The Sermon Go For The Gold by David McGee
Feb 23, 2014
Go For The Gold (43:40)
Referenced Scriptures: Acts 17:24-29;1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 5:7-10; Hebrews 12: 1-3
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Acts 17:24-29
24) The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands,
25) neither is he served by men‘s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
26) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation,
27) that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28) ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.‘ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.‘
29) Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and device of man.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24) Don‘t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
25) Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
26) I therefore run like that, as not uncertainly. I fight like that, as not beating the air,
27) but I beat my body and bring it into submission, for fear that by any means, that after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
Galatians 5:7-10
7) You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth?
8) This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
9) A little yeast grows through the whole lump.
10) I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
Hebrews 12
1) Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2) looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3) For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don‘t grow weary, fainting in your souls.
4) You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin;
5) and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with sons, "My son, don‘t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6) For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, And scourges every son whom he receives."
7) It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom his father doesn‘t discipline?
8) But if you are without discipline, whereof all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not sons.
9) Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
10) For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
11) All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.
12) Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees,
13) and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
15) looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled;
16) lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, as Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.
17) For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.
18) For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, tempest,
19) the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which those who heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken to them,
20) for they could not stand that which was enjoined, "If even a animal touch the mountain, it will be stoned;"
21) and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, "I am terrified and trembling."
22) But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels,
23) to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24) to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.
25) See that you don‘t refuse him who speaks. For if they didn‘t escape when they refused him who warned on the Earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven,
26) whose voice shook the earth, then, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once more will I shake not only the earth, but also the heavens."
27) This phrase, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.
28) Therefore, receiving a kingdom that can‘t be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well pleasing to God, with reverence and awe,
29) for our God is a consuming fire.
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So welcome to watch the Olympics and died going for the gold. The identical thing going for the gold seems like John. It is this one after another the racers and and things like that. So I started looking up maybe a little history on it now in the Scriptures. We talk about today. They had games they want the Olympics, but their games in ancient times, and Paul are writes about the games in which people would run for a raise, and they would do it to win a race of the together of vines and so on, that they were put on their heads and they were crowned with that reef, the para that would eventually perish and go away while Paul writes about that. It gives analogy of itself that pop into it, so can I sell the first Olympics that we have modern Olympics was in eighteen ninety six, and there were nine events where they were the Summer Olympics and then of course the next Summer Olympics aren't two thousand sixteen in Rio, Brazil, and there are twenty eight events and bad Olympics, the Winter Olympics. How many events you think there are in the winter Olympics on the events. The idea lots of ninety eight ninety eight events and fifteen, winter sports, so their fifteen winter sports. There's ninety eight event and twelve are gender related just for ladies and as for men, and they said that the Sochi Sochi Olympics cost between fifty and fifty one billion dollars most the most expensive Olympic Games ever put on some of the cost, then now that's just for building the city and building the arenas and in all the things to build a house. The Olympics of being able to build those bobsled runs in everything. Those are all refrigerated by the way, now the bobsled runs. Those are all refrigerator is like a double refrigerator GE ice and things up on the slopes and so on. So you put together the fifty one billion and then you think about each nation and how that they have to train their participants are run business cousins son about that cousin 's son and his wife worked at the Olympic training Center in the Colorado Springs and we happen to be there for years ago were able to go into the training facility for the the Summer Olympics with a use for training there and it was quite interesting. The gymnasiums at all the things they have in place and how that they yell them big cushions and out like when I grew up into all the slips and so on a compound on the snow. They don't start out that way. They start out with the flip landing in water. Our landing in big rubber cushions that you are you out there, you fall into their minutes. No slight of fallen into a big Styrofoam Styrofoam of foam mattress, but it's about ten feet deep that all these so they did, you fall into while he so you have the cost data building the facilities on many how many individuals are responsible for training. These these Olympians and how much do you know providing for the uplink of Olympian, so that they can compete and this all goes on for four years so that they can come together for this short period of time to put together gold-medal count and the great thing is behind the dollars and behind the publicity you behind the hype behind the nations in it all the stop of people pushing and buying for who is the greatest band, nation, and who can put together the best athlete behind at all that are individuals and one of the individuals that was brought up during this week was Alex O'Dea, Eileen, it's the ILO, the EAN. He's a freestyle skier and he does the half pipe. I wanted to do see this will interview that went on for him and I is a you need a you a you so if the very beginning. Mary has with his brother and his brother is a mentally challenged physically challenged individual. And he says that his brother is his inspiration and then you have the last thing he said the final race is the most important thing you got to put together you spend four years of getting up and getting out and doing the work do you know working out in planning in your own duck as you can't spend four years on the snow lets you go to South America and when our son was racing. There were a number of kids that would go to South America during the wintertime, or they would go glacier skiing up in Canada in the summertime in order to get a head start on being able to be