1 00:00:14,059 --> 00:00:17,359 Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast. 2 00:00:18,399 --> 00:00:24,100 If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you. 3 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,079 Thank you for joining us today. 4 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:41,119 Everybody doing good? Everybody ready for Christmas? Everybody got your shopping done? 5 00:00:42,420 --> 00:00:50,119 No, I got to figure some things out this week, people. I'm really excited for this message, 6 00:00:50,119 --> 00:00:56,479 this passage. My dad let me cherry pick it, so thank you. This is one of my favorites. He's 7 00:00:56,479 --> 00:01:00,399 like, hey, do you want to teach soon? I'm flipping through the pages. I'm like, that might be 8 00:01:00,399 --> 00:01:06,299 difficult. There's a lot to that one. This one seems nice and easy. Thank you for letting me 9 00:01:06,299 --> 00:01:11,540 choose this. I'm really excited, but like my dad said, I'm on some beta blockers, 10 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,060 some little heart medication that chills you out. While on the outside, I'm sitting, 11 00:01:16,060 --> 00:01:21,200 the inside, I'm jumping up and down. Give me some grace there. I need some people to carry 12 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,959 some excitement for me. If you feel the Lord, don't worry. You can shout out, Gordon, 13 00:01:26,099 --> 00:01:30,000 where you at, man? Yeah, all right. I'm trusting you this morning, all right? 14 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:36,799 Let's start with some prayer, and then we're going to jump into the race of faith, Hebrews 11. 15 00:01:38,519 --> 00:01:42,219 Jesus, we thank you so much, Lord, that you're here. We thank you, God, 16 00:01:42,219 --> 00:01:49,280 just the fact that you set a race before us, Lord. Thank you that you accept us, Lord, 17 00:01:49,700 --> 00:01:56,840 into the beloved, into your family, into you, Lord, through faith, Lord, grace through faith. 18 00:01:57,159 --> 00:02:02,920 Lord, that is what it is. The ministry, Lord, of reconciliation is through you, Lord. You reconcile 19 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:09,419 the world to yourself, and I pray, Jesus, that this morning, Lord, you would open our eyes, 20 00:02:09,419 --> 00:02:14,460 Lord, that you would just give us perspective, Lord. Give me perspective, God. Give all of us 21 00:02:14,460 --> 00:02:20,300 perspective for this life, that we would know what we're a part of, Lord, that we would see 22 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:25,840 the race set up before us, God, and that we would fix our eyes on you and run, Lord, with endurance. 23 00:02:27,020 --> 00:02:35,319 We love you, in Jesus' name, amen. So, we've been looking at a lot of giants of the faith 24 00:02:35,319 --> 00:02:40,580 in the last few weeks. So, Dad, thank you, you've been doing an amazing job. And I gotta say, he's 25 00:02:40,580 --> 00:02:46,500 like, you know, I obviously know him pretty well. He is seriously the most humble guy I know. Like, 26 00:02:46,539 --> 00:02:51,259 when all of us teachers on Wednesday nights get together, he's like asking us what we think and 27 00:02:51,259 --> 00:02:55,060 kind of like, what do you, yeah, wow, that's great. Like, you know, he's telling, he's saying 28 00:02:55,060 --> 00:02:59,599 a kid was coming up with good insight. I'm sure, you know, that's just his humility. But, 29 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:04,580 you know, like really super humble guy, and that's why I really feel, you know, the Lord 30 00:03:04,580 --> 00:03:08,939 reveals so much to you through the Scripture. So, thank you for just teaching us the last few weeks. 31 00:03:10,139 --> 00:03:17,539 But we see faith, right? We see faith in these people, these giants of the faith. It just keeps 32 00:03:17,539 --> 00:03:23,340 talking about faith, faith, faith. And we read earlier in the previous chapter, what is faith? 33 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,120 It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. 34 00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:33,159 Sounds like a riddle, doesn't it? You're like, wait, that clears things up. No. So, 35 00:03:34,580 --> 00:03:39,939 the terminology that's used here is like a title deed. It's like a, like, you know, 36 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,639 you have a title that you own your car, that you own your property, that you own your house. 37 00:03:44,759 --> 00:03:51,099 It is proof. It is something tangible that proves something intangible, right? All these people 38 00:03:51,099 --> 00:03:56,560 were holding on to their faith that showed they had ownership and part of the promises of God. 39 00:03:56,919 --> 00:04:01,520 That's why faith is so important. If you don't have faith, you have no part in the promises. 40 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:08,439 You have faith in Jesus Christ. You have part, you have ownership of salvation. Your name is 41 00:04:08,439 --> 00:04:14,560 written in heaven and that's your final destination. Can I get an amen? Hold on to your faith. It says 42 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:20,279 we need to run the race with endurance and it says we need to hold fast our confession till the end. 43 00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:27,399 So, all these people had faith. They ran this race and their lives were radically changed. While 44 00:04:27,399 --> 00:04:31,600 the world was doing one thing, they were doing another. While the course of the world was taking 45 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,839 everyone else over here, they were doing this. They looked weird. They looked different. But 46 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:41,019 they were running a different race. They were looking to the promise and holding on to it 47 00:04:41,019 --> 00:04:47,259 through faith. And what I want to unpack this morning is what is this race? What is this race 48 00:04:47,259 --> 00:04:54,800 of faith? What does it look like and how do we run it? So, let's look at Hebrews 11 verse 30 49 00:04:54,800 --> 00:05:01,600 through 12 too. I'm going to read all the verses up front and we're not a church that apologizes for 50 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:06,699 reading a lot of the Bible. Aren't you glad you're here? Sometimes you'll hear, I'm sorry, I know this 51 00:05:06,699 --> 00:05:11,439 is like a lot. This is like five verses we have to read on a Sunday. No, we're going to read a 52 00:05:11,439 --> 00:05:17,500 lot of Bible this morning because this is life right here. So, let's read it. Verse 30. 53 00:05:18,740 --> 00:05:24,680 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 54 00:05:25,379 --> 00:05:30,560 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received 55 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:36,379 the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon 56 00:05:36,379 --> 00:05:42,319 and Barak, Samson and Jephthah, of David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith subdued 57 00:05:42,319 --> 00:05:49,019 kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence 58 00:05:49,019 --> 00:05:55,680 of fire, escaped the edge of the sword. Out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, 59 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,920 turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead race to life again. 