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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Spiritual Aerobics | January 28, 2025
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- [announcer] from the pulpit of the first baptist church
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- Of dallas, texas, this is pathway to victory,
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- With dr. robert jeffress.
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- Hi, i'm robert jeffress,
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- And welcome again to pathway to victory.
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- The bible uses a helpful metaphor
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- To depict the christian life.
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- Scripture teaches us that life is a lot like running a race,
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- And we're taught to run this race with the prize in mind.
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- So how do we develop the spiritual legs
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- To finish and even win the race?
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- Well, today i'll introduce you
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- To faithful men and women who showed us the way.
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- My message is titled, 'spiritual aerobics,'
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- On today's edition of pathway to victory
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- ♪ music ♪
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- [announcer] in a world filled with noise and
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- Clutter, god invites us to look past the distractions
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- And connect with him on a deeply personal level.
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- Take a moment to anchor yourself in the calming
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- Truth of god's word with the brand new 2025 pathway to
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- Victory daily devotional.
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- And now with larger print, the 260 practical insights
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- From dr. robert jeffress are easier to read.
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- Request a brand new 2025 pathway to victory daily
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- Devotional when you give a generous gift to pathway to victory.
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- ♪ music ♪
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- At the age of five,
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- Shelly mann suffered from polio so badly
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- That she could barely move a muscle in her body.
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- Her mother would put her in the swimming pool
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- Just to get some circulation running,
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- Running between her arms and her legs.
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- The day she lifted an arm out of the water,
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- Shelly cried not because of the evident pain,
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- But because that action represented
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- A major victory in her life.
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- Shelly then made it her goal
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- That she would try to swim 30 feet,
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- The width of her swimming pool.
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- For months she struggled through numbness
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- And pain to make it across the pool.
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- Finally, she did it, but she didn't stop there.
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- She wasn't content.
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- She now made it her goal to swim the length of the pool.
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- After struggling for months, she made it,
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- But she didn't stop there,
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- She tried to make it two, three, four, five times.
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- Years later shelly mann went on
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- To win eight american records in swimming,
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- And became the greatest woman's swimmer
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- In the australian 1952 olympics.
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- This same shelly mann, the former polio victim,
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- Went on to win the gold medal.
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- You know, shelly mann had a handicap
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- In life that would be enough for most of us
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- To throw in the towel.
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- But not shelly, she was a winner.
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- She was a finisher,
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- Because she possessed that invaluable quality of endurance.
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- And it's that same quality of endurance
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- That the bible says we must possess,
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- If we're going to win in the christian life.
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- How do you develop endurance in your life?
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- Well, the writer of hebrews answers that question
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- In the passage we're going to look at today.
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- If you have your bible's turned to hebrews 12,
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- As we discover a lesson in spiritual aerobics.
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- Hebrews 12.
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- You know, the bible uses a number of different metaphors
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- To describe the christian life.
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- In 1 corinthians 9 paul says,
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- The christian life is like a boxing match.
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- We're boxers and we're not flailing our arms in the air,
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- Trying to hit anything we can find,
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- We have a specific target we're jabbing at.
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- In ephesians 6 the apostle paul says,
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- Our life is like a wrestling match,
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- For our struggle, literally, our wrestling match
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- Is not against flesh and blood,
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- It's not against other people,
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- It's against the unseen forces of darkness
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- In the heavenly places,
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- And that's why if we're going to win that wrestling match,
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- We have to put on the full armor of god.
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- But the most common metaphor in the bible
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- For the christian life is a race.
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- You find that, for example, in 1 corinthians 9,
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- In galatians 5:7, in philippians 2:16,
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- And here in hebrews 12.
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- In what way is the christian life like a race?
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- Two ways i have on your outline.
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- First of all, the participants in both require endurance.
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- In just a moment when we talk about running the race
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- That is set before us,
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- Paul is not, or the writer of hebrews isn't talking about
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- A sprint or a dash, he's talking about a marathon.
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- And if you're going to win in a marathon
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- You have to have endurance, sustained energy.
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- You know a runner, think about it,
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- If he's going to run for any distance at all,
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- He has to master external circumstances.
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- It might be in clement weather,
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- Or headwinds or the jeers of the crowd.
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- He has to master those circumstances,
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- But he also has internal challenges he's facing as well.
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- Fatigue, pain, discouragement.
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- It's the same way in the christian life.
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- If we're going to master the christian life,
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- We have to have endurance,
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- In spite of the circumstances around us or within us.
