1. In our first lesson, Johnny tells Luke you need some Conviction. You need to understand why you do the things you do – from the grip to the swing. It’s the foundation of your golf swing – Moses would tell us that our Conviction in life is to love God above all other things.
2. Last week, Johnny tries to get Luke to begin to see things from a different perspective – there’s more to life than winning. Hannah would teach us that our hope in life has to be in God and that prayer should be the first thing we do not the last.
3. This week we look at the importance of faith.
This week’s question is where do you find faith? Can you See it, Feel it, or Trust it?
Self: Those who are living mainly for this world, themselves and not for Christ. Their legacy teaches to look out for number one. This legacy is always short lived.
Faith: Abraham left a faith legacy. His legacy was centered on his walk and trust in God. His legacy would impact his son, his people, and a nation. His legacy continues today and the world is blessed because of it.
What do you think would be the most difficult or craziest thing someone could ask you to do?
2. Last week, Johnny tries to get Luke to begin to see things from a different perspective – there’s more to life than winning. Hannah would teach us that our hope in life has to be in God and that prayer should be the first thing we do not the last.
3. This week we look at the importance of faith.
This week’s question is where do you find faith? Can you See it, Feel it, or Trust it?
- Johnny is going to put Luke through a series of lessons today to get him to feel something beyond seeing it. Johnny wants Luke to begin to feel something he’s never felt before - Faith in God’s presence and provision.
Two Types of Legacies
Self: Those who are living mainly for this world, themselves and not for Christ. Their legacy teaches to look out for number one. This legacy is always short lived.
Faith: Abraham left a faith legacy. His legacy was centered on his walk and trust in God. His legacy would impact his son, his people, and a nation. His legacy continues today and the world is blessed because of it.
What do you think would be the most difficult or craziest thing someone could ask you to do?
- How about staying seven days in a place called Utopia?
- How about learning about golf from fly-fishing, painting pictures or flying a plane?
- How about using putter that you know everyone will laugh at if you do?
- How about burying everything you believed was most important in life in a grave?
- How about sacrificing your only son?
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The legacy we are called to pass on is simple: Faith in Jesus Christ.
Funny
A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."
"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
I. FAITH WILL BE TESTED – GENESIS 22:1-3, 7-10
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” He said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.
……………………………………………
7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
Lessons at the river, painting a picture of a golf shot and a game of ring toss are all lessons for Luke to understand three truths: S F T
How is S F T helpful to executing a good golf shot? How does S F T apply to our Faith?
- Luke never saw life through the eyes of faith. Faith often requires us to walk to the brink of trust, and then take another step of obedience.
- To see God’s face is to understand His character and purpose. To know Him, not just about Him.
- To feel His presence is to walk in the Spirit. To abide in Christ.
- To trust His love is to obey.
Johnny said, “I have a respect for tradition but a passion for the truth.” What was the significance of the “Face On” putter Johnny introduced to Luke?
- What is the tradition and what is the truth in life?
- God has a greater calling for you than what you may think is so important in life.
- He wants you to see God’s face, feel His presence and trust His love – so that you can begin to see that life is about faith, relationships, character and integrity and not a golf game, how much wealth you may have, or what position you may hold.
Johnny told Luke to “Take control of this plane…Keep your wits about you.” What was he trying to teach Luke about times of crisis in our lives?
Trust God to provide in any test you face even when you cannot conceive of how God will do so.
Remember Indy's leap of faith?
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What is the purpose of testing? Why does faith have to be tested? Was God’s test really with the intent to sacrifice Isaac?
- Understanding, Trust in God
- We like Abraham, experience challenges. We build a legacy of faith by the way we respond to them.
- At the final point of a test, all might be uncertain except for God's presence and providence. We have no answers, only trust and obedience. That’s when we will realize that relationship with God is the ultimate treasure.
- God’s intent is that we trust Him even with our most treasured gift. God’s intent is to transform us from inside out so all expressions of our lives honor Him. God’s intent is to realign our most cherished priorities.