ready for the fall and for the winter and for the training and for the skiing events were coming because you have only a certain period of time to put together two runs, two races. The output three races together, which are two runs complete them, and then beat everybody else and have enough points or low enough points to be able to go the Junior Olympics and then from there you went on to New Hampshire, Vermont and Lake Placid. All those places to compete against the northern skiers and they called our area, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, the banana belt because Yahweh were the southern part of the skiing franchise. The skiing market and you would see against the individuals who were living on the mountains and intense. They went there and stayed all summer with this all winter and did the skiing camps traveled to different races and different mountains all over the England and then they would qualify the banana belt would qualify you go up to one of these places and you'll have your race, and of course the Eastern skiers were never any good compared to the Western skiers and urges all this competition going on and then the United States fears were never as good as the Europeans here for the human race we get out in the human race, the human race is us and we compete against each other as to who is superior. You ever wonder about that the human race. Why is it that we look at our life and we see it as a race. It's a race to the finish. It's the that we are involved in and they are Michael have given Michael Jackson has a Chucky cheese. No, I said what were going to go see the rat and that's what the rat in them, but it has as little Chucky cheese. He goes. It's easy very excited about that going there, but we see that we are involved in this race, and Paul uses this whole idea of a race in his writings and the first Scripture that I want to look at is in first Corinthians chapter nine and beginning in verse twenty four. He says you've all been to the stadium and see the athletes race, so it was very, was very common for there to be races at that time. And which they would all go to the Coliseum 's, and the Roman Coliseum. They would use them for many different events, some for racing some for feeding Christians to lions. Later on what they will go to the Coliseum and they were all very aware of the race of the athletes and how that they would compete against each other in an village and town would compete against other than found, and they would send their best athletes to the race, and Paul begins by saying you've all been to the Stadium and seen the athletic race. Everyone runs, one wins, how many thousands of people did you watch the opening night of the Olympics. How many thousands of competitors come there and there are only ninety eight gold medals from what I can figure out their ninety eight gold medals to be divided amongst all of those thousands of competitors, only one has been went only one is going to win their events and all God athletes. Then he says train heart and they do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and phase your after one that's gold eternal soul he began to tell the people begin to have the people understand that that the race that we are in and our faith is a very important race. Everybody runs the race, but only one wins. Now we think about that. I say well if were all in the race to get the heaven and only one of us gets in. That's not that that is the work, but that's not what he means that in the athletic arena, you competing even taken you have one winner Super Bowl football one winner we wanted. We compete in our life. We are competing, we are in a race for our life for our souls, and we want to reach heaven and weeds. One win, so I don't know about you, Paul says in verse twenty six and twenty seven eight. This is know about you but I'm running hard, so Paul says that this race that I'm involved in is one that is difficult. It's a hard race that's a hard race is a difficult race anybody ever find difficulties in life is a enzyme life a little hard for him is a hard race. Why, because grand a human race, and we are competing against all the things in overlooking our society and were competing against our society competing is learned there and campaign against people at work and at home in the knowledge versus competition mode. The top. There can never some people don't compete and they just got a set by the sidelines and complain the noncompete is either I think the complainers. Because they got cheated out of their life. They get cheated out of things and in and out, sometimes people just very frustrated in the race, and they withdraw. Sometimes the race is just so overwhelming they can handle it anymore and they back off. There are many reasons why people who dropout of the race and not being critical of that desk that want for the grace of God that could happen to us as though you see that there are many avenues at Colorado life in many avenues of approach our life. And Paul says that he likens it to a race and you see David here is in his race bobbing picking picnic fathers and Israelis. Cliff is in his ranks. The username and say you're in a race that we are a general race race of life. And here we are is there a surprise. There was a prize for our race that is greater than goal is called eternal life and eternal life that we receive a walk on streets of gold, but we've got to get there first. So we've got to run this race now let's get that. Let's get some of the ground rules in place here as we begin our look at this race also that I know about you but I'm running heart for the finish line. I want my life to finish a lot of face the course of our race. The event I'm giving it everything I've got no sloppy living for me. If there is no it you you read the about the lifters and runners and everything. What the colleagues and all this everything in the deal. The discipline that they go through there. The exercise programs. The amount of running that they do and how they run. I made us just if that is an ongoing everyday thing. Now people who play football if there was a football season 's over, but the great athletes in those professions are never over there never up the season never ends. They take a break. They take a week off but when it's over they figure when the week is up, they started began preparing for the next season, so there's no sloppy living. Paul says I'm staying alert and in top condition. The spiritual life is arranged and the spiritual top condition is that we need to be reading our Bible. We need to pray. We need to be in church. We need to be part of the body of Christ. We need to participate in it. We need to be in top condition so that we don't fail in reaching the finish line. You see, I'm not going to get caught mapping Paul says, telling everyone else all about getting into heaven and missing out myself. I'm not good condition. Other people London's find myself slacking off. So in this section. Paul talks about. We've all been to the stadium. We all know what happens in the race know what you take into consideration your life and your race of faith and Paul continues to the church at Galatians achalasia and his chapter five verses seven through ten, he says, and that to the Galatians, you are running superbly to cut it on you who cut you off your wide and watch of this year, but when the they did the speed track you know that oval and they have these racers running an hour and there's like five or six of them, and there are not five or six eight. I think there are and they are going around the track and they're going fast and always try to cut each other off, Melissa, because one off. You see the wall, fly wild and crashed into the side and other who cut you off while here Paul is saying that you're running the race is somebody stepped in front of you. Something stepped in front of you who cut you off it running so well will cut you off deflecting you from the true course of obedience in our obedience to God. Sometimes we get cut off someone cuts you off deflecting you from the true course that it are alive. We have somebody, the