"Faithful Unto Death: Running the Christian Race" by Denver Young

Certainly do appreciate everyone's presence this evening. You know, it's an opportunity

we have midweek. We can come together, look into God's Word and gain

the truths therefrom that'll make us better. That's what we

all should strive for. And the topic we're studying about during this quarter is

faithful unto death and being faithful throughout life.

Many times we think about the fact that we

know certain people, you know, they're faithful

for so long and become unfaithful.

The Apostle Paul certainly realized the fact that it was

very possible Even though we be obedient

to the plan of salvation, it's very possible that we fall away.

He gives us a lot of pointers that'll help us remain faithful.

I told— my first lesson I talked about the

fact that during my childhood being

brought up, my mother was the only Christian

in the family for many years. There's 7

of us, 4 sons, 1 daughter, father, and mother.

And she was the only Christian for many years in that family.

And she always made sure from the time I was

big enough to get out of the house that I was with her every Sunday

morning at the service of the church. We walked a mile and a half each

way. 10 o'clock, I knew where I

was going to be on Sunday morning. And that instilled into me

throughout my life the desire to

be in the service of the church.

Paul gives us some good examples and some good illustrations

concerning the fact that we are to be careful

on the way, be watchful on the way, make sure that

we remain faithful. I want to first look at 1 Corinthians 9:24-25.

1 Corinthians 9:24–25

1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27

Do you not know that those who run a race all

run, but one receives a prize?

Run in such a way you may obtain it.

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate

in all things. Now they do it to obtain a

piercible crown, but we for an impiercible

crown. Therefore I run thus not uncertainly,

thus I fight not as one who beats the air,

but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when

I have preached to others I myself should become disqualified.

He compares a Christian life to a race.

He says self-control, self-discipline,

that includes running by the rules. And you

know, our Christian life is the same. If we're gonna remain faithful and

obedient to the Lord, we run that life

according to the rules. We have the rule book.

And the only way we can know what the rules is if we know the

rule book. And the rule book that God has given us, his Word,

will direct us in the direction we should go.

It will also keep us in faithfulness if

we will simply observe and do what it says. But Paul

realized the fact that there's sometimes rules that drift

away. So he gives us some warnings about that.

He says, I have a goal, and that goal

is eternal life. He has a goal that he's

willing to sacrifice, that he's willing to be dedicated to,

do whatever is necessary that he win that prize,

and that prize is eternal life. For us to be

faithful and obedient to God's word, we have to be willing and ready to do

whatever is necessary to win that race.

That eternal life, there's no sacrifice

that's too great for us to attain eternal

life. There's nothing more important for us to

do than to obtain eternal life.

He said, I don't run futilely, but I

know what I want. My eyes on that prize.

And that should be our same way of thinking when we're running the Christian life.

And self-control, self-discipline.

He says, discipline ourselves lest we fall away.

We might be tempted from time to time to

forsake the assembly of ourselves together,

to do something else when we should be in an assembly.

But we have to learn to say no. We have to learn to say

no, assembly, coming together as a body

of Christ is more important than anything else I could be doing.

Also in 2 Timothy 2:3-5,

2 Timothy 2:3–5

he gives this message to Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:3— verse 4.

2 Timothy 2:3

2 Timothy 2:3-5.

2 Timothy 2:3–5

He says, you therefore must endure hardship as a

good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged

in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life,

that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

One thing expected of the soldier is

to put his soldiering as his top

responsibility. That's what's expected of

him. Those of us that have been in the military,

that's what's expected of us when we was drafted into

the military, when we joined the military, being a good soldier,

dedicating ourselves to the cause of being a good soldier.

And that's what he says in the Lord's army,

dedicate ourselves to that very cause.

Because the one that we're soldiering for is the one that's going

to give us that reward.

2 Timothy 4,

or 2 Timothy, rather, 2 Timothy 4: 3:6-8.

Talk about running the race.

