Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
Taking a stand for what's right means going against the prevailing tide. To do this, we need strength from God. That strength comes from developing a life of prayer. The apostle Paul modeled this for us in his writings to a church in ancient Greece. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, not many of us have had to face the kind of persecution the early church withstood.
I sense that we'll soon have to step up to the plate. Dave, there's no doubt that Christians are now considered oftentimes to be out of step with the culture, needless to say. We think to ourselves that we have been persecuted just because somebody has blocked us on Facebook. We must understand that historically, churches have suffered bitter persecution, death, intimidation, the loss of jobs.
The question is, how will we do when those days come? We're making a special resource available to you entitled The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel. Now, Lee Strobel was a skeptic. He came to saving faith in Christ.
Why? Because of the evidence. So this book isn't just about the Christmas story. It gives us a basis to believe that the historical manuscripts about Jesus are reliable. He discusses such things as archaeology, the fulfillment of prophecy, why it is that Jesus and Jesus alone meets the requirement to be a Messiah. All that is the foundation of our faith. So if we're going to withstand the headwinds, we need to know what we believe and why. For a gift of any amount, we're making it available for you. Go to RTWOffer.com.
Call us at 1-888-218-9337. In the midst of the darkness, let's shine a bright light. How do we resist temptation? We have to know who we are, know who we belong to, know who we represent. And that can come to us only through the Word of God. And it is through that that we are strengthened to stand even if we must stand alone. So Paul says, first of all, I send someone to help.
Secondly, he says, I give people information. And thirdly, incredibly important, he says, I pray. Let's pick up the text now in verse nine. He says, for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before God as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see your face and supply what is lacking in your faith.
Just that far for a moment. Notice the intensity of the prayer. He says, I pray earnestly.
Notice the frequency of it. He prays, he says, day and night. That didn't mean that all that Paul did was stop for prayer. But the burden to pray was so heavy on his soul that even when he was working, making tents or even when he was going to the congregations, even when he was preaching, even as he was working with people, he was praying all the time because the burden was there to pray earnestly and intensely day and night. See, one of the things that God wants to do in our lives is to birth within us this kind of a passion for prayer. And that's why we are so thankful for all those who do attend prayer meeting, though some of you can't for whatever reason. But there is a passion that God wants to develop within us so that our will and his will are harmonized. And as we cry up to God with passion and fervency, God says, now you have shown your seriousness and I will answer. Paul says, day and night I've prayed. Some of us have committed to pray one hour per week all this year. And some of you are struggling at this point in the process. And the reason that you're struggling is because you don't want to just say the same old thing in the same old way.
And you don't have to. How do you pray? You take the biblical prayers and you pray them. You pray chapters of the Bible. It's amazing how prayers arise out of chapters in the Bible that you might not think are specifically devoted to prayer.
But notice how Paul prays for these people. He doesn't pray like we do. Almost always we pray for physical healing. So and so has a difficulty and we pray. And we believe that that's scriptural. And it might be of interest for you to know that we as elders met this morning to anoint someone with oil and to pray for her in her physical difficulties.
So we believe in that. But Paul didn't concentrate on that. He was after bigger issues.
He had other fish to fry. He was interested in praying first of all for their faith. That's what he says there in verse 10. Because that's always what is at stake. And secondly in verse 11 he says may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another.
That's essential if you're going to stand because you have to stand together. And verse 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all the saints. What do you pray for? You pray for faith.
It's the most critical. See nobody plunges into sin unless first of all their faith is gone. Because if I don't have faith in God's goodness if I don't believe God's way is best. Last Wednesday a prodigal who gave his testimony said an amazing thing. He was so upset with God. He said God all that you need to do is to keep me alive. That is your part. And he said then I will run my life by myself. Your responsibility keep me alive.
My responsibility is to do my own thing. See no faith. No faith that God's way is best.
No faith that there is a better way. Faith in yourself but not faith in God. So Paul says I pray for the strengthening of their faith. I pray for love because if you have a hard unloving heart the word of God can't fall into it. And he says I also pray for holiness that you might be blameless when the Lord Jesus Christ comes. Do you ever wonder how to pray for the pastoral staff?
