The Great Race

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham a little later in the program will tell you that you can get Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle.

The first hears the message the great race Bibles and turn with me to Hebrews New Testament book of Hebrews chapter 12. Running is now an international pastime since the father of aerobics. Dr. Kim Cooper inaugurated the fitness revolution with his book published in 1968 aerobics throughout the 1970s and 80s and beyond and seeing the whole world seem to have laced up their shoes hit the streets pounded the pavement millions of people have discovered in this fitness revolution.

The value of exercise, running, walking, cycling and lifting has become a way of life for men and women of all ages with course are discovering that everything improves with exercise is good for you body, soul and spirit, and once you commit to exercise.

You discovered all kinds of health benefits as well as emotional benefits. There are even chemicals in the brain were told called endorphins that kick in when you exercise at the right pace long enough, and it is the feel-good chemical and it is a pain reducer and we could go on and on and on the course and we been keeping up with the value of being in shape at steak and Shake.

Now we know there's no easy way to be fit in shape especially if you get out of shape and it requires discipline and determination. Well, there is another kind of running that requires both discipline, devotion, and determination.

This is what I'm going to call the great race the great race is the race that every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is running in the apostle Paul often spoke of the athletic arenas of his own day, and of the contests the ancient world in which men would run and be judged upon their writing and their value as an athlete was determined that the famous even as they would stand before judgment and often we read in the Bible that we are to compete as spiritual athletes that are Christian faith is to be muscular in the way we respond and the way that we run so verse one and two verses wanted to Hebrews 12 says this therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Indeed, if you are a follower of Christ, then you are in this great race, a spiritual race that requires endurance and commitment, but the results the benefits of running this race are immeasurable. Not even you have ever been a runner. You know that there are all kinds of reasons to give up to give up and quit everything from side stitches that Sheehan splints to weather related problems to fatigue.

Sometimes just getting off the couch and and moving is like climbing Mount Everest, but once you get going, you discover the pleasure and the prophet of exercise. So it is in the Christian faith. Once you get moving moving forward in this life is you get off the spiritual couch and rather than being a spectator, you become a runner and he began running towards the reward you have something to say about how you run this race.

There are some who have fallen away from their faith as a matter of fact the entire book of Hebrews in your New Testament is written to encourage believers to press on in faith to move forward to following Christ did not look back. Never go back and certainly not to quit. Why because the Christian life. This race is not a short burst.

It is not a Sprint but it is a marathon and I might add, is a marathon with an obstacle. I included so the question is how do we keep on trucking.

How do we keep moving forward. As we follow Christ looking under Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. What is the secret to spiritual longevity.

What steps can I take in my Christian life to assure that I will not be a spiritual casualty, but that I will make it all the way to the finish line and not only to the finish line, but to finish with a flurry in victory with hands and head held high, celebrating what God has done. How can I so run for the reward of hearing the words well done good and faithful servant. Now we need to be asking these kinds of questions because one of these days, every one of us will finish the race that we've been running and whether we win or whether we lose this race depends upon how well we run the apostle Paul said in first Corinthians 9 do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize so run that you may obtain it run.

He said that you may win one day each one of us will die and stand before God and our lives will be evaluated. Of course, when we die. Someone is going to stand up and say a few words about us that are funeral service and I just wonder what are people going to say about you when that time comes when you come to the end of the race whether be much to say I heard about a man who died in his life was contacting the newspaper to give the obituary information so the writer of the bit, just said okay what would you like to say about your daily departed husband. She thought for a moment and say will just say he died and that the newspaper person said well you to be disabled more than that there's in fact there is site a minimum of words for the obituary so you know what else would you like to say lady fought for just a moment and said okay put this Volvo is for sale now. Unfortunately, there's not much to say. If we do not live our lives running the race card after God. What matters most.

Of course, is not what men may say about us, but what God says about us, but we will stand before this judgment seat of Christ to receive our rewards if we have run well. Many of received accolades in the applause of man of this world, trophies, but have nothing much to show for their life in Christ in heaven God will applaud those who have been faithful and fervent in the race for him and did you know that the Lord will not overlook even the smallest act of kindness, even a cup of cold water given in Jesus name. If this is done for his glory there certain things that only God sees and only God knows. Jesus said this in Matthew six and verse for your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. The Scripture says that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. I said just a moment ago that the judgment seat refers to these platforms in the ancient world in which contestants and sometimes criminals in the civil arena would be judged. We several summers ago we were in Greece and we went to the ancient ruins of court to see this city, to whom Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians. These believers who were living in a very corrupt and pagan city at that time, but there in the midst of the city and all these ancient ruins. You can actually see a famously where the judgments of the city took place at nearby is a tremendous arena where the Corinthian games took place in the athletes from the world came in and participated in there at the Bay month they were crowned they were rewarded just as the apostle Paul is saying to us that one day we will stand at this judgment seat of Christ, and we will be rewarded now. God promises our place in heaven and we are secure in our place and in the promise of heaven, but how we run determines our position in heaven. Let me say that again the promise of God's grace secures our presence in heaven.

