Back to the Beginning
Notes
Transcript
INTRO:
Starting with the basics…
HOLD A FOOTBALL UP IN THE AIR
STORY: Vince Lombardi (Mike Crandall, Edmund Business, Feb 23, 2021)
“Gentlemen, this is a football!” That is one of the most famous and often used sports quotes in history.
In July 1961, Vince Lombardi kicked off the first day of training camp for the 38 players on his Green Bay Packers football team. The prior season had ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after blowing a lead in the 4th quarter of the NFL Championship Game.
When the players came in to start training camp, they expected to immediately begin where they left off and work on ways to advance their game and learn fancy new ways to win the championship in the new season. When they sat down and began, Vince Lombardi held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football!”
He then had everyone open up their playbooks and start on page one, where they began to learn the fundamentals – blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, etc. That was clearly not what they expected as players who were at the top of their game.
This hyper-focus on fundamentals allowed them to win the NFL Championship that season 37-0 against the New York Giants. Vince Lombardi went on to win five NFL Championships in seven years. He never coached a team with a losing season after that and never lost a playoff game again.
If focusing on fundamentals can elevate a great team to such heights, imagine what it can do for your business and life. We are often putting time, energy, and money into looking for the next magic bullet, quick fix, or business trick. Instead, we should focus on the fundamentals.
One of the greatest mistakes business owners and leaders make is NOT focusing on the fundamentals. They often don’t even realize what their business fundamentals are and frequently don’t stay up to date on the changes needed to keep up with those around them – clients, prospects, employees, candidates, and others.
If we have not identified the fundamentals – we cannot work on continual improvement of them!
THIS IS THE BIBLE…
This is my Bible: It is God’s Word.
I am what it says I am; I have what it says I have; I can do what it says I can do.
Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I'll boldly confess. My mind is alert; my heart is receptive; I will never be the same.
I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living Seed of the Word of God. AMEN.
The book of John is a eye witness account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
John wrote this book with a specific purpose that he states in chapter 20.
31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
The Book of John follows 3 basic patterns:
Jesus performs a sign or makes a claim about his divine identity,
results in misunderstanding or controversy,
and in the end, people are forced to make a choice about who they think Jesus is.
TEXT:
John 3:1-24
vs. 1-3
you cannot See the Kingdom of God unless you are born again.
Born Again is a greek word that translates “From Above”
Jesus used the term “Born Again” to dramatically indicate 3 things
Without New Birth there is no life and no relationship with God (14:6)
In New Birth, new perspective, comes as we “See the Kingdom of God”
God’s Word become clear
Faith becomes alive (the HS works and wonders are believed and experienced)
Through the New Birth, we are introduced; literally we enter in (3:5) to a new realm where God’s Kingdom order can be realized
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
vs 4-6
clarifies the meaning, born of human through water, born of God in the Spirit
Holy Spirit convicts, guides,
vs 7
giving spiritual meaning the term “Born again”
not catholic, not baptist, not AG…Born Again.
Being in a church does not make you a Christian, like being in a garage doesn’t make you a truck.
vs 8-10
it’s hard to see and understand the kingdom, when you don’t possess kingdom eyes.
their eyes have been blinded 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
vs 11-13
earthly vs heavenly things
worldly riches vs riches of heaven (responsibility here, breeds responsibility in heaven) Matthew 25:14-30
vs 14-15
the people complained against God, Moses, and the bread provided supernaturally. Numbers 21:4-9
So God sent poisonous snakes to bite them,
The problem becomes the means of the solution.
The serpent raised on a staff healed them before they died.
The deliverance from sin seen in Numbers is a type of crucifixion symbolizing what is to come through Jesus.
vs 16-18
Jesus came to save us from spiritual death! Not to condemn the world
“Loved” unconditional love; love by choice; the word denotes, unconquerable benevolence and undefeatable goodwill.
God never promised us a problem free life, but He does promise to deliver us from sin if we call upon His name.
He didn’t come to condemn Rome for their treatment of the Jews or to save them from taxation and problems…He came to give them ETERNAL LIFE
vs 19-21
vs 22-23
Baptism was a common practice to express this new belief and new life
I want to leave you with 2 “YOU SHALL STATEMENTS”…
1. YOU SHALL BE SAVED
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
2. YOU SHALL BE BAPTIZED
Jesus set the example of baptism
4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.
6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
WORSHIP
Everything and Nothing Less
BAPTISMS
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Baptism
Will Taylor-Devon
Kyndall Dobbelare-Devon
Piper Person-Devon
Lauryn Jurczyk-Devon
Bayler Warren-Brad
Oliver Richardson-Brad
Hailee Rewerts-Brad