Latest / Sermon Podcast at Cartersville1st / Born To Win
Transcript
- 0:10You have your Bible going to make your.
- 0:11Way to 1st John chapter 5. First John chapter 5 verses one
- 0:17through 5. First John 5 verses one through
- 0:195. My voice is not what it normally
- 0:22is and so if I have to stay at a gear.
- 0:24Or two lower, which I promise I'm probably going to get
- 0:26excited and get out of that, but.
- 0:28I hope I'm over the. Medicine I took last night.
- 0:31After I made my toast and put the peanut butter back, then I
- 0:34realized I'd put the cheese by the peanut butter instead of the
- 0:36refrigerator and I thought. Oh, I hope that's the only thing
- 0:38that goes wrong. Today.
- 0:39So anyway, hopefully I can stay focused and keep my mind.
- 0:43Where it needs to be? But first John chapter 5, verses
- 0:461. Through 5 y'all you've probably.
- 0:48Heard of the legendary football? Coach by the name of.
- 0:51Vince Lombardi, best known for leading the Green Bay Packers to
- 0:55I believe 5 NFL championships and a couple Super Bowls by the
- 1:00time they were called Super Bowls in the 1960s, this man had
- 1:04a lot to say about winning. Some say that what he said could
- 1:06be attributed to an earlier coach by the name of Red Sanders
- 1:12of the UCLA Bruins. But whoever said it listen to to
- 1:16what these famous words on winning were winning then said.
- 1:22It's not a sometimes thing, it's a all the time thing.
- 1:26Winning is a habit. You also would go on to say
- 1:29winning isn't everything. It's the only thing.
- 1:34If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- 1:39Well, regardless of whether he said it or originally or
- 1:42somebody else said it originally, there's no disputing
- 1:45the fact based on these words and many others, that captures
- 1:49the reality that human beings are obsessed with winning.
- 1:54And it's not just NFL coaches. It's mom's on the T-ball field
- 2:00where there's no scoreboard but they're keeping it on their
- 2:02phone. Mom's on the soccer field, it's
- 2:05dad's. When I was coaching Thursday
- 2:07night flag football with eight-year olds and I was
- 2:10deciding how much more I was going to rib these refs for the
- 2:13either bad 'cause or rule changing.
- 2:14They were doing on me. Right.
- 2:15And I thought, man, you got to calm.
- 2:18Down these are 8. Year olds, right?
- 2:19So we want to win every year. I mean, you can look in sports
- 2:23in every direction. I've I've even read where every
- 2:25year professional cyclist are caught with hidden tiny electric
- 2:30motors on the inside of their bikes to secretly give them a
- 2:35physical boost as they compete as a cycle.
- 2:38I mean, people are obsessed. We as Homo sapiens are obsessed
- 2:43with with winning. I'm not necessarily saying
- 2:47that's a bad thing. The question is, is that
- 2:49philosophy sound though? Is winning everything?
- 2:54Well, you might be tempted to say no.
- 2:56I actually want to propose to you this morning that that is
- 3:00true. Winning is everything.
- 3:02There's only one catch. There's only one real win that
- 3:07matters. There's only one real win.
- 3:10Winning is everything, but there's only one real win that
- 3:14matters. In fact, the Bible says you can
- 3:16win the world and yet forfeit or lose your soul.
- 3:20You can win at everything else there is to win at except this
- 3:24one thing and be a loser. Ultimately.
- 3:28Winning is everything, mark it down, but there's only one win
- 3:32that ultimately matters. What I want to show you from
- 3:35first John 5 is simply that truth.
- 3:36This. Morning is that winning is.
- 3:37Everything in title of the sermon.
- 3:39Is born to win. Born to win, The question is and
- 3:43John's been asking what? How do you know?
- 3:45Questions. And answering them.
- 3:46Over and over, the question this morning he's writing to answer
- 3:49is how do you know how to win? At the win that ultimately
- 3:53matters. How do you know?
- 3:54How to win? Listen to 1st John. 5 verses,
- 3:56one through 5. John writes Everyone who
- 4:00believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and
- 4:07everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of
- 4:12him. By this we know that we love the
- 4:15children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.
- 4:20For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and
- 4:24his commandments are not burdensome.
- 4:27For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and
- 4:31this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
- 4:35Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who
- 4:38believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
- 4:42If winning is everything, the first question we need to ask
- 4:46and answer is who wins? Who wins?
