Run with Endurance | Pastor Daniel Ethridge | Liberty Live Church

♪ Nothing left but living for You rose in victory ♪ ♪ There's nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ This is my confidence You made me impossible, I know ♪ ♪ There's nothing too hard, nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ You know I'll be standing against the power of Your Spirit ♪ ♪ Breaking through, there's nothing too hard, nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ Oh, there's nothing, there's nothing too hard, nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ This is my confidence You reign in me, impossible I know ♪ ♪ There's nothing too hard, nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ And no one can stand against the power of Your Spirit breaking through ♪ ♪ There's nothing too hard, nothing too hard for You ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪ Miracles then, miracles now, miracles still to come ♪ ♪ You're moving here, You're moving now, Your work is never done ♪ ♪♪ -♪♪ -♪♪

-♪♪ -♪♪ -♪ Home is where my life begins ♪ ♪ Where my treasure is ♪ ♪ I'm running home, I'm running home to You ♪ ♪ Home is what You have in store ♪ ♪ Where I will see the glory of Your Lord forevermore ♪ Come on church, sing! ♪ You're coming, I'm ready, I'm going home ♪ ♪ I'm waking up to You, You've come, I'm going home ♪ ♪ Dancing through the gates, I hear my Father say ♪ ♪ Word, word, I hear Him saying, Word, word, I hear Him saying ♪ ♪ Word, word, I hear Him saying, Word, word, I hear Him saying ♪ ♪ Home is where I'm meant to stay ♪ ♪ Where You prepared my place ♪ ♪ I'm running home, I'm running home to You ♪ ♪ Home, I've got some family there ♪ ♪ And I can't wait to see them healed and haunted, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, come on ♪ ♪ You're coming, what ♪ ♪ Coming ♪ ♪ I'm going home ♪ ♪ Boy you're waking up to your kingdom come on going home ♪ ♪ Dreams to the lips ♪ ♪ I hear my father say come on, come on ♪ ♪ Brother, brother, I hear you saying ♪ ♪ Well, well, oh I hear him saying ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ There is a table is set for a king ♪ ♪ All are invited to pray and believe ♪

♪ There is a table is set for a king ♪ ♪ All are invited to pray and believe ♪ ♪ Well, well, oh I hear him saying ♪ ♪ There is a table is set for a king ♪ ♪ All are invited to pray and believe ♪ ♪ There is a table is set for a king ♪ ♪ All are invited to pray and believe ♪ ♪ All are invited to pray and believe ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Good morning. Welcome to Liberty Live Church. We are so glad you decided to join us. Today's your first day at Liberty. We'd love to meet you. So text CONNECT to 40371, tap the seat back in front of you, or visit us at one of our next step centers after the service today.

We can't wait to meet you. Si hablas español, nos encantaría que nos acompañaras a nuestros servicios todos los domingos en nuestro campus de Hampton. Para más información, favor de mandar la palabra ESP al 40371. Te esperamos. Because of your generosity, lives are being changed right here in Hampton Roads and around the world. When you give, you partner with us to help change lives, communities, and the world for Jesus Christ. You can give through our website, tap the seat in front of you, or through an envelope at your campus today. Thank you for investing in all that God is doing through the work here at Liberty. You know, God is moving in so many incredible ways here at Liberty, from kids to students to young adults to senior adults. There are so many ways for you to find community, discover your purpose, and grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus. So right now, let's look at some exciting things coming up. Don't miss what's happening all throughout the week. So follow us on social media and connect with your campus Facebook group. We'll see you there. Bye.

Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thanks again for being here today where it's not just church, it's life. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Good morning, Liberty. What a great day to be in the house of the Lord. We are so glad you're joining us here for church online. No matter where you're streaming from right now, you could be at home, you could be on vacation, you could be, I don't know, anywhere, at work, you've got to be able to join us from at work. No matter where you're streaming from right now, we love you and you are a part of the Liberty family. That's right, and we would love to meet you.

This is Kyle. I'm Jenny. Drop your name in the chat. Let us know where you're streaming from and if today's your first time here ever, text connect to 40371 or scan that QR code on the screen. Let us know it was your first time because we'd love to send you a free welcome gift and give you a shout out. We got shout outs. Yes, we got shout outs. Jenny's been collecting these from the chat. We got David from Ohio. We got Betsy from Pennsylvania. Somebody from Illinois, Ohio. Korea. Korea. Somebody's in Kill Devil Hills on a North Carolina vacation. I would like to be on vacation. That's pretty cool. We got people watching from all over the country, all over different states, all over the world. It is one big family here at Liberty. That's right, and we've got so many people watching because we're in 21 days of prayer too. 21 days of prayer. 21 days of prayer. If today's your first time here ever, let's tell them about it, Kyle. What's 21 days? 21 days of prayer. We start at the beginning of August. We go on a 21-day prayer and fasting journey as a whole church. We meet Monday through Friday at 6 a.m. and then Saturdays at 9 p.m., and we just finished

week two. We're going into week three, our final week, is how we feel, Jenny. Yeah. Final week, y'all. We're tired. We are tired. It is hard. Some of us are hungry. Some of us just want to get on social media to check out all of our friends. I don't know what you're fasting, what you're praying for. It's been a good journey, but we're feeling it. That's right. And finish strong. Yes. We want to encourage you today to finish strong because it is the final week. You can do it. Yes. With the Lord's help and God's strength, there's more He wants to do in your life, more He wants to speak to you and us. Yeah. We too were just talking about before we hit record, like we're still waiting on the Lord to do something. Yeah. Yeah. You know? So you're not alone. And if today's your first time joining in, it's not too late to start. That's right. We all have a starting place. We all have a next step and God wants more for all of us.

And when we really put to death our flesh, it sounds so like kind of grotesque, but when we really put to death our flesh, like the Holy Spirit can move. And so we're just praying for him this last week. And it's going to be an incredible service today. We've got 6 a.m. services all week long. And then we finish with day 21 on Saturday. Day 21 on Saturday. All of our campuses will come to the Hampton campus and we'll have a big worship prayer celebration. And then don't forget on Sunday, we have our baptism Sunday. Right. So it's back to back big days. You're not going to want to miss them. Come on into town. Right. If you're out of town, holler at somebody that might live close by. That's right. And get on in here. That's right. Speaking of baptism Sunday, like baptism is a huge next step. When you're ready to show your family, your friends, hey, I'm following the Lord. I'm rededicating my life to the Lord. Maybe that's something God's been tugging at your heart to do. You can text BAPTISM to 40371 and on Sunday, next week, you can get baptized at any location. Not just at Hampton. Hampton will be the one day celebration on Saturday. Yes, it might be a little confusing. But Sunday, any campus, we're having baptisms at every campus in Hampton Roads. It's going to be an incredible weekend all around. So like Kyle said, you're not going to want to miss.

