[What is Your Destiny?]
Slide Text - Where are you going? What are you leaving behind?
Slide Graphic – Tombstone
Preface: Lights dim. One student dressed as the Grim Reaper enters from the back of the room and casts about for his victim. Finally, he chooses and “kills” another student. Lights on.
The Bible says “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)
Have you ever been to a funeral service? Open casket? Was it one of those where they give a sermon, or one where people get up and talk about the person’s life? Which would you prefer for yourself? What do you think people would say about you? Who would be willing to stand up for you?
There was no death in the Garden of Eden. When man chose to go his own way (eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) rather than God’s way (the tree of life), we sinned. The word “Sin” comes from the same root word a schism and scissors, meaning to “cut off” or “separate.” We cut ourselves off from God – we died spiritually. At the same time, God instituted physical death. Why both? Weren’t we punished enough already? Actually, the Bible says that God instituted physical death because he loved us. If we lived forever, we would be cut off from him forever.
For we must needs die, and are as water spilt upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doeth God respect any person; yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him (2 Samuel 14:14)
• Many students your age die every year. Traffic accidents. Tornadoes. Cancer.
• What questions do you have about life and death?
• Have you ever thought about what it would be like to you if you died? What would happen? Tunnel of light? Out of body experience?
• What would you regret for eternity? Is there anything you can do now to change or diminish that regret?
• What would you be glad you had done? What would you be glad you had not done? Some temptation you resisted?
• What would people remember about you?
• What message would you want to leave behind on your tombstone?
[What Message Will You Leave Behind?]
Slide Graphic – Tombstone for Santa Clause, with child in front, crying
Slide Text (real tombstone inscriptions) –
Here lies an Atheist - All dressed up and no place to go.(Thurmont, Maryland)
She lived with her husband for 50 years and died in the confident hope of a better life. (Burlington, Vermont)
Here lies Ezekial Aikle Age 102: The Good Die Young. (East Dalhousie Cemetery, Nova Scotia)
I would rather be here than in Texas (Colorado Springs)
People choose some interesting messages to leave behind. That last one is from a wife whose ex-husband lives in Texas.
Here beneath this stone we lie - Back to back my wife and I. And when the angels trump shall trill - If she gets up then I’ll lie still! (Barlinine Cemetery, Glasgow, Scotland)
Here Lies Jane Smith Wife of Thomas Smith, Marble Cutter: This Monument Erected By Her Husband As A Tribute To Her Memory. Monuments of this style are 250 Dollars. (Annapolis)
Sacred To The Remains of Jonathan Thompson - A Pious Christian and Affectionate Husband. His disconsolate widow continues to carry on His grocery business at the old stand on Main Street: Cheapest and best prices in town. (Harwichport)
What would you want your last message to the world to be? What kind of a statement will you be leaving behind?
[Alfred Nobel – “Merchant of Death”]
Slide text – photograph of Alfred Nobel, pictures of sticks of dynamite.
Nitroglycerine is an explosive liquid which was first made by Ascanio Sobrero in 1846 by treating glycerol with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid. The reaction which follows is highly exothermic, i.e. it generates heat and will result in an explosion of nitroglycerine, unless the mixture is cooled while the reaction is taking place. Liquid nitroglycerine is colorless if pure. It is soluble in alcohols but insoluble in water. Nitroglycerine is extremely sensitive to shock and in the early days, when impure nitroglycerine was used, it was very difficult to predict under which conditions nitroglycerine would explode.
Nobel was a chemist, and set up a factory to produce nitroglycerine with a consistent, dependable purity. He also invented blasting caps, to allow the liquid to be detonated reliably and from a distance. The liquid was still very dangerous. One day, his factory blew up, killing Nobel’s younger brother. The city elders were understandably reluctant to allow him to rebuild the factory in the middle of their town, so he set up his factory on a barge in the middle of the bay.
Nobel soon discovered that nitroglycerine could be mixed with silica dust to make a “mud”, that, when dried, was a very stable carrier for the explosive. He shaped the mud into sticks to allow it to be inserted easily into the drill holes. These sticks were called “dynamite”.
Dynamite does not burn. It is just clay and nitroglycerine. You can light it with a match and nothing will happen. The fuse you see being lit is for a blasting cap – a small container of gunpowder. The fuse ignites the gunpowder, which creates enough of a shock wave to cause the nitroglycerine in the dynamite to react.
Dynamite is usually stored without the blasting caps inserted, for obvious reasons. When I was young, my grandmother had a crate of dynamite in her barn. All the adults knew it was there, but it didn’t have the blasting caps, so it was safe. The barn could burn to the ground, it it wouldn’t explode. Eventually, someone took an old armchair that the legs had broken off of, and put it on top of the crate. When the kids would visit, we would climb up the walls, swing hand-over-hand across the rafters, and drop into the chair.
