There are no more thrilling, motivating, energizing words in the entire
Bible than these: “Therefore let us run!” The fact is that God has something
better in store for us than anything the OT heroes ever experienced. If they walked by faith, how much more should we
rush by faith to reach the finish
line at heaven’s gate!
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Determine to Finish Heb
12:1-3
“Race” renders the Greek word for conflict or contest: agon, from which we get the word “agony.”
To compete or struggle renders the Greek word, agonizomai, from which we get the word “agonize.” In
2 Tim 4:7-8 Paul writes, “I have fought (agonizomai)
the good fight (agon).”
The Christian Life
as a Race
Acts 20:24 – Finish my course.
Phil 3:10-14 – Press on … goal.
Gal 2:2 – Not having run in vain.
Gal 5:7 – Running well … hindered.
1 Cor 9:24-27 – Not without aim.
To be victorious in this heavenly marathon, we must keep in mind three “W’s.”
The Witnesses Who
Surround Us – The Race Can Be Won!
“Cloud” (Grk., nephos) = a
great mass of cloud covering the entire visible sky.
Witness = one who testifies to what he has seen; Grk. martyr. Term “martyr” came to be used of one who testified
even by (to the point of) death.
All the OT heroes in Heb 11 demonstrate that those who live by faith will
prevail.
Heb 11:13 “These all died in faith …”
Heb 11:32-38 “… chains, imprisonment … stoned, sawn in two, put to death
with the sword …”
2 Kgs 6:15-17 “Those who are with us are more than those who are with
them … Lord, open his eyes …”
Rev 6:9 “… I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain …”
Rev 7:9-10 “A multitude that no one could number …”
Acts 7:59-60 “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit …”
Who are the more recent witnesses in your own cloud?
Picture: we are in the arena, engaged in the battle of (for) our
lives. The encircling tiers above us are
full of previous contestants who have won.
In effect, they are shouting: “You can do it! We did!”
As we sweat, strain, and stretch, their voices ring in our ears.
The
Weights That Can Subdue Us – The Race Can Be Lost!
Why do athletes wear the very lightest clothes? Why do racing cars not
have back seats? What would you take, or not take, if you were climbing Mount
Everest? Why? If running is easier
without taking heavy luggage, why do we insist on carrying it?
“It’s not how heavy the object, but how long you hold it.”
A “weight” may not be evil, just cumbersome. If you’re carrying something
that slows you or wearies you, that does not benefit you or others in the race,
cut it loose! “Let it go!”
“Weighed down” or “burdened” with sins – 2 Tim 3:6
“Besetting” – attacking from all sides; harassing; persistently
troubling; hemming in; like a ring of wild beasts encircling the camp at night,
ready to pounce (Robertson)
1 Jn 2:16 – 1. lust of the flesh 2. lust of the eyes 3. pride of life
“But when [Simon Peter] saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink …”
Matt 14:30
Fact: either we will dispense with sin, or sin will dispense with
us. 1 Cor 9:24-27
Fact: spectators, squatters, and sideliners are not “in the running.”
Fact: one who runs with the world cannot be crowned with the saints.
Matt 13:21-22 – Jesus spoke of these obstacles as thorns that can choke
and kill us: 1. affliction 2. persecution 3. the worry of the world 4. the
deceitfulness of riches.
What ball and chain are you carrying today? What sin is most likely to sink you?
The
Winner Who Sustains Us – The Key is Focus!
“Fixing our eyes” implies, not just looking at, but looking to. Big difference!
Why Jesus? Because he is the founder and perfecter of faith.
Henry Ford: “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take
your eyes off your goal.”
Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is our Standard. Jesus is our Source.
Jesus endured the pain because He envisioned the prize. So can and must
we.
July 4, 1952. Florence Chadwick swimming the English Channel.
“Despise:” to disregard, discount, devalue.
What was the joy set before Him?
“Despising” does not mean hating or loathing (trying to avoid), but
disregarding.
What will you “despise” for the sake of finishing this race?
What have you suffered, what would you suffer, in light of the cross?
Considering His suffering puts everything in perspective … keeps me from
fainting or quitting … and quickens my pace!
Guarantee: one who concentrates on Jesus will not ultimately grow weary,
faint, or quit running.
With all these faith heroes as witnesses around us, and with Jesus as our
forerunner ahead of us, we are ready to run the race that is set before us!
Gain from the Pain Heb
12:4-13
Resist! Heb 12:4
Keys to running to win: determination, coaching, confidence, training,
practice, weight loss, stamina … and the will to resist.
To resist: to set oneself / stand against, contend with, oppose.
Wind. Heat or cold. Gravity. Distance. Fatigue. Pain. Age. Slope.
External / internal conditions. Memories of past failures.
The harder and faster you run, the more there is to resist.
The more you have to resist, the harder it is to run … but the healthier,
more muscular, and more resistant you become.
“When the going gets tough …”
To avoid resistance, runners slow down, quit, and “spectate.”
They become lethargic on the sidelines. Their fire dies.
To avoid the pain they forfeit the victory. The less they do …
Jesus’ resistance required His blood.
Now, what did you say was too much for you?
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand (resist) in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
1 Pet 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith,
knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your
brotherhood throughout the world.
How is your resistance? Against what tactics?
To resist we
must strive … against sin. Heb 12:4
From the Greek word for “strive” – “agonize” and “antagonize.”
The “race” (agon) (Heb 12:1) is also a conflict, a
fight-to-the-finish contest between two “antagonists” who “agonize” against
each other. Only one will win.
