WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF . . .
By
Jerry Falwell
I. INTRODUCTION
What would you do if you knew Y2K was going to be more disastrous than anyone thought? What would you do if you knew the Lord was coming back on January 1, 2000? This is called the Sabbath View, i.e., we have lived 6,000 years since Creation, so Jesus is coming back for the last 1,000 years of millennial reign). What would you do if you knew the Lord was coming back September 29, 2000? (Many believe that Jesus will come back on the Jewish Feast of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Feast of Trumpets). As we get closer, you will find many people wrongly predicting that Jesus will come on September 29, 2000 AD.
Many Bible scholars believe that the Jewish feast calendar predicts the future. The first was Pentecost when Jesus died. The second was the feast of Firstfruits when Jesus was raised three days later. The third was the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2). The fourth is the Feast of Trumpets when Jesus returns at the sound of a trumpet, i.e., it comes in the fall, usually in September.
II. THIS SCRIPTURE TEACHES US ABOUT THE FUTURE, I.E., (Matthew 25:1-13 -
Watch for the future,
Prepare for the future,
Be ready for the future.
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
III. A DISCLAIMER AND WARNING
I don’t believe anyone will know the day that Jesus returns, God didn’t tell us the exact date because God knew we would procrastinate until the last minute. If we knew what was coming, we would not be eternally vigilant in serving Him. Remember the Lord said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36).
IV. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF . . . (you knew a disaster will strike or the Lord will come)?
1. Would you be bold enough to witness to everyone; because you knew the judgement that awaits them?
2. Would you gather your family together and make sure each one of them is ready. If we are referring to an atomic bomb disaster, would you plan to meet somewhere if you survived the blast? Would you have provision for your family? How would you prepare them?
3. Would you be kinder in what you say to people knowing your words will witness against you, or would you be more indifferent knowing that you don’t need to get along with people in the future?
4. Would you go visit places you have never been, but you want to go such as: Niagara Falls, San Francisco, the Holy Land, etc.?
5. Would you go visit your sick mother, or other relatives that you should visit?
6. Would you go to your favorite bar to sit and wait with your friends and wait for “it” to happen?
7. Would you hole up in a monastery, and spend every day meditating on God and praying for that day of judgment?
8. Would you go to a mountain top and wait to meet the Lord, so that He could catch you up into the sky?
9. Would you sell all that you have, and dedicate your money to help as many people as possible before judgment?
10. Would you continue to buy and stockpile securities, money, so that you will have plenty after the day of judgment when there is financial panic and the stockmarket collapses?
11. Would you doubt that it’s coming and demand more warning signs before you act on the coming judgment?
12. Would you repent of sin in your life, because you would be embarrassed to face God in open sin or rebellion?
13. Would you be willing to fast 40 days, asking God to pour out revival on our nation before judgment arrives?
14. Would you go to people that you have broken relations with in the past? Would you prepare yourself spiritually by restoring spiritual relationships with everyone?
15. Would you drop to your knees and ask God to save you because you know you are lost?
V. SEVEN PRINCIPLES TO GET READY FOR DISASTER
1. Always be ready for anything! We know that disaster is coming in the future, i.e., the Great Tribulation after the Rapture of the Church. What does God tell us about coming disaster? “For yourselves, know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day shall overtake you as a thief . . . therefore, let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunk in the night, but let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation (I Thess. 5: 2-8).
5 Things To Be Ready For
1. Be ready to witness - “be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you” ( I Peter 3:15).
2. Be ready to serve - (Titus 3:1).
3. Be ready to give - (II Cor. 9:3).
4. Be ready to die for Christ - (II Tim. 4:6).
5. Be ready to meet the Lord - (Matt. 25:13).
2. Live today as though it were your last day.
A believer should live everyday as though it is the last day of his life; live every day as though Jesus Christ will come tomorrow morning. There is an old chorus that I used to lead my junior boys’ class to sing:
With eternity’s values in view Lord,
With eternity’s values in view.
May I do each day’s work for Jesus,
With eternity’s values in view.
The lesson of the five foolish virgins tells us that they made five mistakes:
(1) They thought the bridegroom was not coming for a long time.
(2) They didn’t know their time was up.
(3) They didn’t know how much oil they had.
(4) They didn’t realize that other virgins were prepared.
(5) They entered the night unprepared.
