How Can We Be Ready Spiritually? — Stephen Kaung

Thank God, we just had the Lord's table. And our Lord Jesus said to us, do this in remembrance of me. Exhibit his death before the world until. So dear brothers and sisters, the Lord has given us one of the best ways to prepare spiritually for his return.

Remembering Christ at the Lord’s Table

And it is remembering him at his table. We will remember him until he comes. And the very fact of remembering him is the best preparation for the coming of the Lord. The Lord knows our weakness, how easily we may forget.

How easily we may be enticed away from him. And that's why make us unready for his return. He knows it. And that's the reason why he asks us to remember him until he comes, lest we forget. So thank God for giving us such opportunity of remembering him at the table.

And as we remember him, we are touched, melted by his love. No matter how unlovely we are, he still loves us. He loves us to the very end, to the uttermost. And this love prepares us for his return. I recall Brother Darwin and some of his colleagues, they were translating the Bible.

They used all kinds of ancient manuscripts. They had to use lots of their mental exercise. And they were afraid, less in translating and doing all these mental exercises, that their hearts may be led astray from the Lord.

And the way to keep them focused on the Lord is to remember the Lord. So they broke bread every day, just to help them to have their hearts filled by the Lord, and not let their mind fill even with doing something for the Lord.

So dear brothers and sisters, we thank God for the privilege that we may come together, at least once a week, at the table, remembering how his body was broken for us, to us. How his blood was shed for us.

Thank God for his unceasing love. So may the Spirit keep us until we see him face to face. Let us read from Matthew chapter 24. We will read from verse 44, and in order to save time, I think probably we will just read from 44 to Matthew 25 verse 1.

Matthew 24 verses 45 to Matthew 25 and 1. Wherefore, ye also, be ye ready, for in that hour that ye think not, the Son of Man comes. Who then is the faithful and prudent bondman whom his Lord has set over his household to give them food in season?

Blessed is that bondman whom his Lord on coming shall find doing thus. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all his substance, but if that evil bondman should say in his heart, My Lord delays his coming to come and begin to beat his fellow bondman and eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour he knows not of, and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites.

There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be made light to ten virgins that have taken their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom. Let's have a word of prayer.

Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee because Thou dost love us, love us so much that Thou want to come back to receive us to Thyself. O Lord, we thank Thee for giving us this opportunity to get it before Thee.

Open our hearts to Thee, enable Thy Spirit to prepare us for Thy return. O Lord, give us such a longing, a yearning for Thyself that will draw you, as it were, from coming back. O Lord, how long should we wait?

Quickly. The theme of this time is spiritual readiness. Yesterday morning we addressed the first question, why should there be spiritual readiness? Ready for what? It is very simple. Spiritual readiness is to be ready spiritually to meet the Lord at His return.

We are going to meet Him. He is coming back, but are we prepared? Are we ready to see Him? If you have an appointment with the President of the United States, you do not just go to meet Him casually. You prepare because you are going to meet not a common person.

How much more that we need to be prepared since we are going to meet the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, our Savior, our Master, our Lord. In order to meet Him, we need to be prepared, to be ready spiritually.

The Certainty and Nearness of Christ’s Return

Yesterday morning we mentioned a little bit about the sureness, the certainty of the return of our Lord. It is because He told us Himself, His apostles told us that our Lord will come back. There are many signs around us telling us that His coming is imminent.

Our Lord Himself said, when you see the fig tree bud and begin to have leaves, you know the summer is near. When you see all these things, you know that it is near at the doors. So dear brothers and sisters, there is no doubt that our Lord Jesus is at the doors.

We do not know which door it is, but we only know it is near, very near, nearer probably that every one of us may think because the Lord said, in the hour that you know not, you think that He is not coming yet, it is too early yet, and suddenly He is there.

We mentioned yesterday also that the coming of the Lord is a term that we need to understand. The word used is parousia, which is presence. And this word, the presence of the Lord, refers to His physical presence.

Thank God that our Lord Jesus, even before He left us, He told us He will come in His spirit and He has been with us, never left us nor forsake us. He will be with us till the end of the age. He is with us spiritually, but He promises that He will come in person, physically.

