“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
”What is LIFE? How do you define LIFE?- A kids song says, “Life is but a dream.”
We will discuss today the meaning of Life, how to take advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES, and what shall we do to attain SUCCESS in LIFE.
Yesterday, I was tempted to browse in the internet the life of Michael Jordan. And I want to share with you what I’ve found about his amazing career.
-Michael Jordan was called the world’s most famous basketball star.
-Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls after 13 seasons and six NBA World Championships
-At the age of 35 retired from the game of basketball
-He led the Bulls to three straight NBA championships, 1991, 1992 and 1993.
-And along the way Jordan picked up five regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, six Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and made 12 all-star appearances and many amazing, magical moments from last-second shots to phenomenal scoring outbursts.
-Jordan also was named by the NBA as one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
-But more important than the records and the victories, Jordan had a charm, class and a nice guy image that made him bigger-much bigger-than basketball.
-His name and face are recognized immediately all over the globe. It seems everyone-not just basketball fans-love Michael Jordan.
-He remains the country’s No. 1 sports pitchman and earns an estimated $47 million annually for his endorsement deals. He earns $16 million annually for sponsoring Nike’s products; $5 million for Sara Lee; $4 million for World Corn and $3 million for pushing Gatorade and another $3 million for Upper Deck trading card company, according to news reports.
-Michael Jordan’s Cologne, remains one of the top-selling fragrances in the nation.
-He has had a $10 billion impact on the U.S. economy.
-In addition to boosting sales of the products he endorses, Jordan has had an influence on rising television ratings, gate receipts for all of the NBA teams and sales of NBA goods, not to mention his own lineup of sports videos and games.
-Forbes estimated the Jordan personal product line has been worth $5.2 billion to Nike, Inc.
-His worth to other companies he endorses was estimated at $408 million.
-He also is credited with $3.1 billion in increased sales of NBA-licensed caps, shirts, jerseys and related objects.
-His Chicago-based restaurant which bears his name, remains one of the top tourist attractions in the city. You cannot visit Chicago without stopping by the popular restaurant. Fans from all over the world come to Chicago to dine at the restaurant, shop in the gift store or simply watch a Bulls playing on the big screens in the sports bar. And maybe, just maybe if they are lucky, they will get a glimpse of Jordan himself at the eatery.
-His book, For The Love Of The Game: My Story, was an instant best seller and sales will continue to soar now that he has retired.
-He said, "I’ve tried to be the best basketball player that I could be ....”" I thought about saying just two words, `I’m gone but I would say, I owe all of these to my fans and the media. That’s the reason why I’m here."
There are various types of games in the world. Many people have engaged themselves to participate in the game competition for just one reason: to WIN the game. Because after winning, the blessings follow.
Many persons have become famous because they achieved their goals, the most have failed and others had been miserable.
The Truth is there are many tremendous blessings available to those who will win the game!
Now, why I said to you that life is like a Game? There are four reasons!
I. LIFE is like a GAME full of WITNESSES
“We have so great cloud of witnesses surrounding us”
-At the end of His career, Jordan said, "I owe all of these to my fans and the media. That’s the reason why I’m here."
-Witnesses are very important in every competition. They are the ingredients of the game. The game competitions become full of challenges and excitements because of them!
In every competition, there are two kinds of witnesses:
A. There are witnesses that “build up”
-Christians who encourages us to continue and endure the race!
-“Enoch, Noah, Abraham and the other people of faith who are listed in Hebrews chapter 11 are the examples of these witnesses.
-Loved ones who became our inspiration to participate in the race. They challenge us to continue the race set for us in order to win.
B. There are witnesses that “hold down”
-Unbelievers who hold us down in order to fail us in the race of life.That is the problem if we are the only Christian in a family. They will discourage us to continue serving the Lord. And if we can’t endure, we will fail the race.
-Love ones who discourage us and do everything they can to make us losers.
II. LIFE is like a GAME full of OBSTACLES
“…lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles (trap) us”
-Think about the things that may hinder us to win in the race:
A. There are obstacles hinder our “physical condition”
“every encumbrance” (load)
-Physical condition is very important in participating the game.
-The athletes must be sure of their physical preparations before going to fight. It should not be over or under training. E.g. Filipino World Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao
-Laziness to involve in proper training hinders an athlete in winning the game.
-Lack of disciplines to obey the rules in proper diet and rest.In our life, we can’t be successful if we can’t manage our physical too. e.g. Too late to wakeup in the morning to be on time in school and office, self-discipline, proper nourishment, etc. Lack of discipline and Sickness will hinder our lives to move on.
-We can’t attain success in life if we can’t throw off these obstacles aside: In our studies, our family, our job and our business.
B. There are obstacles hinder our “spiritual condition”
“sin that easily entangles us”
-The athletes know that their strength is not always a guarantee of success. Faith and character are always necessary!
-Pessimism is the same with faithlessness. It is sin that hinders our success.
-Negative spirit like the Israelites. The Israelites are pessimist, when the spies saw the people in Canaan they were afraid of their size. They said: “people living there are too strong, we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes! This hinders them to enter Canaan, the Land of Promise.
-It is the work of the devil in our lives
-"Resist him (the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (I Pet. 5:9)
-The Bible says, let us lay aside these things!
Illustration 1
Two men were riding on a tandem bike going up a steep hill. They were panting and perspiring for all they were worth as they neared the top of the hill. The first man said, "That was a tough climb." The second man said, "It certainly was. And if I hadn’t kept the brake on, we would have slid down that hill backwards."
