THE RED ROVER

SERIES: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY-RELATIONSHIPS

TEXT: JOHN 9:1-34

There are very many kinds of games in the world. Some played at home and others are played in the field. The single most significant force in our lives is relationships. Therefore, we must learn the games people play so that we can manage relationships to win!!

Red Rover is played like this. Two teams of people off over short distance and lock hands. One team picks out their targeted foe and starts the CHANT-Red Rover, red rover let slow poke-come over. Oh, slow poke would determine where he thought there was the weakest connection and run into the locked hands to see if he could breakthrough. In fact, he did have the speed and strength necessary to break through to go back to his original team. If he was unsuccessful in breaking through, then he joined the team that was able to keep him out. The object was for one team to be eliminated by removing all their players but one.

The single most significant impacting force in our lives is relationships. Relationship management is life management. This is true spiritually because our relationship with Jesus Christ impacts us eternally. On this side of eternity it is the relationships in our lives that determine our quality of life and the trajectory of our lives. Show me your friends and I will show you your future.

Many of us come to church to be taught how to do spiritual things, but we can’t seem to mange relationships.

You and I can win spiritually but lose relationally.

Jesus Christ did not want us to win spiritually and lose relationally.

Jesus Christ recognized that relationships would cause us to live in purpose or live in pain!

Jesus Christ wants us to play the game of relationships properly.

In this life there are terminal thinkers and relational thinkers. Relational thinkers always relate every life choice to eternal thinkers don’t relate their choice to any object. The entire promise of Red Rover is keeping people out or letting them in. We must learn to let the right people in and to keep the wrong people out.

In John 9:1-6, 13-14, 28-34 Jesus illustrates this principle:-

JESUS ENCOUNTERS A MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND.

• Everyone assumed that the man is blind due to sin.
• Either he/his parents have done something wrong.
• But Jesus reveals to all that this man’s blindness was allowed by God for his glory.
• The people see the once blind man now healed and take him to the religious leaders who don’t like the fact that he was healed on a Sabbath day.
• The religious leaders dragged his parents into the saga.
• Finally the religious leaders throw this man out of the temple because he wouldn’t agree with the issue they had with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.
• Please notice that this man is identified as the man that has been blind since birth. No name is given to him.
• Notice also that this man had agreed with the position of the villagers that “Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.”
• Since this was the belief of his community and religious leaders, this man settled to a life of blindness.
• Everyone around concluded that blindness since birth is the final prognosis.
• Just imagine the relationship of the blind man and society.
• Remember if we are going to win in relationships and therefore win in life, we must determine who to let into our life and who to keep out.

HOW DO WE KNOW WHO TO LET IN AND WHO TO KEEP OUT?

• Let people in that see you better than you see yourself.
• We need people in our life that make us hungry better life.
• The blind man was comfortable with blindness until Jesus Christ came along and made him hungry for sight.
• We need someone who sees our blindness and makes us recognize it and want a difference.
• We need people who bring sight, knowledge, people who refuse to allow you to settle for blindness in our area.
• People who refuse to be comfortable in your sickness.
• We tend to become comfortable in our blindness and other issues. We become functional in dysfunctional. We become comfortable in darkness.
• Some of us are so comfortable with issues that are killing us-bad purchases, bad relationships, bad attitudes, bad behavior and need someone to step in and say “It doesn’t have to be this way!”
• We must come to a place where we can say “Red Rover, Red Rover, let a truth teller come over.”
• Grand access to those who would make you a better person.
• God sends helpers who have insight, correction, discipline, grace, wisdom but too many of us keep them out.
• These people are sent to your camp, but they can’t be in your camp if they can’t get into your camp.

2. Let people in who do more than just identify an issue.

• Let those in who can fix the issue. There are people who are experts in spotting the issue, but have no idea how to fix it.
• Such a people make us hopeless and helpless and we remain blind.
• The religious leader spotted the blind man’s problem but they could fix the problem and did not want anyone who could fix the problem fix it.
• Jesus Christ was the only one who could spot the problem and had power to fix it.
• Some of you have a lot of problem spotted in your life.
• Open your life to people who can actually do something to fix what they see is wrong.
• If someone can spot that you have money problems but can’t help you dig out of debt, help you live on budget.
• There are self-appointed church experts everywhere that tell us what we are doing wrong but can’t tell us what to do to get it right, don’t let them in.

3. Keep people out who prefer your blindness more than they prefer your sight.

• The religious leaders threw this man out of the temple, after he had been healed.
• They were happy with him so long as he was blind.
• There are people who are happy with you so long as you are poor, blind etc. When you become whole thy throw you out.
• They never celebrate your success; don’t admit them into your life.

4. The bottom line is that we must learn to set boundaries.

• In order to win you can’t let everyone in however give equal love not equal access.
• To win you can’t keep everyone out.
• Some of us don’t win because they keep everyone out.
• You should be able to determine who to give access and who to deny access.

CONCLUSION

• Relationships determine destinies; your relationship with Jesus Christ determines your eternal destiny.
• To win in life you can’t let everyone in and to win you can’t let everyone out of your life.
• Those you let in, do they add and multiply your life or do they subtract and divide your life?
• Are they a blessing (add value) or curse (reduce value)?
• What kind of friends have you allowed into your life? Do they help you to desire more, do they point out what is wrong-are they increasing your darkness, do they tell you how you can fix your blindness?