If You're Going To Run With the Horses You First Have To Walk With God

The topic of my sermon today is Running with Horses. The title is a little longer than that. It's, If You're Going to Run with the Horses, You First Have to Walk with God. It's a concept which comes from the book of Jeremiah, and which I hope to, you know, if there's a takeaway line from this message today, let's have it be that. If you're going to run with the horses, you first have to walk with God.

Back in late February, before my last trip to Africa, before the big shutdown, our family was invited over to the Women's Enrichment Weekend in Portland, and the theme there was Running with the Horses, and I was asked to give a presentation on the Sabbath day on that topic. And I gave it and then sort of moved on and didn't give it a whole lot of thought after that in terms of representing it. But I was actually reminded, again, recently of the theme, because I was in my kitchen. One morning, just kind of minding my own business, I glanced out the window, and I see some movement that's odd.

And I think, what is that? And I look, and there's a moose that goes flashing by the house across the horse pasture, right in front of my eyes, and that was pretty exciting. But what was probably even more interesting than that was a couple seconds behind them was the moose was the herd of horses in hot pursuit. And, you know, this moose had wandered into the horse pasture, and the horses are looking and going after it like, you know, who are you? You know, a visitor! What are you?

Come and play! And, you know, I caught most of it on video, but they're in pursuit of this moose who makes a quick exit. Darla and I have, I don't know, 14, 15 horses at this point. I lose count sometimes. I married a horse gal, as you know, and I've been more the hay-hauler fence-fixer into the operation, but we've had horses for our entire married life. And where my office sits, it faces out in the back of our house, and I can look out a sliding glass door at about 10 acres of our pasture. And most of you have been there.

We have the pasture that's level, and then there's a steep hillside that goes up the back. And from where I sit, I can watch the horses, you know, do their thing. They're generally pretty mellow creatures, unless, you know, something comes along and gets them excited. They're usually grazing, you know, nodes to the pasture, because that's what horses do. But every now and then, something gets them excited.

And I can sit there and watch, and my first cue is usually thundering hooves. I go by the house, and you get a little vibration through the house as these hooves go thundering by. And I look out, and I can see the horses streak across the pasture, and they'll go up. They have a trail. They go up that back hillside, and they run across the ridge of the hillside and back across and come thundering down again.

You know, the heads up, and the manes flying, and the tails out. And they catch a lot of speed because they come down this hill, and then they slow up to jump this little creek that we have that didn't used to be there, you know, pre-mud slide. But now we have this nice little creek, and they take a leap across back that and continue on their way. And I enjoy watching them, and there's something that's unique about watching horses run.

A conclusion I've come to by watching them is that horses are faster than people. And, you know, if you've ever been around a running horse or tried to catch a runaway horse, maybe you've realized that before, but horses are faster than human beings. And so if we're going to address the topic of running with horses, we're going to talk about something that is really an impossibility. At least from the human perspective, that at the purely physical human level, running with horses is an impossibility.

Now maybe you can take someone who is the fastest person in the world, and you can pit them against a slow horse, and you might have a race. Okay, I think that's been done. But in general, just as conceptually and as it literally works out, human beings don't generally run with horses and keep up at that pace. You don't have the strength, you don't have the stamina or the ability to compete in that way.

And so when we're talking about this in terms of the Bible context, we're talking about doing something that goes beyond ourselves. Something that we can't accomplish. Again, I said this topic comes from the book of Jeremiah, and what you come to understand is it's not something you're going to do on your own. It's not an ability that you possess apart from God. If you're going to run with the horses, you first have to walk with God.

Let's go to the book of Jeremiah chapter 12 as we begin today. Jeremiah 12. Jeremiah was a man who was called by God for a very special purpose at a specific time. God called Jeremiah at a young age to go to the leaders of Judah, to its people, and to proclaim a message of repentance to them.

And if you read commentaries about Jeremiah, it says that he was perhaps 14 years old when God called him. Some put it up, perhaps, to 20. We know the book in the Bible itself says he was a youth. So here was a very young man that God had commissioned for an important message at a young age.

Because, you see, the nation of Judah had turned its focus away from God. It had engaged in idolatrous worship and practices like the nations around them. It had engaged in the worship of false gods, and they refused to simply repent. So God sent Jeremiah with a message. It's a call to repentance, a warning of the consequences of not returning to God.

