PICK UP THE PACE

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SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP EXPERIENCE SERMON: PICK UP THE PACE 5-17-20

OPENER: Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. STORY: Roger Bannister and the Four Minute Mile I want to take you back in time to a historic moment in the history of sports, May 6th, 1954. English runner Roger Bannister became the first to run the mile in under four minutes. The location was Oxford University, with over 3000 spectators gathered to watch this event. The wind just before the race was gusting to over 25 miles an hour and Bannister felt the conditions to be a physical impossibility; absolutely unfavorable for him to make the attempt. He was going to save his energy and try another day. But just before the race was to begin the winds dropped to almost zero and the decision was made to go for it. Now, Roger Bannister at that time was a full-time medical student and he had also been an Olympic athlete in 1952 and come in fourth in the Helsinki summer games in the 1500 meter event. He'd been bitterly disappointed at his outcome and he'd wrestled with the idea of giving up running altogether. However, he was soon motivated by a new goal, and that was to be the first man to go under four minutes. One commentator wrote about it, "The number had a certain mathematical elegance, 'four laps, four quarter miles, 4.00 minutes.” For decades, the best middle distance runners had tried and failed. They had come to within two seconds, but that was as close as they were able to get. Attempt after attempt had proved futile and each effort was like a wall that looked increasingly impossible to breach. Now, running the mile was an art form in itself. The distance, unlike the 100-yard sprint or the marathon, required a perfect balance of speed and stamina. The person to break that barrier would have to be fast, diligently trained and supremely aware of his body at every moment so that he would cross the finish line at just the point of complete exhaustion." Bannister made a scientific study of training techniques and race strategies and began turning in times that were coming closer and closer

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to the impenetrable barrier, four minutes in the mile. Other rivals in other parts of the world we're getting closer and closer too, so someone was going to do it. So, on May 6th, 1954, Bannister made his attempt. He went to the starting line, but as he went to the starting line he was not alone in his effort. He had two people helping him, and these two other runners were good friends and excellent runners on their own. Their sole purpose was to serve as pace setters for him that day. (Now, a pace setter is a runner who has no interest in beating you, but is seeking to help someone set a new world record.) The two pace setters for Bannister that day were Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. Brasher was to run the first lap at a certain pace, the second lap a little bit faster and then he was to drop out and Chataway was to continue and carry on through the third lap, and then he was to drop out. Everything had been planned, set and measured out to give Bannister the best chance of breaking the four-minute mile. And so after three quarters of the way Bannister was on his own, and he took off on the fourth lap, and he finished the race. The crowd was listening breathlessly to find the official time and it was 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, and the crowd went crazy. They saw history made by this one man, and since that time around 1500 runners have broken the four-minute mile. THIS CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LIKE RUNNING A RACE. IT REQUIRES ATTENTION , EFFORT, SELF-DISCIPLINE AND PERSEVERANCE. WE HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED FINISH LINE WE STRIVE FOR. THE RACE FOR THE CHRISTIAN LASTS A LIFETIME. IF YOU AREN’T DEAD YET, YOU AREN’T FINISHED YET. YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO PUSH FORWARD IN THE RACE AND WIN. God has a purpose for your life, a destiny for you to live out, a plan that He uniquely created you to fulfill. You advance toward that goal by focusing each day on aligning your thoughts, attitudes, and behavior with His Word and His will. FIRST: THIS CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A DYNAMIC This Christian life is a dynamic. What does that mean? It means this Christian life is a progressive, forward growth process. If something is a dynamic it is marked by continuous productive activity or change.

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JUST LIKE A RUNNER RUNS FORWARD - NEVER BACKWARDS. IF YOU ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD IN CHRIST YOU ARE GOING BACKWARD. IF YOU ARE NOT GROWING AND CHANGING AND BECOMING BETTER AND BETTER IN CHRIST YOU ARE FALLING BACK. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS STANDING STILL. Listen, falling away is something that we as Christians need to constantly be aware of. ILLUSTRATION: The Christian life is like a greased pole; you are either climbing or slipping. ILLUSTRATION: I once saw a sign along the road at the end of an airport runway that read “Keep moving. If you stop, you are in danger, and a danger to those flying.” If we do not continually keep moving forward in the Christian life, we jeopardize ourselves and others. In fact, the very moment you cease to progress and grow as a Christian is when the process of falling back begins. Three RULES about racing: 1. YOU RUN FORWARD 2. YOU RUN AT A FAST PACE 3. YOU RUN TO WIN IF YOU ARE NOT RUNNING FORWARD AND CONTINUALLY PICKING UP YOUR PACE YOU ARE FALLING BEHIND. Are you growing in Christ at the proper pace? OR should you be further along than you are?

