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Parachute
It is not about knowing about Jesus
Christ, it is about putting Him on.
Think about it this way. Two men are
seated in a plane. The first is given a parachute and told to
put is on as it would improve his flight. He’s a little
skeptical at first because he can’t see how wearing a parachute
in a plane could possibly improve the flight. After a time he
decides to experiment and see if the claim is true. As he puts
it on he notices the weight of it upon his shoulders and he
finds that he has difficulty in sitting upright. However, he
consoles himself with the fact that he was told the parachute
would improve the flight. So, he decides to give the thing a
little time. As he waits he notices that some of the other
passengers are laughing at him, because he’s wearing a parachute
in a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they begin
to point and laugh at him and he can stand it no longer, he
slinks in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the
floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because,
as far as he was concerned, he was told an outright lie.
The second man is given a parachute, but
listen to what he’s told. He’s told to put it on because at any
moment he’d be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He
gratefully puts the parachute on; he doesn’t notice the weight
of it upon his shoulders, nor that he can’t sit upright. His
mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if
he jumped without that parachute.
Let’s analyze the motive and the result of
each passenger’s experience. The first man’s motive for putting
the parachute on was solely to improve his flight. The result of
his experience was that he was humiliated by the passengers; he
was disillusioned and somewhat embittered against those who gave
him the parachute. As far as he’s concerned it’ll be a long time
before anyone gets one of those things on his back again. The
second man put the parachute on solely to escape the jump to
come, and because of his knowledge of what would happen to him
without it, he has a deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart
knowing that he’s saved from sure death. This knowledge gives
him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other
passengers. His attitude towards those who gave him the
parachute is one of heart-felt gratitude.
Now listen to what the modern gospel says.
It says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He’ll give you love,
joy, peace, fulfillment, and lasting happiness." In other words,
"Jesus will improve your flight." So the sinner responds, and in
an experimental fashion, puts on the Savior to see if the claims
are true. And what does he get? The promised temptation,
tribulation, and persecution. The other passengers mock him. So
what does he do? He takes off the Lord Jesus Christ, he’s
offended for the word’s sake (Mark 4:17), he’s disillusioned and
somewhat embittered, and quite rightly so. He was promised
peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and lasting happiness, and all he
got were trials and humiliation. His bitterness is directed
toward those who gave him the so-called "good news". His latter
end becomes worse than the first: another inoculated and bitter
backslider.
The body of Chirst, instead of preaching
that Jesus improves the flight, should be warning the passengers
they’re going have to jump out of the plane. That it’s
"appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment"
(Heb. 9:27). And when a sinner understands the horrific
consequences of breaking God’s law, then he will flee to the
Savior solely to escape the wrath that’s to come. And if we’re
true and faithful witnesses, that’s what we’ll be preaching.
That there is wrath to come; that God "commands all men
everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Why? "Because He has
appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in
righteousness" (vs. 31). You see, the issue isn’t one of
happiness, but one of righteousness. It doesn’t matter how happy
a sinner is, how much he’s enjoying "the pleasures of sin for a
season" (Heb. 11:25). Without the righteousness of Christ, he’ll
perish on the day of wrath. "Riches profit not on the day of
wrath, but righteousness delivers from death" (Prov. 11:4).
Peace and joy are legitimate fruits of salvation, but it’s not
legitimate to use these fruits as a draw card for salvation.
Now, can you remember why the second
passenger had joy and peace in his heart? It was because he knew
that parachute was going to save him from sure death. And as a
believer, I have, as Paul says, "joy and peace in believing"
(Rom. 15:13), because I know that the righteousness of Christ is
going to deliver me from the wrath that’s to come.
Now with that thought in mind, let’s take
a close look at an incident on board the plane. We have a brand
new stewardess. She’s carrying a tray of boiling hot coffee.
It’s her first day; she wants to leave an impression on the
passengers, and she certainly does. Because as she’s walking
down the aisle, she trips over someone’s foot and slops that
boiling hot coffee all over the lap of our second passenger. Now
what’s his reaction as that boiling liquid hits his tender
flesh? Does he go, "Ssssfffff! Man that hurt"? Mmm-hhh. He feels
the pain. But then does he rip the parachute from his shoulders,
throw it to the floor and say, "The stupid parachute!"? No. Why
should he? He didn’t put the parachute on for a better flight.
He put it on to save him from the jump to come. If anything, the
hot coffee incident causes him to cling tighter to the parachute
and even look forward to the jump.
Now if you and I have put on the Lord
Jesus Christ for the right motive, to flee from the wrath that’s
to come, when tribulation strikes, when the flight gets bumpy,
we won’t get angry at God; we won’t lose our joy and peace. Why
should we? We didn’t come to Jesus for a happy lifestyle: we
came to flee from the wrath that’s to come. And if anything,
tribulation drives the true believer closer to the Savior. And
sadly we have literally multitudes of professing Christians who
lose their joy and peace when the flight gets bumpy. Why?
They’re the product of a man-centered gospel. They came lacking
repentance, without which you can’t be saved.
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