- 4:49Here's John's answer. You ready?
- 4:50Who wins #1 believers who are born of God, love God and love
- 4:57one another. Who wins?
- 4:59Let me tell you who wins. Believers who are born of God
- 5:04love God and love one another. Notice what he says in verse
- 5:08one. Everyone who believes that Jesus
- 5:10is the Christ has been born of God.
- 5:14It really doesn't get much simpler than that, right?
- 5:18Everyone who truly believes Jesus is Lord has been saved.
- 5:23John says all right, winning really is spiritually that
- 5:28simple, but is it that easy? Well, let's see, because we need
- 5:31to really understand what John is saying.
- 5:34First of all, when John says everyone who believes, he has
- 5:38more in mind and than just mental or intellectual ascent,
- 5:42right, He's not meaning simply agreeing that something is true.
- 5:47John means not only recognizing the truth of something, but more
- 5:51importantly, accepting that truth by appropriately
- 5:55responding to it. And there's a difference.
- 5:58You might believe that your car runs only on gasoline, but you
- 6:03don't appropriately respond to that truth until you pull up to
- 6:07the pump and pay the money and squeeze the handle and fill your
- 6:11car with gasoline. You might believe that the sun
- 6:14can burn your skin. You might agree that that's
- 6:16true, but you've not appropriately responded to that
- 6:19truth until you apply sunscreen. You might believe that seatbelts
- 6:23save lives, but you've not appropriately responded to that
- 6:27truth unless you what? Buckle up.
- 6:30There's a difference between believing or agreeing something
- 6:33is true and actually appropriately responding to it.
- 6:37All right? True belief, mark it down
- 6:40always. True belief always effects one's
- 6:43behavior. John is not saying everyone who
- 6:46agrees that Jesus is the Christ has been saved.
- 6:50What he's saying is everyone who's believed and appropriately
- 6:53responded to that belief with repentance of sin turning to the
- 6:58Lord Jesus as Savior and surrendering their life to him.
- 7:01That's the person that's been saved.
- 7:03Can I ask you, have you been saved?
- 7:04I'm not asking you, do you believe in Jesus or do you
- 7:07believe Jesus is the Savior? I'm asking you, have you pulled
- 7:09up to the pump and pumped gas? I'm asking you, have you applied
- 7:12sunscreen? I'm asking you if you've buckled
- 7:14up, if you've surrendered your life to Jesus because he lived a
- 7:19sinless life for you, died on the cross for your sin, and was
- 7:22raised from the dead. Thirdly, to offer you eternal
- 7:24life. And there came a point of
- 7:25decision in your life by faith when everything changed because
- 7:29you decided to follow Jesus, Amen or not Amen in your life.
- 7:34Has it happened? Has it happened?
- 7:37That's what John says. Everyone who believes that Jesus
- 7:39is the Christ has been born of God.
- 7:42It says born of God. What does that mean?
- 7:46This is the terminology Jesus uses in the conversation with
- 7:49Nicodemus in John chapter 3, right?
- 7:52And Nicodemus is a spiritual leader and yet he's asking Jesus
- 7:54basic spiritual questions. Jesus looks at him and says, hey
- 7:58man, listen, you don't understand, you got to be born
- 8:00again. Nicodemus didn't have a clue
- 8:02what Jesus is talking about. But Jesus is not talking about a
- 8:04new physical birth, all right. He's talking about a spiritual
- 8:08birth where God, by his power, based upon the fate of someone
- 8:12in him, in his son, Jesus acts dynamically and transformatively
- 8:17on an individual where he causes their soul to be birthed from
- 8:21death and made alive and become a new creation. 2nd Corinthians
- 8:25517 if any any woman, boy or girl be in Christ, have faith in
- 8:29Jesus. Not just intellectual ascent,
- 8:31but sunscreen on, buckled up, seat belt on, faith in Jesus.
- 8:35That person is made alive by the power of God.
- 8:39They are literally birthed into life.
- 8:41The Bible calls it regeneration. The Jesus calls it new birth.
- 8:45Have you been made alive? Everyone who's been born of God
- 8:49is those who've accepted this truth, right?
- 8:52Everyone into verse one, John writes who loves the Father,
- 8:57loves whoever has been born of him.
- 9:00Now, if you're paying attention, John just switched terminology
- 9:04on you and that should catch your attention.
- 9:05He says here, whoever loves the father, you would have expected
- 9:08him to say whoever's been born of God then loves whoever's been
- 9:14born of him. But he says whoever loves the
- 9:16father. Why?
- 9:17Because John knows that if you've been born of God, guess
- 9:19what you're going to naturally do?
- 9:22You're going to love God. Did you know that I did not have
- 9:23to teach my children to love me? You don't have to teach your
- 9:27children to love you. It's kind of coming to an end
- 9:32now, sadly. My oldest is 13.
- 9:35Not my love, their love for me. I didn't mean that.
- 9:41That came out bad. What I meant was again, that's.
- 9:45Cheese peanut butter thing, but. What I meant was one of the
- 9:50primary demonstrations of their love my girls when I pull into
- 9:54my. Driveway No one.
- 9:56Taught them to come. Running down the driveway
- 9:58driveway screaming daddy when I come home from work right now.
- 10:04That's what I meant. Starting to come to an end all
- 10:06right there. My oldest is 13 and kind of
- 10:09caring about other things. Right, but when you've been.
- 10:12Born of God, no one has to teach you to run down the driveway
- 10:18saying, I love my heavenly father, right?
- 10:22John says. Whoever loves the.
- 10:24Father, that's who's truly. Has been born of him.
- 10:25That's one of the clear signs. You're spiritually alive, right?
- 10:29That doesn't have to be taught. Doesn't mean, doesn't mean my
- 10:31the love of my. Kids for me is perfect.
- 10:33Doesn't mean my love for my Heavenly Father or your love is
- 10:35perfect. It just means it's.
- 10:37Present. It's real.
- 10:40It's. Undeniable.
- 10:40It doesn't have to be taught. It's coming natural, right?
- 10:44Is there an instinctive love not only for God, but John says
- 10:48here, those if we love the Father, that we're going to love
- 10:51those who have been born of Him. So not only did I not have to
- 10:54teach my kids to love me, I didn't have to teach my kids.
- 10:58To love one another. Now you may be saying, Kyle,
- 11:00listen and listen. Mine are right there too.
- 11:02They can fight, kick and scream. And gnaw and agitate and.
- 11:05Pull each other's teeth out just about right.
- 11:07I mean, your kids may do that too.
- 11:08Mine do. Too.
- 11:10But you know deep down there's a love they have when we lost my.
- 11:13Son in Bass Pro my daughters were.
- 11:15Crying just as much as. I was, we found him by the way.
- 11:18But anyway, that's a different story.
- 11:21But. Deep down, you don't have to
- 11:23train or teach to love those born of the same family to which
- 11:28you belong. Do you see that borne out in
- 11:32your life for brothers and sisters?
- 11:34Is there an instinctive natural native love for those in your
- 11:40church family part of the. Family I've got.
- 11:42Other brothers and sisters in Christ.
- 11:43Y'all winning is everything but only one win matters.
- 11:46So who is it that wins? It's those that have been born
- 11:49of God and love God and love. One another, that's who wins.
- 11:54OK, that's the only win that matters #2 though winning is
- 11:57everything and #2 how do we know we are winning?
- 12:01How do we know we're winning? We're winning when our love for
- 12:04God looks like obedience to God's commands.
- 12:07How do we know that we're winning?
- 12:10We know we're winning when our love for God looks like
- 12:15obedience to God's command. This is verses 2 through 3, John
- 12:18writes. By this we know that we love the
- 12:20children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
- 12:24For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.
- 12:28Some people think it's possible to love God and not obey him.
- 12:32Baloney, John says, and he stamps out that possibility.
- 12:37There's no love for God without obedience because love for God,
- 12:41John says, looks like obedience. All right.
- 12:44Loving God and obeying God are not 2 separate things.
- 12:46They are in fact one in the same.
- 12:48John says one of the clearest signs we've been born of God is
- 12:51if in fact we love God and love for God looks like obedience.
- 12:54All right, again, back to my kids.
- 12:56Nothing my kids do. I mean, I actually, when I
- 12:59thought about this, I thought I could probably think of a lot of
- 13:01things. But one of the primary things,
- 13:03if not the greatest thing that my kids do that just show their
- 13:07raw, instinctive love for me is when they do what I would want
- 13:10them to do without me telling them what to do right.
- 13:15When they respect me enough and they honor me enough, when they
- 13:17love me And it shows up by just they're doing what they know
- 13:20would please. And and by the way, kids,
- 13:22despite our sin nature and we are little sinners.
