Get up and Win the Race
Great Bend, Kansas
Big Idea: Leave the Past behind and strive toward the future…to win the prize in Christ Jesus.
Introduction: This morning I want to review 2003. I believe it’s a noble thing to do in light of 2004. What are some of the major events that occurred in history?
Remember
January
Bush Presents Case for War in Iraq (Jan. 28): In his second State of the Union speech, president says country must be prepared to attack Iraq, preferably with the backing of the United Nations. Bush also asserts that his $674 billion tax-cut package will help to boost economy and vows to make prescription drug coverage part of Medicare.
February
U.S. Says Hussein Must Leave Iraq (Feb. 28): In a policy shift, White House says Iraq must disarm and Hussein must go into exile to avoid war.
Space Shuttle Explodes (Feb. 1): Columbia breaks up as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere on its way to Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven crew members. Victims are: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. (Feb. 13): Investigators think a hole in the left wing let superheated gas flow into the shuttle, contributing to crash.
Bush Sends Congress Budget (Feb. 3): Fiscal year 2004 budget totals $2.23 trillion and predicts record deficits in coming years.
Club Fire Kills Dozens in Rhode Island (Feb. 21): Pyrotechnics display set off during concert by band Great White ignites an inferno that quickly engulfs entire building at West Warwick. Death toll reaches 100.
Court Upholds Ban on Word “God” (Feb. 28): Federal appeals court in San Francisco lets stand earlier ruling that recitation in public schools of the words “under God” in Pledge of Allegiance violates the separation of church and state.
March
Mystery Illness Strikes Asia (March 15): World Health Organization calls virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a “worldwide health threat.” (March 19): WHO reports illness may be caused by a virus in the paramyxoviridae family. (March 25): U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it thinks a “previously unrecognized virus from the coronavirus family” is the root of the illness
War in Iraq Begins (March 20): U.S. launches Operation Iraqi Freedom. Called a “decapitation attack,” the predawn air strike targets Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. Ground troops enter the country, crossing into southern Iraq from Kuwait. (March 21): Major phase of war begins with heavy aerial attacks on Baghdad and other cities. Campaign, dubbed “shock and awe,” intended to promptly overwhelm Iraqi forces. (March 23): Coalition troops encounter fierce resistance near the southern city of Nasiriya. Iraqi forces capture 12 members of the 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company. (March 25): U.S. modifies its ground strategy as Iraqi militias, called fedayeen, attack coalition ground troops as they advance on Baghdad. (March 26): About 1,000 paratroopers land in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq to open a northern front. (March 27): U.S. bombards Baghdad, targeting government buildings. (March 28): With Umm Qasr freed of mines, first shipment of humanitarian aid arrives in Iraq. Iraqi suicide bomber strikes near Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers from the Third Infantry Division. (March 30): Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld deflects criticism that the U.S. has not deployed enough Army ground troops in Iraq. (March 30): U.S. Marines and Army troops launch first attack on Iraq’s Republican Guard, about 65 miles outside Baghdad.
April
Colossal Squid Found (April 4): In the Antarctic waters off New Zealand, fishermen catch young female Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, weighing 330 pounds and measuring 16 feet. Only second such squid to be caught.
MAY
Bush Says Combat Over in Iraq (May 1): In a speech from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, president announces U.S. victorious in war in Iraq.
House Passes AIDS Plan (May 1): Votes, 375–41, for $15 billion measure to fight disease globally. Includes provision that one-third of the money be used to encourage abstinence.
Tornadoes Ravage Central U.S. (May 5): At least 38 people die in a series of twisters in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
JUNE
Martha Stewart Indicted (June 4): Charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and securities fraud from Dec. 2001 sale of shares in ImClone Systems.
JULY
U.S. Offers Bounty for Hussein (July 3): With allied troops under continued attacks by Baath Party loyalists, U.S. announces $25 million reward for Iraqi president’s capture or evidence that confirms his death.
Investigation Reveals Widespread Abuse by Massachusetts Priests (July 23): Attorney General Thomas Reilly reports that at least 789 children were sexually abused by 250 priests and church employees in Boston’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese since 1940.
August
Massive Blackout Darkens Northeast and Midwest (Aug. 14): In the country’s largest power failure in history, 50 million people in eight U.S. states and parts of Canada are without electricity. Cause unknown, but officials acknowledge that electricity grid is antiquated. (Aug. 15): Power restored to most areas after 29-hour blackout. (Aug. 16): Electricity restored in Detroit, the last metropolitan area left in the dark
Episcopal Church Approves Gay Bishop (Aug. 5): Diocesan bishops vote 62–45 to confirm V. Gene Robinson as church’s first openly gay bishop.
Virus Attacks Computers (Aug. 12): Program, called the Blaster worm, wreaks havoc with about 500,000 computers running recent versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems. (Aug. 29): Minnesota teenager, Jeffrey Lee Parson, arrested for allegedly creating a variant of the Blaster virus.
Boston Archdiocese Settles with Abuse Victims (Sept. 9): Church agrees to pay $85 million to settle about 550 lawsuits filed by people who said they were sexually assaulted by priests. Each victim to receive between $80,000 and $300,000.
September
Hurricane Sweeps Through Mid-Atlantic States (Sept. 18): Isabel hits North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC, with winds of 100 mph, and causes at least 23 deaths. Millions left without power.
OCTOBER
Davis Out, Schwarzenegger In (Oct. 7) California governor Gray Davis ousted in recall vote. Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger overwhelmingly elected.
