INTRODUCTION
Say: Today is a different kind of day in our church - we have always been in transition, well, ever since I arrived as the new pastor and that was expected. But as I come to you today, I believe that the transition that started seven and a half months ago has taken a different turn, and in the next couple of weeks, we will begin to see and understand more of what that means for us as a church and the people of God – B&S, I don’t know what all lies ahead of us because God has not told me everything, but I can say this much, he has revealed to me in no uncertain terms that I must press forward towards the mark of the high calling in which is Christ Jesus.
Saints of God, hear me, our church will not just survive, but will thrive and go on to become the great and vibrant Church that God has called it to be. Friends, we are in good hands – and I am sure of this because we are not in the hands of a Bahamian preacher, but rather it is in the hands of a Jewish carpenter and preacher from Galilee –
We are in the hands of the man who has defied nature and calmed a storm one day – he is familiar with storms….
We are in the hands of a man who called dead people from the grave,
So be encouraged, we are in good hands because we are in the hands of a man who one day walked on water –
Turned water into wine - Fed five thousand with two small fishes and five rolls, and had left- plenty left over for the next day…. Central, we are in good hands because we are still in the hands of a man who though he was crucified, dead and buried and just when Satan thought he had him defeated, the Bible says that He arose from the dead triumphantly and declared that all power is given unto me in heaven and on earth… and so I say to you today, take heart, don’t be discouraged, because, like he said to Joshua in Joshua ch. 1:9 – “Be strong and courageous. Don’t tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with you wherever you go – B&S, God and God alone is able to see us through. Listen here Central, we are going through because God is with us and He is on our side…
Speaking to the apostle Peter one day, Jesus reminded him that the church is his and the gates of hell will not prevail against it – You remember what he said in Matt. 16: 18, “upon this rock…… God has not changed his mind about his church…. Central, God is calling us to a higher place of service – praise, worship – love – forgiveness – reconciliation – evangelism… calling us to another level in him but we have to stay focused. And that is what I want to talk to us about today. “Stay focused.” I mean do not allowed yourself to get distracted by the noise in the market…
But in order to sat focused, we have to do a few things – and I believe this text prescribes exactly what we need to do to “stay focused.” You see, staying focused means staying in the race – it means keeping your eyes on the prize – it means not letting discouragement cause you to give up and quit. So what must we do. Read v-1 a.
1. Staying focused means that we must “Take a good look around us”. A call for us to look at those who have gone before us. “Therefore.”
B&S, I believe that there are some of you in here today who are on the brink of giving up, some of you may be frustrated, tired, fed up with church, sick of church people, sick of religion and religious hypocrisy, your emotions are running wild, but I want you to hear the Lord this morning as he speaks to us, God is saying to all of us in here today, look around you, even the great heroes of the faith did not always have it good, did not always achieve everything they set out to achieve, great men and women of the Bible had to struggle to finish their races as they sought to please God - they had to struggle to be counted as worthy in the sight of God – and this text is saying to all of us,
look at them -
learn from them -
live what they have lived –
B&S, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses…. Why and who are they…Look at ch. 11 – it reminds us of being at the grand Bahama sports center – we are the athletics and the witnesses are like the fans sitting in the bleachers looking at us and cheering for us…as we run around the track.
We are in a race – and it is not the 100 yards dash. No, it is a marathon, and so we get tired along the way, we get discouraged, and so the writer of Hebrews is saying to us, look at all of the other runners who went before you.
Say: they are not looking at us, the Bible wants us to look at them.
Abel -Enoch – Noah – Abraham – David – Moses – Rahab – Gideon – Samson - Jacob – Samuel… These are folks who loved God but had to struggle to make it in and the Bible is saying to us today, hang in there – there is a prize at the end of the road.
Read v-24-……to the end. We see people who knew how to run the race of faith. B&S, they are not looking at us – we are to look at them – they are our examples and our motivation to press to the next level. So to stay focused, it means we have to look around us.
2. Read v-1b. Staying focused means that we must “Lay aside some things”. A call for us to shed some load- lighten up for the move to the next level. It hard to go up the stairs with unnecessary load on your back…Get rid of some stuff. Some of us are too heavy to get to the next level.. God wants to take us higher, but we are burdened down with things that we have no control over and the Lord is saying to us right now, Let us lay aside…..KJ says weight, encumbrance… well it means whatever is getting in your way of cultivating a deeper relationship with God. It may be a good thing as well as a bad thing. There are some good things that also keep us from going to the next level. A house - fishing – playing golf - (Article – pastors decide whether to have church or go to baseball practice with children). Central watch out that we don’t allow other things draw us away from a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. Imagine Christ return and meet us home frying chicken when we ought to be in Church worshiping him.
But He says lay aside the sin that so easily beset us.. I believe that there is a sin that weigh each of us down .. there is always a struggle that we really have to fight against… Whatever that is, the Lord is saying to us today, lay it aside because it will keep us back from going to the next level. For some of us that sin is a lack of faith and unbelief in Jesus Christ … Pride and hoilier than thou attitude….thinking that we are better than others..
