“THE DRAW PLAY!”
James 4:7-8
I. INTRODUCTION
We are nearing the end of an unusually different NFL season (and sports season for that matter) as a result of COVID-19. Games are being rescheduled because of positive tests among teams, sports stadiums around the country are either empty or intentionally at less than full capacity of the fanbase, social distancing guidelines are in place even for those in attendance, and there are rules on the way players can engage one another before, during, and after the game. Stadiums are piping in fabricated crowd noise to help simulate the game day experience. Like most things in 2020, this will be a season we will not soon forget!
Some things, however, have not changed. Teams are lighting up scoreboards at a record pace because the aerial attack seems to be the new way! For decades, the “draw play” has been one of the NFL’s most reliable trick plays to stifle and fool overly aggressive defenses and defensive lineman. The “draw play” mimics a pass play until the very last second, when the quarterback hands the football off to the running back. The “draw play” is the opposite of the “play-action pass,” and this “misdirection” play allows running backs to rush up the field because defenses are focused on sacking the quarterback. With the more pass-happy offenses, the “draw play” (and many running plays) have become obsolete and all but been erased from many teams’ playbooks.
Believers, however, can and should learn from the “draw play!” While the world is running plays that can produce quick scores, Christ, our Coach, is reminding us some blessings come when you “grind” it out in the trenches! It’s winning time! Know that the devil has devised aggressive stunts and blitzing schemes with his imps and emissaries to sack you in the game of life! But Coach Christ has called in a special play from Heaven to keep our enemies off balance. Tonight, we’re going to run “The Draw Play!”
II. SUBMIT TO GOD! v. 7
III. RESIST THE DEVIL! v. 7
IV. DRAW NEAR! v. 8
V. CLEANSE YOUR HANDS! v. 8
VI. PURIFY YOUR HEARTS! v. 8
VII. CONCLUSION
The Bible is our playbook. God the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit is our coach! While everyone else is flowing with the currents of the culture, we need to be ready for God to call plays that no make no sense to the world and that no one else is running! Submission to God, resisting the devil, drawing near to God, cleansing our hands, and purifying our hearts are counter-cultural! However, we’ve been called to be set apart! Be sure the “Draw Play” remains in your playbook!
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