Joy in the journey

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Hi guys please join with me as we read from Philippians 3:12 to um chter 4:1 on not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal but I press on to take hold of that for which G Christ Jesus took of me brothers and sisters I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus all of us then who are mature should take such a view of things and if on some point you think differently that too God will make clear to you only let us live up to what we have already attained join together in following my example brothers and sisters and just as you have us as a model keep your eyes on those who live as we do for for as I have often told you before and now tell you again with tears many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ their Destiny is destruction their God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame their mind is set on Earthly things but our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from the Lord Jesus Christ who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly bodies so that we will be like his glorious body therefore my brothers and sisters you whom I love and long for my joy and Crown I stand firm in the Lord in this way dear friends thanks Kylie thanks so much Kylie uh keep your Bibles open you'll need those uh as we uh follow along continuing uh in our Philippians series being joyful disciples as you know it's our practice here in third term to do a churchwide integrated study and uh this morning we've got Beck Rasheed come on down Beck give her a round of applause Beck's our study writer today so I'll give you this one as we've been doing uh getting to know our study writers a little bit Beck tell us something about yourself by way of introduction for folk that maybe don't know who you are okay hi I'm back um I've been int ing this church since I was a little girl um I'm married to Michael and we are blessed with four very cheeky kids who are all matching him today if you want to keep your eye out for him um I like to rollerblade in the morning I really appreciate seeing the sunrise and I tripped over this week so that kind of hurts and I like sourdough making so that came from yeah cool I like eating sourdough so it's good yeah good yeah um Beck tell us a little bit about your study what's it about yeah um this chunk that Kylie just read is really enriched with so many things and being someone who's been in the faith for pretty much my whole life it's a really encouraging chapter or section um it talks about the fact that we're incomplete this side of Eternity it gives us joy in the fact that as our bodies start to weaken our faith is strengthened and that J position is really amazing and very encouraging that even though there are and there will be trials that that's refining us towards eternity and um just to be encouraged that our citizenship is in heaven which means that even though we're on this side at the moment we need to be acting as bearers of the light yeah yeah cool um was there something as you were going through that putting it together that maybe stuck out for you as as like a a big idea or is there something that you want us to be listening out for as as we dig into the study this morning as we get into it later in the week in our in our small groups is there like a takeaway uh that you want us to kind of be focusing on or maybe something that came out for you yeah I guess it's the three points of pressing on straining on and holding fast so it's not a Sprint it is a marathon and to be there with each other encouraging and champing each other on as well yeah that's cool um I didn't give you this as a prepared question sorry put you on the spot uh we've been throwing out Dylan's idea little trivia questions do you happen to know what the O in clock stands [Laughter] for no does anybody know of the clock yeah yeah know more trivia of the club yeah no worries give be a round of applause thank you Beck sorry to put you on the spot like that sister um all right so we've been our being joyful disciples series uh looking at this letter from Paul to the Believers in Philippi to the to the church there and uh last week uh actually before we get to the last week look at the next slide I'll put our um our definition up this is the the definition of Joy uh that we've been working from that Joy is an attitude God's people adopt not because of happy circumstances but because of their hope in God's love and promise and uh that's a a really helpful thing for us to understand particularly as as we think about this passage this morning as Beck was saying um we want to keep that joy in mind that that life can be difficult the journey that we walk might be difficult right now but there's a joy in knowing God's love for us there's a joy in holding on to his promises that he's given uh last week uh David loer took us through the first half of chapter 3 and uh Paul outlined his reason for his confidence in the Christian Life in the beginning of chapter 3 surprisingly for Paul uh he said that although he has every reason to boast because of his background because of his training because of his status in society his commitment to to living his life according to God's law because he had every reason to boast in these things he still considered them all to be rubbish compared to the main thing which for him was the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord what added most to Paul was to be found in Jesus to be in right relationship with him trusting in his death and Resurrection for the Forgiveness of sins and and for the promise of eternal life with him Paul repeats that big idea in the end of the the the section we read last week in verses 10 and 11 of chapter 3 when he says I want to know Christ I want to know the power of his resurrection Paul even went as far as to say I'm prepared to share