Be Prepared (Matthew 24:3-14) September 11, 2005
Be Prepared
Matthew 24:3-14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
(Matthew 24:14 NKJV)
Jesus asks us a very important question today. Are you prepared?
We have heard of the terrible news of many people in the United States, in the city of New Orleans, where people have lost their homes, lost their materials possessions, even their very lives. Gas prices have soared up the Mississippi River as refineries and oil rigs off the Gulf of Mexico have been severely damaged. Gas has jumped to over $3 a gallon in some areas before the pipelines can be restored. This has become the worst natural disaster in US history.
Although many people watched the hurricane while it hit Florida and then came back out to the Gulf Coast, many people did not take precautions. In hurricane, you have to learn to be prepared.
What does this mean? When I lived in Texas, we also lived along the Gulf Coast. I lived 15 miles from Galveston and that is about 200 miles from New Orleans. Many hurricanes would come in what was called “hurricane season” (between April and October.) When it was hurricane season, you learned to watch and be prepared. You watched the weather forecasts, and you prepared yourself when something would happen. Perhaps that meant boarding up your windows, getting fresh drinking water, pulling out the generator for the extra electricity that someone was bound to need in time of emergencies. Perhaps that meant gassing up your car, the chance that you would have to pack up and leave. You packed some clothes and essential belongings to take with you. We would gas up early before the storm hit, because you knew gas prices were going to go up. You stockpiled on essentials: canned goods, salt, iodine tablets, health supplies, and whatever else you needed to protect yourself – and more importantly to help other people.
In 1985, Hurricane Allen came to Texas – we left. We knew better than to stay. In 1986, we stayed for Hurricane Alicia – I actually slept through the storm. There were others that hit along the coast, but you learned one thing: be prepared. Whether it was to leave, or to stay and ride out the storm – you took the measures to prepare yourself.
These folks in the southern United States have been hit by a hurricane, and many could not be prepared. Some did not evacuate as they should have, some could not evacuate.
Just as people in this hurricane needed to be prepared to evacuate and find a way to overcome this hurricane, God has in effect an “Eternal Preparedness Strategy.”
This strategy is for everyone encountering the storms of life. Christians have this strategy and we are to use it, to help others who do not know Jesus.
How can we help people who are in the storms of life?
- We can tell them there is good news. “gospel”
Within this world we hear a lot about bad news. Telling people about Jesus Christ is telling then about good news. That is literally what the gospel means – good news. People need to know when they encounter the spiritual storms, or even physical storms, that there is good news.
Many people panicked and got distressed because they did not see help coming soon enough (before and after the hurricane.). We as Christians need to bring help to those who are spiritually trapped.
- We need to actually tell people that there is good news. “preach”
The word to preach in this verse means “to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done”. That Jesus Christ came and died for our sins, was raised from death and gives an opportunity for a better life is good news. But it is not good news that comes from someone’s imagination. It is an actual fact. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a fact of history.
There are some people today who would like to say that Jesus did not come. There are some people today who would like to say that God is dead. There are some people today who would like to say that our lives cannot be changed. But this is not true. God has given us good news – Jesus died on the cross for me and my sins, and gives me the chance to change and follow Him. When I do so, I receive eternal life and I find meaning in this life. This means that I need to tell people this.
But how do you tell people that there is good news?
Here is the where the evacuation strategy works…you tell them how you overcame your storms in life. You give your testimony. You become a witness.
- You show your evidence or proof. “witness”
In court, a fact is proven by evidence. This evidence can come from objects or the words of people. Experts come on the stand and give their opinion. Witnesses come on the stand and give their story, their facts about what happened.
So when we talk to people who are encountering the storms of life, we only need to share what happened to us. We do not need to be theologians. We do not need to give commentaries about the Bible. But we can show which Bible verses helped us. We can simply explain what Jesus did to change our live. We can simply explain how Jesus helped us deal with our own storms of life. And you don’t just stop with the conversion – your acceptance of Jesus. As Christians, we all follow Jesus. As we follow Jesus, we will encounter more storms, and we will learn how to deal with them. When we do, we have more to share with other people.
Someone who goes through a hurricane knows better how to deal with the next hurricane. So a Christian who has been a Christian for a long time should have more evidence of their faith than someone who has just become a Christian.
Now the question you may be asking yourself is with whom do I share this evidence?
- You share your faith to the people most like you. “world” and “nations”
There are two words to describe where you should share your faith. The first word is the world. It is the word that means “where you inhabit.” In this case, it meant the Roman Empire. But in our case, it really means your field of influence. Who are the people around you? Who are your friends? Who are your family? Where are people that you can naturally talk about all kinds of things? Do you have people that you see at the sports games? Do you know people in your neighbourhood? Do you know people at work or the grocery story? Do you have natural conversations with these folks? Then when you find out that these folks don’t know Jesus, they become your mission field. Your field of influence is your mission field. This is one group of people.
But another group is described in the word “nations.” It literally means ethnic groups – it comes from the Greek word ethnos. While we may think today of nations as nation-states such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, or Bremen, Niedersachsen and Hamburg, Bavaria, or Baden-Würtemburg, this verse really points to people groups. In a church like this, that can mean that there are going to be people who you associate in this town, who are in the same or similar ethnic group. Many of us already connect that way when we go downstairs for fellowship. And it may be more natural to talk t someone from our own ethnic group. We already have some things in common. So this is another separate mission field. So Jesus describes two groups here: your field of influence and people that have the same ethnicity or cultural identity.
Jesus says that when we have given evidence of our faith to everyone within our field of influence or people who have the same cultural identity, then He is going to come back. This is important because Jesus is going to finish what He started. Jesus wants to help us through our storms in this life, and then evacuate us from this world.
Are you prepared?
- For those of you in this room who are thinking about God, the claims of Jesus, are you prepared? Your life can change in a matter of seconds, just as it did for millions in the US after this hurricane. You may face death sometime. Are you prepared for eternity?
The Bible says that without Jesus, you will not live eternally with God. Instead, those who never prepared themselves to accept and follow Jesus, they go to a place completely separate from God – a place called hell. God loves you and wants to help you through your storms. Accepting Jesus is the first step of His rescue plan.
- Christian, are you prepared? Are you prepared to share your faith? There are many people around you that need Jesus. You have their only rescue plan. Are you prepared to tell them?
Think about this today. Are you prepared?
