Intro: The New Testament often describes the Christian life as a race to be run or a fight to be fought. These metaphors stem from the literal reality of the athletic events that were conducted in ancient arenas.
Physical training was an important part of Greek education and centered in the gymnasium .... Foot races were held in the stadium (Gk. stadion a distance of about two hundred yards). Several of these stadia still survive with their starting and finish lines (cf. the mark or goal in Phil. 3:14). The Greek stadia accommodated spectators on the grassy slopes on each side
of the flat running surfaces.
The major sports were running boxing the pankration (an all-out combination of boxing, wrestling, and kicking in which no holds were barred except for biting and gouging), and the pentathlon (which included running, long-jumping, throwing the discus, and throwing the javelin, and wrestling).
Imagine for a moment, running a race. Strapping on your running shoes and heading off. Now imagine someone throwing stuff our in front of you; chairs, barrels, hurdles, obstacles of every nature. That would be a hard race to run, wouldn’t it?
Becoming a Christian means we enter an arena where there is
pain, heartache, sickness, sorrow, pressure, hardship, and even death. It is there that we run against formidable competition. It is there that we are tested as to who we are, the stuff were made of, the heart and soul of our very being.
If we are to be victorious in the arena of real life we need endurance and encouragement. That is why we have the roster of Hebrews 11 that we have looked at in past weeks. There, listing for us are those who ran the race with endurance and cleared the high hurdles placed in their paths.
I. As Christians We Are Always On Display.
A. We have the example of those saints of faith who have gone before us. (12:1a)
1. As we come to chapter 12 we see these same spiritual athletes of chapter 11 ushered off the track of time and up into the grandstands.
a) They are, figuratively speaking, now cheering for us!
b) They cheer you and me on with their encouraging testimonies of faith in the midst of conflict and trials on this race through life.
c) We, in essence are now on the track and they are all around us cheering as we take up the baton and carry on the Olympic tradition of enduring faith.
2. The Christian life is not a game of hopscotch.
a) It is a hard-fought, tough-minded race.
b) The word translated race is from the Greek term agona, from which we get the word agony.
3. The writer is picturing athletes in an agonizing footrace running for the finish line for all they are worth.
ILL. I know there are some people who like to run. For me, running or jogging is some cruel punishment invented by those who manufacture jogging shoes. For me, running is agony. And that is the picture we are given here of the task of living by faith that the author gives us.
B. We must understand that our race of faith will have an impact on those who follow us.
1. We are only fooling ourselves if we think that others around us are not watching us run this race of faith.
a) People are constantly observing us to see how we respond to conflict, how we reply to confrontation,
b) How we answer back to someone’s pointed barb-shaped tongue as they lash out at us.
c) They are checking out how we run the race of faith when sickness, disease and even death is on the track ahead of us.
2. Some of those watching are cheering us on and hoping for us to do well.
a) These are our brothers and sisters who have been rooting for us all along and want to see us run the race of faith well!
b) They are perhaps our spiritual mothers or fathers that introduced us to this race in the first place.
3. Perhaps there are some who are watching but they are hoping we will trip or fall.
a) Then they can smugly say, “See, I knew she couldn’t run the race!”
b) They are those who for whatever reasons don’t believe you are running the race and are just a poser, pretending to be running but your nothing but a hypocrite.
4. Then there may be those who don’t know what to make of your running this race called faith.
a) But they are watching! Fascinated by seeing the things you are doing and the way you respond to the hurdles that life throws in front of you.
b) They have never seen anything like it before.
c) But they are intrigued and even contemplating lacing up some running shoes of their own and entering the race by Faith.
d) All because of what they have seen in you!
5. I love what the Apostle Paul said about this concept in Rom 1:8, Listen…”First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.”
6. And when it comes to being a godly man or woman, the words in 1 Tim. 3:7 speak volumes. “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”
Trans: All believers have been placed in life’s arena to participate in the race of faith. In verses lb-3 the writer coaches us on how to get ready for the race and how to stay on track.
