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Victory Sermon Series: Breaking the Huddle

the big idea:

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Defense wins championships.” But no one would deny that offense is extremely important too, not just in a football game, but especially in the game of life. We’re all in it. This game is real. The outcome is eternally significant. The Opponent is real too and he’s ready to destroy your faith and the faith of everyone you love. Now’s not the time to sit back and hope for the best. It’s time to attend church, get the game plan and then confidently go on the offensive. It’s time to break the huddle and get some victories with the help of God!

the breakdown:

September 13: For a Christ-Centered Faith

The Pharisees were people who considered themselves very spiritual people. But their religion was only skin deep, consisting solely of the outward appearance of morality and good behavior. Their faith was far from Christ-centered. Certainly, there are still religious pharisees today, but how much more often is today’s skin deep religion just plain self-centeredness? The solution? Break the huddle, go on the offensive, and allow God to break us from our self-centered camp and move us to a more Christ-centered location.
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:1,2,6-9, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8,14,15,21-23, Psalm 119c
Sermon Text: Mark 7:1-8,14,15,21-23

September 20: For Sincere Worship

What is worship? It’s really just the joyful response to the love and grace of God. Sometimes people complain that corporate worship just doesn’t do anything for them. But their focus is wrong. The heart of worship is not found in the act of worship, but in the worshipper. If the heart is dead, it’s time to break the huddle, take up the offensive, and let God blast out that heart of stone with a reminder of who we really are and what God’s love and grace have done for us.
Scriptures: Isaiah 35:4-7a, Acts 3:1-10, Mark 7:31-37, Psalm 146
Sermon Text: Acts 3:1-10

September 27: With a Courageous Faith

The Christian life is not easy. Jesus says that the world will hate us because we love him. Doing what’s right and standing up for the truth often makes us unpopular. It would be so easy just to slink down into the background and not let anyone know what we believe and stand for. But that’s not the path Jesus has called his disciples to travel. God help us strengthen our faith through Word and sacrament so that we can break the huddle, take up the offensive, and boldly do and say what’s right despite what we may suffer as a consequence.
Scriptures: Acts 4:12-20, Mark 8:27-35, Psalm 116
Sermon Text: Mark 8:27-38

October 4: With a Sacrificial Faith

It is all too natural to look out for ourselves. When we’re hungry, we eat. When we’re tired, we sleep. It’s not so natural to look out for the needs of others. Don’t we have more than enough to do to take care of ourselves? But Jesus created his church to be a family, to help, to encourage and to even call one another to account. How do we battle this tendency to look out solely for numero uno? Spiritual warriors break the huddle, take up the offensive and learn from Jesus humility, community and self-sacrifice for the good of others.
Scriptures: Numbers 12:1-15, James 3:13-18, Mark 9:30-37, Psalm 31
Sermon Text: Mark 9:30-37

October 11: As a Team

Have you ever been jealous of the gifts of others? I wish I could write like that or speak like that or had that kind of musical talent. God has created us with incredible diversity. All too often we allow this diversity and our jealousy to divide us. God desires to use this diveristy to unite us as a church. Not only does God want to build us up as his people as we serve together, but he also wants to make us into one of his kingdom building teams. Spiritual warriors therefore break the huddle, take up the offensive and do all they can to understand their gifts and find their place on God’s team.
Scriptures: Numbers 11:16,24-29, Philippians 1:12-18a, Mark 9:38-50, Psalm 51b
Sermon Text: Mark 9:38-50

October 18: For Your Family

Satan has declared all out war on the family and on all too many fronts he is winning the battle. One of Satan’s great delights is to see father’s passive in their role as the spiritual leaders of their families. “We’ll let the church train our children, through the Sunday School, catechism or the Lutheran Elementary School.” Yet, statistics clearly show that the father has the greatest spiritual impact on his children, for good or bad. Spiritual warriors love their families so much that they take up the offensive and fight for the spiritual health of their families.
Scriptures: Genesis 2:18-24, 1 Peter 3:1-7; Mark 10:2-16, Psalm 139b
Sermon Text: Ephesians 6:4

October 25: For the Right Priority

We live in a world of upside down priorities. We’ve just got to have the things that aren’t really going to last and the things that will truly impact and change the world we don’t have time for or any interest in. Elderly people often express a wish that they had chosen their priorities more wisely as they lived their lives. Spiritual warriors understand that there is one priority and take up the offensive to ensure that the decisions and choices they make in life are in line with the right priority.
Scriptures: 2 Kings 5:14-27, Hebrews 13:1-6, Mark 10:17-27, Psalm 90
Sermon Text: Mark 10:17-27

3 Year Lectionary, Series B, Pentecost