When you got saved, when you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior,
you placed your faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that God set a race before
us.
When you got saved, God put you in a place in life where you are to run this race.
You say, what's that race?
It's our Christian life.
The Christian life is pictured here in the sense of a race, in the sense of a race that
we're running and he says that race that is set before us, all of us have a race set before
us.
But I want you to notice that it's our choice whether or not to run that race.
Look at verse 1 again, it says, what we're seeing we are all, we are compass above us
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lie aside every weight in the sin which does so
easily beset us.
Look what he says, and let us run with patience, now he says, and let us run.
See it's your choice, the apostle Paul I believe wrote the book of Hebrews and he's trying
to encourage these people, he says, look let us run, well run what?
And then he says, the race that is set before us.
And he's telling these Christians, look you got to run, and when someone tells you you
got to run, you say well run what?
And he says, well look there's a race that is set before you and it's your choice whether
or not to run that race, and he says, let us run.
He says run the race, and the sermon this morning it says, running the race that is
set before you, and I want to teach you a few things about this race, and number one
is this, we should run the race, you get a choice whether or not you want to run the
race that is set before you, but I would submit to you this morning you should run that race.
You should decide that I'm going to run the race and let us run the race that is set before
you, and you say, well why should we run the race?
Number one, because of those who are watching, because of those who are watching primarily
in heaven, we also, look what he says, are encompassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses.
What is he saying?
This is what he's saying.
He's saying you and I are encompassed about, he said we're surrounded by a great cloud
of witnesses.
He says, there are people who are watching your life and my life.
You say, who are these people?
The people we read about in Hebrews chapter 11.
Do you understand that?
Do you understand that there's people in heaven right now who are stoned, who are murdered,
who are asunder, who are persecuted, who gave up all they had, and they're in heaven right
now, and they're watching.
They are the ones in the stands watching you run your race.
And Paul says, let us run the race that is set before us.
Why?
Because there are people watching us, and those people aren't just mediocre Christians.
Those people are people like Moses and David and Paul and believers all throughout history
who gave them all up.
And these people who were souls, who were tortured, stoned, stoned asunder, these people
watching you and I complain, watching you and I say, I can't do it.
I can't go soul winning.
I'm too tired.
I'm too hungry.
I'm too whatever.
I can't make it to church.
They watch us complain.
Life is too hard.
And they're thinking to themselves, life is too hard?
Try being under her.
Try being stumped in that.
Try being beaten.
Try being cast into the light of it.
And Paul says, hey, my friend, there is a race, and you ought to run it.
Why?
Because they're watching you.
They're watching you, and they're a great cloud of witnesses.
He says, that's why you should run.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
You say, why should I run the race?
We're foreseeing we are.
We also are compass about with so great a cloud of witnesses.
Let me tell you something.
You know that you have the freedom to run a race that is set before you?
And so many of us are so lazy and so selfish and so filled with our own life, we barely
make it to church on Sunday morning and we think we've done a great work for God.
You're going to get to heaven and be ashamed.
The Bible tells us, to whom much is given, much shall be required.
You live in the freest country this world has ever known.
You've got all the rights and the liberties to read the Bible, pray, memorize, preach
the gospel, get people sick, live for God, and yet we are the laziest generation that
Christianity has ever known because we sit and complain and we say, I wish I had this
and I wish I had that.
I wish I could go here.
I wish I didn't have to deal with this struggle.
My cross is too hard to bear.
Woohoo.
Go out and live for God.
Do something.
There's a race that's set before you but it's your choice.
He said, and Paul says this, just run that race.
He says, Ron, what's stopping you?
He says, number one, because people are watching, people in heaven.
He says, for unto whom so ever much is given of him shall be much required.
So okay, I'd like to run the race, but how do I run?
How do I run?
You're there in 1 Corinthians, right?
Okay, verse 24.
Say, how do you run?
Number one, run to win.
Run to win.
Paul said, if I'm going to run the race, I'm going to run to win.
He said, athletes run to get a gold crown that is going to be corrupted.
They run to get a medal that's corrupted.
He said, we're running for an incorruptible.
