July 7, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Diamonds in
the Dark. But first here's the message the Great Race,
Part two.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take your Bibles in turn with me to Hebrews chapter twelve.
We know there's no easy way to be fit, to
be in shape, and it requires discipline and determination. Well,
there is another kind of running that requires both discipline
(00:42):
and determination. It is the race that every believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ is running. And the apostle Paul
often spoke of the athletic arenas of his own day
and of the contests the ancient world in which men
(01:02):
would run and be judged upon their running and their
value as an athlete. Was determined that the Bamas seat
as they would stand before judgment. And often we read
in the Bible that we are to compete as spiritual athletes,
that our Christian faith is to be muscular in the
way we respond and the way that we run. So
(01:25):
verse one and two. Verses one and two of Hebrews
twelve says this. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
(01:46):
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who,
for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand
of the throne of God. Indeed, if you are a
follower of Christ, then you are in this great race,
(02:09):
a spiritual race that requires endurance and commitment. But the results,
the benefits of running this race are immeasurable. Now, if
you have ever been a runner, you know that they
are all kinds of reasons to give up. So the
(02:31):
question is, how do we keep on trekking? How do
we keep moving forward as we follow Christ looking under Jesus,
the author and the finisher of our faith. What is
the secret to spiritual longevity? What steps can I take
in my Christian life to assure it that I will
(02:54):
not be a spiritual casualty, but that I will make
it all the way to the finish line, and only
to the finish line, but to finish with a flourish
Now we need to be asking these kinds of questions,
because one of these days, every one of us will
finish the race that we've been running, and whether we
(03:17):
win or whether we lose this race depends upon how
well we run. One day, each one of us will
die and stand before God, and our lives will be evaluated. Now,
God promises our place in heaven, and we are secure
(03:38):
in our place and in the promise of heaven. But
how we run determines our position in heaven. How many
people spend their days on earth just simply wasting time,
wasting their lives in a thousand trivial pursuits. Well, one
day God is going to ask each one of us
(04:01):
about our lives. How did you use your opportunities, your resources,
your time, your talents. What did you do to advance
the Kingdom of God in your lifetime? What did you
do to serve the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How many people are in heaven because you shared, because
(04:23):
you served, because you witness. Now, remember you don't We
don't know the end of the race. We don't know
how long we have to run. No doubt, you expect
to live a very long life, and that's fine, But frankly,
it doesn't happen that way all the time. Sometimes some
(04:44):
of us may live long lives, some of us may not.
Some of us may have shorter courses to run. And
that is why, in the time that we've been given,
however long that time may be, we must run passionately
and pursue to the prize. We need to make every
(05:04):
day matter, because remember that life is not truly measured
in its duration, but in its donation. In other words,
it's not matter how many years I live, but how
much of my life did I give. That's what matters.
(05:26):
The most. Time is of the essence in the great race.
And we don't have time to waste this gift of God,
this precious gift of God that we call life. And
we want to finish, and we want to finish well.
And so what can we do? What steps can we
(05:49):
take in order to ensure this longevity and the race
so that we don't stumble in or fall away or
turn back, but that we will finish with a flurish well.
These verses that we just read speak to us concerning
that very issue. So how do we maintain the pace,
(06:14):
finish the course well? Number one, Run with all your heart,
run with everything you've got. Just as others have faithfully
run before us, so are we to run and finish
the course now. Of course, the twelfth chapter follows the
Great Chapter of Faith Chapter eleven of Hebrews, And one
(06:35):
after another we have the spiritual biographies, or if you will,
the obituaries of the great men and women of faith
in the Old Testament, and how well they ran the race.
And since we are encompassed about by these witnesses, these
who have shared their faith before us, we ought also
to endure and to exercise our faith. And the common
(06:57):
characteristic of men and women who is that of faith?
Over and over again we read it by faith, by faith,
by faith, by faith, and literally it speaks of faithfulness
exercising that faith. We are not to run halthheartedly, but wholeheartedly.
(07:21):
So when it is time to worship, we want to
honor him. So what do we do. We show up
and we say I was glad when they said it
to me, let us go into the House of the Lord.
But how many people today will say, well, you know,
I just can't get to church into worship today. Oh
it is too rady, as too stormy, or some people
it's a chore it's a dread is something they have
(07:43):
to do. I can't go to church. I'm too busy.
