Are You Ready for Christ's Return? Part 4

Let's pray together. Father God, we thank you, Lord, so much for this day. You are a great God and you are worthy to be praised and we are grateful that you are our Father who is in heaven. We know, Lord, that you have a great plan, a plan for the end that unfolds perfectly as the scriptures have given us the information. And we just know, Lord, that as you work your way toward the end of time, as we know it, it's all about you and the glory of almighty God. So we pray that today as we once again look at the fact of we need to be ready for the return of Christ, that everyone in this room would know that Jesus is soon coming again.

In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen. Okay, we want to be able to talk to you once again about the return of the King and the end of the age and are you ready for his coming? This chart is here today. It'll be here next week because we move on to the next section. This is are you ready? This is the fourth message in verses 35 to 40. Are you ready for the return of the King, for the return of Christ next week? Are you responsible when Christ or will you be responsible when Christ returns? And so we're going to spend some time here.

Again, Luke 17, we'll talk about the second coming of Christ. Then again, Luke 21, because it's all throughout the book of Luke and we will bring this chart back out again so you can see it, understand it, because sometimes we make mistakes. We don't always get it. We've told you that during the tribulation period there are seven seals that are broken. There are seven trumpets that are blown and seven bowls that are poured. I told you earlier during prayer time my son used to listen to those tapes in the book of Revelation and one day we were talking about the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls and he asked me a question about how big are the horns on the bowls.

I said, excuse me? He says, how big are the horns on the seven bowls? I said, they're bowls, not bowls. He goes, oh really? He said, then you mean the seals aren't like at SeaWorld then either? And I said, no, no they're not. So I know how easy it is to get mixed up sometimes when you don't really understand. Now of course Drew was like 10 when it happened, but still it's one of those things where you need to understand the events of the end times and how they come to play. And sometimes we don't always get it in one sermon or two or three or four and sometimes we have to listen to it over and over again just to let it sink in.

And I know it's a lot of information and that's why we put the chart up here so you can see it, so we can refer to it. You've got copies of it. You can also get copies of it with verses on it that will help give you an idea of where everything is found in Scripture. So it's for your own personal study so you can come to grips with the reality of the plan of the end and how it's all going to take place and to make sure that you are ready when Jesus Christ comes again. Let me remind you of the 12th article of Jewish creed that reads this way.

It says, I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah and though he tarries, I will wait daily for his coming. 12th article of the Jewish creed. They are waiting daily for the coming of the Messiah. We are waiting for the Messiah to come again because he's already been here once. First time in reference to sin, right?

And deal with our sin the second time in reference to salvation and that is the glorification of our bodies.

Take us home to be with him and his kingdom and his glory forever and ever and ever. So we're talking about the coming of Christ and told you last week that it was a sure event. What we talk about here is not something we speculate about. All this is about the return of the King. All this is about the second coming of Christ.

It's initiated with the rapture of the church and in that middle point of trying to understand everything comes the revelation of Christ to this earth. At the rapture we are taking up to be with him when he comes for his saints. Here he comes with his saints. We know that from the book of Revelation chapter 19 and the book of 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 to 18. And then at the end of that kingdom comes the retribution of Christ upon the world who through the great white throne judgment than the new heavens and the new earth.

And so we've been talking to you about that but it's a sure event. It's not something that we speculate about or that we hope is going to take place. We know for certain because Acts 1 11 says the same Jesus is going to return in the same manner in which he left. You read the book of Thessalonians. Every chapter ends with something about the second coming of Christ.

Three times to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 he talks about the fact that he comes quickly. When he closes Revelation with Revelation 22 he closes it with an invitation and says three times he's coming quickly. He's coming. It's a sure event. It's going to take place. We don't doubt that. It's not something that's a a spiritual coming. It's a it's a real coming. It's a physical literal coming to this earth. So we understand that. Not only is it a sure event we talked to you about the fact that it's a surprising event.

People can be caught by surprise both at the rapture because no one knows the day nor the hour plus the the revelation of Christ because again no one knows the day nor the hour. You just don't know. But that's why it's a surprising event and that's why it says in Matthew 24 these words but immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory and he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other.

