Perfecting The Victory Dance

Perfecting the Victory Dance

Keys to Being a Winner

1/29/03

I. Introduction

Muhammad Ali today is called the greatest. However, it hasn’t always been that way. He became the greatest in the eyes of the world over the last 40 years. Muhammad Ali used to “float like a butterfly” and “sting like a bee”. He dazzled crowds with his amazing ability to dodge a punch while he used a very unconventional style, with hands held low, as he bobbed and weaved. Ali won the heavyweight title on February 25th, 1964 from Sonny Liston. Ali was a 7-1 underdog and 43 out of 46 major press writers picked him to lose. You see nobody really believed that he could be a champion. Nevertheless, he defeated Sonny Liston to become the Heavy Weight Champion of the world. Well on his way to becoming the greatest, Ali lost his title and then won it back in perhaps the greatest Heavy Weight fight of all time, the “Rumble in the Jungle”, against the champion George Foreman. Ali played what came to be known as the “rope a dope”. Ali covered up and let the heavy hitter, George Foreman, tire himself out throwing punches, then when Foreman was exhausted, Ali knocked him out. Now he became known as “Americas Champion” and some called him the greatest. Ali then lost his title to Leon Spinks and later regained it after beating Spinks by unanimous decision. Now, he had become the only Heavy Weight boxer to win the title three times and many called him the greatest.

Tonight, I’m going to share some important keys to being a winner that will be sure to send you on your way to being the greatest.

II. What Is Victory?

Victory- n. Greek- Nike- the winning of a battle, war, or any struggle

Overcome-v. Greek- Nikeo- to conquer; to carry off the victory, come off victorious

If you’ve ever played on any sports team, and your team won the game, then you overcame your opponent, and you were victorious. In any kind of game or match that you’ve been in, be it a chess game, a tennis match, a 2 player video game, or a Boxing match, whatever it is that involves competition, and you came out on the winning side. Then, you had a Nike. You had a victory.

Well, what if you’ve never won anything. You’ve never won a door prize. Your name has never been called on the intercom because you won this week’s coloring contest. You’ve never won a card game. You’ve never beaten your little brothers and sisters at Charades. You’ve never won the 40 yard dash in P.E. class. You surely haven’t won an argument with your parents. You may have never won an argument with your dog. Regardless of what it is that you think makes you a loser, by the end of the night, you’ll be feeling like a winner, because you are one.

Drama Team get ready.

Let’s look at one young man’s story of how he went from defeat to victory in one day. Let’s watch “Frenchie’s Last Stand.”

Drama Time- Frenchie’s Last Stand

III. You Are a Winner

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”

1 John 5:4,5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

The very fact that you are a Christian; that you believe Jesus is the Son of God; that you are born of God; that you have faith; that you are in Christ, makes you a winner. The Message says this, “The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.” According to the Bible, you are guaranteed the victory. God always causes us to triumph in Christ. I love the word always. It doesn’t leave any room for exceptions. God always (at all times, in every situation, through every circumstance, in good times and tough times, when it seems like you ain’t gonna make it, when it seems like you’re on top of the world) causes you to triumph.

I’d say that we are all champions in God’s book, wouldn’t you think? I mean, there’s no way we can lose. If God is for us, then who can be against us?

Let’s move on. I just want to share some things with all of you winners, since we now know that we’re all winners, right? I just want to share some characteristics of a winner that will help shape you into the winner you were meant to be.