- 13:24And I've said that and you know it's true.
- 13:26And I am too. But deep down too, you know, God
- 13:28has given us a desire to please those we love.
- 13:31And and and and deep down my kids and your kids they they do
- 13:34even though sometimes I can get interrupted and obstacled by sin
- 13:37and hardness of heart. But deep down there is there a
- 13:40desire to please, especially when they're young in responding
- 13:43to authority in their lives. They desire to please.
- 13:48Is there in your life evidence of that desire to please God
- 13:52just like your kids have that data to show their love by
- 13:55pleasing the same operation for us in our lives.
- 13:58So there's born of God. They're all to be that
- 14:00instinctive desire to please God.
- 14:01No, it doesn't mean our obedience to God is perfect.
- 14:05It doesn't mean my kids. Obedience to me is perfect.
- 14:08But is it present? Let me ask you this.
- 14:11If you just did a. Little evaluation.
- 14:13Is your love for God looking like obedience?
- 14:16To his commands right now in your life.
- 14:19Let me ask you some. Diagnostic questions Are you
- 14:21ready? Let's just go back to the.
- 14:22Basic set of 10 God's given us. Not all of them, but a few of
- 14:25them right there. Thou shalt have no other gods
- 14:29before. Me.
- 14:31Right, God says, hey, I'm supposed to be first.
- 14:34So let me ask you, is God getting your greatest loyalty
- 14:41of? Above and beyond anything or
- 14:44anyone else in your life. Is God getting your greatest
- 14:49loyalty in every area and sphere of your life?
- 14:52Or is something or someone getting?
- 14:54A greater loyalty, a greater priority, a higher place, by the
- 14:59way, sometimes. That person getting a higher
- 15:01place than God in our lives is me, myself and and I.
- 15:06Yeah, what about? You shall honor your father and
- 15:11your mother. I'm talking to the young people
- 15:13in the room. I see some of you.
- 15:17Let me give you 2 words, teenagers, attitude and actions.
- 15:23Number one, to honor means to respect.
- 15:26And the primary way you're going to respect.
- 15:28Your parents is in the way you speak to them and the way your
- 15:31body. Language responds to them when
- 15:33they're talking to you and your. Attention you give to them and
- 15:38the way you're reflecting that attitude of a good attitude or
- 15:41bad attitude to your parents. So attitude and then your
- 15:44actions, your actual behaviors, so do you actually do what
- 15:48they've asked you to do are? You honoring?
- 15:49Their wishes. Are you obeying their commands?
- 15:51Are you following through on their intentions right now?
- 15:55Listen, teenagers, I know you may feel a little old for this,
- 15:58but if you don't learn this, if your parents didn't tell you
- 16:00this, all right, God wants you to hear this, I believe.
- 16:03And parents, if you're still raising young ones, you need to
- 16:05use this language I believe will be helpful because guess what,
- 16:08You may feel like, well, I don't necessarily feel like they have
- 16:10to do that to me. Well, listen, God wants them to
- 16:12do it for him. He's given you for them to
- 16:15practice on, all right? So what we're going to do is
- 16:17teach our kids to obey right away, all the way with a happy
- 16:21heart. Teenagers, you need to write
- 16:24that down, all right? Because it's applicable right
- 16:27now. And this is the way God wants
- 16:28you to relate to him all the way right away with the attitude of.
- 16:32A Come on now. Happy heart, all right.
- 16:41That's when honoring one's parents looks like.
- 16:43You know why God wants you to honor your parents?
- 16:45Because they're the first authority figure in life.
- 16:46Because God's prepping you to respond to him as the ultimate
- 16:49authority. By the way, I'm getting off
- 16:50track here, but parents, listen to me.
- 16:53I realize right now sometimes I hear this thing.
- 16:55Well, he's just two. She's just three.
- 16:57She's just four. She doesn't know any better.
- 16:58Listen, I'm just going to tell you you're wrong.
- 17:02You can try to correct me later. I'm just telling you you're
- 17:05wrong. They know better, and let me
- 17:08tell you if you. Don't establish authority and
- 17:11response to. Obedience when they can do
- 17:13things you know they should understand by three age 3 and 4.
- 17:16You've waited too late. You've waited too late.
- 17:20And again, you may disagree with me and that's fine, but I'm
- 17:23telling you from a. Place of that's well studied.
