Golf And The Christian Life

Golf and the Christian Life

Pastor Glenn Newton 8-4-02

Romans 10:11-15 “ As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put

to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is

Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the

name of the Lord will be saved."

RO 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can

they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without

someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is

written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

This morning I’m going to attempt to compare the Game of Golf and the Christian Life. I

have found that there are some good ways to help illustrate how we should live our

Christian life, through this game we call Golf.

Let me ask you, How many here this morning have ever played Golf? How many

here this morning understand the rules of Golf? Not very many. Don’t worry that’s not a

problem, before were done I believe you will understand what I’m trying to say.

I hope to be like that fine preacher who was once complimented by a little

boy who said, “You’re not a great preacher because I could understand every word

you said.”

Arnold Palmer said, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated, it satisfies

the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening

-- and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind have ever invented.”

The game of golf is fun to play for many reasons, but one of the most beneficial reasons to

play is that your patience level will increase as you learn the game. It’s not an easy game.

To sit and watch the pro golf players hit that little white ball around and put it right where

they actually aim it, looks easy. But friend, let me tell you it’s not easy making that little

ball go strait

In the same way, our Christian lives can have times of frustration, times when we don’t

seem to be making progress in our spiritual growth, in our Christlike attitudes, in our

witnessing. If were not careful, we can find ourselves like the frustrated golfer, just

swinging away with no idea where we are going to end up.

I can tell you with confidence this morning, that’s not what God wants from us. God has

called us to win, and He wants us to have confidence and assurance in our Christian lives.

That doesn’t mean everything will be easy, in fact I can tell you there will be times of trials

and hard times, but our Faith can stand strong, our Witness can shine through and we can

grow through adversity.

This morning I want to share with you Three areas that I believe will help your Christian

Journey. I’m going to use Golf lingo, but I will apply it to our Christian life so you will

know exactly what I’m talking about.

What we are talking about is Fundamentals. In any sport, there are basic fundamentals

that we need to learn if we are going to play the sport effectively, and have a chance to

compete. Of coarse there are fundamentals in the Christian life also.

In Golf, there are allot of things a person needs to know, and to be honest I know I don’t

know all of them by a long shot. But I have narrowed down what I do know to three

fundamentals that every golfer should pay attention too.

1. The Rules.

It’s hard to play a game if you don’t know the rules, or you don’t pay attention to the

rules. Rules are important. Abe Mitchell, British Champion said this, “The sum total of

the rules(of etiquette in golf), is thoughtfulness.”

The rules of golf are a reflection of the etiquette and fairness which are a vital part

of the entire game. Golf has been called the most “civilized” of sports. The player with

the lowest score on the previous hole receives “honors” at the next tee. On the fairway,

the “disadvantaged” player whose ball lies the farthest from the hole shoots first.

Likewise, on the green, the “unfortunate” one with the longest putt goes first before the

others. Much of the rules are built into these concepts of courtesy, fairness, and honor.

Good players are aware of their fellow golfers game. They do the little things that

aren’t caught by the less gracious players, such as not casting a shadow where the player

is trying to make a putt, not walking in the area where the other players are going to be