Mutual Love - the key to life

August 28, 2016 Hebrews 13 This is the 4th week that we have been looking at Hebrews. Each of the last chapters of the book have a special message on what it means to be a Christian. Many scholars believe that the author takes a very sharp turn in the last chapter of the book, chapter 13. Some wonder if it was added later, but I think that it just wraps up the Christian life perfectly. When Christ is the head of your life, things are different. Your whole life just takes a different turn. You have different relationships, for different reasons and with different results. The theme of the Christian life is faith, hope and love. In chapter 11 we talked about faith, in chapter 12 we talked about hope and today in chapter 13 we put it all together with love. But not just any love – mutual love, the type of love that you can only get in community with other Christians. I got into an argument with a church member at church council, because I said that you cant be a Christian on a desert island. Reading the bible and thinking nice thoughts does not make you a Christian. The only way to truly be a Christian is to go to church and participate. What makes you a Christian is how you deal with people. How you interact with people. Not just any people, but people who have come together for a common cause. If the church is what it is supposed to be, it is not just a group of friends. The church should be a group of strangers, who have nothing in common, but who God called to journey to the same place together. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Worshipping with People We Didn't Hand-Pick Writer and NPR commentator Heather King, a recovering alcoholic who has come to faith in Christ, reflected on her initial experience with the church: My first impulse was to think, My God, I don't want to get sober (or in the case of the church, worship) with THESE nutcases! (or boring people, or people with different politics, taste in music, food, books, or whatever). Nothing shatters our egos like worshipping with people we did not hand-pick …. The humiliation of discovering that we are thrown in with extremely unpromising people!—people who are broken, misguided, wishy-washy, out for themselves. People who are … us. But we don't come to church to be with people who are like us in the way we want them to be. We come because we have staked our souls on the fact that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the church is the best place, the only place, to be while we all struggle to figure out what that means. We come because we'd be hard pressed to say which is the bigger of the two scandals of God: that he loves us—or that he loves everyone else. Adapted from Heather King, "The Better Church," Shirt of Flameblog (10-23-11) If your patience is not being challenged, then it is not Christian community. The test of how well we are doing as a church is how well we are able to reach out to new people, and make them feel welcome. Not as we expect them to be but as God expects them to be. How well do we let them explore and use their relationship with God. And if we are all truly finding God in our lives, we are able to get along with one another. That is mutual love. The book of Hebrews gives several examples of places where mutual love is important. In prison, in encounters with strangers, with mentors, even while shopping and in marriage. Did you know that there is only one insurance company in America that will sell you marriage insurance, where you get a pay off if your marriage fails? You can have your fingers insured if you are a pianist, you can have your face insured if you are a model. But when you are applying for a marriage license, you cant buy insurance in case your marriage fails. You can sign a prenuptial agreement in order to protect your property. You can buy life insurance in case your spouse dies. But even money hungry insurance agencies realize that if you don’t have mutual love, then you don’t have a marriage. Your relationship with your spouse if between you and them, and God. All three of your all have to work at it. Mutual love means that God has to be a part of all of your relationships. And part of everything that you do. The scripture says Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. God will judge the person who does wrong, so that you don’t have to. We can love them even in the midst of doing what needs to be done for our wellbeing. That applies to our relationships with others as well. We need God in order to get along and connect with anybody. God should be a part of our relationships and our lives. In verse 5 and six, the scripture says Afterall he said that I will never abandon you that is why you can say the lord is my helper I will not be afraid. Because God makes a promise to us, we can rest assured, stay faithful and make the promises that we need to make. God said I will hold you in the palm of my hand, so we can say everything will be okay. God said I love you, so we can say I love you to others. God said I will provide for you, so we can freely give to others. As a Christian everything that we do should be about God. What God says to us, so we can do the same for others. That is