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Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Monday,
January 29, 2024
Photo by our friend Howard J. Blichfeldt
(used
by permission)
"Underdogs"
Message
summary: We
all are
underdogs.
Only through
Christ's
redemption are
we accepted
into God's
family and
admitted entry
into heaven.
This glorious
transition is
not a luck of
the draw nor
can it be
earned,
purchased or
inherited, for
it is made
possible
entirely by
His marvelous
grace!
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Brothers,
think of what
you were when
you were
called. "Not
many of you
were wise by
human
standards; not
many were
influential;
not many were
of noble
birth. But God
chose the
foolish things
of the world
to shame the
wise; God
chose the weak
things of the
world to shame
the strong. He
chose the
lowly things
of this world
and the
despised
things--and
the things
that are
not--to
nullify the
things that
are, so that
no one may
boast before
Him" (1
Corinthians
1:26-29).
I
have enjoyed
football since
I was a child.
I broke my
ankle playing
football which
essentially
ended any hope
of NFL stardom
for me. I
remember
watching the
very first
"Super Bowl"*
with my dad on
a small grainy
black and
white TV. (I
appreciated
that TV much
more than I do
now since I
can compare it
all
these years
later with the
"upgrades" in
clarity, color
and size. In
that game our
home team,
Kansas City,
got trounced
by the mighty
Green Bay
Packers.
So
today bear
with me as I
illustrate a
spiritual
truth from
football. (If
you can't bear
this type of
illustration
scroll down to
the paragraph
in bold for
Biblical
exposition!)
Yesterday
there were two
NFL conference
championship
games. The
underdog
Chiefs beat
the Ravens
just 55 miles
(if crows fly
straight)
south of us in
Baltimore. Of
course being
raised in the
Kansas City
area I was
pleased with
the outcome of
that game.
The
second game
featured an
interesting
match-up of
quarterbacks,
Jared
Goff,
a first
overall draft
pick playing
for Detroit
and Brock
Purdy
a very last
draft pick
playing for
San Francisco.
The very last
draft pick has
a nickname,
"Mr.
Irrelevant"
which is "a
disreputable
reference to
how the public
and teams
evaluate their
skill level.
Most players
drafted with
the very last
draft pick do
not go on to
complete
storied or
notable
careers. Often
times a player
chosen with
this pick is
released from
the team that
drafted them
before
preseason or
training camps
begin."
(Wikipedia)
One
quarterback at
one time
deemed the
very best draft
pick
against
another who
barely made
the draft by
the "skin of
his teeth" (a
phrase from
Job 19:20). In
regard to
having much
success in NFL
football Purdy
is an underdog
but has turned
out to be a
remarkable
player. He now
has been
nicknamed "Mr.
Relevant"! And
his team won
yesterday's
match-up.
"Underdog"
is a term
meaning a
competitor
(team or
individual)
thought to
have a lesser
chance of
winning
in sports.
In life it
means a person
who has little
status in
society.
Today
let us
consider a
spiritual
application
for underdogs
and those who
may feel they
are irrelevant.
Paul
candidly
describes the
Corinthians
(and virtually
all of us
reading this):
"Not many
of you were
wise by human
standards; not
many were
influential;
not many were
of noble
birth."
Does that
describe you?
In a sense it
describes all
of us, but
some more
pronounced
than others.
Think of where you've come from, spiritually speaking, and your acceptance into God's family. Many of you come from "good" families where God's truths were demonstrated and taught and that is such a blessing. But undoubtedly many others, came into this world under very difficult circumstances and others come from homes far from ideal.
Think of where you've come from, spiritually speaking, and your acceptance into God's family. Many of you come from "good" families where God's truths were demonstrated and taught and that is such a blessing. But undoubtedly many others, came into this world under very difficult circumstances and others come from homes far from ideal.
