925. What Will You be Remembered For?

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything so he established daily chapel services. Today, that tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University Chapel platform. Today, we'll be hearing a chapel message from Rand Hummel, Director of the Wilds of New England Christian Camp. After the message, we'll hear an interview with Rand about Christian camping, which was taken from Dr. Pettit's podcast, Highest Potential.

But first, here's the message entitled, What Will You Be Remembered For? from Psalm 100. So Psalm 100, that's where you need to run to real quickly. In fact, I think I'm pretty sure many of you already know it. Let's see how well we can do by saying it together.

Ready? Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, he is God. It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name for the Lord is good.

His mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations. Can your life be characterized by singing and gladness and joy? What will your roommates remember about you? What will your friends here at college remember about you?

I don't know if we have teachers in here, but what will your teachers, what will your students remember about you? I kind of walked through my educational experience to remind myself what I remembered. Kindergarten, I was one of those kids that wouldn't listen, wouldn't sit still. After two weeks, they sent me home. I flunked kindergarten, I'm sorry.

Never got to go back. First grade, my teacher's name was Mrs. Young. She was at least 140 years old.

I don't know why they call her that. Third grade, I had my mouth washed out with soap because our teacher's name was Mrs. Braider, but I did teach the others that her real name was Braider potato. Mrs. Thomas taught us how to read. Right before recess, she would, she'd say, okay, everybody sit up straight. And she would read from us from Gulliver's Travels.

And it was almost like, you know, Gulliver and the Lilliputians were alive. Seventh grade, her name was Miss Volveris. She was 22, I was 12.

I knew it would work. I was so in love with her. I had such a crush. I went public high school and she taught chorus and I did, I joined the chorus just so I could stare at her. Now if you're in a public high school chorus, that means there's like 273 girls and four boys whose voices have not changed.

Okay. And we sang a song, shine, glimmer, glimmer, and they give us little flashlights. But I also wrestled in high school and now I'm walking down the hall and the guys are going glimmer, glimmer.

So that was it. Ninth grade, his name was Mr. Rockidge. He spanked me. And when I say spanked, they had a long paddle. This was many years ago, obviously. And I got spanked like before lunch for running down the hall.

I did. I got spanked right after lunch for having my shirt tail out. And then at 245, right before dismissal of school, I got spanked a third time by the same teacher the same day for running down the hall with my shirt tail out. Mrs. White Knight in 10th grade was a typing teacher. I don't know how she did this, but she walked around with a ruler, one of those with a middle edge, and you were not allowed to look down at your hands. You had to just type like this. And if you looked at, whack, she would. She'd come up, whack your hands with that ruler. That's all I remember about typing. 11th grade, his name was Mr. Spade, geometry. I don't remember anything about geometry, but I do remember we'd be taking a testing. He had to go outside.

I'm not kidding. He would literally reach up, take that eye out, stick it in his mouth and wash it off and stick it back in. Came to college, had a teacher named Mr. Poa, and he would share a blessing. It was math class, but he'd share a blessing from 2 Kings.

And I didn't grow up in this world at all. And I thought, whoa, if a guy can get like a blessing from 2 Kings, that's amazing. All four years of my time here at Bob Jones, all eight semesters, there was one Bible teacher that, his name was Jesse Boyd. This guy, a man of conviction. He had convictions about stuff that like wasn't even in the Bible, you know, but he was a man of conviction. I loved his courses and I took him and he got that Lou Gehrig's disease and went to be with the Lord. If I remember, I was talking to his wife and she said something like right before he wanted to be at home and he was in the hospital bed and she just got him kind of comfortable in his room and stuff and she walked over to leave the room, just turned to look at him. And Jesse Boyd was a big man, slow moving, but when she looked over at him, he went like this. And he died.

Now why did I tell you all those stories? What will you be remembered for, Christian? Could I be described by someone who is known for their joyfulness, their gladness, their singing? Joyful noise, Ruah, to shout. Gladness, it's Simcha, it's a bright and shining in the face. It's a joy that can only be seen through your countenance.

Singing is Rennan. It literally means to shout! That's what it means, okay, in the Hebrew. So what does it mean to be characterized by singing and joy? It is an uninhibited expression of delight in what God has done. Let me say it again, an uninhibited expression of delight in what God has done for you. And I know we have the pressure of finances and classes and COVID and we have pressures at home and we wrestle with the guilt and our sin and our selfishness, but still we are forgiven. We should have joy. Why?

Two reasons. Why should I be characterized by joyfulness, gladness and singing? Look at verse three. Know ye that the Lord, He is God. It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves.

Why should I be characterized by joyfulness, singing, gladness? Number one, because God made me. Say it together, because God made me. I can't hear you, but you have masks on.

