Be Ready (Albert Martin)

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces a thought experiment: an intelligent, Bible-ignorant reader would identify Jesus as the central figure of the New Testament and His virgin conception, death…

Martin asks the audience to imagine a reasonably intelligent, disciplined reader, totally ignorant of the Bible, reading the New Testament for the first time to identify the central personage and four most significant events. This thought experiment highlights the undeniable centrality of Jesus and the foundational nature of His virgin conception, death, resurrection, and second coming.

Delivered on Sunday evening, September 28, 1997, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now I want you to imagine with me that together we have tried to seek out a man somewhere in this general area, possibly in his late twenties or early thirties, but a very unique man from our particular area in that he must not only be reasonably intelligent and somewhat of a disciplined and thoughtful reader,

0:04 - 0:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes that the precise time of Christ's return is unknown, as stated in Matthew 24:42, 43, and 36. He highlights that there will be no dramatic signs preceding it…

The unexpected coming of Christ is compared to a thief breaking into a house, emphasizing that the precise time is unknown and therefore requires constant readiness.

not on what day your Lord comes day and hour are not to be understood in a technical way and leaving room saying with certain popular radio teachers but we can know the year and we might know the month and the place of you don't know the time of His coming you don't know the precise time when He will come that's why the thief motif is introduced in verse 43 but know this if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming he would have watched and not suffered his house

27:25 - 28:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes that the precise time of Christ's return is unknown, as stated in Matthew 24:42, 43, and 36. He highlights that there will be no dramatic signs preceding it…

The circumstances prior to Christ's second coming are likened to the days of Noah, where people were engaged in ordinary life (eating, drinking, marrying) without dramatic signs of the impending flood, illustrating the lack of clear, dramatic signs before Christ's return.

verse thirty six but of that day an hour knoweth no one not even the angels of heaven neither the Son but the Father also two things we need to grasp from that statement there will be no clearly identifiable and dramatic signs indicating that his coming is upon us in verses thirty seven to forty two our Lord says as were the days of Noah so shall be the coming of the Son of Man as in those days that were before the flood eating drinking

28:54 - 29:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Bend your shoulder to present duty in your home, with your spouse, work associates, and neighbors.

God's question to Moses, 'What is that in your hand?' is used to illustrate that readiness involves faithfulness in one's current sphere of influence, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant.

Because you long to do something more significant. As God said to Moses, what is that in your hand? He says, a stick. He says, throw it down.

45:02 - 45:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Righteously avoid the judgment that will otherwise fall upon you when Christ comes.

The parable of the evil servant who thinks his master delays and abuses his fellow servants is used to graphically describe the brutal consequences for those who are unprepared for Christ's return.

why he goes on in this very passage in matthew chapter 24 to speak of one who was obviously not prepared verse 47 i'm sorry verse 48 but if that evil servant shall say in his heart my lord is tarrying and shall begin to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunken the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expects not and in an hour when he does not know and shall cut him asunder what brutal language he's going to dismember him if you've got a jesus who talks about being dismembered that's the words of the son of

47:15 - 47:57 Read in full sermon