It is a surprising event. On the heels of that it's a sudden event. The reason it's so surprising is because it happens so suddenly when you least expect it. That's why we always say you know you never know when Christ is going to come. You need to be ready because when Jesus comes to take his saints home we're gone but you got to be ready and then you enter the tribulation and once the tribulation begins you still need to be ready because you don't know the day nor do you know the hour of the Son of Man's coming when he comes in all of his glory with all of his holy ones in the splendor and majesty of his person.

So it's a it's a sure event. It is a surprising event because the text says four times in scripture he comes as a thief in the night swiftly suddenly unexpectedly and it's not that Jesus is a thief but it's but when he comes like a thief he inevitably will rob every man of those things he thought were important to him and they're not and come to realize the error of their way and then fourthly it is a supernatural event a supernatural all this is supernatural from the rapture of the church through the tribulation period through the return of the king through the kingdom age through the uh the binding of satan and lucid of satan the the sheep go judgment the great white throne or sheep go judge was here but the great white throne judgment the new heaven new earth all that's supernatural that's not natural i mean the heavens melt with fervent heat i mean come on that can't be natural it's supernatural the son of man coming down to this earth on on a white horse and we with him on white horses that's all supernatural we just burst out of heaven and we're on the scene that the church would be raptured into glory that's all supernatural you can't explain it in natural terms because it's all a supernatural event because it deals with the king and his beautiful glory and then we told you last week that it was a sobering event right sobering event because once you leave and you leave your loved ones behind if they've heard the gospel they enter the tribulation and they will experience a strong delusion from god himself second thessalonians chapter two very sobering isn't it that you could be taken to heaven to be with the lord experiencing the great glories of of heaven and your loved ones would be left behind having gone to church with you sat with you in church and never gave your life to christ and all of a sudden they'd be under that strong delusion that the lord god would give them and blind them to the truth that they might not ever believe and thus perish maybe in the tribulation or at least at the sheep goat judgment at the end of the tribulation where the sheep the believers are put on his right the lord's right and the goats are put on his left see so it's a sobering thought that second thessalonians one says that he's going to come back with vengeance with with a fire of fury to on those who do not know god and to those who do not obey the gospel of god and that's a very sobering thing to realize that there are people who are going to be left behind who do not know the truth or have heard the truth and rejected the truth and then experience the horrible trials of the tribulation upon this earth sobering event that's where we left you off last week let me give you a couple more just so that you are well aware of the fact that you need to be ready that's this number six it is a sanctifying event a sanctifying event i guess the thing that that sets us apart as believers that causes us to live a holy and pure life is that jesus could come at any moment at any moment and i need to be ready for his his glorious return over in in first john chapter three verse number one it says these words first john 3 1 see how great a love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of god and such we are for this reason the world does not know us because it did not know him beloved now we are children of god and has not appeared as yet what we shall be we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him just as he is and everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure everybody who has this hope what hope the hope of the return of christ himself that he will take me home to be with him everybody who has that hope and living in the light of his coming purifies himself just as he is pure in other words the greatest motivation to live a pure and holy life today is that jesus is coming to take me home to be with him peter said it this way in second peter chapter 3 verse number 10 but the day of the lord will come like a thief now remember the day of the lord begins when the church is raptured and goes all the way to the end to the new heaven and new earth that's what peter says he says 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 in other words since there's going to be a great destruction of the present heavens and present earth here then the great white throne judgment and then a brand new heaven and a brand new earth because all that's going to take place he says very simply what sort of people want 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 we as believers are looking for a place where righteousness dwells we live in a place where unrighteousness dwells that's the earth but we're looking for that place where righteousness dwells supremely purely holy and only and that's with the new heaven and the new earth that's what we're looking forward to we know that the day of the lord is going to come like like a thief jesus is going to return but peter he skips all this stuff in here and he goes right to the new heaven because that's what he's anticipating that's what he's looking forward to seeing that's where he wants to be that's why it's a sanctifying event it's something unique that that enables us to