The Game You Must Win! (Nate Heitzig) - Part A

Each and every one of us is engaged in the spiritual game of chess and this game Christian that you're locked in is a game that you cannot afford to lose. As a matter of fact, our eternal lives hang in the balance and the outcome of this game. This is the game you must win because in this game your opponent, your adversary, is the devil. It's often been said that the Christian life is a battleground and as in any battle, you need to know how to engage your adversary.

Today on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Skip's son Nate shares how you can wage war successfully against the enemy and overcome his schemes. But first, if you love Bible study, a trip to Israel is a life changer. Your Bible study will never be the same. Skip has lived in Israel and led tours many, many times. Here he is to invite you on his next tour. You know there's always something new to see and experience in Israel and I'm so excited to let you know that I'm taking another tour group to Israel next spring in 2022. You're in for an incredible time as we travel throughout Israel and experience the culture that's so unique to that country. We'll start on the Mediterranean Sea and head north, seeing places like Caesarea and Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. We'll spend several days in and around Jerusalem and see the Temple Mount, Calvary, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives and much more. This remarkable itinerary is made richer with times of worship, Bible study and lots of fellowship. Now I've been to Israel a number of times over the years and I can honestly say that visiting the places where the events of the scriptures unfolded, where Jesus lived, taught and healed, it just never gets old. I can't wait to see you in Israel. Start planning and saving now to tour Israel with Skip Heiteck. Information at inspirationcruises.com slash cabq.

That's inspirationcruises.com slash cabq. Now let's dive into the teaching from First Peter chapter five with Nate Heitzig. I remember when my son first started playing baseball, how excited I was to watch his first baseball game, even more so how excited I was and how much anticipation I had for him to win his first baseball game because I remember how important that was to me. I remember when I won my first game, how meaningful that was to win at something, to succeed at something, the confidence that that inspired and I remember being at his first game and showing up to the field and looking around for the scoreboard to tell who won the game, to tell how many points were on the board and I couldn't find one so I asked the coach, I said, hey coach, where's the scoreboard? He said, well in this league we don't keep score. As a matter of fact, we not only don't keep score, we don't even record the number of outs because we want each kid to get an opportunity to get on base and we want each kid to get the opportunity to succeed so we just let a certain number of plays run and then we call the inning and in that moment in my head I said, you don't keep score but I do and there might not be a scoreboard here but I'm here and I'll let all these kids know who's winning and who's losing at this game. Now I didn't do that, I wasn't that dad yelling out at the kids that they're out but I did after the game when my son got in the car I said, hey, congratulations Seth, you won your first game to which he replied, dad, we don't keep score and I said, your coach might not but I do and after every single game if you want to know who won or who lost you can come in this car and ask me and I'll tell you who won or who lost, I'll tell you how many how many points you scored, I'll tell you how many outs you got.

If you don't ask me, I won't tell you but if you want to know, ask me and I'll let you know. I don't care whether you win or lose, all I want you to do is try hard but you have to know what you're trying for and if you don't know what you're trying for, you can never succeed. Now of course our desire to succeed shouldn't ever cause us to be a bad sport and of course we all know there's some games that you truly just play for fun but we also know there's some games that you must win or at least you must try to win. The Super Bowl is a game you must win.

I guarantee you every player out on that field feels like they have to win that game. The Olympics are games you must win. The World Series are games you must win. The NBA Finals are games you must win. Can you imagine how boring every one of those games would be if nobody cared about winning? Could you imagine watching the NBA Finals if Chris Paul just ran up to each ref and gave him a hug and to all the players and every now and then just paused the time and said hey guys I just want to let everyone know this is just for fun. So everyone take it easy.

Let's just have a good time. Could you imagine how boring those games would be if there wasn't healthy competition? We're in this series now streaming and we've been looking at popular TV shows to see if there's any spiritual truths that we as Christians can glean from them in their themes and this week we're looking at the Queen's Gambit which if you've never heard of it or seen an episode is all about chess and that sounds pretty unexciting but I believe that chess is an incredibly exciting game. Chess is a fascinating game because each and every move from the very beginning until the very last move is so important. As a matter of fact I don't know that there's another game where each move has as much importance and weight as chess.