Make plans to be in person if you can. Yeah. But if you can't, as always, we'll be right here online. Yeah, that's right. And it's going to be an awesome day in church this morning. Jenny, you got a little word for us before we get to service? I have a word. Yeah. Like we said earlier, I've been struggling a little bit with my attitude, finding joy, hope in this season. You know, when you're hungry, you're tired, you're flushed out. It's really hard. So the Lord gave me this scripture this morning from Psalm 31 7. I will be glad and rejoice in your love for you saw my affliction and here's where it got me. You knew the anguish of my soul. And God knows what we're dealing with today. God knows what we've walked into. And he has a word specifically for you. I believe it. Pastor Grant's wrapping up this series, look to Jesus and we're gonna run with endurance. That's how we're gonna finish strong this Sunday leading into this last week. So we pray it's gonna be a great day. Yeah, it is going to be a great day. We're so glad you joined us for church this morning. We love you and we'll see you after service. It is the last week of 21 days of prayer.

You still expect it in the Lord. Let's talk around like this this morning. Come on. Now let's sing this, come on. Let's sing. You're good and you promise. Come on. You signed me to God. Come on. You see the storm and the chaos fell in line. Well, I don't know as I've seen it in my life. It's a narrow road that leads to the light. But I wanna be on it. Oh, it's a narrow road and the tide is high. But you put me in the water. I'll take you out to work. If you said it, I'll believe it. I've seen how good it was. If you started it, I'll complete it. I'll take you out to work. If you said it, I'll believe it. I've seen how good it was. If you started it, I'll complete it. I'll take you out to work. I'll take you out to work, God. I've never seen you fail.

I've never seen you fail. All the stress is worth it, sing this, come on. Cos you said your love will never give up. Yes, you said your grace is always enough. Yes, you said your heart would never forget or forsake me. I'm confident, God. Yes, you said I'm sane. Yes, you called me orange. And you said my future is full of it. You never fail, so I know that you never fail me. Yes, you said your love will never give up. And you said your grace is always enough. Yes, you said your heart would never forget or forsake me. I'm confident, I'm confident. Yes, you said I'm sane. So you called me orange. You said my future is full of your love. You never fail, so I know that you'll never fail me. I'll take you out to work. Come on. If you said it, I believe it. Cos I've seen how good it works. If you started, you'll complete it. Yes, I'll take you out to work. If you said it, I believe it. I've seen how good it works. If you started, you'll complete it. I'll take you out to work. ♪ I'll take you out to work, God ♪ ♪ He's not more faithful, He's not more faithful ♪

♪ I'll take you out to work, He's not more faithful ♪ ♪ Church, would you give Him praise this morning? ♪ ♪ Would you give Him praise this morning? ♪ ♪ Let's take Him out to work, we'll take you out to work, God ♪ ♪ We'll take you out to work, we'll take you out to work, God ♪ ♪ Praise God ♪ ♪ I pray to the atmosphere, Spirit of God you're here ♪ ♪ You have all authority ♪ ♪ I pray over my heart and mind ♪ ♪ I am healed by your stripes, your blood ♪ ♪ Declare that I am free in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I pray calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim that every weapon formed against me ♪ ♪ It must break in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I draw a permanent boundary line ♪ ♪ The enemy has no right to come near my family ♪ ♪ No sin could ever undo God's grace ♪ ♪ No matter the circumstance, the cross has sealed my destiny ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I pray calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim that every weapon formed against me ♪ ♪ It must break in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ For I know all the power of fear and darkness ♪ ♪ It must go, cause every key to every victory ♪ ♪ I know in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ Come on, sing this with confidence. ♪ How would I feel, how would I feel ♪ ♪ When the enemy comes near, come on ♪

♪ On the dark frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Sing how would I feel, how would I feel ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels here ♪ ♪ I'm protected on all sides by the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Oh how would I feel, how would I feel ♪ ♪ When the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ On the dark frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Oh how would I feel, how would I feel ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels here ♪ ♪ I'm protected on all sides by the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, come on ♪ ♪ I pray, calling all the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim, that every weapon thrown against me ♪ ♪ It must break in the mighty name of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Oh this time we're in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Oh how He's comforting my heart ♪ ♪ Then all the power of fear and darkness, oh it must go ♪ ♪ Cause every key to every victory, I hold ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus. Come on and worship it now. We praise you. There's power in the name. Amen and amen. And in the mighty name of Jesus, we have two coming today that crossed from death to life by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus, I want to introduce to you Val. Val was sharing with me that she, in her younger years, was

in church, had a traumatic experience, and kind of was on and off with God through the years until her sister, who lives in Suffolk, and Madeline, who attends Liberty, invited her to church. She invited her to Jesus. She has returned to her Savior. She is coming to be baptized today. She faithfully attends 21 days of prayer. Val, if you'll be seated. Val, because of your commitment to Jesus, it's my pleasure to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. I want to introduce to you Kevin. Kevin was sharing with me that his neighbor, Josh, who attends Liberty, actually invited him to Liberty as well as to Jesus. And actually, he and another friend have made decisions as a result of that influence of that 11th grader, Josh. And Kevin, I want to introduce you to Kevin. Kevin actually called the church himself and said, hey, I want to be baptized, and we are excited for that decision. Kevin, because of your commitment to Jesus, it's my pleasure to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ in baptism, we are going to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let's continue to celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ and what he's doing in our lives. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Among the saints ♪ ♪ Who shall return in rolls of white ♪ ♪ A blazing sun, it shall pierce the night ♪ ♪ And I will rise among the saints ♪ ♪ Among the saints, my gaze transfigured on Jesus' face ♪ Church, would you fix your eyes to Jesus this morning? Would you lift your voice to the only one who is worthy of all of our worship and our praise? There is no name like the name of Jesus. There's no name that has the power like the name of Jesus. So would you lift up your voices?

