Intro: The other day a sports channel did the top 10 sports rivalries and of course, Auburn-Alabama was on that list. People in Alabama live and breathe football. I like the writings of Paul because he uses sporting terms to give spiritual lessons. Since we live in a football state, I will use football terminology to relay how to become a Spiritual Champion.
Spiritual Champions
Tom Landry—coach of the Dallas Cowboys sums up being a champion like this. You must have faith to believe you can be a champion, you must work hard every day, you must set the goal of winning as your only goal, and you must have the will to win no matter how difficult that task before you.
1. get spiritual first downs—I Corinthians 9:24—So run that ye may obtain.
a. don’t live your spiritual life like a jogger. Live it like a marathon runner. Get better everyday, work hard to become more today than you were the day before, obtain a new goal every time you suit up.
b. Ask this question: am I closer to my spiritual goals now, then I was a year ago?
Ill) the escalator—before Nintendo, before pac-man, before X-box- there was the escalator. Mom could shop til she dropped as long as I could ride the escalator. I loved trying to get to the top of the escalator that was coming down. Another cool thing was staying in place, or walking at the same speed the escalator was moving. You felt like you were making progress, but you weren’t going anywhere. As a Spiritual champion, always make sure you are going somewhere!
2. run over the opposition—Galatians 5:7-you were running well, who hindered you? The next key to being a spiritual champion is running over the devil, not letting him run over you.
a. you run over the devil when you hold onto truth. When you hold truth the devil cannot defeat you. Truth is too powerful for the false to destroy.
b. You run over the devil when you realize God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and soundness in your mind.
Ill) Shug Jordan asked Mike Cohen to help with recruiting. Mike asked, coach what are you looking for? He said, Mike, you know the guy that gets hit and stays down, I don’t want him. You know the guy who gets knocked down, gets back up, gets knocked down, gets back up, and gets knocked down, but gets back up. Yeah coach, you want him. No Mike, I want that guy that is knocking everyone down. As a Spiritual champion, run over obstacles, run over opposition, run over anything that tries to keep you from your spiritual goals.
3. Score Spiritual Touchdowns—Philippians 3:14—I press toward the mark-Paul says, don’t be satisfied with just being in the game, get into the game to score a touchdown. Too many people are satisfied to stay on the spiritual sidelines, when God is calling us into the game of life.
Ill) years ago I moved to Alabama and played football at Tallassee. I wouldn’t recommend anyone starting their football career as a Junior. It was the first time in my life I sat on the bench. As a sideliner you had one goal, it was to get your uniform dirty. If at the end of the game, your uniform was still clean, everyone knew, you were a spectator and not a participant.
To show you how confused I was,when I did get into one game, someone fumbled the ball and as people were about to jump on the ball, I kicked it into the stands and got a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. I guess I should have stuck with soccer.
Paul says, witness for Christ, win people to the Lord, share the gospel, reap harvest, claim victories, get into the game and score spiritual touchdowns.
Ill) D.L. Moody scored touchdowns-one time at a soul winners conference, while people were all learning how to witness for Christ, he led 13 people to Christ in the hotel where the conference was being held. While others were teaching, he was out scoring spiritual touchdowns.
4. Hold Up The Trophy—2 Timothy 4:7-8
Paul saw the Christian life as a race to finish, and a fight to win. He gave a picture of heaven as a championship dinner where the presenter of the awards was Jesus Christ. For all those who would decide to be Spiritual Champions, Jesus would present them a crown of life.
· The trophies of heaven will be worth having—souls for Christ, family and friends who you helped get into glory. It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.
· Jesus will present you with a crown of life. The devil stole eternal life away from man in the garden, but Jesus Christ now holds the keys to life, and for Spiritual champions He will give eternal rewards.
Ill) I still remember my first trophy—I was 11 years old living at Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico. The base allowed one Puerto Rican team in the men’s softball league, they were Banco Popular. I was the bat boy for their team. What was funny is that most of them could only speak Spanish, and I could only speak English, but that didn’t matter, I was bat boy for Banco Popular. They won the league, and after they all received their trophies, they presented me with a 3 inch trophy. I guess that was one of the most exciting moments in my life, I had a trophy. Paul says, the trophies down here are temporary, but the trophies of heaven will last forever.
Close: be a Spiritual champion—get spiritual first downs, run over the opposition, score spiritual touchdowns, hold up the trophy.
Paul was one of the greatest Spiritual champions. He said, He knew what was waiting for him in glory. Today, make sure in all your goals, that being a Champion for Christ is first on your to do list.
Ill) in 1857 Dudley Ting helped lead a prayer service at the YMCA that within a short time had 5000 coming for noon prayer. One day while visiting a farm Dudley got his arm caught in a threshing machine and severed the main artery in his arm. Realizing he was about to die his friend George Duffield asked Dudley, what would you have me say to the world. Dudley Ting said, tell people to stand up for Jesus. At the memorial service for Dudley Ting, his friend George Duffield read his poem: Stand up, Stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross, lift up his royal banner, it must not suffer loss, from victory unto victory His army He shall lead, till every foe is vanquished, for Christ is Lord indeed. The last verse says, stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long, this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song, to him that overcometh, a crown of life shall be, he with the king of glory, shall reign eternally.
In city after city, they would meet to pray, and they would sing the song, Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.
Today, be a Spiritual Champion
