The Three Round Knockout
Slide#1
Psalm 84:10
“A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”
Prayer
God knew clear back in the beginning when He sent Moses to retrieve the Ten Commandments... that man would be bombarded with questions that would need to be answered.
God also knew that as the prophecy (the Bible) was being fulfilled… peerless times would arise. There would be…Earthquakes…hurricanes… and droughts… resulting in confusion and ciaos.
And as a result of this… man would in need hope, direction, and leadership.
And this still holds true for us today…from generation to generation man has proven the need of instructions on the correct way to live their lives and raise their families.
It never seems to amaze me that since the beginning of time God knew that man (the one He created) would turn their backs on Him and struggle with the choice of serving Him or serving sin.
This morning I am going to share with you several obstacles that will separate you from God…As well as several obstacles that will draw you closer to Him.
But the first obstacle that we need to address is kinda uncomfortable…and for some here today this might become personal.
This morning let’s assume that serving God can be like being a professional boxer.
I can remember when I was a boy. On occasion my Dad and I would sit down and watch a good boxing match on T.V.
(Explain boxers…dancing around the ring…avoiding being punched…Hitting below the beltline) Throw out some old boxers names…
Many people who come to church…right before entering into Gods ring…pull up their belts around their waists as far as they can.
Well Pastor…why would you say that?
Because of the un-confessed sin in their lives…they are getting prepared for a sparring match with God.
Week after week people…Gods people walk thru those doors wanting to hear Gods instructions for their lives, but sadly are not willing to apply ALL they hear to their personal life.
There ok with the way things are going around the church and in their own lives until…the pastor (I mean God)…steps directly into their ring.
And truth being told there are churches all over America with people who expect God to come in with a strong upper cut of correction in their lives.
But there are also people who attend those same churches who aren’t completely ready for the boxing lesson being taught.
These people hope that there attending on a Sunday that the message doesn’t offend how they are personally living their lives.
But if the message is personal…or if it’s getting close to the belt line…these people are prepared…it’s time to fight.
I’m going to share some extremely valuable information with you! God is not an Amateur fighter! (He’s the professional…The ultimate cage fighter)
Need I remind you that it was He who created the ring we call life,
It’s not an accident that you showed up in God’s gym today…He has the proper training advice that help to prepare you for life’s fights.
Today’s training will be a 3 round match is between you and the world.
In each round we will be introduced to areas that we may personally need some training in.
Slide #2 In Round One we see…
The World lives for Materialism Matthew 4:8-10
This is an area that each one of us must guard ourselves against.
“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.“I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God”
Here the devil offered the whole world to Jesus if were to just kneel and worship him.
Still today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power.
We see daily our Government leaders… businesses…our families…and even churches…trapped into thinking that money is the answer to every problem in life.
We have a tendency to throw our money at every new gadget that comes along… And just as the thrill of wine is only temporary…the soothing effect of the last purchase soon wears off…and we have to buy more.
God’s word does recognize that money is necessary for survival…but it also warns against the love of it.
Money is dangerous because it deceives us into thinking that wealth is the easiest way to get what we want.
And because of this… the love for money is sinful because we trust money rather than God to solve our problems.
And Gods word does promises us this… those who pursue its empty promises will one day discover that they have nothing because they are spiritually bankrupt.
I would much rather pursue heavenly treasures than live for a moment.
Someday the doors of the church along with the doors of our hearts will be closed forever. And we will no longer be able to choose who to serve.
Slide # 3 In Round Two
Don’t Drop The Right!.
The difference between growing churches and dying churches is what they learn from their trainers.
The growing Churches are churches that have people who are excited…people who are asking Christ into their lives…baptism tanks that are being filled…and its people are being trained about the devils tricks.
Whenever a church lets down its guard…is when Satan quickly steps in to take his punches.
Do you know what the number one church killer is in the world??????? People.
I heard a pastor one day say that there would be no need for the church if it weren’t for the people in it.
Gossip is a spirituality killer. As followers of God we need to know how to stop the poison.
If someone comes up to you and begins to share with you un-needed information…First ask yourself these three Questions before sharing it with someone else.
