Game Plan

   1. God’s game plan.

a. Believe it or not God has always had a game plan.

                                            i.     Now life is not a game, heaven and hell are not a game but in referring to God how He has always had a purpose for all things and a direction for all things.

b. Some think that God has fallen off of His throne or has forgotten mankind in some fashion but these are all lies and made up theories.

c.  God has never forgotten about us or abandoned us, or left us to figure things out on our own He has always been a guide to mankind for everything.

                                            i.     God chose to send us His very, very best (MVP’s) when He sent us His Son, His Holy Spirit, and His Word.

                                          ii.     Reading, memorizing, and meditating upon the Word of God are of no value without obedience to the Word of God.

1. To obey the Word of God, you do what the Word of God indicates should be done in any situation.

2. Obedience to the Word of God is the only way that the child of God can be pleasing to God in the new life.

Exodus 19:7 “So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the LORD had commanded him. 8 And all the people responded together, ‘We will do everything the LORD has commanded.’ So Moses brought the people's answer back to the LORD.”

   2. Coaches work hard to get the job done for their programs, but the head coach spends even more time in preparation for his or her meetings with staff in order to plan for the year ahead.

a. And it's not just the season preparations that need to be done, but also pre-season, post-season and summer workouts to consider.

b. The head coach must think of everyone in the program and blend every person together for the success of the next year.

                                            i.     Moses had quite a team.

                                          ii.     After patiently dealing with Pharaoh, the Israelites finally were given the freedom to go with their head coach and leader, Moses.

                                       iii.     Now, Moses took his job very seriously.

                                        iv.     He listened to and followed God in order to lead his team through their journey.

1. Though his team grumbled many times, Moses continually convinced them, “let’s stick to the game plan.”

2. Moses would go and speak with God and then come back and meet with his "assistant coaches" (elders or tribal leaders) and present to them God's game plan for the day or week.

                                          v.     The Israelites responded to God's plan through Moses that they would do all that the Lord had spoken.

1. Even though the Ten Commandments were given, Moses' team did not always follow the plan.

2. They relied on their own selfish desires and disobeyed.

a. Yes, Moses had quite a team.

   3. Yet Moses did the right thing.

a. He received God's "game plan," presented it to his assistants, and then set the plan in motion with his team.

b. However, there were defeats, disappointments and the destruction of many team members along the way.

c.  But Moses and his staff stayed with the plan and eventually made it to the Promised Land.

                                            i.     As players on God’s team we need to stick with the plan even in tough times.

                                          ii.     If we endure, we will reach our ultimate goal one day.

                                       iii.     As believers, it is important that we follow God's game plan for our lives.

1. Just because our Coach, Jesus Christ, is not among us in person today, His Spirit stills leads and still guides, helping us to stick with the game plan.

2. He also equips us to assist Him in carrying out His game plan for others.

a. The Word of God is the only flawless game plan you and I will ever need.

   4. Illumination is the last of three important steps taken by God in communicating His Word to us.

a. The first step was revelation, which occurred when God spoke to the bible authors.

b. The second step was inspiration, that process whereby God guided them in correctly writing or uttering His message.

c.  But now a third step is needed to provide understanding for men and women as they hear God’s revealed and inspired message.

                                            i.     This vital step is illumination that divine process whereby God causes the written revelation to be understood by the human heart.

                                          ii.     This third step is needed because unbelievers are blinded, by their fallen, fleshly nature, and by Satan himself.

d. The Person behind this illumination is the Holy Spirit.

                                            i.     Just prior to His crucifixion, Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit, who would illuminate to both unbelievers and Christ followers.

John 16:7 “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.”

e. An important example of the Spirit of God using God’s Word to illuminate to unbelievers is seen at Pentecost, where three thousand people are saved after hearing Peter preach about Christ and the Cross.

Acts 2:36 "So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah! 37 Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!" 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.”

f.   But Christians also need this illumination to help them fully grasp the marvelous messages in God’s Word.

g. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit will show these tremendous truths to us as we read the scriptures.

