The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 is the best real-life event that seems perfect for writing a novel, making a movie, or as an illustration or figure of speech. There’s the tragic and still controversial sequence of events that led to the impact with the iceberg, and the delay of nearby ships to come to the rescue. The arrogance of the builders, the ships company, the White Star Passenger Line, and people in general at the time, proclaimed the ship unsinkable. Another tragic mistake was the number of life boats. There were not enough lifeboats for everyone on board because of concern that the deck would be too cluttered, reducing the amount to 20. The concern for having the original design of 32 lifeboats was largely dismissed as well because of the feigned belief that the ships integrity was impeccable. There were only enough lifeboats for about half the people onboard the ship.
Tragedy struck suddenly. The actual sinking of the unsinkable ship took something like 2 to 3 hours to disappear under the ice cold North Atlantic waters. The incredible loss of some fifteen hundred people is a tragedy of epic proportion, cast in the most incredible and unpredictable setting, it’s very maiden voyage. A shipwreck waiting to happen if you will, yet everything about the vessel made it worthy of the highest praise, the ultimate sea worthy vessel, mighty and unsinkable and beautiful. The Titanic in every proud proclamation and proportion, was seemingly, totally, unsinkable. Sailing through the icy waters, without warning and blind to the danger ahead, the great ship fatally struck an iceberg sending it to its icy grave.
It is here with these thoughts in mind we turn to a passage of warning. 1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Paul has written a letter to the believers in Corinth that have a number issues that he must deal with. He is writing with an attitude of a careful loving rebuke, a warning, and instruction for a church that had been dealing with unity problems. (1 Cor 1:1-11) The condition of the church was weakened by many problems that were causing disunity. Paul is addressing and sorting out the many problems of this disunity, pride, immorality, marriage, singleness, divorce, the Lord’s supper, just to name a few, and in (1 Cor 6), legal disputes.
This short verse is a very powerful reminder of “taking heed”, of being careful to not be over confident and self-reliant. An attitude of the heart among believers of the Corinth church, that created an insensitive and dangerous crash course into sin. “They thought they were strong enough to freely associate with pagans in their ceremonies and social activities and not be affected morally or spiritually, as long as they did not participate in outright idolatry or immorality.” MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary, “The Corinth Church carried on a pseudo worship while allowing sin in their midst.” All of this, plus more, the Corinth church tolerated and ignored among their people. The church was on a collision course with sin and its destructive power.
Many of those who were involved in the construction of the Titanic were very optimistic and overly confident that the ship was unsinkable. With a sense of overconfident pride and false dignity, the ship builders and the White Star Line Passenger Company sent the mighty ship out on its maiden voyage. But, as we all know, the Titanic tragically did sink.
The Corinth church was confronted by Paul and told to, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. Unleavened bread is often used as a metaphor for sin. God calls all of us to be cautious in our daily lives and not overly confident. Sin has a way of causing us to be over confident at times, thinking that we have it all together. But as we sail through life, we should constantly do inventory of our lives in light of God’s Word, attempting to diligently purge our lives of the sin of over confidence, or sin in general. Matthew Henry again states, “Others have fallen, and so may we. And then we are most likely to fall when we are most confident of our own strength, and thereupon most apt to be secure, and off our guard.”
Are you operating on your own strength, your own sense of security and satisfaction that all is well when all is not well? Have you a heart that is deceived by the strength and might of your own imagination? It must have been terrible to slowly die from hypothermia and then drown. But, that very same slow and numbing process will be exactly what will take you under, if you stay on the destructive course of being overly confident. If you live believing that you are unsinkable, that lack of humility will deceive and eventually drag you under. Paul writes, “anyone who thinks that he stands”. Here he is illuding to the fact that often we are numb to the reality that our thoughts are leading us to think everything is ok, when it really isn’t. We have become incautiously confident, unconsciously proud, too overly self-assured, in our personal stability. We feel as though we are on an even keel, but our life, like a ship that is unbalanced is actually listing to one side or the other, and we don’t even know it. Sometimes slowly and spellbindingly our lives rock back and forth, without our even noticing. Often, we are blind to being unstable in areas of our lives which is very dangerous. The book of James addresses instability like this.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Living life without constant thoughts of asking God for wisdom as you walk through life creates instability. It speaks to a life dependent more upon our will and way of living life. Where there is a wavering and divided loyalty between the Lord’s control, and our control of life, the danger of running into the iceberg is ever present, it is living a life headed for heartbreak or disaster.
