Run Your Race
Hebrews 12:1-2
When I was in High School, I ran Cross Country. If you’re unfamiliar with Cross Country, it is a 5K race on a set trail. These trails can have various terrains, some trails went through woods. Most of you have been on hikes, so you can imagine how easy it is to trip, or misstep during a race like that. Well, during one of my first races, the school gave us a walk through of the course. They spray painted the ground with arrows, so we wouldn’t get lost. Well there was one runner who was smart enough to get lost. It was me. I got lost. I misstepped through the course and lost my way. I didn’t even see the spray painted arrows. So, I stopped running altogether until I could find my way. I wasn’t anywhere near first, but I was ahead of a few people, and so as I walked, they passed with a quickness. So I picked up my stride and began running, trying to catch up. When I reached the home stretch and there was a crowd of parents cheering on all of the runners, not just their children. It gave a jolt of life to finish the race well regardless of placement. The embarrassment I felt from getting lost faded away hearing the cheers of these complete strangers rooting for all of the runners to finish. The cheering was so contagious, that I turned around and cheered for the runners behind me regardless if they were on my team or not.
Transition → It’s easy to get tripped up or misstep on our own faith journey. But what can keep us locked in on this journey is what we’re looking for to point us in the right direction.
The author of Hebrews, in our text today, wants us to run our race well, so he gives us three points to consider:
1. Acknowledge the Audience
2. Watch your step
3. Keep your Eyes on the Finish line.
Last week we looked at the end of Hebrews 11. It summarized everything the Old Testament saints experienced, the victories, and the suffering. This week we will see the encouragement we have as those who live by faith today. I know we’ve already read the text, but I want to reread including the last two verses from chapter 11, to add context to what the author is talking about:
“39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us. 1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” Heb. 11:39–12:1a CSB
If you’ve ever been in the Saddle dome, not necessarily for a Flames game or anything, you notice that it, alongside really any arena or coliseum it’s shaped like a bowl. It gives a 360 degree view of what is happening at the floor of the bowl. This is the idea the author gives when talking about this large cloud of witnesses, and they’re watching right now! Now someone’s thinking, “Nokomis, no one is watching us, maybe we’re watching you, but no one is watching us.” Well, according to this verse you have an audience. Like an episode of Saved by the Bell, we have an audience with the Old Testament saints watching you run your race, and cheering you on to keep your stride, and watch your step. As we dive into God’s word, we see the Old Testament Saints who, by faith, witnessed God do amazing things, and were comforted by their faith in Him. They longed for what you and I get to live in now, and the future that God has in store for us. They still speak to us, cheering us on to live our lives by faith. You may be thinking, “But Nokomis, living by faith is actually hard!” First of all, you’re preaching to the choir, because I often say the same thing. But let me tell you here: One way we can live by faith is when we acknowledge the Audience. Look back at the Old Testament saints, and you will see where they lived in fear, they struggled, they got angry, but they also saw God move unexpectedly, save them, and redeem them. We read the summary of their lives last week, but their lives speak to us today. They cheer us on today when we go back, read about them and learn how we too can live by faith from their example.
Transition → They cheer us on in our race, warning us to watch our step.
“let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,” Heb. 12:1b
The Author gives two instructional commands, to help us in our race:
1. Lay aside every hindrance and sin that so easily ensnares us.
2. Run with endurance the race that lies before us.
The first thing we have to do is lay aside any hindrance. Something that hinders you is not necessarily sinful. But it is something that slows you down from this race. It can be spending too much time on that guilty pleasure. If you’ve had any conversation with me past the pleasantries, then you know I LOVE SPORTS! I mean, I’m from North Carolina, where football becomes its own religion in the fall and winter, and replaced by College Basketball by the time March rolls around. But even things like that which can be a good escape from time-to-time can take a life on its own when I pay more attention to that than the race I’m running right now. We all have those things that can slow us down from running our race well. For you it may not be sports, but it’s something. Whatever it is, you don’t have to let it slow you down. Maybe it’s not sports. Maybe it’s a past trauma, or hurt. Maybe it’s current discouragement of a real tough situation health wise, or financially. You see the thing about that hindrance that slows you down it’s not always like an extra weight in a book bag, but it’s the burden you carry, that you don’t know what to do with or how to let it go. When Jesus saved you, He knew about that burden you carry. He wants to take that burden from you. One of my favorite passages are the very words that describe Jesus’ heart best:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary, and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30
If you’re tired from carrying that burden that’s slowing you down, you can finally drop it. Jesus can and will take care of it.
