The Race of Life | Pastor Stephen Kong

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The race of life.

And I found it quite app because I don't know

when the I don't know whether you saw the testimony

on exports one others now and they had a game

sinned game sign and then they had this thing called

what xtram or something like that. Yeah, I like, well, okay,

I didn't plan it that way, but interestingly they also

I was running some run or some race, and my

message was on that.

So thank God. Okay, all right, so.

Yeah, so let me begin by by saying that all

of us, I think our Christian walk, we are actually

on the on the race of life, or maybe if

you like a better word, the race of faith. And

thank you so much, thank you girler. And I would

say that in life we need that have caused many ingredients,

but I will say just two things which we need

two increded in order to run these race of life.

And for those of you who are very spiritual, you

know that the first thing would definitely be faith. Okay,

So that's my first point as I begin, which is faith. Now,

so the race of life is indeed a race of faith. Uh,

And faith is the key ingredient, because how many of

you know that faith is the currency of heaven, you know.

I think the Bible reminds us that without faith it

is impossible to peace God.

You know.

And you know, he who seeks God.

You know, he who comes to God must believe that

He is you know, And that God is the rewarder

of those who who dilegionally seek him, you know. So

God rewards faith. God loves when we have faith. You

can read of a lot of stories of faith in

the Book of Hebrews. You can go to read it.

I think, from Noah to Enoch to Abraham. You can

read it like all day, okay, in the Book of Hebrews.

But yes, the race of life is a race of faith.

And at the end of the day, Christ is our

exceedity great reward. Amen, we are running these race of faith,

and Christ is our exceedingly great reward. Now let me

begin with a scripture which some of us may be

very familiar with. It's found in Second Timothy, chapter four, verse.

One to eight.

Okay, of course, verse seven says I fought the good fight,

I finished the race, I kept the faith.

There's verse seven.

But I decided to read the whole passage for you

this morning because I find that there is importance in

the context. Okay, they see there is a there is

great value, and you read the context of it. Okay,

because that verse that says, I've kept the faith, I

have fought a good fight, kept the faith. Finished the race, sorry,

finished the race, kept the faith. It's found in this passage.

It's sandwich somewhere in the middle.

Okay.

But I'm going to give you the context verse so

you know where it's coming from.

Okay.

So Second Timothy, chapter four, verse one to eight. If

your Bibles can turn to eight. If not, it's on

the screen to help us. It says, I charge you

therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who were

judged to living at a date at the appearing and

his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word be ready

in season and out of season. Convinced we built export

with all long suffering and teaching, for the time will

come when they were not and their sound doctrine. Somebody

say out, well, the time will come. Our people cannot

endure sound doctrine. They can't take it. They can't take

the truth, but according to their own desires out so

people live according to their own desires. I think in

the Old Testiment there was a time and evil was, uh,

you know, moving away from God. They did everything according

to what was pleasing to them, you know, what they

desired on their own and fans, you don't want to

ever get there. It's very dangerous if you do according

to our own desires, because they have eaching years, well

how many evers they have eaching years, don't know your hand.

Eaching eears just means you know, they want to hear

certain things, or you know, they're just they're just coming

kind of.

Enough, you know.

They they people don't want to hear what they need

to hear. They only want to hear what they want

to hear. And there's a difference. There's a difference. Okay,

theyp they will heap out for themselves teachers, and they

will turn their ears away from the truth and be

turned aside to fables. Let's keep going, but you be

watchful in all things, and your fictions do the work

of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Wow, so they're telling

to Timothya, don't give up and deal fiction. People may

hate you. People don't want to listen to the truth.

You know they have eaching ears. But come on, Timothy,

perus on, don't give up, don't stop, be watchful in

all things, continue your work and fulfill your ministry.

For I am already This eye is Paula.

Paul is writing to Timothy, for I'm already being palled

out as a drink offering, and the time of my

departure is at hand. And then comes verse seven sandwich

in the middle of it all that says, I have

fought the good fight.

