What is your Trajectory?

Northwest Flight 85: A Crisis and Its Cause

Northwest Airlines Flight 85 was deep into its long journey from Detroit to Tokyo when the calm of cruise flight shattered. At 35,000 feet over the Bering Sea, the Boeing 747‑400 suddenly rolled sharply left—so abruptly that drinks spilled and passengers gasped. In the cockpit, Captain John Hanson and First Officer David Smith felt the autopilot disconnect as the aircraft banked between 30 and 40 degrees.

Their instruments revealed the terrifying truth: the lower rudder had slammed to its full-left blowdown limit and stayed there. A rudder hardover—one of the rarest and most dangerous failures in aviation—was now unfolding over one of the most remote stretches of ocean on earth.

We are all on a journey. Like the Northwest 85 we take off on the runway of life, learning to crawl, gaining altitude, we learn to walk, then Run.

After a little while we can kick the autopilot on. We got this

Life is a great Journey, it is filled with obsticles and distance.

In our text, we are going to look at something so important,

John 12:1–6 (NKJV

Matt. 26:6–12; Mark 14:3–9

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

The Trajectory

John 12:1–6 (NKJV

Matt. 26:6–12; Mark 14:3–9

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

Every Flight Has a Trajectory

Trajectory - Dictionary

the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.

Every one of us has a trajectory. a Path by which we all travel. Your trajectory will change depending on the heading you choose.

The Heading is all chosen by the pilot and this speaks of the Will and the worldview. You decide your heading based upon your worldview.

If I am an avid Gamer and I believe that Gamestop is north… Im headed north

If I am Santa, I am headed back to the north pole after Christmas

If I am evil Kenievel, I am headed over a jump.

If I am married and forget to bring my wife flowers on our anniversery I am headed to ....… yes the doghouse. the doghouse you got it.

But joking a side, your worldview will affect your heading. and in turn your journey.

Judas was no different. He like all the disciples took off and flew high and some would say did quite well. The lord Jesus Gave him charge over the money bag,

Judas in the early trajectory did well, but something happened along the way.

(See also: Eternal Life; Eternity; Heaven; Hell; Judgement) Let it be considered that if our lives be not a journey to heaven they will be a journey to hell.

Jonathan Edwards (American Evangelical Preacher)

USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled Boeing 737‑300 flight from Chicago to Palm Beach with a stop in Pittsburgh that crashed on September 8, 1994, during its approach to Pittsburgh International Airport. About six miles northwest of the airport, the airplane suddenly entered an uncommanded roll and an uncontrolled descent from which the crew could not recover; all 132 people aboard were killed when the aircraft impacted terrain near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

A lengthy investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and related agencies ultimately focused on the 737’s rudder system. Meticulous analysis and testing concluded that a malfunction in the rudder power control unit could produce a sudden, uncommanded rudder hardover or reversal, inducing a rapid yaw and roll that could overwhelm flight crews at low altitude. The accident prompted design reviews, operational changes, and new training and certification requirements for rudder systems and unusual‑attitude recovery, leading to safety modifications across the Boeing 737 fleet and regulatory recommendations to prevent similar failures.

The Rudder

John 12:1–6 (NKJV

Matt. 26:6–12; Mark 14:3–9

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

In both of these flights, the Rudder was the cause for crisis. The united flight was a ticking time bomb. The rudder is one of the most critical components on an airplane.

such a small part of the plane holds such an important function to the safe destination for the Plane.

And like the rudder, Judas had a good heading but something went wrong.

Somewhere along the way Judas lost his heading, This warning we find in the scripture:

Proverbs 23:7 “7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 4:14–27 “14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”

Judas did not Keep his heart. this can look like so many things.

Just a beer pastor.

Just a look, I wont touch.

A little compromise here or there and pretty soon we are 5 miles off course.

When things got tough for Judas, he allowed compromise to change his heading away from Christ.

Make no mistake friend, the way that you believe will dictate your life.

You believe that drugs are good, you will continue to do them.

You believe marriage is just a piece of paper....

WHat do you believe?

What is Your Destination?

Is your Rudder Stuck?

The Destination

John 12:1–6 (NKJV

Matt. 26:6–12; Mark 14:3–9

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

Jesus was there all along and in hopes of Judas getting it right, He could still call him friend.

Matthew 26:48–50 “48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.”

Judas Changed his heading, But Jesus never did. He was faithful till the end.

 3   No matter who you are or what your life has been like so far, the rest of your life’s journey can be different. With God’s help you can begin again. Billy Graham The Journey (2006)

Billy Graham

The greatest part about your Trajectory, You can change it.

Judas after allowing compromise and even sin shift his rudder, He could have gone to Jesus and even in his dying breath could have asked for forgiveness.

Friend Tears will not produce repentance. Repentance means to change your mind, to Turn around, to agree with God,

2 Corinthians 7:10 “10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

TO align your heading with God’s Heading. Your Destination depends on it, and God in his mercy and grace extends to you and I, The opportunity to turn it around in the right direction.

To stand and say, no Enough is enough, I am not going down like this, God can help me, I can change my mind, my choices, my actions, my habits. God can help me to Change my trajectory.

Hanson fought the roll with full right aileron and asymmetric thrust, stabilizing the aircraft manually. Emergency procedures did nothing to free the stuck rudder. Tokyo was impossible. Anchorage, hours away, became their only option.

In the cabin, the crew kept passengers calm, offering only a vague explanation of a mechanical issue. Meanwhile, the pilots wrestled the 747 across the sky, compensating constantly for the rudder’s deflection. As they descended toward Anchorage, the problem worsened: at lower speeds, the rudder deflected even further left, demanding even greater asymmetric thrust to keep the aircraft aligned with the runway.

The landing required absolute precision. Using differential engine power and careful control inputs, the crew brought the aircraft safely onto the runway. All 404 people aboard survived without injury.

Romans 12:2 “2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

God Gave us his word so that we can see, when we are off course, We can correct it. Line your life up with The word of God.