“March Madness”
Pt. 2 – Triple Threat
I. Introduction
Hello my name is Steve and I am a basketball fanatic. Like I told you last week, this is my favorite time of the year because March Madness means basketball everyday all day!
We started this series last week by dealing with Foul Truth. I want to remind you what we discussed.
1. You will be fouled and you will foul – expect contact.
2. How you react after a foul is absolutely crucial!
a. Deny it.
b. Get mad and then try to get even. (Alabama gunman had a list of
those who had done him wrong!)
c. The third reaction is to get fouled and quit.
d. The fourth reaction is that you can get fouled and you can finish
the play.
3. You can foul out! (Did you mark anyone this week? Maybe one day I will talk to you about how to identify wolves in sheep’s clothing so you will know who to mark!)
4. You will most likely need a ref!
Finally, I posed a question to you that I hope you have been chewing on and thinking about all week. Based out of 2 Corinthians 5, how will you regard people? After the flesh or after the spirit? What if your destiny is wrapped up in the person who fouled you, hurt your or repels you?
Today I want to talk to you about another aspect of basketball that has implications for us in life and in our Christian walk. I want to talk to you about fundamentals. Unfortunately, talking about fundamentals isn’t real glamorous or sexy. We feel like this about the fundamentals.
We view fundamentals as just practice. It is the boring day in day out stuff that doesn’t really matter.
One researcher by the name of Ericsson notes, "Elite performers in many diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly the same amount every day, including weekends."
Evidence crosses a remarkable range of fields. In a study of 20-year-old violinists by Ericsson and colleagues, the best group (judged by conservatory teachers) averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over their lives; the next-best averaged 7,500 hours; and the next, 5,000.
Practice is crucial for us to perform. I want to remind you that any coach will tell you that the lack of attention to fundamentals may not show up or hurt you in the short term, but ultimately that lack of attention will be exposed and cause you to lose.
In other words, there are fundamentals that must be brushed up on constantly. It doesn’t matter how professional or skilled you become. You must constantly revisit the basics and stay proficient in them.
So let’s talk about one of the most fundamental things you ever learn in basketball. The triple threat position is basic basketball. It is in fact, one of the first things you ever learn in basketball. What is the triple threat position? (Have Tal demonstrate). It is called the triple threat position because from this position you can do three things. You can pass, you can dribble, or you can shoot.
It is when you master these three fundamentals that you are a formidable opponent on the court. It takes all three elements to be complete. If all you can do is shoot, then I will guard you and keep you from shooting. If all you can do is pass, I won’t worry about your shot and I will lay off of you and play the passing lanes. If all you can do is dribble, then you are stuck for sure and you will be ineffective. It is when someone has developed proficiency in all 3 areas (passing, dribbling, and shooting) that they are next to impossible to stop, contain, or guard.
Most of the time, when you begin to talk about the fundamentals of Christianity, we look to Jesus’ teachings that we call the Sermon on the Mount and rightfully so. In this masterpiece of a sermon, Jesus deals with basic kingdom principles. He is basically teaching us how we are to live now that we are a part of God’s kingdom. I want to review Matthew 6, but I want to examine it a little bit differently this morning. I want us to look at the triple threat position that is revealed in Jesus’ teaching!
Jesus, in Matthew 6, deals with 3 areas that if incorporated into our daily walk would make us tough to handle.
Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18
1"Be careful not to do your ’acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Notice, if you will, that Jesus deals with 3 “when” areas in our lives. He is making the assumption that we will be doing these three things. Why, because He recognizes that these 3 things are fundamental to our walk. He is saying I expect you to do these three things on a regular basis so, let me give you some instructions on how to do it and not to do it. He is saying don’t think of yourself as some great, super spiritual, giant of a Christian if you do these things. They are fundamental.
I wonder how many of us approach these three areas as if and not when. If I give, if I pray, and if I fast. Practice man, we are talking about practice. Not the game. I will give, I will pray, I will fast when the lights are on and the crowd is gathered. Too many of us fail to be a threat because we are trying to live on ifs rather than whens!
The triple threat that Jesus reveals that makes us a threat to the enemy is giving, praying, and fasting! He knew that if we would combine giving hearts, with praying hearts, and fasting bodies we would be dangerous to the enemy. This is not glamorous material. Basics, but essential for victory. So let’s look at each element of this triple threat for just a moment.
I. Giving
We know the old saying “You can’t out give God.” My question is, “when was the last time you tried?” Jesus assumed that we would be the kind of people that would be so marked by generosity that he had better give us some instructions on how to give. His instructions on how to give are important, but to me what is even more important is the assumption or expectations that his followers would be generous! Jesus knows that in order for us to be a threat to the opposition we must be willing to give.
Paul picks up on this concept in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 when he says this:
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."] 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
You will be made rich so that you can be made generous! So my question is “are you a threat to be generous?”
Jesus’ instructions about giving are very simple and straightforward.
A. Give, but don’t make a show of giving.
We are not to give to get our name on a plaque or on a chair. In fact, Jesus says if we give that way we have already received our reward and we aren’t a threat to the enemy. Instead, we are supposed to give without any hope of recognition or acknowledgement.
But that means the people we give too may not say thank you. Would you rather them say thank you or God?
Being a threat to give is all about attitude and generosity!
