The Amazing Race: part 3

We're so glad that you've joined us today on the relevant church podcast.

There's so much God wants to do in and through you as you listen to this message.

If you want to learn more about relevant church, visit us online at this is relevant dot.

CC,

you guys ready to get into this message this week?

All right, come on.

Let's pray.

God, thank you so much for this word.

Thank you for how are you going to speak to us?

God, I pray that you may speak to us directly, uh, convincingly and God, I pray that we will be better as we walk out this door.

Have to be prepared for this amazing race that you have of our lives in Jesus mighty and precious name.

A man who thank you, worship team and band.

You guys are phenomenal.

Awesome.

So, um, this is the second to last week.

Exactly what?

Two,

the amazing race.

Great.

Come on.

Green team, green team.

I see y'all black team.

Where you at?

Come on a pink team.

Where are you at?

Yellow.

Come on.

That's what I'm talking about.

So check it out.

This series has been really fun.

And what I want to do actually this week, cause I want to jump on a Facebook live and maybe invite one of you guys onto the Facebook live.

Let's just talk about how God has impacted you this series.

It's been incredible.

We've been going through exercises of mind, body and spirit, and next week it's gonna all culminate with the amazing race games.

It's going to be nutso, that's a word I made it a, it's going to be really, really cool and we're going to compete and see who's going to be the grand champion of this amazing race.

What team is going to be the grand champion of this amazing race.

And so if you've been following along, I don't know whether you've been following online, we've got the messages on the line or maybe even coming to church.

We've kind of gone over the last couple of weeks, a few messages, uh, through, uh, a book called Corinthians.

And we've been in a really short section of Corinthians.

It's actually first Corinthians chapter nine, verse 24 through 27 says this.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain it.

Every athlete, so exercise is self controlling all things.

They do it to receive a parish we read, but we add and perishable, so I do not run aimlessly.

I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body and keep it under control less after preaching to others.

I myself should be disqualified.

The guy who's writing this, his name is Paul, he's planted a bunch of churches.

One of the churches that he's planted that he's formed, that he's launched, that he is pastoring is the church in Corinth and he's writing them a letter as he's traveling to other places.

In fact, it's written that as he's writing this letter, he's in prison and he's letting them know like, listen, I've been running hard.

I've been serving well.

I've done everything that I possibly can to serve you guys, to serve the mission of God, to serve the church.

He's given them just this kind of rundown of what his life has been like.

And then he pauses in this moment in one of those moments where like you're having a conversation with somebody and something just hits you.

You haven't had a conversation with somebody and like a light bulb goes on or like a special idea that comes up and you're like, Ooh, that didn't come from me, but that's good and I'm gonna tell you about it.

And this is what he says.

He says, do you not know that all the racers in a race run, he begins to start reflecting about his own race and how he's not out here aimlessly beating the wind.

He's not running aimlessly, but there's a point to his race.

And in the first message we realize that we are in a race by choice or by default.

Many of us are in a raised by choice.

By default.

If you think I'm not in a race, listen, you were born, every race has a beginning and every race has a end and everybody want to finish strong.

And I'm sure everybody in here wants to finish wrong in this race called life.

And so just know whether you choose it or whether you don't.

Your inner race.

And then we realize it in the algorithm of this life is to get you to fall back to average.

The average of this life is always a pull you back as a slow down your progress.

But we discovered that when we say yes to Jesus, when we turn our lives over to Christ, he gives us a new DNA.

We become a new creation and our DNA is now wired to win.

So we know that we're on the winning team.

So in that message we, we settled on this fact because we are wired to win.

We need to compete and not concede.

There's no reason to concede.

There's no reason to slow up.

There's no reason to walk because he is equipped you with every capacity to run this race and to win this race.

And so in sermon two, in the second message we started discovering like, okay, if I'm on a race I need to know why I'm running because nobody just runs for absolutely no reason unless you're a crazy eight year old like my son just running for absolutely no reason cause it's fun.

Nobody runs cause it's fun.

We all run cause we want to get healthy, we want to run cause we want to compete in the raise, we want to run because we're clear in our heads and we come to these places

in our lives.

Well we don't even know why we running.

We've been running for so long where it's like why am I even running?