You know what he's saying?
He's saying, there is a reward in heaven.
There is a reward that you get in heaven.
And he said, you can get that if you run and you win the race.
He said, Paul said, I'm going to run.
Not only because people are watching, but because I want to win
and I want to get rewarded in heaven for what I win.
Revelation chapter number 22.
Look at verse number 12.
The Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ, look what it says,
and behold, this is the Lord speaking, and behold, I come quickly.
And my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Do you see that?
Let me read that again.
He says, and behold, this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking,
and behold, I come quickly.
Look what he says, and my reward is with me.
The Bible says when Jesus Christ comes back, he's coming to reward us.
You say, how do I get that reward?
Look what he says, and my reward is with me.
Look what he says, to give every man according as his, what's that next word?
Work shall be.
Matthew chapter number 5, look at verse number 19.
Sometimes we have this idea that in heaven, we're all going to get to heaven
and we're just going to all be equal.
It's this utopia statement.
That's not, look, you know what type of government there is in heaven?
Capitalism.
Let me show you that.
Matthew 5, 19, look what it says.
Matthew 5, 19, look what the Bible says.
Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments.
He says, see, this is how Christians live their lives today.
Well, I know that this is a sin, but that's just a little, that's just the least commandment.
I'll just go ahead and do that anyway.
I'll just do it and I'll get right with God later.
Look what he says.
Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, look what it says,
and shall teach men so, look what the Bible says.
Don't miss this.
He shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.
Did you see that?
The Bible says that there are people who will be in heaven
and they're going to be called the least.
Look what it says.
But whosoever shall do and teach them.
Teach what?
The commandments.
Do what?
The commandments.
The same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Let me tell you something.
I don't want to get to heaven and be called the least.
Oh, you were the least.
I want to be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
You say, well pastor, how do I get called great in the kingdom of heaven?
Here's how you do it.
You do and you teach the commandment.
How do I get called the least in the kingdom of heaven?
You don't do and you don't teach.
And you do nothing.
You say, well, can I still be sanctified and do nothing?
Amen and amen.
I believe that.
You're not saved by your works.
You're saved by grace and by faith in Jesus Christ.
But let me tell you something.
You're going to get to heaven one day and you're going to be called the least
and people are going to look at you and say, you didn't do anything.
Man, you had every opportunity and you sat there and did nothing with your life.
If I'm going to run, I want to win.
And God imposed a crime that you may obtain.
He said, get that incorruptible crown.
He said, his reward, his wisdom, according to your works.
Hey, I don't want to be the least.
I want to be great.
I want to do great things.
I want to get to heaven and God just, you know, he said, come, you know, if you have
it, he said, well done, now good and faithful servant.
And turned to the kingdom of heaven.
That's what I want.
Is that what you want?
You want to be the least in the kingdom of heaven?
Paul said, run, run to win.
He said, run to obtain the crown.
Say, pastor, how do we run the race?
Number one, you run to win.
Number two, under that point, you run with patience.
You run with patience.
Let me tell you something.
The Christian life, I've heard this quote my entire life and I think it's a good quote.
The Christian life is not a sprint.
It is a marathon.
You say, how do we run the race that I said before?
You run it with patience.
You run it to endure.
It's an endurance run.
It's not, I got in front of everybody.
I win.
You say, no, no.
It's an endurance run.
You run with patience.
Look, you don't serve God for six months and say, I'm done.
You serve God your entire life.
You run the entire life.
You finish your life saying, I have run the race that is set before me.
It's a run of patience.
I said, number one, you ought to run the race because of those who are watching in heaven,
because of those who are watching on earth.
Number two, how do you run?
You run to win.
You run with patience.
But number three, I'd like to explain to you why we quit.
Why so many Christians don't even run.
Or they start to run and then they quit.
They give up.
You're there in Hebrews 12.
Look at verse one again.
I'd like you to see number one under why we quit, what stops us.
What stops us?
Look what it says.
Whereforeseeing, we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.
Look what it says.
Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us.
You want to know why we quit running for God?
Why we quit the race?
Here's one word, sin, because there's sin in our lives.
