Are you a contestant or a contender? Are you just showing up for life or running the race to win the prize? In the Boston Marathon, runners have to face Heartbreak Hill. In life, we each face our own uphill battles. In this message Pastor Franklin teaches us that real leaders are born in the face of adversity. And the real prize is what’s on the other side!
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hello and welcome to Kingdom connection
coming up on today’s program dad teaches
us how living a christ-centered life is
like running a long race a long life’s
journey you’ll experience ups and downs
but through it all you can experience a
new level of faith when you run with
purpose and focus on him all this month
we’re talking about things that shape
your life and faith plays a big part in
your spiritual fitness that’s why we
have prepared this brand new message
series faith that shapes your life
two powerful messages that will draw you
closer to God in study and in prayer and
we believe will help your race and grow
in faith this series is available for
your best gift this month before we go
into the message we wanted to share an
exciting update from our mission Food
for Life in Haiti
new men new game newsmen given yonder
yeah arrows madmen mumbai become a
society immediacy peasant our hostel and
a low moon cushy artists at mommy oppa
Bono
well back in 2009 and 2010 we saw video
of Haiti with Bobby and sherry Burnette
and when we saw children and adults
hungry and that that’s got to touch your
heart
and we at that moment decided to help
the Haiti our project
I’m from Djibouti basically sending our
belkaid service given but finally I’m
giving them to attend give a liquid you
leave ice cream pops wine anything o my
Shyam got bigger Jindo know by the end
of do that Lori and I have five children
so we know the value of having to have
an income to support our family Lori and
I both been blessed because we both have
jobs in our lives we’ve been blessed and
we’re now I feel like we’re supposed to
be vessels to channel some of the
blessings other people that don’t have
what we have and yeah the marketplace
will outlive us you know and then Haiti
will have a long-term way to make a
living and it’ll be an investment that
we put some funds into that will outlive
us the Lord is behind this this is a
light in the midst of darkness food for
life sustainability giving jobs changing
lives not only for now a niche here but
14 years 20 years 30 years and 50 years
you
you
first Corinthians chapter 9 verse 24 do
you not know that those who run in a
race all run but one receives the prize
run in such a way that you may obtain it
everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate discipline in all things now
they do it to obtain a perishable crown
but we for an imperishable crown
therefore I run this way not with
uncertainty thus I fight not as one who
beats the air but I discipline my body
and I bring it into subjection listen
when I have preached to others i myself
should become disqualified Paul uses the
analogy of running a race and he’s
talking to Greeks he’s talking to the
Greek culture and the Greek people they
were very athletic
they were very fit they prized physical
fitness in the Greek culture he says
it’s not speed but endurance it’s not
that everyone enters the race and he
draws this analogy but he says it’s
those who win the prize there is no
there is no in the Greek culture there
was no reward for the second place or
the third place only if you won the
prize were you a winner and it’s like
running a marathon living for God
requires us to be temperate or
disciplined in all things just like a
athlete has the discipline his body just
like an athlete will abstain and be
temperate and know that if I eat a pizza
tonight I’m not going to perform perform
well on the field in the morning they
know that they they’re temperate in all
things you must be temperate in all
things he said and you you avoid excess
as a runner in your diet you retain your
flesh you restrain your flesh it’s under
subjection your patient in other words
you endure without complaint so I came
upon a story that I want to share with
you today true story of what happens in
the Boston Marathon the Boston Marathon
is one of
premiere marathons that runners are
familiar with particularly professional
runners 26.2 miles they run in they
train and what is interesting is the
first 16 miles of the Boston Marathon a
lot of people don’t know this but it was
it was it was designed by the planners
of the Boston Marathon that the first 16
miles be a slowed down grade he’ll you
may not know it when you’re running it
but the whole time for the first 16
miles of the Boston Marathon is it’s a
slowdown grade run downhill but then
when you hit the 16 mile mark there is
something that begins to take place
particularly in young runners that
confounds them when the race starts out
and the gunshot goes off and the racers
start running everybody looks good
everybody looks fresh everybody’s got on
the shorts and the nice tennis shoes and
the little number and they all look like
runners all of them but when they get to
the 16 mile mark it’s a proven fact that