evil one. Not necessarily people but evil. Once the cut you off, cut in on you racing as well as disguising racetrack. No, they always, they always turned what will you do always similar to those those races are always the laughter going around the track is always the last and I like that the sum of those advertisements and have a guy whose rates are pulled up to the stop sign, he goes left and he goes up the next+ Eagles lacked enough to know I will go a making of making fun of it, but now and then you have these races in a nature rat in how they get behind the car and the car in front is opening up the wind so that the car behind it can push to get there and suddenly pump on the gapless on the gas and take him around they can make in the was a lot called when you're in the last one in the room. The blue line sling shot, they can slingshot themselves around and cut the other person off well deflecting you from the true course. Paul talks about that this did tour doesn't come from the one who called you into the race in the first place. When something in your life at you off don't think God is the author of don't blame God for being cut off in your life in the pursuit in your and your and of doing things. I have Jerry now that is a lot of practice sharing. I never knew that competitive cheering now Jack went to a basketball game project. The best ballgame Friday night and he was kind of scared of all the yelling because he's used to blanket cheering contest your day goes with his mom and sister and I got it sharing contacts. I still haven't got the idea that you travel, five and six hours for men and a half. It just doesn't make sense now that you all learn at your travel six hours velocity, then order Florida. They go to for the contest and you're out there and you perform for a minute and I drove fourteen hours thousand mile to watch somebody perform for a minute and a half human, no, maybe three okay, never three minutes got a three-minute routine well. Paul is saying here is something happen. Somebody got it all in the rotation are so many things going on at the same time you got a be watching everything because the team is working together, the body of Christ. There's a lot of things going on in each of our lives and enjoying that whole process, we see that in our own lives, something can cut us off. It doesn't come from God. This cut off and please don't toss this off as insignificant, though, say, you know what they cut me off. Doesn't matter that have dumped all the ski racer, I would listen, this had to be the most disheartening ski race that I ever remember. Visit the Olympics. I wasn't there, of course, but the guy is standing in the gate, you know, they've got that little blonde in front of his of his boots and now they put the pulls off front, and you got a safe time to go. You've got like five seconds to make up your mind to get out of the gate. While everything but planter polls, they can't arise up and shoot themselves out in the guide drives up and shot himself out in his boot become disengaged from his ski itself for years of training argon because the boots become became dislodged from the ski binding the it's almost impossible for that to happen. When on the skis they have what they call a din setting my again setting was for six catlike and advanced skier David Michaels was fourteen and then setting was twelve and fourteen. That was for racing and you know that a twelve and fourteen. His scheme was still come off of his boot. How much pressure. How much force is there and you tell me that in this race that we are placed all tosses off as insignificant. Can you imagine coming down the hill and those downhill races. I I still picture when I'm taking a picture of David, I'm filming him at the bottom of waiting for them to come around my cameras go like this. It wasn't because I was cold. It wasn't because I was always because I was nervous. Is he going to come, you should be coming soon. I've got to get on my hands are shaking. Because Gary's coming down the hill at sixty eighty miles an hour in the downhill and at one time I was stupid enough to ask Mister David, what's it like to fall in the downhill. His response was, well, if you ever think of jumping out of a car at sixty miles an hour, did you think of jumping out of a car at sixty miles an hour while these individuals that you see fall were in the racing was going on, even in the slalom and giant slalom in the downhill thumbnails, about eighty miles an hour Jimmy figure jumping out of car at eighty miles an hour with a suit on that has no resistance is not going to slow you the fact is the speed you up well when you archive off off in interrupted in your course something you catch a ten spins you around. If you are right, it falls over some things going to come into your life and cut you off. No race is going to be perfect. No one raised to two runs make one race no race is going to be perfect you are going to be cut off and please don't toss on this off as insignificant when you are doing your race, and it fails. It's not an insignificant loss is important to you. Therefore, it is important and it only takes a minute excuse me, and only takes in my not a minute amount of yeast to permeate an entire loaf of bread. He jumps from the racing illustrations of the banking illustration. Instead, we put a little yeast in the in the Dell what happens. All thing blows up under you. I never understood that his kid mom and make bread and to put in this pigpen and she had a little bit of bread there in the middle the pants. He recovered up with our special blanket or special cloth and you would come back and nothing would be blowing up over the edges will happen. There must be some cloth and I realize there was something in the yeast. Yeast in the bread and muffin she'd push it down no and put the clock over again move at the magic cloth you can tell I've been sleeping under one that is a magic law is what's wrong we had change that blanket that I've been using no, no, but I get up a letter that I like and I will be so big and you don't get the the sermons anywhere you know now, though males understand that clock the covers of these nine well Paul goes on to the minute amount of yeast you know to permeate the entire loaf. Deep down the master has given me confidence that you will not defect the Galatians were having problems in their faith. They were running the race superbly somebody cut them off and he says, deep down inside I know God is going to keep you on course. Don't give up because somebody cut you off. Don't sweat because you got cut off in your race, but the one who is upsetting you, whoever it is will bear the divine judgment when somebody intentionally tries to take you off course take you out. Don't be caught up with them because up with the finish line. Continue your race. Let them stand before God for their actions. Hebrews chapter twelve, anonymous. One part. The first one, one two three four ha ha. Jackson was eating on her table and there was jolly on the table in my notes run the jelly in the jelly caused them to stick together and so page one and page three stuck together as it is missing the let anybody get you off course not even jelling you see how things can interrupt you see how life can take its ins and outs, and pages to be stuck together and you miss the entire start I was wondering why this text was it was stuck to the backside of another one. So, in acts chapter seventeen, the God who made the world and everything in it, the master of the sky and land doesn't live in custom-made shrines would need a human race to run errands for him. The God who made us spoke us into existence, and he doesn't want us to run errands for him. They are not in the race so that we can make God happy. We are in the race because God wants to bless us with the effort and with Alcala God can make a difference in our life. And that's what this all is all about. He makes his creatures. The creatures don't make him what we do is not to make God happy if I lose God is unhappy and he punishes what it does not. It is all we are in a race because God has a way of blessing