Finishing the Race 5

well I pointed out last week that as we
seek to run the race of the Christian
life and as we seek to accomplish
successfully the tasks that God has
assigned to us we are bound to run into
the three traditional obstacles to the
Christian faith
you'll recall they are the devil
the world and the flesh the flesh we saw
is our sinful human nature which neither
can nor will submit to God I said last
week
don't ever be surprised what inside
yourself you find a resistance to
submitting to God or to doing his will
that comes naturally to all of the
children of Adam even Paul said the good
that I would I do not the evil that I
would not do that is what I did we saw
to that
the world the people all around us
combined together to fight the Christian
life and Jesus said don't be surprised
that the world hates you they hated me
if you're my follower they're gonna hate
you also and the third enemy of course
is the devil himself who through
deception and temptation and accusation
will do whatever he can to discourage us
along the way and just to show you how
real that is I'm going to ask penny
sliminess
to come up here for a moment she caught
me after the service last week and she
told me some of her story in recent
weeks having received a remarkable
healing of the Lord come on a penny and
and how real the spiritual warfare for
okay this I was telling pastor dawn is
not a pretty story but it's a true story
and I just felt the need to talk to
Pastor John about it because as Satan
would have it he would like to keep us
in isolation so I kept myself in
isolation with the battle that was going
on and so I'm going to come out of
isolation and I'm sorry Powell Powell
didn't even know that I was having this
struggle because that's another thing
that Satan uses is shame so he put me
into shame he put me into isolation
because those of you who know me here
know that I've had a miraculous healing
and that was just awesome but before
that Powell and I and in my life my
personal life alone I have had many
struggles and God has been so good to
deliver you from that from the tumor I
had with no ill effects and it's just
miraculous so be careful I'm reminded of
the verse 1st Corinthians 1 1st
Corinthians 10:12 be careful if you
think you are standing firm that you
don't fall so Satan is roaring walking
around ready to devour us because what
happened to me after that wonderful
healing and thinking that I would never
ever question God again how on earth
could I question God for all that he
that Christ has done in me would you
think you could ever be deceived you
sure can
because then the enemy took that and
when lesley-ann passed away sort of got
into my thinking and started saying to
me but who are you that he would save
you and that he would not save other
people is this really God is this just a
random thing was that tumor really there
or was it just a blip on the cat-scan
and you know you think you know your own
mind but be very careful because I
started it was a crack in that armor and
the enemy tried to take what was good
and what would glorify God and in my
mind make start deceiving me and making
me think that wasn't true and that well
I'm not even as good as lesley-ann and
that can't be true he can't do that and
so I wrestled with that and I just kept
going to my Bible and I kept I kept
having faith and then one morning at Tim
Hortons no yes it was one morning at Tim
Hortons we were meeting with some of the
people we meet there when we just try to
witness to and one of the people there
showed me this this Facebook clip and
the gist of the clip was if
archaeological if archaeologists can
find bones from six million years ago
and they can't find any archaeological
evidence of Jesus when he walked on this
earth for four just from four thousand
two thousand years ago sorry and it's
still very well then how can God be real
and so I started looking into that and I
really really struggled and I kept
praying out to God God if you're really
there please help me with this because
if you're not really there I can't do
this life I don't want to do life I will
not do life if you are not the god you
say you are
and so Pastor John's book has been of
course timely in helping me walk through
that but I just felt that I needed to
reach out and pastor John asked me to
and let you know that be careful if you
think you're standing firm your faith
you think you can have great faith and
you would think that on the top of all
that God has done for us that you won't
fail that he can never get in there the
enemy can't get in there and use some
tiny small bits to get in your mind
and if I hadn't have made the habits
that I do of staying in the word and
being at church and being with community
and being to be or just me being able to
be honest with people that he'll take
you down so I would covet your prayers I
would ask that you still continue to
pray for me because this is still a
journey and I've been claiming it is
well with my soul because somewhere in
me in my teaching I know it is well with
my soul it may not look at right now but
I keep praying to that God that I know
