Preached October 18, 2009
from
Hebrews 12:1-2

Theme: If we are diligent to keep our eyes on the right ‘focus-points’, we will run the race of faith with endurance.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Honesty demands I admit that I have preached from this morning’s passage to our church family more than once. But I hope you’ll forgive me for coming to it yet again. After all, it’s such a great passage! And I’ve found that it becomes new to me almost every time I revisit it.

I was drawn to it again recently because of an accomplishment of a good friend of mine. Two weeks ago, he completed the Portland Marathon—which is a twenty-six mile run—in just a minute or so over five hours. And he just turned sixty-one. And at a point in life when many might be tempted to sit by as the younger crowd does the running, he has not chosen to do so. He’s a real inspiration to me.

And his personal act of endurance caused me to think about the marathon of faith that each one of us are in as believers—and the even greater endurance that it demands of us.

* * * * * * * * * *

If you’ll look at this morning’s passage, and at the key exhortation of it, you’ll see that we have a ‘race’ set before us. The word in the original language that’s translated “race” is agōn—which you may recognize in our English word “agony”. It’s a word that suggests something of the serious nature of this race—that it’s very much like a challenging athletic contest that is grueling, and that will at times demand great effort and determination and sacrifice from us. And what’s more, we’re told that we are to run it with “endurance”—the same sort of endurance with which someone would run in an athletic competition.

Now; the word of God doesn’t deceive us. It lets us know that, when we have begun a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, we’ve entered into a ‘marathon’. And we should take note that the writer of the book of Hebrews doesn’t say, “Therefore, dear Christians; I encourage each one of you to consider entering into this race for the Lord.” The writer assumes that, if you are in Christ right now, you’re already in this great marathon of faith. “Therefore,” the writer tells us, “. . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . .”

By the way; I keep saying “the writer of Hebrews”, because New Testament scholars aren’t absolutely certain who wrote it. But I have my reasons for believing very strongly that it was the apostle Paul.¹ And when I read these words, I think back to what Paul himself had to say about his own determination to run the race of the faith with endurance. At the end of 1 Corinthians 9, he wrote,

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

As you can see, Paul wasn’t concerned about merely ‘entering’ the race. He didn’t even consider that to be an option! He assumed that, because he was in Christ, he was already in the race of faith; and what he was most concerned about was that he not fail to run the race as he should, and that he not ending up being disqualified in the end!

He wrote more about the attitude he had toward running this race in Philippians 3;

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you (Philippians 3:7-15).

* * * * * * * * * *

Dear brothers and sisters; if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, there’s no option about it. You are in a marathon. It’s the most important marathon anyone can be in; because the goal is to seize hold of all that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to make us to be. And the prize is the greatest prize anyone can win; because it’s to hear Him say, “Well done!” when our race is completed. Paul longed for his Christian brothers and sisters to have the same attitude of diligence about it that he had.

But let me be frank. Many of us who say we are Christians don’t have anything like the zeal about this marathon that the apostle Paul exemplified. In fact, some of us who profess Christ are standing around on the race track with our hands in our pockets!

For some, it might be that they thought that all that was needed was simply to be entered into the race. “I had put my faith in Jesus Christ many years ago,” someone might say. “I was baptized when I was a little person. I’ve grown up in the church. I’ve heard a million sermons. I know that I’m going to heaven; and that’s really all that’s important to me.” And over the years, these comfortable Christians have grown fat and lazy with respect to the faith. They’ve made almost no progress whatsoever. They’ve quit trying. They’ve quit growing. They’ve quit repenting. They’ve quit witnessing. They’ve become content to live a happy, peaceful life on earth; and expect to go to heaven when it’s over. They’re like someone who simply signed up for the marathon just so they can get a free water-bottle and a t-shirt!

And I believe God would have such ‘comfortable’ Christians hear the exhortation of this passage to wake up out of their slumbers, renew their fervency for the Lord, and “run with endurance the race that is set before us”!

For someone else, it might be that they’re in their older years, and feel that their ‘running days’ are over. “I’ve served the Lord for many years now,” they may say.. “My best years are behind me. This old body of mine doesn’t have the energy it used to anymore. It’s time for the younger people to run the race now.” But such ‘retiring’ Christians forget that starting off strong isn’t the crucial thing in an endurance race. What’s crucial is the finish! Older believers are at the most crucial and exciting stage that anyone can be with respect to the Lord’s marathon run, because—to put it quite frankly—they’re closer to the finish line that the rest of us! And yet, at the worst time in the race, many decide to stop running, pull up a recliner along the side of the track, and watch the ‘younger’ runners go by! They never seem to realize that this isn’t a race like any other—because even if you’re in a hospital bed, you’re still running in it!