I think I got down to the right scripture for that, but it talks about

we run a race. He said, we run a race

and we run according to the rules and we win that

race. And then he says,

there's a prize for us. If we win that race when

we run the race as a Christian, there certainly

is a reward for us.

And that is eternal life. Running by

the rules, Finishing the race.

He said, we must finish that race and run

by the rules in order to be successful.

You know, can one win anything if we don't know

the rules? Can't, can we? If we don't

know the rules, we can't win anything. We have to obey the rules

and then we've got to finish the course.

You know, in 2 Timothy 2:15,

2 Timothy 2:15

he says, study to show

thyself approved unto God, a workman

that needeth not to be ashamed, being able to handle

aright the word of truth. So if we study,

then we'll know the rules. If we guide ourselves according

to the rules, and we study, then we're going to

learn what he would have us to do. We're going to learn

how to be a good soldier. We're going to learn how

to run that race that's set before us.

So in order to remain faithful, we have to run according to

the rules. We have to finish the course.

Talks about being diligent. You know, we're diligent about something,

We put all that we have into it. We put our due diligence

into what we're doing, work hard at it.

Also be self-approved unto God.

If we're going to be self-approved unto God,

living and serving God in the way that he wants us to.

Also rightly dividing. That simply means that we know

what the Scripture's talking about. We know who it's talking about.

We know who it's directed to. We know how to teach

others and explain it to others, rightly dividing,

handling aright the word of truth.

And then Romans 10:17, of course we know, it says, faith cometh by hearing,

Romans 10:17

hearing by the word of God. You know,

that passage of Scripture, though it's very short,

Think about it. Faith cometh by hearing,

hearing by the Word of God.

Each Wednesday night we come together and we study God's Word.

It has an effect on us, kind of like I've referred to sometimes, the snowball

effect. The more you study,

the stronger your faith becomes. The stronger your faith becomes,

the more desire you have to learn more.

And when we get into that, we get into also the part where it comes

about we understand the promises that God's made to us.

We understand that those promises are for those— those

good promises are for those that are in the Lord.

That simply means remaining faithful, remaining faithful unto death.

So what I was aiming to talk about some tonight was I wanted to talk

about my Mother,

she was faithful. And the things that

kept me faithful, ah, I also reflect sometimes

upon my childhood. Her guidance,

her belief, what she led me, and as she led

me from childhood until I was no longer under,

ah, her— might say under her authority.

She had rules for us, and as long as I was under her authority,

I was to obey those rules.

But I'd like to reflect on her and things that she helped

me with that I might develop and become

the kind of person that one should be.

There were 7 in our family. 4 sons,

1 daughter, my mom and dad.

She was the only Christian for many years in

that family. My father couldn't

read or write, but he did have an interest in

hearing the Word. He'd go to meetings

sometimes, and then meetings lasted a couple of weeks,

sometimes 3. And he was interested,

and sometimes some of the well-spoken preachers would come around

and he wanted to go hear them. But he,

I think the example that my mother set was

what led him to believe and to obey the gospel later

on. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 7:10.

1 Corinthians 7:10

1 Corinthians

7, beginning in verse 10: But

if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled

to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

But to the rest I, not the

Lord, say, if any brother has a wife who does not believe and she

is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing

to live with her, let her not divorce him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is

sanctified by the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean,

but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him

depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has

called us to peace. For how do you know a

wife where you will save your husband? Or how

do you know a husband where you will save your wife?

I remember very well,

she lived an example that my,

I believe, led him to the Lord

later on. And that's what this passage is talking about.

Married, unbelieving spouse,

let your example be such that will lead that person

to obedience to the gospel.

As Paul addresses the marriage command,

wives, not to divorce your husbands,

I'd like to reflect and talk about some of the things

that my mother's guidance did for the family.

Proverbs 22:6, and I told Neil that's what I was going

Proverbs 22:6

to base my lesson on.

It says, Proverbs 22:6 talks

Proverbs 22:6

about the fact, train up a child in the way he should

go, when he is old he will not depart from it.

The foundational biblical principles

pertaining to parenting. Think about it.

