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Mesages & Semon Outlines: "Seven
things it takes to be a champion" by:
Pastor Roy DeLaGarza Philippians 3:7 Intro: Let’s set our mind completely on the
Lord and let Him speak to us! It’s not as easy as it seems but it is important for our Spiritual growth. In the days
of the circuit riders a minister was out riding one afternoon and came upon a man out working in his field. "Fine day isn’t
it"? the minister called out. "Its fine for you", said the man, "All you have to do is ride around on that horse thinking
about God all day long, while I have to sweat here in this field and then walk home afterward. I don’t think its right
that you should have it so easy while I have to work so hard. " "On the contrary", the minister answered, "thinking about
God is one of the most difficult things you can do. And to prove it, I’ll give you this horse if you can think about
God and nothing else for just one minute." "You’re on." said the man and immediately he sat down in silence. Thirty
seconds later he looked up at the minister, and said, "Does that include the saddle?" How much mathematical genius’s are
there here? Let’s talk about profit and loss for a moment. Read Philippians 3:7: (Read) that means that what used to
be in the black, that’s all red now. "I consider it loss for the sake of Christ. What’s more I consider everything
a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider those
things, Dung (garbage) Do you know what dung is? Poop! What Paul is saying is, "compared to knowing Christ, all the stuff
in my life that I though was good, compared to knowing Christ is poop! "That I may gain Christ and be found in Him not having
a righteousness of my own by the law but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and
is by faith! I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. And the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. Paul
is saying I want to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid a hold of me. That means that God got a hold of you for a
reason. Some of you here today, you’re desperate, you are in bad shape! Let me tell you, you are in the right place.
This church, TOP is where hope meets desperation! You’re whole life can be different before you leave this place in
just a few more moments. I know not everyone was desperate. There are some of us that were going along having a pretty fine
life, thank you! We weren’t desperate or searching for something and yet somehow God reached out and grabbed us anyway.
Just like the Apostle Paul he was going along doing his job just fine until God got a hold of him and knocked him down! There
we were too moving along just fine and BAM! God got a hold of us and he got a hold of us for a reason. Now the Apostle Paul
is saying, "for the rest of my life I want to pursue and get a hold of that for which God got a hold of me for" Believe it
or not, that’s not just, "going to heaven" If that were the reason God got a hold of you (just to take you to heaven)
we may as well hold you under when we baptize you and send you there now. Skip all the hassle of living. The fact that you’re
still here is that God got a hold of you for a reason. And Paul said he was diligently trying to get a hold of that. Why am
I spending so much time on this? Because you really wont get the true vision of training unless you know as to why you are
training. Why go get on the stair-master? Why go get on the treadmill or bicycle or go lifting weights? Why go to church on
Sunday when there’s a lot of cooler, hipper things to do? Why? Unless you have a vision of what you want to become;
listen to this definition of vision. The difference in having vision and not having vision can be best understood in the blind
date. When you (sir) go to the door and she opens it you see, ugly! Well at least she may have a great personality. You find
out soon enough, Nope! Well, maybe she’s a good Christian girl that I should treat nicely. Not even. She is a foul-mouthed
demonized non-believer. How many know that that entire night that would be the never-ending date? You feel like you’ve
been out forever. You look at your watch and it’s been like, three minutes! You could taker her to the nicest restaurant,
treat her to a good dinner, have her picked up in a limo, it doesn’t matter, that night will be torture. Following week
you have another blind date (amazing that you would try it again, but you do), This time your going to the door kind of down.
