Setting the Pace for 2026

Hello and welcome to the Arise Church Podcast.

We are so glad you're here and want to thank you for joining us

today for the audio version of our Sunday morning message.

We want to invite you to join us in person at our Sunday morning

celebration every Sunday at 10 AM.

We are located on Old Jenks Rd. in Apex, NC.

All right, you ready for 2026? We're calling it the the year or

more the year or more. So let's just declare that over

ourselves right now. Lord, we thank you for 2026.

We are one year closer to the return of the Lord.

It might be tomorrow, right? We're one year closer.

I'm this is our 43rd wedding anniversary coming up.

Woo, that's a big one. Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for more wholeness, for more freedom, for more Lord,

for more people that we know that come into the Kingdom.

Lord, Lord, we thank you for the season.

The year 2026 is the year of 2026 is the year of 2026 is the

year of. Thank you, Lord, thank you that

you are the God of more than enough and there is nothing too

difficult for you. That's a word for somebody

today, right? Nothing too difficult for you.

Glory, glory. All right, well, I'm Beth Austin

and Ty asked me today, Mom, will you give the New Year's message?

And I said yes. So thank you all for listening

today. And today we're going to talk

about keeping your eye. And I'm very Western North

Carolina, so you'll have to translate keeping your eye on

the prize, Keeping your eye on the prize in 2026.

So what is the prize and how do we keep our eye on it?

Every race, and Paul talks about how we are running a race.

We're going to get into it a little bit more in a few

minutes. But every race has a start, has

a pace and has a finish. And every start starts with

either a gun, right? Or an announcement.

Or when you start this race is when you confess with your mouth

the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart.

He is raised from the dead, right?

That was your start. Paul talks about it.

Paul Start was on the road to Damascus, right?

His start was phenomenal. It was amazing.

Your start, baby, is amazing. My start was when I was 14 years

old at Hudson First Baptist on a Sunday night service.

My middle school teacher had an altar call and I responded, but

it was not until I was 20 in College in my dorm room where I

said, Lord, there must be more than this.

And he said there is. Will you follow me?

40 something years later? The Lord has been so good to me.

He brought me out with a mighty hand and that was my start.

And the start was that I begin to call him Lord and make all my

decisions after him. That's the race, right?

That's the race. That's the start.

So I want to talk for a few minutes about the start and what

the prize is. The prize is eternity with

Jesus. That's the prize when we're

running this race, which is a marathon, right?

For many, many years, we will run this race.

We will, we will not arrive until we open heaven, right?

And all through this race that you have to keep your eye on the

prize. And the prize is eternity in

heaven, and your burning heart should be for that, for his

return or heaven, whichever comes first.

Glory, right? And what's after his heart?

What he loves is people and he wants everybody to come to

heaven. So that is the prize, right?

We bring more people with us and we keep our eye on heaven and

his return. So Lord, we thank you for that,

that you instill in us the hope of glory.

Wow. And that's what we're looking at

for 2026. So when you think about the

start, and we talked about my start, we talked about Paul's

start, Jesus tells us about two different starts in Matthew 20.

He tells us about workers who started work at different times

in the day. But when it came to the end for

their pay, guess what? They all got the same reward.

So no matter where you are in this journey, maybe you just

started. Maybe today you're going to make

the decision to start. Maybe you've been doing this a

long time. Wherever you start, the reward

is the same. That's good, isn't it?

Isn't that good news? So Lord, we thank you for that.

He also tells us about 5-10 bridesmaids and they started

together. Five of them were were ready.

They had their eye on the prize, right?

They were locked in. They knew they needed to keep

oil in their lamps so that when the bridegroom came and they

didn't know when he would come, they would be ready.

There were five other bridesmaids who were not locked

in. They didn't have their eye on

the prize and they didn't have oil in their lamps.

And guess what? They were shut out.

So it's so important for us to be locked in, focused on what

the prize is. Do that to your neighbor.

Are you locked in? OK.

Whenever I started with the Lord in that college room, I began to

go to a church that taught the word, that taught me how to be a

disciple, who taught me to follow Jesus, to taught me to

love what he loves, to continually be in the word,

right. And that's how you learn to to

run the race. And so when you move from the

start and now you're into the full race, now you're being

paced, right? And many times in this race that

we're running, we're being paced at different, different ways.

We have people on the sideline that's pacing us.

