Aug. 11, 2024

Background:

• It's an honor to run a race, which is difficult to qualify for
• Unity is missing in the world and sometimes missing in the church
• We only need to do the best that we could for the Lord
• It's critical that we don't compare ourselves to others...and not criticize others
• The race is about winning souls for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Key Sermon Points:

1. How to qualify
   1. We must be born again by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior
   2. Know to not qualify means that you will be separated from God and spend eternity in hell
2. The purpose for running
   1. We all see the race, but don't see what it takes to win the race
   2. We must be vigorous in our efforts to reach the finish line
   3. For some, it's a marathon and to others it's a sprint
   4. It can also be a relay race where we can pass the baton (there are others in the race with us)
   5. We are in the race because Jesus commanded us to go (Matthew 28:19-20)
   6. We don't have to know the whole Bible in order to witness to others
3. What does it take
   1. We must be temperate, which means we must have self-control
   2. It will take some sacrifice and self-denial to get into spiritual shape by renewing our minds through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and learning from other Believers
   3. Alone we may go faster, but together we can go further
   4. We must run with certainty and not be distracted
   5. We must be consistent
   6. We must stay focus on the prize
   7. Don't be undisciplined (fighting the air)
   8. Be disciplined like someone that has been trained in the Word of God
   9. Our opponent in this spiritual fight is Satan (Ephesians 6:12)
4. You must stay in control
   1. We must learn how to keep the flesh under control
   2. We must walk the walk and not just talk the talk so that Jesus doesn't disqualify us (v. 27)
   3. We must remember that others are watching...most of all, Jesus is watching (Proverbs 5:21)
5. The expected results
   1. Even though we may not win the race, we must give the race all that we have
   2. We must give our testimony and support those that have the gift of evangelism
   3. It doesn't matter who we think we are, the man-made groups don't mean anything (1 Corinthians 3:4-8)
   4. We are all supposed to do our part
   5. There is an imperishable crown of rejoicing for winning souls (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)