The very first opening move all the way till the very last move each one of them have names and strategy and goals behind the moves. It's a game where each move has a benefit or a consequence and a move that you made at the very beginning of the game can actually determine the outcome at the very end and this weekend we're going to tie some spiritual correlations to this and we're going to see that each and every one of us is engaged in a spiritual game of chess and this game Christian that you're locked in is a game that you cannot afford to lose. As a matter of fact our eternal lives hang in the balance and the outcome of this game. This is the game you must win because in this game your opponent your adversary is the devil. Let's look at our text 1 Peter 5 8 through 10 as we learn about the game you must win. Verse 8 says, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

But may the God of all grace who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while. Perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. The first point that we're going to see here in this game that you must win is that you need to know your adversary. Now anyone at the top of their field knows that if you want to be successful if you want to win if you want to succeed the first thing you have to do is learn about your opponent. All the great coaches know this all the great athletes know this you have to learn about your opponent as a matter of fact many teams and coaches if they're good will put far more time into the preparation for the game than they will in the game itself. You watch their tapes you learn their moves you study their weaknesses you want to know as much as you can about them so that when you get on the field of play there's nothing they can throw at you that you're not prepared for.

Oftentimes the game is won or lost before the actual game ever begins. One of the greatest coaches in history Bob Knight said this, the key is not the will to win everybody has that it is the will to prepare to win that is so important and there's some incredible spiritual truths within this it's not the will to win everybody has the will to win look it's not the will to resist the devil every Christian has the will to resist the devil it's not the will to withstand temptation no Christian wants to fall into temptation it's not the will to win it's the will to prepare to win that is important verse 8 tells us exactly who our opponent is and it tells us to be ready to prepare look at verse 8 Peter says be sober be vigilant because your adversary is the devil your adversary the devil the NLT puts it this way stay alert stay alert be ready prepare yourselves watch out for your great enemy the devil so we need to understand who our opponent the devil is who is our adversary what makes him tick what is his goal now first of all we have to point out that God didn't really create the devil as we know him today in fact in the beginning not only was Lucifer a high ranking angel but he was also one of exquisite beauty and of incredible wisdom he seemed to be in a position of great power and influence according to what Ezekiel 28 tells us Ezekiel 28 calls Satan the guardian cherub now you didn't realize this or maybe you did but in the angelic realm there are different ranks of angels kind of like in an army there's different ranks of angels there's different branches of angels soldiers that's what is happening in this angelic realm and cherubim in the angelic army in the ranking of angels are depicted in scripture as powerful and majestic angelic creatures who surround God's throne they surround guardians protectors of the throne and they spend most of their days worshiping God leading the angelic hosts in praise of God interestingly God sent cherubim what what Satan was lucifer was to guard eden after the expulsion of Adam and Eve genesis 3 24 says after he drove the man out he placed on the east side of the garden of eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life so Satan is a high-ranking angel he was a high-ranking angel he was a cherub the guardian cherub he's also referred to in Ezekiel 28 as the model of perfection he was beautiful to behold he was spectacular to behold so what happened what was Satan's specific sin or sins Ezekiel 28 15 and 17 tells us what led to Satan's fall it says you were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you your heart was lifted up pride it was puffed up because of your beauty Satan being this guardian cherub this model of perfection this high-ranking angel at some point in this process deemed that the worship he was giving to God was worship that he himself deserved because of his beauty because of his rank because of his role perhaps he felt like you know what God sure will will worship you but I'm a pretty high-ranking angel maybe we can have some of the lower-ranking angels worship me as well because I'm pretty awesome I'm pretty good I think I deserve some honor I think I deserve some clout and some recognition how quickly do we fall into this same trap Christian when we think after a little while well you know what I'm pretty great you know you know I'm a pretty awesome person I deserve some of the recognition and clout you know what I've been missing out on that what those other people get I can do better than them I deserve some of that praise I deserve some of that glory his heart was lifted up because of his incredible beauty Lucifer allowed his perfection to be the cause of his corruption he allowed his perfection his status to be the cause of his corruption it created iniquity in his heart as his pride lifted up it corrupted him Lucifer wasn't satisfied any longer with worshiping God he wanted to be worshipped and God's judgment came on him as a result of this corruption of his heart and so Lucifer once a beautiful powerful angel of God lost his former exalted position in heaven Jesus said I beheld Satan fall from heaven like lightning Lucifer became Satan when he fell to earth Lucifer the name means star of the morning that which he once was Satan means accuser that is who he is now now Satan as we know him is a fallen but very powerful spiritual being with a very well-organized network of demonic powers helping him accomplish his purpose and what is Satan's purpose well the words of Jesus in John 10 10 tells us exactly what Satan's purpose is and that is to steal to kill and to destroy let me ask you a question if Satan's purpose is to steal kill and destroy who does he want to steal from who does he want to kill and who does he want to destroy you the answer is you every second of every day 24 hours a day 365 days a year the only thing that Satan is pursuing and trying to do is to steal from you to kill you and to destroy you he wants to steal your marriage he wants to steal your children he wants to steal your sobriety he wants to steal your joy he wants to steal your future he wants to destroy the plans that God has for your life he wants to destroy what God is doing in your life he wants to kill you and mangle you so at the end of your life you look so far from the picture that God had God had planned for you, it is unrecognizable. He wants to kill you, destroy you, and steal from you. Verse 8 continues for us and it adds on to that plan that Satan has for us. It says, the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