(God to Cain) Gen 4:6-7 “Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not
do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must
rule over it.”
(Jesus) Lk 13:22-24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door …”
Rom 7:23 “Waging war … making me a prisoner …”
Gal 5:17 “The flesh … the Spirit … opposition …”
Jas 4:1 “… your passions are at war within you …”
J.B. Coats wrote: “Striving alone to face temptations sore, where could I
go but to the Lord?”
Remember! Heb 12:5-9
When you resist and strive, you will feel the burn.
You’re out of breath. It’s steep ahead. Your knees are weak.
How could your coach allow such conditions?
How could he expect you to keep going? It hurts!
Key: your coach loves you as a father loves his son.
Discipline, not permissiveness, is the proof of a father’s love.
Earthly fathers reflect the heavenly Father. Dads, discipline!
TV show (1954-1960): “Father Knows Best.” God does.
He will “whip you into shape” so you can go the distance.
“Not pleasant at the moment, but painful.”
The pain leads to the gain.
“For our good … that we may share His holiness.”
Run After; Run From Heb
12:14-17
In the Windshield – If we take our eyes off these …
Peace
Rom 12:18; 14:13-21
Holiness
Initial (at baptism; Rom 6:2-11); continuing (Rom 6:12-23)
2 Cor 7:1
Grace
1 Cor 15:10
How might we “come short?”
2 Cor 6:1-10
In the Rear-View Mirror – We will head instead toward these
…
Bitter Roots
Deut 29:18 … lest there shall be
among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
Immorality
1 Thess 4:3 For this is the will
of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.
Godlessness
“Godless” (bebelos): Common, profane, unholy, unsanctified
Denying God by disbelief or by disobedience.
Tit 1:16 … by their deeds they
deny Him …
In the End – And we will wind up where Esau did.
Without the
Birthright
Gen 25:21-34
“Let’s Make a Deal”
Without the Blessing
Gen 27:30–40
Why did he do it? Why might we?
Esau chose instant gratification over long-term reward.
Esau satisfied personal needs apart from the Father’s will.
Esau ignored the permanence and final regret of his choice.
Result: He found “no place for repentance.”
Never Look Back Heb
12:18-29
A ten-year-old boy, with his father and two brothers at Mt. Rainier.
Would he try to reach base camp with them, or wait in the comfortable visitors’
center? He wrote years later: “I went on the trip, but I missed the
adventure.” Gary Haugen, Just Courage, 2008
Heb 12 – from running … to fighting … to climbing.
Physical items in OT were mere copies of real things. Heb 8:5
Gist of Heb 12:18-29:
“Mt. Sinai was awesome, but Mt. Zion … WOW!”
“Having come to Zion, why would you ever look back?”
Here is another “how much more” argument, like …
Heb 2:1-4 Heb
10:26-31
We will never look
back if we see clearly …
1. A Greater
Mountain – 12:18-22a
Ex 19:12-25; 20:18-21
Forty years later Moses remembered and reminded Israel.
Deut 4:11-12; 5:22-17; 9:19; 18:16
“But you have come to Mt. Zion …” Zion: Jebusite fortress on SE hill of
Jerusalem > “City of David” > temple area > Jerusalem > Judah >
all Israel > city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem.
Gal 4:26 “Jerusalem above.”
Rev 14:1-5 Lamb on Mt. Zion.
We will never look
back if we see clearly …
2. A Greater
Assembly – 12:22b-23
“Who else is going to be there?”
“Myriads” (ten thousands) of angels. Deut 33:2; Heb 1:6
Festal gathering – festive occasion, feasting, celebration
Assembly (ekklesia) of the firstborn ones plural …
Enrolled – Book of Life. Phil 4:3; Rev 20:12-15
God as Judge of all – heed the warnings and prepare!
Spirits of the righteous, perfected – witnesses of Heb 11
What a congregation! And we have (already) come into it!
We will never look
back if we see clearly …
3. A Greater
Salvation – 12:24
Because Jesus is our mediator.
Because His new covenant is superior. Heb 8:6-13
Because His “sprinkled blood” speaks better than Abel’s.
Heb 9:18-20 Blood sprinkled to begin old covenant.
Gen 4:10 Abel’s blood cried for justice for the sinner.
Jesus’ blood cries for grace for the sinner.
We will never look
back if we see clearly …
4. A Greater Danger
– 12:25-27
It is still possible to “refuse Him who is speaking!”
Then the warning came on earth. Disobedience
>> death.
Now the warning comes from heaven. Stakes much
“higher.”
Then His voice shook the earth.
Next He will shake both heaven and earth. Hag 2:6
Removal of things that have been made – the created order.
Survival of things that cannot be shaken – the heavenly
order.
We will never look
back if we see clearly …
5. A Greater Kingdom
– 12:28-29
Kingdom: God’s invincible rule in people’s hearts. Dan 2:44
Kingdom: Jesus’ promise. Matt 4:17
Kingdom: not of this world. John 18:36
Kingdom: what the thief anticipated. Luke 23:42
Kingdom: the realm in which we live. Col 1:13
Therefore …
Gratitude!
Worship!
Reverence and awe!
“for our God is a
consuming fire.” Heb 12:29
Deut 4:23-24 re: idolatry.
Heb 12:18 noted the “blazing fire” at Mt. Sinai.
OT describes Sinai as if it were an erupting volcano.
Ex 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had
descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln …
Ex 24:17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring
fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.
Deut 4:11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while
the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven …
In the fire of God’s
glory, power, and judgment …
What must you do?
What will you do?
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