But how well we run this race. This great race of life determines our position in hip salvation God's grace puts us in and keeps us in the race, but it is our service and our sacrifice that produces a heavenly plan. Heavenly reward you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message the great race for God-given calling to take the gospel to the world.

That's why we put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your letter of the gospel and share it with others.

This evangelism bundle includes three of Pastor Jack Graham's books the help of Eastern like stuck in God's promises for doubtful days. This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today and thanks to a generous matching grant gift today will be doubled. So call now to request your evangelism bundle when you give: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie now it's Québec. Today's message the great race.

The promise of God is race cures our presence in heaven. But how well we run this race.

This great race of life determines our position in hip. Many people spend their days on earth just simply wasting time wasting their lives in a thousand trivial pursuits.

Many of these things are good things. Many of these are in and of themselves, certainly not bad things, but they weigh us down, they hold us back, even as the Scripture says here, let us lay aside every weight weight is anything that would impede our effort or slow us down. Just as a runner with stripped down to almost embarrassing proportions.

A time to run a race last anything hold him back.

We are to make sure that there is nothing in our lives that would keep us from moving forward fervently in the race. It can be anything you could be our careers.

It could be a hobby to be listening to music, it could be watching television. I read this week that the average American get this Vince for being years in their lifetime watching television will one day God is going to ask each one of us about our lives, how did you use your opportunities, your resources, your time, your talents, what did you do to advance the kingdom of God in your lifetime. What did you do to serve the church on the Lord Jesus Christ. How many people are in heaven because you share because you serve because you witness that I can't tell you how important this is because how many people come to the end of the race with regrets. If only I had known what I know now I will live my life differently if only I had known the joy of serving Christ all of my life.

I would have live a better life for Christ.

We don't want to live a life that is filled with regrets. I remember you know we don't know the end of the race. We don't know how long we had to run.

No doubt you expect to live a very long life and that's fine. Expect to live to be 80 or 90, and then at the end the lay down in bed and gather your kids and your grandkids around you make a few final pronouncements last will and testament and then just close your eyes and not but frankly it doesn't happen that way all the time.

Sometimes some of us may live long lives. Some of us may not and that is why in the time that we've been given how ever long that time may be we must run passionately and pursue the product we need to make everyday matter because remember that life is not truly measured in its in its duration. But in its donation. In other words, is not about how many years I live but how much of my life that I give. That's what matters the most. Time is of the essence in the great race and we don't have time to waste this gift of God. This precious gift of God that we call life. We want to finish and we want to finish well and so what can we do what what steps can we take in order to ensure this longevity and the race so that we all stumble in our fall away or turned back, but that we will finish with a flirt of these verses that we just read, speak to us concerning that very issue. So how do we maintain the pace finish the course will number one run with all your heart run with everything you've got. Let us run the Scripture says with in durables. Just as others have faithfully run before so are we to run and finish the course. Of course the 12 chapter follows the great chapter of faith chapter 11 of Hebrews and one after another, we have the spiritual biographies or if you will, the obituary of the great men and women of faith in the Old Testament and how well they ran the race since we are encompassed about by these witnesses. These who have shared their faith before we ought also to endure and exercise our faith in the common characteristic on men and women when is that faith over and over again we read it by faith.

My faith, my faith by faith and literally it speaks of faithfulness exercising that faith. We are not to run halfheartedly but wholeheartedly following the Lord completely totally giving 100% or even more.

How many coaches have said through the years to their teams okay team is time to give 110% means that if we are going to run and win this race that we need to give it everything that we got and we have, to give it all to God that Jesus is truly first in our lives that we not honor him in all that we do so when it is time to worship when it is time together with God's people in the lift up the name of Christ, we will honor him. So what we do we show up and we say I was glad when they said to me let us go into the house of the Lord, but how many people today will say well you know I just can't get to church and worship today always too rainiest to stormy your some people is a chore is a dread of something they have to do. I can't go to church I I'm too busy. I just need to stay home and spend a little quality time with my family. The excuses run rampant, but frankly, so many have made a lifetime of excuses because they lacked commitment and discipline and determination and devotion to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ same could be said of giving. We asked the Lord to provide for our every need, and he does he provides for us.

We ask the church to meet our need in the church is always there for us.

