1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,920 Hope, as my wife said, hope that you feel welcome. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,040 Amen are here. And we're so thankful for all of 3 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,360 the work of the home, church and family that they have put in 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,720 throughout the weeks leading up to this time of cleaning. 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,160 And there is all kinds of different people here on Friday 6 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,680 doing different things. And the kids were practicing, I 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,680 must admit, as they were up here singing today, my mind went back 8 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,880 to being a kid and singing in a little kids choir. 9 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:29,680 And I remember one time it was a Christmas program. 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,400 And so I can, I can identify with those that were sitting 11 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,320 down and doing stuff like that. We had three risers in the 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,280 church that I attended, 3 risers and I was on the top riser. 13 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,080 And I did the thing that you're not supposed to do, Katie. 14 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,640 I locked those knees as I stood there. 15 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,640 And as those knees were locked, my head started getting lighter 16 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,240 and a little lighter, and I just about passed out on the 3rd 17 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,040 riser and had to step off the back and just go like flat on 18 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,640 the floor back there. They're singing, you know, Hark 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,200 the angels. And I'm here on the floor. 20 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,720 And so I get it. I get it. 21 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,600 But we're so thankful. Amen for their participation 22 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,200 this morning as well. I'm going to be turning to the 23 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,080 Book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter #12 Hebrews 24 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,440 chapter #12 today. It's good to see different. 25 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,320 I have several different family members that are here today, 26 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,040 have people here that over the years that have been, you know, 27 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,040 members of this congregation that are here, people that we've 28 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,080 made friends with over the past four weeks. 29 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,920 We've been kind of in a like a Sunday school drive type 30 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,160 campaign contest around here. And so some people have come 31 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,440 during the past four weeks that now they're just family. 32 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,360 They're just family. And so we're grateful for all of 33 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:42,960 them. Hebrews chapter #12 I'm going to 34 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:46,480 read the first 3 verses thereof. Hebrews 12, if you want to 35 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,360 stand, you made to honor to God's word, Amen. 36 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:54,400 Today, Hebrews 12 verses one through 3 is what I'm going to 37 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,840 read to you this morning. And so please, again, please 38 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,400 don't exit right after this service. 39 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:01,480 We have door prizes to give away. 40 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,720 And we're going to have rain, not in water form, but candy. 41 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,360 Finally after yesterday, Amen. Off off this side of our 42 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:10,039 building. So please stay for that. 43 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,680 The Bible says wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with 44 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:20,120 so great a cloud of witnesses. And that's really a reference to 45 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,360 the previous chapter because there's so many names of people 46 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,240 that did this by faith or through faith or according to 47 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,040 faith, so great a cloud of witnesses. 48 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,360 Let us lay aside every weight in the sin which does so easily 49 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,960 beset us, and let us run that with patience. 50 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,480 Another good word for that would be endurance, the race that is 51 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:45,040 set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and finisher 52 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,680 of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured 53 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:54,720 the cross, despising the shame, and the set down at the right 54 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,080 hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured 55 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:04,000 such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be 56 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:11,480 wearied and faint in your minds. The writer of Hebrews, he 57 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,520 reflects upon those who have run per SE a race, and I'm those who 58 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,080 are running. How many knows that in this life 59 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,480 sometimes there's just a struggle just to get through a 60 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,240 day. Amen. 61 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,400 But he gives us some encouragement, Amen. 62 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,760 Of where we can find some hope. I'm going to, for a little while 63 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:31,600 this morning talk to you about this. 64 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:37,800 The joy before him, the joy before him. 65 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:40,760 Can we bow our heads? I'm going to pray today that the 66 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,360 Lord would touch us in the next little while. 67 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,200 Father, I'm thankful today for every song that has been sung. 68 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,680 Lord, every musician, God, those that have gathered together on 69 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,960 this Resurrection Sunday, I pray God, that you would touch our 70 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,720 hearts and minds afresh, God, to the truth of a death and a 71 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,280 burial in the resurrection. Help us, God, to be encouraged. 72 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,840 Help us, Lord, to be equipped, God, for our own journeys and 73 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,880 our own life here below. God, you've not left us without 74 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:08,760 hope. Lord Jesus, we love and 75 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,520 appreciate you. For in the name of Jesus Christ 76 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,760 that I pray Hallelujah and the church can say Amen, Amen. 77 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,279 You may be seated this morning in the lovely name of Jesus 78 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,440 Christ. The writer to Hebrews is writing 79 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,680 a very, very powerful picture in painting a picture. 