Prior to reading this sermon it is worth noting that a gentleman by the name of Ken Ring (the moon man) is forecasting an earthquake for Christchurch of around 8 on the Richter scale two days either side of the 20th of March, though he has already amended this prediction it has put a huge weight of fear into the people of Christchurch, fifty thousand left town over the weekend, to add to the seventy thousand who have left since the 22nd of February, this out of an approximate population of four hundred thousand. Last night there was an aftershock of 5.1.
I write this note on the 21st of March.
Why? Delivered 20th March 2011, scripture passage Joshua 24:14-15
The question has been asked a lot this month, why the earthquake, why the disaster in Japan, that makes the devastation of Christchurch, …why would God allow any of this why would a loving God allow any of this, why if Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins - why didn’t he prevent all these things, all this pain?
I heard someone say this week that, “God must have been really angry on the 22nd of February”.
I found myself asking, would he have been and why?
There have been some prophets of doom that have said that the Christchurch earthquake was brought about by our sin; by the sinful people of Christchurch and that God has a plan to bring us back to him. There was even a cult who flew out here from Germany to inform us of our sinful ways… after the fact, I would like to state right now that we should test the spirits of those who claim to speak for God. You should continue to test all preaching including my preaching; does it align with scripture, is it sound doctrinally. In Paul’s letter to Titus he tells Titus “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). The truth of the matter is that ‘yes’ we are sinful, ‘yes’ our city has its fair share of sinful going on’s, I think that we would probably rate along with other cities as having our seedier side.
The prophets of doom are correct in one regard in that ‘God has a plan to bring us back to him’, the rest, but I find it hard to find any sense in ‘after the fact prophecy’. If these prophets had something to say, how come they didn’t warn people of their sinfulness prior to the big shake up? These people aren’t real prophets. What is a prophet of God?
1) Think about this God in his plans for the Old Testament people of Israel had massive plans for them. As we study the scriptures we quickly discover that he wanted them to be ‘witnesses and magnets’ that would attract all the peoples of the world to Him. That people would see His Glory and His Holiness through the lives of those people and live together with them in harmony under God.
God consistently guided them; consistently lead them through his Holy Spirit anointed representatives, leaders, and prophets. He warned them of repercussions if they failed to obey his commands, the commands that kept them safe and walking a path that gave abundant life and was a witness to the rest of the world. Prophets forth told warning about sin and life style more than they foretold the future. God worked in a particular way.
2) Always the pattern was Sin, Judgement, Grace. Like a shepherd bringing his flock into line, people sinned; God judged the sin, the people returned to God, sometimes by force of suffering and found safety within his fold. One of the best examples of finding safety in God is Psalm 23. “The Lords my shepherd, I shall not want.”
David knew what it was like to be cared for by God, to be under his shepherding and guidance. Some times the people of Israel were corrected by God, always with a warning to return to him, always with the proviso that if they did they would be spared suffering. We even have an example of the people of Nineveh where we see this frightened character Jonah sent to warn these wicked people to turn from their sins. These people who practised witchcraft, prostitution, war and even plotted evil against God, but God out of concern for these people sent them a warning…they turned from their sins. Read the story of Jonah and you will see that God has compassion and concern for all people believers and non believers alike.
3) Back to the why questions: this from Wikipedia: In the first eighty years of European settlement in Christchurch (1850–1930), four earthquakes caused significant damage, the last of them occurring in 1922 at Motunau.
There’s a whole lot of information about earthquakes on the same site and lots of information regarding why and how these quakes have and will happen. With regards to the cathedral its stone spire was damaged by earthquakes in 1881 and 1888, before being replaced in 1901 by the one that was destroyed last month.
This quaking is the work of mobile tectonic plates and fault lines, whether this is first pains of child birth before the return of Jesus, we don’t know. Jesus himself says “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) So anyone who claims to know is calling Jesus a liar. A place which I believe is a dangerous place to stand.
However we know we are a fallen race, we know that our dear old ancestors Adam and Eve listened to the serpent in the garden, bringing about on going dramas for the rest of us. They made ‘a choice’ that had some pretty stink consequences for the rest of us. This brings me to the point of choices.
We have had the reading about Joshua, Joshua this bloke of blokes this leader of Israel, this man of character and wisdom…what was it that stood him apart?
What was it that made him who he was? In Joshua we see a man who was for one thing and one thing alone, he put his trust in one leader, and knowing the leader that led him, he followed.
Joshua also knew that he was different from the many, he had seen ten of the eleven spies who accompanied him into the promised land put their heads down and say we can’t win they are to big, to fierce for us to battle with and win. Joshua however knew that God was with him. We see him years after talking with the people of Israel, telling them there was a choice to be made.
Joshua knew that they had these things that they had carted around the desert, little trinkets of the old life, memories of gods of Egypt, in fact they had these gods with them.
How bigger bunch of eggs were these people, God had lead them by fire and by cloud, parted the Red Sea, poured forth water from a rock, given them manna and quail to eat, given them a law that enhanced life and preformed many miracles, but they continued to cart around these old gods…this is one of those moments when you’ve got to wonder. God and all those things or these old gods who’ve done nothing…it’s a bit of a ‘what the’ moment really… the choice between everything and nothing.
Joshua makes it plain, “choose this day who you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, (clever statement here God had recently stopped that water flowing so the whole nation could cross over), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living” (another clever statements we’re living in their land yip, their gods must be ‘super powerful, not!’ if our God gave us their land!).
4) So you might ask yourselves where is Andrew going with this? Some of you may never have even heard about this God that we live for; this might all be new to you.
A few things:
• I don’t have all the answers to the why questions, none of us do
• The other thing is that we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and because of this we have been regenerated by The Holy Spirit, we have salvation. (In Christ we can have new life and forgiveness from our sins).
The truth is that we can hold onto the things that have gone before, we can look at the brokenness that surrounds us and allow it to weigh us down. We can worry about what’s to come, will the Moon Man’s prediction of devastation come true? Or we can look to God, to our salvation and say what ever was behind me, the past that I came out of, the family I grew up in, the mistakes I’ve made, the brokenness and devastation that I have caused, the devastation that events have caused, that stuff back over the river I can leave it behind realising that it is a god that has no power.
The choice is also I can move forward without the fear that something may happen, because even if something does happen it has no power over me because I put my faith in the One who brings salvation to my soul. From there you can be the hands and feet of Jesus as you ‘live for God and serve all people’, it’s up to you who you serve.
It is so easy for us to make the things of our past’s gods that hold us back or the things of our future gods that stop us from possessing the future life of freedom that Almighty God wants for us. We have choices to make. Let me paraphrase the words of Joshua.
‘Now hold God in Awe, serve only him. That stuff from your past, get rid of it and serve the Lord. But hey if that’s not your cup of tea, then you figure who you’re going to serve. The old gods or the new gods but remember neither have any real power. But as for me and my house we will serve the one true God who has lead us by power and by might, we will serve the Lord.’
Conclusion) Joshua the gnarly old warrior leader of the nation knew where the power lay; he knew that the only one with any real strength and authority was God. That is why he served God.
He was pointing the way, acknowledging God’s authority, the choice is ours, who do we serve…our past ways that we have left behind, do we return to that past that held us back, the choice is ours. Those things with no power that we gave power, or the God of power who gives real freedom, choices, we all have them, some bring life, some bring regret, freedom or burdens. Really the choice is who to worship, who to serve.
It’s a little like holding on for the sake of holding on, or letting go and letting God have his way a way that brings freedom and abundance. The ball is in your court as for me I’m going to serve the Lord.
