Are You Ready? - Evangelist Tiff Shuttlesworth

this morning I'm speaking on the subject a very simple but sobering question are you ready ready for what are you ready to meet the Lord I was on a plane many years ago and the man sitting next to me I would guess to be in his mid 80s maybe even late 80s still very sharp a businessman still running his own business but when he found out I was an evangelist and that I enjoyed the subject of Bible prophecy he began to ask some very specific questions though he himself by his own admission was not a religious man he was curious because he said I've heard rumors that there are prophecies in the Bible and that they've been very accurate throughout history I said that's true there are over 2,500 prophecies in the Holy Bible over 2100 of them have come to pass with complete and total accuracy I want you to know this morning that you don't have to throw your brain away to be a Bible believer you don't have to throw your mind and your ability to reason away to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior the Bible is uniquely different from all other religious books on the planet there is no book like the Bible there are many religions in the world but there is no book like the Bible upon which fundamental Christianity is based you can prove the Bible through science you can prove the Bible through biblical archaeology and by the way biblical archaeology is not a religious science it's a secular science the leading voices and the leading minds in biblical archaeology many of them are atheists and agnostics they only call it biblical archaeology because it's conducted in the land of the Bible there have been over 26,000 digs through the years in biblical archaeology thousands of them have proven the content of the Bible not one has ever exposed anything to contradict what the historicity of the scripture shows us you can prove the Bible through manuscript evidence the Bible has over sixty six thousand manuscripts scrolls pieces writings that verify its content and it can still be translated from those original manuscripts as accurately today as it was when God by the Holy Spirit ended through those that he entrusted it to you can prove the Bible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ some of you that are students in colleges and university they may debate this but if you'll do your homework you'll find that there are over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus Christ after his death his burial and witnessed his resurrection but don't miss this one of the greatest proofs of the authenticity of your Bible is prophecy content this Bible is almost 1/3 prophecy some scholars would say 27.8% if you want to be specific others would say no it's a little closer to 31 but I'm not going to debate with those type of individuals you can safely say that about 1/3 of your Bible is prophetic in content that is what separates the Bible from all other religious writings in the world there are no other religious writings in the entirety of the world and civilization that can be verified like the Bible and prophecy is what separates this book from all other what the world would call sacred writings the Bible is the Word of the Living God from the first word in the book of Genesis to the last word in the book of Revelation you can place your life upon the foundation of what it says and know that what Jesus said is true in Matthew heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away and so I want to begin by reading out of Matthew chapter 24 if you're sitting next to someone that does not have a Bible if you'd be kind enough to share verse 37 the Bible says when the Son of Man returns pause right there over 400 times the Bible prophesies that the Lord is going to return when the Son of Man returns it will be like it was in Noah's day in those days before the flood the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up unto the time that Noah entered his boat people didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away pause again notice that the Bible these are the words of Jesus and he said that when the Son of Man returns it's going to be like it was in the days of Noah but focused and if you have a highlighter highlight that in your Bible people did not realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away I pause there because this is the mindset of America and sadly this is also the mindset of many American Christians people are living as if there is no day of reckoning people are living as if the Lord is not going to return and Jesus prophesied that would be the mentality on this planet prior to the return of the Lord people are going to be living life as they always do without any thought the Bible said they did not realize what was going to happen until it came Jesus went on to say that is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes two men will be working together in the field one will be taken in the other left two women will be grinding flour at the mill one will be taken and the other left so you two must keep watch for you don't know what day your Lord is coming understand this if a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into you also must be ready all the time for the Son of Man will come when least expected highlight that as well you also must be ready all the time we have many Christians today that are ready on Sunday but living like hell Monday through Saturday but the Bible said you must be ready all the time let's pray father we thank you this morning for the content of the Bible it is the living holy inspired in arrant Word of the Living God I thank you father for this precious church and for these people thank you for the privilege and the freedom that we have in this country together together thank you for the house of God being full with people moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas and young people teenagers people that all for whatever reason have some hunger I pray that you would help me to make the gospel clear today and that people might live indeed ready to meet the Lord as I prayed this morning I asked you again when the invitation is given in the moments to come don't let one