Please open your Bible in the book of Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. This is not a Christmas message. I'm not going to teach you a New Year message, but I'm going to help you as you come to the New Year or the end of this year and face a new year. So let's look at this. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1. If you have a Bible at home, please open your Bible. and let's see what the Lord says right here. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which do so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our fate. for who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him there endured such contradictions of sinners against himself lest ye be worried and faint in your minds let's pray heavenly father thank you lord for this passage of scripture lord we are about to finish this year this is the last sunday we meet together and Lord help us as we face a new year. Help us and guide us. Lord take the steering wheel and help us and remind us to sit in the passenger seat. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. You may be seated. Well, we are following this series, a season to celebrate and tonight this is my last message on this season to press on. a season to press on you know the Christian life is a life of faith every step you take is by faith on what you believe and you one step at a time you live your Christian life it would be sad for me to say that is wrong for me to say there is no obstacles there's no problems and pains in life listen we live in a falling world we're center bounds our society is not helping and we live in the society is getting more and more wicked but we were born for such a time as this this is the time that you said you said you could say oh i wish i could live in moses's time i wish i could live in david's time no i'm glad i was born in this time this is the time the lord put me on the earth i love the way i prepare my message because all these electronic things they are blasting so i love this time you know that the lord put me here is a wonderful time don't live in the past don't live in the future you live now in the present that's what we live this is the time on which you live you say oh tomorrow the lord take care of tomorrow yesterday is just memories we can either learn from them or you can even make the same mistakes over and over again all right it's a choice that we make but we live in today this is the time right now right now you're here so open your ears and your heart to the Lord all right okay so Christmas is almost over okay or is over but don't forget that New Year's is after Christ all right like ah you don't watch it you kiss about the apple okay coming down you know New Year's after Christ you know we should celebrate another year New Year is a wonderful thing to do celebrate those things remembering that Jesus came 2024 years ago and come to 2025 what it is a season to press on why because listen one of the things of our society is discouragement a lot of people are very discouraged because they have no aim in life Their life is aimless. They go to work on Monday. They can't wait for Friday. They're complaining when they walk in and they complain when they walk out. There's no joys, no gratitude of heart. So that's their way to live. They live with the aimless life. They don't know where they're heading to. They don't stop and think and put the brakes on and say, all right, where am I heading to? Where am I going with this? They don't. But we do as Christians. We know where the finish line is. We know where we're going. We know who we serve. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, so is it season to press on? okay through the bible God uses illustration to help us understand the nature of the christian life for an example second timothy the christian life is a it continues to be a war and God says you are a soldier of the cross locus says in second timothy two three it says thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ It will be battles this coming year. Go like this. It will be battles. It will be physical battles? Probably. It will be emotional battles? Probably. Because we're not made out of steel. We are made of flesh and blood. We have emotions. We have feelings. And sometimes we do struggle. so we have to put as we press on take the lord with you remember that i said this morning god loves you you are loved by god and he loves you listen when don't let the devil whisper in your ears and say nobody cares about you nobody loves you you are loved by god what a great fear you are loved god loves you unconditionally So Hebrews 12, it gives us a picture here of an arena of athletes on and the host of course, the people are watching them running around. What a wonderful thing. This was a picture of the Olympic games, okay. So the runner are those believers who are experiencing the trials in the first century church right here. Paul understood what persecution was like and he was in prison in Rome himself, poor guy, and he went through that. but one thing he says in 2nd timothy 4-6 it says for i am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand verse 7 says i have fought a good fight i have finished my course i have kept the faith what a wonderful thought isn't it i have kept the faith i fought a good fight you know what you know for all of us we're in the same place we fight in the good fight of faith Sometimes we coming down like almost defeated we come into