Participants: Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201334
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00:11 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time.
00:15 God's book, The Bible 00:18 Still relevant in today's complex world 00:23 It Is Written 00:26 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 00:39 >>Chris: The second Monday in October is Thanksgiving in Canada. However 00:42 some of you watching this show will remember that it hasn't always been 00:45 celebrated on that day. In the early to mid 1800's it was celebrated sometime in 00:51 late October or early November. Then in 1879 when Thanksgiving was 00:57 declared a national holiday, it was celebrated on a Thursday in November, 01:01 changing dates several times. After World War 1 and the signing of the 01:06 armitice with Germany, Armitice day was established and both 01:10 Armitice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated the same day. 01:14 That day was the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. About ten years 01:19 later Armitice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and the two holidays were 01:24 separated with Thanksgiving normally falling on the second 01:28 Monday of October. Finally in 1957 parliament set the second Monday of October 01:36 as the official Thanksgiving holiday. This Thanksgiving holiday often 01:41 brings great joy and anticipation as the weekend arrives. For many 01:46 this great joy is in a three or four day weekend. However, is just that 01:52 really all the Thanksgiving weekend has to offer? Just simply an 01:58 extra day off. As the years have gone by and generations have grown 02:02 old, the meaning of this weekend really has been lost. While separate 02:08 holidays now, Thanksgiving is inextricably tied to gratitude we should have 02:15 for those who have served this country. Their sacrifice has provided 02:19 many of the freedoms we now enjoy. This holiday which many look forward to 02:25 simply as a weekend of turkey and sweet potatoes, should provide a more 02:30 substantial response. 02:35 There is a war, however that has been raging for much longer than any other 02:40 here on this earth. While yes, we should remember those people who have died 02:47 for our freedom. Those who have fought in wars to keep us safe. Yet, at the 02:52 same time we must realize that we too, each and every one of us, are in a 02:57 war and that we too have a history and heroes to look to as examples in this 03:05 war. My friends, we are in a war that is about to come to its climax. We 03:11 must gear up for victory. We must prepare to win. One of my favorite 03:16 Christian authors said this, 03:29 We must look to the past to prepare for the future! In the book of Hebrews 03:35 12:1, the Bible says 04:32 The author of Hebrews is bringing to a conclusion the words of chapter 11. 04:37 In chapter 11 he addresses the issue of faith in the context of Pioneers and 04:45 Patriarchs of the faith of Jesus Christ. Here in chapter 12 he turns his 04:50 attention from history to the present and makes application for the 04:56 everyday Christian. Which includes us today. Going back to verse 1 -- The 05:02 Bible says, 05:21 Paul calls our attention to the imagery of a race. There is no question that 05:26 those reading the book of Hebrews would have been familiar with the scenes 05:30 of an Olympic style race. In the first few words of the verse he says, "since 05:36 we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses". He tries to 05:41 place in our minds a picture. It is a picture of an Olympic stadium and 05:46 then as we look around seeing the many spectators and witness'. He uses this 05:51 metaphorically to keep our mind focused on chapter 11 where the lives of many 05:57 Old Testament faithful were drawn upon as examples. Men and women 06:02 such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, 06:13 Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. He wants us to 06:22 understand that as we begin this race, the Christian race, we are not 06:27 sailing into uncharted waters. Others have been here and done that. The 06:33 word witnesses is the Greek word marturon which literally means martyr. 06:43 Now often we think, oh that means I have to be willing to die for my 06:47 faith. No, a martyr is someone who was put to death because they were 06:53 faithful. God calls us to a faithfulness that stands above the fray. Paul 07:06 wants us to understand that there are plenty of people who have gone 07:10 before us and despite their handicaps and hindrances of every kind, 07:15 they still ran the race of faith and won. And because others have gone before us 07:20 we are to do three specific things. Number one - let us lay aside 07:29 every weight Literally cast to the side anything that impedes you from 07:35 going forward. Paul leaves it open-ended to those reading the things that 07:39 might be hampering them as a Christian runner. In the ancient Olympics you will 07:45 notice something very interesting about many carvings or paintings of 07:50 the games. The participants are all naked. You see, nothing 07:56 was to come between them and victory, including their clothes! Just as a 08:02 point of reference, women did not compete nor were they allowed as 08:06 spectators. However, friends what is it in your life that prevents you 08:11 from running the race. What is it that is slowing you down. Today's modern 08:18 runners shave their bodies from head to toe or wear new body suits which make 08:24 them more aerodynamic. What is it that slows you? Paul calls you to rid 08:31 yourself of it. Moses gave up the luxuries of the Egyptian castle, and he 08:40 was called to give it up. Abraham lived in Ur and enjoyed the comforts of Ur 08:45 and he was called to give it up. and Samson denied himself a life of pleasure 08:52 so he could be faithful. In order to compete, we must cast off anything 09:00 that