II. How Do We Get Ready For The Race And Stay On Track. (vv. 1b-3)
A. Preparation for the race. (v. 1b)
1. As we limber up before taking our places at the starting blocks, the writer of Hebrews advises us: (Read 1b)
2. The first thing the writer tells us to throw off anything and everything that might weigh us down and keep us from running well.
a) Anything that hinders is any excess weight.
b) The Greek term from which we get this word literally means mass or bulk.
3. For a runner, this might be a bulky set of sweatpants.
4. For a Christian, it’s anything that slows the pace in the progress of our faith.
a) Whether an indifferent attitude, a lack of mental discipline,
b) Procrastination, impatience, pride or a motley wardrobe of other things that should be boxed up and thrown away.
c) All the things that might cause us to be a bit slower, it needs to go!
ILL. I remember as a small child watching the Summer Olympics and seeing the swimmers racing in the pool. I was fascinated to hear that they would shave all the hair off their bodies to reduce drag and resistance that might slow them by even a single second. Nothing was considered of no significance if it was going to possibly slow them down. That is true for us as well, as we run the race called faith.
5. The second bit of advice is to shed the sin which so easily entangles us.
a) What is this sin?
b) The context of Hebrews 10,11, and 12 suggests that this is the sin of unbelief.
c) After all, that is what the author has been addressing through these chapters.
d) This particular sin of unbelief affects us like a cramp in the leg, causing us to break our stride or hobble off the track altogether.
B. We need to run the race of faith with perseverance.
1. The writer goes on to tell us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2. The term perseverance means “to abide under” or “to wait with patience” (also used in 10:36).
a) One scholar named William Barclay comments on the word as follows:
b) The word is “hupomone which does not mean the patience which sits down and accepts things but the patience which masters them. It is not some romantic thing which lends us wings to fly over the difficulties and the hard places. It is a determination, unhurrying and yet undelaying which goes steadily on and refuses to be deflected. Obstacles do not daunt it and discouragements do not take its hope away. It is the steadfast perseverance which carries on until in the end it gets there.
3. This means that this race is not a sprint but a marathon!
a) This race is cross country and not some sissy track somewhere running around in circles.
b) This race is agony in capital letters and will require everything that is within us.
C. We must run the race with our head up and our eyes fixed on Jesus. (v.2)
1. In verse two the writer examines our stride and instructs us to keep our head up, while…
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus. The author and perfector 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.”
a) The first word in this verse is from the verb “aphorao”.
b) It means; “To look away from all else and fix one’s gaze upon.’’
c) One Greek scholar, A Dr. Westcott comments on this present participle suggesting that it means attention focused “not only at the first moment, but constantly during the whole struggle.
2. And who is the one upon which we are to have this intense, continual focus: Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, the one who both started and finished the race.
a) As runners, our eyes must be trained on Him.
3. We shouldn’t turn our heads back to see where the other runners are.
a) Where we think or say things like, “Whoa, I’m way ahead of her, or him!”
b) And as we pass by some that are running in what looks like winter clothes with layer upon layer of baggy clothing, weighing them down we don’t cluck our tongue and shake our head and look down our nose.
4. We also shouldn’t get distracted by the things on the sidelines.
a) Where we find ourselves off the track and chasing after something that is not of God.
b) Where the allure of power or prestige or pleasure pull us away and we find ourselves running, but after the wrong things, the wrong prize.
5. We should instead look to Him, the Lord Jesus, because He ran the race with endurance and triumphed.
a) He endured the Cross, suffered the shame, but at the last crossed the finish line to sit down at the right hand of God the Father.
6. And what kind of person is this Jesus to whom we are to run?
a) An experienced runner Himself.
b) A runner with perfect form.
c) But most of all, one who is compassionate and sympathetic to our stumbling. (Heb. 4:15)
D. We are to have a right attitude that helps us hang tough. (v. 3)
1. A positive mental attitude is important if a runner is to hang tough and fight off the fatigue and frustration of the race.
