CHARIOTS OF FIRE
James Series 4: Perseverance
INTRO: A clip from Chariots of Fire off of youtube (we will have to explain the movie to the youth).
Options:
“Chariots of Fire Explained” (the first 4 minutes of this clip)
“Vangelis-Chariots of Fire”
“He who honors God”
CHARIOTS OF FIRE EXPLANATION: True story of 2 runners, one who ran for his glory, the other ran for the glory of God. One said to the other, “I hate losing.” The other responded, “I don’t know, I’ve never lost.” The non-Christian won, but it was a downer even though because he had reached the climax of his life and was still not satisfied. On the other hand, the Christian runner who had trained all his life actually skipped out of his best event because it was run on a Sunday and against his convictions. And when the Christian man looked over at his sister, he said, “God has made me for a purpose, but He has also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
1. TO WIN THE CROWN
BIBLE VERSE: James 1:12
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
DAN JANSEN: Resident of suburban Milwaukee, Jansen finished 4th place in the 1984 Olympics in the 500 Meters Speed Skating. But four years later, he came rearing back and had proved himself to be the fastest skater in the world having won the World Sprint Cup just one week earlier.
But as he was gearing up for the 500 meters, he had to do so with the heartache of knowing his best friend and sister Jane had just died of leukemia that morning. What happened during the race? For the first time in his history of skating in competition, he fell. And lost
A few days later, while leading the 1000 meters and racing at a world record speed, he did the unthinkable, and fell a 2nd time. In anguish, he picked himself up in disbelief and came home in tears. Believe it or not, 4 years later, despite being again the fastest skater in the world, he finished 4th again in the 500 meters.
But James 1:12 says to persevere! And persevere he did.
Finally, in the 1994 winter Olympics, Jansen won gold in the 1000 meters, his last chance for success. And for his victory lap, he skated slowly around the rink clutching his hands not around the gold medal, but around his…newborn baby girl…named Jane.
Youtube: “Don’t Give Up!” (Dan Jansen)
“visa dan jansen spot”
THE CROWN: There is an amazing song out there, one of my favorite praise songs, it has the refrain:
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of his mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
WHAT DOES IT MEAN…WE LAY OUR CROWNS?
(LET THE STUDENTS TALK FOR A BIT HERE)
Then explain: I will stand before Christ one day to give an account of how I lived according to 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Things that I did for Christ, but for the wrong reasons will be burned up when tested for it’s quality. I need to constantly examine my heart and ask myself “Why am I doing this?” For those of quality, crowns may be given back for me for the chance to present them to the Lord.
TECHNICAL CROWNS (this may be technical, it depends on the study, but here it is if you want it):
CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (2 Timothy 4:8): To all who have kept the faith and longed and loved for his return.
CROWN OF REJOICING (1 Thes 2:19): To all who have helped bring others to Christ.
CROWN OF LIFE (James 1:12): To all who endure temptation & are faithful through trials and to those that love Him.
CROW OF GLORY (1 Peter 5:1-4): To all that serve and shepherd God’s people.
THE IMPERISHABLE OR ETERNAL CROWN (1 Cor 9:25): To those who have had self-control in all things and subdued the old sinful nature.
2. FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
BIBLE VERSE: Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.
THE GOAL IS TO WIN: Now this may seem obvious, but why do something? Why does an athlete compete? Is it to do their best? Yes to an extent. But the real reason they compete is to win! And we must never forget that.
COACH AT A TRACK MEET: True story, I was at a track meet, talking with some coaches prior to the meet’s beginning. As I, another coach, and a coach from Maplewoods were talking about the top throwers there, another coach walked into the conversation from a school not far from here. “All you guys to is talk about winning, I am here just to get my kids some good marks, that’s it. I am sick of you guys talking about winning all the stinking time,” is what he said.
The Maplewoods coach looked directly at him and said, “and that’s why you never win.”
For us as Christians…never forget…our goal is to win! Let us work to save souls, do you understand?
TROY POLAMALU: Troy Polamalu was drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers after they failed to nab the big name free agent they were looking for. In the NFL he is known for having massively long hair (not kidding), his Somoan heritage, his intense hits, and…the fact that he prays AFTER EVERY PLAY! He even crosses himself…no…not to show of or to witness…but because he understands football is a contact sport and asks for protection
OH YEAH…BY THE WAY…HE PLAYS TO WIN AND HAS ALREADY WON ONE SUPER BOWL RING!
BIBLE VERSE: Acts 7:54-60
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
STEPHEN AT STONING: This is one my most favorite scriptures in the Bible. For the backyard, Stephen is an on-fire Christian (what does a not-on-fire Christian look like, I don’t know). And because of his boldness, he will absolutely face persecution, without question (by the way, it seems to think that we too should probably face some persecution of we are sincere in our faith). But if we read the verse carefully, we see something special in the scripture during his execution.
