Sermons
January 24th, 2010 by Pastor Solley012410 Being Prepared.
Sub. The importance of being prepared.
Theme: How to be prepared.
Text: 2 Tim 2:20-21; 2 Chron 14; Eph 6:10-18
“Being Prepared” 2 Tim 2:20-21; 2 Chron 14; Eph 6:10-18
IntroductionI am going to bring a message this morning on being prepared and the importance of being prepared before God. In doing so I would like to use an Old Testament illustration and then a New Testament application. The word prepared means to be fitted and adapted, to be made ready for something, to have all tings in order and to be able to react properly. The word prepared is found in the Bible 101 times, the first in the book of Genesis and the last in Revelation.
I. There is the principal of being prepared that runs throughout the Scriptures: And it can be found in different people and in different events throughout the Bible.
A. We find many things in the Bible prepared by God: This is of course just a partial list. (1) In Gen 24 God prepared a bride for Isaac. (2) In Ex 23 God prepared a land for Israel. (3) In Psalms 9:7 God prepared a throne for judgment. (4) In Jonah 1:17 the Lord prepared a fish for the prophet. (5) In Matthew 22 Jesus prepared a wedding feast. (6) In Rev 9 Jesus prepared 4 angels for judgment. (7) In Rev 21 Jesus has prepared an eternal city for all those saved by His blood to dwell in.
B. We also find many thing that man has prepared in the Bible: This again just a partial list. (1) Joshua prepared 40,000 men for battle against Jericho in Joshua 4. (2) In 1 Chron 15 David prepared a place for the Ark of God. (3) In 1 Kings 5 Solomon prepared the materials to build the temple. (4) In Ezra 7 that man of God prepared his heart to seek the Law of God. (5) In Esther 5 the queen prepared a banquet for the king and Haman. (6) In Luke 1 John the Baptist prepared the people to meet Jesus. (7) In Luke 24 they came to prepare the body of Jesus for final burial but instead found an empty tomb.
B. And in 2 Tim 2 we find the church is to be prepared before God: 2 Tim 2:20-21 The great house seen in verse 20 is the church, the body of Christ which is made up of all born again believers. The great house is the church of the living God.
1. Within this house are serving vessels: 2 Tim 2:20 And there are different types of vessels seen here.
a. There are those made of wood and earth and then fired in a kiln. These would be very common. – 2 Tim 2:20
b. And there are those made of gold and silver. Those would be very uncommon. – 2 Tim 2:20
2. The idea being to have those gold and silver vessels ready for the master to use: 2 Tim 2:21 The master of the house is the Lord Jesus Christ. So we are to be ready, prepared for the master’s use, for every good work.
ILL. Just as many of you have your everyday dishes and that silver wear and china ready for company if any comes.
C. There is a principal of being prepared in the Bible:
II. This morning I would like to look at three things in this message: (1) The importance of being prepared. (2) An Old Testament illustration of making yourself prepared. (3) And then a New testament application of being prepared. The Old Testament lesson and illustration will be seen in Asa a king of Judah, the New Testament application in the Christian armor that is found in Eph 6
PROP: We do need to understand the importance of being prepared before God. TS. So that we might be a vessel of honor today, one meet or prepared and fit for the master’s use.
Body
I. We begin with Asa and how unprepared he was to become king of Judah: 2 Chron 14:1 Asa ruled in the southern kingdom of Judah. He was the great, great grandson of David, the third king in the divided kingdom. And Asa was very unprepared to be king of Judah.
A. Asa’s father, Abijah like most all of the kings acted as if he would live forever: He did nothing to prepare any of his sons to follow him to the throne. And that was common among the kings. Even Solomon did nothing to prepare Rehoboam to follow him to the throne. The kings acted for the most part as if they would live forever.
1. Abijah was a very wicked king: The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 15 that his heart was not right with God and that he walked in wickedness. Abijah was a very wicked king.
2. His reign in Judah was marked with war: In fact all of 2 Chron 13 deals with his war with the northern kingdom of Israel.
3. And then he died very suddenly: 2 Chron 14:1 In battle, by illness, or by Divine judgment we are not told. But Abijah dies very suddenly.
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4. And Abijah left 22 sons: 2 Chron 13:21 And we do not know if Asa was the firstborn or not. That is usually who followed his father to the king but it was not always the case in Israel. Solomon was not the firstborn son of David.
5. And it is believed that Asa became king at a very young age: We are not told how old he was but it is thought he was a very young man or even a boy when he was made king in Judah. And he may very well have been the firstborn.
