Fighting the Good Fight, Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith, and Loving the Lord's Appearing -2

Message Title: Finishing the Course

the Lord's coming should not be a mere doctrine to us. Rather, the vision of the Lord's coming should affect our daily living. we should be governed by this vision, live in the light of the Lord's coming, so we can receive the reward when the Lord comes back. 

A proper Christian life involves running the course, running the race, for the carrying out of God's economy according to His eternal purpose. the qualification to run this course is the regeneration, being born of God. those who do not have the life of God cannot run this course. 

2 Timothyb ...I have finished the course; ...

we need to seek out the journey that the Lord has ordained for us and faithfully walk on it, paying any price to wholeheartedly continue on our journey until we reach the end. this journey that the Lord has ordained for us is the course we need to run and finish. it does not matter if we are the first to finish the course. what matters is that we run to the end to finish course. 

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us,

for us to run the course, we need to have a very clear goal and a set course. we need to put aside everything that may frustrate us from focusing on running the course. why do we need endurance to run?? first, this is not a short course. also, while we are funning the course, we will face opposition. therefore, we need to run with endurance. 

Hebrews 12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus is the Author of faith, the Originator, the Inaugurator, the source, and the cause of faith. we do not have faith in ourselves, but Christ entered into us to be our faith. how did we believe into the Lord? because the Lord came to attract, capture and captivate us. our beliving is our appreciation of Christ as a reaction to His attraction. faith is in our spiirit, so our spirit is the spirit of faith. 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

we do not regard, look at, the things that are seen but the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal. the Lord is recovering the church from the things seen to the things not seen. 

if we read in the Bible, the history of the Israel people, we will receive both encouragement and warining. the journey of Israel people recorded in the Old Testament typifies the Christian race toward our good land, the all-inclusive Christ. the encouragement is that we have been redeemed through Christ, delivered out of Satan's bondage, and brought into the revelation of God's economy. the warning is that, we may yet fail to reach the goal of God's calling, that is, to enter into the possession of our good land, Christ, and enjoy His riches for the kingdom of God that we may be His expression in the present age and participate in the fullest enjoyment of Christ in the kingdom age. if we are not living Christ, if we are not magnifying Christ in our bodies, then we are not running the course. after regeneration, we all entered into the course, but it does not necessarily mean that we know the course we should run. if we do not know the course, how are we going to run? if we do not run, how are we going to finish the course? when God brought His people Israel out of Egypt, God had a purpose, not to just lead them to wander in the wilderness, but to bring them into the good land, the land of Canaan. 

in Mark 6:45 to 6:51, the disciples of the Lord were rowing in a boat to cross the sea. but they were struggling a lot because the wind was contrary to them. if we are going to be faithful in the path the Lord set for us, it will cost us much effort and it will be a difficult path because all the wind will be contrary to us. if we stop rowing against the wind, without any effort, our boat will float along the tide. but this tide will only carry us away from the Lord. 

Hebrews 12:3 For compare Him who has endured such contradiction by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary, fainting in your souls.

Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy; / When I fall, I will rise up; / When I sit in the darkness, / Jehovah will be a light to me.

we should not give up, become weary; or faint in our soul but look away unto Jesus and run the race before us.