VERSE 55: In verse 55, it states he saw the Son of Man “standing at the right hand of God.” It says the word “STANDING.” Why would Christ be standing? After all, everywhere else in the Bible Christ is seen as sitting at the right hand of God (leave some time for possible answers). Then ask:
When a person is paying tribute to a fallen soldier, how does a person pay tribute to that person?
Answer: by Standing. The reason Jesus is standing here in this picture is pay tribute to a fallen soldier, could there be a greater honor?
3. FINISH
BIBLE VERSE: 2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
COLT McCOY: THE REAL McCOY
Eight days ago, college football experienced a masterpiece national championship game featuring the number one ranked Crimson Tide from Alabama against the undefeated ballers from the University of Texas. The Longhorns, led by their Heisman nominated quarterback Colt McCoy hoped to prove to the world that you…well…you don’t mess with Texas.
But in front of a sellout crowd in Pasedena and millions more watching on television around the world, McCoy’s dream turned into a nightmare. On the 5th play of the game, the gunslinger dropped back to make a throw when he was subsequently nailed by the hungry ‘Bama linebacker Marcell Dareus. McCoy, who had been hit thousands of times before, knew something was different this time. And when he went to hoist his rifle arm up into a throwing position, his long cannon felt more like a soft, wet noodle.
As the Lone Star State went into tears of disbelief, medics and doctors went to work on the young man’s arm with the same amount of vigilance horse trainers use when examining a tight tendon of a racehorse at the Breeder’s Cup. The results remained negative. Diagnosis after diagnosis, stretch after stretch, all met with same excruciating answer, the boy could not play.
This is when the frustrated superstar demands one more shot, one more hope of re-entering the Rose Bowl in hopes of engineering a victory. “Give me a ball,” he demanded. Colt’s own father, the same man who had been there at his birth, raised him through childhood, coached him through high school, and raised him to become a warrior, now stood just 7 feet a way from McCoy’s ferocious spirit and lifeless arm.
McCoy raised the ball like he had done a million times in the backyard growing up, geared back his shoulder, and tossed a ball that putted the ground half way to his father. Colt gripped the ball a second time thinking to himself, “it’s just a basic throw, throw it.” He did. The ball rolled a few feet. Finally a third time, with his face tightened and teeth griping down on his mouthpiece, Colt threw with everything he had, but the ball just dropped. It fell in the same way a boxing manager throws in the towel during a vicious fight to protect his fighter. McCoy, a quarterback that could throw the football 70 yards on the money, couldn’t even through it 7.
Colt McCoy’s injury would have allowed him to play any other position on the field that night. Free safety, linebacker, running back, even kicker. But in his still quiet moment of destination, the position he had trained to play for ages was absolutely not possible. And through all the hurt, pain, and turmoil, his father was there.
God is our father. And the Bible clearly states in Deuteronomy 31 for us to “be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” For those that believe in Him, for those who have given their life to Him, to those who are fully devoted to Him, He will leave us or abandon us. He will never forsake us. In the moments of our crises, whether it is griping a football or griping the lifeless body of a perished child, God will be there. Please put your faith in him today. Amen.
DERRICK REDMEN: He was set to run in the finals of the 400 meter dash in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Derrick’s whole running history was plagued by injury (I will add some theatrics because this is one my favorite stories of all time, but this is the mini-version, if you want more, check it out on youtube). About 2/3rds the way through the race, a “pow pow” is sounded, down goes Redmen (hamstring). After that, the most amazing thing happens… (and then I will talk about how his dad comes to the rescue). If you haven’t seen this, just look up Derrick Redmen, his Dad coming to his rescue is amazing. The transition will be that God will also come to our rescue.
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
James Series 4: Perseverance
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
“God has made me for a purpose, but He has also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
1. TO _____________________________ THE CROWN
BIBLE VERSE: James 1:12
12Blessed is the man who _________________________________ under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the __________________________ of life that God has promised to those who love him.
DAN JANSEN:
THE CROWN:
THE 5 CROWNS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE:
A. ___________________________________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________________________________
C. ___________________________________________________________________________________
D. ___________________________________________________________________________________
E. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. FOR THE ___________________________ OF GOD
BIBLE VERSE: Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the ______________________ and not merely for ___________________________.
TRACK MEET COACH
POLAMALU:
BIBLE VERSE: Acts 7:54-60
STEPHEN:
STANDING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD:
3. _______________________________
BIBLE VERSE: 2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have __________________ the race, I have __________________ the faith.
COLT McCOY
DERRICK REDMEN