Preparation is Everything By Alan Wimbish
There are certain people out there that truly impress me. In particular I am always amazed by craftsman; people who can take raw material and create something useful out of it. It’s a skill I admit that I do not have. Craftsman have an ability to look at a particular material, realize what they can do with it, and then prepare the tools that will be needed to accomplish the task. I guess any great work starts with preparation. A master carpenter doesn’t just jump in and start cutting boards and nailing them together. He must prepare by getting blueprints, tools, raw materials, etc, and then he can start to accomplish the task. In Genesis 6 we read about a man that took one hundred and twenty years to prepare and accomplish a task; Noah. God promised Noah that he was going to send a flood upon the earth to destroy every living create because sin had so corrupted mankind that He couldn’t put up with it anymore. The Bible says that Noah found favor in God’s sight. God gave Noah instructions to build an ark that would keep him, his family, and the animals that God sent to him safe from the coming destruction. God is a God of promises. God also fulfills his promises. The story of Noah’s ark is an extremely scary story. God destroyed every single living thing on the earth that breathed air (Gen 7:22). Sin is terrible in God’s sight. God is holy, righteous, and just and He is completely justified in wiping out mankind because of sin. Yet, He demonstrates grace to Noah and his family and makes a way of salvation for Noah; the ark. God gave Noah specific instructions on how to create the ark down to the placement of the window.
God had a plan and gave that plan to Noah. Noah prepared and built the ark for one hundred and twenty years. That’s a long time to get prepared. God fulfilled his promise regarding the flood and regarding Noah. There’s another promise that God has made. The promise of a Savior in Genesis 3. Yes man had sinned and rebelled but God would make a way of salvation. It would be through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God prepared the world for thousands of years and one lonely night in Bethlehem the Savior was born, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” Galatians 4:4. God prepared the world for the arrival of the Savior. That little baby that was born in a barn among the hay, animals, and manure, was the Savior of the world. The Lamb of God, born where lambs are born, in a barn, came from the throne of Heaven to save a wicked rebellious world. Unfortunately, like in Noah’s day, most people will go through life and not heed the warning. They will celebrate Christmas this year and have no realization that the little baby that was born so many years ago was born for them; to redeem them from their sins and give them eternal life in heaven; that they can know the Living God. They are not prepared. Noah prepared, and when the time came, he found safety in the security of the ark. The ark was a shadow of Christ. If you are in Christ, you are safe. Have you prepared for the coming flood? Are you listening to the warnings that God is giving you? I know that his article is not a cheery, blissful article filled with memories of Christmas trees and yule logs. Sorry about that. But like in Noah’s day, our days are numbered. It’s time to be serious with people and warn them of the promises of God. A Savior is born! But he was born to take care of our sin problem that separates us for eternity from God. There is no time to play around with this news. Remember, as the door shut on the ark and the waters rose, the master craftsman was safe inside with his family. But for a short time, all they could hear was the banging of peoples fist on the outside of the ark yelling, “Let us in, let us in!” It was too late. Prepare your heart now for the Savior before it’s too late. That’s the true meaning of the little baby born in a manger. He is the fulfillment of a promise given by God in Genesis 3. Like a master craftsman, God has orchestrated world events for the coming of His Son Jesus to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem to die on a cross and rise the grave in order to redeem us from our sin. He is still orchestrating world events, but this time, when Jesus comes back, there will be no denying who He is. The Bible says that every eye will see Him as he descends from the heavens as the angels announce His presence with a shout. Those without Christ will say, “Let us in!” but it will be too late. Please, if you haven’t already, prepare your heart for that baby that was born so long ago in Bethlehem. The first time he came as a Lamb. The next time he comes, he will come as a King.
Alan Wimbish
Child Evangelism Fellowship of New Mexico
505-881-9848