0:02 the good word today is in 1
0:06 Thessalonians chap 2: 19 and 20 now we
0:09 consider these verses in our last study
0:11 and we want to consider them again today
0:13 for another aspect of Truth you know
0:16 each verse in the Bible is like a
0:18 beautiful Jewel and you can hold this
0:21 Jewel up to the light and see the beauty
0:23 of each facet and so it is with the word
0:27 of God last time we considered verses 19
0:30 and 20 as a motive for Christian service
0:32 Jesus is coming again and you and I
0:34 ought to be faithful to win souls to
0:37 Christ but Paul uses a word here that's
0:39 very interesting he uses the word
0:43 Crown Crown Paul is picturing himself as
0:44 running a
0:48 race and he sees himself achieving the
0:52 goal and the Saints are his reward he
0:54 receives the crown of
0:57 rejoicing because of his faithfulness as
1:00 a soul winner now Paul of often uses
1:03 athletic terms in his writing I'm sure
1:06 that Paul knew what it was to watch the
1:08 Olympic Games and the Corinthian games
1:11 over in Corinth several times Paul talks
1:14 about running and wrestling and I I want
1:17 today to take some of these uh
1:21 comparisons that Paul uses in athletics
1:22 some of you may be very athletically
1:25 inclined personally I'm not I enjoy
1:27 watching a baseball game especially if
1:30 they're winning but I myself am not an
1:33 athlete I I thank God for those who are
1:34 and for the good Christian testimony
1:37 they have but Paul must have had a keen
1:39 interest in sports because over and over
1:42 again he uses athletic pictures to give
1:45 us spiritual truth he's talking here
1:48 about the race running the race now back
1:50 in Paul's day the only person who could
1:53 run a race in the games was a Freed Man
1:56 a slave couldn't he had to be a citizen
1:58 of the country before he could run in
1:59 the games of course you and I are
2:02 citizens of heaven we do not run the
2:04 race in order to be saved we run the
2:07 race because we are saved when you were
2:10 saved God picked you up and put you on a
2:12 solid rock and said start running win
2:15 the prize I have a goal for your life
2:18 and just as a runner stays in his Lane
2:21 and runs to reach the goal so each
2:24 Christian has a lane to run in a life to
2:27 live a Ministry to fulfill and we should
2:30 run to reach the goal there are at least
2:33 five requirements to be a winning
2:34 Christian I mean a Christian who's going
2:37 to get a reward all those who are born
2:40 again are going to get to heaven but not
2:41 all born again people are going to have
2:43 rewards when they get to heaven some are
2:45 going to be saved like lot as by fire
2:49 everything lot lived for was burned up I
2:50 don't want you to be that way and I
2:52 don't want to be that way let's look now
2:55 at these requirements for being a
2:58 winning athlete in the race of Life the
3:01 first requirement is here in chap 2: 19
3:03 and 20 Delight the athlete has to
3:06 Delight he has to Rejoice he has to
3:10 enjoy his sport or he cannot do his best
3:12 now Paul said here I went to
3:14 thessalonica I was persecuted I was run
3:18 out of town I didn't quit I Rejoice that
3:21 I have the privilege of serving the lord
3:24 do you rejoice in serving the lord do
3:26 you think that an athlete would go
3:28 through all that he goes through if he
3:31 didn't enjoy the game no one enjoys
3:33 scrimmaging no one enjoys going through
3:37 exercise no one enjoys the dietary
3:39 disciplines but if you enjoy the game
3:42 you don't mind it at all Delight Paul
3:45 said I Rejoice to have the privilege of
3:47 serving the lord I feel sorry for those
3:49 who try to serve the Lord and don't
3:51 enjoy it the second requirement is
3:53 discipline and Paul talks about this
3:56 back in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 if you
3:58 have your Bible there with you turn to 1
4:01 Corinthians chapter 9
4:04 verse 24 know ye not that they which run
4:07 in a race run all but one receiveth the
4:10 prize so run that ye may obtain and
4:12 every man that striveth for the Mastery
4:15 every man who wants to be a capable
4:18 athlete is temperate in all things now
4:21 they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown
4:23 when you won the race in Greece they
4:25 gave you a lural wreath after a few days
4:28 it had faded away but we an
4:31 incorruptible I therefore so run not as
4:34 uncertainly so fight I not as one that
4:38 beateth the air but I keep under my body
4:41 I beat my body black and blue and bring
4:43 it into subjection lest that by any
4:45 means when I have preached to others I
4:47 myself should be a cast away and the
4:49 word Cast Away here means
4:51 disqualified Paul's picture here is that
4:54 of an athlete disciplining himself he
