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[ "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
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begins ]
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>> Amen.
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Our scripture reading today
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is found in Jeremiah 12:5.
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If you have raced with men
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on foot
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and they have worn you out,
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how can you compete with horses?
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If you stumble in safe country,
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how will
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you manage in the thickets
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by the Jordan?
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Sing it again.
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[ "Jesus at the Center" begins ]
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>> Amen and amen.
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Thank you, Chuck and company
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for leading us in worship.
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Welcome to the second
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and final installment
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of our very brief series
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about Christians and sports.
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We live in a country
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that is obsessed with sports,
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a sports nation, if you will,
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and probably that title
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could be given to any number
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of countries around the world.
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Sports are a big deal
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in lots and lots of places.
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Last week in part one,
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I pointed you over to our
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theme for this year, founded
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in faith forward in mission
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for the finishing of the work.
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And I made the statement
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that I think
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that fanatical devotion
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to sports is one of the greatest
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obstacles to the finishing
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of the work of sharing
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the gospel with the world.
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It is indeed a big deal.
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And also in part one,
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I asked a question.
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I said,
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given the deeply negative impact
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most organized sports had on
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Adventist schools
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in the 19th century,
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and given how much our pioneers
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thus generally opposed them,
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is it even remotely feasible
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that any of us,
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in school or not,
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should have any part
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in providing opportunities
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to play in sporting events?
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And I said that the answer was
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definitely...
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maybe.
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Those who said yes weren't here
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last week, yes.
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Welcome to this week.
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We're glad that you're here.
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Yes. Maybe. That's what I said,
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a definite maybe
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because there are
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certain requirements
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that I'm utterly convinced
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need to be met if sports are
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to be a positive spiritual
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influence in our lives,
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which of course led
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to the natural question,
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how can we do our best to ensure
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that we are choosing
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the right way to use sports
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rather than the harmful way?
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How can we ensure
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that if we have sports
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in our lives,
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they will be a positive
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spiritual benefit to us
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rather than harmful?
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Well, let's get to it.
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To begin, two observations.
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Observation number one...
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It needs to be authentic.
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In other words, we really have
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a distinction between
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how we do it and they do it.
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And it needs to be explicit.
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We need to say it.
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We need to talk about this.
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There needs to be a point of
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discussion, probably regularly.
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There needs to be an authentic
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and explicit distinction
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between what they do,
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the world does with sports
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and -- what we do with sports
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and what the world does with it.
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Let me give you some concrete
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examples in light of scripture.
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First, the scripture.
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Hebrews 12:1-2 says this...
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Now pause for just a moment.
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Notice here
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that Paul again is using
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a sports analogy.
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The scene here is one of a
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runner competing in a race,
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probably going cross-country.
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This is unimproved territory.
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There's not a paved road here.
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And because that was
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the terrain,
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you could get entangled.
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There might be a briar or a bush
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or something like that.
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And he's using
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that as a symbol for sin here.
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He says, "Let us run our
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spiritual race with endurance."
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And then he says this.
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Here's the key to victory.
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"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
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the author and perfecter
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of our faith,
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who for the joy set
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before him endured the cross,
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scorning its shame,
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and sat down at the right hand
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of the throne of God."
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The key to victory
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in the Christian life is keeping
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our eyes fixed on Jesus.
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Now, obviously this is
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not a physical thing.
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We can't physically see Jesus.
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Jesus physically is in heaven
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and my eyes
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at least can't get that far.
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But the eyes of our heart,
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the focus of our heart,
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our mind, our soul,
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the primary focus is to always
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and forever be on Jesus.
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There may be other foci
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that Jesus asks us to focus on
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and whatnot in
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life and in ministry.
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Absolutely.
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But the main
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focus is to be Jesus, his life,
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his attributes, his character.
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But in stark contrast
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to this council
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stands far too much
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of the professional sporting
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world, which is not keeping
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its eyes on Christ,
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but on other,
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far less noble things.
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Now, I mentioned last week,
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you know, worldly sports
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often glorifies itself.
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It glorifies the domination
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of one's "enemies"
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on the other side.
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Furthermore, worldly sports
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are often tainted with
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a highly sexualized content.
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They reduce women often
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to objects, whether it be
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through cheerleaders
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or inappropriate commercials
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and halftime shows,
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inappropriately dressed
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athletes, et cetera, et cetera.
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Worldly sports heroes are
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at times
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exceedingly self-centered
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and far from exhibiting
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the gracious generosity that is
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inherent in Jesus Christ.
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The Sabbath -- Have you
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ever thought about this?
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The Sabbath is regularly
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desecrated by
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the world of professional
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sports, and on and on
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the list could go.
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And yet, here's the thing.
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And yet so many
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younger people today --
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and let's be honest,
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a slew of older ones as well --
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soak this worldly
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approach to sports up.
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They watch it, they read it,
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they talk about it
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with their friends.
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And in so doing,
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they inevitably absorb
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the values
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that are being portrayed,
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values that often have
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no business being
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in a Christian's life
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or in a Christian school.
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A wise woman once said, "By
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beholding we become changed."
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By beholding we become changed.
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Now, by the way, I've been asked
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a number of times
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if Christians should play
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professional sports.
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Every now and then, somebody
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who has incredible
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physical gifts will
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come through Adventist schools.
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And I've been asked,
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"Pastor Shane,
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do you think that I can play
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in professional sports?"
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I actually did a video on this
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on my channel, on YouTube,
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Pastor Shane Explains.
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There hasn't been a lot
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of activity,
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so I kind of refer to it
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as my old YouTube channel.
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It's still there, but if you go
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to YouTube and you look up
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Pastor Shane Explains,
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you'll see there that one
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of my videos is,
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"Should Christians play
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in professional sports?"
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I'll let you see
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that one on your own.
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Interestingly, we
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are specifically warned
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about worldly
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sports being a major problem
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at the end of time.
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Did you know that?
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There's actually specific
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prophetic counsel about this.
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Let me just put one
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of these up here.
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Signs of the Times,
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July 4, 1900.
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She says...
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Now, before I turn the slide
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here, notice the tactic here.
00:21:53.94\00:21:55.18
This is the distraction
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that we talked about last week.
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If the devil can get
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us distracted with whatever
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it is, he's happy.
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He's fine.
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We don't have to just fully
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throw in for Satan, you know,
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go to seances and stuff.
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If we're distracted from Jesus,
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he's okay.
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Well, what is the devil using
00:22:10.16\00:22:11.26
at the very end of time
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she says specifically
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to distract people?
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Well, it's these scenes,
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these scenes of excitement,
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one after another,
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which are...
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What's that?
00:22:22.70\00:22:23.27
What's that last one?
00:22:23.37\00:22:24.57
Boxing. That's boxing. Right.
00:22:24.67\00:22:26.14
She says...
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In other words,
00:22:42.99\00:22:43.79
at the very end of time,
00:22:43.89\00:22:45.26
the devil will use
00:22:45.36\00:22:46.56
worldly sports to great effect.
00:22:46.66\00:22:48.10
To me,
00:22:51.90\00:22:52.73
the lesson could not be clearer,
00:22:52.83\00:22:54.70
both on a personal level for us
00:22:54.80\00:22:56.04
personally and corporately.
00:22:56.14\00:22:57.34
On a personal level,
00:22:57.44\00:22:59.17
be wise in what you watch.
00:22:59.27\00:23:03.01
Be wise in what you watch.
00:23:03.11\00:23:04.65
Be wise in what "heroes"
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you invest your interest in.
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And on a corporate level
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that is in our schools,
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we must explicitly show
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and tell our students and
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parents that we are
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not the same as so much
00:23:18.69\00:23:20.16
of the secular sports world.
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We may play sports,
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but not in the same way
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or with the same ultimate goals
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as so much of the world does.
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We are instead called
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to a much higher standard,
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and if we cannot maintain
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that standard, we ought
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not to have sports in our lives,
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period.
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Observation number two.
00:23:45.55\00:23:49.86
When it comes to spiritually
00:23:49.96\00:23:51.83
positive sports, intentionality
00:23:51.93\00:23:54.40
is key.
00:23:54.50\00:23:55.53
If I could have used size 3,000
00:23:55.63\00:23:57.33
font for the word
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"intentionality," I would have.
00:23:58.43\00:23:59.40
But this is the biggest
00:23:59.50\00:24:00.47
I could squeeze on here and
00:24:00.57\00:24:01.30
still get the rest of the slide.
00:24:01.40\00:24:02.30
This is so important.
00:24:02.40\00:24:03.81
Good sports are not a
00:24:03.91\00:24:05.31
fix-it-and-forget-it thing.
00:24:05.41\00:24:06.94
You can't just fix it
00:24:07.04\00:24:07.88
once and walk away.
00:24:07.98\00:24:09.31
There takes intentionality here.
00:24:09.41\00:24:10.85
Intentionality is the key...
00:24:10.95\00:24:11.58
I don't know where we got
00:24:21.79\00:24:22.96
the idea that some -- that just
00:24:23.06\00:24:24.43
because a whole bunch of people
00:24:24.53\00:24:25.19
can play sports,
00:24:25.29\00:24:26.03
that it must be easy
00:24:26.13\00:24:27.00
to make them good.
00:24:27.10\00:24:28.36
It is utterly untrue.
00:24:28.46\00:24:30.30
We must intentionally make
00:24:30.40\00:24:32.23
them a force for good.
00:24:32.33\00:24:34.24
And without this kind of
00:24:34.34\00:24:35.97
enduring intentionality,
00:24:36.07\00:24:37.54
sports in Adventist schools
00:24:37.64\00:24:39.74
will become like sports
00:24:39.84\00:24:41.58
in the world, I guarantee it.
00:24:41.68\00:24:43.08
I've seen it happen too often
00:24:43.18\00:24:44.11
to say otherwise.
00:24:44.21\00:24:47.05
George Knight,
00:24:47.15\00:24:48.42
professor that used to teach
00:24:48.52\00:24:49.42
here on this campus,
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.45
he wrote a book some years ago
00:24:51.55\00:24:52.92
called "Myths in Adventism,"
00:24:53.02\00:24:54.29
and he has a quote
00:24:54.39\00:24:55.32
that's quite pertinent here.
00:24:55.42\00:24:56.19
He's actually quoting C.S.
