"NOW: Endurance" - Pastor Charles Mattix - March 22, 2026

0:00I'm going to follow along with our series this morning on now and the title of this message is in Dorrance Well, the youth retreat was just absolutely phenomenal One of our children's pastors who happens to be our granddaughter pastor Tiffany Would text us where we were babysitting the baby ball that she could be free and her husband could be free to work here in the in the youth retreat all week long and And she would say there's incredible God moments Incredible God moments and I think you would know what that means and so we came here on Wednesday evening my wife and I and we Said here at the back and we watched we observed we saw the young people coming forward kneeling down here at this altar And it was just absolutely phenomenal and I said back there watching and observing and And I'm glad to hear the report pastor Barry for all the conversions and the baptism 83 baptized in the Holy Spirit This day in time and a you three treat it come on celebrate that 83

1:01Individuals that baptized in the Holy Spirit. That's just absolutely incredible But I sat back there and I watched and I thought you know For many of these young people their journey their life with Christ is just now beginning and they have no idea of What lies before them but God does because God is already there But it was so exciting because how many of you show of hands here this morning how many of you were saved at a very young age Would you raise your hand look around That's a lot of you that were saved at a very young age You remember what it was like when you first came to the Lord Jesus Christ You had no idea you had no Comprehension as to what your future held But you know that God was already there and you have lived a long time you've been on this journey of Christianity for a long time and Boy the stories the stories you could tell of the things it hasn't God been faithful Don't you love that song that we sing all my life all my life? He's been faithful. Don't you love that song God has proven his faithfulness to us and his love for us

2:05And so as I watched and listened and observed and saw these kids worshiping and Dedicating their lives to the Lord. I thought well just they have no idea no clue of what lies before them But God does and so they begin their journey and it is to the great extent a journey of endurance and that Reminds me what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 24 look at on the screen with me Don't you realize that in a race Everyone runs but only one person Gets the prize So he encourages believers to run to win To run to win the race and then in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1 the author says this therefore Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith Let us strip off every weight that slows us down Especially the sin that so easily tritz us up and let us run with what? Say it with me. Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us

3:13How many believe this morning that God always has a plans for our life even at this age and this time in this age of our Own lives because many of us have already reached that age Obviously that alone but But God is always with us and it's still it's still a life that we live with endurance So the race run this race that God has still set before us For several years now. I have Been deeply drawn to the life of the apostle Paul and one of my favorite authors writing on the life of the apostle Paul is FF Bruce and in his book titled Paul the apostle of the heart set free He quotes this German theologian at saying this at last At last Someone speaks in Greek out of a fresh inward experience of life The experience is his faith which makes him sure of his hope notice that I've underlined that that experience is It's talking about the apostle Paul that experience is his faith which makes him sure of his hope

4:20His glowing love embraces all mankind to bring them salvation that he himself joyfully sacrifice His very own life yet the fresh life of the soul springs up wherever he goes He writes his letters as a substitute for his own personal activity I could say his own personal life This is Paul Paul himself and no other Paul could not always be physically present with the churches So his letters became his way of actually being there with them as we all know the apostle Paul was extremely pastoral He was extremely evangelistic He was an individual who cared deeply for those in whom he communicated this gospel with So over the years I have read Paul's letters as I As I read them I tend to personalize them I read them and I kind of think about How this letter would apply to me as if though he was writing it specifically to me

5:23And I have smiled when I hear Pastor Barry say that he likes to Simonize passages How many have ever heard him say that before So what I'd like for all of us to do this morning has look at one of Paul's statements to the Corinthian believers And without changing the meaning I don't want us to change the meaning But I'd like for us to read it as if we were receiving it from the apostle Paul directly from him to us So what we're going to do this morning is replace the personal pronouns and read it as if this Incredibly impactful passage was written to all of us personally Also, I'm going to say read it and I hope you will I hope you'll read this with personal confession So let's do this. Let's read it together I would like to ask you to read it out loud And then you'll see as we as as the scripture comes up here on this with our ears that you would substitute your name there So you're ready You can read it at your own cadence at your own speed, but let's begin here. We go. Do you not know

