La Esperanza no solo es una Sensación Agradable | Crossroads en Español

[♪upbeat music♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪ [♪upbeat music continues♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪ [♪upbeat music continues♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪ [♪speaking Spanish♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪dan dan transform a vida puede transformar una ciudad completa vaya eso es emocionante porque sé que cuando hablas de esperanza te entiendo diciendo que realmente se extendió desde este lugar Nerula me encantaría saber tu esperanza sobre la difusión de la esperanza en tu contexto y tu iglesia local si, como éfeso está en Turquía espero y la esperanza de la iglesia turca es sin duda que esta esperanza sea de nuevo como vista y aceptada por la gente cuando pienso en esperanza desafortunadamente pienso en nuestra juventud porque hoy están muy desesperanzados toda la situación en Turquía la mayoría de ellos incluso los jóvenes creyentes en nuestras iglesias

quieren huir de Turquía tal vez irse a Estados Unidos o Europa pero lo que realmente emociona y lo que aumenta nuestra esperanza en Jesús es que los cristianos no estamos llamados a huir de este mundo ¿verdad? se nos promete que el reino de Dios vendrá a la tierra ¿sabes? y eso significa que todas estas cosas que nos hacen perder la esperanza o que tal vez nos están haciendo que nos están desanimando ¿verdad? mejorarán y serán reparadas así que esperamos ese día ¿verdad? y también la resurrección de Jesús ¿correcto? una de las preguntas fundamentales que tienen los humanos ¿verdad? es sobre qué va a pasar después de que muramos ¿sabes? ¿qué me va a pasar a mí y qué va a pasar por ejemplo a aquellos que amamos después de morir y la resurrección de Jesús nos da la seguridad de que no vamos

a perecer y podemos tener vida eterna con Él y comienza justo aquí y ahora cuando lo aceptamos ¿verdad? esa esperanza y seguridad es tan transformadora de la vida como bien dijiste por eso espero que muchas más personas en mi país lleguen a comprenderlo y aceptarlo eso es increíble bueno empecemos porque no puedo creer que hayamos tenido un viaje tan asombroso así que al hablar de esperanza debemos ir directamente a EFESO Notar todavía no an terminado cuando Pablo entró en esta ciudad por primera vez se encontró con una de las Exhibiciones de riqueza y poder más grandes y locas del mundo bajo por esta misma calle la famosa via Arcádica bordeada de marmol tiendas a ambos lados una calle más ancha de lo que pablo había visto jamás en su vida con estatuas de las personas más Influyentes de la ciudad a los lados tiendas que vendían artículos cosas caras y no sólo cosas caras Artículos de poder amuletos que prometían riqueza y prosperidad había videntes a los lados de la calle todo este lugar fue edificado con un mensaje claro en mente nosotros somos más poderosos que ustedes somos más ricos que ustedes Somos más grandes que ustedes cuando estén en nuestra ciudad mejor comportense mejor sigan nuestras reglas mejor sigan nuestras reglas ese es el mensaje que pablo escuchó y pablo siendo pablo Lo ignoró por completo estaba como no interesado cuando pablo entra aquí es un pablo nuevo Este es pablo en su mejor momento Este es pablo en la cima de sus poderes o más exactamente en la cima de los poderes de dios

No es que no tuviera resistencia al llegar le pasó lo típico tuvo resistencia pero cuando llegó aquí estaba preparado para ello listo para ello un ejemplo se presentó aquí con Comunidad con gente en su corte sus viejos amigos de corinto Priscila y aquila con quienes tenía el taller de cuero los trae aquí monta un taller los tiene de su lado y así cuando va a la sinagoga y predica durante tres meses y lo echan como suele pasar rechazan el mensaje pablo no está molesto pablo no se opone no es cabezota solo dice no hay problema y en cambio va y alquila un salón de conferencias cercano el salón de tirano Establece su base allí por un par de años compartiendo el evangelio y la gente se siente conmovida la gente está respondiendo también que pablo se establece aquí por tres años curiosamente aquí es también donde la metáfora en la que basamos todo este viaje la metáfora de correr la carrera se afianza en la mente de pablo como en corinto esta ciudad está obsesionada con el deporte Hay clubes deportivos por todos lados hay un hipódromo no muy lejos ahí es donde corrían carreras de carros y también carreras a pie todos practicaban deportes eran un poco diferentes solo como dato te desnudabas te aceitabas el cuerpo y luchabas eso ya no lo tenemos no los juzgo solo es lo que hacían en su época quizás pablo va y juega deportes tal vez pablo va a una carrera y un día lo entiende en su cabeza piensa un momento que pasa allí esos corredores que están corriendo la carrera así es intentar completar tu ministerio así se siente mi vida como si hubiera una carrera y el llamado de dios en mi vida es correrla como si hubiera un solo premio y yo lo voy a conseguir desde esta ciudad pablo escribe a sus amigos en corinto las palabras en las que basamos todo primera de corintios capítulo 9 que dice esto No sabéis que en una carrera todos los corredores corren pero solo uno gana el premio corran de tal manera que obtengan el premio y la respuesta de la gente a pablo corriendo su carrera impresionante