I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

Finally, there is laid out for me the clown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give to me

on that day, and not to me only, but also

to all who have loved his appearing.

The Lord bless the wading of his word. Amen. And

so we see that. No.

Now, let me just zoom into what Paul has to

say about this race of life, and he says, I

fought the good fight. I've finished the race. I have

kept the faith. Ladies and gentlemen, let me start by

saying that if you're going to fight, make sure you're

fighting a good fight, because Paul didn't say I just

do I just fought any fight, but he fought a

good fight.

That means that.

We can get into fights they are not good, or

they are not beneficial, or they are not edifying, or

they don't bring us anywhere. I still remember me telling

this to my wife, you know, when we got married,

in the early days, when we talked about you know, communication,

and I told her, you know what there, uh we

we we we'll do our best right not to fight

about simple things.

You know, whether you press the two past from.

The start at a tip or in a minna, it

doesn't matter, you know what I mean, or you know,

uh the tile seat is out or now, it doesn't matter.

You know, it's gonna be okay. And so I told her, I, look,

you know, I tell you what life is shot at all.

Uh And and we just really never know when when

your time will be up. Uh. So I don't want

to don't want me or her to be like in

a place where by oh we regret like fighting over there.

You know, all these small matters. You know, of course,

sometimes they may be big issues there needs to be

dealt with, Yes, better do with it.

But I'm talking about.

Small things right, So he said, like, you know, we

won't fight over small things like it's okay one, you know,

And I think that that's saying that I learned this

in a counseling towards marriage. Right, they say when you

enter marriage, keep both your eyes open, but when you're

in marriage you can close one of your eye. That

means you don't be so picky about everything, you know,

but but before you go into it, keep both your

eyes open. So yeah, So basically my point is that

we can end up in fights they are not good actually,

And so the point is that if you want to fight,

make sure it's a good fight. Make sure it's one

that is worth fighting for. Make sure it is one

that either God has told you to fight for, to

fight against the enemy, you know, to fight for your faith,

you know, to fight for what you stand for and

what you believe.

In, according to the skill.

And it's gotta be worthed, you know, otherwise it's not worthing, okay.

And it also says that also says I have finished

the race. So friends, if you're gonna run a race,

make sure you finish it. I remember watching a video

of this athlete who I think fell down in the

middle of a race, and you know, she stood up

and she ran so hard right then she took and

one and one and all. It's remarkable, like like nobody

thought it was that's even possible. But I'm gonna say this.

You're gonna run a race, make sure you finish it.

How many of you here have ever run a marathon before?

Let me see it? It is two hands? Well, that's amazing.

Oh at lest three hands up? Whoa, that's amazing.

Okay.

Let me let me go a little bit more manageable.

How many even half a marathon? Let me see your

hands half half half? Okay, there you go, it's one

more okay, okay, okay, let me go shout it. How

many we can at least one ten kilometers before ten kilometers?

More? Hands go up?

Okay, five, come with seclometers?

Okay, awesome.

So in whatever amount of the distance of the race

you run, did you finish it?

You did? I believe you did. Your heads a nodding right.

So if you're gonna run the race, make sure you

run to finish the race. Amen, Run until you finish

the race, because hamo, if you know that God is

the finisher, When God created the earth. He said he

had had finished his work and it was good. It

was good, he said, it was very good.

In fact. Uh. And God is the is the finisher.

In fact, in fact, the work that Jesus did on

the cross was a finished work.

If you're going very carefully.

Jesus in fact said it is finished at the cross.

The work was complete.

And God is the finisher, and you and I are

also called to be finishes.

Amen.

And so then comes to the last part that Paul said,

I have kept the faith. No, I thought about it.

Of all things, right, Paul didn't say I have kept

my house, you know, I have kept my success. He

didn't even say I've kept my disciples. Nor did he

even say I've kept my ministry, you know. But of

all things Paul said, I have kept the faith. I

have kept the faith. And so he tells us of

how important our faith is, our faith in the Lord.