00:24:56.29\00:24:57.23
Lewis, which was
00:24:57.33\00:24:58.09
a surprise to me.
00:24:58.19\00:24:58.83
I had no idea that Lewis
00:24:58.93\00:24:59.89
had ever said this before.
00:25:00.06\00:25:01.00
I'll give you
00:25:01.10\00:25:01.60
reference here, page 230.
00:25:03.03\00:25:04.40
C.S. Lewis, quoting
00:25:04.50\00:25:05.27
C.S. Lewis, says...
00:25:05.37\00:25:05.90
Wow!
00:25:26.42\00:25:28.29
And he's right.
00:25:28.39\00:25:30.13
We cannot simply hope
00:25:30.23\00:25:32.59
that students or the rest of us
00:25:32.69\00:25:34.36
will just magically get it when
00:25:34.46\00:25:35.86
it comes to the proper use of
00:25:35.96\00:25:36.97
sports.
00:25:37.07\00:25:37.77
The world has far too much
00:25:37.87\00:25:39.50
of a head start
00:25:39.60\00:25:40.70
for that to happen.
00:25:40.80\00:25:42.54
We must instead be intentional
00:25:42.64\00:25:43.91
in guiding
00:25:44.01\00:25:44.74
and training our students
00:25:44.84\00:25:46.07
so that sports will be a force
00:25:46.17\00:25:47.74
for good in their lives.
00:25:47.84\00:25:49.01
So let me offer
00:25:49.11\00:25:51.81
some suggestions,
00:25:51.91\00:25:53.38
some suggestions for
00:25:53.48\00:25:54.75
how we can do this,
00:25:54.85\00:25:56.52
and I need to warn you here
00:25:56.62\00:25:58.32
in advance I'm going to get
00:25:58.42\00:26:00.16
real practical here, okay?
00:26:00.26\00:26:01.79
Now, I know that bothers some of
00:26:01.89\00:26:03.16
you.
00:26:03.26\00:26:04.03
Some of you, it irritates you
00:26:04.13\00:26:05.36
when preachers give you things
00:26:05.46\00:26:06.29
that you can implement
00:26:06.39\00:26:07.13
into your life and use and you
00:26:07.23\00:26:08.60
drive away from church.
00:26:08.70\00:26:09.50
"Oh, he did it again."
00:26:09.60\00:26:11.70
So we're going to
00:26:11.80\00:26:12.73
come down from altitude,
00:26:12.83\00:26:13.87
from principles,
00:26:13.97\00:26:15.24
and we're going to get very,
00:26:15.34\00:26:15.97
very specific here
00:26:16.07\00:26:17.07
because I found
00:26:17.17\00:26:17.91
that when I talk about
00:26:18.01\00:26:18.64
this topic,
00:26:18.74\00:26:19.77
if I don't get super specific,
00:26:19.87\00:26:21.38
it's very difficult
00:26:21.48\00:26:22.98
to implement the principles.
00:26:23.08\00:26:24.11
So let me get
00:26:24.21\00:26:25.38
very specific here.
00:26:25.48\00:26:26.98
Let me make some suggestions
00:26:27.08\00:26:28.55
for expectations
00:26:28.65\00:26:31.32
in three categories.
00:26:31.42\00:26:32.35
I'll tell you the three
00:26:32.45\00:26:33.12
categories in just a moment.
00:26:33.22\00:26:34.12
Expectations based
00:26:34.22\00:26:35.62
firmly on scripture,
00:26:35.72\00:26:36.62
the spirit of prophecy.
00:26:36.73\00:26:37.59
Some of my experience
00:26:37.69\00:26:38.46
in sports involvement.
00:26:38.56\00:26:39.53
Expectations for three key areas
00:26:39.63\00:26:41.73
within a Christian sports
00:26:41.83\00:26:43.60
program, expectations
00:26:43.70\00:26:45.40
for coaches,
00:26:45.50\00:26:47.70
expectations for teams,
00:26:47.80\00:26:50.41
and expectations
00:26:50.51\00:26:52.01
for individual players.
00:26:52.11\00:26:53.44
Coaches, teams,
00:26:53.54\00:26:54.51
and individual players.
00:26:54.61\00:26:55.68
[ Man sneezes ]
00:26:55.78\00:26:56.51
Bless you.
00:26:56.61\00:26:57.25
[ Laughter ]
00:26:57.35\00:27:00.15
Let's get to it.
00:27:00.25\00:27:02.85
Regarding coaching, that --
00:27:02.95\00:27:04.62
let me put it up here
00:27:04.72\00:27:05.39
on the screen for you...
00:27:05.49\00:27:06.22
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:27:31.85\00:27:32.71
this is the pivot point
00:27:32.81\00:27:34.32
for a healthy sports program.
00:27:34.42\00:27:35.95
If we get this one wrong,
00:27:36.05\00:27:37.72
it doesn't really matter
00:27:37.82\00:27:38.92
how good the rest of it is.
00:27:39.02\00:27:40.02
We'll always be limping along.
00:27:40.12\00:27:42.99
Good coaching is the core
00:27:43.09\00:27:45.19
of a good sports program.
00:27:45.29\00:27:47.60
There's no substitute for this.
00:27:47.73\00:27:50.20
And this is not just my opinion.
00:27:50.30\00:27:51.97
Take a look in the Bible,
00:27:52.07\00:27:52.67
please.
00:27:52.77\00:27:53.27
2 Timothy 2:1.
00:27:53.37\00:27:56.04
2 Timothy 2,
00:27:56.14\00:27:58.47
beginning with verse 1.
00:27:58.57\00:27:59.31
It's on page 800
00:27:59.41\00:28:00.51
in the red pew Bible
00:28:00.61\00:28:01.64
that's probably sitting
00:28:01.74\00:28:02.34
around there somewhere nearby.
00:28:02.44\00:28:03.58
Page 800.
00:28:03.68\00:28:05.25
2 Timothy 2, and we're going to
00:28:05.35\00:28:08.15
read verses 1 and 2.
00:28:08.25\00:28:10.79
Paul here is talking to
00:28:10.89\00:28:12.02
his young protégé,
00:28:12.12\00:28:13.39
his understudy, Timothy.
00:28:13.49\00:28:15.16
Timothy had been learning
00:28:15.26\00:28:16.36
how to plant churches.
00:28:16.46\00:28:17.46
He'd been learning
00:28:17.56\00:28:18.23
how to establish leadership
00:28:18.33\00:28:19.19
in those churches.
00:28:19.29\00:28:20.26
And so this is at least
00:28:20.36\00:28:21.83
the second letter
00:28:21.93\00:28:22.80
that Paul wrote to Timothy.
00:28:22.90\00:28:24.17
Second one we have record of.
00:28:24.27\00:28:26.27
And here's what Paul says.
00:28:26.37\00:28:27.50
"You then,
00:28:27.60\00:28:28.37
my son, be strong in the grace
00:28:28.47\00:28:31.41
that is in Christ Jesus
00:28:31.51\00:28:33.41
and the things
00:28:33.51\00:28:34.68
you have heard me say
00:28:34.78\00:28:36.48
in the presence of
00:28:36.58\00:28:37.51
many witnesses,
00:28:37.61\00:28:38.68
entrust to reliable men
00:28:38.78\00:28:40.85
who will also be
00:28:40.95\00:28:42.35
qualified to teach others."
00:28:42.45\00:28:46.86
Now, this is often referred to
00:28:46.96\00:28:48.19
as the chain of discipleship,
00:28:48.29\00:28:50.59
and you can see how this is --
00:28:50.69\00:28:51.79
you could use
00:28:51.89\00:28:52.63
the metaphor of a chain here.
00:28:52.73\00:28:53.96
It is one thing for all of us.
00:28:54.03\00:28:55.26
You know, all of it --
00:28:55.36\00:28:56.20
If you call Jesus, Lord, you --
00:28:56.30\00:28:57.57
We all have a responsibility
00:28:57.67\00:28:58.77
in our own gifted way
00:28:58.87\00:28:59.87
to somehow share Jesus
00:29:00.04\00:29:01.04
with other people.
00:29:01.14\00:29:01.80
No doubt about it. Okay?
00:29:01.90\00:29:03.14
But there is also a group
00:29:03.24\00:29:04.77
of people called teachers,
00:29:04.87\00:29:06.64
and teachers, as Paul was and as
00:29:06.74\00:29:09.34
Timothy was becoming, have
00:29:09.44\00:29:11.01
an additional responsibility.
00:29:11.11\00:29:12.98
In addition to simply
00:29:13.08\00:29:14.45
broadcasting the word to other
00:29:14.55\00:29:16.25
people, they must also make sure
00:29:16.35\00:29:18.12
that the next link in the chain
00:29:18.22\00:29:19.82
is formed, the next person who
00:29:19.92\00:29:22.62
is qualified to teach others.
00:29:22.72\00:29:25.63
And it says here -- Paul says
00:29:25.73\00:29:26.76
they need to be reliable.
00:29:26.86\00:29:27.96
Reliable to do what?
00:29:28.03\00:29:28.96
Reliable to present
00:29:29.06\00:29:30.20
the whole gospel,
00:29:30.30\00:29:31.23
because that's what Paul
00:29:31.33\00:29:32.20
dedicated his speaking to.
00:29:32.30\00:29:34.17
And so let it be clear.
00:29:34.27\00:29:35.87
A coach is a teacher.
00:29:35.97\00:29:39.77
Absolutely.
00:29:39.87\00:29:40.94
They are teaching life value.
00:29:41.04\00:29:41.98
Yes, they're teaching
00:29:42.08\00:29:42.68
athletic skills and, you know,
00:29:42.78\00:29:43.81
strategies and all that.
00:29:43.91\00:29:44.81
And they are teaching
00:29:44.91\00:29:46.11
spiritual values.
00:29:46.21\00:29:47.78
That's why we're here, remember.
00:29:47.88\00:29:52.25
And they need to be reliable,
00:29:52.35\00:29:54.66
reliable and able to take the
00:29:54.76\00:29:56.32
message of Jesus
00:29:56.42\00:29:57.59
and pass it on
00:29:57.69\00:29:58.89
to the next generation,
00:29:58.99\00:30:00.46
in this case,
00:30:00.56\00:30:01.06
the athletes that are
00:30:01.16\00:30:01.93
under their care,
00:30:02.03\00:30:02.73
under their tutelage.