And so for four decades, Jeremiah cried out to them. Right? He pleaded with them. He mourned over them. And you can imagine what the mourning would be like, because he says, These are God's people, and here's the decline, and the result is imminent. So Jeremiah mourned. He pleaded. He's known as the weeping prophet.

If you read the book of Lamentations, perhaps we'll go through that sometime. It is a very dark and bitter book of mourning, of the consequences that came upon that nation during the captivity and, you know, the siege of Babylon. The starvation and the brutality and the things that took place. Jeremiah wailed and weeped and mourned for the people of God who did not respond. And so at this young age, God says, I'm giving you a message, and you're going to prophesy. You're going to preach a message of repentance and reconciliation, and yet Jeremiah knew the consequences that lay ahead if the people did not return to God. For most of his life, Jeremiah, his preaching took place around his hometown of Anathoth, at least early on.

Again, call that a young age, and that is where he was known in Anathoth, and that's where his primary teaching began. It's the region he grew up in. It's the region he was known in. His family was known. And yet, even with that familiarity, there wasn't a reception to the message. It fell on deaf ears. People refused to respond, and in fact, not only did they not like the message, they came to not like the messenger very much as well. Eventually, people grew tired of Jeremiah. They told Jeremiah, just be quiet, Jeremiah. Just go away. We don't want to hear from you anymore. We're tired of the message. Why don't you just get out of here, Jeremiah? And they refused to acknowledge and turn back to God.

And so you can imagine that all of this became very discouraging to him. After all, he was doing what God had called him to do. This was a message from God. Right? If God says, I'm giving this to do among my people, that's a very important thing, and you would think, they'll hear and they'll respond. But the response is opposite, and Jeremiah is becoming very discouraged. He's doing what God had given him to do with no results. You can imagine his desire to see God's people turn and repent. You know, reading between the lines, that's what I heard in Mr. Oliver's message. We, as the church, have a desire to see the nation around us turn to God and repent. And as part of the gospel and the message that we proclaim is a reconciliation to God, and it saddens us as you see the decline. And in Jeremiah's day, the bad continued to get worse, despite the preaching, despite calling out the message of God. So let's pick this up in Jeremiah chapter 12 and verse 1. It actually had come to the point here where they had now threatened to kill Jeremiah for speaking on behalf of God. Again, the people in his own neighborhood, the place he grew up. Jeremiah chapter 12, the heading in my Bible, states Jeremiah's question. So he has a question for God about all this. Why are things working out in this way? Jeremiah chapter 12 and verse 1, he says, Righteous are you, O Lord, when I plead with you. Let me talk with you about your judgments. He says, Why does the way of the wicked prosper, and why are those happy who deal treacherously? In other words, he's saying, God, you know, we need to really talk about this because I'm doing what you gave me to do. I'm proclaiming a message, and look, it's falling on deaf ears, and the wicked continue to prosper. You know, those who run in a contrary way, they seem to be blessed. They seem to continue to increase despite the fact that they're disobeying you. I'm preaching reconciliation, and yet they want to kill me.

Jeremiah says, you know, God, we need to talk about this because this isn't the way it's supposed to be. He's getting discouraged. Verse 2, he says, You have planted them. Yes, they have taken root. They grow. Yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth, but far from their mind. And so what we have going on here is a people that proclaim God with their lips. They say, you know, Godway is our God. We worship the Lord. Look, His temple is over here in Jerusalem among us. We have the priesthood, and we are the people of God. That's what they say with their lips. But Jeremiah says, but their mind is far from you. What they're thinking and their true actions don't show forth the fact that these are people who are reconciled towards you. And so Jeremiah is actually kind of pushing back to God and saying, why don't you just get on with it? Right? We've proclaimed reconciliation. They're not responding. Here's the consequence that's at hand. God, why not just get this show on the road? And, you know, I think sometimes we maybe think of that as we look at the world around us as well. God, just get on with it. Verse 3, he says, But you, O Lord, know me, says Jeremiah, you have seen me, and you have tested my heart towards you. He says, Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn and the herbs of the field wither? He says, The beasts and the birds are consumed for the wickedness of those who dwell there, because they said, He will not see our final end.