impedes us. But Paul gives us second council and he says we need to rid 09:07 ourselves of the sin which so easily ensnares us. In the NIV it reads, "let us 09:16 throw off the sin that so easily entangles us" This can also be translated the 09:22 sin that so closely clings. No matter how close a sin may cling or 09:28 how difficult it is to separate from a sinful way, the call of God is to 09:35 cast it off to rid yourself of it. Sin is the greatest obstacle in the 09:42 path of victory of a Christian. And as each battle is won, and each 09:49 sin is overcome, it is oftne replaced with some new battle or with another 09:56 challenge that must be faced. Friends, victory by victory and battle by 10:03 battle we must lay these sins aside so we might win the race. Just as the 10:13 ancient Greeks stripped off their clothes so they had no hindrances to their 10:18 competition, we too are called to lay our sins aside. 10:29 In addition, an Olympic runner does not just show up the day of the race 10:33 without training or practice and expect to win. Usually over the 10:38 course of months and years they practice and train Overcoming cramps, 10:45 overcoming strains and pulls, and sprains and cuts and bruises. They 10:51 overcome these things because if they didn't, they could not compete in 10:56 the race. As they trained, they overcame - it is in the same way friends that 11:03 we too are training. But our prize will not be some metal or some certificate. 11:14 Our prize is that place with gates of pearls, our prize is that place that 11:25 measures that Jesus has gone to prepare for us Day by day we train that 11:36 we can run this race. Number three, the Bible says, "let us run with 11:45 endurance the race that is set before us." We have a great history. We have 11:54 many stories we can look to. And now we do these three things. The first 12:01 two are preparations and the last is the action you are preparing for. We must 12:10 run the race. We must realize that this in not a sprint but rather it is a 12:18 marathon and we are in for the long haul. The text says to run with 12:24 perseverance or in the KJV it says with patience This word patience or 12:32 perseverance is the same word found in Revelation 14:12, 12:51 Our race must be a race of obedience and faith, but we must not stop here in 12:58 the text. Because further instructions are given in regards to running the 13:04 race. Listen again to verse 2 of Hebrews 12, 13:23 Let's make sure we have this all straight and that we are all together. We 13:28 prepare ourselves for the race by number, laying aside anything that might 13:33 impede us; number ridding ourselves of sins that are close and cling to us. Now 13:44 we must run the race with obedience and faith. So how are we to run? Verse 2 13:58 tells us. Fix our eyes on Jesus and look to Jesus This word for look or fix 14:09 means to let nothing distract you and to let nothing come in between 14:13 you and Jesus. We must fix our eyes on Him, because only He can give us the 14:21 standard we need because He is the Author and finisher of our faith. 14:33 Jesus Christ is the pioneer of our faith, He is at the center of the 14:37 plan of salvation. So often we are discouraged and we veer off the track 14:43 of salvation because instead of fixing our eyes upon Jesus - we have fixed 14:48 our eyes upon someone or something else. We must focus on Him. Only He will 14:57 guide us to the finish line. But He is also the finisher of our faith. 15:02 Jesus doesn't just lay the foundation of our faith and leave us to be. He is 15:08 the finisher of that work. He continues to dwell within us and continues to 15:13 work upon our hearts. He gives us the encouragement to stay on the race to not 15:18 get off track. Not only does He fire the gun to get us started, but He 15:24 stands there along the way and cheers us on, gives us water to drink and helps 15:29 us perfect our technique. Friends we cannot be distracted by the actions 15:37 of others. We must fix our eyes on Him, because it is only He that can lead you 15:45 to victory. We must not forget as the verse ends that this same Jesus, the 15:52 Author and finisher of our faith, this same Jesus upon whom we are to fix 15:56 our eyes is the same Jesus, 16:09 Friends, Jesus has already run this race. He was crucified for you 16:15 salvation. In fact, the text says it was for your joy that He went to the 16:24 cross. Church family, Jesus endure the trials and tribulations of the 16:31 cross for the future gratification of knowing that His created people 16:38 would be able to spend an eternity with Him. We must fix our eyes on Him, 16:47 because He now sits at the right hand of the Father Hebrews 4:15 declares, 17:10 Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, pleading for us, desiring 17:15 for us to be there with Him. Dear brothers and sisters, we must fixate on 17:20 Him - only He cannot disappoint us. Yet even as we fix our eyes upon Him, 17:31 sometimes we get discouraged. 17:38 So Paul, in order to help us out, wrote verses three and four to encourage us, 18:01 Friend do you need encouragement in your race. Have you been 18:04 disappointed by people in the church or fellow Christian believers? Then 18:10 we must think upon two things to give us encouragement. Think of 18:18 Christ's rejection. Jesus Christ came to this world to seek and save the lost. 18:25 He came to provide a way for lost souls. He came to heal the sick and lame and 18:31 dying. He came as the Messiah, the redeemer of Israel. He was a servant 18:37 of men. He traveled and had no place to call home He endured the hardships 18:45 of an itinerant life. He endured the pain of working with 12 men who 18:51 just didn't understand. He gave entire evenings to pray. He gave up the 18:56 beauty and perfection of the Heavenly courts. He gave everything and yet 19:03 they rejected Him. Don't be so down-trodden in spirit. You may be 19:13 discouraged. Someone