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“The Need for Endurance”

Allen Dvorak
09/29/24 - Sun AM

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Let's read Hebrews 1019 through 25.

I'll read from the English standard version.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh.

And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast.

The confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another.

And all the more as you see the day drawing near, I would reiterate what Jim said earlier.

And that is if you're visiting with us, we are so glad that you're here and it is our hope and prayer that the time that we spend together this morning in worship to God and in study of His word that that'll be uplifting to you that you'll be encouraged by that and prompted to more loyal and dedicated service to God.

That's part of our reason for being here is to encourage one another.

And of course, to worship our God with a mighty hand God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt.

He afflicted the nation of Israel, the land of Egypt, I should say with plagues and brought his people out of that land and brought them to the mount where he gave them a law covenanted with them as a nation, Jacob's family, they stayed there for about a year.

And during that time, in addition to the giving of the decalogue, the Tabernacle was also built and then the people moved to the southern border of the land of Canaan, the land that had been promised to Abraham that would be possessed by his descendants.

And they're ready to go into the land.

Moses sent 12 spies up into the land.

And for 40 days, they surveyed this promised land.

And when they came back to the people, they gave a report that the land was indeed a rich land, a land of milk and honey.

And they illustrated that by bringing back a cluster of grapes that apparently was so large that it took two men to carry this cluster.

But the 10 spies gave a negative report of this land.

We can't take this land.

The people there are well fortified, the cities are well fortified and the people, there are giants and they discourage the people and the nation of Israel, that generation that came out of Egypt so close to entering this promised land failed to enter and instead wandered in the wilderness while that entire generation died.

And a new generation arose that would later go into the land.

They were so close and yet failed to enter.

The author of Hebrews compares the life of a Christian to a race.

Therefore, he says in chapter 12 and verse one, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance.

The race that is set before us.

I suspect that we are aware that this race is not a sprint, it's not a short quick journey, a quick race, but rather it is a marathon where day after day, year after year, perhaps we will continue to serve our God.

And so the Hebrews writer encourages us to endurance as we run this race.

But unfortunately, we know from both personal experience and from scripture that not every Christian successfully finishes that race, like the Israelites who were denied entrance into the promised land.

Some Christians will fail to enter their inheritance.

It is my hope and prayer that of all of us seated here this morning, that we will not be among that number that fails to reach the finish line.

Successfully and to inherit that glorious reward that the Lord has promised to us this morning.

I wanna talk to you about the need for endurance.

I think that is something that we have to continue to return to as, as Christians to remember the need for us to press on, to keep on keeping on.

And I'm gonna try to do several things this morning.

I want to affirm the possibility of apostasy for a Christian to fall away.

I won't spend a lot of time on that because I suspect we are mutually agreed on that fact.

But I think it's important for us to note that and then perhaps even to suggest some reasons why it is that Christians sometimes quit the race, why they fail to finish successfully.

And I want to finish this study by suggesting how it is that we can endure to the end.

Some things that we need to keep in mind.

You may be aware that there is a belief among many religious people that a genuine Christian cannot be lost that once you're saved, you will be always saved.

There's virtually nothing that you can do in order to be lost.

The sovereignty of God guarantees your salvation.

But the scriptures warn Christians about the danger of apostasy and it seems rather futile to list warnings about something that cannot possibly occur.

And so as we look at just three quick warnings this morning, two from the Book of Hebrews and one in uh second Peter chapter two, I want to emphasize that these are real warnings that God is telling us about a possibility, something that could happen to his chosen people in Hebrews the sixth chapter and verses four through six, the Hebrews writer and incidentally, the book of Hebrews is written to Christians who apparently were in danger of going back to the law of Moses, of falling away from Christ, of leaving the perfect high priest and his sacrifice only to return to that which was inferior in quality.

And so the Hebrew writer several times warns his readers about that danger.

In chapter six, he lists four specific phrases to describe the individuals that he's talking about.

I want you to pay attention to the third phrase in particular because sometimes it's argued that these are simply people who have heard the gospel but really haven't accepted it.

They're not real Christians, otherwise they couldn't fall away.

But I would suggest to you that the only people who share in the Holy Spirit are, in fact genuine Christians.

And yet the Hebrews writer says that those individuals can fall away.

It's difficult to fall away from something that you're not previously with.

It's difficult for you to fall away from a relationship if you did not initially have that relationship.

This passage is talking about Christians and it's very clear that the possibility of them falling away exists.

Well, another warning is in chapter 113, verse 26 to 31.

These are the verses immediately following the reading that Elijah did for us in chapter 10 verses 214 through 210.

