grace for the race

Hebrews 12:1-2

The Bible uses a number of different figures of speech to describe what it’s like to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Sometimes the Bible compares the relationship with God like a child in a family.

Sometimes it's compared to a stone in a building or sheep in a flock.

Jesus called his followers disciples so the christian walk is like a student in a school.

Sometimes it’s compared to being a boxer in a ring.

Or a soldier in an army.

A traveler on a journey.

A part of the body.

Even a bride in a wedding

There are all kinds of images the Bible uses to compare what it’s like to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

But I really believe that the most powerful and most common image is

that of a runner in a race.

If you have your Bible turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12:1-2

Read Heb 12:1-2

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,

2 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.

Pray

My story

I grew up in this area. I have lived here just about all my life. I had heard about God and Jesus growing up But never had a relationship with him.

15 years ago I was tired and broken from life. My wife and I had lost everything and had nowhere else to look but up.

We got invited to a place where I’d hear the truth about my life and the condition I was in. I knew that I had done a lot of bad things in my life but that night as the preacher spoke. I realized that those bad things I did were against a Holy God Romans 3:23

As he continued to preach I heard that God loved me in my sinful condition. I heard that he loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me.

Rom 5:8

He told me that God was offering me the gift of salvation through his son and all I had to do was receive it. Rom 6:23

That night I repented of my sin and asked Jesus to save me. That night Jesus fired the starting pistol and I began my race and I haven’t looked back since.

The Bible says that God has given every believer a race to run.

So I want to ask you. How are you running in the race that Jesus has for you?

Are you running in the wrong direction?

Have you stopped running?

Have you stumbled?

Are you even on the racetrack?

I want you to look with me at the race God has called every believer to run.

Cheering for the race.

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,

The Bible is imagining that all of heaven is a stadium.

There in the stadium in the stands are those that are cheering us on as we run this race for Jesus.

You go to any athletic event and there in the stands you’ll find friends, family and fans who have come to cheer the competitors on.

The Bible says as we run this race for Jesus all of heaven is paying attention. All of heaven is cheering for us as we run this race!

The Bible calls them witnesses not spectators

You might be wondering what's the difference? I’m glad you asked

A witness is someone that has been on the race track run his or her race finished that race and is now cheering on the other runners.

A spectator is someone that’s just watching.

A witness is someone that can say, I've been there, I've been on the track, I know what it’s like and that makes all the difference.

Imagen with your running a physical race and as you run you have 2 people cheering for you.

One we will call Joe. Joe has never ran a race in his life.

He’s out of shape in every way you can imagine.

He’s in the stands and he’s got a supersized Coke in one hand and a basket of nachos and cheese in the other.

As you're running he looks down from the stands and between sips and munches he yells go, go ,go you can do it.

Now what’s his cheering going to mean to you?

But imagine with me sitting next to Joe is Usain Bolt. The fastest man in the world.

He knows what it’s like to train.

He knows what it’s like to struggle.

He knows what it’s like to run.

He knows what it’s like to win.

As you're running he stands up and says go, go, go, you can do it.

Tell me who’s cheers mean more to you? Usian Bolt or Joes.

You know it’s Usian Bolts. Why

Joe is a spectator, Usian Bolt is a witness. You get the difference?

So the Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

People who have run their race for the Lord, gone on to be with the Lord and yet they are cheering for us as we run this race for Jesus.

They're saying I’ve been there you can do it!

Turn back to Chapter 11 there the Bible tells us who this cloud of witnesses is.

Verse 4. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain.

He says I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have your own brother running in the opposite direction but you keep on running

Verse 5. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.

The Bible says that Enoch walked with God and he’s cheering us on and he says I’ve been there I know what it’s like to walk with the Lord when no one else is walking with him but you keep on running

Verse 7. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household

Noah says I know what it’s like to have everyone around you laughing and mocking because you're doing what God said to do but you keep on running.

Verse 8 and 11. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place

11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age

Abraham was 99 years old, Sarah was 89 years old, and God came to them and said in 1 year Sarah is going to give birth to a son, and they laughed, but 1 year later, Sarah gave birth to a son.

They're saying we know what it's like for people to say it's impossible. Forgot to answer your prayers. But you keep on running because nothing is too difficult for our God.

Verse 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Moses says I've been there. I know what it's like to have to say no to the sinful system of the world to say yes for what God has for me. So keep on running because God will part the waters when you walk in obedience.

