Toarch Bearers

Video

Welcome…Guests/ Holy grounds

Slide #1

This past Wednesday I was blessed by being asked to preach the final Chapel service at the USW before the Christmas break. (University of the Southwest)

When Kenny Reed the campus pastor…originally called me in September and asked if I would be interested in speaking.

He shared with me that all semester long the chapel speakers had been asked to structure messages around one major theme...

Torch Bearer’s from the Bible…

Immediately I began to think about what it truly meant to be a Torch Bearer …

A Torch Bearer is someone who puts others before themselves.

A Torch Bearer changes people’s lives for the better wherever they travel in life.

And I came to the conclusion that being a Torch Bearer from the Bible meant sacrificing of your time to serve another.

The torch bearer I was asked to speak about was one of my favorite Characters from the Bible.

Everywhere this Torch Bearer went…He did change people’s lives.

His only goal in life was to please the one who created him.

Because of His life…He left behind leadership characteristics that each of us… can to apply to our lives.

Pray

Slide #2

Let’s begin this morning by first thinking about the torch itself...

What is a torch’s main purpose…simply… it sheds light on things in the dark?

How many of you know who this guy is?

Bear Grills…Man vs. Wild (Shiela will one day thank me…scorpion)

Kids like candy don’t they? They can’t keep away from it.

Many times while Bear is visiting unexplored territories …he comes across a cave and just like a kid in the candy jar… he can’t keep away from it.

Before Bear enters any cave…he first…always makes a torch.

Many times while he’s in the cave…his torch burns out…

Most commonly when that happens he grabs for the infer-red lens from his camera crew… to help him find his way of the darkness of the cave.

I remember on one episode I was watching…Bear was lowering himself down into a lower cavern of the cave…and his torch was un-intentionally put out by a waterfall.

As a result of this he was left helpless in the dark trying to find his way out.

(Sounds like many people living their daily live…walking around in the dark trying to find their way)

I often wonder what was going thru Bear’s mind

At the moment his torch went out…?

I imagine he was thinking thoughts like…

Well… that didn’t work out quite like I planned…

Maybe I should a thought that one through a little better…

But I’m sure at that he was thinking…man this is almost impossible to go on without a light.

How many of us here have found ourselves there?

Trying to make it through this life on our own in the dark?

When Nolan turned 11…My Brother-In-Law worked for a Lime Company…He took us underground into a mine. (Flashlight)

A torch’s’ illuminating power is a pretty incredible thing…it gives people peace about the direction they should travel on.

I think that ever person would agree that when we find ourselves in a darkness situation…like deep in a cave… (We get a little uncomfortable)

Snipe Hunting…

Most of us…if were willing to admit it…are a little scared of the dark.

And if you’re not afraid of the dark…if you read this book at all…darkness is a place that you do not want to associate with.

Christians need to pay attention to what the Bible says about darkness. (Read II Corinthians 4:3-4)

Now think back to the statement I just shared with you originally about the main purpose of a torch…

“A torch’s main purpose is to shed light”

Who is the only one from the Bible who was referred to as light? (Jesus)

So why would following a torch/Jesus in our world today be so important?

Millions of people walk through life without the light of Jesus.

Slide #3

Just like Bear Grills in the cave without his torch…The world outside the church is saturated with darkness and despair.

We…the Church…we understand that Jesus represents life/light…but those who are confused about the existence of God.

Are daily found…helplessly wandering around in this world…making statements like this.

I recently got in a conversation with a few people I know and here’s what we were discussing.

The first person began with a question…Begin quote…

“The existence of God? Why does it matter one way or the other? What would be different?”

The second person who clearly has not clue about the reason for Gods’ existence…said…

I look at the world and I see Christians and Jews and Muslims, all believers in the same god, consistently acting as though there is no god, as though they will not be held accountable for their actions… their taxing thefts, their murders of innocent villagers, their terrorist bombings, their torture of good Samaritans—