We have a funeral or a wedding or a need in our lives are something some blessing to share the church we always expect if we show up at the church is going to be fully operative in and that we will experience a great time in church while and that's a good expectation.

By the way, and yet how many of us why we ask God to meet our needs in the church to meet our needs. How many of us when the offering plate is passed, we never even consider honoring the Lord with the first fruits of our labor bringing our ties and offerings on God's day to God's church and serving you seek. Giving is a matter of pursuing spiritual goals and I live in advancing the kingdom of God thing to be trenched set of certain when where some are asked to serve.

There's always a reason why I can't talk I'm too tired or I'm too busy, your and yet there are hundreds of opportunities for us to exercise our faith and to give it everything we have in serving Christ so are you running the race.

Are you committed to the prize when you faithfully following Christ. If not, I assure you, you are headed for some detours and distractions and perhaps even a fall in your life. I assure you, if you are not committed to Christ full out, then you are in danger of becoming a spiritual casualty is just a matter of time that you will be off course and potentially out on the right. This is why we are told in the Scriptures that we therefore are to run with endurance exercising our faith and then to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily. The census or clings closely to us as the ESV says, as I said the weight is anything that slows us down in the race.

The sin is what stops us ultimately in the race.

Sin can be anything that is setting or that particular sin that holds you back that addiction that power of sin that grips you most likely the sin referred to in this passage is the sin of unbelief. It is not trusting in God. It is not following through in faithfulness. It is being an unbelieving believer. One of the greatest fears of the apostle Paul, the greatest runner of the New Testament was the fear that he express that somehow he having preached. Others would be a castaway that he would be disqualified in the race that he would allow something to disturb and to distort and distract him from finishing his course in victory. So the second thing that we need to remember if we are going to take the steps forward is not to give in to sin, refused to give in to sin, refused to compromise in any area of our life. Every athlete knows the necessity of preparation, the need to stay strong. The need to prepare for the contents, the need to get ready for difficulties and there are many reasons that an athlete would want to quit but is true. The spiritual event is well as you run you will face stumbling blocks and detours, and temp Tatian the temptations to go along to get along that the temptation to follow the crowd instead of follow Christ and I know some of us think well you know if I if I follow Christ like.

This will out with all my heart there people who will think I'm a Jesus freak or a fanatic of some kind. Maybe they'll mock me.

Maybe they'll pass me over for the promotion. Maybe they'll think that I I'm not a good person, or what have remember this, you must always seek God's place to follow after Christ and to keep yourself strong listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message the great race, 3.2 billion people in our world still have no access to the good news of Jesus, and we must do whatever it takes to reach the lost, with the hope of Christ. That's why we're excited to tell you that a matching grant that will double when ever you give today to help reach more people to PowerPoint your support will help broadcast the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth will say thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books. Timothy share the gospel right where you are. This evangelism bundle includes the help of Eastern life in God's promises for doubt filled days to calm down. To have your gift doubled by the man's requester evangelism bundle: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789 that's PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store.

Give the gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.March*what is your PowerPoint for today. We all know that is very right, exercise, according to the Scriptures.

Our bodies are God's temple. And certainly we need to be good stewards of the temple, but being spiritually healthy is even more important and to be spiritually healthy. You need to exercise your faith, just as you would expect to be able to run a marathon without any training. You can expect to face the trials the test the tribulations of life without first exercising your faith in God training yourself in godliness and character, exercising your faith means discipline. It means dedication each day. It means determination to follow through. Which means being in God's word. Spending time talking to him in prayer and yes taking steps by faith of obedience in God's will for your life. Each one of these disciplines will help you get stronger and endure and yes even enjoy the road ahead of the Bible often describes life as a race. Some of us run the race well some of us not so well and some unfortunately don't even finish the race. Our goal as believers in Jesus is to run the race of life strong and finish well and you do this by exercising your faith by building your fate strengthening your faith in your walk with him.

Now there will be times in your life when you're going to be tempted to be lazy spiritually not taking time out with God not being disciplined not being determined. Things are going to come up life and just the problems of life are getting your way.

Many times excuses start to pile up. But if you make your priority to exercise your faith and to develop and grow more intimately with God through reading his words and spending time in prayer and sharing your faith you will be equipped to face all the challenges of life and when you have the appropriate eternal perspective that God wants you to have when you put first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then everything you're facing alive all these problems and obstacles they will shrink in comparison to your faith in God. So do yourself a favor and work out.

The Bible says work out your faith interfere and friendly.

Do it today and everyday use of you going to become a spiritual athlete runs the race of life, strong finishes well when that is today's member when you give a gift to PowerPoint your gift will be doubled by a matching grant call one 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627.

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