mutual love – love where God cares for both of us equally. Hebrews chapter 13 starts out by saying treat each other life family. Open our doors to guest, because by doing so, we have entertained angels. That is a reference to the Abraham story, where Abraham invited three men into his house, not knowing that they were angels with a message from god. Tradition says that Abraham had a tent, and that he intentionally kept all four flaps of the tent open at all times in order to keep an eye out for strangers in need, in any direction. He was able to spot the 3 strangers in need from over a mile away. Now remember, the word angel means messenger from God. Angels come in all shaped and sizes. You never know who you are going to meet, who will bring a message from God. Just as I have learned to look for pennies on the ground everyday. I have learned to look for angels. Messengers who god sent into my life. There was a fascinating story in Time magazine sometime back about Melissa Deal Forth, 40, a film maker in Atlanta. It was about the day her husband Chris Deal died. It was exactly one year after he had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. The last months had been gruesome: treatments that could not save him, nights when she could not sleep. But Melissa was sleeping soundly at his hospital bedside on the morning of Jan. 4 when Chris managed, somehow, without being seen or heard, to maneuver himself and his portable IV pole around her, out of the room and past the nurse's station with its 360-degrees view of the ward. All Melissa remembers is being shaken awake at 3:00 a.m. by a frantic nurse who was saying something about not being able to find Chris. Melissa hit the floor running. As she approached the elevator she happened to glance toward the chapel, where she glimpsed Chris sitting with a man she had never seen before. Frightened and furious, she burst through the door, firing off questions. "œWhere have you been? Are you okay?" Chris just smiled. "œIt's fine," he told her, "œI'm all right." His companion remained quiet, his eyes on the floor as though not wanting to be noticed. He was tall, dressed rather like Chris usually did, in a flannel shirt, new Levis and lace-up work boots that appeared as if they, too, had just been taken off the shelf. "œThere was no real age to him," Melissa says. "œNo wrinkles. Just this perfectly smooth and pale, white, white skin and ice blue eyes. I mean I've never seen that color blue on any human before. They were more the blue like some of those Husky dogs have. I'll never forget the eyes." Chris seemed to want to be left alone, and so she reluctantly agreed to leave. When he came back to his room, she says, "œHe was lit up, just vibrant. Smiling. I could see his big dimples. I hadn't seen them in so long. He didn't have the air of a terminally ill and very weak man anymore." "œWho was that guy?" she asked. "œYou're not going to believe me," Chris said. "œYes, I will," she answered. "œHe was an angel," Chris said. "œMy guardian angel." Melissa did believe him. "œAll I had to do was to look at him," she says now, "œto know something extraordinary, something supernatural had happened." She searched the hospital to find the man. There was no one around, and the security guards hadn't seen anyone come or go. "œAfter the visit, Chris told me his prayers had been answered," she says. "œI worried for a while that he thought the angel had cured his cancer. I realize now it wasn't the cure, it was the blessing he brought with him. It was the peace of mind." Chris died two days later. In the 11 years since Chris's death, Melissa says not a day has gone by when she has not thought about the angel and what he did for her husband. "œChris' life could not be saved, but the fear and pain were taken from him," she says. "œI know what I saw, and I know it changes lives. Never, never, never will anyone be able to convince me that angels don't exist." (1) Not everyone feels like that, of course. In the movie Red River, tough guy Walter Brennan looks out across the horizon and sees a stranger approaching. He has no idea what the man's intentions are, but he's not looking forward to the meeting. He explains his reasoning to John Wayne, "œNo stranger," he says, "œever good-newsed me." (3) Well, I've been "œgood-newsed" by many strangers. And so have you. One of the reasons that we ought always to be kind to strangers is that some of these strangers will bless us mightily. You see, angels come to us in many forms. I have been good news by a stranger many times. The message is for us to be hospitable to others, but it is much deeper than than. We have to live each day with God in our lives, we have to include God in all of our relationships. With family, with church members, with spouse, with others, and sometimes even with ourselves. When we have God with us, then we also have mutual love present. In order to be happy we have to have faith, hope and love. The greatest of these is love. God is present when we show love. Amen, Other illustrations…. SERMON ILLUSTRATION 'One Another's' You Can't Find in the New Testament Pastor Ray Ortlund writes, "The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt. But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we