It doesn't have to be parents. It can be uncles,

aunts, some other member of the family. It can be a

good neighbor, school teachers,

Sunday school teachers, Bible school teachers,

Anyone that has an influence in bringing up

a child. Sometimes we exert

good influence like that and never think nothing about it.

On the other hand, we may exert some influence

that's not good and not think

nothing about it. We ought to be on guard because

there's always somebody watching us.

Somebody more than likely is taking some cues from

us of our actions that they're going to follow sometime

or other. So let's make sure that

they are good actions.

But that proverb talks about the fact that the

first part of it says, train up. What we

think about when we think about training up,

we think about putting forth the effort that we need

to, to train the child in

the direction that we want him or her to go in

the future, hoping that that direction,

that he will take that direction that will lead it after

some years to eternal life.

Train up, being dedicated to starting a process or

setting an example or setting a course to

direct a child on a specific pathway of life.

And we hope that that pathway of life to

take this child all the way through life that

they receive that promise that

we have in Revelation 2:10, the last part

Revelation 2:10

of that verse. That promise says, be faithful

until death and I will give you a crown

of life. Think about it,

how important it is. That we set that child

on a course that will lead us to

what the Revelation letter says,

eternal life. That should be our goal.

That should be our greatest priority,

getting that child started out.

So we train up And we

see that this is a promise,

but it's a conditional promise. You know, we have promises that

are unconditional. We have promises that

are conditional. And this is a conditional promise that

they may be faithful.

Be faithful until death. That's a condition.

Finishing the course, that's a condition that

they will receive eternal life. Anybody have any comments

or any statement they'd like to make?

In the second part of that verse, it talks about in a way you should

go. And the way he should go is the way that God would have

him to go. That would be God's principles,

godly wisdom, wisdom from above, obedience to

parents, and obedience to authority.

We talked about the fact a while ago that not only parents are

responsible for training young people. You know, times are a lot different now than they

was when I was in school. But when I was in grade school, we had,

I don't know, school probably had 150 students.

I was the first year of the baby boomers. So we had about

150 when I started, but when I got through the 8th grade, that school had

done added on. It done doubled in size and rooms.

And I think it started out 4 rooms when I started.

When I got out, well, when I left that school, it had 6 rooms,

but a year or two later, they had 8 rooms.

Schools then was more or less extension

of our home training. They taught us the very same

thing that our mother and our dad taught us. They taught us respect,

respect for authority. They taught us,

when we had lunch every day, we didn't sit down and eat until we said

grace. And on and on like that.

It's an extension of really our home life, what it should

be. They taught us respect for authority, respect for the

teachers, and it was just a lot

different than it is now. And they also

taught us not only respect for the teachers, they taught us also respect our parents.

And the third part of that said, will not depart from us. You know,

this describes a lasting,

lifelong impact.

It should impact the individual all their lives.

That doesn't mean in later life that

they won't fall away if they're getting in trouble

and so forth, but they'll always have that training

with them. You know, when the prodigal son went away

and he came to himself, it says he remembered.

What'd he remember? He remembered his early years, didn't he?

He went back. And you know,

even if someone's brought up in a good way,

maybe in later years they stumble, they fall,

Maybe they'll do likewise, as this parable says.

Maybe they'll remember and come

back.

But they still have that foundational training,

that influence in later years.

I'd like to give you some examples of

my mother had the influence that set on the course of being

faithful through life. You know, she had these

particular characteristics, and we read about

these characteristics in Colossians chapter

beginning in verse 12.

Colossians chapter 3, beginning in verse 12: These

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

are the characteristics that we're all to have.

She had them. But we're all to have these characteristics

when we put off that old man of sin and

we rise a new person.

We rise in newness of life.

We do away with that old man. Leave him there

and separate ourselves from him.

And we put on this new man. And these was the characteristics

that she had. Colossians 3, beginning at

verse 12: meekness,

longsuffering; bearing one another, forgiving one

another. If one has a complaint against another, even as

Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond

of perfection. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts,

to which also you were called in one body.

