COMPLETING THE RACE!
HEBREWS 12:1-4 (1-13)
Pastor Jim Bohrer
November 30, 2008
With all the pomp and prestige that the Chinese government went to in order to put their best foot forward, there was one person who they honored who stood out. He is now in his seventies, but China brought him to Bejing as an honored guest. Why? The odd thing is that John Steven Akwhari is not famous for being a champion. In fact, he was the last place finisher of the 1968 Olympic Marathon in Mexico.
Why would China who put all of their focus on winning as many gold medals as possible focus on a 70 year old last place finisher? Because John Akwhari understood why he was in the Olympics like no one else. He represented Tanzania in the Marathon that year. Early on in the journey, John stumbled, fell and injured his knee and ankle. He was immediately out of medal contention. By 7 p.m. an Ethiopian runner won the race. John stumbled into the stadium with a bloody leg and injured ankle over an hour later which is a lifetime in an Olympic competition. Yet, thousands of fans remained in the stadium awaiting his arrival. And has he limped and hobbled, the people stood and cheered him on. Even though he was not a medal contender, he was a true competitor.
Reporters could not understand why he continued to run despite his injuries and the plain and simple fact that the he was out of the race early on. He somberly explained to reporters what they had missed about the Olympics. It was not simply about him and his achievement or failure. He represented something bigger than himself. He said, now this is translated but you get the jist: "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to begin a race; they sent me to finish the race." God teaches us to follow Him no matter what. : "Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up" (Proverbs 24:16). God teaches us in Hebrews to keep going: "Let us run with determination the race that lies before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
WHEN YOU RUN THE RACE IN CHRIST YOU CHANGE
From Careless Sin to Consistent Focus
Sin just catches you. You don’t have to do anything to get tripped up. In fact, if you just go through life without focus you will definitely get tripped up. The word for sin here is harmiteau, it means to miss the mark, to not cross the finish line. To be unfocused at the task at hand.
2139. εὐπερίστατος euperístatos; gen. euperistátou, masc.–fem., neut. euperístatos, adj. from eú (2095), well, easily, and periı̈́stēmi (n.f.), to surround, which is from perí (4012), around, and hístēmi (2476), to stand.
This is a compound word that means sin is good at getting around the feet of those who are simply standing around without a focus and run toward Jesus.
Usain Bolt took the media by storm in the 100m and the 200m sprints breaking records and winning gold. But there was a sub-story that is all but forgotten now. I would like to share it with you and comment on it as we continue in the sermon.
Before the Olympic games began there was an article written about the gold contender for the 200 meter sprint, the AMERICAN Shawn Crawford
It was entitled:
SHAWN CRAWFORD ON THE RIGHT TRACK: 200m sprint star going for the gold, again.
It recounted a silly escapade in this very talented runner’s past who had taken gold in 2004. He has a penchant for getting distracted in his quest:
In 2002, Crawford decided to sport a Phantom of the Opera mask at a meet in Milan. During the run, the mask shifted and with obstructed vision, Crawford ran out of his lane and was disqualified.
Perhaps if Shawn had read the Bible more, he would have thrown away that mask.
The Bible says that we must cast aside the weight which hinders or gets us off track.
In 2003 he raced animals for a TV stunt: Crawford appeared on the show “Man vs. Beast” where he raced a giraffe and a zebra for 100m. The giraffe – no contest, but the Zebra bested the Olympian twice.
Then there’s the runner’s continued want to run in war paint.
It is now 2008 and another Olympic Games is upon us, and Crawford confessed that he has come to a more serious and mature point in his career, and is a veteran to how the race is really run.
But if you followed the story. Shawn chased after Usain Bolt, running Bolt’s race and not his own. Although he kept up with Usain, the strain was too much and Shawn was passed up by two other runners. If it was not for the fact that those two runners disqualified themselves, by stepping over the line, Shawn would not have medaled.
