INTRO. - The whole world shook and not just Japan, this past week, actually on Friday, March 11th, and that certainly wasn’t the end. The end may never come for those who live in Japan and the surrounding areas.
I might tell a joke about earthquakes but it wouldn’t be funny. One nationally known comedian did that and got fired.
ILL.- Comedian, Gilbert Gottfried, has been the voice of the Aflac duck since 2000, I believe, but he is no more. Aflac fired him over telling an insensitive joke (tweeted it) about the tragedy in Japan. Most people, if not all, didn’t take kindly to it, nor did his employer.
That should teach us all a lesson about making fun or making light of someone’s tragedy. It should also remind us to think before we speak any time. We are often too quick to speak.
James 1:19 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
THE GREAT QUAKE AND TSUNAMI. What to think - What to do. We should think and do something!
I. WHAT SHOULD WE THINK
We should think about it and the people. Some people dismiss everything if it doesn’t happen to them. But how can we do this since we all are a part of the human race and God wants us to demonstrate love to all?
ILL.- A mother said to her son, “Why Bobby, you ate all that cake without thinking of your sister." Bobby replied, “Oh, I was thinking of her all the time. I was afraid she would come in before I finished it.”
We humans are often very self-centered and we who are in Christ must get out of that mode and kind of thinking.
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Paul was writing to Christians about how to think about one another and treat one another. And I think it applies to all people. If you don’t think about others and get out of your selfish mode, how can you do any good in this world? And God put us to do good to all mankind.
ILL.- There was once an ambitious farmer, unhappy about the yield of his crops, heard of a highly recommended new seed corn. He bought some and produced a crop that was so abundant his astonished neighbors asked him to sell them a portion of the new seed. But the farmer, afraid that he would lose a profitable competitive advantage, refused.
The second year the new seed did not produce as good a crop, and when the third-year crop was still worse it dawned upon the farmer that his prize corn was being pollinated by the inferior grade of corn from his neighbors’ fields. SERVED HIM RIGHT FOR BEING SELFISH.
Selfish living will always come back to bite a person. Look at Bernie Madoff!
What should we think about this horrible, human tragedy?
1- Many wonder, “Why did this happen?” It happened for many reasons. Planet earth is not a perfect place to live. There is only one perfect place to live and hopefully, we’re all preparing to go there!
Planet earth is in the decline and destruction mode. God made it that way. This earth, as we know it, was not meant to be eternal. I guess we can thank Adam and Eve for that. At least, they contributed to the problem.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that the world is decaying. And of course, we know that things like earthquakes will take place. Jesus said so.
Matthew 24:4-8 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Our earth is in the process of decay and will some day cease to exist as we know it, but an earthquake or tsunami won’t be the end of this world, GOD WILL!
II Peter 3:10-13 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
2- Why did that earthquake hit in Japan and not here? Because it’s a high traffic for earthquakes, that is. It just so happened that the people of Japan live in an area where earthquakes happen more than many other places on planet earth.
Most of the world’s earthquakes (90%, and 81% of the largest) take place in the 40,000-km-long, horseshoe-shaped zone known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, which includes Japan.
That 8.9 earthquake has been upgraded to a 9. Even before that I heard the authorities said that it was 100 times greater than the one that hit Haiti last year.
But why them and not us? Why were you not born in Japan instead of America? Have you ever considered this? Could it be that God thought you and I couldn’t have handled the situation as well as they did?
Obviously, if you were born and raised in that country you would know more about how to live through things like that.
I heard that the Japanese people, for the most part, are acting fairly calm and there is no thievery, looting, and mugging going on in the aftermath of it all. Again, probably because of good teaching. Some kind of good teaching from someone; either the government or the home life.
Japan’s population is around 128 million and Japan is 145,840 square miles and that’s equal to the size of the state of Montana. Montana’s population is 989,000 and the population of the whole US is 307 million. So this means that if we took about one-half the population of the US and put it in the state of Montana that’s what living in Japan would be like!
Now, how would you like in a heavy populated country like that? No wonder they have learned to be more calm and courteous than the people of the US. THEY HAVE NO CHOICE IF THEY WANT TO GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER!
