The World Is All In

Introduction:

You probably think your team is “All In” and that sets you up for consistent success. Is it possible that your opponents can match your commitment and are similarly “All In” with their teammates? In a similar way to God being “All In” for us, the world goes “All In” to keep us from Him.

Application:

1. How does having a strongly committed opponent challenge your team when you compete?
2. How does your team react when they recognize an “All In” commitment level from its opponents during a competition?

Bridge:

1 John 2:15-17 teaches, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle – is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.”

What are the three tools listed here that the world uses to distract people from their love for God?

Connection:

1. The world goes “All In” by distracting us through “the lust of the flesh” – strong desires you feel deeply. What strong passions draw sportspeople away from God?
2. The world goes “All In” through “the lust of the eyes” – strong desires for what you want to have. What are the things that you and your teammates want so badly that they could wreck your life in Christ?
3. The world goes “All In” through “the pride in one’s lifestyle” – an arrogant attitude that takes pride in its possessions. What gifts and privileges do sportspeople have that can lead to this attitude?

Discovery:

What things can we do daily that will help our teammates battle against these three enemies of our souls:

1. The lust of the flesh?
2. The lust of the eyes?
3. The pride in one’s lifestyle?

Close:

Memory Verse: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.” Romans 13:14