JAM SESSION 3 - THE ANSWER
The Manhood Theme: Leadership
Key Verse
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8
The Answer
Some of you may know about Allen Iverson.
His nickname was:
"The Answer."
Why?
Because when his team needed help, they looked to him.
When they needed points, they looked to him.
When they needed leadership, they looked to him.
He wasn't perfect.
But people believed he could help solve the problem.
Today we're talking about a much bigger problem.
Let's Review
In Session 1, we learned:
My Bad.
We all sin.
We all make mistakes.
We all fall short.
In Session 2, we learned:
What's The Penalty?
Sin has consequences.
Sin separates us from God.
Sin creates a problem we can't fix by ourselves.
So now we have a question.
What's the answer?
God's Answer
The Bible says:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23
Notice something.
God didn't ignore the problem.
God didn't pretend sin wasn't real.
God provided an answer.
That answer is Jesus.
Why Jesus?
Because none of us could fix the problem ourselves.
Not by being good enough.
Not by trying harder.
Not by going to church more.
Not by doing more good things than bad things.
The problem was too big.
So God did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
He sent Jesus.
The Love Behind The Answer
Think about this.
Jesus didn't wait for us to get everything right.
He didn't wait for us to become perfect.
He didn't wait until we deserved it.
The Bible says:
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
That's love.
Real love.
Jesus took the penalty we deserved so we could have the relationship with God we could never earn.
Coach T Reminder
The cross is where God's love and God's justice meet.
A Decision Every Man Must Make
At some point, every young man has to answer a question.
What will I do with Jesus?
Not what your parents believe.
Not what your coach believes.
Not what your friends believe.
What do you believe?
Will you trust Him?
Will you follow Him?
Will you make Him your Leader?
The Good News
Jesus doesn't just forgive your past.
He gives you a future.
He gives you hope.
He gives you purpose.
He gives you a new start.
That's why Jesus isn't just an answer.
He's The Answer.
Think About It
When life gets hard, where do you usually look for answers?
How is Jesus different from every other answer the world offers?
Focus
What am I trusting more than Jesus right now?
Action
Read Romans 5:8 and Romans 6:23.
Write down one thing those verses teach you about God's love.
Reflection
Have I made Jesus my Leader, or am I still trying to lead myself?
Coach T Challenge
Everybody follows somebody.
Choose your Leader wisely.
The world offers a lot of answers.
Only Jesus offers life.
Coach T Closing Thought
A boy says,
"I'll figure it out myself."
A wise man says,
"I need help."
Jesus is God's answer for the greatest problem we all face.
Trust Him.
Follow Him.
Stay in the groove.