Verse 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Rehab says i've been there

I've known girls named Elizabeth and Rachel and Rebecca. All those are biblical names. But I've never heard of a girl named Rahab, have you?

I guess it's because what always follows her name.

Rehab, the you fill in the blank. Rehab the prostitute. Rehab the harlot.

Well that’s what she was. Notice I said that’s what she was, that’s what she used to be. She heard about the living God of Israel and she put her faith in him and hid the spies in her house.

She says I've been there. I know what it's like to have a past. But you keep running this race for Jesus.

Praise God for this Cloud of witnesses that’s cheering us on as we run our race!

The Training For The Race

If you're gonna run a race, you gotta train. My daughter runs track and when she gets ready for track season. She is doing the things that she needs to do so she can compete successfully when race day comes.

The Bible says that there is some training that we need to do if we're going to run this race for Jesus.

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,

Notice what the Bible says. We have to lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely.

Think about those 2 things. The Bible says this is the training for the race.

The Bible says every weight.

That word weight literally means physical weight.

Physical weight is when we allow something good to get out of control.

Back problems

I heard about a guy that went to the Doctor. He said Doc I got back problems. The doctor took one look at him and said no. You got front problems, you get rid of all the weight in the front, and you don't have problems in your back.

Physical weight happens when a good thing called food gets out of control, or a good thing called rest gets out of control.

Spiritual weight is much the same.

Spiritual weight is when we allow good things to take the place or to take property over the best thing. And that is following Jesus with our lives.

A hobby can be a good thing, but if you're more interested in your golf game or your tennis game Then your relationship with Jesus Christ, that's a weight.

Your family is a good thing, but I’ve seen. People put a spouse, a child, or a grandchild in only a place that Jesus Christ deserves to be.

That's the worst thing you can do for a child or a grandchild to put that child in only a place where Jesus belongs.

I’m not saying to neglect your family or your kids. I’m saying put them under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

A Weight is any good thing that we put in the place of only where Jesus deserves to me.

We can fill our lives full of good things that rob us of the great thing God has for us. That's Jesus Christ.

The Bible says we are to lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely.

Some of your Bibles may say the sin which clings so closely.

The sin is a literal translation.

Everybody look at me for every Christian here. There is the sin which cleans so closely, to you?

It's a different sin for you than it is for you. And it's a different sin for you than it is for me.

Every Christian has the sin which claims so closely.

It's that sin when you lay it down. You always find yourself picking it back up again.

It just keeps coming back. And the Bible says that we need to lay aside that sin That keeps us from running our race.

I've noticed something Christians have a tendency of becoming proud for staying away from certain sins that don't even tempt us.

If a sin doesn't tempt you, it's no big deal if you stay away from it.

cabbage

Let's imagine that you piled all the cabbage you could fit on this side of the room and you said, Scott I want you to guard this till tomorrow. I can promise you that all that cabbage will be there tomorrow, that doesn't mean that I'm walking in the spirit. It doesn't mean that I'm better than anyone else. It just means that I'm not tempted by it.

But if you piled all the meth you could get on this side of the room and said Scott. I want you to guard it. I can't promise you that all of it will be there tomorrow. Why? Because that tempts me.

So don't get proud for staying away from sin that doesn't tempt you.

That doesn't mean anything.

Instead, come to the Lord with that sin that you know clings closely to you.

And tell the Lord I wanna lay down this sin. And I'm asking for your grace to overcome this sin in my life.

Because I don't want this sin to keep me from running the race you have for me.

Some of you are here and you're saying hold on, brother Scott, this is my pet sin. I've had this sin all my life. My mom and dad had this sin and they gave it to me. And nobody knows I'm committing this sin just me and God. And I think I've worked this out with him. And he just looks the other way when I commit this sin.

Pet snake

There was a guy that kept a pet snake in his office. One day he had to get rid of it. Because it got so big, he couldn't feed it without it biting him.

That pet sin that seems so harmless. that sin that you think that God looks over. Or looks the other way when you commit it.

That pet sin can destroy your marriage. It may ruin Your relationship with your parents or your children. It may cost you your health. It may shorten your life.

But it will certainly keep you from running. The race that Jesus has for you.

Running The Race

The Bible says let us run! There comes a time when we have to get off the practice field and on the playing field. I've been a baptist ever since I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and I've come to believe that saved Baptists make the best baptist.

But I've noticed something in the Baptist church. We are forever training and never getting around to the things we're training for. We take a training course on how to pray, and we never get around to praying.

