Introduction
A. People who win a lot, teams that win a lot and people who succeed in life all have a lot in common. There are certain things they do and certain things they don’t do that somehow they all figure out. This is called the Winner’s code.
B. We are reading in Hebrews chapter 12. This follows the Hall of Fame list in chapter 11. The writer is listing off all of these AVERAGE people who learned the ‘winner’s code.’
C. We looked at a couple of things last week that winner’s do.
1. They lay aside things that hold them back. Not necessarily sinful things but also things that they realize will not help them get into the winner’s circle. There are things that maybe somebody else can do but will not work for you, and if you want to make it into God’s Hall of Fame you have to be willing to let them go.
2. We also looked playing by the rules. In sports cheaters eventually get caught. They may get away with it for a while but eventually they get caught and lose everything. Sin for a Christian is breaking the rules, and if we want to win the gold we have to obey God’s rules. We may get away with breaking His rules for a while but eventually our sins will find us out. God’s rules are not given to burden us but to help us succeed in life.
D. Today we are going to look at another thing that you will find all winners have learned, determination. If you are going to accomplish anything that is worth doing you are going to have to be determined because the really great things in life don’t come easy. If you want to become President of the United States or governor one day, you have to be determined to do so. You have to dedicate much of your life to that pursuit. You can’t just out of the blue one year enter your name for candidacy and expect to have chance to win and election.
E. If you want to be a doctor or lawyer or engineer you have to be determined to do so. You have to dedicate much of your life to that pursuit.
F. If you want to get a raise or a promotion at work, you have to be determined to get it. You are going to have to work hard and do a good job. You are going to have to put in your time. Promotions don’t happen overnight and for no reason.
G. The same is true of world-class athletes like the ones who will compete at the Olympics. None of them just go through the motions of life when out of the blue they decided to enter the Olympic trials. For years they have been determined to make the Olympic team. And that determination has driven them to practice and train and discipline themselves for this very time.
H. The secret to being in God’s Hall of Fame is the same. You don’t become a world-class Christian by accident or by chance. You have to be determined to become one. It is not just a matter of being a Christian for a long time. We have all known people who have matured physically without maturing mentally or emotionally. The same is true spiritually. You can be a Christian for years and yet have failed to grow into Christ likeness and produce the fruit of the Spirit. You have to be determined to practice spiritual disciplines like prayer and bible study, serving and fasting. You have to be determined to obey God even when it isn’t easy or pleasant. You have to be determined to do what’s right even when no one is looking.
I. Let’s read in Hebrews 12:1-3
1st You have to enter the race!
A. “Let us run.” First you have to enter the race. This sounds obvious, but the truth is many people never enter the race.
B. When I say that you have to get in the game I’m not merely talking about becoming a Christian. Although that truly is the first step. I am talking about getting involved, serving, reaching out, praying for people.
C. It is possible to be an athlete and yet not compete. It seems that many Christians are quite content to do that very thing. Content to become a Christian. Content to have their sins forgiven. Content to attend church on Sundays. Content to go through the motions without getting in the game. Content to sit on the sidelines watching while others play the game.
D. In sports only so many players can participate in a given event. In college football there are sometimes as many as 100 – 150 players on the team but only 11 of them can be on the field and in the game at any one time. A typical basketball team has 12 players but only 5 of them can be on the court at any one time. This is not true of the Christian life. You will not find a rule anywhere in the Bible that says that only 10 or 20% of the team is allowed to participate. So why is it that so many Christians choose to sit on the sidelines? I can guarantee you that you will never bring home the gold or make the Hall of Fame while warming the bench or sitting on the sidelines. You have to enter the race.
E. What are you waiting for? Don’t fall for the lie, that you are not ready, or you don’t have time. Don’t you realize that the game clock is running? When the time is up that’s it. This game of life isn’t like football where the play clock is positioned right where the quarterback can easily see exactly how much time he has to get the play off. In basketball the team can look up at the clock on the scoreboard and know how much time they have left to hold on or how much time they have left to come back. In real life we don’t know what the game clock says. How much time do you have left? What are you doing with the time you have?
F. What are you going to do with the time you have left? Don’t worry about how you may have misspent your time up to this point. It’s not too late to get in the game today. Are you putting things off, saying to yourself, “when you are older, when you have more money, when you are finished with school, when you are finished raising your children, when you are retired, or when you get that promotion.” Those are all smoke screens, put there by your opponent, who is hoping you won’t ever enter the race.
G. Sometimes it is a bit scary to enter the race. There is always that fear of failure or the hesitancy of doing something new. I remember one time talking with my brother Dan about running. He asked me if I wanted to run the next day, Saturday. At that time I was running, so I said sure. Then he said, “No I mean in a race tomorrow, a 5K race!” I panicked! I had never run in a race in all of my life and it sounded scary but I said yes. The next day at the race as the hundreds of runners lined up, my heart was beating so fast, I told Dan I didn’t need to run, I could just stand there and get my heart exercise but I ran anyway and it was great and it opened the door to a whole new world for me. Eventually I ran in three Triathlons as a result. So don’t let fear hold you back. It can be scary to offer to pray for someone, or to invite someone to church, or to get involved in a ministry. Don’t let fear hold you back
H. One negative side effect of sitting on the sidelines is complaining. Have you ever noticed that most complaints come from those who aren’t involved in the game? The fans can be so critical. They criticize everything. They complain about the coach and the game plan he made. They complain about the players and the effort they put forth. But if you will enter the race you will find that you are too busy competing to be complaining.