person who's not certain as to where they stand with God leave here with that same question mark in their heart but I pray that even now you'd begin to give them the faith and the courage and the humility to do what they ought to do when that invitation is given and I thank you Lord that the Bible says that no matter what our pasts no matter what our sins that there's no sin represented in any life greater than the mercies of the Lord I thank you Father that you said in the Bible that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so give us a great week of seeing friends and family come to know Christ as Lord and a savior may people get ready to meet the Lord and we pray and ask this in Jesus name and all God's people said it became in it seems that this happens on a regular basis these days but it happened not many days ago that our military carried out a surgical attack and within moments of that attack being verified and executed somebody say thank God for American soldiers thank God for the United States of America but within moments of that being executed to perfection it seemed like the world was on the verge of World War three threats were being made by various world leaders about their retaliation what was going to happen and I'm sure that you witnessed it on the news the Talking Heads all debating about World War three is certainly going to unfold and people begin to fear and wonder and tremble friends let me help you with something from the Bible God is in charge of the last days many people that study the Bible don't understand this many Christians who have served the Lord for decades don't understand this but let me make this clear politics are not in charge of final Bible prophecy we sometimes say things I've heard it said I've never said it because I know better I want you to know better but I've heard people say well if so-and-so gets elected this is going to speed prophecy up or if so-and-so gets elected I believe God will give us a window of grace or if so and souls in charge and we make all of these predictions based upon world luminaries and world politicians and world leaders know they used to sing a song in Sunday school many years ago he's got the whole world in his hands and I want to assure you that God is still in charge of endtime prophecy no government has the power to speed it up no government on the earth has the power to slow it down it is all in the hand of God and His mercy he said in 2nd Peter chapter 3 he said I'm waiting until the final moment because I want people to have an opportunity to get saved God in mercy and God and grace is delaying the final moments of prophecy not because of anything going on in Washington DC but because his heart is merciful that we might have every opportunity to reach a lost and dying world for Jesus Christ and that's why Jesus in the passage that I read to you said you must be ready all the time how many of you believe that Jesus never wasted a word he couldn't have because he would have violated the Holy Bible because the Bible later taught us that when were judged we'll be judged for every idle word so every word of Jesus was potent and powerful with that said I want to ask you what I believe is the most important question that she'll ever be asked in your and I don't say that lightly the question I'm about to ask you those of you that are present those of you that are viewing through another technology this is the most important question that you'll ever be asked in life and let me tell you why it's so important because where you spend eternity hinges upon your answer the Bible said there really is a heaven there really is a hell and you're going to spend your eternity in one of those two places there is no neutral there is no purgatory there is no Rehabilitation Center when eternity comes you will either be ready for heaven or you will be ready for hell I had a newspaper reporter one time interviewing me saying we saw him the advertising that one night you're preaching on the hard truth about Hell I said that's true that is one of the messages that God laid upon my heart for this lost lamb event and I will be preaching on that he said so you really believe in a literal hell I said no I believe in the Bible and the Bible says there's a literal hell and I want you to know that this is important for people to understand the question that he asked me how can preachers say that God is a God of love and God is a God of mercy and God is a God of forgiveness and yet preach a message entitled the hard truth about Hell if God is a God of love how could he ever send somebody to a place as horrific as the hell that's in the Bible I said let me help you with that because that's a great question but the answer is God is not going to send anybody to help you don't decide well God is this or no God is God you decide personally your own fate no one goes to hell because God sent them there if you'll read the Bible you'll find out that if you end up in the eternal judgment of God in a place the Bible calls hell you'll not be there because God sent you there you will be there because when he offered a hand of mercy and a hand of forgiveness and gave you an opportunity to make peace with him you spat on that hand turned your back and walked away from him you chose hell God didn't choose hell he said in John 3:16 for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish that word perish in the original Greek text means face judgment for unrepented sin God said I don't want you to perish but to have ever lasting life and he made a pathway for that plan through the cross of Calvary and his sinless son Jesus Christ for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish so the Bible's very clear God said if I had my will no one would go to hell Jesus taught us in Matthew's Gospel that hell was not even created for humanity hell was created for the devil and the fallen angels you were not created for hell you were created for right relationship with God you were not created for sin you were created for righteousness you were not created for sickness you were created for health you were not created for failure you were created for success you were not created for lack you were