was eighteen years old. And I was just learning how to drive. And also I was just starting to date my future wife Kathy. So I invited her to come with me. And she did not realize how navigationally challenged I actually was. The wedding was up in the L.A. area. And when we started seeing signs saying Las Vegas 30 miles we knew we had gone the wrong direction. And inexplicably my wife still decided to marry me after that. But she also recognized she would have to learn how to read a map. There were no GPS's in cars in those days. I don't even know if the government had GPS yet. No they did. But then I remember another occasion where I was going to speak at an event called Promise Keepers to fifty thousand men.
And I was flying out of LAX, my favorite place on earth to go to. And that was sarcastic by the way. And so I got up in the morning and I am on my way. And I just called ahead to check and make sure everything was normal. No delays. And much to my surprise they had moved the flight up one hour. I didn't even know they could do that. They moved the flight up an hour. So now I am late. I get there. I park my car. I am literally sprinting to the gate. And just as I get there they are shutting the door to the flight. And I went up to the flight attendant. "Ma'am please. I have to get on that plane. I have a speaking engagement to a bunch of men." She goes, "I am sorry sir. The boarding is over." And I could see the plane was sitting there and that thing that hooks up to the plane was there. "Ma'am it is still there. I can get on." "I am sorry sir. Step away from the gate." "Okay. Ma'am I really... I am going to speak to 50,000 men." "No." She enjoyed it. She enjoyed it. And then the door was shut. Because guess what. I was too late. There is coming a day when it will be too late to get ready. And the door will be shut to heaven. A day when Christ will come back and if we are not prepared we will miss it.
Now as I said this is our last message in the series that we are calling Ready or Not. We have been looking at the words of Christ given on the Mount of Olives. Thus the title, The Olivet Discourse. It was in answer to the question, what will be the sign of your return? He gives us various signs of the times to look for. Now we come to Matthew 25. But this was really a continuation of his talk that he gave there in Matthew 24. Matthew 25 was also given from the Mount of Olives. Because now the focus of Jesus is what we are to be doing as we await his return.
What Does It Mean to "Watch"?
Verse 13 gives us a key word. He says, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Watch. But what does it mean to watch? It doesn't mean we are to stand around like a bunch of idiots staring at the sun all day long. Nor does it mean that we are supposed to quit our jobs or divorce our spouses as some people did when they thought they knew the actual date of the Lord's return recently. Nor does it mean that we are to discuss nothing else but the topic of Bible prophecy. What it means to watch is to be prepared. To be prepared. That is the idea that is being conveyed. For instance if you are going to take an international trip, you don't just walk down to the airport, board a flight and go. You have to prepare.
First of all you have to make sure your passport is current. Or you are not getting on that plane. Then it is possible you may need a visa. And then you have to of course have a hotel to stay in. You have to have a car when you get there. Whatever. So you make your arrangements ahead of time. And in the same way we are getting ready to take a trip to eternity. And we have to be prepared for this trip. That is what is being conveyed here. Preparation is essential. So we remember the motto of the Boy Scouts. To be prepared. So the issue is not so much when will Christ come. We don't know the answer to that. But the question should be what should we be doing as we await the return of Jesus.
To answer that question Jesus gives us three parables in Matthew 25. Remember a parable is an illustration. It is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. But Jesus didn't just make up random stories for fun. His parables always had a point. Right? And in this particular chapter we have the first parable known as the parable of the bridesmaids in verses 1-13. And then the second parable is the parable of the talents. That is verses 14-30. And the third is a separation of the sheep and the goats. So we have the bridesmaids, we have the talents, and we have the sheep and the goats.
The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
You will notice as you read it that these parables intensify and broaden in the warning that is given. Jesus seems to be speaking of people in these parables who look like Christians and think they are Christians, but in reality will not be ready when He returns. Let me repeat that. In these parables Jesus seems to be describing people that look like Christians who think they are Christians, but in reality are not Christians and thus are not ready for His return.