us in the race as we saw these other scriptures that sometimes things are going to happen to cut us off. Sometimes they do not happen to us and were not seemingly not going to make the finish line, but that's not the problem. The problem is not falling down. The problem is getting up that we got a finish the race. We've got to finish the race. And because we fall down on one run doesn't mean the race is over because we make a mistake doesn't mean it's over. It means that we have to learn from these things ago on this date. We are part of the human race. God made us and he made the place were inhospitable. We can live here and he this with plenty of time and space to live so we could see after God, and not just grope around in the dark, but that we might find him. We are in a race where the course is set, lights are on, we can see where were going, and that were not groping what does God really want he wants us to love him and love others in a Sunday school lesson. We talked about the power speech. What do we create with our words, what are we creating with our words and our attitude. So as we are in this race. And when somebody cuts us off. There are a few choice words that we could say about this incident and the situation, but the choice words that God wants us to have on the words that we will finish. We will make a difference, and God will give us crowd crown of righteousness when we reach heaven. And we will walk on the streets of gold, not just where one around our neck. So you see there is something before us, God is not remote. He is near us. We live and move and handling. We can't get away from him. One of your policy says we are aware that God created. So we walk around with our song and I had you not I I like how the athletes. I used a page already off with a wire like I'll be the athletes they put their earplugs in, and sometimes it's not only your place for athletes. It's kids walking people than that the kids wanting down and straightening out the earplugs. Then you talk to them and there are people ride nearby soon, doing everything that are in training, and may listen to certain songs. It's in their head. The song that should be in our hands. We are created, God has a path plan purpose for us. We may get cut off. We may fall down. We made whatever, but we're getting it back up and require run again. The gold medal that was one for the slalom was an eighteen -year-old it was kind of ironic, the oldest woman the oldest woman in this race was in first place and the youngest woman from the US was going to run was going to race, she was eighteen and coming down the racecourse. You saw the race. She flies up in the air and one ski is here. Once these of about a peer. She'd gotten off, but she come right back onto finish the race in one, the youngest person in the race. Eighteen was in first place. The oldest part B oldest woman in the race. Thirty five was in second place. You see, it isn't about our age. It's about what we have in her head. There are heart and how many times that thirty five -year-old fail. Connelly times that she fail yell I can still see David the times no coming off the hill, and their seven Springs and there is a second tier and I saw him do some things on skis that you just would never imagine. I mean he was. He didn't finish the race. He was over flipping slips enough to get out this tip got caught in a gate. You know those polls. One went on the inside and one went straight and they turned around and you're going backwards down a hill and inure on the your head toppling over and about two or three times in the policies and designer finishes like people thought he was dead and I thought he was hurt, but carrying them off all my gosh, these being away why do I do this were in a race on a time to default on a times we have to fall one coach that I never remember I never forget this. He always said how many miles are under your skis how many miles are under your skis. The more miles under your skis. The better your race. In how many practices for cheerleading haole practices. How may times you have to do this, but how many times you have to do this on a times you have to go through the plays for football on a time to go through the place for basketball and as they were saying when whenever you learn how many miles. How may times are coming minutes on the court. How many minutes on the track how many miles on the skis. It's that type of thing and then in Hebrews chapter twelve don't do say what this means all these pioneers who blazed the way all these veterans cheering us on and are alive. We have a great crowd of witnesses in heaven in the book in the Scriptures, you can do this, you can make the matter, who cut you off your end. This the finish were interest to finish the race. It means would be better to get on with it. Hebrews we be better to get on with it stripped down and start running and never quit for the writer to the Hebrews is saying stripped down, get off those weights. Both things though census of you Lisa called in the parasitic sins. The parasitic sand or parasite is. It's one of those blogs that gets on you and drains everything out of you. I think the grossest one is that the bleach. Bleach the least of which is been there and whenever any, to swell small lock panel one with what your own blog. It just leeches. It is swelled up and takes take the life right out of you and you put enough of ammonia, you're in trouble. They don't get them off. Well, parasite, parasitic sins are the things that he will latest. I hang around this guy hang around. They survive off of your blog, but the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and you know what the parasites of sin can take the blood of Jesus in the parasites of sin. When the blood of Jesus Christ that flows through loss touches our life cleanses us when those parasites of said sock on that. It tells them that tells them they cannot have. They cannot survive in the environment because of the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sins. So when the parasites are there, the writer to the Hebrews says keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the one who trains us. He is the one who encourages us. He is the one who gives us strength to finish the course keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the author. He is the finisher of our faith. Keep your eyes on him. He finished this course. He kept the faith they sought through to completion. You see story of how he did it study how he didn't read the words. Read about his encounters with people who constantly trying to cut them off trying to get him off course. See how he did it because he never lost sight of where he was headed down a exhilarating finish in and with God, keep on going because is accelerating fetish. That is a time of orbital walked into eternity and all cried out is going to break into excitement damage here never thought you'd make it, but dammit, it's here now, when the Russian was a trial biathlon guy with the shooting in the running. He won he broke into the course broke into the arena Coldplay 's Iraq, the very man was coming in first. Every person who breaks into the finish line of heaven. There's a great exhilarating welcome from the angels of heaven, and Jesus Christ himself. You finished your course your home for eternity. How did he do it study and study how he did it because he never lost sight of where he was headed. He could put up with anything along the way across the shame whatever he would not give in it would not give up. He knew where he was headed and now he's there in the place of honor alongside right alongside God, and when you find yourself flagging in your faith. I like the look that one up, sliding in your faith for those who are racecar fans. They flagged call you off the course when you're finding in your faith when you're ready to throw in the tile. That's the boxer when you are flagging in your faith saves time to get off the lot and it are in italics over when you're flagging in your faith go over that story again. The story of Jesus when you are flagging in your face and thinking it's time to give up