Sermon Tone Analysis

The title of this message today is called *“BE A WINNER.”* *You’ve probably heard* it said, *“Its not whether you win or lose,** **it’s how you play the game.”*

But *don’t believe that.*

*I) **Sure* there may be *some things* *in the natural*, *like sports* *where that’s true.* *Somebody’s* going to *win* *and* somebody’s going to *lose*.

*A) *But *God* has *designed* *you and I* *to be winners.*

*1) **Man* was *created* *to be a winner.*

And we can *see that* *early* in the *Bible*.

*a) *Turn with me to *Genesis 1:26.*

*b) **God created man* to be the *head over everything* that breathed *on* the *earth*.

In fact, he was the *head* *of* *earth* *itself*.

*(Genesis 1:26).*

*2) **Man didn’t know* what *losing* was *until* he *separated* himself *from God* through disobedience in the Garden of Eden.

*a) *But *when that happened*, *man* *ran into* a wall of *defeat*.

*(i) *He was *forced to except failure* in his life, a position that he was never meant to occupy.

*3) **But* *if you’re* a *Born-again* child of God, I have *good news* for you.

*a) **Through* your *faith* *in* the Lord *Jesus* Christ, a *transformation* has *taken* *place*.

*b) *You’ve been *made a winner once again*.

*B) **Now*, you *might be thinking*, *“I don’t feel like a winner*.

I *feel like a loser* and I have *plenty of failures* in my life to prove it.”

*1) **All* of us have *failed* from time to time.

So *don’t worry*.

*2) *The *1st* *thing you need* to do in order *to become* a *winner* *is get* a *new ATTITUDE*.

*a) **And you can get it* *from the Word* of God.

*3) *Turn with me to *Ephesians 4:23.*

*a) **That’s what you and I need to do*.

*b) *We need to *renew our minds* *to the Word* of God, to *base our thinking* *on* the *fact* *that* *Jesus has overcome the world*.

*4) *Let me read *(Ephesians 4:22-24)* from the *NIV* translation.

*“**You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”*

*(i) *You need to *begin* to *see yourself* *as a winner* in Him.

*C) **George Patton* who was, I believe, a *Five Star General* in the United States *Army* had a *God given insight into war*.

*1) *He *knew* *how* *vital* *a winning attitude* *could be*.

*2) **When* he was *addressing* his *troops* he once *said*, *“Some of you men have come with your minds made up to die for your country.

That’s not the way to win a war.

The way to win a war is to make your enemies die for theirs.”*

*a) **George Patton* *had his mind made up to win* and *he knew* that *dying wasn’t the way* to do it.

*b) **He had a winning attitude*.

*3) **We too are in a war*.

*a) **(2nd Corinthians 4:10)* says*, **“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down strongholds.”

*

*b) **(Ephesians 6:12)* says*, **“For he wrestle (or do battle) not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, again spiritual wickedness in high places.”*

*4) *But *you know what?* *You have an even better reason* *to have a winning attitude* than George Patton did.

*a) **God has guaranteed your success*.

*b) **Let me give you an example*; *imagine* just for a moment *that* *you’re about to tackle the really tough job.*

*(i) *And *before you even get started* on it, *God speaks to you* right *out loud* *and says*, *“I just want you to know, I’m going to personally see to it that this project you’re working on succeeds.”*

*(ii) *Now wouldn’t *that give you a* tremendous *feeling of confidence*?

*(iii) **Even if things got rough*, *you wouldn’t worry* about it *because you have God’s Word* that you’re going to *succeed*.

*(iv) **That would make it easy* *to have* *a winning attitude*.

*D) **Well*, let me tell you something.

*You do have God’s promise* that *you will succeed*.

*1) **He* has *said in His Word* that *you’re an “OVERCOMER.”*

*a) **In Him*, *you can overcome any problem* that the *world throws* that you.

*2) *Turn to *1st John 5:1-5.*

(Thru 9)

*a) **Very clearly,* in these verses, *God tells us* *who the overcomer is*.

