More of you Lord in 2002 part 3
Thesis: In 2002 we need to actively dispense more of God’s Grace, more Offerings to God, more Love, and more Forgiveness to others in the Body of Christ. Because the more G.O.L.F. we play the more we will impact our community.
Texts:
II Thess 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
I John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Psalm 63:3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
Psalm 57:10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Proverbs 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity£ and honor.
I Cor. 16:14 Do everything in love.
Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
I Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
NEW BANNER FOR CHURCH THIS YEAR: “COMMIT TO PLAY MORE G.O.L.F. GOD’S WAY IN 2002.”
Introduction:
Bob brought in this booklet called Golf Digest this week that he got in the mail. On page 19 of this booklet is a page stating the 7 Keys to a good golf game. Listen to what they are and lets apply them spiritually to G.O.L.F. God’s way.
1. Start playing like you love the game all the time, instead of playing with dread.
2. Make a commitment to play every shot without the fear of what might happen.
3. Challenge yourself with each hole and every shot to see how great you can play.
4. Try to be more decisive, less hesitant and distracted, at the moment of truth.
5. Learn to accept bad results and then move on. Don’t give bad shots extra meaning.
6. Be more into doing your pre-shot routine than thinking about the circumstances.
7. Before every round, prepare to live the above process throughout the whole day and tournament.
(Author is Dr. Bob Rotella)
Video Clip: Legend of Bagger Vance- Clip when Junuah lands in the woods from a bad drive and he has to approach the green through the trees.
Introduction to clip: Prior to the scene we are about to watch, Junuah had caught up with the pro golfers he was playing against after being behind. But he comes to the hole even with the other two and decides to try to drive the ball to the green in two. Bagger advises him to ease up and play it smart but Junuah ignores him and he ends up in the sand bunker. When they get to the sand Junuah is prideful and un-teachable because he is telling everyone he will do it two. So instead of realizing while he is in the sand that he cannot make the shot he decides to drive instead of chip out of the sand bunker. Bagger tries to give him good counsel when he says, “There is a time to hit that shot and a time to leave it in the bag. Which time do you think this is?” Junuah chooses to hit the wrong shot. Harley tries to tell him but Bagger quiets him because Junuah is not listening. He is not playing the right shot. The result is his first shot hits the lip in front of him and his ball falls back into the sand trap. He tries again and this time his ball lands in the water. He is frustrated and the crowd moans in pain as they watch him. By the end of the hole he drops 3 strokes back. This brings us up to where the clip picks up.
Once again listen to Bagger’s advice to Junuah as he struggles with his approach shots and life’s difficulties. Remember to think of the spiritual application.
T.S.- Let’s learn some more spiritual applications from playing G.O.L.F. God’s way and the importance of the Love shot in the game of G.O.L.F.
I. A spiritual lesson from The Legend of Bagger Vance on the importance of the Love shot- your approach shots to the green.
a. Our scene revealed a golfer who was in trouble and he needed a messenger from Heaven to lead him out of the shadows.
i. After Junuah’s drive into the woods and failure at the last hole in the approach shots we find a man being tormented from the burdens of his life and the battlefield of war.
1. Bagger catches him prior to picking up his ball and quitting - giving up surrendering to the pressure of life.
2. His comment to Bagger was, “I can’t do it!” Bagger responds “I know!” He responds, “You don’t know!”
a. In this clip I want you to think of Bagger as Jesus Christ for a moment – we will call this a modern day parable application.
b. Junuah cries to the one sent from Heaven “I can’t do it!” he responds, “I know!” You respond, “No you don’t!”
i. The question that crosses my mind here “Does Jesus understand – does he know my pain, my torment, my anguish?”
ii. The answer is “Yes!”
iii. Listen to these verses as they answer our question.
1. Romans 5:1-11
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we£ have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we£ rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we£ also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
2. John 10:7-21
7Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.£ He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19At these words the Jews were again divided. 20Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
3. I Peter 2:21-24
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”£
23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
4. Hebrews 2:18
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
a. He understands and knows what suffering feels like!
c. Bagger responds to Junuah’s cry with this remark, “There is not a soul on this entire earth that ain’t got a burden to carry that he don’t understand.”
i. This should be a spiritual reality check. In the game of Golf after we drive we usually discover all kinds of obstacles we have to deal with when it comes to us making our second shot.
1. There are sand traps.
2. Water spots.
3. Wooded areas
4. Trees.
5. Tall grass
6. And many other obstacles.
7. Truth is everyone faces them- Everyone!
d. His next comment is classic and profound, “Everyone has burdens that need to be laid down!”
i. He encourages him to choose to deal with them – not ignore them but address them and release them. How!
ii. You do it with a Love shot!
iii. With the approach shot to Heaven – It’s done through Love.
e. Do you recall the big moment in the clip were our messenger from Heaven said:
i. “It’s time for you to come out of the shadows. It’s time for you to choose?”
1. Our response is like Junuah’s all to often, “I can’t!” His response, “Yes you can!”
a. The question is will you choose a Love shot to approach Heaven!
b. You can choose to hit the Love shot in these pressure moments of life.
ii. The messenger from Heaven also says, “I have been right here with you all along. You’re not alone!”