the walks it to the walls of the church. We come in in the door and you like just Going like this. What a week I had ever been there And as a blessing when you walk out, yes Lord, I'm ready for battle again Isn't that great? because you've been encouraged then that's you know that's us together as a church we encourage one another we edify one another so we can go back to the battle it's a spiritual battle it is a spiritual battle and you know what don't give in don't give in so let's look at this from a few points tonight if you like to follow outlines i like to give outlines and you find to find one right here in the screens and right there on your bulletin is a little paper there uh let's look at this from several points number one preparation for the race is a must for this journey that you and i are about to get in this new year Preparation is a must. I promise you that that this continuing year there will be issues There will be discouragements. There will be stress. There will be anxieties hard situations to resolve crossroads Emotional pain physical pain and many other things you say pastor. No, it's a new year out with the old Uh, yeah, and you all come to new, you know, listen, listen your bills will continue You know, they will continue. They don't stop. You know, the problems go from the old to the new. They won't stop. We like to close our eyes to those things. But guess what? That's not the way it is. That's not the way it is. Praise the Lord when we want to do something new and we stick with it. Because let me tell you this. Many people are making New Year's resolutions. And most of the time, New Year's resolutions don't even live the first week. This is what I heard this week. This, I'm not gonna say what gym it is, okay? All right, so they said that, from, this is what they said, 90% of the people that their names are in the gym, they go and sign their new names, you know, by a year membership and all that, they said they expect 3% of that people to come. I'm like, wow. So you see about 90% of people sign their names and 3% shows up. Probably the 3% are the same people that used to go there in the first place. Maybe a couple of more show up. But it happens. I'm telling you. I remember when I used to go to the gym when I used to be like muscle man. No, I'm just kidding. But in those days, come to the week of right after New Year's, and the place was jammed up. And before you know, everybody disappeared. but see but there's a preparation for the race we come to this new year we need to prepare ourselves for this new year how you prepare yourselves for this new year how you we should as christian prepare ourselves letter a hundreds must be removed look what it says let us lay aside every weight The first century Olympics, the early runners of the Greek games typically wear ropes throughout the day. These flowing garments had to be set aside for the race. Listen, ladies, you don't want to go to run with a skirt or a dress. You probably will fall down, right? I don't want to go run with a suit either. So you dress properly for the race. How we do, how we put those things aside, listen. There are things in our life, the better thing we need to do is put them aside. We don't need them. Why carry so much weight on our backs for running when we can go very far? All right, I'm gonna put a bag of sand with 25 pounds on top of you and say, go run a mile. You probably won't make it. You say, well, yeah, sure, you, okay, maybe you do. But when you get there, you'll be like, almost dying because that's the truth so it's that all the hindrance of life things that are necessary put them aside put them to the side no you search your heart and mind and say what things i need to do to put aside to better serve my savior let me give you an illustration right here like this certain hobbies certain friendships certain habits, certain activities, creeping things that put so much clutter in our lives. You say, I don't need this. I'm going to put it aside. There are things that are healthy for us. They don't build us up. So what we do with them? Put it aside. see when these runners win in the olympic games they prepare themselves they put things that they don't need aside we christians we need to put things aside that doesn't help us to run the race listen it's going to be 365 what this year days 365 days it's a long marathon it's a long marathon so we need we put those hundreds aside another thing letter b is sin must be dealt with for sure none of us is going to stop sinning nobody's perfect here nobody's perfect online all right it would be nice when we got saved that the lord would take the sinful nature away from us that would be a glorious thing but you know what the lord choose not to why i don't know ask him i don't know i'm not god but let me tell you that we have a sinful nature put sin aside you know what here's one thing but pastor how can I do that all right this is very simple let's keep short accounts with God how you do that when you know I've done wrong ask the Lord to forgive you immediately because you know what you can be the center of God's will this minute in the next minute you're not in the center of God's will anymore because our mind is very prone to sin And that's what happens. So what we do, if we're going to run this race, if we're going to press on, then put sin aside or deal with sin as fast as possible look what it says in verse one let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us