Unforgiveness - Envy – Jealousy….hatred….lust….stingyness…… gambling and greed…. Central, whatever it is today,
I know for some it is Worry – physical things of life..
But whatever it is, God is saying to us, Lay it aside - throw it off. B&S, those things entangle us and trip us up and no wonder we cannot get to the next level - our hearts are not right and we are burdened down by the little nagging things of life… So, to stay focused, we have to – lay aside..
Look around us - Lay aside
3. Staying focused means that we must Labor ahead (Let us Run) Read 1c.
This Christian life is a race that we all must run and finish. There are some who have started out well but have been sidetracked by the things of life and have dropped out of the race and I have stopped by to encourage you to hang in there – don’t give up. The unfortunate thing is, many people are not even in the race and some Christians can hardly be described as running the race. Some are jogging – some are walking slowly – sitting idly by on the track.. worse of all, some are lying down.. have given up on God… dropped out of the race and that is why I have come today to say, don’t get distracted by what is going on around but continue to come to church and assemble yourself with the other believers and sit under the teaching and the preaching of the word of God so that you may be strengthened and encouraged for the journey that lies ahead of all of us. B&S, this race gets hard at times and if you are not grounded in the word of God, you will not make it.
I cannot speak for when I am gone, but on my watch, there will always be a word in this house –
On my watch, Central will always be a place where you children and grandchildren can come and learn about God and grow up to become responsible adults.. Central will always be a place where couples – grow in relationship with each other -
Parents grow in relationship with children…
Singles learn how to live the successful Christian life
Widows and our seniors are encouraged in the things of God… Central will always be a place where we encourage the saints to get in the race and to stay in the race because there is a prize at the end that is awaiting us … and the Bible says, eyes have not seen….
Run with endurance… it means keep living out your Christian witness even when the odds are against you… sick – run .. handicapped…. Discouraged….keep running… don’t give up stay focused… the call is to labor ahead….
Look around - Lay aside Labor ahead..
4. Read v-2. The object of our focus must be right. Not of government – pastor – parents – spouse.. employer - Staying focused means that we must “Lock Your eyes on Jesus” Focus on the Lord..
Ill. Children swimming.. be concerned about others but don’t allow them to distract you..
They distract us by negative talk. Negative behavior - Bad attitude… influencing you into doing things that they want us to do – but I have come to tell you - stay focused…
You know, others of us are distracted because all of the focus is on our self. We are full of self. And when the focus is on self we can never run well for the Lord - B&S, the Bible says we are to be filled with the Spirit not filled with ourselves. We are fill with self when we think everything has to be done our way and the world revolves around us… and we are God’s gift to everybody else… and no one can tell us anything and no one can teach us anything… when that happens ---we become sidetracked and we can’t run because the focus is now on self.
B&S, we have been losing out and becoming disappointed because we have been focusing on the wrong things – wrong people..
Family will fail
Friends
Church folks will fail but God never fails and so the word comes to remind us today to fix our eyes on Jesus.
You see, when our eyes are on Jesus, we learn to see things from His perspective. We learn to pattern our lives after his life…
keep your eyes on Jesus. He will never disappoint you – leave you – forsake you – let you down… turn his back… He will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory..
Gives us the reasons……read 2b.
He is the begin of our faith and the end of our faith. In ch. 11, we read about all of the heroes of faith, but B&S, Jesus is faith himself. And that is why the Bible says that we are to look at the heroes of faith but it says that we are to fix, lock our eyes on Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Central, the author and the finisher of our faith has been tested and proven to be faithful, even to the death on a rugged cross. Read again…
Look around
Lay aside
Labor ahead
Lock your eyes
5. Staying focused means that “Losing heart is not an option”
But I must admit, running a marathon race, everyone gets tired, there are moments of discouragement, there are times of wanting to give up but the word is saying to us today…. Read v-3 - This word comes to remind us that Jesus Christ and the life he lived is the supreme example for all of us. When we fix our eyes on him and remember all that he has done for us, it provides us with just a little more encouragement to go forward.
Central hear me, on this Christian journey there will be pain – problems – persecutions – personal challenges but hang in there - we have work to do. Look around you, men and women are dying everyday and going to hell and here we are fighting over things that are of no value to the kingdom of God – wake up Central… God is looking for a people who will rise up and begin to take back what the enemy has stolen from us and I believe that there are some people in here who are willing to go the full distance. But in order to move forward and move to the next level, as a people, we have to “stay focused”. Central, it is so easy to get distracted and take our eyes of Jesus that I must warn you, be careful. Stay focused. Don’t let the noise in the market intimidate you or shake your faith in God. Don’t’ quit – don’t lose heart – I declare to you today that this church will go on to become a great church in this community, so losing heart is not an option… be encouraged .. be strong.. don’t fear, God will give you the strength you need to go on – keep on running. Keep on striving… and if you are not in the race – get in the race.
Three times – let us./…. Meaning that this is a personal race… each one look around – lay aside – labor ahead – lock eyes on Jesus must run – each one must not lose heart…
And so the call today is to stay focused…
1. Look around you
2. lay aside
3. labor ahead - run
4. Lock your eyes on Jesus
5. Losing heart is not an option -
Gospel…