So His presence is near. As the two men in white said to the early disciples as they looked at the Lord's ascending, they told them, men of Galilee, why are you looking up? The one who is taken, He will come back in like manner, in the same way.

So we mentioned yesterday that the way that He departed is in two stages. Two stages. From Mount Olive to the cloud, visible. Then from the cloud to the throne, invisible. So when His presence shall be with us, it will be just the reverse order.

From the throne to the cloud, invisible. He will come as a thief, without our knowledge, suddenly He comes. He takes what is treasure to His heart and He disappears, invisible. But then the second part of His presence will be from the cloud to Mount Olive.

And that's the song that we just sang, Maranatha. When His feet shall touch Mount Olive. That is the appearing of His coming. And this is visible as a lightning that shines from the east to the west and the whole world sees it.

He shall come with the cloud, with His saints, and He shall come to judge the world. So brothers and sisters, what we are waiting is not from the cloud to Mount Olive. That is for the world. But what we as believers are waiting is from the throne to the cloud.

The Man-Child, the Tribulation, and the Resurrection

We find in Revelation chapter 12, the man-child. As soon as he is born, he is taken to the throne. The dragon waits for vain. And this man-child represents the overcomers of the church. As we say, the church itself is an overcoming church.

But unfortunately, because God's people are defeated, therefore there will be those, by the grace of God, are faithful, and they shall be the welcoming party to the presence of the Lord. They shall go through the air, the headquarter of the enemy.

They have overcome through our Lord Jesus, and they will reach the throne, opening the way, as it were, for the Lord to come from the throne to the cloud. And then, brothers and sisters, Satan will have no place in the air.

He will be thrown down upon this earth, and there will be the great tribulation that the world has ever known. But thank God, those who are left behind, even those who are left behind, they are given a second chance to be faithful, even unto death.

And then, as the Bible says, the trumpet will sound, in a twinkling of an eye, the dead in Christ shall be raised, and those who live and remain shall be changed, and all shall be taken up to the cloud, to meet the Lord who has descended to the cloud.

That is in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And in the air, there will be the gathering of all the saints throughout the ages. There will be the judgment seat of Christ, a family judgment to decide who is to be recommended and rewarded with the kingdom, and who will be disciplined during that time.

So brothers and sisters, it is very, very essential that we be prepared to meet the Lord. We find in the writings of the Apostle Paul, this is the day that he was always looking forward to, the day of Christ, that he shall appear before his Lord and claim this.

May it be so with every one of us. Now this morning, we would like to continue on with the second question. The second question is, how? How should we be ready spiritually? We know we need to be ready, but how?

Readiness in an Unknown Hour

Now dear brothers and sisters, we have a real problem before us. The problem is, we do not know when exactly he comes. If we know exactly when he shall come, then it's easy to prepare. Why? If it's five years later, well we have five more years.

Usually we try to prepare at the last minute. That is the way we are. But fortunately our Lord said, no one knows the hour, the day. No one knows, not even the angels, even the Son of Man while he was on earth.

He said only the Father knows. So we do not know exactly when he comes. He only warns us that when we know not of, when we are unaware, and strangely when we are unprepared, he comes. So how should we be ready for something that we do not know when?

Here is the foolishness of man's wisdom. Because we do not know when he comes. We only are warned that when he comes, it will be sudden, it will be at the time that probably most people are unaware of, thinking that this cannot be the time.

But strangely God's timing is different. So how can we be prepared? Brothers and sisters, do you see the wisdom of God there? That he wants us to be ever ready, no matter when he shall come. We are ready for him.

If the master of the house knows when the thief will come, then he will be ready and will not allow the thief to come unaware. In the same manner, even though we do not know the time, exactly when, we only know it's clear, it's near, at the doors, very close.

It can happen at any time, suddenly. So brothers and sisters, that means we have to be ready all the time. It is not just a matter of be ready once. It is a readiness every day, every hour, every moment.

Now if we are ever ready, then no better, no matter when he shall return, we are ready for him. But brothers and sisters, we should be ever ready, but never ready. If we think we are now ready, most likely we are not ready.