is there to help me through the storm
and so as a church community I really
really encourage you to be honest and to
let somebody know so that we can all
pray for each other so that we may be
healed so I hope this is encouraging to
all of you that we are a community and
God is still a God that is always there
and he will take this too and he will
turn it into something good for his
glory because the enemy he can just he
can just be slammed crush his head
we have an enemy Versalles and the more
determined we are to run the race the
more determined we are to complete the
task on his assigned to us the more
we're going to be aware of the devil the
world and the flesh and the question is
how do we push through that so that
we're not taken out as are so many
people but can stand one day before God
without any wrinkle or blemish or spot
or any such thing because Scripture
teaches us that God wants us to run the
race successfully and he wants us to
complete our callings in life
successfully listen again to these
verses from Hebrews I shared them with
you last week you need to persevere so
that when you have done the will of God
you will receive what he has promised
for in just a little while he who is
coming will come and will not delay but
my righteous one will live by faith and
if he shrinks back I will not be pleased
with him but we are not of those who
shrink back and are destroyed but of
those who believe and are saved how do
we run the race while I ended last week
with it with it with us with a with a
testimony to the fact that ultimately
our hope of course lies in the person of
Jesus Christ and the verse that really
sums it up the best I believe is Hebrews
chapter 12 verse 2 let us fix our eyes
on Jesus the author and perfecter of our
faith who for the joy set before him
endured the cross scorning its shame and
sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God
very familiar verse but a couple of
things in that verse that are really
significant for us to to lay hold off
and the first is the emphasis on let us
fix our eyes on Jesus
very interesting Greek word that is used
here because the emphasis is not only on
fixing on Jesus but fixing on Jesus to
the exclusion of everything else that is
to say look away from everything else
and only look to Jesus and that's
significant because as we run the race
and as we encounter the obstacles along
the way the temptation of course is to
begin focusing on the obstacles there's
a dot my body has passions and desires
that are at odds with the will of God
and so that becomes my preoccupation my
friends oppose me and make it hard for
me to live the Christian life my husband
my wife they're in disagreement with me
and that becomes the sum total of my
thinking and the devil throws obstacles
temptations and lies into my life and
before I know it I'm preoccupied with
those stories and it's good to live in
the real world it's good as penny just
did sharing with us the reality of the
struggle but if that's all we do we're
going to be discouraged and we're going
to be blown out of the water because the
obstacles will only become bigger will
they not and so the writer to the Hebrew
says what you got to do is you've got to
fix your eyes on Jesus ultimately it is
Jesus who is the one who is going to
help us to get through that and the
reason for that says the Apostle whoever
wrote the book of Hebrews is that he is
both the author and the perfecter of our
faith he is the author and the
sector of our faith now I refer to this
verse number of weeks ago but I want to
come back to these two terms and enlarge
on them just a little bit because there
is so much wisdom in those two terms
let's look at each of them in turn first
of all he is the author of our faith the
word author can also be translated as
Prince or champion or pioneer I really
like the term pioneer because Jesus is
author of our faith in at least two
dimensions the first is he cleared the
path back to the Father for us he
pioneered the road think of it this way
he is the first member of the human race
remember he was fully human he was the
first member of the human race to
successfully live his life faithfully
before God and to complete the tasks
that God has assigned to him before he
died he was able to say that jobs that
you've given me I have completed them
and the reason he was able to do that is
because he was born of the Virgin Mary
but conceived of the Holy Spirit see why
do you and I have such a hard time
living faithfully before God all the
days of her lives well it's because we
share in Adam's fallen sinful human
nature we are conceived and born in sin
that is the true human condition Jesus
was conceived by the Holy Spirit he
didn't share Adams sinful nature he was
born of the Virgin Mary and still fully
human please remember this he was human
he wasn't just God in the flesh he was
fully fully human
and because he was fully human for that
reason there was no sinful flesh in him
to pull him away from God because there
was no sinful flesh in him the world
couldn't get at him he overcame the
world and because there was no sinful
flesh in him Satan had no hold over his