4:56 said anybody can run but only one can
4:59 win yet all Christians can win a prize
5:00 if they'll dis discipline themselves
5:02 he's talking here about the discipline
5:04 of the body an athlete has to be careful
5:08 what he eats he must exercise his body
5:09 he can't eat what he wants to or drink
5:11 what he wants to he can't go to bed when
5:13 he wants to he has to be under
5:16 discipline so with a Christian you know
5:17 if every Christian would put as much
5:21 discipline into the Christian Life as
5:24 Sports people do in athletics we'd have
5:27 Revival in our churches Christians are
5:29 flabby spiritually they're sloppy
5:31 spiritually they don't care what they
5:33 feed themselves spiritually they don't
5:35 give themselves exercise as they ought
5:38 to spiritually and consequently they're
5:40 not disciplined Samson lost his crown
5:42 because he wasn't disciplined and you
5:44 and I can lose our Crown if we're not
5:47 disciplined delight and discipline are
5:50 two requirements to be a winning
5:51 Christian the third is
5:54 Direction Philippians chapter 3 Paul
5:57 talks again about running the race
5:59 Philippians chapter 3 let me read what
6:02 he say says from verses 12- 15 not as
6:04 though I had already attained either
6:07 were already perfect I haven't arrived
6:10 yet but I follow after if that I may
6:13 apprehend that for which also I am
6:15 apprehended of Christ Jesus Paul said I
6:18 want to get my hands on that for which
6:20 God got his hands on me I want to
6:22 fulfill the purpose for which I was
6:25 saved that to me is a tremendous thought
6:27 that God has a purpose for every one of
6:30 our lives that nobody else can fulfill
6:31 wouldn't it be terrible to live your
6:33 life and miss that purpose Brethren I
6:36 count not myself to have apprehended I
6:39 haven't arrived yet but this one thing I
6:41 do forgetting those things which are
6:43 behind and reaching forth unto those
6:45 things which are before I press toward
6:49 the mark for the prize of the upward
6:52 calling of God in Christ Jesus
6:55 direction direction can you imagine a
6:58 person running the wrong way on the
7:01 racetrack now many students think that
7:02 Paul's talking here about the Chariot
7:05 race and probably he is in the Chariot
7:07 race they didn't have a beautiful
7:09 Chariot such as you see in comic strips
7:11 it was really just two wheels with a
7:14 platform and the rider the charioteer
7:16 had to stand on that platform and Brace
7:19 himself and hold on to the reins and
7:21 keep that Chariot in the right lane if
7:23 he wanted to have an accident all he had
7:25 to do was look back and looking back
7:28 would cause an accident Paul Compares
7:32 this to Christians this this one thing I
7:36 do not these million things I do this
7:39 one thing I do Paul's life was focused
7:42 on one thing the will of God far too
7:44 many Christians today are wrapped up in
7:46 too many things and by the way too many
7:49 Church programs are too busy too many
7:50 Christians are on
7:52 detours that little poem that we hear
7:54 every once in a while Mary had a little
7:55 lamb it would have been a sheep but it
7:58 joined a local gospel church and died
8:02 from lack of sleep this one thing I do I
8:05 press toward the mark for the prize of
8:07 the High Calling direction is there
8:09 Direction in your life have you found
8:11 that one goal that God wants you to
8:14 reach in your life what is it he wants
8:17 you to be what is it he wants you to do
8:20 Delight discipline direction are
8:22 requirements to be a winning Christian
8:24 who is going to get the prize from the
8:26 Lord Jesus now the fourth requirement is
8:29 in Hebrews 12 1-3 that that's
8:32 determination dedication determination
8:35 wherefore Hebrews 12:1 seeing we are
8:37 also compassed about with so great a
8:40 cloud of witnesses let us lay aside
8:42 every weight and the sin which thus so
8:45 easily beset us and let us run with
8:47 endurance the race that is set before us
8:50 looking unto Jesus the author and
8:52 finisher of our faith who for the joy
8:54 that was set before him endured the
8:57 cross despising the shame and is sat
8:59 down at the right hand of the Throne of
9:02 God for consider him that endured such
9:04 contradiction of Sinners against himself
9:07 lest you be wearied and faint in your
9:09 minds oh how many Christians give up and
9:12 faint now an athlete can't afford to do
9:15 this if he's out running the race or in
9:17 the football game or wherever he may be
9:20 he cannot afford to quit it's always too
9:21 soon to
9:23 quit sometimes like you feel like
9:26 quitting it's a rough road that we're on
9:28 back here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2
9:30 Paul said say hindered us and that word
9:33 hindered means he made the road rough he
