Y2K Discovery Service

Big Idea: Our fear of Y2K shows our anxiety about the future, but we can trust in God's knowledge, presence, and promises to guide us through uncertainties.

A few years ago, few people had even heard of the Y2K challenge. But today, I doubt there are few people in this room who haven't heard of Y2K. It's so prevalent in the media that you can hardly pick up a newspaper or magazine without reading about it. As of today, there are 54 days left until the odometer rolls over to two followed by three zeros.

Y2K is significant for several reasons. Obviously, sitting in a church, it's significant because it marks approximately two thousand years since Jesus Christ was born. That's the often-overlooked aspect of Y2K. Two millennia mark a significant milestone since Jesus was born in a small town in Israel. Increasingly, I find that when people talk about Y2K, they're talking about the Y2K computer bug.

Let's talk about that for just a minute. It will be frustrating due to the wide range of opinions on the topic, from strong extremes to apathy. But first, what is the Y2K bug? Simply put, many computers were designed to use shorthand to record dates. For instance, many computers would take today's date and record it not as 11/07/1999, but as 11/07/99. Year 2000 would therefore be recorded as year 00.

The problem is that some computers won't know how to handle the truncated dates. When it encounters today's date, 11/07/99, it won't know whether it's supposed to mean November 7, 1999, or November 7, 2099. Multiplying this by billions of lines of code, outdated hardware, and embedded chips creates a significant challenge.

What does that mean? I'm not an expert on the subject, but let me give you a range of opinions on what that will mean. On one side, you have those who are predicting major catastrophe. They predict widespread failures in industries, power utilities, and financial institutions, even affecting common appliances like hair dryers, microwaves, and toasters. Heating systems will shut down, airplanes will fall from the sky, banking records will be wiped out, and riots will ensue. It will be, according to these people, TEOTWAWKI – short for The End Of The World As We Know It!

How popular is this opinion? One year ago, of five experts appearing on a panel, four predicted that Y2K would be a major disaster. One guest said that the problems were so severe, we might not even make it to January 1, 2000. Many have been stockpiling food, water, diesel generators, and even cigarettes as a new currency for when Y2K arrives. Many people have a negative outlook on what will happen on January 1, 2000, and would strongly dispute anyone with a different view.

Some who used to advocate the doomsday scenario are now changing their views. Peter de Jager, a leading Y2K expert, warned that the consequences of the Y2K problem could be devastating, based on his speculation. After careful study, he now believes it won't be as bad as he initially thought. In an article entitled "Doomsday Avoided," he states, "We've finally broken the back of the Y2K problem."

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Jerry Falwell, who sounded the alarm in a series of sermons, has now said, "Since my series of messages on Y2K began in August 1998, I've been pleased with the substantial progress that has been made in both the government and private sector in dealing with this matter. While I expect Y2K to be annoying and somewhat disruptive, I do not expect it to be as serious as some are projecting, or as I first feared possible."

A recent column in the National Post was entitled "A New Year embarrassment for Y2K doomsters: the statistics paint a picture of a millennial breeze rather than a hurricane." It notes that doomsday predictions for this year have not come true, and that any problems that arose were manageable. At Ontario Hydro, for instance, only 2% of its systems had Y2K bugs. Of these, only a quarter would affect service. Even if these problems had not been fixed, technicians would have been able to work around them on January 1, 2000.

A CNET report dated this past Thursday stated, "Now, just weeks away from the red-letter date, much of the initial hype has subsided. Although some problems have appeared, most experts believe that serious damage from the most celebrated bug in high-tech history will be minimal." The article states that the main impacts of Y2K will come from lawsuits, preparation efforts, and spending on supplies like canned goods and generators, rather than the bug itself.

It would be interesting to find out what people thought here. I'm sure there's a diversity of opinion right in this room—and some of you will never be convinced otherwise! One of the difficulties in this area is knowing whom to believe. Anyone can pretend that they are an expert. It's hard to sort out who is an authority and who isn't. Some are very antagonistic against those who hold different views.

