THE DAY OF PREPARATION

“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will,
and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will,
shall be beaten with many stripes”
LUKE 12:46

This is a word to God’s people.  This is a word concerning today.  Somehow we have to come to think that being born again is like a “get out of jail free” card; that we no longer have responsibility or accountability for how we live our daily lives. The context of this scripture is one that should cause us to radically consider our ways and our concept of what it means to be a Christian.

“But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will,  shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given,  of him shall be much required:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”
LUKE 12:45-48

From these very words we can clearly see that HE REQUIRES MORE of His people than of the world.  The more we know of HIS Kingdom the more shall be required of us.  Greater understanding brings greater accountability.  Rather than being puffed up with knowledge we need to be sober and filled with fear and trembling as we walk before Him.  The “fear of the Lord is the beginning (chief part) of wisdom”.  Men who do not fear Him do not know Him.  Men who seek and desire preeminent places of standing, who seek recognition and favor from others, know not God.  It is a day to walk lowly and humbly before our God.  It is a day to prepare ourselves for the fury of that which is about to break forth in our land.

The Greek word used here for “prepare”* is the same Greek word translated in the Gospels when speaking of John the Baptist’s ministration as a fore runner to prepare the way of the Lord. It is a warning to us that we are to be prepared.  In the Greek it is an active verb which means it is incumbent upon us to be ACTIVE in the fulfilling of this word.  The judgment comes to those who do not PREPARE themselves and they who know and do not are in greater judgment than those who knew not.  Let us take heed to this.  Let us know that our boldness in the day of Judgment is determined by our likeness to Him.

“Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness
in the day of judgment:
because as he is, so are we in this world”
1JOHN 4:17

How we are in this world determines our day of Judgment. The Day of preparation is all about the heart.  It is about right motives and intentions; for it is the PURE IN HEART who shall SEE GOD.  Our greatest need in this hour is to SEE HIM for that is the only hope we have of becoming like HIM (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Malachi prophesying of our day speaks of Him coming to His people as a refiner’s fire…

“But who may abide the day of his coming?
and who shall stand when he appeareth?
for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers ‘soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”
MALACHI 3:2-3

The DAY of HIS appearing is unfolding before our eyes.  The distress of nations is upon us. Fear is beginning to grip men’s hearts. The very foundations of society are being removed and men do not know where to put their trust.  It is for this Day that the scriptures warn us to be a people who ARE preparing ourselves and are warning those around us as to the day and the hour in which we are living. It is not the Day for business as usual.  This is no time for routine Sunday sermons and fireless prayer meetings; casual Biblical discussions that do not bring conviction, the fear of the Lord and a stirring of the heart unto love and devotion to Jesus.

Many will say in that day “Lord, Lord…” to which Jesus will respond “I never knew you…”

May God stir our hearts afresh to be vigilant and sober that we be not overtaken by the slumber and apathy of this hour.

“Prepare ye the Way of the Lord”

Ω

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”
ISAIAH 40:3-4

*NOTE: ἑτοιμάζω
1. To make ready, prepare
2. To make the necessary preparations,
get everything ready

3 Metaphorically

• Drawn from the oriental custom of sending on
  before Kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable (Isaiah 40:3-4)
• To prepare the minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception and secure his blessings.
  BLB Greek Lexicon

Brian Troxel