Pastor Danny Holland
September 17, 2006 - W0638

(Pastor Danny Holland oversees our College and Young Adult ministry. He comes to us from the East Coast and is now happily thriving in the culture of Hawaii.)

Visiting Hawaii is wonderful but living here is just divine! The beaches are gorgeous and every time I’m there, I’m reminded of how much (or shall I say…how little) time we have here on earth. I reach down and cover my hand with sand, then brush it all off—except for one grain. That one grain of sand is like our time here on earth compared to the beach of eternity that we will have with the Lord. This realization makes me want to have every moment count.

We only have a speck of time to determine our forever. Each of us is here for a purpose; no one is here by mistake. Each of us has a race to run and it is so important that we finish it well. Sometimes we have rough days and no matter how hard we try, we stumble and fall but the good news is… each day is a new day and no matter how we have run our race up until today, we can still finish well.  Today we are going to talk about three simple things done by...

THOSE WHO FINISH WELL:

Champion prizefighters aren’t made in the ring; they’re made in the training – in the day-to-day disciplines and mastering of the basics. Similar to the Hall of Fame, we have the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 that lists people who lived their lives and faith in powerful ways. Many had rocky beginnings but they all finished well:  Noah who built the Ark and saved his family from the flood, Abraham who obeyed when God called him to leave his home, Joseph who spoke confidently about God when he was faced with death, and Moses’ parents who hid him for three months to avoid the Pharoah’s fate. Paul goes on to say, “It would take too long to recount the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel and all the prophets” (Heb. 11:32).

The lives of these Heroes of Faith teach us a valuable lesson: the purpose of life is not comfort and ease. Take a look at Hebrews 11:39-40. These key verses bridge the gap between those people of faith and the next chapter, Hebrews 12. It reads: “And all of these, having gained approval through their faith did not receive what was promised” (Heb. 11:39).

These people have not received their rewards yet, even the ones that suffered for their faith. How can this be? “Because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us, they would not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:40). The word “perfect” literally means “two pieces being put together,” so something that is being made perfect is in the process of being assembled.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1).

The race we are running is not a sprint or a marathon; it’s a relay. As we run this relay, the work of the kingdom is the baton that we carry. Remember, in a relay, the race is not about the runners and their individual performances but rather, the race is about getting the baton across the finish line! If the baton is dropped and left behind, the race is over for that team. Did you know that runners in a relay tend to run faster with the team than when they run alone? And, the last runner is the fastest because he has to make up for lost time.

I don’t know if these are the last times but these are our last times. Hebrews 12 states the “cloud of witnesses” is still waiting for the promise God made to them. Their reward hinges on how we run our race. So how are we running…in our marriages, with our children, and at our jobs? When we take the time to serve others, we are running!  When we do our daily devotions, we are running. Champions and victories are made in day-to-day routines.

When you use your gifts for God’s glory, the crowd or “cloud of witnesses” goes wild. Last night at 1:00AM while we were sleeping, some men woke up, put on their blue Levite shirts and showed up here to put up all the tents outside – Heaven stood up to cheer them on. When we serve as greeters, volunteer for Children’s Ark, or help out with the camp for children of incarcerated parents, those witnesses in the Hall of Faith stand and cheer.

Consider the World Series…the team that wins doesn’t always have the best hitters but they have mastered the basics. We can master the basics [of faith] if we follow three instructions.

1.      THROW OFF HINDRANCES AND SIN.

If you’re a runner and you’re overweight, it’s like running with a dumbbell, and you’ll run better if you get rid of it. Likewise, there are things in our lives – sin – that we need to get rid of in order to run a better race. It may be hurt, abandonment, resentment, or quickness to anger that is holding us back. As long as I am focused on my own pain, it slows me down. On the contrary, we need to throw off those hindrances, look out at the horizon, and run our race to win. We can say, “I am not going to carry around that hurt and unforgiveness. No more will it slow my race and affect my reward.” When Heaven sees this, it cheers us on, “Wow, now they’re really taking off!”

Along with unforgiveness, many of us need to throw off our connectedness with our money. The Bible tells us it’s impossible to serve both God and money. If we are distracted by the things around us, we can’t run with excellence. For some of us, that’s drugs and alcohol. For others of us, it’s bitterness, pride, or greed. Some of us grew up in families where anger was a problem. Throwing things or getting physical and hurting people, it’s wrong. Those are the sins we need to throw off; we need to consciously get rid of the tendencies we have to do wrong.

Champions have problems. They know failure, struggles and temptations. Pastor Wayne has daily battles but he runs at an Olympic pace because he has mastered the basics of daily devotions and living a balanced life. Doing that helps us win the small battles consistently, and as we hone our basic skills, we can see our life change and get beyond just having good intentions.  Everybody has good intentions but when our actions fall in line with our desire to do good, those are the habits that make us champions.