Be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all

wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever

you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Characteristics as described here,

We all should have. You know,

characteristics are what makes up the character.

We all have different characteristics. That's why we can tell each one of us

who we are. We have different characteristics.

But these are listed characteristics that we're to take on when we

become a part of the family of God.

It's that new man. We take

on these characteristics. We chose— are

those who believe. The chosen are those who believe

the gospel and obey the gospel.

Holy means set apart from the world, verse 12.

Set apart to Christ to bring him glory.

By becoming what he would have us to be.

So as the characteristics make up the character,

how is our character? I hope

it is as was hers. I hope it is as is

all those that are born into Christ.

Born into the covenant relationship with God.

Heart of compassion. What's that tell us? That tells us

that it's merciful.

Not only a heart of feeling for others,

but being motivated to do what can be

done for others. You know, that's how we show

our love to one another. Is what we do for one another.

Compassion simply means that we're

merciful. We have a heart of feeling

for others and also a heart of doing for others.

I think a prime example of this is the Good Samaritan in

Luke 10. He not only seen

what needed to be done. He did what needed

to be done. The other 2 individuals,

the religious individuals,

you would think they'd been the first there to

offer aid, but they wasn't. Says they passed

by on the other side. They had other things to do.

Sometimes we have to be careful. We get too busy doing other things.

And let the waiter manners go.

The mother never was that way. Whatever she needed to do

for others, she did.

I think this parable and the Good Samaritan teaches genuine

love and mercy,

and that they know no bounds.

This individual was a Samaritan. Probably the

one that fell among the thieves was probably Jewish,

but he didn't mind that.

He didn't say, now, who are you? What are you doing down here? Why'd you

get in trouble? No, he rendered aid.

Second in line— second in names is kindness.

Sometimes we see a yard sign out and says, out in the yard, somebody's yard

says, be kind. It's a good sign. Be kind.

Not only does it help others if you're kind to them, it also helps us.

Be kind one to another. Goodness to others,

considering others' feelings, treating others

as we would like for them to treat us.

That's kindness. I remember very well.

We had some neighbors that was really in need.

And we milked a few cows.

We separated the cream. What milk was left

over, my mother always told the neighbors, you come

here, I think about 7 o'clock, she'd say, get all the milk you want.

And they would, they did. They had large families, one large family.

They'd show up every morning at 7 o'clock, carry off

a couple of jugs of milk. They needed it.

She was glad for them to have it. Every year

during the time when she wasn't busy doing other things,

she'd crochet. She'd crochet all of her neighbors.

Some kind of a spread. Sometimes she'd get

me to deliver it to them. And you'd hear her carrying on, people carrying

on, oh my, my. And they'd always return her

with a nice dish or something.

But that was kindness.

Lowliness. Lowliness simply means humility.

I think we would think about probably one individual,

The centurion, another individual,

the publican, that pleaded that God be

merciful to him, a sinner. That should be our

attitude. Humbleness, lowliness,

lowliness and self-appraisal. We praise— we appraise

ourselves. Let us be humble in doing so.

Meekness. You say, well, what's meekness?

I think that's one thing, it is gentleness. However, I think it's having

the other's interest at heart. Who was

the most meek person we have according to scripture? Says that Moses,

Moses was meek. How meek was he?

Says he was meekness, more meek above

all the men who were on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3.

Numbers 12:3

You know, when his sister and brother got into trouble,

he pleaded with God for their behalf, on their behalf.

Even though they were rebelling against him,

he pleaded to God on their behalf.

That's meekness. About long-suffering.

Long-suffering is simply patiently Enduring long

problems. Sometimes things

come about that last a long time,

but with God's help, with our faithfulness,

we know that that time is going to end.

There's no one that lasts forever.

So those are the things. And down in verse 17: I

think pretty well sums it up. Whatever soever

you do in word or deed,

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father

through him. That verse

simply tells us that whatever we do,

make sure that we have the authority from the Lord to do that.

