Sermon

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August 29, 2004
13th Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 12:1-13
Pastor Robert Raasch

Christian, Run to Finish the Race

1. Throw off whatever hinders you
2. Fix your eyes on Jesus

Have you been watching the Olympics the past couple of weeks? It's kind of exciting watching the world's greatest athletes competing in all those events, isn't it? I've had a chance to watch a few of the events. And you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that those athletes can make some very hard activities look easy. I find myself thinking, "Well, I could have done that." I find myself kind of fantasizing about being there in the pool swimming laps or out on the sand spiking that volleyball. "Man, it would be neat to be in those events!" But you know, for all the events that I'd love to be in, for all the events about which I would say, "Wouldn't that be neat!" there is there is one event that I would never fantasize about. "Please don't ever make me do that!" Do you know which event I'm referring to? I'm talking about running the marathon. Can you imagine running 26 miles, all in one race? Now, maybe there are probably some runners here who would say, "You bet! I'd love it! It's invigorating running all those miles." But for the rest of use I have to say, "No way, Please don't make me do that!'' All those grueling miles, one after another. I expect that for the great majority of us, the marathon is the one event that we would not want to be in.

Well, I have to be the bearer of bad news, but the fact is, you and I are in a race of sorts. And wouldn't you know it, it's a marathon. In our text for today the writer to the Hebrews draws a parallel between the life of a Christian and a long distance race. The writer says, "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." There's an interesting word, isn't it? Run with perseverance. Notice that it's not run with quickness or run with speed. It's run with perseverance. The connotation there is that this will not be a sprint. It's not a 100 meter dash. No, it's going to be a long, grueling race. It's going to require perseverance, that is, patient endurance. It's going to require us to hang in there, when we feel like quitting. In fact, isn't the same thing true in our Christian lives? You might say that you and I are running a race that Jesus has already won for you. The prize of heaven is ours because of Jesus' perfect life in our place. That eternal pleasure is waiting for us at the finish line. The only way we won't receive that prize is if we don't finish the race. And that, my friends, is a very real danger. Each one of us faces the very real threat of being disqualified from the race, or stumbling and falling out of the race. Or simply quitting the race, because it's too hard or too long.

But that's exactly why the writer to the Hebrews offers the encouragement he does here in our text. The writer realizes that the goal of the Christian is not to win the race. Jesus has already won the race. No, the goal of a Christian is to simply finish the race. In fact, you might say that's the theme of this section of Hebrews, chapter 12, namely:

Christian, Run to Finish the Race

And just like the sports analysts on T.V. who sometimes put on the screed the "keys to success" for a particular event, so also her the author lists two keys to success. He says:

1. Throw off whatever hinders you
2. Fix your eyes on Jesus

Now, as is true with so many sections of scripture, it's important to understand the context of these words. In this chapter the writer is directing a message to believers. Specifically he's writing to Jewish Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. In the chapter immediately previous to this, the author makes a whole list of people who lived by faith in a Redeemer-God. He lists Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Rahab and many others. And he speaks about how all these people put their trust in God, even in the face of horrific persecution. He says of those early believers, "Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. {37} They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated." (Heb 11:36-37) Then after lining up all these people who had lived and died by faith, the inspired writer draws this conclusion for his readers then and now. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses…" In other words, since we have all these witnesses-the Greek word there is martyrs-Since we have all these people who have died testifying to their faith in God, since there have been so many others who have run the race with perseverance…. "Therefore let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." There's the encouragement: Christian, run with perseverance!

But now, before we consider the two keys to running this race, I want you to notice one more phrase. The author says, "Let us run the race marked out for us." I think you realize that a person running a marathon can't run wherever he wants. He can't say, "Hey, here's a shortcut. I'm going to take that." In fact, every once in awhile you see that happen in a marathon. Someone catches a ride in a car, or somebody enters the race in the last mile and crosses the finish line before everyone else. What happens to that person? He's disqualified. He didn't follow the course marked out for him.

So it is with you and me as Christians. God has marked out the course for our lives. He knows exactly how long the course will be. He knows where the hills are-and how many there will be. God knows that we will face trials and tribulations throughout our lives. Some of them we bring on ourselves, others are simply a part of living in a sinful world. The point is: God knows. He's marked out the course. Our goal is not to find the easiest path to take. But rather, run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

But now, how shall we run to finish the race? First: I. Throw off what hinders. The author writes, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…" To fully appreciate these words we need to go back in time a bit. Do you remember what kind of clothing the people back in Jesus' day wore? That' right, long flowing robes that would reach down to their ankles. Can you imagine trying to run a race wearing one of those things? Well, neither could the ancient Olympians. They didn't want to be tripped up or hindered by all that material around them. So what did they do? They threw it off. Before they ran a race, they took off all their clothes. They didn't want anything to hinder their progress, slow them down or trip them up.