60 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:06,740 Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. 61 00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:13,439 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, 62 00:06:13,579 --> 00:06:19,100 they were sawn in two, they were tempted, were slain, and with the sword. They wandered about 63 00:06:19,100 --> 00:06:24,139 in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, and of whom the world 64 00:06:24,139 --> 00:06:29,540 was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 65 00:06:29,899 --> 00:06:36,259 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise yet. 66 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:42,759 God, having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. 67 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:49,660 Therefore, we also, therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 68 00:06:50,220 --> 00:06:58,300 let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance 69 00:06:58,300 --> 00:07:03,819 the race that is set out before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, 70 00:07:03,819 --> 00:07:08,339 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, 71 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:13,860 and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Can I get some amens this morning? 72 00:07:15,860 --> 00:07:19,939 I don't need to preach. Coffee and pretzels are in the back. Have a great Sunday. 73 00:07:22,379 --> 00:07:29,399 Anybody else pumped up? Does that instill some like zeal in you? Do you want to run a race 74 00:07:29,399 --> 00:07:35,540 this morning? Do you want to go to battle? Man, this is amazing. And I am going to preach. Don't 75 00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:39,860 worry. I'm not going to stop there, but I have three points this morning. I'm going to tell you 76 00:07:39,860 --> 00:07:43,779 up front so I look organized. And if you're bored of the point I'm on, you can yell out 77 00:07:43,779 --> 00:07:48,800 the next one. I'll get the picture. Know your team. Number one is know your team. 78 00:07:49,939 --> 00:07:57,720 Run your race and fix your eyes. Okay? Know your team. Run your race. Fix your eyes. 79 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:05,300 Can you say it with me? Don't forget this. Know your team. Run your race. Fix your eyes. One more 80 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:13,220 time. Know your team. Run your race and fix your eyes. Know your team's first one. You got it. 81 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:19,980 So, on a Wednesday, maybe like six months ago, George, where you at, George? Carrie? 82 00:08:20,579 --> 00:08:25,759 In here? There you are. Man, he told an amazing story. And I'm like, I need to use this. This 83 00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:31,259 was awesome. So, he was telling this story one time about how he was at a baseball game, 84 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,519 and he was hanging out, had pretty good seats, and his feet were up on the seats in front of him. 85 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:42,960 And then an usher brought down this guy. And this guy was blind. And then the usher said, 86 00:08:43,059 --> 00:08:47,100 hey, can you sit here? And great seats brought him right in. They moved their feet for him, 87 00:08:47,100 --> 00:08:52,360 and he sat down. And he was just hanging out part of the game, right? He was sitting there. 88 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:57,059 He couldn't watch the game, but he could hear the game, and he was right there just enjoying himself. 89 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:02,500 And then the batter slammed a ball under the stands, and it went right at them, 90 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,100 like flying at them. And then it hit the seat, started bouncing around all over the place, 91 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:13,360 like a pinball, like just going crazy. And then it bounced up, landed on his chest gently, 92 00:09:13,659 --> 00:09:19,440 rolled down into his lap, right into his hands. The blind guy's hands. 93 00:09:20,159 --> 00:09:28,820 And as he realized what it was, he felt it, looked at it, held it up, and the entire stadium goes 94 00:09:28,820 --> 00:09:34,840 wild, guys. They're losing it, because here he is. He's holding the ball. He caught a game ball. 95 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,899 And as he's holding it up and everyone's cheering, he just starts bawling his eyes out, 96 00:09:40,700 --> 00:09:43,559 bawling his eyes out. And I'm telling you guys when I heard that story, 97 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:49,580 I thought that's like us, right? We were just welcomed into a seat we didn't deserve. 98 00:09:50,379 --> 00:09:54,840 We're sitting there blind, unaware of what's going on around us, 99 00:09:54,840 --> 00:10:01,740 and there the grace of God just lands in our laps. And as it hits our hands, 100 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:09,139 we realize what we found, this treasure we just found, and we lay hold of it. And as we pick it 101 00:10:09,139 --> 00:10:16,980 up, all of heaven rejoices and goes wild. It says that when one sinner repents, all of heaven 102 00:10:16,980 --> 00:10:24,240 rejoices. There's a party in heaven when one person repents. And I just want to remind us 103 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:31,419 this morning, know your team. What are you a part of? The fact that when you turn to Jesus 104 00:10:32,379 --> 00:10:38,960 in the cosmic reality of heaven and across generations and all the angels in the Lord 105 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:44,419 are applauding that you turned to him and are now part of something so much bigger than yourself. 106 00:10:45,100 --> 00:10:54,240 We need to maintain this outlook and perspective to truly know what this life is all about. 107 00:10:54,240 --> 00:11:02,779 You are part of the body of Christ. You are part of the family of God. You are a part of his kingdom. 108 00:11:02,940 --> 00:11:07,740 You're a son and a daughter. And as we read this, all these things these people did, 109 00:11:07,980 --> 00:11:13,879 they were martyrs. They made armies flee. Dead were raised to life. The mouths of the lions 110 00:11:13,879 --> 00:11:19,620 were closed, and they had suffered persecution and had a way out, and they said, no, I'm not going 111 00:11:19,620 --> 00:11:27,000 to turn back. I am going to die for my faith. You belong to this team. You belong to these people. 112 00:11:27,580 --> 00:11:33,259 Your name, though the writer of Hebrews stopped writing at that point in time, the list keeps 113 00:11:33,259 --> 00:11:40,279 growing because every generation and every person that turns to Jesus, their name is written in the 114 00:11:40,279 --> 00:11:46,899 Lamb's Book of Life. You have faith to lay hold of the promises of God, and this is your lineage. 