The voice told me to look back because the guy was getting ready to pass me. Find answers to some of the more asked questions. We are seeking to be refreshed through people who don’t have the ultimate Refresher living in them. I can’t run your race, and you can’t run mine. I saw the entire crowd in front of me, within yards. A spiritual champion is one sold out to Jesus, straining to become more like him everyday. This need for training is not only for athletes; it is required for playing a musical instrument, learning a new language, or acquiring a new skill. What caused her to be a winner was that she finished. In order for us to run this race effectively, secondly, we must be in condition to complete it. I only ran one 10k and that was pacing a man in a wheelchair. We also need to train for the race on a continual basis. The “race,” then, is the Christian life. The last long distance race I ran was about 15 years ago. This commitment needs to be deep because it requires are all. Most runners refuse to carry anything with them because they know it will slow them down. Returning to the notion of running a marathon in the next Olympics, you begin working out; you quickly understand the need for intentional training. Not half heartedly but with determination. You allow yourself to imagine that maybe you do have what it takes to run the race. It, too, dominates your mind. It, too, is what you live for. Have you ever run a race? We have a great cloud of witness, the standard of greatness and the perfect trainer. Remember my 200 meter race? It was an important race. In this race, like the Olympic race, you have been chosen. The starter told us all to get in the blocks. The race is a contest in daily progress toward Christ-likeness. Runners call it "hitting the wall." It is a thrill to run a race and hear the voices of the people who are watching as they shout words of encouragement. He tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and promises or to live in fear through believing a lie. Conclusion: 1. We cannot just go and run a 100 meter or a three-mile race and expect to win without practice. The goal is to finish. They come in different sizes and at different stages. And I personally think Nancy is crazy. I knew I had him. Rick Ezell is the pastor of First Baptist Greer, South Carolina. It occupies your waking moments. No one is going to put forth that kind of effort, however, unless there is some reward at the end. And we’re all in it for the same reason—to fuel the church’s mission of making disciples. Will you get off the sofa and get in the race? We will be looking at verses one through three. Can’t you see your Lord there waiting. I use to be a runner. The only way to be freed, according to Jesus and Paul, is through the truth that is found in God’s Word not in the wisdom of this world (2 Corinthians 4.1-4; 2 Timothy 2.24-26). We each have obstacles, in our personal lives, and in our churches. Hebrews 11:29-12:2 The Olympic Games usually include events of athletic determination and courageous inspiration. When running a distance race, a strategy is required too. An article appearing the next day in The Scotsman newspaper said, "The circumstances in which Liddell won the race made it a performance bordering on the miraculous. One of the first things we notice is that a course has been created for us to run. This is seen in our passage in verse 1. The Greek word for race is agon from which we get our word agony. What great joy to see everyone running together in the same direction to the city of God. It is our duty to understand that course to the best of our ability. The more we have the Word of God (continue to pump the ball) in our lives, the more we can resist Satan, the more he loses grip in our lives. This particular meet was the preliminaries to the finals. Back to your home, the Olympic Committee leaves. A runner from Africa fell during the race but continued to run. It occupies every waking moment. In the 440, he got off to a bad start. Running the Race Sermon – Why should we run the race? Hebrews 12 gives one of the most glorious looks at Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. I want to commend you to do the following: 2.  Devote yourself to prayer and Bible study as a personal and corporate habit. The apostle Paul prayed for the Colossians "May you be strengthened with all power . He wrote in one stanza, And to his dad he sadly said,"I didn't do too well. 3.  Have Christians who are following Christ as part of your support group. A Christian is anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is God, that their sin has separated them from God, that each of us has sinned, that Christ’s death was the payment for the debt sin made, and then personally accepting this for ourselves. We sing songs like “I’m running for my life. c.  He tells us (Bible) and shows us (saints) how to run it. It is harder for me to grip the ball filled with air, and harder, therefore, to control it. We need to lay aside everything that will keep us from running well. It is like when Christ was heading to Jerusalem where He would be crucified. This is done privately and corporately. We see this as happening through FNF and CHAT, through talking with others about what we have learned, by living what we have learned. Throwing off the Sin that Entangles Us. When this is done, 2 Timothy 2.24-26 tells us, Satan has us trapped. This involves quite a few things as a runner. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. That ought to be your mindset. The strategy I had for running a few sprints in a day was to run, hydrate, eat bananas, stretch, rest, and then run. To run the Christian marathon, we must run with endurance the course set before us. Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS, and church supplies of $50 or more. Remember it is not about finishing last or finishing first, but simply about finishing. It was the Turkey Trot in Dallas, Texas, on Thanksgiving morning. Want to get in touch? But in a long distance contest such as a marathon, endurance is the key. Satan cannot indwell us (possess us) for the Spirit of God does. It is an even greater thrill when you finish the race and win a medal or a trophy. The voice told me that I would never beat this guy. The great thing about Christianity is that. God sets the course. We ask that Your Holy Spirit show us the truth contained in Your Word. The voice in my head told me that I couldn’t win the race. Satan can only get a grip in our lives as we are deflated. You have no hope to stand in the victory circle to receive your crown of life. When running in a few sprints in a day, there needs to be a strategy to compete successfully in each race. In fact, it is mandatory for any significant challenge in life - including becoming a spiritual champion. b. He gives us comfort as we compete in the race. Our course was created by Jesus Christ. In a quarter mile, that's a long distance to make up. He places people in our lives that will lead us astray. RUNNING THE RACE (38 of 48) Hebrews Jerry Vines Hebrews 12:1-3 1/23/02 We are finally coming to the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews. Most of the time, as we are running, he places doubts and fears into our minds. Peter reminds us that the angels long to see what is going to happen to God’s people (FIND REFERENCE). Not being the best cheerleader. It is an even greater thrill when you finish the race and win a medal or a trophy. The writer of Hebrews compares it to a race, and I suspect he’s thinking of a long-distance run, not a sprint. We are told in Luke 9 that He set His face like stone. This thought lies behind Paul's advice to the church at Corinth: "Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. Races are not always won by the fastest. Title: Running the Race You are on the team. CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible (Hardcover), Discover the Hope You're Looking for In God's Word, by Rick Ezell on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM. He has chosen you to run the race of a lifetime. They can't be avoided or erased. 2:12 HCSB). This strategy should involve fellowship, church, worship, Bible study, prayer, and ministry to the church and to those outside the church through evangelism and the like. I listened, I looked, I lost. IV. Well, we never did. It is my desire that this look into my past will help us in our present and future walk in Christ. (The video clip from Chariots of Fire may be shown here or just tell the story.) Your community. He wanted David to rely on Him not on his army. If there is a course created for us to run, we need to know what the course is like, how to run it, and where it ends. I see training as analogous to doing what we have learned through personal and corporate Bible study and prayer. If we are not Christians, this is meaningless to us because we won’t see a need to do these things. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. When Satan tries to control Christians, he does so through what is called oppression. I recall it being a hot day with a lot of smog. It, too, becomes the central focus of your existence. I see the strategy as devising a plan to live out the life, to run the race set before me. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you run a race. He places temptations in our lives to cause us to stumble [REFERENCE STUMBLE FROM ISAIAH 40 FROM LAST WEEK AS THIS PART OF THE VERSE COMES UP IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RUNNER]. The writer of Hebrews spoke of this race, "Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us" (Heb. He told Joab that he made a decision to count the army. In a sprint, you run a short distance as fast as you can. We can never be fully refreshed by people who are not Christians nor by Christians who are not living for Christ. Are you running in such a way as to finish well? We need to be in close fellowship with brothers and sisters that we are being replenished by them as we are running. You are thinking since you're already on the ground, there's no point in getting back up. That is, we act what we have learned. Keep your eyes on Jesus. ""To me, you won," his father said. Bible Study: Are you engaged in a regular time of Bible reading, devotion, and study? Claire Cowden Series: Season After Pentecost Category: Discipleship Keywords: endurance, joy, perseverance, race Detail: I was getting ready to do just that. It, too, becomes the central focus of your existence. The second critical time in a marathon is at the halfway point. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you run a race. We have statistics on every person in the entire nation on computer. D.H. Groberg in his poem "The Race" describes a young boy who ran a race, falling many times, yet finishing. Paul reminded Timothy, "if we endure, we will also reign with Him" (2 Tim. Imagine, God knocking on the door of your heart selecting you for his team. Your family. Winning this race will require great endurance, perseverance, patience, and resolve. We Must Run With A Goal A. The Holy Spirit guides us during the race, He indwells us to keep us focused on what is important. Who is it that you are seeking to refresh you? 3. The 200 meter in just over 22 seconds. You've come to the end of your stamina and you're not sure you can put one foot in front of the other anymore. The race that we are in has many winners. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you run a race. To run the race well - to win it if you can - becomes the central focus of your existence. . 