somebody's touch aloft, you've caught a tip in the in the are your skating and in the gate in your one leg goes one way and younger girls often assigning or tumbling down the hill and you're ready to quit in your setting there with your head in your hands and saying how polite than that was only a fraction of an inch in the race was over. When you're flagging in your faith go over the story again, item by item that long litany of hostility that Jesus plowed through that when you see what Jesus did how we did it for you that will shoot adrenaline into your soul and you know what I can do this. I can make it to the finish line, but you know what our finish line isn't today or tomorrow or next week. We don't know when you're going to get to heaven, but we want to finish this hour, we want to finish this day we want to finish this moment in our life when our eyes focused on Jesus and the parasites of saline are going to drop off because the blood of Jesus Christ. Those through your veins and when the King of kings and Lord of lords is alive in us. It gives us strength for our day encouragement for our course and were not a flag in our faith were to make a man] whether if we are going to make it where trouble. That's the way are very excited, but you see we are excited in our soul and in our hearts were going to make it. Amen. Let's spend enough where to complete the course and his father, thank you for your strength and your word encouragement of your word. I'll let you work with us, walk with us, teach us argue our encouragement that we have the end in sight. Heaven is our home. You are there to give us the strength for our day as your day is so show your strength be your word of God is there to encourage us in our faith, and we are glad we rejoice in God our Savior, who makes a way for us where there is no way thank you Jesus for hearing our prayer. You're always with us every step of the way and then a man no further goalSo welcome to watch the Olympics and died going for the gold. The identical thing going for the gold seems like John. It is this one after another the racers and and things like that. So I started looking up maybe a little history on it now in the Scriptures. We talk about today. They had games they want the Olympics, but their games in ancient times, and Paul are writes about the games in which people would run for a raise, and they would do it to win a race of the together of vines and so on, that they were put on their heads and they were crowned with that reef, the para that would eventually perish and go away while Paul writes about that. It gives analogy of itself that pop into it, so can I sell the first Olympics that we have modern Olympics was in eighteen ninety six, and there were nine events where they were the Summer Olympics and then of course the next Summer Olympics aren't two thousand sixteen in Rio, Brazil, and there are twenty eight events and bad Olympics, the Winter Olympics. How many events you think there are in the winter Olympics on the events. The idea lots of ninety eight ninety eight events and fifteen, winter sports, so their fifteen winter sports. There's ninety eight event and twelve are gender related just for ladies and as for men, and they said that the Sochi Sochi Olympics cost between fifty and fifty one billion dollars most the most expensive Olympic Games ever put on some of the cost, then now that's just for building the city and building the arenas and in all the things to build a house. The Olympics of being able to build those bobsled runs in everything. Those are all refrigerated by the way, now the bobsled runs. Those are all refrigerator is like a double refrigerator GE ice and things up on the slopes and so on. So you put together the fifty one billion and then you think about each nation and how that they have to train their participants are run business cousins son about that cousin 's son and his wife worked at the Olympic training Center in the Colorado Springs and we happen to be there for years ago were able to go into the training facility for the the Summer Olympics with a use for training there and it was quite interesting. The gymnasiums at all the things they have in place and how that they yell them big cushions and out like when I grew up into all the slips and so on a compound on the snow. They don't start out that way. They start out with the flip landing in water. Our landing in big rubber cushions that you are you out there, you fall into their minutes. No slight of fallen into a big Styrofoam Styrofoam of foam mattress, but it's about ten feet deep that all these so they did, you fall into while he so you have the cost data building the facilities on many how many individuals are responsible for training. These these Olympians and how much do you know providing for the uplink of Olympian, so that they can compete and this all goes on for four years so that they can come together for this short period of time to put together gold-medal count and the great thing is behind the dollars and behind the publicity you behind the hype behind the nations in it all the stop of people pushing and buying for who is the greatest band, nation, and who can put together the best athlete behind at all that are individuals and one of the individuals that was brought up during this week was Alex O'Dea, Eileen, it's the ILO, the EAN. He's a freestyle skier and he does the half pipe. I wanted to do see this will interview that went on for him and I is a you need a you a you so if the very beginning. Mary has with his brother and his brother is a mentally challenged physically challenged individual. And he says that his brother is his inspiration and then you have the last thing he said the final race is the most important thing you got to put together you spend four years of getting up and getting out and doing the work do you know working out in planning in your own duck as you can't spend four years on the snow lets you go to South America and when our son was racing. There were a number of kids that would go to South America during the wintertime, or they would go glacier skiing up in Canada in the summertime in order to get a head start on being able to be ready for the fall and for the winter and for the training and for the skiing events were coming because you have only a certain period of time to put together two runs, two races. The output three races together, which are two runs complete them, and then beat everybody else and have enough points or low enough points to be able to go the Junior Olympics and then from there you went on to New Hampshire, Vermont and Lake Placid. All those places to compete against the northern skiers and they called our area, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, the banana belt because Yahweh were the southern part of the skiing franchise. The skiing market and you would see against the individuals who were living on the mountains and intense. They went there and stayed all summer with this all winter and did the skiing camps traveled to different races and different mountains all over the England and then they would qualify the banana belt would qualify you go up to one of these places and you'll have your race, and of course the Eastern skiers were never any good compared to the Western skiers and urges all this competition going on and then the United States fears were never as good as the Europeans here for the human race we get out in the human race, the human race is us and we compete against each other as to who is superior. You ever wonder about that the human race. Why is it that we look at our life and we see it as a race. It's a race to the finish. It's the that we are involved in and they are Michael have given Michael Jackson has a Chucky cheese. No, I said what were going to go see the rat and that's what the rat in them, but it has as little Chucky cheese. He goes. It's easy very excited about that going there, but we see that we are involved in this race, and Paul uses this whole idea of a race in his writings and the first Scripture that I want to look at is in first Corinthians chapter nine and beginning