The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - What If You Had Never Been Born?

Episode Date: December 15, 2017

During the Christmas season, we pause to think about the impact of one very special life—the life of Jesus—on the life of every single human being throughout history. It might be easy to see Christ's impact on the world, but do we ever pause to reflect on how precious and powerful every single human life is? Do you ever take time to think about how your life has powerfully impacted the world around you in ways you might not even know? Today's episode reflects on how every life carries great meaning in God's greater plan. Do you have comments or questions for Jeff? Use the comment box below, or email Jeff at [e-mail]. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!

You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show, Episode 44. What if you had never been born? Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kaven Show.

Welcome to the show, friends. I am so glad to be with you. once again and having a great day today, actually situated deep in the woods of Minnesota, in the old log cabin with the fire burning and everything. So nice and cozy right before Christmas, you know, and everybody's out and about getting ready for Christmas, going to the malls. Of course, in the Twin Cities, we have what has been the largest mall in the world. Some people would argue with that, but we still claim that fame. And some things, people even call it a shrine. There's people that come from all over the world to do their

shopping here in the Twin Cities. In fact, someone told me the other day there was a flight from Japan, two flights, I think, a week that come to the Twin Cities. And all the people do is they get off the airplane, go right to the Mall of America, to the hotel, and they stay there for three or four days, buy like you would not believe, and have everything sent back. And then they go back to Japan. Well, right now the malls are hustling. and bustling and people are out and about getting ready for Christmas, and they're looking for that gift, you know, that perfect gift. And if you're like me, you probably get a little bit frustrated every year. What am I going to get people? You know, what do they need? What do they

want? And then, of course, the day after Christmas, people tell us that we miss the mark because they either exchange it or they just return it and get to money and go buy what they want. So Christmas is a time of gifts, and I want to talk about that because I think you are a gift to the world. And I have entitled the show today, What if you had never been born? And I want to talk a little bit about the value of one solitary life, namely Jesus, and how he impacted the world as we are approaching Christmas, and how you have impacted the world, how your life really has meant something. I know a lot of people when they're in despair in their life and they feel like everything is closing in on them and there's no hope, sometimes they'll say things like,

well, it would have been better if I had never been born. It would have been better if I'd never been born. I don't even need to be here on earth. And of course, that's not the attitude that we carry as Christians. We know that our life is very, very valuable. You know, like Judaism, Christianity, I think would say the same thing. There's a great statement within Judaism that he who saves a life saves the entire world. And that really means that one life has the potential of literally affecting the entire world for good or for bad. And of course, we want to affect the world for good. So that's what I want to talk about here today. Hey, I got one note for you, and I'll throw these in once in a while.

I met with my good friend Hans Platt earlier, and this week, and he runs a wonderful Catholic research group, and we had a great breakfast, and he gave me a gift, and it was a new pen to mark my Bibles. He heard the earlier show on how to mark your Bible, and he bought this pen for me. It's a 0.20. That is really thin, and it's called a Pygma. Micron 0.05 archival ink pen. And he demonstrated it for me. And this is probably the finest writing instrument I have ever seen for writing in Bibles. And I'm going to put a link, not a link, I guess. I'm just going to give you a picture in the show notes today so that you can get it. And I think he got it at Hobby Lobby, and that's what the label says on the pen that

I took a picture of. So just throwing that in. If you're into marking your Bible like I am, I found a better pen than I have been using in the past, which has been the zebra pen, a fine point. This one, it's kind of off the chart. So, Hans, thank you very much. I appreciate your friendship, appreciate the coffee we had together, and certainly the Micron, the Pygma Micron Pen. Well, Hans made a difference in my life, okay?

So that's what we're talking about today. What if you had never been born? I want to start off by just saying this, that after Jesus' 33 years, and the three years a public ministry with the disciples. We read, you know, at the end of the Gospels that he died, he was buried, and he rose again. Now, in Luke's Gospel chapter 24, we see on the Emmaus Road, these individuals who are very discouraged about Jesus dying, and they're walking away from Jerusalem. They're walking away from the action, sort of speak. And you have to think through the mind of a disciple and a follower of Jesus 2,000 years ago,

what was it like? What was it like to suddenly come to a realization, in this case a false realization, but a realization nevertheless, that this Jesus died, and that's the end of the story. We really had big, big plans, and we thought our life was really going to change because of Jesus and all the work that he did and his commissioning and so forth. but it looks like it's all ended up with a big fat goose egg. And you have to wonder what their negative thoughts were as they were walking away from Jerusalem.

