AN AIRPLANE STORY
Author: Sam McGowan
One day a sad, downcast man went to an airport, hoping to
catch an airplane to heaven. He was a poor man, with nothing but the
clothes on his back; they were ragged, dirty and torn. His life had been
a waste from the standpoint of the world's standards, and he had literally nothing to show for it.
Upon reaching the airport, the man was confronted by two
signs; one marked "AIRLINE TERMINAL" and the other "PRIVATE PLANES". Since
he knew that he had nothing, especially not an airplane, he reasoned that he
must go to the airline terminal. Perhaps he can find a seat,
even though he has no money and nothing of any value to offer. But, he has spent
his life doing odd jobs here and there. Maybe he can
find some work he can do so he can earn his ticket for the flight to heaven.
Inside the terminal he saw a large counter with a long,
long line in front of it. Over the counter was a huge sign, "WORKS AIRWAYS".
On the destination board was a single destination, "HEAVEN", with
departure times at all hours. He has never seen such a long line, one
made up of people of all races, nationalities, cultures, religions and
philosophies. There were Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists, Shintoists, Taoists, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian
Scientists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Holiness, Baptists, even many Fundamentalists, as well as liberals and
modernists. (The atheists and agnostics didn't even bother to go to the
airport!) The poor man got into the line, a dirty, tired, old sinner.
As he stood in the line, waiting as it crept slowly
forward, he heard the dialogue of the other prospective passengers as they
picked-up their tickets. He noticed that the prices paid for the
tickets varied, as each passenger told the clerk what he or she had done to earn
their ticket.
"I helped the poor."
"I obeyed the Golden Rule."
"I was baptized."
"I said a prayer."
"I joined the church."
"I gave money to the church."
"I remember a date and a time."
"I quit drinking."
"I never did drugs." "I didn't go to movies."
"I lived a good life."
"I kept the Ten Commandments."
"I served my country."
"I supported the president."
"I am a conservative."
" I healed the sick."
"I supported civil rights."
" I lived a sanctified life."
" I took care of my family."
The poor man listened with despair as he came nearer and
nearer to the head of the line. He had done none of those things! He had not
one thing to offer in payment for his ticket!
Finally, he stood in front of the clerk. "And what have you
done to earn a ticket?" the clerk asked.
The man thought of his sinful life. He had done nothing to
earn favor with God. "Nothing." he said, dejectedly.
"I'm sorry, sir. You cannot have a ticket."
The poor man sorrowfully left the crowded terminal. where
people were clustered together waiting for the tickets which would allow them
to get aboard the huge Boeing 747s waiting at the gate. As he came
outside, he felt very dejected - miserable, in fact. He had been rejected by "WORKS AIRWAYS!" Although nearly everyone seemed to be able
to afford the price, he could not come up with one single thing
he had done to earn himself a ticket to Heaven via Works! He could not pay for
the ticket himself.
As he walked along, his head hung in dejection, he heard a
pleasant voice.
"Excuse me sir, you look so unhappy. Can I be of
assistance?' The speaker was an attractive young lady dressed in a scarlet and
white uniform. On her breast was a small tag, and on it these
words, "GRACE AVIATION".
"I was rejected by Works Airlines. Now I can't go to Heaven
because I have done nothing to earn a ticket. I have not one good work to
offer God on my behalf."
'Come with me sir. All is not lost. I can point you to the
right way."
"You can? But I have nothing with which to pay for a
ticket!"
"Come with me."
The girl took him to a building on the other side of the
airport, away from the crowds who were striving to get to Heaven by WORKS
AIRWAYS. They went through an almost empty lobby and out through the
doors onto a parking ramp, which was mysteriously paved with
gold On the golden ramp sat a sparkling white jet airplane; one much smaller than
the Boeing 747s operated by Works Airlines. The man had
never seen such a beautiful sight in his life. A ramp paved with gold! The
passengers who rode on such an airplane must truly be
rich, or perhaps even royalty!
