Ready for Christ’s Return, Helping Others Be Ready

Devotional

Day 1: The Flood’s Sudden Shadow and the Unseen Hour

Jesus compared his return to the days of Noah, when life’s rhythms hid the coming storm. People ate, drank, and married, unaware of the flood until it swept them away. The end will come not with fanfare but in the middle of life’s ordinary moments. Readiness isn’t about predicting dates but living awake to eternity’s nearness. The righteous aren’t swept up in judgment—they’re left to inherit renewal. This truth anchors urgency: normalcy is no shield against divine reckoning. [23:11]

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
(Matthew 24:36–39, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary rhythms of your life might numb you to eternity’s reality? How could you cultivate daily awareness of Christ’s nearness?

Day 2: The God Who Limited Himself to Save Us

Jesus, fully divine, chose human limits—hunger, fatigue, and even ignorance of the Father’s timeline. His humility wasn’t a performance but a rescue mission: the Creator became creation to renew it. The incarnation means God meets us in our frailty, not from a distance. He doesn’t demand we climb to heaven but descends to walk with us. Our Savior’s “not knowing” underscores his solidarity with human weakness—and his trust in the Father’s plan. [31:35]

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
(Philippians 2:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you resent your human limits? How might Jesus’ choice to embrace weakness reframe your dependence on God?

Day 3: Grinding Grain When the World Ends

Two women grind grain; one is taken. Jesus’ metaphor jars us: judgment interrupts mundane work. The danger isn’t evil deeds but good things blinding us to ultimate things. Faithfulness means doing dishes, paying bills, and raising kids with eternity in view. The call isn’t to abandon daily labor but to sanctify it. What we do in obscurity reveals what we truly await. [46:00]

“Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
(Matthew 24:40–42, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane task most distracts you from eternal perspective? How could you offer that work today as worship?

Day 4: The Faithful Servant’s Unremarkable Obedience

Readiness looks like feeding the household, not decoding prophecies. The faithful servant isn’t praised for dramatic acts but for steady stewardship. Jesus measures readiness by ordinary faithfulness: showing up, loving others, tending responsibilities. The unfaithful servant’s sin wasn’t rebellion but complacency—assuming delay meant indifference. Eternal rewards hinge on daily, quiet trust. [51:26]

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
(Matthew 24:45–46, ESV)

Reflection: What “small” act of faithfulness have you neglected? How does Christ’s return redefine the significance of your daily choices?

Day 5: The Question That Haunts the Ready

“Are you helping someone else get ready?” Jesus’ return isn’t a private hope but a communal charge. The gospel’s urgency crushes apathy toward neighbors. Readiness multiplies—it’s not about personal security but rescuing others from the flood. Silence isn’t neutrality; it’s complicity. Heaven’s joy includes those we bring with us. [54:30]

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’”
(Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels farthest from God? What step could you take this week to share Christ’s hope with them?

Sermon Summary

Jesus says no one knows the day or hour of his return, not even the angels, but only the Father. The incarnation shows why that statement matters: Christ is fully God and fully human, taking on the real limitations of human flesh without losing his sinless union with the Father. Philippians 2 shows that Jesus did not use equality with God for his own advantage, but made himself nothing and took the form of a servant. Christ entered the mess to rescue people from the mess, like becoming an ant to show the ants the way home.

Jesus compares his coming to the days of Noah, when people were eating, drinking, marrying, planning, and living normal life right up until the flood came. The image of Noah warns that ordinary life can become a spiritual danger when everyday concerns crowd out ultimate reality. The worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth can choke the word, leaving people busy but unfruitful. Christ is the ark God has provided, the way out from sin, judgment, and death.

The language of one being taken and another left must be read in its context. The flood took away the unrighteous, while Noah and his family remained; therefore, the warning in Matthew 24 is about judgment, not an escape from creation. Revelation’s picture of a new heaven and new earth holds out resurrection and new creation, not God throwing away the world so his people can leave it behind. Jesus is coming back, eternity is real, and faithful Christians can disagree about secondary details without losing the center.

Jesus says readiness does not mean making charts, predicting dates, or staring into the sky. The faithful servant is simply found doing what the Master asked him to do when he returns. The warning against the wicked servant exposes the temptation to live as though the Master is gone for a long time, acting like the master and becoming swallowed up by the world.

The gospel says Jesus has already done everything necessary to make sinners ready. Christ lived the life sinners could not live, bore the judgment sinners deserved, rose again, and offers salvation to everyone who trusts him. The call is to repent, trust Jesus, live faithfully now, and help somebody else get ready. Communion brings that question close: Are they ready, and are they helping someone else be ready?