We have other runners beside of us pacing it.

Sometimes you have a coach that's saying this is your best

time. This is what you are at this

mark so that you can pick up your pace.

Right. And how many of you ever been

running? I know it looks like I probably

haven't run in a while, but I did run track years ago.

How many of you have been running and you need a second

wind? Well, Lord, today we say 2026 is

the second wind, right? We need to kick it up.

Some of you might be kind of groggy from the holidays.

Anybody groggy from the holidays?

Yeah. You meant like that?

Here's your meter. Like I'm.

I'm still kind of don't even know where I am compared to I

already got the Christmas decorations down.

I moved on. Where are you?

Don't know where I am. Got the Christmas deck.

Oh, you're already down. OK, All right.

So anyway, today we're waking up, we're clearing out the

holiday fog and we're moving on to say we are locked in to the

prize, right? Locked in.

So if you look with me in First Corinthians verse 9, Paul's

telling us about setting the pace.

And when you think about Paul, think about all the details

about his life. Think about that.

He was shipwrecked 3 times, said he left in the ocean for a day

and a night that he was. He did 9150 miles, almost all on

foot to spread the gospel that he says he was beaten with 40

lashes five times. This man ran a race that was not

easy. He wrote most of the New

Testament and Paul wrote the New Testament not from an eyewitness

point of view, although he probably did see some of it, but

he wrote the New Testament from the point of view of what was

purchased on the cross and given to us through the resurrection.

That's the view he gave us. And all because he started on

that road to Damascus and had an encounter with Jesus.

And so now he's telling us how to run this race.

And it's not because he ran an easy race.

He did not run an easy race. He was martyred in the end.

He willingly went to Rome, right where he knew that was where he

would end his life for the Gospel.

And so he's telling us in First Corinthians chapter, Chapter 9,

verse 24. Do you not know that those who

run in a race all run? We're all running, but one

receives the prize. Run in such a way you may obtain

it. We're all running.

We're all running for the same prize, eternity with Jesus and

taking as many people with us as possible, right?

We're all running for the same prize, He says Run like you will

win it. So when you pace like you will

win it. It's not La Dee da, it's not a

stroll. It's well if it's not, If

somebody comes across my path, I'll lead them to Jesus.

It is a full out run to win prize that's locked in.

That's a choice we make every day.

Is it easy? Will you have days you're on and

days you're off? Probably.

But Lord, may 2026 be the year of more locked in.

I'm locked in looking for what the Lord has for me to do in

this race. He has called me to run.

Verse 25 and everyone who competes for the prize is

temperate in all things. Now they do not do it to obtain

a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown, the hope

of glory. Therefore Paul says therefore I

run thus not with uncertainty. This is how you lock in.

You are certain you are lagged down.

You know eternity is before you. You know what Jesus has called

you to do and we don't have uncertainty.

It's fixed, it's before us. Lord, we thank you that you pour

that into our heart that we do not have uncertainty.

Thus I fight not as one who beats the air.

So when a fighter, anybody watch boxing, OK, When a fighter, they

don't just, like, flail around. I mean, like when my sisters and

I used to fight, we'd like, slap at each other like that.

They don't flail around, do they?

They're like, they know, like, where to land that punch because

they're trained. And he's saying I don't flail

around because I'm trained. How are you trained?

Through the Word, through discipleship, through being in a

fellowship with one another where iron sharpens iron.

That's how we're we're sharpen each other so that we don't

flail around. But I discipline my body and

bring it to subjection. Least when I have preached to

others, I myself should be disqualified.

Discipleship forward motion is necessary to intentionally go

after the prize. Forward motion.

No parking lots. No, I'm taking a break.

No, this is a season, I'm just taking a break.

No, don't. I want to say this carefully

because I I believe in taking care of yourself, but don't buy

into the lie that it is more important to feed yourself care

than it is to run the race. I'm not saying you have to

sacrifice self-care. I'm just saying don't make it

the God you know, when self-care is the God, when you start

choosing self-care over the race.

I know I'm just, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a

balance, right? But don't balance it the other

way. That was sharp, wouldn't it?

Philippians 3 Again, Paul's talking to us starting in verse

12. Not that I have already attained

or am already perfected. In other words, he says I'm

running this race and I'm not. I'm not there.

None of us are there. That's why we got to run the

race. Otherwise we could just sit at

the finish line. So we're running the race, but I

press on, I keep going forward motion that I may lay hold.