believe vertically." Ray then goes on to identify the "One Another's" he could not find in the N.T.: Sanctify one another, humble one another, scrutinize one another, pressure one another, embarrass one another, corner one another, interrupt one another, defeat one another, sacrifice one another, shame one another, judge one another, run one another's lives, confess one another's sins, intensify one another's sufferings, point out one another's failings … Ray Ortlund, "'One Another's' I Can't Find in the New Testament," The Gospel Coalition blog (5-24-14); submitted by: Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky ERMON ILLUSTRATION Our Brains Are Wired to Connect with Others A 72-year-long study conducted at Harvard tracked what really makes human beings happy. The study's longtime director, George Vaillant, when asked what has been learned, answered pointedly, "That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people." In the last two decades, scientists have discovered that this truth is even wired into our brains. Researcher Daniel Goleman summarizes it this way: "The most fundamental revelation of [the discipline of neurobiology is that] we are wired to connect. Neuroscience has discovered that our brain's very design makes it sociable, inexorably drawn into an intimate brain-to-brain linkup whenever we engage with another person." Children’s time…….. Adapted from Glen Stanton, The Family Project (Focus on the Family, 2014), pgs. 299-300 Object: If you can find one, a ladybug. If not, a piece of fruit happiness into another person's life. Good morning, boys and girls. I brought this piece of fruit with me not because I want you to think about fruit, but because I want you to think about ladybugs. "œLadybug, ladybug, fly away home!" we say in the little rhyme. But we better know that ladybugs don't heed that advice. Ladybugs were imported to this country because they destroy pests that can kill fruit trees. They also protect other crops, like alfalfa. They're tiny little insects. You can cram 70,000 ladybugs into a gallon container. But without them, we would be in trouble. Who would think that such a small and seemingly gentle creature could be so important to us? They are like tiny angels watching over the food we eat. Looking at ladybugs we would never think of them being so important to us. But they are. Sometimes we look at other people and we don't see anything important about them either, but they are. The Bible tells us that other people can be like angels to us. They can bring good things into our lives and we can bring good things into theirs. Hey, that means we can be angels too. Everyone is a potential angel when they do their best to bring happiness into another person’s life.

Stay on Faith Street

August 14, 2016 Hebrews 11 Year C Stay on Faith St. Steve Harvey gives a wonderful sermon, you can find it on Youtube – it is called How to stay on faith street. We don’t have screen where everyone can watch but I am going to let you listen to part of the sermon. Apparently when he gave this sermon, he was a new Christian, just learning what faith was. But he makes a good point that I want us to think about this morning. How to stay on faith street, when it is so much easier to take doubter drive and miss all of God’s blessings. This morning I want to continue talking about Hebrews chapter 11 – where we are thinking about what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ. And we are reminded that having faith in Jesus Christ is not for the faint hearted. Having faith in Jesus Christ is not about being positive all of the time, and believing in the impossible. As a matter of fact, having faith in Jesus Christ, is intended for the ordinary person, living an ordinary life. Having faith in God is intended for the person who may have a bill due and have no idea of how its going to get paid. Or the person who has been praying for a miracle for a change, and it has been months and nothing changed. For the person who has been going to the doctor, hoping for a solution and they have not found one yet. Faith in Jesus Christ is intended for the person who is up to the neck in the water, and yet they still need to move forward in order to get through the situation. All of the book of Hebrews reminds us that it is only through faith that those who have gone before us were able to get through difficult situations. Not everyone makes it through bad situations, only those who have faith that they can make it survive. Only those who have faith in God that they can make it survive. The secret to success? A relationship with God. A relationship that helps us to believe that the power of life lies in the power of God. Everyone Has Some Kind of 'Faith' John Lennox, a professor of mathematics at Oxford University, argues that everyone has "faith" in something—even atheists. Lennox notes that the word faith isn't just a religious word. It comes from the Latin word fides, which means "trust" or "reliance. Lennox writes, "The irony is that atheism is a 'faith position,' and science itself cannot do without faith." Lennox backs up his case by quoting the famous 20th century scientist Albert Einstein who