The Race We Must Win - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org K NOW know God.org would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear it. This is a golden moment for us to model our thing because you are the only Bible people will read as your life say Greg Laurie helps us live in a way that boldly proclaims the good news of Christ. Verse five gospel the right five gospel you are John you somber motor alma mater bumper stickers with frame baseball hats, T-shirts for others it's your favorite social, political Only talk about what message people get from your life today on a new beginning for Greg Laurie urges us to follow Paul's example whatever you do, do it all for Jesus. The book of Philippians together in a series that were calling quarantine lot.

The reason I use that title is because Paul was living under house arrest. The apostle Paul. He was chained to a Roman guard. He couldn't go out and do what he wanted to do but get this epistle just overflows with joy and happiness of rejoicing, so I thought it would be a good thing for us to look at him. By the way the title of my message is the race we must win a look at Philippians chapter 2 the Bible uses the analogy of running a race on more than one occasion, and it really doesn't matter if you run this race of life well and by that I'm using that as a metaphor for knowing God having a relationship with them is not just enough to run the race you have to finish the race.

You will be gone and that takes discipline.

I read that a successful Olympic athlete will work on an average of four hours a day, 310 days a year since years to compete for the goal. Can you imagine not.

I've I met a few Olympic athletes have actually met a couple who won the gold. And I remember one of them, let me hold her gold medal and I said I won a gold medal in the Olympics.

I would wear everywhere. No matter where I went. You will say what is around your neck owe you my gold medal so those guys have to be disciplined because they're running for the gold and this is the thing that were in a race of life and there are winners and losers up. I know that the trend today, especially among younger people is to say, we don't really have winners or losers you get a participation trophy for just showing up okay that's cute but that's not real life. I think we need to understand it in the race of life, there are winners and losers and listen God wants you to win in the race that you are running right now so were running this race and we don't want anything to hold us back.

The author of Hebrews who I think was probably Paul wrote these words were surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so let us lay aside every weight in the sin that so easily hinders us and run this race with endurance the listen in the race, a block in this relationship with God.

There are things that help us run faster and there are things that stop us from making progress but the thing that I love is Paul later said to the elders of Ephesus when he was leaving them. I have run my race with joy.

Listen to this, the Christian life is a happy life. It's a joyful life obeying the Lord is not duty. It's not mere drudgery. It should be a delight. Something we enjoy doing and there could be happiness in it. Now I've met runners who will enjoy a run after they got around run for a few miles and say I was a great run. I've never had a great run. I'm always looking forward to when the dance and they'll tell me that they have the endorphins released.I have never had an endorphin release.

Except when I meeting this account but you know what, I don't think I've ever met in endorphin, but theirs is runners.

I will I'm selling you with your walking with the Lord. If you're running for the Lord if you're serving the Lord. There's a joy in this, but there are things that we might describe as obstacles to our happiness. Things that can slow us down in the rays of light. Listen if you want to be a happy person. There are certain things you do in certain things you do not do someone sums it up perfectly. It says happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. But then it goes on to say, but his delight notice that his delight that his mere duty or drudgery is a lie is in the word of the Lord in it. Does he meditate day and night, so happy person doesn't do some things and he does do other things. He doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly people having them drag him down but instead he focuses on the word of God and when the Bible uses the word meditate. It means to ponder, to think about the consider to contemplate as well. Okay.

So if you're taking notes here is point number one based on Philippians chapter 2 complaining and picturing can hinder our happiness in running the race of life. Let me repeat that complaining and bickering can hinder our happiness in running the race of life. Look at Philippians chapter 2 verse 14, Paul writes to everything readily and cheerfully. No bickering, no complaining, no second-guessing, allow going to this world uncorrupted a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society provide people with a glimpse of godly living. As you follow the Lord interesting. Paul says don't be a complainer or someone is a King James version puts it, who murmurs this is not speaking about a person who complains out loud, it's more like a person who is muttering. I don't know if you've ever watched Popeye cartoon Popeye the sailor man to bring him and he was always muttering you know in the cartoon.

Georgie Ellis never knew what he was a mess uses entity with that yet. He was always muttering and sort of murmuring.

The Bible says don't do that because nobody likes to be around a complainer. No one likes to be around a whiner. And let's be honest right now with all of this time been shut in being quarantined. Maybe we've had a little too much quality time with our family were kind of like wanting to get out again and were stressed because you know the rules are always changing. You have to wear a mask.