Would you lift up your hands and give Him praise this morning, come on. Yes, you're worthy, you're worthy. Come on, sing, death cannot hold you. ♪ Cause death could not hold you ♪ ♪ The vamps were before you ♪ ♪ Your silence took over, how faint and gray ♪ ♪ The heavens are roaring, the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ Cause for you are raised to life again ♪ ♪ Cause you have no rival, cause you have people ♪ ♪ Cause now and forever God to reign ♪ ♪ Cause yours is the kingdom, cause yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Cause yours is the name above all names ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, Lord, what a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ Yes, what a powerful name it is, nothing can stand against ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against, what a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus, what a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus, there's no name like the name of Jesus ♪ Amen, he's powerful, give him a shout of praise. There's no name like the name of Jesus. That in his name, every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, amen, amen. Listen, Jesus, he's so powerful. It was at his spoken word that everything came into existence. It's at his spoken word by the shedding of his blood and at his word that the enemy will be defeated one day. He even took the tool of the enemy death itself and defeated death and defeated sin

so that we could have life and resurrection, amen. He is so powerful, he is worthy, he is good. And here's the encouraging thing, if Jesus can do that, there's nothing that we've walked in with today that he can't overcome. There's nothing that we've walked in with today that he can't sustain us in. Even if he leaves us in that season, his power is on display to sustain us and keep us, to help us endure to the end. Amen, church, amen, amen. Hey, who's been on the journey with us for 21 days of prayer? Come on, come on. Hey, this is day 15. That means we're starting week three and we've already seen God do some incredible work and I just know that there is so much more still yet to come in this week and I believe with faith, I hope you're ready. Listen, I can tell by looking at the backs of some of your eyes that you've been here every morning at 6 a.m., all right? But you're walking with joy, you're walking with hope, you're walking with purpose and I can't wait to see how God continues to move and work. Listen, can we welcome our first time guest in the room for the first time here? Welcome home. It is not by accident that you are here this morning.

You are here because God has sovereignly ordained it and I believe that he has a word for you today to help you, to help sustain you, that you can see that the trials that you're facing, the persecution, whatever it is that you're facing, that he's gonna help sustain you in it. Listen, church, we've got an incredible event coming up. We've got a lot of things coming up this fall but one I wanna highlight this morning is our ladies event, the women's event coming up on September 25th. Where you at, ladies? Y'all in the house? Come on. This isn't one that you're gonna wanna miss, ladies. So this is our more women's event. It's gonna be on September 25th. It's a one-night event, only $10. Miss Claire's gonna be bringing the word and it's gonna be a night of worship. And so we're very excited for you ladies to get a part of that. Make sure you register. You can register by scanning the QR code or going to the website and get registered there. But we know that God is gonna do an incredible work at that night for our ladies. Listen, I want you to turn around, high five somebody, tell them you're glad that they're here this morning.

And in just a few moments, we're gonna continue on with our morning. You can grab a seat. We've got a special video, an update from our Fairview Heights campus. So if you would turn your attention to the screens. Hello Liberty, it's Pastor Zee Hall here with your final construction update at your Fairview Heights campus. We are so excited about what God is doing in Portsmouth and this surrounding community. Right now, our staff is behind me, putting stuff together in the worship center, getting our kids' space ready for our next gen team, finishing all of our AVL information for production. It's gonna be a wonderful time in the Lord. We wanna thank you in advance for this grand opening that's gonna happen on September the 13th. We are looking to do more for Jesus Christ in the Portsmouth area and in this entire community. Thank you so much. We appreciate your generosity and we love you for what you are doing for the kingdom. Let's give Jesus a round of applause for this next chapter in our church. Amen, amen. Well, good morning. I'm so glad you're joining us at every campus, at every location. So excited that we're about to have

a brand new campus opening in Portsmouth at Fairview Heights. Our staff was over there setting up this week. And you can just already sense the excitement in that building and the spirit of God at work among our staff and among our people. So I'm so excited for Fairview Heights. We're just a few weeks away, it's insane, from grand opening there. And I don't know, are you a little tired today? Is anybody a little hungry today? You're supposed to be, because we're fasting. You're supposed to be hungry and tired. We're seeking God together. 21 days of prayer is one of my favorite seasons in the life of our church, and we are on day 15. And I just think that the enemy made an uncalculated error in putting me up to preach in the middle of fasting and prayer. Now somebody better buckle up, because I'm ready to go. I'm so excited. This is my favorite time. I like me better when I'm fasting and praying. Matter of fact, I like you better when you're fasting and praying. And I'm so excited. It just fills me with so much joy to see what God's doing in the life of our church. This morning, I want you to take your Bibles

and turn to Hebrews chapter 12. As you're turning there, it's day 15, but day 21 is coming. And this Saturday at 9 a.m., we are gonna celebrate every campus coming together as one church in one location right here at the Hampton Campus. And if you've never experienced a day 21, what are you doing and where have you been? You better get here already. There are so many people that experience Sunday mornings, but they've never experienced a day like day 21. It is the culmination, the celebration of all that God has done over 21 days of prayer and fasting. And I can hardly wait. It is one of my favorite days in the life of our church, and I want you to be here. I tell you every time, this is probably the last time we're gonna be able to do it. I've told you that the last few years. We've probably got one more time in us. And if you're at the other sites, I just want you to know it's gonna be worth this drive to experience day 21 together. I really believe in the coming months, you're gonna see us doing day 21 celebrations at multiple locations at multiple times. And it's gonna be incredible. I know it'll make it so much more convenient for those on the south side,

but I don't want you to miss what it's like being in the room as one church together. So be here on day 21. This season in the life of our church, I keep having people tell me, I heard it yesterday after prayer, I just sense God doing something new. I sense God doing something fresh. God's showing me stuff that I've never seen before. God's working in me like I've never experienced before. And some of you already know that we are unveiling what we believe God has given us as the future. vision for Liberty Live Church. And we've been letting it leak out a little bit, but we're ready to give the church the full vision, and we're gonna do it at every single location on Vision Nights. Vision Nights at every single campus. You see your date there on the screen, but I want you to join in with your campus as pastor, he's going to every one of them to share himself. He said, I know the campus pastors can do it, I know somebody else could do it, but I wanna share myself with every site. So he's traveling to every single site to share the vision of where God's taken us, and you don't wanna miss it. You wanna be there, I want you to mark your campus, your date to be there together.