Again, God, just get on with it and punish these people. They're disrespecting you. They're disrespecting your prophet. They're disrespecting the message. They're refusing to comply. And you can see the frustration, the devastation from Jeremiah, the discouragement. After all, he's been at this a long time. Again, no results. And now he's asking God again, just go ahead and get on with it. Let's go ahead and wipe them out. Give them their just due. Let's notice God's response to Jeremiah, then verse 5. It says, If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, how can you contend with horses?

It's a pretty profound answer from God. If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, how can you contend with horses? You know, God's answer to Jeremiah is powerful and it is profound, and it was probably a bit shocking to Jeremiah as well, because God said, if racing against mere men makes you tired, Jeremiah, if contending with your countrymen and what you're going through day in, day out is wearing you out, how are you going to race with the horses? How are you going to function when it really does get difficult?

I think Jeremiah was looking for some sympathy. He was looking for maybe a little more of a pat on the head. You're doing a good job, Jeremiah. I'm sorry they're not listening. Keep it up. But rather than getting sympathy heaped on him, rather than telling him to keep his chin up, God's approach with Jeremiah is different. He says, If you think it's difficult right now, Jeremiah, under these circumstances, you really haven't seen anything yet.

Really haven't seen anything yet. Now, compared to what God had in store for Jeremiah, he was just running with the footmen up to this point, human beings with human beings. And yes, they wanted to kill him. Yes, they despised the message. But God says, you know what, this is lightweight. The day is coming, and it would come when Jeremiah would have to run with the horses.

And when he would have to go and contend with circumstances far greater than what he was facing in his own hometown of Anathoth. God was going to send Jeremiah to Jerusalem. He was going to send them before the religious leaders, before kings, before evil princes, who obviously would not like his message, before the idolatry that was entrenched in the capital city of Jerusalem. And that would prove a far greater challenge of opposition to Jeremiah than what it was he was facing here at home.

Eventually, he would witness the fulfillment of God's warnings to Judah. And he would even share in the sorrow that would come, in the destruction that would come upon that nation. He would endure the hardship right alongside of God's people by the hands of the Babylonians. It's here God's telling Jeremiah, you're just running with the footmen right now.

And if that activity is tiring you out, if that's discouraging you, if that's making you weary, if that's making you want to quit and just simply go home, says Jeremiah, how are you going to contend with the horses? How are you going to endure when the real challenges come? Verse 5, again, if you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, how can you contend with horses?

And if in the land of peace in which you trusted they wearied you, how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? The floodplain where the Jordan in the spring would swell out over its banks and flood out and would become a very marshy area and was essentially an area that grew up into a very dense thicket with thorns and gnarled, twisted brush in that region.

And that's where the lions lived. They were known for that. That's where the lions lived and thieves lurked about. It was somewhat of a dangerous place where you could get pounced upon. And God says, if you can't even run on the flat, open ground, you know, without getting weary, without stumbling, then how in the world are you going to run through that tangled up mess?

How are you going to endure to the end, Jeremiah, when the real challenges come? Given time, we don't have the time of the day to study all through Jeremiah's life, but given the time what you would find is that Jeremiah would wind up in Jerusalem beaten up.

He would spend time in the stocks, a very painful, a very humiliating circumstance. He would face time in confinement in a cistern. And as I recall, as the Bible puts it, it was a well without water they threw Jeremiah into. And you can just kind of imagine, you know, they throw him down into that cold, dark, damp place, and he'd sink down into that mire, maybe up to his waist or his armpits. And he was there until eventually word came to the king, and the king said, well, get him out of there lest he die.

And some men then pulled Jeremiah up out of there. But again, this was all in service to God. He had imprisonment at the court of the guard. And God's asking him here, if you've run with the footmen and they've worried you in this level ground, how are you going to contend and do the right thing for God when the world has completely turned upside down, when everyone's against you, and the troubles and the trials that you face become so much more dramatic? You know, sometimes, brethren, the hardest circumstances in our lives become because we are following God, right, because we're His people and we're living according to His way and the world that's going completely the opposite direction.