B. But he was very unprepared to be make king of Judah: One morning Asa got out of bed a very young man or teen and when he went to bed that night he was king in Judah.
1. Jewish history tells us in the beginning he depended upon those around him and even his mother and grandmother: He didn’t know what to do, how to govern or how to lead. He was not prepared for what that day held when his father died.
2. But because of that God did extend mercy to king Asa: 2 Chron 14:1 He reigned 41 years and the first 10 of those years there was quiet and rest. In other words there was no trouble from without.
3. In other words God extended His mercy to this unprepared king:
C. But Asa was unprepared to become king in Judah:
II. That brings us to the illustration of being prepared: Asa although a young man was not going to make the mistake of being unprepared again. God gave him 10 years of quiet in the land but he did not know that then.
A. So the Bible tells us he began to do that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: 2 Chron 14:2 Asa had a decision to make. He could do as his grandfather Rehoboam had done and follow the advice of men. He could do as his father Abijah had done and follow his own will and flesh. Or he could follow the Lord. Asa had a decision to make.
1. So he turned to that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord: He probably knew his great grandfather. Probable had heard how good God had been to his great, great grandfather. So he began to walk with the Lord his God.
2. And he took away the altars and idols to the false gods his father had allowed into Judah: 2 Chron 14:3
3. He brought back worship after the Law of Moses and God: 2 Chron 14:4-5
4. He made good use f the time God gave him in the beginning: His kingdom was slowly becoming a spiritual one.
B. And he began to fortify the cities of Judah and to add to the army that his father had: 2 Chron 14:6-8 The question could be asked why he would be doing this.
1. The land had rest: 2 Chron 14:6 His father has soundly defeated the enemies around Judah. They were at peace and rest.
2. But for 10 years they fortified the cities getting ready for war: 2 Chron 14:7
3. And then he began to train the army: 2 Chron 14:8 He began to add to the army his father had and to train them as if there was an enemy at the gates. But the land had rest. So why the need for a better trained and bigger army?
4. And he began to add to the numbers of those in the military and to better equipt them: 2 Chron 14:8
5. Why would Asa be doing all this if there was no need? The land had rest.
C. Asa was not going to be caught unprepared again: He was not prepared to be king but he determined to be prepared to act as king. Asa was not going to be caught unprepared again.
1. So what would be the worst to happen if no enemy ever appeared? They would have a strong military and strong cities.
2. And if the enemy did come they would be prepared for it:
D. The enemy did come and because Asa was prepared I want you to see what happened: 2 Chron 14:8-11 This enemy came from a far distance, they were unexpected, but Asa was prepared.
1. Because his was already a spiritual reign they could call upon the Lord: 2 Chron 14:2, 11
2. Because the cities were made strong they had a place of safety: 2 Chron 14:6
3. Because the army was large and well trained they had men to fight: 2 Chron 14:8
4. Asa was prepared:
E. Because Asa was prepared please note what God did: 2 Chron 14:12-13
1. They never had to fight for the Lord fought the battle for them: 2 Chron 14:12
2. All they had to do was gather in the spoils of victory in the Lord: 2 Chron 14:13
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F. But what if Asa had not prepared himself before the Lord? Things may have come out very differently.
III. It brings out the importance of being prepared for us today: 2 Tim 2:21 This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible and for good reason. We never know what a day may hold. Our lives could drastically change between the time we leave this building this morning and we lay down tonight. We never know what a day may hold. Because of that there are many tings we need to be prepared for.
A. We need to be prepared to stand before God today and give answer to what we have done with Jesus Christ in relation to sin, judgment and hell: Just like the kings of Israel most people today act as if they will live forever. Act as if there is no day of reckoning, no day of judgment, no day to stand and give an account before a holy and righteous God.
1. Yet the Bible clearly states that there is a day of death for every man: Heb 9:27 But there is not one person in this room, saved or lost who thinks that day will be today, tomorrow, next week, next month, in 2010 or even in the next few years.
a. But the truth is that not one of us knows what this day is going to hold.
b. I may never stand behind this pulpit again.
2. And after we leave this world there is a judgment that we must answer to: Heb 9:27 And the judgment you need to be first concerned with concerns sin, judgment for that sin and hell. – Heb 9:28 The reason Jesus bore your sin on the cross is because if you die in your sin you will spend eternity in hell.
3. And be very sure that you have sinned and you are a sinner: Rev 21:8
4. Are you ready to stand before the judge of the quick and the dead today: 1 Peter 4:5 Are you ready to give an account?