Whatever we practice,

make sure we have the authority from the Lord to do that.

You know, word and deed, that covers everything, doesn't it?

Word and deed leaves nothing out.

Whatever we do in word or deed,

make sure we have the authority from the Lord to do that.

I thought I'd use this passage of Scripture as descriptive characteristics

that my mother had and that all should have in the Lord.

Let's go to Ephesians 6:1-4.

Ephesians 6:1–4

Ephesians 6:1-4.

Ephesians 6:1–4

This is talking about the

promise or the command

with promise. Children,

obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

My mother always taught us, obey your parents.

Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment

with promise, that it may be well with

you and you may live long on the earth. And you

fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training

and admonition of the Lord.

You know, I didn't know about the command

with promise. When I was a child.

But I understood following the rules because

she made it pretty plain to us. She set rules and

expected us to follow them.

Rule number 1, my younger brother and I

would be with her in church at 10 o'clock

on Sunday morning. Rain or shine. A mile

and a half each way we walked, but we was there.

That's rule number 1. She had some other rules.

We wasn't to be smoking. My brother-in-law

did smoke. He just had cigarettes laying around some, but that was the only one

that did smoke in the family, so that wasn't too hard to obey that rule.

One rule she had was Couldn't chew any tobacco.

My dad chewed. Those kids wasn't to do that.

That's the rule I broke. I guess

I was 10 or 11, 12 years old, maybe, maybe,

maybe 10. And I decided

I was going to be like my dad. I went out to the barn.

We had tobacco hanging in the tiers. Well, you hang tobacco upside down,

you know. And the tear that

tore me off that leaf of low-hanging fruit when I could

reach easy, that's got the most power in it.

I shoot it. I was feeling good for about 5 minutes

and then it hit me.

If I'd known about the Golden Rule— if I'd known about the

commandment of promise then, I would have been scared.

'Cause I didn't think I was going to make it. Anyway,

I went to my mother and I said, I'm sick. I'm really sick.

And most of the time when I'd go to her and tell her that,

she would do something for me, you know, but she didn't pay much attention

to me. She said, well, you'll be all right. And I

did get all right. But I think back about it, I think she knew.

She knew exactly what I'd done. And I think she knew

that the punishment Mother Nature gave me was sufficient.

And it was. 70 years later,

I've not had another chew of tobacco.

I've not wanted any more since.

She also had this rule. We talk about swearing and

carrying on. She, she threw a lot bigger umbrella

over that. Swearing. She said, an ugly word.

Don't be saying any ugly words.

And I never heard her say an ugly word.

And she was blessed with a lot of patience.

Time's about gone. I'll tell this one and then we'll close.

My brother-in-law, he was

He was of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.

And he— me and my sister got married about somewhere

in '55 maybe. And I can remember he

come down and he was going to convert my mother to

the Seventh-day Adventist. And he'd bring all

kinds of material. He'd go, he worked in

Louisville. He lived in Louisville, but they'd come down every Friday evening,

stay till Sunday evening, and went back. Every week he

gave her some more material to bring down. She just used

the Bible and she would let him read.

He'd say, look here at this. And she said, well, you read here at this.

And he would. I think he really wanted— I think he was really

interested to learn the truth.

It went on like that for a long time, but then it, you know,

wanged away. But then a few years

later, he did obey the gospel.

So her influence.

And at the end, her husband,

my dad, obeyed the gospel. All my

family, my brothers, sister obeyed the gospel.

Now, that family of 7 started out, she was

the only Christian, but she,

by her example, I firmly believe all

the family obeyed the gospel and

all of their spouses obeyed the gospel.

And a lot of their grandchildren in years

to come obeyed the gospel. So I

think she had a good influence.

Anybody have any comments or anything you'd like to say before we close?

Go ahead. When I think of your journey of faith,

I think of Mary, Jesus' mother,

and all the things that she treasured in her heart and all that.

Yeah. Yes. Yeah, exactly right.

Yeah. Thank you all.