80 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,440 And if we're not careful this morning, we'll miss what he is 81 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:36,160 really saying because he's using some metaphors of a race. 82 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:40,240 When we read this passage and we start to read about a race being 83 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,240 run and they're being clouds of witnesses or groupings of people 84 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,680 and witnesses around about us. I don't know about you, but my 85 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,640 mind very quickly goes to thinking of the stadiums and the 86 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:56,000 arenas that we have in this world today that can host events 87 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,920 like races and sporting events. And I begin to imagine a massive 88 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,160 arena or a large crowd and not one seat is vacant. 89 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,960 It's completely filled. And there's voices that are 90 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,880 echoing, you know, just from the talk back and forth of the 91 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,640 people and history, according here to the writer of Hebrews is 92 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,320 even watching. We picture sometimes when we 93 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,000 read this passage, that type of setting, it's it's almost like 94 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,800 Brother Reese. We're almost seeing Abraham of 95 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,800 Ode, you know, standing in the stands or even Moses leaning 96 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,720 over a rail. See what's happening out there 97 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:35,120 in the arena, David watching people perhaps as they run and 98 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,480 put their all in it. Our mind oftentimes goes to a 99 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,840 track because the metaphor of a race is given. 100 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:44,360 And we see sometimes ourselves even involved in a race. 101 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,680 We're, we're running, we're, we're breathing heavy, some of 102 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,880 us more heavy than others. And we're breathing heavy and 103 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,520 our legs are burning and our heart seemingly is pounding 104 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,560 almost out of our chest. And we're, we're trying to stay 105 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,560 in a race because we're, we're thinking as we read this, 106 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,160 there's all of of heaven, a generation gone by that looking 107 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,240 down upon us. And that's one way that maybe 108 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,600 you could picture this, but that's not the exact way that it 109 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,880 should be pictured. When the writer says that we are 110 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,800 compassed about was so great a cloud of witnesses. 111 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:22,240 He's not just describing a bunch of people that's in seats that 112 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:27,480 are spectators that's just come to watch you run your race, but 113 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,640 he describes them as witnesses more plainly. 114 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,000 It's the same word martyrs in Scripture. 115 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:39,000 And that matters to us because these people that are in the 116 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:42,600 audience or these people that are witnessing, testifying to 117 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,840 us, these are people that have run their race in the past as 118 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:48,920 well. They're not just casually 119 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,960 observing our race and leaning on their shoulder and thinking 120 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,960 what they you should be doing or shouldn't be doing, but these 121 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,440 are people that have done what you are doing, living their 122 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,120 lives and they're trying to give us hope. 123 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,080 They're trying to give us hope. The Bible says they live their 124 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:09,440 lives and they resisted some of them even to blood, meaning that 125 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,960 they died for their 'cause they died for the race that they were 126 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:16,160 running. And so they're not just they're 127 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,480 watching you according to scripture. 128 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,280 They're they're testifying to you, they're witnessing to you. 129 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,680 They're testifying to you because their lives is not so 130 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,480 much that their position in the heavenly so they can look down 131 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,600 on our performance, but they are recorded in Scripture from 132 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,520 Genesis all the way up even to the writer here of Hebrews. 133 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,440 And when we read them their stories, their voices are 134 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:46,120 speaking into our life of the race that they ran, the problems 135 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,320 that they face, the difficulty that they came across. 136 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:54,440 Whenever you read of Abraham, you hear his voice and his story 137 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,040 of how here's a man that showed that you can trust God when it 138 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,680 seems like it's hard to trust. When you read the story of Moses 139 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,000 in the Old Testament and you read how he walked away from 140 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,480 being, you know, Pharaohs daughter, son, and everything 141 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:15,760 that Egypt had to offer. We read a testimony of a man 142 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,080 that's saying, you know what, it's worth it to walk away from 143 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,240 some things. It's worth it to put some things 144 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,360 in your rear view mirror. And there are sundry others. 145 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,800 There's David and there's Jephta and there's Daniel. 146 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,520 There's all kinds of others that are testifying to us that, you 147 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,480 know what, if it doesn't look like it's going to work out, 148 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:39,360 just hold on. And God is worthy to be believed 149 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,200 in and to hope in and put confidence in. 150 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:46,680 And so this great cloud of people in the Scripture, again, 151 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,200 they're not just leaning over heaven's balcony looking at us, 152 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:55,800 but they're providing to us and giving to us a collection of 153 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,200 testimonies that come straight from your Bible. 154 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,760 But the tension builds a little bit because we're not just 155 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:06,880 running in front of people, so to speak. 156 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:12,080 We're running in light of what we know of their stories and of 157 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,800 their testimonies. And if we're honest this 158 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,360 morning, let's be honest, sometimes another's testimony 159 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,920 doesn't always inspire us. Sometimes it intimidates us. 160 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:29,800 Because now I'm not just an imagining a crowd. 161 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:36,320 I'm reading real stories, real counts of other people just like 162 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:41,320 me, Sister Hill, that face some similar things just like me. 163 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,320 I read Abraham believed God and then I think about how I'm 164 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,440 trust. I'm having trouble trusting him 165 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:53,720 right now. I I read how Moses endured some 166 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:57,400 affliction and how I get inconvenience when they don't 167 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,080 have him a drink at the gas station. 