I just need to stay home and spend a little
quality time with my family. The excuses run rampant, but frankly,
so many have made a lifetime of excuse is because
they lack commitment and discipline and determination and devotion to
(08:05):
the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Same could be
said of giving. We ask the Lord to provide for
our every need, and he does. He provides for us.
We ask the Church to meet our need, and the
Church is always there for us when we have a
(08:26):
funeral or a wedding, or a need in our lives,
or something some blessing to share the Church. We always
expect if we show up, that the church is going
to be fully operative and that we will experience a
great time in church. Well, and that's a good expectation,
by the way. And yet how many of us, while
(08:47):
we ask God to meet our needs and the Church
to meet our needs, how many of us, when the
offering plate is passed, we never even consider honoring the
Lord with the first fruits of our labor, bringing our
tithes and offerings on God's Day to God's Church and survy.
You see, giving is a matter of pursuing spiritual goals
(09:09):
in our lives and advancing the Kingdom of God. Say
you could be trust said of serving when where some
are asked to serve, there's always a reason why I can't,
or I'm too tired, or I'm too busy, or and
yet there are hundreds of opportunities for us to exercise
our faith and to give it everything we have in
(09:32):
serving Christ. So are you running the race? Are you
committed to the prize? Are you faithfully following Christ? If not,
I assure you you are headed for some detours and distractions,
and perhaps even a fall in your life. I assure you,
if you are not committed to Christ full out, then
(09:53):
you are in danger of becoming a spiritual casualty. It's
just a matter of time that you will be off
course and potentially out of the race. And this is
why we're told in the scriptures that we therefore are
to run with endurance, exercising our faith, and then to
(10:16):
lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily
besets us. As I said, the weight is anything that
slows us down in the race. The sin is what
stops us ultimately in the race. The sin could be
anything that is besetting, or that particular sin that holds
(10:37):
you back, that addiction, that power of sin that grips you.
But most likely the sin referred to in this passage
is the sin of unbelief. It is not trusting in God,
it is not following through in faithfulness. It is being
an unbelieving believer. The second thing that we need to
(10:58):
remember if we are going to to take these steps
forward is not to give in to sin. Refuse to
give in to sin, Refuse to compromise in any area
of our lives. Every athlete knows the necessity of preparation,
the need to stay strong, the need to prepare for
(11:19):
the contests, the need to get ready for difficulties. And
there are many reasons that an athlete would want to quit.
But it's true in a spiritual event, as well as
you run, you will face stumbling blocks and detours and temptations.
Remember this, you must always seek God's pleasure, not man,
(11:43):
and to follow after Christ and to keep yourself strong
in the race.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
The Great Race Part two. If you're walking through a
tough season. Diamonds in the Dark is a message you
need to hear. In this honest and hope filled book,
doctor Graham shows you how God uses grief, loss, and
hardship to reveal spiritual treasures you'd never discover otherwise. We
(12:10):
want to send you Diamonds in the Dark as a
thanks for your gift of ten dollars or more. Call
now to request your copy. Call one eight hundred seven
ninety five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred
seven ninety five four six two seven, or text the
word diamond to five nine seven eight nine. Don't let
(12:31):
stress rob you of peace. It is possible to break
the destructive grip of stress on your life and enjoy
the peace and abundance God desires for you. That's what
doctor Graham helps you do in his booklet Breaking Free
from Stress. We'll send you a digital download of Breaking
Free from Stress when you sign up for email updates
from PowerPoint Today. Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash
(12:52):
stress and sign up today. Now let's get back to
today's message, The Great Race, Part two.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
In the Book of Jude, there's an interesting verse which says,
keep yourself in the love of God. And when you
read that, you wonder what does that exactly means? Because
doesn't God keep us in the faith? Doesn't God secure
us in his grace? Aren't we already kept by the
power of God? And the answer is yes, absolutely, we
(13:22):
are kept by the power of God. So is what
is it to keep ourselves in the love of God?