Paul said when you're trying to live for God and you're trying to run the race and you've
got sin in your life, he says, look, if you're going to run and you're going to succeed and
you're going to win, he says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does
so easily beset us.
That word beset means it's attacking you.
That sin is stopping you.
And he says the reason you don't run is because of sin in your life.
Every time you get the sin out of your life.
I don't know what it is.
Maybe it's the fact that you're not spiritual.
Maybe it's the fact that you watch the television.
Maybe it's the fact that you listen to the world's music.
Maybe it's the fact that you curse and swear.
Maybe it's the fact that you skip church.
I don't know what it is.
But whatever sin is in your life, it's slowing you down.
You say, I can't run like this.
Get rid of the weight.
Get rid of the pack.
Get rid of the sin in your life.
And I promise you, you'll be able to run better.
He says, how do you run?
Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us.
And that's how you're going to run.
See, I'm struggling with a certain sin.
Lay aside.
I think it's interesting.
It says, let us lay aside every weight.
The Lord says, and the sin.
He doesn't say and the sins plural.
He says, and the sin which does so easily beset us.
Study the people of God in the Bible.
You'll notice men who lived righteously, did wonderful works,
but they had a sin that beset them.
They had a sin that they were struggling with.
They had a sin that they couldn't get a picture over.
They had a sin.
Let me tell you something.
I don't know what your sin is.
I don't know what my sin is.
I won't ask you what your sin is if you don't ask me what my sin is.
But let me tell you something.
We've all got a sin that we're struggling with.
It's always tempting us.
It's always besetting us.
It's always attacking us.
It's always trying to push us out of the race.
It's always trying to kill us out of the run.
And let me tell you something.
If you're going to run the race, you're going to run it by laying aside the sin.
You're going to get rid of that sin.
You're going to identify that sin and fight and get rid of it and lay it aside.
You're trying to run with a big weight on your back.
Say, I can't run.
Yeah, because of the sin in your life.
That's why we quit.
I said, number one, what stops you from sinning in your life?
But number two, not just what stops you, but who stops you?
Galatians 5, 7.
Look what the Bible says.
In Galatians 5, 7.
Notice how this is a constant theme throughout the scriptures.
Look what he says.
The apostle Paul is speaking to the church of Galatia.
Look what he says.
He says, she did run well.
Notice that.
He says, man, you are running and you're running well.
But then notice what he says.
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?
So why don't we quit faster?
Number one, what stops us?
The sin that does so easily miss out on us.
But number two, who stops us?
You know what our problem is with Christians?
We let people stop us from running the race.
We get upset at people.
So-and-so ruined my life.
So-and-so did this to me and so-and-so did that to me.
Let me tell you something.
If you stop running, it's because you allowed it.
Notice that.
He didn't say, he said, he did run well.
He said, who did hinder you?
He said, who's stopping you?
Who are you using as an excuse to say, I can't run anymore.
I can't run because of my wife.
I can't run because of my husband.
I can't run because of my kids.
Look, you can run.
But who are you allowing to stop?
He says, who's stopping you?
He did run well.
Who did hinder you?
The word hinder there means to delay.
It means to interrupt.
It means to prevent.
Sometimes in our lives, we've got to realize,
who are the people who are often trying to interrupt our run,
who are often trying to delay our run,
who are often trying to stop our run and identify that person?
And we've got to just separate.
See, we've got this idea, you know,
I don't want to be the least in the kingdom of heaven, yes,
but you know who's the only person that's going to cause you
to be the greatest or the least?
You know who you're running against?
Yourself.
You say, who am I running against?
Your flesh.
It's a race.
You know how you win a race?
You get there first.
But I'm not trying to get there before you,
and you don't need to try to get there before me.
Very Baptist Church is not running a race against the church
down the street or the church across town.
We're running against ourselves.
The spiritual man versus the carnal man,
the spirit-filled man versus the flesh man,
and the only person who's going to stop you and hinder you
is yourself.
Let me tell you something.
The secret to running the spiritual race
is the same as the secret to running a physical race
is self-control.
