SERMON: BE PREPARED -- THE END IS NEAR

BE PREPARED -- THE END IS NEAR
23 August 2009

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 16

1. Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
2. So he called him in and asked him, `What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
3. "The manager said to himself, `What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg--
4. I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5. "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?'
6. "`Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
7. "Then he asked the second, `And how much do you owe?' "`A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, `Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
8. "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
9. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.


-- what would you do if you knew that the end of the world was coming? -- what would you do if you knew that on such and such a date in the future, the world would be destroyed? -- not necessarily the blowing up of our planet but the end of life as we know it -- how would you prepare for such an event? -- what would you do?
-- that is a question that our society and our culture seems to be increasingly worried about -- I recently watched the trailer for the new movie "2012" based on the Mayan prophecy that the world will end on December 21, 2012 -- the trailer opened with the question flashing on the screen, "How would the governments of our planet prepare six billion people for the end of the world?" -- a moment later, the words came, "They wouldn't"
-- if you accept the premise that our books and our movies and our television shows reflect the worries and concerns of society, then you would have to say that we are living in a society focused on the end of the world
-- we have always had movies and books about cataclysmic events -- remember "The Poseiden Adventure" -- "Earthquake" -- and "The Towering Inferno" -- but recently, we've been inundated with movies and books where these cataclysmic events destroy life as we know it
-- movies like "The Day After Tomorrow" -- "I am Legend" -- even the animated movie, "Wall-E" that came out last year -- all focused on the aftermath of the end of the world
-- 2012 is just one of a new wave of apocalyptic movies set to come out this year -- Denzel Washington has another one coming out in January called "Eli" about surviving in America after a devastating war destroys civilization and the environment
-- and it's not just our movies -- a couple of years ago CBS had a short-lived t.v. series called "Jericho" about Americans surviving in the mid-west after a nuclear attack by terrorists -- NBC is releasing a similar new series in March called "Day One" about a handful of neighbors trying to survive a cataclysmic event that destroys the world's infrastructure -- and there have been a handful of books out on what would happen and how we would survive if something were to shut down the electrical grid world-wide -- whether a natural event or an EMP -- an Electromagnetic Pulse weapon

-- people are worried about the future -- they are worried about what is going to happen -- more specifically, they're worried about what is going to happen to them
-- if you stop to think about it, it's understandable -- we live in probably the most chaotic and unpredictable time in history -- in the past decade, our country and our world have been rocked with wars and rumors of wars -- with terrorist bombings -- with hijacked planes -- with increased violence and crime world-wide
-- we've seen our economy crumble and watched as Wall Street almost came to its knees over the mortgage crisis and the failure of banks -- we've watched American cities inundated by killer hurricanes -- destroyed as rivers overflowed their banks -- devastated by earthquakes and wildfires
-- we saw the horrific images of the 2004 tsunami and the 2008 earthquake in Pakistan -- we watched in disbelief as hundreds of thousands of people were either killed or displaced by these and similar events
-- we hear the dire predictions of a nuclear Iran and a nuclear North Korea -- of the likelihood of a biological, nuclear, or EMP weapon being unleashed in America -- of the potential for an asteroid to slam into the planet -- of global climate change that will destroy life as we know it
-- is it any wonder that we're worried? -- is it any wonder that people are concerned with the future?

-- now, I've said all this to make a point -- not to scare you or worry you -- but to focus your attention on the overwhelming fact that the people around us are worried about the state of the world -- and to ask you the question, "What should be our response as Christians?"
-- in light of this chaotic time that we live in -- in light of the worry around us -- what should we be saying and doing as Christians? -- how can we speak life and hope into a world worried about the future? -- what should be our response?

II. Scripture Lesson (Luke 16:1-9)
-- the answers to these questions can only be found in scripture -- look back with me, if you would, at Luke 16 at the parable of the dishonest manager
-- this has always been a difficult passage of scripture to understand -- it's rarely taught on because on the surface it seems to go against what Jesus stood for -- how could Jesus praise the actions of a man who was dishonest and who cheated his employer? -- what is His point? -- what is He trying to say here? -- let's find out

-- look back at verse 1

1. Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
2. So he called him in and asked him, `What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'


-- Jesus begins this parable by telling us about a manager who has not been taking care of his master's possessions -- he had been given a position to manage the resources for a rich man -- his master -- but he's been a poor steward
-- he has wasted the master's money -- he has squandered the master's possessions -- he has taken what the master has given him, but has not produced any return on the man's investment -- instead, he has cost the rich man money
-- finally, the rich man has had enough -- he calls the manager and says, "I want to have a meeting with you -- I want to know what has happened to my money -- I want to know what you have done with my possessions"
-- and once he finds out, the manager is summarily dismissed -- in other words, the manager is fired -- let go -- laid off -- out-sourced -- out of work -- not too an uncommon an occurrence in our day and age
-- now, understand what has just happened to the manager -- his world has been rocked -- his life has been changed -- here he was living the high life -- managing someone else's money and possessions -- living high on the hog on their dime -- but now, he faces an uncertain future
-- he doesn't know what is going to happen -- he doesn't know what he's going to do -- he's worried about tomorrow -- sound familiar?

