Get Right or Get Left
# The Urgency of Readiness: Are You Prepared for His Return?
There's a sobering reality we must face: Jesus is coming back soon. Not maybe. Not someday. Soon. And when He arrives, there won't be time to prepare. You'll either be ready, or you won't be. You'll either go with Him, or you'll be left behind.
Matthew 24:40-44 paints a stark picture: "Two men will be working together in the field. One will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill. One will be taken, the other left." This isn't meant to instill fear—it's a statement of fact. Jesus will return like a thief in the night, and the critical question isn't when, but are you ready?
## The Signs Are All Around Us
We're living in the middle of what Scripture calls "birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8 warns us: "You will hear of wars and threats of wars... Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world." These aren't distant prophecies—they're current headlines.
The contractions of creation are getting closer, stronger, and harder to ignore. Nations rise and fall. Morality is being rewritten before our eyes. As 2 Timothy 3 describes, people have become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. They're boastful, proud, unthankful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, and reckless—having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Every headline should be screaming that Jesus is coming. While the world panics about politics, disasters, and cultural chaos, the church should be preparing. This isn't a time for fear—it's a time for focused preparation.
## What Does a Ready Church Look Like?
Preparation for Christ's return isn't about stockpiling supplies or building bunkers. It's about hearts that are anchored, lamps that are burning, and lives that shine when everything else goes dark. Let the world chase headlines—we chase holiness.
A ready church is **holy, not haughty**. Holiness isn't superiority; it's separation. It's choosing purity in a polluted world and refusing to blend in just to be liked. As Ephesians 5:27 reminds us, Christ is preparing "a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault."
A ready church is **awake, not asleep**. We can't hit the snooze button on conviction. We must sense the urgency of the hour and refuse to coast through life thinking everything's fine. A ready church watches with discernment, knowing the difference between the voice of God and the noise of the world.
A ready church is **loving, not lukewarm**. Her love burns hotter the darker it gets. As John 13:35 declares, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." When others turn inward, the church reaches outward with compassion, service, forgiveness, and prayer.
A ready church is **missional, not miserable**. She isn't hiding from the world—she's rescuing people out of it. Every day is an opportunity for one more soul to be saved, for one more prodigal to come home. The reality of Christ's return doesn't make the church lazy; it makes her laser-focused.
## The Danger of False Security
Perhaps the most dangerous lie circulating today is this: "God knows my heart." Yes, He does—and that's exactly the problem. People use this phrase as a defense, as if God's knowledge of their heart excuses their behavior. But Jeremiah 17:9 warns us: "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"
God knowing your heart should humble you, not comfort you in your sin. He sees what no one else sees—the motives behind the mask, the corners you've closed off, the parts you won't let Him into. But here's the beautiful truth: He doesn't shame you. He invites you to repent. Repentance isn't God rubbing your sin in your face; it's God rubbing His mercy into your soul.
In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." He doesn't patch the old heart—He gives you a completely new one. That's the exchange He offers.
## Grace Isn't Permission
You can't hide behind grace while living in rebellion. You can't claim to follow Jesus and still love what He died to free you from. Grace is powerful, but it's not permission. It's not a cloak to cover rebellion—it's a key that opens the prison door.
Titus 2:11-12 makes this clear: "The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people, and we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God."
If grace doesn't lead you away from sin, you're not under grace—you're just using its name. Following Jesus means laying down what nailed Him to the cross. He didn't die so we could make peace with our chains. He died so we could walk out of them.
## The Oil Cannot Be Borrowed
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins—five wise and ready, five foolish and distracted. When the bridegroom came, the ready went in, and the door shut. That's the moment we're all heading toward: the closing of the door. Once it closes, it won't open again.
The oil of readiness cannot be borrowed. Oil represents intimacy, devotion, and the private life you have with God that nobody else can maintain for you. You can borrow a Bible, borrow a song, borrow encouragement—but you cannot borrow oil.
Oil is costly because it's personal. It comes from late-night prayers nobody else hears, from quiet obedience, from a heart that stays tender when the world gets hard. Your parents' faith won't get you in. Faith isn't passed down by bloodlines—only by the blood of the Lamb. You must know Him for yourself.
## The Coming Tribulation
Matthew 24:21 provides sobering incentive: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." All the horrible circumstances throughout history—the difficulty, strife, betrayal, pestilence—it will be worse than all of that combined.
If you don't like the world as it is now, understand: it's going to get worse and worse until Jesus comes. Think about the worst day you've ever had. It's going to be worse than that day, and it won't be just a day—it will be a continual increase in pestilence, strife, wars, and rumors of wars.
## The Question That Matters
Here's the question that should shake us awake: If you knew Jesus was returning tonight, what would you change today? Who would you forgive? What sin would you surrender? What prayer would you finally pray?
You can't afford to gamble eternity on "later." The trumpet is being polished. The angels stand ready. The King's footsteps echo closer with every sunrise.
The message isn't meant to scare you—it's meant to save you. You don't have to face His return with fear. You can face it with faith. You don't have to wonder if you'll make it. You can know you're ready.
If compromise has crept in quietly, if you've been living wrong and expecting to leave right, if you've been hiding behind grace instead of walking in it—this is your moment. You can't borrow someone else's oil. You can't coast on your family's faith. But you can repent. You can come home. You can be made right.
