Finishing The Race (2)

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

Each Christian has a race set before them. The verb race in is agōn. This is where we get our word agony from. It implies a foot race involving struggle and contest. As an illustration Paul uses the idea of a foot race to explain the Christian life which is rather difficult.

I have been in a few races and have watched Tony run many races. How you start is important but what’s more important is how you compete and finish.

The key to competing is endurance, It means to bear up under trial, to continue when things get tough. This is also the key word of Chapter 12, it is used 5 times starting in verse 1 where in the KJV it is translated patience (endurance NASB) and in each of our verses (2&3) and again in vs. 7 & 20.

This letter was written to Jewish saints who suffered much difficulties and persecutions on behalf of their faith in Jesus. Because of difficulty they found they were tempted to give up and return to Judaism. They thought their suffering was due to God being displeased with them because they had left the covenant of the Law given to them through Moses for one the covenant of Grace through faith. Our author plainly tells them that the covenant given through Moses had been done away with by the coming of Jesus (Ch. 8-10), and that, that covenant was just a picture of things that were to come (10:1). It was never the keeping of the Law that please God it has always been FAITH. Hebrews 11:1–2 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” After a long list of Old Testament saints the author writes, Hebrews 11:39 “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,” That means they lived life based on God’s Promise of a redeemer and a kingdom though it was not fulfilled in their lifetime but they endured as if they had and ultimately recieved the promise at the end of their life.

Though we are not suffering great persecution for our faith as of yet, life is still difficult and painful. There may be times in your life that you wonder why is this happening to me? What have I done to displease God that I should suffer the things I suffer? You may begin to think that you can’t go any further but you must continue to endure and simply trust Him. Through faith you are approved of God and through faith He has wonderful things in-store for you on earth and more so in heaven.

Today I want to give you three principles that will help you endure as life gets difficult.

I. Look at those around you (1A)

Regardless of what you go through there is someone who has gone through what you are going through.

ILL: I remember as a young man graduating from Basic training and A.I.T. I got a three day weekend and my dad picked me up from Fort Benning and took me to the deer camp. We had a wonderful weekend of hunting but the end of that weekend I didn't want to go back. I was staring Airborne School in the face then another 3 years of difficult service. I didn't see how i could go on. Then my dad reminded me that He had been where I was and so had both of my Grandfathers. They got through it and I could too.

I think, that is what the Arthur is telling his audience and ultimately us today. “Wherefore seeing we ALSO are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses.” Imagine for a moment your race takes place in a grand coliseum and in the stands are full of people encouraging you and “shouting you can do it, keep running!” That would be nice right? However, that is not what the author implies. He tells us were are surrounded by a great cloud. Cloud is the Greek noun nephos which refers to a huge mass of clouds beyond numbering. These are not spectators but witnesses. Its the men and women of chapter 11, the heroes of faith. The Arthur names 17 people then a plethora of unnamed people who endured their life through faith. They bear witness that God can see us through.

I have met many people even Pastors who say I’m a N.T. Christian and I rarely read the Old.Testament. Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” One of the best ways to develop endurance and to find encouragement is to get to know the godly men and women of the O.T. who ran the race and won.

Perhaps you are having problems with your family, read about Joseph, whose brothers sold into slavery yet he endured by faith and God was faithful to Him. Perhaps there is a huge task before you, read about Moses who led 2.5 million people out of Egypt. it was a difficult task and governing official stood against him, but he endured through faith and God was faithful to deliver them.

Perhaps there is someone who is treating you harshly and you are tempted to retaliate, read about David and how he handled his problem with Saul. He endured through faith and God was faithful to deliver hi from all his enemies and establish him as king. Perhaps you are lonely and missing someone whom you loved dearly, God told Joshua, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Joshua endured all the world through at him and God was their with him. Maybe you discouraged and depressed, have read about Job who lost his children and all his possession yet he said, “though God slay me I will trust in Him.” He endured in faith and God was faithful and gave him more children and possessions.

Look at those who have gone before you, who ran a difficult race but endured because they had a promise from God. They endured through faith knowing that God is faithful and you can too.

II. Look at yourself (1b)

If your race is exceedingly difficult perhaps you need to look at yourself. Maybe you are carry around baggage that is hindering you from competing. Perhaps we must spend more time in prayer asking God to search us and reveal to us what we must let go of.

The author tells us to “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily bests us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” I used to run a lot and I am very proud that I held or perhaps still hold the South West Ga Police Academy’s record for the 2 mile run. Though it is allowed, I would never run with weights on my ankles. However so many of us run with heavy burdens of bad decisions and the entanglement of sin around our feet. We are to lay these things aside. its the Greek verb apotithemai which means to get rind of. This implies everything that hinders our progress., good or bad.

