By Rob Pue
This last April marked the 89th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. For generations the tragic story has captivated the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life. People of all ages - even the very young - are enthralled with the story. And after all this time, interest in Titanic has only grown more strong, fueled by the discovery of the wreck by explorer Bob Ballard in 1985, and culminating in the motion picture by James Cameron which set new records for box-office sales and earned a multitude of Academy Awards.
There have been a great many myths and legends put forth as the cause of the disaster ever since that fateful night in 1912. Tales range from sabotage, to the evil curse of a mummy said to be on board.
The loss of the Titanic left a shaken world in disbelief and made people stop and think. People are still thinking. I believe that God wants us to remember the object lessons the Titanic story provides. The lessons are still relevant to us today, and perhaps that’s why He made it possible for the wreck to be located in 1985 - to again remind us that these lessons are for us in our time.
The most obvious lesson is the sinfulness of human pride and arrogance...clearly present in almost every aspect of the story.
Titanic took nearly 12,000 men more than two years to construct. Built in Belfast, Ireland for the White Star Line, Titanic’s owners were in stiff competition with the rival Cunard Line.
People wanted luxury, and to say that’s what they found in Titanic would be an understatement. Not only was Titanic the largest man-made moving object in the world, it was also the most luxurious ship the world had ever known. It was a floating palace loaded with fine amenities; a five-star hotel on the sea. Never before had anyone seen anything like it.
She was truly impressive, but Titanic’s owners failed to remember Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”
Man has always endeavored to reach higher, to achieve things greater than ever before. Great achievements in themselves are not bad, but too often, they are done for the wrong reasons, specifically, to glorify man, rather than God.
Throughout the Bible are accounts of proud men who refused to humble themselves and acknowledge God, who built monuments to themselves and their achievements, who trusted in their own abilities, possessions and self-efforts, rather than relying on God’s provision. All inevitably came to a tragic end. You’d think we humans would “get it” by now, but we don’t.
We read in 1 Peter 5:5, “...God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets Himself against those who are proud.” (Living Bible).
The Titanic was a symbol of everything man could achieve and she was truly beautiful. But the society of the day forgot God, reveled in their own abilities, and even taunted God’s awesome power, taking His name in vain and boasting “God Himself could not sink this ship!”
With all the latest innovations in ship-building technology, including 15 watertight doors, it was widely believed and accepted that this ship really was unsinkable.
As we all know, God Himself could sink the Titanic, but no big storm or major “act of God” was needed. Once again, the arrogance of man was adequate to facilitate his undoing.
Passengers enjoyed a tranquil crossing on their way to New York and, in fact, crew members remarked they had never seen the Atlantic more calm.
Those aboard the Titanic booked passage in either first class, second class or third class (steerage) accommodations. First class passengers enjoyed the most luxurious surroundings, rivaling the most posh hotels in the world. First class suites even included their own private promenade decks, sitting rooms and lavatories.
It was said that the second class accommodations on Titanic were better than first class on all other ships of that time, and even steerage passengers had it better than ever.
Titanic was brand new, shiny and strong. This was her maiden voyage and expectations were high for such a beautiful - and unsinkable - ship.
On Sunday, April 14, 1912, Titanic was making excellent speed and most of the passengers spent the day indoors because the weather had turned suddenly cold. Captain E.J. Smith held church services that morning, which would have been traditionally followed by a lifeboat drill for passengers and crew, but on this day, there was no drill...after all, the ship was unsinkable.
As for the lifeboats, Titanic’s owners were so convinced that the ship could never sink, that they only included lifeboats for less than half those on board, to make for a better looking, less crowded boat deck.
Iceberg warnings came in via wireless telegraph all day and evening but were generally ignored and Titanic pressed forward toward disaster.
Perhaps what makes the story of the Titanic so sad and heart-rending is that the people involved were really no different than we are today. We can easily identify with them. If we were on a ship that was said to be unsinkable, would we feel it necessary to hold a lifeboat drill, or would we call it off if it was too cold outside?
Would we heed iceberg warnings if we “knew” our ship was unsinkable, or continue on with the party we were enjoying? Wealth, comfort and luxury can make people complacent, lulled into a false sense of security. We can become so full of ourselves that we feel we are invincible. We can think all is well, when disaster is just around the corner.
But as we read in James 4:14, “How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog - now you see it, soon it is gone.” (Living Bible).
In much the same way the people of Noah’s day were warned, and in much the same way the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were warned, and just as those on the Titanic were warned about the icebergs, we are warned about the consequences of complacency and indifference to sin - sin in the world and sin we are involved with. We’re warned of the cost of living apart from God and without the Salvation of Christ. But do we heed the warnings? Or do we continue on in comfort and luxury, doing our own thing, forgetting God?
In 1 Thessalonians 5 it says, “When people are saying, ‘All is well, everything is quiet and peaceful,’ - then all of a sudden, disaster will fall upon them.”
Disaster struck the Titanic at 11:40 pm, April 14, 1912, as she collided with the iceberg.
For decades it was thought that the berg tore a 300 foot gash in the side of the ship. But when the wreck was discovered in 1985, it was found that only a few small holes had opened in the ship’s hull --- all told the damage was less than 12 square feet in size, less than the size of the average doorway in one’s home.
Even this discovery provides a lesson as to how just a few “small” sins in our lives - if not dealt with - can bring devastation and disaster. Regardless of how immaculate the “ship” of our lives may be, just one sin can sink us... “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10).
Just after midnight, Captain Smith ordered the crew to ready the lifeboats. But passengers were reluctant to leave the comfort of the huge ship for a 70-foot drop down to the dark ocean in the tiny wooden boats. Sadly, even though there were only lifeboats enough for less than half those aboard, very few of the boats were loaded to their capacity.
