RUN THE RACE
Today is a special day
It’s a day to prepare our hearts
and a day to prepare our church
for what God wants to do through us
Over the next 6 days we will have
the biggest opportunity of the year to teach children
what it means to become and grow as a Christian
Not only is it a huge opportunity it’s a huge responsibility
And any time you have a huge responsibility
you have to consider your attitude
Now over the years I’ve found that there are
about 3 different attitudes that Christians have
towards knowing and serving God
The first one is what I call the “Give it all I got” attitude
This is the Christian that says,
“I realize that on my own, in this lifetime,
I will never achieve holiness or perfection
in my relationship with God.
But because I am so grateful
for all Jesus did for me on the cross at Calvary,
and because God’s word tells me to “be holy as He is holy”
I am going to give it all I got, even if I fail.
And when I do fail, I’m going to get back up
and I’m going to try as hard as can until I fail again.
And I’m going to keep going, and keep trying,
and keep striving until the day
when Jesus makes me perfect in Heaven.
I owe Him at least that much
The second attitude that I have found
is what I call the “No sense putting myself out” attitude
This is the Christian who says,
“Look, let’s be realistic about this.
I’ll admit that I owe God something,
but I also know that I’m never going to be
all that He wants me to be.
I’ll do the best I can, but there’s no sense
in putting myself out too far on a limb here.
I may not be the best Christian,
but I’m certainly not the worst either.
The third attitude I have found
is what I call the “Why try” attitude
This is the Christian on the other end of the spectrum
that says “look, let’s be honest with ourselves.
We aren’t perfect.
We’re never going to be perfect.
And there’s really no sense in trying to be.
And by the way, don’t judge me,
because you’re no better than I am.
Now all of this reminds me of some things
that the Apostle Paul had to say:
In 1 Cor. 9:24-27 he said, (#1)
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
In 2 Tim 4:7 he said (#2)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but to all who have longed for His appearing.”
in Philippians 3:12-14 he said, (#3)
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but 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 and 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.”
(# 4 BLANK)
And so we can see this attitude about
knowing and growing and serving God
in terms of running a race.
I want you to imagine with me this morning (#5)
The most important race ever run
A race of supreme importance
Maybe you could think of it as the Olympics (#6)
with a 100 million dollar prize for the winner
You can imagine how motivated the participants would be (#7)
to train their bodies and their minds
for the highest possible level of performance.
The runners step on to the track (#8)
and make their way to the starting line
They’re sizing one another up,
trying to determine who their best competition will be
Looking for one another’s strength’s and weaknesses
You can see in their eyes that they are all business
Completely focused on the task at hand
They step up to the line and (#9)
place their feet in the starting blocks
Every muscles tenses as they listen for the gun to sound (#11)
Their bodies quiver with anticipation
They picture the finish line in their minds (#12)
as they focus on winning the race.
The starter yells out (#12)
“on your marks”, “get ready” “get set” …….
“WAIT! We have an announcement to make.
We need to announce that (#13)
the race you have been preparing for,
the race you have entered into,
was actually run yesterday.
And we need to let you know that the winner
ran the race of a lifetime.
In fact, he set the all time world record
and it doesn’t seem possible
that his record will ever be broken again.
His name has been recorded in the record books
and he has been awarded the 100 million dollar prize.
We are asking you now to run this race today
in honor of the winner and in honor
of the incredible race he has run. (#14)
On your marks, get set, GO!”
Now you tell me.
How do you think the race will be run?
Well I figure there will be 3 kinds of runners.
One kind of runner will say (#15)
“You know what? I have trained for this day.
I have prepared for this day.
I can appreciate the amazing accomplishment of winner.
I want to be a part of what he was able to do.
I realize that it’s no longer possible
for me to win the race but I’m going to
run this race the best way I can.”
There would be a second kind of runner who would say,
“You know what? I’ve trained for this race.
I’ve prepared for this race.
There’s a big crowd out here to see me race today.
There are people here to race against me.
So I’ll run the race.
But there’s no way I’m going to chance hurting myself
in a race I can’t even win.
