1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,400 We are going to look into the word of God here this morning, and 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,760 I want to just briefly bring a challenge to you about finishing 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,070 strong, finishing faithful. 12 00:00:32,790 --> 00:00:34,630 I know it's the last Sunday of the year. 13 00:00:34,630 --> 00:00:37,830 We're only a few days and It'll be over. 14 00:00:38,070 --> 00:00:39,590 20, 25 will be over. 15 00:00:40,070 --> 00:00:43,070 So today we're going to be looking at finishing this year strong, 16 00:00:43,070 --> 00:00:45,870 but not just finishing this year strong, because Lord willing, 17 00:00:45,870 --> 00:00:48,550 God will give us a few more days than just at the end of 2025. 18 00:00:49,030 --> 00:00:51,630 But really what I want to talk to you guys about this morning on 19 00:00:51,630 --> 00:00:51,790 a. 20 00:00:51,790 --> 00:00:55,190 On a larger scale is finishing out our Christian life in. 21 00:00:55,190 --> 00:00:59,010 In a faithful manner, in a manner that reflects the call that 22 00:00:59,010 --> 00:01:02,090 God has given us in our life, reflects the hope that we can find 23 00:01:02,090 --> 00:01:03,130 in our salvation. 24 00:01:03,690 --> 00:01:06,090 The main text here this morning that we're going to be in 25 00:01:06,090 --> 00:01:08,410 is second Timothy, chapter four. 26 00:01:08,410 --> 00:01:09,650 Second Timothy, chapter four. 27 00:01:09,650 --> 00:01:12,810 We are at a good stopping place in our study in Romans. 28 00:01:13,050 --> 00:01:14,690 We just finished Romans chapter 8. 29 00:01:14,690 --> 00:01:17,650 When we come back in the new year, we'll be looking at Romans 30 00:01:17,650 --> 00:01:18,290 chapter nine. 31 00:01:18,290 --> 00:01:21,130 But here this morning, I thought that it would be appropriate 32 00:01:21,130 --> 00:01:25,840 to speak on what it means to finish well, what it means to push 33 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:26,720 towards the mark. 34 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:33,040 This past year, in the spring, I had the opportunity, privilege, 35 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,760 challenge, however you want to look at it, to run a half marathon, 36 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:38,279 and you don't know what a half marathon is. 37 00:01:38,279 --> 00:01:39,640 That's 13.1 miles. 38 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,120 It's like you're half crazy. 39 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:42,080 You're full crazy. 40 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:43,280 You go 26.2. 41 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,000 But I had a chance to run a marathon in half marathon, should 42 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:47,160 say. 43 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,200 And so as I was running, I was training for this. 44 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,720 It wasn't like I just went one day and said, okay, I want to do 45 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:51,880 this. 46 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:53,040 It was something that I trained for. 47 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:54,720 And as I was running, it was. 48 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:55,680 It was very difficult. 49 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,360 The first few miles in my mind, I was thinking, how in the 50 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:00,320 world am I going to do this? 51 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:01,840 I just didn't feel well. 52 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:05,440 The first couple miles, I'm like, I got to go 11 more miles. 53 00:02:05,519 --> 00:02:06,560 This is not going to happen. 54 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,200 Then about mile four or five, I started feeling good. 55 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:09,840 I started my. 56 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,880 Maybe it was just that the pain was there still, but I Was getting 57 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,400 numb or whatever, and I just felt good. 58 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:15,600 I was like, okay, I can make this. 59 00:02:16,220 --> 00:02:18,180 But when I got to about a mile 11, I was. 60 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:20,140 I was really struggling, and there's a lot of pain. 61 00:02:20,540 --> 00:02:23,220 And I said, okay, I gotta finish this, because if I don't finish 62 00:02:23,220 --> 00:02:23,940 this, I'm number one. 63 00:02:23,940 --> 00:02:26,700 I'm gonna be embarrassed, and my ego is gonna be hurt, but I really 64 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:27,220 want to do this. 65 00:02:27,220 --> 00:02:29,060 I really want this goal to be accomplished. 66 00:02:29,060 --> 00:02:32,420 And when I got to the last mile, there was someone there, and 67 00:02:32,420 --> 00:02:34,420 there was, like, a little marker there, one of the workers, 68 00:02:34,420 --> 00:02:35,980 and they say, hey, one more mile left. 69 00:02:36,380 --> 00:02:37,180 You can do it. 70 00:02:37,180 --> 00:02:39,260 And there were some people cheering there in that last mile, 71 00:02:39,340 --> 00:02:43,020 and we were pushing forward, and I was probably only going about, 72 00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:46,260 I don't know, a step faster than just walking at that point. 73 00:02:46,260 --> 00:02:47,660 I was just struggling to get through it. 74 00:02:47,660 --> 00:02:50,180 But then there was this last turn, and when I turned, I saw the 75 00:02:50,180 --> 00:02:52,380 finish line and there's all these people cheering. 76 00:02:52,780 --> 00:02:55,020 And I. I saw people were already done. 77 00:02:55,020 --> 00:02:57,900 They were sitting over there, like, thinking about chocolate milk, 78 00:02:57,900 --> 00:02:59,459 and they had all this food there. 79 00:02:59,459 --> 00:02:59,980 And I was like. 80 00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:02,780 So I said, I'm gonna run as fast as I possibly can till the end. 81 00:03:03,020 --> 00:03:04,260 So I emptied out the tank. 82 00:03:04,260 --> 00:03:05,660 I went full speed now. 83 00:03:05,660 --> 00:03:06,100 Full speed. 84 00:03:06,100 --> 00:03:08,820 If I was watching on video, probably look like me, you know, 85 00:03:08,820 --> 00:03:10,720 just walking, you know, jockeying. 86 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,720 But I felt like I was flying till the end. 87 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,320 And when I finished that, that race, it was. 88 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:16,560 Felt like an accomplishment. 89 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,040 Give you a little reward there, they give you a little medal, 90 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:21,680 and they give you some free food. 91 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:22,560 And it was exciting. 92 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,560 And I thought about that, and I thought about. 93 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,200 As Christians, how often do we think, you know, what the. 94 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:28,560 The best is behind me? 95 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,760 You know, I. I used to be able to serve the Lord. 96 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,160 I used to effectively give out the gospel. 97 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:34,920 But yet, you know what? 98 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:35,920 I'm tired now, and the. 99 00:03:36,110 --> 00:03:38,750 And the world's dark, and I don't really know how much I can 100 00:03:38,750 --> 00:03:38,990 do. 101 00:03:38,990 --> 00:03:41,630 The Bible says here that we are to push till the end. 102 00:03:41,710 --> 00:03:44,710 Paul in second Timothy, chapter four, is essentially giving 103 00:03:44,710 --> 00:03:45,630 his last words. 104 00:03:46,270 --> 00:03:49,830 And now we know through other elements of history that Paul goes 105 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:53,150 to be martyred for his faith, for his preaching. 