Group Service Binham 19-08-01
Hang on in there when the going gets tough
Story: In spring of 1867, a young American shoe salesman came to Bristol and one day was invited to a prayer meeting in a private home.
During the meeting, the minister, Henry Varley stood up and spoke. He said one memorable thing in that prayer meeting:
“The world has yet to see what God can do with one man wholly committed to him.”
The young American walked out of that prayer meeting an hour later – with these words etched on his mind. They gave him no peace and he resolved to be such a man.
No one remembers Henry Varley – but that young American was D.L.Moody - who went on to become the “Billy Graham” of the 19th Century.
Thousands came to Christ through his ministry his day.
The world has not seen what God can do with a man totally committed to him.
I would like to speak this morning on our epistle reading - Hebrews 12:1-2, which encourages us in a total commitment to Christ:
Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin that so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the Cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so you will not grow weary and lose heart…Hebrews 12:1-3
The writer to the Hebrews – like Paul in 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 9:24-27) - uses the metaphor of a long race like a marathon to describe the Christian life.
Being a Christian is not just a short sprint – on Sunday. It can feel like a long haul.
And the message of this morning epistle reading is: Hang on in there - when the going in your Christian life - gets tough.
I am told that a marathon has three focal points.
1. The start
2. The second wind, when the runner feels like giving up and
3. The finish
1. The first focal point in the race is the start
Those of us who have already decided to follow Jesus Christ have already crossed the start line.
We will be in the race until we die and go to be with the Lord, unless we decide to opt out.
Having started the race, the writer of the book of Hebrews encourages us to fix our eye on Jesus so that we will reach the finishing line. He warns us not to get distracted. We need to finish.
Story: Edison’s light bulb
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light bulb said he had to experiment 10,000 times before he succeeded. "These were not failures," he insisted. "I just discovered 9,999 different ways that the bulb didn’t work. "
If he had given up after the 9,999th time the light bulb had not worked, he would not have invented the light bulb.
The writer to the Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every encumbrance and sin that entangles us so we can run the race that is set before us.”
What are the things that can side track us from following Christ?
1. One such encumbrance might be family ties:
In Matt 8:22 Jesus called a man to follow him and the man said: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father”. However Jesus replied, “Follow me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus is not saying that to follow him means giving up care for the family. However, Jesus saw through the man’s excuse not to follow Christ immediately.
As Michael Green puts it, in essence he is saying: “Wait Jesus until my father is dead and buried.” Jesus was challenging the excuse. Hard words. But Christ is looking for single-mindedness
His encumbrance to following Christ was his ties to his family.
2. Another encumbrance might be the love of money
In Luke 18:23 a Jewish ruler asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he should sell all his possessions and give them to the poor and follow Christ. We read that the man turned away sorrowfully from Christ. There is nothing wrong with wealth – but we need to hold our wealth loosely in our hands.
As one Bible Commentator put it: “The affluent are always tempted to rely on things earthly than cast themselves on the mercy of God.” That was Jesus’ challenge to the man.
2. The second focal pouint in the race is the second wind
In a marathon, there is a stage when the pain will set in - things get difficult - it is easy to chuck it all in.
However, an experienced runner will know that if he keeps going, he will get his second wind.
He has however to dig deep down and hang on in there.
In the previous chapter, Hebrews 11, the writer reminds his readers of the great people of faith in our Old Testament, who have persevered to the end.
And he begins Chapter 12 by saying THEREFORE let us run with endurance the race set before us.
In other words, let these folk be an encouragement when we feel like quitting! If they held on, so can you!!
If the marathon runner is experienced, he knows the second wind will come.
He just has to go through the pain barrier until it does.
He will recall that the second wind came in his training runs and in previous races. His experience will give him faith for the future.
So it is in our Christian lives.
Abraham Lincoln was probably the greatest US President ever, yet his list of failures is embarrassing:
YEAR FAILURES or SETBACKS
1832 Lost job and was defeated for state legislature
1833 Failed in business
1835 Sweetheart died
1836 Had nervous breakdown
1838 Defeated for Illinois House Speaker
1843 Defeated for nomination for Congress
1846 Elected to Congress but lost renomination in 1848
1849 Rejected for land officer for Illinois
1854 Defeated for U.S. Senate
1856 Defeated for nomination for Vice President
1858 Again defeated for U.S. Senate
But in 1860 Elected President.
I’d have given up long ago but Lincoln persevered. He had a vision of what he wanted to do – and the setbacks that he had did not deflect him from his goal.
Was he a failure – no his success in being elected president overshadowed all his failure! He got there in the end.
We need to persevere in our faith, when we feel like giving up. When we reach the final goal all our failures along the way will be forgotten.
There is not a Christian who has not had reverses in his life. Times where things have gone wrong and he or she feels like giving up!
We can be inspired by those who have gone before us – not to give up. That’s why I like reading Christian biographies.
Books like Demos Shakharian’s “Happiest People on Earth” or Bishop J.C. Ryle’s “Christian Leaders of the 18th Century.”
They encourage me to keep going, when I want to give up.
3. The third focal point in the race is the finishing line
There is only one route that you can follow to finish a marathon without being disqualified.
And in today’s post Christian culture, choosing to lead the Christian life is not easy. It runs contrary to our culture.
Jesus recognised this when he said in Mt. 7:13
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The apostle Paul, in his last recorded letter – 2 Timothy was able to say:
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, and not only to me..." 2 Tim 4:7
I hope that I will be able to say that at the end of my life.
And in closing, I would like to read to you one of my favorite poems:
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could.
To where it bent in the undergrowth,
Then I took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Has choosing the Christian life made all the difference for you?