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- And any runner knows,
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- It's not how you start the race that matters,
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- It's how you finish the race.
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- It's the same thing in our relationship with god.
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- Don't you know people,
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- Maybe you're one of the people,
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- You started out great in your enthusiasm for god,
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- But you've allowed temptation,
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- Or you've allowed just the cares of everyday life
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- To extinguish your passion you once had for christ.
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- How do you prevent that from happening?
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- How do you prevent starting out strong,
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- But failing in your final years?
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- You have to have endurance.
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- Secondly, only the winners in either the christian life,
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- Or in a race receive a reward.
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- And again, the writer is talking about the greek marathon.
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- Guess what?
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- They didn't give out participation trophies back then.
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- You didn't get credit just for running.
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- No, there was a winner and the winner won something great,
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- And most of the games, if you won the marathon
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- You would be exempt from paying taxes the rest of your life.
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- Now, wouldn't that be a great thing?
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- No taxes, that is worth running for.
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- Now, the writer of scripture says
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- We have an even greater reward as christians awaiting us
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- If we run with endurance.
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- Well, how do you develop this kind of endurance
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- That will help you win in your relationship with god?
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- Let's look at the first three verses of hebrews 12.
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- "therefore, since we have
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- "so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
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- "let us also lay aside every encumbrance,
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- "and the sin would so easily entangles us,
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- "and let us run with endurance
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- "the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on jesus,
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- "the author and perfecter of faith,
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- "who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
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- "despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand
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- "of the throne of god.
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- "for considering him who has endured
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- "such hostility by sinners against himself,
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- "so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
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- Now, most of you will find grammar boring,
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- But the grammar of this passage is key to understanding it.
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- Did you know in these verses there's only one command
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- It is, let us run with endurance.
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- That's the command.
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- The other what seem to be verbs,
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- Are actually participles.
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- Having a great crowd of witnesses,
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- Laying aside every encumbrance,
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- Fixing our eyes on jesus.
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- Those are the three keys for endurance.
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- Having a cloud of witnesses,
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- Laying aside every encumbrance,
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- Fixing our eyes on jesus.
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- I want to turn those participles into three words,
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- Each beginning with an r.
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- Remember, remove and redirect.
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- If we're going to succeed in our christian life,
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- We first of all need to remember.
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- Remember what?
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- Remember our heroes who have gone on before us.
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- Remember the heroes that went before us.
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- Look at verse one,
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- "therefore, since we have
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- "so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us."
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- What is he talking about?
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- What cloud of witnesses?
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- Well, it's the ones he just talked about in chapter 11.
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- Remember in the original text, there was no chapter break.
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- He has just spent the whole chapter talking about moses,
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- And noah and rahab and abraham.
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- And then he says, therefore,
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- As you think about these heroes of the faith,
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- Follow their example.
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- Are you feeling ridiculed for your faith?
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- People at work or school making fun of you
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- Because of your commitment to christ?
- 00:09:55.284 --> 00:09:57.953
- Remember noah who labored for 120 years building that ark
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- In the middle of a desert,
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- People made fun of him, but he remained faithful.
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- Do you feel like god has forgotten his promise to you,
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- He's not obeying his promise to you?
- 00:10:10.232 --> 00:10:12.268
- Remember sarah, she was age 90
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- When god finally fulfilled his promise to sarah.
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- Are you feeling that you can't resist
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- The temptation in your life much longer?
- 00:10:21.877 --> 00:10:24.680
- Remember moses, who chose to endure
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- The ill-treatment of god's people,
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- Rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin in egypt?
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- Are you having difficulty letting go
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- Of that one thing in your life
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- That you know displeases god?
- 00:10:39.128 --> 00:10:42.031
- Remember abraham who is willing to offer
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- That which meant the most to him, his own son isaac,
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- In order to please god.
- 00:10:47.670 --> 00:10:49.071
- That's what he's talking about here.
- 00:10:49.071 --> 00:10:50.840
- Secondly, we need to remove our obstacles.
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- Remember our heroes, remove our obstacles.
- 00:10:55.010 --> 00:10:58.013
- Look at verse one.
- 00:10:58.013 --> 00:10:59.348
- "let us also lay aside every encumbrance,
- 00:10:59.348 --> 00:11:05.387
- "and the sin which so easily entangles us."
- 00:11:05.387 --> 00:11:07.690
- Now, this is a picture of a runner in a marathon race,
- 00:11:07.690 --> 00:11:11.393
- Who says, you know what?
