Making Sunday Super
Even when it’s not Super Bowl Sunday
I. What makes Sunday super?
Is it a football game?
Or is it something else?
We live in a society that is obsessed with sports. They say that more people watch TV on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day. And what do they watch? The State of the Union address? Or maybe they’re televising this church service? No. It’s the Super Bowl. A football game.
Yet we know that Sunday can be super for other reasons. And we should try to make each Sunday super.
II. How can we make every Sunday super?
A. We have to prepare. Athletes don’t just walk onto the field and play. They spend time getting ready for the game, both physically and mentally. How do we prepare ourselves for worship?
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
1. By becoming a Christian (Bodies washed with pure water, hearts cleansed). Surely a non-Christian can praise God. But only a true child of God can truly come into his presence.
2. By “warming up.” Athletes take time for warm-up before each game. The Hebrews had a Day of Preparation before each Sabbath. We should prepare ourselves for Sunday. Spend some time thinking about what we are going to do. Take some time on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to get ready to worship with your brothers.
B. We have to practice. Athletes spend months practicing for just a few hours of play. Each thing that they do on the playing field was rehearsed on the practice field.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
1. We must worship God every day. We can’t spend every other day focused on other things and expect to be able to worship God on Sunday. We need to find ways to worship him in our everyday lives. I’m not talking about taking a hymnal to work. I’m talking about dedicating each day to the glory of God. Of letting our beliefs affect the way we treat people and the way we do business, the decisions that we make.
2. We must think about how WE will make our services better. Don’t look to the song leader or the preacher. What can you do? Notice what it says in Hebrews 10: “Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” What are you going to do so that this assembly time will help your brothers live better?
C. We need the right equipment. A football player would never take the field without the right equipment.
1. A Bible. You should bring a Bible to each assembly. I expect you to compare what I say with the Word of God. If they agree, I have preached the Word of God. If they don’t, what I have said isn’t worth anything.
2. A sincere heart. We can’t draw near to him unless we really WANT to draw near to him. If we come together out of habit or out of a sense of duty, we will never achieve that super Sunday. But if we come wanting to seek his face, to draw near to him and kneel at his feet, we will have a super Sunday.
3. Love for our brothers. We can’t be right with God if we aren’t right with our brothers. Love is essential to our worship.
D. We must work together as a body. Team sports are rarely won by individuals. They are won by teams. Our church works as a body, not as a group of individuals.
1. There are no spectators. Don’t focus on how well the preacher did or how well the song leader did. Focus on YOUR participation.
I must admit that I don’t react well when someone says, “I don’t get much out of services.” Because the whole idea isn’t getting, it’s giving. What they’re probably saying is, “I don’t give much in services.”
I remember when I was about 5 or 6, I made a Christmas list that was about 5 pages long. It had page references to the Sears’ catalog and the Penney’s catalog. It included a “rating system” with stars according to how much I wanted each item. For children, Christmas is all about getting gifts. What are they going to give me? It’s only when we get older that we can focus on giving.
If Christmas were up to three year olds, no one would get anything. Everyone would be sitting around waiting to see what they were going to get. And our assemblies are like that. If we all sit around waiting to see what we’re going to get out of services, we’re all going to go away disappointed. But if we come together to give, we will all receive. If we come together to encourage, we will all be encouraged. If we come together to build up, we will all be edified.
2. We are to consider how to help others love and serve better. Sunday and Wednesday assemblies prepare us to go out and live the Christian life. Our job is to help our brothers be prepared.
We are to consider how to encourage others. We are built up as we build others up. We must give to receive. Our assemblies should be encouraging times for all.
E. We have to keep our eyes on the prize. Football players get money for winning the Super Bowl. Their team gets a trophy. But what do they all talk about? The ring. That Super Bowl ring that they can wear for the rest of their lives to show what they accomplished. Grown men, going all out to win jewelry!
It wasn’t any better in Paul’s day. Athletes fought to win a crown of leaves. Laurel leaves.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 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.
When we realize what is waiting for us, Sunday will be a super celebration.
F. We need to give it all we’ve got
Have you seen sports fans with their faces painted? With shirts off in freezing weather? Dancing and screaming and acting crazy?
Did you know that the word “fan” comes from the word “fanatic”? Why can we be “fanatics” about the Spurs, but not about God? Did you know that fanatic comes from the Latin word for temple? People who spent all their time in temples came to be known as fanatics. My friends... that’s not a bad thing!
Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
How can it be that we can make fools of ourselves over sports but don’t dare step out on a limb for God? Why do we yell ourselves hoarse at football games and snore ourselves hoarse in church? How can we get so passionate over a bad call and be so passive about the death of our Lord?
God needs more fans.
G. Doing these things, every Sunday will be a super Sunday