Proverbs 11:24-25
24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
I like the way it reads in the message:
24 The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. 25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.
So when? When was the last time you were generous? Did you give for show? We want to be obedient in every area until it hits our wallet! God make us generous.
II. Praying
Again, Jesus makes an assumption. He assumes that we will be a people marked by the discipline of prayer. In fact, he makes the assumption here that not only will we pray, but that we will pray on a consistent and regular basis. He teaches us some things about this element of the triple threat that I want to mention.
A. Your private prayer is more important than your public prayer.
If we are not careful the only time we really pray is when we are in public. We make a show of it. Jesus calls the people who only pray during the public setting the dreaded “H” word. Hypocrites.
Jesus wasn’t and isn’t impressed by those who can pray the eloquent, grand, flowing prayers when the lights are on. He is looking for folks who will get by themselves in the car, in the kitchen, in the park and simply dialogue with the Father. That is the show stopper for Jesus.
B. The number of words is not what that matters.
Prayer is supposed to be a dialogue. “Dia” meaning two. In other, words God isn’t impressed by how many words we can say. Have you ever set by someone who prays so many words that you wonder if God can get in
a word edge wise?
The number of words you pray doesn’t get God’s attention. What gets His attention is the time you spend in His presence talking and listening. I don’t believe there is a magic formula for how long. I just think He longs for time with us! In fact, the model prayer that he gives for us in the verses that follow his assertion that we should pray is a prayer that can be prayed in less than 3 minutes! It is the listening that takes longer!
I was reading a practice guide for basketball and one of the pointers listed is that when you are practicing shooting you should Set goals based on number of shots (or makes), NOT time!
You could literally practice for an entire hour and only take 100 shots. That’s not enough and you might be neglecting certain types of shots that are important. If you just go to the gym with the idea that you’ll shoot for an hour, then you’ll discover that you waste a lot of time dribbling around. You just don’t get in a good workout.
So, with that advice in mind I suggest that you quit worrying about the amount of time you spend or don’t spend in prayer. Give more attention to how you spend your time praying! The goal is not time, it is contact and dialogue!
C. When you pray – not when Pastor prays for you!
When you pray! Not when your pastor prays for you. Jesus is stressing to us that we must each take responsibility and ownership of our own prayer life. It isn’t enough and in my opinion doesn’t really count just to come to church each week and hear someone else pray and consider that as your prayer life. I agreed with what they prayed so that counts. No, when you pray! Pray often. Pray intimately (our father). Pray persistently.
Unless we pray we are not His people because He expected His people to pray!
III. Fasting
Again, Jesus makes as assumption that his followers will fast. Fasting is the dirty “F” word! Isn’t it crazy that you can get so engaged in work that you can miss a meal and never stop and think about it? Yet, when we call it a fast we begin to feel like we are starving. If there was ever an indication that fasting isn’t about food this is it. It is a spiritual issue.
Fasting in the Bible is directly used for during 6 times:
a. Fasting occurred during a war. In Judges 20:26, Israel fasted at Bethel in the war against Benjamin.
b. Secondly, fasting occurred during sickness. When David’s infant son was sick unto death, David fasted and wept for his dying son, II Samuel 12:16.
c. Fasting was connected with times of repentance. In Nehemiah 9, when the people heard the Word of God and repented of their sin—when Ezra had read them the law—it says they fasted in penitence.
d. Fourthly, fasting occurred in times of danger. In II Chronicles 20:3, Jehoshaphat fasted when he was threatened by Edom.
e. Fifthly, fasting occurred during times of revelation. There’s an illustration in Daniel 9 and an illustration in Exodus 34 where Daniel, on one occasion, and Moses, on another occasion, both fasted after and before receiving God’s revelation.
f. Sixth, spiritual warfare. Jesus says that there are spiritual battles that are only won by prayer and fasting.
So if we don’t fast then we are not prepared to fight wars or handle sickness. Without fasting we don’t remain in an attitude of repentance. Without fasting we are unprepared for danger. Without fasting we don’t hear/see as well so we miss revelation. Without fasting we have no power for spiritual warfare. Fasting covers just about every season of our lives. Maybe that is why Jesus said, “When we fast!” He knew we would need to spend time fasting!
Fasting causes us to have focus! Fasting reveals what controls us! Jesus fasted before he faced the public. Perhaps the reason we aren’t equipped to face the public is because we haven’t fasted! To be a disciple requires discipline.
Jesus was very clear that he assumes that we will fast!
I want to remind you of a word that was given to us earlier this year.
Remember John Chasteen said,
“I am calling you to join with me in the carving process. I call you, this year, to renew in your "spiritual disciplines "so that your passion can be known to all and that you can follow me in the process. Your commitment to the "spiritual disciplines" of the faith will not gain you points with me, but rather they will place you in a position to assist Me as I carve out the niche. So I call you to a year of learning, rediscovering, and practicing "spiritual disciplines," not out of legalism, but out of love and devotion for Me. “
We have a decision to make as a body. Will we be a threat or not? Are we an easy guard? Are we the mismatch on the floor? We must master the triple threat. We may give, but we don’t fast or pray. We may pray, but we refuse to give and fast. Or we fast, but we don’t couple that with prayer and giving. Therefore, we are easily guarded and prevented from scoring!
What is done in secret – practice will be rewarded openly.
Illustrate position with Tal. Quick to the pocket, quick to pray, quick to fast.
