Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the key to spiritual success, contrasting it with worldly definitions of success. He urges believers to lay aside weights and sins that hinder their relationship with God, enabling them to run the race of faith with patience. The sermon highlights that true faith and empowerment come from recognizing one's dependence on Jesus, rather than relying on personal strength or worldly methods. Beach encourages the congregation to seek a deeper relationship with Christ, which leads to overcoming life's challenges and experiencing God's love. Ultimately, he calls for honesty in acknowledging spiritual needs and invites the Holy Spirit to cultivate a vibrant relationship with God.

Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed, by the way, those at the altar, feel free to stay. Those at the altar, feel free to stay. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, listen carefully, beloved, listen carefully. This is the key, the essential element that will either bring success in your life. I am not talking about material success. I am not talking about financial prosperity. I am not talking about the success that the world teaches. A little bit down. I'm not talking about the success that the world teaches. Listen, this scripture which I am about to read is the essential key. If you as a believer are going to experience and have appropriated in your life a relationship with Jesus Christ that becomes the source of being filled with God's love and being empowered with the power to do those things that are pleasing in His eyes, you're going to find through the airwaves in the world today a hundred and one different concoctions that will be presented to you in the name of the Lord that will give you the secret of becoming an overcoming Christian. Beware. Seeing we are all so compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Beloved, the weight and the sin is what, listen, the weight and the sin is simply that in your life and my life that is hindering relationship which results in a lessening of God's love being poured into our life, which results in a lack of being empowered by deity and divine spirit which puts us into the realm and lifestyle of having to depend upon ourself which results in what? Failure, failure, failure. It is the weight and the sin. The weight holds us back. The sin holds us back and we follow the Lord afar off as Peter. Beloved, understand that Jesus offers you relationship. Your key is relationship and nothing else. You cannot lack with relationship. Notice we are to lay aside the sin and the weight that besets us, that holds us back and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. So here the Holy Spirit is bidding us, calling us and drawing us and gently asking us to lay aside that which hinders relationship with God. So that you can run the race. The race is what? Beloved, the race is simply the believer's privilege to experience every single day an enhanced relationship with Jesus Christ. That's the race. Are you running the race? Another way to word it. Are you daily finding a relationship with Jesus that is growing more and more and more where you're seeing more and more that you're the servant, He's the master. You're the child, He's the father. You're the pupil and the student and He's the teacher and you are taking on the posture of coming to Him for everything, both great and small. That's the race. That's the privilege. Guess what the secret of being a spiritual Christian is? Not Bible school, not a ministerial certificate, not the ability to communicate so that people say, wow, what a good speaker. Not good looking. The key to be a spiritual Christian relationship plus zero. That's it. Ah, Holy Spirit, help us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Relationship focuses our eyes and our hearts on Jesus who in fact is the very author and perfecter of our faith and it is the faith that God gives us that enables us to what? Overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Let's go to 1 John chapter five, verse four. Now watch this. How many here are struggling with being an overcomer over the world, the devil, the flesh? How many have been deceived either temporarily or maybe for a while and you've tried to find the answer outside of relationship? I'm praying that God will so shine the light into your soul this morning as to forbid you to ever look again anywhere but to relationship with Jesus Christ as the answer for all of your struggles. 1 John chapter five, watch this. Beginning in verse three. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not grievous. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world. Our what? Our faith. Now who's the author of our faith? Jesus. Is this faith residing in ourself or is it in the person of Jesus Christ a gift from him that he gives to us by his spirit and that can only be cultivated by the working of the Holy Spirit in our life? That's true. But now in order to become a recipient to the faith that is only in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must look to him. But in order to look to him, we must run the race patiently. But in order to run the race patiently, we must put aside every sin and every weight that so easily besets us. So we start with faith and we take it step by step. Faith overcomes the world. Jesus is the only place I can get faith. He only gives faith to those that look to him. Only those that are running the race look to Jesus. And it's only those who are putting down daily those things that distract from relationship that can run the race. Let's try this. Now watch. Watch this now. Faith overcomes the world. Faith overcomes the flesh. Faith overcomes the devil. Now, Jesus is the author of faith. Now, number two, three. Jesus becomes the author of faith to those who look unto him. Who is it that look to him? That run the race. But notice the word here, which many of us need to meditate on, patiently. How many have become impatient with God because you thought he should be doing it a little quicker? Huh? Okay. Now, who are those that run the race? Those who lay aside. What? Weights and sins. Now you see that? What was the Holy Spirit doing for an hour and 10 minutes? An hour and minutes. He was putting into your spirit and my spirit this right here. Now, what does this