Penalty Kill

Anyone who’s played hockey for a period of time has committed a penalty – no one goes through a hockey career without taking one. So any hockey player can empathize with the Hanson brother from the movie Slapshot, “You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes, by yourself, you know and you feel shame, you know.” … put so eloquently as only a hockey player could….

The most common type of penalty is a two-minute minor, where the offending player must sit in the penalty box for two minutes while his team plays shorthanded. The offender may not leave the box until either the penalty is over or the opposing team scores a goal. Anyone who’s sat in the box knows the uneasy feeling of hoping your team kills the penalty. And once the penalty has been called, there is no longer anything you can do to kill the penalty. You’re at the mercy of others to bail you out.

Just as no hockey player goes a career without taking a penalty, so no one lives a life without committing a sin (Romans 3:23). But in life, the penalty is far more severe than anything called on the ice. Romans 6 tells us that the wages of sin is death – not just of the body, but of the soul (Matthew 10:28).

And just like in hockey, once we’ve committed a sin, there is nothing we can do to get ourselves out of the box or kill our own penalty. In hockey, we are at the mercy of others - our teammates. In life, we need the mercy of Another -Jesus Christ.

While in the penalty box, the offender is nervous because they are waiting for the possible consequence - the other team scoring. If his team kills the penalty, there’s a distinct feeling of relief – the consequence didn’t come. We are all in the penalty box–and if Someone doesn’t kill our penalty, we’ll suffer the consequence. Anyone who puts their hope in Jesus Christ –He will kill their penalty (Acts 2:21, Colossians 2:14). Then we can say with joy, “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? …thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”...as we step out of the penalty box, escaping the consequence.

This is the very heart of Christianity – that Jesus Christ, God incarnate (John 1:1), became man (John 1:14), was the only one to ever live a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, Romans 3:23), was crucified bearing the punishment that we deserve (Isaiah 53), and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who call on His name (Acts 2:21). Jesus Christ is the ultimate penalty killer!

• What’s the worst penalty you’ve taken in hockey?
• Think of a time when you took a penalty, were nervous about the opposing team scoring a power play goal, but your teammates successfully killed the penalty. How did you feel towards your teammates?
• Can you think of any other situations in life where someone committing an offense can only rely on outside help?
• Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. What are some of the ways that we fall short of God’s glory?
• Read Romans 10:9-10. According to this scripture, what does it take to receive salvation?