106 00:03:53,230 --> 00:03:56,030 But here he's speaking to young Timothy and he's telling him, 107 00:03:56,110 --> 00:03:56,750 look, I'm. 108 00:03:56,750 --> 00:03:57,470 I'm finishing. 109 00:03:57,470 --> 00:03:58,750 This is his testimony. 110 00:03:59,710 --> 00:04:05,010 And I hope that all of us can use this as a guide for what we should 111 00:04:05,010 --> 00:04:08,130 strive to be in our own lives as we finish the course that God 112 00:04:08,130 --> 00:04:08,810 has given us. 113 00:04:09,050 --> 00:04:11,010 And I'm not just talking about 20, 25. 114 00:04:11,010 --> 00:04:12,810 Even though it would apply to that. 115 00:04:13,290 --> 00:04:15,850 We started out 2025 with the pink go. 116 00:04:16,490 --> 00:04:20,330 We were to go and tell the world about Jesus Christ in our communities, 117 00:04:20,570 --> 00:04:24,810 in our workplaces, in our families around the country. 118 00:04:24,810 --> 00:04:28,260 We went to different states and had missions trips and, and this 119 00:04:28,260 --> 00:04:31,020 year in 2026, we're going to have an opportunity to go across 120 00:04:31,020 --> 00:04:32,660 the world and preach the gospel. 121 00:04:33,540 --> 00:04:36,660 But here in second Timothy, chapter four, verse six, Paul says, 122 00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:42,340 for I am now ready to be offered, so I'm ready now to be sacrificed 123 00:04:42,340 --> 00:04:42,820 for God. 124 00:04:42,900 --> 00:04:45,380 I've given everything I want to be poured out. 125 00:04:45,860 --> 00:04:47,540 I've done everything that I can. 126 00:04:47,540 --> 00:04:50,580 And he says, and the time of my departure is at hand. 127 00:04:50,660 --> 00:04:53,380 Paul recognizes that his race is almost over. 128 00:04:54,340 --> 00:04:57,380 For some of us, physically, we might understand that, hey, I, I, 129 00:04:57,380 --> 00:05:00,500 I am realistic to know that I have more years behind me than I 130 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:01,300 have before me. 131 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:04,420 I, and it's okay to recognize that. 132 00:05:04,660 --> 00:05:07,060 But Paul says here, I, I'm almost done. 133 00:05:07,060 --> 00:05:08,660 I'm, I'm almost there. 134 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:10,100 But this is his testimony. 135 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:14,020 In verse number seven, he says, I have fought a good fight. 136 00:05:15,540 --> 00:05:16,180 You know what? 137 00:05:16,180 --> 00:05:19,220 Living the Christian life is in some ways a battle. 138 00:05:20,230 --> 00:05:22,710 We know that Ephesians tells us that we're in spiritual battle 139 00:05:22,710 --> 00:05:24,070 and it is a fight. 140 00:05:24,790 --> 00:05:28,470 And the Bible does say in the book of Jude to contend for the faith. 141 00:05:29,590 --> 00:05:32,430 What we have to understand is that sometimes in our Christian life 142 00:05:32,430 --> 00:05:33,910 we're fighting for the wrong things. 143 00:05:33,990 --> 00:05:37,150 The Bible tells us to fight the good fight, to contend for the 144 00:05:37,150 --> 00:05:41,030 faith instead of bickering amongst ourselves or complaining 145 00:05:41,030 --> 00:05:42,830 about our circumstances around us. 146 00:05:42,830 --> 00:05:46,060 The Bible says to fight the good fight, to fight for the things 147 00:05:46,060 --> 00:05:50,940 of God, to, to sacrifice not for our own desires, but to sacrifice 148 00:05:50,940 --> 00:05:53,100 for what God has given us in our lives. 149 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:55,500 And so he says, here, I fought a good fight. 150 00:05:56,380 --> 00:05:59,780 How many of us would say, you know what my fight is is not against 151 00:05:59,780 --> 00:06:02,700 the things of this world necessarily the, the flesh and blood, 152 00:06:02,700 --> 00:06:05,620 but it's a spiritual battle that I'm willing to fight for the 153 00:06:05,620 --> 00:06:05,900 Lord. 154 00:06:05,900 --> 00:06:07,820 I'm willing to die to my flesh. 155 00:06:07,820 --> 00:06:11,380 I'm willing to follow him in obedience, to yield to the spirit, 156 00:06:11,380 --> 00:06:12,860 to say, I'm fighting this good fight. 157 00:06:14,370 --> 00:06:16,130 And he says, here, I finished my course. 158 00:06:16,450 --> 00:06:17,810 He says, I finished the race. 159 00:06:18,610 --> 00:06:19,890 Here I'm pushing forward. 160 00:06:20,610 --> 00:06:21,890 I've kept the faith. 161 00:06:23,010 --> 00:06:26,730 Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which 162 00:06:26,730 --> 00:06:31,050 the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not 163 00:06:31,050 --> 00:06:34,690 to me only, but unto all them that love his appearance. 164 00:06:35,410 --> 00:06:37,890 So he says, hey, there is a reward, there is a prize. 165 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:42,540 Now, we know in other passages of scripture that Paul mentions this. 166 00:06:42,700 --> 00:06:43,380 This prize. 167 00:06:43,380 --> 00:06:45,580 And it's not a prize that will rot away. 168 00:06:45,580 --> 00:06:47,260 It's not a prize that will rust. 169 00:06:47,500 --> 00:06:50,900 The crown that they would run for back at this time would be a 170 00:06:50,900 --> 00:06:53,540 crown of leaves that would be wrapped around their head, and there 171 00:06:53,540 --> 00:06:54,060 would be this. 172 00:06:54,060 --> 00:06:57,060 This praise that came along with that, but those leaves would 173 00:06:57,060 --> 00:06:57,980 wither and fade. 174 00:06:58,060 --> 00:07:01,660 That metal that I got from finishing that half marathon is. 175 00:07:01,660 --> 00:07:02,780 It's not even real gold. 176 00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:03,900 It's not even real. 177 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:05,140 It's just plastic rubble. 178 00:07:05,690 --> 00:07:06,730 The reality is, that's good. 179 00:07:06,730 --> 00:07:07,930 I don't even know where it is right now. 180 00:07:07,930 --> 00:07:09,450 Probably going to fade away one day. 181 00:07:10,010 --> 00:07:14,090 But the reward that we receive in loving the Lord and being faithful 182 00:07:14,090 --> 00:07:17,890 and actually trusting in his grace and walking in faith, the Bible 183 00:07:17,890 --> 00:07:20,090 says, yes, we have the reward of everlasting life. 184 00:07:20,170 --> 00:07:23,090 But in First Corinthians, chapter three, it says that we have 185 00:07:23,090 --> 00:07:29,050 other wonderful, everlasting gifts and prizes that we receive. 186 00:07:29,690 --> 00:07:31,930 And he says here, he lists one here in verse four. 187 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:33,400 Excuse me, verse eight. 188 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,880 In chapter four, he says, there's this crown of righteousness 189 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,280 which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, 190 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,200 and not to me only, but unto all them also. 191 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:44,800 That love is appearing, folks. 192 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,160 The Bible tells us here that there are rewards for serving him. 193 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,240 And it's not a selfish thing to desire those rewards if our heart's 194 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:52,960 in the right place. 195 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,400 The Bible speaks in first Corinthians, chapter three of the 196 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:57,520 motives behind our service to him. 197 00:07:58,570 --> 00:08:02,290 And if our motives are selfish motivations to get people to praise 198 00:08:02,290 --> 00:08:05,530 us for service, the Bible says that that will be washed away, that 199 00:08:05,530 --> 00:08:08,370 that will be burned up in the fire like wood, hand stubble. 200 00:08:08,370 --> 00:08:11,250 But those things that we do for the Lord with the right motivations, 201 00:08:11,250 --> 00:08:14,490 with the right heart, the Bible says those are eternal blessings. 202 00:08:14,490 --> 00:08:19,090 That's what Paul references the Christian life as a race in many 203 00:08:19,090 --> 00:08:20,210 places in. 204 00:08:20,210 --> 00:08:21,050 In Scripture. 205 00:08:21,530 --> 00:08:24,650 I want to point out just a few of them to you here so you can see 206 00:08:25,170 --> 00:08:26,850 the analogy that he builds. 