This is good underline it that I may hold, may lay hold of that

for which Jesus Christ also laid hold of me.

He already purchased it and I'm running after it.

Freedom, what is it when you're running the race and we're going

to look at a verse that says the weights, freedom, peace,

stability, whatever it is that you have a hole in your heart

about Jesus is the answer. And he says 20 and 2026 is more

so that those can be filled. He said lay hold of them

intentionally go after them, ask him.

He said he's good, but I press on that I may lay hold of that

for which Jesus Christ also laid hold of me for me and everyone I

come in contact with. That's what I say for me and

everyone I come in contact with. Verse 13 brethren, I do not

count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do

forgetting those things which are behind.

Don't get stuck in the past. Don't get stuck good or bad,

good or bad. The good old days can be just as

stuck as as things that you want to forget.

And reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press

towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in

Christ Jesus glory, glory. You know, there's winning

strategies when you're running a race.

How many times you've seen somebody in a Sprint and they

look back. What happens when you look back

when you're sprinting to the finish?

You're you're going to lose that person going to blow right past

you because you just lost your focus on the prize, right?

How many times have you seen a sprinter get blown by because

they were looking back? Don't look back.

Forward, forward, forward. And the next thing is we have to

pop the tape. Come on.

You can't win the race unless you pop the tape at the end,

right? How many?

When I when I enter, I want to pop the tape.

So popping tape means I'm not laying down the last 10 years.

I'm not going off on retirement and forgetting church and

forgetting what God has called me to put my hands to the plow.

I'm going to pop the tape. Anybody in here with me wants to

pop the tape. Come on for return.

I want to pop the tape. Let me see.

Look at your neighbor. Do it.

Pop the tape. Pop it, glory.

You know that we can do all things in Christ Jesus and that

he is the author and the finisher and he says you can pop

the tape. That's the eye on the prize,

Lord, help me, give me strength, restore my strength.

Give me mental acuity. Lord, give me wisdom.

Give me the want to, Lord, so that when it's my time, whenever

it is, whether you come back or I'm entering heaven before that,

I will pop the tape. Come on, glory.

I'm sorry, y'all knew it was going to be a preach when I got

up here, right? OK, so in order to do that, you

really have to be in the word seeking the face of the Lord,

right? Hebrews 12/1.

Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of

witnesses, listen, these witnesses are Saints, believers

that went before us. And it says they those great

crowd of witnesses, they're they're they're here to help you

set the pace that your faithfulness is laser focused

and that you're not only running for yourself, but you were

spurring others on, right? Glory says let us lay aside

every weight. You cannot run the race that

we're running with weights on you.

I know it's popular right now where those weighted vests, but

you can't run this race with weights of sin, which so easily

ensnares ensnares us. The Word and the Holy Spirit

will set you free. Ask him, Take this weight Lord,

so I can run, so I can pop the tape at the end.

Thank you Lord, looking unto let us run with endurance the race

that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the Author

and the finisher of our faith. He wrote your story, He will

finish it. He asked you to willingly

participate, to give it all to Him.

Listen, he says, who for the joy that was set before him, you

were the joy, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat

down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus was laser locked in for the race that he ran in the

Garden of Gethsemane. He toiled and prayed.

He was lasered like didn't why? Because of the joy that was set

before him, right? The joy was you and me.

The joy was His blood would purchase us and bring us out of

a state of sin into a state of righteousness.

Once we see we believe right? It was the joy that was set

before him and I would say today that's the same for us, The joy

that is set before us, eternity with Jesus and everyone that we

can get there. Come on, laser lock, laser lock

in on this. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you Lord, again in Hebrews the writer tells us to keep our

eyes on Jesus and that we if we mirror Him and what he loves,

which are is our greatest burning desire for Him is to

seek and save the lost, and it should be for us too.

Burning desire. Now I just want to talk about it

matters how you finish. We talked about popping the

tape. But in Second Timothy 47, it

says as Paul reflects on the end of his life.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I

have kept the faith. Fought the good fight, finished

the race, kept the faith. There's your 3 pacesetters,

right? Acts 2024 says.

But none of these things move me.

This is Polygon talking. Nor do I count my life dear to

myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry

which I received in the Lord to testify of the gospel of grace

of God. None of the things that we

talked about just a few minutes ago about he knew he was going

to Rome. He knew he, he had been in

prison, he had been shipwrecked, he had been beaten.