What no one apparently realized was that when dynamite gets old, or exposed to heat for long periods, the nitroglycerine in the clay leaches out and crystallizes on the surface of the stick – as pure nitroglycerine – very unstable. A little more each year. And we kids were dropping into the chair on top of it. Luckily, my father discovered this. He reported it to the fire department, and they wouldn’t even attempt to remove it – they placed a new stick of dynamite complete with blasting cap on top of the pile and blew up my grandmothers barn.
Anyway, back to Nobel. Remember he had invented dynamite to save lives. Even when the military began to use it, he figured it was a good thing because, as he said: “My factories may make an end of war sooner than your congresses. The day when two army corps can annihilate each other in one second, all civilized nations, it is to be hoped, will recoil from war and discharge their troops.”
One day when Alfred was 53, his older brother Ludvig died. Alfred had been told, and looked in the newspaper the next day to read the obituary. Unfortunately, the newspaper editor had been mistaken, and had thought that it was Alfred who had died, so when Alfred opened it up, instead of finding Ludvig’s obituary, he found his own. “Alfred Nobel, Merchant of Death, dead at 53”. The obituary went on to describe Alfred Nobel as the inventor of dynamite, the most destructive force known to man. An invention capable of killing more men more quickly than any other means. Alfred was horrified by this summation of his life, and resolved to work to change the legacy he would leave this world. He created a trust fund with all of his wealth, to be used to fund the best researchers in medicine, chemistry, physics, the most gifted writers, and those who had contributed most to world peace. Today we know Alfred not as the inventor of dynamite, but as the founder of the Nobel prizes.
What will you be known for?
[WWJD?]
Slide Graphic – youth with WWJD bracelet
Another group that resolved to make a difference in this world is responsible for the popular WWJD bracelet.
In 1896, a man named Charles Sheldon wrote a book called "In His Steps." Sheldon in his book, tells of a ragged man who speaks to a Midwestern church congregation and says, "It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out." The man then dies in front of the whole congregation. The pastor and congregation who are shocked and ashamed by such testimony, proceed to pledge to live their everyday lives asking themselves, "What Would Jesus Do?" in any and every situation in life, regardless of the consequences to themselves or others. While only a handful of people accepted that challenge, the results radically transformed the church and its community.
Not long ago, Charles Sheldon’s great-grandson Garrett, rewrote the book with modern characters in another book called, "What Would Jesus Do?" In the early 90’s, youth pastors around the globe became inspired by the book and began using the logo WWJD? to challenge their youth groups. Soon there were WWJD? bracelets, shirts, bumper stickers, cups, and caps everywhere as a reminder of the great challenge to live for Jesus. The movement began to grow and youth groups everywhere became transformed as teenagers began to ask themselves, "What Would Jesus Do?" in any and every situation, regardless of the consequences to themselves and others.
Last week was tax time. There is a chapter in Romans about death and taxes. Oddly enough, there is a verse right in the middle that tells us to love our neighbors as Christ loved us. That is what Jesus would do. The context is that we are to fulfill all of our earthly debts, and carry no standing obligation other than to love each other. That is our reason for living.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)
With all this discussion of doing things to make a difference, it is easy for some people to become confused and think that the doing of things is what gets us to heaven. This is not so. You cannot work your way to heaven.
[The Sheep and the Goats]
Slide graphic – sheep and goats
Slide Text - 31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Mathew 25:31-32)
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
(Matthew 25:31-46)
Many people, even whole denominations, read this passage to mean that you must work for your salvation. This is not what this passage means. The difference between sheep and goats is how they are born. Sheep are born sheep, and goats are born goats. All animals born as sheep will be saved, all the goats will not. The passage is showing the difference in the attitudes and judgment of the two groups. The sheep are rewarded for the times they acted out of Christ’s love, even if they didn’t realize this is what they were doing. They are not being judged for the times they did not act in love. The goats, on the other hand, are trying to argue that they should be saved because they were good (“when did we not…”). Christ tells them they are judged, because they are sinners. This passage means exactly the opposite of how many people interpret it. It is clearly showing that works are NOT enough.
Another similar passage is:
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
(Daniel 12:2-3)
In that passage, the word “sleep” means “death”. When you die as a Christian, your soul goes directly to the presence of God (i.e. Christ saying to the thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in Paradise”). Your body, however, will not be resurrected until the rapture of the church. This separation of soul and body is often referred to as sleep in the Bible. Another example is:
11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12
[Rest In Peace]
Slide Graphic – picture of my kids, asleep when they were very little
Slide Text - 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead”
John 11:11-14
Before we lived in the house where we live now, we lived in a little house in a neighborhood in Mabelvale. In the house next door were a young family with two little girls. The older girl was just Ali’s age, and they were best friends. One night, the father of this family was driving home from work through a construction zone on the freeway. There was a semi tractor trailer in front of him and another just behind. Suddenly the truck in front of him stopped. The driver behind him was unable to stop, and his little pickup was crushed between the two large trucks, killing him instantly.
