C. WHY MUST YOU BE PREPARED?

1. It will be Sudden.

MATTHEW 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 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, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus compared His second coming to the days of Noah. In Noah’s time, while he was building the ark — a work that took about 120 years — he continually warned the people to turn from their sin and get right with God. But instead of listening, they mocked him and went on living their normal lives, unconcerned and unprepared, until the flood came and swept them all away.

In the same way, Jesus said that when He returns, many will be caught off guard. Life will seem normal — people will be busy eating, drinking, marrying, working, and making plans — unaware that judgment is at hand. The coming of the Son of Man will be sudden, unexpected, and final.

The message is clear: Be ready, for the Lord will come when the world least expects it.

2. It will be Unexpected.

MATTHEW 24:43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

In this passage, Jesus uses a simple but powerful illustration — that of a thief coming in the night — to describe the unexpected nature of His return. A homeowner never knows when a thief might come. If he knew the exact time, he would stay awake and guard his house. But since the thief comes without warning, the only way to be ready is to always stay alert.

In the same way, Jesus is teaching that His Second Coming will be sudden and unpredictable. No one knows the exact day or hour — not even the angels in heaven. Many will be caught off guard, living their lives without thought of eternity, just as people were in the days of Noah.

Therefore, Jesus calls us to live in constant readiness — to be spiritually awake, alert, and faithful. Being ready doesn’t mean living in fear, but in faithful obedience, keeping our hearts right with God, walking in holiness, and fulfilling the work He has called us to do.

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D. HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

1. FANTASTIC FINISH.

God does not expect us to do what we cannot do. He simply calls us to be faithful with what He has entrusted to us. Each of us has been given different gifts, opportunities, and abilities — and what matters most is not how much we have, but how faithfully we use what we’ve been given.

So, share your faith with others. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Serve Him wholeheartedly in the place where He has called you. Even the smallest act done in faith and obedience will not go unnoticed by Him.

LUKE 12:37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

Our watchfulness and preparation for the Lord’s coming lead us toward a glorious and fulfilling finish. Jesus gives a remarkable promise — that those who remain faithful and alert will one day be personally served and honored by the Master Himself. What an incredible picture of grace! The One whom we serve now will one day serve us at His table.

This shows how deeply God values faithfulness and readiness. Staying alert in our walk with Christ means living each day in obedience, purity, and love — not growing weary, not distracted by the world, but keeping our hearts focused on Him.

Those who are faithful will not end in disappointment but in divine reward and joy beyond measure. So keep watch, stay faithful, and finish well — for the Master’s return will turn your faithfulness into everlasting blessing.

2. MEDIOCRE FINISH.

You heard the Gospel. You received Jesus Christ. You may have started well — full of passion, faith, and zeal — but somewhere along the way, you lost your focus. The fire that once burned in your heart has grown dim. You’ve become comfortable, complacent, maybe even drawn back into the world.

This is what it means to have a mediocre finish — to begin strong but to lose heart before the race is over. God did not save us just to start the race; He calls us to finish it well. The Christian life is not a sprint but a lifelong marathon of faith, obedience, and perseverance.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Salvation is a free gift of God, received by faith alone in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by our works, but by His grace. However, what we do after we are saved — how we live, serve, love, and obey — determines the rewards we will receive when we stand before Christ.

The foundation of our faith is Jesus Himself, but what we build upon that foundation matters. Some will build with gold, silver, and precious stones — works of eternal value done for God’s glory. Others may build with wood, hay, and straw — things that will not last in the fire of His judgment. So live with eternity in view. Every act of faithfulness, every word spoken in love, every sacrifice made for Christ will not be forgotten. One day, we will all stand before our Savior — not to be condemned, but to be rewarded for how we have lived for Him.

3. DISASTROUS FINISH.

You've heard the Gospel — again and again. You know the truth, yet you keep saying, “I’m not ready yet.” You still want to live your own way, chase your desires, and hold on to the things of this world. But understand this: putting off a decision for Christ is already a decision — and it leads to a disastrous finish.