Because we cannot measure the requirement according to our thinking. We have to measure the requirement of readiness according to his thinking. So we may think we are ready, but we are not ready. And very often when we think we are ready, this is the time that we relax, sit back, self-confident, and this is the most dangerous time.

So brothers and sisters, I think the secret is, always ready, but never ready. That's the secret. That is the attitude that we should take. We should be ready all the time, be vigilant, watchful, and prayer, waiting, ready for him.

And at the same time, we have to trust and depend upon the grace of God. Because we know our frailty. There is no pride, boasting. If we boast, so will brothers and sisters, we need to be kept in constant humility, casting ourselves upon the long-suffering of God.

Have no confidence in the flesh, but our confidence is in Christ Jesus. That is the way to be prepared. Our Lord Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, he told us, as the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man.

Living for God Rather Than the Pleasures of This Age

What are the symptoms of the days of Noah? The Lord tells us, in the days of Noah, Peter was eating and drinking, marrying and giving to marriage, and suddenly, the flood comes. There is nothing wrong with eating, or drinking, marrying, or giving to marriage.

These are the things that are ordained by God. God gave us a body, and he prepared food for us. We need to drink, we need to eat, and given God's intention, he has bought a family. We need to marry, and get married.

What's wrong with that? But dear brothers and sisters, when eating and drinking, marrying and giving to marriage, becomes the very purpose of life, that is absolutely wrong. We are here, not for eating, nor for drinking, not for marrying, not to be given in marriage.

We are here to do the will of God, to glorify him. That is our purpose. And dear brothers and sisters, look in the world today. How people make eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, all these limited, legitimate things, become illegitimate.

They make these as the purpose of life. They live for their belly. Their belly is their God. They live for comfort, for the cures of this life. They live for their own satisfaction, satisfaction of their flesh.

And that is the sign of the lost age. And unfortunately, brothers and sisters, many believers are no different from the people of the world. What is the purpose of your life? What do you live for? What are the things that really satisfy you?

What are the things that you're really seeking? Are you seeking after the world, the things of the world? Or are you seeking after God and after his will? What is the purpose of your life? So the Lord said, For you know not when the Son of Man shall come.

Be ready, because at the time that you are unaware of, he suddenly comes. And then he began to speak a parable. He said, Who is the prudent and faithful bondman? That is the Lord. When he goes away, he commits his household to that servant.

And if that servant is prudent, wise, and faithful, he will give food to the household in season, knowing the mind of the master, and faithful to what the master has entrusted to him. Then when the master shall return, he shall give him all the substance of his house.

The Faithful and Evil Bondservants

But if the same person, the Lord is not telling us about two different people, one wise, one foolish. The Lord is saying to us, you can be wise or you can be foolish. If you are the evil servant, thinking that the Lord delayed, he will not come back that soon.

So you began to eat and drink, and got drunken, and you began to beat even your fellow bondman. Then at the time that he is unaware, the master returns. And when the master returns, he will cut him in two, put him in the same class as a hypocrite.

And there will be the nation of peace. Brothers and sisters, our Lord is telling us, at the time of his coming, we, his bondmen, you know a bondman is more than just a servant of today. A bondman in the old days is a slave.

A bondman is one that is bought by the master. He owes nothing. Not only nothing, but he does not even owe his own life. He has no right of any kind. He belongs to his master. And we as believers, we are all bondmen of God because our Lord has bought us with a price.

What a price he has paid for such worthless people such as we are. He gave his very life, he shed his very blood, he bought us to himself. He entrusts his house, household, the family of God, the church of God.

He wants us to be faithful and prudent, not to be foolish and unfaithful. The only difference that makes us either prudent and faithful or evil depends upon what is your attitude towards the coming of the Lord.

If you think that the Lord is coming soon and he can return at any moment, then you be wise and faithful in everything, every day, diligently doing his bit because he may come at any moment and you are ready.

But the evil servants say in his heart, the Lord delays his return. He does not think the Lord will return so soon. There's plenty of time he can enjoy himself. And maybe at the last moment he will repent and then he will be prepared.