The expert I quoted before, Peter de Jager, said of one Christian group he addressed, "This was the first time I had met a group of people who seemed to look forward to a severe problem and resented any information which contradicted that belief and expectation." In thinking about the Y2K issue, I've ended up asking a question: what is it in Y2K that struck a chord in our society about fear?

I don't know about you, but it would appear to me that we are suffering from millennial anxiety. Films such as "The Blair Witch Project," "Sixth Sense," and "Stigmata" are cleaning up at the box office. Soon, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be appearing as an honest cop fighting the devil himself in "The End of Days." The North American market appears ready for horror. There is some sort of millennial angst in the air – so much so that many fear the public's hysteria around the Y2K problem more than the problem itself.

Take a look around and you'll see anxiety all around you. What about the stock market fluctuations? What's going to happen in the Asian market? Will Y2K cause your computers to crash? And this doesn't even address the set of personal issues we carry around about retirement, marriage, health, and so on.

One pastor says, "Even in the past six months, I've probably received more letters about fearing the future than I ever have in my lifetime from different people. I don't know what it is… It may be the fact that there's 76 million baby boomers going through middle age crisis. It may be this incredible over-hype about the Y2K problem – like Chicken Little – 'The sky is falling!' But whatever it is, no matter what crisis comes up, there's always going to be another one behind it. That's the way it's been through the history of humanity."

We are fearful of our future. Should you be worried? You're not alone if you worry about the future. Worry is a choice that brings misery. You don't need to worry; it's a choice you make. This is one area in which we who follow Jesus Christ have a distinct advantage over those who don't in the area of worry.

When you know this book and you know God, you know you don't need to worry. Unlike those without God or Christ in their lives, we know that God is omniscient and aware of the future. God's been in the future, in the past, in the present. He's not constrained by time. Nothing is ever going to surprise God, disappoint God, or catch him off guard. He already knows everything that is going to happen in my life.

The Bible says that because of that, God has made some incredible promises regarding your future. There are over 7,000 promises in the Bible. Thousands of promises. Many of them have to do with your future. I want to look at two promises that will withstand the threat of Y2K. These are promises that Jesus makes to all who follow him.

Promise Number One: No Matter What the Future Holds, God Will Be With Me

God will be with me even when I am tense and nervous. None of us can predict the problems that we're going to face in the future. We don't know what's going to happen in the next three hours, much less tomorrow, next week, or next year. But regardless of what you go through in the future, you won't go through it alone.

This is a basic truth taught over and over in the Bible. There is never a time in your life when God is not with you. There are some times when you don't sense his presence, but that's your problem, not God's. God doesn't move. God never leaves you. He's with you all the time. And God will be with you no matter what you go through in the future.

Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you go through deep waters and great troubles, I will be with you." This is a central truth that you need to grasp. You will never be without God in your life. He's always there. He says, "I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you go through fires of oppression, you will not be burned up. (Notice you go through them. You don't stay in them.) And the flames will not consume you."

In your future, you are going to face some deep waters, and you're going to think you're going under for the last time. And in your future, you are going to face some major troubles—count on it! And in your future, you are going to face some fiery troubles. The heat's on, and you think you're going to burn up. But God is going to be there, and you're not going to go through it alone.

Jesus said it like this in John 16:33: "In the world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." The point is: when Jesus is near, you lose your fear. I can face anything, if I know I'm not going through it alone. When Jesus is near, you lose your fear.

Most futuristic movies, movies about the future, tend to be pretty bleak. Such environments are seldom happy. "Waterworld," "Dune," "Mad Max" or the Schwarzenegger-Terminator kind, where in the future it's every man for himself, you don't know who you can trust, and there's very little love, if any; few relationships; a lot of loneliness; and a lot of alienation. It's usually like after World War III and everybody's in fear.

These movies tap into fears of abandonment, loneliness, and being deserted in the future. A lot of people, even Christians, are developing this kind of siege mentality, survival mentality – "I've got to stockpile and get ready because the world is coming to some crisis. As a result I've got to face it on my own."