*b) **Who is it that overcomes the world?*

*(i) **He that believes that Jesus* Christ *is the Son of God*.

*(ii) **That’s you and me*, *born-again believers*.

*3) *Now *when the Bible talks about* *“THE WORLD,”* *it’s usually speaking of* *SATAN AND HIS KINGDOM OF DARKNESS*.

*a) *The *Bible says* in *(2nd Corinthians 4:4)* that *Satan* is the *god of this world*.

*4) *But *if you’re born of God*, you have *ABSOLUTE*, *PERFECT*, *GOD GIVEN*, *BLOOD BOUGHT RIGHT to overcomer every aspect of the world*-*everything it could possibly send* your way, *over Satan* *and* *every principality and power of darkness*.

*a) *It *doesn’t matter* *how much you feel like a loser*.

*(i) *It *doesn’t matter* *how many times you failed* in the past.

*b) **If you believe that Jesus is the Christ*, the *son* *of* the living *God*, then *you are an overcomer*.

*And* *you’ve been given* the *power to do it*.*

(1JN 5:4-9)*

*5) *Turn to *Romans 8:37.*

*a) *The *NASB* says*, **“We overwhelmingly conquer through Him.”*

*b) **If you believe the Word* of God, then *you should respond to every challenge* by saying, *“Well, praise God, I’m an overcome.”*

*(i) **That should be your attitude*.

*II) **Now*, *does having a winning attitude* *guarantee* *you won’t have any more troubles?*

*A) **No*.

It *simply means* *you can go through* that *trouble* and *emerge triumphant*.

*1) *Look at *John 16:33.*

*a) **In other words*, *Jesus* is *saying,* *“The world will come at you with everything it has to offer,* *but don’t worry about it*-*I’ve already beaten it*-*I’ve already overcomes the world.”*

*b) *Now *when Jesus said* *He’s overcome the world*, He *wasn’t referring to* just 99 *percent of it*.

*He said, “I have overcomes the world.”*

*(i) **100 percent* of it.

*c) **In* that *same verse* we just read, it *says* that *Jesus has overcomes the world*, *but it also* *says* that *we are “in Him.”*

*(i) **If he has overcome the world* *and* *we* *are in Him* *then* *we* *too* *are Overcomers*.

*d) *It *makes no difference* *what* *problems* the *world brings* your way.

*Just* *turn to Jesus* *and* *your guarantee to conquer* them *because* *he has overcome everyone* *and* *we are in Him*.

*B) *Turn with me quickly to *John chapter 17*.

*1) **This is the last prayer* that *Jesus prayed for His disciples* *before* going to the *cross*, *but not only* is this *prayer for* his *disciples* it’s *also for us.*

*2) **John 17:13-15.*

*a) **Jesus’ prayer* *reveals* to us that it’s *His will* *that* *we would live above* the *evil in* this *world*.

*b) **Does that mean* *we’re not going to have* any more *troubles?*

*(i) **No* *Jesus said*, *“In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be a good cheer I have overcomes the world.”*

*(ii) *But *his prayer* *for* the *disciples* *and* for *you and I* *is that we would be victorious* *over everything* the *world* *offers*.

*c) *Oh, *how do I know* that *he is praying* *for* *you and I* also*?* *John 17:20.*

*3) *But now *look at* *something else Jesus said* in the very next verse *John 17:21.*

*a) **Paul said* the *same thing* in *(1st Corinthians 6:17)* which says, *“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”*

*(i) **One translation says*, *“Is one spirit with Him.”*

*b) **You are one with Almighty God*.

*(i) **Is he loser?*

*Of course not*.

*He’s the greatest winner of all time.*

*(ii) **And that makes you will winner* too.

*4) **That’s why we need to change our attitude* *so that it’s more like His*.

*a) **God has a winning attitude*.

*There’s no defeat in Him*.

There’s *no failure in Him*.

*(i) **He has* the *attitude of victory*.