life and so though the devil threw
everything but the kitchen sink at him
tempted him in all things like you and I
are tempted Jesus never went under isn't
that an amazing thing he always loved
God above all and he always loved his
neighbor he loved his neighbor as he
loved himself and so for that reason he
pioneered the way does that make sense
he he'd completed the journey in Jesus
you have the first member of the human
race who succeeded where Adam failed
that's what Paul talks about in Romans
chapter 5 verse 19 when he says justice
through the disobedience of one man the
many were made sinners so also through
the obedience of the one man the many
will be made righteous see the contrast
the disobedience of the one got us all
into trouble the obedience of the other
sets the road for us to be declared
righteous before God so author of our
faith means that Jesus does everything
that needs to be done so that you and I
can be saved before God he he he is the
production model if you will of a new
creation he succeeded where all of us
have failed that's one way in which he
is the author but there's a second way
in which he is the author of our faith
and that is he creates
faith in us he helps us to come to faith
I love the old hymn I know not why God's
wonder his grace to me he hath made
known or why unworthy Christ and loved
redeemed me for his own second verse I
know not how this saving faith to me he
did impart nor how believing in his word
brought peace within my heart verse 3 I
know not how this spirit moves
convincing men of sin revealing Jesus
through the word creating faith in him
but I know whom I have believed and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I've committed unto him against
that day
think it through with me how does a
person come to faith by nature were
self-sufficient by nature were
antagonist ik towards God by nature we
don't believe that he's there or if he's
there we don't believe that he's good we
don't like him and we know that he
doesn't like us and so who needs God
I'll just do it myself but by the word
and through this spirit and by the
circumstances of life God will bring us
to a place where we know that what we
bring to the table is not enough can be
the kind of husband that I'm supposed to
be can be the kind of wife that I'm
supposed to be can't can't face disaster
with a stiff upper lip I I I cannot walk
I can't love God above all can't love my
neighbor the way that I love myself and
out of that awareness of what the
Catechism calls my sin and misery
somewhere along the line I hear the good
news of the gospel the God so loved the
world that He gave His Son and I start
to understand and to believe that he has
done for me what I cannot do myself and
somewhere in the mystery of the new
birth the Holy Spirit brings me to that
point
where I bend the knee and I pray the
sinner's prayer whatever that looks like
and I say lord have mercy on me a sinner
and I come to salvation and I put my
faith in Jesus and I now understand two
things about Jesus the first is that by
faith in Him
I am already complete before God that is
to say because I belong to Jesus
he's run the race on my behalf in him I
have already finished the race in him I
have already completed the journey
that's hard to get our head around but
that's the doctrine of justification by
faith whatever Christ attained he
attained for me I'm already made
complete Paul talks about that in a
verse that we often miss read Romans
chapter eight twenty nine and thirty
where he says for those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his son that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers let me
stop there a moment and point out that
Jesus considers us his brothers sisters
if you want to add that into it he is
the firstborn among many brothers were
co-heirs with him what he has
accomplished he has accomplished for us
but then it goes on to say those he
predestined he also called those he
called he also justified and those he
justified he also glorified now you got
to put your thinking cap on here because
what is the tense of that verb he has
glorified you don't think of yourself as
being in glory and in the body and in
the air and now you are not but because
you're in Christ and he's glorified from
God's perspective it's all ready
it's already done that's why you believe
in Jesus that because of Jesus your air
of God and your co air with Christ and
while it does not yet appear what we
will be you know that by faith in Christ
you're already there
that's why penny keeps talking about
faith what crunches the fiery darts of
the evil one
it is the shield of faith you don't own
me anymore I don't care what it is that
you throw at me I don't care how many
lies you give me in Christ I am already
secure you know that verse that we can
put it up that's an earlier verse by
grace you have been saved through faith
and this is not from yourselves it is
the gift of God not by works so that no
one can boast so in Christ were already
there he gives me that faith to
understand that and believe that that's
a progressive thing but beyond that then