Answering the door, your definition of beautiful. You hormones start playing with your brain, you find out she’s a born
again Christian, and beside that she has a dynamite personality. How many know that night breezes by. It doesn’t matter
where you go and what you do, you may just go to a crumby fast food restaurant or someplace lousy and you’ll have the
time of your life. Is it already 4 in the morning? Sorry. Because the time was just flying by. You know why, because you had
an attraction to this person, all of the details fell into place. Listen, the same thing is true in walking with God. If you
don’t let’s face it, it’s a waste of time. If Jesus isn’t in the house there is better music, and
singing, and facilities, and carpet and chairs, etc. If it’s just building, carpet, the singing, the nursery, parking
lot and fund raising activities and religious form, we have nothing but saw dust in the mouth. Let’s develop a passion
to lay hold of that thing for which Jesus laid a hold of us! He got a hold of you for a reason. Paul said I want to get a
hold of that. I have a vision for you. There are a few
things that frustrate a preacher, (I’ve seen them/me too) that is to preach week after week, month after month, year
after year sometimes to the same people. I give it my best shot every week church, how do I do? It is my goal every time I
stand up here to preach the greatest sermon in which God will speak to you. The greatest sermon you’ve ever heard. Do
I succeed? Not always, for some, probably never have, but that is my goal. Why should I settle for less? I pour my heart out.
It’s sometimes frustrating to preach week after week to people who you know have atomic bomb potential and are settling
for firecracker lives. Sometimes I just want to run up to you and slap you on the side of your head. "Don’t you know
what’s here?" Paul is going through this. I can feel his heart, not just what he says. He had the blind date and he
realized, "Jesus! Wow". – Let me finish reading the last verse. "Brothers, I do not consider myself to have
arrived, but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Listen to these seven things it takes
to be a champion. God is trying to get us into shape to take us to the next level. 1. Count the Cost · That’s what the Apostle was saying when he declared, "Whatever was for my profit, I now consider loss" · The call of God is going to cost you something! Let me repeat that. The pay off is worth it, but I’m telling
you right now that right up front it will cost you something. · This is why Christianity is an offensive religion. Why? Because it will cost something. Scientology, New Age, all
these movements and religions are popular because they cost nothing. It enhances what you want and let’s you be what
you want to be. · The Gospel comes up and right away and says, "You’re wrong!" You have to repent. You’re going the wrong
direction. If you want to be blessed you must first repent and that word in the Greek literally means to turn around. · Now, actually that is a good thing because if I were going off a cliff and someone yelled repent, (go the opposite
way), I would be grateful. It’s not that God wants to nail me. "You’re a bad, bad person", He’s just saying
you are going the wrong direction. · There is a cost. In turning around you will have to let go of some stuff that you like and stuff you’ve grown
accustomed to. · Count the cost. Look what it cost Paul; look at the verses before verse seven. (Read) You think you’re the
man? Circumcised on the 3rd day, of the tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews, faultless, etc. When Paul gave his
life to Christ he gave it all up! His parking place at the country club, his big name at the Premiers, etc. 2. Cut your losses: · Get rid of those things that are nothing but losses. There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his
front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it
and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with a hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until
it became a beautiful some elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breathe taking! A neighbor asked, "How did you ever
carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?" The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that didn’t look
like an elephant!" If you have anything in your life right now that doesn’t look like the nature of God in you, then
with God’s help chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or envy in your heart, for God’s sake,
and for the other person’s sake and for your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn’t
look like him and his love. · Paul did. "I consider it all nothing compared to knowing Christ." It’s rubbish, Dung in comparison. In Matthew
13:44-45, Jesus gives two quick parables. Its about this guy who finds this treasure hidden in a field, reburies it, runs
and buys the field, goes back and rediscovers the treasure. It may be oil, or gold. You quickly go and buy that property before
someone else does and get it. · The second parable is about the guy who finds the pearl of great price, sells everything he has to grab that pearl.
He buys it! · Do you realize that the · Count the cost, and then cut your losses. All those things you thought were of such great importance, you count
it loss. It’s not garbage necessarily, but in comparison, do you understand? · Jesus said, "Unless you hate your mother and father you cannot follow me" This doesn’t mean you literally
dislike them but in comparison to your devotion to me your love for them should if compared be like hate. The people you love
the most, it’s like hat in comparison to the love you should have for me. 3. Find Yourself: · Self-discovery in Christ. Who are you in him? Verse 9 said he found himself in Christ.