Paul
continues, "But
God chose the
foolish things
of the world
to shame the
wise; God
chose the weak
things of the
world to shame
the strong. He
chose the
lowly things
of this world
and the
despised
things--and
the things
that are
not--to
nullify the
things that
are, so that
no one may
boast before
Him".
What
a great
message for
any of you who
might identify
as an
underdog!
Today may we
all boast in
Him alone. We've
been accepted
in the Beloved
and we are a
part of God's
family.
Whether we
were born into
the most
proper of
families by
this world's
standards, we
were still
born into sin,
thus we were
born with the
sin nature -
everyone of
us, all
underdogs.
Only
through
Christ's
redemption are
we accepted
into God's
family and
admitted entry
into heaven.
This glorious
transition is
not a luck of
the draw and
cannot be
earned,
purchased or
inherited, for
it is made
possible
entirely by
His marvelous
grace!
Be
encouraged
today,
Hebrews
3:13
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, how
marvelous is
Your
indescribable
grace that You
should love a
sinner such as
I. Though I
deserve death
You grant
eternal life
through the
death of Your
beloved Son,
Jesus. I am
accepted into
Your family,
into the
sainthood of
all believers,
through my
redemption in
Christ. Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Grace
Alone"
Watch
on YouTube
Boyce
Worship
Collective
"Worthy
of It All"
Watch
on YouTube
Shane &
Shane
(We sang this
song in our
church service
yesterday and
were so
blessed by the
worship
expression.)
"Such
Love!
Watch
on YouTube
Michael Lining
Music (This
old hymn came
to mind based
on a line in
the prayer,
"that You
should love a
sinner such as
I".
Yesterday
Ross, one
of our Sunday
School
teachers,
taught a
lesson about
understanding
Islam. He
referred to
his main
source that
many of you
may benefit
from. Investigating
Islam with Dr.
Jay Smith (2
Corinthians
10:5) Video
(1 hour 12
minutes) Many
years ago we
met Jay Smith
who is very
active and
bold as an
apologist.
*
In the
mid-1960s,
Lamar Hunt,
owner of the
AFL's Kansas
City Chiefs,
first used the
term "Super
Bowl" to refer
to the AFL–NFL
championship
game in the
merger
meetings. Hunt
later said the
name was
likely in his
head because
his children
had been
playing with a
Super Ball
toy; a vintage
example of the
ball is on
display at the
Pro Football
Hall of Fame
in Canton,
Ohio. In a
July 25, 1966,
letter to NFL
commissioner
Pete Rozelle,
Hunt wrote, "I
have kiddingly
called it the
'Super Bowl,'
which
obviously can
be improved
upon."
The leagues' owners chose the name "AFL–NFL Championship Game", but in July 1966 the Kansas City Star quoted Hunt in discussing "the Super Bowl—that's my term for the championship game between the two leagues", and the media immediately began using the term. Although the league stated in 1967 that "not many people like it", asking for suggestions and considering alternatives such as "Merger Bowl" and "The Game", the Associated Press reported that "Super Bowl" "grew and grew and grew—until it reached the point that there was Super Week, Super Sunday, Super Teams, Super Players, ad infinitum". "Super Bowl" became official beginning with the third annual game. (From Wikipedia)
The leagues' owners chose the name "AFL–NFL Championship Game", but in July 1966 the Kansas City Star quoted Hunt in discussing "the Super Bowl—that's my term for the championship game between the two leagues", and the media immediately began using the term. Although the league stated in 1967 that "not many people like it", asking for suggestions and considering alternatives such as "Merger Bowl" and "The Game", the Associated Press reported that "Super Bowl" "grew and grew and grew—until it reached the point that there was Super Week, Super Sunday, Super Teams, Super Players, ad infinitum". "Super Bowl" became official beginning with the third annual game. (From Wikipedia)
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Weber
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To
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(This will
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Stephen and
Brooksyne
Weber -
700001-237376
serving in
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Encouragement
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special
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you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Stephen & Brooksyne
2024
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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