How to Run the Race: A Biblical Look at Perseverance in Suffering

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Good morning, everyone.
[00:01:53] My joy and pleasure to welcome you all here today to First Presbyterian Church of Mooresville where our mission is loving God, loving people, and making disciples.
[00:02:01] If this is your first time visiting with us today or your first time in a long time, I would highly encourage you after the service to stop by the parlor.
[00:02:08] The welcome desk in there so that we can properly welcome you and introduce you to more of our church.
[00:02:14] Also, on your bulletin, I didn't notice it before, but just in case, there is a QR code that you can scan for more information that hopefully may be helpful.
[00:02:24] As we begin our worship today, please join me in our call to worship from Psalm 145.
[00:02:29] I will exalt you, O God, my sovereign, and bless your name forever and ever.
[00:02:37] Every day will I bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
[00:02:43] Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
[00:02:46] There is no end to your greatness.
[00:02:49] And now please join me in our prayer of invocation.
[00:02:52] Merciful Lord, you are faithful in all your promises and just in all your ways.
[00:02:59] Govern us, for we are weak.
[00:03:02] Strengthen us, for we are failing.
[00:03:04] Refresh us, for we are famished.
[00:03:07] Abundantly bestow your gifts upon us.
[00:03:11] Defend us from evil, that we be not tempted from your way, but may praise your name forever.
[00:03:18] Amen.
[00:03:19] Amen.
[00:03:20] Please stand as we sing our first hymn.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
For all the saints who from their labors rest To Thee, Thy faith before the world confess Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest
[00:04:27] Alleluia!
[00:04:41] Alleluia!
[00:04:41] The hosts thereof, their fortress and their might,
[00:04:54] The darkness with a wanton light
[00:05:49] The strife, its tears, the warfare long, Seals on the earth the distant triumph's song.
[00:06:13] And hearts are grateful, in arms are strong,
[00:06:26] The Lord then brings Zion to glory's day The saints triumphant rise in bright array The King of glory passes on his way
[00:06:58] Alleluia!
[00:07:22] The world's wide bounds and oceans' farthest coasts, Through leagues of pearls streamed in a countless host,

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Let us now affirm our faith together using the Apostles' Creed.
[00:07:49] And I would ask you, O Christian, what is it that you believe?
[00:07:53] I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified dead and buried.
[00:08:12] He descended into hell.
[00:08:14] The third day he rose again from the dead.
[00:08:17] He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
[00:08:22] From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
[00:08:26] I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[00:08:38] Amen.
[00:08:39] You may be seated.

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
All who bondage it shall let it by and by, by and by All who bondage it shall let it by and by From Egypt's yoke set free Hail the glorious Jubilee And to Canaan we'll return by and by, by and by And to Canaan we'll return by and by

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Our deliverer, he shall come by and by, by and by Our deliverer, he shall come by and by And our sorrows have an end With threescore years and ten And best glory crown the day by and by, by and by And best glory crown the day by and by

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
And when to Jordan's quads we are come, we are come And when to Jordan's quads we are come Jehovah rules the time, Jehovah rules the time And the waters hinder us And the ransomed foes shall shout, we are come, we are come And the ransomed foes shall shout, we are come
[00:10:24] And with the happy throng we'll rejoice!
[00:10:47] And with the happy throng we'll rejoice!
[00:10:48] Chalk and glory to our King!
[00:10:49] Till the boughs of heaven ring!
[00:10:49] And through all eternity we'll rejoice!
[00:10:50] We'll rejoice!
[00:10:50] And through all eternity we'll rejoice!
[00:10:55] We'll rejoice, we'll rejoice, and through all eternity we'll rejoice!

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Amen.
[00:11:25] Just four announcements for us to focus on and emphasize for today.
[00:11:29] You have them there in your bulletin, but I just want to point out two are from missions.
[00:11:34] So Operation Christmas Child, you may have seen some of those shoeboxes.
[00:11:38] They will be available for the next couple of Sundays, but we want them to be returned on November 23rd.
[00:11:44] For those unfamiliar with Operation Christmas Child boxes,
[00:11:50] It is to fill with gifts.
[00:11:51] It is to send them out to children who are in need and they would not normally have a normal Christmas as the rest of us would.
[00:11:58] It's just an opportunity to love on them and to share joy and generosity.
[00:12:01] So I highly encourage you to take a box and fill it with some of the goodies that is listed in there.
[00:12:07] As well,
[00:12:08] In partnership with FeedNC, due to some food stamp delays that many people will be experiencing, they are seeing a huge surge that are coming over the next few weeks.
[00:12:18] And so you'll also notice some black bins marked FeedNC, and they will be back there for the next two Sundays.
[00:12:25] As the church, we want to make sure that we are
[00:12:28] Loving our community and giving where there is need as Christ calls us to.
[00:12:32] And so if you have, as you feel led, to bring any food, any non-perishables to give to someone in need, you can drop it off in that black box on a Sunday or during the week and FeedNC will make sure to come and grab that and disperse as needed.
[00:12:47] So both the FeedNC and the Operation Christmas Child box will both be in the parlor there.
[00:12:56] Ladies, mark your calendars for Saturday, November 15th.
[00:12:58] It's not this next Saturday, but the Saturday after, for the Holiday Tea and Brunch.
[00:13:03] It'll take place from 11.30 to 2 o'clock over in the 143 worship space.
[00:13:07] The theme is Expect the Light with guest speaker Emily Newton, who serves Young Lives Charlotte over in Charlotte, you guessed it, and worship by Deborah Williams, which I think will be fantastic, as well as some special music by Violet Hamilton, which will also be fantastic.
[00:13:26] As well, Chef Clark Hodges will be preparing the meal.
[00:13:31] And all of this together is just going to be a meaningful and beautiful time together.
[00:13:36] So tickets are $10 for the adults, $3 for kids, and they will be available in the parlor.
