How many of you are watching the baseball playoffs this week? It's that time of year when the Division winners and wildcard teams are vying for the World Series. Now most of you know that I’m a big baseball fan of the Atlanta Braves and have been since 1966 when the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. But I follow all the baseball action most of the season.
Judy and I were in San Francisco last week and the talk of the town was the San Francisco Giants. They were playing in a wildcard game on Wednesday night against the Mets. Now a wildcard game is a one-game playoff of sorts to see if the Giants would go to the division series.
They won the game on Wednesday and now they are playing the Chicago Cubs for a chance to go on to the League Championship Series against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Washington Nationals. The winner of that championship series goes on to play in the World Series against the American League winner.
Baseball is an interesting game. There is a lot of strategy that goes on behind the scenes as the managers, coaches and players decide what pitches to throw, what defensive alignment to use, and who is going to cover what base in case the ball is hit.
But what is unique about the game of baseball is that it is a game where even the best players fail more often than they succeed.
For instance, the best hitters in baseball have a batting average of around .300. And you might say, well, if the best hitters in baseball hit .300, then that must be pretty good.
But what that really means is that the best hitters only get a hit about 3 out of every 10 times at bat. Ty Cobb, the best hitter ever to play the game, had a .366 lifetime batting average. What that means is that Ty Cobb either struck out or hit into an out about 6 or 7 times for every 10 at bats. In other words, Ty Cobb failed as a hitter more than he succeeded. And so have all the good hitters ever to play the game. They fail more than they succeed.
Have you ever felt that way as a Christian? Have you ever felt like you were failing in your Christian life more often than you were doing the right thing? I certainly feel that way a lot. And many folks I talk with feel the same. It’s the thing many Christians struggle with the most.
So what do we do when we feel like we are failing in our walk with God? Don't we try to work harder to do what's right? We tell ourselves that we can do better and live better and we try on our own to clean up our lives.
Baseball players do that too when they're in a slump and not hitting well. Sometimes they forget the fundamentals of hitting like keeping their eyes on the ball. When their batting average drops, they try harder. They take extra batting practice or examine their swing on video with a hitting coach to try to see what they are doing wrong. And sometimes it works. They figure out their mistakes and correct them and they start hitting again and their batting average goes up.
But more often than not, they slip back into the old habits and don't keep the fundamentals of their swing right, and before you know it, they're back in a slump, not hitting very well.
We do that too as Christians when we get in a slump in our Christian walk. We slip from doing what we know is right. We take our eyes off what is important. And when we slip up, we try to work harder. We read our Bibles more or pray more for God’s forgiveness, or talk to other Christians to see if they can help us out of our rut.
That may help for a while, but then something happens and we slip back to doing what we know we shouldn't. And as that happens more and more, we get discouraged. We feel like we are the worst Christian in the world, and will never be able to be the kind of person God means for us to be.
If you've ever felt that way, I want to remind you of something this morning. Think about this for a minute. The greatest evangelist of the New Testament church, the Apostle Paul, did the same thing. He was in the very same boat we are. Paul said as much in his letter to the church at Rome. He said he knew what he ought to do, but many times he found himself not doing it. And what he knew he shouldn't do, he kept doing. Listen to his words.
Romans 7:14–25 (NASB95)
The Conflict of Two Natures
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
If Paul had been a baseball player, he was striking out more times than he was getting a hit. He acknowledged that evil was present in his life. He wanted to do good, but he found that he was not practicing what he would like to do. In fact, he said he was doing the very thing he hated.
Paul had a picture of his life. And it was not very flattering. Listen to what Paul says about himself.
1 Timothy 1:15 (NASB95)
15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
Paul says that when it comes to sinners, he was the worst of all.
How could God use someone with such a messy life for the good of His kingdom?
And if Paul, a great evangelist, was such a mess, then we wonder how we can ever be used in our messed up state.
But, you see, that’s what God’s grace is all about. That's the beauty of Gods grace. Even before we were born, God, in His omniscience, knew that we wouldn't be perfect. He knew we would fail. He knew that we would all sin and fall short of God’s mark of perfection.
And that's why Jesus Christ was in God’s plan. Jesus came to do what we couldn't do. Because, you see, Jesus batted a 1.000. He always got a hit. He never made an out. He played the perfect game. He never failed.
In baseball, sometimes when you're not hitting very well, the coach puts in a pinch hitter. The coach knows you're struggling and so he puts someone in to bat in your place. The coach knows that it's more likely that someone else will get a hit when you’re in a slump.
And that's the very thing that God did for you. He put Jesus in to pinch hit. He knew you were struggling at the plate, striking out a lot. God knew you were a sinner, so God allowed Christ to be your substitute. Christ pinch hit for you. And when He hit for you, Christ hit a home run. Christ died on the cross to save us even when we were failures. And now, if you put your trust in Christ, you get to experience the results of Christ’s sacrifice. Your sins are forgiven and you have a home in heaven for eternity.
Aren't you glad you are on God’s team? I sure am, because the Bible assures us that God’s team will win. You see, God has seen the end of the game. He knows what the final score will be. He knows that those who accept Christ as their Savior will be on His team forever.
So when you strike out now and then, remember this. Remember what Christ did for you. Remember that because of Christ and because of God’s grace, you will win in this World Series of life.
Just as a great baseball player can have a batting average of .300 and fail more than he succeeds, a vibrant follower of Jesus will also live an imperfect life. And just as there is no perfection or anything close to it in the game of baseball, it is the same in our Christian life. As Christians, we can live free from the pressure to perform perfectly because of the cross.
I had a baseball coach in high school who was a great teacher, a great role model and a great friend. And as I played on his team, I tried to do my best. I wanted to be a good hitter and a good fielder because I didn’t want to disappoint Coach Pemberton. I would have done anything to not disappoint him as my coach, because I knew he wanted me to be the best baseball player I could be. So I worked hard to please my coach, not because I thought he would kick me off the team if I messed up and made an error, but so that I would not disappoint him.
The same is true for us as Christians. You see, our relationship with God is based on Jesus' perfect life. His death on the cross paid the price for our sins. And because of Christ’s great love for us, and what He did by dying on the cross, it gives us the motivation to grow spiritually and be faithful. We work at being a better Christian, just as a baseball player works to be a better player. But as a Christian, we work at living a better life, not because we have to work to gain our salvation or because we are afraid that God will kick us out of our relationship with Him. We work at living a good Christian life because of our love for the Master.
And here’s what that means for you and me today? It means that we need to get in the game. Get in the game and play the best you can. That's what Paul did. And God used Paul, a flawed and imperfect individual, for God’s glory.
1 Timothy 1:15–16 (NASB95)
15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Paul established churches all across the geography of his day. Even though he was not perfect, God used him in a mighty way. He wrote most of the letters in the New Testament. And in each of those letters, Paul tells us about God’s grace as one who has experience in being forgiven.
And God can use us too, even though we feel unworthy because of our failures.
You know, when you play baseball, you wear the uniform of your team. And likewise, when you play on God’s team, you have to put on the uniform. Look at the uniform of the Christian in
Ephesians 6:10–18 (NASB95)
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
That’s what a player on God’s team looks like. So put on your uniform. Get in the game. Play the game hard because you’re loved and forgiven.
