Running Strong

4 (14m 56s): Thank you, Lord. For your spirit, your power, your grace Lord. We need it desperately. We thank you that you meet us in those desperate places and you bless us with your spirits and your grace and your power. What? I pray that we would be refreshed in that today for those, especially who maybe have been struggling, trying to find their way. Lord, we just pray in Jesus' name. God that you would guide. Show yourself faithful. As you have in the scriptures of the old and the new Testament, you have shown yourself faithful. And as we study the people, those who have gone before us Lord, as we study their lives and remember how you work so powerfully in them. 4 (15m 43s): Lord, we have courage that we do can run the race, faithfully and fruitfully and long-term Lord till death to his part. Lord, we can run the race set before us. So Lord give us strength or give us stamina in Jesus' name. Give us desire in Jesus' name. Give us perspective in Jesus' name. Thank you, Lord God for your help right now in Jesus name all over the campus. Lord, we invite your presence all over the central coast, where people are gathered to lift up the name of Jesus. We, we invite your presence. Lord God, your grace, your protection, your help upon every person. 4 (16m 23s): Lord God. So minister powerfully Lord, we pray. Thank you for your goodness, Lord. We love you, Lord. We're excited about what you will do today in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Turn to greet somebody that you never have greeted before and we'll come on back. 4 (19m 14s): Hey, welcome back. It's a communion Sunday. So hopefully every buddy received their elements. If you did not receive your elements, go ahead and raise your hand. And pastor Ron will grab the elements. Somebody will deal. We'll grab the elements and we'll get those things to you. Do yourself a favor ahead of time. So there's a little piece of saran wrap on top. Work that up a little bit. Give yourself a chance to get, you know, stay with us because it's really sometimes very tricky. We started using these because of COVID and we're sticking with them. It looks like. So here we are. What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? 4 (19m 58s): What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile one you'll see later the other you'll see in a while I know. Well I know these jokes keep getting better and better. So this is the deal students, not for adult students, only 18 and under students. Cause some of us have been, students are like our whole life, but I'm 18 and under. If you have a good we'll call them dad jokes. If you have a good dad joke that can be used on Sunday morning. And if I use it on Sunday morning, I'm going to try to have a dad joke for every family Sunday. I tried to do it every Sunday and it's just too much. I, I just don't have the material for that. 4 (20m 39s): So if you do, I will give you five bucks, but I got to use it and you got to get it to me during the week so that I a chance to think about it for Sunday. So don't show up to me on Sunday morning because I'm not going to use that morning probably unless it's really good. And then I will find a way then I will find a way, ah, running strong. We're talking about running today, running strong in light of what we've been studying. And Hebrews 11, as we've looked at all of the heroes of faith, men and women who have just been faithful, imperfect, but faithful. I think that's good news for us because we're a room full of imperfect people, starting with me where a room full of imperfect people, whom God has called to be faithful. 4 (21m 26s): And so God calls imperfect people to be faithful and we are allowed and enabled, empowered to be faithful by his grace, by his spirit, by his calling upon our lives. He's called us all into the work of ministry, whether it be in a secular, you know, environments or a church environment, we're all called to have an impact in our community. So I love talking about running because I was a runner growing up and I there's, it just resonates with me. I love the idea of running. I still run a little bit, but I don't run. Like I used to. And I just love the idea of running. I remember a number of years ago, I was running the strawberry stampede out here. 4 (22m 9s): I think it was a 10 K and I ran it for like three or four or five years in a row. And I've shared this story before, but there's this friend of mine, Kristen, she's on the city council. So Christian, if you're listening, this is anyway, Kristin's been a friend for years. And so she would always, she would always sneak up like the last half mile and pass me. And I was too worn out at that point to do anything about it. I would just have to watch her go by and I, I just, I stored that information away and then she, I forgot about it. And then she did it again the next year, two years in a row, she did that. So then I'm like, okay, next year, this is not, is not happening. 4 (22m 50s): Not going to happen. So half mile before the race is over, I look over my shoulder, who's there Kristen. And she's like pouring it on. You know, she's like trying to do three times in a row and she's already done to me twice. So I poured it on and I did not let her beat me. And I haven't talked to her since I think she might be a little, little, little hurt. I don't know. But anyway, she'll need to lose with grace next time. Not that I was losing with grace I'll I'll I was just getting kind of uptight, you know, anyway, we're talking today about running strong running with focused endurance is our first points. We, this is part of the deal. If you've ever competed in any sport running or whatever it is, you need to compete with focused Endura. 