The Three Round Knockout

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.