DEFINING THE RACE Saturday, January 20th BY PAUL COOKE 9:00 AM - PDF document

1/22/2018 Run With Endurance! DEFINING THE RACE Saturday, January 20th BY PAUL COOKE 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM ACMin Director of Student Services Athens, GA Speaker Name Identifying and Running in the Race 1) What is the race? Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with 2) How do I run in this race? endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith … 1

1/22/2018 The RIGHT Race Those Who Have Run the Right Race • Abel • Jacob Christ’s Superiority – Reason for faith! (ch 1) • Enoch • Joseph Faith in Him Secures Salvation (ch 2) Moses’ Faith Looked Ahead to Christ (chs 3-4) • Noah • Moses Jesus is THE Great High Priest, with the Superior Sacrifice We can • Abraham • People of Israel Trust In (chs 5-9) • Sarah • Rahab All of this is to give us “full assurance of faith” (10:22) • Isaac To “run the race set before us with endurance” (12:1) Their Race of Faith looked like: • Conquered kingdoms • Were strong although weak This • Enforced justice • Were mighty in war “race set before us” • Obtained promises • Put foreign armies to flight is a • Stopped the mouths of • Received back their lions children “Race of Faith” • Quenched the power of fire • Escaped the edge of the sword • Tortured • Dressed in sheep’s skin • Mocked • Destitute Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe • Flogged • Afflicted that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. • Chained and Imprisoned • Mistreated • Stoned • Wandered about • Sawn in two • Killed by the sword 2

1/22/2018 How do I run in this race? How do I run in this race? 1. Keep Pace with the Pacesetter (12:1-2) Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith … Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3

1/22/2018 How do I run in this race? 1. Keep Pace with the Pacesetter (12:1-2) “If you are a praying Christian your faith in God will carry you, if you are not a praying Christian you will have to 2. Run Confidently and Boldly (11:1-2) carry your faith and you’ll get exhausted carrying it.” Ravi Zacharias How do I run in this race? 1. Keep Pace with the Pacesetter (12:1-2) Hebrews 11:39-40 And all these, though commended 2. Run Confidently and Boldly (11:1-2) through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that 3. Run Wholeheartedly Your Leg (11:39-40) apart from us they should not be made perfect. 4

1/22/2018 How do I run in this race? 1. Keep Pace with the Pacesetter (12:1-2) Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted 2. Run Confidently and Boldly (11:1-2) them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were 3. Run Wholeheartedly Your Leg (11:39-40) strangers and exiles on the earth. 4. Run to Win the Prize AFTER the Race (11:13) Why Lord? What is the problem? WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? BY DEBBIE HUCKABY ACMin Christian Ministry Program Chair South Costal Assistant District Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church “In the Beginning” So What Really Happened in That Garden? Created in the Image of God Genesis 3:6-7 Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, God He created him; male and female He created them. and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree • Perfect Understanding was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit • Perfect Will and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and • Perfect Freedom he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and A unified whole where the body, mind, and spirit are inseparable, they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig interdependent, and intermingled. leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 5

1/22/2018 So What Really Happened in That Garden? Death • SIN Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord – Death – Inherited/Generational • Physical death begins at birth – Personal choices • Two Trees = Choice Inherited / Generational Inherited / Generational (Familial or Genetic) (Familial or Genetic) Exodus 20:5 Exodus 34:6-7 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, You shall not worship them or serve compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and them; for I, the L ORD your God, am abounding in lovingkindness and truth, who keeps a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of transgression and sin; yet He will by no means those who hate Me. leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” Inherited / Generational Personal Choices (Familial or Genetic) Ezekiel 18:20 Proverbs 16:25 The person who sins will die. The son will There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way not bear the punishment for the father’s of death. iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. 6

1/22/2018 Sickness & Disease Ten Leading – Physical Causes – Mental of – Spiritual Death Physical Mental 1 Corinthians 6:19 Philippians 4:8 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever your own? is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Spiritual Spiritual Galatians 5:16-26 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not Galatians 5:16-26 carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in are: immorality, impurity, opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, Law. … dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. … 7

1/22/2018 IF Spiritual Galatians 5:16-26a • IF we are to be all God created us to be But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, • IF we are to have the abundant life Jesus came to give us patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, • IF we are to be able to love God with all our heart, mind, soul gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those and strength and love others as ourselves who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified THEN … the flesh with its passions and desires. If we We must be transformed to wholeness and restored to the image live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the of God…. Spirit. Our Goal Today To throw off 3 sins Guiding Questions: that easily entangle. 1) What pressures us (Hebrews 12:1) to sin? GETTING UNTANGLED 2) Who defines sin and its consequences? BY SANDY BLOUNT 3) How do we untangle Prayer Ministry Leader, St. James UMC God’s way? I‘ve got a race to run!! What Pressures Us To Sin? What Pressures Us To Sin? Back to the Garden (Genesis 3) Back to the Garden (Genesis 3) Disobedience Disobedience Self-Centeredness Shame Shame Accusation Fear Fear Blaming Need to Control Need to Control Alignment with Satan Separation from God Separation from God Isolation 8