2. Such an attitude is encouraged here in verse 3.
a) Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
3. Consider means “to reckon, compare, weigh, think over.”
a) The crucial point here is that we are to so fix our eyes on Jesus that our minds block out any distractions.
b) As we meditate on the grueling race He ran, with all the catcalls from the carping crowd, we can’t help but get a burst of adrenaline for the faltering legs of our faith.
Trans: Faith is not some warm flush of feeling that comes over us when our favorite hymns are piped through the church organ. Faith is a mind-set, a determined plan to finish the race God has set before us. Irregardless of our handicaps or impairments, the condition of the track, the obstacles in our path, or how inclement the weather is on any given day of the race.
Here are a couple of applications to keep us on the inside track to pleasing God.
III. Applications That Help Us Finish The Race That God Has Set Before Us.
A. Claim the grace to persevere. (Is. 40:29-31)
1. When the wind is in your face, when your legs wobble beneath you, when the crowd boos your efforts, call to God for the grace of a second wind.
a) Those who have run in any sport know the welcome feeling that comes when we get what is called, “The second wind.”
b) That ability of our physical bodies, when they are about to crash and crumble, to find an energy reserve, an extra current of strength and power to continue on.
2. I believe we see that in the spiritual realm wonderfully put in Is. 40:29-31;
a) He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will walk and not become weary.
3. Repeatedly we are encouraged to claim the grace to persevere in this race of faith.
a) “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.” 1 Cor. 9:24
b) That implies an intentional effort where we run so as to be victorious!
c) To hear those words, “Well done…or maybe, Well run, good and faithful servant!
4. That was Paul’s greatest desire and we see this as true when we read; “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim. 4:7
5. The truth is, people and life circumstances will try to deter us but we need that fresh breath of grace.
a) In Gal. 5:7 Paul wrote: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
b) We must be careful to run with perseverance and not allow others to cut us off!
6. Let me encourage all of us, Just when we think we can’t move another inch, God will blow a gentle breath to give us a second wind.
a) That breath may come through a detour past a gurgling brook.
b) Or an afternoon’s rest in a friend’s backyard hammock.
c) Or a quiet evening with the Lord in His Word.
d) We need to look and see what best rejuvenates us and then incorporate those things into our life so as to gain that second wind of grace to carry on.
B. Remember that you and I are never alone. (Matt. 28:20b; Heb. 10:25)
1. Nothing will dampen your spirits and cut your stride like the feeling that you’re all alone and that nobody has ever run this race before.
2. Our strength is renewed when we realize that we’re not alone--that the way has been trodden by the feet of generations of faithful believers.
3. One author put it this way,
a) I thank Thee that this Christian way whereon I walk is no untried, uncharted road, but a road beaten hard by the footsteps of saints apostles prophets and martyrs.
b) And, most importantly, it has been trodden by the Lord Jesus Himself, the author and perfecter of faith.
4. Of course Jesus is with us always!
a) We know that He said He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.
b) But he has also provided some tangible encouragement in the form of others who have shared your experiences.
5. In an earlier passage here in Hebrews 10:25 we find that we can not only know that we are not alone, but that even our effort to run the race is also an encouragement to others.
Conclusion: When it comes to this race of faith, are you breezing along with the wind to your back, or are you limping toward the sidelines with a charley-horse in your leg and a cramp in your side?
Let me encourage you today, if you feel more like giving up than pressing on, don’t lose hope. With every painful step, your muscles of faith are becoming lean and strong, and with every wheezing breath, you are drawing closer to the finish line.
The race of Faith is hard. And we as a church are faced with some difficult hurdles in the days ahead of us. I sincerely believe that we can come through these things and be leaner and stronger in our faith than perhaps ever before. But for right now, God has given us a hurdle we must join together to overcome.
