End Days - Mathew 24:29 - The Sun will be Darkened

  By Odon Bulamba

We are going to share the Word of God from Mathew 24:29, “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken”.

Today I’m only going to talk about the sun being darkened.  Have you thought about waking up one morning and there is no morning?  Without sun, it’s night-time.  When the sun appears, we call it morning time.  When the sun arrives in the morning, you are forced to start a new day regardless of whether you are tired, sick, or stressed, the sun doesn’t care, light is there and you have to wake up.

Everything we do during the day is based on the sun.  From the sun we decide it is 7am, 8am, 9am.  We decide to start work at a certain time based on the sun.  The sun is special in our spiritual lives.  In the beginning God created light, the first thing.  How important is light in your life?  How important is light in my life? For some people, they prefer to live in darkness and prefer to be where light doesn’t exist but you can’t be there for a long time.

I visited a corner of the world where the sun comes up for 6 months and then disappears for 6 months.  For the time that they don’t have sun, it feels like death.  Life is not there but once the sun appears, everyone is out and are happy to see the sun.  No one can control the sun and we don’t pay a cent for the sun but God has decided to give it us freely.

This light from the sun is very big and it is a mystery.  It shines in New Zealand at 10:30am but in Africa it is night-time.  When one side of the world sees the sun, the other side is in darkness.  The absence of light is darkness.

What is the importance of sun in our lives?  It gives us light, power that gives life to plant, and vitamin D.  I can function because the sun is there and my eyes can see because of the light from the sun and sometimes when I don’t feel the sun on my skin, I will feel cold and I go outside to sit in the sun to warm up my body.  In different places, people can spend hours lying in the sun.

Jesus says to us, you are the light of this world.  The first light that was created is the sun which gives light to every person, good or bad and doesn’t choose who you are but is there to shine and help you to see.  If we are the light of the world, what is our role?  Do you also provide vitamin D to people, do we give life, do we shine so that those who don’t have a clear view can see, do we wake others up?  What is our role on this earth?

A big gift and title that God has given to us is to be the light of the world.  It is now up to us to act.  Do we warm people up or make them cold with our actions and words?  Do we cheer people up and make them comfortable?  Being next to Hayley, do I feel good?  Or are you the kind of sun like the desert where people don’t want to be around because it is too hot and you can’t open your eyes and you feel annoyed with the sun.  Are you the type of sun that dries plants or burns the ground so people can’t walk on it without burning feet?  Do you provide life or death?

How much power the sun gives out depends on whether it gives life or death.  Some days it is nice and other days it is too hot.  Are you the kind of person where people feel secure and benefit from you and your actions and your advice because of your kindness?  How often do you become angry (e.g. the sun gets too hot and punishes people).  How often do you punish others?  When you punish others, you are light but your purpose is not what God wants you to be.  

In New Zealand we are lucky and blessed because we don’t have a strong sun.  Even in summer you can walk around without a hat and it is ok but in other countries you can’t because the sun is harsh.  Aren’t you a harsh Christian?  What testimony do you have as the light of this world?  Do you only shine for those that you love and like but become darkness for those you don’t love or like?  In your life do you have people that you want to be with and prove you are a good person but on the other side you leave others in darkness and prove you don’t love them.

What should we do in order to be good to everybody?  What effort have you done in order to respond to the needs of others, good or bad?  Jesus came down to die for those who were sinners.  If we are sinners, we should understand also those that are sinners and how hard is their lives and be there to help them.  I can remember what I used to be like years ago and my life has changed now.  All of us are weak but we are fighting and running towards the goal, to please God.  that is the only visa to get to heaven.  You are the only person who can fill out the visa for you, no one can do it for you.

The sun will be darkened.  It was good when God created it, He said, “This is good”.  Now God is telling us that the sun will be changed to dark.  You can have eyes but without light you can’t see.  Without the sun you won’t warm up.  Plants will not grow without the sun and animals will not survive.  It will be a big shame if you will be one of the lights that will be darkened.

If a branch does not produce fruit, it will be cut off.  Although you are a branch of that tree, they will cut it off and throw you away into fire so you can burn and disappear completely.  My mum when she used to cook, she would use tree branches to start a fire.  The more the branch is consumed, it disappears into ash.  The branch that is cut off will also be put into fire and disappear completely.  After being consumed, the ashes are dead and can’t be put to fire again.

Don’t beat your chest and say I am the light of the world if you don’t produce your own light, you can become darkened.  If I am not producing fruit, I will be detached from the branch and put in fire and consumed.

What is darkness to you?  You can’t see but for others it can be when you will enjoy things or you are free and no one can see you.  For God, it means when you are entering the kingdom of sin.  You are going astray and you forget that you are walking away from God and into the kingdom of darkness where sin reigns.

