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2 MINUTE WARNING

WITH DOUG JOHNSON

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527 Wanting From Man

Many of our hopes and dreams are rooted in something good, they truly are, but they aren’t rooted in something that has life.

We seek first the kingdom, but the kingdom that we live in has nothing for us … nothing that can fill us … nothing that will bring us life.

And so it brings us to Solomon, who strongly professed that “life is meaningless”.  And he did so after winning at all the things that many of us strive to acquire.

MEANINGLESS

I love the gospel, because you can always start out with the truth but find your way onto the Greater Truth.  And the Greater Truth is this:

We need to spend less time Wanting From Man and ALL of our time Needing From God.  Because Needing From God gives us ALL THAT WE COULD HOPE FOR while Wanting From Man leaves us with MEANINGLESS.

As I pondered this this morning, I asked the question, “What does God think of me?  What does He truly believe about me?”

And here are just a few of those things:

  • He SO LOVES ME.  John 3:16 says that He LOVES ME SO MUCH that He traded His son for me.
  • He rejoices over me.  Zephaniah 3 says that He is so happy about me that the heavens rejoice with singing.
  • He has adopted me as His son.  (Ephesians 1).
  • He has paid off my unpayable debt.  (John 19:30).
  • I am royalty.  (1 Peter 2:9).
  • He renews His love for me every morning.  (Lamentations 3).
  • He has prepared “a place” for me.  And this place is better than any place that I could even fathom. (John 14:3).
  • I am MORE than a conqueror.  (Romans 8:37).

In Luke 24, an Angel asked Mary Magdalene and the other women who entered Jesus’ tomb “why do you look for the living among the dead?” and I often have to ask myself the same question.  Why am I looking for confirmation, affirmation, or encouragement from a spirit who wants to steal, kill, and destroy?  And, truly, most of the time that is what we seek.  The reality is that God has something greater for us—and He actually will propel us to be better than what we seek to be by feeding an insatiable appetite.

Walking into Syria, Paul realized what he was … a broken man who had everything the world had to offer.  His pursuit of education, popularity, privilege … they had filled his carnal desires and emptied out his very soul.  And so he made a great decision, he pursued, and filled, his need for God.

The risen Savior has something for us … and it is better than anything that we could ever want.

So don’t spend your time trying to get filled up in the world and then going to God questioning why it isn’t working … Get filled by the Spirit … then go into the world.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

526 The Alpha Male

“Even If He Doesn’t” … When three men stood before certain death they uttered this response.

And the “He” that they referred to was the Alpha Male … the TRUE Alpha Male.  The self proclaimed Alpha AND Omega.  The one TRUE God.

Daniel 3 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  

3 men.

A blazing furnace.

A threat.

An easy way out.

And yet, they chose to stand.

And The Alpha Male?  Without Him, we have a wonderful Christmas story.  We have bulletin boards filled with a nice idea of our perception of the gospel.  And we have peace at a Sunday morning service.  But with him?  We have EVERYTHING.  And this EVERYTHING is the VERY THING that we seek but can never attain without Him.  We have the hope of nations.  We have Hope … And a Future.  We have protection … and someone who truly has our back.  Without Him … we have NOTHING.  But with Him?  We have the greatest gift on planet earth.

Obviously the Alpha Male that I am referring to … is Jesus.

As I sing All Hail King Jesus … I am so convicted of this.  And for this reason I can’t stop listening to it, singing with it, raising my hands to heaven as I worship Him in the midst of it.

Jesus stared in the face of the bleakest situation in the history of the world.  And He gave all that He had that we might have life.

We must never, ever, ever, forget this.

Because Jesus, as He hung on that cross, chose not to forget you.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

As you play this song this morning—I encourage you to play it and contemplate the lyrics … so convicting.  Take a moment this day to worship … and to cry out in Spirit and Truth.

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Coach J

525 I Know The Answer

Our life changes when we can say these four words:

I Know The Answer

It is a simple phrase really.

But it is powerful to the core.

John 1 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

In one powerful moment, Nathanael discovered who he was.

And not too long after that, a rejected and broken woman who was despised by an entire town converted it … and she did so by saying: “come and meet the man who told me everything I ever knew.”

Both of these found the answer.  And both of them could say:

I Know The Answer

This is not a cliche.