no es hipérbole en absoluto decir que desde esta ciudad pablo cambió el mundo entero escuchen lo que dice en hechos 19 y entró en la sinagoga y por tres meses habló con valentía razonando y persuadiendo los sobre el reino de dios pero cuando algunos se hicieron tercos y persistieron en la incredulidad hablando mal del camino ante la congregación se separó de ellos y tomó a los discípulos con él argumentando a diario en el salón de tirano esto continuó por dos años para que todos los residentes de asia oyeran la palabra del señor tanto judíos como griegos Deje que eso se asiente un momento Dice que todos los habitantes de asia oyeron la palabra del señor todos ellos ahora asia no significa lo que significa ahora pero era una gran parte del imperio romano y el evangelio se estaba esparciendo allí por lo que pablo estaba haciendo aquí y no eran solo las palabras que usaba el poder que fluía a través de este hombre era increíble había milagros literalmente goteando de él Escuchen esta parte de la historia de hechos 19 dice e hizo dios milagros extraordinarios por las manos de pablo de modo que hasta pañuelos o delantales que habían tocado su piel eran llevados a los enfermos y sus enfermedades los dejaban y los espíritus His evils came from them. How did that happen? How do miracles come from this man? Well, it's because Paul had done well in his career. Paul had discovered the secret, the journey in which we have been, that his suffering does not have to be useless. It could produce a level of resistance from another world that that resistance, if maintained, would produce in him the character of Christ, the inaudible, unparalleled, not found anywhere else,

power of grace, truth, love and humility. That kind of character was emerging in Paul. And all that was now overflowing at an incredibly powerful level of hope in him. All the miracles that Paul lived, those that God did, in and through him, the most powerful miracle of all, was what happened to Paul himself. Look, old Paul, that spiteful, angry, pharisee type, had died and a new Paul took his place in this city. A Paul full of hope and power, love, grace and truth. There is a reason why people wanted to be close to Paul. It's not because they really liked the way he expressed things. It's not that. It's because Paul was full of hope. Paul was the happiest person they had ever met. When they were close to Paul, they felt wonderful. And it was not a weak hope. It was not the kind of hope we think. A hope that lacks power. That is a vain wish. I ask a wish for a star. It was not that. It was a hope solidly anchored in the power of the truth of God. And the evidence, the proof of this was overwhelming. In the letter that Paul wrote to his friends here in Ephesus, he wrote these words about hope and power. I also ask that the eyes of the heart be illuminated so that they may know what hope he has called them to. What is the richness of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

and how incomparable is the greatness of his power in favor of those we believe. You see, the power was not Paul. It was not in the person of Paul. It was in the person of Jesus. And it was having a huge effect, not only in Asia in general, but in this particular city. Such a great effect that it was beginning to affect the identity of the city. The Ephesians, above all, were proud to be the guardians of the Temple of Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was one of the largest buildings in the world. In fact, it was one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, not far from where we are standing now. And it was huge. Columns, two meters wide, 20 meters high. It's huge. The size of three football fields. It was not just something that was close and that they enjoyed a little. This was like their identity. At this point in history, your identity was not your nation, and then maybe your state and your city, as it could be in the E. U. Now. It started with your city. And your city had a symbol, something that united it. And here, that was Artemis. Now, they didn't just love Artemis. They loved the money they got from being the guardians of the Temple of Artemis. Big businesses, shops, restaurants, memories. As Paul drove many people from the ancient religion of Artemis to God, they lost money. It affected their final balance, and they didn't like it.