once said, "I cannot imagine a scientist without that profoundfaith [that the universe is comprehensible to our reason]." The contemporary atheist Richard Dawkins once wrote, "An atheist … is someone who believesthere is nothing beyond the natural, physical world, no supernatural creative intelligence lurking behind the observable universe …" Notice that the atheist believes there is nothing beyond the natural world because he or she can't actually prove it. The physicist Paul Davies, who is not a Christian, says, "Even the most atheistic scientist accepts as an act offaith the existence of law-like order in nature that is at least in part comprehensible to us." The physicist John Polkinghorne agrees, arguing that the entire study of physics depends on "its faith in the mathematical intelligibility of the universe." Adapted from John Lennox, Gunning for God (Lion UK, 2011), pp. 37-48 The book of Hebrews reminds us that in order to make it through, it is not just faith, but faith in God that makes a difference. You see, when God challenges us to have faith, God is not asking us to do something that God would not do himself. God is always going to go with you to give you the strength to get by. There is something about having faith in God that makes all of the difference in life. When we have faith in God, we have a goal, we are not just idling going through life, our goal is to be obedient, so that we can enjoy the joys of eternal life. We have inspiration at our finger tips, because we can read the bible. We have a handicap – because we know that we are always sinners. We have the means to get through – that means to get through life is a steadfast endurance, we have an example in the life of Jesus Christ, and we have a presence the fact that we know that God is with us each step of the way. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Trusting God When Miracles Don't Come In Holding On to Hope, Nancy Guthrie writes: We had Hope for 199 days. We loved her. We enjoyed her richly and shared her with everyone we could. We held her during seizures. Then we let her go. The day after we buried Hope, my husband said to me, "You know, I think we expected our faith to make this hurt less, but it doesn't." Our faith gave us an incredible amount of strength and encouragement while we had Hope, and we were comforted by the knowledge that she is in heaven. Our faith keeps us from being swallowed by despair. But I don't think it makes our loss hurt any less. Early on in my journey, I said to God, "Okay, if I have to go through this, then give me everything. Teach me everything you want to teach me through this. Don't let this incredible pain be wasted in my life!" God…allows good and bad into our lives and we can trust him with both.…Trusting God when the miracle does not come, when the urgent prayer gets no answer, when there is only darkness—this is the kind of faith God values most of all…. I believe that the purpose of Hope's short life, and my life, was and is to glorify God. Nancy Guthrie, Holding On to Hope (Tyndale, 2002); submitted by Gary Smith, Ft. Myers, Florida Knowing God is the source of our strength. Jesse Jackson said that growing up as a fatherless child in difficult surroundings in a little home in South Carolina he had one asset. He went to Sunday School. And there he heard his teacher tell about the great heroes of the Bible. He knew in his little heart that if God could use them in great ways, God could use Jesse, too. That was the greatest influence, he says, in the kind of man he grew up to be. Knowing God is also the source of our happiness and piece of mind. SERMON ILLUSTRATION "Love's Unfolding Dream": Faith Versus Cynicism The movie Love's Unfolding Dream is based upon a series of books by Janet Oke. In this scene Belinda (Scout Taylor-Compton), an aspiring doctor in the little Western town of Anderson's Corner, is caring for Ms. Stanfordsmythe, a wealthy stroke victim from Boston, Massachusetts. Belinda is unaware that Ms. Stanfordsmythe lost both of her children to death, and Ms. Standfordsmythe is unaware that Belinda lost her mother and father when she was just nine years old. The conversation that ensues shows the stark difference between Belinda's resilient faith and Ms. Stanfordsmythe's cynical doubt. "How ya' doing today, Ms. Stanfordsmythe?" Belinda asks. "How do you think I'm feeling—being forced to endure these primitive conditions?" she replies. "You know, we're not all uncivilized here," says Belinda. "Really? Did I somehow miss seeing the opera house or a good library or even a hat shop with the latest from Europe? No? I thought not!" "Anderson Corner has other things to offer," replies Belinda. "Such as?" "Good people, and a church that welcomes everybody—including strangers. We take care of each other in difficult times," says Belinda. "You've never even been outside this small town, have you?" asks Ms. Stanfordsmythe. "Actually, I was born in New York," replies Belinda. "I didn't come here till I was 14. So I do know a few things about the world outside. But I much prefer Anderson Corner." "You actually like it here!" "Compared to New York, it's heaven on earth!" says Belinda. "I'm gonna miss it terribly when I