00:30:02.83\00:30:03.80
And just in case we miss
00:30:03.90\00:30:05.30
how important this is,
00:30:05.40\00:30:07.24
turn a few pages to the right.
00:30:07.34\00:30:08.40
The Book of James 3:1,
00:30:08.50\00:30:11.07
page 813 in your red Bible.
00:30:11.17\00:30:13.07
813, James 3:1.
00:30:13.17\00:30:20.62
What does it mean to be a
00:30:20.72\00:30:21.15
teacher?
00:30:21.25\00:30:23.28
James 3:1 says this.
00:30:23.39\00:30:25.55
"Not many of you
00:30:25.65\00:30:27.42
should presume to be" what?
00:30:27.52\00:30:29.99
Teachers. Yeah.
00:30:30.09\00:30:31.26
"My brothers, because you know
00:30:31.36\00:30:33.43
that we who teach
00:30:33.53\00:30:35.06
will be judged more strictly."
00:30:35.16\00:30:41.14
And you might be thinking,
00:30:41.24\00:30:42.00
"Oh, come on, Pastor Shane,
00:30:42.10\00:30:42.94
we're all judged the same.
00:30:43.04\00:30:44.67
You can't be trying
00:30:44.77\00:30:46.07
to say that teachers
00:30:46.17\00:30:47.28
and coaches in this case
00:30:47.38\00:30:48.51
will be judged more strictly
00:30:48.61\00:30:49.61
than the rest of us."
00:30:49.71\00:30:50.28
Absolutely
00:30:50.38\00:30:52.21
that's what I'm saying.
00:30:52.31\00:30:53.88
That is exactly what
00:30:53.98\00:30:55.15
the Bible is saying.
00:30:55.25\00:30:57.75
We are held accountable for that
00:30:57.85\00:30:59.42
which we have at our disposal.
00:30:59.52\00:31:01.79
If you have the gift of teaching
00:31:01.89\00:31:03.12
and you take it,
00:31:03.22\00:31:04.23
whether as you --
00:31:04.33\00:31:05.33
whether you're in the classroom
00:31:05.43\00:31:06.09
or in the home
00:31:06.19\00:31:06.83
or on a soccer field
00:31:06.93\00:31:08.36
or on a basketball court,
00:31:08.46\00:31:09.56
you are a teacher and you
00:31:09.66\00:31:11.30
will be judged more strictly
00:31:11.40\00:31:13.13
than others who are not.
00:31:13.23\00:31:16.04
This is not a small thing,
00:31:16.14\00:31:16.97
friends.
00:31:17.07\00:31:18.27
You want to be
00:31:18.37\00:31:19.04
a teacher of other people?
00:31:19.14\00:31:21.44
Well, you better woman up,
00:31:21.54\00:31:22.94
man up.
00:31:23.04\00:31:24.68
This is a big deal.
00:31:24.78\00:31:26.45
And God is not just asking
00:31:26.55\00:31:27.95
everybody to take this role.
00:31:28.05\00:31:29.55
You know, sometimes if you're --
00:31:29.65\00:31:30.82
the only qualification
00:31:30.92\00:31:31.85
we have for a coach is
00:31:31.95\00:31:32.72
if you're breathing.
00:31:32.82\00:31:34.09
And sometimes
00:31:34.19\00:31:34.96
if we're desperate,
00:31:35.06\00:31:35.76
we'll waive that requirement.
00:31:35.86\00:31:36.83
Okay?
00:31:36.93\00:31:38.26
We'll say, "Well, so-and-so was
00:31:38.36\00:31:39.33
going to be our coach, but they
00:31:39.43\00:31:40.06
passed away.
00:31:40.16\00:31:40.90
So we're just going to let the
00:31:40.96\00:31:41.93
team work on their own," right?
00:31:42.03\00:31:42.63
You know?
00:31:42.73\00:31:44.60
The standards need to be high
00:31:44.70\00:31:46.53
for this because those who coach
00:31:46.63\00:31:48.84
will be judged more strictly
00:31:48.94\00:31:50.27
than those that don't.
00:31:50.37\00:31:52.54
The coach must accurately live
00:31:52.64\00:31:54.44
out the end product
00:31:54.54\00:31:55.88
that we are wanting
00:31:55.98\00:31:56.91
from our sports program.
00:31:57.01\00:31:58.18
And again,
00:31:58.28\00:31:58.98
this is a non-negotiable.
00:31:59.08\00:32:00.12
You can't fake this,
00:32:00.22\00:32:01.18
for it is fundamental to
00:32:01.28\00:32:02.48
a God-honoring sports program.
00:32:02.58\00:32:04.59
For instance,
00:32:04.69\00:32:05.59
coaches must be found
00:32:05.69\00:32:07.02
that are fully in harmony
00:32:07.12\00:32:08.22
with statements like this one.
00:32:08.32\00:32:08.86
There's a whole bunch
00:32:08.96\00:32:09.36
I'm just going to give you
00:32:10.09\00:32:10.46
one this morning.
00:32:10.56\00:32:11.53
Now five manuscript release page
00:32:11.63\00:32:12.89
248, paragraph one.
00:32:12.99\00:32:14.46
She says, "In the night season,
00:32:14.56\00:32:16.16
messages have been given to me
00:32:16.26\00:32:18.17
to give to you in Battle Creek."
00:32:18.27\00:32:20.20
Why in Battle Creek?
00:32:20.30\00:32:22.04
What was there?
00:32:22.14\00:32:24.44
Battle Creek College.
00:32:24.54\00:32:25.64
That's right. Our forerunner.
00:32:25.74\00:32:27.08
I mean, this is us right here.
00:32:27.18\00:32:28.08
Okay.
00:32:28.18\00:32:29.14
And just in case we miss anybody
00:32:29.24\00:32:31.25
"and to all our schools."
00:32:31.35\00:32:32.55
So if you're listening right now
00:32:32.65\00:32:33.65
and you're part of an Adventist
00:32:33.75\00:32:34.58
school that has a sports
00:32:34.68\00:32:35.42
program, is considering
00:32:35.52\00:32:36.32
or whatever, this message is
00:32:36.42\00:32:37.82
for you.
00:32:37.92\00:32:40.06
"While it is in the order of God
00:32:40.16\00:32:42.76
that the physical power shall
00:32:42.86\00:32:44.86
be" -- What's that next word?
00:32:44.96\00:32:46.63
Trained.
00:32:46.73\00:32:47.40
That means it's part
00:32:47.50\00:32:48.00
of the curriculum.
00:32:48.10\00:32:48.70
It's fine to have this as part
00:32:48.80\00:32:49.60
of the curriculum.
00:32:49.70\00:32:51.00
"As well as the mental,
00:32:51.10\00:32:52.60
yet the physical exercise
00:32:52.70\00:32:54.30
should, in character,
00:32:54.40\00:32:55.67
be in complete harmony."
00:32:55.77\00:32:57.71
How much harmony?
00:32:57.81\00:32:59.27
Complete harmony, okay?
00:32:59.37\00:33:01.01
"With the lessons given
00:33:01.11\00:33:02.68
by Jesus Christ
00:33:02.78\00:33:03.95
to His disciples."
00:33:04.05\00:33:05.11
Ah.
00:33:05.21\00:33:05.85
"That which is given
00:33:05.95\00:33:07.28
to the world,"
00:33:07.38\00:33:07.95
and she's referring here
00:33:08.05\00:33:08.78
to Christ's teaching, "should be
00:33:08.88\00:33:10.15
seen in the lives of Christians,
00:33:10.25\00:33:12.09
so that in education
00:33:12.19\00:33:13.59
and in self-training,
00:33:13.69\00:33:14.96
the heavenly intelligences
00:33:15.06\00:33:16.62
should not record in the books
00:33:16.73\00:33:18.16
that the students
00:33:18.26\00:33:19.33
and the teachers in our schools
00:33:19.43\00:33:20.43
are 'lovers of pleasure
00:33:20.53\00:33:21.86
more than lovers of God.'"
00:33:21.96\00:33:23.06
If we cannot find
00:33:28.60\00:33:29.97
a suitably qualified coach,
00:33:30.07\00:33:33.34
then we don't have that sport,
00:33:33.44\00:33:35.31
period.
00:33:35.41\00:33:39.88
What about team expectations?
00:33:39.98\00:33:41.82
Area number two.
00:33:41.92\00:33:43.42
What should we expect
00:33:43.52\00:33:44.92
the coach to expect from
00:33:45.02\00:33:46.96
the team he or she coaches?
00:33:47.06\00:33:48.92
What standards should they
00:33:49.02\00:33:50.56
expect their teams to reach?
00:33:50.66\00:33:53.80
Now, it's true
00:33:53.90\00:33:54.56
that context matters,
00:33:54.63\00:33:55.83
and what I'm going to suggest
00:33:55.93\00:33:56.90
here in just a moment
00:33:57.00\00:33:57.53
may not fit all
00:33:57.63\00:33:58.43
of the circumstances
00:33:58.53\00:33:59.57
you find yourself in,
00:33:59.67\00:34:00.60
but regardless
00:34:00.70\00:34:01.77
of what spiritual standards
00:34:01.87\00:34:02.87
you choose,
00:34:02.97\00:34:03.81
please note this carefully.
00:34:03.91\00:34:06.27
Spiritual standards
00:34:06.37\00:34:08.01
for varsity sports
00:34:08.11\00:34:09.91
team participation must be --
00:34:10.01\00:34:12.25
And would you say this last part
00:34:12.35\00:34:13.21
of the sentence with me?
00:34:13.31\00:34:13.68
1, 2, 3.
00:34:13.78\00:34:14.58
High, clear,
00:34:14.68\00:34:16.75
and regularly enforced.
00:34:16.85\00:34:18.29
One more time.
00:34:18.39\00:34:19.02
High, clear,
00:34:19.12\00:34:20.96
and regularly enforced.
00:34:21.06\00:34:22.86
Now, why am I picking here
00:34:22.96\00:34:24.16
on varsity sports teams?
00:34:24.26\00:34:25.43
Well, there's
00:34:25.53\00:34:25.96
two reasons for that.