[00:13:42] As well as during the week in the church office.
[00:13:45] Childcare is available by reservation.
[00:13:48] The mission focus will be to support Young Lives Charlotte and Bridge of Hearts.
[00:13:52] So they will be collecting small gift items for teen parents and the local youth and you can bring those with you to the event.
[00:13:59] Highly encourage you to invite a friend as it will be a wonderful time.
[00:14:02] and then lastly next Sunday we have our 150th celebration here at First Presbyterian Church.
[00:14:09] We will be having a combined service here in the sanctuary on Sunday morning at 11 15 and the service will immediately be followed by a meal in the fellowship hall.
[00:14:19] Similar to Wednesday nights it's a suggested donation of five dollars per person with a twenty dollar family max and child care will be available for ages zero to pre-k
[00:14:30] During the service.
[00:14:31] Highly encourage us all to join.
[00:14:34] We've been encouraging across all the services these past couple Sundays as we will not only have a wonderful time of worship together but also enjoy a program to celebrate our past and also present a vision for the future.
[00:14:46] and then lastly a little note I have from Clark is that the meal will be brunch style and similar to the picnic if again as you feel led if you wouldn't mind bringing a side of one of these items desserts and breakfast side items like muffins pastries hash brown casserole croissants danishes donuts and if your mouth is not watering with me you know it's a soon to be and then he says definitely desserts so
[00:15:14] Please, bring some donuts.
[00:15:19] But if you have any questions, you can reach out to Chef Clark if you want to help out in any way, shape, or form.
[00:15:24] We would greatly appreciate all the generosity and assistance.
[00:15:29] Now, with that being said, please join me now for a moment of prayer.
[00:15:39] Lord, we thank you for seasons where there is so much happening in the life of the church.
[00:15:44] From the youngest to the oldest among us that we get to celebrate together and come together and do things together and enjoy fellowship together.
[00:15:52] We thank you for that gift and the blessing that that is.
[00:15:55] But we also thank you, Lord, for the gift of opportunities to help others, to love on others, to see generously and to see what you can do with the little bit that we can give.
[00:16:10] So Father, I ask that for all those that are in need this day, and for all those that are going to be experiencing need and lack, allow us, Lord, to be a conduit of your grace and mercy and provision to others.
[00:16:26] My friends, let us now take this moment as we approach our Heavenly Father in prayer to silently confess our sins.
[00:16:53] Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
[00:17:01] Lord, I pray that prayer all the time because as a sinner, the only one to whom we can go and run to to have deliverance is Christ.
[00:17:13] Because if we try to do this on our own to make ourselves holy, to justify ourselves, well, we will be put to shame real quick.
[00:17:21] And I think most of us carry around our guilt and our shame because of just how prevalent sin is in our lives and all around us.
[00:17:31] But I thank you, Lord of heaven and earth, that you are an awesome God to whom we can find refuge and shelter.
[00:17:39] According to your word, all who come to you will never be turned away.
[00:17:44] So Jesus, I pray in your grace and mercy,
[00:17:48] Bestow on us more and more of that forgiveness.
[00:17:52] Redeem us every single day as the Psalmist says, wash us that we would be clean, cleanse us with hyssop that we could be as white as snow.
[00:18:01] And only you, Lord, can do that perfectly.
[00:18:04] So this day, I lean on the name of Jesus, the blood shed on the cross, and the power of his resurrection.
[00:18:13] And all of you today here within the hearing of my voice,
[00:18:17] If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible says it plain and simple, we are forgiven.
[00:18:26] And to that I say thank you, Lord, and hallelujah.
[00:18:31] Heavenly Father, in the name of your Son, it is my joy and pleasure and blessing to lift up this congregation to you.
[00:18:41] Heavenly Father, your eyes see all and know all.
[00:18:45] And I pray for every heart here, every life, every story.
[00:18:50] For all the good and the bad and the ugly, you have seen it, you have known it, and yet you have also loved us fully.
[00:18:57] We cannot even begin to measure the depths of your love, and yet it's that same love that led Christ to the cross for us.
[00:19:07] For the joy that was set before him, he endured it.
[00:19:11] So Lord, this day I pray that all here would know your love.
[00:19:15] That all here would know your provision and your generosity.
[00:19:19] That all here would know the comforting presence of your Holy Spirit.
[00:19:25] Where there is a need, Father, would you show up to fill it.
[00:19:30] Where there is pain and hurting, Lord, that you would show up to soothe it and bring healing in the name of Christ.
[00:19:39] Where there is isolation and depression and darkness,
[00:19:46] Lord, would you bring your light?
[00:19:48] Would you bring your comfort?
[00:19:50] Would you bring your rest?
[00:19:53] And pull us closer to you.
[00:19:56] Pull us closer to our loved ones around us.
[00:19:59] Surround us, Lord, with people that pour love into one another, that encourage one another.
[00:20:05] Help us to be the church that loves one another as you have loved us.
[00:20:10] Father, I pray
[00:20:12] That for all those who are here, who are in need of a change, who are in need in some drastic divine intervention, that God, you who moves mountains, you who topples kingdoms, but you who creates out of nothing and brings the dead to life, that you would show up in this person's life and show up with power, show up with mercy and compassion, and especially show up with your wonderful, amazing love.
[00:20:43] Heal us, restore us, and bless your people.
[00:20:47] Bless this church as we soon celebrate 150 years.
[00:20:51] May we continue a legacy of people that love you and our intention of gathering together to worship the God who lives.
[00:20:59] And may we see this legacy continue for many, many more years to come.
[00:21:03] I ask your blessing upon this people and this place in the holy name of Christ.
[00:21:08] And let us now all pray that prayer he taught us to pray.
[00:21:11] Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen and amen
[00:21:40] Let us stand now as we sing our next hymn.

[00:22:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:22:33] Amen.
[00:22:44] And sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
[00:22:58] How great Thou art!