- 17:27And I've seen that, I've told you when my mom took me in the
- 17:30bathroom before I was when I was about two years of age and went
- 17:347 rounds with me to my behind. You think I'm kidding y'all?
- 17:40Don't remember this. Y'all laughing like y'all don't
- 17:41know this. 7 rounds because she had instructed me to tell a
- 17:44young girl I'd pushed. I was sorry.
- 17:45Either it was 2 or. 3. The seventh time, the 7th time I
- 17:50finally said I'm sorry and she said after that she didn't have
- 17:53a problem with me. But if you don't start, if you
- 17:59don't start early. You'll start too late.
- 18:01All right, all right, back to sermon.
- 18:03Here we go. You shall not murder, Jesus
- 18:07says. If you hate in your heart,
- 18:09you're guilty. Of what?
- 18:11Of murder? And remember, John defines hate,
- 18:13not of digging a hole and throwing you in it.
- 18:16But of just anything that's. Less than a lack of true what
- 18:19love? Anything that's less than acting
- 18:23for the good of another at your own expense.
- 18:25Even your enemies. All right.
- 18:27What about you shall not commit adultery, right?
- 18:31So the Bible talks about adultery as sexual activity
- 18:34outside the bounds of marriage. When you're married, that's
- 18:37outside of God's will. By the way, God says if you lust
- 18:40in your heart, you've committed what adultery.
- 18:43It's not just a physical action thing.
- 18:45It's a from the heart thing. And by the way, the Bible uses
- 18:48another word fornication for sexual activity outside of
- 18:51marriage for those that are not married as forbidden by God
- 18:54because God designed sexual activity between a man and a
- 18:58woman in the in the bonds in context of marriage.
- 19:03Teenagers, please hear me. You will bless yourself if you
- 19:07save yourself for marriage. You shall not steal, including
- 19:13your taxes and your tithe. I didn't think I'd get an Amen
- 19:17there, but I tried all right. You shall not covet, live
- 19:24desperately, wanting what everybody else has.
- 19:26You shall not bear false witness.
- 19:27Are you speaking the truth and nothing but the truth and only
- 19:30the truth? No matter who and where you're
- 19:33what you're with? Loving God.
- 19:34Y'all looks like obeying God. You realize you can really take
- 19:38a pretty accurate measure of your love for God by just doing
- 19:41a little. Analysis of your obedience,
- 19:44right? Because obedience to God.
- 19:46Is a measure of your love. It's a how?
- 19:50It's a how it's put into practice, right?
- 19:52Winning is everything. How do we know we're winning?
- 19:55How do we know we're? Winning.
- 19:57We're winning. When our love for God.
- 19:58When our love for God. Looks like obedience to God's
- 20:00commands. Let me just pause for a second.
- 20:04Some of you are winners in the room.
- 20:06You're just not living by winning right now.
- 20:08Let me explain. Alabama won yesterday.
- 20:13Praise God. But there was a point.
- 20:15In time when they weren't winning but they were the
- 20:17winners of the game. OK, I'm doing this.
- 20:22On a South Carolina game and not a different game, All right.
- 20:24So anyway, you can be a Christian and be a winner, but
- 20:28not live like you're winning you.
- 20:33Can have come to Christ and accepted.
- 20:35Him and have have have received. Eternal life, but have gotten
- 20:39the score flipped upside. Down and the world's kind of got
- 20:42you where it wants you. And it looks like you may not
- 20:44win in the end, but you're you're a winner.
- 20:46You're just not living like you're winning.
- 20:49Your love for God is not looking like.
- 20:51Obedience to God's commands. And you, you got some
- 20:52adjustments to make in a time out at a halftime.
- 20:58God, would you look and inspect me and see God, you've made me a
- 21:02winner, but I'm not living like it.
- 21:04So what do I need to change? What needs to happen for for me
- 21:08to actually live like I who I am?
- 21:10All right #3 what does it take to win?
- 21:14Faith is the win. What does it take to win?
- 21:16Faith is the win. This is verse 3 through 5.
- 21:18And his commands are not burdensome, John says.
- 21:21Now don't be mistaken, John does not mean to say that God's
- 21:24commands are easy or automatic. They're anything but that.
- 21:29God's commands are in fact demanding.
- 21:32It's not easy to follow Jesus today or live a life fully sold
- 21:35out for him in the world we live in.