It's okay. God made me. Now I'm not smart, okay, but I do know how to Google.

And if you know how to Google, you can really look smart. The world in which we live is truly amazing. It's a wondrous place. It defies evolutionary explanation. It is home to a cheetah cat that can run 70 miles an hour, insects that can sleep for 17 years straight and an eight armed ink shooting octopus that can eat their own arms and grow new ones. Guys, you never have to carry a lunch. I'm hungry.

There we go. The bombardier beetle is a tiny little insect armed with an impressive defense system. Whenever threatened by enemy attack, the spirited little beetle blasts irritating and odious gases into the face of the aggressor at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The beetle makes this explosive by mixing together two very dangerous chemicals. He adds an inhibitor which prevents the chemicals from blowing up and enables the beetle to store the chemical indefinitely. When attacked, this tiny little beetle at precisely the right time adds an anti-inhibitor, which knocks out the inhibitor and creates a violent explosion in the face of the poor attacker. Now, if you believed in evolution, do you know how many years it would take this little guy to get the timing right?

And he'd see somebody blow himself up, okay? The sea slug lives along the sea coast within the tidal zone. It feeds primarily in sea anemones. Sea anemones are equipped with thousands of small stinging cells which explode at the slightest touch, plunging poison harpoons into the would-be intruders. The intruder is paralyzed, drawn into the anemone's stomach to be digested. Although this is an impressive defense system, the remarkable sea slug is nevertheless able to eat the sea anemone without being stung, exploding and stinging, so are digesting them. The undigested stinging cells are swept along through tubes, connected to the stomach, and end up in pouches. The stinging cells are arranged and stored in these pouches to be used for the sea slug's defense.

So whenever the sea slug is attacked, it defends itself by using the stinging cells which the olfated anemone manufactured for its own protection. Guys, if God did this for a bug and a slug, just think what he's done for us. He made you.

This is a big-time paraphrase of Psalm 139, but God went into his workshop, and he made you. He did. He got all the chromosomes. By the way, did you hear what the one chromosome said to the other chromosome?

Do these genes make me look fat? Anyway, he did. He got all this stuff together, and he made you. The color of your eyes and the texture of your hair and your ability to sing, your ability to work with your hands or to lead, God made you just the way you are. And then we stand in front of a mirror, and we complain to the God of gods that he didn't make us tall enough or short enough or thin enough or talented enough or gifted enough or athletic enough. He made you the way he wanted to make you, to impact those that you can have a direct connectivity to, to tell him about your wonderful God. You are you because God made you that way.

And then you have this precious joy of knowing that you can live with him forever. So why should I be characterized by joyfulness, gladness, and singing? Number one, because God made me. Number two, because God saved me. Say it with me, because God saved me. Do you remember that day, like you were overwhelmed with your own wickedness? You knew you were a sinner. You knew God was a holy God, totally separate from sin. You cried out to him for forgiveness. Wow.

I have the privilege as a camp director of seeing God do this. This past year, when I found out from the state, we had to close the wilds of New England down. I cried and they got really ticked. I'll be honest with you, I really got mad. And then I just figured that they're going to change it. And then I got mad again and sad again. I really did. I got upset. So what we did is we thought, let's take camp to the kids.

So we had 12 day of camp rallies all over New England, Pennsylvania, over 1200 showed up at these things. Okay. And we got up and we started out with little, you know, real serious things.

Like if my nose is running money, honey, I'd blow it all on you. And the orange blossom special. And then we went to the famous cat in the hat game. Okay. That many of you have played, but just before we did, we're all sitting on buckets, six feet apart. Mind you, we're all sitting on buckets. And I said, guys, we're going to go and play a really cool game here. But this rally reminds me of another one time in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

The way the night came is there was like four or five, six buses. They went in downtown and they brought all these kids back who had never hardly, almost never been to church. And they're all under this tent and the people leading it came to me and said, Rand, we can't get them quiet. They won't listen.

And they handed me a mic. What am I supposed to do? They said, just do what you do.

I said, I don't know what to do. So I walked up and I figured, let's do Simon Says. Simon Says act like a chicken. And they did. Simon Says act like a cow and they moved. Simon Says act like your mom. I shouldn't have said that because these are unsaved kids. And the cursing that started, oh, it was really bad.

It was. I finished Simon Says. I sat him down the whole time. I'm saying, Lord, help me. I don't know what to say.

And these are like rough group of kids. And then when they all sat down, I say, can I tell you a quick story about a guy I heard about recently. He's in prison for murder and they started to get quiet.

And it was actually the day, capital part, the day he was going to be executed. And the guard came to the prison door and kicked it open. He looked at him and said, get out of here. You're free. The guy says, don't mock me.

The guard said, I'm not mocking you. You're free. You should die. You're a murderer.