We've, we've been in this race for so long.

The race of of faith, the race of mayors, a race of relationship, the race of school where you're like, I don't even know why I'm doing this anymore.

Anybody been to that point where you're like I have no, I don't know why I even get up every single morning and we did.

We

discovered that if you've got to run the race, you've got to know your why.

Your why is going to keep you from getting distracted.

Your why's going to keep you from quitting prematurely.

Your why is going to be the thing that keeps you going.

So we said, start with the vision.

Write the vision, make it plain.

Write it down somewhere so that when you get to the point where you don't want to run anymore, you go.

Remember

your why.

So first message, compete.

Don't concede cause you're wired to win.

Number two, start with the vision because if you don't have a vision, you won't know why you're running and if you want to stay in the race, you've got to know your why.

And today we're actually tracking back to verse 24 again,

I believe that God had a a little bit more that he wanted to teach us and had us look at this from a different angle.

So Paul, the writer who's writing this says this, do you not know that in a race

all the runners run, but only one receives the prize so that you may obtain it?

Let me ask you a question.

Have you ever been on a dysfunctional team?

Throw your hand up if you've been on a dysfunctional team.

Okay.

Have you ever been on a team like you could have renamed your team and had been team captain

get right?

Like no matter what we do, we just can't get it right.

We go into the huddle, we go into a meeting, we talk about it, this is the plan.

And then when you go into action, you're like, Oh, did everybody just forget what we talked about?

Why are we supposed to be going left?

And we're going, right?

Why are we going right and we're going left?

Why are we supposed to be going forward?

And we're going backwards and you're on this dysfunctional team and you're losing because nobody is running

the race together.

So we had a situation a few weeks ago, like I said, our interns.

Incredible.

What's up, Jay just saw you walk in some home girl.

So this story is actually about Jade, so she came in at the right time.

So we are, part of our internship is mind, body, and spirit.

Just kind of the way the amazing races.

So they take classes, they're reading books, they're taking classes, they're expanding their mind, expanding their leadership, focus on spirit.

They're learning how to serve the Lord, how to get deeper in their faith, how to learn some spiritual practices.

And then also we want them to get healthy because life is about being healthy and, and being able to run the race and having the endurance.

And so every Tuesday we play basketball, in fact beyond that basketball coach rusher.

Where's he at?

I see you coach Russ.

You're looking at me like a creeper in that window.

Um, coach rusher is actually coaching and helping strength training and balance.

And so throughout the week the students are, are having this mind, body and spirit experience through their internship.

It's awesome.

It's incredible.

Except on Tuesdays.

On Tuesdays we do this thing where we go and play basketball staff and interns

and we started this out.

It was really cool and I'm gonna tell you why I was super excited when we started because we broke up our teams.

My team was myself, Jade Harrison and Sarah.

I loved it because we're winners and Louis, Jose Ryan and mag losers.

So the first day we're playing, it's awesome.

We win the first game, I'm feeling really good.

Second game comes, they beat us and I'm like, okay, it's cool.

We're still in the game is one-on-one and rim.

How we talk about like competition is what drives us, right?

Competition is what, why we're in this race while we're in this thing.

So we're like, all right, cool.

We got this thing.

The last game, third game, we beat him and I'm like, because we're winners and you are losers.

And so I'm excited.

So the second time we play we're like same team, same teams cause we're winners.

Y'all losers.

So we start playing the game that day and something is different.

The aura is different, the air is a little weird and we lose the first game.

But it's cool because we're winners and so I'm like, let's get back into this game.

We're going to beat this game.

And then we lost again by the end of the second game.

Sarah is throwing up over here.

Harrison was like, forget it.

I ain't playing anymore.

Isaiah go on and play for me.

My son was with us.

He just quit altogether and I'm down court like the balls don't come back.

I'm not running.

I quit.

I'm just, I'm just going to wait right here.

Just throw me the ball.

Throw me the ball.

The only person running on the team is Jade.

She is running all the way up.

She's running all the way down.

She's got, and she's looking at us like you're throwing up over here.

You've given up and quit the game.

You're all the way back there.

Why is nobody running in, bless Jane's heart?

Because she is gone as hard as she possibly can.