00:34:26.06\00:34:27.30
Varsity sports players
00:34:27.40\00:34:29.50
very often become the standard
00:34:29.60\00:34:31.47
for every other sports
00:34:31.57\00:34:32.33
program on campus.
00:34:32.43\00:34:34.40
That's just kind of the way
00:34:34.50\00:34:34.94
it works, right?
00:34:35.04\00:34:35.94
So you need to have
00:34:36.04\00:34:36.74
high standards for them if
00:34:36.84\00:34:37.61
you want to have high standards
00:34:37.71\00:34:38.47
for the rest of the program.
00:34:38.57\00:34:39.71
And secondly, consider this.
00:34:39.81\00:34:41.74
Varsity sports players generally
00:34:41.84\00:34:43.78
have more face time
00:34:43.88\00:34:45.28
with potential students
00:34:45.38\00:34:46.92
for your school
00:34:47.02\00:34:48.28
than almost anyone else.
00:34:48.38\00:34:51.89
Let that sink in.
00:34:51.99\00:34:54.19
You know, we pay
00:34:54.29\00:34:54.99
recruiters to do recruiting
00:34:55.09\00:34:56.39
and marketing, et cetera,
00:34:56.49\00:34:57.73
and yet there's 50, you know,
00:34:57.83\00:34:59.43
50, 60, 70 other recruiters
00:34:59.53\00:35:01.80
that we don't pay
00:35:01.90\00:35:02.70
but have more face time
00:35:02.80\00:35:03.73
than the recruiter does.
00:35:03.83\00:35:06.53
So make the standards high
00:35:06.63\00:35:08.37
so that those varsity players
00:35:08.47\00:35:09.84
will recruit many
00:35:09.94\00:35:10.91
of the kind of students
00:35:11.01\00:35:12.17
Jesus wants at your school.
00:35:12.27\00:35:15.78
And what might these high,
00:35:15.88\00:35:17.11
clear, and regularly enforced
00:35:17.21\00:35:18.41
standards look like?
00:35:18.51\00:35:19.78
I'm going to give you
00:35:19.88\00:35:20.52
eight quick suggestions.
00:35:20.62\00:35:21.48
I'm going to breeze
00:35:21.58\00:35:22.02
through these things.
00:35:22.12\00:35:22.88
These are suggestions based
00:35:22.98\00:35:24.39
on my study of scripture,
00:35:24.49\00:35:25.32
the spirit of prophecy,
00:35:25.42\00:35:26.22
my experience, et cetera.
00:35:26.32\00:35:27.06
You can do with them
00:35:27.16\00:35:27.46
I feel like they're good ones,
00:35:28.59\00:35:29.46
obviously, otherwise
00:35:29.56\00:35:30.36
I wouldn't share them.
00:35:30.46\00:35:31.29
Number one. Take a look.
00:35:31.39\00:35:33.76
At team tryouts --
00:35:33.86\00:35:34.93
so beginning, at the beginning
00:35:35.03\00:35:36.06
of all the season --
00:35:36.16\00:35:37.67
require potential team members
00:35:37.77\00:35:39.67
to have a face-to-face interview
00:35:39.77\00:35:41.40
with the coaching staff in which
00:35:41.50\00:35:42.90
spiritual qualifications
00:35:43.00\00:35:44.04
like baptism,
00:35:44.14\00:35:45.34
personal devotional life,
00:35:45.44\00:35:46.61
past witnessing efforts,
00:35:46.71\00:35:48.08
et cetera, are openly discussed
00:35:48.18\00:35:49.44
and encouraged.
00:35:49.54\00:35:51.15
Now, you're not going to say
00:35:51.25\00:35:51.95
that necessarily someone
00:35:52.05\00:35:53.05
has to be an expert in all
00:35:53.15\00:35:54.12
of these things, but as a coach,
00:35:54.22\00:35:55.18
you're very much interested in
00:35:55.28\00:35:56.25
the salvation of your players.
00:35:56.35\00:35:57.09
You want them
00:35:57.19\00:35:57.65
So you discuss these things,
00:35:58.62\00:35:59.62
you encourage them.
00:35:59.72\00:36:00.52
You make it clear these are
00:36:00.62\00:36:01.69
part and parcel
00:36:01.79\00:36:02.89
at the core of what we're doing.
00:36:02.99\00:36:06.36
You don't have to be
00:36:06.46\00:36:07.13
a spiritual giant
00:36:07.23\00:36:08.20
to play varsity sports,
00:36:08.30\00:36:10.10
but you do have to be willing
00:36:10.20\00:36:11.67
to sincerely try to become
00:36:11.77\00:36:13.40
a spiritual giant if
00:36:13.50\00:36:14.84
you want to play varsity sports.
00:36:14.94\00:36:18.01
Secondly, basic requirement
00:36:18.11\00:36:18.97
here.
00:36:19.07\00:36:19.71
Have team prayer before
00:36:19.81\00:36:21.01
and after each game.
00:36:21.11\00:36:21.84
Basic thing.
00:36:21.94\00:36:22.88
Number three...
00:36:22.98\00:36:23.61
Wow, that would change the
00:36:33.59\00:36:34.56
atmosphere of some of our games
00:36:34.66\00:36:35.52
over the years I think.
00:36:35.62\00:36:36.49
Yeah, and plus it's hard
00:36:36.59\00:36:38.36
to clothesline the guy
00:36:38.46\00:36:40.03
that you just prayed for freedom
00:36:40.13\00:36:41.16
from injuries from.
00:36:41.26\00:36:41.93
Okay? Right?
00:36:42.03\00:36:43.77
I mean, there's a bond that can
00:36:43.87\00:36:45.00
be developed, a very positive
00:36:45.10\00:36:46.20
spiritual bond here, right?
00:36:46.30\00:36:47.34
Now, how about this, number
00:36:47.44\00:36:48.10
four?
00:36:48.20\00:36:48.90
At halftime or whatever break a
00:36:49.00\00:36:50.17
sport allows for,
00:36:50.27\00:36:51.14
have players rotate
00:36:51.24\00:36:52.54
through giving their testimony
00:36:52.64\00:36:53.81
to all that are present.
00:36:53.91\00:36:55.24
The testimony should be coached.
00:36:55.34\00:36:56.54
In other words,
00:36:56.64\00:36:57.25
not just kind of off the cuff.
00:36:57.35\00:36:58.31
It should be something
00:36:58.41\00:36:58.85
that is worked on with
00:36:58.95\00:36:59.78
a qualified mentor.
00:36:59.88\00:37:01.32
It should be concise
00:37:01.42\00:37:02.52
and finish with a simple appeal
00:37:02.62\00:37:04.05
because this is evangelism.
00:37:04.15\00:37:05.65
Let the team know.
00:37:05.75\00:37:06.72
We're at the --
00:37:06.82\00:37:07.69
This is the top of
00:37:07.79\00:37:09.02
the physical cream crop here.
00:37:09.12\00:37:10.46
We want to share Jesus
00:37:10.56\00:37:11.83
with as many people as we can.
00:37:11.93\00:37:12.66
So you make an appeal.
00:37:12.76\00:37:13.63
We're inviting people
00:37:13.73\00:37:14.83
just very briefly,
00:37:14.93\00:37:15.53
not a big deal,
00:37:15.63\00:37:16.46
but we're inviting people
00:37:16.56\00:37:17.40
to come and accept
00:37:17.50\00:37:18.40
Jesus or go deeper
00:37:18.50\00:37:19.57
in a relationship with him.
00:37:19.67\00:37:21.07
Number five...
00:37:21.17\00:37:21.84
Now, I say home games
00:37:28.94\00:37:29.81
because usually
00:37:29.91\00:37:30.41
you don't have a choice about
00:37:31.85\00:37:32.55
what music is being played.
00:37:32.65\00:37:34.05
But if it's a home game, you do.
00:37:34.15\00:37:35.75
And if you're playing
00:37:35.85\00:37:37.42
music that glorifies, you know,
00:37:37.52\00:37:38.92
what the world glorifies, you
00:37:39.02\00:37:40.29
know, sexual immorality or
00:37:40.39\00:37:41.69
just, you know, a dark tone to
00:37:41.79\00:37:43.16
it, whatever it is, that's the
00:37:43.26\00:37:44.66
message that will be conveyed
00:37:44.76\00:37:45.89
as people come in.
00:37:45.99\00:37:46.90
There are few things
00:37:47.00\00:37:47.83
that turn off prospective
00:37:47.93\00:37:49.50
Christian parents more than when
00:37:49.60\00:37:51.90
they're considering your school
00:37:52.00\00:37:53.07
and they walk into this concert
00:37:53.17\00:37:54.50
of the devil's vocals.
00:37:54.60\00:37:57.54
So choose stuff.
00:37:57.64\00:37:58.57
We got a whole bunch of stuff
00:37:58.67\00:37:59.24
to choose from.
00:37:59.34\00:37:59.71
and play it at a healthy volume.
00:38:01.68\00:38:04.45
Not -- Do you know why they play
00:38:04.55\00:38:05.71
music so loud at some concerts?
00:38:05.81\00:38:09.02
It's so that you become immersed
00:38:09.12\00:38:11.05
and your frontal lobe
00:38:11.15\00:38:12.32
gets turned off a little bit.
00:38:12.42\00:38:14.26
It's meant to be mesmerizing.
00:38:14.36\00:38:16.66
It's meant to inculcate a mood
00:38:16.76\00:38:18.53
in you that you did
00:38:18.63\00:38:19.33
not necessarily choose.
00:38:19.43\00:38:20.96
That's why it's there.
00:38:21.03\00:38:22.06
So turn it down a little bit.
00:38:22.16\00:38:23.16
Plus, there's this.
00:38:23.26\00:38:24.10
If I invite my
00:38:24.20\00:38:25.23
next-door neighbor to come
00:38:25.33\00:38:26.77
to a game with me as part of my
00:38:26.87\00:38:28.57
witnessing, get him to know what
00:38:28.67\00:38:30.34
the community of faith is like
00:38:30.44\00:38:31.84
but I can't hear him
00:38:31.94\00:38:33.38
and he can't hear me,
00:38:33.48\00:38:34.41
that's a problem.
00:38:34.51\00:38:35.64
I wouldn't mention this,
00:38:35.74\00:38:36.68
except it's happened to me,
00:38:36.78\00:38:37.45
oh, like five dozen
00:38:37.55\00:38:38.61
times over the years.