He thinks he is wise to get the two worlds, but he is the foolish one because the master will come at the time he is not aware of. You know sometimes when we are preaching the gospel to people, people say, yes, we know we need a savior.

At my deathbed I will repent. But are you sure at your deathbed you will repent? How many people die suddenly? Brothers and sisters, you know that is the foolishness of man's wisdom. This servant thinks there is plenty of time.

Let me enjoy the world first. As people say, when I am as old as you are, then I will seek heavenly things. Brothers and sisters, too late. So how do we prepare for the coming of the Lord when we do not know exactly when he arrives?

It depends mainly upon our attitude. What is your attitude towards his coming? Are you expecting him any moment? Are you saying in your heart, he delays? He will not come. Maybe tomorrow, but certainly not today.

Brothers and sisters, what is your attitude towards the coming of the Lord? What is your attitude? We need to place ourselves under the light of God and allow his light to shine upon us because only in his light do we know light.

Our hearts are deceitful above all things, so deceitful that it deceives even ourselves. We need constantly to pray the prayer of David in Psalm 139, search me and know my heart. Examine me and know my mind.

See if there is any evil, grievous, idolatrous thing in me. Brothers and sisters, let his light search every one of us. Am I a prudent and faithful bondman or am I an evil? Your attitude, heart, what do you think about the coming of the Lord?

Do you really believe? Do you really think that he may come at this moment? Or you think, oh no, not today, maybe 2040 or 2060. You know the famous scientist Isaac Newton, actually he wrote more spiritual books than scientific books and he tried to estimate when the Lord shall return.

He is a mathematician and to his estimate, it will be 2060, foolishness. Brothers and sisters, we do not know when he is coming. We only know he can come at any moment. Then our Lord Jesus began to follow with two other parables.

Accountability for Life and Service

You know to be ready, in what respects, in what areas should we be ready? Because when the Lord shall return, he will reckon with us. Whatever was covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus, the past, will not be remembered anymore.

But after we have believed in the Lord Jesus, after we have received his life, how do we live our days? How do we serve him in our work? These things we have to give an account. Therefore our preparation should be twofold.

We need to prepare for a life that will be pleasing to him. And we need to prepare for a service that will be acceptable to him. So for this reason we find our Lord Jesus followed with two other parables.

Now first of all, I have to say that I am not trying to give a strict interpretation of what follows. Because strictly speaking, if you notice, there is a time difference here. You notice that in chapter 24 verse 40,.

Then two shall be in the field, one is taken and one is left. Two women grinding at a mill, one is taken and one is left. Watch therefore, for you know not in what hour your Lord returns. Now the word then there is indicating a time factor.

And according to the context there, the time factor happens at the beginning of parousia, the beginning of the presence of the Lord. So you have two, and two is a number of witnesses. By the witnesses of two and three, everything will be certain.

And here the two represents those believers who are still living at the time of the beginning of parousia. And we are in that hour. So these two refer to living Christians. Christians are living at the time of the beginning of parousia.

And how will parousia begin? Then two will be grinding the mill, that's morning. Two will be working in the field, that's noontime. And two will be sleeping in the bed, that's nighttime. And suddenly, one is taken and one is left.

The world is round, the earth is round. So in one place it's in the morning, in other places noontime, in some other places midnight. And suddenly the Lord comes as a thief. And he will steal away what he considers as treasure of his heart.

That's the man child. And they will be taken to the throne to prepare the way of the descending of the Lord from the throne to the cup. But when you look at chapter 25, verse 1, another then. But if you read the then here, in time-wise, it's a little bit different.

He said, then the kingdom of the heaven be made like to ten virgins, having taken their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom. Here you find a parable of ten virgins. You know the Bible used the word virgin, spiritually speaking, in a very specific way.

So far as the world is concerned, people are adulterers or adulteresses. Only those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus, cleansed by his precious blood, they are virgins. You remember the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 11?

He told the Corinthians, I offer you to the Lord as chaste virgins and gaze you to Christ. But I'm afraid you may be enticed away from the simplicity of Christ. Brothers and sisters, we are virgins. Not only virgins, but engaged.