- 00:11:11.393 --> 00:11:12.328
- If i'm going to succeed,
- 00:11:12.328 --> 00:11:13.596
- I need to travel as lightly as possible.
- 00:11:13.596 --> 00:11:16.298
- I need to take off any extraneous clothing
- 00:11:16.298 --> 00:11:18.834
- So i can run as quickly as possible.
- 00:11:18.834 --> 00:11:23.072
- Now, that's what he's talking about here,
- 00:11:23.072 --> 00:11:25.508
- But what is it we're to lay aside?
- 00:11:25.508 --> 00:11:27.176
- Well, it says first of all, every encumbrance.
- 00:11:27.176 --> 00:11:30.379
- We might think that is a reference to sin in our life.
- 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.415
- No, it's not sin.
- 00:11:33.415 --> 00:11:35.117
- Whatever he is talking about here is not sin.
- 00:11:35.117 --> 00:11:37.553
- How do i know that?
- 00:11:37.553 --> 00:11:38.554
- Because he mentioned sin,
- 00:11:38.554 --> 00:11:40.289
- "and the sin what so easily entangles us."
- 00:11:40.289 --> 00:11:44.527
- He's talking about taking off,
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- Laying aside two things that would slow us down
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- In our relationship with god.
- 00:11:49.765 --> 00:11:52.234
- We understand what sin is.
- 00:11:52.234 --> 00:11:54.804
- Sin is anything that trips you up
- 00:11:54.804 --> 00:11:57.339
- In your relationship with god.
- 00:11:57.339 --> 00:11:59.608
- But an encumbrance is anything that weighs you down
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- In your relationship with god.
- 00:12:04.380 --> 00:12:06.248
- For you laying aside an encumbrance
- 00:12:06.248 --> 00:12:08.551
- Might be laying aside a friendship,
- 00:12:08.551 --> 00:12:11.821
- For other people, it may be laying aside a hobby,
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- That again, isn't wrong, but it distracts you.
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- It keeps you from giving your all
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- To your relationship with god.
- 00:12:22.731 --> 00:12:24.200
- It's become a focus., maybe an idol in your life.
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- Maybe it's television.
- 00:12:27.503 --> 00:12:28.537
- Nothing wrong with television,
- 00:12:28.537 --> 00:12:30.272
- But maybe it's keeping you from spending time with god.
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- A person who really is intent on winning,
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- Is going to lay aside anything that weighs him down.
- 00:12:36.679 --> 00:12:41.283
- I remember reading an interview
- 00:12:41.283 --> 00:12:43.752
- With the film director who just died this last year,
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- Joel schumacher.
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- He was the guy who directed
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- The first batman and robin movie.
- 00:12:50.192 --> 00:12:52.962
- And while he was directing that movie,
- 00:12:52.962 --> 00:12:54.797
- They had a teenage actress named alicia silverstone.
- 00:12:54.797 --> 00:12:59.134
- And throughout the filming of the movie
- 00:12:59.134 --> 00:13:00.369
- He said she was battling with her weight,
- 00:13:00.369 --> 00:13:03.405
- Trying to keep the weight off, and she wasn't succeeding,
- 00:13:03.405 --> 00:13:06.675
- And the tabloids were having a field day criticizing her,
- 00:13:06.675 --> 00:13:10.479
- And it really hurt her feelings and discouraged her.
- 00:13:10.479 --> 00:13:13.482
- And so one day joel schumacher took her off to the side,
- 00:13:13.482 --> 00:13:17.419
- And said, "alicia, there is absolutely nothing
- 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:21.690
- "wrong with your weight.
- 00:13:21.690 --> 00:13:23.959
- "there are plenty of teenage girls
- 00:13:23.959 --> 00:13:26.295
- "who weigh exactly what you do."
- 00:13:26.295 --> 00:13:29.164
- And she started to kind of feel encouraged,
- 00:13:29.164 --> 00:13:31.600
- But then he said, "but alicia,
- 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:34.270
- "if you're going to be a movie star,
- 00:13:34.270 --> 00:13:36.505
- "you can't be like everybody else."
- 00:13:36.505 --> 00:13:40.242
- Now don't send me any emails about that, okay?
- 00:13:40.242 --> 00:13:43.779
- Oh, that's terrible, you know,
- 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.447
- We're not supposed to look on, you know, outward appearance.
- 00:13:45.447 --> 00:13:48.484
- Man looks on the outward appearance, god looks on the heart.
- 00:13:48.484 --> 00:13:50.819
- That's right.