She's huffing.

She's puffing, sweats, dripping down, but the girl is running.

But guess what happens at the end of the game?

We lose because no matter how hard Jade ran, if her team was not given a hundred there is no way she could compete against daddy.

Long legs over there.

[inaudible]

and here's the reality.

Here's the reality.

Some of us have had our racist cut short.

Some of us have our racist incredibly impacted because the people we thought were supposed to be running with us were not the people we thought are supposed to be surrounding us actually gave up on the race and we were out here running alone.

No,

but here it goes.

The flip side tech, some of us have been called to a team.

Some of us have been called to run a race with a group people and

we are hindering the race of everybody else because we are too selfish to run

much like me all the way in the[inaudible]

back st Jade, you got this girl, go ahead and throw the ball back here.

Most like Sarah B.

I'm sorry I can't play and Harrison all the way.

Just saying, forget y'all.

I'm going to go over here and play soccer.

Our races are impacted by those who are close to us

and this is what the law of average States, the law of average States that the theory, uh, it says this, it's that the result of any given situation will be the average of all the outcomes.

The result of any given situation would be the average of all outcome.

So Jim rom a really smart guy who's smarter than me and smarter than a lot of people who is one of the leadership gurus and writers says this, we are the average of the five people we spend the most

time with.

Our race is impacted by the team.

We keep around us.

Who's your team?

Who are you running with?

We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.

And it's easy to say, well, like, well preach your last couple of weeks ago you said everybody's got a race and you gotta run your race and you can't be worried about everybody else's race.

You've got to run your race.

True.

But we had to re realize that my race can significantly impact somebody else.

Somebody's race can significantly impact me.

Most races that we're running in this life are actually team sports rather than individual competition.

But everyone's gotta run the race in a race.

All the runners run.

Think about the race of your faith.

The Bible says, listen, don't stop congregating with other believers.

Like a lot of people have begun to do in the last days because the enemy wants to isolate you to get, you think that you're in this thing by yourself so that when you get tired, nobody can carry.

Nobody can come alongside of you and run alongside with you.

See the race of your faith is impacted by the company that you keep the race of your marriage.

Anybody know that when, when you're ready

buried, it's easy to, to, to, to say, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna pull the load this time and I'm uh, you're just in a bad season.

I'm gonna work hard.

But how many of you guys have been working so hard that we see that the other person just gives up and no matter how hard you want to run the race, you can't keep running the race cause the other person has totally given up.

So the raise that you thought was supposed to be for life ends up being cut short

cause it was supposed to be a team thing.

Race of school students.

You're not by yourselves.

It's not just about you and your fellow students.

It's about your teachers.

We're running this race and how many of you guys in here have been positively and negatively impacted by a teacher?

Our race impacts those around us.

Others people's races impact us.

Everyone is supposed to run the race, but realize that most races in life are team oriented and not individual competitions.

Point number one, you're only as fast as the team you're running with.

Yeah.

As you know there's different types of races.

Got marathons, got the 100 got the 400 relay and that's why actually one of my favorite types of race is the relay race.

When you've got to pass the Baton where running is not, you isolated in this vacuum by yourself where all I do is run and it doesn't affect anybody else.

In a relay, your run affects the person in front of you and the rate the run of the person behind you affects your run.

Everybody has to give 100% and in a relay race you realize this.

Your team is only as fast as the slowest runner.

If run at a is running hard and runner B is running hard when you get to run a C

if they decide to walk, if they decide to dilly dally, if they decide to get distracted at that point, no matter how hard the di runs, because at the end of the day when you get to D, you've already been significantly slowed down and impacted as a team.

You're only as fast as the team you're running with.

Third game, it was the championship.

Sarah Mouton, Harrison J we all gave up.

Jay kept on running, but we lost because we didn't play as a team and many of us are sitting.

Our lives are result of our parents' failure to run.

Are lies in relationships are result of past relationships, failure to run our careers.

Our education is impacted by teachers and coworkers.

Failure to run.

You're only as fast as the team you're running with because the people who we thought were around us, the team that we thought was running with us, we discovered that ultimately we're working against us.

Point number two, your pace is set by your team.

Either they're running with you or they're running against you.