9:36 threw barricades obstacles in the way
9:38 someone has said that there are
9:40 obstacles in the way of every Christian
9:43 but no obstacle needs to stay in the way
9:45 God can remove every obstacle for us if
9:48 we're determined to run the race it's
9:50 easy to give up and faint very few want
9:52 to run with you very few are going to
9:54 encourage you but Paul said I'm going to
9:56 run the race with
10:00 determination determination a Christian
10:02 cannot quit I'm preaching to myself
10:05 there are times I feel like quitting
10:07 Jesus said men ought always to pray and
10:10 not to faint now Hebrews 12 gives us
10:13 three encouragements to keep on going in
10:15 verse one he says look around at all the
10:17 witnesses who are these the people in
10:19 chapter 11 all the great Saints of the
10:22 Old Testament Abraham could have quit he
10:24 kept on going David could have quit he
10:27 kept on going Moses Moses had a rough
10:29 time he qu he kept on going they had
10:32 their ups and downs but he says look
10:35 around and see how many people have
10:37 endured and they've won the prize then
10:40 he says look ahead verse two the joy
10:43 that was set before him look ahead the
10:46 joy of one day standing before the Lord
10:48 and knowing that he will give us his
10:51 reward it'll be worth it we sing in one
10:53 of our songs it will be worth it all
10:55 when we see Jesus now look friend God is
10:58 not going to give you your reward now
11:00 you're going to see some blessing now
11:02 sure you are I thank God for the joy and
11:04 the blessing we've seen in our
11:07 Ministries but our real reward is Yet to
11:10 Come God doesn't always pay on payday in
11:12 this life it will be worth it all when
11:15 we see Jesus life's trials will seem so
11:18 small when we see him one glimpse of his
11:22 dear face all Sorrows will erase so
11:27 bravely run the race till we see Christ
11:29 determination then he says here's a
11:31 third encouragement look around at all
11:34 the winners look ahead to the prize Look
11:36 Away to Jesus looking unto Jesus think
11:38 of what he had to go through whatever
11:40 the Lord Jesus went through you and I go
11:42 through he's been through everything
11:43 we're going to go through they tried to
11:45 kill him they laughed at him they called
11:47 him crazy they called him a drunk called
11:50 him a glutton they lied about him they
11:52 did everything they could to keep him
11:54 from achieving his goal and they'll do
11:57 the same thing to us now the Lord Jesus
11:59 has already run the race and won
12:02 he's called the pioneer of our Salvation
12:04 he's opened the way for us to follow
12:06 whatever he starts he finishes
12:08 Philippians 1:6 being confident of this
12:11 very thing that he which hath begun a
12:13 good work in you will perform it until
12:16 the day of Jesus Christ and so the word
12:19 of God says have determination don't
12:21 quit when you feel like quitting
12:24 remember the Saints of the Old Testament
12:26 God saw them through the apostles and
12:29 Prophets God saw them through Jesus God
12:31 God saw him through and God will see you
12:33 through well here are four requirements
12:37 to to winning the prize delight we must
12:40 enjoy running with the Lord Jesus
12:43 discipline Direction determination
12:47 finally Duty we have to obey the rules
12:51 in 2 Timothy 2:5 it says this and if a
12:53 man also strive for masteries talking
12:56 about an athlete yet is he not crowned
12:58 except he strive lawfully you know a
13:00 fellow could run in the Olympic races
13:02 and win the race and not get the prize
13:05 if they discovered he'd broken the rules
13:08 Jim Thorp had this experience in 1912 he
13:11 went to Stockholm for the Olympics and
13:14 he won the key events in 1913 he had to
13:16 give the prizes back because they found
13:19 out he'd been playing Semi-Pro baseball
13:21 with another team and he lost the prize
13:23 because he broke the rules we can't
13:25 serve God any way we want to if we're
13:27 going to run with the Lord and serve him
13:29 we've got to obey his rules the and does
13:31 not justify the means we don't do evil
13:33 that good may come from it and the
13:36 runner who does not have duty who does
13:38 not obey the rules is not going to get
13:41 the prize there are no shortcuts in
13:43 Christian service these then are the
13:45 five requirements for being a winning
13:47 Christian I trust that they'll be found
13:49 in our lives this is what's the good
13:52 word my name is Warren WBY I'm the
13:54 pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in
13:56 Covington Kentucky and the Lord willing
13:58 next time we'll turn to first
14:01 Thessalonians chapter 3
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