00:38:38.71\00:38:39.38
Okay? So keep it down
00:38:39.48\00:38:41.02
to a good volume.
00:38:41.12\00:38:41.58
Number six...
00:38:41.68\00:38:42.22
In other words,
00:38:48.22\00:38:48.92
don't just expect your team
00:38:49.02\00:38:50.06
to get it by osmosis.
00:38:50.16\00:38:51.33
Post it.
00:38:51.43\00:38:52.26
Put it in their hands,
00:38:52.36\00:38:53.19
a piece of paper,
00:38:53.29\00:38:54.00
send them an e-mail.
00:38:54.10\00:38:55.00
List these things specifically.
00:38:55.10\00:38:56.63
Very brief examples here,
00:38:56.73\00:38:57.67
some things of what to do.
00:38:57.77\00:38:59.60
When we play sports,
00:38:59.70\00:39:00.70
the coach can say,
00:39:00.80\00:39:01.60
we are representing Christ.
00:39:01.70\00:39:03.37
Act accordingly.
00:39:03.47\00:39:05.67
Many will judge Christ
00:39:05.77\00:39:07.04
based on our behavior,
00:39:07.14\00:39:08.38
on the court, on the field.
00:39:08.48\00:39:09.38
So love and respect your
00:39:09.48\00:39:10.88
opponent and teammates
00:39:10.98\00:39:11.88
as Christ loves
00:39:11.98\00:39:12.95
and respects them.
00:39:13.05\00:39:15.25
Now, how about what not to do?
00:39:15.35\00:39:16.72
Cussing does
00:39:16.82\00:39:17.82
not represent Christ.
00:39:17.92\00:39:21.69
Oh, good. Thank you, Sister.
00:39:21.79\00:39:22.82
I appreciate that, yes.
00:39:22.92\00:39:23.93
Cussing does
00:39:24.03\00:39:24.83
not represent Christ.
00:39:24.93\00:39:25.63
Cussing once
00:39:25.73\00:39:26.53
will get you benched.
00:39:26.63\00:39:27.40
Cussing twice in the same game
00:39:27.50\00:39:28.70
gets you benched for that game.
00:39:28.80\00:39:29.80
Or if it's in the last period
00:39:29.90\00:39:30.70
of the game,
00:39:30.80\00:39:31.47
you'll be benched the rest
00:39:31.57\00:39:32.50
of that game and the first half
00:39:32.60\00:39:33.40
of the next game.
00:39:33.50\00:39:34.64
Fighting does
00:39:34.74\00:39:35.40
not represent Christ.
00:39:35.50\00:39:36.64
Fighting even once gets
00:39:36.74\00:39:37.94
you suspended from the team
00:39:38.04\00:39:38.94
and possibly from school.
00:39:39.04\00:39:41.18
These are clear things,
00:39:41.28\00:39:42.14
basic things, important things.
00:39:42.24\00:39:43.48
Number seven...
00:39:43.58\00:39:44.11
And if a student-athlete begins
00:40:01.06\00:40:03.77
to skip these times,
00:40:03.87\00:40:05.47
the devotional times,
00:40:05.57\00:40:06.57
they magically get sick
00:40:06.67\00:40:08.00
during the devotional time
00:40:08.10\00:40:08.94
but they're well enough
00:40:09.04\00:40:09.64
by the time practice
00:40:09.74\00:40:10.47
begins on the court
00:40:10.57\00:40:11.51
that they're there, okay?
00:40:11.61\00:40:13.07
If that happens, let them know
00:40:13.17\00:40:14.81
that their place on the roster
00:40:14.91\00:40:16.64
or maybe their starting status
00:40:16.75\00:40:17.75
is in jeopardy
00:40:17.85\00:40:18.71
unless they come to this.
00:40:18.81\00:40:20.65
Because, ladies and gentlemen,
00:40:20.75\00:40:21.85
this is why we're here.
00:40:21.95\00:40:23.72
The number-one purpose,
00:40:23.82\00:40:25.35
the primary goal
00:40:25.45\00:40:26.55
of Adventist education
00:40:26.65\00:40:27.89
is to establish students
00:40:27.99\00:40:29.12
in a saving relationship
00:40:29.22\00:40:30.26
with Jesus Christ.
00:40:30.36\00:40:31.96
We have a whole bunch of other
00:40:32.06\00:40:33.03
things that are goals, too.
00:40:33.13\00:40:33.93
We want top-notch academics.
00:40:34.00\00:40:35.56
You know, being spiritual
00:40:35.66\00:40:36.53
is never an excuse to be stupid.
00:40:36.63\00:40:38.13
We want to have everybody be as
00:40:38.23\00:40:39.30
smart as they can possibly be.
00:40:39.40\00:40:40.30
Absolutely.
00:40:40.40\00:40:41.24
And the number-one goal,
00:40:41.34\00:40:42.94
the number-one
00:40:43.04\00:40:44.17
goal is to establish students
00:40:44.27\00:40:45.77
in a saving relationship
00:40:45.87\00:40:46.68
with Jesus Christ,
00:40:46.78\00:40:47.61
including in varsity sports and
00:40:47.71\00:40:49.51
our sports program in general.
00:40:49.61\00:40:51.08
So this is key.
00:40:51.18\00:40:52.31
They can't miss this part.
00:40:52.41\00:40:53.88
They need to be there
00:40:53.98\00:40:55.48
that the teacher --
00:40:55.58\00:40:56.72
the coach -- can pass on to the
00:40:56.82\00:40:58.82
next generation the faith.
00:40:58.92\00:41:00.62
That's why we're here.
00:41:00.72\00:41:02.49
And lastly, number eight...
00:41:02.59\00:41:04.16
You know, I am sad to say
00:41:22.44\00:41:24.48
that there was times in the past
00:41:24.58\00:41:26.38
in my basketball career
00:41:26.48\00:41:28.15
where if you had asked --
00:41:28.25\00:41:29.55
if I had asked the other team,
00:41:29.65\00:41:30.42
"Would you come to church
00:41:30.52\00:41:31.05
with me next week?"
00:41:31.15\00:41:31.92
they would have burst out
00:41:32.02\00:41:32.72
laughing and walked away
00:41:32.82\00:41:35.69
because my witness had
00:41:35.79\00:41:36.76
not been what it should
00:41:36.86\00:41:38.13
have been in that game.
00:41:38.23\00:41:42.46
And again, as with coaches,
00:41:42.56\00:41:45.87
if a student-athlete
00:41:45.97\00:41:47.07
cannot commit to
00:41:47.17\00:41:48.17
or consistently refuses
00:41:48.27\00:41:49.50
to carry out your
00:41:49.60\00:41:50.57
chosen spiritual standards,
00:41:50.67\00:41:52.21
they need to be
00:41:52.31\00:41:53.34
either retrained or replaced.
00:41:53.44\00:41:57.08
It is better to have no sports
00:41:57.18\00:41:58.51
program than
00:41:58.61\00:41:59.81
a spiritually detrimental one.
00:41:59.91\00:42:02.65
Keep the standard high.
00:42:02.75\00:42:04.82
And over time, student-athletes
00:42:04.92\00:42:07.49
will rise to the occasion.
00:42:07.59\00:42:12.19
Which brings us to finally
00:42:12.29\00:42:15.70
the counsel for the individual
00:42:15.80\00:42:17.47
Christian athlete.
00:42:17.57\00:42:19.70
You know, there's much
00:42:19.80\00:42:20.40
that could be said about this,
00:42:20.50\00:42:21.47
more than I have time for today,
00:42:21.57\00:42:23.27
but with a keen eye
00:42:23.37\00:42:24.81
on giving God the glory
00:42:24.91\00:42:25.91
in all that we do,
00:42:26.01\00:42:26.57
I would encourage
00:42:26.68\00:42:27.28
every Christian athlete
00:42:27.38\00:42:28.38
to regularly ask themselves
00:42:28.48\00:42:29.68
three guiding questions.
00:42:29.78\00:42:31.91
And if you're an athlete,
00:42:32.01\00:42:33.08
you may want to jot these down.
00:42:33.18\00:42:34.02
If you know somebody
00:42:34.12\00:42:34.68
who's an athlete
00:42:34.78\00:42:35.38
these three questions.
00:42:36.28\00:42:37.95
You need to put these in a place
00:42:38.05\00:42:38.92
where you can see them
00:42:39.02\00:42:40.16
regularly.
00:42:40.26\00:42:41.32
If you keep games on your phone
00:42:41.42\00:42:43.19
or something like that, you can
00:42:43.29\00:42:43.93
just put on the notation
00:42:44.03\00:42:44.69
there also "ask
00:42:44.79\00:42:45.69
three questions," right?
00:42:45.79\00:42:46.49
To remind you.
00:42:46.59\00:42:47.86
Three questions to ask prior
00:42:47.96\00:42:49.80
to each game that you play.
00:42:49.90\00:42:51.33
Here they are.
00:42:51.43\00:42:52.87
Question number one...
00:42:52.97\00:42:53.70
In me and my teammates
00:43:01.61\00:43:02.98
and in my opponents?
00:43:03.08\00:43:05.18
You know,
00:43:05.28\00:43:05.88
the Bible is real clear
00:43:05.98\00:43:07.02
about this kind of thing.
00:43:07.12\00:43:07.85
Colossians 3:17 says,
00:43:07.95\00:43:09.65
"And whatever you do,
00:43:09.75\00:43:10.59
whether in word or deed" --
00:43:10.69\00:43:12.02
so that would include sports --
00:43:12.12\00:43:13.32
"do it all in the name of the
00:43:13.42\00:43:14.76
Lord Jesus" --
00:43:14.86\00:43:15.99
that's according to His will --
00:43:16.09\00:43:16.96
"giving thanks to God
00:43:17.06\00:43:18.26
the Father through Him."
00:43:18.36\00:43:19.23
Sports is
00:43:19.33\00:43:20.30
not an exception to this.
00:43:20.40\00:43:21.33
No, no, no, not at all.
00:43:21.43\00:43:23.00
And part of the counsel of
00:43:23.10\00:43:24.40
Christ is that we care for one
00:43:24.50\00:43:25.93
another, that we share the good
00:43:26.03\00:43:27.40
news of Jesus with others.