physically something begins to happen to
your body the muscles begin to really
really have a have a meltdown the mind
begins to get a little foggy and at the
16 mile mark something begins to happen
it comes when you’re at your weakest
condition when you’re most depleted
that’s when the designers of the Boston
Marathon have the first heal you have to
climb and it’s called Heartbreak Hill
they know that after the runners have
run for 16 miles all the amateurs and
the beginners will run and run and run
and they think I got it I got it but
they get finally to the 16 mile mark and
something begins to break down it’s
called hypo Ksenia when your body and
the endorphins and everything inside
begins to drain and
the brain has a choice to pull the rest
of the energy out of your body or your
muscles and the brain wins and you you
all of your power all of your energy all
of the endorphins it goes to your brain
and now you’re running on raw muscle
power that’s running on its own and
everything in your body is screaming
stop stop stop and then they said what
happens is the head begins to get cloudy
at the 16 mile mark
it’s called hitting the wall for runners
and when they hit the wall everything in
you says just give up says it’s time to
quit and especially when you hit that
wall when you really need a break
that’s when it really gets hard that’s
when you hit Heartbreak Hill and that’s
when the runners start falling out by
the hundreds because there’s something
about Heartbreak Hill that breaks the
spirit and breaks the heart of the
amateur week kind of weekend runners who
just kind of showed up for the marathon
if you do happen to make it 16 miles
you’re not gonna make it up Heartbreak
Hill unless you have really prepared
yourself for this moment I’m a runner I
love to run I love to run four or five
miles a day I just I love it and I’ve
been doing it for years and years and
years every once in a while my girls
will say daddy we want to go run with
you and they will get out and just take
off running wide open now I know if I’m
going to run five miles I need to pace
myself but they’ll just take off and
about a third around the track they’ll
slow down and slow down and huff and
puff and I’ll just go right by them and
I’ll look back and wave
it’s a blessing you don’t pay any
attention to people who come out of the
gate real fast
the real contenders are content they’re
disciplined they understand that I’m
holding my flesh back for this race I’m
going to need the energy when I get to
Heartbreak Hill
the real experienced runners know
Heartbreak Hill is coming I didn’t
expect it to be a downhill run the whole
way I didn’t expect it to be easy
I never expected there just to be a nice
little trot across the finish line I am
fully aware that if I’m going to have
what I need to get over Heartbreak Hill
and get to the prize I’m going to have
to pace myself we need to get out of
just being weekend contenders see what
we don’t understand is the strategy of
Heartbreak Hill
by those who designed the Boston
Marathon was to weed out weekend runners
weed out the guy who’s just out there to
impress his girlfriend and he said let’s
go and his belly’s hanging over it you
know and he’s going to get out there and
run the Boston Marathon you might run
downhill a good long ways but when you
get to heart ache you might have a heart
attack he’ll when you get there it’s
designed to weed out the amateurs it’s
designed to get rid of the social
runners it’s designed to weed out the
weekend contestants those who just have
nice fancy shoes and colored shirts and
and they look the part of a runner
Heartbreak Hill nullifies everything but
stamina and physical conditioning and
training and desire and the wheel to win
if you don’t have that you will never be
able to get over Heartbreak Hill I don’t
care how good you started I don’t care
how far you ran when you get to
heartbreak
EAL if something isn’t in you that says
I cannot quit you won’t make it
Heartbreak Hill weeds out the guys who
are just out there Heartbreak Hill comes
when fatigue is a real factor you face
your Heartbreak Hill when you are
exhausted when you’re worn out when
you’re worn down when everything in you
is screaming quit that’s when you have
hi-pro the Semak spiritually you have it
and suddenly you’re physically exhausted
fatigue has set in to your faith and
into your praise and into your spirit
and everything in you says quit because
now you’ve been running and running and
running and it was easy when you first
started but now you’re facing Heartbreak
Hill something’s breaking your heart
something’s breaking your dreams
something’s breaking your heart your
children are causing you to be
heartbroken your marriage your family is
leaving you heartbroken some crisis
you’re going through it’s in that moment
in this Christian race that you find out
what you’ve really got it’s not the hi–
times it’s when you’re facing heartbreak
heal feels like your muscles are running
on nothing your head feels dizzy and
foggy it’s in that moment you have to
stretch it’s in that moment that you
have to decide I’m not a weekend runner
the Ethiopian runners are the fastest