115 00:11:46,899 --> 00:11:53,559 This is what you're a part of. You're not just some lone person trying to find their way out 116 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:59,120 and what to do in this world. You are a part of something so much bigger than you could possibly 117 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:10,039 imagine. Can I get an amen? Thank you. You're not. It changes everything when you know what 118 00:12:10,039 --> 00:12:14,159 you're a part of. You're not just an employee. You're an ambassador of Christ. 119 00:12:15,299 --> 00:12:20,659 You're not just a mom or a dad. You're raising the next generation of Jesus followers. 120 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:27,500 You're not just a husband or a spouse. You're an example to the world of Jesus loving the 121 00:12:27,500 --> 00:12:33,779 church, right? There's so much more to everything we do when we realize what we're a part of. 122 00:12:33,779 --> 00:12:39,879 You are a Christian. That means little Christ. That means disciple, follower of Christ, 123 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:48,120 and that is the greatest possible thing you could ever be. Let our highest expectation for our life 124 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:54,519 not be something in our career, not be some money that we can make, not be some earthly achievement, 125 00:12:54,899 --> 00:13:00,659 but it could would it be a Christian? Could we just be a Christian and look like him? 126 00:13:00,659 --> 00:13:08,480 Could we walk like him? That should be our highest aim. You are rooted and grounded in his love. 127 00:13:08,539 --> 00:13:12,960 That's where you are. You are a part of the loved family of God. 128 00:13:14,759 --> 00:13:21,179 Man, my mouth's getting dry right now. You're good. So when I was, I have some coffee. 129 00:13:21,379 --> 00:13:25,720 I think I'm good with coffee on beta blockers. A little bit of caffeine is all right. 130 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:36,799 Oh, that's good. A little bit of cinnamon. So I wrestled for a lot of my life. I started 131 00:13:36,799 --> 00:13:43,440 when I was six and wrestled till I got to college. I stopped at college. It was too much for me, 132 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:48,019 but I was pretty good at it. And you know, I wrestled on a travel team all the way up 133 00:13:48,019 --> 00:13:52,779 until I got to high school and the level of wrestling was really difficult. And you know, 134 00:13:52,779 --> 00:13:58,360 it, it trained me. It got me better and better. And it wasn't easy. It wasn't like, you know, 135 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,500 I was killing everybody and I was like, you know, just pinning everyone first period. 136 00:14:01,820 --> 00:14:06,960 You know, it was a struggle, but it made me better. And then I switched in high school. I'm 137 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,500 like, okay, I want to have a little bit more of a life. Let me just do the high school team. And 138 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:15,659 we were a small Christian school. And so there wasn't a lot of competition. And there I was, 139 00:14:15,659 --> 00:14:20,279 you know, like having a great record, maybe losing one or two matches in the whole season. 140 00:14:20,279 --> 00:14:28,820 And so I went to districts. Thank you, Deb. Thank you. One districts. I go to regionals. Let me tell 141 00:14:28,820 --> 00:14:35,139 you, I met a different kind of wrestler at regionals. One I was not encountering in my league. 142 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:40,639 And when I got there, me, I'm used to, you know, I had a lot of pins first period. I get there. 143 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,120 And literally like I felt like a train hit me when the first guy came out in the mat. 144 00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:47,820 I was dizzy and all of a sudden I'm on the ground and I'm pinned first period. 145 00:14:47,820 --> 00:14:51,679 And I was like, what just happened? You know, I thought I was good, 146 00:14:52,019 --> 00:14:59,379 you know, like what is going on? And I realized my team mattered. What I belong to mattered. 147 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:05,279 And I lowered my bar to become part of the team that I was on because I just wanted it easy. 148 00:15:05,860 --> 00:15:11,480 And real and forgetting the fact that if I kept my bar higher and I was on the harder team, 149 00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:16,399 I would have been a better wrestler. And you need to know that the team you surround yourself 150 00:15:16,399 --> 00:15:22,360 with, what you think you're a part of, that determines kind of like what the race you're 151 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:26,700 going to run, right? The level of skill you surround yourself with is the level of skill 152 00:15:26,700 --> 00:15:31,179 you'll develop. And when you are a Christian, if you think you are more part of the world, 153 00:15:31,460 --> 00:15:35,580 if you think you are more part of just the normal things of this life that you almost 154 00:15:35,580 --> 00:15:39,899 feel like the people of God, the calling of God, all this stuff is a little foreign. 155 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:45,379 You're starting to slowly join the wrong team. You're joining the lower team and not the higher 156 00:15:45,379 --> 00:15:50,019 team. The one that's calling you up. This team is calling you down. The fact that you're the 157 00:15:50,019 --> 00:15:56,039 body of Christ, it calls you up. Going down is easy. When you go to a lower level, it's easy, 158 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,799 but it goes nowhere. If you realize there's a higher calling, it costs something, 159 00:16:00,899 --> 00:16:06,480 and it is harder. But you need to know what you're a part of because you will live a different life. 160 00:16:07,019 --> 00:16:11,899 Amen. Think about it. When you go into your job, realize what you're a part of. 161 00:16:11,899 --> 00:16:16,620 You have heaven cheering you on. When you go into the grocery store, the gym, 162 00:16:17,340 --> 00:16:23,600 realize you are a part of God's plan. Heaven, your Savior is cheering you on in your family, 163 00:16:23,919 --> 00:16:29,779 in your home, in the little things and the big things. Heaven is cheering you on. Realize what 164 00:16:29,779 --> 00:16:35,120 you're a part of in the highs and the lows of your life, in your failings and your victories 165 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:40,460 all the time. Heaven is cheering you on. Keep that perspective. I'm telling you, 166 00:16:40,460 --> 00:16:49,600 you will run a different race. Amen. Run your race. Know your team and run your race. 167 00:16:50,899 --> 00:16:56,940 So Zach and I, a few years ago, we were going to run a half marathon, the Philly half marathon, 168 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:02,940 and he had already run some full marathons, so he was kind of doing me a favor to run the 169 00:17:02,940 --> 00:17:09,079 half with me. And then Christmas came up, or Thanksgiving was coming up, and I was like, 170 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:12,660 I don't even feel like going all the way down to Philly, buying our ticket, waiting there, 171 00:17:12,740 --> 00:17:17,660 spending the whole day to run this race. Let's just run around here, which immediately is less cool, 172 00:17:17,799 --> 00:17:22,660 right? You're like, yeah, I was gonna run the Philly half marathon, but then I just ran in my 173 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:30,000 backyard. That's not that cool. So we went down to the Delaware River, and there's the canal you 174 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:35,099 can run on. And as we got there, you know, there's whipping winds off the Delaware River. 