207 00:08:28,050 --> 00:08:29,490 We see in. 208 00:08:29,490 --> 00:08:34,330 In First Corinthians, chapter 9, most of you know this passage 209 00:08:34,330 --> 00:08:38,050 of scripture, but in First Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 24, 210 00:08:38,050 --> 00:08:41,410 he references the Christian life to a race. 211 00:08:42,610 --> 00:08:42,970 And. 212 00:08:42,970 --> 00:08:43,370 And I. 213 00:08:43,370 --> 00:08:45,410 And I think that this is important here because he's giving 214 00:08:45,410 --> 00:08:48,810 that eternal perspective to what we're doing here in the Christian 215 00:08:48,810 --> 00:08:49,010 life. 216 00:08:49,010 --> 00:08:52,050 He says, don't run like you're running a race here on this earth, 217 00:08:52,380 --> 00:08:55,740 because the rewards that we receive on this earth are corruptible. 218 00:08:56,220 --> 00:08:59,340 But the things that we do with eternal Perspective with the spiritual 219 00:08:59,340 --> 00:09:01,260 focus, with the kingdom in mind. 220 00:09:01,260 --> 00:09:02,500 Those are the things that will last. 221 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:06,220 He says in First Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 24, Know ye not 222 00:09:06,220 --> 00:09:10,140 that they which run in a race run all one receive at the prize, 223 00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:11,980 so run that you may obtain meaning this. 224 00:09:12,060 --> 00:09:14,140 Strive to do what God has called us to do. 225 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:15,660 Let's not get complacent. 226 00:09:16,060 --> 00:09:18,940 It's so easy to get complacent in our Christian lives. 227 00:09:19,780 --> 00:09:21,740 It's so easy to look around and go, well, you know what? 228 00:09:21,740 --> 00:09:24,380 That person's gifted in that way, and that's what they're going 229 00:09:24,380 --> 00:09:24,620 to do. 230 00:09:24,620 --> 00:09:25,420 But for me, you know what? 231 00:09:25,420 --> 00:09:27,060 I'm just complacent in where I'm at. 232 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:28,700 I'm comfortable with where I am. 233 00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:30,260 And God does bring comfort. 234 00:09:30,980 --> 00:09:35,259 But the comfort of God does not lead us to a place of apathy. 235 00:09:35,259 --> 00:09:38,300 The comfort of God does not lead us to a place of complacency. 236 00:09:38,300 --> 00:09:41,140 The comfort of God should leave us to a place of motivation. 237 00:09:41,380 --> 00:09:45,950 It should lead us to a place of striving forward for the prize 238 00:09:45,950 --> 00:09:47,670 that he has given us. 239 00:09:47,670 --> 00:09:50,870 And so verse 25 says, and every man that striveth for the mastery 240 00:09:50,870 --> 00:09:52,150 is temperate in all things. 241 00:09:52,150 --> 00:09:52,390 So. 242 00:09:52,390 --> 00:09:53,590 So what he says is this. 243 00:09:53,830 --> 00:09:54,190 The. 244 00:09:54,190 --> 00:09:56,350 The striving for the Lord is not an easy thing. 245 00:09:56,350 --> 00:09:56,830 It's a. 246 00:09:56,830 --> 00:09:57,150 It's. 247 00:09:57,150 --> 00:09:59,750 It's a life of discipline, folks. 248 00:09:59,750 --> 00:10:02,670 We have to live disciplined lives if we want to serve the Lord. 249 00:10:02,670 --> 00:10:05,830 We can't just go about every day thinking what's best for me? 250 00:10:05,830 --> 00:10:06,950 What do I want? 251 00:10:07,030 --> 00:10:07,430 What. 252 00:10:07,430 --> 00:10:08,790 What makes me feel good. 253 00:10:09,190 --> 00:10:10,470 You know, there was days in the. 254 00:10:10,470 --> 00:10:12,880 The training process of running that half marathon that I. 255 00:10:12,950 --> 00:10:14,230 I didn't want to get out and run. 256 00:10:14,710 --> 00:10:17,310 I wanted to eat that extra dessert. 257 00:10:17,310 --> 00:10:18,110 I wanted to do that. 258 00:10:18,110 --> 00:10:20,470 But the reality was in that moment is I want to train. 259 00:10:20,470 --> 00:10:21,350 I want to do this. 260 00:10:21,350 --> 00:10:25,150 And so there's an essential teaching that the Bible tells us 261 00:10:25,150 --> 00:10:28,390 that we must live disciplined lives, disciplined lives following 262 00:10:28,789 --> 00:10:30,630 those things that God has called us to do. 263 00:10:30,630 --> 00:10:33,510 And so he says, just like these athletes that are running these 264 00:10:33,510 --> 00:10:36,870 races here in the time that Paul was living, he says that they're 265 00:10:36,870 --> 00:10:38,150 temperate in all things. 266 00:10:38,970 --> 00:10:41,370 Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown. 267 00:10:41,450 --> 00:10:43,370 But we an incorruptible. 268 00:10:43,930 --> 00:10:47,130 So, folks, the reason me running that race meant nothing anyone. 269 00:10:47,290 --> 00:10:47,970 We see these. 270 00:10:47,970 --> 00:10:48,970 These athletes that. 271 00:10:48,970 --> 00:10:51,050 That give their whole lives to one sport, right? 272 00:10:51,690 --> 00:10:53,570 And I'm not saying that that's necessarily wrong. 273 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:56,250 But when that sport is worshiped, when that becomes the 274 00:10:56,250 --> 00:10:58,850 end all be all, and they think that that's how I'M going to go down 275 00:10:58,850 --> 00:10:59,290 in history. 276 00:10:59,530 --> 00:11:02,010 The reality is, is that there is going to be a day where all of 277 00:11:02,010 --> 00:11:05,450 us are judged not for what we do, but for what we believe in. 278 00:11:06,270 --> 00:11:09,550 And the Bible clearly teaches here that what we're doing is something 279 00:11:09,550 --> 00:11:12,110 that's going to return eternal dividends. 280 00:11:12,750 --> 00:11:15,550 There's other passages of scripture that speak to the race. 281 00:11:16,030 --> 00:11:19,510 I think we could go to many of them here this morning. 282 00:11:19,510 --> 00:11:21,070 I just want to go to a few. 283 00:11:21,390 --> 00:11:24,430 Acts, chapter 20, verse 24. 284 00:11:25,630 --> 00:11:31,870 We know that the Bible speaks here of Paul finishing his course, 285 00:11:31,870 --> 00:11:33,590 his race, with joy. 286 00:11:34,310 --> 00:11:36,150 Acts 20:24 says this. 287 00:11:36,150 --> 00:11:37,710 But none of these things move me. 288 00:11:37,710 --> 00:11:39,030 This is Paul's testimony. 289 00:11:39,430 --> 00:11:42,470 Neither count I my life dear unto myself. 290 00:11:43,270 --> 00:11:46,190 So, so we see that in this race, it's not a selfish endeavor, 291 00:11:46,190 --> 00:11:47,750 it's a selfless endeavor. 292 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:48,150 It's a. 293 00:11:48,150 --> 00:11:50,310 It's a humble endeavor to put the Lord first. 294 00:11:50,310 --> 00:11:56,430 And he says, so that I might finish my course with joy and the 295 00:11:56,430 --> 00:12:00,070 ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the 296 00:12:00,070 --> 00:12:01,710 gospel of the grace of God. 297 00:12:02,110 --> 00:12:04,870 Paul says, you know what brings me joy, you know what brings 298 00:12:04,870 --> 00:12:09,150 me satisfaction, is following the plan that God has for my life. 299 00:12:09,150 --> 00:12:11,630 What was God's plan for Paul? 300 00:12:11,630 --> 00:12:17,630 It says here, to testify the gospel of the grace of God, to proclaim 301 00:12:17,870 --> 00:12:20,190 the truth of God to those around him. 302 00:12:20,750 --> 00:12:23,430 And you might say, well, that that's Paul's mission. 303 00:12:23,430 --> 00:12:24,470 But what's my mission? 304 00:12:24,470 --> 00:12:27,670 Well, we go to Matthew chapter 28 and see that that's all of our 305 00:12:27,670 --> 00:12:28,030 mission. 306 00:12:28,830 --> 00:12:30,830 The Bible gives us something called the Great Commission. 307 00:12:30,910 --> 00:12:35,190 It's actually Jesus extending this purpose for us and in our lives. 308 00:12:35,190 --> 00:12:38,310 The Bible very clearly tells us that as Christians, all of us 309 00:12:38,310 --> 00:12:42,550 have the ultimate purpose of leading people to Jesus Christ, to 310 00:12:42,550 --> 00:12:43,310 glorify him. 311 00:12:43,310 --> 00:12:44,270 Through that endeavor. 312 00:12:44,350 --> 00:12:47,830 The Bible says to make disciples go ye into all the world 313 00:12:47,830 --> 00:12:49,550 and preach the gospel to every creature. 314 00:12:50,110 --> 00:12:50,550 And that. 315 00:12:50,550 --> 00:12:52,390 And that can look different for different people, right? 316 00:12:52,390 --> 00:12:55,150 For some people, God's calling them to South Africa. 