- 21:36It's going to take every ounce of spiritual courage and
- 21:38vitality and ability that God, by the power of the Holy Spirit
- 21:41can give you and has given us. And yet by this John is saying
- 21:45God's commands are not oppressive, not God's commands
- 21:48are not a burden. God's commands, y'all are not
- 21:51life taking. They are life giving.
- 21:55The truth will set you free. God has given us his truth and
- 21:58his commands. So how can God's commands be
- 22:01both demanding on the one hand and yet not burdensome on the
- 22:04other? One verse 4 tells us, it says
- 22:06for everyone who has been born of God, there's that terminology
- 22:09again, overcomes the world and this is the victory that has
- 22:13overcome the world. There it is our faith.
- 22:16John says, why are God's commands not burdensome?
- 22:19Because of the new birth. If you've truly been born again,
- 22:24you've been given a new set of desires, and if you've been born
- 22:30again, you've been given a totally new power, the person of
- 22:34the Holy Spirit within you. So by a new creation, because of
- 22:37a new birth, you got new desires and a new power to do what you
- 22:41never wanted to do, no, never could do on your own before.
- 22:44And this is how God's commands are.
- 22:46You try to do God's commands without being born again, you're
- 22:49going to frustrate yourself into oblivion.
- 22:50You can't do it. You can't behaviorally modify
- 22:53yourself into being a Christian. A Christian is a new creation
- 22:59born of God by faith in Jesus. And when faith in Jesus happens
- 23:04and the new birth happens, you're a new creation.
- 23:06And now you're released to do commands you now know how to do
- 23:09because you have understanding in God's Word.
- 23:11And you have the power to do that because you have the person
- 23:13of the Holy Spirit living on the inside.
- 23:16So you can do that which you couldn't do before.
- 23:17You would want what you never wanted before.
- 23:19All right so to be born again is to be saved, brought to life by
- 23:25God's power. When someone's born again, they
- 23:27literally, John says, overcome the world.
- 23:30They have overcome the world. They are overcoming the world
- 23:33and they will overcome the world.
- 23:35And although this is not an easy thing, right, This is the power
- 23:37of God in our life, the world. Y'all are all the forces and the
- 23:41powers of the evil pitted against God and his people.
- 23:45And to overcome is to conquer. It's to win.
- 23:47It's to defeat everything that is opposed to God.
- 23:51Y'all know a multibillion dollar enterprise that is named for
- 23:56this Greek word here that means overcome?
- 23:59Can you name it? Somebody said it.
- 24:03Who? Said Nike in the back.
- 24:05Mitch Nike is named, now we pronounce it in English, Nike.
- 24:11But actually the word comes from the Greek goddess, her name for
- 24:15victory, which was Nikkei. But this is the word to
- 24:20overcome, to have victory. And now even a shoe company and
- 24:24all sorts of sports accessories is named after this very word.
- 24:27But how is the victory won, right?
- 24:30How is it that those born of God overcome the attacks and the
- 24:33temptations and the traps in the draw and the gravitational
- 24:36downward pull of the world towards rabbating?
- 24:39It's God, it says. This is the victory that
- 24:41overcomes the world. Our faith.
- 24:43Not your works, not your best efforts, not your best wishes or
- 24:46desires, not your hardest tries. But our faith, our fate.
- 24:53Why is it? What does it take?
- 24:55To win, it takes faith. Faith is the victory.
- 24:57I want you to listen to what God's word says about faith.
- 24:59I don't have time to read this whole chapter.
- 25:01I'm going to try to. Hit some highlights.
- 25:02Y'all ready? Listen to faith.
- 25:03Now faith is this is Hebrews 11, the assurance of things hoped
- 25:06for. It's the conviction of things
- 25:08not seen for by it the people of old received their commendation.
- 25:12Look at verse 4. By faith Abel offered to God a
- 25:15more acceptable sacrifice than came.
- 25:17And then if you drop down to verse 5, by faith, Enoch was
- 25:21taken up so that he should not see death.
- 25:24Verse 7 By faith Noah being warned by God concerning events,
- 25:27yet is unseen and reverent fear constructed an art for the
- 25:30saving of his household. Look at further.
- 25:34Verse 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to
- 25:37a place that he was to receive as an inheritance by faith.
- 25:40Verse 9, He went to live in the land of promise in a foreign
- 25:43land. Verse 11, By faith.