4 (23m 35s): And if you expect to finish well to compete well, if you expect to leave it all out there on the field or in the court, you need to, when you need to run or, or compete with focused endurance. And this is what we see in the scripture. Again in light, we just spent four weeks studying Hebrews 11 and just real quick, we didn't get to like the last five verses of Hebrews 11. And so my plan this weekend was to teach through those last five verses. And then Friday or Saturday, I can't remember. I think it was Friday. It occurred to me it's family Sunday. So we're going to have all bunch of kids in the services. And, and so the end of Hebrews 11 talks about the unsavory ways that some of the early church passed away. 4 (24m 15s): So I can't talk about, you know, how people got sod in half and that's where I just can't talk about that stuff in a sermon. So if you would like to learn more about that, I will teach on those verses another time or you can email me and I'll send you my message from that is prepared for that. And anyway, so we won't be talking about people getting ending their lives. That way. We're going to talk about it. The things we're gonna talk about running strong. So sorry, we didn't get a chance to preach on those last few verses, but go back and read it and you'll understand why the children's ministry director is very clear that I shouldn't talk about that kind of stuff. So here we go run with focused in Durance Hebrews 12, we're going to get through verses one, one through about first 15 eight, the first part of 15. 4 (25m 3s): It says this. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge, huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up and let us run with endurance. The race God has set before us with that. Let's pray for a moment. Lord, we just invite your presence. God, as we talked about running the race that is set before us today, Laura, we want to engage in your word and in your spirit with your spirit and we want to be instructed or what are those things that are hindering us, those weights, those sins, those things that are just tripping us up over and over again. 4 (25m 53s): Lord, we just invite you to speak to us about those things, Lord, and that we might hear. And as that, there will be evidence that we've heard Lord, because there's action. After we've heard Lord that we've not just hearing, but we're doing, we're responding. We're listening and responding, listening and obeying. So help us to do so. Lord, I just humbly ask that you would speak your message through me, Lord God, that it would just be what the people need to hear. I know it's what I need to hear. Every time I prepare a message, Lord, I'm like, ah, this is for me, but I know that you've got a message for the rest of us as well. So bless us as we open up the scripture and learn and grow as followers of yours, Lord, for those of the, for those people who are here, they're just trying to figure out, do I want to serve Jesus? 4 (26m 45s): What's this Jesus all about. I pray God that you would bless those people who are searching and still unsure, still doubting and prince. You bless them with your presence and with your grace and ultimately with salvation. Thank you Lord, for your goodness in Jesus' name, amen. Run with focused in Durance. It's an interesting thought that we've got this crowd. Your, your version might say cloud of witnesses, same thing. It's like these, this crowd in the cloud, people who have gone before us, people that we've been studying and reading about in Hebrews chapter 11, that those and many, many others, those who have gone before us who have run the race, those who have finished the race, those who hear as they stand before the Lord will hear and do hear well done. 4 (27m 35s): Good and faithful servants. We are to run within Durance this race that God has called us to. And I, I love that though. There are those who have gone before us who have showed us the way who have let us know that it is possible because there are days when I I'm afraid. It feels like we just, we can't go on it. Doesn't feel like we've got the grace and the strength and the capacity to continue to press on in this race. As we battle temptation and sin and the world, the flesh and the devil, all of these things, it's helpful to read the scripture old and the new Testament and be refreshed in the reality that it is indeed possible to run with endurance. 4 (28m 19s): So these people that we've been studying in Hebrews 11, they were imperfect people, but man, they did wonderful and profound in supernatural things, things that were worthy to be put in the pages of scripture so that we might throughout the generations that would follow that. We might learn something from them, grow in our understanding because of them and move forward with greater confidence with greater endurance because they did, they did it. And they were people just like you and me. People broken people in need of God's grace who received God's grace and then walked in that grace, as we understand their race, as we understand how they endured through the end, we, we, we, we, we bear witness to the reality that we to by God's grace can do what they did. 4 (29m 20s): As we understand their race. We compete with greater strength in our own race. That's really what the scripture is all about. That's what that the reading of the scripture is all about. That's what the preaching of the scripture is all about. That we might be built up in our most holy faith so that we could run so that we can run the race with endurance and finish the race that God has called us to. So we look their lives and we say, man, there, they're not perfect, but they were still counted among the faithful. That should give us all a reason to say thank you Lord, because none of us are perfect. But somehow God sees the incredible work that he accomplishes in our lives. And he's glorified in those things. 