And I have a quote for us here that says,

you know, it takes faith to start and faithfulness to finish.

I'm sure you've heard of that before. If you're being

an actious long enough and so starting something new, it's

very easy. How many of you know that I still

remember victory when I did my my master's my MBA

during the COVID time, the MCO time when I first

started my MBA while working full time. Remiss, I'm working

full time, full time job and studying my NBA part

time while two past pasting the church.

Uh. It was very exciting to start.

And some of you here maybe you started your first

year of your studies or maybe it's your foundation year.

It's very exciting. Yeah, it came to university. I get

time away from my parents. You know, it's.

Exciting, get mid friends, it's.

A new season. Well starting rasy on. There you were

when you hit half a midpointer. That's where you start

to wonder. They make the right choicer. I don't know

what what in the world am I doing here? Why

am I studying this subject? Have you ever been there?

But the thing is that you go. You're already halfway right.

It's right hard to turn back. And the party I

shuggered the mozart is when I was treating for the

two three author It missed almost towards the energy. That's

when I really felt like giving up because time that

the work was getting busy, and I really felt like

giving up when that time, I can't give up. Now

I'm already treating quarter two, and then it's a hard

of all. That's why I realized that. So it takes

faith to start, but faithfulness to finish. And then I

look at the word faithfulness, are is actually having the

fullness of faith? You look at it, you see the

two words to get it in there. Having the faith

to finish. You know, faith to start and faithfulness to

finish is starting is easy, but all of us need

to We need to finish, immen. And so Christian life

is really like a race. And in order for you

to stay in the race, one of the things that

we need to do is to stay in shape or

to stay fit. Now I'm not talking about your physical body,

don't get me wrong. I'm talking about your spiritual fitness.

And in order to do that, we need to exercise.

You and I know that the only way to stay

fit is to exercise and of course have a good diet.

But I'm referring to our Christian walk, our spiritual fitness.

And so.

In order for us to keep our faith active, you

and I need to practice our faith.

We need to exercise our faith. And so I want

to say this.

Don't be an abest Christian in your faith, I mean

your favor, okay. And the best way to grow your

fath is to exercise it and put it to practice.

And so when you go for mission ship, I tell

you what, your faith will be exercised exceedingly really by

the way, sam Won or Samantha will not here today

because she's an extra combangan.

You know what.

She needs to practice a Basa because she's going to

a trips Pcassi.

Is it percussi?

Okay, She's going to a missionship in Bakassi and she

has to preach two messages in Basa, friends, not Wana,

but two two, not one or two in Basa.

Anna.

It's like a it's like a rally. You know how

big it is a valued medium bin right? She other people,

not fifty but fresh to three hundred people in Basa,

and I think she's never done it before, if I'm

not wrong.

Okay, So she needs to get her Bahassa going.

So that's why she's in Sakhand to get her her

bassad and gine moving. And so I want to say, right,

when you go to the missions field, friends, you will

exercise your faith like never before. You'll pray for the

sick and you believe that they will be healed. You'll

pray for the oppressed, believe they'll be set free. You'll

pray for the children. You pray for the needs and

believe that you will come to pass, and you pay

for inmbassa. I remember Jonathan went for the mission ship recently,

or so prays in bassa. Remember she can also be

in the mission ship. But you know, I don't know

how did she do it. She had a translator. Also

pray she can sing something in bassa. So when you

go for this kind of trip, you really get a

chance to exercise your faith. You get a chance to

be uncomfortable and to exercise your faith.

And so I thought about it.

Why sometimes in our churches we don't see as much

or as many miracles happen, Ladies and gentlemen. The easy

answer to that is because sometimes we have been too comfortable,

too comfortable in our faith. Because when you go to

the missions, feel the people that come forward with a prayer, right,

they have nothing going on.

All they have is Jesus.

