The Great Race - Part 2

Welcome to this edition of Power Point with Jack Graham.

A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle. But first here's the message, The Great Race Part 2. And it requires discipline and determination. Well there is another kind of running that requires both discipline and determination. It is the race that every believer in the Lord of the ancient world in which men would run and be judged upon their running.

And their value as an athlete was determined at the Bema Seat as they would stand before judgment. And often we read in the Bible that we are to compete as spiritual athletes that our Christian faith is to be muscular in the way we respond and the way that we run. So verse 1 and 2, verses 1 and 2 of 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. 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.

Now if you have ever been a runner, you know that there are all kinds of reasons to give up. So the question is, how do we keep on trekking? How do we keep moving forward as we follow Christ, looking unto 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 flourish? 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. One day, each one of us will die and stand before God. And our lives will be evaluated. 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. Now many people spend their days on earth just simply wasting time, wasting their lives in a thousand trivial pursuits. How did you 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 of the Lord Jesus Christ? How many people are in heaven because you share, because you serve, because you witness? Now remember, you don't. We don't know the end of the race. We don't know how long we have to run. No doubt you expect to live a very long life and that's fine.

But frankly, it doesn't happen that way all the time. Sometimes some of us may live long lives, some of us may not. Some of us may have shorter courses to run. And that is why in the time that we've been given, however long that time may be, we must run passionately and sue the price. We need to make every day matter because remember that life is not truly measured in its duration but in its donation. In other words, it's not how many years I live but how much of my life did 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. And we want to finish and we want to finish well. And so what can we do?

What steps can we take in order to ensure this longevity in the race so that we don't stumble in or fall away or turn back but that we will finish with a flourish? Well these verses that we just read speak to us concerning our faith in the Old Testament and how well they ran the race. And since we are encompassed about by these witnesses, these who have shared their faith before us, we ought also to endure and to exercise our faith. When is that of faith? Over and over again we read it by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith. And literally it speaks of faithfulness. Exercising that faith. We are not to run halfheartedly but wholeheartedly. So when it is time to worship we want to honor Him.

So what do we do? We show up and we say I was glad when they say, I'm glad when they say I'm glad said it 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 to worship today. Oh, it's too rainy, it's too stormy, or some people it's a chore, it's a dread, it's something they have to do. I can't go to church. 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 lack commitment and discipline and determination and devotion to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Same could be said of giving. We ask the Lord to provide for our every need, and He does. He provides for us. We ask the church to meet our need, and the church is always there for us. When we have a funeral or a wedding or a need in our lives or something, some blessing to share, the church, we always expect if we show up that the church is going to be fully operative and that we will experience a great time in church. Well, and that's a good expectation by the way, and yet how many of us while we ask God to meet our needs and 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 tithes and offerings on God's day to God's church and serving. You see, giving is a matter of pursuing spiritual goals in our lives and advancing the kingdom of God. Same can be said of serving.

When some are asked to serve, there's always a reason why I can't or I'm too tired or I'm too busy, 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? Are 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. It's just a matter of time that you will be off course and potentially out of the race. And this is why we're 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 besets us.

As I said, the weight is anything that slows us down in the race. The sin is what stops us ultimately in the race. The sin can be anything that is besetting or that particular sin that holds you back, that addiction, that power of sin that grips you, but 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. The second thing that we need to remember if we are going to take these steps forward is not to give in to sin. Refuse to give in to sin.

Refuse to compromise in any area of our lives. Every athlete knows the necessity of preparation, the need to stay strong, the need to prepare for the contest, the need to get ready for difficulties, and there are many reasons that an athlete would want to quit, but it's true in a spiritual event as well. As you run, you will face stumbling blocks and detours and temptations.

