Get In The Game
“The Believer’s End-zone”
Good morning and thank you for choosing to worship with us today here at Central.
It is our desire that you enjoy the warmth and fellowship of the people of God, that you have a life changing experience with God, and that you discover the plan He has for your life.
Let’s make our profession together, this is my bible, God’s holy word, it is a lamp …
*VIDEO*
Today will be the last Sunday of our “Get in the Game” theme, and we want to focus on the end zone.
For the life of the believer, the end zone is heaven.
In our focus today, we want to look at things that will hinder us from reaching the end zone.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Philippians 3:4-14 NIV
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
What is a goal?
A goal is something we work toward or an objective we have in our mind.
The members of a football team are concerned about moving the football into the end-zone, or through the “H” shaped poles.
Their goal is to cross the goal line and score points.
The objective of goal of each teem member is to win.
Many times young people graduating from high school are asked the question: “What are your goals?”
Some may say, “My goal is to be a doctor, or lawyer, or nurse, etc.”
Another might say, “My goal is to go to college so that I can be a teacher.”
Whatever a person desires to do with their life is their goal.
The apostle Paul had goals in life. He was the son of a Pharisee.
He was born a Jew and he was raised in the Jewish faith.
He was taught by Gamail, one of the leading scholars of that day.
His credentials were the best that anyone of his day could possible desire.
Paul was proud of his heritage.
While a great heritage is and can be a wonderful thing, a heritage is based upon what someone else has done.
It is based on another’s goals and how they accomplished them.
Paul’s heritage carried great respect in the man’s eyes, but God asked him, “Why do you persecute me?” His goals did not include a personal relationship with the Lord.
What are your goals, and do they include the Lord?
You can all say, “HEAVEN,” and that is wonderful, but what are you doing to make sure that you accomplish your goal of Heaven?
This morning, I want to look at some things that will hinder us from obtaining our goal, “Heaven.”
The first this that will hinder us from heaven is …
1. SIDELINE’S: “Boundaries”
Let’s look at a football field it has boundaries.
Area of play: 120 x 53 1/3 yds.
Each end-zone is: 10 yds. deep.
Goal posts are: 18’6’’ wide.
The game must be played within the boundaries.
If you just step on the line you are considered out of bounds and the play is over. You cannot progress.
If you catch a pass, both feet must stay in bounds for it to count.
There is no lee-way in this.
God has given us boundaries in life; they are called the Ten Commandments.
We cannot violate God’s law in any way and stay in bounds.
I was floored this past Thursday night as I watched Nightline after the 10:00 news.
The discussion was about adultery. “BORN TO CHEAT”
There was the commentator, an adulteress, a man who provides a website for adultery, a man who was a former sex addict, and Ed Young Jr.
• The woman said that if it was not done in secret, it was not adultery.
• The man who provided the website said that it was just a money making business and that he was not a part of adultery.
• I was proud of Ed Young Jr. for taking a stance against sin and not backing down.
• If you watched, you would have seen that the view of the crowd was clearly in unity that it was adultery.
The woman asked Ed Young, “so you say what I do is sin and I am going to hell because that’s you opinion.
He told her, that is not what I say, that’s what the Bible says.
Many people today think that just because they consider themselves good people and they live good and acceptable lives according to worldly standards they have reached their goal in life.
Paul had more in the flesh than most of us, but after he saw the light, he realized he had not reached the goal God intended him to reach.
I feel that the greatest reason that this world is so confused, there is so much hatred, terrorist acts, economic crises, divorce, disease, and immorality is because God’s law has been violated, diluted, and considered by many to be mere suggestions and not law.
There are a lot of people who will attain monumental goals that they have set for themselves in life, but they will be left feeling void, empty, and isolated because they went out of bounds.
• What you do will not count unless you remain in bounds.
• Everything they have has been given to them by the Lord.
• Every breath of life has given been a gift by the grace of God.
• All of our possessions are a gift from God.
We must stay within the boundaries God has set before us.
Not only will going out of bounds make you loose your goal, but
2. PENALTIES & TURNOVERS: Hindrances
Galatians 5:7 KJV
Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Our boundaries are the Commandments of the Lord, but those who violate those boundaries/commandments will be penalized.
I watched a football game recently where the ball was kicked off and the receiving team caught it on the 2 yard line and ran it 98 yards downfield for a touchdown, only to have it called back because of a holding penalty.
They had to start over on the one yard line.
All of the blocking, running, and points scored were for nothing.
Someone broke a rule.
They still received possession of the ball but reaching the goal was not accomplished.
That’s like where Paul said, (1 Corinthians 9:26) “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.”
What is Paul saying here?
He is saying, I am not running this race like a man who is shadow boxing. You might work up a sweat and wear yourself out, but you are going nowhere.
It is not enough to begin strong, but we must end strong.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
How many times have you watched a game and saw it end with a turnover?
This past Sunday as the Texans played the Titans, the chance of winning for the Titans fleeted away because of a turnover.
Although turnovers can seem fatal, they are not final.
Simon Peter had an insurmountable turnover when he denied Christ.
He lost all hope and returned back to his old profession, fishing.
He thought that he was through and he would never have another opportunity to get in the game.
Even though we may be penalized at times and may even experience a turnover, we are not out of the game.
Simon Peter got back in the game and became a great voice for the Lord and he finished strong.
As long as there is still time on the clock, we can get in the game.
Things that will hinder us from our goal/heaven are sidelines, penalties & turnovers, and last is …
3. Time Management: Making time for God in our lives.
If you are a Houston football fan, who will forget the 2000 Superbowl.
Down 16-0 in the third quarter the Tennessee Titans came back to tie the game with the Rams at 16 even.
Kurt Warner led the Rams to a touchdown and the Titans got the ball back with 1:52 left on the clock.
Time management was of the essence.
Steve “Air” McNair led the Titans on a daring drive down the field to the Rams 10 yard line with 6 seconds left on the clock.
With no timeouts, McNair attempted a quick pass to a slanting Dyson, who caught the ball in stride at the Rams’ 3.
However, the Rams defense stepped up to tackle Dyson at the 1-yardline as time expired.
If they would have had enough time for just one more play they could have reached their goal.
How are you doing with your time management?
• Are you making time for the Lord?
• Are you making time to read Your playbook, the Bible?
• Are you making time for prayer?
• Are you making time to worship Him?
• How we manage out time for the Lord says a lot about our relationship with Him.
These things here in this life are but a fleeting event, yet it seems as though we take more time living our life than making our lives count for something eternal.
Run in such a way as to get the prize, we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Only one life, soon it will pass, only what’s done for Christ will last, only one chance to do His will, so live for Jesus all your days, it’s the only life that pays, when you recall you have but one life.
