One More Round Upp

One More Round

One More Round

Orientation:

This month theme is on vision. And the sermons you have been hearing particularly Pr. Marlon emphasized different aspects of vision. The bible says where there is no vision the people perish. We don’t want anyone to perish. So as we wrap up this month on the theme of vision I pray that you have been gaining clearer vision. As we journey together through this year.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:29-34

Illustration: One More Round

In 1882 John Sullivan was known as a Legend. Anyone who entered the boxing ring with him was doomed to lose. And for ten long years he was undefeated. Understand that this was at a time when boxing match lasted for 75 rounds.

In 1892 another man entered the ring by the name of Jim Corbett . He was 25lbs lighter than the undefeated undisputed John Sullivan. As the match began, Jim took the time to study his opponents moves. Although while he was doing so he was still being punched around by the undefeated John Sullivan.

After the 21stround Jim Corbett lands a heavy punch. And what seemed impossible became possible. The undefeated undisputed champion John Sullivan lost the fight.

In an interview Jim Corbett was asked how was he able to defeat John, he said, my opponent knew how to last long in the ring. And I kept telling myself I just need to last longer than him. I needed to wear out my opponent.

I kept telling myself I just needed to last one more round. You see the problem with other fighters is that they enter the ring with the intention of beating John Sullivan. But I kept telling myself Just one more round.

Understand that, in our day boxing matches last for 12 rounds but in 1892 boxing matches lasted for 75 rounds. and so as Jim kept telling himself one more round, he was prepared in his mind to go all the way.

Long Time

But it is a long time to keep bobbing and weaving,

it is a long time to be dodging the blows of your opponent.

It is a long time to remember your training,

it is a long time to maintain your fighting posture in the ring.

But the lesson we learn from Jim Corbett to win, means you got to fight one more round.

But what happens when we give up in the first round?

The bible gives us the answer.

Jacob and Esau

The bible reveals to us the story of two brothers. They were the grandson of Abraham; they were the children of Isaac and Rebecca. They were also different in personality.

Esau was more adventurous and chose to be a hunter.

Esau was a wild man having strong animal propensities and mundane proclivities.

Jacob on the other hand was sedate, a home body, peace loving individual. He would be the first to leave the room when an argument developed.

However, the two will forever be known as Jacob and Esau. Meaning according to the order of their birth their names should be Esau and Jacob.

But Esau did something that caused him to be in second place to his brother.

Esau was the first born, and in bible times being a first born had its advantages.

One of which is you would eventually become the leader of the family. So anything you say goes, you would inherit a double portion of your father’s inheritance.

The first-born represented God’s blessing and also was a reminder of Gods promises.

And all he had to do was to fight his battles faithfully. All he had to do was to fight through all his rounds, to gain the prize.

Round 1: Birthright

Still the bible reveals to us that one day, Esau was hungry, some version say he was weary, or famished today we say he was HANGRY. Meaning you don’t know if you are more hungry or angry.

And that is revealed in vs. 30 where he says, “Please fed me!” Let me swallow something or else I die. He had a voracious appetite.

He was ready to devour a cow and use its calf to wipe his mouth. He was Hangry.

But this very attitude would be his downfall.

His appetite is engaged, but his defenses are down, and while in this posture, he ask Jacob for some of his lintel stew. Jacob, responds to his request with a counter offer. I will give you some of this stew if you sell me your birthright. Esau doesn’t even put up a fight. He said, “I am about to die so what is this birthright to me now?”.

Meaning I don’t need it you can have it.

And so Esau sold the birthright over to his younger brother.

Esau gave up in the first round.

Understand friends of mine that there are those

Who would give up in the first round by selling their future for a bowl of soup?

Who would give up in the first round by selling their integrity for a bowl of soup

Who would give up in the first round by selling their salvation for a bowl of soup.

Who would give up in the first round by trading their reputation for a bowl of soup?

Temporary Pleasures

Understand friends of mine that soup represents temporary pleasures. Esau says feed me now.

