RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH!
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Early Morning Service
Let’s start out this morning with the Scripture focus from Hebrews 12:1-3.
What we are going to discuss this morning will be a shock to some maybe, but to others an awakening to see if we as Christians look like winners for Jesus Christ or just like look o likes. We sort of need to look at being a Christian as the Olympics but call it the Faith Olympics. The Christian race or the Faith Olympics is the most important race of all man kind. And should be the most important race to you individually. But, if it is a race, if it is about winning and I lose at everything, how can I win this race you are speaking of?
Well, we are going to answer this question with three simple steps in Christianity that will ensure us how to win the race, and be winners for Jesus Christ.
I. We must look around us –
Looking back over verse one. – Re-read verse 1
One thing that we should remember or know about most races with a foot race, car race, or track race you have spectators, lots of people crowding the streets or the race tracks to observe and cheer or boo. We see here in Hebrews verse one that many people are watching us as Christians just like folks watching races. Witnessing the action at the race, and people watching the action of the Christian. We know that Christian have always faced scrutiny all through the ages, and some notable occasions were people watched in doubt or to accuse:
How about Noah who was instructed to build the ark and all the folks watching doubted, laughed at scorn as an ark would not be needed in their viewpoint as it had never rained. Little did they know Noah was running the faith race against time to save himself and his family. And he won, the nay sayers lost. Moses when he was empowered by God to part the red sea and the warriors looking on racing after the Isrealites in war mode they to lost. My favorite example King Nebachnezer who threw Sahdrach, Mesach, and Abendigo into the firey furnace watching them try to run the faith race to the true and only God and they ran the faith race and won against that King of idols.
Now that we have seen examples straight from the Bible we know that we are being watched just like these great people from the Bible. We have a “great cloud of witnesses” coming out of us, but a major crowd of witness watching what we will do with this responsibility that Jesus gave us to witness for Him. People are actually counting on us to run this Faith race with excellence and watching us or looking towards us as mentors. And because of how we are as Christians we will have people we know and some we don’t even know enter in the race and become Christians because they have watched our witness. Likewise we will also have people that watch our race as a Christian and because of what they see our actions and lacking appearances of being a Christian will never come to know the Lord.
Have you been a winner of the Christian faith lately, or have you failed at being the witness we must be to others for Christ?
II. The second thing we have to look at as Christians in the Faith race is ::: We must look within us.
A winning athlete prepares to win. If they run they condition themselves eat the right things, exercise on a constant basis, and get plenty of rest. They work to win and win because they worked at it. They took several steps to becoming a winner and by no mistake.
If we look at the runner, they are typically slim and agile. You don’t see them in heavy clothes that would slow them down and cause them to drag basically in the run, they don’t typically have anything they are carrying in their hands as this would weigh them down thus slowing them down.
What about the Christian racer? What would cause the Christian to slow down in the race to Heaven?
- A dull interest in God, lacking the desire to worship, and fellowship with Christ.
- TV, the computer, spending to much time in our hobbies, and maybe even work if you are a workaholic, family sometimes, what keeps you from the Bible keeps you from running the race effectively, sort of weighs you down like the runner would be.
- Maybe things we do that are not consistent with the Christian witness we must lay them aside to run the race effectively.
- Whatever keeps you out of church you must lay aside to be an effective Christian.
This is just a sampling of things that could be weighing us down in being a Christian and a lot of these things are not worth the risk of losing the race, if it pulls somebody down or keeps us away from the Lord.
III. Finally --- We must look towards Jesus.
Looking back over verse 2 – reread
What do races look for? They look for the finish line, the checkered flag, the trophy. It is no different for the Christian we must look for the finish line we must look up for the prize and we must keep this in the front of our lives all the time and that is “Let, us fix our eyes on Jesus.” (verse 2)
When we watch races such as car or horse races, many times we are let down by our driver or favorite horse. Remember that others may let us down in the Faith Race, but Jesus Christ, the precious gift to all winners will never let us down.
Why would one look to Jesus as the finish line or the win? Let’s look at verse 3 again. Re-read verse 3.
We look to Jesus for encouragement, when we are down and when we are up. We look to Jesus as the example as the winner, and He never let’s us “grow weary and lose heart’”
Jesus is the Author of Life, He is the Finisher of our faith, and if we are winners for Jesus Christ we will always start well and end well. We will also give our all for Jesus and do so throughout the whole race of life.
We must have endurance as Christian to run this race, we must have Jesus as our coach. And we must know that when the race of life on earth is over we have Joy and most importantly Jesus Christ awaiting us at the finish line, to the starting line of eternal life.
Are you running the race? If not why delay accept Jesus Christ as your Savior today without delay.
