Missing the Mark - Sportsmens Devotional

Pastor Jason

Special Occasions • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 2 months ago

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INTRO- I LOVE ALASKA

Slides 1- 7- Scenery from Alaska

Slide 8 -13 WILDLIFE

SLIDES 14-

AND OF COURSE I LOVE TO FISH

I LOVE FISHING

SLIDE 15 - COHO SALMON

SLIDE 16- HUMP BACK SALMON

SLIDE 17- SOCKEYE SALMON

SLIDE 18- WORLD CLASS KEINI RIVIER RAINBOW TROUT

SLIDE 19- DOLLY VARDIN TROUT

SLIDE 20- DEEP SEA COD

SLIDE 21- ROCK FISH

SLIDE 22 HALIBUT

SLIDE 23- ME AND ERIC AT THE RUSSIAN RIVER

TRANSITION

BUT ONE OF MY DREAMS HAS ALEAYS BEEN TO GO ON A BEAR HUNT IN THE MOUNTAIN

BEAR HUNT

SLIDE 24 - BEAR HUNT

In my Mind I wanted to do everything right to make sure that I was successful in my hunt.

- I prepared ahead of time (watched hrs. of video, read hrs. of books,).

- When I finally arrived in AK we went out to the shooting range and practiced shooting at 500 yards hitting a 5 inch circle on each shot with the Wetherby 257 Rifle!

SLIDE 25- CAMO

- I even Wore the perfect Alaskan camo so that I could blend in with the mountains

-I bought High end binoculars so that I wouldn’t miss even the slightest movement in the valleys.

I was, in my mind, completely prepared for my Hunt!

SLIDE 26-7 THE CLIMB

- climbed the mountain early

SLIDE 28 THE PEAK

finally, after 4 hours of climbing we made it to the top

SLIDE 29 Settled In for the Hunt

and began to glass the valleys around us looking for any sign of Bears.

SLIDE 30 Bear at a distance

SLIDE 31 - Bear circled

SLIDE 32- Bear up close

SLIDE 33- Left the Boys- PURSUIT

We left the boys and began to hike around the back side of the mountain.

As we finally emerged over the crest of the mountain saw the Bear and He was now only 500 yards away- Just inside our shooting range.

But we thought “if we can just get a little closer we can have a better shot”

SLIDE 34- BELLY CRAWLED

- As the Boys watched from on top of their perch We belly crawled to within 200 yards of the Bear

- I steadied my gun on a perfectly sized Rock

- Took aim, breathed out slowly, and made a good shot.

The Bear Jumped and ran down the mountain and into the Willows that it had emerged from earlier.

We were excited- I had shot my first bear in the Mountains of Alaska.

Our Hunt was perfect- We had done everything we had studied and learned to perfection.

We quickly got up and went to the spot where the bear was standing when I shot him and there was no blood!

We eventually went down to the brush were the bear had disappeared and we found a blood trail.

He was hit!!!

For the next 40 minutes we crawled on our bellies under branches through the brush following after that bear- looking for our prize.

It was a little scary not knowing what might be on the other side of every bush and limb we passed

While we were tracking Him we heard him crush through a branch on a tree and make a loud groaning sound.

“Could this be his Final breath?”

Eventually we came to the place where the sounds had came from.

It was his bedding area anf He was not the only bear who lived there - there were all kinds bedded down areas and footprints in the ground.

But there was a problem- The Blood trail stopped.

We could see the branch on the tree that was about 4 feet off the ground busted where He must have plowed through and one single Green Pinecone with blood on it.

BUT after that the trail was gone.

We looked everywhere for the trail to pick up, But it was a dead end.

My perfect hunt ended in Defeat.

Even though I had done everything I thought I needed to do to be successful- all of my work was in vain- I came up short I missed my mark.

I remember sitting at the base of that tree talking to God and saying I did everything right- I was studied , I practiced, I read and learned, I was patient and didn’t rush the shot. I did it all. Please give me my Prize.

BUT IT WAS TO NO AVAIL.

It was getting late and it would take us 2 hours to get back up to my boys and then another 3 to get down the other side of the mountain to the truck.

So we had to leave in our failure.

EVERYTHING WRONG

SLIDE 35- THE BOAT CAPTAIN

The next day we went out on a Halibut Fishing trip

and I got this great idea that I was going to climb up into the wheelhouse and sit with the captain.

He asked me what i had done so far in AK

I told Him all about the bear hunt How I stalked him and shot him at 190 yards

and He interrupted me and said “ He climbed a tree didn't He”

SLIDE 36 - BEAR IN TREE

I responded Why would you think He climbed a tree?