It's deciding, I'm going to go soul-running
even when it's going outside, even when it's raining outside,
even when I don't want to, even when I'm embarrassed
or stutter or whatever.
It's saying, I'm going to kill and read my Bible.
Even when I don't want to, it's saying,
I'm going to kill and pray and be in church
and be a soul-runner and live for God and do right.
Amen.
Do right.
Amen.
When the flesh is beaten.
Number five, finish the race.
Finish the race.
You know we all have a cross to carry?
You know why so many of us complain
about the cross in our lives?
Look, we all have a different cross.
But you know something?
You just got to decide.
You just got to realize this is the lot God has for my life.
This is the cross that He has given me.
This is my life.
This is my race.
This is my course.
And it might be different than theirs.
It may be different than yours.
But the way I'm going to run it is this.
And not in my flesh.
And say, you know what?
I'm going to be self-disciplined.
Yeah, maybe we'll have to get up at 5 30 in the morning.
But you know, a few hours before I go to work
just to be able to study for a sermon.
Or maybe I do have to go soul winning
when everybody else is at home with their parents.
Maybe I do have to stay up late.
And maybe my family can't spend as much time with me
or my life as much time with me.
But hey, that's the cross He's given me
and God's given you a cross.
God's given you a fight.
God's given you maybe it's your marriage.
Maybe it's your kids.
Maybe it's your finance.
Maybe it's whatever.
Maybe it's your parents.
Maybe it's your religion.
But there is a cross to carry.
And the only way you'll carry that cross is to say
deny your flesh.
You're temperate in all things.
You run your race.
The race that is set before you.
I don't want to be the guy that Paul says,
man, you know, I don't want to get to heaven
and have the apostle Paul say,
please come over here.
Yes, sir.
Man, ye did run well.
Who did hate you?
That's not who I want to be.
I don't want to have Jesus Christ say to me,
man, ye did run well.
What happened?
Man, you really got on that soul wedding for three weeks.
Man, you really, man, you got on that Bible reading,
man, you read up to Genesis 5.
What happened?
Hey, ye did run well.
Look at Galatians chapter number 2.
We're almost done.
Galatians chapter number 2.
You know that I've got to say we're almost done
at least six times before we're actually almost done.
I think that was the first time.
Galatians chapter number 2.
You're slowing me down.
Look at this.
Galatians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 2.
Galatians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 2.
Galatians 2, 2.
Look at what the Bible says.
And I went up my revelation
and communicated unto them that gospel
which I preached among the Gentiles,
but privately to them which were of reputation.
Look what he says.
Lest by any means I should run.
Look what he says.
Lest by any means I should run
or had run, past tense.
Look what he says, in vain.
Did you see that?
Galatians, go with me.
Past the book of Ephesians 2,
Philippians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 16.
Philippians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 16.
Philippians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 16.
Look what it says.
Philippians 2, 16.
The Bible says holding forth the words of life
that I may rejoice in the day of Christ
that I have not run.
Look what it says.
In vain, neither labored in vain.
In Galatians 2, 2 and in Philippians 2, 16.
The Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
and God tells us that there are those
who will run in vain.
You say what does that word vain mean?
That word vain there means ineffectual.
It means without significance.
It means worthless.
The Bible says you can run your race
and have it be in vain.
Have it be worthless.
You say what are you talking about?
You know you can run and run and run and run.
One sin, one choice, one mistake,
one whatever you want to call it,
one wrong action could cause you to have run in vain.
Let me tell you something.
You got to be very careful how you live your life.
Because you can be running that race,
running that race, running that race,
running in vain.
Let me tell you something.
Mom and dad, you raise those kids
and you can have Bible time all you want.
You can bring them to church all you want.
You can talk about God all you want.
You can do whatever you want.
And one sin, one wrong word, one wrong action,
one thing you do in your life and your kids will say,
I knew that was never real.
I knew that was never true.
I knew that didn't mean it.
I knew mom didn't mean it.
And you say, but I did all this wonderful thing.
Yeah, but you ran in vain.
It was worthless.
Let me tell you something, kids.
You say, man, you know, T.H. Rose,
man, I was always so pure.
I didn't run out of guys.