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
How great Thou art!

[00:23:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit,
[00:24:00] I'll bring them all
[00:24:45] Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
[00:25:07] Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
[00:25:12] The Great God!

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
The Great God!
[00:25:38] When Christ shall come, We shall go back a nation, And take me home, God's joy shall fill my heart.
[00:25:40] Then I shall bow,

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
And sings my soul, I say, O God, to Thee How great Thou art!
[00:26:22] How great Thou art!
[00:26:23] And sings my soul, I say, O God, to Thee

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Please be seated.
[00:26:40] I felt Moses had enough announcements, but there are two things I wanted to highlight in one.
[00:26:45] Our preschool this year won Best Preschool in all of Mooresville for the Normie Award.
[00:26:58] And our fearless leader, Tracy Prochazka is here.
[00:27:00] Would you just raise your hand and we just,
[00:27:08] And we're proud of what's happening here with the preschool and with your leadership.
[00:27:12] And the other, I hope not to embarrass, but Paul Beaver, I think you have a birthday tomorrow.
[00:27:21] And am I allowed to say how old you are?
[00:27:23] How old will you be turning?
[00:27:25] 93.
[00:27:28] 93.
[00:27:34] I won't tell you who a little birdie whispered in my ear.
[00:27:37] I'm not going to tell you who told me, but you might be able to guess.
[00:27:41] But we celebrate.
[00:27:42] I'm not sure who the oldest living member in our church is, but you're up there.
[00:27:46] So you might be right there.
[00:27:49] So this morning our passage is Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 through 3.
[00:27:59] Several years ago, I went on a trip to Uganda with a group of 12, and our host was Reverend David Wakko.
[00:28:08] Some of you have met him.
[00:28:08] He's preached in this church a couple different times.
[00:28:11] Our missions committee supports, our church supports him as a missionary in southern Uganda.
[00:28:18] One lesson our team learned those 10 days in Uganda, David kept saying to our group, you Americans,
[00:28:27] You're always rushing to wait.
[00:28:32] And for the first two, three, four days of the trip, it was so true.
[00:28:35] We were helping to build a chicken farm.
[00:28:38] First day there, we're there bright and early.
[00:28:40] He said, meet us at 7.
[00:28:42] We get there at quarter to 7.
[00:28:44] And the local crew gets there at like 7.45.
[00:28:47] And David keeps telling us, relax, you know, because we had our schedules and what the afternoon was going to look like.
[00:28:53] The next day, I remember, early on we went to a church service.
[00:28:59] It might have been the second or third day.
[00:29:01] And, you know, the church, say the service was starting at 10, we get there at 9.45.
[00:29:06] It's now 10.30, 10.45.
[00:29:09] Some of the families start rolling in.
[00:29:11] We probably didn't get started until 11.
[00:29:13] Again, David's saying, folks, relax.
[00:29:16] We're like, well, this afternoon we got this, this, and this.
[00:29:19] By midweek, we were really beginning to adjust.
[00:29:23] And there was a day we went to the orphanage, a local orphanage, and there had been a flu outbreak and we weren't allowed in.
[00:29:31] And rather than stress, we've been learning from David.
[00:29:34] He was our fearless leader.
[00:29:36] We were beginning to become more flexible.
[00:29:38] We found another group that had plans that day, and they were actually, this was very ambitious for us, they were actually driving two, three hours away from Kampala, the capital city there in Uganda.
[00:29:52] They're visiting a place that had no plumbing, had no electricity.
[00:29:56] They were bringing with them generators,
[00:30:00] A big screen that you could project a movie on.
[00:30:04] They brought with them a Jesus film.
[00:30:07] The one was The Passion of the Christ.
[00:30:10] And there's a couple translators with them.
[00:30:13] So our team was in a van headed to this place to a group that's never seen a movie in their lives.
[00:30:21] Literally in the middle of the bush.
[00:30:23] And our conversation became, it was an animated discussion
[00:30:29] Some of our people thought, isn't this a little too graphic for the young children?
[00:30:36] Are we going to allow the little children to watch this?
[00:30:39] We had people in the van who wouldn't let their own pre-adolescents watch the Passion of the Christ.
[00:30:44] That discussion was happening.
[00:30:45] They were going to show the film regardless of our group's opinion.
[00:30:48] We get there and they set up the screen.
[00:30:51] There's a lot of curiosity.
[00:30:53] Hundreds of people gather.
[00:30:54] We show the film.
[00:30:56] It's pitch dark.
[00:30:57] We're watching this.
[00:30:58] The eyes of the people, just you can tell they're engaged.
[00:31:01] And at the end our translator not only gave a gospel message but an opportunity to come forward to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
[00:31:10] Hundreds came forward.
[00:31:13] Conversation in the van, on our way back to the mission base, our translator said, can I make an observation?
[00:31:24] He said, I kept my mouth shut on the way here, but he goes, you Americans have such a hang up with suffering.
[00:31:33] Do you realize that the suffering, the passion of Jesus was the connecting point for our people?
[00:31:40] We have children out there five, six, seven years old that have watched their parents die in front of their, take their final breaths.
[00:31:48] We've experienced the AIDS pandemic.
[00:31:52] There are people old enough to remember Idi Amin who came into their village and kidnapped children to recruit.
[00:32:01] for the Children's Army in Northern Uganda.
[00:32:05] And that left a lasting impression on us as a team as we thought that through.
[00:32:14] They said, you know, you guys seem so miserable in Western culture and you have everything at your fingertips.
[00:32:22] You have clinics and hospitals and counselors and therapy and medication and we're poor and yet there's a joy in our culture.
[00:32:33] The Western world reality, we don't do suffering well, do we?
[00:32:38] If we're really honest with ourselves.
[00:32:41] In general, we don't do suffering well.
