When I’ve run the race before me And have fought to victory, I’ll be raptured to the glory of the Lord; When I’ve kept the faith at any cost, The Holy City then I’ll receive as my reward.
G
When I've run the race be
C
fore me
And have
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fought to victory,
I'll be
Em
raptured to the
A7
glory of the
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Lord;
When I've
B7
kept the faith at
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any cost,
The
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Holy City
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then
I'll re
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ceive as
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my re
G-G7
ward.
I’ll be raptured into glory, In the Holy City dwell— New Jerusalem, New Jerusalem; With the overcomers shouting, How our praises then will swell, In the New Jerusalem.
G7
I'll be
C
raptured into glory,
In the
G
Holy City dwell—
New Je
D7
rusalem, New Je
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rusalem;
With the
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overcomers shouting,
How our
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praises then will
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swell,
In the
G-D7
New Jerusa
G-C-G
lem.
2
As a pilgrim here I wander; While afflicted, I rejoice, For a better land I soon expect to see; Though all others seek for earthly gain, The Holy City e’er Will my aspiration be.
As a pilgrim here I wander;
While afflicted, I rejoice,
For a better land I soon expect to see;
Though all others seek for earthly gain,
The Holy City e'er
Will my aspiration be.
G
As a pilgrim here I
C
wander;
While
G
afflicted, I rejoice,
For a
Em
better land I
A7
soon expect to
Dsus4-D
see;
Though all
B7
others seek for
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earthly gain,
The
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Holy City
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e'er
Will my
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aspiration
G-G7
be.
3
Though my feet are often wearied On the rough and rugged path, Just by thinking of that city, I’m restored; Though my eyes be filled with tears, My heart will evermore be fixed On that City, my reward.
Though my feet are often wearied
On the rough and rugged path,
Just by thinking of that city, I'm restored;
Though my eyes be filled with tears,
My heart will evermore be fixed
On that City, my reward.
G
Though my feet are often
C
wearied
On the
G
rough and rugged path,
Just by
Em
thinking of that
A7
city, I'm
Dsus4-D
restored;
Though my
B7
eyes be filled
Em
with tears,
My
C
heart will
G
evermore be fixed
On that
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City,
D7
my
G-G7
reward.
4
With strong purpose I now wrestle, And I run toward the goal; I pursue the prize, God’s highest to obtain; Pressing forward toward the mark, I run forgetting all behind, Thus the Holy City gain.
With strong purpose I now wrestle,
And I run toward the goal;
I pursue the prize, God's highest to obtain;
Pressing forward toward the mark,
I run forgetting all behind,
Thus the Holy City gain.
G
With strong purpose I now
C
wrestle,
And I
G
run toward the goal;
I
Em
pursue the prize, God's
A7
highest to
Dsus4-D
obtain;
Pressing
B7
forward toward
Em
the mark,
I
C
run forgetting
G
all behind,
Thus the
C
Holy
D7
City
G-G7
gain.
By His love and through His grace I’ll In the Holy City live— New Jerusalem, New Jerusalem; All saints leaping, singing, shouting, To the Lord their praises give, In the New Jerusalem.
In this message we come to the Christian race. The Christian life is a race. Every saved Christian must run the race to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24). This prize is not salvation in a common sense (Eph. 2:8; 1 Cor. 3:15), but a reward in a special sense (Heb. 10:35; 1 Cor. 3:14). The Apostle Paul, who has run the race and won the prize, was nearly the only one who likened the Christian life to a race. In the book of Hebrews he charged the Hebrew believers to run the race, saying, “run with endurance the race which is set before us” (12:1).
Now we must ask a very puzzling question: what is this race? We should not say that the race is perfection or glorification, for that is the goal of the race. Neither is the race the inward working of the law of life, for that is the process of the race. The race is not even the losing of the soul, because that is the way to run the race; it is not the race itself. In order to answer this question, we need to consider the Lord’s word in John 14:6: “I am the way. ” A race is a way, a course. Because Christ is the way, He is also the race. The race we are running is Christ. Our way is our race. These are not two things, one the way and the other the race. No, the way we are walking is the race we are running. Therefore, Christ, who is the way, is the race. Although I have been ministering on this matter of running the race for over forty years, I have never been so clear as I am now that the race is Christ Himself.
This song always usher me into the sweet foretaste of the reality of the New Jerusalem which is the full mingling of God with man an a mutual dwelling place for eternity.
The 'New Jerusalem is a sign, a symbol signifying the glorious fulfilment of God's eternal purpose according to the desire of His heart to have a corporate expression of Himself in Christ as the Firstborn Son and the many believers in Christ as the many sons. The New Jerusalem is not a physical city as is often construed. The New Jerusalem is one of the two greatest signs in the Bible (Rev. 21:2).
It was for this God created us, redeemed us, regenerated us and is transforming us, conforming us to the glorious image of His son. By being one spirit with the Lord, loving Him intensely above all else. we will receive the revelation, vision and experience of the New Jerusalem as a foretaste in this age. May we keep dreaming of the New Jerusalem until we are ushered into the reality. This song always ushers me into the foretaste of the divine reality. Hallelujah for the New Jerusalem.
New Jerusalem! New Jerusalem! Looking to the Lord and opening up to Him to allow Him to shine on, in, and through me... This age is coming to a consummation and how I need to be delivered from every earthly entanglement. We see in Colossians how Christ is the reality of all positive things in the universe (Col. 1:-3:11). He is our real rest, food, drink, covering, life... We must pursue to know Christ by experiencing Him in a full way day by day.
May we not be defrauded into thinking that salvation is the goal. Even the church-life is not the goal... but the means to reach the goal. Praise the Lord for the New Jerusalem - a composition of all God's chosen, redeemed, regenerated, transformed, and glorified people built up for His "satisfaction in love" and "utmost rest" for all eternity for His expression! What a blessing, what a privilege to be a part of it! Praise the Lord!!! We have a glorious eternal future! Dear Lord Jesus, how I repent for allowing anything to come in to occupy my heart, even "good" things. Thank Your Lord Jesus!!! You are everything to me!!! We love You Lord!!!