Are You Ready for the Big Game?
Thesis: Don’t miss the big game because it will determine your destiny and it is coming sooner than you think. So be ready!
Hands on Illustration: During the service throw the football to someone and ask them are you ready for the Big Game! Are you ready if Jesus calls you into the Big Game?
Texts:
Revelation: 1:4-8
4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.
So shall it be! Amen.
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation: 3:1-3
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Mark 13:33-36
32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
1 Thess.5:6-11:
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Introduction:
CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL!!
Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.
Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Half-time - The period between Sunday school and worship when many choose to leave.
Benchwarmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.
Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.
Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord’s work.
Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.
Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week’s illustrations.
Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime."
Trap - You’re called on to pray and are asleep.
End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.
Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.
Halfback Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation not to return for the evening service.
Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
(From Webpage Fortune City)
One player shares his view of what really matters in the Big Game:
NFL - FOOTBALL: NEWS & ANALYSIS: THE INSIDER
Rich Gannon
Getting to the heart of what matters in life.
Rich Gannon’s shining moment has finally come. After spending an up-and-down first 11 years in the NFL, this man’s ship has definitely steamed into port. But will a bunch of Buccaneers commandeer that ship on Sunday? If they do, or if they don’t, Gannon can be commended for his perseverance. He was completely out of football twice—in 1989 and again in 1994—but here he is the NFL’s MVP and the leader of the Raiders’ fifth trip to the Super Bowl. While being interviewed by Sports Spectrum magazine, Gannon talked about his ability to be tough on the field (one of the reasons he’s persevered), and how he thinks his faith is an advantage there.
"It’s said in Scripture—God wants us to run the race to win. I think he wants us to be very competitive. I think that it is a game, I realize that. We play it hard, but at the same time we give him all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory. I’ll say this: One thing I’ve noticed in my years in the NFL—and I consider myself a pretty observant person—is that the most disciplined, the most prepared, most consistent guys, the guys you can count on the most in this business, are the Christians. That’s not to say that there aren’t other guys who aren’t Christians who aren’t professionals, but the guys who have a relationship with the Lord are able to set aside all the distractions of everyday life and this business and focus and concentrate. They have their personal lives in order, they have a good relationship with the Lord, so they’re able to come in and put all the nonsense aside and focus on their job and give 100 percent."
Character is defined as “God expressing himself through man”, in other words, it is letting God have His way with you. Phillip Vollmer
I. God desires to put us into the big game at a moments notice but we have to be ready!
A. When it pleased God …” (Galatians 1:15).
1. The thought here is when it pleases God to use us we must have our self in the right position to be used by him. We must be ready.
B. Quote Oswald Chambers: As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him—to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly—God meets our life—“… when it pleased God … .” Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.
1. Are you ready and willing to let God enter into your life and tell you to go for the goal line. Run for the end zone, block that linebacker trying to stop God’s runner?
2. What does really matter in life? Listen to what Pat Summerall has to say about being ready and what really matters.
a. A New Voice
Pat Summerall—who possesses one of the most familiar voices in pro football —is now speaking out about a whole new subject.
By Art Stricklin
Pat Summerall, one of the most well-known voices and faces associated with the National Football League over the last 40 years, has now become a faithful voice for his new faith in Jesus Christ —thanks to a remarkable transformation in his life. The popular Sunday afternoon voice of FOX-TV NFL football has become a regular speaker about his new life and journey from the depths of alcohol-laced despair to a new life in Christ. "Pat’s been truly part of a transformation experience in his own life and the transformation is still occurring," says his Dallas-area pastor Claude Thomas. "It’s part of what it says in Romans 8 that God is changing us, and Romans 12: 1-2 that we all have a transformation experience." Asked to explain the change in his own life over the last couple of years, Summerall, 70, is for once at a momentary loss for words."I don’t know what to say. It’s just what happened to me, this is my story. I don’t really know what to call it, but our home is named ’Amazing Grace,’ so I thought about, ’The Hour I First Believed’ or ’Grace Shall Lead Me Home.’ " Summerall was baptized at the age of 69 at First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, outside of Dallas. He is now seeking to live a consistent Christian life, with help from a regular Bible study, church fellowship when he is in town, and regular growth—while balancing a busy schedule in a fast-paced and highly competitive work environment. From the outside, Summerall’s life has always appeared to be an All-America story. A prep football star in Florida, he attended the University of Arkansas and became a star kicker for the Razorbacks. He went on to play in the NFL and started for the New York Giants, playing under assistant coach Tom Landry. After his football career was over, Summerall went into broadcasting. In addition to his football broadcasting, he also became the signature voice of the Masters golf tournament and the US Open tennis tournament while at CBS. He then moved to FOX to broadcast football. He is entering his 22nd season overall with partner John Madden. Summerall freely admits he became an alcoholic while broadcasting on TV and was ultimately living from drink to drink as his body broke down. He had been an only child, and his parents divorced before he was born. He says that left him with a sense of emptiness and aloneness. He first realized the need for a change during the 1994 Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, the night after making his annual stop at the liquor store to fill up his house for a week-long party. "I had been getting sick a lot, throwing up blood—and I got sick again at 4 a.m. I looked in the mirror, and the lights started to glow brighter until I saw what a terrible sight I was. I said to myself, ’This is not the way I want to live.’" A week later, Summerall was lured into a secret meeting, which included 13 of his closest friends and family members. Also there were some big-name sports and TV figures—all pleading with him to get some help for his drinking problem. His daughter was there as well, and she told him that she had lately been ashamed to have his same last name. Summerall spent 33 days in the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, California, which helped cure his alcohol problems. It didn’t, however, fully address his spiritual vacuum. After one of his first speeches about his medical recovery, Summerall bumped into his old coach Landry, who helped explain about the spiritual need he still had in his life. Summerall was also directed to longtime Dallas Cowboys chaplain John Weber, and he began attending Thomas’ church near his home."Pat is a great story of God’s wonderful redeeming grace," Weber says. "Pat is very real, very honest, very candid about his life. He has a realistic approach about where he has been, but he doesn’t glory in the past." One night while talking with Thomas in his house, Summerall shared his story of transformation and asked about the requirements of joining the church. The pastor talked with him about baptism and church membership and what Summerall could be doing to affirm his new walk in Christ. "He was already on the process of his spiritual journey, and I’m just so glad I was able to come alongside of him and help and encourage him in this time. I told Pat God has given him a unique platform. "God used him in a mighty way with his longtime friend Mickey Mantle in speaking with Mantle about the Lord in his final days," Thomas says. Summerall says he had been around rough and tough football players all of his life, but when he was baptized before a large congregation at FBC-Euless, he felt totally helpless. "I went down in the water, and when I came up it was like a 40-pound weight had been lifted from me." Summerall says. "I have a happier life, a healthy life, and a more positive feeling about life than ever before." Weber says others are quick to see a difference in Summerall, who once was the life of every party with a drink in his hand. Now he gets his power and life from another source. "I’m so happy for Pat Summerall," Weber says. "He is one of the most positive, delightful persons to be around. He is one of the most complete and successful people in his business, and now is one of the nicest." Thomas said he has watched Summerall’s work on TV for a good portion of his adult life and is thrilled that his professional excellence is now matched by his personal peace. "What Pat presents to me is the entire spectrum of pro football," Thomas says. "He is as current as today, but has the voice and experience of yesterday." Summerall runs a production facility in Dallas, where he does a lot of off-season work in commercials and specials. He also works with Dallas-based motivator Zig Ziglar on occasion. "I remember Zig once saying that with Jesus, you are never an only child, and that meant a lot to me because I had always been an only child and had always been lonely, but I don’t have to feel lonely any more." Every summer before the NFL season starts and every week before their feature game, Summerall and Madden take a tour of the NFL teams or visit with the teams they are going to be broadcasting that week. Summerall said one week before broadcasting a Dallas-Green Bay game, they met with a coach who told them a true story about Packers Hall-of-Fame defensive end Reggie White and Dallas guard Larry Allen, then a rookie. Summerall says the story makes a vital point about his new faith. "Reggie White lined up against Larry Allen and on one snap, gave him a good club move and almost decapitated Troy Aikman," Summerall says. "On the next series of downs, Allen gave White a few choice words, but at the snap White slipped past him and buried Aikman once again. "As he headed back to his huddle, White looked down on the fallen Allen and said, ’Rookie, Jesus is coming, and you’re not ready.’ "
"Now at last, I know I’m ready, and I hope you are as well."
Words to remember from football’s most recognizable voice.
Copyright © 2001 Sports Spectrum.
For reprint information email ssmag@sport.org
Nov/Dec 2001 Vol. 15, No. 6, Page 26
II. How can you prepare yourself to be ready to play in the big game and win for all eternity?
1. 3 Steps to being ready for the Big Game draft. This is how you become you eligible to be play in the Big Game:
a. The track “Football and the post game kneel”
i. Recognize the problem of not being prepared – sin in your life.
1. Romans 3:23: 3for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
ii. Understand the plan we need to adopt to be ready- Jesus’ play.
1. Romans 4:25: 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
iii. Accept Coach God’s plan for the Super Bowl prize of salvation.