It's gonna be an incredible night as we hear where God's taken us. We know that those night events aren't the best option for everyone, and so we have a senior adult lunch that we wanted to provide during the daytime, 11 a.m. on September 14th. If you're a senior adult at any campus, you're welcome to join us on that day. All that we would ask is that you would RSVP. Did I tell y'all I'm tired and hungry? Let us know that you're coming so that we know how many to prepare for. But I don't want you to miss the opportunity to hear the vision, whether at the senior adult lunch or at one of the campus Vision Nights. Are you at Hebrews chapter 12? Hebrews chapter 12, we're continuing in a series of verses, and we've entitled this series Look to Jesus. You're gonna see it right out of the text this morning. Three weeks ago, pastors started out in these verses talking about throwing off the weight, the weight that entangles us. Weight's a morally neutral thing. We know it's not necessarily sin because the very next thing he says is throw off the sin. That's what we looked at last week. An incredible day of repentance. And I'm just begging God, praying and asking that this week you walked in freedom from sin.

What a gift from the Holy Spirit. And then I have the honor this morning of preaching run with endurance. Run with endurance. I want us to look at the text together. Hebrews chapter 12, starting in verse one, just three verses right here. 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. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won't grow weary and give up. Let's pray together. Holy Spirit, I'm asking now that the same spirit that inspired these words would fill my mind and my heart, fill my mouth to preach your truth. I pray that you would open our eyes to see the truth of your word. Open our ears to hear your voice leading and guiding us. Open our hearts, make us more like yourself. God, I pray as I always pray, that my preaching would not rest in the clever or cunning words of men,

but in power and in demonstration of the spirit of God so that our faith might rest in your spirit. Would you do what only you can do for your namesake and for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, everyone said amen. Amen. This morning we're looking at how to run with endurance. How to run with endurance. And as I was going through these verses, I saw four distinct phrases directly from the text. Now I'll tell you, I worked and I said, I really wanna outline that'll help people remember, help it stick in people's minds. And I wrote out multiple outlines and I kept throwing them away. And I ended up settling on word for word what the text says. I wanna show you four things this morning, how you and I can run with endurance. Number one, the race is set before you. The race is set before you. That's exactly what it says, Hebrews 12 one, the second half of the verse. Let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us. Whether you know it or not. You are in a race. There is a race laid out before you, a race set before. You say, I know, I'm busy all the time. I'm running all the time. Have you been on an interstate in Hampton Roads? Busy, and everybody's racing.

I wanna free you this morning from something. You know you're not in a race with the car next to you. You know, when you drive 64, there's no winners and losers. Just everybody getting to where they're going. I hope that frees you this morning, because every time I pull on 64, I feel like I'm racing the car next to me. Now, I'll know what the car is, okay, that blue Ford right there, and I'll see how far I can get and who's going faster. I'll do it, and some of the cops out there know that I'll do it, and then somebody. You're not in a race on 64, but can I tell you something? There's a race that's been set before you in this life. The spiritual analogy of a race is all throughout Scripture. I wanna show it to you in 1 Corinthians. If you're walking through the one-year Bible with us, you read this two days ago. 1 Corinthians chapter nine, verse 24. Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, and we're running, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable, so I do not run aimlessly. I love that phrase. I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others,

I myself should be disqualified. How we doing, guys? Did I pull it loose? I did. You want me to use a handheld? Plug it in, plug it in. Amen, somebody. We gonna get there. You gonna hear what this sermon is this morning. Okay, I'm trying to get it. If I don't get it, then y'all are paying me something else. Look, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. So the Apostle Paul says, I don't run aimlessly. I love what the NLT says, New Living Translation says, I run with every step with purpose. Isn't that good? Have you ever watched a Little League ball game? It is the definition of running aimlessly. I love watching Little League games, going to a little soccer game and watching them run. They don't even know what way they're running. Half the time, they kick it into the wrong goal. They have no idea what position that they play or whose team that they're on. They're all just chasing the ball, tackling each other, trying to get it into a net somewhere. And then we cheer them on and we encourage them because they're learning the fundamentals. They've got to know what team they're on.

They've got to understand what position that they play. They've got to know that there are a set of rules that guide you and tell you how to win the game. Just like watching Little League players, sometimes watching Christians try to run the race of life is just like watching Little League. Like, do you know what team you're on? You're busy, but are you busy with the right stuff? Do you know you have a position to play? I mean, you have a calling and a gifting. You have a place to play on the team. Do you know how to win? And I'm afraid that just like the Apostle Paul says, we run aimlessly. We run with no purpose. We run not understanding what we're called to. Some of us don't even know what team we're on. There is a moment when you realize, I've got to change teams, because you're not born on the right team. One of my favorite things is that every time you see someone baptized, they're wearing a shirt that says, meet the new me. Do you understand that baptism is the jersey of Christianity? It's how you're identified as a child of God. It's how all of us know we're on the same team. And the name on the front of the jersey is way more important than the name of the back of the jersey.

I need some of y'all to get that. We're all on team Jesus. And I know you have a unique identity and a unique calling, new gifting. I know you have a position to play, but at the end of the day, it's all about Jesus. It's all about who he is and what he's. I'm talking to some churches, some other pastors in Hampton Roads. Friend, we're on the same team. And I'm talking to you, I'm talking to you, I'm talking to you, We're not in competition with one another. I'm talking to you, I'm talking to you, We're building the same kingdom. I'm talking to you, I'm talking to you, We're running with the same, I wish I could link arms with you and figure out how we could reach this city together. I drive past your magnet, your sticker, all the time on other people's car. You know what I do? I pray for you and your church. Because we're on the same team, and team Jesus is all that matters. Some of you need to take the step. We're doing a baptism service next Sunday morning.

Next Sunday morning. You say, are there any more people to baptize? Yeah, you. Thousands of people have been baptized. Why aren't we doing it again? Because this one's for you. Somebody's watching online in another state, another city. Do you know how many people drive in for day 22 to be baptized? They've been on the whole journey with us. They wanna be baptized coming out of the conclusion of 21 days of prayer. And I invite you next Sunday to join us. We'd love the opportunity to hear what God's doing in your life. And to take the next step of baptism with you. Come on, put on the jersey, somebody. Identify yourself as a child of God. And if you've been trying to live the Christian life, you feel like you're failing, you feel like you're floundering, you're running aimlessly with no purpose, no calling, no direction, have you ever been baptized? That might be your next step of obedience. I'm trying to tell you that there's a race that's been set before you, and it was set before you were ever born. Oh, look at this. Ephesians chapter two, verse 10.