- 25:45Sarah herself received power to conceive.
- 25:48Verse 12. Therefore from one man as him as
- 25:51good as dead were born descendants, as many as the
- 25:53stars of heaven, and as many as the innumerable grains of sand
- 25:56by the seashore. Look at verse.
- 25:58Drop on down to verse 17 By faith.
- 26:01Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.
- 26:04Look at verse 21 by faith. Jacob when dying, blessed each
- 26:07of the sons of Joseph, verse 22 by faith.
- 26:10Joseph at the end. Of his life.
- 26:11Made mention of the Exodus Look at verse 23 By faith.
- 26:14Moses when he was born was hidden for three months look at
- 26:16verse 29 by faith. The people cross the Red Sea
- 26:19look at verse 32. What more shall I say?
- 26:21For time shall fail me to tell of Gideon and Barack and Samson,
- 26:24Egypt, them David, Sam and the prophets through faith.
- 26:27Y'all notice a theme? Do you know why the?
- 26:32Victory is simply our faith. Because Jesus.
- 26:36Won the victory, and our victory comes by faith in His.
- 26:42Victory because our faith in him joins us with Jesus, the
- 26:48overcomer, the one who said, hey, in the world you're going
- 26:51to have trouble. But take heart.
- 26:52I've what I've Niked, I've overcome the world, those by
- 27:00faith in Jesus, overcome by faith because not that we're
- 27:02trying to win, we're joining the wind that Jesus has already
- 27:05secured for us on the cross by when we win.
- 27:09By faith in Jesus as we win. But don't miss verse 5.
- 27:13What does it say here? Who is it that overcomes the
- 27:15world except the one who believes that Jesus is the?
- 27:18Son of God, in case you were wondering.
- 27:21That's a rhetorical question, I kind of believe.
- 27:23That's like Bible trash. Talk right there, holy and.
- 27:25Sanctified Hey y'all show me somebody overcome the world by
- 27:29something different than faith. You can't do it.
- 27:32The Bible. Says that's preacher trash talk.
- 27:36That's the best I can do. Right there, it doesn't happen.
- 27:40There's no one. There's no winner.
- 27:42You're not going to find a winner.
- 27:43Don't even try to go look for one, can you?
- 27:44You can look for one if you want.
- 27:45There's no ultimate winner in this world who's won at really
- 27:50what matters and when he gives everything.
- 27:51But there's only one win that matters.
- 27:53Go find me a winner. Someone that's not done it by
- 27:56faith. I want to show you a little
- 27:59video clip of Scotty Scheffler. I've showed this to the men on
- 28:01Tuesday morning, but I want you to see this video clip after he
- 28:04won his second Masters in 2024. I just want you to listen to how
- 28:07he processes. Winning the Masters versus the
- 28:10Christian life. Check this out you.
- 28:12Say constantly that your identity is not in your golf
- 28:14scores. What is it about winning and
- 28:16competing then that you find satisfying?
- 28:19You know, that's a really good question.
- 28:20I, I was sitting around with my buddies this morning.
- 28:23I was, I was a bit overwhelmed because I told him I was like, I
- 28:25wish that I didn't want to win as badly as I did or as badly as
- 28:29I do. I think it would make the
- 28:31mornings easier. But I, I love winning.
- 28:34I hate losing. I really do.
- 28:36And when you're here in the biggest moments, when I'm
- 28:38sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to
- 28:41win badly. And my buddies told me this
- 28:44morning, you know, my victory was secure on the cross.
- 28:46And that's that's a pretty special feeling to know that I'm
- 28:51secure for forever. And it doesn't matter, you know,
- 28:54whether or not I win this tournament or if I lose this
- 28:56tournament, you know, my identity is secure for forever.
- 28:59Doesn't. Matter if I win this tournament
- 29:00or not. What do you say?
- 29:03Let me translate. I've already won the win.
- 29:06That matters. Now listen, I'm no masters.
- 29:09Champions and let me just tell you how this worked out in my
- 29:11life all right and Dad. 'S in the room.
- 29:13Listen. Closely, because if you didn't
- 29:15have this, you need to be this. The Christian life is a lot like
- 29:19what would happen when I would walk up to the batter's box,
- 29:21play a Little League baseball. Bottom of the sixth inning,
- 29:25couple men on base, maybe tied up or down by run. 2 outs, maybe
- 29:28full count. My dad either coaching the first
- 29:32baseline or the third baseline in that moment, could be the
- 29:35final pitch of the game. Might win, might lose.
