418: Jarrod Edgecombe - Exhortation: Be Ready, Christ is Returning

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Welcome to Good Christadelphian Talks. Thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. Each week, we post a talk that we previewed from suggestions sent in by listeners from around the world. Then we record a short intro beforehand as a personalized recommendation to you on why we are sharing the talk. And now, let's talk more about this week's talk.

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   Hello everyone, this is Brother Simon. This week's talk is an exhortation by our brother Jared Edgecombe at the Riverwater Collegiate. The title is Be Ready, Christ is Returning. Brother Jared talks about Matthew 24 and the time of the end. He highlights how we know that Jesus is returning, but we don't know when. But we need to be ready, and being ready is actually a state of mind that we always need to be in. Brother Jared also challenges us near the end about how are we actually going to feel when we are called to go meet our Lord. Are we ready to walk away from everything in this life with no second thoughts and no looking back? So here is our brother Jared Edgecombe. Be ready, Christ is returning. Sometimes we're not ready for things, are we, brothers and sisters?

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   Like walking into the hall this morning and discovering that Jeff's found the same barber as what I go to, except he gets a number three and I get a number minus two. But this section, brothers and sisters, which is our daily reading for today, Matthew chapter 24, talks about something very, very exciting, doesn't it? Talks about the time of the end.

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   When will these things be? The disciples ask Jesus at the beginning of the chapter. So we've got the context here where Jesus had been teaching in the temple, and at the end of chapter 23, he talks about Jerusalem being thrown down. And chapter 24, we see Jesus withdraw with his disciples. So he leaves the temple in verse 1, and going away when his disciples, sorry, I'm reading from the ESV if it's slightly different to what you've got. When his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple, but he answered them, you see all these things, don't you? Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And then verse 3, he sits on the Mount of Olives, and the disciples come to him privately. So this is a private discussion here. They come to him and they say, tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And they're here in the Mount of Olives, possibly in the garden, because this is somewhere where Jesus withdrew with his disciples quite often, isn't it?

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   This is a private discussion. His disciples come to him privately as he sits on the Mount of Olives, and he was going to be there in just a few days' time, again with his disciples in very, very different circumstances. And the answer to the question was going to begin to play out. But here they are, on the Mount of Olives, likely in the garden, and they ask him three questions.

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   When will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming? And what will be the sign of the end of the age? And Jesus then proceeds to answer these questions via direct language, but also via parable through the rest of chapter 24 and into chapter 25. And there's two key themes running through this discourse, because one of the questions was, what will be the sign of your coming?

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   So they understood, brothers and sisters, that he was going away. And that's one of the main themes, isn't it? I'm going away, but I'm coming again. We see the master constantly leaving and coming back, the bridegroom delaying and coming back, the master distributing the talents and going away and coming back. That's his message, brothers and sisters. I am coming back, because at the beginning of chapter 26, he gives them a very, very clear direction of what's going to happen next. When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he says to his disciples, this is chapter 26 and verse 1, you know that after two days, the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. I am going away.

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   You can't get any clearer that message than that, brothers and sisters. But the comfort that he's given to his disciples over the last two chapters was, I'm coming back. I'm coming back.

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   And that's the other theme, isn't it? Be ready. Be ready for me to come back, because you don't know. You don't know when that time is going to be. You don't know when that time is going to be. So be ready for me to come back. And he says there's plenty of signs, there's plenty of indicators to say when I'm going to come back, but you don't know the day or the hour. Like the fig tree he uses as an example in chapter 24. The fig tree signaling the imminence of summer. Unless a very confused fig tree like ours, which has got no leaves on it, but it's got fruit. Exactly the opposite to the fig tree which Jesus encountered, which had leaves and no fruit. Ours has, for some reason, decided to be the opposite. But when the leaves come out of that fig tree, you know that summer is coming.

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    And that's, it is imminent, brothers and sisters, and it's unavoidable. And that's the message that Jesus is getting across to his disciples. It is coming. And it is imminent. You can't stop that process. Jesus is coming. And I always think of little kids playing hide and seek when they get down to, you know, three, two, one, coming. Ready or not.

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    He is coming, brothers and sisters, whether we're ready or not. So the exhortation is to be ready, isn't it? Verse 36, you don't know the day. You don't know the hour. Not even the angels of heaven nor the sun, but the Father only. And life goes on, doesn't it? Life will be happening, verse 37, as it was in the days of Noah.