We are all engaged to Christ. And as engaged virgins, we need to be chaste virgins. In other words, we need to be prepared for our bridegroom. We're living for our bridegroom, waiting for the marriage, keeping ourselves pure, doing things that we know will please him and not ourselves.

And do not do anything that we know will displease him. We are as chaste virgins engaged to Christ. How easily we can be enticed. May the Lord have mercy on us. So here you'll find virgins. They do not represent unbelievers.

Yes, among the ten virgins, there are five wise and five foolish. Just like among the two who are living, one is taken, one is left. Speaking these ten virgins represents those saints throughout the ages.

They went out to meet the Lord and the Lord carried. The sleeping here is not a spiritual sleeping because the wise virgins sleep too. The sleeping here is physical death because to believers, we go to sleep because we will be wake up again.

We never die. So strictly speaking, these ten virgins refer to the saints through the ages. They all have torches. In other words, they have oil in the torch. They have the indwelling Holy Spirit that makes them light of the world.

And not only that, but they all went out to meet the bridegroom. Can you think of an unbeliever going out to meet Christ? When we are first saved, we turn away from idols unto God. And naturally, we wait.

We wait to see him. Everyone, every believer is like that. But they went out, the bridegroom. They could not wait any longer. They all. So strictly speaking, these ten virgins speak of the saints of the past who have died.

And you know the number of the church today is seven, but in eternity is twelve. So you have the ten here and the two there. So make it twelve. So that you see the whole picture of the church of God. But we are not trying to be technically correct.

We will try to use this and derive from it the spiritual principle that lies behind. Because to the two, nothing is mentioned of their spiritual condition. So we do not know why one is taken and one is left.

The Wise and Foolish Virgins: Being Filled with the Spirit

But here, you will find the reason is given. And the wise virgin, when they went out to meet the bridegroom, they did not know when the bridegroom would come. So they were well prepared. Not only they have oil in the torch to make it light, but they also carried extra oil in a vessel.

Just in case that oil is depleted, that they can add oil to it. So it will be burning all the time until the bridegroom comes. They are wise. And this speaks of to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Brothers and sisters, every believer has the Holy Spirit.

We are not only born of the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our spirit. And together cry out, Abba Father. So every believer has the Holy Spirit in him or in her. Thank God for that. And the Holy Spirit who is in us will never leave us nor forsake us.

And it is His work every day to be our constant teacher, teaching us in all things, big things and small things. And we are exhorted to listen and to obey the voice of the Spirit of God within us. And this is the way we grow in the Lord.

Everyone has it, but not every believer has extra oil in the vessel. That is to say, not every believer is filled with the Spirit of God. Do you remember in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18? Do not be drunk, for this is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

To be filled with the Spirit is to be constantly filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to be ruled by the Spirit. Brothers and sisters, we have the Holy Spirit, but do you listen? Listen to the voice of the Spirit.

Shut your ears. Listen to the voice of the Spirit. Is the Spirit in control of your life? Are you being filled with the Spirit? Not just one experience five years ago. Daily, hourly, being filled continuously with the Holy Spirit.

Let the Holy Spirit rule over your life. Walk in the Spirit, obey the Holy Spirit, live by the Spirit. Brothers and sisters, that is the wise virgin, but the foolish virgin, they just have that oil in the torch.

They are not prepared for emergency. They must have vessels too, but they think that they are wise. They will fill the vessels with other things, thinking that the other things are more important than the Holy Spirit.

Today, when we are living, nobody can tell the difference. But one day, when the voice comes in the Bridegroom, behold the Bridegroom. The Bridegroom is already here. They all wake up. That's a resurrection.

That is the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4. The dead in Christ shall be raised, and they will all be taken to the air to meet the Descended Lord. Brothers and sisters, when that time comes, then what happens?

The five wise virgins, they put extra oil in the torch. The light is burning. They are able to meet the Bridegroom and enter into the marriage feast. At the door, the foolish virgin, they find that their light is going out.

It's dimming. So they ask the wise virgins, give us some of the oil. But you know what? The wise virgins say, it cannot be done. Because this is something that you have to buy. This is something you have to pay a cost.

