Races were one of the chief attractions of the ancient world. Large crowds
would come together to watch athletes display their skills in running. The New
Testament compares the Christian life to a race because many of the same
virtues that made a great runner are essential for becoming a great Christian.
Like a great runner, the Christian needs to discipline his body and his mind. He
needs to prepare and practice, and he needs to learn to endure and persevere to
the end. The Christian is running for the glory of God, and so it is important
that he run well and give a good testimony for his sponsor. We are to do all that
we do on the highest level of our capability, for we are to aim to win, and this
calls for the full dedication of our lives.
We are expected to be winners. Paul wrote in I Cor. 9:24, “Do you not know
that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a
way as to get the prize.” The word for run here, and in our text, and in 16 other
places in the New Testament is the Greek word trecho. This was the word used
to describe the greatest heroes of Greek culture, for they were the winners in
the Olympics. They were the Greeks idea of the ideal of humanity. This word is
used in the Greek Old Testament to describe the amazing run of Elijah in I
Kings 18:46 where he outran the chariot of Ahab. It was a supernatural run.
The verse says, “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his
cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” The word is
used in the Old Testament for running in warfare, and to bring good news. In
II Sam. 18:19 we read, “Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, let me run and take
the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his
enemies.”
Running played a role in the ministry of the Prophets, for they were to run
with the message of God. It was a way of saying the message was important and
urgent. Hab. 2:2 says, “Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and
make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’” God wants His word
to move fast and get to people in time. We read in Psalm 147:15, “He sends his
command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.” It is God’s will that we run
swiftly in obedience. Psalm 119:32 says, “I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.” We are all to be runners for God, and this
means prompt obedience and a sense of urgency to get His message to others.
We are not just running to win a race for self-glory, but to make a difference in
the lives of other by example, and by getting the Word of God to them.
Running takes in the whole of what it means to live a life of obedience to God.
That is why Paul used the word trecho so often. Beside the I Cor. 9:24
quoted above, he also wrote in I Cor. 9:25-27, “Everyone who competes in the
games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but
we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body
and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not
be disqualified for the prize.” In Gal. 2:2 he wrote, “I went in response to a
revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But
I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was
running or had run my race in vain.” Then in Gal. 5:7 he wrote, “You; were
running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
He uses trecho again in writing to the Philippians in 2:16, “As you hold out
the word of life-in order that I may boast on; the day of Christ that I did not
run or labor for nothing.” It is clear that Paul saw his whole ministry and life
service as a race, and his goal was to run it well and be a winner. He expected
all believers to do the same, and run the race with their eyes on Jesus. All of
his letters were designed to encourage believers in the race. He joined the host
of the faithful in Heb. 11 in cheering us on as we run. We need this
encouragement for the race is hard, and there is always the temptation to give
up and stop running.
Did Jesus need the encouragement of the crowd of witnesses? I am sure He did, for
he had human emotions, and He needed the support of examples. He knew His Bible
and how so many of the faithful of the past had to suffer greatly to be loyal to God.
These Old Testament biographies had to mean a lot to Jesus. We sometimes think that
because He was the Son of God He would not need resources to give comfort and
encouragement. But this does not fit the facts of His humanity. He needed the comfort,
not just of the angels, who had never endured the weaknesses of the flesh, but the comfort
of men and women of the flesh, who with all their weaknesses still kept faithful
to God. They never gave up, and He needed those examples to cheer Him on in the
race. If they could do it, so can I would be the normal way of thinking. Jesus was
disappointed when the disciples did not watch with him when He prayed in
Gethsemane, for He needed their support. He had the same need we all do to know we
are cared for, and someone is cheering us on.
We seldom to never think about it, but Jesus needed the encouragement of the
stories of Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and
Joseph and Moses, and the many others in Heb. 11. He knows we need them as well,
and that is why they are recorded. Jesus is our greatest example, but we all know we
cannot be just like Jesus, for He was without sin and fully obeyed God’s will all His
life. This greatest example of perfection can leave us feeling hopeless, for we cannot
live up to it, but we can live up to the level of the many heroes of the past. They
stumbled and fell and went off the track, and yet by persevering they still ran a good
race. We can do that too.
Jesus is our greatest example, but He is more than that, for He is the coach who
runs alongside as we run the race of life. When we fall or falter, He gives us
encouragement, for He forgives and picks us up and gets us back on track. As long as
we acknowledge Jesus as our coach we will never drop out of the race, for He will
never let us, but will make whatever provision it takes to keep us going.
The word race is the Greek word agona from which we get agony. This is an
important thing to take note of, for we tend to associate the word agony with defeat.