1. Hebrews 13:5b “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
2. Deut. 31:6 repeats the Lord’s words, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
iii. The messenger from Heaven then gives direction to be a pro golfer for God.
1. “Play the game the one you where meant to play. The game that only you can play. The game you were meant to play when you came into this world.”
a. You have to choose to take the Love shot even if the shot looks impossible because of the shadows and the lie.
b. Hit the ball with His love!
c. John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
2. He then offers the club of LOVE to hit your life and he asks, “You ready?”
a. Are you ready?
b. If you are “take your stance.”
3. He also adds, “Now is the time – let yourself remember – Now is the time!”
b. I want to look at another scene were a golfer gets into trouble. His problem arose from self-reliance which cost him a tournament.
i. This is what not to do when you play golf and get in trouble.
1. Illustration from Max Lucado: Traveling Light pages 21-23 (Read illustration)
a. Driving without chipping and pitching gets you in the swamp of trouble and not on the green one step closer to Heaven.
b. Driving with out chips gets you nothing. A person who only drives the ball will not get the ball in the hole.
c. It will 99% of the time get you bogged down in obstacles.
T.S.- So to avoid making the same mistake as this golfer lets learn how to chip and pitch to the green.
I. The Approach shots of chipping and pitching.
a. What are the techniques of chipping?
i. First let’s define the chip shot.
1. The chip shot is an approach shot which comes into the green low and hits the green and rolls for some distance. This shot is usually taken from about 15’ away.
ii. The Pitch shot is taken when you have less than 100 yards to the green.
1. In this shot the ball travels mostly through the air and rolls on the green very little/
iii. Lets now look at the techniques for hitting these approach shots. They do vary slightly but here are the basic instructions for the shots:
1. Anchor feet securely
a. Scripture text: Hebrews 6:19,20 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
2. Have an open stance and open face on the club.
a. Don’t be closed minded or closed to receiving God’s love.
b. Open your arms and embrace the Lord and others.
i. Scriptures I John 4 7-16
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son£ into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for£ our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him..
3. Lighten up, don’t tighten up your grip on the Love clubs.
a. Be more relaxed and not tense.
b. Don’t be stressed by having a choke hold on the clubs.
c. Don’t be rigid.
i. I Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues£ of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,£ but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
4. Use the fast break when you swing.
a. When you go into the back swing you should break your wrists quickly. Break wrists early, creating more of a U shaped swing than a 1/2 circle like the drive.
i. When you are playing G.O.L.F. God’s way you must learn to deal with life’s setbacks with the quick release of Love.
ii. The focus of the swing should be YOU embracing the arms of God’s love and then opening wide to embrace others with the arms of love.
5. If you are in the sand then aim carefully and miss the ball.
a. Hit behind the ball in the sand.
i. Don’t look at the ball – look at the spot behind the ball where the club is going to enter the sand and use the sand to move the ball toward the green
1. Sometimes we need to focus on where to hit to make sure that the ball of life moves correctly.
2. If we focus on the ball to much we will surely duff to many of our approach shots.
ii. Play through the ball and by all means throw sand grains of love into the air.
1. Biggest mistake is to hit the sand and stop.
2. If you don’t through the sand of love into the air you are not following through with the love shot.
3. By all means in playing G.O.L.F. God’s way let love spray the air when you hit your life up and out of a sand trap. It will always get you out of the sand!
b. One pro golfer said this about the approach shots, ‘Routine removes the anxiety of the unknown.”
i. He suggests that we learn and practicing how to get out of difficult shots because this takes away the anxiety in the shot.
1. Learn how to deal with them by practice.
2. The more you learn how do it the easier it becomes to actually do it when the time comes.
a. Learn how to get out and also learn to see the one who is invisible there to help you see the goal.
3. Hebrews 10:27 tells us that Moses persevered because he saw him who was invisible and he placed his faith in him not in the obstacles.
Conclusion:
Make sure you learn how to hit the Love shots so you land on the green closer to Heaven.
I want to remind us of the 7 keys to playing good golf as we close today- Listen carefully:
1. Start playing like you love the game all the time, instead of playing with dread.
2. Make a commitment to play every shot without the fear of what might happen.
3. Challenge yourself with each hole and every shot to see how great you can play.
4. Try to be more decisive, less hesitant and distracted, at the moment of truth.
5. Learn to accept bad results and then move on. Don’t give bad shots extra meaning.
6. Be more into doing your pre-shot routine than thinking about the circumstances.
7. Before every round, prepare to live the above process throughout the whole day and tournament.
(Author is Dr. Bob Rotella)
Jesus is saying today, “Play the game the one you where meant to play. The game that only you can play. The game you were meant to play when you came into this world.
You have to choose to take the Love shot even if the shot looks impossible because of the shadows and the lie. Hit the ball with my love!”
John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
He offers the club of LOVE to you and he asks, “You ready? Are you ready? If you are take your stance.”
He also adds, “Now is the time – let yourself remember – Now is the time!”
Scripture text James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.”