And the writer says, for, if we go on sinning deliberately, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Again, some have argued, well, this is not really talking about genuine Christians.

It's just talking about people who have received the knowledge of the truth.

In other words, they've heard the gospel, they've heard the message of salvation, but they haven't accepted it.

Let's keep reading.

Verse 235 says, anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

This is a subtle argument, but the fact of the matter is all those who would set aside the law of Moses were those who were responsible to that law and those were God's chosen people.

And so the writer continues to talk about people who belong to God first.

He talks about those in this new covenant in verses 239 and 210.

But then he uses an illustration from the old law and the nation of Israel.

Again, God's old testament, chosen people.

How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled under foot, the Son of God and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged, the spirit of grace.

I want you to pay attention to that phrase profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.

As far as I know, the only individuals who are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ are genuine Christians are those who have been redeemed, who have been saved by the precious blood of Christ.

The final passage that we'll look at this morning is in Second Peter chapter two and Peter warns his readers, he's writing to Christians as was the Hebrews writer and he warns them that there would be false teachers among you.

He says, well, now that's not really definitive because false teachers could come from without and simply be among the people, but not necessarily be Christians themselves.

Let's keep reading, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Who is it that has been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ will.

Paul says in acts chapter 211 verse 113 that God purchased the church with his blood.

We're told in Ephesians 211 that uh Christians are the ones who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

These passages, all three of them clearly are talking about Christians and in each case, it is very manifest obvious that the possibility of falling away exists for Christians.

I didn't want to spend a lot of time on that because I rather suspect that all of us who have gathered here this morning probably accept that fact that it's possible for us to be lost.

And so what I would like to do is spend the rest of our time this morning together in this study by talking about why it is that sometimes Christians don't finish and what we can do to make sure that we do finish successfully.

There are probably some few Christians who abruptly leave the Lord and it may be that it's because of some traumatic event in their life, something that is very difficult to deal with.

But I suspect that the greater danger is that faithful Christians slowly become weaker and weaker and they fall away over a period of time.

By the time somebody's apostasy has become obvious, they no longer associate themselves with the saints with other Christians in many cases.

That's just the end of a journey that started sometime earlier.

I'm saying that often this process of falling away takes some time.

I'm gonna suggest three reasons that I think Christians fail to finish the race successfully.

And the first one is just simply spiritual fatigue.

As I said before, the race of the Christian is not really a sprint.

I understand that sometimes people obey the gospel late in life, perhaps in their older age.

And so they're not Christians for a long time before they go on to their reward.

But then there are many others who obey the gospel in their youth in their early adulthood perhaps.

And so they may live for decades.

As Christians, the Christian's journey to heaven, that race that the Hebrews writer talks about is usually not a sprint.

It's more like a marathon.

We have some folks in the audience here who have run marathons and they will tell you that running a marathon pulls upon all of the resources of the physical body.

It requires extensive mental strength to keep running.

When your body says we're out of gas.

The life of a Christian is a marathon.

It's one thing to be firm for a moment for a short period of time to resist temptation, even great temptation in the moment.

But it takes some serious determination to live a consecrated life day after day for perhaps decades.

Marathon runners have to force their bodies to keep running when it just would be so much easier to stop.

Have you ever felt that way about your life as a Christian that you're just tired?

Maybe you're just tired of running the race, tired of facing the difficulties that you have to face because of your commitment to the Lord, tired of resisting temptation when it would be so easy to give in, tired of facing the persecution, the ridicule of others who do not share your faith or convictions, tired of the demands of a righteous life.

And that spiritual fatigue can mount up to the point where people just slowly give up.

Sometimes they just become apathetic and eventually they stop pretending and they just give up.

I think that is a real problem among those who have been Christians for a long time.

I really appreciate the time that is spent by those who prepare our minds for one of the most emotional parts of our worship.

And that's the taking of the Lord's Supper who spend time reminding us of the emotions that are involved, the the concepts that pertain to the death on the cross, love and mercy and justice, all of these things and more because it energizes us, it helps us with this fatigue that I'm describing.

I think sometimes Christians fail to finish because they're distracted.

This may be the more common reason.

And I think it affects Christians of all ages or maybe I should say Christians regardless of where they are relatively speaking on their journey.

Because the truth is that all of us are at different places in this journey.

Some of us have just started the journey.

Some of us have been on this journey for a long time.

Some are near the finish, but all of us can possibly be distracted by the momentary pleasures of the world that take our eyes off of the goal.

And slowly we're drawn to a different path that broad way that the Lord talked about in the sermon on the mount even legitimate concerns, things that have to do with our daily lives, things that we really do have to pay some attention to that they can take over our lives.

