What is our message? – Prepare to meet God

Amos 4:12

“Be Prepared”, “Be in a state of readiness”

Degrees of preparation:

None – Luke 12:20 “This night you die!”

– Some things in life are beyond our ability to prepare for, salvation is NOT one of them!

– Luke 13:3 “The tower of Siloam fell”

– Ps 14:1, 53:1 “The fool… No God!” Why would he prepare to meet a God that, in his mind, does not exist?

Some – “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” (Mat 25 Bride’s maids)

Mat 24:37-44; Gen 7; (Acts 1:7 exact date & time unknown)

We may try hard to plan for the future, but unexpected events can ruin everything.

Maybe we cannot or will not prepare.

Completely – God’s Gift Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13 Everyone, Shall, Saved

WHY! Judgment is coming and you could be spared!

Heb 9:27 – Death is coming
Mat 25:1-13 – The Lord is coming

2 Peter 3:4 – “I do not believe it, all things continue”

Luke 13:3 – “The tower of Siloam fell”

Noah and the ark – A warning – Get in! you and yours! 1 Pet 3:20

Lot and the destruction of Sodom – A warning – Get out! you and yours!

The World Trade Centre: Sept 11, 2001

I’m sure September 11, 2001 comes to mind. But I would like to go back to 1990.

Rick Rescorla, a former Vietnam War veteran and a retired U.S. Army officer became Director of Security at Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley occupied 22 floors in the South Tower. The Towers provided office space for approximately 35,000 people and 430 companies.
Rick felt the Towers were highly prone to terrorist attacks.
– disaster was a possibility. It could be somewhat prepared for

Rick’s friend, Daniel Hill, was trained in counter terrorism.
In 1990, Rick invited Dan to visit the World Trade Center to get an assessment of its security.

Rick asked Dan how he would attack the building if he were a terrorist, Dan said that he would drive a truck full of explosives into the basement, walk out, and detonate it.
They both submitted reports, but they were ignored.

Feb 26, 1993, that is exactly what happened.
The first attempt by Al-Qaeda.

Afterwards, Rick and Dan felt even more keenly the Towers were prone to terrorist attacks, maybe from a plane because of the height of the towers.
After the first attack Rick was able to make all employees, including senior executives, practice emergency evacuation drills every three months.

These were surprise/mock fire drills to prepare everyone.

There was conflict with executives and employees, but Rick kept insisting on regular drills.

Of the 430 companies I wonder how many were prepared.

September 11, 2001 arrived.

The first plane crashed into the North at 8:46 a.m.

The second struck the South 17 minutes later at 9:03 a.m.

At that time there was between 16,400 and 18,000 people there.

After about 8 years, Morgan Stanley’s drills were by now, a habit, not a panicked struggle to figure out what to do next.

Morgan Stanley was the largest tenant in the Towers at that time with approximately 2700 employees,
but they lost just 13 employees that day. In an effort to save to the very last Rick was one of them.

The South Tower fell at 9:59 a.m. and the North Tower fell at 10:28 a.m. EDT on September 11, 2001

Not being ready will cost you!

This reminds me of the bridesmaids in the Bible at Matthew 25.

They were either prepared, or they were not!

They were either able to be part of the wedding or they were shut out!

Again, and again the Bible stresses you must be ready to meet God.
You will meet Him either as a Saviour, or as a Judge.

What do you put your trust in? What warnings cause you to strive to be ready?

The Barometer:

It was before the days of radio, and weather forecasting was scarce and not very accurate. Captain Oldrey was commander of the Hyacinth, a good vessel working up for Barbados.

He had been on deck and had commented that it was the finest weather he had witnessed in that climate. Now he was admiring the beauty of the evening. The sky was clear, the ocean calm.

Going below to his cabin, the captain flung himself upon a sofa. A minute or two afterward, glancing at a barometer suspended near he observed that the mercury was falling.

He rubbed his eyes, imagining he was deceived. Still the mercury fell. He rose from the sofa and approaching the instrument, discovered that the quicksilver was falling with a perceptible motion.

He went again on deck, but the weather was as lovely as before, He descended again to his quarters and shook the instrument. Still the descent continued, convincing him that something was about to happen.

He called the first lieutenant and master and stated what he had seen. These officers protested that no storm could be likely, with sea and sky so clear and beautiful.

The falling of the barometer indicated a storm, and it was his duty to prepare for one. He ordered everything to be instantly made snug, the topmasts to be struck, and all to be cleared or secured upon deck.

Night had closed in by the time operations on board ship were completed. Captain Oldrey’s ship was ready, he had done what he could.
An hour or two elapsed.

Suddenly he had proof of the value of the barometric warning. The storm struck and reached its peak almost at once. The wind blew with a fury; the ship was driven fiercely along.

The Bible is God’s barometer which warns of a coming storm, the storm of God’s wrath and judgment soon to be loosed on this scene.

Scoffers scoff and mockers mock! They say: “Where is the promise of His coming?” 2 Peter 3:4. To them the sky is clear; there is no probability of change. All will go on as it has gone on. They have no fear. They close their eyes to the knowledge of the many upheavals which the earth has known. They hear not the voice of the deluge which once overwhelmed the world that then was. They harden their hearts, and in their folly go on, themselves deceived and deceiving others.

But God’s barometer gives plain warning. Hear its solemn declaration: Because “there is wrath, beware lest He take thee away with His stroke.” Job 36:18.

Now is your time to escape; Now is your only time to prepare. Tomorrow may be too late.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.” 1 Pet. 5:6.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” Acts 16:31.

“Whoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” Prov 29: 25. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”
Heb. 2:3.

Not being ready can cost you your eternal life!

God’s wish for you is He “would have all to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4)