Did you read that article in the paper this last week about the fake apple stores over in China? Apparently in a city in China called Kunming there were five apple stores that had been built. And these were big stores. If you have ever been to an apple store you know that they are furnished beautifully and laid out in a certain way and they have a certain design template that they follow. And these stores looked exactly like apple stores down to the shirts that the salespeople wore. In fact they were so realistic that people that worked at them thought they were actually working in an apple store. But they were not real. These were not cheesy knockoffs. These were impressive imitations. But still not the real thing. Well in the same way we have people in the church today just like that. They look like Christians. They talk like Christians. We all assume they are Christians. But in reality they are sophisticated imitations of the real thing.
Now understand these parables are not addressed to people that have no interest in church or spiritual things. In effect these parables are given to people who are in church. They sit next to us. They sing our songs. They talk our talk. But they are not prepared.
Let's start with the first one. The parable of the ten bridesmaids. Matthew 25:1. From the New Living Translation Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise. Five were foolish. The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps. And the five who were wise took along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed they all lay down and slept. And at midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look! The bridegroom is coming. Come out and welcome him.' All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' But the others replied, 'We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' And while they were gone to buy oil the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut. Later when the other bridesmaids returned they stood outside saying, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us.' He called back, 'I don't know you.' Jesus now concludes, 'So stay awake and be prepared because you do not know the day or the hour of my return.'"
Now as we read a story like that it doesn't make total sense because we have no parallel to this culturally. See the way they did weddings in the first century compared to the way we do them in the twenty-first century is quite different. Our weddings will last maybe an hour, a little bit longer. But their weddings would actually last for days. It was a big celebration. It was an honor to be invited to one of these wonderful weddings. And sort of a fun element was you didn't know when the groom was coming. So everyone would be ready and all the bridesmaids would be in their dresses. And then a shout would be given. A herald would be sent before the bridegroom. It might come at two in the afternoon. It might come at two in the morning. "Behold, the bridegroom is coming." So you got in place and he came and the ceremony took place. And if you weren't ready then you would miss it.
Also the element of having a lamp with oil is introduced here and back in this culture. You would carry around a little lamp. And this basically was like a saucer filled with oil with a floating wick. And you would carry a little extra flask on your belt. And when your oil went down you would pour some more in so you had to always be prepared. A modern equivalent would be like having fresh batteries in your flashlight. Or having your cell phone charged. Or having gas in your car. The idea was to be ready for your trip. Be ready for the big event. And so in this story we have five that were not ready and five that were. But the emphasis is be prepared.
Lessons from the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids
Now these bridesmaids are placed side by side to show both similarities and differences. Let's see what we can find from it. Number one. All of them had been invited to the wedding. All had been invited to the wedding. And notice they are all bridesmaids. The idea being conveyed that when you become a Christian you become a part of the church. And the church is referred to as the bride of Christ. Right? And we know that one day there is going to be a great wedding feast in heaven where we will be joined to our heavenly bridegroom the Lord Jesus Christ. And so these are all bridesmaids in effect. But five of them were not totally prepared. These would represent people who have clearly heard the gospel.
Number two. They all responded positively to the wedding invitation. They were all invited. They all agreed. They all showed up. So this would indicate a person that not only professes faith but they have responded in some way to an invitation. Maybe they have come forward in a church service and said they are a Christian. Maybe you saw them go forward at a harvest crusade. The telltale sign they are a new believer. So we think they are carrying around a little Bible like this. You know. Oh there is a new believer. And hopefully they are. But these people have responded to an invitation.
And thirdly they all confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Verse 11. They say "Lord, Lord." But what is the problem? The problem was you can be in the church and not necessarily be a Christian. Because the bridesmaids that were left out had no oil. In the Bible oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When you become a believer in Jesus the Holy Spirit of God comes and takes residence in your heart and He seals you. So these are people that appear to be Christians but actually are not. They are sophisticated knockoffs. They are not real.
