How To Run To Win

Finally – be willing to look beyond to who can pick you up

Pastor, how can we run to win? Finally, if you’re going to run to win, you have to be willing to look beyond who can pick you up. In other words, the good news is that if you trip and fall, you don’t have to stay down. We serve a God who will pick you up He’ll give you another chance to keep on running on the track. Pastor, where is that in our text? In verse 2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” The Lord will pick you up, dust you off and put you back on the track to run your race. Listen, I need to tell somebody, get back on the track! Get back in the race! You can win! You don’t know how close you are to the finish line that God has set for you.

Jesus is your coxswain

In Canada, there is a popular sport called “Rowing.” Rowing is a team of people racing against other crews in a boat on the water. They have oars that they use to propel them on the water. I want to note though, they are pulling backward. The goal that they are trying to get too is behind them. They can’t see it because their back is to the goal. All they are doing is rowing in “agon”; rowing in “agony.” It gets tough but they keep on rowing! They can’t see the goal that’s behind them so they don’t know how far they are from the finish line; however, they keep on rowing.

Here is the question. How come they don’t get discouraged in the race especially since they can’t see the finish line? Notice if you will, there is somebody else in the boat with them. That person doesn’t have any oars in his hand. This is the “coxswain” of the group. All the coxswain does is talk to his teammates who are rowing as if their lives depended on it. The coxswain shouts words of encouragement to his teammates with things like, “You can’t see it but you are closer than you realize, so keep on rowing!”

Well, I want to tell you that if you got Jesus in your boat, keep on rowing! You might not be able to see where you’re going, but He can see what you can’t see. Keep on rowing! Jesus is in your boat saying, “You are closer than you realize. You are more blessed than you realize. You are further along than you realize so don’t give up! Get back in the race!” 

Jesus is a runner

You do know Jesus is a runner himself? I’ve been discussing Noah, Abraham, and Moses running, but the Lord Jesus was a runner too. Jesus had a race to run. Verse 2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, 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.”

The writer here is telling us that Jesus was a runner. He started running way back before there was a “when” or “where” or a “then” or a “there.” Jesus ran throughout the universe and He set galaxies running from one galaxy to another. He put up the sun, the moon, and the stars. Jesus was running and He put the earth in place and dipped up canyons and seas and oceans. He planted mountains and scooped out valleys.

Not only did He run throughout the universe, but you’ll see Jesus running through the Old Testament. He helped God out in the making of man. That’s why the Bible says “Let us make man!” He ran up Mt. Moriah to help Abraham out when he was about to slay his only son, Isaac. Isaac said, “Daddy, I see the knife, I see the wood and I see the fire, but I don’t see the sacrifice.” Abraham responded, “God will provide.” The Bible said Abraham looked and there was a lamb caught in the thicket. The lamb was Jesus. 

Jesus ran from Mt. Moriah to Mt. Horeb, right when Moses was passing by and God needed someone to liberate Israel. Jesus ran into a bush and the bush caught on fire. Moses turned aside to see it and Jesus spoke from the burning bush and said, “Moses, take off your shoes for the ground upon which you stand is Holy Ground!” Jesus later ran 700 miles to Babylon where the Bible tells us that there were three Hebrew boys named Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego who were thrown into a fiery furnace. But Jesus met them in the furnace to cool it off for them. The King looked in with amazement and said, “I threw three men in but I see four and one of them looks like the Son of God.” 

All I’m trying to tell you is that Jesus was a runner. Jesus ran through eternity, He ran through the Old Testament and then the Bible says He ran through 42 generations and landed in a place called Bethlehem hooked up with Mary and Joseph. Jesus ran from there to a place called Capernaum and healed Jarius’ daughter who had been dead, by resurrecting her back to life. He left there and ran to Bethany and raised up Lazarus who had been dead for four days. All He said was “Lazarus, come forth!” He ran to a place called Nain, where there was a widow woman who lost her only son. He touched the boy and told him to rise.

Jesus kept on running. He ran to a place where there was a woman who had been sick for 12 long years. All she did was touch the hem of His garment and she was made whole.

But He didn’t stop there. Jesus ran to a place called Jericho where there was a blind man named Bartimaeus who said to Jesus, “While on others thou are calling, do not pass me by!” Jesus healed him.

He kept running to Gethsemane where He prayed to His Father. Then He ran to Judgment Hall and from Judgment Hall to Calvary. Between the sixth and the ninth hour, He hung his head and died.

But He kept on running. He ran down to Hell and held a revival meeting in Hell and snatched the keys back. After three days, He kept on running. He ran back to the grave just in time to be resurrected on Sunday morning. He ran for 40 days with His disciples before running back to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father.

And one of these old days He’s going to run back to earth and get all of the runners and say, “Come blessed of my Father.”

• Run your race.
• Run to win.
• Be in it to win!
• Lay aside my weights, lay aside envy

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