4 (30m 1s): And we can be counted among the faithful. How do, how do we run with endurance while we need to run unencumbered? The scripture says we need to run unencumbered. Verse one says we are to strip off every weight. If you ever tried to run with too much weight, I know there's people who run with weights. I see guys carrying weights and they're trying to try to build up their endurance, but in a real race, you don't run with weights. You're, you're stripped down, you've got shorts, tank, top shoes, and you're going for it because you want it to be unencumbered. You don't want to wear anything. It's going to slow you down. And so that's the analogy here. We need to strip off anything that will hinder our ability to run and to run effectively and to run fruitfully and to run the way that God has called us to run. 4 (30m 50s): So we're to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And so we see two different things here that we're to shed that we're to eliminate from our lives, the weights and these things aren't necessarily sin. Although they can be, and they can become sin, but it may be like the love of pleasure. Like I, I'm having a hard time serving Jesus because I just love, pleasure. I love getting what I like and pursuing the things that I like. And so that's got me Duplessis in my perspective, I'm I want to do God's will, but I also want to do my will. I want to accomplish God's plans, but I also want to accomplish my plans. 4 (31m 32s): When you put your plans in God's plans together, there's a scripture that says seek first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else will be added unto you. Like if you make God your priority, he will make sure that your life is filled and fulfilled. And in ways that you, you can never understand apart from God's will it's, it's more, it's brighter and fuller. It's more satisfying and life-giving than anything that we can pursue in the natural, in our own strength without God's grace. Maybe it's a love of pleasure. Maybe it's a love of comfort, love of security. All of these things are weights hindrances to our ability to really move forward as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ like unencumbered by God. 4 (32m 13s): I'm all yours. I'm not allowing anything of this life to slow me down to hinder me, to keep me from doing what you've called me to do to accomplish the stuff that you have called me to do. So we need to get rid of those weighty things. And then the sin, a sin that so easily besets us sin is direct violation against God's law. So anything that we see in scripture that we're told not to do, and we do it. That's a sin. Sin is falling short of God's plans and purposes and goodness, and all of the design that he has for us. When we fall short in a thousand different ways, we are sending against God and those things hinder us. They slow us down. 4 (32m 54s): I wonder what sins might be in our lives that are hindering our ability to have the grace to keep moving forward, to have the desire, to keep moving forward, the strength to keep moving forward. What are those things that continue to trip us up? And what do we need to do about those things? We need to deal with those things. We need to acknowledge they're real and repent and confess our sins, knowing that he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, we have the ability to connect with God, confessing our sin. When you sang a song about nothing standing between us, we have this mediator who is Christ the Lord. He was died on the cross for our sins. We're gonna be celebrating his death. 4 (33m 36s): When we take communion here in just a little bit, we need to confess those things that are hindering. So maybe they're sins of commission or sins of omission, sins of commission, things that we're doing, that we shouldn't be doing. Sins of omission, things that we aren't doing, that we should be doing. So we've got sins, both commission and omission. So what are we not doing that we should be doing? And what are we doing that we shouldn't be doing? And let's address those sin issues and move forward. Either type of sin begins to Dole us spiritually. And that's your experience as well? I know it is. I, I we've been at this too long. We know that sin doles, our spiritual life, it begins to affect negatively our ability to run as successfully. 4 (34m 26s): We are to run on encumbered. And so that means a constant inventory. Lord, what's going on in my life. Am I running unencumbered? Am I running faithfully? Am I doing what you've asked me to do? If I'm running encumbered, then I want to deal with that. If I'm running with trying to manage cinema my life, I don't want to manage cinema my life. I want to confess my sin. And that's often what we're trying to do. We're just trying to manage sin, trying not to get too close to it. Try not to let it consume too much of our lives. Instead of that, we just need to confess our sin and run from it to confess it. Repenting means to turn and run a getting away from that as quickly as possible, sorta where to run unencumbered. If we're to run with success, we're to we're running cumbered by keeping completely focused. 4 (35m 11s): We run unencumbered by keeping completely focused on God. Hebrews 12 two says we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus. How do we get rid of those weights? And those sins? We keep our eyes on Jesus. The champion who initiates and perfects our faith. We were just singing there's there's another in the fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the fire under the judgment. And Jesus is walking in there with them. There's a there's in the water, holding back the waves, the water there's Jesus is there in the midst of the trial. He is present. We run unencumbered by keeping our eyes on Jesus, by remembering that he's the author and finisher and Perfector of our faith, Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. 