Get Up And Run | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church

Pastor Cammie and I both preached little bit

I was in Petersburg and she was here and I I

preached a little bit of a different message

there and I preached out of Philippians chapter

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

3 and if you weren't here last week and didn't

get to hear that message go on our YouTube channel

or go on Facebook listen to the word that pastor

Cami brought about running after God and about

the practical ways to to run after him amen And

Paul had a passion to run after God with his

whole heart. The week before that, I preached

a message out of Habakkuk. I preached two points

of that message, and today I want to preach the

third point. And so I want you to go with me

again to Habakkuk chapter 2 in the Old Testament,

Habakkuk 2 · chapter mention

and we are going to pick up kind of where we

left off. The title of my last message was, write

it down. the prophet Habakkuk prophesying during

a time when the Israelites were not being blessed

by God but they were under they were under persecution

and it seemed like the enemies of the kingdom

of God were being blessed while the people of

God were not being blessed and Habakkuk in chapter

1 had a complaint and just said why is it like

this God? And in chapter two, God began to speak

to Habakkuk. And he says in verse two of Habakkuk

two, then the Lord replied, write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets so that a herald

may run with it. And so that's from the New International.

Version write down the Revelation and make it

plain on tablets so that a herald may run With

it. I want to read that this morning from the

New King James Version as well and so the New

King James says write the vision Make it plain

on tablets That he may run who reads it That

he may run Who reads it? Thank you, Lord. And

so the first two points that I talked about was

paying about paying attention to what God says

When God speaks we need to listen, right? So

shake your neighbor and say, when God speaks,

you better listen. Especially if it's your husband

or wife. When God speaks, you better listen.

We write it down. And so it's important when

God speaks to remember what He said. How many

of you even remember that I preached out of Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2? A couple of you. When I asked Cami,

because I listened to about two -thirds of her

message from last Sunday, I asked her, how did

you end your sermon last week? And she said,

I don't know. She said, I don't know. I'll have

to look. I'm telling on her. She said she threw

me under the bus last week. I'm throwing her

under the bus this week. We have a tendency to

forget things that are important, right? We have

a tendency to forget and I'm not immune to that.

My wife is laughing, she knows. I forget things.

How many of you have experienced me forgetting

things? Lift up your hand. That's true. That's

true. Some of you have your hands up that I don't

remember why. I'm just glancing around thinking,

what is that one? I don't even know. I forgot.

I forgot. But it is important when God speaks,

right? And so he declared to Habakkuk, don't

just listen to what I'm going to say, write it

down. And then as you write it down, Habakkuk,

make it plain. Aren't you glad that the message

of the gospel is simple and it is plain? You

do not have to have a doctorate to understand

the gospel. In fact, a child can understand the

message of the gospel. Jesus, the Son of God,

came as a perfect sacrifice and gave himself

on a cross in place so that we can be forgiven

and free hallelujah it is plain and it is simple

now that does not mean that the message of the

gospel is easy but it is simple and he told Habakkuk

make it plain make it plain So the vision that

God gave to Habakkuk for the rest of the book

was one of calling people to repentance and It

was simple You've strayed from God You need to

come back And that's the message of repentance

have you ever been there in your life where you've

strayed from God? Have you ever been there in

your life where you have just kind of come to

yourself spiritually thinking, you know what,

I have not been doing the things I need to be

doing. Am I alone in that this morning? Am I

alone in the need to repent and to come back

to God? There is a simple message that God gave

in fact, it's all through the scriptures and

it's simply this turn back to me and God is calling

America right now God is calling out to young

men in America right now. I Believe he's speaking

to all of America, but I believe he's specifically

speaking to young men calling young men to be

wholehearted in their relationship with God.

To be unashamed of what their friends think about

them. To be unashamed to declare, you know what,

I am a believer in Jesus Christ. That's what

I love. I have listened this past week to hours

of Charlie Kirk videos, debating, and you know

the debating I can kind of get into because I

like, you know, the clashing and this and that

and I think, wow. But you know what? In those

same campuses where he was debating politics

or he was debating issues, he was also naming

unashamedly the name of Jesus. And he was he

was laying his life down saying I am a follower

of Jesus Christ and I am not ashamed to talk

about it. Hallelujah and friends God is calling

out to America right now to not be ashamed. It

doesn't mean that you have that you're perfect

It doesn't mean you're declaring that you are

inerrant and never make any mistakes and never

never fail and never fall but you are a follower

of Jesus Christ and you are not ashamed of it

Hallelujah write it down Make it plain So that

others Can run So that others can run Your life

is not just for you Did you know that? God is

going to speak to you things that enable others

to run My study of this One commentary Jamison

Fawcett Brown want to read this quote the true

sense of this passage is this The true sense

is make it so legible that whoever reads it May

run to tell all whom he can the good news of

that the foes have coming doom and Judah will

be delivered Isn't that awesome I kind of translated

that because that that commentary writes in King

James language Make it so legible that whoever

reads it may run to tell all they can the good

news that our enemies are losing and that Judah

will be delivered. That was what Jameson Fawcett

Brown says the true sense of this passage is.