created for you were created in the image of God for things high and holy if you believe it and receive it give the Lord a mighty hand to praise are you ready so here it is don't miss it the most important question you'll ever be asked in life do you have a clear distinct memory of a time in your life when you've gotten down on bended knees in the presence of a holy God and said god I know I'm a sinner but I want you to forgive me I'm willing to repent I'm gonna trust in Jesus Christ and childlike faith I'm gonna trust in your mercy and in your grace come into my heart be my Lord and Savior make me what I ought to be now some people would call a prayer like that a sinner's prayer and we're going to pray that prayer together in just a few moments but I have to ask you a question do you have a clear distinct memory of a time in your life when you've done that say yes or no and where you spend eternity depends upon your ability to answer that with a definitive yes or I'm not sure or I don't know or I have not but listen I love you you'd have to understand my father to understand me but there's four boys in our family and all of us are preachers all of our surd ministry thus far by the grace of God all of our children are in the ministry I often times tell people my greatest wealth are my children but I want to help you with something my father always said if you love somebody love them enough to look them me in the eyes and tell them the truth so this week you're not going to hear someone come up and give you palatable theological discourses I'm gonna love you enough every time your gracious pastor allows me to stand at this sacred desk I'm gonna love you enough to open up the Bible to look you in the eyes and tell you the truth I don't want you to go to hell your pastor certainly doesn't want you to go to hell God said he didn't want you to go to hell so please don't go but if you're not going to go you've got to make a decision you cannot follow the world and follow Christ you cannot make everybody in your world happy and make God happy you're gonna have to make a decision that's gonna require humility you're gonna have to make a decision in a moment that requires strength and character isn't it time somebody in your family broke the curse of sin isn't it time somebody and your family broke the curse of sickness isn't it time somebody in your family broke the curse of poverty when you kneel and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you are not identifying with an American denomination this is not this morning about being Protestant or being Catholic or being Baptist or Presbyterian or whatever the flavor of the month is this has nothing to do with it if by God's grace you make it into heaven one day there's not gonna be an angel at the gates saying all of the Catholics this way all of the Protestants over here all of the Baptist head this direction all of you Pentecostals way back in the corner where you won't bother anybody there's only one door into heaven it's through faith in Jesus Christ man created denominations and cliques and clubs but Jesus died for everybody everybody is somebody to God some of you young people that are listening to me I know that probably in your eyes I'm an old man although I could probably whip everybody I see under 20 in this place but lord I apologize for that and ask you to forgive me but this preacher loves you I'm believing and praying and fasting that in the last days God's gonna raise up a generation of holy soldiers of the cross to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth before it's eternally too late and I spend time with young people and I'm on college campuses and I've been in seminaries and I've had the debates and talked to the questions that are oftentimes asked listen I want to help you with something God has a very distinct plan and divine purpose for your life he knows exactly what you want to do he knows what you're created to do he knows what career path he wants you to take he already knows the man or the woman that you should marry all of the things that you worry about at that age I remember it like it was yesterday I used to ask God when I was a teenager God why do I have to make the most important decisions in my life when I'm too young to make them the Bible is clear and I learned as I got older proverbs 3 says lean not unto your own understanding but in all of your ways acknowledge him and he'll direct your path and that's exactly what he did for me in a prayer room at the age of 17 he very clearly revealed his destiny and his plan and his calling from my life and from the age of 17 until this very day I've been on one single track and have never gone to the left or never to the right or never wondered if I'm doing what I should be doing but young people the key to success in life is not following the crowd not following the Kardashians not following social media not following the music and the American Idols but the key to success in life is give your heart to Jesus Christ at the earliest possible age and build your future upon the foundation of the Bible and know that no matter what happens in this world that you're living under the blessing and safety of Almighty God going to church doesn't make you a Christian reading a Bible doesn't make you a Christian trying to be decent and moral doesn't make you a Christian there has to be a time in your life when you've repented of sin personally why do I say personally because no one can repent of my sin and no one can repent of your sin I know we don't use that word much in the 21st century it's a Bible word translated in English repent but it literally means make a u-turn you're headed in the wrong direction make a u-turn and when you come to this altar in a moment and pray with me the sinner's prayer you're literally saying God I'm making a u-turn God by coming to the altar I am visibly and personally saying I'm gonna walk your way I want your will I want your favor I want your blessing I want your forgiveness so have you ever done it have you ever personally and publicly repented of sin and asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior why do I say publicly well first of all Jesus died