Well, as you know, that wasn't the case because it was Jesus who came to him on the Emmaus Road and absolutely changed their life. One of those scriptures that has always caught my attention, and I'll put this in the show notes for you, is 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul talks about the power, the significant and the ramifications of the resurrection of Jesus. One solitary life, his life has impacted the entire world, and it seems to balance on the resurrection. If he rose from the dead, there's great possibilities in the future for his life and those who follow him, you, me. But if he didn't rise from the dead, Paul brings up a very interesting point. He says, if Christ in verse 17 of

chapter 15, 1 Corinthians 15, 17. He says, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. And then he goes on in that chapter in 1 Corinthians 15, and he says in verses 50 through 58. And I'm not going to, I'm not going to read the whole thing. I'll just read the last little part of it. He says in verse 54, he says, when the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying, that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. And always abounding in the world, he says, it's the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, verse 58. Therefore, my, anytime you see therefore in the Bible, you've got to stop and ask what's it therefore, okay? So therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Get this now, here it comes, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. Now, we're talking about the power of one solitary life, and that is Jesus. But when it comes to your life, I want you to know that your life has great significance. And as Jesus was a gift to the world, you also, this Christmas, are a gift to the world if your life is in Christ. Now, I'm not saying that if your life is outside of Christ, that it's a total wash,

but you know, you can do a lot of good in this world. But what we're talking about is having a lasting impact on this world, one solitary life. If you are in Christ, then your life is, and your labor is not in vain. Paul, the writer of Revelation, the apostle John, he said in John 215, behold, he said, I make all things new. This is Jesus. I make all things new. And if you examine that in Greek, if you examine that carefully, you'll see that it literally means that he touches everything. He utterly transforms everything in our life and gives us the ability to have impact in this world. He touched time when he was born into this world. I mean, just Jesus birth into this world change things. Just Jesus, just

just like your birth into the world has changed the world to some degree. It really has. He had a birthday, and that birthday utterly altered the way that we even measure time. A.D. means, you know, anodominy in the year of the Lord. So if we talk about 2017, it's 2017 years after the birth of Jesus. Now, every book in the library, every birthday, every legal document, sports, vacation, marriage, presidential elections, has its reference point in Jesus' birth. That's what we measure everything by.

But what if Jesus had never been born? Have you ever thought of that? Would your life be different if he had never been born? Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is tiny in and of itself, but when fully grown, it provides shade and resting place for the many birds. Christianity's roots were small and humble, but the resurrection is proving to be the single most important event in history. And if the resurrection is the single most important event in history, then you rising with Christ is part of the most important event in history. and the work that you do has immeasurable impact on the world.

I'll put this in the show notes because I know that when I start listing off what I'm about to tell you here, you're going to want to pull over on the side of the road. Just go ahead, make your way to work, wherever you're going. If you're at home, just relax. I want to give you a list here and just soak in it for a moment. A quick overview of the Christianity's impact due to Jesus Christ. Hospitals, which essentially began during the Middle Ages. the Red Cross, universities which also began during the Middle Ages. In addition, most of the world's

great universities were started by Christians for Christian purposes. Literacy and education for the masses, capitalism and free enterprise, representative government, civil liberties, the abolition of slavery, modern science, the discovery of America by Columbus, the elevation of women, benevolence and charity, higher standards of justice, the elevation of the common man, high regard for human life, the codifying and setting to writing of many of the world's languages, greater development of art, music, and the salvation of millions of souls. You see, Christianity has had a major impact on the world. That's what Christmas is about. It's not about pants and sweaters. It's about the impact that this gift has meant to the world, that has given the world.

And many people read about the seemingly small incidents in the life of Christ while never dreaming that those casually mentioned quote-unquote little things were to transform the history of mankind. It's the power of one solitary life. I like what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 3 in verse 20. he said, and this is so great, take this to heart. If you've ever thought to yourself that you can't do anything or your life isn't having an impact, listen to this what Paul says in Ephesians 320. He said, He is He, Christ, he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power

that is at work within us. You see, God is in me. And because he's in me, he's able to do things that I can't even imagine he's at work within me. I think that that's a very, very powerful, powerful thought, is that the little life that I am, God can do great things through me, and the little life that you are, God can do great things through you. And a lot of things you might not ever know. You might not ever know. Mountain movers, you see, are people who bring life to others. I remember an article back in 1993. I actually archived it, and I keep some of these articles. And the officials at the flight control center near Moscow reported the successful deployment of a space reflector. Now, this aluminum-covered disc was used

by the cosmonauts in the space station mirror to reflect from the sun to the dark side of the earth. Okay? From the sun to the dark side of the earth. With a 25-foot disk in space, they were able to produce a two-mile circle of light on earth, on the dark side of the earth. Get this now. A 25-foot dish reflecting the light of the sun to the night side of the earth made a path of daylight two miles long. A 25-foot dish, a two-mile long stretch of light. The aluminum dish didn't have any power to light up two miles of the earth. and make it daylight. But the sun did. But the sun uses the dish to bring light to darkness.

