Lesson Eight

Titanic

ARE YOU TRAVELING ON A SPIRITUAL TITANIC?

(TRANSFORMED THINKING)

 

Romans 12:2 Obviously, God is assuming that we use our minds; He's assuming that we do think.

Introduction:

I would like to tell you a story this evening...one that you undoubtedly have heard before, but one that I would like to put in a different perspective for in this tale the lives of many were most assuredly transformed.

Matt. 24:38-39

Our story takes place in 1912 in an era much like the one we are in today...it was marked with prosperity and technical advancement. The "Roaring Twenties" were just around the corner; people were motoring around in a new contraption called the "horseless carriage;" two insane brothers were even trying to fly! And in the midst of all this advancement a magnificent ship had been built; they named her the Titanic. This vessel was a structural marvel, an engineering feat, an object of great pride and beauty.

Titanic was 882 1/2 feet long...the equivalent of almost three football fields; she had nine decks complete with appointments up to this time found only in first class hotels. James Cameron's movie gave you an accurate view of the lavicousness of the interior of this ship. One anchor weighed 15 1/2 tons; one link in the chain of that anchor weighed 175lbs. and the rivets which held the ship together contained 1200 tons of steel. Yet she was able to sail at speeds that rivaled any other ocean liner of that day. She was a mammoth, magnificent vessel.

Over 2200 travelers boarded Titanic in April of 1912 for her maiden voyage to America, some of the wealthier ones paying as much as $4300 for a first class stateroom...a sizable amount even by today's standards.

All, I am sure, were excited to be part of what they were sure would be a historic voyage...and it made history in tragic way.

On the evening of April 14 all seemed normal in the staterooms, in the lower steerage, in the dining rooms. Religious services had been held earlier in the day and a hymn sing that evening. Some passengers were asleep in their cabins, some were enjoying various activities provided by the company which owned the vessel. But for two men it was a cold, yet clear night up in the crow's nest of the Titanic where they sat as watchmen for what the crew had already been warned was in the area. At about 11:40 p.m. the call came from the lookouts... "Iceberg ahead!" And the next hours have been a part of history for the last ninety-one years. Over 1500 people lost their lives that night because of misplaced confidence and trust. "And knew not until the flood came and took them all away."

For a little while let's examine where these unfortunate made the mistake that cost them their lives and try to draw a comparison in regard to our own spiritual lives.

First tragedy: Misplaced confidence (Conforming confidence)

I. The people trusted in the reputation of the ship.

A. The sheer splendor and massiveness of the vessel was greater than most had ever witnessed. It had cost more than $10 million in 1912 money to construct.

B. "Unsinkable" label - One man said, "The Titanic was billed as unsinkable, but all it ever did was sink."

II. The people trusted in the strength of the ship.

A. Titanic was outfitted with a double bottom and sixteen watertight compartments, thus ensuring she could not possibility sink.

B. 650 tons of coal were needed a day to propel this huge ship. 

III. The people trusted in someone else's opinion of the ship.

A. Not only was there a great number of passengers on board, there was also a phenomenal amount of valuables in the cabins and staterooms and in the lower hold. Because it was believed to be unsinkable, many individuals decided against purchasing insurance to cover the loss of these treasures.

B. This quote has been attributed to several, none of which I am sure would lay claim to it now: "Not even God could sink this ship."

Every one of us here tonight is on a voyage into eternity. And many are like the passengers on that ill-fated ship...blindly trusting your eternal fate on something that will ultimately sink. Have you placed the outcome of your eternal destiny on a "Titanic?"