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for, you say it, good works. Now watch this. What's God prepared beforehand that we should walk in then? There is a race laid out for you, and your race isn't somebody else's race. Your position isn't somebody else's position. Your calling isn't somebody else's calling. No, God made you for this. I'm asking with how busy you are, how full your schedule is, how exhausted you are day in and day out, I'm asking do you have purpose in everything that you're doing? Well, don't you know that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable? That he put what's inside of you because he meant it to come out of you? That when he knitted you and formed you together, he didn't get your personality wrong? He didn't get your talents and giftings wrong? No, he gave you everything you have because you have everything you need for life and Godliness to run the race that he's called you to. And I'm asking, do you have purpose? Well, what do you need to start doing that you're not doing? This might be the better question. What do you need to stop doing that you are doing?

I've been asking everybody I can possibly ask. I'm gonna ask you when I see you next. What is God calling you to? What did he make you for? What did he create you for? What's God calling you to? Well, don't you know a race is set before you? I love what the Apostle Paul says to Timothy. He says, fan into flame the gift that's been given you. And there is this seed of calling and anointing and power and gifting placed inside every single believer. But that seed's gotta grow up to maturity for you to walk in the, come on somebody, for you to walk in the fullness of what God's called you to. When are we gonna understand we don't have these worship centers for us to all sit and observe? No, no, every one of these seats is meant to be equipped and sent out. It's not the seating capacity, it's the sending capacity. And there's a race set out for you. I can't walk in it for you. I can only do what I'm called to do. But what are you called to do? What are you called to do? I want you to walk in the fullness of your calling. Number one, there's a race that's set before you. Number two, run with endurance. That's exactly what he says. He says, let us run with endurance,

the race that is set before you. Now let me get this out of the way. Who in here is a runner? You love running, you wake up every morning. Come on, don't be ashamed. Y'all are crazy. If you ever catch me running, there's danger and you better join me. Oh, there's Pastor Grant. I mean, there's Pastor Daniel running. Pastor Grant don't run either. There's Pastor Daniel running. His same DNA right here. Pastor Daniel's running. You don't even look, just take off in the same direction. Because there's something coming after me and there's a reason why. I do not like running. I don't like, I tried it. I don't like it. I don't like running anywhere. Listen, God didn't create me in a time when you had to walk or run anywhere. That's why I speed on the highway, because he gave me wheels. I don't like running. And I had to read and study different races this week because you know not all races are the same. Not all races are the same. This is how the writer of Hebrews has already said it

in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 36. You have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. See, not all races are the same and we're in an endurance race. We're in it. Do you know there's a difference in a sprint and a marathon? The sprint, you start out with as much speed and as much power as possible and there's two goals, finish as quickly as possible and finish before everybody else. Well, that's how a sprint works. Well, the Christian life is not a sprint. No, there's an entire category of races that are known as endurance races. They're marathons and triathlons. They're cycling races or things like the Ironman that combine multiple skill sets. What is the whole goal of an endurance race? To endure to the end. Endurance races are created so that the person that's involved in the endurance race is pushed to the very limit of what they think their body can handle and they endure anyways. It's not about the order you finish, it's about finishing. In fact, endurance races are made so that every time you experience an endurance race, you can compete with yourself and get better. Completely different goal, completely different reality and you need to know the Christian life

is an endurance race. It's not a sprint. It's not a marathon. It's an endurance race. I think about the analogy that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 13. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose, they were scorched and since they had no root, they withered away. Look at how Jesus interprets this in verse 20. As for what was sown on rocky ground, that is the one who hears the word, immediately receives it with joy and yet has no root in himself, but endures for a little while and when the tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. Now I gotta tell you something. As one of your pastors, one of the greatest goals of my heart and my ministry going forward is that you would learn to be rooted and grounded, that you would be discipled in the word, that you would have depth to be able to withstand the trials of life and the persecution that's coming. The truth is we have a lot of people who are responding to salvation, a lot of people being baptized,

but they fall away quickly because the Christian life is not a sprint and as quickly as they start, they burn out and I'm telling you that you're missing the key because this is an endurance race and as best as I know how we're gonna equip you as a team, as a staff, as leaders, as teachers, for you to be discipled to endure to the end. It's funny because an endurance race has specific parts. You start out and the beginning of the race is all about positioning in the pack. The middle part of the race is all about consistency and patterns, breathing, perseverance. The ending of the race is about finishing well. I don't wanna take the analogy further than Scripture takes it, but as I studied endurance races, I started seeing the beauty of the word. See, the goal of an endurance race is that you grow until the end and I really think in the race of life and in the race of belief, you've gotta understand where you're at in the process. See, when you start out, it's all about positioning and I'm telling you, our next generation ministries are all about positioning another generation to be able to take the baton and run in their day and their time and their way, the way God's called them to run. It's about giving them a foundation

that positions them to walk with God, to know Him, to pursue Him and we do that as early as kids are in our care. We try to position them. As a parent, your goal should be to position your child for the sake of the gospel, but there's a day where they're gonna have to own it and pursue it themselves. Now, I watch this turn a lot of the time, and there is a disconnect between our children's ministries and student ministries, and our young adult and adult ministries. In fact, many people fall away in that time, because they never learn to pursue and own the race that God's called them to. Well, see, the middle part of an endurance race, come on, somebody, the middle part of an endurance race is about consistency, about stamina, about routine and rhythm. And what I find is the people that fall away don't have those things. I'm asking you this morning, do you have those things? Do you walk daily with the Lord when you feel it and when you don't? Do you spend time in the word and time in prayer every day of your, you're never gonna get to the end of your life you're never gonna get past the fundamentals and the basics. See, in training for a race, in enduring to the end, you gotta eat the right things,

and you gotta train the right ways. And in the Christian life, it's the same way. Your diet of the word and time with God matters, and your training every day matters. What, at what point are you gonna own the pursuit of Christ yourself? Well, this meal is not enough for the rest of the week. And by the way, God didn't make you for me to spoon feed you, you're not a baby. Pastor Quinn had such a good word for those who heard it in 21 days of prayer about maturity. Such a great word. First Corinthians chapter 13 verse 11, when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways in the name of Jesus, it's time to grow up and own the pursuit of God for ourselves. We need leaders to rise up in the house of God, and I see it happening every day of 21 days of prayer. We need new, the same teachers have been teaching for 50 years. Hello, somebody. Y'all are awake, right? Every time we have a funeral, I'm so overwhelmed and proud of what our senior adults have done, the foundations that they've laid, the ministries that they've led, but I'm always asking in my mind, who's taking their place?