1 Corinthians 2:10 “But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.”   

   5. We are on the team.

a. I get to practice with you, I get to workout with you, I get to serve with you, I get to stand on the line and challenge our enemies with you, cause we’re on the team!

b. I get to give with you, I get to encourage with you, I get to pray for miracles, signs, and wonders with you, I get to go on missions with you cause we’re on the team!

c.  I get to make the difference in this community with you, I get to encourage with you, I get to baptize in water and in the Holy Spirit with you cause we’re on the team!

d. The game plan is that the Gospel message of Jesus Christ will be preached throughout every tribe, every tongue, every nation and every people group.

                                            i.     God’s game plan is for us to join in this miraculous endeavor.

                                          ii.     Stop taking a water break, stop sitting the bench, stop sitting on the sidelines, stop staying on the injured list, stop complaining to the team, stop complaining at the coach and get into the game!

                                       iii.     Vince Lombardi stated, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him." 33 When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. 35 Then he said to his colleagues, "Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! 36 Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. 37 After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered. 38 "So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!" 40 The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. 41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: "Jesus is the Messiah."

The game plan is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

The Anointed One.

The Savior.

The Liberator.

The Deliverer.

the power of a dream

Miracle service

Hebrews 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

   1.I believe that each of us has a vision placed in the heart.

a.I’m not talking about wanting to win the lottery.

b.I’m talking about a vision deep inside that speaks to the very soul.

                                            i.     It’s the thing we were born to do.

                                         ii.     It draws on our talents and gifts.

                                       iii.     It appeals to our highest ideals.

                                      iv.     It sparks our feelings of destiny.

                                         v.     It is inseparably linked to our purpose in life.

c. When I look for the name of a person who identified and lived out his dream, I think of auto industry pioneer and visionary Henry Ford.

                                            i.     He asserted, “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one’s destiny to do, then do it.”

                                         ii.     Ford’s vision grew out of his interest in anything mechanical. From boyhood, he had a passion for studying and tinkering with machinery. He taught himself about steam engines, clocks, and combustion engines. He traveled around the countryside doing repair work for free, just so he could get his hands on machines. He became a mechanic and watchmaker. He even worked as a night engineer for the Detroit Edison Company.

d.Ford became increasingly intrigued by the idea of the automobile, and he devoted more and more of his attention to it. In 1896, he built his first car in a shed behind his house. After that, he continued to think about how to improve his early efforts, and he studied the work of other cars, builders, including that of Ransom E. Olds, who manufactured the first Oldsmobile in 1900. Out of his love for machinery and intrigue over the automobile grew Ford’s dream: the creation of an inexpensive mass-produced automobile. Until then, the new horseless carriage had been an expensive luxury item, available only to the rich. But Ford was determined to put the automobile within the reach of the common person.

e.In 1899, he helped form the Detroit Motor Company. But when his fellow organizers balked at the idea of manufacturing their product inexpensively in order to sell it to the masses, he left the company. However, he held on to his vision, and his efforts finally paid off. In 1903, he organized the Ford Motor Company and began to produce the Model T. The first year his new company produced just under 6,000 cars. But only eight years later, they produced more than 500,000. And they managed to reduce the initial retail price from $850 to only $360. Ford’s dream became a reality. Ford has been called a genius and has been credited with the birth of the assembly line and mass production.

f.   But no matter what he had going for him, his asset was his dream, his vision and his willingness to devote himself to it.

   2.A vision gives us direction.

                                            i.     Have you ever known a person who didn’t have a clue what they wanted in life, but was highly successful?

                                         ii.     I haven’t either.

                                       iii.     We all need something worthwhile to aim for.

                                      iv.     A vision provides us with that.

                                         v.     It acts as a compass telling us the direction we should travel.

                                      vi.     And until we’ve identified that right direction, we’ll never know for sure that our movement is actually progress.

                                    vii.     Our actions are just as likely to take us backward instead of forward. 

   3.A vision increases our potential.

a.Without a vision, we may struggle to see potential in ourselves because we don’t look beyond our current circumstances.

                                            i.     With a vision, we begin to see ourselves in a new light, as having greater potential and being capable of stretching and growing to reach it.