The rule was “women and children first,” but many of the ladies refused to leave without their husbands, and had to be forceably picked up and placed in the boats.
Families were torn apart, as women and children bid farewell to their husbands and fathers, who were not allowed into the lifeboats.
Many of the wealthy on board refused to leave without their valuables. Some went back to collect their belongings from their staterooms, and in so doing, lost their only chance at a lifeboat. They didn’t realize the danger, and preferred to remain with their “treasure” instead of saving their lives. Like the rich man in Matthew 19, they would not give up their money or possessions.
But within an hour, the seriousness of the situation became apparent as the bow of the ship began to disappear beneath the surface of the water. But by this time, it was too late for most.
Many of the third class passengers remained trapped below decks, separated from the rest of the ship by locked gates. By the time the majority of the third class passengers made it to the boat decks, most of the lifeboats had already been launched - again, most half-empty - as hundreds remained on the ship with no hope for survival.
As one of the last boats was being lowered away, J. Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line and owner of Titanic stepped into a boat and saved himself.
Captain Smith went down with the ship - and more than 1,500 others among the passengers and crew.
There are hundreds of inspiring and heartbreaking stories that are told of Titanic’s last moments...the band that kept playing until the end, to help calm the passengers and avoid a panic. The wealthy Mrs. Isador Strauss, who chose to stay and die with her husband, rather than leave without him. The hundreds and hundreds who were left on board with all the lifeboats gone and no way to be rescued -- women, children and families alike.
One story that is often left out of the movies, and seldom told is that of John Harper, the newly called Pastor to Moody Church who was on his way to Chicago. After the collision, he got his 6-year-old daughter into a lifeboat, but apparently made no attempt to save himself.
Instead, he ran throughout the ship yelling, “Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!” Survivors report that he began witnessing to anyone who would listen, and even continued to preach after he had jumped into the water, clinging to a piece of wreckage.
Harper’s final moments were recounted by a survivor four years after the disaster. “I was drifting alone on a spar that night, when the tide brought Mr. Harper, also on a piece of wreck, near me. ‘Man,’ he said, ‘Are you saved?’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I am not.’ He replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ The waves bore him away, but strange to say, brought him back a little later, and he said, ‘Are you saved now?’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I cannot honestly say that I am.’ He said again, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,’ and shortly after, he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.”
He was also one of only six people to be picked up out of the water that night. 1,517 people died. Only 706 survived.
When the sun came up the next morning, the survivors in the lifeboats had their first look at the harsh reality -- hundreds of corpses, still wearing their life jackets, frozen to death or drowned in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. They were surrounded by icebergs, some more than 200 feet high.
A great many awe-inspiring artifacts have been brought up from the site of the wreck...things that help to tell the story, and remind us of what happened that night. We’ve seen pieces of the ship, personal belongings, even letters, menus and tickets. But can we grasp the real story here?
What can we learn from all this? We can learn to not trust in the wealth and things of this world...they are only temporary. Trusting in worldly possessions is futile. After all, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?
We can learn that the consequences of pride and arrogance are always destruction, in one form or another.
“They trust in their wealth and boast about how rich they are, yet not one of them, though rich as kings, can ransom his own brother from the penalty of sin! For God’s forgiveness does not come that way. For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell.” (Psalm 49:6-12, Living Bible).
As Christians, charged with the great commission, we’re the “Captains” here. For the sake of our “passengers” - those we’re called to disciple, we cannot skip the lifeboat drills. We need to actively teach people there is a lifeboat (Jesus Christ), and show them what the lifeboat can do for them (by teaching the Gospel). We must also reach out to the lost - those drowning in sin - and pull them into the boat (evangelism and education). Just as the Lord told Peter, “Feed My little sheep,” (John 21:17).
We can’t skip the lifeboat drills - not only for the sake of those we’re discipling, but also for our own benefit...we need to keep our skills in shape through constant Bible study and prayer. And if it’s too cold outside, or we’re too tired on Sunday morning, we can’t call off the lifeboat drill and stay home from church -- we need it!
Then we need to make sure the people remain in the lifeboat (discipleship).
We also need to heed the iceberg warnings, and keep our ship on a safe course. We need to be sensitive to things that could bring harm to our ship, because our eternal lives, and those of our passengers are at stake.
Satan would have us believe we’re “unsinkable,” and that there’s no need for a lifeboat. This is one of his greatest lies...not that there is no such thing as a lifeboat (God), but that there’s no rush, no sense of urgency. And that it’s much more safe and comfortable to stay aboard the ship of our own lives where we are in control. It’s not just inconvenient - it’s scary - to put yourself in someone else’s hands and be lowered into a lifeboat that doesn’t look at all comfortable - or safe. But it really depends on Whose hands you’re talking about, doesn’t it? We’re not invincible and are only here at all by God’s grace.
Praise God that He provided us with a way to be rescued...His Son, Jesus Christ!
“But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.” (John 20:31).
Even though we are hopelessly lost, with no way to save ourselves from eternal death, the Lord provided each and every one of us with a lifeboat. The ship is going down, no question...
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
But like those on the Titanic, people are still reluctant to get into the lifeboat. They feel safer - and much more comfortable - where they are, but they don’t realize they’re on a sinking ship, and the lifeboat is the only way to be saved...it’s very simple: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life...” (John 3:36). There are two choices: Get in the boat and live, or don’t get in the boat and die. It’s not complicated.
There are enough seats in this lifeboat for all of us.
And the boat is open to all -- there are no third-class passengers trapped below decks...Christ unlocked the gates that lead to safety at the cross.
And this isn’t just for women and children! “For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
The Lord isn’t willing that any should perish. Step into the boat!