Darkness is when you know what God wants but you refuse to put it into practise.  Everybody knows the law but if you don’t obey it, you will still be punished by it.  The judge will judge you whether you know the law or not.  The judge will punish you regardless.  It is your responsibility to learn the law and discover what is right and wrong.  Sometimes we learn tough things about the Bible but it is the law.  

If you see a snake here, what will you do?  Run away.  In my country, the first thing is to kill the snake.  In other countries, they will pick the snake up nicely and put it back in the wild, the snake has the right to live.  For us in my country, when a danger comes, you must attack to protect yourself because it will hurt someone else tomorrow.

Many people will go into the kingdom of darkness and sin because they are discouraged and give up walking with God.  I’d rather watch my tv than read my Bible.  Levi will come to me and ask me to pray now so he can go to bed but I have to pause the tv series and maybe sometimes I quickly put him to bed and pray quickly because I don’t want to lose that program.  One time he said, “That was a quick prayer, we didn’t pray for x y and z,” and I felt guilty.

How can I sacrifice this desire of Levi to pray to God to cut it short because I have my own personal plan?  If God asked me now, what are you doing, what will my response be?  

Another time, I was sitting in front of tv and someone else turned the tv on in another room and used the Netflix subscription and I couldn’t keep watching.  What are you going to do?  Do I stop that person or wait?  In my house, you are watching tv and someone will connect the tv you are watching to youtube using another remote control so they can then log into Netflix.  Sometimes we are taken away from the reality of life, we want to enjoy what we want instead of sharing our time with God and others.

At our house, our neighbours can change the channels on our tv using their remote control.  You can feel annoyed by that.  It was another way for me to think, if you are the light of this world and you are watching tv and someone disturbs you, it’s a good time to pray, “God I was distracted but now I want to come close to you”.

To be the light of the world is a huge mission.  How can I light up the whole world?  Through my actions, words, prayer, I can be the light for others.  Be kind, love is kind.  Be good to people, to yourself, be kind to yourself.  Ask yourself am I kind?  As the sun rises every morning, is the sun good and kind to you?  Yes, even when I am grumpy.  If someone in your family is grumpy, that shouldn’t stop you from being kind to them.

Don’t treat yourself harshly.  Some people might think, I wish I had hair like Leah.  That is not life.  Look at God and appreciate what God has given to you and how you appear in front of God, others, and yourself.

A man came to me one time when I was overseas and asked for shoes (he was a refugee).  I was once a refugee so I know how hard it is.  I took off my shoes and gave them to him.  I was walking in my socks.  He wanted money instead to buy shoes.  Another man had no legs and he said, “you are rejecting shoes, I wish I had legs like you without shoes”.  You must be grateful for what you are and as you are.  God doesn’t see me ugly or short or that I don’t speak English.  In front of God it is different and I must be proud of who I am.

Well done Odon, I woke up today and prayed.  Encourage yourself.  When was the last time you encouraged yourself to come close to God?  Do you encourage yourself to be the sun to shine in this world?  Do you encourage others but not yourself?  God is telling us, be like the sun, rise every morning and shine and make everyone you see, happy.  

Sin doesn’t hide itself.  It will talk to you but tell that feeling, “I need something else instead, I need the sun and to shine and not to let darkness come out of me”.

II Kings 4:1-3 - Be empty vessels filled with God's Holy Spirit

By Odon Bulamba

It’s a great day to be here and I thank God because to see another day, a new day like today is a privilege.

Open our Bibles to II Kings 4:1-3

The wife of a prophet cried to Elisha, “My husband is dead, his creditor is coming to take my two sons as slaves”.  Elisha replied, “How can I help you? What do you have in your house?”  She said, “Nothing but a bit of oil”.  Elisha said, “Go around and ask your neighbours for empty jars and don’t ask for just a few”.

How often have you come across trouble or problems or challenges of losing something special in your life?  This lady was married to a man and this man was not a simple man but a servant of God, one of the students who used to go to the school of prophets.  He had his family, his wife and two sons.  He was a provider of his family day after and day and worked hard to feed and look after his family.  His children were calling him dad and his wife calling him husband.  They were happy but then suddenly death came and took him from the family.

In your life, you may have come across something like your job, friends, peace, or happiness and maybe something takes it from you without your permission or warning or without consultation.  This lady didn’t know what to do.  As a result, she went to see Elisha and as she presented herself in front of the man of God, she cried out to him, “Your servant my husband is dead and you know that he served the Lord”.

Regardless of who you are, a servant of God or not, death doesn’t care.  You may have plans to say that next year I will go somewhere with my family but death doesn’t care about your plans.  You might think this is what I will achieve when I reach 70 years but death doesn’t care about your projections.  Death doesn’t care whether you are beautiful, short or tall or your age group.  When death comes, it will take you.

