SENIOR CHAPEL Hebrews 12_1_2

Hebrews 12:1-2“Finishing the Race Well”

Intro: You may have heard the story of John Stephen Akhwari, the marathon runner from Tanzania who finished last at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. No last-place finisher in a marathon ever finished quite so last. Injured along the way, he hobbled into the stadium with his leg bloodied and bandaged. It was more than an hour after the rest of the runners had completed the race. Only a few spectators were left in the stands when Akhwari finally crossed the finish line. When asked why he continued to run despite the pain, Akhwari replied, "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish."

If you are here today by Grace through Faith in Jesus then you have entered a race and it is important to understand that you did not enter this race at your own accord but you were in fact entered into this race by God Himself. A race which you are expected to finish and even more so, a race you are expected to win. Now this race is a personal race, each course is different, I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7)

While each of us here has started the race its important to understand that we are not called to merely start the race but to finish and finish well. Now, we must understand the context of this in order to better understand the point.

Context: Hebrews is perhaps my second favorite N.T. Epistle, just behind Romans. We find that our Arthur has a great understanding of Levitical Law paired with a HIGH VIEW of Christ Jesus. In The opening verses, Jesus is called “the brightness of His Glory, and the expressed image of His person, Who purged our sins.” He is higher than the angels, greater than the prophets, better than the High Priest, the better atonement, the perfect sacrifice. If I could sum up Hebrews in just a couple of words, it would be this, “JESUS IS BETTER!” And, to better understand our text we must go back to Chapter 10:19

To run your race well you should run without the hindrances of the world Vs. 1

To run your race well you should run with your eyes fixated upon the Savior of the world Vs. 2