So I’ll run the race.
But I figure I’ll just kind of keep pace with everybody.
Put on a good show for the crowd.
But not put out too much effort.
There’s no sense in trying too hard.”
Then there would be a third kind of runner who would say,
“You know what? Forget it.
No way I’m running this race.
I can’t win it. There’s no sense trying.
I’m just going to sin down here on track
and enjoy the day
or maybe I’ll wander into the stands
and see if I can find a hotdog or something.
But no way I’m running the race.
Any of this sounding familiar?
So you tell me.
How will the runners run the race?
Once again the starter yells out to the runners
that the race in honor of the winner is about to begin.
He tells everyone to get to their blocks. (#16)
“On your marks, get ready get set…..”
“WAIT! We have another announcement to make.
Apparently the winner of yesterday’s race
has just released a statement
saying that he wants everyone who has
entered the race to share in His victory. (#17)
He has announced that everyone who has entered
will receive the Gold medal at the end of the race (#18)
no matter what kind of race they run.
He has announced that every runner
will get to put their names (#19)
in the record book along side his
as if they were the ones who set
the all time world record themselves.
And finally he has announced that every runner
will receive the same reward of 100 million dollars. (#20)
He’s not saying he will split the prize money
equally among the contestants,
he is saying that he will personally award each person
their own prize of 100 million dollars
from his personal bank account.
Now how do you think the runners will run the race?
The first kind will be chomping at the bit. (#21)
He’ll be ready to run the race of his life
“Somebody fire the gun so we can get this thing started!”
He’ll want to run the race for the glory of the one
who will share his victory with everyone
He’ll give it his everything (#22)
He’ll leave everything he has on the track
for the chance to run the race of a lifetime
Now the second runner will be ready to run too.
He knows the crowd will be cheering. (#23)
He knows this is a momentous occasion.
He can’t wait to get to the finish line
so that he can wear the gold medal.
So that he can see his name in the record book.
So that he can cash that 100 million dollar check!
But hey, he’s not going to run too hard!
No sense in straining himself
when he’s already guaranteed the victory
no matter how he performs.
Might as well treat it like a victory lap instead of a race.
The outcome will be the same no matter what.
And then of course there’s the third kind of runner.
The one who sits down on the track (#24)
or wanders off into the stands
and just dares anyone to question
why he’s not running the race.
He found a loophole.
You see the winner said that anyone who
“entered” the race would share in the victory.
He didn’t say anything about
having to actually run in the race.
Why put himself out.
There are other things he could be doing.
And don’t you judge me!
I’m going to have the same reward as you.
I entered the race just like you did!
Runners to your marks (#25) . . . Get ready . . . Get set . . . GO!
Now you may be thinking that
all of this sounds rather ridiculous
But it’s not all that different from the spiritual race (#26)
that each one of us here today have entered into
It’s not all that different from the race
laid out before our church
as we try to decide who and what
we are going to be and do for God in the coming years
It’s not all that different from the race laid out (#27 )
before each Christian here this morning
as we try to figure out if we’re
running the race with every thing we have
or sitting down on the track
or maybe taking a spiritual victory lap
around our community.
as we decide if the one who died for us (#28 )
deserves to be honored
by the kind of race we run.
Paul said . . . . (#29 )
“Forgetting what is behind and 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.”
Maybe as a church it’s time for us
to forget what lies behind us
Time to realize that we can’t
focus on past successes or past mistakes.
Maybe it’s time to move out of the starting blocks (# 30)
Get out of our comfort zones
and get up off the track
Maybe it’s time as Christians for us
to open up our spiritual eyes
and find out where God is at work around us
so that we can join in with Him
and be a part of what He wants so desperately
to do in our community.