175 00:17:35,099 --> 00:17:42,819 It is freezing. So windy, coldy, coldy, coldy and windy. Sorry, I talked to my kids. 176 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:49,500 Windy and cold, and we start running this race, and then we get like a mile down, and the canal 177 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:55,180 is blocked off. And we're like, what? So we got to run these 13 miles, but now we're like 178 00:17:55,180 --> 00:17:59,160 blocked in a cage, and we just run back and forth and back and forth for 13 miles. 179 00:17:59,580 --> 00:18:04,559 So like things just were not, it just kept coming down to like these things were kind of getting in 180 00:18:04,559 --> 00:18:09,319 the way. And then Zach's running, and he's like, my knee's starting to feel weird. And then his 181 00:18:09,319 --> 00:18:13,339 knee gets worse and worse, and he's like running slower, and then I'm like, yeah, finally, I'm 182 00:18:13,339 --> 00:18:16,819 gonna win this race. I mean, we weren't running against each other, but then my lower back starts 183 00:18:16,819 --> 00:18:22,119 hurting, and you're like, you're getting old. And so he has his knee, I got my back, we got 184 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,839 the race cut short, so it's a short little back and forth thing, and it's freezing and windy. 185 00:18:27,979 --> 00:18:33,220 And you know, I realized in that, like as we're running, like he was better at going up the hills, 186 00:18:33,319 --> 00:18:37,740 he was faster. And then on the straightaways, I had my strengths, and you know, maybe he 187 00:18:37,740 --> 00:18:42,799 waited up for me. But for this analogy, I need to have a strength too. So we each had our own 188 00:18:42,799 --> 00:18:48,200 strengths. We each had things that we were struggling against, but we were both running 189 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:53,880 the same exact race. We had our start and our finish line. We were both in it together. 190 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:58,579 We were not racing against each other, but we're running it together. And I thought of, 191 00:18:58,799 --> 00:19:04,980 isn't that the race of faith? Isn't that this life? Every single Christian, though we might have 192 00:19:04,980 --> 00:19:09,839 different struggles and trials, the knee, the back, you know, there's some common struggles, 193 00:19:10,019 --> 00:19:14,619 the wind and the path, all that, there are struggles and unique aspects of our life. 194 00:19:15,339 --> 00:19:19,220 We might have our own giftings, the straightaways and the hills and all that stuff. 195 00:19:19,220 --> 00:19:22,519 Like there are different giftings, there are different callings, 196 00:19:22,599 --> 00:19:29,460 there are different struggles, but we are all running the same race. Your race is not just 197 00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:35,519 about you and your life. Your race is a common race between all Christians. It is the race of 198 00:19:35,519 --> 00:19:42,259 faith that starts when you are saved and ends when you see Jesus in glory. And we need faith the 199 00:19:42,259 --> 00:19:51,859 entire way. You need faith all the way to the end. All the way to the end. And there is one goal. 200 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,900 We know the start, salvation, the end, we see Jesus in glory, but then what's in between? 201 00:19:57,339 --> 00:20:03,000 What is the actual goal of all this? Let me tell you, Romans 8, 29, 202 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:10,720 for those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. 203 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:17,180 He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Second Corinthians 3, 18, 204 00:20:17,859 --> 00:20:24,460 we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same 205 00:20:24,460 --> 00:20:29,799 image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 206 00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:35,819 That's what we're here for. That's the goal. That is the race. From here to heaven, 207 00:20:36,099 --> 00:20:41,660 it is to look like Jesus. It is to become more like Him. And you know, that's something you can do 208 00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:48,180 anywhere, everywhere, all the time. The primary goal is not just share the gospel. You need 209 00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:53,980 to look like Jesus to truly share the gospel. The primary goal is not just missions. It's not 210 00:20:53,980 --> 00:21:00,200 just doing good things. You need to actually look like Jesus to truly represent Him and do 211 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:06,640 those things for Him. We can't separate looking like Jesus from the things that we have to do. 212 00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:11,359 That's what the Pharisees did. They said, let me do all the things of the law, but inside I'm evil 213 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:17,319 and I actually don't love God at all. We need to look like Him first, and then we can do the 214 00:21:17,319 --> 00:21:22,579 things He did. We can look like Him, talk like Him, do those things, and become like Him. 215 00:21:22,579 --> 00:21:28,059 And that's amazing. That's a race I want to run. I don't want to run a race of a bunch of works that 216 00:21:28,059 --> 00:21:33,140 I have to do. I want to run a race where I'm transformed. Anybody else want to run that race 217 00:21:33,140 --> 00:21:38,140 this morning? Anybody else want to look like Jesus? That is the greatest thing we could 218 00:21:38,140 --> 00:21:45,339 ever do with our lives. That's close to Him, and that's something that's not on you. We read 219 00:21:45,899 --> 00:21:51,339 that this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. It comes from abiding in Him. Jesus says, 220 00:21:51,339 --> 00:21:56,319 abide in me and I in you and you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. 