for me and for you publicly he's coming again publicly everybody he called in the New Testament he called publicly every Apostolic sermon in the Bible they called the people publicly but perhaps the strongest of all are the very words of Jesus found in Luke chapter 12 jesus said if you confess me publicly before men I'll confess you openly before my father which is in heaven but if you are ashamed of me before men I will be ashamed of you before my father and the Angels there's something about doing it personally and publicly that seals it and makes it sure you'll never forget the day that you do that I still remember when I did and I was only 6 years old my father had an evangelist in at the church I don't remember what he preached on but I remember him saying your mom may be a wonderful Christian your dad may be a wonderful Christian but that doesn't mean you're a Christian God has no grandchildren he only has sons and daughters and you must make your own decision and I don't remember exactly what he preached I just remember at the age of 6 when he was preaching looking at my mother who was sitting on the grand piano my parents were the pastors of the church looking at my father's sitting at the chair behind the pulpit as the Evangelist was preaching and it dawned on me I don't think I've ever done that personally and at the age of I went to an altar and I knelt down and I said God I want to be your son I don't want to be your grandson you don't have grandsons he said I want to make Jesus my Lord and Savior now some of you may say what kind of commitment can a six-year-old kid make I made one that's lasted me my entire life I close with this musicians would you come this morning I want to give you just one verse in the Bible on Bible prophecy it's the only thing you ever learn on Bible prophecy if is this verse I'll feel like I've helped in some small way if there's only one verse in the Bible you learn on Bible prophecy let it be Matthew chapter 24 and verse 44 and listen to what it says be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh what would it profit us this week if my lifetime of study a Bible prophecy in eschatology and endtime events what would it profit us this week if through the series of nights I fill your head with spiritual biblical prophetic truths but you've never made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life you can have a head full of biblical knowledge and still go to hell it has to get into your heart and that's why that sinner's prayer is so important when it comes from a sincere individual it's your way of telling God personally and publicly this morning I don't want to just go to church I don't just want to be a good decent person I want to be a real Christian and the Bible said that I need to be ready and that's my simple message this morning are you ready to meet the Lord and if you're not ready step one is you've got to repent of sin receive Jesus Christ and today's your day and I'd love to have the privilege of praying with you some of you may say TIFF what must I do to be saved it's as simple as ABC a you have to admit your sin the Bible says whoever confesses and renounces their sins will receive mercy B you have to believe in Jesus Christ not just believe that he existed not just believe that he was a great prophet or a teacher but believe he's the son of God believe that he loves you believe that when he died on the cross as the sinless Lamb of God that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the blood that was shed pays and washes for all of our sins all of our transgressions all of our iniquities see you have to make a commitment and that's what we're gonna do right now we're gonna pray and make a commitment and I believe not because I'm preaching it because the Bible said it I believe that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and your life with Christ can take a remarkable start today some of you that are gonna pray with me it'll be the very first time you've ever made your own personal and public commitment to Christ but in an audience as large as this there are people that if you'd be honest with God and honest with yourself you've lost your way you still go to church you still love God you still read a Bible from time to time you still pray over your meals but you're not living in victory over sin sin is living in victory over you and he's coming back for a spotless holy church and I'm not judging you I'm telling you you need to come home I got a letter this week from a lady that said I got saved under your ministry many years ago I was dying with a brain tumor gave my heart to Jesus Christ in your meeting in Toronto Canada you prayed for me God miraculously healed me of a brain tumor they had sent me home to die after doing everything they could do God saved me God healed me I live for him for several years but I got involved in a bad relationship and today I'm away from God if what should I do well God still love me well God still forgive me I said the Bible said in Hosea 14 and 4 I love you freely and I'll heal your backsliding but you have to come home and you have to come home now and you have to be willing to turn from sin and turn to Christ so if you're away from the Lord and you're backslidden or if you lost your way I'm not judging you I'm telling you when I give the invitation come home this first month of a brand new year on a brand new decade make an intelligent decision come to Jesus Christ and God will take you from where you're at to where you need to be and you can live every day ready to meet the Lord if you believe it and receive it give the Lord a mighty hand the praise praise God

Channel: Faith Christian Center

Views: 20,364

Rating: 4.8874173 out of 5

Keywords: Faith Christian Center, great worship, positive message, Austin Lingerfelt, Dr. Gene Lingerfelt, Gene Lingerfelt, churches mansfield tx, churches arlington tx, arlington texas churches, mansfield texas churches, @FCCArington, #livelovelead, faith, healing, success, prosperity, Full Gospel, Holy Spirit, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost

Id: Vd168dmKGX0

Length: 32min 53sec (1973 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 10 2020