4 (35m 58s): The verse says because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. So we need good run, completely focused on Jesus. So every day we get up and say, Jesus, this is a new day. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Great. Is your faithfulness. God, what do you want to do with my life today? That's the perspective. What do you want to do with my life today? And maybe it's a Sabbath day of rest. And Lord says, just rest, because we need times of rest where we're just resting in the Lord. I was telling my wife yesterday. I said, Hey, when this project is done, this new worship, the center, I need like two weeks off. 4 (36m 39s): She's like, where are you going to go? I said, I don't care. Wherever I can't be reached. Right? Like we just need those times of rest. So there's times where we're really pushing hard and accomplishing wonderful things for the kingdom, but then it's just time to rest so that we can go again so that we can continue to do those supernatural things that God has called us to. So there's time for rest. And maybe that's a good season of rest for a season or for you for a season. But now maybe it's time to get moving again because of the joy awaiting him. Who's the joy you me. He thought about us in our need for grace, salvation, redemption, healing, new life. 4 (37m 21s): And so, because we were on his mind, he endured the cross and all of its shame. And now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. We got to keep our eyes on Jesus. Why? Because he is the champion. He's the champion who already finished the race for the same reason that we read the scripture and read about those who have gone before us. There are champions in the faith who have finished the race. Jesus finished the faith race. Then he calls you and he calls me into that race. And then Jesus perfects us in that faith race. And so he calls imperfect people into this race and he's affecting us along the way as we stumble, he's working in our lives. 4 (38m 5s): As we doubt he's working in our minds. As we, as we get fearful, he's working in our hearts, she's working out his good and perfect plan in our lives. As we move forward, as we do the things that God has us to do because of the joy awaiting him here, endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. So even now Jesus cheers us on from heaven. Even now he's cheering us on like the cloud of witnesses, the crowd of witnesses they're cheering us on. He is seated next to the father forever making intercession for us, Hebrews 7 25. 4 (38m 44s): He lives Jesus. He lives forever to intercede with God on our behalf, on their behalf. He's praying for us interceding for us. He's cheering us on from that place that finished work, where you sit on the cross, it is finished. He finished the race. He finished his call and he ascended. And now he's given us responsibility and the great commission go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. That's why we highlight missionaries missions, organizations that we support and partner with once a month so that we can hear about what's going on. We know what's going on in our own community for the most part, but we need to hear about what's going on in other communities that we're having a part in, in, in, in other parts of the world that we're impacting. 4 (39m 27s): So we run focused on Jesus awning cumbered and we don't give up. Verse three says, think of all the hostility he, he endured from sinful people. Then you won't become weary and give up. So we run and don't give up. Jesus faced all kinds of hostility from angry people, false accusations, his friends abandoning him, foes all around him, but he kept his eyes on the father. He would often get away to the father because he needed to be refreshing as spirit as a man, as the God, Nan, he needed to get with a father and just have communion with the father. We can do the same thing we get with, with the father through Jesus filled with the holy spirit. 4 (40m 9s): And we get refreshed and renewed in our ability to run with stamina, with endurance, the race that is set before us, we run and we do not give up. Sometimes we grow weary and we want to give up because things aren't always going well, good indication that you're in the race. If things aren't going great, because anytime you're in a race, you're going to come across difficult. You're going to get tired and worn down. If you're not getting tired and worn down, you may not be in the race. You might be in the sidelines at present, you know, at the event, but you may not actually be in the race. And so expect your yourself to, you know, get tired and, and, and, and, and in need of God's grace to sustain you. 4 (40m 53s): It's just part of the deal. I mean, you run a race, you're going to get thirsty, right? You're going to get fatigued in your physical body. You're going to get fatigued. You're going to feel like you're in the race. Like you're actually doing something. And so we need to refresh ourselves and take times of rest and then get back out there. A number of years ago, my cousin was in this fundraising event where she was trying to raise money for cancer. And they were doing 20 miles a day, walking 20 miles a day for three days. And it's a lot of walking. So the second day she's like lying in her tent, trying to psych herself up because two days, 20 miles, a day, day three coming, another 20 miles. 