runners in the world they’re so little
they’re so skinny and if you ever
running in a race and some guys from
Ethiopia show up you need to just go get
you a doughnut and watch because because
it’s not going in well have you ever
seen these guys how many of you I follow
running the Ethiopians are the fastest
runners in the world and if they show up
just forget it
don’t embarrass yourself especially if
you’re a white guy like me don’t get out
there and try to outrun those Ethiopians
they can run like you would
not believed and here’s why this is what
one was interviewed recently from
Ethiopia Africa and this is what he said
he said we run up heal all our lives
he said you Americans just run and
practice running straight and then
uphill
he said we run uphill our nation is
running uphill all our lives so when we
come to Heartbreak Hill it’s no big deal
I’ve been running up healed my whole
life why would I quit now I love that we
stretch ourselves we run uphill we’re
not amateurs we’re temperate in all
things we run to win we don’t quit we
don’t stop Heartbreak Hill is located in
one of the lonely places loneliest
places of the race when you first come
out of the starting gate they’re
cheerleaders they hurt their there
there’s people screaming there’s
thousands of fans clapping but when you
keep running and you get to that 16 mile
mark and you’re about to go up
Heartbreak Hill there are no fans
there’s no cheering it’s lonely it’s by
yourself nobody’s saying you can do it
you can do nobody’s running out offering
you some Gatorade there’s nobody there
but you it’s a lonely place and some of
you can run as long as people are
encouraging you some of you can run as
long as somebody’s bringing you you know
a spiritual Gatorade and always
encouraging you but there is a place
you’re going to get to in your future
walk with God I hate to tell you this
but it’s the truth
there’s a Heartbreak Hill somewhere in
your life you’re going to encounter and
there won’t be anybody there cheering
you there won’t be anybody there saying
you can make it there won’t be anybody
it’s the only voice that will matter is
your voice and God’s voice and you have
to do like David and he encouraged
himself in the Lord
it’s a lonely place there’s no visible
finish line in sight and Heartbreak Hill
but it was put there strategically by
the one who planned the race and I’m
saying to you that God allows us to run
and sometimes it’s an easy and a
wonderful and a fun run and we’re
running downhill and the wind is at our
back but then their seasons where we get
to Heartbreak Hill but the Bible said in
Psalms 37 the steps of a righteous man
are ordered of the Lord not just the
down steps and the easy steps
but now the mountain steps the
Heartbreak Hill steps God says I want
you to climb this Heartbreak Hill and if
you can get over Heartbreak Hill well
that’s a bit I just setup mouthful
that’s the whole sermon right there if
you can get over your Heartbreak Hill
something broke your heart something
happened somebody somewhere something
did something and it brought you to this
place in your Christian walk where it
broke your heart and you’re facing
Heartbreak Hill God why did my marriage
fall apart why did this happen to my
children why did this my family why did
they why did this my dad leave me why if
you won’t let heartbreak he’ll stop you
the word of the Lord to you is there is
a wonderful prize on the other side of
heartbreak he’ll most drop out most quit
most give up at Heartbreak Hill but
there are some who say I never thought
it would be easy I never expected a
smooth ride across the finish line most
runners expend themselves but there are
those who are tempered who have a made
up mind who discipline
and even if no one cheers you and no one
pushes you men and women who understand
that God has placed me at this point and
what the enemy meant for my evil I
didn’t never think I’d be at Heartbreak
Hill some of you been in relationships
and you’re still crying about some guy
who left you some girl who left you some
person who left you but I want to say
that what they meant for your evil God
will make work out for your good if you
won’t quit at Heartbreak Hill some of
your facing tragedies and have faced
tragedies and the word of the Lord to
you is if you will get over your
heartbreak he’ll quit living there quit
talking about it quit building your life
around the pain of yesterday but it’s
time to go over Heartbreak Hill because
there’s something good going to happen
to you if you won’t give up at
Heartbreak Hill I need somebody to give
God a shout of praise if you believe
there’s hope in your future here’s what
I want to say it’s at that moment that
the real leaders come forth 416 miles
other people have ran ahead and they
look like they were going to win but
when they get to Heartbreak Hill but if
you don’t watch it you turn around and
here comes the real leaders the real
leaders are born at Heartbreak Hill
that’s where that’s where preachers are
born
that’s where ministry is born that’s
where that’s where leaders are born not
running downhill with no resistance but
leaders are born when they face a huge
mountain and it breaks their heart but