There was one. Demetrius was a silver trader, and he hated the fact that this was happening. So he is an organizer. He gathers people and makes a plan to try to stop it. Demetrius says this in Acts chapter 19. Men, you know that from this business we get our wealth. And you see that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, Paul has convinced and separated many people, saying that gods made by hand are not gods. And there is danger, not only that our trade falls into discredit, but also that the Temple of the great goddess Artemis can be considered nothing, and that it can even be stripped of its magnificence. She, whom all of Asia and the world worship. Do you notice Demetrius' hope in his god? It was something almost null. I mean, basically he says, look at everyone. Let's be honest for a moment. We all know this fact. If this individual, Paul, continues with his preaching, he could dethrone our great goddess Artemis. What kind of god can be deposed or overthrown by a single man? He is not very good. He is not one to put a lot of hope in. Basically he says, it is useless unless we take measures. I'm curious, what does your hope look like? Is it like Demetrio's? Your hope in your God? Is it like Demetrio's hope in his deity? Is it small? Is it vulnerable?

Do you feel that there are many circumstances that could put it in danger? Do you feel that if an adverse event occurs, your hope would vanish? Do you feel that you have to take the matter into your own hands? Or is it more like Pablo's, who enters Ephesus with an unbreakable hope, who enters and says, I don't care what his great demonstrations of power are to intimidate me. I'm not paying attention because my God is superior, stronger and greater, and I am faithful to Him. Now Demetrio makes this speech to the people and a riot breaks out. They run to the theater, which Acts 19 records. When they heard this, they became enraged and shouted, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! And the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gallo and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Pablo's travel companions. But when Pablo wanted to enter among the crowd, the disciples did not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, his friends, sent him to beg him not to get into the theater. Some shouted one thing, others another, but the assembly was in confusion, and most did not know why they were gathered. Part of the crowd pushed Alexander, whom the Jews had put in front, and Alexander, making signs with his hand, wanted to defend himself in front of the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for almost two hours, they all shouted in unison, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! The theater to which all the people ran. This one here has capacity for up to 25,000 people, which means that they were not just a couple of dozen shouting, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! It was as the Bible describes it, the whole city for two uninterrupted hours, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! And so it is worth asking with two thousand years of perspective, how big is Artemis of the Ephesians?

Not very big. I mean, this is all, this is what is left of the whole place. Only that sad column, it is the column of Frankenstein. They are not even real pieces that fit, not even as high as it was, and there is a nest of birds above. That's all. The three years that pass here, there are all kinds of lessons that can be learned from him, but the main one I see is this lesson of hope. What do you put your hope in? Do you put your hope in what can crumble and become nothing? Or do you put your hope in God, who has the kingdom, who says he is coming, growing to the earth as it manifests itself in heaven? In whom do you place your hope? Paul put his hope in Jesus, firm, unique, exclusively, without space to wait for anything else. And that is exactly what he taught people to do here. And one of the last scenes we have of Paul interacting with the people in Ephesus is when he gathers the leaders to give them a final farewell, and he tells them these words about his career. But I do not value my life for any value, nor is it precious to me, so that I may finish my career and the ministry that I have received from the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. Paul says, my only hope. I put all my eggs in a basket, and that basket is to run my career well, is to cross the finish line. And when you cross the finish line, it is to look over your shoulder and ask, do you have the hope that I put in you? Is it growing? And Paul can say, yes, it is. He could look at all those Ephesians in the eye and say,

you are doing exactly what you should be doing. The hope that was in him, the power that was in him, he knew it would continue to grow, and he did. The question for you today is, will it grow in you? Will it grow? Do you have the kind of hope in your life that produces power? Do you have the kind of hope in your life that gives you unbreakable consequences in the face of anything that may come in your way? Do you get up every morning thinking that God has control of your life and that you trust fully in Him? He has good and perfect plans for me. Do you believe that? That is exactly what we are analyzing today. ♪♪ Hola, soy Chuck. Bienvenidos a Epheso en la imponente Vía de Arcadio. Era la Broadway, el Times Square de Epheso, destinada a inspirar temor y asombro. Y aún así, Pablo, como escuchamos, llegó con su carrera a este lugar. This city, a race that led it to found a church, a church that changed a region, and finally changed the whole world. And in the last five weeks at Crossroads, we have followed the Run Journey, believing that we all have a race to run. There is a race that you were created to run, a purpose of God to be on this planet. And in the last five weeks, people have been in small groups

