End Days - Mathew 24:18 - Leave Your Cloak

By Odon Bulamba



It’s a privilege to be here this morning and I thank God for being alive.  First, I would like to say that life is something precious for those who live.  It was sad on Friday, what happened in Christchurch.  Innocent people were killed and lost their lives without any issue or problem.  They left their houses to pray and some were just on the roads and victims of that attack.


How often do we think about how precious is our life and your presence in this world?  Have you thought about that anything can happen to you without your consent?  Have you thought about seeing someone who is being attacked?  It’s so deep and so sad when we see those we know losing their lives.  In this country people have been crying for those on Friday. 


Imagine if one of those victims was your mother or brother or sister?   Such things happen all over the world where an evil-minded person hates you for no reason and attacks you and destroys you for your property.


Satan does the same job, he tries to murder you without reason.  Are we crying with those in Christchurch or are we stopping to watch the news because its enough or do we stop to think in case such a thing happens, what shall we do?  What will you do if someone steps in here with a gun?  What will be your first action?  Will you protect the person next to you or find the exit?  We call this an emergency situation.  If you are not prepared, you will act foolishly.


I’ve had someone point a gun at my head.  He knocked on my door, I opened it and there was a revolver on my forehead, “Give money”.  I didn’t know how to react.  He took me to my room, “I need money”.  I didn’t have enough money.  I had $3,000 but they said it wasn’t enough.  One of them took a syringe with blood, “This blood contains HIV, keep your money and buy your own coffin start to prepare yourself to death”.  I panicked and collapsed.


Regardless of being the most protected person in Ghana at that time (I had four soldiers at my gate but those men fell asleep) those people walked in my house.  Satan comes to your life, regardless of those around you.  Normally, people as human beings, we put our trust in other people rather than God.  


Today, I am going to share with you Mathew 24:18, if in the field you must not turn back…


Jesus was saying, “The time is coming and you have to think carefully”.  This is one of the signs of God’s return.  In Africa, we usually go to the field early.  You go around 4am.  Much like farmers here, they go before the sun is up.  It is a bit cold so you take your coat and tools and walk to the field.  In Africa, we don’t have light or torches but you walk by instinct.  Some people have been bitten by snakes or insects because it is too dark to see them. 


Even though you have eyes, you can’t see in darkness.  You need light to see.  Once at the field, you take off your coat so you can work properly.  This is the same situation for the people of Jerusalem.  Before to work, they take off their coat to cultivate the soil.  Jesus is saying, “You won’t have time to collect your coat to flee.  You won’t have time to think about what is important to you before you go, once you are in the field”.


Today we are in the field where we are working for the Lord, don’t look back but look forward and run to save your life.  Many people after being saved, they try to look back to get their coat.  Something that was important to me yesterday, I want to grab again.  Maybe you have things that are important to you, your house, job, cat.  You might decide not to go to church because your cat is sick.  Jesus will tell you, “Leave it alone, come and follow Me”.  Many will say, today I have a meeting and I can go for the Word of God but I have something important I used to do 10 years ago and I have to go back to that because I loved it.


This is related Lot’s wife.  God told Lot and family not to look back.  Lot’s wife started to think about what she left behind, it is so valuable to her and she needed it so she looked back.  What is most important to you?  Here Jesus wants to tell us that your life is far more important than anything else.  Those who went to the mosque on Friday, what was 
important to them on that day?  It was their lives.


Your life is the most important thing.  One time I had millions of dollars but now I have nothing.  As long as I am alive, that is most important.  I had a friend who killed himself because someone stole $4 million from him.  The most important thing is not money, it’s your life.  When there is a choice between your life and something else, what do you choose?  We must choose our lives first. 


There are several examples in the Bible of coats.  One is Isaac.  When he became old, he couldn’t see.  He wanted to bless his son Esau.  Jacob’s mum prepared a coat for Jacob because the blessing was supposed to be given to Esau.  With that coat, Isaac was deceived when he touched it and blessed the younger one.