4 (41m 39s): She had to psych herself up. Why? Because she's been exerting herself. She's been committed to this fundraising effort and she was not going to give up. She was focused on the finish line, on the purpose of the race. He was focused on why she was there and that allowed her to continue. And to go that third day, I'm psyching myself up. She said, I'm psyching myself up. Like I got to get ready. Like I I've got to finish. Like some days you're gonna wake up. And you're like, man, I, I got nothing. I got, I'm not sure I can do this again today, Lord, whatever it may be that God has called you to, would you say, Lord, I'm just, I can't, I can't give up. 4 (42m 27s): That's not an option. I don't want to give up Lord. That's that's not what you've called me to do to give up. I want to press on and never give up. And so you just like Paul, when I'm weak, God's strength is made perfect in my weakness. And I just rest in him and allow his grace to give me the endurance that I need. So we run with focused endurance. Number one, number two, we run with focus perspective, run with focused perspective, a quick perspective story. Dear Abby, our son was married January five months later, his wife had a 10 pound baby girl. 4 (43m 9s): They set the baby was premature. Tell me, can a baby. This big, be that early signed, wondering, dear wondering the baby was on time. The wedding was late. Forget about it. Sometimes we disqualify ourselves because maybe we fall in shorts. We've sinned. We haven't lived the way that God would have us to live. We haven't measured up to the, even our own expectations. Let alone God's expectations. If we were to take a poll in this room and ask that question, how many have fallen short of your own expectations? And don't raise your hand because that would be everybody. 4 (43m 49s): But, and then how many have fallen short of God's expectations, but our everybody's hands would be up, right? So with grace, we move forward realizing that his grace is sufficient, that when we mess up, the perspective needs to be that his grace is sufficient. If our perspective is anything other than that, we will quit. We will count ourselves out of the race. Don't allow your past mistakes to hinder you from running run with focused perspective. 4 (44m 31s): And part of that is run running even when you're struggling. So you're struggling with something, a friend of mine years ago, I don't even understand what he means by it, but it kind of communicates. He said, if I'm going to fall, I'm going to fall forward. Like toward the cross. I'm like, huh? I'm not sure how that works, but I get it kind of like I'm going to, I'm going to at least make progress in my falling. I'm not sure theologically if it's even sound, but I get his mind, you know, he's like, I just want to be close to Jesus. And if I make mistake, I just still want to be close to Jesus. I think was his point. I, I just want to fall forward toward Jesus. And that's what I would call all of us to. If we've blown, it just, just fall toward Jesus. Come to the foot of the cross and know that his grace is sufficient. 4 (45m 12s): He loves you unconditionally. He wants you to confess your sin to repent of your sin because he wants you to get that out of your life. He wants you to run from that so that you can run toward him and run with endurance. The race that is set before you so run. Even when you're struggling, after all verse four says you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. Like we're still here. Got pulls. I haven't given my life yet. I may. One day you may, one day, we all may one day, but we haven't given up our lives yet. And so we have purpose to move forward, moving for even moving forward. Even as we struggle, I'm still alive. 4 (45m 54s): I might as well keep going. We talk about this all the time. If you've got a pulse, you've got a purpose. So keep going. Don't stop repent and go get clear. Get clear with the Lord, you know, come clean with the Lord and then just get moving. His grace is sufficient. Keep moving forward. Even as you struggle in your faith, run, struggling again is an indicator that you're actually in the race, the world, the flesh and the devil are coming against us in our run. If the world, the flesh and the devil is not coming against us, it means we're probably not running. We're not being effective. We're not really doing anything for the kingdom, but in the race that God has called us to, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, using our gifts and talents that God has given us to be salt and light in the earth. 4 (46m 43s): If we're doing those things in whatever capacity that the Lord has given us grace to do those things, then we're going to come up against difficulties, hard things. So run when you're struggling run during times of failure, verse five says, and have you forgotten the encouraging words? God spoke to you as his children. He said, my child don't make light of the Lord's discipline. And don't give up when he corrects you. So if you're failing the Lord's going to correct you, he's going to discipline you. I, when I think about my kids, when they were young, I would discipline them so that they would learn how to live. Right, right. And hopefully it wasn't out of anger. I'm sure there was some of that as well in my human is, but you hope that you're disciplining them so that they stay on the right path. 4 (47m 30s): I threatened to discipline them now, but they're bigger than me. So I, I don't go there, go there anymore. I used to be able to take my boys. I got two boys there. Well, there's one right there, tall bearded guy there. And where's another one. There's another one wandering around with a camera. So I used to be able to wrestle them, like flinging them, like, you know, no problem. And there came a day when I couldn't do, I couldn't do that anymore. So I'm like, all right, time out. I gave up UN. And so I haven't wrestled with them like that because I'm afraid they're gonna hurt me. They, every time they get a hold of me now, they, they they're, they're bigger and stronger and rougher than I am. 4 (48m 11s): And so anyway, so you discipline them when they're young, because when they get older, you can't do. But for adults, God is bigger than all of us. Right? And he's, his grace is sufficient. He does disciplines us like a good father because he wants to show us the right path. My child don't make light of the Lord's discipline. And don't give up. When he corrects you. Sometimes we beat ourselves up. When God's not beating us up, he's just disciplining us. He's correcting us. He's bringing correction to our lives so that we can keep moving forward. That's his goal. It's not to condemn us. It's to build us up and to strengthen us in our holy faith, our most holy faith so that we can be strong doing the right stuff. 