168 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:05,240 I'm reading about all these others. 169 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,560 The Bible says some received their dead back to life again. 170 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:11,520 Some had faith because their children are people that were 171 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,120 related to them, were sown asunder. 172 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,680 And then I'm thinking about I'm having problems today just 173 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:18,720 holding on. I mean, their their their 174 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,560 relatives over there being torn in half. 175 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:22,720 And I'm, you know, I'm just having a little bit of a bad 176 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,400 day. And so their stories sometimes, 177 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,640 yeah, they're supposed to inspire. 178 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,640 But but Tony, sometimes they intimidate us. 179 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:33,720 I mean, they did that. They went to that through that. 180 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,240 I'm I'm wearying battling here, man. 181 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,200 You know, my little sore here on my thumb. 182 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,480 It just don't even compare with a lion's den. 183 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,440 So the rider even adds to add insult to injury. 184 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,400 If you weren't feeling bad enough to add insult to injury, 185 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,960 He says you need to lay aside every way and you need to lay 186 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:56,120 aside every sin that so easily besets you so that you can run 187 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,440 this race with endurance or with patience. 188 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,240 I mean, imagine I'm just trying. You were all just trying to live 189 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,680 life. Some of us no doubt feel like we 190 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:06,880 have a purpose and a mission in this life. 191 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,120 But now we're starting to feel a little heavy. 192 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,600 It's starting to feel a little burdened down because the truth 193 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,760 of the matter is this, he said. Lay aside the weight, and weight 194 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:20,560 isn't always sin. Sometimes the weights that we 195 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:28,200 carry in life are just that. It's just life responsibilities 196 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,120 that you have in life that show up regularly, like Monday 197 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,480 morning. Don't give up. 198 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,600 They're always there. Just things of life expectations 199 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,520 that just pile up on you. Cassie, you know, I got to do 200 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:43,800 this. I got to do that. 201 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,840 And if it's not what other people's expectations than the 202 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,880 ones that you dream up in your own mind, your little To Do List 203 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,680 with the little boxes that you make, you know, and I need to do 204 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:53,760 this. I got to do this. 205 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,400 This has a due date. All of these things sometimes 206 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:00,240 just become pressures, pressures from others, pressures from 207 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,480 yourself. And then when you realize, man, 208 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,520 I, I need to let go of some of these things, I'm getting 209 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:06,760 weighed down. And you start to realize, you 210 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,800 know, I'm really, I'm not rebellious. 211 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:10,520 I'm, I'm not walking away from God. 212 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,640 I'm just heavy. I got all this way. 213 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:15,560 And then there's the other reality. 214 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:20,320 We do deal with sin. We do deal with the entanglement 215 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:22,520 of sin. And it's the besetting sin. 216 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,160 The scripture says it's that thing that keeps showing up in 217 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,840 your life. To be honest with one another, 218 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:34,080 We probably all have at least a something that shows up more at 219 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,120 our door as a sin than any other thing. 220 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:42,400 We have a struggle, A mindset that we just can't break, a 221 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,120 cycle that just repeats itself over and over. 222 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,600 An internal struggle may no one else knows about, but we know 223 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,480 about it. And it shows up so regular and 224 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,480 it's chasing you and it's wrapping itself around you and 225 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:57,640 it's restricting your movement and it's keeping you from doing 226 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,760 some things and making some steps, if you will, some headway 227 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,880 in this race. And then you take all of that. 228 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,040 And you realized in according to scripture that this isn't a 229 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:16,240 short race, this isn't a 50 yard dash, this isn't a Sprint. 230 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,680 Just put all your energy into it for a moment and then it's over. 231 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:23,840 No, the writer calls this race the word that is translated 232 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,520 race. It comes from the word Agona, 233 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:29,040 which is where we get our English word agony. 234 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,880 So when he said run your race, he's saying run your agony, run 235 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,120 your despair, run your pressure, run your heartache, run 236 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,960 everything, run that long, grueling, painful endurance 237 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:42,360 race. All of us have it. 238 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,760 Run that you, you just got to run that, he says. 239 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,320 You got to run that thing that that pushes your limits. 