equal? Watch this. Got a lot of obstacle courses up here. See that? Hey, look at this. I remember some. Isn't that neat? Boy, this makes it just right, doesn't it? Thought it was a pen, didn't you? I like this. Now I can stay there. I can stand back here. Relationship. What is this equal? Relationship. What was the Holy Spirit communicating to every soul here? Relationship. What does relationship do? It fills us with Jesus. And then empowered by him, what happens? We do those things pleasing to him. Ah, the devil's a liar, isn't he? He's got the whole burden on our back, doesn't he? How many have sort of had the burden on your back? How many this morning have experienced a release? And now you realize it's on his back? Huh? I tell the devil to get. See, so this is what relationship is. Relationship is faith. Now, what's faith? Willpower? No. Faith is an attribute or a characteristic, or to even make it plainer, faith is that which comes from God, not you. You cannot manufacture, cultivate, create faith apart from a divine intervention from God. Faith does not dwell in the human heart. Faith is altogether apart from the human heart. Humans are faithless. God is faith. Christ is faith. And God imparts faith to the heart that simply does what? Lord, have mercy on me. I'm a poor, faithless person. It's not the strong. Oh, I'm doing just fine. Thank you. The austere. No, the Bible says God resists those kind of people. They're the rich. Now, I'm not saying rich monetarily. They're the rich, meaning the ones that just feel like they got it all together, yet God is a hundred miles from them. See, it's the poor. Jesus said, blessed are the poor. They're rich. Rich in what? Rich in faith. Where did they get it from? From Jesus. Well, why did Jesus give it to them? And why don't I have any faith? Well, have you come to God with tears, confessing how spiritually poor you are? Maybe you got to do that first. Are you grieved because you don't have faith? Well, God doesn't give faith to the rich. He gives faith to the poor, to those who through divine revelation, see themselves as utterly hopeless, helpless, faithless, and in a state of complete alienation from God, unless God intervenes. Now, isn't that interesting? Do you see yourself like that? If not, then maybe that's why you only got a little teeny bit. So don't be saying, Lord, give me more. No, say, Lord, show me how terrible I am. Because, listen, God never withholds faith from the poor. See, everyone says, Lord, make me filled with faith when they don't realize how miserable they are. You get a revelation of how miserable you are and faith will come, but it's not going to come before. See, so relationship is faith, faith that comes from Jesus, given to those who look to him. What's the key of looking to Jesus? An ongoing revelation of how powerless you are apart from him. You see, you got it? See, it's, see, again, it's not effort. It's not, it's the result of God showing you. This has nothing to do with willpower. No, it's put yourself down on your face. Get down low, get down, humble yourself before God. Get down, get off the mountain. Get off the high, holy horse. Get down, be low, walk softly before God. Say, boy, I sure would love to know how to look to Jesus every day. Get a revelation every day of how utterly desperate you are without his help. And let me tell you, you'll look to him every second. Remember I shared a few months ago the secret of having a good prayer life? It's not, well, I'm going to get up at four o'clock every morning. I'm going to beat God up. I'm going to cock before the rooster does. That's not the secret. Crew, that's right. Cock's a bird, isn't it? I got him backwards. That's normal though. The cock crows, that's right. All right, listen, that's not the secret. Hey, what about buying the latest book on seven steps to moving mountains? Don't think that'll do it. Guess what's going to give you a dynamic prayer life that will not be flesh, but spirit, and you'll see results. It's the same secret that'll help you look unto Jesus. Guess what it is? John 15, six, five or six words. Don't turn to it. Listen, you can if you want. Listen to this. Ye can do nothing apart from me. Now, if you get a revelation on that scripture and you see your utter dependence upon God and your utter uselessness to God apart from him, you will develop the most fruitful, lovely, profitable, divine inspired prayer life on your block. Probably in your city. So you see the key now? It's not audacity. It's not strength. It's not, oh, I've got a strong will, praise. No, no, it's none of that. That's human. That's, I heard one preacher say, a lot of Christians are merit mongers. You know what a merit monger is? A merit monger is someone who wants to somehow share in God's salvation. In other words, well, God and me had a part with it. It's not your, it's his salvation. The only thing that you can do is confess your poor, wretched state and God does all the rest. You can't merit any, any grace apart from God. So the secret to be a strong, dynamic Christian, always looking unto Jesus is a continuous revelation of how you can do nothing apart from God. Okay, so that's the key of looking unto Jesus. Again, remember, it's not willpower. I've got to look. I've got to look. I'm going to do it. Me, I, my strength. I've got to put the flesh. No, my, there's so much struggling. You'll get so tired of being a Christian like that after a couple of years. You'll want to forget about Christianity. That's not God's way. But then on the other hand, God's way isn't just walking around doing what you want. Say, well, when God's ready, he'll just do it. Now there's a balance. There's a balance. It's the seeking heart. It's the heart that longs that God works. And when your heart's not longing and seeking, but you are his, he's going to do everything he can to get your attention. See, so we look unto Jesus. Those who look unto Jesus are those who run the race. You know what the race is? It's the everyday walk with God. So many Christians want to be 4th of July Christians. How many know what a 4th of July Christian is? They like the bangs, the shouts, the bright lights, the fast emotional things, but they fall away and backslide when it comes to the seven day a week, morning by morning, going through the life, going through the daily struggles, going through the