in verse twenty four. He says you've all been to the stadium and see the athletes race, so it was very, was very common for there to be races at that time. And which they would all go to the Coliseum 's, and the Roman Coliseum. They would use them for many different events, some for racing some for feeding Christians to lions. Later on what they will go to the Coliseum and they were all very aware of the race of the athletes and how that they would compete against each other in an village and town would compete against other than found, and they would send their best athletes to the race, and Paul begins by saying you've all been to the Stadium and seen the athletic race. Everyone runs, one wins, how many thousands of people did you watch the opening night of the Olympics. How many thousands of competitors come there and there are only ninety eight gold medals from what I can figure out their ninety eight gold medals to be divided amongst all of those thousands of competitors, only one has been went only one is going to win their events and all God athletes. Then he says train heart and they do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and phase your after one that's gold eternal soul he began to tell the people begin to have the people understand that that the race that we are in and our faith is a very important race. Everybody runs the race, but only one wins. Now we think about that. I say well if were all in the race to get the heaven and only one of us gets in. That's not that that is the work, but that's not what he means that in the athletic arena, you competing even taken you have one winner Super Bowl football one winner we wanted. We compete in our life. We are competing, we are in a race for our life for our souls, and we want to reach heaven and weeds. One win, so I don't know about you, Paul says in verse twenty six and twenty seven eight. This is know about you but I'm running hard, so Paul says that this race that I'm involved in is one that is difficult. It's a hard race that's a hard race is a difficult race anybody ever find difficulties in life is a enzyme life a little hard for him is a hard race. Why, because grand a human race, and we are competing against all the things in overlooking our society and were competing against our society competing is learned there and campaign against people at work and at home in the knowledge versus competition mode. The top. There can never some people don't compete and they just got a set by the sidelines and complain the noncompete is either I think the complainers. Because they got cheated out of their life. They get cheated out of things and in and out, sometimes people just very frustrated in the race, and they withdraw. Sometimes the race is just so overwhelming they can handle it anymore and they back off. There are many reasons why people who dropout of the race and not being critical of that desk that want for the grace of God that could happen to us as though you see that there are many avenues at Colorado life in many avenues of approach our life. And Paul says that he likens it to a race and you see David here is in his race bobbing picking picnic fathers and Israelis. Cliff is in his ranks. The username and say you're in a race that we are a general race race of life. And here we are is there a surprise. There was a prize for our race that is greater than goal is called eternal life and eternal life that we receive a walk on streets of gold, but we've got to get there first. So we've got to run this race now let's get that. Let's get some of the ground rules in place here as we begin our look at this race also that I know about you but I'm running heart for the finish line. I want my life to finish a lot of face the course of our race. The event I'm giving it everything I've got no sloppy living for me. If there is no it you you read the about the lifters and runners and everything. What the colleagues and all this everything in the deal. The discipline that they go through there. The exercise programs. The amount of running that they do and how they run. I made us just if that is an ongoing everyday thing. Now people who play football if there was a football season 's over, but the great athletes in those professions are never over there never up the season never ends. They take a break. They take a week off but when it's over they figure when the week is up, they started began preparing for the next season, so there's no sloppy living. Paul says I'm staying alert and in top condition. The spiritual life is arranged and the spiritual top condition is that we need to be reading our Bible. We need to pray. We need to be in church. We need to be part of the body of Christ. We need to participate in it. We need to be in top condition so that we don't fail in reaching the finish line. You see, I'm not going to get caught mapping Paul says, telling everyone else all about getting into heaven and missing out myself. I'm not good condition. Other people London's find myself slacking off. So in this section. Paul talks about. We've all been to the stadium. We all know what happens in the race know what you take into consideration your life and your race of faith and Paul continues to the church at Galatians achalasia and his chapter five verses seven through ten, he says, and that to the Galatians, you are running superbly to cut it on you who cut you off your wide and watch of this year, but when the they did the speed track you know that oval and they have these racers running an hour and there's like five or six of them, and there are not five or six eight. I think there are and they are going around the track and they're going fast and always try to cut each other off, Melissa, because one off. You see the wall, fly wild and crashed into the side and other who cut you off while here Paul is saying that you're running the race is somebody stepped in front of you. Something stepped in front of you who cut you off it running so well will cut you off deflecting you from the true course of obedience in our obedience to God. Sometimes we get cut off someone cuts you off deflecting you from the true course that it are alive. We have somebody, the evil one. Not necessarily people but evil. Once the cut you off, cut in on you racing as well as disguising racetrack. No, they always, they always turned what will you do always similar to those those races are always the laughter going around the track is always the last and I like that the sum of those advertisements and have a guy whose rates are pulled up to the stop sign, he goes left and he goes up the next+ Eagles lacked enough to know I will go a making of making fun of it, but now and then you have these races in a nature rat in how they get behind the car and the car in front is opening up the wind so that the car behind it can push to get there and suddenly pump on the gapless on the gas and take him around they can make in the was a lot called when you're in the last one in the room. The blue line sling shot, they can slingshot themselves around and cut the other person off well deflecting you from the true course. Paul talks about that this did tour doesn't come from the one who called you into the race in the first place. When something in your life at you off don't think God is the author of don't blame God for being cut off in your life in the pursuit in your and your and of doing things. I have Jerry now that is a lot of practice sharing. I never knew that competitive cheering now Jack went to a basketball game project. The best ballgame Friday night and he was kind of scared of all the yelling because he's used to blanket cheering contest your day goes with his mom and sister and I got it sharing contacts. I still haven't got the idea that you travel, five and six hours for men and a half. It just doesn't make sense now that you all learn at your travel six hours velocity, then order Florida. They go to for the contest and you're out there and you perform for a minute and I drove fourteen hours thousand mile to watch somebody perform for a minute and a half human, no, maybe three okay, never three minutes