We Are Running

Jeremiah 29:11–13
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

We Are Formed

Jeremiah 11:16
The Lord named you
“A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the noise of a great tumult
He has set fire to it,
And its branches are worthless.

Jeremiah 12:1–3
1 Righteous are You, Lord, when I plead my case with You;
Nevertheless I would discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?
2 You have planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have also produced fruit.
You are near to their lips
But far from their mind.
3 But You know me, Lord;
You see me
And examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter,
And set them apart for a day of slaughter!

Honesty with God

You have to be honest with God.

Honesty takes time. Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God. We have to sit with Him and sift through things. What we really need and what God is really after is for us to give Him our heart so He can work. God knows what’s in Jeremiah’s heart, but Jeremiah needed to get to a place of real honesty with God.

Jeremiah 12:5
5 “If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
How can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the thicket by the Jordan?”

Jeremiah 12:7–8
7 “I have forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have handed the beloved of My soul
Over to her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to hate her.”

Jeremiah 13:15–17
15 Listen and pay attention, do not be haughty,
For the LORD has spoken.
16 Give glory to the LORD your God
Before He brings darkness
And before your feet stumble
On the mountains in the dark,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into gloom,
And turns it into thick darkness.
17 But if you do not listen to it,
My soul will weep in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will shed
And stream down tears,
Because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive.

Running Form

The World’s Form

How of the world: Comparison
We get our bearings from others. We compare and contrast our accomplishments, views, strengths, looks, against everybody around us.

Why of the world: Competition
This is what keeps the world going. Since the fall of man, our story has been one of conquering and taking.

What does this do to people?

1. You will experience pride in success and despair in failure.
2. You will become cold and prejudiced.

God Offers Us a Better Form: Jesus’ Form

Philippians 2:1–8
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”

Hebrews 12:1b–2
…let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:3
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

How Jesus Ran: Obedience

Not: “How am I doing compared to everybody else?” But: “What has my Father asked me to do?”

Why Jesus Ran: Compassion

Not competition. Compassion. We experience compassion for people through God’s love.

The World’s Running Form

• How do I know how I’m doing? Comparison.
• Why do I keep running? Competition.

Jesus’ Running Form

• How do I know where I’m going? Obedience.
• Why do I keep running? Compassion.

Isaiah 40:31 (implied)
Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will walk and not grow weary, run and not grow faint, and rise on the wings of eagles.

One final note tonight… there’s somebody who’s run your race already, and that’s Jesus. The Bible says that He is acquainted with our suffering.

If you feel like God is inviting you to trust Him, I want you to respond to that invitation.

Two categories of people to respond:

• Those who maybe have been asking Jesus to come alongside them and realize tonight that Jesus is asking them to come alongside Him.
• Those who realize they’ve been running with the wrong form and can tell you’re bitter, burned out, or frustrated.

Altar ministry team invited forward