[00:32:44] I was looking up some statistics this past week and with all the advancement we've made here in the United States when it comes to technology and when it comes to medicine and science, I found with my research over the past 20 years, here in the United States,
[00:33:02] Statistics for self-harm and suicide has increased 30%.
[00:33:06] Right here in the States.
[00:33:10] We have everything at our fingertips.
[00:33:11] Also, I read between the years 2018 and 2022, eating disorders went up 65%.
[00:33:23] Just here in the States.
[00:33:25] 2024, there were 48 million people here
[00:33:32] In the United States, 12 years old and older, who had a substance use disorder, whether it be drugs, alcohol, combination of the two.
[00:33:42] In 2024, 60 million adults had a mental illness.
[00:33:48] Now many of us function with that, but then a quarter of that 15 million were debilitated through that.
[00:33:53] It affected their work, it affected their families, it affected their day-to-day lives.
[00:33:59] Point I'm wanting to make,
[00:34:01] Life is hard, yes?
[00:34:06] The struggle is real.
[00:34:09] We've been working our way through the book of Hebrews.
[00:34:13] Last week we spent the whole message on perseverance.
[00:34:21] Something this hard
[00:34:22] To wrap our minds around is the harsh realities of a broken world.
[00:34:26] Big idea I wanna get across from three verses this morning, how to approach the harsh realities of life.
[00:34:35] We're gonna look to a biblical perspective.
[00:34:39] You could also say it's a gospel perspective.
[00:34:42] I'm gonna say a prayer, we'll read this together.
[00:34:44] Please join me.
[00:34:48] Heavenly Father, I do thank you for the gift of your word.
[00:34:53] Lord, as we seek your wisdom, as we seek your insight, as we seek to glean helpful information about how to live life, Lord, speak to us through your Holy Spirit.
[00:35:06] Minister to our hearts.
[00:35:09] Lord, help us with our minds to grasp the concepts that you reveal to us.
[00:35:19] And Lord, through this time, may we not only gain a deeper understanding, but through your ministry, may we draw closer to you.
[00:35:28] We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
[00:35:30] Amen.
[00:35:32] Hebrews 12, beginning with verse one.
[00:35:36] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely,
[00:35:45] and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
[00:35:49] Looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
[00:36:04] Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
[00:36:13] This is the word of the Lord.
[00:36:17] Again, we're looking at how to approach the harsh realities of life.
[00:36:23] Two points I want to emphasize this morning.
[00:36:26] The first point is this.
[00:36:28] View life as a race.
[00:36:33] The Bible tells us to view life as a race.
[00:36:36] Verse one, let us run the race that is set before us.
[00:36:40] This metaphor, the author of Hebrews, he's addressing believers in a culture where they have been persecuted.
[00:36:48] They were being persecuted severely.
[00:36:52] Some were getting discouraged.
[00:36:54] Some were fearful.
[00:36:56] Some were second guessing their new found faith.
[00:37:01] Maybe it's better off back in Jerusalem going to the synagogue.
[00:37:07] There's comfort in the rituals of the sacrificial system, and the author's saying, no, no, you came to Christ for a reason.
[00:37:15] You found freedom.
[00:37:18] Don't lose heart.
[00:37:19] Don't grow weary.
[00:37:22] And he's focusing in on faith.
[00:37:25] He's saying view life as a race.
[00:37:27] The term here that we find in our translation, race, conveys athletic competition that can wear a person down.
[00:37:40] Athletic competition that can wear a person down.
[00:37:43] That's how this...
[00:37:45] Translation here, verse one, that's how we get the term race.
[00:37:50] In a different context, it could be a wrestling match.
[00:37:54] Let us wrestle intensely.
[00:37:57] It could also be translated back then at biblical times as a pentathlon.
[00:38:03] Back then, that was the climax of the Olympics.
[00:38:06] But what was being conveyed with this metaphor, what the author wants us to even embrace today is the concept of athletic competition that can wear a person down.
[00:38:18] This race is an agonizing struggle.
[00:38:23] The author sees challenges we face in life as like a test of endurance.
[00:38:29] There's a course set before us that will challenge your system
[00:38:34] in every way imaginable.
[00:38:39] Life is tough.
[00:38:41] There are challenges.
[00:38:43] I can recall, it might have been like 20 years ago, the first marathon I ever ran, it was the New Jersey Marathon, and I found myself, it was in the spring, I found myself on mile 20 absolutely delirious.
[00:39:02] I was not well prepared.
[00:39:04] I get to mile 20 and I found myself sitting on a curb.
[00:39:09] There are thousands of runners.
[00:39:11] It's in New Jersey, southern New Jersey.
[00:39:13] Thousands of runners.
[00:39:14] I'm sitting on a curb and somehow my mind told me, take your shoes off.
[00:39:18] Now you need shoes for running, but I took my shoes off and then my mind says, no, no, you need the shoes.
[00:39:25] So I took my socks off and then put the shoes back on.
[00:39:29] and then I realized I just want to quit but I'm like I don't know where to find my family they're at the finish line so I just stood up and started working my way forward and I was kind of shuffling maybe jogging for a little bit walking and and my mind wasn't thinking straight I came to a table it was a rest station where they had Gatorade they had water they had snacks they had
[00:39:53] like what they call goo that gives you a shot of energy and I stop at this table as being manned by an African American church and they're cheering you on and I get to this table and I find myself grabbing two cups of Gatorade.
[00:40:08] What should I have done with the Gatorade?
[00:40:11] I should have drank it, right?
[00:40:13] No, I poured it on my head.
[00:40:16] Now, I could have taken the water and poured it on my head and then take it, but I couldn't think straight.
[00:40:20] I was delirious, and they were a bit, they were encouraging their, come on, brother, you can do it, keep going, and I was telling myself from that station all the way to the end, I will never run another marathon in my life.
[00:40:34] Now, the author of Hebrews, when he's talking about a race
[00:40:39] You know, life is like a race.