221 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,119 It comes from living with Him. Galatians 5 says, since we live by the Spirit, 222 00:22:01,460 --> 00:22:08,440 let us keep in step with the Spirit. Think of that. You're running a race and your steps 223 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:14,559 are completely in sync with Jesus. That's what it looks like. That's the race we're supposed to 224 00:22:14,559 --> 00:22:18,279 run, and it encompasses everything. If you just got a little nervous when I was saying the 225 00:22:18,279 --> 00:22:23,339 good works and the gospel and all that, did Jesus share the gospel? Did Jesus do amazing things? 226 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:30,000 Did Jesus do good works? Yes, all of this. So when we look like Jesus, we do all those things, 227 00:22:30,220 --> 00:22:35,359 but first and foremost, our eyes are fixed on Him, and we aim to be like Him. 228 00:22:37,380 --> 00:22:41,019 And when I look at all the people who ran this race, all those amazing things, 229 00:22:41,519 --> 00:22:47,299 that's what they did, right? They pleased God through faith. They did amazing things, 230 00:22:47,740 --> 00:22:53,139 and they suffered and did not turn back. That sounds like Jesus, and that's what you're a part of. 231 00:22:55,140 --> 00:22:58,180 Now race, why does it have to be a race? Why does it have to be hard, 232 00:22:58,500 --> 00:23:04,220 right? Race means, the Greek word is agona. You like that little accent and flexion I got? 233 00:23:04,460 --> 00:23:10,200 Agona. I think that's Greek. But it is a word used for conflict or struggle of many kinds. 234 00:23:10,900 --> 00:23:15,720 There's a reason it doesn't say sit on the couch of faith. That'd be pretty nice though. 235 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:22,819 Sit on the couch. No, it says run the race that is set before you, and there are forces against you. 236 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,339 There are things that want to keep you from running the race and sit still. 237 00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:31,200 There are things that want to hold you back, and that shouldn't get you sad or feeling bad or 238 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:36,819 being a victim. That should fire you up. That should get you excited. In Romans 12, it says, 239 00:23:37,099 --> 00:23:42,380 do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 240 00:23:42,380 --> 00:23:48,240 And Ephesians 6, 12 says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 241 00:23:48,519 --> 00:23:54,000 powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 242 00:23:54,640 --> 00:24:03,380 This race has forces against you. The whole world in its fallen state wants to keep you from running 243 00:24:03,380 --> 00:24:08,299 this race and wants you to look nothing like Jesus, and there is spiritual warfare against you. 244 00:24:08,299 --> 00:24:15,960 We encounter trials, persecutions, temptation, distractions, doubt, discouragement, 245 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:21,579 spiritual warfare, and all these things are at play against you, and they want to take 246 00:24:21,579 --> 00:24:28,380 you out of the race. The race won't be easy. Has the race for you been super easy or have you 247 00:24:28,380 --> 00:24:34,240 come against some stuff? You don't run a race because it's easy. You run it because it's worth 248 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:39,279 it. You run a race because it's hard, but it's worth it. There's something at the end. 249 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:47,240 And we have Jesus. He's worth it. Like, I would do anything for Jesus. I would run the hardest race 250 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,579 if it means I can look like Him and know Him. If it means I can see Him in glory. 251 00:24:53,140 --> 00:24:58,720 That is what is set before you. It's going to be hard, but it's worth it. And you might feel a 252 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:04,059 maybe discouraged by all that stuff that's coming against you, but Jesus says, and John, 253 00:25:05,099 --> 00:25:11,339 these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In Him you're going to have peace. 254 00:25:11,980 --> 00:25:18,400 In the world you'll have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. I 255 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:23,619 have overcome the world. You could be in the midst of the hardest trial of your life. 256 00:25:24,299 --> 00:25:29,140 Maybe some of you are there right now. And you could be in the midst of that and realize, 257 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:33,759 Jesus, I'm in you. And you have supernatural peace that passes understanding. 258 00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:37,799 And when you're in it, you can actually be of good cheer. You can be joyful. 259 00:25:38,619 --> 00:25:43,099 And you can realize that He's already overcome the world. Everything coming against you. 260 00:25:43,319 --> 00:25:50,500 In your race, Jesus has already overcome. Amen. Thank you, Gordon. And you might say, 261 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:58,019 well, it's good that Jesus has overcome, but then what about me? First John 5-4. Write this down. 262 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,680 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. Are you born of God this morning? 263 00:26:04,299 --> 00:26:10,079 Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this, this is the victory that has overcome 264 00:26:10,079 --> 00:26:18,420 the world. Our faith. Our faith overcomes everything in this life. And you know, 265 00:26:18,420 --> 00:26:23,839 there are things that need to happen for you to run this race, to experience that victory. 266 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,359 And let's look at that verse again. One more time. 267 00:26:30,279 --> 00:26:38,200 Verse 12. I mean, chapter 12, verse 1. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily 268 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:45,220 ensnares us. Isn't that interesting? There's two different things. Weights and sins. 269 00:26:46,519 --> 00:26:52,759 Let's speak something deep there. A weight might not be a sin. It's not. It's something separate. 270 00:26:53,500 --> 00:26:59,900 A weight on its own is not immoral. A weight on its own, you know, other people can handle this. 271 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,960 You know, it's not like I'm sinning or anything. It's not directly against God. 272 00:27:04,460 --> 00:27:11,720 But it's a weight. It's slowing you down. And there are things in our lives that are 273 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:17,140 laid aside. There might be responsibilities. There might be ways you spend your time. 274 00:27:17,539 --> 00:27:23,980 There can be things that make you slow down. They steal your joy. They make you distracted. 275 00:27:24,579 --> 00:27:28,460 They make you less disciplined. They ultimately make you less like Jesus. 276 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:34,240 Right? That is a weight. And maybe some of those things aren't just as straightforward as like, 277 00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:39,539 oh, you know, I sleep in because I stay up late doing this thing and then I never read 278 00:27:39,539 --> 00:27:43,079 my Bible and then now I'm feeling insecure. Like, that is a weight you got to lay aside. 