And in that desperation, in that cry out to the latter,

a miracle actually happens. And so it speaks about our posture,

our posture, our posture of desperation, and the dependency on

the Lord. And so I to encourage us, never never

get too comfortable in our faith to the extent that

God does not need to move or you know, or

you know, we we are too comfortable that we don't

want God to move or we don't need him to move.

That's why I've always lived my life in a way

that it's uncomfortable in a sense, because I always come

to the law and say, look, I can't do this,

I don't know what to do.

Can you help me? You know?

And that's where God shows up and he does a miracle.

And so don't get too comfortable in your faith, you know,

because if you get too comfortable, doubt and unbeliever sleeping.

And there's a story in the Bible that Jesus was

at his own city in Nanza, and the Bible says

Jesus did not do many mighty works in the city

because of their unbelief.

So it can happen. So on encourage us.

Don't get too comfortable with your faith, but learn how

to exercise your faith, because faith without works is dead.

And so we still need to exercise our faith. Try

talking to try sharing the gospel to a pre believer.

Exercise your favor a little bit when they asked you

the tough questions. Don't know if you don't answer, just see,

I don't know. I keep it to you. It's okay.

One by learn how to exercise your favor. When it's

the rays of faith that we're on, it's not a

sprint race. Let me see that again. The race of

faith that we're on is not a sprint race, but

it's a race of endurance. Think of it as a marathon.

We're there to run the race, to finish it and

to keep the faith. So that is why sometimes when

believers are saved for the first time, they were gung

ho what's the word?

They're were on fire. They want to do everything.

Pastor, I want to do surfing, five minute strees, five

dream teams.

Put me on every Sunday.

I'd be like, whether relx, because you're gonna do this

for the next five years, ten years, twenty years, thirty

years until you meet your maker. So we're in for

the long haul. Don't know why. Make sure you build

off your faith, your foundation. Make sure you're strong in

the lord first before you do more for him. But

just don't get to comfortable. Okay, there's a time or shaking.

Don't get too comfortable. But my point is that it's

going to be a marathon. So we're running this race

of endurance to finish. It's not a sprint because if

you if you spin too fast on a marathon, you

wondn't make it. In fact, for marathon on us, they're

not there that they don't care about the speedy. Actually

after the pace, they're trying to keep a constant pace

that takes them for the long haul. They will never

sprained at the fun at the start of the race.

All right, So number one faith Number two is focused.

And I put the word forward there is because when

we run a race, we are actually constantly moving forward.

And that's what that's what we need to do.

When I say moving forward, meaning that our eyes are

always constantly looking forward and looking to the fun, looking

towards the finishing line.

Think of it. That's driving a car.

If you have driven a car before, you will know

that you do drive a car looking at a rial mirror.

Unless you're reversing.

Right, I will say ninety percent or ninety five percent

at a time. You're always looking forward, looking at the front. Okay,

maybe I don't know how many percent one to five

percent you may look at your mirrors, right, And so

I'm always reminded, No, it's a very simple analogy, but

I'm always reminded to always be looking forward, never look back.

Except hey, listeners, are always look forward. And the only

times we ever look back. For me personally in my

life that I practice, I only look back when I

need to do two things. One is to be reminded

of how good and faithful God.

Has been.

Those other times I look back, and sometimes we need

a reminder. When we look back, we realize that God

has been good, he has been faithful, he has been gracious.

His head of mercy.

Has protected us like a shield. That's why we remember

how good He is and how good He has been

to us, just when that's the only time that I

look back. And the second second one is that when

I look back to learn from my mistakes so that

I don't make the same mistake or so I can

improve from them. Other than that, I'm constantly looking forward.

And I'll encourage you the same, you know, because sometimes

right we can get too caught up with looking backward,

get too caught up with thinking about what has happened,

you know, and living in the past. Sometimes we can

be alive but not living. What I mean by that

is that you're alive, you're breeding, you're moving, but you

may be suffering because you always thinking about the past regrets.

