13 Mar ‘Bingeworthy’ | Part Four – ‘Cobra Kai and the Faith My Father Gave Me’ | All Locations

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Key Verse: 1 Timothy 1

Binge Worthy – Part 4

Cobra Kai and the Faith My Father Gave Me

Key Verse: 1 Timothy 1

‘Cobra Kai’ is a series that stemmed from the 1980’s movie ‘Karate Kid.’  Cobra Kai’s motto was: Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy.  The ‘Karate Kid’ was more about the character Daniel Larrusso and ‘Cobra Kai’ is about Johnny Lawrence.

Lawrence was the epitome of the 80’s with his bad boy looks and his success.  He always picked on Larrusso.

Forward ahead thirty years later and the script has flipped.  Johnny Lawrence is now broke and a divorced dead beat, living in the past.  Danny is successful, married, and living in today.

Ice breaker:

Q. Have you watched the movie and or the series and what do you think of the show?

Johnny was a stepson to a rich guy who abused him and treated him badly.  The issue of not having a father in his teens led him to John Crease who is the root cause of who Johnny was in a bad way. Not having a solid healthy influence in a father led Johnny to a desperate place.

“We live in a time where most men are essentially fatherless.  They have no man taking them through the many adventures, trials, battles, and experiences they need to shape a masculine hearth within them.  They find themselves on their own trying to figure life out… Their fears, anger, boredom, and many addictions all come out of this fatherless place within them – a fundamental certainty in their core of their being.”-John Eldridge

Fatherlessness is serious problem in our culture.  We all need a father, someone to come along side us. It does not necessarily mean a biological father but also spiritual fathers.  Not just fathers, but mothers as well.   

Q. What are some problems you have witnessed first hand in today’s culture regarding fatherlessness?

1 Timothy 1:1–2 (ESV)

Paul takes Timothy under his wing, he takes him along side and says Timothy ‘you can do this.’  We all need someone who has been through the battle, telling us we are not alone.  Timothy was timid, struggling with insecurity, had health issues, was looked down upon by his elders, tempted, he was tried and tested by false teachers in the church.  

We  need a GOSPEL SENSEI.

Now is the time we need and need to be Gospel senseis.  Whether we are aware of it right now or not we are in a spiritual fight.  The enemy is dong everything possible to upend our lives.   We are good at encouraging people to pray and to get to church (which are good things) but we often fail in mentorship.   We need to be someones sensei and we need a sensei.

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”-John Newton

Every Christian should have a PAUL and a TIMOTHY in their life.

Someone we are looking to and someone who we are looking back at to see how we can help.

Q. How do you relate to Paul and Timothy?

1. A Faithful Father is TRANSFORMED by GRACE. 

1 Timothy 1:12-13 (ESV) 

Paul was telling Timothy he was just like him.  He was violent, angry, like the original John Crease – a bad sensei.  Paul thanked God for giving him strength.  He was one of the greatest apostles/missionaries in the world yet here he is writing to Timothy saying he is thankful.  He is thankful because God gave him strength as he was timid just like Timothy. 

In Cobra Kai, winning at all costs ultimately does Johnny a lot more harm than good.  What he got from John crease did not develop him as a son.  

1 Timothy 1:13b-14 (ESV) 

God brought Paul from where he was to what he became so he could influence Timothy. He becomes a proponent of the Gospel and a champion and he keeps telling him this is who he was and thankful he is no longer that person.

Best thing we can do for our kids is remind them of what Jesus has done for us.  How he transformed us and made us a different person.  After Paul’s ignorant unbelief  he received mercy!   He did not just get grace but grace with faith and love.  What makes us a mentor is  a heart that is transformed by the power of Jesus.  He takes the arrogant and humbles them.

ANYONE can be USED for God because ANYONE can be CHANGED by God.

We may not feel we are equipped but God can change and use anyone.

Q. When have you felt ill-equipped to be a spiritual mentor and why?  

2. A  Faithful Father REFUSES to be FAKE.

1 Timothy 1:15–16 (NIV)

Every chance he gets, Paul talks about how bad he was and is.  He says: ’Whom I am the worst’ two times.   In a world where everyone is trying to be the best the Gospel comes and demolishes our pride.  Paul is not celebrating being the big and the best but he rejoices in being the worst.  Even though we are sinners we are infinitely loved by God.  In 1 Corinthians Paul was the least of the apostles, in Ephesians he was the least of the saints, and in 1 Timothy he is the worst of sinners.  When we know Christ, we know how bad we really are, not to brag about us but to show others how far Jesus went to save us.

Q.  What events or experiences in your life can you use to encourage others to believe?

1 Timothy 1:16-17 (ESV) 

God chose Paul to show how patient He is with sinners.  Not because he is great.  It is God’s grace and not Paul’s achievements.  There is nothing more damaging than religious hypocrisy.  The church has a history of looking down at those who act different than us.  Scripture calls us to clean our own house first.  We all fail or are going to fail and we to be honest with our spiritual children about our failures. We need to find some honest people and be that honest people.

3. A Faithful Father commends US to FIGHT for the GOSPEL.

1 Timothy 1:18–19 (ESV) 

Not fighting for fightings sake, fighting for the Gospel in our own life.  There are fights that we don’t need to fight and then there are good fights for us.  Not as the world fights. 

The gospel is aways under a stack from two sides:

Outright rebellion – too far gone, cannot be forgiven so I will live the way I want. 

Religiosity – I am a good person, doing well, got my life together. 

Before we know it we are religious Pharisees living our whole life thinking we are good but will not make an impact on a single soul.  It is God’s grace that makes us who we are.

Q. What are some examples you see in the world today where people are doing good but not impacting souls?

Sermon in a sentence:

The Gospel brings us to God by His GRACE so that we can BECOME what He WANTS and INFLUENCE those He brings our way.

Challenge: Find a Gospel Sensei/Be a Gospel Sensei