Ready For Anything

ME

In 1978, a short kid in North Carolina known for his baseball skills tried out for his high school basketball team and was cut.

He went home and cried bc he wanted to be on the team so bad… but this awakened a competitive nature and discipline in this kid the likes of which this world had never seen.

And this short kid went on to become the greatest basketball player of all time.

No one worked harder at the game of basketball than Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

Check out the passion and determination in his voice as you watch this video:

*Last Dance Video*

Michael Jordan wasn’t the best player ever just because of talent… although he had plenty of that.

Other guys have had the same amount of talent and been complete busts in the NBA.

But MJ made a decision every day to out-discipline every other player in the league.

His work ethic never stopped.

For 15 years, he would work out from 5-7am every day BEFORE going to his team’s practice.

He started this all by himself, and then other guys like Scottie Pippen joined him and got way better.

He challenged his teammates to become better and held them to the highest of standards.

All this led to the Chicago Bulls, an NBA team who had previously never won a championship, to win 6 titles in 8 years.

If Jordan wouldn’t have quit basketball for 2 years, the Bulls would have won 8 straight titles.

When I was 11 years old, I got to watch MJ play.. BASEBALL.

*MJ Baseball pic*

He was on the Birmingham Barons AA baseball team and came to Nashville to play the Nashville Xpress.

MJ made everyone else look tiny on the field and created a buzz in the crowd every time he got up to bat.

Jordan quit baseball after that season to go dominate basketball again, but he left an impression on the Birmingham Barons, having 51 rbis and 30 stolen bases in his first time playing the game since high school. (Around 13 years)

They said he would take batting practice until his hands would bleed.

The man is as disciplined as they come to this day, with the most successful shoe and clothing brand in history, he’s the majority owner of the NBA franchise Charlotte Hornets, and the first NBA player to become a Billionaire.

And he’s still competitive:

A few years ago, at 50 years old, he beat a current NBA player in a one-on-one game.

WE

*TITLE SLIDE*

We’ve all admired someone who has a lot of discipline.

Maybe it was a famous musician, athlete, or someone you know who is a hard worker.

In some ways we want to be like them.

Successful. Accomplished. Respected by others.

But often we don’t see the work it takes to get where they are.

The discipline to say “no” to ok things in order to go after the best things.

To work hard even when you don’t feel like it.

To train through the pain.

To ignore those who distract you from the best.

At your age, discipline may sound like a dirty word to you.

BORING.

NO FUN.

CRINGY.

And it’s good to have fun and times you can chill in life.

But to get good at something, you have to get serious about it at some point.

And that requires DISCIPLINE and hard work.

GOD

In the New Testament there are these letters from an old guy named Paul to a young dude named Timothy that has so many incredible truths for people in your stage of life:

1 Timothy 4:12 The Message

And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.

2 Timothy 2:22 The Message

Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God.

But today we’re going to look at a part of one of these letters where Paul talks about Personal Training.

Did you know that personal training is in the Bible?

Let’s check it out:

1 Timothy 4:7–8 The Message

Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.

Don't believe everything you hear when it comes to Christianity.

1 Timothy 4:7 The Message

Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please!

READ THE WORD FOR YOURSELF! LISTEN AND TALK DIRECTLY TO GOD!

This is so important for Christians to remember:

In a culture that doesn't honor God anymore, you can't trust what everyone says.

Lies are all over the place, and you must read God's Word and hear from Him daily in order to know the truth about things.

*Spiritual Junk Food*- chips, candy, etc.

Martin Luther Story *Pic*

For hundreds of years, the Catholic church actually OUTLAWED everyday people from reading the Bible by saying that it couldn't be translated into everyday language.

John Wycliffe was the first person to translate the Bible into our language almost 500 years ago.

And the church burned him at the stake for it.

That's messed up right?

Not being able to read the Bible led to some really weird beliefs back in the day and lies from priests.

Here's one: INDULGENCES.

One way indulgences worked was someone gave money to a priest in order for a dead loved one to be "saved."