[1]. The Titanic of human logic - A loving God couldn't possible condemn anyone to Hell. But (Rom. 3:23) says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

[2]. The Titanic of good works - The statements are classic and common: "I'm not such a bad person." "I'm doing the best I can and hoping it's good enough." " I am certainly better than a lot of other people; at least I've never killed anyone." Many believe God has a large scale and in measuring our good works and bad works, determines whether or not we attain heaven. But the Bible says in (Isa. 64:6) - "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." "For by grace are ye saved by faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)

[3]. The Titanic of religion - How many times have we heard the reasoning: "I have gone to church my entire life; I give money to the Lord's work; my parents were good Christians; I'm an American so I must be a Christian!" But the Bible says in (Rom. 3:10) - "As it is written, there is none righteousness, no, not one."

[4]. The Titanic of procrastination - Not one of the people who put their feet on the decks of that ship had any inclination that a few days later those same decks would be at the bottom of the North Atlantic. Not one of them gave any thought to the possibility that April 15, 1912 would be the date engraved on their tombstone. They were just like you and me...regular human beings living their lives and expecting to live to a ripe old age. But the Bible says in (Heb. 9:27) - "And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Those who wait until the eleventh hour to repent often die at 10:30. "And knew not until the flood came and took them all away."

Second tragedy: Unheeded warnings (No transformation/no mind renewal)

[1]. The Captain of the Titanic had been given several warnings regarding the sighting of icebergs in the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic where they were sailing. He chose to ignore them and even ordered the crew to set an accelerated speed in order to arrive in New York ahead of schedule. In fact, five messages were telegraphed to the Titanic, and when the sixth warning, "Look out for icebergs" came in, the ship's operator wired back, "Shut up, I'm busy." The warning went out and,it went unheeded. Jeremiah says it perfectly in the 6th chapter and the 17th verse: "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."

[2]. The second unheeded warning was sounded when it became apparent the unsinkable was indeed sinking, and the lifeboats were readied for launching. Perhaps as a result of the arrogance of the architects and builders of this ship, there were not enough lifeboats for all those on board. In preparing for this devotion, I found several books on the story of the Titanic, but found one in particular very stirring, and because I wanted to experience the human side of this tragedy, I read it in its entirety. The book is called Women and Children First, and it will tear at your heart as you are introduced to those who survived and those who did not. The tragedy of the lifeboats was not only that there were not enough, but that those available were not filled to capacity. Only 750 were rescued on those boats which could have accommodated between 1100-1200. You see, even as the vessel was taking on water, some merely retreated to their cabins, not wanting to mess up their fine clothing and confident they were safe.

The tragedy of heaven is that it can accommodated infinitely more than it will have. Those on the lifeboats reported later that as the great Titanic began to sink, they could hear the band on the deck bravely playing the song that would ring in their memories for all their days, "Nearer, My God, To Thee." And into the darkness of that cold Atlantic night went those boats, fleeing from the whirlpool of the sinking mammoth, unable to return. "And knew not until the flood came and took them all away."

Conclusion:

You may be one of those heading toward eternity on a sinking ship; your ship may have the label of one I mentioned earlier or it may be that you are depending on something altogether different to attain heaven. But, regardless, if your hope and faith is in anyone other that Jesus Christ and His shed blood, you are in serious jeopardy. Are you gambling with misplaced trust and unheeded warnings? Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."

In Halifax, Nova Scotia where many of the victims of this disaster are buried, a memorial to the Titanic has been built, and on that memorial are all the names of the passengers listed in only two columns. They aren't divided as rich like John Jacob Astor IV or poor as Frank Goldsmith who traveled in 3rd class; old as 70 year old Capt. Edward Crosby or young as Richard Becker, age one; man like Roderick Chisholm from Ireland or woman such as Mrs. James Joseph Brown of Denver, Colorado. They simply listed as SAVED OR LOST, which is precisely how God looks at us.

Perhaps you are on the lifeboat with a final destination called Heaven; life is good for you... but have you considered the role required of you...that of a watchman? We are warned in (Eze. 4:18) of the responsibility we as Christians have in a lost and dying world. The focal point of "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" is that ALL are saved. The renewing of your mind which results in a transformation will produce a burden to reach the lost. 

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