I do not want to endure the pain of fighting, feed me now,

I do not want to trust that God is able to keep me from falling feed me now

I do not want to wait for the promise of a better future feed me now.

And there are many today who have given up in the first round, for temporary pleasures.

In 2020 and 2021 we were all thrust into a new kind of fight a boxing match. We had bob and weave, we had to dodge a blow here and a blow there. Sometimes our opponent would get a good one on us by throwing a right hook or an upper cut.

Causing us to fall flat on our backs. But I heard someone said. That a righteous man may fall seven times, but he rises back up again. And he or she is encouraging themselves saying, “Just one More Round”

Now that we are in a new year, and because you kept on getting back up, you would have learnt the lessons God wanted you to learn so can fight more boldly.

Round 2: Seven More Years

Jacob won the fight over his brother and his prize was the birthright.

But that would not be his only fight. He would go on to fight in many more rounds. you may remember him working seven years, for Rachel, that is a long time to be working for a woman.

But he did not believe in the “NOW” he believe in the long game.

And after 7 years, when he thought he had finished the fight, his opponent Laban, the father of Rachel threw an upper cut and Jacob lands on the ground.

The upper cut was that he did not get Rachel after the 7 years. Instead he got Leah. Laban told him if you want the one you love you got to work another 7 years.

If Jacob took on the philosophy of Esau who believed in the here and now, he would have given up in that round. He would have said there is no way I am going to work another 7 years for the one I love.

There is no way I am going to deprive myself of intimacy

But he got right back up, he regained his poster and kept repeating to himself just one more round.

And after 7 more years now totaling 14 years, he got the woman of his dream.

But little did Jacob know that the attitude of not quitting was preparing him for a bigger fight.

You see when we quit when we throw in the towel It easier to keep on quitting.

We end up convincing ourselves that it is not that big of a deal.

What else could I have done I was dying

What else could I have done I was about to lose my job

What else could I have done She would have never gone out with me again.

What else could I have done I did not have any other choice.

And this story which we manufactured leads to a downward spiral, thus disqualifying us from advancing to the next fight.

But we can learn a lesson from Jacob He stayed in the fight and as a result he got to advance to the next round.

This time he would be fighting someone that has never been beaten.

Round 3: Jacob Wrestling with God

After leaving the house of Laban, now heading to meet up with his brother Esau. One night as he was sleeping he was awoken by a stranger who he thought was his brother or some enemy.

And in this moment Jacob found himself in a fighting match with a stranger.

And this stranger could hold his own. He was not going down. It did not matter how hard Jacob tried to subdue and over power, this stranger his efforts were useless against this stranger.

But Jacob has developed an attitude of staying in the fight. He kept telling himself to just hang on in their for just one more Round.

Soon his opponent said Jacob the day is fast approaching you need to let me go. But Jacob is not one to give up in fight. Jacob kept on fighting.

Soon his opponent pull’s out his own secret weapon. His opponent touched him on his hip. Now Jacob was hurt.

At this time some would give up in this fight but not poor old Jacob.

You see it is at this time that Jacob realizes that this was no ordinary opponent. It is at this time that he realized he was fighting supernatural power. It is a this time he realizes that he was fighting God

One would think that he would stop and apologize, one think that he would quit because after all how can fight God and win. But not Jacob. Jacob says to his opponent one more round I am not letting you go till you bless me.

Jacob had developed a track record of staying In the fight. And because of that God blessed him.

I love what Ellen White says from the book Ministry of Healing:

“Wrongs cannot be righted, nor can reformations in conduct be made by a few feeble, intermittent efforts. Character building is the work not of a day, not of a year, but of a lifetime.

The struggle for conquest over self, for holiness and heaven, is a lifelong struggle. Without continual effort and constant activity there can be no advancement in the divine life no attainment of the victors crown. ”

Friends of mine do not underestimate the value of staying in the fight.