leave to study to be a doctor." "Well, there's a surprising ambition for a farm girl," says Ms. Stanfordsmythe. "I believe it's what God called me to do," says Belinda. "God? Ha! Don't put your trust in God, young woman. He is unconcerned with your ambitions!" "You don't mean that," Belinda insists. "The only thing you have to rely on in this world is yourself!" Ms. Stanfordsmythe insists. "It must be awful lonely believing in nothing but myself," Belinda replies. "When you've had a little experience with the harsh realities of life, you'll abandon that naive faith!" Ms. Stanfordsmythe fires back. "I've had a great deal experience of harsh reality. Without my faith, I expect I'd be much like you." Ms. Stanfordsmythe looks puzzled: "How's that?" "Very unhappy," Belinda replies. Elapsed time: DVD, scene 6; 00:26:08–00:27:46 Rated PG SERMON ILLUSTRATION Cynicism: Frostbite of the Soul In his book Please Don't Squeeze the Christian, Scott Sernau reflects on the danger of cynicism—especially in the life of believers who claim a "living hope." He writes: Cynicism kills in the manner of frostbite: the only symptom is a deadening numbness. And even Christians are often tinged with this frostbite. Callousness and doubt numb us to life and joy. We find ourselves leaving the triumphant lyrics of the old hymns on the church doorstep, because they appear hopelessly out of step with the world waiting outside. Our problem is not that we've been taught to question our faith, but rather that we've been taught to reject any answers. Doubt can be a state of mind—or it can be a way of life. Scott Sernau, Please Don't Squeeze the Christian (InterVarsity Press, 1987), p. 109; submitted by David Tinberg, Berwyn, Illinois Collected Sermons by King Duncan Where are you in this Biblical drama today? Is your faith winning or whining? Is there someone you need to forgive today? What is the source or your power that enables you to be faithful for the full journey? If you were to give yourself to Christ in a deeper and fuller way, would it diminish you or elevate you? Our lesson for today is that it is so important for us to be able to stay on faith street. And not to be tempted to take the doubter drive. To keep focused and to make sure that we trust God. God can make a difference. Our lesson in Hebrews 11 is about the power of faith. And it gives story after story in the bible of how faith made a difference in people’s lives. The first story that Hebrews mentions is the story of moses and the exodus. By faith they crossed the red sea as if they were on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried it they were drowned. This story was originally told in Exodus 14- we know the story of when moses went to Pharoah and said, let my people go. And as they went they went into the red sea. The Hebrews loved to tell stories, stories were their life. And how told the story was just as important as the story itself. In the Exodus 14 telling of the story, verses 21-29 frame a summarial story within the story, with verses 21 and 29 the bookends. Here is the ending of verse 21: “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Here is the ending of verse 29: “But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Did you hear the difference? Let me read the bookends again. Here is the ending of verse 21: “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Here is the ending of verse 29: “But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Now if we are just casually listening, those two sentences may sound the same. But they are vastly different. In the first sentence, the people walked in dry ground it says through the water. In other words for the people to get to dry ground they first had to walk through some water. As matter of fact, as they were walking, the probably got their feet wet as they walked through the sea. As they kept walking, the water went up to their ankles and the water kept rising. They probably kept walking until the water was up to the necks, and they did not know what they were going to do, and then all of a sudden the water started to part, and it started to recede on either side and there was a pathway to walk through. As a matter of fact, the second sentence says that the Hebrews walks on dry ground. You see God wanted everyone to be saved. But in order for that to happen, it took a group of faithful leaders who were willing to get wet, to the faith work. And then there were others who walked through on totally dry ground. In life, someone always has to go first, and then others will surely follow. Lee Eclov, Lake Forest, Illinois; source: Michael Hirsley, "Some Summit Meeting: 54 Conquer Everest," Chicago Tribune (5-17-02) Where are you in this story? Are you a leader or a follower? It doesn’t make a difference, because God is with both sets of people. But the author of the book of Hebrews reminds us of all of those who went before, to remind us that if they can do it then so can we. God is still in the faith business, and God needs us to have faith for our time. It was so important for me to go to Peoria to see Tracy become bishop. Tracy was in seminary with me – what 26 years ago. She said that she would be bishop back then. I would not have