We can become obsessed with making money and, and gathering wealth and it takes our eyes off of the goal.

It causes us to neglect what is necessary for our unswerving loyalty to our king.

I think sometimes Christians and I believe this has become more of a problem in more recent times.

Sometimes Christians are distracted by the various things that they hear or see in digital technology.

The internet has all kinds of cunning doctrines and false ideas.

And some people just lap that up.

They're constantly reading these things in an undisc manner, not necessarily comparing them or examining them for truth.

And so they're drawn away, distracted by these kinds of things.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians as he talked about what God has provided for the church for our growth to maturity.

He said so that we may no longer be Children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

And there are some people who are distracted by whatever new thing comes along.

And so they grab on to things that they read on the internet without necessarily understanding the truth.

In second Timothy chapter four, Paul warned Timothy for the time is coming when people will not endure sound or healthy teaching.

But having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves, teachers to suit their own passions.

Sometimes people are distracted by what's being said over here on, on the internet or by other religious teachers because they like what it says.

They like the fact that it accommodates their passions, sinful passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

And so sometimes people begin to race well, and then at some point they just start listening to falsehoods and it pulls them away, they don't finish successfully.

And I think sometimes discouragement factors into this business of not finishing well.

We look around and we see others who claim to be Christians and yet it seems fairly obvious that they're not running the race properly as was suggested by Ethan this morning.

Sometimes Christians behave improperly toward others, whether they're brethren or unbelievers.

And that can be discouraging to those who are trying to do what is right.

And yet they see this sometimes hypocrisy or at least imperfection in the lives of others.

We see people who just give up and stop running the race and that can be discouraging to those of us who are still trying to run.

Sometimes I think we're discouraged by our own failures.

We know ourselves better than we know others and we know in our own hearts that there are weaknesses and failures and sometimes we can so beat ourselves up.

We just get discouraged and give up.

I think sometimes people just wonder if the race can really be finished successfully.

Anyway, the race is a difficult race.

I would be lying to you if I said the life of a Christian was an easy thing that everything will be fine that you'll never have to struggle against temptation, that nobody will ever say a crossword or uh uh any kind of words of ridicule toward you.

And Paul would say to Timothy that all those who would live Godly are going to suffer persecution.

The Apostle Paul also in Romans five verse three said, not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces.

So I would hasten to point out that suffering doesn't always produce endurance.

The Apostle Paul is saying that it can do that and that's the proper response to that, but sometimes people just give up.

It's too much.

I can't do it, nobody can finish successfully.

And sometimes it's just the length of the race.

If you've been a Christian for several decades, sometimes it's easy to lose that fervor to lose that commitment, that zeal that you felt when you first became one of God's spiritual Children.

So what can we do to try to ensure that we don't fall by the wayside and fail to finish the race?

Well, Peter says some things about that in second Peter one verses three through 211, we're going to look at some of those verses.

But I want you to see the very first part of that passage.

Second Peter one verse three, where Peter writes and he's writing to Christians, he says, his divine power, God's power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

This passage is so rich because it brings in so many different concepts.

And beginning in verse three, he tells us that what God has called us to is his own glory and excellence.

We have a high goal that we're striving for and a great reward that has been promised.

But also in the beginning of this verse, Peter Ryan, that God has given us everything that we need to finish this race.

That's essentially what he's saying.

All things that pertain to life and Godliness.

There's not anything that you need as a Christian that God hasn't provided in one way or through one avenue or another.

I think that's important.

Ever started a task, maybe a big project, maybe a race and realized at some point very early on that you just weren't prepared for this, that you hadn't really thought through all the things that were necessary that you were going to require in order to finish it.

I have sometimes I wonder if that's not why I procrastinate with some projects, you never know what's going to happen when you get started.

You never know how long it might take or what you might find when you get started.

It's things you didn't anticipate.

But Peter said that God has provided all the things that we need in order to finish this race.

He goes on to say beginning in verse five, that what we need to do is be diligent, to be adding certain qualities to our lives.

He mentions adding virtue to our faith, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly, affection, and love.

He says, if you add these things and they are increasing, in other words, it's not uh uh a one and done, but this is a constant process of adding these.

Sometimes people call them Christian graces.

I I'm not sure that's a great way to describe them, but they're qualities that, that need to be added to our, our person, to our character.

But I want you to notice in particular verses 225 and 11.

Peter Rein, therefore, brothers be all the more diligent to confirm you're calling an election for.

If you practice these qualities, you will never fall.