Maybe it’s time to start running the race(#31 )
To start growing in our relationships
with Him and with one another
Christians, It’s time to press on
And who knows how many more young people
might come to know the Lord
How many missions might be started
How many lives might be changed
How many hearts might be softened
If we would begin today to run the race
for which we were created
If we were to go into strict training(# 32)
If we were to beat our spiritual bodies
and make them slaves to Him
If we were to fight the good fight
And keep the faith
If we were to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of us(#33 )
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a (# 34)
father-and-son team from Massachusetts
who compete together in the most
incredible test of strength and endurance known to man: (#35 )
the triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman,
combination of 26.2 miles of running,
112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming.
Now this would be remarkable if Dick and Rick
were just a father and son
but what really makes it remarkable is the fact
that Rick can’t walk or talk. (# 36)
At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck
and cut off oxygen to his brain. (#37)
Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be
no hope for their child’s development.
They were encouraged to put Rick in a mental institution
Telling them that as long as he lived
he would never be more than a mental vegetable
But the couple brought their son home
determined to raise him as "normally" as possible.
Though he couldn’t talk or walk they soon discovered
that his mind was working just fine
They taught him the ABC’s
He laughed at the punch line of jokes
And they knew that he desperately wanted
to be able to communicate
In 1972 $5000 was raised to help build a computer (#38)
that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts
through specific head movements
They eagerly awaited his first words
Would it be Hi mom! Or Hid Dad! ?
Nope. It was “Go Bruins!”
Remember the Hoyts were from Massachusetts
and the Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup that year! (#39)
In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. (#40)
Two years later, he told his father
he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run
for a local lacrosse player
who had been paralyzed in an accident.
Dick, far from being a long-distance runner,
agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. (#41 )
They finished in last place,
but they felt they had achieved a triumph.
That night, Rick told his Dad,
“When we run, I don’t feel handicapped any more”
That was all it took for a Dad who desperately loved his son
They began to work out and train together(#42 )
They entered marathons with Dick pushing and Rick rolling (#43)
After 4 years of marathons,
Team Hoyt decided it was time to take on their first triathlon (#44)
Swimming, biking and running
a total of 140 miles if you can even imagine
As they began to train they realized there were some obstacles
For one thing Dick didn’t know how to swim
And He hadn’t ridden a bike since he was 6 years old!
But that was nothing compared to
the struggles they faced in figuring out
how to involve Rick in the race
In the end, they built a bike adapted to carry Rick in front, (#45 )
a special racing wheel chair (#46 )
that allowed Dick to push Rick while running
and a firmly balanced but heavy boat(#47 )
tied to Dick’s waist as he swam
On Father’s Day 1985 the gun sounded
as the Iron Man Triathalon in Hawaii began(#48 )
Some were insulted that the Hoyts were even allowed in the race
Some were inspired by their strength and courage
And all expected them to finish dead last
They didn’t! They finished next to last! (#49 )
But for the Hoyts it was an absolute, once in a lifetime victory! (#50)
They believed that they had proven something
to themselves, to the world, and to the God they served
Here is a video showing their amazing courage and determination
“ My Redeemer Lives” (Ironman Video)
Now I want you to think for a moment
about the attitude the Hoyts displayed(#51 )
Do you see that they knew from the start
That they couldn’t win the race but they were determined
to give everything they had anyway
They ran the race in such a way as to win the prize(#52 )
The prize wasn’t a gold metal or a purse of money
The prize was the knowledge that they had
accomplished something bigger than themselves
and brought glory to God
Oakdale Baptist Church,
in the next few days and in the years to come
we have the opportunity to accomplish something
bigger than ourselves and bring glory to God
It’s time for us to forget what is behind us
It’s time to strain toward what is ahead
And press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has
called us heavenward in Christ Jesus
Now will there be struggles? Yes
Obstacles to overcome? Yes
Will we stumble? (#53 )
Will we fall? Yes
But remember that we don’t
have to run the race alone (#54 )
Just like Dick and Rick Hoyt
We run the race side by side with one another
And we run it knowing that if we fall
our Heavenly Father is there to pick us up
and carry us along.
It’s time for us to press on (#55 )
I don’t know about you
But I’m ready to run the race! (#56)
Prayer
I have a powerpoint presentation that goes with this message. I would be happy to share: justinford1974@yahoo.com
