“Super
Bowl Sunday” By Brother Kenneth Ray February 6th,
2011 Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday. Our backdrop today is football, the Super Bowl, in fact. But, what we have gathered here to do is to lift up the Lord and speak of His goodness for our lives. First, football is a participation sport. Participation is required. The players can’t just stand on the field. Even the spectators are affected by what happens on the field, and they are a live part of what goes on; the players feed off of their energy, and feel their lows and highs. Second, football is a contact sport. Getting hit is part of the game. If nobody is getting hit, then somebody isn’t doing his job. If you are serving Christ in your life, then you are going to get hit by things, knocked down, tripped up, get bruised and beaten. Sometimes that’s from friendly fire. Don’t let that discourage you. Also, don’t start thinking that what you do only affects you. It affects every one around you. You notice that Jesus said that he was about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). He was not an observer. God didn’t call us to be spectators. If you live for Christ, some people will cheer you on, and some people will boo you. Also, it’s not the same as last time. There are thirty-two teams in the NFL, and they each have their own playing field. The weather is never the same every Sunday; season’s change, and the game goes on. We go through changes, seasons of life. Today is not the same as any one previous day, and our lives go on. All kinds of things are going to happen to you today, and, if you get to tomorrow, then repeat the process. Let me tell you about some football basics: 1) Offense 2) Defense 3) Line of scrimmage. Offense and defense most of us know. Let me start with the line of scrimmage; how many people know what the line of scrimmage is? Okay, have you ever been to the mall, and seen those signs that say, “You are here?” well, basically, that’s what the line of scrimmage is. It is where the football rests in between plays, and it is where the offense starts from on every play. The offense is the team that is trying to move the ball down the field. This includes blockers, who will block for you, and push things out of your way so that you can move forward a few inches. Does anybody know what a yellow flag means in football? That’s a penalty. I have never seen a penalty-free game. I have seen that we all have moments that we aren’t proud of. I’ve never seen a mistake-free life either, but I’ve read about one. Heaven, like the Super Bowl, is not just something that appears. It has events leading up to it. There are 16 games in the regular season, and then the play-offs. The play-offs are like tests that must be overcome to receive the prize. Some of those are easier, and some are harder. Sometimes there are lucky breaks, and bad breaks, but none of them are easy. What makes it seem easy or not is how well we work together. We need a coach; we need good instruction. We get instruction from our parents, friends, saints, the sermon, and from Jesus (I saved the best for last). We also need practice. That’s one of the worst words in football (or life, or in a Christian walk). Football players love to play the game; Christians love to have the victory. Neither one likes to practice. We love pick-up games, because you don’t have to practice for those. There are two kinds of fans: Fair-weather, and loyal to the end. You will always have both. There are some people that are with you, as long as things are going well, and there are those that will stick with you no matter what. They can scream out your name, and give you that extra something you need, or they can put extra weight or pressure on you. Sermon notes by Pete Shepherd |
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