240 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,000 You do. You got to run that thing that 241 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,920 that kind of tests you and drains you. 242 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,880 And here's the real danger, though, in running the race. 243 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:01,640 Most people in a race are not just going to exit left while 244 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:02,920 they're running. Say I'm done. 245 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,760 No, but as you run, things take place in your heart and mind. 246 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:15,120 You're quitting silently before you quit, evidently to everybody 247 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,280 else. You're not going to make a 248 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:23,120 dramatic exit, but you start to fade quietly inside, not putting 249 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,920 everything that you put in it whenever the gun went off. 250 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,440 And so things start to happen. The beliefs that you used to 251 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,160 have begin to shrink your passion as you run. 252 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,360 They start to cool down a little bit, maybe even a little 253 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,440 sensitivity to God that begins to dull inside of you. 254 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,680 You're still in the race, but there's something inside of you, 255 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,160 happened inside of you, that's no longer what it used to be, 256 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:50,760 not longer the passion that you used to have. 257 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,840 And so deep inside of you, something starts to come up into 258 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:58,000 your mind, and that is this. I know I started this race, but 259 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,800 how am I going to finish this race? 260 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,000 I know I began well, but I'm not sure I can finish well. 261 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,480 How am I going to finish with what I'm struggling with in my 262 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:12,000 heart and my mind, all the expectations of the people, all 263 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,560 the examples of yesteryear, and this is a long race. 264 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:20,840 How am I going to just do this? And we put on our humanity cap, 265 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,680 right? Because us as humanity, when we 266 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,920 see a problem, men maybe perhaps more than ladies sometimes, 267 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:32,720 Well, let's just fix it. You ladies. 268 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,680 Have you ever told your husband or a man a problem and instead 269 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,960 of him listening to you and hearing you out and validating 270 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,480 how you felt, he's beginning to tell you how you could fix it? 271 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,120 I see women looking over at their husbands today, and I'm 272 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:48,880 going to close my eyes just for a moment. 273 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,080 But all of us, to a certain degree of humanity, we have that 274 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:55,800 gene. There's a problem. 275 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,640 I just go fix it. I mean, give me a wrench, a 276 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,160 hammer. I don't even care if the tool 277 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:01,440 doesn't apply. We'll get it done. 278 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:06,320 We're going to fix this thing. So we, we look to what, what we 279 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:08,600 know, right? We look back through the stories 280 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,240 that we've already read in scripture. 281 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,680 We go back and we read the Abraham and the Daniel. 282 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,800 We look at their stories and man looking for that inspiration. 283 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:17,600 But then it turns into comparison. 284 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,960 I, I, I can't do that, that that feels like pressure And I, I 285 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,800 just can't run this race, you know, because I'm trying to live 286 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:31,040 up to somebody else's race. And then I shift again. 287 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,000 I begin looking at Paul McGee. I'm like, come on, Paul, right. 288 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,320 Do the self talk. Come on, Paul, what's wrong with 289 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:37,840 you? You can do this. 290 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,560 I just my stride thing. I can't, I can't make it to the 291 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,280 end like this. I got to make my stride a little 292 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,440 longer as I take these steps and I tell myself, you got to try 293 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,000 harder, Paul. You got to do it more. 294 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,720 You, Paul, you need to be more disciplined, get to push 295 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,280 yourself. I know your veins about ready to 296 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,760 pop out in your face, but just push yourself. 297 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:55,640 It's OK. I focus on myself. 298 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,360 I focus what's missing inside of me. 299 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,560 And I'm saying, come on, I can do this. 300 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,040 But as I do that, Sister Sheila, I realize there's a little guy 301 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:11,319 in there saying I can't do this. I got inconsistencies. 302 00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:14,079 I'm struggling here, I'm exhausted. 303 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,640 And there's still a whole lot more of this race in front of 304 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,520 me. And so in my mind, I'm asking, 305 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,000 what is it going to take to keep me in this race? 306 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,080 And it's at that moment the writer of Hebrews directs our 307 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,480 attention right at this right moment, and he redirects 308 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,360 everything. And when he does, he doesn't 309 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:39,720 say, well, you need to go study Abraham more. 310 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,080 You need to go study Daniel Moore. 311 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,920 You need to go look at Matthew Moore. 312 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,840 No, he doesn't say you need to look at yourself more and figure 313 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:50,240 out all that about you. He doesn't tell us that hey man, 314 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,520 he gives us another strategy. And just a few words he says 315 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:59,200 looking on to Jesus. Now this is very simple today, 316 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:04,280 but when you look unto someone or you look unto Jesus, that 317 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,480 means you look away from everything else. 318 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,760 If you look unto Jesus, you got to look away from the pressure 319 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,400 of all the testifiers of yesteryear. 320 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,280 If you look unto Jesus, you got to look away from the comparison 321 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,280 that you've been doing. If you look into Jesus, you got 322 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,600 to look away from yourself. You need a site correction 323 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:29,520 today. You need a site, someone came 324 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,520 in, I've been looking the wrong direction. 325 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,080 And as long as your focus is wrong, listen, your strength 326 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:42,520 will always run out because Jesus is just not another name 327 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,920 among the others in the story. He's not just another example 328 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,400 for us to study, the writer said. 329 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:55,000 He is the author and the finisher of our faith. 330 00:18:55,840 --> 00:19:00,040 No, you go back to Chapter 11 that that Hall of Faith chapter 331 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,120 where Sarah did this by faith and Noah did this through faith 332 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:05,640 and that one did that one by faith and all that's good. 333 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,160 But Christ Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. 