No, you don't. The fact is, if you know this book, you don't have to worry. In this first promise, God will always be with you, regardless of your location or the state of the economy.

Promise Two: No Matter What Happens in the Future, God Will Provide for You

Charlene read one of my favorite parts of the Bible earlier today. It's found in Matthew 6. In it, Jesus said: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (The Message).

I'll read it again: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

When we make God our primary concern, and put him first in our lives, God looks after everything else. As one person put it, "If you make earth your primary concern, you get nothing. If you make heaven your primary concern, you get heaven, and you get earth thrown in for free."

The best way to face the future is to trust God with our lives, and he will help us through any challenges that arise. Isaiah 65:24 says, "I will provide their needs before they ask. I will help them while they are still asking for help."

If we know that, we shouldn't worry. We don't need to worry. We've just looked at two incredible promises that God has made regarding your future. There is no way they are not going to be fulfilled. They’re assured. You can take it to the bank! It's going to happen. God is faithful, and he has promised over and over again to care for you.

Have you ever really realized, really felt, the kindness of God, the care of God in your life? God loves you. You matter to God. He cares about you. But have you ever really felt the tenderness of God? Has it ever really gripped you, grasped you, where you understood how much you really do matter to God? When you get that, it's going to change your life, and you'll have no reason to worry.

Listen to this verse. God is speaking. Listen to the tenderness of God, how compassionate he is about you. Isaiah 46:3 says, "Listen. I have upheld you since you were conceived."

The moment of conception in your mother's womb, when that cell was first formed, from that moment on, God was holding you up. Nine months before you were born, God says, from the point of your conception. You wouldn't even have been born if God hadn't nurtured and allowed those cells to grow. You wouldn't even be here.

He says "I have upheld you since you were conceived and I have taken care of you since birth." Even when you didn't know God, even when you didn't know His name, even when you were thumbing your nose at him and walking in the exact opposite direction, he was watching out for you. He was caring for you. You don't know all the trials and tragedies you've missed because God was taking care of you. He says from your conception and birth, he's been there every moment of your life.

And, on the other end, he says, "Even when you're old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you." It's like bookends. From your first moment of life to the final breath of life on this earth, God has been there and will take care of you. "I will care you and I will save you. Can you compare me to anyone? No one is equal to or like me!"

These two benefits we've just looked at are benefits of knowing Jesus Christ. They are the benefits of salvation. God says when you put your trust in his Son, Jesus Christ, God will be with you and God will provide for you. That's how much God loves you. He's looking to rebuild a relationship that was in tatters. No amount of good behavior, going to church, quitting bad habits, or even being religious was going to help. But God welcomes you, says that he sent Jesus Christ to restore that relationship, and invites you to come this morning and accept his promises for the future.

Join me in prayer.

Some of you might want to take the next step in finding out about Jesus. It might shock you when I say that Christianity is about restoring a relationship with God—a love relationship. It's not about going to church, being religious, or breaking bad habits – it's about a relationship. A relationship in which God says, "I've loved you from the moment you were born. I'll be with you in the future no matter what. I sent my Son, Jesus, to earth to restore that relationship. Now come into my open arms."

You don't have to earn it. Jesus did it for you. All you have to do is come. You could pray with me: "Today, Jesus Christ, I want to put 100% of my faith in you, not in the economy, not in my talent, or connections, or anything else. But I put 100% of my faith in you, Jesus. I want to trust you, that you will be with me in the future as you are right now, and that you will provide for me. I come to you today, realizing that I've been estranged from you, and that Jesus provided the way back to a restored relationship. I pledge now to follow you, to give my entire attention to you, knowing that you will help me deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. I will live for you and make you my primary concern, knowing that you have promised to meet all my needs. In your name I pray, Amen."

If you're seeking a relationship with God or have a prayer request, please speak to the person who brought you or fill out the communication card in your program and take it to the information center. We'd love to talk to you more about this.