317 00:12:55,230 --> 00:12:58,630 For other people, God that they've called, been called a Middletown, 318 00:12:58,630 --> 00:12:59,230 Delaware. 319 00:12:59,390 --> 00:13:02,470 We all have different areas of our calling, and we all have different 320 00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:04,030 ways in which we preach the gospel. 321 00:13:04,030 --> 00:13:07,230 Not all of us are called to preach the gospel behind a pulpit, 322 00:13:07,550 --> 00:13:10,630 but all of us are called to proclaim the gospel by the way that 323 00:13:10,630 --> 00:13:11,270 we live our lives. 324 00:13:11,270 --> 00:13:15,350 And so to run the race with that type of focus means I've got 325 00:13:15,350 --> 00:13:15,750 a purpose. 326 00:13:15,750 --> 00:13:18,830 And I'm not going to get distracted by the things around me. 327 00:13:19,870 --> 00:13:23,950 Folks, if, if we reduce our Christian faith to staying faithful, 328 00:13:23,950 --> 00:13:26,150 to say why I'm in church every single Sunday morning. 329 00:13:26,230 --> 00:13:27,150 That's a good thing. 330 00:13:27,150 --> 00:13:27,910 That's a start. 331 00:13:28,550 --> 00:13:31,630 But just being in church does not mean that we are doing what we 332 00:13:31,630 --> 00:13:32,310 are called to do. 333 00:13:32,390 --> 00:13:33,750 This is the corporate worship. 334 00:13:33,750 --> 00:13:34,550 This is the family. 335 00:13:34,710 --> 00:13:37,390 This is coming together and saying, hey, we're rallying up. 336 00:13:37,390 --> 00:13:38,110 We're coming together. 337 00:13:38,110 --> 00:13:39,390 We're worshiping our king. 338 00:13:39,390 --> 00:13:42,470 But church is not just Sunday morning for one hour or if the pastor 339 00:13:42,470 --> 00:13:43,670 goes along, an hour and a half. 340 00:13:44,150 --> 00:13:46,790 Church is more than the Christian faith is. 341 00:13:46,790 --> 00:13:47,910 Every single day. 342 00:13:47,990 --> 00:13:52,240 24 7, 365, we take it with us, and that's running the race. 343 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:54,160 But sometimes there's distractions. 344 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:56,880 I mean, if we're honest, hey, I'm. 345 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:57,160 I got. 346 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:58,240 I. Pastor, I. 347 00:13:58,240 --> 00:13:58,560 You. 348 00:13:58,560 --> 00:13:59,920 You get to do this for a job. 349 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:01,520 I've got to go to work. 350 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,480 You know, I've, I've got, I got a family. 351 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:06,480 I've got activities. 352 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:07,840 I, I realize that. 353 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:08,960 I've got a family too. 354 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:09,960 I realize that. 355 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,080 I realize that there's all different things that are pulling 356 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:14,560 us every which direction. 357 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:15,240 But. 358 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,440 But I want to take you to another passage of scripture where 359 00:14:17,660 --> 00:14:18,980 it deals with the race here. 360 00:14:18,980 --> 00:14:20,460 And It's Hebrews Chapter 12. 361 00:14:21,980 --> 00:14:23,260 Hebrews Chapter 12. 362 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:31,100 Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we are to lay aside every thing 363 00:14:31,660 --> 00:14:32,780 that holds us back. 364 00:14:33,420 --> 00:14:34,820 Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1. 365 00:14:34,820 --> 00:14:38,380 Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud 366 00:14:38,380 --> 00:14:40,980 of witnesses, and there's some debate about who those witnesses 367 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:41,140 are. 368 00:14:41,140 --> 00:14:44,020 But I mean, believing that obviously there are folks that have 369 00:14:44,020 --> 00:14:48,890 come before us, we know that other people have run this race before 370 00:14:49,050 --> 00:14:50,490 Paul's run this race. 371 00:14:51,370 --> 00:14:53,730 Someone, someone maybe that you've looked up to in your church 372 00:14:53,730 --> 00:14:55,610 that has gone on into glory. 373 00:14:55,610 --> 00:14:55,890 They. 374 00:14:55,890 --> 00:14:56,770 They have run the race. 375 00:14:56,770 --> 00:14:58,890 And so we've got other people that have seen us. 376 00:14:58,890 --> 00:15:01,770 And, and it says here that, that we can understand that we're 377 00:15:01,770 --> 00:15:03,090 not the only ones on this race. 378 00:15:03,090 --> 00:15:05,850 He says, let us lay aside every weight. 379 00:15:06,970 --> 00:15:12,100 And the sin which doth so easily beset us says, hey, shed those 380 00:15:12,100 --> 00:15:14,980 things that hold you back from doing what God has called you to 381 00:15:14,980 --> 00:15:15,180 do. 382 00:15:15,180 --> 00:15:15,660 You know what? 383 00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:15,860 There. 384 00:15:15,860 --> 00:15:19,820 There have been times when I, I was running and, and I had to make 385 00:15:19,820 --> 00:15:22,100 a decision on whether or not I wanted to bring that with me. 386 00:15:22,260 --> 00:15:24,420 So, for example, like, I'm really thirsty, right? 387 00:15:24,420 --> 00:15:26,900 If I'm running and there's these things that, you know, some 388 00:15:26,900 --> 00:15:29,220 of you guys know, they have like these book bags that have water 389 00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:32,260 behind them, and you can hold them and you can just on them go 390 00:15:32,260 --> 00:15:32,900 drink that. 391 00:15:32,980 --> 00:15:33,300 And. 392 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:35,260 And the reality was, is, yes, I want that water. 393 00:15:35,260 --> 00:15:36,740 But also that's added weight. 394 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:38,120 So I've got to make a decision. 395 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:39,600 Is that going to hold me back? 396 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,120 Is it going to pull me back from actually what I need to be doing? 397 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,240 And the truth is that there's some things in our life that might 398 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:49,240 not be, like, completely evil, but they might be something that's 399 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,720 pulling me away from what I truly need to be doing in Jesus Christ. 400 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:57,760 This distraction over here, I know I need to recognize that this 401 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:02,040 is allowing me to love something more than I love what Jesus 402 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:02,760 has called me to do. 403 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:06,580 And ultimately, loving Jesus, we. 404 00:16:06,580 --> 00:16:10,620 We know that the Bible tells us to lay aside those weights and 405 00:16:10,620 --> 00:16:14,340 the sin which does so easily be set us and let us run with patience. 406 00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:16,900 Now, that word, patience is an interesting word because it's. 407 00:16:16,900 --> 00:16:18,260 How can we run with patience? 408 00:16:18,660 --> 00:16:21,780 Well, we think of patience as someone just sitting down and waiting. 409 00:16:21,940 --> 00:16:24,260 Okay, I'm gonna run this race just sitting in a chair. 410 00:16:24,260 --> 00:16:25,620 That's not gonna work. 411 00:16:25,940 --> 00:16:28,060 So this word patience in the original Greek is. 412 00:16:28,060 --> 00:16:30,420 Is a word that we would translate as endurance. 413 00:16:31,230 --> 00:16:34,310 To run with endurance, to run with faithfulness doesn't mean it's 414 00:16:34,310 --> 00:16:34,790 a sprint. 415 00:16:34,790 --> 00:16:37,470 Actually, the Christian life can't be a sprint because it's. 416 00:16:37,470 --> 00:16:37,670 It's. 417 00:16:37,670 --> 00:16:38,070 It's long. 418 00:16:38,070 --> 00:16:38,790 It's a long run. 419 00:16:38,790 --> 00:16:39,070 It's. 420 00:16:39,070 --> 00:16:39,270 It's. 421 00:16:39,270 --> 00:16:40,670 It's a distance thing. 