He wants to steal, kill, destroy, like a lion he wants to devour you. Now I don't know about you but when I hear about a lion going to and fro, my mind immediately goes to National Geographic. Anyone love watching those shows about predator versus prey? I can't get enough of them whether it's shark week or lions in the wilderness or crocodiles, I love watching these predators stalk their prey. I don't know if that speaks something about me but I love watching that whole process.

I think it's so fascinating and I love those shows because there's always that deep Australian accent and you'll have these zebras hanging out in the field and this lion will be in the tall grass and this guy will go, the zebra has no idea the lion's stalking it. It's in the tall grass. Kind of sounds like a golf game, like kind of one of those commentators. Like you're waiting for a putt to be made but it's actually a broken neck on a zebra. The zebra can't see that the lion's getting in closer.

Boom! And then all of a sudden the lion attacks. I was watching this show with my daughter one day and she was a young kid at the time and she loves animals.

She wants to be a veterinarian and she's watching this. She's like, dad look at the zebra, there's a lion. And then the lion jumps out and gets the zebra and my daughter says, dad look at the zebra and the lion, they're playing together. And I said, Cadence, I think the zebra is losing. I don't think the zebra understands the rules of the game.

As a matter of fact, I think the zebra would prefer to not play this game with the lion. I was at the zoo with my son and we have an incredible zoo in Albuquerque, don't we? It's one of the best zoos I think in the country and it's such a great value. We were there and I always loved my favorite big cat exhibit to see is the mountain lions because you can get so much closer to them than the other animals. When we hear about mountain lions we think, oh they're just smaller version of lions. They're not that scary until you get close to those suckers and you realize how big they are and how mean they are, how big those claws are and you realize I'm never gonna go hiking in Laloos ever again because I don't want to see one of those big lions. And they say, well if you see one just open up your coat and I'm like, why?

So I can show him where the the death spot is here, right here, get it right there. We're there looking at the lions and lions do this this incredible thing that I call the lion pace and it's one of the most terrifying things ever because they lock eyes with something they move back and forth while never breaking eye contact. I'm gonna do with Antonio because I know I won't offend him if I do this but they'll do the thing where they just look at you they just do this.

And then every now and then they just throw this in. They just lick their lips. We're at the zoo and this lion is doing this to my son and my son ever so astute says, dad I think he's hungry.

I was like yeah Seth for you. He wants to eat you. He's hungry. He's prowling. He's going to and fro seeking whom he may devour. Christian Satan's got his eyes locked on you. Satan's doing the lion pace back and forth looking at you licking his lips because he's hungry, because he wants to destroy you, because he wants to eat you like that cute little zebra National Geographic with the Australian commentator. He wants to jump out of those tall weeds. He wants to snap your neck and he wants to eat you up. He wants to steal from you. He wants to kill you and he wants to destroy you.

How does he do this? Well to accomplish his goal Satan uses his two closest allies that is the world and the flesh. The world is the world system which is hostile to God.