I wish I did this, I wish I did that,

I should have done that, you know. But we don't

want to ever live in the past. We want to

constantly be moving forward. Amen, only look back if you

need to be reminded by the goodness of God and

to learn from our mistakes.

And I have a coote for you.

You cannot alter the past, but you have the power

to influence your future to the choices and actions you

make today. So do it wisely. Always look forward. So

that's one look forward. And the second thing, which is

the most important thing, is focused on Jesus. That was

my main point in focus. Focus on Jesus. Hebrules chapter twelve,

verse one to two days. Therefore, we also, since we

are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let

us lay aside every weight and the sin which so

easily and stands us and let us run with endeones

the race that is set before us, looking onto Jesus,

the author and finisher of our faith, who for the

joy that was set before him, and greed the cross,

despising the shame, and then sat down at the right

hand of the throne of God. So now let's look

it is verse a little bit deeper. The first thing

he says is that let us lay aside every weight

now when you run, For when you run a marathon,

you will know, or when you run a long distance race,

you will know, uh that you want to go as

light as possible.

Correct.

You won't carry your backpack with you with five liters

of water in your backpack thinking that yes, I'm gonna

get lot water. You know, yeah, forty is not near.

I'm gonna get low water. So you carry five liters

of water in your back. You won't do that, right,

or you won't pack, uh. You know, you wouldn't pack

your your books in your in your back. You know

you you wouldn't wun pack torchlight in your back. You

wouldn't may you may not even being a wall with you,

you know, because even water, I don't know how many

is it. It's still heavy, you got, it's still away.

And so we understand that concept. You know, if you

want to go far, make sure you go light. Lay

uside every weight. And so what does this weight mean?

Now?

This weight, right, may not necessarily be a sin, because

sin is the next butt, not not.

Yet on this part.

But it could be burdens right that will store you down.

It could be things that are not necessarily wrong per se,

but they could be hindrance us. There could be distractions

from the world, and they could be good things, but

not necessarily god things. And so when you're running this

race of life, you don't want to wait on you.

We need to lay uside every weight so that the

lighter we are, the further we can go. So that

just means right, be quick to forgive us, you know,

be quick to you know she's gonna say, be quick,

but do not hope grudgeous. Do not hold things in

your mind and your heart that will be a burden

to you because it's not worth it. Uh, That weight

will stow you down. The weight will not be benefitial

for you. You want to be as light as possible,

live a peaceable, a peaceable life with everyone.

And don't. Don't harbor burdens in your heart, in your mind.

And if you're a thinker like me, a thinker meaning

you like to think a lot, make sure you feed

your mind with the right things, because what you think,

or what you what you the thoughts that you have

will be determined by what you see or what you

feed yourself with the social media, with the things that

you see out there. So if you want to change

what you think, change what you see, is it's a

change in fact, you know, if you want to change

what you think, change what you see, change what you

feed your your mind and your thoughts. Second thing is

this sin separates us from God. So we ought to

lay aside every sin. And the Bible says the sin

that's so easy and stares us. Now, one of the

things that can unstare us and really trap us will

be unforgiveness, because unforgiveness will block God's healing, God's forgiveness

over our life. Did you know that forgiveness is not

an option, it's a command. If you ever thought that

forgiveness is an option, the scripture tells us, I think

I don't have a slight, But it's funny. Matthew chapter six,

verse fourteen or fifteen. For if you forgive men that trespass,

your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you

do not forgive men their trespass, neither will your father

forgive your trespass. Wow, that's very stronger, because God himself

knows that if we were to harbor unforgiveness, you won't

make it for long.

In fact, with unforgiveness, most.

Of the time, the other person doesn't know that you

have you will have un forgiveness against them, or the

other person doesn't know that you have a grudge against them.

Actually the person that suffers the most. It's you think

about it for a moment. So we don't want to

have unforgiveness. We don't want to want to have other

scenes in our life, secret scenes that will give an

enemy a foothold, because any will take a foothold.

He just wants one foot.

Eventually the sceneill become bigger and bigger and bigger, and

then he takes your legs and then he starts to

strangle you, and it goes higher.