the sin that easily beset us is that sin that constantly discourage us from from or bring us shame the one we continually go back to despise knowing it is always will get us in trouble Many Christians deal with the selling sense of pride, sometimes procrastination, and many other sins. They are saying, listen, you and I all have weakness. Your weakness is now my weakness. My weakness is now your weakness. You follow that? You say, Pastor, every time I fall into this thing, okay I could say like I don't have a problem with that but I'm going to say oh goodness but I struggle with this you know my worst thing I'm going to tell you what my worst thing is patience I have to ask the lord to give me patience constantly because I am not very I'm not very patient by by nature you know is because my upbringing to be honest with you I'm not trying to excuse myself here okay but you know at 12 years 13 years old I was running my dad's business and I was telling people that wouldn't have to be my grandfathers how to do and where to go and they look at me like this little guy was born the other day is telling me what to do so I had to be you know and I was very impatient because I want them to do and the family members are the worst They give you the hardest time. You know, I have an uncle of mine that guy. Oh my goodness, but in a minute So so tonight I ran my own business. So I became a manager in the company and through my life I have all those things And I was like, you know when you are in that position you want here now give it to me right now I want it right now And it got in my brain and why to this day I have to ask the lord to give me patience Patience is one of my weakness let me tell you this you can say pastor I don't have that problem all right so where's your problem don't tell me please just keep going between you and the lord all right but see what I have to when I want you to understand is this is that there is you have some weakness that I don't have I have weakness that you don't have and you know I need to do when we know that we need help we need to ask the lord to forgive us and help us Look what says in Psalm 18 23. I'm uh, I was also up up right before him and I kept myself from mine From uh myself from my iniquity. So listen, please if is there a besetting sin that you need to turn from today the goodness is that It doesn't I mean you can ask the lord to forgive you and try to say lord. I have a weakness on this area Can you please help me now? Believe me the lord will help you through it so as we uh going to this race the preparation for the race is hindrance must be removed okay sand must be dealt with and let's go to our second point setting the pace for the race is a must so preparation for the race is a must we need to prepare ourselves all right what person runs a marathon that is not prepared don't tell me you're going to run five miles and you never ran not even a half a mile So we prepare ourselves for that. Okay. So the second one setting the pace for the race is a must. Every person that runs a race sets his own pace. Some people try to get ahead of everybody. And before you know it, the ones that set their pace, pass them along the way. Because a marathon is a long journey, is a long road. It's not just you run a half a mile, I'm all set. No, no, no. You got to set your own pace so you keep going ahead. You know why? Because we have a finish line to cross. So we set your pace to get there. But this person's ahead of me. Don't worry. You're running your race, they're running their race. You follow that? So for many people, running is an intimidating sport. Who likes to run here? Nobody likes to run. OK. All right. It's not the idea of running that is frightening. After all, we are made to use our feet in a way. So running requires learned events or instruction. Anybody can run. The hang up for many people is the pace. They become overwhelmed thinking, sure, I could make it to the mailbox or maybe to the end of the street. But what about everything after that? You set your pace. How many times we don't set the New Year goals? We set the New Year goals and we should do the same for everything else. We set the pace, how are we going to run this race? You have 365 days, how are you going to run the race? He said, Pastor, I don't like to run the race. I'm not gonna run anything. You know, all right, okay. It's a set race. Look what it says in verse, letter A. It's a set race. Look at verse 12, chapter 12, verse one. And let us run the race with what? Patience, the race that is set before us. Listen, folks, I'm just trying to help you here tonight, all right? In this 365 days, maybe one of us or somebody may have the news of cancer. Somebody might have disappointments, discouragement. Maybe a family member goes to heaven. There's all kinds of things that happens. You know what? It's a sad race. You know what you do? It's a long race right here. And look what he says, let us run with patience. I need patience. You need patience because it's a long race. You know what people do? Listen, I ran marathons when I was young. I played sports. And I tell you what, when you're running and you set your race, you know what happens? You got a cramp in your leg and your mind says, quit, quit, quit. Then the cramp goes away and you go, I'm thirsty. I'm thirsty. I'm thirsty. and your mind play games with you, then you go, oh, my leg hurts. Oh, the other leg. See, you have that tendency. You want to