The Game
1st story: Coach and Joe. Joe was a very special kind of player. He was not a very gifted athlete, had little size or speed to talk about, but he had heart.
We are a very special team; we are in a very important game.
I. Since we are in this important game lets look at God’s word to see how we should play this game.
1PE 1:17 Since you call on a Father, who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
1PE 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands forever."
And this is the word that was preached to you.
We live in a world that has been redeemed, bought back by God with something that will not lose its value like gold or silver, but by the blood of the Lamb that will never lose its power.
1st Story: Joe tried hard to make the team, did whatever he was called on to do. Finally in his senior year he made the dress squad, he rarely got to play, only if it were a blow out, or the other players at his position needed a rest for a play or two.
II. Since we have been redeemed we are now a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation.
1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
We are sent to be an example, we are sent to be light in the darkness, we are sent to teach men and women everywhere of this glorious redemption.
TIT 2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Like Joe, we may not have all the gifts, but we are called to use the ones we have for Him.
1st story: It was near the end of the season, things have gone well for the team. They were one game away from winning the National title. They had several weeks to prepare and mysteriously Joe missed several practices before the big game. He finally showed up at the coach’s office. Uncharacteristically Joe made a demand. Coach I have to start in this weeks game he said. This threw the coach, Joe never made any demands before, secondly he made no apologies or excuses for why he missed practice. Ok, Joe had never missed practice in the four years he had been there, maybe I can overlook that, but the demand to start? At his position were the team captain and on the other side was an All-American. The coach said he would get back to Joe about it. The coach prayed about it and decided he would let Joe in on the opening kickoff but that was it. (The Game).
III. Since we have been redeemed, since we are a royal priesthood, and now Since this world is going to burn up:
2PE 3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
2PE 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this `coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2PE 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
All of these things are going to happen, this place is going to burn up. Since we are a royal priesthood redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and since this place is going to be destroyed what kind of game should we being playing.
1st Story: At the end of the game, Joe was at his locker. While the team was celebrating its National Championship, Joe was at his locker, crying. The coach saw this and his first thoughts were “He’s hurt, I left him in there too long.” Joe, asked the coach, why are you crying, are you hurt? No coach, said Joe. You see coach, my dad never got to see me play. What do you Joe, your dad has been to many games where you played. No coach, you don’t understand. You see my dad was blind. The reason I missed practice was because my dad died, he went to heaven, and today I know he was watching me from heaven, and I just wanted to play my best for him.
We are in a game called life, our heavenly Father is watching from heaven. How’s our game?
We can make Him Proud. How?
By being obedient; Faith, Repentance, Confession Jesus as Lord and Savior, being Baptized into Christ and then receiving the Holy Spirit to help us live Holy and Godly lives. The Holy Spirit is what we need to play the game to our best, the only way to get him is to be baptized.
What else?
Pray everyday for ourselves and others
Testify to the goodness of Jesus to everyone we meet.
Caiaphas said after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead; “See the whole world has gone after Him.” Oh if that were only true.
