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Always Ready
1Peter 3:13-17 – If you had a car that only started about half the time you’d fix it or take it in to get it fixed. …employee that never learned how to do his job and always showed up late for work and was never ready to work when he did show up he probably wouldn’t be working for you for very long. We enrolled Rachel in the little league basketball program last winter. The coach she was assigned to (though a very nice lady) never really taught the kids about how to play the game. She took it for granted that the kids knew how to play. When it came time for their first game the kids were running around everywhere. They would shoot the ball into the wrong basket. If they ever got the ball they had no idea what to do with it. They were unprepared.

- If you are a Christian and someone (friend, neighbor, relative, etc.) asks you how to become a Christian could you tell him how and show them in the Bible why you believe what you believe? We sanctify the Lord God in our hearts but many never progress to the point where we are always ready to give an answer (literally: make a defense) to anyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us.

2Timothy 3:10-4:5 – Paul told Timothy to be always ready but for a different reason. Timothy was a gospel preacher (or evangelist). He was trying his best to preach the truth with gentleness and respect but he was being opposed by men who: 1) intended to captivate people with deception to take advantage of them for the sake of personal gain, and by 2) men who were only interested in arguing about things that didn’t really a distraction to the truth, and also by 3) men who were themselves mislead teaching what they thought was the truth but understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. They were always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

- Paul was telling Timothy that he had to be the reasonable voice of the truth. He encouraged Timothy to not allow the brethren to be taken captive by deception and to not be distracted from the truth and he wanted Timothy to avoid being caught up in useless arguments. Paul was preparing Timothy for battle (spiritual warfare).

Jesus also tells us to be always ready.

Matthew 25:1-13 – We sing a song: “Jesus is coming soon morning or night or noon many will meet their doom trumpets will sound all of the dead shall rise righteous meet in the skies going where no one dies heavenward bound.” -- We don’t know when Jesus is coming nor do we know whether or not we will soon leave this world in death. But we better know that we are ready for that day to come. If you are ready then you need to sanctify the Lord God in your heart and be always ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect. And we need to be always ready for battle because we have been appointed guardians of the truth. And we need to be always ready because we do not know at what hour the bridegroom is coming (1Thess. 5:1-10). Even if He should come in the second or third watch of the night when the cry goes out “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him.” Are you ready for that day to come?


Matthew 24:36-51 (Luke 12:35-40) – Jesus said we do not know the day or the hour of His return. He was saying we must to be always ready even if He should come in the second or third watch of the night. There are many who have given up on Christ (2Peter 3:1-13)

Ephesians 5:8-16 – The New Testament often uses things like night/darkness/sleep as symbols of being unprepared. Conversely day/light/awake are used as symbols of readiness. The writers are saying that there should never be a time in our lives when we should not be ready. We should never let our guard down. We should never assume we’ve got all the time in the world (1John 1:5-7).

Luke 12:13-2 (James 4:13-17) – God gives us plenty of time to prepare for eternity. The problem is that we don’t know when time (whether all time or our time) will come to an end. We don’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s return and our life is but a vapor…and after that comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

What we must do is prepare early and then keep watch.

“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when He comes will find watching. Assuredly I say to you that He will gird Himself and have them sit down to eat and He will come and serve them” (Luke 12:37). – Isn’t that a wonderful thought?

Are you ready? Have you been baptized into Christ? Are you keeping watch by living a faithful Christian life?