6:24All right, let's try let's try this again I just know that you're just excited about this So here we go. Let's do this again, and let's read it out loud. Here we go. Ready? Do you not know That those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize I will run in such a way that I may win say that again I will run in such a way that I may win Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath But I will receive an imperishable one Therefore I will run in such a way as not without aim I will discipline my body and make it my slave so that after witnessing to others

7:25I will not be disqualified Wow encouraging followers of the Lord Jesus Christ he wrote that when Christ returns and we sang about that just a few moments ago That when Christ returns He will transform our earthly bodies into heavenly bodies We will be changed in a moment How in the twinkling of an eye We will be changed So then he encourages the believers to stand firm in their faith And in the twinkling of eye to simply means the quickest moment imaginable It is faster than a blink in that moment we're all going to be transformed And we're going to receive a brand new body that will be able to live in heaven for all eternity Are you looking forward to that day when we see Jesus Christ face to face The Apostle John wrote this one of my favorite passages be hold now Now right now in this moment we are children of God and it is not has not yet appeared what we will be or what we shall be

8:31But when we know this that when he appears we're all going to be like him because we're going to see him Just as he is that day is soon coming when we see Jesus face to face all the sorrows are going to be gone All the tears are going to dry up There'll be no more wheelchairs no more lame no more worry no more sorrow no more sadness when we see Jesus face to face Everything's going to be great. Everything's going to be wonderful And all sins going to be done away with what a day what a glorious day That's going to be I've shared this before in the harbor lights class and some of them will remember the story But when John wrote that in Revelation chapter 21 He said he looked and he saw and he saw no more see Think about that and it's S.E.A. Now you think we don't mind like we lived out in Southern California and we lived near the ocean And in fact, we actually missed the ocean nowadays But anyway, we used to go to Newport Beach We'd sit along the beach and just listen to the waves We'd just ride along the Pacific coast highway row down the windows and smell the ocean

9:33It was a marvelous thing But you'd think about this on the alapetmas with the Apostle John There he is day in Day night day in all day all night Living there in an ex-house situation for his faith and every morning when he walked woke up there was The sea Every night when he closed his eyes to go to sleep there was The sea can you imagine day in day out day in day out and just here and listen to that sea all day long The loneliness that he may have felt the desire to be back with his own kind the individual who still wanted to evangelize and every morning He just listened to the sea every night. There was just a sea So he looks and he sees the new heaven and the new earth coming down from the Father And he celebrates the fact that there's going to be no more sea What a day that's going to be here. It's great. You're looking forward to that day So John reminds us of who we are And more importantly of who all of us are becoming But before that day of transformation and the person that we're going to be

10:37There is this life journey that all of us are on Living in the present is not always easy We face trials There are challenges there are tests Especially those that build endurance So first of all my first point is endurance is built through trials Now I'm sure that everyone in the room understands what it means to endure To endure is to stand firm when circumstances push against you Look at that again to endure is to stand firm when circumstances are pushing against you remaining faithful Through all those trials and all those difficulties until that trial passes So there was a sports shoe company back in the day. In fact The sports shoe company ran an ad during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games down here in Atlanta, Georgia And the advertisement read this you do not win the silver medal

11:39You lose the gold Can you imagine seeing that on billboards in Atlanta Especially the athletes that came here to America to run in the Olympics and Participate in the Olympic Games and see that you do not run You do not win the silver you lose the gold Then they also put up billboards all over town and the billboards read this If you're not here to win Then you're a tourist Yeah Yeah, that went over very very well. I understand I read the articles and said they fact they had to go around taking back down because it seemed to Fend a lot of people but in the Christian life We do not run to lose A man We run to win An athlete when you think about athletics an athlete doesn't compare Doesn't compete just to finish second place They play the game to win and it really doesn't matter the sport when you think about it

12:41Whether it's golf whether it's track whether it's football whether it's racquet ball whether it's pickle ball whether it's Whatever it is chess or even tidley wings I got a few chuckles. I mean all of it most of us in this room can remember the tidley Raise your hand if you ever played tidley wings You know I still have my grandparents set of tidley wings and was a kid growing up with my grandparents They didn't have a television. They only had a radio. They lived up on a heeled out in the country and so they had games We played wall who anybody heard of wall who Chinese checkers dominoes And tidley wings How many of you ever played tidley wings? Something that you need to teach your grandchildren and your great grandchildren So we played to win even if it's that game Vincent Barney the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers would tell his players this Winning is not everything. It is the only thing For all competitors for all athletes second place is really not an option

