The Choices of a Champion
Hebrews 12:1-2
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Pastor Brian Matherlee
Christian victories don’t come by chance; they come by grace through faith. And each one of us must choose through faith again and again.
All kinds of voices tell us to give up, back off, or take it easy. They can be voices of others who question if God exists because of evil in the world or lack of change among those who claim to follow Christ. They can be voices within our own spirit that lead to discouragement and doubt.
The Olympics draw to a close today. The United States has won more medals than ever before. Our countries’ athletes have tied the number of gold medals won in Athens 4 years ago. Michael Phelps achieved goals no one thought could be achieved. It was by dedication to practice and pressing on during performance that placed him and every other winning athlete in position to receive the prize. Athletic performance demonstrates vividly the importance of dedicated choices towards excellence in the face of trial, discouragement, pain, distraction, and so on. It’s a good picture of our lives.
Day by day all kinds of voices tell us to give up, back off, or take it easy. They can be voices of others who question if God exists because of evil in the world or lack of change among those who claim to follow Christ. They can be voices within our own spirit that lead to discouragement and doubt. Wondering if it’s worth it? Wondering when things will turn around.
Do you know the Bible tells us about a group of people that were facing just this kind of challenge? The voices around them were telling them following Jesus was useless. Their new found faith was being called into question and when anything bad or tough happened they were being encouraged to dump it all and come back to the religion they had let go.
The writer of Hebrews tells them, “Don’t ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ.” Here these words from Hebrews 12:1-2 in the New Living Translation:
“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 hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.”
Are you familiar with the ups and downs of following Christ? This passage gives us five choices to make that will help us take on more of Christ. This is the life we want, isn’t it? Maybe recently you’ve been hearing voices tell you to throw in the towel. I want you to hear the voice of the Lord today telling you why you’ll be glad you didn’t give up and trusted Him!
The first thing God wants us to picture is a giant stadium filled with God’s people who have gone before us. This past Friday I witnessed one of the most inspiring services…it was the funeral of Rev. Hoover Smith. Today, Hoover is in this huge crowd of witnesses. He was my friend. He dedicated our daughter Ashley. I know He’s pulling for me. Therefore…
1. I choose to find strength from those who have gone before.
“Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith…let us run…the race God has set before us.”
• This is the clearest picture in Scripture that tells us of the cheering section of former saints. Whether it is because they have given us a Godly example or because they can literally see our activity we know that this can spur us on.
• Is there any question that there is a home field advantage in sport? Countries that host the Olympics win more medals than they usually do. Teams in professional sport expect to win most of their home games and hope to split on the road.
• Kids look up in the stands or out in the audience for that familiar face that will spur them on.
• There is strength in having witnesses pulling for us.
• In Hebrews 11 there is a roll call of inspiration. Look at these or consider: what person of faith and godliness can strengthen my walk? Find someone to look up to and emulate. Find someone who’ll cheer you on. But also find someone to encourage, to cheer on in their walk of faith.
2. I choose to put off that which trips me up.
a. Let go of the unnecessary
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down”
• This is distraction.
• These aren’t necessarily bad things. They’re just pressing out God things.
• Many good things have to be left alone for the best things.
• Years ago in London a marathon was run. Lloyd Scott was the last person to finish. Why is this of any note? Because it took him 5 days, 8 hours and 29 minutes and 46 seconds. I think I could take him. But the time wasn’t really the noteworthy issue. It was the fact that Lloyd ran in a deep sea diver’s suit with a full metal helmet.
• How many of us are weighed down unnecessarily? How many of us weigh our kids down unnecessarily with what we want them to be involved in. Don’t encumber yourself so much that you can’t hear God or when you do, you can’t say yes. Don’t press your kids to succeed in good pursuits that you ignore their need of the best pursuit—Jesus Christ.
b. Let go of the ungodly
“…Especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.”
• Sin is deceptive.
• We think the things we do won’t matter that much. That’s what the devil wants us think!
• Sin easily hinders our progress. How?
o Breaks fellowship with God
o Deadens our spiritual sensitivity
o Develops an acquired taste for the wrong things. I have never understood people’s explanation of “acquired taste”. If it tastes so bad that you have to acquire a taste for it then what does that say about you? I always thought, if it smells that bad, why put it in your mouth?
o If we’ll choose to let go of things unnecessary and ungodly we will find we aren’t helping the devil do his work.
o There will always be obstacles but why put extra hurdles on a course?
3. I choose to endure until I cross the finish line.
“Let us run with endurance”
1 Corinthians 15:58, “With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” (The Message)
• Jack Butler passed along a story about a soldier who died in one our past wars. For years he had been proclaimed a hero for what he did on the battlefield before he died in battle. It was thought he was killed in an overwhelming attack by the enemy. But the truth was, he was killed by friendly fire. His own comrades ended his life. At first, it almost seems like the heroic vanishes until you understand what heroic should really be. I thought of this young man’s story and I came to the conclusion that his life illustrates so vividly, “It’s better to have a heroic life, than die a heroic death.”
• Endurance—it’s pressing through the pain.
• To many young Christians expect endurance to come quickly and easily.
• We bought a trampoline this summer for the girls. I love it too. The first time I got on that thing I thought I would have a heart attack. I’ve been using my legs for 40 years…but they were on fire 2 minutes in! In just a few weeks I built up my endurance and could jump a half hour. I went to the beach and missed ten days or so playing with the girls on the trampoline. We got back and I jumped on it for 5 minutes and collapsed! It doesn’t take long to get out of shape.
• It doesn’t take long spiritually either. When we don’t continue to endure, we find ourselves weakened.
• So the writer of Hebrews gives us two final choices to make so that we can endure…
4. I choose to focus on the goal.
“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”
• It is easy to be distracted.
• What is your goal as a Christian?
• Many might say heaven. Yes, that is a goal. But we are given a goal most people don’t immediately think of from Scripture.
• Romans 8:29, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
• Our ultimate goal is to look like Jesus.
• Three tips to sharpen your focus:
o Review your life daily
o Don’t shy away from accountability
o Seek God in His Word & in prayer
5. I choose to endure suffering for joy.
“He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.”
“Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever.” (The Message)
• John McCain has a powerful story from his days as a POW. He was given the choice, because of his father’s status, to leave earlier than others who had been there years longer. He made the agonizing choice to remain.
• He focused on something other than his personal pain in order that a greater good would be accomplished.
For every believer there comes a time when we must put out of our mind the pressures of life to quit, the inner anguish when hearts are breaking, the pain of temptation and say, “I will press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
What choice do you need to make today?