quit. And it's constantly going. Same thing in the Christian life. Listen, I'm not going to church today. Why? Oh, I don't know. Nobody likes me there. Yeah. Oh, I'm not going to read my Bible anymore. Why? Because, you know, I don't understand this. I don't understand that. Listen, run the race with patience. Keep going day in, day out. You know what? I start my new year always Bible reading. I read through my Bible the whole year. He said, Pastor, how you doing? You know what? I did 10 chapters a day this past, this year. I finished early, but you set your pace and you keep with it. Some days you might not going to feel like doing it. Some days you don't want to do it at all. Some days you're totally discouraged. Some days you don't understand what you read and you go, what's the use? Keep going at it. Keep doing it. It is a set race. All right. Let it be. It is a steady race. Now as I said race is a steady race not only instructs us to run but to run let us run with patience but it's a steady race you know what runners when they're training for marathons they learn how to have a steady race to run the race in a way that they can make it to the finish line they can and that pace some people cannot keep up with it okay so in this steady race what do you do when you find another christian down and down and discouraged and beat down about to quit and give up Pick them up. Pick them up. Here's the word, edify. Pick them up. Because you know what? They felt today, you're going to fall tomorrow. When they come behind you, you down, and they pick you up as well. Listen, it is this race that we're having. We press on, but don't forget your brothers and sisters as you press on. We need each other. I need you, you need me. You follow that? We need each other. Listen, today you're crying, tomorrow I'm crying. Today you're discouraged, tomorrow I'm discouraged. Today you're hurting, tomorrow I'm hurting. So this is a race that we need to help each other here. Don't you come to a place like, I'm going to run this race, I could care about everybody else. Don't do that. That's not how we run the Christian race. Set your pace for your race this coming year. Plan to attend church more often. Plan to have a Bible reading for the year. Plan to memorize scripture. Plan to get more involved in your local church. You must set your pace so that you can be consistent in your marathon. Consistency is the greatest ingredient of the Christian life. Actually, consistency is the greatest thing for everything we do. You set your pace and stay consistent with it. This year, keep your torch, the light of your testimony, keep it up for the Lord Jesus Christ. Be the light of the world. Run with patience, stay in love with Jesus and be faithful to God. If you can do those things despite the trials, despite the discouragement, despite everything that happened, listen, keep your eyes on the Lord as you run this race this year. Help me and I will help you. Let's do it together. He said, Pastor, what about when I'm discouraged? What about when I'm hurting? What about when I think nobody cares about me? What about when I think nobody loves me? I want to tell you something, I bet you in this local church, there will be people that will be calling you because they love you. Here's the thing, let's do that to each other. Love one another in the Lord and remember this, God loves you and God is watching. So as we prepare for this new year, We see the preparation for the race is a must. Setting a pace for the race is a must. A goal for our race is a must. So what is the goal? The most sad thing to do is run a race without a goal. There are many people who are running the race of life confused, aimless, without any goal at all. They are running, but they don't know where they're heading to. They are running, but they don't know where the finish line is. They don't have God in their lives. So they're running this marathon, this race of life aimlessly. Ask them, hey, where are you heading to? They don't know. They live for the here and now, today. But you and I, you and I, we know there is a finish line. and you know who is at the end of the end at the finish line Lord Jesus is there waiting we are going home we're heading somewhere we know where we're heading to and people say I have people that say to me you actually you actually think you're going to heaven I said yes I am how you know that because the bible tells me so it's a really you have that much faith I do I do if I don't have faith in the word of God what else I'm going to put my faith into is a great fate isn't it the fate in the in the very word of God that says that I is the finish line to cross and that place is going to heaven right there to the presence of the Lord listen as you run the race don't forget the joy of serving Jesus there's a joy that the world cannot give you but only God's word can give us that joy a goal for our race is a must But we Christians run the race with purpose. We run the race with purpose because we know there is a finish line, like I said, but we are to run this race with joy, anticipating the finish line. All right, easy for you to say joy. I say this many times, I think it's good to repeat sometimes some things. Joy and happiness are not the same thing. all right i can be happy or i can be sad isn't that true you know if i bring you a nice gift right now and come to you and say here's a gift i want you to have it you probably will smile and say that for me and