334 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:14,200 He's not doing something by it or through it or according to 335 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,560 it. He is the writer and the 336 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,960 completer of it. He's the author and the finisher 337 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:23,160 of faith. He's a pioneer of faith. 338 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,720 He's the one that went first. He's the one that's cut the 339 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:28,680 path. He's the one that's made a way 340 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,600 where there's no way. He's the one that perfected it. 341 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,600 He's the one that showed up. He's the one that's already 342 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:39,280 finished it. He's, he's the one that can 343 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,640 supply what we need to finish it. 344 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,480 How's, how's that different Pastor McGee, than all these 345 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:46,440 others? Amen. 346 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:50,600 In Scripture, well, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11 that all 347 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,800 these cloud of witnesses that it speaks of, that they all ran and 348 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:59,880 died in the faith, never fully receiving the promise in their 349 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:03,880 lifetime. The Bible says in Hebrews 11/13 350 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,200 these all died in faith, not having received the promise, 351 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:15,920 having seen them afar off. But when Jesus ran, he finished. 352 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:21,040 Now, no John 1930, many of you celebrated perhaps Good Friday, 353 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,800 where the scripture says Speaking of Jesus on the cross, 354 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:29,400 that he, Jesus said it is finished and he bowed his head, 355 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,640 gave up the ghost, he died. Yes he did. 356 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:39,120 But Colossians 215 also tells us that he having spoiled 357 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:44,840 principalities and powers, he made a shoe of them openly. 358 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:46,920 How did he make a show of them openly? 359 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,840 Because he didn't stay dead. He didn't stay in the grave. 360 00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:56,640 He resurrected and made a shoe of them openly triumphing over 361 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,880 them. In verse number two of our text 362 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:03,800 says, and he is sit down. What does that mean? 363 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,480 You see other places in Scripture, for instance, in the 364 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,640 book of Acts, the Bible talks about the first martyr of 365 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,000 Scripture. Sure, Amen. 366 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,000 And that he's being stoned and he's looking up. 367 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,360 Then he sees Jesus, The Bible says standing, and you see that 368 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:22,680 at different places in the holy Jesus standing. 369 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:27,360 But here in Hebrews, the Bible says that Jesus is set down. 370 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,840 Why? Because there is something that 371 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:34,400 has been completed, something has been secured, something has 372 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:38,920 already a settled outcome. He's ran his race, he's finished 373 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,080 his course. He not only died, but he got up. 374 00:21:49,260 --> 00:21:54,100 So look unto Jesus. But if I'm going to look at him, 375 00:21:54,900 --> 00:22:00,420 I need to understand something about him because the race that 376 00:22:00,420 --> 00:22:04,300 he ran was harder than anything I've faced. 377 00:22:06,380 --> 00:22:10,340 He endured hostility, yes, the Bible says from sinners. 378 00:22:10,900 --> 00:22:14,760 He was rejected, according to Scripture, by his very own. 379 00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:19,320 He was beat, you know that. He was mocked. 380 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:22,640 He was stripped, he was crucified. 381 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,400 He wasn't just going through physical pain in this race. 382 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:32,080 He was going through psychological shame in this 383 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:33,640 race. Public shame. 384 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,080 There was no more a public shaming than being crucified. 385 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:43,600 Intentional humiliation, the kind of shame that's designed to 386 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,600 degrade a human being and dehumanize a human being. 387 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,560 That's what was taking place on Calvary. 388 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,240 And so when we think about this race, there's a question that is 389 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:58,400 unavoidable this morning. And that is this what kept him 390 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:03,000 there? What kept him in the race? 391 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:09,080 What kept him from coming down? What kept him in that place when 392 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:14,280 he had all power to stop it at will if he wanted to? 393 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:20,480 And the answer is quite simple, verse 2. 394 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:27,240 Who? Jesus for the joy that was set 395 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,680 before him. What? 396 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,120 You have the joy that was set before Him. 397 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,240 I'm not diving deep in this, but today's world, social media and 398 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,440 all around people all the time are talking about you got to 399 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,920 know your why, got to know your why. 400 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:47,120 They get that from some leadership gurus who may be 401 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,920 selling products and stuff. And the main little line or 402 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,240 phrase and all that is that people don't buy what you do. 403 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,440 They buy why you do it. You got to know your why. 404 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,960 Well, Christ is sharing with us His why behind the cross. 405 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,440 He says it was for the joy. He didn't say it was because of 406 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,840 obligation. He says it was because of the 407 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:09,720 joy. Didn't say it was because of the 408 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,120 pressure society. He says it was because of the 409 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:14,160 joy. Didn't say it was a survival 410 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:15,000 mode. What? 411 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,440 What was this joy? Christ saw something. 412 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,960 He focused on something. He fixed his attention, Brother 413 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,680 Fred, on something that was beyond the here and now, that 414 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,360 was beyond the cross. And he made, he started to make 415 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:34,240 a calculation. If you could just envision a 416 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:36,680 balance, He begins to make a calculation. 417 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,560 On one side he has all the pain that he's suffering. 418 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,000 He has the nails that are in his hands and feet. 419 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,080 He has the crown of thorns, the whipping. 