And that's the truth with us as well, is that I don't have the power to light up the world, but Christ in me can. You don't have what it takes to bring light to the dark parts of people's hearts, but Jesus does. Jesus said, you are the light of the world. You are a reflector. when you focus yourself on the Son of God, there is a geometric increase in the light and the life that you bring to others. You know, I think about in my own life some of the people who've had a big impact on me. And I want to talk about that. But first I'm going to take a break. I want to come back. I want to share with you some of the people that have made a big impact in my life. And maybe they didn't even know the size of it. And I want to challenge you that this Christmas, this year,

live a life where you realize it is significant. You can have an impact. And the fact that you were born has changed the world. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven show. I'll be right back. The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study Program is the most popular and acclaimed Catholic Bible study out there. And it has helped hundreds of thousands of people find new meaning in their lives. If you want to encounter the power of God's Word and better understand how your life fits into the story of salvation history, consider participating in a great adventure Bible study. To preview the first session of any TGA Bible study for free, create an online account at ascensionpress.com.

Thanks for coming back, friends. I am going to talk to you now, continue talking about what if you had never been born? What if you had never been born? Well, the world would be different. And because you were born, the world is different. It is different. You have had an impact on the world. God has taken you, this speck of dust, and he has stretched you to eternity. You're an amazing person. You are very, very gifted and very valuable. I was thinking about the people that had an impact on me. And there's going to be one here that might surprise you. I'm going to start off with that.

And it was years ago, when I was a pastor, I went to a hospital on call. and I was sort of discouraged, you know. I don't know what it was about that day, but I was tired. I'd been visiting some people. I knew of a family member who had health problems, and I went over and I visited with them. And I was leaving the hospital, and as I was getting off the elevator on the first floor, I even remember the hospital, it was Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. As I was getting off the elevator, a candy striper.

Now, I don't know if they have candy strippers anymore. Maybe you know. But a candy striper was a volunteer young lady that was working in the hospital to do acts of kindness and things around the hospital, visiting with people and so forth. As I was getting off the elevator, she looked at me and she smiled and she said, have a good day. And I was stunned. The beauty of this smile and the warmth of her. her message stopped me in my tracks. She got on the elevator, the elevator closed, and I thought,

I got to go tell her, thank you. And I actually went up a couple, you know, flights of stairs looking for this candy strapper just to say, you impacted me today. You really did. But I couldn't find her. But I remember her. I think about my parents raising me Catholic and the influence that they had in my life, weekly going to church and not thinking. as we're driving in the car, this young man's going to teach the Bible in the Catholic Church. I think about my mother-in-law and Emily, my wife, and the impact that they had and teaching me the Bible in the living room on Xerxes Avenue in Bloomington, Minnesota. Alice, my mother-in-law, had no idea what was going to happen in the future. She was just letting the light shine,

as you can do today in your family and among your colleagues, neighbors, family, friends, and so forth. I think about Bishop Paul Dudley, who was my pastor at St. Edward's Church in Bloomington, Minnesota, and later became a bishop. He became such a mentor for me. He didn't know during confirmation that there was a little boy sitting out there, a young man that someday God would call to teach the Bible. He didn't know that, but he impacted me. Mr. Knight, my sixth grade teacher, who really gave me a voracious attitude. or voracious appetite to read books as we were sitting in the half circle and he was reading Robinson Caruso. He didn't know that that boy who couldn't spell and passed out when he stood up was going to be the one in that group that was going to teach the Bible. He didn't know that,

but he impacted me. I think about Bill and Clara Thompson. You don't know them. I've only known him for a short period of my time when Emily and I lived in Pella, Iowa, and I was in radio. I didn't want to be in front of people. I was in radio. And there was a Bill and Clara were very smart, very smart. Bill had a couple of master's degrees. We went out on a picnic one day after I had taught a couple of Bible studies in the lobby of a hotel in Pella called the Dutch Mill Hotel. And Bill was there. And we were out having a picnic and we were walking along the red rock dam outside of Pella. And he stopped me and he said, Jeff, have you ever thought, about being a Bible teacher? And I started to laugh and I said, no, I haven't thought about that. And he said, have you thought about being a pastor? You thought about, you know, making this really your life because you're a good teacher. And I said, no, Bill, I really haven't. But I couldn't get that out of my head. And it was due to Bill's influence that I ended up going back to school and I ended up going into ministry full time. Bill, I haven't seen you. I haven't seen you. I haven't seen