13:45They play to win The Apostle Paul Described the Christian life oftentimes in metaphors He often used the metaphor of athletics or the image of an athlete to running a race To illustrate how you and I are to live our Christian life He emphasized these things these qualities discipline Endurance he often used language such as pressing forward toward the goal I count everything loss except for the excessly. I've really knowing Jesus Christ as my lord and saver All of the past all the past matters, but it doesn't matter What matters now is how I live my life with Jesus Christ serving him every day of my life Because that's really what matters in this life of Christianity So pressing forward toward the goal where the prize awaits us The King James version of Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1 reads this way run the race with patience I know you're all excited to hear that word patience

14:49That is a challenge. I don't know if it's a challenge for you, but really is this as Maryland It's a challenge for me Recently I had gone through some physical therapy and recently my physical therapy guy agreed as he talked to me He said you're really an impatient patient I just want it to be over how many of you when you're going through some painful experience as you just want it to be over You know I'm as patient as a kid sitting in the back seat of the car as soon as you leave your neighborhood And says are we there yet? That's how patient I am is I'm as patient as someone who stands in and I do this at the hospitals That's I'm so guilty. I'm as I'm as patient as someone who stands in front of an elevator door And pushes the button and then pushes it again just to make sure it's working You know no matter that the lights are ready green. I'll stand there and watch it And Maryland will punch the button and already turns green. I stand there and I wait now go and push it again It's like you know come on elevator, you know, I'm guilty Of standing there waiting for my coffee to brew just standing there as if it might make it brew faster if I just stand there and watch it

15:57The apostle Paul often do from Greek sports The athletic competitions of his day and of his time He used those to illustrate what it takes to live out this Christian life of ours Luke does not tell us why Paul traveled to Corinth on his second missionary journey However, this is what I believe in what's really recorded in the book of Acts in Acts chapter 18 He had gone through in his first missionary to he had gone through Some terrible ordeals It was there in Philippi that he was severely beaten he was treated just immorally It was there in Thessalonica that he was not well received It was there in Athens that he's really struggled and had a hard time He had come in acquaintance with Aquila and Priscilla and so Understanding the historical and geographical importance of the book of Corinthians clear he clarifies for us why it was so significant for him To return to Corinth where Aquila and Priscilla lived and where they were working in order for him to have an opportunity there

17:01To spread the gospel you see here's what here's what here's the whole environment of the thing The city stood on the isthmus of Corinth It was a narrow strip of land that really connected the northern and southern Greece The sea was on both sides It became a major center for east west trade and also travel so it afforded him this incredible opportunity to share the gospel And it was there that the isthmian games took place during the spring of 80 51 Athletes from all over Greece gathered in the city to compete in foot races wrestling boxing Discuss throwing javelin throwing long jump chariot races and surprisingly which I found this very interesting reading poetry and singing Now in our modern day at Olympic Games in the summer Olympics and my wife she kind of laughed at this She said we're really going to say this and I thought about not saying it I'm gonna go ahead and say it Can you imagine in your mind a sumo rassler standing there singing in a competition to win a prize in the Olympics

18:09That's just the way my mind works folks. It just kind of goes there on times or reading poetry I'll just say it was there in the isthmian games where the apostle Paul settled and observed and he watched what was going on with those athletes According to again, I want to quote ff Bruce according to him the isthmian games over which Corinth presided in which all the Greek city states participated Were held every two years at them the seagull Poseidon was specifically honored Corinthians paid respect and in Paul's words in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 They paid respect to many gods and many lords. Wow What an opportunity for him to gather illustrations about what it's like for us to live this Christian life of ours So he met up with Aquila and Priscilla We're already Christians as we know they would become as they were very close friends of his Paul had no more loyal friends or helpers than Aquila and Priscilla

19:10The people who came to the games stayed intense now get this They stayed intense outside the city in the surrounding areas Luke tells us that Paul went to see them Aquila and Priscilla and he because he was he himself A part of the same trade that they were involved in and he stayed with them and he worked with them for they were tit makers by trade Fixing and selling tense gay Paul this incredible opportunity to spread the gospel and observe the culture in which he was staying Joining him were also Silas and Timothy Timothy would as you understand probably by his letters to Timothy would get what this whole metaphor means about running this race and running this race with patience and enduring all the way to the end From what Paul saw of these athletes who trained and competed in the Ismian games He painted this incredible powerful picture of the Christian life