I knew I wanted to be a youth pastor when I was fourteen. When I was in school, there was a popular guy named Johnny who was always surrounded by girls. One day, I was sitting in the Commons area when Johnny walked in with his usual entourage of girls.  God told me to tell Johnny that He [God] loved him. I was incredibly foolish. I bargained with God and agreed to do it only if God would separate Johnny from the girls. I didn’t think God would do that since I had never seen Johnny without girls. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, Johnny came walking back through the Commons area alone! I couldn’t believe it. He was alone. My heart was beating and I started to sweat just thinking about how he was going to laugh at me when I told him that God loved him. So what did I do? I let him pass by without doing what God had asked me to do. I rationalized my actions, telling myself that praying was enough. Well, I wish the story had a happy ending but it does not. Later that day, I ran across a friend of mine who looked totally shaken. When I asked him what was going on, he told me that Johnny was just found. He hung himself.

I look back at that day knowing all about my good intentions but I let my discomfort hinder me from doing what God had asked me to do. It’s like I was in a championship football game, our team was a little behind and we needed this next run to win the game. The ball was launched, all of heaven was cheering and saying, “Just catch the ball!” And I stopped running. Scripture says:

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Cor. 9:25-27 NIV).

In addition to throwing off hindrances and sin, those who finish well…

2.      FIX THEIR EYES.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2 NIV).

We have to protect our focus. Some of us have had moments in our lives which we think define who we are. You may have been arrested, gotten a divorce, or committed a sin which you can’t forgive yourself for. Satan likes to distract you and get us to believe, “That’s who I am. I am my past.” He knows he cannot destroy you so he does all that he can to distract you. Furthermore, he attacks what he fears so he attacks faithful members of the church. What he truly fears is that “baton” we carry of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Satan knows that when you carry Christ’s message and pass it on, his end is near. He hates the Gospel. If we let him, he can distract us from sharing the Good News. But don’t let him distract you from your purpose. Each of us has a legacy to leave and that godly legacy does not consist of our mistakes.

So, anyone who breaks your focus away from Jesus is your enemy, while the voice that speaks to your future and help you keep focused is your friend. We all love those people in our lives who encourage us and say, “You can do it.” However, sometimes we need those other voices who know how to push us and engage our focus (so we can do it ourselves) instead of just helping us carry life’s burdens.

Our race is far more important than an Olympic gold medal. These days are your last days. We only get one shot to carry the baton, and then we need to:

3.      PASS THE BATON.

Some of us get pretty messed up. Once there was a boy who was born in a culture of death and defeat. He didn’t know his father and his mother abandoned him. He was raised in a racist environment and had an identity crisis. He tried to leave but failed. He had a criminal record for murder. He ended up being cast out of his family. He seemed like a lost cause…that young man’s name is Moses.

Moses did not start out with the best. He didn’t grow up with good teachers who handed him the baton and taught him how to run. He took off and stumbled around. He finally got his bearings, and then got his baton and started running. He had some problems but he kept running. He eventually started running with excellence and raised up Joshua. Moses grabbed the baton and he never looked back. He fixed his eyes on God, and he ran and ran.  When he got to the finishing line, he broke the tape and left the seen world and entered the world that is unseen. His race was over. He passed the baton to Joshua, then Joshua took it and said, “I will lead your people.”

LIVE A HEROIC LIFE IN A WORLD OF CRISIS.

We have to pass the baton. The question is how are we going to run? Those who finish well CRAFT MEANINGFUL LEGACIES, but how do we do that?

See what Jesus is doing. Know your gifts. Perhaps you have found your purpose and are running your race with passion. Sometimes though, we get distracted by money or things we cling that get a hold of us. We run, but we drop the baton.

There are things we carry that we don’t want our kids to run with. There are things in our generations that we don’t want to pass on. It is possible to throw off those hindrances and sin by focusing on Jesus and running your race. You don’t have to live a perfect life just master the basics. Heaven’s heroes don’t always start strong but they do finish strong. Carry that baton. One day, we are going to do exactly like Moses did – we will cross the threshold and enter eternity. I want to run through the gate and see that crowd cheering. I want to see Jesus and hear Him say, “Well done. You did it.” That’s what I live for. Don’t you want to see that day, too?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      Martin Luther wrote: “Increase my courage, Lord. I’ll work the toil. I’ll endure the pain.” In other words, he is saying, “God give me the courage to keep running—no matter what comes my way.” What has come your way, lately? Pray for courage to run the good race.

2.      The wrong question to ask is, “What can I have in my life and still make it into heaven?” The right question to ask is, “What can I get rid of, so that I can run better?” In order to position yourself to run better, what do you want to be free of? What is it that easily entangles you, or snags you up?

3.      You don’t have to live a perfect life. Pastor Wayne comes from a past steeped in rock music and everything that comes along with it. Start each day by mastering the basics. You can do daily devotions. Is your life helping to carry the Good News? How are you running your race?

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong with our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT)

Sermon Notes Ministry: Debra Chang, Robin Hart, Leighton Loo, Doreen Rabaino

Jay Tsukayama, Rhonda Pang