Bush Declares California Wildfires a Disaster (Oct. 27) The wildfire outbreak, one of the largest in the state’s history, has destroyed more than 500,000 acres and more than 1,000 homes. Fires have killed at least 17 people, 15in California and 2 in Mexico. The wildfire outbreak comprises 8 large blazes located along an arc from Los Angeles to Mexico. Some of the fires, fueled by Santa Ana winds, high temperatures, and dry brush, are believed to have been set by arsonists.
Pope Beatifies Mother Teresa (Oct. 19) Frail pontiff calls Mother Teresa an “icon of the Good Samaritan.”
November
Alabama Chief Justice Removed from Office (Nov. 13) An Alabama state judicial ethics board removes Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore from serving as a judge, citing ethics violations and his refusal to comply with a federal court order to remove a 5,280-pound monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama State Courthouse rotunda that had been on display since 2001
Alabama Chief Justice Removed from Office (Nov. 13) An Alabama state judicial ethics board removes Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore from serving as a judge, citing ethics violations and his refusal to comply with a federal court order to remove a 5,280-pound monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama State Courthouse rotunda that had been on display since 2001.
December
Hussein Caught (Dec. 13) American troops find former dictator of Iraq on a farm near Tikrit, in an 8-foot hole. He surrenders without a fight. He refuses to cooperate with interrogators. Iraqis rejoice in the streets. President Bush says, “In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over.”
Dow Closes at 18-Month High (Dec. 11) Dow Jones average closes at 10,008.16.
When you think about the last year, we can see it as a race to the finish, a finish on a high note or low note.
Question: How did your year finish...High or Low?
“The Race,” I believe is one of the most inspirational poems I have ever read.
READ POEM HERE: THE RACE
Get up and win the race! How many times have you fallen this past year? How many times have you gotten up from your fall and strived to do your best? How many times have you fallen and then said to yourself, “it’s no use anymore, I’ve failed once again. So, I’ll stay here where its safe until my life shall end.” Get up and win the race!
I want to look at Philippians 3:12-14 again this week. Read it with me. "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
THREE POINT SERMON
• Past
• Present
• Future
I. PUTTING YOUR PAST BEHIND
Last week we talked about putting our pasts behind us. As Paul stated: Forgetting what is behind…
I believe many of us need to resolve in our hearts that whether or not we ended on a high note or a low note, we must place the past year in the past.
How?
1. REPENTANCE is crucial to the past behind us. Listen to II Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”
2. FORGIVENESS Matthew 18:21-35 Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who weed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! He demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused. Instead, he went off an had the man thrown into prison until he could pay off his debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, there were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all the debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
1. We are all going to be held accountable for our outstanding debts.
2. We must pay our debts in full
3. We have been forgiven of our sin debt by the blood of Christ.
4. Because we have been forgiven, we must also forgive those how owe us.
Forgiveness is the consummate example of why Christ came to earth…to forgive us from our sin so that we might have a FUTURE hope for an eternity with God in heaven.
II. PRESENT
Secondly, we must look at the present.
1. RECONCILED: We understand that we have been forgiven and must be RECONCILED: Therefore, we must be reconciled to God. I Corinthians 5:19-20 says, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting peoples sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!”
Transition: Once we have submitted to God, we must also recognize that we need not worry about our present situation. For Matthew 6:25-26 speaks to us today saying
2. DON’T WORRY about everyday life. Whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes…Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not!”
Why not?
III. FUTURE
We have a Future that is mapped out for us. Jeremiah 29:11 we find these words of Comfort, stating, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
• We must be forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know his plans.
Therefore, we must trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). So then it is important that we look straight ahead, fix our eyes directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; keep your foot from evil (Proverbs 4:25-27). Do not let your heat envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 23:17-18).
Bravery and courage is essential for the Future.
We must be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail your for forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).
We must be strong, and do not let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord (Psalms 32:24).
GET MOVING: Therefore, we must get moving!
THE RED SEA INCIDENT: God told Moses in Exodus 14:15-16 to “tell the people of Israel to go forward.” “Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go on dry ground through the sea.”
YOU SEE, BETWEEN TOMORROW’S DREAMS AND YESTERDAYS REGRETS IS TODAYS OPPORTUNITIES.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
IF you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get everything done. Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow- perhaps they all will. (Ecc. 11:4, 6).
SO THEN, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO WELL. FOR WHEN YOU GO TO THE GRAVE, THERE WILL BE NO WORK OR PLANNING OR KNOWLEDGE OR WISDOM (ECC. 9:10).
I KNOW THAT ALL I’VE SAID WOULD BE GOOD IT WE REALLY BELIEVED WE COULD MOVE ON AND BE RELEASED FROM THE PAST…BUT WE CAN’T. I KNOW IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE REALLY BELIEVED GOD COULD TAKE CARE OF OUR PRESENT SITUATION…BUT WE CAN’T. AND I KNOW IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE BELIEVED THAT GOD REALLY HAD OUR FUTURE PLANS MAPPED OUT FOR US… BUT WE CAN’T…OR COULD WE ALLOW OUR HEARTS TO MOVE FROM I CAN’T TO I CAN?
LISTEN to the story of a teacher took a fourth-grade class whose persistently stated I Can’t to I can.
READ STORY OF I CAN’T FUNERAL HERE.
I know 2004 will be a great year, no matter what happens once we allow ourselves to focus on the I cans of God and allow him to work in our lives.
COMMUNION