Keep yourself in the love of God. Well, we all
know situations, we all know sins, we all know seasons
in our lives when we are vulnerable to the attacks
(13:44):
of the enemy. Peter, who knew something about that, having
denied the Lord three times in the face of the cross,
warming his hands by the fires of the enemies of Christ,
would later report that Satan is like a roaring lion
about seeking whom he may devour. The scripture speaks of
(14:05):
those who turn away from the faith, who turn back
from the faith. And so while God keeps us all
the way to the end and beyond into eternity, we
are to keep ourselves under the umbrella of His love
and protection and provision of His love. We are to
keep ourselves in a position that God can express his
(14:26):
love and show his love powerfully to us. We must
never allow some weight in our life, or some sin
in our life, some compromise with sin to remove us
from the power of His grace in our lives. And
so keep running and never ever compromise with sin in
(14:52):
your life. And then finally rely upon God and his
word completely, always going forward, looking unto Jesus. The scripture says,
that's faith, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher
of our faith. What is there about us that always
(15:16):
wants to look back to the good old days? The
devil comes along and he plays that card, you know.
He says, remember back before you met Christ, how much
fun you were having. Remember back the old days when
you were in high school or college, and man, you
(15:36):
were having a blast. Remember all that, And he uses
the memory cord to strike, you know, pleasure into our
hearts about the way it used to be. And how
you know, what he doesn't remind us of is how
miserable we were, and how empty we were, and how
(15:57):
sinful we were in our days before Christ. It's like
that shirt I saw and a guy he was wearing
about his athletic career. He said, the older I get,
the better I was. And Satan wants you to look
back to the past. You know, if I just get
(16:19):
to the high school reunion and remember the way it was, well,
the way it was wasn't so great, really was it.
Don't turn back, don't look back. Like Lott's wife as
Sodom and Gomor was in flames to her own destruction.
(16:39):
We can't look back or turn back to the old life.
And when times get hard and cranksis will come, we
must run through the quitting points and keep on running.
And thankfully we don't have to do this in our
(17:00):
own strength. For Isaiah the Prophet said chapter forty verse
thirty one day that wait on the Lord. Those who
hope in him, trust in him, looking into Jesus, shall
mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and
not be weary. They shall walk and not faint, looking
(17:25):
unto Jesus, the Author and the finisher of our faith.
Knowing this that he who began the good work in you,
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. So
look to Jesus, fix your focus upon him, never take
your eyes off him. There's a great Old Testament personality
(17:48):
by the name of Caleb. Caleb is one of my
favorite people in all the Bible. At the age of
eighty five, after years of running the race trekking through
the day desert with Joshua and the children of Israel,
they now come to the moment of taking the promised Land,
and the prize is being passed out. The land of
(18:09):
Promise is being given to the various leaders of Israel
and homes and families and so on, and so Caleb
is time for him to receive his prize. And that's
when Caleb, now eighty five years old, says, I want
that mountain, and he pointed to a mountain filled with giants.
He was still climbing mountains, and at that advanced age,
(18:30):
he still wanted to conquer for the Lord God. And
so he says, give me that mountain. And he was
given a place called Hebron. And while it is somewhat
mysterious as to exactly what the word hebron means, it
most likely means fellowship, love, communion, fellowship, love, commute. It
(19:01):
was that Hebron that Abraham met with God face to face,
so Hebren may actually literally mean face to face with God,
fellowship with God. What did Caleb want at the end
of his days? After all those years, he still wanted
(19:26):
to be face with face with God. He said, give
me Hebron, give me that place of love and communion
and fellowship with God. Now my point is like Caleb,
like all faithful, fervent runners, and it is said of
Caleb that he followed the Lord fully, wholeheartedly, all the
(19:47):
days of his life. My point is, never stop looking
to Jesus, never stop longing for Jesus, to the place
of Hebron, where you are growing in your love and
devotion for Him. If you look back, you you will fail,
you will fall in the desert. But if you look
upward and onward, you will win. This is our desire,
(20:09):
this is the key, always desire to know and love
Jesus more and more, because that is what keeps us going.
This is what keeps us following. If you follow friends,
friends may disappoint you. If you're the only one running,
(20:29):
keep running, though none go with me. Yet still I'll follow.
People may fall around you, but you must be fueled
by faith and by the love of God and finish
well again, not just a short burst, but a long
obedience in the same direction. And then when the race
(20:56):
is done and the victory is one you will cross
the finish line with your hands held high, victorious in Christ.
