In the game of football there are two flags: the yellow penalty flag and the red challenge flag. As you watch a game or if you just know the game of football, the yellow flag is thrown by the referee whenever He observes that a player has broken one of the rules: off-sides, holding, pass interference, personal foul, roughing the passer, delay of game, etc. As a result, a penalty is assessed against that player or team
The red challenge flag is relatively new when considering the history of football. In 1999, the NFL introduced the red challenge flag as a part of the instant replay system. With the red challenge flag it is the Head Coach for each team who holds this flag and then when he believes that a referee has made a call he believes to be in error he throws the flag onto the field forcing the Head referee to review the video footage of the play. While the yellow flag can be thrown an unlimited number of times, the red flag has limits – only two times per half, but the coach better know what he is doing because if he is wrong it will cost him a timeout.
Such is the game of football, but there is also something very similar in the game of life. Whether we like it or not all of us play this game, no one gets to sit on the sidelines. Some of you have been playing this game a few years and others a few decades.
Like the game of football the game of life has rules, guidelines that we must abide by. These aren’t made by people in a political office somewhere; rather, they are made by God Himself. This week, as part of my reading through the Bible, I came to Exodus 20 when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Of course these aren’t all the guidelines that God man to guide His pursuit of holiness, but just 10. Let’s consider them for a moment:
1 – have no other gods but Him
2 – have no idols
3 – don’t misuse the name of the Lord
4 – remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
5 – Honor your father and your mother
6 – Don’t murder
7 – Don’t commit adultery
8 – Don’t steal
9 – Don’t lie
10 – Don’t covet something that belongs to another
Now consider the game of life that you have played so far, have you broken any of these rules just one time? If you answered yes to any one of these, you have broken the rules of the game God has created; therefore a penalty must be assessed. Let’s consider that from two different angles.
First, God is the referee. God is a good God; therefore, He has an obligation as a good God to yellow flag us when we sin just as a good referee would yellow flag a player – its called conviction. We would not say a ref is good if He overlooked it, but rather when He called each play perfectly.
On the other hand, think of Satan as the referee. He is running around in and out of our life accusing us of everything we do and standing over us enjoying the times when we fall.
What’s the difference? God’s conviction is to spur us toward holiness, Satan’s accusation is to move us toward destruction.
Now what might seem like a helmet to helmet collision in our mind is how both of these work together: God’s convicting and Satan’s accusing. The truth is all of us are going to find ourselves at a moment in life where they are greatly matter because all of us are going to have to give an answer to God for the way we lived our life and if any sin is in our life – if we have broken just one of God’s rules, then we are disqualified from heaven.
That’s where the red challenge flag comes in and Jesus Christ is the one who has it in His back pocket. Listen to the words written by John, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples: “1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus knew several things: one, that we are going to break God’s rules (that’s who we are); two, that a penalty has to be assessed and that penalty was death; and three, that Satan enjoyed running around accusing us- helpless to do anything about it.
And so Jesus, knowing these things, didn’t just throw in the red flag, He threw Himself in to take the accusation of Satan upon Himself and to take the penalty due us upon Himself so we didn’t have to pay it.
Colossians 2:13-14 says, “13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Does everyone get this? Well, it’s available to all, but God gives you the choice if you want to let Jesus in your life or if you want Him to remain on the sidelines. But if you want Jesus in your life it will require something of you – He calls all the shots. Remember those words of John the disciple. Here’s what he said next. 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey His commands. 4The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: 6Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
That’s what’s Jesus did and that is what is required of you. What’s the result. John wrote that too, 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (Life’s Super Bowl champs)
There it is. That is how you win at the game of life. Huddle time is over. Let’s get to it.
If interested let me know and feel free to share your comments.
For His Fame,
BNall