And the lesson God wants us to learn, just as Jeremiah would have to learn, is if you're going to run with the horses, you have to first learn to walk with God, to trust in Him, to put Him first, to set Him apart in your life.

Because, you see, just like Jeremiah, we can become discouraged when we see the wicked prosper. You know, we can look at the world around us and see the behavior of people that we might would consider to be despicable by the standard of God's Word, and yet they seem to be blessed. And they seem to be increasing in a right and a profitable way, at least by physical standards, and we can become discouraged, and we can actually see bad things that happen to good people, those people who are God's people, who are living this way.

And it can almost cause us, if we're not careful, to begin to question God. But for us, God's question is, how are you going to endure when you are put in the position of running with the horses? Because up to this point, we've simply been running with the footmen. And I'll talk about that in a little bit, but when things get worse, and they will get worse than they are right now, frankly, when the trials and the persecutions come upon God's people, and as they increase to the end of the age, and they will continue to increase, the question is, how will you and I deal with these things?

Because right now, we're like Jeremiah, and we've been men running with men, right? Women running with women. We're running with the footmen. And that can be tiring, and there are obstacles in doing that. And that can be a struggle to run with the footmen and all that we contend with, but that's doable. You and I live in a world that's a lot like Judah was in the time of Jeremiah. You know, in this country, we could draw some comparisons with Judah. We're living in a relatively peaceful and prosperous country.

You know, we've had our problems in recent times, but we all could walk out the door today and drive the church services, meet here in peace. In the day of Jeremiah, the land of Judah seemed prosperous. There was a major trade route that swung around and swooped through Judah, and so there were caravans that came and went, trade that went on, prosperity, and again, relative peace. You and I have freedom to worship God as we please, and we don't face severe persecution yet.

By and large, although we can't see it coming on the horizon, the fact is we've certainly not suffered bloodshed or death and obedience to God. You know, there are people who have in the past history of the church and those who will again one day, but you have not yet suffered unto bloodshed, as the Apostle Paul said, because you are living this way. When you're denied a promotion at work, you know, that managerial position, because you won't work Friday nights, that's a tough thing, but you're running with a footman.

You know, if you have a certain skill or an ability and you can't compete on that competition because it's on the Sabbath, and you lose out on the reward or the recognition that you could have achieved by competing, but you didn't, you're running with a footman. If you lose your job because you went to the Feast of Tabernacles, and that's a hard thing to lose your job, and maybe even follow up to that, you lose your house and you lose your car because you can't make the payment.

Again, that is a hard thing in service to God. You are still running with the footman. That's essentially the condition Jeremiah was in when he cried out to God. You know, they even wanted to kill him at that point, and God told Jeremiah that he hadn't even started running with the horses yet. I'm sure it felt like it, and I'm sure at times it feels like it for us, and I'm not going to say that nobody has.

There are people who have endured significant hardship for putting God first, significant things they have had to be willing to walk away from in order to serve God. But for the majority of us, we've not suffered under bloodshed, unto death, for the service to which we've been called. So the question for us today would be, do you ever get tired of running with the footman? Do you ever get tired of running with the footman?

Because running with the footman is reality of living this Christian way of life, and we can't hide from it. If we're honest with ourselves, we'd probably all admit that there's times when we're weary. There's times when we're tired, when it wears on us, when, you know, you walk out the door, if you have to go outside and you have to go to a grocery store in Washington state and you have to put on a mask, right?

You're running with a footman, and you can't let that wear you to the point that it takes you out. There are things in this life that will be worrisome to us, but if we let them overcome us, how in the world are we going to contend with the horses? How in the world, brethren, are we going to endure when things really get difficult?

You know, to me, it was interesting to pull these notes back out and look at them because I gave this pre-COVID in February. Then I got on a plane and went to Africa, and the world changed while I was gone.

And here we are. But I think it applies ever so much more yet, even today. How are we going to endure when things really get difficult in this world around us? Because, you see, as Christians, we're called to live through tribulation and trial. It will be a real part of our Christian calling before God. And sometimes we think, well, if you're God's people, you're going to be spared from persecution or difficulty, but that's not the record of Scripture.