It's like the roots that trap you.

And so we don't want to have seen in our

life that will strangle us that will trap us. So

the Bible tells us lay aside every scene. She says

the scene that, the scene which so easily and stares us.

What was the third thing? Pause it let us run.

That tells us that Paul didn't only ask people to run,

he himself is also running the race because he said

let us run. He didn't tell him he need them

you should run, He said let us run. And what

we run with we run with endurance the race that

is set before us. So you and I know that

when when we run a long distance race, we need endurance.

And people often say that the challenge in running a

long distance race is not your body, actually is your mind.

Because if you can think that you can do it,

you actually can. Is your body that that doesn't want

to do it. And so Paul says, run with endurance

the race that is set before us. We need endurance, perseverance,

patience to keep going. And Paul not only say that

we run to run with endurance, he actually gave us

an example which you will see in the next part,

the example of Jesus Christ. Did you know that even

Jesus had to endure the cross? Did you see that

even Jesus endured the cross. And I don't think so

any of our struggles that we go to today is

more painful than the cross that Jesus Christ had to endure.

So he's giving us an example. We have an example

that we can follow. Jesus Christ himself, he also endured

the cross. Now, what does this word race in this

In this verse, Minner, let us run with endurance the race.

That is set before us. This word race is very

interesting in.

Greek, is actually eggne a g o n eggone, which

actually means a struggle or a batter. Interestinger, he actually

means a struggle or a battle. And so remember that

God is with you in your in your race of faith.

He's never leave you here. He will never leave you

nor forsake you. And God will fight out battles for us.

He's with us. Amen.

By reminds us that who he who endures to the end,

will be saved. So we are called to endure. You

found all of us capture. We're called to endure, to

persevere to the very end, and we will be saved.

Amen.

And the fourth point in this verse says that looking

unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, not

let me say in this verse, if we can put

the verse up again, He.

Says, right.

It starts off by saying, since we are surrounded by

so great a cloud of witnesses.

Now, even though we are surrounded by so great.

A cloud of witnesses, people who have gone ahead of us,

people who have finished the race, kept the faith. The

Bible never told us right to look at them. Think

about it, whoever supposed to look at Jesus. Actually the

cloud of witnesses are is to give us encouragement. So

give us encouragement that it is possible. But ultimately our

eyes seem to be fixed on Jesus. Come on, our

eyes need to be fixed on Jesus, the author and

finishing of our faith. And so God is not just

the starter. He doesn't just start things. He's not just

the author. He is also the finisher of every good

work that he has begun. The Bible reminds us that

He has begun a good work in you were completed

until the day of Jesus Christ.

And so.

Even God himself, Jesus himself, was a finisher. And so

in order for us to run the ways of faith

and the race of life, if we want to finish.

We have to fix our eyes on Jesus. A man

fixed the eyes on him. Don't take your eyes off him.

Stay focused. One of the ways to stay focused is

to remove our distractions. And so the next picture will

show you a simple analogy that I have. You know,

when I think about focus, I'm always reminded of the

picture of a horse. I'm in particular racing horse. And

you may have seen this picture before or seen the

image before. And this thing that the horses where it's

called blinkers. Do you know what they're for? Blin bling

or pensy bling bling. Yeah, it's for their eyes, but

it's not for the blink Okay, even though even though

it's called blinkers, you see, horses have very wide vision,

almost two and sixty degrees almost because the eyes are

at the site. For us humans, the eyes are in

front right, but horses the eyes at the side, and

because of.

There, they have a very wide vision.

And in order to for the trainer to train a

horse to run the race, to stay in their lane

and finish the race, they need to remove the destruction

of the horse, and that is why they provide blinkers

for them. Because the blinkers right will in the sense

limit their vision the closest their vision on the sides

or the back, to prevent them from being distracted by who,

either from each other, the other horses, or from the crows.

Because they can be very easily distracted. Their eyes are

very sharp, and so.