The agony of defeat is a part of our language because of a famous sports program on
television that portrayed the great blunders in sports that revealed just how painful
defeat can be. But here we have the agony of victory. In other words, it is not only
painful to fail in running the race, for even victory can be very painful. This is realism,
for even the winner may have pains that last a long time, for it giving his all to win he
pushes himself to the limit, and sometimes injures himself. Winning is not pain free,
but can be very costly in pain. There is the thrill of victory, to be sure, but we dare not
minimize the agony of victory, for it leads to the superficial view that if we are being
successful in our run for Jesus we will not suffer. This false view leads many to drop
out of the race when they experience great pain in being faithful in following the way
of Christ. To avoid disillusionment we need to see that the race is agona, and this
implies the potential of pain.
Kenneth Shaw tells of a race course he had to run. “Cross country runners race
over various surfaces and terrain. Race courses are seldom flat, smooth, or straight,
and they can be called anything but easy! I have one particular course in mind. It
featured uneven ground, large steep hills, numerous curves, roots that might cause
you to stumble, and its path was not clearly marked.” Those who want to run and be
winners without any pain are not being realistic. They are like the women in the
Boston marathon. It was written of her, “She came across the finish line to cheers and
puzzled faces. It was later found out, that this woman had taken a cab across town and
then jumped on the marathon course ahead of all the other runners and then just
trotted in the last mile or so to win the race. Of course, once this was discovered, she
was stripped of her prize and it was given to the woman who had really won, the
woman who had followed the course as it had been laid out.” That is how the first
verse here ends, “the race marked out for us.” In other words, we have a course that
has been designed just for runners who desire to be winners for the glory of God. It is
not a mystery that we have to figure out. It is not across a plain or desert, or through a
jungle. It is a path that is clearly marked out so that we know the way and the goal.
That is what the Bible is all about. It is the map we are to follow to stay on track and
reach the goal God desires for us to reach.
Knowing the way and the goal does not make the race a snap, however, for it can be
hard to stay on the track even when we know where it is. Satan puts clouds in front of
us, or mirages that tempt us to go off from the proper way. It can often be uphill and
exhausting to follow the right path. We might often be like the woman in the 1988
Olympics in Seoul, Korea. She came into the stadium limping and in great pain. She
was exhausted and the officials could see she was experiencing fatigue as she became
slower and slower. They asked her if she wanted help and she waved them off because
she did not want to jeopardize her chance to finish the race. She was in agony, but she
persevered to the end and came across the finish line on her own. The crowd roared in
cheering approval for one so determined to run with agony in order to be a winner. I
think it is safe to say that nobody can ever be a winner who does not experience some
agony in running persistently the race for the prize of God’s best in Christ.
Part of the agony of being a winner is what you have to give up just to be an
effective runner. You have to give up all that hinders you in running. This is agony
because we love some of the weights that we carry that slow us down. Those who want
to be winners do not carry extra weight anywhere to impede their progress. They wear
clothing with the least wind resistance, and some even share their heads to reduce
drag of any kind. In the ancient world they even ran naked to reduce all possible
resistance of the wind. They literally threw off everything that hindered, and that is
the goal of this text, for nothing is to be held on to that keeps us from running our
best. You do not have to be a very deep thinker to see how agonizing this is, and that is
why we seldom run with the highest efficiency. It is just too agonizing to give up all
that hinders. It is hard enough to give up just most of what hinders.
It is of interest to note how the different analogies of the Christian life are
paradoxical. When it is seen as a race it is the taking off of all that hinders, but when it
is warfare that is the analogy, then it is a matter of putting on all the armor of God.
We are to clothe ourselves with heavy equipment and take a shield to protect us from
the fiery darts of the wicked one. In warfare we are to get loaded up with garments of
protection. In running we are to take off everything we can in order to run swiftly.
You do not see naked soldier going into battle, but you do see naked runners, for
swiftness in the name of the game, and not protection.
It is easier to throw off the many sins that we know are clearly a hindrance to the
race. They are the conspicuous sins that make one clearly a part of the world scene.
We can do a fairly good job of keeping these heavy weight off, but there are so many
hidden sins that nobody can see that are much harder to cast off. The attitudes of envy
and jealousy, and the feelings of lust and greed, and a host of such invisible sin cling to
us, and we have pleasure in them because they are invisible. Nobody knows the inner
person, and so we can hide our secret sins. These hinder our race, however, and it
becomes an agony to even bother to try and rid ourselves of them. It is not like trying
to run in a snowmobile suit, which everyone could see is being a plain fool. We can cast
that burden off with no problem, but getting rid of the negative feelings we have
toward others can be so difficult that we choose to run with this burden rather than go
through the pain of dealing with them and getting rid of them.
