THE 2003 DARWIN AWARDS
(Mark 8:13-21)
Introduction:
1. Have you ever known someone who just did not get it? Please do not answer that out loud.
a. In out text, Jesus’ disciples do not get it and Jesus questions their lack of understanding.
b. They had been with Jesus. They had listened to him teach and saw his miracles. Jesus’ question to them was "Why don’t you get it?"
2. That is a good question both then and now.
a. Our lesson: "The 2003 Darwin Awards"
b. How many of you know what the Darwin Awards are? Awards given to people who do incredibly stupid things.
(1) Ill. - Man who did not want to get stung while destroying a next of bees so he tied a clear plastic bag around his head and was found dead by his wife in the yard where he had suffocated.
(2) Ill. - Man who standing on the railroad track talking on his cell phone could not hear because of the roar of the train. He simply covered his other ear so he could hear and was run over by the train.
c. There are folks who just do some things that are not overly smart.
3. I want to share with you three things from a spiritual standpoint that are not overly smart. In fact spiritually they would qualify for Darwin Awards.
Number One: There are people who consciously make the decision that they do not need Jesus as
the Lord of their lives.
A. Two verses
1. Luke 6:46 - "Why do you call me Lord Lord and do not do the things that I say?"
a. There are those that wear the name Christian. There are those that are in worship services every week and yet live contrary to Jesus’ instructions.
b. Jesus wants to know why you take the time to call Him Lord.
2. Acts 4:12 - "there is no other name under heaven where by one can be saved"
a. One cannot go to heaven unless Jesus is the Lord of their life.
b. It may not be politically correct, but there is but one way to heaven - Jesus Christ.
B. Now here are my two questions for you:
1. How do you live without Jesus?
a. I have never figured out how to live life without Jesus.
b. I don’t know how to raise my kids…make my marriage work…deal with issues of life…etc
2. How do you die without Jesus?
a. It is beyond my imagination to think of dying without the hope Jesus gives
b. As you live you will die. As you die you will stand before God. As you stand before God, so will you be throughout all of eternity. To live and die without Christ is unthinkable.
C. Spiritually, one who believes they do not need Jesus is a candidate for a Darwin Award, for such a decision is unimaginable both in life and in death.
Number Two: Another that deserves a Darwin Award for not being too smart is that one who believes that he is strong enough to win over temptation.
A. Certainly with God’s help one can win the victory over temptation
1. (I Corinthians 10:13) - "God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will with temptation make a way of escape."
2. (I John 4:4) - He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
B. But here is the rub: Most believe that they can win over temptation with little or no preparation. And they are wrong.
1. If you have ever played sports you know that the game is won or lost in many ways before the game ever begins.
a. There is a scouting report, a game film, a break down of your opponents strengths and weaknesses.
b. Before the contest ever begins you know what you have to do to win the game. Do it and you walk away a victor; Fail to do it and you lose. It is that simple.
2. And what is true in of a ball game is also true in our spiritual lives.
a. We have an opponent named Satan and he is not an imaginary character running around in a red suit with a pitchfork in his hand.
b. He is real and he is interested in one thing - your soul. (I Peter 5:8) "Be sober, be vigilent; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
C. Question: When Satan takes his best shot at you, how do you plan on winning?
1. One says "I haven’t given that a lot of thought." And I say to you "You are dead meat."
2. Ill. - "The Arab and His Camel" - Being cold outside the camel asks permission first to just put his legs in the tent…a little later his head…a bit later his hump. It wasn’t long until the Arab woke up to find the camel in the tent with him. When he told the camel that there was not enough room in the tent for the both of them, the camel suggested that the Arab might then want to leave.
a. That is exactly what happens in our lives. Sin enters our lives a little at a time and one day we wake up and it has taken over. We tell Satan that there is not enough room in our lives for both Him and Jesus and he suggests that Jesus might then want to leave.
b. (Ephesians 4:27) - "Don’t give place to the devil."…. (James 4:7) "Resist the devil."
c. You do not wait until he has settled comfortably into your tent. Do that and you will loose.
D. How do you defeat Satan? How do you insure victory?
1. By preparing beforehand!
a. Joe Frazier, former heavy weight boxer says "If you do not do your roadwork in the wee hours of the morning, you will be found out under the bright lights."
b. Or as the paper on my desk says: "Proper planning prevents poor performance."
2. You do not wait until the battle is raging to decide your game plan.
a. Joshua did not wait until he had crossed over the Jordan river and was camped next door to an idolater to decide where he would stand in his relationship with God. He decided that before he ever entered the land (Joshua 24:15).
b. Joseph did not wait until he found himself alone in the house with Mrs. Potiphar to decide where he stood regarding sexual purity.
(1) Young people, if you do not make that decision now you are dead in the water.
(2) A friend of mine offered some good advise to a young lady who came for advise. She explained that every time that she and her boyfriend went out he pressured her to have sex. She explained that both were Christians and she was getting to the point that she did not know what to do. His advise: "The next time that he pressures you to have sex, take his hands, look him in the eyes and say ’Let’s pray about this. And if we can ask God’s blessings on it, we will do it.’"
(3) What are you going to do if you find yourself in that situation? If you say that you do not know, I would say to you that you had better decide beforehand.
3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did not wait until they could feel the heat from the fire to decide who they were going to bow before
a. You do not wait until the temptation has snuggled comfortably in and then consider the options.
b. Edward Gibbons, speaking of the Roman Empire wrote: "They preserved the peace by a constant preparation for war."
c. That is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:11, when he tells us to "put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles (the schemes) of the devil."
d. You do not wait until the battle is raging, the emotions have taken hold, you are engulfed with passion to decide where you stand. It is too late then.
E. If you do not want to receive a Darwin Award for giving into temptation you had better decide today: Whose you are…Where you stand…What you will do when faced with opportunity to sin.
Number Three: Another really dumb thing that people do and certainly are to be nominated for a Darwin Award is, they believe they have tomorrow.
A. I wish I could tell you with certainty that you have tomorrow, but that is not my call.
1. James says that "life is a vapor that appears but for a little while and is gone."
2. Solomon tells us to give everything we have today (Ecclesiastes . 9:10)
B. There is an organization for terminally ill patients called "Make Today Count"
1. The truth is, we are all terminal and today is all any of us have.
2. (Psalm 118:24) "This day belongs to the Lord. Let’s celebrate and be glad today." (CEV)
C. Three things that you can do today to make today count.
1. Learn something good today.
a. You are who you are and what you are because of what goes into your mind. Put something in it today that is pure and clean and powerful and positive.
b. Paul tells us what to think on in Philippians 4:8. Put something in your mind today that will help you to be more of the man or woman that God calls you to be.
2. Look for something good today
a. It is a fact of life that you will find what you look for. Go to any city USA and you will find the kind of people that you look for.
b. Look for the good and not the bad. The right and not the wrong. The positive and not the negative.
c. The bad is always there, but you will benefit no one, especially yourself by looking for it.
d. In fact, you can take two pennies and blot out the world by holding them over your eyes.
3. Do something good to day
a. The truly good do good for no other reason than good.
b. There should never be a day in your live that you cannot look back over the day and pinpoint something good that you did. No Christian should ever live a day without in some way by word or deed, bless the life of another. And in so doing your are blessed far more.
Conclusion:
1. We laugh at the Darwin Awards.
a. How could people be so dumb?
b. We need to ask ourselves that same question.
2. Spiritually it is dumb. It is double dumb. It is eternally dumb…
a. To think that you do not need Jesus.
b. To think that you can win over temptation without adequate preparation.
c. To put off living today because you think you