5. People make so many preparations for death today: In truth they do make themselves ready in many ways.
a. They have the burial plot bought and paid for.
b. They have life insurance and payment insurance.
c. They have a will set in order.
6. But are you ready, are you prepared to give answer for your soul today:
B. And Christian we need to be ready to give an account before God as well: Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Christian we as well will give an account of what we have done with Jesus after we die.
2 Cor 5:10 But this judgment concerns service, walk and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. And there will be many who stand before God ashamed of how they served, loved and walked with Jesus: 1 John 2:28
2. You will answer for you love for Jesus:
3. You will answer for your walk before Jesus:
4. You will answer for your service for Jesus:
5. But few every consider if they are ready to give answer or not today:
C. We need to be prepared to receive the blessings of God, the things God has prepared for us: I want to go back to the introduction of the message when it was stated that God and Jesus have prepared certain things. One must be ready to receive the blessing of God that have been prepared for those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal savior.
1. God did prepare a land of milk and honey for Israel: Ex 23:20 And God had prepared the Promised Land.
a. But when the time to enter in came they were not prepared. – Num 13:27-33
b. So the missed for 40 years the blessings of the Promised Land because they were not prepared.
2. God prepared a place of service for Jonah: Jonah 1:1-3
a. And Jonah had vowed to serve the Lord, to be a prophet where God wanted him to be. – Jonah 2:9-10
b. But when God told Jonah that place was Nineveh Jonah was not prepared to go there.
c. So Jonah got to spend three days in the belly of a great fish.
3. God prepared a wedding feast in Matt 22: Matt 22:1-7 But those who were invited were not prepared to attend.
a. So more invitations are sent out. – Matt 22:8-10
b. Still some of those were not ready, were not prepared to attend. – Matt 22:11-14
4. One needs to be prepared to receive the blessings of God:
D. And one also needs to be prepared to receive the trials of this life: Those in a certain sense are prepared as well.
1. Noah had to be prepared to withstand the flood of God’s judgment upon the world: Heb 11:7 This trial lasted 120 years.
a. 120 years building an ark when it had never rained.
b. 120 years of preaching and only 7 believed.
c. And then the time in the ark.
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2. Esther had to be ready to receive the trial God had prepared for her: Est 4:11-14 This trial did not last as long as that of Noah but it was just as severe to Esther.
a. To go before the king without an invitation meant death. – Est 4:11
b. But if she did not go all of Israel would die. – Est 4:13
c. This was a huge trial for Esther. – Est 4:15-17
d. And Ester went before the king in the trial that was prepared for her. – Est 4:14
3. Paul needed to be ready to receive the trials God had prepared for him: Acts 9:14-16
a. When Paul received the Lord Jesus Christ on that day he received a life of trials in service for the Lord.
b. But Paul prepared himself to receive them. – Phil 3:7-8
4. One needs to be prepared to receive the trials of this life:
E. It brings us back to the point of being prepared; there is a Biblical principal of being prepared: 2 Tim 2:21
1. Are you prepared today?
2. Do you want to be prepared?
IV. God has provided a way for us to be prepared: Eph 6:10-18 This armor is given to us part that we might be prepared before God. Prepared to receive the things that lie ahead in this life. Prepared to receive the blessings of God. Prepared to receive the trials of this life.
A. This is given that we might stand before God prepared: Eph 6:10-11
B. Next week we will break this down:
Conclusion
Having looked at the Biblical principal of being prepared today what can we then say?
I. We begin with Asa and how unprepared he was to become king of Judah: 2 Chron 14:1 Asa ruled in the southern kingdom of Judah. He was the great, great grandson of David, the third king in the divided kingdom. And Asa was very unprepared to be king of Judah.
II. That brings us to the illustration of being prepared: Asa although a young man was not going to make the mistake of being unprepared again. God gave him 10 years of quiet in the land but he did not know that then.
III. It brings out the importance of being prepared for us today: 2 Tim 2:21 This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible and for good reason. We never know what a day may hold. Our lives could drastically change between the time we leave this building this morning and we lay down tonight. We never know what a day may hold. Because of that there are many tings we need to be prepared for.
A. Prepared to receive the blessings of God:
B. Prepared to receive the trials of life:
IV. God has provided a way for us to be prepared: Eph 6:10-18 This armor is given to us part that we might be prepared before God. Prepared to receive the things that lie ahead in this life. Prepared to receive the blessings of God. Prepared to receive the trials of this life.