00:43:27.50\00:43:28.80
So when you step onto a field
00:43:28.90\00:43:30.71
or a court or whatever it is,
00:43:30.81\00:43:32.11
you need to ask,
00:43:32.21\00:43:33.14
"How will this further God's
00:43:33.24\00:43:35.01
will in my life,
00:43:35.11\00:43:36.28
in my teammates' lives,
00:43:36.38\00:43:37.65
in the lives of my opponent?"
00:43:37.75\00:43:39.31
Because every person
00:43:39.41\00:43:40.62
on that court, that field,
00:43:40.72\00:43:41.82
is a candidate
00:43:41.92\00:43:42.98
for the Kingdom of God.
00:43:43.08\00:43:44.52
You may be the one
00:43:44.62\00:43:46.72
that helps to bring them in.
00:43:46.82\00:43:49.26
Question number two...
00:43:49.36\00:43:50.59
I am astonished
00:44:02.44\00:44:04.04
by the connection
00:44:04.14\00:44:05.14
that the spirit of prophecy
00:44:05.24\00:44:06.21
makes between sports poorly done
00:44:06.31\00:44:08.98
and damage to one's prayer life.
00:44:09.08\00:44:12.05
The Bible -- we talked
00:44:12.15\00:44:13.28
1 Thessalonians 5:17 last week,
00:44:13.38\00:44:14.65
"pray without ceasing," that
00:44:14.75\00:44:15.82
little short three-word verse,
00:44:15.92\00:44:16.85
"pray without ceasing."
00:44:16.95\00:44:17.79
The Bible is very clear.
00:44:17.89\00:44:18.82
We need to have this attitude
00:44:18.92\00:44:19.89
of prayer 24/7, 365
00:44:19.99\00:44:21.72
all the time, right?
00:44:21.82\00:44:23.56
And yet I was surprised at
00:44:23.66\00:44:25.26
how closely the spirit
00:44:25.36\00:44:26.90
of prophecy ties again sports
00:44:27.00\00:44:28.60
poorly done
00:44:28.70\00:44:29.90
to a damaged prayer life.
00:44:30.00\00:44:31.50
Let me just put
00:44:31.60\00:44:32.27
two examples up here.
00:44:32.37\00:44:33.44
Adventist Home page 513.
00:44:33.54\00:44:35.37
"Christians have many sources
00:44:35.47\00:44:37.01
of happiness at their command,
00:44:37.11\00:44:38.67
and they may tell with unerring
00:44:38.77\00:44:41.24
accuracy what pleasures are
00:44:41.34\00:44:43.08
lawful and right."
00:44:43.18\00:44:44.38
So get the context here.
00:44:44.48\00:44:45.88
People look, "Should I do this
00:44:45.98\00:44:46.92
activity?
00:44:47.02\00:44:47.65
Is this a right thing
00:44:47.75\00:44:48.35
for me to do or not?"
00:44:48.45\00:44:49.22
She says you can know.
00:44:49.32\00:44:50.22
You can know for sure.
00:44:50.32\00:44:51.75
"They may enjoy
00:44:51.85\00:44:53.19
such recreations as will" --
00:44:53.29\00:44:54.79
here's the list --
00:44:54.89\00:44:55.56
"not dissipate the mind
00:44:55.66\00:44:56.93
or debase the soul,
00:44:57.03\00:44:58.36
such as will not disappoint
00:44:58.46\00:45:00.13
and leave a sad after-influence
00:45:00.23\00:45:02.06
to destroy self-respect
00:45:02.16\00:45:03.50
or bar the way to usefulness.
00:45:03.60\00:45:05.63
If they can take Jesus with them
00:45:05.73\00:45:07.94
and maintain a prayerful spirit,
00:45:08.04\00:45:11.24
they are perfectly safe."
00:45:11.34\00:45:15.14
And elsewhere on that same
00:45:15.24\00:45:15.88
page...
00:45:15.98\00:45:16.64
Elsewhere, we're told
00:45:38.53\00:45:39.73
that prayer is the breath
00:45:39.83\00:45:40.44
of the soul.
00:45:40.54\00:45:42.97
In that special sense,
00:45:43.07\00:45:45.61
no matter how out of shape
00:45:45.71\00:45:46.94
we may physically be,
00:45:47.04\00:45:48.11
let's make sure that our sports
00:45:48.21\00:45:49.24
never leave us breathless.
00:45:49.34\00:45:54.22
Question number three...
00:45:54.32\00:45:55.05
What will I do to make sure
00:46:03.59\00:46:04.83
that God wins this game?
00:46:04.93\00:46:07.66
Athletes that
00:46:07.76\00:46:08.63
are listening to me right now,
00:46:08.73\00:46:10.13
how often does God win
00:46:10.23\00:46:12.20
in your sports activities?
00:46:12.30\00:46:14.67
How often does the other team
00:46:14.77\00:46:16.00
enjoy playing against you?
00:46:16.10\00:46:17.64
Because you're gracious and kind
00:46:17.74\00:46:18.84
as well as doing your
00:46:18.94\00:46:20.08
athletic best?
00:46:20.18\00:46:22.51
If you lose, how often do
00:46:22.61\00:46:24.18
you lose graciously?
00:46:24.28\00:46:26.35
Does God only "win" if
00:46:26.45\00:46:28.68
the scoreboard says you did too?
00:46:28.78\00:46:31.55
How often do you appreciate
00:46:31.65\00:46:33.02
your opponent's shot
00:46:33.12\00:46:34.16
just as much as your own
00:46:34.26\00:46:35.49
and tell them about it?
00:46:35.59\00:46:38.59
How often do you approach
00:46:38.69\00:46:39.96
sports prayerfully as an act
00:46:40.06\00:46:41.26
of worship,
00:46:41.36\00:46:42.16
knowing that Jesus is out there
00:46:42.26\00:46:43.43
playing with you,
00:46:43.53\00:46:44.40
seeking to make heavenly winners
00:46:44.50\00:46:45.80
out of every person
00:46:45.90\00:46:47.10
on that field or court?
00:46:47.20\00:46:48.64
That is, after all, Christ's
00:46:48.74\00:46:50.41
ultimate desire, isn't it?
00:46:50.51\00:46:53.38
And it needs to become
00:46:53.48\00:46:54.74
our desire as well, even and
00:46:54.84\00:46:56.85
maybe especially in our sports.
00:46:56.95\00:46:58.91
And what happens if...
00:47:03.65\00:47:07.99
What happens if we implement
00:47:08.09\00:47:10.33
these three questions into our
00:47:10.43\00:47:12.36
lives?
00:47:12.46\00:47:13.66
What happens
00:47:13.76\00:47:14.56
if we implement these
00:47:14.63\00:47:15.46
principles and practices
00:47:15.56\00:47:16.80
that I've been talking about
00:47:16.90\00:47:17.60
here in this short series?
00:47:17.70\00:47:19.43
What's the product of that?
00:47:19.53\00:47:20.60
You know, I want to be clear.
00:47:25.21\00:47:26.41
I have made plenty of mistakes
00:47:26.51\00:47:28.74
on a ball field or on a court.
00:47:28.84\00:47:31.35
I have. Sometimes I still do.
00:47:31.45\00:47:35.38
And I'm guessing
00:47:35.48\00:47:37.29
that I will probably
00:47:37.39\00:47:38.52
be one of the most watched
00:47:38.62\00:47:40.06
athletes on campus
00:47:40.16\00:47:41.42
after preaching this series.
00:47:41.52\00:47:42.46
[ Laughter ]
00:47:42.56\00:47:45.16
So I will do my best.
00:47:45.26\00:47:46.29
I'll do my best.
00:47:46.39\00:47:48.10
But I can tell you
00:47:48.20\00:47:49.56
with great accuracy
00:47:49.66\00:47:51.30
that I am a far cry
00:47:51.40\00:47:52.77
from what I used to be.
00:47:52.87\00:47:56.17
In fact, let me tell you a
00:47:56.27\00:47:56.57
story.
00:47:56.67\00:47:59.27
Yea verily in the last
00:47:59.37\00:48:00.48
millennium, I played for
00:48:00.58\00:48:02.04
the Andrews University Cardinals
00:48:02.14\00:48:04.05
varsity basketball team.
00:48:04.15\00:48:06.28
I had a good time,
00:48:06.38\00:48:08.28
and we played two games a year
00:48:08.38\00:48:11.49
that were quite important games
00:48:11.59\00:48:13.39
in the minds of many,
00:48:13.49\00:48:14.12
many, many people.
00:48:14.22\00:48:15.29
And at the time, including me.
00:48:15.39\00:48:16.52
It was the game twice a year
00:48:16.62\00:48:19.26
against the Oakwood Ambassadors.
00:48:19.36\00:48:21.63
Now, Oakwood,
00:48:21.73\00:48:23.40
this particular year
00:48:23.50\00:48:24.63
when this story takes place,
00:48:24.73\00:48:25.60
they were having their
00:48:25.70\00:48:26.27
alumni weekend,
00:48:26.37\00:48:27.54
and we were going down
00:48:27.64\00:48:29.00
from Andrews to Oakwood to play
00:48:29.10\00:48:31.24
them on that Saturday night
00:48:31.34\00:48:32.57
of alumni weekend.
00:48:32.67\00:48:33.71
And we drove all night
00:48:33.81\00:48:35.24
on Thursday night.
00:48:35.34\00:48:36.34
I have no idea why we did that.
00:48:36.44\00:48:37.68
That's a terrible way
00:48:37.78\00:48:38.41
to prepare your team
00:48:38.51\00:48:39.11
to play basketball
00:48:39.21\00:48:40.32
24 hours later.
00:48:40.42\00:48:41.45
We woke up
00:48:41.55\00:48:42.62
bleary-eyed at like 9 a.m.
00:48:42.72\00:48:44.19
as we rolled into the parking
00:48:44.29\00:48:44.99
lot and they said,
00:48:45.09\00:48:47.42
"We've found a place
00:48:47.52\00:48:48.29
for you to practice.
00:48:48.39\00:48:49.32
Would you like a couple
00:48:49.42\00:48:49.86
of hours of practice?"
