Run Your Race

Gary Russell

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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The Olympics are just about over. The closing ceremony is tonight. I always look forward to watching the games but at this point I don’t care if I ever see another back flip, back stroke, hurdle, dive, for next four years. I tire easily of watching the same thing. All jokes aside though, these games are, if nothing else, the meeting of the world’s greatest athletes. And I am a track and field guy. I ran track, my wife ran track, my oldest child runs track. I love the sport. (explain track) But, one of the greatest misconceptions about track and field is that there is no strategy involved. There is. (elaborate) What we hear then is “run your race.”

Rid ourselves of Entanglements

In any race, the less weight you carry the better off you will be. The author is giving us an common language on how the athlete would prepare for the race. In order to run you have to get rid of some things. And since this race is your life int he faith you are going to have to rid yourself of some things. You have to take some things off, you have to lay some things aside, you are going to have to leave some things behind. Because this weight is not something that is too heavy to run with, its something that impedes your movement.

Now this weight is too general a idea for me to tell you what it is for you. You have to make that determination yourself. But, the weight or hindrance to you faith and walk with God is recognized by the way it hinders your progress. Your excess might be your conscience of mistakes you’ve made, you excess weight might be people in your life, your excess weight might your significant other who you should have cut off a long time ago, your excess weight might be your job, your excess weight could be regret of your past mistakes. I don’t know what it is that you are carrying but its time to lay if down and leave it behind. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for us.” And Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Then, the writer says, “and the sin which so easily ensnares (entangles) us.” Now the author is aware that they are speaking to a community of people who sin. And what is more is that they expect them to know what that sin is. The immediate sin that they, the Hebrews, have always dealt with is unbelief. And this is why earlier they said, “without faith it is impossible to please God...” Unbelief was the sin that so easily entangled the Hebrews, and they knew that. It was their unbelief... (Run)

And you might not have a problem with unbelief. Maybe your faith is robust and I thank God for you, pray for the rest of us. But, somebody in here this morning. Has their own sin to so easily besets them. The sin that traps you aint gonna be the same sin that traps your neighbor. The sin that easily traps you might be on speed dial…might be in a flask in your purse or suit coat…on TV…(Run)

Run with Endurance

The race is not a sprint its a marathon. And the race of faith is not easy. And your only opponent is yourself. Quitting should not be an option for the believer because of those witnesses. When we consider all of the heroes and heroins of our faith and of our heritage we fail them when we give up hope and throw in the town. We fail them who went before us, we fail God who called us, and we fail our self. The race is not going to be easy and its not going to be immediate.

Running with endurance means that no matter how difficult the test is, you allow your faith to carry you through until you find strength to keep going.

Runners in a marathon all know about this phenomena called “The Wall”…but if you press past the wall you get what is called the second wind.

And know for certain church that you are not running someone else race. You have to run the race that is set before you. You can’t run my race, I can’t run yours, and you can’t run for someone else. In other words you have to run your race. IN today’s vernacular we say, “you need to stay in your lane.”

Regard our Example

I can think of many people who are exemplary in life. If I tried hard enough I could dare come up with a list of women and men who have lived through this journey called life and did their best and left a lasting legacy on all of us. The writer already listed such a group of people in verse 11. But, out of all the people I can think of there is nobody like Jesus. When our life is tough and our race seems overwhelming, don’t look any further than Jesus! Jesus is who is in front of you, and It is Jesus who should be your focus.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, or the originator and perfecter. This means that Jesus is all encompassing for faith and is the object that we put our faith in. You should not put your faith in any other but no other can respond to your faith. The old preachers used to say, “get your Jesus right.” What are you doing if you don’t have Jesus, you are running in vain. (elaborate) You don’t go to to Chik’-fil-a looking for burgers. You don’t enter into marriage looking for single night life. (Elaborate)

When you get weary, and you will get weary, regard Jesus. Look at Jesus.

There is no suffering that you have endured in your life that Jesus cannot identify with because he suffers with us. But even in you resistance to sin we have never suffered unto death.

Just when you thing life is too hard…look to Jesus.

When you job is tough remember he worked out our salvation.

When you family is acting up remember his own did not receive him.

When are your heart has been broken…betrayed by those closest to Him

When you are tempted beyond your strength…Jesus was tempted for 40 days.

When the world…Jesus turned down the wold for God’s glory

When your money is funny…Son of man has no place to rest his head

When you feel alone…He prayed in the garden by himself

When you feel overwhelmed by grief…remember Jesus wept

When you see the government is wicked…Jesus unjust trial

When your body is aching…remember be born our infirmities

When you mind is…man of many sorrows.

When you’ve been hurt…he was smitten of God and afflicted

When you’ve been ridiculed…the mocked him with a crown of thorns

When you feel burdened…he carried on old rugged cross

When you feel embarrassed remember…the hung him high for all the world to see.