We need to be ready; on the alert because our LORD is coming back for us. Are you ready?

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Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
031019
We need to be ready; on the alert because our LORD is coming back for us. Are you ready?

We begin in John 13 which records the Last Supper of our Lord. As believers, we are HIS Bride, and as such, we wait for HIM to come back and take HIS Bride, which is HIS Church, back to Heaven with HIM. This is where every individual stands before our LORD with the gown of the perfect righteousness of our LORD as well as with the blessings and the crowns that believers have. These will be cast at the feet of our LORD Jesus Christ, not JESUS, but The Lord Jesus Christ. For when an individual stands before the Lord Jesus Christ, he respects and honors the LORD and addresses HIM as such; For, HE is the King of Kings; and HE is the Lord of lords, HE is the Lord Jesus Christ, not just Jesus, but, the LORD Jesus Christ.

We need to be ready; on the alert because our LORD is coming back for us. And we are to make ourselves ready! And of course, the question again; Are you ready?

Look at what the apostle John writes; REV 19:5-7, And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond‑servants, you who fear Him [that is you who respect Him or be in awe of Him], the small and the great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

Notice this fantastic marvelous statement = “for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” Our LORD said in LUK 12:40, “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” The apostle Peter also warned the early church of not handling the Word of GOD accurately.

2PE 3:1-13, This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?

For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

My point is that there have been a lot of different interpretations that believers have failed in and have fallen into which are not theologically correct. Now, back in REV 19:5-7, And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond‑servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

Notice, two principles:
1. The marriage of the Lamb has come.
2. His bride has made herself ready.

REV 19:8, And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Notice that it is the glory of the bride to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The fine linen then refers to is the righteous acts of the saints. This would also be called “experiential sanctification” meaning that as a believer you have been sanctified or set apart. You therefore must live in your calling. Many will say I don’t have time, which is ridiculous. If you do not have any time at all to live in your calling, then I would strongly recommend that you change your schedule. Change your values and your priorities, to line up with what I just said concerning what is important to you.

Why is time so important and so valuable? Well, let's see what the wisest man alive saw when he searched for the answers and the dilemmas that we have to deal with as we are searching for answers to our questions as well. ECC 3:1, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. Think about the mind of Christ which is found in the Word of GOD and what our LORD thinks about time. I'll tell you right now, if you do not have Diving Timing, Satan and his kingdom of darkness is going to either ignore you because you are no threat to him or his kingdom at all, or attack you because he wants to destroy our unity, love, virtue and our spiritual achievements. Time! Take some time to think about the timing of GOD.

Let's note that GOD has assigned to you and I a number of days to live on this earth according to PSA 90:12; 31:15. We are not given years to live or months to live but according to the Bible, days to live.

PSA 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.”

PSA 31:15, David said, “My times are in Thy hand.”

Now, God has given us an assignment which is a certain amount of time to do certain things in our life. And it is obedience to this divine assignment that believers are commanded to fulfill for their bridegroom, the LORD Jesus Christ. Now, in ECC 3:1-8, while you will probably experience most of these things and blessings you will not enjoy these things without doctrine which gives you capacity to enjoy life to its utmost. ECC 3:1-8 teaches the general principle about timing.

Even though we are not going to study this passage, we are going to extrapolate certain doctrinal principles concerning the divine timing of God especially as it relates to you and I doctrinally. Let's listen to the philosopher!

ECC 3:1-9, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven‑ A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?

Do you realize that one of the most fascinating subjects in life is this word “time”! It's amazing, we all have the same amount whether we are absolutely without a dime or whether we happen to be the richest person on earth! Whether or not we are a child in school or the president of the United States! Think of how much time is woven into our lives on a daily basis!

For throughout the day we hear things like:
What time is it?
What time does the meeting start?
What time do you want me there?
I don't have time?
How much time will it take?
Don't waste your time on that!
It's time for us to go!
The time is up!

I want to give you an illustration of timing as it relates to our LORD and Savior. Suppose your banker called you up and said that he had some very good news for you! He tells you that an anonymous donor who loves you very much has decided each morning for the rest of your life to deposit in your bank account, 86,400 pennies each morning! That's $864.00. He says there's one stipulation however, You must spend all the money that day. No balance would or could be carried over to the next day! Whatever sum you failed to use, you would lose! And so 864.00 a day times 7 = $6,048.00 a week! Times 52 = $ 314,496.00 for the year.

Here's the point, every morning someone who loves you very much deposits into your bank of time, 86,400 seconds which represents 1440 minutes which of course equals 24 hours. And then He tells us and says some things like EPH 5:16, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

GOD gives you and me a certain amount of time that you and I might use it properly for HIS glory. For that is one of the main reasons that we have been created which is to glorify our LORD through obedience to doctrine. Remember why you were created and why you are here?

ISA 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My name, I have created for My glory, Those whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

REV 4:11, “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”

Every day God gives you and me a certain amount of time that we might use it for HIS glory! Nothing is ever carried over so that you might credit it to the next day, don't play game like that with GOD. This is why the mature believer regards every day alike, ROM 14:5‑6.

ROM 14:1-8, Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Every day we live is a gracious gift from God.

Now, although we believe in divine timing and that there is a time ordained by GOD for us to function in these areas, when Solomon writes this, he is not viewing it from divine viewpoint but in fatalism he is being sarcastic in his writings. We believe that GOD gives you a certain amount of time that you might use it for HIS glory! GOD has created you for HIS glory and until you believe that and then live for that purpose, you will never find true happiness and contentment in life.

GOD does give you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory! Every day we live is a gracious gift from God and it should be a day that we have time set aside for our relationship with HIM which is special and intimate.