I said early on that there are some people who believe that it's impossible for a Christian to fall away.

That's not what Peter say.

Peter says.

If you add these qualities, there's a condition here.

But if you add these qualities, then you will not fall for in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I think the Hebrews writer provided some additional information for us about this race.

This journey that we're on as Christians in the 12th chapter.

In the first three verses, here's what he says.

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, consider Him who endured from sinners, such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted.

Now that last phrase there so that we don't grow weary or fainthearted that ought to ring a bell with us because that's what we're talking about.

We're talking about Christians, some Christians who get tired, who become weary.

How do we avoid that?

I want you to notice several things that the Hebrews writer says here in this passage, I think this is a rich passage.

He says, first of all, we need to lay aside anything that would encumber us.

He talks about weight and he also talks about sin that entangles us or closely clings to us as the ESV says, wait, whatever it is encumbers us.

I think he makes a distinction between some things that are probably not sinful, but that can keep us from finishing the race.

And then there are other things that are sinful and they will likewise cause us not to finish successfully.

You know, runners try to avoid carrying any extra weight.

You know, you're starting a marathon 26 miles plus good to have some water with you. Right?

Because you're gonna get dehydrated if you're not careful.

So what most runners do when they run a marathon is they've got this large water pack on their back and it's got a little hose up so they can drink as they go along.

Someone says, it's obvious Mr Allen has never run a marathon because you don't see any marathon runners doing that.

They shed all excess weight.

They get their water by people handing them cups with often is not, hits them in the face or they don't get it and splash it and what not, but they don't carry extra weight eight pounds to the gallon.

And so we as Christians need to do the same thing, we need to shed whatever it is that's encumbering us so that we can't run the race the right way.

Well, the writer also points us to Jesus.

He says, you need to look to Jesus who for the joy that was set before him.

And so the writer says, Jesus looked to the reward.

Jesus looked past the cross to the joy that was set before him.

The joy set before him wasn't the cross.

It was on the other side of the cross when he would be exalted by the father, see Philippians the second chapter.

And then finally, he says, consider him so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Look to the example of Jesus.

How did he run that race all the way successfully to the end?

Jesus looked to the goal.

He looked to the joy that was set before him.

We have a fantastic goal, but we need to remember, have a clear picture of what it is that we are seeking.

Paul would write to Titus as he introduced himself.

He said, Paul in hope of eternal life.

That's our hope.

That's our goal.

That's what we need to be looking at.

Unfortunately, as I said earlier, it's too easy for us to be distracted by the things of this world, all of the concerns, day by day things and we stop seeing what really we're after in Romans.

The second chapter verses seven and 10.

Paul again described what the goal of the Christian is.

We're seeking glory, honor, immortality and peace.

Those are the things that God will provide for those who serve him acceptably.

I want to read along with you first Peter one verses three through seven.

It's up on the screen and I want you to pay attention to verses four and 77.

B. Peter writes blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now, in verse four, he describes that living hope.

It's like he picks up the sentence again and he says, not just to a living hope but to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading.

Kept in heaven for you reserved for you.

Those words, even though they look at things from a negative standpoint of what it is not.

It provides with us a picture of the great hope that Christians have imperishable.

Everything in this life is winding down, everything deteriorates.

You buy a new car and it begins to rust or you back the U TV, into the side of your truck.

Hypothetically speaking, of course, it is undefiled, unmixed with anything that is evil and unfading.

Debbie and I have hibiscus uh oleander rather.

No, it's Hibiscus.

Hibiscus, two hibiscus plants in our atrium.

I don't know if you know this or not, but a hibiscus will have a beautiful flower and occasionally it will have more than one, the larger bush in the atrium.

But those flowers last one day.

Now we have a second hibiscus.

It's apparently a little bit different kind and the flowers on that, it doesn't bloom as often, but they last a little bit longer, but none of them last very long if you want to enjoy the flower, you better enjoy it today.

Debbie pointed one of them out to me yesterday and by the end of today it'll be gone.

It'll wilted, it'll fall off the plant.

Not your hope in heaven.

That is imperishable.

It's never going to perish, it's never going to fade.

And then last of all, he says in this, you rejoice though.

Now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in.

Here's what we're looking for.

Praise and glory and honor at the revelation.

The coming of Jesus Christ.

That's our hope.

That's what we need to be looking at.

I want to say a little bit more about dealing with fatigue because I think that's a big problem for Christians.

When we become physically tired, often we need to have a period of rest or sleep and that's adequate enough to restore our strength, physically speaking.

And I would suggest to you that spiritual fatigue is not totally unrelated to physical fatigue.

