Sermon Central
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Famous Last Words
Contributed by Greg Bryan on Nov 15, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: A person’s last words are significant. They can be a window, allowing us to look into a person’s heart. They can also be a measure that helps us evaluate their life. I want us to consider some famous last words. Not mine, but the last words of the
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
--Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
"This ’telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
--Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
--Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."
--Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.
"We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
--Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
"So we went to Atari and said, ’Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ’No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ’Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’"
--Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his personal computer.
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981.
SOME NOT SO FAMOUS GREGISM¡¦S
Those are ¡§Famous Last Words¡¨ because of how ridiculous they seem to us today. Tonight, I want to talk about another kind of famous last words.
I¡¦ve been thinking a lot about last words. Tonight will be my final Nav Night talk as your acting campus director. What should I say? How can I summarize 5 years of ministry at Miami? I could talk about what I¡¦ve learned or what I¡¦ll remember. I could talk about what I hoped you learned from me?
As I considered what to say to you tonight, I couldn¡¦t help thinking about the things that I find myself saying over and over like¡K.
„Ï ¡§82% of all statistics are made up on the spot. I just made that up.¡¨
„Ï ¡§5 out of every 4 people have problems with fractions
„Ï ¡§Originality is the art of forgetting your source. I’m not sure who said that so it must be original with me.¡¨
Or on a more spiritual note:
„Ï ¡§Ministry is making friends for an eternity¡¨
„Ï ¡§God + you is always a majority¡¨
„Ï ¡§There are two things I know about God:
o 1- There is a God
o 2- I’m not Him¡¨
„Ï ¡§Only three things will last forever: God, His Word, and people¡¨
„Ï ¡§Avoid the holy huddle¡¨
„Ï ¡§We not only need to discern the good from the bad; but the best from the good.¡¨
A person¡¦s last words are significant. They can be a window, allowing us to look into a person¡¦s heart. They can also be a measure that helps us evaluate their life.
Tonight, I want us to consider some famous last words. Not mine, but the last words of the apostle Paul to Timothy. 2 Timothy is Paul¡¦s last known letter before he was beheaded
In 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul gives Timothy three ESSENTIALS for a fruitful ministry.
In verse 1, Paul reminds Timothy (and us) of the importance of what he¡¦s about to share.
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
¡§In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus¡¨
God is always present with us, nothing is hidden from his sight
¡Kour words, deeds, and thoughts are known to Him.
¡§who will judge the living and the dead¡¨
God is judge and we¡¦ll have to give account for how we spent
our time and what we did with our lives to Him alone.
One day we will face God and our works will be judged.
We should do our work carefully and faithfully
Should deliver us from the fear of man.
¡§and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom¡¨
Jesus is coming back and his return is imminent
The first ESSENTIAL is: SHARE THE TRUTH! (4:2-4)
2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
