simplistic, but that's the way often the Lord uses us. He closes our eyes until we jump off the building, and then we start crying to him for dear life's sake. So we began this university and brought in students in the year 2016, so it took a bit of time to put everything together and obtain accreditation and license and so on. And as I speak, we have just under 140 students going through four courses or schools. There is agriculture, business, education, and theology, the queen of all the sciences. And the basic idea is that the discipleship work that we are doing in the churches, we are now taking it out there in the community. And in that sense, impacting young lives, especially those that are going into their late teens and early 20s, molding them. to become true citizens of both worlds, because that's where there will be salt and light in the world. So we have deliberately gone into the poorest parts of our city to bring in the students. Though we went to the churches there and said, if you do have bright young people, that have completely failed to get into tertiary education because of lack of finances, bring them to us. We will train them. We will look for the money to do that for you. And trust me, we got so many that the process of trying to get the cream of the crop was quite a task. But finally, we're able to do that, and we continue to do that, so that the Lord might use us to impact the world in that way. Our own churches have the means by which the parents are able to send their children to our university and elsewhere. But we went beyond ourselves. to bring in those that have brought a lot of fresh air in the context of the university because they are deeply grateful. And every so often they say to us, this is an answer to our prayers. So even in sharing that, it is simply to say that we always look for partners, those who can join hands with us to educate these young people. The theological training goes into seminary, and there we have individuals that are pastors or aspiring to be pastors who are being trained for pastoral work. So that is also are part of the work that we are doing. So if ever the Lord leads you to think about partnering to not just give fish to someone who's hungry, but give him a fishing line so that they may be able in the years to come to do their own fishing, do remember the African Christian University. I think the most famous name among us there is our brother Voddie Bokam, who left this side of the Atlantic to come and work with us. And this is his 10th year laboring alongside us in that work. So I thought I should just throw in a minute or two about that before we turn back to Hebrews chapter 12. I will again read those verses, the first two verses. The Bible says there, 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. looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter 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. Well, brethren, last evening we commenced looking at this passage of Scripture, and I first of all just showed you what is happening in this text relative to the whole of the book of Hebrews. I brought out the fact that the Jewish believers were largely going through a period of persecution that was tempting them to want to get back to Judaism. And what the writer of this letter is doing is basically saying to them, as I illustrated yesterday, that you are going from flying across the Atlantic in a jet plane to wanting to literally swim across it. But let's make it easier. Use a canoe to go across the Atlantic. That's madness. And that's what they were essentially doing. They are leaving behind the only savior, the one who is greater than the angels of heaven, one who's greater than Moses, greater than the entire priesthood. that has been there in Israel, the one who presides over a greater covenant, the one who is doing his priestly work in the presence of God himself. And it is out of that that he now urges them to go beyond what they are currently seeing and experiencing. In other words, the suffering that they are going through. Now they should be true believers, those who have faith, who look beyond the present. who can see the spiritual, who can see the fulfillment of the promises of God. And it is while dealing with the vital place of faith that the author here brings in this metaphor of running the race, running the race. And what I did yesterday was to specifically speak on starting to run this race. And I did so deliberately because I didn't want us to assume that this is something everybody is in, it is only those who have come to repentance and faith in Christ. Only those are the ones that enter into the Christian race. In a sense, life can be spoken of as a journey and in that sense as a race. One can speak about life instead of time. You speak in terms of miles or kilometers, but ultimately what we are talking about here is not just life. We are talking about life in Christ. And the reason why this analogy is so important is because such a life, as we saw at the end of yesterday's message, requires being focused. It demands a lot of effort on our part. It requires self-denial and endurance, as we shall be seeing in this message this morning. And also, I think we need to accept the fact, as we shall see tonight, that it has a goal. And the goal, with respect to the Christian faith, is to finish well, to finish well, to finally enter into glory, to borrow the words that are in 2 Peter chapter 1, to enter with an abundant entrance. That's the way we want to end our race. But we'll leave that for this evening. For now, I want us to deal in the second installment with running with perseverance. Running with perseverance. And I think it's the heart of this metaphor that is being used here. Look at this too. Rather, verse one, but the second part, let us run with endurance. Let's run with endurance the race that is set before us. In other words, there is a lot that is demanded of us in the midst of the running that ultimately should cause us to bring in all the energy that we are able to marshal in order for us to continue running. Now, again, that's a figure of speech. And what I want us to do this morning is to look at the rest of scripture and ask ourselves, what is it that is being represented here? What is this truth? that the imagery of running the race with endurance illustrates. Thankfully, we don't need to do much guessing because the statement just before what we have just read makes that point. So let's read again verse one. Therefore, because Oh, since in the light of being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, here it is, let us also respond in this way. Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. And with that, let us run with endurance. The New International Version puts it this way. Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. So there is a throwing off that is being spoken about there. The New Living Translation puts it this way. Let us strip off, strip off. every weight that slows us down, and then says, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And I think that's a good way of simplifying what the author is saying here. First of all, when he speaks about laying aside every weight and sin which cleans, strictly speaking, it's not two separate things. What all he's doing is he's going from the metaphor and then going into what is actually being represented. So you are throwing off that which is every weight And that which is every weight is in actual fact that which is sinful in your life that you need to deal with, especially the sin that so easily trips us. But I also love the fact that it's a responsibility that is being given to us. Let us do this. Let us throw off. Let us strip off. Let us lay aside. It's not others who are going to do it for us. We must be the ones to take the initiative to say, I will deal with this. What is then the category? It's simply the lifelong process of sanctification. That's what it is. So if you've got a book on your shelf and the topic is sanctification, read it. And you will find the full message that is lying behind the statement here. Because whereas with respect to salvation, we are individuals that are awakened and we cry to the Lord for salvation, with respect to sanctification, it's a lifelong process. You never arrive. It's a journey that you are involved in for the rest of your life, and you are an active agent. You ought to be an active agent in this work. Yesterday I referred to coming from Africa, allow me to mention that again here today, where there is an emphasis in the health and wealth gospel, a kind of Dabra Kadabra Christianity that you just go to this man of God, he lays hands on you, he pushes you, he breathes in your face or something, and you're supposed to suddenly catapult to the highest levels of Christian victory. Now, of course, that never happens. But because the preacher will ask you to sow a seed, in other words, give him money, well, he's getting richer while you are getting poorer in every sense of the word. And because of that, this is an emphasis that we seriously have to have in our preaching and teaching. That there is no magical Christianity that will catapult you into being prosperous, successful, and every wonderful word that we can bring into the description of Christianity. It's a race. It's on your marks, get set, and go. And you need to put in your beat in order for you to see victory and success and so on in your life. Well, first of all, as we saw yesterday, there must be a beginning. And the beginning takes place at conversion. You join the race at conversion. And that beginning brings about its own moral transformation, a glorious transformation. It is the removal of a sinful heart and the putting in of a new heart, a renewed heart, a heart that seeks after God and seeks after holiness. And as I said yesterday, if that hasn't happened, you haven't begun the race yet. In 1 John, chapter 5, This is, sorry, chapter three, first John chapter three, this is the way John puts it. First John and chapter three. I'll begin from verse three, although it's the end of another paragraph or another argument, but it at least lays the ground for what lies ahead in the next few verses. And it is this, and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. So anyone who has entered into this race, who has begun the Christian life, has an agenda on his life, and it is this, that I want to become more and more holy, more and more godly, I want to be more and more like Christ. purifies himself as he is pure. But look at the way he argues that there is no other way. If you still love your sin, then Jesus has not yet saved you. He says there in verse four, everyone, no exception, everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to do what? To take away sins. And in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him. And he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. So there is this inevitable moral transformation that takes place when a person gets converted, because God's seed abides in him. There is a change that has happened there. However, what the Bible goes on to say is that where has there been this seismic change in the heart, there is now the offloading of so much baggage that we would have been carrying in our non-Christian lives or non-Christian days. It is a growth that needs to begin happening, a growth in godliness. And that's what we speak about when we're talking about sanctification. The Apostle Paul uses this language of sports or the language of training in a text that we quoted at the beginning of the sermon yesterday in 1 Timothy 4. You remember how he spoke to Timothy about the need to train himself unto godliness. Please stand with me there because I want us now to just look at the verses around that statement. 