I. SET ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT Hebrews 12:1 says,Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that

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slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

ILLUSTRATION: Extra pounds picked up in the pandemic…. Ha ha ha… I have picked up 10 pounds. I am back to working out trying to get it off. So, what is the instruction here in this scripture? What is it that God is saying to us about running this race. HE IS SAYING, “SET ASIDE THE WEIGHT!” One of the greatest problems runners face is weight. EXTRA WEIGHT SLOWS YOU DOWN - DIVERTS YOUR ATTENTION - SAPS YOUR ENERGY - DAMPENS YOUR PASSION AND JOY FOR THE THINGS OF GOD. YOU CANNOT WIN WHEN YOU ARE CARRYING EXCESS WEIGHT. Many of us today are carrying extra weight. We have come in with a load on our shoulders, a heaviness in our heart, a burden that is slowing us down in our walk with God. ILLUSTRATION: When you start out running with weights you think, “ I can do this. This isn’t heavy at all. But a mile into the run that little bit of weight just got a lot heavier. And the longer you go… the heavier the weight gets. For some of you today…That extra weight you are carrying is growing heavier and heavier and causing us to want to get out of the race because we feel like we just can’t go on. Maybe some of us have quit the race because we just don’t have the passion or zeal to run anymore. GOD’S INSTRUCTION TO US TODAY IS TO SET ASIDE THE WEIGHT - PICK UP THE PACE AND KEEP RUNNING!

II. WHAT EXTRA WEIGHT ARE YOU CARRYING?

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Four weights that we may be carrying…. 1. ARE YOU CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF DOUBT? DOUBTS COME WHEN OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE NOT MET. FOR EXAMPLE: When we believe that God will act a certain way, but He doesn’t. Then we start to question His love and wonder whether He truly has our best interest at heart. It is common to have doubt. It doesn’t mean that you are a weak Christian because you doubt. Throughout the Bible we see great men and women of faith who had doubt, but did great things for God. …..Moses….Gideon….Elijah….David…. How do you overcome doubt? Let’s look at someone who had doubt, yet they overcame and received what they were asking for…….. Mark 9:20-24. So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22  The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24  The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” YOU CAN HAVE FAITH AND DOUBT AT THE SAME TIME. BUT IF YOU DON’T OVERCOME YOUR DOUBT IT WILL WEIGH YOU DOWN AND SLOW YOUR PACE AND EVENTUALLY KNOCK YOU OUT OF THE RACE ALTOGETHER. This father had faith and doubt at the same time. But his doubt had not taken him out of the race. Look where he was. He had pushed against the doubt with his faith and took steps forward and brought his son to Jesus.

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TAKE A STEP OF FAITH. A step of faith is stepping forward toward God when you don’t feel like it or aren’t convinced it will work but you do it anyway. FAITH IS - action taken toward something that hasn’t happened yet, but you hope it will or action taken toward something you cannot see is happening STEPS OF FAITH WILL OVERCOME DOUBT. DO NOT LET YOUR DOUBT SLOW YOU DOWN. KEEP RUNNING BY FAITH. 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith not by sight. (running by faith) Application: > You have prayed for something and it hasn’t happened yet - keep believing - keep praying. > You are struggling with an illness - Keep believing that God will heal you - keep standing in faith. > Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience. Just look to Abraham as an example. > Walking by faith means that you continue to cling to the dreams God has planted in your heart, even when you’ve been thrown away, taken to prison for crimes you didn’t commit. Just look at all Joseph endured. > Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan regardless what life throws your way. Look to Daniel to discover how to have the resolve not to sin.