you forget about everything and he goes ah and you begin to smile because i give you a gift no happiness right you forget about your problems for about two or three seconds and you're so happy But after you open the present, you put it aside and all the problems come back again. Happiness is gone. But the joy of the Lord stays regardless of who we're going through. Okay. There will be pains this year. There will be obstacles. There will be valleys. There will be mountaintops. It will be anxiety. It will be all kinds of stuff going on. But tell you what, the joy of the Lord is still in our hearts regardless. And the one thing that we can bank on is that God loves us regardless. What a great God that we serve. So we already seen that we are not in this race of life to win a temporary and corruptible prize like a gold medal. We run for something far more valuable and permanent. The prize of our race is Jesus. we are we are ever running after him should we keep our eyes look at that we are running our race with our eyes focused on jesus look it says in chapter 12 verse 2 looking unto jesus we are to run this race with our eyes on the lord there are many people who are running the race of life for themselves there are many others who are running this race of life to please other people there are many people who are running the race of life aimlessly they don't know where they are heading to They don't know the meaning of the existence. If you talk to them, they give you a good talk like they know where they are going to, but they don't know. But let me tell you, we as Christians are to run our race with the eyes focused on the Lord. The letter A, we are pursuing a person. We are pursuing a person. So we run in this race, we're pursuing who? The Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote that the goal of his life, the primary purpose, for his race and the trials and passing in there was knowing Jesus. Luke says in Philippians chapter 3 verse 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable into his death. So Paul says I'm running in this race but I'm running this race because I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. Well you know what Listen, we all in this race of life, all of us, we run in this race of life. The question is, where are you heading to? There is a finish line for all of us. Listen, thousands of people won't make it to the new year. I'm not trying to scare you, please. Thousands of people won't make it to the new year. Millions of people won't make it to the end of next year. They're going to cross the finish line. where they're heading to I think I want to cross that finish line with Jesus as my savior more than taking the chances for myself and say well whatever happens happens I'll take care of myself oh I feel bad for you don't do that the worst thing a person can do is leave the earth without Jesus that's the worst thing or that listen we live in a society today that says don't matter what you believe in no matter what God you you worship we all go into heaven he's the same God that's not true That is not true. If you look at the core doctrines of these religions, you will understand that they deny the very deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. How sad is that? And then Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man come to the Father but by me. If that is the truth, then every other thing is not making a person go into heaven. So we are pursuing a person. Who's that person? The Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus never changes. Look what it says in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. Aren't you glad you worship a God that never changes? His words stand still for all eternity. Let it be. We are pursuing a pattern. The pattern that we must pursue as we run our race should never be the world's pattern. Some people are patterning themselves after the world. Some churches are patting themselves after the world. Oh, we got to look like them so that we can win them for Christ. How sad is that? Listen, when a person is serious about God, he's going to find a Bible-believing church. He's going to. When a person is serious about God, he's going to. When a person is serious about God, he's going to open his heart and his ears and his mind, and he's going to accept the Word of God. How do you think people receive Jesus as their Savior? Because they're willing to listen. They're willing to listen. We are pursuing a pattern here. So will we pattern ourselves? We have a whole new year, a whole new marathon to run. We can pattern ourselves after the world. We can pattern ourselves after God. That's a choice that you and I make. I cannot make that choice for you. You cannot make that choice for me, right? We'll make our choices. We are pursuing a pattern. You know why? There are many people who are pursuing the pattern of the world. They find the world more attractive than the Word of God. They find the world more attractive than the house of God. They find the world more attractive than walking holiness and godliness. So we are world, listen, this world is always going to press on against you and against me. Always going to do that. This world want to shape you to its mold. Want you to think like the world thinks. Want you to live like the world lives. Want you to speak like the world speaks. Want you to behave like the world behaves. This world's always going to do that. It's not going to go away. It's up to