You will be able to say, like the apostle Paul said,
Acts twenty twenty four, I have finished my course with joy.
(21:22):
He later said, near the end of his own race,
I have kept the faith. I fought the good fight.
I have finished the course. Are you doing what Jesus
is calling and compelling you to do? Are you running
hard after him? If so, you are victorious in Christ,
(21:50):
finishing vigorously and victoriously. This is not a time, dear people,
for slowing down. This is a time for speeding up.
This is not a time. It's never too late to
keep ongoing for Christ. This is not a time for
coasting or relying upon victories of the past. This is
(22:15):
a time for pursuing the Christ, forgetting those things which
are behind, and pressing forward to those things which are before.
The mark the prize of the high calling of God
in Jesus Christ. This is what keeps me going. This
is what keeps me fired up about the calling that
we have been given and what God is calling me
(22:36):
to do. God is calling all of us to do,
to run hard after Him. Amen, looking to Jesus, the author,
the finisher of our faith. You know Jesus didn't quit.
He endured the cross, despising its shame, and went all
the way to die on the cross for your sins
(23:00):
that you might be forgiven and cleansed and changed from
the inside out and know eternal life here now and forever.
You need to get in the race. And remember God
puts us in the race. Don't hear me saying today
in any way that you have to run in order
to be saved. No, we are running because we are saved,
(23:23):
because Christ is living in us, and therefore we run.
But first you must begin the race by being born again,
by receiving Christ into your life and the new life
that you have, so that you can start, instead of
living in the sin of the past or the present,
that you can start living in the joy of your
(23:46):
salvation of Christ.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message The Great Race Part two. Life doesn't always unfold
the way we hope. There are setbacks, losses, and seasons
that leave us asking where is God in all of this.
In his honest and encouraging book Diamonds in the Dark,
Doctor Graham shares how God is not absent in our pain.
(24:09):
He is present and He is at work. This powerful
resource walks you through some of life's hardest places to
reveal spiritual treasures God plants along the way. If you
or someone you love is facing grief, fear, or uncertainty,
this message will help you find strength, clarity, and hope
right where you are. And when you give a gift
(24:30):
of ten dollars or more, we'll send you a copy
of Diamonds in the Dark as our thanks. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven,
or just text diamond to five nine seven eight nine,
and don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
(24:51):
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot oh. And also
be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It is so very very important to win the race
of life, and the key to winning this race is
found in Hebrews chapter twelve. Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay
aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and
let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us. And here's the key. Looking to Jesus, the
(25:33):
founder and perfector of our faith. The first step to
running the race of life in victory and winning is
to run the race with everything you have. I don't
need to run your race, and you don't need to
run my race. Run your own race. Following after the Lord.
We've all been given this race Elaine to run in,
and we're to run with everything we have, all of
(25:55):
our hearts and to running your lane, well, you just
need to give God the very best that you have,
the best of your gifts, the best of your talents,
the best of your service. Secondly, running the race of
life means saying no to the sins of compromise. Allowing
the sin of compromise to creep into your life is
the fastest way to get off track. And then the
(26:15):
third step to running the race of life is to
rely completely on God and his word, trusting in Jesus,
looking to Jesus, always running forward and never turning back. Sure,
the devil's going to try to convince you of your
old way of life. That is the best way, but
don't believe his lives. Keep your eyes on Jesus during
the good times in the race as well as the
(26:36):
bad times in the journey. So as we close today's program,
let me ask you. Are you running hard? Are you
running hard after God and his will for your life?
Are you keeping sins of compromise out of your life?
Are you living according to the convictions of your faith?
Are you totally and completely trusting God and his word,
relying upon Jesus, who is the perfector the leader of
(26:59):
our faith. If you find yourself weakening in the race,
if you're tempting to get out of the race, remember
God will give you the strength to go on. Press on,
trust in Christ, follow Him and begin living the life
that God has given you in the power of Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you doctor Graham's book Diamonds in the Dark as our
thanks call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six
two seven. That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four
six two seven. You can also text the word diamond
(27:38):
to five nine seven eight nine and join us again
next time as doctor Graham brings a message about how
to ensure your life is filled with passion. That's next
time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham
is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry s
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Diamonds in
the Dark. But first here's the message the Great Race,
Part two.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take your Bibles in turn with me to Hebrews chapter twelve.