And by the way the Bible tells us that one of the signs of the times that the Lord is coming back is we are going to see more and more people like this. 2 Timothy 3 says you know that in the last days there will be difficult times. People will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud. Scoffing at God. They will consider nothing sacred. They will love pleasure more than they love God. And listen to this. They will act as if they are religious but they will reject the power that can make them godly. They will act as if they are religious but they will reject the power that can make them godly. Or as the New King James puts it, they will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. That is who these people are.
But how is this possible? How could they be at this wedding and be so close and yet miss it? How can a person sit in church and hear the same sermon that a person who believes hears and yet not be a believer? Well it can be illustrated in a couple of ways. Remember when Jesus was crucified. He gave seven statements from the cross. Initially as he hung there there was a thief crucified on each side of Him. And they joined in the chorus of mockery saying, "He saved others let him save himself if he be the chosen of God."
Then Christ gave his first statement, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Right there on the spot one of those thieves believed and said, "Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom." And then Jesus gave his second statement from Calvary which was, "Verily verily I say unto you today you will be with me in paradise." But here is the question. Not why did one believe. Well of course he believed. He was in the presence of God incarnate forgiving the people who had crucified him. That is not the mystery. The mystery is why didn't the other guy believe? Why did one believe and one reject? Well you know the answer is because we have free will. And even on a death bed a person can reject. We always think that on a death bed a person will believe. Not always. So one believes, thank God there is mercy extended to a person even in the last moments of their life if they will call out to Jesus. But at the same time here is a man who hears the same thing and does not believe.
Another illustration is you have Adam and Eve. And they have two sons, Cain and Abel. One is godly, Abel. The other is ungodly, Cain. So ungodly in fact that he ends up murdering his brother. Here is the mystery. That sometimes godly people come out of godless homes. And that godless people come out of godly homes. Sometimes you have homes that are so messed up, so dysfunctional, everything is going wrong, and yet inexplicably the child comes out, puts her faith in Christ and serves the Lord. And then you have homes that are godly. Where the parents are good examples. They do everything right and one of their children totally rebels. One goes into ministry and one goes to prison. Oh it happens. And the parents feel they are great failures. But the reality is we have a free will. We can decide what we will do.
So these people heard it. And they knew it. Here is the thing we need to realize. Church is a dangerous place. Well come on Greg. Get out of here. This is a safe place. Well it is a safe place if you come for the right reasons. If you come to worship God. If you come to hear the word of God. If you come with the desire to walk with the Lord. This is like an oasis for you. To return to time and time again. To be refreshed and replenished and rebuilt. But if you come here playing some silly little religious game. And only go through the motions. This is a dangerous place. Because every time you hear the gospel and don't respond your heart can get hard. You know it is to believers in Scripture that we read in Hebrews 3. "Beware brothers lest you have a heart that is hardened against God." Yes. Because if you hear the truth and you don't respond your heart can get hard. Listen. The best inoculation against the gospel is the gospel heard but not heeded. Let me repeat that. The best inoculation against the gospel is the gospel heard but not heeded.
I mentioned traveling internationally a number of years ago. I was going to Africa. Specifically I was going to Uganda to visit a mission hospital there. Well back in those days there were a lot of shots you had to get specifically for that region. And I remember I went down and this lady was giving me my shots. And she was pretty good actually. I didn't really feel them. I thought it was bad. I sort of dreaded it. But then she brought out the last needle. It was the biggest syringe I've ever seen. It took three men to carry it in. Put it in the side of my arm. Two guys pushing on it. And I felt it. Oh it hurt so much. And I felt ill afterwards. Because what is it? They are injecting some of that thing I need to build my resistance up against. So I have my immunity working. My immune system working I should say. And so this is the idea. You hear the gospel. Hear the gospel. Hear the gospel. And you come to a point where you are effectively immune to it. But you have got a hard heart in the church.
