Sunday Morning, March 17, 2013
scriptures: Hebrews 12, 1 Corinthians 9, Philippians 3, 1 Timothy 6, 1 John 4, 1 John 5, Matthew 6
audio file: click to open in a new window or right-click to download
NOTES
You are what you do. You are what you are.
You fight, not laying down waiting for a miracle, but standing and working.
You have to compete in order to win.
Hebrews12:1-3
Something has to change in order for you to be victorious in Christ. You have to put in a winning effort.
You have to be competitive in Christ, trying to win.
Feeling sorry about yourself is not going to help you. Knowing and standing in God’s power is what will make us strong enough.
Do you feed the things of God or of the flesh?
Our testimony has to point toward Christ. You aren’t going to lead people to Christ if you have no hope.
It’s difficult for people to look up to a loser.
Often we have glorified emotions, sickness, circumstances too much. you have to fight.
A Christian has strength of character and stands out from the crowd.
The word says to mark the perfect man and be like him. Many people mark the imperfect man and use him as an excuse.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
You have to be competitive in Christ. Are you working to win or just to be able to say you were there?
Are you trying to be the best Christian you can be? If you don’t love him like that, then you will lose.
Using the athlete as an example, they do a lot to win something that is temporary. How much are you doing to maximize your edge in Christ?
God doesn’t tell us to wallow in feeling bad or pitiful, but to get up and fight in Him.
Do you really seek to excel in Christ? You have to seek the things of God FIRST.
Philippians 3:8-9
He was willing to give up everything to win Christ. Doing what ever it takes.
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Fight the good fight. Work to build the kingdom. Don’t get depressed and beat up yourself. That is guilt, not godliness.
Are you getting beat up or are you taking charge of the fight? Trying to win Christ?
Success is a habit.
Sin – missing the mark. Are you aiming for the dead center of the target, or just happy to be on the board somewhere?
Do you have follow through when you say you are doing something in Christ? What are you trying to do?
Can people see what you were trying to do?
And why try to get advice from those that not successful themselves?
If you’re not trying to be everything in Christ, what are you trying to be? If you are not all Christian, then what else are you?
You can’t wait for God to make you successful, to make you feel like it, in order for you to fight for Him.
He has already died for us and commanded us to fight, to stand, to obey, to enjoy Him
1 John 4:4-21
Knowing that God is in you, you have to be more assertive, not weak through Him.
God told us to show His love by loving other believers. We have to to work and love together.
People who say they don’t know if God loves them often mean that they don’t know if they love God. They want a definition of love that is different that God’s. He has already shown His love for us by giving life, giving us a world to live in and mostly through His mercy and forgiveness in dying for us.
Are you asking God to prove that He loves you? Or have you proven to Him that you are thankful?
We have to know that we are not going to live forever. God offers eternal life. Are you thankful for what God has given or upset over the fact that life ends?
When you have God, you can be assertive and bold even in the face of death.
We can have this confidence through knowing the love of Christians.
1 John 5:1-4
John 15:1-23
In this world you will have enemies. That’s part of the fight. It is not to be a surprise that people of the
world do not like you.
The mindset of a Christian cannot be passive. We have to be assertive, strong in Him. He is well worth it!
No one can stop you from winning this race if you choose Christ.
Reflecting on communion – take it as a winner in God, not a loser. One who has won forgiveness.
Your heart must be right. Loving, willing to compete, willing to forgive in order to win. You ask for forgiveness with a forgiving heart.
Matthew 6:9-15
Ask God to remove any unwillingness to love, forgiveness from your heart so that you can be restored in Him.