Finishing Strong | Alan Preston

This message was preached by Alan Preston at Word of Grace Church on the 15th of Feb 2015. To listen/download the audio please click here.

The Lord’s hand is on your life and mine. Psalms 38 says the steps of the righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

We are righteous not because of what we have done but because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. So this applies to us. Remember righteousness is a gift. It’s free and it’s not something you work for. It’s a grace gift.

Steps imply a destination and a journey. While you are here, God has a plan for your life.

Hebrew 11:3-40, 12:1-2

Here we are running for Jesus and to Jesus. Heb 11 is about outstanding heroes of faith who did not receive what they were promised. Puzzling isn’t it?

Heb 12 starts with “therefore”. We don’t know who wrote this book or to whom it was written apart that it was to Jewish Christians. They were in the danger of drifting and strolling about and not running for Jesus.

Heb2:3, 5 it’s a running theme.

There is a distinction between weights and sins.

If you are running with your eyes fixed on Jesus and sins come in the way your eyes will be diverted and you will run elsewhere.

Weights slow you down. It seems to me that it’s too simple a question to ask “is it sinful?”.The question is “Is it helping me runs for Jesus?” Many things are neutral but when it interferes with your running for Jesus, it will slow you done.

What’s your weight? Is it a promotion, hobby, computer game. What takes your time and energy? Sin easy to discern but weights are deceitful.

How do you plan your run? If you try running a marathon without preparing you could die. You try a little bit every day.

 Are you preparing for your run for Jesus? What would you like to achieve in 2015. Write down your impossible list for 2015. Believe that as you run for Jesus you run fervently and glorify Jesus.

Four motivation sin the passage to finish strong

1. It’s helpful to think about how you want to live for Jesus now. Decisions you make now will pan out in the next few decades.

Witnesses are of two sorts. One is where the person actually sees you doing something. The others bear witness to your character. Heb 12 is the second one. They are speaking to us. I overcame so can you? Moses- I overcame shyness, so can you. Abraham I over came all the difficulties, so can you. These are keen for you to finish the race.

2.So what have they not got? They have not yet got their resurrection bodies and the second coming of Jesus.

So it matters to these witnesses, and they are cheering you on and it matters that each one of us finishes because  its one  closer to them getting their resurrection body.

3. Jesus is the Author and perfecter of our faith. We are looking to Him and not Heb 11 saints. The saints inspire, encourage, and motivate us. Only one person can change us – Jesus.

We don’t look at our past. I’m not looking at the success of the past or its failures. We look to Jesus

4. The joy set before him endured the cross. When you live your life, the sufferings of this age in the light of  Romans 8 age are nothing compared to the glorious riches in Christ.

 So plan your run don’t let weights get you down. Don’t carry baggage and run well and finish strong. This life is the “snacks” The main course is coming.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.