CMCA Methodist News 241 (Eng)

owl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or
the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the
earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it
(Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 ESV).
The fact is, the ‘end of the world’ as we know it is coming to
each and every one of us.
Yes, the End is coming for this world. Just as a man ages and
suffers and dies in agony, so will this world and this creation
age and suffer and die in agony. Listen to Jesus describe
just how terrible the several years are going to be before he
returns: 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as
has not been from the beginning of the creation that God
created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had
not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But
for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the
days(Mark 13:19-20 ESV).
I just shudder when I read these words. This so-called “great
tribulation” is coming for the world, before the return of Christ.
But the reality is, the tribulation, the end of the world, in its
individualised form, is coming for each and every one of us.
And that End is called death: ...it is appointed for man to die
once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27 ESV).
Now, if we know that this tribulation, this End, is coming for
each one of us, we need to be prepared.
I remember a year ago when we heard on the news that a
storm of historic magnitude was going to hit Brisbane. I think
the news said that we were about to be hit by another flood,
like the flood of 2011. The news told those of us in Brisbane
to ‘brace for impact’.
When people heard the news, they immediately stormed
Coles and Woolies. By the time my wife and I went to our
nearest Coles, it was too late. When we got there, it looked
like a zombie apocalypse had hit. It was like a scene from
one of those movies featuring a ghost town. Most of the
food items were gone. There was no bread, no rice. All that
remained was a few cansof food and that was about it. It
really was an eerie, haunting experience.
Now, that storm eventually didn’t come, thankfully.
But still, what all those people had done in buying all that
food had been a wise thing to do. Because when a storm
is about to hit, you have toprepare! Me and my wife were
the foolish ones, getting there too late to buy stuff. We went
home empty-handed. What if there really had been a storm
and a flood? We might have starved! We would’ve been in
real danger.
Now, didn’t Jesus say something similar? Yes he did! The
storm, the tribulation, the End, death and judgment is coming
for each and every one of us: 24 "Everyone then who hears
these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the
rock(Matthew 7:24-25 ESV).
Here is my message for the youth. The Storm is coming. You
have to stock up now, before it is too late. I don’t want to be
pessimistic, but universal human experience tells us that as
we continue to live our lives, this Storm brews and brews
and brews.
As we graduate from university and become part of the daily
workforce grind, the Storm is brewing.
As we feel the pressures of marriage and parenthood, the
Storm is brewing.
As we age and our bodies don’t function the way we want it
to, the Storm is brewing.
As our hearts and minds become hardened and unmalleable
by God’s truth, the Storm is brewing.
And eventually, that dark cloud will break into thunder and
storm and hail — that is, death will come, with judgment on
its tail.
Will you be ready?
Now — when you aren’t dealing with the struggles of working
life, or family, or aging or the thousand other tribulations of
life that await you — is the time for you to prepare for the
storm season. Now is the time for you, when you have all
the time in the world, to dig deep into God’s Word and lay
deep roots in your relationship with God, so that you can
plant “roots in yourself”. Why? Because those who don’thave
roots in themselves — those who do not have a personal,
intimate, deep relationship with God — will NOT be able to
stand the scorching fire of the pains and trials of this life to
come: 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the
one who hears the word and immediately receives it with
joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while,
and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the
word, immediately he falls away(Matthew 13:20-21 ESV).
You have to be ready.
How long are you going to waste your time on video games
and lounging mindlessly on Instagram? 6 Go to the ant, O
sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having
any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8 ESV).
Are you an ant-like Christian? Are you gathering your food in
the summer (youth!) to prepare for the cold, hard winter? Are
you laying your roots deep now — by diligently listening to
Christ, obeying Christ and loving Christ — so that even when
the Storm hits, you will be able to stand, unshaken?
I’ve been flying quite a bit recently. But I noticed that people
don’t pay much attention to the flight attendants explaining
how life jackets work or how to exit the plane in case of a
crash. I admit, my mind switches off during those times.
But what if you KNEW that that plane would crash?