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    So will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. Until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. They were unaware. They were completely oblivious.

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    Completely oblivious to what was going on, despite the evidence that was right in front of them, that Noah was building this great big boat.

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    They were oblivious and ignorant. So Jesus says, verse 44, you must be ready. For the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don't expect. He's coming at an hour that you don't think. And he also mentions this in the parable of the virgins in chapter 25 and verse 10. While they were going to buy, that's the foolish virgins, were going to buy the oil, the bridegroom came.

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    And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast. And the door was shut. And that's what we're going to talk about this morning. We're not going to go into any in-depth explanation about any of these parables. We're going to pick up that concept of being ready, brothers and sisters.

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    Because in this parable, that was the only criteria to going into that wedding feast. He took those who were ready. And those who weren't ready were shut out. But those who were ready went in. They went in. And we're going to see, brothers and sisters, that that is the confidence. All through these parables, there is a positive outcome for those who are ready, for those who are working, for those who are looking and seeking for that day.

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    And this concept of being ready is a very interesting one, brothers and sisters. If you look at the definition of the Greek, when you think about what the definition of being ready might be, the Greek word literally means prepared, which is probably what you would think. And the Oxford Dictionary says the definition is in a suitable state for an action or situation or fully prepared.

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    And that's what it is, brothers and sisters. It puts a slightly different dimension on it, that definition out of the dictionary. It's important for us to understand that being ready is not a destination.

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    Being ready is a state of mind. It's not just an event. It's not just a moment in time. It's very, very different, brothers and sisters, to me saying, I'm ready for lunch. I'm always ready for lunch. But it's different to me saying that I'm ready for lunch. That means that I'm prepared, mostly.

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    The ragout is cooked. The pasta is al dente. The table is set. It's a pity the guests haven't arrived yet, but I'm ready. Now, the pasta is going to be overcooked and the ragout is going to be split and soggy. But that's life, brothers and sisters, isn't it? I'm ready.

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    Except I forgot the garlic bread. I'm ready, brothers and sisters. I'm ready. There's a definite situation. Those guests are going to knock on my door and I'm going to be ready. It's an event. And we're looking for that event, brothers and sisters, but we don't know when that's going to be. We should know when our guests are going to arrive.

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    Our guests should know when I expect them to arrive. But we are in control of that result, right? Because it's known. It's known. We're working towards a specific goal, and that's lunch on the table at a particular time and a meal to be enjoyed with our guests. And it's the same, isn't it, brothers and sisters, as being ready to go to school or being ready for a meeting.

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    There is a defined timeline. So ready, being ready, culminates in an activity or an event. And it's exactly the same, but we just don't know the timeline, brothers and sisters.

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    So that changes the situation quite a lot. We know the event. We just don't know the timing. So it's a process, brothers and sisters, being in a state of readiness.

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    And scripture often uses two analogies. And there's a lot of other analogies that are used, obviously, for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. But two of them are very, very common ones. And they're mentioned here. They're mentioned in the next quote we're going to go to in Thessalonians. They're two very, very common situations that are used to describe the return of the Lord Jesus Christ or the revelation of the last days.

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    And they are, firstly, the thief arriving in the middle of the night. And secondly, labor on a pregnant woman. And these two situations are similar, but they're actually very, very different. They're similar, but different. They're similar because they have three primary characteristics. Timing, foreknowledge, and result. The thief in the night, brothers and sisters, is sudden in terms of timing.

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    Unexpected in terms of foreknowledge. And negative in terms of the result. However, the labor on a pregnant woman is also sudden in terms of timing. But it's not unexpected, is it, brothers and sisters?

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    It's not unexpected. That process, like the fig tree bursting its leaves, is in place. You can't stop it. It's going to happen. That, even though the timing is sudden, from a foreknowledge perspective, it's not unexpected. And thirdly, generally, the result is positive.

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    I feel it is. I'm very proud of my kids. Very positive, isn't it, brothers and sisters? It's sudden, but it's anticipated. It's not unexpected. And the result is positive. And they evoke different responses, don't they, brothers and sisters? Like here in chapter 24 and verse 43, Jesus says, if you knew this, he talks about the thief coming in the middle of the night.

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    He says, if you know, but know this, if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. He would have prepared. It wouldn't have been unexpected then.