he works in my heart so that I can learn
to trust him with the practical
realities of running the race and that
brings us to the second element that is
here which is that he is not only the
author of our faith but he's also the
perfecter of our faith other
translations say he is the finisher of
our faith and the contrast here is he's
at both ends he's not only the author
who brings us to faith he is also the
perfecter of our faith who will help us
to keep on in the journey until we stand
before God one day and inherit his
kingdom again think this through with me
and again penny story is a good
illustration we will not have been in
Christ for very long
before we discover that we've bit off
more than we can chew isn't it true that
the initial enthusiasm and the
mind-blowing encounter with God and our
experience of his goodness well it tends
to wear off fairly fast in the realities
of life isn't that true I mean you think
back those of you that came to Christ at
a later age or for those of you that
have had a spiritual awakening or
encounter with Christ remember the joy
you had when first you got to know the
Lord and you said to yourself I will
never ever doubt again and I know God's
real and I know God's loves me and boy I
am going to serve me all the days of my
life not true you know those were the
days when you wanted to come to church
haha those were the days when you wanted
to sing praises to God you want to read
your Bible you wanted to pray you wanted
to be with God's people and then life
happened you know the bottom fell out he
got sick your prayer didn't get answered
you were disappointed life was hard and
the devil found a crack in your armor
just like penny was describing and he
put that little burning arrow in there
and and you began to question you know I
was happier before I came to Christ they
didn't have all these troubles that I
have now and where's God when you need
him and slowly but surely even if
outwardly you have kept up the pretense
of faith and and many don't because they
inwardly you close off your heart
because it's just too hard in too
difficult not true isn't that why many
Christians wipe out isn't that why many
people make profession of faith many
people say oh I want to love Jesus and
then a year later to you
later five years later they're nowhere
to be found because having put their
hand to the plow they've looked behind
and they decided like demons of old they
fell in love with the world and they
loved the world more than they love
Jesus that's what the whole book of
Hebrews deals with these were people
who'd come to faith they loved Jesus and
then trouble hid and they said this is
and what we bargained for well Jesus is
not only the author of our faith he is
also the completion the finisher of our
faith he helps us to walk it out no
matter how many times we fall flat in
our Fannie's no matter how much trouble
comes our way he's promised we will not
be tempted beyond the strength that he
gives us or the way of escape that he
provides and he says in Philippians 1
verse 6 one of the first verses I
memorized in my own life when I came to
a living relationship with Jesus I am
sure that he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion at the
day of Jesus Christ I remember as a
youngster lying in my bed saying to
myself and to the Lord Lord don't ever
let me grow up like so many people that
I know losing my faith in my hope in you
and Philippians 1 says that he who began
a good work in you will bring it to
completion
Jesus is not a quitter and when he has
brought you to faith and you abide in
him by faith he will help you run the
race and endure all the obstacles get
back up no matter how many times you
fall down until one day you stand before
God and you hear the words well done
good and faithful servant you've been
faithful over a little I will put you
over much in the time that remains I
want to give
you three ways in which Jesus is the
finisher of our faith as well as the
author number one he shares his
resources with us listen to these words
from Hebrews chapter four 15 and 16 we
do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses but we
have one who has been tempted in every
way just as we are yet without sin let
me stop there Jesus was tempted in every
way like you and I are you know
sometimes we we have this disembodied
view of Jesus that denies his humanity
and when we read about him facing the
devil's temptations and and all this
other kind we think it well didn't
really take well it didn't really take
that it was there and it was real and it
would have been disastrous if he had
said yes to Satan's temptations but
remember were Adam failed
Jesus succeeded and so he was tempted
don't ever think that you face a
temptation that in principle Jesus has
not already faced and because he faced
it without sinning the text goes on to
say let us then approach the throne of
grace with confidence that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us
in our time of need see when by faith
were joined to Jesus and you often heard
me talk about this we're not only placed
in Christ but Christ is placed in us His
