Why 2K?
Alright. You're right. There have not been a lot of songs written about y two ks yet. Next to the Clinton scandal, the big story of 1999 has been the Y2K bug thing scare, whatever. And I think most of us are familiar with the Y2K which stands for year 2000, 2 ks2000 and the concern that many people have about that problem.
Basically, the fear is that when the date reaches the year 2000, computers that have been programmed to read only the two last digits of the year will think that it's 1900 instead of the year 2000 and thus will create havoc in our society. This error in reading, some say, will produce all kinds of problems. Some say utility company computers might shut down causing major outages. Others fear that government agencies who provide public assistance will have to shut down and people won't get their social security checks and whatever else the government is providing. And of course, one big scare is that food distributors will not be able to operate, cutting off food supplies.
And they say grocery stores only have 4 or 5 days supply of food and we won't have food. And I could go on and on. But the argument is that any company or agency that relies on computers will be seriously affected by the Y2K bug beginning of the new year. And I mean, you've read about this, I'm just kind of getting this all on the same page here. Now this story and various scenarios that might happen have been much in the news.
And I've noticed that they have caused a lot of anxiety. Now I don't know a lot about computers. That is legendary. So I'm not gonna give you a technical lesson on y two k problem from a programmer's point of view. You know, we'll let Matt do that here.
He's our deacon in charge of all that stuff. However, I do know about anxiety. All this I know much about, anxiety and stress and how it affects people. So this morning, I'd like to ask the question, why let the 2 k bug stress you out? Because you see, I think the problem is not technology, the problem is anxiety.
That's the problem. It seems that we're a nation that loves crisis. You know, I've lived here 6, 7 years. Boy, America loves crisis. I mean, if there's no crisis, we'll create one so we can obsess over it.
I mean from bomb shelters to El Nino, we can't seem to live very long without a crisis to worry about. So the y two ks bug is really the latest thing to raise our level of anxiety. Now what's really interesting is how different people deal with or use the anxiety produced by this latest crisis. That's the story. That's the interest.
One way it's used is or one way people react is through denial. Some people deal with the problem by pretending it's not there. They don't have a computer, they don't believe anything is really wrong, they just laugh it off. And of course, y two ks is a real problem, but some folks would rather pretend that nothing will ever affect them, so they ignore it altogether. And these people deal with y two ks the same way they deal with death.
It's something that only happens to other people, not to them. Some people deal with anxiety or this anxiety by surrendering to it. You know, there are people who wanna believe all the negatives about the problem. You just fill them with negatives and boy, they'll eat this stuff up. The worst case scenario is always the option that they choose to believe.
These people deal with their anxiety by feeding it. Give me more. I love to be nervous. They live in fear and y two ks simply gives them another reason to remain fearful. And then there are the people who begin a cult.
These are the people who believe that there is a conspiracy behind everything. They start a newsletter, they form action committees, they stock up on food and batteries. These folks deal with their anxiety by creating a cult or a strata, a strata in society whose religion or unifying force is the conspiracy itself. And in this case, the newest group to emerge is the cult formed around the y2k conspiracy. Boy, get on the internet.
You'll visit all the congregations of the y2k cult. And then of course, there's a 4th group, I call them the profiteers. These are the most cynical of people. They respond to anxiety, alright, but they respond to other people's anxiety. And the way they respond is by making money off of other people's fear.
You know, it's one thing to make a profit by charging somebody to fix their computer in order to get it ready for y2k. I mean, sure, that's a legitimate thing. It's quite another to simply profit from someone's fear of y2k. These people produce products, services, seminars that promote and extend the anxiety without any regard to actually fixing the problem. So we have the profiteers.
As I said, I can't provide the expertise to make a computer y two ks ready, but perhaps through the scriptures, I can help reduce the anxiety and get you y two ks ready. I think that falls into my purview. Now there's no denying that the Y2K bug is a legitimate problem and has to be addressed. Some systems may fail. There may be disruption of important services.
We may see some hardship, even great hardship. All this may be true. But this being the case, I want you to remember that this is not the first crisis we've ever been through as a nation. I mean, there have been a couple of wars, remember them? And there have been serious epidemics.
And we've had all kinds of natural disasters this year alone. Flooding, tornadoes, and oh my, all kinds of things that have taken place. And then of course there are the daily trials that each of us have to live through: illness, and the raising of children and the earning of a living. And we all, one day, have to face death, the ultimate trial. And of course now, add to all of this, the y two ks problem.
As I said before, the question suggested in my sermon titled, why, w h y two ks, is this, why let the 2 k bug worry you more than the other things in life worry you? This problem can be placed into perspective if we remember several things that are true. True and surely more certain than any problem the y two ks bug may or may not bring. So what I'm asking you to do with this issue is to look at it through the eyes of faith and compare it to what you know is true about this life, the truth that has been revealed to you by the word of God. Compare the problem to the truth.
Okay? Truth number 1: God rules the world, not technology. Paul explained this truth to the thinkers and the philosophers of his day, who thought that they were on the cutting edge of knowledge and discovery. And to them he referred to God as, the God who made the world and all the things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth. Acts chapter 4 verse 24.
Technology is the servant of God, not the other way around. You know, they thought gunpowder would be the ruin of us too, when it was invented because of its great destructive power and we worried that nuclear weapons would wipe us out. Every generation has its new fear. Every generation has its new anxiety. But God rules the world that He created and only God has the power to destroy it.