1 Timothy 4. And I'll begin reading from verse 6, 1 Timothy 4 and verse 6. This is laying the ground for laying aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles. Look at this. Paul is saying to Timothy, if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Now here it is, have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. So things that don't help you, that at the end are just silly, are useless. Get that out of the way. And instead, here it is, rather, train yourself for godliness. For while bodily training is of some value, listen to this, godliness is of value in every way. In this life, it holds promise, and also in the life to come, he says there. And I think that's really the backdrop, that you never reach a point where you can now set aside growth in godliness, and just assume that you have now entered into cruise stage. You can just sit back, relax, enjoy, What he is calling here irreverent, silly myths, useless stuff, and in the end, somehow, you grow to become the kind of person God wants you to be. No. Train yourself. Get into the gym, as it were, and make sure that you are in tip-top condition. Timothy, keep your eyes there. So that's the book drop of the Christian faith. On one hand, there is the transformation that happens, but then on the other, there is the effort that you make to continue growing in godliness. And it is this aspect that the writer of this letter is dealing with. Now, as we begin talking in terms of laying aside and getting rid and throwing off and stripping off all these things, let's first of all take one step backwards and marvel at what's happening here. Here are Christians who are struggling with external persecution. It's tempting them to abandon the Christian faith and go back to Judaism. You would think that the author's primary preoccupation would be simply hung in there. Don't give up. Just hang in there. And you will soon hear the trumpet call of God that is saying, the fight is over. Hang in there. That's not what he's doing. Instead, he is saying something else. And it is this. Occupy yourselves with the main agenda that God has for your life. In other words, it's a statement that is positive. It doesn't look very positive here because it is saying throw off and things to that effect. But really, what he is saying is the Christian life is more than simply gritting your teeth and saying to yourself, let's see how long we can survive here. The Christian life is one of saying, God, has put onto my plate that which should occupy me. Let me remain busy with it." And that is our sanctification. So let me show you from Paul, let me show you from James, and let me show you from Peter how They all speak about our sanctification in terms of a putting off and a putting on, and that it's crucial that we see that this is a major task if we are to run with endurance. So let's begin with Paul, and I'll take you to the book of Romans. as we begin our journey, so please hold your hearts because we'll be galloping at a rather fast pace here. Romans chapter 13, and really verse 12. But I want to begin from verse 11. Romans 13 and verse 11. Besides this, you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. So it's not you being at the back of a car sleeping, you must be active in this trip. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone. The day is at hand. So the life of being in darkness is behind you. Now the day has dawned. It's a life in the day, in the light. This is the way you should go forward. And how are you to do so? There it is. So then let us cast off. the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. That's imagery. Let's go into what he's talking about. Verse 13. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in organs and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. That's the life that you once lived. That's the baggage that you need to offload. And instead, here is the positive, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. Strip off every weight that is slowing you down. Don't give room to the flesh. Don't gratify the desires of the flesh. Instead, make sure that your life is full of the armor of light. Let's quickly go to Ephesians and chapter 4. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul largely deals with the doctrinal side of our Christian faith. As he enters into chapter 4, 5, and 6, he deals with the practical outworking of that. The first three chapters are laying the foundation. The next three are building the superstructure, the life that people see in us as individuals. In verse 22, although I'll begin from verse 20, maybe a little further because he's contrasting there. It's beginning with the word but. So let's talk about the non-believers. So verse 19, they have become colors. And they've given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That's the unbelieving life. That's the life that was there before your conversion. But here it is, verse 20. But that is not the way you learned Christ. How did you learn him? Assuming that you've heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus, How did you learn Christ, verse 22, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires? and positively to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. And there it is again in verse 25, therefore having put away falsehood, Positively, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." So it's essentially the same message that he was giving to the Romans, he's now giving to the Ephesians. And it is this, that yes, you've experienced a genuine, real, moral transformation, but you have not become perfected yet. There is work that you need to do to offload this baggage that may still be clinging onto you because you were brought up in this fallen environment, this fallen culture. You need to be deliberate in saying no to that life and beginning to live a life that is as God wants you to live. Many years ago, in Zambia, we used to go for military training when you finished high school. And the military training lasted about six months, and then from there, assuming