We know there's no easy way to be fit, to
be in shape, and it requires discipline and determination. Well,
there is another kind of running that requires both discipline
(00:42):
and determination. It is the race that every believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ is running. And the apostle Paul
often spoke of the athletic arenas of his own day
and of the contests the ancient world in which men
(01:02):
would run and be judged upon their running and their
value as an athlete. Was determined that the Bamas seat
as they would stand before judgment. And often we read
in the Bible that we are to compete as spiritual athletes,
that our Christian faith is to be muscular in the
way we respond and the way that we run. So
(01:25):
verse one and two. Verses one and two of Hebrews
twelve says this. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
(01:46):
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who,
for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand
of the throne of God. Indeed, if you are a
follower of Christ, then you are in this great race,
(02:09):
a spiritual race that requires endurance and commitment. But the results,
the benefits of running this race are immeasurable. Now, if
you have ever been a runner, you know that they
are all kinds of reasons to give up. So the
(02:31):
question is, how do we keep on trekking? How do
we keep moving forward as we follow Christ looking under Jesus,
the author and the finisher of our faith. What is
the secret to spiritual longevity? What steps can I take
in my Christian life to assure it that I will
(02:54):
not be a spiritual casualty, but that I will make
it all the way to the finish line, and only
to the finish line, but to finish with a flourish
Now we need to be asking these kinds of questions,
because one of these days, every one of us will
finish the race that we've been running, and whether we
(03:17):
win or whether we lose this race depends upon how
well we run. One day, each one of us will
die and stand before God, and our lives will be evaluated. Now,
God promises our place in heaven, and we are secure
(03:38):
in our place and in the promise of heaven. But
how we run determines our position in heaven. How many
people spend their days on earth just simply wasting time,
wasting their lives in a thousand trivial pursuits. Well, one
day God is going to ask each one of us
(04:01):
about our lives. How did you use your opportunities, your resources,
your time, your talents. What did you do to advance
the Kingdom of God in your lifetime? What did you
do to serve the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How many people are in heaven because you shared, because
(04:23):
you served, because you witness. Now, remember you don't We
don't know the end of the race. We don't know
how long we have to run. No doubt, you expect
to live a very long life, and that's fine, But frankly,
it doesn't happen that way all the time. Sometimes some
(04:44):
of us may live long lives, some of us may not.
Some of us may have shorter courses to run. And
that is why, in the time that we've been given,
however long that time may be, we must run passionately
and pursue to the prize. We need to make every
(05:04):
day matter, because remember that life is not truly measured
in its duration, but in its donation. In other words,
it's not matter how many years I live, but how
much of my life did I give. That's what matters.
(05:26):
The most. Time is of the essence in the great race.
And we don't have time to waste this gift of God,
this precious gift of God that we call life. And
we want to finish, and we want to finish well.
And so what can we do? What steps can we
(05:49):
take in order to ensure this longevity and the race
so that we don't stumble in or fall away or
turn back, but that we will finish with a flurish well.
These verses that we just read speak to us concerning
that very issue. So how do we maintain the pace,
(06:14):
finish the course well? Number one, Run with all your heart,
run with everything you've got. Just as others have faithfully
run before us, so are we to run and finish
the course now. Of course, the twelfth chapter follows the
Great Chapter of Faith Chapter eleven of Hebrews, And one
(06:35):
after another we have the spiritual biographies, or if you will,
the obituaries of the great men and women of faith
in the Old Testament, and how well they ran the race.
And since we are encompassed about by these witnesses, these
who have shared their faith before us, we ought also
to endure and to exercise our faith. And the common
(06:57):
characteristic of men and women who is that of faith?
Over and over again we read it by faith, by faith,
by faith, by faith, and literally it speaks of faithfulness
exercising that faith. We are not to run halthheartedly, but wholeheartedly.
(07:21):
So when it is time to worship, we want to
honor him. So what do we do. We show up
and we say I was glad when they said it
to me, let us go into the House of the Lord.
But how many people today will say, well, you know,
I just can't get to church into worship today. Oh
it is too rady, as too stormy, or some people
it's a chore it's a dread is something they have
(07:43):
to do. I can't go to church. I'm too busy.