20:11Those athletes they ran with discipline. They were focused. They persevered And he emphasized that we ourselves should live lies with the same kind of perseverance as these athletes So now we all understand what this word endurance means at least I hope that you do At times we have experienced in our life situations that required us to just Press on just just keep going even when giving up might have might have seemed a little bit easier For some endurance is ongoing challenges Maybe some here in the auditorium this morning are still enduring some major challenges in your life Maybe a grandchild maybe a child maybe a great-grandchild Maybe a job situation those are still employed and and you're just you're ongoing challenges that you're facing in your life this morning It might mean pushing through a tough season or Sticking with this hard job or holding on and just trusting God until better opportunities arrive

21:12It may be a single parent raising children on their own That's coming close to home for us right now It might feel like a marathon being a single parent raising children. There's that laundry I remember when our kids were growing up Maryland and it was The every day. How many remember when you're raising your kid every day a pile of laundry and the Didn't they just wear this you know Didn't I just wash this yesterday and if that's a doing in the laundry once again You got the marathon the meals to prepare the sports practices and the games It's it's like running this marathon and the finish line looks a long way off You find yourself having to lean heavily on God for strength when your own strength runs out It might be a family issue for some a financial problem a health issue some have had to endure pain Probably not a person in this room

22:13Probably most everybody in this room Have experienced some kind of pain in your life maybe some of you even this morning right now are hurting Recently for some reason Maybe because of our own situation in our own lives In this season of our own lives is that that there's this this heightened awareness of individuals pain There are moments in the middle of the night. I wake up with some individuals in mind and praying to them God please relieve their pain God please heal them of their cancer situation I still believe in the power of God to heal How many of you believe in God's power to heal to this day? Don't you long to see miracles? Don't you long to see God show up in a powerful and wonderful way? Don't you long to see the miracles take place in people's lives to rejoice with them We weep with those that we we also rejoice with those who rejoice and what a greater way to rejoice and to see somebody Healed and delivered and set free from their pain and their sorrow and their suffering

23:15So it also might be some that have endured trials Trials that seem to have no end in sight it could be a number of things that test our faith The iron man The iron man competition is a 140.6 mile Marathon The iron man is a long distance triathlon that includes this get this 2.4 miles swim 112 mile bike ride a 26.2 mile run The race covers a total of 140.6 miles A half iron man is 70.3 miles in total consisting of 1.2 mile swim a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run Needless to say Both our endurance races Athletes train for months to prepare themselves for the for the iron man In fact years they train they follow a special diet. They lift weights. They exercise

24:20They wake up in the morning with a mindset. Well Today I'm going to I'm going today. I'm going to ride my bike Today. I'm going to ride my bike maybe 20 plus miles Then they get up the next morning and they think well today. I'm going to go out and I'm going to run Maybe 25 30 miles Maybe they get up the next morning. They're going to go somewhere and they're going to maybe a YMCA or some other place And they're going to swim laps today. I'm going to do this tomorrow. I'm going to do this the next day. I'm going to do this The individual that you see on the slide right now is our son He is our youngest son Joshua began training in 2015 and completed his first half iron man the 70.3 mile triathlon in New Orleans in 2016 at the age of 39 Later in his iron man career He secured a bass pro sponsorship and he continued training after he received that sponsorship They began to train and coach other individuals after his career ended He eventually began coaching others to run marathons

25:21He completed the full iron man triathlon covering that 140.6 miles in 2019 at the age of 42 in Santa Rosa, California He continued racing until 2021 at the age of 44 and then he semi-retired But then he decided to do another half iron man at the at in 2023 at the age of 46 Overall our son completed four half iron man events and one full iron man That full iron man of his was tough. We just happened to be out there the day before that he was going to run the race The races now get this the races always started in the water Around dawn about 7 a.m This particular iron man the marine layer in the pacific ocean Was very very thick and very heavy and it delayed the race for about a half hour and the water out of the pacific coast Out on the pacific ocean if you've ever been there is an average of eight 58 degrees even year round