you were not going into university, you did an extra six months of actual military service. When we arrived in the training centers, we were totally useless as far as being soldiers is concerned. We didn't even know how to obey the commands of those who were over us. But they drilled us. They worked on us. I mean, literally from sunrise. They would enter into the barracks and command us to do all kinds of things. And yeah, by the end of six months, we had been turned from a bunch of individuals that were good for nothing as far as warfare was concerned, to individuals that had been turned into machines in the hands of those who were the lieutenants and captains and so on. It was amazing that one of them would simply walk in and issue a command your brain didn't even think. You just immediately knew what you were commanded. The time finally came when we passed out and went on to other things. And some of us went to university after that. But I've never forgotten how we tended to still be in the mode that we're in before. We had already left the place of training, we were now in universities studying all kinds of things. But what we tended to do, and these were pranks that we were playing on one another, is that you would slowly, quietly come behind your friend, and then you simply say something to the effect, squad, sit up. And your friend who's studying suddenly just goes, oh! And then you burst out laughing. It took months to get out of that mode. It took time before you could turn around and laugh back at this chap who thought perhaps you would respond that way. In other words, there was baggage. that we still went with into the new life. And we needed to learn or unlearn that culture that we had ended up in. And that's crucial for us as Christians. That whereas the heart has been transformed, There is this baggage that we tend to still carry. And we must be deliberate in offloading and loading that which is new. And that's what he's talking about here, putting off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, that which is corrupt through deceitful desires. Get rid of it. Throw it off. Strip it off. But instead, put on that which is the renewed you. Put on that which is the new self. In other words, allow that which is being given birth to by the Spirit of God to grow to blossom and to really show a life that is transformed. Instead of being filled with falsehood, speak the truth to one another. Let's really jump on to Colossians. Colossians and chapter 3. And the main thing I want you to see is that this is meant to be the normal Christian life. Colossians 3. And verse 5, put to death therefore what is earthly in you, that which belongs to the fallen world, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and curvaceousness which is idolatry. And it says, on account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked, so it made up your previous life when you were living in them. Well, what should you do now? There it is, verse eight. But now, you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, or what today we call a bad temper, get rid of it. Malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth, bad speech, get rid of it. Do not lie to one another, seeing that this belongs to your past and you've put off the old self with these practices. And then again the positive, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. We'll soon move on to James and Peter, but I need to ask the question as to whether, as you are sitting there, this is your chief business. Whether you say to yourself, I need to grow in grace. I need to become more like Christ. That those ugly aspects of your life, morally speaking, spiritually speaking, that you need to continue dealing with them. Because that's the challenge that Paul is putting before believers. That the fact that you've become regenerate does not turn you into an angel, it doesn't. There are issues in your life that you need to continue dealing with. You must be deliberate. You must be focused in dealing with them so that your Christian race might be one that will be run with less encumbrance. Well, let's really jump onto James and finally Peter, and I'm hoping that way you will see that this is not some Pauline sort of apostolic defect, but this is what the apostles taught. James 1 and verse 21. Let me begin with verse 19. Know this, my beloved brothers. Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Why slow? For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. And there it is. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and positively receive with meekness. the implanted word which is able to save your soul. So again, the deliberate effort in your sanctification. And then lastly, 1 Peter 2, there is just one verse, 1 Peter 2 and verse 1. And it is this. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. And all slander. So when we get back then to Hebrews, we are realizing that when he says, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely The point that he is making is that you need to be quick-footed in your Christian life. You need to make progress. Instead of you just looking back and dealing with issues of fear, I might find myself killed, I might lose my job, I might be ostracized by my family, and you are preoccupied with all those things. The author is saying, move on from that. Occupy yourself with your spiritual growth. Continue that which the Savior has put on your plate your personal sanctification. Allow me to throw in one more aspect, and then I will put all this together. And the running with endurance includes deliberately seeking to be fruitful as you serve God. according to your gifts and your opportunities. Where do I see this? From what Paul says to the Philippians concerning himself. So turn with me to Philippians and chapter 2. I hope I'll prove my point there. Philippians and chapter 2. Paul there in the passage I'm about to read to you, speaks about how he was the