279 00:27:43,420 --> 00:27:47,720 You need to be in the Word and close to the Lord. But there are other things that are weights 280 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,759 that sometimes are harder to let go of than just an action or something you do. 281 00:27:53,519 --> 00:28:01,559 And those are regrets. That's guilt, fear, insecurities, pain. But do you realize 282 00:28:02,179 --> 00:28:08,440 the Bible is telling you to lay it aside? That means it's a choice. That means you actually 283 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:15,380 have the ability through Jesus Christ to lay those things down. Weights are hard to carry. 284 00:28:15,819 --> 00:28:21,359 Putting a weight down is easy, right? Like, to actually lay the weight down, you are free. 285 00:28:22,059 --> 00:28:27,200 And we need to lay them aside. We need to put those things down and realize that all 286 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:33,160 is forgiven in Jesus. Right? We need to know, like, don't look back on your life with guilt 287 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:38,460 and shame all the time. Jesus has set you free from it. Paul says, 288 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:43,799 I forget what is behind and I look forward to the goal of the upward call of Christ Jesus. 289 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:50,000 You need to forget it. You need to lay it to the side. Lay them down. 290 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:58,460 Jesus says in Matthew 11, come to me. Come to me if you are weary and heavily laden, 291 00:28:58,460 --> 00:29:04,559 if you are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 292 00:29:04,579 --> 00:29:08,980 for I am gentle and humble in heart. You will find rest for your souls, 293 00:29:09,359 --> 00:29:14,299 for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. The way of Jesus is freedom. 294 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,440 Even in the midst of the trials of your journey and your race, 295 00:29:18,859 --> 00:29:21,359 you have peace in him and you can be of good cheer. 296 00:29:22,599 --> 00:29:27,599 But sin, sin easily entangles. Can anybody relate to that? 297 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:34,059 If you leave the foot hole, the door open to sin, it will wrap you up like that. 298 00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:40,099 We need to be diligent in kicking sin out of our lives and laying it down at the cross in front 299 00:29:40,099 --> 00:29:45,220 of Jesus. Because sin, if you give it permission, will tangle you up and entrap you and you won't 300 00:29:45,220 --> 00:29:50,680 be moving anywhere on your race. It will get you so far off track that you even forget, 301 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:55,339 what am I even doing in this life? My life is hopeless. It's worthless. It's meaningless. 302 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:59,980 Depression sets in. All this stuff happens when you allow sin to come in 303 00:29:59,980 --> 00:30:06,099 and hijack your race and take over your life. But praise God, he's come to save sinners, 304 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:12,759 right? He's come to set you free. He has come to break the chains that tangle you up. 305 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:19,559 In a moment, that is the power of the cross. In a moment, he can set you free from everything. 306 00:30:19,559 --> 00:30:26,779 But he's telling you, you need to lay it aside. You need to lay it aside. I need to lay it aside. 307 00:30:27,059 --> 00:30:31,619 My weight and my sins, I need to lay aside if I truly want to run this race. 308 00:30:32,700 --> 00:30:38,279 And don't say it's too hard. I mean, look at your God and look at the people who ran this race. 309 00:30:38,420 --> 00:30:42,279 They went through the same things as you. They might have had worse things than you. 310 00:30:42,359 --> 00:30:46,900 They probably did. Yeah, I've never been sawn in two. So my issues don't seem as bad, 311 00:30:46,900 --> 00:30:52,819 right? These people have gone through hard stuff. They've done some sins and had some regrets, 312 00:30:53,140 --> 00:30:58,160 things they wish they could take back. But did it hold them back? They ran their race. 313 00:30:58,539 --> 00:31:03,059 They ran their race and fixed their eyes on Jesus. And that's what you're called to. 314 00:31:03,519 --> 00:31:07,599 That is what you're a part of. And if you haven't ran a perfect race, 315 00:31:08,819 --> 00:31:15,980 shocker, nobody has. No one has ran a perfect race but one, one. And his name is Jesus. 316 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:24,579 And this is what he says to you. This is, Paul says in Hebrews, or no, the writer of Hebrews, 317 00:31:24,619 --> 00:31:29,720 we don't know if it's Paul. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness. 318 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:36,599 He knows our weakness because in all points he was tempted as we are. When he was on this 319 00:31:36,599 --> 00:31:43,140 earth, he was tempted in every way and he's aware of the weaknesses of our bodies. And yet, 320 00:31:43,140 --> 00:31:50,880 he was without sin. Let us therefore come boldly, not fill the shame, but come boldly to the throne 321 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:57,480 of grace, that we might obtain mercy, which is the forgiveness from God. And we might obtain 322 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:04,700 grace, which is the power and ability to overcome in any time we have need. That is what he invites 323 00:32:04,700 --> 00:32:09,720 you into. When you are in the book of life, when you are part of the family of God, 324 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:16,299 when this is your team, you have direct access to Jesus who forgives and empowers so you can run 325 00:32:16,299 --> 00:32:21,400 your race. But this all comes down to one thing. 