Another example of a coat is Joseph in the house of Potiphar.  He ran and left his coat behind which was used as evidence to say he did something wrong by Potiphar’s wife and was put in jail. 


The Democratic Republic of Congo is among the richest countries in the world but we are the poorest. This is not because we are not clever but because we don’t know how to manage that wealth and many will come to Congo.  You can give someone $10 and they will kill everyone in the place of Ngaruawahia and they can do it without thinking and will do it less than an hour.  Those that need the gold will now have access to Ngaruawahia.


I’ve seen people in Congo visit a witch to become rich and they are told to give the witch bodies of babies under the age of six months and they will slaughter the children.  Parents are there crying and then they take the bodies to the witch and then what they ask them won’t be fulfilled.  People can do bad against others because they need money, glory or to be known.  They are fighting for success.  I have been complaining a lot to our authorities in Congo over such things. 


I have been in New Zealand for a long time now.  I see people go to elections but in Congo, it doesn’t work like that.  The new president of Congo bribed the former one to get there.  People try to look back and bring the coat they had or they heard someone had something and now they want it.  What do you gain to lose your soul so you can earn what you want in this world?  We all want to have a nice life, cars, houses but we often forget under the sun, there will never be a better life, you will never be satisfied 100%.  You can buy a big mansion somewhere but it won’t be enough.  our bodies will never be satisfied. For that reason, Jesus advises us to choose life first.


What is life for you?  Is it just breathing in and out? Is it going to the movies, travelling?  I personally travel a lot and have been to around 94 countries but when you fly you feel tired.  Once you are in the new country, everything is strange and some people will like you but others will hate you.  What is life for you?  For God is about giving yourself, heart and everything to Him.  Do you want to live?  Then accept to die.  If you want to live in the Lord, then accept to give up everything for Him.  Even if I don’t get the house that I wanted, thanks to God, the essential is that I obey His commands.  Even if I don’t get what I want, praise God because I continue to follow the Lord and do what He recommends me.


We invest a lot.  Some in houses, shares, farms, why?  To earn more so we don’t have to be called poor, so we can have enough tomorrow.  That is fine to invest but in Jesus, what are you investing?  How much do you have in your bank account for Jesus where you respect His Word of God and do all that He asks of you?  Look at yourself, introspection, how good am I towards myself?  Do you love yourself?  If yes, how?  Some are good to their body but they are ugly inside, they don’t work hard to please their God.


Once I was a child and my mum told me, two things in the world are most important (1) win (2) lose and up to you to choose.  If you want to be the winner then practise and respect the rules.  If you don’t want to practise, don’t be surprised when you lose.


Last week I sat a test after reading all the course material.  One hour before the test, the lecturer posted the powerpoint slides.  I decided not to read these.  When I opened the test, I knew nothing.  When the lecturer talks, I can’t understand what she is saying.  I laughed when I opened my test because I didn’t understand how my lecturer can ask questions.

You can read your Bible, and other books but try to understand who Jesus is for you.  Many will say, I know my children or my husband will never do that.  You can defend them because you know them.  Do you know Jesus, God your creator or not?  If not, if you don’t understand who Jesus is and what He wants and what is a test for you, you will fail.


On the day of judgement, He will tell many people, “Go away I don’t know you”.  Many will say, “But I served you,” and He will say, “I don’t know you, get out”.  Imagine if that is you.  You went to church every Sunday and read your Bible but you didn’t know Jesus.

Jesus wants you to live in unity with Him.  Try to understand who Jesus is for you.  Pray to Him and ask Jesus to teach you.  If you don’t know, you may be confused.  Different preachers can give different interpretations and you can get confused.  Only those that have the Holy Spirit as a teacher will understand the Word of God and meet with Him.  If you are not filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit, even if you read the Bible all day, what you are doing will not help you.


We fear to die physically but we forget about spiritual death.  Let’s get ready, “Jesus when you come back to collect your church, don’t forget me I want to be in heaven, don’t forget your people”.