[00:40:41] He's talking about a marathon.
[00:40:43] That's how it translates.
[00:40:44] It's endurance.
[00:40:45] You want to give up.
[00:40:47] You're ready to throw in the towel.
[00:40:49] Life will throw things at you that will make you second guess your calling or second guess your faith even.
[00:40:59] This race is an agonizing struggle and the Bible gives us two ways to approach this struggle.
[00:41:07] And you can hit it from a couple different angles.
[00:41:10] One, we learn biblically that suffering is unnatural.
[00:41:16] It's not part of God's design.
[00:41:20] God is not the originator of sin.
[00:41:25] He created, God is 100% good.
[00:41:29] And he created this universe in his goodness.
[00:41:32] You and I were created in his image.
[00:41:36] Everything was good.
[00:41:37] Everything was perfect in the garden.
[00:41:38] There was no pain.
[00:41:39] There was no suffering.
[00:41:40] There was no death.
[00:41:40] There was no toil when you worked.
[00:41:44] What happened?
[00:41:47] Human beings brought evil and suffering into the world by distrusting God.
[00:41:53] Being disobedient.
[00:41:55] It's unnatural.
[00:41:56] It goes against God's design.
[00:41:58] John 11, verse 33, we get a picture of Jesus outside the tomb of Lazarus.
[00:42:05] And it says in that passage, Jesus, quote, was greatly disturbed in spirit.
[00:42:13] Inside, he was containing outrage.
[00:42:16] He had holy anger due to something he viewed as unnatural, death.
[00:42:22] Did Jesus have the power to raise Lazarus?
[00:42:26] Absolutely, he actually did.
[00:42:27] But he was boiling within and then we do read the shortest verse in the Bible.
[00:42:36] What did Jesus do in that?
[00:42:38] He wept.
[00:42:39] His heart was broken and we read later that he knew that he had to endure his race to the cross and before dying on the cross he was praying over Jerusalem, looking over Jerusalem and he wept.
[00:42:55] Over Jerusalem.
[00:42:58] It's not part of God's perfect plan to see the sin and the hatred and the greed and all of the suffering we see biblically is unnatural.
[00:43:12] But the reality is sin did enter this world.
[00:43:16] Hurt, pain, suffering, death, toil when we work.
[00:43:23] And with that,
[00:43:24] We also learn in the Bible that suffering is necessary.
[00:43:30] It's a reality of life.
[00:43:33] The Bible clearly states God is good.
[00:43:34] Everything he does is good.
[00:43:35] 1 John 1, verse 5.
[00:43:39] Very clear on the goodness of God.
[00:43:41] Also, it says in the book of James, God is not the author of evil.
[00:43:47] And the Bible is very clear that he never tempts us.
[00:43:52] However,
[00:43:53] God does allow for suffering and at times God takes credit for our suffering.
[00:44:01] God gives people, we read in Romans chapter one that God gives people over to their own sins.
[00:44:07] God doesn't take any pleasure in that.
[00:44:10] He chooses to discipline his children.
[00:44:12] We read that later on in the book of Hebrews chapter 12.
[00:44:15] He disciplines, allows his children to be tested in their faith.
[00:44:19] It often leads to character building, spiritual growth.
[00:44:21] It can cause someone to refocus their faith.
[00:44:24] The Apostle Paul said, in my weakness, he prayed for the thorn of the flesh to be removed and the Lord didn't remove it.
[00:44:32] He said, however, I understand in my weakness I must lean in and find my strength in God through faith.
[00:44:41] Now in a physical sense, suffering is necessary for growth.
[00:44:50] For an athlete, you want to prepare for a marathon, it takes training.
[00:44:53] You want to prepare to play football or whatever, it takes training.
[00:44:57] You go into a gym, what's happening when you pump the iron, when you lift and put strain on your bicep?
[00:45:06] What are you doing to the muscle when you lift the weight?
[00:45:10] You're tearing it down, you're weakening the muscle, yet that's what you do in training to become stronger.
[00:45:16] It seems like paradox, but no, and then you allow the muscle to recover and it comes back stronger.
[00:45:22] And do you see how that works in life?
[00:45:26] When you endure a trial or a challenge or a test, and you come through the storm a stronger person?
[00:45:36] So the first point, the race.
[00:45:39] View life as a race and it's a struggle and the struggle is real.
[00:45:45] The second point I want to make is this.
[00:45:48] Learn how to run the race.
[00:45:51] We have some beautiful insights just from these three verses this morning and within a much broader context.
[00:45:56] The Bible teaches us how to not only run the race but to run it well.
[00:46:02] If life is a race, there's some insight here.
[00:46:04] One, embrace the harsh realities of the metaphor.
[00:46:10] Life like an endurance race is filled with agonizing struggles.
[00:46:14] Tim Keller tells the story of visiting a loved one.
[00:46:18] There was a surgery that took place in Florida at a cancer center.
[00:46:22] He went down with family.
[00:46:24] He's in the waiting room.
[00:46:25] The surgery takes place.
[00:46:26] When it was all said and done, his loved one's now in the ICU.
[00:46:31] And who do you think was sent from the surgery room to the family?
[00:46:36] I heard someone from behind me.
[00:46:37] There's a surgical nurse.
[00:46:39] They walked into the room.
[00:46:41] What do you think her purpose was?
[00:46:43] The Keller family sitting there, you know, wanting a report.
[00:46:46] One, you know, this is how the surgery seemed to go, but she also wanted to prepare them for what they were about to see.
[00:46:53] You know, two of you can go into the ICU and what you see, just so you don't get thrown, there may be some swelling and some disfigurement and there's some wire, you know, some tubes and all, and
[00:47:05] What does that do when a nurse comes and prepares the patient?
[00:47:11] It adjusts your expectation.
[00:47:14] And he said by the time they went up there with the loved one, he was like, oh, this isn't so bad.