God does deliver us, okay? But there are things that we must endure in our service to Him. Let's notice Acts 14, verse 21. The Apostle Paul. And he makes what might just seem a simple, straightforward statement, but you've got to think what's actually built behind it. Acts 14, verse 21, he says, And when they had preached the gospel in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, We must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God.

Well, what did Paul know about tribulations? If you go back just a few verses, to verse 19, dropped to the middle of the verse, it says, I suppose he knew a thing or two about tribulation and persecution for serving God.

But he says, we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. And so if we're going to be enduring the footmen today and preparing to run with the horses later, because this is preparation time, we're going to have to accept the fact that tribulations will be a regular part of our calling. We're going to have to accept that we will not enter the kingdom of God apart from walking through those things. Now, some tribulations are running with the footmen, and some will be running with the horses. The question for us, again, is, can we accept that?

Can we live with that, knowing that in service to God there will be trial and struggle, sometimes very painful, sometimes the ultimate price? But can we live with that? And are we so committed to this way of life, even knowing the price that is required of us? Because I wonder if Jeremiah, as a youth, what his response would have been if he could have maybe seen all that he would endure in service to God.

But that doesn't really matter, does it? When God calls you, even if it's difficult, it is his side you wish to serve on. For those of us brethren who were baptized, that was part of counting the cost, wasn't it? Considering what it meant to put God first, to covenant with God. We counted the cost to consider whether we had what it would take to endure to the end and to put him first in all things.

Most of us are still running with the footmen, and we're still contending on that level. And hopefully we're doing so well, but the day will come again when we all will have to run with the horses and go back to the covenant we made at baptism. What we committed to, this isn't just a short sprint, this is endurance unto the end. I actually tried running with horses one time.

It worked for about three or four paces. We have a stallion. Darla wanted to get some updated pictures of our stallion for the website. We thought, if we take him all the way out across the other side of the field, away from all the mares, he'll be all upset that he's away from his girl, so he'll be very lively and animated on the rope.

We can catch some good pictures. He was lively and animated on the rope. I was on the other end of that rope. We were lunging him in a circle, and he went around one time, and then he came around again, and he put on a burst of speed, and he just blew towards the girls, and he hit the end of that rope, and it was gone out of my hands, and he was gone.

We said, that's teaching him bad habits. We can't let him get away with that again, so we brought him back out, and I'm hanging on to him, and we lunge him around a couple of times. As he comes around the next time, I see he's working it in his mind again. I'm going back to the girls, and I thought, no, he's not going to get away with it this time. He comes looping around the end, and he hits the end of that rope, and I'm hanging on from all I'm worth, and suddenly, I'm running with the horses.

At least that one, for about five paces, until when you're dragging on the ground, you feel like maybe now is a good time to let go. I could hear my wife in the background, let go, let go. She says, I wish I could have had a picture or a video, because you were running with such long strides. This horse is pulling me, and my feet are hitting the ground every 15 feet or so. That's my experience with running with the horses.

Again, if we're not walking with God, rather than we should not expect to be able to run with the horses when the time comes. God was reminding Jeremiah that he could run with the horses, yes, and he would have to, but it would not take place apart from God. Apart from his words, apart from God accompanying him and giving him strength. Notice Jeremiah chapter 1. We'll go back to Jeremiah's calling, God's commission to him.

Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 4. Jeremiah was only going to do this with God at his side. Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 4 says, Then said I, Ah, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth. But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of their faces. Notice, for I am with you. To deliver you says the Lord. So Jeremiah's ability to even serve God as God desired stemmed from a personal relationship with him. And God said, I will be with you. Verse 9. Then the Lord put forth his hand, he touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, this wasn't going to be Jeremiah's own thoughts, his own words. This was coming from God. Verse 17.

Therefore, prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and a bronze wall against the whole land, against the kings of Judah and its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. Jeremiah's strength to serve God in this way, again, it came from not his inner strength.

He did have to do his part, but it came from God. God said, I will make you this fortified city and this iron pillar.

Verse 19. And they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. So if you're going to run with the horses, you first have to walk with God. You first have to develop an intimate relationship with Him, where He is your God, and you are His people, and you trust in Him. And He says to you, I am with you.

I will never leave you nor forsake you, and you have absolute confidence that that is true. You cannot run with the horses apart from walking with God. God reminded Jeremiah that He was called to do that, and where His ability would come from. You couldn't allow Himself to become discouraged or grow weary in the face of the footmen, because the real race had not even begun.

