Preached by Anthony Franklin, 1/6/2008

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Anthony Franklin preaches his first sermon as campus minister

Heart of a Champion – Outline

Introduction
I was writing a check the other day and for the first time I wrote the year 2008. It really sank in that 2007 was over. I no longer had an opportunity to make an impact in 2007. The year is now 2008 and we do have a chance to make a difference this year. Right now millions of people are making their New Year’s resolutions (to stop smoking, lose weight, etc). Unfortunately, many of these resolutions will not stick. There is a resolution that I believe God wants each one of us to have.

Ezekiel 36:22-32
God wants 2008 to be the year where he truly gives us a new heart; A heart moved to follow the laws and commands of God; A heart which loathes evil ways and deeds;A heart where God is our God and we are his people. This is in direct opposition to the stone heart where we are our own god, we do not hate sin, we do not follow the commands of God. God wants us to have the heart of a champion in this world. Everybody wants to know what makes a champion. Even today, many people think the NFL’s Patriots will be the next champions because of their undefeated season but we will have to wait to see. Truly, Jesus Christ is the ultimate champion. The Bible says death itself will be put under his feet. Which NFL team can take out death (none obviously)? Lets take a look at the heart God wants us to have. Three points: the heart of passion, the heart of discipline and the heart of imitation.

The Heart of Passion
Acts 22:30-23:5

A) Passionate About Sin
1. Passion came from his own conversion in Acts 9. Paul hated hypocrisy because it was the same sin he had been in when he killed Christians
2. v5 Paul made a mistake due to his own passion and quickly apologized. When you are passionate, you still sin. That’s not a reason to not be passionate. Satan is passionate too cause he knows his time is short. Do you?
SHARE: PARTY WITH 75 BEERS: The world is more passionate about sin than we are!
3. Passionate about the cross

B) Blessed are the “Pure in Heart”
1 Corinthians 4:5
1. The pure in heart are those who conform inwardly in motive, desire and thought to the law of God. In other words its not just physical, God wants the right motives for baptisms, fasting, coming to services, leadership.
2. God wants the right heart not just the actions (i.e. fitting in, to look good etc.)
3. If you do it because of you are passionate about the cross, then you are pure in heart. And this kind of heart changes everything. Champions must have passion!

SHARE: MICHEAL JORDAN’S PURITY OF HEART FOR BASKETBALL P142

The Heart of Discipline
2 Timothy 1:7
only the spirit can impart discipline

A) Discipline is the ability to subordinate priorities (Luke 9:23 deny yourself)
SHARE: THEO JR’S STORY OF HIS CHAMPION FOOTBALL COACH (WEIGHTLIFTING)

B) Disciples Need Discipline
1. Discipline is an aid in protecting the devotional life
2. Discipline keeps the body in its place
3. Discipline helps us to max out spiritually (max efficiency)
1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

C) Areas the Church Needs to Be Disciplined
1. Speech (James1:26) Don’t always say what you think, remember a fool can be blunt too. Too much appreciation for be real.
2. Punctuality: Some people say “Better late than never.” I say “better never late.”
a) plan ahead to know where you need to be
b) allow a generous margin of time to get where you need to (planners help)

The Heart to Imitate
SHARE: PG 155, MICHEAL JORDAN EVEN IMITATED, WE ALL IMITATE
John 14:6-12
A) Jesus perfectly imitated the Father
1. “Anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father.” Can anyone say that about your discipling relationship? You are the perfect copy of _____. What an example!
2. That’s why Paul could say “imitate me. For this reason I am sending you Timothy.” (1 Cor 4:16)

John 14:1
B) Imitation Requires Trust
1.We must trust that God either makes things happen or he allows things to happen therefore the people in our lives are there for a reason
2. Its hard to trust especially when we have been hurt deeply but just because we don’t trust someone doesn’t mean we won’t be hurt again.
3. Love always trusts

Conclusion
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
God wants a new heart from us this year. A heart of flesh where we are moved to follow the commands of God. God wants us to love people like Jesus did. That’s why true champions are so great. They do what they do for the simple love of the game. While love for the game is admirable, every single disciple has a much greater reason for giving it their all. One of my favorite movies is Rocky. The last one shows Rocky a little older but he still has that passion for the sport, that desire to get in the ring one more time. The whole time I watched to movie I was waiting for the song I heard in every Rocky movie growing up, eye of the tiger. There are lyrics to the song that inspire me every time I listen to them…

“So many times, it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive” – Eye of the Tiger

In 2008, lets fight to have a heart of passion, a heart of discipline and a heart of imitation. Together lets resolve to have the HEART OF A CHAMPION.

Categories: Campus Ministry, Sermons
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