[00:47:19] He was prepared for the worst.
[00:47:20] Yet, it was serious surgery, and they were preparing for what he was to see.
[00:47:28] Well, the Lord tells us in Scripture, be prepared.
[00:47:33] The author here is saying life is like a race,
[00:47:36] We need to embrace that.
[00:47:39] Learn to run the race of life.
[00:47:41] Life is hard.
[00:47:41] You should expect to see and experience hardship, suffering, and pain.
[00:47:45] Nobody, believer or non-believer, nobody is exempt.
[00:47:51] And if you embrace that reality, you can become a person of greatness.
[00:47:56] When I say person of greatness within the context of faith, we've just, as we're working our way through Hebrews, chapter 11 tells us of the great heroes of the faith.
[00:48:05] Last week we looked at Moses, and their greatness is rooted in faith.
[00:48:15] Now one thing, I have six daughters, and one thing I've tried to pound into them is that it's okay to fail.
[00:48:27] Two of my daughters are a little more prone to perfectionism.
[00:48:30] One of them, I remember when she graduated from college, she was interviewing at a place.
[00:48:35] First place she interviewed, she made it.
[00:48:37] It was a pretty major company.
[00:48:39] She made it all the way to the final rounds and there were maybe two or three people being interviewed and she was not given the position and that threw her.
[00:48:47] And then for the next year she didn't apply for anything.
[00:48:51] Again, I was trying to build into my daughter and say, it may just not be the right fit, it may, you know, it's okay to fail.
[00:48:57] You know, I played baseball, if you're one for three, that means you're failing two-thirds of the time, yet a 300 hitter can make it to the Hall of Fame.
[00:49:06] And I told her, you know, a job interview, you may be one for 25, that's still okay.
[00:49:11] One for 50.
[00:49:12] I have another daughter that I don't think she's ever made a B in her life.
[00:49:20] but in college there's been some concern I'm not sure if I want to take this course maybe chemistry or biology or you know there's some that that she a little concerned to shy away from and and and the way she expresses that you think that you know there is a fear of failure but for her failure is like I might make a B plus in this class that's okay and I try to press in as a parent it's okay to fail
[00:49:45] Our denomination, ECO, Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, they give us permission as churches, as local churches, to take risks, and with that, there often is failure,
[00:49:59] You know, they emphasize church plants, they emphasize not just change for the sake of change, but looking at things in a different way.
[00:50:07] And based on that, when we first joined the denomination, we had some vision for perhaps that other building, the 143, putting a coffee shop there.
[00:50:19] As leaders, we talked about it, we prayed about it.
[00:50:21] I remember John Guest had come here to speak with our Adventures in Faith, and he's someone who has spoken to millions.
[00:50:26] He's an evangelist.
[00:50:28] John was encouraging us as a church.
[00:50:30] He was encouraging me as a pastor.
[00:50:32] I remember doing a walk around the building at that point.
[00:50:34] We called it the Scout Building.
[00:50:36] It was an old car dealership, and as he walked around with us and we walked through the building, he looked at me.
[00:50:42] He goes, well, Dave, hmm, this might be a building you just want to level.
[00:50:49] because he saw it and he just, even he, a person with huge vision was like, there doesn't seem to be much hope in this building but our leadership were convinced that it had strong bones and we went through and we did build the coffee shop and I don't know if any of you recall, our first crack at that failed miserably.
[00:51:07] We partnered with some business across the street and fairness to everybody, COVID was still in existence and as we opened the coffee shop, very little foot traffic, very little,
[00:51:18] You know, customer walkthrough and at that point we regathered as leadership.
[00:51:25] We could have just given up.
[00:51:27] I'll be honest as your pastor, as part of me going, maybe this wasn't part of God's plan.
[00:51:32] But leadership said, no, we felt it was a God, we prayed about it, let's keep pressing in.
[00:51:37] Now you see the coffee shop.
[00:51:39] You see Jeff Rumpel, the fellow running the coffee shop and the ministry he has there.
[00:51:45] You see the foot traffic.
[00:51:46] In the first service today, we did a baptism.
[00:51:48] It was the Johnson child, Zire Johnson.
[00:51:53] His grandparents on one side is Jean Vaughn and Kate Vaughn, and his grandmother on the other side is Joyce Johnson, longtime members of this church.
[00:52:04] Jacob and his wife did not grow up in this church.
[00:52:08] His grandparents were part of this church, but friends of them invited them here because their friends discovered the coffee shop
[00:52:15] and started coming to church.
[00:52:16] Told Jacob and Kenzie, hey, there's this church next to the coffee shop and he's like, hey, my grandparents go there.
[00:52:22] They then, think about how this works, they then got real involved in these two young couples and we had a candidate just a year and a half ago by the name of Moses Camacho
[00:52:33] Applying for the position and we had three young families.
[00:52:35] There's another family in the back here that we wanted to let them see that there are young families in our church and we had a dinner and I listened to these young families convincing Moses and Jordan like Mooresville is a place you want to be.
[00:52:49] Again, that six degree separation, you start working your way through that.
[00:52:54] I'm so grateful that the leadership of this church persevered, stuck to it when it came to the vision
[00:53:03] of that coffee shop.
[00:53:05] Learn how to run the race.
[00:53:07] Embrace the harsh realities of the metaphor.
[00:53:10] Second point I want to make is this, very succinctly in the passage it says for us to run wisely.
[00:53:20] Not just embrace the metaphor, life is a race, and it's hard, but run wisely.
[00:53:26] There are good and bad things that can inhibit a runner, yes?
[00:53:31] Verse one, lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.
[00:53:37] There are good things in life that can weigh us down when it comes to running the race, to living out our faith.
[00:53:47] My first year here,
[00:53:49] About 11 years ago, Alan Sledge was our music director.
[00:53:52] His son, Graham, was a runner.
[00:53:54] A couple of my daughters were runners.