Changing metaphors. They lay down and slept. Verse 5. They had fallen asleep in church. They had hearts that had grown hard. And ultimately, verse 10, the door was shut. And there will come a day when the door is shut. Every day is filled with opportunities to do good or evil. To do right or wrong. To go forward spiritually. Or to go backwards. To gain or lose ground. It is going to be one or the other. And one day the door is shut. And that is it. Are you prepared for that?
The Parable of the Talents – Using What God Gives
Now we shift gears. And we come to the parable of the talents. The second parable of three in Matthew 25. In this story we have a wealthy man leaving on a long trip. He calls his servants together and delivers to each a measure of money. It is called a talent. And this is a word that speaks of just a lot of money. So let's just simplify it and say to each he gave a bag of gold. Okay. A bag of gold. And to one he gave five bags of gold. And to another he gave two bags of gold. And finally to a third he gave only one. In his absence one servant invested wisely and turned his five bags into ten. The other took two bags and multiplied them to four. And the last guy took his single bag of gold and buried it in a hole in the ground.
So we pick the story up. Matthew 25:20. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of gold said, "Sir you gave me five bags of gold to invest and I have doubled the amount." The master was full of praise. "Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount. Now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together." Next came the servant who had received two bags of gold. He said, "You gave me two bags to invest. I have doubled the amount." The master says, "Well done. Good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount. Now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together."
Check out this third guy. Verse 24. The servant with one bag of gold came and said, "Sir, I know you are a hard man. Harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money so I hid it in the earth." Here it is. He probably pulled it out and worms hanging off of it. Bits of dirt. Maybe it was bags starting to unravel a little bit. The master replied, "You wicked and lazy servant. You think I am a hard man do you? Harvesting crops I didn't plant. Gathering crops I didn't cultivate. Well you should have at least put my money in the bank where I could have gotten some interest. Take the money from this servant. Give it to the one who has ten bags of gold. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful even what little they have will be taken away."
Now notice in this story that everyone is given a different amount to invest. The one five, to another two, to another one. Now here is the thing. God is the one that distributes everything. Some people live long lives. Some people live short lives. Some people have great health. Some people have poor health. Some people have great talents. Some people have no talents or only a few. But then we deal with what we are given. And I have seen people that had very little ability, somebody work very hard and be very diligent and be very successful in life. And I have seen others that had so much talent, so much ability, everything going their way and I have seen them squander it and throw it away. So it is really up to us in what we do with what God has given.
Sometimes we are envious of others. I wish I was as beautiful as her. Or I wish I was as smart as him. Or I wish I were as talented as that person. Well look, you have what you have that God has given you, but you take it and cultivate it and use it.
Spiritual Gifts, Resources, and Faithful Stewardship
What does the bag of gold or the talent represent? Well it represents many things. It represents your life itself. It represents your time. It represents your gifts that God will instill in your life. And it certainly represents your resources. So let's think about that. We have all been given certain spiritual gifts as believers. When you believe in Jesus Christ and you are filled with the Spirit God will give you certain spiritual gifts. And addressing this Paul says over in Romans 12 we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is serving others then serve them well. If you are a teacher do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others do it. If you have money share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability take the responsibility seriously. So take those gifts God has given and cultivate and use them.
But then there are resources. And I am talking about money that God has given to each one of us. Now some people get uncomfortable when you raise the topic of money. And especially the giving of money to God. But it is worth noting, that in the Bible half of the parables Jesus told dealt with the topic of money. Including the one before us. One out of every seven verses in the New Testament deal with the topic of money. But we don't like to hear any messages about money. Why? Because we don't want to part with our money.
I heard a story about a preacher in the south that was talking to his congregation. And this was one of those congregations that would talk back to the preacher. So he said to his flock, "We've got to crawl before we can walk." And the people cried out, "Let us crawl, preacher. Let us crawl." Then he said, "But we've got to walk before we can jog." "Let us walk, preacher." "Let us walk," they said. Then he said, "But we've got to jog before we can run." "Let us jog, preacher." "Let us jog." And he said, "But before we run we've got to give." There was a moment of silence and one person said, "Let us crawl preacher. Let us crawl." That is how we feel sometimes, isn't it?