NOWHERE in the God's Word does it say that you can buy someone's salvation- it's only paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ- BUT no one except the priest's knew God's Word... so a lot of people believed that mess.

A Catholic Priest named Martin Luther called these other lying priests out and began what we know today as The Protestant Reformation when he posted an open letter to the Catholic Church called the "95 theses."

It was the ultimate breakup text...

“I’m sorry Catholic church, but it’s just not working out betweeen us...”

Here's the first 3 of the 95 theses:

1. When Jesus said “repent” he meant that believers should live a whole life repenting

2. Only God can give salvation – not a priest.

3. Inwards penitence (feeling sorry for sin) must be accompanied with a suitable change in lifestyle

Protestant- "Someone who protests"

Reformation- "the action or process of reforming an institution or practice."

The church that you're a part of today is here because of that reformation.

You’re a PROTESTOR!

“Are kids Are choice” protest pic

Our boy Luther started a protest that has lasted 504 years.

And in the 1960's another Pastor named Martin Luther King, Jr started a peaceful protest because he dared to believe that no matter what color skin we have, that we are all made in the image of God and equal in His eyes.

These men risked everything to speak the truth of God's Word:

1500's Martin Luther was kicked out of the Catholic Church and in 1968Martin Luther was shot and killed at 39 years old.

THE TRUTH ISN'T POPULAR WHEN EVERYONE IS BELIEVING LIES.

See, we live in a biblically illiterate culture.

Many people, even those who claim to believe in Jesus, don’t read His Word!

So instead of believing in the unchanging truth of God’s Word, they will simply make up their morals as they go.

And that leads to some dangerous things such as abortion, drug use, murder, sexually immoral lifestyles, hopelessness, suicide, on and on.

If people don’t know the Word of God, then there’s no standard to go by, and it leads to complete chaos.

So what should we do?

GET IN GOD’S GYM

1 Timothy 4:8 The Message

Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.

*Bench Press illustration*

Like an exercise regimen, holy living requires daily discipline; the believer’s devotional habits are like a regular workout in God’s gym. For physical training is of some value, but godliness (Cross-training?) has value for all things because it makes us fit for life not only here but for ETERNITY.

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Philippians 2:12 NIV

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

Nothing except salvation comes without effort, either in the gym or in the sanctuary; we work hard at our hope.

-Bob Black

If you stop growing the moment that you’re saved, you’re just living in sin all over again.

Think about it… if you make it as starter on the football team and then just stop working out and coming to practice, do you think that you’ll be the starter for long?

Nah.. probably won’t even be on the team for long.

In the same way, if you aren’t training to be godly- through prayer, reading the Bible, and growing with other Christians, then you will stray far from God and maybe even completely walk away from a relationship with Him.

We cannot become familiar with this godly book without becoming godly ourselves. Nothing evokes the worship of God like the Word of God.

-John Stott

And in the midst of a messed-up world full of things like COVID, the Taliban, and fighting over politics, if you’re in the WORD, talking with Him and becoming more like Christ, you’re prepared for whatever may come your way.

WHEN I’M GROWING IN CHRIST, I’M READY FOR ANYTHING.

YOU

Christians in the room:

Are you spending time with God each day?

Reading His Word and spending time with Him through prayer?

Are you growing in Him or are you stale?

If you aren’t growing closer to Jesus, you’re moving away from Jesus.

And in a culture that doesn’t have a clue what the Bible really says, it is vital that you as a Christian seek the truth directly from the source of all truth.

If you’re not a Christian, I encourage you to read the Bible sometime. There are words of wisdom for you in there that apply to every stage of life you’re in. You don’t have to, but I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

Now you may not know where to even start with reading the Bible.

PK how do I start?

We’re going to help you with that:

*Show Bible in One Year Plan Mirror iPad to stage tv*

WE

Christian worship is an external outpouring of our internal devotion to God.

-Ministry Pass

What if we all were truly devoted to God?

I believe that our worship services would look a whole lot different.

More importantly, our lives would look different because we would be hearing the truth above all the lies of this world.

*Prayer*