I. The truth is, many Christians never enter the race. Enter the race. These are simple words and yet they are so profound. No one in all of history has ever won a race that they did not run.
2nd Run YOUR race not someone else’s
A. “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” When it comes to sports especially running you will notice there are all sorts of different runners. There are sprinters, and there are long distance runners, and there are those who can run and jump over hurdles to win.
B. What this is telling us here is that there is a specific kind of race that God made you for. We are not called to run just any old race. According to this verse there is a specific race that has been marked out for each of us to run. Your race is probably different from mine. Or even how you run it will be different than how I run it. In fact your race is uniquely yours to run. God has a plan and a purpose for your life that only you can fulfill. When we realize that God has a plan for our lives it gives us a sense of purpose. It brings meaning into our lives. Without it there is something missing and life just doesn’t make sense. There is a relationship that makes life complete. Without that relationship, there is a void, a vacuum in life.
C. Without a route to run life just doesn’t add up and so people give up. More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent. Christians without goals are a little like Alice in the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. In a conversation between her and the Cheshire Cat, Alice asked, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat. “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
D. Now I realize that is easier said than done. It would be nice if every baby born came with an instruction package. “This is their path in life!” I think this discovery is a life long journey. I believe we discover the race we are to run more on a day by day basis. Sometimes it takes many different twists and turns but if you are walking out a day by day relationship with God and trying to listen to His Holy Spirit then each twist and each turn are part of the race! We don’t have to worry that we don’t know it all, can we answer for today, that is the most important thing.
E. Discover God’s plan for your life and then be determined to stay on course. If you following the course that God has laid out before you, I can guarantee that you will bring home the gold.
Video: Chariots of fire
A. What a great movie, “Chariots of Fire.” That is what “Run with perseverance” means. This is a true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran for Scotland. An article appearing the next day in the newspaper said, “The circumstances in which Liddell won the race made it a performance bordering on the miraculous.”
B. Many people still feel today that Liddell’s win in the quarter mile was the greatest track performance in the history of running. He won a gold medal in the 1924 Olympics, and then went on to become a missionary. One interesting part of this story was that when Mr. Liddell found out that his Olympic run was scheduled to be held on Sunday, he refused to run in it. He felt Sunday was a special day and did not feel right racing on Sunday. He ended up running in a different race on Monday and won the gold medal.
3rd Never quit ‘Run WITH PERSEVERANCE”
A. Never throw in the towel. Never give up. Keep on keeping on. Don’t quit. We know all of the clichés. But there is great truth here. To be a world-class athlete you can’t quit. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Did you hear about the guy in the last Olympics who won the gold medal in 400-meter hurdles even though he quit half way through the race? No? You didn’t? That’s because it never happened! You don’t bring home the gold by quitting in the middle of the competition.
B. This is what the writer meant when he wrote, “run with perseverance” or “don’t throw in the towel.” Maybe you’ve moved away from the sidelines and have gotten involved in the game. Maybe you came out of the blocks well and got off to a great start. But you still need to finish what you’ve started. Maybe it’s not as exciting as it used to be. Maybe things are not going the way you planned. Maybe you’re working hard and no one seems to appreciate it. Maybe you feel like throwing in the towel this morning, but don’t.
C. Finish what you start. So many people start projects and get half way done and then quit. Or they get it partially done and that is good enough and never finish the job. You will NEVER make it to the Hall of Fame leaving stuff undone. That is the same as quitting.
D. When you are tempted to throw in the towel remember that you are not running for fame or fortune, but for your God. It doesn’t matter that you may never set any world records. God has called you to live this life and He expects you to finish the race. Here’s the secret with God. Everyone who finishes gets the gold.
E. Maybe life has thrown you some curve balls. Maybe you’ve been knocked off your feet. You figure since you’re already down there’s no point in getting back up. Rather than getting up you’re planning on hanging it up.
F. There is something noble and honorable about not quitting, about getting back up and dusting yourself off and continuing to compete. Don’t give up on God because things are tough. You can do this. You can finish the race. You can bring home the gold. Be determined to not throw in the towel.
G. Quitting can become a dangerous habit. Once you let it creep into your life it is hard to get it out. Parents be especially aware of this in your children, do not let them quit when they are discouraged or tired or it gets too hard. Help them to understand the importance of finishing.
Conclusion
A. God is not looking special people. He is looking for average people that He can make special. He is looking for regular people that He can make great. Chapter 11 of Hebrews is a list of those kind of people.
B. He wants to put your name there. It does not happen by accident. What is it going to take? We need to learn what winners know and practice, the winner’s code.
1. Get in the game, stop delaying and hiding behind excuses. Now is your time to step out and start being part of what God is doing.
2. Learn to run YOUR race. Stay in tune every day to what God is calling you to do. Let Him help you discover your race, your gifts and talents and seek to use them to the best of your ability.
3. Never quit. Realize that times of difficulty will come to all of us. We are in a broken world. Jesus said we will have tribulations but be of good cheer He overcame them and with His Holy Spirit in us we can overcome them to. Never give up.
