S6 E10 - Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris is a legend larger than life. As the jokes would tell it, nothing could defeat him - except for death. Chuck Norris passed away today. Even someone as strong, healthy, and celebrated as he was cannot escape the fate of every man. 

This is the simply reality - we're all gonna die. We don't know when, but it's going to happen to all of us. There is only one who has ever defeated death - and that is Jesus Christ. Becuase of his victory over death, we can share in his victory through the hope of our resurrection one day. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to season 6 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In our next few moments together, we hope to learn some of the most important lessons from some of the simplest things in life. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

The legend that surrounds some people can become larger than life sometimes, can’t it? Just bring up a few names – in sports you can say names like Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan, and soon you’ll hear almost impossible stories about just how incredible they were in their time. In history you hear names like Alexander the Great, George Washington, or even Teddy Rosevelt and the legends that surround men like this is also astounding. But of all the names that people have made larger than life, perhaps there is no one that has been inflated greater than that of Chuck Norris. I’m confident that almost all of my listeners know who Chuck Norris is, but if you don’t here’s just a little bit of his history. An air force veteran and martial arts expert, Chuck took the nation by storm in his prime. He would go on to star as a villain opposite of Bruce Lee, and most recognizably go on to star in the show “Walker: Texas Ranger”. From there, the legend continued to grow to an inhuman level – as the early 2000’s gave way to what was known as “Chuck Norris facts”. To be quite frank, these are some of my absolute favorite jokes to tell. If you’ve never heard any of these jokes, here’s just a little taste of some of my favorites. 
 
 Chuck Norris built the hospital he was born in, and then drove his mother home from there. 

Chuck Norris can divide by zero, and counted to infinity…twice. 

Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors and tent flaps. 

Chuck Norris was once bitten by a rattle snake. After 5 agonizing days of pain, the snake died.

Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He glares them down until they give him the info he wants.

Chuck Norris can speak Braille. 

Chuck Norris can do a wheelie on a unicycle. 

Or, my personal favorite: Chuck Norris once told a woman to just calm down…and she did!

You get the idea. The absurd, impossible Chuck Norris facts just continued to grow and grow. They are hilarious, fun, and continued to build up Chuck Norris to be this inhuman, unstoppable force that defeated anything and everything that stood in his way. However, all of that changed this week. It was reported yesterday that after turning 86 earlier this month, he was suddenly hospitalized with a medical emergency while in Hawaii. This morning, with heavy hearts his family confirmed that he had passed away. The sad irony comes from a post by Chuck on his 86th birthday, where he comically said, “I don’t age, I just level up.” 10 days later, he was gone. For all the jokes, all the legends, and all of comedy that surrounded his ability to defeat anything and everything in his path, in the end not even the great Chuck Norris could defeat death. 

As I’ve read and contemplated about this over the course of the day, I’ve been reminded of several important spiritual truths regarding death. The first of which is this: death is inevitable. We read in Hebrews 9:27 – “…it is appointed for people to die once – and after this comes judgment.” Death is the end of every man, no matter how “great” they become or are thought to be in this life. Despite people’s efforts to prolong their lives as much as possible, in the end death will take every single one of us. It truly is the great equalizer. Solomon would bring this point out in the book of Ecclesiastes when he wrote, “Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead. But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.” No matter who you are, what you’ve done or not done in this life, or what you’ve accumulated for yourself – we’re all going to die. What you’ve worked for will be divided and taken away. What you’ve accomplished and become known for will be forgotten. Just as we were made from the dust to the dust we will return. There are very few certainties in this life, but death is among the few that exist objectively for us all. 

Secondly, we do not know when death will take place. All of us would like to assume that we will each live a long, fulfilling life and die at a ripe old age – but that is not a guarantee by any means. We read in James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James speaks with an uncomfortable, yet true, wisdom. None of us know what the rest of the day or tomorrow might bring. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are like a vapor – just the shortest little blip that is here one moment and gone the next. I have known many that indeed did pass away in their old age, but I have also known a great many that have died incredibly young. I have mourned the loss of dozens that I have known and loved at very young ages: children, teens, and young adults. This is a humbling reality, because it reminds us that while death is a guarantee at some point, tomorrow is not. Death might come for us this very day. With this knowledge, we would do well to remember the words of David in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Knowing that our time could come at any time, what sort of lives ought we to live today? Are we prepared to meet our maker? 

Finally, there is only one that has, and ever will, defeat death – and that is Jesus Christ. While no man is a match for death, death was no match for the Savior. When Peter preached the very first gospel sermon in Acts 2, he would declare beginning in vv. 22, “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.” Death could have no hold over Jesus, because he himself is the author of life! This is why Jesus would declare in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus going to the cross was always a part of the eternal plan…but so was the resurrection. Death was not the final blow to Jesus, rather the resurrection was the final blow to Satan! As such, because Jesus has won the victory over death, we can now share in his victory and have the hope of our own resurrection one day! 
 
 My friends, the question that remains is the same question Jesus asks…do you believe this? Perhaps you already know with certainty that you will die, and that you cannot ultimately control when your time will be up. But you don’t have to experience the second death of eternal condemnation – you can have hope even in the face of death. Place your faith in the only one who conquered death – and find that which is truly life and life eternal in Jesus Christ! 

This has been season 6 episode 10 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast – and I’m so thankful that we had this time to grow together! A new episode is dropped each Friday of the week. If you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, give us a good rating, and tune in next week. Even more important, share the spiritual truths that we learned today with someone else. And more than anything my friends, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.