THE WORLD SERIES GAME
I Cor. 9:25 "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."
INTRO.- ILL.- The song goes like this:
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.
Most of us, if not all of us, have heard that song sung many times. I liked it when old Harry Cary used to sing it. He couldn’t carry a tune, but he made that song live!
ILL.- Here’s a poem entitled, "Baseball."
The game of baseball is the king
Of all the games we play
And it is one pursuit that is
Distinctly USA.
The people swarm into the stands
To watch their favorite teams
And munch their hot dogs when their lungs
Are not engaged in screams.
The pitcher hurls the horsehide and
The batter gets a hit
Or else the ball goes sailing and
Some fielder smothers it
A clever runner steals a base
A player takes a walk
Or managers and umpires
Decide to have a talk
The crowd is gay or gloomy or
Completely in suspense
But it goes wild when someone knocks
The ball beyond the fence.
Brethren, for many Americans, baseball is still our national sport or national pastime. Many have played it and most love to watch it. And we are certainly going to be watching it here in Mattoon next week! The Cal Ripken Jr. World Series of baseball!
What’s so great about Cal Ripken Jr.?
ILL.- Just this. Most of you may well remember that baseball player Lou Gehrig is called the "iron man of baseball" for a very good reason. For 15 years in the 1920’s and 30’s he played first base for the New York Yankees. He played 2130 consecutive games. And after he retired they X-rayed both of his hands and found that every finger had been broken at least one time, YET HE NEVER MISSED A GAME! He played even though he was hurt. That says something about his character.
And yet Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record. When Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record on Sept. 6, 1995, the people stood and cheered him for 22 minutes and 15 seconds.
And by September 19, 1998 Cal Ripken Jr. had played 2632 consecutive ball games. What a record! And what a ball player! And what a man!
And we are certainly honored to have Cal Ripken Jr. here in Mattoon and be able to host this world series of baseball.
ILL.- In the popular 1994 movie "Forrest Gump," Forrest with an IQ of 74 said, "Mama always said, ’Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’"
I also have a quote and it’s from me. I say that "life is like a baseball game...a world series baseball game."
PROP.- In this message I want to compare our lives to a world series baseball game.
1- We’re on a team, so be a team player
2- We have a coach, so listen to Him
3- We will win, so look forward to the end of the game
I. WE’RE ON A TEAM, SO BE A TEAM PLAYER
Baseball is a team sport therefore you have to be a team player. You can’t just play for self or for self-glory.
You can be an outstanding player but most outstanding players are team-players.
ILL.- I ran 14 marathons over a 10-year period. Some were good, some were poor, some were slow and some were fast. Some were exciting and some were not so exciting.
But the best race I ever ran was when I ran on a team and for a team. In 1995, my good friend Joe Beussink asked me to run on his River to River Relay team in Southern Illinois. That is an 80-mile race and each team is made up of 8 runners and one backup runner. Each runner ran approximately 10 miles in three different runs.
Brethren, I never had as much fun in a race as I did in that race. WHY? Because I was not running for myself. I was running for a team! My team!
When you’re on a team, you have to be a team-player! I Cor. 12:14 "Now the body (the church) is not made up of one part but of many."
The church is referred to in Scripture as a human body and the body has many parts to it: hands, feet, legs, arms, etc.
The church has many members and all are important. We are, in a sense, a team and everyone is important to the team! So we must be team-players!
ILL.- In the mid-1960’s I worked for Safeway in Joplin, MO. I remember when the manager hired a certain stock clerk for our store. I don’t remember his name, but I sure remember his face! AND I REMEMBER HIS ATTITUDE AND HIS CHARACTER.
He was a go-getter type person, type worker. He couldn’t stand still a second, it seemed. He did nothing slow. He was always going at full-speed. It didn’t make any different whether he was stocking shelves, unloading a truck or checking out customers at the cash register. His tachometer was always on the redline!
He was the kind of guy who would stock shelves all night, go home at 7 in the morning and sleep a few hours and come back in the afternoon to work the 3 to 11 shift.
And everybody knew he was go-getter, including the manager. Consequently, he impressed the manager and quickly moved up in the store and was given more responsibility. In fact, the manager was so impressed that he soon gave him a set of keys to the store so he could open and close.
