Before I start my devo tonight, I'd like to share something. I was in the bathroom a few weeks ago, and Jimmy was in there with his sons Tate & Griffey. Tate was jabbering, Griffey was jabbering, and the look on Jimmy's face told me that he was just about jabbered out. I smiled & thought to myself, "Been there, done that". I see a lot of you with little ones here and I know you love them but I can tell when they've used up most of your patience. Now that mine are grown, I can tell you that a day is coming when they'll be gone and the house will be quiet, and in hindsight you'll realize all that jabbering was the most wonderful thing you ever heard. Something to think about. Now for tonight's devo.
I worked for a guy named Ted back in the eighties. His nickname was "The Mad Greek" (which was very appropriate if you knew him). Eccentric and disagreeable would be the two words that best describe him. Working for Ted was not fun. I was a young engineer trying to learn and he didn't have much patience for someone with my level of experience. He saw me as a burden rather than as a teaching opportunity (he didn't really teach - he would lecture & berate instead). When I left the company, he told me "you need to watch your temper; it will get you in trouble some day". My response was "Seriously? You need to take a long look in the mirror before you lecture someone else about anger." Even though I didn't care for Ted, I have never forgotten his advice about my temper, and for a very good reason: because he was right. My temper has gotten me in trouble more times than I care to admit. Yes Ted was a grouch and working for him was unpleasant, but in spite of his faults he told me a truth I needed to hear.
So how does this story about Ted relate to tonight's devotional? Mark 16:15-16 reads as follows: "And he (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." In other words, you're not gonna make it to heaven if you're not a Christian. Not my words, but rather the Lord's words with all the authority that goes with them. Now even though I don't say that to be mean, there are people who would say I'm just as hateful as Ted for having the audacity to make that statement. They'd say I'm obnoxious, arrogant, narrow minded, etc. If you're here tonight and you're not a Christian, you may be thinking the same thing. And you know what, if you're looking to find fault with me you won't have to look very far - I have more than my fair share of quirks & imperfections. (In fact my wife has a long list of them in her purse that she would be more than happy to discuss with you at length after class.) But even if you don't like me, I ask you to consider this possibility: when I say "you're not gonna make it to heaven if you're not a Christian", I'm telling you a truth you need to hear. Jesus spoke the truth and plenty of people hated him for it. Did their hatred of him or their rejection of his message make his words any less true? In a more general sense, if something is true, does it matter what anyone thinks about it? Love it, hate it, disagree with it, don't care; none of these matter because it's still the truth. Winston Churchill said "The truth is incontrovertible (that is, indisputable). Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
If you're here tonight and you believe that Jesus is the son of God but you haven't been baptized, come forward, repent of your sins, confess your faith, and be baptized tonight. You're not gonna make it to heaven if you don't. Again, not my words, but rather the Lord's words which are true. If you're here tonight and you want to understand the truth as found in God's word, there are any number of people here who would be glad to study with you. Come forward now or grab someone after class. We're here to help. If you're a Christian but you have been struggling with sin and need the support or prayers of this congregation, or if you have any other need, come as we stand and sing.