You hear from God, you write it down, you make

it plain so that people will understand their

enemies have been defeated on the cross. Jesus

is winning, hallelujah. He has won the victory

and he has provided for your deliverance and

your freedom in the name of Jesus. It was all

about encouragement. And so keep your ear to

the ground. Write down the things the Holy Spirit

says because it will be useful to liberate people

that before could not run, but now will be able

to stand up on their own two feet. Now they will

find strength to move forward in Jesus' name.

What does it take for a church to stand up in

a culture that is forgot about God? It takes

one person to stand up It takes somebody else

to stand to see them and say you know what I'm

not gonna let them stand alone I'm gonna stand

up to and then another one stands up and then

they begin to run and then then they begin to

move like God wants them to move For many years

because of health conditions in my life, I have

not been able to run. But this year, for the

first time, I started running again. The beginning

of me running, I was texting Doug because Doug

likes to run and walk. He was accountability

for me. He didn't know that, but that's what

he was. It's a physical thing, but in my life

running accomplishes something spiritual. Something

spiritual happens inside of me when I am physically

running. It's not a stretch for me to say that

I feel connected with God in a unique way. Some

of my prayer time happens when I am running.

There's others that I share that with and they

say, how does that happen? I just feel like death

when I run. Chariots of Fire was a movie about

Eric Little. Now, Eric Little was an amazing

man of God that ran as an Olympian. It's a movie

worth watching. The quote that they ascribed

to him in chariots of fire was not a quote that

he said it was specific to the movie but it shook

me because it described how I feel and Eric little

says in the movie he says I know that God has

a plan for my life a purpose But he also made

me fast And when I run, I feel His pleasure.

When I heard that in the movie, it gripped my

heart because that's how I feel. When I run,

I feel the pleasure of the Lord. Recently, somebody

well -meaning told me that I'm over 50 and therefore

I should not run because it's detracting from

my health. that it wasn't good for me and I have

not studied the science of that to know and I

thanked him for caring about me but when I run

I Feel like I'm fulfilling something that God

created me to do something that he planted in

my life and Small percentage of you that are

hearing me talk about this understand it You

can connect with what I'm saying But in the spirit

realm God created all of us to run When I was

in my 20s I would watch the Rocky movies, which

my daughter just blessed me with a new set of

Rocky movies for Father's Day. Oh, hallelujah.

You know? Never mind. Okay. And in my 20s when

I would watch those movies... Oh yeah, here we

go. I can tell who has watched Rocky and who

hasn't. Scanning the audience. And at the end...

of the movie, especially in Rocky IV, when he

says, and if I can change, and if you can change,

then the whole world can change. Well, in my

20s, when I would watch that, I would get up

off of my chair, and it didn't matter if it was

10 o 'clock, 11 o 'clock at night, I would run

five or six miles through the city, and... It

was like that movie liberated something inside

of me to run. And God said to Habakkuk, write

it down, make it plain so that others can take

the message that I give to you and run. Friends,

this message of the kingdom, this message of

the gospel is no ordinary message. It isn't meant

to put people to sleep. It isn't meant to bore

people. It isn't meant, the kingdom of God is

not meant to just keep... people status quo and

to form religion so that you just come to church

on Sunday and do your little thing and then go

back. No, the message of the kingdom is meant

to instill life inside of you, to do something

in your life, to impact you, to motivate you

by God's Spirit, to change, to get up off of

your feet and to say, I'm not gonna be satisfied

anymore living in this place of weakness. I'm

not gonna be satisfied. satisfied anymore living

according to the status quo, just being sucked

into all the conversation of my friends and addictions

that I know are wrong. I am not going to be satisfied

just coasting in life knowing that I'm missing

God's purpose. No, the gospel message is supposed

to touch you in such a way that it changes the

course of your life, causes you to get up off

of your spiritual laziness and begin to walk

and begin to move and begin to run again hallelujah

that's what the gospel does it changes lives

it causes people to run but those who wait on

the Lord she'll get bored Those who wait upon

the Lord Shall wish they were with their friends

Those who wait upon the Lord know what does it

say They shall renew their strength. They shall

mount up with wings like Eagles They shall run

and not be weary they shall walk and not faint.

Hallelujah. Oh, praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

This is a gospel of running. Hallelujah. First

Corinthians 9 24. Do you not know that those

who run in a race all run, but only one receives

the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain

the prize. Hallelujah. everyone who competes

for the prize is temperate in all things they

do it to obtain a perishable crown but we for

an imperishable crown glory to God And so your

life friend is not just about the temporal, about

what you can gain in this life. It's not about

how much you can acquire. It's not about how

nice you can make your home to be. It is about

eternity. And we are running in such a way as

to gain the prize of heaven. Hallelujah. Somebody

excited about that? It is a kingdom of running.

I want to I want to close this morning with Hebrews

Hebrews 12:1

chapter 12 verse 1 Therefore we also since we

are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us lay aside every weight I was running the

other day at Kickapoo Park. I like to run the

trails. The back trail behind that bridge is

my favorite place in Kickapoo Park. There's a

bunch of pine trees on the one side. It's gorgeous.

I was running there and there was a gentleman

also running. He was carrying his water bottle.

His water bottle wasn't just like a little glass

of water. It was this massive thing, and he had

it in one hand. And I'm sure, you know, he was

out there running. He needs to be commended for

being out there, right? Because how many of us

were out there besides me? Him. And as I passed

by him, I was thinking of this verse. He was

carrying a weight. How many of you have ever

seen runners in the Olympics that carry dumbbells

while they're running? You've never seen it because

they don't do it. When you carry a weight, it

hinders you. If you want to run an effective

race, you have to lay down the weights. You think

about your life right now and I I was tempted

to write a list of things that are weights in

our lives things that are stealing your ability

to run for Jesus in the kingdom to live for him

and I was tempted to write down lists of things

that hinder us But you think about your life

You already know because the Holy Spirit has

revealed it to you The things that you have going

on in your life the addictions that you're carrying

But the things that you know well this this is

a lot of fun But it's stealing my resources and

my time and my money it's stealing from everything

that I'm supposed to be giving myself to. You

know what it's robbing? It's robbing your affection

for Christ. Your affection that is supposed to

be for God and is supposed to be for Jesus is

going towards this thing. And nobody else might

say, oh, that thing is wrong. But you know in

your life it is a weight and it is hindering

me You need to lay that thing down Child of God

You need to say you know what I'm gonna forfeit

this temporary thing So that I can run I'm gonna

focus my eyes on the prize. The world has trinkets.

The world has trinkets. They dangle in front

of you. But the prize is our heavenward call

in Christ. It's our prize. And then he goes on.

He says, don't just lay things that are heavy,

that get in the way, but the sin that so easily

entangles, ensnares, and the sin which so easily

ensnares us. If we're going to run this race

with endurance to the end, we've got to lay down

the weights, quit being distracted, and get rid

of the sin in our life which entangles us and

snares us. Why, pastor, is sin So bad Well, I

said this was going to be the last verse that

I read I'm gonna read one more Maybe this is

the one that Dale should memorize before next

Sunday. He could win the thousand dollar gift

card to Walmart. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

1. alive Who were dead in trespasses and sins

You see trespasses and sins is what kept you

dead But when you came to Christ He made you

alive That's what this baptism tank represents

Did you know that you're looking here not just

at a little spa that people use in their backyards

but you are you were looking at a tomb and When

our candidates go down into the water They are

being buried in the same tomb that Jesus was

buried in and they are dying to self When they

come up out of the water, I've assured them I'm

not going to hold them in there for three days.

When they come up out of the water, they are

rising again from the dead, hallelujah, just

like Jesus did. I am not living in death any

longer. I am not living for sin any longer, but

I am walking in newness of life. I've been raised

from the dead, just like Jesus was. And you,

He made alive. That's what happened in your spirit

who were dead in your trespasses and sins This

is what sin does it leads to death and before

you came to Christ it held you there In which

you once walked verse 2 according to the course

of this world according to the prince the power

of the air the spirit who now works in the sons

of disobedience Why is it so important that I

obey God Pastor Cammie's message last week was

on obedience Well here we see what happens when

we walk in disobedience You have something that

you know that God called you to do. You have

an aspect of your life that God has brought conviction

to. You've realized this is sin in my life. Your

flesh will still crave it. Your flesh will always

crave sin. It's why Jesus said, daily take up

your cross. You've got to crucify it. You've

got to crucify it. How often? Daily. Daily, daily,

daily, you will never, Christian, you will never

get to the point where your flesh does not want

to sin. It is attracted to sin. Because you're

on this side of eternity. And so you daily take

up your cross and put your flesh back up on the

cross. And you say, I am not gonna live for you.

