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Oberon Golf Course - Links Pro Am 2006 |
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PGA Chaplain Bible Studies Study 20 – June 2nd to 8th 2008. “I have defeated the world”!Jesus said; “The time is coming, and is already here, when all of you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and I will be left all alone. But I am not really alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave. I have defeated the world.” John Chapter 16: verses 32 to 33. (Good News Bible) There is a lot of interest in golf in seeing whether Tiger Woods can pass Jack Nicholas’ 18 major victories and in tennis whether Roger Federer can catch Pete Samphras grand slam tennis titles. The talk I hear is that many expect both men to achieve the milestones and become perhaps the greatest players ever to play their respective sports. It is very hard to compare players of different eras, and my preference to is not to do this. But it is clear that Tiger Woods is by far and away the best golfer of our time. When it comes to spiritual leaders it is more important to compare the claims of each because they seek to influence people not only of their generations, but others to come. I have an interest in comparing leaders like Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhist) to Jesus, (Christianity) to Mohammad (Islam) and Joseph Smith (Mormons); just to name a few of the major religious leaders in the world. What is each of their credentials? what do they teach and say about life? You may think this is a very difficult task but it is not really. If you look at the emphasises and heart of each religion you can discern the merits and heart of it’s leader. The more you study them the more different you realise they are and how poor they measure up to Jesus. What are Jesus’ merits? What is it that we believe separates him from everyone else? Jesus says as he prepares to leave his followers prior to his death to be brave in the face of rejection and suffering because “He has defeated (overcome) the world”. By this Jesus means that through his death on a cross he will defeat our enemy that includes Satan, sin and death. Through his rising from the dead he will be exulted into heaven as our Lord and the Son of God to reign forever. We add his teachings that captured people’s hearts; his miracles over sickness and nature, his forgiveness of sinners and compassion to the outcasts and poor of society. Jesus in fact claims to have won the victory of life and defeated or overcome the world. By this he means victory over everything that has gone wrong with our relationship to God, the world, the spiritual forces and our life. He has won the battle of life, he claims. What is amazing as you read the life of some of the other major religions, their teachings and their sacred texts is how many of them refer to Jesus and want to include him in their message, though not giving him the supreme status the bible does. Mohammed speaks of Jesus, but for him Jesus did not die on the cross; Joseph Smith has Jesus supposedly visiting America (very hard to believe this, except if you are American) while new age religions use Jesus extensively as an example of God among many others. The truth is when someone unique and great like Jesus comes along, every
one who speaks about life like religions do, want to be associated with
Jesus. It’s just like golfers who would love to be associated with
Tiger Woods, because of who he is. I have even heard atheists admiring
Jesus; (why I can never understand). Prayer. Thank you Lord Jesus that you alone have won the battle of life and overcome everything that could rob us of life. Amen. |
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