26:23And the day before that he got ready to run this this race in this iron man He said dad. He said now. I'm a little concerned in fact. I'm a little bit afraid about swimming here in the ocean What makes this extraordinary is that our youngest son was more was was never really he had never was really comfortable in the water as a young child And if you've ever swam in the ocean, you know, it's not just swimming There are the waves to deal with you have to navigate the waves going out and then those waves that are coming back And so he had to persevere He had to push through the fear and the exhaustion He had to endure the obstacles the elements the distance the heels the physical strain of this race The marine layer was so thick that morning that they had to get people in kayaks and they had to go out and line out the The racetrack out in the ocean and they had to just follow along these guys in their kayaks and some of them had lantern flashlights and And they swim out and swim back from in the water there Then out of the water

27:25Came the 112 mile bike ride and then following the bike portion of the race came the 26 mile run Running up and down heels he had to run with endurance and in many ways That's the picture of our Christian life. We're called to just keep going We're called to press on we're called to endure And the Apostle Paul would often include this incredible tender emotional personal and relational touch in his letters That's why we're he endears himself to us and we're endeared to him Because he connects with all of us and then we connect with him For example in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 1 he says he says my brothers And then he went on to express his love for the people and I want you to look what he wrote He says therefore my beloved brotheran whom I long to see my joy and crown in this way And this is the emphasis I wanted to make from this particular text He encourages them to stand firm in the Lord

28:28I would read it this way making it speak to all of us this morning Therefore my beloved brotheran therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ Therefore the followers of Jesus who are his joy and crown stand firm in the Lord Stand firm in the Lord recently pastor Ron preached a Always preach as a powerful message so anointed and and he preached a message just recently about efficient chapter 6 And he's talked about putting on the formal full armor of God and he he broke each armament down And as he preached and as he spoke that message that morning And I said they're thinking about this incredible relationship They would have a Jesus that in order for us to win the prize in order for us to make it in this Christian life In order for us to live as an example of the Lord Jesus Christ of Christianity We must put on the full armor of God and and really when you think about it all of the armament except for one are all defensive weapons You got the field of the shield of faith with swords off those fiery darts in the enemy got the blessed

29:30Press plate of righteousness. You got your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel You got your helmet of salvation on but the offensive weapon in the full armament that we're to put on as Christians is the sword Which is the word of God because the word of God has power to change our lives The word of God has the authority in it It's profitable for everything that we possibly need in order to win this Christian life When this race that is set before all of us that leads me to my final point Endurance leads to God's promise In the midst of trials we must stand firm giving up Giving in That's really not an option. It's just too great a prize to win. How many would agree this morning? The prize that is before us is too great a prize to win sometimes we're forced to lie down Even in green pastures When we don't want to lie down and join the pleasures of eating using that sheep analogy and

30:32I know I look at the Psalm 23 a little bit different than most folks But you look you look at the sheep lying down in green pastures and the pastures are plush They are green they're wonderful and it's just one blade of grass after another but pastures don't go anywhere With bills paid with kids doing well on a good job You got a marriage going strong you're living off of the abundance You know you're in all of a sudden you're forced to lie down that that word does not change It means as what it says that in green pastures you're forced to lie down When you don't want to lie down you're forced to lie down and there's a reason behind that God says I don't want you in pastures I want you on paths Because paths go places And by making us lie down he gets our attention So then we become reliant upon him now he's in control He leads me besides still waters and what do I see as I'm led besides still waters I see a reflection of myself and heaven's backdrop and I realize hey

31:34Now I yield myself completely totally to God and I depend upon him Now he's in control He's going to lead me where he wants me to go not where I want to go and I'm a follower of Jesus Christ And that's the best way to go because God's plan for me as far greater than the plans that I have for myself So he gets our attention and then we begin to rely upon him And if we endure to the end So I'm 23 is powerful, but it would be meaningless if it wasn't for the last verse Because we're going to dwell in the house of the Lord for how long The rest of this song would be actually meaningless if it wasn't for that last verse Surely goodness immersive following all the days of my life and I'm going to dwell in the house of the Lord forever The one who endures to the end as Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 13 will gain this eternal life of salvation and heaven is our prize The promise is this

