AWANA is all about awards. I remember the first time that I heard the word, or acronym, AWANA. I was standing if front of our bookstore talking with Kathy Schick. She said to me, "Mike, what this church need is AWANA!" I replied, "A-WHAT?" I had never heard if AWANA. How many here know what that word means? Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, taken from 2T2.15But it wasn't too long after that conversation that we began the program here. That was in 1976 (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Throughout the years we have seen many many boys and girls pass through our program. Hundreds and thousands of Bible verses have been memorized. If they were placed end to end they would be a lot. And each of those verses were a part of an awards system. So many verses earned, in my day, Sections. So many sections earned uniform decorations. If a clubber earned all of their awards they earned a Timothy Award. If they went through the whole program they earned a Meritorious award. Any one here earn a Timothy or Meritorious Award?
Our Olympic efforts have produced some champions. Our Quizzing teams have been phenomenal. We have had some very interesting Grand Prix cars and some of them have even won awards for speed and style!
Do you realize that there are leaders here tonight who have been a part of our AWANA program since day one! Mr. Larry and Mrs. Paula Alcorn have served for 33 years! Do you have your service pins?
Mr. Jenkins has been First Baptist Church of Lake Orion AWANA commander longer than any of the other men who served: Mel Johnston, Boyd Moore, Bob Turner, or Al Kline.
Think AWANA and you think Fun, Games, Bible Time, and Awards.
Getting awards for those who have earned them is fun. For the those who haven't Awards night can be boring can't it. Parents I have sat where you are setting and thought, "When is this guy going to be done so we can go home?" So I feel your pain but would ask a simple favor.
Those of you who are a part of our church, would you pray for God's blessing on our quick time together tonight. I want to share the Gospel in a way that is clear and understandable. I believe that there are people here who need to hear it and make a decision for Christ.
Those of you who are not a part of our church be assured that we are very pleased that you are here and want you visit to be a pleasant one. I will only take about 15 minutes of your time. But what I will say is very important for you to hear. It is one of the reasons that AWANA exists.
Getting an award attracts attention. It also means that something important has happened. On Monday I was talking to Mr. Chuck Shatzely. We were having lunch together and he told me an interesting story of how he had visited the parents of a buddy of his who had been killed in the war. He felt funny about looking up and visiting these people that he didn't know but did it anyway. He told me that this old gentleman and his wife were in their 80s and 90s and that they were very appreciative of Mr. Shatzely's visit. They told him that since their son's death, so many years ago, NO one had ever made a visit on them. Their son had sacrificed his life for our country, but no one had visited to recognize that sacrifice.
Mr. Shatzely did an amazing thing at the end of his visit. He told me, "I just happened to have a Purple Heart medal in my car and I left it with my friend's father and mother."
Now let me ask you, Do you know how you get a purple heart medal? You have to have been killed or wounded by the enemy in battle.
The Purple Heart is a very prestigious and costly award. It is an award of value because of what it takes to earn one. One has to have sacrificed their life or body for their country. Mr. Shatzely earned a Purple Heart in the war. If you were him would you have given that away? I don't think that I would have!
Wounded or Killed .... We hear those words these days that they don't seem to mean much to us.
There are no such AWANA awards, for being wounded or killed in battle. But AWANA's teaching is more than just about Fun, Games, and Awards. AWANA's teaching is focused on one who was wounded and then killed. On one who's sacrifice happened because of what you and I have done.
Jesus Christ did something impossible when He came to earth as a man. He lived a perfect life. Even a Roman Governor recognized this fact
Mar 15:12-14 So Pilate again asked them [the crowd], "Then what should I do with the king of the Jews?"
"Crucify him!" they shouted back.
Pilate said to them, "Why? What has he done wrong?" But they shouted even louder, "Crucify him!"
Isaiah the prophet, talking about Jesus says He was placed in a tomb with the wicked. He was put there with the rich when he died, although he had done nothing violent and had never spoken a lie (53.9).
Jesus did what none of us have been able to do. He lived a life without ever doing anything wrong.
He never sassed his parents!
He never stole anything!
He never looked at things that he shouldn't look at!
He never even thought about wrong things!