They say wear a mask wherever you go, and that ousted all you have to wear a mask at all you know and then they'll say well you can't go outside. Stay inside shelter in place and in some of those mosaic lengths they were finding that studies have revealed that is better if you're walking outside so none of these things seem to make sense right now and these rules change from county to county from state to state. So we get frustrated, I read a headline in an article online here it is.

The coronavirus is made me arrange monster help. I get that the article went on to say when you lose control of your life. You get frustrated and it gives you negative feeling. So if you're frustrated if you're muttering a lot of your complaining a lot. Let me say something to you that you need to know this is not a moment to rage.

It's a moment to rest.

It's not a moment to vent. It's a moment to evangelize. It's not a moment to blame but to be blame less.

Look at Philippians 215 Paul says people blameless and harmless, children of God without all, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world to be blameless needs to be on blame mobile manger not a hypocrite means you practice what you preach this piece of moral integrity that head shows itself outwardly. Of course Jesus was the perfect model. Never a shade of inconsistency and he was able to turn to his accusers, and safe. Can any of you prove me guilty of sin, I am telling you the truth so believe me and honestly it kinda drives nonbelievers a little crazy when the Christian backs up what they say with the way that they live because a lot of people want us to mess up so they can say all you see there a hypocrite. They don't really believe that they don't practice what they preach. So when you live a godly life and effectively gives you the right to proclaim the gospel. People will listen to you. Another example of a person of integrity is Daniel his enemies wanted to bring them down but the guy had no skeletons in his closet. He just prayed in his closet. He was a godly man. In fact, he was known to get down in his knees and pray every single day and we really Daniel six for his enemies couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful always responsible, and completely trust worthy. Listen to this. This is a golden moment for us during this covert, 19 crisis as Christians to model our faith because you you are the only Bible. Some people will ever read. As I said before, there's five Gospels. Yes, you heard me right. Five Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John and you. So they're looking at you.

People who don't know the Lord are watching you. So let's be people who are blameless as we follow Jesus Christ. So that brings us to text. I want to can it dive into with you so go over to Philippians chapter 3 now and turn to verse 12 Paul writes not that I have already attained room already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus is laid hold of me brothers do not count myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do might underline that phrase is one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind reaching forward to the things that are before I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And if you are mature spiritually, you will have this powerful words.

The race of life were all in it the moment you became a Christian, you entered this race and I want to share with you now some principles on winning this race of life principle number one you must be dissatisfied with her. Are you presently are.

You must be dissatisfied with where you presently are. Paul says in verse 12 not as though I have already attained room already perfect. Another translation of what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3 verses 12 to 14 is quote I'm not saying I have this all together. The modern translation or that I haven't me but I'm well on my way reaching out for Christ who is reached out to me. Friends don't get me wrong I'm not an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal were God's beckoning me onward to Jesus. I'm not turning back off and running. Listen, we all ought to be coming out of this covert crisis better than when we went in we had to be coming out of it is a different person stronger spiritually, not weaker. You know, we need to be ready to take Brown not lose ground and I think the best days of our ministry are ahead of us, not behind us, Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment were so grateful to hear of changed lives through a new beginning in whatever you send us a letter, email or post a comment on social media. We read every word dear Greg, I married a Christian man that was not being a Christian why God wanted me to be as unkind and selfish in the fall of 2012.

Scott got a hold of me and I realized what kind of life I become asked for forgiveness happily ever after. Right now it's a match. Soon after, has been decided he didn't have many more, and my life and marriage went into a downward spiral. Having heard your program. Many times I remember sitting there wondering if you had a message on marriage problems. She was the same week you are doing a message on marriage, divorce and adultery I tend and it was like God used you to talk directly to me. I listened and we listen to this message just help me get through.

I prayed and asked God to take control that Saturday night my husband came home and said he wanted to work on her marriage to Period of months, and some counseling for my pastor and his wife saved our marriage. Pastor Greg, I think the Lord here message right when I needed it. When I was losing hope. Happy ending to an amazing little boys are so much in love with chatter. Thank you for letting me share what an encouraging story of God working in this woman's marriage, and for you have a story to tell.