Without Jesus Christ in your life, you are heading toward a destiny of judgment — a separation from God in a place of torment beyond imagination.

LUKE 12:45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Jesus gives a sobering warning about the servant who becomes careless and corrupt, thinking his master’s return is delayed. Instead of being faithful, he abuses others and lives for his own pleasure. But the master will return suddenly — at an hour the servant does not expect — and judgment will follow.

This passage points to a place of eternal separation and torment, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth — a description of hell that is beyond what we can fully comprehend.

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LUKE 12:35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

Jesus gives this parable to teach us how we should live in constant readiness for His return. In the story, Jesus is the master of the household who has gone to attend a wedding feast, while His servants are left to care for the house and prepare for His arrival.

In Jewish culture, weddings in the first century could last for many days, even weeks. No one knew exactly when the master would return. Therefore, a wise and faithful servant would keep his lamp burning — ensuring there was plenty of oil so that whenever the master knocked, even in the middle of the night, he could immediately rise, open the door, and welcome him home. That is what faithful readiness looks like — living in a way that we are always prepared for Christ’s return.

The oil in the lamp is often seen as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. As believers, we cannot continue to pour out love, service, and ministry to others unless the Lord is continually pouring into us. We must be filled and refilled by the Holy Spirit daily through prayer, worship, and the Word of God. When we try to serve in our own strength, we quickly run dry and burn out. But when the Spirit fills us, we burn brightly for God without burning out. The Lord doesn’t want dim, exhausted lamps — He wants hearts burning with holy fire.

Jesus also said, “Be dressed in readiness” — or as older translations put it, “Let your loins be girded.” In those days, people wore long robes that made quick movement difficult. To “gird the loins” meant to tuck up the robe into a belt, ready for action. Spiritually, this means living with discipline, alertness, and purpose — not tangled by the distractions or comforts of this world, but ready to move when the Master calls.

The message is clear: stay alert, stay filled, and stay faithful. Keep your spiritual lamps burning, your heart full of the Spirit, and your life prepared for the day when Jesus, our Master, returns — perhaps sooner than we think.

E. BE READY.

HEBREWS 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…

The Christian life is like a race, and every believer is called to run it with endurance and focus. But there are things that can slow us down or cause us to stumble — sin and worldly distractions. Sin is what entangles and weakens us, making us ineffective in the life God has called us to live.

If you find yourself loving the world more than loving God, your heart is not ready for Christ’s return. The pleasures, possessions, and pursuits of this world can easily distract us from the eternal prize. That’s why Scripture calls us to lay aside every weight — anything that hinders our walk with God — and to keep running faithfully.

Don’t fall for the lies and schemes of the devil, who wants to keep you bound, discouraged, or distracted. Instead, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus — the One who began your faith and will bring it to completion. When your focus is on Him, you find strength to endure, courage to resist sin, and grace to finish the race well.

Run with passion. Run with purpose. And above all, run with your eyes on Jesus, so that your life remains fruitful and usable for His Kingdom until the day He returns.

LUKE 12 (NIV)

36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.

Jesus teaches us to be like faithful servants who wait expectantly for their master’s return. The image is one of alertness and readiness — servants who stay awake, attentive, and prepared, so that when the master knocks, they can immediately open the door.

This is what it means to wait and watch for the Lord’s coming. It’s not a passive kind of waiting, but an active and obedient one. As we wait, we must continue doing what God has called us to do — living faithfully, serving others, sharing the Gospel, and walking in holiness. True readiness is shown not by merely knowing that Jesus is coming again, but by living each day as if He could come today.

The Lord promises a blessing for those He finds watching and working when He returns. So let’s keep our lamps burning, our hearts steadfast, and our hands busy with His work — for blessed indeed are the servants the Master finds ready when He comes.

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