Keep on running this race!
Philippians 3:14
How many of you came to God’s house and you are just so well rested and ready to run a race?
(Some of you are looking at me with that look He’s lost his mind).
How many of you would like to go outside and do sprints across the church property? It’s size has increased recently keep in mind...
Well perhaps you don’t feel as though you are ready to run a race but in the Christian life we must always be "running the race."
In honesty there are times we feel as though we don’t have the strength to take another step but we must keep on keeping on. Running the Christian race.
Paul writes to all believers through this letter written to the church at Philipi and he uses an analogy which is the concept of a runner running the race and is on te home stretch.
,
Philippians 3:14
I*press on toward the goal for the prize of the*upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
When Paul said "I press on " he indicated that he would keep on with all of his ability running the race that God had set before him..
You have to ask yourself tonight
"Am I in this race of the Christian life,
and Ask yourself "Will I keep on running???
We have watched and seen those around us who were here among us, they once were running this race with us and now where are they?
One year or two or three ago they were here in the church attending, worshiping, and working to serve the Lord but now where are they?
Did they get tired?
Did they get bogged down with personal things along the way?
and now they have dropped out of the race.
No longer do they run for Christ but they sit on the bench bringing little glory to God and little victory to their life or to the life of others.
Now I am not wanting to say all of this to beat up on those that have dropped out of the race BUT I say it because I don’t want anyone...., not a one here tonight to ever drop out of the race.
We might ask the question...
"When is the race finished?"
When you get tired?? Wrong (God will give you strength)
When is the race finished ?
Darrel Walters loves car racing ....
Some times a car race will end before all the laps are completed ...what happens what stops the race early sometimes? RAIN !
What about us when the showers of trouble or trials come and there is a storm do we stop running this race?
Hey remember we sing
A mighty Fortress is our God.
(God will be your shelter and your shield)
When is the race over???
THE RACE ISN’T OVER UNTIL GOD SAYS ITS OVER!
As we run this Christian race, we find that it has many of the same characteristics of an actual physical running race.
Most all things must have a beginning and an end.
Like most things except for God and His love and eternity but most all other things have a beginning and an end.
I had a fellow come up to me one Sunday when I had said God has no beggining and no end and he said
"preacher I have discovered something else that has no end."
"I said what is it?"
He said "A doughnut"
I said "oh really"
"and what do you plan to do with your doughnut"
He said "Well eat it I suppose "
I said "Well there you go "
"Your doughnut has a beginning and an end."
You think with me .....
Where does the Christian race begin in our lives?
Someone might say ..
"When a Christian family has a baby that little baby begins a race is that the start."
NO
I. The race we run in the life of Christ begins
at the place of Christian birth Salvation Born Again
That place where we bowed our head
confessed our sin and accepted Christ as Savior
It is the moment that you fully trust and believe in Jesus Christ and you are
"BORN AGAIN" THERE IS THE STARTING LINE.
John 3:1-
1 NOW there was a man of the Pharisees, named *Nicodemus, a *ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, «*Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these *signs that You do unless *God is with him.»
3 Jesus answered and said to him, «Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one *is born again he cannot see *the kingdom of God.»
4 Nicodemus said to Him, «How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?»
5 Jesus answered, «Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of *water and the Spirit he cannot enter into *the kingdom of God.
This race we are in is a race we run Not for the American Heart and Lung Association,
We dont run for the cause of the Red Cross,
We dont run for support of breast cancer.
WE RUN FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
All of those other things are worthy of mention and they are worth running for BUT THERE IS A HIGHER MORE NOBLER CAUSE ...to run this race for the Kingdom of God!
Where is the starting line, its at that point and that place where you are born again. Some of us started running very young in that race, some of us where in advanced years when we began running the race.
But if we know Christ then we are to running this race.
You think about runners in a race they all usually start at the same point or place ..the starting line....
Such is true of believers running toward the goal.
We all start at the same place at the point of commitment to Christ accepting Him as Savior that’s the start of the race.
When I think of that word race and I think of those two words BORN AGAIN I can’t help but think of one of our past presidents.
Sure he may not have the history of Lincoln or Washington but I great admire Jimmy Carter if for nothing else here was a man who was not afraid to admit to others he was in a race not of politics or a rat race BUT HE OPENLY had a way f communicating that he was in THE RACE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
HE SAID I HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN!
So the Christian race has a starting place indeed it does.
II.The Christian race has a specified course Col 3:2
What if runners heard the starting gun fire but one runs North the other South, another East and one West.
Can they just all run a different course and then somehow cross the finish line? That’s not likely the case.
The Christian Race has a specific course
God tells us in a real sense what direction to run.
