It's Not How You Start the Race...

Memory Verse: Hebrews 12:1 ”Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Our lesson mentions a race – the Boston Marathon – that a middle-aged teacher with no prior races nor running experience, trained for and participated in. The Boston Marathon is a 26-mile race. To give you an idea of how far that is, according to MapQuest, an internet mileage website, Payette to Parma is about 22 miles, and Weiser to Cambridge is about 30 miles. Would you be able to run that far on foot? What would be necessary to run that far? (Lots of training and preparation; a real desire to finish the race; really good running shoes and comfortable clothing; something to drink and eat along the way; a map to find the way, etc.)

Our relationship with God is like a race. How is preparing for a race, like the Boston Marathon, similar to your life’s relationship with God? It requires training and practice in order to reach the goal – a personal relationship with our Creator/Savior God. What is a personal relationship? (One where both parties know each other well) How do you develop one? (Time spent with the other person, learning about the other person, sharing yourself with them and letting them share themselves with you)

What would be some of the ways we would train for this race? (Prayer, Bible Study, Fasting, Worship, Obeying the Ten Commandments, Keeping the Holy Days)

Why would you need to train? (To keep yourself strong in what you believe and why; to give answers about your faith and beliefs to those who ask; to be prepared for the distractions/temptations of Satan; to wage spiritual warfare when attacked, etc.)

What obstacles would you face? (Temptation, distraction from prayer and Bible study, worldly interests and pursuits, your own selfish, self-centered nature, etc.)

Who would want to keep you from finishing the race? (Satan) Why? (To keep you from finishing the race; to make you disgusted at yourself for failing once again so that you eventually will stop trying to make the changes in your life God wants you to make; to cause you to despair; to make you angry at God so you turn away from Him; to de-rail your personal one-on-one relationship with God; to make you fail).

Prayer – talking to God – building the relationship Bible Study – learning about God and what He wants us to do and who He is Fasting – strengthening us spiritually Worship – demonstrating our acceptance of God’s rule in our lives Ten Commandments – teaching us about the character of God –giving us rules by which we can govern ourselves Holy Days – teaching us about God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. Will any of these things do you any good if the ground of your heart and mind is not properly prepared?

Jesus told a parable about a farmer and some seeds he was planting.

Matthew 13:3-9 “He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Matthew 13:18-23 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

What kinds of “seeds” is God trying to plant in you? (Things about God you learn in Sabbath School, principles of godly character you learn from the behavior and actions of your parents and other Christians; things you learn from reading your Bible; things you learn from sermons preached on the Sabbath and Holy Days, etc.)

What kind of ground is God going to find in you? Will it be hard like that on the footpath so that God can’t reach you?

Mark 4:14-15 “The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.”

Luke 8:11-12 “The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.”

Hard Packed ground Seeds planted in hard packed ground do not grow. They cannot penetrate the hard ground to produce roots. They are fair game to anything that eats seeds.

Hard packed ground is very hard to dig or even for water to penetrate. Some people’s minds and hearts are like that – closed to God. They hear about God, but their minds and hearts are so hard that His Word cannot penetrate to change their lives. They go on trying to do everything themselves and trusting in their own power. They think a relationship with God is foolishness. They are easy prey for distractions and temptation from Satan.

You can take hard, packed ground and make it fertile and soft digging it and fertilizing it. You do this in your life by real effort in prayer, and Bible Study/Reading. It might be hard, but if you want it badly enough, you can work to make it happen.

I Cor 1:18-25 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.”

Will it be rocky with many things to distract you from developing your personal relationship with God?

Mark 4:16-17 “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word."

Luke 8:13 “The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.”

Rocky/Stony Ground Plants planted in rocky, stony ground are not healthy. Their roots are shallow and they are spindly and weak. Some die, and some just hang on desperately for life, producing very little fruit, if any.

You can take rocky, stony ground and make it useful by removing the rocks – behaviors and things in your life that keep you from developing that godly relationship with your Creator/Savior. It will take work to remove the “stones and rocks”, then you also will have to plow and fertilize with prayer and Bible Study/Reading.

Will your ground be full of weeds and thistles so that a relationship with God is choked out?

Mark 4:18-19 ”The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced."

Luke 8:14 “ The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.”

Ground full of weeds, thistles and thorns Seeds planted in weedy, thorny ground are similar to those planted in rocky ground. They may grow, but they are weak and unhealthy. Soon some are crowded out by the weeds and thorns that grow in poor ground, sucking up the water and nutrients the plant needs – eventually it dies, never producing fruit.

You can take ground that is full of weeds and thistles and make it plantable by removing those weeds, and thistles, some of which have really deep roots. Thistles and thorns not only have a bad habit of filling up an area fast with impenetrable growth, but when you try to remove them it hurts. You can’t just grab ahold and pull, because they are all stickery and thorny. It hurts to grab them and try to pull them out unless you have special, heavy leather gloves to protect your hands. You will need to ask God’s help in overcoming and removing the weeds, thistles and thorns in your life.

I Pet 5:8-9 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

You may encounter difficulties such as ridicule for keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days, or for not keeping Christmas or Easter. You may even suffer outright ridicule because you believe in God and believe what the Bible teaches about creation, Jesus, His resurrection from the dead and eternal life. Being a Christian is not always easy. You have to prepare yourselves and train through prayer and Bible Study to have the strength and wisdom to overcome any obstacles or arguments against God and against His Son Jesus.

Will your ground be soft and workable and fertile so that your personal relationship with God takes root and flourishes producing many good things?

Good ground is soft and porous, accepting the seed and water to make it grow. It produces healthy, strong plants that can withstand weeds or thorns that may appear later. It produces much fruit and the harvest is plentiful.

Mark 4:20 “And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Luke 8:15 “ And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

Gal 5:22 “ But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Col 1:6 “ This same Good News that came to you, is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”

James 3:13-18 “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness”

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”

The race is difficult – just like the Boston Marathon was for that middle-aged teacher with no previous running experience. The teacher prepared and trained. You must be prepared for any obstacles, problems and trials. The teacher finished the race despite painful blisters and complete exhaustion. A crown awaits you at the finish line—eternal life with Jesus Christ. Don’t stop till you reach that finish line.

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