Holy Spirit comes to live within us and
His Holy Spirit imparts to us the life
that we have in Christ our job is to
obey those prompting
of the Holy Spirit allow him to help us
to put off the old and to put on the new
and to run the race that is before us in
John's Gospel Jesus put it this way he
says it's for your good that I'm going
away the disciples were all upset we
can't do without you unless I go away
the counselor will not come to you but
if I go I will send him to you
the counselor there is the Paraclete
it's the Holy Spirit that he promises to
pour out on the church one by faith were
joined to Jesus and then he goes on to
say this I will ask the Father in John
chapter 14 he will give you an other
counselor to be with you forever the
Spirit of Truth remember I said the word
is Paraclete you've heard me talk about
that before the word Paraclete literally
means one who is called alongside it's
an advocate and the picture here is this
I'm running the race I'm trying to go
around the track I'm trying to complete
my task and obstacles abound
I'm tired I'm weary I'm tripping up
people are trying to stop me and
everything inside me says Lord I just
cannot do this anymore I don't I don't
want to face this sin I don't want to
face the issues of my past I don't want
to face my brokenness I don't want to
face the ugliness of the I just can not
stand and that along comes the Paraclete
the one who was called alongside and he
says I'll help you walk it out
I'll help you you're not alone in this
I'm with you not only but I am in you
that's New Covenant Christianity it is
the Holy Spirit imparting to us on the
inside the life that we have in Christ
practically speaking it means that
Christ in me through the Holy Spirit
helps me overcome the downward pull of
the sinful nature and helps me rise
above the works of the flesh so that I
can bear the fruit of the Spirit
remember that agonizing cry of the
Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 for I
do know for what I do is not the good I
want to do the evil I do not want to do
this is what I keep on doing then he
says in verse 24 what a wretched man I
am who will rescue me from this body of
death and a lot of people stop reading
right there
I had a seminary professor years ago he
said reform people are so committed to
believing in the doctrine of total
depravity they feel they need to
practice it all the time but Paul
doesn't stop there does he what's the
next verse thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ my lord put it up for you
thanks be to God thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord and what
are you saying there is that yes my body
ooh I mean think this through okay I
mean read the lists of what Paul
experienced and being an apostle for
Jesus you and I we have a cakewalk
compared to him I mean beat by you know
39 last just how many times five times
by the Jews shipwrecked three times
hungry 24 hours in the sea unbelievable
you think your body might protest a
little bit there and say look this is
not what I bargained for when I signed
up for Jesus these Hebrew Christians
they haven't even yet shed their blood
for Jesus's sake and they're already
wanting to throw in the towel and it
takes a lot less than that for you and
me to want to throw in the towel but see
when we're joined
Jesus the Holy Spirit in us help us to
say no to the flash and helps us to say
yes to the Holy Spirit and no matter how
many times we fail and fall down he
helps us get back up and eventually we
become stronger and the works of the
flesh are replaced by the fruit of the
Spirit do you see any of that in your
own life or if you don't does somebody
around you see the fruit of the Spirit
in your life because that ought to be
the natural outcome of being joined to
Jesus you spend time with Jesus you
spent time in Scripture you spend time
in prayer you spend time with God's
people your life will change and you
won't even notice that it's changing
because you don't have to work at it so
hard the power of Christ in you well the
same thing is true with regard to the
world how do you overcome the pull of a
world that is constantly coming at us
with glitter and glamour and the promise
of riches and the promise of glory all
outside of an apart from Jesus and how
do you handle it when your spouse
doesn't like you when your kids are
rebellious when your coworkers want you
to cheat and it's going to cost you your
job again Jesus provides his resources
because Jesus the Bible says in this
world you will have trouble but take
heart I have overcome the world remember
the devil came of Jesus offered him all
the riches of all the kingdoms of the
world if he would only bow down and he
said devil go to hell because gone alone
has the authority to give the kingdoms
to those who are obedient to him and
that victory over the world Jesus shares
with us by his word and by his Spirit
everyone born of God overcomes the world
this is the victory that has overcome
the
world even our faith and the same thing
is true with regard to the enemy Jesus
resisted Satan even to the point of
death and received from God the Father