Who's coming behind him? We have group leaders who've been teaching for 40 and 50 years, and I'm asking who's coming behind them? Who's picking up the baton of teaching and discipleship and development in the church? Who's owning that for themselves? We need more of you to rise up and mature in the faith, and I'm telling you, it gets fun when you start eating on your own. See, my kids, they only get to eat what I let them eat. No, you're gonna have to eat that broccoli. Well, Z, we're not getting up till you eat it. You gotta eat it. But one day, he's gonna be able to feed himself, and he's gonna choose what he eats, and that's a fun time. Some of you don't know how good the Word is, but if you'd start feeding yourself, you'd start realizing the beauty and the grandeur of what it is to walk daily with Jesus. You think it's fun to hear me preach? You wait till you wake up and spend time with him tomorrow. It's way more fun to know him yourself. And so I'm praying that God will raise up a generation of people who truly walk with God and who know him. There's something incredible that happens, though. By the way, we're about to start a new group semester at the end of 21 Days of Prayer. You need a group.

You were not made to do this alone. You're not gonna make it. In fact, part of positioning yourself in endurance race is finding the runner that you can keep pace with. You were made to run with somebody else. And so you need to join a group, and if you can't find a group, you need to start one. You and two or three other people. People, you say, well, it's kind of awkward, and I don't really get along with these. Well, grab your best friends and start a group. I walk around, I'm praying 21 Days of Prayer starts a new pattern in your life, and this is what I want you to know. Everybody you see at the campuses on 21 Days of Prayer has 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. open, so y'all start a group at that time. Isn't that good? Your afternoons are shot. But do you know what would happen if some men link arms and start meeting in the mornings over breakfast to pursue Christ together? What would happen if some women would open their eyes in prayer tomorrow morning, look across the room, and see the other women who are seeking God alongside of them and they would link arms and help each other run the race that God's called? God has so much more for you. And I'm praying that coming out of this 21 days of prayer, you establish a new daily routine

of seeking God and of knowing Him like you've never known Him before. The last part of the race is incredible because something happens psychologically and physically. No matter how tired somebody's body is, no matter how worn out somebody is, when they see the finish line, a new burst of energy flows through them and runners pick up their speed at the very end of the race. I wanna talk, thank you so much Bart. Will you give it up for our production team? Come on, give it up for our production guys. What happens at the end of the race is that there's a new energy that surges through a runner's body and with everything they have, they actually get faster once they see the finish line. And I'm talking to some senior adults, I see you doing it. You see the finish line in sight and you've got more faith and more strength welling up in you. You've got more ministry coming out of you. Your latter days are gonna be greater than your former days. You're not just rolling across the finish line, you're ending in a sprint. And it's such an encouragement to see that taking place. There's a way that you can run in two seasons of your life unhindered that is not true about other seasons of your life.

You know the two seasons? Young adults and senior adults. I wish some people would hear that this morning and accept the call to go overseas while you don't have a wife, a spouse, a husband, children, to go overseas and carry the gospel to other people. I wish that some senior adults at the end of their life would say, hey, you know what? If I'm gonna end, I'm gonna end in a sprint. And I'm gonna take the gospel where he has not been named yet. There's something that happens in those two seasons of your life where you can run unhindered in other ways that you can't. But a lot of times we get our focus and attention in the wrong place and we begin to lose heart. Which is why the third thing, it's no shock that the apostle goes here, look to Jesus. He tells you how you run with endurance. Verse two, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, listen to this, 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. I could preach the entire sermon on learning how to look at Jesus. There's not enough sermons for the rest of time. And we will look at him for all eternity and learn more about him and grow in our love for him.

But there was a specific phrase this week that stuck out. I want you to see it. He gives us a specific moment in his life that should help us run with endurance. He says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, listen to this, despising the shame. The word for despising there, it literally means to belittle or look down upon. In fact, in your Bibles, it might say scorning the shame or he scorned the shame. I got caught up in that because I just, I was blown away by the phrasing of it and I had to look deeper into it. And I thought, what does it mean that he belittled the shame of the cross? And as I studied it, an analogy came up in my mind. You know, there's a big difference between a microscope and a telescope. When you use a microscope, what you do is you take things that are small and you magnify them to the size that they're not. And many of us do that with our circumstances and our problems with our situations. We take something small, we magnify it in our view to a size that it's actually not. But you know what a telescope does? It takes something so grand and so large that in our human bodies,

we cannot see it for what it truly is. And it brings grandeur into focus. Now, I wanna tell you what Jesus did. Jesus endured the cross because of the grandeur of the joy of those who would come to know his father. Jesus endured the cross because of the glory that was set before him awaiting him in heaven. Jesus endured the cross because there was a throne at his father's right hand that he was gonna be exalted on. Jesus, as he hung on the cross, despised the shame of the cross, belittled the shame, the weight, the guilt, the pain of the cross because of the focus of what was coming. God, help me teach this. Some of you have circumstances in your life that feel impossible and you don't realize you have them under a magnifying glass, under a microscope. You're taking something and making it bigger than it actually is in your life. But if you could fix your focus on the grandeur of what's coming, on the coming of Jesus Christ, on the glory of heaven. The apostle Paul says in Romans chapter eight, I consider the present day sufferings not worth comparing to the weight of glory that's still to be revealed. See, he had a telescope looking into the future of what was still coming. And he could bear the weight of what he was walking through

because he could see where he was going. I gotta teach you something. It's not that the cross was small, it's that the glory was so much greater. And what you're walking through isn't small, but it's not even worth comparing to what's still to be revealed. Well, no eye has seen, no eye has heard, no heart has known all that the Lord has prepared. If he told you, you wouldn't even be able to understand it. And rather than magnifying the circumstances of your life, you can despise them, belittle them. You can bring them down under the weight of what's still being. That's what I'm talking about when he says, you can endure looking to Jesus who endured the cross. Why? For the joy set before him. He's seated at the right hand of God. Don't you know he ever lives to make intercession for you? There's some people who are gonna find new endurance this week looking at the example of Jesus and the way he endured the cross. It's what Colossians tells us. If you've been raised with Christ, seek the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the earthly things, for you've died.