If you are on the football team and you get the ball....How important is it that you know specifically which way to run? Very important if you dont you could score points for the other team right?
I think some Christians unintentionally have done that in the race.
They have caught the ball but then they begin to run in the wrong direction and they give victory to the devil and not to God because they run in a wrong direction.
It comes from not undertanding that as we run this race for the Christian life and God’s Kingdom that we have been given by God
God’s direction for running the race.
We find it in Colossians 3:2
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
If you set your mind on the things of God...then
YOU CAN RUN LIKE THE WIND
but if your focus is on the wrong things ,
then you’ll be dragging like you have a load of bricks in your britches. And as you run like that it won’t be long and the devil will have you running the wrong direction
So there is a Start to this race we run
there is a course to this race we run
AND
III.There is a PURPOSE to the race we run Philp 2:16
The purpose in running is that we just don’t run in one place but that our race takes us somewhere.
How thrilling of a race do you think the OLYMPICS would be if the running events consisted of all the runners running in place.
HOW DULL HOW BORING......HOW TRUE OF MANY CHRISTIANS AND MANY CHURCHES.
We don’t run as though we have a purpose but we seem to run in place . Going nowhere ....Doing much of nothing for te Kingdom of God.
I don’t know about you but I don’t personally and individually want to be one in this race of the Christian life who just runs in place.
As a church I don’t want to just seemingly go nowhere and be a church that just sort of runs in place.
Our race should carry us SOMEWHERE we should be moving in a forward direction from point A- B-C and so on.
A church will grow one of two ways as they run the race.
The church will grow NUMERICALLY adding new converts to the church.
AND OR a church will grow SPIRITUALLY meaning that those who are there amongst the congregation will begin to develop more in their walk with God.
Ideally a church should grow both ways but I believe that
We see a lot of pastors come and go these days in Baptist Churches.
A lot of times because they are being SENT OUT by the congregation and sometimes because they shove off away from the congregation.
When a pastor no longer has a zeal to see the church
go anywhere but is content to let the church run in place....then something is wrong....He’s lost his zeal and perhaps he needs to move on or even be asked to move on.
But sometimes perhaps pastors move because he senses the congregation is too content running in place rather than going forward running the race.
We as individuals and as a church must run this race with purpose and also with progress.
IV The Christian Race has trophies (Treasures)
How many of you know someone who has excelled in one sport or many sports and that individual has a shelf or a room or perhaps even a whole basement filled with trophies?
Our young people went to a youth function at Bunker Hill last year and came home with a volleyball trophy.
But the real trophy we ought to lead them toward is those trophies we are storing up in heaven that we will lay one day at the feet of Christ as we worship Him.
To that person who has a room full of trophies somewhere....those trophies are their treasures.
They are the symbol of why they run.
As you and I run for Christ,
As we witness,
As we show compassion,
As we tithe,
As we work in the church,
As young people stand up for Jesus in the school
or as any of us stand up in the work place,...you know what you are doing?
YOU ARE STORING UP TROPHIES IN THE TREASURE ROOM OF HEAVEN!
To GOD BE THE GLORY I won this trophy but here its for you Jesus.
In acceptance speeches we may see the MVP or the Gold medal winner saying ...I owe this all to my Coach or.....I owe this all to my mom and Dad........... Let me say
We owe all our trophies to Jesus but keep on running.................. lets get God another trophy!
V.Running has its reward Rev 2
Sometimes in Marathons or races there is a great prize to be had.
Sometimes A cash reward. Sometimes that shiny trophy!
But something much more attractive awaits us in heaven as we run this race. Not a gold metal,
Not a silver or a Bronze
but A CROWN!
Some of you ladies might say oh yes
I remember being Prom queen and that crown
(non of you guys here are good looking enough to have been prom king, dont worry I wasn’t either).
But no this is a far greater crown than the
Queen of England or than The any kings crown.
I am speaking to you about the crown of life.
The Lord spoke to the Church at Symrna promising crowns but He also promises a crown for you and I one day.
As a matter of fact there are no less than 4 NT books mentioning crowns for the saints. But let’s read about a crown from the book of Revelation.
Rev 2:10
Rev 2:10
"10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
I want to close in being very honest about this race we run!
Running the race is hard
hence the use of the word suffer in the verse we just read
The race we run is full of snags and snares of the deviland it has the hindrances of Satan along the path we run.... That’s why that verse says we will be put to the test as we run.
But God says keep on running keep on... keeping on
Keep running my Race.
Would you suffer?
Would you endure being put to the test?
Will you keep running this race?
That is the question Jesus is asking tonight and He is asking it of you and of me...what sort of commitment will you make....
What sort of response will you give.
