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NO ATHEISTS IN THE WATER
David Harrell wrote a book telling the story of his father, Edgar Harrell. Edgar was one of the 300 survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the last US ship sunk by enemy contact in WW2. 600 of the 900 men who survived the ship's sinking were stranded in the water for five days - many with only a life vest - all facing thirst, hunger, injuries, dehydration and sharks. They all came face to face with fear and their own mortality.
Edgar testifies of those days alone in the ocean, "Clearly there were no atheists in the water that day. Gone was that damnable attitude of pride that deceives men into thinking that there is no God, or if there is, they don't need Him. When a man is confronted with death, it is the face of Almighty God he sees, not his own. We were all acutely aware of our Creator during those days and nights."
(David Harrell, “Out of the Depths,” Xulon Press, 2005, 112-113).
Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged."
2,000 years ago God the Son – Jesus the Christ issues a pardon….
BUT just like in the case of George Wilson – the value of the pardon is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned… If it is refused, it is no pardon….
I was not one of his fans personally, but for many NASCAR fans, the death of racing legend Dale Earhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500 is still fresh in their minds. On the final lap of the race, he crashed into the wall at a speed of around 180 miles per hour after being tapped from behind. I remember seeing the accident on TV and it did not seem to be too bad at first.
The autopsy report stated that he died of blunt force trauma to the head. It has been suggested that he may have survived the crash if he had been wearing a special safety device called a HANS or Head and Neck Safety Device. At the time however, he had decided against using the device complaining that it restricted his movements too much. His neglect probably cost him his life.
The Bible reveals that each individual is on a collision course with God’s judgment. He has provided a safety device – the cross of Jesus Christ – that will keep us from suffering eternal death and separation from God. But like Dale Earnhardt, we each must chose to accept and not neglect what God has offered. (Adapted from Michael Owenby, Carrollton GA.)
SURVIVING THE RIVER OF DEATH
Max Lucado, in his book, “Six Hours One Friday,” tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.
A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death.
The missionary explained how he had crossed the river & was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank & placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist & splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river.
Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist ...
Our behavior should be an outward growth of our love of God. It is the soil in which our spiritual fruits are planted. The Holy Spirit is the fertilizer that makes our fruits grow and prosper. (Pastor Carl K.Benge
Earnest Heed
Hebrews 2:1
There was a man named Earnest Heed
Who simply refused listen
But when his wife cooked apple pie
His eyes would always glisten.
Earnest had a few close friends
Named Apathy and Lazy
They like Earnest refused to hear
And drove other people crazy.
One day,
Earnest and His Friends went on a trip,
For rest and relaxation
Then suddenly an angel appeared
With out an explanation.
He said to Earnest and his friends
Have you realized thus far
That you have gone through all your life
Without realizing who you are.
For You have chosen what you want to hear
In your ears have made no room
For God has spoken many times
And now you are facing doom.
Earnest and his friends passed away that day
With Angel’s words in their ears.
For they had ignored and refused to listen
For many, many years
The meaning behind this story my friends
Is evident and clear
For when the Lord speaks to you
Make every effort to hear
Hebrews 2:1(NKJV)
1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
written by Rev. Charles Dupree 10/23/2011
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST'S FEAR OF DEATH
William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the 20th century. At the height of his media career he was worth over $500 million. He built an enormous castle in the hills near San Simeon, California. At more than 90,000 square feet, it took 28 years to build. It is one of the largest, most opulent homes in America, rivaling the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Hearst often invited the Hollywood elite to visit him in his castle. It was a mark of a celebrity's true star status if they were invited to Hearst's castle for a weekend. When guests arrived they were informed of one very strict rule. They were warned if they broke this rule, they would be immediately escorted off the property and never invited to return.
Whenever the guests were in Hearst's presence, there was one word they could never utter: DEATH. Hearst had a horrible fear of death. He was so afraid of it that when one of the palm trees at San Simeon died unexpectedly, the gardeners painted its leaves green until it could be replaced at a time when Hearst was gone. This wealthy tycoon did everything he could to ignore death. But even with that amount of wealth and power he couldn't prevent death. On August 14, 1951 he died and then he had to face judgment.
(From a sermon by Fred Markes, Most Important Thing, 8/30/2011)
The following excerpt was sent to Icon New Market Films:
"I realize you probably never have the occasion to see him, but if you do, could you tell Mel Gibson that a 74 year old woman named Hally Raisor saw the Passion and as a result she gave her life to Jesus Christ and was baptized.
The only thing is, after she saw the film, she was so cut to the heart she contacted all her brothers, sisters, her sons and daughter-in-laws and made them go see it as well. As we were being seated before the showing she fell in the darkness on the steps going down to the chairs (stadium seating). We began to rush her to the hospital but she would not let us. We tried to reason with her, but she demanded we sit down and watch the film. After the movie she engaged each of her family members by asking them whether they had a relationship with Jesus Christ or not. She took the time to passionately present the Gospel to them... Then she went to the hospital where is was found that she had 3 broken ribs and other serious injuries. That night (saturday) I called her to cancel her baptism the next day (by complete imersion mind you). She became irate and demanded, "If Jesus Christ could suffer what He did for me, I can suffer throug...
DO YOU FEAR WHAT YOU NEED NOT FEAR?
A friend told me a story of some hunting dogs that he had. They were good hunting dogs that he used when he went to hunt pigs in the mountains. He shared however, that the dogs, as tough as they were, were deathly afraid of chickens. I couldn’t believe it, so I asked him why.
When the dogs were puppies, they lived around the chickens. The chickens at the time, were much larger than the little puppies. As a result the chickens would bully the puppies and chase them all over the place. The young puppies learned to fear the chickens. Because of that, as strong hunting dogs, they still clung to their fear of chickens!
Satan may have had power over us before. He may have taught us to be afraid of him for many years. When we have Jesus in our lives, we have authority over Satan. Still because we have learned for so long that we are powerless against Satan, we often tend to still believe that. Like those dogs, we often fear what we need not fear.
(From a sermon by Ty Tamasaka, Running With a Limp, 9/9/2011)
William Edward Parry was a British explorer. In the early 1800s he led an expedition to the Arctic Ocean. They wanted to go farther north to continue their chartings. So they calculated their location by the stars and then started a very difficult and treacherous march north. They walked the whole day. And then totally exhausted, they finally stopped for the night. They took their bearings again from the stars. And they were shocked to discover that they were farther south than when they had started. They then discovered that they had been walking on an ice floe that was moving south faster than they were moving north! They were drifting in the opposite direction.
The same can be true of us spiritually. If we neglect to listen carefully to what Christ said, we will begin to drift away from Him. And our drifting will lead to disobedience. And if we don’t repent, that disobed...