Amazing. Jesus was perfect. He was sent by God to help you and me. How?
We have a problem. That problem is SIN. Do you know how to spell sin? If you haven't noticed there is an I in the middle of the word. I am in sin and can't do anything about it. I sin because I am a sinner. God is perfect I am a sinner. Thus I can't go to God unless my sin is paid for. To pay for my sin I would have to spend eternity. Eternity is a long time. It's forever. So, it is impossible for me to be able to go to God without some help.
God is wise. He is smart. He knew that I had a problem. So He did something about it. He sent someone to pay what I owed. He sent Jesus.
Again the prophet Isaiah tells us about what happened in Isa 53:5 He was wounded for our rebellious acts. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace, and we received healing from his wounds.
Jesus was wounded. He sacrificed His body because of something that I did; because of something that you did. What was that? We have sinned against God. What is sin? Anything and everything that displeases God.
Why do we need healing? Do any of you know the very first part of Romans 6.23? The payment for sin is death,
Everyone here has sinned at one time or another. Maybe you sin everyday. Maybe you sin more than once a day.
Sometimes we think that we are really not all that bad. We think that maybe God, who is a God of love, will let us into Heaven because we really aren't that bad. But let's stop an think about that for just a second.
Let's imagine that you are a good boy or a good girl and you only sin once a day. I think that it would be good if I only sinned once a day. So if you sin only once a day, how many sins would you have at the end of a week?
Week - 7
Month -31
Year - 365
10 years 3650
20 years 7300
By the time you reach my age 55 you will have sinned 200750 times!
Now let's shift our imagination to Heavens Gate. You just died and are at that Big Gate and you want to go in. Let's imagine that God is there too and he says to you, "I want to let you in but I want to ask you... how many times have you sinned in your life?
You - "O, just 200,750 times!"
Do you think that God would be pleased to let you into His perfect heaven? NO WAY!!!!
But let me tell you something. That scene will Never Happen. God already knows that you sin way more that once a day. He knows that you have SO many sins that you could never even think about going to live with Him. In fact He has always known about your problem and He made a way to help you. Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life... J14.6
Jesus Paid it all All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow!
Jesus was wounded and killed in the battle against sin. But he offered Himself in death so that you and I could be cleaned of our sin.
Remember the verse Romans 6.23? I quoted the first part "The wages of Sin is death...." That verse has a lovely ending. It says "... but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
God has a gift for each and every boy, girl, woman, man here tonight. Some of you have accepted that gift. Some of you haven't. That gift is ETERNAL LIFE and it comes as we accept God's gift.
If Jesus were here tonight and he was asking you to accept him as savior, don't you think that you would jump for joy and come running down the isle to do that? I think that I would.
But the bible tells us about Jesus and his life here on earth. It tells us that there were people who saw Jesus and even were helped by some of his miracles and yet they still didn't believe in him as their savior. Can you believe that??!!
A man from Hell once spoke what we often think. The rich man who died and went to Hell said
Luk 16:24 He yelled, 'Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.'
Luk 16:25 "Abraham replied, 'Remember, my child, that you had a life filled with good times, while Lazarus' life was filled with misery. Now he has peace here, while you suffer.
Luk 16:26 Besides, a wide area separates us. People couldn't cross it in either direction even if they wanted to.'
Luk 16:27 "The rich man responded, 'Then I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus back to my father's home.
Luk 16:28 I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they won't end up in this place of torture.'
Luk 16:29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses' Teachings and the Prophets. Your brothers should listen to them!'
Luk 16:30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! If someone comes back to them from the dead, they will turn to God and change the way they think and act.'
Luk 16:31 "Abraham answered him, 'If they won't listen to Moses' Teachings and the Prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone comes back to life.'"
Jesus is here tonight. He is happy that many of you boys and girls have worked hard to earn
awards. He is pleased that you love him. But he wants to know... Have you accepted his Gift of
Salvation? Has there been a time in you life when someone told you what I am telling right
now? You have sinned, That sin needs to be paid for, Jesus paid, You need to accept that
payment for yourself.
On Judgment day there will be awards given out to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. There will also be awards given to those who did not.
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