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    That's not really how a thief is going to be effective, right? Like the thief doesn't put a flyer in the letterbox saying, I'm coming on Tuesday night at around 1, 1.30. That's not how a thief is effective. If you know when the thief is coming, you would stay awake and prepare. And that situation would be more surprising on the thief than the master of the house.

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    The thief relies on unpreparedness. But we're not in that situation, brothers and sisters. Come across to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5. I'm going to say that the least number of times possible. Chapter 5, and we'll read from verse 1. Now, this is talking about the day of the Lord, isn't it? It's talking about the end times.

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    Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, while people are saying there is peace and security. Then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

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    But you are not in darkness, brothers. For that day will not surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

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    For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, are drunk at night. But we belong to the day. Let us be sober. Having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him.

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    Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We're not of the day, brothers and sisters. We're not of the night. That day isn't going to come upon us like a thief in the night, because we know it's coming.

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    It's not unexpected. We anticipate, brothers and sisters, don't we, the coming of the Lord, as a woman anticipates, maybe with some level of anxiety, but a woman anticipates the onset of labour. It will be painful, brothers and sisters, but the end result is usually joy. And in this instance, Paul says, you take action, don't you?

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    Since, verse 8, he says, since we belong to the day, let us be sober. Having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation, for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who were ready went in.

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    There was no other result. If you were ready, you went in. He hasn't destined us for wrath, brothers and sisters. That's why we are of the day. We're not of the light. We have seen our light.

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    And therefore, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. Faith, hope, and love. It takes us straight back to 1 Corinthians 13, doesn't it? Abides these three. Faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. There is action, brothers and sisters.

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    There is action required. That's what it takes to be ready. Just like a pregnant woman takes action in preparation. Setting up the nursery, planning out all the activity, filling the wardrobe, changing the nursery, getting a plant, getting a pram, getting all the equipment needed, changing the nursery again. There's lots of activity and preparation, isn't there, brothers and sisters?

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    It's a hive of activity. And that's what's needed for us, preparation and work. And God doesn't expect us to sit idle just because we've been baptized, just because Paul says here to the Thessalonians, God hasn't destined us for wrath. He wants us to be part of that. Just as Jesus says in Luke 12, it's my father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

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    You can't sit on your backside and do nothing. Being ready doesn't mean sitting on the shoe rack out the front and taking no activity. God expects us to work. All through Jesus' discourse, it's about work. It's about preparation. It's about doing something. Jesus says in chapter 24 and verses 45 and 46, the faithful and wise servant is active in service.

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    The wise virgins have taken previous action, haven't they, to prepare for a delay, to take spare oil and then to trim their lamps. And the faithful servants in the parable afterwards have worked with the talents and not buried it in the ground, and they have gained more. And the sheep at the end of chapter 25, they have fed and watered, they've welcomed, they've visited and they've clothed.

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    It's about action, brothers and sisters. That's about what being ready is. And that doesn't mean that we're not going to have challenges, brothers and sisters. Johnny's beautiful prayer.

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    We can come here in so many different states. We can come here broken or sad. We can come here battered and bruised from our battle during the week.

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    Those challenges, brothers and sisters, and this is really, really important to remember, those challenges don't mean we're not ready. We know we're going to fail. Being ready doesn't mean we're in a perfect state when Jesus returns. We know that's not going to happen, brothers and sisters.

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    We're going to have all those challenges, but by the grace of God, he reached out to us while we were yet sinners. Being ready is a state of mind, brothers and sisters. You just have to get up and keep going.

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    Because Jesus says, you don't know. He might arrive tomorrow. Awesome. But he might not come in our lifetime. I know we look around, brothers and sisters, and say, he can't be. And seriously, like, you see everything which is going on in the world, and you're like, that fig tree is in full bloom.

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    But he might not. He might delay, brothers and sisters. We just don't know. We just don't know. So we need to live like he's going to return today.

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    But we still need to prepare, brothers and sisters, for him not to return in our lifetime. And that requires focus. When we focus on the goal, brothers and sisters, two things will happen. It will direct our activity, and it will also allow us to map out what we need to do. There are some things that we need to take action on, and some things that will just flow from our focus, and our change in mindset.

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    It will transform us into the image of our Lord. And that's what Paul says, isn't it, to the Romans, not being conformed to this world, in which case the return of our Lord Jesus Christ will come as a thief, won't it, suddenly and unexpectedly, and with negative consequences. But being transformed by the renewing of our minds, then he will come suddenly but not unexpectedly, with anticipation and with positive consequences.

