First Baptist Church
Fairbanks, Alaska
805 Sixth Avenue
(907) 456-4923
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Fairbanks, Alaska 805 Sixth Avenue (907) 456-4923 |
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Flying Lessons Lessons You Can Learn While FlyingHebrews 1:3 Mark Howdeshell (February 10, 2008) Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Introduction Time to leave Alaska for a bit….maybe vacation, maybe work, maybe to see family. How do we get out of here? For most Alaskans, most of the time, it is through the air. Whether we fly on Alaska Airlines, our own private plane, or even a hot air balloon, there are lessons to be learned and reinforced each time we do it. Have you ever wondered what makes man-made but God inspired machines fly? Why isn’t it impossible for an 870,000 pound Boeing 747-400 to fly? Have you ever looked out of the window at the difference of how the ground looks? What about at night? Have you ever looked over at Denali and marveled at high truly tall that mountain is? I had plenty of time to ponder during my “exciting” trip to Illinois this past week. I was stranded in Seattle overnight, spent almost a full day in Chicago O’Hare Airport, and after all of that, was only able to spend about 7 hours in the conference I was trying to attend! Heart of the Matter The truth is that we can see God everywhere in our everyday lives. We can see areas that He’s already working in and areas that desperately need Him. We also see areas that God is working in but the people there can’t even see Him. God is awesome and we can learn from Him in any situation. The Meat of the Message
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
i. The curvature of the wing makes the air to have to go faster over the surface ii. The increase of the velocity of the air produces lower pressure than the air under the wing iii. The higher pressure under the wing pushes upward on the wing surface producing “lift”
i. Easily captured and used ii. Intricately balanced mixture of gasses required for life iii. Powerful enough to lift airplanes, helicopters, balloons, kites, etc iv. Soothing enough to cool a hot day
Genesis 1:6-8 6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky ." And there was evening, and there was morning — the second day.
i. Forest 1. Walk in a forest…how big do the trees seem? 2. Fly over the forest…how small do they seem now? 3. Have they changed size? ii. Building a house 1. For most of us, it would be a BIG deal, maybe even overwhelming 2. For a carpenter or home builder, it’s nothing iii. Raising a family 1. First child seems almost impossible with all of the feedings, diapers, and fuss 2. Subsequent children still aren’t easy, but these “overwhelming” things are no longer an issue
i. Forests—problems that we encounter that seem bigger than life 1. We can only look up and hope to overcome some of the obstacles we face in our daily lives 2. To God, they are small change. His perspective is totally different. His ability to overcome the obstacles is unmatched! 3. The size of the obstacle hasn’t changed, just the God that you can put in control over it! 4. FEEDING OF THE 5 THOUSAND ii. Building a house—encountering complex situations that we aren’t prepared for 1. We will encounter situations that we haven’t been “trained” for as we go through our life…GUARANTEED…and will happen time and again until we die a. We expand our horizons b. Enables us to continue learning 2. Remember that God is omniscient—He knows everything! There isn’t a situation that He is unfamiliar with…grab His hand and hold on as you go through it iii. Raising a family—stepping into unfamiliar territory 1. Facing situations that have so many important steps that we are totally unfamiliar with is scary. a. Each step is critical b. Dire results if you mess up c. Effects others 2. God puts others in your life for help in these situations as well as holding your hand as you proceed…and as you continue down the path, it gets easier!! Trust in Him!
i. Romans 14:23-- …everything that does not come from faith is sin ii. Romans 6:23—For the wages of sin is death… iii. Galatians 3:22-- …the whole world is a prisoner of sin. iv. Does God see our “little” sins any different than someone else’s big sin? 1. Is a thief any worse than a murderer? 2. Do sexual indiscretions rate any lower than a serial rapist? 3. They do in our society…but God sees things from above…SIN is SIN!!! 4. Remember what the ground looks like from the plane…can you see how high the tree reaches or that there are trees there? Does it matter which tree is tallest in the forest? 5. Repent of all of your sins and give them over to God
i. Imagine how big your God really is… 1. Denali is like our toys when we grew up 2. We could easily manipulate them to do our will 3. We were much bigger than they were! ii. Imagine how powerful your God really is… 1. He spoke this world into existence 2. He controls the air 3. He controls the heavens and the earth 4. He wants to use His power in your life…if you let Him! iii. Imagine how detail-oriented your God really is… 1. 10-100 trillion cells in the human body 2. Over 100,000 hairs on the human head 3. Over 100 billion people have lived on the earth a. 10x1023 human cells b. 10x1017 human hairs on the head
Luke 21:17-19 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.
iv. Imagine that the Lord, your God, is really this big, this powerful, this detail-oriented, and so in love with you that He gave His Son up to die on the cross………….for you! The Bottom Line Next time you take an airplane ride, look out across the horizon and think about how special the Lord really is. Take in the view, knowing that until recently, it was a view that God reserved for Himself. Our recent invention of flying machines that ride on the air has allowed us to see God’s unique perspective. Even so, our God is still bigger, more powerful, and more in love with us than ever before. Trust in Him, walk with Him, Love Him…make Him happy to be with you. INVITATION Take a few moments to look at your own heart and life from God’s perspective. What does He see? Do you think He’s happy? What are you doing to do about it?
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