1) Is it true?
2) Does it pertain to me?
3) Do you have permission to share it?
God is pleased with us when we are obedient to Him in every aspect of our life.
We should try to model Ezekiels obedience…
Ezekiel 3:14-15 “The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the LORD’s hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.”
Here Ezekiel was bitter and angry…not at God…but at the sins and attitudes of the people.
He had been prophesying among his people…who cared very little about God’s life changing message.
He knew that before the exile…the people had heard Jeremiahs message and still had chosen not to listen.
This is why it was so difficult for Ezekiel…he like Jeremiah knew the outcome for the people if they didn’t listen to the message.
It’s never easy to serve God…It’s also even more difficult to speak the truth to people who need to hear it.
God has been blessing this church because of our…your faithfulness and obedience.
God desire is for VP to continue to grow…this is exactly why he allows trials to come into our lives…trials like gossip to see if we are being trained in the correct way of serving Him.
As you continue to grow in your love for God you will be blessed at times with great joy.
But please understand that there will also be times that sin wants to control you.
Just like Ezekiel…we should obey God even when we don’t feel like it.
Slide #4 Round Three
The entire family must be Trained!
This is the decisive round for many of us…
Look with me at Exodus 9:27-30;33-34
Don’t just pretend to change…
After promising to let the children of Israel go…Pharaoh once again broke his promise to Moses (God).
Not only did this bring trouble towards him…but all the people in his kingdom.
Flirting with God is like flirting with a loaded pistol. Not only do you bring un-necessary problems towards yourself…but the people as well.
This has got to be a wakeup call for every family in America…
As Parents who are serving God we have got to know what your kids to do on the internet?
And as parents…What are you posting on the internet? Does it always honor God? (you can block me from your face book…but you can’t block God)
This I can promise…your kids look up to their parents as role models…and what you do tomorrow will affect their futures.
For the Husband in the family…Ephesians 5: 25-30
Here we see where Paul that Paul devotes twice as many words telling the husband how they are to love their wives.
-He should be willing to sacrifice everything for her -He should be willing to put her well-being in front of his -he should treat her with respect and honor -he should remember the vows that he shared not only in front of her and the witnesses present…but God Himself.
Husbands head of the home…
Invest in your future…
For the wife in the family…Ephesians 5:22-24
According to the Bible the husband is the spiritual leader of the family…and the wife should acknowledge his leadership.
Submission to another person is often a misunderstood concept.
When we submit to God we become more willing to obey His command to submit to others.
In a marriage relationship, both the husband and the wife are called to submit.
For the wife…this means willingly following her husband’s spiritual leadership in Christ.
And I remind the husbands again…this means putting aside his own needs in order to care for his wife.
This word submission works when both parties agree to follows Gods direction in their lives.
For the single parent in the family…Proverbs 1:8
Our Children learn values, morals, and priorities by observing how their parents exhibit a deep dependence for God.
Teach them right living by giving worship a priority spot in your life and God will get the reward.
For the children in the family…
Kids the bible says that you are to honor your father and mothers along with God.
Children are the future leaders of our churches.
It is vital to the future of the church that we teach them the life lessons that we have learned.
It is also our responsibility to instruct them in the truth.
God holds a special place in His life for children. We must treat them as gifts to us from God.
The God we are all seeking here today is a God that knows and understands that we would need reminded about the importance of direction in each of our daily lives.
Today God has lead us around the ring through the power of materialism…the reality of the number one church killer…and the importance of family and obedience towards Him.
Please Stand
Gods weekly training is the only thing that will help you thru your daily trials.
Satan will try his best to distract you from the correct training for your entire life…And he uses the whole world to distract you.
Satan knows for many of us money is a distraction…he also knows that when he gets you in the gossip circle…God’s effectiveness is greatly reduced.
Let’s be honest…Vista Points is a great Church…And God is doing incredible things thru His people…but it is also just as venerable as the next church to be attacked by Satan.
Why not make an agreement today with God that from now on you will only seek to be trained by Him.
Don’t be the next opponent to be titled with a TKO punch from Satan.
Slide #5
