Gtcotr/ss020517
Today is Super Bowl Sunday and
before the day is over we will know which NFL Team is “Number One” in the
nation. Will it be the New England Patriots in white or the Atlanta Falcons in red?
The Falcons have never won a Super Bowl. We put a lot of stock in who will be “Number One”.
Statistics:
·
More than 80,000 fans will pack the
NRG Stadium in Houston today to cheer for their team. Among the crowd will also
be 5,000 journalists who all want to be first to report the winner.
·
Houston is currently the 4th
largest city in the US and yet expects an estimated 1,000,000 additional
visitors this weekend. These visitors will spend an average of $400 per person
per day not including the money they spent on flights or for the tickets to the
week long event.
·
The average price paid for a ticket
to Super Bowl 51 is $5,216.
·
Think the seats are expensive? Think
again! 30 seconds of national advertising on FOX during the game are 5 to 5.5
million dollars each.
·
An estimated 1.5 million people will
call in sick at work on Monday. Many due to the estimated 325 million gallons
of beer which will be consumed today.
·
The more than 110 million Super Bowl
fans watching the game by television today will consume:
o
14,500 Tons of Chips
o
8 Million Pounds of
Guacamole
o
4,000 tons of Popcorn
o
2 Million Pizzas from
Pizza Hut alone
o
$237 Million in Soft
Drinks
o
51.7 Million Cases of Beer
o
1.23 to 1.33 Billion
Chicken Wings (600 to 700 Million Chickens)
During this 3½ hour contest, which
will be preceded by a 7 hour pre-game show today, everything will be aimed at
deciding who will be the “Number One” NFL
football team in America. No Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime. The winners
today will be paid $107,000 each while the losers a consolation award of $53,000
for the day’s play.
There will be laughter, tears, hard
fought battles based on well planned strategies, angry supporters, cheering
crowds, anxious gamblers and millions of armchair quarterbacks yelling at the
TV saying how much better they could do it they were out there. Money will be
made, careers ended, contracts awarded and friendships lost today, all based on
who ends up being “Number One”.
When it comes bedtime tonight many
will be unable to sleep because they are so elated their team won. Others will
lie awake devastated because they lost. And yet a few billion people who can’t
even tell you which teams played in Super Bowl 51 will find themselves in similar
situations not because of decisions made by Brady or Ryan, but because of
decisions which they will make in their own personal lives today that
determined whether they ended the day with a win or a loss. And, it’s all based
on who or what they choose today to be “Number One”
in their lives.
Reality is we all end each day with
something or someone in that “Number One” place in our lives. Sometimes the day
can be a hard fought battle but in the end, when you lay your head on your
pillow at night, someone or something is going to have triumphed and that will
be your “Number One” for the day. It will occupy your thoughts, demand your
money and either warm you or weigh you down. Perspectives and Priorities are a
choice. There is only one place for the number one and if that gets messed up,
everything can get messed up.
The Bible has a lot to say about
things which are number one. You may not realize it right now but before we are
finished this morning we will discover that we get our competitive nature from
God. He ascribes priorities and ranks everything in creation in its perfect
order. God is a God of order and we inherited our desire to put things in some
recognizable order of importance from Him.
This year God is committed to
helping us establish priorities in life and put first things first. Today you
can begin to set your life in God’s perfect order.
When the Bible refers to people and
things which are “Number One” it often uses the word “Chief”
to describe that priority position.
In fact the word Chief is mentioned
328 times in the KJV indicating the importance of knowing who and/or what is
“Number One”.
The Bible makes a point to describe:
·
Chief Priests
·
Chief Musicians
·
Chief Captains
·
Chief Fathers
·
Chief Princes
·
Chief Rulers
·
Chief of the Officers
·
Chief of the Guards
·
Chiefs of Asia
·
Chief Singers
·
Chief Elders
·
Chief of the Governors
·
Chief Tax Collectors
·
Chief of all Nations
·
Chief of the House
·
Chief Butlers
·
Chief Bakers
·
Chief Stewards
·
Chief Estates
·
Chief Rooms
·
Chief Seats
·
Chief Ointments
·
Chief of all Spices
·
Chief Adversaries
·
Chief among the devils
·
Chief Men
·
Chief Women
·
Chiefs of the People
·
Chief of the Levites
·
Chief of the Congregation
·
Chief Friends
·
Chief Places
·
Chief Joys
·
Chief Things
·
Jesus is even known as the
“Chief Cornerstone” and “Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our soul”
And then the Apostle Paul wrote to
Timothy and said:
·
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
chief.
Not one of the Apostles began life
as the perfect picture of a disciple. Each one encountered their own set of
temptations, trials, tests and tragedies. Even after being called by Jesus they
made a few bad decisions and some costly mistakes. Life is tough on everyone.
Nobody gets it right every time. However, God’s Word is plain when it instructs
us to:
1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
Your life does not have to be
limited by what you did with your yesterdays but rather by what you are willing
to give to God and put first in life today. It goes without saying that we need
to acknowledge God as Number One in our lives daily and also pay close
attention that we establish and commit to living our lives in accordance with
His priorities. What are His priorities?
A Life in Order
1.
A growing personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
2.
Family – God ordained the family as a first priority. Depending on
the age, stage and situation of your life currently, you owe allegiance to your
family above others.
a.
If you are younger – it may be
limited to parents and siblings
b.
If you are married – it includes spouse
and children
c.
Trust, Respect, Provision and Support
d.
Not only do I trust and respect them
but can they trust and respect me … Looking not only for their provision and support
for me but rather at my support for them. What do I add to my family? Can they
depend on me? Are they my priority?
3.
Church – The Family of God. We are brothers and sisters in Christ
and as such hold a special spiritual family relationship with other Christians.
The Bible says we should do good to all men but especially those who are of the
household of faith.
4.
The Lost
5.
The World
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