Remember this, you must always seek God's pleasure, not man's. And to follow after Christ and to keep yourself strong in the race. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, The Great Race Part Two. You have a God-given calling to take the gospel to the world. That's why we've put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your love of the gospel and share it with others. This evangelism bundle includes three of Pastor Jack Graham's books, The Hope of Easter, Life Book, and God's Promises for Doubt-Filled Days. This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today.

And thanks to a generous matching grant, your gift today will be doubled. So call now to request your evangelism bundle when you give. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.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 JackGraham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, The Great Race Part Two. In the book of Jude, there's an interesting verse which says, keep yourself in the love of God. And when you read that, you wonder, what does that exactly mean? Because doesn't God keep us in the faith? Doesn't God secure us in His grace? Aren't we already kept by the power of God?

And the answer is yes, absolutely. We are kept by the power of God. So what is it to keep ourselves in the love of God, keep yourself in the love of God? Well, we all know situations. We all know sins.

We all know seasons in our lives when we are vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Peter, who knew something about that, having denied the Lord three times in the face of the cross, warming his hands by the fires of the enemies of Christ, would later report that Satan is like a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour. The Scripture speaks of those who turn away from the faith, who turn back from the faith. And so while God keeps us all the way to the end and beyond into eternity, we are to keep ourselves under the umbrella of His love and protection and provision of His love. We are to keep ourselves in a position that God can express His love and show His love powerfully to us. We must never allow some weight in our life or some sin in our life, some compromise with sin to remove us from the power of His grace in our lives. And so keep running and never ever compromise with sin in your life. And then finally rely upon God and His Word completely, always going forward. Looking unto Jesus, the Scripture says, that's faith. Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. What is there about us that always wants to look back to the good old days?

The devil comes along and he plays that card. You know he says, remember back before you met Christ how much fun you were having? Remember back to the old days when you were in high school or college and man you were having a blast. Remember all that? And he uses the memory cord to strike pleasure into our hearts about the way it used to be and what he doesn't remind us of is how miserable we were and how empty we were and how sinful we were in our days before Christ.

It's like that shirt I saw on a guy he was wearing about his athletic career. He said, the older I get the better I was. And Satan wants you to look back to the past. You know if I just get to the high school reunion and remember the way it was.

Well the way it was wasn't so great really was it? Don't turn back. Don't look back like Lot's wife as Sodom and Gomorrah was in flames to her own destruction. We can't look back or turn back to the old life. And when times get hard and crisis will come we must run through the quitting points and keep on running.

And thankfully we don't have to do this in our own strength. For Isaiah the prophet said chapter 40 verse 31, they that wait on the Lord, those who hope in Him, trust in Him, looking unto Jesus shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint. Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. Knowing this that He who began the good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. So look to Jesus. Fix your focus upon Him.

Never take your eyes off Him. There's a great Old Testament personality by the name of Caleb. Caleb's one of my favorite people in all the Bible. At the age of 85 after years of running the race, trekking through the desert with Joshua and the children of Israel, they now come to the moment of taking the promised land and the prize is being passed out. The land of promise is being given to the various leaders of Israel and homes and families and so on. And so Caleb, it's time for him to receive his prize and that's when Caleb, now 85 years old, says, I want that mountain. And he pointed to a mountain filled with giants.

He was still climbing mountains and at that advanced age he still wanted to conquer for the Lord God. And so he says, give me that mountain and he was given a place called Hebron. And while it is somewhat mysterious as to exactly what the word Hebron means, it most likely means fellowship, love, communion. Fellowship, love, communion. It was at Hebron that Abraham met with God face to face. So Hebron may actually literally mean face to face with God. Fellowship with God. What did Caleb want? At the end of his days, after all those years, he still wanted to be faced with God.

He said, give me Hebron. Give me that place of love and communion and fellowship with God. Now my point is, like Caleb, like all faithful, fervent runners, and it is said of Caleb that he followed the Lord fully, wholeheartedly all the days of his life. My point is, never stop looking to Jesus. Never stop longing for Jesus to the place of Hebron where you are growing in your love and devotion for him. If you look back, you will fail.