I just need to stay home and spend a little
quality time with my family. The excuses run rampant, but frankly,
so many have made a lifetime of excuse is because
they lack commitment and discipline and determination and devotion to
(08:05):
the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Same could be
said of giving. We ask the Lord to provide for
our every need, and he does. He provides for us.
We ask the Church to meet our need, and the
Church is always there for us when we have a
(08:26):
funeral or a wedding, or a need in our lives,
or something some blessing to share the Church. We always
expect if we show up, that the church is going
to be fully operative and that we will experience a
great time in church. Well, and that's a good expectation,
by the way. And yet how many of us, while
(08:47):
we ask God to meet our needs and the Church
to meet our needs, how many of us, when the
offering plate is passed, we never even consider honoring the
Lord with the first fruits of our labor, bringing our
tithes and offerings on God's Day to God's Church and survy.
You see, giving is a matter of pursuing spiritual goals
(09:09):
in our lives and advancing the Kingdom of God. Say
you could be trust said of serving when where some
are asked to serve, there's always a reason why I can't,
or I'm too tired, or I'm too busy, or and
yet there are hundreds of opportunities for us to exercise
our faith and to give it everything we have in
(09:32):
serving Christ. So are you running the race? Are you
committed to the prize? Are you faithfully following Christ? If not,
I assure you you are headed for some detours and distractions,
and perhaps even a fall in your life. I assure you,
if you are not committed to Christ full out, then
(09:53):
you are in danger of becoming a spiritual casualty. It's
just a matter of time that you will be off
course and potentially out of the race. And this is
why we're told in the scriptures that we therefore are
to run with endurance, exercising our faith, and then to
(10:16):
lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily
besets us. As I said, the weight is anything that
slows us down in the race. The sin is what
stops us ultimately in the race. The sin could be
anything that is besetting, or that particular sin that holds
(10:37):
you back, that addiction, that power of sin that grips you.
But most likely the sin referred to in this passage
is the sin of unbelief. It is not trusting in God,
it is not following through in faithfulness. It is being
an unbelieving believer. The second thing that we need to
(10:58):
remember if we are going to to take these steps
forward is not to give in to sin. Refuse to
give in to sin, Refuse to compromise in any area
of our lives. Every athlete knows the necessity of preparation,
the need to stay strong, the need to prepare for
(11:19):
the contests, the need to get ready for difficulties. And
there are many reasons that an athlete would want to quit.
But it's true in a spiritual event, as well as
you run, you will face stumbling blocks and detours and temptations.
Remember this, you must always seek God's pleasure, not man,
(11:43):
and to follow after Christ and to keep yourself strong
in the race.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
The Great Race Part two. If you're walking through a
tough season. Diamonds in the Dark is a message you
need to hear. In this honest and hope filled book,
doctor Graham shows you how God uses grief, loss, and
hardship to reveal spiritual treasures you'd never discover otherwise. We
(12:10):
want to send you Diamonds in the Dark as a
thanks for your gift of ten dollars or more. Call
now to request your copy. Call one eight hundred seven
ninety five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred
seven ninety five four six two seven, or text the
word diamond to five nine seven eight nine. Don't let
(12:31):
stress rob you of peace. It is possible to break
the destructive grip of stress on your life and enjoy
the peace and abundance God desires for you. That's what
doctor Graham helps you do in his booklet Breaking Free
from Stress. We'll send you a digital download of Breaking
Free from Stress when you sign up for email updates
from PowerPoint Today. Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash
(12:52):
stress and sign up today. Now let's get back to
today's message, The Great Race, Part two.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
In the Book of Jude, there's an interesting verse which says,
keep yourself in the love of God. And when you
read that, you wonder what does that exactly means? Because
doesn't God keep us in the faith? Doesn't God secure
us in his grace? Aren't we already kept by the
power of God? And the answer is yes, absolutely, we
(13:22):
are kept by the power of God. So is what
is it to keep ourselves in the love of God?