live pure holy godly lives in this present age if you're having trouble with your purity it's because you're not anticipating the coming of the king if you're in trouble living a pure and holy life it's because you're not looking for a new heaven or new earth you like the old heaven and you like the old earth but if you are anticipating the new heaven new earth that motivates you to live a pure and holy godly life listen to what peter goes on to say therefore beloved since you look for these things what things new heaven new earth the day of the lord it's all going to come you're looking forward to those things be diligent to be found in him in peace spotless and blameless because that is your anticipation live this way for the glory and honor of your god sanctified event it also is what i would call what i would call a selective event a selective event why is it selective because not every everybody goes in the rapture okay only believers go unbelievers don't go they stay okay when jesus comes back here there's a great battle of beaux raw we call alarm again but it's the battle of beaux raw and he he separates the sheep and the goat magic 25 he separates the sheep on his right the goats on his left it's a selective event the sheep the sheep go into the kingdom but the goats are cast into a place of eternal torment it's a very selective event and so those who are anticipating it are the ones who who love the lord we love his appearing second to be four eight remember that paul says i i long for his appearing i love his appearing that's what i want we eagerly await him remember philippians chapter three verse number 20 it says for our citizenship is in heaven from which also we eagerly wait for a savior the lord jesus christ who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory by the exertion of the power that he am he has even to subject all things to himself he's going to transform our lowly bodies into a body just like the lord jesus's glorified body see and yet this coming of of christ is a very selective event not everybody goes to heaven that's why heaven is so exclusive so exclusive we we think sometimes that heaven's inclusive no it's exclusive let me remind you what the book of revelation says it says blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city outside outside what outside of heaven are the dogs and sorcerers the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying one of the motives for for the invitation to to come to christ is the exclusivity of heaven not everybody goes outside of the dogs what's that mean means your dogs are going to heaven that's not what it means it's a reference back to the book of leviticus book of deuteronomy the fact being that dogs are homosexuals are referred to as dogs in the old testament outside of heaven are those who love and practice lying outside of heaven are those who who love immorality who love fornication love those kind of things because heaven's exclusive it's exclusively reserved for those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the lamb they've been cleansed by the power of god that's are the that's what heaven is about that's why it's so exclusive that's why the coming of christ is a selective event but notice notice this it's also a very significant event that should be number eight on your list if you're keeping the list if not it's still number eight because it's on my list it's a very significant event why because everything here everything here is about what all the old testaments prophesied they didn't understand the rapture translation of church to heaven because that's not in the old testament that's a mystery that's something that first christians 15 talks to us about that mystery will all be changed in the in the twinkling of an eye wow that's amazing and and and yet the old testament prophets they didn't see that they saw the king coming and great power and great glory on the on clouds that are that are his chariot and he comes in in splendor and majesty that they saw that they saw his battle they knew about the battle of the lord when he defeated their enemies they know about the kingdom age they understand their kingdom you can read about isaiah jeremiah you can read about the great kingdom age and the glorious kingdom that that god has on this earth because he fulfills abrahamic davidic and new covenant for israel he fulfills all those things that's why it is a significant event because everything ends here in the new heaven new earth everything is pointing to that that's the end of redemptive history that's at the very end of the age that that's what's all about see that's why you you can't add you can't add to the book of revelation remember revelation 22 says let me read it to you once again he says i testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book if anyone adds to them god shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy god shall take away his power for the tree of life and for the holy city which are written in the book be careful about what you do with the book of revelation don't add to it don't take away from it you can't add to it by saying there's a there's another testament there's another book why because this book the bible takes you all the way to the eternal state if you add to this book you are going out here someplace beyond the eternal state you can't go beyond the eternal state if you add to this book something else another gospel you go beyond the eternal state this book takes you all the way to the end see that's why it's such a significant event it's all been leading to this christ came first to die he comes in his humiliation he comes secondly in to come for his coronation for his uh glorification so all will see him in all of his glory see the last time the last time the world saw christ right here on a cross that's not the last picture the world will have christ the last picture the world will have christ is when every eye will see him when he comes again when he comes again back to this earth and all of his glory and all of his splendor with his bride with him that's the church that's us with his holy ones his angels and so uh the world needs to get that glimpse of christ that true picture of who he is that's why it talks about how every eye will see him and they will mourn for him they'll mourn for him so it's a very significant event number nine it's a sovereign event it is a sovereign event it's all been planned it's all been mapped out you know god doesn't sit in heaven and say wow what am i gonna do next i wonder if i should do this and gather the the god the father and god the spirit around and some some cherubim and seraphim and say hey guys what do you think we should do next you guys got any ideas let's vote what do you guys want to do no god's got it all planned that's all mapped out it's a sovereign event right in in the fullness of time god sent forth his son when everything was just right god knew that's when the sun should come galatians 4 4 right the first time it says after the days of the tribulation matthew 24 says after the son of man shall appear it's a it's a designed event centered around divine circumstances that god himself has ordained you see understand this jesus has taken us home to be with him we'll get our rewards we'll enter into the marriage supper of the lamb where he will serve us and it will in we he will praise us the text says kind of unbelievable that christ would praise us but that's what the bible says and then he's going to come again and we're going to come with him back down to this earth okay all for one reason not so that you go to heaven not so you get crowns not so that you rule and reign with him in the kingdom age over for eternity it's not about that it's about his glory right it's all about his glory this whole plan is about the glory of god it's a it's a sovereign event that that speaks to the fact that god will be glorified every knee will bow every tongue will confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father it's all about the glory of the king everything is about his death was about his glory his life was about his glory his return is about his glory it's all about the glory of the king that's what it's about the byproduct of that is that we're saved right philippians 1 29 says you're saved for christ's sake not for your sake for christ's sake you're saved because it's all about the glory of christ and so that's why it's a sovereign event and number 10 it's a soon event soon it's coming quickly revelation 1 3 says the time is is next the time is near several times the scripture the bible talks about the nearness of the time the nearness of the hour it's soon it's going to come very soon that's why uh it says the very end behold i come quickly in revelations at the 22 i'm coming quickly you got to be ready are you ready that's what jesus talks about in luke 12 he wants us to understand that there's a mandate you be ready for the coming of the son of man you be ready for the appearance of the king why because he comes at a certain time okay it's a certain event at an uncertain time it's it's a specific event at a time that's unspecified he's coming at a time that's you least expect him least expect him so my motivation for being ready is that jesus could come at at any moment and i want to be ready let me give you four metaphors that christ gives us in luke 12 to help us understand our readiness for when he arrives he says these words be dressed in readiness that's verse 35 a be dressed in readiness maybe your texas have your loins girded now that's important to understand why because you know those days they didn't wear you know trousers pants levi's they wore long skirts long dress like material garments right that's what they wore robes and you know if you were to you know you go out and work in in in the fields or go out and do what you do uh and you had to get someplace quickly you don't you ever try to run in a dress i never have i don't have a dress but you know it must be hard to run in a dress that long flowing thing so what do you do you you gotta you gotta gird up your loins it's an it's a it's an ancient term the jews knew about this very well because they would take their garments and they would wrap them through their legs and tie them around so that they were like almost like shorts or capris and but they'd be wrapped tightly around the leg so they could run quickly to where they needed to go back in uh the book of exodus at the passover uh the lord god said to israel make sure that your loins are girded you gotta be ready to go when i say it's time you gotta go see paul would say in the book of ephesians sixth chapter that we are to have our loins girded about with truth the truth of god so here's the point if you're going to be ready you're going to be number one mindful of the person of god that's what it means to be dressed in readiness you're mindful of the person of god ever mindful that that is my loins are girded i'm ready to go that's like you get up every day and and you're you're ready to go wherever christ wants you to go but if he comes that day you are dressed in your readiness your loins are girded everything is tied together with the truth of god's word peter talks about it first peter 1 13 because peter would hear this sermon right he would know about loins being girded up he talks about the loins of our mind being girded up that is the the because our mind kind of dangles a little bit and hangs loose and there's all these kind of thoughts up there that need to be wrapped up and tied together and bound together speaking