Run the race with Endurance (2)

Intro:

Good evening everyone and welcome to our Wednesday night Bible Study. Tonight, we are going to be doing something a little different. We will be taking a little break from our study in Acts and tonight I want us to look at Hebrews chapter 11-12.

Be sure to be praying for Pastor Mike, he is not feeling well so he asked me to cover for him tonight.

Like I said, I want to do something a little different tonight. What I want to do is just read a bunch of Scripture. And this is not because I didn’t have anything prepared but really this is something that God has been teaching me in my own life.

This past Sunday, Clay preached his first sermon and as he was preparing and studying 2 Corinthians 2 for Sunday, I was doing my best to give him any advice that I have on sermon writing.

In my computer, I probably have 200 sermons that I have written and delivered over the years. As I was trying to help Clay, I was going back to look at some of my old sermons and I noticed that the more sermons I wrote, the less Scripture I was using.

This really began to bother me simply because the words of this book are precious and this book was written to be read publically and corporately in our worship services.

I began to think to myself, am I elevating my own words, opinions, theology over the words of the Holy Spirit? Or do I see the words of this book as sacred?

In my personal walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been teaching about two things: Faith and Endurance. These are two things that we desperately need if we are going to be faithful disciples of Jesus. If we are going to make it to the end, we will have to have Faith and Endurance. This is the model that Jesus lived out for us.

I don’t know about you guys but Faith and Endurance are not my default. Fear and Quitting are way more natural for me. The writer of the book of Hebrews gives instruction for us. In fact this is the very purpose of the book of Hebrews.

The Purpose of the Book of Hebrews:

The original purpose of this letter is to encourage a group of first century Jewish Christians in a Gentile context who were being tempted to fall back into a Christless-Judaism because they were facing persecution. You see, the Jews in the Roman Empire were exempt from sacrificing to Caesar. They were not facing persecution the way that Christians were. All they would have to do is deny Jesus and they would be let back into the synagogue where they would be exempt from persecution.

It was becoming hard to live as a Christian so they were facing a temptation to leave behind the gospel, with all the hardship that it brings in this life, for a life of ease and comfort.

Is this not true of the world that we live in today? How many people do we know in our lives that have totally walked away from Jesus? Not just left our church but have totally abandoned the faith.

In my own life, I was brought up in a very conservative, gospel loving-church with a very gospel-focused youth group. I had strong relationships with some guys that were on fire for Jesus. I remember going overseas with a lot of these guys and doing some really powerful ministry together. Fast forward however many years I’ve been out of High School and some of my friends who were once so on fire for Jesus are now out of the church and want nothing to do with him. Why?

Because it is easy to be a Christian in a echo-chamber, but as soon as we are out in the real-world, as soon as we experienced how much harder it is to live as a Christian than to not, we can face the temptation to choose the life of ease. This is why when I was in College Ministry, I would call it frontline ministry because many of those kids were away from their families for the first time and they couldn’t hide under the umbrella of their family’s faith anymore. They needed their own faith and those professors were evangelists for a worldly, secularistic, godless religion.

The cost of being a disciple of Jesus is something that we do need to consider because we are called to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and follow Him. Because whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it.

We will face difficulty while we follow Jesus. Hardship and trials. Even persecution. And I believe that it will get harder and harder to live as a Christian in this world.

Do you remember what Jesus taught in the parable of the wheat and the tears in Matthew 13? This is the parable with the farmer going out and planting the good seeds of the gospel but while he was sleeping, the enemy, the Devil, came in and planted weeds. Until harvest time, both the Wheat and the Weeds will grow together. Only at harvest time, when Jesus returns, will persecution and difficulty and suffering cease.

So I’m going to read Hebrews 11-12:2 in it’s entirety and I want you to really listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the examples of faith that we have to look to. Again, these are the words of God.

We need to learn to discern between what is sacred and what is ordinary. The words of this book are sacred and we need to feel that weight both when we are reading the word in our personal study but even more so when it is read from the pulpit.

So, if you have your Bibles open to Hebrews 11, let’s begin in verse 1

Hebrews 11–12 (ESV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

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.

*Pay careful attention to this transition.*

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.

As I stated previously, two things important thing that the writer of Hebrews is really emphasizing here is Faith and Endurance.

Why do we need these things though. Because there is suffering that comes with being a disciple of Jesus. This is kind of a preview for my sermon that I will be giving on May 19 and I think this is a really important subject for the church that is coming out of peaceful times and is transitioning into a season that may look more like what the early church went through back in the beginning right after the Apostles.

Motivations for Suffering (Hebrews 12:1)

The first part of Hebrews 12:1 says,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”

What does this mean?

In Hebrews chapter 11, the writer of this letter goes through different profiles of obedience. Different people that we read about in stories in the Bible. I’ve heard some people call Hebrews 11 the Hall of Faith.

The great Cloud of Witnesses are the heroes of the faith that have come before us and the point that he is making is that these people that we read about in our Bibles are real people that had real struggles but they had faith that God is faithful in his promise and each of these people are examples to us on how to live out our lives with endurance.

He mentions:

Abel for offering an acceptable offering to the Lord.

Enoch for walked with God and being so close to him that God just took him to Heaven without him dying.

Noah for building the Ark that saved him and his family.