You ever wonder how to pray for your child? You pray as Paul prayed for these qualities. So God answered Paul's prayer clearly. Now he says I can live because Timothy brought me word that you are standing firm in the faith.
Now he says I can actually live. Now the bottom line is this. What we need to do is to empower people. We need a theology of power to enable people to stand. We need to empower women to be able to say no to lecherous men. We need to empower people. We need to empower business people who will say no to compromise.
We need to empower our students to say no to drugs and alcohol. We need to empower people to say by God's grace by God's strength with his resources we will stand. We will stand.
You say well what's the take home? Why should I be changed because I've heard this message? Well let me say this first. Will you remember that in the Christian walk every single inch is always contested.
There's always opposition. When Paul says I feared lest somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor should be in vain. He was talking seriously about failure. He was talking seriously about somebody believing in Jesus and then going back into the world and really even if their faith was genuine at the moment and they are Christians he was talking about that they would miss out on the joy that they were supposed to have and the vocation that they were to have and the pleasing to God that would be their opportunity. They could miss out on all that even though they had heard Paul preach and even though they had responded to the message. Is there anyone here today and you say so far my faith has been vain brought up in a Christian home maybe trusted Christ early in life fell away did your own thing and Paul would say that that faith was in vain unless of course you return to the Lord. Second very important is that no Christian can stand alone. No Christian can stand alone.
You can't, I can't. Yesterday we had a retreat all the elders and the pastoral staff and the directors. We met together the whole day actually until after five o'clock I think it was and we're talking about Moody Church. Speaking about what we need to do to be the church that God wants us to be. One of the topics was the many people who come to Moody Church who are disconnected. Some of that may be our fault.
Some of it may be the fault also of those who come who who just don't connect. We want to connect because you can't live the Christian life alone. We can't live it alone. We can't do individually what God is calling us to do corporately as a body. You know that when it says in Ephesians chapter six that we should stand and having done all to stand you remember it says take on the whole armor of God and then it says this it lists all the pieces of the armor and then it says above all take the shield of faith. Even if you miss this piece and that piece without the shield of faith your faith and your confidence in God is going to be so seriously eroded that you will not stand. I've met Christians just like you have whose backbone was no stronger than a chocolate eclair. In other words there was just no ability to stand and Paul says you can't do it alone. Somebody needs to stand with you.
When he says take the shield of faith you know in ancient times those shields were actually interlocked so that as an army marched into battle it was as if it was a huge wall that was going against the enemy because they knew that that would be much stronger than all these individual soldiers. Could I say to all who are listening you need us and we need you. If you feel disconnected when the service is over take a look at the bulletin and take a look at the back of it where you have all of the ABF's that word ABF stands for adult Bible fellowship and ask yourself which one should I attend? How can I become involved in the ministry? I learned yesterday I didn't realize that we have 30 small groups.
I knew that we had quite a few I didn't know that the number was that high. Talk to Pastor Peary or get involved in an ABF and find out more about how you can connect because we need to stand together. Remember that someone who stands for nothing will always fall for anything and remember why a river is crooked. A river is crooked because it always takes the path of least resistance and if your life seems to be crooked what you need is someone to come alongside of you and to say we're a part of what God is doing let us stand together. How does that old saying go if we don't hang together we're going to hang separately so we need one another to stand but there's no doubt that I'm speaking to some people and you may be a seeker you're kind of looking on in Christianity and trying to figure it all out or you may be someone who's a believer but you say either way I'm someone who has who's not standing I have fallen what do I do? The good news is God is able to cause you to stand the Bible says God can cause you to stand. Remember that there is more grace in God's heart than there is sin in your past and because of that stand. There are two lies that the devil wants us to believe lie number one is one sin doesn't matter just do it once that's lie number one and then he comes back with lie number two now that you've sinned there's no use standing up you've made a mess of it you know when I was growing up in Canada as children we played a game you've probably never heard of but it's called fox and goose because what you did is you had a whole wagon wheel out in the snow outside and we had lots lots of territory where we could do this a whole wagon wheel and we'd play tag and you'd have to stay within the lines etc and there were certain places where you could be and that would be safe and one thing I noticed is that when we began those wagon wheels we always stayed within the lines that was very important but inevitably as would happen we'd cut corners and soon we'd kick dirt into it and it would just be one mess and then we'd always begin somewhere else maybe that's the way your life is lots of ugly stuff within