Sometimes Christians just run themselves into the ground trying to do too many things and then eventually at some points can do anything.

I don't know if you've seen these videos, but I've seen several of them and I would give you a video except that the people in the videos are typically quite immodestly dressed, but they're videos of runners, whether you're talking about high school runners cross country or whether you're talking about a marathon, the New York marathon.

But there've been several instances, one just about three months ago where you've got a runner who's finishing almost ready to finish the race and they just run out of this person, just run out of gas.

The one that I'm thinking about appeared on Reddit and it's the picture of a woman coming in at the end of a marathon and she is just, I mean, she has nothing left.

She falls down, she's probably not 50 yards from the finish line.

She falls down and she struggles and she gets up.

But because she just has expended everything that her body has, she can't hardly stand up.

And so she begins to run again, but she goes to the side of the, of the path there and she falls again and she's struggling to get up.

Several runners run past her because there's the finish line right there.

It's uh less than 113 yards away.

One runner comes along and hardly with breaking stride.

She helps this woman up.

It's another woman takes her arm across her shoulder and then I guess runs and half drags this woman over the finish line and you'll see these kind of videos and people are like, well, but you put that person over the finish line before you.

The issue is the point is they were helping somebody finish this race.

Well, the New Testament talks about our role in encouraging others and helping others to finish their race passages like Hebrews 1024 and 25 part of the reading this morning let us consider how to stir up one another, to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another.

And all the more as you see the day drawing near couple of passages in first Thessalonians, five similar concept.

Verse 11, therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.

Paul writes and we urge you brothers verse 14, admonish the idol, encourage the fainthearted help the weak, be patient with them all.

That's what these runners were doing.

They saw somebody who needed help and they went to help them even at their own expense.

We need to be helping one another others who have become fatigued who seem to be weary in this race.

The strong need to help the weak.

Well, this is the slide you've been waiting for one last passage here.

Uh Main passage, uh Chapter 10 verses 35 to 39 just a little bit farther down uh from the reading this morning.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

That's basically what this sermon has said.

We have a great reward.

Don't throw it away.

Don't as a Christian stop running the race for you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised for yet a little while and the coming one will come and will not delay but my righteous one shall live by faith.

And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in Him.

A quotation from the Old Testament.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

That's the end of chapter 10.

And then in chapter 11, the writer begins to list a whole bunch of people who were commended by God because of their faithful obedience.

What he's saying in chapter 11, this writer is, these people ran the race successfully.

They weren't perfect Moses in that group.

Abraham is in that group.

Others in that group were not perfect Samson's in that group, but God doesn't save us on the basis of our perfection.

He saves us on the basis of His grace as we respond to that invitation of grace with obedient faith.

My point in talking about Hebrew 11, Hebrews 11 is you can finish the race successfully.

No reason, no reason why we can't.

And I would encourage all of us to give our efforts to that.

As Christians, we can't quit until we finish the fin reach the finish line.

The Apostle Paul would say in second Timothy four as he apparently approached the finish of his race.

He said I fought the good fight.

I have finished the race.

I have kept the fate he anticipated dying soon.

Apparently, he wrote to the Galatians in chapter six and verse nine and let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season.

We will reap if we do not give up.

There have been some in this congregation who have given up some that have been disciplined and have left the faith.

They've decided they love the world more than they love the Lord.

Each of us needs to look into our own hearts and see if we're running successfully now and make the commitment, not to give up, but to continue to do those things that God desires of us so that we can reach that reward, that the scriptures promise when we finish our race as Christians, God will give us the crown of righteousness.

That's what Paul anticipated there.

In second Timothy four verse eight, God will say well done, good and faithful servant.

As we see in Matthew chapter 25.

The question is, are you running the race successfully?

Now, there may be some in this audience who are actually not even in the race yet.

You haven't begun running as a Christian because you haven't obeyed the gospel.

You haven't responded to the preaching of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, the resurrected savior as those on the day of Pentecost did when they believe the message of Peter in acts chapter two.

And they asked the question, what shall we do?

Peter told those believers you need to repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.

And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Have you done that?

Are you running the race?

You can't receive the prize if you don't the prize, if you don't run the race.

And so if you need to begin running this morning as a Christian, and we want to encourage you to obey the gospel.

Now, while you have the time and opportunity to do that, there's coming a day when the Lord is going to return, he promises that and the Lord is not slack concerning his promises.

Peter says in second Peter three and when he comes, everybody's race is over and those who have not begun, the race will have no further opportunity to begin.

Now you have the time.

Now you have the opportunity.

We encourage you run the race, we encourage you as we stand and sing.