Life is But a Vapor

Introduction

Twenty-one years ago today it was a bright clear sunny September morning. It was the fifth day of my junior year of high school. The time was 10:04 AM and I was singing in High School Chorus. The PA system throughout the school came to life with the voice of our superintendent. He would tell us the news (though indirectly) about how our world had changed that morning. We soon learned of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Over the next several weeks and months the scale of the attack would come to light, but it also showed us the lives of the men and women who died on that September morning. It reminded us that our lives could end at any moment. The question we should ask ourselves is, are we ready to face eternity if today was the day our lives on this earth would end?

The Night Before / Morning Before

Do you remember what you were doing the evening of Monday, September 10, 2001? What did you have for dinner? What did you talk about with your family or friends? What did you watch on TV? Maybe the memory of the day before the attacks is a bit fuzzy for you, but for the families of close to 3000 people the memories from September 10, 2001 were some of the last ones with their mother, father, husband, wife, child. It was just another Monday night before another day at the office, or flight to the West Coast, or on-duty or on-call for an emergency services. So often we get so caught up in the routine that we lose track of the moments, until it is too late. In the New Testament, James writes these words:

James 4:13–16 NKJV

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Life is but a vapor. It is here for a moment and then gone. As those men and women boarded those flights and others entered their offices in the Twin Towers or the Pentagon the fragile and finite existence each of us has was put into focus.

The Event

If you were old enough to remember that day, you remember where you were when you first heard the news of what was happening, like I was in my chorus class. The event and the news of the event stopped all of us in our tracks as life from that moment on would forever be altered. Events like 9/11, Pear Harbor, JFK’s assassination, Apollo 11 moon landing change the nation or change the world. Yet, what events that may have only happened to you changed the course of your life? I want to look at a passage of Scripture about how one man’s life was altered from an event, an encounter that shaped the rest of his life.

Paul’s Testimony (Before Christ)

The Apostle Paul (who wrote most of the New Testament) tells an authority figure about his life before he became a follower of Jesus Christ. Acts 26.

Acts 26:1–11 NKJV

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Life Change (Converted)

Acts 26:12–19 NKJV

“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Post Life

Acts 26:19–23 NKJV

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Life Changed Because of Jesus

Paul’s life and eternal life was changed because of an encounter with Jesus.

Continued Reminders

In the 21 years since September 11, 2001 there have been countless reminders of our fragile and finite lives. Even here in this area around Hazleton. Just a couple of weeks ago we had a car plow into a crowd of people. We have had a teenager kill another teenager. We see countless lives wretched by drug overdoses. They point to the finite life, but also to the evil in this world and the need for a Savior.

Life is Fragile, Life is Uncertain

September 11, 2001 was a reminder of our mortality and the uncertain future we each face. Some days I personally wonder how I will get through, yet I do, because of the same thing that got Paul through each day, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

So the question I asked at the beginning we should ask ourselves is: Are we ready to face eternity if today was the day our lives on the earth would end? I do not know when my life will end, you don’t know when your life will end. Our lives are but a vapor. Make today the day that you are 100% sure that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t play the game of “I will do it later.” You might not have later. You might not have the rest of the day. We are not promised tomorrow. Get right with God today. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You might say a prayer like this. The prayer is not what saves you. There are no magic words. The prayer is merely putting into words what you know in your heart and your whole being and want to communicate that God. “Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I have had thoughts, said words, and done actions that are wrong, that are sin and Your Word says that the payment for even one sin is eternal separation from You. I also know that Jesus Christ paid the price for my sin by dying on the cross and rising again three days later. I accept Him as my Lord and Savior to free my from my sin. Come into my life right now and I look forward to living for You from now on and I know that when I die I will be with You forever. I thank You for this free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior this morning, you are now a child of God! The angels are rejoicing in Heaven and we rejoice with you too as now you are a part of the family of God!