[00:53:56] They encouraged us to go to Charleston to run a half marathon.
[00:53:59] It was in January, I think, 2015.
[00:54:02] A group of us went to Charleston, and we entered this half marathon, and my wife, Jody, has some relatives in Virginia.
[00:54:09] There are about a dozen of us.
[00:54:11] One of our relatives showed up, as we're about to run this race, 13 miles,
[00:54:16] and he was decked from head to toe.
[00:54:18] He had all the gear.
[00:54:21] I would guess he had probably $1,500 worth of gear.
[00:54:25] He had the hat, it was cold.
[00:54:26] He had the Oakleys.
[00:54:28] He had an armband that could tell his heart rate but it also could signal to his wife where he was on the course.
[00:54:37] He had a backpack and in the backpack was water and a hose that he could hook up.
[00:54:43] If he was thirsty, and then he had a weight belt, or not a weight belt, but a belt around his waist where he could tuck in all of his snacks around his waist.
[00:54:52] He had compression socks, he had a big, just a sturdy, spongy set of shoes.
[00:55:00] And I remember just looking at him, I have a great relationship with him, like wow.
[00:55:04] He just, you know, he was decked out, and everything on his body was good, but he was weighed down, and of all of us running, he came in last.
[00:55:15] and in fact, on mile 11, his battery ran out so his wife couldn't figure out where he was on the course any longer.
[00:55:24] We're told lay aside every weight.
[00:55:28] Run wisely.
[00:55:29] A wise runner.
[00:55:31] Have you ever seen a marathon runner with a winter coat on?
[00:55:34] Or a jacket or I mean, even they might have a little goo tucked in their pocket but they have stations where someone may hand them some water.
[00:55:41] They run lightly.
[00:55:43] It also says here to lay aside the sin that clings so closely.
[00:55:51] A wise runner doesn't cheat.
[00:55:55] Now there have been plenty of athletes that have won gold medals using performance enhancing drugs, yes, PEDs.
[00:56:02] I tell my children, you know,
[00:56:05] It's getting a lot easier to cheat in life nowadays with all the tools at their fingertips.
[00:56:10] You can probably get away from cheating.
[00:56:12] You can cut some corners.
[00:56:14] But in most cases, later on in life, it catches up to you.
[00:56:18] There are many Olympic athletes that have been stripped of their gold medals for cheating.
[00:56:24] That happens in life.
[00:56:26] So as you run the race, if you want to run well and you want to run wisely, don't weigh yourself down.
[00:56:31] Cling to things that might even be good and don't cut corners.
[00:56:36] There's a proper way to live out this race.
[00:56:40] Third point, run with perseverance.
[00:56:43] Remember, life is a marathon, not a sprint.
[00:56:46] Last week we really tackled that hard.
[00:56:48] What does it mean to endure?
[00:56:49] What does it mean to take a hyperstand?
[00:56:54] To plant your feet firm.
[00:56:55] That stick-to-it-ness.
[00:56:58] You know, when you're at mile 20 and you're pouring Gatorade on your head, don't give up.
[00:57:02] Don't throw in the towel.
[00:57:04] You might be a little delirious.
[00:57:05] Keep moving.
[00:57:06] Keep going forward.
[00:57:09] And with that perseverance, we can't do it on our own.
[00:57:12] If you're doing it in a human way, we need that supernatural.
[00:57:15] We've been given the gift of faith.
[00:57:17] Lean into that faith.
[00:57:19] At times, Lord, I can't do this on my own.
[00:57:22] I pray, help!
[00:57:25] He promised he'll never leave or forsake you.
[00:57:28] He doesn't promise you won't hit a storm, but he promises to get you through the storm.
[00:57:32] Run with perseverance.
[00:57:33] Fourthly, run with purpose.
[00:57:36] Notice it says, this is a race set before us.
[00:57:41] Run the race set before us.
[00:57:44] God's in control.
[00:57:46] There may be times where you are so frustrated or flustered or disoriented in life that you're just like, I can't make sense of this.
[00:57:54] Don't lose sight of God's calling on your life.
[00:58:00] There's purpose.
[00:58:01] One of my favorite stories in scripture, Joseph, right?
[00:58:05] The multicolored coat, we all know who Joseph is.
[00:58:07] I love how the Lord had set a course for him
[00:58:13] And part of the purpose and the plan, he was gonna be, the Lord was gonna raise him to be the number two most powerful person in all of Egypt.
[00:58:22] But he had a difficult course in front of him, yes?
[00:58:26] And there are two angles I look at Joseph's life.
[00:58:28] There's the character-building aspects to his suffering.
[00:58:30] He suffered a lot.
[00:58:33] Now part of it may have been self-inflicted.
[00:58:36] Yes, the Lord gave him these dreams, but what was his tone with the brothers?
[00:58:43] As you read the story, did the parents show any favoritism to Joseph?
[00:58:49] And if so, it says it clearly in scripture, could he have been a little bit bratty with the brothers?
[00:58:55] It doesn't justify being beat up and thrown in a pit and sold into slavery, but Joseph, if the Lord was gonna raise him to be the number two, he was gonna have to toughen up a little bit.
[00:59:11] The Lord had a plan.
[00:59:13] and some character building needed to take place.
[00:59:16] The suffering God allowed, it was harsh.
[00:59:20] So there's that aspect and there are also tests that Joseph faced that would sharpen his reliance on God.
[00:59:29] When God was gifting him when he was in prison and giving him insights where he could interpret dreams and tell, you know, the Lord was putting him in position to have influence and he was leaning into God during that time.
[00:59:43] And then there were some setbacks, right?
[00:59:45] False accusations.
[00:59:48] Joseph stayed faithful.
[00:59:51] One of my favorite verses in scripture
[00:59:56] Think of everything that Joseph endured.
[00:59:58] Think about the perseverance and endurance and having to lean into his faith, not understanding what's happening around him.
