Max Q

INTRODUCTION

• A physician told this about her four-year-old daughter. One the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. The mom tried to remain calmly, although she was extremely excited that it seemed her daughter was expressing a genuine interest in perhaps following in mom’s footsteps. Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order?"

• Jesus would like us to truly follow in His footsteps.

• The title to my message is “MAX Q”

• Many of you may be scratching your head on this one. My wife did when I sprung it on her.

• The first time I heard the term “MAX Q” is when I was watching a Rams game. Then I heard the term in a movie. The Rams use this phrase to remind them of their mission at hand. Later I heard an explanation of what MAX Q meant and how it relates to life.

• This is the explanation of Max Q, which is on a photo in the hallway outside the Rams’ locker room and on T-shirts the players wear. It can be ascribed to any pursuit in life.

• "Roughly one minute after the space shuttle launches, it must withstand a condition of extreme force known as Max Q. Mission success demands that all systems perform at the highest level. When designed properly, prepared carefully and executed perfectly, the shuttle and its crew safely reach orbital velocity of 17,600 mph 8 1/2 minutes after launching.

• In life, Max Q demands the same commitment to success. It requires choosing greatness, personally as well as professionally. It depends on balance, passion and courage and the wisdom gained from adversity. It is an outcome as well as an attitude. It is the combined result of the learning of a parachute packer, the focus of astronauts in orbit, the emotion shared by the Navy Seals, the precision of the Blue Angels and the heart of the St. Louis Rams."

• MAX Q in life is the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to it. It is a commitment to success.

• After the great confession Peter makes Jesus starts to change the focus of His ministry. His focus is now pointed at going down the home stretch of the race.

• Jesus is going to try to get the twelve along with us to understand that in order for us to be a follower of Jesus, it will take a commitment to Him. It will take the proper attitude and perspective on life. It will take sacrifice and determination. In essence it will take all we have to follow Jesus. It will take a full effort on our part combined with the full power of God working in our lives to be able to achieve MAX Q in our relationship with Jesus.

• Today we are going to see that Jesus exhibited MAX Q in His life that He commands MAX Q from us and we will look at the benefits of achieving MAX Q in our lives.

SERMON

I. JESUS EXHIBITED MAX Q (21-23)

A. Jesus was focused and determined to carry out His call. (21)

• Jesus starts to openly and clearly show the disciples what His mission was. Everything Jesus did was directed toward fulfilling His calling. Jesus was focused on what He was called to do and He knew without a doubt what He was to do.

• How many of us here today know what Jesus wants us to do? How many of us are really focused at the task at hand?

• Jesus exhibited MAX Q in His focus on what He was called to do. A football team needs to know where they are going and they need to focus on the goal. We need to know where we are going and we need to focus on that. Jesus knew that doing what He was called to do was going to cause a lot of problems for Him, but He was building His life to be able to meet that moment of maximum force against Him in His life. Jesus shared four things in verse 21 that He said He MUST do.

1. He MUST go to Jerusalem.

• Jesus exhibited MAX Q in the fact that He knew where He needed to go. When they send the space shuttle out, everyone has a goal of send out the shuttle and returning it home safely.

• Jesus knew that the hotbed of resistance for Him would be in Jerusalem, yet He was not detoured. It was going to be dangerous and it would ultimately cost Him His life.

• It is dangerous to send up the shuttle, but yet the fear of danger does not stop the space program from doing it. Jesus was focused on where He needed to go. He could have won the hearts of everyone and had an easy life, but Jesus knew He HAD to go to Jerusalem.