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    So we need to lift our eyes up, brothers and sisters. We need to lift them above this existence. Lift our minds to heavenly places in Christ Jesus, focusing on our Lord Jesus Christ and his return. And it will change our behaviour today. It will change the way that we see life. It will change our focus and our priority.

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    And that word ready that's used in Matthew 25 and verse 10, and also chapter 24, is used earlier by Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 22. It's used here in the reverse. When the wedding feast was ready, but the invitees were too busy.

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    The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again, he sent other servants saying, tell those who were invited, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered and everything is ready.

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    Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully and killed them. That's the other context. Our God is ready, brothers and sisters. Our God is ready.

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    But the invitees here were too busy. They were too distracted by the things of this life to listen to the call and to take action. So they were destroyed. And come across to 2 Peter chapter 3.

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    Because this is what happens, brothers and sisters, and sometimes we get into this mindset, don't we, here verse 4 or verse 3, of the scoffers that are coming in the last days, following their own sinful desires.

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    And that's an important point too, brothers and sisters. It's not just people who say, verse 4, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from before the beginning of creation. At the end of verse 3, it tells us that it's also non-verbal.

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    Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. That is a form of scoffing and saying, my Lord delays his coming. Where is it? Where's the promise of his coming? They ate and drank. They were married and given in marriage. Doesn't mean you can't get married, Johnny and Febes.

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    But we can, with our actions, have that mindset, brothers and sisters. Verse 8, don't overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. The Lord is not slack or slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but he's patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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    He's giving us a chance every single day, brothers and sisters, to change our actions and be ready and waiting for him. Because you know what? He's not delaying at all.

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    He knows the timeline. He's not pushing that out. It's just our expectations seem like he is delaying his coming. There's no delay. The day is set.

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    But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and all the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn.

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    But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. And we can't change that day. That's not what Peter is saying here. But sometimes time flies, doesn't it, brothers and sisters? Time flies when you're having fun.

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    And if we are working in the master's service, it will hasten that day. Time will fly for us. And come back a few chapters to 1 Peter 1.

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    1 Peter 1 and verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

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    Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you would have been grieved by various trials. so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

69. 27:12

    Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We were born again, brothers and sisters, into a living hope. Not something which is dead, as James says, faith without works is dead.

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    There's no good sitting on the porch, doing nothing, waiting for him to return. We've got to be active. Faith and hope and love. And then Peter says, an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. Kept in heaven, ready. That's the same word that is used in Matthew 24 and 25. Ready. Our God is ready for us, brothers and sisters.

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    Are we ready for him? We haven't seen him. Peter says in verse 8, he's obviously not talking about himself, he's talking about his audience and he's talking about us. We haven't seen him, but we love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

72. 28:35

    We haven't seen him, have we, brothers and sisters? We've become followers while the master is away, while the bridegroom is delayed, while the master of the house is in a foreign country. We became followers in that time period. He's not coming back for us. He's coming for us.

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    We're yet to see him physically. But we believe in him, don't we, brothers and sisters, and rejoice in him, obtaining the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls. He needs to be real to us, brothers and sisters. We haven't seen him. Just like that picture that you get in your mind of somebody that you might have interacted with, but you've never actually physically met.

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    He needs to be real to us. We must make it tangible and real for ourselves. He is coming, whether we're ready or not. And that's the key. We believe that he's coming, don't we, brothers and sisters? That the master of the house is returning, that he will reward those who diligently seek him.

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    And that is developed now by focus on him, by trust in him, by dependence on his faithfulness, on his forgiveness and his mercy. Remember what we said before, just because we fall down, brothers and sisters, doesn't mean we're not ready. We've got to get back up. We've got to hold fast. We've got to rely on him and his faithfulness and his mercy.

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    Because if we get disheartened when we fall over, we will surely, surely leave the door locked. So let's get to work. We're going to focus on him and that will drive our behaviour now, brothers and sisters. We can't just sit around like that lazy and that fearful servant expecting that he will reward us and change us when he returns.

77. 30:24

    Yes, we know. Paul says that, doesn't he, in 1 Corinthians 15. We will all be changed in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye. But that's our nature, brothers and sisters. That's not our character. Rather, corruptible will put on incorruption and mortal will put on immortal. But lazy won't put on diligent.

78. 30:45

    And fearfulness won't put on faith. We need to do that now, brothers and sisters. We need to be transformed into him now, not conformed to this world. Focusing on his coming, brothers and sisters, and being ready for the future will change our mindset. It will drive our behaviour now. It's exactly the same in daily life.