Pastor Greg would love to hear from just email him at greg@harvest.org again, that's great that harvest.org will Pastor Greg is offering several principles today to help us run the race for Christ successfully, especially in this critical time must continue falling over to get rid of extra weights and things that would slow you down.

I can get rid of extra weight and things that would hinder you.

Verses seven and eight, Paul says what things are getting me a ton of laws for Christ.

I can all things lively excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. I count them as rubbish that I begin Christ rubbish cut the good word is met King James word over New England. They say that oh, that's just rubbish right just rubbish. She is right.

Well, rubbish, trash probably isn't the best word, maybe a nice word but the word the Paul uses actually is describing excrement. I think it translates out to the English word poop. Yes, I'm sorry use that word when you're out walking your dog you I hope you carry doggy bags don't be one of those people to let your dog go you don't clean up after because you know we've all stepped in that.

That's no fun. So let's figure out walking your dog in your dog release itself clean it up. You put it in the little bad right you tired now we need to do with that. That are you getting carried around for the rest of the day. Are you to see everybody look at this end of the gross right you want to get it in the trash as quickly as possible and when we are sort of post enough of our old light before we knew Christ. That's like someone turned around a doggy bag. Paul is effectively safe. I count that stuff is excrement that I meet. When Christ, whatever I accomplish before I was a believer. It's rubbish. It's garbage.

It's it's poop compared to what Christ has done for me and he says that we should get rid of this extra weight, though those things that would slow me down. I want to get rid up and I don't know about you but I'm kind of a pack rat affect him like a pack rat on steroids. Not quite a hoarder, maybe a meteor but you know II drag a bunch of stuff with me wherever I go.

Like when we travel all take two of everything so 1/2 to charge cords for my computer to of whatever else I need my wife is a what you bring all that stuff. I think I just like to always have an extra that will arrive at our destination shall sake only forgot my charge card for my phone. You have an extra well yes I do. I pull it out right but I got carry all these things with me and the problem is if you're in between flights and so your carry-on in your rushing from one gate to another that slows you down the word of the race of life we have the look at things that we do things that were involved in relationships that we have a we need to ask ourselves this question about a relationship about a pursuit about a hobby, whatever it might be. Ask yourself this, is it a wing or is it a weight doesn't speed me on in the race of life or does it actually slow me down and were told there in Hebrews 12 that were to lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily, but sets us. Number three. We must run this race of life with the right motive. Paul speaks of only one receiving the prize were going for the gold and there's a reward waiting for us in heaven. I'm not running the race for the reward.

I'm running the race for Jesus.

Paul says in Philippians 310 my determined purpose in life is that I might know him him and the power is of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death his son enough to know about God. You need to know God himself out of the snow about God and I've had people say to other people. All yeah you know I I was Greg Laurie's roommate or we were best friends in high school and so someone will say him at your best friend from high school was her name and ultimately messy accent never heard of that person before, so maybe they knew about me but they didn't know me and I didn't know them.

I think the Lord is a lot of so-called friends like that to Jesus talked about it in Matthew 721 he says, many will come to me in that day.

The say Lord, Lord, that we not prophesy in your name. Did we not do miracles in your name. Did we not cast out demons in your name and Jesus will say apart from me. I never knew you. Paul says my determined purpose in life is to know God bring me to point number four. Get a clear objective when he says this one thing I do.

In verse 13 is one thing I do.

David, the great psalmist, the king of Israel summed it up this way. In Psalm 27 one thing I will ask of the Lord, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

One thing positive.

One thing I do. David says one thing I'm seeking after one day Jesus came over to visit Mary and Martha and Martha wanted to make a great meal for the Lord.

Imagine if Jesus showed of your house ladies, we want to offer him a great lunch or dinner.

And so she's whipping up a feast fit for a king because well he was a king and her sister Mary instead of working in the kitchen with Martha just started his feet, drinking in his words, and Martha got a little frustrated because she needs a little help she needed a sous chef right. Mary's in the front room so she comes out from your hands on her hips) food splattered everywhere and she actually says Lord told my sister to help me and I love the words of Jesus.

He says Martha there's only one thing you should be concerned about. Mary has discovered it.