and doing personal work to say, what is that race where God calls us to run? And I pray that you have been discovering things about the calling of God and the race that He has for you. Although our races are different, we all have a common map. This is a scripture that we return to every week. Romans 5.3 says that we glorify ourselves in our sufferings. We talk about that. There is suffering when running a race. We cannot avoid suffering knowing that suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character and character produces hope. Friends, I have good news today because today we will talk about the reward. Today we can talk about hope. We can talk about hope. Some want to go back to the week of suffering. Okay, but today we will talk about hope. We will talk about hope, absolutely. And if you're new today, if you haven't been on the Run Journey, you're not late because today I want to talk about the spiritual fuel that we all need to cross our goal line, which is hope. In business, it is often said that hope is not a strategy.

And if by hope, someone wants to say make illusions, then they're right. But we don't define hope like that today. The hope we're talking about today is biblical hope rooted in the reality that God is writing our story and God finishes everything that begins. And that kind of hope is not a vain wish or a weak strategy. Friends, that kind of hope is a weapon. And that's what we're going to talk about today. Hope as a weapon. Hope is a weapon. That's the hope we're talking about today. And we've been talking about the metaphor of a race. And it made me think of my experience running a marathon. I ran the Flying Peak Marathon a few years ago, 26.2 miles, even though no one was chasing me. I did that even though no one was chasing me. So, but I remember the day I picked up my race. They've been thinking about running a race. They've been talking about running a race. But when you go to the exhibition, for me in the Cincinnati Convention Center, and you pick up your backpack, now it becomes real because that backpack identifies you. You have a number, your name is on the list, and the race begins tomorrow. When you pick up your backpack,

you are in the 1% of humans who reach the starting line of a marathon. I know that when I picked up that backpack, it was real for me. Picking up that backpack is like the trip to Romanos 5. By the time I picked up my backpack, I had accepted a lot of suffering. I had an injury in the iliotibial band that made me do dove postures every morning the last month of training just to be able to run that race. Almost everyone I knew was at the starting line of the Flying Pig with some injury. Anyone with me? Anyone with me? I mean, it's true that if you run a race, you get hurt at the starting line. But you know what else? It also indicated perseverance. When I picked up my backpack, by that time I had trained more than 300 miles. The average training for a marathon, you run 300 miles before you reach your 26.2 miles. So it's about endurance. And it was also about transformation for me. I was a different Chuck when I picked up that backpack. I was physically stronger. I was mentally stronger. I was a different person.

Today we want to talk about what hope does for all of us. Why was Paul able to enter a city that was imposing and impossible to do? It's because he was driven by the weapon of hope. Again, in Acts 19, 8, he says he entered the synagogue and for three months he spoke with audacity. That word, bravery, is to speak with clarity and confidence forged by hope. Paul was very clear in Ephesus about what his hope was anchored in. He knew that his hope was anchored in the power of Jesus, the power of the resurrection of Jesus and the coming kingdom of God, to the point that from one place it impacted an entire region. We have a map of Asia Minor in the time of Paul. Ephesus is here. And in this area, Paul spent three years. 25% of his entire mission was here. But from this place, he was able to impact an entire region. I ask myself, what in your life feels imposing? What in your life feels impossible? What does it feel like if you had been striving in Ephesus year after year after year, even though the vision you have is greater than that? When you are driven by today's hope, you can run and finish your career because you realize that nothing is impossible for God.