But the Bible is very direct on this topic. And here is why it is important for a number of reasons. Because it is an indicator of where you are really at spiritually. You tell me you are a godly man or a godly woman. Here is my question to you. Is that reflected in your finances? Is that reflected in your giving to the work of the kingdom of God? Why do I ask this? Because Jesus says where a man's treasure is there will his heart be also. So if you find that you are withholding from the work of God that says more about you spiritually than you might like to admit.
Paul dealt with this very directly in 1 Corinthians 16. He said now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem, "You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia on every Lord's Day. Each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once."
So number one it is worth noting that giving is a universal practice. Paul says to the Corinthian believers do this because it is the same procedure we had with the churches in Galatia. It is not just something the Corinthians are supposed to do. It is something every Christian should do. Everywhere Paul established a church he taught on giving. It is not an option. Jesus said freely you have received freely give.
Number two. He said it was to be done every week. On every Lord's Day every one of you should put aside some amount of money. Now the Lord's Day is a reference to Sunday. Prior to the death and resurrection of Christ believers met on Sabbath. Saturday. Jewish believers really. But then once the church was established and non-Jews were welcomed in they began to worship on the first day of the week which was Sunday and now it is effectively our last day of the week. But we worship on Sunday because that is the day when Christ rose again from the dead. So on every Lord's Day we bring a gift for the work of the kingdom.
Number three. It is a personal act. He says each of you should do this. Even little children should be taught to give. It is something we all should do. But sometimes we hold back. Heard about an old farmer that was known for his cheapness. But one day he surprised his family. When his cow gave birth to two calves he said, "I am going to dedicate one of these calves to the Lord." "Which one?" they said. He said "I haven't decided yet." So a few days went by and they said which calf are you giving to the Lord? He says "I am still not sure." A couple more days go by and one of the calves got a little sick. And it got worse. And finally the old farmer came in holding his dead calf draped over his arms. And he said "I have bad news. The Lord's calf just died." Get it? That is a lot of times what we give to God. Oh we don't want that. That is junk. Let's donate it to the church. Let's give God our leftovers. Let's give God the stuff we don't want. I have some spare change I think. I don't know. Is it a Kleenex box lid? Whatever is in my pocket. See that shows a lack of planning. Because that is the next thing he says.
Number four. You should plan ahead. Each of you put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for the offering. It should not come as an afterthought or a surprise. When the offering basket. What is this bag? What? What? What? It is called an offering. Put something in it. That is your opportunity. Well I don't want to do it. Well you don't have to do it. No one is going to force you to do it. But you miss out on the blessing that God has for you. So that is one way that we take what God has given and we multiply it and use it.
So the first two guys do a great job. They multiply it. They make a lot out of what God has given them. But this third guy makes no sense at all. Verse 24. He says you are a hard man. Harvesting crops you did not plant. Gathering crops you did not cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money so I hid it in the earth. The guy just gave him a bag of gold and he is critiquing them. Some people have a sense of entitlement. They think they deserve all these things even if they did not work for them or earned them. And then they are irresponsible and they squander what is given to them and have the audacity to blame the person that gave it to them. Why is it that others succeeded and you failed? Well I don't know but it is not my fault. No it is your fault. And the Master says as much, you are lazy. That is your problem. You are just lazy.
And you know there are people like this today. They are lazy. They are believers. They have been forgiven by God. They are going to go to heaven when they die. But they are lazy. They don't take the life that God has given and use it for His glory. They think it is all about them. How everyone should cater to them. How everyone should be serving them. They never think about serving others. They never think about glorifying God. But we have to ask ourselves the question, why am I here on this earth to begin with? Answer. I am here to bring glory to God. I am here to honor His name. Isaiah 43:7. "Everyone who was called by my name, whom I created for my glory." 1 Corinthians 10:31. "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
Now if you don't do this you could be guilty of a sin. We often think sin is only doing bad things. That is a sin of commission. But the sin of omission is not doing good things. Sin of commission, doing what I should not do. Sin of omission, not doing what I should do. James 4:17 says, "To him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." So let's take what God has given. Our time. Our life. Our resources. Our abilities. Our talents. Everything that we have. And use it for God's glory.