When the author is talking about laying aside sin what he says, literally in the Greek is a word called Harmatia which translates to: missing the mark God intended. Where the hindrances slow us down, sin is trying to stop us completely. The authors says that sin ensnares us other translations use the word entangles us. Sin is what separated us from God in the first place. But God who is rich in mercy set us free from its bondage when Christ died on the cross and was resurrected. Let me say that again: where sin tried to hold you back from having a relationship with God, HE SET YOU FREE because of Jesus’ death on the cross. So when we face temptation to turn back to that life, we have been given the power to turn away from sin. Where we did not care about sin or notice it before, now we see its traps. We see where it tries to stop us in our tracks to keep us from pursuing our relationship with God.
To run with endurance means to press on towards the goal despite the troubles, pain, and circumstances. In other words, Running with endurance requires “Even If,” Faith. Part of the reason why I got lost in that race was due a poor start. I began running a long distance race at a sprinter’s pace. Before I knew it I was gassed, and lost. I started walking not just because I wanted to, but I had no other choice. I had poor technique that did not prepare me for the race I was supposed to run, nor the right vision for that race. We have to have the right technique to run our race therefore, we cannot misstep because of our hindrances trying to slow us down. We also need to have the right vision for this race, so we can know what traps of sin to look out for, and dodge. In our race of faith, we must watch our step and run with the endurance to handle the most difficult terrain. Life by faith can be a struggle. We have to remember this race is a marathon. Even though we often want it to be a sprint. We can find ourselves wanting the answers to be quick and easy, especially when life gets tough. Even if you go through moments of doubt, or worry, or temptation, let me encourage you here: We can run our race with endurance because we believe God for what He will do, because of what He’s already done despite the current circumstances.
“Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2
The key to running any race well, is to keep your eyes on the finish line. The author gives us in this verse, the one who ran the race perfectly and set us on our own. If you went back and read the entire book of Hebrews the author points us to Jesus. He’s a better message to us than the prophets. He is greater than the angels. The Old Testament system was a shadow, and Jesus is the light that casts it. In other words the Old Testament points us to Jesus. So the author points us to Jesus as our example, and our prize.
Jesus is our example because He’s the one who mapped out our path. We run this race on the trail that Jesus made for us. Jesus’ life can be seen as an example in this passage when we look at a few things: He lived a faithful life, and still experienced hardships. Even though He is God, Jesus became a man and lived the human experience. He experienced joy, and pain. He saw the plight of humanity and how sin distorted His creation. From the moment He came, there was a finish line set in front of him. And when we read the gospels every moment, every miracle, every sermon and teaching all of it was for the sake of that joy. That joy set before Jesus was his exaltation and the salvation of a people for himself. We see now the first part of that joy because He: “Sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” The rest of that joy is the day where there will be a people that will sing and worship him. A people of all nations, cultures, and languages that will sing:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Rev. 5:13
That joy set before him is the day where He will finally dwell with his people, and his people will finally dwell with him to the fullest extent of the phrase. Jesus’ greatest joy is to be with His people as their God. So much so, He endured great suffering just to make that happen. For Jesus that suffering was the cross. At the cross Jesus experienced excruciating pain, shame, and alienation from God. He took on the sins of humanity, again yours, mine, and anyone who believes our message. All for the joy to be with His people. That means you, and I and anyone who believes in His life, death, and resurrection. The suffering he endured tells us this: We can run our race with endurance because Jesus endured the cross.
We run this race of faith because there is a joy set before us. That joy is eternity with Jesus. That joy is the day when that perfect shalom peace we long for is finally ours. When we see Jesus as our prize and our finish line, we can look at the tough times as momentary afflictions. It does not minimize the pain or struggle, but gives us hope that God will deliver us from them, but until then He is using them to shape in us the character of Christ. That our strides may imitate his. The author continues this theme for the rest of this chapter:
“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.” Heb. 12:3
So if your legs are heavy, and your breathing is shallow, fix your eyes on Jesus. The one who restores. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, made the paralyzed walk, cleansed the lepers. Now even though He is not here physically to do that to and for us, if you sincerely seek Him, He will restore your soul. Maybe you started out in a sprint, and now you’re gassed. Maybe your pace has slowed because of a hindrance. Maybe you’ve come to a complete stop because of some sort of sin in your life. Strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, watch your step, fix your eyes on Jesus your example and prize.
Transition → “Maybe you started out in a sprint, and now you’re gassed. Maybe your pace has slowed because of a hindrance. Maybe you’ve come to a complete stop because of some sort of sin in your life. Strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, watch your step, fix your eyes on Jesus your example and prize. We have in front Communion. In this moment set your eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who on the night before his betrayal took the bread and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” Then He took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” and then said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” I will close us in prayer and afterward take your time to reflect and take part in the Lord’s table.
Lord, you are our prize. You have set before us this path, and you have given us an audience to cheer us on as we run this race. But more importantly you have given us yourself as our example and as our finish line. Even though our legs may feel weak, and our steps may get heavy, I pray that with one look towards you, our strength is renewed. Protect us from the hindrances and traps that seek to slow us down and stop us, so that we can endure this race, because you endured the cross. In your name I pray, Amen.