they persevere and they won’t quit and
they’re crying and they’re struggling
and the mind is cloudy and everything
inside is saying give up the dream ain’t
gonna happen it’s not going to happen
but
real leaders then kick in and say I know
what God told me and by His grace I’m
going to win the prize whoo let’s
rejoice this is where greatness is born
not going downhill but at Heartbreak
Hill
that’s where greatness is known you can
get over a broken heart you want to be a
leader
let God break your heart and see if you
can get over the Heartbreak Hill he puts
in your life and that’s the test always
and if you can get over it not be bitter
and not be angry and I hate and not be
all upset at God and man even when you
get no explanation and you don’t
understand and God just breaks your
heart but you still say god you’re a
good god don’t understand but I love you
that’s where leaders are born I thought
about in closing the story of Naomi let
me tell you about Naomi Ruth and Orpha
Naomi started out of the gate man they
had on the sneakers they had on the they
had on the running shirts and the nice
striped shorts and beautiful family she
had her husband she had her two sons
they married two beautiful daughters
is the biggest happiest family you’ve
ever seen the gun goes off they start
running the race it and this wonderful
running downhill running down here oh
this is so fun look at our beautiful
family the running and the wind’s
blowing in their hair
it looks like the Brady Bunch they just
they’re just having a wonderful time
holding hands running and then
Heartbreak Hill comes and the husband
dies and then the son dies and another
son and so now you have Naomi who is a
widow and you have her daughter-in-law
Ruth who is a widow and you have her
other daughter-in-law Afra who is a
widow and they’re standing at Heartbreak
Hill and Naomi hears that there’s bread
in Beth
ham on the other side of Heartbreak Hill
there’s a prize and she turns to her two
daughter-in-laws and she says our lives
have been devastated we went out fooled
but now we’ve come back empty and she
says don’t call me Naomi anymore call me
bitter life has dealt me a hard blow and
she said girls you need to leave me
alone and you need to go to find you
another life
this one isn’t going to work for you an
offer came and kissed her on the cheek
one of her daughter-in-laws and said I
love you but I’m not going to climb the
hill I’m going back where I came from
and they parted but Ruth grabbed her and
she said where you go I will go and your
people will be my people and we’re
standing here at Heartbreak Hill and
we’ve lost our loved ones but you know
what we’re not going to die at the foot
of Heartbreak Hill we’re going over
Heartbreak Hill and we’re going to see
what God has on the other side they go
to Bethlehem and when they get there
there was a guy by the name of Boaz and
God says let me hook this couple up now
who was Ruth Ruth was a Moabite the
Moabites came into existence because a
lot slept with his own daughters she was
the product of incest so Ruth was the
product of incest and Boaz was the
product of a prostitute mother but they
made it through there Heartbreak Hill
and they got to the other side and now
God hooks up Ruth with bow ass they get
married and they have a child named
obeyed and obut had a child named Jesse
and Jesse had a child named David and
David had a child a grandchild named
Jesus
God took that family from incest and
prostitution to Matthew chapter 1 there
in the genealogy of Jesus Christ but
they had to make it through Heartbreak
Hill
don’t tell me God can’t bless your
family don’t tell me God can’t bless you
beyond your background
don’t tell me God can’t move in your
life and even if you’ve been through
heartbreak don’t quit don’t give up
don’t throw in the towel because on the
other side of Heartbreak Hill there is a
prize there is a crown there is a reward
if you won’t quit and you won’t give up
thank you so much for watching this
program and I don’t believe that you’ve
watched and heard this message by chance
I believe in Kingdom connections I
believe in the power of God’s Word to go
through and touch a heart and you’re
ready
somebody’s watching this program and
it’s time to make a change pray this
prayer tell you it all begins with your
faith to say lord I can’t change me
change me by your power so pray this
prayer just say Lord Jesus I need a
change in my life I need a turnaround
and I surrender my life to you today I
believe you shed your blood and rose
from the dead just say those words I
believe you shed your blood and rose
from the dead so that I could have a new
life a new birth and I receive that nail
in Jesus name Amen and amen we would
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we’ll see you next time
life is real vivid alive beating
breathing it happens behind closed doors
and out in front there’s joy
there’s laughter
chaos
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found
moments cherished
and never forgotten
life is a gift and together we are real
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experiencing real life
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