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Gold Medal Faith: Gold Medal Faith Requires Knowing the Rulebook
August 21, 2024 · 34 min
Pastor John Mark emphasizes the importance of being faithful to God and knowing His word. He discusses the significance of knowing the rulebook and highlights the vitality of reading God's word.
Series "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton August 21, 2024 · 34 min · "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton
Pastor John Mark emphasizes the importance of being faithful to God and knowing His word. He discusses the significance of knowing the rulebook and highlights the vitality of reading God's word. ...more Show the full description Show less Pastor John Mark emphasizes the importance of being faithful to God and knowing His word. He discusses the significance of knowing the rulebook and highlights the vitality of reading God's word.
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John Mark is the Senior Pastor of the thriving Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where he has served since 1995.
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0:00 I wanna invite you to reach and, grab your copy of God's word or, open up the Cottonwood Creek app as we continue in our series. We started a couple of weeks ago, in alignment with, the Olympics,0:11 called having a gold medal faith. And we've looked at a couple of things over the last couple of weeks that really will help us strive for what we refer to as spiritual excellence. You can be the best person God wants0:23 you to be, serving him, loving him and growing with him. We've also been talking every week about the Olympic motto, Every 4 years we're reminded of the Olympic motto, sitias, altias, fortias,0:35 simply means we want to be faster, we want to go higher, and we want to be stronger. But a couple of years ago, 20 21, after COVID the Olympic Committee added a fourth Latin0:46 word, communitere. That means together or or community. And as we think about those 4 ideas that we certainly want to be faster in saying yes and obeying God0:58 to say yes to whatever God has called us to do. We wanna go higher in our relationship with God and in our prayer life and our our service to God, we wanna go higher. We wanna be stronger in our faith. So1:10 when tough times come and hard seasons come in our lives to individually or family, man, we will be strong enough to do it, but we never do it alone. So I like that idea that they added the word communitera,1:22 which really actually comes straight from Acts chapter 2. That it says all of God's people were together worshiping God and praying and serving him in a powerful way. And so I said, hey, I love those1:34 4 words but I think as a church and as God's children we should add a fifth Latin word called fidelis. And that simply means we need to be faithful. We need to be1:45 diligent and faithful to do what God has called us to do and stay in the fight, in the race, in the battle, in the competition and never ever quit. And so as we come to week1:57 3, we've been just using some Olympic ideas. Week 3 we're gonna talk about we have to know the rule book. We have to know the rule book. And as you think2:09 about knowing the rule book, this is God's word, so let me add, I'm always willing to add something. Here's the next Latin phrase, Biblia Sacra. How many of you ever heard of that? If you how many of you have ever said2:21 the holy Bible? That's what it means. That we need to understand, not only do we need to be swifter, higher, faster, stronger together, but we also need to make sure that we see2:33 God's word is exactly what it is as the holy bible. And we always wanna let that guide our minds, hearts, our thoughts in everything. I I was looking at it a lot anytime we2:45 we talk I talk about the bible or other things, I always look for quotes by great men and women of the faith. And so as we look at the Bible today, I could have given you 100 quotes. Let me just give you2:56 2 quotes that maybe will challenge us as we study the Bible today. Here's quote number 1, it's from George Mueller. He says, the vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion3:08 to the place held by the Bible in our life and our thoughts. The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to what? To the way and the3:20 place the Bible holds in our lives. So let me ask you a question. When you think about the vigor of your faith, the passion in your walk, the passion in your faith, how does that compare with how often you read God's3:30 word? Are you and I in a habit of waking up each and every day and studying God's word and reading God's word, at least getting a verse in a day or a daily devotion? And if I am, is my spiritual3:42 vigor where God wants it to be, my spiritual passion where God wants it to be? Or am I waning a little bit, struggling a little bit to keep the passion of faith alive, my vigor is gone a bit, but I also look and3:54 realize, you know, I'm not reading God's word. Here's a second quote I'll give you, maybe you'll understand this is Charles Spurgeon, preacher of yesteryear. He said, a bible that is falling4:05 apart usually belongs to someone who isn't. Pretty good thought, isn't it? You know you know, I don't know if you know, a bunch of young people, you know, there was a day that we actually4:17 had physical books. Did y'all know that? How many of you grew up maybe