He said ALL KENEI Black bears climb trees after they have been Shot?

Why? i asked

They just assume that a grizzly bear or wolf must have bit them so they run for their lives.Because all

I thought I had done everything right- but in the end I hadn't done the one thing I needed to do to be successful

- and I didn’t look up into the tree.

At that moment I realized that the bear didnt run through That broken Branch. It broke when He climbed the tree to escape his attacher.

And instantly the green Pine with blood on it made all of the sense in the world.

Why wold a green pine cone be on the ground unless something had knocked it out of the tree/ LIKE A BEAR!!!!

Even though I was sitting at the base of the tree where that Bear was hanging- Because I never looked up I was not successful in my Hunt!

3. Conclusion- FRIENDS, even though I thought I was totally prepared for the hunt and even though I was doing everything right In my mind I missed the mark.e.

- You see in everything I watched on the Internet in everything I read- no one ever said that a wounded Kenai bear would always climb a tree.

- I thought I new what I was doing , But I failed because I didn’t know the truth.

TRANSITION TO THE GOSPEL

4. Let me tell you another story about missing the Mark when it comes to Our Eternity with Jesus in Heaven

- Too many people like to practice their religions

- We go to church

- we do good things

- we help the needing

- We even pray and read our bibles sometimes,

and deep down there are so many people that are hoping that their good deeds are enough for God to let them into his perfect heaven.

-But the reality is that just like my bear hunt- If this is all you do to gain eternal life than you have missed the Mark- You will Fail at gaining eternal life.

Friends I don’t want you to fail at gaining eternal life.

I don’t want you to live a good life thinking that you are okay. thinking that you are going to be successful

Just like if someone would have told me to always look up in the trees for your wounded Bear- I would have been successful in my Hunt!!!

I want to tell you the truth of what God requires for you to have complete success in gaining eternal life in Heaven.

This is not my words but straight out of the Bible - God’s Word.

SLIDE 38- RM 3:23

Romans 3:23 - “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

To fall fall short means that you missed the mark-

the Bible calls this Sin-

Friends when it comes to salvation- the only way that any one of us could ever earn our own salvation is to live an absolutely perfect life with out failing even once.

and this is why this verse say fro ALL HAVE MISSED THE MARK.

So why is it such a big deal for us to be perfect????

SLIDE 39- RM 6:23

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death,

because we fall short of God’s perfection, we are held accountable for our own sins.

SLIDE 40- Rom 5:8

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Friends Why did jesus die for us? Because we missed the Mark- Because there was no way we could ever save ourselves. and So God Compelled by His great love for You said there is nothing I wouldn’t do to pay your debt in full. and so God Himself in the form of Jesus came to this earth and Did what no human being could ever do

He hit the mark of perfection- he lived Perfectly so that He could pay your debt of sin in full.

SLIDE 41- Jn 3:16.

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Unless we do the One thing that God requires of us to gain eternal life we will die in our sins.

It doesn't matter How good you are or how religious you become- If you fail to Look Up to Jesus You will miss the Mark

The point is this- Like my bear Hunt- I thought I had done everything that I needed to do to be a successful bear hunter in Alaska- but I was still wrong -

It seems so simple, All i needed to do was look up! and yet because I didn't do this one simple thing I missed the Mark- I failed at harvesting a bear on that trip.

I could have gone Back after that hunting Guide had told be the truth, to try and recover the bear but it was too late - the Bear had spoiled and been eaten by wolves.

friends your salvation has an expiration date on it as well. Do get caught up in all of the religion and good works thinking you will be okay while failing to look up to jesus as Your Savior today- If you wait too long it will be too late.

SLIDE 42- Acts 16

Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’. Its that simple-

The Truth is simple - Unless you believe in Jesus for Salvation- you are doing everything wrong.

SLIDE 43- BEAR SUCCESS

3 Years Later I had the privilege to Hunt Bears again in Minnesota- and this Time I was successful- I did exactly what I needed to do to Hit the Mark!

Friends Dont wait until its too late

SLIDE 44- WRAP IT UP- look up and Believe

Friends Don’t wait until it’s too late Look Up and BELIEVE IN JESUS TODAY

What are you waiting for when it comes to your salvation-

Ask Jesus to take you place and pay the debt of your sins in full.

ITS SIMPLE ( GIVE A PRAYER EXAMPLE)

What are you waiting for when it comes to your salvation-

Ask Jesus to take you place and pay the debt of your sins in full.

PRAY

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