Title: Prepare To Meet Thy God
Bible Book: Amos 4 : 12
Author: Jack Woodard
Subject: Death; Judgment; Preparation for Eternity
Objective:
Introduction
The Prophet Amos had called his Apostate Nation to repent and return to the Lord or face the sure and severe judgment of God. These warnings had time and time again fallen on deaf ears, and now the time to face the Lord had arrived. The end had come.
To all of us, the end will one day come as well (Hebrews 9:27), and the question we must ask ourselves is: "Are we prepared to meet the lord?" 2 Peter 3:9 tells us this: "The Lord is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Time and time again, in His long-suffering, the Lord has reached out to us in many ways to call us to repentance and faith in Jesus, so that we, too may be prepared to meet the Lord.
Have you ever given thought to the fact, that, if you have not been saved, that many things that you have experienced in your life have been the Lord working in your life? That, perhaps, He is trying to tell you that you were not ready to die and to meet the Lord, and that He wants you to repent and turn to Jesus so that He can forgive you and save you? Let me share a few experiences you may have had that were really an encounter with the Lord. You may have missed connecting the dots back to Him, but it was Him nevertheless. Take a moment and reflect upon this message and see if the Lord may use it to give you another chance to connect with Him.
I. A Dry Run
Many times we will see groups like Hazardous Waste Emergency Response Teams and other First Responders, plan and go through a simulated exercise to make sure they are ready for the real thing. That is called a “DRY RUN”.
The “DRY RUN” that I am referring to is when one may have a near-death experience from an accident, a heart attack, a stroke, etc. I am convinced that these experiences are purposeful. I believe that the Lord may take a lost person through a “Dry Run” with death to show them that they are not prepared to die and to meet Him.
Many people have reported how they turned to Jesus for salvation after having such a brush with death, and in that moment they realized they were not ready to go out into eternity and meet the Lord. If you have had such an experience, do not pass it off as being just a part of life. Think about it!!
II. A Difficult Relationship
Many a person has finally turned to Jesus when they have experienced difficulties in a relationship with a friend, a mate, a co-worker, etc. When all others have failed them and forsaken them, leaving them with a broken heart and so lonely that they thought they were going to die, it is then many have turned to Jesus. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother; a love that will love you to the very end; a healer of broken hearts. Have you experienced a difficult relationship with another and had your world turned upside down? Then, it is time for you to turn to Jesus! It is very likely the Lord is calling you to Himself at that moment. Think about it!!
III. A Disturbing Reproof
In every lost person’s life, there will come a time that the Lord's Spirit will use someone to guide you. It may be preacher like Amos of old, a parent, or another person the He will use to reprove you, to censure you, to express disapproval in your actions and way of life. It is then that the Holy Spirit will take that reproof and convict you that YOU ARE A SINNER in need of a Savior! Many have turned to Jesus in those moments, but many more have become offended at the preacher or the one that has corrected them. The person may become hard and stiff-necked instead of repenting and turning to Jesus! What have you done in this moment that the Lord was reaching out to you through His reproof? Think about it!!!
IV. A Devastating Report
How devastating it must have been for many to have heard the Prophet Amos declaring to them that the End had come. Many have turned to the Lord upon receiving a devastating report from their doctor that their end was near. My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and, after several rounds of chemo treatments, was told that there was nothing more they could do for her. Many of you have been there also. Many have turned to Jesus after receiving such a devastating report. Others have had a knock on the door or a phone call, giving them the devastating report of a loved one's death. My sister came to Jesus just days after her first husband was killed in a car wreck. The Lord will not waste a broken heart. He will use it to call you to Himself. If you are still a lost soul and somewhere in your past you have had a devastating report, did you recognize that Jesus was calling you as a broken-hearted sinner and a heavy-laden sufferer to repent and turn to Him for salvation? Think about it! It is not too late to still turn to Him today!
Conclusion
May I challenge you to examine your life today, if you have never repented and turned to Jesus and Jesus ALONE for salvation, do it today! I can assure you that if you have experienced a dry run with death, a difficult relationship or a disturbing reproof for your way of life, this is Jesus standing at the door of your heart and knocking. He is seeking for you to open the door of your heart and let Him in! Think About It!
John 3:16 says: "For God So Loved The World, that he gave His only begotten Son,(Jesus) that whosoever (that means you) believeth IN HIM (Jesus) should not perish, but have everlasting life!"
In Romans 10:13 we read "For whosoever (that means you) shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved!"
THINK ABOUT IT! ARE YOU PREPARED TO MEET GOD? IF NOT, WILL YOU DO SO TODAY? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
We all must die and go out into eternity in heaven or hell. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people! "Today if you will hear His Voice, harden not your hearts..." (Hebrews 3:7,8)