- 00:13:50.819 --> 00:13:51.754
- God does look on the heart,
- 00:13:51.754 --> 00:13:53.255
- But it's also true, man looks on the outward appearance.
- 00:13:53.255 --> 00:13:55.524
- I mean, he was telling her a truth.
- 00:13:55.524 --> 00:13:56.959
- If you want to be different than everybody else,
- 00:13:56.959 --> 00:14:00.129
- You have to make certain sacrifices.
- 00:14:00.129 --> 00:14:02.631
- There may be things that are perfectly legal
- 00:14:02.631 --> 00:14:06.101
- According to christianity.
- 00:14:06.101 --> 00:14:07.836
- There's nothing in the bible against them,
- 00:14:07.836 --> 00:14:09.638
- But you may come to the point that you say, you know what?
- 00:14:09.638 --> 00:14:12.574
- I can't do this if i'm going to succeed in the christian life,
- 00:14:12.574 --> 00:14:16.145
- And i'm going to lay this aside, not because it's sinful,
- 00:14:16.145 --> 00:14:19.048
- But because it's weighing me down.
- 00:14:19.048 --> 00:14:21.817
- That's what he's talking about here,
- 00:14:21.817 --> 00:14:23.719
- Laying aside every encumbrance.
- 00:14:23.719 --> 00:14:27.056
- And then he says, "also laying aside the sin
- 00:14:27.056 --> 00:14:31.093
- "that so easily entangles us."
- 00:14:31.093 --> 00:14:33.963
- We all know what sin is.
- 00:14:33.963 --> 00:14:36.198
- I imagine right now you can think of immediately
- 00:14:36.198 --> 00:14:40.402
- One thing in your life,
- 00:14:40.402 --> 00:14:43.505
- A relationship, an attitude,
- 00:14:43.505 --> 00:14:46.909
- A habit that you know is displeasing to god.
- 00:14:46.909 --> 00:14:52.114
- The question is, are you ready to lay it aside?
- 00:14:52.114 --> 00:14:54.350
- May i remind you that if god has already identified
- 00:14:54.350 --> 00:14:57.453
- That one thing to you,
- 00:14:57.453 --> 00:14:59.288
- And you had that desire to get rid of it,
- 00:14:59.288 --> 00:15:03.325
- The same desire, the same power
- 00:15:03.325 --> 00:15:06.495
- That was able to raise jesus christ out of the grave,
- 00:15:06.495 --> 00:15:09.465
- Lives in you through the holy spirit of god.
- 00:15:09.465 --> 00:15:12.368
- You have the desire, and whether or not you know,
- 00:15:12.368 --> 00:15:14.970
- You have the power right now to lay aside that sin
- 00:15:14.970 --> 00:15:18.974
- That is tripping you up in your relationship with god.
- 00:15:18.974 --> 00:15:23.345
- If we're going to be successful in the christian life,
- 00:15:23.345 --> 00:15:26.115
- We have to remove those obstacles,
- 00:15:26.115 --> 00:15:28.484
- Both sins and encumbrances.
- 00:15:28.484 --> 00:15:33.088
- When i was in high school,
- 00:15:33.088 --> 00:15:36.392
- I came across something, some words that so spoke to me
- 00:15:36.392 --> 00:15:42.264
- That i wrote them in the back of
- 00:15:42.264 --> 00:15:44.867
- My green hardback living bible.
- 00:15:44.867 --> 00:15:47.136
- Do you all remember the green hardback living bibles?
- 00:15:47.136 --> 00:15:50.105
- You're going to age yourself if you do,
- 00:15:50.105 --> 00:15:52.174
- But these were so popular.
- 00:15:52.174 --> 00:15:54.009
- And i took this bible to school with me every day.
- 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:57.713
- And before i went to richardson high school,
- 00:15:57.713 --> 00:16:00.783
- There was a park across the street, cottonwood park,
- 00:16:00.783 --> 00:16:03.752
- And i would go and read my bible,
- 00:16:03.752 --> 00:16:05.721
- And then i would read these words i'd written
- 00:16:05.721 --> 00:16:08.791
- In the back of my bible.
- 00:16:08.791 --> 00:16:10.325
- It's titled, 'the man god uses.'
- 00:16:10.325 --> 00:16:15.064
- What kind of person does god use?
- 00:16:15.064 --> 00:16:16.999
- Number one, he has but one great purpose in life.
- 00:16:16.999 --> 00:16:23.338
- Number two, he has placed himself absolutely
- 00:16:23.338 --> 00:16:26.608
- At god's disposal.
