Running Life’s Spiritual Race with Endurance Running with Focus Hebrews 12:1-3

Theme Passage Heb Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise

Run With Freedom Hebrews 12 1 … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Run With Freedom Hebrews 12 2 looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Run With Freedom Hebrews 12 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary & discouraged in your souls…..

1) Focus gives us specific goals to encourage endurance 2 looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith…

1) Focus gives us specific goals to encourage endurance Worthwhile goals & the rewards that go with them, encourage endurance. Jesus writes the script for our race & rewards us as we follow Him.

Eph 2 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

To have endurance we need to go with the flow of God’s work in our life. Working against God is one sure way of draining endurance from your life.

Phil 1 6 And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. NLT

2 Corinthians 3 18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. … NLT

2 Corinthians 3 18 …And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more & more like him & reflect his glory even more. NLT

Do I have goals that drive me to endure or is my strength fading because I don’t have anything to aim at?

2) Focus brings us inspiration to strengthen endurance 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary & discouraged in your souls…..

2) Focus brings us inspiration to strengthen endurance When running for the long haul, we need to find people, truths, stories & visions that stimulate us to keep going.

Isaiah Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, & his understanding no one can fathom. NIV

Isaiah He gives strength to the weary & increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired & weary, & young men stumble & fall; NIV

Isaiah but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run & not grow weary, they will walk & not be faint. NIV

The great mystery isn't that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few things well. The only thing that is universal is incompetence. Strength is always specific! Nobody ever commented, for example, that a great violinist probably couldn't play the trumpet very well. Peter Drucker

Focus… Col 2 7 Let your roots grow down into him & draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong & vigorous in the truth you were taught… NLT

Focus… Col 2 7 …Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. NLT

Focus… Col 2 8 Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy & high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking & from the evil powers of this world, & not from Christ. NLT

Running Life’s Spiritual Race with Endurance Running with Focus Hebrews 12:1-3