Rocky Balboa Faith

Few things motivate me as much as Rocky movies (except, of course, The Karate Kid). Every time I watch one, I get caught up in his personal struggles with Adrian, his challenges as a boxer, his cocky and aggressive enemies, and his never ending internal debate on whether he should give up or fight these big, scary dudes. He always seems to wonder if he has any fight left in him or if he has what it takes to even stand in the same ring with his challengers.

 

There is always some element in each of his opponents that makes him fearful or intimidated. He goes through a season of self-doubt or even pity, does a lot of soul searching, has a few long talks with his trainer, and somehow along the way, he makes the decision to fight. However, he never wants to fight in his current condition. He knows if he is going to have a "fighting chance," he will have to train and become even stronger.

 

 Source: The Wallpaper HD

 

He uses his struggles to become a better and stronger fighter.

 

Of course, he always has his ups and downs. When he has those weak moments, though, his trainer is always on his side. He might be telling him some things that are hard to hear; he may challenge him and push him the whole time, but it is only because he believes in Rocky and knows what it takes to make him "rise up to the challenge" of his rival. (Wink, wink...I hope you caught that!)  

 

In all that Rocky faced (poverty, family struggles, intimidating enemies, age disadvantages, low self-esteem, etc.), he never lost the love and support of his trainer. He never gave up on him and knew how to help Rocky become victorious (hint: more than a conqueror) in every battle he faced.

 

Now, I bet you may have never considered Rocky to be a movie about scripture, but take a look at this:

 

³¹ So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. ³² He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. ³³ Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. ³⁴ Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. ³⁵ Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? ³⁶ As the Scriptures say, “For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.” ³⁷ But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. ^38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-39 (ERV)

Cross references:

1. Romans 8:36 : Psalm 44:22

 

It is all about us! Rocky is about this very thing that scripture is trying to teach us here (well, maybe that wasn't what Sylvester Stallone was thinking when he wrote it, but it's applicable, none-the-less). The Bible never said we will live a struggle-free life in Christ. It said that we'll face PLENTY of things, but we always have a Trainer in our corner who will never stop loving us (nothing can separate us from God's love), who will always support us during our weak moments, and will help us face our challengers with a fierceness that comes from his training (the Word) and his strength that he gives us. He MAKES us victorious!  No matter what we face, we can remember that God has re-created us to be "anything but typical" because we are designed to be more than conquerors. We, too, have the power to "rise up to the challenge" of OUR rivals. God is good!

 

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Chained Like Jacob Marley

Sure, I know. Christmas is over. However, since it is so fresh in our minds, you'll have to pardon the comparison I'm about to make (fa la la la laaaa, la la la la.....Oops, sorry! That just slipped out).

Ever since I was a child, I have absolutely loved the movie "A Christmas Carol." I've never found a version of it that I haven't enjoyed (and believe me, there are many versions). I love the whole Victorian era, the clothes and the language, but most of all, I love the message of the story. It's quite symbolic of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The verse I'm using for meditation today is Romans 8:1-4:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has FREED YOU from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 

When I read this verse, I think of Scrooge as he is visited by the ghost of Christmas future. This is the most fearsome ghost of all for Scrooge (and would probably be for most of us) and the visit proves to be the most agonizing one of the night. He is faced with his own "legacy" and the rapidly approaching death that promises to drag him into a deep, dark grave leading straight to a fiery hell.

 Source: www.public-domain-image.com

Not very assuring.

Remember Scrooge's deceased partner, Jacob Marley? When he first visited Scrooge to warn him of the three ghostly visits and to urge him to change his ways, Scrooge was completely freaking out. It was not because of the visit from Marley himself, but because of the magnitude of the chains he bore. They were extremely heavy, numerous, and loud. Marley had to drag them around for all eternity as a result of how he lived his life.

Source: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net 

 

Now imagine those chains are yours as a result of your sin. The evil things you have done and the sin nature that has bound you in those chains is dragging you into a deep, dark grave leading straight to a fiery hell. Terrified, you're falling in darkness, dragged against your will farther and farther until, in desperation, you cry out to God asking for forgiveness for your sins.

SNAP!

You hear the deafening sound of metal breaking as you are suddenly jerked upward like you had just opened a parachute. The wind on your face as you fly upward and out of the grave is a welcome feeling. Your feet touch the ground and as your eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, you are able to see that your chains are gone. You are FREE!

Now imagine you see the One who had the power to do that for you. What would you do?

This is how I envision what Jesus did for us. The question is: How do we respond?

Do we take it for granted and walk right back into a life of sin or do we see it for the precious gift that it is and turn away from sin to follow the Spirit? I am so grateful that I was given that second chance and that God offered me freedom when I deserved death. One of my favorite worship songs, "In Christ Alone," says:

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

 

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me (PRAISE GOD!!!)
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ



This is what being a Christian means. It means that you turned from sin to follow the Savior and he broke your chains when you were powerless to save yourself. You are FREE!

That just makes you want to shout, doesn't it?!

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