I AM READY

 Passage: Romans 1:1-17
 Text: v. 15 – “I am ready to preach the gospel”

 Introduction:
o One of the greatest hindrances to the cause of Christ is that most Christians are NOT READY or NOT PREPARED to do what God wants them to do.
o Most Christians know that God has a plan for their lives, but few are ready, trained and willing to fulfill it.
 Question: What are many Christians ready to do?

 I. MANY CHRISTIANS ARE READY TO:
o 1) Make money, but not ready to give generously to God’s work and ministry;
o 2) Criticize those working hard for God, but not ready to help and support them;
o 3) Find fault in others, but blind to their own faults;
o 4) Get to work on time, but not ready to get to church on time;
o 5) Go to sports and night clubs, but not ready to go soul winning or to Bible Study;
o 6) Listen to rock music, but not ready to sing praises to God;
o 7) Study a secular course, but not ready to study at Bible College;
o 8) Ready to go on an overseas holiday, but not ready to go on an overseas mission trip;
o 9) Memorize jokes, poetry and words of rock music, but not ready to memorize Scripture.

 II. WHAT WE SHOULD BE READY TO DO
o 1) Ready to preach the Gospel.
• “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.” Romans 1:15.
 This involves being ready when the opportunity arises to witness for Jesus Christ.
 Being ready to tell people their need to be saved and how to be saved by grace alone in faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection for the payment of ones sins.
 This witness can be in many forms such as handing someone a gospel tract, witnessing one on one, going door-to-door, letter writing or street preaching.
 The main point is – are you ready to preach the gospel?
o 2) Ready to Hear
• “…be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools:…”(Ecclesiastes 5:1).
• “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:…” James 1:19
 Some people are so full of their own opinion, that they have no time to listen to others.
 Some people so dominate a conversation, that they won’t let you speak.
 Some people don’t think that they may have some faults that they are blind to.
 Some people are slow to learn, because they won’t hear what God or others are saying to them.
• “…To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7).
 Q: Are you ready to hear what God is saying to you?
 Q: Will you say, ‘Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth’ as Eli asked Samuel, and be greatly used by God?
o 3) Ready to give an ANSWER to cults and skeptics.
• “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” I Peter 3:15
• Q: Do you have a good Bible answer to every objection a person may ask you?
 Would you be able to find it quickly?
• Q: How do you get answers?
• Answer:
 a) By talking to people and understanding their questions, problems & needs
 b) By studying issues that you don’t have an answer to;
 c) By memorizing the answer, or writing it some place you’ll find it next time.
• Q: Have you ever debated a JW, SDA, Roman Catholic, Muslim, etc. and not had an answer?
• Answer:
 You should study the Scriptures and books on the cults so you will be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
o 4) Ready to Support Missions.
• “For as touching the ministering to the saints, Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.” II Corinthians 9:1,2
 Achaia was the part of Greece of which Corinth was the capital.
 ‘Achaia was ready’ means that the churches in this area had prepared themselves for this collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
 Paul stated that the collection was already made and waiting.
• Q: How ready are you to help needy Christians elsewhere, so they can spread the gospel in their area?
 This involves planning and giving to buy tracts, Bibles and whatever is needed to establish ministries home and abroad.
 Support missionaries.
o 5) Ready to Distribute.
• “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; I Timothy 6:18.
 Ready to divide wealth with others, generously.
• Q: Are you ready to tithe, and give to God’s work, knowing that you are laying up treasures in heaven?
o 6) Ready to Pray.
• Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
 If we have a prayer list of people and things to pray for, this shows we are ready to pray daily.
o 7) Ready to every Good Work.
• “Put them in mind to be ready to every good work.” Titus 3:1.
 A Christian should be prepared and prompt to do all that is good.
 He should not need to be urged, coaxed, or persuaded, but should be so ready to do good and that he will count it a privilege to do it.
• “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10
 The opportunity to do good imposes on us the obligation to do it.
 We do good, not when it is convenient, but when we have opportunity.
 We should be thankful for the opportunity to do good.
• We should do good to all men,
 -no matter how often the opportunity occurs, the more the better,
 -no matter how much self-denial it may cost us
 -and no matter how little fame we get by it.
• In our zeal for the world at large, we are not to forget or neglect our family and Christian friends.
o 8) Ready to Write.
• “…My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1.
 It is good to spread the gospel and Bible truths by writing pamphlets, newspaper articles, sermons, Bible outlines, as well as letters of encouragement to those in need.
 If God lays some matter on your heart to write, you should be ready to write it and publish it if necessary.
o 9) Ready to Die.
• See 2 Timothy 4:6-7
 “For I am now ready to be offered,…”
• Paul’s soon death is a reason why Timothy should work diligently and faithfully in serving God.
 The world was about to be deprived of Paul’s work and experience.
 Paul wanted those who succeeded him to carry on God’s work with all their zeal, energy and might.
• For us to be ready to die means that we must have finished God’s plan for our life,
 -trained up people to carry on the work of soul winning and Bible teaching,
 -and equipped them to train other faithful men so the network keeps multiplying after our death through Bible Believing churches.
o 10) Ready for Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.
• “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44
 Being ready for Christ’s return means living and serving God so that your life’s work will be approved by Christ, and that you will not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
 See I John 2:28.
 Conclusion:
o If Christ came today, would you be ready to meet Him?
• Would He say to you, ‘Well done good and faithful servant’ or would He say ‘Thou wicked and lazy servant’?

The Answer Book – Keith Piper