You will notice that the text calls for us to throw off everything that hinders and the
sin that so easily entangles. It does not say to pray for God to cast them off for you. It
is a personal responsibility, and not one where we can pass the buck on to God or
anyone else. We have to do the throwing off, for we alone know all the things that
hinder us from being the best possible runner. God knows, but He is not going to do
for you what you need to do for yourself. You are the runner and it is your
responsibility to be in the best possible shape for the race. The text implies that we
have the freedom to choose to do so. We can do what the text says to do. We can throw
off all that hinders, and because we can, we will be held accountable for doing so. This
is a process that never ends, for we never know when we will pick up some burden that
is a hindrance. Someone may do something to us at any time that will lead us to
resentment or bitter anger that slows us way down in the race. There is no end to the
task of staying in shape to run swiftly in obedience to God. There is no once for all
practice and exercise that makes us fit to run for the rest of our lives. We need to be in
constant training to be in good shape.
Jesus is our role model, for He lived a human life in the midst of a sinful people
with a perfect record of running at His best every day of His life. We cannot match
His record, but His record is the one to strive for, and what this means is that even
though Jesus has done all that is necessary for our salvation, and even though He has
won the race and finished the work He came to do, we still need to run our own race.
He finished and has been seated at the right hand of God, but we have a long way to
go. The idea that because Jesus finished the work for our salvation that we now can be
at ease and do nothing is not valid. It is true that we no longer need to do works of any
kind to earn our salvation, for it is a gift, and nothing we do can add to the gift. It is
freely given by grace and all we need to do is accept the gift. But there is more to the
Christian life than salvation. There is also the matter of living a life pleasing to God in
gratitude for His free gift of eternal life in Christ. Pleasing God calls for running a
race as effectively as possible.
Chapter 11 shows that the witnesses that surround us from the past were people
who ran with diligence and showed their faith to be real by their actions. Able offered
the better sacrifice. Enoch walked with God and pleased Him. Noah built the ark.
Abraham left his homeland and was willing to sacrifice his son. Moses gave up life in a
royal palace to suffer with the people of God. Joseph built storage bins for the grain in
Egypt. Rahab let the spies stay in her home at great risk. All of the faithful people who
were heroes and heroines of the past were people who responded to God with obedient
actions to back up their faith. They ran the race by giving up something of this world
and never giving up on seeking the best of the world to come. That is what is expected
of all believers. We throw off all that hinders us by slowing us down in our pursuit of
godly goals, and we keep our eyes on Jesus who pressed on over all obstacles to
achieve the purpose of God. All that we do in perseverance is not to earn our
salvation, but to say thank you Lord for the free gift. We run and labor in gratitude,
for we want to, above all else, please our Savior who never gave up until He won the
race that made it possible for Him to give us eternal life. The point is, we are involved
in the whole process, and if we are to run well in a way that is pleasing to God, we must
make every effort to do two things: We must cast off the weight, and we must
concentrate on the winner.
I. CAST OFF THE WEIGHT
It is always a major mistake to assume that because sin can be forgiven that it is no
longer a problem in the believers life. It is always a problem, and we must be ever
aware of how it hinders our running an effective race. The primary reason why we are
not winners every day is because of the sin that entangles us and trips us up. Every day
we would make more progress in reaching goals that please God if not for the sin that
hinders us. We are so used to lugging this sinful stuff around with us that we do not
ever realize it as a hindrance. It is like putting on a few extra pounds. We do not even
notice it, and so we do nothing to reduce it, and this goes on daily until a few ounces
here and there adds up to being overweight and a hindrance to our health. The same
thing happens in the realm of the spirit. We take on a little bitterness here, a little
anger there, and a pound of lust and envy to boot, and before you know it we are
trying to run a race pleasing to God with a flabby soul made fat by consuming the
devil’s food of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These
things can be so tasty to the flesh that we consume them not even aware that they are
making us too out of shape to run with effectiveness in reaching godly goals. We are
waddling instead of running, and we are not getting any cheers from the crowd of
witnesses, and God is not impressed nor pleased.
Our consumption of worldliness makes us too tired to read the Bible and make
some effort to befriend someone to touch them for Christ. We say we want to be more
active in developing our spiritual life, but we do not have time to devote to it because
we have become obsessed with consuming the things of the world. It all seems so
innocent. It is like sneaking a candy bar after every meal. They are so small that it
cannot have any over all impact is the way we think, and do not realize that it is adding
ounces to our flesh every day. So we give our time to the reading of worldly literature
and so have no time left to study the Word of God, and this adds weight to the soul
that is hindered in running well the race for God. There are no ends to the ways that
we feed the flesh of our inner man and make it too fat to run well. Everyone has their
own diet of worldliness that hinders them from staying in good shape to run the race
pleasing to God. We often are so involved in getting more stuff that we neglect the
importance of getting rid of stuff. We all have limits and just as you cannot hold more
in your hand when it is totally full, so you cannot add good stuff to your life is it is full
of mediocre stuff. Something has to go in order to add the things that make you a
better runner.