3. Plan for your future as though you have a thousand years to live.
Don’t panic and quit living because you think Jesus is coming in the next 30 minutes. Always live by the total teaching of Scripture, never become a fanatic on just one verse. Some verses tell you that Jesus may come in the next minute, other verses tell you to prepare for the future because you may live your whole life and die before He comes. God tells us it is wise to prepare for the future, “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise (notice whom God calls wise). The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer” (Prov. 30:24,25). Throughout Scriptures, we are told to prepare for the future and prepare for our children. “If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house . . . he is worse than an infidel” (I Tim. 5:8).
I believe this means buy life insurance, take out a retirement plan, write a will so that your children are taken care of, and plan for your old age. Don’t plan for the old folks home to take care of you and don’t plan for your children to take care of you; you plan to take care of them.
4. Share Jesus everywhere possible. I believe the Bible teaches us to be ready to share our faith . . . any time . . . anywhere . . . any place. Paul tells us, “I am ready to preach the gospel to you” (Romans 1:15). A man who is an elder must have “a ready mind” (I Peter 5:2). I believe this means a yielded spirit to do whatever God tells him to do.
This doesn’t mean that you get a sign like the cartoon character who holds up the warning, “REPENT, THE END IS NEAR.” You should be ready to share the gospel with others in a loving way, based upon your prayer for people, because you have love for them; you give them the gospel. You should be witnessing because if Jesus comes tomorrow morning, you won’t get another chance to witness to them.
The other night at the ball game some girl asked me to explain this verse: “For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (II Thess. 2:11). This verse is connected with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and means that after Jesus comes, God will allow the Anti-Christ to tell everyone a lie about the disappearance of Christians. When the Rapture comes and millions of Christians disappear, you would think that automatically unsaved people would miss the Christians, then they would repent and turn to the Lord. But they won’t, they will believe Anti-Christ’s lie and they will harden their hearts.
5. Keep accounts short. If you think that Jesus may come tomorrow morning, don’t go to sleep with sin in your heart toward anyone. Why?
1. Broken relationships harm you.
2. Broken relationships harm the other person.
3. Broken relationships harm your family.
4. Broken relationships harm the Body of Christ
Notice what Jesus said about broken relationships:
FIRST when you sin against someone, “Whosoever is angry toward his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgement . . . therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembers that thou brother have ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:22-24).
SECOND when someone has sinned against you, Jesus told us how to treat a sinning brother; “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother, but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more that in the amount of two or three witnesses, every word may be established” (Matthew 18:15,16).
Don’t go to bed this evening with sin in your heart where you have offended a brother. And don’t go to bed this evening if your brother has sinned against you. Make the issue right with a brother, so both of you will be right with God. The two passages I read tell us whether you sin, or your brother sins against you; deal with the issue immediately.
6. Put your family first. When we think of our ministry for Christ and our walk with Christ, we must give priority to our family. If you face a disaster, you want your family around you. I remember the words of Clyde Narramore to me many years ago:
“If you reach the whole world, but lose your family; you have failed in ministry.”
Someone asked me the other day if I believed in home schooling. Yes! I believe in every type of Christian education. I believe in ACE schools, ACSI schools, I believe in local church schools, I believe in denominational schools, and I believe in the public schools when they do the right thing. Yes! I believe in mothers who stay home to “home school” their children.
But, every Christian home should home school and I don’t mean the technical curriculum of the school at home. I use the word home school generically not technically. When I say home school, let me tell you what I mean.
“These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children (this is home schooling) and shall talk of them when thou shall sittest in thy house (around the dinner table and in the family room) and when thou walkest by the way (when you drive them to school or to the soccer game) when thou liest down (when you pray with them before they go to bed) and when thou risest up (this is the family altar early in the morning)” (Deut. 6:6,7).
7. Be a biblical steward of all you possess. When I use the word stewardship, I mean the following: “The proper management of your time, talent and treasure for the glory of God.” This is the definition I have used at our annual stewardship campaigns at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
There are three abuses of your money:
1. Celibate- those who give away everything and go live in a monastery or nunnery.
2. Selfishness-those who accumulate everything for their own purposes.
3. Squandering-those who spend everything as soon as they get.
The first thinks only of eternity, the second thinks only of tomorrow, and the third thinks only of today.
Listen to what the Living Bible says about stewardship: “A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all your need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over” (II Cor. 9:6-8).
VI. Conclusion.
1. Be willing to do everything God commands in the Bible.
2. Be kind to all people.
3. Be sure you are right.
4. Be anxious (fearful) for nothing.
5. Be ready to meet the Lord.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.