This was a terrible tragedy for the family. It was also the first time anyone our kids new well had died. One day not long after this Ali asked me what happens to you when you die. I had heard someone explain it this way:
Remember when you were very small, and you would play all day and crawl into your Mommy and Daddy’s bed in the evening and fall asleep? You had played so hard you were totally limp. I would come in and look at you for a while, then pick you up like a rag doll and take you into your room and tuck you into your bed. You fell asleep in a place you didn’t belong. I came and picked you up in my arms and carried you to the place we had prepared for you. When you woke up, you were in your own bed. That’s what it is like at the end of your life for a Christian. You don’t really belong here on earth. God has prepared a place for you in heaven. When you die, it is like falling asleep, and God picks you up in his arms and carries you home.
A few days later I overheard Ali telling this story to her friend. I was very proud of her. Until she got to the part where – “and daddy comes in and finds some kid asleep in his bed that doesn’t belong to him, he’ll grab her up and throw her out the front door into the night.”
I don’t remember that part in the story from when I told it, but, you know, she was right. That tells you how it will be for those who are not Christians – not God’s children.
It also tells you not to fall asleep in my bed if you every come over to our house.
[Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels]
Slide Graphic – Pictures of Roy Riegels. See, for example, http://www.tournamentofroses.com/photogallery/timeline/TL-1920s-2.htm
In a span of about 10 seconds, Riegels cost his school the victory in the 1929 Rose Bowl, made himself a legend among bumblers, and earned a new nickname - "Wrong Way."
It all began in the second quarter of a scoreless tie between his team, the California Golden Bears, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Tech running back Stumpy Thomason was hit on his own 36-yard line and fumbled. The ball bounced to the Tech 40 with both teams in hot pursuit. During the wild scramble for the loose ball, Riegels, the California center, picked it out of the air. He started running downfield in the right direction and was only 30 yards away from a go-ahead touchdown when suddenly his radar went awry. While pivoting to get away from a tackler, Riegels completely lost his bearings. He wheeled around in a U-turn and legged it out for all he was worth toward his own end zone.
Centers aren’t supposed to be fast runners. But Riegels was sprinting like a man possessed, pumped up with the determination of which heroes are made. Some of his teammates were fooled by his misguided attempt at glory and they began knocking down Georgia Tech tacklers who themselves seemed confused.
The legendary sports broadcaster Graham McNamee, who was calling the play-by-play on radio, couldn’t believe his eyes. "What’s the matter with me?" he shouted into the microphone. "Am I going crazy?"
Tech players on the bench jumped up and began to shout, but coach Bill Alexander ordered them to sit down. "He’s running the wrong way," the coach said. "Let’s see how far he can go."
Riegels would have gone all the way if it hadn’t been for the clear thinking of Benny Lom, the California quarterback. Lom immediately chased his teammate, shouting, "Stop, Roy! You’re going the wrong way!" At the 10-yard line, Lom caught Riegels and slowed him down with a bear hug, but Riegels shook him off. "Get away from me!" shrieked Riegels. "This is my touchdown!" At the 3-yard line, Lom grabbed him again and this time held on. Riegels finally realized that something was wrong and turned around. Just then a wave of Georgia Tech players smeared him on the 1-yard line. Riegels had run nearly 70 yards in the wrong direction! He sat on the ground in shock as his sympathetic teammates came over and consoled him. California decided the best way to get out of this jam—as well as get Riegels off the hook—was to punt. But Lom’s punt from the end zone was blocked for a safety. It was the most crucial play of the game because the safety gave the Yellow Jackets the 2 points they needed for an eventual 8-7 victory.
After the safety, a dejected Riegels trudged to the sidelines and took himself out of the game. At the half, Roy sat in a corner of the locker room with a towel over his head, crying. The coach could think of nothing to say. Finally, at the three-minute warning, the coach announced “the same players who started the first half will start the second”. As the players took the field, Roy told his coach he simply could not move. He felt he had lost the game for his team.
The coach responded “Roy, the game is only half over – get in there and play”. Roy took the field, and those who saw him play that second half said they had never seen anyone play with that passion and ability before or since. After the game, his teammates voted him as their captain for the next season.
The point is that you are part of a team – this student ministry, our church, the Christian community. You may not half had a great game so far. You may have even scored a few points for the other team. But the game isn’t over yet. Get in there and play.
And, by the way, our team is going to win.