And for you, Britt, and I, brethren, it's the same with our walk with God as well.

Running with the footmen is good training. And I would say, as a church of God, we've been running with the footmen for a long time. But you know what? The pace is increasing. And there are some who grew tired along the way, who dropped out of the race. There are others who say, well, I'm just getting my second wind. But the point is, it is looking to God and putting Him first, because running with the footmen is just conditioning and training for running with the horses. And you cannot do the one without having first successfully done the other.

As the end time draws near, the pace is increasing, and this will become faster and faster than ever before.

The challenges that God's people will face will be greater and greater than they ever were before.

The day will come, we'll look back on this COVID thing and say, well, that was nothing compared to what's happening right now. You know, it's a ripple on the pond. It's not the tidal wave. And yet, these things tend to build one upon the other, like labor pains that come upon a pregnant woman, and it will not cease then until the delivery comes. These things will continue to increase. And right now, we're running with the footmen, and that's the pace of things, and I hope we're doing so without tiring, without becoming discouraged, or overwhelmed, or offended at the world, or offended at one another, because these things will increase, and we cannot do the one without having first mastered the other.

Let's notice Christ's words in Matthew chapter 24.

This pertains to running with the footmen at the end of the age. Matthew chapter 24, verse 9.

Jesus speaking to his disciples, he says, Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. We're talking about the disciples of Jesus Christ at the end of the age, and they will be hated because of the name they proclaim, the way that they live, the Sabbath and the holy days that they observe.

Just as Jeremiah professed God to Judah and was hated, he says, They will hate you for my name's sake.

The question is, are we ready to run at that pace? Verse 10, And many will be offended and will betray one another, and will hate one another. This isn't talking about the world, brethren. It is talking about the church, in the church. The run-up to this is prophecy of the world, but we have a transition right here of what takes place in the church. Many will be offended, betray one another, hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many in the church, and because lawlessness will abound in the church, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

So it's those who endure faithfully, who will inherit the kingdom of God, and that's what it means to run with the horses and not get weary, to put in the effort and not tire, but again, it doesn't happen apart from God with you and maintaining that close and personal relationship with him. And the question for us as we read these things, you know, I used to read them in my mind with, well, that's somewhere way down the road and maybe for somebody else, but we have to ask ourselves personally, can I accept this? Am I willing to live this calling under these conditions? Am I willing to run with the horses when the time comes? Matthew chapter 10. Again, Jesus getting ready to send out his disciples. They would preach the kingdom of God, the words of Jesus Christ that he had given them to teach, and he's going to tell them here what they might expect as an outcome to their efforts. Matthew chapter 10, verse 16, Jesus said, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be a wisest serpents and harmless as doves. He says, But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils to scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my name's sake as a testimony to them, to the Gentiles, that when they deliver you up, don't worry about what you will speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you will speak. For it is not you who speak, but, notice, the spirit of your Father who speaks in you. So notice, is God in you and with you and leading you, and guiding and directing your words that will allow you to endure and to give an answer at that time. And you're not going to run with the horses apart from him.

And we might look at these things where Christ says, you know, you're going to go out there and they're going to deliver you up in councils and scourge you, they're going to kill you, and we might say, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! That's my horse terminology, by the way. Whoa! This isn't what I signed up for. But it is what God has called us to. And some of us may face that directly unto the point of death. It is running with the horses. Verse 21, it says, Now brother will deliver brother up to death, Father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. A incredibly sad, devastating set of affairs. Verse 22, And you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. This is running with the horses. It's enduring hardship unto the end for the name of Jesus Christ, and the word of God, and the kingdom of God. And it's not wearying of the minor obstacles along the way. Because much of what we walk through day by day today is minor compared to what lies yet ahead. But the question comes back again to if the footmen have wearied you terribly, you know, if COVID has wore you out, how are you going to run with the horses? How are you going to contend in the difficult times when things really do become intense and dramatic? And I'm not saying this hasn't been intense and dramatic for some people because it is a real virus and real people have died, okay? But I'm talking in the context of Scripture, persecution that comes upon the Church of God for living this way. We've just been running with the footmen. But one day we'll be running with the horses. Are we prepared to do such? One of Satan's devices is the wearing down of the saints. We won't turn there, but Daniel 7, 25 tells us that. He sits there and seeks to wear down the saints. He's always just throwing so many things into our life. Obstacles, challenges, offenses, things to discourage us, things to wear us down day by day by day. It is Satan's device, the wearing down of the saints, to make us grow weary of living this way of life. He sends the footmen into our lives in advance of the horses and his desires to wear us out up front and early on. And if we allow him to succeed through the footmen now, then how are we going to run with the horses later? It begins with enduring the footmen today and excelling and succeeding today even with the challenges. And it is a challenge not to become overwhelmed by some of the things we face in this world or to become discouraged by the things we see in the life of the world around us. But again, brethren, this begins with drawing close to God now, building that relationship now so that when the time of contending with the horses come later, we will be prepared.