I ran just this one time.
And you're pregnant.
You say, well, that's not fair.
That's how it goes, my friend.
Don't run in vain.
Don't throw it away.
I remember, I remember we would be running around
and sometimes there were some guys
who were so loud as shit.
I don't know if you've ever, you know,
like worked out a lot and then you went like months
without working out and then you just tried
to get back into it.
One of the main things that happens to people
is that they throw up.
I don't know why it is.
It's just how it works.
You know, if you haven't ran all year,
you start trying to run, you'll like,
you'll throw up oftentimes.
There'd be guys, and they would tell them like,
if you got to throw up,
get right on the edge of that track and throw up,
but don't get off the track.
Or else it's all in vain.
Don't run.
You're a race in vain.
Second Timothy 4.7.
This is the Apostle Paul speaking, famous words.
Look at verse 6.
He said, for I am now ready to be offered
and the time of my departure is at hand.
He says, look, I'm getting ready to die.
He says, I have fought a good fight.
And he said, not only that, I finished my course.
He said, I have kept the faith,
but I love those words.
He said, I finished my course.
He said, when I got saved,
God placed a race in front of me
and I chose to run that race.
And he said, sometimes I was running,
sometimes I was walking,
sometimes I was starting to live on your spiritual run.
You may be on the side
and you're so spiritually unhealthy,
you're on your side and you're throwing up.
He said, I can't do it.
Walk if you're going to walk, crawl if you're going to crawl,
but make it to that finish line.
Don't quit.
Don't get off the track
because as soon as your foot steps off that track,
you're done.
He said, when am I done?
When you choose to win.
Paul said, I have fought a good fight.
And he said, I finished my course.
He said, I may have not done it as fast as so and so
and I may have done it as well so and so,
but I got to my finish line.
He said, I finished my course, I kept the faith.
Look what he says, verse 8.
Notice how consistent the Bible is.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day.
But notice, Paul won now, so now none of us can win.
Look what he says.
And not to me only, but unto all them also that love his spirit.
You know the race that we're running,
you can win it and I can win it, we can all win it.
Because we're not running against each other,
we're running against ourselves.
He says, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
but he says, not for me only.
You can have it, you can have it, you can have it,
my kids can have it, my grandkids can have it,
we can all have it.
But you got to run, you got to run.
And you got to run and not quit.
And you got to get the sin out of you.
And you got to stop letting people hinder you,
stop letting people bother you,
stop letting people be such a drag on your life.
You just got to say, I'm going to do this,
I'm running for the Lord Jesus Christ,
and I'm going to get to the end of my course.
I'm going to get to that finish line.
And like the apostle Paul, I would love on my deathbed to be able to say,
I fought a good fight and I finished my course.
Maybe I didn't run it very fast and maybe I didn't ride very consistently
and maybe there was time for it to stop and throw up a little bit
and stop and drag a little bit and stop and quack a little bit.
Maybe there was times when I just made it on my hands and knees,
but I got to the end.
That's your life, my friend.
That's your life.
Finish the course and it's set before you.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Lord, we love you so much, thank you for our church.
And Lord, I just ask that you would allow all of us to
be able to get to the end of our lives and say,
I see the finish line.
I see it coming.
I'm just going to make it to the end.
Lord, unfortunately there's so many of us who aren't even trying.
And the sad thing is we don't even care.
That verse in the bulletin this morning,
Our life is bloody and vapour,
It appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
It's so sad that we'd be so caught up with the few years we live on earth.
We're so busy in our minds to serve God,
and we're going to spend eternity with no rewards,
being the least in the kingdom of heaven.
Father, you know I love these people.
You know I love the church you've given us.
But I pray your Holy Spirit would encourage us to get motivated
and say, man, I'm going to run that race.
I'm going to get in that fight.
I'm going to finish my course.
I'm not just going to be one of these lazy Christians who doesn't do anything.
But I want to run the race that is set before us
so that I can get to heaven and I can have war stories too.
I can get to heaven and I can say, hey, let me tell you about the cross that I have to carry.
Father, I pray your word would do a work in our midst.
In your precious name I pray. Amen.