The Race Set Before Us

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

None of these individuals had an easy road to accomplish the promises of God.

Isaiah 40:31 “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Sometimes you soar, sometimes you run, sometimes you put one foot in front of the other

Lay aside every weight and sin

It’s just going to slow you down

This is what we were set free from, why go back?

Run with endurance

This is an endurance race

Looking to Jesus

As you keep your eyes on the finish line, look to Jesus

Jesus endured what was before Him and was rewarded

The Problem

We get tired

We get busy

We get lazy

We get intimidated by society; don’t want to be a “holy roller”

So we stop, maybe we are at least on the track still, we contemplate if being sold out is really worth it. We may also backtrack a little, we got burned out because we were trying to do it on our own strength rather than keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith.

So What

Living out our faith is difficult, but so worth it. Don’t chicken out, don’t be lazy, don’t be weak, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you through and cross that finish line leaving it all on the track.

Here’s some indicators of if you are moving forward:

Are you closer to that finish line?

Are you closer to God than you were last week?

Has your hunger and thirst for God increased?

Has your desire for God increased?

Are you closer to perfection, further down the road of your sanctification?

Have you learned to trust more in God?

Have you learned to rely more fully on God?

“As you look at the saints of old, you might want to ask, what made these saints the kind of saints that they were? It was the intensity of their desire after God. The wanted God more than they wanted anything else. They wanted God more than they wanted ease, comfort, fame, wealth, friends, or even life itself. They wanted God, the triune God, so their hearts panted after God as the deer pants after the water brooks.” A. W. Tozer, Delighting in God, p.198

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