in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the gospel because he was holding on to that Joy he was holding on to the hope of the promise of eternal life we're going to dig into uh verses 12 through to chapter 4:1 uh right now let's just pray as we do that father we do thank you for your word thank you that you are a God who speaks and father we just want to look to you this morning and hear your voice help us Lord to find the joy that is in that Journey as we walk day by day with you help us Lord to to hone in and to hear what it is that you want to say to us this morning wherever we are in that race May we be encouraged as we look at this word this morning we pray in Jesus name amen uh maybe you notice in the Bible reading this morning in in verse 12 that Paul said he hasn't obtained all this yet that's how we began the the the section that Kylie read Paul's hold in on in faith to the promises of Jesus as he seeks to live day by day as a joyful disciple as we unpack these verses this morning we will see as beex rightly said the the Christian life is like a race it's a journey that begins that first moment we place our faith in Jesus and it continues until Christ returns or until he calls us home many times in the scriptures we see this image of a race or some sort of a a letic competition used to describe the Christian Life there's a a few of the the passages up there on the on the slide um don't worry if you you can't write them down the the slides will be up on the the website with everything else you can catch that during the week but uh Paul gives us this kind of image in our text this morning if you've been a part of our church for some time you're probably already familiar with this idea that the the Christian Life our our discipleship our following after Jesus and obeying all that he's commanded us to do it's it's not a program that we complete it's not some thing that we graduate from at a particular point in time but rather the the Christian Life the the life of a disciple is a lifelong journey as we seek to daily live out all that Jesus has commanded us to do as we think about this image of the Christian life being like a race I think it's important for us to remember a key to racing the key to to the race isn't so much how we start the race or that's that that can be important um it's not how fast we run so uh but like a Beck mentioned it's more of like a marathon than a Sprint the Christian Life in actual fact it's probably more like an ultramarathon uh than a marathon and so the thing that's key for us in the chrisan life the the thing that's key for us in in our discipleship is not so much how we start or how fast we run but it's that we finish the race that we cross the finish line in our passage this morning in Philippians 312 verse toter 4:1 we can see this challenge is is highlighted by Paul as he lays out for these Believers in Philippi and for all of us who would seek to be joyful Disciples of Jesus we need to keep running the race we we need to press on we need to not give up regardless of where we might find ourselves along the journey this morning whether you're a new Christian starting out just beginning the race or whether you've been journeying with Jesus for 50 years the the challenge in this text is the same it's to keep on running race whether you find yourself running hard and going great strides or or maybe you feel like you're starting to lag a bit maybe it's starting to get a bit tough your limp a bit Paul says to all of us this morning don't give up keep running the race because there's a joy that's ours in the Christian Life As We press on press on to finish the race that God has marked out for us look at uh verse 12 uh a little bit more detail Paul says not that I've already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus Took hold of me that all this that he's talking about that's just referring back to what we read last week in in Philippians 3 um: 7 to 11 Paul's goal in the Christian Life was to know Christ Jesus as Lord that's what he outlined what we saw uh and studied last week Paul's looking forward to the resurrection to the promise of eternal life and Paul is so convinced of that that he's willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel because he holds on to that promise and then we get to this verse 12 and Paul finishes this thought he kind of like midth thought and then he completes the thought in in verse 12 and he says but I'm not there yet this is the promise that Jesus has given this is what is directing my life this is the the main thing for me to know Christ and to be found in him to to hold on to that hope of Eternity with him but I'm not there yet I haven't obtained all this while I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection while I'm longing for that day I still have to Journey with Jesus there's still a race to be run we know from Paul's other writings that he still struggled with sin it was a daily battle for him and yet he didn't stand still he was progressing he was moving forward he was running the race Paul recognizes that he's on a journey that is in a race and we kind of get this picture as we look at Paul's letters that it's he he sees it more of a a marathon than a Sprint it's a lifelong journey and he challenges us to keep running the race that's clear in the following verses in verses 13 to 14 there's this one thing that he does this one priority what is it it's to not give up it's to keep running the race friends if you remember nothing else today remember that keep running the race don't give up on the journey which isus Paul uses that word in verse 13 of straining toward what is ahead this is the one of the only times in the in the New Testament that this Greek word appears it carries this idea of exerting oneself to the utmost it's a picture of Maximum effort of intentionality and and focus and Paul is using this to describe how he's