of the of the return of christ and he talks about how how our minds need to be girded put together and wrapped in truth a person is ready is mindful of the of the person of god my king is coming and i guess when we talked about a sure event a surprising event a sudden event uh a significant significant event a supernatural event it's not so much an event we're not looking for an event we're looking for a person right the person of the messiah the king himself and so there's this there's this readiness in my mind where my loins are girded i'm ready to go whenever he says come the shout the voice of the archangel the trumpet of god are you ready are you mindful of the person of god does he does he weigh heavily not in a bad sense but in a good sense on your mind all the time your affections are set above not on things below it's about the person of of christ coming to take me to be with him number one you're mindful of his of the person of god number two he says be dressed in readiness verse 35 and keep your lamps alight keep your lamps alight not only am i mindful listen carefully of the person of god but i am fruitful in the precepts of god you see as a child of the light i live in the light of his word right god is light my lamps are lit it's a term of readiness remember the parable the 10 virgins there were 10 wise 10 foolish 10 wise their lamps are lit the 10 foolish didn't have enough oil to keep their lamps lit right and so they they asked the the 10 wise virgins can we borrow some of your oil answer was no you can't well that seems kind of rude doesn't it you how can you give me your oil because you can't give your salvation to somebody else lit lamps speak of one's salvation the one sanctifying uh life one's life that's committed to christ and they have lit lamps that is there were professing foolish virgins and there were 10 pure or five pure virgins and those pure virgins were ready when the king came calling they were ready and so they said you got to go buy some oil so the foolish virgin went to go buy oil it was too late everything was closed it's too late say it's too late once the king comes it's too late the door is shut and so the whole metaphor of having your lamps lit speaks of your spiritual condition and the fruitfulness of your life because fruitfulness is the number one characteristic of somebody who's born again we talked about that on wednesday night for like 11 straight weeks about fruitfulness being the number one characteristic the number one proof of one's genuine salvation and this is my father glorified that you bear much fruit why because john 15 16 says you've been appointed to bear fruit it is predestined it is determined the eternity past that you ironclad guarantee if a believer will bear fruit for the glory and honor of god and so if i'm going to be ready i am mindful of of the person of god i know that jesus is coming he's always on my mind i'm anticipating the new heaven the new earth i'm anticipating that christ is going to call me home to be with him and i can't wait to be there i'm mindful of that every single day because i'm dressed in readiness i'm ready to go and then i am fruitful in the precepts of god i know what he says i know what i'm supposed to do my lamps are lit they're lit because he is the light of the world and i am a child of the light i walk in the light i don't walk in darkness and then he says this and be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes surely i say to that he will gird himself to serve and have them recline at the table and will come up and wait on them whether it comes he comes in the second watch or even in the third and finds them blessed are those slaves so he goes from a metaphor of dress to a metaphor of light to a metaphor of light and if as uh the metaphor of dress i am mindful of the person of god with the metaphor of the lamps lit uh i am fruitful in the precepts of god then to understand the fact that i am a slave i am faithful to the purposes of god i am faithful to the purposes of god deck says very clearly that men who are waiting for the master when he returns from the wedding feast now you understand ancient weddings if you're gonna get married you gotta send an invitation out you say i'm gonna get i'm gonna get married in june well what day what time you don't tell them that tell me get married in june gotta be ready gotta be ready to go can you imagine sending out a wedding invitation say i'm getting married in the month of august well how do i plan for that you can't because i don't know what day it's going to be yet when the bridegroom comes he takes me that's when we're getting married you gotta be ready though that's how they were in in ancient times and so the this master would be gone he didn't know when he was coming back he was just going to a wedding feast and those wedding feasts could last seven days normal they could last longer than that if there was more money in the family they could last for a week two weeks they could last for a long time you know it's coming back that slave had to be faithful to his master and make sure everything was put in order because when he is faithful to the purposes of god that when that that master returns he will serve the slave wow now that's going to happen right here the marriage of the lamb that's what's going to happen and that marriage of the lamb remember we told you begins here and that marriage of the lamb continues through the kingdom age into eternity it's a full-blown celebration that lasts forever and never never but it begins in heaven it begins with the the saints those of the church age the bride of christ that goes down because we are presented to his father in heaven right the bridegroom presents the bride to his father and then he presents the bride that's where we come back