Isn't the same thing true of the spiritual race we're involved in? God says, "Throw off whatever hinders you, throw whatever slows you down, or keeps you from finishing the race. In fact, God gets even a little more specific than that. He says, "Throw off the sin that so easily entangles." Boy isn't that a vivid picture? There is nothing that Satan wants more than to have us get all tangled up in sin. And it happens, doesn't it? Maybe you couldn't bear to tell the truth about where you were, or what you did or how much you spent. And that leads to telling another lie and another lie, until finally you're hopelessly entangled in a web of lies.

Or maybe it's the appeal of human reason that trips you up. You begin thinking, "Well, it doesn't make sense that a loving God would send people to hell just because they didn't believe in Jesus. And in fact is not reasonable to believe that everything the Bible says is true. I just can't buy it. What's happened? A person has been tripped up, by their own sinful reason.

Take a look at your life as a Christian and you'll see all kinds of things that have the potential to trip you up and knock you out of the race forever. And many of them seem so innocent: a tendency to complain about your lot in life or maybe worry too much. A soft spot for drunkenness or "adult" entertainment, a habit of having other things to do when the church gathers for worship and spiritual nourishment.

Each of these sins can knock you out of the race just as fast as murder or adultery can. Each one of them can trip you up and disqualify you for the prize. That's why the writer says, "Throw them off!" Remember he's speaking to you as a Christian and saying, "Jesus Christ has set you free from those sins. You don't have to run with them. So don't even try. Instead get away from them. Figure out what it is that is tripping you up in your spiritual life. What is it that's keeping you from moving forward in your relationship to God-and then thrown it off. I'm not going there. Tell yourself, "I'm not going there. I'm not doing that. I'm not going to be tangled in that attitude or that behavior or that lifestyle anymore. I'm running to finish this race. That's what the writer to the Hebrews means when he says, "Christians, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

But now let's realize that that exhortation is easier made than accomplished. It's one thing to say throw off the sin that entangles and it's another to do it, especially when we feel like our faith is being tested and we're not as strong as we need to be. But that's why our writer offers a second key to success in this spiritual marathon we are engaged in. He says that we need to II. Fix our eyes on Jesus. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith." In other words, if we want to be successful in this race we're running, our focus cannot be on ourselves. We can't be thinking, "This is what I have to do. This is what I've accomplished." Rather, we need to focus on what Jesus has done-what he has accomplished. Think about it. Jesus has taken people who were hopelessly tangled in sin. People like you and me who were so shackled by our sinful nature that we couldn't move one inch closer to God. And what did Jesus do? He spilled his blood on a cross and when he gave his life as a sacrifice for your sin and mine, it was not just the curtain of the temple that was split in two. So were your chains and mine! Jesus is the one who has unlocked your chains. He's the one who has thrown off your sins. Jesus is the one who has set you free. Jesus is the one who says, "Now dear friend, now you can run. Remember what Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed? "Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven. Get up take your mat and go home." Or Jesus' words to the woman caught in adultery. "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11). They may have walked home physically, but they ran home spiritually. They were free-free from sin's guilt. Free from sin's power. And now, in Jesus, so are you!

That's why our text says, "Fix your eyes on Jesus!" Look at what he's done for you. Not only has he given you the freedom to live for him. He's given you the reason to believe in him. That's why the writer calls Jesus "the author of our faith." In other words, he's the source of our faith. He's not only who we believe, he's why we believe." But he's not only the author of our faith, he's also the perfector of our faith. The Greek word there brings out the idea of completing something, bringing it to the desired end.

The point is: our God is not only a God who creates faith. He also perfects it, that is, he strengthens it. And one of the ways he strengthens faith is by allowing trials and tribulations into our lives. Situations that wear us down, leave us feeling like we can't make it. When we face those situations, we need to again fix our eyes on Jesus. Not only for the motivation he gives us. But for the example he sets for us. Look at how the writer puts it: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Now, what was it that allowed Jesus to persevere in the face of such opposition? How could he keep moving forward when things seemed so bad? Two things: First, he trusted his Father's plan. He knew that all that he was enduring would ultimately serve a good and eternal purpose-in this case the salvation of all mankind. But not only did Jesus trust his Father's plan, he also trusted his Father's love. Jesus heard the words of his Father from heaven, "This is my Son whom I love." Jesus knew that the trials and tribulations in life are not evidence that God did not love him. No, rather the Bible says, "God disciplines those he loves."

My friends, you realize, don't you, that you can have the very same confidence that Jesus had as you face the rough spots in your life. First, you can trust that while God never promised that you would never suffer in life, he does promise that the suffering you do go through would serve a good and eternal purpose. Verse 11 says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Secondly, you can know that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how much you hurt, still you can be sure that your Father's love in Christ cannot be taken away from you. And there's your proof. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Pet 3:18). Is it any wonder that God encourages you to fix your eyes on Jesus?

My friends, at the moment of your baptism, God fired the starting gun on a race that he intended to last your whole life. In Christ, God has given you the freedom to throw off the sin that hinders you. In Christ, God has given you the model of how to patiently endure the loving discipline God allows into your life. So with your eyes fixed on Jesus, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, and let us run until God calls us to our heavenly home, for Jesus' sake. Amen.