got a three-minute routine well. Paul is saying here is something happen. Somebody got it all in the rotation are so many things going on at the same time you got a be watching everything because the team is working together, the body of Christ. There's a lot of things going on in each of our lives and enjoying that whole process, we see that in our own lives, something can cut us off. It doesn't come from God. This cut off and please don't toss this off as insignificant, though, say, you know what they cut me off. Doesn't matter that have dumped all the ski racer, I would listen, this had to be the most disheartening ski race that I ever remember. Visit the Olympics. I wasn't there, of course, but the guy is standing in the gate, you know, they've got that little blonde in front of his of his boots and now they put the pulls off front, and you got a safe time to go. You've got like five seconds to make up your mind to get out of the gate. While everything but planter polls, they can't arise up and shoot themselves out in the guide drives up and shot himself out in his boot become disengaged from his ski itself for years of training argon because the boots become became dislodged from the ski binding the it's almost impossible for that to happen. When on the skis they have what they call a din setting my again setting was for six catlike and advanced skier David Michaels was fourteen and then setting was twelve and fourteen. That was for racing and you know that a twelve and fourteen. His scheme was still come off of his boot. How much pressure. How much force is there and you tell me that in this race that we are placed all tosses off as insignificant. Can you imagine coming down the hill and those downhill races. I I still picture when I'm taking a picture of David, I'm filming him at the bottom of waiting for them to come around my cameras go like this. It wasn't because I was cold. It wasn't because I was always because I was nervous. Is he going to come, you should be coming soon. I've got to get on my hands are shaking. Because Gary's coming down the hill at sixty eighty miles an hour in the downhill and at one time I was stupid enough to ask Mister David, what's it like to fall in the downhill. His response was, well, if you ever think of jumping out of a car at sixty miles an hour, did you think of jumping out of a car at sixty miles an hour while these individuals that you see fall were in the racing was going on, even in the slalom and giant slalom in the downhill thumbnails, about eighty miles an hour Jimmy figure jumping out of car at eighty miles an hour with a suit on that has no resistance is not going to slow you the fact is the speed you up well when you archive off off in interrupted in your course something you catch a ten spins you around. If you are right, it falls over some things going to come into your life and cut you off. No race is going to be perfect. No one raised to two runs make one race no race is going to be perfect you are going to be cut off and please don't toss on this off as insignificant when you are doing your race, and it fails. It's not an insignificant loss is important to you. Therefore, it is important and it only takes a minute excuse me, and only takes in my not a minute amount of yeast to permeate an entire loaf of bread. He jumps from the racing illustrations of the banking illustration. Instead, we put a little yeast in the in the Dell what happens. All thing blows up under you. I never understood that his kid mom and make bread and to put in this pigpen and she had a little bit of bread there in the middle the pants. He recovered up with our special blanket or special cloth and you would come back and nothing would be blowing up over the edges will happen. There must be some cloth and I realize there was something in the yeast. Yeast in the bread and muffin she'd push it down no and put the clock over again move at the magic cloth you can tell I've been sleeping under one that is a magic law is what's wrong we had change that blanket that I've been using no, no, but I get up a letter that I like and I will be so big and you don't get the the sermons anywhere you know now, though males understand that clock the covers of these nine well Paul goes on to the minute amount of yeast you know to permeate the entire loaf. Deep down the master has given me confidence that you will not defect the Galatians were having problems in their faith. They were running the race superbly somebody cut them off and he says, deep down inside I know God is going to keep you on course. Don't give up because somebody cut you off. Don't sweat because you got cut off in your race, but the one who is upsetting you, whoever it is will bear the divine judgment when somebody intentionally tries to take you off course take you out. Don't be caught up with them because up with the finish line. Continue your race. Let them stand before God for their actions. Hebrews chapter twelve, anonymous. One part. The first one, one two three four ha ha. Jackson was eating on her table and there was jolly on the table in my notes run the jelly in the jelly caused them to stick together and so page one and page three stuck together as it is missing the let anybody get you off course not even jelling you see how things can interrupt you see how life can take its ins and outs, and pages to be stuck together and you miss the entire start I was wondering why this text was it was stuck to the backside of another one. So, in acts chapter seventeen, the God who made the world and everything in it, the master of the sky and land doesn't live in custom-made shrines would need a human race to run errands for him. The God who made us spoke us into existence, and he doesn't want us to run errands for him. They are not in the race so that we can make God happy. We are in the race because God wants to bless us with the effort and with Alcala God can make a difference in our life. And that's what this all is all about. He makes his creatures. The creatures don't make him what we do is not to make God happy if I lose God is unhappy and he punishes what it does not. It is all we are in a race because God has a way of blessing us in the race as we saw these other scriptures that sometimes things are going to happen to cut us off. Sometimes they do not happen to us and were not seemingly not going to make the finish line, but that's not the problem. The problem is not falling down. The problem is getting up that we got a finish the race. We've got to finish the race. And because we fall down on one run doesn't mean the race is over because we make a mistake doesn't mean it's over. It means that we have to learn from these things ago on this date. We are part of the human race. God made us and he made the place were inhospitable. We can live here and he this with plenty of time and space to live so we could see after God, and not just grope around in the dark, but that we might find him. We are in a race where the course is set, lights are on, we can see where were going, and that were not groping what does God really want he wants us to love him and love others in a Sunday school lesson. We talked about the power speech. What do we create with our words, what are we creating with our words and our attitude. So as we are in this race. And when somebody cuts us off. There are a few choice words that we could say about this incident and the situation, but the choice words that God wants us to have on the words that we will finish. We will make a difference, and God will give us crowd crown of righteousness when we reach heaven. And we will walk on the streets of gold, not just where one around our neck. So you see there is something before us, God is not remote. He is near us. We live and move and handling. We can't get away from him. One of your policy says we are aware that God created. So we walk around with our song and I had you not I I like how the athletes. I used a page already off with a wire like I'll be the athletes they put their earplugs in, and sometimes it's not only your place for athletes. It's kids walking people than that the kids