Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
On November 10th 1975 there was a severe storm on Lake Superior, which is a body of water that has been claimed to be the largest freshwater lake in the entire world. The “Big Fitz”, which is officially known as the Edmund Fitzgerald was a huge freighter, with a massive size of 729 ft in length! In 1958 when it was put to sea, it was the largest ship on the Great lakes, and was capable of carrying up to 26,000 long tons of taconite pellets. It made frequent trips between Minnesota and Detroit, but during hurricane force winds, and accompanied by 35 ft waves, it sank approximately 17 miles from Whitefish Bay, killing all 29 crew members and coming to rest in 530 ft of water.
This reminds me of the Christian Life
This was a tragic event for everybody involved, bringing sorrow to family members and relatives. But did you know that there is going to be an extremely tragic event that will happen on Judgment Day? There are going to be many people who began the Christian Life, who will eventually be cast away from the presence of the Lord. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, because rather than abiding in the perfect will of God, they ended up shipwrecking their faith instead.
1 Timothy 1:18-19 (KJB) This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
It’s been claimed that across the entire world, approximately 50 large commercial ships sink each year, with the Atlantic Ocean as being home to the most shipwrecks of all. A shipwreck is defined as the wreckage of a ship, that resulted because it was run upon the rocks, or sank to the bottom of the ocean during severe weather. Many times a shipwreck can happen simply because of faulty navigation, which is the same thing that happens to those who shipwreck their faith. Rather than staying on course and abiding in the doctrines of Christ, some people will turn away from the teachings of our faith, and in the process, will completely abandon their conscience.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJB) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
In this verse, the Apostle Paul speaks about endurance which is something that a marathon runner must possess if they are going to complete a race. Abiding in Scriptural Doctrine is extremely important, because it is a Spiritual roadmap that guides us all the way to heaven.
Matthew 24:13 (KJB) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
James 1:12 (KJB) Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Somebody who shipwrecks their faith will bring it to complete ruin because rather than submitting to the will of God, they chose to do things their own way instead. Just like any ship on the ocean, each of us will have to navigate through this sinful world. There is a specific plan that we are supposed to follow from the scriptures, but those who choose to do things their own way rather than God’s way, are going to find themselves in a completely different place in this world. It might even have seemed like the right choice to make at the moment, but if went against the teachings of scripture, then it was the wrong path to take.
Proverbs 16:25 (KJB) There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The entirety of the Christian life is about repentance from dead works, because sinners must be completely transformed into obedient, faithful, and God-fearing people. Many people who begin the Christian Life will not have what it takes to finish the race all the way to the end. Rather than continuing in goodness, righteousness and Truth, they will jump right back into the world once again, and become far worse than what they ever were in their sinful past.
2 Peter 2:20-22 (KJB) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Many people will not finish what they started, building a tower that they were never able to fully complete.
Luke 14:28-30 (KJB) For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Sometimes people will start the Christian Life but for some reason or the other, they will be completely led astray. This is why the pathway to heaven is extremely narrow. Everything will seem fine for a period of time, but then all of a sudden, their lives will change course, and steer off in a completely different direction. Rather than staying on the narrow path of Christ Jesus and following the teachings of our faith, they will follow after the things of the world instead, and before you know it, they will be right back on the wide path that leads to destruction, and swallowed up by a sea of iniquity.
Mark 4:16-19 (KJB) And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
The loss of life is a sad event for anybody to have to deal with, but turning away from the will of God and shipwrecking your faith is far worse than any other shipwreck that you will find out in the world. This is because it affects our eternal salvation and where we will reside permanently after the resurrection of the dead. We want to make sure that we stay on course, and never allow ourselves to fall away from the teachings of our faith, something that I’m always reminded of when I think about the Titanic, the RMS Lusitania, or even the tragic events surrounding,…,
….The Big Fitz
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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