Right here. Right now. Before it's too late.
There's a sobering reality we must face: Jesus is coming back soon. Not maybe. Not someday. Soon. And when He arrives, there won't be time to prepare. You'll either be ready, or you won't be. You'll either go with Him, or you'll be left behind.
Matthew 24:40-44 paints a stark picture: "Two men will be working together in the field. One will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill. One will be taken, the other left." This isn't meant to instill fear—it's a statement of fact. Jesus will return like a thief in the night, and the critical question isn't when, but are you ready?
## The Signs Are All Around Us
We're living in the middle of what Scripture calls "birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8 warns us: "You will hear of wars and threats of wars... Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world." These aren't distant prophecies—they're current headlines.
The contractions of creation are getting closer, stronger, and harder to ignore. Nations rise and fall. Morality is being rewritten before our eyes. As 2 Timothy 3 describes, people have become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. They're boastful, proud, unthankful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, and reckless—having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Every headline should be screaming that Jesus is coming. While the world panics about politics, disasters, and cultural chaos, the church should be preparing. This isn't a time for fear—it's a time for focused preparation.
## What Does a Ready Church Look Like?
Preparation for Christ's return isn't about stockpiling supplies or building bunkers. It's about hearts that are anchored, lamps that are burning, and lives that shine when everything else goes dark. Let the world chase headlines—we chase holiness.
A ready church is **holy, not haughty**. Holiness isn't superiority; it's separation. It's choosing purity in a polluted world and refusing to blend in just to be liked. As Ephesians 5:27 reminds us, Christ is preparing "a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault."
A ready church is **awake, not asleep**. We can't hit the snooze button on conviction. We must sense the urgency of the hour and refuse to coast through life thinking everything's fine. A ready church watches with discernment, knowing the difference between the voice of God and the noise of the world.
A ready church is **loving, not lukewarm**. Her love burns hotter the darker it gets. As John 13:35 declares, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." When others turn inward, the church reaches outward with compassion, service, forgiveness, and prayer.
A ready church is **missional, not miserable**. She isn't hiding from the world—she's rescuing people out of it. Every day is an opportunity for one more soul to be saved, for one more prodigal to come home. The reality of Christ's return doesn't make the church lazy; it makes her laser-focused.
## The Danger of False Security
Perhaps the most dangerous lie circulating today is this: "God knows my heart." Yes, He does—and that's exactly the problem. People use this phrase as a defense, as if God's knowledge of their heart excuses their behavior. But Jeremiah 17:9 warns us: "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"
God knowing your heart should humble you, not comfort you in your sin. He sees what no one else sees—the motives behind the mask, the corners you've closed off, the parts you won't let Him into. But here's the beautiful truth: He doesn't shame you. He invites you to repent. Repentance isn't God rubbing your sin in your face; it's God rubbing His mercy into your soul.
In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." He doesn't patch the old heart—He gives you a completely new one. That's the exchange He offers.
## Grace Isn't Permission
You can't hide behind grace while living in rebellion. You can't claim to follow Jesus and still love what He died to free you from. Grace is powerful, but it's not permission. It's not a cloak to cover rebellion—it's a key that opens the prison door.
Titus 2:11-12 makes this clear: "The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people, and we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God."
If grace doesn't lead you away from sin, you're not under grace—you're just using its name. Following Jesus means laying down what nailed Him to the cross. He didn't die so we could make peace with our chains. He died so we could walk out of them.
## The Oil Cannot Be Borrowed
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins—five wise and ready, five foolish and distracted. When the bridegroom came, the ready went in, and the door shut. That's the moment we're all heading toward: the closing of the door. Once it closes, it won't open again.
The oil of readiness cannot be borrowed. Oil represents intimacy, devotion, and the private life you have with God that nobody else can maintain for you. You can borrow a Bible, borrow a song, borrow encouragement—but you cannot borrow oil.
Oil is costly because it's personal. It comes from late-night prayers nobody else hears, from quiet obedience, from a heart that stays tender when the world gets hard. Your parents' faith won't get you in. Faith isn't passed down by bloodlines—only by the blood of the Lamb. You must know Him for yourself.
## The Coming Tribulation
Matthew 24:21 provides sobering incentive: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." All the horrible circumstances throughout history—the difficulty, strife, betrayal, pestilence—it will be worse than all of that combined.
If you don't like the world as it is now, understand: it's going to get worse and worse until Jesus comes. Think about the worst day you've ever had. It's going to be worse than that day, and it won't be just a day—it will be a continual increase in pestilence, strife, wars, and rumors of wars.
## The Question That Matters
Here's the question that should shake us awake: If you knew Jesus was returning tonight, what would you change today? Who would you forgive? What sin would you surrender? What prayer would you finally pray?
You can't afford to gamble eternity on "later." The trumpet is being polished. The angels stand ready. The King's footsteps echo closer with every sunrise.
The message isn't meant to scare you—it's meant to save you. You don't have to face His return with fear. You can face it with faith. You don't have to wonder if you'll make it. You can know you're ready.
If compromise has crept in quietly, if you've been living wrong and expecting to leave right, if you've been hiding behind grace instead of walking in it—this is your moment. You can't borrow someone else's oil. You can't coast on your family's faith. But you can repent. You can come home. You can be made right.
Right here. Right now. Before it's too late.
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