-There are times when we need to throw off certain things that hinder our forward motion. It could be a person or persons. It could be a bad habit. It could be a bad job. It could be lots of things.
III. LIFE is like a GAME full of ENCOURAGEMENTS
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
A. There is an encouragement for us to “remain under”
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,…”
-Endurance, Gk. Peno-meno = to remain under, to stand under, to endure-Remember: "Success is obtain only by those who never give-up"
- Many people fail to succeed because of impatience. In simple problem they wanted to change their course in life: In studying, job, business, marriage and even family.
-Look at this phrase: “Set before us”
-There are many sports competition in life, but only one competition is set before us to become successful. It’s not good to participate in two different games and win both. To win the game you need to endure all things that surround that game.
-Endurance means "staying power"
-Marriage: in sickness or in health, for richer or for poorer, till death….
-One author wrote: Don’t Just Survive ... Thrive
B. There is an encouragement to “remain in Christ”
“Let us fix our eyes to Jesus”
-Let us remember that we can not endure the race of life without Christ.
-Couches always advise their players to focus their hearts and minds toward the prize. This will encourage them to give their best to work hard to win the game.
-As Christians, the Bible is always telling us to fix our eyes to Jesus. This will not only help us to endure the game but to win the game like Jesus Christ!
-But the sad area is, we always look at the leaders, the members, the church building. Don’t expect to win the game if you are the person like that.
-Jesus was despised, betrayed, suffered, and crucified by those he loves; yet, he was able to say: It is finish. He won the game!
IV. LIFE is like a GAME full of OPPORTUNITIES
“…sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
-Here is the good news for us. Life is full of opportunities. If we are alert and ready to use our God given abilities, we can take these opportunities to attain success in life.
A. There is an opportunity to “make your part” (During the race)
-WHAT IS YOUR GOAL IN PLAYING BASKETBALL?
Well, of course, we would say winning. But there is a clearer point than winning, it is scoring points.What if I told you of a man that played basketball and never scored to all the games? I think you will say, he’s not a good player. RIGHT!
-During the game, a ball holder is in-charge to find and make the good shots/points for himself. It is where Michael Jordan became known and famous. Every time he got the ball, he makes it sure to get a good shot.
-You can freely use your own ability and best to get good scores in the game.
-Benjamin Franklin once said, "Do you love life? Then do not squander time for that is the stuff that life is made of."
-In our life, we have our part to make it successful. Don’t blame our failures to others. Garry Valenciano said in his song: “Pagkat ikaw ang huhubog sa yong buhay.” What we have now is the result of what we have done!
-Each of the servant in the parable of Jesus had given the money to INVEST and use their OWN EFFORTS and WISDOM to make it profitable. (Matthew 25:14-30)
-If you fail in a race, it’s your fault and not God’s fault. You need to do your share in order to win.
-Success in life requires you personal interest because nothing will replace your part to get it.
-There are many opportunities but if you are not willing and ready it may pass away.
-Perhaps, the saddest example of procrastination is found in the life of the Roman Governor Felix, who listened to Paul "speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ’Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.’" (Acts 24:25).
Never again did Felix listen to God’s word. Once he had put it off for a time, as with so many things in life, that time never came. We all ought to be more like the psalmist, who wrote, "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments" (Psalm 119:60).
-There are many promises of God for us to hold onto!
B. There is an opportunity to “enjoy God’s part” (After winning the race)
-The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit.
-The most important part of the game is not the beginning; it’s the end, the Finish Line. The ending of a game! This is the award winning time.
-Our verse says: “Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
-In the Bible, we always received the harvest after sowing something.
-The same with our life, a blessing follows after our endurance.
-God never bless those who never work hard.
-Michael Jordan said, "I’ve tried to be the best basketball player that I could be ....”
-He received those amazing benefits because he did his best to win the game.-If there’s no bleeding, there’s no more blessings!
-Many persons had not received any blessings because they never work hard for themselves.
-There are many tremendous blessings that are available to us if we win the game.
Eph. 3:20 in the Amplified Version says, "God is able to do superabundantly, far over and above, all that we dare ask or think. Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thought, hopes, or dreams."
We never tap into the tremendous resources that God has made available to us.
Conclusion
Life is like a Game! If you don’t try your best to overcome all the challenges that surrounds the game, you will not succeed. Remember that God’s blessing is available only to those who never give up!
RUN WITH ENDURANCE!
Success comes in a CAN, I can. Failure comes in I can’t.
***************SERMON**STRUCTURE***********************
LIFE IS LIKE A BASKETBALL GAME!
Hebrews 12:1-2
I. LIFE is like a GAME full of WITNESSES
“We have so great cloud of witnesses surrounding us”
A. Witnesses that “build up”
B. Witnesses that “hold down”
II. LIFE is like a GAME full of OBSTACLES
“…lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us”
A. Obstacles in “physical Condition”
“every encumbrance” (load)
B. Obstacles in “spiritual condition”
“sin that easily entangles us”
III. LIFE is like a GAME full of ENCOURAGEMENTS
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
A. Encouragement to “remain under”
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”
B. Encouragement to “remain in Christ”
“Let us fix our eyes to Jesus”
IV. LIFE is like a GAME full of OPPORTUNITIES
“…sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
A. Opportunity to “make your part” (During the race)
B. Opportunity to “enjoy God’s part”(After winning the race)
”Success comes in a CAN, I can. Failure comes in I can’t.”