running the race one uh commentator described uh it like this he said the word straining graphically portrays Paul running a race his body is bent forward his hand is outstretched toward the goal His Eye Is fastened on it every thought and every emotion every action is working towards this goal of finishing the race Paul's image of himself as a runner inspires passionate perseverance in the life of faith in Christ faith is not simply a decision in the past or a static state of existence faith is running a race straining towards what is ahead I think it's helpful for us to to think about that we get the idea straining exerting ourselves pressing forward pushing on running the race notice too how Paul mentions forgetting what lies behind forgetting what's already happened in the race and I think that's a helpful image because it can be easy in our journey with Jesus in this race of the Christian Life to keep looking back sometimes when we look back we can be crippled in our race because when we look back we see the shame of our past mistakes we can feel weighed down by that guilt and by that shame as we look back and remember past sins or past failures Paul encourages us us this morning to to look forward to the goal forget what's behind forget what's happened in the race already don't look back and dwell on past mistakes look forward to the hope of glory Glory look to Jesus who died so that we might be forgiven friends if you find yourself feeling crippled or or limping along in the Christian life because you're weighed down by the past know that there's a joy in the journey but that Joy is not found by looking back it's by looking forward to the Cross to the one who died so that we could be forgiven to Christ Our Savior the one who loved us and freed us from our sin by shedding his blood but for us we sing the song we know the words Jesus Paid It all he he removed our sins as far as the East is from the rest from the West so friends we can run the race with joy we don't have to be defined by guilt or shame or the secret things that we've done in the past look forward not back I think there's another danger in looking back instead of forward and and that's not in looking back to past failures or past sins we can also get tripped up in the Race by Looking Back To The Glory Days we can easily get weighed down by remembering past achievements because don't we know it the reality of Life all of life is a a struggle the Christian Life is no different there's highs and there's lows there's good times and there's trying times in our race with Jesus in our journey with Jesus there are times when we feel close to God when we see God is clearly at work and then there are other times when we might feel less close to God or maybe it's it's a struggle for us to see what God is doing in the moment as as life just throws it at us if we get caught up in looking back and longing for the Glory Days we can easily find ourselves discouraged instead of Joyful as we run our race maybe you've heard of this happening before maybe it's happen to you I've seen it happen to churches maybe you've heard of that or you you've visited a church like this where the constant refrain is always about looking back you know remember when we had 200 kids in the kids club remember when our kids church was bursting at the seams remember the the working bees we used to have and how many showed up to the trivia nights remember the community events we used to run or the the building project that we completed don't get me wrong it's good to remember the good things that God has done in the life of the church but there can be a danger in focusing only on the past successes because if we're not careful it can get in the way of our running the race right now if we get stuck dwelling on the past we can be stifled by those successes and we can find ourselves making unhealthy comparisons and being discouraged when things don't seem to be going the way they used to back in the good old days we can be so busy remembering and longing for the for the for the olden days that we become a oblivious to the opportunities right in front of us now friends we should celebrate the winds we should repent of our sin but remember that in Christ we're no longer defined by our track record whether that be successes with him or past failures Paul encourages us with his example don't give up keep running the race keep looking forward to the prize that is ours in Jesus there's a joy in the journey as we run the race but it's in looking forward not in looking back it's in trusting Jesus as we run because that's where we find our joy it's in him in the rest of the passage in verses 17 to 21 Paul gives us three helpful keys to keep us on the race to keep us running with joy and we going to look real quickly at these verse 17 the first key to running the race with joy is to follow Godly examples Paul says join together in following my example brothers and sisters and just of just as you have us as a model keep your eyes on those who live as we do Paul highlights the fact that we're not in the race alone there are others who have run before us there are others who are running alongside us Paul says join together in following my example there's a a sense of a corporate running together this race with Jesus Remember Paul said he's not perfect but he's progressing and he says to these Believers in Philippi follow after my example join together in this you might recall that he said a similar thing to the Believers in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:1 he said follow my example as I follow the example of Christ couple of weeks ago we we spoke we saw in uh chapter 2 of Philippians um Paul speaks about some other godly people worth imitating if you recall back in uh Philippians 2: 19-30 uh Paul speaks of Timothy and apodus as men who are to be intim imitated men who are to be examples and models for the