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3 Defining Qualities of a Christian

The Love of God and Others - Mark 12:29-31 - Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these

Selfless love I Corinthians 13:4-6 - Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth

The Christian Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Holy Spirit is a marker your assurance of salvation.

Time to keep growing and to shine as we have never shined before. Be more and more Christian

Book of Hebrews - Jesus is better – stick with him. – Keep on Growing – Don’t Stop

Hebrews 12:1-3 –Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Picture of a lady named Kayla Montgomery – long distance runner. She has MS and she can’t feel her legs when she runs.  Her coach has to help her stop and then she regains the feeling of her legs.  This is a picture of the Christian race.  It is painful.  When we finish the race we collapse into the arms of Jesus.  Jesus carries you off the field.  This is the image of the writer of Hebrews.  We have to give it our all.  No matter what obstacles we face.

1. Look back and around - Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses – Hebrews 11 is the Hall of fame of the faithful. Don’t give up. Our history and legacy are important to us. Who is in your stadium?  Sports events – how are the athletics going to play and no one be in the stadium.  Their dad and mom are watching them play.  Will they give it their all?  As a Christian will you give it your all? A W Tozer was a personal favorite.
2. Look in - let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, He is writing to Christians. Without repentance we can’t run very well. Have you gotten rid of all the sin out of your life?  Catastrophic and cancerous sins. Catastrophic – big damage, sins tend to be physical, not easy to hide then cancerous – termites – do damage but slower, sins tend to be with the mind, easy to hide.
3. Look Forward - let us run with endurance the race that is set before us – If you are going to run a race you always focus on the finish. All eyes are forward.  You can’t look backwards. Where are you going? Heaven Colossians 3:1-2 - If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Be heavenly minded because we want more people to be there.

4. Focus on Jesus - looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, an