may have disappointed you or some situation has 19:16 detracted from your Christian race. Lift up your head, fix your eyes 19:22 upon Jesus, and look to His suffering and pain Know that He gave more, so 19:30 we can keep going and continue to trust in Him If that still doesn't 19:38 encourage you, Paul give you one more point of encouragement - you have 19:43 not yet had to give your life - we haven't died in our resistance to sin! 19:56 When Satan throws all his wiles at you. When people all around you are 20:00 discouraging you When life just isn't going your way When all seems to be dark 20:09 Look to Jesus who is the author, the finisher, who endured the cross for you, 20:17 who was rejected in even greater ways than you and who was killed. Take 20:24 courage my friend, keep running the race you are still alive. His grace is 20:30 sufficient to keep you going. Here in this first passage of Hebrews chapter 20:36 12, Paul gives us encouragement to run the Christian race. He first 20:43 calls our attention to the echoing sounds of chapter eleven's hall of faith. 20:51 Those people who have gone before us and stood the test of time despite great 20:57 disadvantages. However, he knows that to win this race, there needs to be 21:12 more than human intervention and he calls to us to fix our eyes on 21:19 Jesus. We must prepare ourselves for this race and cast off any obstacles 21:25 and rid ourselves of any clingy sins, we must look to Him, who is the author 21:35 and finisher and we will finish this race. All we need to do is finish the 21:47 race and we win. In marathon racing, it is often perceived that the 21:55 athletes are competing with one another. All outward appearances - the 22:00 awards , the trophies and the prize money - would all seem to indicated that 22:06 that is the case. However, marathon runners cannot pace themselves to other 22:15 runners. They must pace themselves according to their own personal best. 22:25 Because if they pace themselves to others, they run the risk of to slow of 22:28 a pace and finishing in a slower time or an even greater risk is they pace 22:34 themselves too fast and they tire and get exhausted and quit. 22:39 Friends, the Christian race is a marathon. We cannot pace ourselves 22:43 according to others, we must pace ourselves according to Biblical 22:48 principles. We must pace ourselves against Jesus Christ. We cannot worry 22:55 about who is going slower or faster, we must focus on Him and He will lead 23:01 us. As others see us they may follow us but eventually they will 23:06 realize that your pace is set according to Him and they will do the same. 23:16 God is calling us to run the race. God is calling us to lead the pack. God 23:24 is calling us to be winners. How will you handle it? What are you 23:29 going to do? Will you rise up and run the race? Thanksgiving is a time to 23:38 be thankful. Thankful for many things. Thankful for family, thankful for 23:44 friends, thankful for God's leading in our lives. But what will be 23:51 your story? In the spring of 2014 the Bank of Montreal Vancouver 23:59 Marathon more than 4,000 runners entered the race By the races' end many had 24:10 not finished. Yet at the finish line there were senior citizens, children, 24:18 and handicapped who had all finished. Not to be critical of those who 24:26 didn't finish because they are injuries and sicknesses. However, the 24:30 point I wanted to make is that many started, but not all finished. What will be 24:38 your story? Will you be a starter? Will you be a finisher? Friend, I 24:49 encourage you, Jesus is calling upon you to be a finisher. His grace will 25:00 help you win this race. 25:06 Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we are grateful that You give us the 25:11 encouragement and the grace to run and win the race. And now we need the 25:17 encouragement, we need the encouragement to set aside those things that hinder 25:20 us, to lay aside our sin, and give us the encouragement to not be 25:25 distracted and to look to Jesus. We want to win the race. Dear Lord, help us 25:32 to win that race. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 25:54 So often, friends, it's easy to become discouraged in our Christian walk with 25:58 Jesus, in that marathon of a race of walking with Jesus. And we need 26:03 encouragement. And I want to encourage you to read your Bibles, because 26:07 that's where we find our primary encouragement. But sometimes we need a little 26:12 bit of an extra boost. The Discover Bible guides are Bible guides that walk us 26:19 through the Scriptures step by step, verse by verse, and encourage us on 26:24 a daily basis to listen to Jesus, to hear His voice, and to be encouraged by 26:31 Him. Today we would like to offer to you the Discover Bible guides for 26:36 free. Here is the information that you need to receive those guides 26:41 right in your home. 27:32 Friends, Paul encourages us to run the race of Christianity by looking to 27:37 Jesus. It Is Written Canada is committed to helping you run that race. 27:42 And so we have an abundance of resources to help you in that. You can 27:47 go to our website, itiswrittencanada.ca, and there you can find a 27:52 number of links to help you in that walk. One of them is our prayer request 27:56 link. There you can submit a prayer request and the team will pray for that 28:01 request. You also can link to our Youtube page, youtube.com/iiwcanada. 28:09 There, all of our archived programs exist, and you can find encouragement for 28:14 that walk with Jesus. In addition, you can be linked to our Facebook or 28:21 our Twitter where you can follow us and keep up with the news of It Is Written. 28:25 I thank you so much for watching the program. I would ask that you join us 28:30 next week. Until then, remember, it is written: "Man shall not live by 28:35 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 28:43 $$$$$$ |
Revised 2020-02-13