1. Romans 6:23: 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
2. Romans 10:9: 9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
2. What do you need to be ready to play for Coach God in the Big Game?
a. Same as you do for playing football!
i. Teamwork mindset –
1. Tom Landry says “The very best football players have to depend more on their teammates. All eleven men on a team have specific roles on every play. Unless each successfully does his part, the play won’t work. It’s coordinated effort” (273).
2. Namath states this about Football the team game, “The thing is, a team game is just so much fun. You’re working together. You’re sharing and adventure. You’ve got your buddies there with you when time are good-and also when times are bad. When things get tough, it’s awful to be alone . A time like that, you’re lucky to have your teammates to reach out to. When times are good, when you’ve won a big game and you’re feeling great, its much more fun to celebrate and share the accomplishment with your friends” (18)
a. He adds this- “So football is a team game, and life is a team game…As soon as the boys start arriving at our summer football camp, we start to eliminate that “I” word and start putting in the “We” word. We can do this. We can do that” (18).
b. He also states, “We can learn what life is about by learning the game.”
3. The Bible tells us the same thing – living the Christian life and playing for Coach God is about teamwork.
a. Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.”
b. “The Church (TEAM) does not exist for the member, rather the member exists for the church (TEAM)."
c. Key point: The key to teamwork is relationships. When they exist between each of the members we are on our way to becoming undefeated.
ii. Courage in the face of difficulty
1. Namath states this about learning courage in the game of football, “You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage” (20)
2. I Cor. 16:13 “13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
3. Acts 23:1111The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
iii. Self Discipline in the game
1. Tom Landry tells us this about Discipline, “ Most successful players not only accept rules and limitations, I believe they need them. In fact, I believe players are free to perform at their best only when they know what the expectations are, where the limits stand. I see this as a biblical principle that also applies to life, a principle our society as whole has forgotten: You can’t enjoy freedom without limits. We often resent rules because they6 limit what we can do. Yet without the rules that define a football game, you can’t play the game, let alone enjoy it. The same thing is true in life” (276).
2. Joe Namath states this about self discipline The only way to do well during a game is to work hard during practice. Learn the right techniques. Practice them until you have them perfect.”
3. Listen to what Coach God has to say about self-discipline:
a. Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
b. 1 Cor. 7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
c. Proverbs 1:3-5 1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance
iv. Desire to play and win
1. Joe Namath notes, “Football is a tough game, but it’s a game you can get into on sheer desire. If you want to make yourself into a football player, you can dot it, and you can play on a team …”
2. God tells us we need to have this same kind of desire to play for his team. We need to be like one of his superstars Paul:
a. Phil. 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
v. Technique in what you are suppose to do and when
1. Namath says desire is good but ‘You’ve got to know what you’re doing out there”(22).
2. Landry states, “I don’t believe you can effectively manage people without the helping them understand where they fit into the goals of the organization” (284).
3. Coach God tells us we also must know what to do and this is how:
a. 2 Timothy 2:15: 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
b. James 1:22: 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
vi. Head smarts in the game:
1. Tom Landry states it this way, ‘If I had to pick my greatest strength as a professional football coach, I’d say it was innovation. But it started with preparation and knowledge. As a leader you have to understand the present system. Situation, or problem you’re faced with before you can react effectively-before you can be a successful innovator. A successful leader has to be innovative. If you’re not one step ahead of the crowd, you’ll soon be a step behind everyone else” (280,281).
2. Joe Namath states it this way, “You have to use your head to play football. The smarter team always has a big advantage in any football game…Smart teams usually win” (24).
3. Coach God tells us that head smarts in the Big game come from his wisdom and insight. Listen to this:
a. Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
b. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
vii. Ability to handle mistakes correctly by learning from them
1. Joe Namath states, “When you make a mistake it isn’t going to feel good; it’s not supposed to feel good. But don’t let yourself be upset for to long…Find the cause of the mistake and correct it.”
2. Coach God knows we will make mistakes but that is why he sent His son to die for us to forgive us of our failures past and future.
a. To err is human wrote Alexander Pope in the 18th Century. In 1982 the humorist Russell Baker expressed the same idea in more specific terms: I make the average number of mistakes. Maybe 150 or so on a busy day. Most of them aren’t terribly serious. Putting too much sugar in the coffee cup. Picking up the telephone and dialing the number of the telephone I’ve just picked up. Spelling harass with two R’s. Yes, humans make mistakes. We goof up, and create mess. They miss-hear, misinterpret, miss-judge, misread, misspeak, misspell, misunderstand, and yes make the mistake of sinning. Everyone will blow it!
b. Even the great apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 7:14-25:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
c. Learn to do what the following football stars learned about mistakes!
Closing: (Video 12 minutes)
Illustration Video Winning Edge -- Christian Football Players sharing their testimony.
Revelation 12:11a
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