4 (48m 53s): We're not strong when we're doing the wrong stuff or we're weak when we're doing the wrong stuff. So we correct sin, disciplines, us out of his great love for us. You're his child. You're his child. He loves you. Of course, he's going to discipline you. If he doesn't discipline you, it means you don't belong to him. But because you belong to him, he going to discipline you run when you're struggling and run. When you're failing and run with confidence that God accepts you. He accepts you. Not because you're good, but because he's good. Not because you're faithful, but because he's faithful. 4 (49m 33s): Although he's called us to a life of goodness and righteousness and faithfulness, he doesn't love us based on our merit. He loves us based on his own, his own merit. His grace is sufficient. His power is what transforms our lives. He calls us to run and he empowers us to run with confidence that we're his we've been adopted as part of the it's part of the new covenant is part of the gospel message that we've been adopted into his family. When we come to him as children and recognize our desperate need for him, he forgives us and adopts us into his family. And he calls us his own for the Lord disciplines, verse six, those he loves. 4 (50m 13s): And he punishes each one. He accepts as his child, as you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own child, who, whoever heard of a child who has never disciplined by his father, if God doesn't you, as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the father, of our spirits and live forever for our earthly fathers, disciplined us for a few years, doing the best. They knew how, but God's discipline is always good for us so that we might share in his holiness run with focused endurance run with focused perspective and run with number three focused faith run with focused faith. 4 (51m 7s): We've been talking about faith. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for a while actually happened. It's the assurance of things we can not see. So we have this call, this responsibility, this opportunity to run with focused faith, faith on Jesus, faith in Jesus, eyes on Jesus, trusting him to fill us, strengthen us, give us what we need to move forward. As followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ run with knowledge that God is helping you. We see that in the verse. No discipline is enjoyable while it's happening, it's painful. But afterwards, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living. This is God's desire. This is a person's desire, disciplines, their children, peaceful harvest of right living. 4 (51m 51s): Don't we discipline because we want our kids to do well in life. We want them to avoid pitfalls. Some of the same pitfalls that we fell into. We want them to avoid those pitfalls. So we discipline our children. God is wanting us to experience a peaceful harvest of right living. And when we are right with God, there is a peaceful harvest of right living. We just feel right with God. We feel at peace, confident, not in, not in anything, but God's grace to bring us to this place where we're choosing healthy things and righteous things and good things and blessed things. We have this peaceful harvest of right living. There's something powerful that happens. 4 (52m 32s): The opposite is true. We also, when we're not choosing those right things where we are, we are not at peace. We are anxious, fearful, filled with doubt. We are a mess, mind, emotion. Everything's just kind of out of, out of, out of sorts. And we're out of cahoots and we're just not feeling right, but there's great. Peace that accompanies right living. I think it takes us a while to figure that out right in the beginning we get saved and we're still wrestling. And I, this was my deal. I got saved in junior high school at a camp and I hadn't really know what to do with my faith. 4 (53m 14s): I got saved. I, you know, I probably have fire insurance, but that was the extent of it. And I didn't really know what to do as a follower of Jesus. I didn't know what it meant to be a believer. I didn't know what it meant to be a Christian. I just, I had heard the message over and over again. And I said yes to it. And then I just wrestled trying to figure out what to do next and how to live out this Christianity. Did I really want to live out this Christianity or did I want to go after the things of the world? And it was a difficult five years for me and four or five years. And then about my junior year of high school, I had experienced enough of this, like doing well with the Lord and experiencing that peace, just feeling right with things with the Lord and like, everything's good. 4 (53m 59s): Like I've got this piece and then I'd be a knucklehead and I'd go off and, you know, explore things of the world. And all of a sudden, because I had tasted the goodness of God, I was no longer able to have fun in the world. So it was appealing to me and drawing me because that's what sin does. It's what the flesh, just what the world, the flesh and the devil does. It's drawing is trying to draw us into this place of destruction. And so I'd go into that place. And I just feel gnarly. Like, what am I doing? I did this for like four or five years. I'm a very slow learner. Right? Very slow learner. And then finally, my junior year of high school, I knew I either need to go full blown into the world, or I need to go full blown following Jesus and thankfully, and not perfectly by any stretch. 