FOCUS on REVIVAL
Get Me To The Church On Time
Text: Revelation 19:7-9
1. DON’T MISS THE
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story is about Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, (the professor who agreed to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high society) so that she may pass as a lady.
The musical’s 1956 Broadway production was a momentous hit, setting what was then the record for the longest run of any major musical theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals. It has been called “the perfect musical”. In 1964 a Movie Musical called “My Fair Lady” was released starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.
One of the most popular numbers in My Fair Lady is a song called “Get Me To the Church On Time” – The song is about all they want to get done before the wedding the next morning. Much of it is no good, and we would consider it somewhat lude, but that is not my real focus. My true focus today is that they had a million and one things they named that could get them distracted enough to miss the wedding…and so they wanted to make sure that no matter what happened… they don’t miss the wedding!
That is the theme today – DON’T MISS THE WEDDING!
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. —Matthew 24:39
2.
NOT
DIDN’T KNOW!?
The Bible says – they DIDN’T KNOW until it was too late… There is a similar story in Matthew 25 that immediately follows:
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. —Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I’ve got to be in the church before the Wedding Starts! so – GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME!
The Wise are Prepared – The Foolish are Occupied with other things, but miss the MAIN THING
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. —1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (KJV)
3. WHY WAIT TILL IT’S
?
When Jesus returns it will come in the blink of an eye.
If we are not willing to LIVE FOR GOD while His Spirit is dwelling in us on the earth, there is no way that we will DIE FOR GOD when His Spirit is removed from the earth. GET ME TO THE CHURCH…I’VE GOT TO BE IN THE BRIDE OF CHRIST!!!
THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL PROCRASTINATION
There is a fable that tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and to ruin men. The first said, “I will tell them that there is no God.”
Satan said, “That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God.”
The second said, “I will tell men that there is no HELL.”
Satan answered, “You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a Hell for sin.”
The third said, “I will tell men that there is no hurry.”
“Go,” said Satan, “and you will ruin men by the thousands.”
The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time.
(William Barclay: The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], p. 317. From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, The parable of the Faithful & Wise Servant, 7/17/2010)
4. TIME IS
- BE READY!
TEXT:
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” —Revelation 19:7-9 (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
BE READY!
If we are going to be ready for the wedding and make it into the Bride of Christ – we must prepare ourselves now.
What can you do this WEEK to take Action and PREPARE YOURSELF to BE PART OF THE CHURCH – THE BRIDE:
• Shut down as many distractions as you are able to (worldly or selfish pleasures) for the week.
• Repent and Surrender to God anything in your life that is keeping you from being pleasing to Him.
• Seek God’s direction for your life in His Word and communication with Him.
• Be obedient to whatever He shows you while you are seeking Him…
DON’T MISS THE WEDDING for anything! GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME!!!
Get yourself and your family ready now! The Time is now, Today is the day!
REPENT, BE BAPTIZED, and BE FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT
THIS IS HOW TO BE PART OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST!
PREPARE NOW – GET READY, DON’T BE DISTRACTED!
Recommended Song Lyric Videos:
Cochren & Co. - Church (Take Me Back) [Official Lyric Video]
https://youtu.be/3eTOcrWu8mQ
David Dunn // Church // (Official Lyric Video)
https://youtu.be/xQx32mKwo8o