you to say, you know what? I'm standing up against the current. I'm going to live for Jesus. Only you can do that. I cannot do that for you. We are pursuing a pattern. Each one of us are pursuing a pattern. What's going to be your pattern for this coming year? Luke says in verse 3, Consider him that have endured such contradiction as sin against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Listen, the mind. Be not conformed to this world, but be renewed. Let's go to Romans chapter 12. Let's go there. We're almost done. Let's go there, Romans chapter 12. We can look at it. it is right here look at look what it says look what Paul is trying to say to us right here I beseech you therefore brethren I beg you this is what Paul said I beg you by the mercies of God that why ye present tense present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is a reasonable service and look what it says it talks about the mind right here and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that he may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Folks, all right, how are you going to renew your mind? It's God's Word right here. That's how we renew our minds. We can pattern ourselves after the world and what the world teaches and live like the world and say, ah, look what I got. we can put ourselves after the word of God and day by day renew our minds in the things of God you say pastor you don't understand you want to touch with reality we live in a 21st century this listen it don't matter what century we live in it really doesn't matter we either live for God or live for ourselves in the world it's a choice that all of us make here isn't it true i mean i cannot make choices for you you cannot make choices for me but let me tell you we can pattern the self after the word of god and some people say oh you cannot live this way anymore yes you can yes you can oh come on don't like listen you can't live a godly life in this wicked world you think the other past generations there were no wicked wicked societies oh yes they were we were born for such a time as this That's what time we were born, such a time as this. And what are we going to do with it? We're going to live once. What a long journey ahead of us. You say, well, Pastor, there's only three answers. Let me tell you this way. It goes like this. OK. This is me every year. I look at the lights in my house that I decorate, and I said, ah, that's OK. I just shove this in the bag. And by next Christmas, I know exactly where they go. You know what happens the next Christmas? I have no clue where they're going. You're like, where in the world? Why didn't I put little tags in here so I know where they're going? You know what? I do the same thing every year. It's the same excuse. Shove it in. You know why? Because it's a long marathon. And there's many things go on through the year. And by next Christmas, guess what happens? The journey is so long, they already forgot. All right. Pastor, what am I going to do in this coming year? I don't know. Start with God. That's the best counsel I can give you. Start our day with God. End our day with God. Pastor, I never read a Bible. Well, start afresh and new. It's always the first thing for everything, right? Let me tell you, I never spent Christmas away from home. I did this year for the first time. Did you fell? Oh, it was great. I guess I should have done before. But you know what? It's always the first thing for everything. You know, as a pastor, I never read through the Bible. I'm glad you told me that. Start this year, January 1st. Start your day with God. How many chapters did you read? Read a verse, read two verses, read a whole chapter, whatever you the Lord put in your heart. Pattern yourself. Put your pace on. Don't read for reading, read it because you want to read and read because you want to know your God. Because I mean, you can go, I just did my little Bible reading. What did you learn? Nothing, but I'm going to read. No, no, no, no. You set your pattern, you set your pace and read the word of God and try to understand. You know, like a cow, we read it and we chew on it and we chew on it. I close with this. What are the goals for the new year? What are your goals for the new year? Do you seek to be a better person, a better Christian? What are the things that you want to get rid of in your life to serve the Lord better? Listen, a Christian who is faithful to read and to study God's word and to serve him better is a wonderful thing. May Jesus Christ be the theme of our hearts this coming year. May we consider His will and His example to follow each and every day in this next 365 days and give Him glory for each day. Say thank you, Lord, when you lay your head on a pillow at night and you're ready to close your eyes for the night. Thank you, Lord, that you made me part of this day. Lord, if I wake up tomorrow morning, guide me. Guide me. As I press on, be by my side. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, so much for the Word of God, the Bible. Thank you for your love and mercy and your goodness. And I pray for my brothers and sisters tonight. I pray, Father, there's a new year ahead of us. I pray for them for the encouragement. They will be excited about it, serving you in a new year. And I pray, Father, help us to not forget one another. When we discourage, bring those people to us to encourage us, to build us up as we continue to serve you together. In Jesus name I pray, amen. Are we out of?