Do you think that the people of Haiti are worse sinners than the rest of us?

Pat Robertson's controversial statement regarding the Haiti earthquake is a hot item across the blogosphere (click here). Without necessarily interpreting what Robertson has intended to say, I myself have some thoughts on this issue.

Though Scripture is clear that though God's final outpouring of judgment and wrath is reserved for the very last days, he do sometimes intervene in history to execute his judgment and to make his wrath known. He may judge certain localities (Sodom & Gomorrah; Tyre, Nineveh). He may also judge certain individuals (Herod in Acts 12:22-23).

Yet those who are spared from divine wrath have this tendency to be self-righteous and judgmental. In the early 1990's, when severe calamities struck Luzon (1990 Killer quake; 1991 Pinatubo eruption), a heard a statement which goes like this: "Mas makasalan ang mga taga-Luzon kaysa sa mga taga-Mindanao." While Saddam Hussein was being executed, he was mocked heavily by a crowd.

These attitudes were addressed by the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 13:1-5:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." (NIV)

Jesus' point is that they are not better than the victims of massacres and calamities. They too are deserving of judgment unless they repent.

He further told them a parable: Luke 13: 6-9 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, `For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' " `Sir,' the man replied, `leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

The tree was unfruitful after three years of cultivation so it deserves to be cut off. Yet it was given another year of intensified care.

Based on these teachings by the Lord, let me point out some things we should think about.
1. Let us be grateful for the patience of God. The whole world deserves judgment and wrath, yet he withholds what we deserve most of the time. Instead, he provides us with good things.

There was only one killer quake in Northern Luzon for the last 19 years though we are sinners and deserving of daily killer quakes.

2. Let us fear God and repent. The patience of God as displayed in delayed judgments does not mean that the day of reckoning shall not come. Do not listen to scoffers who say "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." (2 Peter 3:4). Remember the parable: he may give you an extra year of intensified care, but if you remain fruitless you shall be cut down.

3. Be grateful for the gift of repentance. Repentance is the only way to escape from his wrath. Yet the source of this repentance is God himself (2 Tim.2:25; Acts 11:18)

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His Presence, Our Protection (Psalm 46)

Nang rumagasa ang bahang dulot ng bagyong Pepeng sa Pangasinan, kinansela ng Guiding Light-Dagupan ang kanyang worship service dahil lubog sa baha ang lungsod at mga karatig-bayan. Nang sumunod na linggo, sa habag ng Panginoon, ako po ang nabigyan ng pribilehiyong mangaral sa likod ng pulpito. Ito po ang buong manuscript ng mensaheng iyon.

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His Presence, Our Protection (Psalm 46)

Agosto ng taong 2001, libu-libong katao mula sa iba't ibang iglesiang Kristiyano mula sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa ang lumuwas sa Quezon City upang dumalo sa isang prayer and healing meeting sa pangunguna ng Don Clowers Ministries (DCM). Sa kagandahang-loob ng DCM, ang mga delegado ay nabigyan ng libreng lodging sa sari-saring budget hotels na malapit sa Araneta Coliseum kung saan ginanap ang naturang pagtitipon. Ang ilan sa kanila ay naka-check-in a Manor Hotel.

Sa loob ng Manor Hotel ay mahimbing na natutulog ang mga delegado-- hanggang sa pagsapit ng alas-4 ng madaling araw kung kelan narinig ang mga sigawan at daing, wala nang ilaw-- at ang lahat ay nagkakagulo. May SUNOG na tumutupok sa hotel at ang bawat isa ay naghahanap ng paraan kung paano makaligtas. Tinangka nilang tumakas sa pamamagitan ng mga bintana, subalit sa takot ng may-ari ng hotel sa mga magnanakaw, ang mga bintana ay may harang na mga iron bars. Kuwento ng isang survivor: tinganggal niya ang isang aircon unit upang siya makapag- hole in the wall.

Tumagal ang sunog sa loob ng dalawang oras. Hindi ko alam ang huling bilang pero halos tiyak ako na ito ay mahigit 70. Karamihan sa kanila ay hindi naman nadampian ng apoy o baga, kundi namatay dahil sa suffocation.

Itong aking kuwento ay bunga ng aking paghalukay sa sa mga news archives, ngunit mayroong isang bagay na sariwa pa rin sa aking alaala hanggang ngayon. Sa isang panayam ng isang TV reporter sa isang Pastor, ang tanong ay "Sa palagay po ba ninyo, itong nangyari ay plano ng Diyos?"

Napailing ang pastor kasunod ay ang sagot niyang "Hindi"

I do not want to withdraw my sympathy for that pastor. You can just imagine the pain seeing the lifeless bodies of members of your flock whom you love so much.