Nothing is impossible. Paul understood that. We have to assimilate that today. And so Paul did it by helping people understand. the kingdom of God, because the way to Arcadia was meant to say to anyone who entered Ephesus, You will lose and we will win. But Paul said, No, Jesus wins, Jesus wins. He was driven by the reality that Jesus wins. He was motivated by the knowledge that he was in Jerusalem and that the body of Jesus had not yet risen. That was what drove Paul. He knew that Jesus wins. He saw over and over again the power of Jesus healing and transforming. So Paul was on fire with this called the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God? I think of the kingdom of God like this. When Jesus rose, we will celebrate it in a couple of weeks at Easter. When he rose, he inaugurated a new reality that erupts in this reality fallen and broken. Everyone is invited to be part of it. It is growing and spreading. The way to Arcadia, the temple of Artemis, are just rubble, but the kingdom of God is not. Ciao. He is alive and active in lives like his and mine. I love the song that says, If the story is not good, it has not ended. That is the hope we are talking about today. If your story is not good, good news, it has not ended. And there is hope so that you can run your career. This type of hope, therefore, is not a feeling, it is an anchor. This type of hope is an anchor. I love going to the movies and there is a scene in a movie that I love every time. Maybe you feel the same. I love training montages in movies. I love a good training montage, right? I think of Karate Kid, Serar y Quitarceras, Circulo Izquierdo, Circulo Derecho. I love it. You are the best. Very good. I just love that. Wow, that does something for me. I love a good training montage. I am from Philadelphia. I think of Rocky, right? Running down the stairs of the art museum. If I take you to Philadelphia, I will do two things. I will get you a real cheese steak and we will go up the stairs of Rocky. We will do those two things. I love that training montage, but my favorite is probably Creed Doe's. Has anyone seen that movie? My God, my God. I could tell you everything, but I won't. I'll just talk about this part that amazes me. Rocky Balboa puts a tire in the middle of a boxing quadrilateral and tells Michael B, Jordan, to get in the tire. And then another guy, twice his size, also puts his foot in the tire. And Rocky Balboa says, hey, when you

fight that Russian, it will be face to face. And then you see Michael B, in this tire, with this man, twice his size, hitting him hard. I mean, hitting him on the side, hitting him in all that, right? But over time, Michael B is getting stronger to the point that Michael B is in the tire with the man twice his size, and the guy is hitting so hard that the man gets out of the tire. Michael B. Jordan says, let's go, let's go. Wow, I love it. He's doing these, there's a moment when he's doing these neck lifts. He's lifting weight with his head. It's crazy. I love good fighting scenes. I tell you, I love a good training montage. I could see it now. It excites me a lot. But this is what I hate about training montages. What I hate. They compress time. So they make you think that five minutes and a good song are all it takes to run our career. I don't know about you, but that's not how my life works. No. What you're called to, and why you need an anchor of hope, is that whatever your career is, you're called to a long obedience in the same direction. That's what we're called to, to a prolonged obedience in the same direction. Pablo's ministry was a prolonged obedience in the same direction. Twelve years is all we have of Pablo's ministry in the Bible. From the time he met Jesus in Damascus, to the last news of Pablo, who we believe was murdered in Rome, is twelve years. Twelve years of time. And he spent three of those years in Ephesus, 25%. There were many other places he wanted to go, but he spent 25% of his time in Ephesus. And I think that when he was in Ephesus, he was faithful. We know that he was fruitful, but we also know that he faced resistance. So there's this scene in the amphitheater where the whole city is gathered, shouting, Great is Artemis, goddess of the Ephesians, because they oppose Pablo. Can you imagine? Can you imagine being in an amphitheater of this size? And everyone there is chanting your name. Chuck is great. Chuck is great. Chuck is great. Even that would become uncomfortable after a while. Now change the script and imagine that they don't chant your name. They are opposing you. They come against you. This is what Pablo experienced. This is the resistance he had. What was happening here? You see, what we need to understand is that for the Ephesians, Artemis was everything. Artemis was where they thought their wealth came from, where their prosperity came from. She was a guide of fertility. They thought that all their hope was tied to Artemis. What they did not understand was that Artemis Isa es un dios menor, y adivina que, nosotros tambien, tenemos nuestros pequeños dioses