- God wasn’t testing Abraham’s love for Him; He was testing his faith in Him. He promised Abraham that he would be blessed through Isaac’s children, so Abraham knew that he would come back down off that mountain with Isaac his son. See verse 5: And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
How did Jesus test the rich young ruler?
- Is there anything you love more than God? God may test you on that.
- All tests involve something very precious or important to us. God highlighted Isaac's importance to Abraham by describing his son as "your son, . . . your only son Isaac, whom you love."
What did Luke have to sacrifice?
- Bury his lies – Failure in Golf is not a failure in life. My calling in life is more than a game.
- There is something more important than a golf score – faith.
- Luke had a greater calling than golf.
- At the end of the seven-day journey Johnny brings Luke to a Cemetery. It’s here where he teaches him the most important lesson of all. But first, he has to get rid of the baggage he was carrying. What was his baggage?
- His baggage was a list of lies that he believed were the significance to his life.
The Lies of Significance in Luke’s Life:
- My golf scores are a reflection of my self-worth.
- Failure in golf is failure in life.
- Success in golf will bring the fulfillment that I long for.
- My calling in life is to play golf.
- The opinions of others are paramount in the choices I make.
- God is a crutch for the weak.
- Tradition is sacred and never to be challenged
What might be our baggage of lies be that need to be buried?
- We think that our worth, our value, our identity, is based on how we perform, by how much money we make in life, by what position we hold.
- Think about it – what eternal significance does any of these things have?
- Every man who has ever won a prize, reached a goal, or achieved a milestone learns that the fulfillment of that moment quickly fades. No victory ever seems to be enough. Striving for more seems to be the only hope, but success never fulfills. While men were made to achieve, there is a deep calling to go BEYOND SUCCESS.
- Beyond success is measured by significance, not a golf score. Significance is defined by your faith, relationships, character and integrity, not by a golf score. Johnny would tell you not to just think about this, SEE IT!
Johnny told Luke that his gift wasn’t meant to be repaid, it was meant to be passed along. What did he mean by this and how does this apply to each of us?
- The question isn't if we are passing on anything to others. It's what are we passing on. Many people follow our example. What they see us do, they do. Our children become who we are.
What do people see in you? Do they see your faith? Johnny said, “Don’t think, see!” What do people see in you?
- Do they see you read your Bible and pray?
- Do they see you walk through the tough times in life depending on God with a peace that passes all understanding?
- Do they see you walk in love?
- Do they see you walk in integrity?
- Do they see you treat people with kindness and respect?
- Do they see you turn the other cheek?
- Do they see you ask for forgiveness?
- Do they see how Jesus has transformed your life?
See God's Face Feel His Presence Trust His Love
Faithfulness to God can have a powerful influence on your family and others.
At the end of the seven-day journey Johnny brings Luke to the Cemetery and he challenges him to bury for good all the lies in his life that he believed were so important. He challenges him to begin answering to a higher calling, a place beyond tradition, and a place of truth. Luke's significance in life would not be measured by a golf score or how successful he might become. Significance will be defined by your faith, hope and love.
- All of us are still in the process of building legacies. The major component of those legacies should be faith. How do you respond to the challenges you face? A faithful life is eternally valuable, impacts the present, and alters the future in ways you cannot imagine.
- Faith in God is the most important thing any of us could possess. Faith is not transmitted through the genes or automatically bestowed on all people. The faith of one generation must become real for each new generation. Parents especially must pass on their faith to their children. Children often will remember and imitate good examples. Faith must be caught as well as taught!
Prayer of Commitment
Lord, help me join with other faithful believers in passing along the legacy of faith. Amen
This week Johnny teaches Luke his final lesson from Utopia. Be in prayer this week that you too will learn all there is left to learn from this special place and this special person of God!
See you on Thursday in Utopia!
In His Love,
David
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