Abraham - Genesis 22, the sacrifice of Isaac. Hebrews 11:19 “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

Jacob

Joseph

Moses. I love what verse 25 of chapter 11 says about Moses. Hebrews 11:25–26 “choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

And the Rest - Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the Prophets

These are all real people with real struggles just like us that we look up to as heroes. We read about them in the Scriptures and the Bible is a testament that the life of faith in the God of Israel is worth it. Yes, we are called to take up our cross. Just listen to the legacy the aforementioned from Hebrews 11:

The Legacy of the Great Cloud of Witnesses (Hebrews 11:33-38):

This is their legacy. They were:

Tortured

Mocked

Flogged

They suffered Chains and Imprisonment

They were Stoned

Sawn in two

Killed with the Sword

Destitute, afflicted, mistreated.

Wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

From an outsider perspective, none of these things are worth exemplifying. But listen to what God thinks about those who are faithful to him through the suffering:

Hebrews 11:38 “of whom the world was not worthy”

When you are suffering and facing difficulty as a believer in Jesus the Messiah because of your faith, just know that the world is not worthy of you. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11–12 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about these suffering saints:

Hebrews 11:39–40 “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.”

We have something that our heroes from the Old Testament didn’t have. We have the fullness of the gospel. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the Atonement that faith in his completed work has done. We also have his Spirit living within us at all times. We get his heart and his mind.

There are also similarities between us and the Cloud of Witness:

We have not yet received what we have promised.

We are living the same calling of putting aside sin and enduring suffering.

The imagery that the writer of Hebrews is using here is that of a stadium and the stands are filled with all of the saints that have gone before us.

I love watching the Jaguars but this is a little different because 99% of football spectators have never played football before. We act like we have but really if we were put on the field it would just be sad. The imagery of Hebrews 12 is more like we are playing an important game of football while Peyton Manning is watching. And instead of our Biblical heroes being just spectators watching and examining our every move, their stories/witnesses of faith and endurance serve as encouragement and motivation as we live our lives.

This is why it is so important that we really get to know this book but let me be clear here, I do not believe that this passage of Scripture teaches that these Old Testament saints along with all of our departed loved ones are all gathered around and watching our lives.

The word for “Witness” here is μάρτυς which can mean:

a legal witness;

someone who shares what they have seen, known, or experienced; or

someone who has been killed (martyred) for their faith in Christ.

I think that in light of the context, I think that the third option is the correct one. I think that the point of the Great Cloud of Witnesses is that we are to follow the examples of the saints that have gone before us. Examples for us to follow but in what way? In their endurance, in their patience, in their desire to pursue God no matter what it may cost them in their physical bodies.

We aren’t going to be going long tonight but hopefully the Holy Spirit has spoken to each of your hearts through the reading of his word. I do want to leave you with three applications. Three things to think about with Hebrews 11-12 in mind.

And the first thing is this, the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us to:

Lay Aside Every Weight

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

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,

Just like those who have gone before us, let us lay aside every weight and sin? *weight = hinderance*

Have you ever seen those guys that carry dumbbells in their hands as they are running? With your faith, don’t be like those guys. Those dumbbells that are weighing you down are going to hinder you from running to the best of your ability.

What weighs you down? It could be a number of things:

Cares of this world. Things like our financial troubles or how stressful our jobs are. It could be

A sin that clings so closely. We all have different sin struggles. Different things that we keep running to instead of God. We, as fallen humans, are great at making idols to worship.

We could be weighed down with things like preferences in worship or in how our leaders are doing things with the church.

Cast these things aside, brothers and sisters. All they will do is stop you from running your best. Running at your fullest potential.

The second point of application is this:

Run the Race with Endurance

The Christian life is not a sprint. It’s more of a marathon. We can easily forget *what it is like to be on fire for Jesus.* Have you guys ever been to youth camp? Do you know that feeling you get when you come back from camp? You are on fire for Jesus and you throw out all of your secular CDs and break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

What happens after about a week of being back from camp? It fizzles out doesn’t it? Don’t let it! We need to fan into flame the gift of God that he has given us.

Just like the writer of the book of Hebrews says, all of us are running a race. All of you are running the race of faith. You must run with endurance. Can you imagine what it would look like if all of us were zealous over the race that we are individually running? We would be unstoppable.

Run the race with endurance. This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 10 when he said that “those who endure to the end will be saved.”

These Jewish Believers that this book was written were facing very real temptations to quit the race because it was hard. And it is hard and it will probably get harder in the next few years.

We have all seen how quickly the culture can turn on the things of God. Have endurance. Run the race to the end.

When you sin, accept his chastisement, repent and learn from it.

But there is a secret to running the race to the end. And this is the last point of Application that I have for you tonight…

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)

Do you guys remember a fews months ago in our study in Acts when we talked about the Martyrdom of Stephen? Do you remember how he was able to have faith and endure to the end?

He looked up and he saw Jesus. This is all we need to do. We need to cast off the things that burden us and we need to run with endurance with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Hebrews makes this very clear that Jesus is our model and this is exactly how he was able to endure the Cross. This is what Hebrews 12:2 says,

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

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.

I will talk more about this on the 19th but this is the secret to enduring to the end. By keeping your eyes on the prize. Listen, we may be maligned and mistreated for following Jesus but there will come a day when he returns to rule in reign from a physical throne in Jerusalem as a literal King on the earth.

But he is not just coming as a King, he is also coming as Judge and he will vindicate all of us who have endured and who have been longing for his appearing.

I know that every time I am up here, I mention something about the coming persecution but just like the end of chapter 12 says, God is shaking the church. He is shaking the world to see what is left.

So may we endure to the end with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Let’s pray.