READY OR NOT The Basket of Ripe Fruit This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. “Amos, what do you see?” he asked. “A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered. Then the LORD said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.” Amos 8:1–2 Jesus will not return when the world is ready. Jesus will return when the time is ripe. What is neglected doesn’t stay healthy, it quietly declines. 1 — We Are Always Toward Something Ripe fruit doesn’t stay ripe forever. Delay becomes decay. If we’re not intentional about Jesus, we’ll accidentally drift from Him. Time reveals what we’re becoming. Time Reveals the truth about what’s inside of us. 2 — Prosperity Can Hide It’s possible to look successful in the world… and be spiritually spoiled on the inside. Spiritual apathy is the quiet rot that slowly destroys nations, families, and souls. You can look full on the outside and be empty on the inside. The quiet rot of apathy is more dangerous than loud rebellion. 3 — God’s Is God’s Mercy If God didn’t love us, He wouldn’t warn us. Conviction isn’t condemnation, it’s direction. Readiness isn’t a mood, it’s a lifestyle. “You kept waiting for the right time to tend the tree. But the time is gone.” - Neighbor 4 — The King Is , Be Found We are closer to seeing Jesus face-to-face than any generation in history. Be the fruit He can harvest, not the fruit He has to throw away. Lord, don’t just find us ripe, find us READY. READY OR NOT