3   For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Galatians 6.9). There are orange markers, banana markers, first aide markers, water markers, and so on. We are instructed to run and keep on running. Ask Nancy if she felt like a lose when she ran the LA Marathon. If you’re running a marathon, you can’t make up your own course. Right at the tape he passed Gillies, stuck his chest out, won the race, and collapsed to the track in total exhaustion. I can control this ball with the greatest of ease. We should also see that those who cheer us on are our fellow brothers and sisters today, who are alive and sit beside us on a day-to-day or week-by-week basis. Run with others. With this in mind, we need to live a life that brings Him glory, living a life of purpose (1 Peter 2.21). "You rose each time you fell.". If we are to run the life of faith, we resist the distractions and look deeply into His eyes. for all endurance and patience" (Col. 1:11 HCSB). ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Train hard. If you are not a Christian, you are not even in the race. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. It is what you live for. When we believe his lies, when we follow his examples, when we fall into temptation and sin, we lose. God knows that we are going to stumble, lose our way, and want to give up in the race that He has set before us to run. And we encourage one another, saying, “Come on! I moved up from thirtieth to seventeenth. I would only be able compete in a triathlon by training for a triathlon. I said that I would begin my sprint when I turned the next corner. Please see below for details. You can finish the race. 2   fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. You suddenly realize that you still have as far to go as you've already run and you're already very tired. I finished somewhere around tenth. The first one is at the beginning. Do you realize the number of hours an Olympian trains? The apostle Paul encouraged his young protégé Timothy to "train yourself in godliness" (1 Tim. For Paul, and us as well, it is "that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12). Finally, in each race there is a finish line. But rather by the one that keeps hanging on, who refuses to give up. A thought crossed my mind. Back to your home and the U.S. Olympic Committee's invitation. She didn’t finish first. Have you ever won a medal or a trophy for running a race? His desire is for us to believe his lies. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. So you are chosen. "Run in such a way that you may win" (1 Cor. Like the orange cones on the roadway that indicate the path of a long distant race, God has marked out a race distinctive for you that will take you on an adventure. After the shock of being selected passes, you are gripped by the realization of what's happening in your life. If you have tripped and fallen, don't stay there. It, too, occupies your waking moments. Are you engaging in the necessary disciplines and activities that will enable you to grow and mature in Christ-likeness? You will run the race. For each of us, running God’s race is personal. He jumped to his feet and took off after the pack, which was now a full twenty yards ahead of him. Run well. We lost the opportunity to go to CIF finals because I didn’t know how the course finished. You say to yourself, "This is the race I was created to run. I looked for the guy that beat me every year and felt sorry for him. Those who persist prevail. How many times have you heard a sermon or listened to a Bible Study or read a book about following Jesus and said to yourself: "I've got to try harder to be a better Christian"? People are posting questions, doubts, concerns, and are asking for help. You begin to feel a rush of emotion. Run to Jesus. My pattern for running was to run in the middle of the pack until the last half-mile of the run and then do my 1 minute 50 second half-mile sprint. Winning is not beating the other runners. Help us to see what You created us for and how we can live that life that You have created for us to live. We also need to have a strategy to overcome the difficulties during the race itself. Allow us to see what Your Word has for us. When David spoke to Joab to number the troops, he didn’t say that Satan told him to do it. ", You are surprised because the farthest you've run in years is from the couch to the refrigerator. Remember, it was hot and smoggy. Never give up. Note two things: A. 10:36 HCSB). This sermon explores the tension between the accomplishments of the faithful and their character and discovers that Jesus fills the gap between righteousness and our character. I have never run a marathon and don’t plan to run one either. The job of each runner is to walk the course to familiarize ourselves with the turns, the hills, and the finish line. The 800 meter in 1 minute 50 seconds. There's only one race you ought to be running — and it takes maximum effort using the means of grace God has provided. I can reflect back on my senior year in high school and a few years after that and recall many races won. However, they do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one" (1 Cor. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we are called to … Hebrews 11 tells of the faith of Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and others, and how they endured sufferings, and overcome obstacles, and ran the race of faith which was before them. Your Bible study. He also shows us through living examples (remember the crowd?) Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries. The movie, Chariots of Fire, is the true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran in the 1924 Olympics for Scotland, then went on to become a missionary. He ran the 100-, 220-, and 440-yard events. The secret to winning the race, to truly live a Christlike life, is to order our lives around those activities, disciplines, and practices that were modeled by Christ, in order to accomplish through training what we cannot now do by trying. He would not be moved from completing His task. There are few, if any, runners who are overweight. Finish strong. In order to enter the race, or even qualify as a contestant, one must learn to cast aside anything detrimental to his program of training. But, from my understanding, all along the course there are markers that letting you know how far you have gone. The goal is not perfection, but progress. That is enough of a description of the crowd, let’s look at the course that we are called to run. 9:25 HCSB). It, too, is the race of a lifetime. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ God has done just that. Most of the team from my school, Narbonne, walked the hilly part of the course. B. I remember running cross country in High School at Pierce College, in the San Fernando Valley. Our problem is that we place people who are not believers at these markers. We will be unable to live the life He created us to live. . While the destination is the same for everyone - a life like Jesus, the journey that gets us there is different for everyone. We strive to finish strong in our faith. That was it. Passage: Hebrews 12:1-2 Preacher: The Rev. What is weighting you down, keeping you from running well? There are many scriptures in the Bible that describe life as being like a race. There's only one race you ought to be running—and it takes maximum effort using the means of grace God has provided. 2. (Luke 9:62). Rick has earned a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology in preaching from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Website: www.teach4god.com, Dancing with Broken Bones-A Close Look at Psalm 51, Psalm 51-The Confession of Completion | Sermons. It can also be evidenced in our activities as each of us lead a life to glorify God. Their unyielding faith bears witness to the promises of Jesus Christ, urging us to follow their example and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). We do the same as we forget to look to the author and finisher of our race. This time, however, the Olympic Committee is not selecting; God Almighty has picked. My most memorable race was the 200 meters. Let us pray. You can bring home the gold. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. Unlike the marathon and more like a steeplechase, this race is full of obstacles, barriers, hurdles, and hazards. And just yesterday you were sweating so profusely, dripping like a faucet on the clean kitchen floor, your spouse asked, "Did you go for a jog?" If we won this race, or came in second or third, we would have gone to the CIF finals. A good acronym for fear is Falsehood Existing As Reality. We might even want to quit. Some will run the race with speed and grace, while others will lumber along, stumbling over their clumsy feet. • Victory doesn’t come to the swift, but the one who endures. We do, we run, what we have learned. For the most part, many of us are seeking to bring biblical advice into these discussions and this is what will help each of us press on in the race that God has set before us. As a coach, as your running partner, as your finish line. Imagine a group of people coming to your home and interrupting your Twinkie-eating, TV-watching routine with an urgent message: "Good News! Don't compare your track to someone else's track. If you try to run your race looking over your shoulder, harking back to the old ways, you will stumble and fall. I see stretching as analogous to personal devotions, prayer and Bible study. The prize is becoming a spiritual champion. It was hot so we looked for shade to sit in. We have determined that out of the two hundred seventy-five million people, you are the one person in America with a chance to bring home the gold medal in the marathon. Thus, we all win God by persevering in … I see the forum at efccerritos.com being used, for the most part, for this purpose. Like the marathon run, this race has no time outs, no breaks, no intermissions, and no halftimes. This is no ordinary race. Against all odds, we run the race. In one split second I found myself doing what no runner should ever do. The one time you began a running program you ran down your driveway, onto the sidewalk in front of your house getting to the end of your yard only to turn around exhausted and panting barely making back to your La-z-boy. Allow me to is illustrate this with two balls. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. In the long distance race, endurance is what leads to success. It says that Satan moved David to take a census of the military men which was against God’s express will. 2. It, too, is the race of a lifetime. We have been looking for someone to run the marathon in the next Olympics. When running a distance race we need help to complete it. "No, I just walked out to the mailbox.". As you can see, this is a tough thing to do and requires a level of commitment that runs deep. More to the point, you cannot run a marathon even if you try really, really hard. Has us trapped me that I would never beat this guy endurance and patience '' ( 1 Cor line faith... Are lawful for me something noble and honorable about not quitting - about getting up... It ’ s mission of making disciples to look back because the farthest you 've been knocked your! Us captive yards behind the leader, communicator, and Lifeway is here to serve running the race sermon with needed refreshment 4.3-4... By people who are overweight nor what the course looked like before.! The second critical time in a meet between England and tumbled to the Holy Spirit guides us during run! With, each runner needs to be a strategy to compete successfully in each race this. 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For an event that may last less than sixty seconds directs our focus on him on... Through people who are not even in the race run mine they know it will slow them down one and.