2. ARE YOU CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF LAZINESS ILLUSTRATION: Two Reasons Why I Miss A Day Working Out: FIRST: Me being overwhelmed or feeling helpless. It zaps my energy to do the things I know I should do. Hebrews 4:9-11 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[a] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

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Explain Sabbath: The Sabbath or Shabat as the Jews call it was established by God as a day “set apart to be holy unto God”. A day to cease from work and labor and focus on the Lord and His goodness. Even God created the earth in 6 days (6 literal day) and rested on the 7th. But, this scripture in Hebrews it says that those who believe in Jesus Christ have entered a Sabbath rest. We have entered a place of rest from our own works and resting on the works of Jesus. We can talk about the symptoms of laziness. Like sitting on the couch all day, staying in bed, not taking care of your responsibilities….etc… THE ROOT OF LAZINESS IS THAT WE HAVE NOT ENTERED A SABBATH REST. TO OVERCOME LAZINESS IS TO REST IN GOD. Application: When you haven’t entered that place of true rest in God, you are relying on your own efforts. And life becomes overwhelming. Most lazy people’s head spins. Repent of your reliance on yourself and put your trust in God. SECOND: Me missing working out. Even if I miss one day it is harder to get back into it the next day. Romans 12: 11-13 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. WHEN WE GET OUT OF PRACE OF EXERCISING OUR SPIRIT WE GET LAZY. It is easy to get intoxicated with the false god of pleasure, escape, comfort and self. So, we have to keep up the habits of faith that cause us to be spiritually healthy. Application: Maybe you have stopped praying, stopped worshipping, stopped seeking God and you have lost your passion. You’ve gotten out of practice and become lazy. You’ve slowed down your pace.

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3. ARE YOU CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF HURT? ILLUSTRATION: Carrying hurt is like running with an injury. Like a sprained ankle, or torn hamstring. Eventually the pain will cause you to stop running. This race and this life is all about relationships, and because we humans are not perfect, even people who love us are going to hurt us. The question is, “How will we respond when we get hurt?” Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns up the heat on forgiveness with these words……Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Forgiving someone can be one of the most difficult things to do in your life. Yet, it’s through forgiveness that God heals our deepest wounds, and frees us from our prisons of anger, hate, self-pity, and self-contempt.This forgiving spirit signifies that we have been greatly forgiven. Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23–35. He refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed him ten dollars, though he claimed to be forgiven ten million. He showed by his unforgiving spirit that the king’s mercy had not changed him. Application: Carrying the weight of hurt and pain will slow you down. The bitterness and hatred and anger that will fill your heart will eventually knock you out of the race. Repent to God and lay aside your bitterness and anger. Repent to Him for forsaking His generosity of forgiveness to you! And ask Him to help you forgive. 4. ARE YOU CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF SIN? ILLUSTATION: One last thing that we must beware of…because it will trip you and cause you to fall. If you choose to give into temptation and sin it is like running

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with your shoe laces untied. You are going to get tangled in your laces and have a bad fall.

2 Peter 2:20-22 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. 22 They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.” > Have you returned to the very thing thing that God set you free from? > Have you returned to the poison that you once drank of? > Are you frequenting places of filth? Note: RUN WITH PACE SETTERS: Pace setters, or as they're sometimes called, 'rabbits', have been used in these kinds of attempts at world records. They're called rabbits, I think, because of the dog track. They have these mechanical rabbits that go around the track and the dogs chase them. But a good pace setter or rabbit can be paid as many as thousands of dollars for their effort in setting a world record. ILLUSTRATION: Pastor Keshia and Christy and I walking together. It doesn’t work out well. Christy and I are so much taller than her that she lags behind. Even though she may be walking as fast as she can. We would have to stop and wait on her. Or walk back to her. Some of us are running the race with people who are slow runners. They aren’t helping us to pick up the pace but slowing us down. YOU NEED TO RUN WITH PACE SETTERS. THE BETTER THE RUNNER THEY ARE. THE BETTER THE RUNNER YOU WILL BE. You need to surround yourself with people who challenge you to be closer to God, stronger in God and yell out “come on faster, faster, You can do it.

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Someone that responds to you when you say you’re tired, I want to stop. They say, “No you can’t. Keep moving”. You can do it!” DON’T LET OTHER PEOPLE STOP YOU FROM RUNNING THE RACE. DON’T LET OTHER POEPLE DISTRACT YOU FROM SEEKING GOD’S APPROVAL. WE ALL NEED ACCOUNTABILITY THAT PUSHES US FORWARD NOT GIVES US PITY. YOU WILL BECOME WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH. WHO ARE YOU RUNNING WITH? ARE THEY SLOWING YOU DOWN? OR MAYBE THEY ARE RUNNING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

CLOSING: PRAY AND PRAYER CARDS