In this devotional sermon, M.t. Clark opens with a personal anecdote about traveling to Syracuse on Super Bowl Sunday and watching the Kansas City Chiefs rally from a halftime deficit to win the championship. He uses the football comeback as a metaphor for the Christian experience of victory through Christ, emphasizing that believers have all they need to overcome sin, suffering, and temptation because God shares His divine nature with them. Clark cites several Scriptures—2 Peter 1:2‑4, Philippians 4:11‑13, Acts 5:41, and 1 Peter 4:12‑13—to illustrate themes of grace, contentment, rejoicing in persecution, and partnership with Christ’s suffering. He references A.W. Pink’s The Sovereignty of God (chapter 6) to discuss God’s method of dealing with the righteous, and directs listeners to mtforchrist.org for further study. The sermon calls believers to a season of spiritual discipline akin to Lent, encouraging prayer, repentance, and reliance on Christ’s strength, and concludes with a heartfelt prayer for personal and communal needs.
Chapters
To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of the sun shining bright through a less than clear windshield over I-90 West about a mile east of Exit 32 comes to us from yours truly as I decided to capture the sun while speeding towards Syracuse because I wasn't sure if if it would be there when I got there with minutes to spare before sunset. Well, it's Monday, and it turns out the sun was in Syracuse when I got there yesterday, but any inclination to capture sunset photos from my hotel's parking lot was not. Uh, the drive out west wasn't terribly long, but all I wanted to do upon arrival was to grab my bags, get to my room, and relax. It was Super Bowl Sunday after all, and even though I hadn't really watched any significant amount of football all season, I felt that old familiar pull to watch the big game. I didn't have much of an opinion on which team I liked better. The truth is that I have friends or acquaintances that are fans of both the Eagles and the Chiefs, and so I wasn't sure who I would root for. I had picked the Eagles to win in my family Yahoo Pick 'Em Pick 'em league earlier this week, but when I saw that all, literally all, the Fox pregame commentators picked the Eagles to win, I suddenly found myself emotionally invested in the underdog, the Chiefs. So I decided to root for them, but I am not the football fan that I used to be. By halftime, with the Chiefs down by 10 points and the Chiefs quarterback limp-jogging off the field after being injured on a play late in the second quarter, I decided to avoid the emotional roller coaster and probable disappointment and decided to call it a night and go to bed before the third quarter was even underway. I had hoped that the Chiefs would win, I guess, but with Patrick Mahomes injured, it looked like they were destined to lose. But I awoke to discover that the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes had other ideas. I haven't watched any of the highlights yet, but apparently the Chiefs overcame the halftime deficit and are champions once again. As I stated, I haven't watched the highlights, but I know that Patrick Mahomes has led his team in come-from-behind wins before, and apparently he did it again. And that is one aspect of the experience of our lives that I would like to encourage us all with on this Monday morning. Drawing from 2 Peter 1:2-4, which says, may God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for God living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. So whether you have come— have overcome and experienced freedom and victory before, or if you are striving to overcome in certain areas for the first time, Let me encourage you that God has given us everything we need to do it because he enables us by sharing his divine nature. So whether you are continuing an ongoing victory parade or find yourself back to the drawing board, let me encourage you by telling you that our victory lies in Christ and abiding in him. The world, the flesh, and the devil can tempt us and draw us away from the people, God created us to be. Super Bowl Sunday is one, one of our man-made feast days that is a veritable trap of overindulgence, possible sin, and strife, as a sporting contest that should give glory to God is inflated with pride and surrounded by vice. Many people may not be at work today because of hangovers from too much food or drink. Dejected Eagles fans could be depressed, bitter, or angry, as all the hopes and emotions they invested in someone else's achievements are not realized. And elated chief fans may be filled with pride until next year over a victory that someone else has won. The only vicarious achievement that we can truly share in is the victory that Christ has won for us through his death and resurrection. And when we put our faith in him, not only do we have the victory over death in the grave, we receive the power to be transformed and set free from the sins and negative emotions that so easily beset us. Not only is the joy of the Lord our strength because of our salvation, we can be joyful because Christ gives us the power to overcome. Philippians— in Philippians 4:11-13, the Apostle Paul writes, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all times and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So whether this Monday finds you high or low, remember to be content, and that Christ has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Whether we have to dig, dig ourselves out of a deficit, maintain the freedom and victory we already have, or to boldly take on new challenges, the Lord enables us to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We can overcome our sinful desires and have a life that is defined by peace, love, and joy when we live according to God's precious promises. That are given freely to those who put their faith in Christ and decide to follow him. So let's turn the page on last week and any defeats we may have suffered by making the decision today to keep walking and talking to God so we can share in his power. We already have been given all we need to live a godly life, so let's walk in it and experience the abundant life that comes from living in freedom and victory. Christ has already won the victory, so let's live with the determination and joy of champions. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the New Living Translation Bible Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verse is Acts 5:41, and it says, the apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace For the name of Jesus. Today's verse— today's Bible verse reminds us that we should rejoice when we suffer because of our faith in Christ. It may seem strange that the Apostle Paul would rejoice because they were persecuted by the High Council, but we have to remember that it wasn't the suffering and insult they were taking joy in, but that they received it only because they represented Jesus and the kingdom of God. Sometimes in our walk of faith, we can doubt whether or not we are faithful Christians, but when someone treats you badly or rejects you because of your faith in Christ, you can rejoice because they are confirming you in your faith. As painful as rejection and mild or not-so-mild persecution can be, we can at least find solace in knowing that our faith is true and that is what— and that it is what is to be expected, as Christ warned his disciples that they would be hated because of him. When we suffer, we are in good company. We are not only a part of the fellowship of the saints that have gone on before us who suffered or died because of their faith, we become partners in Christ's suffering. 1 Peter 4:12-13 tells us, dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through.— as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad, for these trials make you partners with Christ in his sufferings, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. So don't be surprised if persecution comes, but be assured that through it you not only receive a confirmation of your faith, you also have the wonderful joy you will have the wonderful joy of seeing Christ's glory when he comes to rule and reign forever. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.org, where we share insights from prominent Christian counselors and theologians to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God as we continue in chapter 6, The Sovereignty of God in Operation. And we're continuing the section on God's method of dealing with the righteous, and we're sharing points 2 and 3. Uh, so if you want to see what points 2 and 3 are of God's method of dealing with the righteous, go to mtforchrist.org and you'll see that resource at the end of today's blog post. As always, we encourage a life of Christian discipleship because when we walk and talk with God and follow the will of God that is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God, we discover the life of peace, joy, love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, um, patience and self-control that the Lord has for us. The abundant life that Jesus talked about. We have to believe. We have to persevere and we have to possibly face suffering. But when we find the Lord and follow the Lord, we can discover new victories, new transformations. And as I'm sort of indicating today, we can get back on the horse if we get thrown off. Just like Patrick Mahomes, who was, you know, who was behind in the game, he He remembered that he was a champion, and, and like champions, he went out and turned it around. And we're champions because of our faith in Christ. And when we remember that we've overcome in the past and we can do it again, the Lord will come alongside us and help us in that. So, so we're, we're looking forward to new victories, new freedom, or to win win that freedom back again, uh, in the days, weeks, and months ahead. So let me encourage you in that as, uh, we're, we're over Super Bowl, uh, Sunday, and we're looking forward to, uh, remembering the freedom that we have and experiencing it and, uh, in deep ways by drawing close to him. So if you're like me, it's sort of a season of Lent, so I'm gonna, uh, give up the, uh, indulgences that would surround a Super Bowl party, or a birthday party for that matter, and seek to treat ourselves well with good food, good rest, and, you know, plenty of Bible study, meditation on God's Word. I hereby announce the entering of a spiritual season. Not that it wasn't terribly spiritual before, but, uh, we're gonna, we're gonna try to, uh, draw closer to the Lord. Um, yeah, as, as some of the indulgences over the weekend were, uh, are weighing heavy on my soul and body today. So, um, we're gonna, we're gonna get on that, we're gonna get on that horse and ride it. To freedom once again. So let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness, and we thank you for your, your power that you give us if we just stay with you, we just abide with you, if we just do what is right, do what we already know is right, believe the truth, deny the lies, and follow you, Lord. So we ask for your help with that today and every day going forward, uh, Lord, we because we want to be the people you created us to be. And, um, when we live less than that, we know it and we feel it and we repent. So we repent again, and we ask for you to come alongside us, Lord. We also ask for you to bless anyone who's listening to the message or reading the message today, that you would come alongside them in their walk and, uh, come alongside them in their prayer requests. Um, we'd like to also pray for the woman we prayed for yesterday, Lord, and her request. As you remember, uh, we won't mention it, but you know it. And we're— so we're coming alongside that prayer request for healing, and, uh, we're, we're coming alongside the prayer request we've made previously for other people and their healings and their situations that are difficult, Lord, because we need your help. We need your power and we need your love. And, uh, Lord, all we want to do is follow you and represent you here on the earth. So we just pray for your help for that, uh, today. Open our eyes to the things you want us to see and lead our steps in the things you would have us do today. Lord, all we want to do is represent you and be the people you want us to be. So help us do that. In Jesus' name we pray all these things. Amen.
