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FUN AND GAMES ON THE TITANIC

Text: Exodus 32 (cf. verses 6& 9)

INTRODUCTION:

  1. It was an incredible spectacle. It was the largest, most luxurious ship the world had ever seen.
  2. The ship had a double-bottomed hull divided into 16 watertight compartments. And since the Titanic was designed to stay afloat with four of them flooded, there could never be any danger of sinking.
  3. No one had ever witnessed an event quite like its departure that fateful day in April of 1912. Some of the world's wealthiest and most celebrated figures had paid enormous fees to be part of the first voyage of world's only unsinkable ship.
  4. Everybody who was anybody was there. The program consisted of nonstop entertainment.
  5. Shortly before midnight, April 14, 1912, the ship had reached a position 95 miles South of the Grand Banks of New Foundland.
  6. It was traveling thorough an ice field at 22 knots. This was far too fast for the conditions. But, no one was worried. After all, the ship was unsinkable!
  7. Numerous wireless transmissions had warned of the dangerous conditions and one ship had even stopped dead in the water, for fear of the ice.
  8. It was fun and games on the Titanic as the ship plowed into an iceberg that ripped into the right side, ruptured five of its watertight compartments, and caused the ship to sink at 2:20 AM April 15.
  9. As the ship's orchestra played "Nearer My God To Thee" the Titanic slid beneath the waves.
  10. Over 1,513 of the 2,224 persons aboard had perished it the largest, most horrific maritime tragedy in the history of the world.
  11. The great tragedy in all of this was that it was completely unnecessary:
    1. There were only half as many life boat seats as passengers, after all the ship was unsinkable.
    2. There had been no lifeboat drills. After all the ship was unsinkable and it was time to get on with fun and games on the Titanic.

DISCUSSION:

One of the key words in the text is "stiff-necked" (Ex. 32:9).

  1. This word is used in reference to a horse. The horse is not unwilling to go. He will go easily. But, when the reins are pulled to the right or the left, the horse stiffens his neck and refuses to travel the direction indicated by its master.
  2. It occurs to me, that this is a pretty good description of man in the time of Moses and today.
    1. In our text, we have another example of people who were into fun and games while disaster lurked nearby. They were stiff necked not willing to look to either side and consider their destiny.
    2. Sure their sins were fun (Ex. 32:6), but so were the fun and games on the Titanic.

An exposition of the text.

  1. (Vs.1) The people were willing to follow Moses, but only so long as he took them where they wanted to go
  2. Vs. 2. Aaron the compromiser: He didn't have the courage to tell them what they needed to hear. So he tried to make the price too high.
  3. The day is long gone when sin is called sin. We are told be careful how you say it , you may offend someone. So, we play the devils game, we call:
    1. Fornication &127; co-habitating
    2. Prostitutes &127; ladies of the evening, call girls, working girls
    3. Whore-mongers &127; Johns, customers, politicians or tele-evangelists.
    4. Dope &127; narcotics
    5. Dope &127; Substance abusers
    6. Fraud &127; creative bookkeeping
    7. Abortion chambers &127; Family planning clinics
  4. When we allow Satan to redefine the vocabulary, we have surrendered the field of battle

    "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness or light, and light for darkness; Who put biter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20)

  5. Like David of old we must be confronted with our sin to repent.
  6. The balance between sorrow and goodness of God in causing repentance.
  7. The people called his bluff and paid the price (verse 3).
    1. When you go with Satan, you always pay your own fare. The phrase, "The wages of sin is death is just speaking of the ultimate cost. Sin takes its wages out on the installment plan.
    2. Sure, there is pleasure in sin for a season, but the initial pleasure that Satan offers you is like the drug dealer who gives a free sample to a small child. Then when he is hooked, the child begins to pay, and pay, and pay.
    3. The prodigal son squandered his inheritance in a far country.
    4. The alcoholic begins to pay the price for his sin long before he dies. The Adulterer, the fornicator, the liar the cheat, the thief, the scorner, the mocker all will begin to pay the price of their own way long before they die.
    5. We sometimes hear people complain that Becoming a Christian would cost them too much, but look at the cost of not being a Christian.
  8. The slide of a compromiser (verse 4)
    1. He started out by tolerating error, now he is actually teaching doctrine.
  9. He tries to mix his false doctrine with enough truth to make it palatable (verse 5)
    1. ("LORD" is Jehovah) If you must worship the calf then at least worship Jehovah through it -- Aaron is saying..
    2. Satan always mixes truth with his error.

      "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God." (2 John. 9 NASB.)

    3. The case of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10).
    4. We often hear people defend false teachers by saying, "Oh, but he teaches a lot of truth and does a lot of good."
    5. Rat poison has a lot of good in it. Have you ever looked at the main ingredients of rat poison: whole grain. As a mater of fact, for rat poison to be effective, it must have a lot of good in it or the Rat won't eat it!
  10. Note that the people were anxious to worship God, if they could worship him their way.
    1. Today, some who are most willing to rise up early to worship are those who are least pleasing to God.

      "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is a iniquity and idolatry. (1 Sam. 15:22-23)

  11. The people rose up to play (6). Just as the people enjoyed their fun and games on the Titanic, (while disaster lurked below); the Israelites were enjoying their fun and games while disaster was forming overhead (7-10).

Now let's move to a more another example of impending death (Lk. 22:39-46).

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.Why are you sleeping? he asked them. Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

  1. Song "More of Thee"
  2. Jesus has the right to ask it of us "I Gave My Life For Thee.

APPLICATION:

  1. The application is obvious. Are we too busy enjoying the here and now to notice the storm that is brewing overhead (2 Peter 3:10)?
  2. Perhaps you are not a Christian, and you are too busy enjoying the pleasure of sin for a season to become a Christian. It is time to count the cost.
  3. Perhaps you are a Christian who has been compromising the truth just a little bit at a time in order to continue with your fun and games. If so, now is the time to change.



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David E. Parks

dave@wcofc.org


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