you since 19, I don't know what it is, 82. I don't even know where you live. But thank you. Because you impacted my life. And that would not have happened, Bill, if you had not been born. You see, it's very, very important to realize the impact that you have, even in the small things in people's lives. My daughters, my daughters have had a major impact on my life. They have really showed me more about myself and more about the Lord and given me the opportunity to grow. Think about it. Every time that you see a hospital, a school, Salvation Army, Goodwill Store, a beautiful art, whatever it is, what if they had never been born? You see, the disciples discovered a direct connection between what Jesus had done before their very eyes and what he now could do in them

and through them. A new light had dawned on the horizon of possibilities. God could do what previously they had never dreamed that he could do through them. Oh, it's an amazing thing. So I want you to think for a moment about this phrase. What is impossible with men, is possible with God. Jesus said this in Luke 18, 27. It's in the show notes. Now, I want you to think for a moment. Number one, ask God to open your mind to new patterns of thinking. Ask God to open up your mind to new patterns of thinking. Focus on what he can do through you. His power far exceeds anything that you have ever thought or ever thought, or ever

imagined. Number two, ask God to reveal to you new approaches to the issues that confront your life. Don't settle for the negative, the negative old ways, but ask God to reveal new approaches, new attitudes about people and opportunities. Number three, ask God to give you new ways of seeing the situations around you, break free of the barriers under the power of God's spirit. and make up your mind that you're going to live life, like 1 John 4 4 says, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. You see, God is bigger than your painful past. Let me say that again, because this is what precedes often this statement,

I wish I'd never been born, is your painful past. He's bigger than your painful past. He is so awesome, yet he wants to be involved in our everyday, activities. Keeping our eyes on the resurrection propels us out of our comfort zone. And he gives us eyes that go beyond our own neighborhood to the whole world. He empowers us through prayer and provides the power to overcome prejudice. The resurrection and its possibilities puts his dream for us in perspective. So I asked you earlier, what if you had never been born. I'd like you to think about the relationships that you have and the opportunities to

influence people. I could go through a whole litany of relationships that I have where I said something to someone, or I gave something to someone, I interacted with someone, and it changed their life. And they changed lives. And those people change lives. And if you thought about your own life, you'd have to say the same thing. That there are influences that have changed families. I can't tell you the number of young people who came together in one of my meetings around the country who fell in love and got married and have children now. My being at that meeting impacted their life. It wasn't anything virtuous necessarily that I did, but my life impacted them. And so

if you can go forward realizing that your life really does impact people, then your eyes are wide open and you also watch yourself a little more carefully, and you look for the opportunities to slip a comment in or to be gracious and loving to someone. Let me end

with this. It's one of the most touching things that I've ever heard from one of my daughters. And it was related to a decision that we made. It actually wasn't a decision. It was, it related to abortion, this comment. Of course, we'd never think of aborting one of our children, but, you know, abortion has been such a big issue. And in our schools,

and our all kids went to Catholic schools, it was discussed. And one day when my daughter, Carly, was very young, someone had told her about abortion. And she came up to me, and she said, with those sweet look on her face and those big hazel eyes, She said, thanks for having me, Dad. Thanks for not aborting me. I love you. I remember looking at her thinking, where did that come from? And it had come from a discussion she had had with some friends about abortion.

And she simply said, thanks for not aborting me, Dad. I love you. Thanks for having me. And I thought to myself, thanks, Lord, thanks, Jesus, for having me. Thanks for not aborting my life, even when I've sent. You see, the world would be different if you had never been born. But the fact that you were born, the world will be different. You are significant and you have an impact.

I don't know what you're going through in your life right now. maybe you are struggling with something emotionally, maybe you, maybe you have even thought of taking your life. Don't. You are of measurable value. God loves you and your life counts in this world. And I don't care how bad it's been in the past. He can make all things new and redeem your life. This year for Christmas, enjoy the gift of Jesus and enjoy the fact that he, He now has made your life a gift to the world. Well, my friends, I hope you can share this with some friends who might need to hear it, maybe as a gift to them.

I do appreciate you going to iTunes and ranking the show and making some comments. It actually helps in the algorithm. And go to ascensionpresents.com, and if you want to listen to it there, you can also, I think, make some comments there. I'd like to hear your feedback. My email is The Jeff Kaven Show at ascensionpress.com and I welcome your comments. I welcome your ideas. And I do hope that this Advent period this year is fruitful for you. I really do. I like to pray for you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I thank you for my friend listening. I thank you, Lord, for their life.

the fact that you redeemed their life you bought them you purchased them with your precious blood and their life means something i pray lord that you will lift them up and show them the gift that they have now become in you to the world help us lord as we move forward to look for the opportunities to pass the gift on this gift of life and joy and mercy and uh and the fullness that we experience May we pass this on, Jesus, to other people with a smile, with a word, with a hug, with the assurance given that you love them. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.

Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God bless you, you wonderful gift, go and give. Thank you.