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    If we have a particular goal that we're striving for, it changes our behaviour now. Doesn't it? If you're saving to go away on holidays, it changes your spending behaviour.

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    If you are trying to achieve a particular goal in your career, it changes your learning behaviour. It changes your behaviour. It's exactly the same. It's no different, brothers and sisters.

81. 31:37

    That's where we want to be. If we visualise Hebrews chapter 12 and verses 1 and 2, it will change our behaviour today. We know that we are surrounded, don't we, brothers and sisters, by that great cloud of witnesses. And the result of focusing on that is we will put away every weight and the sin which so easily clings to us.

82. 32:01

    And we will run with endurance. Like I said so many times, brothers and sisters, that doesn't mean we're not going to stumble and fall. We're not going to have a perfect race. But if we are, verse 2, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God, he is coming for us.

83. 32:27

    He is coming for us. And we can look at the example of Martha in Luke chapter 10. She's distracted by many things, Jesus says. She's anxious about many things. In that particular instance, she's focused on her sister not helping her prepare for lunch.

84. 32:47

    She's distracted and she's lost perspective. And Jesus focuses her mind Martha, Martha. You are anxious about many things. And that's us, isn't it, brothers and sisters? We're anxious about so many things. Even though Jesus says, don't be anxious. He knows. He says that because he knows we're going to be anxious. One thing, he says to Martha, one thing is necessary.

85. 33:16

    Mary has chosen a good portion which shall not be taken away from her. That's the confidence we have, brothers and sisters. If we strive to be ready, if we seek to do something with those talents, that portion won't be taken away from us. The door is open. Our master is returning and he will reward those who have worked with the talents.

86. 33:44

    And he will reward those who are ready. One thing, brothers and sisters. And it takes us to Jesus' discussion with the lawyer. Where he says, what must I do to be, what must I do to be saved? And he says, keep the law. All these things have I kept from my youth. And Jesus says to him, one thing you lack.

87. 34:03

    One thing that you lack. Sell all that you have and give it to the poor. Stop focusing on yourself and shift the outworking of your love to God as the first priority to others. That's how it's shown, brothers and sisters. Get rid of everything that is hindering us from being ready. We're too attached and we're too anxious about the things of this life.

88. 34:30

    And how will we feel when we hear the word? I don't know about you, but I often think about this, brothers and sisters. How are we actually going to feel when we hear the word? Or we receive that knock on the door?

89. 34:52

    Are we actually prepared to just leave it all behind and walk away? Really? Truly? Prepared to just walk away? Or would we long for something that's there?

90. 35:28

    For something to take with us? Maybe instinctively you'll grab your phone, wallet and keys. But are we really prepared, brothers and sisters, to just leave it behind?

91. 35:49

    Philippians chapter 3, Paul exhorts them, doesn't he? Philippians chapter 3 and verse 12. Not that I've already obtained this or I'm already perfect, but I press on. I make it my own. I press because Jesus Christ has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I've made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining for what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

92. 36:21

    Leave it behind, brothers and sisters. We've gotten rid of the old person. Forget it. Focus forward. Focus on the high calling that we have, not the temporary things that are around us. We need to lay aside every weight. Psalm 27 picks up this idea of what we need to do, brothers and sisters, and this will outwork in our daily life.

93. 36:44

    Psalm 27 verse 3, Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

94. 37:10

    Paul says to the Colossians in chapter 3, To let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. The peace that he brings to us in the knowledge that he is faithful, even though we are unfaithful. That he will take those who are ready into the wedding feast. That he will reward those who have worked the talents that he has trusted to.

95. 37:31

    That he will say, Come, blessed of my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Spending time with our God, with our Lord and his words, sitting at his feet, absorbing his calmness and his wonder and allowing it to guide our lives, brothers and sisters.

96. 37:56

    Whatever we do, do everything in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Let that love of the Lord, our God, permeate everything that we do, brothers and sisters. That's how we focus on being ready. Focus on him and let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and the word of Christ dwell in us richly.

97. 38:24

    And that will be demonstrated in all that we do. As he says to the sheep who have fed and watered and visited and comforted. So blessed, brothers and sisters, is that servant whom the Master finds at work when he comes.

98. 39:01

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99. 39:21

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100. 39:41

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101. 39:56

     Thank you. Thank you.