Here the story isn’t about death but those that were left behind, his wife and children who are now in trouble.  The creditor came and said, “Your husband owes me something”.  Regardless of being a Christian or a friend or that passed away, I lent him something and I am asking for this back, what is owed to me.  At a time when she is mourning, the creditor asks for it back and then he said he will take the two boys as slaves.

Who is that mother who will accept to give away two children as slaves?  Who is that mother after living in joy with her husband and then suddenly after her husband is taken will be happy to also have her two children taken from her?  This is pain upon pain.  She was forced to bring this to Elisha.  My problem is bigger than me, do something.  Imagine if you were that lady, how will you react?  I’ve seen people going to the hospital for mental help because the problems of life is too much.

Elisha  knew also what it was like because Elijah was taken from him.  He asked, “How can I help you?”  Elisha didn’t replace the man that was taken away but asked, how can I help you?  If Jesus asked you know, how can I help you, what will be your answer?  Some might say money, joy, Kingdom of God.  Different answers because we have different needs.

Elisha asked what do you have in your house? The husband had been taken away, maybe there was nothing in the house, maybe the house was empty with only her two sons and then someone is after her children.  Possibly, everything was already sold to pay the creditors. Maybe she already lost everything.  We must remember that very often God doesn’t care about what we have lost but He care about what we have, what remains in our life.  E.g. Moses, what do you have? A staff. I’ll use that.  A child with two fish and bread, what do you have? Jesus feed thousands of people.  What you have regardless of quantity, God may use it for a miracle.  The small breath that you take each morning which is free, God can use that. 

My mum once asked me what is the most important thing in your life to become? I said a bank manager.  I thought was the best.  “My son, I’m sorry, you have missed the point.  Why do you love banks more than life?”  I tried to justify myself because with banks I can have money.  Without life, will you enjoy your bank?  Life is the most important thing.

Even if you lose your feet, praise God if you are alive.  Lose your sight, if you are alive, praise God.  if you look around you and you see someone has done something bad in your life, then you will miss the point.  The most important thing is life.

On the first day of creation, the entire world was formless and void (empty).  Is emptiness important?  Yes, very important because then God can fill it up.  If you tell God you are fill and have no space to add into my life, then you will miss out.  God looked at the world and it was empty and He started to add a few things here and there.  When you feel empty in your life, that is the time that God wants to fill you up, get ready.

In this story in the Bible, she said, I just have a bit of oil.  He told her to ask neighbours for empty jars.  God is asking for empty vessels.  Not half or ¼ filled but completely empty vessels that is what you need to borrow.  This lady has lost everything and creditors are coming to collect something from her and she doesn’t have it and she is supposed to give away her children and Elisha is telling her to ask her neighbours to borrow for empty jars.

In New Zealand we talk about bad credit.  If you borrow money and you can’t afford to pay, you know that no one will lend more to you.  Elisha told her to borrow vessels from her neighbours.  I am sure the entire village knew that she had no means to pay back what she is going to borrow.  They will think twice, will she give it back, she has nothing.  Poor lady, she was in front of a broken bridge where she is being told to jump.

In my country, we say, if your feet are in the river, don’t mock the crocodile because at any second he will catch you even if you are clever like a monkey.  One time the monkey wanted to cross the river.  On top of the tree, he couldn’t see how he could cross because he was not a good swimmer.  The crocodile was coming and his wife was sick.  The witch doctor said the only remedy for your wife is the heart of a monkey.

The monkey greeted the crocodile.  The monkey asked to cross the river.  The crocodile said, jump on my back.  At the middle of the river, he said, your heart is needed for my wife.  The monkey told the crocodile, you should tell me earlier before we left because I always hang my heart in the tree.  You should tell me so I could collect it before we start our journey.  You made a mistake, take me back there and I’ll give you my heart.  The crocodile took him back.  The monkey jumped on the tree and said, you are stupid, have you seen an animal leave their heart on the tree.  The crocodile waited until the monkey had to go back to the river for water.

We use this example in our country, sometimes humans try to avoid God, avoid the truth by giving justifications and we try to follow others because they are our friends and we put aside the will of our God.  Here Elisha is like a protector, the last person who can intervene in this person’s life.  “Go and borrow empty vessels”. 

Are you empty yourself for God to act in your life?  God made the body of Adam and it was empty until he touched it, breathed into and then it was filled up and then Adam could move.  If you have something empty in your life, ask God to fill you with His spirit and breathe in you so you can start a new life.  It’s not too late.  Do you have God in your life?  The little oil that you have, is faith and it can make jars and jars to be filled up. 

This poor girl sent her children to the neighbours.  With faith she accepted regardless of challenges and what people will say to go and ask for jars.  Maybe the sons said, “Mummy sent me to borrow two of your jars”.  “What for?”  “I don’t know”.  “Can you tell her they are fill”.  “She asked me to give her empty ones” “When will she give them back?”  “I don’t know”.  I wouldn’t have given the jars. 

