Keep in the Game
Scripture: 2 Timothy 4: 2-4
Purpose: To share that we need to hear the word of God and not what our itching ears desire. We need to get into the game get off the bench.
I love this time of year. It is a time in which life seems to be busting at the seams. The flowers and trees are blooming and the grass is turning that mesmerizing green that we have been so long without. All around us we see God’s beauty.
This is the time of the year we have family gatherings and cookouts. And this is also the time of year for Baseball.
Illustration: Tommy Lasorda once said "There are three types of base players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens." And I would say that’s true of the Christian life as well. We need to decide, which kind of player are we?
Illustration: "Most ballgames are lost by lack of genuine effort. Many things in life are lost just because we don’t do anything about them. Doing nothing will accomplish nothing.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 3 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
*RELEASE CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN’S CHURCH*
In our Scripture this morning, we read a warning if you will from Paul to Timothy. This is Paul’s attempt to let timothy know how very important it is that he stands faithful with the Word of God. That he needs to stay in the game. The importance is still here today! I believe that we too need to stand up , get into the game. Paul writes, “the time will come”. And as I look around us in today’s world I see that that time is now.
This is the time for us as Christians to decide. We need to decide, are we going to be a benchwarmer or are we going to get into the game? Are we going to be a Softball Christian or a Hard Hitting, Home Running, Cracker Jack Christian?
We have sat on the bench for far too long, we have only been a spectator and have not been a key player. The game of baseball has many jargons that go along with the sport. I have found three that I believe we can take in and gain a lesson from this morning that will inspire us to “Keep in the Game.” First, in order to “Keep in the Game”, we need to ….
I. KEEP THEM OFF THE BOARD
A. In baseball this means to keep a team from scoring, and off the scoreboard. As Christians, we need to keep the enemy, (Satan and his demons), from scoring on us.
1. I cannot tell you how many times I have failed in this area of the game.
2. Every time I feel guilty because of how I acted in certain situations, I allowed the enemy to score, Every time I doubt my calling as a pastor, I allow the enemy to score, Every time I allow my flesh to take control and I lose my Christian bearing, I allow the enemy to score.
3. Bad days in life happen don’t they? But how we react to those bad days is really what is important in this game.
VIDEO: “Bad Day”
- Ephesians 4:26-27 In your anger do not sin, Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
4. We all have bad days in life. We get angry, we say something that we regret, or do something that we wish we never did. God offers us forgiveness and a brand new start.
5. It is so very easy for us to score one for the other team. We need to keep them off the board and we also need to…..
II. KEEP THE HITTER HONEST
A. In the game of baseball this mean throwing a brush back pitch to keep the batter from leaning over the plate to reach a pitch on the outer part of the plate. As Christians, we need to hold one another accountable in our Christian walk.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Illustration: Have you ever tried mowing a lawn with dull blades? It doesn’t work too well, and the more you try to do it, the more frustrated you become with the mower.
Every spring the church needs to do maintenance on the mower. One major part of that maintenance is to sharpen the blades. As the blades are sharpened, the nicks, dents, and small cracks that keep the blade from being effective are taken out. The blades become sharpened and useful in doing what they were made to do.
1. Likewise, we have a purpose, a job to do as well. We are to praise, worship, and serve God with our lives and if we are unable to do this effectively, don’t you think this may be frustrating for God?
2. You see, God wants to use each of us in a powerful way, we has “Mowing jobs” for each of us to do. But we need to stay sharp; we need to be ready do to His will. We all need maintenance.
3. We are to help sharpen one another. We encourage and build up each other in this game of life, keeping each other sharp and useful for Jesus.
4. And in the process of doing so, we help take away from one another, the dents, nicks, and cracks in our lives that hold us back from being effective for our Lord and Savior.
B. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 3 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and ENCOURAGE—with great patience and careful instruction.
1. Notice in this passage, the word ENCOURAGE. I believe we miss this powerful 9 letter word many times in our relationships.
2. We not here to beat up on one another. To point put our failings, to point out the things that are keeping us dull and ineffective for Christ. We are here to ENCOURAGE and to BUILD UP.
3. In what way does beating one another up, verbally or emotionally help the Kingdom of God? How does this glorify Jesus? In what way is it Christ Like?