420 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,360 He has the humiliation of his neck. 421 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,360 And as he has, he has the words that are being spoken to him and 422 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:51,160 the mockery and the shame being spoken to him. 423 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,200 And then on the other side, he has this joy. 424 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,240 And as he begins to do the calculation, he determined, you 425 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,720 know what the joy. The joy is worth. 426 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:05,720 The pain the joy is worth. The shame the joy is worth. 427 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,280 The nails, the joy is worth. The laceration the joy is worth. 428 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:20,080 But what is this joy? But we stand flat footed. 429 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,880 We say we know with clarity that everything that's taken place, 430 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,600 this mission, this purpose, this is going to bring glory to the 431 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,800 heavens and yell. That's fantastic. 432 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:35,680 We say without a doubt that we know him knowing that he's not 433 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:40,560 going to stay in the grave. The the psalmist David and even 434 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,320 some of the prophets plainly said that his soul would not be 435 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,800 left in the grave. Hallelujah that Holy One would 436 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,200 not suffer corruption. He knows that. 437 00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:55,200 And so, yes, the resurrection is a great component to that joy, 438 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,480 yes. But ladies and gentlemen, if we 439 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:05,000 stop there, we've missed the heart of it all. 440 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,880 Because through the suffering, through the bloodletting, 441 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:15,040 through the agony, Yes, He saw something ahead of him. 442 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:19,840 Sister Sheila. It wasn't a crown first or an 443 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:24,440 established throne first. He saw people first. 444 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:27,400 He saw lives that would be redeemed. 445 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,320 He saw souls that would be restored. 446 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,680 He saw sons and daughters that would be brought into glory. 447 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,160 He saw the lost that would be found. 448 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:38,960 He saw the broken that would be made whole. 449 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,440 He seen those that were far off that would be made near. 450 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,800 What are you saying? I'm saying the joy that was for 451 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,920 the Lord. It was you and it was me. 452 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,560 It was every one of us that are setting in this crowd today. 453 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,720 He kept running the race because of you. 454 00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:06,920 You were His joy. You know what that means, 455 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,520 Brother Mason? That means in a moment, he 456 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:13,000 didn't make just a general decision or a broad decision. 457 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:17,080 It wasn't a distant idea. He made a personal determination 458 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:21,000 that joy. They are more important and a 459 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:25,000 greater value than the pain. They are greater value than the 460 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,360 nails. They are greater value than the 461 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:28,960 agony. They are greater. 462 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,720 They're greater than the humiliation, than the let's say 463 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,520 like this. They are worth it. 464 00:27:44,460 --> 00:27:48,780 I say that I sense right away someone already inside with 465 00:27:48,780 --> 00:27:51,340 their internal dialogue. Yeah, maybe everybody else 466 00:27:51,340 --> 00:27:57,780 except me. I know the fabric of humanity. 467 00:27:59,660 --> 00:28:04,340 You'll give someone else the leeway to be appreciated, to be 468 00:28:04,340 --> 00:28:07,720 loved, when you'll hold yourself at Bay and say, yeah, that's, 469 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,960 that's that's applicable for everybody except me. 470 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:18,280 But in that joy, there was no strings attached to the people 471 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:24,240 that he placed in that scale. Listen to me, Sir, a man today, 472 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,920 you were not an afterthought to his suffering. 473 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:39,640 You're not some like side effect of the cross or some type of 474 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:46,360 added bonus to the resurrection. You're the joy that was set 475 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,800 before him. Why is that important today? 476 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:56,080 Why is that important now? Because we live in a world, we 477 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,400 have many adversaries, or so it would seem, that we'll do 478 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:03,920 everything they can to convince us otherwise. 479 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:09,680 We live in a society today that's telling people they don't 480 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:14,760 matter, that's telling people they're replaceable, that's 481 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:18,280 telling people they're insignificant, that's telling 482 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,600 people that your life doesn't carry any weight and it doesn't 483 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:27,000 carry any meaning. But the death, the burial, and 484 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:32,520 the resurrection all stands in direct contradiction to all of 485 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,480 that that's being fed to you by society because the cross is 486 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:41,000 declaring your value. The cross is revealing your 487 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,560 worth. And that resurrection just seals 488 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:47,720 the joy of it all. His people were his reason. 489 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,480 You were his reason. Someone say me, I was his 490 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,520 reason. He came to redeem us all. 491 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:04,120 Isaiah 53 Old Testament prophet, amazing verse again prophesied 492 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,840 of the suffering servant which we know to be Christ Jesus in 493 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:12,880 the New Testament. Listen to what the passage says. 494 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:17,680 Verse 10 says. Yet it pleased the Lord to 495 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:21,240 bruise him. He had put him to grieve. 496 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:29,080 Look at this now, when thou shalt make his soul an offering 497 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,640 for sin, something's going to be sacrificed. 498 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,480 Blood's going to be shed as a result of that, something is 499 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:39,000 going to be killed. When thou shalt make his soul 500 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaking of that suffering, Speaking of Christ, when you 501 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,920 make that suffering, that soul an offering for sin, look, he 502 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:51,840 shall see his seed. What is that says? 503 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,120 When you offer him for sacrifice, he's going to see the 504 00:30:55,120 --> 00:31:00,200 joy, his seed, his spiritual seed and offspring. 505 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,840 He shall prolong his days in the pleasure. 