You're a thief. But there's, there's some guy out there named Jesus. And they chose him to take your place to die for you. And I wonder if Barabbas walked out of that prison, shaking his head thinking, who is this Jesus? And the Bible tells us that, you know, Pilate released Barabbas and scared Jesus. And could it be that Barabbas actually walked out there and there in the courtyard, he sees this man with his hands tied to a post, his back stretched in two guards with these long whips, bringing it across the back of Jesus and his little pieces of metal and broken sheep bones and so forth. And they jerked it and pulled little pieces of skin off his back.

And then the guy would do it from the other side. I wonder if Barabbas just staring, who is this man that's taking my place? Did he watch him when they put the robe on him and then they took the crown of thorns? They just didn't place it on his head. They beat it into his head. Then he walked by and they spit on him.

They slapped him. I wonder if Barabbas watched him all the way to Calvary. I have to wonder if he heard like Mary Magdalene or Mary Jesus's mother cry. Or if he heard the centurion say, truly this is the Son of God.

I don't know. I looked at those kids and I said, I do know this. I do know that Jesus died for Barabbas because he was a sinner and Jesus never sinned. And every single one of us that night, right now, every one of us could take the name Barabbas. That Jesus died for us. Now we'll say, I think it was eight or ten of those kids who threw their hands up to one to trust Christ that night.

Do you know what a joy it is to get to share the gospel like that? God save me. Turn, trust, take. Put your hands out.

I hope that everybody put them out. I hope you have turned, repented from your sin. Admit that you're a sinner. I hope you're trusting that Jesus is the Son of God who died for you, was buried and rose again.

Then take your hands and bring them down. And you take him. You take him as your personal savior.

This is a wonderful thing. Look at what it says in verse three. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

That phrase, we are his people. It's so special to me. And I got time.

I got to tell you real quick. I was raised by my grandparents, lived in a real difficult, difficult home. And my grandma was, she was wonderful. She was a Polish woman, only about four 11, both ways. And she was just wonderful. And she lived to be 97 or 98. And when she got in her eighties, her mind was going and she was in a nursing home in Tunkennick, Pennsylvania. When I drive through, I'd always stop and see her. She was strong physically. She put her arm through mine and marched with me. And I said, Graham, how you doing? She'd smile. And she says, life is but a dream.

I said, they got pretty good food here. Life is but a dream. One time when I was there, she had a new boyfriend. He's a lot younger than her. He was like 92 or something, but they would walk around together. And I said, I met your new boyfriend.

He's kind of neat. And she said, life is but a dream. It didn't matter what I could say or what I would say.

She would say life is but a dream. Then we got in the lobby. My son was with me. I said, Hey, Josh, sit down, sit down, piano and play one of her favorite songs. So she started, he started to play Amazing Grace and her eyes lit up and she started going like this.

Like she was the one playing. And I'm sitting there. I said, when he got done, I said, Graham, you did great. And she said, life is but a dream. I said, Josh, play her all time favorite song, How Great Thou Art. Now I'm sitting there.

I have her hands. I'm not a good singer, but I started singing as he played Oh Lord my God. And all of a sudden, guys, she, she did, she started singing with me every single word, all the way through the first verse, all the way through the chorus. By this time, I'm weeping.

Yes, God brought her mind back. This is wonderful. We finished the song and I'm crying. I said, Graham, that was great. And she looked at me and she said, life is but a dream. And so I know that song Row, Row, Row Your Boat. But I like this song better. And she said, so do I, because it has more of God in it.

I said, Graham. And she said, life is but a dream. I only saw her one more time before she went off into eternity.

By this time, she sat in her wheelchair and would just stare, not talk. I took hands and I remember looking into her eyes because I loved this. She raised me okay.

When my folks split apart and mom left and she took care of me and I'm looking and on it seriously, it's like looking down tunnels of time. And all of a sudden she got real frantic and started shaking. And she took her hand away from mine and she said, you're my people. I was special to her and she was special to me. Christian, God says, you're my people. Why should I be characterized with joy and singing gladness? God made me, God saved me.

How do I express this? Verse four, enter to his gates with, say it out loud, into his courts with, say it, praise, be thankful unto him, bless his name. Thank God for your salvation every single day.

Walk to the dining hall, if you're allowed to go eat there, I don't even know, singing Jesus thank you. Never ever ever stop thanking God for saving you. Verse five, the Lord is good, he really is. Even the difficulties that you face, he will use them to help you to help somebody else someday. The God of all comfort comforts us in our tribulation, we can comfort others with the same comfort, we're comforted of God. His mercy is everlasting, it's not like we get to heaven then, oh now I know, I'm gonna tell you what you really did.