Your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Oh, it's gonna be worth it if you endure. It's gonna be worth it. Which is why the final thing I wanna teach you is don't give up. Don't give up. Look at verse three. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself so that you won't grow weary and give up. Look at me. Don't you give up. I came to tell somebody this morning, don't you give, don't get weary in well-doing. You'll reap if you don't give up. Don't stop circling that prayer list on this last week of prayer. You know, I got 13 things on my list. And for two weeks I've prayed and now I got 12. But I'm not discouraged. In fact, the one answer prayer gave me fire to pray for all the rest. So don't you give up. Don't you get weary in well-doing. I wanna close with this illustration. This is Cliff Young. This is an actual picture of him, 61 years old, running an ultra marathon.

61 years old. To be clear, this actual marathon, he ran 544 miles at 61. And he had never run a professional race before. When Cliff entered into the race, they were so worried that he might die and it would be bad publicity for the race. This is true, for the organizers. That they called him and tried to talk him out of the race. They said, hey, we have other opportunities. You don't need to run this race. He said, no, it's okay, I just wanna do it. I've grown up my whole life on the farm and I chase cattle in rain boots. And I wanna run the race. So he entered in at the age of 61. He wore long pants and that cotton shirt. And what you can't see in this picture is he cut holes in the pants so he'd have a little wind flow. He had worn out tennis shoes and all the other professional racers showed up. Sponsored, brand new tennis shoes, entire crews around him. And Cliff entered into the race at 61 and started running the race. Every other runner had trained. And what they would do, who is they would race all throughout the day, and then they would sleep for six hours at night,

and then wake up the next day to run the race. But nobody had told Cliff that. So Cliff ran through the night. He had a shuffled run that you can still look up today. I watched a documentary on him this week. He had a little shuffled run and kept his body real close to him. He doesn't look like a runner like other people would think. And for 544 miles, he shuffled all the way from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia. Word had got out what he was doing and news stations started following him. And with his worn out shoes and his long farming pants with holes cut in them, he didn't just win the race. The next closest person was nine hours behind him because he endured and he wouldn't give up. He finished the race in five days and 14 minutes. By the time he made it to Melbourne, news had gotten out and people were so excited that hundreds of people ran the last 30 miles with him and shouted his name until he crossed the finish line. When he crossed the finish line, this little potato farmer was given a check of $10,000 and he leaned over to the organizer and he said, split it evenly among every person who finishes. Cliff Young, he understood what it was to endure to the end. To the end. There are some people who are tired. I feel the weight in the room as I walk and pray.

Your circumstances are heavy. You've been through a lot. But I came to tell you this morning, run with endurance. The race set before you. Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. Don't you give up. Don't you give up. Not at this moment, not at this time. You say, pastor, no, I heard you preaching. I should have started out further. I'm not where I should be. But don't you give up, just keep going. Jesus said, everyone who endures to the end will be saved. And I came to light a fire under some runners, some people full of faith who have their eyes fixed on Jesus and who are ready to endure to the end. I want every head to be bowed, every eye closed. I'm asking you, where are you at in the race? What is God calling you to? What's he showing you? What's he telling you? Have you ever even entered the race? Do you know what team you're on? There's somebody watching online. There's somebody right at one of our campuses who right now needs to pray and accept Christ as their savior. If you've never believed in Jesus,

I want you to know he lived the perfect life you and I could never live. He died the punishment that you and I deserve so that you and I could be saved. And today you can follow him and surrender your life. Just pray a prayer so simple. The words don't matter, it's the attitude of your heart. Just say, dear Lord Jesus, I believe in you. Would you be my Lord? Would you be my savior? Would you give me the strength to run and to endure? I want your calling for my life. I want your purpose for my life. I want you to be my savior. Would you do what only you can do and rescue me? In Jesus' holy, precious name we pray, amen. Amen, church family. Can we rejoice with those who began that race today with King Jesus? It's the most important decision that you'll ever make in your life. And we wanna celebrate that with you. If you could, if you made that decision, you can text the word YES to 40371 and let us know that you made that decision because we wanna help equip you with your next steps of running this race well. Church family, there's a lot laid out in front for us to walk in. And I know that many are here this morning

and you've been running the race and maybe you feel like you're just ready to quit, ready to fall down, ready to give in. And I know that you're ready to give in and you're ready to walk in. Give in. What an encouraging reminder, Pastor Daniel. Let's run the race with endurance and remember that the power is not within us, it's within Him who is within us, amen. Church, would you stand up? Here's what we're gonna do. We do something a little bit different during 21 days of prayer. I'm gonna pray here in a moment. And when I do, I'm gonna ask that you just, if you're able and willing to come and flood the altar, we're gonna worship together, we're gonna have a time of corporate prayer together. Maybe you need to come and kneel at the altar for the 50th time. Don't grow weary in doing good, amen. Maybe you need to endure. Maybe you need to take it and just lay it again at the altar. Say, Lord, I'm laying it down again and again, whatever it may be, but let's come and join together as I pray and we're gonna celebrate through corporate worship and corporate prayer.

What I also wanna say, though, is if you need someone to pray over something specific, I am gonna go ahead and ask some of our staff, our pastors, those that are on our prayer team to come down. They'll have badges, you'll see them set apart and they'll be facing the wrong direction. But if you need someone to pray with you, to help carry that weight with you, feel free to come up and share what you need from them as well. Well, let's pray and as I'm praying, if you would just come begin making your way down to the altar. Lord God, we love you. We thank you for your love. We thank you for your peace in the middle of the trials. Lord, we know that in our own strength, we can't run the race well. We will not endure, but by and perfected. Lord, we know that in your strength, we can run the race well, finish well. Lord, I pray that even right now, you would bring to mind the things in our lives, the fears, the hardships, the trials that we've been putting under a microscope, the problems that while they seem big in a moment, we're magnifying them to be something greater than they are. And Lord, I pray that you would put into perspective your glory like a telescope reveals the glory of something that is grand.

