Let’s imagine!  You are invited to have lunch with friends at noon next Monday at a local restaurant.  Since your car will be in the shop, someone has agreed to pick you up around 11:30.  The time comes and goes while you wait anxiously by the door.  At 4:00, you discover that the meeting did occur as planned, but you were forgotten.  There is nothing quite like being forgotten; it engenders a whole gamut of emotion.  What could be worse?

  In June of 2009 my granddaughter was born.  Her father (my son) was 25 years old; I was 50, and my father was 75.  Together, we represent four generations, exactly twenty five years apart.  About that same time someone asked, “Did you know that after you die, you will be forgotten in two generations?”  The question troubled me; the idea seemed cruel somehow.  Could it be true?  I mused.

  With only one exception, my great grandparents died before I was born.  Though I remember seeing my great grandmother a few times, I was not old enough to really know her before she died.  It is true then, even my own great grandparents are all but forgotten.  To be appreciably influenced by great grandparents, or even to remember them well, is the exception rather than the rule.

  Life is very brief, and our existence will effect relatively few people in the vast expanse of time.  Most of us, like our predecessors, will be forgotten in two generations.  But wouldn’t it be great if we could make a difference that lasts longer than life, be remembered by our great grandchildren, make a mark on this world that would effect generations to come, influence the lives of others in ways that would matter to them beyond their lives here on earth.

  C. T. Studd (1860-1931) was a missionary to China, India and Africa.  He put it all in perspective when he wrote, “Only one life ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”  The fact that I am quoting him so many years later, may be an initial evidence that he was right.

  As a child it was obvious to me that the business of the world was conducted by grown-ups.  My parents led me to believe that there was a right and wrong way to do business, socialize and worship, and grown-ups, they said, knew that way.  In my mind, the bar had been set, and in a few short years I would be “old enough” to participate in the process.  As grown-ups, my peers and I would take our turn at running the world, so to speak.

  Now that I am physically of full stature, and my growth is measured in girth rather than height, I have begun to realize that the standards have changed.  There is a new normal; right and wrong have been redefined.  What was proper and important just a few years ago, is often disregarded altogether today.  For every discipline there seems to be a new way of thinking, for every problem a new answer, and for every task a new method.  The people who used to run the world are old, and many have died.  Were they wrong? …misled perhaps by previous generations?  Or were they right, and our present chaos is the result of having no old fashioned grown-ups at the helm?

  Some of you are thinking, “Yeah, times have changed, get over it.”  I know, you’re probably right, but have you noticed that all of the changes have not produced the most positive effects on our society?  It seems that every generation wants to leave its mark on the way things are done, and after so many generations of change, the proper way of doing things has been forgotten altogether.

  But I would contend, there is still a proper way of conducting business, as well as our own social and spiritual lives.  It is actually in print!  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2Timothy 3:16).”  James calls it, “The Perfect Law Of Liberty. (James 1:25).”

  History has recorded the testimonies of thousands who rejected the message of the Bible for a lifetime.  Scores of men have expended themselves in an effort to discredit, change or destroy it, as if their efforts could somehow eliminate that which truth requires of man.   But God has overruled; the Bible stands.  One who has never perused the pages of scripture might ask, What’s the big deal?  The big deal is that the Bible dethrones man, revealing that he is a mere creature of dust.  It declares that the material universe, including man, belongs to eternal God.  Clearly, man cannot determine his own destiny because God writes the rules, and man has broken them.

  In discrediting the Bible, it is easier to obtain an audience if one attacks the portions that deal with the supernatural.  After all, they reason, “What miracle cannot be explained away as the result of natural phenomena?  It is obvious that God does not audibly speak to man, and no one has ever visited heaven or hell and returned to tell about it.  Since there are no supernatural events taking place in our day, it is apparent that the supernatural claims of the Bible are unfounded.  It follows that if God does not perform supernatural deeds, He is equal to man.  Reason then requires, that if God is our equal, He has no authority over us. We can do as we please.”

  The only problem with this contemporary thought is that it is wrong.  Take for instance the supernatural resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the single most important event of all ages, and one of the most documented.  The resurrected Christ was seen by a multitude, many of whom died martyrs’ deaths rather than deny what they had witnessed.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ sets biblical Christianity apart from ALL other religions of the world.  Because Christ is risen, we do not worship at His tomb.  He is alive to make His promises good, and He has promised eternal life to all who turn from their sins and trust Him for forgiveness.   Easter makes the difference!

  In the Old Testament, the Hebrew sacrificial system consisted of sweet savor and non-sweet savor offerings.  There were offerings consumed by flames, while others were eaten.  Some offerings were for those who were in fellowship with God and others for those who desired to be.

  Why all the complexity?  The intricacies of the sacrificial system were necessary to picture the coming ultimate sacrifice of God’s Lamb, Jesus, who died for the sins of the world. (John 1:29)

  There were five basic sacrifices required of the Jewish people.  Each of them reveals something about the Savior.  First, the “Burnt Offering” portrays Christ’s total surrender to the will of His Father.  His life was totally consumed to atone for our sin, as our substitute. (2Corinthians 5:21).

  Secondly, the “Meal Offering” typifies Christ’s moral and spiritual purity.  In spite of severe testings, He lived and died sinlessly so that He might be the “Bread of Life” to those who put their trust in Him (John 6:35).

  Third, the Hebrews were required to bring their “Peace Offering” before the Lord.  It pictures the sinless Christ, purchasing our peace with God by shedding His own blood. “For he is our peace…” (Ephesians 2:14a).

  The fourth offering was called the “Sin Offering” and portrays Christ as God’s sacrificial Lamb.  According to the Bible, Jesus actually carried my sin to the cross in His own body, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…” (1Peter 2:24).

  While the “Sin Offering” pictures Christ as removing the guilt of sin, the final offering, called the “Trespass Offering,” illustrates how Christ’s sacrifice would repair the damages incurred by unintentional failures, and keep me in good standing with God.

  The resurrection of Christ confirms that He was all that was required to take away the sins of the world.  God is totally satisfied with my Savior!

  We have all experienced circumstances that stretch us out of our comfort zones.  But perhaps you have endured trials that seemed even more unrelenting or unresolvable than the norm.  e.g. To turn to the right will destroy a friendship and to turn to the left will cost you your job.  This type of situation has been described as, between a rock and a hard place.  You find yourself asking, How can I get out of this mess?  …it all seems so hopeless and foreboding.

  But there’s good news; Look UP!  The Bible tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1).”  As our refuge, God’s arms are always open so that, like a child who flees into the arms of his father when threatened, we can escape to the arms of our Heavenly Father and find protection and solace.

  Secondly, the verse tells us that God provides strength when we are weak.  We are no match for the challenges of life or for the forces of darkness that prey on the unwary, but God strengthens those who trust in Him.  And when it comes to strength, He is omnipotent (all-powerful).

  Thirdly, Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is, “a very present help in trouble.”  In spite of our pride and independence, not one of us can say, “I never need help.”  But, as you know, good help is hard to come by, especially if we expect to get something for nothing.  But God is always near, and He is always watching and listening for our cry.  He wants to help.

  This is just one verse that speaks of the blessings that God longs to bestow upon His children.  But, this begs the question, Are you a child of God?  It is all about forgiveness for sin and adoption into the family of God through Christ.  The Bible says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).”