It is not a line that will get you through the next hour, or shift, or week.

It is a lifestyle.

And just as many would profess to have a lifestyle that they want all of us to adopt, or accept, or even worship, this lifestyle will actually bring life … and peace … and joy … and hope.

David was despised for dancing before the Lord … but he knew the Answer.

John the Baptist was shunned by most men, but he did not care because he knew the Answer.

Paul changed teams in the middle of a winning streak.  He went from the worldly winning team to the worldly losing team–because on a trip into Syria he met the Answer.

Peter talked, and bragged, and jockeyed for position, and made promises that he couldn’t keep.  But then he became an unstoppable force in never backing down.  Why?  Because he had found the Answer.

And so it happened.  And it happens today.  The world has no understanding or description or comprehension of the radical life changes that certainly happen to people that find the Answer.

As you listen to this song today, ask God to change your heart.

Find … the Answer.

Because something powerful happens when you can say … 

I Know The Answer

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

524 Give Me Faith

When Jesus walked into the synagogue and read this scripture it was the beginning of the end for His life on this planet:

Isaiah 61 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

And so, in Luke 4:21, He shut the scroll and declared that HE, yes HE, was the very messiah.

Such a powerful testimony that He is our Savior.

And yet, He wasn’t just talking to THEM.  He is also talking to US!  He is the sovereign Lord for us!  In 2025 … we need to recognize and invite this.  THIS is what we need more than anything else.  We need Him to come and bind up the brokenhearted and fulfill every single thing that He is destined to do.

Think about what He wants!  It is mind boggling when you think about it.

He wants you to be a mighty warrior.

Judges 6 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

He wants to rewrite your story.

Hebrews 12 20 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author, and Perfecter of our Faith.

He wants you to have healthy thinking.

Proverbs 23 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he

He wants you to WALK OUT your faith.

James 2 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? … 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

He wants you to have a faith that can move mountains.

Mark 11 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’

I am not sure what I think of all of this.  But I am in awe of the guy who willingly gave His life 2000 years ago … AND His word … AND this Holy Spirit that is putting tears in my eyes this morning … AND I am also in awe of this God, this Father, who watches from on high and loves me so much even though I don’t deserve it!

I think this Elevation Worship song sums it up, doesn’t it?

Lord Jesus, (as the lyrics say) “GIVE ME FAITH, to trust what YOU SAY, that YOU ARE GOOD, and YOUR LOVE IS GREAT”.

Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, I beg you:

Give Me Faith

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

523 Battle Cry Of The Ages

Sometimes what we do is not good enough.

Let me rephrase:  What We Do Will NEVER Be Good Enough.

We won’t measure up.

And to make things worse, we have an enemy who has been kicked out of the Kingdom who stands atop a hill and accuses us—day AND night.  He calls out our inequities, lies to us, and presents a case for why we should be condemned.

We are sitting ducks for Hell.

And yet … 

Matthew 28 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Acts 2 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

God demonstrates His own love for us in this … While we were still sinners … Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)

And so we cry out to Jesus, submit to Him, and again look for what we can do … But as we look throughout scripture we find that we are not able to move forward without Him.  And our reality is that moving forward ONLY HAPPENS AS A RESULT OF HIM:

(Paul converts others FROM PRISON!!)  

Philippians 1 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard …

(Paul is more effective ON THE RUN)  

2 Corinthians 11 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  25 Three times I was beaten … I was pelted with stones … three times … shipwrecked

26 … in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country …

(Moses simply receives instructions from God) 

Exodus 34 29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai … that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses … the skin of his face shone … 

(David is a sitting duck … but not with God)  

Psalm 23 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

(Joshua reduces an army and storms a fortress with words)  

Joshua 6 20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed … 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it …

What we do does not always matter.

This is a hard pill to swallow … and the hope of nations.

God does what we cannot.

And sometimes … when we are our weakest, God is moving at His greatest clip.

So what can we do? … NOTHING—Other than bow down … worship … and proclaim His holy Name. Because shouting to the Lord might very well be … The Battle Cry For The Ages.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

522 Our Biggest Problem

It is hard to put your finger on all that is wrong.  