"Whose airplane is that?" The poor sinner spoke with a
degree of excitement in his voice. He had never seen anything so beautiful; not
ever.
"That airplane belongs to the King. It is for His children
to ride to the Kingdom."
"But who is the King? Who are His children?"
"The King is the Lord and the children are those who have
been born into His family."
"Oh." The poor man felt dejected once again. He knew that
he was of lowly birth. But then he perked up. "Can anyone else get a ticket
for His airplane? I might be able to clean the windshield? Or something?"
"No one needs a ticket, but only the children of the King
can ride. His children have no need for tickets."
The poor man felt even more dejected, and envious of the
King's children, who would be able to go to Heaven in such style.
The girl spoke again, "Would you like to get aboard the
King's airplane?" She reached a hand toward him.
"But how can I? I'm not a child of the King."
"Look there." She pointed, gesturing toward the words
written on the side of the fuselage, over the single entry door.
They said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me."
Suddenly the significance of those words dawned on the man.
The airplane was the way to Heaven! But what about WORKS AIRWAYS?
The girl spoke again, "Sir, the Bible says, 'The wages of
sin Is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.' You see sir, the only way to Heaven is through God's mercy
and grace. 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Ghost. Which He shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ, our Savior."' (Titus 3:5-6)
"'For there is none righteous, no not one. "For all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God."' (Romans 3:10; 23)
As the man looked at the side of the airplane, he noticed
that on the left side, just behind the cockpit, was an open door, with a ladder
reaching down to stop right before his feet. On the ladder hung a sign,
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go In and out, and find pasture." (John 7:9) And below that, "For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
He realized the significance of the scripture verses - the
airplane, Himself, was Jesus! It was powered by His blood, which filled the fuel
tanks, never to run dry. Before him was an open door, all he had to do
was climb aboard! But he hesitated.
"Shall I lead you in?" The girl again held out her hand.
The sinner took it, and followed her into the airplane.
As he entered the door, he suddenly felt different. He felt
happy, clean - for the first time in his life. He looked down. His rags had
fallen away, replaced by robes of sparkling white, washed clean in
the same Blood of the Lamb which also filled the fuel tanks. He looked
around. There were some onboard whom he recognized. One girl had been a
street-walker, and had once looked hard, reflecting a dim view of
the world and life. Now she was radiant, dressed in the same white robes which
he now wore. Over there was a gambler, there a drunkard, a thief, a small child, a young man who looked Just like the
girl who had led him to the airplane.
Everyone had the same look of radiance and each wore the
same white robes which identified all as children of the King. Now he
understood. The airplane was Jesus, and only the children of the King
could ride, but the children of the King were those who got on board
the airplane! No one needed a ticket because the children of the King don't need them.
As he took the last seat, the girl took his hand. "I am so
glad you decided to trust Jesus as your Savior. I will see you in Heaven. Now I
have other souls to point toward the Savior, to 'Grace Aviation.’"
The engines started and the airplane began moving toward a
different runway from the one being used by the endless line of 747s of
WORKS AIRLINES. The King's airplane took the short and narrow runway, while the WORKS AIRWAYS airplanes took the runway
which was broad and long. The King rolled down the runway and took to the air,
bound for the New Jerusalem!
The man looked out the window. To his amazement, he watched
as a WORKS AIRWAYS airplane rolled down the long, broad runway, but
never left the ground! Instead, it rolled right off the end, into a bottomless
pit, from which emitted the smoke from the fires of other destroyed airliners. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but
the end thereof leadeth unto destruction." None of the Works Airways
airplanes ever left the ground! They all ended up in the bottomless pit!
The moral of this story is this: no ticket is required in
order for one to get to Heaven. Only citizens go there and passage is free, open
to all who will accept it. To become a citizen, one must
become a child of the King, by "getting on the airplane", trusting in Jesus
Christ as your Savior. Trusting Him, and Him alone, as the atonement
for sin. "For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Feel free to pass this on!
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