326 00:32:25,839 --> 00:32:32,099 Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and 327 00:32:32,099 --> 00:32:37,980 finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the 328 00:32:37,980 --> 00:32:45,819 shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This all comes down to him. 329 00:32:46,519 --> 00:32:53,140 And this all comes down to you fixing your eyes on Jesus. If you don't do that, you won't know 330 00:32:53,140 --> 00:32:57,819 what you're a part of, you won't know your team, you won't run your race, and you will be tangled 331 00:32:57,819 --> 00:33:03,460 up by the cares of this life and the sin that so easily entangles. But if you fix your eyes, 332 00:33:04,019 --> 00:33:09,019 you will be transformed into the image of the Son. You will look more like him and you will run with 333 00:33:09,019 --> 00:33:18,920 endurance. A few years ago in Nashville, where we used to live for like seven years, I was weighed 334 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:24,259 down. I had a lot of weights. I just had a ton going on, a lot of stress, a lot of work stuff, 335 00:33:24,420 --> 00:33:31,420 and business stuff, and I was just feeling like really down and confused. And I felt like all my 336 00:33:31,420 --> 00:33:37,119 concentration and attention was on the things of this life. And I was feeling then guilty that I 337 00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:43,599 wasn't aware of this heavenly calling, right? Like the race of faith. I wasn't stewarding my faith 338 00:33:43,599 --> 00:33:47,900 and growing to look more like him. So I was just in this place where I was feeling down. 339 00:33:48,740 --> 00:33:54,900 So I go outside, I give my Bible, and I'm reading, and I'm praying, and I'm talking to Jesus about 340 00:33:54,900 --> 00:34:01,460 all this. And then I hear this squawking just loud and obnoxious. And I look up from my front door, 341 00:34:02,339 --> 00:34:06,240 and I see this blue jay just freaking out on the grass across the street from me. 342 00:34:06,740 --> 00:34:12,000 And it was screaming at this dove over and over again. I'm like, what is going on? I just see 343 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,639 this little dove pecking at the ground in front of it, just trying to find some food, just trying 344 00:34:16,639 --> 00:34:21,400 to mind his own business, doing his thing. And he has this blue jay just screaming in his ear 345 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:27,619 non-stop. And I'm like, what? I feel bad for him. He's just trying to do his thing, and he's so 346 00:34:27,619 --> 00:34:33,260 focused on all that he has to do, just pecking the ground and screaming in his ear. And then 347 00:34:33,260 --> 00:34:38,960 I just kind of looked up, and I see two other doves sitting at the top of a branch, super 348 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:45,039 peaceful, hanging out and resting in the sun, just loving life. And I felt like in that moment, 349 00:34:45,099 --> 00:34:48,980 God said to me, do you want to be this bird or do you want to be that bird? 350 00:34:50,300 --> 00:34:55,460 Do you want to have your eyes so fixed on the things you have to do, pecking at the ground, 351 00:34:55,639 --> 00:35:01,719 only thinking on what is right in front of you and having these cares of life scream at you, 352 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,659 weighed down by the weights of this life? Or do you want to be like this bird, 353 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:11,679 sitting up in the sun, in the presence of God, enjoying their lives, having perspective? 354 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:17,380 And of course I said that one, right? I want to be like that one, but I was being like this one. 355 00:35:17,380 --> 00:35:22,380 And I just think about that all the time. When I find myself slipping into this bird, 356 00:35:22,519 --> 00:35:26,179 I want to be that bird. It's fixing my eyes off of what's in front of me, 357 00:35:26,380 --> 00:35:31,099 and fixing my gaze and everything in me towards Jesus. He changes everything. 358 00:35:31,519 --> 00:35:36,280 And the word fix doesn't look, it can also be translated fix your eyes, 359 00:35:36,579 --> 00:35:41,239 because it's not just occasional looking at Jesus. It's not like I'm looking at this 360 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:45,400 and I'm looking at that. It is actually looking away from everything else, 361 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:52,000 everything else you look away from, and you look at one thing, one person, Jesus Christ. 362 00:35:52,559 --> 00:35:57,800 To run this race, you need to fix your soul, attention, and focus on Him. 363 00:35:58,179 --> 00:36:01,380 Now I'm not saying you can't do anything other than read your Bible and pray all day, 364 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:07,159 right? It means to walk with Him, live with Him. When you go into a room, 365 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:11,840 you're praying and just talking to Him. When you come up against challenges of this life, 366 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,940 you immediately turn to faith, and you are just in communion with Him. 367 00:36:16,219 --> 00:36:21,500 That is what fixing your eyes looks like. And everything, everything hinges on this, 368 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:27,760 and the worship team can come up. Everything rests on this. If you don't do this right, 369 00:36:27,980 --> 00:36:33,980 everything else falls apart. If you don't look at Him, you will not run your race. 370 00:36:34,420 --> 00:36:39,980 If you don't look at Him, you will not be free. And if you don't look at Him, 371 00:36:39,980 --> 00:36:44,900 you will not even know what you're a part of, and life will seem pretty purposeless. 372 00:36:45,619 --> 00:36:52,539 But in Him, life is filled with purpose. In Him, you matter. In Him, all of your choices 373 00:36:52,539 --> 00:36:59,039 are leading towards a common goal. And in Him, eternal impacts are being made through 374 00:36:59,039 --> 00:37:03,679 the choices of your life and how you live, how you run your race. 375 00:37:04,300 --> 00:37:12,059 He is the author and the finisher. He is the author of your faith and the finisher of your faith. 376 00:37:12,599 --> 00:37:18,539 Another version says pioneer and perfecter. It's pretty cool. He actually made the way 377 00:37:18,539 --> 00:37:24,000 for you to be saved. He is the image of what we should be like. He is the way, 378 00:37:24,139 --> 00:37:31,139 the truth, and the life. He is everything, and He made you and made you to know Him. 379 00:37:31,139 --> 00:37:38,380 He is the author of your salvation. Don't you want to know Him? Don't you want to be like Him? 380 00:37:39,119 --> 00:37:45,239 Don't you want to fix your eyes on Him? And we can have so much rest and just peace, 381 00:37:45,780 --> 00:37:51,119 and so much hope to know that He's not just the author. He's not the one who starts it and says, 382 00:37:51,159 --> 00:37:57,000 now it's up to you. He finishes it. He finishes it. Philippians 1, 6, 383 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:02,619 He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ when He returns. 384 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:10,900 We just need to yield to Jesus and He will finish the good work that He is doing in you. 385 00:38:13,820 --> 00:38:16,380 I want to read this. Philippians 3, 12. 386 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:24,699 Not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal, 387 00:38:25,599 --> 00:38:33,219 but I press on, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 388 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:38,960 There's a reason He took hold of you. There's a reason that ball landed in your lap. 389 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:45,000 There's a reason you were brought to that seat. There's a reason those people talk to you. 390 00:38:45,139 --> 00:38:48,280 There's a reason you just stumbled upon that track. 391 00:38:50,139 --> 00:38:53,679 There's a reason you heard the gospel at that point in time when you turned. 