Christian Life he says in uh verses 19 to 24 of Philippians chapter 2 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon that I may also be cheered when I receive news about you I no one else like him who will show genuine concern for your welfare for everyone looks out for their own interests not those of Jesus Christ but you know that Timothy has proved himself because as a son with his father he served me in the work of the Gospel I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me and I'm confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon Paul highlights Timothy's Godly character his genuine concern for the church he puts Christ first he puts the needs of others ahead of his own and Paul commends Timothy as an example for others to follow likewise in verses 25 to3 of chapter 2 uh with aphodius Paul says that aphodius has been longing for the Believers in Philippi because he was concerned about their their worry for him he'd been sick he'd been unwell Paul says he nearly died for the sake of the gospel and yet apodus first concern is not his own well-being but it's for his brothers and sisters in Christ another Godly example of one who's running to race with joy growing to be more like Christ serving Jesus and trusting in his promises when we studied uh Philippians chapter 2 uh in our extended family group our EFG during the week we were reflecting on some of those Godly examples in our own lives and it was easy when we stopped to think about it to identify who some of those folk were we we have many Godly examples around about us as I Was preparing this message I was thinking some more about this and I'm so encouraged by the many Godly examples the Lord has given to me as a pastor of this church it's my joy to spend time together with God's people I'm constantly humbled by the privilege that it is to be your pastor to to celebrate with people in the good times when we see God clearly at work but also to to weep with folk to mourn together when life is tough When we struggle to understand what God is doing as I look around at our church I'm inspired and encouraged by so many of you in the way in which you continue to trust in Jesus and continue to run the race with joy in some of the most difficult circumstances there are many stories so many examples in the life of our church we could spend hours talking about all the ways people are straining forward and pressing on trusting Jesus as they run the race I'm not going to mention anyone specifically by name some of you I've spoken to privately to tell you how you encourage me uh to keep running the race but I will list a few categories of people Godly examples within our faith community because I want to encourage you to look around I want to encourage you to have those spiritual eyes to see those who God has placed in your life who have run the race before you those who are running alongside you my prayer is that we'd be inspired by The Godly examples around us that we'd keep running the race I see parents with young kids who endure a lack of sleep and the stress that comes with having a baby at home the parents with toddlers and younger kids who struggle just to get everyone ready and out the door on time to make it to church on Sunday and yet they persist in turning up because they want their children to see the priority that Mom and Dad make on their obedience to God on his command to not give up up meeting together I'm encouraged as I see these parents trusting Jesus in that busy season of life I see men and women striving for contentment in their singleness unwilling to compromise on their faith in the pursuit of a relationship trusting God for their future while they continue to seek after him I see the busy full-time employees who work a 40 to sometimes 60 hour week and yet joyfully volunteer their time during the week and on weekends to serve in our ministry teams as they Steward the gifts God has given to them I see the parents grieving the death of their children broken at having to say goodbye to someone so young yet holding on to an unshakable confidence in Christ I see those living with serious health issues unable to meet regularly in person on Sunday and yet Faithfully joining us each week online so they can stay connected to the body so they can continue to serve the Lord with joy as Prayer Warriors and encouragers of many others in our congregation just this week as I was putting together this list I opened my email to find a message from one of these prayer warriors spurring me on in the Lord and it was a beautiful reminder of The Godly examples that the Lord has given to me of the fact that we don't run the race of alone I see many people struggling with anxiety and depression and yet they keep trusting Jesus they keep running the race holding on to the promises that he gives and relying on the Holy Spirit to keep them going can you see what I see can you see what the spirit of God is doing Among Us none of us are perfect none of us are the the perfect examples of following after Jesus 100% of the time and yet all of you inspire me to keep running the race you encourage me to be joyful in this journey with Jesus to keep trusting him thank you for that example we want to be challenged by that this morning who are those examples in your life are you following after their example the second key to running the race with joy is to flee Earthly thinking when it comes to being a runner an athlete for that matter it's not just the actions they perform the the actual Act of running but it's the thinking about the running it's the the preparation for the event it's the thinking about their their life and their training that's also important many professional sports teams these days have sports psychologists on staff to help uh their players have the right mindset to to keep their thinking in the right mindset so that they can stay competitive so they can stay in the