                                         ii.     Every opportunity we meet, every resource we discover, every talent we develop, becomes a part of our potential to grow toward the vision.

                                       iii.     The greater the vision, the greater the potential.

1.E. Paul Hovey said, “A blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limits of his vision.”

   4.A vision helps us prioritize.

a.A vision gives us hope for the future, and it also brings us power in the present making it possible to prioritize everything we do.

                                            i.     Vision gives us the ability to measure everything we do according to whether or not it contributes to the vision, concentrating our attention on the things that bring us closer to it and giving less attention to everything that doesn’t.

                                         ii.     Ironically, many people do the opposite.

                                       iii.     They work to keep every option open which is a mistake because decision-making becomes overly complicated for them when they should have unloaded everything but the one vision.

                                      iv.     That knowledge frees you up to concentrate on the few things that make a difference, and it keeps you on the right track.

   5.A vision adds value to our work.

a.A vision puts everything we do into perspective.

                                            i.     Even the tasks that aren’t exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value when we know they ultimately contribute to the fulfillment of the vision.

                                         ii.     This is our city; this is God’s property I’m just here to see to it that He gets it back.

b.Coca-Cola has a vision to see an ice cold coca-cola within 10 feet of every human being at all times.

                                            i.     I have a vision to see a Christian, a Christ Follower full of the power of the Holy Spirit within 5 feet of every unbeliever at all times.

                                         ii.     I refuse to be a hindrance to people when they are trying to find God, seeking truth, or trying to get back to God.

1.My attitude, my spirit, my actions, and my faith are either a direct reflection of Jesus Christ or the devil.

   6.A vision predicts our future.

a.When we have a vision, we’re not just spectators sitting back hoping that everything turns out all right.

                                            i.     We’re taking an active part in shaping the purpose and meaning of our lives.

                                         ii.     Dare to have vision and act on that vision.

                                       iii.     Do it in spite of problems, circumstances, and obstacles.

                                      iv.     The bible is filled with men, women, and children, who faced adversity and achieved success in spite of it, so is all of history.

1.The great thing in this world is not so much where we are but in what direction we are moving.

                                         v.     What’s happened in the past isn’t as important as what lies ahead in the future.

1.No matter what a person’s past may have been, his future is spotless.

b.There was a 60 minutes I paid attention to many years ago where they were interviewing one of the guides from Nepal who helps climbers reach the top of Mount Everest. “Why do you do it? The interviewer asked. “To help others do what they can not do on their own,” answered the guide. “But there are so many risks, so many dangers,” said the interviewer. “Why do you insist on taking people to the top of the mountain?” The guide smiled and said, “It’s obvious that you’ve never been to the top.”

                                            i.     We are committed to helping others get to a relationship in Jesus Christ.

                                         ii.     Going to the top requires vision, and a strong commitment to that vision.

1.It's our vision is to see people saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped, empowered and serving.

2.We can’t get mad at the vision; the vision is the vision and can’t change.

a.The vision exists to motivate, encourage, and inspire us to fulfill it. 

3.One of our visions is healing. Healing physically and emotionally.

c. Healing is God work, belief, faith and expectancy is ours.

d.He desires to heal it’s in His Word, it’s in His DNA, it’s part of His eternal mission and vision.

                                            i.     Put your vision to the test.     

Matthew 13:54-58 NLT “[54] He returned to Nazareth, His hometown. When He taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, "Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?" [55] Then they scoffed, "He's just the carpenter's son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers-James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. [56] All His sisters live right here among us. Where did He learn all these things?" [57] And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in His own hometown and among His own family." [58] And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.”

Habakkuk 1:5-8 NLT “[5] The LORD replied, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it.”

·     God remind us that is was by faith people received a miracle from you.

·     By faith they reached out to touch You and they received their healing!

·     By your compassion You reached and touched them and they received healing, provision, and life.

o  When sincerity, faith, truth, belief and the timing of God collide I believe a miracle shows up!

o  Have you come expecting? Then you’re in the right place.