One might say that:  

  • We have knowledge … but not wisdom
  • We have materials … but that our souls are empty
  • We have life saving abilities … but we do not live

But our biggest problem is best described as the following:

  • Our engineers can design, and construct, incredible machines that do more than we ever thought possible.
  • Our doctors can cure diseases that we once thought insurmountable.
  • Our politicians can gather thousands at rallies that make crowds go crazy and chant, altogether, cheers in unison……and so can our athletes.

Yet none of these are Gods, nor can they ever fill that role.  And though they might act like gods, and though we might exalt them as gods, we stare in utter disbelief when they reveal their true nature…and we wonder what happened.

What has happened is that we make others, or ourselves, fill a role that we can never succeed at.

Jesus is the only one worthy of praise and adoration and focus and surrender … and yet we are innately gifted at forgetting this one thing.

And it is Our Biggest Problem.

Revelation 4 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

God is our God.  And He will always be our God.  And He will always be the ONE THING that we truly need.

And this will never, ever, change.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

521 Jesus Paid It All

As you enter into worship today, do not let go of what you have.

You have the Truth.  In a world that contaminates and destroys everything that it touches, Jesus is 100% truth.  There is no exaggeration, or twisting, or hiding.  He is The Truth.

You have Forgiveness.  Your mistakes, your defiance, your stubborn pride, and Your debts … they are Paid In Full.  They aren’t just ignored, they are PAID IN FULL.

You have Eternal Life.  The gift of life that never ends.  You are given the life that never has to say goodbye.  Regrets can be destroyed.  There will always be enough time.  And there will be no understanding in the conscious realm of sickness.  

You have Victory Over Sin.  Instead of being in a constant fight, you have victory.  And just as a treaty is signed and there is a surrender—so will be your victory over sin.  In the Kingdom we will have a full consciousness of this as we will no longer be “being made holy”…we will have victory in every way.

You have a Father Who Loves You.  And just as the Father stood in waiting in Luke 15, He is waiting for you.  And just as the Father ran to greet His son in Luke 15, so will the Father run to you.  In this concept ALONE—you can have incredible freedom.

Colossians 2 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.  15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  

As you worship today, reach your hands to heaven and celebrate these victories … and every other one that the Father has given to you.  They are incredible.  And they are free.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

520 I Need You

Our value in the partnership with Jesus is … unimportant.  As much as we would like to profess our value, our contribution, our resume—it simply means nothing on the accounting books.

And to realize this is humbling to the core.

But the reality is that we cut a deal with God … yet need God to help us keep our end of the bargain.

Growing up, I would read the Old Testament and even the stories of the disciples and scoff at their utter lack of contribution … or commitment.

But today, I am coming at it from the other side.

These people … they were so much better than I first perceived.  They are in fact, just like all of us.

As I listened to this song this morning driving into work, the words resonated with me.

I am weak … my flesh my fail … give me faith, to trust what You say … I need You, to soften my heart … I surrender … 

Amen.  Amen.  And amen.

We are ruined without Him.

And thank God that He has the patience to endure our utter brokenness.

Psalm 139 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Praise You Jesus — You, and You alone, hold the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

519 In Him, We Might Become …

Paul tells us many things in 2 Corinthians 5.  And as I read it today I am seeing things that I have never seen before.

The promises of God are amazing.  And sometimes we need the promise that assures us that it is OKAY that we are broken … 

So what does God tell us?

  • He tells us that we are in an “earthly tent”, that our days are numbered, that things will deteriorate.
  • He tells us that we will have shame, that we will sometimes feel exposed, or that we won’t measure up.
  • He tells us that we will feel distant from Him.

Amen, amen, and amen.

Sometimes we are not living the Disney story.  But realizing this, we can seek something better.  And the better is SO MUCH BETTER.

And so there it is … we can make a trade.  Some might say that this is the “great exchange”, but whatever the name—this is the greatest thing that you could ever seek.

Jesus has something for us that we could never attain on our own accord.

And He gives it to us for nothing—or even worse—He gives it to us while adopting our broken attempt at building something.

2 Corinthians 5 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As you read this verse today I encourage you to read ALL of 2 Corinthians 5.  It promises what we deal with every day … and then promises what we have when we make the trade.

Jesus is more than enough.

He is more than our sin.

He is more than our brokenness.

He is more than our broken physical bodies.

And He is more than able to cover the distance that we plant between our selfish desires … and Him.

As you reach out this morning … Cry out—

He will be there.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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