422 00:16:40,830 --> 00:16:44,270 So he says, run with patience, the race that is set for us. 423 00:16:45,870 --> 00:16:48,230 Like I said, some people's races are longer than others. 424 00:16:48,230 --> 00:16:51,070 But at this point in time, we all have a race to finish. 425 00:16:51,470 --> 00:16:53,310 You're here today, and you're drawing breath. 426 00:16:53,390 --> 00:16:54,550 You have a race to finish. 427 00:16:54,550 --> 00:16:55,710 And the question would be this. 428 00:16:55,790 --> 00:16:57,870 Not just am I going to finish out 20, 25? 429 00:16:57,870 --> 00:17:01,560 Well, I hope that you do, but am I going to finish the time that 430 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,280 God has allowed me to live here on this earth to the best of 431 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,640 my ability for his purpose in my life? 432 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:09,080 And that purpose is to glorify him. 433 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:12,880 The gospel of Jesus Christ, it's not about to get f. It's not 434 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:13,720 about getting followers. 435 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,200 It's not about getting people to like us. 436 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,280 It's not about getting people to accept us. 437 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:20,240 Folks, if we're striving for people to like us and accept us, 438 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:23,080 we might be at a place where there's going to be some type of 439 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:23,520 conflict. 440 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:27,010 Because me serving the Lord is not always going to have people loving 441 00:17:27,010 --> 00:17:28,450 what I'm saying and what I'm doing. 442 00:17:28,850 --> 00:17:32,050 Actually, sometimes it's going to get people upset, because the 443 00:17:32,050 --> 00:17:35,290 gospel is something that's very polarizing to our culture. 444 00:17:35,290 --> 00:17:37,970 Why because the Gospel doesn't say that I'm a good person. 445 00:17:39,010 --> 00:17:41,410 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 446 00:17:41,890 --> 00:17:42,850 There is none good. 447 00:17:42,850 --> 00:17:43,650 No, not one. 448 00:17:43,650 --> 00:17:46,610 We all are in desperate need of something bigger than us. 449 00:17:47,490 --> 00:17:49,170 I'm going to tell you something here this morning and it 450 00:17:49,170 --> 00:17:50,930 might make you bristle your hair up a little bit. 451 00:17:50,930 --> 00:17:51,890 The reality is this. 452 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,320 You, you, me, we are not enough to save ourselves. 453 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:57,440 So. 454 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:58,360 So what do we do? 455 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:00,080 Well, we just give up. 456 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:03,960 We quit, we get depressed, we look to other things. 457 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,159 No, the Bible gives us exactly what we are to do when we recognize 458 00:18:08,159 --> 00:18:09,960 that we are not enough to save ourselves. 459 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,360 And I would take it even a step further. 460 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,560 None of us have the personal capability of being faithful to our 461 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:19,320 Savior because all of us have that temptation of sin in our lives. 462 00:18:20,060 --> 00:18:21,660 All of us are struggling with the old man. 463 00:18:21,820 --> 00:18:22,620 So what do we do? 464 00:18:22,620 --> 00:18:24,620 The Bible tells us exactly what to do. 465 00:18:25,100 --> 00:18:30,700 Hebrews chapter 12, the next verse, the very next verse. 466 00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:34,260 Hebrews chapter 12, verse one tells us to run the race, Lay aside 467 00:18:34,260 --> 00:18:35,579 every weight, go forward. 468 00:18:35,579 --> 00:18:39,220 But then we see in verse number two exactly what we are to 469 00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:39,380 do. 470 00:18:39,380 --> 00:18:45,420 It says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 471 00:18:46,490 --> 00:18:48,010 Looking unto Jesus, the. 472 00:18:48,090 --> 00:18:50,890 The creator and sustainer of our faith. 473 00:18:52,090 --> 00:18:54,250 So what does it mean to finish the race with patience? 474 00:18:54,890 --> 00:18:58,050 What does it mean to look forward to what God has called us 475 00:18:58,050 --> 00:18:58,530 in our life? 476 00:18:58,530 --> 00:19:02,370 It's to love God more and to serve him more and to yield ourselves 477 00:19:02,370 --> 00:19:05,610 to his plan for our lives to draw nearer to Jesus. 478 00:19:05,610 --> 00:19:06,970 It's not about trying harder. 479 00:19:07,130 --> 00:19:10,090 I used to think that if I can just write one more sermon, if I 480 00:19:10,090 --> 00:19:12,870 could, if I could just win one more person to Jesus Christ, then 481 00:19:12,870 --> 00:19:15,190 maybe I can reach the pinnacle of being a Christian. 482 00:19:15,270 --> 00:19:18,390 Folks, we can never do enough to match what Jesus Christ has done 483 00:19:18,390 --> 00:19:18,870 for us. 484 00:19:18,950 --> 00:19:19,990 So what do we do? 485 00:19:20,070 --> 00:19:23,510 The way that we please him is to cling to him, to draw nigh to 486 00:19:23,510 --> 00:19:25,430 him as he draws near to us. 487 00:19:25,830 --> 00:19:28,150 You go back just a few pages in your bible. 488 00:19:28,150 --> 00:19:29,270 Hebrews chapter 10. 489 00:19:29,670 --> 00:19:32,830 Hebrews chapter 10 tells us how we can hold fast to our faith, 490 00:19:32,830 --> 00:19:36,310 how we can hold tightly to what God has given us. 491 00:19:37,270 --> 00:19:39,950 And essentially what we're going to see here is the same teaching 492 00:19:39,950 --> 00:19:44,660 that we saw In Hebrews chapter 12, looking to Jesus, the author 493 00:19:44,660 --> 00:19:45,900 and finisher of our faith. 494 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:52,300 Go back to Hebrews chapter 10, look at verse number 22. 495 00:19:54,460 --> 00:19:56,820 And I think that this will be something that we can kind of understand 496 00:19:56,820 --> 00:19:57,579 in our own minds. 497 00:19:57,579 --> 00:20:01,100 And then we'll conclude here this morning, Hebrews chapter 10, 498 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:06,500 verse 22 says, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance 499 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:10,150 of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 500 00:20:10,150 --> 00:20:13,390 and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast. 501 00:20:13,390 --> 00:20:17,190 Let us hold on to the profession of our faith without wavering. 502 00:20:17,270 --> 00:20:20,070 So the Bible says here, hold on, don't waver, don't, don't quit, 503 00:20:20,630 --> 00:20:21,750 don't hesitate. 504 00:20:22,630 --> 00:20:25,750 But then he tells us here at the end of verse 23, how we can do 505 00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:26,070 that. 506 00:20:27,510 --> 00:20:29,950 He says, for he is faithful. 507 00:20:29,950 --> 00:20:32,950 That promise, meaning the only way that we can stay faithful is 508 00:20:32,950 --> 00:20:36,640 by staying true to the one who is faithful to us, the one who was 509 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,640 faithful in the midst of our unfaithfulness. 510 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:40,040 Verse 24. 511 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,600 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and 512 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:43,120 to good works. 513 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:45,520 And so this is not just an individual endeavor. 514 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,680 This is an endeavor that means that we need to be around other people, 515 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,000 to consider one another, to provoke unto love and good works, 516 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:54,880 not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner 517 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,400 of some is, but exhorting one another, challenging one another, 518 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,720 and so much the more as you see the day approaching. 