means of the commencement of the church in Philippi. The individuals came to faith through him and of course later on I'm sure many others came to faith. And out of that a church was born and he ministered among them to bring them up in the things of God. So he served God as the Lord gave him his gifts and the Lord gave him opportunities. He's since been gone, and a lot has happened in this church. Look at the way he puts it now in verse 16. Maybe I'll begin from verse 14. Children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of life And this is the beat I'm interested in. So that in the day of Christ, meaning when the Lord returns, when he comes to give rewards to his people, I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. That on that day, I will see the reward of my life in you. As I labored faithfully among you, that I will see the fruit, the God-glorifying fruit, I will praise the Lord as He says to me, well done, good and faithful servant. Now in a sense, that's the Christian faith. On one hand, we are busy with our maturation. We are busy. Because God uses that which is pure in his hands. If your life is filled with all kinds of complications around sin, inevitably you cannot be used to serve him because your life is serving another master, a wrong master, the master you're supposed to have abandoned altogether. But then, it's not enough to simply say, I'm no longer living like this. I'm also living like this. Well, there's a lot more to the Christian faith than that. And it is, I want to serve my master. I want to live for him according to what he has gifted me with. I want to be a faithful steward of his grace in my life. And so I'm not just praying that the Lord keeps me away from sin, I'm also praying that the Lord might keep other believers from sin. And I want to be the means of their own spiritual growth. I'm not just praying that I get to heaven, I'm also praying for those who are unbelievers that they might come along, that they might be saved. I'm deliberately ministering into their lives. I'm putting before them Christian literature. I'm putting before them the gospel. I am serving the Lord. Now I think that's especially crucial when you are in a context of militant atheism, or the case for the Hebrews, where they are surrounded by an antagonistic religion. The temptation to hide your light is huge. It's huge. And you can easily forget that actually you've got some other component of the race to be run. And it is fruitfulness. Fruitfulness. Seeking to impact the people I work with, the people I go to school with, the people I live with in the home, the people in my neighborhood. Seeking to impact them spiritually. So that at the end of my life, there will be people who will be saying, thank God he lived. Thank God she lived because of the impact the person had on me. The person has run his race well. As we shall be seeing tonight, that's part of what Paul was speaking about at the end of his own life, when he said he had run the race, he had finished his course, and he was talking now about a crown awaiting him, a crown of righteousness. So that's two sides. that make up this task. On one hand, my own sanctification, and often that in itself causes people to say, why are you different? You are not like those other people. But on the other, I am deliberately, purposefully seeking to use the gifts that God has given me, the opportunities He gives me in order to be fruitful. I am running my race. And it's not just pastors who should be doing that. All of us as Christians should be focused in the midst of a fallen world and so many things that might distract us, we need to be focused that I've only got one life to live. And only that which is done for Christ will last. And to throw my weight into that. I want to summarize all that, therefore. What does it mean to run with endurance? What is all this about laying aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely? I want to suggest to you that it is simply living a life of principled obedience to the Lord. Living a life of principled obedience to the Lord. In other words, it is knowing that day by day, the Lord is pointing things out in my life, and the negatives I need to shed off. But it's also day by day, pointing opportunities out in my life. And my obedience to him is to say, Lord, Here I am. Send me." So at the end of the day, really, a life where it doesn't matter what's happening around you, you know that as a Christian, I have this master. He's marked out a race for me, and that's the race I'm going to run. There's going to be a lot of challenges. moral, ethical challenges, opposition, but I'm going to run this race faithfully until I hear the final whistle. And I want to end with an obvious text that makes that point, and it is Chapter 10 and verse 36 of Hebrews. Chapter 10 and verse 36. They were suffering. That's what verse 32 all the way to verse 35 is about. They were suffering. And in verse 35, the author says, therefore, do not throw away your confidence. In other words, keep at it, which has a great reward. You'll finally be rewarded. We'll keep that for tonight. But here it is in verse 36, for you have need of endurance. You need to run with endurance. Why? So that when you have done the will of God, which is what obedience is, you may receive what is promised. May that be true of each one of us. Let's pray. Eternal and gracious God, many of us in this room are in this race. Some have just begun. Some, perhaps, have been in it for decades. But Lord, thank you for the reminder that, strictly speaking, we never arrive, not in this life. Because on one hand, the standard is Jesus Christ, His holiness. What is standard? And on the other, it is a path of faithful fruitfulness. We cannot arrive. Lord, help us to throw off all the weight and the sin that hinders, that we may run our race, the race marked out for us by you, that we might do so with endurance. We plead for this for your glory. Amen.