with him to the world for all to see that's what they would do in ancient weddings the bride wasn't presented until after the seven day period well the bride's presented after seven year tribulation upon the earth so all the world will know that there was a bride redeemed by the king bought her for his purposes for his glory and so the these slaves they're faithful to the purposes of god he's given them a design he's given them uh what they're supposed to do to serve him to to witness for him to live for him to make sure things are in order so they are faithful in their service it's required of a steward to be found faithful that's it faithful just be faithful to do what god's called you to do you know you're ready when you're mindful of the person of god when you're fruitful in the precepts of god when you are faithful to the purposes of god and fourthly you know you're ready when you are watchful unto the presence of god the bible says this and be sure of this that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming he would have not allowed his house to be broken into so now you have a third metaphor a fourth metaphor excuse me that of a thief who comes suddenly and unexpectedly but you are watchful you're always on guard you're always alert you're always vigilant right always vigilant you're watchful and there there's that sense of expectancy you're you're you're you're waiting in and and and looking and anticipating the coming of the king so what now i i really liked how jimmy de young would close every session he had with us how should we then live in purity and productivity you know what he said remember that he he talked about the coming of the messiah but they also always close the sermon by saying how should we then live in purity and productivity a pure life oh yeah why because everything here everything here motivates me to that everything here motivates me to that it's all about that to live for christ i'm the bride right i'm the bride of christ i'm part of that bride like you're part of that bride if you if you know christ is your lord and savior and you know like any man who wants to marry a woman he wants to marry a virgin he wants to marry a pure woman right a blameless spotless woman that's what he wants to marry and likewise the woman wants to marry a man who's pure and true and holy so it goes both ways and christ is pure christ is true christ is holy he's the bridegroom we're the bride and so it motivates me to live a pure and holy life this is called salvation this is what christ is doing with the people here remember he's talking to a multitude of people uh luke 12 verse number one throngs of people scores of people but but he wants them to be ready because he's coming at an hour they will least expect him least expect him and the question comes are we ready more specific are you ready just because you're in church doesn't mean you're ready just because you're in church doesn't mean you're ready just because just because you do ministry doesn't mean you're ready just because you've served the lord for years doesn't mean you're ready okay how do we know that matthew chapter 7 right many will say to me on that day lord lord did we not prophesy in your name cast out many demons in your name do many marvelous deeds in your name and christ would say depart from me i never knew you just don't know you we told you before it's not the not so much that you know christ is that he knows you right your name's been written down in the book of life and so you you need to be ready you need to be ready because you are you are completely mindful of the person of god that he is the one who came to earth to die for your sins rose again the third day and is coming back again for your glorification for your salvation so that you can be with him forever always mindful of the person of god that you're fruitful to the precepts of god because your lamps are lit you're you're you're a child of the king you're you you are one who walks in the light as he is in the light your lamps are lit you have true spiritual life it's demonstrated by the fruitfulness of your life and then and then you understand you'll be faithful to the purposes of god you're a slave you serve the true and living god and he wants you to fulfill his purposes in this life so i'm faithful to that i don't know what's gonna come i have no idea no idea but i want to be found faithful when he does come don't you and then you are watchful vigilant for the presence of god always looking upward maybe this is the day maybe this is the hour maybe this is the moment it's gonna come it's gonna come if you're ready you're going if you're not ready you're staying i want to stay don't be left behind you want to go right and so you anticipate his coming my prayer for you for me that we live in light of this pure productive lives for our king for his glory and his honor let me pray with you father god thank you for today and the true joy of your word i thank you for those who are here today i pray for them as fathers lord on this father's day that they would lead their children into the proper knowledge of the coming of the messiah and how they should live as fathers before their children so that they would have their children live similar kind of lives pure and productive lives for the glory of the king lord i pray that lord every one of us would live mindful of your glory fruitful and faithful to all that you are and all that you've said and always watchful always always careful always dutiful for the return of our king thank you lord for your word the truth is there for those who are here that do not know you may today be the day of their salvation they might know what it means to be dressed in readiness lamps lit serving the master for he comes like a thief pray in jesus name amen