Lifeboats, Aliens, trolleys, Mark 9:33 and “how to kill your neighbor”

Lifeboats, Aliens, trolleys, Mark 9:33 and “how to kill your neighbor”

Humans are constantly comparing themselves to one another.

Who here knows of the Trolly Problem?

Imagine you are standing beside some tram tracks. In the distance, you spot a runaway trolley hurtling down the tracks towards 2 workers who cannot hear it coming. Even if they do spot it, they won’t be able to move out of the way in time.

As this disaster looms, you glance down and see a lever connected to the tracks. You realize that if you pull the lever, the tram will be diverted down a second set of tracks away from the two unsuspecting workers.

However, down this side track is one woman, just as oblivious as their colleagues.

You are on a bridge and there is an unsuspecting lawyer walking by you could push him down and stop the

So,what would you do???

I got another scenario for you. This is called the lifeboat

This one is more concise and to the point, you are on a lifeboat, there are 6 people - a doctor, lawyer, yourself, a stay at home mom and an injured store clerk at Dollar General.

There are 5 of you and the lifeboat and supplies are only enough for 4 people: who do you toss off the lifeboat?

All these sceneries force us to choose, who is in and who is out, who is in the US and who is them!

The lifeboat Theory suggests that humans always categorize who is in and who is out. This is LIFE, this is hopeless and just sad!

Boy, the biggest proof and the lifeboat theory is highschool, middle school, adults even do it!

Humans are constantly comparing themselves to one another.

(Disciples) Mark 9:33 They even do it!

33 Then they came to Capernaum. After Jesus was inside the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

The disciples a bunch of middle aged people arguing about who will be the greatest in heaven, Imagine the conversation between them, The Oldest peter had the biggest head and so he was like, you know I am the oldest the most liked by Jesus, when we were on the boat in the storm and we saw jesus walking on the water, who did Jesus call out to, he said hey peter walk on the water to me,then you can imagine the disciples reply ya but ole peter who was the only one walking home wet that day???

Disciples missed the point

35 After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ``The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

We are always trying to out prove one another

Humans are constantly comparing themselves to one another.

We have our friend groups and if you meet certain qualifications you're in, and if not you are out.

If you think and act a certain way, you are good but if not, find a new group.

Groups from and even the groups are constantly trying to prove themselves better.

Aliens and planet Earth

A dude named Donald Miller has an analogy where he imagines an Alien visiting earth from a different planet. He said after the Alien talks about the difference in looks and civilization, he would go to a basketball game, spend a day in middle school, high school, then go out to eat, walk the parks, buy grocery, spend some time with friends.

There is something stark the Alien would notice:

He said: Humans are constantly, and in every way, comparing themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence, seems an oddity and, for that matter, a waste.

Nevertheless, this is the driving influence behind every human’s social development, their emotional health and sense of joy, and, sadly, their greatest tragedies.

It is as though something that helped them function and live well, something that gave them the feeling of worth……has gone missing, and they are always looking for that missing thing in all sorts of odd methods, none of which are working.

The greater tragedy is that very few people understand they have the disease. This seems strange as well because it is obvious. To be sure, it is killing them,

They are an entirely beautiful people with a terrible problem.”

Let me read that again

I, Erin, and yall are entirely beautiful people, filled with meaning, but we have a terrible problem.

Looking for Home

Long ago in the story of Genesis, we were separated, separated from our HOME from our creator.

We were separated from that thing that gives us meaning, and worth, now we are lost, Hence the lifeboats.

One of the reasons God came to earth as Jesus, one of the reasons the Church, OAK DALE< THESE wednesday gatherings exist, is to give people refugees and a chance to abandon the lifeboat. Jesus wants us to have meaning, know our worth, and it comes from HIM

The Church, Yall heere this evening, are supposed to be a refuge and a way off this lifeboat of proving who is better, fighting for the top

You can ask, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN, HOW do we get off?

“Christ, in short, asks us to give everything, all our false redemption and Ideas in the lifeboat, all our false ideas about who God is, all our trust in something other than God to redeem us.

In so doing, we die to our broken natures, the broken lifeboats in exchange for His perfect nature, and find unification with Him that will allow God to see us as one.”

Aren't you tired of playing the game of offending meaning in meaningless things? We are still young so if you don't know, you will be tired of it soon.

The Church, Y'ALL, is supposed to be a refuge from the lifeboat. In Jesus there is no lifeboat, there is acceptance, love and meaning.

How this works is that when you come to Jesus and get off the lifeboat, you are supposed to help others get off the lifeboat, Jesus says to love our neighbors.

Once Jeuss said love your neighbor, and some jokester was like well who is my neighbor?'' And jesus old a story in reply which basically showed the ultimate enemy, the people furthest on the bottom of the lifeboat, and he was like those people are your neighbors, whoever you consider at the bottom of the list for friends and worth, those are the people you called to accept and love.

We are called to love and accept those who the world has said there is no worth in.

You probably think we should not talk about this at church, but you want to know the best way to kill your neighbor???

You want to know how to kill your neighbor, Compare yourself to them, think about who is better you or them, jealousyt, eny distrust, play the lifeboat GAME.

That is how you kill your neighbor, and eventually it will drain and destroy yourself, it is a hopeless way to find worth.

Look at the people you see in your life, they are not too different from you, we called to accept each other and help each other get off lifeboat to Jesus

Jesus said

For this people’s heart has become far from me (they are on a lifeboat;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them

Jesus wants to heal us, he wants us to trade in dislike for love, comparison for grace

He wants us to find our home and value him.

Think about this..