Do you demonstrate a self-reliance and confidence, not being watchful of sin in your life, sailing through life as though nothing will happen? Are you given over to the Lordship of Christ or are you lord of your life? (Luke 9:23) Have you considered the warnings of Scripture? My friend, you may very well be headed for an iceberg, unaware of the danger that sin has brought into your life. It may be that you have experienced many close calls with sin but because there wasn’t enough damage to sink you, you continue to cruise through life without circumspect.
While serving in the U.S. Navy, the ship I served upon had a starboard side collision with the port side of another Navy ship as we were crossing the Atlantic headed toward the Mediterranean Sea. This happened while taking on ship’s stores. Ironically in that same crossing, another ship in our task force collided into the side of a civilian cargo ship crushing the ships bow. Although none of the four ships involved in these accidents sank, all were damaged and all needed to be repaired.
Our ship was routinely operating as it did hundreds of times before while taking on supplies, and then without warning, the accident occurred. The other ship in our task force was cruising through the night, as it had done hundreds of times before, when suddenly they ran straight into the side of a cargo ship. In each case the ship’s crew didn’t see it coming, the daily routine caught everyone off guard. Sin creeps its way into our lives like this as well, with sudden and costly impact, at the moment we least expect it. Similar to these vessels you may not sink, but sin is subtle, it weakens us, it leaves deep scars, its after-effects linger into life and eventually sin will bring us down. If you are the captain of your own life, you will certainly set your own course in life. That decision will be costly. You may be ambivalent toward giving your life fully to the Lord. That decision will be costly in the end.
You may have gotten banged up in life because of how you have been living, and have escaped sinking for now, but be assured, if you continue to chart a course as the captain of your own life you will not be able to avert disaster. No one who lives life on their own terms, without being in harmony with their Creator, can eventually avert a collision course without accountability. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Every ship has a home port and every ship its final destination. Keep that in mind as you think upon what waters you have been sailing on and where you are headed.
You may really have it together; life has fallen in place for you and you live comfortably and securely to some degree. You may think that you are built to handle the obstacles ahead, everyone sees you this way, you may even think you are unsinkable. But like the Titanic that received multiple warnings that icebergs were afloat in the sea way, you may still continue on your journey through life without heeding those warnings. Sin has a way of creating a routine of normalcy about life. Sin becomes acceptable, normal, and may not even concern you. But at the time when you least expect it sin will begin to take its toll out on you. Perhaps there have been warnings in the past, but because life has been seemingly so good you’re not that concerned.
In the book of Hebrews, there is an interesting thought being presented to us. Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. In short, this verse is telling us that Jesus is the founder of our salvation, that His suffering was essential to bring many to salvation. The Greek word for founder can be translated, author, pioneer, champion who initiates, originator, or founder. Essentially the word means someone who takes the lead in something. In the old version it is translated Captain. Jesus is being spoken of as the leader who found our salvation, who is the Captain of our salvation. He has both led and made the way to heaven. Only He has the rights to our lives, “for whom and by whom all things exist”. We are beholden to Him as our Creator and Sustainer of life itself.
We should certainly be careful and circumspect as we sail on the sea of life as our text implies. 1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. We should ask ourselves where our lives have been leading us? Are you having a titanic struggle with fully giving your life over to the Lord? Take time to see yourself as God sees you today. Expose yourself to godly counsel, search your heart and know that true repentance is the way back to the safety of the harbor. Call on a trusted believer to help you set a new course in life. We cannot sail the sea of life on our own, no military ship with all of its might sails alone, we need the help of others. Find an accountability partner and start to set a steady course with their help and input. Commit yourself to a steady course of serving the Lord with your life!