519 00:21:01,450 --> 00:21:02,290 And so we're to call. 520 00:21:02,290 --> 00:21:04,810 We're called to be faithful, and we're called to challenge others 521 00:21:05,050 --> 00:21:07,610 to be faithful as well, by loving them, by con. 522 00:21:07,610 --> 00:21:08,650 By provoking them. 523 00:21:08,650 --> 00:21:11,410 Now, some of you say, I like provoking people, but maybe not to 524 00:21:11,410 --> 00:21:12,130 love and good works. 525 00:21:12,130 --> 00:21:13,370 No, provoking one another. 526 00:21:13,370 --> 00:21:15,890 That means stirring one another up, not to get angry with 527 00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:20,170 each other, but to come to a place of love and good works. 528 00:21:21,290 --> 00:21:24,850 And so we think about all these things and we wrap it up. 529 00:21:24,850 --> 00:21:27,410 And I think that the best way that we can do that is by how we 530 00:21:27,410 --> 00:21:29,370 started the service this morning. 531 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:30,720 Philippians chapter three. 532 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:32,920 Philippians, chapter three. 533 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,840 Paul says, here we all have a calling. 534 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:37,920 We all have a purpose. 535 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,920 It's not a purpose of self exaltation, it's a purpose of exalting 536 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:43,840 the Lord in our lives. 537 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,560 We never should get to a place in our lives where we say, I have 538 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:48,080 arrived. 539 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:49,440 I'm there. 540 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:51,280 I'm super Christian. 541 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:52,720 I'm number one. 542 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:54,360 I've got it all figured out. 543 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:55,960 Just come to me and I've got all the answers. 544 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:56,240 No. 545 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,600 Philippians chapter 3, verse 12. 546 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:03,440 Paul says, not as though I already attained either. 547 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:04,440 We're already perfect. 548 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,440 But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am 549 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:09,600 apprehended of Christ Jesus. 550 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:10,560 Meaning this I. 551 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:10,880 We. 552 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,280 We must be apprehended by Christ Jesus. 553 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:14,640 He must have our hearts. 554 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:16,120 He doesn't have our hearts. 555 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:18,320 It doesn't matter where we're at on Sunday morning. 556 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:19,760 It doesn't matter where we're serving. 557 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:20,880 God wants our heart. 558 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:24,240 He says in verse 13, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, 559 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:25,600 but this one thing I do. 560 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,480 Forgetting those things which are behind, good or bad. 561 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,600 Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto 562 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:32,480 those things which are. 563 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,840 Before pressing forth, I press toward the mark for the prize of 564 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,840 the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 565 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,360 I hope you see a theme in all of these race analogies. 566 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,960 Always in Christ Jesus, it's always about being faithful in the 567 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,720 one who is faithful looking unto Jesus, the author and finish 568 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:53,280 of our finisher of our faith. 569 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,400 And then it goes on to say in that Hebrews 12: Passage, the reason 570 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,760 why Jesus is the author and finisher for our faith is because 571 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,640 he was willingly and joyfully willing to go to the cross for our 572 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:03,040 sins. 573 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,520 And he didn't just stay on the cross, he didn't stay in the tomb, 574 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,920 but he conquered death in the Resurrection, therefore extends that 575 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:12,080 gift of grace to us all. 576 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:13,840 That's the greatest news ever told. 577 00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:17,130 Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 578 00:23:17,530 --> 00:23:18,130 That's it. 579 00:23:18,130 --> 00:23:18,530 That's what. 580 00:23:18,530 --> 00:23:19,450 That's our purpose. 581 00:23:20,170 --> 00:23:21,730 And so as Christians, what do we do? 582 00:23:21,730 --> 00:23:25,250 As Christians, we say, lord, I know that you've given me a purpose. 583 00:23:25,250 --> 00:23:26,810 I know sometimes I can be distracted. 584 00:23:26,810 --> 00:23:32,170 But, Lord, give me strength, give me the wisdom to be able to 585 00:23:32,170 --> 00:23:36,210 allow myself to go forward and not be distracted by the things of 586 00:23:36,210 --> 00:23:36,650 this world. 587 00:23:36,650 --> 00:23:38,410 Let's finish 2025 strong. 588 00:23:38,970 --> 00:23:41,060 Let's do our best to keep going. 589 00:23:41,540 --> 00:23:44,020 Now, by the way, someone says, well, next year, what's the theme 590 00:23:44,020 --> 00:23:44,660 for next year? 591 00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:46,420 Well, the. 592 00:23:46,420 --> 00:23:47,940 I'll tell you guys that in a few weeks. 593 00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:49,780 But the theme should all. 594 00:23:49,780 --> 00:23:50,100 So. 595 00:23:50,100 --> 00:23:53,620 So we don't just put go on like, all right, we went in 2025, 596 00:23:53,620 --> 00:23:54,580 now we stopped going. 597 00:23:54,660 --> 00:23:58,180 Every single vision for each year is just going to be like, we're 598 00:23:58,180 --> 00:23:58,980 going to build on it. 599 00:23:59,140 --> 00:24:00,420 So we never stop going. 600 00:24:00,420 --> 00:24:00,820 Right? 601 00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:03,620 We don't just get to the end of 2025 and say, well, now we don't 602 00:24:03,620 --> 00:24:04,740 take any more mission strips. 603 00:24:04,740 --> 00:24:07,590 No, that's why we have mission trip plan in 2026. 604 00:24:07,590 --> 00:24:10,790 That's why we want to continue to add more missionaries in 2026. 605 00:24:10,950 --> 00:24:12,870 It's all part of the Christian walk. 606 00:24:12,870 --> 00:24:14,870 Let's add go to our lives. 607 00:24:14,950 --> 00:24:17,910 That's not just a theme, but it's our lifestyle to go. 608 00:24:18,870 --> 00:24:21,630 And for some, like I said, you can go to your community, you can 609 00:24:21,630 --> 00:24:25,390 go to your workplace, you can go, maybe there's someone here that 610 00:24:25,390 --> 00:24:27,750 God is pressing your heart to go into missions. 611 00:24:27,990 --> 00:24:29,230 I, I, I hope so. 612 00:24:29,230 --> 00:24:31,670 I would hate to lose you here at the church, but I would love to 613 00:24:31,670 --> 00:24:34,100 see God deploy you into the field. 