======================================================================== DO NOT BOX AS ONE BEATING THE AIR by Don Currin ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of actively seeking godliness as a passionate pursuit, not a casual endeavor. It highlights the need for disciplined pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, patience, and meekness, as well as the significance of running the race of faith in a way that leads to eternal life. The message warns against wasting efforts on insignificant matters and urges a focused pursuit of Christ and His gospel, driven by the profound love of Jesus. Duration: 8:10 Topics: "Active Pursuit of Godliness", "Running the Race of Faith" Scripture References: 1 Timothy 6:11, 1 Corinthians 9:24, Isaiah 44:6, John 3:16, Ephesians 5:2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the importance of actively seeking godliness as a passionate pursuit, not a casual endeavor. It highlights the need for disciplined pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, patience, and meekness, as well as the significance of running the race of faith in a way that leads to eternal life. The message warns against wasting efforts on insignificant matters and urges a focused pursuit of Christ and His gospel, driven by the profound love of Jesus. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Secondly, here's another thing. I'll just give you three points tonight, but the second point is learn to actively seek godliness. Take heed to your character, watch it closely. Listen to what Paul once again said in 1st Timothy chapter six and verse 11 and 12. "'But you, O man of God, flee these things, "'follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, "'patience, and meekness, and fight the good fight of faith.'" Now you'll notice in verse 11, the word follow. It speaks of a passionate pursuit. In other words, gentlemen, I remind you again, it's not casual or something that's flippant. It's something very aggressive. In other words, we move at a fast pace to attain this. We run well. And the idea here is because we know that how we run the race has everything to do whether we possess eternal life or not. The ultimate goal is that I might obtain everlasting life in my pursuits of my walk with God, of Christ. Listen to what Paul said in 1st Corinthians chapter nine, verses 24 to 27. "'Do you not know that those who run in a race all run? "'But one receives the prize.'" Now notice the words, run in such a way, in such a way. It matters how you run. Are you disciplining yourself under godliness that's running in an acceptable way, in a way that has a preserving effect upon your soul? And then he says, "'And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate, "'self-controlled,' there it is, "'in all things.'" In all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Now don't miss this, verse 26. "'Therefore,' he says, Paul, "'I run thus not with uncertainty, "'and thus I fight not as one who beats the air.'" In other words, what Paul is saying is I don't shadow box. When I draw back in my discipline and in my pursuit of godliness, I unleash my blow with the intention of making it count solemnly. We're not like those who beat the air. But I discipline, there it is, my body and I bring it into subjection lest when I preach to others, I myself should become cast away, disqualified. He's not talking about losing a reward. He speaks of the possibility of losing your soul. This quote that I'm about to give you is pregnant with reality and sobriety. Listen to what Al Barnes admonished with. Quote, many an effort of Christians is merely beating the air. The energy is expended for nothing. There's a lack of wisdom or skill or perseverance on their part. There's a failure of plan, or there's a mistake in regard to what is to be done and what should be done. Now please listen. There is often among Christians very little aim or object. There is no plan and the efforts are wasted, scattered, inefficient efforts. So at the close of their life, many men may say that he has spent his ministry or his Christian course, his life, mainly or entirely, watch this now, beating the air. Now this is what's so engaging. Listen to this. They fancy error and heresy in others and oppose that. They become heresy hunters or they oppose some irregularity in religion that if left alone, Mr. Barnes said, would die of itself. Or they fix all their attention upon some minor evil and they devote their lives to the destruction of that alone. When death comes, they may have never struck a blow at one of the real and dangerous enemies of the gospel. And the simple record on their tombstone of many ministers and many Christians might be, here lies one who spent their life beating the air. That's wasting your life. Brothers, we must not flee without an object in view. We must not run aimlessly. What we are pursuing is far more important than what we are leaving behind. I must know the value of the prize. And when I'm unable to grasp the infinite worth of it, I'm able to preserve my life. So discipline is a good thing. But what is the aim in view? Is it Christ and his gospel? Some people ask me sometime, well, what do you think really drives Paul Washer? No doubt, it's the gospel. There's no abate of him writing and meditating on the gospel. It's the atoning beauties of the lamb that drives him. On four different occasions, he said to me, he said, you know, Brother Don, I don't know very much. That's just Washer modesty. I don't know very much. But he said, there's one thing I know is that Christ loves me. He loves me. And how does he know that? Because he takes the time consistently to plumb the depths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is the thing that amazes me, brethren. I'm blessed, I'm so encouraged to know that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. And I'm quite enamored with the fact that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. But to think about it, the driving force I find in my life these days is that Jesus loves me. He loves me. I'm not going to hell because he suffered and paid my sin price, my sin debt. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/s7ZLh_KJUnE.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/don-currin/do-not-box-as-one-beating-the-air/ ========================================================================