wanting down and straightening out the earplugs. Then you talk to them and there are people ride nearby soon, doing everything that are in training, and may listen to certain songs. It's in their head. The song that should be in our hands. We are created, God has a path plan purpose for us. We may get cut off. We may fall down. We made whatever, but we're getting it back up and require run again. The gold medal that was one for the slalom was an eighteen -year-old it was kind of ironic, the oldest woman the oldest woman in this race was in first place and the youngest woman from the US was going to run was going to race, she was eighteen and coming down the racecourse. You saw the race. She flies up in the air and one ski is here. Once these of about a peer. She'd gotten off, but she come right back onto finish the race in one, the youngest person in the race. Eighteen was in first place. The oldest part B oldest woman in the race. Thirty five was in second place. You see, it isn't about our age. It's about what we have in her head. There are heart and how many times that thirty five -year-old fail. Connelly times that she fail yell I can still see David the times no coming off the hill, and their seven Springs and there is a second tier and I saw him do some things on skis that you just would never imagine. I mean he was. He didn't finish the race. He was over flipping slips enough to get out this tip got caught in a gate. You know those polls. One went on the inside and one went straight and they turned around and you're going backwards down a hill and inure on the your head toppling over and about two or three times in the policies and designer finishes like people thought he was dead and I thought he was hurt, but carrying them off all my gosh, these being away why do I do this were in a race on a time to default on a times we have to fall one coach that I never remember I never forget this. He always said how many miles are under your skis how many miles are under your skis. The more miles under your skis. The better your race. In how many practices for cheerleading haole practices. How may times you have to do this, but how many times you have to do this on a times you have to go through the plays for football on a time to go through the place for basketball and as they were saying when whenever you learn how many miles. How may times are coming minutes on the court. How many minutes on the track how many miles on the skis. It's that type of thing and then in Hebrews chapter twelve don't do say what this means all these pioneers who blazed the way all these veterans cheering us on and are alive. We have a great crowd of witnesses in heaven in the book in the Scriptures, you can do this, you can make the matter, who cut you off your end. This the finish were interest to finish the race. It means would be better to get on with it. Hebrews we be better to get on with it stripped down and start running and never quit for the writer to the Hebrews is saying stripped down, get off those weights. Both things though census of you Lisa called in the parasitic sins. The parasitic sand or parasite is. It's one of those blogs that gets on you and drains everything out of you. I think the grossest one is that the bleach. Bleach the least of which is been there and whenever any, to swell small lock panel one with what your own blog. It just leeches. It is swelled up and takes take the life right out of you and you put enough of ammonia, you're in trouble. They don't get them off. Well, parasite, parasitic sins are the things that he will latest. I hang around this guy hang around. They survive off of your blog, but the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and you know what the parasites of sin can take the blood of Jesus in the parasites of sin. When the blood of Jesus Christ that flows through loss touches our life cleanses us when those parasites of said sock on that. It tells them that tells them they cannot have. They cannot survive in the environment because of the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sins. So when the parasites are there, the writer to the Hebrews says keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the one who trains us. He is the one who encourages us. He is the one who gives us strength to finish the course keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the author. He is the finisher of our faith. Keep your eyes on him. He finished this course. He kept the faith they sought through to completion. You see story of how he did it study how he didn't read the words. Read about his encounters with people who constantly trying to cut them off trying to get him off course. See how he did it because he never lost sight of where he was headed down a exhilarating finish in and with God, keep on going because is accelerating fetish. That is a time of orbital walked into eternity and all cried out is going to break into excitement damage here never thought you'd make it, but dammit, it's here now, when the Russian was a trial biathlon guy with the shooting in the running. He won he broke into the course broke into the arena Coldplay 's Iraq, the very man was coming in first. Every person who breaks into the finish line of heaven. There's a great exhilarating welcome from the angels of heaven, and Jesus Christ himself. You finished your course your home for eternity. How did he do it study and study how he did it because he never lost sight of where he was headed. He could put up with anything along the way across the shame whatever he would not give in it would not give up. He knew where he was headed and now he's there in the place of honor alongside right alongside God, and when you find yourself flagging in your faith. I like the look that one up, sliding in your faith for those who are racecar fans. They flagged call you off the course when you're finding in your faith when you're ready to throw in the tile. That's the boxer when you are flagging in your faith saves time to get off the lot and it are in italics over when you're flagging in your faith go over that story again. The story of Jesus when you are flagging in your face and thinking it's time to give up somebody's touch aloft, you've caught a tip in the in the are your skating and in the gate in your one leg goes one way and younger girls often assigning or tumbling down the hill and you're ready to quit in your setting there with your head in your hands and saying how polite than that was only a fraction of an inch in the race was over. When you're flagging in your faith go over the story again, item by item that long litany of hostility that Jesus plowed through that when you see what Jesus did how we did it for you that will shoot adrenaline into your soul and you know what I can do this. I can make it to the finish line, but you know what our finish line isn't today or tomorrow or next week. We don't know when you're going to get to heaven, but we want to finish this hour, we want to finish this day we want to finish this moment in our life when our eyes focused on Jesus and the parasites of saline are going to drop off because the blood of Jesus Christ. Those through your veins and when the King of kings and Lord of lords is alive in us. It gives us strength for our day encouragement for our course and were not a flag in our faith were to make a man] whether if we are going to make it where trouble. That's the way are very excited, but you see we are excited in our soul and in our hearts were going to make it. Amen. Let's spend enough where to complete the course and his father, thank you for your strength and your word encouragement of your word. I'll let you work with us, walk with us, teach us argue our encouragement that we have the end in sight. Heaven is our home. You are there to give us the strength for our day as your day is so show your strength be your word of God is there to encourage us in our faith, and we are glad we rejoice in God our Savior, who makes a way for us where there is no way thank you Jesus for hearing our prayer. You're always with us every step of the way and then a man no further goal