a los que vamos por esperanza, cosas que creemos que nos daran lo que solo Dios puede dar. Hay un versiculo en el antiguo testamento, Jeremias 2.13, que me desafia mucho. Dios escribe a través del profeta Jeremias y les dice, mi pueblo ha cometido dos males, me han abandonado a mi, fuente de aguas vivas, y se han cavado cisternas, cisternas rotas que no pueden contener agua, te amo lo suficiente para decirte que tienes dioses pequeños en tu vida que no contienen agua, pones tu esperanza en lugares que no retendran agua, algunos de nosotros adoramos al pequeño dios del control, y creen que si controlamos los resultados y la situacion, y doblegamos todo a nuestra voluntad, eso funcionara. Pero ese pequeño dios del control no sirve, para otros es el pequeño dios de la riqueza, si obtengo mas, gano mas, acumulo mas, me aislare de los problemas de la vida. Y quiero decirles que ese pequeño dios de la riqueza es inutil, para otros es el hedonismo y el placer, buscaremos el placer a cualquier precio, ya sean drogas, sexo, alcohol, o lo que sea, y les digo, ustedes lo saben, ese pequeño dios no sirve, para otros es el dios de no confiar en nadie, puedo hacerlo solo, solo me necesito a mi, y les aseguro que ese pequeño dios no servira, para otros es la insensibilizacion y la evasion, cualquiera que sea su pequeño dios, estoy aqui para decirles que su pequeño dios los fallara, los esta fallando, siempre los ha fallado, porque poner su esperanza en un pequeño dios cuando pueden servir a un dios que nunca falla, esa es nuestra invitacion, me encanta como dice en hebreo 6, 19, tenemos esta esperanza como ancla para el alma, firme y segura, y por eso la esperanza biblica no es un deseo, es un arma, la esperanza biblica es un arma, no se si se dan cuenta, el mundo tiene problemas, no se si se dan cuenta de eso, y eso implica que nuestra esperanza esta siendo atacada constantemente, no me creen, solo abran sus noticias, no me creen, intenten arreglar una relacion que esta rota, no me creen, intenten vencer las voces en su cabeza que dicen que no son suficientes, que nunca mejoraran, ustedes lo saben, en el fondo saben que hay fuerzas que estan conspirando para su destruccion, y la esperanza biblica es la resistencia necesaria para enfrentarse a esa desesperacion, hay un lider que dijo esto sobre la esperanza y estas palabras se me quedan grabadas, dijeron la esperanza confronta, no ignora el dolor, la agonia o la injusticia, no es un optimismo azucarado que se niega a ver, enfrentar o lidiar con la miseria de la realidad, no puedes tener esperanza sin desesperacion porque la esperanza es una respuesta, es la conviccion

activa de que la desesperacion nunca tendra la ultima palabra, puedo obtener un amen? La desesperacion no es la que prevalece, el estar perdido no es lo ultimo, el miedo no es lo ultimo, la division no es lo ultimo, la ira no es lo ultimo, el fracaso no es lo que prevalece, la esperanza afirma que esa desesperacion no tendra la ultima palabra, esa es la esperanza que poseemos y ese Dios que otorga tal esperanza desea encontrarte, si nuestro mundo esta roto pero nuestro Dios es mas poderoso que lo roto que esta el mundo y ese es el Dios que quiere encontrarte, equiparte y darte el poder para correr la carrera que tienes por delante, les dije que corri un maraton y cualquiera que lo haya hecho sabe que un maraton son dos carreras en una, esta el maraton y esta el muro, porque en algun punto de la carrera del maraton vas a topar con un muro, no importa cuanto te prepares, no importa cuanto lo medites, vas a golpear un muro, quizas sea un muro fisico porque tienes rosaduras en tus partes intimas terribles, hiciste algo mal con tu equipo y lo sientes en cada paso, alguien ha pasado por eso? alguien ha estado ahi? dolor? dolor? saben que es el dolor? eso es dolor verdad? o tienes ampollas en los pies? pensaste que tus zapatillas eran geniales? pensaste que las habias amoldado bien pero ahora tienes ampollas en la milla 25? tienes un largo camino por recorrer con ampollas en los pies? te jalas un tendon de la corba? te afecta la banda iliotibial? puede ser un muro fisico? puede ser un muro mental y emocional? yo alcance el muro en el kilometro 32 y lo alcance con fuerza, sabia que habia llegado al muro, parte de la razon por la que alcance el muro es que tenia cosas que sabia que me ayudarian a cruzar la meta, habia entrenado con un grupo, bob ronkers, alguien sabe de eso? habia entrenado con el grupo de corredores bob ronkers y debido a mi ritmo eramos yo y varias mujeres, habiamos entrenado juntas y vamos a cruzar esta linea de meta juntas verdad? y dejenme decirles a los 5 minutos de la carrera las perdia todas, no se a donde fueron, las perdia todas, la otra cosa es que tenia un ipod en aquel entonces y habia ajustado mi lista de reproduccion para que coincidiera con las millas que iba recorriendo, asi que por ejemplo cuando llegue a eden park hill For those who know her, I was putting James Brown, Big Payback, because I had almost failed before, so I said, I'm going to put Big Payback. Well, at 16 kilometers, my iPod turned off,