00:48:49.96\00:48:50.79
And I'm thinking, "I'd like
00:48:50.89\00:48:51.36
a couple hours of sleep,
00:48:51.46\00:48:52.29
please, if I could."
00:48:52.39\00:48:53.16
They said, "No, no, time for
00:48:53.26\00:48:53.86
practice."
00:48:53.96\00:48:54.50
So we go to this place.
00:48:54.60\00:48:55.73
As it turns out,
00:48:55.83\00:48:56.77
it was the wrong gymnasium.
00:48:56.87\00:48:58.73
Instead, inside the gymnasium
00:48:58.83\00:49:00.84
was an alumni basketball
00:49:00.94\00:49:02.50
tournament that was going on,
00:49:02.60\00:49:03.77
and I have never seen
00:49:03.87\00:49:05.54
anything like it.
00:49:05.64\00:49:06.11
First of all,
00:49:06.21\00:49:06.84
I've never seen anything
00:49:06.94\00:49:07.98
like alumni weekend
00:49:08.08\00:49:09.94
at Oakwood University.
00:49:10.05\00:49:11.11
It is astonishing.
00:49:11.21\00:49:12.41
If you didn't graduate
00:49:12.51\00:49:13.65
from Oakwood, you must go
00:49:13.75\00:49:15.05
at least once to see this.
00:49:15.15\00:49:16.85
It's a st-- That weekend,
00:49:16.95\00:49:18.39
I was told there were
00:49:18.49\00:49:19.32
20,000 people
00:49:19.42\00:49:21.22
that came for alumni weekend.
00:49:21.32\00:49:22.52
20,000 people.
00:49:22.62\00:49:24.26
They rent every hall of any size
00:49:24.36\00:49:26.39
within that area there
00:49:26.49\00:49:27.40
because the campus cannot
00:49:27.50\00:49:28.46
possibly hold them.
00:49:28.56\00:49:30.00
It's astonishing
00:49:30.10\00:49:31.07
the camaraderie,
00:49:31.17\00:49:31.90
the commitment
00:49:32.00\00:49:32.60
to the ministry of Oakwood
00:49:32.70\00:49:33.67
that -- I had never seen
00:49:33.77\00:49:34.60
anything like it.
00:49:34.70\00:49:35.37
I was absolutely blown away,
00:49:35.47\00:49:37.17
including when I walked
00:49:37.27\00:49:39.31
in the door of this gym
00:49:39.41\00:49:40.54
that turned out to not be ours.
00:49:40.64\00:49:42.14
I walk in there
00:49:42.24\00:49:43.55
and the first thing I see --
00:49:43.65\00:49:45.28
there's a couple of courts
00:49:45.38\00:49:46.65
there, and the first thing I see
00:49:46.75\00:49:47.78
is a 6'8",
00:49:47.88\00:49:50.85
completely white-haired alumnus
00:49:50.95\00:49:53.52
flying through the air
00:49:53.62\00:49:55.16
with their hand outstretched.
00:49:55.26\00:49:56.39
And he does this tomahawk dunk
00:49:56.49\00:49:57.29
like that.
00:49:57.39\00:49:59.13
And my heart sank within me.
00:49:59.23\00:50:02.73
If even the elderly Oakwood
00:50:02.83\00:50:04.93
people can do this,
00:50:05.03\00:50:08.04
we are doomed when we play
00:50:08.14\00:50:09.84
our game tomorrow night.
00:50:09.94\00:50:13.98
And indeed,
00:50:14.08\00:50:15.08
that proved to be the case.
00:50:15.18\00:50:16.14
I'm going to cut to the end here
00:50:16.24\00:50:17.15
because I don't want
00:50:17.25\00:50:17.85
the score to distract you.
00:50:17.95\00:50:19.68
It is the most that I have ever
00:50:19.78\00:50:22.68
lost by in a game,
00:50:22.78\00:50:26.89
but not the only time
00:50:26.99\00:50:28.19
by this particular score.
00:50:28.29\00:50:29.39
That's another story for another
00:50:29.49\00:50:30.29
day.
00:50:30.39\00:50:30.93
We lost by 45 points.
00:50:31.03\00:50:32.86
[ Congregation groans ]
00:50:32.96\00:50:34.00
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:50:34.10\00:50:36.46
We lost by 45 points.
00:50:36.56\00:50:38.77
We could not --
00:50:38.87\00:50:39.57
Our team played awful.
00:50:39.67\00:50:41.24
We had a decent team, but for
00:50:41.34\00:50:42.60
whatever reason, I mean, I don't
00:50:42.70\00:50:43.71
know if it's home-court
00:50:43.81\00:50:44.74
advantage that we didn't have,
00:50:44.84\00:50:45.67
whatever it was,
00:50:45.77\00:50:46.37
we played awful.
00:50:46.47\00:50:47.74
Our best shooters couldn't hit
00:50:47.84\00:50:48.74
anything, we couldn't get
00:50:48.84\00:50:49.61
rebounds, we fluffed pa--
00:50:49.71\00:50:50.68
I mean, it was terrible.
00:50:50.78\00:50:51.35
It was a terrible --
00:50:51.45\00:50:52.41
Athletically speaking,
00:50:52.51\00:50:53.82
we did very poorly.
00:50:53.92\00:50:54.85
Okay?
00:50:54.95\00:50:58.49
About midway through
00:50:58.59\00:50:59.35
the third quarter...
00:50:59.45\00:51:02.12
I can see this in my mind's eye
00:51:02.22\00:51:04.13
like it happened yesterday.
00:51:04.23\00:51:05.76
Midway through
00:51:05.86\00:51:06.53
the third quarter,
00:51:06.63\00:51:07.20
we're down by probably
00:51:07.30\00:51:08.00
35 points at this point.
00:51:08.10\00:51:09.00
Alright?
00:51:09.10\00:51:09.66
Very little hope
00:51:09.76\00:51:10.63
of pulling this out, right?
00:51:10.73\00:51:13.20
And the defensive end
00:51:13.30\00:51:14.54
of the court we got
00:51:14.64\00:51:15.40
a rebound, 10 guys sprinting
00:51:15.50\00:51:17.47
towards the other end.
00:51:17.57\00:51:18.14
It's a fast break.
00:51:18.24\00:51:19.74
And I remember
00:51:19.84\00:51:20.74
about midcourt I'm heading
00:51:20.84\00:51:21.74
over to the left.
00:51:21.84\00:51:22.81
So I get on that wing.
00:51:22.91\00:51:23.91
If I'm open, they'll pass the
00:51:24.01\00:51:24.68
ball.
00:51:24.78\00:51:25.28
Other guys streaking
00:51:25.38\00:51:26.41
to the right,
00:51:26.51\00:51:27.52
and the snapshot in time
00:51:27.62\00:51:29.35
there, down by 35,
00:51:29.45\00:51:30.72
no hope really of
00:51:30.82\00:51:31.55
winning the game.
00:51:31.65\00:51:32.32
And I remember
00:51:32.42\00:51:33.46
very distinctly thinking this.
00:51:33.56\00:51:39.53
"This is awesome.
00:51:39.63\00:51:45.90
I am so glad that I get to be
00:51:46.00\00:51:49.27
here at this moment."
00:51:49.37\00:51:51.07
And some of you
00:51:56.04\00:51:57.01
are thinking, "You're an idiot."
00:51:57.11\00:51:58.78
[ Laughter ]
00:51:58.88\00:52:01.12
"I don't want you on my team
00:52:01.22\00:52:02.22
if you think it's a good time
00:52:02.32\00:52:03.02
to be down by 35 points
00:52:03.12\00:52:04.19
in the third quarter."
00:52:04.29\00:52:05.45
No, that is complete honest
00:52:05.55\00:52:07.32
truth.
00:52:07.42\00:52:08.42
I was so happy to be there
00:52:08.52\00:52:10.69
in that game at that time.
00:52:10.79\00:52:11.99
How come?
00:52:12.09\00:52:13.09
Because five years earlier,
00:52:13.19\00:52:14.46
I could not have done that.
00:52:14.56\00:52:16.60
I could not have had that
00:52:16.70\00:52:17.77
attitude.
00:52:17.87\00:52:18.80
I could not have made the team.
00:52:18.90\00:52:21.20
You see, you may remember a few
00:52:21.30\00:52:22.44
weeks ago I told you a story
00:52:22.54\00:52:23.47
about trying out at
00:52:23.57\00:52:24.37
Walla Walla University
00:52:24.47\00:52:25.64
for the men's
00:52:25.74\00:52:26.74
varsity basketball squad there.
00:52:26.84\00:52:27.78
I didn't make the team,
00:52:27.88\00:52:28.71
and I told you.
00:52:28.81\00:52:29.71
And it was true.
00:52:29.81\00:52:30.45
You know, the guy jumped
00:52:30.55\00:52:31.21
over the top of me.
00:52:31.31\00:52:32.01
Coach wasn't very impressed,
00:52:32.11\00:52:33.05
and that was one of the reasons.
00:52:33.15\00:52:34.18
But it wasn't the biggest reason
00:52:34.28\00:52:35.12
why I didn't make the team.
00:52:35.22\00:52:36.12
The biggest reason
00:52:36.22\00:52:37.15
why I didn't make the team is
00:52:37.25\00:52:38.19
because I was not
00:52:38.29\00:52:39.05
in a place spiritually
00:52:39.15\00:52:40.16
where I could do that.
00:52:40.26\00:52:41.39
I was not
00:52:41.49\00:52:42.42
in a place spiritually.
00:52:42.52\00:52:43.46
I did not have the discipline.
00:52:43.56\00:52:44.79
There were things in my life
00:52:44.89\00:52:45.93
that had to change.
00:52:46.03\00:52:48.90
I actually tried out twice
00:52:49.00\00:52:49.96
for Walla Walla and
00:52:50.07\00:52:51.23
I didn't make it either time.
00:52:51.33\00:52:53.84
And when I left Walla Walla,
00:52:53.94\00:52:55.30
I thought, "Oh, there's no way,
00:52:55.40\00:52:56.50
there's no way."
00:52:56.60\00:52:58.37
But five years later,
00:52:58.47\00:52:59.57
during that five years,
00:52:59.67\00:53:00.51
something happened.
00:53:00.61\00:53:05.91
I met some good people
00:53:06.01\00:53:09.32
and they showed me a better way.