- 00:16:26.608 --> 00:16:29.745
- Number three, he has learned how to prevail in prayer.
- 00:16:29.745 --> 00:16:33.949
- Number four, he is a student of the word of god.
- 00:16:33.949 --> 00:16:38.921
- Number five, he has a vital message for a lost world.
- 00:16:38.921 --> 00:16:44.860
- Number six, he is a man of faith who expects results.
- 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:50.532
- Number seven, he works in the anointing of the holy spirit.
- 00:16:50.532 --> 00:16:54.369
- And number eight, he by god's grace
- 00:16:54.369 --> 00:16:58.440
- Has removed every hindrance from his life.
- 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:04.246
- Have you done that?
- 00:17:04.246 --> 00:17:06.381
- Have you, through god's grace and power,
- 00:17:06.381 --> 00:17:09.718
- Removed everything that is weighing down
- 00:17:09.718 --> 00:17:12.087
- In your relationship with god?
- 00:17:12.087 --> 00:17:13.922
- That's the way you develop endurance.
- 00:17:13.922 --> 00:17:18.026
- What is the key to endurance?
- 00:17:18.026 --> 00:17:20.195
- Remember our heroes, remove our obstacles,
- 00:17:20.195 --> 00:17:25.000
- And number three, refocus our attention.
- 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:30.172
- Refocus our attention and focus.
- 00:17:30.172 --> 00:17:33.876
- Look at verse two again, "fixing our eyes on jesus,
- 00:17:33.876 --> 00:17:40.015
- "the author and perfecter of faith,
- 00:17:40.015 --> 00:17:41.917
- "who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
- 00:17:41.917 --> 00:17:45.220
- "despising the shame and has sat down
- 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:47.489
- "at the right hand of god.
- 00:17:47.489 --> 00:17:48.991
- "for consider him, jesus, who's endured
- 00:17:48.991 --> 00:17:51.760
- "such hostility by sinners against himself,
- 00:17:51.760 --> 00:17:55.197
- "so that you will not grow weary."
- 00:17:55.197 --> 00:17:59.001
- You know, focus is so important for a runner.
- 00:17:59.001 --> 00:18:02.404
- If a runner is focused on those in the stands,
- 00:18:02.404 --> 00:18:05.741
- He's going to become distracted.
- 00:18:05.741 --> 00:18:07.809
- If he focuses on his feet, he's going to become distracted.
- 00:18:07.809 --> 00:18:12.548
- What he's got to do is focus on the finish line,
- 00:18:12.548 --> 00:18:15.184
- And the prize.
- 00:18:15.184 --> 00:18:16.818
- And that's what he's saying here.
- 00:18:16.818 --> 00:18:19.154
- Steve farrar tells a great story in one of his books.
- 00:18:19.154 --> 00:18:23.325
- He said he has a friend who was a rower on the oxford crew.
- 00:18:23.325 --> 00:18:28.297
- Have you seen those long, sleek boats
- 00:18:28.297 --> 00:18:31.667
- That the oxford participants row in.
- 00:18:31.667 --> 00:18:34.403
- You've got this mass of sweating men and women in the ship,
- 00:18:34.403 --> 00:18:38.373
- And they're rowing these massive oars,
- 00:18:38.373 --> 00:18:40.475
- And they're exhausted.
- 00:18:40.475 --> 00:18:41.944
- The only problem in these beautiful sleek boats is this,
- 00:18:41.944 --> 00:18:45.781
- The rowers can't see the finish line, it's behind them.
- 00:18:45.781 --> 00:18:50.085
- They're directed, they're seated, facing the opposite way.
- 00:18:50.085 --> 00:18:53.755
- There's only one person who can see
- 00:18:53.755 --> 00:18:56.058
- The finish line in the boat,
- 00:18:56.058 --> 00:18:57.759
- And it's that guy with the megaphone.
- 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:00.162
- He's called the coxswain,
- 00:19:00.162 --> 00:19:02.264
- And he is the one who sees the finish line,
- 00:19:02.264 --> 00:19:05.100
- And those who are rowing the massive oars,
- 00:19:05.100 --> 00:19:08.270
- Their job is to look at him,
- 00:19:08.270 --> 00:19:11.173
- Listen to his instructions,
- 00:19:11.173 --> 00:19:13.508
- Obey his commands and trust him
- 00:19:13.508 --> 00:19:17.813
- To get them over the finish line.
- 00:19:17.813 --> 00:19:21.149
- That's the imagery here.
