1. RUNNING THE RACE
I CORINTHIANS 9:24-27

2. All Are Invited To Run This Race
Jesus gives the invitation.
Matthew 11: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.''
God loves the souls of all people.
Romans 10: For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''
Acts 10: Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

3. Must Run According To The Rules
Must enter the race.
Believing that Jesus is The Christ the Son of God.
Mark 16: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Must repent of your sins.
Acts 3: Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

4. Confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.
Romans 10: That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
Be baptized to wash away your sins.
Acts 22: `And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'

5. We run according to the rules to get the prize.
II Timothy 2: Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
Some act as if we have no rules.
The word of God is our rule book.
We can be disqualified.
I Corinthians 9: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

6. We Must Run With Diligence And Patience.
Hebrews 6: And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,
that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
We live in a impatient world.
We must run with perseverance.
Hebrews 12: 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 perseverance the race that is set before us.

7. We Must Run With Our Eyes On The Lord
Hebrews 12: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We look to Jesus for
An example
Strength
I Peter 2: For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.
Philippians 4: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

8. Christ Is To Judge The Race
John 5: For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.
Romans 2: On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
Acts 17: "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.'

9. Romans 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
We will be judged
By the rule book
John 12: "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
according to how we ran.
Individually,
Romans 14: So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
II Corinthians 5: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

10. The Prize Comes At The End Of The Race
If you drop-out you will be disqualified.
Galatians 5: You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Luke 9: But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
We must keep on going till the end.
Philippians 3: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

11. When did Paul say he would get his prize?
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
When did Paul say he would get his prize?
II Timothy 4: For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

12. HAVE YOU ENTERED THE RACE?
I Corinthians 9: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
HAVE YOU ENTERED THE RACE?
ARE YOU RUNNING IN A WAY THAT YOU WILL OBTAIN THE PRIZE?
ETERNAL LIFE IS THE PRIZE

13. Given by David Hamlin on am Hollister, Missouri church of Christ