If somebody's on a relay team decides to walk, their team is significantly impacted.

Their slow down.

The law of average says that no matter how hard I run, my run will only be as strong as the average runner on my team.

So we all got to run.

Have you ever had a friend

who you love so dearly

but always got you in trouble

every time you hung out with this person?

There was drama.

I see you girl.

Listen, don't point to anybody.

Don't point to anybody.

Don't want people under the buses.

Not godly.

Yeah, mom, let's say she said, mama can listen.

Y'all kids need to get it together.

Slowing me down.

But you ever had one of those friends who you're like on a team with her or a friend who is you hanging out with and every time you go out to go hang out, there's always some sort of drama that happens.

Either they beat somebody they don't like, or there's something that just a situation just goes wrong.

And then when you look at the law of averages, you're like, every time on average things go wrong.

You're around.

Yup.

Those people[inaudible]

who's supposed to be running with us.

But for some reason they always slow us down because what they're always thinking about themselves.

You've ever had that conversation with somebody?

Like why are you so selfish?

Just ever have a good time with,

I remember I was uh, in college and I was pledging a fraternity and listen, whatever you think about fraternities and sororities, whatever, just put that to the side for a second.

Just follow along with the story.

Um, judges, um, um, authenticity is only a requirement, right?

So, so we are pledging this fraternity and I'm part of what they would call a line.

So I have line brothers and my line brothers are supposed to, we're all supposed to be in sync and do everything the same and we're supposed to run together

this race and my line brothers are doing all they can to make sure that we make it to the finish line.

I, on the other hand,

just won't do certain things that I just don't feel like are just necessary.

I just don't feel like is, I'm not gonna do it.

Well, moods, how you're supposed to do what everybody's supposed to do it.

Listen, it's everybody.

We're supposed to be a team.

That's nice.

I ain't doing it.

It's all I remember

always getting my team in, in trouble or in a situation that was not too fun with our, our big brothers.

And one day they finally cornered me and they show up to my dorm room.

They pull me out and they're like, why are you so selfish?

I'm like, what?

They're like, every time we're supposed to work as a team, all you do is do the opposite.

Do you understand that you slowing up is slowing everyone else down.

We all want to finish, don't we?

You want to get to the end, right?

So we need you to run alongside with us.

Stop thinking about yourself.

That's biblical.

Yeah.

And somebody in here needs to get that.

Philippians two the writer Paul says this, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

Stop being selfish.

But in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you not look to his own interests.

Listen, your race will impact somebody else's race.

Literature view, not look at only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

[inaudible]

did you know that point number three, you can be running in the same direction and still be an opposition.

You can be running in the same direction and still be an opposition.

There's nothing worse in life than being on a team with a overachiever.

[inaudible]

those individuals who always have to outdo everybody, the individual always has to shine

the individual.

They just work as a team.

Have you ever been doing a school project?

Students were supposed to be working with somebody and you see them, they kind of distant from the group and they don't really like engage or when they engage there's something a little shady about them.

And then when the work is handed in, they hand in their own stuff.

Yeah.

Somebody who's got PTSD right now in Jesus' name, be free, be healed,

and you know, and you're looking at them like, Hey, aren't we supposed to be doing this thing together?

Like how were you hating?

Oh no, no, it's cool.

You don't have to hand in yours.

I'll hand in mind for the team so that the teacher knows that I did the work

[inaudible]

ever, ever been in that situation.

Scripture tells us a story about Jesus and his disciples.

It's 12 of them.

It's supposed to be all working in tandem, supposed to be working together.

Three of them are kind of close to Jesus.

He kind of pulls into the side and kind of, you know, does, does some different things with them.

But they started getting a big head and started thinking like, Hey, they were better than everybody else.

But yet when Jesus sent them out, he sends them out.

He sends the 12 to go on mission together.

And in fact, when he leaves earth, he sends out his disciples, he sends out the 12 again.

And so they're supposed to be working together, supposed to be working unified.

But yet there's a couple of individuals in this group who are overachievers.

These overachievers decided to concoct a plan.

In fact, it started with their mother.

Somebody laughed.

Oh boy, that is hilarious.

It starts with their mother and their mother is like, listen, listen, you guys have been hanging out with, jeez all the time.