daily heartaches of wrestling with various different things. They don't want anything to do with that kind of Christianity. They're always looking for a new bright light. They're always looking for something to pump excitement into their flesh. Those Christians are not running the race patiently. They have entered another triathlon that God's not in. God's not in that one. Running the race patiently is growing in the Lord to the point where you stop looking for greener grass. How many think the grass is always greener on the other side? So you're always secretly looking for greener grass somewhere. Beloved, to run the race patiently is to grow out of that stuff and to come to the place where you accept your lot. And morning by morning, you find joy in Jesus and you realize that running the race is not some emotional high, but it's a commitment to God. It's being empowered by Jesus Christ and it's finding daily victory over little things. There's the race. We run the race patiently as we lay aside. Listen, this isn't a one time thing. And when I say weights and sins, I'm not talking about terrible, gross things. I'm talking about anything. Anything. Television, books, hobbies. You say, uh-oh, this preacher's legalistic. Let me tell you something. Do you think it's legalistic that I'm faithful to my wife? Do you think I should have the freedom to flirt? What do you think, Marcel? Huh? I think it's legalistic. Let's start something. We're not under the law. I'm going to start flirting with other women. Because, hey, Danielle, it's legalistic. We're not under the law. Don't be so tight. I think after church, I'm going to go find some girl and go out to dinner with her. Just get to know her. But now remember, now Colette's still my wife and I do still have the ring she gave me. But hey, I can go out and flirt. I'm not under the law. I'm under grace. Huh? Come on, Christians. Do I get an amen? Where's the amen? Or is it, oh my? Huh? Come on. What's this legalistic stuff? Is she my wife? Yeah. Am I going to be unfaithful to her? No. Am I going to look at other broads? No. Am I going to have a divided heart? No. Am I going to take my liberty and be unfaithful? No. Then why do we do it with the Lord? Is he your lover? Do you love him? Is he precious to you? How would your wife feel if she saw you in the car with another woman? Or how would your husband feel with your arm around? Don't worry, sweetheart. I still love you. You're my wife. Are you going to have dinner ready? I'll be home at six. How are you going to feel? Huh? Oh, that's just my husband. Yeah, we're not under law. We're under grace. We give each other freedom. Come on. You know what you'd do? You'd go home and cry your eyes out. You'd go home and say, my God, my marriage is about to be ruined. My marriage is about to be ruined. Because the one I thought that loved me has a divided heart. And they're out flirting. What do you think Jesus thinks? But they're innocent, brother Phil. Are they? Are they? Let's lay aside the way. Don't look at us as legalism. Look at it as, I want to be faithful to my lover. Jesus, I love you. And I only want you to make my heart pain. What do you think? It's really not, huh? He has so much love. He wants to share so much with me and you. He's really not angry. But he's sorry sometimes. He gets sorry. Because he wants us. For one reason. He wants to show us how beautiful he is. And the more you see his beauty, the less your heart will be divided. And it's not going to be a thing where you're following the wrong rules. Let me see, 7,700 rules. No, I can't do that. Sorry, I'm a Christian. No, it's not that. It's, oh, no, thank you. But I just can't do it because Jesus won't let me. However far you go with him is how much joy you'll find in being faithful. And don't ever think faithfulness is legalism. Hey, undefiled, a spotless virgin, the white veil. You know what the white veil represents? Not known by any other. And that veil is to be removed, which is a sign. I'm taking my veil off. I'm looking at my husband when I remove. That means to you alone will I give the depths of my heart, the depths of my affections. Don't give them to anyone else. Give them to Jesus. If your heart's cold and hard this morning and you don't feel this, I pray that you will find a place of prayer and be honest with yourself. And don't live a lie and say, Lord, restore to me that love. I can't conjure. I can't pretend. Oh, I love Jesus. Oh, brother, I'm miserable. Now forget about that. You don't want that. Just be honest with God. Say, Lord, I don't know what happened. But something's wrong. And I just don't sense that I really know you or love you the way I do. But I want to, Lord. Here I am. Do it. Just let him kindle the fire. Christina, kindle the fire of my water girl. Does everybody understand? I know it's quarter to 10, 12, quarter to 12, and we'll go in a minute or so. This is the heart. This is the mind of the spirit this morning. Does everybody understand? Did God speak to everybody through prayer, by the Holy Spirit, through song, through the word? Remember relationship. Let God do it. Let God bring changes if he has to. But just let him cultivate a relationship in your life. Amen. What's a good song we can sing just to offer up our thanksgiving to God? We appreciate everyone coming out this morning. God has something choice every service, doesn't he? Give thanks with a grateful heart. What number is that? Number 18. And it's what color? The white? No. Number 69 in our chorus books. Before we sing it, let's just offer up a prayer to the Lord, all right? Let's offer up a prayer of thanksgiving. And then as we sing this song, anyone can respond that God would move upon. Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit this morning. Thank you for the word. Thank you for the praise and worship. Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves into your hands. I pray you'll give us honest hearts, a heart that can acknowledge our need. And by acknowledging our need, we humble ourself. And in being humbled, you promise to exalt. Holy Spirit, thank you. We cherish your work more than gold, silver, popularity, or anything else the world can offer us. And we beg you, Lord, to continue the work among the poor and the needy and make them rich in your kingdom. Glorify the Son for Jesus' sake. 69, give thanks.