But there was a problem with that guy: HE WAS NOT A TEAM-PLAYER! He was only thinking of himself, how he could get ahead, how he could promote himself. He was filled with pride, thinking more highly of himself than he should have.
Prov. 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Brothers and sisters, we are not playing the game of life by ourselves! We’re on a team! We are in this thing together! SO BE A TEAM PLAYER!
Rom. 12:11 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
I want you to be excited about the Lord’s work, but at the same time, be thinking of others; be considerate of others; be a team-player!
Rom. 14:19 "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
That "mutual edification" means to do what will benefit everybody in the church. Think about what you do and how it will help everybody in the church.
And if it doesn’t edify, if it doesn’t build, if it doesn’t encourage, bless and help, then maybe it shouldn’t be done.
Phi. 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
ILL.- Let me tell you about an elder in the First Christian Church of Iberia, MO. Ralph Riemensnider was a president of a bank, but he was also a servant. He had the heart of a servant and demonstrated it inside and outside of the church.
You name it and Ralph tried to do it for the church. He had some musical talent with a good strong voice so he was willing to lead the congregational singing any time, and often did. Occasionally, he would bring special music for the church but generally, in a duet. He also taught an adult Sunday School class. He led the midweek Bible study. He would fill the pulpit when I was gone, if asked. He wasn’t quick to push himself, BUT HE WAS QUICK TO SERVE ANY WAY HE COULD.
I remember any number of times when the snow fell and the church parking lot needed to be cleaned and Ralph would drive his tractor in from the country and clean the parking lot.
And there were other things that Ralph did for the church and many were "behind-the-scenes" jobs.
I believe that Ralph wanted to bless the church. I believe he was a team-player. And that’s exactly what we all must be.
Please examine what you do inside the church and outside the church. WE’RE ON A TEAM, SO BE A TEAM-PLAYER. BE A TEAM-BOOSTER!
II. WE HAVE A COACH, SO LISTEN TO HIM
Brethren, generally coaches know what they’re talking about when it comes to "their" sport and that’s because they’ve "been there and done that." They’ve played the game, made the mistakes, experienced victories and went through all the ups and downs. They generally know the best moves to make, how to hit the ball, when to run and when not to run, how to slide into the bases, etc.
ILL.- I started running in 1985 and soon lost 30 lbs. I ran my first marathon in 1986 and the running bug had bit me. I loved the runner’s high from long distance running.
I was extremely heart healthy, having a rest pulse of only 36. My doctor said, "Steve, you’re the healthiest person I know." That was in 1990. By 1995, however, my doctor said, "Steve, you have to quit running. You have osteoarthritis and your hip is wearing out."
That was quite a revelation to me. I didn’t know quite how to take it, but take it, I did and I quit running. Just three years later I had my right hip replaced.
After I found out about the osteoarthritis in my hip, I kept saying to people, "I wish somebody would have told me this could have happened. This was something I didn’t know could happen."
What I am saying is this: I NEEDED A COACH! And I still need a coach, only for different things! We all do.
Back when I was running so hard and long, I needed a coach to tell me, "Steve, slow down. Don’t run so much. Back off. You are going to hurt yourself...."
Brethren, we have a coach with us today! And I am saying that we need to listen to Him!
We have a coach who knows it all, He’s been there and done that, He’s experienced the game of life! He’s experienced it all. Except for losses.
Heb. 2:18 "Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted."
Because Jesus experienced suffering in the flesh, He can coach us on what to do and how to handle it when we’re faced with it!
Heb. 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin."
Jesus has been down the road of temptation and suffering. He knows what we’re going through in this life and this is why we need to listen to Him!
ILL.- In Matt. 4:1-10 we have the account of Jesus being tempted by Satan. Remember?
Jesus had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and Satan came to him to tempt him in a big way. He said to Jesus (this is a paraphrase), "So you are hungry, Jesus. I understand that. If you are truly the Son of God then you can do anything. Command or tell these stones to become loaves of bread so you can have something good to eat."
Jesus faced the temptation of the lust of the flesh! HIS FLESHY BEING WANTED SOMETHING TO EAT! And Satan threw a curve ball at Jesus.
If Jesus had given in to Satan, to what he said, He would have been worshipping Satan, in a sense. And that was completely against the Word of God.
