Keep Your Eyes On The Prize!

Introduction: Watching the Olympics for two weeks helps us to focus on the subject of this message – Keeping your eyes on prize – winning that Gold medal. There are only 3 winners that get prize. 4 yrs ago, the Canadian Hockey team, took the silver, and when given the medal they took off and said, “This not good enough for us, because we should have won it all!” Lets look at some history of the Olympics.

Watching PBS in the last weeks has the movie version, “Eyes On The Prize.” Mavis Staples and John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen have sung it for the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s and violent scenes are shown.

The song has also been used for exercising. Students in High Schools have used the song for encouragement in graduating with a diploma.

Jesus preached a sermon about “Keeping your hands on the plow and don’t look back. (Luke 9:61-62. Paul spoke about “THIS ONE THING I DO!” (Philippians 3:8)

Paul’s whole life was about being in a race, first as Saul, in his education; in his name, Pharisee; in his capturing the Christians. Now as Paul, in the reverse, winning 1,000’s to Jesus, establishing churches in every town he was in, writing 11 Books of the Bible, etc.

How do I as a Christian reach my goal? 1. Stay focused. 2. Start Running!. 3. Forget the falling down and keep going relentlessly. 4. Be Faithful. 5. Help Others to run, like the Army Ranger. 6. What’s on your checklist to complete, (Chaplain Craig Hornsberger).

CONCLUSION: Read the words, “Everyone One … Run To Win” by Christine Caine. Page 41-43. Michael Johnson, in the 2000 Olympics, ran his last racc before retiring. His moment of winning the gold, was for only a moment, an applause of the crowd. But our prize will be for eternal glory in heaven. We will receive our prize from our King of Kings. “When we are motivated by a passion for eternity, our race is worth the effort.>” FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS!” Amen.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Pete Seeger

Paul and Silas bound in jail Had no money for to go their bail Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Paul and Silas thought they was lost Dungeon shook and the chains come off Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Freedom's name is mighty sweet And soon we're gonna meet

Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on I got my hand on the gospel plow Won't take nothing for my journey now Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Hold on, hold on Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Only chain that a man can stand Is that chain o' hand on hand Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

I'm gonna board that big greyhound Carry the love from town to town Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Hold on, hold on Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

Hey! Hey! Now only thing I did was wrong Stayin' in the wilderness too long Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

The only thing we did was right Was the day we started to fight Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Hold on, hold on Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

(The only thing we did was wrong) (Staying in the wilderness too long) (Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on)!

(The only thing we did was right) (Was the day we started to fight)(Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on) Hold on, hold on

Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Hold on, hold on Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on Ain't been to heaven but I been told Streets up there are paved with gold!

Submitted By Larry L. Vollink, chaplain/preacher, DeTour Christian Church, Michigan, lawrenceV@comcast.net