missed the moment that dream came into fruition for the world. Because if it is possible for her, what does God have in store for me. Watching her become a young African American women bishop means that anything is possible. On the night that Hillary Clinton was nominated for president, the glass ceiling was broken for girls all over the nation. Before that night, they could be anything they wanted except president. Today they can truly be anything – because they have seen it done before. If my great grandmother can do it, if my grandmother can do it, if my mother can do it, then so can I. If moses can do it, if Rahab can do it, if Gideon, if Jephthah can do it, if Samuel can do it, if David can do it, then so can I. I can stay on faith street. And light the way of faith for others. Let us pray….. Childrens Sermon Object: A big red "S" to hang on your chest (A cape would be nice, too.) Boys and girls, What is it that makes a hero? If I put this "S" on my chest and put a cape over my shoulders like Superman (woman), would that make me a hero? No, it's not what people wear that makes them heroes, is it? It is not even how big they are or how strong. A person is a hero when he or she is brave and good. A hero helps other people. A hero stands for the things that are right, even when other people are doing wrong. You know what? God wants every one of us to be heroes. And we can be. There were many heroes in the Bible. They usually were not great big or real strong. They didn't have super powers. They didn't wear an "S" on their chest or a cape. They only had one thing that made them heroes. They believed that God was with them, so they had the power to be brave and good. They could help other people and stand for the things that are right. You and I can be like that. All we have to do is believe that God is with us, too. God is still in the business of creating heroes today. Additional illustrations…….. SERMON ILLUSTRATION God Brings Out Our Best We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon to Esther to Mary. Jacob, one of my favorite characters, certainly wasn't qualified. He was a liar and a cheat; and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from earth to heaven. Madeleine L'Engle in Walking on Water. Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 8. The truth is mightier than eloquence, the Spirit greater than genius, faith more than education. Martin Luther, "Martin Luther--The Early Years," Christian History, no. 34. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Signs Follow Decisions In my experience, signs follow decisions. The way you overcome spiritual inertia and produce spiritual momentum is by making tough decisions. And the tougher the decision, the more potential momentum it will produce. The primary reason most of us don't see God moving is simply because we aren't moving. If you want to see God move, you need to make a move! I learned this lesson in dramatic fashion during the first year at National Community Church. We had been praying for a drummer to join our worship team for months, but I felt like I needed to put some feet on my faith, so I went out and bought a four-hundred-dollar drum set. It was a Field of Dreams moment: if you buy it, they will come. I bought the drum set on a Thursday. Our first drummer showed up the next Sunday. And he was good. He was actually part of the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. Rock and roll. I cannot promise that signs will follow your faith in three minutes or three hours or three days. But when you take a step of faith, signs will follow. God will sanctify your expectations, and you will begin to live your life with holy anticipation. You won't be able to wait to see what God is going to do next. Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase (Multnomah, 2008), pp. 32-33 [ read less ] [ read less ] ERMON ILLUSTRATION SERMON ILLUSTRATION Keeping Discouragement at Bay A man stopped to watch a Little League baseball game. He asked one of the youngsters what the score was. "We're losing 18-0," was the answer. "Well," said the man. "I must say you don't look discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy said, puzzled. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't come to bat yet." Stan Toler, God Has Never Failed Me, but He's Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Times (Honor Books, 1995) SERMON ILLUSTRATION Leaders and Followers at Mount Everest The summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal towers 29,035 feet above sea level. On May 29, 1953, two men were the first to reach its summit. Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary became famous for their accomplishment. By 1970, 24 climbers had reached the top. Since then, another 800 climbers have successfully made it to the summit more than 1,460 times. A record was set on May 16, 2002, when 54 people conquered Everest on the same day, with many more waiting below at base camps. One of them was Tashi Wangchuik Tenzing, 37, the grandson of Edmund Hillary's Sherpa guide in 1953. Hillary's own son, Peter, was with one of the teams waiting to ascend. [ read less ] Save "Leaders and Followers at Mount Everest" Related Topics: