The Day That Changed The World!

Today the message is entitled “The Day That Changed The World!”

Throughout mankind’s history, there have been many times that an event occurs that changes the world for ever. Whether it be cataclysmic, like an asteroid hitting the earth, or natural disasters like volcano’s, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, famines or manmade like wars, disease, political collapse, economical collapse, industrial and technological revolutions and the list goes on.

The idea for this message came while Val and I were traveling through the Crowsnest Pass. We stopped at many historical sites to learn about our pioneer forefathers’ lives. One of those sites was called “The Frank Slide.” Here is one spot, one moment in time that changed the world for the people living in a little coal town called Frank.

This was a bustling little community built on the bottom of a mountain, on the banks of a river, right below a coal mine. Everyone was involved in the coal industry and many new people came everyday from around the world to work here. The railway had just pushed through the pass and was instrumental in bringing so many people to Frank.

On April 29, 1903 at 4:10am, over 100 million tonnes of rock slid down from Turtle Mountain and buried a portion of the town. The broken rock layer was over 60 feet deep and amazingly fell in a straight edge through the town. Around 90 people died, many were never recovered from the slide. In about 100 seconds, the world changed for the people of Frank.

The survivors were in confusion, feeling fear, totally lost but trying to hope.

Today, you can go to the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, where you can spend all afternoon seeing this incredible event’s history live and in action.
For over 100 hundred years, it has remained the same. A bunch of rock over top of a town and the people still buried there. The survivors continued working with the coal until the mines closed. Now it is a tourist site.

As amazing and interesting this site is, it pales in comparison to another event that occurred over a weekend in another part of the world. In this event, only one person died but it still changed the world for the people around that spot and then the rest of the world started to feel the effects of that death. The date was around 30 AD in a place called Jerusalem. This man was sentenced to death, horribly beaten and crucified and buried in a cave-like tomb.

His family and friends were in confusion, feeling fear, totally lost but trying to hope.

Another difference from the Frank Slide and this man’s death. This man did not stay buried or dead. This man, Jesus of Nazareth, was resurrected.

Matthew 28: 1-10 NIV Jesus Has Risen

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

This was the beginning of the power of God showing mankind that God is alive and moving in this world! Imagine how those guards felt, brave men shaking in fear at the presence of an angel. What were these two women thinking – fear, confusion, hope?

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Can you imagine the emotional turmoil these women were in. They came to prepare his body for entombment and find him gone. An incredible conversation with an angel that starts their minds on the path to hope and realization of the promise the man had made was coming true.

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Did you notice that both the angel and Jesus encouraged them not to be afraid? They must still have the look of fear on their faces. The excitement and joy was building but doubt still tried to keep them from believing. And yet they worshipped Him – loving Him immensely!

Now we skip to Jesus meeting His disciples for the first time after arising from the tomb.

Matthew 28: 16-20 NIV
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Here is the doubt again! It appears even back in 30 AD they struggled with the idea of “To Good to be True.”

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gives His disciples a plan for the future. To build and not dwell on the past. To tell everyone the story of this man, Jesus, and introduce Him to them.

Shane Dell, Director of Campus Life at Peace River Bible Institute, wrote a devotional for PRBI’s Trumpet Magazine, that fits with our look at Jesus.
“Paul states in Galatians 2:20, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The same Christ who desired to, with every given moment of His existence, show the father, is still hard at work in us, seeking to use us to do the very same – to show the Father. Even the very name we give ourselves, “Christians,” in Greek means “little-Christ.” And Jesus wants each and every one of us little-Christs to extend the invitation to others to have a divine appointment.”

To add understanding and purpose to this task, Jesus explains how what has been written about Him in the past is happening now so they can believe and be confident in their task. Is it not wonderful that God has faith in us to accomplish this task? Do we accept the baton from those that came before us?

Let’s look at Jesus’s words!

Luke 24: 44-49 NIV
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Why do we read the Bible? Why do we pray? Why do we gather together for a service? So God can open our minds to understand!

46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Clearly, Jesus is putting the eternity seal on this task. Jesus did His part by teaching, dying and resurrecting. Now we are to continue what was started that weekend in Jerusalem.

No staying buried in doubt and fear, no giving up when times are tough. We have been clothed with power from on high to take Jesus’s story to all the world, starting right here in Dawson Creek. The Day That Changed The World!
Join me in joyfully completing our task until Christ returns – amen!