- 00:19:21.149 --> 00:19:22.951
- No, we can't see the finish line,
- 00:19:22.951 --> 00:19:25.587
- But we aren't to focus on the finish line,
- 00:19:25.587 --> 00:19:28.156
- We're to focus on jesus,
- 00:19:28.156 --> 00:19:31.360
- The one who's already gone ahead of us,
- 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:34.096
- The author and finisher of our faith.
- 00:19:34.096 --> 00:19:37.566
- That word author, it can mean trailblazer,
- 00:19:37.566 --> 00:19:40.102
- But it really means example.
- 00:19:40.102 --> 00:19:42.838
- Whenever you get fatigued, whenever you get discouraged,
- 00:19:42.838 --> 00:19:45.540
- When you think i can't make it any longer,
- 00:19:45.540 --> 00:19:48.410
- Remember jesus and what he did.
- 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:50.812
- Who for the joy set before him endured the cross.
- 00:19:50.812 --> 00:19:55.350
- There was nothing joyous about going to the cross,
- 00:19:55.350 --> 00:19:57.786
- It was a miserable experience.
- 00:19:57.786 --> 00:19:59.521
- But jesus didn't crawl to the cross,
- 00:19:59.521 --> 00:20:02.057
- He marched to the cross triumphantly,
- 00:20:02.057 --> 00:20:04.526
- Because he looked beyond it and saw the prize
- 00:20:04.526 --> 00:20:07.462
- That god had for him.
- 00:20:07.462 --> 00:20:09.531
- And the bible says if we're going to endure
- 00:20:09.531 --> 00:20:12.334
- This christian life, we need to focus
- 00:20:12.334 --> 00:20:14.336
- On the trailblazer jesus, who has gone on ahead of us.
- 00:20:14.336 --> 00:20:19.141
- We follow his example until the very end.
- 00:20:19.141 --> 00:20:23.378
- You know, when i read this passage,
- 00:20:23.378 --> 00:20:26.682
- I can't help but think about a member of our church,
- 00:20:26.682 --> 00:20:29.484
- Who went home to be with the lord about a year ago.
- 00:20:29.484 --> 00:20:32.354
- Many of you knew him well,
- 00:20:32.354 --> 00:20:33.789
- Our deacon orville rogers, who died at the age of 101.
- 00:20:33.789 --> 00:20:40.128
- And you remember orville,
- 00:20:40.128 --> 00:20:41.863
- Halfway through his life, his long life,
- 00:20:41.863 --> 00:20:43.932
- He took up aerobics with dr. ken cooper.
- 00:20:43.932 --> 00:20:47.669
- He said, i was doing aerobics
- 00:20:47.669 --> 00:20:49.037
- Before it was the cool thing to do.
- 00:20:49.037 --> 00:20:51.540
- And he ran and ran and ran,
- 00:20:51.540 --> 00:20:53.375
- And he started running in all of these races around america
- 00:20:53.375 --> 00:20:56.678
- And gained national notoriety
- 00:20:56.678 --> 00:20:58.914
- As being the oldest man to run this race,
- 00:20:58.914 --> 00:21:01.516
- And this race and this race and this race.
- 00:21:01.516 --> 00:21:04.619
- He learned the secret of endurance.
- 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:07.756
- And when i think about orville,
- 00:21:07.756 --> 00:21:09.024
- I think about several different scenes.
- 00:21:09.024 --> 00:21:10.726
- I think about the scene of him jumping out of an airplane
- 00:21:10.726 --> 00:21:13.528
- On his 90th birthday to do skydiving.
- 00:21:13.528 --> 00:21:16.665
- Remember we ran that video in the old sanctuary.
- 00:21:16.665 --> 00:21:19.935
- I think about all those endless videos
- 00:21:19.935 --> 00:21:22.170
- Of him crashing through the finish line,
- 00:21:22.170 --> 00:21:24.906
- The tape and holding his hands up, and getting the medal.
- 00:21:24.906 --> 00:21:30.178
- But the thing i think about most
- 00:21:30.178 --> 00:21:31.680
- When i think about orville is two nights before he died.
- 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:35.951
- I went by to see him, he was in the bed,
- 00:21:35.951 --> 00:21:38.754
- In and out of sleep,
- 00:21:38.754 --> 00:21:40.589
- But when he knew i was there he grabbed my hand,
- 00:21:40.589 --> 00:21:45.227
- And he said, "pastor, i'm so thankful.
- 00:21:45.227 --> 00:21:49.164
- "i'm so thankful.
- 00:21:49.164 --> 00:21:51.333
- "i'm so thankful," he couldn't stop saying that.