4 (54m 46s): Just ask my mom. I have not done it perfectly, but I have tried to follow Jesus ever since. And you don't have to just ask them. You can ask my staff been imperfect. You can ask my kids been imperfect. You can have, oh my wife, of course you can ask her. That's my neighbor. Who else can you ask? You can ask. You can ask pretty much anybody. If you hang around long enough, you'll see my imperfections, thank you for your grace by the way. But we move forward as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, even as we struggle and, and, and make mistakes, we just continue to move forward. And we allow the peace of God to fill us. We allow the peace of God to direct us level. 4 (55m 29s): When people are praying for wisdom, for direction, Neil, you're famous for saying this. I'm going to follow the piece. I just want to follow the piece. Like God's going to show me the piece. And when people don't have the peace of God for a decision, then they, they, they know which direction to go. They know what the decision is. And we honor that. We bless that. So we need to run strong in the power of his might filled with faith. Verse 12 says, so take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. So the writer of Hebrews understand something of the nature of what it means to follow Jesus. 4 (56m 11s): It's going to be hard at times. It's going to be glorious and hard all at the same time. Sometimes it's going to be hard and then sometimes it's glorious. And sometimes there's a blend. So the writer knows from experience and from watching the church that people will get tired. And so he writes, so take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. You will get tired, expect it, expect it. Don't be dismayed by it. Think about running. I'm going to get tired physically and spiritually. So how do you take a new grip with your tired hands? 4 (56m 51s): How do you strengthen your weak knees by faith and by faith? We believe God, we follow God and we open up his word and we allow that word to speak to us. I was reading the word this morning and Proverbs four. And I came across these verses verses 18 through 27. And it spoke to the message. It's it's supports the message. And so it's not going to be on the screen because I just put it in this morning. But this is what it says. The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of Dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. That it's just a beautiful picture of the way of the rice. 4 (57m 33s): It's late. It's like the first gleam of Dawn. It's just refreshing. It's life-giving but the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they're stumbling over. And that's the contrast, the way of the righteous, the way of the wicked beautiful lights, total darkness, my child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words. Don't, don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart for they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body guard your heart above all else for, for it determines the course of your life. 4 (58m 24s): Avoid all perverse talk. Stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you mark out a straight path for your feet, stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked. Keep your feet from following evil. So when, when not, if, but when you get tired, take a new grip with your tired hands, know that those who have gone before you have had to do the same thing, you're not less than you're not inferior to those who have gone before. Take a new grip with your tired and strengthen your weak knees. 4 (59m 4s): Do what the scripture tells you to do re refreshed with the word and the spirit Abraham and Sarah failed failed. It's shocking as you read through the patriarchs and the people that have gone before us, their mistakes and how God still able to work through them, Abraham and Sarah failed along the way, but they believe God and they received the promise. So they didn't quit. They continued even in light of failure, they just kept moving forward by faith that God had given a promise that they would receive the promise king David failed, but he repented and he's described in scripture as a man after God's own heart. 4 (59m 49s): Wow. Read his story. And you'll be surprised by that statement. Israel failed over and over and over and over and over. And we could do that until the cows come home and still not have enough overs that they just fail over and over again. But God still identifies them as his people. Hmm. I don't understand God's grace, but I appreciate it. And I need it. Don't be discouraged. Don't be fearful. Don't be too hard on yourselves. You know, some people are harder on themselves than God is then God is hard on you. So don't be a tool of the enemy in your own life by just resting and condemnation, confess your sin, move forward, confess your sin, move forward. 