Likewise for you and I, we too need this spiritual

blinkers in our lives to prevent us from being distracted

from the things behind us, from the things beside us,

from the things of the world. Remember, we are in

the world, We're not off the world, and so we

need to be focused. We need to constantly look ahead,

looking onto Jesus, the author and finish of our faith.

Can I have a good amen? The other thing is,

don't compare yourself with others. I'm always, always, always reminded

by this, never compare yourself with others, because all of

us are on different journey, in different stages and different

phase of the race. All of us, your friends journey

may not be the same as you. Your friends circums

answers may not be the same as you. They're different,

So don't compare. But I'm reminded if we ever need

to compare, list or not if we ever need to compare,

it is only to be reminded of how blessed we

are and how good and gracious God has been to

us when we see others who are less fortunate. And

so I always think about it this way. Lord, if

I ever need to compare and look at others and

see how less fortunate they are, give me a heart

and a grace to be able to lift them up.

That's the only time I ever will compare. If not,

I won't because everyone is on a different journey, different

face in life. So don't get don't get too distracted

by what others have, because you and I we have

our journey and our faith with the Lord. And the

only time if we ever have to compare, is to

lift someone else up, not to put them down, but

to live others up. And so I had this quote

if life was if life was a raise, the only

person I'll be competing with is myself. The only person

I'll be competing with is myself. To be a better

version of us every single day, Amen, as ire, forty

verse thirty one. As I'm drawing almost the clothes, But

those who wait on the Lord 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.

So in this verse it tells us that even as

we wait on the Lord, our strengthle it will be renewed.

We will have the strength. And what does this word

wait mean? It actually means.

In the original word, it means cover, which means to

bind together or intertwine, not to be connected. So those

who are connected to the Lord, if you're connected to

the sauce.

They shall renew their strength. That's what the worse actually means.

If I put it in the simple way of understanding,

Are we constantly plucked into the sauce so that we

will have the strength and the endurance to finish the

race of faith? There's a question you and I must

ask ourselves. Are we connected to the sauce? Are we

intertwined together with the Lord? Are we close to him?

Are we waiting on the Lord? Yes, there will be

days that we need to wait on the Lord, and

he will knew your strength. He will give you the grace.

He'll tell you exactly what you need to do as

long as we are connected to the sauce. And so

when I read these other three verses after that, they

shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run

and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

Ladies and gentlemen, there will be days that you'll be flying,

you'll be sawing, because God text us and we will

mount up on wings like eagles.

There will be days that you may only be running.

That's all you can do. Run.

But even as you run, he will still not be weary.

But friends, even if you cannot run, never stop walking.

Never stop walking. The Bible says, they shall walk and

not faint. God will be your strength. He'll be there

with you as long as you're constantly moving forward and

moving closer to the Lord, each and every day of

our lives. Amen, we are really ready on a race

of life and the race of faith. A Christian walks

like that, and I pray that we will constantly be

walking towards Him. Don't walk it around in the wrong direction.

Walk towards Him, and the Raw will guide every step

that you make. And just because we are connected to

the source, just because we are waiting on the Lord,

there's not mean that you will not go to hardship.

That's why I like this verse because even as we're

connected to the sauce, there will be days that you'll

be flying. There are days that you'll be running, and

that even the tough days that you don't feel like

doing it, you feel like giving up, but you can

at least walk because He will give you the grace.

Because I believe that our fath is most built, or

we grow in our faith the most when we are challenged,

when we are in our uncomfortable zone, that's where we

grow the most. And so challenges and hardships are actually

very necessary for our faith. If not, we will grow

too comfortable and we will just do things according to

what our own desires tell.

Us to do.

It's gotta be very careful, maybe be constantly connected to

the sauce, and maybe be constantly challenge so that we

may grow in our faith even when invite worship you

to come out even as close with whom more last

verses a close First Coinintence nine, verse twenty four to

twenty seven, which leads me to the end by asking.