- 00:21:51.333 --> 00:21:55.036
- "i'm so thankful."
- 00:21:55.036 --> 00:21:57.906
- What was he thankful for?
- 00:21:57.906 --> 00:22:00.642
- He didn't mention his wealth,
- 00:22:00.642 --> 00:22:02.878
- Didn't mention his medals.
- 00:22:02.878 --> 00:22:05.947
- He wasn't thankful for a pain-free life he had had.
- 00:22:05.947 --> 00:22:09.951
- He hadn't had one of those,
- 00:22:09.951 --> 00:22:11.319
- The greatest hurt of his life
- 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:12.821
- Was losing his oldest son, curtis, in the vietnam war.
- 00:22:12.821 --> 00:22:18.527
- But what he was thankful for, he said,
- 00:22:18.527 --> 00:22:21.596
- Was that god was willing to sacrifice his own son
- 00:22:21.596 --> 00:22:26.568
- To provide eternal life for me.
- 00:22:26.568 --> 00:22:30.572
- Orville, until the day he died,
- 00:22:30.572 --> 00:22:32.207
- Never got over the fact that jesus died for him.
- 00:22:32.207 --> 00:22:38.747
- That was the foundation of everything in his life,
- 00:22:38.747 --> 00:22:42.250
- He never lost sight of that.
- 00:22:42.250 --> 00:22:45.720
- And that's why he was able to approach the end of his life
- 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:49.024
- Just like the apostle paul who said,
- 00:22:49.024 --> 00:22:51.927
- "for i have fought the good fight,
- 00:22:51.927 --> 00:22:55.030
- "i have finished the course, i have kept the faith,
- 00:22:55.030 --> 00:23:01.203
- "and there is now laid up for me in heaven
- 00:23:01.203 --> 00:23:02.938
- "a crown of righteousness,
- 00:23:02.938 --> 00:23:04.973
- "which the righteous judge shall award to me on that day,
- 00:23:04.973 --> 00:23:09.311
- "and not to me alone
- 00:23:09.311 --> 00:23:11.680
- "but to all who have loved his appearing."
- 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:15.550
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:23:15.550 --> 00:23:19.988
- And this is the great hope of the gospel,
- 00:23:19.988 --> 00:23:22.724
- Those who keep the faith will be awarded
- 00:23:22.724 --> 00:23:24.893
- A crown of righteousness, stored up for us in heaven.
- 00:23:24.893 --> 00:23:30.665
- At pathway to victory,
- 00:23:30.665 --> 00:23:32.133
- We're committed to bringing this hope of the gospel
- 00:23:32.133 --> 00:23:33.702
- To every corner of our country and around the world,
- 00:23:33.702 --> 00:23:37.072
- As god gives us opportunity.
- 00:23:37.072 --> 00:23:39.441
- There's a spiritual hunger right now,
- 00:23:39.441 --> 00:23:41.443
- An urgent need for hope,
- 00:23:41.443 --> 00:23:43.278
- And god is clearly calling us
- 00:23:43.278 --> 00:23:45.113
- To spread the gospel far and wide.
- 00:23:45.113 --> 00:23:48.149
- For that reason, we're inviting you
- 00:23:48.149 --> 00:23:49.951
- To invest in this ministry by giving a generous gift today.
- 00:23:49.951 --> 00:23:54.289
- Any amount you give today
- 00:23:54.289 --> 00:23:55.790
- Will go directly toward fueling our mission
- 00:23:55.790 --> 00:23:58.593
- To pierce the darkness with the light of god's word.
- 00:23:58.593 --> 00:24:02.163
- So thank you for generously supporting pathway to victory.
- 00:24:02.163 --> 00:24:07.068
- Now, please stay right there,
- 00:24:07.068 --> 00:24:08.537
- I'll be back with a final word of encouragement
- 00:24:08.537 --> 00:24:10.805
- In just a moment.
- 00:24:10.805 --> 00:24:13.375
- [announcer] when was the last time you heard god
- 00:24:13.375 --> 00:24:15.310
- Speak to you from his word?
- 00:24:15.310 --> 00:24:17.012
- Dr. robert jeffress believes that growing closer to god
- 00:24:17.012 --> 00:24:20.015
- Begins with reading your bible and spending time in prayer.
- 00:24:20.015 --> 00:24:23.818
- Make god your priority by spending quality time in his
- 00:24:23.818 --> 00:24:27.222
- Word with the brand new 2025 pathway to victory daily devotional.