Go and buy it. But when they go, the door is shut. Now, brothers and sisters, in other words, Some virgins, or chaste virgins, walking in the Spirit, filled by the Holy Spirit. But some virgins, they are foolish.

They seek the world, the things of the world. Just like Luke 21 said, Do not be laden with eating and drinking and the cares of this life. What a difference! How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Very simple. Empty yourself. The more you are empty, the more you are filled. Just like the air. It fills this room. But because we are all here, occupying the space, so we compress it. Compress the air.

But the air is here. If we move out, the air will fill the whole place. The only way to be filled with the Spirit is through emptying. And this is the reason why our Lord said, Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.

That is the way to empty yourself. The more you empty yourself, the more the Spirit will fill you. The more you fill yourself with yourself, the less the Holy Spirit has any place in your life. Very simple.

So how do we prepare for the return of the Lord? So far as our life is concerned, learn to let the Holy Spirit rule over your life. Let Him fill you. Let Him lead you. Let Him teach you. Let Him guide you.

Walk by Him. Live by Him. Because He brings Christ to us. And He brings us to Christ. That's the only way. The wise virgin, at the coming of the Lord, they have the privilege of being at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

But the foolish, they will shut out of the door. It doesn't mean that they are not saved. It means they have no part in the Kingdom of Heaven that comes upon this earth. And Christ shall rule over this earth with righteousness for a thousand years.

The Parable of the Talents and Faithful Stewardship

Now that is the life part. And this is followed by another parable. The parable of the Master. Before He goes away, He gives talents, His property, to His born servants. According to their ability. One is given five talents.

One is given two talents. And one is given one talent. And then He went. But one day He is coming back. And He will reckon with His servants as to what happened to the talents that He had given to them.

And the one with five talents comes back and says, Lord, You gave me five talents. I have trafficked with it according to Your will. And increase it. Five more talents. The Lord said, Good and faithful bondman.

You are faithful in little things. I am going to entrust you with more things. Come into the joy of the Lord. The two talents also come and say, Lord, I have earned two more talents. The Lord said the same thing.

No difference. But the one talent came. And He said, I know you are a hard master. You want to reap where there is no sowing. So I am afraid. I have wrapped that talent up in a handkerchief and buried it in the earth.

Now here is your talent. And the Lord said, If you really think that I am a hard master, at least you give it to a bank and get some interest. Take away the talent that is given and give to the one with ten talents.

And this one will be cast out in darkness with gnashing. Brothers and sisters, what does it tell us here? It tells us that we who are the Lord, so far as our life is concerned, we are virgins towards Him.

But so far as bondmen are concerned, we are His servants, His bondmen. And He has given us not only spiritual gifts, but even opportunities. Whatever He has entrusted to us, we are to be faithfully using these to increase for the kingdom of God.

And if we are lazy, we even bury it without losing it. It's still too bad. So brothers and sisters, the lesson is, when we, in this lifetime, we are all bond servants, serving the Lord with what He has given entrusted to us.

And these things are not for ourselves. It's not ours. It is His. And we are to use what He has entrusted to us for His increase, for His glory. And how do we do that? Are we using these to serve our purpose?

Or are we using these to serve His purpose? And one day there will be a reckoning. So let us understand the heart of our Lord. What He has entrusted to us, we are to be faithfully and wisely use it for the increase of the kingdom and His righteousness.

And then our service will be rewarded. And if we do not, we will have no part in the kingdom at a thousand years when the Lord shall rule over this earth. But rather, be cast out into utter darkness, saved.

We do not lose our eternal salvation, but we are disciplined so that we can be matured. So brothers and sisters, how are we to be ready? Number one, our attitude towards His coming must be right. Number two, in our life, let us be filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and in our service, do His bidding faithfully.

And thank God when He shall return, He will preserve us, blameless. He who calls us is faithful. He will. Dear Lord, we do thank Thee for telling us that no one knows when God comes. We thank Thee that Thou dost desire that we should be ready every moment.

And yet, Lord, we feel that we are never ready. We depend on Thee. It is all of grace. Dear Lord, pray that none of us here will be left behind, but everyone will meet Thee joyfully.