Why do we run this race? Or who are we

running this race for? Or what is the price? What

is the goal?

In First Covintence, chapter nine, verse twenty four, it says,

do you not know that those who run in a

race all run, but one receives the price. So run

in such a weight that you may obtain it, and

when running a way that you may obtain it. Because

nobody run wants to run a race and lose. Nobody

nobody competes to lose. And everyone who competes for the

price is temperate in all things. Now they do it

to obtain a parishaper crown, but we for an unperishable crown.

Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty. Thus I fight

not as one who beats the air, but I discipline

my body and bring it into subjection. Less when I

preach to others, I myself become disqualified.

Ouch.

So when I read the verse, I really like verse

twenty seven that says I discipline my body and bring

it into subjection.

And I really believe that that is one of.

The secrets that we can endure and continue on in

our faith. Is to bring our body under subjection, is

to discipline ourselves. And we don't like the word. You know,

nobody likes the word discipline. But the Bible tells us

that whom the Father loves, he disciplines so discipline is

actually very necessary, even though you and I don't like it.

And I can share you many stories of how I

have been disciplined in church before, because standing in front

of you as your leader, as a pastor, I didn't

get you overnight. You know, I to went through a

lot of hardship. I rent you some challenges. I had

to be disciplined, I had to be corrected, I had

to be rebuilt. I had to be taught that there

is a better way, there is a higher way, there's

a higher purpose. And so in order for us who

stay on this race, we need to constantly be disciplined.

So discipline comes in many forms. It can even come

in reading a Bible, comes in attending church, praying, worshiping

the Lord, not getting involved in the sin of the world,

the things of the world.

There's a discipline that you and I need that we

may run this race.

And the reward is an imperishable crown, which is an

eternal life.

Even as we.

Look heavenward, even as we look towards the finishing line,

towards the future, towards what's the head, leaving everything behind.

I think I have one verse that says that Philippine's Tree,

verse chapter sixteen. Not that I've already attained or I am,

or I am already perfected. But I press on that

I may lay hold of death, for which Christ Jesus

has laid hold of me. Whether I do not count

myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do. Forgetting

those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those

things which are our head. I press toward the goal

for the price of the upward call of God in

Christ Jesus.

Amen, hallelujah.

So I wonder if how many or versa today, maybe

just in an encouragement. I know it's the simple message.

Maybe you've heard this message like ten times already. But

I pray it as an encouragement to all of us

here today that we are truly Our Christian life is

a walk of faith. And I'll say that I said earlier,

I'll say it again. In the are days that you'll

be flying, some days you'll be running, and some days

all you could do is walk. But never stop moving,

never stop moving forward, never stop going deeper to the Lord,

draw near to him, and he would drawn near to you.

Our life of this rays of faith is a marathon,

is a long one. So position yourself to run a

long hall. And even Paul says, even if he preaches,

I discipline my body, bringing another subjection. Let's after I've preached,

I myself be disqualified. And so I've lived my life

and saturated. I'm very careful because I ask God Lord,

I don't ever want to lead other people way. And

if I've gone to share, I ask for your forgiveness.

I ask for your leading because people are watching. And

you may not know this, but you may think that

I'm living a simple life. I mean, I'm afraid of yourself.

But you never know.

Among your cliques, among your friends, your classmates, you may

be the only Christ that someone else will ever see.

When I say that, I mean that.

They may not be any other believer next to you

in your in your classroom, in your office, in your

neighbor in your neighborhood.

But you may.

Your life may be the only Bible they read. Because

they're reading your life. They're reading the life of Christ

that you live. And I pray it even as they

see your life, they will be interested in the day.

Two will pick out the Bible and read it for themselves.

But it starts with you and We're all on the

race of life together. Remember you're not running this ways alone.

And so Paul says, let us run. Let us run

these ways together with endevans, looking on to Jesus, the

author and finisher of our faith.

Amen. And Christ is our exceedingly great reward. He is

our exceedingly great reward. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you.

God bless