with a grandma or grandpa or an aunt or uncle and you'd go over to their house and you would see their Bible or you would grow up and sit next4:29 to someone in church and you would just look at their Bible and it is worn out. How many of you ever seen those kind of Bible? Marked up, underlined, man you got sermon notes, you got everything. And so basically4:41 that's what Charles Spurgeon said. He goes, here's what I've noticed over the years, those people who own a Bible that's falling apart, usually their lives are not falling apart. So maybe there's a season, maybe you're4:51 under 1 of those seasons in your life and things seem to be falling apart. Let me ask you, how often are you engaged with God's word? So before we even get back to the rule book, let me do a quick refresher5:03 that we've been looking in this series on gold medal faith, we've been looking at obstacles that you and I have to overcome to be the kind of person God wants us to be. The first obstacle we looked at5:15 is are you experiencing a little loss of passion? Are you experiencing a little burnout? Remember that's why Paul is writing to Timothy. Timothy's been the pastor in this church for a while. He's5:27 experienced some opposition, he's a little worn out, and Paul tells him to fan the flame. Let's go back and look at that. Second Timothy chapter 1 verse 6, Paul's reminded him, man, there is an obstacle and5:39 I want you to know not only is it an obstacle in Timothy's life or Paul's life, it's an obstacle in my life and perhaps even your life that that that we need to renew our5:51 passion for the faith and for God and the walk. Here's what he says, second Timothy chapter 1 verse 6. He says, for this reason I remind you, in other words, this is something I've said before, but I'm gonna remind6:03 you again. He says, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the spirit God gave us does not make us6:14 timid, but instead gives us power and love and discipline. Remember we looked at that that first week, man, your passion is waning, if your vigor isn't where it needs to be, man, fan the flames. And part of6:26 what it means to fan the flame, get more oxygen to the fire. In week 1 you can go back and look at this, we talked about how we get more oxygen to the fire. We we read God's word, we pray more, we end up spending time6:37 with God's people, worship. Sitting under preaching of God's word, all of those things brings oxygen to our spiritual flame. And Paul says, I remind you don't ever forget.6:49 Remember the second hurdle? Is in your race you need to find reliable people that you can depend upon. We talked last year about the analogy last week about the analogy that7:01 that our men's 4 by 100 relo has been relay has been disqualified 5 Olympics in a row for dropping the baton and being disqualified. And7:13 so he said, we need to be around people who are faithful and reliable to run our race with. Where's this? Look at second Timothy chapter 2 verse 1, here's what Paul said. He says, you then my son,7:25 be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust those to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. In7:37 other words, you and I wanna surround ourselves with people that we can trust, we can believe in, that that stand on God's word and walk in the faith in a real powerful and a real way. And so as we think about that and7:48 as we do that, man, are there people around you that that that their lives and thoughts and relationships are intertwined with you, that they are just faithful to the gospel? Paul would say, if not,8:00 you need to find some of those people. So then today we come to God's word, the rule book. I have to overcome spiritual burnout from time to time. I have to make sure that I'm running my race with reliable people,8:12 but also need to know the rule book. And let me just tell you this before we even really start down this path when we talk about God's word. Can I tell you the there are a lot of things in8:24 God's word that culture does not like? How many of you understand that? Can I just remind you in those seasons and perhaps in this day, the Bible hasn't changed, culture8:35 has? I've been a pastor here for 29 and a half years. It's interesting to me as I look back and things I preached 29, 29 and a half years ago, they weren't political then but8:47 they've become political today. How many of you know what I'm talking about? We're moving into a political season and as I begin to walk through some of the things we're gonna walk through over the next couple of weeks,8:56 the next sermon series entitled Reality Check. And we're gonna check reality. What does the Bible say? What is reality? What does the Bible say? What is the reality? And so here's what we need to understand, there9:08 are things in culture that change that will make your belief in the Bible unpopular. Years ago when I first came and I talked about marriage between 1 man and 19:20 woman, that's the way God created it, it wasn't political. Today it's political. No, it's not political. Culture has changed. God's word's been settled for over 2000 years,9:32 and it does not change. Issues of the family or gender, man, those used to not be political, now they're political. Boy, to stand up and say, you know what?9:44 I just don't think men need to be playing a women's sports. How come that's political? Because culture has changed, not God's word. And so I want you to