Keep yourself in the love of God. Well, we all
know situations, we all know sins, we all know seasons
in our lives when we are vulnerable to the attacks
(13:44):
of the enemy. Peter, who knew something about that, having
denied the Lord three times in the face of the cross,
warming his hands by the fires of the enemies of Christ,
would later report that Satan is like a roaring lion
about seeking whom he may devour. The scripture speaks of
(14:05):
those who turn away from the faith, who turn back
from the faith. And so while God keeps us all
the way to the end and beyond into eternity, we
are to keep ourselves under the umbrella of His love
and protection and provision of His love. We are to
keep ourselves in a position that God can express his
(14:26):
love and show his love powerfully to us. We must
never allow some weight in our life, or some sin
in our life, some compromise with sin to remove us
from the power of His grace in our lives. And
so keep running and never ever compromise with sin in
(14:52):
your life. And then finally rely upon God and his
word completely, always going forward, looking unto Jesus. The scripture says,
that's faith, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher
of our faith. What is there about us that always
(15:16):
wants to look back to the good old days? The
devil comes along and he plays that card, you know.
He says, remember back before you met Christ, how much
fun you were having. Remember back the old days when
you were in high school or college, and man, you
(15:36):
were having a blast. Remember all that, And he uses
the memory cord to strike, you know, pleasure into our
hearts about the way it used to be. And how
you know, what he doesn't remind us of is how
miserable we were, and how empty we were, and how
(15:57):
sinful we were in our days before Christ. It's like
that shirt I saw and a guy he was wearing
about his athletic career. He said, the older I get,
the better I was. And Satan wants you to look
back to the past. You know, if I just get
(16:19):
to the high school reunion and remember the way it was, well,
the way it was wasn't so great, really was it.
Don't turn back, don't look back. Like Lott's wife as
Sodom and Gomor was in flames to her own destruction.
(16:39):
We can't look back or turn back to the old life.
And when times get hard and cranksis will come, we
must run through the quitting points and keep on running.
And thankfully we don't have to do this in our
(17:00):
own strength. For Isaiah the Prophet said chapter forty verse
thirty one day that wait on the Lord. Those who
hope in him, trust in him, looking into Jesus, shall
mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and
not be weary. They shall walk and not faint, looking
(17:25):
unto Jesus, the Author and the finisher of our faith.
Knowing this that he who began the good work in you,
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. So
look to Jesus, fix your focus upon him, never take
your eyes off him. There's a great Old Testament personality
(17:48):
by the name of Caleb. Caleb is one of my
favorite people in all the Bible. At the age of
eighty five, after years of running the race trekking through
the day desert with Joshua and the children of Israel,
they now come to the moment of taking the promised Land,
and the prize is being passed out. The land of
(18:09):
Promise is being given to the various leaders of Israel
and homes and families and so on, and so Caleb
is time for him to receive his prize. And that's
when Caleb, now eighty five years old, says, I want
that mountain, and he pointed to a mountain filled with giants.
He was still climbing mountains, and at that advanced age,
(18:30):
he still wanted to conquer for the Lord God. And
so he says, give me that mountain. And he was
given a place called Hebron. And while it is somewhat
mysterious as to exactly what the word hebron means, it
most likely means fellowship, love, communion, fellowship, love, commute. It
(19:01):
was that Hebron that Abraham met with God face to face,
so Hebren may actually literally mean face to face with God,
fellowship with God. What did Caleb want at the end
of his days? After all those years, he still wanted
(19:26):
to be face with face with God. He said, give
me Hebron, give me that place of love and communion
and fellowship with God. Now my point is like Caleb,
like all faithful, fervent runners, and it is said of
Caleb that he followed the Lord fully, wholeheartedly, all the
(19:47):
days of his life. My point is, never stop looking
to Jesus, never stop longing for Jesus, to the place
of Hebron, where you are growing in your love and
devotion for Him. If you look back, you you will fail,
you will fall in the desert. But if you look
upward and onward, you will win. This is our desire,
(20:09):
this is the key, always desire to know and love
Jesus more and more, because that is what keeps us going.
This is what keeps us following. If you follow friends,
friends may disappoint you. If you're the only one running,
(20:29):
keep running, though none go with me. Yet still I'll follow.
People may fall around you, but you must be fueled
by faith and by the love of God and finish
well again, not just a short burst, but a long
obedience in the same direction. And then when the race
(20:56):
is done and the victory is one you will cross
the finish line with your hands held high, victorious in Christ.