That is living for our own personal gratification, your will above everything else. This world system that is hostile towards God. First John 5 19 says, we know that we are of God and the whole world.

How much of the world? The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Ephesians 2 2 says, he Satan is the prince of the power of the air. The world is the first tool that Satan uses to steal, kill, and destroy a believer's life. The flesh is the second. The flesh is the powerful sinful nature that lives inside each and every one of us from the moment we're born that longs to be gratified, satisfied, to have our sensual appetites fulfilled. First John 2 16 speaking of the flesh says, all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And in the same way all the temptation that we face falls into these three categories and this is the flesh. Number one the eyes, the lust of the eyes.

Some people fall in their personal lives and lose this battle with Satan in the fantasy life, in the thought life, in the things they see with a pornography addiction, with a greed in their heart, with selfishness in their eyes. They see what other people have and they say I want that, I want that home, I want that car, I want that family, I want that spouse, I want those things. Instagram is a huge contributing factor to the lust of the eyes in our generation. People seeing what other people have and being unsatisfied with what God has given them. The next is the lust of the flesh. This is the simple gratification of whatever desire hits you in that moment which by the way the lust of the eyes usually turns into action.

Very seldomly does it stop at the eyes. Eventually if we give Satan big enough of a foothold in our thought life in our eyes it will lead to the lust of the flesh and the actions that we portray. Food, sleep, sex, pleasure, accumulations, possessions.

This is the natural man in all his glory. I want what I want when I want it and I'm gonna take it for myself. The last is the pride of life. For some this is where Satan gets his foothold in their lives and this clever strategy could be through the pursuit of knowledge, maybe a high degree, maybe the reason behind you wanting a high degree is to be better than other people or to puff yourself up, feel that you're important, perhaps morality, bettering oneself. Well I'm a very righteous person, I'm a very holy person because of the good things I do. Even the pride of being religious can keep you from Christ as it did the Pharisees. Well I go to church. Not only do I go to church I go to a Bible teaching church.

Not only do I go to a Bible teaching church I serve sometimes and I and I tithe every now and then when I feel like it. These are the prides of life. So number one we need to know your adversary. Number two we need to recognize that to win the game you'll lose some pawns.

Look at verse 9 with me. Peter continues and he says, resist him steadfast in the faith. This is play your game, keep pursuing, keep trying, keep moving, play your game knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in all the world. Christian to win this game with Satan you're gonna lose some pawns. In any game including the game of chess not only must you know your opponent and the moves that they have but you also have to accept that there's gonna be times in the game where you might be down. There's gonna be moments in the battle when you might fail. There's gonna be moments when you're gonna lose a matchup or two. There's gonna be moments when you're not in the lead but you're fighting for the lead. There's gonna be moments when it looks like you might lose and Christian there's gonna be moments in this life when you will suffer. Be steadfast, stand firm knowing that the suffering you're gonna experience isn't isolated to you but it's experienced by every other believer in the world they've experienced it to.

That's Nate Heitzig with a message from the series now streaming. Now we want to share about a special resource that will help you grow closer to the Lord and stay plugged into his word. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the reevaluation of priorities life choices and the path forward. This illuminates the question what do I want out of life? Here's Skip Heitzig with some thoughts on priorities.

Don't we all want the life with the happy ending? A life marked by growth, a life marked by productivity and refreshment and God's touch of blessing and prosperity and maturity upon it. Here is our special offer for this month for those who support this media outreach. The Daily God Book by Skip Heitzig plus playlist eight CD messages on significant Psalms. Start 2022 with Skip's Daily God Book and they're both our way of thanking you when you give $35 or more today to help more people connect with God's Word. Call 1-800-922-1888 or go online to connectwithskip.com. Now here's another playlist sample from Skip. When you pursue him, when you pursue holiness, happiness tags along.

Call 800-922-1888 to give or visit connectwithskip.com. Tune in tomorrow as Nate Heitzig shares why your ultimate victory over your enemy is locked in. Satan won't stop when you're down. Satan wants you dead. Satan won't stop when you look. He wants you to lust. And if we aren't daily making a conscious effort to do what God has called us to do, to be steadfast, to stand firm, knowing that the suffering we experience is experienced by all believers, then we will naturally begin to do what Satan knows we shouldn't. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.