That means taking your time in prayer, taking your time in Bible study, fasting, meditating on the Word of God, drawing close to Him. Build that relationship now, because this is the time of training. We are running, but we're running with the footmen.

But it's the time to build endurance and to be prepared for what lies ahead. The stresses of being a Christian, if those things are wearing us out now, if the boss at work is wearing you out now, and if your neighbor is wearing you out now, if your school is wearing you out now, if your spouse is wearing you out now, if we're wearing each other out now in the Church of God, then how are we going to contend with the horses?

If we're tired of running on the level ground, how are we going to run through the thicket of the Jordan, where there are obstacles, where there are lions, and where the gnarla brush threatens to tangle you up, capture you in the thorns and briars, and not release you? How are we going to endure those things?

Final Scripture for today, Hebrews 12. It gives us instructions of what we should do if we become discouraged, if we become weary. This is our focus that should keep us going, give us encouragement on how to do this the right way. Hebrews 12, verse 1. Of course, this comes right after Hebrews 11, the heroes of faith, right? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all those who faithfully follow God.

Some seem to have pretty good lives in the physical flesh. Others came to a rather dramatic end.

Verse 36 of Hebrews 11 said, Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, slain with the sword, wandered about in sheepskins, goatskins, destitute, tormented, afflicted. That's running with the horses. And I would say the majority of us in this room have never faced that to that degree. Verse 12, chapter 12, verse 1 says, Therefore we also, you and I, since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which so easily ensnares us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for the joy which was, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and it sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Jesus Christ is our clear example of someone who ran with the horses successfully. We heard in the first message how He came, He humbled Himself, came in the form of a servant, lived in this human form unto death. For the cause of God, and for the cause of you and I, frankly, in our eternal life, He ran with the horses and He set us the example, and we looked to Him. Philippians chapter 4, verse 13, reminds us that we can do all things through Christ to strengthen us. We can even run with the horses. And, of course, His strength came from His Father, and our strength comes from our Father through Him as well in these ways. We run this race that has been set before us. Running with the horses is an impossible task, apart from God. It's a very trying task, even with God's help. It is a very painful task at times. But also remember, brethren, that doing so successfully is the most rewarding of tasks that you and I could ever complete. Because the reward for enduring and successfully running with the horses is eternal life in the kingdom of God. So I encourage all of us to use the time that God has given us well. Use the remaining time that we have on this earth, whatever it would be, individually and as a church. Let's use it well. Let's learn to lean on one another and to encourage one another in our common calling before God. Let's be a support to one another as godly brethren who've been called out to live amongst a perverse and a crooked generation. We are all running with the footmen today in one form or another. You know what? When we come to Sabbath services each Sabbath, we need encouragement with that, because even at that level, it is a challenge. Think of where Jeremiah was when God said, you're still running with the footmen. Outcast, despised, hated for his message, and some even wanted to kill him. And we walk in these doors every week, having been out in the world running with the horses, with the footmen. We still need encouragement from one another. We still need strength when we come together. So let's encourage each other in this calling, brethren, that we have to remain faithful until the end. If you can learn to run with the footmen and not become weary or discouraged today, then with God's help you will be spiritually fit to run with the horses when that time comes into your life as well. On our own, we can do nothing. But with God and Jesus Christ at our side, all things are possible. Have a wonderful Sabbath.