32:35God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation Afterward they're going to receive a crown of life that God has promised to those who love him Again, I ask you how many of you love the Lord this morning How many going to heaven that just that just make our declaration right now Often tell our our class and harbor lights. I have everybody raise your hand that's going to agree with me They were holding out for the rapture everybody's waiting on the rapture. We're going to go together amen That wasn't very strong. We're going to heaven together right We're all going in the rapture together and we believe that with all of our hearts That one of these days really if the worship team would please come and join me on this stage Our son told me this You can't train for a triathlon in a day So you have to work each day for months and months and months You have to work to add miles You have to work to add speed

33:38You have to work and practice and run and ride and swim to build up endurance On the days that you don't feel like it On the days that you don't feel like training The times of our life when we're going through difficult situations and we wonder God, where are you? Our faith tells us he's there He's there Sometimes when it's so hard Sometimes we don't understand when your kids Do what kids do When your grandkids do what grandkids do When other Christians may do what they do And there's the hurts, there's the pain, there's the sorrow, there's the suffering It's in those moments that we have to trust That we believe that we hang on That we have phrased I used to use years ago is that we stay by this stuff That we hang in there because we know that in the end there's a great prize

34:38That's awaiting all of us Our son told us On the days that I didn't feel like it I had to wake up in the morning and I had to ask myself What can I do just in the next two minutes This is the way that he trained I would wake up in the morning I pulled myself out of bed, sit on the edge of the bed, start getting dressed He'd say, what can I do in the next two minutes And before you know it those two minutes intervals they add up And then you're out the door ready for your training He completed the full Iron Man in 14 hours, 11 minutes, and 41 seconds He was well within the official time limit And he walked away exhausted, panting But with an Iron Man medallion Not just the participants medallion He proved to himself that he is my far, a true athlete Who finished the race with endurance And perseverance without fear And he completed the race

35:40This study would be incomplete Without hearing how the Apostle Paul spoke to Timothy As his life race was approaching the end This is what he said Timothy I've fought a good fight I have finished the course I have kept the faith And in the future I know this I believe this I'm waiting up for this And in the future there's laid up for me A crown of righteousness With the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day And not only to me But also to all Who love his appearing So let's finish strong We've started Let's finish strong What do you say this morning? Let's all finish strong And may it be said of all of us We gave our all We stayed by the stuff We hung in there

36:40We believed We trusted We endured We persevered We ran the race that God said before us Let's be determined How many of you will agree this morning Let's be determined across the finish line And let's cross the finish line well There may have been moments during the trials That made me wonder Maybe you as well But my faith never faltered I stumbled sometimes But Jesus lifted me I fumbled the ball now and then But I didn't let them stop Keeping me off the field of play I tripped sometimes and I fell But I got back up and I kept moving forward I blew it There times in this Christian life that I've blown it But I've been forgiven And God doesn't hold my sins against me anymore The blood of Jesus Christ covers my sins And they've washed out They're all washed away So let's make it our goal this morning Let's be determined to be able to say

37:42I kept the faith And I know that there's a medallion That the Lord Savior will place around my neck And I'm going to cross the finish line As a winner We're all going to be winners One of these days So I encourage you this morning Keep your eyes on the prides The upper call that is in Jesus Always look ahead to see what awaits you Make it your confession this morning Just as the great apostle did I am persuaded That he's able to keep what I've committed to him Against that day I'm going to close this this morning With this my one of my favorite passages In all of the book of Romans I've often turned to this It's fitting as I close this message this morning And let this be our Let this be our mindset I'm convinced That neither death nor life nor angels Nor principalities nor things present Nor things to come Nor powers nor height nor death Nor any other creative thing Is going to separate me from the love that I have in Jesus Christ

38:43I'm going to change this just for a moment I'm going to change the word And I know I know what the apostle Paul said I know that nothing can pluck us out of his hand That are committed and determined to live for Jesus Christ But I'm going to change the wording here And invite you to make this year confession this morning I am convinced I'm convinced that nothing's going to separate me From the love that I have in Christ Jesus If that's your confession Would you stand this morning everybody All over the room Lift your hands and say I'm determined That nothing's going to separate me From the love that I have in Christ Jesus Nothing And I'm going to finish the race I'm going to run well And I'm going to gain the prize That Jesus Christ has sent me for me