You will be able to say, like the apostle Paul said,
Acts twenty twenty four, I have finished my course with joy.
(21:22):
He later said, near the end of his own race,
I have kept the faith. I fought the good fight.
I have finished the course. Are you doing what Jesus
is calling and compelling you to do? Are you running
hard after him? If so, you are victorious in Christ,
(21:50):
finishing vigorously and victoriously. This is not a time, dear people,
for slowing down. This is a time for speeding up.
This is not a time. It's never too late to
keep ongoing for Christ. This is not a time for
coasting or relying upon victories of the past. This is
(22:15):
a time for pursuing the Christ, forgetting those things which
are behind, and pressing forward to those things which are before.
The mark the prize of the high calling of God
in Jesus Christ. This is what keeps me going. This
is what keeps me fired up about the calling that
we have been given and what God is calling me
(22:36):
to do. God is calling all of us to do,
to run hard after Him. Amen, looking to Jesus, the author,
the finisher of our faith. You know Jesus didn't quit.
He endured the cross, despising its shame, and went all
the way to die on the cross for your sins
(23:00):
that you might be forgiven and cleansed and changed from
the inside out and know eternal life here now and forever.
You need to get in the race. And remember God
puts us in the race. Don't hear me saying today
in any way that you have to run in order
to be saved. No, we are running because we are saved,
(23:23):
because Christ is living in us, and therefore we run.
But first you must begin the race by being born again,
by receiving Christ into your life and the new life
that you have, so that you can start, instead of
living in the sin of the past or the present,
that you can start living in the joy of your
(23:46):
salvation of Christ.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message The Great Race Part two. Life doesn't always unfold
the way we hope. There are setbacks, losses, and seasons
that leave us asking where is God in all of this.
In his honest and encouraging book Diamonds in the Dark,
Doctor Graham shares how God is not absent in our pain.
(24:09):
He is present and He is at work. This powerful
resource walks you through some of life's hardest places to
reveal spiritual treasures God plants along the way. If you
or someone you love is facing grief, fear, or uncertainty,
this message will help you find strength, clarity, and hope
right where you are. And when you give a gift
(24:30):
of ten dollars or more, we'll send you a copy
of Diamonds in the Dark as our thanks. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven,
or just text diamond to five nine seven eight nine,
and don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
(24:51):
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot oh. And also
be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It is so very very important to win the race
of life, and the key to winning this race is
found in Hebrews chapter twelve. Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay
aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and
let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us. And here's the key. Looking to Jesus, the
(25:33):
founder and perfector of our faith. The first step to
running the race of life in victory and winning is
to run the race with everything you have. I don't
need to run your race, and you don't need to
run my race. Run your own race. Following after the Lord.
We've all been given this race Elaine to run in,
and we're to run with everything we have, all of
(25:55):
our hearts and to running your lane, well, you just
need to give God the very best that you have,
the best of your gifts, the best of your talents,
the best of your service. Secondly, running the race of
life means saying no to the sins of compromise. Allowing
the sin of compromise to creep into your life is
the fastest way to get off track. And then the
(26:15):
third step to running the race of life is to
rely completely on God and his word, trusting in Jesus,
looking to Jesus, always running forward and never turning back. Sure,
the devil's going to try to convince you of your
old way of life. That is the best way, but
don't believe his lives. Keep your eyes on Jesus during
the good times in the race as well as the
(26:36):
bad times in the journey. So as we close today's program,
let me ask you. Are you running hard? Are you
running hard after God and his will for your life?
Are you keeping sins of compromise out of your life?
Are you living according to the convictions of your faith?
Are you totally and completely trusting God and his word,
relying upon Jesus, who is the perfector the leader of
(26:59):
our faith. If you find yourself weakening in the race,
if you're tempting to get out of the race, remember
God will give you the strength to go on. Press on,
trust in Christ, follow Him and begin living the life
that God has given you in the power of Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you doctor Graham's book Diamonds in the Dark as our
thanks call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six
two seven. That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four
six two seven. You can also text the word diamond
(27:38):
to five nine seven eight nine and join us again
next time as doctor Graham brings a message about how
to ensure your life is filled with passion. That's next
time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham
is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry s
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