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
What are we supposed to do as we wait for the Lord's return? We are supposed to be prepared. We saw in parable number one. Number two we are supposed to be busy serving the Lord. Parable number two. And now we come to parable number three. The parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus says when He returns a division will be made. He will divide the sheep from the goats, the believers from the unbelievers.
Matthew 25:41 He will say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food. I was thirsty. You gave Me no drink. I was a stranger. You did not take Me in. Naked. You did not clothe Me. Sick and in prison. And you did not visit Me." Then they will answer Him saying, "Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?" Then He will answer them saying, "Assuredly I say to you inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these you did it not to Me." And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
This is the judgment of the nations. Not a judgment of nations like America, China, Italy, Germany, etc. But more a judgment of individuals. This takes place on earth after the battle of Armageddon. And this is before the great white throne judgment that comes later, which is for non-believers. And Jesus says they go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
You see, there is a final day of reckoning that is coming. And for the non-believer that is not ready, they are like the foolish virgin with no oil in her lamp, or the person who plays church but does not have a relationship with God. They are like the goat instead of the sheep. They are going to go into everlasting fire.
Now there is some doubt that has been raised by some as to whether or not hell is eternal. But the same word that is used to describe the eternal nature of heaven is also used to describe the eternal nature of hell. We love to glory in the fact that heaven is forever. Well hell is too. And God doesn't want us to go to this place called hell. But this is that judgment that comes upon the non-believer.
But as Christians we will face a judgment. Not a judgment as to whether or not we get into heaven. As a matter of fact the judgment of Christians happens in heaven. It is called the judgment seat of Christ. Now maybe we should change our thinking a little bit and not think of it as much as a judgment as an award ceremony. Right? I don't know about you. Maybe in school you were really great in sports. And you have a lot of awards. I know this one guy. He has run so many triathlons. He has like, it seems like hundreds of medals. I dared him the other day to just like wear thirty of them. And I said let's go get a cup of coffee and just walk around wearing them and I will buy your coffee. He wouldn't do it. There were so many. You know, wow that is impressive. I never won a single medal. In fact I had to win a medal for not winning a medal. Just the loser medal. Super loser. Every contest I have entered I have never won. I have never won anything. And so when I competed in sports I never got first place or second or third. I usually got honorable mention. Which basically was an award given to people who existed. That is all. Just, you exist. Here is a ribbon. Go away.
Well listen, there is an award ceremony coming. We could maybe compare it in some ways to the Emmys or the Grammys or the Oscars. Where you win an award for something. What is this award? These are awards, or to change it to biblical verbiage, rewards given for our faithful service to the Lord. Look at verse 21 of Matthew 25. "Well done, good and faithful servant." This parable would seem to indicate that our position in the new earth will be relative to the faithfulness we have now to the things of God entrusted to our care.
We think way too much about the here and now. And not enough about the by and by. We think of life as moment of birth, moment of death, the end. Roll credits. No, no, no. Moment of birth and then into eternity. For punishment or reward. For the person who has put their faith in Christ, reward and opportunity. Yes there is going to be more things to do after heaven. Why? Because we don't stay in heaven forever. We go to heaven and then one day heaven comes to earth and there is a new earth and responsibilities are meted out. And the blessings and opportunities are directly related to how faithful we were to the Lord.
So Jesus says, hey I was in prison. You visited me. I was naked. You clothed me. I was hungry. You fed me. I was thirsty. You gave me something to drink. Well wait a second. We don't remember ever seeing you in prison. "You did it to the least of these. You did it to me." Now you think of all those things you've done for God that no one ever saw. You know that sacrifice you made. That thing that you said. That person you forgave. That opportunity that you seized. That gift that you gave. No one saw. No one stood up in a pulpit and said, hey look at what they just did. In fact some of the things that you did with the right heart were mischaracterized and you were criticized for them. Here is what you need to know. God knows. God is watching. God is paying attention. God keeps very meticulous records. And God will reward you. Jesus said your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly. That is what happens at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Rewards are given out.