so I don't have music, I don't have community, and I'm supposed to finish this race. I got to mile 32 and I was suffering. I was reaching the wall. And there are a couple of things that helped me overcome the wall. One is the community. I tell you, for whatever your race is, don't run alone. I have an incredible wife, and my wife had located friends and family in different mile markers. And when I got to mile 32, I knew that if I could only get to mile 40, my best friend Michael and his wife Larissa would be there, and Michael would run with me until the end. I knew that if I could only get to Michael at mile 40, I would be fine. I got to mile 37, I got to mile 38, fighting. I got to mile 40, I look to the left, Michael is there, his wife is there. He says, man, you're doing great, do you want me to run with you? I say, yes. I couldn't even breathe. I say... So he comes out and runs with me, because you need community to overcome your wall. But then something happened whose power I could not have imagined. You don't just need community, you need to have a vision of why you're running. And when I got to mile 25.9, maybe 26, I was able to distinguish my wife and my youngest son in the distance. At that time, my son was only three years old. He's my oldest son, but he was about three or four years old. And when I got to mile 25.9, Maria let Nathan surround the barrier and come to me, take my hand, and I was able to cross the finish line

of my first marathon with my son. It was amazing. Because you need to have a vision that goes beyond the race you're running. You need to understand why you're running the race. And this is what I love about Paul. What fascinates me about Paul is that he understood that his race was not only for this earthly existence, but for the life that is yet to come. Friends, heaven is real, and hell is real too. And you have to answer the question, where are you running to? Where are you running to? I have a mentor who says, never underestimate the eternal consequences of what seems to not matter. There are things you do now that seem inconsequential. It seems irrelevant to be faithful in a relationship. I'm telling you, that has eternal consequences. It may seem inconsequential that you're working in the same job with the same people, but your presence with hope and joy is making an eternal difference. I know there are parents who will wake up at night because their baby vomited and they have to change it. And changing diapers at night seems inconsequential, but you're raising a future leader. You're raising a future teacher. You're raising an influential future. Never underestimate the eternal consequences

of what seems insignificant. And Paul knew it. And we need to know that we are running through a city that is yet to come. We are running through a city that is yet to come. This kingdom of God is going to take possession of this earth, of this planet. And Jesus says, I'm here, I'm doing all the new things. And part of your career, part of your career is not just about this world, but it's about the world to come. You and I have been, and even if you don't read the Bible, you know the golden streets. We don't know how good the sky is. We don't know how beautiful it is. I don't know. Maybe there are literal golden streets in the sky. Maybe John is the one who gives us that. Maybe John was speechless to communicate the beauty of what he saw. And so the best thing he could do was say, can you imagine a place where the streets are paved with gold? I tell you, the sky is worth it. The race to meet Jesus is worth it. That's why you run. Paul knew it. And I love that at the end of his career, Paul is now in prison in Rome. This is years after the church began in Ephesus.

He writes to his protégé, Timothy, who was the pastor of the church he founded in Ephesus. And Paul says this, I have fought the good battle. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. From now on, I have the crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge, will give me on that day. And not just me, but also all those who have loved his coming. Friends, listen to me. If you are in a relationship with Jesus, you have a crown waiting for you on the other side. And if you don't follow Jesus, follow him. Because there is a life that you can live beyond this present reality. It begins now and will never end. Joy that will not end. Peace that will not end. Creativity that will not end. Because the Bible does not say, I mean, let's think about this. Let's imagine heaven as that place with angels without bodies playing harps. That is not what the Bible describes as heaven. The hope of the Bible is not life after death. It is life after life after death. We will receive new bodies and we will be on this planet, complete, whole, safe, as God planned in the Garden of Eden.

I assure you that is what you are running for. That is heaven. That is heaven. And so Pablo talks about it. And I thought, it would be great if we had thought and given everyone a shirt as a symbol of the race they run. And then I realized, oh no, we've actually done it. Because this week, if you have the guide, if you have done the personal work, you will complete your race manifesto. It is an opportunity to declare the race you run, to declare why you run it, and to declare that your hope to run it resides in Jesus. And while you do this, I know how it is. You get to the group, you forget the personal work, you sit in the car for 15 minutes, you read something. This is not a week for that. Believe me, you will want to dedicate at least 30 minutes to complete this manifesto in prayer, which you will then communicate to your group. And I think it will be impactful for you in the days, in the months, and even in the years to come. So I give you one last stimulus from Scripture as we reach the final stretch, not the end of the journey, but a new starting line. This is from Hebrews 12. And it says, Therefore, surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of all weight and of the sin that clings so tightly to us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is before us.

