Room in the Lifeboats
Date: 6/2006.101
Still More Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks P29
Catering to the rich and famous, this luxury liner was advertised as unsinkable. On Titanic's fateful night, passengers who somehow still believed the advertisement refused to get in the lifeboats, even thought they were told the ship was going down. They held to their belief in the advertisement that the ship was unsinkable - and were actually offended by officers who told them to climb into a cramped lifeboat when they had paid enormous sums for luxurious accommodations.
Other passengers were unable to enter a lifeboat because of the selfish privileged who felt no concern for anyone but themselves. The first-class passengers feared that added weight in the lifeboats would jeopardize their chance for survival. As a result, many of the ship's lifeboats, which were made to hold up to 60 people, left the ship with only 15 people aboard.
Although there were enough lifeboats to save hundreds more, people either refused to use them or they were left stranded on the sinking liner.
Application:
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the lifeboat we all must climb aboard. To miss that lifeboat is to perish. Many people either continue to belief that the world can offer them happiness or salvation through their own efforts, or they are left stranded because Christians have been too selfish to reach out to them. There is more than enough room at the Cross for those who are perishing.
CHRIST, SECOND COMING
Paul identifies “the Lord Jesus Christ” who will come from heaven as the savior. He uses the term savior that was widely used for the emperor. By using it for Jesus, Paul indicates that he does not think Rome and its emperors have saved the world from anything. Rome’s claim to have brought security and safety, to have affected deliverance from danger is false. Rather God saves the world from Rome and its false claims. The coming of Jesus will bring peace and security. This phrase openly evokes Pax Romana which was celebrated on Ara Pacis Augustae in Rome, the Altar of Augustan Peace. The Cube shaped monument with highly decorated walls, witnessed to Rome’s victories in wars that derived from its faithfulness to its god given mission to rule the world.
Paul uses terms to confront the imperial claims, denying their legitimacy by contrasting them with God’s significantly different purposes of justice for all.
Good News – denoted the empire’s benefits such as an emperor’s birth, military conquest or ascension to power. In the tradition of Isaiah (Isa 40 & 52) Paul uses the same language to speak not of Rome’s so called blessings but of God’s saving activity and the establishment of God’s reign or empire in place of Rome’s. To believe the gospel is to commit to and to be obedient to God as king or emperor.
Salvation – this term named the blessings of Rome’s world, especially its security and order achieve through deliverance from all threats and dangers. But this order of course was nothing other than benefit for a few – Rome’s military power and to enforced submission to most. Again invoking Isaiah, Paul presents an alternative reality in which God’s saving power frees from imperial powers.
Righteousness or Justice – Paul’s gospel is a challenge to Rome and he uses the imperial sounding language of victory to affirm God’s inevitable triumph. What God is doing is fundamentally different. Rome proclaimed its mission to give justice to the world “to crown peace and justice” Roman justice was an agent of its imperial system. It functioned to sustain the control of the elite over the rest by punishing and removing threats to its power. Paul sees the gospel, not Rome as revealing the justice of God.
CHRIST, SECOND COMING
Waiting for the president
Date: 6/2007.101
We wanted to move into an apartment but did not know what it looked like. We wanted to see the size and shape so that we know what furniture to bring. We have a friend staying in that apartment, so we told him that we would visit. From that day, he started cleaning his apartment, making sure it is kept clean for our visit. Waiting for us.
Dr P, when Swiss Tower was build, was invited to move in and stay in the Tower for couples. He gladly accepted because his wife had passed away and was lonely at 85. Before he moved in, the President of the Seminary told him that he would visit Dr P. From that day, Dr. P had to keep his apartment clean, waiting for the President to come. He do not know when it would be, but it could be at anytime.
CHRIST, SECURITY IN Bread of life
Nov 06 2011 DCFC English [Jesus came to the world to...] John 6:24-37 – be the bread of life
In his book entitled God’s Psychiatry, Charles Allen tells this story: As World War II was drawing to a close, the Allied armies gathered up many hungry orphans. They were placed in camps where they were well-fed. Despite excellent care, they slept poorly. They seemed nervous and afraid. Finally, a psychologist came up with the solution. Each child was given a piece of bread to hold after he was put to bed. This particular piece of bread was just to be held—not eaten. The piece of bread produced wonderful results. The children went to bed knowing instinctively they would have food to eat the next day. That guarantee gave the children a restful and contented sleep. It seems that regardless of the socio-economic group to which we belong, or how sophisticated our palette becomes, every one of us recognizes the significance of bread as a staple of our basic human existence.
CHRIST, SECURITY IN
Security in Christ
Date: 12/2007.101
Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching from Leadership Journal ed. Craig Brian Larson #200
In a sermon, Juan Carlos Ortiz spoke of a conversation with a circus trapeze artist. The performer admitted the net underneath was there to keep them from breaking their necks, but added, "The net also keeps us from falling. Imagine there is no net. We would be so nervous that we would be more likely to miss and fall. if there wasn't a net, we would not dare to do some of the things we do. But because there's a net, we dare to make two turns and once I made three turns - thanks to the net!"
Ortiz makes this observation: "We have security in God. When we are sure in his arms, we dare to attempt big things for God. We dare to be holy. We dare to be obedient. We dare because we know the eternal arms of God will hold us if we fall."
Club Med - Trapeze. I very scared - remember diving platform incident in the army when I froze at the height. So I did not want to go up. But colleague went up and just jumped. he let go bravely and ended up in the hands of the other person. Why was he so brave? Because of net - he trusted it and was able to let go.
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