00:53:09.42\00:53:13.52
They showed me Christ's way
00:53:13.62\00:53:15.89
and they taught me how to be a
00:53:15.99\00:53:16.56
Christian man, something
00:53:16.66\00:53:18.63
I'd never learned before.
00:53:18.73\00:53:20.66
And it had a major impact
00:53:20.76\00:53:22.13
in my life, including in
00:53:22.23\00:53:23.67
how I dealt with sports.
00:53:23.77\00:53:25.30
I remember one time
00:53:25.40\00:53:26.20
my mentor said to me
00:53:26.30\00:53:26.90
this thing about
00:53:27.00\00:53:29.20
appreciating your opponents'
00:53:29.30\00:53:30.37
shot just as much as your own.
00:53:30.47\00:53:32.27
I mean, when he first said that,
00:53:32.37\00:53:33.34
I thought, "You're crazy.
00:53:33.44\00:53:34.44
No one does that.
00:53:34.54\00:53:35.71
That's ridiculous."
00:53:35.81\00:53:36.61
Right?
00:53:36.71\00:53:38.05
He said, "No, no, no, no."
00:53:38.15\00:53:38.81
He says, "You're not playing
00:53:38.91\00:53:39.58
sports like you used to.
00:53:39.68\00:53:40.48
You need to play
00:53:40.58\00:53:41.12
it like God would,
00:53:41.22\00:53:41.92
like Jesus would."
00:53:42.02\00:53:44.75
Most of what I shared with you
00:53:44.85\00:53:46.29
in this series
00:53:46.39\00:53:47.82
comes from that five years
00:53:47.92\00:53:49.96
of transformation in my life,
00:53:50.06\00:53:52.56
and I was a different person
00:53:52.66\00:53:54.36
playing that game at Oakwood.
00:53:54.46\00:53:56.90
You know what?
00:53:57.00\00:53:57.67
I was out there in the midst
00:53:57.77\00:53:58.87
of losing terribly in front of
00:53:58.97\00:54:00.60
I don't know how many people
00:54:00.70\00:54:01.24
were in that gym.
00:54:01.34\00:54:01.90
It was alumni weekend. Right?
00:54:02.80\00:54:04.14
And the guy that I got to
00:54:04.24\00:54:05.41
guard -- this is what they
00:54:05.51\00:54:06.41
told me.
00:54:06.51\00:54:07.28
I never checked this out,
00:54:07.38\00:54:08.08
but this is what they told me.
00:54:08.18\00:54:08.64
They said the guy
00:54:08.74\00:54:09.64
that I guarded
00:54:09.74\00:54:10.75
was the number-one high school
00:54:10.85\00:54:12.15
draft pick out of high school.
00:54:12.25\00:54:13.65
He had a full-ride scholarship
00:54:13.75\00:54:14.95
to play for the Tar Heels,
00:54:15.05\00:54:16.79
but he didn't want
00:54:16.89\00:54:17.75
to play on the Sabbath.
00:54:17.85\00:54:18.69
So he went to Oakwood.
00:54:18.79\00:54:20.69
And I got to guard him.
00:54:20.79\00:54:22.56
It was awesome.
00:54:22.66\00:54:23.83
Now, was he better than me?
00:54:23.93\00:54:24.73
Yes, he was, yes, he was.
00:54:24.83\00:54:26.76
He scored a few times,
00:54:26.86\00:54:28.30
but I scored a few times on him.
00:54:28.40\00:54:29.60
It was great. It was great.
00:54:29.70\00:54:30.87
And the fact that Jesus was
00:54:30.97\00:54:32.43
at the center of my life
00:54:32.53\00:54:33.50
then enabled me
00:54:33.60\00:54:35.24
to be able to play for God's
00:54:35.34\00:54:37.54
glory and not mine.
00:54:37.64\00:54:39.41
And it did not matter any longer
00:54:39.51\00:54:41.11
what the scoreboard said.
00:54:41.21\00:54:43.55
You know, Eric Liddell,
00:54:43.65\00:54:46.38
the Scottish Olympian
00:54:46.48\00:54:48.05
and eventually missionary
00:54:48.15\00:54:49.05
to China, famously said this.
00:54:49.15\00:54:50.72
He said, "I believe God made
00:54:50.82\00:54:52.49
me for a purpose.
00:54:52.59\00:54:55.16
He also made me fast.
00:54:55.26\00:54:57.93
And when I run,
00:54:58.03\00:55:00.30
I feel his pleasure."
00:55:00.40\00:55:01.23
I'm light-years away from
00:55:06.03\00:55:06.90
Eric Liddell's athletic skill,
00:55:07.00\00:55:09.57
but I know a little bit about
00:55:09.67\00:55:12.37
what he was talking about.
00:55:12.47\00:55:14.08
That night
00:55:14.18\00:55:15.14
on the court at Oakwood,
00:55:15.24\00:55:16.21
it was only according
00:55:16.31\00:55:17.28
to the scoreboard
00:55:17.38\00:55:18.05
that I was losing.
00:55:18.15\00:55:19.95
My younger teammates, that was
00:55:20.05\00:55:21.32
a difficult loss for them.
00:55:21.42\00:55:22.58
And probably five years earlier
00:55:22.68\00:55:23.99
it would have been for me too.
00:55:24.09\00:55:25.52
But over those five years,
00:55:25.62\00:55:26.89
I had learned something.
00:55:26.99\00:55:27.79
And consequently I knew
00:55:27.89\00:55:29.39
that according to the scoreboard
00:55:29.49\00:55:30.79
in heaven,
00:55:30.89\00:55:32.03
the victory was all God's,
00:55:32.13\00:55:35.46
and I felt the pleasure
00:55:35.56\00:55:37.33
of that triumph in my life.
00:55:37.43\00:55:39.27
It is true that sports can be
00:55:42.90\00:55:44.51
a force for evil.
00:55:44.61\00:55:45.54
Make no mistake.
00:55:45.64\00:55:47.01
In fact, that's the default mode
00:55:47.11\00:55:48.71
for most of the world out there.
00:55:48.81\00:55:50.91
But if we are intentional,
00:55:51.01\00:55:52.85
if we are intentional
00:55:52.95\00:55:54.55
and turn the tide
00:55:54.65\00:55:56.08
and use them for the glory
00:55:56.18\00:55:57.32
of God, they can become
00:55:57.42\00:55:58.42
a force for good.
00:55:58.52\00:55:59.55
Let us not just use sports
00:55:59.65\00:56:01.46
as a diversion or even as mere
00:56:01.56\00:56:02.76
physical exercise,
00:56:02.86\00:56:03.83
as good as that can be.
00:56:03.93\00:56:05.13
Instead, let us use them
00:56:05.23\00:56:06.46
ultimately to learn more
00:56:06.56\00:56:07.73
about God and to help
00:56:07.83\00:56:08.96
others to do the same.
00:56:09.06\00:56:10.27
And if we do that,
00:56:10.37\00:56:11.93
no matter what the scoreboard
00:56:12.03\00:56:13.30
says at the end of the game,
00:56:13.40\00:56:14.37
we will have won one
00:56:14.47\00:56:16.00
for the giver,
00:56:16.10\00:56:17.74
the giver of all life,
00:56:17.84\00:56:19.84
of eternal life, Jesus Christ.
00:56:19.94\00:56:22.78
May God bless us with the wisdom
00:56:22.88\00:56:25.21
and the courage and the power
00:56:25.31\00:56:26.88
to ever and only play for him.
00:56:26.98\00:56:32.89
[ Applause ]
00:56:32.99\00:56:34.66
Thank you for joining us today.
00:56:45.53\00:56:47.07
You know,
00:56:47.17\00:56:48.00
our goal with every worship
00:56:48.10\00:56:49.50
service at Pioneer Memorial
00:56:49.60\00:56:51.14
is that our listeners will come
00:56:51.24\00:56:52.47
to know Jesus Christ as their
00:56:52.57\00:56:53.84
personal friend and savior.
00:56:53.94\00:56:55.78
Have you taken this step
00:56:55.88\00:56:56.81
in your life,
00:56:56.91\00:56:57.98
or would you like to know more
00:56:58.08\00:56:59.21
about what this step looks like?
00:56:59.31\00:57:01.18
If so, I have a special gift
00:57:01.28\00:57:03.08
that I would love
00:57:03.18\00:57:03.95
to put in your hands.
00:57:04.05\00:57:05.15
It's this little book
00:57:05.25\00:57:06.49
called "Steps to Christ."
00:57:06.59\00:57:08.69
Now, it's not a very long book.
00:57:08.79\00:57:10.33
As you can see,
00:57:10.43\00:57:11.06
it's only this thick.
00:57:11.16\00:57:12.96
But don't let the size fool you.
00:57:13.06\00:57:14.83
This is one powerful book.
00:57:14.93\00:57:16.70
In fact,
00:57:16.80\00:57:17.70
this book is so powerful,
00:57:17.80\00:57:18.93
so life-transforming
00:57:19.03\00:57:20.47
that it's become a favorite
00:57:20.57\00:57:21.70
for millions all over the world,
00:57:21.80\00:57:23.30
making it one of the most
00:57:23.41\00:57:24.31
translated and most published
00:57:24.41\00:57:25.51
books in history.
00:57:25.61\00:57:26.91
It can be yours for free
00:57:27.01\00:57:29.04
by calling the number on your
00:57:29.14\00:57:29.94
screen, 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:30.05\00:57:32.68
That's 877, the two words
00:57:32.78\00:57:34.48
"his will."
00:57:34.58\00:57:35.85
Call today.
00:57:35.95\00:57:37.12
You can also download
00:57:37.22\00:57:38.19
a free copy at
00:57:38.29\00:57:39.45
pmchurch.org/stepstochrist.
00:57:39.55\00:57:41.66
That's
00:57:41.76\00:57:42.92
pmchurch.org/stepstochrist.
00:57:43.02\00:57:45.76
Don't wait.
00:57:45.86\00:57:46.80
Get your copy today.
00:57:46.90\00:57:48.40
a forever friendship with Jesus
00:57:48.50\00:57:50.10
is waiting for you.
00:57:50.20\00:57:51.67
¤
00:57:59.27\00:58:08.92
¤
00:58:09.02\00:58:18.63
¤
00:58:18.73\00:58:28.04