[01:00:04] Now he's number two in all of Egypt.
[01:00:06] There's famine in his homeland and his brothers who had beaten him up and sold him to slavery are now at his mercy begging for food, begging for resources.
[01:00:15] Joseph looks his brothers in the eye.
[01:00:17] At first they didn't even recognize him.
[01:00:19] He looks them in the eye and he says, quote, Genesis 50, 20, you intended to harm me.
[01:00:26] But God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
[01:00:40] Last point I want to make is this.
[01:00:43] This is the most important point of the whole passage.
[01:00:47] It's central to everything.
[01:00:49] It's this, to fix your eyes on the prize.
[01:00:53] It says here to look to Jesus.
[01:00:56] Verse 2, he's described as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
[01:01:01] Some translations say the author and perfecter.
[01:01:04] Jesus paved the way for you and me.
[01:01:08] Jesus ran the race.
[01:01:10] He endured hostility and suffering and name-calling and being spat at and beaten and hung on a cross, pinned to a cross, nailed to a cross.
[01:01:24] He ran the race.
[01:01:25] He understands our suffering.
[01:01:27] He experienced it more intensely than any of us could even imagine.
[01:01:31] And he finished the race.
[01:01:33] He conquered sin and death on our behalf.
[01:01:35] And it says here in the passage, Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
[01:01:44] He considered the joy set before him.
[01:01:47] What was joyful about this for Jesus?
[01:01:50] Oh, I can't wait to be beaten
[01:01:54] and pierced and was that the joy set before him?
[01:01:58] What was the joy?
[01:01:59] Why did he die?
[01:02:01] Well, one, he was being obedient.
[01:02:03] I love how one commentator says it.
[01:02:04] He says, in his suffering, Jesus was seeking us.
[01:02:11] He suffered so that we might be saved.
[01:02:14] And then the commentator goes on to give us this encouragement.
[01:02:20] Jesus is also saying, in your suffering, seek me.
[01:02:25] Fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith who endured the cross considering the joy set before us.
[01:02:34] We're his joy.
[01:02:39] As you suffer, fix your eyes on him.
[01:02:42] And if you can picture this, there is a cloud of witnesses that we're told, people who've gone before us and finished the race.
[01:02:48] We're not to focus on Moses or focus on Joseph or focus on any of the people that were on the list.
[01:02:55] They're cheering us on.
[01:02:58] We're to fix our eyes on Jesus.
[01:03:01] And you may be, it says, that very last portion, so that you'll not grow weary and lose heart, those terms, those phrases were used for athletes that would collapse at the finish line.
[01:03:12] And the author's saying, don't collapse at mile 20, don't collapse at mile 25,
[01:03:17] When you get to 26.2 and you cross that finish line, it's okay.
[01:03:23] Stay focused.
[01:03:24] When you collapse, what do we hope to hear?
[01:03:28] Well done, good and faithful servant.
[01:03:32] By faith, by faith, we can get there.
[01:03:38] Stay focused.
[01:03:40] We said it all right through this passage.
[01:03:42] Embrace the metaphor, run wisely, persevere, run with purpose, but most importantly, stay focused on Him.
[01:03:52] Let's close this time in prayer.
[01:03:57] Heavenly Father, there's not a single person in this room or watching in the livestream
[01:04:04] that has not faced a trial or been tempted in some way or have had moments where they felt, if we're honest with ourselves, where we felt like throwing in the towel or giving up.
[01:04:18] Whether it be on a calling vocationally or a role that we play here in life or for some in the room, maybe even their faith.
[01:04:29] Life can do a number on us.
[01:04:32] We recognize that.
[01:04:33] And Lord, I thank you for the hope.
[01:04:35] We've been talking about hope each and every week.
[01:04:37] The hope that we find in Christ, our Savior, the founder, the pioneer, the perfecter of our faith.
[01:04:44] It says, you promised us, he who began a good work will carry it on to completion till that day.
[01:04:51] So Lord, I pray for the person in this room that may just barely be clinging on.
[01:04:56] May they lean into, may they press into their faith.
[01:05:00] Lord, if need be, surround them with encouragement.
[01:05:03] We have a great cloud of witnesses, but give them that little extra that they need.
[01:05:08] May they not lose heart.
[01:05:10] May they not lose hope.
[01:05:11] May they trust in your promises.
[01:05:13] As we close this service, we express our gratitude to you and our love for you.
[01:05:19] We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
[01:05:21] Amen.
[01:06:03] As we leave, remind you the invitation for next Sunday will be a combined service here in the sanctuary.
[01:06:09] And you're all invited to come.
[01:06:12] It'll be at 1115.
[01:06:13] Afterwards, with the luncheon, I know Moses and I kind of emphasized the desserts.
[01:06:19] I think our wives would emphasize.
[01:06:20] Maybe some of you might want to bring some fruit or vegetables or things like that.
[01:06:23] But we'll be good.
[01:06:26] I think I emphasized that last week and you did this week but we'll have a presentation by our town's historian really Andy Poore a member of this church and he'll give about a 20-25 minute and then our vision team will present a vision of what was approved last Sunday by our session as we look towards the future and Liz Rader-Lamadew will be handling that portion of it so we'll have we'll break bread together we'll celebrate our past we'll look towards the future
[01:06:55] you're all invited and also I invite you if the Lord has spoken to your heart in any way this morning don't put off till tomorrow what you can get right today he loves it you know we sometimes shy from God or we hide from God you can't hide just open your heart to him as we leave this place may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God our Father may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each and every one of you now and forever amen

[01:07:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
of the Holy See, Outrageous God, Thy compassion,
[01:08:17] Faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed thy hand hath provided Great is thy will
[01:08:59] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[01:09:24] of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit,
[01:10:34] The Greatest is Thy Faithfulness Greatest is Thy Faithfulness

[01:11:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
In Jesus' name, amen.