And speaking of this day 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad." God will want to know what you did with your gifts, your talents, your abilities, your time. Make sure you use it wisely for him.
We are to be ready. We are to be busy. And we are to be faithful. So to answer the first question, what are we supposed to be doing as we await the return of Christ? Be ready. Be busy. Be faithful to the Lord.
Where are you in this parable? We have looked at three. You are one of the people in the story. In the story of the bridesmaids you are either the wise bridesmaid or you are the foolish one. In the story of the faithful servant you are either the one who used what God gave or you buried it in the ground. Or finally you are either the sheep or the goat. And according to Jesus you will go to either heaven or hell. And that choice is entirely ours. God wants everyone to join him in heaven. But he won't force this on you. You must believe in Jesus Christ.
And I ask you in closing, have you done that? Have you asked Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord? Because one day man this thing is going to hit. And it's going to be too late. Just like this crazy storm. Where did this storm come from? Who predicted this storm? I didn't see it on any weather report. I checked my little weather app on my phone. Last night it was going to be 95 degrees in Riverside. And it's going to be 74 degrees in Irvine. Okay. I know what the weather is going to be. And I get up in the morning and it's raining. And it's still raining. No one predicted it. It just came. Boom. Here it is. That is how the Lord's coming will be. It will just come. Will you be ready? That is how death will come for some. It will just come. You want to have the luxury of being told you have five years to live. Or five months to live. Or even five days to live. You will just be one day about your business in this life in the next moment. You are in eternity. And I want to know are you ready for that? That is the whole message here today. Be prepared. Be a good boy scout. Or girl scout. Be prepared. Are you ready for the Lord's return? Are you ready to stand before God?
If you aren't respond to this invitation I will give you now. In a moment we are going to pray. And I am going to ask you are you sure your life is right with God. And don't tell me you go to church. Because that is what we dealt with in the first parable. They looked like Christians. They talked like Christians. They were assumed to be Christians. But the door was shut. It is here in church you can get a hard heart by not responding appropriately to the gospel. So I am going to give you an opportunity to respond in the right way. And if you need to do that pray with me now.
Let's all bow our heads. Father thank you for your word to us. Thank you for your promises. And thank you for the offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Now I pray Lord for everyone listening to this message. And I pray you will help us to see the urgency of it. Help us to be prepared to meet you. Because we don't know when that is going to be. Help any person listening or watching now get right with you if they need to.
When our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. If God has spoken to your heart today and you are not sure if you are a Christian. You are not certain that you will go to heaven when you die. You don't know with confidence that if Christ were to come back you would be ready to meet Him. But you want to be sure. You want to be forgiven. You want to be right with God. If you want Jesus Christ to come into your life right now I want you to stand to your feet wherever you are. Just stand up. And I am going to lead you in a prayer. God bless you. Just stand up. People are standing. You can be one of them. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
At Harvest Orange County. Just stand to your feet. If you want to make this commitment to Christ. Harvest Orange Crest. Stand up right now. Wherever you are just stand up. And we are going to have a prayer together. Anybody else? God bless you. Just stand up. This is your opportunity. You can let it go by. Or you can take advantage of it. Anybody else? You want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus? Stand to your feet and we are going to pray right now. In this final moment. Stand now. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand. God bless you. Just stand up. One more moment. God bless you and you. Anyone else? God bless each one. God bless you up there. Yes. God bless. All right you that are standing I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you are asking Christ to forgive you of your sins. Again as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this now.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I have broken your commandments. I have fallen short of your standards. But you died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Now come into my life. And be my Savior. And be my Lord. And be my God. And be my friend. Make me ready for your return. Thank you for calling me. And accepting me. And forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.