You know how he pulls you guys to the side.

Sometimes that means you guys are special.

In fact, what you need to go do, you need to go tell Jesus that he needs said, answer this one question for you and give you some preferential treatment and some special treatment.

So they sit down, they're like, mom, you know what?

You're a smart woman.

God bless you.

So they go to Jesus.

Hey Jesus a M we got this little quick request for you.

Jesus.

You know, it's a small little thing.

It's an[inaudible] thing.

And we know you love us and we love you and you know we've got your back and you got our bag and you know, kind of we hang out every once in a while that it's just the three of us.

But we're not going to bring up Peter in this.

It's just gonna be us right now.

We just need to talk to you privately.

And these dudes are brothers.

They're the sons of Zebedee, it says, and, and these two sons of Zebedee, Jameson, John say Jesus, could you fulfill one request for us?

Cause listen, you've been blessing people.

You've been healing people, you've been restoring sight to the blind.

You fed 5,000 people.

The request that we have is super small.

Yeah,

smell.

Just smell.

Jesus.

Can we ask you this one question?

I promise you say yes.

Pinky swear you're my boy.

[inaudible]

Jesus.

Do you love me?

You know what I'm saying?

Like Jesus, come on, you can do this.

So Jesus, like what do you want?

They're like Jesus.

So check this out.

You know how like you're about to go to heaven and all that.

And we're supposed to come with you at some point in time.

He's like, yeah, what's up?

So check this out.

Jeez.

It's NC Winncy small little idea that we have.

I mean it's not really a big deal.

You're going to laugh at this.

Listen when you get to heaven and then when we get there, can James sit on one side and I John sit on the other side and then the 12th the other 10 find out.

They were like, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Hold on.

I thought we were on the same team.

I thought we were all on mission together.

I thought we were all in cooperation together.

How is it that you guys had to corner Jesus and try to get special treatment and leave all of us behind?

Did you know people that you can be running in the same direction of people and still be in opposition?

Not everybody who's next with you is with you.

Not everybody who celebrates you and high fives you is actually your friend.

Yeah.

You got to watch the team that you keep around you.

Verse 24 B.

So he says, do you not know that in all races, all the races run, but only one receives the prize?

Listen, in team sports, every body wins.

It is not a solo mission.

Yeah.

Well, when the NBA finals finally came to a head and Toronto Raptors took all their glory home, it not the coach went up there and be like, I won this game all by myself and I am so thankful and I take the trophy home and you guys,

you can kick rocks.

I know you would have done that.

Jose.

Selfish.

Philippians two.

Jose, read it for real.

Hey, you call yourself an intern.

No, I'm joking.

I'm gonna leave you alone.

But

the reality is when we are on a team, we are all supposed to win.

There are no solo winners in the race of life, y'all.

There is no solo winners in the race of faith.

Y'all.

We are all running our race individually.

But it's all interconnected to the people who are running alongside

with[inaudible].

They're not our competition.

Our fears are our sins, our pride, our weaknesses, our competition, the people who were running along side with these are our teammates and we're all trying to get to the same place, but we're only gonna win if we're one.

How do we know?

Because Jesus talked about it in John chapter 17 he gives us these four verses that are super significant that we need to understand and take home with us today.

John 17 · chapter mention

Verse number 20 it says, I do not ask for these only talking about Jesus.

He's praying father.

He says, I do ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their world.

Guess what?

That's y'all.

Okay

that they may all be one.

He's praying for his disciples and he's saying, I'm not just praying for these people, these 12 dysfunctional hooligans that I have in front of me that are trying to vie for position.

I'm praying for those dysfunctional hooligans and relevant church in 2019 that they may all be one just as you father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jesus has called us on mission to God and help everybody discover that Jesus is relevant.

He says, when I am lifted up, I will draw on man, but the only way I could be lifted up is if y'all lift me up together cause I'm too heavy.

[inaudible]

I need y'all working together.

Then he goes on to verse 22 he says, this, the glory that you've given me, I've given to them.

Check this out, the glory that God the father gave to Jesus Christ, the son.

He said, I love this glory and I'm going to extend it and give it to y'all.

See Jesus in a relay race.