You will fall in the desert. But if you look upward and onward, you will win. This is our desire. This is the key.

Always desire to know and love Jesus more and more. Because that is what keeps us going. This is what keeps us following.

If you follow friends, friends may disappoint you. If you are the only one running, keep running. Though none go with me, yet still I will follow. People may fall around you, but you must be fueled by faith and by the love of God and finish well.

Again, not just a short burst, but a long obedience in the same direction. And then when the race is done and the victory is won, you will cross the finish line with your hands held high, victorious in Christ. You will be able to say like the apostle Paul said, Acts 20-24, I have finished my course with joy. He later said near the end of his own race, I have kept the faith. I fought the good fight.

I have finished the course. Are you doing what Jesus is calling and compelling you to do? Are you running hard after Him? If so, you are victorious in Christ.

Finishing vigorously and victoriously. This is not a time, dear people, for slowing down. This is a time for speeding up. This is not a time, it's never too late, to keep on going for Christ. This is not a time for coasting or relying upon victories of the past. This is a time for pursuing the prize.

Forgetting those things which are behind and pressing forward to those things which are before. The mark, the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. This is what keeps me going. This is what keeps me fired up about the calling that we have been given. And what God is calling me to do, God is calling all of us to do to run hard after Him.

Amen? Looking to Jesus, the author, the finisher of our faith. You know Jesus didn't quit.

He endured the cross, despising its shame and went all the way to die on the cross for your sins that you might be forgiven and cleansed and changed from the inside out and know eternal life here, now and forever. You need to get in the race and remember God gets, puts us in the race. Don't hear me saying today in any way that you have to run in order to be saved.

No, we are running because we are saved because Christ is living in us and therefore we run. But first you must begin the race by being born again, by receiving Christ into your life and the new life that you have so that you can start instead of living in the sin of the past or the present that you can start living in the joy of your salvation in Christ. You're listening to Power Point with Jack Graham and today's message, The Great Race Part 2. 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 about a matching grant that will double whatever you give today to help reach more people through Power Point. Your support will help broadcast the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth. We'll say thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books to help you share the gospel right where you are.

This evangelism bundle includes The Hope of Easter, Life Book and God's Promises for Doubt-Filled Days. So call now to have your gift doubled by the match and request your evangelism bundle. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word Power Point to 59789.

That's Power Point to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.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 JackGraham.org. Pastor what is your Power Point for today? It is so very, very important to win the race of life and the key to winning this race is found in Hebrews chapter 12. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

And here's the key, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The first step to running the race of life in victory and winning is to run the race with everything you have. I don't need to run your race and you don't need to run my race. Run your own race following after the Lord. We've all been given this race a lane to run in and we're to run with everything we have, all of our hearts. And to run in your lane well you just need to give God the very best that you have, the best of your gifts, the best of your talents, the best of your service. Secondly, running the race of life means saying no to the sins of compromise. Allowing the sin of compromise to creep into your life is the fastest way to get off track. And then the third step to running the race of life is to rely completely on God and His Word, trusting in Jesus, looking to Jesus, always running forward and never turning back.

Sure, the devil's going to try to convince you of your old way of life that it's the best way but don't believe his lies. Keep your eyes on Jesus during the good times in the race as well as the bad times in the journey. So as we close today's program let me ask you, are you running hard? Are you running hard after God and His will for your life? Are you keeping sins of compromise out of your life? Are you living according to the convictions of your faith? Are you totally and completely trusting God and His Word, relying upon Jesus who is the perfecter, the leader of our faith?

If you find yourself weakening in the race, if you're tempting to get out of the race, remember God will give you the strength to go on, press on, trust in Christ, follow Him and begin living the life that God has given you in the power of Jesus' name. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint your gift will be doubled by a matching grant. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how to ensure your life is filled with passion, promise and meaning. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.