Peter says that the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 7. And then a little later on in verse 10 he says, the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. That includes computers. No software in heaven, boys.
So a basic truth to curb anxiety is that God is in charge of the world and no man and no technological glitch can or has permission to destroy the world. Only God can do this. Truth number 2, God cares for his people. If there's anything we learn from the gospel, it's that God dearly loves his people. It is not that God likes his people or that God is fond of his people.
It's that God dearly loves his people. He loved and cared for the Jews for 1000 of years despite their rebellion and disobedience and idolatry. And though Jesus Christ, or rather through Jesus Christ, He has shown us how much He cares for those who comes to Him in faith. Jesus himself has assured his disciples that if they seek his kingdom first, God will provide for all their needs. In Matthew chapter 6 verse 25, Jesus says quite emphatically, Do not be anxious for your life.
And he goes on to mention what people worry about the most. They worry about food, they worry about clothing, they worry about shelter. Aren't these the things that we worry about? That the y2k bug will eliminate from our society or cause problems for? And yet, 2000 years ago he said to people who couldn't even begin to imagine what a computer was, not to worry about food, and clothing, and shelter.
It's the same message. He promises that God knows, and here's the important part, that God knows ahead of time what we need. Ahead of time, He knows what we need and He'll provide it. God already knows what will happen at the year 2000 and he is prepared for it in advance, what we need. We should therefore worry less about the bug and trust more that God will provide what we need.
Truth number 3, true security. True security is found in God, not in computers. Thank you, Matt. You know, if you understand, see, Matt's a big computer guy. So when he says amen, boy, that's really speaking for the whole industry.
Of course, those people whose life is in this world, whose peace and security is based on a steady flow of goods and services provided by technology, they're afraid if technology fails them. You see, as long as things are humming along, as long as the system is clicking away, everything is okay. Now I'm not saying that Christians don't need technology, or that Christians can't be affected by a major computer meltdown. I'm not saying that. I'm simply saying that as a Christian's security and peace of mind are not tied to these things.
God plainly tells those who rely on him, I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5. This gives every person who depends on God and Christ the ability to say what the psalmist said many 100 of years ago in Psalm 116. He said, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. And we can say the same thing.
The Lord is our helper, we will not be afraid. Not in 1999, not in 2000, not in 2,000 and 1 or at any time in the future because the Lord is my helper. There will always be threats to our safety. There will always be threats to our well-being in this world. But if our security rests upon our faith in God, we will not be moved, no matter what happens in this world.
None of us have any guarantee that we will live until 2000. Do you ever think about that? Who says you're going to be there at 2000? But if we do, it'll be interesting to see what will happen when the year 2000 does come around. I'll be anxious to see if people will be relieved or distressed at that time.
Relieved because it wasn't so bad, or distressed because it was worse than they thought. What will be most interesting, however, will be the way Christians handle the coming of the new millennium. I suspect there won't be any relief. I suspect there won't be any distress for the disciples of Jesus. And do you know why?
Well, first of all, Christians don't live in denial. Hopefully, Christians are prudent and have wisely prepared by trying to fix the problem and not run away from it. Our church computers will be ready and if anyone else needs information about what to do, believe it or not, there's a 4 page brochure that they put out. But Federal Emergency Management Agency called y two k bulletin and in this newsletter, they explained the problem. And what to do about consumer electric products or personal computers or whatever else might be affected.
And I put that information down in your in your, lesson notes. You just call them up, 1-800-480-2520 or you can get them on the web at www.fema.gov.government/y2k. Just dial them up. Christians don't hide, they ask for God's help to deal with the problem. I also know that Christians don't surrender either.
Our lives are in the hands of God. He's our protector, He's our shield. He has promised to sustain us and provide for our needs. And He can do this no matter what happens in the year 2000. And Christians don't start a cult.
We already have a religion, We already have a message to preach and it's not that the world is coming to an end because of a computer malfunction. That's not our message. Our message is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He's resurrected from the dead, and when He returns, that's when the world is gonna end. Not before. Our task is to stay on message.
Our task is to remain faithful to that message, no matter what happens in 2000 or any year beyond that. And Christians do not profit from ignorance. Our job is to be and to bring the light of truth into the world so all can be free from the fear of death and free from the curse of sin. We don't want to take advantage of people's fears, We want to free them from their fears. Christians are not afraid of the future, we welcome the future because that's where Jesus waits for us and we want others to look forward to his coming without fear as well.
And so as I ask, or rather as I close, I ask the question, what will you be doing as the clock ticks over to 2,000? Will you be fearful? Will you be free? I mentioned before that there's no guarantee that we'll ever be here even on December 31st, no guarantee that we'll be here then. Some may die before that time.
If this is so, I would be less concerned about the condition of my computer and much more concerned about the condition of my soul. You know, they'll eventually fix the computer but a soul that dies without Christ can never be fixed. It's eternally lost. So if you need to be right with God, if you need to be free from sin, if you need to be restored to the church, if you need to give us the right hand of fellowship, our elders are here this morning and they're ready to pray for you, we're ready to hear your confession of faith, we're ready to encourage you in any way we can. We've selected a song as Johnny gets up here to lead that song, shall we sing and stand and sing?
And if you need to respond, please come forward during this time.