Live Ready Series #4 – Live Ready
Matthew 24:36-44 – Victory Fellowship
May 16, 2021 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
I. Introduction: Live Ready Series
a. We were never promised a life without pain, suffering, tragedy or trials. We will all experience hard times while we exist on this earth. (4-part series)
i. The good news is that Jesus did promise us that he had overcome the world.
ii. We were promised that he would never leave or forsake us.
iii. Because of Jesus’ presence with us, we can live ready to face whatever life may throw at us.
iv. God gives us guidance to help us live ready and we would be wise to follow it.
b. I believe in my heart that Jesus’ return is real soon, and I have an obligation as your pastor to instruct you as to how the Bible says we should live as we approach the end. God gives us guidance to help us live ready and we would be wise to follow it.
II. Today, I want to look at a man who was living in his end time. His name was Noah. In his end time, his world was going to be destroyed by a great flood. In our end time, the world is going to be destroyed by fire. But Jesus tied these two events together in Matthew 24. You see, Noah lived ready in his end time and we too, should be living ready in our end time. So, let’s see what lessons we can learn from Noah’s life.
III. Lesson #1. Noah lived with a HOLY REVERENCE for God when the world around him did not. Likewise, to live ready for the end times we must have a HOLY REVERENCE for God even as our world behaves IRREVERENT toward God.
Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV) By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
i. The Scripture says that Noah moved with great fear. In other words, Noah had a holy reverence for God.
b. So, we need to ask ourselves “how would I show a holy reverence for God?”
c. First, it begins with attending worship. Remember God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him: Let my people go so that they may worship me. Before COVID, less than 20% of people who refer to themselves as Christian attended church regularly. That number has since drastically fallen.
i. As we approach the end times, we need to make sure that we find ourselves coming together with other Christians on a regular basis to worship Jesus.
d. Secondly, reverence is seen in how we honor our relationship with Jesus, who said if you love me you will obey my commandments.
e. Thirdly, we need to honor God’s Word, the Bible. Here is church and bible study, we reverence God’s Word by making it an important part of our services. We should strive to live our lives consistently with biblical teaching and lovingly encourage others to do the same.
f. Fourth – we need to pray.
IV. Lesson #2. Noah walked with God when the world around him didn’t. To live ready, we need to walk with God even as our world is walking in the opposite direction.
Genesis 6:9 (NKJV) This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
a. What does it mean to walk with God?
i. First, walking with God means you are in agreement with Him and His ways. Amos 3:3 (NKJV) Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? So, I need to ask myself is there anything that I am fighting God on? If God is leading us to do something and we are fighting it, then we are not walking with God.
ii. Secondly, walking with God means that I have made the choice to follow God not matter how difficult it is.
Remember the promise of this series: We can live ready
1. The good news is that Jesus did promise us that he had overcome the world.
2. We were promised that he would never leave or forsake us.
3. Because of Jesus’ presence with us, we can live ready to face whatever life may throw at us.
4. God gives us guidance to help us live ready and we would be wise to follow it.
If we chose to follow God, we are going against the flow. And it is easy to be swept up by the crowd. In Noah’s day, he was the only one going in the opposite direction of the crowd. He didn’t allow the crowd to sweep him up; he went against the flow. Are we walking with or in opposite direction of the crowd?
iii. Thirdly, walking with the Lord means you live to please Him and not yourself. It may mean that I need some things in my life to please God, but it also means that I might need to cut some things out of our lives that keep me from walking with God.
Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV) Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
V. Lesson #3. Noah was a witness of God when the world around him didn’t want to hear it. To live ready, we need to be witnesses for Jesus even if the world we live in doesn’t want to hear it.
2 Peter 2:5 (NKJV) and (God) did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
a. Noah preached as he built the ark; and it took 120 years to build the ark. Do you know how many people this preacher converted to follow God? None. But despite of his lack of success in saving souls, he is highlighted as a preacher of righteousness.
b. In other words, God was pleased; Noah was a seed planter. He planted seed; it might have fell on unfertilized soil, but his job was plant seeds. In the end times, our job is to continue to plant seeds even if it seems to fall on deaf ears.
c. But we are not doing it. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 % of Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. Our witness might be the last opportunity a person hears about Christ before the return of Christ.
VI. Conclusion
a. If we want to live ready, we should have a holy reverence for God; we should walk with God and we should be a witness for God.
b. Jesus said, Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Live ready.
Prayer
Song: Days of Elijah
Matthew 24:36-44 HCSB
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father only. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