- 00:24:27.222 --> 00:24:31.826
- Of all the ways god could have revealed himself to us,
- 00:24:31.826 --> 00:24:35.297
- He chose to do it through the written word.
- 00:24:35.297 --> 00:24:38.033
- And that's why it's so important for you and for me
- 00:24:38.033 --> 00:24:40.602
- To set aside regular time to read the word of god.
- 00:24:40.602 --> 00:24:44.839
- [announcer] whether you've been a christian for a lot
- 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:46.608
- Of years or just a short while, the principles found
- 00:24:46.608 --> 00:24:49.411
- In this year's devotional will help breathe new life
- 00:24:49.411 --> 00:24:52.314
- Into your walk with god.
- 00:24:52.314 --> 00:24:54.049
- Ready to get back to the basics of your christian faith?
- 00:24:54.049 --> 00:24:57.018
- Request your copy of the 2025 pathway to victory
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- 00:25:06.161 --> 00:25:10.031
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- 00:25:10.031 --> 00:25:12.834
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- 00:25:12.834 --> 00:25:14.836
- We'll discover one thing all of these men and women had
- 00:25:14.836 --> 00:25:17.405
- In common is they believed god and they acted according
- 00:25:17.405 --> 00:25:21.977
- To their belief in god.
- 00:25:21.977 --> 00:25:23.578
- They did something as a demonstration of their faith.
- 00:25:23.578 --> 00:25:27.949
- [announcer] thank you for giving generously to support
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- 00:25:38.326 --> 00:25:41.663
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:25:41.663 --> 00:25:43.698
- To win a marathon, we need to have endurance,
- 00:25:43.698 --> 00:25:46.901
- And it's the same way in the christian life.
- 00:25:46.901 --> 00:25:49.571
- We must stay in it for the long haul.
- 00:25:49.571 --> 00:25:52.574
- God promises to reward those who endure
- 00:25:52.574 --> 00:25:55.610
- In ways that are far greater than we can possibly imagine.
- 00:25:55.610 --> 00:25:59.547
- Well, it will likely come as no surprise to you
- 00:25:59.547 --> 00:26:02.651
- That god punishes unbelievers who disobey.
- 00:26:02.651 --> 00:26:06.554
- But many christians are dismayed to learn
- 00:26:06.554 --> 00:26:09.391
- That god disciplines believers as well.
- 00:26:09.391 --> 00:26:12.961
- So how does god reprimand his children who wander away?
- 00:26:12.961 --> 00:26:17.232
- And what is his goal in doing so?
- 00:26:17.232 --> 00:26:20.635
- Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next
- 00:26:20.635 --> 00:26:22.937
- In our series, 'spiritual fitness.'
- 00:26:22.937 --> 00:26:27.409
- When you trust in christ as your savior,
- 00:26:27.409 --> 00:26:30.278
- God took all of the retribution you and i deserve,
- 00:26:30.278 --> 00:26:33.848
- And he poured it out upon his own son, jesus christ.
- 00:26:33.848 --> 00:26:38.420
- God corrects us, disciplines us to restore us
- 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:42.791
- Back into a right relationship with him.
- 00:26:42.791 --> 00:26:45.026
- [announcer] set your dvr, and join us next time
- 00:26:45.026 --> 00:26:47.295
- For the message, 'reproofs that restore,'
- 00:26:47.295 --> 00:26:50.398
- Here on pathway to victory.
- 00:26:50.398 --> 00:26:52.634
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:26:52.634 --> 00:26:58.139
- Join dr. robert jeffress on "pathway to victory's"
- 00:26:58.139 --> 00:27:01.009
- Journeys of paul- mediterranean cruise.
- 00:27:01.009 --> 00:27:03.411
- I want to take you to the very places
- 00:27:03.411 --> 00:27:05.880
- Where god's word was written
- 00:27:05.880 --> 00:27:07.582
- And seek the one who sought us first, in his creation
- 00:27:07.582 --> 00:27:11.619
- [announcer] experience world-class accommodations
- 00:27:11.619 --> 00:27:13.655
- Aboard the luxurious celebrity ascent,
- 00:27:13.655 --> 00:27:16.124
- In beautiful island destinations
- 00:27:16.124 --> 00:27:17.959
- Like santorini, mykonos, and crete.
- 00:27:17.959 --> 00:27:20.495
- To book your reservation now,
- 00:27:20.495 --> 00:27:21.896
- Call 888-280-6747, or visit ptv.org.
- 00:27:21.896 --> 00:27:21.896