4. We need to see one another as God sees us. God doesn’t wish for us to fail. He doesn’t want us to feel hurt and see us mess up time and time again. God wants us to be ENCOURAGED and to continue serving Him.
5. God wants to use us to help others, not to tear down but to ENCOURAGE and BUILD UP.
6. I have failed time and time again in this area but I know that I can’t do it alone and you can’t do it alone either. We need to be BUILDING each other up, we need to an ENCOURAGEMENT to one another and we need to be praying for one another.
7. We need to realize that serving God isn’t about us. It’s about God and sharing His Love. In this game we need to ……
III. KEEP THE LINE MOVING
A. In baseball, this is a reference to a series of batters getting on base safely and advancing runners on base, alluding to an assembly line. As Christians, we need to keep a steady line moving to Christ through evangelizing.
1. In baseball, if you are not doing you part, if you’re not swinging, if you’re not stepping up to the plate; you’re doing no one any good.
2. Likewise as Christians, we need to realize that sitting on the bench and being a spectator may be entertaining and comfortable but we have a coach and He is calling each of us into the game.
3. His desire is that we step up to the plate and keep the line moving. If we aren’t in the game, then what good are we? If no one is trying, if no one is swinging, then no one moves forward.
4. Illustration: In baseball practices are a must. Hours and hours are spent in the batting cages. Baseball player realize the importance of hitting a good ball. They know that it takes practice in order to achieve the goal of making it home helping their team mates get there as well.
If they miss practices from time to time, if they miss their weight training, if they miss out on spring training; well, they really hinder their goal. The goal in baseball is to score as many runs as possible before the game is over.
5. What is the Christians goal? Is our goal simply to make it home at the end of this game? Or is it to not only to make it home but help get as many as we can home as well?
6. Last week I shared with you the importance of serving the Lord at all times, the importance of not taking a vacation from God.
7. Just like a baseball player, we need to stay in shape, we need to practice and stay sharp in order to hit those home runs.
8. Just as our Scripture tells us this morning, we need “to be prepared in season and out of season”. And there is only one way we can stay prepared.
B. Training is vitally important for each of us in order to do His will.
Illustration: I can remember a time back when I was in High school. It was a beautiful spring day and I really wanted to play a game of tennis. All of my friends were either busy or gone. That day for whatever reason and I just couldn’t stop thinking about getting outside and playing.
My father was home that day and after calling everyone I could think of, I finally asked Dad if he wanted to play. He told me sure, he’d play a game with me but he hadn’t played in years and was really out of shape, so he asked if I could take it easy on him.
I was so happy that I had someone to finally play a game of tennis with me. We began to volley the ball back and forth and I hit a perfect ball right into dad’s right rear corner of the court. He dove for the ball, missed it, and landed on his hand. Dad dislocated his pinky on his right hand. Game was over!
1. This is what happens to us as well, you see, when we go so long without practice, without showing up to church, without spending time in God’s word, we lose our edge and become ineffective as players, ineffective serving God.
2. We need to discipline ourselves in making it to church, in praying each day, in our Bible Study because if we’re not training ourselves, if we’re not making it to practice; then how can we effectively serve God as he calls each of us to do?
Conclusion:
My senior year of High School I joined the soccer team. I had never played soccer ever in my life but I was curious about it as this was the first year my school had a team.
I made it to the first few practices and realized that the game of soccer was a tough and tiring game. It took more than I realized it would. I slowly began skipping practice here and there until I finally quit. I just stopped showing up.
3. Perhaps you may find yourself in my soccer story as well? Maybe when you gave your life to Jesus, you had no idea how tiring and tough it would be.
4. It has been easy for you to skip here and there and maybe you are on the sidelines contemplating quitting the whole thing. You may think to yourself that it is just too hard to continue and moving forward is never going to happen for you let alone for anyone else you try to help, so what not just stop the whole game?
5. The Christian life has never been promised to be an easy one. It has been said that if you are not getting attacked on a daily basis by the enemy then maybe you need to get on your knees and pray because if the enemy isn’t bothering you, then you are not doing anything for God.
6. Our coach is calling to us. He wants us to get off the bench and step up to the plate. It is time that we get into the Game!
“Are you in the game or are you a bench warmer?”