know, when we walk down this path9:56 and this plan, you need to know if you're gonna stand with God's word, guess what? You better have some reliable people around you because culture is gonna beat you up. So here,10:08 as we think about God's word, if we are gonna run well, we have to overcome spiritual passion, we gotta run with good people. Finally, we have to know the rules. Alright. So let's look at this, let's know the rules, let10:17 me just read you a couple of verses, then we're gonna break them down 1, 2, 3. Here it is, second Timothy chapter 3 verse 14. This is Paul continuing to write to Timothy. He says, but as for you Timothy,10:30 continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it. And how from infancy you have to have known the holy scriptures, which are able, first thing, here10:41 it is, to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Why? All scripture is God breathed. Everybody say God breathed. God breathed. And useful for10:53 what? That means profitable, enhance our well-being. And profitable for what? He says for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of11:05 God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. God's word doesn't change. Every year, you can look at it, there's an11:17 Olympic manual. Every year, every time you go to the Olympics, do you know rules have changed? The rules of of grading people and rules of competition, there are always new rules. How many of11:29 you, you're a little older like me, you're in your late twenties. But you remember when if you were a gymnast and you made a 10, it was called the perfect 10. How many of you remember that? That11:41 was what it was. Can I tell you what? If you make a 10 in gymnastics today, you don't even make it on the team, Because they've changed the scoring. They've changed the scoring and it's well11:52 beyond 10. As a matter of fact, 13 is considered good, but not the best these days. If you make a 14, you're probably in medal contention. If you make a 15, you're Simone Biles.12:05 That's in his gold medal. But it's kind of interesting to think about in such a way, in a real way, that rules change all the time. The rules of competition, but not in the Bible.12:17 The Bible, man, it's just amazing to think about. The average US home, 90 percent, 9 out of 10 of every US homes has a Bible.12:29 Most US homes, still 9 out of 10, Most US home have between 4 and 5 Bibles. How many of you have at least 5 Bibles in your house? Okay. Good. Good. How12:41 many of you read all 5? Alright. Well, very good. So yeah, most most most US homes have a Bible. They have 4 to 5, but think about this. This the Bible12:53 you and I read has been translated into over 2600 languages and dialects. 2600 languages and dialects.13:05 66 books written by over 40 authors in multiple languages with 1 theme, that God created this world but gave13:17 us the freedom to choose but God still loves us so much he sent his 1 and only son to die on the cross for your sins and mine. That's the ultimate theme. And he wants us to receive him not reject13:28 him to spend eternity with him and not away from him. And these 31000 verses that you find from Genesis to Revelations, these almost 1200 chapters13:40 are all about God saying here are the rules for your life, here's how you will be most blessed. But let's go back to those words God13:51 breathed. Your translation might be might say inspired. You know there are a lot of people that believe a lot of different things about the inspiration of scripture, some people believe when it comes to the inspiration14:02 of of scripture that man when you look at the Bible it's just an inspiring book. It's like an artist or someone who is a a great poet or something14:14 that they're just inspired to write and may create this great painting or something, this great musical or whatever it is. You just A lot of people say, you know what? When you look at the Bible, you can't doubt it is an14:25 incredible work. It is an inspired work, but it's not a God work. Some people believe that. Others believe that, well, know, there is clearly some of God in the Bible that God inspired the14:37 authors, but he kinda gave them concepts. Hey, write something on the family, or write something on child rearing, write something on morality, write God just kind of gave them content and let the biblical authors fill14:48 in the rest. And guess why they would like that idea of God gave them concept. That way when they don't like something they can reject that something. How many of us understand that? Then15:00 all of a sudden you read and you read and you read. I mean let's be honest, right? When we read the Bible there are certain things that that that I read the Bible and I'm just so encouraged by, I'm so inspired by, I'm so15:10 excited and then I keep reading I'm like, ow, that hurt. Am I the only guy that does that? I'm like, boy I wish Jesus wouldn't have said that. You know, if we could just linger in the beatitudes all the time15:22 I would be a happier dude. But here's what the Bible does, man. It sometimes will walk us through a season and a space and all of a sudden, bam. It's not for you, it's for15:34 me. It's not for those outside the church, it's for those inside the church. So there is real popular today to to step back and say, well God gave them concepts and you know, Paul wrote15:46 this, but that's just Paul's opinion, but we'll go with this. You know