Because of time I’m going to skit that one and go right on to number 4 4. Be Passionate: To some this may be boring because you’ve
never rung the doorbell and gotten the lovely model. This may not be about Jesus to you. That’s why you’re bored.
It’s about church attendance, preaching, religious services, etc. · Paul was passionate, He said, "I desire three things, to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, and to share
in the fellowship of his sufferings. 1. Knowing Christ. How many know there is
a great difference between knowing Christ and knowing about him? Some here may even become religious experts. There is a difference
between knowing that and knowing God. 2. I want to know the Power of His Resurrection.
This should be a passion with you because once you know the power of his resurrection you become undefeatable! Why? Because
I’m talking about a God that can raise the dead. He can take your business, which is as good as dead, already declared
chapter 11. You begin to know a God who can raise you up from financial ashes. Paul had a passion to know that! 3. Sharing in his Sufferings? Well Lord,
can I take two out of three? I’m not so sure I want that one. Paul had just as much of a passion for that. The story
of the last days of Jesus and his sacrifice are called, The Passion Week, etc. Paul is saying I want to live life with a passion.
Love something so great that I’m willing to suffer for it. · For many years of my life and ministry I loved and served God with all of my heart but I knew nothing about sharing
in His sufferings. · It’s like your wife and kids. At first maybe you wouldn’t die for her but now, years later, yes. Except
for a few strange people out there most of us would die for our children if we had to. Even stars! Madonna, a mom! Michael
Jackson, a Dad! They become different. · I guess what I’m saying is that unless you have something worth dying for you really have nothing to live
for. Suddenly one day you find a cause worth dying for. · I would die for the cause of Christ and for the cause of this church. Understand, I believe I’ll live a long
life, God wants to bless me, I don’t ever expect it to come to that but there is something liberating about being willing
to die for the cause of Christ. · Remember Patrick Henry’s statement: "Give me liberty or give me death" That’s crazy, I’d rather
live in slavery than to die a free man! I used to think like that. Once you’re dead your dead. It isn’t like that
anymore · I’d rather die a free man that to live in slavery. I’d rather die for Jesus than to live without him. 5. Press ON: The Greek word here for press on is persecuting.
Paul was persecuting Christians before and now his energies are being redirected to pursue, press on (persecute) God’s
purpose · Some of you have great potential but you’re using it in your neighborhood to take charge of the hood. Someday
God is going to get you saved and redirect that passion to something constructive. He’ll make you a major Apostle. You’ll
build a great ministry or church. · He’s going to redirect your passion to knowing and pursuing Him. 6. Forget About it: …"One thing I do, forgetting what lays in the past" · I believe this with all of my heart. There is nothing you can do about your past except, forget about it. · You can’t live your life full of what could have been, would have been, and should have been. · This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind. Do you know Paul had some heavy things that he had to forget?
He had at least overseen the murder of Christians. Maybe even killed them first hand. · Imagine the guilt and shame he had once he came to know the truth. Press on! Forget about it. ("I’m a lousy
sinner") All the shame of the past. Forget about it. 7. Go for the Gold: At the Olympic, any metal is an honor. Michael
Johnson this past Olympic (he’s the best) he said, "No bronze, no silver, I’m going for the Gold" · Being in the church is great! Being part of the team, great! Those beginning to excel, Praise God! Get your bronze
and silver medals, those are great. · As long as you’re in this race, God has a goal for you. I believe all of you can get a Gold medal in what
God has called you to do. Press on for the prize. · Upward toward the goal. Sacrifice for the Gold! It is worth it. Health clubs don’t care if you
show up after you sign up. Not so here. We care because God cares. [Little blind boy flying his kite, "Yeah, I love it. I
may not be able to see it but I feel the tugging"] you may not be able to see the Love of God sometimes but you’ll feel
the tug, it’s there. Enter content here |
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