the name that is above every Dame and
shares his authority with Satan over
Satan with you and me and there's a
verse in the Gospels where the disciples
have gone out and they come back all
excited and Jesus said I saw Satan fall
like lightning from heaven because as
they were proclaiming the kingdom as
they were casting out evil spirits as
they were doing the will of God Satan's
power was being diminished at Romans
chapter 16 tells us in verse 19 and
verse 20 I want you to be wise about
what is good and innocent about what is
evil and the God of peace will soon
crush Satan under your feet the grace of
our Lord Jesus will be with you see in
Christ we have the resources that we
need to run the race it doesn't mean
we're not gonna have trouble doesn't
mean we're not gonna fail doesn't mean
that we're not going to be discouraged
it doesn't mean that the journey isn't
sometimes going to be hard but I love
this promise in 2nd Thessalonians 3
verse 3 the Lord is faithful and he will
strengthen and protect you from the evil
wand see Jesus has run the race he gives
us faith and then he gives us faith to
believe that he will also help us to
walk out the journey the rest of the way
that's one of the ways in which he gives
debating watching our time here we can
do number six if you allow me to lie to
you and say that we're not finishing it
this morning or I can take another ten
minutes and finish the last two points
ten minutes ten minutes take it all
right just want to give your permission
so he gives us the resources that we
need but then secondly and this is
really important and that's why I'm
hesitating because I really want us to
get this he helps us overcome our fear
of suffering he helps us overcome our
fear of suffering earlier on in the book
of Hebrews there are two verses which
I've always found extremely fascinating
they read like this since the children
have flesh and blood he too shared in
their humanity so that by his death he
might destroy him
who holds the power of death that is the
devil here there's an emphasis on the
true humanity of Jesus on our behalf
that he might destroy him who holds the
power of death that is the devil now
listen to what goes on and free those
who all their lives were held in slavery
by the fear of death
what is Satan's ultimate power to try to
discourage us from walking faithfully
before the face of God and I submit to
you it is the fear of death not just
dying physically because you see when
life is painful enough than dying
physically is often seen by us as a way
out that's why people commit suicide
people don't commit suicide because they
want to die they commit suicide because
they don't want to live it's too painful
to live
and yes the fear of physical death is a
powerful tool that Satan can use to hold
us back for most of us that's not the
big issue that we face the big issue
that we face is the fear of losing
something as living sacrifices it is the
fear of what it's going to cost me if I
say yes to Jesus if I say yes to Jesus
and he calls me too fast that I'm not
going to be eating for X numbers of days
and I don't know if I want to live with
my body in pain or in hunger if I say
yes to Jesus and obey Him at my job I
could lose my job
happened to lots of people before if I
say yes to Jesus and go all out my
spouse may turn against me and make my
life a living hell if I say yes to Jesus
my children may not want to speak to me
anymore
and if I step out in faith and practice
my gifts that I run the opportunity of
rejection and held up to ridicule and if
I stand up for Jesus in the presence of
my friends I may lose my good friends
and and I don't know if I can handle
that - see what I'm saying the fear a
death holds us in lifelong bondage and
unless that issue is settled in your
life or in my life by having become a
living sacrifice before God I can
guarantee you it's only a question of
time before the devil comes along and he
ups the ante to where you are no longer
prepared to pay the price not true
and so here I am Lord but I don't want
to go there because I can't bear the
pain
and so Satan uses the fear of death to
keep us under his thumb and so when
we're joined to Jesus and he comes to
live in us by His Holy Spirit and he is
helping us on this journey and we start
running into this kind of barrier this
kind of fear then his promise is that he
is going to deliver us from the fear of
death because that's what he did have
you noticed how Hebrews 12 verse 2 is
worded let me read it to you again let
us fix her eyes on Jesus the author and
perfecter of our faith who for the joy
set before him endured the cross
scorning a chain and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God how did
Jesus get to glory he scorned the shame
and bore the cross and he cried out in
the Garden of Gethsemane in all his
humanity Lord God take this cup from me
nevertheless not what I will but your
overcame the fear of death and was
crowned Lord of lords and King of Kings
the Apostle Paul and that's how this
series started in my mind a good many
weeks ago the Apostle Paul in Acts
chapter 20 of course puts it this way I