No no no, his mercy is forever and forever and forever and his truth endures to all generations. Wow. So I ask you, what were your friends remember about you? Are you a griper? Complainer? Always down? Is life hurt? Yes.

Is the world broken? Yes. Is God good?

Yes. He made you, he saved you. This time in October, you're pressured with everything you have done, but it's nothing compared to what you have to do yet to get through until Thanksgiving. Guys you're gonna make it okay, you are. So at least do it with a smile and a thankful heart. Yeah, because the Lord is good. Can you walk out of this building with a smile, singing, gladness?

I hope so. God bless you, you are dismissed. You've been listening to a sermon preached at Bob Jones University by Rand Hummel from Psalm 100. Many of you may not be aware that Dr. Pettit has a podcast entitled Highest Potential, which explores stories of how Bob Jones University empowers young people to reach their highest potential for God's glory. The excerpt we'll hear today is an interview with Rand Hummel, who has worked in Christian camps for over 40 years. Dr. Pettit and Rand will be discussing Christian camps during COVID-19. I want our people that listen to really grasp the value of camping. So talk to us about that.

Yeah. Well, especially in our COVID world today, if you think about it, the kids are kind of stuck in the house in front of a computer screen or an iPad. They don't get to be with their friends and they're very lonely, okay? And that's why this past summer, oh, the emails and the texts, how much they miss camp is huge because part of getting them away from the normals of life and just getting to a place, camps all over the United States, and there's wonderful Christian camps.

I think you have maybe over 50 that normally come here every fall and get students to go and work for them and all. And they're all great places because we're getting them to a place where we have a controlled environment, extended exposure to the Word of God, and then obvious extended exposure to dedicated lives, what we call the counselors. And people say, what makes up a good camp? Well, honestly, I can say it's not the property and you can have an okay property and a not so funny fun time and just okay food. You got counselors that really love the kids and really love God, and you have a speaker that so loves God and uses his word, you can have a great week at camp.

You are. Dr. Hay taught us, you could have a good camp in the church parking lot. And I remember him saying that, and I said, well, it's nice to have a property with zip lines and waterfalls and all that. And then this last summer when in New England, they closed us down in New Hampshire, and within literally within 24 hours, my staff said, we're going to go to the kids then. And we set up 12 day camps at churches, four of them in Pennsylvania, the other eight through the six states of New England. We had over 1200 kids show up, many, many trusted Christ in church parking lots. Now they got some orange blossom special, and if my nose is running money and five pounds of possum, and we preached twice to them, I had pizza. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, we did have hot dogs, the sixth rally, okay. And then all the rest were pizza again.

So I'm putting off pizza a little bit now. But just to be with these kids, and they were so excited just for us to be there and show that we really care. And so camping is a part where we just kind of come in. If you wonder what I do, I'm a sheepdog, okay. Pastors are shepherds, the other sheep.

And then as a sheepdog, I can bite at the heels and bark and push them back to the shepherd, back to the local church. And at the same time, showing them how excited we are about God's word and trying to kind of infuse and plant seeds into their heart that they would love the word of God. Well, you and I both, you've been a camp director for many years. I was a camp director up in northern Wisconsin. And the impact of camping on the lives of Christian young people is just absolutely undeniable.

And hundreds and hundreds of young people who have been saved and their lives have been transformed through that concentration of God's word in one week is unbelievable. So do you see that this is what people still want for the future? Oh, according to what we're seeing, both through fundraising, through letters, I think if we open camp today, if we could, number one, the kids want to come. Number two, the parents, they need a break from their kids. They want to send them for a couple of weeks.

And we're seeing that. So I trust next summer, 2021, would again, for all our camps across the United States, be one of the greatest summers that we'll have. And we trust God to do that.

If he doesn't return, that the doors will be opened up and the regulations are such that we can have four weeks at camp. Yeah, the kids, we do a thing called daily meditations. It's just a five-minute Bible study walking through a book of the Bible for teens. Anybody can subscribe to it.

You can go to Randhummel.com and subscribe to it. And I don't even know how many right now are doing that daily because they just love a touch of that memory of being with their Christian friends and being with their Christian friends and being encouraged by the Word of God. And even those listening, if you think how many people you know, or maybe yourself, that actually made a life-changing decision at a camp, it is.

It's huge in their lives. Historically, revival has always started among young people. And of course, one of the most likely places for that to take place is in a Christian camp. I've seen it happen over my ministry. And I remember back in the early 90s, some unusual things happened with not just a handful, but literally hundreds of teenagers getting saved and their lives being transformed. And those people are in ministry today. Explore stories of how Bob Jones University empowers young people to reach their highest potential for God's glory. You can listen to the whole interview by searching for the words highest potential at Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening and join us next week for more Chappell messages from Bob Jones University on The Daily Platform.