506 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:04,200 What's the prolonging of the days? 507 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:06,840 Well, they killed him, but he's alive. 508 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,720 How do you? Yeah, he had some torture on the 509 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:18,640 cross, but the prolongment is that he didn't stay dead. 510 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,440 He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall 511 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:23,120 prosper in his hand. Look at verse 11. 512 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:28,240 And he shall see the travail of his soul and and shall be 513 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:32,760 satisfied. I'm going through grueling pain, 514 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,680 but I'm satisfied. How so? 515 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:43,720 For the joy that set before me. For the joy? 516 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:49,080 Yeah. For the for the RE Singers, the 517 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:56,200 Tony Angels, the Kevin Cruises and the Ethan Wrights and the 518 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:03,640 Aaron Browns and the Katy Rotors, I'm wondering how I'm 519 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,760 going to finish. And when I look to him I 520 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,240 understand I was his reason for finishing. 521 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,760 Someone say man, he shall see the travail of his soul and 522 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,880 shall be satisfied, not because the cross ended and not 523 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:20,920 necessarily because the tomb was empty, and not just because he 524 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:25,040 had glory among all the heavens, but because of his seed, because 525 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,920 of the people he loved, because of who he was doing this for and 526 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:36,320 why he was really doing it. So everything shifts, Dr. Mason, 527 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,200 because I understand. I've been trying to find the 528 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:47,080 strength to finish my race. I've looked at myself hopeless, 529 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:51,360 tried to measure the effort of others before me, compare my 530 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:56,560 progress hopeless. But my strength for my race was 531 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:02,600 never meant to come from me. Your strength is found in this 532 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,280 truth. You're the reason he didn't 533 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:14,120 quit. When he could have come down and 534 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,760 stayed, when he could have come down and stopped, when he could 535 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:21,240 have come down and no longer endured, He looked beyond that 536 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,960 and he saw you and he saw me. And here's the fact of the 537 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:26,600 matter that we must understand today. 538 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:29,120 It is like a vortex. It's like a Figure 8. 539 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:34,400 It's an Infinity. If you will loop your why then 540 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:36,520 is his? Why? 541 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,520 What are you saying? He continued. 542 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,640 Because I was his joy. And now I look at him. 543 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,680 I continue because I realized I was his joy. 544 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:56,800 He was my joy. I was his joy and an affinity. 545 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,680 Luke starts to happen and I begin to realize I can't quit on 546 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:05,240 him because he never quit on me. I can't give up on him because 547 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,159 he never gave up on me. I'm not doing this because of 548 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:10,199 pressure. I'm not doing this because of 549 00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:13,360 somebody else's race and the way that they ran it before me. 550 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:15,719 I'm not doing this out of obligation. 551 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,800 I'm doing this because something has changed inside of me. 552 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,120 I'm going to lay a side way. I'm going to lay a side sin, 553 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,239 yes. Oh, because there's a greater 554 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:28,520 affection, a greater, more so than my sin, more so than the 555 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,520 daily grind. I have my joy in the Lord 556 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:35,920 because I was his joy. Yes. 557 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,960 See, when you see him clearly, when you understand what he did 558 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:48,639 and you realize why He did it, something should shift inside of 559 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:52,719 us. What used to weigh me down 560 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:56,520 doesn't have a hold on me anymore. 561 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:01,800 Because as I run this race, folks, it's not so much that 562 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,000 we're running towards a little, you know, tape strung out across 563 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,840 the lanes type of finish line. Casey, we're not running toward 564 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,960 a line. We're running toward a person. 565 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:20,520 We're running toward a person, Lord Jesus Christ, and the one 566 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:26,240 that we are running toward is the same one that ran for you, 567 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:35,040 the one that endured for you saw you won't be much longer here 568 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,920 today. But I'm convinced there's 569 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:42,680 probably people in this room right now that's probably 570 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:48,080 saying, Pastor McGee, I'm still running, but I'm exhausted. 571 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:55,400 Pastor McGee. I haven't quit, but I've been 572 00:35:55,400 --> 00:36:00,920 close a day or two to quitting. And there are others that 573 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:05,680 probably think, well, you know what, I don't even feel like I'm 574 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:11,080 worth finishing this race. There's others that may have 575 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,320 been running and maybe you've been running in the wrong 576 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:18,040 direction. I love those football games of 577 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:21,680 the Little Tikes. And he gets the ball and he's 578 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,560 going to run toward his end zone, but he's running toward 579 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:28,720 the opponent's end zone. I mean, he's putting his all in 580 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:30,480 it. I mean, you know, he's got grass 581 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,600 up there and his mask and everything, but he's just 582 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,200 running the wrong direction. We can't fault the little guy 583 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,080 for all of the strength and energy he's put in it. 584 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:38,560 He's just headed in the wrong direction. 