614 00:24:34,900 --> 00:24:37,540 I'm excited to see what God's going to do in 2026. 615 00:24:38,420 --> 00:24:40,860 I'm excited to see what God's going to do in the time that he has 616 00:24:40,860 --> 00:24:42,100 in each and every one of your lives. 617 00:24:42,100 --> 00:24:44,020 But let's push towards the race. 618 00:24:44,340 --> 00:24:46,180 Let's, let's push towards the finish line. 619 00:24:46,740 --> 00:24:49,620 For some of us, you might say, Pastor, I'm, I'm exhausted. 620 00:24:50,420 --> 00:24:51,220 I understand that. 621 00:24:51,220 --> 00:24:52,820 And there's a time for physical rest. 622 00:24:53,220 --> 00:24:54,820 What I would also say is this. 623 00:24:54,820 --> 00:24:56,180 Give everything that you can. 624 00:24:56,420 --> 00:24:58,740 It might not be like you're, you're sprinting anymore. 625 00:24:59,060 --> 00:25:01,420 You might not be able to do all those things that you were able 626 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:02,180 to do in the past. 627 00:25:02,690 --> 00:25:05,090 I used to go knock on 100 doors a week. 628 00:25:05,170 --> 00:25:08,170 Maybe you're not able to do that, but maybe what you're able 629 00:25:08,170 --> 00:25:09,650 to do is what God has given you today. 630 00:25:09,970 --> 00:25:12,530 And I know you can, because the Bible says that whatever God 631 00:25:12,530 --> 00:25:14,330 is asking you to do, he'll give you that strength to do it. 632 00:25:14,330 --> 00:25:15,250 Philippians 4:13. 633 00:25:15,570 --> 00:25:17,570 It doesn't mean he's going to give you the strength. 634 00:25:17,570 --> 00:25:18,370 Do anything you want. 635 00:25:18,690 --> 00:25:19,370 He's going to give. 636 00:25:19,370 --> 00:25:22,330 He's going to equip you to do the job that he's required you in 637 00:25:22,330 --> 00:25:24,050 your life and that he's calling you. 638 00:25:25,570 --> 00:25:27,010 And so I end with this. 639 00:25:28,780 --> 00:25:30,300 Let's be faithful to His Word. 640 00:25:30,940 --> 00:25:33,260 Part of being faithful is just being faithful to what this says 641 00:25:33,260 --> 00:25:33,740 right here. 642 00:25:34,460 --> 00:25:35,660 So easy to drift. 643 00:25:35,900 --> 00:25:38,940 It's so easy to say, well, well, culture says this, so maybe 644 00:25:38,940 --> 00:25:40,620 we can just compromise in this area. 645 00:25:41,180 --> 00:25:42,700 Well, that makes more sense over here. 646 00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:47,100 So let's know, let's stay faithful to His Word, not, not our 647 00:25:47,100 --> 00:25:49,700 feelings, but what the Word of God says and allow the word of God 648 00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:53,540 to drive what we believe and, and how we feel and what we do in 649 00:25:53,540 --> 00:25:53,980 our lives. 650 00:25:54,910 --> 00:25:56,510 Let's be faithful to his service. 651 00:25:57,870 --> 00:25:59,550 He has called us all to serve Him. 652 00:25:59,790 --> 00:26:04,110 Now, we're not saved by our service, but we are saved to serve. 653 00:26:04,750 --> 00:26:07,150 So let's think about where God has us to serve. 654 00:26:08,830 --> 00:26:11,710 Let's think about how we can be faithful to his command. 655 00:26:12,350 --> 00:26:13,710 What's the greatest commandment? 656 00:26:14,830 --> 00:26:17,710 To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and 657 00:26:17,710 --> 00:26:18,990 to love our neighbor as ourselves. 658 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:20,840 That's the great commandment. 659 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:23,680 Let's think about that commandment this year. 660 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,480 If, if I love God with everything. 661 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:27,320 And if I love my neighbor as myself. 662 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,880 I don't have to worry about rules and legalism. 663 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,120 All I have to think about is this. 664 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:33,240 If I love God completely, I'm going to obey him. 665 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:34,280 If. 666 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:36,720 If I love my neighbor as myself, I'm going to treat them the 667 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:38,120 way that God tells me to treat them. 668 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,400 So I would encourage you to think about that commandment. 669 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,360 Let's be faithful to that commandment of loving God with everything 670 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:44,480 and loving our neighbor. 671 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,060 And then lastly, let's be faithful to his commission, the commission 672 00:26:48,060 --> 00:26:52,260 of the Gospel, the commission of preaching and teaching the word 673 00:26:52,260 --> 00:26:54,180 of God to those around us and making disciples. 674 00:26:54,180 --> 00:26:57,820 Folks, I would love to see a bunch of people come to Christ here 675 00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:00,140 in the Middletown, Delaware area. 676 00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:01,820 I would love that. 677 00:27:02,220 --> 00:27:03,660 You know what I would love even more? 678 00:27:03,660 --> 00:27:06,740 Not just to see them come to Christ, but to see them planted in 679 00:27:06,740 --> 00:27:10,620 a church and see discipleship happen and see each individual take 680 00:27:10,620 --> 00:27:13,060 someone under their wing and say, hey, look, this is what I've 681 00:27:13,060 --> 00:27:14,980 gone through, and this is what you will go through. 682 00:27:14,980 --> 00:27:16,940 And this is how you can get through it in the word of God. 683 00:27:17,060 --> 00:27:21,780 Folks, the Bible says to make disciples, let's strive not just 684 00:27:21,780 --> 00:27:25,980 to see people become religious, let's strive to see followers 685 00:27:25,980 --> 00:27:26,900 of Jesus Christ. 686 00:27:27,380 --> 00:27:29,300 And we're the ones that are to do that. 687 00:27:30,420 --> 00:27:34,100 But you have to be a disciple to make the sign. 688 00:27:34,980 --> 00:27:37,140 So here this year, let's strive to say, you know, I want to 689 00:27:37,140 --> 00:27:38,220 be faithful to the Lord. 690 00:27:38,220 --> 00:27:39,540 I want to be faithful to Him. 691 00:27:39,540 --> 00:27:42,340 I want to follow him to the best of my ability so that others 692 00:27:42,340 --> 00:27:44,800 will see my good work and glorify my Father, which is. 693 00:27:46,630 --> 00:27:49,790 And so here in 2026, we're going to be talking a lot more about 694 00:27:49,790 --> 00:27:50,950 how you be involved. 695 00:27:52,230 --> 00:27:54,470 How can you make disciples? 696 00:27:54,790 --> 00:27:55,870 I don't make a disciple. 697 00:27:55,870 --> 00:27:56,830 God makes the disciples. 698 00:27:56,830 --> 00:28:00,110 But I'm a vessel to be used to preach that truth to those around 699 00:28:00,110 --> 00:28:02,870 me, to teach in the times of difficulty. 700 00:28:03,350 --> 00:28:05,590 And each and every one of you, I believe this. 701 00:28:05,670 --> 00:28:08,310 I believe if you're a believer in Jesus Christ here this morning, 702 00:28:09,110 --> 00:28:11,270 you all have that call in your life. 703 00:28:11,270 --> 00:28:12,310 I have that call in my life. 704 00:28:12,310 --> 00:28:15,840 The find someone who I can preach and I can teach and I can 705 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,560 encourage and I can strengthen and I can love and I can serve. 706 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,640 You might not be able to reach a hundred people, but you can reach 707 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:23,000 one. 708 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,320 But I would also go a little bit further here this morning not 709 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:28,680 to assume that everyone here is a believer in Jesus Christ. 710 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,000 I would say this here this morning, you can't be a disciple 711 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:33,320 unless you believe in Jesus Christ. 