Jesus is passing the Baton.

He got that Baton hot and he says, listen, I'm going to pass it just as high.

The Gloria that's you have given

me, I, I've given to them that they may be, what?

One

hello.

Even as we are one I in them and you in me that they may become perfectly what one[inaudible] so that the world may know that you sat in me and loved even loved them even as you've loved me.

Yeah.

The race that we're running in our faith in this life, maybe for us, but it's not a[inaudible]

about us, it impacts everybody around us.

In fact, it impacts beyond us.

It'll help people discover that, Oh Jesus is real.

When I see a church full of blacks, whites, Democrats, Republicans, poor, rich, educated, non-educated, but all living together under one mission, not living together.

No communes.

Scratch that from the tape.

Whew.

Almost got myself in trouble there.

But working together

as one, listen, we've been called to accomplish God's will and that's to flip this community region and world upside down with the majestic, all transforming, all consuming name of Jesus.

But we cannot do this if we're thinking we're on the race by ourselves.

We've got to run together.

So point number four, last point, everybody wants to win, but not everyone is willing to run.

See, listen, everybody wants the destination, but not everybody wants the journey.

I know I want a crazy bod, but I hate working out.

Yeah.

And the reason I don't have the body that I had in my youth is because I quit working out.

Everybody wants to win, but not everybody's willing to run.

So what is he saying?

And the third part of this verse, do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the price?

So run

[inaudible].

So run, run that you may obtain it, not run, and you may obtain it, run that.

You may obtain it because you've already[inaudible]

been designed to when you've been given and do DNA.

So just run.

But you got to run as a team.

You gotta run with the people on side of you and recognize that your race affects the person who's running next to you.

You guys are in the race for your lodge.

You guys are in the raise for your faith couples.

You're in the race for your relationship, parents, you're in the race for your kids and listen the way you run, we'll set them up for failure or to win

[inaudible]

you can hinder or hurt their race.

Something that really convicted me.

I was uh, in a, and I was hearing the conversation take place.

I can't even remember where they were and they were like, um, Oh yeah, did you snow?

So-and-so passed.

And they were like only 47, man.

They left kids.

And then they started to explain about how unhealthy choices led to their passing.

And I was like, imagine the setup.

We have the ability to cut our lives short and steel from the future race of those coming up behind us.

I think about it in faith, how sometimes we show up to church super disengaged.

We come out here out of duty like, Hey, you know, we should be serving up the prodigal sons and daughters are coming in home.

God is well is bringing his children home and we're just not excited about it.

Not realizing the God has placed his glory Baton in our hands and we're supposed to be running the race.

When we show up Sunday morning, we need to be excited because there's somebody else who you need to hand the Baton of God's glory.

[inaudible]

think about it like this.

Can I get a couple of volunteers?

Somebody from the black team.

Somebody from black team.

Just come up right here.

Come stand right here.

Somebody from the black team.

Thank you Jose.

Somebody from the yellow team come up right here.

Just stand right here.

Thank you Linda.

Somebody on the green team.

Back corner.

Right corner by the doors.

Yep.

Come on.

Green team.

Back corner.

Yeah.

Somebody from the pink team stand right there in that corner.

Where's my Baton?

Remember Jesus said the glory that you have given me, I have now given to them.

What is this Baton of glory?

See, all of us in this life have a Baton that we're passing on.

See, check this out.

You know how we've been doing this series, the amazing race.

It's been really cool to be competitive and, and everybody's like green team.

Yellow team, black team, pink team, like everybody's super excited.

And then we've got all these challenges and then we're in a race to complete the challenges and outdo one another.

Well, you know what?

That's also biblical because Jesus says the word says outdo each other in giving honor.

So if you are in a race together, Hey listen, if I work hard by giving you the glory that God has given me and then you work hard and give that glory on to her, now you're passing the Baton of love.

And then she runs as she passes the Baton of forgiveness and then, and then she runs and passes the Baton of righteousness and then he runs and he passes the Baton of generosity.

And then he runs and he passes the Baton.

And if we keep running and keep running, and what we don't realize is that every time we're passing the Baton, we're setting up the next person to win because at the end of the race, we're all good to hear, well done, good and faithful servant.

