Summit’s Super Bowl

In every field of endeavor, one award is considered the epitome of recognition and success. An Olympic gold medal, a Grammy, an Academy Award, or a Nobel Prize are among “the big ones.” But tonight we will talk about a greater prize that anyone can obtain. We call it Summit’s Super Bowl. For this we need three things:

We need a Crowd, Hebrews 12:22

Hebrews 12:22 ESV

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 12

12:22 Mount Zion After David captured the hilltop fortress in Jerusalem, he resided there himself (2 Sam 5:6–9) and placed the ark within a tent on Zion (2 Sam 6:17).

festal gathering Typically refers to a celebratory festival in the Greek Septuagint (Hos 2:11; 9:5; Amos 5:21; Ezek 46:11).

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 12

speaks better than Abel’s Unlike Jesus’ redemptive blood, Abel’s blood signals only condemnation (Gen 4:10–11).

A. a sense of community

The championship game has brought everybody’s attention to focus on one place; this shows how much we long for community.

B. the joy of celebration

Consider the enthusiasm of tens of thousands of people sitting in cramped, uncomfortable seats, cheering their heads off — what if we had a fraction of that enthusiasm in worship?

C. attaining meaningful goals

You get to the Super Bowl only by driving toward a goal.

D. the admiration of excellence

We admire athletes who take God-given talents and use them well.

E. a certain victory

We don’t want a cliff-hanger game; we want a sure and certain victory.

F. “thousands of angels in joyful assembly”

A stadium full of cheering fans is exciting, but that does not compare with thousands of angels cheering for joy as they witness God’s great act of salvation; they cheer just by seeing you respond to God in faith.

We need Players, Hebrews 12:23

Hebrews 12:23 ESV

and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

“the church of the firstborn whose names written in heaven”

Championships go down in the record books, but when we belong to Christ our names are recorded in the Book of Life for eternity.

“the spirits of righteous men made perfect”

We admire people who strive for excellence, like talented athletes or anybody in any calling; but in Christ we are joined with the spirits of believers of past generations, heros of faith whose only claim to fame is that they knew enough to throw themselves on the mercy of God and were thus “made perfect” (i.e. complete).

We need a Ref, Hebrews 12:24

Hebrews 12:24 ESV

and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

“Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant”

Star quarterbacks are wonderful to watch; but the certainty that we have to live a super life is that we have come to the head of all creation, Jesus. On the cross he looked like he was utterly defeated, but in that act of sacrifice he became the mediator of a new relationship between us and the living God.

CONCLUSION: Remember that in real life there are no scoreboards; you don’t know how many minutes remain in the game; and you don’t know when “the game” is up for you. Remember that in real life–in God’s world–sometimes what looks like defeat is victory and sometimes real losers look like they’ve won the game. The Super Bowl is great fun. But what is greater yet is to live a super life because of Christ. That’s something to cheer about.