Jesus did not give in! Instead, He defeated Satan with the very words of God, by saying, "It is written: man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
By the time the three temptations were thrown at Jesus, He had faced it all. Jesus faced the temptation of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. BUT HE NEVER GAVE IN TO SATAN! He never faltered, He never failed, He never flopped!
And that is why He is a fantastic coach for us! He faced it all and was successful! HE WON THE BALLGAME! HE WON IN THE GAME OF LIFE! And He knows exactly how the game is played and all the tricks of the opposing team.
We need to listen to Him! ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR COACH? If we don’t listen to our all-wise coach how can we expect life to get any better?
Here is something to chew on, to think about.
Luke 6:46 Jesus said, "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?"
If we believe that Jesus is our all-wise coach, our Lord and Master then we must do what He says!
The best way in life is the obedient way. The way to win the world series game of life is to obey our coach!
1- We’re on a team, so be a team-player.
2- We have a coach, so listen to Him.
III. WE WILL WIN, SO LOOK FORWARD TO THE END OF THE GAME
It’s nice to be on a winning team, isn’t it?
ILL.- In 1984 the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats won the state football championship and those two towns went wild. Everybody was on an extreme high. At our church, First Christian in Anna, we actually had four or five of the star team members in our church.
And the next Sunday after winning the state championships they were all sitting in the balcony. I introduced them and everybody stood and applauded them. I said, "They will come downstairs after the service and sign autographs." AND THEY DID. A winning team is nice.
And guess what? WE’RE ON A WINNING TEAM!
ILL.- There is a lot to be said about the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. But there is also a lot which cannot be said about that book, because so much of it is future tense and it’s written in figurative language.
I laugh at all the preachers and prophets of our day who try to make things out of some things in the book that nobody really understands except the Lord himself. BUT THERE IS ONE THING WE CAN UNDERSTAND.
If you will read the end of the book the message is very clear: WE WIN! God has given us that promise. In the end, we will win!
Brethren, knowing that we will win should make the playing of the game a lot better for us. I MEAN, WHEN YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME, you also know that all the mistakes you make playing the game are not final.
Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned..."
We are painfully aware of this verse of Scripture, but we should also be aware of some other Scriptures.
I John 2:1 "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the righteous one."
It is so comforting to know that whenever we blow it occasionally, the Lord is not going to hold it against us!
ILL.- I heard about a lady years ago who went to see her preacher. She said that she was having a terrible time in life, couldn’t sleep, terribly upset, etc. And while talking to him about the problem, she confessed the sin of adultery which she had committed years earlier. He asked her, "Have you confessed this sin to God and asked forgiveness for it?" She said, "Oh yes, I’ve confessed it every night for the last six years."
The preacher said, "That’s your problem. Your problem is not in being forgiven but in forgiving yourself. Your sin is not trusting the Lord, not trusting what God says. You need to confess that sin and begin to trust God for forgiveness."
Brethren, sometimes that is our problem. We don’t forgive ourselves for the failures, the flubs that we make while playing the game of life.
Please let me encourage you! Your failures are not final! Your sins are not unforgivable! You will stumble, you will fall, you will blow it at times, BUT YOU NEED TO KEEP ON PLAYING THE GAME THE BEST YOU CAN!
The Lord is gracious, forgiving, understanding, compassionate. Confess your sins, your failures and keep on pitching and playing the game!
We will win, so look forward to the end of the game!
I Cor. 9:25 "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."
Brethren, I am interested in that lasting crown, aren’t you? And on certain days, I wish it would hurry up and get up! We are going to win! God has promised this to us who are in Christ! Don’t despair. Don’t give up. Don’t give in and quit the game! Keep playing!
Because we are going to win we need to look forward to the end of the game! We need to set our sights on heaven more than we do! And consequently, let’s live for the end and not for the moment.
Let’s keep the end of life in view. This will keep us going in the right direction. It will keep our priorities in order.
Col. 3:2-3 "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Let’s learn to please the Lord right now, so we can please Him even more later on!
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------------
1- We’re on a team, so be a team-player.
2- We have a coach, so listen to Him.
3- We will win, so look forward to the end of the game.
II Tim. 2:5 Paul said, "If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules."
Rules are rules whether we like them or not. And we must play the game of life according to God’s rules if we expect to win in the end.
My experience is this: when we don’t play according to the rules we will just experience more and more trouble in life, in the game of life. Let’s play the game God’s way.