And I believe God would want such ‘retired’ Christians to know that the race if far from over for them; that they need to stir up their passion for the work of the Lord, stay on the race-track to the very end, and to “run with endurance the race that is set before us”!

And I believe this word is even for those professing believers who are on the opposite end of the time-line. They’re young; and because they think they’ve got all the time in the world, they can put-off an earnest run until later. “I’m a Christian,” they might say. “I’ve prayed the prayer, and all that. But when it comes to doing anything more than that, I want to live my life my way first. I want to do what I want to do for a while. I don’t want to ‘commit’ until later. Then, when I’m ready, I’ll really get into the race. And when I’m really older and closer to the finish line, that’s when I’ll sprint!” But many such Christians don’t realize what it’s like to come to the race late in life—after having a bunch of wasted years to regret, and a bunch of bad ‘life-priorities’ to repent of! They think that serious devotion to Jesus Christ is for older people—never realizing that some of the greatest and boldest heroes of the faith were at the prime of life when God used them!

And I believe God would want such ‘delaying’ Christians to hear this passage’s exhortation to quit wasting time, get committed as early as possible, and “run with endurance the race that is set before us”!

* * * * * * * * * *

Hopefully, you can see the great value of this passage. It lights a fire under us that desperately needs to be lit! It gets us moving out of our spiritual doldrums! It helps to break us free of our laziness in the faith! It’s like a track coach off to the sidelines—shouting to us and inspiring us for the run!

I believe this morning’s passage gives us three perspectives to hold on to—three ‘focus-points’ for our eyes—that, when we are faithful to hold true to them, will help us to never lose our zeal for the Lord, or grow weak and indifferent in the race of faith. If we keep hold of them, we will run the marathon of faith with endurance all the way—and break the tape at the end as the winners our Lord died on the cross to make us to be.

The first thing this passage calls us to do is to . . .

1. LOOK BACKWARD—AT THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES.

The writer says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses . . .” And that’s our first ‘focus-point’—the “great cloud of witnesses”.

Who are these “witnesses”? The word at the beginning of the verse gives us the clue. It’s translated as the word “Therefore”. This particular word in the original language is a strong one. It means for us to see what the writer is now saying in the illuminating spotlight of what had just been said. It’s as if the writer of Hebrews is saying, “And now, brethren; do you understand the implications of what I’ve just told you? Do you see what it means for your life?” And what had just been said to us was the content of chapter 11—that great chapter of Hebrews that surveys the experiences of God’s great heroes of faith from the past.

I hope you’ll permit me to simply read this great chapter to you. It’s long; but I fear that if I were to try to simply summarize it all to you, you’d lose the impact that God intends you to experience from it. I believe God wants you to think about the multitude of great challenges these heroes faced; but of how they nevertheless ran the race of faith with endurance—all the way to the end—and are now held up to us as ‘winners’!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us (Hebrews 11:1-40).

We could hear a whole sermon series on all of these great heroes; couldn’t we? The repeated testimony of their run is that it was is, “by faith—by faith—by faith”. They themselves have run the race all the way to the end and experienced victory. They’re all in the stands; cheering us on. And now—in our passage this morning—the writer connects their experience to our own and says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (and if I may point out, dear brothers and sisters; the “cloud” has grown even greater over the past two-thousand years since those words were first written) “. . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . .”

We’ll never get lazy in the race if we keep an eye, as it were, behind us and upon all these great saints who have run the race before us in their time! They sacrificed. They endured. And they experienced victory in Christ in the end!

* * * * * * * * * *

Another ‘focus-point’ in running the race of faith is given us in this passage. The writer encourages us to . . .

2. LOOK DOWNWARD—FOR WHAT MAY HINDER OUR RUN.

He says, “. . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us . . .”

I heard a story not long ago about two men who were hiking in the wilderness. One of them was an experienced hiker, but the other was an experienced jogger. They were both outfitted with their backpacks and their hiking boots—except that the jogger also had a pair of good running shoes in his pack.

As they hiked along, they were confronted by a grizzly bear. You probably know that if a grizzly bear charges, there’s no sense running from him; because he can reach speeds of twenty-five to thirty miles an hour. And sure enough, this bear began to charge the two men. As soon as the jogger saw the bear coming, he dropped his pack, got out his running shoes, and began to carefully lace them on. The other man said, “Are you out of your mind? What are you doing? It doesn’t matter how good a runner you are, you still can’t out-run a grizzly bear!” And the jogger, as he calmly tied his shoes, said, “I don’t have to out-run the bear. I just have to out-run you.”