And Lord, I pray that that perspective shift, Lord, that that shift would allow us to see you for who you are, that we would look to Jesus, that our eyes would not be on the wind or the waves, but our eyes would be on Jesus. Lord, that as we look to you, you would give us all that we need to endure well. Lord, I pray that you would bring to mind the areas of life where we haven't been preparing well, where we haven't been training or doing the right diet spiritually. Lord, I pray that you would remind us the need to daily, consistently have a rhythm of submission to you, recognizing your power, your lordship, your authority in our lives. May we not get so cut off in our daily rhythms and in our plans that we would miss you. So Lord, we pray that you would give us all that we need to endure to the end. We gather here again, knowing that you receive all glory, honor, and praise, King Jesus. And we pray all this in your mighty name. Amen. Let's worship together. Amen. ♪ And from north to south and east to west ♪ ♪ We'd hear Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Were the whole world echoing His eminence ♪ ♪ His name would burst from sea and sky ♪

♪ From rivers to the mountaintops ♪ ♪ We'd hear Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ We'd hear Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Oh, Christ be magnified, let His praise arise ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me ♪ ♪ Oh, Christ be magnified from the altar of my life ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me ♪ ♪ When every creature finds its inmost melody ♪ ♪ And every human heart its native cry ♪ ♪ Oh then in one enraptured hymn of praise ♪ ♪ We'll sing Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Sing it all, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Let his praise arise, Christ be magnified in me ♪ ♪ Sing it all, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ For the altar of my life, Christ be magnified in me ♪ Let's press in to pray together. I don't want you just listening to me pray. I want you praying with me as we seek the Lord. Holy Spirit, we know you're here. And we're praying that as Scripture promises that you would reveal Jesus like never before to us. God, we wanna know Jesus. We wanna walk with Jesus. We wanna talk with Jesus. We wanna see Jesus. We wanna be changed by his glory. We wanna see him and know him face to face. We wanna be transformed into his likeness. So we just admit that we need Jesus like never before. And we're hungry for Jesus like never before.

So would you teach us how to walk with him and know him? God, whatever practical step we can take to pursue Jesus like never before, I pray you'd bring it to us with clarity. Whatever that looks like. For every individual person, would you help us pursue Jesus like never before? God, we're asking that Jesus would be so magnified in our lives. So focused in our heart and minds that it would give us the endurance we need to face the trials we're going through. In your mind and heart, I want you to place the most difficult thing you're facing right now in front of you. God, you know what people are facing. You know what they're struggling with. You know their greatest point of need. And I'm asking now that in that place, Jesus would be revealed. Jesus, you are Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals us. And I pray right now that healing would break out in the name of Jesus for those who need it. Jesus, you are our counselor and our friend. So I pray that your closeness, your presence would be so near that people would hear your voice leading and guiding them to what would most glorify you. Jesus, you are our righteousness. So I pray now that shame and condemnation

would fall off every believer and we would receive your identity and walk in the fullness of it. There's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And I pray that all guilt would be broken off of their lives. And you would give them the freedom, the joy of walking in the fullness of what you've called them to. Jesus, you are life. And so I pray that you would give us life and life to the fullest. I pray that you would fill us with more joy and fill us with more joy and more hope, more peace and more perseverance than we've ever experienced before. And all of the fruit of your spirit would well up in us for your namesake and your glory. God, I'm praying that you would help us endure. Jesus, we know that as we get closer to your coming, as we get closer to the end, that persecution will increase, that hardships will increase. There'll be wars and rumors of wars and nations will turn on nations and people will turn away from the living God and We see all those things increasing But God we know that as they increase So does the coming of the Lord Jesus and so God we know you're near and we say even so come Lord Jesus Would you even find this fateful today Not pray that when you When you come in all your glory

That you'll find us working and waiting You would find us prepared You would find us walking in holiness You would find us living up to the calling that you've placed on our lives Holy Spirit now, would you fill us with everything we need to endure to the end and we're not gonna bow to any idols And we're gonna stand strong and we're gonna worship you for who you are Because we believe in you and we love you and we want you and we're ready for you church I want you to declare this in faith together and worship Jesus for who he is as he fills us with his glory and with his street. Come on you sing this song together I won't bow to idols I'll stand strong and worship you And if it puts me in the fire I'll rejoice cause you're there too I won't be formed by feelings I'll hold fast to what is true As if the cross brings transformation I'll be crucified with you Cause death is just a doorway Into redemption I won't bow to idols I'll stand strong and worship you And if it puts me in the fire I'll rejoice cause you're there too Cause death is just a doorway Into resurrection life And if I join you in your suffering I'll join you when you rise When you return in glory With all the angels and the saints My heart will still be singing

My soul will be Come on sing it again I won't bow I won't bow to idols I'll stand strong and worship you And if it puts me in the fire I'll rejoice cause you're there too I won't bow I won't bow to idols I'll stand strong and worship you And if it puts me in the fire I'll rejoice cause you're with me I won't be formed by feelings I'll hold fast to what is true As if the cross brings transformation I'll be crucified with you Cause death is just a doorway Into resurrection life And if I join you in your suffering I'll join you when you rise When you return in glory My heart will stand My soul will be the same Christ be magnified Let his praise arise Let us reach up to the sky Choice is yours Let us sing Let it rise Let it rise

Let us sing Let it rise Let it rise Let it rise Let it rise Let his praise arise Christ be magnified In me In me Oh Christ be magnified From the altar of my life Christ be magnified In me In me Sing it Oh Christ be magnified Let his praise arise Christ be magnified In me In me Oh Christ be magnified From the altar of my life Christ be magnified In me In me In me In me

In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me In me Um In me In me

In me In me This is my ebony I won't forget the battles Mighty god my great defender Every step in your strength you lead me Your name Over the better over me the war is one You're the better over the better over the better over me Is In your power you have crushed the serpent My victory Oh Why why you fight for me The better over me Declare to the enemy You're the better over the better over the better over me You're the better over the better over the better over me My victory The king you're the better over the Better over the better over me Your name alone My victory You're the better over the better over the better over me The war is one. Oh You're Better over the better over me The better over me Future