Brothers and sisters, the main reason why you and I were born and raised in America and not in Japan is because God is gracious! God knew best where to put us and it may be that He knew that we couldn’t make it in some third world, poor countries!
ILL.- It’s like that old saying about the drunk guy lying in a ditch and someone said, “There go I but for the grace of God.” And if it weren’t the grace of God you and I might be in Japan!
We need to thank God every day that He allowed us by His grace to be born and raised in America! We have it so very good and so very easy compared to most people in the world! GOD BE PRAISED! He should be thanked and praised every day.
What should we think? We should think about those hurting, homeless, suffering people and realize it could have been us! We should think about them with a heart of compassion, which leads me to this point.
II. WHAT SHOULD WE DO
Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” KJV
If we don’t get our thinking right then our “doing” will never be right. In fact, if we don’t think right we won’t do anything for anybody. We should think with compassion for these people even though we don’t live next door to them.
Do you know what the dominate religion of the Japanese people is? It’s Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto and Japanese Buddhism are therefore best understood not as two completely separate and competing faiths, but rather as a single, rather complex religious system. Shinto is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. The vast majority of Japanese people who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship.
Japan grants full religious freedom, allowing minority religions such as Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to be practiced. Figures state 84% to 96% of Japanese adhere to Shinto and Buddhism come primarily from birth, because they are born into a family that practices these.
Buddhists teach:
(1) lead a moral life,
(2) be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) develop wisdom and understanding.
Who was Buddha? He was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness.
Was the Buddha a God? He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience.
What about Buddhism? Do they actually believe in God or a God? It doesn’t sound like it. It sounds more like a way of living than anything else.
What must we think and do in regard to their faith? The important thing is what God thinks.
I Timothy 2:4 “God our Savior wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
II Peter 3:8-9 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
What about the thousands of people that are already dead and many more that will die? What will happen to them in eternity? This is always a question that we wonder about.
I think this is a sure thing: God doesn’t want anyone to perish. He wants all people to to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. WHAT TRUTH? That He is the one, true and living God, and that Jesus is the Christ, His son. And that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)
Brothers and sisters, we need to keep on preaching the truth of God’s Word about Jesus! Regardless of what the people of Japan think or any other people of the world, we must preach the truth of Jesus!
Now, if God wants to save people outside of faith in Christ then that’s His business. He’s in management, we’re in sales. And if there is one single person who loves the people of Japan, it’s God! God loves all people whom He has created and wants them to be with Him.
Romans 9:2-4 “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.”
That was Paul’s heart. He was wiling to be separated from Christ (or go to hell) for the sake of others. And I believe that was the heart of Jesus first and foremost!
What should we do? We should pray for the Japanese people. We should pray that He will have mercy on them in any form. And we should pray that somehow they might come to know Him through Jesus.
Beyond that, what should we do? Obviously, our hands are somewhat tied as far as helping them physically. Not many people can fly over there to help them rebuild. It’s like all foreign missions: if you can’t go yourself then you send someone in your place. And there may be places where we can some send money to help with their rebuilding, etc.
CONCLUSION---------------------
What should this horrible tragedy in Japan teach us?
1- It should teach us to care about others. It should teach to pray for people who hurt and demonstrate compassion, mercy and help.
2- It should teach us to pray that they see their greatest help from God and Christ. Ultimately, we get our greatest help and hope from the Lord. (Ps. 46:1-3)
3- It should also teach us to be prepared for any tragedy that could hit us in this country and personally!
Tragedies happen all the time! Natural disasters, financial difficulties, health difficulties, accidents, and sometimes death when we least expect it.
ILL.- Jeff Weir is the Assistant manager of the Kinkos store on Nettleton. We were visiting last Wednesday morning and he told me about the time when his grandmother was 93 and had to be taken to the ER. It wasn’t long after they got her there that she said, “You know, I’m just tired. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to go be with the Lord.” And 10 minutes later she stopped breathing. SHE WAS APPARENTLY READY FOR DEATH. But what about you and your family members and the people around you, friends and neighbors?
We all need to know the Lord and have a better walk with Him. Are we walking in faith? Are we practicing our faith? It is real or is it just something we do on Sunday mornings?
When tragedies hit, we must have the solid rock on which to cling!
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