I will not take it away from her. One thing one is the one thing to get you up in the morning. What is the one thing to get your blood pumping. What is the one thing you are really passionate about. There was a movie out years ago called city slicker and the Billy Crystal started it, and he played the role of New York guy who was having sort of a midlife crisis and that he was in his late 30s and his marriage is falling apart. So he went to a dude ranch. They don't know what that is. So that's a place where people would go back in the 80s. I don't know.

Maybe there's dude ranch is still that you could become be a cowboy for two weeks. Just like a cowboy herd cattle so there was this one cowboy that worked at the dude ranch in curly, played by actor Jack Collinson. He was a salt of the earth kinda guy, a man of few words in the and so Billy Crystal's character was riding with Curly one day and in curly turns to Billy Crystal and he says you know what it's the one thing in life that really matters and Billy Crystal says, but what is the one thing and he says that's for you to find out so we need to figure out what the one thing yes and I want to tell you what it is right now what it was for Paul what it was for David what it was for Mary the one thing was Jesus following Jesus. Knowing Jesus, that we should focus our attention on so when I'm in the race of life. What keeps me going is I see Jesus I'm not running this race. People I'm not even running this race for whatever heavenly reward I may receive joining for him. Pastor Greg Laurie great insight today on how we should be running our race for Christ and there's much more to come.

In this presentation here on a new beginning. But if you didn't catch every word of today study want to get caught up by getting a replay of the study@harvest.org just look for the title the race, we must win or get a copy on CD by calling 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 now to follow up on today's message we're making available. Pastor Greg brand-new book called bringing Christ into your crisis and in the book Pastor Greg you refer to Jesus walking on the water on the Sea of Galilee and you write this seeing Jesus walked toward the disciples across the waves sent the needle on their fear meter into the red zone, they cried out it's a ghost. Why didn't the disciples recognize Jesus you give the answer they didn't recognize him because they weren't looking for him to let you know there are some folks whose fear meter is in the red zone today. Even Christians help us to know how we can see Jesus in the midst of these trying times and in fact maybe one step further how we can share Jesus in the midst of these trying times. Well, you know, God promises in his word that when you go through the flooded rivers. I'll be with you when you walk to the fire.

I will be with you. We all remember the story of Shedrick me checking the Bendigo were thrown into that fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar and much to his shock. He says I threw three people in behold, I see for, and the fourth is likened to the son of God. That's one translation. Another translation says that some of the gods.

I don't think Nebuchadnezzar thought he was seeing Jesus. He didn't have that kind of insight but I do believe Jesus was walking with his three young servants through the fire and I believe God is walking with you through this crisis that we called COBIT 19 or the coronavirus, but you have to be looking for him. This is Robert told her bring Hebrews 12 looking under Jesus the author and finisher of our faith be looking to the Lord. Right now, and he will help you through this and one of the ways we look for him is by reading his word again helps us get our spiritual equilibrium back in not only be looking to the Lord in this crisis but be looking for opportunities to share Christ in this crisis you know normally when we try to engage her neighbors or our friends are people we know we have the takes time and the resistant. I find that people are much more open right now than they normally are to talking in general, and I also find that there are more open to spiritual input so I think if you see this and when he is there any way that I could pray for you.

You might find that people are more responsive than they normally would be because they're scared about their future. There's cared about their own health and their own safety and and we as Christians can bring calm in the midst of the storm so my prayer for you is that you will find Christ in this crisis that she will share Christ in this crisis that got a tool to help you do that, it's called bringing Christ into your crisis. It's a brand-new book I've written and it is chalk full of biblical truth that will help you to know how to deal with your worry your anxiety and your fear and I want to send this to you for free. No charge at all because I want to become this material and I want you to read it, but having said that, if you could support. It's at this time. Financially, we would really appreciate it because we have great opportunities before us and we want to bring Christ to people were facing this crisis around our nation and around the world. So if you pray for us and you'll support us will be able to reach more people than we've ever reached before. By the way, that is not an overstatement at us for sure I got is open up some surprising doors of opportunity in the last few months we've never seen anything like it and your support will help us impact so many more lives but we do hope you'll contact us for Pastor Greg's new book, bringing Christ into your crisis and contactor soon will only be mentioning this resource. A short time longer were very thankful for whatever way you're able to support this work. Ask for the book.

When you write a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here in finding you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are taking with you and be ministered to every weekend.

Join us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org Pastor Greg comes back to complete this study from Philippians chapters 2 and three good insight times in which we live from the series quarantine life beginning and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org