We must choose between what is good and what is best because the enemy of the best is most often times the good. Have you played baseball or watched a baseball game? While you are on deck you swing your bat with a heavy weighted collar around it. This is good because it helps improve the quickness of your bat. you swing it weighted so that when you take the weights off the bat feels much lighter. But you would never step to the plate with the weights on and swing at a 95 mph fastball. Like wise we must decide to shed the good so that we can have the best!

Many of us are trying to live the life of faith with sin tripping us up. We must shed the sin that is in our lives. Sin is the Greek noun hamartia which means wrong doing. It is anything that separates you from God, lust, adultery, coveting, gluttony, etc etc. But in this context the author is referring to unbelief. It was through faith that Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeas for a better country one that was promised by God (11:17) and it was by faith that Abraham offered up Isaac the promised son of God because he believed God would even raise his son from the dead (11:19) to fulfill His promise, “that is Isaac your descendants shall be called (11:18).” It is by faith that we endure life, trusting God completely and resting our of weight on Him.

In the race of life, unbelief will trip you up and keep you from competing. You will get entangled in the snares of sin and fall don. Beset or as translated in modern translations entangle is the adjective euperistatos which means controlling tightly or constricting constricting. In ancient Israel men wore long tunics and before they went to work or they girded their tunic, by tucking the length into their belt so it wouldn't get in the way. A man would never run a race in a tunic because his feet would get caught up as he ran. Have you ever noticed that ancient Greek art comprises of statues of muscled men who are naked. Sports was a major part of their culture and this statues are of honored athletes who wore little to nothing as they competed.It wasn't because they liked being seen naked but so they could compete without being constricted by clothing and trip during their event. They would shed anything that hindered them from competing. Hey friend take it off!

ILL: While in the army I competed in a 1k swim, a man next to me shucked off his shorts moments before the starting whistle blew, he dove in and swam like a mad man destroying all the competition. Later he was asked why he swam butt naked and he said because those soft cotton shorts will increase your weight, create drag and slow you down.

Like wise we must take off all the things that hinders our run. The good thing and the bad as we run the race that is set before us. We do this by repentance and faith. Is they any sin that you need to repent of? Is there any good thing that is keeping you from the best things.

III. Look at Jesus Christ (2-3)

During the race of life we must look at Christ Jesus. In Hebrews 11 the phrase “by faith: is used 21 times, indicating that it is faith in Christ that enables us to endure.

We are told to look unto Jesus. “Looking” is the Greek verb aphoraō which means to fix your attention. This describes an attitude of faith and not just a single act. It is through turnig our eyes from sin to Him through faith that we are saved and is is by keeping our eyes on Him that we will endure. The author writes in Hebrews 2:13a “I will put My trust in Him.”

A. Our perfect example

Jesus is the originator and perfecter of faith, though 100 % God Jesus on earth was also 100% man who endured all that life in this evil world threw at Him. He endured more than any of the heroes of faith named in Chapter 11 therefore He is our perfect example. Heb. 12:4 tells us that the original audience had endured much but not yet to the point of death. But Jesus endured the Cross. The shameful humiliating cross.

On the cross Jesus endured the pains of spikes and thorns. The pains of torn ligaments and pierced tendons and bones. He suffered with outstretched arms the beam pressed into His back as all the breath in his lungs were pressed out of him. The insults of those who stood and watched and the insults of those who were crucified before Him. He suffered loneliness and abandonment as God forsook His Son and unleashed His wrath upon Jesus body and soul. He endured all the sins of the world and many more things that our sin damaged mind can’t comprehend. And being able to call legions of angels to His rescue He stood fast, enduring the sinners death that He certainly did not deserve. He endured hell as He cried my Father why has thou forsaken me yet finishing what He was sent to do.

How did Jesus endure? By faith! He kept the eye of faith on the joy that was set before Him knowing that He would come out of the tomb alive and enter again into the presence of the Father. The author of Hebrews is extremely educated in the Law and perhaps in this book the Law is referred to more than any other N.T. book. We are told that after Jesus endured this life and death He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. His work was complete and the need for blood sacrifice was no more because Jesus had done the will of God by offering His body once and for all.

We must look to Jesus who endured such so much, keeping His eyes set not on the present moment but on the future and the Hope that comes with faith so that we will not grow weary, becoming discouraged, and give up.

B. Our Victor

Jesus is not only our perfect example but He is our victor. He endured for the joy that was set before Him, that is so that He can present us into the presence of holy God in the glory of heaven! Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”

It is through faith in Jesus that we are saved and at that moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart and through faith He enables us to endure, therefore we have great hope in this world.

Conclusion: Hope is a theme in this letter, Hope means a future. It is used 5 times in this letter, in Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” The heroes of faith looked ahead living for the future, through faith regardless of how things look or how difficult things become we have a future. And, Jesus is our example and enabler who gives us this future and enables us to run the race.

Psalm 16:8–10