The text does not get specific in naming the weights and hindrances because they
very with each of us. Some sins are no problem for us, but they drag others down and
sideline them in the race, or slow them to a crawl. They in turn have no problem with
the sins that hold us back. We tend to be most against the sins that we have no problem
casting off. The ones we cling to are the ones that we baby along and do not want to
treat with too much harshness. The rich young ruler let his riches keep him from
getting in the race at all. Judas let the thirty pieces of silver stop him in his tracks and
ended his race. Others were just too busy with life in getting married and in buying
and selling and taking care of their property to enter the race. Whatever it is that
impedes your progress in becoming Christlike is a weight that needs to be cast off.
Jesus is our greatest example here, for He did not fill His life with the things of the
world. He had little in the way of worldly possessions, and often had no where to lay
his head. He had no retirement plan and no place for his burial. He had to borrow
almost everything he ever needed from friends, and this was the case even for his
tomb. We know that for most of us, we cannot be like Jesus in this way, or to this
extent, but, the fact it, we can give up and cast off so much that consumes our time and
energy in order to be more Christlike in giving ourselves to prayer and the Word, and
to serving the kingdom of God our time, talent and treasure. Jesus traveled light
through His short life, and that is the challenge for all of us. The airlines now force
you to travel light and only one carry on is allowed. We need to have some stuff, but if
we are really going to take off in serving Jesus we need to cast off more of the things
that hinder and travel light.
Jesus gave up almost all of what the typical young man of Israel would expect in
life. He did it for the sake of ministering to mankind. He cast off the weight of the
worldly life in order to run with great speed in doing the Father’s will. Jesus had to
cast off the opportunity of ruling the world, which the prince of this world offered him
if he would bow down to him. Jesus gave up that role in history to become our Savior.
He took the way of pain and death rather than the easy route of painless submission to
Satan. He laid aside his power to make bread for his own personal pleasure and he laid
aside the power to win people’s affection by leaping from the temple. Jesus gave up the
power to do the very things most men would do if they had that power. He cast
everything aside that would hinder him running the race God had laid out for Him to
run. He was persistent in sticking to the race track of God’s purpose, and He was
rewarded with the greatest honor ever bestowed on a man. He was seated on the right
hand of God. Thank God for His perfect race. Let us also cast off more and more of all
that hinders us from being like Him.
II CONCENTRATE ON THE WINNER
All of those mentioned in chapter 11 were winners, for they kept running even
though they could not see the finish line, and even when they had to suffer greatly to
be faithful to God’s will and plan. Their biographies are written and preserved for us
in God’s Word so that we can have examples of people that are just like us who were
able to run effectively. Paul wrote in Rom. 15:4 “For everything that was written in
the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of
the Scriptures we might have hope.” The great cloud of witnesses includes many more
than just the more noble ones that are named, for there were many nameless faithful
runners in the past who were just like us. They were sinners just like us with their
strengths and weakness, and they had their falls and failures, but they kept running.
Their examples help us to press on in our race and never give up. This is especially the
case when we concentrate on the greatest winner of all, and the greatest runner of the
race, which is the Lord Jesus.
Someone has pointed out that our whole being is involved in running well.
Racing involves the total person.
With our minds we focus on our support.
With our hands we cast off all that hinders.
With our feet we run with perseverance.
With our eyes we focus on the guide and goal.
We sometimes think it is unrealistic to take Jesus as our example, for He was the
perfect and sinless Son of God, but the fact is, Peter, who lived with Jesus for those
three years of His active ministry, and who saw his perfect and powerful life of love
and miracles wrote to believers in I Pet. 2:21, “To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” Peter
expected Christian people to follow the steps of Jesus and be willing to suffer in order
to run the race effectively. Jesus paid the price necessary to run well, and we are
expected to do the same. He is the winner we are to emulate. We are to do more than
just admire his perfect race. We are to adjust our life so as to conform to His so that
we can run a better race. We cannot be perfect, but we can follow in His steps and be
always going in the same direction He was going. It is still success and it is still pleasing
God even if we stumble and fall and look awkward as we run, for we are always moving
in the direction that takes us closer to Christ. With our eye on the winner we are
always winning. It is only when we take our eyes off of Jesus that we fail. Peter was
walking on water and doing what no man other than Jesus has ever done before or
since, but when he took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink. The only time we are ever
sunk in life is when we cease to concentrate on the Winner and focus on the wind and
waves and any other factor that clouds our vision of the greatest runner ever.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
And not on the things of time.
For when God looks down and sees us
Looking elsewhere is a crime.
It’s a sinful use of your eyes
To take your gaze off of Him.
Keep your focus on His great prize
Don’t let its light ever dim.
He’s the greatest runner ever,
Follow His steps every day,
And a loser you’ll be never,
But a winner all the way.