Yet I know from the moment I heard that interview that is was bad, bad, theology. It suggests that God is so helpless that he can't even implement his plan. Such a god is too weak-- that is not the God of the bible.

Kung siya ay talagang masugid na tagasunod ni Don Clowers, hindi nakapagtataka na ganun ang sagot ng pastor. Si Don Clowers ay isa sa mga nagtataguyod sa salot ng prosperity gospel. Nawa'y 'di na kumalat ang aral na 'yan.

Mga kapatid, kung kayo po ang lalapitan ng isang TV reporter at kayo ay kanyang tatanungin, "Sa palagay po ba ninyo, itong si bagyong Pepeng ay plano ng Diyos?"-- Ano po ang inyong isasagot.

Brethren, I have high hopes for you because I know that you are all well-taught. The last sermon you heard from our pastor before Pepeng ravanged our province was about the sovereignty of God over the affairs of the world so that when you tune-in to CNN, you will see the hand of God actively moving over the current events in Pakistan, Indonesia, Russia, Iraq, Washington, and anywhere else on earth and in the universe.

Naramdaman ba ninyo ang pagkilos ng Panginoon sa nagdaang rumaragasang baha? O tulad ba ng kamangmangan ng iba, ang tingin ninyo sa nangyari ay hatid ng isang impersonal force na tinatawag nilang Mother Nature?

What we say about God after a calamity is not trivial. It is of immesurable importance. Pagkatapos ng kalamidad na tumangay sa mga ari-arian at mga anak ni Job, kanyang sinabi:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21)

Ano ang komentaryo ng bibliya dyan sa sinabi ni Job, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22)

The object of this lesson is keep our view of God high-- so that in the midst of calamity, we will not sin with our words.

GOD ASSURES HIS PRESENCE WITH US IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
Ang madalas naming laruin nang ako ay bata pa ay yung shatong/shato-- gamit namin ang dalawang patpat (isang mahaba at isang maiksi). Para mahati namin ang aming sarili sa dalawang koponan, ang ginagawa namin ay yung Impyang (hindi ko kasi alam ang Tagalog niyan eh). Yung mga naglabas ng palad ay magkakakampi. Yung naglabas ng likuran ng kamay, magkakakampi.

Subalit dahil may mga bata na mas mahuhusay maglaro kaysa sa iba, hindi maiiwasan na kung minsan, yung mga mahuhusay ay nagkakataong nagkakasama-sama at yung mga lampa ay nagkakasama-sama rin sa isang koponan. Kapag nakita mo na mahina ang iyong koponan, mapapakamot ka ng iyong ulo at makiki-usap ka sa kabilang koponan:

'Puwede bang amin na lang si ______________"

What's the point?
The point is that you want the best to join your team. But more else could you ask for if the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, the all-powerful God is on your side?

That is exactly what you can find in this Psalm.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A VERY PRESENT help in trouble.
vv.7- "The Lord of hosts is WITH US..."
vv.11- "The Lord of hosts is WITH US..."

It was the promise given to Moses (Exo.3:12). Remember the parting of the Red Sea?
It was the promise given to Joshua (Josh. 1:5). Remember the conquest of the Promised land?
Because we are in Christ, the same promise is for us: "... and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, GOD WITH US)."

In God's presence we find protection (Psalm 23:4).
In God's presence we find blessing (Gen. 26:3)

THREE METAPHORS FOR GOD'S PROTECTING PRESENCE

1. REFUGE (verse 1)
Naaalala pa ba ninyo yung mga panahong may mga Vietnamese Refugees na naglalayag papunta sa ating bansa? Sila ay sakay ng mga bangkang hindi mo aakalain na makakatawid pala sa dagat.

Ang nangyari kasi, matapos magwagi ang mga komunista sa digmaan, inusig ng pamahalaan ang mga mamamayan na kumampi sa Amerika. Ang mga inuusig ay naghanap ng mga ligtas na lugar kaya't sila'y kung saan-saan napadpad: Malaysia, Thailand, Pilipinas, Hongkong at Indonesia.

Subalit ang inaasahan nilang ligtas na lugar ay mapanganib rin pala. Ayon sa mga ulat, dumanas ng sari-saring mga pagmamalupit ang mga Vietnamese sa mga Refugee camps (lalo na sa Thailand). Malaking bahagi ng tulong na ipinapadala sa kanila ng Amerika ay hinaharang ng korapsyon.

Ang bilang ng mga naitalang namatay sa Refugee camps ay 763.

489 naman ang naitalang dinukot, samatalang 863 kababaihan ang ginahasa.