- 29:37My dad would call a timeout, walk up to me, put his arm
- 29:39around me, and say something like this.
- 29:41I don't know how many times I heard it, but it was a bunch.
- 29:42Son. Doesn't matter what happens
- 29:44right here, no matter what, I'm going to love you.
- 29:52What was my dad saying, Kyle? It doesn't matter whether we win
- 29:57or win or lose at this game. You're already a winner in life
- 30:03because I'm your father and you're my son, and nothing could
- 30:07ever change that. Listen, as a Christian, every
- 30:11single day you step up in the life of the batter's box, OK?
- 30:17And with your eyes on. Jesus, your coach, he puts his
- 30:19arm around you and says, you know what?
- 30:22Ball or strike today? Swing or miss, home run, single
- 30:25strikeout, win or lose. At work or at school or on the
- 30:30team or your activities or whatever.
- 30:33I want you to know you're my son.
- 30:34You're my. Daughter, you've already won.
- 30:38Nothing could change my love for you.
- 30:41All you got to do is step up and trust and obey.
- 30:43Swing the bat by faith and guess what?
- 30:46Trust me for the results. But you've already won by faith
- 30:52in Jesus. John and priest Tim are about to
- 30:55come. Here's what I'm going.
- 30:56To ask you, I first just want to ask you, are you a winner?
- 31:02Are you born again by faith in Jesus?
- 31:04I'm not asking you if you agree with me that Jesus is Lord or he
- 31:07Savior. I'm asking you if you've buckled
- 31:09up. I'm asking if you've put on
- 31:11sunscreen. I'm asking if you've pumped gas.
- 31:13I'm asking if you've surrendered your life to Jesus.
- 31:15There's a difference. Are you on his team?
- 31:19Because if you're stepping up to the box on his team every day,
- 31:21you've already won. Now you just having fun living
- 31:25for the Kingdom of God till God calls you home doesn't mean you
- 31:28won't get hit by a. Pitch every now and then, too,
- 31:30all right? But you've already won.
- 31:33Are you a winner? Do you need to step out from
- 31:35where you are in case, say, Kyle, I believe Jesus is real,
- 31:38that he exists at his Savior, but I've never buckled up by
- 31:41faith in Jesus Christ. It's time today.
- 31:43Would you step out? Would you come?
- 31:44Let me ask you this, are you a winner?
- 31:46But you're not living like you're winning.
- 31:48You're letting the world win because you've got things in
- 31:50your life. Your love for God doesn't look
- 31:51like obedience right now. And the score is flipped on you.
- 31:54You don't really know what to do.
- 31:55You need to call a timeout and say, God, show me what's going
- 31:58on in my life, and now I need to lay down whatever I've picked
- 32:01up. That's not healthy.
- 32:02That's not true. That's not setting me free.
- 32:03Bring me back to a point of trusting and obeying you by
- 32:06faith. You're a winner.
- 32:10You got to live like. One by putting it into.
- 32:12Practice. Do you need to come and?
- 32:15Get on your knees because. Maybe you've never heard.
- 32:18Or maybe. You need to be reminded of that
- 32:21every day you wake up if. You belong to.
- 32:23Jesus, God is your father, You're his son or daughter and.
- 32:26Nothing could change his love. For you and you're already.
- 32:28A winner and you just want to say thank you, Jesus.
- 32:33God help me wake up and get in the batter's box tomorrow with
- 32:36that on my mind and heart. Nothing, knowing nothing can
- 32:40change that. I don't know.
- 32:43I don't, I don't know where you are.
- 32:46But you were born to win, and winning is everything.
- 32:51You got other things you're trying to win at that don't
- 32:54matter. That you need to lay down so you
- 32:55can just seek to give your life energy to winning at what does
- 32:58matter. I don't know how you need to
- 33:00respond, but I'm going to ask you to.
- 33:02I'm going to pray. Then we're going to stand and
- 33:04respond to Jesus in His invitation to win Heavenly
- 33:07Father. I pray you'd have your way.
- 33:09I pray, Father, that. You tell us how to.
- 33:11Respond today to you in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
- 33:14Would y'all stand with me? Our encouragers are close.
- 33:16You step out and come. You step out and come as the
- 33:18Lord calls.