match we got to have the right mindset to perform at our Peak not only that you've got to have the right thinking on the field when you're in the race in the leadup to the race as well athletes know that if they want to perform at their best they they have to understand that all of that mindset that thinking it can come at a cost because they've got to train they've got to prepare they've got to maybe watch what they eat maybe they've got to go to bed earlier so they can get up to train in the day um they got to focus constantly on all that they need to do in order to perform at their Peak and race well so same in the Christian Life our journey with Jesus is no different Jesus said in Luke 14 that there's a cost to our discipleship following after Jesus like running a race it's going to take effort commitment Focus there's a cost Paul picks up that idea in verses 18 to 19 of chapter 3 when he says I've told you before I now tell you again even with tears many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ their Destiny is destruction their God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame their mind is set on Earthly things and that's the warning isn't it those who walk as enemies of the Cross Paul weeps over these people because their Destiny is not the promise of Eternity of life with Jesus it's destruction they face the reality of an eternity apart from the grace of God because he says in verse 19 their God is their stomach their glory is their shame I don't think what he means by that is they really enjoy food that's not what he's talking about what he's talking about rather is their desires their appetites in life the things that drive them they have become a God to them they're worshiping and serving these attitudes these appetites these desires instead of worshiping and serving the Living God instead of worshiping and serving Christ and living for his glory they're living for their own Glory which ultimately is to their shame ultimately Paul says the the problem with all of this where they went wrong their minds are set on Earthly things Paul doesn't mention these people by name but he does highlight the inherent danger of wrong thinking the wrong mindset when it comes to the Christian Life as I read those words in Philippians 3:18 and 19 I can't bet help think of Deus you know the story he was one of Paul's fellow workers in the gospel along with Mark and Luke and others he's mentioned uh by uh Luke in fiman he's uh mentioned in uh in Colossians 4 uh 14 as uh being with Luke when Paul was in Rome imprisoned in Rome and yet in second Timothy chapter 4:10 Paul writes a little bit later on about the sad situation with Deus he says Deus because he loved this world has deserted me and gone to thessalonica the Greek word uh verb that is used in the original language for deserting me there implies that Deus hadn't just left Paul but he'd actually left him at a crucial Point he'd abandoned him in a time of need and Paul says the reason Deus did that was because he loved the world he didn't flee Earthly thinking he had had let his thinking get corrupted that's the warning in Philippians 319 to flee the Earthly mindset as we think about our own Journey with Jesus if we find ourselves struggling in the Christian Life if we find ourselves lacking joy in the journey where's your mind out sometimes in those moments our minds are set on Earthly things in instead of being focused on Jesus we can get so caught up with the here and now we can get caught up with the issues that are at the Forefront of our hearts and Minds the things that we see around about us so much of our lives are fixed and lived on this Earth and yet it's just a brief moment in the scheme of Eternity the Bible tells us that this Earth is passing away it's not our home Heaven's our home to stay in the race to have joy in the journey we need to beware to flee the Earthly mindset we need to know that following Jesus that running the race will be costly but it's worth it don't give up keep running the race finally the the final key we see there is to focus on the prize Runners athletes they need to focus to complete at compete at their best just as we looked at having the danger of the the wrong focus of having an Earthly mindset uh was was no good look now at verses 20 to 21 Paul gives us the contrast the right mindset that we need to cultivate if we want to stay in the race he says our citizenship is in heaven we eagerly await a savior from there the Lord Jesus Christ who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly bodies so they'll be like his glorious body when you're running a race it's really important to have the Finish Line in mind you need to know what direction you need to run you need to know when the race is over in these verses in verses 20 and 21 Paul reminds us that as Disciples of Jesus who are seeking after to follow after him our citizenship is not of this world we're citizens of Heaven God has adopted us into his family as sons and daughters we're we're part of his eternal Kingdom that's our true identity that's where our focus of this race of life should be when we focus on this truth when we know that this is where we belong that this is who we are in Christ that's when we don't get caught up in some of the trivial things that may have even been causing us stress this week we got to keep putting our eyes back on the priz keep turning our eyes back not on Earth things but on heaven where our home is having this focus on Heaven means also that we long for it not only that in verse 20 the second half of verse 20 we long for the king of Heaven Paul says we eagerly await a savior from there the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus is our true king he's made us his own and as certain as his resurrection from the dead was we can know that he will will return that he will we will join him for all eternity does that fill you with