Know Your Role Series

LIVING STONES (6) GOD’S GAME PLAN

MARK 2:1-5

We are in week 6 of our

Capital Campaign emphasis “Living Stones”

and we’re getting close to the finish line –

or as Darryl Schmidt likes to call it: The starting line!

Over the past 5 weeks I’ve been trying to

give you some tools to help you make a decision

about the commitment we’ve challenged you to make

on a 3 or 4 year pledge to support

the relocation of our church facilities

to our new property just down the road on Hefner

We’ve talked about what it means to be faithful

Why it’s so important that we realize

That God’s ultimate purpose for our lives

and this church is eternal in nature!

We talked about commitment:

How we make it and what it requires

as well as what it produces

Then, last week we talked about Thanksgiving –

How our appreciation for all of God’s blessings in our life

ought to overflow into our commitment

to further God’s Kingdom

This morning I want to talk about the trap

that would be so easy for us to fall into

over the next few years

Because as I’ve told you before:

The temptation will always be strong

to turn our focus and attention onto ourselves

instead of on those God wants us to passionately pursue

You see, we can build all the buildings

and construct the best facilities in the world,

but if we fail to reach those

who are lost and hurting for Christ,

then we fail as a church

And will have failed to turn our thanksgiving into action

and will have failed to bring glory to His name

Speaking of Thanksgiving . . . Let’s take a little poll

How many of you had

a nice Thanksgiving with your family?

How many of you: Ate turkey? Didn’t eat turkey?

Watched football? Put up Christmas Decorations?

Went shopping?

I don’t know about you,

but one of my favorite times during Thanksgiving

is about an hour after we’ve eaten dinner,

I’m in about my 5th hour of football.

Christine will come in and lay down beside me

on the couch and dose

It’s just one of those moments that I always think of

when I think about Thanksgiving

Now, I guess, this Thanksgiving,

at some point during the game,

I must have dosed off too and started dreaming

And I know I was dreaming

because it was the Super Bowl

and the Dallas Cowboys were in it! (pic)

Well, in this dream, the SB was about to start (pic)

They had sung the National Anthem,

the fighter jets had flown over,

the fireworks had gone off

and the captains of each team

came running out onto the field for the coin toss

The cowboys won and lined up to receive the kick. (pic)

Unfortunately, when the Cowboy’s

kick returner caught the ball,

he was immediately clobbered by the other team! (pic)

All 11 of them at the same time!

The Special Teams coach comes running onto the field

and says to his guys: What just happened out there?

Nobody blocked! Why didn’t you block?

You almost got our guy killed!

Well a 180 lb receiver says: (pic)

Coach, I’m not giving up my body for him!

He’s just a special Teams guy

A 250 lb TE says: I don’t like being on special teams. (pic)

Offense is MY specialty!

One of the reserve running backs says: (pic)

He’s not worth blocking for – He lost 5 yards!

The quarterback interrupts and says: (pic)

Never mind coach – The offense can handle it! –

And onto the field they ran

First offensive play of the game,

the offense goes out to the huddle, (pic)

the Offensive Coordinator signals in a run a play

But 40 seconds later,

they’re all still standing there in the huddle

The referee throws his yellow flag, (pic)

calls a penalty for delay of game

and moves them back 5 yards

The coach is standing on the sidelines like: (pic)

What is going on?

He sends in the next play – same thing happens

Penalty flags and 5 more yards! (pic)

After 3 plays, they’re backed all the way up

against their own goal line

The OC signals for a timeout and runs onto the field(pic)

He calls the offense over and says: (pic)

What’s going on out here?

I sent in a simple run play

And you guys haven’t even snapped the ball yet!

Finally, the lead receiver speaks up:

I’ll tell you what’s wrong:

I don’t want a run play!

I say we pass the ball every time!

A 300 pound tackle interrupts:

I’m tired of blocking - I want to run the ball for once!

The full back says: On my other team

we didn’t do it this way