You've been faithful with a little enter into the joy of our Lord.

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it is a team thing.

Everybody say it's a team thing.

It's a team thing.

So here's the deal.

If it's a team thing, run like it depends on you.

Run as if you are the only one running in this race and set up the next person to win.

Hey, make sure you're handing off the Baton of luck.

See in a relationship or when you are with your spouse or with your girlfriend, make sure you're running hard so that when they feel low, you can give them the Baton of love and encouragement with your kids.

I set it up so that you can give the Baton of love and faithfulness to our and devotion to God run so that you can give the Baton of generosity so that the people who walk in through this door will be blessed by your gifts.

So if you remember nothing else, this is what I want to encourage you today.

Set the pace.

Set the pace at sea in a relay race.

A team is only as fast as the slowest runner and as a church, we're called to run on mission together together.

And yes, the challenges are real.

Yes.

The race can get hard.

Yes.

The race can get difficult.

Yes, there are distractions that are going to come, but if you run like it depends on you, you will always set the pace.

You will always set the pace.

Jesus was getting ready to go to the cross.

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getting ready to suffer cruel and unusual punishment.

And so the scripture tells us that one evening, the night before he went to the cross, he went into the garden and get seminary and he just wanted some time to pray to the father and he told his team, Hey, listen, I'm you guys.

Wait right here.

Can you do me a favor?

And we're a team, right?

Yeah.

Jesus, we're a team.

You said you were with me even to the dead.

Yeah, we're with you to the debt.

All right, do me a favor.

Pray with me.

I'm about to go pray over there.

I'm about to have an encounter with my father and need you here supporting.

I need you to run with me.

He goes and he begins to pray and he comes back and instead of running in prayer, the disciples are sleeping, his team is sleeping when they should have been running.

So he says, what are you doing?

Don't you know that the hour is coming?

I'm bout to go away and and would you just stay up?

Would you pray with me?

Will you run with me?

You're my team.

He goes, and he prays again.

He comes back, surely my team is running with me and they're sleeping again when they should be running.

So he says, what's going on at this time?

He's, he's sweating blood and there's so

unconcerned by him.

They're so worried about their own race.

They're so caught up in their own fatigue that they don't even notice that the sweat of blood dripping down the Messiah's face.

And he says, what?

You stay up with me and run just a little while longer.

He goes, and what happens?

They fell asleep again and you think the story is over.

But the story tells us that now Jesus has become, been arrested.

All of his friends have scattered and runaway.

There's one though.

Who's staying close, Peter.

He's following Jesus around.

He sees them treating Jesus harshly.

In fact, Peter had told Jesus, I will run with you even up until death.

And Jesus told him, listen, by the end of this night, but what?

By the time the cock crows, three times you would have denied me.

Jesus is standing there.

There's only one person left on his team who's watching it.

Everybody else has scattered.

He looks and they say, aren't you on his team?

I saw you guys running together.

I saw you guys on mission together.

And Peter says, I don't even know that guy.

I'm not on the same team as that guy.

Sometimes the people

closest to us, we think are running on mission with us.

Actually, they're running in opposition to us.

So in that moment, what does Jesus do?

Jesus decides to keep running the race.

Why?

Because he knows that I've got a legacy to live.

I've got a legacy to leave.

I've got a church that I need to establish, and if they're not going to run, I'm gonna run like it depends on me.

So Jesus went and he was whipped for our iniquities.

He was pierced and bruised for our transgressions and they let him up high on a mountain and put him up on a a ragged cross and they pierced his hands and they pierced his feet and he endured the righteous wrath of God, the father, everything that was supposed to be poured out on humanity.

He says, I'll run the race.

I'll set the pace.

If they won't run, I will run for them.

The Bible tells us that

he died.

They buried him in a tomb, and then three days later he got up.

He got up

because on the cross he said, it is finished.

The race is over.

It's already won.

So for me, and who are resurrected

people after Jesus Christ, for those who are coming up after the resurrection, we have won the race.

That DNA has already been set, that the race has already been won.

We win if we're willing to run.

So is there anybody in here who knows that Jesus has invited you on his team?

And if you're honest, you've heard the call, you felt it in your heart, but you haven't been running.