-- verse 3

3. "The manager said to himself, `What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg--
4. I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5. "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?'
6. "`Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
7. "Then he asked the second, `And how much do you owe?' "`A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, `Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'


-- when the manager realized what was coming, he knew he had to get ready -- he knew he was about to be out on the street -- he knew he had no where to go -- and so he made preparations to get ready for what was about to happen
-- he went to the rich man's debtors and had them change their bills so that they would only have to pay back a fraction of what they really owed -- in essence, he cheated his former master -- he was dishonest -- he was a crook -- but he did it for a reason
-- he made up fake bills and changed invoices so that these debtors would owe him a favor -- he did it so that when his boss threw him out on the street with no money and no job, these debtors would take him in and give him a hand
-- it was wrong, but it worked

-- verse 8

8. "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.


-- the master commended the dishonest manager -- not because he had stolen from him and cheated him -- but because the dishonest manager had finally taken initiative and looked ahead and managed his resources for the future
-- this was exactly why he was hired in the first place -- he was hired to take the rich man's money and possessions and to use them in such a way that they would increase in value in the future -- he was hired to look ahead to what was coming and to do what was necessary to make sure the rich man was taken care of in the future
-- the rich man commended the dishonest manager for finally doing his job -- even though he had done it to better himself instead of the rich man like he should have in the first place -- if had acted like this all along, he never would have lost his job

-- verse 9

9. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

-- here Jesus summarizes His parable -- He doesn't praise or condone the dishonesty of the manager but He does praise the manager's forethought -- look ahead to the future and use the resources that you have been given to help you and others
-- God has given you tools and resources to work with -- don't waste them -- but use them -- not in dishonest ways -- not selfishly -- but use what you have been given for your benefit and for the benefit of those around you so that in the future you will be taken care of -- so that in the future, your destination will be secure -- so that in the future you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings

III. Be Prepared
-- earlier I asked you a question -- in light of this chaotic time that we live in -- in light of the worry around us -- what should we be saying and doing as Christians? -- what should be our response?
-- Jesus' answer from this parable is, "Be Prepared"

-- now, that answer has two parts -- first, we are to be prepared for the chaos of this life -- in John 16:33, Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble, so get ready for it -- everyone agrees, our lives are filled with trouble -- most of it is minor, day-to-day things that just cause us a little distress -- but, occasionally, times of extreme trouble can come our way
-- this is what the world worries the most about -- those extreme troubles like hurricanes and floods -- like earthquakes and global climate change -- like war and nuclear disaster and EMPs and terrorists -- like the loss of a job or economic collapse
-- Jesus says, "Don't worry, but be prepared"

-- lately, I guess I've gotten caught up in this apocalyptic craze that's sweeping the country -- they've been accusing me of being a doom and gloom prophet at work because I've been talking about the potential for a major catastrophe to hit America
-- but, you see I'm not really worried about it -- it may or may not happen -- my focus is not so much on this world but on the world to come -- but, I do think we need to heed Jesus' message in this parable -- I do think we need to be prepared for what might happen -- not just for ourselves, but for those around us
-- this past week we had our first named storms of the hurricane season -- right now, Hurricane Bill is churning out in the Atlantic headed towards the northeast -- how many of you have made preparations for hurricane season? -- how many of you are prepared for any natural disaster?
-- both the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency say that people should be prepared to survive for three days without access to food, water, or electricity -- they say we should have a stockpile of food and water and supplies to get us through the initial emergency period
-- I went on GEMA and FEMA's webpages and printed off a list of recommended items that everyone needs in their disaster supply kit -- I've got copies at the back for you as you leave -- Jesus says, "Be prepared" -- and I think that we should follow His command -- that we should prepare for whatever troubles might come our way
-- that is exactly what Jesus was commending the dishonest manager for in this passage -- the dishonest manager had the foresight to look ahead to what was coming and to get ready for it -- as Christians, we need to do the same, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors as well

-- but, Jesus' command to be prepared not only means to be prepared for the chaos of this life -- it also means to be prepared for entry into the next life -- In John 16:33, after Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble, He comforts us by saying, "But take heart! I have overcome the world."
-- as Christians, our focus should always be on the eternal -- on what happens after our time has ended -- on what happens after we die

-- if you would, flip over to Luke 6:46 and we'll end there

46. "Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
47. I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
48. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
49. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

-- once again, Jesus gives us a parable of preparation -- we know that the storms of life are going to come -- we know that we will have trouble in this world -- but Jesus says that the only way to truly be prepared is to have a strong foundation built on the rock -- He's talking, of course, about salvation and the forgiveness of sins that He made possible through His death and resurrection
-- it doesn't matter how prepared you are for the troubles of this life if you're not prepared for what comes next -- the fears and the worries of our society about potential cataclysmic events really mask their real concern -- what will happen when they die? -- where will they go? -- where will they spend eternity?
-- they focus on surviving a catastrophe in this world so they don't have to think about what comes next

-- as Christians, it is our responsibility to help others prepare for eternity -- we are called by God to go forth and make disciples of all nations -- to baptize others in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost -- and to teach them all the things that Jesus commanded us to do
-- it is our responsibility to speak hope to the fears and concerns of those around us -- to let them know that even if the world were to end today, that life goes on -- that Jesus died on the cross for their sins -- that He rose from the dead on the third day to prove His victory over sin and death -- and that if they would only believe in Him -- if they would only trust in His word -- then they would have eternal life -- they would lay a strong foundation on the Rock -- they would be prepared for eternity

IV. Closing
-- the message for today is to be prepared -- prepare first for the storms of life that we will face -- get ready for them so that when they come, you will be able to take care of the physical needs of yourself and your neighbor