They were looking for a refuge; a place of safety-- but they did not find it.

May mga naganap rin sa kasaysayan ng Israel kung kailan naghanap rin sila ng REFUGE, pero ang napuntahan nila ay kapahamakan:

ISAIAH 30:1-3
"Woe to the obstinate children,"
declares the LORD,
"to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;

who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh's protection,
to Egypt's shade for refuge.

But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame,
Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace.

Contrast this with the refuge we find in God's presence:

Isa.25:4 "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat"

Psalm 104:18 "the crags are a refuge for the coneys"
I don't know what a coney is (rock badger in some versions), but one thing I know, the life of his saints are more precious in his sight than coneys, sparrows or any other animal (Matt. 10:31)

2. STRENGTH (verse 2)
To proclaim God as our stength in times of trouble is to admit that we are weak., that is we do not have a stength of our own. We are entirely helpless without him.

Madalas ipakita ng Diyos ang kanyang kapangyarihan sa pamamagitan ng ating kahinaan.
Isipin na lang ninyo ang batang pastol na David laban sa bihasang mandirigma, at ang dambuhalang si Goliath.

Isipin rin ninyo ang kakarampot na mga mandirigma ni Gideon.

2 Cor.12:9 ""My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

3. FORTRESS (verse 11)
"an isolated, elevated place where people built a stronghold against the enemy". (Willem Van Gemeren, EBC).

Yet staying in man-made fortresses, no matter how inaccessible and thickly walled, is not an assurance that you are safe.

Remember Edom?
Obadiah 3 "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, `Who can bring me down to the ground?"... And God destroyed them.

Only in God do we find a fortress where safety is guaranteed

FEARLESSNESS-- The result of our Awareness of God's protecting presence

1. Fearlessness amidst Natural Catastrophes
~ amidst the most horrifying earthquakes:
" Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (vv.2)

~amidst the fierciest floods
"though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (vv.3)

Because there is safety and stability in the city where God dwells (vv.4-5):
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day."

2. Fearlessness in the midst of man-made catastrophes:

Ang mga kalamidad likha ng tao ay mapanganib rin gaya ng mga natural na kalamidad. Isipin ninyo ang ginawa na at maaari pang gawin ng tao:
i.pagsalpok ng eroplano sa isang gusaling sentro ng ekonomiya
ii. pagpapakalat ng mga liham na may lamang anthrax o bomba
iii. pag-iwan ng mga poisonous gasses sa mga mataong lugar
iv. paglalagay ng lason sa mga baby's food na nasa pamilihan
v. paglason sa ating water supply
vi. pagpapasabog sa mga oil depot (kaya nga pinapalayas na ng konseho ng Maynila yung nasa Pandacan)

But by the mere voice of God, the most powerful human forces will be stopped (vv.6-9). Kahit magsabwatan pa ang mga makapangyarihan sa ibabaw ng lupa, hindi nasisindak ang Diyos. Pagtatawanan lang niya sila (Awit 2:4).

Do you know how wars are ended? Verse 9 reveals that God's hand is behind the ending of wars. He determines how long will they last, and one day he will end the very last battle in history (Rev. 20:7 ff.)

THE CHIEF END OF GOD'S PROTECTING PRESENCE
The chief end of God's protecting presence is the exaltation of himself-- that is God's glory.

Psalm 46:10 ""Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

CONCLUSION
Matapos ang paglilitis sa Diet of Worms, si Martin Luther ay tinanggalan ng legal rights. Ibig sabihin, walang proteksyon ang batas para sa kanya. Isa kang kriminal kung siya ay iyong bibigyan ng pagkain o bahay na matutuluyan. Kung makakasalubong mo siya sa daan, maaari mo siyang hampasin ng dos-por-dos sa batok o pukpukin ng martilyo sa noo-- at WALA kang pananagutan sa batas. Hindi ka makukulong ni hindi ka magmumulta ng kahit isang kusing. Hindi lang iyon ang panganib na pinagdaanan ni Luther sa kanyang buhay, at tulad rin naman natin, tiyak na dumaan ang iba't ibang suliranin sa buhay niya.

Madalas daw kay Luther na kapag may problema, kanyang niyayaya ang kanyang mga katabi, "Halika, awitin natin ang ika-46 na Awit". Paborito talaga niya ang Psalm 46, kaya nga naisulat niya ang isang himno na pinamagatang A Mighty Fortress is our God.

If by some reason, Luther was inside Manor Hotel eight years ago (of course not to attend Don Clowers' meetings), he would have asked others to sing with him. "Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm".

For even in death, his protection never ceases for those who are truly his: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39)

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