In fact, you've been a laggard.

Somebody who slows the process down.

Jesus said, I've already ran for ran for you.

Hey, just come up and run alongside of me.

Every time you feel like you're going to fall, I'm going to hold you back up and maybe you're in here.

You know Jesus has ran for you.

You believe it, but in your life you've just refused to run because it's not convenient for me.

It's not fun for me.

It's uncomfortable for me, and Jesus says, you don't think the cross was uncomfortable.

You don't think a crown of thorns on my head was uncomfortable.

You thought it was convenient.

Oh look, you know, it's just not convenient for me to be a church.

You think it was convenient for Jesus to show up?

If you're in here, all heads bowed, all eyes close.

Jesus says, I've invited you to the greatest team known to me, a team that takes no losses, a team that's guaranteed to win.

And maybe in your life you've recognized that even as much as you want and God has spoken to you.

And he says, listen, I sent my son to live the life you could

never live to die the death

that would have consumed you for eternity.

He beat death.

He beat hell.

He built beats Satan so that you

could win.

And today he is saying, will you stop being so selfish?

Stop always thinking about your convenience.

Stop always thinking about your comfort because there is people in this community,

in this region

that are dying for the hope that you know about.

There are people who don't even understand who Jesus is.

Yeah, you know him and he has promised to be with you and not to leave you nor forsake you, but you are so

slow and you are refusing to run.

So the first call today is for somebody in here who you know you've been called, but out of your own selfishness.

You've chosen not to run.

And Jesus is saying, I need you to run with me today.

If you are in here, right where you are, stand up right where you're at.

I'm not even gonna let y'all know if somebody's standing, keep your eyes closed cause this ain't about you.

This is about this, not about them.

It's about you.

Jeez wants to talk to you personally.

You are in this room.

You've heard the call, you know Jesus with you, but for whatever reason you're choosing not to run or you've chosen not to run.

And today you're saying, Nope, I'm done.

I'm going to set the pace because there's other people coming up alongside of me.

There's other people coming up behind me and I need to make sure that when I pass this Baton, I got to pass his Baton hot.

If you're in here right where you're at, stand up number two, you didn't know Jesus.

You've heard about him.

Pastors talk about, heard family talk about him, but today you've recognized the Jesus ran the race that you could never run.

And if you're honest, you've tried to do things by yourself and you realize that I have hindered my own race and today you're saying, Nope, I can't do this thing.

Life is consuming me.

And today I'm getting in the game.

If you're in here, right where you at, could you stand?

And the people who stood for the first call, I want you to keep standing because when the other people open their eyes, I want them to know that they're not alone.

This is[inaudible] team effort.

So if you are in here and you say yes to Jesus, right, where you at?

Will you stand?

Will you stand?

Find a call.

You've been walking with Jesus, you've fallen off the wagon every now and then you want to follow him.

And today what you're saying is, you know what I gotta be all the way in.

I've gotta be all the way committed today.

I want to be baptized.

I want to join the family.

I want to get in the game for real, for real, right?

Where you're at.

Will you stand if today you're saying, I want to be baptized, right?

Where you at?

Will you stand?

Will you stand wherever you're at?

Now listen, everybody's heads about everybody's eyes closed.

I want only the people who are standing to look at each other.

Look around.

You're not alone.

This is your team.

Come on now.

I want everybody in this room

to stand right where you're at.

Stand up because the people who are still sitting or the people who are running the race, and this is what they're telling you, we are in this thing with you.

You are not

by yourself.

We're going to pass the Baton to each other.

We're going to encourage each other.

We're going to give hope and life to each other.

God, we thank you for the commitment of those who are brave enough to stand up right where they were to not worry about whether somebody was looking at them to not worry about the what ifs and that I've done this and I've done that and today they simply said, I'm it.

I'm getting in the game and I'm going to set the pace.

I'm going to run like it depends on me.

God.

I pray that you may seal their commitment today.

I pray that they will know that there is a team around them that is running alongside of them, and as it says in Philippians one six Lord assure them this, that the good thing that you have begun in them, you will be sure to complete in the day of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Keep them until that day a full redemption where we meet you face to face.

It is in your son's name.

We pray.

Amen.

Amen.

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