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Glyn Parfitt

How We Can Be Ready for Jesus to Come

Dear Father, thank you Lord for your wonderful love to us.

And I pray that As I present this love of yours this morning, that you will speak through my lips words that are from you, I pray, and open our hearts to receive them, I pray in Jesus' name.

Today I want to share with you a simple Bible study that I like to tell people about the way of salvation.

In fact, if there were only 1 Bible study or sermon that I could give, this would be it.

Some of you may have heard it before, but it must be time that you heard it again.

As I share this study with people, it thrills my heart to see them responding to the Gospel.

I usually begin by asking the question, how can we be ready for Jesus to come?

We will turn first to Malachi 3 and verse 2.

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap.

So we might ask, why should Jesus coming be a problem?

We find the answer in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

All right, so we all have to face the judgment, the judgment seat of Christ.

But how good do we have to be to get through the judgment on the right side?

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3, verses 12-14, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless.

Now that's a pretty high standard, isn't it?

How can anyone be that good without spot and blames?

Let us look and see what Isaiah has to say about the matter.

We'll turn first to chapter 6 where Isaiah has a vision of God.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Then said I, woe is me for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

For mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." When Isaiah saw God, how did he feel?

Were there any thoughts of, she'll be right, mate?

Don't you think that we would feel the same way?

Now that was near the beginning of Isaiah's ministry.

Toward the end of his ministry, Isaiah was inspired to write about condition in chapter 64, verse 6.

But we all are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.

Yes there is, but before I tell you about that, I have a bit more I want to share with you this time from Paul in Romans chapter 7 verses 18 and 19.

For I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

For the will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.

For the good that I would, I do not, and the evil which I would not, that I do.

Paul wanted to do what was right, but he kept falling short.

There were good things that he wanted to do, but he did not get to do them.

There were bad things that he found himself doing.

Or do you like the Pharisees say within your heart, Lord I thank you that I am not like other people?

Listen to Paul's inspired conclusion in Romans 3.10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not 1.

And as he says in 1 Timothy 1 verse 15, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.

Dear Brethren and sisters, do you acknowledge that you are the chief of sinners today?

I pour myself and repent in dust and ashes.

We turn now to Acts chapter 2 verses 37 and 38.

Here Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit has brought conviction to the hearts of his hearers.

Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, What shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every 1 of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Yes, dear friends, Peter pointed them to Jesus and that through him they could have remission or forgiveness of their sins if they would but repent.

In 1 John 1.9 there is a wonderful promise that I'm sure you're all familiar with.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, as well as repentance or feeling sorry for sins and turning away from them, we are told that we must confess them to God.

And when we do this, His promise is sure.

He will remove our sins away from us, we are told, as far as the East is from the West, and He will cast them into the depths of the sea.

We'll go to Acts chapter 13, verses 38 and 39, where Paul is preaching on 1 of his missionary journeys.

It says, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.

So as well as forgiving us, God goes a step further and justifies us.

Now Many times in the early parts of the scriptures God gives us the meaning of the words He uses in the rest of the Bible.

In this case we find what justification means in Deuteronomy 25.1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come into judgment, that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.

Can you see what the word justify means here?

God not only forgives us, he declares us innocent, just as if we had not done that wrong thing.

And in this context I'd like to use the illustration of Lindy Chamberlain.

Lindy and her husband Michael were camping at Ayers Rock with other campers, now called Uluru.

1 evening as they were sitting around the campfire, a dingo stole into their tent and took Lindy's baby.

Lindy heard a cry and ran to the tent just in time to see the dingo slink away, carrying something in his mouth.

The baby was never found, but some of its clothing was.

Of course there was an investigation and eventually Lindy was charged with killing her baby Zaria and she was put in jail.

After several years, another piece of the baby's clothing, a matinee jacket, which Lindy had insisted the baby was wearing, was found near a dingo slayer at the base of Ears Rock.

On the basis of this find, Lindy was pardoned and let out of jail.

Was she content with just being pardoned?

How We Can Be Ready for Jesus to Come

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