## Monopoly: Who's in Charge?

## Romans 10:9-10, 13

Although I grew up in the TV generation, our family always took time to play games together. This is one family tradition that I have tried to pass along to my children and grandchildren. No I am not talking about PlayStation or X-Box. I am talking about real life interactive games! Face to face competition that challenges the mind and warms the heart. This past holiday found the Robinson's gathered around the dining room table, not just for the ham and turkey, but also for the thrill of game time! There are lots of new and exciting games available for family time now. But growing up, some of my favorite games were Life, Clue, Battleship, Sorry, and the best of all… Monopoly! This morning I want to begin a series of messages entitled the "Games People Play." In 'real life' we still deal with monopolies, clues, battles and being sorry. Over the next few weeks we'll look at some important issues that are not so much games as they are decisions that will make all of us genuine winners in this life and for all eternity. We start this morning with Monopoly: Who's in Charge? Our key verses are found in Romans chapter ten. Let's read them together and then we'll come back to them in a few minutes.

Ro 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Ro 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Officially "invented" in 1933, some form of the Monopoly game as been around since as early as 1903. Charles Darrow is credited most often as the inventor of a game where participants circle the game board - over and over again - buying, selling, trading and gaining real estate "monopolies". I would guess that most of us have played the game or at least seen the game played. What strikes me most about Monopoly is the premise that the "winner" is the one who eventually "owns it all". There are only two outcomes for the game of Monopoly: you either gain the monopoly or you go bankrupt. You either gain it all or lose everything. There is a verse in the Bible that deals with that type of thinking. It's found in Matthew 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

There is a popular saying, "The one who dies with the most toys, wins!" The truth of the matter is, "The one who dies with the most toys still dies!" How do we benefit if we gain the whole world but lose our own soul? What benefit is it to gain a monopoly in this life but lose for all eternity? You see ultimately, life is not about gaining control - it's about giving up control! The true secret to winning in life is giving up control to the ONE who can really give success.

That's the challenge for this morning: "Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control." The key to a fulfilling life, the way to true success, if you want to be a genuine winner is to "Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control".

Now go back to Romans chapter ten:

Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Ro 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

These verses tell us that Jesus is the Lord! What does that mean? The word used for Lord here is the Greek word 'kurios', which means one who is in supreme in authority, the one who controls, or we could say, the One who holds the monopoly.

When Jesus is in control - when He has the monopoly - when He is truly Lord of our lives, we win!

I. When Jesus has the Control

A. We win eternal life!

Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1. It is actually an exchange.

2. The Lord takes our sin, and gives us His righteousness and salvation.

Ro 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

3. He died on Calvary, that we might have eternal life.

4. Not a bad deal for us is it?

5. Now if that were the only benefit of turning our lives over to the Lord, it would be enough.

6. But there is more!

B. We win our heart's desire!

Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

1. I want us to consider a couple of thoughts from this verse.

2. The word 'delight' means to be soft or pliable; the idea here is to allow ourselves to be shaped by God.

3. Rather than being resistant toward Him and His will, we need to surrender our hearts to Him and let Him have His way in our lives.

4. When this happens, He will give us the desires of our heart.

5. What do we want? For most, the desires of the heart are out of control.

a. Why? Because we think we know what is best for us.

b. We think we know what we want.

c. But until we are surrendered to the Lord we will go after the things that we think will satisfy…

d. But we will always come up empty and unfulfilled.

e. When we give the Lord control of our lives, He will give us a new heart, and everything will change!

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you" Eze 36:26a

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2Co 5:17

C. We win a worry free life!

Ps 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

1. What do we worry about the most? Things!

2. We worry that we won't have enough things.

3. We worry that we will lose the things that we have.

4. Sometimes we worry that someone else has bigger and better things than we do!

5. Worry is a waste of time and effort!

6. Jesus instructs us to focus our attention on the Lord, not on our things!

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

7. When we give the Lord control of our lives, we no longer have to worry about things!

8. He will take care of us!

II. How Do We Give Jesus Control

Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

A. We must confess…

1. What must we confess?

2. That Jesus is Lord…He is the One who is in control of our lives.

3. We surrender our will and agree with God that He is in control.

4. We say it with our mouths!

a. Unashamedly we need to proclaim this truth to God and others.

b. This is not an emotional reaction, but is an act of our will.

c. We make a conscious choice to confess…

d. Confessing with the mouth means we are telling Jesus and ourselves constantly that He holds the monopoly!

B. We must believe…

Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

1. What must we believe? Does it really matter?

2. Yes it really matters what we believe!

3. We must believe that Jesus is exactly who the Word of God says He is!

4. He is the One who died for us, the One who was buried, and the One who was raised from the dead on the third day!

5. He isn't just another great teacher or religious leader…

6. He is the One and Only Son of God…

7. He is the One and Only Way of salvation…

8. Our belief must come from our heart…it must be genuine and sincere!

III. Who has the Monopoly in our life?

A. There can only be one who is in charge.

1. Jesus told us that no man can serve two masters.

2. We can only have one person who is in charge.

3. Only one person who is calling the shots, and making the decisions.

4. Only one person who is plotting the course of our lives.

5. Is that person Jesus?

6. If not, come to Him today…place your faith in Him and surrender your life to Him.

7. When we do, we win!

B. Are we kidding ourselves?

1. There are some who claim to have surrendered their lives to Him, but they want to retain the monopoly.

2. Maybe you have come to Christ for salvation, but somewhere along the way you quit following Him.

3. Somewhere along the way you started following your own plan instead of His…

Lu 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

4. This morning, you may need to come and recommit your heart and life to Him.

5. Whatever your need, come now!