consider my life worth nothing to me
if only I may finish the race and
complete the task that the Lord Jesus
has given me and you and I in our
journey
I'm not saying that we're gonna have to
suffer we're not you know I'm not trying
to paint a negative picture here but I'm
telling you that if we're obedient to
God there will come a place in a time
where we feel the price is too high I am
afraid of the pain and I'm telling you
Jesus says I am a sympathetic high
priest I've gone through everything that
you go through I will take you by the
hand and I will walk you through the
valley so that you can come out on the
other hand and what God is looking for
is people who overcame him you'll
recognize this verse of the book of
Revelation by the blood of the Lamb the
word of their testimony and because they
loved not their lives even unto death so
if you've heard me tell the story of the
Christian who was persecuted for his
faith in the Middle Ages and he was
locked in his cell and he had been found
guilty of whatever and was going to be
burned at the stake
the next day now you can imagine the
prospect of being burned alive at the
stake is a pretty daunting thing and of
course the temptation is you don't have
to do this if you will only renounce
your faith in Jesus right I mean tons of
martyrs have gone through that and so
here he is all night agonizing had this
little candle in his in his cell and he
put his finger through the flame and the
candle trying to convince himself that
he could bear the pain and crying out to
God I can't do this I can't do this this
is going to hurt me too much well it's
often said God doesn't give our dying
grace until we need it because Jesus
heard his prayer the next day proudly he
walked onto the funeral pyre they burned
him alive
with a testimony of faith to Jesus
because Jesus overcame even the
year of death and he can give that to
you and to me no matter what the
situation is that we find ourselves Ian
one more thing to put this all in
perspective then and this was really
important to is he helps us keep our
eyes on the prize
why do athletes expend enormous time
energy and money to compete in the races
why is Josiah running that marathon
today it's gonna hurt him it's going to
give him pain we all know the answer to
that because there is a prize at the end
sometimes the prize is a trophy
sometimes the prize is money sometimes
the prize is just the satisfaction of a
job well done
sometimes the prize is fame and fortune
that follows and remember Paul said in
the world we do this for a worldly crowd
but in the kingdom we do it for a crown
that will never fade away why did Jesus
endure the cross why did he suffer the
shame why did he put himself through
this humiliation the Bible says it was
for the joy that was set before him he
endured the cross and he scorned the
shame and he sat down at the right hand
of God and Paul says the same thing in
2nd Corinthians 4:17 he says our light
and momentary troubles this is Paul
talking light and momentary troubles be
Tapp suffered intensely light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them
all I don't know what your life is like
don't know if you're going through happy
times if you're going through bad times
I can tell you that if you're going to
follow Jesus there will be times when
life gets hard the devil the world and
the flesh will throw at you every
obstacle lake
and when they throw it at you everything
inside you is going to say I cannot do
this any longer
and you may fell down on the job and
when that happens you've got one of two
choices you can stay down you can wipe
out lots of people do lots of people
never find their feet back or you can do
what the scripture says keep your eye on
Jesus the author and the finisher of our
faith and you can say Jesus you paved
the way for me you've given me faith
you've promised to walk this out with me
to the end of my day so here's my
brokenness here's my weakness here's my
failure I cannot do this without you I
draw from your resources I need your
help to face the pain help me to see the
glory help me to see the prize that
awaits at the end of this journey and
Lord God helped me to run the race
because I know that by the time history
is done it will be more worth more than
worth it all and I don't know I don't
know if what Paul says about the light
and momentary troubles are achieving for
us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all if that's because our reward in
heaven is going to be in proportion to
what we have suffered for Jesus in the
here and now or if it is because this
suffering will have enlarged our
capacity so that we can receive greater
glory in the age that is to come maybe
it's both but I'll tell you one thing
come eternity nobody's gonna remember
what happened in the here and now and
everybody is going to say wow Lord God
look look at the prize that you have
awarded me so that I can share your
glory whatever that looks like forever
and ever and ever that folks is why we
run the race and that is why it is worth
completing the task that God has given
us and you're welcome to say amen and
amen
you