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Key Takeaways

1. Nobody knows the day or hour. Jesus closes the door on date-setting because even the angels do not possess that knowledge. Speculation can feel spiritual while becoming a distraction from obedience. Readiness rests in trusting the Father’s authority and living faithfully in the present. [37:40]
2. Normal life can hide spiritual danger. The days of Noah were not marked by constant outward chaos, but by people living as though ultimate reality would never arrive. Work, family, money, and plans become dangerous when they consume every horizon. The worries of life can choke fruitfulness without requiring a person to openly reject God. [40:50]
3. Christ is God’s true ark. Jesus is not merely a warning about judgment but God’s provision of rescue from it. His incarnation, cross, and resurrection open the way out of the death and brokenness sin has created. Salvation comes through trusting him, not through becoming impressive enough to save oneself. [56:37]
4. Readiness looks like faithful service. Jesus defines readiness as being found faithful with what the Master has already commanded. Love, forgiveness, generosity, service, spiritual gifts, and disciple-making are not optional extras for a later season. Faithfulness reveals that a person truly believes the Master will return. [51:26]
5. Urgency should shape love for others. Eternity cannot remain an abstract doctrine when people nearby are headed toward death without Christ. The call is not to pressure people or win arguments, but to love them enough to speak of Jesus and walk with them toward him. A faithful life asks not only, “Am I ready?” but also, “Who am I helping get ready?”

## [57:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:10] - Reading Matthew 24:36-44
[24:03] - Why End Times Matter Today
[28:39] - Matthew 24 and the Destruction of Jerusalem
[30:32] - Why Jesus Did Not Know the Hour
[32:41] - The Fully God and Fully Human Christ
[35:26] - Jesus Enters Human Limitations
[37:40] - The Days of Noah
[40:19] - The Danger of Ordinary Distraction
[45:18] - Taken Away or Left Behind
[48:25] - Judgment, New Creation, and Hope
[49:50] - Readiness Means Faithfulness
[52:48] - What Will Jesus Find You Doing?
[56:15] - Jesus Has Already Made Salvation Possible
[57:58] - Helping Someone Else Get Ready
[60:15] - Communion and the Call to Respond

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 24:36-44
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” [22:10]

Philippians 2:6-7
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” [32:41]

Matthew 13:22
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” [40:50]

Observation questions

In Matthew 24:36-44, what details does Jesus give about who knows the day and hour of his return, and what does he tell his followers to do instead?
What ordinary activities were people doing in the days of Noah before the flood came, and why is that detail important? [40:19]
In Philippians 2:6-7, what choice did Jesus make instead of using his equality with God for his own advantage? [32:41]
According to Matthew 13:22, what two things can choke the word and make a person unfruitful? [44:15]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus’ statement that no one knows the day or hour rule out date-setting while still calling believers to take his return seriously? [37:40]
How does Jesus being fully God and fully human help explain both his real human limitations and his ability to rescue sinners? [34:51]
In the Noah comparison, why does ordinary life become spiritually dangerous when it pushes ultimate realities—judgment, eternity, and obedience to God—to the edges of a person’s attention? [41:00]
How does the context of the flood shape the meaning of one person being “taken” and another being “left” in Matthew 24? Why does context matter when Christians disagree about secondary end-times details? [48:32]

Application questions

What worries, routines, plans, or pursuits are most likely to fill so much space in your life that you stop paying attention to God and eternity? What might it look like to put those things back in their proper place? [40:50]
Jesus is God’s provision of rescue, not a reward for people who have made themselves good enough. Is there any place where you are still trying to make yourself ready through effort, knowledge, or religious activity rather than trusting Christ? [56:26]
Readiness looks like being found faithful with what the Master has already asked us to do. If Jesus returned this week, what would he find you doing with your relationships, resources, gifts, and time? [52:48]
Is there a person you are currently praying for or intentionally loving toward Jesus? If no one comes to mind, who is one person you could begin to pray for and pursue with genuine care this week? [58:02]
Where might you be tempted to live as though the Master is “staying away a long time”—putting off forgiveness, generosity, service, repentance, or obedience for another season? What is one next step you could take now? [51:47]
How can this group help one another live with urgency without becoming fearful, argumentative, or distracted by end-times debates? [45:18]

Sermon Clips

55s

#FaithfulUntilHeComes

“Readiness isn't about sitting up waiting for Jesus to come back, looking in the sky. It's being found faithful to do what Jesus told you to do. So let me ask you this, old school question. If Jesus came back today, what would he find you doing? Would he find you becoming more like him? Would he find you loving other people like him? Would he would he find you forgiving or holding on to bitterness? Would he find you serving? Would he find you giving or hoarding resources? Would he find you using your spiritual gifts, living out your unique role in the mission of God? Would he find you making disciples? Would he find you faithful?”

50s

#JesusIsEnough

“Not because you're good enough, not because you came to a church service, not because you know enough, but because Jesus is enough, his life, death, and resurrection. So repent. That means tell him, I'm sorry, and I don't want to live this life anymore, and give him your life. And if you are ready, don't waste this life simply waiting on heaven. Don't waste whatever time you have just waiting on heaven. Live faithfully now. Help someone else get ready. Who's your one?”

43s

#EternalPerspective

“Don't get so wrapped up in in what's happening in the here and now, just everyday living, that you forget about what's ultimately important. I think that's one of the greatest spiritual dangers that we face. You don't necessarily have to hate God. You don't necessarily have to consciously reject God. You can simply become so distracted by this life that we stop thinking about him. We can get so wrapped up in our job, our kids, grandkids, school, money, retirement, vacation, the house, what we want next, that we spend our entire life building a life that's eventually gonna end.”

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