“NCAA March Madness,” also known as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 College Basketball Teams to determine the winner of the NCAA Division I National Championship. Played mostly during March, it has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States. Approximately 100 million people tune in to watch the 67 game, 68 team tournament played across 14 cities! What great zeal our Nation has for basketball!
This month it is our goal as a Church to bring that same passion here to Denver! Yet not for basketball, but for God and embrace the theme of “March Madness” this March as a congregation!
Let’s search for the theme of “March Madness” in the Bible…
Mad Over Your Personal Devotion to God
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else–to the nearby villages–so I can preach there. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1.35-38)
We see Jesus was “mad” for His relationship with God! Even though he was swamped, he still made time for his “quiet times!” Despite His highly demanding schedule, he had to take some radical steps to make time for His personal time with God!
The first thing we notice in the above passage is the time Jesus woke up to pray; “very early in the morning, while it was still dark!” Why is this so significant? We see Jesus set an example as one who did not make excuses for His walk with God. He never complained that He did not have enough time. Yes, waking up extremely early probably took a toll on his physical body. But despite being tired, His spirit was indeed at peace, and He must have been ready to take on the rigors of His day after that morning prayer!
The second important concept we should notice is that Jesus went to a solitary place to pray. Jesus had a personal spot where he would worship God! How do we know this? Peter knew exactly where to find him… at his prayer spot!
Why is it so important for us to have a personal place to worship? The first obvious answer is found in this passage. Jesus went to a spot to find peace and quiet. It’s hard to have a great time of worship when there is a lot of noise and people around you. Secondly, when you take time to find a spot, it shows you care about your walk with God deeply. The more we care about our walk with God, the more we will cherish it, and thus, the more we are going to see God work in our lives! So many of us take time to plan our lives in great detail. We must also make sure we are taking time to plan our intimacy with the Almighty!
Mad At Our Sin
“To fear the LORD is to hate evil!” (Proverbs 8:13)
We understand clearly in the Scriptures that God gets “mad” at sin. Therefore we must learn to do the same! God hates sin because of the damage it causes: when humans sin, it causes pain in God’s heart (Genesis 6:6); it causes us as disciples to be separated from God (1 John 1:5-9); it deceives us, making us think we are doing fine when we are actually not (Galatians 6:7); for those that are not disciples, it separates them further from God, thus making the world a darker place (Isaiah 59:1-2). Of course, if you want to understand how dark the world is, watch the news for one hour! All of the evil in the world is due to one problem: SIN!
How do we know if we hate our sin? Are we continuing to go back to the same old things we have been struggling with repeatedly? he call of the hour for all of us this March is to radically repent of any sin we do not hate. We understand in the Scriptures we are created to be like God (Ephesians 4:24)! Therefore, we are created to hate sin as well! Let’s take whatever necessary steps to accomplish this. Confess to a brother or sister any sin you don’t yet hate, pray intensely to God, ask Him to grant you repentance, and be willing to take the correction or advice given to you by Disciples to help you overcome!
Mad To Bear Fruit
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Jesus makes it clear how we can bring glory to God! He explains that to bring glory to God we must become “mad” to “bear much fruit!” (John 15:8)
Biblically, what does it mean to bear much fruit?
Matthew 28:18-20 teaches us we must “go and make disciples of all nations!” To make disciples, it’s not just the job of the church leader or the small group leaders in a church… But this is the job of every professing follower of Christ!
Here are important questions we must ask ourselves every week: Am I currently helping someone become a disciple of Christ? Do I have a personal Bible study set up? Or am I joining a fellow Disciple to help them in their Bible study? We must understand that part of being disciples is having the heart to continue to make disciples every week for the rest of our lives. No matter where we’re at, let’s decide to catch the fever of “March Madness” and get “mad” to bare much fruit for God to bring Him tons of glory!
Just like all of the athletes in the month of March, let’s go “mad” for the Lord like never before! Let’s get “mad” in our personal devotional life- walking with the Father! Let’s get “mad” at our sin and decide to radically repeat of any evil in our lives. And let’s be “mad” to bare fruit for God like never before!
If we all give our hearts to this and go “mad” this month, I believe with all my heart we will see the most fruitful month we have ever witnessed here in the Great Denver Church!
All to His Glory,
Jason T. Woody
Evangelist