But none of those things moved him because of the joy and the

ministry he'd received. I want to take a minute to talk

to you about some finishes. So I had a cousin, his name was

Mickey Marvin. Mickey was a was a tape popper.

Mickey was number 65 on the offensive line for the Raiders

in from 1977. That was when they were good to

87 right? And he was a fourth round draft

pick. He paid for the University of

Tennessee. He was so big they would not let

him play football till he was in the eighth grade and then they

made him practice against the varsity and not his own

teammates. Mickey, Marvin.

Mickey got out of the NFL and people ask, would often ask him,

how can you be such a strong believer and play in the NFL?

And he says, this is how I do it.

I get on that offensive line and I thank Jesus for letting me

play football. Then I put the person across me

on their tail and then I stand up and I thank him again.

He said that's how I play football.

When he got out of the NFL, he was Church of Nazarene.

And he lived up in Hendersonville, where our camp

used to be. And he preached for many years

on the radio. And he also ran football camps,

Christian camps across the country.

And he was just the sweetest, kindest guy.

And when he was 61, he, he, he had a serious health condition.

And as his life was slipping away from him, he, his mother

told me this, that he would be in bed and she was caring for

him. And in the morning she'd go in,

she'd say, good morning, Mickey. And he would indicate to her,

where's the prayer list? And in those last days when he

really could do nothing else, he would spend the day praying for

others. Friends, that is popping the

tape, right? Anybody want to be a tape

popper? I know I've asked you, but I got

a seal in your heart. I will be a tape popper.

Glory one last story Ironman triathlon.

The big one is in in Maui, but I want to tell you about this

blows my mind. It actually blows my mind to

think about what these people do 2.4 mile swim in the ocean in a

crowd so big I don't know how they don't kick people in the

head right? And they swim 2.4 miles.

They get out of the ocean again, blows my mind.

They get on a bike and they ride 112 miles in a wet bathing suit.

And then after that they do 26.2 mile marathon with the total

time limit of 17 hours. Now the winners, usually about

12 hour mark, that's when they're going to come in and

there's a celebration. But this is a really cool part

about the Iron Man. The celebration is not for the

winners. The big one, the big one is at

the midnight hour. The big ones with the 17 mark,

the big one is for those people that come across just in time

and the celebration is off the chain.

They're hanging over the walls. They have thundersticks and they

are cheering those people across the 17 hour finish line all

because they want to hear that they're Iron Man.

We're going to watch a little video.

When I when you watch this, I want you to think about how much

heaven visual heaven is. This is of the great cloud of

witnesses that's cheering you across that finish line and

you're not going to hear you're Iron Man.

What are you going to hear? Well done, well done.

Would you go ahead and start that?

It's about two minutes long. Yes, yes, yes.

Listen, we're laser locked in because this is what we're

after. Not here but in heaven.

That great cloud of witnesses cheering you on with

thundersticks as you come into heaven's gates and the Lord

saying not a Iron Man, but well done, good and faithful servant

that is popping the tape. So right now would you stand to

your feet? Glory for your goodness, Lord.

Lord, I thank you. If there's anybody here that

says I need to start this race, today's the day.

Just come down front and we'll help you with that when the

service is concluded. If you're saying I need to lock

in on this goal, the prize, the burning prize within me is that

you do you say I need to lock in, I need to raise, I want to

pop the tape. I want to be ready for those

that entrance into heaven. Glory to God that I would take

as many people with me as possible.

Lord, Lord, I thank you. I thank you.

That's me. Lord, I don't want to lay down.

I don't want to rest. I want to run the race.

Lord, thank you. Lord, thank you, Lord that you

and you continue to pour your spirit on us.

Lord, Lord, I thank you that 2026.

Lord, we're going to be laser locked in to your prize.

Lord, thank you for that. Thank you, Lord, that you never

disappoint, that you always, always, always move us from

glory to glory in the mighty name of Jesus.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Glory, glory.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord. We want to thank you again for

joining us for the Arise Church podcast.

We hope you were encouraged by what you heard today.

You can find [email protected] and

on Instagram at Arise Church NC. If you need prayer or support or

are interested in learning more about Arise Church, we encourage

you to connect with us online or in person at our Sunday morning

service. Thank you and God bless.