392 00:38:54,699 --> 00:39:00,119 And all the heaven rejoiced. There is a reason for everything. 393 00:39:03,059 --> 00:39:10,119 He took hold of you for a purpose, that He would make you like Him and that you would see Him in 394 00:39:10,119 --> 00:39:16,840 glory. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, 395 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:25,920 but one thing I do, one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, 396 00:39:26,179 --> 00:39:33,019 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 397 00:39:35,579 --> 00:39:39,380 Don't look at what you laid aside. Look to Him. 398 00:39:46,380 --> 00:39:47,920 Look to your high priest. 399 00:39:51,119 --> 00:39:59,260 Look to the one who knows you and loves you, even in your failures, but offers a way out. 400 00:40:01,380 --> 00:40:07,699 Look to the one who died for you, who rose again for you, who is seated in authority 401 00:40:08,340 --> 00:40:14,420 in the heavens and has given good gifts to you. Set your eyes on Him. 402 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:20,780 All the things of this life will just start to vanish. All the things we worry about 403 00:40:20,780 --> 00:40:28,719 and are concerned by, and we'll see one race set before us. One thing will matter most, and it's 404 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:34,380 Him. Know your team. Run your race. Fix your eyes. 405 00:40:36,579 --> 00:40:40,460 And I want to give an opportunity right now. I don't know everybody in the room. 406 00:40:41,820 --> 00:40:47,280 Maybe you feel the Holy Spirit tugging on your heart and saying, hey, it's time to run your race. 407 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:55,619 You never started. You may have heard these things before, but you've never actually started 408 00:40:55,619 --> 00:41:03,340 to run. You're not saved. You don't belong yet, but you want to. And with your eyes closed, 409 00:41:03,519 --> 00:41:08,539 if there's someone in this room that says, yes, I want Jesus, I want forgiveness, 410 00:41:09,059 --> 00:41:15,219 I want to be free from the weight and the sin of my life, I want to run the race. 411 00:41:15,579 --> 00:41:24,079 Would you raise your hand right now? Amen. Amen. I just want to pray with you right now. 412 00:41:28,220 --> 00:41:31,539 You can say this in your heart or out loud if you want. Dear Jesus, 413 00:41:33,019 --> 00:41:41,800 thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Thank you for washing me clean by your blood. 414 00:41:43,139 --> 00:41:52,159 Thank you for accepting me into your family. Thank you for giving me heaven to look forward to. 415 00:41:53,500 --> 00:41:56,699 Thank you for saving me. I want to be saved. 416 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:05,559 If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, you're saved. 417 00:42:08,659 --> 00:42:11,000 And there's some other people in the room I want to 418 00:42:12,380 --> 00:42:19,739 speak to, and maybe there's some weights. Maybe there's some sin, and you just want to be set 419 00:42:19,739 --> 00:42:28,420 free. You want to lay them down. Now's your chance. Don't walk away from this moment because 420 00:42:28,420 --> 00:42:35,980 you might not want to later, and you'll still be trapped. Now's the chance. Do you want to 421 00:42:35,980 --> 00:42:42,860 lay them down and be light? Do you want to be free to run? Lay them at the feet of Jesus. 422 00:42:43,679 --> 00:42:49,760 And if that's you, would you raise your hand? There is no shame. There is no fear. There's 423 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:57,599 nothing, guys. Come on. I've had so many sins of weights to lay down. There's freedom in Jesus' 424 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:05,059 name, and he makes you light. He makes you whiter than snow. He can transform everything in a 425 00:43:05,059 --> 00:43:12,400 moment. So Lord Jesus, we pray right now every single weight and every single sin has no place 426 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:19,940 in a believer. I pray in the name of Jesus that they would be set free now, God. We pray 427 00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:25,079 against every single thing that comes against them in this race of faith. Lord, the spiritual 428 00:43:25,079 --> 00:43:31,940 warfare out in the name of Jesus, we come against you by the power of the blood of the lamb, 429 00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:38,039 and by the word of our testimony, God, we overcome. Because you are Lord, you are seated at the 430 00:43:38,039 --> 00:43:44,019 right hand of the Father. You hold the victory. You overcome the world, and we overcome the 431 00:43:44,019 --> 00:43:49,880 world by our faith in you, God. So I pray right now freedom from sin, freedom from the weights, 432 00:43:50,500 --> 00:43:55,519 freedom, God, from the shame and the guilt, freedom in Jesus' name. I pray that these 433 00:43:55,519 --> 00:44:02,179 brothers and sisters of Christ would walk out of here, God, in victory, in joy, in peace, God, 434 00:44:02,179 --> 00:44:07,940 and they would run this race with patience and endurance in your holy name. 435 00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:15,599 One other person. I want to talk to you. And this should be everybody in the room, 436 00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:20,980 including myself. Do you want to run this race with renewed focus? Do you want to run the race 437 00:44:20,980 --> 00:44:26,380 with one thing before you? Do you want to run the race with one goal in mind, 438 00:44:27,119 --> 00:44:30,219 that you would see him, and that you would be like him? 439 00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:36,900 Jesus, I pray that your church would run this race, that live this life with one goal in mind, 440 00:44:36,940 --> 00:44:41,760 that it's you, God. I pray that every single thing else, Lord, everything else 441 00:44:42,219 --> 00:44:48,239 would fall away as we focus on you, Jesus. And I pray that we would see amazing things happen, 442 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:53,440 God. I pray that we would look like you, that we would be like you, that we would do things 443 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:58,820 like you, God, and the world would wonder, what is this? Who are these people? They're 444 00:44:58,820 --> 00:45:04,039 running a different race. So, Lord Jesus, I just pray for a blessing, God, over your church, 445 00:45:04,820 --> 00:45:13,360 a blessing over us, God, as we fix our eyes. Would we be changed, God? Would we be transformed, 446 00:45:13,679 --> 00:45:20,900 Lord, from one degree of glory to another into what you want us to be? We love you so much, 447 00:45:20,900 --> 00:45:25,980 God. We love you so much in your holy name. Amen. 448 00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:35,679 Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss His word. 449 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:41,840 Don't forget to join us for worship live Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube. 450 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:44,960 Be blessed and have a great day!