it one time I slipped in a puddle with my top coat almost felt like staying there instead of getting up you know it is easier to keep on sinning than it is to repent did you know that but to stand is much better God is here today God is here to help you and we're here to help you because what we want you to do is to stand and to have you stand with us so that we are faithful so that we can say now we can live because you're standing fast for the Lord there is a story which if true illustrates this beautifully when Mount Vesuvius was erupting there was a guard in Pompeii whose body was found as you know fossilized as it were and he was still standing with his weapon facing the mountain that had been coming toward him now if that story does have validity wouldn't it be wonderful if every one of us would be like that guard the mountain is coming there's no way for us to escape we don't know where to go but we will stand with our weapon and we will stand to the very end having done all Paul says stand and God is able to help us every once in a while when I need encouragement but I love to read that story that remark about this document that was found in the pocket of a young African who died for his faith there's something about this piece that he wrote that should invigorate even the most what shall I say the most indifferent person here it is I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed the die has been cast I've stepped over the line the decision has been made I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ I won't look back let up slow down back away or be still my past is redeemed my present makes sense my future is secure I'm finished and done with low living sight walking smooth knees colorless dreams tamed visions worldly talking cheap giving and dwarfed goals my face is set my gate is fast my goal is heaven my road is narrow my way is rough my companions are few my guide is reliable my mission is clear I won't give up shut up let up until I've stayed up stored up and prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ I must go till he comes give till I drop preach till everyone knows works till he stops me and when he comes for his own he will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear alright are you with me on that together we can take on the world alone we can't do much now we can live because may it be said that the moody church stands fast in the Lord amen amen let's bow in prayer before I pray it's your turn to pray you may be here today as a seeker and you're wondering about your relationship with Jesus Christ you can pray to him and receive him as your savior you may be here as someone who is a believer but you've fallen will you resolve right now to spend time in confession and repentance and faith and let us know so that we can help you stand maybe you're standing you say to yourself are you helping someone else stand have you befriended someone who said let's be friends so that we can stand together you talk to God a father the work that you've begun in people's lives finish it complete it make us a transforming community within our culture within our world in our city and we shall thank you in Jesus name amen amen don't you wish that all of us had the determination of that young African who wrote about his own commitment to Christ no matter the cost you know during this Christmas season oftentimes people complain about what is happening politically or things that are taking place in our society and I understand all that but in the midst of all these loud voices we need a clear gospel presented lovingly to a world without hope that's why we're making available for you a book entitled the case for Christmas by Lee Strobel now this booklet actually is going to help us to understand the entire basis of the Christian faith in a very readable form we encourage you to receive this book and make sure that you share it with others we want to thank the many of you who support this ministry and so for a gift of any amount we're making this booklet available for you go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 now even as we think about Thanksgiving we're reminded that we have so much to be grateful for but especially for Jesus who came to deliver us from our sins let's spread the good news to many and to help them to see that he's the savior of the world it's time once again for you to ask pastor Lutzer a question about the bible or the Christian life now sometimes we get long involved questions here at running to win but today our question is short and sweet dr lutzer jessica got in touch with us to ask is it a sin for a woman to cut her hair well jessica i think that the answer is no and i'll tell you why the bible does talk about long hair as being the glory of a woman the fact that a man should have shorter hair i think is taught very clearly in scripture in first corinthians chapter 11 but the bible does not say a woman shouldn't cut her hair it says that she should have long hair and when she does it is a glory to her so the cutting is not the problem i don't believe that a woman should have hair that is as short as a man's i think that there should be that distinction both based on nature and based on scripture but the cutting of long hair to make it shorter i don't think is wrong thank you jessica for your question thank you dr lutzer for those perspectives if you'd like to hear one of your questions answered you can just go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor lutzer or call us with that question at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 north lacelle boulevard chicago illinois 60614 running to win comes to you from the moody church in chicago to help you understand god's roadmap for your race of life in a season of thankfulness we're all reminded of who it is that we need to thank next time on running to win we begin a message on pleasing the lord always make plans to join us for pastor irwin lutzer this is dave mccallister running to win is sponsored by the moody church you