joy in the journey does that lift your spirit in the race it does for me I'm excited as I think about that I I long for that day I get excited thinking about two of my favorite passages of scripture come from uh Revelation chap 21 and 22 which is John's vision of things to come and and I find if I get discouraged in the race if I find that I need to to fix my thinking heavenward I come back to these passages they're so helpful in helping me to stay focused on the price Revelation 21: 1 to 4 John says he saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away there was no longer any sea I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming out of heaven heav from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying look God's dwelling place is now among the people and He will dwell with them they will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God he'll wipe every tear from their eyes there'll be no more death or Mourning or crying or pain for the old Order of Things has passed away it's a wonderful picture of the prize can't help but think of that picture of the wedding celebration Jesus pictured as the groom and the ask the his his disciples the church pictured as his bride those of us who've been to a wedding know that one of the best parts of the wedding is watching the face of the groom as they stand there waiting for their bride to come down the aisle the picture of joy that's on his face as he sees the bride as as he's been longing for her they're being united together forever you can picture it can't you where's the bride looking as she comes in she's not looking out the window she's not looking at her watch she's not looking at the at the audience no she's too focused on the groom she's looking to the face of the one she loves the one who's been longing for her to arrive it's the picture I have in mind as I think about heaven seeing Jesus face to face the one who loved us and has called us home Revelation 22: 1-5 John's Vision continues he says then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life clear as Crystal flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great Street of the city on each side of the river stood the Tree of Life bearing 12 crops of fruit yielding its fruit every month the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the Nations no longer will there be any curse the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve him they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads there'll be no more night they'll not need the light of a lamp or the light of the Sun for the Lord God will give them light and they will rain for ever and ever amen friends do you long to see the face of Jesus when he comes again or when he calls you home is that something you look forward to I can't wait for that day they will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God it's is going to be awesome not only do we get to see the face of Jesus but our our uh verse Philippians 3: 211 tells us what's going to happen he's going to transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious resurrected body and just as we read in Revelation 21:4 that means there's no more death or Mourning or crying or pain as someone who lives with the daily pain of fibromyalgia I can tell you that I can't wait for this lowly body to be transformed Bring It On friends we need to keep our eyes on the prize the only way we're going to get there is if we don't give up when the going gets tough and so that means we need to press on we need to keep running the race we need to strain forward towards the goal to win the prize to which God has called us heavenwood in Christ Jesus those three keys to finding joy in the journey follow Godly examples flee Earthly thinking and focus on the price if you put your Faith and Hope in trust in Jesus then you're in the race so keep going don't give up press on run the race that's marked out for you with perseverance and joy as you wait for Jesus if you're here this morning maybe you've never invited Jesus into your heart if you can't say for sure that you've ever started this Christian race this Christian life then I'd encourage you to think that maybe today is as good a day as any to jump in what are you waiting for you got questions that you still need to have answered that you need to have figured out to try to understand a bit more about what it means talk to me after the service I'd love to have a chat with you about that maybe talk to somebody that you came with this morning I'm sure they'd love to to tell you about the hope that we have in Jesus God loves you with an everlasting love and he's demonstrated that love when he entered into human history when he sent his son to die so that we could live we can know that freedom from guilt and shame that hope of Eternity that race that is marked out for us if that's you this morning don't wait come and talk to me talk to someone that came with you we'd love to tell you more about Jesus let's pray father we just want to thank you so much for your word to us thank you for this letter that Paul wrote to the Believers in Philippi and for the challenge and encouragement it is to ask to keep running race help us Lord in our journey with Jesus to press on to strain forward to not look back and get distracted or discouraged but to keep that Heavenly mindset to see The Godly examples that you put around us those that have run the race a little bit further before us those that are running alongside of us help us to be encouraged as we follow after their examples as they follow after Christ protect us Lord from that Earthly mindset that would tempt us to give up or to to turn away help us Lord to understand the reality of that citizenship that is ours in heaven you've given that to us now through faith in Jesus help us to live in light of that to run the race with joy we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.