Made For A Mission Stay On Course Series

Made For A Mission—Stay On Course

2/3/2007 2 Samuel 7:8-7:22 2 Timothy 2:1-15

Today the New York Giants and The New England Patriots are on a mission to win the NFL’s greatest prize which is the Superbowl. This is the game all the NFL teams try so hard to reach. In the last game of the season, several of the teams who had already made the playoffs, took some of their best players out of the game to rest them up for the playoffs. Interesting enough, the teams that took that strategy loss in the early rounds of the playoffs.

Instead of giving all their best to the very end of the regular season, they lost their momentum of that desiring to win, They thought a loss was not going to matter since they were already in the playoffs. But in taking some time off, they lost something. They got off course and paid a penalty for it. New England is coming into the SuperBowl with an undefeated season and no team has ever won 18 straight games as they have in a single season. New York would like nothing more than to spoil New England’s perfect record.

God has you on a mission for a perfect winning season in 2008. Satan would like nothing better than to turn your season into a disaster and humiliating experience with a stinging defeat. Let me introduce you to someone who was a little known nobody whom God uplifted and moved him to the top of his game. If he had been a rapper it would have been like going from singing in the fellowship hall, to having platinum selling cd’s in a few short months.

If he had been a basketball player, it would have been like going from the bench in high school straight to MVP of the NBA in the first year, and if he had of been an businessman it would have been like opening his business one month and having made a profit of ½ million dollars in just two years.

This guy had been a shepherd boy on the backside of a hill, and nobody expected too much out of him. But God saw something in his heart that God could use. Even before he knew what was going on, God had Samuel anoint this young boy as the future king. God set him on a mission. His name was David.

David started as a young boy who offered to fight a giant. Nobody believed he could succeed but him and God. David quickly rose through the military ranks and became a General and leader of the entire army. God gave him victory after victory after victory. Later with the death of King Saul, David became the king.

Once again he had a string of military victories. None of his enemies could stand against him. David knew his strength came from God. David had wanted to build a temple for God, but God told the prophet to tell David, “no, you are not the one to do it, but your son will build it.”

David was so overwhelmed with the goodness of God, that he said “ Samuel 7:18-19 (NIV) "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

After this prayer, David understood he had been made for a mission, which was to bring glory and honor to this awesome God who was at work in his life. In chapter 8 of the book of 2 Samuel, we find more victories the Lord gives to David against some overwhelming forces. In chapter 9 we find David on a mission of showing kindness and forgiveness. In chapter 10 we find David on a mission once again in battle against armies that are far larger than his own. But because of the hand of his God, his enemies are defeated and totally destroyed. As a ruler and as a leader, David is at the top of his game. There is no one on the horizon who seems to be able to take him down.

One of the greatest mistakes we can make, is to think, “I got it altogether, nobody can take me down.” That feeling and that thought never comes from God. It is always a lie from Satan. God tells us to be watchful and to pray. Why, because we find in 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

In tonight’s Superbowl game, neither team has the sole strategy of’ we’re just going to go out there and keep hitting them until they fall out or we fall out. No there will be people in booths looking over the opposing team trying to find a weakness they can exploit. They will both have plans for deception to make you think, they’re doing one thing, when in reality they are doing something else, but you won’t recognize it, until it’s too late.