Sometimes you can go to your neighbours for a solutions but people have to question you first, even in the church, before to pray for you, “Tell me your problems”.  Pastor, you are not supposed to know everybody’s problems before to pray, God knows the family, God bless them.

In Africa, in Ghana this man will give you the power of healing and miracles.  If you need $20,000, this man will get it for you.  The man will suck your blood and tell you to take your casket home, take off all your clothes, pick up the casket and put on your head and walk around your street and come back home.  Once home put it down, go to sleep, the next morning it will be filled with money.  Hundreds of people, pastors, apostles will come to this evil man to have this power to perform miracles.

Have you ever walked into a church and your body starts to shake without reason, you feel a strange power penetrating your skin and you see people falling like trees without roots.  I’ve seen that man step into a church and everyone started crying without saying a word.  There people were giving everything, even their houses to that man. That man will ask people, how can I help you?  Are you the one going to help or our Lord?  Many servants of God today have become like small Jesus’.  They put themselves at that standard of acting like God which is a mistake

This lady collected several vessels.  Elisha said, that small oil you have pour into those vessels. You need faith for that.  Imagine you have 10 mls of oil and you have 20 vessels of 2L each.  You will think it is impossible, I can’t do this.  You need sometimes to put your faith in fire, to accept what is impossible to get what God is giving to you. Nothing is impossible for God. You are only a vessel that God is using.

Once you follow the rules and steps that God is giving you, you will save not only yourself but your children too.  Have you been in a situation where your child is between death and life and you are the only person who can save their life?  It is not easy when you see that your child going astray, and you feel pain in your heart.  I once jumped in water and I didn’t know how to swim to save a child of mine.  I must do this, if I don’t do this, no one will do it for me.

I was in a refugee camp where we had a river in a desert.  Once a year it will rain and water with pressure will go through that river.  Nadege was only 1 and suddenly erosion took the land with my daughter in the water.  I had no time to think or shout for help.  Water was taking her.  I started to run across the and she going up and down in water and I jumped in.  Miraculously I saved my daughter.

Your behaviour can kill your children.  Your neighbour or pastor, or friend can kill the life of others.  We must stand up and say, “God, I have faith in you, save my people”.

God sent his son to die for us.  Have you sent your mind, body and spirit to save others?  Nothing is more precious than children in your life.  We have seen women in the Bible crying because they need children.  They are precious.  My mum is old now but when she sees me, she feels happy.  She is proud of having a child.

When your children are in trouble, please don’t say I won’t do anything, protect them first.  At the age of 7, I had a chicken.  One time I tried to pick up the chick from the mother and mother who knew me well didn’t allow me to pick it up.  She was running after me, she was scratching me, screaming at me for more than 4 minutes and then my mum came out to intervene.

How tough are you in order to protect your own children?  Would you accept to fight?  You should.  That fight is not only physical but on your knees, pray for them.  Take time to read the Word of God with them.  Go out with them, enjoy being with them. 

Sometimes I sit in my home and I look at Nadege, she used to be very close to me but now with technology, she has no time for me at all.  We live in the same house and we can spend all day without seeing her.  I can go to her room, go away, I’m busy. She can stay sometimes up until 3 or 4am talking to people.  I go back to my room and ask God why he allows this, she has no time for me.

I will try to organise something special for you, I have a gift for you, “not now”.  Now she is telling me I must go to America.  What for?  That’s where I want to go.  What about us?  She says, “God will look after you”.  You want to be with her to spend at least 5 minutes with her, but she will say, “I have no time”.  When they are young and they are listening to you, use that opportunity because it will reach a time when they will say, “bye bye our time with you is over”.  You will feel that love dying inside your heart.

Lebon will come home only when he needs something, “I’m hungry, anything to eat,” and after eating, he will vanish.  No time to ask how you are.  He was well educated and knew the Bible but now that’s him.  God gives to us things and we must use them during the right time, if you wait too much you won’t achieve anything.  My job today is to pray for my children from God to bring them back to me and God. 

They love God but they don’t know how to live in a good relationship with their parents.  They assume that we are old fashioned but when it’s time for money, they are good friends.  It’s painful.  Like our creditors, they are coming just to take something from us in order to make us empty and that is the best time to tell God fill me now.

When God created Adam, He said, “We will create something that looks like us,” and that was a man.  It’s time to ask God, am I really an image of you God?  God himself did not come from the dust but when he breathed into this body, He said we were something similar to God.  Our prayer must be, “Let my image be like you Jesus, let my family reflect Jesus”.  Things that look alike gather together.  Those that look like God will enter the Kingdom of God.  If you don’t reflect Jesus, then you won’t enter God’s Kingdom.