We take a training course on witnessing. We never get around to witnessing. We take a training course. On how to worship, we never get around to Worshiping. There comes a time when we have to stop training and start running. The race that Jesus has for us. The Bible says let us run.

I want you to notice that the running is for everyone. It doesn't say let them run, it says let us run.

That means that every Christian here has a responsibility. Before God to run the race that Jesus Christ has set for you.

Look with me at the word race. In the greek it’s the word agon it means conflict or struggle or contest. It's where we get the word agony from.

Sometimes the christian life can be agonizing. you're running your race and it feels like you're always covering the same ground. Sometimes it feels like you're running in circles. You’re always dealing with the same sin that trips you up.

Listen You keep running the race that God has set before you!

Don’t miss that. God has set before every person in this room a particular race to run.

It’s a different race for you than it is for you.

It’s a different race for you than it is for you.

It’s a different race for you than it is for me.

On the race track every runner has a lane. That runner's job is to run their race in their lane.

Hear me say this we need to learn to run our race in pour lane

Don’t tell the person next to you how they're supposed to run their race in their lane.

You focus on running your race in your lane

They’ve got their race to run and you got your race to run.

Listen if you’ll run your race you got plenty to do right there.

So run the race that god has given you and god will do great things through you as you run your race for Jesus.

God has uniquely made everyone in this room. There isn’t another person on the planet like you.

I’m learning that God made me the way he made me for his glory. When I first started preaching I would look around at other preachers and think . i don’t talk like he does or i don’t have the education he has or I’m not gifted in that area. I took my eyes off Jesus and started believing that God cound’t use me because I didn’t have what other preachers had. But I’ve learned that Knew who I was before he called me and he called me anyway!

Listen run the race that God has called you to and don’t worry about pleasing anyone but him!

III. Winning The Race

Look with me at verse 2. 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.

Here’s how you win the race by looking to Jesus!

When a runner runs. They are running in a direction. They are running towards the finish line to the goal.

The Goal is Jesus! The goal is eternity with him!

He is the founder and perfecter of our faith! He started us running the race! He will always be with us as we run our race and he will be with us as we finish our race.

This race called life is going to have its ups and downs. It’s going to cause pain and suffering. But the only way you make it. The only way you have joy despite your sorrow. The only way you have peace in the middle of your circumstance and situation is looking to Jesus!

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

Listen Jesus knows what It's like to face pain and suffering

He knows the obstacles you face as you run your race

He knows the the challenges that life is going to hand you

The only way you win the race is looking to Jesus

Jesus knows because he ran the race that was set for him and endured the cross. So you and I can have victory in the race Jesus has for us.

That phrase looking to Jesus literally means to look away from One Thing to look at another. There are many of you in this room that need to look away from Water was hindering Your laugh and start looking to Jesus.

If we keep our eyes on him, he will give us grace to finish our race.

Track met

There was a high school track meet. teams came from everywhere to compete, it came time for the 1600 m race. There's a young man who came on the racetrack that didn't look like the rest of the runners. The Other runners looked like they were in tip top shape. They had on beautiful uniforms. They looked great, this guy steps on the track. And he doesn't even have a uniform. He's got a tank top on. cut off shorts, no socks, shoes worn out, he got down on the race track to start the race. The starting pistol was fired, all the runners took off. The boy stumbled and struggled off the starting line as the other runners took off and left him. One runner crosses the finish line and is declared the winner, his coach and his team mates are on the track celebrating. A few minutes went by and an announcement came across. The loudspeaker clear the track. The final runner is crossing the finished line. The runner crosses the finish line and collapses from exhaustion. The coach of the winning runner helps the boy to his feet. He says son, what in the world are you doing? The race has been over for a little while and the winner has already been declared. Why did you keep on running the boy? Caught his breath and said Mr.I'm the worst runner on my team. But when I got here today my coach said son. I don't have anyone to run the 1600 m. He said son. I don't expect you to win but I ask you to do 2 things. He said I asked you to do your best. And I asked you to finish the race. The boy said I did my best and I finished the race and I know my coach is going to be pleased. When Jesus saves you by his Grace and starts you running your race. He asked you to do 2 things. do your best. And don't stop to finish the race.

There's some of you in this room that have never been on the track. And God is calling you by his grace into his salvation firing the starting pistol. In the race that he has for you.

Some of you in this room have stumbled and are running in the wrong direction. God's calling you to repent and get to running in his direction. Looking away from whatever has caused You to stumble and start looking back to him.

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There are others of you in this room you've just stopped running. Jesus is calling you to start running again