If all we were doing was hiking along in the Christian life, it would be one thing. But we’re in a marathon run! And no runner who runs a marathon carries a backpack with him, or wears hiking boots on his feet. A serious runner who is committed to win will strip himself of every unnecessary burden and any loose clothing, and will make sure that nothing entangles or hinders the action of his feet.

And so, the writer of Hebrews urges us to lay aside “every weight”. We are to get rid of those things of this world that weigh us down and burden us, or prevent us from running the marathon of faith in a committed way. Perhaps a good test is to ask—when you hear the Lord say, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34)—what the thing is you’d lose that keeps you from doing so. That’s probably the weight that hinders you from running the race of faith; and that must be laid aside.

The writer also urges us to lay aside “the sin which so easily ensnares us”. I could try to tell you what that sin is; but it would be different for me than it would be for you. Our enemy, the devil, knows exactly which thing is most suited to trip-up each individual believer. For one of us, it may be lust. For another, it may be greed. For yet another, it may be resentment. For another still, it may be pride. But whatever it is, you know it by the fact that it keeps tripping you up over and over. We’re to lay that sin aside which so easily ensnares us.

So; we’re not only to look backward, at the great cloud of witnesses that has run before us; but we’re also to look downward, to be sure than nothing hinders our own run in the race.

* * * * * * * * * * *

And there’s one more ‘focus-point’ to look to. We’re to . . .

3. LOOK UPWARD—TO THE ONE FOR WHOM WE RUN.

We’re told to run with endurance the race that is set before us, “looking unto Jesus”. This is the most important ‘focus-point’ of all.

The writer of Hebrews urges us to look to Jesus because He’s the “author” of our faith. The race of faith we run is all about Him. He begun this great race of faith for us. He inspires us in it as we run it. And He Himself is the prize we win. It all starts with Him.

And it also ends in Him. We’re to look to Him because He’s the “finisher” or “perfecter” of our faith. If we run and win the race of faith, the glory doesn’t go to us. It all goes to Him who enabled us to run by His grace. He has already run the race on our behalf; and we simply run, as Paul said, to “lay hold” of that for which Christ Jesus has also “laid hold” of us’ (Philippians 3:12).

We’re also told that He Himself is our fellow “sufferer” in the race. We’re told that there was a “joy” that was set before Him; and because of that joy, He was willing to leave the glories of heaven, take full humanity to Himself, and endure the dreadful death of the cross—”despising the shame” that the cross brought upon Him. The joy that was set before Him is a joy that involves us; because it was the work of our salvation—delivering us out of our sin, and bringing us into the full share of His own inheritance forever—that moved Him to go to the cross. And what’s more, it was the joy of the glory of His Father that would result from our salvation. And so, we should keep our eyes on Him because He knows what it means to “endure” this marathon of faith for the “joy” that comes at the end.

And we should also keep our eyes on Him because He is the glorious “winner” of the race. His race for us being completed, He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God, having “by Himself purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3).

* * * * * * * * * *

There was a time in the apostle Paul’s life when he said he was finished running the race. It was when he was in prison—just shortly before being executed for his faith in the Lord Jesus.

Just before he laid down his life for the Lord, Paul was able to say,

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

And dear brothers and sisters in Christ; when we reach the finish-line, nothing of this earth will be as dear to us as knowing that we had run the race God set before us with such endurance that we can say those words at the end.

If we make it our habit of life now to regularly look backward to to that great cloud of witnesses who cheers us on, downward in order to get rid of those things that may hinder us, and upward to keep our eyes fixed One who has called us to Himself, we will “run with endurance the race that is set before us”.

And at the end, may we be able to say—as Paul did—”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

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¹ My strongest reasons for holding to Paul’s authorship are: (1) the writer, like Paul, was obviously in some condition of custody for the faith (Hebrews 13:19) and possibly in chains of imprisonment (suggested by 11:36); (2) the writer was in close partnership with Timothy (13:23; see also 2 Timothy 1:8); (3) the writer used Paul’s characteristic closure (13:25; see also 2 Thessalonians 3:17-28 along with all Paul’s letters); and (4) this book to Jewish Christians who were suffering for the faith sounds very much like the sort of letter the apostle Peter—who also wrote to persecuted Jewish Christians—says that Paul had already written to them (see 2 Peter 3:15-16).