Choose Your Team
As the Super Bowl approaches to determine the champions of the world, my thoughts turned to my days of playing sandlot football. (This means playing a football game with your friends in the back yard.) Before the game began, two leaders would choose the players for each team. I'm sure that you at some point in your early life went through the process of standing there as two sides were divided up. The earlier you were chosen, the better you felt.
Once chosen, you then proceeded to notice who else was chosen to be on your team. We usually wanted our best friend to be on our team, but what became important is the fact we wanted to be on the winning team. We really couldn't tell which team was going to be the winning team until the game had been played for a while.
What if we could choose to switch teams as the game was played out? Would you choose to switch if you thought that the other team seemed to be winning? Would you choose to switch because as you look on the other team, they seemed to be having more fun? As you watch them, they seem to be more loose and just calling plays off of the top of their head with no particular game plan. The other team would especially look more fun if your own team leader had a strict game plan and playbook. You would want to switch teams if your leader said you must stick to the playbook with no "turning aside to the right or to the left." (2 Kings 22:2) NIV
But sometimes the games may be very close and you can't tell who's going to win. This happens with us today in our "game of life." I want to tell you today, that in this game, there was also a selection process for two sides. I can also tell you with much confidence which side wins. (Do you want to play for the winning team?) Since you are reading this lesson, I believe that the Bible is speaking about you and I when it reads, "In him we were also chosen..." (Ephesians 1:11) NIV The Message says about this same verse, "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living."
Jesus had His eye on us and picked us to play for His team. As I stated earlier, there are two sides...which side are you playing for now? Are you playing for the home team, or are you playing for the visiting team? Do you know which team wins?
You may think now, "Whoa Robby! What do you mean by two sides, and how do you possibly know who the home team is?" I'm glad that you asked. In the Book of John, Chapter 18, Jesus lets us know that there are two sides, and in this same passage He also lets us know on which side we are playing. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus was brought before the Roman governor Pilate for questioning. Pilate asks the question that many lost people still seek the answer to today, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) NIV Jesus answers this question in the previous verse, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Are you on His side?
You may not be completely sure of what Jesus is meaning by this statement so let me share some other Bible translations with you. In the New Living Translation the Bible says, "All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true." The Good News Translation says, "Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me." In other words for this lesson, "Whoever belongs on My team listens to Me." Do you listen to Him, or do you catch yourself listening to the other team's leader much of the time?
You may ask, "Robby, how do I listen to Him? Does He speak audibly for me to hear?" Let's look and see what the Bible says about this question. In the Book of John 10:27 the Bible says, "My sheep (my team) listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." To follow Him, you must love Him, and Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15) NIV
In our game of life, it is often difficult to understand which team is really winning. If you watch the news much or listen to talk radio, you'd be convinced that one team is winning over the other here. We often hear about and read where some high profile team members have crossed over to the other team because of the lure that the team leader has on the other side. This is a well-planned scheme that the team leader has planned to win while he can. One team is winning here, and it's the home team. Which team are you playing for at this time?
Are you thinking, "Now Robby, why do you say the home team is winning?" I ask you; doesn't the home team have the "home team advantage"? Isn't the team leader of this world the home team leader? John tells us who the leader of this world is in 1 John 5:19, "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." And in John 18:36 Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world."
So Jesus is the team leader of the visiting team. This reminds me of the song recorded by Steven Curtis Chapman, we are Not Home Yet. We are not the home team here. We are in a tough playoff game here, and it sure seems at times that it would be easier and more fun to play on the home team. Do you find yourself choosing to play some plays on the home team's side?
You may say, "Now Robby, you said that I was chosen to play on Jesus' side. You said that He had His eye on me and picked me. Now if He picked me on His team, I can't choose to play on the home team can I?" Sure you can. We are allowed to make choices every day. I mentioned above that the leader of the home team has well planned out schemes to lure us over to make the wrong choices at times. But if we truly love our leader, Christ Jesus, we will follow Him and obey His commands. Through His help with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to spot out these schemes, "...so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Today I want to encourage you to play for the visiting team. At times you and I will stumble and suddenly realize that we are running through some plays on the home team's side. It will actually be enjoyable to our flesh, (our body and mind), but our spirit will have a check. Read my lesson, Is Your Check Engine Light On?
If today your check light is going off as you read this message, and you realize that you are running some plays with the home team, come back across to the visiting team's side. The neat thing about the visiting Team Leader is, He is very forgiving when you ask. Actually, he will leave His whole team on the field at times just to go seek you and me out when we slip to the other side. You and I want to play on the winning team. It's natural for us to desire to be winners. Let me tell you how the end of the game is played out, "...there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True...The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen...On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS LORD OF LORDS...And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 19:11 through 20:10) NIV For ever and ever, that's a long time.
The visitors win! And that's A Good Word!
Robby