4 (1h 0m 38s): Confess your sin. Move forward. I think I got to do this. Like every single day, sometimes like multiple times a day. I'm like, Lord, I shouldn't have had that thought. Forgive me. I want to move forward, Lord. I shouldn't have said that. Lord, forgive me. Move forward, Lord. Sorry about that. You know, some guy cut me off up here and I was like, It turns out it was one of my kids' kindergarten teachers. So I'm like, Now what I wanted to do, I'm like, are you getting me right now? You just got me. Forgive me, Lord. I didn't, I should've been like, forgive me, Lord. I've just gonna move forward. Run the final point to this final point, run with other runners in mind. 4 (1h 1m 23s): You know that your life, my life impacts those that we encounter. People are watching crowd of witnesses, cloud of witnesses. People are watching in the heavens and in the earth, people are watching. So we need to run with other runners in mind. If, if I'm running, like Kristen just kept passing me up. She gave me the grace to just keep running, to dig deep. If everybody's quitting around you in a race, you're like, ah, maybe I can't make it either. And so you just kind of stop potentially First 13 says mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall, but become strong. 4 (1h 2m 3s): We're get living in peace with everyone and work at living a holy life. For those who are not, holy will not. Excuse me, work at living in peace with everyone and work at living a holy life. For those who are not, holy will not see the Lord look after each so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. So we have the ability to encourage one another. And that's my hope. Every time I stand up in the pulpit is to encourage us. I get encouraged as I prepare for the message. And my hope is that you would be encouraged that you would be challenged, built up in your faith, equipped to move forward as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, doing the things that he's accomplished or caused you to accomplish. 4 (1h 2m 44s): So run, run strong with endurance, with perspective and with faith, I'm gonna invite the worst of team up and we're gonna take communion. And so as they come up, we're going to pray and just ask the Lord direct our time and communion and that we would just humbly come before the Lord. So Lord, we humbly come before you. And we, we say thank you that you died on the cross. Your body was pinned to a cross. Your side pierced your blood flowed. You died a criminal's death for me. 4 (1h 3m 25s): You took my guilt upon yourself and you died for me. So that righteousness might be imputed to me and to the world to all who would say yes to you. So thank you for your sacrifice. We commemorates. And we remember your sacrifice. We thank you for your sacrifice. We humbly take communion today, having repented of our sins, having a recognized our need for you. And maybe if you're here today and you don't feel ready to confess your sins, you, you don't feel ready to Say thank you to the Lord. 4 (1h 4m 8s): If you're not, if you're not in that place, I just maybe just let this moment Pass you by for don't. Don't take the elements unless your heart's right with the Lord. You've said yes to him and you've confessed your sin to him and you've you've run to him. And now this is just a celebration of all of those things. And so thank you, Lauren. Paul wrote for, I passed on to you. What I received from the Lord himself On the night, when he was betrayed the Lord, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. 4 (1h 4m 49s): Then he broke it in pieces and said, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me. Let's take the wafer. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you. Jesus. First 25 says in the same way, he took the cup of wine. After supper saying this cup is the new covenant between God and his people and agreement confirmed with my blood. 4 (1h 5m 31s): Do this to remember me. As often as you drink it for every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again. It's take the juice Got. Thank you for all of those years ago, God, that you saved me and got for whatever, whatever the time line is in our own lives. 4 (1h 6m 17s): Lord, we want to go back to that time and say, thank you. Maybe today's the time where you're saying I'm ready for God's grace. I'm ready for him to forgive me. If you're here today and you want to receive the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ. You, you just simply acknowledge to the Lord, your need. You say, Lord, I, I, I need you. I, I, I need your grace and forgiveness in my life. I need you to come into my life and I want, I want to be adopted into your family. I want to run this race that we've been talking about. I want to have eternal purpose for my life and I want to have eternal life. I want to live with you God, forever and ever. 4 (1h 6m 58s): Amen. Lord, if there's anybody here today, I pray that they would make the bold step of accepting your grace And experiencing this new life that is in you and God that they would enter the race, Run with a Durance Lord, God run with endurance. Thank you Lord, for what you're doing. And in each of our lives, we trust God that wherever we are in our journey of faith or God that you are with us and directing us and helping us. So Lord help us to trust you and believe you, Lord. We love you. Thank you for this time. 4 (1h 7m 38s): As we get ready to worship, Lord, pray God that she'd be glorified in this final time of worship. And in the prayer time after be glorified, we ask him pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. You may be. You may stand up 3 (1h 14m 53s): Thank you, Jesus. That we can re surrender every day that we can fall before you at the cross And that in your grace, you catch us. Thank you that we get to run this race with endurance Lord, you are the prize. We fix our eyes on you. You are the goal. So thank you for everyone in this room. I thank you for everyone watching online. Thank you for those on the patio, wherever they find themselves hearing this message this morning, I pray that something would resonate And ring true this week. God, We love you. 3 (1h 15m 35s): Jesus. It's in your name. We pray. Amen.