You have a race, and I want you to run it, putting your gaze on Jesus, the author and consumer of our faith. I want you to close your eyes and understand this reality. Right now, the whole sky is cheering you on. Have you thought about that? You can open your eyes. The whole sky is cheering you on. There are already people who have crossed the finish line and are cheering you on. They are celebrating you. I want you to bow and listen. Moses, David, Elias, Lydia, Mary, Paul, Peter, and Jesus himself, the author and consumer of your faith, are in heaven cheering you on. I want you to hear this. I hope you hear their spirit. I hope you hear that the race is worth the effort. I hope you hear that you can continue. I hope you hear that in the end you will rejoice that you have run with Jesus because the sky is cheering you on. I have to do this personally. I have to do this personally. I know I have a cloud of witnesses in heaven cheering me on. People like Mary Magdalene, James. That is the full name of my grandmother. A grandmother who walked with Jesus so much that just when she was dying, her last words were, You can see how beautiful the sky is. You can hear the music of the sky. Those were her last words as she crossed to the cloud of witnesses. I know that my grandmother is cheering me on from heaven now.

Charles Edward Mingo, my father. Many have known him. My father died a couple of years ago. He had dementia. But I know that right now, my father is dressed in his holy robe and is in heaven cheering me on. I have a cloud of witnesses. You have a cloud of witnesses. My friends, Doris, R., Williams, Eugene Graves. They are my aunts and my cousins who are pastors and who shaped me when I was a child. They taught me the gospel. And I tell you, part of the preaching that I receive from myself is what I received from them. They are my cloud of witnesses in heaven cheering me on. Kathy Beacham, a spiritual mother to me and many, is in heaven saying, You can do it, honey. If they knew her, they would know that I said yes. You can do it, honey. You can run this race. My father is in heaven cheering me on. All of heaven is cheering you on. I want you to take your vow and run your race. For some, to run is to say yes to Jesus. Heaven and hell are real. You don't have to go to hell. You can live fully and richly with Jesus. Maybe for you, to take the vow is to say, I will trust in Him. I will give my whole life to Jesus. If it's you, you can pray now.

You can pray after the service. Come. There are people who will pray for you everywhere and online. If this is the day for you to receive Jesus, I want you to know that all of heaven is cheering you on. For some of us, it's baptism. Maybe we already prayed, but we didn't do it in public. Easter Sunday is the best time to be baptized. Register. Attend the informational session and be baptized. For others, it's about a purpose that God has for our lives and we must run that race. Take the first step. Take the next step. And you know what? For some of us, it's just about not giving up. Because life is hard. Maybe the vow is just to wake up and say, I will do my best with Jesus and I will not give up this race. I don't know what your race is, but it's time to take your vow and it's time to run your race. I want you to stand up right now in all our houses I want you to stand up. I want to bless you at the end of this journey. Put your hand in your heart if you commit to take your peto and run. Put your hand in your heart as if you were receiving an invisible peto. I just want to bless you and encourage you, because I know that the race you are running matters. It matters to you. It matters to the community.

It matters to the world. It matters in heaven. I just want to bless you now. Jesus, you see these people, each one in each place, online or in person. You see them, God, you see them. And I am praying that you bless them as they run their race. God, I am praying that you give them a hope that overflows, that can be an anchor and a weapon against the despair that comes upon them. God, I pray that you fill them with joy, that you fill them with love, that they run this race with joyful love for all who surround them. God, I pray that you empower them with your Holy Spirit, giving them the wisdom and vision that they did not learn in school, what they need for the race, God, because your Spirit is in them. God, I pray that you give them courage and resilience for when the obstacles come and when the resistance comes, so that they do not look to the left or to the right, but that they run their race until it is completed. And God, while they do that, I pray that they long for the day and hear the day when they cross their finish line, when they finish their struggle and hear your well-done. I pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And all the runners said, Amen, Amen, and Amen. Go and run your race.