712 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:36,280 As your personal savior and to trust in him and to know that he 713 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,280 alone can change your life and he can take you from darkness into 714 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,400 marvelous light, that he can take you from the place of your life 715 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,560 in which you say, I don't know if I can do this. 716 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:46,800 I don't know if I can handle this. 717 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:47,880 I don't know if I'm good enough. 718 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,040 And teach you that, yes, you need him and that he can change you. 719 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,880 And as the Bible says In Romans chapter 12, transform you. 720 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,720 And as Romans chapter 8 says, to conform you into his. 721 00:28:58,680 --> 00:28:59,720 That's the purpose. 722 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:00,760 That's the idea. 723 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,800 And so if you don't have Jesus Christ as a savior this morning, 724 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:08,050 if you have not trusted in Him, I would encourage you to start 725 00:29:08,050 --> 00:29:11,250 2026 with that greatest decision that you could ever make, 726 00:29:11,490 --> 00:29:12,050 Edison. 727 00:29:12,610 --> 00:29:16,410 But if you do know him, let's think about how we can go into 2026, 728 00:29:16,410 --> 00:29:19,770 finish this year strong and push forward and run that race with 729 00:29:19,770 --> 00:29:24,130 endurance to run that race, focus on the word of God, to be faithful 730 00:29:24,130 --> 00:29:26,730 to what he has called us to do and understand that even when we 731 00:29:26,730 --> 00:29:30,250 stumble, the way we understand our failures is to go to him and 732 00:29:30,250 --> 00:29:32,930 say, lord, I have failed you, but you never fail me. 733 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,600 Lift me up, give me the strength, encourage me. 734 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:40,000 Give me the opportunity to walk in your truth, your word here. 735 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:40,960 6. 736 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:42,360 I'm going to ask if you're able to. 737 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,080 To stand with me, every head bowed, every head closed as the music 738 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:45,440 plays. 739 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,520 I'm going to give you a chance to respond here this morning. 740 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,320 Maybe God has been working in your life in certain areas and you've 741 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:55,720 been fighting against it because you don't know how it'll 742 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:55,920 work. 743 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:57,200 You don't know what it'll look like. 744 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,740 You have a lot of hesitancy because maybe, maybe you're not sure 745 00:30:00,740 --> 00:30:01,660 about what's next. 746 00:30:01,820 --> 00:30:05,500 I'm going to tell you in ministry, in service, in loving God 747 00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:08,340 and loving others, we might not know what the next step is, but 748 00:30:08,340 --> 00:30:09,900 we know where the final step goes. 749 00:30:09,900 --> 00:30:12,100 And we know that one day we will be with our Savior. 750 00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:15,020 And everything that we do now for the kingdom of God, everything 751 00:30:15,020 --> 00:30:18,220 we do now for eternal focus and the eternal perspective will 752 00:30:18,220 --> 00:30:19,900 one day make sense to us. 753 00:30:20,780 --> 00:30:22,460 So I would encourage you to think about that now. 754 00:30:22,460 --> 00:30:27,130 Am I willing to invest into the eternal perspective what in my 755 00:30:27,130 --> 00:30:30,930 life has been causing me to be weighted down and not be able to 756 00:30:30,930 --> 00:30:32,970 do the things that God has called me to do? 757 00:30:34,970 --> 00:30:37,290 Maybe for you, you don't know what God is calling you. 758 00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:41,130 Let's just start with the Most basic thing, to love him, to love 759 00:30:41,130 --> 00:30:43,850 others, to follow his word. 760 00:30:44,330 --> 00:30:47,650 God will reveal and open doors in your life and show you where to 761 00:30:47,650 --> 00:30:47,810 go. 762 00:30:47,810 --> 00:30:51,070 But just start with that relationship with him, the authority, 763 00:30:51,140 --> 00:30:52,180 ministry of your faith. 764 00:30:52,340 --> 00:30:55,060 And so as I lead us in a word of prayer here, I'm going to ask 765 00:30:55,060 --> 00:30:56,740 if you would like to come forward. 766 00:30:56,740 --> 00:30:59,580 We've got some folks up here that can show you in the word of 767 00:30:59,580 --> 00:31:01,620 God what it means to know Jesus as your Savior. 768 00:31:01,620 --> 00:31:03,540 Men, we've got some men up here, ladies. 769 00:31:03,540 --> 00:31:05,900 We can have a lady meet with you and we can show you what it means 770 00:31:05,900 --> 00:31:07,700 to trust in Jesus as your Savior. 771 00:31:07,860 --> 00:31:10,620 But number two, maybe you just need to come up here and talk with 772 00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:12,660 the Lord and, and ask him to give you strength. 773 00:31:12,660 --> 00:31:14,940 Ask him to give you that victory over something that might 774 00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:15,860 be weighing you down. 775 00:31:16,020 --> 00:31:19,660 Maybe it's just a doubt, maybe it's a fear, but at the end of the 776 00:31:19,660 --> 00:31:22,020 day we know that God can wipe away all those things. 777 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:25,460 So maybe we want to just ask him this morning to give you wisdom 778 00:31:25,460 --> 00:31:28,420 and direction of what the next step of your life is when it comes 779 00:31:28,820 --> 00:31:30,420 following him and running this race. 780 00:31:30,420 --> 00:31:32,540 And maybe you just want to come this morning and say, lord, 781 00:31:32,540 --> 00:31:34,740 give me the strength to finish this race. 782 00:31:35,540 --> 00:31:37,340 As Paul says, I fought the good fight. 783 00:31:37,340 --> 00:31:39,300 I finished my course, I kept the faith. 784 00:31:40,500 --> 00:31:43,540 We can talk so much more about what it means to be faith this morning 785 00:31:43,700 --> 00:31:45,150 to only by God's grace. 786 00:31:45,950 --> 00:31:48,190 So may we think about that this morning. 787 00:31:48,670 --> 00:31:51,030 Lord, I pray to be in this time of invitation working hearts 788 00:31:51,030 --> 00:31:51,390 and lives. 789 00:31:51,550 --> 00:31:53,270 There's someone who needs you as savior. 790 00:31:53,270 --> 00:31:55,230 Lord, may today be the day of salvation. 791 00:31:55,630 --> 00:31:58,870 I pray that work in the hearts and lives of believers here this 792 00:31:58,870 --> 00:32:02,510 morning to push forward run the race finish course. 793 00:32:03,710 --> 00:32:05,230 We ask all these things in Jesus name. 794 00:32:05,230 --> 00:32:05,550 Amen. 795 00:32:05,550 --> 00:32:07,630 As the music plays follow as the Lord leads here this morning. 796 00:33:49,110 --> 00:33:51,590 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 797 00:33:51,590 --> 00:33:52,230 podcast. 798 00:33:52,470 --> 00:33:54,830 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for for you. 799 00:33:55,470 --> 00:33:57,750 If you would like to find out more information about our church 800 00:33:57,750 --> 00:34:01,230 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 801 00:34:01,470 --> 00:34:04,030 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 802 00:34:04,830 --> 00:34:09,710 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro Middletown BaptistChurch.com 803 00:34:10,189 --> 00:34:13,670 if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 804 00:34:13,670 --> 00:34:16,510 along for future podcast and updates. 805 00:34:17,150 --> 00:34:18,110 Thank you so much. 806 00:34:18,350 --> 00:34:19,070 God Bless. 807 00:34:19,310 --> 00:34:20,590 Have a wonderful day.