585 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:40,760 There may be some here today. Say, Brother McGee, I'm doing 586 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,640 everything I can, but just realized today I'm running in 587 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:45,960 the wrong direction. I'm doing it for the wrong 588 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:49,720 reason. If you'd stand with me this 589 00:36:49,720 --> 00:36:54,400 morning, what I've come to remind you is this is that 590 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,800 there's something here today that can change all of that. 591 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,920 But whenever you feel like quitting, you got to remember 592 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:14,040 that you were his joy. You were Kevin, you were, you 593 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:19,320 were his joy. And as a result of that, he 594 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,080 remained. He stayed, he completed, he 595 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:29,040 finished, He stayed for you. So I hope then by his grace this 596 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:36,000 morning, you'll keep running and if you've not started the race, 597 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:41,160 maybe today will be your gunshot start to enter the race. 598 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:47,000 Because his joy has become my joy. 599 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,440 He did it for me. That's what we got to realize 600 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,160 this morning, folks. He didn't, it's not like, oh, he 601 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:55,040 did it for the white people. He did for the, we did it for 602 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:57,280 the Asian people. He did it for this ethnicity or 603 00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:58,800 that. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, 604 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,360 no, no. If you're standing here today, 605 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,560 you walk out this building knowing he did it for me. 606 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:10,840 And that's where the buck stops. Ask you this question, why you 607 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:13,800 still beating yourself up as though you can do something to 608 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,080 change. It does. 609 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:22,120 The answer is not found in you. The answer is found beyond you. 610 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:28,640 Oh, come on, put your feel, put your name in the blank. 611 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,760 Come on, such and such. You got to do better, got to be 612 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,960 more disciplined. Put your shoulder to the 613 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,040 grindstone, yell at yourself a little bit. 614 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:43,120 That really helped. Monday still came with all the 615 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:49,000 expectations. Do you know that whenever He 616 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,880 settled with his joy on you, it didn't erase that there was 617 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:55,440 still agony, pain, disappointment? 618 00:38:56,840 --> 00:39:00,360 And whenever I realize He's my joy, those things don't go away 619 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:01,520 either. I'm sorry. 620 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,360 It's just part and parcel the facts of life. 621 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:15,520 But Him doing what he did for me is more meaningful than what I'm 622 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,960 presently going through. You've walked in these double 623 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:19,960 doors this morning. Some of you, some of you, you 624 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:23,880 just came here on Easter because it's Easter and your life and 625 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:26,120 what you're going through right now in life is a mess. 626 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,320 You maybe even question whether or not you's going to show up 627 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,640 because life is just that bad right now. 628 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:36,960 You came because that's what you're supposed to do, right? 629 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,280 Resurrection Center. You got to find a church you go 630 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:44,120 to and you drug your bleeding, battered life in here. 631 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,160 I'm pointing you this morning looking to Jesus. 632 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,680 You were his joy. Now let him be your joy. 633 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,120 We bow our heads all across this place today. 634 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:02,200 If you don't know the Lord this morning. 635 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,920 My God is a gentleman. My God is a gentleman. 636 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:09,360 He will not force himself upon you. 637 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,480 He will not force himself upon you, but He will gently invite 638 00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:17,440 and woo you. Into a relationship with Him. 639 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,000 And I don't know what you've experienced through this 640 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,520 service. I know as I've stood up front 641 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,560 here this morning, I have felt the tugging of the Spirit of the 642 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:30,560 Lord upon my own heart afresh. And again I have felt those 643 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:34,720 never ending arms of love enwrapped me in this place 644 00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:36,640 again. And although life is what it is, 645 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,440 in just a few moments that I've been here, there's been a sense 646 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:42,880 of peace, there's been a sense of contentment, there's been a 647 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:46,720 reality that I'm in the presence of somebody that loves me and 648 00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:50,840 that brings great hope. And it makes my heart swell to 649 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,800 understand that this altar is open today. 650 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:56,800 If you want to come and pray or if you want to stand at your 651 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,360 seat or kneel at your seat, whatever your posture may be 652 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:01,360 right now, they're going to sing. 653 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:04,720 And before we do anything else that's left in this day, we're 654 00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:08,880 going to spend some time recognizing that we were His 655 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:11,040 joy. And that should cause a shift in 656 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:13,080 us. When we understand that that He 657 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:20,000 becomes our joy and we can finish this race, we can make it 658 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,240 through some hard days. We we can rise above some of the 659 00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:25,920 expectations. They're still going to be there, 660 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,480 but we have new inspiration and it's that we were his joy and 661 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:32,200 now he's become our joy. Can we talk to the Lord right 662 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:33,240 now? They're going to sing. 663 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:35,840 This altar is open. Maybe you have a friend or a 664 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:37,840 relative next to you don't want to come forward, but you just 665 00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:40,400 like to clinch their hand and say, hey, would you just pray 666 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,120 with me today? That's perfectly fine. 667 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,480 God's a gentleman here today, but he's looking for you. 668 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:47,920 He's trying to draw your attention to him. 669 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:51,200 Get it off yourself. Get it off all everybody else's 670 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:53,600 story. Hey man, want you to get your 671 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:57,520 attention on him. I did what I did for you because 672 00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,160 of you. This was for you. 673 00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:03,200 Hallelujah. Let's talk to him. 674 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:04,680 Can we sing today?