Shawn has all the talent and ability, but he toyed with wearing a mask before and perhaps at Bejing he focused more on the fellow runners rather than the Finish Line. As a result he almost lost a medal.
Focus on Jesus and you will not get Caught in sin:
You know the Christian life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. And having been a Christian now 18 years, coming to the Lord as a college sophomore, I can still remember life apart from Christ, but I mostly remember my Christian life now. And the truth be told, I would rather die today than not to finish well. I think of so many who haven’t finished well.
I think of President Bill Clinton, so gifted, so talented, so brilliant . . . probably one of the smartest people in politics I’ve ever seen. He still is on the scene even though he hasn’t been president for 8 years and doesn’t hold offic . . . Sadly, he was a Southern Baptist by membership, but he didn’t have the personal character to guard his own behavior, his own testimony, and he left a terrible influence for the children, the young people of America.
And I think of baseball great Pete Rose, I have all his cards. I loved him despite his ugly mug. I just liked him as a kid; He was tough and gritty. He didn’t mind getting dirty or risking his body. He would slide head first into a base! He set records that will never be broken. He all stared in an unprecedented 5 positions. But because of a few dumb choices, he’s not in the Hall of Fame. And in fact, he is the first person to be officially banned from being presented into the Hall of Fame. There’s also Mike Tyson, there’s TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and there are men and women who started well, who were very distinctive in their early days that made a difference, which made a name for themselves and then because of the lack of character, commitment, or lack of a Christian worldview, somehow stepped off the track and were disqualified. May God never allow that in your life.
I know others who seemed to start well but when I look for them in the ministry, they have not finished well. They are off track and failed. Brothers and sisters if ones who are so talented and gifted can get off track and destroy their lives, do not think that you can just casually skate by the temptation and tanglements of the sin that destroys lives and testimonies.
I praise God that I know a number of people who have served faithfully well. Mr. Graham recently celebrated 80 years of ministry, faithful and true. I think of Dr. Davis and Diana. My friend Captain Scott Kiser in Lithuania now. Rich and Jodi Fleming in Mexico. And Mike and Sarah Liz Patterson in Burma. Not to mention the 10 thousand missionaries we support. They have not failed. But, I can tell you it takes energy and commitment. It easy to fail and make excuses. It is tough to stay on course throughout a lifetime. And we need those who have made it to cheer us on because you need to know that you can finish well.
Remember why you are here. God did not send His Son from even further than 7,000 miles so that you can continue to be defeated or down. He did not die for you so you will be tripped up by sin.
But if you are going to make it, you need to avoid these common entanglements: You need to:
Stop Comparing your situation to others.
(Gal. 6:2-5)
If you are looking to feel bad for yourself, you will always find someone who seems to be doing better than you. Or someone you feel like is getting treated better than you.
If you are looking to feel good about yourself or excuse yourself from following God, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing worse than you are doing. Or someone who makes you say, I am not doing as bad as them!
Let me warn you that once you start comparing and either complaining or congratulating yourself, you ARE OFF TRACK and SINNING!
Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.
Stop Complaining about what you don’t have and start Cheering for others! (1 Thes. 5:11) 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Stop Confusing your ability with God’s Capability. (Eccl 9:11)
Ecclesiastes 9:11 11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. I HAVE SEEN STRENGTH become feebleness; Beauty fades; Fortunes Fail and favor lost. The one thing that never loses value is CHARACTER. The character that continues to do what is right no matter what the Challenges. The Character that builds others up and Continues over the Mountains that swallow up others in this life. When you realize who you are in Christ, you move from:
From Competing with others to Completing the race of life as a TEAM.
TEAM HOYT VIDEO. Dick and Rick Hoyt compete in Iron man competitions as father and son. But the son could never do it alone and the father would never have attempted it without his son’s encouragement. They need each other to finish the race.
We can go farther and faster together as a Team and we can complete any Task when We have Jesus as our COACH!
