PreparedLuke 3

Prepared People are the way

2 gatesRepentanceSacrifice of Praise

We are the temple in which God wants His presence to enter the earth

We reveal the image of God to the earth

Mathew 25:1-13Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,  but the other five were wise enough to take

along extra oil.  When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is

coming! Come out and meet him!’ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.  Then the five 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.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and

the door was locked.  Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord!

Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ So you, too, must keep

watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

Take ActionHave you ever run out of Gas?

Physical preparation vs Mental preparation

Andrew vs Victoria Preparation

We need to have oil.

You wouldn’t take your car on a long trip without filling it first!

Foolish vs WiseBoth of them were invited to the

celebrationboth of them address the Lord as Lord

Only difference is that the foolish did not take the time to get oil while the wise

did.

We don’t know when God will come but we cannot be unprepared otherwise we

will be left.

What is oil?The oil is true salvation

The foolish looked just like the wise.

Had lamps, were invited, and nobody questioned why they were there.

But at the time when the Lord arrived they didn’t have oil and missed out on

Him.

Salvation“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of

heaven”only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many

powerful deeds?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away

from me, you lawbreakers!”

Mathew 7:21-23

Warning Lights“Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone

mislead you,  for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.  And you will hear of

wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place,

but the end won’t follow immediately.  Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.  But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Warning Lights

Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the

world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray

and hate each other.  And many false prophets will appear and will deceive

many people.  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will

grow cold.”

Mathew 24:4-12

Take ActionJust like the warning light for your gas.

God has given signs for the season of his coming. And the invitation to the

wedding.

The wise virgins had the opportunity to obtain oil, and did so. The foolish virgins had plenty of opportunity to procure oil,

but did not.

Don’t ignore the signs. And wait until the last moment because there will not be

time.Get the oil!

Take ActionOne thing that both the foolish and wise did correct was that they went to the place where God was going to be.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good

deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day

approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

We need to go to the place where God will be.

ExpectationMental preparation

Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you

also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do

not expect him.”

Mathew 24:42-44

ExpectationIf you ask someone to come to your

house tomorrow do you not expect them to be there tomorrow.

If God says he is going to come should we not have an expectation.

If we didn’t expect someone to come over, we won’t be disappointed that no

one came.

Ask God to ComeRev 22:17,20

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.”

Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life…. 20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord

Jesus!”

If we are asking God to come shouldn’t we have an expectation

for him to show up?

Ask and expect!

Clean HouseWhen someone is coming over don’t you

clean up the house?

Victoria vs Andrew

Why do we clean?

To make them feel comfortable

To make room for them

As an excuse to clean the house?

Dirty House“And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you.  For from

within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft,

murder,  adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.  All these vile

things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Mark 7:20-23

The inside is the root of our dirty houses.

How did it get there?

Dirty House“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with

darkness.  Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.  If you are filled with light, with no dark

corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were

filling you with light.”

Luke 11:34-36

Clean the House“The precepts of the Lord are right,

    giving joy to the heart.The commands of the Lord are radiant,    giving light to

the eyes.”Psalm 19:8

The word gives our eyes light again.

If we start pouring clean water into a cup of dirty water the dirty water

washes out and is replaced with clean water

Clean the House“How can a young person stay on

the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden

your word in my heart  that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my

lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your

statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Ps 119:9-16

Clean the HouseDelight – Sha’a: To cover or smear.

When we read the word of God it provides a filter over eyes. To keep the

junk from coming in.

Also the word of God becomes hidden our heart so there isn’t room for junk

and only room for God.

Reading the word of God and meditating on it not only cleanses our house but

also helps us to stay clean.

One Warning of Preparing

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the

work?

One Warning of Preparing

Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these

details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has

discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

One Warning of Preparing

Don’t get caught up in the preparation when the presence of

God is here.

Its more important to sit in the presence of God then to keep preparing for him.

When someone comes over to your house do you keep on cleaning or do you

spend time with them?

Prepared PeopleTake Action

Get Oil. Get SalvationAnd go to where God is coming

ExpectGod to come when we askAsk always!

Clean HouseRead the word

Spend time in God’s Presence