those people that are concept believers, inspiration, they all like John 3 16. For God15:58 so loved the world that he gave his 1 and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. They all like the last part of Romans 6 23, but they don't like16:09 the first part. For the wages of sin is death. They don't like that part. They like the but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.16:22 Say pastor, how should we look at God breathed or the inspiration of scripture? I'll just let scripture interpret scripture that that God was involved in every part of it.16:35 Every concept, every idea, every thought, and every word. While at the same time allowing the author's personality and the time that they are writing to16:47 show up. And be real. Because if you look at Paul's writings and Peter's writings, you can see both of their personalities. You can say that's exactly how I think Peter would write that. And then you look at something16:57 that Paul wrote and you go, that's exactly how I think Paul would write that. You wanna wanna know why? Because I kinda see Paul as this guy that can can carry a smile and a scowl on his face at the same time. Do you17:09 know what I'm talking about? That's kind of Paul. Right? And you see some of the other biblical writers and and so God allows them to write in their own time, in their own space, in their own place, guiding them through17:20 every concept, every word, every sentence, and every verse. I love what Peter says in second Peter chapter 1. He says, no prophecy is by man17:32 alone, but people who are moved along carried along by the Holy Spirit. That word carry along, it it is a nautical term, it is a17:43 sailing term, and that word carry, it is the exact same term that that if you're out in the middle of the ocean and you're on a sailboat, you go nowhere until the spirit shows17:55 up and fills the cells. Does that make sense? And so what Peter is saying is when you look at God's word, man, if the spirit wasn't moving, they didn't write it. But when the when the spirit18:07 moved, they wrote it. And so as you think about God's word, it says, that's why it says all scripture, Genesis to Revelation, longest verse to shortest verse, longest chapter18:19 to shortest chapter. All scripture is God breathed, that God showed up in men and women's lives and the spirit moved them to write down what you and I read18:31 and see and hear. So that word carried along, it has the idea of wind. That God showed up in Paul's life and God showed up in Paul's life and encouraged him to write18:43 this. So let's walk through a couple of things and let me just share this with you. What do we know about the rule book? First of all, it's that God really wants to speak to us. God has18:54 always been a speaking God. You see, look at Hebrews chapter 1. It says in the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, that's the Old Testament, in many times and in various ways. How did God speak in the19:06 Old Testament? Well, we're told that he spoke to us in creation, he spoke to men and women in dreams, he spoke to a guy in Bernie Bush, how many you remember that? God spoke in a lot of ways. God has always been a God19:17 that wants to speak to us, not remain quiet. Says, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son. So even Jesus was God's last word, who he appointed heir of all things and through19:29 whom he also made the universe. So listen, God started writing the book at creation. He continues to write the book all the way through God's word and ultimately through his son, and he continues to wanna speak to you19:40 today through his revelation. But it's interesting enough, lot of people say, well, you know, these Bible these books were written so much longer. Did did you know that Peter, the apostle Peter,19:53 before he died affirmed Paul's writings as scripture? I guess there's a lot of you didn't even know this. Look at it. Second Peter chapter 3 verse 15, he says, bear in mind that our20:04 Lord's patience means salvation, that's why God is patient. Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote with the wisdom that God gave him. Now notice he says he20:16 writes the same way in all of his letters speaking in them of these matters. So it's kinda interesting. Even before Peter dies, Peter is affirming Paul's20:28 writings as scripture and God's wisdom. So if Peter saw Paul's writings and Paul's letters as God's wisdom, we need to see it as the exact same thing. Alright. So what does the Bible teach us? Let me20:39 give you 3 thoughts just from these 3 verses. Number 1, the Bible teaches us how to get saved. The bible teaches us how to be saved. Look at it, second Timothy chapter 3 verse 14. He says, but as for you,20:51 Timothy, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, that's the21:03 old testament. He's affirming that the old testament is the holy scriptures because when Timothy was saved the new testament wasn't written. So the Old Testament was written. Then notice, which21:15 are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. See the Bible teaches us how to get on God's team.21:27 I don't know if you know how many Olympians there were this year, there were 594 Olympians on the US Olympic team. You say how did they get there?21:40 A long long process of hard working and competing and getting beat or beating someone. You would have these team competitions like a local Dallas