Hallelujah. but when that gnawing feeling from

the Holy Spirit comes on you because you're caught

and you're trapped in the wrong thing and you

refuse to obey at first and You don't listen

to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and you

say no to God and You do it again and you do

it again and you do it again Guess what that

pattern of disobedience invites into your life

It becomes an open door for the prince of the

power of the air Which is Satan and his imps?

To work in your life you sing the song in the

mighty name of Jesus I'm free but you know what

you're not free because singing the song isn't

what makes you free but actually resisting the

devil through obedience and surrender to God

is what makes you free So this doesn't mean that

every time you fail that the devil has complete

authority in your life. That's not what I'm saying

Because we're all in those places where we have

to Repent, you know, we do something wrong and

we repent I don't want people to leave here afraid

that every time you do something wrong The devil

is gonna have authority over your life. That's

just not the truth But if you are carrying something

friend where God has been convicting you and

you have continually said no to God and You have

set a pattern in your life of disobedience and

You have said God you can't touch this area of

my life. I Want you to know friend that you are

playing with fire You are opening up the door

to the enemy and God is trying to protect you

from that. The spirit of the air works in the

sons of disobedience. But the spirit of God works

in those that have been liberated. God, I say

yes to you. Hallelujah. the sin which so easily

entangles That secret sin sir That nobody knows

about That secret coveting ma 'am That you haven't

shared with anybody The lust of the flesh Lust

of the eyes the pride of life Tangle you and

keep you from running How many here would say

I want to fulfill God's purpose for my life I

want I want to be one that in the spirit realm

Runs I Want to sign up today to be to be in God's

marathon and To say yes to him praise God I Want

to ask every head here to bow and every eye closed

in this place Because you might be here For the

first time or for decades But you might say you

know what pastor I have never surrendered my

life to Jesus And many in this room have Been

in your shoes right where you are including me

Where there came a moment of decision? Where

I had to say yes to Jesus And if you're here

this morning and for the first time you are saying

yes to Jesus You're receiving the sacrifice that

he made for you and Turning your life around

to become a follower of Christ If that is you

I just want you to lift up your hand as I scan

across this sanctuary Is there anybody here this

morning that would say, yes, that's me. Thank

you. Is there anybody else that would just in

honesty say, yes, that's me. I want to surrender

my life to Jesus and say yes to him. Church,

we're going to pray right now. And I want the

whole church to pray even for the sake of one.

And others, perhaps I missed your hand up, but

God saw. And you're gonna pray right now with

sincerity. And make this your confession. Let's

all pray together, pray this after me. Lord Jesus,

thank you for the cross. Thank you for shedding

your blood on Calvary for me. I receive your

free gift. I turn away from my own living and

I turn my heart towards you. You are my Lord.

You're my Savior. I confess that in Jesus' name.

Amen. Hallelujah, can we give the Lord praise

right now? He is good. He is good. He is good

and Secondly friend you're here, and you're you're

a believer But you would freely confess I've

been weighed down. I've been distracted I've

had stuff in my life and Today I just want to

shed that stuff And I want to I want to be able

to run again after God If that's you Would you

stand up all over this place right now and just

say yes, that's me I want to run after him this

takes some boldness, but Thank you. Come on.

Come on. Come on around this place Come on. Don't

be ashamed. Don't be afraid Just say yes, I've

had weights in my life There are people standing

that are brand new believers. There are people

standing that have been serving God for a long

time. But they're just in a place where they're

recognizing this morning, I've got things to

shed so that I can run after God. And so the

rest of us, can you just stretch your hand? Yeah,

you might need to stand while we're praying.

God might be speaking to you. Come on, if you're

wrestling with God, just stand up. Come on, just

give in. Just make that confession hallelujah

and right now I'm gonna ask Brianna to come and

just play on the keyboard But right now what

you need is a moment with God And so I just want

to encourage you close your eyes The rest of

it you you can stretch your hand towards somebody

you can pray, but let's all participate Just

talk to the Lord right now Confess that thing

Just say God I just lay it down Right here Right

now I Make room for you To move In my life Make

room for you Lord right now you're setting people

free Even when they stood up and they they just

it was hard to stand up But when they did that

act of standing up You saw that prayer And they

said God I want to be free Want to be free And

so right now even in their mind and in their

heart they set you apart as Lord And I say God

Have your way Have your way Have your way Set

your people free from status quo and mediocrity

In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Go ahead, lead us in the song. Thank

you, Father.