For when you do you are allowing your faith to grow,

When you do you are developing Character for eternity

when you do you are writing a testimony that will become an encouragement to others who are watching you staying in the fight.

when you stay in the fight yes your opponent and your battle may become stronger and more difficult but you got to prove to your opponent that you don’t wear out easily.

Stay in the Fight.

Jacob stayed in the fight and although he came out of that fight with a limp he now he has a testimony on his lips.

Every time somebody ask him why you are walking so funny why are you walking with a limp; he gets to tell people I fought with God. Imagine having that on your resume’ that you fought with God.

Friends of mine sometimes you got wrestle with God.

sometimes you got to bring your children to God and say I am not going to let you go till you bless them.

Sometimes you got to bring your ministry to God and tell him I am not going to let you go till you bless it

Sometimes you got to bring the spiritual weaknesses in your life and tell God I am not going to let you go till take it away from me.

Yes when you are in a fight sometimes there are going to be scars. Jacob came out of that fight with a limp but that is alright. That limp is part of his testimony.

Jesus the champion of All

Many many years later their would be another entering the ring. Some call him king of kings, lord of Lord, the conquering lion from the tribe of Judah because he was born of Mary;

who was a descendant of Eleazar

and Eleazar was a descendant of Zerubbabel

and Zerubbel was descendant of David

David was a descendant of Judah

Judah and was a descendant of Jacob.

His name Jesus!

At birth his opponent tried to take him out,

While fasting in the wilderness his opponent tried to cause him to give up the fight.

His opponent had him whipped, scourged

His opponent had him mocked, spat upon

But he stayed in the fight and kept repeating one more round. Why because he was fighting for and for me.

His opponent landed what was thought to be a fatal blow, when they laid him in a tomb. PAUSE AND SLOW DOWN he was out for three days.

But he too had a move to make that no one else has ever seen

Early Sunday Morning he regained consciousness he rose from the grave. Defeating his opponent once and for all of us.

To become the champion of all time

And possibly if Esau did not give up the birthright his would be the lineage that bore this fighter.

How are we all fighting Today

Today we are on our last round we are living in the last days, we are living at a time when our opponent the devil is laying on some right jabs and left jabs he is laying on some upper cuts.

Some of you may find yourself flat on the floor, but I heard that a righteous man may fall seven times and he gets right back up again.

You will sustain some scars, but those scars are part of your testimony that you stayed in the fight. That you fought one more round.

The fight that you and I are in is for the salvation of our

family,

our neighbors,

our coworkers,

and ourselves.

If you are not in the fight the bible describes such a person as being wicked. Now I know that is a strong word.

God has anointed all of us for a higher calling

Jesus has already win the battle over the enemy

And so when we chose to stay down and not get up we are in essence calling God a liar that we cannot be more than Conquerors.

That is wickedness.

Notice that both the righteous and the wicked falls, but the righteous is called righteous because they got up.

Notice that the righteous fell seven times and they got back up seven times. And so the righteous is not righteous because he has a perfect record the righteous is righteous because they staying in the fight.

They understand when Paul said, Romans 53-5“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that our suffering produces endurance. And endurance character and character produce hope and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s Love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy spirit who has been given to us”

The righteous is righteous because they have hope hope in the promise that God is able to do abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us.

The reason you can tell yourself one more round is because you have hope that even though you don’t have all you need to fulfill what God has called you to do, you still know that God is able

Even though you might have slipped up, you have hope in the God who is able.

And so I want to leave you with this. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.”

You might have slipped up in 2021 but it is time for you to get back up and say one more round

2021 has caused your faith to waver, you no longer spend time with God in the mornings it is time for you to get up and say one more round.

Appeal

You may be the one that is feeling unhappy, unsatisfied with life, maybe it is because you are on the ground. And today you want to say Father I want to get back in the fight. I lost my way but now I understand that you have called me for a higher purpose, and I am ready for one more round.

Want you stand.

Maybe you are the one who has never been in the fight and today you want to say I want to get in the fight too. I want to be parted the group that remained faithful to God. I don’t want to be like Esau who sold the promise.

Want you stand.