area21:51 competition where someone would have to win that to ultimately then go to a qualifying event. Then once you go into the qualifying event, you had to beat everybody else to move from their qualifying event to a team22:01 trials event. Then you go to the team trials event and you'd have to win first there. Guess what? All the way a lot of people would be on eliminate, But if you ultimately made it, you end up on the Olympic team.22:14 A lot of work is involved. But here's the beauty of the gospel and the beauty of the Bible is you can't get on God's team with work.22:26 It's 2 words called grace and faith. Remember what Paul says, for by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves it is a gift of God22:38 not as a result of works lest no 1 should boast. Here's the point, there is a place on God's team for everybody in this room. And22:50 you don't have to work for it, you don't have to earn it, and someone else isn't gonna beat you out for that last spot. There is enough of God's love and enough of God's grace and enough of everything23:02 for God to say you're on my team. I so respect those Olympic athletes who have been working literally thousands of hours to achieve the ultimate, but23:14 at the same point every time they choose 1 they eliminate others. That's not God's kingdom, that's not God's grace. His offer of salvation is there is a spot on his team for everybody in the room. So23:26 that's thought number 1. God's rule book tells us how to be saved, grace and faith. Here's number 2. God's rule book prepares us ultimately for the race. You say23:38 where you see that, look at in verse 16. He says all scripture, there's that word God breathed or inspired, is useful or profitable, what is it useful for? For teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in23:49 righteousness. So as you just stop right there. So God's word is useful for teaching, rebuking, training in righteousness. That word useful or profitable means24:01 to enhance well-being. Let me tell you why the things are written in scripture that are written in scripture. Because they want to enhance your well-being.24:14 There is nothing in this word, in God's word written to hurt you or harm you. It will warn you, it will correct you, it will encourage you.24:26 Sometimes you will read God's word and go, ow. That hurt. But notice those words, what is it profitable for? Teaching. That means beforehand that I wanna teach you. He says, want you24:38 to read God's word, you'll know how to interact, you'll know how to talk, you'll need to know how to be in relationship or a marriage or I wanna teach you, but then notice the second 1 is the idea of rebuking. See24:49 teaching is word and by the way, the teaching that is talked about here, it's not style, it's the content. Man, there are a lot of teachers and a lot of preachers have different styles. It's the content. What is the25:01 content of what is being taught? It should be biblical, it should be right. But then he says rebuking. What is rebuking? That idea you can see it in the courtroom, it has the idea of correcting25:12 misbehavior. So if someone is already going in the wrong direction, moving in the wrong direction, I'm gonna correct misbehavior. But then I love that next word. You might wanna write this down. That25:24 next word corrects was good for teaching, rebuking, and correcting. I love that word. Anybody ever heard of the idea of finding your true north?25:36 It's that Greek word right there. Epinoises. It says listen, there are times that God's word, when you're in the midst of floundering25:48 or you're about to be tossed overboard, that God's word will move you back to the true north. It will point you in the right direction. It's a maritime25:59 term that what is the 1 thing if a a boat gets off course or a captain gets off course, what do they have to ultimately find? They might have to let the storm go away, they might have to let the clouds move26:11 away, but they always have to find true north. And once they find true north it becomes easier for them to navigate anywhere else. And maybe there's some of you here today, man, you have been through a26:23 storm, you've been through difficulty, you say is it gonna be better? I would say do you know your true north? Are you reading God's word and studying God's word in such a way that God's word can inform you and encourage26:34 you? And then notice it says, not only does it teach us, rebuke us, or correct us, but it trains us in righteousness. Now what an incredible thought. What does it mean to to to teach26:46 us? Well, me just give you a couple of examples. I love this little idea. As you see it first, the Psalm Psalm 1 19 verse 9. How could a young person stay on the path to purity,26:58 true north? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I27:10 might not sin against you. There it is. He says, listen Lord, help me stay on the path. Help me continue to navigate or or27:22 course correct so I'm heading towards my true north. Why? Because what Satan wants more than anything is for you to get off path and never find again your true north. And we see this27:33 a lot in culture, people begin to struggle and people begin to hurt because of decisions they made. And instead of getting corrected and finding their true north, by the way, second place that that we're correct is, it27:44 also is used of a bone that is broken that is put back in place. Anybody ever had a a bone that was broken that a doctor had to put back in place?27:57 Or you ever dislocated a shoulder or a hip and you're in so much pain until they put it back in place? And guess what? You're like, oh, so that's what that's supposed to feel like.28:09 And see and that's exactly what he's saying. He's saying listen, God's word will teach us, it will rebuke us, it will correct us, it will also train us, it teaches us about anything and everything. Why? For the ultimate28:20 purpose so that you and I would be prepared for our race. So 2 thoughts so far, we're about to move to the third 1. The Bible is our rule book for salvation, how we get on God's team. Great through faith.28:33 Secondly, bible prepares us for the race by correcting, training, rebuking. But then thirdly, listen to this, the bible28:45 is what ultimately makes our race possible. It teaches us to run. You say where do you see that? Look at verse 17. So that, why go through the teaching, go through the28:57 correcting, go through the training, why go through the rebuking, so that the servant, everybody say that's us. The servant of God may may be thoroughly equipped29:08 for every good work. So here it is, notice the path. The Bible teaches me how to get on God's team. So I am on God's29:19 forever Olympic team. Then God begins to train me and teach me how to run my best race. What are the rules of the game? And the rules don't change.29:33 Then he says, now I want you to run as good as you can so that the person, the man or woman, boy or girl of God, so the person of God would be equipped for every good work. In other words, you29:45 can show up to your race. Remember I told you earlier, it tells us how to be saved for by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works. You say, alright,29:55 then where does works come in? Look back to what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. He says what? For we are God's craftsmanship or handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do30:07 good works. So man, once I'm on the team, I wanna learn the rules. I sometimes need to be corrected, sometimes need to be encouraged, sometimes need to be untaught, but then30:19 I wanna get in the race. And this is where we're gonna close. You say, pastor, what is a great illustration of the race we run? Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12. And I'm gonna30:31 show you through this passage the teaching, correcting, rebuking, and the training in righteousness. Here it is in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1, we'll close with this. The writer says,30:43 therefore since we are surrounded by such great cloud of witnesses. Do you realize, child of God, before you even read the rest of this, that30:55 the race you run today, yes, it's in North Dallas, yes, it's in August of 20 24, but it's not that much different31:06 than the race many other believers have run over the last decade or hundred years or centuries or thousands of years. And here's the beautiful thing, all of31:18 those people are in heaven cheering for you. When you get off course, they wanna see you get back on course.31:30 When you get exhausted and worn out, they cheer for you. Many of them up in heaven are gonna look at you and go say, been there, done that. Stay faithful, read God's word.31:42 And so here's the idea as we jump back in. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such great cloud of witnesses, here's the rebuking. You ready? Let us throw off everything that31:54 hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. There's the rebuking. Is there some sin in your life that keeps you from running your best race?32:07 Some sin in your life that keeps you entangled so you can't be everything that God wants you to be. Continue re now that was the rebuking, here's the correcting. And let us run with perseverance or32:19 endurance the race that is marked out before us. So here's what it is, the rebuking get rid of the junk that keeps us from running efficiently and effectively for God. And he goes, alright, here is ultimately the32:29 correcting, let us run with perseverance, the race marked out before us. See, that's the whole point of correcting. Man, I don't wanna get outside the bounds. I don't wanna run outside of my lane. I don't wanna be32:38 disqualified. And here's the training part. You ready? How do we do this? Let us fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the32:50 cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Give God a hand for that. Alright? So child of33:01 God, the race you run today and tomorrow, it's not in front of empty stands. It's front of a hell and in front of a heaven filled33:13 with a cloud of witnesses that are cheering you on in your worst season, in your worst race, on your hardest33:25 day, you've got those who have been there, those who have done that. Child of God, God's word is our foundation. Yes,33:38 it teaches us. Yes, it rebukes us. Yes, it corrects us. But it also trains us to be the people33:50 of God God wants us to be. Let's pray. God, thank you so much for this day. God, thank you for your word even when it hurts. Thank you for your word because it corrects.34:02 Thank you for the word because it points us back to our true north. God, thank you for your word because it is our word on how we can be saved. In Jesus' name we34:13 pray, amen and amen.
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