Teenagers, I asked you to come in here tonight because I want to talk to you about something very important. But something overlooked time and time again.
Tonight we are going to talk about Tragedy.
This week tragedy hit your school. Some of you were close to those who died and some of you may not know who they are¡Xbut you do know that something very tragic happened Sunday morning.
I once heard my mother tell me that every class has at least one. It doesn¡¦t make it easier, but you know you are not alone.
Do you remember the Red Bible that had my blue ribbon in it? Well, there is also a funeral card and a newspaper clipping from a tragedy when I was in school.
It happened about a half mile from my house. And I still thing about it from time to time, as I pass the curve in which she lost control of the car.
The world will tell you that we cannot know why these things happen.
And they are partly right
Deuteronomy 29:29
29¡§There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law.
Romans 11:33-34
33Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! 34For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor?
We cannot know the specific mysteries . . . those are for God to know.
But we can know the over reaching reasons why tragedy happens.
And that¡¦s what are will talk briefly about tonight.
I want to first point you to the Beginning of the Bible.
Genesis 1:1
1In the beginning God created„T the heavens and the earth.
God made a perfect world. A perfect world without any blemish. The atmosphere was perfect. The weather was perfect. The trees and the plants were perfect. The animals were perfect. Everything was perfect.
And Adam and Eve were placed in this perfect place because they to were perfect. They were perfect because they were made in the image of God, who is perfect.
But what do we see happen in Genesis 3?
Adam and Eve as God gave them free choice rebelled against God and Death entered the world.
Death is:
1. Separation from God.
2. Separation from the Body.
3. Separation in the Lake of Fire.
It is Sin that brought about Death and therefore tragedy.
I walked through the cemetery this afternoon with the perspective that at each tombstone was a personal tragedy.
- Some are tragedies of War
- Some are tragedies of Cancer
- Some of Heart Attacks
- Some of Polio
- Some of Car Accidents
But all are a result of man¡¦s sin.
But this is not to say that God is not involved. We all love to talk about how God is involved in the birth of a child, and he is.
But the Bible teaches that he is involved in our death as well
Hebrews 9:27:
27And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment,
In the KJV version it says
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Not only does God appoint.
God gives permission for tragedies to occur.
We see this in Job 1 and 2
And we see in Isaiah 31:2 that in God¡¦s wisdom He himself brings disaster.
Psalm 106:1 says that God is good. And so are His plans.
Therefore we trust in God for He is Good.
So how does all of this apply to you?
Through these tragedies we are reminded of the verse:
Luke 13:3
5No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish.¡¨
When we see tragedy comes we must be reminded that there will be a day when each of will pass away. God has already appointed that day.
Because all of us our sinners we will die. But if we have placed our faith in Christ and repent of our sin we will live with him in paradise.
Repentance means to turn form sin and self and turn to Christ.
We are also reminded that the entire world is gravitating toward tragedy and will face the judgment. If you know Christ as your savoir, you must tell them about the gospel, before its too late.
John Piper tells this story:
Picture two people in a car out for a drive along the north shore. The rider knows that there is a time bomb in the trunk that any second might blow the car to pieces. The driver doesn’t believe there is one, and thinks that his rider is insane. The state patrol has been alerted that the car is indeed loaded with a bomb that will soon go off. They begin their search and pursuit.
The rider suddenly sees the State Patrol far in the distance to the rear racing toward the car. His heart leaps with hope for possible rescue! If you are the rider who knows that there is a bomb in the trunk, the flashing red lights in the distance are very precious, and the closer they get, the more precious they become. But if you are the driver and you don’t think that there is a bomb in the trunk, the flashing red lights are a threat.
Each of us must warn other that there is danger ahead and where to find help.
