In life there are things that are just flat out inconvenient. The traffic jam on the way home from work. The unexpected overtime on a Friday night. The appliance that decided to stop working. These seemingly small events create tremendous derailment to the flow of life don’t they? We love when life goes according to plan. Easy is always good.
The good life
The people in Noah’s day felt the same way. They enjoyed hanging out with friends, going to parties and living the good life. But the one day Noah shows up and starts telling them that God is going to destroy the entire globe with a flood. Luckily he was building an enormous ship that they all could get on and be saved from this terrible event. But what was proclaimed as a warning was taken as a threat to the comfortable life they had going for them. And so for the next century, while Noah worked away on his boat, everybody else kept the good times rolling.
That is, until the great wrath of God that Noah had warned them about became a horrific reality. But by then it was too late. What was thought of as too much of an inconvenience, became a world ending judgement. In the moment as the flood waters rose higher and higher and they ran to Noah’s boat, do you think they cared about the good life?
The great anticipation
For centuries, the second coming of Christ was a much anticipated event. It was preached from pulpits across the globe as Christians lived in hope of seeing the savior return. It was fuel that kept faith burning under persecution and incentive to proclaim the Gospel. But today this message and hope has grown cold it seems. No longer is it being taught in the church house. Even less is it anticipated by believers. Instead of waiting expectedly, the church secretly wonders “where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Pet. 3:4)
It may not be talked about but it isn’t any less solid truth. Jesus said bluntly in Matt. 24:37-39
“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.”
Home sweet home
Could it be that we too have traded this living hope for a happy home here on this earth? Have we heard the warnings so much that at this point it would be more of an inconvenience? A hindrance to the life we have created until it’s too late?
Jesus goes further to issue a warning in verses 42 and 44
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…You must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Are you ready?
There is no doubt, He is coming. The question is…are you ready? Is your priority fully pursuing maturity in Christ, running this race as though you actually want to win it? Are you mercilessly waging war against the passions of the flesh? Is your heart and soul right with the God who created you? Are you prepared to stand face to face with God Almighty?
Or is all of this too much of an inconvenience for us? We have plenty of time to do all of these things…right? Now is the favorable time, now is the day. (2 Cor. 6:2)
“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” Heb. 10:37-39